National Repentance?

The almost unanimous topic of conversation I have had with friends, family and others in the past few months is just what in the world is wrong with this country?  The level of vitriol, hate, divisiveness and outright persecution is reaching almost unbelievable levels with the next few weeks leading up to the election offering only more opportunity for the same if not more.  If ever a nation needed to reverse its course the US has become the poster child for the need for repentance.  Yet while many believe that this can happen, I must confess I am not so sure because in my humble opinion, there are a number of examples in the Word of God that illustrate that there comes a time when God decides to turn His back and allow judgment to fall on those who deserve it.

Curiously enough, I also can’t seem to get the thought out of my mind that the anniversary of the flood of Noah, probably the greatest example of God’s judgment, occurs roughly one week after the presidential election in November.  As always, I am not trying to predict anything but just from the conversations I have had lately, there is a universal belief that the United States deserves to be judged by God.  While I am certain many of you have joined me in praying for this country, I felt I should share this article with you today which I have shared in the past, yet certainly feels even more appropriate at this particular time.

Repenting on Behalf of a Country?

Commentary by Jack Kelley

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. (Ezekiel 9:3-6)

The principle of marking those who would be protected from judgment was first mentioned in Genesis 4:15 when the Lord marked Cain as a warning to those who might try to kill him for murdering Abel.

It had also been hinted at when the Lord told Elijah He had reserved 7,000 faithful in Israel who had not succumbed to idol worship (1 Kings 19:18), but Ezekiel 9:4 stands as the clearest example in history of the Lord marking those who are His and protecting them from danger. In the spiritual world the mark is a sign that the marked person belongs to the Lord and is off limits to anyone else.

Have You Been Marked?

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory (Ephes 1:13-14).

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

In these two passages Paul revealed that all born again believers were marked at the time they believed to show that they belong to the Lord. It’s the spiritual equivalent of a rancher branding his cattle with his mark of ownership. The presence of this mark will protect us like it has protected others He has marked throughout history.

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thes. 1:9-10)

But in our case, the mark doesn’t just protect us from the judgment taking place around us, it qualifies us to be removed from the judgment altogether. The Greek word translated from in the last phrase of the above passage means we’ll be separated (distanced) from both the time and the place of the coming wrath.

Peter used the example of Lot to describe this. (Note the similarity in the wording of 1 Thes. 1:9-10 above and 2 Peter 2:7,9 below).

If The Lord rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men, then He knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment (2 Peter 2:7,9). The angels sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah couldn’t do so until they had Lot safely out of the way (Genesis 9:15-16, 22).

This mark can only be received on an individual or personal basis. What I mean is we’re not marked because we’re part of the Church, we’re part of the Church because we’re marked. The concept of collective salvation is not Biblical. Nor is it possible for a person with God’s mark to transfer its benefits to someone with out it.

Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear

God has stated this in no uncertain terms. In speaking of the judgment about to fall on the Southern Kingdom he had Ezekiel say;

“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 14:12-14).

Notice He didn’t have Ezekiel say, “If my people …”. He said “If a country …”.  This tells me He was giving us a general principle applicable to all nations, not one that would only apply to Israel, as is the case with promises like 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Jeremiah 29:11.

If any country persists in going against the will of God and doing things He has forbidden, and He determines to judge that country, the believers in it, no matter how righteous they may be, can only save themselves. In Ezekiel 14:15-20 He repeatedly said that even if their own sons and daughters would be affected by the judgment, the prayers of these righteous men could not save them. They could save only themselves by their righteousness.

(Rev. 7:1-8 shows the marking of certain individuals will happen one final time after the Church is gone when the Lord will put His seal on the foreheads of His 144,000 servants to protect them from the coming Trumpet and Bowl judgments. And once again His mark will only protect those to whom it will be given.)

Why Are You Doing That?

There is a currently popular trend in the US where groups of believers have been offering prayers of repentance on behalf of our country in an effort to stay the hand of God’s judgment. But the Lord had Ezekiel tell us this would not accomplish anything. If any nation continues to defy God by going against His ways, that nation will be judged and the prayers of the righteous people in it will only benefit themselves. Only those who have received the mark of God will be rescued.

Proponents of repenting on behalf of our country use the examples of Jonah and Daniel to support their position. I’ve written about Jonah in the past, showing how in that case every person in Nineveh, from the King to the lowliest servant, repented by clothing themselves in sackcloth and fasting (Jonah 3:6-9) in a united effort to avoid the judgment. It was not a case of a few repenting on behalf of the others. They were all repenting. Every one of them.

Those who propose Daniel’s prayer on behalf of Israel in support of this don’t understand that his case was not reflective of our situation either. According to Daniel’s own account, he was only reminding God of something He had already publicly promised to do;

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years (Daniel 9:1-2)

Daniel had read the Book of Jeremiah, written almost 70 years earlier. He knew that the time of captivity was nearly over and that God had already promised to deliver them.

“This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” (Jeremiah 25:11)

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10).

And as for the claim that Daniel’s prayer brought Cyrus the Persian to conquer Babylon and free the Jews, Isaiah had foretold this 200 years previously, even naming Cyrus by name. In the message given through Isaiah, God called Cyrus His anointed (chosen one) and included a detailed description of the plan by which Cyrus would conquer Babylon without a battle (Isaiah 45:1-7).

Jewish tradition holds that Daniel showed this portion of the scroll of Isaiah to Cyrus following the fall of Babylon. In response Cyrus ordered the Jewish captives to be set free. This was not something prompted by Daniel’s prayer, it had been God’s published plan all along.

Where the judgment of the US is concerned God has offered no prophecy of duration and no promise of restoration. And now enough people have voted to continue on the path of rebellion to confirm the futility of offering prayers of repentance on behalf of our country.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Since I believe we’re at the End of the Age and that the US has no official role to play in bringing about God’s Kingdom, I see a future where the US continues to decline in power and influence while events increasingly become centered in the Middle East. I think the election results tell us God’s plan for the End Times is right on schedule and there will be no more delay.

Therefore, I believe we should continue living each day by trusting in the Lord and longing for His appearing to take us home. We should stop worrying about our life here and focus our time, our talents, and our treasure on preparing for our life to come (Matt. 6:19-34). And above all, we should remember that while there’s no such thing as repenting on behalf of our country, there is such a thing as asking the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of our unsaved loved ones toward repenting for themselves. While there is no collective salvation, there are untold millions of cases where the destinies of individuals have been changed through the prayers of others. I know because I’m one of them.

Every idol in our lives is being removed. Believing in our country, our leaders, our economy, our bank accounts or even ourselves is proving to be ineffective. The only one left to believe in is God, and that’s just the way He wants it. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:4-6). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 11-10-12

https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/tough-questions-answered/repenting-on-behalf-of-a-country/

So what are we to do?  I would suggest that we never cease praying, yet the most important point here is to be certain we as individuals are prepared to escape the coming judgment by making the decision to accept the salvation offered to us by the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If you have never taken the step of accepting this gift of eternal life, I urge you to do it right now.  Simply pray a prayer like this one and confess to God your need for salvation, and accept the gift He provided for you by the death and resurrection of His own Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus I know I am a sinner. I have sinned against you, but I know you loved me enough to send your Son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins and then rise from the dead so that I may live forever with You. Lord forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to begin to live for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Israel's Greatest Ally

“And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.                                 Jeremiah 31:28 NKJV

“Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence’: ‘Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. ‘They shall be My people, and I will be their God; ‘then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. ‘And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. ‘Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’    Jeremiah 32:36-41  NKJV

We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves. This is why -- this is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing: Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. But I know that Israel does not stand alone. I know that America stands with Israel. I know that you stand with Israel. You stand with Israel, because you know that the story of Israel is not only the story of the Jewish people but of the human spirit that refuses again and again to succumb to history's horrors.  Facing me right up there in the gallery, overlooking all of us in this (inaudible) chamber is the image of Moses. Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land. And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years. I leave you with his message today, (SPEAKING IN HEBREW), "Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them.''  

Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to Congress 3/3/15

The world should, by now, understand that Israel can, and will, defend itself.

I would certainly not argue that point even when looking at the list of enemies the nation of Israel faces at the present time, and I would remind you that I and many others believe the next major event on Israel’s prophetic calendar is the destruction of Damascus revealed to us in Isaiah 17.  Yet when it comes to defending itself, I would also point out that it is one thing to defend against a smaller, weaker opponent than it will be when the entire world comes knocking at their door.  This will be the case after their destruction of Damascus, as it is explained to us in Ezekiel 38-39 where God allows the armies of Gog and their allies to mass for an attack on Israel in order to reveal Himself to both Israel and the world as the true defender of His people.  You see, what the world simply refuses to accept is the fact that Israel's greatest ally is not the US, but God Himself.

“The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. “According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’ “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name—‘after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. ‘When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, ‘then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer. ‘And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”                                     Ezekiel 39:23-29  NKJV

In this instance, Israel will not find it necessary to take on the responsibility of defending itself as God chooses to do that Himself by supernaturally confusing the enemy to the extent that they turn on each other and destroy themselves.  Personally, what I find most intriguing about what God has to say in this passage is that the entire nation of Israel, everyone, will “know that I am the LORD their God”.  Some might think it surprising, or somehow miraculous that the coming antichrist will be able to enforce a peace between Israel and its enemies, but I want to suggest that might be rather easy given the fact that the entire world just watched God defend Israel!  I don’t believe too many of Israel’s enemies would need to have their arms twisted to agree to a peace with Israel after watching what God can do.

“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, ‘so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ “I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. “And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’                  Ezekiel38:18-23  NKJV

Who defends Israel? God the Almighty does.  Does Israel really need America as its ally when they have the God of the universe on their side?  Have you ever really asked yourself this question?  I tend to get a little nervous laughter when I mention this simply because many never really consider it.  God certainly doesn’t need our help to defend the nation of Israel.  If you take the time to count, God uses the words My, Myself, and I, fifteen times in six verses.  I don’t know about you, but that makes me believe this event is rather personal to God, and He desires to use it to make clear to the entire world exactly who He is, and who they are truly fighting against.  Not to mention the fact that a close reading of this passage and particularly what God chooses to do to show His power in this case makes any support the US might want to send rather unnecessary don’t you think?   

This is only my opinion, but as someone who has studied the words and watched the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu for many years, my belief is that he has a personal relationship with God and knows full well who defends Israel.  As a politician, he might desire the friendship and support of the United States, but as a believer, he knows full well who really defends Israel, and I strongly believe the day is very near when the rest of the world will know it too.  

As we see this day approaching, and the day of our deliverance is imminent, have you made your choice yet?  If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;

Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Is Time Running Out?

“Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, '[It will be] fair weather, for the sky is red'; "and in the morning, '[It will be] foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot [discern] the signs of the times. "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.” 

Matthew 16:1-4 NKJV 

I have always found this to be an interesting passage because it really gives us some insight into the person of Jesus and his thoughts about the religious leaders of that day. Now at first glance, you might wonder what was so bad about asking for a sign? I'm sure many believers today probably ask God for signs all the time for one reason or another, and the Bible has many examples of people doing the same thing. Yet in this instance Jesus was upset at the religious leaders for asking, and I think it is important for us to understand why, especially considering many believe we are right now in much the same circumstance.

The first thing Jesus does here is to explain to them just how easy it is to see the signs. He uses the example many of us have heard before as “red sky in the morning, sailors warning; red sky at night, sailors delight.” Obviously it has been around for a couple of thousand years or so because Jesus uses it too. Yet obviously it isn't too difficult to simply look up and observe the color of the sky in the morning and at night, and it would appear that Jesus was making the point to them that in order to see the signs of the times all they had to do was observe because the signs they wanted to see were all around them.

Next Jesus calls them “hypocrites” for their inability to recognize the signs that were right in front of them. The word for hypocrite that Jesus uses here means “pretender”, which makes one wonder what they were pretending to be? I believe the point Jesus is making by using this term is that they were not really believers at all, but just pretending to be. Consider the fact that anyone with a knowledge of the prophecies of Daniel would know that he prophesied that after the Jews were released from their captivity in Babylon and told to return to rebuild Jerusalem it would only be sixty-two weeks of years, or 173,880 days before the Messiah would come. That time was now, yet those who were responsible for knowing were ignorant of that prophecy. It would seem that Jesus' point was that there wasn't a lot of difference between looking at the sky, and looking at the calendar. The religious leaders of that day should have known, and recognized the signs.

"Know therefore and understand, [That] from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, [There shall be] seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it [shall be] with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.” 

Daniel 9:25-26 NKJV

Not only were these two groups responsible to know what Daniel had prophesied, they were also responsible to teach the Jews about it, and to be sure they were ready for the Messiah's appearing. Because of their failure Jesus rebukes them by saying that there would be no more signs except for one, and that was His death and resurrection which would parallel the three days and nights that Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish. If we look closely at this passage I think we can see three things Jesus wanted from those leaders, and from us as well, and we will call them preparation, recognition, and action. Preparation can be described best as a knowledge of not only the Bible, but the prophecies of the future yet unfulfilled that we should be watching for. Recognition comes from watching intently and faithfully for things God has commanded us to watch for, then recognizing them when they appear. Finally action in the sense that we have a responsibility as watchers to sound the alarm about what we observe.

If it hasn't become evident by now if you follow this blog, I strongly believe we have all been called to be watchmen. It is the reason I do what I do, and why I encourage you to do the same. As we see the day approaching where we will be called home, the responsibility to shout out a warning of what is to come has never been greater. Consider these words as a source of encouragement, because as we all know it is so very easy to relax our guard, or become complacent as we wait impatiently for our Lord to return for His bride.

“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”    Mark 13:33-37 KJV

Did you notice how many times we are told to watch? Did you also notice the last verse says we ALL are being commanded to watch? It would seem that the answer to our first question about when to watch is “always” because we haven't been told exactly “when” Jesus will return. Yet Jesus also makes it clear that although we have not been given a specific date, we will be given signs to help us know His return is near. When Jesus was telling His disciples about His future return, He also told them this;

"So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near--at the doors!” 

Mark 13:29 NKJV

Just like the illustration of the color of the sky, Jesus makes the point that if we are watching the world around us, we will recognize the time is near by the things which will be occurring. But we do have the responsibility to know what to watch for, and it is here where the problem may occur. It is no secret that within the body, many pastors avoid teaching prophecy, or the imminent return of our Lord for His church. They actually believe it is something to be ignored while focusing more on the “works” responsibilities of the body. Now I just wonder if unknowingly or even purposely they are committing the same mistake the Pharasees and Sadducees of Jesus' time did? By not studying and teaching others of prophecy, do they set themselves up to be considered “hypocrites” by Jesus in much the same way as what happened at His first appearing?

So why is watching such an important responsibility? Consider the following passage from the Old Testament concerning watchmen and what was expected from them.

“Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.” 

Ezekiel 33:2-6 KJV

It was the last verse in that passage that got my attention. If a person is appointed to be a watchman, and does not fulfill his responsibility to warn of what he sees, he will be held accountable for those who perish because of his failure. Talk about responsibility. I have no doubt that watchmen in the Old Testament took their job very, very seriously. So here is my question to you; since we are commanded to watch, have we as believers been appointed "watchmen" with the same responsibilities as those in the past? Are we required by God to not only watch, but to warn of what we see?

I believe God has the expectation for all who believe to be aware of what to watch for, look for the signs He has foretold would precede the rapture of His church, and shout out a warning as we see the day approaching. I am encouraged by the many who are now asking the question “are we seeing the end of the world approaching” as this world seems to be spinning out of control.  In my and many others opinion, the answer to that question is a resounding Yes!  May we all have the courage to do as God expects from those who truly believe, and shout out the warning of what is coming quickly, and that is the rapture of the Church, where Jesus calls all true believers to “come up here” to live with Him for eternity.

As always, the most important question is this. If you have never chosen to accept the gift of eternal life provided for us by God the Father, I would urge you to do it today.  Time to make that choice is indeed rapidly running out and Jesus returning to take His own back with Him to heaven could happen at any time.  All you need to do is simply ask Him for forgiveness for your sin, invite Him to come into your life, and believe He died to pay the price for your redemption.  A simple prayer like this is all that He wants to hear from you.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

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