Plagues and Pilgrims

When we think of God's judgment, we usually think of events that are dramatic, even cataclysmic!... AIDS!... 911!... Katrina! Yet there is another kind of judgment that is slower, subtler, but every bit as biblical! It occurs when sinners reject God and His commandments so fiercely & steadfastly.  He "gives them over to a reprobate mind" Rom. 1:28 and they are allowed to receive exactly what they
have been clamoring for!

Often this represents the worst judgment of all!

When the Israelites grew tired of the manna God was providing them, they cried out for meat! God sent a literal shower of "pheasants from heaven" upon them and, for a full month, they were given only pheasant for every meal. There is a very interesting passage in Psalm 106:13-15 where this sad episode in Israel's history is summarized...
"In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God's patience in that dry wasteland. So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it."

I believe that this kind of judgment is exactly what our country is about to experience! Starting in 1963, when the Supreme Court took prayer out of the public schools, we have seen a rapidly growing resistance to anything biblical being expressed or honored publicly. From legalized abortion (1973), to legalized homosexual "marriages" (2003), our culture has spent the last generation ridding itself of Judeo-Christian values and restraints. But carefully consider these wise words quoted from the editor of "raptureready.com" ...

"If we are in the last of the last days, we should expect the world to begin to reflect the dark picture painted by Bible prophecy. The Word of God says the end times will be marked by moral decline, apostasy, and global economic peril. God never said that our main goal should be centered on achieving victory in the political process. We have been charged with the task of saving a remnant of the general population. One good thing about the pace of recent events is that it gets believers out of their comfort-zone mentality. The fact that we find ourselves living in a nation we no longer recognize should indicate it's time to turn our hearts to the place of our true residence.  We rarely hear the term "pilgrim" applied to believers these days. "Pilgrim - One who stays in a place as a stranger or visitor; to describe Christians whose final citizenship is in heaven and who are regarded as temporary dwellers on earth" As America gets further from core biblical values, my hope is that more Christians realize that we are ultimately just visitors here. Rom 12:2 reminds us "Do not conform ..to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"