Topic: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same. Or...

[trapeze]

..there isn't really much new under the sun, is there? Oh, yeah...also sprinkle in a bit of Chinese curse/blessing about living in interesting times.

I saw this on the AoS ONT and it is interesting. It's also long. And it was written in 1936.

After you have read it (and I hope that you do)...ask yourself "Who are we?" Are we Isaiah or are we the people that Isaiah was trying to reach?

In the year of Uzziah's death, the Lord commissioned the prophet (Isaiah) to go out and warn the people of the wrath to come. "Tell them what a worthless lot they are." He said, "Tell them what is wrong, and why and what is going to happen unless they have a change of heart and straighten up. Don't mince matters. Make it clear that they are positively down to their last chance. Give it to them good and strong and keep on giving it to them. I suppose perhaps I ought to tell you," He added, "that it won't do any good. The official class and their intelligentsia will turn up their noses at you and the masses will not even listen. They will all keep on in their own ways until they carry everything down to destruction, and you will probably be lucky if you get out with your life."

Isaiah had been very willing to take on the job — in fact, he had asked for it — but the prospect put a new face on the situation. It raised the obvious question: Why, if all that were so — if the enterprise were to be a failure from the start — was there any sense in starting it? "Ah," the Lord said, "you do not get the point. There is a Remnant there that you know nothing about. They are obscure, unorganized, inarticulate, each one rubbing along as best he can. They need to be encouraged and braced up because when everything has gone completely to the dogs, they are the ones who will come back and build up a new society; and meanwhile, your preaching will reassure them and keep them hanging on. Your job is to take care of the Remnant, so be off now and set about it."

Or maybe we are a bit of both. What do you think?

[Libertas]

Perhaps it is that we sound like Isaiah but nobody outside our Remnant hear our warnings...and most of those outside our sphere want to destroy the Remnant in one way or another...so...I think I am saying we are in even more dire straits, right?!

[ChrstnHsbndFthr]

Agreed. We ARE a bit of both. We see what is coming, and speak truth to many, most of whom choose not to hear, who try not to understand, but to the few who hold, who stand, who remain, it is an encouragement. I have met others who see it coming, who thought we have no choice, but to die. But, God has always kept a remnant. Perhaps some of us will be the remnant. Some will, undoubtedly, be like the prophet, who was killed for speaking the truth to the masses, sawed in two beside the altar, by the very leaders who should most have heeded the prophet. But a remnant will stand. Hope is not ever lost and the preaching must go on if only for those few to understand and gain hope.

I was grateful for that post, Trapeze.

[Pandora]

... ask yourself "Who are we?" Are we Isaiah or are we the people that Isaiah was trying to reach?

There's a third part to that question, one which I consider often; who am I?  Am I one of the remnant?

I'm not Isaiah, I'm pretty sure of that, as I have stopped speaking to almost everyone about anything important because it's proven a waste of time, breath and effort.  I'm done as well with listening to what amounts to nothing more than drivel from the usual suspects.  I suspect I've firmly closed my mind, to keep safe and clear what I know, in an effort to block out a potential siren's song of temptation.

[warpmine]

... ask yourself "Who are we?" Are we Isaiah or are we the people that Isaiah was trying to reach?

There's a third part to that question, one which I consider often; who am I?  Am I one of the remnant?

I'm not Isaiah, I'm pretty sure of that, as I have stopped speaking to almost everyone about anything important because it's proven a waste of time, breath and effort.  I'm done as well with listening to what amounts to nothing more than drivel from the usual suspects.  I suspect I've firmly closed my mind, to keep safe and clear what I know, in an effort to block out a potential siren's song of temptation.

We know of no known prophet that the Lord speaks to us through Him. We haven't needed any because of the Testament of our Lord, we need only to continue to preach the Word as best we know how. Some will listen and follow, others will undoubtedly scorn and throw rocks. We can only ask ourselves, did we do enough to encourage the masses. The Lord will pronounce His Judgement. Personally, I'm already guilty of not putting out the effort and doubt my ability to convince the unwashed idiot masses to change their evil ways.