"Where the Path Leads"

Over the past 6 months, we have seen events that have not been witnessed in most folks’ living memory strike both our
nation, and this planet. First, the advent of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) struck at multiple nations and took the lives of
many, sickened many more, and forced the economies, traffic and the very function of daily life to a grinding near-
halt. Even now, our nation and much of the world are still not at their previous economic and social functions, and may
not be for several months to come.

But just as the swath cut by COVID-19 was beginning to subside and the restrictions were allowed to loosen by those
in charge, the killing of a man who was under arrest by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, had unforeseen
consequences not only for the deceased’s family and the officers involved. George Floyd’s death would set off both a
figurative and a quite literal firestorm, as cries of “police brutality” turned to protests, protests turned to riots, and riots
brought the looting, burning and outright destruction of countless shopping venues, places of business, police stations
and equipment, and even the defacing and damaging of memorials and churches.

Welcome to the ange of BLM/ Antifa.

So, what is it that we are seeing here exactly? 

1) Complacency : Over it's nearly 250 year history, the United States of America has enjoyed bountiful provision and
blessing from the Lord. Yes, we have had rough times and spots as a nation: times where the U.S. has been tested and
been under trial. And we have been challenged and attacked by those seeking our downfall or subservience. But
through it all, the U.S. has had provision and sustinence from the Lord, and I would dare say, considerable protection
overall. Founded by a convention of "men of conscience", whom could no longer tolerate a tyrant whom had oppressed
the colonies and left them no recourse, they formed a new nation on principles that has their basis in Scripture. In doing
so, we began over the decades to lead the way in many fields: medicine, society, government, politics, religion, etc.

But as time wore on and one series of successes led to more, at first people became comfortable; then  people became
complacent.  They forgot that when folks become lax, that is when the enemy starts seeking ways to subjugate and
enslave them. And all it took was the manipulation of what was already there: the sin nature. All Satan had to do was
find the right attack to use, and time it appropriately.

Scripture warns:
" Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all
your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same
experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a
little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm,
strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen."  (1 Peter 5:6-11, NASB, emphasis mine)

2) Satan Attacks:

As not just our country, but this world came through the 19th and 20th centuries, we advancing technically and
industrially. But with this progression, the Word of God came under increasing attack by such concepts and entities as
"Higher Criticism" and "The German School". It was then relegated to the status of an "annoying curiosity" by these
"Intellectuals", whom sought to shatter the reliance of believers upon the Word and make themselves "the final
authority".

Next, the family (the core of society) came under attack, with the roles of father, mother and children being challenged.
Parental authority was scorned, ridiculed and utterly disparraged, with television portraying fahters as 'incompetent
buffons" and their wives holding them in disguised disdain. Discipline became a bad word and began to be looked upon
as "cruelty", while responsibility, the work ethic and the home came under increasing assault. It was during this time
that "the Sexual Revolution" and the introduction of "drug culture" began, along with Hollywood veering towards
movies that would increasingly show scenes of human harm and mutilation.

Finally, with the Word of God removed from its' rightful place, and the family shattered, the churches themselves were
vulnerable to being infiltrated, dominated and utterly splintered. No longer able to preach against sin, many churches
began to try to lure people with "entertainment" rather than convict with Scripture. 

And soon, false teaching crept in, and with it, the lie that "it's unloving to not allow (insert group here) into our
church..."

...and we began to see the slide of society as the stand the churches once took was abandoned, and folks got a good
look (and taste of ) depravity.
3) The Wicked Seeking Depravity: since his creation, man has rebelled against any sort of rule, law or restriction and
sought to defy whatever structure is imposed. The Garden of Eden is the first example:

" Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God
commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”  (Genesis 2:15-17, NASB,
emphasis mine)

All too painfully, we know how this ended:

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the
woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent,
“From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden,
God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will
not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing
good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that
the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her,
and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig
leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in
the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the
garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You
in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were
naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You
gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you
have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3: 1-13, NASB, emphasis mine)

Sin is extremely addictive;  just ask anyone who is addicted to alcohol, sex, violence, you name it.  The nasty thing
about it is that the more they are exposed, the more they want to be exposed. This is true of any perverse, unclean or
addictive thing (homosexuality, the occult, drugs, etc.), and the longer it goes on, the more momentum and force it
picks up. Now, we see children being targeted by the LGBTQ+, who seek to "groom them" as their next "conquest".
The occult grows daily, fuelled by "entertainment" that promotes and glorifies what the Lord wisely declared to be off-
limits to us. Yet Hollywood, video-game companies, TV networks and the like rake in billions from the sale of these
movies, series, games, books, toys, and other merchandise.
And the ground we have lost may never be regained this side of the Tribulation.

4) The Lord Lifts His Hand:

As we've read throughout Scripture, whenever a nation tuns away from the Lord, He will do everything He can to get a
nation to turn back to Him:

"“But I gave you also cleanness of teeth in all your cities And lack of bread in all your places, Yet you have not
returned to Me,” declares the LORD. “Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you While there were still three months
until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city   And on another city I would not send rain; One part would be rained
on,         While the part not rained on would dry up. “So two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink
water, But would not be satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the LORD. “I smote you with scorching
wind and mildew; And the caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet
you have not returned to Me,” declares the LORD.  “I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I slew
your young men by the sword along with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your
nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the LORD. “I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and
Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the
LORD."" (Amos 4: 6-11, NASB, emphasis mine)

The sad refrain "Yet you have not returned to Me,” reverbrates through the passage; everything the Lord tried, the
Israelites would not heed. 

Finally, the Lord says this to them:

"Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.  For
behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind And declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes
dawn into darkness And treads on the high places of the earth, The LORD God of hosts is His name."  (Amos 4:12,
NASB, emphasis mine)
There comes a point where the Lord will not continue to contend, but simply put an end to the situation. With the ten
northern tribes of israel, they went away into exile, never to return. The two tribes of Judah (Judah and benjamin to be
exact), were spared as a remnant, as the Lord did this for His own name's sake., to maintain the promise to Abraham
that He swore upon His own name.

The United States doesn't have that kind of promise.

As we see the situation across the planet progress, it is a clear reminder to us that any nation cannot repeatedly and
continually turn away from the Lord and not suffer the consequences. I believe what we are seeing is the start of the
Lord lifting His hand of protection, and turning nations over to their' sin:

""For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress
the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident
to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been
clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they
knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their
foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible
God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling
creatures."Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be
dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature
rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.  For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions;
for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men
abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men
committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." (Romans 1:18-28, NASB)

This nation has had not only the material prosperity that the Lord has poured out upon it, but the Word of the Lord in
multiple translations freely available, virtually at its' fingertips. In addition to all of this, in-depth commentary and
inspired articles from preachers and writers have been available to assist those seeking the Lord. Yet, as a whole, this
nation, and indeed, all nations have turned away from the Lord.

With all of that said, I think it is no surprise that where we find ourselves now as both a nation and as a planet is no
surprise. The stunning thing is that the Lord's mercy caused Him to hld back so long on letting this all happen.
Where Do We Go From Here?

At this point in history, the things we are seeing are the progression of man's continual rebellion against the God who
made him. From the consequences of his own sin, to Satan's attacks upon him, to the Lord lifting protection and
provision from him, man is in serious trouble. Yet, we have not even reached the time of the Tribulation! This should
be a warning to folks out there that if things are this bad now, they may very well get even rougher in the time yet to
come before the Rapture:

" See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned
them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the
earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT
ALSO THE HEAVEN.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be
shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore, since we receive a
kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with
reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:26-29, NASB, emphasis mine)

In His love, the Lord isn't trying to scare us, but to warn us that the times we are in will be a bit bumpy. So, how are we
to hold on in such rough shaking?

1) Prayer:  It's okay to let the Lord know how you're feeling, including how scared you are.  He doesn't expect us to
remain stable all on our own, but relying on Him and the strength He provides. But we need to know what He
promises, and for that, we need-

2) Scripture: Just as our bodies cannot go throughout the day without physical food, so too do our soul and spirit need
spiritual food. And that is the Word of God, the Bible; where the Lord provides us with what we need to grow in Him.
But none of us live and die unto ourselves, which leads us to:

3) Fellowship/ Gathering: It's still something of a problem, as between COVID and the riots (depending on where you
live) makes gathering an issue. And getting together with friends still cannot happen in person (at least for the time
being); but that said, at least we have the technology and the online means (internet, phone, snail mail, etc) to continue
to reach out to one another and maintain the links and fellowship that are so vital to the body of Christ.
In writing this, I originally had something much different in mind; but I felt led to proceed on a path that wasn't the
"itinerary" I was thinking of. Hopefully though, this article (as long as it is!) helps someone out with this entire mess,
and see that where the path leads is not over a cliff, but into the Lord's hands..

And may the Lord come for us soon.

YBIC,

-Sojo414