Living in the Last Hour

 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Galatians 5: 7-9)

Let’s talk about who, and what is evil. White color and blue collar crime, lifestyles, various forms of entertainment – What do you call evil?

The Scriptures say the heart of man is continually evil. Let’s face it, evil, is attractive. It is enticing. The lustful eye finds it pleasurable. It is something people can support. It is profitable. It is non discriminant. It is the confession of being a Christ follower with the evidence of a corrupt speech. The New Testament says this:

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” Matthew 15: !8-20

To lay all the blame on illegals for the rapes and murders, kidnappings, drug problems and various crimes is absurd. Yes. I have read where some people feel as such. Then I remember Andrene McDonald. A young woman violently murdered, dismembered and burned and discarded like trash, by her Air Force husband, in front of their autistic child. Last year, a local white woman disappeared, she has yet to be found, and her American, Anglo husband is the prime suspect. To believe that removing illegal occupants will make for a safer community is delusional. Ancestry DNA had revealed the prevalence of incest in past generations. DNA has helped find murderers from decades ago. Prisons are full of men who have been wrongly condemned, condemned because they are the wrong color, because they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Are true criminals locked up? Of course. Did they all get equal justice? That could be debated in more than a few cases.

Evil is what killed a fourteen year-old black male. It was not too long ago that white Americans got away with killing Emmet Till, and a bunch of folks who were fighting for the rights of black people.

It is also safe to say that a degree of hatred (hate is a strong word) and intolerance still lingers for people of color, much of which was subtle, except in 1998, in Texas, with the racially motivated murder of James Byrd Jr.. There have been other instances of racially motivated crimes, especially the last ten years. Social media brings news of such crimes, all crimes for that matter, to us instantly. 

Drug trafficking, gangs, and the mafia have always maintained a presence.

Has violence increased? Yes. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” If you believe in the Scriptures, you probably believe this has been happening. You believe in biblical prophesy. Regardless, more people and fewer resources add up to lack. Lack brings its on challenges.

These are the times that force us to choose sides. Joshua, Judas, the Jewish people, Lot’s wife, etc. all chose sides. One could remain neutral but both sides would accuse you of siding with the enemy.

I imagine that past civil rights activists, Christian and unbelievers, as did Germans during Hitler’s reign of terror chose a side. The times compelled them to choose sides. On Thursday, I sat through my first city council meeting. As I listened to the speakers, one by one, they proclaimed their opposition to the anti-immigration tactics being used to rip out the illegal immigrant from within our communities. Those in support of ICE tactics felt immigration agents were exercising the force necessary to remove the bad seed from our midst. I strongly disagreed.

It is not a history lesson as much as it is an awakening

In the beginning, no one in this new land denied the new settlers entry. They came, they saw that it was good and they proceeded to kill and conquer. It was a hard life full of challenges. People came to this new nation to make a new life for themselves, to escape religious persecution. Still, historically, we know that Americans of color have experienced various forms of oppression in their own front yard.

Whatever drew and still draws the foreigner to this nation, only God knows. Other presidencies have taken on the task of removing illegal immigrants, but never to the degree of inhumanity that has been recorded by witnesses in the last few weeks. I have read some disturbing stories of the forced Repatriation of the 1920s but none read as violent and dehumanizing as what we are witnessing today. It is safe to say that most Americans do not take issue with illegal immigration enforcement. It is also safe to say that a degree of hatred (hate is a strong word) and intolerance still lingers for people of color.

Have you ever wondered why racial issues that tore a nation apart, 160 years ago, persist in the 21st century? Why do white supremacy attitudes, beliefs and tolerance for such groups persist? We admitted that enslaving black humans, all humans, was morally wrong. After the end of slavery, it took 100 years to admit separating people by race was unconstitutional. Christians could support such laws because the Scriptures command slaves to obey their masters. The people that created this nation created a document that stated all men were created equal, but for centuries it only applied to one people. There is no answer for hatred, except for it is a characteristic of the father of lies. 

The children of the father of lies are an interesting people. I was browsing books at an estate sale last year and found some very interesting books. In particular was an old publication, a book titled White America by Earnest Sevier Cox (1923-Revised, Special Ed. 1937). I found another book titled Dear White America – Letter to A New Minority by Tim Wise (2012). Sometimes titles alone draw me to a book, as these two titles did. I assumed the books were addressing the topic of race. They were. But boy, was I shocked by White America. Tim Wise was writing a book on race and inequality, racial disparities designed to reach a specific white population. I have yet to read the entire book but so far it has my interest. The other book, by Cox made my jaw drop. The audacity of the author was incredible. He wrote in his introduction 

“There is no lamp by which my feet may be guided but the lamp of experience.” This declaration is found in that eventful oration of Patrick Henry which brought the Southern colonies to the aid of the Northern and resulted in the establishing of the United States of America. It is a tribute to the inestimable value of experience as a guide to conduct, individual and social. Experience is knowledge, and, by having knowledge of the past, we are able to avoid the mistakes of the past. Experience charts the oceans, determines dangerous currents, place beacons upon the rocks, marks the safe passages.”

He probably did not realize that the first paragraph of his introduction would explain current events. And that is, Americans have not learned to avoid the mistakes of the past. The subject of the book is racially motivated. In a nutshell, he wanted to remove all blacks and other non-Anglos from American soil. Similar to the Mexican Repatriation of the 1920s and 30s. I considered posting some of the content, but the language is to offensive for me. On Pg. 14, he writes, “That the white race retain ethnic purity is not a superficial desire: it is a primary necessity if civilization, as we understand it, is to continue. By preserving itself, the white race is to promote its own progress and impart its achievements to the backward races.” “Backward races?” 

As I prayed, I was reminded of Peter when confronted by the Jewish leaders after an angel released him from prison. Confronting the present day Pharisee is something few are willing to do. It is almost instant shame and shunning by fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to confront the Pharisees.

“But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:22-32

Rich Mullins had it right

“The Church has got to be a conscience in the society it’s in. Otherwise what’s the point of having a Church? The government cannot make people moral by legislating morality and in many cases that’s what its laws are trying to do. The Church on the other hand, has the ability to make people new.” — Rich Mullins [“Life As A Monk” by Kathleen A. Ervin, Harvest Rock Syndicate, Vol 6, Issue 1, Winter 1992] #richmullins

The traditions of men are gospel to the American Christian, but the traditions of men are not the gospel of Jesus Christ. The scriptures say, “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

“I have attended church regularly since I was less than a week old. I’ve listened to sermons about virtue, sermons against vice. I have heard about money, time management, tithing, abstinence, and generosity. I’ve listened to thousands of sermons. But I could count on one hand the number of sermons that were a simple proclamation of the gospel of Christ.”
― Rich Mullins

Psalm 7:14

Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. KJV

Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. NIV

Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. NKJV

Lo! the wicked hath conceived sorrow; he painfully hath brought forth unrightfulness, and he hath childed wickedness. (Lo! he who is wicked hath conceived many ways to bring sorrow; yea, he hath painfully brought forth unrighteousness, and he hath birthed wickedness.) Wycliffe Bible

There is an ending… Final words coming.