Preface: It appears that the general consensus in the American pulpit of today is that their job is to comfort us....and tell us how much God loves us. Oh there are churches out there with a pastor who has been pleading from the pulpit to take heed of God's warnings....but if you should drive by on a Lord's Day around eleven in the morning you will probably see about a dozen cars in the parking lot. All of the blame cannot be put on the pulpits because....like our government....they only give us what we demand....but had they warned us....had they told us that our entertainments were dominating us....and that our sports had become idolatry....and more recently had they warned us of false prophets and how we were turning from dependence upon God....to dependence upon politics and might and our own perceived powers....then we would still be in the predicament that we are in today....with chaos everywhere....and judgments on us from God increasing in number and severity....for it has been Nahum's message of impending judgment that addresses us today....no longer Jonah's with time to repent....but much of the church would have been set apart....sober-minded and vigilant....not taken in by bellowing politicians....not addicted to the cable and radio hosts who lead us away from dependence upon Christ. We in turn would not be demanding of them that they comfort us....but demanding of them that God's glorious name be extolled to all who would listen....and that they would never neglect to remind us of such a great salvation that could save someone like us....and that the comfort extended to us would be that our mighty king was returning....merciful yet in righteous judgment. The following was first posted in September of 2016:
The waves follow one another into shore and then return as would a youngster to the top of the water slide for another slippery ride down to the pool. The seagulls must know that summer is ending....as will their foraging between the umbrellas for french fries or potato chips. The sun, for a few brief hours anyway, hides behind a crusted meringue sky, for it has already taken its toll on worshipers, its belly full of burnt human flesh. The green flag barely blowing in a gentle warm wind informs.....'calm conditions (but) exercise caution.'
We trust these maritime flags when at the shore, their colors tell us when to worry or when to clear the beach entirely. We depend on warnings of all sorts, from doctors and financial managers and weatherman, and road signs, but none of these can guarantee safety, only one source for warning is 100% trustworthy but we don't consider it practical for it doesn't give dates....only what are perceived as vague seasons. Or are they vague?
The violent nature that America has taken upon itself should have caused us to call our children in from the surf. The attempts to purge our nation of anything Christian should have us packing up the umbrella and chairs and heading back to the condo. The pagan and occult partying through our entertainments should have us loading up our bags and heading home to beat the hurricane bearing down on the seaside community. The breakdown of families, the feminist assault on womanhood, and the recent attempts to mentally neuter all male children should have by now turned our pastors into firebrands of God's impending judgment on such a fallen land....but the green flag still flies on a pole signaling that the beach is all-clear but advising us to.....exercise caution.
