Karay people (Fr. Equatorial Africa) -"to hear and to take into the soul"

  Cabalacas -"to hear within oneself and not let go.

  Massi people (Ft. West Africa) "leaning on God"

  (From Fr. West Africa) -"to take the Word and eat it’

  (Another language of Fr. West Africa) -"committing oneself to be held"

  Udups (Ethiopia) – "to join God’s Word to the body"

  Aztec language – "Following close after"

  Lakandan Indians (Southern Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula) – "To cause God’s  Word to enter one’s heart"

  Konob Indians (Northern Guatemala) – "truth entering into one’s soul, or abdomen"

  Tibarese Indians (Mexico) –"to conform to truth with the heart"

  Pero Indians (Peru) -"to obey believe"

-Donald Gray Barnhouse-

Text: "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.’" (Lk. 19: 41-44)

The term "visitation" may mean a calamity, or a disaster, but the term may also mean a deliverance, a day of grace, or a time of reformation, of repentance, and of salvation (American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828). The Apostle Paul spoke of a time of visitation when he said, "I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Cor. 6:2)

Both the prophet Isaiah and the prophet Jeremiah used the word in speaking of a time of judgment. "Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory? (Is. 10: 1-33)? So, Jeremiah noted, "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD" (Jer. 8:12)

There are also sister words. The prophets used the word "controversy". When the Lord is said to have a "controversy" with a people, it means He has a quarrel with them. "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away" (Hos. 4:1-3).

"A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD." "Hear ye now what the LORD saith; arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, o mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel" (Jer. 25:31; Mic. 6:1,2).

The prophet Isaiah also spoke of "sifting" the nations to separate them, and to examine them. "Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: and his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err" (Is. 30:27,28). So, our Lord Jesus Christ told Peter that Satan desired to have him that he might "sift" him (Lk. 22:31).

The Bible teaches there is a time when God visits a nation, and there is a time when God visits an individual. In the text, Jesus prophecies judgment against the city of Jerusalem because she did not know the things which belonged unto her peace. She did not acknowledge those things -she did not want those things that would have brought her peace. She did not choose to experience those things that would have been the means of her blessing. Jesus expressed it again by saying, she knew not the "time of her visitation."

Sodom did not improve the day of her opportunities; neither did Babylon. Neither has Augusta, Georgia. America as a whole has not used her gospel privileges. Jesus wept over Jerusalem,

And shall our cheeks be dry?
Let floods of penitential grief
Burst forth from every eye.
The Son of God in tears
The wondering angels see;
Be thou astonished, o my soul;
He shed those tears for thee.

America has been careless and regardless of gospel preaching. They have for the most part ignored the will of God. They have not chosen the things that belong unto their peace, neither have they welcomed the time of God’s visitation. Humanly speaking, they have chosen not to repent of their sins and have refused to do those things that are pleasing to the Lord.

The things that belong to our peace are found nowhere apart from the gospel. It is the gospel that concerns our peace, i.e. our joy and happiness -our blessing both in this world, and in the next. Nevertheless, although God has visited America with the true gospel, most Americans have chosen to have nothing to do with it. Some people have not recognized the time of they visitation. To this day, they are not aware of the privileges brought them by the gospel. But, Jesus lays all blame for impending ruin upon the people themselves, if they would weep, Christ would not need to weep for them (Lk. 6:21).

The things which concern our everlasting welfare come by the preaching of the gospel. There can be no peace so long as the gospel of peace is shunned. The time of visitation is that time when the things that belong to our peace are made known to us. It is such time when people have the Word of God faithfully preached. It is when the Spirit of God wrestles with our conscience, and we are awakened to the reality of truth. This is the "time of visitation."

Then, how grievous and how sad it is that people, even whole cities, and entire nations refuse to hear the gospel! When people do not seize upon the things that pertain unto their peace! Surely, it must be that they do not know the time of their visitation.

Reader, do you know the time of your visitation? Do you know the things that pertain unto your peace? How many people there are who do not know, but who yet cover their ears as if the gospel was not worthy their consideration! How many people by their unconcern reveal a contempt for the Word of God! How many in our own families hold in contempt the things that pertain unto their peace! Some people perish through carelessness, but among them are many who by their indifference demonstrate a real hostility toward the gospel. "Shall I not visit for such things? saith the LORD" (Jer. 5:9).

Peter tells us that the judgment God brought upon the angels that sinned; and the judgment which He brought upon the whole world in the days of Noah; and the destruction of Sodom --all serve as examples to people everywhere who should follow their example of ungodliness (II Pet. 2:4-6).

Since God did not spare Jerusalem, should we think Augusta, Georgia, or New York City will escape the judgment of God? Since God did not spare the Old World that sinned, can we expect Americans will escape His judgment?

This generation of Americans has had numberless blessings with the prolific publication of the Bible and other Christian literature, cassette tape recorders, gospel programs on radio and television, Christian schools, and some true preachers of the gospel. Yet, it appears that while some people have a spirit of slumber (Rom. 11:8), many others are openly enraged by the gospel. They are prejudiced against the very things that God designed for peace. Among these are some people who appear to be like those of whom Isaiah wrote saying that God put a bridle in their jaws "causing them to err" (Is. 30:28).

America appears to be marked for death. It is not certain that if Americans were this day to "cease to do evil; (and) learn to do well" (Is. 1:16,17) that God’s wrath would be pacified, and justice satisfied. It should be noted, however, that in approximately 7 years after the text was written, the city of Jerusalem fell. Jesus says the reason for the destruction of Jerusalem was "because they knew not the time of their visitation."

The religious rights of the citizens of the United States consist in the enjoyment of his own conscientious choice, amongst all the forms of our common Christianity which were in existence at the time when the Constitution was established. This must be taken as the full limit of fair and legal presumption...

Therefore, I hold it preposterous to suppose that a band of hindoos could settle in any part of our territories, and claim a right, under the Constitution, to set up the public worship of Brahma, Vishnu, or Juggernaut. Equally unconstitutional would it be for the Chinese to introduce the worship of Fo or Buddha, in California. Neither could a company of Turks assert a right to establish a Mosque for the religion of Mahomet.

But there is one case, namely, that of the Jews, which forms an apparent exception, although it is in fact supported by the same principle. For, the meaning of the Constitution can only be derived from the reasonable intention of the people of the United States. Their language, religion, customs, laws, and modes of thought were all transported from the mother country; and we are bound to believe that whatever was tolerated publicly in England, was doubtless meant to be protected here.

On this ground, there is no question about the constitutional right of our Jewish fellow-citizens, whose synagogues had long before been established in London. But with this single exception, I can find no right for the public exercise of any religious faith, under our great Federal Charter, which does not acknowledge the divine authority of the Christian Bible.

-John Henry Hopkins, Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Vermont, in his book, The American Citizen: His Rights and Duties, According to the Spirit of the Constitution of the United States, published by Pudney and Russell In New York, 1857, p. 771.

Text: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2:8).

It has long been proposed by some that government should be controlled only by the most intelligent people. The unspoken theorem is that the more intelligent a person is, the more qualified he or she is to govern. It remains a fact, however, that our present malaise in society in the areas of law, education, medicine, theology, etc. is the result of the advice of the so-called "experts."

However, if we were to adopt the notion, what should be used as a test of intelligence? The most common test is the Intelligence Quotient test (the IQ test). If it be granted that the test is an accurate measurement of intelligence, it should be noted that there are some great limitations of its usefulness, not the least of which is that A HIGH IQ DOES NOT MAKE ONE EITHER A GOOD OR AN HONORABLE PERSON. If a society is interested in having the blessing of God, a leader’s character is more important than his intelligence. It should be a disqualifying factor, a demerit rather than a merit, that the resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a socialist "Rhodes scholar". Oh, that Americans had voted for one who was not so "well qualified" to head this country!

Second, A HIGH IQ DOES NOT DETERMINE A PERSON’S VALUE TO SOCIETY. How many so-called "gifted" geniuses are social misfits who cannot get along with people, or who cannot hold a job, or who are satisfied to do the most menial work? To accept IQ test results, as the basis for determining a person’s value to society is the most brutish form of fatalism. How hopeless the state of a person who can produce only poor results! How de-humanizing!

Can God use a person who is not overly taxed with intelligence? or, does God have no part to play? Third, PEOPLE WHO DO OBEISANCE TO THE IQ TEST RESULTS BANISH GOD FROM HUMAN AFFAIRS. They must do this before they can play "God" themselves.

How contrary is such thinking when compared to the teaching of divine revelation! The Apostle declares, "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence" (I Cor. 1:26-29).

Last, IT IS A CARDINAL PRINCIPLE FOR A CHRISTIAN THAT THE BIBLE IS HIS (OR HER) AUTHORITY BECAUSE IT DIVINELY REVEALED --IT IS THE WORD OF GOD. He weighs all data, and judges every opinion by the teaching of Scripture. He knows that it is folly to force the Bible to agree with his viewpoint, but he understands the way to blessing is to accept the teaching of Scripture for his viewpoint.