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