Salvation Belongs To Our God

(with apologies to Marty Robbins, Arlo Guthrie, and whoever else recorded this song)

A Parody

As I was out walking the streets of Laredo
As I was out walking in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy all dressed in white linen
All dressed in white linen as bright as the day.
"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy.
You see by my outfit that I'm a cowboy, too.
We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys.
You buy a cowboy outfit and you'll be a cowboy, too."

I confess that I am a bit impatient.  There are great prophecies in the book of Revelation that I just can't wait to study, and having studied, to share.  On the other hand, I don't want to miss anything that God might have in store for me.  So I am in a quandary.  When I look at the last half of chapter 7, I see singing, which I went over in my study of chapter 5 (see "Everybody Sing", June 22).  I see saints in white robes (see "If you want to get to heaven, wash your clothes", April 16).  I see elders, and four living creatures, and angels, and lots of other images that are familiar to me as I have read through the prior chapters in John's vision.  I want more!

But it may be that this lull, this re-cap, was on purpose.  Maybe we need a bit of the familiar before we start chapter 8 and read of the Trumpet judgments and the introduction of the Beast and other unfamiliar, unfathomable images.  Besides, God is convicting me of being shallow.  We always want to jump to the end, to see who wins.  We are often in such a hurry that we miss the depths of the message He has for us.  So here goes.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.' " (Revelation 7:9-10)

The family of God is eclectic. It is inclusive.  It is diverse.  It includes all ethnicities, all colors, all families and all dialects.  But please note: it does not include who people choose to worship differently--no room for all religions or creeds, for God is a jealous God, and will not suffer those who bow the knee to false gods.  Also note this: it does not create a protected class of people based on who they choose to have sex with (sexual orientation), for God did not create us for perversion.  Let me be clear: there is no one sin that is any worse than any other.  "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  Your murder is no worse than my lying.  Your homosexuality is no worse than my adultery or pornography--but make no mistake: homosexuality is sin.  All sin separates us from God, and it all requires forgiveness. I think those who bow at the altar of diversity go too far: they are right in making no distinction between race, color, ethnicity, language--all those things are who we are.  The problem is when we make no distinction about religion or sexual orientation--these are things we choose (no matter how loudly one might say "but God made me that way").

This is what Scripture says.  But people have chosen to ignore God and follow their own way.  Except it is not their own way--it is the way of sin.  Revelation 13:7 says "He (the Beast) was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them.  And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation."  This is why some people think we are already living in the End Times.  But this has been going on since ancient times.  Daniel 3:4-5 says, "Then the herald loudly proclaimed, 'This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations, and men of every language: As soon as you hear the...music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.' "  And so it will be until the end of the world.  Revelation 17:15 says, "Then the angel said to me, 'The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.' "

I, for one, will not bow at the altar of diversity.  Not as long as it includes false religions and makes protected classes out of sinful people because of the sexual sin they choose.  You may say, "You Christians are so narrow minded and bigoted."  I'm not bigoted.  I'm just following God and reading His word.  He will judge, not me.  Many people get defensive, and ask why God would send people to Hell, as if that settled the argument.  One Christian writer I know says this: God is loving and merciful; if you did not want anything to do with Him in this life, He certainly will not force Himself on you in the next life.  Outside of the confines of this earthly existence, Heaven is where God is; Hell is where He isn't.

What does it mean to say that "Salvation belongs to our God"?  God is preparing a wedding feast like none other ever seen.  He invites everyone to attend.  But people who choose not to answer that invitation will not be allowed in once the party starts.  It's God's party--He can include whomever He wants.  Thankfully, he wants me to live forever with Himself.  He wants that for you, too.  But you can't reject Him in this life and expect to be able to change your mind once you find out how wonderful Heaven is, and how dark and lonely Hell is.

Psalm 3:8 says, "From the Lord comes deliverance.  May your blessing be on your people."  Genesis 49:18 says, "I look for your deliverance, O Lord."  Jonah 2:9 says, "But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.  What I have vowed, I will make good.  Salvation comes from the Lord."  Why would you choose to  follow the Beast and the Prostitute of Revelation, when the Lord offers deliverance?  I've heard lots of my secular friends say, "Why do you Christians use the word 'Saved'?  Saved from what? I don't need salvation."  They need it, they just don't understand the concept.

The song that I quoted at the beginning--not the parody, but the actual "Streets of Laredo" song, speaks of a dying cowboy, whose fatal wound is from a gunfight.  This week I learned that it is a derivation of an English song called "The Unfortunate Lad."  The narrator also comes upon a dying man, but this man is dying of syphilis.  You can tell, because it speaks of salts and mercury pills, which were thought to be cures for this particular STD.  Apparently the chap really took a liking to a prostitute, for this is how the song goes:

As I was a walking down by the [Lock] Hospital,

As I was walking one morning of late,

Who did I spy but my own dear comrade,

Wrapp'd in flannel, so hard is his fate.

Chorus.

Had she but told me when she disordered me,

Had she but told me of it at the time,

I might have got salts and pills of white mercury,

But now I'm cut down in the height of my prime.

I boldly stepped up to him and kindly did ask him,

Why he was wrapp'd in flannel so white?

My body is injured and sadly disordered,

All by a young woman, my own heart's delight.

My father oft told me, and of[ten]times chided me,

And said my wicked ways would never do,

But I never minded him, nor ever heeded him,

[I] always kept up in my wicked ways.

Get six jolly fellows to carry my coffin,

And six pretty maidens to bear up my pall,

And give to each of them bunches of roses,

That they may not smell me as they go along.

[Over my coffin put handsful of lavender,

Handsful of lavender on every side,

Bunches of roses all over my coffin,

Saying there goes a young man cut down in his prime.]

Muffle your drums, play your pipes merrily,

Play the death [dead] march as you go along.

And fire your guns right over my coffin,

There goes an unfortunate lad to his home.

That home, my friend, is not Heaven.  Is that how you want to end up? Click on the following link to hear a version of the song sung by the Redeemed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RihfmBH8JbQ