Sound The Midnight Cry

“Who Dat Nation!”

Those of us living in Louisiana can attest to the fact that “Who Dat Nation” is alive and well. With the Super Bowl bound New Orleans Saints are  the hopes and dreams of the forever faithful "Who Dat" fans.

To say that the NFL created a controversy last week when it issued letters telling area merchants that they could not sell merchandise with “Who Dat” printed on it, is an understatement at best. There are those in South Louisiana that would tell you that they don’t need a lot of reasons to start trouble, and the NFL’s statement in their eyes, was grounds for a righteous rebellion. After all, who are they to tell the fans that the chant of the last 20 years was now “trademarked” by the NFL? Their actions even enlisted a U.S. Senator joining the revolt of the people crying against the tyranny of the NFL. “Who Dat!” became a battle cry as well as a statement of a people like a Phoenix rising from the flood waters of Katrina and Rita, stretching upwards on the back of their beloved Saints football team. The Saints were marching into Miami and no person or organization was going to tell them what they could wear or couldn’t wear or say.

I say all of this as I reflected on the original chant, “Who dat say gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?” I woke up the other night with this on my mind (I don’t know why as I certainly have enough other stuff in my life to consume my thoughts). Yet, there it was repeating itself over and over: “Who dat say gonna beat dem Saints?”

I lay there wondering why this would be on my mind (other than the game was only days away), I thought of the issues I was presently dealing with in my world and tried to fathom “why” would I be thinking about “Who Dat?” Suddenly it became so clear.

The passage in Romans 8:28 came to mind (my favorite verse): “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I realized at that moment God was speaking to me to realize that the “all things” happening my life at that moment had its reasons. Verse 31 continued with, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

I remember the first time in my teenage life when I realized that God was for me and not my enemy. I grew up with the idea that God was just waiting for me to step out of line so He could take me out. How life changing it was when I understood that God was working everything for my good (even if I didn’t understand ‘how’).

The Apostle Paul’s letter continues in verses 36-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It was then that I realized that God himself was the originator of the first “Who Dat”! With that understanding, the “saints” of God can face any adversity that comes our way and know “God is for us” and there’s not a force on earth or a devil in hell that can deter us from finishing out mission in life.

So when the trump of God sounds and the saints of God rise in the air to enter triumphantly through the gates of glory, don’t be surprised if you hear a delegation of God’s people from Louisiana singing, “Who dat say gonna beat dem saints? Who dat…who dat!” Look over your shoulder—I’ll be one of them!

“Another Roman Empire?”

A few years ago, I taught on the importance of the rise of the European Union in the light of bible prophecy. Recent developments there have brought a new twist to what is happening to fulfill events foretold thousands of years ago by the prophets in scripture.

The prophet Daniel records for us in chapter nine, that the Anti-Christ will be a prince/ruler that comes out of a revision of the old Roman Empire. Many people have assumed this to mean that he would be European but a closer look reveals that this is likely false, especially in light of current events.

In November 2009, we saw the nations of the EU elect a permanent president and a foreign policy chief (the EU presidency rotated every 6 months among different national leaders). Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of Sweden, which held the EU presidency until the year's end stated, “…what we were seeking were people to create continuity, to be able to put us together, to be the voice, the face and the presence of Europe throughout the world.”

In 2008, President Sarkozy of France, who was serving as the six-month EU president, brought into existence a new regional union—the Mediterranean Union or, as it's now officially called, the Union for the Mediterranean. The Associated Press reported, “It brought together around one table for the first time dignitaries of such rival nations as Israel and Syria, Algeria and Morocco, Turkey and Greece”. Its aim is to be “a means to end all hatreds, to make way for a great dream of peace and a great dream of civilization.”

Originally, Sarkozy meant it to be limited to nations bordering the Mediterranean with the intent of enhancing France's status. However, Germany and other northern EU states, however, were outraged at being cut out of this bloc and it was reshaped to include those countries.

Notably absent was Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who did send a representative. Angry that original plans were changed to include the whole EU and the Middle East, including Israel, Gaddafi boycotted the meeting, saying, “We shall have another Roman Empire and imperialist design.”

Recently, we have seen two new developments: Mevlut Cavusoglu was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly at the Council of Europe today. “I am the first President of the Parliamentary Assembly born east of Vienna. For the last 60 years the Presidents have come from just ten countries,” Cavusoglu said, during his first meeting with the press.

Ahmad Massaadeh, a former Jordanian ambassador to the EU and NATO, has formally been named head of the Mediterranean Union project, making him the first leader of the forum created in 2008. “The appointment of the secretary general constitutes a decisive step in the institutional construction of the Union”, Bernard Kouchner said in a statement. The secretary general will be based in Barcelona and have Israeli, Palestinian, Turkish and Arab League deputies.

All of these actions simply point to the accuracy of the words told by the prophets of old. Along with these prophecies are the ones that point to the return of Jesus Christ to planet earth—and it’s getting closer with every passing day!

“The Man Behind The Curtain”

The news stories of the past few weeks, remind me of a great scene from the movie, “Wizard of Oz”. Events in the political arena, international conflicts, houses of finance and natural disasters, all seem to clamoring for our attention. Like the characters in the Land of Oz, when walking through the chambers of the great wizard, are awestruck by what they see.

When stepping back to look at the larger picture of world events, I can’t help but think of the scene in that great chamber room in Oz, when Toto the dog pulls back the curtain, exposing the ‘wizard’ to be an ordinary man making a lot of noise. And why is he putting on a show? Because he is powerless to address their real concerns.

In an effort to ‘save face’ he looks them in the eye, then turns back around and thunders into his microphone, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. I am the great and powerful Oz.”

By this time however, the charade is over—the truth is now known and Dorothy and her friends are each faced with a crisis—what to do now that the wizard is a fake.

As I take into account everything that is happening and how it seems to be accelerating to some unknown point on the horizon of time, questions of “why”? and “to what end?” have to be answered. Yet the politicians, financial gurus and world leaders seem to be yelling out “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” in hopes that no one will realize that they too are asking the same questions.

Shortly after the last U.S. Presidential election, incoming Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told a Wall Street Journal CEO conference on the economy, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” He continued saying, “Things that we had postponed for too long, that were long-term, are now immediate and must be dealt with. This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before.”

A few months later, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed a European audience on the environment stating, “Never waste a good crisis…” A good crisis!

A crisis has a way of getting our attention and breaking through the peripheral stuff that tends to get in our way. Unlike a politician that seizes a crisis to try and manipulate an agenda on distracted people, a truly “good crisis” can help us see through the agendas and schemes of others—even our own misguided beliefs.

The everyday events on the world stage should cause us to step back and ask the question “why?” and be determined to listen and accept the truth God reveals within the pages of the Bible.

The actions of a little dog brought forth the truth to the people of Oz. Though its actions created an immediate crisis, once the truth was known and accepted, the outcome was far better for everyone.

The pages of Scripture reveal the prophecies of events to come. They pull back the curtain of the unknown and allow a person to see the real events as they are and will soon be. The end result is the truth is liberating, brings a new freedom in living, opens our eyes to the 'bigger picture' and gives one confidence to the final outcome!

So we can choose to listen to the pundits of our day that pull the levers and wave their hands in hopes of persuading us that they know what they are doing and to follow them. Or we can listen to the One who was, and is and is to come, forevermore. The One who knows the end before the beginning. The One who said, "I'll never leave you, nor forsake you." The One in whom all things are created and held together...Jesus Christ.

I think I'll pay attention to Him and what He says...everything else is just smoke and mirrors!

"Ears To Hear, Eyes To See"

At the present time, the world is focused on the almost immeasurable crisis in Haiti. Cries are going out to the four corners of the earth; cries of help financially for food, water, rescue equipment, military and medical personnel and most of all--prayers. Anyone with any sense of compassion is responding, as they should.

I'm always amazed how in a crisis such as this one, the way people 'hear' the cries and respond to the need. It makes one feel good inside to know that people are willing to help when the need arises.

All of this has caused me to wonder why people can 'see' this type of need so quickly yet when other problems loom on the horizon, they fail to see or heed the warnings of what is coming.

It reminds me of the joke where to guys are standing on the side of the road holding a sign that says, “The end is near”. As a car speeds by ignoring their warning, one guy turns to his friend and says, “Maybe we should have said 'The Bridge is out'”.

Sometimes the signs around us are so confusing that rather than try to understand them, we simply ignore them and speed along with our lives. But just like the car that finds out too late that the bridge is out, people fail to see the inevitable until it is too late.

Every day I scan news events to ‘see’ what is happening in the light of bible prophecy. Regardless of what anyone may choose to believe, the Bible is as current (or more so) than you daily newspaper, evening news report or even “The Drudge Report”.

As one reads the Scriptures, we must ask God to open our ears and eyes so that we can hear and see with understanding. This is what Jesus told the people of his day when He said, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.” The Apostle John in the Book of Revelations recorded the Spirit of God saying to each of the seven churches, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

For us today, the question is not “Does God still talk?” but rather, “Is anyone listening?” This was crossed my mind as I read an article posted two days ago titled, “Sovereign Debt Crisis Coming As Recovery Stalls – U.S. states in serious trouble”. Like the sign saying “the end is near” this headline garnered no airtime by the mainstream media. However, it like many others that keep popping up more and more frequently, are trying to warn anyone that will listen that “the bridge is out” and we need to stop.

Articles documenting the fiscal crisis brewing in the US, UK, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Japan, as well as the highly touted China have become almost a daily occurrence. My concern is that like the boy that cried “wolf” so often that people no longer considered him serious, these continual warnings have caused us to yawn each time we hear one.

Americans have a tendency to shrug off warnings that pertain to ‘other’ nations—after all, we’re the United States. So they close their eyes and cover their ears and never hear the warnings that a fiscal crisis is hitting almost every state in The Union. California alone has a whopping 56% deficit as a percent of its General Fund Budget.

An episode of “60 Minutes” addressed the current U.S. fiscal problems with one of the most respected investment fund managers Whitney Tilson. He gave a glimpse into what is coming very soon that will make the financial shock of 2008 look like a walk in the park. The first part of that video can be seen below.

In January of 1990, my wife and I were visiting an acquaintance in Guatemala. One afternoon in a time of prayer, the Holy Spirit revealed to me in a rather startling way, several things that were coming to the United States. For the last 19 years, I have been telling people about that experience as opportunities have allowed me to do so. One of the areas made clear to me was that a financial collapse was coming worldwide. I saw it beginning in Asia and spreading through Europe as well as South America upward. Eventually I saw it hitting the U.S. as I watched a financial meltdown happen over New York City. So when I ‘see’ and ‘hear’ news events such as these, I take note and try to understand what is happening in the light of biblical prophecy.

Now I know that there will be those that say I’m a full of gloom and doom to which I would say, “No so!” After all, if the bridge is out, the bridge is out—plain and simple. To know that it is out and not to warn others is not a doomsday message—it is simply the truth. The truth may hurt but it’s definitely better than the alternative.

So I will continue to speak out and try to garner people’s attention whenever and wherever I can. The message is anything but calamity but rather about the surety there is in having a relationship with Jesus Christ—the one who knows the end before we know the beginning. It is about having the direction of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to us that would “…guide us into all truth…He will tell you things to come.” John 16:13

So let those that have ears to hear, let them ‘see and hear’ with spiritual understanding. The end is near—Jesus is coming soon!

“Hell Came Up!”

It is hard for one to imagine the magnitude of the destruction and suffering that has been taking place this past week in Haiti. The headline on “The Drudge Report” said it all, “Hell Came Up!” That description instills within the mind of every person the most dreaded fear that we can imagine.

I learned firsthand in 2005 in the first days of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, that pictures and news reports cannot convey the intensity of the devastation or the extent of human loss. Video does not allow the viewer the ability for all the senses to be engaged to really determine the enormity of the situation. Photos can capture a moment but the truth is that it is more than a short period of time that comes to end like a sporting event. With every passing day, the victims of the tragedy in Haiti wake-up to find that the harshness remains and that hopelessness looms over them.

Rescue operations and humanitarian assistance continues to pour into that tiny nation hoping to still find survivors among the rubble. Meanwhile, side stories are emerging of looting, gangs wielding machetes wandering the streets and questions of who is actually running the government. Reports have come in of roadblocks being formed with the bodies of victims as anger boils over from those desperately needing aid.

To say that the situation is dire is an understatement and the need for aid is great. What is also of great need at this time is understanding as people look for answers to questions that are of a spiritual nature. Unfortunately, statements made by certain religious leaders have caused confusion and disgust and cast a disdain towards Christianity in the minds of people.

One TV minister made a statement that Haiti’s problems (past and present) are the result of being cursed due to a pact with the devil. This statement essentially means that this was God’s judgment on that nation. Interestingly, that same ministry is sending tons of humanitarian help to the victims of “God’s judgment”.

And herein rests the problem for the person trying to figure out the answer to the “why’s?” and “what should I do about it”?

First - if the devastation and problems of that nation are due to God’s judgment, why should we be helping the victims recover? After all, if the nation is cursed, won’t it just happen again? Could we find ourselves “fighting against God”?

Second - I always believed our obligation as Christians is to be Christ-like. True, Jesus spoke out against the evils of His day but not once did he call down judgment on anyone. His disciples asked Jesus once about calling down fire on a village because the people refused to welcome them but Jesus rebuked them for their words and thoughts.

Third - I believe that Christians are called to point out the evils of a society in the same way in 2008, five scientists authored a paper warning that a fault line on the south side of Haiti posed a 'major seismic hazard’. To remain silent would be a crime of a moral nature.

Fourth - the estimates of the dead from the earthquake are now hitting numbers near half a million. Compare that to the less than 2,000 people that died in Katrina and it staggers the mind. With that in mind, I wonder how many Christians have anguished over the eternal souls of those that passed into an everlasting “living hell?”

Finally - there are times that God does bring judgment upon a nation, but it is an effort on His part to turn the people back to Him; for there mercy and grace is found.

If one truly believes that the actions of a nation results in God’s judgment, then it’s time for Christians to call out to God for His mercy on the USA--and pray that He hears us!