I saw what I thought was a banner of homage
To a kind of high priest of the image of the beast,
To "the disgusting thing that causes desolation" *
Whip through the house as a strange leaf
on a wild wind,
Daringly in and then out
open windows,
As a maybe-intent bird,
Disturbing peace and fragile pottery
It had rested momentarily.
That banner flapped off out of sight,
Disappearing, for the most part,
In the time-wind-action-newsflash-stream...
But I did note and believe that it came through.
"Let the reader use discernment" * ...
It wasn't going to be easy, was it -
That discernment -
There will probably be yet even greater incidents...
(How long?)
It is not time, though, to let discernment be dulled,
Made defunct, or cajoled into a sleepy,
satisfied apathy...
The alarm beeps. The red flags ripple and wave.
I press the button down to stop the alert-noise,
And mostly silently watch....
Injustice unsettled and increasingly pressing
Does not let me rest.
Again, I say what I can,
But I am limited.
I am not able to stop the
Wrongfulness or badness of the wicked ones
Or the trouble-makers
(or those who might be trouble-makers,
who might be making trouble -
who might be doing the will of the wicked one).
However, Jehovah knows
and sees it all
and will act.
I am not able to stop those choosing
To condone what is bad and wrong,
Nor those accepting everything men speak
Without first testing-out the inspired expressions **
Against Jah's own words, the voice of God Himself.
Strange words have come in,
Each set like its own storm cloud,
Only these different clouds
Do not disappear quickly -
They just keep gathering about
and hovering,
Weighing down, and
Flashing up gray, brown, and dusty.
The lightning they exchange
doesn't seem quite right either.
The weather and some people go wild.
Falsehood-tainted water wets seeds of corruption,
Which swell and sprout up trouble, anywhere.
Sometimes the outlines of the clouds can be seen,
But other times, they seem to blend
into the growing unknown dark ether.
It lightly piles up, a dark fluff, over the earth,
Even up through the atmosphere,
Seeming to interfere with the sun.
It's substance and origin does not seem good.
A sparkle from within it seems to be taunting,
But it is one I do not like,
For I fear and wonder if it could mean death
To those who would just breath in
Or eat up such things
without thinking,
Like licorice cotton candy
That perhaps has been poisoned
By the enemy.
There is nowhere else to go.
One can just trust Jehovah,
Do as HE says,
Pray more than ever,
And wait.
Wait.
"Do not put your trust in nobles,
Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs" (Psalm 146:3) - I will hang on to this.
"Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar" (Romans 3:4) - that too.
Jeremiah - and the rest of God's own words - were not written for nothing!
(Ephesians 6:10-18) ". . .Finally, go on acquiring power in [the] Lord and in the mightiness of his strength. Put on the complete suit of armor from God that YOU may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil; because we have a wrestling, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places. On this account take up the complete suit of armor from God, that YOU may be able to resist in the wicked day and, after YOU have done all things thoroughly, to stand firm. Stand firm, therefore, with YOUR loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and with YOUR feet shod with the equipment of the good news of peace. Above all things, take up the large shield of faith, with which YOU will be able to quench all the wicked one’s burning missiles. Also, accept the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, that is, God’s word, while with every form of prayer and supplication YOU carry on prayer on every occasion in spirit. And to that end keep awake with all constancy and with supplication in behalf of all the holy ones"
* Matthew 24:15
** 1John 4:1
