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Justice and Judgment

Sadly, history and scripture agree that humanity is slow to learn from its greatest mistakes. It's been noted that those who "failing to remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Christ, in His condemnation of God's people of His day, took the warning a step further. Aware of man's predilection to fall prey to temptation, Jesus sternly warned those touting their reverence and dedication that their pride was a signal of their fall. Apparently, the true lesson of history is that those proud they've escaped the mistakes of the past have already made the worst of all.

• "Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."  Matthew 11:20 
• "Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."  He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:38     
• "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. Matthew 23:29
• "Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. Luke 11:47
• "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48

• Three of the above verses describe a judgment, not just of individuals but of cities and even generations.

• In each passage Jesus issues a warning that He summarizes in explaining to whom much is given much will be required.

• Christ is clearly angry that God's people, haven been given revelations, scriptures and thousands of years of Divine guidance were harder of heart than the worst of the Gentiles (something the Apostle Paul's 195 scars would later attest to).

• Jesus reveals the hypocrisy of the Church of His day in that they were the children of those who killed the Prophets yet built memorials in their honor.  More, they claimed they would never had behaved in such a way.  Jesus prophecies they would in fact do worse and thereby become the guiltiest of all (until now).

• Economic prosperity: Globally over a billion people make less that $1 a day. By comparison, "every man's a king" within First World Nations.
• Nutrition and hydration: The choices of food and drink available in the modern world are unprecedented in human history. An average supermarket contains 45,000 various products. Meanwhile over a billion are without safe drinking water and every 16 seconds someone dies of hunger.
• Housing and sanitation: Eighty percent of the world live in substandard housing. Two billion are currently without electricity. Less than one percent of those who have lived on Earth have known the enjoyment of modern housing.
• Science and technology: Those of us living in the First World would be lost without our modern advances. Thousands of products and services provide instant access to everything from essentials to extravagantcies. Just to meticulously catalogue and describe all the modern conveniences we benefit from would literally fill volumes.
• Health and dental care: Our quality and quantity of preventative and diagnostic health care would seem miraculous for ninety nine percent of humanity having walked the Earth. Far from perfect, modern medicine adds decades to our lifespan while vastly improving the quality of our lives.
• Safety and security: Like health, the blessings of safety are often overlooked until they are endangered. From stable geo-political boarders and a standing military to dependable law enforcement and legal system, we currently enjoy unrivaled security and peace of mind.
• Education and knowledge: It's almost impossible for modern society to appreciate the knowledge we've gained in the last few generations. How incredibly blessed we are, from our understanding the marvels of creation and insights into the human condition to public and advanced educational opportunities.
• Communication: Half the planet's current population have never made or received a phone call. With T.V. and radio, cell phones and the internet our ability to communicate rivals that of mythological gods. We take for granted instant access to people and information the likes of which ninety nine percent of humanity never dare dreamed of.
• Business and employment opportunities: First World citizens enjoy fantastic advances in the workplace. From shortened work days and weeks to paid vacation and sick leave, half the world and all our ancestors would marvel at our ease. Unemployment benefits and worker's compensation were undreamed of in earlier times. As is true of our nearly endless possibilities for employment and advancement.
• Transportation and travel: Only 7% of the world owns an automobile. Most today, and nearly all in ages past, traveled less in a lifetime than we might in a weekend. Not to mention the style and amenities we enjoy whether speeding around in air conditioned cars, flying through the air in jumbo jets or sailing the sea in a luxury liners.
• Entertainment: For millennia children, pets and rudimentary musical instruments provided daily entertainment. Today, tens of thousands of TV shows and movies, music videos and recording artists instantly come to life where ever we are whenever we want. Add to this access to everything from art and science exhibits to common and extreme sports and we've got entertainment that would make Julius Caesar envious.
• Clothing and accessories: Ninety nine percent of those having been born on Earth have struggled to cloth themselves and their families. Today we're drowning in apparel, often paying for a single garment what for billions might be a years wages. It goes without saying that most of humanity would have given just about anything to be in our shoes.

• Eight billion dollars a year is spent on cosmetics in the U.S.
• Eleven billion dollars a year is spent on ice cream in Europe.
• Seventeen billion dollars is spent annually on pet food in the U.S. and Europe.
• Seventy billion dollars a year are generated globally by the movie and music industries.
• Over one hundred billion dollars is spent on alcohol each year in Europe alone.
• Globally, over four hundred billion dollars is spent on illegal drugs annually.

• Jesus clearly warns to whom much is given much is required.

• Paul commands that we not use our Freedom as an occasion of the flesh but to serve one another. Which is abortion, homosexuality, promiscuity, divorce, pornography, drug addiction, crime etc..?

• Are our educational institutions promoting Godliness and sacrificial service or godlessness and "me-ism"?

• Do we share our national resources.  Or do we consume an inordinate percentage of the world's?

• While militarily advanced, are we making war on our own offspring? With greater death tolls than all other wars combined?

• Scientific achievements that are too often employed to destroy.  Embryonic Stem Cell Research- (ESCR Clone and Kill).

• Medical profession now as willing to kill and as to heal.  Abortion, ESCR and Physician Assisted Suicide.

•  "But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 1

• God saved His people out of Egypt and destroyed nearly every adult in the Wilderness.

• God did not spare the angles that sinned and chained in darkness those leaving their abode and proper domain.

• God drowned Noah's entire generation and destroyed with fire from heaven Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them before a single page of scripture had been written to warn them.

• God destroyed the nations occupying "the Promise Land" for their terrible sins.  Warning His people He would do the same to them if they sinned in like manner.

• God killed Aaron's 2 sons for simply changing the worship incense formula.

• God killed Uzzah when he touched the the Ark of the Covenant to keep it from tipping.

• God judged the church of Jeremiah's day by scattering 1/3, taking 1/3 captive and killing 1/3 by war.

• God killed Anaias and Sapphira without mercy for lying concerning the percentage of a large free will gift they were offering the Apostles.

•  "Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God's fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God's wonder and grace didn't seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased. These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence." 1 Corinthians 10:6-12 The Message

• Noah's generation, as well as Sodom and Gomorrah, were destroyed before a single Bible page was written.  They were part of Genesis.

• The church in Jeremiah's day was judged severely, having 1/10 the revelation we enjoy.  We have the entire cannon of scripture, the fullness of Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit and thousands of years of Church history...

• Through modern Technology we are 10x's more blessed (very conservative estimate) in education, medicine, communication, travel, entertainment etc...

• Economically the average Westerner has 10x's the blessings of previous generations.

• Even a few of our current sins make us 10x's more guilty that all generations before us.  Examples: the Mega-Holocaust of Abortion, the explosion of Pornography (beamed into heaven and wrapped around the globe), drug abuse (Greek: Pharmakeia meaning Sorcery), rampant promiscuity and divorce, etc...

• Aren't we repeating the very mistakes, and more, that Jesus, Jude and Paul warn of?

• Given the astronomical death toll of abortion, will have replaced the cities and generation Jesus warned, as those who "will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all."

• How much more have we been given that the Jews of the 1st Century?  The New Testament, the fullness of Christ, the promise of the Father in the gift of the Holy Spirit and 2,000 years of church history.  Add to this the incredible blessings of technology that permit us a race lifestyles rivaling the mythological gods and our culpability surpasses the Pharisee's of the 1st Century 1,000 fold...

• Age after age God's people, even His anointed, have been deceived. We should reexamine scripture's formula for repentance, confess our sins and seek a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

An Acrostic of Change

Today there are many opportunities for individuals, churches and organizations to have an impact on people within their communities. For some great simple pro-life ideas just click the link below:

Change

For an in depth report on serious church and denominational objectives and strategies to enable the church to become authentically pro-life, pro-family and pro-mission click the link below:

Objectives