What Happened to WWJD? (Poem)

A fleeting cultural fad?

A plan to unite kids in a group?

A clever marketing ad?

Much money from merchandize to scoop?

Or a meaningful way to prompt folks

To stop and think for a moment before they act,

And from their lives, better actions coax?

Another religious movement by devils hacked?

What ever happened to the WWJD movement

That fired-up so many folks in the ‘90s? ¹

Why do passions that were then stirred now seem so dormant?

About what happened, there are many theories!

The answer to this question, pivotal,

Cannot be found examining matters carnally,

It’s best found in the realm, spiritual,

Understanding Christ’s ministry strategically. 

Re-establishing The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth,

Has been and remains His core mission, passionate,

Restoring to every strata of life, glorious worth, 

Man, animals, plants and nature inanimate.

But though His end-game targets such things that are physical,

His means to accomplish His ends are on a higher plane. 

Thus He recruits us for war that is spiritual,

A war for which Christian recruits must diligently train. ²

The first tenet of war is …know your enemy. 

A principle of war is …prevent friendly fire.

Failure to follow these basic points, astutely, 

Will turn any battleground into a quagmire! 

The core answer to the question WWJD poses,

Is found in how Jesus daily lived life, unseen. 

Not in His many life vignettes The Bible discloses.

The core answer is clearly found in John 5:19.

 

Paul affirms the weapons of our warfare are mighty,

And He details God’s whole armor with which we should be clad.

But re. what to do once we’re clad, some do minimally --

Praying, loosening good things, binding things that make God sad. ³

This keeps our focus on spiritual entities, 

And helps us see people as worthy of loving Grace.

Otherwise, we’ll quickly see them as our enemies,

And become ill-equipped our real enemies to face! 

So if in prayer we are feeble, lacking rigor,

If it’s not based on skillful use of The Word of God, ‘our sword’, 

Then in battle, we won’t be The Lord’s soldiers, but just actors.

When we don’t see desired results,

we’ll lose passions that once soared. ⁴

When in feeble prayer, we are unable to move The Lord’s hand,

Devils then tempt us: Try something different; take a U-turn!

Might that be why folks took off WWJD t-shirts and wrist bands,

And why much of Church Americana took …a hard, right turn?? ⁵

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¹ ‘What Would Jesus Do?’. This question morphed from a book written in 1896, to a massive movement a century later across the US in the 1990, largely among white evangelicals. It then quickly fizzed out after much money was made on movement merchandize. See: What Would Jesus Do? The Rise of a Slogan and also The W.W.J.D. Fade-out 

² In a pre-death parable (Luke 19:11-27), Jesus signaled to all Christ-followers a commission to invade and occupy Earth’s spiritual realm in His (then pending) victory, until He returns to establish His earthly kingdom. This is the realm devils occupy, and of which Paul speaks in Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12. But without a clear perception of this meaning, spiritually, we are easily tempted to change our focus to things carnal, physical (including on other people), political and other means to achieve our own desired results. When that happens, we become lukewarm believers, and eventually useless in Heaven’s strategic plans. Ponder The Lord’s promised response: Laodicean Lackadaisicalness (Series)

³ Keeping our focus not on people, but on good and evil spirits who motivate people. See: Ephesians 6:8, Matthew 16:19 and 18:18. These are core aspects of spiritual warfare to which Christ-followers are called, though many may not be aware of, or prepared to engage in, earnestly and rigorously. See: Working With Angels (Series)

⁴ ‘Christians-lite’, i.e., inauthentic, fake believers. Apostle Paul, by The Holy Spirit, predicted a great falling away from the faith towards the end of this 3rd age of history, formerly committed Christians leaving the faith, becoming spiritually saltless, and having a form of Godliness, but not denying/ not displaying any of His power. In many respects, THIS is Church Americana today. 

⁵ A hard-right political stance, seemingly/reportedly abandoning both traditionally-held ‘conservative values’ and some Christian virtues. See: When Church Hurts (Poem)

A Forced Reconciliation (Poem)

Imagine this futuristic scene…

To all families of nations that fought at Armageddon, 

As part of your sin-renunciation, 

I command yearly representation,

In my Feast of Tabernacles throughout this dispensation!

Signed: King Jesus ¹

Imagine… Jesus, The Lord, issuing this command,

Early in His sovereign reign as Earth’s global King.

But wait…

Isn’t The Feast of Tabernacles …a Jewish thing?!

So why invite foreign enemies to their homeland?!

Ahhhh, therein lies the Grace of Him Who all Earth will rule, 

With a ‘rod of iron’, ensuring righteousness,

Among folks who acted in gross haughtiness,

Following all the dictates of the anti-Christ fool! ²

With the anti-Christ cast into the lake of fire, good riddance,

And the War of Armageddon he launch, then over,

The Lord ‘has a beef’ with the nations of each soldier.

Thus He’ll seek to destroy them, leaving only ...small remnants. ³

In all of His judgments against our gross sinfulness,

He’s left a remnant that is, or should be repentant,

And on obedience, their lives are then dependent. 

But watch out if they act in ways that are …specious! ⁴

Thus, to each remnant family of these nations, five,

The Lord will issue this command in Grace, with a caveat:

Attend My Feast, or there will be no rain on your habitat!

Their choice: Attend His annual feasts, or with droughts strive. ⁵

But wait…

The overarching purpose of His feast festivals,

Is to worship and give praise to Him, their Lord, God and Provider.

As global King, He’ll be …The Judge, Jury and Executioner!

So why invite to this one feast …Israel’s rivals?? ⁶

Imagine…

Jews, Iranians, Ethiopians, Libyans and others,

Annually flocking to Jerusalem!

All in support of global monarchism!!

Together worshiping Jesus as God, with no mockers!!!

Now ain’t that a flip, compared to all the animosities,

Reported between these groups in our day!

‘Lord, please hasten this scene,’ is what I pray,

‘And put an end to nations’ mutual insecurities!’

If like me, you’re prepared for, and anticipate Christ’s reign,

Please join me in praying for God, The Father, to say:

‘It’s time, Son. Go down and start Your Millennial Day!’

Until then, with their insecurities, nations will strain!

If only knowing God’s predicted future scene,

Would from devilish conflicts today’s nations wean…

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¹ The Bible predicts two major attacks in Israel during the the 4th age of human history, the tribulation age. See: Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel

² The anti-Christ will be a son of satan who, through intrigue, will seize global authority, including over national militaries that will still exist during the mayhem of the tribulation plagues. See: Ezekiel 38, 39, 1 John 2:18, 22, and Revelation 19:19 - 21 . See also: 

Dear Armageddon Soldier (Poem), Tribulation Age Journalists (Series),  Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel, and Booty, Pre/Post Millennial Reign (Series). 

³  Per Revelation 19, the anti-Christ man and his prophet/prime minister, will likely be the first ever eternally ALIVE residents in the lake of fire that burns with brimstone, likely somewhere on the new Earth The Lord promised to create. 

Zechariah 12:9 affirms The Lord’s complaint, strategically referring to nations listed in Ezekiel 38:5 - 6. To have a beef with is an idiom that means having a strong complaint about.

⁴ Specious - having a false look of truth or genuineness, unauthentic, deceptive

⁵ The Lord ordained 7 feasts for the nation of Israel: The Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of First-fruits, The Feast of Weeks, The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement and The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. The Feast of Tabernacle is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, requiring Jews to travel to Jerusalem. It commemorates the ancient nation’s 40 years of wilderness wanderings with Moses, as well as the completion of the harvest or agricultural year.

Question: During the Millennial Reign of Christ, why do you think this particular feast will include representatives from families in nations that attacked Israel in the War of Armageddon?? Please leave your comments or send them via e-mail. 

⁶ See: Zechariah 14:16 – 19. Some Bible scholars apparently think these verses refer to ALL post-tribulation nations across the world. This is clearly an error in that the passage refers to all nations that will have attacked Jerusalem [in the War of Armageddon]. The overall context of Zechariah 14 is about how Jesus will end that war, and initiate His reign as global monarch. Ezekiel 38:5 - 6 identify the invading nations as: Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah with its many people from the far north [of Israel]. There is considerable speculation about the last two nations. However, the reference to one being in the far north [of Israel] significantly limits the geographic focus. Consult your map. The latter two nations are referenced as having ‘all their troops’ in this war, possibly signifying nations with a huge military. Further proof that Zechariah does not refer to ALL nations is that Ezekiel 38:13 reveals several nations will question plans of the invading nations. We need to be careful in allowing The Bible to ‘interpret itself.’

Armageddon, Low-Tech?! (Poem)

The Bible, perhaps the most symbolic book ever written!

In The Lord’s attempt to convey to us His plan, strategic,

He uses things we know, to signal spiritual patterns,

And He clearly succeeds in a manner that is …prolific.

Yet I have long wondered what are the dividing lines,

Between what is figurative versus literal.

Recognizing He knows the future and our ‘times’,

What might we miss not knowing this divide, critical?

Some good examples are the iterative references,

To horses before and after the War of Armageddon.

Now, mounted cavalries aren’t our war-fighting preferences.

We now use technology, modern enemies to bludgeon!

So the notion of a mounted calvary coalition, 

Someday attacking the tiny nation of Israel,

Would, in modern warfare, be quite a major aberration!

Yet horses are listed …in two major wars' arsenals. ¹

Selah…

The marvels of modern technology are quite impressive,

And in international warfare, they can be quite awesome,

That is until problems arise in supply lines, expansive, 

Satellite glitches, friendly fire, and decisions that are …dumb!

Yet The Lord has signaled each of these wars will be,

Somewhat low-tech in nature, so what do you imagine?

To understand this, let’s ponder …Armageddon-pre,

The run-up to, and triggers for these attacks so brazen.

Imagine our world, for years bludgeoned by The Almighty,

Every facet of life as we now know it, is disrupted. ²

Some supply lines for life’s sustenance dissolve completely,  

And military industrial complexes are …kaput!

Global migration explodes as most folks seek to survive!

Governments collapse and crime explodes, exponentially!

All economic and financial systems are in nose-dive.

Flesh of folks and beasts are becoming rare, increasingly! ³

Yet… there’s a paradise in Israel, undisputed!!

Socio-economic and systems infrastructural,

Work for her swollen population, and are well-suited.

And to some of her neighbors, she is being very helpful. ⁴

In desperation to maintain his grip on power, global,

The world leader, for whom many folks worldwide clamored,

Cobbles together a 5-nation army, war plans to mull,

Though with no reliable tech, his plans aren’t demurred.

Despite years of planet-wide plagues, horses are in abundance,

A main dish in a Feast The Lord called long ago,

For a future generation of birds and beasts …such patience!

Voila! If high-tech is few, then horses will do! ⁵

Ergo…

Can you see, these two future wars won't be high-tech in nature,

A main dish in The Lord’s long-promised feast won't be absent,

A feast that is sure to happen on some date in our future.

Lesson learned: Read The Bible as ONE book, not as fragments.

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¹ The Bible predicts 3 future attacks in Israel. See: Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel. See: also: Ezekiel 38:4,15, 39:17-20, Haggai 2:21-22, Zechariah 12:4 and Revelation 19:17-18. An interesting post-Armageddon reference to horses is in Isaiah 66:20, referring to any remaining Jews who will not have migrated to Israel during the tribulation plagues. See: The Goshen Effect (Series) and The Coming Lame Blame (Poem).

² The Lord Jesus’ punishment for un-repented sinfulness and staunch refusal to believe/accept His crucifixion sacrifice as God’s only, ordained means of receiving forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life in Heaven.

³ Since with just three of the several tribulation plagues a third of mankind will be killed, imagine the cumulative effects of 42 months (the Great Tribulation period) of The Lord’s most harsh judgments. See: Lost Angels Not for Like-Angels and especially Revelation 9. See also: Humans, Rare on Earth!!! (Poem).

⁴ See: Booty, Pre/Post Millennial Reign (Series) and Zechariah 10:10. With so many Jews then spilling over into Lebanon and Jordan, Israel’s government at that time will likely need to be very generous to these nations.

⁵ The Lord’s feast invitation is thrice confirmed in Ezekiel 39:17-20, Zechariah 14:12&15 (implied), and Revelation 19:17-18. Rest assured, He has the power to ensure sufficient ‘man and beast meat’ for His feast!