NOTES ON THE FIGHT FOR NEHEMIAH’S WALL: GOD’S DECREE TO REBUILD HIS HOUSE IN THE LAST DAYS Part I

PART I: THE MAN

PART II: THE MISSION

PART III: THE MOMENT

SCRIPTURE

“So we built the wall, and all [of it] was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart and mind to work…So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.” – NEHEMIAH 4:6, 6:15, AMPC

QUOTATIONS

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being Tuned, not to each other, but to another Standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘Unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” – A. W. TOZER, ‘The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine,’ 1948; edited

“The most important element of leadership effectiveness is authentically Living the Vision of the company. The values and ambitions of a company are not instilled entirely by what leaders ‘say’; they’re instilled primarily by what leaders ‘do’. In a healthy company, there are no inconsistencies between what is said and what is believed deep down – the Values come from within the leaders and imprint themselves on the organization through day-to-day activity.” – TED KALLMAN & ANDREW KALLMAN, ‘The Nehemiah Effect: Ancient Wisdom from the World’s First Agile Projects,’ 2014; edited

Selah. Selah.

FIRST THOUGHTS

“52 DAYS.” I need to begin our discussion with this: The morning I first conceived of writing this series, Sunday November 29, 2020, I was somehow prompted to do a manual count from that day until Presidential Inauguration Day on January 20, 2021. The number: 52 days, exactly.

“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.” – NEHEMIAH 6:15, AMPC

THE POINT. Numbers are important to our God, and He is always, always precise with them, as with all else in His created Universe. But no, I am not saying the world is going to end on January 20 next year, but I am saying this:

The number “52” is possibly, somehow important. Whether 52 literal days, or 52 Weeks (November 29, 2021), or perhaps 52 months (March 29, 2025), I don’t believe that He put me in mind of this on the exact, 52^nd Day prior to the transfer of American power.

‘Aslan’ is most assuredly on the move, though we know not the details. Yet.

SOME BACKGROUND

To get a fuller appreciation of this Nehemiah’s Story of Triumph against impossible odds, let’s take a quick look at the Historical Context of the Story, before moving forward to a discussion of this most extraordinary man, Nehemiah.

I take most of this from DR. JACK HAYFORD’S excellent Study Bible and his five senior scholar-editors (P. G. Chappell, K. C. Ulmer, R. Hayden, J. D. Huntzinger, and G. Matsdorf). Assisted by my ever-present WILLIAM MACDONALD. – cf. ‘New Spirit Filled Life Bible,’ 2002; ‘Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995

THE SETTING. John C. Whitcomb’s notes on the Book of Nehemiah starts us off nicely as Introduction to this rich and terribly relevant teaching for us.

“No portion of the Old Testament provides us with a greater incentive to dedicated, discerning Zeal for the Work of God than the Book of Nehemiah. The example of Nehemiah’s passion for the Truth of God’s Word – whatever the cost or consequences, is an example sorely needed in the present hour.” – “Nehemiah,” ‘The Wycliffe Bible Commentary,’ p. 435, 1962; edited

Nehemiah was the Third great leader in the Jewish Restoration (430 BC, during the reign of the tolerant Persian king, Ataxerxes). Zerubbabel led the First Group of exiles back to Jerusalem in 538-537 BC (Ezra 2) and supervised the building of the Temple. Almost eighty years later, Ezra the scribe came to the Holy City with a Second Group of Jews, bringing sweeping reforms through his ministry of God’s Word. But in time, things Degenerated in Jerusalem.

As with America today.

Thirteen years after Ezra’s expedition, Nehemiah was burdened by God about conditions in Jerusalem. After receiving permission to rectify the situation, he provided the kind of Quality Leadership the Israelites desperately needed.

Selah.

THE MAN

The name, “Nehemiah” means “Yahweh Comforts (or Consoles).” The Story begins in the Book of Ezra and finishes in Nehemiah. He is described in this epic as “cupbearer to the king,” Ataxerxes, a position of great trust as an advisor, with the responsibility of keeping him from being poisoned. While Nehemiah no doubt enjoyed great favor from the king and the luxury of the Palace, his heart was always with Jerusalem.

As mentioned earlier, he was an Exceptional Leader. MacDonald observes: “His roots were deep in God (notice the numerous references to his prayer life); this enabled him to weather the Storm of Opposition that buffeted him from the outset of his mission. It has been well said that ‘there are Three Kinds of people in the world – those who don’t know what’s happening, those who watch what’s happening, and those who make things happen.’

Nehemiah was a man who made things happen.” – 1995, p. 482; edited

His General Call. Along with his associate Ezra before him, it was to Declare to the people of God to ‘REMBEMBER THE LAW,’ a call not unfamiliar to those of us who are likewise burdened for the Reform of todays’ Church. In doing so, Nehemiah “became a part of the chain of inspired writers of Holy Scripture who put the people in the hands of the ‘Tutor’ [Law](Galatians 3:23-24) to guard them until Christ Arrives.” – cf. Hayford, 2002, p. 613

NEHEMIAH THE LEADER. At a time in America and the Church when true, godly and bold Leadership is nearly unheard of anymore – not an exaggeration, given the numerous research reports during the past 5 years alone by Barna, Pew, and others – Nehemiah Stands head and shoulders above this generation of compromised, politicized and timid pastors and national Church figures in America.

Therefore, it is altogether fitting to examine TEN LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM NEHEMIAH, published by Wesley Theological Seminary’s Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Distinguished professor of church leadership emeritus LOVETT H. WEEMS, JR. presides over the writing of this essay. – ‘Church Leadership,’ April 17, 2019; edited

GOD’S LEADER RESPONDS TO A CALL. “God has always called leaders. Leaders must hear God’s calling to lead and respond to that call. Nehemiah understands his leadership as a Calling from God (Nehemiah 2:12b). Nehemiah listened and came to see the need (1:1-4).” DK: Couldn’t find hard data here, but in the past have read that the majority of pastors are not actually ‘called,’ but were rather motivated by more natural inclinations – job preference, desire to teach, family or personal suggestions or legacy, or sometimes ‘the roll of the dice.’ Calling is defined by the Greek term, ‘Klésis’ [κλῆσις] as: “A Divine summons or invitation to preach the Gospel,” and it is comparatively rare and selective.

GOD’S LEADERS CARE FOR THE PEOPLE AND THEIR SITUATION. “Nehemiah listened to the voice of the people. He showed care for their situation. Nehemiah identified with the people. He thought in terms of ‘we’ and ‘us’ (2:17, 20). He came to understand and identify with ‘the trouble we are in’ (2:17).” DK: A true leader or pastor is a Shepherd who loves the sheep of his pasture, and will lay down his life (and his lifestyle) for them. I recall reading in a biography of Robert E. Lee some years ago that his First Law of Leadership was: “Love your troops.” Whatever we might otherwise think of the man, that statement was a Bible Truth.

GOD’S LEADER HELPS TO DEFINE THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION. “When Nehemiah said, ‘You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned,’ he was not describing his personal agenda but assessing the common situation faced by all the people. Unless the Reality can be described honestly, progress is impossible. ‘Nothing is more limiting to a group,’ says Peter Senge, ‘than the inability to talk about the Truth.’” DK: I don’t know how many more ways I can say it, it’s all about Truth, or ‘the really Real,’ as Dr Schaeffer used to say it. Thus the First Law of God’s Call to a Pastor is, quite plainly: “Love the Law” (the Doctrines), as did Moses and Nehemiah and David and the Prophets and Paul and Timothy and all the great Reformers throughout history, who held ‘The High View’ of God’s Word, and clung to it fiercely and taught it zealously. And died for it, if necessary.

GOD’S DIRECTION AND VISION ARE SOUGHT BY THE TRUE LEADER. “Nehemiah was always asking God to provide a Vision for him. He understood that a True Vision must come from God. It must be a God-inspired and God-revealed Vision. Only such a Vision is worthy of leadership. The Vision must be ‘what God has put into my heart’ (2:12). The Vision emerged in the midst of a devastating situation. It would have been easier to give up in despair, but God’s leader always seeks God’s Vision, even in difficult times.” DK: Most of the studies (and direct experience) I have had with the larger churches is that they are not driven so much by Divine Revelation, but more by marketing strategies, church growth programs, and various surveys of what people want. Thus, we have uninspired sermons and weak Christians emerging from a Business Model Spirituality.

FERVENT PRAYER IS ESSENTIAL TO KNOW GOD’S WILL. “Prayer is the fundamental act for people of God. God’s Leaders and God’s people must be in the right place to hear God’s Voice. God can speak to us at any time, but if we are not turning our hearts toward God to seek God’s guidance, it is more difficult for God’s Vision to reach our hearts. The prophet Habakkuk climbed into the tower believing that God had a Vision for him and his people. Habakkuk was willing to wait for the Vision, but knew that he needed to put himself in a position to receive it.” DK: Now I have said before that I enjoy the luxury of spending 3-4 hours each morning in prayer and study, since I don’t work elsewhere. But that ought to be the Template for the true Leader of Pastor of God’s people – total devotion to the aggressive pursuit of ‘The Mind of God,’ on a God-breathed Issue.

GOD’S VISION IS SIMPLE. “God’s Vision tends to be very simple. People build complicated systems, but God’s Will is often extremely simple. For Nehemiah and his people, the Vision was captured in three words: ‘Rebuild the wall!’ There were many needs, hopes, and dreams of the people, but God’s Vision for the immediate future was captured in Rebuilding the wall. Without this Vision, the other needs could not be met.” DK: To Today’s Call on the Church Remnant: ‘Repair the many breaches in God’s House!’ The details of this will be spelled out in Part II next time: “The Mission.” Point is, God’s Church is a hot (or lukewarm) mess! The following section of this Commentary will show us why.

GOD’S LEADER BUILDS A TEAM. “Nehemiah gained the trust of the people. This permitted him to build a team that could make the Vision happen. People shared responsibility to accomplish the goal. No one person, not even Nehemiah, could accomplish this Vision alone. Nehemiah began with a few, then he expanded the team to include virtually everyone. The people committed themselves to the ‘Common Good’ (2:18b). The talents of the people were named and used (chapter 3). Different people worked on different sections of the wall. People were assigned to work closest to their homes.” DK: To this I add only two important matters: Team Building along the lines of the Vision laid down by God accomplishes the raising of a New Generation of Leaders; and second, it keeps the congregation from wholly depending on the pastor, delegating to him almost godlike authority.

GOD’S LEADER KEEPS THE REAL PURPOSE BEFORE THE PEOPLE. “It is easy for people to forget the Purpose behind the Vision even as they work to fulfill it. The Vision was to Rebuild the Wall, but the wall was not the important part of the Vision. The wall was a means to a Larger Purpose. What Nehemiah and his people were really about was Reclaiming their Identity as people of Faith. What was at stake was not just a wall but indeed their very Faith (Chapter 8; 12:27). Nehemiah had to make sure the people were reminded of their Ancient Faith. Because their task was tied to a larger purpose, they put their hearts into their work and were able to complete the task in 52 days (6:15-16). What an amazing feat this was.” DK: The ability to Rebuild the nearly completely destroyed Walls of the City is by any definition, miraculous – strong encouragement to us all that God can and will have a Purified Bride to whom He shall return. – cf. Ephesians 5:27

GOD’S LEADER IS NOT DISCOURAGED BY ADVERSITY. “As they rebuilt the wall, they were ridiculed and mocked. Their enemies did everything possible to discourage them. They threatened to tell untrue stories about Nehemiah. Nehemiah listened but persisted. Nehemiah knew he was ‘Doing a Great Work’ (6:3) and could NOT come down from the wall to debate with the enemies. Nehemiah persisted even when adversity came. God’s people cannot give up when adversity comes.” DK: Even this article entirely overlooked a key ingredient of the true people of God in pursuit of a great work: They had to fight! “Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.” You feel me, beloved: Church Militant, not the Church Milquetoast! – cf. Nehemiah 4:18

GOD ALWAYS HAS ANOTHER VISION. “When people work so hard to accomplish a great goal, the temptation is to want to stop and rest. God’s people should stop and celebrate victories, just as Nehemiah and his people did; but God is never finished with us. After we give thanks to God for bringing us to a new place on our journey, then we must turn again to God in prayer asking, ‘What Now, Lord, is Your will for us?’ It is time for Revisioning.” DK: The Point: We in these Last Days are being prepared and appointed to a Great and Historic Task: The Restoration of God’s Church, and the vitally important duty to shore up her seriously damaged Reputation done by sustained cowardice and corruption inside the walls of most American churches. And that all starts with each of us, and our Unreserved Commitment to Serve Christ totally, no matter what.

IN SUM: What we draw from Nehemiah the Man’s life and example are these Ten Principles of Leadership, or more accurately, Ten Rules for Followership. Now we briefly explore just WHY this historic Reparation must take place.

17 REASONS FOR THE CHURCH’S FAILURE

What follows is both hard hitting, but verifiably true. It shall be hard for most Christians, Pastors and Church Leaders to ‘hear it,’ but hear it we must. We must. Taken from Church leadership consultant, BRIAN DODD, writing this time for ‘Church Leaders,’ just published this November 18, 2020.

So here we go – Eyes wide open, Church. Quoted at considerable length for its in your face, undeniable and pointed Truth and Realism. Something missing from our Sanctuaries for at least two generations.

OCTOBER BARNA STUDY. “On October 8th, ‘ChurchLeaders.com’ posted a recent Barna study entitled Barna: We’re Experiencing Another Reformation, and Not in a Good Way. The results were not just alarming, they were frightening. In a Study of Evangelicals (people who claim to be Christians), the following are just some of the results.

52% reject absolute moral truth.
61% did not read the Bible daily.
75% believe people are basically good.
60% believe the Bible conflicts with their beliefs.
54% are unwilling to define human life is sacred.
50% claim the Bible is vague on abortion.
43% believe Jesus sinned.
58% believe the Holy Spirit is symbolic.
62% of church-goers say it is important to have some type of faith.
50% do not view sex outside of marriage as sinful.
40% do not believe lying is sinful.
48% believe in salvation through works.
43% do not believe in a God-Given purpose for humanity.
42% seek moral guidance from somewhere other than the Bible.
34% reject marriage as only one man and one woman.
34% approve of abortion if it spares the mother from emotional and financial hardship.
36% fail to seek and pursue God’s will for their life each day.

CHURCH ILLITERACY. When you read the frightening statistics listed above you are left to admit the greatest issue facing American church is Biblical Illiteracy, not the items listed in this article’s opening paragraph. A proper understanding of the Scriptures and the Gospel is the Solution to today’s challenges. However, Oprah, political affiliations, our friends, our experiences, culture, and even worse, our feelings are giving definition to our lives more than we are allowing the Scriptures to do.

As stated, 60% believe the Bible conflicts with their beliefs.

The Seeker-Sensitive Movement, unhinging from the Old Testament, and minimizing what the Scripture says about the issues of our lives have led to tragic results. The people in our pews simply do not know what the Scriptures say. But based upon the information provided, there is a harder realization we must embrace:

The Greatest Mission Field in American Churches is sitting in our very own sanctuaries and auditoriums.

AN INCONVENIENT SOLUTION. So what is going to take to reverse the latest Barna Statistics? Here are some options:

At the very least, a significantly more robust discipleship process.

More Biblical Preaching – The Seeker Sensitive Movement has resulted in a generation of Biblically illiterate people. Nothing changes a human life like effective preaching. Pastors need to return to fundamental Bible teaching.

Pastors are not communicators who give talks. Pastors are Preachers who give a message from the Ancient of Days to His people to address the issues in their lives at THIS specific moment and time in human history.

Pastors must once-again become the prophetic voice in their communities. This will result in pastors confronting culture rather than snuggling up to it. And when this happens, these courageous pastors will face…

Persecution.

And that is the inconvenient solution. To reverse the 17 Barna Statistics listed above, pastors are going to have to deliver Difficult Biblical Truths. But it is the Difficult Biblical Truths which truly set people free. But even if you deliver the message with love, these Difficult Biblical Truths will birth Persecution.

How many American pastors and church leaders are willing to go through persecution? We will soon find out.”

To this searing Indictment from our King to the majority of the American Church that Departed from Faith. Heard this just this morning, and dare to insert it here for Divinely passionate emphasis.

TO THE PASTORS & PRIESTS. “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.

Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, to the Religious Hypocrites and Elites of His Day, Matthew 23:31-36, New King James Version

THE 2020 REFERENDUM. The Election of November 8 Showed 8 of 10 Pastors and Churches voting for Donald Trump to stay in office. Thus, the harsh Word above from Messiah. Only a matter of days now before He marches into those sanctuaries to Begin Removing Lampstands.

THE NEED FOR NEHEMIAH’S

Can you see it more clearly now, beloved, why we vote for Despots and all manner of unprincipled men and women to lead us? And as an unprecedented Consequence, raging all around us – we witness the very Loss of the once noble American Enterprise.

Because we lost or discarded the Vision for the Church.

By all that is Scriptural and Historic, the Center of such staggering Loss is the absence of Robust Truth coming from our pulpits from our Pastor-Leaders. They have failed in the past five years as possibly never before, to ‘Call out’ wickedness in their midst, and in the Nation’s Capital.

THE CRY FOR NEW PASTOR-LEADERS. This quickly brings to mind one Old Testament passage that is both precise and instructive about the sorts of men needed for our Recovery.

When Moses was overwhelmed by the crush of responsibility to govern the roughly one million Jews fleeing Egypt, his father-in-law, Jethro, gave him wise counsel.

“Furthermore, you shall select from all the people competent men who [reverently] fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; you shall place these over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.” – EXODUS 18:21, AMP

ABLE MEN. Taken from the Hebrew word, ‘Chayil’ [חַיִל], from which the base term for ‘life’ is derived: “Strength, efficiency, wealth, army; implies great might, power; also valiant, virtuous, able to command forces for good; riches, substance and wealth [as God would measure those]; efficiency; and honesty.

FEAR GOD. From the important Hebrew word, ‘Yare’ [יָרֵא]: “To be (properly) afraid or fearful; over time became a phrase of highest praise among men: ‘God-fearers.” It is based in respect for God’s greatness and His inviolable Moral Code of honor and conduct; being altogether reverent before Him, even in our familiarity with Him; respect is a weak but still relevant term in this regard. Webster (1828) writes: “In scripture, ‘fear’ is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a Holy Being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear.”

MEN OF TRUTH. As with all that I write, this for me is the very Center of ‘a good and God-fearing man.’ From the Hebrew, ‘Emeth’ [אֶמֶת]: “Firmness, faithfulness (to God’s Truth); sureness, reliability, stability; constancy or continuance, yielding true peace; a central attribute of God [John 14:6].” Webster (1828) writes this: “Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. Veracity; purity from falsehood; practice of speaking truth; habitual disposition to speak truth; as when we say, a man is a man of truth.”

HATING DISHONEST GAIN. From the root word that we rarely if ever hear in our Church today, ‘Sane’ [שָׂנֵא]: “To turn against (as with one’s enemy); utterly odious; to hate violently; be alienated from; ranging from intense hatred to simple opposition of persons, things, ideas, words, or inanimate objects [that constitute an offense to God]; the desire to have absolutely no contact or relationship with another; the opposite of love; God hates idolatry and those who pursue it; also, hypocrisy [as with those who pretend to follow Him, but do not].”

TO BE RULERS. Only these qualify, by the Scriptures, to lead, either in the Church or in the State. From the term, ‘Sar’ [שַׂר]: “Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince; ruler, official, captain; a vassal or noble; as having the powers of the magistrate; especially in the military of head of state; for the overseer or priest, one who cares for the congregation (as with a shepherd of the sheep to keep them safe and well); refers to terms of rank or dignity attached to some high position of responsibility; a commander, master or leader; a nobleman or countier (Genesis 12:15); a steward.”

IN SUM. The stirring point in all of this is the startling fact that the American Church has for decades ‘Settled’ for so much less – inside the walls of the Church, and in the Halls of Power. And we wonder why we are become so morally and practically Desolate in 2020.

So does America desperately need its Nehemiah’s, great men of ability, valor and integrity and honor, or we shall not ever recover from our current Desolation. God’s Ways shall never, ever permit it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Since the topic for this Part I Essay is “The Man,” I am unavoidable pointed toward the entire matter we covered in a previous Lesson: “Character.” So let’s close with just a few final thought about that vitally important idea.

GOD, GIIVE US MEN! Those of you who follow my writing have likely seen me quote a favorite poem by Josiah Gilbert Holland by that name. But just yesterday (December 1), I found something I like even better.

It is attributed to DR. BOB MOOREHEAD, pastor and theologian, in a work entitled, ‘The Growth Factor’ published in 1988.

“God give us men!…ribbed with the steel of Your Holy Spirit…men who will not flinch when the battle’s fiercest…men who won’t acquiesce, or compromise, or fade when the enemy rages. God give us men who can’t be bought, bartered, or badgered by the enemy, men who will pay the price, make the sacrifice, stand the ground, and hold the torch high. God give us men obsessed with the Principles true to Your Word, men stripped of self-seeking and a yen for security…men who will pay any price for Freedom and go any lengths for Truth. God give us men delivered from mediocrity, men with Vision high, pride low, faith wide, love deep, and patience long…men who will dare to march to the drumbeat of a distant drummer, men who will not surrender Principles of Truth in order to accommodate their peers. God give us men more interested in scars than medals. More committed to conviction than convenience, men who will give their life for the Eternal, instead of indulging their lives for a moment in time. Give us men who are fearless in the face of danger, calm in the midst of pressure, bold in the midst of opposition. God give us men who will pray earnestly, work long, preach clearly, and wait patiently. Give us men whose walk is by Faith, behaviour is by Principle, whose dreams are in Heaven, and whose book is The Bible. God give us men who are equal to the task. Those are the men the Church needs today.”

This was in 1988. How much the more today, beloved?

THE CORE PREPARATION. As I pondered these deep and rich thoughts in drafting this Commentary, another Scripture clearly came to mind as if I had heard it audibly, to be considered now in the present context of the critical need for a New Leadership in the Church.

Listen with the Ear of the Spirit, if you can.

“Watch therefore [give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come.” – MATTHEW 25:13, AMPC

As I read this again and again, A Question insisted itself upon me: “Son, what churches and pastors are teaching its people to do this?” The Answer was deafening: “None, Sir, none that I know.”

CASE STUDY. I heard a local pastor with all the degrees from seminary a man could ever desire, try to teach on the final chapters of the Book of Revelation, and here was his Core Thesis that was supposed to comfort the burdened congregation:

“You need not worry, because ‘Someday’ Jesus will return,” and then all will be wonderful. That was his ‘Vision’ of our Times – nothing more.

Try this instead, alongside that important passage.

“Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus [to get something to use against Him], they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven [which would support His divine authority]. But He replied 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 stormy today, for the sky is red and has a threatening look.’

You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but cannot interpret the signs of the times? An evil and [morally] unfaithful generation craves a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it, except the sign of [the prophet] Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.” – MATTHEW 16:1-4, AMP

Don’t lose the Tragic Point here: “Then He left them and went away.” As He is beginning to do with our present generation of fallen, compromised, Last Days hypocrites and lukewarm Churchmen.

COMMENTARY. I close with the lengthy, searing Indictment of the Lord’s Generation, so shamefully similar to our own today. It is tendered by the brilliant English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar and theologian, JOHN GILL, who leaves no exculpatory oxygen in the air by the time he is finished with us.

“‘Ye can discern the face of the sky’; very distinctly, and make some very probable guesses, if not certain conclusions, what will follow, good weather or bad: ‘But can ye not discern THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES?’ or, as the Syriac reads it, ‘The Time’, the present time: If they had not been blind, they might easily have discerned, that the Signs of the Time of the Messiah’s Coming were upon them, and that Jesus was the Messiah; as the departure of the Sceptre from Judah, the ending of Daniel’s Weeks, the various miracles wrought by Christ, the Wickedness of the Age in which they lived, the ministry of John the Baptist, and of Christ, the great flockings of the people, both to one and to the other, with divers other things which were easy to be observed by them: But they pretend this to be ‘a very great secret.’ ‘The secret of the Day of death, they say, and the secret of the Day when the King Messiah Comes, who by his wisdom can find out?” – ‘Exposition of the Whole Bible, 1811; edited

CODA. So do I leave it right there, as I cry out for a Last Generation of Nehemiah’s to be raised up in this hour – perhaps in the ‘Next 52 Days,’ whatever that means, who Understand the Times, who will Stand Firm on and boldly Share God’s Truth, to give Him honor all around – for the Rescue of many.

This is that ‘Finest Hour’ to which we and all our Leaders are called, beloved. Shall we Accept His Grand Invitation? I pray so, I pray so. Everything depends on it.

Ever your servant, DK

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