Monday, September 21, 2015, 7:23 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “My Jesus, My Savior.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 30 (select NASB).
Rebellious Children (vv. 1-5)
“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who execute a plan, but not Mine,
And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
Who proceed down to Egypt
Without consulting Me,
To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
“Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
“For their princes are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
“Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”
The Lord Jesus led me to read several news stories. Three of them were concerning Pope Francis, who is scheduled to arrive in the United States today (Tuesday). The other three had to do with a meeting between Obama and Xi Jinping of China, Scott Walker exiting the presidential race, and political upheaval in Burkina Faso. Via the reading of these news stories, the Lord helped me to see a practical application of this passage of scripture to our world and church today. I believe that the “rebellious children” today are Christians (the church) who have strayed from their pure devotion to Christ and who have made alliances with this sinful world via partnering with an evil government and with man-made religion, i.e. by bringing the world of sin into the church and by embracing liberalism and libertinism in place of the truths of God’s Word in order to “make nice” with this sinful world.
The result of this disobedience to God in looking to humans and government instead of looking to the Lord and to his Word for guidance and direction is that this trust in humans, in government, and in human-based religion is coming back to bite the church. The message coming from both Barack Obama and Pope Francis, both of whom are united voices for the New World Order, is one of a strategy to remove (do away with) the old order of sovereign government and the old order of the Christian faith to make way for a new way of government and religion, i.e. for a one-world tyrannical government and all-inclusive religion which emphasizes tolerance and unity of all faiths.
With regard to the Pope, in particular, many people throughout the world worship him as though he is God, and so they depend on his voice to carry (lead) them in their faith, rather than depending on the Lord, and this will be to their shame, because the Pope and Obama are carrying the church’s faith to extinction (out with the old) so that out of the ashes of the old church the Phoenix (New World Order) can rise to the top and take power. In fact, Pope Francis is presented as one who speaks for God and is infallible with regard to matters of the faith (See: Politics of Pope). This new one-world religion sounds a whole lot like a revival of an old religion, such as the religion of freemasonry and the Age of Enlightenment. The Pope’s visit to America is supposed to be like a “shot in the arm” (See: Pope’s outreach to Cuba) for the church, i.e. like a gunshot to the power of the cross of Christ or like a vaccine to increase immunity to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to pave the way for the new order of the ages, both in the church (institutional) and in government.
Obama is a powerful voice, as well, convincing sovereign nations that they must reform and transform to the New World Order. The N.W.O. has been going throughout the world for several years now conquering nations and overthrowing governments, confiscating property and natural resources, and killing at will innocent civilians and Christians, while casting the blame on “terrorists” whom they have created and supported. The U.S. government has been leading the charge in this, like the harlot who rides the beast. Many nations throughout the world have surrendered to the Elite of this world (the New World Order) and have now come under its rule and control. Now the New World Order is in the USA working to bring our nation down and into submission to the N.W.O.’s tyrannical government and one-world religion. I believe the pope’s visit is part of that plan to reform and to transform the church away from the gospel of Jesus Christ to uniting with a false religion of tolerance and preaching only feel-good messages that do not confront sin, but which lie to people.
Speak Pleasant Words (vv. 9-11)
For this is a rebellious people, false sons,
Sons who refuse to listen
To the instruction of the Lord;
Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right,
Speak to us pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
“Get out of the way, turn aside from the path,
Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
Scott Walker, in exiting the presidential race, encouraged some of his opponents to unite with him in also dropping out of the race in order to “make way for a singular positive voice” to lead them (See: Scott Walker quits presidential race). He didn’t say who that voice was, but it sounded a whole lot like the voice of the Pope the way he described the voice. The Lord was showing me that this voice is the voice of the New World Order which is why it is “singular.” It will be the only voice allowed so that there will be no need for any other voices, i.e. no independent sovereign nations and no singular religion that sets itself apart from other religions and claims to be the one and only true faith and way to God. This “singular positive voice” focuses on, at least in outward appearance, pleasant words and illusions, and on how to make the world a better place where all people live together in unity. It ignores such words as “sin,” “repentance,” “obedience,” and submission to the cross of Christ in favor of an all-inclusive religion which allows for various ways of thinking and which avoids dogmas (doctrine, codes of belief), i.e. hard and eternal truths.
Pope Francis is a progressive pope. I wanted to understand what this term “progressive” means, so I looked it up. It has to do with change and reform and with encouraging more enlightened or liberal ideas. This led me to look up “Age of Enlightenment.” It was a period of time in history which accentuated reason. It was endorsed in Masonic lodges. It had to do with questioning traditional and foundational religious values, and it leaned more towards tolerance and inclusiveness of all people within the church. It is basically the message being proclaimed loud and clear by Pope Francis and Barack Obama right now, which is that we need to do away with all which divides us as a people in the world, and we all need to come together and unite under a shared belief in tolerance of all religions, and that we can all create our own god, and that we just need to be doers of “good deeds” and be “nice” people. If we hold to the tenets of the Christian faith, then we are tagged as intolerant bigots who must be silenced. They don’t want to hear that faith in Jesus Christ means death to sin and living to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; Ro. 8:1-14), but they want to hear that they can continue in sin and still have the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.
In Repentance find Salvation (vv. 15, 18-22)
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
“In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing…Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “Be gone!”
The rippling effect of the disobedience of God’s people in putting their trust in humans and in man-made religion, instead of trusting in God and in his Word, will be disastrous for the church, yet the Lord longs to be gracious to his church, so he is calling out to the rebellious church to turn from their wicked ways, to forsake their idols, and to put their trust solely in him. Even though he must discipline his wayward church, and he has given and is giving us the bread (or cup) of adversity, when his people cry out to him in repentance, he will be gracious to them and he will restore the wayward back into proper fellowship with him. Then, they will be taught in the ways of the Lord so that they will walk in them.
My Jesus, My Savior / Darlene Zschech
My Jesus, My Saviour,
Lord there is no one like you,
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You…
News Articles:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-politics-of-pope-francis-1442877450
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/09/21/scott-walker-quits-2016-presidential-race/
Run With It 