The Day of the Lord

     "The Day of the Lord" - that's when vengeance is God's! At the end of days, the day of the Lord will come! When God spoke to mankind in Isaiah's time, there was always a double-message: for the present time and for posterity. 
     The following passages are about the Jews after Babylon destroys Judah. Jerusalem, and Solomon's Temple:

Isa 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. 

      As can be seen on "the day of the Lord", it will be a terrible day! Almighty God will destroy the Jewish "world" at that time, and except for a few, the Jews will  be carried off to Hell - represented by Babylon - and Nebuchadnezzar as symbolic of the Antichrist! Albeit, Nebuchadnezzar will do the destroying, it is God who uses him as a tool. You see, Satan serves God as well, but not truly being of the Light, he can only do what God allows. Satan's purpose in the world is to test the faithfulness of mankind by tempting and destroying those who fail the test. That does not reduce Satan's evilness because doing those things is his heart's desire. Thus, Satan will never be exonerated because he is innately evil and only pleased to wreak havoc whether it be for God's wrath or his own purposes.
     The Day of the Lord has some characteristics:

• cruel with wrath and fierce anger (on God's part, resulting in:
• the land made desolate,
• sinners destroyed out of it,
• the stars and constellations darkened,
• the moon dimmed.
• God to punish the world for their evil,
• and wicked people for living for and in sin.
• Arrogant and prideful people humbled,
• the haughty laid low,
• shake the heavens.
• the earth move out of its place!

     This happened to Judah! The Jewish world was destroyed. However, it is all applicable to the end of days when God, in his wrath and fierce anger, will destroy the world. There will be another "Day of the Lord. The prophet Joel prophesied after the few returned to restore Judah and the Temple, that it will happen again. I believe that Joel saw the end of days, and that "Day of the Lord":

Joel 10:2 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: 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? 12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

     Compare what Jesus warned below with what Isaiah and Joel saw in their days:

Luke 21:10-33 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.  But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls. And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

     It is clear that Isaiah and Joel saw the end of days in their visions. Nebuchadnezzar's armies will arise at the end of time; not led by himself but the Antichrist of which he is symbolic. Joel said the Day of the Lord will be "great and terrible". We can easily see the terror which will ensue, but where is the greatness? Some escaped the wrath of Babylon against Judah. Likewise, some will escape the wrath of God. Before the end of the world, the dead and living in Christ will be gathered up into the Heaven and returned to Paradise where God's home truly is! You see, Solomon's Temple was not where God resided, as He Himself acknowledged. Heaven is where his throne is, and earth merely his footstool (Isa 66:1). 

     Revelation 18 describes the evil preceding the days of Babylon but it isn't really written of Babylon but the world! You see, from Revelation it is obvious that Isaiah was seeing the end of days but applying it to the situation at hand in his time! (You should stop now and read that chapter.)

     My purpose in life, as yours should be, is to escape God's wrath. Although it is justified, it will be a terrible day. With that said, paraphrasing Arnold Swarzenegger, "Lord, make my day!" Here is God's answer to me and other Christians:

Rev 21:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

     I want to live in that city - the City of God. That's when the meek shall, indeed, inherit the earth! (Mat 5:5).

     Let's not end it there. Cyrus the Persian, defeated Babylon and his heir Darius allowed the temple to be rebuilt and Judah restored. The two are "types" of Christ. A few Jews were allowed to return and rebuild the Kingdom of God. In their defeat, they were humbled. When Judah was rebuilt that was symbolic of New Jerusalem which the City of God will actually be when it returns to the New Earth. Ironically, the song goes, "the world is not my home; I'm just passing through" is just partially correct. The earth, a new one, will be my home if I trust the Lord for what he promises. A great day is coming for a few!

Prophesy: Right On!

     Isaiah the prophet speaks about then present conditions and soon to come catastrophes. All of a sudden he shifts his six speed transmission into latter times, even unto the hereafter. He warned his contemporaries but by doing so, he was warning mankind. The Jews were not safe from Satan and neither are people today. (Herein, I make a shift in nomenclature from "Hebrews" to "Jews".) The former were descendants of Eber through Abraham. The latter were the remnant remaining in Judah; hence "Jews". God did his threshing to make the "Church". The Hebrews were threshed until only Jews remained. They were warned about destruction but were dubious that it would ever come about!
     The spiritual condition of Judah before their destruction was much like the pre-apocalyptic world, and even in the days of Noah where everyone did evil in the sight of the Lord. Reverence to the Lord means one God only for he is a jealous God (Exod 20:5). I have said many times: God is not jealous of idols of wood, stone, nor gold but those made of flesh. People are their own gods and their flesh is their idol.

Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Ephes 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

2 Pet 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

     The mind of the Christian wants to be righteous but the law of sin appeases the flesh according to Romans 7:25. There is a dualism inside mankind which is called "original sin"; it is the conflict within the conscience between good and evil which is essentially between God and the god of self.  People sin because it appeases the flesh! Don't think of "flesh" as merely the skin, which is only one component, but also the desires of the heart. Thus, "the flesh" is the cornucopia of things of the world which stands between us and God. It can be anything. Those "things" are brought to people's idols - the flesh - which relishes in those things, and inside the idol, the mind enjoys the Epicurean sacrifices.
     For instance, stereo equipment or DVR's are not idols. The flesh is! Stereos and movies appease those idols of flesh. When those things interfere with God, they become idols because they make people other gods beside God. The interference may be importance, filth, or even extreme violence for entertainment's sake. The thoughts of those things (your gods' minds) take the minds off God. The dark portion of the mind wins out, Satan smiles, and God is dismayed! He knew what you would do, and you did it, just as slaves to the law of sin are expected to do.
     Ephesians 2:3 above points out that the flesh lusts after things. People often say, "I'm starving," when they obviously are not. I correct them, and am surely hated for it, by responding, "You mean your taste buds want appeased!" Gluttony is sinful (Deut 21:20) as much as drunkenness! Even preachers brag about their gluttony, failing to realize that they are appeasing their idol. Regardless what is the appetite of the flesh, those things place your god more important than God! 2 Peter 2:10 points out that those people are "self-willed" - doing what is right in their own eyes!
     The desire to be appeased is the nature of mankind until they are born-again. The rebirth should change the attitude of the believer from self-interested to God-centered. In Isaiah's time, most the Jews were self-centered and God was of little interest. Like then, that irreverence applies to all eras. The solution to self-idolization, was then as now, Jesus Christ! Isaiah rightfully switches to the time of Christ.

Isa 12:1 And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

     The Jews were not at peace. They would be at war with Babylon and be demolished. Why? Because they warred with God. Likewise, we are not a peace. We war with Satan (Ephes 6:12) but that is because truly we are at war with God! We've heard, "Peace on earth, good will toward men." That is because of spiritual peace with the outcome of love and has little to do with war! Our war with God is us hating Him by disregarding His authority, and likewise for not loving others. Just as the Savior was promised to Judah, we too were promised a Savior, and good to His promise, Jesus came to "heal the nations" (Rev 22:2); not just the Jews but everyone!
     The key verse above is "I will trust and not be afraid" for "he (Jesus) is my salvation". That says what Jesus said in John 3. Isaiah knew what it meant to be born-again: trust in God to save and not fearing the poisonous barbs of the serpent. Isaiah even gave a New Testament example: "with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation". Why does that sound familiar? It should, because Jesus said that to the sinful woman at the well:

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

     The "Living Water" was Jesus and the blood which was to flow at the crucifixion. Isaiah knew and understood the Way to salvation. In Isaiah 12:4 he said, "Praise the Lord, call upon his name!" What is the Lord's Name? He is called Jesus! This goes back to my earlier premise (http://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-reverence-of-gods-name.html)  that ultimately "taking the Lord's name in vain" is denying Jesus by taking his death frivolously - blasphemy against Jesus's Holy Ghost. Thus, Isaiah knew the importance of Jesus's crucifixion and that his shed blood was the living waters!
     I am astounded at prophesy! Isaiah was dead right, not because he knew mysterious things but because God revealed to him the Plan long before the Planned Savior was born! For me, that is proof enough! I trust God and do not fear death because of the trust. Right on, Isaiah! Thank you Jesus!

Understanding Mysteries

    Sometimes God is a mystery (Col 1:27); whose mystery is Christ (Col 1:27). Scripture was always about Christ (Ephes 3:9).  The apostle John revealed the mystery of God/the mystery of Christ:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

     One of the most profound things to me is that all Holy Scripture is about Jesus Christ! I didn't always know that, thinking that God and Jesus were somehow One but different. What confused me was the expression "God in three persons" which is common Christian vernacular. "Persons" are human beings. Theologians, in years past, defined God in terms of three personalities. Both definitions are now included in Merriam-Webster Dictionary. God is not  "persons" but indeed He is a personal God in that he deals with people on an individual basis. God became a person when He appeared to mankind in the flesh. He was the Son of Man yet the Son of God. Theologians call Jesus a God-Man.

     God has foreknowledge. He knew that He would come in the flesh (Acts 2:23). In his Plan, God made mankind as He Himself would later appear (Gen 1:26-27; like El and Elohim). Elohim is the plural for God and El the singular. Thus, El represents the One True God and Elohim His three identities which theologians call "homeostasis", or "substances" - essential natures. Mankind keeps defining God in worldly terms! That cannot be done. He doesn't have "essential natures" because God is supra (beyond) natural. Struggle as we might, God cannot be defined but in two words: Existence and Glorious.

     John revealed that Jesus (above: John 1:14) was with God in the beginning (above: John 1:2). If so, where was Jesus in the beginning? He was the Voice walking in the cool of the day (Gen 3:) and the Tree of Life which was in the midst of the Garden (Gen 2:9). There may have been a physical Tree of Life in the Garden, but whether that be the case or not, the Garden may be a metaphor and the Tree of Life a simile. In other words, "the Lord" who was audible to Adam and Eve was as a Tree of Life. That makes sense since the "Tree" is no longer physically in the world but spiritually in Heaven:

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

     Right now, the Tree of Life is in the midst of Paradise, or Heaven. One of two things happened: (1) physically the Garden of Eden either ascended to a spiritual realm, or (2) the Garden of Eden was both spiritual and physical. With the latter, it's "dust" still exists on earth because it was removed with sin, but it's spiritual aspects still exist in Heaven. In other words, the Garden is in the City of God - the Kingdom of David - which was displaced from the world and made new in Heaven. 

     Jerusalem is "the foundation of peace" and the Jordan River the "river of the Garden". It may be that Jerusalem is where the "dust" of the Garden lies and someday New Jerusalem will come "home", so to speak. 

Rev 2:21 And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

     Therefore, I conclude that the Garden of Eden - God's Holy Paradise - ascended from the earth to the Heaven, and some day it will descend to its foundation. (Just as Jesus ascended physically in Acts 1 and descended spiritually in Acts 2).  From my conclusion, the Garden of Eden would not have been in Iraq but Israel. (Ignore the geography extant today because it has become meaningless since the flood). I believe the Garden of Eden was never destroyed but removed from the wickedness of the world at the same time as the Ark carried off Noah and his line. Since God destroyed "wickedness" from the world, the Garden never died but was saved just as Noah was.      It is important to understand that one of the "mysteries of Christ" is that he is the Tree of Life! Jesus is referred to as the "Branch" (see the following):

Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord...

     In the New Testament, Jesus identifies himself as "the Branch" and people as "branches" in John 15:5. Not all the "branches" are Christians. Some will be cutoff and only the good branches remain (John 15:2). The "good branches" represent the Church and the "Branch" Jesus Christ himself. King David was the "rod" which came out of "the stem of Jesse", and Jesus is the Son of David (Mat 1:1). The stem of Jesse arose out of the Eden and the Branch was regrown where it once was. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Perhaps it was in the midst of the Garden, along with Jerusalem. Perhaps all Israel was the Garden with Bethlehem in it's midst!
     The Branch regrew into the Tree. Isaiah saw it growing long before God planted! God revealed His foreknowledge to Isaiah and Isaiah understood - he knew that Jesus would be the Son of David spoken of in Mathew 1:1. For me, that is exciting. To me, God's Plan from the beginning is a great mystery but if one listens carefully, God's Plan is revealed. It's not secret knowledge for salvation but the salvation plan revealed! Isaiah was one of the many prophets who was part of the foundation of the Church because Isaiah, like all the prophets, knew Jesus firsthand!

By What Name: Jesus, God, and Holy Spirit?

     I'm amused sometimes at the seemingly limited knowledge people have of God! I have often heard people say, "Jesus and God". A basic and essential doctrine of Christianity is that Jesus Is God! It took the apostle's quite some time to figure that one out but Joseph and Mary understood it from the beginning. Let's look at a few instances:

• Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. (Mat 1:16)
• And he (Joseph) called his name Jesus (Mat 1:25).
• He went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene (Mat 2:23).
• Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” (Mat 27:17).
• He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32).
• “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God (Luke 1:35).
• And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb (Luke 2:21).
• The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." (John 4:25).
• “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes  (John 9:11).
• “Is not this the man (Jesus) who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this Name? (Acts 9:21).
• That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my Name, says the Lord, who makes these things (Acts 15:17).
• “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” (Rom 9:26).

     We know that God has no name. He identified Himself as "THE EXISTENCE". Think on that! A true God creates. It takes only one God to do so. Since God IS Creator, then only He is God. Why would He need a name when He is Existence. No one else is or ever will be.

     God acknowledged his Godhood and Existence when he said, "I AM THAT I AM" (Exod 3:14). That English transliteration is ehyeh asher ehyeh with the Hebrew acronym יַהְוֶה which is pronounced yod heh waw heh, or in English letters JHWH. The Hebrew letters are pronounced Yahweh and in the English Jehovah since W and V have the same sound in Hebrew. Therefore, calling God "Jehovah" is for our English tongues. "God" is NOT His Name! It is a description generally meaning something as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans", according to C. Scott Littleton.  Most people call a god "divine". Whatever.. that is for the speaker's benefit. All God needs is reverence for His Existence.

     Then something happened! God was made  flesh (John 1:14). He was still God but was called many Names: Christ, Jesus, a Nazarene, Son of the Most High, Holy, the Son of God, the Name, and the Living God! Who did Jesus say that He is? "I AM" - "EGO EIMI" in the Greek. (John 9:9). Yes, the Man called Jesus claimed to be God JHVH or Yahweh Himself. Jesus thus identifies Himself as God (add another bullet):

• A virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Mat 1:23).

     The angel called the Son of God, well... God! We need not say "God and Jesus". Either is appropriate. However, since God was made flesh, JHVH is properly called "Jesus" for that is now His Name! 

     Pentecostals are noted for seemingly worshiping "the Holy Spirit". That is not a name; it is a description. One may ask, "Whose description?" It describes the identity of Jesus who died. A "ghost" is "a disembodied soul" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  After Jesus died, his Flesh had served its purpose - to save mankind. Jesus ascended to Heaven in a glorified body without need for earthly flesh, and shortly thereafter his Ghost returned. The "Holy Ghost" is Jesus's Spirit after God suffered death for mankind. 

But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:39).

     Thus, Jesus was transformed from Flesh to Spirit when he was glorified (ascended to the presence of God), then returning to mankind. We no longer need to see God but be Comforted by Him! (John 14:16).  The Holy Ghost is a descriptive adjective and noun pair. God's Spirit is still Jesus. God was never called "the Holy Spirit" but He was indeed called Jesus!
     A Name for God was not necessary until he came into the world. When God came, He was called Jesus. After he arose and returned, "it" (God's presence) was the Ghost of Jesus who returned but He was still Jesus!
     What is confusing to Christians is God's omnipresence. He is not limited by space and time. God is everywhere all the time. For a time, God visited the world but with His Existence, but He was also in Heaven. Right now, God is in Heaven and in you at the same time. There is no need to separate out God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost  because the Name "Jesus" will suffice!

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

What is that Name? It is Jesus (Acts 4:13). Thus, if you belong to Jesus, he lives within you. It is Jesus who resides in God's temples which are the souls of mankind. God's Flesh could not but His Spirit can!

Too Big and Powerful to Fail

     I worked for General Motors. To be honest, at one time, because of lax economic priorities, we called her "Generous Motors". The times were good, and the union used the great economy to bargain for high pay and benefits. As an engineering manager, I gathered the fruits of the union's bargaining! When they received a substantial raise or more benefits, so did I. The union members loved the union because of its efforts; they received "things'. Of course, the money for high wages and benefits came from somewhere. Capitalism creates wealth and socialism merely gets to enjoy it!
     That is not to say that the union members didn't work hard because many did, but their pay was excessive compared to what it would have been under normal conditions. Within the union, many hard workers covered the work of those less inclined to work hard. However, they all received the same pay. The union negotiators didn't want incentive pay because it would encourage some to work harder and be more productive. Productivity increases profits, and essentially, although their pay was based on profits, they didn't desire the company to be too profitable, or they would lose some of the union members since productivity decreased the need for labor. (Marxism has antipathy toward productivity. See the Communist Manifesto).
     Although I enjoyed the benefits of their efforts, I warned the union that someday the tree would no longer be able to bear the good fruit. I warned some of them that they were over-demanding, and the money would run out. They scoffed at me! In 2008, that came about! General Motors, notorious as too large to fail, failed! 
     Of course, the union was only a part of the reason but it was a large part. That became obvious when a faltering corporation bargained and received a lower wage scale for new employees. That was a noble idea, and the union must be credited, but it was too little too late. By the time they saw the light, the light had just been snuffed out. General Motors Corporation filed Chapter Eleven bankruptcy, and I among others held onto worthless stock. Many of us lost much of our lifetime savings, and times were bleak. Although I was ready, a cost savings measure was that I must retire. That year much of management and the hourly workforce retired. When I walked out, there was just a few employees left whereas many had been there before. The last person out, please turn out the lights! Nothing is too big to fail!
     At this moment, America is at the please turn out the lights moment. Like the union and GM, the left is demanding too much from a fragile nation thought to be too big to fail! Yes, we are fragile. Republics have always been fragile. Sure, we have been existence over 200 years but that time is short! We can fail because we are not well-established. The foundation for the United States of America was based on natural law - rights inherent merely because the citizens are humans. Although Aristotle and Cicero propagated natural law, its origins are in the Law of God. Mankind is a different kind of animal, endowed with a soul, and made in the image of God. Because of who we are, we are indeed "special" people which scripture calls "peculiar" (Titus 2:14). Those of us in the Western world have something in common which determined our peculiarity: we were somewhat a hemisphere of Christian peoples. Of those nations, America took our peculiarity and resources, and designed a nation in the image of the Garden of Eden. That is what will make us great again!
     Compared to the rest of the world, the United States has been Paradise. Much of our government was based on Old Testament ideas. Ironically, Libertas and Jehovah, were to whom hopeful people looked. God used Liberty for His purposes - to create a Democratic-Republic. Some relied on Liberty but most relied on God! 
     When Mrs. Powell asked of Ben Franklin: "Well Doctor what have we got: a republic or a monarchy?" Franklin replied,  "A republic if you can keep it!" Americans are still trying to keep the republic. As I say often, "Trying is only failing." America is failing to keep the republic! Get this notion out of your head: We are not too big nor too successful to fail!  America is fragile and the republic, like the Liberty Bell, is cracked.
     I've been reading the Book of Isaiah. Israel and Judah had been part of the Kingdom of David. Together they, for a short spell, lasted through three reigns of kings, a Paradise on earth. Dissension divided them. It was God's will that Israel and Judah be one but the people were hateful toward one another. Satan divided them for they were doing his will, not God's. Firstly, Israel failed because of strife among their kings and Judah's. The king of Israel joined Satan's forces - the King of Assyria - and that left Judah vulnerable. Left standing for a time was the "Church" - Solomon's Temple. Isaiah saw in a vision its destruction and warned the people. He was the "Ben Franklin" of his time: It is God's nation Mrs. Powell, if sinners can keep it!
     They couldn't keep it because they were unrighteous. Judah failed and the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Jerusalem- "the foundation of peace" - failed because of division and hatred. The people expected too much from the land; beyond what even "paradise" was capable. They wanted pleasure and prosperity but only got misery. The Kingdom of David, at one time, too big and powerful to fail, failed. The people were scattered all over the world as God threshed them for their disobedience!
     Our republic, now cracked, is not too big and powerful to fail. Without the protection of God who has been abandoned by our leaders, the crack is lengthening. You can see it in the streets! The media stresses the crack by dwelling on what's wrong rather than what's right!  Satan foments division and Marx taught it as a useful method of class warfare. It is Satan who is dividing the nation, and if the reader can't see that, he or she is blind. Jerusalem was to be Paradise - a place of love. Likewise, America was to be a loving nation, albeit like David's Kingdom, one with laws.  Satan uses lawlessness to advance his own kingdom:

2 Thes 2:3 ...that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship.

    
     Satan creates disorder and chaos to achieve his purposes! That technique is lawlessness. That's where people perceive they are the law, above the law, or that the law is wrong or unnecessary. America is at that precipice! In order to create chaos, Satan uses division. For example, now the "slaughter of the innocents", not seen since the time of Herod, is suddenly humane! Respect for the law is suddenly disregarded. The attitude is that we're too wise to be controlled! Even the notion of love has bene transformed into hatred!  Liberalism espouses love while at the same time being the most hateful!  Orwell's 1984 has arrived but a little late! Doublethink is the normative and liberals are technically insane - eaten up with cognitive dissonance. It's as if crazy people are taking to the streets! Indeed, Satan has deceived them and in their naivete, they know not what they do! It is hard to love those who seek to destroy every aspect of God! Jesus loves them, and we must as well! That is our test.
     They will be destroyed! Just as Babylon destroyed Assyria, and the Persians destroyed Babylon, Satan's realm will too be destroyed. I've read the outcome just as Isaiah had in his time. Those who cling to God for safety win out! If you are in Satan's army, you lose! History and God is on the side of the righteous. Of course, in these days, "righteousness" has been redefined but God knows it! Oftentimes, God used "crooked sticks" for his purposes (e.g., Nebuchadnezzar and others). Perhaps the Deep State in it's darkness will win out for awhile but it will lose! 

Rev 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

     I'm with Isaiah. I see God. I'm with God!  Well, what about Donald Trump? Refer to God's other anointed: King Saul. Neither was he righteous but Trump, as is Saul, is God's chosen instrument. As Saul protected the Jews from Goliath, Trump slings his rough stones at America's Goliath. Good will triumph! America isn't too big to fail, but the Kingdom of God will never fail!

On Whom To Depend

     We all know the Greatest Commandment and "the one like unto it": Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. The one like it is it's corollary: love thy neighbor as thyself. A corollary is something that comes naturally from the previous admonishment. Thus, it follows that to love God, one must love others. Neither are optional! I have four problems: (1) I failure to love God enough, (2) I failure to love others enough,  (3) others fail to love me enough, and (4) loving me too much.. There is success on two accounts: (1) God loves me, and (2) I love me.
      Loving me is a given. Even working out our own salvation is for the pursuit of saving our most loved one - the god of Self. Scripture says, "no man hateth his own flesh" (Ephes 5:29). That same passage goes on to say, "but nourish it and cherisheth it" and compares that to how much God loves us! Mankind's problem, then, is perceiving ourselves as gods and idolizing our flesh. Things and pleasure appease our flesh which, again, is our idol. That's how much we love ourselves!
     Because we love ourselves so much, it takes away from how much we love others and God. There seems to be only a given amount of love for each individual. That degree is with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strengths (Mark 12:30). God gets that amount of love. How much is it? We are to love God with our all - everything we have to offer! "Nourishing and cherishing ourselves" takes away from loving God. However, since God commanded it, we are to love others just as much as we do ourselves. Loving others is how we demonstrate to God how much we love Him. Just as God died vicariously for mankind, mankind is to love God vicariously by loving others!
     Loving others does not require additional capacity to love. We love others, not only as we are to love God, but to manifest love for God. In other words, loving others is the metric for loving God! That follows because it is the corollary to the Greatest Commandment.
     Loving ourselves is mankind's number one problem. When we focus on ourselves, we use up the love which God is due. We become the "other god besides God" (Exod 20:3). The literal problem is that "we are gods in God's face". God sees who we love and has sorrow. He could get angry but He is deeply hurt because we place ourselves before Him! With my premise that loving others is a reflection on how much we love God, then when we don't love others, it sorrows God!
     We all love ourselves. God reveals that. Then our shortcoming is not loving others the way we love ourselves. The test for love is loving even our enemies! Why so? We are God's enemies by nature, and he still "so loves us" that he desires that "none shall perish" (John 3:16). You and I are God's enemies until we change our nature by being born-again. Unfortunately, most people are only half Christians if that could be: they believe but are not transformed. Their Self-god still exists incognito. They still love themselves but fail to love others. The new creation should be one that loves God and others. If that love is missing, there was no transformation, and the believer must still be a child of Satan..
     God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Those who are not transformed are! We tend to love those who are closest. It's easy to love our parents (the Fifth Commandment), our children, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and close friends, but not the others even within the church. Within the Church is where the most evil lurks. As Christians, we are to love others. How is that done? Commandments 5-10.  We still do all those things!
     Many proudly respond, "Well, I have never murdered anyone!" Yes, you have! You have vicariously murdered God and others. How so?

1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

     We must understand hatred! It is not profoundly despising another person: it is failure to love them. Love is like a full glass of water - living water, it seems! The full "glass of love" has metrics on the side like a measuring cup. The top mark is "love as myself". If that glass is not full, the shortage is not merely "dislike" or "love mildly"; it is hatred. Hatred is not as profound as one thinks! Adam loved God. By disobeying him, he rebelled. That was his hatred showing, or lack of love. When we fail to love others as ourselves, we show some degree of hatred. Because we love ourselves so much we come up short in loving others. Thus, we are irreverent to God's will, and fail to show God the love which He is due. That failure is mild hatred. Profound hatred is blasphemy - rejecting God completely. If we hate others tremendously, we vicariously hate God the same amount. Loving others is imperative. If we don't love others and demonstrate it, we lack love for God!
    The problem in the Church is not so much God-focused but us and them focused. We love ourselves too greatly and others not enough! If a stranger walks into a church, he or she can immediately detect love or not. They don't come back most often when they don't detect love. My own problem is sensing that I am not loved. My greater problem is placing too much importance on me! Church is not about me; it's about God. If others love God as they say they do, then they will love me!
     I am difficult to love. That is a test for other Christians. Can the Christian have love for the ones who are hard to love? If they can't, the love of God is not there. That's the cross we are to bear - to love others. Our own crucifixion is when we quit loving ourselves so much and start loving others. That puts our cross right up there with Jesus's (Rom 12:1).
     I know those within churches which I have attended who hated me! My responsibility was reconciliation. I adore that feeling when I reconcile with others to whom I am estranged! I have had occasions where I worked hard to reconcile but failed because the other person(s) were unwilling! Reconciliation, even when not in the wrong, is paramount to loving others (Mat 5:24). That is the test for loving others. That same verse implies that if we can't reconcile with others, it's futile to claim that we love God! When I can't reconcile with someone in the Church, my joy is dampened for I am not doing what I should be doing - loving others!
     Some say, "But he or she wronged me, and I can't let it go!" Here's what Jesus said about that:

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

    We are to forgive an endless number of times as God does us! Like Him, forgiveness must be more than lip-service. It must be the continuation of love, and even forgetting the wrong. We can't forget! We must. That is to quit holding things against another person.
     Since Satan works hardest within the Church to destroy it, the church building is where discordance is seen the most. However, there is a separation therein: some will fail God and others will remain loving. The Church is the "threshing floor" where the bad seed will be separated from the good and fall down the bottomless pit beneath the Rock in which the threshing is done. To put it mildly, loving others is a Christian's "reasonable service".  Many Christians fail God with that but he never fails us. Yes, God is Good - and all the time! We, however, are not.