Deja Vu

“This is a story being repeated right before our eyes. Deja vu.”

“O God, why have you cast us off forever?
Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?”
Psalm 74:1

Before judgment fell upon Israel, the Lord had spent years sending prophets to warn them. The Lord pleaded with them not to rebel against him. Reading the Book of Jeremiah, one is struck by the intensity of God’s heart as he pleads with them. One sees the tenderness, his love for his people, his warning them not to continue in the ways of rebellion, his pleading with them as with many tears.

But they wouldn’t listen. In fact, they put forth false prophets who “prophesied” that they were the chosen people of God and that God will always keep them and no harm will come to them. They hated the “prophets of gloom and doom,” and even killed some of them. They were defiant. They stomped their feet and defied them, threw Jeremiah into a dungeon.

Finally …judgment fell. And they were shocked. They cried out to God:

vs 4, 6, 7:
“Your enemies roar in the midst of your meeting place;
They set up their banners for signs…
…and now they break down its carved work, all at once,
with axes and hammers.
They have set fire to your sanctuary;
they have defiled the dwelling place of your Name to the ground.”

Now when judgment has fallen upon them, they wonder why. Instead of killing the prophets of God, they should have killed the prophets who told them all was well. They had listened to the false prophets, so now they’re in shock when judgment comes.

vs 10-11:
“O God, how long will the adversary reproach?
Will the enemy blaspheme your Name forever?
WHY do you withdraw your hand, even your right hand?
Take it out of your bosom and destroy them.”

“Why?” …How can they ask “why”?

This they need to be told: “You REFUSED the warnings of God throughout all the days of his pleading with you. Now you’ve been given over to your enemies.”

They are like children, pointing the finger to the ones hurting them, telling how they’re being wronged, and accusing the enemy of reproaching God’s Name. There’s no hint here of repentance, only of pointing the finger away from themselves.

vs 18:
“Remember this, that THE ENEMY (not themselves)
has reproached, O Lord,
and that a foolish people (not themselves)
has blasphemed your Name.”

This very thing is happening today. America has gone into deep and defiant sin. God has sent many to speak to the people and warn them that judgment will surely come if they continue in their refusal to repent.

One of the greatest voices in the land is the voice of Jonathan Cahn –a Jew. A Jew from the tribe of Levi. How could God make it any plainer? He has written a book, “The Harbinger,” but most refuse to read it. He speaks at every opportunity, but few are heeding his call to repentance. It’s as though God is pleading, pleading, pleading, “Oh my people, please -please don’t continue in defiance, I hate judgment but if you continue it will have to be poured out upon you at last.”

What can we say? There are true men of God like Jonathan Cahn, men like Franklin Graham, and many more, shouting that judgment is coming, pleading with the people to repent, but the people rather are listening to the voices of the false prophets who tell them that all will be well. Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, even the Pope. This is a story being repeated right before our eyes. Deja vu.

There leaves little to say, it’s all been said. If anyone is reading this who has been among those expecting only good, get down on your knees before the Lord and heed his pleading that you repent. Don’t be lost when the judgment falls. For fall, it surely will. Soon …and suddenly.