Why is the Almighty pouring out His wrath on the nation He founded and raised up to be His light to the modern world through which He would show forth His love for and kindness to mankind? Once the shining star among the world’s nations in every aspect of life, the United States of America has become an international joke–a byword, a hissing and a curse as the Lord warned Jeremiah would happen to the Jews if they departed from His Law as had the other Israelite tribes several generations earlier. As Jesus of Nazareth, He issued the same warning to those who would call themselves His people and their church His church, but who would follow false prophets away from His Law (Mat. 24:1-8).

Approximately 70 years later He warned His church of what would come on her and the rest of the world earth in the latter days if she failed to obey His Law and thereby lead her host nations to follow her lead. Which she failed to do when she nailed His Ten Commandment Law to Christ’s cross. This is the Law by which God defines sin (and righteousness) as proclaimed in First John 3:4. Her rejection of His Law was the result of following false prophets which she would choose for herself. For her apostasy, He would punish her and her host nations as He had noted in Matthew 24.

A more graffic description of His wrath coming on sinful man is given in Revelation 6:1-8 in what has come to be known as “the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” This prophesied time is rapidly approaching. Today we are witnessing the “beginning of sorrows” which the Lord warned about in Matthew 24. An earlier warning was given in Leviticus 26:14-46 and Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Again–WHY? Why was God’s anger poured out on the tribes of Israel anciently and is beginning to be felt by those who claim to be His people and nations which claim to be His nations today, particularly the premier nation–America? The answer is, again–SIN.

As the Apostle John tells us :”To transgress the (Ten Commandment) Law is sin; FOR SIN IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW” (1 Jn. 3:4). The Apostle James tells us that to break one commandment is to break the entire Law (2:10). THIS INCLUDES THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT which 99% of professing Christendom breaks twice each week by desecrating God’s Holy Sabbath (Saturday), then honoring Satan by observing his sabbath (Sunday–the day of the sun god). God calls this sin IDOLATRY, which He warns us about in the first commandment.

Following in the spiritual footsteps of his original parents, modern man has determined that God was wrong when He blessed and sanctified the seventh day of creation week (Gen. 2:3) and declared it to be “My Holy Day” and “the holy of the Lord” in Isaiah 58:13. In fact, He was wrong in formulating a law in the first place. He was wrong in writing it in stone with His own finger, then placing it in an ark protected by angels. God’s mistake was so onerous that man took it upon himself to nail His Holy Rules of Life to the cross of His Son. Adding salt to the wound, churchmen then embraced the doctrines of His mortal enemy–Satan. Only the devil himself could orchestrate such a convoluted ruse and sell it to billions of people. Truly, “Satan has deceived the whole world” (Rev. 12:9). He has convinced the salvation-seeking masses to embrace what Jesus accomplished by His death, but to reject His message. By doing so man nullifies what Christ accomplished on the cross. Only a few, Jesus said, would avoid that deadly error (Mat. 7:13,14). Read Christ’s Words to His disciples relative to this universal sin in John 15:13,14.

Acceptance of His promises but rejection of His message is not a new phenomenon. In John 8:30-59 we find that Jesus, performed several miracles, was talking to some Jews who “believed in Him” after seeing His display of power. But when He told them what they did not want to hear, they accused Him of having a devil and took up stones to kill Him. He had to make Himself invisible in order to avoid their rage. What was it about Jesus that, in the eyes of those who “believed in Him,” changed Him from being a miracle-working messenger from God to a demon-possessed false prophet? HIS MESSAGE. Nothing has changed.

With extremely rare exception, modern religious people have the same attitude toward the Lord today as they did then. Sick people gladly accept God’s healing of their bodies when I pray for them. However, they absolutely refuse to hear His Words. I call this the “Stephen Syndrome.” Read Acts chapters 6-8.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the Lord; He does changes not. What he commanded of the ancient Israelites He commands of their spiritual descendants today–OBEY THE LAW BY WHICH EVERY HUMAN BEING WHO HAS EVER LIVED WILL BE JUDGED (Jn. 12:48).

In the next series we will go far deeper into the arena of obedience than this series has taken us. Jesus has a message for those who want more than anything else in life to be one with Him, to walk WITH Him now by walking AS He walked on this earth 2000 years ago. Only those who do so will rise to meet Him in the clouds upon His return to earth. There is only one way be part of that congregation. In the following series we will explore that ONE AND ONLY WAY, which only a minutely few church people know about, and even fewer believe, and even fewer obey. L.J.