Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Mixed Messages

Wednesday, September 30, 2015, 9:09 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Return to Me.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 40 (select NASB).

He Blows on Them (vv. 21-24)

Do you not know? Do you not hear?
    Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
    and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
    and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
who brings princes to nothing,
    and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
    scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
    and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

In the news yesterday, I read where the U.S. was sending “mixed messages” about Russia’s purported airstrikes in Syria, which were supposedly aimed at targeting terrorists. I read another article which was pointing out how Pope Francis gives out mixed messages, which he does. Today I read another article about the Russia-Syrian situation, as well as yesterday and today I read about Hurricane Joaquin, which was passing over part of the Bahamas and may be headed for the east coast of the USA, from North Carolina up. In all of this, the Lord was showing me how many different ways these leaders of nations give out these “mixed messages,” and then how these messages relate to the teaching of this scripture passage.

The word “mix” means: “combine or put together to form one substance or mass; two or more different qualities, things, or people placed, combined, or considered together; union” (Google). In the truest sense of the term “mixed messages,” it is certainly true that our national/global leaders, both politically and in the institutional church, give out such contradictory and hypocritical messages repeatedly. I believe these messages are for the purpose to create confusion, diversions and/or distractions, and/or for the purpose to incite or stir up people’s emotions, and/or for the entertainment and enjoyment of the elite. Yet, I believe the primary “mixed message” Barack Obama and Pope Francis and other global leaders are giving is that we all need to “mix” together as one global blend of independent nations/governments and as one global concoction of beliefs and practices.

In the article about Pope Francis giving “mixed messages,” the premise was that he had had a private meeting with the now famed Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The article suggests that the pope was supportive of Mrs. Davis, which the writer took as hypocritical on the part of the pope who has been preaching acceptance, tolerance, non-judgmentalism, etc. Then, the article gets into the subject of “conscientious objection,” which is supposedly what this case is about. The pope apparently stated that it (conscientious objection) is the right of every human. ABC’s Moran (news reporter) asked him if that included government officials, to which the pope evidently responded in the affirmative. That led me to this question, “Does that mean that the government can refuse any services to citizens of the USA based on ‘conscientious objection’ to our religious beliefs?” I believe it does, and that is where this is headed.

When I read the article about Hurricane Joaquin, that name brought to recall the name of the actor “Joaquin Phoenix.” The phoenix, as we should know by now, is a bird, and it is a symbol of the New World Order (new order of the ages). It is out of the ashes of the old world order that the phoenix (new order) will rise and will rule the world, i.e. this “phoenix” represents the beast of Revelation.

Ok, with that thought in mind, this second article I read about the hurricane was suggesting a possible parallel between this hurricane and Superstorm Sandy. “Early on October 29, 2012, Sandy curved north-northwest and then moved ashore near Brigantine, New Jersey, just to the northeast of Atlantic City, as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds” (Wikipedia). At that time I looked up the name Sandy, which is a diminutive of Alexander. “The most famous bearer (of the name) was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon” (behindthename.com). “He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, until by the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to Egypt and into northwest India” (Wikipedia).

What the Lord was showing me then, and I believe again today, is that the true “Superstorm” to hit the USA is this conqueror of nations, and builder of a global empire, i.e. this New World Order which is like a deadly and destructive cyclone. So, in this sense, Superstorm Sandy (Alexander the Great) and Hurricane Joaquin (Phoenix) are very much the same. Whether or not this physical storm will hit the USA, I won’t know until it hits, but I do know that the New World Order Beast is about to hit this nation by storm (as it has been doing throughout the rest of the world), and it is fast approaching. And, it will involve the takeover of this nation and the removal (thinning out) of rulers in positions of power and authority. As well, God is using this storm “Phoenix-Alexander” as his divine instrument of judgment against the rulers of this nation, and against his adulterous church and its wolves in sheep’s clothing, i.e. against its false shepherds who tell the people lies.

Sovereignty of God (vv. 25-26)

To whom then will you compare me,
    that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
    who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
    calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
    and because he is strong in power
    not one is missing.

When we read these news articles, and others like them, with all the “mixed messages,” many of which are intended to confuse, incite, stir up, entertain, distract and/or to divert attention away from something the government is doing, which they are doing in secret, we need to know that God is absolutely in control and is sovereign over all things. He opens doors which no man can close, and he closes doors which no man can open. If God determines he is going to judge our nation, and its rulers, and the adulterous church in our nation, he will accomplish his purposes through all of this. Our God and Lord Jesus Christ is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion. God the Father has placed all things under Jesus’ feet. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. In everything he has the supremacy. Amen! He is the ruler of God’s creation; the head over every power and authority; and all angels, authorities and powers are in submission to him. Praise God! [See: Eph. 1:15-23; Col. 1:15-20; Rev. 3:14; Col. 2:9-10; & 1 Pet. 3:21-22.]

Forgotten by God? (vv. 27-31)

Why do you say, O Jacob,
    and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
    and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

When we who are followers of Christ here in America, or in the world at large, go through such difficulties as these at which time our faith will be severely tested, we need to know that we are not forgotten of God nor has he abandoned us. He has a purpose in all that he does, and it is ultimately for our good. When God judges his people for their adulterous ways, the purpose is that they might humble themselves before God in repentance and in submission to his will for their lives, i.e. that they might return to their first love, and truly make him Lord (master) of their lives.

I believe such judgment will be much harder on Americans, though, because we live in a wealthy nation, and not many of us have truly known what it is to be destitute and without shelter or food or possessions. Not many of us have ever had to work the land to provide our own food or to build our own shelters. Most of us, I believe, are spoiled with so many conveniences, resources, grocery stores, department stores and restaurants, etc. As well, the church in America has suffered little in the way of persecution by comparison to what the church in other nations has suffered over the generations. I believe, too, that much of the church here is not emotionally, mentally or spiritually prepared for what is prophesied in scripture will take place, and that is because they have been listening to feel-good messages which tell them God will not allow them to go through such suffering as this. So, when this happens, and they realize they were not raptured, I believe many will feel as though God has abandoned them and that he is not taking up their cause.

The thing is, scripture does not teach us that we will not have to suffer. In fact, it says we are destined for such things. Jesus told his followers that they would be hated on account of his name and that they would be falsely accused of wrong, imprisoned, beaten and even killed for their faith in him and for the sake of the gospel. The apostles reiterated the same message, and they lived the reality of it, too. Jesus said he disciplines those he loves. He scourges (punishes; inflicts pain on) every son he receives. We read in Romans 12 that “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Yet, in all these things, if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, he will renew our strength, and he will give us all we need to make it through these difficult times. He will never leave us or forsake us. We can always count on him to be there. In that we can rest secure.

Return to Me / An Original Work / September 5, 2013

Based off Jeremiah 31; Cf. Rev. 2-3; 19:7

I have loved you with an eternal love,
Which I give to you, in my faithfulness.

Keep your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tearing.
You will be rewarded
With much fruitfulness.

There is hope for you that My family
Will return to Me; live in victory!

Though I discipline in My love for you,
My heart longs for you that you walk in truth.

Turn your thoughts to your Lord.
Choose to walk in His ways.
Turn from your sins daily.
Follow Jesus Christ.

Oh, how long will you wander in your sin?
Give your hearts to Me; be restored within.

I will satisfy ev’ry weary soul
Who repents of sin; is renewed within.

Behold, days are coming;
It will surely happen;
Though I discipline them,
They will thrive again.

I will be their One and their Only God.
They shall walk in white; be in Me, made right.


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