When Holy Things Are Profaned: The Sword is Coming

Hello there,

I am excited that you have joined with me in this great occasion of sharing the word of God. It is my prayer that you prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospers. Today’s message will be coming from Amos 2: 4-16.

And it reads:

4Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah; and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

5But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. 6Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; 7That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek, :and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: 8And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. 9Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruits from above and his roots from beneath. 10Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites, Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? Saith the LORD. 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. 13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of shelves. 14Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: 15Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself. 16And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.

May God add a blessing to the readers, hearers, and doers of His holy Word. I usually don’t think of a title of a sermon until I have finished writing the sermon. However, as I was reading this particular passage, the title was quickly given to me. The title of our message today is called “When Holy Things Are Profaned.” If I were to have a subtopic, it would be “The Sword is Coming!” The book of Amos was written by the prophet Amos in the 8th century before the birth of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and it was addressed to the two nations Judah and Israel. There is a significant amount of information in this passage of scripture, but we do notice that God is placing strong emphasis on how Judah and Israel were profaning holy things which belonged to God.

Before we delve into the meat of the passage, it is needful for us to understand the historical context and the audience that Amos is writing to. Judah and Israel were two nations that are made up of the twelve tribes of Israel. Originally, God had established the twelve tribes of Israel as one nation under God, but as a result of Solomon’s sin of idolatry (1Kings 11) and his son Rehoboam’s sin of pride and arrogance (1Kings 12) the nation of Israel was broken up into the two nations Judah and Israel. So, we know that the prophet Amos was writing this book to all of the children of Israel who were divided into two nations.

The people to whom Amos was writing were rebellious people who were caught up in idolatry. Not only were they caught in idolatry, but they exalted themselves in pride. Brothers and Sisters, pride is a dangerous thing. Yes, it is true that sin is dangerous, because the bible teaches that the wages of sin is death. Death is the penalty for unrepentant sin. but it is critical that we understand that the prideful sinner is destined for catastrophe. Why is pride so dangerous? When a person is a prideful sinner, they take joy in their sin. Prideful sinner feels no guilt or sorrow for the evil they do.

A prideful sinner feels a sense of fulfillment when they sin, and they are satisfied living a life of sin. Pride says “I am perfectly fine exactly as I am, and I am self-sufficient and self- fulfilled. There is no need for me to change my ways.” The reason pride is so dangerous is because it desensitizes the sinner of his/her need to repent; and because they have been desensitized to the guilt of their sins, they grow worse and worse and worse in their sins. In our foundational text, Amos describes the extent to which the children of Israel were basking and relishing in their sins.

The book of Amos teaches us that they were worshipping the idols gods of Canaan, and they were lying down and bowing their heads in the temples of idols. The men and women were having sex with temple prostitutes. Fathers and sons were sleeping with temple prostitutes. It wasn’t enough for them to participate in sin, but they also desired for the holy people of God to partake in sin. The bible says that they made the Nazarites drink wine, and they commanded the prophets not to prophesy. Nazarites were supposed to be holy unto God, and they could not cut their hair. They could not drink wine or eat anything that came from the vine.

The prophets of God are ordained of God as prophets, and it is their life’s responsibility to prophesy, “Thus saith the LORD.” But the people commanded the prophets to be quiet and not speak. Their sins were so blatant and disrespectful that God was personally offended. God told Amos that the actions of the people were being done to “profane His name” (Amos 2: 7 KJV). It wasn’t enough to live a life of sin, but it was their desire to profane the things and the people who were holy unto God. This is the type of people that the children of Israel had become, and this is who Amos was writing to. Amos was writing to let the nations know that the judgement was coming. It is written in Amos 9:1-5:

1I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. 2Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heavens, thence will I bring them down: 3And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence, and though they be hid from my sight. In the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: 4And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. 5And the Lord GOD of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt (KJV).

If you’ll go on down to the 10th verse, you’ll find where God says to Amos, “All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.” God was speaking to Amos of judgement of catastrophic proportions, and He is speaking to us today. What is a catastrophe? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a catastrophe is a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter overthrow or ruin; an utter failure; a violent and sudden change in a feature of the earth; a violent usually destructive natural event.

Today, America and the world at large can truthfully testify that in most of 2020 and the year 2021 has been a catastrophe. The catastrophe that I am speaking of is the plague that was wrought by the Covid 19 virus. At the start of the pandemic, I wrote a sermon called “The Signs of God’s Judgment: The Prophet Micah.” Troubled by the death that was running rampant in the land, and I prayed to Jehovah who is the only and Most High GOD. I prayed to Him, because there were several questions in my heart concerning the pandemic that was wrought by the plague known as Covid 19. I am not unique, in that there are so many questions that are racing through the minds of other Christians and non-Christians. There are some that wonder “Is Covid 19 the judgment of God on the world?” There are also those that believe that the Covid 19 was not sent by God. Lastly, there are many who question whether or not there are world and oligarchic powers that have purposely spread the plague known as Covid 19 in hopes of reaping the benefits of mandatory vaccinations.

In a quiet voice, the Lord instructed me to read one of the prophets that I do not read often, and that prophet was Micah the Morashite. It is necessary that we understand the context of the book written by Micah. Micah is similar to Amos, in that his book was also addressed to the two Hebrew nations which were Judah and Israel. The Book of Micah, like the book of Amos, is one of the books that describes the ways in which God judged His people. We will get back to the text there in the 2nd chapter of Amos, but I want to review the specific judgments God declared would occur in Micah’s prophecy in order to show you the consistencies of what is seen in the book of Micah and what we see today.

1) Good men will perish from the earth. This is evident in Micah 7:2 (KJV) where the prophet Micah says, “The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

This particular verse teaches us that good men will perish from the earth during the judgment of God. The good men have perished not because of their evil. The good man was perished from the earth as punishment to the wicked. God uses this method as a means of removing the men of wisdom from the earth as a punishment to the wicked which leaves the wicked to the self-destruction of their own devices. Many people are confused as to why so many Gospel preachers and teachers have did and are still dying during this time. I lend encouragement in telling you that some of the preachers and teachers who have perished have perished as a punishment to the wicked by removing men of wisdom from society. Also, there are preachers and teachers who God has judged to be wicked. This is why it is critical for men not to judge. God knows all, and He is the judge of the hearts of men.

2) Micah also teaches us that the false prophets will be judged. This is evident in Micah 3:5-7 KJV where he says:

Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. [7] Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.

3) The Lord will hide His face from the prayers of the wicked. This is evident in Micah 3: 4 where the prophet says, “Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings” (KJV)

4) If you have been evil and wicked in your doing, God will not count you as pure. In Micah 6:11 the prophet says:

Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?” [12] For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. [13] Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. [14] Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. [15] Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and o sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine (KJV).

5) The liar will receive the judgment of God (See Micah 6:12 KJV).

6) The rich men who are full of violence will be judged by God. Micah 2: 1-3 speaks of the evil that violent rich men commit. Micah 2:1-3 says:

Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is the power of their hands. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil

The word “Woe” is a warning of God. God says “Woe!!!” to the people who create evil plans for material gain. Woe unto that rich man or rich woman who oppresses people and robs them of their inheritance. Woe unto those men who have intentionally contributed to the phenomenon of mass incarceration for material gain. This passage reminds me of Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and so many other men and women who believe that they are untouchable. They love riches, and they will violate anyone and anything to accomplish what they intend to accomplish. Bill Gates and the World Health Organization in agreement with various governmental officials have violated the United States Constitution by committing the greatest terrorist attack we have ever seen through the chemical and biological weapon of warfare known as Covid 19 that has killed 4.48 million people worldwide and 700,000 people right here in America.

Many are divided over whether or not it was a man-made disease, and some have argued that it was allowed by God. Others say that it was the judgment of God. Could it be that they were all correct? For example, there are several instances in the bible where God used ungodly men to punish his people for their sins. There was evidence of this truth during the days of the prophet Samuel and king David, in that God would often use the Philistines as a means of judging the children of Israel for their sins. In Jeremiah Chapters 5 and 6, God pronounced judgment upon the children of Israel, and He pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem. However, it was an evil man named Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Babylon) who destroyed Jerusalem and took the Children of Israel into captivity in Babylon. May we never forget that God is the same today, yesterday, and forevermore (see Hebrews 13:8 KJV).

What we do know is that plagues are on the earth, and the plagues have come because of sin. All of the destruction and decay that we see in the world is the result of sin. During the days of Donald Trump's presidential campaigns there was so much violence and violent rhetoric against anyone who disagreed with his agenda. From a biblical lens, it is easy to understand how such a great judgment came during the term of his presidency. On the other hand, his successor has also failed drastically, in that he is not acting as Commander in Chief in regards to standing up for the people’s rights that were guaranteed to them by the United States Constitution. Rather he has become a puppet for the World Health Organization who is willing to violate the rights of the people for science experiments, money, global control, and global depopulation. However, I warn you that God’s judgment is upon the rich man, and it is urgent that he repents and turns from his evil ways. Micah promised God’s judgment is even upon the families of the rich who practiced violence and oppression for material gain in the Jewish nations. “How were the families of the rich guilty?” might you suggest. Well, the families of those who were punished were often privy and participants in evil works of the patriarchs in their family. The families were punished because they learned and practiced the same behavior God prohibited. My grandfather, the late Elder Marlin Upshaw used to say, “It’s a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.” Perhaps, God is angry.

Understandably so, there are not many who like to think of the anger of God, but the anger and wrath of God is just as real as His grace, love, and mercy. To the wealthy who profit on the backs unjustly convicted and imprisoned people; To those who have unethically forced innocent people to take guilty plea bargains for whatever reasons; To the judges who have taken kickbacks for the increased incarceration of poor and minority people; To those who have mercilessly ripped children from the hands of their parents while shipping their parents to an entirely different country, God has promised to judge those who commit these types of actions.

To the leaders of police agencies who disproportionately harass and arrest people in minority neighborhoods in comparison to affluent neighborhoods; To the police agencies who have violated the constitution that they have sworn to uphold by stopping and frisking hundreds of innocent black young men; God has promised to judge those who commit these types of actions. To the Black man and the Latino man who have obtained wealth, fame, and respect by murdering your own people in the ghettos and slums of America with gangs, guns, and drugs: God has promised judgement. It’s time for us as a human race to repent and turn to God.

7) God says in Micah 6: 13, that He will smite the wicked with sickness.

8) Men shall eat, and not be satisfied. Covid 19 virus is indeed a sickness that has smitten the nations suddenly and rampantly. One of the symptoms of this particular disease is that people are not satisfied, because they have no taste. You see, there are definitely similarities with what we are witnessing and what the prophet Micah witnessed.

In the time of judgment, God promises death to those whom he smites with the plague. God expresses through the prophet Micah that diseases and plagues will not be the only sign of judgment, but the sword is coming to punish the wicked. Micah is consistent with Amos, in that they prophesy the coming of the sword. The sword represents war, and it is my firm belief that a war is soon to break out. Everything God has led me to learn from the prophet Micah is evident today, and I am sure that the judgement of bloodshed and war is soon to come. If only we would repent and turn from our wicked ways, God promises healing (2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV).

Many of us are determined that God will never judge the sin in the world, because they have been deceived into believing that only the God of the Old Testament was the judge. Because of this false doctrine, many refuse to repent of their sins. In Revelation 2:22 (KJV) Jesus said, “Behold, I will cast her (the spirit of Jezebel) into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” Jesus also said in John 3:18 (KJV), “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” The apostle John also said in John 3:36 (KJV), “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth.” It is important that we understand that the justice and the judgment of God was not relegated to the Old Testament. The God of the New Testament is the same as the God of the Old Testament. In Revelation 1:8 (KJV) Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” God is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the beginning and the end. Hebrews 13:8 (KJV) says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

God is still the righteous judge. Don’t be confused into thinking God has stopped judging the earth. The truth of the matter is that America and the world at large is being judged even now, but the judgment of God is not over. The sword is coming on the earth. I know that you may not want to hear this message, but that was the same dangerous decision that the ancient nations Judah and Israel made during the lives of Amos and Micah. Amos declared the judgment of God on Judah and Israel, because they have profaned the holy things of God. Although Amos warned the children of Israel of the coming judgment of God, they refused to accept what he was saying. What are the holy things being profaned today?

1. People are being profaned. People are submitting themselves to sinful practices and sinful lifestyles. Sexual perversion and immorality is too prevalent in society. Women and men have sexual intercourse with no regard for God or the seed they produce, because they kill the baby thinking that the evidence is gone forever. May I submit to you that the evidence has not disappeared. I warn you today that the blood of those innocent babies are on your hands. If you are a young lady contemplating having an abortion, I admonish you to reconsider. Innocent blood cries out to God from the ground. God can hear the sound of those babies cries ringing in His ear. I admonish you to reconsider. Repent of your sins, and believe in Jesus Christ of Nazareth with all of your heart.

2. The gospel is being perverted at catastrophic proportions around the world.

3. Sacred institutions are being defiled with false doctrine and heresy. Christian seminaries and churches are being defiled with false doctrine and heresy.

The societies in which we live have mirrored ancient Judah and Israel in the continual practice of sin in an identical fashion. The sins of ancient Judah and Israel were judged mightily by God. America, and the world at large has duplicated many of those ancient and demon-influenced practices of sin, and we refuse to believe that the judgment of God is as true for us as it was for them. The judgment of God is true, and it is a reality whether mankind refuses to acknowledge it or not. One of the reasons we refuse to acknowledge God is because we believe we are sufficient in ourselves. We are too proud and drunk with our own wisdom and lust. You man and you woman have become drunk in pride and arrogance. We humans have become full of ourselves. We have the most advanced aircrafts that have ever existed. The nations are doing all kinds of research on outer space and the planets to find whether humans can live on another planet besides the planet we have been created on. The nations are creating mass weapons of warfare all over the world in order to protect themselves. The reality is that mankind wants to go to heaven, but they have rejected the King of Heaven. Nations have enlarged their military forces and nuclear weapons in hopes to be prepared for the worst kind of warfare.

No one can protect you from the judgment of God. God tells Amos in Amos 2: 14-15 (KJV), “Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.” No one can protect you from the judgment of God. No one can save you from the judgment of God except Jesus. And if you have rejected Jesus, What is to become of you, save the judgment? The justice and the judgment of God can and will find you wherever you are. We are not sufficient in ourselves. We need God. It is sad that humanity is more willing to be destroyed than to turn it’s heart to the God who loves them. God loves you. God has no desire to see humanity suffer. God does not wish death on anyone, but you must understand that only Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Resurrection and the Life?

Outside of God in Christ Jesus, what is there left for mankind but death? 2Peter 3:9 (KJV) says, “For God is not slack concerning his promises, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Jesus said in Revelation 22:12 (KJV), “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

We must choose to come to Him. All of you who can hear, the Spirit says, “Come!” The apostle John writes in St. John 7:37-38 (KJV), “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters. In John 4:14 (KJV) Jesus said it this way, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Jesus is talking about the spiritual water that springs up to everlasting life. I say unto you “Come to Jesus, and live.” Come to Jesus, and Live! The prophet David said it this way, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” You may have heard the appeal that I am making with you in your heart. If your heart is broken and you want to live for Jesus Christ, I want you to pray this prayer with me.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our sins. Forgive us for profaning the things that are holy. Forgive us for our pride and arrogance. Forgive us for thinking we can live life without you. Help us that we will humble ourselves, seek your face, and turn from our wicked ways. We pray that you will forgive us of all our sins. Cleanse us of all unrighteousness, and heal our land. We confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we believe that you raised him from the dead to save us from our sins. Lord, I repent of my sins, and I confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Master of my life. In Jesus Christ mighty name,

Amen,