HOW DID WE GET HERE

How Did We Get Here

All around us in our nation, homes, streets, and every facet of society there are reports, headlines and actions of men showing just how far we have fallen.  Things are happening so fast in the election that it is seemingly impossible to keep up with it all.  The church, its leadership and voices of the church are swept up in it as well.  Everyone has their devoted opinion and offer their insight on it.  but I haven't heard a prophetic word yet from among them.  And watching all this is so alarming at what's coming and what's happening.  and the worst to me, is that it happened on my (our) watch.  Although we are all responsible, I believe it comes down to the personal accountability of the day.  And so we are left to answer for this 'progression of evil', 'How Did We Get Here'.

II Chronicles 34:15 - 16, "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because He had compassion on His people, and on His dwelling place:  v. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His Words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, til there was no remedy."

I hate this phrase, 'til there was no remedy'.  it has always haunted me that this was what we was coming too.  and I  have been driven to make sure it doesn't happen.  And now we see it happening right in front of us.  This progression of evil in our land is at a tipping point of full out upheaval, vile happenings and evil atrocities.  How did we get here?  How did this happen?

Well it has not happened over night.  But it has been a progressive onslaught of evil.  At some points it may even seemed to be an avalanche of evil and sin.  But due to the erosion of the churches priorities and pursuits of God, due to the vacum created in most our society, it has been filled with evil and sin.  Let us examine the status of the church and then its impact on our nations downward spiral.

The first overall understanding of our nation legalizing sin goes as follows:
1933 - overturning of prohibition;  abuse of alcohol in our nation is staggering for drunkenness and lewdness;  drunk driver deaths; health applications also are factors that go into this;
1963 - little Jezebel, Madalyne Murray O'Hare from Baltimore, wins the ruling of church and state separation that the Bible was not to be read during school hours;  This has mushroomed into no prayer, no allowance of speaking about faith or use of Jesus Christ.  Broaden to include Christmas, manger scenes in public squares, crosses, etc.
1973 - Roe vs. Wade - and now over 40 years later - 60 million babies have been killed;  there blood cries out from the earth, 'How long Lord before You require our blood at their hands?'
2013 - marriage according to Bible, traditional marriage, marriage defined by humanity for centuries, simply swept away to allow homosexuality as acceptable;

What a progression!  the pits of hell have opened and there is no retreat from the affects of this.  And this is what we are reaping in our society of broken homes, broken lives, broken nation, and broken church.  The church's voice throughout all this was unquestionably silent and had no authority to speak and shut this down.  The lesson that I have observed and learned in these things as a history student, is that once you open that door, shutting it is next to impossible.  Only by a Sovereign act of God could these evils be undone.

also to be observed over the decades of the church's allowance of this progressive of evil is the fact she turned inward and did not have her eyes on these activities.  She was completely, to my understanding still so, unaware of the repercussions that was and is to be reaped for the allowance for these things.  she fought within herself over doctrines, power struggles, separation from those not 'like' minded of other denominations, and busy with own agendas, while Rome burned.  These self inward lookings and musings are nothing but distractions from Satan, he kept the church busy with itself while he 'masterfully' advanced his position.  It may be like a general sitting down wanting to negotiate peace with his enemy, all the while the general was orchestrating his army to advance against the enemy.

spiritual disicplines in the church collapsed and was replaced with emotional, self-seeking, pleasures to entertain.  We lost the 'old paths' that Jeremiah speaks of.  We forgot the pillars of the church to maintain 'faith with works' for the advancement of Christian maturity and taking the ground from Satan.  bibles have been neglected, set on the shelf not to be read or studied.  Prayer destracted to the remnant and the house of prayer has become houses of merchandise again.  Witnessing was lost, and evangelism was redefined as only for pastors and church leaders.

I believe the witnessing loss  was due to two reasons.
1.  real salvation has been lost over the decades in the church;  they bear no real testimony of a tranformed life and new creation in Christ Jesus.  gone are the days of 'godly sorrow unto repentance'.
2.  Church state separation took over in the mind set and it became acceptable to be silent.  'We're still growing, we're still thriving, we don't need to take the light out into the darkness any more'.  visitation nights were removed and cut; door to door rarely happens; and too many have spent months and years in silence, never sharing their faith.   Their silence has become a way of life.

With the church pillaged, eroding, self consumed, Satan had no enemy to withstand him.  And he has maticulusly taken home by home, soul by soul, area by area.  Sweeping in the tech age into time, minds, TV's, internet etc. to fill with world, lusts, evil and self.  and with more and more of the world, filtrating into the church, it sank and suddenly was 'carnal'.

the few small voices that saw this, understood what was happening, fought and beckoned for revival, return, and renewal.  but the damage was done and it has built and built ready, as a volcano, to go to full eruption, that literally provokes God to end us as He did to Egypt, to Sodom and Gomorah, to Rome, to the earth during the time of Noah.  There has been spikes in the church to seek to save a nation before this, yet, I feel, it was substandard, and was never continued in fervency, or urgency.  And as our way of life has become, interest is lost, and invested into other areas.

Judgement
When the church erodes as it has, and the nation is filled with evil, God is not absent.  He sees and knows these things and moves to respond.  He sends judgments on the nation, on the church to move them to seek and return to Him.  When it is done feignedly, it is not acceptable to the Lord.  He moves with remedial judgments through multiple areas.  These areas of judgment are in weather, plagues/diseases, wars and terrorism - at home and abroad, calamities, removal of foundations of society and wicked government leaders.

We have seen these judgments ramp up in severity and extent.  The reason for this is that the church has not repented of its high offense.  But they continue in a carnal lifestyle and choices that provoke the Lord to anger.  And if the church doesn't repent and confess, why would a selfish, sinful society repent.

so what we have is a sin ridden church, grieving and quenching the Holy Ghost.  Powerless to change anything that is in motion right now.  A continued broadening and full-steam ahead society bent on self-destruction, void of consequences and future.  and the few who understand this, seem voiceless or direction-less to lead the people rightly back to God and restore that which has been lost.

so here we are.  A nation with no  choices for president.  The fate, as so many in the church are concerned with, for the Supreme Court, legislation and presidential edicts to take us further into evil.  Only provoking the Lord to more wrath and judgment due to the inability to change our ways.

What must be done?
Regardless of who wins the election, the following must be done:
1.  Ownership by the church;  we did this; we allowed this; we have brought our nation and families to this point of destruction.   
2.  Confession; No more of this flimsy, weak attempt of owning up to confession of sin generalized sin.  There must be a full understanding of just where and how often we have sinned according to that which the Lord has pronounced in Scripture. 
3.  Repentance:  a sincere, true attempt to remove all these things from the church's midst and restore right relationship and worship of the Lord.
4.  Whatever judgment heightens itself against the church, our families, our very own lives, keep 'looking unto Jesus'.  I am not convinced that the Lord is not getting ready to bring a wave of persecution upon the church in North America.  This is a purging process I believe.  This will root out the false converts that we have lined our numbers and pews with.  A restoration to the true bride.


Started:  October 13, 2016

Continued:  10/14;

Finished: