NOTES ON THE LORD’S FEARSOME JUDGMENT OF HIS OWN HOUSE II: FIRST TO HIS PEOPLE, THEN TO THE WORLD! – (WITH VIDEO)

1. THE TEACHING

SCRIPTURE. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine [retribution and the deliverance of justice rest with Me], I will repay [the wrongdoer].” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath].” – HEBREWS 10:30-31, AMP

KEY TERM: “VENGEANCE!” ‘Ekdikésis’ [ἐκδίκησις]: ‘Vindication or Retribution;’ to execute Justice or the execution of Right in order to support and protect what is Right and defend the cause of the Just and Righteous and severely punish the Unrighteous; ‘Divine  Judgment which vindicates one’s honor [who have been injured by others].’”

QUOTATION. “‘The Wrath of God is never an evil wrath.’ God gets angry because He loves people like a mother would love her child if someone were to harm it. There is something wrong if the mother never gets angry; it is safe to say that that is the unloving mother.” ― CRISS JAMI, Healology, 2016; edited

JESUS CRIED OUT: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” – MATTHEW 23:37, NKJV

COMMENTARY. “‘The exhortations against Apostacy and to Perseverance, are urged by many strong reasons. The sin here mentioned is a total and final Falling Away!’ When men, with a full and fixed will and resolution, despise and reject Christ, the only Saviour; despise and resist the Spirit, the only Sanctifier; and despise and renounce the Gospel, the only way of salvation, and the Words of Eternal Life.

‘Of this destruction God gives some notorious sinners, while on earth, a fearful foreboding in their consciences’ – With despair of being able to endure or to escape it. But what Punishment can be sorer than to die without mercy? We answer, to die by mercy, by the mercy and grace which they have despised. How dreadful is the case, when not only the Justice of God, but His abused grace and mercy call for Vengeance! All this does not in the least mean that any souls who sorrow for sin will be shut out from mercy, or that any will be refused the benefit of Christ’s sacrifice, who are willing to accept these blessings. Him that cometh unto Christ, he will in no wise cast out.” – MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

II. AN AMERICAN CHURCH ADRIFT

I have argued long and hard these past several years that the American Church today preaches a Gospel devoid of Judgment, Justice or any sort of Divine Reproof. I call it, the “No Fault Gospel” – No matter what we do, say or think on an extended basis, God will never punish the Redeemed since all sins are, ipso facto, “Under the Blood!”

In its pure, unadulterated Heretical Form, it never mentions the need for the two ingredients to Salvation that the Church has come to repudiate by its deliberate exclusion:

‘Obedience to the Truth of the Gospel, and Repentance for Disobedience.’

NAÏVETE A DEADLY SIN. A couple of years ago I discovered a Biblical Precept that I had missed, but sensed for years, that helps explain the horrific condition of the American Church: “‘The naive or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears,’ But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where he is going.” – PROVERBS 14:15, AMP

The Hebrew word for Naïvete is ‘Ptihy’ [פְתָאיִ֣ם], translated as: “Silliness, foolishness, simple [or simplistic]; ‘[easily] seducible; open minded [to any new idea, leader or doctrine];’ unaffected plainness, ingenuousness; artless lack of sophistication ‘given to compromise’ of one’s personal perspective.”

According to both systematic research and commonsense observation, the American Church is guilty of many things today, not the least of which (and very possibly the very first of which) is ‘Grotesque Naïvete.’ This may also be described as a Plague of Ignorance about the Reality of a fallen world under the shadow of criminally diluted doctrines over a number of decades.

DOCTRINES OF DEMONS. Which brings us face to face with what PAUL most severely warned TIMOTHY about regarding the End Times and how far the Church would go in listening to Spiritual Poison.

“But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some [τις, ‘great measure’] will turn away from the faith, ‘paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons.’” – 1 TIMOTHY 4:1, AMP

Thereby have tens of millions of so-called “believers” effortlessly come under the sway of MAGA Christian Nationalism, and in their more extreme form of Apostasy and Idolatry, gravitated to the Satanic Cult of QAnon, boasting of some 66 million members as of 2022 (PRRI Research Report, Feb. 2, 2022).

Christian author, pastor and missionary MATTHEW RHODES summed it up this way by quoting Canadian theologian and social activist RON SIDER in his piece entitled, “The Political Naivety of Evangelical Christians,” published in Grace & Truth (Nov. 4, 2017; edited).

“‘Cheap Grace’ results when we reduce the Gospel to forgiveness of sins; limit salvation to personal fire insurance against Hell; misunderstand persons as primarily souls; at best, grasp only half of what the Bible says about sin; embrace the individualism, materialism and relativism of our current culture; lack a Biblical understanding and practice of the Church; and fail to teach a Biblical Worldview.”

Such deep well fissures in the Character of today’s American Evangelicals promises to lead not to some Grand Revival that our leaders have been effusing about for decades, but rather to a Spiritual and Political Catastrophe of nearly immeasurable proportion and consequence. TWO STUDIES provide additional support for this dire expectation.     

STUDY ONE. Sociology professor DR. CHRISTOPHER T. CONNER of the University of Missouri discovered chilling corroboration in his thorough analysis of the QAnon phenomenon.

“QAnon, in the United States, has become something of household name due to its role in the January 6th Insurrection, and because of the relatively high degree of media attention it has received. While such coverage has been useful in understanding this conspiracy movement, it has also painted a picture of QAnon that is incomplete …

We found three separate cultural ENTRY POINTS not typically associated with the Movement— ‘Yoga and Wellness Groups, Neo-Shamanistic Circles, and Psychics.’ By colonizing these spaces QAnon was able to embed itself, disguise its abrasive features, and go largely unnoticed by the general public …

Among the January 6th rioters on the Capitol were individuals wearing Counter-Cultural clothing that a decade earlier would have signaled, even superficially, an alignment with Liberal Ideology. The purpose of this paper has been to draw attention to the spread of Authoritarian and Fascist tendencies within non-stereotypical cultural arenas. In this study I have looked at Alternative Spirituality, but in the course of my observations I was made aware of a variety of other strands of Authoritarian Right-wing Ideology embedded in space that might be overlooked by the casual observer—including MMA sports, music subcultures, and a range of other conspiracists …

While Conspiracy Theories and Authoritarianism has been analyzed from a right-wing perspective, as I have shown here, Authoritarianism can occur, however unlikely it may seem, in spaces which appear more culturally progressive … Already we have seen this happen with podcasters and ‘Pseudo-Academics,’ many who have audiences in the millions. At the very least this kind of Spiritualism tries to justify Neo-Liberal policies that contribute to growing wealth inequality, climate change, and a whole host of other social issues.” – “QAnon, Authoritarianism, and Conspiracy Within American Alternative Spiritual Spaces,” Frontiers in Sociology, Vol. 8, June 21, 2023; edited

STUDY TWO. Finally, a report by FiveThirtyEight by KALEIGH ROGERS (Mar. 4, 2021) following the J6 Insurrection found that at least ‘50% of Evangelical Christians’ largely agree with the QAnon Statement of Beliefs, including:

1. The government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.

2. There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders.

3. Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.

Taken together and based on reliable estimates from Wikipedia, the US Census Bureau and other corroborating sources that of the 341,671,915 American citizens, a steady 63% claim to be “Christian.” And 50% of that groups subscribes to the QAnon Cult beliefs. This translates into some astonishing numbers in the runup to the November 5 Presidential Election.

• 215,253,306 “Christian” Americans (63%).
• 178,660,244 Christians support Donald Trump (83%).
• 89,330,122 Christians support the QAnon Cult (50%).

First taking into account that not all these people will show up at the polls this fall and for statistical error in both the surveys and inadvertently expressed by this writer, I nonetheless expect a highly charged and motivated ‘Trump Base Patriots’ to show up in large numbers. Thus if only 50% or even 20% of them voted, we are talking a soberingly powerful Voting Block for the former President to flood the zone.

PASTORS, PRIESTS & PRELATES. In light of these stunning facts, one would hope that our Church Leaders would awaken from their slumber and begin to prepare their congregations for what is coming. They ought to most fearfully ask God what they should be preaching on Sundays about Christian Ethics, Duty, and yes beloved, Salvation itself. But I see little evidence of any widespread interest in such Contrition and Obedience anywhere.

Exception: Daniel Grothe. Executive assistant pastor of a mega-church here in Colorado Springs who I shall joyfully showcase tomorrow. Selah.

III. CLOSING THOUGHTS

I have long believed that Christian Reason, sound Theology and solid Science are always in agreement, and that is clearly the case here. Why then have our Christian Leaders not recognized these terrifying developments and preached about them in their churches?

Either they have allowed themselves to become deluded, or worse (if that be possible), they are very aware of these realities, ‘but are afraid’ to bring them to light for fear of material and personal losses that would likely follow. In either case, they are catastrophically violating their Sacred Trust to instruct and protect their flocks. The inexorable, Severest of Judgment for such Nationwide Betrayal shall exceed anything they have ever contemplated coming to them.

Therefore do I conclude with what may seem now a very Weary Refrain from Heaven, as with a Great Trumpet Blast. All Judgment will be preceded by a Great Unveiling of our Church Sins, and it will be public!

LAST CALLS TO WAKE UP! “But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and where everything is visible and clear there is light. Therefore He says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light.’ Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], ‘because the days are evil.’” – EPHESIANS 5:13-16, AMPC

I offer some Closing Thoughts from one of my favorite Christian sources, former President of Emmaus Bible College, teacher, Plymouth Brethren theologian and a prolific author of over 84 published books, WILLIAM MACDONALD in his now classic, Believer’s Bible Commentary (1995, pp. 1943-1944; edited).

“Light makes manifest whatever is in the Darkness. So a holy Christian life reveals [or should reveal!] by contrast the sinfulness of unregenerate lives. And appropriate words of rebuke reveal sin in its true character also. WILLIAM GARDEN BLAIKIE illustrates.

‘As for instance: ‘When our Lord reproved the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’– their practices had not seemed to the disciples very evil before, but when Christ threw on them the pure Light of Truth, they were made manifest in their true character – ‘they appeared and they still appear, odious!’

The latter part of verse 13 may better be read: For whatever is made manifest is Light. This simply means that when Christians exercise their ministry a Light, others are brought to the Light. ‘Wicked men are [ideally] transformed into children of Light through the reproving ministry of Light’ …

[This] walk of wisdom calls us to ‘Redeem the Time,’ or buy up the opportunities. Every day brings its opened doors, its vast potential. Redeeming the Time means living lives noted for holiness, deeds of mercy, and words of help. What lends special urgency to this matter is the evil character of the days in which we live. They remind us ‘God will not always strive with man, the Day of Grace will soon close, the opportunities for worship, witness, and service on earth will soon be forever ended.’”

CODA. Beloved, these prescient and powerful words were written some 30 years ago in 1995 to a Church back then that was indeed comparatively hopeful, not so nearly in Crisis as is ours today, still full of hope. As I anticipate a PRESIDENT TRUMP 47 installed again behind the Resolute Desk on January 20, 2025, the Urgency of MacDonald’s words virtually explode upon the page!

Without a radical Sea Change in the will of White Christians in America, we shall surely return to the raw, Primal Pagan Tribalism of the infamous QAnon Shaman, JACOB CHANSLEY who epitomized the J6 Insurrection. Who now reports after 27 months in prison that he believes more deeply in Donald Trump than ever before.

Pastors: Can you not hear the seismic rumblings of the Spirit of God here, not in my words, but in His! He Roars from Heaven with the mouth of a Lion readying Himself for Return for His True Church and for Judgment of the Nations. Please, please, I fairly beg you, in the Words of the Apostle:

“Awake to righteousness, and sin not! For some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” – 1 CORINTHIANS 15:34, KJV

VALEDICTION. Before all this present audience and the Courts of Heaven, I do swear that to the best of my knowledge and ability, these sayings are substantially true. May God judge it and us all in our Response to them. Selah.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/VSf0OFqvx2E