Scripture: Jeremiah 22 v 3: "Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place."
As I was waiting on the Lord for His guidance for today's Bible Study He sent me a disturbing message from a friend. I also had a sense of His sadness and anger at people in authority who do wrong and are against the innocent in our society.
I am shocked about a teacher named Enoch Burke a Christian who in 2022 objected to using Woke pronouns on pupils in his class. This week a Judge in Dublin, Ireland sentenced him to life imprisonment! That's for terrorists and serial killers. What kind of persecution is this?
It does not compare with the horrific and mindless terror attack in Israel on October 7. Or 3 little girls in Southport, England slain in a dancing lesson. The Bible says an eye for an eye, a life for a life. God is fair to mete out justice to fit the crime. But now a crime is decided by whose God you serve.
No doubt the Woke Judge in Dublin is a Freemason and any criminal who scratches his nose in a specific manner will be found not guilty even of murder most foul. His itchy nose will indicate to the Judge that he is a fellow mason. This is where Freemasonry upholds its members above any law of the land but some Christian teacher needs to be made an example of for not kowtowing to corrupt government political correctness. Jesus is coming at a gallop when our justice system is broke by Woke!
A while back I watched a TV documentary called "Crimes That Shook Britain" where these drugged teenagers kicked a father to death in front of his daughters. During the trial they mocked and laughed at the court, and the shattered family until their long sentences were handed down. Then they cried. This was when violence was properly judged.
These are prominent instances of violence and shedding of innocent blood. Most go on unseen as people are raped, murdered, stabbed, shot, beaten and oppressed in all countries every day. In South Africa its the norm and those who are meant to keep law and order are often the worst offenders.
The latest sign of further conflict in the South African parliamentary system is the new Bill on Apartheid about to be considered. Mr Ismail Ibrahim Moosa is proposing that even though the Truth and Reconciliation sessions that buried the hatchet so our country could move forward were not good enough. Those who were guilty of Apartheid must pay the price no matter where in the world they may be.
He has also included that anyone who does not fully support the Palestinians in the genocide case against Israel is also guilty of Apartheid. When I hear Israel cry 'from the River to the Sea' which supporters of Palestine say about the Jews that might need investigation. Many former supporters of Palestine who went to see for themselves were astonished at the reality. They all declared that no way is Israel committing genocide.
Stats from last year show that in just KZNatal province there were nearly 15000 pregnant schoolgirls, nearly half under the age of 14; some as young as 12 years old. No wonder our Hiv/AIDS victims have reached 5,000,000 leaving more than 2 million orphans. No wonder Jesus is sad and angry. We should be too.
The scripture above in Jeremiah was delivered to the Jews some 2400 years ago but is just as applicable to each one of us today. The Christian life changes us into caring, compassionate, loving people who live in peace with one another and are considerate towards others. Our base sins are forgiven and we are changed into the likeness of Jesus day by day. We have to overcome our carnal, fleshly nature to walk in the light with Him.
We follow scriptures from the first century of the New Testament age. I was asked a question recently: "What does today's Church lack?" My answer is that Christians do not understand the full power of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We also need to go back to learn from the Christians who were in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit baptism occurred.
They turned the world upside down! They healed cripples in the street. When Peter was walking by the sick were laid in the streets because his shadow touching them healed them. When prominent Christians lied about their donation to the Church Peter pronounced death upon them because they had lied to the Holy Ghost. One after the other they dropped dead immediately.
Christianity is not for our entertainment. It's a serious radical way of life. It is not a religion. Those churches that turned it into a religion passed on a legacy that weakened the true power of the Christian Life. It winked at sin and allowed all kinds of carnality, violence, misconduct and false doctrines to tarnish that which Jesus gave His life for.
No murderer has eternal life in him. (1 John 3 v 13 - 14). Murder is a product of hate, fuelled by Jealousy or covetousness, unleashed by drugs or alcohol or religious dementia. Murder of innocents is either hot and passionate or cold and calculating but the reward is eternity in hell.
We cannot hide our heads in the sand and pretend satan is a myth. Its his best lie. A comic figure - Hotstuff the good little devil. He is not. Jesus called him the god of this world. Jesus was tempted by him in the wilderness. Jesus cast out many demons and gave us the tools to do likewise.
Jesus says there is no way to the Father except through Him. This means that every other way or religion is contrary to Him and to finding Heaven. Therefore realise that their gods are manifestations of demons that will hate true Christians. Persecution and martyrdom is rapidly increasing the world over because of this very thing. Nigeria, India, China, UK, USA. Satan is trying to wipe out all voices contrary to his will.
We must be alert for ourselves and our children to be protected against the wiles of the enemy through the huge wide door called the Internet. We must be aware of what our children are accessing on the Net. There are predators out there using every means available to connect with children right there in the "safety" of their bedrooms on their phones, tablets or laptops. Do we keep a tight check on our children, or inform them of the dangers?
Children are also affected by violence in the home when parents fight and argue and put one another down. We must love one another and support one another in dignity and truth. Threats of violence or actual wife beating can scar a child's mind for life.
Matthew 18 v 2 - 7: "And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!"
Children are not mature enough to detect predators on the Net or lurking near schools, and need your guidance. So let us heed the words God spoke to Jeremiah and take them to heart. Let us put them into practice in our own lives and pray for others to follow the right ways of our Lord.
Let us realise that God sees every child and knows who did what and when. He has already judged offenders harshly. The perpetrators of Epstein's Love Island, and many similar islands, may escape prosecution on Earth but spend eternity in Hell for the violence, murder and horrors done to children.
Galatians 5 v 21 - 24: "Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
Prayer: Heavenly Father we live in a violent age and we thank You for reminding us of how we are meant to live. Let us be examples to Your flock and help others to know how to overcome their base nature. In Jesus' name. Amen.