People lift their hands to praise the Lord. That is good. In fact, that is excellent. However, before the praise can be heard and acknowledged in its rightful place, there must first be repentance. Enter here the 'vision'/mental picture whatever that the Lord gave me recently of these groups inside buildings calling themselves "churches." Instead of singing, the picture was of all of them dressed in sackcloth and ashes, just like in the Old Testament, repenting for the tidal wave of sin and guilt that hangs so heavily over America and the world. What would happen if instead of people being "serviced" like an oil job performed on a car once or twice per week, people got down on their knees en mass in true heartfelt repentance for their sin, the sins of their communities, the sins of their nation, and the sins in the world? Forget the starbucks in one hand and the fake smile and wave of the hand greeting to the people you think you know "at" church (if we "are" the church how can we go to it, or be "at" it?). The churches need to try on repentance, tears, mourning and ashes. They need to weep and wail, express regret and true repentance before the door of the ark is shut and judgement falls like a hammer on this world.
Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
To repent is to acknowledge you have done something wrong. A concept that is anathema to todays society and "church." Do the churches really think that all their "praise ministries" are heard on high with their complete and utter embargo of repentance?
The Lord Himself has said "these people worship me in vain."
| They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. |
Have you ever stopped to consider the ramifications of that statement? This writer is fully persuaded that a time unlike any time this world has ever seen is on the way to the doorsteps of all who live on earth today. While it is called today, and the problems faced by mankind are "only" perpetual war, high prices and unemployment. Now would be a good time to get out the sackcloth and ashes. Now, while "good days" are still apparent to the masses of humanity. The time is coming, when everyone, from the greatest to the least will all acknowledge that the good times are gone.
This world is asleep. What can those who are awake do with the time remaining? They can repent. They can repent for themselves, their families, their country, the world. The sin and wickedness are so overwhelming that this writer believes we can best please the Lord today by acknowledging the sin burden this world carries, all caused by us. What is needed today is sackcloth and ashes type repentance, not lip service. We were created to please the Lord, period. What is it that we can do to please Him today? What is it this writer is hearing from the Lord? 1. Repent 2. Pray for souls to be brought into the kingdom. Start both 1 and 2 with the people around you every day and work your way out from there as the Lord leads.
Shifting gears here.....
Another topic that is slightly off base from what has been discussed earlier in this post is a possible coming prosperity just before this world gets slammed. Luke 21:36, Luke 17, and Matt 24 all speak of "eating and drinking" just before sudden destruction hits this world. Those words and the context in which they are used point to a time radically different from both today and the days of Rev 6+. The bible tells us While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
And they......will not escape. But "we" are not "they" and "we" are told to pray for escape, are we not (Luke 21:34-36)?
The point here ^^ is that history is going nonlinear sometime in our future. Read the pages of Revelation to get an idea of what nonlinear life is going to look like. A short time of prosperity during days like today would have people singing in the streets. Its a perfect trap. Todays thinking has not prepared people to deal with what is coming. Most of what will happen will come unexpected, outside the parameters of linear thinking. A short time of prosperity that hits this world unexpectedly, along with a string of other seemingly unlikely and seemingly positive events that go with it could very well occur. This will be to the delight and surprise of many in the world. Think of what people would do if all the doom and gloom in the world today was to be "turned off" for a brief time. Think about how the emotions and thoughts of people would play out during that time. We know that if the short time of prosperity does come, delight will quickly turn to despair as "sudden destruction" replaces "peace and safety."
I do not know if we will see any of this ^^ but it is something that has crossed my mind repeatedly and it certainly fits within the framework of the future as described by our Lord in His Word.
These are the thoughts this writer believes the Lord has impressed upon him today. grace and peace
