When Nakedness Was A Holy Status

When Nakedness Was A Holy Status

3/20/22

Being naked before others is one of those times when people feel the most uncomfortable, not many people long to be in this position.  All of us can look at our bodies and find something wrong with it enough to hide it from everyone else, this is human fear.  But there was a time in our existence that this state of being was not a bad thing and no shame or flaw was present.  God created us naked and it had its own representation with God and the relationship we had with Him.  It was a holy creation and one that had no faults, but we chose to override such status, and ever since that drastic change we have been trying our best to cover ourselves and to make our bodies better.  This is a sad state of being, but one that we shall never obtain again, and we must therefore focus our appearances on the spiritual and not the physical.

For many millennia now, humans have done their best to try and be one with nature, seeking out ways to get close to nature, one way that naturists accomplish this is by accepting the concept of being naked as much as possible.  Sex has been one of the most fallacies that human beings have been involved in, and sex has been proven to be the most-lied-about subject that the human mind can manipulate.  Sex deals with the human body and how we feel it should be treated, then the mind takes control and allows such atrocities to flood the human with sinful desires.  See, when we were created, we were created naked and it was a status that was special and holy through the representation of the relationship between God and mankind.  Even today, we are born naked and this process has not changed at all ever since humanity began recording and detailing birth.

For the most part, humans hide their nakedness because of flaws that others might see when exposed, this is also a normal process that humans display but it is one that also has roots in the Bible for when it all boils down we are ashamed of what our bodies look like and we turn to hide them.  I am not an advocate of naturalists at all, for they have their own ideas about being naked which for the greater part wish to be one with nature.  It would not be natural for us to try and cleanse ourselves with clothing on our bodies for the true cleaning part would be hidden from what really needs cleaning thus rendering this process void.  How many times do we have this concept when we try and clean our relationships on our own or by our own ways of believing relationships should grow?  Remember we came from the ground and the ground is cursed and we even return to its content when we die, so this belief is a lie as well.  I am not saying that the people who choose this way are by any means bad people but they do need to understand that their relationship goals are off and need to be redirected.

Our Scripture for this article deals with being naked but not living in the sexual manner as we may seem to think.  A while back, we dealt with the equal relationship status between God, Adam, and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  It was a time of perfect harmony, peace, and truth on an equal plane with God being the covering of course.  This status is what every human seeks to have and so far many of us have chosen to go about searching for this status on our own, or on our own terms a state that shall only prevail in sadness, darkness, and loss.  How many times and different ways have we tried to conceive, grow, nurture, and develop relationships with our own methods, countless if we are honest.  The passage is as follows:

Genesis 2:23-25

"And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

From a quick glance, it would seem like these verses pertain to the man and woman only, for it talks about what God did to create the woman, what the man perceived he should consider her, where they should live, and the current state of their bodies.  All of this information simply line up with humans with not much about God here, but this is a misconception for if we really look at this passage we see that God is present at the beginning of this passage and at the end as well.  His presence sets into motion the relationship that God wants with every one of His perfect creations and on what type of level too.  As we will see, this is a wonderful passage with a giant ray of hope that we can refer to when our spirits are down due to all of the division and hatred that this world and its ruler bring us each day.

Being naked is a status originated by God and at the same time this status tells us exactly what God expects in a relationship with us, and since this status was originated between God and humans it also means that it serves as the same standard between humans as well.  When Adam and the woman were in the Garden of Eden, their relationship was totally open and honest with God they hid nothing from God and God hid nothing from them either.  A holy standard of equality that is almost unmatched today, no matter if we refer to our relationship with God or with humans.  Our only problem is that we tend to try and hide our secrets from God just like we try hiding them from humans; however, we forget that God is the eternal and pure standard of relationships and already knows what our secrets are, a major issue that defeats our logic right from the beginning.

Satan has done a wonderful job in fooling us into believing that relationships can survive on a superficial basis and do not need to go any further than this condition.  When relationships were established it was God who ordained them with Him being the presence that all relationships are measured.  The passage for this article gives us the picture that all relationships should be based upon, God first and us being totally naked with all parties so that the truth cannot be hidden.  We must understand that the relationship standard that God created in the Garden of Eden was the pinnacle of all relationships, none could be higher.  When Genesis 3 rolls around and mankind accepts sin (disobedience) into our lives that sustained pinnacle was breached and the eternal status began to fall.  There is nothing purer than standing in front of a relational person with nothing to hide or to keep from them, this was the way God created Adam and Eve to be in the Garden of Eden.

Over time, the relationships between God and humanity have suffered and waivered greatly, so much so that it was not too many chapters later in Genesis that God had to repent for even creating humans because of the greatness of their sin.  This type of response by God is a purposeful one established by Satan through his work in our lives of division.  This division process began when Genesis 3 came about and that perfect relationship status was broken, and it was the job of Satan back then and it is still the job of him today to destroy any type of unity between God and humanity.  In no manner was standing in front of God naked promoting any immoral sexual content, it was purely a stance of honesty and holiness on an equal level, a level that we say we all want with God and with others.  It was the job of Satan to make nakedness and sex the front runner of relationships, not God.

When this type of belief is put into forwarding motion and the first step in a relationship it totally destroys the truth about being naked before God.  It is for this reason alone that so many relationships are ending in failure even after so many years of togetherness.  The rates of relationship failure are due to the fact that "me" rules the relationship and is the first and originating physical attraction to a potential relationship.  This is exactly what type of status Satan wants a relationship to operate within for it totally goes against the order of the heart and spirit first which God ordained for us to live within.  We have followed in so many misguided directions when it comes to relationships that it is no wonder that the motto of the day is to stay away from relationships and just get what you can on a one-night stand adventure.  When ruled by this lie, one can misrepresent the truth about themselves and every other category when asked, for there will not be any more nakedness to be shared with the exception of the physical.

We cannot ignore the fact that the experience that Adam and Eve had with the serpent was devastating and it completely changed their lives forever.  Lucifer understands this process quite well for it was the same tactic that he tried to use on God and it cost him his position in Heaven, eternal death, and an eternal name change.  Satan knows that if he can bombard us with bad relationship experiences with continued failure rates, it will be easier for him to drag us away from having an eternal and equal relationship with God and with another human.  Satan does not care anything about you and your relationships with humans, it is a side benefit when these occur because he knows that the more bad experiences you have with humans the less likely you will have any relationship with God.

This nakedness aspect of our lives is the highest emotional tie we have with humans and most importantly with God.  Nakedness, not sex we must keep that order in the correct position for when we don't, the actions of today appear and do further and deeper damage that can lead to certain physical death and eternal death as well.  It is not hard to figure out that sex defines our societies and that there is nothing more exciting and satisfying than this step, but it should not be placed first for when it is it takes away the holy nakedness of our lives with God.  Remember Adam was naked in front of God first before anyone else and so was Eve.  As long as this type of nakedness is not taken to heart in our lives, the more and more sexual indiscretions shall come to destroy our relationships, these percentages will only exponentially increase for that is what occurs when sin and disobedience rule humanity.

In order to have sex, one must disrobe and have at least the reproductive organs exposed or available, but when the relationship order is out of line there cannot be any holy order present before God which means that personal gratification (self) is placed first and therefore allows doors to be open for future discourse or breakage.  God created us naked so that we would understand first the importance of equality and purity before all parties involved in our lives, nothing hidden.  This order has not changed any and nor shall it change any time in the future either.  It does not matter if both parties agree to this type of non-ordained relationship, problems shall arise and they will fester until they become evident and this is the most basic explanation of inequality on the most intimate level known to mankind.  

Satan is the author of variables and disobedience and when Adam and Eve succumbed to sin, we found out that the ordination of eternal order was changed and that our lives did not respond well with this new living condition.  Yet, ever since this order and status change occurred we have done our best to cover up our secrets and lies.  Sadly, it is bad enough that we do this to fellow humans but eternally most of us do not think that we try to hide from God and we utterly end up failing on both instances.  We cannot forget that the only job Satan has is to come and steal, kill, and destroy your life.  He does not care which way this task is completed, all he cares about is that you are destroyed and that when you stand before God you have no eternal and Holy defense to warrant.

From the time God placed Adam in a deep sleep and created woman from his rib, we were meant to be on equal terms and levels, spiritually first and then physically.  It was a perfect combination, God first with man and woman standing in front of him with nothing to hide.  All levels of relationship were holy and pure with no blemishes to speak of, and if there was it did not matter because we were created in perfect relationship status with God.  In this capacity, everyone was supposed to see each other openly in a holy vision, it was not to have sex.  Why do we think so many relationships do south?  It is because we do not begin and then stick with God's standard in relationship status.  We would rather see the other person naked for our own personal gain instead of on a holy level established by God first.

What we do not realize is that when we place the physical nakedness first, we are doing exactly what Adam and Eve did immediately after they sinned, covering themselves.  Our holiness to each other goes out the window and so many other "options" will be thrown at us so that we fall further away from God.  It is an automatic process when we take things out of order, from the way God established things we not only hide from ourselves but we hide from God too.  It is the hiding from God that is the most significant because when we deliberately hide from God there is no way possible for us not to be hidden from each other either, nor will there be any hope of changing such living conditions in our lives either.

Well, Church, what do you have to say about this one?  The only thing we can say is that we did not learn this truth while reading the Word of God and because we have not learned this we have destroyed so many lives due to a failed policy of acceptance and love toward those who have been hurt.  Oh, we have taken the physical aspect of sex and have turned it into a whipping post and have damaged so many people that are already hurting and inflicted more pain upon their lives.  We have done nothing to teach them that there is a way of redemption and restoration by once again realigning their hearts back to God so that they can have the opportunity to know true love, not only in the physical form but in the holiness and spiritual form with God.  No, we are too busy proclaiming the world's perversions as acceptable and humanly pardoning folks, promoting sin, and publicly defiling God with no remorse whatsoever.

It is an atrocity to think that we are promoting sin to the world instead of promoting God and His Ordained Ways to those who are lost.  Furthermore, it is utter defamation of God that we do not understand or have taken the time to understand exactly what God's Word says concerning this matter.  It is hard to say this but we are even promoting sexual predators to become involved in the church thus exploiting people to sex trafficking practices as well.  It is time we get back into the Bible and ask for forgiveness for we have been partaking in a sin ritual of the ugliest proportions.  Repent, Church for our shaking is soon to come and unless you want to be shaken from your eternal existence, you better repent now!  We will once again stand before God naked and what will your body say to the Most High God, the One who Created you?

DLB

Destruction

Desolation

 

3/15/22

Modern times have approached the concept of destruction on an obtainable goal that only other humans can complete.  Hollywood and all of its minions have projected such directives so well organized that this subject has been rationalized into a personal development on a personal scale.  One that can be managed with a light switch mentality and carried out as quickly as possible and a rapid recovery to complete the set in one shift or less.  This is exactly what our enemy wants us to believe about destruction or any other type of devastation, but that belief is a lie and if not changed will be shattered in a blink of an eye.  It is time we look at the devastation on God's level and terms and the real reason it appears in our lives, for human destruction is one of revenge or power gain for God it is the start of restoration.

On a personal level, what do we know about devastation or desolation?  What is the most sensitive issue that we can think of when this question is posed to us?  Have any of you been in a severe storm such as a tornado or hurricane?  What about another natural disaster called an earthquake?  Almost all of us have read about or watched some type of devastation occur or the immediate after-effects of such productions, but even a World War cannot be compared to an entire global setting of destruction that affects and touch every family on the planet.  Also, when one takes the time to sit down and study the conditions of the origins of these human events at least, you will find that complete division is present between the people which led to such failed leadership.

We sit and watch far away places that are going through detailed wars, conflicts, and countless other social atrocities and wonder how things can come to such pinnacles of anger and riveted animosity, not figuring that these specific conflicts could ever invade our land and take over the dominate news stories of our day.  But as many great leaders have stated in the past, it does not take very long for the dominoes of freedom to fall, and once that fall begins it is almost impossible to stop until all dominoes have been touched by the previous domino.  We have a tendency to forget that it requires so much effort of every person in a free society to keep the freedom that has been granted and if these people forget the origins of such freedom then there is no foundation available to stand upon when these horrid times approach and begin their quest for dominance.

I heard the other day some people talking about how this nation has fallen to an extent never known before and that our fall has just begun, at the same time.  And what the other person said was that the majority of people walking around have no clue that this process has begun and that the patterns and trends of the recent past project the level at which we are falling.  Sadly, we do not understand that we are riding the ground down the side of a mountain, like an avalanche.  Our only problem is that we are approaching a cliff and we have not prepared any true measures in trying to stop such a slide and eventually over the cliff condition.  We are still in the notion that we shall overcome such a process and build back our lives again according to the selfish rules of events in 2001 and 2008.  God has had enough of our snobbish attitudes toward His Word and His Ways, so it is time we see what He has to say about such conditions.

We also have a tendency to forget that what occurred in the Bible was at the consideration of their modern times.  Bows and towers were their modern weapons with tanks, drones, and nuclear weapons being ours.  God did not forget this type of setting when He allowed destruction to happen to Judah and Israel and I guarantee that if He allowed such activities to occur in His chosen people, He will do the same for this group of sinners too.  Our Scriptures for this article are as follows:

Matthew 12:25-26

"And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."

John 10:30

"I and my Father are one."

What is the typical response to a natural disaster in our lives or when someone else is responsible for some sort of destruction to our lives?  If this kind of setting has not occurred to you count your blessings for many of us in this country and around the world have experienced such tragedies.  The most common responses to such events are ones of anger, justice, and side revenge all of which only fuel tensions between all parties involved.  When humans take matters into their own hands nothing good shall come as a result of such talk and action, the hurt deepens, and the more likely of scarred wounds remaining open for decades or even centuries to come to appear.

There is no question that many actions from humans are deliberate and should be punished from the highest pinnacle of the law but we sometimes do not understand when the limitations tend to fend off what really should be the result.  Therefore, further revenge efforts are then administered, and quickly the situation is out of control with many more wounds opened, the human reaction can be violently spectacular at times.  Knowledge of such settings is usually funded and reported by those in agreement with the ones that believe a wrong has been done and not enough "judgment or justice" has been done.  In other instances, it does not matter what the outcome would be, violence is the only answer in a selfish manner.

Do we realize that we see many acts of God in this manner?  Most do not wish to try and understand the reasons why God must allow certain things to occur, and once again we find that human emotions rule the day.  While many would suppose that the concepts of God's judgment and human judgment are the same, this is entirely incorrect.  We find this truth in the verses used for this article because it intensifies and highlights the major difference between the two, unity versus disunity.  When humans become entangled with one another, there are sides that look at issues from their point of view alone with hardly any consideration of other parties' opinions.  Wait a minute, isn't this the same type of fixture when God makes such claims?  Yes, but there is a huge divide here, one that cannot be ignored and left out.

When humans take sides, they do so with as much biased opinion as they can muster, their positioning comes with human interests first, and with sided views at best.  Personal vendettas are carried out with vengeful carriages carrying off the other sides' loved ones in a box if necessary.  Since the same attitude and outlook is represented on the other side of the issue, it is likely that the human response to one tragedy will upstage the first or previous one, and then the escalation process begins, a scene that will become a culture or turf war if not settled down within a short period of time.  What good comes out of these types of devastating contests?  Not much, only deeper and longer-lasting anger and divisions between the sides involved; the point is this, nothing becomes better only uglier circumstances abound with these marked divisions ripe for continued insults.

On the other hand, Jesus makes it clear that it is common knowledge that any human-controlled organization that does not have complete unity shall stumble and eventually fall so hard that no true identity will remain of said unity.  Jesus also states that the fall shall include every kingdom that is in such a state against itself to desolation.  This word desolation in the English dictionary means a place that is deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness, depressingly empty or bare.  This translation does the Greek word "eremoutai" somewhat well because the Greek meaning for this word is will be laid waste, totally destroyed, nothing left.  Furthermore and more direct, Jesus is making a statement here which His words state a fact and not an "if", for when kingdoms stand divided in any way between them, they shall crumble and fall completely beyond recognition.

Jesus goes on to say that cities and houses divided shall not stand either, this personalizes His remarks and should serve as a warning about what the hearts of others are capable of completing.  If something does not stand it means that everything and everyone within that structure is at risk of either total destruction or death.  The word "city" that is used here is the Greek word "polis" which means the city, the inhabitants of a city, a town.  This is an all-inclusive word and nothing or no one is left out of its definition, a remarkable statement from Jesus and it corresponds with the word "house" that is used in this verse as well.  It is the Greek word "oikia" which means residence, an abode, a family, it fascinates me how Jesus' own words on earth complete Him and do not contradict each other.

One can argue the point that in history that one would find some groups that fit together and have stuck with each other throughout time, this may be the case but they are very few and far between.  When I was taking German in college, my professor asked us how long do you think Germany has been unified?  Some said a long time while many said not very long at all.  Not long at all was the correct answer but when she narrowed this timeline down even tighter, it was found out that a united Germany has only been united as one nation since 1990 and has not varied since that time.  However, even today in this unified state, there are some issues that do not sit well with certain German states and a few tensions have risen up in defiance of such accord.  It is very difficult to get humans to agree on all points, which makes it virtually impossible for any human house, city, state, or nation to last very long.

Never fear, Jesus has the answer!  In our second passage, we find that Jesus makes a remarkable statement about Him and His Father.  It is a wonderful statement of comfort to us today but when Jesus walked the earth this phrase of His shook many religious leaders for it says that He and His Father are One.  We have discussed this verse before when we were describing the only time that this nation has been unified on an election, the very first one and after that vote, there has never been another one.  Jesus made this statement while He was on earth, which means that it was not just at that moment that He and God the Father were united, but it was always like this before human time began and shall always be present after the earth has passed away.  Now, we know God has never lied, we also know that He has never changed, so what evidence do we have that He will do so at any other time in the future?

The word "one" used by Jesus is the Greek word "hen" which means one, a primary numeral.  It means that there are no two, three, or more involved but only one.  Jesus did not give any other variables at all or referred to any other types of scenarios of wavering or fluctuations on this status.  This phrase and statement are meant to be intact for eternity, from eternity, and never have any division whatsoever.  This statement overrides all human anticipations of unity as we can understand and it gives God the ultimate authority to rule and lead over every Creation.  It means that what God says and proclaims is eternally true and cannot be changed or altered by Him, AND it means that when we live under Him that we shall never know true devastation without hope and understand why desolation comes.

You notice that both of these passages have one thing in common, it is an either/or situation, there is no in-between or any type of measured compromise present.  What type of compromise would there be by its definition alone?  Our compromise is humans that alter God, His Son, and Holy Spirit.  We alter it so they fit into our selfish security cabinet, take them out when we need them put them on display and then put them back into the cabinet when the condition or circumstance disappears.  THIS action of ours is the definition of division, separation, and failing.  It is these acts of ours that cause our churches, our nations, our cities, and ourselves to witness desolation, destruction, and devastation.  No compromise or alterations from God means that He is the only source of complete and whole safety and a solid foundation that will not slip from under us and the only Way to peace and eternal life.

Church, why have we dropped this truth from our lives?  We no longer strive to live a godly life and to share the Gospel with others, even when we know that people need God and His Son.  Why do we choose to ignore the lost by just sending a check to some organization that we have no connection to, and why do we walk away from those in our neighborhoods that do not care about what is ongoing within the heart of this nation?  How can we sit by and accept those who are living in public sin as normal and do not reach out to them to show them that they have been lied to by this world and that they need God?  Why have we forsaken the mission of the Gospel and picked up and adopted the mission of the world?  We preach a message of division and not of one that brings us back to the true unity of our existence, for we should know that no human being can be unified with anyone else unless they are back in unity with God first.

DLB

Nothing Can Stop His Word

Nothing Can Stop His Word

3/10/22

Many of us have a tendency to forget just how powerful God is and what He can do to our lives and in our lives.  There are also countless examples of ministers and other church leaders getting caught up in the lie that God is not around and is not present in times of need, their need.  This is an eternally deadly mistake made by many folks, certainly by those who have no idea who God is and what His Word actually says and does.  God is a living and breathing Being that our minds cannot fully comprehend but we do know that what He says He shall do no matter which side of His statement you are located.  God is not here to shake you down with every communication He has with you, but if you do not heed His words then there will be a time that changes need to be made.  This scenario too is not well received by some but when God speaks of such a situation know that His Word shall not return void on any level.

As current events seem to spiral out of control, so many people around this nation and the world do not see how bad our nation's response to these events is nor are they aware of what is about to occur either.  It is obvious that our eyes and ears are definitely on another target, one that is so close in front of us that it is not required for us to look up and see what is around us.  It is this type of living that we have adopted and desire to have at all times, such a self-centered and self-decaying existence.  We have become so used to a society such as this that we no longer care to do what is right, only what we want, and hopefully, somewhere along with this societal planning scheme of ours we will have our 20 seconds of fame then sell it for a fee.  It is frightening to think that anyone would thrive in such a governing living space but it is true our reality succumbs to the world's ridiculous state of being without any regard for true authority around us and the defense of such beliefs can be deadly if questioned.

It should not come as a surprise to know that the Church has fallen into this category and as a result, she has no true direction in the mission that we have from Christ.  It has become common practice that church denominations change their belief system as fast as the Pharisees and scribes wrote new laws; as they came across situations, they wrote what served them.  Even in the Old Testament, religious leaders took advantage of such beliefs and stretched them for their own personal gain, a practice so common that it had generational ties within its confines.  Also, it gave reference to the people in such a manner that they acted as their priests did, which is a way of truth given in the Old Testament, one that should have been detected early and irradicated before it grew heart roots.  After everything is said and done, will we be able to stand and say or finish what God has told us to say to those who need Him or will we fall and succumb to the humiliation that the world dishes out?

We find one of these examples in the Old Testament, it is not too hard to locate for the Old Testament is filled with these types of authority issues and how much power the religious rulers believed they wielded.  Our passage comes from the Book of Jeremiah and it tells of one of the times God's prophet was treated terribly by the religious leaders for telling the truth. It is a single verse but once again God's Word is filled with rich information that will help us to not fall into a long sinful trap of selfishness.  Our passage is as follows:

Jeremiah 20:4

"For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give Judah into the hands of the King of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword."

Never once in the entire Word of God did He, His Son, or Holy Spirit say that things for those who follow will have things easy.  All who have stated things that go against the world's view or what people believe will be subject to a multitude of adversaries and malicious settings, it is a guarantee.  Our passage deals with one of the times that Jeremiah has been placed into confinement after he was beaten, just for saying what God directed him to say.  What was said did not sit well with the religious leaders of Judah and hence the reason for Jeremiah's current condition.  Once again we find that the religious leaders had become so worldly-wise and accepting that they failed to recognize what God was actually telling them and warning them about.

However, because Jeremiah had been beaten and placed into stocks did not stop him from completing what God had told him to say to Judah's leaders.  We find Jeremiah out of the stocks and in this verse he immediately continues his mission, Jeremiah never backed down even though he was beaten and locked up.  God had a warning for His people and it was the job of Jeremiah to hand the message to them no matter the cost.  People who were put into stocks were placed in a very uncomfortable position, there was nothing easy or restful about it.  Plus, they would conduct such punishment in a very public place in order that anyone who disagreed with the prisoner could basically do whatever they wished to them.  It was common to have the prisoner in worse shape after their time in the stocks than they were before they were put there.

First off after the release from the stocks, Jeremiah continued with the personal message to Magormissabib, and how God was so displeased with his actions of leadership that He was going to make his life so miserable and tense that he would serve as a terror unto himself and nothing good would be in his future.  Along the same lines, remember God is a complete God, Magormissabib's friends would suffer the same fate as he but would fall before Magormissabib because God stated that he would watch them fall by the sword.  This means that Magormissabib listened to his friends and that his friends were part of the allowance of sin within the heart of Judah, this is why God repeats HImself many times throughout His Word to be careful of who you seek out as friends.  

The word "terror" here is from the Hebrew word "lemagowr" which means fear, terror.  One cannot misinterpret this definition for it is clear and precise and it comes from the masculine noun "magor or magur".  This is a powerful word and would have been easily recognized by Magormissabib.  What makes it so devastating is that it describes a person or place that is surrounded by fear and terror, it has become its own servant to the self-destruction process.  It does not just incarcerate from the outside or surrounding areas, but it also confines itself within your spirit and destroys your inner peace, and replaces it with turmoil and fear.  This is a price that one can hardly imagine and one that would be impossible to bear and survive holding.  Even the very presence of your body brings fear and installs pain, agony, and terror not only to yourself but to others around you.  This is what God changed Pashur's name to and it is what he represented from that moment onward.

The last portion of Jeremiah's word from God stated that because Judah had not repented and continued to live in sin that they would fall and then be taken captive and through this act would be totally destroyed.  God did not leave out any detail for He told Magormissabib who would be the enemy that destroyed them and their land.  Jeremiah did not hesitate in delivering this message from God, even in the dire circumstances that other men placed upon him for when a Word comes from God to be delivered to specific people or to be delivered in a specific manner it must be completed for if the messenger does not do their job then everyone involved is subject to the message.

This word of the Lord is pretty direct and gruesome but it has another meaning as well and it has to do with the sovereignty of God and the authority of His actual Word.  It should not be uncommon for the Church to understand exactly what is said here and why it is said, but we have fallen into the same category as Judah did when this Word was given to them so many probably miss its meaning of authority.  The leaders of Judah preached the sovereignty of God but used it as a weapon to hold over the heads of the people which turned their hearts away from God.  Then, Satan began to introduce his own ways into their lives and after a while, all had joined in the worldly festivities that could be absorbed, with the religious leaders at the front of the line in leadership.  Judah embraced this worship so much that they failed to see that what they were worshipping was offensive to God, and they did not care either.

Many times people forget that God will speak His Will through other people and when these words are spoken we tend to react in the same manner as Magormissabib did.  WE reject them since they are coming from someone who does not know the area, or the people or seems out of touch with what the leaders are portraying in the land.  It is not unusual for God to speak towards one person or a group of people but it is an extraordinary time when God refers to the entire nation immediately after He changes a priest's name.  It is even more radical to have your name changed to the exact type of judgment that God is about to allow to come upon your home and that your name reflects the attitude of your entire nation.

The overall point that Jeremiah made those few days was that God had a message, both to an individual and to a nation.  Both Words from God had deep and specific meanings along with warnings that were sure to follow.  Notice God did not set a time of when these things were going to begin, occur, and end but the only thing He said was that they would come to pass.  Jeremiah's job was one of warning and comfort; comfort, really?  Yes, for God always says what He is going to do and He allows for time to change our hearts, just as He did in this passage.  However, Judah did not change their hearts only dug them deeper into their idols and sin.  Whatever the time-sensitive materials proved, it was spoken by God and therefore could not be rescinded.  These things were made by a Holy and complete God, one who cannot lie or detract from the truth.  This is why God can make such statements and not be incorrect, for mankind shall always prove Him correct.  It is this part of God that we tend to forget about and blow His Words off.

Our goal should be to NOT get to this point in God's heart.  We need to recognize our mistakes and sins before God has to give us a warning from those who are listening to what He is saying.  When we do not accept God's Words for our lives it proves that we have been fooled enough not to even consider what is being said and why God is saying such things.  Ever since the Garden of Eden, God has been giving humans warnings about what not to do and the reasons why, how come it is still so difficult for us to get this pattern?  Look at our nation and world societies today, we have become terrors to ourselves and it is so blatantly obvious but we are blind to it.  We have rendered ourselves useless for the plan that we were created for yet we revel in our sins and call it a day anxiously awaiting another round of new worldly adventures tomorrow.

One of the most devastating lies that we have fallen for is what Judah allowed to happen to them in this passage.  Both the religious side of life and the secular side of life began to merge into one conglomeration needing the support of the other in order to survive.  When this type of atmosphere occurs compromise is the only pattern that will prevail and it is a guarantee that it will not be a righteous atmosphere to emerge dominant.  We see this type of pattern all throughout the Bible, in the New Testament Church as well and if those folks cannot keep the true faith intact there is no way that we stand a chance.  Look at the Church today, she has meshed herself within the boundaries of the world and it is painfully obvious that she has given all her authority to the world.

We no longer have any spiritual teeth to fend off any tactics of Satan, nor do we have any spiritual energy and any spiritual mindset to recognize or to hear spiritual instructions from God on how to defend ourselves.  It is for this attitude and action that God began to issue warnings and prophetic messages to this nation a few decades ago.  God saw the pattern that we had chosen to follow and He knows that we have not strayed from those horrid decisions.  It is for this reason that God has continued these messages right up until today, for He wants His children to understand that they need to repent.  Also, just as in the passage for this article, God has spoken words against this nation and He has not reversed His direction at any time either; in fact, some prophets have renounced their calling since things did not play out in the specific timeframe they believed it should.  Weak, weak, weak without any spiritual gumption to make the effort to seek God further for answers.

Once again we have fallen for the big lie, and it is about time that God allows such devastation to be heaped upon our land and lives.  It is obvious that our focus has been on the incorrect pattern and purpose for which the Church and this nation were established.  God has spoken and all He wants is for us to repent and to be ready for this dreadful day.  God suggests you prepare your lives for a change of unimaginable proportions, this includes spiritual levels as well.  Hold tight to His Word, which means get into His Word for if you do not then you shall have no idea what to hold on to when this time arrives.  This Word from God back in Jeremiah and the one that you have just read is no longer a suggestion - it never has been - but serves as a warning for what is to come.  Has our spiritual national name been changed?  You bet it has and we shall soon find out exactly what it is too.

DLB