‘America 2.0’ or ‘America – a reprieve to prepare’?
It has been said by pundits and radio hosts that we are literally seeing ‘America 2.0 – the rebuilding and renewing of the Republic’; that we are seeing, if you will, a rebirthing of the nation as it was and was meant to be, as envisioned by our founders. Perhaps these hosts and hostesses are correct. Perhaps we are seeing a turnaround in this nation that many have hoped for and prayed for these past several years. Perhaps there ARE better days on the horizon, as we strain to perceive in the dim light of this new dawn, the possibility of a return to conservative Biblical values, the ‘reigning in’ of government overreach, transferring ‘the power’ and giving it back to the people, an opportunity to truly extend respect and dignity as we properly care for those that have fallen through the cracks – the poor, the widows, the orphans, the voice-less, the face-less, our veterans and their families – and allowing the God of The Bible to once again have His rightful place in our society, our government, and our daily lives.
Or perhaps, what we are seeing play out before our eyes, is ‘America – your reprieve to prepare . . .’ There are those who ‘prophesied’ Donald Trump would NOT be elected, that he would never occupy the White House. There are those who declared ‘thus saith The Lord, Hillary Clinton would be the next president rather than Trump’, and yes, even those that declared Obama to be the last president of the United States. Well, here we are, and none of those prophecies have come to pass. But in the midst of all the ‘prophecies’ and ‘declarations’ and ‘visions’ and ‘dreams’, there was one ‘Word’ that we kept hearing time and again – ‘God is going to allow a reprieve’. ‘God is giving a reprieve.’ ‘America will receive a reprieve.’ Well what is a ‘reprieve’, and IF we are going to receive a ‘reprieve’, from ‘what’ or better yet, from ‘whom’ will we be reprieved?
Well, here are some thoughts on the matter . . . According to Mr. Webster and some of the older dictionary sources, ‘reprieve’ is ‘to delay the punishment of; to give relief or deliverance to for a time.’ Some of the newer versions do add the word ‘cancellation’. So what punishment is to be delayed, or from what or from ‘who’ are we to receive relief or deliverance, for at least a time? Well, many will say ‘we received a reprieve’ when Hillary was defeated in the presidential election. Some will say the restoration of our relationship with the nation of Israel brings relief and deliverance from judgment and punishment, at least for a time. And some will say that Mr. Trump will set things straight and get us back on the right track. And we do not necessarily disagree with any of those statements.
But here is a thought to ponder. The phrase ‘for a time . . .to give relief or deliverance to, for a time’ . . . God said He would punish the nations that come against His people and divide His Land, the Land of Israel. That fact is established in The Word and will come to pass; not ‘if’ but rather ‘when’ is the correct question, for this punishment is set in stone. The Word also tells us God will not forgive, but rather will punish and render judgment for the shedding of innocent blood, an act of disobedience and rebellion that has been endorsed and enforced by our government through state-sanctioned abortions since the passing of Roe vs Wade in the 70’s. God will NOT excuse this sin. And perhaps the final straw? The mixing and confusing of the genders. Not only has this nation’s government endorsed and enforced the acceptance of homosexuality and all of it’s offshoots as ‘normal and natural’, but now our leadership has embraced ‘gender fluidity’; the concept that you are not the sex of your birth, but rather, the sex with which you identify . . . and that ‘sexual identity’ is subject to change from day to day and moment to moment. So now ‘Bruce’ is ‘Caitlyn’ and ‘Bradley is now ‘Chelsea’ and ‘evil’ is ‘good ‘and ‘good’ is intolerable and ‘true tolerance’ is acceptance of all that man (and woman) can image in their heart.
America has virtually become two distinct groups of people. And not just spiritually and religiously, but even on a secular level of basic morality, America has become a ‘mingled garment’ if you will, a mixing of that which should NOT be mingled. It is being torn and we are experiencing a rending of the fabric of this nation, the fabric of who we should be versus what, in many ways, we have become.
God sets before us blessing and cursing, good and evil, light and darkness, life and death . . . Choose Life.
So is there a reprieve? Yes . . . but only ‘for a time’ . . . and this ‘window of opportunity’ will only be open for a short time. ‘For the heart of man is wicked’ and the sin of the amorite is almost full. So work while it is day.
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mmyresmail@hushmail.com
January 27, 2017 at 10:28 am
You said it VERY well! This needs to be a sobering time to set priorities and not get distracted.It is disheartening to be surrounded by those who are just oblivious and just don’t see it.Shalom. Sent using Hushma
prodigal101
March 7, 2017 at 9:33 pm
Marshall – Thank you for your comment and your kind words. The Creator of the universe ( God The Father, God The Son and God the Holy Spirit – all of whom were there) has many ‘names’, some of which are titles, some are monikers, and all are descriptive and illustrative of ‘Who God Is’.
But what is a ‘name’? Dictionary.com says it is ‘a title given to something or someone.’ The FreeDictionary.com says ‘name’ is ‘a word or combination of words used to distinguish a person, thing, or class from others.’ Webster says ‘name’ is ‘a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place or thing is known, addressed or referred to.’ And though all of these are correct, we know ‘name’ means much more.
In addition, ‘Name’ refers to the ‘legacy, reputation, sovereignty, authority, right and power of the One who carries the Name. Growing up in the south, we understood the concept of our actions impacting ( either negatively or positively) the ‘family name’, or the reputation and legacy of that name. So, in reference to The Creator of the universe, His Name is not only that by which He is known, addressed or referred to, but rather, His Name also refers to His legacy, power, reputation, sovereignty, authority and the right to be called by those titles and monikers.
So, the debate seems to be whether or not ‘Jesus’ is a false name or a legitimate transliteration of the Hebrew ‘Yeshua’. There is overwhelming evidence from multiple sources to support the legitimacy of the transliteration and transition of ‘Yeshua’ in Hebrew to ‘Jesus’ in the English. We are not going to redo the homework on that subject, since it is readily available with just a little research.
By the way, on the concept of ‘another Gospel’, ( a phrase he uses in Corinthians and Galatians) Paul is very clear. Anything beyond ‘salvation by grace through faith alone in Yeshua of Nazareth’ is ‘another gospel’. Acts 15:1 is a perfect example of ‘another gospel’.
But on to the subject of using the word ‘Jesus’ . We would agree, damage and false teaching have been brought about by the ‘denominational system’ down through the centuries, (along with much good) and it was performed in ‘Jesus Name’. But the damage and the false was not due to a ‘name’, but rather bad doctrine, poor discipleship and not being properly grounded in the full counsel of God’s Word.
Most all understand and agree, the One we call Jesus is the One promised by our Father, born of the woman Mary, baptized by John, crucified on the day of the Passover, resurrected on the 3rd day, ascended to the Father, witnessed by many, taken up in a cloud to return at an appointed time at the end of the last days. He is the Promised Messiah of Israel. Just because we, down through the centuries, have taught things about Him that are not accurate, and/or taught things ‘in His Name’ that are incorrect and erroneous, does NOT change the fact, truth and nature of Who He is. Just because someone speaks incorrectly concerning a matter or another person, does not change the truth of that person or matter.
Whether Jesus in English, Hesus in Spanish, Isa in Kurdish, Iesu in Japanese, uJesu in Zulu, or Yesu in Swahili, all are calling on The One Who went to the cross and came out of the tomb, the Lamb of God, the One Who takes away the sin of the World. Speaking something in error concerning Him or His teaching, does NOT change the Truth of His Word and the nature of Who He is and what He came to do.
So, in response to the statement, ‘call Him whatever you want’, that statement was made in reference to the recognized monikers by which He is called. And, depending on your language, culture and those to whom you have been called to minister, we suggest all to pray, study, allow the Spirit to land you on a version of ‘the name’ to use, and then move forward with our Father’s business. Rhonda and I (like many) called on the name of Jesus and He answered and saved us from our sins. To proclaim the word ‘Jesus’ to be false, calls into question the salvation and eternal destination of every English-speaking person down through time that has called on Him in faith. If ‘Jesus’ is false, then every English-speaking sinner, that had no knowledge of or access to Hebrew, was left without a means by which to call upon the One Who would pay the price for their sins. God created the languages. A righteous, equitable and merciful God would not leave you in a language without a ‘word’ by which to call upon the One sent to reconcile you and save you.
‘For whosoever shall call upon the name – the legacy, the reputation, the sovereignty, the right, the authority and the power – of The Lord shall be saved.’