April | 2020 | Arming The Saints Blog

I hope that everyone is weathering this unusual time, and I pray that everyone is healthy both in body and spirit.

I had a word from the Lord a week or so ago, but I’ve been putting off sharing it due to its somewhat political nature. Frankly, I have an aversion to the politics of this age because it’s been used by the enemy so successfully to divide people. It all reminds me of our civil war and how divided our nation and families were in that particular time. Nevertheless, I’ve been convicted by my lack of obedience since I have received this message, and so here it is. Those of you who are in more charismatic churches know that if someone gets a word, he or she must share it verbatim and not try to clean it up just for the sake of cleaning. I’m not apologizing for the message, but I will simply tell you to open your heart and mind and ask for the Truth to be revealed from the Lord.
What God told me is this:

“Tell my people to stop worshiping Trump. He is just a man and I am God. I am He who knew you from before you were formed in you mothers’ womb. He is a not a man after my heart. The things happening now are to break down the idols you have come to worship that take your focus off of me and the good things I have for you. Trump is your president because your nation picked him. Yes, I use all things to my honor and to show my face – but he is not to be worshipped and set on a pedestal as one who is above me or the laws. Look at his fruit and test him by my Holy Spirit – open your eyes.

Break off/break down your idols that you worship – that which you focus on – money, wealth, politics, vanity, pride – these are not lasting, but I AM. I am the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. Turn your focus to me and prepare to be blessed immeasurably.

This time you have while you are removed from the busyness of the earthly world is to be used to renew your bonds with me, remember me, spend time with me as you would a long, lost friend. Get to know me and reflect on the good things in your life and know that I orchestrated those times. Look at your growing and learning times and know that I was with you and that I remember your sorrows and heartaches. Know that I have never left you.

Come back to me, rest in my arms, enjoy my peace, stand in my protection, seek my heart for you and your family and see how much better it is than the worldly, fleeting pleasures. Invite me into your home and heart so I can heal your woundedness and prepare you for your True blessings. Also know that I am a jealous God and disobedience and forsaking me angers me. I created you, I created the heavens and the earth, the sun and moon, the stars in the sky, the food you eat. I created you to love me and fellowship with me and yet you have created altars and idols to worship who can’t speak, or bless or save you. Come back to me. I forgive your sins – nothing is too great for me to forgive – just ask me. Put down your pride. I love to heal your brokenness and purge the lies set in you by the enemy.

Stop hating your brothers and sisters because they don’t believe the way you do. Stop taking in everything your people say as truth and look for my Truth. If you don’t see me or my heart in situations or people it is not my Truth. Be careful what you feed your body to be healthy and in the same way be careful of the things you feed your mind. If it is not my Truth it creates a trash heap in your heart where the enemy finds pleasure in exploiting and growing lies, hatred, misinformation, deceit, pride, covetousness, and busyness to blind you from my love.

Come back to me – not for just a moment like you did after 911 where I protected and rescued many – but for your lifetime. Make your time on earth matter by knowing me and loving my people, helping my people not just in a crisis but every day. Come back to me. I Love you.”

A little more revelation from this past week. Know that the words I heard from the Lord, above, are addressing the adoration and admiration of idols, but especially people’s (believers and non-believers) adoration with our current President, as shown especially by comments that he is a man of God and has been chosen by Him apparently to bring people back to God. In fact, the current President is not a “man of God,” as shown clearly by tests gleaned from adherence to scripture and by spiritual fruit, which we have discussed a bit before. But there appears to be more confusion over the President’s particular role given God’s providence over all things.

I suppose this will require a longer explanation in another blog, but for now simply realize that God uses ungodly people to do His will all the time, and His will is not necessarily what you might hope it would be at any given time. For example, in Luke, Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow, whose pleas wore down a man who “neither feared God not cared what people thought.” Luke 18:1-8. Jesus used this particular ungodly man to make a broader point about God’ justice. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple and initiated Babylon captivity of the Jews. Cyrus rebuilt the Temple and allowed the Jews to return from Babylon. In each of these things, God’s will was done – and would always have been done – whether or not people agreed with the Kings or even remotely knew their ultimate purpose.

The Bible is clear in stating that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” (Romans, 8:28) and those things include both good and bad – godly and ungodly – rulers. But at any given time, we simply don’t know what the “good of those who love him” actually is. Indeed, to build His Kingdom, it’s quite possible that God will use ungodly rulers to force some of the more unpleasant parts of the end times to occur. So, we don’t know why someone is in charge – we only know, given a strong sense of divine providence – that God has everything under control and, in the end, will use it for good of the Kingdom he envisioned at creation. In fact, if you go down the path of saying, “God placed this person on his or her throne to make us a more godly nation,” then you’re stuck in a logic problem of trying to determine why, for instance, God placed any other particular President – or even some dictator – on any particular throne at any particular time. Is one placed there to bring people to God, while another is placed to punish – each for our ultimate good? Or is it the other way around?

The point is that, even with a strong sense of divine providence, we don’t exactly know why a person is allowed to rule. So, again just for now, realize that God’s plan for this particular President might be for something altogether different than to bring our nation “closer to God.” Indeed, simply from the current news surrounding the church, an equally plausible reason appears to facilitate separation of “the sheep from the goats,” the true believers from those who only practice a shallow, if not anorexic belief.

The main point is not to worry, but to allow God to work. And, accordingly, not to try so hard to define and, indeed, prompt that work that we stray from Biblical principles. God will do what He will do, and we may be puzzled by that at any given time. But as for daily living, we have clear guidance: Follow God, relying on His moral law, scripture, and, in some cases, particularized revelation, to make daily decisions – each of which brings glory to God. If you find what you are doing is, instead, practicing a sort-of idol worship, not only by coveting the things of the natural world, but also by constantly standing up for ungodly decisions, ever=defending unscriptural actions, and persistently agreeing with notions that sow hatred and division, then it’s clearly time to turn back toward God.

Good Friday

For many followers of Jesus, the Stations of the Cross are a powerful form of worship. The traditional stations represent fourteen discreet places along the path (the Via Dolorosa, or “way of suffering”) that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. Around the world, churches set up images of Christ depicted at these points – traditionally, from his being condemned to death to his being placed in the tomb – that allow people to pause to pray and to contemplate what Jesus did for the world.

In Old Jerusalem, the Stations are marked along the Via Dolorosa with metal markers on the walls of various buildings (first picture, above). As you walk the path, you might find large wooden crosses, which people pick up and carry on their pilgrimage (picture two). If you’re hard core, you can grab and carry two (picture three)!

Resurrection Day

So, if you go to Jerusalem, you quickly learn that there are two possible locations for Jesus’ death and burial (and thus, his resurrection). The first is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which has been the traditional site since the fourth century. It is grand, with much pageantry (pictures one and two), and, as you can see, has long lines just to touch the rock upon which Christ was crucified (Golgotha or Calvary, picture three), a slab upon which Christ was laid after his death (picture four), and the tomb (picture five).

This location is contrasted with what is called the Garden Tomb, which was unearthed in 1867. Unlike the Church, it is quite modest (picture six), accessible (picture seven), and, while not expressly claiming to be “the” tomb, has a tomb that certainly fits the biblical bill (picture eight).

There is pretty compelling evidence also to claim that the adjacent cliff to the Garden Tomb (picture nine) is Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion, including the fact that it was a traditional site for both Hebrew executions and Roman crucifixions due to being so visibly situated along the road to Damascus. But what I find interesting is the fact that if the crucifixion actually happened here – the Garden tomb, where there is currently no pageantry, no lines, and, indeed, is found at the base of a cliff today surrounded by parked busses and trash (picture ten) – then it would likely be fitting for a life that ultimately defied every expectation of a messiah.

I have my own theory, but ultimately the issue isn’t a dealbreaker.

Happy Resurrection Day, Everyone!