A House of Cards
There are many ministers seeking to bring comfort to the American people and rightly so, but there needs to be some other issues addressed. There are lessons to be learned. The military has learned a few about defense and terrorism. The government has learned a few things about diplomacy and its lack of effect on terrorists. The time has come for a few spiritual lessons as well.
Ps 127:1-2
1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. (KJV)
America has forgotten who has blessed this nation. They have been building in vain offering up sacrifices to the gods of materialism, "tolerance", nominal religion, sports/leisure and political correctness. Such a house of cards cannot stand. The watchmen have already looked in vain.
I tried to find the world record for a house of cards, but it was not available. I remember watching one of the competitions for the record. It was quite a large house of cards that took, if I remember correctly, days to build. Thousands of cards were involved and it was impressive. Yet, at the end it fell easily.
I think it interesting that the World Trade Center was thirty years old. In the sixties, the American house was shaken, much like the WTC in ’93. Our values were being attacked right and left. I know. I was a hippie back then and rejected everything my parent’s generation stood for and was ready to burn down the Establishment. In the 70’s the disease started spreading rapidly and we see spiritual destruction in the country as devastating as the carnal devastation in NYC. It took eight years for our enemies to figure out how to make the WTC fall. I wonder how much longer it will be before we fall as a nation.
Ps 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (KJV)
This country was built on Christian foundations. The foundation of the government is the Constitution, which is basically a Christian document since its principles came from the Bible. Many of our laws come from direct commands or principles from the Bible. Well, at least the older laws.
In Texas, we know a bit about foundation problems. Extremes of heat, cold, rain, and drought can wreak havoc on a building’s foundation here. There is a brisk business in foundation repair. The house may look great on the outside, but neglect the foundation and someday it will fall. (Matt 7:26,27)
As a whole, America looks great on the outside, which is why we have people clamoring to come here legally or illegally. It looks like the Promised Land. Inside, we have many, many problems. We are seeking to correct them, but we fail to realize that the cracks we see in the walls and ceilings are only symptoms of foundation damage and a patch or paint job will not solve them.
Our Christian foundations have taken an extreme beating from at all levels and in all areas. It does not matter whether the attack comes from education, government or even pulpit. The attacks are real, vicious and intense. It is indeed a jihad, but not necessarily rooted in an Islamic context. The attackers are intent on bringing our country to its knees. We are the only roadblock to a one-world government. We are too nationalistic and independent thinking to bow to the yoke of the UN or other globalist entities.
It is not that we are not world minded in our concern for people. One need only read the recent kind editorial from a Canadian journalist. No, we recognize that our blessings are to be shared. We just do not believe in kings or subjection. We value our sovereignty at least for now. Our children are being brainwashed to accept the one world government concept and so in a generation or so that may change. There are still too many members of the last great generation left and some of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren that inherited their love of country and freedom to pull off a quick abdication of our sovereignty, but the forces of evil are working on it.
To destroy a country from within, you have to destroy its foundations and morality. They are rewriting history and the Constitution. You cannot even quote the framers of the Constitution because to mention God in context of the government would be unconstitutional by the enemy’s interpretation. Yet, the founders quoted Scripture and spoke of God’s interaction in government frequently. So, were the founding fathers unconstitutional when they wrote the Constitution? In war, the enemy is allowed to be irrational. What is bad is that we are irrational enough to concede to their irrationality and not route the rascals out of their offices.
Even in Texas, we have a judge threatening to jail a girl if she prays at her high school graduation while another one lets a man out of jail that raped his step-daughter. I suspect the defenders of the Alamo would have some interesting things to say to both of those judges. Since we are bringing back folks from the dead in our imagination we can safely assume that those defenders might turn those lads over to Judge Roy Bean for an appellate decision.
We could write all day on the decay of our morality so the enemies are winning there. That battle is being won because we allow them to attack the Bible without much of a fight. Let some seminary or ThD spout something and most who claim Christianity will just roll over and wet themselves like an excited puppy. We just accept any versions cranked out as good because our favorite preacher or publisher says they are the latest and greatest. We the people are not standing against abuses of government nor are we the people of God standing up to abuses and silliness of seminaries and preachers. Of course, that may be because we the people don’t care about the government as long as they stay out of our wallet. And we the people do not care what the theologians do or say as long as they assure us that we will go to Heaven and God will always bless America.
II Kings 17:9-12
9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. (KJV)
God chose Israel way back and yet God at times had to chastise His people and even allowed them to lose wars and become captives. They have yet to receive all of the blessings that God has for them. Someday Israel will be the head of all nations and no one is going to stop that. It will take them going through the Great Tribulation and losing two-thirds of their people but they will become the reigning kingdom with Jesus Christ the Messiah on the throne of David. The future of Israel is great, but they have had some hard times and those times are not over.
Our country was once a Christian nation. We are in some titles here and there still called that but in reality we are pretty dang near pagan in practice. Most people who claim to be Christians are only saying that because they were born into some family tradition. However, most of them could not tell you what they believe or why, but would be really good at telling you that you are wrong.
I wore Methodist on my dog tag, but what I really believed was that we were offspring of aliens. My tradition would prevent me from playing "Hair" as I drove by my church and make me punch you out if you told a Jesus joke in my presence but I did not know John Wesley from Big Bad John and never heard Bro. Wesley’s message that he traveled 250,000 miles on horseback to preach. I never heard, "You must be born again." My wife was born into a Lutheran tradition and she figured that as long as she was baptized as an infant she was cool. She never heard Luther’s message about "sola scriptura" "sola fida." We would have gone to Hell thinking we were Christians.
Many "Christians" have their images and groves. They have many idols. They just don’t know that is what they are. They cannot keep even the simple commandment of church attendance let alone any of the weighty matters. America is not a Christian nation. It is a nominal religious nation that has mongrelized its Christianity. That fact that we are not destroyed already shows that there is still a remnant of Christianity. After the Rapture, we do not know what will become of the country, but it may not be very good. Indeed, we should have seen that we suffered from the Ai syndrome when we came out of a great war that we won decisively only to see us stalemate one police action and lose another. We win some small battles, but are plagued by mosquitoes and vultures when we took down falcons. We have been degraded to the point where we celebrate winning a NATO war against a third rate tyrant.
Deut 19:10-13
10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
11 But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. (KJV)
The shedding of innocent blood at the World Trade Center outrages us. We should be outraged. It was an act of cowardice and murder. Deuteronomy teaches us that the perpetrators should be dealt with swiftly and without pity. The places of refuge were designed to be a place to plead if the death was caused by accident. If the judges found that the one who fled unto them was guilty of murder he was taken out of the city to be handed over to the executioners. Then the land would be cleansed of the innocent blood.
Deut 19:20-21
20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (KJV)
James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. (KJV)
Often it is challenged if the death penalty is a deterrent. God says it is. Not only is the fear of such swift justice a deterrent but the one executed is certainly deterred from killing again. For those who are going to fuss that this is OT Law may I send you to Matthew 5:17-19, 1 Cor 9:9,10 and 1 Cor 19:11 for starters to show that even under grace the OT is valuable and valid for our lives. Jesus and the Apostles quoted the OT extensively by saying, "it is written." The terrorists showed no mercy, but as God does we should in wrath remember mercy. (Hab 3:2)
While I am here though, let me say that the land will not be cleansed of innocent blood even if these murderers are caught. We allow many murderers to spend their lives in jail instead of executing them. As the blood of Abel cried from the earth so does the blood of their victims. We violate God’s commandments and our own country by having life sentences.
Even if we get that straightened out, we still have the innocent blood of millions on our hands because of abortion. Until we ban that and confess our sin of this mass murder, we will never have the peace and prosperity we once had. If we care about the innocent blood spilled at the WTC then let us grieve and expiate the blood of all the innocents!
Joel 2:16-18
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. (KJV)
President Bush did well to call for a solemn assembly!! If we are to be spared like Nineveh we will need to repent like Nineveh and return to our foundation. We must repair the damage done to it and strengthen it by repentance, prayer and obedience. We must get our priorities right.
Some might say that we are more righteous than our enemies. In comparison to other men that may be so, but God sometimes uses the unrighteous to chastise His people. (Hab 1:6,13; Zech 1;15)
Isa 10:5-6
5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (KJV)
God used the Assyrians to chastise His people. Has God or will God use an Arab to chastise this nation that is called by His name but calls out to Him in vain? Maybe. It is very good that we use this time to search for the God of our fathers. The enemy calls upon his god. We best call upon ours. The foundation is cracking. If it crumbles we shall fall.
Luke 13:4-5
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (KJV)
You see those innocent lives in those WTC towers were lost the moment they arrived for work. They just did not know it yet. They expected to go home. So did the people of Siloam. Many thought that the tragedy in Siloam happened because those people were great sinners. Indeed, our enemy thinks they cut down sinners.
What they don’t know and what many of us do not know that all will perish except they repent and find Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in this life. The Christians in those towers are in Heaven and have been having a shouting fit since they arrived on Tuesday.
Those who were not believers went from the smoke, flames and darkness of this disaster into the smoke, flames and darkness of Hell and they have been shouting for help since they arrived and will until the Great White Throne Judgment.
Ps 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. (KJV)
Friend, if you know Christ as Lord and Saviour praise Him that no matter what fire may come down upon America you will not suffer Hell fire. If you do not know Him, then pray to Him for forgiveness of sin and salvation based upon His work on the Cross shedding His blood for you. Then praise Him for sparing you from that Hell. Then let us all pray that our nation will return to its foundation and not forget God and be cast into Hell either now or then! Maranatha!!!
