Oh, Jeshurun!

As an oppressed person (because of my sin, apparently), I look at the situation in the Middle East with horror and dismay. How could a country, or set of countries, so assured of their relationships with God, allow this situation to continue to deteriorate? I often think that what God says in his bible is not true, or that I have misunderstood it, because of situations like this. And what can honestly be said about it? Not very much, unless you yourself want to be stood up and humiliated in a court of law for being “anti” this, that, or the other (whatever they choose to accuse you of!)

My overriding opinion, although largely assumed to be worthless and ignored, is that this should not be happening in the world. Again I have to choose my words pretty carefully, for the reason stated above but I am overly disappointed with this situation because of how close the entire region was to some sort of lasting peace before the attacks began (on October 7^th, 2023). Can we safely assume that God does not want this to happen? If you read the bible, you could depend on your own interpretation as to whether this is something that God wants or not. Do I dare continue with this particular blog post? The propensity of human beings to take offence at the slightest solecism, particularly for matters relating to the existence and will of God, is enormous after all!

And what can honestly be said about war, anyway, apart from that it is horrific and also that the whole world is about to be plunged into its darkness, for according to the bible, “if those days were not shortened, no one would survive. But they will be shortened for the sake of God’s elect”. Which brings us to the point of who, exactly, God’s elect are because many people claim they might be but very few actually live lives worthy of him or the noble name they bear. But we know that God’s elect do exist because these near future days of darkness will be shortened for them. Perhaps if we look into the scriptures we’ll find out why the ones chosen by God are not the ostensibly “righteous” individuals who are making the decisions that have ultimately lead us all to the brink of extinction, for “all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are”.

It may even be said that no one enters the house of God without first undergoing a thorough period of testing and/or ostracism or disgrace. Apart from the obvious condition that this implies, namely that this coming time of testing will be made useful by God to train, condition and select his faithful followers (“these are the ones who went through the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white”), it should also be said that no one alive has currently passed this trial – only those who have departed to be with God after having lived in a way which invokes his ultimate praise (“well done, my good and faithful servant”) have yet been chosen – everyone else is still only a breath away from hell: “Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword.” This time indeed calls for “great endurance and faithfulness by God’s holy people”, does it not?

If I’m right about this period being the “greatest time of testing that mankind will ever face”, that is. Indeed, perhaps this is just one “time” among “testings”? I’m wrong about various and multitudinous things, after all. I was wrong about most of you, for instance. I thought you were alright and even after you started your witch hunt following my sinful existence and consequent repentance, I thought you had a point that you were “better people”! Still, we must all live and learn if we are to progress from simple delusion to any kind of understanding, so I’ll take it with the pinch of salt it deserves and a necessary lesson that we should all, really, seek to learn: suffice it to say that if most of you acted in the same way as your sycophantic, pretentious, and often garrulous, self-righteous, virtue signalling, proclamations suggest you should, I don’t think the world would be in such a self-inflicted, doom-ridden, catastrophe scenario in the first place!

But enough of such harmless banter. Let us return to the matter at hand and see if we can fit God into the situation, whether we believe that God is greater than all our problems, which he surely is, or some other twee, churchie, nonsense, such as, “we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts.” Try telling that to someone whose home has just been bombed to oblivion; or to the families of the murdered Israeli citizens who lost their lives when a relatively amateur terrorist cell invaded the country who has arguably the best intelligence agency in the world. Will any number of worthless platitudes, which seem to make up the vast majority of political, judicial, and religious communication in this country (and I honestly consider it still to be the strongest democracy in the world) ever make up for such losses? No, these sins are eternal, and if you’re angry about them now, just hang in there, Chester, ‘cos it’s gonna get a whole lot worse!

So we must graduate to a mature faith. Are you too offended already, I wonder, after a couple of minutes in my company to consider reading on? And what, you would surely ask (if you ever read this), could we possibly learn from you? To which I would reply, “only what you want to.” And in having an attitude of learning, whoever the teacher is, you will ultimately gain the understanding you need. I try to learn from everyone for the same purpose, because with faith comes understanding: “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” And how do we get faith (come on, please, read the bloody book: faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the Word of God!? And when we have faith, we have hope; and hope is a weapon in this dark age: “And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus in this world.”

Ultimately “we can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” It’s a virtuous circle: “Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” So be it, but I can’t get too preachy. I have a limited capacity for using my mouth in ways which the world finds “acceptable” now, having been subjected to their “wisdom” over the past two decades. Nevertheless in order to develop we must believe that what God says is true and act on it and keep the matter as simple as that. And why doesn’t this happen more often? Because walking in love will always cost you something you don’t want to give away, as far as I can tell. Forgiving people, for instance, comes at great personal cost, since you don’t get justice; but should we care if, “mercy triumphs over judgment”? However “everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property for my sake, and the sake of the good news, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will also inherit eternal life.” So if you don’t believe what he says, you won’t do what he says and your reward will be earthly, not eternal, and herein we find the problem in as succinct a way as I can say it!

You have been led astray by your earthly leaders. They do not tell you the truth, they tell you their truth and it rarely if ever coincides with God’s word. Does the “God” thing seem a little too geeky to you? His words are truth and if you do what he says you’ll grow in wisdom, which he says is more profitable than gold, even the finest gold. Of wisdom, he says: “Choose my instructions rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.” Although it’ll cost you something, you can rest assured that what you have to give away is either worthless in comparison or will be replaced with something of far greater value. So it’s up to you. Will you accept God’s gift of eternal life and do what he says, or will you choose to obey what is not truth and be rewarded with the miserly alternative? If you’re not sure, I’d advise you to make up your mind pretty quicky, because “the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!” Soon bad advice will turn into terrible advice because Satan has his “virtuous” circles too!

I’m not saying you should start a revolution if you don’t agree with the directive of the government, after all we must, “fear God and respect the King.” I am saying that if you’re in a position of authority, you have a much greater moral responsibility to make the right decisions on behalf of those you serve. Is this happening? If according to the Word of God, “the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God” it hardly seems likely. And even worse if you profess to know God and make terrible decisions in leadership, how pitied you are to be for he was speaking to you when he said, “what sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you.”

Be careful how you judge because the whole world is affected by your decisions. And if you mock and make light of my words, be warned: “What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.” And if the world praises you for your mocking, look out: “What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.” And if you have grown rich by your trade, can you really find consolation in the mirror of God’s Word: “What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.”

So you see we should all be careful, because our words can bite hard and “those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Much better to reflect and consider what God might be trying to say to you. Although I honestly believe it is too late globally to avoid this tribulation, it is not too late to save the day if we avoid the mistakes that have led us to the precipice of this destruction. In these final hours, we should press into the good life that he died to give us, regardless of whether we will personally profit or not – is it really public service if you won’t serve unless your gain is proportionate to your desires? It is the leaders of this world, and those who will lead us through this time of trial, who should have the greater accountability. When the truth is distorted so clearly, I find it hard to believe that this distortion is wholly due to the citizens of the countries who are just about to take arms against each other and all but destroy themselves – how can it be?

I’ll stop now before I get myself in trouble – heaven knows how much my enemies want to destroy my life, even before my ministry on earth has begun – I’ve been written off by all and sundry, on the assumption that I’ve got nothing of value to say. But there it is, maybe I haven’t! But if you review this post, and even previous posts, you might concede that these words have in some way been influenced by his words, and if so then I hope you find something of value. But if you’re making terrible decisions from a position of power in the world, start worrying because the whole world is under Satan’s power, according to the Word of God, so is it really not your fault? He gave you a choice, just like everyone else, after all.

For those not so badly compromised, remember the truth that he has spoken: “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”

We die a little bit every day, don’t we? But how we choose to die will determine what our lives will be like in the world to come. Even in death, we still have a choice and if we are spared and still have our lives, our choices are potentially very powerful: “Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies”, and “make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision or moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” But your choices could easily be deleteriously weak and corrosive: “But those who fail to develop in this way are short sighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.”

The fact remains: “It is apportioned to man to live once, and after that to experience judgment.” And let us not forget the written law:

Exodus 20: 1 – 17:

Then God gave the people all these instructions:

“I am the Lord you God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

“You must not have any other god but me.

“Your must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth on in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third or fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord you God is giving you.

“You must not murder.

“Your must not commit adultery.

“You must not steal.

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbour.

“You must not covert your neighbour’s house. You must not covert your neighbour’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbour.”

In short, you must not do anything that harms you or other people. Although I’m not guiltless in this regard, I have been given time to repent and hopefully this will have a preponderant effect in both my current life and for my life in the world to come.  “Repent therefore, because you do not know when the master of the house will return.” But it is expedience, not moral rectitude, that is the priority in war, and essentially this is the existential crisis that your soul will soon face. Time is just about to run out and “when the Lord raises his fist against them, those who help will stumble, and those being helped will fall. They will all fall down and die together.”

And who are “they”? Not God’s elect, surely?

“If you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more. Then when you swear by my name, saying “As surely as the Lord lives,” you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.”

“Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.”

He may yet leave you a blessing instead of this curse:

Revelation 3: 10-13:

“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God – the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

Amen.