From Sin to Incompetence
Thus Falls a Christian Nation
Isaiah 3:1“Note this! The Lord God of the Heavenly Armies is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah everything that your society needs – your supply and support, water and food, 2 the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the fortune-teller and the elder, 3 the commander of fifty and the man of rank, and the counselor, the expert designer, and the eloquent prayer warrior.
As I heard this scripture the Lord said, “This is America, the Christian nation. All that is important to your future you have abandoned. Your judges have declared you are no longer mine. All that is necessary for me to bless you have disdained. You have become altogether like those nations you have fled to come to this place of freedom. I gave you the freedom to serve me and you have abandoned your place. Remember Nebuchadnezzar when he declared, “Look at this Babylon that I have created (Daniel 4:30).”
You brag at your strength as it fails and your wisdom when you have abandoned it. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, but…you…have…not.
4 “I will make youths their princes, and infants will rule over them.
Undisciplined fools and arrogant children will rule over you. The wisdom of my word which I have poured into those of great age you will abandon. Their wisdom will die with them and you will have none. They are fools and uneducated you say; but they walk in my wisdom and with such wisdom I will destroy the wisdom of your wise. Indeed saith the Lord; professing yourself to be wise you have become fools.
Your science is full of errors, your pride will not allow you to admit your error and your lack of integrity will twist you into what you say you loathe (Proverbs 1:7). You call evil good and good evil and none will remain to explain the error (Isaiah 5:20-21).
5 People will oppress one another— It will be man against man and neighbor against neighbor. The young will be disrespectful to the old, and the worthless to the honorable.
No longer do parents raise their children to be respectful. You make them twice the brutes and ten times as abusive as you are. They will not listen nor keep their words. The honorable man will be cheated and the courts will be filled with those who cannot admit their own responsibility. You accuse the honest and seal it with lies. You pat yourself on the back for your deception. Your children will be worse than you.
6 “For a man will grab his brother in his own father’s house, and say, ‘You have a clothes to wear, so you be our leader, and this heap of ruins will be under your rule!’
In the end you have no honor, no integrity and no hope. All will collapse and anyone with a suit of clothes will be the leader of the nation. Knowing that the end is come, hope will be dashed to pieces.
7 “At that time he’ll cry out in protest! He’ll say, ‘I won’t be your healer, binding up and covering you. I have neither food nor clothing in my house! You’re not going to make me a leader of the people!’
Those who have a tiny bit will not want to lead. They will refuse any honor and keep what little they have to themselves. They will refuse to help and not want to bring healing. President Kennedy once said, “Do not ask what your nation can do for you but what you can do for your nation.” Their answer to that is, “Nothing.”
8 “For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because what they say and do pushes against the Lord; they defy His Glorious presence.
Men call the Eternal God who created the Heavens and the Earth a sky fairy. They call the servants of the Lord fools and ignorant savages. They worship demons and follow doctrines of devils and ignore the lives that built this nation.
9 “The sneer on their faces witnesses against them. They parade their sin around like Sodom; they don’t hide it.
Today the homosexual lobby posted the names of all Christian Colleges who applied for religious exemption so they do not have to hire LGBT professors or bow to LGBT students. They accuse Christians of having a doctrine of hatred while doing everything to destroy everyone who does not agree with them. They sneer at the love of God and parade their sin around like Sodom whose men wanted to molest the angelic host who came to visit Lot. Not only do they not hide their sin; they revel in it. They have pride parades with bright colors and music and chanting to declare that they have abandoned all that is holy.
How horrible it will be for them, because they have brought disaster on themselves!”
The fall comes. It will come as a great shock and terror. At every demand of God they will have no acceptable answer, knowing they have denied every reasoned argument they have heard and worse have denied His only begotten Son Jesus. In addition they have gone after the Christians who they suppose have prevented them from knowing real open love. They have cursed and maligned and lied on the Christians and God is calling them on their sin.
10 “Tell the righteous that things will go well, because they will enjoy (eat) the fruit of their actions.”
How wealthy are you? Have you ever heard the saying, “An embarrassment of riches?” In 1726 a Frenchman wrote a play by that name. The origins of that title go far beyond that simple play. An English play was written hundreds of years later by the same title. In it a family was said to have an embarrassment of riches because they had four cars (an incredible number for the time), and didn’t even have room in the driveway for them all.
God told the disciples who had two coats to give one to someone who has none. In this way, giving to the poor, you are lending to God. Proverbs 19:13 says, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he (God) pay him again.” Giving to the poor is opening an account in Heaven (Matthew 19:21).
The Lord told me I would be wealthy. Looking at my life thus far and hearing his declaration against the ungodly of this nation I can hardly credit this happening in my lifetime. I’m just not a wheeler dealer. I’m not saying that He can’t or won’t do it but that He doesn’t have to. I don’t have to be living in this body to reap this reward. I can store up in heaven these very same blessings. My reward will then be eternal and not lost when I die.
This promise is not likely to be obtained by the sinners who will be left to take over all things. It is also not likely to be obtained by carnal ‘Christians’ who refuse to trust God or pay tithes or walk by faith and not by sight. Most churches operate on the edge of failure, barely kept afloat by God’s grace. Perhaps it is because most Christians give only a tithe of their tithes and live on the edge of financial ruin. God is telling us to live by the Word. You might be killed. Isaiah is said to have been sawn in half either by a wooden saw or inside a hollow log. Whatever your end on this earth, your eternity will be all the brighter.
11 “How terrible it will be for the wicked! Disaster is headed their way, because what they did with their hands will be done to them (Matthew 7:2, 1 Samuel 15:33, Psalm 109:17, Isaiah 33:1, Jeremiah 34:17, Mark 4:24, Luke 6:38).
We Christians have been accused of being rude, arrogant, prideful and threatening toward sinners for hundreds, even thousands of years. We are told that our time has come to an end and that we must learn to be ‘accepting.’ In other words; we must join the Whore of Babylon and learn to ‘ride the beast (Revelation 17). It is this great, reasonable, ecumenical movement that is going to make friends with the Antichrist and try to conquer God Himself. Frankly, after reading the end of the book; I think I’ll have to pass on that honor.
God wasn’t kidding when He said that whoever curses Israel is cursed and whoever blesses Israel is blessed. Far too many who call themselves Christian stand right beside those who demand the destruction of Israel. We who support Israel must also expect to be hated for His Name’s sake and suffer persecution as well.
Every level and type of abomination that these pagans and false Christians heap upon God’s people will be heaped upon them. Those who they kill will demand this reckoning. Only through God’s mercy and the blood of Jesus can anyone be saved from this terrible coming judgment.
12 “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.
This scripture may not mean that literal children are our oppressors; though it can. The word used in earlier verses means one who is not yet perfected or become mature. It can mean a child or just an immature and ill tempered adult. Britain and other places have passed laws banning spanking. This goes directly against God’s commandment. He said that foolishness is in the heart of a child and the rod drives it far from him. I’ve had to pray for people who were afraid of their ten and even five year old children and wanted to know what to do. If I tell them I am accused of child abuse.
The second part gave me pause. I have had many women supervisors who I considered to be wise and gracious. Having said this, God is pretty clear that a nation being ruled by a woman rather than by a godly qualified man is not His best choice. We read in Genesis that Eve was deceived but Adam chose to sin knowing what the cost would be. Frankly, none of us can do God’s will without God’s grace. I’ve heard the argument that there is neither male nor female in Christ. This is true as far as it goes but there are males and females. We think differently. We would rule differently. According to this verse; God considers a nation that cannot produce and put forward a godly and qualified male leader is a nation that does not deserve His blessings.
My people, your leaders are misleading you— devouring your path.
Look at the current upcoming elections. Which is more apparent? We have someone who speaks pridefully and arrogantly about their qualifications and frequently says, “Look at this great _____ I have created!” How is that different from Nebuchadnezzar just before God gave him the mind of an ox?
On the other hand we have a woman who has some political talent but has shown she cares very little for the security of this nation and has lied repeatedly on any number of subjects; some with national security implications.
Which is worse to God? Pride? Falsehood? Greed?
This goes on to say, “Your leaders are misleading you and devouring your path.” Our leaders used to at least try to serve God. Our constitution says we have the rights to life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness. This verse says they are denying that pursuit. They also intended to make their nation great; not simply make their fortunes. Solomon’s sole request for God was to give him wisdom to lead God’s people and because he didn’t ask for wealth, God gave him great wealth. I have no problem with wealthy leaders, but their money should not come from special interest groups whose special interests are to make us poor while making themselves rich.
People not only do not strive to put other ahead of themselves as God has said. They don’t even try to bring others along for the ride while they become rich. In a dog eat dog world; eventually all the dogs get eaten.
This isn’t a lesson for the world. This is a lesson for the church. God said, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you.” He also said, “If MY people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray… (2 Chronicles 7:14)” I’d rather do it God’s way. The blessings are eternal.
(to be continued…)
