You may think that your nation is not an enemy of God. You may believe that your nation is a Christian nation. You may believe that your nation is strong spiritually. Whatever you believe . . . the nations are his enemies. There are three hundred and twenty-one (321) reference verses with the word nations. I have selected only the following verses from these three hundred and twenty-one verses as a summary of nations.
By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. (Genesis 10:5)
He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them [again]. (Job 12:23)
The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God. (Psalm 9:17)
Put them in fear, O LORD: [that] the nations may know themselves [to be but] men. Selah. (Psalm 9:20)
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (Isaiah 14:12)
All nations before him [are] as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. (Isaiah 40:17)
Babylon [hath been] a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. (Jeremiah 51:7)
And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:9)
Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. (Acts 14:16)
  The nations of Great Britain and the United States (being spiritually active in the work of the gospel) have an entirely different spiritual history. Their differences being in the time frame of their spiritual development. From Great Britain we not only have been blessed with godly men who built orphanages by faith as George Muller of Bristol, but the list of godly names of men who wrote about the gospel, promoted the gospel of God, taught the word of God, and preached the truth of the gospel, is extensive and ranges for centuries.
  As both nations grew in monetary and military corruptive power and influence, their gospel power and influence diminished. In the formative years of the gospel of both nations are similar in how the gospel took hold in each nation; both nations suffered conflict through tyranny, religious oppression, and absence and removal of the truth of the word of God. The time period differs from nation to nation (Great Britain and the United States). However, the age of Christian Enlightenment is summarized in the church of Philadelphia in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter 3, verses 7 thru 13. When the word of God was made available to all then the light of the glorious gospel presented nations with a channel of enlightenment: THE WORD OF GOD could not be hidden again from the masses.
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;Â (Revelation 3:7)
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (Revelation 3:9)
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.(Revelation 3:11)
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:13)
  As both nations flourished, and the gospel was proclaimed, something else was also flourishing: corruption from within. Both political and religious corruption became the norm, and the Christian became the rarity and the exception. There are still many who remain faithful to dead bones and to the catacombs that hold these dead bones because corruption is the decay and rot of what was once alive and vibrant. I understand that at this time in Great Britain many old churches are no longer used as places of Christian worship and instruction of the word of God. (And this is a good thing.) If it’s dead . . . it needs to be buried because of the stink. However, on the other side of the pond, we have what may seem to many as Christian growth and development because in many communities there are many churches on one corner. (For example, in my rural area, there are five churches situated on one corner.) BUT . . . this is still the same old stink and rot. New buildings upon new buildings, but with each new building there is another unscriptural doctrine, another truth, another Bible, another following, another group of faithful followers following a person, a personality, a social justice agenda, a new type of country club for the poor, and those in need of companionship unable to be satisfied with Christ and Christ alone, and confusing companionship with Christian spiritual fellowship.
Do not confuse companionship with Christian spiritual fellowship.
 In Great Britain the spiritual battle is still raging to remove the knowledge of the holy from the masses. Buildings may now serve different purposes and many places of Christian worship have been removed, and those who preach and teach the gospel are fewer, but the Word of God and His Christ can never be removed. It is because of the increase of religious buildings in the United States that we have the same spiritual battle. Most look on the buildings as proof of Christian success, but it is actually proof of Christian failure. WHY? Simply because our eyes see only the temporal and not the spiritual. The temporal has attempted to replace the center of our spiritual strength with the temporal. As many in Great Britain looked on their ancient buildings as their strength, they could not see that it was neither the buildings, nor those who were employed to maintained them, that gave them strength . . . it was/is Christ who was (and is) their center and strength. And now in the United State we are faced with the same failure. Man (without the Spirit of God within) cannot differentiate correctly between spiritual and temporal; thus, man too often confuses the two realms. Believe me when I write that there are many who HATE what I have written because they LOVE their buildings more than they LOVE Christ. Without their new buildings they do not have a faith, they do not have a religion, they do not have salvation, because their entire empty spiritual and temporal lives revolve around church attendance, church activities, church socials, oh, and yes, church bible studies. If you are growing and you are encouraged and stimulated to develop spiritually then remain in your spiritual zone. If your spiritual surroundings are not gathered as a unity around the divine principles of God, His Word, and not centered on His Christ alone, then change your surroundings. Â
  I have drawn the line in the proverbial spiritual sand . . . without a church building where is your fellowship, without a church building where can you worship, without a church building where are you welcomed?  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.(Hebrews 10:25) Paul wrote this to the Hebrews in exile, while living among the Gentiles, being spiritually torn by questions and doubts. The book of Hebrews presents God to them in His Son Jesus Christ as God, as Creator, as Prophet, and King and as Priest. He assayed to ease the Hebrews by showing them the beauties and treasures within Christ Jesus the Lord. As all Scripture is relevant to all time and ages, it is also relevant to use today in the Age of the Falling Away.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2nd Thessalonians 2:1) That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (2nd Thessalonians 2:2) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (2nd Thessalonians 2:3)
  Read these verses again especially 2:1, and by our gathering together unto him, God is gathering us together to Himself. This is the true Church of God; this is His body that we are gathered to. We are not tangible buildings!  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (2nd Timothy 4:3)
  Guess what the time will come . . . and this is the time . . . when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. 1st Timothy 4:13 gives us direction that until Christ comes to gather us to Himself, we are to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine . . . I do not see give attendance to attendance. This can be a scary time for you, right? Have you been uncomfortable in your church building scene? Have you seen things and heard things that have disturbed God’s Spirit within you? Are you uneasy, and cannot understand why? Do you have an inner sense of something not quite right within your social so-called fellowship of church building goers? Do you feel alone among your church building group? Have you been kept so busy that you cannot spend time in the word of God? Do you doubt that God can keep you if you move away from your anchor church building? Are you afraid of losing friends, family, and social comforts? I’ve been there! God always supplies. God always keeps. God never fails His child.
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, (Mark 10:29)
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. (Mark 10:30)
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37)
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (Matthew 19:29)
Religion is of man (temporal). Christianity is of Christ (spiritual).
 God doesn’t set us out alone on a dark and stormy sea on a ship with holes without His presence. Beside the importance of being alone with God and in His Word, God supplies encouragement, and teaching in other ways outside of the temporal facade. Is there a cost in obeying God? Oh, yes! But the rewards are greater than the loses! Serving God in His plan and in His purpose has rewards beyond our dreams. Remember, you can lose your religion, but you cannot lose your Christ. You can lose your religion, but you cannot lose your salvation once born again by the Holy Spirit of God. Religion slowly strangles life out of you, while Christ gives you liberty and life. Man (without the Spirit of God within) cannot differentiate correctly between spiritual and temporal; thus, man too often confuses the two realms. Religion is of man (temporal). Christianity is of Christ (spiritual). If you have been troubled it maybe because the Spirit of God (who dwells within you) is troubled because you have confused the two realms, and you are beginning to become engulfed by the temporal. The following verses have been specifically selected to provide guidance through difficult times and in different time periods (I do not mean ‘time’ as in the measurement of time), but the Word of God guides through ages of spiritual enlightenment and through the ages of spiritual corruption.
• For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) Written specifically for those in the age of Christ’s sojourn on earth, when those who followed Christ were only two’s and three’s, as the two on the Emmaus Road. However, this also applies to all ages of the Church Body as the followers of Christ have always been in the minority.
• Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2nd Timothy 3:5) As the corporate church grew, many true Christians were caught up into the corruption that marked this church; therefore, Paul’s epistle to Timothy encouraged Christians to turn away from all that distinguished this church from the Body of Christ. As it also encourages those of ALL ages to turn away from corruption in the visible meeting of so-called Church.
• Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (2nd Corinthians 6:17) Again, we have another warning and the responsibility to recognize and discern corruption within; thus, separation is not only urged, but it is commanded. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. (Isaiah 52:11)
• Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25) This has previously been addressed, but let me add this: in order to assemble together, ALL must be of the same mind, and heart, and worship the same Christ of the cross. This verse does not say that assembling together cannot be by two’s or three’s and it is to exhort one another, to encourage and to stimulate. I believe that those who come on this site are assembling together, and hopefully, these articles encourage and exhort, and by your sharing these articles with others, you also in turn encourage and exhort. This verse does not say that assembling together must be in a formal setting, nor an organized venue.
• Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20) This is the last message to those of the Laodicean church, US. This is the last church in the Age of the Church, so therefore, wherever you are in this day, we are all in the age of the Laodicean church. The Lord’s call was and is to the individual (the one, anyone, someone) to open the door to Him, and He will sup with you. It is an individual call. It is God’s Final Call to the single individual.
  God never leaves a child of His out in the cold alone. You say that you have faith, well, here is the opportunity to bolster your faith, to grow in your faith as a challenge to see that you place your actions where your mouth is. Before you rush out looking for another place of fellowship, Read the Bible. Pray. Talk to God. Patiently wait for Him to encourage you. I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. He is your fellowship, He is your Teacher, He is your Guide, He is your Lord and God, ever faithful to His children. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)Â
This article was taken from the series Men of Renown, from Balaam, Part xiii. If you would like to read the entire article, CLICK HERE.Â
Men of renown is a companion piece to Giants in the Earth series.
© Copyright 2021, Mary Haigh
This article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)