Laodicean Lackadaisicalness - Part 6

(See the series here)

Are we witnessing the last legs and laps of

Laodicean lackadaisicalness?

In many respects, Church Americana correlates itself with the nation of Israel, both ancient and modern nations. Conveniently, however, Church Americana omits at least three extremely important correlations with ancient Israel, correlations that speak to the current Laodicean Church trait - lukewarmness. (See the series)

#3. Secular Israel: In the run-up to God’s severe judgments noted earlier, ancient Israel and Judah were significantly sinfully secular, though they often paraded as theocratic nations. Many of God’s prophets, whom they slandered, banished and killed, prophesied under God’s anointing, that:

(a) He would one day return a remnant of the people to the promise land, 

(b) this remnant would one day embrace Jesus as Messiah, and thrive under His governance, and

(c) this revived, combined nation would live righteously.

So how does this correlate with the Laodicean Church trait? These prophecies evidently include rather lengthy time gaps over which God unfolds His strategic plan across the ages. Notable in today’s world is that the modern state of Israel was established 70+ years ago as a secular nation. All nations are sinful to varying degrees. So is Israel, and it will continue to be until righteousness rules when God unfolds the final part of His strategic plan. Despite the fact that Israel is not yet under God’s theocratic governance, Church Americana tends to embrace the secular Israeli government as ‘righteous’, even when it clearly defies most well-known Jewish religious, Christian, and generally-accepted international standards. Since Israel is clearly elected to play a special role in God’s redemptive plan for mankind and the Earth (including the path for Jesus to become a human), but is not [yet] a Christian nation, Church Americana would do well to open its eyes to broader implications of embracing Israel as righteous, and therefore condoning practically any or most of her governmental actions as righteous. This represents part of the blindness in the Laodicean Church age that Jesus mentions in His conversation with Apostle John.

Why does all of this seriously matter? What if God has a certain target number of people for His Kingdom, people from every tongue, tribe, nation and possibly generation, too?? No one knows whether this may relate to the number (1/3) of angels He lost in satan’s rebellion. What if we who are in the final parts of the church age, having largely lost our love and fire for God and become lukewarm, may actually be slowing down achievement of His target, much like the first generation of Jews in the Wilderness of Sin slowed down His timely judgment of the Amorites?? (Genesis 15:16 hints that, after 4 generations, The Lord’s Grace to the Amorites/Canaanites would expire, and they would then be ready for His judgment, per Jeremiah 9:23-24.) Could there be much bigger, strategic reasons why Jesus would be so adamantly concerned about lukewarmness in this age, in our day??? (See: Lost Angels Not for Like-Angels)

Laodicean Lackadaisicalness - Part 5

(See the series here)

Are we witnessing the last legs and laps of
Laodicean lackadaisicalness?

In many respects, Church Americana correlates itself with the nation of Israel, both ancient and modern nations. Conveniently, however, Church Americana omits at least three extremely important correlations with ancient Israel, correlations that speak to the current Laodicean Church trait - lukewarmness. (See the series)

#2. Strangers, Widows and Orphans: The Old Testament is replete with God’s encouragements, admonitions and judgments against Israel and Judah regarding His expectations for treating strangers (gentile immigrants), widows and fatherless orphans. Eventually, these nations were severely judged as noted earlier for their adamant infractions against God’s laws and warnings.

So how does this correlate with the Laodicean Church trait? In many nations, churches today, especially Church Americana, have become relatively well-off, wealthy from affluent lifestyles. For example, consider the growth of mega-churches around the world. Though America began as an immigrant nation, today significant political factions have ‘flipped’ in terms of their views on immigrants. This has been a trend over several decades in the face of the so-called ‘browning of America’, with increasing non-white immigration and statistical evidence of the declining majority race. Within these factions, immigrants, once welcomed, both legally and illegally, are now demonized. 

Relatively wealthy and comfortable in the lap of American affluence, the so-called right-wing evangelical church, writ large, is widely regarded as one key faction in these groups. Its political influence is being felt both nationally and internationally, yet it seems blind and deaf concerning how its actions correlate (a) with ancient Israel and Judah’s actions that attracted God’s harsh judgments, (b) with core New Testament tenets about winning souls for Christ, and (c) with the general image Christ intends His Bride, The Church, to reflect and re-present to the onlooking, unsaved world. Rather than any notion of love, whether human love or the love of Jesus Christ, many across the world reportedly perceive real hate emanating from Church Americana. This is concerning and is also evidence of Laodicean character traits. In His warning to this church, Jesus writes through Apostle John:

…You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’. You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be [spiritually] rich; and white garments [righteousness], that you may be clothed, that the shame of your [spiritual] nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see [spiritually]. Be zealous and repent…

Ancient Israel and Judah failed to ‘see’ the extent to which their sinful actions made them abhorrent to God. With Israel’s priests’ sins, one time The Lord was so scornful, that He dispatched the prophet Malachi with this message:

‘I will smear on your faces feces from your festivals!’ 

(Malachi 2:3, KJ and YLT versions)

Worse yet, in their sinfulness, some continued in their Jewish religious exercises, often in parallel with their sinful worship and sacrifices to idol gods. They were effectively naked and blind, spiritually. Similarly, Church Americana is naked and blind to what the onlooking world …sees in its very public, often un-Christian attitudes and actions. 

Lesson for Lackadaisical Laodicean Christians:
Avoid selective correlations with ancient Israel

Laodicean Lackadaisicalness - Part 4

(See the series here)

Are we witnessing the last legs and laps of
Laodicean lackadaisicalness?

In many respects, Church Americana correlates itself with the nation of Israel, both ancient and modern nations. For example, their Egyptian slavery is correlated with the church’s pre-salvation sinfulness; their transit through the (dry) Red Sea-bed is correlated with the church’s spiritual and physical baptism into The Body of Jesus Christ; David’s triumph over the giant, Goliath, is correlated with the church’s fight of faith and victory in Christ over satanic forces; the ancient Israel temples are correlated with the promised return of Jesus to rule the entire Earth from His headquarters in Jerusalem; their Passover feast is correlated with the New Testament’s Last Supper and communion ritual; spiritual Israel represents the olive branch into which the gentile church is grafted, etc. Moreover, God’s election and undying love for the remnant of ancient Israel, to whom He is ‘married’ (because of His relationship with Abraham) correlates to the spiritual marriage relationship between Jesus and His Bride, the church (and the predicted new heavenly city of Jerusalem).

Conveniently, however, Church Americana omits at least three extremely important correlations with ancient Israel, correlations that speak to the current Laodicean Church trait.

#1. God Once Abhorred Israel and Judah: The last several generations of the then-separated nation (into 10 northern tribes called Israel, and 2 southern tribes called Judah) first became so lukewarm and then horribly sinful that God actually loathed and abhorred the majority of the people! After l-o-n-g periods of Grace, then warnings that were flat out rejected, and His prophets slain, God moved to point 2 of His declared strategy in managing human affairs, as summarized in Jeremiah 9:24. He judged the 10 northern tribes into oblivion (generally referred to as the lost tribes of Israel), starting with the Assyrian invasion and exile, then their dispersal across Europe and Eurasia. Decades later, He judged the 2 southern tribes, starting with the Babylonian invasion and exile. In both cases, He promised to save a small remnant, to whom He would show mercy once again, starting with the regathering of the remnant in Babylon back to the promise land, and eventually with the worldwide regathering of Jews to the promise land “…until no more room is found for them.” (Zechariah 10:10)

So how does this correlate with the Laodicean Church trait? In the final episode of His revelation to John, The Apostle, in Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus, then in His glorified form, dictated letters to 7 churches. His letter to the last church (at Laodicea) reveals an abhorrent loathing of lukewarmness that invaded that church, resulting in believers in-name only who demonstrate no real, intimate ‘marriage relationship’ with Christ, and none of God’s power impacting the world through them. Though it was still on the receiving end of Grace, this church was threatened with the most severe judgment, far more severe than judgments against ancient Israel and Judah. Christ’s threatened judgment was the expulsion of lukewarm members of this church age out of His mouth and body.

Severe?? I’d say so!

Lesson for Lackadaisical Laodicean Christians: 

Avoid selective correlations with ancient Israel

Occupying Forces (Poem, Part 2)

(See the series here)

Across the ages and pages of God’s Bible,

Occupation of peoples and lands has been a factor,

Those He allowed, and many with Him as Chief Director,

Due judgments to people He had deemed as sin-full.

Jesus left Earth from an occupier’s territory,

Israel occupied by Rome, and Earth by satan.

He promised to return to Earth again, then shaken, ¹

To sit in Earth’s occupier’s seat -- God’s theocracy.

Until then, for roles in His occupier government,

He is recruiting candidates ...like you and me,

Sinful people who will just come to Him humbly,

To be cleansed of their sin, and escape His final judgment. ²

These are the people, He designates as ‘saints’,

Not ‘good folk’ some man selects after their death,

But people who are ALIVE, breathing His breath.

Trust me. This is the picture The Bible paints.

Return to Earth with His saints, then immortal,

He’ll establish an iron-rod Millennial Monarchy,

Not some humanistic, pluralistic democracy,

With a span that’s global, based in Israel.

Sooooo……

If the notion of living under an occupier’s heel,

Turns you totally off, as it does with me,

Turn to Christ for salvation Grace and Mercy.

For His coming reign, I guarantee there is no better deal.

At His coming, these things are predicted:

--satan’s occupation will be totally suspended, ³

--All levels of human governance will be rescinded, ⁴

--All resistance will be interdicted. ⁵

Three types of humans then on Earth, Scriptures reveal:

--Occupied sinners, tribulation’s mortal remnant,

--Occupier saints, god-and-angel-like, and puissant, ⁶

--Jesus Christ, seated on God’s Throne, His iron rod to wield!

Classes, castes, apartheid? Hey, call it whatever you may like.

What’s predicted is coming; the bottom line remains:

>You get to choose whether to be one who with Him reigns.<

For me, I’m excited about being …god-and-angel-like!

One last point my bottom line to amplify,

The greatest of clarity may it supply:

If a saint you ain’t when it’s your time to die,

A saint you will never be by some man’s lie.

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¹ See: Isaiah 2:20-21, Revelation 6:12 and 16:18
² See: Prayer of Salvation (Poem)

³ See: Revelation 20

⁴ See: Isaiah 2:2-4
⁵ See: Isaiah 11 and 24:4-6, Zechariah 14:16-19, Psalm 2:9, Revelation 2:27, 12:5 and 19:15

⁶ Having great power and/or influence. See: Matthew 22:29-30, Mark 12:24-25, Luke 20:34-36. ‘What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that you visit him? For You have made him a little lower than God, Elohim [i.e., Yourself, not angels], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.’ (Psalm 8:4-5) See also: Romans 2:6-10, Daniel 12:2-3 and Revelation 19:11-16

Occupying Forces (Poem, Part 1)

(See the series here)

Across the ages and pages of human history,

Territorial conflicts have been a factor.

At the end, the spoils of war go to the victor,

Who occupies the land and controls people, forcefully.

Life under an occupying force,

Checkpoints and patrols, thus freedom is restricted.

Life is hell when occupation is resisted.

Submission seems the only recourse.

Across the age ole pages of human history,

Status groups, classes and castes have been factors.

Folk lusting to be ‘high status benefactors’,

Are forced to contend with their low status misery.

Discrimination, segregation, classification,

Racism, apartheid, with these we’re all familiar,

There’s always a way to make someone else …peculiar:

Social, economic, religious elimination.

Jesus, born, raised and ministered under occupation.

Imagine that! A clear decision of God Almighty,

His Son under Roman occupation authority.

Every aspect of His Son’s life was for our instruction.

In this age of freedom, democracy, and human rights,

We think of ourselves as enlightened and evolved,

And that from God’s perspectives on life, we’re absolved.

Yet He still has a stake in life, from Heaven’s heights.

Across the ages and pages of His Bible,

Occupation of peoples and lands has been a factor,

Those He allowed, and many with Him as Chief Director,

Due judgments to people He had deemed as sin-full.

But in God’s judgments, here’s a conundrum worth noting:

>>By sinful people, those sin-full people are occupied!<<

It seems sins of the occupiers He will override.

Not only worth noting. This, my Friends, is foreboding. *

----------

* A warning and a blessing simultaneously. Sinful people made righteous, appointed to occupy and rule over sinful people, all under His iron rod authority.

Today's Exigency Short-Circuited (Poem)

Crop failures, water shortages and famines.

From persistent droughts, these we cannot escape,

When upon God’s commands we cast aspersions.

Persistent drought portends death to a landscape.

Since the year 1805 BC,

His use of drought and its awful results,

Is documented in His Word, I see,

As punishment for our sin that insults. ¹

The heavens shut up that there be no rain,

The rain of a land turned to powdery dust.

By sins, land’s productivity …is slain.

To redeem the land, repentance is a must!

Since the year 571 BC,

God’s use of four severe judgments was revealed.

Take time to read it, to you that’s my plea,

Before against you, these judgments are unsealed. ²

Famine, wild beasts, war and pestilence enlisted, ³

When against His commands our gross sins pile up.

Ahhhh! Note that famine is the FIRST one that’s listed!

From drought or something else, famine will show up.

Since the year 518 BC,

The Lord says He’ll command rains on some lands to cease.

Continued use of drought, chiefly,

Against some nations that do not attend His feasts. ⁴

You might think with our smarts and technology,

His use of drought and famines in the past and future,

Would somehow inform our present theology.

Alas…

In our lives, connecting these dots is …not a feature!

Famines also result from the opposite of drought,

Floods that devastate everything agricultural.

So don’t think if there’s no drought God’s commands we can flout.

From droughts and floods alike, heed His lessons scriptural.

‘It’s the economy, stupid!’, recall this slogan?  ⁵

In this age of climate change that is very rapid,

Here’s a new slogan that by us should be oft spoken:

‘Repentance! Today’s exigency, short-circuited!’

Past, present and future, The Lords says:

I am The Lord. I change NoT.

(Malachi 3:6)

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¹ Moses wrote this: The Lord shuts up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land… The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. (Deuteronomy 11:17 and 28:24)

² See: Ezekiel 14:12-23.
³ It's interesting that God also depicts hegemon governments as wild beasts. (See: Daniel 8. NB: The USA is current world hegemon government, and China is ‘the wanna be hegemon.’

⁴ This is a prediction against survivors of nations who will have attacked Israel in the 1st War of Gog and Magog. See: Ezekiel 38 and Zechariah 14:16.

⁵ An American political campaign slogan from 1992 presidential election