Disasters—Who is to Blame? #2

Fred R. Coulter—April 30, 2011

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services. Let's look at some of the things that we've seen take place in the world today. Think about the tornados that we have had just this past week. Terrible tornados with winds well over 200-mph. There was one tornado that was so huge, that was so big, that it stayed on the ground for over 160 miles and wiped everything out! And you look at all of that. That reminded me of the tsunami in Japan.

Can God wipe things out in nothing flat? So you can come from poverty to penury in seconds with no recovery. People ask, 'Why does God do this?' Part of the reason is people expect to live in sin and receive the blessings of God!

Let's add onto that list, and it looks like there are going to be some more tornados this coming week because it's very cold here in California. As that moves east, it's going to add to the problem of the heat coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and guess what's going to happen? More tornados! About the only thing you can hope for, it'll get rid of the debris.

We have wars—don't we? Earthquakes: we've had earthquakes in Haiti, Chili, New Zealand, Japan, the year before in Indonesia. We've had volcanoes blow off. We've had tsunamis. And they now have some other pictures of the tsunami in Japan. That was devastating. Some of those boats were taken miles inland. And coming down to the west coast from the Japanese current coming around Alaska down to Oregon, they've got floating cars and floating pieces of wood, all from Japan.

Then we had the tornados. Floods and rain: North Dakota, Minnesota. Drought: Texas, Oklahoma. Then we have the radiation from the Fujishima nuclear plants there. I read a report—I didn't bring it with me—all the scientists are absolutely flabbergasted. There are particles coming out from the sun that are neutralizing the radiation in the air. Very interesting, indeed!

What's got them all upset, not that it's getting rid of the radiation, but what it's doing is, it's destroying their theory of carbon-14 dating where they date because the radiation deteriorates at a regular rate. Now they know it doesn't! So this adds to their problem—how old is this bone?—in addition to the transfer of minerals in the ground to the bone. It says in the article they're emailing each other, 'What does this mean? How are we going to answer this? Oh, our theories are lost.'

God says back there in Rom. 1 that when God manifests Himself to it through the creation to them they rejected Him; they rejected the evidence; 'declared themselves wise and became fools.' So now here they are scurrying around trying to figure out, 'How are we going to explain this?' Well, you better look to God.

Then we have all of the upset in the nations, the roaring of the nations. Here in America we have drugs, we have crime, we have murder, we have thievery, we have problems with banking. By the way, this is the last month people who receive Social Security by check are going to get a check. You either get a bank account and have direct deposit, or you don't get it. It's going to save the government a billion dollars a year in postage, just what the post office needs.

They also have set aside Salt Lake City as a test city for the wave purchasing system, which is this. You have a credit card or you have an iPhone, you have an iPad, you have a Blackberry and you just wave it front of the reader—automatically the money comes out of your account. So in the sermon Disasters—Who is to Blame #1, Bob pulled out a new card that was sent to him from Chase Manhattan and here's that little chip in the back and he read the instructions and guess what it's for? Wave technology! They're going to set up the whole city that way: from buses to banks, stores, even individuals. You can do it on your iPhone, you can swipe a card on an iPhone or you can buy a portable swiper where you can swipe a card.

You come within four feet of it and BAM! What's going to happen? What if you left your iPhone on the bus and it's got everything about you there? People no longer use their brains, they use their cell phones to put everything on—your name, your address, all your friends, all your contacts. Now it will have all your banking information. So if you think identity theft was a problem before, just wait. So what is that going to do? What's the solution to that? On the right hand or on the forehead! The last step before the mark of the beast is being watched right now.

Let's continue on with our list here. You've got the problems with

• banking
• lying
• cheating
• stealing
• murder
• corrupt government
• from the top down
• blinded, stupid, arrogant

—in almost every nation of the world. Then you have all the

• religions and false gods
• witchcraft
• demon worship
• idolatry

Then you've got the problems with the Churches of God. Then on top of that you've got Satan deceiving the people and it's like over every capital city in the world there's a big cap right over the top of it, so no truth can enter in. Those few that want to bring the truth are ridiculed.

We have such a hypocritical President, that he stands up there and says, 'Oh, we need civility. We don't need running down and belittling people.' So what does he do? First speech out of the chute concerning his new budget for 2011—he has lined up right in front of him on the first row all of those in the Republican party who are all set to cut the budget—he ridicules them, he puts them down, he shames them, he mocks them. Makes you wonder: Is Washington, D.C., capable of doing anything? It's hard in London, it's hard in Paris, it's hard in the other capitals of the world. Look at Japan now. After the earthquake and the tsunami and the nuclear disaster that they have. Everyone wants everything to go well, even though they do 'every man what is right in his own eyes.'

Come to 2-Timothy 3, let's go there first because let's see the cause of it. We're going to find out who is to blame, because you always want to blame someone, but it's awfully hard to blame someone for an earthquake, or tornados, or hurricanes, or drought or floods—except God. Let's see why He would do that.

2-Timothy 3:1: "Know this also, that in the last days perilous time shall come." We're living in them—aren't we? I heard on the news going up to church this morning. A young girl was on a public bus in San Francisco. She was smart, she had a can of pepper spray and two men were trying to molest her, so she grabbed her pepper spray, because she was afraid getting on the public bus in the daytime. She got away.

Here's the whole reason, v 2: "For men will be lovers of self... [What are we to be lovers of? God! So we're looking upon ourselves as gods. I think some people actually believe that.] ...lovers of money... [Like in the movie, 'Greed is good.'] ...braggarts, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…. [all of those things rampant] …Without natural affection... [throw-away babies, abortion, homosexuality] ...implacable... [You can't talk to them; their hearts are hardened as can be.] ...slanderers, without self-control, savage, despisers of those who are good. Betrayers, reckless, egotistical, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (vs 2-4). Isn't that so? Yes, indeed! Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday, all the sports—right? Rather than putting them on another day, what do they do? The churches try and accommodate their schedule around the sports events so they can get people to come to church. That's how much they love God.

Verse 5: "Having an outward appearance of godliness, but denying the power of true Godliness. But as for you, turn away from all these." What does God expect us to do? God says that He judges the nations. If a nation that He's going to bless, do good to, does evil, He'll stop the blessing. But if the nation will repent of its evil, He'll repent of the evil that He thought to do to it. Now that's all nations and today at the end-time we're dealing in all the nations. But let's see what God expects. You want the blessings of God, you want things to go well in your life, you want the favor of God?

Leviticus 26:1; notice how He starts out: "You shall make no idols to yourselves; and you shall not set up for yourselves graven images, or a standing pillar. And you shall not set up any image of stone in your land in order to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God." Do we have a lot of idolatry? Oh, yes, around all the churches! We've got idolatry in sports—don't we? Where you can buy the jackets, you can buy the shoes. They all have their own little god—don't they? Bears, hawks, panthers! There's even one college that they have spiders, anything but God.

Verse 2: "You shall keep My Sabbaths... [that's plural; that includes the Holy Days] ...and reverence My sanctuary... [The sanctuary in heaven above for us. Yes, indeed!] ...I am the LORD…. [You want the blessings?] …If..." (vs 2-3). Conditional! If we meet these conditions, God will bless us. This is parallel to Deut. 28. It's considerably shorter, but it's parallel, read it all the way through. Trust me, when you get done, you'll be almost burdened down with how bad it's going to get. Even though we've lived through a lot of things, we don't know how bad it's going to get.

You could have motorcycle gangs and M-13 gangs, the Nation of Islam. You could have other gangs get together and they could divvy up all the United States, blow up major bridges, stop all shipment, blow up rail lines, stop all shipments. You think how fast there would be chaos and starvation, almost overnight.

So He says, v 3: "If... [Which means, it's up to us and it's our choice. Do we believe God, will we do it?] ...you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them.... [here's what He'll give]: ...Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach to the vintage, and the vintage shall reach to the sowing time. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land safely" (vs 3-5).

When Solomon did what he did and did not repent, God raised up adversaries. The adversaries were from Esau, Edomites, and they went down into Egypt for protection. Sound a little familiar today? And went up into Syria to build their base. They were terrorists against the Israelites during the reign of Solomon. The terrorists that we had come against us, God raised up to punish the whole nation for their sins. 'Oh, we haven't had any instances since then.' Just wait. If you don't turn to God, you can't stop them forever.

Verse 5: "…And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down and none shall make you afraid. And I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; neither shall the sword go through your land" (vs 5-6). Today there are wild dogs in Chicago that they've even attacked and eaten up people. Oh, you don't read that much in the press, because that's the President's city and we can't have anything bad come from there. Isn't that something?

Florida: alligators and pythons. New Jersey: bears. What else do we have here? How about rats and mice carrying bubonic plague? You know there are more rats in New York City sewers than there are people. Someone just handed me an article: armadillos can transmit leprosy to humans, but they eat them down in Texas. God says don't eat the unclean. God has a reason for it, because He loves you. He doesn't want you to be sick. He doesn't want you to do these things. Each one of us have choices. What are we going to do? Everyone wants what I'm reading here.

Verse 7: "And you shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight... [What is it with the terrorist? Five chase a hundred—right? And a hundred put five thousand to flight—right? ...For I will have respect to you and make you fruitful, and multiply you... [that's what people want] ...and establish My covenant with you…. [IF goes before every one of the commands as we go down here.] …And you shall eat of the old provision, and clear away the old because of the new. And I will set My tabernacle among you.…" (vs 7-11). Which He did. You want God to be with you? Yes! Right there at the temple. Yes! Right there at the tabernacle. And for the Churches of God and all the stupidity you're going through and the foolishness you are doing, God is in you! So you think what kind of judgment God is going to bring upon you.
Verse 12: "And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the LORD your God Who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt from being their bondmen. And I have broken the bonds of your yoke, and made you go upright" (vs 12-13). Everyone wants that, but everyone wants to do what's right in his own eyes. Isn't that true?

This is why, generation after generation, through the history of the Bible, you find a cycle. They serve God, then they apostatize and are brought down. They repent and then come back and serve God. Then they apostatize and so forth, all the way. All nations have that kind of thing that happens to them. And it happens to churches. It happens to individuals. That's why there are examples in there so we can learn from that.

Here's what people don't want, beginning in v 14. People don't want to do what is right and yet they don't want God to execute judgment against them. They claim God to be their God and God is supposed to be the Head of this nation and every state's constitution has in it referencing Almighty God. When you bring God into your life, He's going to hold you accountable for it, because God demands that our 'yes' be yes and our 'no' be no.

Verse 14: "But ifyou will not hearken to Me and will not do all these commandments."

• How many are keeping the Sabbath? Very few!
• How many are keeping the Holy Days? Virtually none!
• How many are trying to keep all the commandments of God?
• How much murder, how much thievery, how much lying, how much breaking all the commandments of God, idolatry and so forth?

Verse 15: "And if you shall despise My statutes or if your soul hates My judgments, so that you will not do all My commandments, so that you break My covenant." He's given three IFs in a row here—right? That's for us to choose.

Verse 16: "I will also do this to you; I will even appoint over you terror... [What's the war we're fighting right now? War on terror!] ...consumption, and burning fever, consuming the eyes and causing sorrow of heart…." We have so much sickness and disease going on today, it is absolutely incredible. And so here comes the poorest President we have ever had and offers everyone medical assistance from cradle to grave. As long as you're breaking the commandments of God, all that medical assistance is not going to do you any good because you go your way, do your own thing, live your life the way that you live, God is going to hold you responsible for it. I talked to a couple the other day, said, 'Oh, pray for this person. He just had his kidney removed.' And I said, 'Was it his right kidney?' Yes! I said, 'Well, the right kidney also helps process sugar in the blood.' Oh, he's a diabetic. People don't even have the basic laws to take care of themselves. Then we've got all the problems of the adulteration of the food. Listen, brethren, unless Christ returns, as Jesus said, there shall be no flesh saved alive.

Verse 16: "I will also do this to you: I will even appoint over you terror, consumption and burning fever, consuming the eyes..." By the way, I also read another report: You take certain heart medicine, it gives you glaucoma. Take care of yourself. And everybody is brainwashed to go to the doctor by every ad on television showing any kind of medicine that they have there. Oh, go to your doctor, go to your doctor, go to your doctor.' If you do, ask him how many patients he has killed.

Verse 16: "…And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it." And we've seen that happen, too, and it's going to happen again. Here's what is going to happen if there's no repentance. When these things come along, there needs to be repentance. The only official that I know that really repented was the governor of Georgia. When they had the drought and they had just a few days of rain left, he got up publicly and he said, 'Lord, we're confessing our sins to You and forgive us. We know we have the drought, because we've been sinning against You.' BAM! Rain came almost immediately. But you think that any of the religionists would do that? Maybe Franklin Graham in sort of a weak way would do it. But how many would do it? Stand up there and say the whole nation needs to repent. We'll show you how a nation needs to repent here in just a little bit.

Verse 17, here's what people don't want: "And I will set My face against you..." Do you really want God to be your enemy—really? How strong are you? Shall the created say to the Creator I don't have need of You? Shall the created say I hate Your laws, I hate Your commandments, I hate the things that you have given? And God says, 'I have given it to you in love. I've given it to you for your good. I have given these things to you for a blessing. I want to bless you, I want to give everything that you want and need, but you don't want to love Me. You don't want to obey Me. So I must judge you, because that's part of the covenant.'

And God judges all nations as well, v 17: "...set My face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies. They that hate you shall reign over you... [that's what we have right now] ...And you shall flee when none pursues you…. [Then He gives another IF. He expects repentance here. Whenever these things come along, God expects repentance. That's what God wants.] …And if you will not yet for all this hearken to Me... [which implies then repentance] ...then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power..." (vs 17-19). What's the 'pride of our power'?

• our money
• our military
• our way of life
• our government

Correct? Can God break that? Yes, He can!

Verse 19: "...and I will make your heaven like iron and your earth like bronze." And then send, as He says there in Deut. 28, blasting and mildew and hailstones. Sound like the weather report we've had recently? You know, hailstones the size of softballs. The biggest hailstones are yet to come against the enemies of God with the last plague there in Rev. 16, hailstones weighing a talent, 180 pounds. If men think they're all big and strong and that they can defy God, when that hail comes down, stand out there and shake your fist at God and see how long you will last. One hailstone and you're nothing but just a speck on the ground.

Verse 20: "And your strength shall be spent in vain... [Isn't that what is happening? People are working and working, they can't get ahead, they can't improve. They can't do what they need to do.] ...for your land shall not yield its increase..." That day is coming. I really think pushing all this ethanol, through all the production of corn that they're doing, I really think that when they get to the peak production, and they're bragging about how good they are doing, there will be a massive fungus that will hit all the cornfields that are producing ethanol, and now we have no fuel.

"...neither shall the trees of the field yield their fruits. And if..." (vs 20-21) God is giving a chance all the way along. All you have to do is look south of the border where the chaos is going on—right? Where they've got idolatry; they have total false religion. Where they've got a lot of demon problems, drugs. That's why they're fleeing across the border. Those who don't want to be there try and get out of there so they can get away from it. But the drug cartels are ruling Mexico right now. And what are they doing? Go into a town, round up all the police, lop off their heads and use them for soccer balls. So Mexico's being judged; Sudan is being judged; all the Arab nations are being judged right now.

Verse 21: "And if your walk contrary to Me and will not hearken to Me, I will bring seven times more plagues on your according to your sins." So who's to blame?

• The government? Yes!
• The religions? Yes!
• The educators? Yes!
• The people? Yes!
• Everyone's to blame!

But we also have to understand one thing. I'll let you read the rest of it here, because it gets really, really heavy, so I'll let you read the rest of it.

The thing we need to understand in all of this is that people look at things and they look at degrees of sin and they say, 'Well, these disasters came, or this happened to them because they were sinners.' What does the Bible say? 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God'—right? Yes! Some may be more responsible for causing it than others, but on the other hand we have the choice, are we going to obey God or not. God also through Psa. 91 shows that He can watch over you and protect you even in the worse kind of circumstances.

But here's also part of the lesson of the book of Job. His three friends came and judged him and accused him of things he never did. That's the way human beings are. You see something happen and you judge in your mind, 'Oh, that happened because they were bad people.' Not like the poor woman walking around the block in her neighborhood and four dogs attacked her, was eating her. Her husband came home to rescue her and he got caught up and they ate him, too.

Jesus gives an example here. Luke 13:1: "Now at the same time, there were present some who were telling Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.... [Killed them, took the blood, mingled it with the sacrifices, threw it on the altar.] ...And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all Galileans, because they suffered such things?…. [No!] …No, I tell you; but if you do not repent, you shall all likewise perish'" (vs 1-3). That's why we need to be in an attitude of repentance toward God every single day. We've got to overcome the sin within and that's the only way it's going to happen.

Then He gives another example and He says: "'Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, do you suppose that these were debtors above all men who dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but if you do not repent, you shall all likewise perish'" (vs 4-5).

So when these disasters and things happen, we need to understand God is judging the whole nation. God is the One Who knows all the hearts of people, so we shouldn't be judging them. We'll look at some of the other causes here in a little bit.

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Let's come to the book of Jeremiah. As I mentioned before, read all of the book of Jeremiah, because the parallels with what is happening with us today are absolutely incredibly identical. Jeremiah was a priest from Anathoth and even the fellow priests, once he started his ministry as a prophet, were against him and wanted to kill him. People don't like to hear the truth. They don't like to hear that!

• everyone is a sinner
• everyone needs God
• everyone needs to repent
• everyone needs to keep His commandments

They don't like that. 'Well, I believe this. I believe that. I think this. I think that.' That's every man doing what is right in his own eyes.

Jeremiah 2:1: "And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, "Thus says the LORD, 'I remember you... [God remembers us] ...the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothals, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holiness to the LORD, and the firstfruits of His increase... [And He was going to use them to take His Word to all the nations of the world.] ...All that devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come on them,' says the LORD."'…. [God will recompense] …Hear the Word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel" (vs 1-4).

As we read this, let's understand something. Prophecies are dual, sometimes they are triple, having many different applications because it's 'precept upon precept and line upon line.' You have a fulfillment to Israel of old. You have a fulfillment to Israel at the end-time.

Verse 5: "Thus says the LORD, 'What injustice have your fathers found in Me...'" All right, examine the Ten Commandments. Tell God what's wrong with them.

• Anything wrong with them? Not a thing!
• How about His statutes and judgments? Not a thing!
• How about His Sabbath and Holy Days? A great blessing!

"'What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me and have walked after vanity, and have become vain?'" (v 5). If you don't believe that is so, just sit up after ten o'clock, if you can't go to sleep, turn on your television and just surf through all 100 or 200 of the channels that you have and you'll see nothing but vanity, vanity, vanity.

You watch these dumb commercials and you would think that everybody in the world is happy. Everything's working perfectly. Just compare that when you watch the news. Look at the commercials. They're all happy, everything works good, even this medicine, though you may have suicidal thoughts, though it may kill your liver. Become vain!

Verse 6: "'Nor did they say, "Where is the LORD Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of dry places, and of deep darkness, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man lived?" And I brought you into a plentiful country... [What is it—from sea to shining sea—God Bless America—all of the grain, all of the corn, most beautiful place on earth—came from God.] ...I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness; but when you entered, you defiled My land and made My inheritance an abomination'" (vs 6-7). That's what we are doing. Look what we have done. Think about all the things they're doing with genetic engineering to food.

Verse 8: "'The priests did not say, "Where is the LORD?" And they who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers also rebelled against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal... [sun god] ...and walked after things that do not profit.'"

Let's stop and think just a minute. If you had children who did this way to you, what would you do? Become so bad that you have to put them away—right? You have to tell them, 'Don't come here anymore.' You have to tell them, 'You're living your life a curse. Till you repent there's no hope.' All too many families, that's just the way it is—isn't it? What would you do? What do you expect God to do when He's Creator of it all, when He made it all? When He gave it to us? When He put all the nations in their inheritance?

Verse 9: "'Therefore, I will contend with you,' says the LORD, 'and against your children's children I will contend. For pass over the coasts of Kittim, and see; and send to Kedar, and carefully consider, and see if there has ever been such a thing as this.... [Today it's happening in many nations.] ...Has a nation changed their gods who are yet no gods?…. [Do the Buddhists still have Buddha? Do the Catholics still have Mary and all their saints? Do the Muslims still have their Mecca that they go to?] ...But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit'" (vs 9-11). That's exactly where we are in the whole scheme of things, brethren. So you see, everybody's involved.

Verse 12: "'Be amazed, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be utterly desolated,' says the LORD, 'For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water'" (vs 12-13). 'Oh, we don't want God, but we'll use this part of His Word. That part of His Word, no, no, we won't use. We'll form a better religion than what God has.'

Why does He say 'be amazed O heavens.' What did God say in Deut. 30? 'I've set before you this day, life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life that you and your seed may live and that you may love the Lord your God and He will bless you. But if not, I call heaven and earth against you this day that these curses will come upon you.' So that's why He says 'heavens' here.

Verse 14: "'Is Israel a servant? Or is he a servant of the house? Why has he become a prey?'" And then He goes on in showing what profit does it do?

Verse 17: "'Have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the LORD your God, when He led you by the way?…. [He says, 'Think on this.'] …And now what profit is there in going the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? Or what have you to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?'" (vs 17-18). How is that going to help you? If you leave God, what can help you? If you leave the true living God, Who give you life, gives you health, everything that we do, what can you go to, what can profit?

So God says, v 19: "'Your own evil shall correct you, and your backslidings shall reprove you; therefore know and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the LORD your God, and that My fear is not in you,' says the Lord GOD of hosts," (v 19). Yes, it is! Then He talks about how He has corrected them.

After going after Baal, 'We're not defiled. We're just fine,' v 26: "As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their rulers, and their priests, and their prophets; saying to a tree... ['Oh, we evolved.' Did you come from a tree? Did you come from a rock? Oh, no, the most intelligent come from chimpanzees—didn't you know that? They're more advanced than anybody else.] ...'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave me birth.' For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, 'Arise and save us! But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. Why will you contend with Me? You all have sinned against Me,' says the LORD" (vs 26-29).

Then He sends correction. Will they receive it? If you went back to Washington, D.L.C.—the District of Liars and Corruption—and you went back there like Jeremiah with a message. We're going to see in a minute that Jeremiah had to stand in the gate of the temple and proclaim to them. If anyone went back to Washington, D.C., and stood right in front of the White House and say, 'Mr. President, God commands you to repent and start with stopping lying,' you'd be removed as a nut.

Or if you went into the House of Representatives, full session, 'God says stop all your lying and cheating and God says make it right, repent!' The Capitol police would escort you out. You'd be on the news. 'Look at this nut, they've got him in a straight jacket. Yeah, he needs to be in a straight jacket.' Same way with the Senate. Try your city council. Will any listen to God? Will any listen to His correction? No! We're all to blame!

Verse 30: "In vain I have stricken your children; they received no correction... [All they do is party, play, take drugs, produce illegitimate children—not all of them. There are some who are not doing that and most of those are home schoolers, because at least there are some parents around somewhere who want their kids to be raised and be decent and they teach them out of the Bible. 'Oh, but we've got to outlaw that, because the public schools are going to go broke if we don't outlaw that.' No one wants to do right!] ...Your own sword has devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion."

Then he adds more to it, Jeremiah 3:22; here's what God says: "Return, O backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. 'Behold, we come to You; for You are the LORD our God.... [that's what they need to say.] ...Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the high hills, from the multitude of mountains. Truly, in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. The shameful thing has eaten up the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us; for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God'" (vs 22-25). That's what kind of repentance needs to take place. You think that will happen?

I wonder how many of that will be down there in tornado land and in hurricane land and in flood land and in drought land, in fire land. All of those—right in the middle of the country—right? Right in the Bible belt—true? Where is God? Isn't that true?

Jeremiah 4:1: "'IF you will return, O Israel,' says the LORD, 'Return to Me... [Not to your religion, not to the way that your fathers have falsely taught you.] ...And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight... [Break down your idols, stop all of this stupidity.] ...then you shall not be removed, and will swear... [Here's the covenant that they need to make.] ...As the LORD lives," in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness... [That means in all manner of your behavior.] ...then the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him they shall glory.' "For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, 'Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart... [God wants real repentance and real conversion, not whimpering because you got caught doing something wrong; not temper tantrums because you're favorite thing has been taken away from you. No!] ...men of Judah and people of Jerusalem; lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that none can put it out; because of the evil of your doings'" (vs 1-4).

God means business. Is He Creator? Is He all powerful? Everyone wants His love, but you don't want to do what He requires to receive His love. What did the Apostle John write about the love of God? 'For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.' Is that so hard?

• don't lust
• don't steal
• don't commit adultery
• don't lie
• remember the Sabbath, keep it Holy
• don't take God's name in vain
• no idols
• no other God

Isn't that something? There is no other God. I'll take it back, there's one who think he's is. It's called Satan the devil, god of this world. There's only one true God. To show you how just God is, we've read this before, but let's see what'll happen here.

So He told Jeremiah, Jeremiah 5:1: "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in her open places, if you can find a man... [One man—one man!] ...if there is one who does justice, who seeks the Truth; and I will pardon her." That means all of Jerusalem. Didn't find it. Couldn't find it.

Come down here to v 7: "How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken Me, and have sworn by them that are not gods.…" Today there're cell phones. They walk around, all they have is their cell phone, messaging, talking, planning, scheming. Maybe some are doing some good with it. What are their gods? Friday night partying, Saturday night partying, rock stars, rap stars, movie stars, the scum of the earth. They idolize them; emulate them.

"...When I had fed them to the full..." Is that not where we are? Are we not as a nation fed to the full? Yes, over-full! Remember, it says back there in Deuteronomy, referring to Israel it says Jeshurun has waxed fat. Maybe we ought to take it literally. We have an obesity problem—right? "...When I had fed them to the full..."

Come to Deuteronomy 8, just for a minute, just to make a point here. God gave the warning, they had the Word, but the priests didn't read the Word, the rabbis didn't read the Word. He says He would put them in a land where they would lack nothing.

Here's what happens: They get contemptuous, they get narcissistic, they get selfish, they get spoiled brats. Deuteronomy 8:10: "When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I command you today. Lest when you have eaten and are full and have built goodly houses and lived in them. And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied" (vs 10-13). And you lied and cheated and stole and have it all on credit and it's going to fall in on your head.

Verse 14: "Then you become haughty of heart... [become lifted up and vain] ...and you forget the LORD your God Who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage." Isn't that what happens? What do they do when that happens?

Jeremiah 5:7: "'…When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery... [Not only adultery, but teaching perverse things beginning in kindergarten of homosexuality, sopping Sodom and Gomorrah right up into our school system. 'Oh, but we need to be socially adjusted.' Yes, indeed!] ...and gathered themselves by troops in a harlot's house. They were like lusty, well-fed stallions in the morning; every one neighing after his neighbor's wife.... [Watch some of these beer commercials. It's exactly what they're doing.] ...Shall I not punish for these things?' says the LORD. 'And shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Go up upon her walls and destroy; but do not make a full end; take away her branches, for they are not the LORD'S'" (vs 8-10).

"'For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very deceitfully against Me,' says the LORD. They have lied against the LORD and said, 'It is not He... ['These things don't come because of God.'] ...neither shall evil come on us; nor shall we see sword nor famine'" (vs 8-12). 'Oh, yes, we're good Americans, our ingenuity, our entrepreneurship.' But it all came from God.

Verse 13: "'And the prophets shall become as wind, for the Word is not in them; thus it shall be done to them.' Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, 'Because you have spoken this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire... [He's telling Jeremiah.] ...and this people wood, and it shall devour them. Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from afar, O house of Israel,' says the LORD. 'It is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor understand what they say'" (vs 13-15). They're going to take everything that you have. That's the rest of the chapter.

Tthere are messages that have to be given. You go through all the book of Jeremiah and you see all that Jeremiah had to do. It'll take your breath away. Then ask yourself, all of those of you who want to become preachers and prophets, you want to become like Jeremiah? You willing to suffer the ridicule that he went through?

Come to Jeremiah 7, see what God told him to do right there at the temple. They were using the temple for all of their pagan things that they were doing. Also Manasseh had the women weave special weavings for special tents for the sodomites, right in the temple grounds of God. That's how perverse they were.

Jeremiah 7:1: "The Word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying, 'Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house... [The house of God where He put His presence.] ...and proclaim there this Word, and say, "Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah, who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD."' Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Amend your ways and your doings... [change what you are doing] ...and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in lying words, saying, "The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these"'" (vs 1-4).

Don't say lying words: 'Oh, we're good people. Don't say good words: 'Oh, I have been saved, I have been born again.' Don't say good words: 'our parents worked hard and we have this land.' Don't say good words: 'we the people.' Don't say good words: 'in God we trust.' Repent!

Verse 5: "'For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor… [This is what God wants us to do. Amend our ways—that's repentance.] …if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your hurt; then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever'" (vs 5-7). Upon repentance God is willing to change—isn't He? Yes, He is!
Verse 8: "'Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know; and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name... [and then have the gall to say this]: ..."We are delivered to do all these abominations"?'" (vs 8-10).

I've got a report I'm going to mail out. It's a report of what the Catholics are doing to subvert the rest of the Protestants, in addition to the New International Version of the Bible. That is, they are supporting the gay/lesbian and transsexual organizations with millions of dollars to get the dissidents who leave the Protestants to continue in the religion but accept all the deviants, to destroy them.

What happened to the Church of England? Ever read the book, All Roads Lead to Rome? What happened to the American branch of the Church of England, the Episcopalians? Remember how it divided? Ordained homosexuals as priests, split the church—right? Then later, he married a man. Hallelujah, we've got it made. All those who are supposed to be serving God. What then can you expect of the children? 'We're delivered to do these abominations.'

Verse 11: "'Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it,' says the LORD." So then He says, 'I want you to learn a lesson. I want you to go to Shiloh.' Shiloh is where He first put the tabernacle. 'I want you to see what I did to the people there. I want you to see what I did to that place. I want you to understand what happened.' No one defies God and gets away with it—no one! Because God doesn't sweep down and destroy someone immediately, doesn't mean that God approves of it. He's giving space of repentance. That's what God is doing, because God is merciful and kind.

Let's come to the classic chapter here, Jeremiah 23. Let's see where all the blame starts. All these things are the result of God's punishment and

• all of the people are to blame
• all of the educators are to blame
• all of the politicians are to blame
• all of the religionists are to blame

But let's see the #1 blame falls on the religionists. Those who have the Bible and say, 'We have the way of the Lord.'

Jeremiah 23:1: "'Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture,' says the LORD. Therefore, thus says the LORD, God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed My people. 'You have scattered My flock, and have driven them away, and have not taken care of them. Behold, I will bring upon you the evil of your doings,' says the LORD" (vs 1-2).

God is going to gather His people. There is always a remnant. It says there in Isa. 1 that we are 'corrupt from the top of our head to the sole of our feet. There is no soundness in us. And if there hadn't been a remnant,' brethren, the Church of God has got to wake up and repent, too. We're the only remnant! You understand that? And it's part of the thing that's going on because the Churches of God are playing games with God, instead of repenting and leading people to God they're fighting among themselves. Do you not think that God is going to judge because of that?

Here is Jeremiah looking out. He sees all of this going on and he's got this message and he's got to go right to the people, right to the temple, right to the king, right to the princes, v 9: "As for the prophets my heart within me is broken; all my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome because of the LORD and because of the words of His Holiness. For the land is full of adulterers. Because of swearing the land mourns; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and they wield power unjustly" (vs 9-10).

Listen, it's not global warming that causing the problems on the earth, brethren. It is the sins of the people and the sins of the Church! I've asked those who knew. Why do you think God got rid of Pasadena and Big Sandy and Bricket Wood? Most don't even know. They look and say, 'Well, evil men crept in.' How did they get in? Because of sin! So God spewed it out all of His mouth. We need to think and wake up to what's happening.

You look at all these tornados and you look what is done. It has just chewed homes up into piles of kindling, nothing left.

• dead people
• injured people
• weeping people
• brokenhearted people

I hope that the ministers down there are saying, 'Everybody, brethren, we better get here and repent to God.' And I hope those ministers and pastors down there in the Sunday-keeping—they know in their heart that the Sabbath is the day of the Lord, not Sunday—that they get the people in there and say, 'Look, God has punished us. We've had enough. Are you willing now to change and repent? Are you willing now to come to God? Are you willing now to quit your lying and cheating and stealing? Are you willing now to keep the Sabbath, to keep the Holy Days, to reject Christmas, to reject Easter and all of those things, are you willing?' I doubt it!

Verse 11: "'For both prophet and priest are ungodly; yea, in My house I have found their evil,' says the LORD. 'So their way shall be to them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall in their way; for I will bring evil on them, even the year of their judgment,' says the LORD" (vs 11-12). There comes a time when God judges. If all of these things are not the judgment of God, as someone said, 'Hey, maybe someone up there in heaven is trying to tell us something.'

Kind of like the governor of Tokyo with the disaster that happened there. He says, 'This is judgment from heaven.' Absolutely true! Will we say that? Oh, no, we can't admit that. 'We're good people.'

Verse 13: "'And I have seen repulsive things in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to go astray.... [Baal is sun-worship. Sunday is Baal's day. Easter, Christmas, those are all Baal's days, and Baal is none other than Nimrod.] ...I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing; they commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from his evil; they are all of them like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah '" (vs 13-14).

• What does God see when He looks down on a city?
• What does God see when He looks down on cities that are called the murder capital of the world?

God sees it all!

Verse 15: "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I will feed them wormwood, and make them drink poisonous water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land'" (v 15).

Isn't that what has happened? We have preachers stand up and say, 'Oh, the law is done away.' Perfect law from a perfect God, so that we can live with Him and have a relationship with Him. 'Oh, it's done away.' You think that they are going to show you the way to God?

Verse 16: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you vain; they speak a vision from their own heart, not out of the mouth of the LORD. They still say to those who despise Me, "The LORD has said, 'You shall have peace!'" And they say to everyone who walks after the imagination of his own heart... ['Bless you, brethren, you're under grace.'] ...'No evil shall come upon you!'"'…. [Isn't that true? Yes, indeed!] …For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD to see and hear His Word? Who has attended to His Word and heard it? Behold, the tempest of the LORD has gone forth in fury, a whirling tempest... [Sound like tornados? Sound like hurricanes, which are gigantic tornados—right?] ...It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the purposes of His heart; in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly" (vs 16-20).

So this whole prophecy is for our day—isn't it? There it is right there. God says, v 21: "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if... [I love this verse, because God says He exalts His Word above His name, Psa. 138.] ...they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words..." (vs 21-22).

Even the prophets of Baal God would have honored if they would have used His Word to teach the people God's way. Think of that! There were times in years past when the Protestants almost did that. They did it to a pretty good degree, everything except Sunday.

"...then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings…. [That's what God wants.] …'Am I a God Who is near,' says the LORD, 'and not a God afar off?.... [Because He's there. He's got His seven spirits, which are His seven eyes, that go to and fro on the earth to find those who are seeking Him. He's got angels communicating to Him. He knows the spirit of every man. He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground—is that not correct? Yes, indeed!] ...Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him?' says the LORD. 'Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' says the LORD. 'I have heard what the prophets said, who prophesy lies in My name, saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed." How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies and who are prophets of the deceit of their heart?'" (vs 22-26). Goes on and on and on—doesn't it?

Verse 27: "'They scheme to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell, each one to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal.'" So it comes down to dividing lines and we have to make the choice. The world has to decide whether they're going to repent or not. And we've got to make as much of this information available as possible.

Verse 28: "'The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream. And he who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully…. [I look at that and I take that as a personal command from God. Whatever we do with the Word of God, we do it faithfully.] ...What is the chaff to the wheat?' says the LORD. 'Is not My Word like a fire?' says the LORD; 'and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Why is all of this coming? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets who steal My words each one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets who use their tongues and say, "He says," when I did not say. Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams and tell them, and cause My people to go astray by their lies and by their wantonness. Yet I did not send them nor command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,' says the LORD" (vs 28-32).

So that's why these things are coming upon us. We'll has a respite after this is over.

• Will there be change?
• Will there be repentance?
• Will there be a coming to God?
• What will it be?

Verse 33: "'And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, "What is the oracle of the LORD?" You shall then say to them, "What oracle?" I will even forsake you,' says the LORD" (v 33). That's what's happening. We are seeing God forsake this nation! And the whole world is being set up for a world government, a world currency, a world religion, in rebellion and defiance against God and they are going put the yoke of slavery upon the modern descendants of the ten tribes of Israel.

It's going to happen! There it is in the Word of God. Who's to blame? Everyone—from the top, from the greatest, to the bottom, to the least! And the Churches of God are right in there with it.

• We need to change
• We need to repent
• We need to teach the Word of God the way it should be.

So be careful when you point the finger, because always remember at least three are pointing back to you.

Scriptural References:

• 2-Timothy 3:1-5
• Leviticus 26:1-21
• Luke 13:1-5
• Jeremiah 2:1-14, 17-19, 26-30
• Jeremiah 3:22-25
• Jeremiah 4:1-4
• Jeremiah 5:1, 7
• Deuteronomy 8:10-14
• Jeremiah 5:7-15
• Jeremiah 7:1-11
• Jeremiah 23:1-2, 9-33

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Romans 1
• Deuteronomy 28
• Revelation 16
• Psalm 91
• Deuteronomy 30
• Isaiah 1
• Psalm 138

Also referenced: Book:
All Roads Lead to Rome? by Michael De Semlyen

FRC:lp
Transcribed 5-11-11
Formatted: bo—5-13-11