A few days ago I was watching the amazing teaching by Pastor Paul Washer in his video “Our Power is the Gospel” and it has remained with me ever since, though in the back of my mind. While most of the details of Pastor Paul’s oration were forgotten, the Lord has been calling me to read the Book of Romans, and as I started to do so today, the Holy Spirit started to bring me back to the truth of the words of Pastor Paul, that we have already been judged.

As Jesus spoke in Matthew 25:41, we have confirmation that we, mankind – were not made for Hell, nor hell for mankind:

“Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.”

In Second Peter 3:9 we also find confirmation that the Lord is doing His utmost to keep us from the everlasting fire as he holds back His hand of Wrath and reaches out for us with His hand of Love; for

“The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Yes, God wants us all to come to repentance so that we may be saved from the same future which awaits Satan and his fallen angels. To get this point through to us as clearly and bluntly as possible, in exactly the same words, Jesus repeats Himself in Luke 13:3 and Luke 13:5 saying:

“…… But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

To repent, means we come to God to acceptance Him and in doing so, willing turn away from our sin and the ungodly lifestyles we led, for a new lifestyle of His choosing. Yet most appear to reject this call from God. Even within the Church of Christ, or perhaps especially, even in the Church of Christ, we find those who profess with their lips that Jesus is their Lord, yet outside the church are evangelists for Satan as they live and lead ungodly and unholy lifestyles. By our fruit we may be judged, and by looking at the fruit of the lives of most Christians today, and indeed countries which aspire to the idea of being “Christian” countries, we can see little or no fruit which confirms their root to be other than demonic; to be other than in direct opposition to God.

In Romans 1:17-19 Paul lets us know clearly, that all hear his preaching of the Gospel of Christ, know of God, because God has revealed Himself to all of them, saying,

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because the thing which may be known of God is clearly revealed within them, for God revealed it to them.“

God has done the revealing of Himself, yet most rejected and still continue to reject Him. What happened to those who rejected God, and today still reject Him? Romans 1:21-25 tell us:

“Because, knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful. But they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves. For they changed the truth of God into a lie, and they worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

What does it mean: God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts….? It could equally be translated, that God imprisoned them all in disobedience. God gave them their heart’s desires so that they may have the opportunity of seeing their own depravity first hand, and learn from it. God gave them and gives them over to experiencing hell on earth, where God was no longer in their lives and they were controlled by those more powerful than themselves. In their rejection of God, God has given them over to what they mistakenly believe is ‘freedom of will’ and ‘freedom of choice.’ But in truth, as Revelation 3:17 says, they “… are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked…”

You ask why God would do such a thing…. Yet we do it ourselves daily. Teaching people to swim or do a job, we often recommend to “throw them into the deep end and let them sink of swim.” What we seem to have forgotten here is that God has provided support alongside each one of us in the form of the Holy Spirit, the paraclete, the one who comes alongside to help. Even blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus who had nobody to help him but the call of his own corrupt flesh and his fiaht that Jesus could heal him, was able to “cry out and say, ‘Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!'” (Mark 10:47) and he was healed, as “Jesus said to him, ‘Go, your faith has healed you.’ And instantly he saw again, and he followed Jesus in the way” Mark 10:52.

Pastor Paul Washer asserts that the United States of America is now living in hell on earth. Referring to the remainder of Romans 1:26-32 we have a list of conditions which God has given them up to. Perhaps not remarkably, it is fairly descriptive of the present face of the USA, particularly as viewed from the outside, and particularly as portrayed though the media and the changes in corporate governance:

“For this cause, God gave them up to dishonourable affections. For even their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature.
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another; males with males working out shamefulness, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was fitting for their error. And even as they did not think fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do the things not right, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; being full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, evil habits, becoming whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, braggarts, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, perfidious, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous order of God, that those practicing such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but have pleasure in those practicing them.”

One look at the scandals and filth which God exposes more and more these days, we can recognise the truth of Romans 1:26-32 above.

In Luke 6:43-45 Jesus spoke some words which I believe strike to the heart of the matter:

“For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit, neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth the good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth the evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

The end of this Church age is now upon us and there has been a dramatic change recently in the spiritual realm which is directly impacting the physical, and us, and especially churches and church leadership. Prophet Brian Hay of omegatimes.com recently confirmed this change in the spiritual realm as he said “I do believe the lid has been taken of the abyss and the spirit of death has been released in earth as Revelation predicted, so war is all on now.” He has also agreed to write an article for his website and I’ll pass along a copy when available.

Yes, the war is on and now is time Christians to be truly prepared for battle.

It is interesting to note that though in Ephesians 6:13-19-8 we are told to put on the whole armour of God, there is nowhere in the Bible which tell us to take off the armour of God!

I commend Pastor Paul’s video to you.

Amen.