The Judgement?

Many are moving from New York City to places like Westchester County, New York. This is in large part due to COVID-19, and the anarchy descending upon the City of New York. As I take stock and look at the occurrences in the great metropolis of NYC, they are not unlike the descriptions of biblical judgements in the Bible. A lot of Christians and a lot of churches don't want to think about the big pink elephant in the room. That being, do natural events and manmade events put together serve as justice meted out upon wickedness by God?

Some churches won't discuss this because they think this makes God look mean. What kind of a God would allow or provoke an incident like COVID-19? Even without COVID-19 those same churches struggle with many passages in the Bible. Those passages where people are taken into captivity or even die as punishment for their sins. I know people who spend a lot of their energy focused on trying to fix God's image for that. Re-branding God so to speak, like God was some sort of politician they are trying to get elected!

Another thing that is part of the massive pink elephant hindering discussion of judgement is the battle raging by atheists that science now explains all the biblical occurrences, such as the pestilence in Egypt and the subsequent parting of the Red Sea. If you bring up the concept of judgement in the pulpit or a bible study, then those in the group espousing such notions will bring on the debate. Are Christians afraid of this debate or even capable of waging it and standing up for the truth of the Bible? Do we even know the truth of the Bible?

These are the sorts of questions that I ask myself as I deal with the truth of my New York. I say my New York because, I was born and raised here. As a teenager and college student New York City was my playground. I met my husband in Manhattan. We were married there. While New York has experienced ups and downs throughout the years, it has never been this low. It had world famous museums, broadway shows, great restaurants, and talented people from many fields of study. Sadly, all these institutions have been drifting away from all they could be and once were. This is due to the perverted and ungodly philosophies that have taken hold here.

If you take a short drive from Westchester County to NYC these days you will see unhygienic piles of garbage everywhere. Where garbage piles exist, rats can’t be far behind. The situation isn’t likely to change any time soon since the sanitation budget has been cut. Speaking of budget cuts, we all know about the police budget being cut by a billion dollars. When there is not enough police in New York City, the truth of who its' citizens are comes to light.

No doubt a police force is necessary in this sin-ridden world. However, it should not be all that keeps a city in order. It should be the knowledge of how we are to conduct ourselves. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors goods. Thou shalt not kill. These moral values given so long ago to Moses from God upon Mount Zion should prevail. Further, a community should be prepared to stand up for what is right. But, it has been a long, long time since New York City was a place that God's moral law was cherished. The anarchists, criminals and mentally challenged have now taken over the city.

The culture and spiritual battles that are convulsing our world are front and center in New York City. This city has been in the forefront of many trends both good and bad. Right now, bad is winning. People are screaming obscenities on street corners for seemingly no reason. The political groups that are protesting around the city are foul-mouthed and violent. They left the city filthy, littered and brought financial destruction wherever they have been.

People are openly injecting themselves with drugs in midtown Manhattan. There are people sexually pleasuring themselves as children are getting wheeled by in their carriages. Don't you think this sounds a lot like Sodom and Gomorrah? We know that God destroyed them for their immorality. So, why is it a shock that there might be consequences for how bad things have become? Even the laws of physics tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. God has sent us the prophets, the Bible and a Savior. It is up to us to run with that ball.

A poignant passage which illustrates both our sin problem and Jesus' sorrow for our fallen state is in Matthew 23:37- O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, amen.