INCREASE IN MASS MURDERS - LONG VERSION

 INCREASE IN MASS MURDERS.

11/22/2022

"So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand."  Luke 21:31

In Joel chapter 1, verses 1 - 12, there is a description of destruction upon the crops and the land.  There is the judgement of God upon them, causing great severity.  And in verse 13 - 14 there is the remedy for that judgement that is come upon them.  They have sinned against the Lord, and this sin must be dealt with.  It is done by a solemn assembly.  It is a calling out the sins that have provoke the Lord God to anger.  And in chapter 2 of Joel, verses 1 - 11 there is another tragedy that has befallen the land, 'the day of the Lord'.  This is a day of great judgement upon the people.  There is great sorrow, death and destruction causing much fear.  And in verse 12 - 17 there is the remedy for this judgement, a solemn assembly.  And this translates to us today, 'when you see these things happen and coming upon the land, and upon the people, call for a solemn assembly and call upon the Lord.'

There is much of these same judgements upon the land and the people today.  There is storms, floods, destruction, earthquakes; there is disease, pestilence, famine, droughts and great sorrow of men's minds and hearts.  And when we see these things happening, the church, who is supposed to have discernment and eyes to see such things, is to understand these happenings.  The church is to understand why these things are come upon us.  the sins of our nation, the sins of the church, our families and our own hands and hearts have sinned against the Lord.  And we have refused to correct, repent, and cease from these evils, thus provoking God to greater wrath.  We have watched these increase in wrath and judgement on our nation for numerous decades.

First, let us propose to recognize the judgements that are upon us.
Secondly, let us understand why these judgements are upon us.
Thirdly, what are we to do to stop these judgements.
Fourth, who will respond to this call.

I.  Judgements of God

Judgements are a response from God to a nation, His church, families, or individuals, for their choices.  'Choices have consequences' is a phrase that most of us should know.  And the choices of sin and evil, has grave consequences.  "The wages of sin is death."  And the greater the sin, the greater the response from God.  God's judgements are His reciprocating response to the sin committed against Him.  

For example:  'If you turn from Me, I will turn from you"; " If you forsake Me, I will forsake you."  God's judgement is in reply to what man has chosen.  

As our nation has continued to grow more and more evil.  this evil is shown by the following:  having legalized abominations as abortion &  homosexuality; great perversions against our children; great abuse towards those that cannot defend themselves of young and old; legalizing of drugs & alcohol; and great evil of death.  In all of these wicked and evil ways and doings, we provoke God to anger and wrath.  Our government, our courts, our communities, our homes are responsible for this.  The church is responsible for not stopping and standing up against this 'flood of evil'.  And this leaves us, that all the nation is targeted by God for judgement.  For 'we all have sinned' against Him.  

The judgements that God sends and causes, is remedial judgements.  These remedial judgements are sent to stir us to response.  We should see and know that these things are happening because of our sin against Him.  A nation or people cannot forsake and forget God and not expect a response from God.  God sends these judgements and increases or ceases them depending on the response of the people, especially the church.  the church should be very much aware of the ways and will of God.  They should make His word known to why these things are happening - sin; and what should be done to return to God.  A right response by the people of God and a nation, will find God's mercy and grace.  A wrong response or no response increases the severity of the judgement.  As Leviticus 26 declares, 'if you refuse to amend your ways and doings, I will increase the judgements 7X more.'  And if this continues without right response, it will lead from remedial judgement to final judgements.  In which, there is no act of man that can stop the wrath of God.  Woe to the nation and people that gets to this point.

the recognizing of the judgements therefore is absolutely is the beginning.  Eyes to see, ears to hear and minds and hearts to perceive the ways of God in judgements.  God is the same, and His judgements are still the same upon a people or person today.  Here are means of which we have seen God move against those that sinned against Him:
1.  Natural Disasters; 2.  Tribulations, great or small; 3.  Pestilence; 4.  War; 5.  Economy hardships and crash;  6.  Food sources and supplies removed, corrupted; 7.  Minds & Hearts of men given to evil;  

Now each of these take on different variances but produce the same leveled judgement.  

The increase of our murders through multiple means is at epidemic numbers.  Where these things a couple decades ago, you may have one or two each month or every other moth.  shocking, disbelief, but no response, because it was explained away as 'isolated case.'  Then they begin to increase in volume.  And failure at each judgement unleashed on the nation, place, or person, only increases to the next level.  Continued increasing of judgements and evil, and no response from leaders, the nation or the church brings the increase, to final judgements.  The increase in volume statistically in numbers goes from varied occurrences, to regular occurrences, to continued happenings, then inundated happenings, finally reaching EPIDEMICS proportions.  After epidemics proportions, comes final judgement.  

II.  Why are these judgements upon us

As has been mentioned, the root cause of these judgements is sin.  Failure to obey God, listen to God, know God or keep any of His ways, will or word is the cause of the judgements.  'As holiness brings us closer to God; sin pushes us further away from God.  And Satan is waiting for those that refuse, harden and choose to go away from God.  Satan unleashes all sorts of troubles upon those that refuse God.  One of the Scriptures that God spoke early on in the epidemic of covid was Ezekiel 16:2, 'Cause them to know their abominations.'  It cannot be assumed any more that men know what good is, or what evil is.  For we have fallen upon such days that reveal to us, that 'men love darkness rather than light'.  And in this darkness they redefine what good and evil are.  Thus, fulfilling the Scripture, 'and they shall call good, evil; and evil, good."  but in the definitions of good and evil, God stays the same.

It is the act of sin, that provokes God to wrath.  The continuous in evil elevates the judgement from God.  And the perpetual position of embracing sin and refusal to repent or humble oneself  increases Gods' wrath in His judgements.  This may be because no one is telling them that it is sin.  there is a spirit of ignorance among the populous society and nation.   Many refuse to enter into a church service to hear the Word of God preached and taught.  but ignorance of God's ways and word is no excuse for the sin; there is still accountability.  The church must make these things known in order to warn the people of what they are doing to provoke God to anger.  And when they are told, and still refuse to adhere to God's command, it leads to more and more evil happenings.

It is  needful to know the abominations and sins that are contrary to God.  'Thou shalt not. . .' is a very good beginning of knowing what's right and wrong in God's eyes.  Thou shall not kill, steal, lie, covet, commit adultery, commit fornication, take the Lord's Name in vain, have any other gods but Him, defile ourselves with the evils of this world.   WE are to lay out from the Scripture3s, the things that God says, "I hate/detest these things'; 'the things that please Him vs. the things that do not please Him'.  Such truths are revealing of what is right and good, and what is wrong and evil.  And it is not just keeping the law and commands of God, it is the intent of why we do what we do.  God discerns the intent of the heart.    

But it is the hardness of men's ears to hear and their hearts to receive the truth that propels their actions further away from pleasing God.  The false god of self, sin and Satan does all the things that causes God to abhor what we are doing.  The love of self and indulging in entertainment continuously, all the while pushing us away from learning or doing anything of God's kingdom and eternal value are an affront to Him.  It is such choices, actions, deeds and works that have continued to increase for self and excluded all the things of God's kingdom and Name.  Such sin is chosen, and such sin requires God to address it.  

and along with this god of self and sin, is a mechanism behind it that multiplies its influence.  The hordes of hell are unleashed on our society.  Legion is here and very active on many fronts.  Demonic control through addictions of phones, internet, gambling, drink, drugs, profanity, perverseness, porn, greed.  all of these things are fueled by 'lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but ifs of the world.'  It is this that is managed, increased, upon out nation; it is the spirit of anti-Christ.  And it has ravaged, how many lives, how many souls?  And is not the church straight and narrow path, littered with the shipwreck souls that took their eyes off Christ, and looked and lusted and fell.   'For our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour' has come and feasted on the souls of our loved ones, and feasted on the souls of the church.  

How did this happen?  There was no gate keepers.  There was no one teaching, and pleading, 'take heed, lest ye fall.'  There was ease; there was compromise, there was humanism.  And these things allowed for Satan to take over, that self had a voice to offer, when all we are allowed to listen to as a voice, is the voice of the Holy Ghost.  do you not hear this among so many in the hcurches and society? 'Well, now I think"; 'this is what I believe'; 'surely we don't have to be so legalistic or rigid'.  And when the door is cracked to ease restraints, Satan and his horde from hell kick it in and devour any and all.  such assaults on the minds and hearts by Legion to corrupt, to engage them with whispers and thoughts that are pure evil and lead to evil.  

III.  What are we to do to stop these judgements

Repent!  It is the clearest message of Christ to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 - 3.  It is the first words of John the Baptist to the children of Israel in preparation for the Chrsit to come forth.  It was the first words of Christ in message to the people.  It is the same message of Joel, 'when you see these things happening' call for a solemn assembly and weep, mourn and howl before the Lord.  The solemn Assembly is an act of confession (recognition of sins) and repentance (vows of turning away from sin) and turning to the Lord.   But our sins have gone on for so long, and we have missed multiple windows of God's calling us to repentance over these 22 years.

We missed, what many can trace back to as a beginning of greater judgements in our land, with the unprecedented Columbine school shooting.  We missed within the next 2 years, the 9/11 tragedy.  We missed the record breaking, Hurricane Katrina devastation.  We missed the 2008 financial collapse.  We have had moment after moment of great judgement on our nation.  but with no response from the church or the nation.  And the escalation that is pushing us toward final judgement, there must be an all out response.  A time of continual, perpetual confessing, repenting, calling for, causing them to know their abominations and setting to make the wrongs right.  Restoring the body to what it was intended to be.  Putting away all those things that doth offend and grieve the Holy Ghost.  

these the Biblical steps of correction.  Failure to do this will bring final judgement.  Thus, we should gather those that are resolved to seek Him.  'Seek me, and ye shall find Me.'  Resolve to call for the fast, set times weekly of waiting upon Him.  Crying, day and night, 'in wrath remember mercy'.  Come in personal prayer times; come in corporate times of prayer.  Gather for the express purpose of making the abominations known, confessing over them, requesting of Him for His Divine outpouring and listening to see what His instruction may be.  Many do not know the desperate hour that we are in, but make time to come together to make them know the word of the Lord regarding this.  

IV.  Who will respond to this call

There is always an invitation given by God.  God's people should hear, read and know it.  But alas, how often our eyes are dim, and are ears deafened to what we should do.  Only faintly do we hear the voice of the Spirit speaking.  Too many voices, too much lack of time alone with Him to discern His clear, true voice.  But that invitation is given to those that would have ears to hear, and hearts to receive.  Blessed is the remnant that God preserves for such moments and times.  But our greatest desire is for the whole, the fullness of the body and the nation to respond.  This is only done by a true, and great real revival sent from heaven and God ordained.  In this moment of real revival, God does more in days and weeks than what we have been trying in decades.  God shows forth His Omnipotence in the means of restoration for His body and redemption for the lost masses.  This is our only hope for this hour. 

For where we are right now, puts us at a place of great peril and danger.  We are at the brink of complete, and utter destruction as a nation.  Showing the cracks and destruction already in the marriages, homes, society, politically, government and among a powerless and Presence-less church.  Many are seeking revival for these dark days.  It is not to be sought for as a 'get out of trouble' means, but revival is for God's glory to be manifested and His kingdom advanced.  Failure to see such a move of God happen, and only continuing on 'what is' will not suffice.  For this way we are going, has led us to this awful point.  A complete reversal by the church is needed to restore our relationship with our Lord.  

A Divine moment is needed.  For there were times, when God said, 'If Daniel, Job and Samuel prayed, I would not hear them.  There is a time that comes, when God says, 'there is no remedy.'  In these days, there is more prayer and more talk of revival and spiritual awakening.  But there is still few that wait before and upon God.  Few that fast and join with others that fast.  And we are left wanting something that comes from God Sovereignly.  yet, unwilling the church is to pay the price of being holy, faithful and righteous.  Ravenhill said, 'the reason we do not have revival is because there is no one willing ot pay the price for it.'  Far too many in the churches are unfaithful, unholy and unrighteous; of which God cannot bless, cannot empower.  Only if He sees fit to give His fullness as He so wills it, will revival happen.  J. Edwin Orr, 'in the greatest darkness, God shines His marvellous Light."

It was during the First Awakening with Jonathan Edwards, that a Scottish pastor, who was in correspondence with Edwards, told him of their Concerts of Prayer.  A time on the first Tuesday of each month that they fasted together for revival, as the church were languishing.  And then they would have a corporate prayer meeting following the fast to cry out to God.  Each month, and many would gather each week and cry out to God.  I return to Joel, 'when you see these things happen, call for a solemn assembly and cry, weep and howl before Him.'  'Let the priests weep before the altar all night.'  Pay the price!  

But what happens if no one pays the price?  What happens if God so moves to not send a revival, despite what so many are insisting on?  The day of the Lord, will be as all those descriptions in the Old Testament that reveals how, in one moment, God can unleash His wrath and consume a nation, a people.  Cause or create a catastrophe that would impact near and far with many ripple affects to carry forth His wrath against a people of gross wickedness and perversions of evil.  

Started:  November 22, 2022

Finished: