It was 14 years ago, December 13th, that Sue and I arrived in Israel. We set foot on the land emotionally wounded, with little more than our trust in Jesus. I had just finished 10+ years of counseling church leaders — observing the church in an increasingly rapid moral decline. Shortly before we went to Israel I had asked a leader of one of the major Protestant denominations, “Can you give me one word to describe your clergy?” He responded, “Adultery.” Prompted by my own years of experience in counseling clergy, I asked him if the rate of adultery approached 50%. He confirmed 50% and more: “If our people found out, they’d leave us in droves.”

When I think of those years and the epidemic of attempted coverup for sin, I am reminded of the situation that, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel faced. These men ministered in a time of incredible moral decline. But the problem the prophets faced was that the people didn’t think God was watching, and that He wasn’t going to do anything about their toleration of sin. But God in His love and justice sent prophets to warn them. Yet, I guess you could say, “How very few listened.”

Today, the Lord is trying to warn us that the Dark Days of chastisement will be coming upon this nation. It is a hard message to accept in the middle of widespread economic prosperity. So many multi-million-dollar church buildings have been erected to mirror their share of the prosperity and to visually declare God’s favor upon the participants. Tragically, for all of their pompous architecture, state-of-the-art sound systems, and user-friendly entertainment and programs, they do nothing to encourage humble repentant hearts to stay intimately joined to their God.

Our Lord wants the loving trust of His own— a Theocracy in our hearts. This is not the first prophetic voice to give the warning. Many have preceded us. Some have become discouraged and have stopped sounding the alarm. Many years ago Billy Graham said, “If God doesn’t judge the United States, then He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” Our God isn’t about to apologize. . .

In the past 9 or 10 days I have been going through a tremendous time of emotional suffering as the Lord has been preparing me to write this letter. He reminded me of our call in Israel: "’Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ (Isa. 6:5-9).

The Lord reminded me that He had forewarned us while we were still in Israel that few would initially listen to us. But He said, "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’ Then I said, ‘For how long, O Lord?’ And He answered: ‘Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land’" (Isa. 6:9-13).

This letter is a warning so that those who claim to follow Jesus will not be judged along with the rest of this nation. Much of it will be familiar to you if you have meditated on the book of Ezekiel recently. I hope you will prayerfully consider what we believe He has given us to share. I believe the “holy seed” in the above passage are the Native peoples along with others whom our Lord is preparing to restore the Church that He yearns for eagerly as His Bride.

God’s Assessment of the United States: "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is the United States which I have set in the center of the nations. In her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees. The land is full of bloodshed and full of injustice. They say, 'The LORD does not see.' [Humanism acts as though He’s non-existent. False religions deny Him as the God of the Bible. Churched people live as though He has denied His righteous laws and standards.]

"Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself am against the United States, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations. Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because you have defiled yourselves in sexual perversions and no longer cherish the covenant of marriage, I myself will withdraw my favor; I will not look on you with pity or spare you. I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you. You will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke. I the LORD have spoken. [The Lord God established Himself as the Husband of His wife Israel. The covenant of marriage is sacred to our God. All throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel’s violation of that consummated love relationship is referred to as prostitution, adultery and lust. Since we know that the scriptures were given as examples of warning to us the Church, let us consider seriously the same spiritual adultery in our midst and even in our own hearts as we have violated the heart of our Bridegroom Jesus.]

“When I shoot at you with my deadly and destructive arrows of famine, I will shoot to destroy you. I will bring more and more famine upon you and cut off your supply of food. I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will leave you childless. Plagueand bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I the LORD have spoken." [These four calamities are a theme of the consequences of disobedience and unrepentance. Note that these are the same afflictions found in Revelation 6:8.]

“Then those who survive will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols of greed and pleasure. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices. And they will know that I am the LORD; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them. [Look again at 1 John 2:15,16 to see the nature of the temptations of the world in which He has set us. He will not stand for any “lovers” on the side. The same pride of life and erroneous certainty that our Lord wants His people to be drowning in the idolatrous pleasures of lust of the eyes has deluded so many in the body to divert their focus from the path of fulfilled self-denial and grateful contentment that will stand out as a beacon in the darkness of despair and greed.]

"The dark days are approaching! Doom will burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed! Violence will grow into a rod to punish wickedness; none of the people who put their trust in their wealth will stand. Those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague. They will throw their wealth into the streets, and their riches will be an unclean thing. The fruit of their greed will not be able to save them in the day of the LORD'S wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin. [Never has so much “wealth” been tied up in the inaccessible or the unobtainable! Casinos abound, lottery tickets pile up in wastebaskets, and even stock rise and fall with their “owners” unable to cash them in because of fear of taxes! Yet, just as Ezekiel’s warning went out to the chosen people, Israel, so these words apply not to the “world” culture of the US but to those who claim He is their God! Arrogance has garbed itself with presumption that our Lord exists “to make life happy for His kids.” Our position as beloved bondslaves, however, demands that we serve our King, not vice-versa!]

“Calamity upon calamity will come, and rumor upon rumor. They will try to get a vision from the prophet; the teaching of My laws will be lost, as will the counsel of the elders. Government leaders will mourn and clothe themselves with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the LORD." [The con-duct—the outcome of our lives—determines whether, in fact, our doctrines have legs to stand on and hearts willing to enact them day by day. The way in which we conduct our lives proves if we are people who “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8) — all actions, not spiritual considerations.]

“The people in this nation are a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the LORD." [The same sorrowful evaluation written in Isaiah 6:9,10. But will there rise up men and women of courage to turn away from the idol of self and turn toward God as their Redeemer and as the Lord He indeed has revealed Himself to be in His Word and in His Spirit?]

“Say to the people of the land: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says about those living in the United States: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there. The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" [Countless homes of those claiming to be followers of Jesus are towers of anxiety and despair rather than the refuge and “small sanctuary” He desires. Is your home, where you eat and drink and sleep, prepared to face in true peace the violence that so encompasses our country?]

"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets who are now prophesying for financial gain. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: 'Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! You have not gone up to convict the people of their sins. I sent you to turn them from their sins. You gave them good tidings and encouraged them in their sin. [How grievous to our Lord are words of prosperity and peace when He has not spoken these things! His command to gird ourselves in full spiritual armor means that there’s a spiritual war going on to destroy souls. Wartime is not the occasion to ignore the sin that tears holes in your spiritual covering. According to the pattern so clearly seen in His Word, no one can bring acceptable sacrifices to His Throne if their hearts, minds, and actions are excusing the darkness of tolerated sin.]

"'Because you prophets lead my people astray, saying, "Peace," when there is no peace, and because they cover their sins with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash they will be judged. There will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, "The LORD declares," when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. You prophets have disheartened the righteous with your lies, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the LORD.'" {False words lead the people astray down a path of uselessness for His Kingdom because His Spirit can have no power when sin is no longer called sin. The lies that imbalance the righteousness and justice of God with an arrogant view of grace that presumes to excuse unrighteousness dishearten the ones who, out of love and trust in their Lord, are running life’s challenging course to bring joy to Him. Those who are choosing to prostitute themselves with sin are drinking in the false security that their sins are excused. Woe to the leaders who are leading the people astray from a pure devotion to their Lord.]

To the leaders of the churches: “You have set up idols in your hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before my people. You put on performances and call it worship. Find out what pleases Me! I am against the leaders of the famous churches who glory in their prestige and power. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to you clergy who onlytake care of yourselves! Should not My shepherds take care of each person in the flock? My sheep wander wounded and no one cares. They are scattered, and no one searches or looks for them. [The sheep who are content to let their clergy fulfill all the service that each person is called to do in order to weave their trust in Him as a glorious fabric have robbed God of glory. Their lives are barren of the praise He would receive if they were walking in His calling through obedient trust.]

If a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men--Noah, Daniel and Job--were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness. [Our generational responsibility to walk in Jesus in such a way that His righteousness shines through is the way to penetrate the hearts and spirits of our children. Professional teachers may impart knowledge, but parents who lovingly model their Lord and seek forgiveness from the heart when they fail are the ones who will see their offspring clothed in His righteousness.]

"For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How terrible it will be when I send against the United States my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! Yet there will be some who survive the dark days of judgment—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. Their conduct and their actions will be My consolation regarding the disaster I have brought upon the United States—every disaster I have brought upon it–they will know that I have done nothing without cause, declares the Sovereign LORD."

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? Therefore, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why let yourself suffer my judgment? [Our Lord alone is the Source for the new heart and new spirit that is wholly devoted to His purposes. He calls each of us to call out for Him to accomplish only that which He can do when we have cast aside the sin that so readily entangles us, and with humble trust receive the cleansing that He promises.]

“Also, I gave you my Sabbaths as a sign between us, but you have forsaken the day of rest I have given. In a short while every heart will melt and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every knee become as weak as water.' It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD." [Our Lord has set aside His gift of one day a week for special focus of praise to Him and for rest from the responsibilities of the other six days. Receiving that gift from His hand strengthens and encourages His followers to walk in grateful contentment rather than harried stress.]

“My accusations: You treat father and mother with contempt. You oppress the alien and mistreat the fatherless and the widow. You despise my holy laws and desecrate my Sabbaths. Your prophets whitewash these deeds for you by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says'—when the LORD has not spoken. The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice. I am looking for men among you who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it.

“Your great skill in trading has increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud. You refuse to heed My warning. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that you turn from your ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O great country?'

“The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let all the people know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the true prophets are considered fools. The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.”

A thought to consider: For those who truly love our Lord we must take our eyes of the impending judgment. In His justice He has forewarned us as He always does. We must instead focus on becoming the instruments of light He desires in the dark days to come. In this we can cooperate together and mutually encourage each other so that we may not fall into despair and and cold love.