FOUNDATIONS
RECAP
In part one of this blog I discussed three elements of significance in the security of ancient cities. They were gates, towers and walls. The size and materials used to build these man-made edifices were a reflection on the wealth and power of a nation. The traditional use of a gate as an entry and exit barrier applied then as it does today. But above that, the gate is where commercial activity and trade took place. Court cases were held there and markets formed and grew there too. (Ruth 4 v 1-11 and Proverbs 31 v 23) The second element was Towers. In most cases they were built on either side of a gate and reinforced the strength of a gate. Later on of course towers took on new meaning in that they typified the pride and arrogance of successful nations. They stood as testament to the heights that a civilization had risen to. Lastly, Walls. Walls constituted the main protection and defense of a nation against its enemies. By comparing those elements of ancient Israel with the same in our modern times we gleaned that there is a biblical principle that shows us what happens when a nation that once knew God decides to abandon Him and falls under His judgement. Now we're ready to continue with part two of the blog.
FOUNDATIONS
Everything that is built to last has to have a foundation. Buildings have foundations, trees have foundations (roots) human beings have foundations. Where you were born, your parents, the day you were born are all parts of your foundation, your roots. Thus, nations too have foundations.
The children of Israel left Egypt where they were slaves for 400 years and went to the Promised Land, Canaan which became the land of Israel. And the foundation of Israel was God. The victories that they had over pagan nations, were because God was fighting for the Israelites. Israel stood on the Torah (the instructions, body of wisdom or guidance found in the first five books of the Hebrew bible) Yet at the height of their success they abandoned God. They became like the countries that surrounded Israel, sacrificing their children, murdering the innocent, involved in homosexuality and every form of immorality imaginable. Consequently, what does the bible say will happen to a nation that was established for His glory when it decides not to comply with His rules?
Ezekiel 11:14 “So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untampered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord”. (emphasis mine)
The Lord says the nation’s walls will be brought down and its foundation will be laid bare. It is interesting to note that a foundation can also mean the actual day that you were born as a person. The day something was discovered becomes its foundation. Suffice it to say when God judges a people, their foundation is exposed.
Where did the American nation really begin?
Boston is considered by many to be the birthplace of the American revolution. It is in Boston (Massachusetts) that the English Puritans who fled to the new land to pursue religious freedom from England landed with their ship known as the Mayflower. Where did the terrorists on 9/11 launch their attack from? Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts. Do you think this is a coincidence or were events following biblical patterns.
The Mystery of the ninth of Av
Catastrophes that happened to Israel on the ninth of Av.
The 9th of Av, Tisha b’Av, commemorates a list of catastrophes so severe it’s clearly a day set aside by God for the suffering of Jewish people. It appears to me that this has been a day throughout history, which God uses to judge the Jews for their transgressions against Him.
a) The spies returned with a bad report
b) Both temples were destroyed :
· The temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonians
· The 2nd temple was burnt to the ground by the Romans as Messiah Himself had prophesied
c) The Jews were expelled from England in 1290 AD
d) The Jews were banished from Spain in 1492 AD
e) Both the first and the second World Wars broke out on the 9th of Av
Isn’t it just astonishing if not eerie, that events of calamitous proportions seem to occur on exactly the same day in the life of Israel? Next, let’s look at America.
The coming into being of New York City
The center of America’s success and Super power is New York City. So when did New York City come into being? The story goes that Henry Hudson the Captain of a ship belonging to the Dutch East India Company, was searching for a passage into an island. They found a passage which led them to what we now know as Manhattan Island. And here comes the mystery. What day was it? Well, before I give you the answer, let me show you a blue print that’s in the bible first and once you see it, you will realize once again that there is a spiritual connection between America and Israel.
Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed because of its intransigence to God’s ways and its resistance to the repentance that Messiah called for. The prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans totally demolished the capital Jerusalem with the fury of their onslaught being focused on the temple. The mystery is that the destruction of the first temple by the Babylonians happened on the 9th of Av 586 BC (3338 from creation.) and the 2nd temple levelled by the Romans in AD 70 also happened on the 9th of AV. Throughout its history, it is astonishing that on countless occasions, Israel has witnessed negative things happening on exactly the same date.
Back to our mystery question. On what day was Manhattan Island discovered? It was on September 11, 1609. That is the day that New York City was born.
Ezekiel 13:14 So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untampered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. (emphasis mine)
Yes, the fall of a house will expose its foundation. For New York City, the day of its birth became the day of its demise. The day of its planting became the day of its uprooting. Just like the word of God said. The prophecy by Ezekiel was referring to Israel. The judgment of a nation will bring it back to its foundation. Yet what is quite fascinating regarding America is that long before 9/11 became its day of calamity, 9/11 was the day of America’s foundation. Let me go a little bit deeper on this. The premise upon which America’s success was built was two earthly things. Economic Power and Military Power. But we know that its military power depended on its vast economic success. America’s military power began after World War two. Remember that after World War one, the US had taken a position called Isolationism which meant ‘none involvement in foreign wars’. However, in the face of rising Nazism under Hitler and Fascism under Mussolini the nation was forced to review its foreign policy. Indeed one could say the choice to join the 2nd World War was partly made for America when a German submarine fired on an American ship. This was followed of course by the famous attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. After those two pivotal events, the US President made a famous speech in which he declared war on Germany and Japan. What date was that famous speech made on? September 11, 1941.
Lastly, when was the foundation stone of the Pentagon laid down? When did construction of the Pentagon begin? September 11, 1941. It is clear then, America’s foundation is September 11.
Where did America’s blessings come from? America’s economic power, military power, financial success, its power to produce wealth, scientific achievements – everything came from God. But if it repeats the mistakes of its prototype Israel, of abandoning He who set it up for success, God. How much longer can its prosperity and blessings last? Now we come to the big question. Could all these things be linked to COVID19? In the 20th century, for me, World War 1 and 2 marked events that defined human history. But in the 21st century I don’t think anything can supersede the magnitude of the Corona Virus and its cataclysmic impact on earth. In my previous blog, and this one I have shown you the spiritual connection between America and Israel. I have walked you through verse after verse that reveal what judgement looks like for a nation that was chosen by God to be the epitome of God’s blessing in the midst of a fallen world. America was founded for God’s glory and it was raised by God to be a modern day Israel. In a manner of speaking, It was crowned by God to be the means by which the entire world would be blessed. When America prospers the whole world prospers in one way or another.
Biblically, nineteen is a number associated with judgement and I alluded to that in the previous passages. Scientists named the virus nineteen for their own reasons but that doesn’t negate the spiritual undertones and implications of what lies beneath the natural. Equally plausible is the fact that the official name of the virus “Corona” is a Latin term meaning crown. Therefore in God’s mind, the Corona virus is a judgement that spells the de-crowning of America from its position as the nation of nations, the most blessed of nations to being the most cursed. Why? Because of its wickedness and transgressions against the God who blessed it with its wealth and superpower.
The Plague/Pandemic
When things happen in our world there are natural causes that are often behind those occurrences. The fact that natural causes may have sparked certain events does not nullify the truth of there being transcendent or supernatural causes bringing those events into manifestation.
When judgment came to ancient Israel, it came through evil and brutal empires. Today, if anyone links the pandemic with God, so many people react by saying this has nothing to do with God because we know that the Chinese started the pandemic. Well does the bible not tell us that Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, a pagan ruler, was used by God to punish Israel for its apostasy? Do you think Nebuchadnezzar even knew that was the case? There is no way he would have known (except perhaps by believing the prophets) nor would he have agreed if he had been told that he was being used by the God of Israel. There was a multitude of reasons why events turned out the way they did. Some reasons would have been political, some economic, some social, some cultural, and others military. Yet there would have been countless other factors merging with other twists of human events to produce punitive, and spiritual outcomes for Israel. All these factors came together to fulfil what the prophets had predicted in terms of the judgment that would come against Israel. It should be highlighted that perfect judgment does not belong to this age but the next. So both the righteous and the unrighteous are affected by this judgment. Why? Because the pandemic is the judgment not of individuals but of an entire civilization.
In the Old Testament there are many examples where judgments have manifested in the form of pestilences and plagues. Remember how the Hebrews were saved out of Egypt? By a plague. What was the first of the plagues that God used to punish Egypt? It was turning the river Nile into blood. And what was the sin that Egypt had committed that called forth a judgment of this kind? It was the sin of murdering innocent children. The sin was so bad that the prophet Jeremiah was instructed by God in Jeremiah 19, to enact it with a clay jar. The smashing of the clay jar was symbolic of how Israel and the city of Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed by the Babylonians. Among other things, Israel sacrificed its children by placing them in the hands of an idol, a molten hot metal goddess known as Molech. When the infants were placed in its hands, they would literally sizzle. Plutarch, a Greek historian who writes about that era, says the act was so gruesome that the villagers would pound the drums so loudly so as to drown out the sound of the screaming children as they sizzled like meat on a braai to prevent the parents from hearing. And because of the children’s blood, this is what Jeremiah had to say to the nation in prophesying of its judgment:
Jeremiah 19 v 8 I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
The second prophecy was as follows:
Jeremiah 19 v 5 (they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind), 6 therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that this place shall no more be called Tophet or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
According to ancient custom, it was well known that you responded to evil in kind; that a human life would pay for a human life. Israel had copied the evil culture of the wicked Canaanites, shedding innocent blood and taking human life. Not to mention that this was the dispensation of the law when failure to obey the law resulted in the offender being cursed. And the nation paid a heavy price for its sins.
But Pastor Getmore, this is the dispensation of grace?
I promised at the beginning of the blog that I would give time to explain why there is judgment in the era of grace. What then is our generation guilty of that would draw to this civilization the judgment of a pandemic? Before I continue, I hear some of you murmuring and commenting that whatever happened to Israel in terms of judgment cannot be applicable to America because we live in the dispensation of grace. Let me respond to that by referring you to some important verses.
Titus 2 v“11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."
Grace should not be used as an excuse to commit more sin. There are some people who believe that because there is grace, this is a license for them to sin and still call themselves Christians. These people are not only unrepentant in their sin, but indeed they are running to sin instead of away from it. But the above verse of scripture tells us grace “teaches” us to say “no” to ungodliness.
Let’s look at another verse that supports Titus 2 v 12;
Romans 6 v 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Anyone living a lifestyle of sin and claiming to be under grace does not understand the doctrine of grace. When you are under grace you have the power to live a life of righteousness because grace gives you the power to overcome sin. My last verse of scripture to assure the reader that a nation or person that chooses to live deliberately in sin under the pretext that they are under the grace of God is in fact not under grace but under the law;
1 Timothy 1 v 8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is [a]contrary to sound doctrine.
Still there are others who misunderstand grace and pose the following objection:
“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:17.
This blog is contradicting what Jesus came to do
My answer to this rebuttal and similar verses used as a counter claim to my blog is to remind the reader that this same Jesus warned Israel that there was impending judgement hanging over the nation because it had rejected Him as its Savior. See Luke 19 v 41-44. In AD 70, under Emperor Titus, the Romans utterly destroyed Jerusalem 40 years after Jesus had wept and verbally predicted the demise of the city for its stubbornness and rejection of Him. Aren’t we witnessing a repeat of history in that America is not even aware of the spiritual implications behind 9/11 and since the warnings of those attacks by the terrorists, the nation has drifted even farther and farther away from God and there has been no repentance.
Any person reading this blog is very much aware of the kind of culture that pervades America today. It is a Godless culture ruled by sin. murder, fornication, adultery, same sex marriage, abortion, rebelliousness against parents and legitimate authority, mass shootings in schools and colleges, state terrorism in the form of illegal invasion of other nations by the US military, the list goes on. America is a nation in apostacy. A path of self destruction. Yet it is a nation that was founded on the principles of the Torah. And it being the most powerful country in the world was not by accident; it is because the United States of America was ordained by the owner of the universe God, to be a modern day Israel. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is nothing new under the sun, therefore everything is a repeat of what has been. If that is the case, it means that we can expect judgement to fall on America and the world for committing crimes against the innocent. The consequences of Israel sacrificing its children in the thousands in the valley of Tophet brought judgement to the entire nation as prophesied by Jeremiah. Egypt murdered thousands of Hebrew children in the Nile, and brought on itself the judgement of God.
What used to be child sacrifice during ancient times is slightly different in our modern era in that no one today is offering up their infants to Baal or Molech. However, there is a new type of child sacrifice; ABORTION.
How many children do you suppose have been killed by our own civilization by way of abortion? Statistics show that an estimated 60 million children have been slaughtered through abortion in America alone. If the Nazi government exterminated 6 million Jews, and the world cried out for judgement why is it that we expect no judgment to be meted out for the heinous killing of unborn children which equals ten holocausts? It is estimated that around 1 billion unborn babies have been denied the right to life by a wicked generation in the whole world.
Let me put this in context. Many a believer know that Israel Houghton is one of the most gifted gospel singers in the world today. He has touched millions worldwide with his music. What many Christians and secular people don’t know is that his mother, was talked out of committing an abortion on the nick of time by a Christian evangelist. After agreeing not to abort the baby, she named the baby Israel when she gave birth to him. Question. How many Israel Houghtons have had their breaths snuffed out of them through abortion? How many Presidents, Lionel Messis, Albert Einsteins, Nelson Mandelas failed to see the light of day due to this evil act called abortion? How much blood cries out from these callous murders? God’s heart is broken and weeps over one child. But one billion?
What makes the sin more harrowing is that it is the sin of parents against their own children. The utterly defenseless being slaughtered by those who are supposed to protect them. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn speaks of the principle of inversion and reciprocity. If the crime committed involved parents killing their innocent children, then the judgment would focus its rage on the older and spare the young. It has been a characteristic of COVID19 that its ferocity has been largely felt by the older generation and it spared the youngest. Consequently, the judgement becomes the inversion of the sin. Isn’t it interesting and noteworthy that one of the unique properties of this plague has been the fact that even if the young contracted and carried the virus, it’s devastating effects have come down heavily on the older.
When was abortion on demand legalized in America? In 1970. And through the influence of America, much of the world also adopted it. In America It was in 1973 that it became a nationally legalized practice. So by 2020 when COVID19 began, those who spearheaded the legalizing of abortion would be among the oldest of those still living. Therefore, as God judges the one evil He also judges an entire civilization of all its sins and evils.
Which nation performs more abortions in the world?
The judge's answer to the above question is very relevant to this discussion. China, because of its one child policy, performs more abortions than any country in the world. This is significant. Where did the plague begin? China. And what nation has recorded the 2nd highest number of deaths during COVID19 after China, The USA. And in what state? New York State. In which city? New York City. Because these things follow certain patterns, we therefore would expect that the plague would unleash its rage in New York City. New York City had led the nation in spreading abortion and had killed more unborn babies than in fact many countries had done. According to the law of judgment we would expect that the severity of the plague would be centered on New York City. So when the plague did come, it struck more people in New York than any other city in America and or anywhere in the world. Jeremiah prophesied that those killed on the day of judgment would correspond to those babies killed by child sacrifice. Tophet, as prophesied by Jeremiah, became the center of Judgment in Israel. If New York city is the Tophet of America, then we would expect New York to become the epicenter of the global pandemic. (Rabbi Cahn's exposition of these principles and Perry Stone's teachings which expound on how prophetic cycles operate are captivating to say the least.) The abortion capital became the pandemic capital.
Unfortunately, we have come to the end of part two of the blog. In part three we shall look deeper into and extrapolate from the scriptures more principles that, when superimposed over current events in America, reflect a nation under God's judgement. We shall also examine the question; What is the link between 9/11 and Covid 19.
Comments