Awakening the Church: Returning to the Preaching of the Gospel Part 3

My spirit is sorely grieved by what is taking place in many nations around the world. I am especially grieved by America. It is a nation that professes to be “one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” The reality is a nation divided against itself can’t stand. There is little to no acknowledgment of the true and living God, not even among professing Christians. The nation is on the edge of a precipice as American democracy is crumbling.

In Matthew 12:22:32 we read of the conflict over Satan. Some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and couldn’t talk because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man, so that he was capable of talking and seeing. The crowds were all amazed at what Jesus had done. “Could this be the Son of David?” the people asked. Much like most worldly people today, were always looking for something to criticize. Instead of rejoicing over the healing of the man, they accused Christ of being in league with Satan. Christ points out that this argument is not logical, since it would mean Satan is fighting against himself.

Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined. Every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (Matt. 12:26-28).

Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart. So if one group is fighting another in Satan’s kingdom, this means the kingdom is already divided into groups. It will soon fall apart! You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. Well, then, who gives your followers the power to drive them out? What your own followers do proves that you are wrong! No, it is not Beelzebul. It is God’s Spirit who gives me the power to drive out demons. This proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you. The more people magnified Christ, the more desirous the Pharisees were to vilify him.

If Christ’s statements in verses 26-28 are true, and they are, then America is failing as a nation. As I watch what is taking place today, I hear Genesis 6:3 in my spirit.  “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years. The Hebrew word translated as “strive” (KJV, NKJV), “contend” (NIV), “abide” (ESV), and “remain” rib or rub: to strive, contend.

What does thins mean?

Some scholars believe the 120 years in Genesis 6:3 refers to a shorter lifespan. They theorize that God would start to impose this on humans after the flood. Another interpretation of the 120 years suggests that it was the time remaining before the flood. In the richness of His grace, God was giving people more than enough time to repent. This concept aligns with the directly previous statement that God’s Spirit would not strive with man forever.

The Hebrew word translated as “strive”, “contend”, “abide”, and “remain” appears only this once in the Old Testament. What captures my attention is the term “remain: used by the Christian Standard Bible. A reminder of Revelation 3:2, when the angel of the church at Sardis said, “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God” (Rev. 3:2).

In Noah’s day, we know God no longer tolerated the corruption and rebellion that had overtaken human hearts. Living with it was so troubling to Him that “it broke his heart” (Gen. 6:6, NLT). As Genesis reads, God will not strive with man forever. This means that the Lord will not put up with our sinful disobedience indefinitely. During the historical period of the flood moral chaos filled the earth. Wickedness in people’s hearts had become so pervasive that God decided to press the restart button (Gen. 6: 5-8, 11-13). The church in America is in crisis. It is in need of a restart, a fresh beginning, and reformation.

Matthew 24:36-39 reads, “But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

We do not know the day nor the hour of His return. Yet, there are signs pointing to His imminent return!

Notes: Notes: Unless otherwise identified, scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

1. “Strive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2023.

A. Francine Green is an ordained minister and the author of Daughter of the King: Possessing Your Spiritual Inheritance .

Righteous causes – Judge Luttig stated this our righteous ca.docx