This is the season where Christians spend time in spiritual preparation for the coming birth of Jesus Christ. This time involves prayer, fasting, and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope, and joy. It is a time of thanking God for Christ's first coming to Earth as a baby, but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit, and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of the age. As most Christians spend this season looking back to the first coming of Christ, I want to look forward to His final arrival. Just as the LORD prepared the world for His first coming, He is preparing the world for His final return.
As I look back over this year, I am reminded that our Nation was going through a dark time just one year ago, and some stepped up and were counted as heroes inspiring us with their courage and strength. There were signs posted in front of healthcare facilities stating, "Heros work here." The doctors, nurses, and medical staff on the front lines have inspired us every day since March 2020. Our 2020 heroes include educators challenged by shifting directives on how to teach as they struggle to meet our children's educational needs. They include parents of school children, counterparts in this educational crisis who have had to balance work — or its loss — child care and homeschooling against enormous odds. Almost everywhere we look, we see that the worst times have highlighted the best of us. These people put their lives in danger without question and are now villains because they refuse to further endanger their health by violating their freedom of choice. They must make a decision that will impact their livelihood and their health. How did this happen?
During the time of Isaiah, he told what would happen when a nation forgets the LORD. (Ish. 3:1-12) The judgment of the LORD came upon them, and they lost everything. The LORD does not want anyone to be lost in sin. He has provided the means of salvation for all mankind. However, many refuse His gift. America has as a nation turned her back on the LORD and allowed Satan to gain control.
When America changed to a materialistic society focused on immorality and corruption, the Synagogue of Satan gained control of our country. People were more concerned about having a good time and living the good life. They changed their focus on the temporal rather than the eternal. So, the LORD decided to take away everything we depend upon just like He did in Isaiah's time.
He is taking away all the food and water.
"As the drought in the American Southwest deepens to record proportions, we will watch another cycle of extreme weather conditions lead to competing demands for scarce water resources. Water badly needed for the region's agricultural production will also need to be conserved for community water supplies. California, hit hard by this drought, provides 11% of the country's agricultural production, the most of any state. Water scarcity significantly reduces food availability, raises food prices, requires changes in agricultural production, heightens food insecurity, requires residential water conservation measures, and creates spillover effects throughout the economy. Because we in the East (and everywhere else) are not willing to accept the higher energy prices needed to mitigate these problems, we will instead pay for it at the grocery store instead of the gas pump. While we perceive these droughts as cyclic, the underlying trend is an inexorable increase in these extreme conditions. So this drought is worse than the last one. And then there are the wildfires…" Robert Duval, professor, WVU School of Public Health
"The frequency and intensity of natural disasters and extreme weather have been causing economic stress on farmers. The financial cost of the damage can propagate throughout the food supply network system. It can overstress the financial institutions that provide crucial cash flow to growers and, in turn, can potentially disrupt not only the food supply but the financial supply chain that supports the broader economy. There are other impacts on the system as well. For instance, the recent water cut in Arizona can heavily impact family farms responsible for a significant share of the state's livestock, dairy, cotton, barley, and wheat, and challenge their livelihoods and the supply of those items." —Ednilson Bernardes, professor, WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
"As water scarcity in the Western US intensifies, the debates about distribution of limited water supplies across competing uses will grow. Efficient use of the scarce resource requires allocation to the uses with the greatest marginal benefits and consideration of tradeoffs will be necessary for effective drought management. Where technologically and legally feasible, markets and prices can be useful for balancing competing demands and limited supplies."— Levan Elbakidze, associate professor, WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
When a country forgets the LORD, He warns them of His displeasure just as he did in Isaiah's time. To bring them back to Him, He sent prophets to warn them of the coming judgment, but they refused to listen. They were more concerned about having a good time and living the good life. So, the LORD decided to take away everything they depended upon. He took away all the food and water. He took away all the heroes and soldiers. He took away the judges, the prophets, the fortunetellers, and the elders. He took away the army officers and essential officials. He took away the skilled counselors, magicians, and those trying to tell the future.
He put young boys in charge as leaders. He turned the people against one another. The young people did not respect those who were older. The ordinary people did not respect important leaders. No one wanted to be a leader. People were picked not for their abilities but their material possessions. Yet, these people did not want to be a leader because they were only getting by on what they had.
All this happened because the country forgot the LORD. They had turned against the LORD. They said and did things against the LORD and were not ashamed of what they were doing. They knew they were guilty but did not care who saw the evil they did. They got what they deserved. They allowed evil men and women to lead them in the wrong way, and they destroyed the righteous path they should have followed.
This happened around 750 BC to the Nation of Israel. Ish. 3
Prove to me; this is not happening today? If you cannot see the judgment of God on our Nation, you are blind.
. The LORD is the same yesterday, and forever, He does not change. What He did with Israel He is doing to the Nations that have turned away from Him.
It is now 2021 AD, and look what is happening to our Nation.
Just one year ago, our Nation was going through a dark time, and some stepped up and were counted as heroes inspiring us with their courage and strength. That was 2020. In 2021, the hero is now a villain.
We, as American people, have bowed to the Synagogue of Satan long enough. It is time to remind our politicians they only have power and authority by the consent of the governed. They are not kings, emperors, lords, or barons entitled to rule over us as though we are serfs. They act as if they only have the power and authority to hold the power of life and death over their subjects. It is time to remind them we will no longer bow our heads and obey their mandates. We will no longer live in bondage as ignorant slaves discarded at their whims. We are free people! We put them in power to manage the essential services of good governance – providing for the common defense, preserving liberty, promoting justice, and general welfare. They have failed in all areas and put our Nation in danger of total destruction by their actions.
When they begin to believe that their power extends beyond those essential services, it is time to remove them and return to the principles on which this country was founded. We are in this situation because we have turned away from the LORD. We have lost everything because of the judgment of the LORD. What happened to Israel during Isaiah's time (3:1-12) is what is happening to America today.
We should reflect on how the LORD has dealt with us during this Advent season. We must prepare ourselves for what is coming. What is happening in the world today God has permitted to bring us back to Him.
We should prepare for the LORD's final coming in prayer, fasting, and repentance this season. I have said this before and will repeat it, no government, politician, or political party will save you from what is coming. Only, Jesus Christ is your salvation. It would be best if you worked out your salvation with fear and trembling and focused your life on Jesus Christ. The world is filled with evil, and it is easy to become distracted by the evil you see in others. It is essential to focus on your salvation and prepare for the final coming of the LORD. I can spend my time finding the evil in the politicians who claim to be Christian and miss the sin in my heart. We can focus on their sins but are offended when our sin is exposed. Remember, when we judge, we open the door for judgment on our lives. The LORD tells us that judgment must first start at the House of God. As Christians, we need to get out lives in order before changing the world. The warning that God has given first starts with those who are called by His name. There is as much corruption and sin within the Church as in the government.
Jesus warned us about being focused on others sins when He said, in Matthew 7:3-53 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
If we are to change this Nation, we must start with our hearts and minds. Today, this Nation is under the judgment of God because Christians allowed Satan to misdirect their focus away from Jesus Christ. Let me ask you how worried you are about your children's salvation? If you genuinely believe the LORD is coming back again, what are you doing to bring salvation to your family? What type of spiritual leader are you to your family? These are attitudes that will change this Nation. When we burden our lost family members and pray and fast for their salvation, we will see a change in our lives and their lives.
One of my biggest fears is that I have led others to Christ but will lose those in my family. I pray for my children and grandchildren to have a personal relationship with Christ and know their name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I speak to them about making the right choice in life and the consequences of forgetting the LORD.
We should be in preparation and anticipation of His last coming at the end of the age. As most Christians spend this season looking back to the first coming of Christ, I want us to look forward to His final coming. Just as the LORD prepared the world for His first coming, He is preparing the world for His final return. Are you ready for His return?
An excellent message.
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