Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. (Proverbs 22:28 KJV)
As I reflect on our culture, from my childhood until now it is horribly astonishing to witness how our Biblical landmarks and boundaries (of the faith and conviction) have moved so drastically, and continue to move with little alarm further and further away from their original place or standard. I like to listen to the older generation to glean wisdom, and I hear things like how playing card games used to be considered a sin (because of gambling), dancing was bad, Elvis swinging his hips was an abhorrent abomination. Of course innocent card games and dancing can be done in a decent way today.
However, it gets worst. Then we saw the word “gay” hijacked from its original meaning of an innocent happy, to a perverted “happy.” We see music getting harder and harder with less and less melody, rhythm, etc. and becoming more and more senseless, wild and thrashy. We went from Elvis to the Beatles, to Aerosmith, to Iron Maiden to out-right, intended gross perversion, and profanity today. We went from sex outside of marriage and living together considered to be sin and to abstain, to encouraging living together to see if it works and handing out contraceptives as if they were candy.
The world preaches “safe sex,” when there is no such thing as safe sin! Perverted jokes were wrong, cursing was foul, sinful language. Yet today, all this has become virtually accepted and normal to the current generation (generally speaking). The sad thing is that much of our Christian children cannot tell you why these things are wrong today; and we wonder why they fall prey to these evils. The cultures of the world have drifted from what I call “original truth.” We will talk more about original truth in the next message. Teaching and educating has been replaced by “social engineering” in most Universities.
The Department of Homeland Security came out with a memo in 2009 listing the main threats of terrorism in America as the Right-wing extremists, Members of the Second Amendment rights group, Christians who believe in end-time prophecies from the Bible and Military Veterans, but ignored groups who have terrorized like extremist Muslims. Today, the subject of homosexuality is a “political correctness” hot button. Years ago it was not talked about because it was considered morally wrong, and illegal. This hasn’t changed in many Christian circles, yet in society it is becoming not only accepted as normal but legalized as well. Biblical landmarks have moved in our culture. What President Nixion was impeached for doesn’t compare to what some of our leaders are doing today and getting away with.
Today we have a President who has done what no other American President has done before. A President who personally calls congratulating and praising a major sport figure for coming out of the closet for being a homosexual – which is a total disgrace and dishonor to the highest office of our Nation; and has opened up the flood gates (this was yet another huge devastating blow to our spiritual and moral culture).
Yet we hardly hear of anyone sounding the trumpet as it were in outrage and alarm that this is wrong, in fear of the backlash. In turn, our children are not as alarmed as we older ones once were; this is just a small example of how the landmarks keep moving further with each passing generation. Yet I don’t believe God Almighty is going to cower and change His ways by people yelling “you intolerant, bigot,” homophobic,” “closed-minded fundie,”etc. etc.
How does one boil frogs? One degree at a time. You put the cold-blooded frogs into cool water and slowly turn up the heat. By the time the frogs realize what’s happening it’s too late, they have been boiled enough that they cannot move enough to escape. This is exactly what is happening to our culture and the people; little by little our culture is being “boiled by degrees.” That is the exact tactic of the “Communist Manifesto” if you were to read it.
Our culture keeps bowing to “political correctness,” and believing lies that say, “we have evolved and become way more sophisticated and educated than the ancients and their ‘holy books’; we are therefore far more advanced, we are smarter than that old, outdated book called ‘the Bible;’ we are smarter than God.” Things have become so backwards because we have drifted so far from original truth that we now call that which is evil good and that which is good evil.
How did this happen? Well, over time our culture keeps giving way to “the little foxes that spoil (ruin) the vine (vineyard)” (Song. 2:15). There are many reasons we can list as to how and why. One little fox that I will mention is the lust for self-gratification over the practice of self-denial (a lost art). Our culture has an improper balance and an uncontrollable lust for entertainment. Maybe to numb all the pain & confusion we experience? Knowing a little history like the fact that after ancient Rome dominated the world, it became lax and obsessed with its entertainment in its coliseums.
Lustful appetites went unchecked and they then became morally confused, until over time, homosexuality became prevalent just before its implosion. We can look back in history and clearly see the fall of that great Nation, and we are following all the same telltale signs. I’m watching our culture lose sight of true masculinity, like the “John Wayne type character;” (also true femininity for ladies). Two generations ago, masculinity and femininity was esteemed. Today, these are ridiculed and perverted by women’s lib and Hollywood. There isn’t a sitcom today that I know of that has real masculinity on its programs. They only display silly, wimpy men (I’d rather watch the movie Braveheart over and over before I subject myself to the sitcoms today). Silliness has replaced masculinity, a trademark of a declining culture, like ancient Rome.
This reminds me of a study I did on the word “muse,” found in Psalm 143:5. One side of this word is healthy, meaning an active reflecting and thinking. However, what many don’t realize is there is another side or definition to the word that means “idle.” Reflecting and meditating on something (especially God’s Word) is positive. When you are sitting in front of entertainment like the television your mind goes into neutral – idle. When your mind is sitting idle or in neutral, the stuff being fed into your mind through the gateways of your eyes and ears, directs or stirs you in the same direction. For instance, if you are musing / watching a TV show like the many sitcoms that have sexual innuendos and content as its main theme throughout, your mind is directed in that same direction (garbage in, garbage out). “That what a man thinks, so is he” Prov. 23:7.
Most sitcoms and movies today have characters with uncontrollable sexual practices that are made light of and in some cases, the hero or “good guy.” We saw this in King David’s life when he didn’t go out to war as he usually did preforming his manly responsibilities to protect (1Sam. 11:1). Instead he stayed back in the comfort of his home and fell morally with Bathsheba. The old saying is true, “an idle mind is the devil’s playground.” I believe one of the jobs of Christian leaders is to explain to true disciples how damaging this really is and how to stand against it. However, the problem I see is that many leaders bow to the fear of persecution and being called a stiff, prude and such. “Just preach Jesus and keep it all positive and they’ll come,” they say. Yet Isaiah 58:1 tells me to “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up my voice like a trumpet and TELL MY PEOPLE (God’s people) their transgression!” Not fun, I admit, but it is a part of the responsibility of Christian leaders (subsequent to preaching Jesus and Him crucified).
The fact that we have drifted so far from original truth or the biblical landmarks, I see Isaiah chapter five prophetically describing our culture today. We can do a whole message on this chapter alone. I only make mention above to one of the six “woes” characterizing this chapter. The fourth woe, or curse, as another translation puts it: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil,” (Isa. 5:20). The verse goes on describing how we basically trade righteousness for sin, light for darkness. This verse describes a people that have rejected and replaced God’s moral standards with their own standard based on relativism. The result is a deep, utter confusion in the whole Nation about what is right and wrong. My friends, we have now prophetically reached this cursed time in history. Yet at the same time it is an awesome time for us, the redeemed, to impact our world because the light of Christ shines even that much more brightly and easily!
We have heard over and over Christians quoting II Chronicles 7:14, “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.” To be honest with you I was getting sick of hearing it, but it was and is the cry of the Spirit to our Nation. However, we see just the opposite response by our Nation.
For example, in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, at least three of our National leaders stood up and quoted Isaiah 9:10 “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.” This is in actuality a response of defiance to God. Please read this portion of Scripture in its context and it becomes clear. Literal bricks and a literal sycamore tree fell when the twin towers came down in NYC. Israel’s turning away from God and the biblical landmarks resulted in foreign enemies coming in and inflicting great damage. This IS NOT God’s fault; God already told where His protection is, (obedience to His Word). It was Israel, and now America, coming out from under God’s protection. [PLEASE LISTEN TO and/or read the entire prophetic revelation by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn concerning this, called “The Harbinger” found at http://www.theharbinger-jonathancahn.com/] as he describes how America parallels ancient Israel’s exact response of defiance.
America was founded by Bible believing men with deep biblical convictions (even the non-church goer’s like Franklin & Jefferson). The U.S. was birthed and flourished because biblical principles were in fact deeply rooted within the culture from the beginning. This resulted in great revivals, from the Great Awakening, to Azusa St., to the healing revival in the forties, fifties and into the sixties, giving way to the Jesus movement and then the charismatic revivals. The seeds of the Word of God produced great harvest. However, today’s generation at large does not have the same level of awareness of those biblical principles. This doesn’t mean revival is not possible, it just means we need to start with the basics again by sowing Gospel seeds into our culture around us.
Yet before these great revivals there was REVOLUTION, meaning there was literal time of war. We are living in what the Bible refers to as “the end times,” meaning the closing of an era and changing into a new and different era. We Christians want to see revival again, yet, learning from history, revival doesn’t happen on its own; it was always preceded with much prayer and action. As I said, our early American culture was already embedded with the seeds of the Gospel. With intense intercession from the Saints, harvest and revival happened. I’m not saying we should take up arms and go fight in these lasts days for Christianity. Revolution isn’t always with literal bloody warfare. I don’t think this is what we as followers of Christ are called to do. We are not called to preserve a natural Nation but a heavenly one; we are citizens of Heaven. (If we want to preserve a natural nation, then maybe war would be the only way due to the extreme, diverse ideologies between conservatism and liberalism; God and naturalism; Capitalism and socialism and/or Communism: for a house divided cannot and will not stand). Our focus needs to stay on preserving the faith of Christ and the biblical landmarks.
The Cure
I found three major cures or protection from being desensitized. They are found in Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 6:17 and Philippians 4:1. Romans says, “and do not be conformed to this world (culture), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove (know by testing) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 2 Cor. Says, “Therefore (meaning you have to know what it says before this), “Come out from among them (the worldly ways) and be separate (unto the Lord), says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” Phil. 4:1 says along with 1 Cor. 16:13, and 1 Thess. 3:8, “stand fast in the Lord.” Hardcore stuff that is not talked about enough these days! These are not merely suggestions, they are commands with promise! In order to be received by God into heaven, we have to come out of the declining, worldly ways. How are we supposed to come out of and not conform to our ever-declining culture and yet have to live and function effectively in it every day? In many denominations, it has been difficult over the years to find where to draw the lines and find the right balance.
Denominations have really abused these verses to the point Preachers are scared to talk about them today. Denominations have tried to teach things like this by placing rules and regulations on what we can and cannot do. This only leads to “legalism.” Only the Holy Spirit can lead us into this successfully. Because the things of the Spirit (the supernatural) cannot be taught, they must be caught (with our spirit: a principal found in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, particularly verse 14)! Remember that! It is the truth that you catch and understand will make you free (John 8:32).
The way we grow closer to God is by seeking the Lord through worship, prayer and the study of His Word. By this growing or maturity, the Holy Spirit will naturally lead us in right and victorious living in the mist of our declining culture. In other words, the closer we come to the Lord, the easier living these verses become; and that’s the key – closer to JESUS! The more time we spend reading and studying the Bible, the more our minds become renewed or the more we actually begin to think like God thinks. We learn His ways and know right from wrong. We then go our way into our culture without losing sight of Gods truths that we just learned in Scripture; we then can impact our culture with the love of God without being swept away with the ever-changing tide of the culture we live in.
To summarize the answer – renew your mind to think like God thinks (by reading His Word), come out from the worldly ways, and stand your ground firm no matter how much you get made fun of by the majority. Take comfort in Noah who was NOT the majority, (the majority does not dictate what is right or wrong – God does)! Noah withstood the majority and their ungodly onslaught against him. Yet Noah (the minority who later became the totality) came through the flood, and the majority drowned.
Practice these things, practice self-denial (which includes abstinence), and self-discipline powered by the Holy Spirit, and you will be a modern-day Noah who can hear from Heaven and save the ones around you who will listen!
Rob Franzen
Refranzen1@live.com www.CreationUnderFire.com
The mission of the “Creation Under Fire project” is to educate people with the truth of our origin as revealed in the first book of the Holy Bible – Genesis. To establish a clear understanding of the original thought and intent of the author as it was originally recorded; therewith, dispelling untrue theories of creation within the church. In turn, strengthening people’s faith and equipping them with real answers for the faith they possess and to defend it well. Also to expose the most subtle scheme Satan has ever unleashed on humanity, which has sent more people to hell than any other attack mankind has ever known.
- Franzen
