It would seem obvious that this past week has been a signif icant
week in American – perhaps world – history. In my e-mail this morning a f riend
sent me a picture of a tomb stone. On it was written
“The United States of
America
Born July 4, 1776
Died November 4, 2008
Suicide
This may be a little graphic but there is no question that we
have marked a highly signif icant event in
history.
Recently a f riend gave me a
CD of a message by John McArthur, given on
National Prayer Day. It was a truly outstanding message in which he suggested
that God has hung Romans 1:18-32 over America f God. It describes the toboggan
slide of humanity, beginning with what God has
revealed of Himself
to humanity and winds up at the bottom of the sewer
of moral depravity. In that f rightening
f ree f all
into the pit it is recorded three times, “For which cause God gave them
up” (Rom. 1:24 ,
26, 28). Each time it is recorded three dif f erent
nouns are used telling of what God has given
them over to. In verse 24 it says that God gave them over to “uncleanness”. In
verse 26 we read that God “gave them up to vile af f ections”.
And f inally in verse 28 we see that they were
“given over to a reprobate mind.”
This principle applies to both individuals and possibly to a
nation. But the sobering truth is that if God
gives them up, it is all over. You
can f orget about praying f or
salvation. As long as God is striving there is hope. But when God gives them up,
there is nothing lef t to stop the sicken
plunge downward. In his message McArthur simple comment on the unbelievable
moral condition America has gotten into and the shocking transition of
how America moved f rom being a God f earing
nation to where we are today; where the most vile f orms
of perversion are not only accepted, but
taught as normal and celebrated. On this CD that I listened to, Jim Dobson
played sound bite f rom a mandatory auditorium
assembly f or high school students in Bolder
Co.; where the school officials had gotten some top-ranked authorities on
social conduct – some eminent psychologists and educators – to talk to the
students about social conduct. Unbelievably, these authorities (?) were
encouraging the students to use drugs, engage in sex and practice any f orm
of sexual perversion that came to mind. This
was promoted by the school of f icials!
Dobson suggested that what is happening in Bolder
High School f high schools all over America
The only criticism I had with McArthur's message was that he
closed with the passage from Ps. 81:11-16 – “My people would not harken to My
Voice...so I gave them up unto their own heart’s lust, and they walked in their
own counsel. Oh that My people had harkened unto Me….” McArthur's concluded
that if America f eed America f inest wheat… (verse 11). Unf ortunately
with his conclusion McArthur denied his own message and disqualif ied
himself as being a man of
God. When he lef t the door ajar f or
repentance and hope f or salvation he denies
the principle of what happens when God gives a
nation over to a reprobate mind. Ps. 81 is not a f ig
leaf of hope f or
salvation. The verb tenses are all past tense. The Psalm says, “If they had… I would have…” We can be sympathetic with John McArthur in his
attempt to excite repentance and hold out hope f or
salvation, but when God lets go there is nothing lef t
but destruction
I don’t believe there is any question but God has turned America f some of
the most evil people to run the government now. I f ear
the f all of America f rom here out. Thank God
there certainly is a remnant of godly people still
in America f t Himself
without a witness, but very soon the lines will be drawn between those who
stand f or Christ and those who are trying to
be man-pleasers.
Ironically with the lights going out in America Jerusalem f uture
China China f the Babylonian captivity, the
Lord raised up some of His greatest prophets
in Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. Historically, we have seen the movement of
the Spirit of God as He has moved across the f ace
of the globe. Germany and England were once
the f ortress of
the f aith, but they are very dark countries today.
America China
Last Tuesday night I was attending a prayer meeting with
mostly elderly missionaries, but there was one young girl (late 20s or early
30) who was radically dif f erent.
I meet very f ew people that I would call
Spirit-f illed. But this sister was so f illed
with the Spirit of Christ, Jesus was just
pouring out of her. Af ter
the meeting I asked, “Where are you f rom?”
“China
Naru hodo (oh is see), that explained it. I told her, “You have
the spirit of the Chinese Christian.” She was
slam dif f erent.
She told me that she was with the Back to Jerusalem Thailand f or three years. She is just one of
tens of thousands of
burning Chinese believers. She obviously comes f rom
the revival area in northeast China f believes like that and
“ordinary” Christians is dramatic.
In my last two letters I have mentioned a German man I have
been meeting with. Last week I said, “The f irst
time I met Mannf ord I thought he was about 2/3
saved. The f irst night we had a Bible study he
moved up to 3/4 saved, but the next night he slipped to less than half
saved.” We had another Bible study Wednesday night. Mannf ord
is now 98% saved. He was outstanding. Previously he had almost no interest in
the Word of God. and he had never marked a Bible.
Wednesday night he answered every question right on the money and he is marking
up his Bible. I believe he is f alling in love
with Jesus and His Word.
Wednesday night we were studying John 4 – the woman at the
well. I told of an experience I had one night
preaching in Siberia . I had preached to an auditorium f ull
of seeking Russians and about 100 had come f orward
to be saved. I lef t the personal work to our
Russian team members and I was praying backstage. My interpreter, Natasha, came
back to f ind me weeping. She was surprised and
asked, “Bill, why are you crying?”
“Because they don’t know the gif t
of God and who Jesus is.” In john 4:10, Jesus
told the woman, “If you knew the gif t of God and Who you are talking to, you would ask Me (f or
living water).” I was deeply disturbed that night that those poor Russians
didn’t know the gif t of
God and who Jesus is. This is the basic problem with humanity today. Very f ew
people know what the gif t of
God is, and who Jesus is. If they did they would
ask and be saved.
Then I told of an exchange
I had with a Bible teacher in the school in Chernigovka. She thought she had to
keep the 10 Commandments to be saved. I showed her 1 Jn. 5:11, 12 – “This is
the record that God has given to us eternal lif e,
and this lif e is in His Son. He that hath the
Son hath lif e and he that hath not the Son of
God hath not lif e.”
First I asked Mannf ord,
“What is the gif t of
God?” He replied, “Jesus Christ.”
AMEN!!!
“Have you accepted Jesus, and do you have the Son of
God?”
“Yes I have. I do have Jesus.”
“Do you have eternal lif e?”
“Yes I do.”
Amen! Amen! Amen! Ten thousand times amen!
A month ago Mannf ord
couldn’t answer those questions. He told me f lat
out, “I do not know the Lord and I don’t have eternal lif e.”
This is what it is all about. The lights are going out n America f un
being here.
bill
PS: What is the weather like in heaven?
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