“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah (My Prophets). Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah (America, Australia) and in the streets of Jerusalem (your cities)? No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven (their gods). And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods! Am I the one they are hurting?” asks the Lord. “Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.” So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I will pour out my terrible fury on this place. Its people, animals, trees, and crops will be consumed by the unquenchable fire of my anger.” This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt (Europe), it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. From the day your ancestors left Egypt (Europe) until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors. “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond. Say to them, ‘This is the nation whose people will not obey the Lord their God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips. Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains.
For the Lord has rejected and
forsaken this generation that has provoked his fury.’ “The people of
Judah (America, Australia) have sinned before my very eyes,” says the Lord. “They
have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple (church) that
bears my name, defiling it. They have built pagan shrines at Topheth
(Godless pulpits), the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnomtt
(Godless seminaries), and there they burn their sons and daughters in
the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even
crossed my mind to command such a thing! So beware, for the time is
coming,” says the Lord, “when that garbage dump will no longer be called
Topheth (Godless pulpits) or the valley of Ben-Hinnom (Godless
seminaries), but the Valley of Slaughter. They will bury the bodies in
Topheth (Godless churches) until there is no more room for them. The
bodies of my people will be food for the vultures and wild animals, and
no one will be left to scare them away. I will put an end to the happy
singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem (your cities). The
joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the
towns of Judah (Western Countries). The land will lie in complete desolation.”
(Jeremiah 7:16-34 NLT)
By inter-changing just a few words in the above passages, this message
could be for us. Actually, this message
is for us. It was certainly directed specifically to Judah (Israel), but
without a doubt this message also fits us to a tee.
Is there any hope for revival in this country? Our Lord says to His
people, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Based on this verse, I do believe that
there is always hope for revival … but … I sincerely believe that
we
have passed the point of being willing to comply with this verse. In my
opinion, our hearts are in the final stage shown in verse 27 above which
says, “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out
your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.”
We, the Church, has sat idly by while the God we claim to worship has
been removed from every vestige of our society.
We have allowed Him to be removed from our schools where our most
precious treasure, our children, are being indoctrinated in their tender
years to everything that is anti God. The Bible has been replaced by sex
classes. Evolution has replaced the truth of creation by Almighty God.
Discipline has been removed, resulting now in teachers being afraid of
their students. Our schools have become a battleground. The Church has
been silent.
The airwaves, be it movies, television, and even radio have become a
bastion of filth. Homosexuality, promiscuous sex, gutter language,
violence, drunkenness, drugs, divorce, etc. are all examples of
Hollywood’s success in these avenues. The sinful acts against a Holy God
are laughingly spat in His face. The Church has been silent.
The classical music of great composers has been replaced with trash.
“Music” that encourages the killing of police officers, rape, hate, sex,
and whatever else can come from the mouths of sewers. Instead of music
that is soothing, uplifting, and comforting, it has been replaced with
noise that draws gyrations of sexual desires. The Church has been
silent.
God’s design for the family; husband (man), wife (woman) and children
has been replaced with single parent families, or two same-sex parents.
Also, one of the greatest detriments to the family is “no-fault
divorce”. Children are not being given what they need in a family to
grow mentally and emotionally as they should; a dad (man) and mom
(woman). Is it any wonder they are confused. The Church has been silent.
Homosexually is overtaking this land like locusts, and it is a dirge to
any society. Every society that has succumbed to this evil has fallen.
We are not exempt. The Church has been silent.
Many of our governmental leaders are primarily corrupt, sexually
perverted, obsessed with greed, and what do we do? We keep them in
office year after year. The Church has been silent.
Even our manner of dress has changed to the point where there is often
little to nothing left to the imagination. The body is not covered with
respect, but put on display as a harlot. This can often be seen even in
church worship services. The Church has been silent.
The Church has sat back on its haunches while Satan’s goats have
infiltrated the local churches. In self-induced ignorance, the Church
has allowed false teachings to infiltrate its assemblies and blaspheme
the name of God by insulting His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. All that I have
previously mentioned in this article, and more, have actually found
their way into the local churches. The Church has been silent.
In Mark 6:12 the disciples, “…went out, and preached that men should
repent.” This is what we, the Church, must do if there is any
possibility of avoiding judgment. Notice that God said in 2 Chronicles
7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land. The emphasis is on “my people”.
We, the Church, could bring revival, if we only would. We must come to
God as Job when he said, “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust
and ashes.” (Job 42:6) We cannot continue blaming the world around us
for the mess we are in. The world is only doing what is natural to a
fallen world. When we sit idly by and do nothing, we are the problem. It
is we, the Church, who must come to God on bended knee and repent.
It has been nearly 50 years since Madalyn Murray O’Hair began her
crusade against God and His Church. In all that time, the Church as a
whole has done nothing but sit back and watch. “Nary a peep”, as they
would say years ago, back in the hills where I was raised.
Most are probably thinking, “what could I have done, I’m only one
person?” Let me ask this question, how much of the world’s influence has
rubbed off in your life? Allow me to provide a few examples to clarify
that question:
· If your grown unmarried child comes to visit, and they bring their
date with them, where do they sleep in your house?
· What do we allow to be seen and not seen on the television screen?
· What do we talk about among friends? Specifically, is Jesus ever
mentioned?
· When was the last time you spoke out against Satanic doctrine preached
in the local church you attend? Are you still there?
· What kind of example for Christ are you in front of your own children?
· How do you treat your own spouse?
· Has your family ever seen you pray and study God’s Word?
I could give dozens of other examples, but the point is that we can make
a difference in our own area of the world we live in. However, I have
seen far too many times, good people succumbing to the pressures of the
world. It’s the old “everybody’s doing it” excuse. Let us keep one thing
in mind, there is only one yardstick, the Word of God. We call it the
Bible. We need to be VERY familiar with this Book. Sadly, very few are.
Is it too late for revival? I reiterate that in my opinion we have gone
so far in our rebellion against God, we will not choose to repent, but
instead face judgment. I would love to be proven wrong.
Is it possible that the Church could go through a cleansing judgment in
this country (and elsewhere) before Jesus comes to retrieve her in the
Rapture? It is entirely possible. Whether that is the case, I do not
know. My earnest prayer for our country is that the Church wake up. Even
if it is too late to change the direction of all the Satanic garbage
that is proliferating itself upon us, we need to get our hearts right
with God.
We the Church have been silent far too long, perhaps even past the point
of no return, while darkness has replaced the light that once was. When
the light is turned off to a room, darkness immediately takes its place,
and that is the result of our silence. Jesus told us, “Ye are the light
of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do
men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and
it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matthew 14-15) If our
light is under a bushel, perhaps we need to get it out from under the
bushel and place it on the candlestick. Jesus’ Word also tells us, “Then
spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he
that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life.” (John 8:12) Who are we following? If we are following Jesus,
we will reflect His light to the world, because He is the light of life.
In closing, my observation is that many of those who claim to be
Christians are good, moral people with high standards. They work hard at
providing for their families, and they care for others. Perhaps they are
the “silent majority” we speak of so often. Now is the time to break
that silence and stand up for God. Jesus said “Whosoever therefore shall
confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is
in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny
before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) If we are
ashamed to confess Him, maybe we are not His child. On the other hand,
if we are ashamed of ourselves, maybe we should repent and seek His
forgiveness. A revival can always begin with one. Otherwise, our own
silence condemns us, and it is deafening.