Many children like to play a game called “Dot to Dot.” By connecting correctly the dots on a piece of paper, they can draw simple pictures of animals, people, cars and just about anything else. The expression, “connecting the dots,” is no doubt derived from this familiar child’s game and is also used to describe connecting facts and clues to better understand something.
“Dot to Dot” is a simple game where children have a piece of paper, and they have little dots on it. The dots are numbered, and the child is to follow the sequence from the beginning, whether the series starts with a number one or a symbol, like a star.
The child draws a straight line to the next dot, and then he draws a straight line to the other numbers in the sequence, steadily creating a continuous line that eventually completes the picture, whatever that picture turns out to be.
Dots and Facts
Although the pictures are usually not complex, sometimes quite a few dots have to be connected for you to see what is actually being drawn. Other times, after only a few connections are made, the picture starts to become evident.
Of course, if you miss one of those dots or connect them out of sequence, the picture is flawed—which is quite often what happens when you connect facts and figures in the wrong way as well!
Using this analogy, we can paint a picture of where “political correctness” is leading this world’s society. We can see where the trend is heading, and we can decipher where we are in today’s world by correctly connecting the dots.
Ezekiel’s Warning Message
The book of Ezekiel was written approximately 130 years after the House of Israel had gone into captivity and at this time, the city of Jerusalem was being besieged (Read Ezekiel 4:1–3). However, many of the things that were written apply very directly to the descendants of both the houses of Israel and Judah today.
Ezekiel wrote prophecies that applied to the city of Jerusalem. He was told to, “Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around” (Ezekiel 4:2).
When I was a child, we used to play with small green plastic army soldiers that came in all different poses and states of equipage. We would play “army” with them and shoot rubber bands to knock over our friend’s soldiers. The last one to have a soldier standing was the winner.
This is kind of what Ezekiel was doing. He was portraying a war game with battering rams and all kinds of things around a model city of Jerusalem: “Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the House of Israel” (Ezekiel 4:3).
Note carefully those crucial words at the end of verse three which are almost universally missed by readers of Ezekiel: “This will be a sign to the House of Israel.” This prophecy was not recorded for the Jews of that day only. It was given as a sign for the House of Israel for a time long into the future. This is a point missed by virtually all commentaries, but the book is absolutely clear on this point. Notice carefully chapters 2 and 3: “And He said to me: ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear—or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them” (Ezekiel 2:3–7). Five times chapter 3 refers to this stubborn and rebellious house as the House of Israel.
The prophecies of Ezekiel were dual and they apply to our nations today, and to the Work of God. “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 33:7). God’s ministers are told to “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). As we do that, we are going to come into conflict with this world!
That is our job now. Do our people understand? Do all of us understand that we have a job to do, and that God has not commissioned His Church to be a “social club”? And yet some people have become comfortable with churches that function just that way: a small group with a Web site, a church that seeks only to “get by,” without preaching a powerful warning message to a besieged nation.
God’s Work, however, as shown by the scriptures, has an all-important commission to preach Ezekiel’s message to the modern-day descendants of Israel.
Who Will God Spare?
In Ezekiel’s vision, six men who “had charge” over the city were told to arm themselves with deadly weapons. Then suddenly six men came with battle-axes, but one man among them was clothed with linen, and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side (Ezekiel 9:1–2).
“Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.’” This is a positive mark (Ezekiel 9:3–4).
The first six men were commanded: “‘Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’ So they began with the elders who were before the Temple. Then He said to them, ‘Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!’ And they went out and killed in the city” (vv. 5–7). “So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out and said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?’” (v. 8). Then verse 9 declares that this did not apply to the Jews of that day only. It declares, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great.”
The slaughter that is eventually coming is an awful thing that will happen to the Israel-descended nations: the United States, Canada, Britain and the others. As Ezekiel watched this taking place in his vision, he wondered if anyone would be left.
When we look at our world today, we see bloodshed everywhere. The murder rate in the U.S. alone is horrendous, and we love violence in our video games and on our television. We entertain ourselves with it. God says the sins of His people are “exceedingly great,” and that we have filled our lands with perversion and bloodshed (v. 9).
Not only that, but the people now, as then, are described as being unconcerned, and unafraid of God: “…for they say, ‘the Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.’” (vv. 9–10). It was at this point in Ezekiel’s vision that the man returned whose job it was to place the mark on the foreheads of those few who were dismayed at Judah’s sins (v. 11).
Only those who are “sighing and crying” over the abominations of our lands will be protected and spared by God. What abominations might God have in mind? Here are some we find in today’s Canada.
What Kind of Sex Education?
One of Canada’s top magazines, Maclean’s, printed an article entitled, “You’re Teaching Our Kids WHAT?” The article describes how Toronto schools invited women from an “adult” bookstore to teach sex education to children: “The latest buzzword in High School Sex Ed Class is pleasure—not everyone is pleased” (Maclean’s, 2009). Their idea was that kids hear too much about diseases, so they should be taught about pleasure instead. And, the person running this “adult” store brings in all kinds of gadgets to teach children sex education in a way that is supposed to be “exciting and interesting” to them.
In another incident, two homosexual-rights activists, Murray and Peter Corren, filed a human rights complaint to ensure that whatever written material was presented to Vancouver public school students would be “gay-friendly.” As a result, the Vancouver Board of Education now tells parents, “No skipping ‘gay friendly’ classes.” The Vancouver Board of Education plans to enforce a policy that prevents parents from pulling students out of classes that deal with “alternative” (e.g. bisexual, transsexual, transgender) sexuality. The policy allows parents to pull their children out of sensitive health class lessons because of religious or family beliefs, but does not let them opt their children out of “gay-friendly” lessons in other classes.
Sins of Sodom
Canada’s largest city will host “World Pride 2014” after winning a vote in Florida by leaders of homosexual organizations around the globe. The festival will take place in Toronto—with tremendous support and excitement! This world event will be hosted simultaneously with Toronto’s “Pride Week” in the summer of 2014. The program for this festival includes a parade of nations as part of the opening ceremony and, a Human Rights Conference.
Organizers claim more than a million visitors come to Toronto for “Pride Week” each year, some as participants, others as observers.
While some are entertained by sin, God is not. Through Ezekiel, God predicted the brazenness of this modern movement nearly 2,600 years ago. Notice this shockingly accurate description: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride… fullness of food, and abundance of idleness” (Ezekiel 16:49). That describes our society today. We have more than enough to eat, and plenty of time on our hands for entertainment. And we have lots of pride, the very word used by the adherents of and spiritual descendants of Sodom.
Canadian Human Rights Tribunals and courts have a mixed record regarding conflicts between freedom of speech and the homosexual agenda. In December 2002, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission ruled that parts of the Bible can be considered “hate literature.” The decision was subsequently overturned, but a “fuzzy” February 2013 Supreme Court of Canada decision leaves ambiguous the question of how far one can speak openly on the subject.
God warned Israel concerning various sinful sexual lifestyles, choices, and practices that were prevalent in the land into which He was going to bring them. These involved same-sex intercourse, incest, bestiality and adultery: “Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife [adultery], to defile yourself with her. And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:20–22).
Continuing, God warns: “Nor shall you mate with any animal.… nor shall any woman stand before an animal… Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants” (vv. 23–25).
God told us to keep His statutes and His judgments, and not to commit any of the abominations found in the book of Leviticus. God said that if the land is defiled by these abominations that it would “vomit out” the Israelites just as it had the nations before them (Leviticus 18:26–28). Now it lists adultery, fornication, incest, and homosexuality, and says those who practice them would be “cut off” or destroyed. Yet, today, we must be careful even in how we proclaim the plain words of Scripture, lest we be taken before a tribunal, without the normal protective rights of a common criminal, for alleged “hate speech.” But make no mistake; we will preach Ezekiel’s warning message and the truths of scripture! We are to fear God rather than man (Acts 4:19, 5:29).
Persecution Prophesied
Connecting a few dots here, Luke 21:12 says, “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.” In other words, before God’s punishment comes, the “watchmen” are going to be singled out for obeying God’s instructions.
When God began to work with me, I could not imagine how this Scripture could come to pass. I could not imagine that in the U.S. and Canada—or in England where I had lived for a couple of years growing up—our own neighbors could be so angry with us that they would haul us before magistrates and judges.
I knew that the Bible was right, but what could be so offensive in our modern world? Would it be somebody saying, “Eat that pig, or you’re going to court.” That did not seem likely. Yet Scripture says that we “will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death” (v. 16).
What is it that God is talking about here that would bring us into conflict with authorities?
Can we not now understand by connecting the dots that preaching the whole truth—preaching morality, preaching against the sins of this world—will definitely bring us into conflict?
Characteristics of the Laodicean Church
In the Book of Revelation, we really need to connect dots to get the “big picture.” Any one dot by itself may not tell us very much. With just two dots on the page, if you connect them, you have a straight line—without much picture. But when we look at the end of the age, and we connect all the dots, we should see more clearly what God is telling us.
Jesus Christ, who revealed these passages to John, says: “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot” (Revelation 3:14–15).
It is easy to think of someone who prays, studies, keeps the Sabbath and Holy Days and is excited about the Bible as not fitting this description. But what if he has one foot in the world? Is that not being “hot and cold”?
What if we are not all the way in the world, but just dabble in it? Maybe we just like the world’s entertainment. Christ says, “So then, because you are lukewarm,” [you are not really totally with Him], and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (v. 16). He repeats the point, saying He will vomit them out of His mouth because they say: “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” (v. 17)—yet do not know that they are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (ibid.). The Laodiceans do not see their own condition.
God says that, at the end of this age, when the world is facing imminent tribulation, the majority in the Church will be lukewarm. Does that make sense? You would think that, as the end nears, God’s people would really become excited. Instead, God warns that the last era of the Church is lukewarm and apathetic.
I have seen how difficult it is for some today to stay motivated and take God’s word seriously. At a time when you would think that people would really become serious, they are following the course of this world instead of following God’s laws and His ways fully. Sadly, there are far too many baptized members of the Church of God who practice sins found in Leviticus 18, or who approve of others doing so (see Romans 1:32).
We are clearly living in a lukewarm age, an age of apathy. In this apathetic age, many cannot even connect the dots of where and how God is working.
Isaiah’s Warning Message
Isaiah asks: “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isaiah 8:19). Isaiah then counsels us to connect two dots—light and law: “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (v. 20). It does not say there is no truth in them. It says there is no light in them. Some televangelists are excellent speakers and entertainers and have some elements of truth, yet they teach by words or in practice against the law of God.
A mixture of truth and error is most dangerous. If you take a glass of pure water, wonderful, clean, delicious, refreshing water, and you put a few drops of strychnine or cyanide or some other poison in it, it will kill you. Why is it that we can connect these dots, but cannot connect the dots that lead to religious error?
Yes, they may have wonderful choirs and beautiful music. They may even quote from the Bible occasionally. But they do not speak according to the Word.
A Different Gospel Preached
The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians against preachers teaching a different Jesus, a different gospel, or promoting a different spirit (2 Corinthians 11:4).
Many televangelists preach about a Jesus who did away with His father’s law and who was sentimental and sanctimonious. He is pictured with long hair, sometimes carrying little lambs underneath His arms, and always has a sad look on His face.
This is not the same gospel Paul preached, and there is a different spirit, and a different Jesus. They may understand part of the gospel about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, but they do not understand the Kingdom of God.
So we face a different gospel, a different approach to God’s word entirely, which we are not to accept. But we have people who not only put up with it; they actually go out and look for it. And, like poison, sitting around looking for inspiration in all kinds of different religious messages will not profit in the end.
Satan’s Ministry of Deception
Even as a child, I could see that many of the so-called televangelists looked like phonies—and they still look like phonies today. They put on all sorts of affectation: the way that they talk, their tone of voice and the way they hold their hands. This is not the way a normal person acts. But, they do it to make themselves “look religious.”
Not all of them understand that they are deceivers. Satan is the great deceiver and a deceived person does not know that he is deceived. See the dangerous subtlety Paul warns against: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13–15).
Yes, Satan has a ministry! But people seem to think that Satan’s ministers must be out there promoting Satan directly—by name, even.
Avoid Those Who Teach False Doctrines
John tells us, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him, for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 10–11).
So, why do we invite these people into our homes through television to get inspiration from them? Some may say, “Oh, I really love this Work, but this other person, I really get inspiration from him”—not knowing that the inspiration comes with a little dose of strychnine.
Many recognize the identity of the Great Whore described in Revelation 17. But do they know who her harlot daughters are? Amazingly, many people cannot make that connection. They find it difficult to accept that everything they have believed in the past, and the very people they formerly followed, could actually be harlot daughters of the Great Whore, and ministers of Satan.
Personally, I know that when I first started attending services, I thought that one particular evangelist was really a good man, even though he did not teach exactly as the Church of God. I could not accept that he was a deceiver, and an instrument of Satan. Today I recognize that he taught a different Jesus, a different gospel, and promoted a different spirit. I learned over time to connect the dots.
Connect the Dots!
Many of this world’s ministers are giving in to the spirit of compromise. They are allowing themselves to be “put into a box” more and more. There is a spirit in many of this world’s governments and judiciaries, where it is supposedly “OK” for us to believe certain things—about same-sex marriage, homosexuality, or even the identity of the modern-day descendants of ancient Israel—but they do not want us to have the freedom to say what we believe. There is an agenda that wants to define what we can and cannot say, and the “box” is squeezing tighter and tighter. And we know from Scripture that a time will come when those who preach the whole truth will be brought before courts and tribunals.
We are further along than we might ever imagine. We are coming close to that time. And we need to be able to “connect the dots”—in our own lives, as well as recognizing what is going on in the world around us—if we hope to endure to the end!