VITAL SIGNS
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
"Vital Signs"
-by Bryan Hupperts. (Feb 25, 2004)
As a diabetic, I have to check my vital signs: my
temperature, pulse, respiration and blood levels, or
TPRB. While I believe God for healing, I also have to
survive this lifestyle and my TPRB is a good indicator of
how I am doing. It is a measure of my collective vital signs.
As a student of history, I can recognize certain historical
vital signs. For instance, right before the outbreak of
major war or disaster, God often pours out a spirit of
repentance and sets something up - putting the Bible
into common language, new understanding of doctrine,
or a Reformation - to sweep thousands, perhaps millions
of souls into his kingdom. He takes no pleasure in the
death of the wicked and desires all men and women to
come to repentance.
In America, this happened during the Great Awakenings,
before our Civil War, and right before WWI, WWII, the
Korean conflict, and Viet Nam. Suddenly, Mel Gibson's
brutal film "The Passion Of The Christ" is playing
worldwide to record breaking audiences. Early reports
are that thousands are praying to receive Christ after
seeing this horrifying, cinematic bloodbath. Praise God!
While I rejoice in this, I also understand that we are being
prepared for the horrors to come. Taking the TPRB of my
own country, I reflect on these premises:
A nation reaches the flashpoint of judgment when
homosexuality runs rampant. Romans 1:26-28, "For this
reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their
women exchanged the natural use for what is against
nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of
the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with
men committing what is shameful, and receiving in
themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those
things which are not fitting."
God labels this abomination "vile passions;" vile meaning
despicable, loathsome and evil. Note the curious use of
the word "passion" here. Passion means mania, lust, or
heat. Many in our world are now being "given over" to
what is not mere perversion, but rather a total inversion
of God's created order.
How different the vile passion of the world and the
suffering Passion of Christ!
Moral anarchy is rampaging through the USA. There are
professing churches that not only refuse to denounce
this evil; they promote it by ordaining sodomite priests
and sodomite marriage! Wickedness!
Besides vile passions, God brings judgment to this world
when it is embraces violence. Genesis 6:13, "And God
said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me,
for the earth is filled with violence through them; and
behold, I will destroy them with the earth.'"
In America, violence and sodomy have become money
making staples of the entertainment business. Yet,
against all odds, an ironically brutal film about both the
Passion, the suffering of the Savior, and the violence
committed against him by all present, Jews and Gentiles
alike, is being used of God to sweep multitudes into his kingdom.
I have a sense, like in the days of Noah, the doors are
yet wide open for anyone who will heed the signs and
choose the fear of God to come into his ark and find
salvation. One day, and I believe it will be soon, those
doors will slam shut by the hand of God and the torrent
from heaven in the form of "blood, fire, and smoke,"
will again rain down destroying his enemies.
The diagnosis is in; we are a sick, sick world. Perhaps,
in brokenness and humility, we might yet call for the
Great Physician, open our mouths, stick out our
collective tongues, and say with the prophets, "Ah,
Lord God. Will you not save us?"
-Bryan Hupperts © 2004
SheepTrax Media
PO Box 270256
St. Louis, MO 63127, USA.
http://www.SheepTrax.com
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