Through the Eyes of a Watchman Part 1

I'm going to start off with a very familiar scripture, one that we have read over the years many a time. It's in Ezekiel 3 and verse 17. Ezekiel 3 and verse 17. Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore, hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me. Now, you go over 30 chapters to chapter 33 and verse 7. It is emphasized by being repeated. Chapter 33 and verse 7. So you, O son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore, you shall hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me. Back in Isaiah 58 and verse 1. Cry aloud. Spare not. Lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob, their sins. Now, we can read those. I can read those. And I can just say those are good, solid scriptures in there and they're good to read and they have application. Absolutely, they do. As a pastor, I share in that responsibility. When I read those scriptures, I realize that as a pastor, I share in that responsibility because a pastor is a watchman. He's a watchman. A pastor carries that responsibility. If I were to say, well, look, I'm signing on to be a pastor, but don't give me any of that watchman stuff. Yeah, I'll sign on to be a pastor, but no, I don't want any of that watching responsibility. God would probably say, okay, you're not signed on. As a pastor, I echo the words of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 17-16. And I can honestly say before God that I echo these words. Jeremiah 17 and verse 16. Jeremiah said, as for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow you. I have never tried to quit on it, to quit on my responsibilities, to hurry from it. I can echo these words. I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow you. And I can honestly say, neither have I desired the woeful day. The day that is full of woah, that's full of trouble and pain and suffering and misery. I've never desired to see that. I have no, oh, let's get to it. Let's have it. Let's have it on.

There is no pleasure, no desire of the woeful day and for the woeful day. He says, you know, and God knows I hate to see pain and suffering and misery. I hate to see brokenness. I hate to see things happening that break things, because pain and suffering.

And He said, that which came out of my lips was right before you. Now, I'm not saying that everything that comes out of my lips is right. I'm not saying that I don't make mistakes or never have made mistakes or won't yet make some mistakes. But I can say, I sure want it to be right. I sure want it to be the right thing. So when I read this and I talk about echoing the words of Jeremiah, I realize that I must not shy away from my pastoral responsibilities. Number one, just taking this verse alone, that I must not shy away from my pastoral responsibilities. Number two, I must not desire the woeful day. And number three, I must speak that which is right before God.

See, a pastor is expected of God to properly exercise that responsibility, including the watching or watchman side of it. It's expected of him. So and so. 800 BC. So and so. Would you go find somebody that has bad eyesight, can't have see, and put them up on the tower to watch?

I say it that way to say this. A watchman must have good eyes. A watchman must have good eyes. A watchman must have eyes that see with 20-20 vision.

With 20-20 vision. Eyes that see. And what I mean by see with 20-20 vision. Eyes that see objectively. Objectively. Not subjectively. Who sees what is there to see.

Not just sees what he wants to see and ignores what else there is to see. Limited view, limited vision, being very subjective. This doesn't fit the narrative. So I'll just... I won't say that. I'll just see what fits the narrative.

No. 20-20 vision. To see objectively. To see across the board. Eyes that see the evidences. What are the evidences? The evidences of attitudes and actions. Attitudes and actions. Because attitudes are evidences. Actions are evidences.

And the famous discourse, actually to the disciples, not the multitude, in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. To the disciples. Privately to them. In the discourse, what's commonly called the Sermon on the Mount.

In Matthew 7, verses 16 and 20, Christ says there, in Matthew 7, verses 16 and 20, you shall know them by their fruits. By their fruits. The fruits are the proofs. And you look at the fruits. You look at the proofs. And he's instructing his disciples, look at the fruits. That's what you go by. So a watchman must weigh, and he must consider. He must observe, and he must analyze. And a watchman must climb aboard and ride a certain bandwagon.

I've chosen to ride that bandwagon to the best of my ability all of my life. It's the bandwagon of truth and reality. Truth and reality. So today, I will exercise that responsibility and share with you what I have seen, what I am seeing.

If you want a title, we generally like to have titles. Simply this. Through the eyes of a watchman. Through the eyes of a watchman.

Number one. That's where it starts. And that's primarily what I'll deal with today. Through the eyes of a watchman. Number one. In the light of the Scriptures. Scriptures of insight. Scriptures of prediction. And of prophecy.

And not so much today, but later. Number two. In the light of events that are confirming and fulfilling them.

As I watch and pray, of course, that's not exclusively my responsibility because Luke 21.36 applies to every single one of us.

Luke 21.36. Where we're told to watch and pray always. That we may be accounted worthy to escape these things. That is, the things that are coming.

And to stand before the Son of Man. We're all to watch and pray.

As far as an accountability on the watching and the praying, as far as a heavier measure of accountability, that's laid on a pastor.

As I watch and pray, I am bothered. I am bothered greatly and deeply by what I see happening around me.

If the day comes that I can see and behold what's around me happening. And I'm not bothered by it.

And I say, well, just no skin off my nose. No problem to me. No issue with me.

I don't care that I have just joined the horde of the walking dead. I am walking dead. I'm not alive. Because something in me has died that's necessary for me to stay alive.

Because I remember God's words to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 9.4. And you do too. You'll recognize them in Ezekiel 9 verse 4.

Where he said, go through the city and make a mark. This is a good mark. This is a mark you want.

Make a mark. That is, notate those who sigh and cry.

You sigh and cry because you're bothered. If you're not bothered, you don't sigh and cry. No big deal.

It's fine. It's okay.

Notate those who are bothered by what they see happening around them. I am bothered by what I see happening around me. In this world today, in this nation today, and yes, even down into communities.

My watching did not begin in 2020.

But 2020 has borne great witness and testimony.

Ask ourselves, what have we seen? Just take 2020. That's not when my watching started. But just to focus on 2020 for a moment. What have we seen? What are we seeing?

What has been exposed and revealed and the covers pulled back from?

What has been confirmed? Now, you know, and I know we know the saying that hindsight is 2020.

Well, can we look back at the year 2020 and see it with spiritual 2020 vision?

Again, what have we seen? And what are we still seeing? What has been exposed and revealed? And what have you had confirmed to your eyes?

Well, let's take one thing for sure. 2020 has confirmed that Satan is the God of this world.

Have you heard much be said about Satan in 2020? Now, you might hear him mentioned to a certain degree in a church or in the churches, but just out and about and all of the dealings that have been going on.

Who have you heard talk about God's adversary and your adversary and mankind's adversary?

You haven't, have you?

The key player has been ignored verbally, but he sure hasn't been ignored as far as attitudes and activities.

2020 has confirmed that Satan is the God of this world. You know, when Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4, 4, when he made that statement that Satan is the God of this world, he knew what he was talking about. And since that time, generation after generation after generation of human beings have come on the scene and left the scene, been born, grew up, lived, died. And that being has always been around along with his. It's his world.

You know, Paul could have left it at that, but he also added in Ephesians 2, too, how that this, you know, the God of this world, it is his world. He also added that he is the prince of the power of the air. He broadcasts, he broadcasts his spirit through the air.

We talk about herd mentality, mob mentality, mob mindset, and stuff like that.

I've talked, I know people have spoken of situations where sometimes you could actually have physical sensation of the power that was in the air.

2020 has confirmed that there are, and this is what Paul touches upon in Ephesians also, but it's in Ephesians 6, 12.

2020 has confirmed that there are wicked spirits in high places, wicked spirits who have names and personalities and who are bad. They're bad to the bone, only they don't have bone.

Wicked spirits in high places generating great wickedness. Do we think that the halls of power, the corridors of power are totally vacant of wicked spirits pulling strings and pushing things?

I have never in my lifetime seen so much lying and false witness as I have this past year, and still do.

Lying and false witness. And I remember, and you do too, we know who's the father of lies. Lying is Satan's device. He created it. He came up with it.

Christ nails him on that in John 8, 44. We know that. But lying has been institutionalized. It's been institutionalized.

The spirit of lying has flooded the nation. It has become dominant. And is there any one of God's people, any one of God's people, so naive as to think with all that has happened and it is happening that there is no connection with God's and man's greatest adversary, the fallen Lucifer?

Somebody has to be awfully naive if they think that. And hopefully nobody does.

2020 has seen proof of the validity of this statement. This is a statement of human nature. It's a statement of geopolitics. It's a statement of rulers, of the reality of rulership in this world.

And you heard the statement. And here's the statement, and you'll recognize it. Power corrupts.

2020 has seen the validity of this statement. Power corrupts.

And the rest of the statement is, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

In other words, the more power you give, the more corruption you wind up with.

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is a statement of truth testifying to the corrupting influence of power in human hands.

I want to turn to Matthew 20-25. Jesus bore witness to this.

Matthew 20-25. Jesus bore witness to this here in Matthew 20-25.

But Jesus called him unto him. He called his disciples to him and he said, you know.

It's no secret. He says, you know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them.

And they that are great exercise authority upon them.

Let's couple that with Luke 22-25. Luke 22-25. And he said to them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship. Lordship over them.

And they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

Which so many times is oxymoronic. They're malefactors, not benefactors. All there's supposed to be benefactors.

So you have the words in those two verses of dominion, authority, lordship.

And basically just simply talking about abuse.

Have we seen any dominion, lordship, abuse of authority and power in 2020? It's written all over the nation.

2020 has seen naked, naked animosity to God and religion exposed.

Romans 1.28.

Romans 1.28.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, they did not like, they did not, they do not want to retain God in their knowledge.

Romans 8.

Verse 7. You can learn an awful lot about human makeup by just reading the Bible.

Romans 8.7.

Because the carnal mind, which can be corrupted so easily by power, which doesn't want to retain God in the picture because the carnal mind is enmity against God.

There's animosity. It's hostile.

For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

And then a third Scripture along this line in Peter's words, 2 Peter 3.3.

2 Peter 3.

And verse 3.

He says, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days.

Generally, what we've seen through history, in the last days of a kingdom, in the last days of a nation, and certainly we're now coming into another set of the last days, the last days that will eventually culminate in the return of Christ to set up His wonderful kingdom, His and the Father's wonderful kingdom.

But Peter said, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking, living, exercising after their own lusts.

But what is amazing to me anymore is they no longer try to cover it. They no longer try to hide it.

So much has been brought out into the open. So much has had the cover blown off. So much has been revealed in the light of day, and they don't seem to care.

I mean, you'd expect that some of these things people would try to hide.

Well, I've seen the years previous when it was kind of kept somewhat hidden, but I've seen a change in that. They don't seem to care. They're not trying to hide it anymore. There's a boldness with all of it that is very disturbing and destructive.

It's like what is said in Isaiah 3.9. Now, Isaiah 3.9 speaks of something very specific, but it also shows an attitude, too. In Isaiah 3, of course, reading from the King James, the show of their countenance does witness. It bears witness against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom.

They're very open. They hide it not. They hide it not.

And it's further said in Isaiah 59, verses 12 and 13, For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us. They bear witness against us.

For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them. It's interesting, too, we now have a time when it is quite known that this doesn't fit God.

This doesn't fit His way. This is not in His design. This does not have God's sanction.

We don't care. We don't care. So what?

In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

And as I said, lying has been institutionalized this past year. Things...and I won't get ahead of myself.

So I picked that thought back up in a few minutes.

But as a result, look at verses 14 and 15.

And judgment is turned away backward.

When what is happening, that's mentioned in verses 14 and 15, how long can you have a nation?

And judgment is turned away backward. And justice stands afar off.

It's not close at hand like you should be. For truth is falling in the street.

The things that have been important to me since I was a child growing up, that I've been taught all my life, that a society has to have to be viable and good, and a good place to live, and where you can bank on a future, and you can work for that future, and all of that.

Truth is falling in the street. Equity cannot enter.

You want to talk about things not being fair? They're not fair.

Yes, truth fails. And see, when you see the word truth in the Bible, there are the deep things of truth, but there's also the basic things of truth.

The deep things require God's Spirit.

The basic things don't require God's Spirit to understand.

There's a basic level of basic truth that's easily understood, because we have minds, and God's given us that ability to understand.

But then there's the deep things of God that it takes God opening the mind through His light, through His Spirit.

Yes, truth fails. And He that departs from evil makes Himself a prey, and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.

Things will never go back to the way they were. Don't expect it.

They will never go back to the way whatever they were, they're not going back to that.

Brethren, we have reached the tipping point. It's that simple.

The forces of corruption have gained the upper hand, and it is truly downhill from here.

I don't know how fast. I don't know how stretched out it will be.

I don't know if it will be a year, five years, ten years, twenty years. I don't know.

I'm not in control of that. I'm not in control of the timing.

I don't know how fast. I don't know how stretched out our decline will be.

But it is shocking how fast things coalesced and came together in 2020.

In December of 2019, could you have foreseen where we would be right now as a nation, going through in 2020? If 2020 could have been laid out on a big canvas and everything really expressed fully, this is what 2020 will see. You would have said, huh-uh, it can't happen. All of that can't happen.

And if it should, it can't happen all that quick in one year.

It's shocking how fast things have coalesced and come together in 2020. I have witnessed for quite some time now a warfare. It goes back years.

Again, it didn't come on the scene in 2020, the 2020 stage.

It started a long time ago. But I have witnessed for quite some time now a warfare between what's left of a moral compass in our nation and the powers of absolute corruption. Corruption now calls the shots. Corruption now holds the reins of power.

I'm talking about absolute corruption.

It now rules the corridors of power.

Corruption as a dominating force in our nation and society has been growing strongly for a very long time. It has now reached, you might say, Biblical proportions.

It has reached proportions of scriptural prediction.

In 2 Timothy 3, I read this last year. I read it now, and it's obvious that now the proportion that these verses now hold of fulfillment is quite a bit even greater than it was the previous time months ago when I read it.

2 Timothy 3 verses 1 through 5, And of course, as I like to point out, it's what follows that makes the times perilous.

Any time you have these conditions that are expressed in the following, your times are going to be perilous.

That's what makes them perilous. Oh, the perilous times produce what you now read following verse 1. No, verse 1, the perilous times are produced by what you read in verses 2, 3, 4, and 5.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves.

Seen any of that?

Covetous? Boasters? Prab? Blast-famer?

Disobedient to parents? Unthankful? Unholy?

Without natural affection?

Truth-breakers?

False accusers? Continent? Fierce? Despisors?

Of those that are good?

That are trying to do good? That are trying to do the right thing? Traitors? Heady, high-minded? Hmm.

Lovers of pleasure?

Lovers of pleasures? More than lovers of God? Seen any of that?

Having a form of godliness? Yes. It's interesting sometimes how you can hear someone who's a very corrupt individual say, I'm spiritual. I'm very spiritual.

Oximoronic, again.

Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away. And then to go back to Romans 1.

Romans 1, and again, picking up in verse 28 and reading on, And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, yet also can be rendered, even as they did not like to acknowledge God, God gave them... Okay.

I'm going to allow you just to do your own thing.

God gave them over to a reprobate mind, which simply means a mind that is void of judgment.

Good sounds, solid, commonsensical judgment.

Boy, how much of that has been lost.

God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispering, backbiters...what a list! Haters of God?

Hmm. Disflightful, proud, bolsters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmovable, unmerciful.

And look at verse 32.

Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Sinful company loves sinful company. Sin supports sin.

And in the face of such, those who live godly are an indictment.

You want to stay with the truth? You want to stay with the light?

You're an indictment. You're an indictment.

Because in the face of such, living godly is an indictment.

And whether it's the call of God, with the deep things of God, or it's those who are not called yet, but trying to do what they know to do at a basic moral level, they're also a level, a degree of indictment in the face of those who are surrendering any and all true moral ground.

In the face of such an affront, they're a threat.

They have to be dealt with.

And this applies to anyone who is trying to do what is right. Remember what we read in 2 Timothy 3.3, Despisers of those who do good. I despise you. Why? Because you do good.

It's in my face. You're an affront to me. You're an indictment. They might not put it in those words. But despisers of those that are good. I mean, I am seeing it. I saw it in 2020. Of course, I saw it before then, but I really saw it coming into force in 2020.

And I'm still seeing it carried on.

And we read in Isaiah 59.15, remember, we read this in Isaiah 59.15, He that departs from evil makes Himself a prey.

Oh, you won't go along to get along?

No, because you're getting along is evil. And I can't go along with that. Well, we won't get along then.

Calling out evil is becoming more and more a dangerous business. A very dangerous business. You know, we're finding ourselves more and more in the midst of what is described in Isaiah 5.20. Isaiah 5 and verse 20.

Woe to them that call evil good. Boy, this evil is wonderful. I get so much pleasure out of it. It really turns me on. Boy, this is good stuff.

But now that good, that's bad. Don't want any of that. Woe to them that call evil good and good evil. That put darkness for light. They walk in and they live in a darkness of corruption. I just wish you could see what I could see. I'm not in darkness. This darkness, oh, I see things the way they should see. They should be seen. You should join me. They put darkness for light and light for darkness. Oh, what you're doing is restrictive, obstacle to fun, in the way, worn out, old as the ages.

You got the darkness. They put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Is there any doubt, then, again, in light of that, is there any doubt how applicable Philippians 2.15 is to us? You know, we think about Philippians 2. Philippians has so much in it. The little book has so much in it. And one of the things that we're told in Philippians 2, in verse 15, Paul said that you may be blameless and harmless. The sons of God without rebuke. Without God's rebuke. Not having to have God's rebuke. Because you're living like you should. In the midst of what?

Would you apply the words, and again, King James, would you apply the words crooked and perverse to our nation now? In 2020, have you seen any crookedness? Have you seen any perverseness? Would you apply? I mean, do we as Americans, does this scripture not apply to us? Because we're not living in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. We're living in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation more fully than we ever have in our lifetime. In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. The stuff that they're doing in some of the schools and wanting to do in all of them eventually. The stuff that's going on in the breakdown of law and order. And anywhere and everywhere that God's design can be found and be shattered and violated. You ain't seen nothing yet, as the saying goes.

Crooked and perverse nation. Among whom, you know, in the midst of, you shine as lights in the world. You shine as lights. And actually, it can be rendered as a command in the Greek because shine you as lights in the world. Well, if you are living as you should, if we are living as we should, and in that living as we should, there are certain things we do and there are certain things we don't do.

We're going to stand out more and more and more as lights as the darkness grows deeper and deeper. No, I don't think there's any doubt at all how applicable Philippians 2.15 is to us now, even more so in one sense, by the contrast of the light to the darkness with the events of 2020 that have happened and are still going on, and that we're going actually to be hated more and more because of the light that does shine through us.

The words of Christ in John, Christ's inspiration in John 3, 19 and 20, John's words by inspiration, again, part of the bandwagon of reality and truth. And this is the condemnation, John 3, 19. This is the condemnation that light is coming to the world. Now, here's something that's been germane to human existence ever since the days it came killed Abel. Men loved darkness.

There's always been an element that loves darkness. And the only thing that really changes from a generation to generation from one time to another is how big that element is, how big, how extensive the size of it. But it's just too natural to the human makeup to fall in love with some aspect of darkness. And everybody has, when they come to true repentance, we all have certain touches or degrees of darkness we have to repent of. But John's statement, so true to human makeup, and especially when it is given free reign and magnification, and darkness leads to darkness, to darkness, to deeper and deeper and greater darkness, to love darkness rather than light.

Why? Because their deeds are evil. Their deeds are evil. Light's going to show them up. Light's going to blow their cover. See, for everyone, verse 20, for everyone that does evil hates the light. Neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be, it says, reproved, but in the Greek it can be rendered and be better rendered, discovered. Jesus said, But as the days of Noah were, the most basic thing about the days of Noah is described...

the most basic thing about the days of Noah is described in Genesis 6, verses 11 and 12. Genesis 6, verses 11 and 12. The earth, the earth, also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Now, we can read that. We say, okay, the earth was corrupt, and it was filled with violence. How much so? And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt for all flesh. I mean, we go back to a time when there was only one family that God saved. And you have to wonder, of those eight people, how much were merits of Noah's assigned to his family?

And how many or much merit did they have? But God did spare the whole family, and he may have done it more for Noah's sake than the others. We don't know. And certainly it does appear that Shem was evidently a righteous man, but the simple fact is, only one family was spared, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Think about it. With those statements, it tells you, corruption ruled. Corruption ruled.

Corruption dominated the earth. And we are rapidly seeing that take place in our nation, our God-given country. This is not a nation that was just formed by men without God's hand involved. This nation, this country, is God-given. No other nation has ever been blessed like our nation has been. And we are rapidly, rapidly seeing this nation be lost. Isaiah 1. Mr. Armstrong said a long time ago, in fact, he's been dead 35 years. That's a long time ago, although those 35 years seem to have gone by pretty rapidly. But he said a long time ago, the key to understanding prophecy is to know who the modern day nations of Israel are, specifically the birthright nations of Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh.

In Isaiah 1, beginning in verse 2, "...hero heavens give here old earth. For the Lord has spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have revealed against me." You could go to prophecies where God says, of all the families of the earth, Israel, you're the only one that I have known, the only one that he had a covenant with, the only one that he formed a true covenant relationship with. He says, "...he was his owner, and the donkey is master's crib. But Israel does not know, my people do not consider." All sinful nations of people just loaded with iniquity.

A seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors. They have forsaken the Lord. They have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger. They're going away backward. Why should you be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head, the leadership, the crown is sick. The whole heart, the true strength of the body is faint. Congestive failure. From the sole of the foot, the grass roots, the blue collar we say, the grass roots, even to the head, all the way up to the top leadership, there's no soundness in it.

But wounds, bruises, putrefying sores. They've not been closed. They've not been bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire. Your land, strangers devour it in your presence. And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard. A cottage left in a vineyard is overgrown eventually, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

It's overgrown. Except the Lord of hosts had left us. And there's a progressive chronological flow going on here. You know, from bad to worse to worse. And except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant. Left to us. A very small remnant. Because when the troubles have eventually and totally and completely played out, there's not going to be a lot left. We should have been at Sodom, which was totally wiped out. And we should have been likened to Gomorrah, which is totally wiped out. And speaking of Sodom, speaking of Gomorrah, Isaiah is inspired to write, Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom.

Give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah. Because of the corruption. Verses 21-23, How has the faithful city become a harlot? It was full of judgment. Righteousness lodged in it. But now murderers. Your silver has become draws. Your wine is mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious. Your rulers and companions of thieves. Everyone loves gifts and follows after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither does the cause of the will, or come to them.

And then in chapter 3, verse 12, As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them, O my people, they which lead you, cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths. We're setting ourselves up for our own destruction. Hosea 8-7, after the book of Daniel, Hosea 8, verse 7, For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. Jeremiah 2, verse 19, They've sown the wind.

They're going to reap the whirlwind. They've sown the wind, and they're going to receive a tornado. That's a whirlwind. Jeremiah 2, verse 19, Your own wickedness shall correct you. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. Your own wickedness shall correct you. And your backsliding shall reprove you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter. That you have forsaken the Lord your God, and that my fear is not in you, says the Lord God of hosts. Know therefore and see that it's an evil thing and it's bitter.

That you have forsaken the Lord your God, and that my fear is not in you, says the Lord God of hosts. Because God is in the way of the wicked. He's an obstacle to the corrupt. Let me read you what an exact quote from Aldous Huxley.

Of course, he's been at a long, long time. Aldous Huxley was a philosopher and an agnostic atheist. This is what he candidly admitted in his own words. We rejected their being a God because we didn't want an authority higher than ourselves telling us what to do. Now, let me just read that again. We rejected their being a God because we didn't want an authority higher than ourselves telling us what to do.

We wanted sexual freedom to do what we wanted to do. And that attitude is just as much alive today as ever. See, our founding fathers acknowledged something. Now, what we have going on now is the rewriting of history, of the record. Again, lying is becoming institutionalized.

Our founding fathers acknowledged something. They acknowledged that freedom and well-being centered on God upon the free exercise of religion. And they secured and enshrined that in the Constitution. The very first amendment, the very first of the Bill of Rights, First Amendment, you know, the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights.

So the very first amendment, which is also the first of the Bill of Rights, guarantees that. Here's what it says in the Constitution. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

The Constitution says we have the freedom in here to practice our religious beliefs the way we choose to practice them. And that churches cannot be forced into certain configurations at the whim of the government. And those who try to do it are the lawbreakers. They're the lawbreakers. When Alexis de Tocqueville, the Frenchman, the young Frenchman who toured America in the early 1800s, he said this, he said, I did not understand America's greatness until I went into her churches.

See, God's inspiration was with the Founding Fathers. There is no doubt about that whatsoever. His hand was involved with the putting together of the Constitution. Every elected official, every elected official, has to take an oath to uphold the Constitution. No elected official is above it. It is the governing document that they are to adhere to, and when they don't, they're the lawbreaker. They're the lawbreaker. Freedom of religion is central and intrinsic. It has far-ranging prophetic effect, and God knew that when this nation was founded, and he saw to it that it was in there.

God put it there. He put it there through inspiring those Founding Fathers, because when you understand the big picture and what's going on with the nation, the world, and prophecy and all of it, God is the one who saw that that would be put in there. Would the Founding Fathers recognize our nation today?

A more important question, I think that's a very valid question, but a more important one is, how much longer will God recognize our existence as a nation? If a central part of our Constitution can be trampled on, then other parts can be too. Here is the condition. Two more scriptures. Here is the condition we're rapidly heading toward. Hosea again. Hosea 4 and verse 1. Here is the condition we're rapidly heading toward. Hear the word of the Lord, Hosea 4.1, you children of Israel. For the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth.

We're having less and less and less truth, nor mercy. We're having less and less mercy, nor knowledge of God. We're having less and less knowledge of God in the land. That's the direction we're moving in. Every month and year that passes is coming closer and closer to the fulfilling of that. It is the direction of death. Final scripture, Proverbs 14.12. Oh, we read Proverbs 14.12. And because of the way it's worded, we apply it, rightly so, to an individual, to a man or a woman. And that's very accurate and true, but it's not totally exclusive to just a man or a woman.

There is a way which seems right to a man. There is a way that seems right to men. There is a way that seems right to men and women. There is a way that seems right to a multitude. There is a way that seems right to the majority of a nation. There is a way that seems right to a nation, but the end thereof are the ways of death. This applies also at a national level. 2020 has stimulated a lot of watching and praying through the eyes of a watchman. This is enough to cover for the moment. So I will leave you with these three words to be continued.