Death of a Nation
Common sense, being salt in the world, creating an atmosphere of growth are a few things that Christ in a man is to accomplish. Following the Lord's Beatitudes, Yashua made a profound statement that has slipped from our Bibles.
Those claiming Christianity have made statements that are contrary to this statement. "The Bible and politics don't mix." "Christians don't vote." "I voted for so and so because he shook my hand." These and many more have been made at the cost of their own common sense. The spirit of the USA is apathetic and cynical. Look at what YAHWEH said. Mt 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
We are to be salt and light to the world. The time that we are here is limited and the world needs our obedience to His Word. What this does is quite simple. The nation that has God as their God will have a spirit of hope, even the enemies of God will be quieted and at peace as long as the righteous are in leadership. But when the salt has lost its flavor, what good is it? It is trampled under foot. Sure it holds the dust down when cast out on the ground, but the wind, rain, and sun will harden the ground. This has happened in the USA as evidenced by November 3rd's election. Truth and accountability are no longer important. Messages in a campaign can be filled with hatred and bitter lies that can be substantiated as such and left unchallenged because of a minimal amount of finances created an emotional attitude filled with fear. This fear allowed many Christians to choose to not vote, to reject the truth and allow the unrighteous to continue to gain more of a foothold. The salt and light must be such and without the Christ in us influence, the atmosphere becomes exactly what we have in the USA, apathy and cynicism.
In my prayer closet on November 3rd, the Lord spoke some clear truths that I had not seen before. I had been a little disgusted with ignorance and apathy in Christians and the church. I had this sinking feeling that Jim Hodges would replace David Beasley as governor and I felt like giving up. After this produced a beginnings of a pity party, the Lord asked me if I were finished. I told Him that I was and He proceeded to tel me to turn to Mt 24. At obedience to this He said to look at vs 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
I began to ask the lord what He was showing me and He proceeded to show more that I had not seen. If I broke that up the love of many will grow cold. I then decided the word love was of importance to understand what He was talking to me about. Let's look at the meaning of love.
26 agape {ag-ah'-pay}
from 25; TDNT - 1:21,5; n f
AV - love 86, charity 27, dear 1, charitably+2596 1,
feast of charity 1; 116
1) brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence
2) love feasts
When looking into agaph we see that it is a choice to be benevolent, to be of affection, to do good. It is a love that has no connections. It is a choice. Unlike philos and phileo that is brotherly love because one is a brother, is kind, is reciprocal, agape chooses to love despite and no matter what the response has been, will be, or is. The usage of agape in Jo 17:26, Jo 3:16, and Jo 14:21 reveal the context of it conveying choice without condition. Agape being choice can therefore only come from the Lord as He empowers us to choose to agape others, and by obedience the road is paved for the Lord to shed His agape on us by His Spirit. This unconditional love is what grows cold. Look again at what Yashua said, "the love of many will grow cold."
Are you catching what the Lord began to speak to me? Within people, Christians, the agape would grow cold. Christians would stop choosing to do the right thing. Christians will stop choosing to agape each other. Christians will stop choosing to do what is normally considered good will. Christians will stop caring and seeking the truth, what's right and best for others. Look once more, "the love of many will grow cold." The church world will become an entity within 4 walls and not be the salt of the earth, the line to shine in this dark world!
The Lord didn't stop there with me! He proceeded to reveal more. This apathy and cynicism would contribute to the problem in another dimension. Vs 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. This is a back and forth relationship. Lawlessness exists when the salt has lost its preserving power. Lawlessness exists when unrighteousness is in the leadership producing an atmosphere that breeds more lawlessness. When the crook can get away with his caper, he continues his capers. The atmosphere becomes electric and emotionally charged, the apathy grows and the love of many grow cold. There is more of a connection and responsibility between love's disappearance and the environment that is conducive for more lawlessness. Vs 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
Not only do these revealings once again show the eternal securitist to be in grave error, but they also show the Laodicean church to be more real than ever before. The atmosphere and spirit that is created is one of many thinking they are okay despite their agape disappearing and lawlessness continually on the rise. Yes, this environment allows people to live the way they want, to claim they are right with the Lord, and despite their compromise insist they have evidence as such.
What is important about the agape vanishing in Christians and lawlessness abounding? Simple!! This is a very simple truth. The age that we live in, the times that we are privileged to be living are prophesied to be this way. These are signs for the times. Look at what the Lord continued to show me. Vs 11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. The Lord asked me to think about false prophets and asked me to think about Jeremiah's time. There was a false revival taking place under the reign of Josiah as evidenced by what the Word from the Lord through Jeremiah was over and over again. The false prophets were saying, "Peace, peace!" They told of peace and prosperity that would be come because that was the will of God and the coming captivity that wasn't going to happen did happen. These false prophets changed their tune slightly, they said, "The captivity will only be short!"
False prophets everywhere who have been avoiding the Word have contributed to the environment. The false prophets have lied about accountability and responsibility. The false prophets have had a warm fuzzy feeling of prosperity and nice nice producing apathy and cynicism. The very thing these false prophets have wanted to do, edify the baby Christians has created an atmosphere of vanishing agape and lawlessness. False prophets have prohibited the Word to be taught by their warm fuzzy attitudes. It is not peace and prosperity, but as the Lord has already stated through Paul, the apostasy must come to pass before the anti-christ can come to power. 2 Th 2:1-4 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
The times that we live in is the times that leads up to the revealing of the anti-christ. Look at the final thing the Lord showed me. Vs 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination o