What Evil Lurks?

   Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, said this week, he would not allow a gun bill on the floor that banned assault rifles and large magazines because the votes just weren't there.

   What's going on? What's going on is an effort to secure the barn door long after the horses have fled!

   The horrific events of Sandy Hook have once again stimulated our leaders to "do something!" The "something" which must be done is too 'Christian,' too Rational, too Fundamental to be considered. Instead, we seek to limit gun ownership, a fundamental American Right.

   In 21st Century America it is the mirror which is The Enemy! Look at ourselves: fat, lazy, immoral, debauched, drugged and satiated with inane TV shows about people who think they have talent or can dance!

   To resolve our 'gun problem,' we would need to look at what we've done:
            Destroyed the Traditional Family
            Destroyed Objective Moral Standards
            Destroyed our Educational System
            Exalted the Psychological Community
            Become dependent upon drugs
            Become enamored of Government Largesse
            Forsaken Personal Responsibility

   We acquiesced to the destructive powers that be, in all of the above areas, and more. What we are apparently not yet willing to do is let the government take away our guns! Why?

    One reason is our Right to Bear Arms, guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment to our Constitution was deliberately written to guarantee the basic rights which make Americans Free. It includes Speech, Assembly, The Press, Association AND Religion!

   These are fundamental rights, without which we cease to be Free! They, along with the other Rights in the Bill of Rights, were enacted to protect citizens from an abusive government. The Founders knew something about abusive governments and how they can / will carefully and systematically draw all power to themselves if no one stops them.

   The Battle in America is NOT Guns! It's Religion: what or Who we worship and why? Christianity, rooted in Old Testament principles of governance, formed the basis for our Founding Documents. Because of this we have enjoyed unbridled success. The United States of America rose to be the pre-eminent nation on the earth because of it's fundamental structure!

   Now? Now we want every religion on the planet to be honored EXCEPT Christianity! Why? Because it is dangerous; injurious to the Self. When the Self wants access to unbridled sex, it's Christianity that says, No! When the Self wants free expression in all areas of life, it's Christianity that stands in the way.

   Of course, noted "Christian" leaders are rising to speak out against the Bible they profess to believe and teach. Increasingly, Christian-looking preachers are siding with The Enemy on Gay Marriage, Sodomy, Debauchery, Mysticism, Psychology, Infanticide, Divorce, Collectivism and a host of destructive societal trends.

   So, the next time someone takes up a gun and mercilessly kills someone, think about it. Oh, it just happened!  A State Corrections Official in Colorado answered a knock on his door and was met with someone who simply shot and killed him where he stood!

   Ascribing that sort of 'evil' to an inanimate object is it's own form of insanity! If there were no guns, do you not believe [know for certain] that some other object would have been used? The evil lies in mens' hearts, not in cold steel. What are we doing to control the heart? What are YOU doing?
       

THE LAST LAUGH

    Hugo Chavez died this week. He was 58 years of age. He was a Communist Dictator. He was an open critic of the Roman Catholic Church. He essentially disavowed Catholicism, claiming that Christ would whip some church leaders for lying, and incurring the face-to-face criticism of The Pope. He called Christian missionaries "part of a broader conspiracy in Washington to topple" him

    Before he died, knowing it to be soon, Hugo Chavez went on public television and prayed to God: "Give me your crown, Jesus. Give me your cross, your thorns so that I may bleed. But give me life, because I have more to do for this country and these people. Do not take me yet."

    One of the things he did 'for his people' was to enrich his family to the tune of at least a billion dollars, U.S. 

    Hugo Chavez also joined Iran's Ahmedinajad in praying that the Muslim messiah, "The Mahdi," would come soon! Islam's 12th Imam has been living either in mountain caves or at the bottom of a well, depending on who is telling the story, for the last 700 years. He will emerge at the end of the age, along with Jesus, who will join him in bringing about a world-wide Caliphate. 

    His coming will be in the midst of world-wide chaos and war. He, alone, will be able to kill the anti-Christ and usher in a perfect peace. Shiite tradition requires this global upheaval to bring the Mahdi out of hiding. Iran's president is on record, publicly and in State documents, as committing his administration to creating this chaos in order to bring about the Mahdi.

    In a world increasingly secular and humanistic, it's interesting how both Western and Eastern societies are focused on a strictly religious End-Time Scenario. One to bring world-wide peace out of humanistic chaos, the other to create the chaos in which a muslim peace might emerge. A 'peace' that limits rights to male muslims who are committed to the principles of world-domination.

    Apparently the world can run but it cannot hide from religion. It simply remains which religious belief we all have. In truth: even the secular-oriented Darwinianist is a religionist at heart. His system's logical end is godhood. Creatures [oops -- animals] evolving upward toward better and better forms until they reach the ultimate: Godhood. 

    The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His anointed, saying: Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. [Ps. 2:2-4]

TO BE RATHER THAN TO SEEM

    If Christianity had a motto, it would probably be along the same lines as the North Carolina Motto: To Be Rather Than To Seem.

    Jesus, confronted by the Pharisees, in regard to ceremonial washing of the hands, declared: "This people do honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." [Mark 7] He was quoting Isaiah's prophesy concerning Israel's hypocrisy [Isa. 29:13]

    The elders of Israel had taught that unless they washed their hands before eating, having come from the market place, or the various cups, dishes, pots, etc by which they would eat, they were spiritually unclean. It was a ceremonial cleansing [a baptism], not the mere washing off of dirt. Something not prescribed by God, but by men.

    The issue being whether or not a Jew was spiritual or at least spiritually clean. To be otherwise was to risk being forbidden in the Temple or synagogue and ultimately in heaven. Jesus taught that what they do is not as important as what they are...at heart. The problem, however, is that even true Christians are more concerned with outward behaviors than with inward graces.

    This used to be the criticism hurled at the Fundamentalists. Not those who simply hold to the fundamentals of the faith, but those who designated themselves "Fundamentalists." These folks can often be long on behaviors and certain, key doctrines, but short on grace and the whole counsel of God.

    Today, things have changed. Those who are more liberal, contemporary and flexible in their faith have taken over in this area. These are the folks who refuse to allow anyone to 'judge' them by their works. Their view of Christian faith is that it doesn't matter what a person does, only what they believe. They are modern-day Gnostics, observing a false dualism of soul and body. God has saved their soul, not their body, therefore they are not accountable for what they do, simply for what they believe.

    This is clearly NOT a Bible idea! Several of Paul's epistles dealt with this issue. The Point is: Our World Is Imploding! It's not a nuclear nor an environmental nor a political threat. It is a Moral Threat!

    Traditional values, traditional morals, traditional economics and even traditional definitions of words no longer apply! Reality is whatever our political, social and religious leaders say it is....today. Can we spend our way into prosperity? Can we embrace alternative forms of 'family' and have a strong society? Can we worship God according to the dictates of our own belief? The answer to these and similar questions is NO!

    What this world needs is NOT better political representation but better illustrations of integrity, stability, morality. No one is better equipped nor suited to this than is The Christian! To BE, rather than to SEEM is not simply a motto, not simply a good idea, it's an absolute imperative. An imperative God declared long before North Carolina thought of it!

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?

   Listening to the NEWS, watching and listening to POLITICIANS, keeping track of SOCIAL STANDARDS, trying to make sense of our EDUCATIONAL priorities and seeing the proliferation of all sorts of CHURCHES and religious DOCTRINES, you might think you've awakened to a strange New World!

    Such is not the case, however. It simply changed while you were busy with other things.

    Like who's idea the Sequester is and what it actually means [cutting 3% of the budget = a financial disaster]. Like allowing boys in the girls' locker rooms and lavatories, simply upon the boys' assertion that he is actually a girl [Mass. Commissioner of Educ]. Like condemning any mention of homosexuality to be sin or being critical of the outrages of those in the Muslim religion, to NBC's airing of a SNL skit portraying a risen 'Jesus' on a murdering rampage [vulgarity and blood] against those who had him killed. It can be a little confusing!

    You weren't paying attention in the 1940's and 1950's when post-modernism was undermining objective morality.  You weren't paying attention in the 1960's and 1970's when post-post-modernism vested every individual with godhood, making your moral code THE standard, which no one outside YOU could criticize without being declared 'judgmental.' 

    So, now? Now words don't really mean much unless they hurt someone's feelings. Facts don't really mean much until they conflict with the New Reality, whatever that may be. Right and Wrong don't really matter unless you get caught doing something really obvious or you're running for public office and your opponent wants to destroy your reputation. Oh! And you're not guilty until a court finds you guilty.

    Older readers might recognize such things, remembering George Orwell's "1984." He wrote of Big Brother who controlled everything and everyone; Newspeak, where words were re-defined; The Memory Hole, where historical facts were re-written or simply discarded. The Ministry of Truth told lies. The Ministry of Peace ran the wars and "telescreens" watched everyone, whether on the street, at work or in your own home. 

    Another aspect of this Utopian World was the fact that everything written was intercepted and scrutinized.  Think: email, texting, tweeting. 

    If you're one who looks around and wonders what's going on. If you can actually remember what life in the U.S. was like before the post-modern era. Don't despair! You haven't lost your mind! The world and everything in it has changed!

    The New World [in the U.S.] records 15 / 20 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections every year! 40% of it's children are born out of wedlock. 45% of it's marriages end in divorce [pastors = 50%]. If you're thinking this gives folks an easy 'do-over,' consider that 60% of second marriages and 70% of third marriages end in divorce. 

    42% of young people in the U.S. would not think of dating a virgin [match.com survey]. 44% of women and 63% of men have had one-night stands. 47% have 'friends with benefits.' In addition, we kill about a million unborn children every year!

    We worry about guns but have a strange response to drugs. Mindy McReady died last week as a result of 'misusing drugs.' She wasn't addicted to drugs. She simply misused them, as though using cocaine wisely is healthy. If we took drug-use and alcoholism more seriously, perhaps these behaviors would trigger quicker and more serious attention!

    And, we do the same with alcohol. It's not alcoholism, it's 'abusing alcohol,' which is a disease not a selfish addiction. No one is permitted to suggest that the consumption of alcoholic beverages is, by definition, an irresponsible behavior. Instead we are cautioned to "Drink Responsibly!"

    Have you had too much Common Sense, yet? Reality? The basic things of life never change, only the definitions and responses to them. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! Change the definition if you will but the result of sin is still the same!

WEEPING FOR TAMMUZ

   The world of Christendom and Ancient History agree that our Lenten Celebration of fasting for 40 days, leading up to Easter, is a) not an apostolic tradition, and b) borrowed from paganism.
   According to the Catholic Encyclopedia , the word 'lent' comes from a Germanic word, meaning Spring Season. It reports that Irenaeus -- early Church father [190 AD]  -- wrote to Pope Victor about the controversy of keeping Easter.
   He went on to challenge the idea of a preliminary fast, implying there was no apostolic tradition on the subject, either of Easter or of a Fast [let alone a 40-day fast]
   Tertullian [160-225 AD] and all the pre-Nicene Fathers [prior to 325 AD] were silent on this institution, even though they commented on all sorts of Christian traditions.
   There is written evidence that Athanasius [Egypt - Alexandria] [296/298 - 373 AD] advocated for his flock to fast in the days leading up to Easter -- and having travelled through the West, became a strident advocate due to the fact that [he says] everyone, everywhere he went, was doing it. He did not want to be a laughing stock.
   However, [Catholic] Church historian: Franz Xaver von Funk [1840-1907] says there was not a Lent of 40 days anywhere in the West before the time of Ambrose [340 - 397]
   It is a matter of established historical fact that when Christianity became the official religion of pagan Rome, many of the pagan holidays, celebrations, observances were folded into Roman Christianity. Easter and The Lenten Season were two.
   Our Lenten Celebration dates to about 400 AD, evolving through a number of iterations over the next 200 years. But, nowhere, outside of Roman Christianity, and the Protestant Church Groups which seek acceptance by The Roman Catholic Church, has a Lenten Season been observed in The Church.
   It is a testimony to our Theological and Historical ignorance, along with our predilection for all things 'feeling-oriented,' that many Church groups and individual Churches have picked up the 40-days-of-Lent idea and celebrate it as though it were right and good.
   Aside from the reality that this fast dates back to the Babylonian practice of Weeping for Tammuz [Ezek. 8], the idea of deliberately denying yourself in order to honor God or to achieve some level of spiritual favor or feeling is Law, not Grace!
   Think about it: What are you denying yourself for these 40 days? Good things? Godly things? Or primarily things you know you shouldn't be doing anyway? Food groups. Behaviors. TV programs. Sporting events. Other excesses that do not contribute to Godly Living.
   The Bible is clear: No amount of self-denial [in order to please God] is acceptible. In fact, it is detrimental to faith and is destructive of grace. [Romans 6:14; 11:6; Heb. 13:9]
Christians are indwelt by The Holy Spirit. He is 'the God which is in you both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.' [Phil. 2:13] What happens when we begin to apply behaviors in order to be more spiritual or to achieve blessing? We become bound to The Law and we have 'fallen from grace.' [Gal. 5:4]
   The argument is: But I'm simply preparing myself to celebrate Easter!
   Okay.  But, Easter is a pagan concept, as well! Christians are to prepare themselves to worship every week! Christians are to prepare themselves for each days' ministry! Christians are to live in perpetual preparation! What makes Easter more special than this?
   Every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ! It's what sets Christians apart from religionists. Why do we go back to religion once each year, to celebrate a Babylonian custom?

   This Week On The Bible Forum We'll Discuss Tammuz and Babylonian Religion.

Christianity Is Not A Club We Join

    Christianity isn't most of the things people believe it to be. 

    Christianity is NOT a religious movement: it's not about Rules

    Christianity is NOT a social movement: it does not seek to create a Utopia on earth.

    Christianity is NOT a political movement: neither secular politics nor ecclesiastical politics

    Christianity is NOT an American Thing! 

    Christianity is about the most important issue facing mankind! It's about our soul; our relationship with God; our eternal destiny. To couch it in one or more of these other terms is to miss The Point, entirely!

    In this sense, Christianity is NOT a club we join; NOT an escape from judgment; NOT a hedge against calamity. 

    Christianity is a relationship with The Almighty, made possible by the willing, awful sacrifice of The Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross of Calvary.

    It is a relationship of voluntary submission and obeisance; a relationship that transcends all other relationships, while enhancing them and giving them new meaning and purpose.

    Prayer is the breath upon which our heart-desires and gratitude are expressed to The One Who hears without ears; Who builds, sustains and tears down without arms or hands; Who loves and disciplines His children; Who provides for our every need; Who rejoices in His children's praise; Who glories in His children's holy worship.

    The Worship of God is offered, out of the highest respect.  [Ps. 5]

    Worship is an expression of humility and meekness.  [Ps 22]

    Worship is offered in Thanksgiving to The Maker, Sustainer of all.  [Ps. 95]

    Worship is a gift we bring to God because He deserves.  [Ps. 96; 99]

    Worship is a gift He desires, as opposed to what we think is acceptable. [Ps 138]

    American Christianity has either forgotten all this or, in the case of younger folks, never knew it. It shows up in the way we live our lives, the way we treat others, the way we approach society and the way we worship. For most of us, Christianity is far less than what The Bible presents and far more than it ought to be!

    A missionary, returning from Cuba, wrote: Cuban Christians pray for persecution in America! They know that persecution will cleanse and strengthen The Church. It did there! It does everywhere.    

    The increasing secularization of society is a direct result of the spiritual weakening of The Church. Christianity has been marginalized even as we see it's public face growing stronger.

   God is working His will upon this earth. The politicians, power-brokers, bankers and religionists are seeking to work their will upon this earth, in opposition.  How will it all end? 

    The Bible records the angel, speaking for God unto Zechariah about the end of the age. When Zechariah clearly does not understanding what he was seeing, the angel replies, simply:  "It is not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" [Zech. 4:6]

    "Even so, Lord, come!"

     PS: You can watch the Bible Forum from our Facebook Page

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WORLD WAR!

Last week we talked about Mystery, Babylon The Great: the End Times Political, Economic and Religious system that will dominate the earth during [at least] the last half of The Great Tribulation.

A system this large and pervasive does not just appear. It takes years, decades, centuries of planning and incremental steps to become the monolith it is prophesied to be. Many believe that system exists today. Some have seen it in the Roman Catholic Church because of the identification with the 7 mountains upon which 'the woman' sits. [Rev. 17] Last week's installment showed the weakness of this interpretation.

Consider: James Rickards' book: The Currency Wars: The Making of The Next Global Crises. Rickards is a respected economic leader with a unique skill-set. He has been called upon by our government, on several occasions, to either fix financial problems or analyze them for various governmental groups. He has testified before Congress on several occasions and was called upon by the Pentagon to demonstrate how he envisioned this crises to impact our security.

In a nutshell, Rickards is suggesting the indicators exist to demonstrate a soon-coming Global War! This one will not be with bullets but with currencies. Right now nations are vying for economic superiority [or parity] by de-valuing their currencies. 

We, in the United States, have devalued our currency at least three times in the last 3 or 4 years. The government calls it "quantitative easing," but it's really The Federal Reserve dumping dollars into the system. 1.3 trillion dollars in 2010, 600 bn in 2011, and 1.9 trillion in 2012. Close to 4 trillion extra dollars, chasing the same goods and services, means each one now costs more.

We are being told to expect 4-dollar gasoline by Summer [again]. This time the price will probably not go back down. 

Rickards demonstrates that in the early part of the 20th century, this sort of thing occurred precipitating The Great Depression, the rise of Hitler, in Germany, and World War II. It happened again in the 1970's where we saw gas lines, unemployment and a 'Misery Index' which added the inflation rate to the interest rate. In those days folks were paying 11 to 18% interest on home mortgages and 'Usury' laws had to be adjusted because Credit Card companies were routinely charging more than 20% on this unsecured, short-term debt. 

Rickards says we are on the verge of Number 3. This time nations will fight with their currency values. Great Britian has already devalued their currency by 90% with Japan at 125%. China surprised the world by suddenly increasing their gold reserves by 3 /4000 tons over a 4-year period. China now has banks in the U.S. giving them access to The Federal Reserve and our currency network. 

USAToday suggested: "The next war won't be fought with guns, but with currency."  Forbes is predicting this will "destroy the dollar."

Mystery, Babylon The Great is a system in the making. Politically, the stage is being set for an Elite Cadre of leaders telling their people what they must do or not do and having the majority accept it, simply because they trust their leaders. Religiously, people are being deceived by the Feel-Good, Mystical messages and experiences, called 'church,' to abandon the authority of The Word of God, while the Economic System is being used as a weapon against both our enemies and our citizens.

It's easy to see how The Anti-christ will want to take control of this system. It is not only for centralized control, but a weapon in his effort to dominate the world. What will you do? The "Message" is usually: Buy God!

But God's message is: "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayes be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,... and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see."  [Rev. 2:18]