On March 31, 2021

NOTES ON THE RISE OF QANON: THE FINAL SEDUCTION OF THE AMERICAN CHURCH – PART III

PART III: SLOUCHING TOWARD GOMORRAH

SCRIPTURE: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on My holy Mount [Zion]! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of [the judgment of] the Lord is coming; it is close at hand—A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and of thick mists and darkness, like the morning dawn spread upon the mountains; so there comes a [heathen, hostile] people numerous and mighty, the like of which has never been before and shall not be again even to the years of many generations.” – JOEL 2:1-2, AMPC

QUOTATIONS

“There can be, if I forebode aright, no power, short of the Divine Mercy, to disclose, whether by uttered words, or by type or emblem, the Secrets that may be buried with a human heart. The heart, making itself guilty of such secrets, must perforce hold them, until the Day when all hidden things shall be Revealed.” – NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ 1850; edited

“‘Jesus said the weeds would grow with the wheat until The Judgement,’ [Father] Dietrich answered, ‘so one finds both good men and bad in the Church. By our Fruits we will be known, not by what name we have called ourselves. I have come to believe that there is more grace in becoming wheat than there is in pulling weeds.’” – MICHAEL FLYNN, ‘Eifelheim,’ 2006; edited

“The Declaration’s pronouncement of Equality was sweeping but sufficiently Ambiguous so that even slaveholders, of whom Jefferson was one, subscribed to it. That ambiguity was dangerous because it invited the continual expansion of the concept and its requirements. The Declaration was not, clearly, a document that was understood at the time to promise equality of condition, not even among White male Americans.” – ROBERT BORK, ‘Slouching Toward Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline,’ 1996; edited

THE ESCHATOLOGICAL POINT. “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ [a firm yes or no]; anything more than that comes from the evil one.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Matthew 5:37, Amplified

FIRST THOUGHTS

The Quotations above are designed to provoke at least Two More Thoughts right up front. FIRST, we shall all of us, without exception, be held accountable to God on the Day of Judgment at the End of history. SECOND, we are not to worship any other god save for the One True God; Jehovah, Adonai, Creator and Redeemer of all Mankind, unrivaled King of the Universe.

Not even the Declaration of Independence, nor the United States Constitution. Only Him.

Now I realize that sounds like Treason in this furious Hour of Religious Nationalism (an oxymoron by the way), but that’s what ‘The Book’ instructs, incontrovertibly.

Here is how HaShem put it to Moses on Sinai that Day of days.

“You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” – EXODUS 20:3-6, AMP

THE RECKONING. Today’s Final Lesson will deal with all these Themes as we move inexorably toward what I see as a Great Calling to Account of the American Order, including her Church.

To This Question: Are we Ready? Selah.

SLOUCHING TOWARD GOMORRAH

When Judge Bork penned that title for his 1996 book, just what did he have in mind, do you surmise? One insightful writer, the REVEREND DOCTOR WILLIAM P. WOOD, Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, said this in his Sunday Sermon on May 23, 2010.

“The title of Bork’s book is a play on words on the last couplet of what may have been the most famous poem of the 20th Century, W. B. YEATS’ poem ‘The Second Coming’ (1920), which ends with this powerful image: ‘And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?’ Bork contends that ‘The rough beast’ of which Yeats speaks is the ‘Rough Beast of Decadence’…now sends us slouching toward our New Home, not Bethlehem but Gomorrah.”

AGE OF THE BEAST. Make that read from a more Literalist hermeneutic: The Beast, Antichrist, his time now fully come. And perhaps even beyond Gomorrah – to Babylon, beloved.

Selah.

In the 25 years since Mr. Bork wrote those lines, Another Question presses hard against us in in 2021: Are we closer to Bethlehem today, beloved, or closer to Gomorrah? As any typical attorney would say inside the belly of an intense Discovery Interrogation:

“Asked and answered.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOMORRAH. So the next logical step is to examine the heart of Bork’s Thesis: The Nature of those two Ancient Cities, Sodom and Gomorrah. We can expect no good thing, of course, but then I see so little ‘good thing’ in America today, that I judge the judge’s prescience as worthy of our attentions.

The following article by Bible scholar ROBERT DRISKELL identifies FIVE LESSONS taught by the Sodom and Gomorrah Story that we can immediately (and painfully) apply to the Sins of America and her Church in 2021. – cf. “Sodom and Gomorrah,” ‘What Christians Want to Know,’ December 19, 2012; edited

HISTORICAL CONTEXT. “The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were first mentioned in Genesis 10:19. ABRAM, and his nephew LOT, had been traveling together, but their group had gotten too big, ‘so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together’ (Genesis 13:6). They decided to separate into two different groups. Lot chose to settle near the town of Sodom. We read this in Genesis 13:13, ‘Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.’ The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and several of the surrounding cities, were so sinful that God decided to destroy them (Genesis 18:20-21).

Abraham interceded for the people of the two cities, motivated additionally because his nephew, Lot, lived there. The Bible tells us that, even with all his failings, Lot was a righteous man (2 Peter 2:7-8). Abraham pleaded with the Lord, knowing His mercy and goodness (Genesis 18:25). The Lord finally said that the cities would be spared if ten righteous people could be found there (Genesis 18:33).

However, there were not even ten righteous in that evil city…

Sexual Sins were not the only sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible tells us that they were guilty of Sinful Pride. In addition, they were Selfish; they had an overabundance of food and wealth, but would not take care of the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:49). Isaiah 3:9 tells us that not only were Sodom and Gomorrah guilty of all these sins against God, but they were Arrogant about it, not thinking that sin against God was something shameful.” Selah.

GOD WILL JUDGE ALL WHO REJECT HIM. Several times in the Bible the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were given as examples of God’s Judgment on those who reject Him and rebel against His Lordship (Luke 10:12, 17:29; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 1:7). God allowed the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah to continue until it was clear that they were a sinful people, who relished in sin, and who continually chose to persist in it. God’s mercy is long-suffering, but there will be a Day of Judgment for all.” DK: God will let sin ‘run its full course’ (James 1:15), so that all had opportunity to Choose Well, but will Close the Door to Grace when it has done so – when all are Without Excuse.

IT WILL BE WORSE FOR THOSE WHO REJECT HIM TODAY THAN IN ABRAHAM’S DAY. “As bad as the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were, the Bible says that we are more accountable because we know the full story of God’s plan and provision for our salvation. We know that Jesus came and died on a Cross for our sins. We know how we can be forgiven and receive eternal life.” DK: Make no mistake; here Jesus is severely warning ‘professing believers’ that the Judgment for them will be more severe; – “To whom much is given, much shall be required” (Luke 12:48). Which is why I remain so fervent in my warnings, to Awaken Christian Sleepers from their dangerous Slumber – before it’s too late.

LOT ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE COMPROMISED. “We Christians must take care, as we attempt to influence our world for Christ, that we do not allow the Temptations of the World to corrupt us (1 Corinthians 15:33).” DK: This is my most serious concern, by the data and discernment: 80% of our Church leaders and their congregations are at root Compromised by the Trump Insurrection against God’s Law and the United States Constitution. This shall likely prove to be Without Remedy, sans full throated Repentance. At the very least, they shall risk the loss of all heavenly reward (1 Corinthians 3:15). Or more, beloved. Or vastly, irretrievably more (cf. Mark 8:36).

LOT WOULD NOT SPEAK FOR GOD. “When we Publicly Compromise our beliefs, it becomes much more difficult to be taken seriously when we do stand our ground [in Witness] later. If our walk does not match our talk, we are labeled ‘Hypocrites’…and rightly so.” DK: I am immediately reminded of what The Christ thought of the Hypocrites at Temple that day of days long ago: “Fools and blind!” “Whitewashed tombs!” “Serpents, brood of vipers!” (cf. Matthew 23:13-36). Concerning our historic failure to speak Truth to Darkness,’ as Dietrich Bonhoeffer was alleged to have written: “SILENCE in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

LOT KNEW EARLY THAT SODOM WAS EVIL. “Still, the Bible tells us that, even though he was aware of their sin, he remained among them (2 Peter 2:8). In fact, the Bible indicates that Lot was drawn ever closer to the city as time went by. First, he ‘pitched his tent toward Sodom’ (Genesis 13:12), then he ‘dwelt in Sodom’ (Genesis 14:12), and finally he lived in the city and ‘sat in the gate of Sodom’ (Genesis 19:1). If we dabble with sin, we are often pulled into it a little at a time, without noticing until we are fully involved. The safest way to avoid sin is to stay far from its tempting influence.” DK: To put it most bluntly, beloved – The American Church is Lot! We are him, lock, stock and barrel, as they used to say it. Trumpism and the World Spirit owns the American Church. Yet Lot was rescued, despite his reckless compromises. Jesus would warn, however, this:

“Remember Lot’s wife” Do remember her, beloved, and mark it well in your book (Luke 17:32).

THE POINT. Are any of our Church Leaders listening, beloved? Or are all become Silent now in the face of predictably fierce opposition. I cannot fathom this, if it is true, so please post a name in the thread of those who are speaking out, reconstructing an old folk saying as we do:

‘Contra vulgaris opinio, non semper Silentium est aureum.’ – “Contrary to popular opinion, Silence is not always golden.” Selah.

THE TEACHING

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on My holy Mount [Zion]! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of [the judgment of] the Lord is coming; it is close at hand—A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and of thick mists and darkness, like the morning dawn spread upon the mountains; so there comes a [heathen, hostile] people numerous and mighty, the like of which has never been before and shall not be again even to the years of many generations.” – JOEL 2:1-2, AMPC

The operant Word of the Hour here is “ALARM!” Graphically illustrated by the Jewish Shofar, a ram’s horn used for both religious and military purposes, for the summoning of the people to some critical event, it is defined thus by the Hebrew.

‘RUA!’ [רוּעַ]: “Literally, ‘to raise a shout;’ give a loud blast [of the trumpet]; utter a battle cry; a loud clarion or horn; a signal for war or a military march; cry of great distress; to split the ears with the sound of a shofar; to cry out in a loud voice; any sound, outcry or information intended to give notice of approaching danger as, to sound an alarm; a summon to arms for defense; to rouse to vigilance, and exertions for safety.”

WHY ALL THE FUSS? To a most sharpened point of this extraordinary Prophecy of the End Times, as recorded by the Prophet Joel, the first of the great Hebrew writers, who was specifically tasked with “Preparing the human race for the End of this Temporal Era.” – WILLIAM MACDONALD, ‘Believer’s Bible Commentary,’ 1995, p. 1107; edited

To these Epochal Lessons.

THAT WE OUGHT TREMBLE. I have written much of the staggering absence of a true fear of the Lord in the Church today. Fear of man, of course! But no ‘Trembling’ before Him, at all. I mean, He loves us far too much to make us tremble, right? Defined by the Hebrew, ‘Ragaz’ [רָגַז]: “To be agitated [in fear]; quiver, quake; become excited, perturbed; deeply moved; near the end; to cause disquiet; to provoke (in a context of rage); be wroth; to tremble with a vigilant emotion; especially anger or fear; to be stirred; to be shaken [to one’s foundations].” DK: We must Return to a Fear of the Lord, and soon, or there is no more Hope, save for this one.

THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING. Here we have that Final Reckoning about which the Prophets and the Law describe in this way: “The Day of the Lord is mentioned in the Bible over twenty times, and refers to a Day at some future but unknown time, when the people of the earth will meet God’s Judgment. For those who are in opposition to Him, who deny any need for His mercy and grace, that day will be a terrible Day of Battle (Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 13:6; Ezekiel 30:3; Revelation 16:14), which they are doomed to lose. In the Bible, the day of the Lord is almost exclusively painted as a Day of Destruction, Darkness, and Division, during which even the Earth itself will suffer (Isaiah 13:6; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15; Joel 2:1, 11; Zephaniah 1:14-15; Zechariah 14:1; 2 Peter 3:10).” DK: Indeed, it is “At hand!’ or very near – ‘Qarob’ [קָרוֹב], “very near, at the door!” – cf. ‘Compelling Truth,’ ret. March 29, 2021; edited

A ‘GREAT’ PEOPLE COME. Here we have a portent of a malevolent, violent Foe to attack the Nation being judged. From the Hebrew, ‘Rab’ [רַב]: “A great company of many [‘the like of whom has never been’]; abounding in might and substance; a masterful force; exceedingly powerful; arge in bulk or dimensions; a term of comparison, denoting more magnitude or extension than something else, or beyond what is usual; chief; of vast power and excellence; supreme; illustrious; (by implication, dreadfully fierce).” DK: Some say Russia, some say China, perhaps even Iran. Yet some are beginning to whisper the Unthinkable:

A home-grown, American Oppressor. Selah.

MATTHEW HENRY COMMENTS. “The priests were to ALARM the people with the near approach of the Divine Judgments. It is the work of Ministers to Warn of the fatal consequences of sin, and to Reveal the Wrath from Heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The striking description which follows [vv. 3-14], shows what would attend the devastations of locusts, but may also describe the effects from the ravaging of the land by the Chaldeans [ancient Babylonians]. If the Alarm of Temporal Judgments is given to offending nations, how much more should sinners be warned to seek deliverance from the Wrath to Come! Our business therefore on earth must especially be, to secure an interest in our Lord Jesus Christ; and we should seek to be Weaned from objects which will soon be torn from all who now make Idols of them. There must be Outward Expressions of sorrow and shame, fasting, weeping, and mourning; tears for trouble must be turned into tears for the sin that caused it. But rending the garments would be vain, except their hearts were rent by abasement and self-abhorrence; by sorrow for their sins, and Separation from them. There is no question but that if we truly Repent of our sins, God will forgive them; but whether he will remove affliction is not promised, yet the probability of it should encourage us to repent.” – ‘Exposition of the Old and New Testaments,’ 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

My own Postscript to this important section is directed, once again, to our PASTORS:

Brothers! Where are you, and where is your Voice? To repeat what Matthew Henry adjured: “The priests were to ALARM the people with the near approach of Divine Judgments.” And more specifically, to firmly and specifically guide them away from the most immediately Dangerous Shoals, on which so very many are running aground:

Compromise to the Trump Cult!

LAST THOUGHTS

Yet in light of all this, we still hear no contrite refrain. Still we hear no strident alarms. Still we hear no fervent calls to passionately recant and repent. No outrage nor ripping in twain one’s tunic, neither the putting on of sackcloth in fierce proclamation of Church sins.

Instead, what we do hear is a timid, safe, warm and fuzzy little sermon to make folks feel better about themselves, their lives, their nation and their leaders, and of course, last but not least, their local church. For reasons I shall leave for you to define.

THE PARADOX. But someone please Riddle me this: While 80% of our Pastors are in some degree in bed with the Trump Cult and concomitantly ‘Preach Safe,’ they were shown to express this, incredulously, as their “Major Concern” in a recent study by George Barna.

“The prevalence of a ‘Watered-Down’ gospel and the culture’s shift to a Secular Age are the leading concerns among Protestant pastors about the Christian Church in the United States, according to a new Barna Survey.” – MICHAEL FOUST, “‘Watered Down Gospel in U.S. is Major Concern of 72% of Pastors,” ‘Christian Headlines,’ February 7, 2020; edited

Um, say what, Pastors?

SUMMARY. So, let me get this straight. Dr. Barna has reported since 2014 that y’all are afraid to preach on “topics of controversy,” so as not to offend the congregation. Which translates immediately as a “Watered Down” gospel message, producing severely weakened Christian believers.

Yet your major concern is with, a “Watered Down” gospel. If this is accurate, our Pastoral level of SELF-DELUSION is breathtaking. And perilous, for so many suffering from the Fallout of this sin. The health of a Nation depends almost entirely on the health of the Church.

So this is, as a favorite commercial used to say it so well: “A pretty big deal.”

FROM GOMORRAH TO LAODICEA. As America’s Great Slouching proceeds, then, this last point tragically implicates something associated with the most lamentable Last Days Church in the Scriptures:

What I shall now call, ‘The American Laodiceans.’ Allow me to quote it to you for unmistakable clarity.

“For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” – REVELATION 3:17, AMPC

This is quite probably how Jesus Christ sees the American Church today, nearly without question. At least, ‘The 80 Percenters.’ Now to the painful Drilldown.

WRETCHED. From the Greek, ‘Talaipóros’ [ταλαίπωρος]: “Distressed, miserable, enduring or under trial and affliction; surrounded by toils and troubles; experiencing ongoing strains and hardships with severely difficult side effects [inner and outer turmoil].”

PITIABLE. Defined here by the word, ‘Eleeinos’ [ἐλεεινός]: ‘Full of misery as the consequence of sustained, unrepented sin; to be thereby pitied among men, yet worthy of compassion; God’s mercy is extended to such as these, though they remain in their misery by their own obstinance or ignorance; it is self-inflicted soul-pain, in desperate need of absolution.

POOR. Here the Greek term is ‘Ptóchos’ [πτωχός]: “Literally, one who crouches and cowers, hence) beggarly, poor, destitute, spiritually poor, either in a good sense (humble devout persons) or bad; deeply destitute, completely lacking resources (earthly wealth) – i.e., helpless as a beggar; in dire need of lifting up; fallen from a better state.”

BLIND. Especially pertinent to our current discussion, taken from the Greek, ‘Tuphlos’ [τυφλός]: ‘Sight seriously obscured to opaqueness by the smoke of or distortion of one’s inner soul; thus rendered physically or mentally ‘blind,’ or unable to see because of some injury or disease; darkened by smoke [metaphorically, ‘sin’]; destitute of the sense of seeing, comprehending or discerning.”

NAKED. Finally, Jesus indicts such a church as being characterized by, ‘Gumnos’ [γυμνός]: “Improperly clothed; [shamefully] stark-naked; generally, wearing only the under-garment; bare, open, manifest; mere; open, uncovered, shamed; without righteousness as a covering; unclad, stripped bare; unarmed, defenseless, exposed as guilty to Divine wrath.”

COMMENTARY. “‘And blind’ – That is, in a spiritual respect. They did not see the Reality of their condition; they had no just views of themselves, of the character of God, of the way of salvation. This seems to be said in connection with the boast which they made in their own minds – that they had everything; that they wanted nothing. One of the great blessings of life is Clearness of Vision, and their boast that they had everything must have included that; but the speaker here says that they lacked that indispensable thing to completeness of character and to full enjoyment. With all their boasting, they were Actually Blind – and how could one who was in that state say that he ‘had need of nothing?’” – ALBERT BARNES, ‘Notes on the Whole Bible,’ 1847-1855; edited

Do you see it beloved, the very reasons we cannot reason nor connect with these individuals? For they are, again in the words of the Apostle Paul, SELF-DELUDED, believing that they are at the pinnacle of successful Christianity, when in all Reality, they are dwelling in its Spiritual Catacombs.

To link in final tragedy to the Arguments presented in this series: They have lost their ‘Mind of Christ,’ and if not repented of very soon, possibly their very souls.

THE ROAD BACK. But not to despair, for God has still His Mercy in store for the ones who shall rediscover a simple Algorithm of Return. It is taken from a Song of King David, and it reads thus:

“Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk and live in Your truth; direct and unite my heart [solely, reverently] to fear and honor Your name.” – PSALM 86:11

It is in no need of extravagant exegesis nor eloquent commentaries. Indeed, a child can grasp it beloved. And an adult, so long as the heart is confessed as renegade in sincere and fervent Return to truly, ‘Desiring God’ (1986), as JOHN PIPER so sweetly phrases it.

Borrowing from the great Revivalist, he writes of something called ‘Christian Hedonism’ in this way.

CODA. “The great goal of all [Jonathan] Edwards’ work was the Glory of God. And the greatest thing I have ever learned from Edwards…is that God is glorified most not merely by being known, nor by merely being dutifully obeyed, but by being ENJOYED in the knowing and the obeying.” – “Christian Hedonism: Forgive the Label but Don’t Miss the Truth,” January 1, 1995; edited, emphasis my own

This, beloved, is the very heart and soul of Christian Liberty, Joy and Fruitfulness – Loving Him, Needing Him, Desiring Him more than all the things of this world. It took me 75 years for Him to get me here.

But please don’t take as long as I did. We don’t have the time.

Ever your servant, DK

SPECIAL NOTE: Closer to planning the first physical Circuit Ride to Texas in mid-June 2021, tentatively. Tell me what you think. dk

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