We have a short sequence of successes in 2 Chronicles 13 and 14. Yesterday, it was Abijah over Jeroboam: the southern kingdom, Judah, over the northern kingdom, Israel. Judah had the temple and true worship, Israel had the golden calves. “Follow God, pray, fight.”

Today it’s Asa over the Ethiopians. Asa had a good start. First, get rid of bad stuff:

Asa was a good king. He did things right in GOD’s eyes. He cleaned house: got rid of the pagan altars and shrines, smashed the sacred stone pillars, and chopped down the sex-and-religion groves (Asherim). He told Judah to center their lives in GOD, the God of their fathers, to do what the law said, and to follow the commandments. (2 Chronicles 14.2 – 4, MSG)

Next, prepare.

Asa said to his people, “While we have the chance and the land is quiet, let’s build a solid defense system, fortifying our cities with walls, towers, gates, and bars. We have this peaceful land because we sought GOD; he has given us rest from all troubles.” (2 Chronicles 14.7, MSG)

This preparation fits our recent theme of the disciplines:

• Building Below the Waterline
• Growing Strong
• Multi-tasking the disciplines!

Also with respect to preparation, our former pastor John Stevens used to say,

The waiting room of the ER is not a good place to work out your theology.

In other words, prepare in advance for hard times. And for Judah, the challenge came in the form of a large Ethiopian army:

Zerah the Ethiopian went to war against Asa with an army of a million plus three hundred chariots and got as far as Mareshah. Asa met him there and prepared to fight from the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. Then Asa prayed to GOD, “O GOD, you aren’t impressed by numbers or intimidated by a show of force once you decide to help: Help us, O GOD; we have come out to meet this huge army because we trust in you and who you are. Don’t let mere mortals stand against you!” GOD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah; the Ethiopians ran for their lives. (2 Chronicles 14.9 – 12, MSG)

Follow God, PREPARE, pray, fight.

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5.16, NIV)

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26.41, NIV)

Back to 2 Chronicles… The Kingdom of Israel divides under Rehoboam: 10 northern tribes, “Israel,” under Jeroboam, and 2 southern tribes, “Judah” with Benjamin, under Rehoboam. I wrote about this back in June. The 2 Chronicles version begins in chapter 10, and Rehoboam’s disastrous reign goes through chapter 12.

Then we have two good kings, Abijah in chapter 13 and Asa beginning in chapter 14. Let’s take a look.

Abijah finds himself at war with Jeroboam (the text doesn’t say why), and Abijah tries to explain to Jeroboam that they are on the wrong side:

Abijah took a prominent position on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and gave this speech: “Listen, Jeroboam and all Israel! Don’t you realize that GOD, the one and only God of Israel, established David and his sons as the permanent rulers of Israel,…GOD’s kingdom ruled by GOD’s king? And what happened? Jeroboam, the son of Solomon’s slave Nebat, rebelled against his master…you are asserting yourself against the very rule of GOD that is delegated to David’s descendants—you think you are so big with your huge army backed up by the golden-calf idols that Jeroboam made for you as gods! But just look at what you’ve done—you threw out the priests of GOD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests to suit yourselves, priests just like the pagans have. Anyone who shows up with enough money to pay for it can be a priest! A priest of No-God! “

But for the rest of us in Judah, we’re sticking with GOD. We have not traded him in for the latest model—we’re keeping the tried-and-true priests of Aaron to lead us to GOD and the Levites to lead us in worship by sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and aromatic incense to GOD at the daily morning and evening prayers, setting out fresh holy bread on a clean table, and lighting the lamps on the golden Lampstand every night. We continue doing what GOD told us to in the way he told us to do it; but you have rid yourselves of him. “Can’t you see the obvious? God is on our side; he’s our leader. And his priests with trumpets are all ready to blow the signal to battle. O Israel—don’t fight against GOD, the God of your ancestors. You will not win this battle.” (2 Chronicles 13.4 – 12, MSG)

I always worry when someone says they’re going to win because “I’m following God, and you’re not!” But in this case, Abijah was right even though while he’s talking Jeroboam sends some of his vast army behind the forces of Judah.

While Abijah was speaking, Jeroboam had sent men around to take them by surprise from the rear: Jeroboam in front of Judah and the ambush behind. When Judah looked back, they saw they were attacked front and back. They prayed desperately to GOD, the priests blew their trumpets, and the soldiers of Judah shouted their battle cry. At the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The army of Israel scattered before Judah; God gave them the victory. Abijah and his troops slaughtered them—500,000 of Israel’s best fighters were killed that day. The army of Israel fell flat on its face—a humiliating defeat. The army of Judah won hands down because they trusted GOD, the God of their ancestors. (2 Chronicles 13.13 – 20, MSG)

Trust God, pray, fight…and “God gave them the victory…because they trusted God…” And we’re back to our verse from two days ago:

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels…In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. (Ephesians 6.10 – 12…18, MSG)

As long as we’re on the subject of spiritual disciplines, this short article by Don Whitney, recently posted by NavPress is worth reposting in its entirety. The thoughts are from Don’s book Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed.

Multi-tasking sounds like something we want to avoid when simplifying our spiritual lives. And while that’s probably true in general, there are exceptions to the rule.

Multi-tasking originated as a technological term to speak of a computer performing more than one function at a time, but it makes me think of plate spinners who performed in variety shows in the days of black-and-white television. A plate spinner would balance a dinner plate on top of a tall, pencil-thin wooden rod, then strike the plate’s edge to make it spin. Then he would quickly start a second one spinning on another rod, then a third, on up to about ten or twelve. By the time he’d started the last one, the first plates would begin to wobble, so he’d run to the beginning of the line and quickly give each a new spin.

Sometimes people think that I’m encouraging them to be spiritual plate spinners. They picture themselves trying to keep an overwhelming number of disciplines balanced, spending more time concerned about the mere maintenance of them than the fruit of them.

Just because we can isolate a discipline (like prayer, Bible intake, worship, or fasting) and examine it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is practiced in isolation from other disciplines. In fact, it’s not unusual to perform five or six disciplines during the same devotional period, most of them simultaneously.

For example, simply by having a “quiet time” you are practicing one form of the discipline of silence and solitude. And during that time you will likely engage in worship, Bible intake, and prayer. That’s three more disciplines. Many will also write their insights from Scripture, their meditations, or other entries into a journal during this time. And if you happen to be fasting, that’s half-a-dozen individual disciplines being performed during the same devotional period. You’re doing more than you realize.

Spiritual multi-tasking is not about spinning many spiritual plates; it’s about many ways of filling your one spiritual plate with delicious, satisfying, divine nourishment for your soul. – Don Whitney, emphases his

Spiritual multi-tasking resulting in nourishment for the soul – a good word.

When your words showed up, I ate them— swallowed them whole. What a feast! What delight I took in being yours, O GOD, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies! (Jeremiah 15.16, MSG)

But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4.4, ESV)

I wrote yesterday about the importance of Building Below the Waterline, doing the hard but invisible work of the spiritual disciplines. Last Sunday at Monument Community Presbyterian Church, I had one minute to encourage folks to participate in The Navigators’ Growing Strong in God’s Family. Making the same point as yesterday’s blog, here’s part of what I said:

Paul introduces the armor of God section in Ephesians 6 with these words:

“God is strong, and he wants you strong…” (Ephesians 6.10, MSG)

If you want to get strong physically, you go to the gym and hire a personal trainer. The trainer gives you exercises to do, which, if you do them, will make you stronger.

If you want to get strong spiritually, you join Bob and June and complete Growing Strong in God’s Family. It’s just 11 weeks. It’s not a Bible study. It’s training, and you’ll leave with skills that will serve you for a lifetime.

I’m pleased that we have one (yes, only one) eager participant. I pray that she will become the “foundation of many generations” (see Isaiah 58.12).

It starts with the disciplines…and with discipline. I was just sharing by phone with someone in another state that life cannot be lived without discipline. Here’s a guy who is well-spoken, smart, but can’t stay off of alcohol. I said, “My friend, to get through life, you sometimes have to do things you don’t want to do…like go to AA and reduce your alcohol consumption to zero.”

In conversation with another friend recently, “You’re in the Word every day, right?” “Well, no.”

God is strong, and he wants you strong… (Ephesians 6.10, MSG)

…train yourself for godliness. (1 Timothy 4.7, ESV)

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12.11, ESV)

I wrote about one of Charleston’s most spectacular bridges a couple of days ago, and, coincidentally, The Navigators just sent me a marvelous call to in-depth discipleship using bridge-building as a metaphor.

In “Building Below the Waterline,” Howard Baker first lists problems with Christian leaders:

• leaders abusing their power and position 
• leaders lacking integrity in areas of basic moral, ethical, relational, and financial matters 
• leaders collapsing under the weight of the stress and pressures of the work 
• leaders who are no longer actual real-life followers of the person they have chosen to serve—Jesus Christ. 

What’s the problem?

Howard says the problem is in the foundation, and he tells this story taken from Gordon MacDonald’s book Building Below the Waterline:

In his insightful introduction, he quotes from David McCullough’s book, The Great Bridge. McCullough tells the story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in the latter half of the 1800s. This engineering marvel of its day took 17 years to build. After the first four years of construction, the citizens of Brooklyn complained to the chief engineer, Washington Roebling, asking why they could not see any construction. Where was their bridge? 

Roebling’s answer was epic. During the previous four years, the most important work was being done where no one could see it, below the waterline. Daring construction workers were putting their lives at risk to do the hard work of building the foundation. He said that if this important work was not done with excellence below the waterline, what was built above the waterline would not stand the test of time. Brilliant!

Baker goes on to say:

Regrettably, far too many leaders in ministry, church, mission agency, and the marketplace have spent the majority of their time building above the waterline. They are building wonderful “bridges” of ministry while forgetting the most important and strategic work—constructing the foundation. It is here, below the waterline, where the most daring and courageous work occurs: knowing God and knowing ourselves. 

I would say it’s the same reason athletes spend time in the weight room, and pianists spend hours doing “boring scales” and other exercises. They’re building “below the waterline.” Legendary football coach Bear Bryant used to say:

You can’t live soft all week and play tough on Saturday.

Baker concludes:

So what is building below the waterline? What is the foundation built on the rock? The apostle Paul states it simply,

No one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 3:11).

There is only one genuine and eternal foundation for our lives: being with Jesus to become like Him. That is our one and only job, mission, and calling. All else, every bridge or house, is built on that. How? Dallas Willard states it clearly and simply, “You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.” That’s it and that’s all! 

Jesus said it first (also cited by Baker):

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 724 – 27, ESV)

PS One place to start (at the risk of beating the same drum over and over) is our daily time with God.

If you read the Wright Brothers blog, you know that we were in the Southeast when Helene came through. That’s why we went to Kitty Hawk on Thursday, September 26. On Friday we drove to Charleston where we knew the weather would be fine…when we got there.

Fact is, the storm was moving north, and we were driving south. An encounter was inevitable, and we were in it for about 20 minutes just after a lunch stop. Torrential rain reduced visibility to near zero at times, and when everyone’s phones sounded a tornado warning, we pulled over.

The picture on the left doesn’t quite capture the storm’s intensity, but while driving from Charleston to Atlanta, hundreds of downed trees bore witness. It was a strong storm!

Have you seen the “Psalm of the Rainstorm”? Seems appropriate.

1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! (Psalm 29, ESV)

PS As this blog prepares to go to press it appears that Hurricane Milton is about to burst over Florida. More power. We can predict ’em…we can’t control ’em. I’m praying the folks in Tampa and other places have already found higher ground.

Bridges are marvelous things, and when you’re in a place like Charleston, SC, extraordinarily necessary.

Charleston is where, according to the natives, the Cooper River and the Ashley River come together to make the Atlantic Ocean!

If you have to have a bridge, why not make it a work of art also? We stayed recently in a hotel in Mt Pleasant (visible on the map) very near the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River. (Photo by June as we drove over the bridge)

(Stock photos)

It’s even more spectacular at night when God adds his artwork! (Photo by Bob from our hotel)

Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them…He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath…He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars. (2 Chronicles 8.2 – 5, ESV)

The LORD said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. (Exodus 31.1 – 5, ESV)

This is long but worth it…

I’ll never forget my first private meeting with Pastor Dave Jordan-Irwin, our pastor at Monument Community Presbyterian Church (MCPC) from when we started attending in October 2015 until he stepped down with pancreatic cancer July 2023. We were having coffee, and I mentioned something I had read in the Babylon Bee. He wasn’t familiar with the site, so I explained it was a satirical Christian news site (“Fake News You Can Trust”). He immediately said, “Wittenburg Door!”

I don’t know how many people read or remember the Wittenburg Door. It came out in 1971, and I used to subscribe to it until I realized it fed my critical spirit, which doesn’t need feeding! It’s the same reason I don’t read the Babylon Bee much. Anyway, an instant connection, and all of our “one-hour” coffees stretched to at least an hour and a half with much laughter as well as deep conversation. This blog, written during COVID, captures the essence of Pastor Dave. I told another Pastor Dave story in December.

You know that I’m writing about Dave’s passing – the other of the two friends who died of cancer the last week in September. He came back to the church and preached his retirement sermon January 14, 2024. It was bitterly cold, minus 11, and I thought he might put it off, but he came.

He told me when he arrived he was “weary.” He preached standing up and did most of the receiving line standing up not rushing anyone through. Here he is greeting June:

The sermon was constructed around “Little Drummer Boy,” and he played a very souped up version with wild percussion. He introduced it by asking if we could identify phrases meaningful to him (Hint: not “pa rum pum pum pum.”) I’m not a fan of the song, but I could get into this 4:30 arrangement. Please listen.

Here are my notes from the sermon: “He Rejoices Over You with Gladness”

• “I am a poor boy too.”
  • The drummer boy saw Jesus as approachable and accessible. It’s the incarnation.
  • What becomes true of us as we learn about this God?
  • Don’t be lonely: you’re not alone.
  • Isaiah 42: “A bruised reed he will not break.” Jesus combines power and tenderness.
• “I have no gift to bring that’s fit to give a king.”
  • But you do. All are called. The Blind Man in Luke 18: “Cheer up. He’s calling you.” [This is one of Dave’s favorite stories. The story starts with the man sitting by the side of the road. At the end, he’s on the road, following Jesus.”] 
• “Shall I play for you? Mary nodded.” Go for it. Try it out. Take the risk. Use your gift.
• “And he smiled at me.” That’s God. The nature of God: “All who look to him are radiant.”

His wife told us later that his kidneys are failing. One doesn’t work at all. The other is weak. A friend said he didn’t expect Dave to live for more than a few weeks. He also said he’s never heard someone preach his own funeral before.

But he surprised everyone, passing just after midnight, in the early hours of Saturday, September 28, eight months after what I thought would be his “last good day.” Here’s part of Interim Pastor John Anderson’s announcement of Dave’s passing:

Thursday morning [September 26] was my last visit with Dave.  I want to share with you some of that visit.   

It was difficult for Dave to speak, so he asked if I could hold his hand and just sit with him for a while.  After that I offered to read a passage of Scripture.  He requested Colossians 3 from The Message (verses 3-4).

Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

Dave smiled knowingly when he heard these words. Becca talked about how Dave had continued to bless each of them with assurances of his affection and his confidence of God’s care for them.  There was a brilliance about Dave every time I visited him.  I told him that I believed he had a keener sense of who Jesus is than just about anyone I have ever met.  I believe that to be true and you at MCPC have experienced that Jesus-warmth in Dave firsthand.

Good words, Pastor John, and thank you, Pastor Dave, for being my friend and another example of how to live and how to die.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4.6 – 8, ESV)

We lost two friends to cancer last week, both extraordinary Jesus followers, each in their own way. This blog is about one of them.

Carol Ann Nolen was our backyard neighbor when we lived in Montgomery, Alabama, the first time, 1977 – 1984. We reconnected when we went back 2001 – 2006. A lovely lady, who fell on hard times after we moved back to Colorado. Her husband left her, and she moved in with her daughter in Auburn, Alabama, literally with nothing.

But our many mutual friends said, “Carol Ann taught us how to live.” She was never bitter. She remained cheerful and kind. Then she came down with multiple cancers, and our friends said, “Now Carol Ann is teaching us how to die.” June was able to have many long conversations with her this summer and always came away encouraged. June and Carol Ann were looking forward to a face-to-face visit on our recent trip to the southeast.

Then suddenly, June received a text from Carol Ann’s daughter that Carol Ann was declining rapidly. We wondered if we would make it in time since she would have been in Hospice a week by the time we arrived. But she was still with us, and June got to visit with her briefly both Tuesday, September 17, on our way to Montgomery and Thursday, September 19, on our way back to Atlanta and points east. She passed the following Thursday. The obit captures her spirit succinctly:

Carol Ann Nolen passed away peacefully on September 26, 2024, at Bethany House in Auburn, AL, following a lengthy battle with cancer. She was born in Montgomery, AL, on December 14, 1943…She is survived by her son Brad Nolen (Tonya) and her daughter Amy Smith (Todd). She is also survived by her grandchildren Brennan Smith, Nolen Smith, Landon Smith, Drew Nolen, and Ella Kate Nolen. There are many others that Carol Ann loved and treated like children and grandchildren.

Carol Ann was a faithful and dedicated servant of Jesus Christ. Her love of Christ was evident in all that she did. It was most evident in her relationships with her family and friends. Carol Ann was known for her compassionate, humble service to others. She was often alongside family, friends, neighbors and sometimes strangers during their greatest time of need. Her humility would never allow her to seek any accolades for her service. Her only wish would be that her legacy would bring honor to Jesus Christ and bring others into an eternal relationship with Him. She was grateful for and would want to thank the staff at Bethany House, all her other caregivers and all her friends that helped her during her time of need.

A life well lived.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12.1 – 3, ESV)

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116.15, ESV)

PS On our first visit, I asked Carol Ann’s daughter, Amy, how long she had been in the hospice facility. Amy misunderstood the question and thought that I had asked how long she would stay there. She replied, “Until the end.” When she said that, I thought, “That’s not quite right. She’ll stay until the beginning.”

Enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25.21, ESV)

I always love these accounts where, when God shows up, the priests can’t do their thing:

When Solomon finished praying, a bolt of lightning out of heaven struck the Whole-Burnt-Offering and sacrifices and the Glory of GOD filled The Temple. The Glory was so dense that the priests couldn’t get in—GOD so filled The Temple that there was no room for the priests! When all Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the Glory of GOD fill The Temple, they fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and worshiped, thanking GOD… (2 Chronicles 7.1 – 3, MSG)

I’ve written about this before.

But then we have God’s specific response to Solomon’s prayer at the temple dedication:

GOD appeared to Solomon that very night and said, “I accept your prayer; yes, I have chosen this place as a temple for sacrifice, a house of worship. If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health. From now on I’m alert day and night to the prayers offered at this place. Believe me, I’ve chosen and sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always. As for you, if you live in my presence as your father David lived, pure in heart and action, living the life I’ve set out for you, attentively obedient to my guidance and judgments, then I’ll back your kingly rule over Israel—make it a sure thing on a sure foundation. The same covenant guarantee I gave to David your father I’m giving to you, namely, ‘You can count on always having a descendant on Israel’s throne.’ “(2 Chronicles 7.12 – 18, MSG)

This contains the well-known 2 Chronicles 7.14:

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7.14, ESV)

What to do with it? It’s a beautiful verse, and it’s been set to music. This 4-minute performance by a Christian High School is worth a listen.

But is it a promise? For the United States? Or any country? The US is certainly not “God’s nation” as Israel was. But God’s people are here. And it’s WE who need to humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s presence, and turn from wickedness. If we did, would God restore our land to health? I don’t think it’s a promise, but it might be a principle, along with the next section which contains the curses if we don’t follow God:

But if you or your sons betray me, ignoring my guidance and judgments, taking up with alien gods by serving and worshiping them, then the guarantee is off: I’ll wipe Israel right off the map and repudiate this Temple I’ve just sanctified to honor my Name. And Israel will be nothing but a bad joke among the peoples of the world. And this Temple, splendid as it now is, will become an object of contempt; tourists will shake their heads, saying, ‘What happened here? What’s the story behind these ruins?’ Then they’ll be told, ‘The people who used to live here betrayed their GOD, the very God who rescued their ancestors from Egypt; they took up with alien gods, worshiping and serving them. That’s what’s behind this God-visited devastation.’ (2 Chronicles 7.19 – 22, MSG)

I’ve been to those places. Herod’s summer palace in Caesarea, for example. I remember thinking, looking at ruins of what was once a magnificent compound, “I wonder what that used to be?”

God has proven over and over again that nothing is permanent. Great civilizations perish. Rome? Italy is a place people go to for vacation. Hardly a world leader.

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4.18, 19, ESV)

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1.18 – 23, ESV)