“Thou knowest my downsitting
and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and
my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my
tongue, but, lo, O LORD, Thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and
before, and laid Thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too
wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from Thy
Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, Thou
art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there.
If I take the wings of the
morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall Thy hand
lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness
shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.” (Ps. 139:2-11).
“Am I a God at hand, saith
the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Can any hide himself in
secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven
and earth? saith the LORD.” (Jer. 23:23).
“For in Him we live, and
move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28).
“But to us there is but one
God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.” (1Cor. 8:6).
“Neither is there any
creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened
unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:13).
“And the LORD said unto
Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up,
and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go
to be among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made
with them.
Then My anger shall be
kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My
face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall
befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon
us, because our God is not among us?
And I will surely hide My
face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they
are turned unto other gods.” (Deut. 31:16-18).
God, all-knowing, foresees
the decisions we will make. How we all have made, and will make, so many wrong
decisions! How many of us suffer, and will suffer, from those wrong decisions!
Adam died a thousand times after his big failure in the garden. And, to this
day, all of Adam’s descendants pay the price for his first wrong decision by
making his decision their own.
“For we know that the whole
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Rom. 8:22).
This would be depressing
beyond recuperation if we never learned of the hope our Creators have given us.
“For the creature was made
subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the
same in hope,
Because the creature itself
also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:20,21).
God wants to deliver us from
the results of our lack of good reasoning skills, mistaken decisions, faulty
judgment, and horrible consequences. It’s amazing that He can be so patient
with our self-will! How can He have so much hope in our future? What does He
see in us that makes Him desire to dwell in us?
“He shall see His seed, He shall
prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.” (Isa.
53:10).
Trouble is coming on the
world, a great wickedness is overspreading the globe. It will soon be at our
doorstep.
“Behold, he shall come up as
clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than
eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart
from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts
lodge within thee?
For a voice declareth from
Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
Make ye mention to the
nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far
country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.” (Jer. 4:13-16).
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD
cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of
clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great
people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any
more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Joe 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them
a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and
behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
Joe 2:4 The appearance of them is as the
appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Joe 2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of
mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the
stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
Joe 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much
pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
Joe 2:7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall
climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and
they shall not break their ranks:
Joe 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall
walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they
shall not be wounded.
Joe 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they
shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter
in at the windows like a thief.
Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the
heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall
withdraw their shining:
Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his
army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth
his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who
can abide it?” (Joel 2:1-11).
“The joy of our heart is
ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
The crown is fallen from our
head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!
For this our heart is faint;
for these things our eyes are dim.” (Lam. 5:15).
Will we not repent and be
converted? The cause of the coming destruction is us, the Protestants. The Lord
is raising up our bitter enemy from the Dark Ages because we have been
following their corrupting lead and their specious deceptions. Therefore, the
Lord’s curses are soon in coming.
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand
ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and
walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not
walk therein.
Also I set watchmen over you,
saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not
hearken.
Therefore hear, ye nations,
and know, O congregation, what is among them.
Hear, O earth: behold, I will
bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they
have not hearkened unto My words, nor to My law, but rejected it.” (Jer.
6:16-19).
We will reap what we have
been sowing. Yet, how many are too proud to accept this prophecy that is aimed
at them! They can’t believe God would do this to them for their aborting
millions of babies. Not them for their War on Terror that has killed a million Muslims,
none of whom had anything to do with the 9/11 black op conspiracy!
“The stranger that is within
thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
He shall lend to thee, and
thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Moreover all these curses
shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou
hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments
and His statutes which He commanded thee:
And they shall be upon thee
for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
Because thou servedst not the
LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of
all things;
Therefore
shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in
hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and He shall
put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until He have destroyed thee.” (Deut.
28:41-48).
Our repentance will no doubt
fail to turn the Lord away from the consequences of America’s abominable
affront to its God by its total departure from its forefather’s Reformation.
But, the following repentance, described by Joel, will open the penitents’
hearts to the work of preparation for waking up the wise virgins and the Latter
Rain of Jesus’ Spirit. He will be close like we’ve ever known Him to be!
“Therefore also now, saith
the LORD, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with
weeping, and with mourning:
And rend your heart, and not
your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.
Who knoweth if He will return
and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink
offering unto the LORD your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
Gather the people, sanctify
the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck
the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of
her closet.
Let the priests, the ministers
of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people,
O LORD, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule
over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Then will the LORD be jealous
for His land, and pity His people.
Yea, the LORD will answer and
say unto His people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye
shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the
heathen:
But I will remove far off
from you the northern army [of the Jesuits (see Daniel 11:40-45)], and will
drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea,
and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his
ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
Fear not, O land; be glad and
rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.” (Joel 2:12-21, cf Deut. 32:43).
This prophecy must be
understood by the song that Moses. He made it at Jesus’ direction for warning
to a stubborn and stiff-necked, rebellious people of God. It explicitly
explained that He would punish them harshly because they would apostatize—just like
Protestantism has apostatized today. The song is not an “if it happens” situation, but a “when it happens”, a “because it will happen” situation.
“And the LORD appeared in the
tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the
door of the tabernacle.
And the LORD said unto Moses,
Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go
a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be
among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with
them.
Then My anger shall be
kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face
from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall
them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us,
because our God is not among us?
And I will surely hide My face
in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are
turned unto other gods.
Now therefore write ye this
song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that
this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.
For when I shall have brought
them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and
honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then
will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke Me, and break My covenant.
And it shall come to pass,
when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify
against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of
their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before
I have brought them into the land which I sware.
Moses therefore wrote this
song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.” (Deut. 31:15-22).
“See now that I, even I, am He,
and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal:
neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand.
For I lift up My hand to
heaven, and say, I live for ever.
If I whet My glittering
sword, and Mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine enemies,
and will reward them that hate Me.
I will make Mine arrows drunk
with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the
slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
Rejoice, O ye nations, with His
people: for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance
to His adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land, and to His people.” (Deut.
32:39-43).
If you read the whole song,
beginning at verse 1, you will notice that Jesus stops calling the people His
after they wax fat and kick Him. And He doesn’t call them His people again
until the end of this song in verse 43. Nevertheless, His people exist the
whole time after the nation kicks Him; He keeps them on His radar. But they got
carried away with the apostasy. Yet, while the whole nation was stiff-necked, some
were redeemable. A remnant feared to go too far into apostasy, and too far from
their almighty Lord, their only hope for love and faithfulness. Therefore He
was able to clean them back up and spare them from the general overthrow that
would ultimately come to the nation.
His people’s cleaning up came
largely via the oppression by the out-of-control apostatizing people. Finally,
after they were sufficiently purified by the oppressors, then Jesus could come
to destroy the totally atheistic, totally deceived, and totally depraved people.
His destruction would come like a thief in the night because his enemies would
be so entranced in their lawless grace celebrations to “God” and in his
“anointing” them to persecute all who persisted in seeking righteousness and in
keeping the Ten Commandments.
“These things have I spoken
unto you, that ye should not be offended.
They shall put you out of the
[Ecumenized churches]: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will
think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:1,2).
“Then shall they deliver you
up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations
for My name’s sake.
And then shall many be
offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And because iniquity shall
abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and
then shall the end come.” (Matt. 24:9-14).
“These things I have spoken
unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
We have entangled ourselves
in this world by our past decision-making that didn’t involve Jesus. We weren’t
depending on Him. We haven’t been branches faithfully abiding in Christ,
drawing life from the Vine. We have been crazed with our idols and are
enervated. How can He disentangle us from our idolatry? Are we going to remain
rooted in the crumbling systems of the world? Are we going to go down with the
ship because we chose to embark a rusty ghost ship?
“Arise ye, and depart; for
this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with
a sore destruction.” (Mic. 2:10).
Will we not make haste and
board the Lord’s ship that will go through to the end?
“And also upon the servants
and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.
And I will shew wonders in
the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the
LORD come.
And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in
mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in
the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:29-32).
“Upon mount Zion shall be
deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess
their possessions.” (Obad. 1:17).
“And Jesus answering saith
unto them, Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22).
Let us be faithful from now
on. Sin must go away eternally. The battle against convicting rebukes and
instruction in righteousness will be overcome forever. Is that our desire? Do
we, with Paul, look forward to the day that “this corruptible must put on
incorruption” (1Cor. 15:53)? Will we suffer the Lord’s plagues that can teach
us to flee to the shadow of the Almighty? Can we trust Him and His explanations
of what true righteousness is, while He is pulling out our sins with their roots
and even their root hairs?
Can we deny self for eternity?
This day forward can we hold our breath from the surrounding moral pollution,
while we puff on our divine snorkel tube that extends above our uninhabitable
and hostile ocean of wickedness and reaches all the way to the rarefied air of
heaven? Jesus is that snorkel tube to the throne of God. There is one Source of
pure Spirit, and one Snorkel Tube between that holy Source of pure Spirit and man’s
unholy spirit, the Man Christ Jesus (see 1 Timothy 2:5).
Let us hear the precious
promises, not only to the sanctified people of the past, but also to us, “that
they without us should not be made perfect” (Heb. 11:40).
“Then the LORD said unto
Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand
shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his
land.
And God spake unto Moses, and
said unto him, I am the LORD:
And I appeared unto Abraham,
unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH
was I not known to them.
And I have also established My
covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their
pilgrimage, wherein 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.
Wherefore say unto the
children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will
redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
And I will take you to Me for
a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your
God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
And I will bring you in unto
the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and
to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.” (Ex. 6:1-8).
“Go and proclaim these words
toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and
I will not cause Mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the
LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Only acknowledge thine
iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast
scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not
obeyed My voice, saith the LORD.
Turn, O backsliding children,
saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city,
and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” (Jer. 3:12-14).
“For I will take you from
among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into
your own land.
Then will I sprinkle clean
water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all
your idols, will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give
you, and a new Spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and
do them.
And ye shall dwell in the
land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your
God.” (Eze. 36:24-28).
God’s statutes and judgments
define God’s great Law of love. Upon love to God and man hangs all the Law of
God (see Matthew 22:37-40).
“Incline your ear, and come unto
Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David.” (Isa. 55:3).
“We have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1Jn. 4:16).
