NOTES ON THE DUTY OF THE REMNANT IN THE LAST DAYS: A MANIFESTO ON DOING THE RIGHT THING – (WITH VIDEO)

THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes! Cease to do evil. Learn to do right! Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” – ISAIAH 1:16-17, AMPC

“MAKE YOURSELVES CLEAN!” ‘Zakah’ [הִזַּכּ֔וּ]: “‘To be transparent, clear, innocent, pure;’ often appearing with ‘washing,’ unmistakably refers to one’s conduct to be free from pollution; free from moral impurity.” WEBSTER (1828): “To remove all foreign matter from; to separate from anything whatever is extraneous to it, or whatever is foul, noxious, or offensive.” DK: ‘To be true, honest, without guile.’

“LEARN TO DO RIGHT!” ‘Yatab’ [הֵיטֵ֛ב]: “‘To do what is Good;’ also, to make well, sound and beautiful; syn., happy, successful; to be comely, content or cheerful [as with the joy of the Lord and strength; cf. Neh. 8:10]; to be pleasing (to God); to be thorough [or excellent].” WEBSTER (1828): “Conformity to the Will of God, or to His Law, the perfect standard of Truth and Justice. In the literal sense: ‘Right is a straight line of conduct, and Wrong a crooked one.’”

MAXIM. From this we may deduce that one cannot “Do the Right Thing” without first “Making Himself Clean.” If the one does not precede the other, one falls victim to the Severe Warning from The Apostle: “But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons,[misled] by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron [leaving them incapable of ethical functioning].” – 1 TIMOTHY 4:1-2, AMP

QUOTATIONS. “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 161-180 AD; “The right thing to do and the hard thing to do are usually the same.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free, 2009. NOTE: Both are Secular Thinkers and Writers, purposely selected for that very reason to demonstrate the virtual Dearth (or Death!) of Moral Counsel from the American Church. Selah.

COMMENTARY. “‘Wash you’ – This is, of course, to be understood in a moral sense; meaning that they should put away their sins. ‘Sin is represented in the Scriptures as defiling or polluting the soul’ (Ezekiel 20:31; Ezekiel 23:30; Hosea 5:8; Hosea 9:4) and the removal of it is represented by the act of washing (Psalm 51:2) …

‘Learn to do well’ – To learn here is to become accustomed to, to practice it. To do well stands opposed to all kinds of evil. ‘Seek judgment.’ The word ‘judgment’ – משׁפט ‘mishpâṭ’ – here means ‘justice.’ The direction refers particularly to Magistrates, and it is evident that the Prophet had them particularly in his view in all this discourse. Execute justice between man and man with impartiality. The word ‘seek’ –דרשׁוּ ‘dı̂reshû’ – means to ‘pursue, to search for, as an object to be gained; to regard, or care for it, as the main thing.’ Instead of seeking gain, and bribes, and public favor, they were to make it an object of intense interest to do justice.

‘Relieve’ – אשׁרוּ ‘asherû’ – literally, ‘make straight or right’ (margin, righten). The root –אשׁר ‘âshar’ – means ‘to proceed, to walk forward in a direct line;’ ‘and bears a relation to ישׁר ‘yâshar,’ to be straight. Hence, it often means to be successful or prosperous – to go straight forward to success. In Piel, which is the form used here, it means to cause to go straight; and hence, applied to leaders, judges, and guides, to conduct those under their care in a straight path, and not in the devices and crooked Ways of sin; Proverbs 23:19: Hear thou, my son, and he wise. And guide אשׁר ‘asher,’ ‘make straight’) thine heart in the way. ‘The oppressed’ – Him to whom injustice has been done in regard to his character, person, or property; compare the notes at Isaiah 58:6.

‘Judge the fatherless’ – Do justice to him – vindicate his cause. Take not advantage of his weak and helpless, condition – his ignorance and want of experience. This charge was particularly necessary on account of the facilities which the guardians of orphans have to defraud or oppress, without danger of detection or punishment. Orphans have no experience. Parents are their natural protectors; and, therefore, God especially charged on their guardians to befriend and do justice to them; Deuteronomy 24:17:

‘Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor the fatherless, nor take the widow’s raiment to pledge. Plead for [her].’ – Contend for her rights. Aid her by vindicating her cause. She is unable to defend herself; she is liable to oppression; and her rights may be taken away by the crafty and designing. It is remarkable that God so often insists on this in the Scriptures, and makes it no small part of religion; Deuteronomy 14:29; Deuteronomy 24:17; Exodus 22:22 : ‘Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.’ The ancient views of Piety on this subject are expressed in the language, and in the conduct of Job. Thus, Impiety was said to consist in oppressing the fatherless and widow.” – ALBERT BARNES (Abolitionist), Notes on the Old and New Testament, 1834; edited

II. PRELUDE

“What I tell you three times is true.” – Lewis Carroll

“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” – Vladimir Lenin
“If you tell a big enough lie, and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed” ― Adolf Hitler

THE PRINCIPLE OF REDUNDANCY. During my graduate school days studying various systems of communication theory, I came upon this Engineering Principle: “The duplication of critical components or functions of a system retains the intention of increasing reliability.”

This important Maxim will figure prominently in what we all face today as DONALD TRUMP rolls out his version of Christian Faith and Doctrine in the various forms of the “Make America Great Again” campaign and its associate ideology of White Christian Nationalism. Ultimately defined more darkly and spiritually by something called QAnon, an arcane Conspiracy View of American history and politics that constitutes the heartbeat of the Trump Cult.

In this Study, I will indeed “Tell you three times what is True” about our Sober Christian Duty to both God and Man in this hour. As over against the Spirit of Deception and Delusion that we are now about to fully engage in the days ahead.

Unto honor, or unto shame. Unto Christ, or unto Antichrist. Unto life, or unto death.

THE HEART OF GOD. In what follows, we will be exploring much of what constitutes the ‘Divine Modus Operandi’ – the very Center of Motive and Method of The Godhead in governing the affairs of the Human Race here on Earth. In doing so, He focuses on TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE:

THE BROKEN. Those who are oppressed, enslaved, abandoned, impoverished, persecuted, lonely, terrified, and the distraught. The Underclass if you will of all people who are hurting and rejected by society, but whose hearts ache for Rescue. Though they most often to not understand that it is God whom they seek, they need a messenger!
THE RIGHTEOUS. Those who are fully dedicated and devoted to serving the Lord’s Kingdom and are willing to lend aid, shelter and encouragement to that first class of individuals. Too, they understand that such service to the Underclass can be costly, requiring a sacrificial heart in order to carry the Good News to the Lost.

AMERICAN NIGHTFALL. By breathtaking contrast, I propose that our Nation and her largely Self-Absorbed, Apostatized White Church are entering what they believe is their Greatest Hour of Power and Prosperity under the wickedness of Donald Trump’s Authoritarian Presidency.

In harsh fact, they are about to experience the Throes of God’s Final, Furious Wrath as never before in our history.

Yahweh is, as we Westerners like to say it: Fully Locked and Loaded’ – To carry out all the Last Days Judgments that the Law and the Prophets and the Apostles promised at The End of all things. In other words: APOCALYPSE NOW is ready to burst forth in America and across the World for her ribald iniquities of centuries-longstanding.

Most especially from the Year 1900 through 2020 – 120 years of increasing Rebellion against all that is Good and, therefore, all that is God.

THE PRIMARY IGNITION: ‘The overwhelming Second Election of Donald John Trump, American Antichrist, to govern for the next Seven (not four) years.’

I simply have no more room in me to dance around this admittedly stunning Reality. And that’s the Word of the Hour: “Reality!” It has struck us straight in the face and heart, yet neither the vast majority of the American Church nor the State recognize that Truth and are therefore going to suffer its Devastation that will surely follow.

Their losses shall be all the more Catastrophic because the Church has not prepared herself for what is about to take place.

GOD’S HOUSES. Spiritually speaking, the Church and State are naked as jaybirds before the unmitigated Thunders of an Angry God about to explode all around us. As JESUS SHOUTED:

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked!” (Revelation 3:17, New King James Version).

He goes on to say that unless these Rebellious, Lukewarm and Self-indulgent disciples repent and became as “gold refined in the fire,” He will soon “vomit you out of My mouth!” (vv. 16, 18). These are those same to whom He will say at The Judgment: “I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]!” (Matthew 7:23, Amplified).

THE QUESTION. ‘Are you, Church, so far gone that you are become Destitute of the Truth, to now play Harlot to the Beast of Babylon?’

More happily, for those who can hear and who can see and are willing to heed His Warnings, we next turn to Life-Giving Lessons of this Teaching. Or in the words of the popular, talented and Lost Lyricist who needs God at least as much as these:

“What was I made for?”

III. DUTIES OF THE REMNANT

TO SUMMARIZE. In Fierce, Sacred, and Spiritual Resistance to this horrifying condition, the Last Days Church is called in this Scripture to the following, crystal clear COMMISSIONS.

“SEEK JUSTICE!” ‘Darash’ [דִּרְשׁ֥וּ]: “‘To vigorously search out or investigate [be watchful for];’ to make inquisition [ask in order to expose the truth]; also, to avenge or bring a reckoning [to the public view if necessary]; to read or study with intensity [in order to plan and take righteous action].”

“CORRECT THE OPPRESSOR!” ‘Ashar’ [אַשְּׁר֣וּ]: “‘To be straight, level, right, happy, and forthright in moving forward [with God’s Command];’ based on one’s [godly] understanding, to guide and lead in the advance; to bless [and to become blessed by God in return]; thereby bringing ‘relief’ to the oppressed.”

“DEFEND THE FATHERLESS!” ‘Shaphat’ [שִׁפְט֣וּ]: “‘To judge, vindicate, pronounce sentence (for or against a litigant);’ to govern; to act as lawgiver in order to decide a controversy; to discriminate between persons [re: their right or wrong conduct]; [ultimately points to the Theophanic Final Judgment we must all face; thus to do this now prevents much harsher sanctions later in the Eschaton].

“PLEAD FOR THE WIDOW!” ‘Riyb’ [רִ֖יבוּ]: “To grapple, wrangle, hold firm in a controversy;’ to contend, defend and rebuke an adversary of the widow (or the oppressed); to strive in a dispute against injustice [based, again, on The Law]; involving a great struggle with words.”

THE APPLICATION. So now to the very thing that prevents the Institutional American Church from exercising wisdom and obedience: We now ‘Translate and Operationalize’ these Divine Orders into the actual practice of them in real time, in real life.

Thus are the following FOUR COMMANDS TO THE REMNANT for these treacherous Last Times that will take Resolve and Courage from the King to carry them forth.

HOLD CHURCH LEADERS TO ACCOUNT! Sadly, this is normally aimed principally at The Secularists by the Church, blaming them for the corrupt conditions of the culture. But JESUS corrects that Error of historic proportion: “For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders (non-believers)? Do you not judge those who are within the church [to protect the church as the situation requires]? God alone sits in judgment on those who are outside [the faith]. Remove the wicked one from among you [expel him from your church]” (1 CORINTHIANS 5:14, AMP).
RESIST PERSECUTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS!Clearly this is a direct Command from the Lord to give aid in whatever manner possible to those who come under the Boot of the Oppressor. In today’s America, this includes such individuals as the poor, the hurting, the frightened, the alien, the widow and orphan indeed, and especially those ‘Persecuted Christians’ who oppose the unrighteous leadership of those who follow after Antichrist.
“DEFEND THE ORPHAN!” In both the Scriptures and the Heart of God, “Orphans” refers to a class of individuals who are marginalized, looked down upon and treated poorly – even brutally. It refers to what JESUS called, “The least of these” (MATTHEW 25:40). Importantly, how the believer and especially ‘The Leader’ treats these shall strongly, even severely mitigate how God shall deal with them both now and later at The Judgment (James 3:1).
“FIGHT FOR THE WIDOW!” In the broadest sense, this would include not only the actual widow (husbandless woman, single mother), but to all those women in the culture who are oppressed, abused, harmed or even sexually assaulted in a variety of contexts. One may think here of the ‘True Feminist Mandate: To care for, provide for, and to protect the females of all ages in our country.’ Since the President Elect’s conduct toward women is heinous, to state it mildly, we are to ensure their safety in all ways Biblical.

IV. LAST THOUGHTS

THE TRUE BODY OF CHRIST. [The Last Days Confessing Remnant Church]. She shall have unprecedented opportunity to serve these groups filled to the full under the Rule of Antichrist. The Price for doing so shall at times be harsh, but the Lord reminds us all:

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is[about] to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.” – 1 PETER 4:12-14, NKJV

‘Make ready therefore to Engage This Present Darkness.’ In the Power and Courage of the Holy Spirit, by the Laws and Ordinances of God, and with the Joy of knowing that we are Pleasing to Him in anticipation of that Great and Soon Day of His Return! SELAH.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/YIYI837ws2c