Blood-moons or a Bloody-earth?

     Last night was the final in the series of blood moons that have had the prophetic community on high alert. The whole “blood moon” movement, as I call it, has been at the forefront of those who study Bible prophecy. It has been almost all that they write about for a long time. Numerous books and thousands of articles have been written on this subject.  But I would submit to you that we should be far more concerned about a “bloody earth” than blood moons.  Just today I reread Jeremiah chapter 7 and trembled deep in my spirit. I fear that God is currently writing His, “mene, mene, teckel, upharsin” upon the walls of the United States. As I’ve watched the butchering and sale of babies in our “bloody earth” take a back seat to the furor over “blood moons” my heart has grieved over my own lack of brokenness and the lack of brokenness of the church about the horrific wickedness that has been perpetrated and defended in our land. I’ve also trembled as I’ve considered how the church in America thinks it will be spared the judgment of God because we’re in a Christian nation. Such a deception also existed in Judah too - and considering their end - I truly tremble when I think of the future of the United States in the days ahead.

 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house and proclaim there this word and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the LORD!'" Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. "Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.' "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.        Jeremiah 7:1-7

      God sent Jeremiah to prophesy at the gate of the temple in Jerusalem.  There were still droves of people who attended the worship there in Judah, even though the morals of the nation were quickly deteriorating among the worshippers. This in many ways mirrors our current situation in the United States where church attendance, though declining, is still high among a populace that goes to services.  But just like in Jeremiah’s day attendance is high - but godliness and our morals are low.  

      Jeremiah’s word from the Lord was clear - “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.  Do not trust in deceptive words saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” Here was what Jeremiah was addressing.  Too many in Jerusalem thought themselves immune from God’s judgment and disaster because of their religious heritage - illustrated by the fact that the “temple of the Lord” was in their midst. The people had completely divorced the reality of God’s call to practical godliness from their weekly religious practices. They did the religious thing - religiously! What is all this talk of judgment in light of how they attended worship weekly - and did all the religious holidays! You talk of judgment - but what about our awesome religious temple - the temple of the Lord! God would never judge the nation that has such a wonderful religious heritage!  Hey Jeremiah!  We were founded as a godly nation - as God’s people - as the place where His religious building was built! We trust in that building - in that religious heritage - in our past as His people! That was the cry of the people - and they thought they could ignore and declare the words of the prophet null and void because of it!

      Jeremiah declared that God does not view things this way. God was calling them, through Jeremiah, to amend their ways. Trusting in your religious heritage and your religious buildings was trusting in “deceptive words” according to God’s prophet.  Your previous religious heritage meant nothing if you were not treating each other with justice and righteousness. It meant nothing if innocent blood was being shed on the land.  It meant nothing if false gods were being followed instead of the Lord.  Let’s look at these issues one by one in this first installment on Jeremiah 7.

       Please understand that I do believe that we are guilty of injustice against the alien, orphan, and widow. But few things cause me to tremble as much as the tragic drama that is being played out about the butchery that has been occurring daily in our nation in the abortion industry. But even more terrifying is the general lack of response in brokenness and prayer to these horrors. 

      Abortion on demand has led to the death of over 50 million unborn babies in our nation. The clarion call for absolute autonomy over our sexual decisions has led to abortion being elevated to a birth control choice. This has led to over 4000 abortions a day in our nation - many for no other reason than sex selection or a pregnancy being a hindrance to what we want at the time. But with the recent revelation of the house of horrors called, Planned Parenthood, where babies are being killed and then dismembered for sale and profit, our nation has faced a decision on a whole new level of the carving up of the unborn.  

       The videos of this are almost too macabre to even discuss - because they involve carefully aborting babies and then slicing them up to sell organs.  One video even reveals that babies are being beheaded so that their decapitated heads can be sold to the highest bidder. God is already furious over the shredding of babies or their being burned alive in the womb by abortion. The revelation of the callous butchery of babies by Planned Parenthood for profit may be the last straw in this matter, revealing just how far we’ve descended into the moral abyss of our own wickedness. 

       The fact that we have a political party defending this organization - and another party without the moral fortitude to stand up until this butchery is stopped - reveals just how morally bankrupt our nation has become.  There is no real hope that any kind of political solution is coming. The fact that there is even debate about this is shocking! We should not turn first to the political realm to address this.  We should be turning to God - in repentance for allowing it to happen - then in extraordinary prayer as we cry out for it to stop immediately! But let me be clear - God is not interested in just stopping the carving up of these precious little ones - He demands that they stop being killed period. He demands that the sexual immorality that leads to these pregnancies be repented of and abandoned. He calls us to holiness - not just to trying to move the peg of sexual insanity back one step. This will NEVER happen by political action alone. If there is not a truly brokenhearted cry for our own sins first - and then the sins of our fathers and our nation second - there will not be revival, which I truly believe will be the FIRST step we must take to address these things.  

       To turn to religion and high profile religious figures to stop this “bloody earth” event also will not work. I thank God for the few who have blown the trumpet to warn us of what is coming if we do not repent and turn from shedding innocent blood. But the church is not even issuing a clear call on this matter. The fact that a visit by the head of the Roman Catholic church, who have long championed the unborn, did NOT mention once this godless holocaust and harvest of the unborn, reveals just how void of God our religiousness has become.  If we don't have the moral fortitude to stand up against this horrific harvesting of the unborn for profit - an act reminiscent of Nazi Germany under Hitler - why should God, for any reason, not bring His judgment without mercy to our nation? We bicker about whether we should shut down our government as a political ploy - when honestly - we should be flooding the altars of our land with our tears of repentance and brokenness. We should be gathering in our public squares due to a call of the Holy Spirit (not due to a political or religious movement calling for a day of prayer) to pray and weep over such horrors. We don’t need a day of prayer - which has become far more a day of speeches and political posturing - we need a day of public repentance, humiliation, and confession of our sins and rebellion against God. Let us issue THAT call - much like that issued by President Lincoln - and see how much public support we receive. I would fear that such a clear call would make even evangelical churches back away - squeamish over how the public might view the political correctness of such language.  

        Where are the Elijahs of God, who hide themselves in prayer and then confront the Baal worship of our day?  Where is the Moses of our land, who publicly rebukes the sin of the people, then goes before God for 40 days of prayer - pleading that God does not destroy them due to their sins? Where are the Ezras, who throw themselves before the steps of the church and government, literally tearing out their own hair as they weep for the sins of our nation - and the sins of the church? Oh that we would see men stand in the gap in these perilous times!  

       Now the the “blood moon” event is over - let me propose a far more important event that should arrest our attention. Let me call it - “The Bloody-earth” event. This is an event without any promotion - except that graciously given by the Spirit of God as He bears witness in the hearts of God’s people.  This is an event that starts this Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - at any church service in our land. It is a call to prayer for God’s people. The blood moon event spoke of a major change coming due to its arrival.  The “bloody-earth” event is a call for us to wake up to the reality that, starting many years ago (at least 1973), we’ve been filling our land with innocent blood that cries out for God’s judgment on America. It affirms that God has upped the stakes by revealing the butchery that is taking place in our land by the hands of those at Planned Parenthood. It reveals that we are complicit with this if we do not cry out for God in repentance for our sins - and also beseech Him to move in such a way that revival comes to His church - and awakening to our land - and that due to His hand - this butchery ceases. (I want to make it perfectly clear that any kind of violent response to Planned Parenthood or any other abortion provider is wrong and is wickedness. We do not advance the agenda of our God by violence - but by prayer and by His changing of hearts.) This is a call to personal and corporate repentance, brokenness over sin, and prayer.  It is NOT just a call for a day of prayer - but for a undefined season of prayer.  The event has been successful if and only if a revival of prayer, broken hearted confession of sin and repentance, and turning to God with all our hearts happens - and continues. The success of this event is not defined by numbers - but by hearts wholly given to God. 

       The “blood-moon” hysteria lasted and grew for almost a year and a half.  It reached huge proportions as books and entire prophecy events popularized it.  Dearest saints of God - it is not a blood-moon or series of blood-moons which should arrest our attention in this day. What should be deafening us - if we are awake to God’s call - is His call to respond to a “bloody-earth.”  Oh that God would get our attention - and that Wednesday night would be a time where His people come together to respond, repent, return to Him.  Oh that pastors would face saints who cry out for a prayer meeting so that we can corporately cry out for revival among us - and restoration in our land. Here in my parting question . . . we responded in droves to the information about the blood moon - will we respond to His call about the “bloody-earth?”

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