Divine Abandonment - Marking the Times Episode 144 The Downfall of America

One of the YouTube channels that we regularly follow is Mark Hitchcock's channel Marking the Times. We really enjoy the talks he has about Bible prophesy and what's happening in our world currently.

The most recent episode is very sobering. I would encourage you to watch and pay close attention.

When I read the last half of Romans 1, I can't help but see the downward spiral and progression of sin. As the chapter continues it says, "God gave them over..." That giving people over to their sin and depravity is called Divine Abandonment.

When you see our Country and around the world, you can't help but see what's listed in Romans 1:16-32 being played out.

The only hope we have is a merciful God who sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to come and be born of a women, live His life perfectly without sin. As the Son of God and Son of Man, He alone was worthy and able to bear our sin debt. He bore the wrath of God that we deserve, He paid the price for our redemption from sin, so that we could be forgiven.

What is required of us? To repent of our sin (agree with God that we have sinned and turn to God and ask for His forgiveness) and believe in Jesus Christ, that He is who He said He is and that His death on our behalf paid the penalty for our sin.

I'm sure many of you have felt the heaviness of what we see going on in our Country. It's much bigger than loosing an election. It's seeing our Nation in a downward spiral. But we also have a confident hope and assurance of our salvation. Whether we die or are raptured one day, we know eternal life has been bought and paid for on our behalf by Jesus Christ. He holds us secure in His hand.

If you don't yet know the Lord, I would ask you pray for God to reveal Himself to you. Watch this video, read the Scriptures, Romans 1 and read Revelation where we learn about the end days and what will happened when God's wrath is unleashed upon a sinful world. Read the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and see who Jesus Christ was, who He said He was and what He came to do.

Don't take my word for it, read the Bible for yourself. If you feel like you have led a horrible life of sin and can't be forgiven, that is a lie straight from the pit of hell. A broken and repentant sinner, God will not cast away. If you choose to reject Jesus Christ and continue in sin, then you will bear the wrath of God for eternity.

Eternal life is not just for Christians. Those who reject God and the forgiveness He offers through His Son Jesus Christ, will also have eternal life. Instead of heaven, it will be hell and eternal punishment.

Please know that in no way do I look down on anyone and think I'm better. I'm not. The only reason I will have eternal life is because God had mercy and compassion on this sinner. He opened my spiritually blind eyes to see. He opened my ears which were deaf to Him. He took this heart of stone and made it a heart of flesh. He helped me to see my sin, repent and turn to Christ Jesus the Lord. And He can do the same for you.

None of us knows the day and hour when we will die. When we will have that last chance to repent of our sin and believe in Jesus Christ. Don't delay...this literally the most important decision you will ever make.

The Crown in Crisis by Alexander Larman – The Man Who Should Have Never Been King

I wanted to read The Crown in Crisis – Countdown to the Abdication by author Alexander Larman because I had heard about the King Edward VIII’s abdicating the throne for divorcee Mrs. Wallis Simpson.  I didn’t know any of the details other than the fact that Mrs. Simpson was an American who was twice divorced.  It all seemed very romantic and like true love that would bring a man to give up the throne of England to be with his beloved.

Well, I was in for an awakening.  As I write my thoughts about King Edward VIII, I need to divorce my feels about him from what I think about this book.

As the man was portrayed in this book, I found King Edward VIII to be an arrogant, rude, immature, vapid, insufferable, selfish, boring jerk who focused on himself instead of others.  He put himself over and above the Country he had been entrusted with.  Mrs. Wallis Simpson wasn’t much better.  She seemed to be on a quest for power and money and used sex or whatever she had to entrap men, including King Edward VIII.  Wallis was not twice divorced, but once when she started committing adultery with King Edward.  As part of their weird relationship, a plan was implemented for Wallis to divorce her current husband so the two could marry.  But they made it look like Wallis’ husband was the one who was committing adultery and she was the innocent one.  Their adultery was blatant and it fractured Edward’s relationship with his father, King George V. 

Not sure if the book accurately portrayed Kind Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson?  It may have been accurate.  Obviously, when a man is ready to toss the crown away for a woman who uses people, they will make a few enemies along the way.  It was hard to tell if the author had a negative viewpoint of the King and Mrs. Simpson, or if the preponderance of information about them was negative from the people who surrounded them during this timeframe. 

Regarding the book, apart from two very dislikable people, it had some negatives.  The book came across as very gossipy, and you know gossips are not always the most reliable source.  At times, I found the story and scenes confusing in how they were written.  It has long sentences that made the point hard to follow.  There were volumes of people in this book, too many to really tell the story in a straight, interesting understandable manner.  Some of the accounts were very confusing and skipped from one person to another.  There didn’t seem to be a logical order, especially about to the attempted assassination of King Edward VIII.  At times, the author went into too much detail and pursued rabbit trails that took away from the story instead of making it richer.  It seemed like the author had so much information about King Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson from the many, many people that surrounded them that he included it all in the book.  I’m sure he left a lot out, but I found this book was not written in a fashion that made drew the reader in and unveiled what happened during this crisis in an interesting, logical, and organized way. 

I hated the first chapter, it was gross and vile in what was said and seemed to be rumors, innuendo, and speculation as opposed to facts.  Throughout this book, I noted many times that it seemed gossipy.  If I hadn’t agreed to read the book and give a review, I would have closed the book and not finished it.

I did find that the last third of the book interesting.  You would think if someone wanted to walk away from the throne, they could hand over the reins to the next one in line.  Not so.  It was a huge crisis for England and there were a lot of politics and power plays that were happening and of course, family relationships that were impacted.  This was the part of the book that was most interesting. 

King Edward VIII was a man who should have never been king.  From the beginning, I thought it was God’s providence that spared England from a weak self-absorbed king, as the nation would soon be in a war for the survival of their nation and the free world. 

Would I recommend this book?  Probably not.  Take into account the good and bad information and make a decision if you would like to read it.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the The Crown in Crisis by Alexander Larman.  I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book and not under any obligation to give a favorable review.