Judgment: Modern Proverbs

When God desires to destroy a thing, he entrusts its destruction to the thing itself. Every bad institution of this world ends by suicide.
- Victor Hugo

Judgment
Modern Proverbs

Prophetic Christians appreciate distress tends to awaken God’s people to the perils about them. While true, so is the fact that extreme pain and suffering clouds and hardens angry hearts and minds in far greater numbers. Tellingly, the Bible never directs believers to pray for judgment or persecution. An unprecedented global revival, if not reformation, would be far more preferable.

With so much at stake, it's high time we believers recognize our massive physical and spiritual blessings and begin seeking God as seriously as we do wealth and pleasure. Let's strive to be thankful and stop taking God and His gifts for granted. Let’s renew our efforts to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Before trials force the issue, let’s redouble our attempts to approach God acceptably, loving Him as He deserves and our family, friends and neighbors as they so desperately need.

Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that’s coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man.

- Luke 21:36 MSG

Judgment
Modern Proverbs
by Robert R. Pennington

Strange that the concept of a Hell of literal fire should be rejected in the name of science and reason by the first generation able to see we are surrounded by fiery Hell's on every side. Geophysics reveals life on Earth is relegated to the crust of the planet, itself having been a molten Hell for hundreds of millions of years, and that underneath our feet is the thin cracked shell we live on saving us from the billion years old molten egg we call Earth.

Biology explains all the glorious forms of life thriving on our globe do so by the energy of the sun, a flaming hell a million times the mass of the one upon which we live. Cosmology discovered our sun is but one of 200 billion atomic inferno's in the Milky Way Galaxy. Multiply these by 200 billion galaxies and you've got a 400,000,000,000,000,000,000 flaming Hells in the observable universe.

Physics teaches the potential for flaming hells extends to even the subatomic. We know from experience what splitting the right atom can do! It's ironic that we have God to thank for the hundreds of intelligently designed fine tuned parameters allowing us, for this brief cosmological moment, to speculate as to the possible existence of a literal Hell. Particularly when warned by a Creator who describes Himself as a "Consuming Fire!"

Is it, time that will tell? Or the end of it?

Further complicating our situation are the Eternal consequences. Were only earthly pleasures and pains at stake, both to be swallowed by everlasting bliss for all, our peril should be much lessened. If however, broad is the way leading to hell and too few those navigating heaven's path, our dilemma increases Exponentially.

Learning requires discerning. Our lives overflow with a million moments of judgment each building on the others. Cases, often multiple ones, flood before us unceasingly. We acquit or condemn, delay or deny hearings. We may render temporary or final verdicts, or recuse ourselves, choosing only to issue opinions.

Many of life's trials are in continuance. New witnesses develop, additional evidence is entered and further arguments made. Some issues are settled, others are plea bargained. Cases may be open and shut, others lengthy and arduous. Some hearings are sensational, packing courthouses, while most are decided in chambers. Many of the most important trials on our docket are in appeals. Some for reason of evidence, others over minor points of procedure.

Above all One Trial ranks Supreme, having a most interesting and notable Defendant, God Himself. Since Lucifer rebelled against Heaven and we Paradise; God, the Angelic and Human Races are plunged into Litigation. Heaven's citizenry may have rendered their verdicts quickly and decisively but earth's requires longer duration. At each birth simultaneously another judge is born, an additional witness is called and new evidence introduced. With billions of courts in session cases overlap.

Divinely ironic, in these Case the presiding judges are powerless, with little or no understanding, localized, deceitful, and dependent for our very existence on the Defendant who Alone is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Immutable and Self existing.

Creation vs. Creator is apparently of great significance to the Defendant and certainly eternal in consequence to all other parties. Satan, the original sinner, as chief prosecutor and Devil (accuser) fills billions of courtrooms with as many varied arguments. Christ, as Council and Word of defense, calls heaven and earth and all they contain as witnesses, of which He is Chief.

Central to the prosecution is the continued absence of the Defendant. Argued invisible, inaudible and unjust, Satan vilifies the Creator of neglect and worse . These accusations are not easily overruled yet ironically far worse are obviously true of the one raising them.

This hearing ranks supreme in many aspects, not the least of which is duration. Nearly six thousand years the nature and motives, actions and inactions of the Defendant have been called into question. One by one, individual and generations of judges having convened and presided over courts, rendering verdicts either for, or most often against, Him “in whom we move and have our being.” Few know, prior to experiencing the full weight of their decision, the cost to their souls of banging their gavels in error.

Today, the river of impassioned prayers runs low in Western Christianity just when and were the need is greatest. How few are moved to a lifestyle of standing in the gap. Of these how many have diagnosed our true illness. Less still dare probe to the depth of the wound. Of those, how few search the whole of scripture to discover the True prognosis? Of these who has trembled before God as did Moses on Sinai pleading for a better remedy?

On Sinai, God's wrath burned so fierce against the His peoples revelry that Moses felt it necessary to risk his eternal life to dissuade the Lord's anger. Modern intercessors would do well to ponder his example in light of the following question. Could the abortion of 1-3 billion, in large part by professing and church attending Christians, kindle God's anger far hotter than the noise in the camp of the Israelites idolatress dancing and promiscuity (which we excel them in as well)?

Given these comparisons, one wonders against whom the Righteous Judge, who is no respecter of persons, is more furious? Moses' children of Israel or our Western church aborting half our offspring. Half of which, through contraceptive abortion, often takes place while we sit in church every Sunday.

Telling that Jesus is quite vocal with his judgments against the Pharisees and Sadducees while silent as to his displeasure over the harlots and prostitutes of his day.

Many incorrectly attribute the perceived lack of God's direct judgment on previously intolerable and even unheard of sins as being a result of a present "age of Grace.” Foremost this reveals transposing the meaning of the word mercy with that of grace. Grace is that which the lack of resulted in Esau's sin and subsequent rejection by God though he repented with tears. Grace was the labor which transformed Saul to Paul, the chief of sinners to the greatest apostle, the persecutor of the church into a walking scar and a murderer to a martyr.

Is ignorance more often bliss or deadly? Is willful ignorance a successful defense in a court of law? Will it stand at heaven's judgment seat before Him whom we shall all stand as naked and viable as embryos our society has sentence to abortive death?

The Right to Choose is evident. However there are only two choices. The law of sin and death or the life of love in the Spirit.

"The only Book of the Bible containing a chapter 6 and verse 66 is a Gospel. Guess who's? John the Revelatory. It says, "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more."" Yet for the faithful few John continues, "Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Twice more a derivative of 666 can be found among the thousands of verse numbers. The first, Psalms 66:6 which reads: ""He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him." If applicable, an encouragement perhaps? The second, Isaiah 66:6 warns, "The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the LORD, Who fully repays His enemies!"

How often the verse, "Your Mercies are new every morning, great is your faithfulness" arises in our songs and prayers. Yet, the context of Lamentations 3 is almost never forwarded. Ironically, the warnings of Jeremiah's cry and tears fall on deaf ears. Israel's rebellions and sins had brought on them the forewarned devastating death of the exile. Odd that we, a hundred fold more ripe for Judgment, happily sing the weeping prophets words."

We leaders of the modern Ecclesia are civilian elementary schoolers playing at religious war and government. Considering scriptures commands, warnings and prophecies can this real life, "Lord of the Flies" end in other than Temporal Destruction for all and Eternal Death for most?

Isn't in necessary to be convicted, confess and to be condemned to be pardoned
Jews tore at Peter's roof to approach the healing presence of the Son of God prior to His obedient passion. Christians may tear at the floorboards to escape the judging presence of the glorified God the Son for our lack of passionate obedience.

Seeing history, especially biblical history repeats, "when" are we, the time of Exodus or the Exile? Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new?’ It has already been in ancient times before us.""

Protestants would do well to embrace the ideal of purgatory. Since time is a moot point in heaven, the Judgment Seat of Christ may seem millennia and giving account for every idle word and deed done in the body will certainly leave many of us "smokin."

A differential of less than 1% of genetics determines species. Given the vast similarities between sinner and saint this may also hold true spiritually. If so, what an awe-full difference 1% can be!

In general, Christ is the "Good Samaritan," the despised traveler who unlike the hirelings, gives His two denary (Word & Spirit) and promises more (Heavenly Riches) upon His return (2nd Advent) to the innkeeper (real Christians) who are now equipped and responsible for resuscitating sinners left half dead by demons (thieves).

Of the dwindling few meditating on such things, most as pseudo-optimists find solace in the proverb, "the cup's half full.” They prefer rejoicing to repenting, praising to praying, laughing to weeping as they quote God's promises while omitting their conditions thus nullify heaven's judgments by the precepts of men. Truly, the cup is both half empty and full but the real question is, "which part is ours and for how long?"

Is the Sovereignty of God, so often used as an excuse, meant to comfort even today's lukewarm Christians? If so, wouldn't Christ foretell a Judgment chorus of his peoples sighs and tears of relief instead weeping and gnashing of teeth?

As a Sinner I'm unfit to Judge (Condemn), yet ought Sinners, above all, learn to Judge (Discern)?

If the Kingdom of God on Earth has a "Day & Night" wouldn't the West's prayerlessness and darkened condition make us denizens of the night? "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night."

Moments of Judgment, as recorded in the Scriptures, from the Gospels to Revelation, always concern what we've said or done, rather than our beliefs. Never are they about our Doctrines, except as to they're pertaining to deeds.

Given the sins of modern culture, is the silence of God absenteeism, apathy or amazing restraint?

Might the lack of grace to hear and obey the least of the Lord's commands be evidence as to the end of time of the Gentiles?

How crucial to continually think deeply. Jesus' notice of the widow's mite serves as an example. To the critic this might serve as an attempt to fleece endless generations of widows. To the disciple, Jesus' awe of her seemingly insignificant act, offers eternal encouragement!

How reluctant the Head to cast off a body part. How oft the whole body will suffer violently on behalf of a single member. Good News for the savorless, dim, talent hiding American Church...
"If you love me you will obey my commandments and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." Christ's' Commands, the Truth of the Father's words, what a two-edge sword swiping throughout creation. Angel and Devil, Heaven and Hell, Saint and Sinner, Life and Death, all Creation shall pass through the Creator's blade.

"The Truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth... "OH" Help us God!"

Among the remnant of the remnant of Western Christianity is an odd and unbecoming philosophy. Graced with the foresight to see God's final judgments against personal and corporate sin looming on the horizon, we yet largely live for ourselves. Questioned as to why, we divulge having decided to enjoy the lesser pleasures of "New Sodom" until the last possible moment and then discerning the signs hope to become, "Holy in a Hurry."

The "Holiness in a Hurry" lifestyle, decried succinctly by every Biblical author (ex: Zeph 2:1-2), is an insidious and prevalent leaven so leavening the whole lump that to some degree we all might test "positive" for "HIV." Addicted to apathy we spread our "Lukewarm" lifestyles as we infect all our partners.

Have you given "Due Process" to the Scriptures injunction that sets before all Mankind only two destinies? Each of us, every mother's child, shall either overcome Sin, joining God the Son to reign eternally as "Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Jesus" or join the Evil One as Everlasting and Hellish Charcoal Briquettes!

Creator, Redeemer, Judge. Might these three words alone over throw 9/10's of humanity?

Once the stage is set for the final act what or who can delay the finale?

Man heralds Darwin's ideology, "Survival of the fittest" imagining himself the beneficiary.

Try something new, let the Holy Spirit grieve you!

The greater my knowledge of our situation the more I'm convinced Christianity is a devastating blessing.

Early generations exchanged the Truth of God for a Lie, failing to reflect on their past disgracing God, choosing to worship the creature rather our glorious Creator. Our generation is failing to reflect of todays cheapening of grace bound to bring Revelation's dire future.

We move and have our being in "Reality Bubbles." Perhaps LIFE "Grk-Zoe" has less to do with more blissful bubbles than with their popping...

Isn't it telling what we are never commended to pray for? Example: 2nd Advent or judgment.
Jesus' same hands that blessed the children and multiplied the fish and loaves made devils shriek and drove the money changers from the Temple twice!

God Forgive our presuming we can't or needn't know that which we aught and/or presuming we can and do know that which we don't... Either way we stand bare before you without excuse though we excuse ourselves in every way.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is their is Freedom" is sung as praise and/or spoken as a declaration. Given the gross bondage of the average believer today (worldliness, prayerlessness, self love, lack of natural affection, unthankfulness, substance abuse, disobedience to and willful ignorance of God's Word etc.) might this rather be a reproof from our own lips, too soon hardening into condemnation if unheeded?

Are we, as is postured by some, successors of a progressive revelation and heirs of a better covenant, or progressively succeeding from God's revelation and covenant?
For nearly two decades I've cried for a four dimensional experience of God's love. To date, what I've received is a vision of some causes and extent of God's 4 dimensional wrath to come. In hope (which does not disappoint?) I'm wonder if what He's revealing is His Loving-kindness actively holding back the Global Tidal wave of just judgment we increasingly deserve.

Today's nominal Christian lacks even the, "Heathen Honesty" of Wesley's generation though often escaping the full degradation of our own. The True Disciple, not muzzled by denominational alliances, is an endangered species and hardly known. We "Middle Class" Christians, as it were, display less character than our counterparts of old but comfort ourselves hoping God gives only passing marks (for Christ's sake) or grades on a curve corrected in light of our living among the most corrupted of all generations.

Should the axiom, "the Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend" be true it would make strange bedfellows indeed. Satan's Earthly Enemy, the Church, may be destroyed for our sins of Commission and Omission by none other than the holy judgment his Heavenly Enemy, the LORD.

How often God in kindness sends the gentle rain when we deserve the hurricane…
"Martin Luther, having read Jan Huss' handbook published a hundred years earlier, declared, "we are all Hussites and didn't know it!" The more I learn of denominational doctrines the more I fear, "we are all Heretics and don't know it. Catholic and Protestant alike guarding aspects of the Truth while subverting and profaning others."

The looking glass of History reveals the smoke of 2,000 years of doctrinal incense wafting toward heaven, yet even a casual glance today reveals ethics and morality having plunged into the abyss of God haters and lovers of self. For my part, I will heed the Revelation of the Glorified Lamb that was Slain, the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah who Alone is Worthy as he thunders from heaven to All Seven Churches, not, "I know your doctrine" or even, "I know your heart" but, "I know your works..."

As performing an autopsy is far easier than raising a corpse, so pin pointing problems is far less difficult than solving them. A thermostat is more useful than a thermometer.

India's a tortured nation with 3 times the population of the U.S. in 1/3 the geography. Religiously, a pantheon of millions of gods torture it's adherents with fatalistic Karmic determinism. Politically, its griped, on the one hand by Communist China and one the other by militant Islamic States. Economically, it’s population earns about a $1.00 a day. Climatically, summers sizzle at 120% 8 months a year proceeded by 4 months of winter monsoons dumping up to 70 feet of rain, the most of any spot on earth. (Rich man/Lazarus & Generational Judgment)

100% of Western Christians seem predisposed to spiritual cancer. Causes are genetic by doctrine, dietary by Biblical anemia, environmentally by worldliness. Who among us is not tumorous, with various cancers metastasizing, dying in churches dedicated to the great physician? Yet, Holy Spirit chemotherapy, such as Jesus’ prayer (Heb 5:7) is too painful and most often avoided in lue of metaphysical remedies.

America's Federal Reserve is neither federal nor a reserve. Using dishonest weights and measures' to print trillions in unsecured reserve 'notes' as legal tender for all 'debts', public or private, has feed the world to the Beast, financial Babylon. Hooked on a feeding frenzy of prosperity or netted by the tolls of corrupt policies, it's seized all nations in its maw. What dishonest banking has done to the world's dollar, dishonest religion has done to man's soul.

Clergy refuse to sound an "end time" alarm, excusing themselves from confronting 'self' in themselves or congregations. They quote, ""no one knows the day or the hour,"" yet this very passage requires them to be ready at all times and to recognize the "season." What keeps them silent is not what is unknown but what is all too apparent. Raised only on milk who can stomach the meat of the truth? "

Western Christianity points to the differences between some of our beliefs and acts and those of our "unsaved" neighbors. Upon inspection, unfortunately, these minor differences may be nothing more than those between Sodom's simple citizenry and we modern Laodicean's living there.

What price will be exacted for our choosing the pleasure of the cities of the plains over the rugged silence of the heights, in light of the truth that in Sodom there is no right but only degrees of wrong?

Was Jesus waxing rhetoric when asking, "when the Son of Man returns will he find faith on the Earth" or issuing a terrible warning. Also that He came not to bring peace but a sword and that, "a man's worst enemies will be in his own household...?" Do we, who love to sing of His loving promises, stand on these as well?

It's notable Jesus fears a Faithless Earth. What indictment does this level against the hierarchy of a 2 billion member church, in general, and pastors and priests, in particular, as the newest generation of gate keepers having replaced their fathers the Pharisees and Sadducees?

21st Century Western Christianity: Such jeopardy amidst such tranquility!

If Christ is the second Adam, might the Church be the second Eve? Another Eden? A final test?

Was the first's Adam's absence during the first Eve's temptation prophetic of the Churches temptation by the fruit offered by Antichrist?

Under the priestly anointing I find myself preoccupied with God's Holiness for the sake of fallen man rather than God's honor, the prophet's primary concern. This may as often be from selfish motives as from compassion for humanity, and something I'm destined to regret when standing before HIM. Still I'd rather err on the side of mercy considering the eternal punishment awaiting us.

Consider the probable eternal loss of at least 9 out of 10 adults dying on Earth, not to mention the powerless state of most the church and our lives. I feel a fearful kinship with the disciples who cried to Jesus, "Wake up Lord, don't you care that we're perishing?"

Who can deny John, "the Apostle whom Jesus Loved," one of the three greatest trained men of all time, was taught of God to reveal the message, ""For God So Loved The World..."" Interestingly enough, it's this greatest messenger of God's love the Lord chooses to reveal to us the greatest Revelation of His Judgment, Wrath and Destruction.

Can any deny truly we are, "fearfully and wonderfully made?" What stronger argument for a Fearful and Wonderful Maker?

The two loftiest and basest words of any tongue be it man or angel or Divinity are these: "if only." The manner of their employment is the defining mark of every being.

Might the Eye Salve prescribed for the Church of Laodicea be a remedy for the Positivism of the American Church?

Does God threaten? Who does He threaten? Has He threatened you lately? (Heb 12)
How far from the truth is Damaging and how far Damming?

When it comes to tribulation, how many reason, "Well, if we don't know 'when', we'll just have to ‘wait and see'” rather than, "seeing we don't know 'when', we had better pray and wait on the Lord who does?"

When it comes to judgment and suffering how will the, "Modern Christian" fare? A hundred times more informed and sophisticated than his predecessors? Weaned on Bibles and books, TV and radio, videos and tapes... armed with a thousand messages, sermons, services and seminars yet almost to a man unable to, "tarry" with Jesus, "even one hour" a day?"

Some giants of the faith, (Job, Moses, Peter, Pascal etc...) have discovered the more the Lord speaks the less they have to say. Others, failing to appreciate their experience, may find their mouths have been as quicksand and their tongue's thrashing about disastrous.

Jeremiah warns of drawing near to God by our words with distant hearts, a result of the fear of God being taught by the precepts of men. How do we today measure up against Hebrews who so reverenced God that rather than taking His Name in vain a million times a year they refused to even speak it and abbreviated it's spelling?

"God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that...should not perish..." Who has everlasting life? In the end only sons, "abide in the house forever." Then what are the defining marks of sonship? 'Whip Marks!' "For what son is without discipline?" and "He scourges every son He receives." But how few endure the lash of God. Only those enveloped by the infinite Love of God. Yet, how often we reject or flee one or the other, the Lash or the Love of God? Those who refuse the former God calls bastards and not sons, while those short on the latter faint or fall away.

To the only known Planet of DEATH in the UNIVERSE was born the Author of ETERNAL LIFE who Lived, Served, Died, Arose, Ascended and will soon Return to Conquer, Reign, Judge, and Restore all things.

"Both the cries, ""Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"" and ""Great is Jesus of the Americans!"" have a hollow ring..."

Churchianity proclaims we shall soon hear the Master's benediction to our Lukewarm lives, 'Well done good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of the Lord...' Isn't He more likely to weep, wailing, 'What have you done? Depart from Me into everlasting torment.'

Never have I heard pastor or parishioner confess difficulty in loving Asians. The very idea would be instantly and universally condemned as prejudice in the name of being politically correct and Christian maturity. Christendom, though 2,000 years forewarned, apathetic of Biblical prophecy, remains unaware or unconcerned that John’s Revelation gives reason for great alarm. The Kings the East, bound at the river Euphrates, will soon be loosed to slay 1 of 3 men, women and children on the face of the earth. Our absence of concern with this prophecy, particularly as the Book of Revelation is unfolding before our very eyes, is more a matter of unconditional ignorance than unconditional love.

According to Acts 5 the way back to being the Church is Godly Fear's producing unity, signs and wonders, esteem and multitudes being saved!

It's in the hands of the Spirit, not at the hands of Sinners, that Saints are made. The time to prepare is "before" tribulation.

How many, sensing Judgment in the air, are waiting till our enjoyments are lost to us before behaving like Christians, denying ourselves and carrying our cross? How will we excuse watching a thousand hours of TV for every ten spent in family devotions in our homes?

How can we STAND before the Judgment Seat of Christ while we confess, since the Lord delayed His coming, we delayed losing our lives for His sake until Judgment ruined our pleasures anyway...

Having travailed much in the study of eschatology, my research conclusively shows that in Biblical prophecy the U.S. is either beloved "Israel" (lost tribes) the "Great Whore of Babylon" or neither or both!

Failing to "take the kingdom of heaven by force" the church will suffer the penalty of violence! "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name...The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority... So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”... It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation....whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.""

I "art the man."

Without prayer we haven't got one.

Making a difference makes all the difference in the world. Both the present and the coming.

After some consideration I still wonder about the "extra oil" in the parable of the 10 virgins. If the oil is the Holy Spirit then why do the wise, similar in all respects to the foolish, have more? Why fear running out? Why not ""lay hands"" on those desperate to be filled. Isn't the Father more willing to give the Spirit to those who ask than we are to give good gifts to our children? The wises unwillingness to share (lest they run out) tends more towards describing some perishable provision (food, water, etc.).

If the Virgins "extra oil" were an inability to share (not a perfect fit with the wises stated objection) "good works" would be a leading contender. This would fit with "the Sheep and Goats" as well as many other scriptures. It would be something the ""wise virgins"" could not share and would fit with the ""go to those who buy and sell"" as in Paul's warning that all our works shall be tried in fire. Wood, hay stubble, silver, gold..."" and Jesus' advice to Laodecia "buy from me, white raiment that your nakedness does not appear, eye salve and gold tried by fire...” Extra food and water, for an extended tribulation period, seems the best fit though it appears to violate loving one's neighbor. Or does it? What of Christ's command to sell one's clothing if necessary to buy a sword?

Certainly, though the parable be draped in antiquity, it would greatly behoove at least half the Kingdom (perhaps a billion) to quickly solve the mystery. With such impending doom awaiting half the brethren, perhaps church councils and/or denominational summit meetings should be called. Though millennia old, this judgment's present or future tense. It's fulfillment will be experienced by we ourselves or our children.

What an honor and horror belongs to him (them) who ushers in the restoration of Israel at the fullness of the time of the gentiles... To answer Paul's prayer, to restore the natural olive branch and to signal life from the dead! To see billions shut out of the ark of salvation, to ride out a wrathful "flood of fire" to have a vengeful Satan bound to the air of our atmosphere...

Multitudes, feeling neglected by God, crossing their fingers inwardly hope their is no Judgment after death. Should there be one, many trust He whom they felt neglected them in life will do so with their sins. Even Christians, mindful of the scripture ""its appoint every man once to die and then the judgment" insulate themselves from concern with antinomianism theology exaggerating Christ's atonement against His warnings and those of the authors of the New Testament. Given the thoroughness demonstrated in creation, isn't it more likely we will find His judgments as exacting as He has warned, particularly for those who neglect so great a salvation?

Smiles are joyous but what of the last laugh?

Because of the innocent blood of Christ and early Christians that the Jews WOULD (not had) spill, Jesus declared them guilty of ALL the innocent blood that HAD been shed from Able (who was murdered thousands of years previously) to Zachariah. What then of "Christian Nations" who have aborted hundreds of millions of His least brothers?

In the judgment we may be unpleasantly surprised to learn how often when we were doing well we thought ourselves punished and when storing up punishment we thought ourselves doing well.

Are witness and/or defendants called by our Advocate to testify before the Great Judge of heaven? Is so, when confronted with the Devil's damnable accusations it may be wise to plead that while our actions are inexcusable they are hardly unexplainable.

Historically "good men" fail to be good enough, doing next to nothing while evil prospers. Then, should an issue arise of self interest they may rally, though often in a manner too little too late. Far from heroics, this may prove a tightening of the noose, seeing they refuse to join the battle were it rages yet feel their duty done and service complete.

Angels have great discernment yet seem to have little or no impact as historically most of God's own people follow or lead the world to hell. Unfortunately, the same may be said today for the remnant of the remnant.

Even Abraham couldn’t save Sodom.

In time few can imagine a place where men scream to God for forgiveness. Thus seeking everything else we fail to call on Him now in a way in which He may be found. In eternity how many billions will writhe in the pain thinking of nothing else?

How many feel misunderstood in this life. Billions of acts of war, murder, abuse, divorce, rape, and theft represent only the tip of the iceberg of our sins against each other. Many suffering wrong, real or imagined, in things great and small, pray for and dream of vindication. The judgment seat of Christ may provide such a day though perhaps a nightmarish one. Face contorted with shock, hearts failing from unconsolable regret as paradise is willfully lost, stubbornly rejected in this life and so for eternity. Loved ones and those who should have been (everyone), separated for eternity as they were in time, so often over petty issues.

Even just skimming through scripture reveals all the world and most of God's own people have been largely "off page" most of the time. Worse, rejecting the point of service assigned them, many justified themselves while even condemning the just to death, using scripture and religious tradition to do so.

In the dirt poor war torn 3rd world country of Myanmar a recent cyclone killed nearly 100,000 and displaced millions. Bloated bodies, washing up everywhere, were so commonplace many went ignored by the traumatized populace. Globally, every day a similar number of adults die with the vast majority at risk of an eternity drowning in the Lake of Fire... while 1st world Christians take little notice. Who will ascend the Mountain of the Lord to cry out against such tragedies so as to reverse them? Can it be done? If so, how? Should it be done? If so, be whom? Will it be done? If so, when?

Scripture commands us to "give thanks for all things for this is the will of God in Christ concerning you." Unfortunately giving thanks for the "exceptions" can obscure the "rule" and cloud the dire reality of a nearly universal condition. Much as a firefighter caught within a burning collapsing home who hopes to rescue its occupants, not to mention himself, might try with a few well placed shots from a squirt gun. Or as a spider might give thanks for a soft and dry piece of toilet tissue it rides on while being flushed down the bowl. God may be good, but if by His standard we are not, what good will His goodness be to us? See Amos 5:18-27 and Mt. 15:7-9.

Just how large will the Lake of Fire be to hold billions for eternity? Will inferno winds whip it into fiery tempests? Will sunrises and sunsets increase the sorrow?
Pastors have long recognized "you can shear sheep often but only skin 'em once." This may explain God's long "suffering fools" clogging His pastorate who fail to feed His sheep "their food in due season.”

To compel Christianity's shepherds, and thus His flock, to come in to His fold Christ of Revelation threatens most of His seven churches within an inch of their everlasting life. Today matters are worse. While it may not be time for "skinnin" perhaps the shearers should consider a closer shave.

Two things I've learned from experience and observation, we each die alone and misconceptions will not suffice then. One reason scripture explains that when it comes to acquiring wisdom "death and dying know something about it."

Its amazing how many TV shows and movies deal with "flaming mountains" striking earth. From historic Dino killer Extinction Level Events, to Bruce Willis's "Armageddon." From specials on our pot marked moon to tracking and landing on an Asteroid 3 times larger than that causing the previously mentioned E.L.E. Comet Shoemaker-Levy's cataclysmic impact on Jupiter seems to have made little impact on us. Given our ability to clearly document its destructive yield, equivalent to a Hiroshima nuclear detonation every minute for 13 years, one might hope the Church at least would recognize a "warning shot off the port bow."

As 21st century 1st World Christians it behooves us to ascertain our place in Kingdom history. Guilty of every sin, including those expressly forbidden such as shedding the innocent blood of hundreds of millions, we, as our Gentile forefathers, find numerous ways to either boast against the "natural branches" that were broken off for our sake or worse, teach them to produce our forbidden fruit.

Even in a book of 1,000 pages, it may be the last 10 that tell the tale.

If life's a journey, funerals are 3 stops from our final destinations. Hell or heaven awaits the departed. For most having reached adulthood on the earth, an eternity of screaming through resurrected throats and gnashing resurrected teeth in the Lake of Fire is the final destination. For those aborted in utero by any means, children never reaching maturity, a small percentage of humanity that achieved righteousness and perhaps a good deal of the poor, eternal joy awaits. Such extreme opposite eternities. The greatest of horrors or happiness. Everlasting torments or endless glorious ages, the likes of which eyes have not seen, ears have not heard nor has it entered into the minds of men.

As to the goodness and faithfulness of Western Christianity, the question is not wither the glass is half empty or half full. By necessity it's both if it's either. The real question is wither being half full enough, and if so for whom?

The importance of a Christian developing and maintaining a clean and pure conscience is stressed more than 40 times in the New Testament. And while a theology of conscience is well developed within Catholicism, in no small part because of the doctrine of purgatory, most Catholics are ignorant of such teaching, the likes of which is universally absent among Protestants. This is a grave mistake seeing everyone, including Christians, will give account for every idle word spoken and perhaps heard, every deed done in the body and given Jesus' warning against "looking to lust" likely our every thought.

Failing to judge ourselves that we might not be judged is become an art form with various adaptations. A modern favorite of liberals is arrogant superiority over being non-judgmental, particularly against deviance and sin, a mistake thoroughly denounced by Paul in 1 Cor. 5. Though with subtler hues, this same philosophy underlies even conservative Churchianity, most of whom fail to engage cultural evil or even their own. Another is comparisons with overt sinners rather than Christ, the apostles and prophets, and the best of contemporary role models. Such a mindset is like a runner constantly loosing races who consoles himself that he is outpacing those not on the track. “Remember in a race all run but only one receives the prize.”

Should the conspiracy theorists be correct, American presidential elections may do little more than further identify the sheep from the goats. If only among voters.

I have often sought God’s blessings while “naked in the bathtub” (a Yiddish curse). While this seems unseemly, its Gnostic to believe the body intrinsically evil. Are we not called to pray “without ceasing?” Are we not always laid even more bare than this before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do?

Among the poor and middle class, even within 21st century 1st World Nations, much of life is spent managing levels of disappointment. Faced with such realities as the sin above, about and within, it may be wise to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

After reading Orson Well's "1984" in conjunction with writing about Revelation and the AntiChrist, I'm hoping more than ever one may store up righteousness as others "store up wrath against the day of wrath."

Given the sin, unbelief and entitlement of the modern world the only cup even close to being half full is that of wrath. And it's overflowing.

With looming specters such as global warming, drought and financial ruin confronting us environmentalist are popping up everywhere. A devout conservationist myself, my house and yards must have three or four water leaks alone. They're a nuisance but my strategy's to start with conserving souls, including my own, and work down from there.

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