As I rise this morning, I am greeted by the nearly unfamiliar…
As the sky roils and rips, rolling and twisting in thunder, I smile, thinking how long it has been since I have heard such a heavenly spectacle. It is majestic and commanding, and reminds me of our Lord. It is almost as if he is tapping his foot in heaven, anticipating his soon return.
And he laughs as the wicked heathen of this world rage on. The leaders of every stripe and ilk, counseling and conspiring together, angry at God and his people. As the world attempts to throw off the last vestiges of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, I am reminded of Him who sits on the throne, and I praise Him.
I am not drunk with wine friends, but instead, my heart is filled with joy in the Lord and the Holy Spirit as I run on, stumbling at times, but running nonetheless. And it is this joy in the Lord that I possess that gives strength to every step.
And I am not sorry to embrace my brothers and sisters in Christ, and give thanks to the God of heaven, our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I thought that I would share my testimony with you today. It is brief, as it should be. For all that I am, I owe to Christ Jesus. Nothing else matters.
I wonder how many times this timeless classic has been plunked out on an old piano, voices harmonizing as people come together, gathered unto Christ in simple but reverent worship. How many times have congregations cried out, “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior, all the day long.”
I can never hear the song enough…
I can never sing the song enough…
But perhaps you have never heard the song. Perhaps you have never had the opportunity sing along with others.
Perhaps the words have no meaning for you.
If that is the case, then I ask that you pull up a chair and sit a spell, and perhaps, God willing, as the Holy Spirit works in your life, you too can sing a new song.
Like most stories I suppose, this one, the story of your life and mine, often begins in joy and happiness, that little bundle of a newborn capturing the attention of all those who stand near. The photographs are already in production, and by the time you have grown and started a family of your own, the photo albums are filled with snapshots of your life, your history, and your unfolding story.
But rarely do these pictures reflect the full nature and reality of your life. Because quite frankly, no one wants to open the album and be reminded of all the difficult times, all the failure, all the regret, all the anger, and bitterness.
No life, no matter how perfect it may appear, can escape the reality of who and what we are from the moment we are born. While we are being held, cooed, squeezed, and smelled in our baby pudginess, the truth is that our lives are born into a fallen world, and we too are fallen. Born physically alive unto our mothers and fathers and all of the rest of the family and friends, ‘the cutest thing ever,’ we are born separated from the God who created us. For the nature with which we have been born, passed down through our fathers from the time of the garden and the days of Adam and Eve, is who you are. It is what you are.
You can’t escape your nature…
You can’t escape from yourself…
You can’t hide who you are…
This might take some of you back, wondering what is this guy talking about? For you think you know who you are, and while there may have been a few bumps along the way, life is shaping up rather well. You might be in a new relationship, and your emotions are bubbling over. You might have a new job that is guaranteed to launch your career. Whatever the case and whatever your circumstances, you are just fine, “thank you.”
But what you describe as bumps along the way are often more than that. And those points in your life that are lifting you up and putting a smile on your face are often followed by falls, joys followed by heartache, and happiness with regret.
For this is a fallen world and you are fallen. That is what I meant earlier when I said that you were born separated from God. And friend, as much as this might pain you to hear, you are not perfect, at least not by God’s standards. No one is, and no one can be, not left to our own efforts.
And you are not perfect because you are a sinner.
All of us are sinners because we sin. We sin against a holy and righteous God. We miss the mark of God’s standard. And no amount of practice will ever make us perfect marksmen. Besides, there is that trail of sin behind you. What about those?
Yes, you are a sinner, and I am a sinner, and in fact, everyone who has ever lived is a sinner.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
And because of our sin, none of us are righteous, at least not righteous in light of God, who is perfectly righteous, and His standard.
There is none righteous, no, not one. Romans 3:10
You, on your own, are in trouble with God. Despite any effort to clean up your act, to be a better person, you cannot erase the sins in your life. It is your permanent record. And God says that there is a penalty for your sins, a severe penalty. Death with no eternal hope.
For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23a
The wages of sin—a wage being that which you have earned—is death.
But, what if God came to you and said there is another way? What if God told you there is still hope? And what if God offered it to you freely? And what if I told you that the result changes radically from eternal death to eternal life?
That’s a great deal!
But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23b
Now we see the contrast in the Bible between wages and gifts. Wages are that which we do, we perform, and in return for our actions, we receive payment. In the matter of sinful actions, we receive the payment of death. In other words, WE EARN death by our sins against a holy and righteous God. A gift on the other hand is not earned by any means. A gift is given freely by the giver and received freely by the recipient. The Gift of God is eternal life (quite a remarkable gift)—freely offered to anyone and everyone.
God offers this gift freely to you as well.
You can receive it…
Freely…
If you want it…
You can receive it by faith—your faith—trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31
Should you choose to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have eternal life in Christ. And you can have the assurance, that Blessed Assurance, that Jesus is yours. This will become your story as it has for millions of people over the years. It will become your song. For the Word of God bears witnesses that this assurance you will soon possess is based on the surety of God’s Word.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
Praise God!
I hope that you choose eternal life in Christ today.
If you do, scroll back up to the top of this post and start learning that new old song for your life in Christ.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:1-3
This was the question posed by Pilate, as Jesus stood before him, shortly before his brutal scourging and crucifixion. A consummate politician, truth stood before him in Christ, but he was unable or unwilling to accept the truth. He then cast a political declaration, as if by doing so, he would not be held accountable for what was surely coming.
“I find no basis for a charge against him.”
Not I, he declared, before then appeasing the mob and their customs. “It is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews?” Not only did he seek to appease the mob of religious zealots, but he did so in a mocking manner, calling Jesus, the king of the Jews which he knew would only anger them more.
Before it was all over, the mob demanded the release of the notorious criminal Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus.
So much for the truth.
The truth was crucified in Christ’s day and it is crucified today in wickedness and political expediency.
Our social and political landscape today is the mob of Christ’s day. They demand the release of criminals and the execution of truth. It is sickening to see the path that the world is on, but it is a path that mankind has always taken.
The world rejects the truth in Jesus Christ.
The world instead replaces Jesus with its own version of the truth.
But don’t believe it. Don’t be tempted by it. Don’t be swayed by it.
The truth of the world leads to a path of destruction, both temporary and eternally.
Like pulling petals from a daisy, I sadly realize that I could count the ways in which this biblical warning from Isaiah has been ignored in recent years, and sadly, the list would be quite long. I suspect that you could conjure your own list. Perhaps we could compare notes.
If we did, what would be our conclusion?
Grab another daisy and start plucking.
Think back to when you were growing up. Think about school, what was taught and what wasn’t. Think about going on your first date or attending the prom. Think about your favorite sports team, the shows you watched on television, and the music you listened to. Think about the things that dominated the social landscape and filled the news. Try and capture as much as you can and when you are finished, compare what you remember to what is going on today.
The contrast is striking, and not in a good way.
This is what the old prophet was warning us about. We as a people and a world have gone from the once unthinkable to the now acceptable. We are now living in the woes of Isaiah and that is not a good place for the world to be.
As a result of our complacency and our acceptance, indulgence, and in many cases, our experiences in the inappropriate and sinful, once condemned and now celebrated, a future is coming, and with it, divine accountability.
Choose this day the forgiveness of God through his Son, Jesus Christ, or don’t. It’s your choice. Choose wisely.
That’s okay. You can believe what you want to believe.
But if you could put aside your beliefs for a few moments and play a “what if?” game with me, you might find this interesting.
I want to take a small portion of the text from a well-known Biblical prophecy. EVERYONE has heard about the mark of the beast whether they believe it or understand it. It has, in some ways, gained traction in culture and as a result, has widespread recognition. We can thank the movie The Omen and numerous other venues for that.
So here are the two verses from Revelation chapter 13 I wish to share:
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
So the gist of the text is this: He (the beast, whoever that it is) will cause people from every political, social, and economic status and walk of life to receive a mark (of some kind) on their right hand or their foreheads. He (the beast) does that so no one is able to buy anything or sell anything without the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
According to the Bible, this beast will implement and enforce a system to control the economy of every single man, woman, and child. This system provides such dictatorial, authoritarian control over you that unless you sign up for the beast’s team you won’t be able to sell your home or buy food for dinner (or anything else).
Let that sink in for a minute. You won’t be able to buy food to eat. Your children won’t be able to eat. Everyone who stands opposed to the beast and his system faces persecution and starvation.
Now, once that has settled in or unsettled you, here comes the “what if” part.
What if this Bible prophecy is true?
You may not believe it as I do, but I am asking you to stretch your minds, and as you do, imagine, if possible, that it is true. Now, when you have battled your way through all the barriers of your rational mind and settled in with that thought, then let me ask you, what if you were the beast?
Again, stretching your imagination, put a crown on your head, and assume your role as the new leader of the world, known biblically as the beast or the antichrist. And when you are ready, think about the following:
How would you implement a system that could prevent anyone on the entire planet from buying or selling anything without your mark of approval? What pieces would you strategically place on the board in order to carry out your plan?
As you consider my “what ifs”, I will move on in an attempt to stimulate your thinking.
In order to be able to control whether people can buy and sell anything, you as the beast and your system would have to have a means by which you could identify every human being. Perhaps, a system similar to the one proposed by ID2020.org would be useful for your world domination. You can read about their plans for a digital identity for everyone here. The ID2020 Manifesto is available for you to watch here. The efforts of ID2020 and the World Economic Forum is laid out in this article.
But that only solves part of the problem. In order for you to execute your beastly plans, you would also need the means to track every person, where they are, and what they are doing. Good thing that China has already implemented a monitoring system called a social credit system that is essentially a digital dictatorship that would fit well in your plans to monitor and control every minute of every person’s life. In fact, it works so well, that other countries such as the United States, Canada, and the UK are considering similar programs or are already implementing them to some degree.
For those of you who are fans of Black Mirror, a bizarre version of a social credit system was shown in Season 3, The Nosedive. I have provided a link to one of the available clips available online. I have also provided another link where there is some commentary provided during the clip.
I think we are nearly there for you, King Beast. Every person in the world now has a digital identification, and the means to monitor every move and activity of every person is now in place. But what’s to prevent someone from pulling some cash from their pocket and buying a little food before running off, eating as they go?
That sounds a little tough to do. But hold on. There may be an answer.
And we can look to our friends in the far east (China) yet again for that answer as they have already blazed the trails of digital currency. Other nations such as the United States are also interested in digital currency and President Biden has gone so far in saying that the new world order that is emerging will force a digital currency on everybody. (EUTimes) While Central Banks might see the move to digital currency as a plus, not everyone thinks it is a great idea. (TheHill)
With the digital currency in place, working through your system of digital ID and social credit system, you, as the beast have everything you need, apart from whatever method is implemented for applying the mark to those who submit to your will.
All that is left is dealing with those stubborn people who will end up refusing to bend to your will. They will, in the face of death, refuse to yield and worship you or your image. You simply have to come up with are some useful tools with some very sharp edges to deal with them. Heads will be rolling.
So, you may not believe in Bible prophecy, but hopefully you will start to wonder if it was possible based on everything that is going on in the world. Believe it or not, time is running out for you to make a decision about Jesus Christ. You don’t want to be here for what is coming fast around the corner.
Three months ago, the narrative coming out of the White House was that things were much better off now. Looking back at that, I stood there wide-mouthed, eyes full of anticipation as I waited for it…waited…waited. But the punchline never came. The joke never broke. All I could do was sigh and shrug at missing an opportunity for a good laugh, something that in recent days was sorely missed. Instead, President Biden presented to us a dreadful punchline just a few days ago stating that we are at an inflection point and that there was going to be a new world order. He then declared that we’ve got to lead it.
Perhaps you have noticed about the days in which we live—really noticed. Perhaps not. But if you say that you haven’t, either you are a liar or in complete denial and your blinders are strong!
There is a purpose in all of these changes. A purpose well beyond the scope of normal headline scouring and conspiracy formation. It is a purpose that transcends everything understandable to the natural mind, and the normal experience. In the beginning, the changes appeared small, hiding their significance to all but the most discerning. And the rate of their appearance was slow, designed to remain well below the radar of understanding.
But today, things have changed. The finish line appears close to those who have championed this years-long attempt to reshape the world and the people in it into the image of men. And as such, the final pieces are falling into place at a rapid pace. This convergence of events is, however, leading the world on a much different path than the authors of this new world order utopian vision envisioned. For despite their lofty and elitist aspirations, their influence and leverage, their abilities, their money, and greed, it is they, and all who follow after their lead are in for a very rude awakening.
Ahead lies a great curtain, a veil which keeps hidden the truth of the knobs being turned and the levers pulled. And soon—very soon, that veil will be pulled back, and all will be made manifest. For most, it will be by then be too late. And I mean well beyond the temporal.
If little or none of this is making any sense to you, then may I suggest, that you belong here, reading the series, Handfuls Dropped on Purpose. If you get it or at least a portion of it, you are invited as well. There is so little time available to us all. And I suggest, that time should be used as wisely as possible.
A first lesson:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.” Psalm 111:10
As an author, I have had the pleasure of writing a handful of books, all of them fiction. And while I enjoy writing fiction, I cannot allow this to be my main pursuit. The times in which we live dictate that my course and focus must change.
