Saturday, April 29, 2017, 7:45 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song
“Softly and Tenderly.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read
Ezekiel 24 (quoting vv. 1-16a ESV).
In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. And utter a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:
“Set on the pot, set it on;
pour in water also;
put in it the pieces of meat,
all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
Take the choicest one of the flock;
pile the logs under it;
boil it well;
seethe also its bones in it.
“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice. For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on the bare rock; she did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great. Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned up. Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion!
“On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you. I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke…”
I believe the Lord Jesus has a message to give from this passage of scripture to God’s rebellious church today, in particular here in America. A judgment of God has come or is coming upon her via the New World Order Beast, i.e. via the shadow government of the Elite of the world who are truly the ones running this nation, and who have been busily conquering the nations of the world via the US government and their military forces and allies. He has given or is soon to give his rebellious church in America over to this New World Order beast to lay siege to her, i.e. to conquer her (See: Rev. 13).
Probably the most central message that the Lord is giving to me here is that, because of our affluence, and because of a vast array of deception and manipulation of minds via the institutional church, wolves in sheep’s clothing, politicians, TV, the internet, movies, and various other forms of entertainment, to which many Americans are addicted, many Americans have put their trust and dependence in many of the wrong places.
They have put their trust in their money, but the American dollar has no value to it whatsoever. It is just an IOU, i.e. it is debt, so we are not wealthy, after all, because all we have is debt and no security behind our money at all. So, if those who are holding the debt call the debt, our nation will be bankrupt. They have also put their trust in the U.S. government, and its leaders, and in our constitution, but these are on the fast track to go away, and Trump (our government) is party to seeing that our form of government is being removed and replaced with the New World Order Beast.
Much of the church here in America has partnered with the US government via incorporating the church under the headship of the US government, even though scripture forbids us from unequally yoking together with unbelievers (with the ungodly). So, God has been calling his church to come out from underneath the influence of this unholy union with the government (to come out from Babylon), but for the most part she has been unwilling.
Another main area where the church (or the false church) has put her security is in a false grace gospel. Many who profess the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives have not truly believed in Jesus Christ with God-given faith which persuades (convinces) them as to God’s divine will for their lives. They are not born again of the Spirit of God. Yet, if the faith is God-given, and not flesh-generated, it will bow to Jesus, die with him to sin and be resurrected with him to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. They who believe with God-given faith will be convicted of their sin, and will recognize their need of the Savior, and of deliverance out of slavery (addiction) to sin, so they will, in the power of the Spirit, turn from their sin and turn to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his will for our lives. They will now walk according to the Spirit and no longer conduct their lives (in lifestyle) according to their sinful flesh.
Yet, many have put their security (dependence) in a lie which tells them that if they just pray some words after someone, or if they will just confess aloud that Jesus is Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead that they will be saved. Then heaven (eternal life) will be guaranteed, and nothing will be required of them other than just that. Yet, we can’t pull Romans 10:9-10 out of the context of the whole of Romans or the whole of the New Testament and build our entire doctrine of salvation around just those two verses. Jesus said that if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self) we will lose them for eternity. Paul reiterated Jesus’ words when he said that if we walk in the flesh we will die in our sins, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (with Christ for eternity). And, John said that if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk (in lifestyle) in darkness (sin), we are liars (Ro. 8:1-14; Lu. 9:23-25; 1 Jn. 1:6).
Many Americans also put their confidence and security in the US military, thinking they are going into these other nations to protect us and to keep us safe from harm, but our nation, or at least our capitol city is this bloody city, which has shed innocent blood across the globe in nation after nation which they have conquered, destroyed, pillaged, and raped, all in the name of freedom and democracy. Americans also put confidence in the media which is telling them lie after lie, i.e. what they want the American people to believe about what our country is doing in all these other countries of the world. And, they put their security in a belief that we will all be raptured before things get really bad, so they don’t think they will have to suffer persecution, martyrdom, disaster, war (on our soil), and the takeover of our nation and the church by this beast, etc. But, that is a false security.
I believe that the events of 9/11/01 were a judgment of God on this nation, and the purpose was to cleanse us of our impurities, i.e. to revive the church and to turn people’s hearts to God, but once the crisis was over, it was business as usual, only we have only grown much, much worse. Much of today’s modern church here in America has totally rejected the gospel as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles and they have embraced a grace which gives free license to continue sinning without guilt and without remorse. They have gone the way of the world, and it is barely distinguishable between the church and the world anymore. So, God is going to judge this nation and the rebellious church in this nation until her spiritual emptiness is filled by him, i.e. his intention is to revive, renew and restore her to himself.
The “delight of our eyes” he is about to take away from us is anything which we have put our confidence and trust in instead of him; anything on which we depend instead of depending on him, such as our bank accounts, our government, our possessions, our institutional churches, our leaders, and/or our false religions or false security. I believe President Trump, the White House, and other factions within our government, under the headship of a shadow government of the Elite, which is the de facto government of the USA, is not here to serve us, but is here to take down our nation in order to bring us under the rule of this beast, and that this will mean financial decline, hardship, trials and tribulation for our nation.
So, the Lord is calling out to the church in this nation to repent of her sins of idolatry and spiritual adultery, and to return to him as her ONLY Lord. He wants to free her from all that is distracting her from following him with purity of heart and mind, so that her focus will truly be on him, and so her dependency will also be on him, and on him alone to satisfy the void of himself which she is presently trying to fill with so much of this world.
Softly and Tenderly / Will Thompson
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.
Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!