The man sat on the steps
of the entrance to the city
His lips were swollen,
his face bruised and beaten,
his legs were limp and unable to hold his weight
He held a sign about grace
because he thought he deserved some
Deep within his mind
he justified his acts of treason and thievery
What else could he do?
Money was important to him
and fame and a good reputation
so in secret
he stole from the poor,
defamed the innocent
and slandered the name of the truthful

People would come by and visit him
They would stare as if they knew him
But still his face was so swollen with bruises
that he was unrecognizable

Children would throw pennies at him and laugh
It was told that he once protected children
and then that was revealed to be a lie

He was disabled, unable to walk,
unable to earn money
except for the donations he sequestered
and many copies of a book he wrote

Yes, he was famous once
A real moral standard
Some would say a righteous man
but it was all a lie
A serious grievance against
the innocent and abused he had managed

In time, in God's perfect timing
his lie exposed, his body broken, his life ruined
because Justice does prevail
Time and time again, Justice will rule
but not often through human courts
for those are filled and controlled
by the immoral, ungodly, impudent,
insolent unfit guardians of Truth

"Rise up!" Jesus would say if He saw this man
"Rise up and walk, your sins are forgiven!"
And yet, the children had been deceived,
caught in abusive churches and homes,
told they would be helped,
but instead the abusive pit they lived in
became deeper still

Would Jesus heal this man
and forgive his sins?
Would He?
We will see . . .
Maybe He will ask the children
what He should do with this man
What would you do?
Will you pray for this man?
Will you show grace?
Have mercy?

~

And the bell rang
Children lined up at the door
Their abusers awaited their entrance
No one there would protect them
No one would shield them
They had all read the book,
knew the procedure
but also saw with eyes wide open
the immense flaws
that allowed them to appear as a safe haven,
a wholesome environment, a healthy place
while they abused and raped the children

No one would know
How could they?
These people would cover for each other
while appearing to protect the children

So sad
But what is sadder still
Is that you read this and don't care
It doesn't affect you
Or anyone you know
What could you do anyway?
Is it your responsibility?
Is it?

A child is at risk
It is your responsibility
Night and day
You look at the leaders
of the churches and schools
and believe them to be right
You believe their words
You love the books they write
You recommend them
and laud them far and wide
and yet, many are abusers,
rapists, haters of innocence
and despisers of Truth

You shake their hands on Sunday morning
You advertise and promote their sermons and books
and even though you are ignorant of their crimes
you are responsible

You are accountable for allowing them to continue
You are accountable for the abuse of the children
You are held accountable by God

Why?
Because you did not see,
refused to discern,
was blinded by their charm and fame
You did not ask God
to reveal to you their true heart

The children waste away,
abused daily
by what appears to be godly,
sanctified teachers and leaders
And you feel safe, so very safe
until the man on the city steps
grabs hold of your leg as you walk by
and you feel the life taken from you
as his grasp conveys upon you
the very grip of Hell

It will happen just like this
as you take part
in the biggest masquerade
of these times

Grasped by Hell and nowhere to run
No one you can tell who will believe you
That's how the children feel
every moment of their lives

Now you will feel this same grasp
until you rise from your safe world,
your ease of conscience,
expose the perpetrators
and lay your life down
to protect the children

Done.

How much can a book reveal?
It could reveal all, but it stops short
so that the lies and abuse can continue
under the cloak of goodness and approval

Will you fall in this trap?
You've been warned . . .
Next comes the grasp of Hell!

Sample FIRE of these end times
Because the prophet is no longer
allowed to tell stories, to speak warnings
That age is over

Now, the Father allows you
to taste of your fate without repentance
How hot is the FIRE?

Your turn to write the stories . . .
at least those who survive.

"Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those He redeemed from the hand of the foe"
Psalm 107:2

~

The young girl stepped forward
She had practiced the words
she was about to say for weeks
over and over and over
In her mind she imagined the response
But never did she imagine
what happened that day

She was dropped off in front of the church
and waited for the pastor to walk by
It was the pastor she trusted
who told his congregation
Sunday after Sunday
to do the right thing,
to be courageous,
to protect the innocent

She approached him slowly
checking his expression
to see if he was, indeed,
someone who could be trusted
The greetings were short
before she began to tell
of the child abuse she had heard of
within the walls of the church
committed by leaders, friends of the pastor

He listened and appeared to be appalled
He knew something had to be done
He had heard reports himself,
but let others resolve the matter
But now, he was hearing it again,
fresh, repugnant, sordid details
and he realized how it would affect him,
his church, his friends, his family, the other leaders
and he told the young girl not to tell,
not to report it to the police,
not to do anything

This man who spoke of courage
suddenly had none
This man who told stories of bravery
was fully and completely a coward
This man who called people to protect the innocent
was concerned about everyone but the child
and the other children who were being abused

He rebuked the young girl
and told her she was no longer welcome
at the church
He told her that people would hate her
and talk about her
He told her the consequences
of reporting the abuse to the authorities

And she left, broken, hated, destroyed
by the man she trusted the most

And isn't this what happens in the churches?
No matter how many rules of good conduct,
how many books they read on the subject,
how many Sunday school teachers and leaders
they train to look for abuse
If it is one of them,
the rest will cover up.
If it is one of them,
the rest will cover up.
If it is one of them,
they will be fully covered

The children continue to be abused
The young girl now slandered and despised
The leaders still wear their cloaks of righteousness
and the church opens its doors to the innocent
almost every day

Church after church after church . . .

A book of rules will not cure the human heart,
arrest deviant behavior or reveal the perpetrators
A book set in the hands of the abuser
will only bring a more solid, substantial, devious
plan to trap the children in abuse

You will know what to do
if you seek the Heart of the Father
You will know how to stop the abuse
and handicap the abuser
You will be given discernment
if you abide in the Heart of the Father

Don't let the religious white-wash
the tomb of the children
They are dying daily through torture
and the "white" man comes to put
his seal on it
all to make a dollar
and increase his fame

2 Timothy 2