Mankind's Ability to Remove Hedges

Mankind’s Ability to Remove Hedges

3/5/15

I mentioned in part two of this series about how open doors lead to major problems for humanity due to the leash laws that Satan has to abide by.  I was introduced to that phrase from my Uncle and it has changed my concept and beliefs about how and what affects my life…while I still fail at times I have learned to close those doors that I have opened and to once again give me a spiritual level fighting plane.  That level playing field is open to every person, group and nation that wishes to live in perfect peace and total abundance.  There are three examples that I am going use in this part of the series, and through these three examples God is giving us another chance to stop the calamities that are about to occur in our land.  We are on the verge of being shaken to the core and if we do not realize what we are doing, our enemy will have the authority to wreak havoc on our society for a very long time.

The first hedge that we know about in the Bible occurs in the Garden of Eden.  If we stop and take a closer look at this setting we will see that God created a perfect place for the perfect creation.  We also see that the ability of the human to make a choice is present as well, for it is obvious of what eventually occurs within the Garden of Eden.  There is a difference however in what occurs as a result of this choice of ours and it is so vast a result that we continue to live with it today.  When God removes a hedge of protection around us He sets the boundaries and is able to control what happens to our lives.  Some people look at this situation and say that God was too harsh and He allowed too much punishment to be upon humanity.  But when we look at the conditions of the hedge and how it was breeched, some things are different than other times mentioned in the Bible.

In this instance God had placed Adam and Eve inside the Garden of Eden and regularly communicated with them; face to face on a daily basis.  If God was physically on the earth that meant that the current conditions of the Garden was holy and pure.  As God and the humans got to know each other, God eventually said to them that there was one law that He had set into motion and it was one that we needed to follow.  Up until that time our enemy had no opportunity to challenge God for there was no direct law in place.  However, when God made the proclamation concerning the tree, Satan had grounds to tempt the humans, and so he did.

Adam and Eve both broke the one law that God had set into place.  This was not an immediate or overnight process, it took time for Satan to initiate and execute his plan.  It was the enticing of Eve that began the breakdown of the hedge that God had placed around their lives and for all intense purposes it seems quite evident that both Adam and Eve did not understand what was about them.  After a certain amount of time had passed, it became clear that Satan had an inroad with Eve and with this break he took full advantage.  At this time in the example I want to take time to reemphasize something that I have previously written and that is that we need to remember that while Adam and Eve were partaking with the serpent, God was not physically with them.  Yes, God knew exactly what was transpiring but God was not physically hovering over them and forcing His hand upon their decisions.  The decision to eat of the tree was strictly THEIR choice and no one else’s.

It was Adam and Eve who chipped away at this hedge enough to allow Satan to engulf their thoughts about the tree.  When our enemy saw the opportunity he did not hesitate, he seized the moment and used our own gift of choice for his favor.  In no manner did God release, tear or remove the protective hedge that was around Adam and Eve along with all of the animals and plants within the Garden perimeter.  God had done all that He could to make sure that humanity understood that there was a law in place and that it should not be violated.  God also provided enough evidence as to why this law was in place, for even though God cannot and shall not ever force Himself or His ways on our lives, He does provide enough evidence for us to use our ability to make sound and correct decisions.

It was this process of our choosing to disobey the one law that God had in place, along with the idea of believing our deceiver long enough for us to begin this process that removed the hedge of protection from around our lives.  See God places a hedge big enough and strong enough to protect us from everything that our enemy wishes, but as I have stated in the previous article Satan is on a leash and he cannot do anything unless he is given the authority to do so.  That authority comes from two sources, one from God and the other from us; and there is a HUGE difference between the two sources and it is on full display in the setting within the Garden of Eden.

It is clear that in this setting that after the “deed was done” God had to come take control of the situation, and it did not take Him long to find out exactly what occurred.  God had nothing to do with the fact that Adam and Eve made the choice to eat of the fruit.  Yes, God had planned for this and had already taken this into consideration when He created us.  But since we choose to disobey this means that it was our fault and it was our choice to do so.  In other words, Adam and Eve took the control of protection away from God and selfishly ordained their own wills to be the masters of their lives, thus tying God’s hands in the protection department by voluntarily pulling away the perfect protective hedge that God had established for them.  Therefore, God could not stop the destructive nature of the result of the disobedience and had to act accordingly to His perfect and divine authority.  God had to allow this action to take place because of our actions, not His.

We all know what the result was of this disobedient act.  Up until that moment humanity had no idea what sickness and death were and did not understand the sensation of pain.  Their life was easy and pure without any blemish to their name, but the choice to disobey changed humanity forever and still to this day, we inherit this suffering and there is nothing that we can do to change that physical trait.  It is this portion of the story that differs from the next portion which I have been writing about and that is the hedge that Job had around his life.  As God has shown us, it was God who removed the hedge around Job long enough for Satan to try and prove God wrong but in the end Job stood tall for God and Satan was disgraced once again.

God was in complete control of the situation with Job, and Satan had no power outside of what God allowed him to operate.  This proves that there are two sources of authority that Satan can operate through and in both cases he is still on a controlled leash.  In the story of Job it is clear that Satan could not do anything unless God said he could and even then he could only go so far with his destruction.  In the story of Adam and Eve it is clear that until mankind began taking the edges of the hedge away, Satan had no real authority to destroy, but when the time was ripe, he jumped at the opportunity and stole the perfect living conditions and perfect physical lives.  While Job suffered on the physical side of life, God protected his eternal status through the knowledge of His existence, whereas Adam and Eve ended their physical and eternal lives due to the fact that they chose to disobey.  See the difference, both physically and eternally?

Adam and Eve were not the only examples of this selfish and mankind sloughing off of the protective hedge that God had placed around people.  One would believe that once others would read this story of personal and permanent destruction it would not be difficult to follow suit ever again; yet, humans will be humans and eventually forget the history lessons of their pasts and once again consume their own path of existence.  And it was not too much further down the road that Israel once again decided to take matters into their own hands, ignore the messages and cries from the prophets of God, and do things their own way.

It must have been a great day when Israel believed that they had finally broke out of their confined living spaces and believed that with all of their advancements and achievements for their cause, all the while placing God on their back burner and away from their lead.  It is easy for people to forget where their historical backgrounds originate when all is going well, but it takes a tougher and more foundational society to understand that when things go wrong there is a reason and it is usually a specific reason as to why those instances are occurring.  However, if that person, group, nation or society is so wrapped up in their own “free” living conditions, it is just as easy to miss the boulder that is rolling straight towards you which is exactly what occurred approximately 725 BC.

A couple of weeks ago God showed us a topic that dealt with Israel during this time and the article that was written was in two parts, titled “Guess Who, Part I” and “Guess Who, Part II”.  I am not going to retrace those steps again and I advise you to read those articles to refresh your memory of the case of Israel and how our society is completely mimicking Israel in the years around 725 BC – 722 BC.  In those articles God showed us the devastating effects that each society endured and shall endure and shall continue to endure until we make things right with God.  One may argue that these two societies cannot be compared with each other since their origins are completely different.  This argument is based upon false foundations since both countries were originated for one purpose, the advancement of God’s Kingdom.  In a few weeks I will be sharing what God has given to us concerning our current country and how through our own actions and decrees are totally under God’s authority.

It is mankind’s choosing to either keep God within their society or not to have Him in at all.  There cannot be a middle ground for this would be considered half way or lukewarm and we have read what God does with that type of commitment.  It is obvious that Israel was lukewarm in their commitment to God and while they were living in this condition failed to hear what their prophets were saying and at the same time ignoring the warning signs that God had placed within their society.  It is during this time that Israel had to make a choice whether to live within God’s covenant barriers or to go it alone and do things on their own.  It probably took some time but it was clear that Israel wanted to do things their own way and through this choice paved the way for their future.  Some may wonder why God would allow such a choice to be made and then followed through with, but we always must remember that God shall never force Himself or His ways upon our lives, it will always be our choice, and so it was.

It is God’s responsibility to protect His children; this is a basic foundational law of a parent.  And it is never easy for God to remove, for any reason, His protective hedge from around His children.  However, since God cannot force His ways upon our lives, it leaves the door open for mankind to voluntarily remove this hedge by disobeying God’s laws of protection.  Just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden, the human will of lust, greed, and self service as long as they are allowed to progress, will take over the human heart and thus force God out of our lives at the same time.  Remember, two kingdoms are present and they can never mix, thus if one kingdom is pushed forward the other is pushed backwards and this means that if God’s Kingdom is pushed back, then His protection goes with it.

Israel found herself having a field day with their lives.  Through their progressive laws and policies all became great and no one had any major problems.  Through this built up status they believed, and then boasted that they were the best in the land and that no one had the power or authority to challenge their current beliefs and ways of life.  They became so engrossed within themselves that they failed to recognize what was going on around them.  God’s warning became more intense and with each warning Israel ignored the cries of the prophets and continued to “fix” their problems with a humanistic and selfish methods.  Soon no guidance from God was needed for the satisfaction and physical gratification that they obtained from their gods raked in a more delightful setting than what they had ever known before, but what would one expect if you were playing on the team that has the home field advantage.

The actions of Israel allowed a series of events to occur within their society.  “Cracks in their armor” began to appear yet because of the belief that their duty was to progressively exist and positively advance those “God given” gifts would place them in an impenetrable state from what they were exactly running towards.  God gave them the ability to live as they did and nothing occurred so that must have meant that He approved.  Soon, Israel found out that they were wrong about this fantasy concerning God but they had “advanced” so much without God in their lives that when their entire nation fell to the Assyrians, they had no idea of why it occurred.

How can I make a statement as that?  Look at the devastation that Israel endured during this time.  Every facet of their nation was totally annihilated, piece by piece and when they were left vulnerable, the Assyrians who were a far weaker nation than Israel came and finished off the children of God.  They defeated the Israelites so soundly that the remaining people were taken into captivity once again and those that escaped were scattered abroad, never to form the nation of Israel while they lived.  In fact, the nation of Israel did not exist as they did at that time again, a complete nation until 1948 when the United Nations formally recognized the Jewish State of Israel.  Yes, there were other times that Israel had a nation but not all of their people were allowed to gather together, they were fragmented in different parts of the region and ruled over by numerous empires during that time; the Temple of God being destroyed twice by ruling and / or invading armies.

The question that remains is this: why did God allow this type of destruction to occur and why for such a long time?  If you remember when Adam and Eve chose to do things their own way it was their choice to do so.  God placed one law into effect inside the Garden of Eden; that was it.  Mankind could not obey that one simple law thus removing the protective hedge that God had placed over and around them.  By Adam and Eve doing things their own way and believing that they could get away with one small concept, they removed enough of that protective hedge to allow Satan all of the authority he needed to permanently destroy their lives.  It was not God’s doing it was mankind’s doing.

Moving forward to Job and how his situation differed.  It was God who set the stage for the removal of the protective hedge around Job.  It was God who suggested this to be done and then allowed it to happen.  However, even though God removed the hedge, He still had complete control of what the enemy could do and not do.  In the Garden of Eden Satan had free reign to complete his mission because of what mankind took away from God.  Not so in the story of Job, God was in control, not Job.

Moving forward once again to the nation of Israel and the time setting of approximately 725 BC and the events that are unfolding in this nation have become troubling yet the children of Israel believed that everything was going to be ok and that they were doing nothing wrong, especially in the eyes of their gods.  They failed to realize that their actions and through their choices they were removing the protective hedge that God had placed over and around them, piece by piece.  They were voluntarily placing themselves into a very dangerous position both physically and spiritually.  In no way did God approve of this process, but because it was our choice to break God’s laws and try and justify their rationale to do such God had no choice but to sit back and watch His beloved children suffer at the hands of everyone’s enemy.  In no way was it ever in God’s plans for His children, His personally created nation to suffer in such degree or manner, but through the Israelites own choices God had no choice but to watch it all unfold.

Let us fast forward to the present day and the state of our society but more specifically that of our country.  We have watched the world turn tail from God and embrace worldly factions and laws. 

Something to keep in mind while we are on the subject of Assyria and it was how relatively small their kingdom was when Israel was at its height.  Up until that time Assyria was not known for its military might and really did not pose any threat to any of its neighbors.  They were weak and small with no influence what-so-ever in the region, yet they took down God’s children without any fierce resistance from Israel.  Israel was slaughtered in every way mentionable and by the time was over, Israel ceased to exist.

An important term was coined after the Assyrians attacked and demolished Israel and it is a term that we use on a daily basis today.  The Assyrians fought so furiously and with such thoroughness that this ruthless action was named terror.  The Assyrian empire invented this type of warfare and they perfected it as they gained in numbers and in confidence as they marched all across the Middle Eastern region.  The Assyrians given with time formed one of the most brutal and menacing empires that the world has ever known and even though God allowed this regime to capture Israel and destroy her, His hand was not upon the Assyrians for they too came up against a mightier force which destroyed their world as well.  But the damage to Israel had already been done and God’s hands were tied simply because Israel chose to live within their own rules and laws instead of the ones that God had designed for them.  Israel voluntarily took that barrier away from them and suffered an unabated enemy’s wrath for their choices.  While it tore God’s heart apart He could do nothing according to His laws that were in place.  Once God establishes a law, HE CANNOT CHANGE IT OR GO AGAINST IT!

I am positive that not every citizen that lived within the confines of the nation of Israel in 722 BC agreed with the choices that the nation decided to thrive by; however, it is clear that the overall heart of the nation, or majority of the nation, did favor this turning away from God.  When we stop and think about the entire situation of that scene, it is difficult for us to rationalize that the righteous were slaughtered with the unrighteous.  But if God holds true to His laws He cannot be any respecter of persons which means that everyone who is within the boundaries of the attack might be included in the consequences.  It seems tough but this example should stand out to everyone that it takes a community and a nation working together in order to make the group a functioning society; however, we have this example to show us that sometimes the choices that societies make have disastrous consequences.

The most significant detail of this setting to us should be the fact that God is not in control of the situation that ensued with Israel.  It was our enemy that had complete control over the destruction process and it is amazing to see how his authority (chain) was extended for an extensive amount of time and space.  It also gives us a true example of how much our enemy hates our existence even though he continually lies to us and influences our daily choices.  It was ferocious enough to have God curse the Assyrian nation into obliteration, but not until our enemy had finished with Israel and the surroundings nations.  Another intriguing detail here is that after Satan had completed his destruction process, he did not assist one bit while Assyria was being annihilated by its newly found enemies, their consequences were just as brutal against them.

As God has shown us in the “Guess Who” articles our nation is basically identical in stature and status as Israel was around 725 BC.  During my growing up life I watched the Middle East take steps towards war, fight those wars and then end them with a hair’s width peace agreement that usually failed within a short period of time.  I also watched our nation take steps to break away the hedge that God had placed around us and over us and as time marched along, it became evident that we had pulled away enough of it that the word terror finally was allowed to hit home on our shores.  We cried to God for a while but steadily went back to our own ways of life and even increased our dependence upon ourselves instead of trying to understand and truly change our ways.

Through the words that God has shared with us over the past few years, I have continually used the example of our nation against the backdrop of the Roman Empire, but maybe I should have chose the ancient nation of Israel instead because or used together since all three societies has so much in common.  With the lifestyle that I have always known it would be hard to imagine that all of it would be gone, wiped out and totally destroyed by the most grotesque manner known to mankind; some ways might have never been recorded before.  I have no idea as to what, when or how this destructive force may arrive, but I do know that we are fervently removing the protective hedge that God has around us.  Our arrogance of being in charge has overtaken our spirits and like the failed banks, mortgage companies and other industries that have totally crumbled for various reasons, we shall fall even harder.

God will shed many a tear while our destruction is occurring, but because it was OUR choice to live outside of His laws He cannot stop the destructive forces that will come against us.  It must be known that ANY nation that has any contact or connection with God and then falls away will be subject to horrible consequences from our enemy.  Why?  Because Satan utterly hates God and everything that He stands for and if any person, group or nation falls into line with God and then gives the leash laws an opportunity to work, then all of Satan’s built up fury will be unleashed for at one point it was their choice to serve with God.  Falling away from God is HUGE mistake and a great example of a bad idea and it really puts Jesus’ words into context here when He stated on the cross “forgive them, for they know what they do”.

This week one of God’s chosen leaders spoke at a joint session of Congress.  The speech was not spectacular nor was it one that some of the audience agreed with.  We all know that some of the leaders of this country and many within the country’s boundaries did not show up for this event.  While this type of activity should not surprise anyone there was a telling interview that should ring loud to this nation.  This interview states the grown reality of the voters and reflects the ideologies of millions around the world today.

The speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu was not a bombshell of information but it was a Churchill like speech that placed the world on alert of another potential disaster.  While the PM’s speech was eloquently stated there were some in the audience that began to mock his words by using their own ignorance and arrogance as the foundation for their behavior.  After the speech was concluded, public remarks about this speech set the stage for a public mockery of God and the land that He established thousands of years ago through the words of one that has been associated with the Church for the majority of her life yet does not understand the content and underlying meaning of what the PM’s speech had to say.  The vile portion of her words comes in the form that she placed herself and her colleagues above God’s land by insinuating that her knowledge of a situation was insulted by the PM’s words.  It is one thing to boycott a speech and to disagree with the words of that speech, but to loft oneself above God and His anointed lands, look out we are in deep trouble.  Many may not consider their words to be very profound, but in many cases it is those words that define the attitude of an entire nation and it is through these words that the power of the invisible realm grabs its authority.

Some may not like this type of article or topic, but it is a topic that God wants us to know and to understand for if we do not stop and turn around NOW, these gruesome consequences shall be coming to our country.  I really do not want to wake up one morning with our country in total shutdown – not just the government hype either – but in total shutdown.  I do not want to wake up one morning and find out that the New Madrid fault line has split this nation into two halves.  I do not want to feel the ground shake because the Yellowstone caldera just erupted.  I do not want to hear on social media or through the news that 25 of our major cities have just been bombed by terrorists.  I do not want to hear that 100 dams have just been blown apart and floods are happening all across the country.  I do not want to read in the newspapers that thousands of U S citizens have been captured by drug cartels and sold into slavery or have been tortured and brutally executed, with all of these events, and many others, occurring within one week, less than a week or for an extended period of time.

To be blunt, our country is a sitting duck and our enemy is sharpening his sights upon our lives.  When he unleashes his violent attacks on our lands, it will be done with relentless persecution and suffering.  This country has known God ever since its creation and dedication back in 1607.  The proclamation of God is offered in our founding statement which initiates the plan of God in our country and also established the groundwork of our undoing if we ever turn away from that creed.  Ladies and gentlemen I am here to tell you that we have done such a thing and we are rapidly running back to our hedge each moment to pull more away.  Our enemy is salivating over our actions and choices and he drools with anticipation for the moment in which he shall strike.  I understand that it is hard to imagine this type of destruction and that while the threat is there God would never allow it, but that was probably the thought that the people had in Haiti when the earthquake hit or the people in SE Asia when the tsunami hit their shores or when Hitler began building the gas chambers.

As of this moment for whatever reason our enemy has been plucking feathers one-by-one, which means we still have a few moments to call out to God for salvation.  I thoroughly recommend that we repent and turn from our ways now instead of waiting to be caught in our own calamities; it will be so much better for us.  However, from the looks of things I doubt we shall heed the words of God and continue to march over that cliff, ignoring the cross as we fall.  God loves each one of us and it is His desire that we come to Him now and not have to deal with the total destruction of the civilized world as we know it.  Our enemy despises God and everything that He stands for and our enemy is eager to lash out at those who have known God more than those who have never heard of God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  Something to think about for a bit and that is it is not really hard to figure out that out of the more than 200 nations around the world that probably 200 or more have been told about God, which places them into this “most hated” category by our enemy.

DLB