Monthly Archives: July 2015

July 6, 2015 · 8:33 am

Will God Judge America (Part 6)

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We Americans expect spiritual John Waynes to arrive on white horses during our nation’s worst times and rescue us from imminent disasters. This has often happened in the past when men, like John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and others, have called America away from the spiritual abyss.

So, is there still some balm in Gilead for America?

Let’s look back at the events of the 2008 presidential election.

At the Democratic Convention in Denver, August 25-28, 2008, the party selected the two most radical pro-abortion candidates in the history of America as its standard bearers: Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joseph Biden. Both were Planned Parenthood endorsed candidates.

The Republicans countered at their convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 1-4, 2008, with two pro-life candidates in Senator John McCain and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Governor Palin’s refusal to abort her son, Trig, a Down Syndrome baby, focused America’s eyes on the abortion issue.

Soon after the Republican convention, the polling data showed a dead even race between Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin. This was a remarkable comeback for McCain who had lagged behind Obama in the double-digit percentage range for weeks.

McCain/Palin finally inched into the lead heading into the second week of the month.

Then, on September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The following day, the Federal Reserve authorized an $85 billion bailout loan for AIG. Financial news swirled out of control until the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was enacted, which then established the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

With the bad economic news, Obama/Biden surged back into the lead and McCain/Palin wilted on the campaign trail. President Obama eventually won with a landslide victory on election night.

Spike Lee, film director and producer, later declared: “God Himself ordained the financial crisis to happen when it did in order to propel Barack Obama to victory.”

Lee’s words have haunted me over the last two years. Was he correct?

There’s no doubt in my mind the Lord could have held back the financial crisis until after the presidential election, but He didn’t. Why not? I wondered. After all, if the financial crisis had not hit, McCain could have been elected president and the Supreme Court’s balance could have been shifted to the right by now, with a better chance of Roe versus Wade being overturned sometime in the near future.

 

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19: 41 – 44)

 

Why did Jesus prophesy Jerusalem’s death warrant on the first Palm Sunday?

 … because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:44)

The Greek word episkope in verse 44 is translated into our English word visitation in most Bible translations. Yet, episkope does not imply a visitor stopping by for a friendly visit. Its true meaning suggests that God the Judge visits a nation, examining the people to determine whether they should be blessed or cursed by Him.

Yes, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but He is also the stumbling stone and a rock of offense, whereupon people and nations stumble, falling to their doom.

Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD when a Roman army under General Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, killing over a million Jews in the process.

 

It’s now my sincere belief that the 2008 Financial Crisis was a plumb line event, which the Lord allowed to happen to discover how America measured up to Him.

Was America looking straight up to Him and His ways or was the nation tilted off center, leaning in another direction? What did the plumb line event reveal to the Judge?

Lou Engle, leader of the Call, stated it best: “In this election, we have bowed our knees to Baal and chosen prosperity over posterity.”

I agree with Engle and believe our nation failed the test. And I sincerely believe the Judge has signed America’s death warrant. It’s just a matter of time until the execution is carried out.

So, in retrospect, Spike Lee’s words proved to be accurate.

(An excerpt from New Wind Blowing by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook, published in 2008)

 

I wrote New Wind Blowing almost seven years ago, just after the historic election of an African-American man to the presidency of America. I believed then that we Americans could not repent enough to stop a massive Judgment of God from hitting America. Today, I believe it even more.

Maybe you disagree and even believe God will send us revival instead of His judgment. I hope you’re right, but can anyone really hope America will listen to a new generation of prophets who will speak messages of repentance?

I myself hold little hope this will happen and intend to spend little time on such an effort. Instead, I believe we Christians need to:

…strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus…(Hebrews 12: 1-2 Amplified Bible)

No doubt, the appointed course of the race that is set before us will not be an easy one and we must prepare ourselves for it. (An excerpt from New Wind Blowing)

(Conclusion. The full series can be read by clicking on Teaching Series above or here.)

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July 5, 2015 · 7:12 am

Will God Judge America? (Part 5)

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Let’s study an example of the early Jerusalem church.

Jesus prophesied a Death Warrant for Jerusalem in 30 A.D. 

The early Jerusalem church reacted to His prophecy by preaching and living the gospel of the kingdom of God. And as often as possible, they reminded Jerusalem of its errors.

 

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified. (Acts 2: 36)

 

You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. (Acts 7:51)

 

After Stephen’s death in 35 A.D., many Christians fled Jerusalem, but the apostles remained and continued preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Even Herod’s cruel harassment of the church in 45 A.D. did not diminish its presence in the city. It continued to prosper in the midst of on-again and off-again persecutions for the next twenty years.

Luke’s account of the gospel was written in 60 A.D. His info came from eyewitnesses, probably the apostles. Thus, we know that Jesus’ Death Warrant prophecy was still resonating in the church at that time – almost thirty years later.

Then in 67 A.D., a Christian gave a prophetic word to the Jerusalem church. It reminded everyone of Jesus’ Death Warrant prophecy and warned of Jerusalem’s upcoming devastation. The prophecy advised all believers to flee the city.

By 69 A.D., Christians heeded the prophecy and left Jerusalem. So, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., none of the Jerusalem church’s members perished in the siege.

 

We Christians need to follow the example of the early church. Like them, we are, first of all, citizens of the kingdom of God. Our American citizenship is secondary and temporary in comparison to our kingdom of God citizenship.

Our orders do not come from a president, a governor, or a mayor, but instead from a King. Whether we stay or leave a city should depend on Him, and not our personal fears or whims. And if we are staying, we need to heed the words Jesus spoke in His parable about a nobleman going to distant country:

 

“…Do business till I come.” (Luke 19:13 NKJ)

 

If we choose to stay, then we need to help reduce the pain and impact of the Lord’s upcoming tougher judgments on America so all can run with endurance the race set before us. 

 

What do I believe the Lord wants us Christians to do now?

 

First, the Vietnam War was a divisive conflict for America. On the one side were the doves, or anti-war groups, and opposing them were the hawks, or pro-war groups. The divisiveness from this war has continued forward into today’s America, and even into the Body of Christ.

So, we believers must check our hearts to see if we harbor any bitterness against America as a whole or against various anti-war or pro-war groups. If we discover bitterness in our hearts, these sins must be dealt with at the cross of Jesus Christ and forgiveness received.

 

Second, we Christians need to repent of our selfishness regarding the Vietnam War. Sadly, we have only cared about the pain inflicted upon us Americans. We have ignored the anguish suffered by the people of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

 

Third, we Christians need to ask the Lord to raise up men, women, and groups that will go to the Southeast Asian immigrants in our communities and ask forgiveness for America’s lies, deceits, and broken promises to their native countries. Some Christians may even be asked by the Lord to travel as His ambassadors to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to ask forgiveness of the people there.

 

Fourth, Christians need to stand in the gap and make financial intercession for our nation’s failure to keep its promises of aid to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the 1970’s. This can be accomplished by giving gifts of money to the poor and needy in these countries, many of who are still suffering from America’s broken promises.

 

Fifth, we need to seek the Lord to discover what other national sins, besides our treacherous handling of the Vietnam War, have caused abortion, illegal aliens, debt, unemployment, urban woes, drought, lackluster leaders, and Islamic terrorism to fall as God’s judgments on America. And we need to do it now!

 

Will this be tough to do? Yes, of course, but when has repentance ever been easy for a nation to swallow? (An excerpt from New Wind Blowing by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook, published 2008)

If we do the above, will we avoid harsher judgments by God in the future?

(Continued in Part 6)

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July 4, 2015 · 10:13 am

Will God Judge America? (Part 4)

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If it were possible to develop a software to erase part of American history, I would suggest the time period to be scrubbed would be from 1961 to April 30, 1975: the Vietnam War.

President Kennedy’s suffered a disastrous meeting with Soviet Premiere Soviet Nikita Khrushchev in 1961. Afterward Kennedy told James Reston of the New York Times:

“Now we have a problem making our power credible and Vietnam looks like the place.”

From then on, America’s participation in the Vietnam War snowballed. Kennedy increased America’s military presence by twenty times and was instrumental in calling for the overthrow and assassination of South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem.

Daniel Ellsberg’s release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 revealed the lies, deceptions, and corruption in the handling of America’s role in the Vietnam War. President Kennedy, President Johnson, President Nixon, Secretary of Defense McNamara, General Taylor, General Westmoreland, and countless other names were shown to be less than pillars of integrity.

All of the lies, deceptions, and corruption resulted in 58,307 dead and over 150,000 wounded U.S. soldiers. The bitterness and division caused by the Vietnam War in America still continue today in the political arena, society, and the Church.

Ah, there’s another side to all of this!

On October 8, 1972, a major breakthrough came in secret negotiations between Dr. Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. North Vietnam modified their demands. Ten days later, a final draft was drawn up and Dr. Kissinger announced, “Peace is at hand.”

President Theiu of South Vietnam was not even informed about the secret negotiations. When he read the final draft, he was furious and felt America had sold out his nation to North Vietnam. He refused to accept it, but Nixon and Kissinger twisted Theiu’s arm and made promises of continued support and financial aid to South Vietnam. In the end, President Theiu was forced to accept the peace agreement.

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued its Roe versus Wade decision. The landmark decision overturned almost every federal and state law restricting abortion in our nation. From that date on, the war against babies began with a vengeance.

On the following day, Dr. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho signed off on the Viet Nam peace treaty, which was almost identical to the final draft agreed to in October 1972. Then, on January 27, 1973, the leaders of the formal delegations signed the agreement at the Majestic Hotel in Paris.

What were the political outcomes for the three principal architects of the Vietnam War?

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

President Lyndon Johnson fled the presidential office in shame after just one term. He then died of a sudden heart attack at his Texas ranch on January 22, 1973, the day the Roe versus Wade decision was announced by the Supreme Court.

Also, in January 1973, the five men who broke into the Democratic National Office at the Watergate complex were tried and convicted. The mushrooming Watergate scandal and cover-up eventually drove President Richard Nixon out of office in disgrace on August 9, 1974.

Were these just coincidences?

I don’t believe so.

Our intervention in the Vietnam War was built on lies, deceits, corruption, financial waste, and promises made, but not kept.

President Theiu’s concerns about the secret agreement reached between Dr. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho proved accurate. America exchanged prisoners with the North Vietnamese and withdrew from Southeast Asia. North Vietnam ignored the treaty, and then, America failed to keep its promises to South Vietnam, not even one of them.

(Excerpt from New Wind Blowing by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook, published 2008.)

Our lies, deceits, and corruption caused the deaths of a million and a half to two million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians during the Vietnam War. And then, we broke our promises to South Vietnam after forcing them to sign a peace treaty with North Vietnam, resulting in another three to four million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians being slaughtered by the Communists.

I believe one of the major sins that has caused the plague of God’s Judgments to fall on Americas are the lies and deceits we foisted on South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Vietnam War.

If I’m correct, what can we do? And will it be enough to stop even worse judgments from happening to us?

(Continued in Part 5)

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July 3, 2015 · 8:01 am

Will God Judge America? (Part 3)

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Israel made quick work of conquering Jericho. Then, it was off to fight a little dot on the map named Ai, but the army of Ai proved to be a formidable foe. The Amorites killed thirty-six soldiers and forced the Israelite forces to retreat from the hills.

The defeat melted the Israelites’ courage.

Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, didn’t call a staff meeting and rake his generals and field commanders over the coals for their inept combat skills. That would have been a waste of time because Israel’s success depended on the Lord. Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth in front of the Ark of the Lord, along with the other leaders of Israel. They humbled themselves and put dust on their heads.

“Why, O Lord, have You allowed this to happen to us? What shall I say about our defeat? What will You do for Your great name?” cried Joshua before the Ark.

The Lord replied:

“Israel has sinned and they have transgressed My covenant which I have commanded them…Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.” (Joshua 7:11, 12)

Joshua aggressively searched for the sin in Israel’s midst and radically removed it. The Lord then helped Israel turn Ai into a heap of rubble.

So, how does this scriptural example compare to the actions of American Christians in reference to abortion, illegal immigration, terrorism, national debt, and so forth?

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

2 Chronicles 7:14 is one of the most mentioned scriptures in America since January 22, 1973, the day Roe vs. Wade became law. Every Evangelical preacher and ministry leader has proclaimed the verse over and over again to their followers as if it were the answer for America’s problems, but is it really the answer?

No, not the way we have used it!

Yes, the scripture is a divinely inspired verse for believers. And yes, we are supposed to humble ourselves and pray, but we’ve omitted an important part of the verse: seeking His face. We need to seek Him and ask the same questions that Joshua asked: “Why, O Lord, have You allowed this to happen to America? What shall we say about our defeat? What will You do for Your great name?”

Why did God allow this to happen to America? Why? Why? Why?

To add even more insult to our wounds, Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) is now a Christian and has admitted to perjuring herself in the Roe vs. Wade case. Her lawyers fabricated the figure of 10,000 female deaths each year due to botched abortions, The number was less than 100. Plus, the pro-abortion Supreme Court justices (especially William O. Douglas), knew they had no constitutional precedent, and thus plotted to “finesse” the issue.”

Roe versus Wade became the law of the land because of lies and deceptions by the plaintiffs and the Supreme Court Justices.

So, why did God allow abortion and the other judgments to fall on America? What horrible sin have we committed that has led to 60,000,000 aborted babies?

(Continued in Part 4)

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July 2, 2015 · 8:41 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (7/2/2015)

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On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode on a donkey heading to Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover. His journey was a short one which began in the neighboring town of Bethphage.

The road was crowded with people. His disciples. Pharisees and scribes. And thousands of pilgrims from the Jewish diaspora.

For Passover, Jerusalem’s normal population of 120,000 swelled to nearly a million people as Jews from all over the Middle East returned to observe the feast. It was a profitable event for Jewish merchants, much like Christmas for today’s retail merchants.

As Jesus rode along, His disciples began praising God, saying, “Hosanna! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David. Blessed is the King.”

In the midst of the hubbub and excitement, Jesus paused at a spot on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem and the Temple. This was the exact spot where Jews throughout history had mourned and wept over the Temple.

So, when Jesus stopped and wept at the overlook, the people would have hushed and anticipated a historic speech. Then, He said:

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes…because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:42, 44-b)

Too late! Jesus wept because it was too late to save Jerusalem from God’s Judgment, which happened forty years later.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, send the Holy Spirit to American believers to open our hearts up to the love of Your truth so that we will be saved from our deceptions and lies. (Based on 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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July 1, 2015 · 8:09 am

Will God Judge America (Part 2)

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Jesus spoke these words to the Jews of His day, but He could have just as well spoken them to today’s Americans:

“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:14-15)

I realize we American Bible-believing Christians have our danders up over the Supreme Court’s recent 5-4 ruling regarding same-sex marriages. It’s now the law of the land and legal in all fifty states. And, of course, we Bible believers are talking about the Judgment of God – à la Sodom and Gomorrah style.

But is this true? Will the Judgment of God fall on America sometime in the near future?

I don’t believe so — because I believe it is already happening now.

You see, I believe the first extreme Judgment of God fell on America on January 22, 1973, the day the Supreme Court settled the Roe Versus Wade case by stating that abortion was a fundamental right of American women. Since then over 60 million babies have been aborted.

Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb… (Deuteronomy 28:18)

And then there’s illegal immigration with over 30 million illegal aliens entering America since 1973.

The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. (Deuteronomy 28:43)

And forty-four percent of our national debt is owed to foreign nations and foreign banks.

They [Foreigners] will lend money to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail! (Deuteronomy 28:44)

And we’re at war with terrorists organizations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda.

The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young. (Deuteronomy 28:49-50)

And we Americans are unemployed and losing our jobs to foreigners.

Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. (Deuteronomy 28:17)

And our cities have major problems.

Cursed shall you be in the city… (Deuteronomy 28:16)

And our leaders are confused and we’re frustrated with them.

The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do…(Deuteronomy 28: 20)

And California has a historic four-year drought, which affects everyone in America.

The Lord will make the rain of your land powder…(Deuteronomy 28:24)

And on and on it goes.

We’re wringing our hands and worried about the Judgment of God maybe hitting America, but in fact, we’ve been living under the curses and Judgments of God for over forty years. It’s just that we’ve been dull-minded, with our ears and eyes closed to the spiritual facts.

Our failure is that we believers have not asked the single, most important  question of the Lord.

(Continued in Part 3)

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