It takes only a quick survey of today's societal landscape to verify that this generation is well into upside-down thinking. Sanity is always the victim of sin saturation while any society struggles to break free of the Creator's influence. Paul the apostle wrote of the antediluvians: "And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient..." (Romans 1:28).
With due respect for the family of the just-departed Michael Jackson, the frenetic, worldwide hoopla over the self-proclaimed "King of Pop," when considered against the infinitely more important news going on at the time, punctuates the insanity infecting this generation. The surrounding madness involved in Jackson's death swamped news of phenomenal importance for the world, burying such matters as Israel's getting permission to fly over Saudi Arabia if a strike against Iranian nuclear weapons production facilities becomes necessary.
All mainstream news media—all media, as a matter of fact, dealt with every jot and tittle of the entertainer's musical history, perverse lifestyle, and death. While men—and now, in this warped world—women, sit incarcerated for crimes of being inappropriate with children, the world worshipped at the casket of a plastic surgery-twisted man who admittedly slept with boys in his strange Neverland bedroom—several of whom testified to his sexual deviancy performed on them.
While a human jury found him not guilty of the charges, it will be up to the final, omniscient jury of one to judge truth in the matter. The reprobate minds of mankind manifest the luciferian sin-venom's effects through the supposed enlightened education that takes sane thinking ever farther from God. Humanism's social engineers can't seem to be able to determine the cause of man's rage against peaceful comportment.
They refuse to allow God, and particularly the Maker of all things—Jesus Christ—into the classrooms. They venerate and bring into the classroom, instead, purveyors of godless untruth to teach the religion of evolution, which is man-centered, and which has led to the point that man again is told to worship at the altar of the earth. The doctrine of Mother Earth worship—its color is green—can be found bubbling to the surface of every piece of legislation coming out of America and the world's various bodies politic.
The dogma of evolution teaches young minds that they are but animals of a higher order. The social architects then shake their heads in frustration when many of those young act like ungoverned animals and grow, in some cases, to be adults who do things, routinely, that even the animal world wouldn't normally do.
When keeping God's divine manual of life for His creation called man from the minds of children, should it be a wonder that they grow to see nothing wrong with unbridled activities that lead to unwanted births? The solution is simple in the reprobate minds of the legislators and courts who adhere to the evolutionary view that man is but another animal, thus subject to being eliminated if an inconvenience. The satanic lie, evolution, now brings this generation in America to the point that more than 50 million human beings have been murdered as surely as have been the hundreds of millions of people slaughtered by the barbarians of the past, and by more modern genocidal maniacs like Stalin, Hitler, Mao Tse-tung, and the rest. The God of the universe, however, says it plainly, putting His all-knowing finger on the problem.
Again, Paul the apostle wrote under divine inspiration, using ancient reprobate thinkers as example: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things" (Romans 1:18-23).
Despite the grandiose plans coming out of the politicians and bureaucrats of America and the world, which proposes to know what is best for us lesser mortals, while this generation rages toward God's judgment and wrath, confusion reigns among supposedly the best and brightest. One liberal, who like others of her ilk claims to know what's best for the masses of their perceived underlings, seems to have had a brain-glitch recently. She made a statement of what she obviously believes, but normally would never say for public consumption:
"In an astonishing admission, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she was under the impression that legalizing abortion with the 1973 Roe v. Wade case would eliminate undesirable members of the populace, or as she put it 'populations that we don't want to have too many of.'
Her remarks, set to be published in the New York Times Magazine this Sunday but viewable online now, came in an in-depth interview with Emily Bazelon titled, 'The Place of Women on the Court.'...
'the ruling... surprised me. [Harris v. McRae–in 1980 the court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of Medicaid for abortions.] Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of...'" (Ginsburg: I thought Roe was to rid undesirables Justice discusses ‘growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of’” WorldNetDaily, 7/8/09)
Those who champion worshipful attention to planet earth's environment, demanding that habitat for a species of bird or fish must be protected at all costs, while being unable to understand that it is a horrific evil to murder even one human infant in the womb, much less many millions, exhibit thinking that can only be classified as insanity. It comes from the same, now totally reprobate mind that still thinks he can defeat Almighty God, even though he—Satan—knows up close and personal the omnipotence of the great “I AM.”
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Crusades
Like the army from Rome, which decided to “liberate” the Holy Lands a thousand years ago, there is a new Christian initiative to bring peace to the region. This time the sword has been replaced by the pen, blogs, and the microphone.
Despite the head-in-the-sand attitude of some of my pro Israel friends, it is clear to me that liberal Christians are making inroads into American churches, regarding Israel and the Palestinians. One such group, Churches for Middle East Peace, recently held a conference that professed concern for “both peoples,” Israelis and Palestinians. As usual, it’s quite a bit more one-sided than that.
Episcopal Bishop of Maryland Eugene Sutton was one of the CMEP participants, and his obvious dislike for Israel came through:
"Reflecting on his travels to the Holy Land and the impact of the separation barrier that cuts through Jerusalem, Bishop Sutton remarked that while the Israeli government built the wall ‘ostensibly to give to its people its desired and well-deserved security, there is every indication that that wall won't do what it set out to do because walls never do.’"
This is classic disinformation. It impacts Christians who have never been to the region who, after reading Sutton’s statement over their morning coffee, decide that, by golly, the “wall” does fail in its objectives.
No, it doesn’t fail. And not by a long-shot. The security barrier in Israel has prevents countless deaths and that should be preeminent in our minds. Sutton’s statement is either disingenuous, or ignorant.
Anyone who’s seen the security barrier knows that it is a solid wall around Israeli communities, and wire everywhere else. Does anyone seriously believe the Israelis would go to such extremes and such expense because they just don’t like Arabs? Please.
I received this week a communication from a friend with ties to Israel, who said: “the only reason there has been a shut-down of terror attacks in Israel is because of the incredible ability of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].
These liberal American Christians who like to bash Israel are able to do this from the safe confines of America; would that they actually took notice of the terrible danger Israel finds herself in.
Further from the CMEP Advocacy Conference, June 7-9 in Washington:
Something called the Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace campaign was launched; a letter signed by 50 leaders included Tony Campolo, Joel Hunter (president of the NAE); Bill and Lynne Hybels; Richard Mouw, President of Fuller; and David Neff, editor-in-chief CT.
This, my friends, represents a thrust deep into the heart of evangelicalism, so long a community that by and large supported Israel. That support is no longer guaranteed, and the presence of Hunter and Hybels cements the fact. It matters little that neither is a classic, Bible-believing leader; they represent organizations that ostensibly are evangelical. This makes hay with pro Palestinian factions.
I visited this week with a dear friend in Washington, one who has a hand on the pulse of the American Jewish community. My friend also lamented not only that community’s wavering on Israel, but acknowledged my statements in the same vein regarding evangelical support for Israel.
It is necessary for all of us to educate ourselves as much as possible in these days, these last days, as Israel is squeezed even further. We must meet the liberal efforts with efforts of our own, including educating all those within our circles of influence. You can do it, no matter where you are.
My friend, who knows, told me that, yes, American government pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu is unlike anything anyone has ever seen aimed at an Israeli prime minister. These forces are incredibly emboldened by anti-Israel forces within the evangelical community. Many of these people also have roots in the power centers of our country, especially Washington.
Our world has changed forever, and we are hurtling toward the conclusion that Bible-loving Christians have longed for. Israel stands at the center of end-times events, and we should all resolve to watch.
Despite the head-in-the-sand attitude of some of my pro Israel friends, it is clear to me that liberal Christians are making inroads into American churches, regarding Israel and the Palestinians. One such group, Churches for Middle East Peace, recently held a conference that professed concern for “both peoples,” Israelis and Palestinians. As usual, it’s quite a bit more one-sided than that.
Episcopal Bishop of Maryland Eugene Sutton was one of the CMEP participants, and his obvious dislike for Israel came through:
"Reflecting on his travels to the Holy Land and the impact of the separation barrier that cuts through Jerusalem, Bishop Sutton remarked that while the Israeli government built the wall ‘ostensibly to give to its people its desired and well-deserved security, there is every indication that that wall won't do what it set out to do because walls never do.’"
This is classic disinformation. It impacts Christians who have never been to the region who, after reading Sutton’s statement over their morning coffee, decide that, by golly, the “wall” does fail in its objectives.
No, it doesn’t fail. And not by a long-shot. The security barrier in Israel has prevents countless deaths and that should be preeminent in our minds. Sutton’s statement is either disingenuous, or ignorant.
Anyone who’s seen the security barrier knows that it is a solid wall around Israeli communities, and wire everywhere else. Does anyone seriously believe the Israelis would go to such extremes and such expense because they just don’t like Arabs? Please.
I received this week a communication from a friend with ties to Israel, who said: “the only reason there has been a shut-down of terror attacks in Israel is because of the incredible ability of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].
These liberal American Christians who like to bash Israel are able to do this from the safe confines of America; would that they actually took notice of the terrible danger Israel finds herself in.
Further from the CMEP Advocacy Conference, June 7-9 in Washington:
Something called the Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace campaign was launched; a letter signed by 50 leaders included Tony Campolo, Joel Hunter (president of the NAE); Bill and Lynne Hybels; Richard Mouw, President of Fuller; and David Neff, editor-in-chief CT.
This, my friends, represents a thrust deep into the heart of evangelicalism, so long a community that by and large supported Israel. That support is no longer guaranteed, and the presence of Hunter and Hybels cements the fact. It matters little that neither is a classic, Bible-believing leader; they represent organizations that ostensibly are evangelical. This makes hay with pro Palestinian factions.
I visited this week with a dear friend in Washington, one who has a hand on the pulse of the American Jewish community. My friend also lamented not only that community’s wavering on Israel, but acknowledged my statements in the same vein regarding evangelical support for Israel.
It is necessary for all of us to educate ourselves as much as possible in these days, these last days, as Israel is squeezed even further. We must meet the liberal efforts with efforts of our own, including educating all those within our circles of influence. You can do it, no matter where you are.
My friend, who knows, told me that, yes, American government pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu is unlike anything anyone has ever seen aimed at an Israeli prime minister. These forces are incredibly emboldened by anti-Israel forces within the evangelical community. Many of these people also have roots in the power centers of our country, especially Washington.
Our world has changed forever, and we are hurtling toward the conclusion that Bible-loving Christians have longed for. Israel stands at the center of end-times events, and we should all resolve to watch.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Good Samaritan
On one occasion an expert in the Law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law," Jesus replied, "How do you read it?" He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind [Deut. 6:5] and love your neighbor as yourself [Lev 19:18]." "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied, "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself and so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:25-29).
In reply to this question, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) the obvious point of which is that our neighbor is anyone in need of our assistance. We all learned this point of the story as children. But parables are heavenly stories put into an earthly context where every character is symbolic of someone or something else, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan is no exception. Therefore we should also expect to find a glimpse of Heaven contained there in. The word parable literally means "to place along side" so the obvious "earthly" story has to be accompanied by a hidden "heavenly" one. Put another way, if the obvious story is the children's version then the hidden one is the adult version of the story. Let's find it.
Who Are The Samaritans?
First, a little background. The Samaritans were the offspring of marriages between Jewish farmers the Assyrians left behind when they conquered the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC and the pagans they re-located there. Mixing up the conquered populations was standard procedure for the Assyrians because it reduced the threat of organized rebellion. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of these mixed marriages and because they had incorporated pagan rituals into their worship of God (both were forbidden by Jewish law.) A generation or so before the time of Jesus, a son of the Jewish High Priest had run off and married the daughter of the King of Samaria, built a replica of the Temple on Mt. Gerizim and instituted a rival worship system which caused a huge scandal. In her encounter with Jesus (John 4:4-42) the Samaritan "woman at the well" makes reference to this (vs. 19).
The region called Samaria was named after the capital city of the former Northern Kingdom and is located in what's known today as the West Bank. Because their laws prohibit marrying outside their own, the Samaritan population has dwindled to a point where only about 700 exist today. They're not Palestinians, but they're not regarded as Jews either and keep pretty much to themselves. Some have equated the Jews' treatment of Samaritans during the time of Jesus with the southern whites' treatment of blacks in the 19th century in the US, so to have a Samaritan as the hero of this story must have gotten the attention of the Lord's audience right away. By the way, the ruins of the Samaritan Temple were discovered about 10 years ago and are being excavated for public display.
The old Jericho Road was a steep narrow passage along one wall of a deep canyon. In the 17 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho, it dropped 3200 vertical feet through a rough wilderness area fraught with danger from attacks by wild animals in the best of times. In the Lord's day there was also the threat of being attacked by robbers lurking in the rocks. The Temple renovation was nearly complete and many workers had been laid off. Having lost their source of income, some turned to stealing to provide for their families. The people were all too familiar with reports of violence there, and had nicknamed this road Adumim, the Pass of Blood. The area where the canyon opens up at the bottom, near Jericho, is traditionally known as the valley of the Shadow of Death, from Psalm 23.
And Now, Back To Our Story
You know how the story goes. A man traveling along the old Jericho Road is beset by robbers who strip him of his clothes, beat him and leave him half dead. First a priest and then a Levite pass by, but simply cross to the other side and ignore him. Then a Samaritan comes along. He comes to where the man is, binds up his wounds applying oil and wine, and places him upon his own donkey. He takes the man to a nearby inn and cares for him. The next day he pays the man's present and future bill asking the innkeeper to look after him and promising to pay any balance due when he returns. The two silver coins he gave the innkeeper would have paid a man's hotel bill for up to 2 months in those days.
So, understanding that there's supposed to be a glimpse of Heaven here and that everyone in the parable is symbolic of someone else let's look for the hidden meaning.
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead."(Luke 10:30)
The man was an ordinary person who represents you and me on the road of life. Who it is that would attack us, strip us of our clothing and leave us for dead? We know that our spiritual covering is often referred to in terms of clothing. "All our righteous works are as filthy rags," says Isaiah 64:6 whereas the Lord clothes us with "garments of salvation" and "robes of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). So who would strip us of our covering of righteousness and leave us spiritually dead? Only Satan, the stealer of our soul.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:31-32)
The priest and the Levite represent organized religion that in and of itself is powerless to restore spiritual life and leaves us just as dead as when it found us. The Lord had Isaiah say, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." (Isaiah 29:13) Jesus didn't come to start another religion. He came so that God could be reconciled to His creation, to restore peace between the two. But sadly, in some parts of the Church, the rules of men still carry more weight than the Word of God.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (Luke 10:33)
And that leaves the Good Samaritan. Though despised and rejected by His countrymen, He comes to where we are after we've been attacked and beaten by our enemy, stripped of all our righteousness and left hopelessly dead in our sins, beyond the ability of all our religious works to restore us to God's favor.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. (Luke 10:34)
He binds up our wounds (Isaiah 61:1), pours on oil and wine, and carries us to a place of spiritual comfort where He personally cares for us. Oil was used to aid in healing because of its soothing and relaxing properties. Applying it to the skin brings comfort. It represents the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. Wine was an antiseptic, a cleansing agent. It symbolizes His blood, shed for the remission of sin. At the moment of salvation we receive the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance and are washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb. He has taken up our infirmities and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) and will bring us to a place of comfort. In Matt. 11:28 He said, "Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' (Luke 10:35)
Before He left this earth He paid the debt of sin we owe to God (represented by the innkeeper), entrusting us to His care. Silver was the coin of redemption (Exod. 30:12-15) . Please notice that He also accepted responsibility for all of our future sins. We weren't just redeemed up to the time we became believers, but for all of our lives. (Col. 2:13-14)
So the Good Samaritan could only be the Lord Jesus, our Savior and our Redeemer.
And what did the man do to deserve all of this? Nothing. He neither earned his rescue nor provided any contribution to his restoration. It was a gift, a manifestation of the grace in the Good Samaritan's heart. And so it is with us. For when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)
And now you know the adult version.
In reply to this question, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) the obvious point of which is that our neighbor is anyone in need of our assistance. We all learned this point of the story as children. But parables are heavenly stories put into an earthly context where every character is symbolic of someone or something else, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan is no exception. Therefore we should also expect to find a glimpse of Heaven contained there in. The word parable literally means "to place along side" so the obvious "earthly" story has to be accompanied by a hidden "heavenly" one. Put another way, if the obvious story is the children's version then the hidden one is the adult version of the story. Let's find it.
Who Are The Samaritans?
First, a little background. The Samaritans were the offspring of marriages between Jewish farmers the Assyrians left behind when they conquered the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC and the pagans they re-located there. Mixing up the conquered populations was standard procedure for the Assyrians because it reduced the threat of organized rebellion. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of these mixed marriages and because they had incorporated pagan rituals into their worship of God (both were forbidden by Jewish law.) A generation or so before the time of Jesus, a son of the Jewish High Priest had run off and married the daughter of the King of Samaria, built a replica of the Temple on Mt. Gerizim and instituted a rival worship system which caused a huge scandal. In her encounter with Jesus (John 4:4-42) the Samaritan "woman at the well" makes reference to this (vs. 19).
The region called Samaria was named after the capital city of the former Northern Kingdom and is located in what's known today as the West Bank. Because their laws prohibit marrying outside their own, the Samaritan population has dwindled to a point where only about 700 exist today. They're not Palestinians, but they're not regarded as Jews either and keep pretty much to themselves. Some have equated the Jews' treatment of Samaritans during the time of Jesus with the southern whites' treatment of blacks in the 19th century in the US, so to have a Samaritan as the hero of this story must have gotten the attention of the Lord's audience right away. By the way, the ruins of the Samaritan Temple were discovered about 10 years ago and are being excavated for public display.
The old Jericho Road was a steep narrow passage along one wall of a deep canyon. In the 17 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho, it dropped 3200 vertical feet through a rough wilderness area fraught with danger from attacks by wild animals in the best of times. In the Lord's day there was also the threat of being attacked by robbers lurking in the rocks. The Temple renovation was nearly complete and many workers had been laid off. Having lost their source of income, some turned to stealing to provide for their families. The people were all too familiar with reports of violence there, and had nicknamed this road Adumim, the Pass of Blood. The area where the canyon opens up at the bottom, near Jericho, is traditionally known as the valley of the Shadow of Death, from Psalm 23.
And Now, Back To Our Story
You know how the story goes. A man traveling along the old Jericho Road is beset by robbers who strip him of his clothes, beat him and leave him half dead. First a priest and then a Levite pass by, but simply cross to the other side and ignore him. Then a Samaritan comes along. He comes to where the man is, binds up his wounds applying oil and wine, and places him upon his own donkey. He takes the man to a nearby inn and cares for him. The next day he pays the man's present and future bill asking the innkeeper to look after him and promising to pay any balance due when he returns. The two silver coins he gave the innkeeper would have paid a man's hotel bill for up to 2 months in those days.
So, understanding that there's supposed to be a glimpse of Heaven here and that everyone in the parable is symbolic of someone else let's look for the hidden meaning.
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead."(Luke 10:30)
The man was an ordinary person who represents you and me on the road of life. Who it is that would attack us, strip us of our clothing and leave us for dead? We know that our spiritual covering is often referred to in terms of clothing. "All our righteous works are as filthy rags," says Isaiah 64:6 whereas the Lord clothes us with "garments of salvation" and "robes of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). So who would strip us of our covering of righteousness and leave us spiritually dead? Only Satan, the stealer of our soul.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:31-32)
The priest and the Levite represent organized religion that in and of itself is powerless to restore spiritual life and leaves us just as dead as when it found us. The Lord had Isaiah say, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." (Isaiah 29:13) Jesus didn't come to start another religion. He came so that God could be reconciled to His creation, to restore peace between the two. But sadly, in some parts of the Church, the rules of men still carry more weight than the Word of God.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (Luke 10:33)
And that leaves the Good Samaritan. Though despised and rejected by His countrymen, He comes to where we are after we've been attacked and beaten by our enemy, stripped of all our righteousness and left hopelessly dead in our sins, beyond the ability of all our religious works to restore us to God's favor.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. (Luke 10:34)
He binds up our wounds (Isaiah 61:1), pours on oil and wine, and carries us to a place of spiritual comfort where He personally cares for us. Oil was used to aid in healing because of its soothing and relaxing properties. Applying it to the skin brings comfort. It represents the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. Wine was an antiseptic, a cleansing agent. It symbolizes His blood, shed for the remission of sin. At the moment of salvation we receive the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance and are washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb. He has taken up our infirmities and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) and will bring us to a place of comfort. In Matt. 11:28 He said, "Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' (Luke 10:35)
Before He left this earth He paid the debt of sin we owe to God (represented by the innkeeper), entrusting us to His care. Silver was the coin of redemption (Exod. 30:12-15) . Please notice that He also accepted responsibility for all of our future sins. We weren't just redeemed up to the time we became believers, but for all of our lives. (Col. 2:13-14)
So the Good Samaritan could only be the Lord Jesus, our Savior and our Redeemer.
And what did the man do to deserve all of this? Nothing. He neither earned his rescue nor provided any contribution to his restoration. It was a gift, a manifestation of the grace in the Good Samaritan's heart. And so it is with us. For when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)
And now you know the adult version.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Earth’s Final Days
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7.
There is an aggressive world-wide push to replace natural societal behavior with that of a completely unnatural and thoroughly corrupt behavior. This push involves a tiny community of people so consumed with lust that they go so far as to flaunt their abhorrent behavior in the streets as they march in sanctioned parades in cities around the world. This is a satanic agenda of monumental proportions. As we watch Bible prophecies unfold before us, we who believe and accept this unfolding as proof that the end is very near know that many evils will become commonplace during the time leading up to the end. We might get a little dizzy in our heads at the sound of the approaching hoof beats and queasy in our stomachs as we as we see End Time prophecy come to life before our very eyes. But for now one thing is obvious, this world is turning homosexual.
The Bible tells us that there will be unusual worldwide events happen as the end days approach, as well as societies becoming thoroughly corrupt. India’s high court recently reversed a 150 year old law outlawing homosexual sex. Before the news even broke here in the US a brother emailed me from India very concerned about this decision. What do I say to this man? “Welcome to the 21st century”? Hardly. I encouraged him to look to the scriptures that show God’s sentiments on this hotly debated subject. Why? Because at the end of the day, it’s God’s word that stands strong and which believers are to look to as the only remaining truth.
This situation in India is certainly indicative of where the world is headed, and in many cases is already there. Most nations of this world harbor a very vocal, aggressive, well financed, well organized, and at times militant homosexual subculture. The homosexuals want to be recognized and legitimized as the mainstream culture. Their language leads one to believe that they are only interested in equal rights. This is a lie.
Lying in the underbelly of this monstrous, ungodly and very pervasive agenda is something else, something even more sinister. The homosexual community, which is made up of many zealots, is prepared to fight all the way to the highest courts in every country and province where they will push their agenda of legitimacy to the extreme, all in the name of equal rights? They have now become a force to be reckoned with. Not because they are some kind of enormous community that dwarfs all others on planet earth. No, what’s happening is what is normal that is marriage between a man and a woman, is quickly becoming dismissed as intolerant and bigoted. What God tells us is normal for a society is now going by way of the dodo bird. Now these once normal civilized communities are accepting, even welcoming, this lifestyle which was once perceived as wicked. Homosexuals will soon control the media, our public and private schools, and every world government. The world is bending over backwards to comply with the homosexual agenda. Why is that? God tells us why in His word.
Homosexuals have now been given access to our children as young as kindergarten and preschool so that they may corrupt their very small impressionable minds. Through the public School system they are now teaching their way of life to these innocent children. Their way of life includes, for the most part, sex. That’s the driving force behind why they lead such evil and debase lives. They are fueled by what a normal human would consider as uncontrolled lust filled minds. Sex is the motivator and the sustainer of this lifestyle. If they were honest they would admit that fact.
Obama, the usurper of the Oval Office, wants to be the leader of the pack when it comes to homosexual rights. He’s used his newly acquired powers to ensure the homosexual is given the green light in society to do as they wish in public as well as in private. He wasn’t able to attend any National Day of Prayer meetings but he certainly never misses an opportunity to promote the homosexual agenda. He’s now designated June as national LGBT pride month. Obama made the following comments at a White House reception honoring "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month":
There are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop. And though we've made progress, there are still fellow citizens – perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones – who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes, who fail to see your families like their families and who would deny you the rights that most Americans take for granted. And I know this is painful, and I know it can be heartbreaking.
– Barack Hussein Obama, June 29, 2009
When it comes to rights, homosexuals have all the same rights as heterosexuals. Except one, marriage still eludes them, but it looks as though Obama will do his level best to insure they will win on that front also.
Homosexuals want one more right than that of the heterosexual world. They want to take away our right to verbally oppose them. They don’t want to be confronted with God’s view on their lifestyle ever again. It’s alright to speak out against other sins, but speak against the sin of homosexuality and there will be dire consequences.
Right now there are an alarming number of teenaged homosexuals committing suicide or who attempt suicide. If you read the homosexuals response to this tragedy they claim that when society puts their stamp of approval on the homosexual lifestyle this will all stop. Actually, society as a whole is becoming more and more tolerant of this abomination and yet the numbers of suicides are increasing not decreasing. If you would like to do your own research on homosexual suicide statistics, just Google it.
"Gay Affirming Pastor" Jay Bakker feels God has now changed His mind about homosexuality “The more I follow grace, the more I'm drawn to him [God], the more I'm willing to stand up for people being persecuted," said Bakker. "It sounds so churchy, but I felt like God spoke to my heart and said '[homosexuality] is not a sin.”
From an article by Lighthouse Trails-www.lighthousetrails.com
If God spoke to this man’s heart and told him homosexuality is not a sin then He just contradicted His very word and has now changed His mind as to what homosexuality really is. But we should all know by what we are taught in God’s word that that just isn’t possible. It wasn’t God speaking to this Gay affirming pastor’s heart. It was God’s adversary, Satan.
Of course if you don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God then you will probably just write this commentary off as another homophobic spouting off. If, on the other hand, you do believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God then keep reading. We’ll begin by taking a look at what the Bible tells us God did to Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities of the plains.
“And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” Genesis 18:17, 18. Abraham was a man of God and God wasn’t inclined to keep what He was about to do from Abraham, even the destruction of these two cities. “And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;” Genesis 18:20. Just what was this grievous offense Sodom and Gomorrah had committed in God’s eyes?
“And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. ‘...the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” Genesis 19:1-5. We’re told that all the men, young and old, from the city came and surrounded Lot’s house demanding he bring his two visitors out. Why? Were they being hospitable? Were they just being good neighbors welcoming the strangers to their city? Not hardly.
To fully understand what the men of Sodom had on their minds we must understand the following phrase “that we may know them”. Earlier in the book of Genesis we’re told Adam “knew” his wife and she bore more children. The Hebrew word is “yada” and one of the uses for this word is to know a person carnally. The men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual sex with these two strangers visiting Lot. These two cities and even the sounding plains were replete with homosexuality, to the point that God could no longer allow this all encompassing evil to continue.
Homosexuality is clearly connected to the men of Sodom. The Bible declares it to be sin. “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:26, 27.
Side Note:
The sin of the men of Sodom is plainly connected to their homosexuality. There is no doubt the Bible declares homosexual conduct is sin (Romans 1:26-28).
The Bible condemns homosexuality in the same context as it condemns incest and bestiality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13). If we ignore the word of God at the point of homosexual conduct, then we have no standing to say any of the other three sins are sin.
Homosexual advocates have an interest in saying homosexuals are exactly like everyone else, except they love people of their own sex. But when the conduct of homosexuals is observed, this is not the case.
We can bring out statistics on the number of partners homosexuals have: 43% of homosexuals say they have had 500 or more sexual partners in their lifetime. Only 1% of homosexuals say they have had four or less sexual partners in their lifetime. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 77% of homosexuals say they have met sexual partners in a city park, 62% in a homosexual bar, 61% in a theater, 31% in a public restroom. Only 28% of homosexuals said they had known their partners for at least a week before participating in homosexual sex.
Undoubtedly, one of the reasons why males pursue and give in to homosexual desires is because they want to immerse themselves in a lifestyle of dangerous sex with no inhibitions or obstacles, and sense that sex with other men is an easier path to this. No wonder Paul connects “burning lust” and a debased mind with male homosexuality in Romans 1:27-28.
Homosexuals also have an interest in saying that up to 10% of the population is homosexual. But the most reliable statistics show only 2.3% of men in their 20’s and 30’s report ever having had a homosexual experience. Only 1.1% reported being exclusively homosexual. These low figures agree with several other recent surveys and surveys done in Britain and France.
Homosexuals also have an interest in saying they were “born that way.” All attempts thus far to prove this have been based more on wishful thinking than solid biological research, but if it is found to be the case, so what? The Bible teaches we are all born with a predisposition to sin. It shouldn’t surprise us that some 2% of the population finds this predisposition expressed in homosexual desire.
Homosexuals also have an interest in defining themselves as “gay,” a word that used to mean “happy” or “carefree,” but it is a poor description of a lifestyle that has such a high rate of death, disease, and suicide.
David Guzik - www.enduringword.com
Even though many won’t take the Bible seriously or literally God does. Homosexuality is condemned by God. “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 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 18:22, 20:13. This is what Obama was talking about when he addressed those homosexuals gathered at the White House, “who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes.” That’s Obama’s attitude when it comes to the word of God, and he professes to be a Christian.
If the word of God is ignored by any nation, God will, at some point, remove his blessings from that land. The more homosexuality is condoned, the more the Bible is ignored. Ergo there go God’s blessings.
Was all the above information necessary just to get to my point? I believe so. Jesus tells us that the society living in the last days just before His return will be as perverse as those societies that both Noah and Lot experienced.
Homosexuals will be and are being fully appeased and placated and earth will become much more frightening and nightmarish to all who oppose them. All civilizations on earth will ultimately accept the homosexual lifestyle as completely normal. Paul tells us in the book of Romans chapter 1 that God’s judgment is pronounced on all who practice, what’s become commonly referred in our day, as the Gay and Lesbian lifestyle, as well as all those who condone it and embrace it as normal.
That’s how it was all over the planet in Noah’s day which is why God sent the flood. Their sin was so heinous that God had no choice but to eliminate all who had corrupted themselves with this immorality. Only Noah’s genes remained untainted by this corruption, thus God spared him and his family as He saw them safely through the flood. Many have come to believe that through all the begats in the Bible and the longevity experienced by the folks before the flood that there were as many people on earth in Noah’s day as what we see currently on earth. God protected Noah and his family as He flooded the earth and eliminated a mass of fully corrupted individuals.
God’s will is that everyone would repent and turn from their evil ways, but not everyone will comply with His will. A huge portion of society will continue in their rebellion against Him. That rebellion will be their undoing, and it will be their choice.
God hates all sin, but clearly His wrath has been revealed against the sin of homosexuality most intensely in that He flooded the earth to completely eliminate it from planet earth and at another point He wiped out a whole region of earth that was consumed with it. In God’s eyes it’s a very grievous sin indeed. God tells us in His word that there is going to come a time when He will lose His patience (longsuffering) with the rebellious, but before He does He’ll remove those who belong to Him. In Lot’s case for, example, two angles came and removed Lot and his family just before God in His wrath destroyed the evil presence in that region.
In the case of the Church Jesus Himself will remove all those who belong to Him. That time is almost upon us. Then God’s wrath will once again be manifest on earth. In the meantime, as the Church sits back on its haunches and refuses to get involved in this political correctness gone completely amuck mindset, any and all evil will prevail. As we sit around wondering just how much persecution the Church will be forced to endure, before Christ returns for His own, keep in mind we did little to stop it.
There is an aggressive world-wide push to replace natural societal behavior with that of a completely unnatural and thoroughly corrupt behavior. This push involves a tiny community of people so consumed with lust that they go so far as to flaunt their abhorrent behavior in the streets as they march in sanctioned parades in cities around the world. This is a satanic agenda of monumental proportions. As we watch Bible prophecies unfold before us, we who believe and accept this unfolding as proof that the end is very near know that many evils will become commonplace during the time leading up to the end. We might get a little dizzy in our heads at the sound of the approaching hoof beats and queasy in our stomachs as we as we see End Time prophecy come to life before our very eyes. But for now one thing is obvious, this world is turning homosexual.
The Bible tells us that there will be unusual worldwide events happen as the end days approach, as well as societies becoming thoroughly corrupt. India’s high court recently reversed a 150 year old law outlawing homosexual sex. Before the news even broke here in the US a brother emailed me from India very concerned about this decision. What do I say to this man? “Welcome to the 21st century”? Hardly. I encouraged him to look to the scriptures that show God’s sentiments on this hotly debated subject. Why? Because at the end of the day, it’s God’s word that stands strong and which believers are to look to as the only remaining truth.
This situation in India is certainly indicative of where the world is headed, and in many cases is already there. Most nations of this world harbor a very vocal, aggressive, well financed, well organized, and at times militant homosexual subculture. The homosexuals want to be recognized and legitimized as the mainstream culture. Their language leads one to believe that they are only interested in equal rights. This is a lie.
Lying in the underbelly of this monstrous, ungodly and very pervasive agenda is something else, something even more sinister. The homosexual community, which is made up of many zealots, is prepared to fight all the way to the highest courts in every country and province where they will push their agenda of legitimacy to the extreme, all in the name of equal rights? They have now become a force to be reckoned with. Not because they are some kind of enormous community that dwarfs all others on planet earth. No, what’s happening is what is normal that is marriage between a man and a woman, is quickly becoming dismissed as intolerant and bigoted. What God tells us is normal for a society is now going by way of the dodo bird. Now these once normal civilized communities are accepting, even welcoming, this lifestyle which was once perceived as wicked. Homosexuals will soon control the media, our public and private schools, and every world government. The world is bending over backwards to comply with the homosexual agenda. Why is that? God tells us why in His word.
Homosexuals have now been given access to our children as young as kindergarten and preschool so that they may corrupt their very small impressionable minds. Through the public School system they are now teaching their way of life to these innocent children. Their way of life includes, for the most part, sex. That’s the driving force behind why they lead such evil and debase lives. They are fueled by what a normal human would consider as uncontrolled lust filled minds. Sex is the motivator and the sustainer of this lifestyle. If they were honest they would admit that fact.
Obama, the usurper of the Oval Office, wants to be the leader of the pack when it comes to homosexual rights. He’s used his newly acquired powers to ensure the homosexual is given the green light in society to do as they wish in public as well as in private. He wasn’t able to attend any National Day of Prayer meetings but he certainly never misses an opportunity to promote the homosexual agenda. He’s now designated June as national LGBT pride month. Obama made the following comments at a White House reception honoring "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month":
There are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop. And though we've made progress, there are still fellow citizens – perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones – who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes, who fail to see your families like their families and who would deny you the rights that most Americans take for granted. And I know this is painful, and I know it can be heartbreaking.
– Barack Hussein Obama, June 29, 2009
When it comes to rights, homosexuals have all the same rights as heterosexuals. Except one, marriage still eludes them, but it looks as though Obama will do his level best to insure they will win on that front also.
Homosexuals want one more right than that of the heterosexual world. They want to take away our right to verbally oppose them. They don’t want to be confronted with God’s view on their lifestyle ever again. It’s alright to speak out against other sins, but speak against the sin of homosexuality and there will be dire consequences.
Right now there are an alarming number of teenaged homosexuals committing suicide or who attempt suicide. If you read the homosexuals response to this tragedy they claim that when society puts their stamp of approval on the homosexual lifestyle this will all stop. Actually, society as a whole is becoming more and more tolerant of this abomination and yet the numbers of suicides are increasing not decreasing. If you would like to do your own research on homosexual suicide statistics, just Google it.
"Gay Affirming Pastor" Jay Bakker feels God has now changed His mind about homosexuality “The more I follow grace, the more I'm drawn to him [God], the more I'm willing to stand up for people being persecuted," said Bakker. "It sounds so churchy, but I felt like God spoke to my heart and said '[homosexuality] is not a sin.”
From an article by Lighthouse Trails-www.lighthousetrails.com
If God spoke to this man’s heart and told him homosexuality is not a sin then He just contradicted His very word and has now changed His mind as to what homosexuality really is. But we should all know by what we are taught in God’s word that that just isn’t possible. It wasn’t God speaking to this Gay affirming pastor’s heart. It was God’s adversary, Satan.
Of course if you don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God then you will probably just write this commentary off as another homophobic spouting off. If, on the other hand, you do believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God then keep reading. We’ll begin by taking a look at what the Bible tells us God did to Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities of the plains.
“And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” Genesis 18:17, 18. Abraham was a man of God and God wasn’t inclined to keep what He was about to do from Abraham, even the destruction of these two cities. “And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;” Genesis 18:20. Just what was this grievous offense Sodom and Gomorrah had committed in God’s eyes?
“And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. ‘...the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” Genesis 19:1-5. We’re told that all the men, young and old, from the city came and surrounded Lot’s house demanding he bring his two visitors out. Why? Were they being hospitable? Were they just being good neighbors welcoming the strangers to their city? Not hardly.
To fully understand what the men of Sodom had on their minds we must understand the following phrase “that we may know them”. Earlier in the book of Genesis we’re told Adam “knew” his wife and she bore more children. The Hebrew word is “yada” and one of the uses for this word is to know a person carnally. The men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual sex with these two strangers visiting Lot. These two cities and even the sounding plains were replete with homosexuality, to the point that God could no longer allow this all encompassing evil to continue.
Homosexuality is clearly connected to the men of Sodom. The Bible declares it to be sin. “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:26, 27.
Side Note:
The sin of the men of Sodom is plainly connected to their homosexuality. There is no doubt the Bible declares homosexual conduct is sin (Romans 1:26-28).
The Bible condemns homosexuality in the same context as it condemns incest and bestiality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13). If we ignore the word of God at the point of homosexual conduct, then we have no standing to say any of the other three sins are sin.
Homosexual advocates have an interest in saying homosexuals are exactly like everyone else, except they love people of their own sex. But when the conduct of homosexuals is observed, this is not the case.
We can bring out statistics on the number of partners homosexuals have: 43% of homosexuals say they have had 500 or more sexual partners in their lifetime. Only 1% of homosexuals say they have had four or less sexual partners in their lifetime. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 77% of homosexuals say they have met sexual partners in a city park, 62% in a homosexual bar, 61% in a theater, 31% in a public restroom. Only 28% of homosexuals said they had known their partners for at least a week before participating in homosexual sex.
Undoubtedly, one of the reasons why males pursue and give in to homosexual desires is because they want to immerse themselves in a lifestyle of dangerous sex with no inhibitions or obstacles, and sense that sex with other men is an easier path to this. No wonder Paul connects “burning lust” and a debased mind with male homosexuality in Romans 1:27-28.
Homosexuals also have an interest in saying that up to 10% of the population is homosexual. But the most reliable statistics show only 2.3% of men in their 20’s and 30’s report ever having had a homosexual experience. Only 1.1% reported being exclusively homosexual. These low figures agree with several other recent surveys and surveys done in Britain and France.
Homosexuals also have an interest in saying they were “born that way.” All attempts thus far to prove this have been based more on wishful thinking than solid biological research, but if it is found to be the case, so what? The Bible teaches we are all born with a predisposition to sin. It shouldn’t surprise us that some 2% of the population finds this predisposition expressed in homosexual desire.
Homosexuals also have an interest in defining themselves as “gay,” a word that used to mean “happy” or “carefree,” but it is a poor description of a lifestyle that has such a high rate of death, disease, and suicide.
David Guzik - www.enduringword.com
Even though many won’t take the Bible seriously or literally God does. Homosexuality is condemned by God. “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 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 18:22, 20:13. This is what Obama was talking about when he addressed those homosexuals gathered at the White House, “who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes.” That’s Obama’s attitude when it comes to the word of God, and he professes to be a Christian.
If the word of God is ignored by any nation, God will, at some point, remove his blessings from that land. The more homosexuality is condoned, the more the Bible is ignored. Ergo there go God’s blessings.
Was all the above information necessary just to get to my point? I believe so. Jesus tells us that the society living in the last days just before His return will be as perverse as those societies that both Noah and Lot experienced.
Homosexuals will be and are being fully appeased and placated and earth will become much more frightening and nightmarish to all who oppose them. All civilizations on earth will ultimately accept the homosexual lifestyle as completely normal. Paul tells us in the book of Romans chapter 1 that God’s judgment is pronounced on all who practice, what’s become commonly referred in our day, as the Gay and Lesbian lifestyle, as well as all those who condone it and embrace it as normal.
That’s how it was all over the planet in Noah’s day which is why God sent the flood. Their sin was so heinous that God had no choice but to eliminate all who had corrupted themselves with this immorality. Only Noah’s genes remained untainted by this corruption, thus God spared him and his family as He saw them safely through the flood. Many have come to believe that through all the begats in the Bible and the longevity experienced by the folks before the flood that there were as many people on earth in Noah’s day as what we see currently on earth. God protected Noah and his family as He flooded the earth and eliminated a mass of fully corrupted individuals.
God’s will is that everyone would repent and turn from their evil ways, but not everyone will comply with His will. A huge portion of society will continue in their rebellion against Him. That rebellion will be their undoing, and it will be their choice.
God hates all sin, but clearly His wrath has been revealed against the sin of homosexuality most intensely in that He flooded the earth to completely eliminate it from planet earth and at another point He wiped out a whole region of earth that was consumed with it. In God’s eyes it’s a very grievous sin indeed. God tells us in His word that there is going to come a time when He will lose His patience (longsuffering) with the rebellious, but before He does He’ll remove those who belong to Him. In Lot’s case for, example, two angles came and removed Lot and his family just before God in His wrath destroyed the evil presence in that region.
In the case of the Church Jesus Himself will remove all those who belong to Him. That time is almost upon us. Then God’s wrath will once again be manifest on earth. In the meantime, as the Church sits back on its haunches and refuses to get involved in this political correctness gone completely amuck mindset, any and all evil will prevail. As we sit around wondering just how much persecution the Church will be forced to endure, before Christ returns for His own, keep in mind we did little to stop it.
Monday, July 13, 2009
A “New World Currency”
Ever since World War II, the U.S. dollar has been the king of currencies. America has had a beautiful relationship with its global trade partners. They send us good and services, and we send them financial instruments in the form of Treasury bills, bonds, and plain old cash.
In recent months, the world has finally realized that America is a debtor nation, funding its standard of living through an endless issuance of debt securities. The wake-up call was certainly the sub-prime financial meltdown. Easy credit, much of it from abroad, created an equity bubble that nearly drove every major bank in America into bankruptcy. The need for bailout and stimulus money caused the U.S. budget deficit to zoom to $1.8 trillion for this fiscal year.
China has made a series of attacks on the dollar. It was one of the first nations to call for a new global currency. "We should have a better system for reserve currency issuance and regulation, so that we can maintain relative stability of major reserve currencies exchange rates and promote a diversified and rational international reserve currency system,” said Mr. Dai, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
The Chinese have a good reason to be worried about the value of the dollar. They hold nearly $2 trillion of foreign debt, the bulk of which is denominated in dollars. When Hillary Clinton recently paid a visit to China, she got an ear full from Beijing leaders about their displeasure with the U.S. government's huge deficits and the Federal Reserve's easy monetary policy.
The Chinese have not stopped buying America's debt. Beijing realizes their economic and political stability is linked to the dollar. All those Chinese goods have to be bought be someone.
One possible solution to the problem is to diversify the global currency system away from the dollar. The European euro is a leading candidate. There is also talk of a “new world currency” that is based on a mix of currencies that would be administered by the International Monetary Fund.
Russia's President, Dmitry Medvedev, made a dramatic appeal for a new unified currency at the meeting of G8 leaders in the Italian city of Aquila. He pulled a coin out of his pocket and said, “Here it is. You can see it and touch it.” The coin, presented to all the G8 leaders attending the summit, bears the words, “unity in diversity.”
The possibility of a supranational currency “concerns everyone now, even the mints,” Mr. Medvedev said. The test coin “means they’re getting ready. I think it’s a good sign that we understand how interdependent we are.”
I’ve said it before: The introduction of any new global currency would probably trigger an economic meltdown. It’s already going to be nearly impossible for the U.S. to manage its debt load in the coming years. Any reduction in the sale of U.S. debt equities would bring financial Armageddon all the sooner.
All this talk of global currency is perfect stage-setting for the economic system the Antichrist will use to spiritually enslave the world. He may use the economic storm that the rapture will most certainly trigger as a cover for his plan. Whatever the cause, the result will be a world where all cash is digital, and true believers will be locked out of the system.
"And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one can buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:16-17).
On a side note, it amazes me that we have world leader talking about a global currency, and it gets little attention even from prophecy-minded Christians. I think the strongest indication that we are near the tribulation hour is when key end-time events become regarded as commonplace.
"Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door" (NLT Matthew 24:33).
In recent months, the world has finally realized that America is a debtor nation, funding its standard of living through an endless issuance of debt securities. The wake-up call was certainly the sub-prime financial meltdown. Easy credit, much of it from abroad, created an equity bubble that nearly drove every major bank in America into bankruptcy. The need for bailout and stimulus money caused the U.S. budget deficit to zoom to $1.8 trillion for this fiscal year.
China has made a series of attacks on the dollar. It was one of the first nations to call for a new global currency. "We should have a better system for reserve currency issuance and regulation, so that we can maintain relative stability of major reserve currencies exchange rates and promote a diversified and rational international reserve currency system,” said Mr. Dai, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
The Chinese have a good reason to be worried about the value of the dollar. They hold nearly $2 trillion of foreign debt, the bulk of which is denominated in dollars. When Hillary Clinton recently paid a visit to China, she got an ear full from Beijing leaders about their displeasure with the U.S. government's huge deficits and the Federal Reserve's easy monetary policy.
The Chinese have not stopped buying America's debt. Beijing realizes their economic and political stability is linked to the dollar. All those Chinese goods have to be bought be someone.
One possible solution to the problem is to diversify the global currency system away from the dollar. The European euro is a leading candidate. There is also talk of a “new world currency” that is based on a mix of currencies that would be administered by the International Monetary Fund.
Russia's President, Dmitry Medvedev, made a dramatic appeal for a new unified currency at the meeting of G8 leaders in the Italian city of Aquila. He pulled a coin out of his pocket and said, “Here it is. You can see it and touch it.” The coin, presented to all the G8 leaders attending the summit, bears the words, “unity in diversity.”
The possibility of a supranational currency “concerns everyone now, even the mints,” Mr. Medvedev said. The test coin “means they’re getting ready. I think it’s a good sign that we understand how interdependent we are.”
I’ve said it before: The introduction of any new global currency would probably trigger an economic meltdown. It’s already going to be nearly impossible for the U.S. to manage its debt load in the coming years. Any reduction in the sale of U.S. debt equities would bring financial Armageddon all the sooner.
All this talk of global currency is perfect stage-setting for the economic system the Antichrist will use to spiritually enslave the world. He may use the economic storm that the rapture will most certainly trigger as a cover for his plan. Whatever the cause, the result will be a world where all cash is digital, and true believers will be locked out of the system.
"And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one can buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:16-17).
On a side note, it amazes me that we have world leader talking about a global currency, and it gets little attention even from prophecy-minded Christians. I think the strongest indication that we are near the tribulation hour is when key end-time events become regarded as commonplace.
"Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door" (NLT Matthew 24:33).
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