A Voice in the Wilderness
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" Summer has Ended - the Harvest is Past "
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the
breaking of the daughter of my people I am broken; I am in gloom; horror
has seized me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?
Why then has the healing of the daughter of my people not come?"
(Jer8:20-22)
Oh, what sadness! Oh, what despair! When a Believer contemplates the
fate of so many loved ones and acquaintances. Those relatives that one
grew up, assuming they were "Christians"; but the more one realizes
God's Truth from God's Word, and then meditates on the various responses
that come from these relatives regarding certain subjects, along with
the "witness" of the Spirit (Rom8:16), the stark realization in the
heart, "They are not saved! ..and they don't even know it! ..but there
is nothing I can do about it! ..they do not hear anything I say, instead
they rant against me!" Some of them, even, were in the ministry. But as
one sees the choices they are making in their lives, knowing the Word of
God that they have heard and been exposed to, realizing that their
"fruits" (Mt7:20) are making them manifest. In some cases, the thought
of their lostness stirs up such sadness and empathetic 'emptiness', that
one can go for entire mornings, day after day, stupefied. Tears welling
up in the eyes, ready to come streaming down.
This that is said about relatives, can also be said about groups of
people, collectively: Congregations, schools, seminaries, denominations,
missions organizations, radio ministries, etc.
This is the conclusion. Jeremiah weeping over Israel's state, as God's
judgment is to consume them. When summer is ended, the crops have been
raised and the harvest taken in. There is no more grain to combine,
there is no more corn to husk, the first frost has come and there are no
more tomatoes to pick. The fields and garden are bare. That's 'it'.
Whatever seeds didn't sprout, aren't going to. The corn that didn't
produce any ears because they were unfruitful, won't. The "TIME IS AT
HAND". (Rev22:10)
When the doors have been shut and the many come crying out "Lord, open
to us" (Lk13:25) the Master says, "I do not know you, from where you
are". BUT LORD! "Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name
throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?"
(Mt7:22) And He answers, "I NEVER KNEW YOU! DEPART FROM ME..!!" (vs23)
And suddenly, the light dawns upon those 'pretend christians'. All the
stuff that was being proclaimed to them, actually happened, just like
God's Word said it was going to. The Lord came and called His Believers
to be with Himself, and then God came and judged the world, and here we
are! We are 'stuck' outside. We are not saved! BUT IT'S TOO LATE!
Now, if the summer is "ended", obviously SOMETHING came before summer's
end. What? What was going on during the summer to cause such a state of
affairs that "we are not saved" at its end?
"They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return." (Jer8:5) As they are
on the other side of harvest, there will be plenty of time to reminisce.
Not only were they deceived, they "held fast" to their error. When God
sent many prophets to them "rising early and sending" (Jer25:4), they
would not listen or bow their ear. Instead, they would retort, "we will
not listen to you. But we WILL CERTAINLY DO" what we have determined to
do. (Jer44:16-17) This was not a casual 'slip-up' of "Oops! I made a
mistake... let me be corrected." No! They militantly proclaimed their
error. And when prophets would come along and show them from God's Word,
they would refuse to hear. In fact, not only did they "refuse to return"
(repent), they perverted God's Word into saying that "repentance" was,
even, "not necessary". How convenient! If we can convince ourselves
through our doctrine that repentance isn't necessary, then we can feel
guilt-free when we don't repent.
But God sees all this. "I listened and heard, but they did not speak
right; no man repented of his wickedness..." (Jer8:6)
Isn't this fascinating! 'Dumb' animals know how to behave. Sparrows know
when to build nests and raise their young. Cranes know when it's time to
fly south for winter, and back north for summer. The bears know when to
hibernate. You don't need to teach a kitten how to lick itself and groom
itself clean. But even though made in God's image (Gen1:26), "..my
people do not know the judgment of the LORD." (vs7b)
And for you who think we 'harp' on Translation Issues too much, notice:
"certainly the lying pen of the scribes has written falsely". (vs8b)
Scribes were the ones who copied the Scriptures. You see, all these
perVersions that people have been snatching up as they cast aside God's
Word... they get to the end of summer, the end of the harvest, and...
"we are not saved"! Remember that salvation comes through "hearing by
the Word of God". (Rom10:17) If they only have perVersions, and not
God's Word, they don't have the means to be saved. Notice it says "lying
pen". Who is the "father" of lies, but Satan! (Jn8:44) These
perVersions come straight from hell! And those who -rest- upon them...
hell is where they are going.
Over and over, and in many ways, God says, "Offer to God thanksgiving;
and pay your vows to the Most High; and call on Me in the day of
trouble; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." (Ps50:14)
God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked, "but rather that
the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn (repent), turn (repent) from
your evil ways; for why will you die..?" (Eze33:11)
BUT...to the wicked God says, Why do you play around pretending to be
"Christians"? Why do you pretend to preach? Why do you pretend to have
a church? The truth of the matter is, "Yea, you HATE TO BE TAUGHT, and
you TOSS MY WORDS BEHIND YOU." (Ps50:17)
Bible studies have not been Bible "studies" for decades! Around the same
time the perVersions started flooding christendom, studies gravitated
into being "discussion groups". Nobody actually -knew- the Word to
"teach" it. They would read from their perVersion, and then philosophize
-about- it, start with what they figured were its generic concepts, and
then discuss amongst themselves how they "felt" about it, and would
share with one another what each person's "opinion" was of the topic,
and by the time they were finished, they would have persuaded themselves
that their -own- ideas were actually pretty good, and had actually come
from the "bible". And, if anybody would happen to join them, who knew
God's Word, and would in their turn in the discussions try to point the
group to what God's Word actually -SAYS-, the group would pounce on them
for being so "judgmental, hateful and divisive". After all, they were
coming to "consensus" on their own ideas, together, and God's Word was
different from their consensus. Oh, no! We can't have any of THAT!!
After all, didn't the song of the era say, "united we stand, divided we
fall"?? And after enough years of this, they now no longer even pretend
to follow God's Word. They purposely "tear down walls" of Doctrine. They
purposely don't have God's Word in their meetings, because they've spent
time being infused with demons, feeling good...in "worship".
So then, what follows? Their pastor's meetings have welcomed a thieving,
murdering president, forgiving him for things he hasn't been sorry
about, giving him a place of prominence at their podiums. They rob from
people, telling them that 'God is broke' unless they send in their
money; and people flock to these shysters. They encourage people to be
divorced (good riddance to the bum!!), rather than remaining faithful.
And such divorced people, they encourage to commit adultery by
remarrying...after all, they 'need' to be happy and fulfilled. After
all, see how contented they are, now that they've remarried. That first
marriage (pledge/faith 1Tm5:12) was just 'all wrong'. If someone
proclaims God's Word to them, showing them their error, they rile
against that person, becoming enraged and curse them. Their music is
music of sensuality, their attire is for allurement, and many of them
are in bed with people not their spouses. They engage in deceitful
politics (biting and devouring -Gal5:15) against one another. And
because God hasn't 'zapped' them dead, and they think they are
prospering, they "[think] that [God is] like [themselves]" (Ps50:21)
After all, God is a God of "luuuuv". His graaeeesss accepts them "just
as they are". They have, essentially, made themselves into little gods,
and God is limited and subject to -their- beck and call, in terms of how
much and 'powerfully' they -pray-. You see, that's the "power of
prayer".
But notice what God says, short and to the point: "..but I will rebuke
you, and set in order before your eyes. Now think of this, you who
forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver."
(Ps50:21b-22) Like the expression my friend from UK says, I'm going to
come and 'sort you out' ("set in order"). God is going to come and give
these rebellious ones a 'what for'; a good working over. And when you
are getting a good 'thrashing', where are all those others with whom you
came to consensus? They're getting their thrashing, too! And no amount
of love and unity is going to help you then!
Yes, the Lord is coming to judge! His "wrath" is "revealed" (Rom1:18)
And God's message is like was given to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was given a
scroll of a book of the message God was putting into his mouth. (For you
who think the ministry of VW has been too "negative" and full of "hate
speech", the call was the same as to Ezekiel; among other things, the
call to proclaim against a "rebellious house" -Eze2:5) "..and He spread
it before me; and it was written on the face and the back. And written
on it were weepings, and mourning, and woe." (Eze2:10)
Yes, the season for birth, growth and maturation is ended. The harvest
is gathered in as God has burned the chaff and weeds, and gathered the
wheat into the granary. (Mt13:30)
And for those who are not saved...? There is no balm. There is no
physician. There is no healing. There is only gloom and horror
(Jer8:20-22) as they are "cast into the Lake of Fire". (Rev20:15)
And so, for the Believer with whom we began this article, who is in
utter grief over the sad state of affairs of those loved ones known or
suspected of not being saved, eventually after a time of shedding tears,
the "mind of Christ" (1Cor2:16) settles into the heart. There is a calm
assurance of His love for us when He "washed us from our sins in His
own blood" (Rev1:5) and as we realize that His power will "reveal" His
holiness to the world, as they "will wail because of Him" (vs7) we are
able to pray according to His will (1Jn5:14)...
"EVEN SO, AMEN"
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