The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet 1390 Haggai kc 3-2

Do you owe your soul to the company store?

We learned earlier in Haggai
that things do not work out too well for many of us in this nation,
even our nation as a whole which through ignoring God's financial laws,
has been made subject to an evil,
enslaving, debt-system economic plan known as central banking.

As a Baby Boomer I am reminded of a once popular song
sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford called "Sixteen Tons",
the lyrics of which went something like this:

"I move sixteen tons and what do I get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter don't you call me, 'cause I can't go.
I owe my soul to the company store!"
Haggai 1:9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
WHY?

Need we be told why?

This is such a simple matter of cause and effect,
yet one that is apparently not too obvious to most of our people.

You see, disobedience to the Word of God,
which is to ignore studying His Word even while going to church
and doing many good deeds in the name of Christ (Mat. 7:22-23),
causes His blessings to be withheld.

There are many instructions our Father has for His sons and daughters,
i.e. His servants and handmaidens in this final generation (Acts 2:18),
a major one of which we are reading about here in the Book of Haggai!

Obedience to those commands pleases Him greatly
because it shows Him that you love Him!

It is those who know and keep His commands,
even like the one we just read in Hag. 1:8, who truly love the Lord.

At least that is what Jesus Christ says!

John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Jesus is not just talking about the 10 Commandments here
but all of His commands,
i.e. all of His words (vs. 23) which is His voice, the written Word of God!
[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Go to Him, to His Word,
and hear with ears to hear (listen intently, i.e. study)
what He has to say to you
and you will get to know Jesus Christ very well
and you know what else?

He will get to know you very well too,
seeing that you live together with Him and He with you!

[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abodewith him.
Unfortunately, many of our brothers and sisters and loved ones
have been deceived into believing that churchianity is where it is at!

In other words, they are taught
that if one goes to church every week and brings his or her tithes and offerings
and helps out with the food drives and chicken barbeques and this function and that,
that he or she is in good standing with the Lord.

Please understand that I am not knocking church or the doing of good deeds.
I am just pointing out that one cannot come to know the Living Word of God,
Jesus Christ,
without knowing the Written Word of God,
for they two are inseparable.

Do you know that it is written that not everyone who claims to be Christian
is going to enter into the kingdom of heaven?

In fact, MANY will not!

Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
You must be careful to read and study His will for yourself
and get your instructions directly from Him, from His Word?

Do not blindly trust your soul to some friendly preacher
who tells you what he thinks God's will is for you.

That doesn't mean you cannot listen to nor study God's Word
with a teacher of His Word.

Just make sure you do your own homework and check everything out.

Of course, if your preacher isn't teaching God's Word chapter by chapter and line by line,
then you should perhaps be concerned about whose house he is really building.

"Consider your ways" and consider the words of the Lord in these next two verses:

[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Consider their ways,
i.e. all the wonderful things people do in the name of Christ!

What we must understand is that these folks are NOT atheists and non-believers!

They are active Christians doing what they think is the right thing to do (Prov. 14:12).

They follow like blind sheep after the traditions of men
but never quite get around to studying their Father's Word
thereby getting to know Him and doing His will.

Here is what He will say to them:

[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Yes, many are so busy building and taking care their own houses,
even their own ceiled houses,
that they ignore God's Word and the building of His house.

Many are mainly concerned with themselves and their own salvation
which is really what makes the any-moment rapture theory so popular,
especially among the Baby Boomer generation
who made "fast food" (albeit junk food) a way of life.

The analogy is fitting as our people do not take the time
to eat nutritious meals prepared from the table of the Lord,
but would rather eat "junk food" from MacDonalds...
Margaret MacDonald that is...
the woman who began the any-moment "rapture" theory in the year 1830 in Glasgow Scotland.

This quick "salvation-in-a-bun"
which is served by most Christian churches today is fast,
it's easy, and it's painless!

No need to work and study to show yourself approved
according to God's Word (2 Tim. 2:15)!

Just sing "I'm a Believer" and wait for the Rapturemobile
to come take you "Up, Up and Away"!

I guess maybe we do need to be told WHY His blessings are withheld:

Haggai 1:9... Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

[10] Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

Do you truly love the Lord?

Do you love your brothers and sisters
who are suffering from the famine (of truth) in this final generation?

Think about it because the "dew" spoken of here is His "doctrine",
even the latter day rain from heaven (Deut. 32:2).

That "dew" has been stayed
and our land has become a "valley of (spiritually) dry bones"
(Ezek. 37) and we are in the midst of a great drought!

[11] And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
The "drought" and "famine" in these last days
is NOT physical as many preachers teach,
i.e. it is not for H20 and Wonder Bread,
but rather for the hearing of the true words of the LORD,
words directly from His mouth,
from the Word of God!
Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

[12]And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

Drought and famine, the lack of His truth,
produce pestilences and diseases
and create an environment whereby people can be easily taken captive,
even easily terrified to the point that the basic "common sense"
required to protect their "unalienable rights"
fails them for the fear of things to come (Luke 21:26).

Advantage "NWO"!

If you want freedom and peace of mind then study the Word of God.

John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

"Feast" (which is what "Haggai" means) at His table,
the table of Lord where we are to get our "daily bread",
and then lead your brothers and sisters to His table, i.e. His Word.

It is where the lush green pastures are and where the rivers of living water flow abundantly!

What kind of a harvest and a feast will there be when Jesus Christ returns?

Haggai has informed us about the drought upon the land (Hag. 1:11)
and that God wants the "dew" to come forth and the "latter day rain" to fall.

The LORD of hosts has spoken!

Which of His servants love Him enough to obey His command
and "go up to mountain and bring wood and build His house"?

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.


The "American Wisdom Series"

is

Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
199 Joseph Drive
Middletown, PA 17057

If you would like to have your essay published
as part of the American Wisdom Series
submit your manuscript to Rhine Publishing Co
at the address above for consideration, or e-mail us
at the address shown on our home page.

Click Here to Return to "The American Wisdom Series" home page.