Tag Archive for: Bible

Revisiting the Rapture — Is It Imminent?

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This topic is like a minefield with many hazardous conclusions drawn from texts taken without context. This article offers a broader spectrum of ideas and contexts than most Christians have considered.

If you Google “Rapture September,” more than a million results suggest this is on people’s minds. Some are even having dreams about it. Others ask, Does not knowing the day or hour apply to the 2nd coming or to the rapture?

The idea that Christ would suddenly take Christians to heaven before the end-time period of tribulation was unknown before John Darby promoted it in the 1830’s. William Miller began preaching then and the “Great Disappointment” in 1844 was a result, but this does not mean the idea is un-Biblical.

The book of Revelation shows the last of seven churches in a deplorable state: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

If we can believe the “true witness,” this diagnosis suggests we are not ready for a rapture which its  supporters say occurs in verse 1 of the next chapter when John is told ““Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” Rev 4:1.

But if we are honest, we must admit that it’s a jump to conclude that means a rapture of the wretched group that we saw a few verses earlier. It’s true that the word “church” is not found later in Revelation, but the “watershed” event that initiates end-times that separates the past, present and future may mean that the church era is over and we move, either to becoming the Bride of Christ, or if unfaithful, to being part of the harlot who rides the beast of New World Order, Rev 17:1-3.

As this nation moves loses freedoms in a move toward global government, “one taken and another left” may mean taken to a FEMA camp because when the disciples asked “Where,” Christ said, Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered,” Luke 17:36,37. The dinner of the birds in Revelation 19:17,18 is not about a rapture—we don’t want to be “taken,” contrary to a popular fictional series of books and movies.

The oft-quoted text that Christ will keep us from the hour of temptation that shall try the world does not necessarily mean a rapture to avoid the tribulation. The hour of temptation might mean the short period of time that Satan impersonates Jesus, working miracles to deceive the whole world because they “received not the love of the truth.”, 2 Thessalonians 2:9,10.

We might be poor Bible students to conclude that being kept from the hour of temptation means we get a waiver for the tribulation when the Bible says, “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22. This is said different ways in different passages, but it’s about our character development.

After diagnosing our “pitiful” condition, Christ says to buy of Him “gold refined in the fire.” Rev 3:17,18. It’s been said that most of Revelation is a synthesis of previous Bible passages that meet and end in the Revelation. Our familiarity with the whole Bible tests our ability to interpret Revelation without jumping to conclusions.

The gold tried in the fire comes from Malachi 3, the last book in the Old Testament where we see God’s intent to purify or refine us as gold, a passage sung in Handel’s Messiah at Christmas. The information comes from the “messenger of the covenant whom [we] desire,” Mal 3:1-3.

What does that mean? We’ve been dancing around the topic, but rapture or no-rapture depends on our understanding of the wedding parables. We can become the Bride of Christ by making a covenant, but how?

Christ’s parable of the 10 virgins who are asleep with their lights out suggests that we don’t understand this topic. Their being out of oil for their lamps means they can’t see how to get to the wedding. Maybe that’s us.

Oil comes from the two olive trees representing the Old and New Testaments in Zechariah 4. Christians who are short on oil may be lacking an understanding of the Old Testament.

God afflicted Egypt for their many gods, their oppression of God’s people, and for their murder of infants. America has many parallels to Egypt as the greatest nation, a bread-basket for the world in time of famine, but its murder of the unborn and the oppression of Christians may be just beginning.

God attacked the gods of Egypt like the Nile—their economy depended on it like we depends on the dollar. We are about to see God’s judgments on America, in a re-run of Exodus 5-12. Then God took Israel to a covenant and later said, “I am married unto you,” Jeremiah 3:14, KJV. That’s how we marry Christ!

God regarded the covenant relationship as a marriage and Paul includes the Exodus in “all those things happened to them for examples…ends of the world.” 1Cor 10:1,11.

God got an ignorant bride at Sinai—they worshiped a golden calf 40 days later, but their trials in the wilderness proved what was in their hearts. “The heart is deceitful” Jer 17:9. To believe we are ready for heaven may be wishful thinking. It’s been said that a couple is never really married until they have their first serious disagreement and survive it.

When Christ discussed end-times, He said to understand the book of Daniel which has potential life or death situations in chapters 1-6. Daniel 1 is about the king’s healthcare that Daniel wisely declined. Dr. Ben Carson said Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery. If we study Daniel, we are able to see other parallels to what’s coming.

It does look like the image in Daniel 2 (representing the kingdoms of this world), is getting ready to fall financially and “in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom…” Dan 2:44.

How will He do it? “God declares the end from the beginning,” (Isa 46:10) and in the beginning when God took Israel to a covenant, He said, “If you will keep My covenant, you will be to me a kingdom,” Exod 19:5,6.

Now we can understand the disciples’ question, Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? and Christ’s  reply, “It is not for you to know the times and seasons,” They were looking for an external kingdom and He linked it to times and seasons, a phrase used only once more in the New Testament King James. It’s when the 2nd coming is imminent.

Paul says we which are alive will be caught up when Christ comes with the “trump of God.” 1Thess 4:16,17. He further shows this “at the last trump” in 1 Cor 15:52, We are about ready to start the 1st of seven trumpets in Revelation 8. We expect economic collapse because the grass decodes to riches, comparing Rev 8:7 with James 1:9-11 in the King James. This means we are “caught up” at the 2nd coming “at the last (7th) trumpet.”

Paul continues…“But of the times and seasons,…the day of the Lord [the end-time apocalyptic period as seen in Joel 2:10,11] comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.” 1Thess 5:1-4. Most people would agree that the US-Iran nuclear deal is ‘Peace and safety’ talk.

We could expect economic collapse and martial law to put us into bondage like Egypt from which God will deliver us with labor pains as He did with Israel, His “firstborn.” Exod 4;22. He took Israel from sudden, destruction to a covenant and Paul included that history of the Exodus for us in 1 Cor 10:1,11.

That’s it!  That’s how we become His kingdom. “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom” and by making a covenant signaled by calamity that causes a midnight cry, (Matt 25:6; Exod 12:29,30), we also become His Bride.

But the covenant is not some new deal. It’s the same law, but God promises to give us a new heart so we will want to do what it says. Ezek 36:25-27.

Christ said, “Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” We are thankful that He fulfilled the animal sacrifices of the law. We don’t have to kill animals. But He also magnified the law to say if we are angry with our brother, we may be guilty, or if we lust after a woman, it’s like committing adultery in our heart.

Maybe we can see now that the church isn’t ready for rapture until we have had the New Covenant Promise fulfilled to us. Until then, we can all say with Paul, “the good that I would, I do not…” Romans 7.

What’s coming will drive us deeper into the things of God or, if bent on our own way, they will harden us as Pharaoh. The Good News is that God has a plan and we can be included if we are seeking to understand His ways and conform to His will as we claim His promises.  HalleluIA.

EDITORS NOTE: Dr. Richard Ruhling is author of The Alpha & Omega Bible Code, an ebook that’s had mostly five-star reviews on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010CFNMCU, but readers can get a pdf with a bonus for visiting his website at http://TheBridegroomComes.com

Why doesn’t the Pope go to Syria?

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A good opportunity for “Muslim-Christian dialogue”:

Let’s put the pope’s Muslim-Christian “dialogue” policy to the test. Here’s the perfect destination for the next papal trip: Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State’s caliphate.

Last Sunday, Pope Francis called for the release of Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim (the Syriac Orthodox archbishop of Aleppo), Boulos Yazigi (the Greek Orthodox bishop of Aleppo), and Italian Jesuit priest Paolo Dall’Oglio, who — if they are still alive — have all been held captive for two years now by Islamic jihadists in Syria. Said the pope:

I hope for a renewed commitment by the competent local and international authorities, so that these, our brothers, will soon be restored to freedom.

He must know that the “competent local and international authorities,” if there are any, aren’t going to do a thing to free these clerics.

If the pope wants it done right, he is going to have to do it himself – and in doing so, he can prove the value of the Church’s insistence and dependence upon “Muslim-Christian dialogue.”

The pope should go to Raqqa and appeal personally to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State’s Caliph Ibrahim, for the release of Ibrahim, Yazigi, and Dall’Oglio. Pope Francis has said that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence,” and he has assiduously called for “dialogue” and denounced violence in virtually every situation. So he should go there, and display the correctness of his recommendations by initiating an in-person “dialogue” with the caliph or other appropriate Islamic State representatives, during which he can explain to them how they are misunderstanding the Qur’an and Islam.

This will fix everything: not only will the Islamic State forthwith release the bishops and the priest, but they will lay down their arms, and distribute flowers to all the children. The power of “dialogue” over all forms of violence will be abundantly established before the eyes of a world struck with awe, yet again, at the wisdom of this pope and the compelling power of his humble, saintly personality.

As he prepares for this “dialogue” trip, however, the pope may face resistance from his own bishops.

Robert McManus, the bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, two years ago (ironically not long before Ibrahim, Yazigi, and Dall’Oglio were abducted) summed up the prevailing view of the U.S. Catholic bishops:

Talk about extreme, militant Islamists and the atrocities that they have perpetrated globally might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims.

So what is Pope Francis doing even talking about these abducted clerics? He should keep quiet about such matters, so as to preserve the “dialogue.” Will Bishop McManus and the other American bishops, recognizing the dignity but also the limitations of his positions, humbly but unmistakably call him on the carpet and “oppose him to his face, because he stood condemned,” as St. Paul did to Francis’ first predecessor, St. Peter (Galatians 2:11)?

Of course they will say nothing, and Pope Francis will not go to Raqqa, because in both cases the concerned parties probably know full well that the sham of the “dialogue” policy would be exposed to the world.

The contemporary Catholic Church, especially in the West, has confused niceness with charity.

It may be nice to avoid unpleasant matters and to enjoy delicious hummus and pita down at the mosque, but it is not charitable to confirm Muslims in their bullying and supremacism by kowtowing to their wishes.

It is not charitable to keep silent about the atrocities they commit in the name of their religion and in accord with its teachings….

Read the rest here.

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Why Is the Vatican Pushing Communist Goals? by Michael Hichborn

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This coming November, the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Science is holding a workshop intended to figure out how to indoctrinate your children in the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. This comes on the heels of the Vatican nuncio to the United Nations announcing “verbatim” support for the SDGs, and after Catholic Relief Services president Dr. Carolyn Woo echoed Pope Francis’ call for support for the SDGs as well.

So, what are the Sustainable Development Goals?

They’re a United Nations plan for the creation of a global socialist utopia thinly disguised as a poverty reduction program. In short, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are the first step in achieving several of the goals laid out in Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. In truth, these goals are Communist goals, through and through. Here’s a snapshot of how specific portions of the SDGs line up with identified Communist goals:

Sustainable Development Goals:

  • Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
    • Communists have always used the plight of the poor as justification for the implementation of their nefarious schemes
  • Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
    • Plank 7 of the Communist Manifesto calls for a top-down approach to industry and agriculture
  • Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
    • A 1938 issue of a Communist publication concluded that “only through the final victory of world socialism can the vast stores of available scientific knowledge really be put to work for the full benefit of humanity. ‘Socialized medicine’ is a meaningless phrase except in a socialized society.”
  • Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
    • Plank 10 of the Communist Manifesto is “free education for all children in public schools.”
  • Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
    • Communism has pushed for working women since the beginning of the Revolution in Russia.
  • Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
    • Plank 8 of the Communist Manifesto: Equal liability of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
  • Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
    • Plank 9 of the Communist Manifesto: Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
  • Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
    • This is an echo of Karl Marx’s mandate, “From each according to his ability to each according to his needs.”
  • Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
    • This is pure global governance orchestrated by an entity with authority above national sovereignty.

This summary is not intended to be exhaustive, but should provide enough information to alarm even the most lukewarm of patriots and faithful Christians. But the Catholic Church, which has issued full and unqualified condemnations of Communism and Socialism should have nothing to do with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals … and yet, “Catholic” social justice organizations and its leaders have hijacked key positions in the Vatican and are using their influence and authority to fast-track programs to get the faithful to fully support and work for the implementation of the SDGs. This is extremely dangerous and must be forcefully resisted by all faithful Catholics. What follows is a general overview of some of the more egregious of the SDGs in their audacious push for global Communist governance.

Read the rest at http://www.lepantoinstitute.org/.

Hichborn_headshot300ABOUT MICHAEL HICHBORN

Michael Hichborn is the president of the Lepanto Insitute. Formerly, Michael spent nearly eight years as American Life League’s Director of the Defend the Faith project. He has researched and produced countless articles and reports on the funding of abortion, birth control, homosexuality and Marxism by Catholic Relief Servies and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Christendom College in Political Science and Economics and a Master’s degree in Education from American Intercontinental University. Michael lives in Virginia with his wife, Alyssa, and their five children.

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Look Who’s Defining Sin… Say What?

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My first thoughts were, “Say what?” Yeah. And you’ll be saying “Say what” too after reading this statement from the president of the National Education Association (NEA), Lily Eskelsen Garcia.

First, for those unfamiliar with the NEA, it is the nation’s largest labor union – not just the largest teacher’s union, mind you. But the largest labor union in the country. Period.  It has more than three million members.

Its mission is “to advocate for education professionals” blah, blah, blah. In other words, they are an organization of teachers who unite to demand more money, benefits, better work environments and whatever else they can get their hands on.

They also advocate for just about any left-wing liberal cause that enrages conservatives, even if it has nothing to do with teaching.

One of those left-wing causes is homosexuality. No surprise here for anyone familiar with the NEA. In their own words, the union states it has a “goal of changing public opinion on homosexuality, starting with the youngest generation.”

Clearly, they’re going after your kids, whether you like it or not. At least they’re upfront, honest and forthright about their mission. I’m sure that makes you feel better.

Even so, as brazen as this statement is (telling parents, “To hell with you, it’s all about what WE want your children to believe”) this isn’t …

… and I repeat, this isn’t the “Say what?” experience I’m talking about.

The “Say what” experience happened during NEA’s 2015 Annual Meeting on July 3 in Orlando, Fla.

That’s when the union president, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, took to the stage and said this after applauding the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing homosexual marriage:

“My son, Jeremy, called me and said, ‘Ma! Mike and I are no longer living in sin!’ My son and Mike are legally married in the great state of Utah.”

Can you join me in a “Say what” moment?

Does the Supreme Court now decide what is “sin”? Is this the new message to youngsters from the country’s largest teacher’s union … nay, the country’s largest labor union – that the Supreme Court will determine what is sin?

Before laughing off this crazy, overly exuberant rant of the country’s most powerful labor union president, consider the deeper message Lily Eskelsen Garcia is pushing.

Government will now decide what is sin and what is not sin. Not the Bible. Not God.

The word “sin” is decidedly a Judeo-Christian word. There’s no mention of “sin” in the Quran. There’s no such thing as “sin” in Buddhism. And there is no “sin” against God in Hinduism.

So, in reality, the NEA is only concerned about “sins” as defined by the New and Old Testaments. The government will now define those sins.

It’s mighty painful for the NEA – and others on the liberal left – to explain away biblical sins, with homosexuality being a big pain in the butt (no pun intended) as one of those difficult “sins” to dismiss. There are just too many Scriptures condemning homosexuality to brush them aside, reinterpret or reject.

So why not let the government – Big Brother – decide what is sin and what is not?

This is a big advantage for the NEA and their liberal lackeys, whether they are in government, business, media or law enforcement.

Homosexuality is not a sin according to the left. But refusing to serve a cake at a gay wedding is a sin, and punishable with a $135,000 fine, as experienced by the Christian owners of Sweet Cakes By Melissa.

Gay marriage is not a sin. But opposing gay marriage is a sin and a punishable offense, as experienced by the CEO of Mozilla, Brendan Eich, who was fired because of his opposition.

The liberal left would love for the government to be in the business of defining sin, as if they aren’t already.

Being anti-gun is not a sin. But being pro-gun can get you arrested, as experienced by a teen-ager in West Virginia who was arrested after wearing an NRA T-shirt to his middle school.

Abortion is not a sin. But protesting abortion can land you in jail, as happened to nine college students in Birmingham, Ala., this year who were arrested for distributing pro-life literature on a public sidewalk at Parker High School.

Radical Islam is not a sin. But exposing it can get you demoted, suspended or fired, as happened to Lt. Col Matthey Dooley who was fired as an instructor at West Point for teaching a course on “Islamic Radicalism.”

Being anti-religious is not a sin.  But say “Bless you” after a fellow classmate sneezes may get you suspended from school, as happened to Kendra Turner at Dyer County High School in Tenesssee.

Opposing the goals of the liberal left is not just about being politically incorrect. It’s about sin. Because clearly these are not criminal acts. This is why they need to redefine these acts as “sins” that can carry severe consequences – jail, fines, loss of jobs, mandatory sensitivity training classes, suspensions and demotions. 

The NEA teacher’s union doesn’t want children to think “Bible” when they hear the word “sin.”  They want them to think government. And if the government does not consider something a sin, then it’s not.

But if it does consider your moral rantings or activities a “sin,” then …

… you better dig deep into your pockets, dust off your résumé and perhaps dress for orange.

I’ve got some disturbing news for the homosexuals who are celebrating their victory and newfound freedom from “sin” – handed to them by the Supreme Court:

The Court may have legalized marriage … but they are still NOT married. They will have to appeal to an authority higher than the Supreme Court for that dispensation.

Did I just hear a “Say what?”

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EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is of Lily Eskelsen Garcia.

Gays Throw Human Excrement At Christians, Wipe Their Anuses With Pages of The Bible by Theodore Shoebat

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When up to a thousand conservative Christian parents in Germany were protesting against a new pro-homosexual “sexual diversity” curriculum in their schools, homosexuals charged at them and thew human excrement at the Christians. They also ripped pages of the Bible, wiped their anuses with the pages, crumpled them up and threw them at the Christians.

What makes these sodomites so different than Muslims who defecate in churches? The answer is nothing.

According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians:

They were spit at, eggs were thrown, and little bags with feces or color. Cables of loud speakers were torn out …Pages were ripped out of the bible and used to wipe backsides, then formed into a ball and thrown at the parents. …Christians were deeply hurt in this process. At least one banner was snatched and destroyed in front of the eyes of the parents. Marshals were target[ed] with pepper sprays. Shouting by counter-demonstrator[s] made the planned public speaking partly impossible.

The police, instead of bringing order, came and took the side of the sodomites, telling the Christian protesters to leave. As the organizers stated:

Police urged the organizers to dissolve the rally, in order ‘to avoid escalation.

This is why we support the current law in Russia in regards to homosexual propaganda. The sodomites must be suppressed in order to prevent their agenda from spreading and taking root in any component of civilized. This is why God gave us this law:

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (Leviticus 20:13)

But since the Divine Law has been replaced by the dictates of politicians whose souls are seized by the devil, these sodomites “fill the land with violence and continually arouse” the anger of God (Ezekiel 8:17)

St. Peter described governors as “them that are sent by him [God] for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. (1 Peter 2:14) Evildoers would include sodomites, since St. Peter’s moral code would have been from the Divine Law.

In the words of St. Paul when he addressed the sodomites in his Epistle to the Romans:

Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:32)

The sodomites know they do evil, and we as Christians know that the Divine Law must be imposed upon them, or else they will “continue to do these very things”.

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EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on Shoebat.com.

Jonathan Cahn’s Warning on America’s Turning Away from God

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On April 29, 2015, members of Congress, Christian leaders and people of faith joined together to honor President George Washington as a man of Christian faith in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. At this event Jonathan Cahn,  author of “The Harbinger“, spoke about what Washington stood for and how America has turned away from God.

As George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Please watch this important lesson about America’s past with a warning to America and its leadership:

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SCOTUS Ignites New Level of Resistance

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My sofa felt pretty comfortable. Ninety percent of the time, I’m on the road as chairman of the Conservative Campaign Committee. This was a rare occasion to be in town for the Volusia 9/12 Project monthly meeting. I saw the email reminder about the meeting earlier that day and thought it might be good to attend considering the two devastating outrageous rulings handed down by the Supreme Court (Obamacare and same sex marriage).

But when 5:00 p.m. rolled around and I would have to leave at 6:00 p.m. to get there on time at 7:00 p.m., I was sorely tempted to stay home on my extremely comfortable sofa. And yet, almost robotic, I showered and prepared to leave. At our front door, my wife Mary gave me a kiss and said, “I’m proud of you for going.” I asked, “Why?” She replied, “I don’t know.”

The 9/12 group’s meeting was the same day the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage. I’m a Christian and know that God has everything under control. Still, I was emotionally shaken; angry, frustrated, hurt and concerned about the dark place our country is headed – evil appearing to triumph everywhere you turn.

Thank God I attended that meeting. It was awesome. The hall was filled with patriots, mostly Christian, still passionately engaged after meeting for the past seven years. The Supreme Court’s judicial activism though dispiriting appears to have sparked a new level of commitment in them to fight for God and country.

The leader of the group is Ray Sanchez. Wow, I regret not bringing in my phone to record Ray’s inspiring rip-roaring opening monologue, pledging to continue pushing back and seeking new ways to defend the Godly traditions and values that have made America great.

There was talk of churches bowing out of 501c3 status; liberating them from government dictates.

A gentlemen at the meeting lamented that the GOP is committed to staying away from social issues. Meanwhile, Democrats/Leftists are cramming their consensus on social issues down our throats. He said the Supreme Courts rulings punctuates how crucially important it is to put people of moral character in office.

Allowed a moment on the microphone to speak about his travels, I was blown away by the passion and commitment of 79 year old Reynerio Sanchez (not related to the group’s leader Ray Sanchez). Last year, Mr Sanchez drove 10,464 miles giving away copies of the U.S. Constitution. He also gives away copies of the Ten Commandments; upbeat, enthusiastic and not showing any signs of slowing down. Mr Sanchez read the group a moving “thank you” email he received from a young waitress on the other side of the country. Mr Sanchez’s website is: reysan.org

PATRIOT CAMP

Patriot camp for children.

One of the ladies excitedly reported about this year’s “Patriot Camp” for 1st to 6th graders. She and her team teach American history through storytelling, drama, crafts and games. I was told that Patriot Camp is extremely popular with kids and parents.

The keynote speaker was Dr Tom LaHue. His topic was “The Decline of the Church” which appears to be a worldwide phenomenon. The stats Dr LaHue shared showing the decline in attendance and effectiveness of the church in our culture were pretty disheartening.

When asked what we can do to change the direction of our country, Dr LaHue said we should “have a burden for America”. He said some may be called to Christian ministry, while others are led to fight back in other ways. His point was it is crucial that every patriot continues to do their part; continuing to fight to restore America.

From the ladies who run the group’s Patriot Camp to elderly Mr Sanchez touring America handing out Constitution booklets and the Ten Commandments, these are people simply doing whatever they can to restore the country they love. We did not reach this current level of debauchery in America over night. It will take faithfulness, prayer and wisdom to turn it around.

The unwavering determination and commitment of the Volusia 9/12 Project truly inspired me. I suspect their “burden for America” is representative of Tea Party groups across America.

My brother said, in essence, SCOTUS made it illegal to be a Bible believing and functioning Christian. I told him I do not think we are totally there yet, but are swiftly headed in that direction.

I pray that there is a silver lining in the Supreme Court’s betrayal, the igniting of a new intensity in the level of resistance to Obama and his minion’s fundamental transformation of America.

Brother and sister patriots, go with God. Go with God.

Manhood is under attack in the USA

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Here’s the ideal plan to win that battle – Manhood by The Bible. Dennis Rainey wrote about the five themes of Biblical manhood:

  1. A man controls his emotions and passions.
  2. A man provides for his family.
  3. A man protects his family.
  4. A man serves and leads his family.
  5. A man follows God’s design for true masculinity.

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Harbinger II: You thought same-sex marriage meant America is going down? Wait a month!

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harbinger book coverThe Harbinger was about a series of events that needed explanation in Cahn’s best-selling book that warns of impending judgment. Harbinger II needs little explanation except to note that the Supreme Court decision for same-sex marriage came on a date that resonates with biblical meaning for what’s happening and may be confirmed within weeks.

One reason the Bible is the #1 best-selling book is because most people who read it seriously gain the conviction that it is God’s Word. They also know that the highest court in the U.S. is not really supreme. In the end, God is the Judge and we should pity the poor “justices” whose opinions of what is good for America put it past the tipping point.

The Supreme Court decision came the 9th day of the 4th Jewish month, counting from the new moon crescent. That’s the same date that “there was no bread for the people of the land,” Jeremiah 52:6. This is not about a literal famine in America, but it has a spiritual application. Christ likened bread to God’s Word in Matthew 4:4. In our parallel, we don’t have God’s Word and we are spiritually starving.

We can know the “Supreme” Court decision is Harbinger II a month from now if judgment falls as it did in the chapter above when Solomon’s Temple burned a month later on the 10th day of the 5th month, Jeremiah 52:12. It was the end of an era, like we may be now.

In 70 AD, Herod’s Temple burned, again on the 10th day of the 5th month, according to Josephus. Again that date signaled the end of an era.

That would be July 27 on our calendar. We won’t need to wait for economic collapse that many expect this fall. We won’t need to have a foreign invasion [actually that’s been going on for years, thanks to congress being sold out to a global agenda, and we already have civil and racial strife.

A new book, The Alpha & Omega Bible Code suggests that an earthquake initiates the biblical scenes of Revelation, but we haven’t recognized it because it’s encoded:

  1. It’s encoded as a trumpet in Revelation 1:10, because using the Alpha Code, we find the first place “trumpet” is found in the Bible is Exodus 19:16 when Mount Sinai shook at God’s presence in a mini-Judgment Day in the presence of God and His law.
  2. The earthquake is encoded again as the roaring of the sea in Revelation 1:15 because that’s the context of the call of Isaiah to prophetic office when “the posts of the door moved” but five verses earlier, we see the roaring of the sea (no chapter divisions in original Hebrew text).
  3. The earthquake is encoded as a ‘knock’ in Revelation 3:20 for the lukewarm church of Laodicea that ended in an earthquake circa 63 AD. Type and antitype?
  4. The earthquake is encoded as a lion’s roar in Revelation 6:1 where John heard thunder—it was the Lion of Judah, Rev 4:7; 5:5. The Lord shall roar…the earth shall shake; Joel 3:16.
  5. An “earthquake” occurs before the seven trumpets in Revelation 8:5,6.
  6. An earthquake is again encoded as a lion’s roar before the seven thunders in Revelation 10:3.
  7. An earthquake is shown to initiate “the day of the LORD” in Joel 2:10,11. Zechariah 14:1,5 says, “You shall flee as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah.” (#2 above)

This brings up the idea of evacuation. Christ said, “As it was in the days of Lot…the same day that Lot left [fled] Sodom, it rained fire…” Luke 17:28,29. Should Christians consider leaving cities?

Christ said, “When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong… flee,” Mark 13:14, NIV. Early believers understood Christ’s reference to military and when the Roman army came under Cestius in 66 AD, they fled and were spared the siege by Titus in 70 AD. Military?

What about JADE HELM [Homeland Eradication of Local Militants]? Is this not an abomination that causes desolation? How does our government get away with this except a congress that’s strangely sold out to a New World Order agenda where current freedoms won’t fly?

So when we celebrate our freedoms this coming weekend, it may be bitter-sweet, knowing this may be the last such celebration this country gets.

A major U.S. earthquake on July 27 would bear a double message: “The time of God’s judgment is come  and “the Bridegroom comes, go ye out to meet Him.” Revelation 14:7; Matthew 25:6. The message of judgment is clear, but why the “midnight cry” message from Christ’s wedding parable?

God came as Judge to Egypt where there was a cry at midnight (Exodus 12:12,29,30) and God took Israel out to the wilderness [flee] where they made a covenant and He later said, “I am married to you,” Jeremiah 3:14.

God regarded the covenant as a marriage and Paul included the Exodus in “all those things happened to them for examples…ends of the world.” 1Corinthians 10:1,11.

Christians have misunderstood Christ’s wedding parables. This is implied by the women being asleep with their lights out, Matthew 25:5. But now it’s vital to get it right, because not getting into the marriage implies a serious loss of destiny.

The Alpha Code shows the first use of the midnight cry in Matthew 25:6 is Exodus 12:29,30, so that history is for us as Paul confirmed (above).

In expectancy of possible judgment on the 10th day of the 5th month, Bible-reading Christians and Jews should fast and pray on the 9th of Av—the 5th month as Zechariah 7:5 suggests. That was because the temple was destroyed then. It could be the end of our great society and the beginning of end-times.

In summary, three passages link current harbingers to a need to  flee the cities.

  1. Christ’s warning in Luke 17:28,29. The Supreme Court decision is a link to Lot (Sodom)
  2. Mark 13:14, NIV for military as an abomination that makes U.S. desolate (HELM: July 15)
  3. Zechariah 14:5 links fleeing to an earthquake: July 27? Why not save this article to review then.

The 9th of Av (when many Jews fast and pray, Zech 7:5) falls on Sunday. It would be wonderful if churches everywhere were filled with people who cared enough about America to skip supper and come to church for prayer. Maybe “Wonderful Numberer” arranged it so we have no excuse?

Elijah had the guts to pray for  judgment to fall in order to turn Israel back. Do we? Isn’t it time?

Pope improves Armageddon with Climate Change prophecy

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Today the Vatican released a highly anticipated Papal encyclical containing a carefully worded prediction of the imminent destruction of Earth’s environment at the hands of wealthy countries and individuals. Titled “Laudato Si,” (“Be Praised”), the new encyclical leaves little doubt that its author, Pope Francis, is attempting to bridge the widening gap between the boring and preachy Epistle of Jude and the still popular and hardcore Book of Revelation, while also courting a younger, progressive generation of Mother Earth worshippers by adding a cool new “Horseman of Global Warming” to the existing Doomsday scenario, bringing the total number of Horsemen of the Apocalypse to five.

Prior to the release, a senior Vatican official explained the purpose of the encyclical as a good faith effort by the Pope to demonize unbridled capitalism as the sole threat to our common planet, thus endearing himself and the Church he shepherds to the largely untapped progressive community. “If this encyclical receives the popular support it deserves, it may well find its way into the Canon of Scripture, and possibly into movie theaters worldwide,” the source told the press on condition of anonymity, explaining that “stealing the Holy Father’s thunder” is an excommunicable offense.

“It may seem odd to suggest that St. John, author of the Book of Revelation, shared a common failing with the early prophets of Climate Change, but it’s true. In his eagerness to steer readers to God, John wrote as though it was essential that people immediately embrace holy living so as to avoid the fast-approaching horrors of Armageddon. Likewise, until recently, the harbingers of carbon-based annihilation demanded drastic lifestyle changes among the world’s consumers to prevent climate cataclysm,” said the insider of an increasingly enlightened and once again relevant Catholic institution.

“Their mutual mistake was the specificity of predictions and deadlines for action, which have all passed without any noticeable impact. New York remains above water and natural disasters have not increased, while the seven seals remain unbroken and the stars are still attached to the firmament,” the Vatican source said.

And yet we shouldn’t lose hope: “The infallible Vicar of Christ won’t repeat those mistakes. His encyclical skillfully combines compelling, Revelationesque doomsday scenarios with a generous use of tempering vagaries such as ‘may’ and ‘potential.'”

Even though none of the earlier predictions have materialized, there is still reason for optimism, as Revelation and Climate Change Science both continue to be wildly popular among the respective groups of believers.

“The encyclical capitalizes on that popularity while serving as a long overdue segue between the present time, where nothing of note is happening, and the apocalyptic events which may still be decades away,” said the Vatican official, ending the anonymous statement with a prediction that the eventual Hollywood screenplay may potentially feature a snappier, dire-sounding title.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on The Peoples Cube.

Miley Cyrus Burns Bible on Stage to Promote Tolerance

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Immediately following her interview, in which Miley Cyrus confessed to being “the least judgmental person in the world” and “understanding and accepting of everyone,” she started her next show by setting a Bible on fire.

In an opening act for her recent concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Cyrus walked out onto the stage and held the Bible out to the crowd saying, “Here is a tribute to all you Jesus-lovers out there.” She then set the pages on fire and yelled “Hillary ’16!” before dropping the book to the ground. As the music started, Cyrus began to sing while squatting over the burning Bible and performing a sexually provocative dance with repetitive thrusting hip movements, called ‘twerking.’

A few moments later the stage went dark, lit up only by two large red inverted crosses, usually associated with satanic worship. Cyrus began to dance around a large phallic object, using it as a stripper pole, while removing parts of her clothing. At that point about one fifth of her audience got up and left the concert, telling MTV reporters in the lobby that the display was extremely offensive and they didn’t feel comfortable remaining in that environment.

After the concert, Cyrus told the journalists that her actions were meant to raise awareness and understanding of the downtrodden segments of our society. “Being a role model for millions of people, I know no better way to express the massive amount of love I have for the world, and if some crybabies are upset about it, they’re idiots and I hope they die,” Cyrus said before sticking out her tongue and suggestively spreading her legs for the cameras.

Liberal members of the media called the concert an “act of bravery,” describing Cyrus’s artistic performance as “by far the greatest example of a new, enlightened culture, unhindered by the ancient rulebook that promotes bigotry, fear, and hate.”

A conservative reviewer who happened to be at the concert referred to it as “trash not fit for viewing.” Cyrus responded to this single critical review by complaining about the ongoing massive oppression of dissent on the part of religious conservatives, noting that “That’s exactly what I’m talking about when I say that Christians are intolerant of opinions expressed by their betters. If those Jesus-lovers were upset about what I did last night, just wait until they see what I have planned for my next show.”

This story has already been debunked by Snopes:

See screenshot below (with ads removed to save space).

Politics According to The Bible

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politics bibleWant to run a nation right? Listen to what God says about it! “Politics According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture” by Wayne Grudem.

ABOUT POLITICS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE

A variety of perspectives exist within the Christian community when it comes to political issues and political involvement. This comprehensive and readable book presents a political philosophy from the perspective that the Gospel pertains to all of life, so Christians should be involved in political issues. In brief, this is an analysis of conservative and liberal plans to do good for the nation, evaluated in light of the Bible and common sense.

In this ground-breaking book, recognized evangelical Bible professor Wayne Grudem rejects five mistaken views about Christian influence on politics: (1) ‘compel religion,’ (2) ‘exclude religion,’ (3) ‘all government is demonic,’ (4) ‘do evangelism, not politics,’ and (5) ‘do politics, not evangelism.’ He proposes a better alternative: (6) ‘significant Christian influence on government.’ Then he explains the Bible’s teachings about the purpose of civil government and the characteristics of good or bad government.

Does the Bible support some form of democracy?

Should judges and the courts hold the ultimate power in a nation?

With respect to specific political issues, Grudem argues that most people’s political views depend on deep-seated assumptions about several basic moral and even theological questions, such as whether God exists, whether absolute moral standards can be known, whether there is good and evil in each person’s heart, whether people should be accountable for their good and bad choices, whether property should belong to individuals or to society, and whether the purpose of the earth’s resources is to bring benefit to mankind.

After addressing these foundational questions, Grudem provides a thoughtful, carefully-reasoned analysis of over fifty specific issues dealing with the protection of life, marriage, the family and children, economic issues and taxation, the environment, national defense, relationships to other nations, freedom of speech and religion, quotas, and special interests. He makes frequent application to the current policies of the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States, but the principles discussed here are relevant for any nation.

A Tale of Two Cities Babylon and Jerusalem: Is Our  Religion Symbolical or Spiritual?

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In the days of Nimrod whose kingdom was Babel, men built a tower, saying, “Let us make a name lest we be scattered abroad,” but God said, “let us go down and confound their language…so the LORD scattered them abroad.” Genesis 10:9,10; 11:4,7,8.

It seems significant that even now the Tower of Babel is used as a symbol of the  European Union with its poster, “Many Tongues, One Voice” (Google), a symbol of defiance to God and with 5-pointed stars pointing down—the official insignia for the Church of Satan. (Google).

From the beginning, God was trying to spare man an external focus that engenders pride. Babel became Babylon and its king later said, “Is this not great Babylon that I have built?” Daniel 4:30. That meant time out for another lesson as the king lost his mind and ate grass for a 7-year humbling of Babylon.

The impending end-times will test our grasp of Bible truth as Babylon will again be humbled for 7 years. The issues are more subtle now, for we are dealing with spiritual Babylon that has permeated society’s systems of medicine, education, welfare, government, correction and religion. Our focus now is religion.

When God liberated Israel from Egypt, He gave them a system of types that foreshadowed spiritual truth. The lamb that they sacrificed represented the lamb in Isaiah 53:5-7, “wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities,” and announced as “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” by a Jewish prophet, John. John 1:29.

They loved Him for the loaves and fishes, but when He made the internal and spiritual nature of His kingdom clear, they rejected Him, saying “Crucify him!”–He thus fulfilled His sacrificial role as a lamb.

The question is, do we learn from those lessons, or are we as Christians trying to make Jerusalem and its external symbols right so we can feel ok, instead of “the kingdom of God is within you”? Luke 17:21.

In the “Tale of Two Cities,” Christians want Jerusalem, not Babylon, but it’s looking like Jerusalem will become permeated by spiritual Babylon depicted as a harlot involved with kings, wealthy (gold) and wearing scarlet (color of cardinals), a “mother of harlots” (other false churches) and abominations… drunken with the blood of saints (persecuting church in medieval history) on 7 hills, Revelation 17:2-9.

The Vatican plans a millennial reign in Jerusalem (Google it)  and Bible prophecy unmasks the pope’s role to introduce “Jesus” to the world after moving his headquarters there for the end-time, Daniel 11:45; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10.

To answer the question in our title, we must not conclude that we need to see Christian or Jewish symbols or temples in Jerusalem, because in the end, Babylon will use them as it forces everyone to bow as in Daniel 3.

Abraham, the father of the faithful, let Lot have his choice of geography, and Lot picked Sodom. The Bible shows Sodom and Jerusalem as equivalent in Revelation 11:8. So let’s not fight over it–it will end as the last chapters show, with Christ coming on the white horse* to deliver His people in Armageddon, represented also in Daniel as the fiery furnace deliverance.

In the end, only the religion that comes from God can lead to God. We must not insist on our own terms, but seek Him on His terms. Now is our opportunity to study the Bible as it reveals a significant part of what modern religions believe as false and no single denomination as having all the truth, Revelation 3:17.

*The white horse in Revelation 19:11 is pre-figured by the white horse in Rev 6:2, a message of truth that helps us decode the enemy’s counterfeits so we are not deceived.

This article should not be construed as against any sincere Christians, including Catholics who seek a better understanding of Bible truth to explain the incongruities they see in their church and leadership.

RELATED ARTICLE: Politics and Pope Francis: The Role of the Catholic Church and the State

EDITORS NOTE: Dr. Ruhling believes the white horse of Revelation 6:2 also represents information linked to the  7 seals in that chapter—information that is the basis of a covenant enabling us to marry Christ as Israel did and that whether Jew or Gentile, God will bless a covenant-keeping people as His bride in and through end-times, ( http://TheBridegroomComes.com ) not raptured out of it.

Defeating ISIS: A Biblical View of America’s Role [Part 2]

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PART TWO

HIGHLIGHTS OF PART ONE

We learned on April 2, 2015 that 148 Christian students were killed at a college campus in Kenya, some of whom were beheaded.  We learned in the same month that another 30 Christians were singled out for massacre in Ethiopia.  As with the 21 Coptic Christians, Christians were separated for slaughter from those of other faiths.  As with other pogroms by ISIS, many of our leaders will not acknowledge that these Christians were killed by Islamic terrorists or even that it’s Christians who are targeted.  Presumably, out of fear to name the enemy, the terrorists often go unidentified (and for other obvious PC reasons), as does the religion of the murdered (PC does not favor the defense of Christians, at present).   Imagine if George Washington had refused to state that the enemies of the revolutionaries were the soldiers of King George III of England.  Imagine if the faith of almost every signer of every major document upon which America is founded were not a Christian, what would this nation look like, if it still existed?

Part One addressed the extermination of tens of thousands of innocents by ISIS, the justification of these horrors by the Islamic terrorists, and some of what America and the Arab world is presently doing to fight the barbarians.

Let’s address the importance of both loving people and hating evil while responding as righteous men and women.  Based on this scriptural foundation, Part Three will offer a plan of action for America.

To read Part 1 click here.

LOVING PEOPLE AND HATING EVIL

The bible speaks to this conundrum.  Let’s first consider that if we cannot separate God’s hatred of evil from His love of people, the answer seems to be that we should fight against evil, as we did in WWII.

We know that God is “one God.”  God cannot be divided into parts.  For example, we cannot separate God’s justice from His mercy, or His hatred of evil from His love of people.  All of God is everywhere.  He is indivisible.  Therefore, the more God transforms our character into His image, the more we will both love justice and hate evil.  Proverbs 8:13 states, “The fear of the Lord [standing in awe of God] is to hate evil.”  Many other scriptures state that God’s essence is love.  From this essence naturally proceeds hatred of evil.  If we love God and the tens of thousands of present day innocent martyrs, we must also hate evil. Psalm 85:10 & 13 states that God’s love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace are inseparable and that His righteousness “goes before him.”  Psalm 89:14 combines God’s justice with His righteousness, love, and faithfulness.

Although no one knows what the present policy of America toward worldwide terrorism is (our lack of a clear policy is an embarrassment), the policy seems to be to “contain” evil.  This strategy is not aimed at stopping or destroying the threat of the mass murder of millions upon millions.  To most Arab nations’ dismay, we are negotiating with Iran that will surely obtain nuclear weapons, right behind the nearly completed rockets that can deliver nuclear bombs to the USA.  We have already given Iran what it values most: time; and we have no policy toward Syria, except to renege on our commitments to fight Assad.

If a group of gang-bangers were murdering people in your neighborhood, would you call the police?  Romans 13 supports calling the police, as such peacemakers are ultimately appointed by God for our safety.  Hebrews 11:34 even speaks of heroes who “waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”  These heroes led the destruction of cultures that sacrificed their children in the fire to gods of wood and stone.

Citing a proverbial saying, Jesus told us to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves,” (Matthew 10:16), meaning we must discern the poison in the snake while preserving the simplicity of the dove (Adam Clarke).  What is called for with ISIS is to not be naïve, regarding the poison of the snake.  As Proverbs 4:18 advises, we are to “guard our hearts” with all diligence.  And Romans 13 states that our own rulers are established by God to be His representatives who do “not bear the sword for nothing” (vs. 4).  Our policemen and, by implication, our armies are for our protection.  The Constitution of the United States agrees.

We know that Jesus had the discernment to know when to outwardly love and when to vehemently defend and protect.   Christ declared that the converts of the hypocritical religious teachers of His day were “twice the sons of hell” as were they, the teachers, (Matthew 23:15).  Christ hated the demons that He cast out.  And though He taught us to “turn the other cheek,” when He was struck at His illegal trial, He said, “Why did you strike me” (John 18:23)?  Christ was not naïve, nor was he afraid of confrontation.

Because of the evil in the world, in His human form Christ was a “man of sorrows.”  Today He weeps for those who suffer at the hands of the terrorists (see Isaiah 63:9).  I believe that He even weeps for the terrorists until He finally turns them over to a “reprobate mind” (Romans 1:28), which I believe has been now been done with, at least, most of the terrorists.  I’ve seen some former terrorists, now turned Christians, interviewed, allowing that not all terrorists have been turned over to a permanently depraved mindset.  At this point, if Christ does not weep for them, we also need not weep.

Therefore, we see that at the same time that Christ loved people, He hated evil.  Christ was the most loving and most joyful man that ever lived.  He performed His first miracle at a wedding and celebrated life.  As the voice of wisdom personified states in Proverbs 8:30-31, so believed Christ: “I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world, and delighting in mankind.”    Yet He must have spent hours weaving the whip with which he drove the financial schemers out of the temple, as zeal for God’s house “consumed” Him (John 2:15-17).  Therefore, it is possible for all of us to continue to celebrate life and the wonders of God’s creation while feeling the pain of God’s oppressed and rendering justice upon those who have inflicted it.  Several scriptures speak of evil people falling into the pit that they have dug for others, and Proverbs 1:18 states, “These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!”  If Christians can hasten their doom in order to rescue and protect themselves, all the better.  The Old Testament is full of accounts of believing Jews destroying nations that sacrificed children to their false gods.  The barbarians are training young children to pull the trigger on innocent captives, as we’ve seen on the news.  These children will never even graduate from elementary school, let alone adopt a value system of respect for all people.  From a neurological point of view, their brains are literally being wired for murder and little else.

Based on Christ’s love of people and hatred of evil, it is likely that Christ would condone all efforts to stop the murder of innocents.  Even if all world events fall into a pattern to bring about end time events or into other unknown purposes of God, because we cannot fully understand the pattern or His purposes, we must live our lives one day at a time and respond to evil as righteous men and women have responded since the world began.

THE RESPONSE OF RIGHTEOUS MEN AND WOMEN

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:9 that we are to love people, but we are to love with wisdom and knowledge, not being naïve.  There is a horrific and ultimate destination for evil doers where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48).  Clearly, there is also a time and season for all things, a time to kill and a time to heal (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3).

As alluded to in Part I, in Romans 1:28, the Apostle Paul states that God gave some people over to a “depraved” or “reprobate mind.”  In the realm of sin, the atrocious acts that we witness via television are the “end of the line.”  The ISIS terrorists who call themselves warriors for Muhammad are evil incarnate and are probably closer to the edge of hell than even Paul could have imagined.  All or almost all of them have been given over to a reprobate mind.

Psalm 73:18 speaks of evil people standing on a “slippery slope.”  Jesus refers to those who do not build the foundation of their lives on Him as building on “sinking sand” (Matthew 7:26).   He also said that way to destruction is a broad road, but the way to eternal life is down a narrow road and through a small gate (Matthew 7:13).  The barbarians are traveling down the broad road to eternal destruction.

Peter said that God did not spare from hell the angels that rebelled; nor did He spare the evil people in Noah’s day, nor the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Peter even described false teachers as “brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish” (2 Peter 2).  Again, hear this: Peter says that some people are “born to be destroyed.”  This from one of Christ’s most devoted and loving disciples.  One of the most famous representatives of Christ in the history of the world.  A man of love and peace.

Jesus, our loving Lord and Savior, stated that in His time, all sin would be forgiven except “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 12:31).  There are debates about what this sin is, and I have an opinion.  But my opinion doesn’t matter in this discussion.  Whatever the sin was (or is) could not exceed the sin being committed by the most ruthless barbarians ever known in history, savages that put to death the followers of Christ, Jews, Muslims of slightly different beliefs, and people of any other faith than theirs.

Psalm 1:6 says, “For the Lord knows the way of the godly, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”  There is no doubt.  Even Jesus and the New Testament that emphasize the grace and love of God speak clearly to the need to combat evil, unless otherwise individually spoken to, as God does speaks to each of us individually, e.g., you may be chosen for martyrdom (John 10:4, 27).  For more scriptures that point us to the same conclusion, see Part I.

Innumerable surveys and polls are available on the Internet.  A recent ABC News poll concluded that 83% of all Americans identify themselves as Christian.  A 2014 Gallup survey stated that 76% identify themselves as Christians.  In 2013 80% of Americans thought the bible was “sacred literature” (down from 86% in 2011; 8% thought the Koran was sacred) (Barna study, 2013).  Whatever brand of Christianity Americans subscribe to (and there is a wide variety, indeed, with many not attending church), the morality represented by Christian beliefs is still the bedrock of what many would say makes America “good,” in spite of its many flaws.  Therefore, one can argue that the response of righteous men and women is dictated by the scriptures already cited.

RESPONDING AS INDIVIDUALS

What about our attitude as individuals?  If someone is chosen for martyrdom, God would want us to forgive our murderers, as He forgave His murderers on the cross.  Also, consider the relatives of the victims.  Will they find inner peace in any other way except through forgiveness?  Of course not.  Nevertheless, when the killer of their son or daughter is executed or falls in battle, these same relatives might obtain some satisfaction, knowing that God’s justice has been accomplished.

The best course of action in regards to our personal vengeance is to leave it alone.  Romans 12:17 says, “Leave room for God’s wrath; vengeance is mine, says the Lord.”  If we don’t “leave room” for God’s wrath, but execute our own personal judgment, we risk that God’s judgment may not prevail or, perhaps, will be less severe.  This point of view is proposed by Proverbs 24:17, which states, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.”  Most of us would prefer that evil doers suffer God’s judgment, rather than our own.  Again, on an individual basis, scripture seems to teach forgiveness, along with trust in God.  If we trust in God, His justice will be accomplished.  Therefore, as individuals we are to forgive our enemies, especially as God supernaturally enables us to do so.  I’ve seen relatives of murdered sons and daughters many times speak on the news of forgiveness.  This does not discount that some men have been personally called to fight against ISIS, having no affiliation with any nation.  In fact, I’ve also seen one such mercenary interviewed on cable news, and I’ve seen ads on the Internet, seeking to recruit mercenaries.  See several websites that suggest how you might help to rescue Christians who face starvation and extinction.

RELATED VIDEO: A message to the Islamic State from The People of the Cross

Real Hero Fanny Crosby: Blind but Not Disabled by Lawrence W. Reed

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The most revered woman in late 19th-century America is someone you’ve probably never heard of: Fanny Crosby.

Even if she is barely remembered today, the songs she wrote are still sung every week from coast to coast and around the world.

She was born Frances Jane Crosby in Putnam County, New York, in 1820. She died in February 1915, just a month short of her 95th birthday. And what a long life of achievement it was!

She earned great fame and appreciation for her charitable work in inner cities, especially when she nursed the sick during New York’s terrible cholera epidemic in the late 1840s. Thousands fled the city, but Fanny stayed behind, contracting the disease herself but later recovering.

She probably holds the record for having met more US presidents than any other American, living or dead — an astounding 21, or almost half of the 43 men who’ve held the office. She met every single one (in some cases after they served in the White House) from John Quincy Adams to Woodrow Wilson. She was also the very first woman to address the US Congress.

Her memory was legendary. By age 15, she had memorized the first five books of the Old Testament, the first four of the New (the gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John), the books of Proverbs and Song of Solomon, and many of the Psalms.

By age 20, Crosby called herself “an ardent Democrat” at a time when Democrats supported smaller government while their main opponents, the Whigs, endorsed a national bank, federal infrastructure spending, higher tariffs, and other interventions. At least one of the more than 1,000 poems she wrote took aim at the Whig presidential candidate in 1840, William Henry Harrison. An abolitionist through and through, the slavery issue pushed her into the Whig camp a few years later. But when Democrat Franklin Pierce won the White House in 1852, she wrote, “The election’s past and I’m pierced at last. The locos have gained the day.” That was an allusion to the Locofocos, the most libertarian wing of the Democratic Party.

Fanny Crosby was clearly a woman that people wanted to meet. The reason? She was the best-known hymn writer of her day. She wrote about 9,000 hymns in her lifetime, a record no one else has ever approached. America’s Protestant churches by the late 19th century were filled with music from the creative mind of Fanny Crosby. Some of her hymns are well-known and still widely sung, from “To God Be the Glory” to “Blessed Assurance.”

What made Fanny’s life so remarkable was the handicap she endured and overcame: total blindness. At the age of just six months, treatment for an inflammation of her eyes blinded her for life. She could never see, but in a very poignant way, she never looked back, either. Throughout her life, she inspired others with her hard work and personal initiative. She even learned to play the piano, organ, harp, and guitar, and became a respected soprano singer. She was popular as much for her perseverance in the face of a horrific obstacle as for all the many good deeds she performed.

How’s this for a sunny perspective in the face of adversity? “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God,” she once observed,

that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things around me.

Crosby was reported as saying had it not been for her affliction, she “might not have so good an education or have so great an influence, and certainly not so fine a memory.”

Fanny Crosby set a personal goal of bringing a million people to Christianity through her hymns. Whenever she wrote one, she prayed it would bring women and men to the faith, and she kept careful records of those reported to have been converted through her works. She also wrote four books of poetry.

America is a country with a history of heroes, but it seems at times that we’ve forgotten more than we’re producing. Maybe there’s a connection there. If we forget our heroes, how can their examples serve as inspirations?

In honor of her 85th birthday in 1905, “Fanny Crosby Day” was celebrated in churches all over the world. In May 1911, at age 91, she spoke to 5,000 people in Carnegie Hall after the crowd sang her songs for 30 minutes.

Through her powerful example and exemplary character, she became one of the most admired women in American history. If she had only kept quiet about her faith, complained about her plight as a blind person, or declared a right to a federal handout, maybe the writers of our history texts today wouldn’t ignore her.

For further information, see:

Christian History
Edith L. Blumenhofer’s biography
Fanny Crosby’s autobiography
Lawrence W. Reed on the Locofocos

Lawrence W. Reed

Lawrence W. (“Larry”) Reed became president of FEE in 2008 after serving as chairman of its board of trustees in the 1990s and both writing and speaking for FEE since the late 1970s.

EDITORS NOTE: Each week, Mr. Reed will relate the stories of people whose choices and actions make them heroes. See the table of contents for previous installments.