Hi again friends, brothers and sisters! The Spirit of the Lord has been putting a couple of concepts on my mind and heart lately, first one and then another. They go together and help to explain some massive societal problems that we all need to understand. There will, almost undoubtedly, be more to come or maybe they are already here and I’m just unaware of them. But as large-scale as they are and as foreign to your heart as they may seem, each and every one of us needs to ask Jesus Christ to make us aware of issues, attitudes and mindsets in our own individual lives that parallel what I am about to share with you. I hope that you will listen, not just as if I’m talking about someone else, but as if the Lord is talking into your heart and life as well.
There’s no soft or nice way to say this, so I’ll just the drop the truth bomb the way the Father laid it out: LGBTQ and BLACK LIVES MATTER are two heads of the same monster… and its name is REBELLION. (As a matter of act, since beginning to type this, the Lord has shown me that PLANNED PARENTHOOD and ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION could easily be seen as a third and fourth head of this same monster). Additionally, the Lord led me to read the Book of Amos beginning with a verse I heard or someone shared with me recently. That verse is Amos 7:14, but it is verses 12-13 that capture the heart of what we’re getting into together today. They say, “And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’” This is a typical response to the Word of the Lord sent as a warning to a sinning and sinful people. They can’t bear the conviction and truth it brings. They won’t repent and be saved, and so they send God’s servant away. Instead, they surround themselves with people who say pleasant things that they would rather hear because they don’t have to change the way they live. They pass up the chance at salvation, and close their ears to the reality of death that will face them later. Maybe this describes you. Maybe you are trying to expand your borders, just as LGBTQ and BLM are but in a smaller and to a subtler degree.
Then the Spirit brought me to the following series of disturbing verses which parallel what these organizations are doing and the just consequence that will come as a result (and this can be just as true for your life as well). Throughout chapter one and the beginning of chapter two, there are seven cities or people groups who the Lord God directly addresses. He declares to them, clearly and one at a time, telling them what He will do and why (but in reverse order) and then there is an overarching reason and a revealing of the motive of the heart that lies behind all of it.
Amos 1:3 says (speaking of Damascus), “Because they have threshed Gilead.”
Amos 1:4 says, “So I WILL SEND A FIRE upon the house of Hazael.”
Amos 1:6 says (speaking of Gaza), “Because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom.”
Amos 1:7 says, “So I WILL SEND A FIRE upon the wall of Gaza.”
Amos 1:9 says (speaking of Tyre), “Because they delivered up a whole people to Edom.”
Amos 1:10 says, “So I WILL SEND A FIRE upon the wall of Tyre.”
Amos 1:11 says (speaking of Edom), “Because he pursued his brother with the sword.”
Amos 1:12 says, “So I WILL SEND A FIRE upon Teman.”
Amos 1:13 says (speaking of the Ammonites), “Because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead that they might enlarge their border.”
Amos 1:14 says, “So I WILL KINDLE A FIRE in the wall of Rabbah.”
Amos 2:1 says (speaking to Moab), “Because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.”
Amos 2:2 says, “So I WILL KINDLE A FIRE upon Moab.”
Amos 2:4 says (speaking to Judah), “Because they have rejected the Law of the Lord and have not kept His statutes.”
Amos 2:5 says, “So I WILL SEND A FIRE upon Judah.”
LGBTQ is lawless not just because of their inborn sin (1 John 3:4, Romans 1:32) but because they demand that others not only tolerate but accept their rebellion. They want equal “rights,” non-discrimination (as they see it, they want the right to sin), to be allowed to “marry”, to be accepted without repentance, to be able to change their identity, to use restrooms/changing rooms/locker rooms of the opposite sex, to invent genders (when there are only two), to compete unfairly and with unfair physical advantages against the opposite sex in athletics and competitions, want to be referred to with invented/odd/unnatural pronouns, and demand laws to be changed or established to their liking. Worst of all is that they are corrupting the church. We welcome all who turn from their sin and are cleansed by the blood of Jesus, as we have been. However, they want to remain in their sin and still be called by the holy name of Christ, “Christians.” This cannot be. Christ is not coming for a blemished church, nor did He suffer on the Cross for someone who refuses to repent, and to remain sinful. THEY WANT TO ENLARGE THEIR BORDERS.
BLACK LIVES MATTER is lawless not just because of their inborn sin, but because they want to resist authority, push against those who enforce the laws they knowingly break, and they act as if they are the victims when they receive their consequences and, sometimes, due rewards. Often the individuals they are defending or heralding as recipients of undue justice have made a series of bad choices which led to their eventual demise. If they had made a different one, or not made the initial choice (which led to another and then another), they would have escaped their end. But instead of looking within, admitting their guilt, acknowledging their own responsibility and accountability in the matter, they blame those who enforce the very laws that they have knowingly and purposefully broken. It is not racism. It is not racial profiling. It is a matter of wanting to do whatever they want with impunity and then crying foul when they are held accountable for their own actions. And they, too, want everyone to sympathize with them. They, too, want to change laws, change street names, change brand names of products to help bolster their cause. They want us to accept and tolerate their behavior. But that’s not justice. That’s societal acquiescence. When they organize and protest, chaos and destruction follow. I understand the felt need to raise your voice when you think no one is listening or paying attention—I really do. But when it is taken to this level, it will only be met with resistance. They may or may not be the ones looting, vandalizing or setting fires, but they are not pushing them away either. If they want to be heard and for the lawful ones to take them seriously, they should be vocal (they don’t have a problem with this!) and be the first ones to make it known to the world that the ones who do that are not from them. They should condemn these actions and separate themselves from the ones who do so. When they do not, the watching world can only presume it is acceptable to them. THEY WANT TO ENLARGE THEIR BORDERS.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL DO AS HE SAID IN AMOS 1:4, 1:7, 1:10, 1:12, 1:14, 2:2 AND 2:5. “I WILL SEND A FIRE UPON THEM.” The purpose is to purify.
As much as we would like to believe, we are not in control—nor should we be. We are full of sin and it is evident. We do not possess righteousness. We do not possess, it seems, the capability to govern our own individual lives well, let alone the lives of others. We cannot force or impose our wills on others. Almighty God is authority; the supreme authority. He is also our Creator, our Lawgiver and our Judge. Before Him we will stand and give an account of our deeds and, more importantly, our motives. As Romans 13:1-7 so perfectly, clearly and succinctly spells out, God is the ultimate authority; it begins and ends with Him. And He has appointed ministers (His servants) to rule over us: parents, grandparents, teachers, employers, police and government. When we disobey and rebel against any or all of these—and they serve, are sent and are established by Him—we disobey and rebel against HIM. It is the exact same and that’s what the Word of God tells us. This should give us a wake-up call in our souls. Of course, this can be very revealing about the heart of a man or woman. It says that since we have no fear of the Almighty, then it just stands to reason we will not fear or respect those who serve as His proxies, or representatives, over us. The Lord Jesus Christ would say it like this, “If you do not fear those who you can see, then you will not fear HIM who you can’t see.”
The Word of God is Truth and it proclaims that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” Just the beginning. It is like the first day of school. The Bible also says that if we have no wisdom, we are fools. Folly (or, foolishness) is the opposite of wisdom. In that same passage from the book of Romans it WARNS US, “Do you want to have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is right (and good, not in your own eyes but according to the law) and you will receive his approval… but if you do what is wrong (unlawful), BE AFRAID, for he does not bear the sword in vain.” In other words, the one who has the charge and responsibility to enforce the law, has been given the sword (handcuffs, club, gun, taser) for the very purpose of keeping order. There’s a reason he’s been given the sword or gun. Of course, if none of this even matters to you, then you are DEEP in sin, lawlessness, rebellion and you stand in –arrogance, pride and hubris—defiance of the God of the Universe! I would NOT want to be in your shoes. The God who made Heaven and Earth and everything in between is not disorderly, haphazard, unruly or chaotic. He rules with equity and justice. He is the universal Lawgiver and the Judge of all mankind. He makes perfect laws, statutes, and decrees which, when submitted to and obeyed, will ensure peace, order, stability, blessing and prosperity. But when we do not submit and obey, He will enforce His laws against the evildoer, the scoffer and the rebellious. This speaks to every human heart because we are born in sin. However, there is a purposeful, intentional, willful and higher degree of disobedience. This stage of rebellion (if that isn’t descriptive enough) rises to the level of revolt or insurrection. But even if it is not violent in outward action, it is most certainly at the heart stage. We only have to look at the fruit, or outward manifestation, of what is hidden deep inside. The Bible very accurately convicts us in Luke 6:45 saying, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” It can also be said just as truthfully that out of the overflow of a person’s heart, actions of the same will be carried out or manifested. Matthew 7:17 testifies or adds weight to this principle saying, “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” It’s easy to see what kind of trees we ourselves are, and are dealing with in others. We can readily observe the evidence whether it be in us, an anarchistic group’s words and actions or as a collective, global society and race called mankind.
Jesus Christ’s role as the willing, voluntary and sacrificial lamb is over and thankfully accomplished! He is now coming back in power and glory, and as a thief in the night. This doesn’t mean He’s coming back to steal something (since everything belongs to Him, anyway). It signifies He will return at a time when we are not ready and don’t expect. The next time you try to mold him in your mind or heart into someone or something you want Him to be and He is not, consider carefully these words from Revelation 19:11-16 which paint a different portrait than the one you have most likely crafted for yourself, “Then I saw Heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The One sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness HE JUDGES and MAKES WAR. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. And the armies of Heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of Lords.” Since He IS sovereign (1 Timothy 6:15) and rules over all, wants to keep us safe, and knows we need LIMITS—not expanded borders—in order to minimize the collateral damage arising from our sin, He wisely sets up BORDERS for us; even the angels have their “PROPER POSITIONS” (Jude 1:6). Jesus Christ our God and Creator and Master gave limitations to the very first man and woman in charging them concerning what was good to eat and what was not good (acceptable) to eat (Genesis 2:16-17), and as a result of their rebellion (WANTING TO ENLARGE THEIR BORDERS) by not staying within their proper positions, He set yet another boundary over them when He “sent him out of the garden” and “drove out the man, and at the east of the Garden of Eden, He placed the cherubim (angels) and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
In the book of Job 38:8-11 He speaks of natural boundaries in these commands, “Or who SHUT IN the sea with doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and PRESCRIBED LIMITS for it and SET BARS AND DOORS, and said, ‘THUS FAR SHALL YOU COME AND NO FARTHER, and here shall your proud waves BE STAYED?” Proverbs 8:29 speaks again of the vast sea, “When He assigned to the sea it’s LIMIT, so that the waters MIGHT NOT TRANSGRESS HIS COMMAND.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 gives several examples of the necessity for sons and daughters of God to be SEPARATED from those who are unbelievers saying, “Do NOT be equally YOKED,” “GO OUT from their midst, and BE SEPARATE from them.” And the Savior Himself describes one of His own divine characteristics as “THE DOOR” twice in John 10:7-9. It tells us, “So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, Truly, I say to you, I AM THE DOOR of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I AM THE DOOR. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’”
We all have and need LIMITS, BORDERS, BOUNDARIES, WALLS, LAWS and HEDGES. The good, submitted, yielding and obedient see them as beneficial, necessary, protective and wisely acknowledge and stay within them. This leads to peace and blessing, and shows our Maker we love and honor Him. But those who wrongly, defiantly, disrespectfully, violently, forcefully and rebelliously spurn, violate and resist good boundaries—whether geographical (illegal immigration), natural and biological (LGBTQ), denying one’s own culpability (Black Lives Matter), or the murder of innocent life out of convenience and for profit (Planned Parenthood)—are, at the very core, SEEKING TO ENLARGE THEIR BORDERS. When we do this, we are not only unlawful (pitting ourselves against the Universal Lawgiver and Judge of our eternal souls), but we encroach upon and burst through others’ boundaries. This is wrong, disorderly, chaotic and a very personal and large-scale example of “breaking and entering.” It’s “theft.” It’s “assault and battery.” It’s “rape.” JESUS CHRIST in His own words, though speaking of the kingdom, illustrates the same attitude and principle with these words in John 10:1, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.” He is illuminating and reinforcing the existence of rightfully-placed borders, boundaries, limitations and perimeters. If they are immovable, it is by design and for a reason. God has established them. It should not be attempted to move them, dig under them, go around them or climb over them! This is the sin of Adam and Eve. We are not to be proud, arrogant, stiff-necked, intrusive, shameful, debase, unrighteous, evil, covetous, envious, malicious, haters of God (and His sword-bearing servants), insolent, inventors of evil, foolish, heartless or ruthless. If these walls have gates, if these doors have keys, and if these borders have permissible ingress and egress points, use them properly and legally as set forth and enforced by your authorities. But what can’t be done is to convince yourself in your deceitful and wicked heart (Jeremiah 17:9) that you have done nothing wrong, that you are a victim, an injured party or a casualty, that your feelings carry more weight concerning your identity than the way your Creator made you as evidenced by your biological makeup, that you can illegally trespass into another sovereign country and expect no recompense, or that the sexual walls you have wrongfully scaled and which have now produced life in you—which is a blessing and a loving responsibility— can be considered an inconvenience or a curse to be done away with by a pill or a vacuum, and his or her body parts sold for a profit. This is NOT LAWFUL; it is SHAMEFUL! These are flat-out lies.
If I’m a young child and want to play in the front yard, my father will have already bought a house with a fence in preparation for my ignorance, foolishness and waywardness. He will instruct me to play ball with the gate closed and for me not to kick the ball over the enclosure. But if I ignore his commands and words to keep me safe, and the ball leaves the yard bouncing through the gate I have left open or over the fence, and I run into the street to retrieve it, he can’t guarantee my safety; especially if I follow my own will, decide to disobey his command and go after my own desires. So focused am I on my own intentions, and so purposefully oblivious to his, that I get hit by a passing car. It is ridiculous to blame the driver of the car! I HAVE SO WANTED TO EXPAND MY BORDERS that I have completely ignored the safety protocols put in place by my father, with his love, protection and authority. I need to be humble, acknowledge my own responsibility and accountability in the matter, ask for forgiveness, promise and be intent on never doing it again, and rightly accept the consequences or pain and discipline of healing that come as a result… NOT to blame my father for having the fence, NOT to blame the driver of the car who hit me only because I left my proper position (even if he may have been driving too fast or not paying enough attention, because if I had never ran out into the street in clear disobedience of the laws and instructions I had been given, I would never have been hit in the first place; the sole responsibility for the outcome and my injury is mine), NOT to blame the physical therapist as he or she “hurts” me in the process of helping me to walk again, etc. etc. You are not the Lawmaker. You are not the Lawgiver. You are not the law enforcer. You are not even the law interpreter. You are to be the law-abiding citizen. Let me remind you of the cause, effect and reason I mentioned in the beginning:
CAUSE= The wrong you have done and your lack of acknowledging your responsibility are the direct result of you not staying within the perfect and protective and authoritative boundaries set for you.
EFFECT= Jesus will SEND A FIRE UPON YOU if you don’t confess and repent of your wrongdoing.
REASON= You were not content or obedient or grateful- YOU WANTED TO EXPAND YOUR BORDERS and you defiantly left your proper position.
May God grant you grace, wisdom, humility, repentance, forgiveness, obedience and gratitude!
Christ View Versus World View 