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Just recently I've finished reading through the prophets in the Old Testament. I do this at least once a year as I read through the Bible. This year, however, their voice is reverberating in my mind and heart as I look at our nation and what God is currently doing. Let me share with you what I saw this year - and how it relates to our nation, our coming election, and the difficulties and disasters which I believe are in our future. Please also let me share why God, in His sovereign providence, is allowing them.
First, I need to comment on the state of the church leading up to this coming election. As the saints of God we are to get our marching orders from heaven. Those directives come to us through the Scriptures. I fear that too many in the conservative wing of the evangelical think that their marching orders are coming from the RNC or the Tea Party. There is an errant notion that by electing Governor Romney as president and a Republican majority in the House and Senate - our problems will be on the way to being solved in this nation. Even though I believe in voting in elections and seeking for political action toward things like abortion, homosexual marriage, racism, and matters of justice and righteousness - I do not see the United States government (even if it is the hands of conservatives) doing a whole lot to advance righteousness in America. They may use such things as election issues - but I've been burned to many times over 32 years of voting by their actual ruling looking little like their stump speeches. Also, I seem to notice in Matthew 28:18-19 that Jesus did not call us to go and make Republicans of all the nations. We are called to God's will in conduct, purpose, principle, and action. That won't fly in any political arena in present day politics. And I am not willing to cede the work of the gospel to those who are offended that the Bible presents truths that show that Muslims, Mormans, Hindus, Buddhists, and anyone else who does not repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are lost and destined for God's judgment. Such things are not up for a vote. As I've read the prophets this year I've been somewhat overwhelmed with the reality that God commands us to repent and return to Him. If we do not repent - if we continue to serve other gods - gods acceptable to our culture and acceptable to our flesh - God will begin bringing difficulties upon His people. The prophets thunder with God's unrelenting call to Himself. They do not apologize that God is sovereign. They do not apologize for His moral standards. They do not apologize that God authoritatively calls men to worship and serve Him only. And they certainly do not want to make adjustments so that the Baal worshippers, the Asherah-adherants, and the worshppers of other false gods can feel more comfortable and be a part of a "big-tent." The prophets say things very offensive to a multi-cultural world - not so much to the culture - but to anything driven by a culture's embrace of false deities. But God is not focused on the "lost" in the prophets. He is focused on His people - those who should know better. He is focused on calling His people to much needed repentance. What happens in a society when its Christians refuse to return and to repent? According to the prophets, God begins to remove first His blessing and later His protection from them and from their nation. If you've ever read the prophets you know that over time this can get very rough. God will allow earthquakes, disasters, and military conquest to overtake His people. Israel and Judah experienced horrific consequences for their love of foreign gods and the lifestyles that came with them. Baal and Asherah embraced a lifestyle of sexual immorality. Marriage was denigrated as first men committed heterosexual immoralities - and eventually moved on to homosexuality as well. Those who think the 1960's ushered in free love, know little about how far Israel and Judah fell in their pursuit of these false deities. The worship of Molech led many to sacrifice their babies in a firey death. Those who see such a thing as disgusting should remember the modern day Molech - Planned Parenthood - who promote the sacrifice of babies for the sake of supposed greater sexual freedom. Actually what they are getting is greater sexual bondage in the guise of immorality without consequences. Then there is the immorality that disguises itself as free trade, or socialism, or communism, or any other "ism" that takes precedent over Scriptural principles of business or government. You see, our culture is not all that different from the days of the prophets. We have just named things with a more sophisticated name - hiding the hideousness of what they truly are. We've also got better at lying about the true nature of things while ignoring Scripture - and occasionally insulting God and the way that He needs to improve His own image by becoming far more "hip" and "culturally-sensitive." The truth is, WE are Israel and Judah in the times of the prophets! WE have our modern day worship of Baal, Asherah, and Molech - along with calls for accepting the gods of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and a host of cults embraced even by political candidates of our day (oops, did I say that out loud - nope, just wrote it). But the church is different, some may assert! But my question to you is to take a long look at her and answer the question, "Is it?" Do you see a movement of repentance and return in the church today? Do you see scores of people in broken repentance and prayer meetings where they are crying out for revival? Do you see the church expanding its evangelsitic outreach the point of being persecuted by groups whose numbers are being decimated by the number of people being saved? Do you see complaints by wicked businesses Who sell porn and other ungodly products that the church and her efforts in evangelism is hurting their bottom line? God calls us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 to "humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. Read of the revivals that took place in the 1700-1800's. Read of what took place on a far wider scale in our country. Imagine what they would look like in our day - a revival driven by repentance, brokenness, and prayer. A revival with the aisles filled with repentant church members - and others being radically saved from sin. What then am I trying to say through all this? After reading the prophets . . . honestly - I'm concerned - no - I'm scared. We are about to be ushered into MORE discipline as a nation - and that discipline is meant to wake-up God's people to repentance, prayer, and brokenness. I don't want to say this - but sense the need to do so for the sake of the saints who read this. We are about to experience events that will make 9-11 look like a picnic in the park. God tried to wake us up by allowing that disaster to come upon us. We didn't wake up though. Therefore - more is coming. Far worse is coming. Do I know what that will be? No, because I am not a prophet. But I can tell you that things like a devastating earthquake come to mind. Military disasters that involve the destruction of entire armies have happened to God's people. Drought and famine are also options for God. He has soereignly allowed the destruction of entire cities - whch is terrifying in our day of bombs that can do that in a matter of moments. With our current arrogance toward money - a complete financial collapse unlike anything we've ever seen is very possible. All these things and a dozen others are possible - even probable considering our currrent lack of response to God's call to pray and seek His face. I read recently where the Mississippi river is at historic lows. If the drought we are in continues, it is possible to see the Mississippi so low that no boat traffic is allowed. That will cut off over 300 million dollars of commerce a day. That is a monthly total of 9 billion dollars of our economy stifled. The prognosticators said that would throw our natin into depression within 2 months. Kind of sobering isn't it? I can hear the comment, "Why are you writing stuff like this, pastor John?" Do you get some kind of sick thrill scaring people to death? NO! A thousand times NO! That is not my intent. My intent is to help wake up Christians to what is looming in our future. Do you really think God is going to continue to bless our nation as it is currently going? Do you really think that the church is not going to be affected by what happens in our nation? Do you really think that by maintaining a positive confession in the midst of such spiritual squallor that we will be delivered? God is going to continue allowing greater and greater disasters and troubles to come upon us until we repent, drop to our knees, and begin to cry out in desperate prayer for revival in the church and spiritual awakening in our land! This is not going to magically get better - neither is it going to be averted by electing a Morman as president and a group of Tea Party conservatives to the Congress - who have NO INTENT on addressing the moral and spiritual rot of the church and our country. We are currently as blind as Israel and Judah during the times of the prophets. The same situations and the same false prophets of health, wealth, prosperity, and "nothing bad is going to happen to us" exist today. The political leaders (kings in those days) who made a difference made it by leading the nation to repentance and a whole-hearted return to God. Such a leader who would start doing this in our day - would most likely be impeached for such actions.
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There are now at least 24 states which according to the federal government are disaster areas because of a severe drought. As we hear the usual drivel of how this is pointing to the so-called fact of global warming – there is an answer that we seldom turn to in the midst of times like this. Over the past several years we’ve watched officials from Alabama and Texas turn to prayer for rain – but even then no one was willing to say what needs to be said about a drought coming to a nation. It is time that this elephant in the Christian living room be addressed – and we begin seriously considering that not only drought – but very soon even famine are likely headed our way in the United States of America. But before I get ahead of myself, let me give you a little biblical background. First let us read a passage in Jeremiah about such things.
That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah in regard to the drought: "Judah mourns And her gates languish; They sit on the ground in mourning, And the cry of Jerusalem has ascended. "Their nobles have sent their servants for water; they have come to the cisterns and found no water. They have returned with their vessels empty; They have been put to shame and humiliated, And they cover their heads. "Because the ground is cracked, For there has been no rain on the land; The farmers have been put to shame . . . These opening verses in Jeremiah 14 speak of a drought. This was a devastating drought that hit the land of Judah – and eventually ruined their agriculture. If you want to know what caused this drought – you only need to read further in the passage. "Although our iniquities testify against us, O LORD, act for Your name's sake! Truly our apostasies have been many, we have sinned against You. "O Hope of Israel, Its Savior in time of distress, Why are You like a stranger in the land Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night? "Why are You like a man dismayed, Like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet You are in our midst, O LORD, and we are called by Your name; Do not forsake us!" Thus says the LORD to this people, "Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account." Jeremiah 14:1-10 The problem was the sin of Judah and Jerusalem. Note that their iniquities and apostasies were testifying against them. Also see that later we read that they “loved to wander – and did not keep their feet in check from wandering from God’s way. Since 1973 we have killed over 40 million babies, whose blood is spattered across this nation’s land. Currently, we are embracing sexual immorality through pornography, open fornication without apology, entertainment that regularly derides biblical morality, and trashing marriage as an institution of God. We are embracing easy divorce, open marriages, and now homosexual perversion as well as heterosexual. We recently watched a business openly trashed because its founder dared to stand for biblical morality in marriage and sexuality. And a major city boasted that it proudly stood for what God calls an abomination – even stating that it would not longer allow this business to expand into its region. And we wonder why there is drought in our country? Honestly – there should be wholesale famine raging in our land. It is the height of mercy that God has not withheld rain from all 50 states and devastated every crop we seek to grow. Next I want you to read this passage from Haggai on drought. Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?" Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways! "You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes." Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways! "Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified," says the LORD. "You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?" declares the LORD of hosts, "Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. "Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. "I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands." Haggai 1:3-11 Haggai made it clear that Israel had brought a drought upon themselves. God Himself called for the drought on every form of food production. The reason is very interesting. It was because they were all living in bigger and bigger houses – making them more and more ornate – all the while God’s house was desolate. This refers to the temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem at the time – but the parallel is frightening for us today. We are not called to build a physical temple in a city. But the temple today in the New Testament is the believer himself or herself! We are a temple of the Holy Spirit of God according to New Testament doctrine. The church corporately is being built together into a “dwelling of God in the Spirit.” We’ve given ourselves to bigger and better when it comes to our own homes – but have left our spirit’s desolate and without the proper care. The way that God deals with this is to call for a drought according to Haggai. Could it be that the desolate state of the church in the United States of America is the cause for this drought – as well as the immorality and ungodliness that runs rampant in our land? Could it be that it is not only the murder of the innocents and their blood spilt on our ground that cries for drought – but also the morose state of affairs in God’s church – our lack of revival? The ground in over half of the farmland of our nation is baking under intense heat and from what I see on my “Weather Channel” app on my phone – it doesn’t look like any end is in sight – at least for the next 10 days. By then the crops in our area will most likely be baked to death. So – here is my question for us. 2 Chronicles 7:14 in its full context deals exactly with our current state of affairs. But the question for all of us is honestly very simple. Are we ready to get on our knees yet for some very serious importunate prayer? If not – we can wait until the beginnings of the famine which I believe is about to overtake us if we do. It is time to get very serious about praying until the Lord moves in revival in His church as well as restoration in our nation. Neither President Obama nor Governor Romney can do ANYTHING about what is happening now. It is the hand of God – and it is the payment for years of angering God with our sin and our indifference to the innocent blood and rampant immorality that pollute our land daily. Let us pray . . . One of the things that will happen during the beginning of the seven year tribulation period of Revelation 6 is famine and starvation. As Americans we do not begin to comprehend either of these things because of the abundance that we have in our country. But for the rest of the world, especially the horn of Africa, things have been very difficult. Starvation and famine have been a part of their lifestyle for years. But over the last couple of years things have gone from bad to worse, due to a drought that has struck the area hard of over the past two to three years.
This is not that odd for this region. The horn of Africa is on the edge of the Sahara Desert, which has been expanding for most of the last decade. But what is worse is that two years of horrific drought conditions have brought about the worst water and crop conditions since the great famine of 1950-51. It is estimated that about 10 million people in this region are experiencing severe food and water shortages. If 2012 turns out to be as bad a year agriculturally as the previous two, we will most likely see a famine and food shortage as great as any we’ve known in modern history. Let me quote Revelation 6:5-6 at this point of this post. “When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.’ This passage relates to us a situation in which a black horse is released with its rider. These two represent a time of severe famine and food shortage. The scales represent the unbelievably high prices for food staples like wheat, barley, oil, and wine. It reminds us that the seven year tribulation period will be marked by famine and food shortage. It is true that as long as the earth has been under the economic and agricultural conditions of the fall of man, there have been famines. But the one that seems to be looming in our near future is not quite like any we’ve ever known before. Currently, global stockpiles of corn, which is the most-consumed grain, are being forecast to fall to 47 days of use. According to the U.S.D.A there have not been numbers that low since 1974. Some might think that this is not too bad – and would be normal under cycles that exist in the agricultural world. The real problem though is that as these inventories continue to decline, demand continues to rise. Making matters worse is the problems that are occurring all over the world in regard to food production. This past year we have watched the following problems hit all over the world. In Russia a record setting heat wave severely hurt their grain crop moving the government to put restrictions on exporting wheat to other countries. Other countries like China, Brazil, Australia, and Pakistan have had bad flooding in several key agricultural areas. In the United States we watched the state of Texas fry with drought and heat – while areas of Missouri, Kentucky, and Illinois were purposely flooded to avoid unprecedented disaster on the Mississippi River. By the way, those areas were all farm land. Their ability to grow crops in these regions was limited greatly. Worldwide, crop production is either at historic lows – or has been hindered altogether. Even Europe is seeing near record lows in rain, presenting northern Europe with a drought that has dropped forecasts of agricultural production through the floor. These worldwide events have led to extreme rises in the price of food. The global price of food in general has risen over 35% in the last year. This caps off a recent report by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization that states that the global price of food has risen 240% since 2004. Since over half the population of Africa spends approximately 50% of their annual income on food alone – rising prices like these will quickly outstrip their ability to buy food at all. That is why in Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Uganda, and Egypt there have already been “Food Riots.” These are gatherings of people who are rioting because of severe shortages of food. The United States ships out massive amounts of food each year to the rest of the world. If there is a financial meltdown in our country, these shipments will be interrupted – if not halted altogether. If we think it is bad now, have the U.S. cut back or stop their supplies of food to the rest of the world. That will result in global food shortages – and possibly worldwide famine. For the first time in modern history, it does not look like the statements made in Revelation 6:5-6 are all that difficult to imagine. Prepare your hearts dear saints of God – rough times are indeed ahead of us – but so is the coming of our Lord! |
 What is the Prophecy/News Update?At Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro, we believe that history is moving toward fulfilling God's plans and purposes. In an effort to help us be prepared for His appearing - and also to chronicle news items you just won't see in the national media - this page is devoted to sharing those items and their possible significance to 
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