Thanksgiving Remembrance of Those Who Have Gone Before Us

October 20, 1999
by Rev. Flip Benham

"After God had carried us safe to New England, and we had builded our houses, provided necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places for God's worship, and settled civil government: one of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches, when our ministers shall lie in the dust…"

I recently had the privilege of walking through Harvard College and Harvard yard with my son David and good friend Rusty Thomas. We were in awe of the manifold workings of God as we remembered together the history of this college, the first one established in America, and why it was begun. We saw the statue of that great Christian man, John Harvard, who had given half of his estate and all of his library for the erecting of the school in 1638. What I truly desired, however, was to find the above quote. I knew it was somewhere in the historic yard.

We finally found it on what was once the main entrance to Harvard. There it was, partially hidden by a small tree yet magnificent in its presence, and a steadfast reminder that this school was established almost exclusively to train ministers of the Gospel of Christ. Harvard's "Rules and Precepts" adopted in 1642 contain the following essential: "…Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternall life, John 17:3 and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all found knowledge and learning…" Old South Leaflets 1642.

The degeneration of Harvard College into a humanistic bastion where God has been expelled and banished from the yard is a microcosm of what is happening to us on a national scale. We, in America, have forgotten who we are and why we are here. We have forgotten the providential hand that brought us to this time and place in history. Because we have forgotten Him, we have been turned over to our enemies and ever-increasing debauchery. God has not been silent however, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…" Rom 1:18.

1. Bill Clinton is not our problem, he is a sign and judgment from God. "Therefore the Lord was angry with His people … and their foes ruled over them." Ps 106:40-41.
2. Abortion is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer." Hos 9:13.
3. Losing our kids to drugs, gangs, and murder is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "Even if they rear children, I will bereave them of every one…" Hos 9:12.
4. Kids killing kids is not the problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns …" Hos 4:2-3.
5. Homosexuality is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie … Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts ..." Rom 1:25-26.
6. Rampant crime is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "…No man could go about his business safely because of his enemy, for I had turned every man against his neighbor." Zech 8:10.
7. Bad laws and statutes are not our problem, they are a sign and judgment from God. "… because they had not obeyed my laws … I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they could not live by ..." Ezek 20:24-25.
8. The fact that God's people and the Republican Party have become waffling compromisers, unwilling to stand for anything, is a sign and judgment from God. "The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle ..." Ps 78:9.
9. Becoming a society of "victims" is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge." Jer 31:29.
10. The incredible number of lawsuits that inundate our judicial system is not the problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… Therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field." Hos 10:4.
11. The idea that money can fix anything is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… but money is the answer for everything." Eccl 10:19.
12. The fact that we do not have men of courage and principle is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… I will make boys their officials; mere children will govern them." Isa 3:4.
13. The fact that radical feminists are moving into positions of great power is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "...women rule over them..." Isa 3:12.
14. The fact that our women are now placed in military combat units is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "Look at your troops - they are all women..." Nahum 3:13.
15. Gay Pride Days and the homosexual agenda are not the problem, they are a sign and judgment from God. "The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom, they do not hide it …" Isa 3:9.
16. AIDS is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." Rom 1:27.
17. The fact that the true prophet of God is not welcomed in today's church is not the problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac…snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God." Hos 9:7-8.
18. The fact that many pastors preach only positive "user friendly" messages, never touching the true Gospel issues of the day is not the problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace." Jer 6:14.
19. The fact that God's people in the American church demand only positive messages is not the problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way ..." Jer 5:31.
20. The fact that "my rights, my body, my choice" has become the mantra of the day is not the problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." Jdgs 21:25.
21. The fact that senseless violence is increasing in the streets is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "Violence has grown into a rod to punish wickedness..." Ezek 7:11.
22. The fact that our President is a confessed liar and adulterer yet has a high job-approval rating is not the problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "… they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." Rom 1:32.
23. The fact that our Congress did not deal justly concerning the impeachment of the President is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent - the Lord detests them both." Pr 17:15.
24. The fact that abortion, homosexuality, gambling and pornography are being praised is not our problem, it is a sign and judgment from God. "Those who forsake the law praise the wicked..." Pr 28:4.
25. The fact that street violence, domestic violence, child abuse infanticide and euthanasia are on the rise is not our problem it is a sign and judgment from God. "In the streets the sword will make them childless. In their homes terror will reign. Young men and young women will perish, infants and grey haired men." Dt 32:25.

God has not been silent about our turning from Him but, in His severe mercy, is calling us back to Himself. Dr. Dobson has said that he is praying that God will bring judgment on our nation for that will be a sign that it is not too late for us if we heed His voice and hearken to His call. His wrath and judgment are signs of his discipline and love. Like our Pilgrim forefathers before us we must lay Christ at the bottom and the only foundation of all found knowledge and learning.

The same providential hand that brought the Pilgrims safely across the Atlantic ocean to the shore of Plymoth on a tiny little ship called the Mayflower also sank the ship that could not be sunk on the same Atlantic ocean 294 years later. Both were launched from South Hampton, England. One ship was not supposed to make it. The other couldn't miss. Which ship would you like to place your family on knowing what you know now? Would it be the Mayflower or the Titanic? The Titanic had more than enough warnings that the ice was thick and dangerous but plunged ahead full-speed. Our nation also has had even more warnings. Who do you trust - man or God?