Underneath are the Everlasting Arms

UNDERNEATH ARE THE EVERLASTING ARMS

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, “Destroy him!” (Deuteronomy 33:27)

One lady, a Christian, wrote to me about a dream she had. In her dream, she was herded onto a bus with a number of other people. They were brought to an auditorium where they were forced to listen to and watch an ungodly program. All that time, she was forced to stay with her group and they were closely guarded.

I guess a lot of Americans are apprehensive concerning the future. I myself have been warned by the Spirit that there is going to be a great deal of shedding of blood. I have heard quite clearly that the United States is going to lose its place of leadership in the world because of sin, particularly the sin of abortion on demand.

Being 87 years old, I have lived through several presidential elections. But I cannot remember such viciousness of one political side toward the other. I think this polarization has been building for some years, and now is coming to a head. I have read recently of people on each side wanting to kill someone on the other side. Maybe this has been true in previous elections, but I was not made aware of it for some reason.

I believe the hostility is spiritual in nature. There are those who are champions of old American values, most of which parallel what is taught in the Bible. There are others who seem to favor what I would term anti-Christian values. I think the difference between the sides is becoming magnified and clearly differentiated.

I have chosen to not become involved in this political struggle. Rather, I am endeavoring to impress upon the congregation how they are to survive spiritually as well as physically in the next few weeks and years. I do not doubt at all that destruction is coming, because the feelings are so intense. No matter who is elected, those of the opposite persuasion very well may resort to force to emphasize their opposition. Already, one black leader has stated that if President Obama is not reelected, there is going to be trouble. This kind of threat should never, never accompany what is supposed to be a democratic election.

During the past presidential election, there apparently were some instances of intimidation at least one polling place. Already people are preparing themselves to expect intimidation when they go to vote. This sort of attitude could readily lead to civil war, if the party in power should decide to call out the armed forces to keep the peace.

Well, what are we ordinary Christians to do? How are we to prepare ourselves in the weeks leading up to the election in November?

There is one factor we always must keep in mind.

Early last Sunday morning (9/9/2012), I was awakened at 12:47 AM. I had become increasingly incensed at the president of our country because of some statements he reportedly had made, and actions he had taken in the past, having to do with the aborting of fetuses. God began to speak to me about my own Christian conversion. I was not raised in a Christian home. I did not hear the Gospel until I was eighteen. I believed and was born again. A year later, the Lord Jesus, during an unusual manifestation of His Presence, made known to me that I was to preach the Gospel.

I could see, from what God was showing me, that I had nothing to do with my conversion and call to the ministry. I had been a very ordinary young man, neither very good nor very bad. To this day, I have no idea why God chose to bring me to Christ, when there were millions of Americans just as worthy or more worthy than myself.

If God does not draw the leaders of our government to Christ, are we then to become infuriated with them because they act in ignorance of Christ? Our current President seldom mentions God. We Americans are not accustomed to our leaders not appealing to God for help and mercy.

But if God does not make Himself known to them, how are they to know about Christ? “There but for the grace of God go I,” as someone said. The truth is, we should regard our leaders as unfortunate, and pray that God will lead them to the truth.

If we had an intelligent and loving collie dog, and tried to teach it to play the piano, it never would learn in spite of our and the dog’s best efforts. Would we then become angry and berate the dog, or beat it with a stick, because it could not master the first measure of the Fantasie Impromptu? You might say, “It would be ridiculous to scold the dog for something it is not capable of doing.” Well, isn’t it just as ridiculous to expect our political leaders to understand the ways of Christ if God has not revealed Christ to them?

Perhaps we are someone who is in a position to correct some of the mistakes that may have been made with the economy or foreign relations. Perhaps we can do something about abortion. But if not, we are not to become personally angry at some unfortunate individual who is acting out of the blindness of his or her heart.

God is able to come to the worst of our political leaders, state or national, and bring him or her to Christ. God can do this at any time He wishes, and turn that person around completely.

So God reminded me of the way He came to me when I did not deserve it. God alone knows what I would have done with my life if God had not intervened and brought me to Christ.

How about you? Is this true of you? If it is, then neither you nor I ought to become personally enraged against the President or the Governor of our state, or of anyone else for that matter. If God has not given them wisdom and a God-fearing heart, then they are to be regarded as unfortunate, not despised or railed against.

So one of the first steps in our preparation for the coming chaos in America is to ask God to remove from us all bitterness toward our political leaders.

Then there is the problem of “fretting.” When Christians see their cherished values being trampled on, they are going to be bitter and fretful, unless they guard their heart carefully. The Apostle Paul commanded us to keep our minds full of pure and lovely thoughts, and to rejoice always. We can keep Paul’s command if we fasten our eyes on Jesus.

Our ability to survive spiritually in the future in America, and to help others to survive, will depend on our walking so close to Jesus that He is filling our mind, our speech, and our actions. We must keep our eyes on Him every moment of every day and night.

We must be righteous in all our ways if we expect God to be with us and to drive out the enemy before us. We absolutely must forgive everyone who has harmed us.

Most importantly, we must be totally obedient to God in every aspect of our behavior. There may be a time that we will be able to do something about the sin in our land. Then we are to act prayerfully and obediently. But apart from that, we must remember that the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but are mighty through God to the tearing down of spiritual strongholds.

There will be nothing more important to our spiritual success in the future in America than iron righteousness of behavior, fiery holiness of personality, and stern obedience to God. These, combined with daily prayer and Bible reading, are the weapons of our warfare.

We are American citizens. We have been accustomed to voting our leaders in and out. We now must realize that it may not always be that way. The government may seize control of our country to such an extent that we are helpless to do anything about it.

There may be intense persecution. When we think of the Christians of history, we may remember that not only were they not able to vote their leaders in and out, but also they were fortunate to escape being tortured and slain!

That day very well could come to America. We have brought Divine judgment on our land by abortion, by accepting the homosexual lifestyle, by tolerating the degrading of Christ so that He no longer is to be mentioned publicly in any significant gathering of people.

We have seen the abominable performances that are supposed to entertain us on the stage. We have accepted the increasing nudity without rebelling fiercely against it. Little by little the knowledge of God is being driven from the land.

God has a way of leaving wherever He is not wanted.

We have sown to the flesh, we in America, and now we are going to reap the harvest. And the harvest will be cruel, grim, and bitter.

I am not certain change can be made by political means. In order for the course of America to be changed, there would need to be widespread repentance and renunciation of sin on the part of the majority of Christian people.

Given the lawless grace and rapture teaching, there may be occasional calls for repentance. But not a deep turning away from sin until God’s people understand clearly that Divine grace is not an acceptable alternative to strict obedience to the Lord Jesus.

The Lord told us if we loved Him, we would keep His commands (John 14:23). But like the young man who told his parents he did not need to serve them because he had committed himself to God, so we tell the Lord Jesus that we need not obey Him because we are saved by grace.

Only a total turning away from the doctrines of lawless grace and escape by rapture, and a return to righteous behavior, could possibly avert the chaos on the horizon. Even now it may be too late! When the members of the Bride go out to buy oil, the door may be shut.

Many churches pretend that God did not tell us to “come out from the ways of the world and touch not the unclean thing” (II Corinthians 6:17). If an individual believer will turn away from the wicked ways of such churches, leaving the current teachings and returning to the holy ways of the saints of the Bible, then, no matter whether our nation sinks to unbelievable depths of sin and corruption, underneath will be the everlasting arms.

God always will support the righteous. No true and eternal harm possibly can touch them no matter how the environment may appear. When the world is in flames, the true servants of the Lord will sing and dance in the heights of Zion.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. (Psalm 125:1)

(“Underneath are the Everlasting Arms”, 3774-1, proofed 20210923)