“They said in their hearts, ‘We will crush them completely!’ They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land. We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us know how long this will be.” (Psalm 74:8-9)
WE KNOW THE SAYING , and we know at a gut-level the truth of it: “There is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9) Incrementally and ever progressively in America, a nation initially founded under God’s favor, pagans are destroying the historical Christian fiber of the culture. Hardcore atheists, intellectually lazy agnostics, and syncretistic new age priests and priestesses of myriad religious cults all work to influence masses of uncomprehending people as they seek to crush the saving knowledge of God out of sight, mind, and will. In living memory, it first became evident to the generation of the 1960’s when prayer in school was challenged. Soon after, the country’s flag was being burned under the guise of freedom of speech.
The resultant progressive cultural slide in ethics and morals has accelerated at a blinding rate of speed through the last sixty years. Lost generations now find themselves empty of dreams and void of any real hope; this is the legacy of those who oppose God. “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” (Hos. 8:7) Much of that inheritance has been duly received in recent years as a result of the many and on-going legal struggles ranging from battles over posting the Ten Commandments in courtrooms and classrooms, and through the further restrictions displays of Christian faith in schools.
The clash of worldviews extends now to the championing of ‘rights’ in the public arena that bring more and more new laws protecting minority views that are no longer anathema to most of the secular populace, but which cause a rising gorge in the throats of God-fearing Christ-followers. These latter challenges to decency shall remain unnamed; you already know such abominable things, which fall within the proscriptive passage in Romans 1:26-32.
As the pandemic of a world-wide virus strikes fear into the heart of the entire world, we sense the beginning of the coming wrath of God; and with it, the specter of an exponential increase in spiritual warfare looms before the church. Perhaps it is the Apostle Paul’s voice we hear: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Eph. 6:10-13)
The voices of the prophets have cried out against evil throughout the tides of history, and they have never gained the ear of the powerful surrounding syncretistic cultures, with the exception of the ancient city of Nineveh. But the faithful of God always listen. It is not so much that the prophets do not cry out in our times, for they have and they do; it is more that they have cried out so long and so often that their voices are just part of all the rest of the indecipherable noise that clamors for ‘equal rights.’ The noise of that cacophony is overwhelming. The world cries out for justice in all areas of the human condition, from the poor and oppressed, on up through every level of society at each level of need, to the super-wealthy seeking tax breaks. The prophets’ voices are just one more of all the rest clamoring for attention, and as such disappear into ‘white noise,’ just one more sound made indistinguishable within the jumbled mix of all sound. There is no reverence for, nor is there fear of God anywhere in the land. Barbarians assault every place of worship, and Satan infiltrates the church and the family of God.
There is an antidote, a prophetic voice—forthtelling, in this case—from Paul during equally troubling times: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4:8-9) We need never fear being crushed, for in coming to Christ, says scripture, “A bruised reed he will not break.” (Isa. 42:3). Also this, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31) And this: “‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.” (Isa. 54:17)
It is the temple of worship we must protect from being ‘burned’—and there are two that concern us. It is our very heart, the place where God dwells: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Pro. 4:23). But it is also literally our place of worship. Freedom has turned into anarchy in our world, and in some countries it is at a fever pitch. Churches are burned. Your freedoms as a Christian believer have been imperiled for decades; the rotating quarantines currently imposed due to the schizophrenic coronavirus era have provided ample opportunity for our invisible enemy to use the visible authorities to mount a widespread assault on the church. Guard well not only your heart, but guard also your right of assembly, your right of free speech, and your right to worship your God. The first is done through constant intentional vigilance in our personal practice of our sacred rhythm of spiritual disciplines. The second may put us on the pathway of persecution, but consider this: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:12)
Q. Is my armor on? Do I even know where it is?
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