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Malachi 3:6 (NKJV) says, “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

What a statement of grace and mercy. God’s people have forsaken their God and chosen to live as the nations of the world. They have not kept the covenant between themselves and the LORD. God would have every right not to uphold His end of the covenant with His people and severely judge them. What keeps the LORD from doing that? He loves His people. He is a Righteous Judge; but He is also a God of Mercy. He will judge His people; but He is going to personally intervene in the life of His people and and the nations of the world.

Malachi 3:1-3 (NKJV), “”Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, who you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold He (The King is Coming) is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.” (insert mine)

The Father sent the Son. Jesus came, born of a virgin, to be the Savior of the world. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, was crucified on a cross. He shed His blood for the forgiveness of sin. He died, was buried, and three days later, was resurrected from the grave. He ascended back to heaven. And one day, He will return again to this earth and finish His Father’s plan of salvation which was determined before the creation of the world.

The King is Coming…

Between now and His return there will be many signs and wonders, as outlined in Scripture, performed in/on the earth. Today (10-3-2022), I read this on Facebook. It said, I have stopped looking for the signs and wonders that are to happen before Christ’s return; I am listening for the sound of the trumpet.

The King is Coming…

I Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NKJV), says, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet (emphasis mine) of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

In my previous blogs centered on Malachi 3:6, I have emphasized that Jesus told His disciples/apostles that signs and wonders would accompany their preaching of the Word. It was also pointed out that God performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt confirming Moses words to Pharaoh when Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go. When studying the Old Testament, you will also read about God performing signs and wonders confirming the words of His prophets; and God intervening with signs and wonders miraculously helping His judges and kings as they governed God’s people.

Our God is an awesome God.

Signs and wonders permeate the Word of God. Signs and wonders are enumerated in Revelation. Their meaning and timing have caused an immense amount of study and speculation. The controlling thought regarding Revelation is Jesus’ own declaration found in Matthew 24:29-36 (NKJV).

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and the all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with and great glory. and He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near–at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (emphasis mine).

The King is Coming…

There will be much speculation. There will be many theories. There will be many who claim to understand. I am not saying that the Church will be groping in the dark.

The believers in Thessalonica were confused about the return of the Lord. Paul set the record straight.

I Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NKJV) “But concerning the times and the seasons brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep (see I Thessalonians 4: 13-18), we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

The King is Coming…

As the tension increases in our nation and the world, we are not without hope. Our hope is in the Lord and His Word. There will be signs and wonders. God’s Word tells us that. This is a time to edify and encourage one another in the Lord.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV), “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The Day of the Lord is approaching. When is that Day? Only the Father knows; but we are encouraged and instructed by the Word of God to remain in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and to encourage and exhort one another.

The King is Coming…

May the Lord richly bless you, and strengthen you, and give you peace,

a brother in Christ, deo

A continuation of “I am the LORD. I do not change.” Malachi 3:6

When one reads the Book of Exodus, I wonder if people ponder the TENsion that was created in both the people of Egypt and the nation of Israel as they experienced the affects of Moses appealing to Pharaoh to let God’s people go and Pharaoh’s persistent resistance. I am sure you are aware of the basic conversation. Moses requests from Pharaoh the release God’s people. Moses was instructed to say, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” (NKJV) Pharaoh’s reply was in essence, ‘No Way’. That is a simplistic summary of his response. But because of Pharaoh’s persistent decline to release God’s people, a series of 10 plagues were released upon the nation of Egypt. The nation of Israel lived in Egypt in the land of Goshen. The history of their presence in Egypt is the story of the Sovereignty and Providence of God in the life of Jacob, his sons, and in particular, Joseph.

Exodus 1:1-7 gives us a summary of their coming into Egypt. Beginning with Exodus 1:5-7 (NKJV), it says, “All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. “But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.” (emphasis mine) . Joseph, and his family have a legacy in the nation of Egypt. But over the course of time that legacy was forgotten.

It is now 400 plus years later. Exodus 1:8-14 sets the scene and the tone for the story of the conflict between the Pharaoh of Egypt and Moses, the hand-picked leader of God, for Israel. Let’s get a feel of the tension in the air.

Exodus 1:8-14 (NKJV), “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happens, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage–in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which which they made them serve was with rigor.”

From Exodus 1:15 through Exodus 4:31, the narrative recounts the events surrounding the incarceration of Israel; the birth of Moses; the Sovereignty and Providence of God watching over the life of Moses; the ill-fated choices that Moses made; the fleeing of Moses into the wilderness; the change bought about in Moses’ life living in the wilderness; God’s revelation to Moses at the burning bush; the reluctance of Moses to lead; God’s determined will being done in the life of Moses. (see, Hebrews 11:23-26)

When Moses came back to Egypt from the wilderness, he and his brother Aaron “gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.” Exodus 4:29-31(NKJV)

(Isn’t it interesting that the words that Aaron spoke were followed by signs following. This is what Jesus told His disciples in Mark 16:15-18 would happen when they preached the gospel. Mark 16:20 (NKJV), And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.”)

In Exodus 5:1-3, the initial confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh is recorded. This sets the tone for what will take place between Moses, God’s spokesman, and Pharaoh, Egypt’s ruler. It reflects the spiritual battle between God and Satan. God calling His people out of Egypt, a type of the world, to worship Him; and Pharaoh, a type of Satan, the ruler of the world, seeking to keep Israel (humanity )in bondage. It contrasts the worship of the One True God, with the worship of the false gods of Egypt. Each of the plagues were against an Egyptian god.

Exodus 5:1-3 (NKJV), Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.” And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel to? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, let He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”

The initial confrontation sets the tone. The TENsion has been planted in seed form. What follows next in the Book of Exodus is God, through Moses, revealing to Pharaoh, to the nation of Egypt, and to the nation of Israel who He is, and why they need to obey His voice. Remember, it has been 400 plus years since the arrival of the family of Jacob coming into the land of Egypt. God had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That story is the bulk of what is recorded in the Book of Genesis. God has not forgotten His covenant. He is also having His plan of salvation lived out on the earth.

Here is my premise. What has been planted in seed form at the time of the first confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh will sprout and grow into full bloom as God backs up His word as Moses confronts Pharaoh to let His people go. God backs up Moses words by sending 10 plagues throughout the course of the confrontations. The TEN plagues cause the TENsion to rise in the nation of Egypt and in the nation of Israel. The study of the 10 plagues is fascinating. The TENth plague is especially riveting because it follows a plague of darkness. The TENth plague foreshadows Christ as the Lamb of God who takes the away the sin of the world. Christ is the Passover Lamb. The TENth plague is when God passes over all the households in Egypt to kill the first born in each household. There is a death in each household where the Lord does not see the blood of a lamb, that had been killed, applied on the lintel and on the two doorposts of the house (picture of the cross).

Exodus 12:12-13 (NKJV), The Lord said to Moses, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night (the night of the TENth plague), and will strike all the first born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. (Notice, there is no differentiation stated at point between Egyptians and Hebrews.); and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord(emphasis mine). Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you (the blood makes differentiation); and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (parentheses mine).

A series of TEN plagues has been witnessed and experienced by the Egyptians and the Hebrews. All TEN plagues affected the Egyptians; however, not all TEN plagues directly affected the Hebrews as they did the Egyptians. The Hebrews lived in the land of Goshen situated in the nation of Egypt and God made differentiations between His people and the nation of Egypt. For example, when the darkness of the ninth plague blacked out the nation of Egypt for three days, there was light in Goshen. Exodus 11:21-23 (NKJV), “Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt. So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”

God is Sovereign over all, and in His Providence He cared for, and differentiated for His people.

Israel had cried out to God (Exodus 2:23-25), He heard their cry, remembered His covenant, and providentially interrupted Moses’ life for a leadership assignment.

What God intended to do through Moses was not to make people feel good. His intervention was confrontational, revelational, and fearful. I submit is caused TENsion.

Pharaoh had boasted to Moses saying, “Who is Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2, NKJV). The truth is that he did not know who the Lord was, , therefore, why should he acquiesce to what God was asking him to do?

The scripture tells us, man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks upon the heart. (I Samuel 16:7). God knew the heart of Pharaoh. God knew Pharaoh’s constant response to Moses would be negative and He knew that Pharaoh would hardened his heart as he repeatedly said, no. God will have His people released from Egypt. God will show Pharaoh, and the Egyptians who He is; and God will show the nation of Israel that He is the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and that He loves them and will keep the covenant that He had made with them.

From this initial confrontation, Pharaoh increases the burden on the people of Israel; Moses leadership is challenged by the people of Israel; Moses complains (Exodus 5:22-23, NKJV) to God; “God why have you brought trouble on this people?”; “Why is it You have sent Me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.” I don’t get it God. God reassures Moses, I have got this under control,(my paraphrase). “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see (emphasis mine) what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” (Exodus 6:1, NKJV). In Exodus 6:2-8 (NKJV), God has Moses undivided attention, and God continues, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: “I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it you as a heritage: I am the LORD.” (emphasis mine).

I wonder if Moses had a mental flashback to his encounter with God at the burning bush. (Exodus 3:1-12) Notice the bracketing (vs 2 and vs 8) of God’s Word to Moses: “I am the LORD”. That is straight forward, succinct and all inclusive. Moses is hearing from God; the Holy One of Israel; the Creator of the universe; the One True God; the Almighty God; YHWH, the LORD, I AM THAT I AM.

Now what?

Exodus 7:1-5 (NKJV), “So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD (emphasis mine), when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

God has spoken His Word to Moses. Moses is to speak God’s Word, through Aaron, to Pharaoh. God will confirm His Word with signs and wonders (plagues) following .

Moses will come before Pharaoh and speak to him God’s Word to let His people go. Pharaoh will respond in different ways; but the end result is always a negative response, and a continuing hardening of his heart.

There are TEN plagues. The TEN plagues are sent in response to Pharaoh’s refusal to let Israel go. The TEN plagues are miraculous interventions by God. God’s manifestations through Moses create a growing atmosphere of apprehension, of fear, and TENsion. Question: Does the continuation of the plagues make ‘believers’ of the people regarding God’s Word through Moses? Do they take it to heart? Is the realization setting in that when Pharaoh says, NO, Moses is instructed by God to ‘stretch out your hand toward heaven so that there will be… ‘ And what God says will happen does take place. Now now having seen and experienced the the outcomes of the previous nine plagues and being told what is going to transpire with the tenth plague, will God’s people, heed the instruction of God regarding the TENth plague.

Exodus 12:1-3,5a,6,7,11b-13 (NKJV), “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household’…Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year….Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it…It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the first born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD (emphasis mine). Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague will not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (the blood differentiates. It did then, it still does.)

The TENsion that had been planted in seed form when Moses first spoke to Pharaoh has grown and will now culminate in death; except where the blood of the lamb has been applied “on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they (Israel) eat it(the lamb).” (Exodus 12:7 NKJV,)(emphasis, insert mine)

God has used a series of TEN signs and wonders (plagues) to authenticate His Word through Moses to the Egyptians and to the Israelites. It is interesting that some of the plagues, God allowed to afflict the Egyptians and the Israelites. As the plagues progressed, God differentiated between the Egyptians and His people. He allowed some plagues to affect Egypt but not affect Israel. The first two plagues had no distinction; in fact the magicians of Egypt were able to duplicate the plagues. God allowed it. Satan does have the ability to counterfeit things. However, when the magicians tried to duplicate the third plague, they were unable to do so; why? may I interject my thought? The dust of the ground was struck and life was created out of the dust of the ground. How was Adam formed? Out of the dust of the ground. This time the dust was struck and lice were formed. The point is that God is the Creator of life. The magicians of Egypt could not duplicate this. Their response was, Exodus 8:19, (NKJV), “Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them (Moses/Aaron) as the Lord had said.” (insert mine). Plagues 4,5,7,9 says that Israel was not affected by the plague. God made a difference. Plagues 6, 8 do not say that Israel was not affected. We need to remember that God is Sovereign of all; and that He is Providential toward His people.

I do not believe that I am out of place saying that the people in the land of Egypt were feeling the TENsion growing within them personally and in their surrounding atmosphere as the plagues continued to come just as Moses had declared they would. One wonders what took place in the minds of people who were not close to source of conflict between Pharaoh and Moses. There is no internet or cell phones, no fast communication. But, I do not think it is unreasonable to suggest that the Egyptians were wondering what will happen next?

God is making believers out of everyone in the nation of Egypt, whether they are Egyptian or Hebrew. Is it possible some didn’t believe? Absolutely. It doesn’t say. The one who was affected the most was Pharaoh. Is it safe to say that he came to believe what Moses was telling him was going to be true; but his heart was hardened so that he could not say yes until after the TENth plague. Only then could he call for Moses and tell him to take the people and go. His pride was strong and it hardened his heart. Exodus 12:29-32 (NKJV), “And it came to pass at mid-night that the Lord struck all the first born in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and the first born of the livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and you herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” But it didn’t end there, “And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them our of the land in haste. For they said, We shall all be dead. ” Exodus 12:33, (NKJV). Israel exited in haste.

Why all the preparation? The TENth plague is coming. The TENth plague is the crescendo for the deliverance of God’s people. It is a foreshadowing of the teaching that points to the foundation of God’s plan of salvation. The coming of the Son of God, who is the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world. He will come and be killed. His death on the cross will be an act of propitiation that will completely satisfy the wrath of God against sin. His death, burial, and resurrection will conquer death, hell, and the grave. His death renders Satan powerless. Death has died in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

In the age in which we are living, there is a growing TENsion that is building in the atmosphere of this world. The Kingdom of God and kingdom of darkness are both maturing. The wheat and the tares are sown in the earth. We are witnessing an exponential rise of evil throughout the world. The enemy of our souls has become very bold. Jesus says in John 10:10 (NKJV), “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” There is spiritual warfare.

Remember, Romans 5:20,21, (NKJV), “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (emphasis mine)

I believe we are going to see a manifestation of God’s Grace by the power of the Holy Spirit in these last days. Just as God confirmed His Word, through Moses, in Egypt, a type of the world; He will confirm His Word through the His Church to the world today. The Lord will raise up a standard of righteousness by the power of His Spirit through the preaching of the Word; He will confirm the message of the Gospel with signs and wonders just as He said He would to His disciples in Mark 16.

Change is coming, the Holy Spirit will come with Pentecostal renewal and power to the Church, as it did on the day of Pentecost.

I believe in the ministry of the Word, with signs following.

So, I ask again, why all this preparation? Because there is going to be another deliverance of God’s people, those who are believers in Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:9-11, (NKJV), “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. and while they looked steadfastly t0ward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, “who also said, “Men of Galilee, who do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from y0u into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Before Christ returns again, there is going to be a growing TENsion. It is all part of God’s plan of salvation.

Are you under the blood? Have you passed from death unto life by accepting Jesus Christ as your Passover Lamb?

Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I do not change.”

Amen, Thank you LORD.

a believer in Christ, deo

Non-Christians believe that they have a right to do with their bodies as they desire. Are they wrong? No, because they do not care what the Bible says, nor do they desire to do as God says. They object vehemently to Biblical restrictions expressed as law in our culture. They rail against them. They honestly believe that the Constitution gives them the constitutional right to decide what to do with their body. What they find hard to believe is that the Constitution does not establish this right. That is what the ruling overturning Roe v. Wade was all about. [Bloomberg, Equality, Read the full text of the Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion Rights] “Alioto wrote of Roe (expressing the majority opinion): Roe was on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided…Wielding nothing but “raw judicial power,” the Court usurped the power to address a question of profound moral and social importance that the Constitution unequivocally leaves for the people.” The dissenting judges “said that the majority had relegated women to “second class citizenship”. “

Overturning Roe v. Wade, in essence, said that the Supreme Court had overstepped its boundary as written in the Constitution. In the Wall Street Journal, Opinion commentary, the headline read, June 24, 2022, “The Supreme Court Reclaims Its Legitimacy”, “In the 1973 abortion case, not today the justices overstepped their boundaries and made their institution political.” That is at the heart of the controversy regarding overturning Roe v. Wade from the political point of view.

What non-Christians, and I assume some Christians, find hard to believe is that the Constitution does not elaborate the right that a woman can do what she wants with her body regarding abortion. The SCOTUS returned that decision to the states and its citizenry. That is our Constitutional Republic’s democratic process. Regarding abortion, our democratic process has been misused, maligned, and taken advantage of by the ideology of progressive liberalism that has championed that our Constitution is antiquated and needs to be updated, and interpreted in light of the culture and society in which we are living in the twenty-first century.

Such is the cultural war within our nation. Our Constitution was framed incorporating Biblical thought. August 19, 2019, the following was printed in the Chicago Tribune. “The Bible stands as the supreme constitution for all mankind.” From the writings of Rev. Billy Graham,

Question: Americans live by the Constitution of the United States, and I have heard it said that the Bible is the Constitution for Christians. Is this true? C.L.

Answer: A constitution is made up of principles by which a nation, or a people are governed. The Bible stands as the supreme constitution for all mankind, not just Christians. Its laws apply equally to all who live under its domain, without exception or special interpretation. God’s Word was given not only to those who believe in Him and follow Him, but to all mankind. Unbelief in God does not excuse anyone from God’s ultimate judgment.

As the U.S. Constitution is the highest law of the land (in America), so the Bible is the highest law of God. The American Constitution itself was founded upon Biblical standards. It is the Bible that sets forth spiritual laws and records God’s enduring promises. The most wonderful message of this document is that it reveals God’s plan of redemption for the human race.

Many citizens today do not know much about the U.S. Constitution, and many know less about God’s Word. The presupposition of the constitutional framers was that law was absolute. People were to be free, and they were to know what the law required and also what the law could not do. No judge was to be unfair but was to judge cases as the law required.

True Christianity finds all of its doctrines (truth) in the Bible; true Christianity does not deny any part of the Bible; true Christianity does not add anything to the Bible. Believing and following God’s Word brings the greatest freedom, because God’s truth declares His judgment against sin, and broadcasts his forgiving love to the whole world.”(This column is based on the words and writing of the late Rev. Billy Graham.) (c)2019 BILLY GRAHAM LITERARY TRUST DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC. copyright (c) 2022, Chicago Tribune

If our nation has progressed in opposition to Biblical thought, then it is only natural that a large swath of our population is in opposition to God, Himself; the Word of God; Christianity; and others that promote Biblical standards.

Our nation has become distressingly divided. Our division can be attributed to moral and ethical issues.

What are our moral and ethical issues that we are facing? The following are from news.gallup.com, Moral Issues/Gallup Topic, Polling Matters June 17, 2022, entitled “Untangling Americans’ Complex Views of Morality”

“Americans have negative views of the state of moral values in the nation, but at the same time have become more accepting of a variety of moral behaviors.” The following are Gallup headlines: “Record High 50% of American Rate U.S. Moral Values as ‘Poor’ (Politics, June 15, 2022); Americans say Birth control, Divorce Most ‘Morally Acceptable’ (Politics, June 9, 2022); Abortion poised to Be a Bigger Voting Issue Than in Past (Politics, June 6, 2022); ‘Pro-Choice Identification rises to Near Record High in U.S. (Politics, June 2, 2022); Same-sex Marriage Support Inches Up to New High of 71% (Politics, June 1, 2022); LGBT Americans Married to Same-Sec Spouse Steady at 10% (Politics Feb. 10, 2022); Changing One’s Gender is Sharply Contentious Moral Issue (Politics, June 11, 2021); American Still Oppose Overturning Roe v. Wade (Politics, June 9, 2021); Record-High 47% in U.S. Think Abortion is Morally Acceptable (Politics, June 9, 2021); Mixed Views Among Americans on Transgender Issues (Politics, May 26, 2021); Is Marriage Becoming Irrelevant? (Politics, Dec. 28, 2020).”

Each of these headlines have a story. I have not included their stories, just the headlines, to present a sampling of the moral and ethical issues that confront this nation according to Gallup polling.

I believe that the list of moral and ethical issues and their corresponding polling data is the result of one’s world view. In a Journal Article entitled, “Different Worldviews, Different Morals: America’s Culture War Divide”, Lene Arnett Jensen, says, “In this article, it is argued that moral reasoning is premised upon more comprehensive worldviews, and it is suggested that moral behaviors in part serve to maintain these worldviews. A worldview is defined as providing an account of what it means to be human, the nature of reality, and the reasons and remedies for human suffering, interviews with adults whose moral evaluation and reasoning place them on opposite sides of the current American culture war are used to illustrate the argument. It is argued that these adults differ in their moralities because of differences in their worldviews.” (jstor.org, 1997)

I agree. Therefore, I present the following paradigm. The two major world views are the secular world view and the Biblical world view. A secular worldview is said to “deny the existence of a transcendent, divine, or spiritual dimension of reality and affirm that reality has a different makeup, and it is the basic features of this reality that have importance for how we should understand live our lives.” (May 5, 2021) [googled]

“A Biblical worldview, also called a Christian worldview, is built upon the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual or group interprets the world and interacts with the world. Our worldview shapes the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual dimensions of our lives. “[googled]

I do not believe that it is a stretch of the imagination to put each of these worldviews at opposite ends of the spectrum. The liberal progressive left embodies the secular worldview, and the conservative Christian right embodies the Biblical worldview.

Making that comparison puts our thoughts into midst of the political arena where we find our nation battling it out. Between these two endpoints are a myriad of combinations of thought where most people in our nation live, think, and struggle morally and ethically most every day. This political struggle has caused a chasm of division in our nation.

What is the root of the division? The root of the division is not the color of one’s skin; one’s economic status; one’s nationality; one’s political position; or one’s world view. The root of the problem of division is the condition of one’s heart.

The problem of one’s heart is an issue for a Christian as well as for a non-Christian.

Proverbs 4:23,24, says, ” Guard your heart diligently for from it flow the springs of life. Put away perversity from your mouth and keep devious lips from you.” (Tree of Life Version)

Jesus said, ” Out of the good treasure of his heart the good man brings forth good, and out of evil, the evil man brings forth evil. For from the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, Tree of Life Version)

[Note: only two categories of humanity are mentioned: good and evil, nothing is said about skin color, economics, nationality, politics, or belief system)

Jesus, speaking to the pharisees, the religious leaders of the Jewish nation, says, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit. Your brood of vipers! How can you are evil say anything good? For from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man from his good treasury brings forth good, and the evil man from his evil treasury brings forth evil.” (Matthew 12:33-35, Tree of Life Version)

Jesus follows this truth up with a statement of fact. “But I tell you (that’s certitude) that on the Day of Judgment, men (humanity) will give account for every careless word they speak. For by your words, you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37, Tree of Life Version)

It matters what we say. What we say is a matter of the heart. The condition of our heart is based upon our world view. As a believer, our world view is based upon the Word of God, and who do we say Jesus is? A non-believer’s worldview does not consider the God, the Word of God, or Jesus the Son of Man, the Son of God.

Jesus talking with His disciples inquired of them, “When Yeshua came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is? They answered, “Some say John the Immerser others say Elijah, and still others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” He said, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Yeshua said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven!” (Matthew 16:13-17, Tree of Life Version)

Question: Who do say Jesus is? Who does our nation say that Jesus is?

The answer to that question will bring healing to our nation.

TBC, praying for the visitation of God to our nation, a brother in Christ, deo

I am currently thinking how to discuss the following that is absolutely true.

God delivered His people from Egypt and brought them into the wilderness and encamped them at the base of Mt. Sinai. It was there that God called Moses up to the top of the mountain and gave to him the 10 commandments. God established His law for His people to abide by; however, we know that it was impossible for His people to keep the law. Why? Because of their human nature. They had unregenerated hearts. At the base of Mt. Sinai, God was establishing His government for His people.

Today humanity lives in their nations that have their individual forms of government. Some nations adhere to rules better than others; however, in all nations there are many unregenerated people. These people break the laws of their nation. The fact is that many Christians also break the laws of their nation.

Today in our nation, the United States of America, we are witnessing lawlessness. We are watching indiscriminate murder. On the 4th of July in Chicago, there was a gunman who killed at least 7, and wounded over 20 others.

Where am I headed with these thoughts? God’s people did not obey Him, and He corrected, disciplined, and punished His people. Our leaders believe that if we pass more laws this will curb the problem. I disagree. We are witnessing the rise of evil in our land from people who have unregenerated hearts. Unfortunately, a major contributor to this growth of lawlessness, is a lack of correction, discipline, and punishment. I am not saying that we ignore individuals that have real and serious problems. I am making an observation.

We as a nation are trying to fix our problems by passing more ‘laws’. It won’t work. It won’t work because the human heart needs to be changed; and that change is a spiritual change. It will take time and effort to bring about such a change; but it is possible by God’s grace and His work in our midst.

That’s the hope of the Gospel.

TBC, praying for our nation, a brother in Christ, deo

Recently, I just read that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has been revived and that they will start touring again. However, they will be performing without elephants. In another article that I read, it said, “Circus Returning After a Year’s Long Hiatus–Without Animals. The iconic show will return in the fall of 2023. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is relaunching show next year with plenty of thrills and high-flying acts, but not with the controversial presence of animals.” [May 19, 2022, by Alison Fox, travelandleisure.com]

How cool is that? I am not sure that I could enjoy a circus without animals. Animals were a major enjoyment for me when attending the circus. So, what’s the purpose of bringing up the subject of the circus?

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey was promoted as the THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. In 1952, Cecil B. DeMille directed a blockbuster film of the same name. The film won Oscar’s for Best Picture, and for Best Writing Motion Picture Story.

On Monday June 6, 2022, it will have been 17 months “since the attack on the U. S. Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming the presidential election results.” [The United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia] This disruption happened as the Congress was ratifying the Presidential election of 2020.

I am not questioning the actions that have been investigated. I am concerned about how this investigation has been carried out, and more specifically how the findings of this investigation will be disseminated to the American public.

Why is it necessary to schedule the findings of the committee on prime time T.V. at 8 P.M. on all the major television stations?

For me, this appears to be a staged event. It has all the potential of the being The Greatest Show on Earth. In short, a political circus. And to take it one step further, there will be no elephants. The GOP has virtually been ignored in the process of the investigation.

Why do I make this assertion? Since the beginning of President Biden’s term of office, the general trend of the progress of the administration has been on the downside. What do I mean? What is the state of the economy? What is happening at the southern border of our nation? What is happening with our gas prices? What is the state of the covid pandemic? These are major issues. Have they successfully been attended too?

The Democratic Party is scrambling to shore-up their resume for the upcoming mid-term elections. What we will be witnessing will be watching and listening to dialogue advancing their cause but at the expense of diverting the American public from the real issues that the administration needs to be focusing on.

I call this–THE GREAT DIVERSION-A SPECTICAL OF DECEPTION. Harsh words? I do not believe so. This type of politics has been going on for years. This is how I assess the Democratic plan for the mid-term elections. They will focus on any subject from now until November 8, 2022, that will emotionally endear their voting base to once again salivate their hatred toward our former President, Mr. Trump, the Republican Party, and conservatism.

This approach will be masterfully displayed during the televising of the January 6 Committee’s findings aired on prime time T.V. The findings will be fawned over by the media, the liberal talk show hosts, late night T.V. programs, and the social media.

The Republican Party and conservative talk show hosts will seek to dispel what the Democrats are saying and dissuade the voting public from the Democratic message.

It will be a war of words. There will be accusations, name calling, and incessant amount of media ‘spins’.

Hoping that the nation will be caught up in the preoccupation of this political circus, the Democrats will seek to also focus on other ‘high-strung’ emotional issues. I am thinking specifically about gun-control and abortion.

These issues are important and must be addressed. In view of the current, horrific massacre of young children in Uvalde, Texas, gun-control must be address. But like, Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, said, how many more of these massacres must we experience before something is done. He went on the say, in essence, let’s do something instead of trying to figure out how you as politicians can remain in power. Ah, there’s the rub.

There needs to be some sane, rational approach to gun-control, as prescribed in the second amendment, not some ‘knee-jerk’ reaction of gun-control passed just for the sake of ‘look what we did’, vote for us. If you think this is far-fetched, it’s not; it’s how politics works. It is why politicians are unwilling to really sit down and discuss an issue and come to a conclusion that benefits the nation, not themselves. This is on both sides of the isle.

Just today, as I was preparing this blog, I came across this headline’ [source: Politics on Late Night], “Bill Maher fears Republicans are ‘gonna steal the issue’ of marijuana from Democrats”. There it is. What is Maher’s concern? Who gets the political leverage when it comes time to cast your vote?

Please do not think I am ignoring the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas. It is horrific. In spite of this tragedy, it must not be isolated and handled individually, but collectively with all of the other atrocities of murder that permeates our nation.

Another emotional issue will be the SCOTUS ruling regarding Roe v. Wade. If Roe v. Wade is overturned what effect will that have on the Democratic platform of abortion. Abortion has been a mainstay of the Democrats to solidify their voting base. It is for sure that there will be a horrendous outcry of emotional turmoil if Roe v. Wade is overturned. The question is will there be civility or incivility in our nation if Roe v. Wade is overturned? Or should I ask, will there be civil violence on our nation’s streets? I sincerely hope that is not the case.

I have outlined three emotionally charged issues that I believe the Democrats will use to rally their base in order to keep themselves in power. These same issues will be counter-acted against by the Republicans to dispose the Democrats of their power and assume power through the upcoming mid-term elections.

The goal of the politicians is to remain in power and/or gain power.

The Greatest Show on Earth is about to be displayed in our nation. Its goal is to divert attention from what really matters.

We, as a nation, have lost our civility. We are a nation in chaos, turmoil, and conflict. We have broken/lost our moral compass. It appears that we are on the brink of social unrest, economic disaster, and societal failure.

Our leaders are scrambling to ‘do’ all they can to impress us as voters, promising results as they pursue their policies; but coming up empty handed in reality.

In Washington, Congress is more interested in pursuing the policies they deem important to ensure their re-election than focusing on the economic disaster we face with surging inflation, an immigration policy out of control, a floundering foreign policy, gasoline prices rising continually. These a but a few of the major problems facing our administration. What is disappointing is the insistence that most of this is all under control and that these issues are not the current administration’s fault.

There is so much rhetoric and so little follow through and reality of accomplishment. Everyone is posturing for power to be re-elected, pandering to their own party’s voting base. It’s all smoke and mirrors. I am fully aware that sharing like this divide an already divided electorate.

These words on the whole are not uplifting at all. They paint a grim picture. Sometimes I wonder if we really see and understand what is taking place. I know that many citizens in this nation truly understand. It hurts to watch a nation implode from within. Some might say, that can’t happen. This is the United States of America.

Let me pose a question. When all is said and done, if a nation seeks to make laws that are absolutely against the Word of God, who wins? The nation or the Word of God. If a nation has set aside its moral compass and its lifestyle is composed of elements that are absolutely against Word of God, will God hold that nation responsible for its sins?

Proverbs 14:34, NKJV, “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach (shame or disgrace) to any people.”

Galatians 6:7, NKJV, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

The Church, the Ecclesia, of God needs to be encouraged by Isaiah 60:1-4.

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is rise upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They shall all gather together, they shall come to you; Your sons and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.” [NKJV]

Ephesians 4:8-16, [NKJV], “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. but all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for what makes manifest is light. Therefore, He says, “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Arise Church, let your light shine, and the glory of the Lord will be seen on you.

Believe it, a brother in Christ, deo

I am reposting this blog because of a bill that is currently working its way through committee in the California legislature. The bill is AB2223.

“AB2223 by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) legalizes infanticides, is a bill to expand the killing of babies past the moment of birth up to weeks after, The California Family Council reports.”

“The California Family Council explains: “They intend to not only codify the killing of unborn children throughout all nine months of pregnancy but to decriminalize killing newborns days or even weeks after birth.”

The next step is the legislative process is a hearing April 18, 2022, in Sacramento, California. Please pray that this legislation is STOPPED from going further in the process for approval. (Emphasis mine)

Is it possible that such legislation would cause the anger of God to be unleased against this state? I believe that we are naive to believe that God overlooks such evil. We need to pray for the stoppage of this bill; and we need to pray for the mercy of God to forgive us for our sin regarding abortions in our state and in our nation. We are shedding innocent blood. God does not take that lightly. Therefore, I encourage you to read this blog for the first time or re-read my blog. Thank you for taking this seriously and praying for this bill to be STOPPED. (Emphasis mine)

This blog was originally posted in 2020.

If you have read my previous two posts, then you will understand the concept of the words ‘disqualifying history’.

As I have shared, all of humanity has a disqualified history because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” But God in His Grace, and because God is Agape (love), sent His only Begotten Son to die on the cross for our sin to make the way for us to reconciled unto Himself through His Son’s death, burial, and resurrection. Our sins are forgiven because of the Blood of Christ, and “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of glory.” (Romans 5:1,2 NKJV)

Let us ask ourselves a question, does our nation have a ‘disqualifying history” that would be comparable to God destroying the world by a flood; a ‘disqualifying history’ that would be comparable to God pouring out His judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah; or even a ‘disqualifying history’ that would cause God to judge our nation because of some act or atrocity that we have committed in our history?

I believe the answer to such a question would be a resounding, yes.

Our nation is currently wrestling with the inhumanity that we have perpetrated through the institution of slavery.

Recently, I completed the reading of a book entitled, ‘An Inquiry into the Scriptural Views of Slavery’, by Albert Barnes. Albert Barnes was an American Theologian. He was born in 1798, graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1823. He was an ordained pastor of a Presbyterian Church in 1825; and he was the Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1830-1867. He died in 1870. He was a “staunch proponent of the abolition of slavery”. His book about the scriptural view of slavery was published in 1855. In his book, he set out to discuss the mindset of both the North and the South with regards to slavery. In short, the argument is whether or not slavery in the United States is condoned or rejected Biblically. I commend the reading of this book to you if you are interested in a rather long and arduous examination of the topic; however, I can say with confidence that he leaves no stone unturned dissecting this subject matter evaluating it from many different starting points.

At the outset of his treatise, Albert Barnes, categorically states that slavery is not condoned by scripture and that if you apply the principles of the scripture to the topic and live by them, he concludes that slavery would be eliminated in one generation.

The task of picking up this book and reading it from cover to cover entails reading his historical research of slavery; his biblical research and commentary; his arguments regarding the laws found in states regarding slavery, both for and against; the relationship of the church to those laws; and his critique of sermons being preached at this time in the North and the South. This work was written prior to the Civil War.

At the end of his argument, let me repeat what I stated earlier, that he conclusively shows that slavery is not condoned by scripture; and he is convinced that if we would live by the Word of God and apply its principles, then the Word of God would keep alive those practices that it condones and would put to death those practices it abhors. Therefore, slavery would be eliminated from the United States within a generation. To substantiate that point, he points to the Puritan Church which had members that owned slaves; however, the leadership of the church taught the principles of scripture and over a period of time, the practice of slave holding was eliminated from the Puritan Church. The Puritans did not harrang others about their practice. They lived it out as a withness to the communities in which they lived.

As controversial as slavery was then; as wrong as slavery was in its practice of inhumanity against people of color; and as unfortunate as the history of slavery has been since end of the Civil War and the Reconstruction Period; we are still battling the remnants of racial divide in our nation.

All of that being true, I do not believe that the issue of slavery is the major ‘disqualifying history’ of our nation.

I believe that abortion has been a practice far more abominable that condemns us in the sight of God. The killing of innocent lives is unconscionable. We are shedding innocent blood. There is no rationale for this behavior. Please do not start bombarding with ‘what abouts’. I am not talking about legitimate, well thought out exceptions (however, I will say that exceptions cannot be the rule). I am saying that the scripture does not condone abortion, just like it does not condone slavery. And if we will live by the Word of God, and guide our lives by the principles of scripture, the practice of abortion will come to an end as it is performed and condoned in the United States.

We, as a nation, have departed from the Word of God. Our country was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. I am not saying that all our founding fathers were Christians. I am not saying that we are a Christian nation. What I am saying is that God had a purpose for the founding and development of this nation. As, we, as a nation, honored His Word and its teachings, God blessed this nation. But His blessings will be withheld if we ignore His Word; worship other gods; think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think; and confess that we believe in God, but our heart is far removed from Him.

God have mercy upon us.

Father, forgive us of our sin. Forgive us of murdering innocent human beings. We confess to You that the murder of innocent lives is wrong and unjust, no matter what the skin color. In Your sight Father, there is only one race, the human race, which you have created with many skin colors. Father, forgive us, as a nation for what we have done to black human beings. We have treated them inhumanely. We have also wronged many other humans with different skin colors. We confess our sin of abortion. We confess our sin of treating humans as slaves regardless of color. We ask again for your forgiveness. Thank you, Father, that your Word says, that if we will confess our sin, you are faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Father, I ask this, in Jesus’ Name.

To conclude, my point is that we are a nation with disqualifying histories. We have many issues that disqualify us before the living God. I believe that the shedding of innocent blood of infants by means of abortion is the paramount disqualifier of our nation. I am not minimizing our history of slavery and its repercussions; but, in spite of all the atrocities that are associated, then and now, with that history, (which would include a discussion of BLM), the abortion of millions of babies,(many of whom are black American infants) in my estimation out weighs the history of slavery.

Does God hold nations responsible for their moral conduct? Absolutely.

Are we as a nation accountable before God for the killing of infants by abortion? Absolutely.

God has His own timing regarding the nations, their rise and their fall are in His Hands. History tells us that; in fact, the history recorded in the pages of the Bible reveal to us God’s dealings with nations regarding their moral behavior. A nation is the sum of its inhabitants. If those humans conduct themselves inhumanely toward others, God will judge that nation. God has too, He cannot violate His Essence.

Again, may God have Mercy upon us, a brother in Christ, deo

Facebook asks the question, “What is on your mind?”

I assume that what’s on our minds is similar, the war in Ukraine.

At the close of 2021, I asked the Lord about what was coming in 2022? The answer was, “change is coming”. In my personal context, I thought that referred to family changes and changes associated with Covid. Covid was still front and center in the minds of many of the nations of the world.

Most of us were not focused or even aware of what Putin was doing at the border of Ukraine. It was not that the world was ignorant of his troop and armament buildup but what was going on was not making ‘neon sign headlines’ that grabbed our attention.

It appears that the leaders of the world did not believe that Putin would launch his forces to crush Ukraine into submission. Looking in the rear-view mirror, there was ample time to weaponize Ukraine for a formidable response, if and when, Putin decided to attack Ukraine. How many times have we heard that discussed since the war began? What people saw was viewed with ‘blind eyes and what people heard was heard with ‘deaf ears’. What we are seeing and hearing now is the result of that blindness and deafness.

As of this moment (March 23, 2022), it has been 28 days since the start of the invasion. The world has witnessed death, destruction, and devastation at the hands of Putin. In spite of Putin’s relentless and ruthless aggression, Ukraine has resisted to the best of their ability, and cried out to the nations for additional assistance and aid. President Zelenskyy should not have to ‘beg’ for assistance from other nations.

The populace of the world has witnessed their nation’s leaders grappling with the proper response. Many, including my wife and I have asked, why the hesitancy? why the vacillation? why the reluctance? It seems the common reason is the fear of how Putin will respond to escalated interference by other nations, especially with Russia’s nuclear capabilities.

The more I listen to commentators discussing the war in Ukraine, the more I realize just how much the media synthesizes the information and then askes others, ‘what do you think?’ It is sort of like Facebook, ‘what’s on your mind?’

The truth is that most responses are speculation. Don’t completely turn a deaf ear to me, I have listened to many individuals who have shared insightful understanding and meaningful analysis. However, I confess that most of the commentary is redundant; therefore, I listen carefully and critically. I do not believe that is wrong.

What we do know to be true is being shown to us visually. The destruction is real; the desperation is real; and the devastation is real. What we are watching is reality in Ukraine. This is NOT a video game. (emphasis mine)

So, what is on my mind? Last Fall (2021), I joined a men’s Bible study. They were studying the minor prophets. They were concluding Habakkuk. Since then, we have completed Zephaniah, and now we are beginning Haggai.

In the past week, I have returned to the prophet Habakkuk and re-read his conversation with God about what he was witnessing in Judah. What motivated me to return to this portion of scripture? I have been reflecting upon the sovereignty of God.

Habakkuk was used by God to bring a message to His people in Judah. The Word of God, through the prophet is important; however, there is something else that takes place in this narrative. Habakkuk, the man, comes to an enlightened understanding about the sovereignty of God.

You see, I am asking the Lord about His sovereignty regarding the events that are happening in Ukraine. Do I believe in the sovereignty of God? Absolutely. Have I read about the sovereignty of God throughout His Word and seen His sovereignty at work in the lives of individuals and nations? Yes. Have I, like yourself, experienced the sovereignty of God in my life? Yes.

But…what I am witnessing is not being read from the pages of the Bible; it is not being read from a book about the history of a nation; it is not being watched as a documentary about a previous war; it is not being viewed on a newsreel; it is live, up close and personal.

What makes it personal? Christine and I were in Ukraine in 2004 on a two-week mission’s trip. We were in/out of Kiev. Kiev was where we entered Ukraine and from where we left Ukraine. We came to minister to orphan children at a summer camp for one week, and then to work with a church from Vinnitsia a second week ministering to high school students. Those children and young people probably varied in age from 4 to 18 years old. Now, 18 years later, they are 22 to 36 years old. What are they doing now? Are they fighting the war? Are they fleeing? Or are they hiding in their homes in fear? Probably all of the above.

[As I continue, please understand that I am not saying that Ukraine is God’s people, like Israel; nor am I inferring that Ukraine is ripe for judgment because of sin against God.]

I am asking myself, like Habakkuk, God where are you in all of this?

Habakkuk’s Headlines read, “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? even cry out to You, Violence! and you will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? for plundering and violence are before me; there is strife and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds.” (Habakkuk 1:1-4, NKJV)

Like Habakkuk, I ask Lord, where are You in all of this? Why are You silent? Maybe, He is not silent; maybe we are not being told what He is doing in the midst of the devastation. I have heard about some of the Lord’s interventions. There was a report of Christian’s working with the refugees from Ukraine in Poland on a national news program. There have been stories of Christians and non-Christians who have come to this war-torn region to help in any way they can. Samaritan’s Purse has set up a field hospital to take care of injured refugees. God is at work. The Red Cross is front and center helping in Ukraine. I think most of God’s intervention is not being reported to the public; and in the course of time much more will be shared about the ‘miracles’ of God.

After Habakkuk makes his plea, God answers him; but Habakkuk does not receive the answer he wants to hear. God tells him that He is raising up a nation to invade His people’s land.

Whoa! God, I am witnessing that live, up close and personable, why? I don’t understand. Lord, I don’t understand what You are doing? I know You are sovereign. I know You rule over all the earth. You are Creator God. I have read about Your sovereignty and rule in the life of Job; in the life of Your people, Israel; in the conquering of the nations in the promised land; in the lives of individuals like Joseph, Moses, David, Saul of Tarsus, to name a few. Your sovereignty permeates the world. Father, I am having trouble understanding what is going on in Ukraine coupled with my understanding of Your sovereignty.

For me, it seems, almost too easy to simply resign this event to the answer that God is sovereign, and He does what He pleases. I know that’s true, but…how many kings, rulers, or people, did God ‘stir their hearts’ to give them the impetus to do or set into motion something that He wanted to be done? One example, Ezra 1:1 (NKJV) “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by mouth of Jeremiah the prophet might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus kind of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing saying…”. God stirred Cyrus to make a degree that Israel could return to Judah. Jeremiah had prophesied that Israel would be in exile for 70 years. Now it was time for them to be released and return.

As I pondered God’s sovereignty, I remembered these words, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV), the verse continues, “…declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Ok, Father, I receive that. God is not obligated to explain what He is doing, allowing, or permitting.

There are a lot of well-meaning men of God sharing what they believe this act of aggression in Ukraine means scripturally; how it fits into end time prophecy; and how it anticipates the second coming of Christ.

What they ‘see’ maybe true; but I confess, I’m not there. Like Habakkuk, who received a response from God, I will pursue his stance in relation to God’s answer.

Habakkuk 2:1-4, (NKJV), “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart and watch to see what He will say to me, and I will answer when I am corrected. The Lord answered me and said: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets that he may run who reads it. for the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak and not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, I will not tarry. Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith. (emphasis mine)

Let us consider these words from the passage. stand, watch, listen, wait, live by faith. Let us take this same stance. (emphasis mine)

Following Habakkuk’s stance before the Lord, he pronounces a list of woes to the nations surrounding God’s people. Please read, Habakkuk 2:5-19.

At the conclusion of the litany of woes, Habakkuk 2:20 (NKJV) says, “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” [my thought: maybe, this is a time for us “to be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) or “be quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19),]

The words of Habakkuk reminded me of Psalm 62:1,2,5-8 (NKJV), “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved…My soul wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Insert mine)

Chapter 3 of Habakkuk begins with a prayer. Habakkuk 3:2 (NKJV) says, “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O lord revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of years make it known; “in wrath remember mercy.” [ my prayer emphasis, yes Lord, in wrath remember mercy.]

Habakkuk knows the time will come when what God has shown him will come to pass. It is inevitable. Habakkuk continues addressing God, calling to remembrance how He came to His people; how His Presence overwhelmed His creation; and how He sovereignly protected Israel. (Read Habakkuk 3:3-13)

Habakkuk 3:13 (NKJV) says, “You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for salvation with Your Annointed. You struck the heart of the wicked, by laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah.”

What effect did Habakkuk’s interaction with God have upon Him?

Habakkuk 3:16 (NKJV) says, “When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble. When he (the invading nation) comes up to the people, he will invade them with his troops.” (insert mine)

However, because of the grace of God, Habakkuk has changed from a perplexed prophet, who as a man, is bewildered about what God is doing, to an individual who has had a revelation of the sovereignty of God that has led him from being perplexed too now being able to offer praise to God in the midst of the situation that he finds himself, even to the verbalization that he “might rest in the day of trouble.” (Habakkuk 3:16 above) What a transformation!

Let us read Habakkuk’s praise, (Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV), “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the field yield no food, though the flock maybe cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls–yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”

Judah was an agrarian nation. As such, Habakkuk is offering praise to God even though the entire economic system be decimated.

Habakkuk is confident that God IS sovereign. He is resigned to God’s will being done “on earth as it is in heaven”. And he has come to a place of “rest in the day of trouble”. (Emphasis mine)

As I mentioned earlier, like Habakkuk, I have wondered about God’s part in all that is happening in Ukraine. Being sovereign, how can He not be involved? As a believer in Christ, I must rest in the sovereignty of God. It is not my place to question God’s integrity, nor insinuate that God is instrumental in acts of evil. Read James 1:12-15. God is not the originator of evil, sin, or death.

Like yourself, my hope rests in the return of Christ. Recently I saw these words on a t-shirt, “Normal is not returning, Jesus is!” How true. We want normal to return, whatever, that means, but our world proceeds forward living out God’s sovereign salvific plan that includes the second coming of Christ. Are we there yet? No, but each day is one moment closer.

The scripture never says that living in the last days will be easy. In fact, Jesus said in the Upper Room discourse to His disciples, John 16:33 (NKJV), “These things I have spoken to you, that in me, you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (the Greek word is thlipsis, it means- pressure, oppression, stress, anguish, tribulation, adversity, affliction, crushing, squeezing, distress) but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” How Lord, I ask? At the cross (John 17-21) (inserts mine)

The Apostle John, I John 5:4, NKJV, writes, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.” In Christ we are born of God; Christ said He overcame the world; therefore, in Christ, we overcome the world, how? by our faith. We have come back to Habakkuk 2:4, “the just shall live by faith“. Habakkuk realized that personally. We, too, know that. (Emphasis mine)

In this time of TENsion ,(play on the Greek work thlipsis, it had 10 different meanings), let us be at rest in Christ, and rejoice like Habakkuk in the sovereignty of God.

Therefore, as we stand, watch, listen, wait, and live by faith, let us PRAY. (Emphasis mine)

Pray for Ukraine. Remember we are wrestling against Satan, the “prince of the power of the air”(Ephesians 2:2); and “… against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”(Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV)

Resting in the Sovereignty of God, a brother in Christ, deo

My last blog ended with these words, “Change is Coming!”.

An obvious question is, Why? or What does that mean?

To answer that question, I would like to engage our thinking in the Book of Exodus. I have always enjoyed reading Exodus. I find it a very informative book regarding the continuation of the history of the nation of Israel, and the foreshadowing of Christ. The Book of Exodus, I believe, parallels the walk of a believer in Christ out of the kingdom of darkness and progressing to the promised land. Israel, I believe, also foreshadows the Church. In the New Testament Paul tells us in I Corinthians 10:11, (NKJV), “Now all these things happened to them (Israel) as examples, and they were written for our admonition (Church, believers) upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (Parentheses mine)

The Book of Exodus begins with the names of the families of Israel that came into the land of Egypt. There were 70 of them, with Joseph already established in Egypt.

Verses 6-8, summarizes for us what happened over the space of 400 years from the time of Israel’s entrance into Egypt to the time that triggered Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. Exodus 1:6,7 says, TLV, [Tree of Life Version, Hebraic emphasis], “Then Joseph died, as did all his brothers and all that generation. Yet Bnei-Yisrael were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew extremely numerous–so the land was filled with them.” Sounds like, 70 people had become innumerable. However, verse 8, introduces a new dynamic; “Now there arose a new king (Pharaoh) over Egypt who knew not Joseph. (At face value, I wonder why? It appears that the new king did not know the historical relationship between Israel and the nation of Egypt. Historically Israel, through Joseph had been a blessing to Egypt (this had been a literal Godsend); but over time that influence declined, and it no longer was benign as time passed. It’s been 400 years. As stated, this new king did not know the influence of Joseph or evidently the history of Israel; the new king visualized Israel as a potential serious problem especially if they decided to take sides with Egypt’s adversaries (verse 10).

It seems, that rather than seeking out the history of Israel’s existence in Egypt, the new king saw Israel’s blessing of prosperity and increased population as a problem too large to deal both numerically and powerfully. In short, if these people decide to go to war against us, ‘we’re toast’.

What was the king’s solution? verse 11 says, “So they set slave masters over them to afflict them with forced labor…”; they incarcerated them; took away their freedom; and subjected them to harsh manual labor and bondage. Verse 12 says the king increased their inflictions “more”.

However, the result of this affliction did not produce the kind of result that he anticipated. As we know from Church history, the greater the storm of affliction, the greater the growth and development of the Church. This is what happened to Israel. Verse 12 records, Because Israel continued to multiply “…the Egyptians dreaded (trembled at, were fearful of) the presence of Bnei-Yisrael.”

(This is just my personal opinion; I wonder if Putin visualizes the nation of Ukraine as the new king of Egypt visualized Israel. A potential threat.)

In verses 13-14, the Egyptian king chose to handle the problem by: a) working them harshly; b) making their lives bitter with hard work; c) having them do all sorts of work in the fields; d) worked them with cruelty.

(Putin has sought to regain the land that they possess; and to put them under his servitude.)

Verse 15-16 tells us that to make matter worse the king commanded the infanticide of male children (sound familiar, what other king did this in the New Testament?). Why? obvious, so that the population of the nation would not grow. But the Israeli mid-wives disobeyed the king (verse 17) because they feared God.

(What has Putin done? He is killing the people of Ukraine mercilessly.)

In verses 20-21, God “was good to the mid-wives and the people multiplied growing very numerous.” Because the mid-wives feared God, “He gave them families of their own.”

(The analogy is difficult here; yes, the killing is continuing; but the people (like the mid-wives are resisting against Putin. They have not bowed down to Putin. They are fighting for their lives. They are resisting him.

The king did not relent in his pursuit of having the infanticide of the male children. He “charged all his people saying” (verse 22) “you are to cast every son into the river, but let every daughter live.”

(In spite of Ukranian resistance, Putin has ordered his soldiers to pursue killing the people of Ukraine.)

As the Book of Exodus begins, the narrative of events reveals that God has permitted an oppressive governmental environment to be in control of the nation of Egypt through a king who came into power ‘who knew not Joseph” and apparently has no personal knowledge about the nation of Israel that dwelt in his land. The nation of Israel had been dwelling in Egypt for over 400 years.

Question: Are God’s people, the Church, the Israel of God living in a world that is growing increasingly hostile to its presence? Is it possible that the knowledge of the Church in the known world is waning? Is it possible that a person has grown up in our nation and has no knowledge of Christianity?

If there is any truth to the aforementioned questions, we need to ask why is this so? Has the Church lost its influence and its voice in this nation? in the world? Has it been silenced?

(Has the Church lost its voice in Ukraine? No. Pastors have chosen to stay. Believers have chosen to stay. As one Ukrainian Pastor said, If the Church has no credibility in the time of danger, what credibility does it have in the time of peace? (My paraphrase) So he chose to stay, and minister to his congregants.)

I am asking these questions regarding the Church as it exists in our nation. if these questions can be answered in the affirmative in the United States, then are their governmental restrictions that have contributed to the silencing of the Church?

(When I was composing these thoughts, Russia had not invaded Ukraine. As you will see in the next paragraph, my thoughts were centered on the Covid Pandemic. But there is a full-scale war in Ukraine. A whole new change has come to planet earth in March 2022. This change has brought and is demanding ‘get used to different’ (The Chosen)

It appears that the Covid Pandemic has been taken of the people’s radar, except in the United States. Therefore, I will proceed with what I composed earlier.

Question: What restrictions are the Church wrestling with? Isn’t it interesting that the Covid pandemic has stirred the Church to wake up and think about its place and purpose in society. The Church has wrestled with governmental restrictions. Believers and non-believers have questioned the mandates of our governmental officials at all levels. Why? What has been taken for granted has been taken away. Yes, there has been a struggle. But the bottom line for each individual is when do I stop doing what I am being instructed to do?

The moral and ethical question is when do I believe that my liberty and freedom as an individual has been taken away and I choose not to abide by what the government officials have instructed me to do? Many will say, that one should always do what those in authority has instructed you to do. I understand that; but I also understand that as a Christian my obedience is first to the Lord and His written Word.

Will the Church, one-day, find itself in the same position as the Israeli mid-wives in Egypt, disobeying the command of the king, because they fear (reverence) God more than the king who told them what they must do? I believe that will happen sooner than later.

The tragedy that is taking place now in Ukraine is also awakening moral and ethical implications for us as nation. We are watching a nation being stripped of its freedom and liberties at the whim of one man. We are witnessing world leaders groping with making moral and ethical decisions in response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. I struggle with this. I understand their dilemma. But do we allow EVIL to go unchecked? What responsibility does the Church have in this ‘hour’?

For those who have read my previous blogs, what I am about to say is not new, but it is still true.

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV), “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Stop! Consider this, Satan is called “…the prince of the power of the air…”(Ephesians2:2 NKJV).

President Zelensky has been begging the nations of this world to put a ‘no fly zone’ over Ukraine. The nations of this world are reluctant to do this. The nations are concerned about the ramifications that it might cause in the thinking of Putin. He has said that a nuclear response is a possibility.

There is one nation in this world that can provide a ‘no fly zone’. That nation is the Kingdom of God. It is composed of an innumerable amount of people. The leader of this nation is the Lord Jesus Christ. This nation has a voice and it needs to use it, now.

Therefore:

We, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, can give the nation of Ukraine the ‘no fly zone’ that it is requesting. How, you ask? PRAYER, asking the Lord to clear the skies over Ukraine. We bind the forces of darkness that fill the sky from Russia, hell-bent on bringing destruction, and loose the skies over the nation of Ukraine from the principalities, rulers of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We, the Church, have been given these keys of authority. Satan is the “…prince of the power of the air…” (Ephesians 2:2 NKJV). Satan’s power has been broken by the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus made an open shame of him. Colossians 2:15, (NKJV), “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He (Christ) made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it (the Cross).” Hebrews 2:14,15 (NKJV), Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same that through death He might destroy him (Satan) who had the power of death that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

Matthew 16:13-19, (NKJV), Jesus was asking His disciples what the local people were saying about Him regarding His identity. The disciples told them what the people were saying. In verse 15, Jesus says directly to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter (verse 16) speaks up and declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds and says, “Blessed are you, Simon-Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The Church, built upon the confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, has been given authority to bind and loose on earth. It is that authority, that the Church, the Body of Christ, the members of the nation of the Kingdom of God can use to exercise spiritual authority over the defeated enemy, Satan, who is the prince of the power of the air. Jesus said the “gates of Hades shall not prevail”, meaning, “the power of death cannot prevent the advance of the kingdom, nor claim victory over those who belong to God.” (Notes from NKJV Study Bible)

We, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, are called to exercise its spiritual authority over the ‘prince of the power of the air’; we are called to intercede for the nation of Ukraine and bind the principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness that are over Ukraine. We are called to loose the airspace over Ukraine and free it from the evil forces of darkness so that there is a ‘no fly zone’ over Ukraine.

I believe that the nation of believers has been called to intercede for Ukraine and create the ‘no fly zone’ that President Zelensky is asking the nations to provide. The Body of Christ, using its authority in Christ, can do just that.

Pray. Bind and loose, in Jesus’ Name.

blessings, deo