September 2001 - Volume 16, Issue 9

THIRD AND FINAL WARNING

"The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come. Israel knows! The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and great enmity." (Hosea 9:7)

It has been a couple of days since returning back from Washington DC, the actual scene of the great tragedy that has befallen us, to finally begin to digest the horror that has struck America. Many voices are crying out, many so-called "Biblical interpretations" are being served up to try to make sense and assuage the shock that has pierced the heart of our beloved land. Most unfortunately, still seem incapable of discernment at a time America desperately needs to hear a clear trumpet sound that will lead her to repentance and the acknowledgment of the truth.

Many pastors and televangelists are seeking to comfort the Church in America by declaring that this incident is not associated with the judgment of the Lord upon a wicked, whorish nation that has abandoned Him, defied His authority, and trashed His holy laws. In fact, some have had the audacity to suggest that this was retaliation of the devil for our "obedience" in standing with Israel. Thus the same mindset that has produced the staggering disobedience in our nation and the subsequent wrath of God upon our heads will most likely continue unabated, until we are either brought to the dust like our idols or we humbly return to the Lord. Let us pray, believe, and work for the latter rather than the former.

"They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. Peace, peace, they say, when there is no peace." (Jeremiah 6:14)

I’ve heard comments that God is not directly responsible for this act against the idols of America, that He would never become a terrorist and kill people. One can only try to imagine what Bible they read. One can only scratch one’s head and wonder what brand of theology has produced this kind of deluded commentary. In Amos 3:6, the Lord God Jehovah asks these rhetorical questions, "When a trumpet sounds in a city do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" These questions are written to a people who should know better. They should know that God can and does visit cities and people with disaster.

Who was it that rained strange fire from the sky that incinerated Sodom? Who was it that enveloped the earth with a flood and wiped out the entire population on the earth, save those on Noah’s ark? Who was it that drowned Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea? Who was it that sent an angel that massacred 185,000 Syrian soldiers in one night? Who was it that struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for lying to the Holy Ghost? Who was it that sent an angel and struck king Herod dead while the worms feasted upon him? And who was it that gave us this warning in the book of Revelations?   "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that women Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and beguile My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sick bed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation unless they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death. And all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts."   (Revelation 2:20-23)

How many accounts do we read in Holy Writ where God lifts His hand of protection and actually inspires His enemies to strike His people as a judgment? It is a constant theme in the Scriptures and yet we act as though the Lord is incapable, unwilling, or that this aspect of the Lord is somehow inconsistent with Biblical teaching. Yet God’s word declares, "For I am the Lord, I do not change." (Malachi 3:6a) Obviously, God does personally, directly, and forthrightly kill and bring sickness upon people who refuse to repent. He doesn’t just lift His hand of protection and allow tragedy to strike. He often in the Scriptures is personally involved in striking down His enemies and bringing chastisements upon His people. To teach otherwise is flat out heresy, false doctrine, and a complete misrepresentation of the Bible and the righteous and just character of our Lord. Can there be any wonder why there is still no fear of God in our land that will bring us to depart from our wicked ways?

Brothers and sisters, our nation can no longer refuse to see the terrible signs and judgments that are coming upon us. Flip and I and many other Rescue leaders have consistently warned these days were swiftly coming to pass, lest we repent. We warned that God’s judgment would increase in frequency and intensity, lest we turn from our wicked ways of sexual perversion and child-killing. For thirty years God has patiently put up with our apathy, indolence, and lethargy. For thirty long years God has raised up His prophets to cry out that abortion, the shedding of innocent blood, will produce a rod of violence that will punish the iniquity of our nation. But just like the Scripture in Hosea 9:7 declares, anyone who would dare say that God is bringing punishment and recompense upon us for our great iniquities the people of the land and even many in the Church will consider these prophets fools and maniacs. As one who has fallen into this category, my only response is, I may be considered a foolish maniac in the eyes of many, but like Paul of old, I can honestly say, "I am innocent of all men’s blood, for I have not withheld the whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:26.27)

"AMERICA - THIS IS YOUR THIRD AND FINAL WARNING!"

We in the Church have been silent long enough! If we do not return to the God of our fathers, repent of and end child-killing and the open practice of sodomy, we will continue to reap the whirlwind of our own foolishness and bloody idolatry. God have mercy and God save America!

One Christian lawyer from a prominent Christian law firm that responded to the press release accused Flip of rejoicing about this great tragedy. Perhaps many of you reading my commentary will be tempted to think the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. Operation Save America is not Rush Limbaugh that arrogantly declares, "I told you so!" We tremble and our heart’s are broken and continue to break for America. The whole purpose for our life, ministry, and obedience to Christ was to somehow give God a reason to show mercy to America. Our righteous desire was to prevent this from happening in the first place. Our prayers, preaching, and prophetic message had one common denominator, "Lord, spare your people and remove the stain of bloodguiltiness from our land!" Alas, for some, it was too little, too late and that which we feared has finally come upon us. The only question that remains is will we awaken, repent, stop the killing of our children and the perversion that is running rampant in our nation or will we continue to harden our hearts, stiffen our necks and close our eyes and ears till we go the way of every other nation that dared shake their fist in the face of a Holy God!?

If Operation Rescue and Operation Save America were rejected, marginalized, and persecuted for our previous stand and warning to our nation, be assured the stakes have just been raised. We cannot back off now and pretend God’s word and warning wasn’t valid. To do so would make us a traitor to our country, offend the majesty of Heaven and insure our nation will not repent. Thus increasing the likelihood of greater chastisements to come until we do. No,  like Martin Luther of old, "Here we stand, we can do no less." Repent America or prepare to meet thy God!

Unlike us today, former preachers and statesmen did not share our approach to national tragedy. They knew national calamity was the result of national sin. Listen to the perspective of John Cotton, a Puritan pastor, in calling our fledgling nation to repentance for our hearts that had wandered from the Lord our God. "But when men thus depart, God usually followeth them with a bitter curse; either taking their lives away from them, or blasting them with poverty, or exposing them to scandal where they come, or entertaining them with such restless agitations that they are driven to repent of their former rashness, and many times return to the church from which they had broken away."

John Cotton and other pastors of the Colonial period were convinced that God was not going to be satisfied with superficial or temporary change. What the Lord demanded was what He had called for all along; nothing less than a complete amendment of life that conformed to His word, will, and way. This would necessitate the rooting out of all known sin that invoked God’s wrath upon the land. Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War finally came to the same conclusion and thus on March 30, 1863, he issued this historic Proclamation, Appointing a National Day of Prayer & Fasting. Let us prayerfully agree and turn back to Him who once was our great Benefactor, but has in recent days struck us as an enemy (Isaiah 63:9,10).