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Are You
Wise, Or A Fool?
By Grant Phillips
Two words,
differentiated by
two letters, have
two contrasting
meanings. “Obvious”
means clear,
understandable,
palpable,
noticeable,
apparent, evident,
and observable.
“Oblivious” means
unaware,
unconscious,
unmindful, ignorant,
and insensible.
Two groups of people
are walking this
earth, those who are
wise and those who
are fools. The Bible
says, “A
wise person thinks
much about death,
while the fool
thinks only about
having a good time
now.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:4
NLT) It also states,
“The
way of a fool is
right in his own
eyes, But a wise man
is he who listens to
counsel.”
(Proverbs 12:15
NASB)
It is obvious to the
wise that Jesus
could return at any
moment. They know
that time is running
out for the church
age. However, the
fool is totally
oblivious. What a
contrast!
Greed, morality and
violence are off the
charts, but fools
continue to rush
head-long into the
mouth of judgment. I
am reminded of the
Chaldean king,
Belshazzar, and his
big party, in the
book of Daniel.
While they were
indulging in their
revelry, judgment
was at the door.
That same night
Darius the Mede
killed Belshazzar
and took his kingdom
from him.
What brought this
judgment down upon
Belshazzar? Daniel
reminds Belshazzar
that his father,
Nebuchadnezzar, was
humbled by God, and
that his father
recognized the Most
High God as the real
Ruler of mankind. He
then told Belshazzar
that even though he
knew this, he had
not humbled his
heart, but had
actually exalted
himself against the
Lord of Heaven.
Belshazzar took the
vessels from God’s
house and drank wine
from them, and if
that were not
enough, he and all
his court worshiped
false gods, or
idols, of silver,
gold, bronze, iron,
wood and stone. He
did not glorify the
very God that gave
him breath. Then God
wrote upon the wall
for Daniel to
translate: MENE,
MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN. The
interpretation was,
“God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
Thou art
weighed in the
balances, and art
found wanting. Thy
kingdom is divided,
and given to the
Medes and Persians.”
(Daniel 5:26-28)
I believe that our
country is at the
same point of
Belshazzar and his
court on the night
of judgment. Good
men of God have said
that if
America
would just turn back
to God, we could
avoid His judgment.
That is still true,
but I believe we are
well past that
point. I do not
believe that we will
turn back to God as
a country, and I do
not believe we will
avoid His imminent
judgment. I further
believe that we as a
nation will receive
a judgment far more
severe than any
nation in history,
simply because we
have been blessed
more than any nation
in history, except Israel. Would you like to take a
guess of the
severity of God’s
judgment upon Israel in the past, and what awaits
them in the
Tribulation? Let us
not be fools, and
think we are more
highly esteemed that
Israel,
and will not be
judged. If you can
imagine a golf ball
teetering on the
edge of the hole
just prior to
falling in, that is
where I see the
United States of
America in our day.
We, as Belshazzar,
have desecrated
God’s house. We have
filled our Lord’s
pulpits with men
(and women) of
corrupt minds. We
have blasphemed His
Holy Word with our
own Satanically
inspired hogwash.
Our pews are filled
with people who
would rather be
somewhere else, but
hope their
occasional presence
might allow them to
sneak in the back
door of Heaven.
Other pew sitters
deem the church as
their own, instead
of belonging to the
One who bled and
died for it. Some
churches are country
clubs. Some are
politically correct
social gatherings.
Some are happy hour
(but not in the true
spiritual sense).
We have corrupted
His vessels. We have
taken His message
and even His music
and turned them into
our own. We have
taken His human
vessels and
corrupted their
minds with the
strong wine of false
gospels. We party at
the altar, and dance
our cares away.
We have worshipped
other gods in our
drunken stupor. We
pride ourselves in
the décor of our
“playground”.
Instead of
worshipping God, we
worship the pulpits,
the pews, the
instruments, the
activities, the
stained glass
windows, the high
steeples, the robes
and the carpets. We
worship the created
more than the
Creator. Since we
now know more than
God, prayer is no
longer necessary
either.
Thank God for those
who still faithfully
know their place
with the Almighty
God, the Daniels of
this world, but
their numbers are
dwindling. Jesus
said,
“... Nevertheless
when
the
Son of man cometh,
shall he find
faith on
the
earth?”
(Luke 18:8) I
believe the Father
is waiting for that
last one to come to
His Son to be saved,
and then will say to
Him, “Go. Get your
bride.” Then soon
after, “Darius” will
enter the door of
this fallen world.
If two particular
groups in our day
and age fail, our
nation will fall,
and they have both
fallen flat on their
face. They are the
church, and
womanhood. The
church is obvious.
We have been talking
about that already.
The other,
womanhood, is not so
obvious to those who
are oblivious, but
is an important key
to the stability of
a family, the
church, and the
nation.
A wise pastor once
stated years ago
when I was just a
pup, that when women
stop being ladies,
we are in trouble. I
thank God for the
Christian women in
my family, and in my
associations with
the Church and
communities where I
have lived. Many
times, if it were
not for the women,
the church doors
would not have been
opened, because the
men were just too
sorry. The women may
not be appointed by
God to be in lead
positions, but they
are the backbone to
the church and the
family.
Let’s face it. What
a child learns at
his/her mother’s
knee, can change the
direction of a
country and has done
so in the past. From
the mother’s knee
have come soul
winners for God, but
also Satan’s little
hellions on earth.
Pastors and
missionaries have
been produced from
mothers’ knees, as
well as murderers
and rapists.
Too many women today
strive to be equal
with men, without
realizing they would
have to step down to
do so. When ladies
stop demanding
respect from men,
they will get none,
and that is where we
are today. This
attitude has
produced a society
where the words
“lady” and
“gentleman” are
unknown, and
obviously not
practiced.
So many of us are
living our lives
today as if there is
no tomorrow and no
consequences for our
actions. Our court
system may
sympathize with your
sob story, but the Heavenly Court will look right down into
your soul and cast
you, body and soul,
into the lake of
fire, if you are
without Jesus Christ
in your life.
People today are
“running to and
fro”, indulging
themselves in their
own interests,
whether they be
“good” or “bad”.
They have not a care
in the world that
something is about
to happen. God is
the last thing on
their minds. Even if
Jesus delays His
coming many years
down the road, we
all are going to
die. Then what?
Jesus said, “He
is like a man which
built an house, and
digged deep, and
laid the foundation
on a rock: and when
the flood arose, the
stream beat
vehemently upon that
house, and could not
shake it: for it was
founded upon a rock.
But he that heareth,
and doeth not, is
like a man that
without a foundation
built an house upon
the earth; against
which the stream did
beat vehemently, and
immediately it fell;
and the ruin of that
house was great.”
(Luke 6:48-49) What
have you built your
house upon?
God has appointed
watchmen on the wall
for this generation.
He is warning all
who will listen that
time is running out,
but so many are
strolling along with
the headphones of
the world’s
enticements blaring
in their ears,
totally oblivious to
the obvious that is
all around us. We
think all is going
to proceed as it
always has, but our
little house of
cards is about to
fall. Are you all
about having a good
time, or are you
ready to listen to
wise counsel? The
writing is on the
wall. We can either
be a fool like
Belshazzar, or wise
like his father,
Nebuchadnezzar.
Better yet, if we
would prefer not to
be eating grass
alongside the
cattle, we could be
even wiser, and be
like Daniel.
Grant Phillips
grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture
Commentary
http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
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