Sinking Into the Abyss
You know, when I think of the way we are in our world today, with personal and corporate greed, the wars, the loss of freedoms, the financial bondage, the violence in our cities, the undefended war against our wonderful God, our meek acceptance of a new milk-toast form of a Christianity that once made us great, the resulting loose morals of both young and old, our surrender to poverty for the many, inadequate education and poor leadership devoid of statesman, what emerges is the inevitable picture of a society in its last gasps. The Burning of Baltimore is just the latest symptom.
In their nostalgic look at the movie industry, the Statler Brothers portrayed it with their musical number, “Whatever happened to Randolph Scott” but looking at just America, a song could be written “Whatever happened to the Land of the Free”.
Britain is perhaps only a smidgeon behind the decline of America, an election commentator might describe it as “too close to call”. Other Israel nations, like Australia, Canada and New Zealand, are doing their best to catch up to the decline but perhaps what is holding them from falling completely over the cliff is the still Israelite influence in their leadership. Still, America is leading the way down, proving only that she cannot stray that far from the Laws of God without the curses of Deuteronomy 28 stifling her very existence. Think only of verse’s 43 warning of the strangers getting power, or verse 48 depicting a nation where poverty reigns and continual work is demanded of most who are paid just enough to keep them going or they are permitted to eek out a living from some form of entitlement. Quite a departure from the golden days of Solomon where “…. Every man dwelt safely and under his fig tree”. (1 Kings 4:25)
So, here we are, on the doorstep of two very significant dates, July 1st (Canada’s Birthday) and July 4th (America’s Declaration for Independence). And we will celebrate as usual despite the changes that have taken place in our nations. Young people don’t remember what it was like so what they experience in our countries seems normal. But most of us who read this magazine are older and some of us can remember the events of the last great decade, the 1950’s. I wrote it before but as I think back, I cannot help but hum the little western tune, “it seems like years and a million tears since I left my old home town.” As I hum, I’m thinking about my country, and I’m thinking about America, not as they are today, but how we used to be sixty years ago. It may sound corny but I miss Canada and America of those days. We were truly something special, lands overflowing with “milk and honey,” so to speak, and the pride of our citizens was just not seen in flag-waving ceremonies, it was a part of our daily lives. Even our corporations and governments were, for the most part anyway, caught up in a more responsible attitude toward patriotism and the interests of the nations’ peoples. Amidst all of this was our anchor, the Almighty God Jesus Christ, standing prominently in the center of all that made us truly great. It really was a wonderful era.
Sadly, that was then and this is now. The wind of change has all but brought true Israel to its knees. It would be silly, of course, to say that times were not already changing for the worse in the 1950’s. Yet, the transition to what we have become today was not discernible to most of us, it took many more years, but the regrettable change came clearly into focus by the time Canada celebrated its 100th birthday in 1967 and even more so by the time the United States marked the occasion of its 200th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence in 1976. It’s hard to believe that 48 and 39 years respectively have elapsed since those celebrations but there is no mistaking the way our lands have been reshaped. Much of the change, particularly technological, has been of enormous benefit, yet on the other hand it was these very same advances that helped in the modification of our society.
So, here we are, at the mid-point in this very precarious year of 2015. The societies we knew sixty years ago are totally changed, they are dead, buried and forgotten. Interesting how this year of 2015 is 60 years away from the mid-point of the last great decade. And according to noted evangelist Ed Vallowe, the number “60” stands for pride and we have to ask ourselves, “Has pride brought us down”. Let’s look at just some biblical examples of pride, as they relate to True Israel and our decline from greatness.
“And I will break the pride of your power …” (Lev. 26:18)
Therefore pride compasseth them as a chain; violence covert them as a garment”. (Psalm 73:6)
“Pride goeth before destruction …” (Proverbs 16:18)
“A man’s pride shall bring him low” (Proverbs 29:23)
“And the pride of Israel testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity …” (Hosea 5:5)
“… lest be lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Tim 3:6)
Imagine if we had the values of sixty years ago, the discoveries and advances of the past decades and the aborted children, both of yesteryear and today, in our midst? What a powerful society we would be on the world scene. America and Canada would be two of the inspirational lights of the world and truly a blessing to all nations as God promised Abraham. Strangers would not be in control of our destinies, we would not in financial bondage and we would not be hated throughout the world. In short, we would be nations under God.
Alas, it’s not so! And the Bible tells us so. One passage is particularly relevant to the times. The prophet Daniel, in the prophetic end time Chapter 12, made a critical statement in Verse 7, a state of affairs from which there is no escape for True Israel. The Ferrar Fenton translation interprets it thusly, “and when they have completely broken to pieces the Power of the Holy People, all these would be accomplished.” You know, for most Israelites in America and Canada, it is difficult to comprehend this “breaking the power of the Holy people” primarily because Mystery Babylon still provides us with basic comforts. Still, as God Almighty told us in Leviticus 26:18, “And I will break the pride of your power …”
And so, the Esau dominion yoke around the neck of True Israel is tightening year to year and cannot be broken by any human means. We of True Israel can only read the signs of the seasons and pray that the day will be soon coming when Jesus Christ intervenes and we will then understand the prophecy of Ezekiel 34:27, “…. And they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them”.
