Pray for America!

Yesterday I heard an interview with Jonathan Cahn on YouTube.  Cahn is a Messianic Rabbi and the author of The Harbinger.  The interview was on Sid Roth’s show It’s Supernatural!  What he shared was that George Washington’s first act as the first President of the United States of America was to pray that America would always follow God, and always enjoy God’s protection.  That prayer was prayed in the site of the nation’s original capital: at the corner of Ground Zero in New York City.

That prayer constituted a covenant relationship between the United States and God.  It is abundantly obvious that God kept His part of the covenant, blessing America above all other nations on earth.

1. Idolatry – Jeremiah 16:18 – “I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.”  America has made an idol of money.  Actors, musicians, and athletes have also become idols.  Even our pets have become idols (read my blog post A Shocking Statistic).
2. Immorality – Hosea 4:10-12 – “They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding.  My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.  A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.”  America has become so immoral that the sex act has become the expected end to a date.  Sex has become as casual as shaking hands.
3. Broken Covenants & Injustice – Isaiah 24:5 – “The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.”  Marriage is a covenant relationship, but marriage in America has been under a 2-fold attack: 1. couples no longer consider marriage a prerequisite to having sex, living together, or having children together; and 2. the legalization of gay marriage, which defies the Biblical definition of marriage.  (Don’t hate on me for making that statement.  I am all for gays having monogamous civil partnerships and enjoying the same legal rights as married couples.  But don’t call that marriage.)  And on the issue of injustice in America, start with the slaughter of the indigenous American peoples (also known erroneously as Indians) and the demonic institution of slavery, which built wealth based on the sweat and blood of kidnapped Africans.  The injustices continue against people of color in the US in the form of racial bigotry and prejudice, which have become politically incorrect, but have never truly ended.
4. The Shedding of Innocent Blood – Numbers 35:33-34 – “Do not pollute the land where you are.  Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.  Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.”  Abortion, which was legalized in America 40 years ago, has murdered over 56 Million unborn babies (see the Abortion Clock for the exact current number both in the US and worldwide).  Abortion is akin to the sin of Israel in sacrificing their children by putting them in the fire to Molech.  In her amazing book, He Came to Set the Captives Free, Dr. Rebecca Brown noted that abortion is a blood sacrifice to satan, the god of self.

Beginning with removing prayer and Bible reading from public schools, America has abandoned its covenant with God over the last 50 years.  After the horror of 9/11, David Wilkerson said that God had issued the US a warning that He was lifting the hedge of protection, and he cited Isaiah 9:10, which says: “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place,” (ESV).

Interestingly, Isaiah 9:10 is exactly what the politicians all said in the aftermath of 9/11.  This verse sounds like the good old American indomitable spirit, but for 1 thing: it quotes what Israel said when God lifted the hedge of protection.  Instead of turning back to God and seeking Him, they vowed to rebuild bigger and better than before, using stronger materials.  It is the indomitable spirit—the spirit that refuses to bow to God’s sovereignty.

What came next for Israel was invasion and utter destruction by their enemies.  What comes next for America is something similar or worse.  If we stay on this course, there will only be a small remnant of Americans left, and our country will be left devastated.  Most likely, Americans will be scattered across the globe.

Look at how we have actually set ourselves up for disaster: Our public buildings are almost without exception owned by foreigners.  Farmers are required to buy seed that produces no seed, so farming is no longer sustainable in America.  The economy is no longer based on gold, but now it’s based on paper currency, which is a house of cards waiting to fall.  Iran is very close to having missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the east coast of the US.  And we are on their target list right behind Israel.  We keep talking to them about peace, but they are not interested in peace.  They must start a war against Israel and America so that the 12^th Imam, the Mahdi—Islam’s Messiah—can appear.  And that is all that they are interested in doing.

But here’s hope:

1. If American Christians will humble themselves and pray, God will hear them.  “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land,” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
2. If American Christians will all vote according to God’s principles—the values this country was founded upon (Bible and prayer allowed once again in public places, no abortion, pro-family and marriage), then God will relent and not send destruction.

Somehow people always spot me as an American!

There are enough Christians to swing politics back onto the right track, but we’ve got to quit voting our wallets and start voting according to Biblical values.

A good example of a truly humble and repentant prayer was prayed by Daniel, of whom no sins or blunders are recorded: “We have sinned and done wrong.  We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from Your commands and laws.  We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land,” (Daniel 9:5-6).

God is good, but His patience is at an end.

The Edict of Milan

I recently attended a conference, calling itself an “alternative conference to those applauding Emperor Constantine and the signing of the Edict of Milan.”  This year marks 17 centuries since Emperor Constantine signed the Edict, legalizing Christianity in the Roman world.  It’s called the Edict of Milan because he signed it here in Milan.

On the surface, it seems like the Edict was a good thing for Christianity.  After about 300 years of persecuting and exterminating (feeding Christians to the lions, soaking them with oil and lighting them as torches, and crucifixion), instead of ending Christianity, it had continued to grow.

Constantine was no fool.  He decided that if you can’t beat them, join them.  So that’s what he did.  Was he sincerely converted to Christianity?  Only God knows, but probably not.  The Edict was a political move to bring Christianity under government control—the opposite of the Biblical model, in which the government is under the control of God.  The result was the ritualization of what had until then been Spirit-inspired rites (the Lord’s Supper, for example).  And little by little through these rituals, the human doctrines replaced Biblical soundness (infant baptism and praying to saints, for example).

On December 8, 1854 the Immaculate Conception became a doctrine of the Catholic Church—a fact that many Catholics are unaware of.  Many Protestants don’t realize that the Immaculate Conception is not about the sinless purity of Jesus, it’s about His mother, Mary, being born sinless.  Of course, if Mary was a sinless, divine person, then Jesus could never have died for our sins.  The only way that He could die in our place is if He was 100% human in body.  If you’re interested in reading more on the subject, here’s a link:  Immaculate Conception.

Ironically, the Edict, which was called the “Edict of Tolerance,” gave birth to a new anti-Semitic form of Christianity: Replacement Theology (link for those interested in knowing more about that).  Before the 4^th century, Christians were very much aware of their Jewish roots.  But with the government-controlled version of Christianity, came a way to control the Jews.  Despite having been scattered all over the known world, the Jews continued to grow in population and most refused to convert, but remained Jewish.  Replacement Theology basically says that God gave up on the Jews and turned His attention and affection onto the Christians, instead.  Of course, this doctrine shows a basic lack of understanding about God: He is not a man and He does not change His mind (Numbers 23:19).  God is more than able to love Christians while still loving the Jews.  It’s like being a parent.  My sons are as different from each other as brothers can be, but I can and do love each of them equally.  If I, as a flawed human mother, can love my children equally in their differentness, can’t God also love both the Christians and the Jews?  Of course He can!

There were professors and clerics (Catholic, Evangelical, and Jewish), docents and intellectuals that spoke at the conference.  They spoke on their particular areas of expertise, and in the end we were given the opportunity to sign a petition declaring repentance and true tolerance for the Jewish people and for the State of Israel.

Recently, I have lost some friends.  These are Christian people who disagree with me on the true nature of grace.  They have decided to stop being friends because I believe that grace does more than save your soul.  (You can read more in my blog posts: Stop Complicating the Simple Things, Gracious Grace, Dis-Graceful Conduct, Generous Grace, and Blessed Reassurance, Part One.)  I wanted to agree to disagree—extending grace to them—but they were unwilling.  One of these former friends showed up at the conference, and was so surprised to see me there that when I greeted her warmly, she smiled and kissed me back.  Then she scurried away from me, ostensibly to find a seat, and never said another word to me.  This is at a conference about a new declaration of tolerance?  I tried not to let it hurt my feelings, but I am human, and I did have genuine affection for this person.  She used to be my cell group leader, for crying out loud!

This morning, the Word that the Lord gave me is Isaiah 65:17: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”  In meditating about this verse, I realized that God isn’t saying that we won’t have the ability to remember, but rather that we won’t have the motivation to remember.  It’s like when you’re on vacation in a beautiful, tranquil place.  It’s not that you don’t remember the stress of your daily life, it’s just that there’s no motivation in that setting to do so.

Promised Land

In considering these things even further, I remembered a sermon I heard by Chuck Missler in which he described this world as a digital simulation of the real world: An Extraterrestrial Message.  I recommend watching that sermon (follow the link) because it is one of the most amazing explanations of the proof that the Bible is a supernatural book.  His point is that Heaven is a more real reality than this world.  I really like Chuck Missler because he’s unashamedly and unapologetically both Christian and intellectual.  The 2 are not mutually exclusive!

I understand very well why the Bible says that all creation groans to be set free from the bondage of decay (Romans 8:21-22).  I am groaning for it, too!  I look forward to the day when all these injustices (as with the Edict) and misunderstandings (as with grace) are a thing of the dim past that is not worth remembering.  God is good!

The Light Shines in the Darkness

I have written a few stories of actual people who have been trafficked (in both “Look, Listen, Love” and “Laughing in My Dreams”).  Those were people that my friend, Clara, the pastor’s wife in Romania told me about.  Buck and Nadia work with women in prostitution, and they have been telling me about the women they know.

The first time the issue of human trafficking came to their attention was in the small town three hours from Sofia, where they were pastoring a church.  The head of the children’s program at their church came to them with the desire to tell her story.  She had gone with a friend to Macedonia because of the promise of a job, and their documents were confiscated and they were told that they would be prostitutes.  She was a virgin and lost her virginity to a stranger in his car.  Her friend ran away, but was caught, and as the other girls watched, they broke both her legs.  Amazingly, the girl did eventually manage to get away, but now, years later, she still struggles with her past.

They said that they tried not to look shocked, but they were.  They had never heard of such a thing.  But little by little they became aware of the magnitude of the problem.  Often, even if the girl manages to get away, the police are reluctant to do anything about the trafficking.  The police and local officials are often involved either financially or as non-paying customers.  And the girls are mostly foreign and without legal identity documents—they are essentially non-persons.  So even non-corrupt police would rather ignore their complaints than get into the massive legal hassles required to help undocumented persons.

When they began working with prostitutes these stories of trafficking became more and more common.  One girl told how she had been living with her grandmother and helping her, but she needed to return to her own home about an hour away.  She ran into an old friend who invited her to have coffee.  Over coffee she told him that she needed to go back to their town, and he offered her a ride.  On the way they stopped at a coffee shop, and she didn’t think anything unusual about it except that her brought her a soda that was already opened.  Back on the road, she began to feel strange and physically paralyzed.  He had slipped her the date rape drug.  They went to her house, got her identity card, and he took her to Macedonia.  Because of the relaxed borders of the European Union, all he had to do was show both their identity cards to the border guard.  Then she saw him receive money for her, and she was put into a brothel and told that this would be her work from now on.  She became pregnant in the line of her work and was severely beaten for refusing to have an abortion.  Somehow she got away and into a halfway house for girls coming out of prostitution.  She said that whenever she looks at her baby, she tries not to remember how he was conceived.

The stories go on and on about husbands who send their wives out to work as prostitutes, and husbands who don’t like for their wives to work as prostitutes, but tolerate it because they like the money.  Many of the girls cope by pretending that they are a different person when they are working, and trying not to be present in their bodies during the act.  But these are only temporary and imperfect fixes.  There is nothing in the world like becoming a truly new creation in Christ Jesus.

No matter where you live, there is human trafficking going on in your country, and probably in your state, and possibly in your own town.  Check out the slavery map: http://www.slaverymap.org/.

God is good.  God is love.  Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love for humankind.  Love cannot allow this evil and injustice to continue against approximately 30 million people worldwide.  Love demands a response.  What are you going to do about it?