Lurking in the Shadows

 

 






Lurking in the Shadows

By C. Eldon McNabb

Since our last visit, there has been much to-do about the fact that the President of the United States has a shadow government stashed away somewhere.  There is, indeed, a commendable logic behind that strategy.  The very nature of terrorism would require that those who practice it consider the benefit to be gained by murdering as many of our country’s leaders at one time as they possibly could.

The Bush administration has made great strides since the destruction of the twin towers, just six months ago today, as I write.  Many new and stringent laws have been enacted which may well do much to further the – U. S. declared – war on terrorism.  I can only trust that President Bush has rushed all of this through the legislature with all good intent.

Occasionally, we hear a small “suggestion” that there is some hazard to the “American Way” in the overriding of the Constitution, and intrusion into the personal lives of our citizenry.  There is, indeed, a very real danger.  However, the “visible” government’s bypassing of our Constitution has been going on for a long time, with very little resistance from anyone with the power to do anything about it.  Many of the people who fled Europe to this land were escaping from centuries of religious oppression.  When they formed our constitution, they did everything which they could think of to make sure  would not happen here.  The Supreme Court dealt that effort the fatal blow in 1962-1963.  One small church group went to the White House with a parade of protest.  We did not accomplish much, but we made the effort.

The U.S. Constitution and our many freedoms have been under attack from the beginning of our nation.  The European bankers were particularly unhappy that our Congress had the authority to mint our own money, instead of borrowing it from them.  One of the last Presidents to make an effort to maintain that important facet of our country was Abraham Lincoln.  Someone murdered him.  In a surreptitious – though perhaps legal – move, Woodrow Wilson sold the country out to the World Bankers when he pushed through legislation creating the Federal Reserve Board in 1913.  It is not part of our federal government, and there is no reserve.  When you consider that, as of March 11, 2002, our national debt is over 5.9 trillion dollars, it lends meaning to the words of God in Proverbs 22:7.  “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” 

However good the intentions of President G. W. Bush are, many of the things which are being instituted in the name of anti-terrorism are designed in such a way that they can also easily be used against the free exercise of religion in this country.  President Bush may or may not use them against the churches, but you can be sure that his successor will.  The Shadow Government, about which we need to be concerned, is the one which is lurking in the shadows, behind the scenes, waiting for the right moment to take undue advantage of all of the powers which we have relinquished into the hands of the executive branch of our government.

God’s wrath is not coming without provocation. Christianity has incurred the wrath of God, in recent years, because of departure from the way of the Holy Scriptures.  The idolatry which is covetousness (Col. 3:5) is openly “preached,” especially by the prominent media preachers, and worldliness in general is allowed and even encouraged by today’s pastors.  God has every intention of making the U.S. and the U.N. to be persecutors of Christianity.  As it is written, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Num. 32:23)

John the Baptist asked the question, “Who hath warned you (Israelites) to flee the wrath to come?”  In Christ’s stead, I am telling you that you can escape God’s wrath which is coming upon Christianity.  Thousands, perhaps millions, of “The Sons of God” (Seth’s descendants) perished in the flood.  However, those of them who went into the ark with Noah were delivered, and remained alive. (Gen. 7:23; 1 Thess. 4:17)  Jesus told us about these last days, and assured us that, “As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26)  Those who believe that which seems to be unbelievable, and let the Lord lead them to the deliverance which He has prepared, will be here to greet the Lord Jesus when He comes.

That which was a natural ark in the days of Noah is a new nation in this time of the fulfillment of that prophecy.  Noah’s extended family did not believe him, and they perished in that flood.  Very soon now, a flood shall proceed out of the mouth of the Dragon.  It will surely come before the resur­rection, and our change will not come until after the resurrection.  The work of this “Noah,” and the work of his two contemporaries – the Two Witnesses – will also, of necessity, take place before the resurrection.  Otherwise, there will be no Christians “who are alive and remain” unto the coming of the Lord Jesus.

When the two “witnesses” took Lot out of Sodom, Lot’s wife did not have enough faith to save her.  Jesus exhorted us, “Remember Lot’s wife.” (Luke 17:32)  The two “witnesses” went into Egypt to deliver God’s people so they could go out to meet the Lord.  God’s people did a lot of moaning and complain­ing, but when they got to Mt. Sinai, God came down unto them, and made His covenant of marriage with them.

Matt. 25, tells us the same story.  Those virgins who went out to meet Him, before the door was shut, got in to the wedding: the Bride and the Bridemaids.  “When the son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the Earth?” (Luke 18:8) That is not a question as to whether there will be believers when Jesus comes.  His concern is whether there will be any believers who will believe His words.  “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17)  Are we following the word of God, or have we turned unto fables?  One day, “a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted (Jesus), saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?” (Luke 10:25,26)

You have a copy, or a paraphrase, of the Bible.  How do you interpret (read) these things?  Will you have enough faith to go in unto the wedding before the door is shut?  I believe it is a good time to “make your calling and election sure!”