THE BATTLE IS GETTING REAL: NOTES ON THE BURGEONING AMERICAN CULTURE WAR OF 2022 – PART IV: THE WAR

PART I: The Commission – Ephesians 5:1-2

PART II: The Warning – Ephesians 5: 5-7

PART III: THE Command – Ephesians 5:11-14

PART IV: THE WAR – EPHESIANS 6:10-13

PART V: The Mystery – Ephesians 6:19-20

SCRIPTURE. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” – EPHESIANS 6:10-13, NKJV

QUOTATIONS

SHAKESPEARE. “In Peace there’s nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility; but when the blast of War blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger; stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favor’d rage.” ― William Shakespeare, ‘Henry V,’ 1599; edited

OKORO. “Spiritual Warfare is very real. There is a furious, fierce, and ferocious Battle raging in the realm of the Spirit between the forces of God and the forces of Evil. Warfare happens every day, all the time. Whether you believe it or not, you are in a Battlefield. You are in Warfare.” – Peter Okoro, ‘Crushing the Devil: Your Guide to Spiritual Warfare and Victory in Christ,’ 2012; edited

MEEDER. “Fake freedom teaches that believers can live on the Redline of this world, with one foot on ‘Belief in Jesus,’ and the other entrenched in what offends Holiness. Yet in this position, the Enemy has access to attack anytime he chooses. This is not faith; it is spiritual roulette.” ― Kim Meeder, ‘Revival Rising: Embracing His Transforming Fire,’ 2020; edited

WAR FOOTING. “The condition or status of a military force or other organization when operating under a State of War or as if a state of war existed.” – Dictionary.com, ret. January 28, 2022; edited

FIRST THOUGHTS

I remember when I was first enrolled as a freshman at Long Beach State College in 1962, I was immediately drawn to the study of philosophy. I recall my first class was taught by the brilliant, chain-smoking, acerbic DR. VIRGINIA RINGER, who assigned us our intro textbook entitled: ‘The Enduring Questions,’ originally published by first author MELVIN RADER in 1956.

The reason I bring this up at the open, is because I have always wanted ‘Answers’ to life’s Big Questions. One of those Questions for our study today is:

‘Why do we have wars?’

JESUS prophesied that at the very End of History, we would have a whole mess of them, increasingly divisive, and increasingly violent.

“Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. For many will come in My name [misusing it, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many. You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age]. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].” – MATTHEW 24:4-8, AMP

Oh joy, Dr. Kelly, there you go again encouraging us with portents of mayhem.

ROOTS. I know, but bear with me; there is method to my apocalyptic madness, I promise you. With Reservation: I again quote from a book by German theologian-poet ERICH SAUER entitled, ‘The Dawn of World Redemption’ (1951; edited), he wrote about an ancient, Great Cosmic War that exploded before Time even began.

It is long, but it is exhilarating!

“‘Blessed are the inquirers’ who inquire not concerning the Eternal but for ‘the’ Eternal. The Creation, the Redemption, and the Consummation of the world-like three outstanding sublime hieroglyphs, these Three Problems stand forth in the Spiritual History of Mankind. Never yet has any people passed them heedlessly by. Rather have the greatest minds of all ages striven to interpret them. The answers have been varied, contradictory, often completely incomprehensible. System after system has been devised, one Cosmogony after another has been followed. On the ruins of the one, another builds his thought-structure, and still today man wrestles about them with all the energy of his mind.

Yet all the time The Answer is there! God Himself has given it plainly. His Eternal Thoughts are in no wise, mere ‘ideas’ floating far above the course of all earthly affairs, but are creative deeds, which at one and the same time directly incorporate themselves within all history, interweave themselves closely and deeply with it, and manifest themselves effectively ‘in, with, and beneath it all. The History of the Ages is the history of Mankind, and the history of Mankind is the History–of God’ …

ORIGIN OF EVIL. And yet! Into this Universe, which was appointed to the highest, which the Creator had called that it should become a vessel to reveal His glory, there has entered ‘a Breach.’ The united harmony of the spheres is destroyed by a harsh Discord. Sin has appeared, and criminally set itself against the holy, loving plans of God to reveal Himself. Through the sin of Mankind this lower earth is devastated (Gen. 3: 17, 18; Rom. 8:20), and, in the heavenly world above, as the history of temptation in the Bible premises, a Fall had taken place among the angels ‘prior’ to the fall of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3: 1-7; 2:15) …

With this its ‘mysterious background’ it entered into the Cosmic Frame of Universal Super-History. Behind Paradise stands the star world of God and the greatest Revolt that has ever taken place, ‘the Conflict between Satan and God’ [Selah]. According to the Principle of Development, the object of the temptation was adapted to the childlike intelligence of young Mankind. Therefore, the Command not to eat of the fruit of The Tree. Foolish indeed is the objection that to eat of a forbidden fruit was no more than nibbling a dainty on the sly and so a small sin; for to the First Pair, it was not simply to test the flavour of the fruit, but they wished, behind the back of the Creator, by a forbidden way, to ‘rise’ to equal exaltation with Him (Gen. 3: 5).”

I give you this mind-bending Proto-History for you to more fully grasp a Universal Principle that fills the entire Cosmos with its insistence into every single aspect, object and element of all life, including human life, where it is ‘permitted’ to do so.

THE WAR MAXIM. ‘War is normal, Peace is the exception.’ Thus, in order to experience Peace, we are called to RESIST the gravity pull toward War’s evils and its darkest offspring, Death.

The terrible application here is that every single church and every single pastor ought to BEGIN his presentation of the Gospel with these Spiritual Origins in mind. Without them, the believer is left to his own devices to explain what we dealt with last week: The Problem of Theodicy, which directly implicates the Existence of Evil and what shall call:

‘The Propensity to War,’ by virtually all humans, societies, and their governments.

GOVERNMENT GONE ROGUE

As most of you know by now, I have become convinced that the American Church has forgotten its historic call to the Resistance of Evil. It becomes even more complicated in light of our essentially knee-jerk interpretations of Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God. Therefore whoever resists [governmental] authority resists the ordinance of God. And those who have resisted it will bring judgment (civil penalty) on themselves. For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation. For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer.” – ROMANS 13:1-4, AMP

THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT. Without using the safety net of the Commentaries for now, let’s first venture out on our own to closely examine the passage’s KEY IDEAS concerning why God ordained Human Government in the first place.

ENFORCE GOD’S ORDINANCES. Note that the core Purpose of Government is to reflect and enforce the “Ordinances of God.” The Greek term used for that concept is ‘Diatagé’ [διαταγή], referring to: “Literally, that which is ‘ordained’ by God in the form of the Law; that which brings, therefore, ‘Order,’ or the proper arrangement of that which is governed; overseen and honored by the angels of Heaven who were present at the giving of the Law; a Divine Injunction or Mandate to be obeyed; it is to bring God’s Light to the Darkness of the earth.”

TO COMMEND GOOD. The key term here is ‘Epainos’ [ἔπαινος]: “To laud, praise or otherwise issue a commendation; properly, fitting for praise, i.e., accurate acknowledgment (appropriate recognition; enthusiastic acknowledgment for what deserves praise; appropriate because it relates to God’s will; to represent as worthy of notice, regard, or kindness; to speak in favor of; to recommend; to mention with approbation; commendation bestowed on a person for his personal virtues or worthy actions, on meritorious actions themselves, or on anything valuable.”

TO PUNISH EVIL. Now the other Commission to Government and governors, is taken from the Greek word, ‘Ekdikos’ [ἔκδικος], or: “Exacting penalty from, avenging; an avenger (the word occurs frequently in the sense of a special advocate [champion] of a city); someone executing a just judgment, carrying out what is right which can include administering punishment for the wicked; he who brings to pass what is right [in the sight of God]; one who vindicates the Law by punishing violators of it; up to and including capital punishment (use of the sword).”

Clearly then, Government was instituted by God to (1) Commend the Good and (2) Punish Evildoing. Thus to maintain ‘Moral Order’ as its first charge.

THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE. What happens then, when a Government, or its representatives, usurp this sacred function, turn it upside down and become ‘a terror to those who do good?’ What then, beloved? Or, more painfully still, when a Church then stands in agreement with such renegade, or Rogue Government and governors:

‘What are the faithful called to do?’ Lay down and play dead to the wickedness of the political regime in blind, unthinking Obedience? Or in principled Resistance, exposing its evil as a higher duty to God and Church?

CHRISTIAN RESISTANCE THEORY

To address this weighty matter, I am going to cull from an excellent piece byKELLY O’CONNELL, an author and attorney who attended law school in Virginia, where he earned a Juris Doctor of Law, and a Master’s degree in Government. The title of his essay says much:

“The Right to Resist Evil Leaders–The Christian History,” published on August 4, 2014, in ‘Canada Free Press.’ What follows are his KEY POINTS.

OPEN. “Do Americans have a right to Oppose unjust authority? Given our history, this right goes without saying. You see, our country was founded by men Resisting the unjust rule of Great Britain. More precisely, in one of history’s most famous recitations of the Right of Resistance, the American ‘Declaration of Independence’ itself says [so].”

THE DECLARATION. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—’That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,’ and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

THE CHURCH. “And yet, to many American Christians, part of the de facto Religious Majority—a straightforward reading of the Bible might suggest there can be no opposition to the established authority. In other words, True Believers are simply commanded to suffer wrongdoing in silence, and any evil will be judged later by God. Yet, were this true, ‘even if a Hitler arose in America,’ there could be no Christian Resistance. Further, had this been true during the American Revolution, the Founders would have been the evildoers, while mad King George III would have been the more correct. Does the American Church really embrace this position?”

THE ERROR. “If so—Americans could never stand against the evil misuse of authority in the States. But how can this possibly be accurate in a world where evil flourishes when not confronted? So, obviously this notion of good Christians simply taking abuse in resigned silence, no matter how bad the ruler, must be wrong. But how did our intrepid Forebears, being sincere and highly educated Christians, mount and justify Revolutionary activities? By taking a deeper and more exhaustive examination of Scripture, as well as using history and common sense as their guides. In doing so, they created the Biblical Doctrine of Resistance Theory.”

THE REFORMATION. “The foundations of Resistance Theory were laid during the Reformation (1517-1648) … The American Founders employed Calvinist Resistance Theory, although this was not ultimately derived from John Calvin, but MARTIN LUTHER, according to Quentin Skinner in ‘The Foundations of Modern Political Thought,’ Vol. 2: The Age of Reformation’ [1978]. Originally, after the Reformation split, the Lutherans were content to simply work with the amenable Catholic German authorities. But around 1530, when these same Catholics suddenly decided to compel the Lutherans to rejoin the Church, Luther and the other leaders were in a quandary. So, they began to debate amongst themselves about their options.

TWO OPTIONS. “Two Theories emerged from these Lutheran discussions on how to resist evil rule. The First was a ‘Private-Law’ argument based on the theory that everyone has a right to defend themselves against the menacing actions of other private citizens. Ingeniously, they claimed the bad ruler lowered himself to the level of a private citizen by doing evil acts. In doing this, [they deferred to] the Conciliar Theory of the Catholics [false theory of Church authority] during the crisis of the Great Schism. The Second theory was a ‘Constitutional Argument.’ Here, they argued that the seeming prohibition against resisting God-appointed authorities was countered by the fact that God does not call leaders to do bad acts. If ‘leaders’ regularly do bad things, harming the state and the populace, this simply reveals that these are not men God has called to lead. Further, the term ‘authority’ itself is not singular, but is composed of all the established magistrates. And therefore, to resist one does not mean to reject all authority, for a ‘lesser magistrate’ can resist an evil, higher leader.”

THE MAGDEBURG CONFESSION (1550). “If the high authority does not refrain from persecuting with force and injustice not only the persons of their subjects, but even more their rights under Divine and Natural Law, and if the high authority does not desist from suspending or eradicating true doctrine and true worship of God, then the ‘Lesser Magistracy’ is required by God’s Divine injunction to attempt, together with their subjects, ‘to stand up,’ as far as possible, to such superiors.”

DOCTRINE OF THE LESSER MAGISTRATES. “The Magdeburg Confession is an important historical work because the pastors of Magdeburg were the first in the history of mankind to set forth in a doctrinal format what only later came to be known as the ‘Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates’ … The Lesser Magistrate Doctrine declares that when the superior or higher civil authority makes unjust/ immoral laws or decrees, the lesser or lower ranking civil authority has both a right and duty to ‘refuse obedience’ to that superior authority. If necessary, the lesser authorities even have the right and obligation to actively Resist the superior authority.”

CONCLUSION. “The argument of the Madgeburg pastors was simple, yet revolutionary. If God creates all authority, from greater to lesser magistrates, then all authorities answer to Him. Further, since God does not directly call anyone to do evil things, and therefore break His Law, a bad ruler becomes just a simple private citizen. And if a bad leader begins to oppress the people and do ungodly and monstrous deeds, it is up to the lesser magistrates to do what they can to ‘Resist and Protect’ their people. In doing this, the magistrates are not acting illegally, but fulfilling God’s Higher Law by acting in love in the face of hate. Further, the fact that the lesser magistrates have the duty to resist evil, means that the private citizens would not have the right to revolt. This would keep the entire society from erupting into chaos and anarchy, a position the Lutherans worked hard to avoid in their theory.”

DK’S TAKE. Though complex (I wondered what happens if all Lesser Magistrates go rogue), I believe every Christian pastor ought to have at least a brief introduction to this unique Biblical Chronology that virtually produced the Rationale for the American Declaration of Independence from England in 1776, and the subsequent

United States Constitution of 1789, regarded by almost all historians and political scientists as the most brilliant human political statement ever fashioned.

But some with equally impressive credentials such as eminent theologian Dr. Norman Geisler, pastors John McArthur and Albert Soto, and seminarian and scholar Dr. Daryl Cornett, would all declare the American War of Revolution both unbiblical and illegal.

Controversial historian DAVID BARTON would concur, quoting Dr. Cornett:

“Deistic and Unitarian tendencies in regards to religion. . . . were of such strength that even orthodox Christians were swept up into Rebellion against their governing authorities … Those Christians who supported physical resistance against the tyranny of Britain generally turned to Enlightenment rhetoric for validation, propped up by poor exegesis and application of the Bible.” – “The American Revolution: Was it an Act of Biblical Rebellion?” ‘Wallbuilders,’ July 31, 2017; edited

THE RAPPROCHEMENT. “It is safe to say that the American patriots who fought against England were fully convinced that they had Biblical precedent and Scriptural justification for their Rebellion. Although their view of Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 is a faulty interpretation (there are no provisos concerning obedience in those passages), it was the popular preaching of the day. At the same time, the Self-Defense Argument … is a convincing and substantial Rationale for war. Even if the American Revolution was a violation of Romans 13, we know that the patriots acted in good faith in the name of Christian freedom, and we know that, in the ensuing years, God has brought about much good from the freedom that was won as a result.” – EDITORS, “Was the American Revolution a violation of Romans 13:1-7?” ‘Got Questions,’ January 4, 2022; edited

Beloved, until 2015, I wholeheartedly believed that the American Revolution was doctrinally defensible on the basis of my understanding of both Romans 13 and the body of Christian Resistance Theory generated over a 1,000-year period through the English Common Law Tradition, formally beginning with the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 AD.

UNDER REVIEW. But I am amending my opinion, given the Church Collapse of the last five years. I wonder now – out loud for y’all to hear – if somewhere along the line the Church didn’t begin to replace ‘Christ and Canon’ with the “Traditions of Men” in the form of humanly devised political documents such as the United States Constitution.

Specifically, it appears to me today that the Church has come to worship that document ‘above’ the authority of The Godhead, consequently shattering Luther’s Great Maxim: ‘Sola Scriptura’!

Selah.

THE TEACHING

principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” – EPHESIANS 6:10-13, NKJV

For the longest time during my first decades as a Christian, I increasingly got the impression that God existed to find ways ‘to bless me’ – which He does, by the way, every single day. But apart from tithing, I rarely if ever heard any requests for me to ‘do for God’ in return. Just, you know, be nice to your family, show up for work, don’t say bad words or have bad thoughts, feed the poor, witness when you can, manage your money well, live right, and watch how God will bless YOU!

The concepts of Spiritual War and the Sacrifice of laying down your entire life for Jesus Christ were rarely if ever mentioned. Ever.

JUSTIN MARTYR. Now compare that admittedly anecdotal profile of the American Gospel, to that of the ancient hero to the Faith and possibly my favorite Church Father.

“But since the Adversary does not cease to resist many, and uses many and diverse arts to ensnare them, that he may seduce the faithful from their faith, and that he may prevent the faithless from believing, it seems to me necessary that we also, being armed with the invulnerable Doctrines of the Faith, ‘do battle’ against him in behalf of the weak.” ― EDITORS, ‘Got Questions,’ from ‘Fragments of the Lost Work of Justin on the Resurrection,’ c. 155 AD, “The Death of Justin Martyr, 166 AD,” June 1, 2020; edited.

American Christianity today is theological and practical light years distant from the Faith of Justin Martyr. So, let’s dive a bit deeper to find out why.

KEY TERMS. Now to the central Ideas presented in this core passage for us to learn by for the challenging days ahead.

THE GREAT WRESTLING. We have spent considerable time fleshing out the violence of the Great Cosmic War in which we are engaged, that began with Lucifer’s Revolt before Time existed. The Greek term used here to describe it is, ‘Palé’ [πάλη], or: “A struggle, fight, conflict, contest; from Homer, Aristotle et al., ‘a contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold him down with his hand upon his neck;’ great labor; forcible effort to obtain an object, or to avoid an evil; contention, strife, or a ‘great agony of battle.’” – cf. Romans 8:22

AGAINST SATAN’S KINGDOM. The Greek term used here is “Wiles,” from the Greek, ‘Methodeia’ [μεθοδεία], translated as: “A method [of] scheming, craftiness, deceit; by cunning arts, trickery; to lie in wait in order to bring a travesty; connected with the systematic use of devices with evildoing as the objective; to beguile; a trick or stratagem practiced for ensnaring or deception; a sly, insidious artifice.” ERICH SAUER (1951): “This assumes that in the World of Light as also in the World of Darkness there are angel organizations, which wield power in certain regions and hold ranks differing according to the size of the respective areas. Thus, the Scripture speaks, for example, of the Archangel Michael and his angels, as well as of the Dragon and his angels (Rev. 12: 7). In fact, Paul speaks of ‘thrones, governments, princedoms and authorities’ not only in the visible but also in the invisible world (Col. 1: 16; Eph. 1:21).”

THE FULL ARMOR. Our crucial Divine Counter to Satan’s Wiles is found here. From the Greek word, ‘Panoplia’ [πανοπλία], or: “The complete array or panoply of God’s Armor [without which one dare not enter upon this violent ‘Battle of the Ages’]; properly, a complete set of defensive and offensive armor (weapons), i.e., the full resources the Lord gives to the believer so they can successfully wage spiritual warfare. In this way they do not fight for victory – but from His victory (already won)! WEAPONS: BELT OF TRUTH – followed by: Breastplate of Righteousness; Gospel of Peace; Shield of Faith; Helmet of Salvation; Sword of the Spirit; Praying in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-18). DK: That is to say, ALL the weapons, lest Acts 19:13-16 come upon you!

SO, TO STAND! The culmination of all our trials and instructions and preparations and now, our ‘mounting up’ is this: That we might Stand in the evil day against all that Satan’s hordes can bring to the Battle. From the Greek, ‘Histémi’ [ἵστημι]: To make to stand, place, set up, establish, appoint; to set in balance, weigh; stand by, stand still; stand ready, stand firm, remain steadfast; to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything; to be of a steadfast mine; to persist, continue, persevere [in the face of fierce opposition]; to ‘staunchly continue in covenant [with God].’”

MATTHEW HENRY. “Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our Spiritual Warfare and [its] suffering. Those who would prove themselves to have true grace, must aim at all grace; and ‘put on the whole armour of God,’ which He prepares and bestows. The Christian Armour is made to be worn; and there is no putting off our armour till we have done our warfare, and ‘finished our course.’ The Combat is not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with an Enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labour to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God’s grace, not to yield to Satan. ‘Resist him, and he will flee.’ If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our Cause, or our Leader, or our Armour, we give him advantage … Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome. Wherefore we must ‘stir up ourselves.’ Have not we, when God has called, often neglected to answer?” – ‘Exposition of the Old and New Testaments,’ 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

As I pondered these things deep in my heart, I could very nearly physically hear the sobering WORDS OF THE MESSIAH to each one of us in this critical hour. It is long, though I shortened it. It is sharp and unambiguous. It is non-negotiable, should we dare to truly follow Him as true disciples.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters—[yes] and even his own life also—he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, wishing to build a farm building, does not first sit down and calculate the cost [to see] whether he has sufficient means to finish it? … So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.” – LUKE 14:26, AMPC

IN SUM. You have heard me say these things repeatedly, but never with enough force or precision to make them our very brand, as does WILLIAM MACDONALD: “The Savior’s Words are ‘absolute.’ He said that if we did not love Him supremely, more than our family and more than our own lives, we could not by His disciples. There is no half-way measure.” – ‘Believer’s Bible Commentary,’ 1995, p. 1427; edited

LAST THOUGHTS

I’ll now be brief, since I have again been wordy. The things being taught here constitute what some have come to use like a cheap shirt cliché: ‘Radical Christianity.’ Therefore, let me clear the lexicological air for us a bit with the able assistance of our brother in spiritual arms, NOAH WEBSTER, in his extraordinary ‘Dictionary’ of 1828.

RADICAL. “Pertaining to the ‘root or origin;’ original; fundamental; as a radical truth or error; Implanted by nature; native; constitutional; Primitive; original; underived; uncompounded.”

REFORM. “‘To change’ from worse to better; to amend; to correct; to restore to a former good state, or to bring from a bad to a good state; as, to reforma profligate man; to reform corrupt manners or morals. To abandon that which is evil and return to that which is righteous; the amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt or depraved; as the reform of parliamentary elections; reform of government [or a Church].”

CODA. Unless the American Church ‘Returns Radically’ to her Doctrinal roots and ‘stands’ for Christ without hesitation or compromise, casting off the filthy shackles of Donald Trump’s White Nationalism, then God ‘must’ severely Judge His houses of worship and all complicit leaders.

The Scriptures are sword-sharp in this matter, and you have heard them before.

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” – 1 PETER 4:17-18, AMP

Where indeed, beloved? Where shall He find you standing when He Arrives, and for whom? Make sure, with all of your heart and mind and might, that He finds you standing only on THE HILLS OF THE LORD, and none other.

That is to say, Sinai, the Place of the Law. That is also Golgotha, the Place of Skull and Cross and Resurrection. And that is the Mount whereby we shall all, finally, ‘Go up,’ or ‘Eleia’ in the Greek, from the Place of the Olive Trees, to the New Jerusalem.

On those Hills, beloved, and none other.

Ever your servant, DK

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