Great Darkness BUT the Lord Shall Arise Upon His People (Part I)

We have all read about some very difficult times in the earth. The one that really grieves our hearts is the Holocaust. Six million European Jews (2/3 of the Jews in Europe) between 1941 and 1945 were slaughtered. They died by mass shootings, labor in concentration camps, gas chambers and gas vans in extermination camps, and from being used in experiments with medicines and operations. I toured a museum in Israel that held relics, pictures, and stories concerning the Holocaust. I felt a heaviness come down on me that was so mind wrenching. Our tour guide said that the Jewish people have vowed that such a thing will never happen to their people again.

There have been brutal wars throughout the world where thousands were killed. We think about the Battle at Normandy fought on June 6, 1944 where they attacked the beaches to stop the endeavors of the Nazis in Western Europe. This would turn the tide of World War II in efforts against Hitler.

How about the drug abuse in our nation? I had not even heard of such a thing when I was in high school. In 2017 alone, there were 70,237 that have overdosed and died.

We still see troubles around our world. I now see things happening in the earth that I would have never dreamed of as a student. Who would have ever thought that 50 million babies would be aborted since 1973 when Roe v. Wade was passed? Who would have thought that the Bible and prayer would be taken out of the classrooms? Who would have thought that the Ten Commandments would be taken down from the walls of our Federal buildings? Who would have thought that our nation would approve of same sex marriages? Could the evil have spread so quickly that it covers our earth in one lifetime? It appears so. What happened?

I am concerned that the Christians around this globe; yes, including America, have not taken a stand against evil. We have been lethargic. It is almost as if the church has been asleep and the evil we see has rushed in like a tidal wave. …But I declare that it is time for the church to awaken from her sleep and take back what the enemy has stolen. Romans 13:11&12 says, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light.” It is time for the church bod

y to return to holiness. I am not talking about a denomination, but about a life set apart for the Lord: one who is conformed to the will of God. We see today a generation that says that they are Christian -- everybody is “Christian”; however, often those claiming Christianity live as they choose. That is not holiness.

The Bible says in II Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” I am sure that you would agree that America needs to be healed. God is not calling the sinner to repent in this passage, but the Christian! What is the church called to do? 1) Humble themselves, 2) pray, 3) seek the Lord’s face, and 4) turn from wickedness (in other words, repent of sin). Then, and only then, will we see America healed. If the church does not rise up and take their stand in God, the darkness could increase to the point that even worse things than we have read about or seen so far could come to our land.

The Lord is calling out to the church by the Holy Spirit. Do you hear Him? He is calling us to prayer. You may think that just because you read a Promise in the Bible that it is just going to automatically happen. That is not true. It is not God’s will that any should perish but there will be multitudes that will go to hell. Why? …Because they rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We must pray that our God would draw the lost unto Himself. We must demand demons to loose the people that Jesus died for. James 4:2&3 says, “…Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Let us ask the Father to awaken the church to be about His business. Let us ask Him to place a hunger and thirst for more of Him in His people’s hearts. When we get hungry enough, we will get up and seek our Lord’s face. Amen! Be sure to see October’s issue for some Promises that we must ask for.