National Suicide

Psalm 1 describes two very opposite paths. “The first is the righteous way where we are urged to seek happiness by following God’s Law and to meditate on God’s teaching. And if we do, ultimate success is certain”. This first path, of course, leads us to a life in Christ and a ticket to the glorious Kingdom of God. The other choice the Psalmist writes of is “the wicked way, where we can be swept away like wind or merely drift to ultimate destruction.”

Well, our Israel nations have two very different paths described to them as well. The sixty-six verses of Deuteronomy 28 outlines these very clearly. The first fourteen outline blessings and when you look back on our nations’ history, it was amazing to look at our prosperity and our place in the world. And all we as a nation really did in those days was to listen diligently to the voice of our Lord God and be watchful to do all His commandments which He established for our benefit. Well, we at least came close to obeying and that is why the Israel nations were once the envy of the world.

But, that was then and this is now, particularly over the past half century. We, collectively as a nation, are reaping the whirlwind of the curses outlined in the remaining fifty-four verses. All because we have fallen away from the Lord God and His commandments. It’s like someone being told at a young age that if they adopt a Biblical diet, adopt good thinking and other such things, like good breathing, they will live a healthy long life. Instead the young person opts for fast foods, all the wrong foods and the wrong pleasures of life and while they may have long life, they are invariably burdened with bad health and some crippling disease, like cancer.

To quote Glady’s M. Smith, an early 20th century writer, “Obedience has brought spiritual, moral and physical ascendancy. With disobedience has come disaster, disease and death.”

And so, thanks to the nations’ disobedience to God, we have almost completed the act of national suicide. We can never get out of the debt we have racked up and notwithstanding that it takes 50% of our incomes to service it, there is a growing thought that a portion of our assets will soon be taken as well to feed the debt monster. Natural disasters are occurring in our lands more frequently as time goes by and astute Bible scholars realize these are acts of God sent to punish us. Remember, after emphasizing that the end has come several times, God hurled these words at us, “Now will I shortly pour our my fury upon thee, and will accomplish mine anger upon thee, and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.” (Ezekiel 7:8)

There are many, many other curses brought upon us, including a nation that will come against us in war, but space doesn’t permit me to mention all. Still, there is one that must be cited because it has contributed to so much of our downfall. It is Deuteronomy 28:43, “The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.” I’ve mentioned the Esau Dominion in various past articles, as well as their collaborators and stooges and it would take a blind man not to see their overwhelming presence in government, business, education, media, the professions and even the sporting world.

Ever have this experience? When you tell a younger person about a less complicated and more wholesome life 50/60 years ago, you might get a response like, “But, Dad, this is the 21st century”, as if everything today is normal, and better. The prophet Jeremiah described these days best when he said, “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people [Israel] love to have it so”. It doesn’t matter whether referring to our Christian faith, our governing power, our business ethics, etc., we are caught up in a world of half-truths and this has become the weapon of change. I recall reading a line in a poem from the mid 1900’s, a line which seems to describe today’s attitude of ministers and influential leaders of all sorts, “They tangle the truth in a web of lies!” Certainly the majority of ministers and leaders don’t start out as described by Jeremiah but most get caught up in the prestige and power game.

And the Israelite people? Lost! Jesus describes us in Revelation 3:15 and then in verse 16, He tells us that we are neither hot nor cold, so He will spew thee out of His mouth. This simply means, “I will reject you. Of course, there are those Israelites that are not rejected, probably because they are Philadelphians, of which Jesus said, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation …” Yet, why would Jesus reject His People? Hosea 4:6 sets out the reason, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. It’s true! Most of True Israel haven’t bothered to study, they rarely open up the Holy Bible, but mainly listen to what is presented by ministers or television. What the enemies of Christ have learned that if you repeat something often enough, people who never search for themselves are easy prey for false teaching. And so, God goes on in Hosea 4:6, “because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee ….”

Is there hope? You bet! Still, both 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Hoses 5:15 tells us there is a stipulation before the Lord God intervenes; that we as Israelite nations must seek His Face, meaning we must go to our knees and ask for help. Hosea 6:1-3 describes the wording of the prayer, “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then we shall know … and he shall come unto us ….”

All the pieces are in place. All that’s left is that one more turn of the vice to wake up Israelites and the nations. What will it be? When will it happen? Soon I believe!