Borderlands

Postmodernism is not so much a philosophy, as it is a phenomenon of mind.

praying -- like Elijah

"[Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months." (James 5:17)

Revival -- unlike any other

"Let me go out on a limb a little bit and prophesy.  I see the time coming when all the holy men whose eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit will desert worldly Evangelicalism, one by one.  The house [worldly churches] will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God, a man in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, left among them. . . .  I would like to live to see the time when the men and women of God--holy, separated and spiritually enlightened--walk out of the evangelical church and form a group of their own; when they get off the sinking ship and let her go down . . . and form a new ark to ride out the storm" (A.W. Tozer, d.1963)

jonah

Here we are gazing upon the prophet Jonah moments after he was "vomited out" by that "great fish" seen, in the above image, swimming away in the background.  It's a fabulous painting.  Only, if I had painted it, I would have depicted Jonah much differently: I mean, he just spent three days and nights inside the belly of a huge fish--literally!  There on that nameless beach where he lay--utterly exhausted, no doubt, Jonah must have appeared in much worse condition than how he is portrayed, above.  His skin, from head to toe, as I suppose, must have been very pale-looking; his hair and beard matted with mucous; and his clothes were not merely wet with ocean water, but they were covered with the fish's own stomach contents.  In a word, Jonah must have looked horrible: like someone who just emerged from the grave.  Truly, he was such a man, as we see him lying there.

Yet, what no painting can show--but only words can reveal, is that the man we see prostrated on the beach, above, was a profoundly changed man.

taking the strongholds

What if things are actually very different than what we have always supposed them to be?  In the above image, for example, who are the "good" guys?  The more colorful figures coming from the right-hand side of the image, with the "lions" and "crosses" depicted on their shield and banner, leads one to think that those are the "good" guys.  If we allow that to be the case with respect to the above image, then, may we not presume that the opposing army represents the "bad" guys?  And since the "bad" guys appear to be defending the castle, may we not further suppose that the castle belongs to the "bad" guys?

But what if that's not the case at all?

Noah

If Noah were living in these days, he would probably look a lot like the guy pictured, above.  I'd like you to meet Noah.

the place of repentance

Yesterday, I wrote about the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly, and how that process in Nature is a metaphor for the reality of spiritual regeneration, in the life of those who receive Christ and, thus, they are "born again": they become a "new creature" in Christ.

I alluded to the cocoon as being a kind of death-chamber for the caterpillar.  Indeed, it is.  This morning, I saw repentance in a new light, which I need to go back and relate that to the caterpillar and its cocoon.

pansies in the pulpit

Back in the day, to have called anyone a "pansy" or a "sissy," simply meant that he was timid, cowardly.  In that famous movie The Wizard of Oz, the character shown in the above image was referred to as the "Cowardly Lion".  It is fitting, for my present purpose, that he is shown posing amidst a setting of flowers: the whole scene reminds me of a lot of churches I have seen -- with some or other "cowardly lion" standing at the pulpit, surrounded by bouquets of flowers, professedly preaching the Gospel.

insanity -- as judgment

Seeking God for Revival has become the foremost thing in my mind.  In the course of which, I continually give a great deal of thought, not only to the Word of God concerning Revival, but also to the present condition of the world.  The need of Revival seems overwhelming, in the extreme.  Were it not for the fact that God has given us His Word, the situation truly would be hopeless.  It is nothing short of astonishing, to me, that the great majority of professing Christians do not yet demonstrate any real comprehension of the desperate condition of the Church and of the world.  How, then, can they be concerned enough about the need of Revival, to be moved to travail in prayer?

Today, as I have been contemplating the pervasive madness (insanity) throughout society, I happened upon a website which addresses the fact that, in Scripture, insanity is shown to be a judgment of God upon sinners.

the reality of prayer

The juxtaposition of the two images, above, is deliberate--and Biblical in its meaning.  While the meaning is more significant to us than ordinarily it is understood or believed.

slay the wicked

"Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God..."  (Psalm 139:19).  

"[God] shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked" (Psalm 11:4).

I believe it was Aimee Semple McPherson who, before she would come forth to preach, used to pray: "Slay them, O Lord, every one of them!  Cut them down like the grass!"

I am a Flood

The above image seems to show a massive stream of fire issuing in a continuous flow from an open pipe.  That image is the nearest thing I could find wherewith to illustrate the following passage of Scripture:

what is love?

Do you - Christian, know what love is?

In my considerable experience, I will say that less than five in one-hundred professing Christians know what love is.  And NOT ONE unsaved person knows what love is.

NEEDED: Revival of Biblical preaching

The above quote is from one of the most famous sermons in history, titled, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," by Jonathan Edwards.  God powerfully used Edwards to bring Revival to America in the mid- to late-17oos.  But the words of Edwards's sermon doubtless seem harsh and even un-Scriptural, to most modern-day church-goers and even to most professing Christians.

Persecution: key to Revival?

Iran is often in the news these days--and it's always bad news.  But something amazing is happening in Iran, which few outside that country seem to know much about.

change is coming

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?   (Jeremiah 5:31)

Those, who foresaw the judgment of God coming afar off, warned as many as would listen.  Tragically, not many cared to listen.  Now, a sense of alarm and dread seems to grip the mind of everyone in this nation (America).  Still, there appear to be few who understand that the real cause of judgment against this nation has little to do with what goes on in Washington, D.C..

Why is Satan promoting Revival?

A lot of people are saying that a great End-time Revival is already happening in America!  Are they right?  Is that claim true?

idolatry in the churches

Do you recognize the man in the above picture, that is to say, who he is supposed to represent?  Here's a hint: the thing he's swinging above his head is meant to be a whip.  No, it's not Indiana Jones.  And, no, he's not racing horses down the throughway of a Moroccan bazaar.  Here's another hint: he's swinging his whip AT PEOPLE--in the vestibule of a large, Middle Eastern church....

out on a limb

Bless my soul!  Here I was thinking that I was pretty far out on a limb with some of the things I have been writing and speaking, concerning the apostate condition of the churches in America, and how that real Bible-believing Christians need to come out of that mess and team up with other genuine Christians, and how that we urgently need to start getting together on a regular basis and praying and seeking God, together, for a fire-baptized Holy Ghost Revival, and....lots, lots more.  But, come to find out--and to my great amazement and joy, I am not yet as far out on that limb as I ought to be!

the meaning of blood sacrifice

If you think that the above image, showing several slaughtered sheep hanging over a pool of their own blood, is offensive; what would you think if I could somehow include the awful stench of that place where mass killing of animals routinely occurs, with this image?  I have never visited a real slaughterhouse.  But I imagine it would be an unforgettable, stomach-turning experience.

Under the economy and the Covenant of the Old Testament, the Temple in Jerusalem was a large-scale slaughterhouse, and the priests--in their lily-white garments, were full-time butchers.