Fall of Roman Empire Mirrors America Today!

Colosseum in Rome

When many of us were in school, we were taught that the Roman Empire fell, because it was overrun by barbarians from the north. Partly right, but only partly. Consider the constellation of conditions that existed at the time. Compare them with America today. The resemblance is inescapable and alarming:

  • Rome was overrun by illegal immigrants, initially assimilating, but later failing to learn the Roman language (Latin). Sound familiar today?
  • Roman military was widely dispersed throughout the known world and greatly strained. America today?
  • Rome had a trade deficit rooted in outsourcing grain production to North Africa. Rome was unable to protect the area from capture. Contrary to today’s media reports, corporate outsourcing is more a result of government actions than so called corporate “greed.”
  • Attila the Hun committed terrorist attacks. Today’s Global Terrorism Database provides information on 150,000 terrorist attacks
  • Roman welfare gave free bread to citizens. Juvenal (circa A.D. 100) said the Roman politicians pacified the citizens and bought their vote with “bread and circuses.” A contemporary quote proclaimed, “Those who live at the expense of the public funds are more numerous than those who provide them.” Today, people working for the government outnumber those in manufacturing by nearly 2:1. Nearly 100,000,000 people are out of work. Only those still collecting unemployment compensation show up in the unemployment statistics.
  • Citizens feared Roman tax collectors who were, “more terrible than the enemy.” Sound like the IRS?
  • Huge government bureaucracies created monstrous debt. Self-evident today.
  • Court favoritism was common. Self-evident today.
  • Infidelity and sexual immorality became normal. Political correctness says every behavior should be “tolerated.”
  • Perverted bathhouses Transgender restrooms and locker rooms anyone?
  • Gratuitous violence, as in gladiator fights, became common. The Roman violence was real. Today, the violence in video games, television, and the movies is so lifelike, they trigger brain responses very similar to real violence, thus numbing the public to violence that should be repulsive.

Do we ever learn from history? Should we learn from history? What are the risks of not learning from history?

The conditions listed above contributed greatly to the breakdown of the family. No civilization has ever survived the breakdown of the family.

Living for self (Humanism, liberalism, progressivism, Marxism, etc.) always leads to the decline of civilizations and ultimate ruin. Living for others (Judeo-Christian tradition, religious and political conservatism) creates a stable culture that can be passed on to subsequent generations. What are YOU willing to do to save America?

What does it take to wake-up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake-up the clergy?

The Family is God’s First and Most Important Support Group!

Families

It’s been trendy, among churches, in the last two or three decades to create all manner of support groups. There are support groups for people dealing with alcohol addiction; drug addiction; divorce; mentally or physically disabled children; and older people, with various forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease or other chronic illnesses (caregiver support groups).

However, God created the first and by far the most important support group. It’s called the family. Tragically, as Judeo-Christian believers, we have become professionals as slicing and dicing the family in every imaginable way. Walk into virtually any church and find the family shot gunned into widely dispersed groups based on gender, age, marital status or educational level. Each group is tightly proscribed, narrowly limited, and quickly becomes isolated, especially from the family.

The same situation exists whether the church is traditional (Sunday School) or contemporary (home-base groups). The contemporary church simply scatters the traditional Sunday School around the neighborhood, scattering the family as in the traditional church. The increasingly popular home based groups in some cases exert even more pressure on the family, because they are scheduled at different times and places, during the week.

The result is that the family is forcefully splintered at the very place where they should be reinforced as well as worshiping and learning together. Family members lose a sense of the panorama of time and how they fit into that panorama.

Of course, God views the entire panorama of time from the Garden of Eden to the return of the Messiah. Even with our human limitations, it is extremely important that we understand our debt to the 3-4 generations of ancestors who preceded us and our duty to the 3-4 generations of descendants who follow us.

The usual rationale for slicing and dicing the family at church is that each family member is at a different place in life and has different needs. Balderdash! Every family member has exactly the same need to learn that “God is love” and that His love is manifested through us as humility, forgiveness, mercifulness, longsuffering, and a servant’s spirit. Collectively, they represent the character of God and the lifelong journey to grow in them. Those are lessons the entire family can learn together. Each family member helps the others learn those lessons daily.

 

In modern America, the family is being blown apart. The modern church is structured in a way that facilitates the breakdown of the family. No statistics are necessary. It is self-evident that the family is breaking down among the bodies of believers nearly as fast as it is breaking down in the background secular culture.

The church, whether traditional or contemporary must be restructured to strongly reinforce and build up the family, rather than tearing it apart. Families must meet together, worship together, and learn together as they have for millennia. The devastating slicing and dicing of the family has only been part of the church structure for the last 100 to 150 years.

The family is God’s only support group. It is far more powerful than any other. There are major limitations created by the collapsing American culture. Generations are often separated by long distances. People find themselves single following a divorce that was not of their own choosing. There is also enormous cultural pressure to satisfy self, rather than serve others.

Here is a Biblical remedy. Consider forming numerous family support groups, where groups of families can reinforce each others experiences and learn about high risk activities and how to help family members who fall prey to those risks before the crisis occurs. Thus armed, a family, demonstrating a servant’s spirit, may want to consider informally “adopting” someone in crisis as a means of helping that person. Similarly, when generations are separated by long distances, a family may choose to adopt an older or younger generation family locally.

There is still a place for some of those support groups mentioned in the opening paragraph, but only for those people who don’t have the support of an immediate family.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Urgent Message to Pastors!

During the run-up to the American Revolution, the pulpits of America were aflame with righteousness. In contrast, it is not necessary to characterize today’s cultural chaos. Instead,

 shane-idleman

Consider carefully this word to pastors from Shane Idleman, nationally known pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship, in Lancaster, CA.

One of my great concerns is for the pulpits of America. Many are exchanging truth for tolerance, boldness for balance, and conviction for cowardliness…they are not aflame with righteousness. We don’t want to offend; we might lose our audience. We are not to seek the applause of men but the applause of God.

The pulpit regulates the spiritual condition of God’s people which affects the nation. A lukewarm, sex-saturated culture (and church) simply reflects the lack of conviction in the pulpit as well as the pew. Pastors, we are not just cheerleaders, we are game changers. We are called to stir and to convict so that change takes place.

Granted, there are many wonderful pastors and churches—I appreciate their ministry, but, as a whole, the church has drifted off course. They have lost the compass of truth.

As the moral and cultural war rages between our shores, the need to be awakened from our spiritual slumber has never been greater. “Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is tested” (Martin Luther). This battle is for the very soul of our nation. It’s our choice—stand or fall.

But there is hope for those who are teachable and humble. The journey with God begins with the first step in the right direction. Simply say, “Lord, I’ve been wrong…remove my carnality, crush my pride, draw me closer to You. I repent of my sin and I turn completely and unconditionally to you. You are my only hope. God help me!”

http://westsidechristianfellowship.org/articles/3-15-14-an-indictment-against-america-pastor-shane-idleman/

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Five Frightening Election Words!

donald trump

Here are five frightening words for all voters who backed losing candidates in the Republican primaries and who are threatening to sit out the November election because they don’t like Donald Trump:

Supreme Court Justice Barack Obama.

The choice in November is clear – it will be either Donald Trump or

Hillary Clinton, and a no-vote or a third party vote is the same as a vote for Hillary Clinton.

If Hillary Clinton, arguably the most dishonest and corrupt person ever to run for President of the United States, wins, she likely will name President Obama to the Supreme Court for several very good reasons:

  1. he has covered her backside, no easy task that, in the email server scandals and now wants payback;
  2. he claims credentials as a Constitutional lawyer;
  3. he is buying a mansion in Washington D.C. and has made no secret of his desire to stay in the capitol; and
  4. he could complete his “fundamental transformation”  of our Republic during a lifetime on the Supreme Court.

If that’s not enough to scare everyone into voting, I don’t know what will.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

The Time for Believers to Act is Now—or Perhaps Never!

woman reading the bible in the darkness

The time for believers to act—and to act aggressively is now! There may not be another chance to be a positive and effective ambassador for the Lord until He returns. Generational drift has produce believers who are astonishingly ignorant of the Bible and its application to today most vital issues. Consider God’s own perfect words:

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.” [James 4:1-6 NKJV Emphasis added]

The body of believers has become far too friendly with the world. It is a friendship that has distorted the Biblical worldview as perceived my many believers, especially the younger generations. The worldly-influenced distortions of the Biblical worldview has produced generations of sincere believers who are astonishingly ignorant of the pervasive nature of the Biblical worldview and how it applies to the powerful and devastating issues of our time.

Ponder just a few examples:

  • Abortion—Many have a vague notion that abortion is wrong, but are unable to clearly articulate why it is wrong. They may generally recall a Scripture verse where the Lord says, “I knew you when you were in the womb,” but many believers don’t know where to find it. Tragically, many believers have bought into the commonly held abortion exceptions for conceptions resulting from rape or incest and for protecting the health of the mother. They might even consider abortion when tests indicate that the baby might be born with some physical or mental limitations. Bottom line: Statistically, there is no difference between the rates of abortion among conservative Bible believers and the rate of abortion among atheists/agnostics.
  • Divorce—Today, many believers have essentially accepted serial marriage as a new norm. With unmistakable clarity God proclaims in Malachi, “I hate divorce.” Exactly what part of “I hate divorce” do people not understand? Most readers already know and understand the Biblical passages dealing with marriage and divorce. Nevertheless, the political notion of no-fault divorce that easily swept through most state legislatures greased the skids for believers to follow the world’s concept of divorce. Bottom line: The divorce rate among conservative Bible believers is statistically indistinguishable from the divorce rate among atheist/agnostics. Indeed, the United States, driven by Judeo-Christian tradition for centuries, now has a divorce rate among the top five highest in the world.
  • Same-Sex Marriage—For many believers, there is comfort in the God-given Biblical concept of marriage as one man, one woman, for one lifetime. Yet, they are unable to articulate why. They have gradually accepted alternative lifestyles up to and including so called “same-sex marriage.” Traditional marriage is carpet-bombed daily, by the media, the entertainment industry, liberal/progressive politicians, and the public educational system. Bottom line: Like Lot of old, many believers have long ago pitched their tent toward Sodom and have effectively since moved in. The tragic result is the catastrophic collapse of the American culture.
  • Strangers (largely government employees) raising the children of believers—In a devastating about face, the American culture now reveres career as a higher priority than family. Believers have succumbed to that siren song. There is no way a child can emerge into adulthood with solid soul-deep Biblical values unless the child is raised by his/her biological mom who is a full time homemaker, at least during child rearing years, and biological dad. It will not happen when a child is subjected to an endless round of babysitters, infant child care, nursery schools, before school care, after school care and so on. There is no substitute for a child’s God-given parents. Bottom line: The family is being intentionally obliterated by the myriad of forces that oppose it, while believers effectively roll over and play dead. The American culture, envied by the world since its inception, is rapidly falling into the dust bin of history.
  • Pornography—The explosion of the Internet has brought with it an explosion in pornography. It has become nearly impossible to avoid. While many believers will readily acknowledge that habitually viewing hard core pornography is wrong, they quietly accept the notion that a bit of soft porn is no big deal. Bottom line: Porn in any form is a big deal; it destroys relationships; it destroys marriages; it destroys families, thereby causing lasting damage to children. Yet most believers do not understand why and certainly are unable to articulate it.
  • LGBT adoptions—When they hear about LGBT adoptions, believers my feel a ripple of discontent pass through their heart and mind. Once again, they are unable to clearly articulate the associated problems from the perspective of a Biblical worldview. Bottom line: The rate of LGBT adoptions continues to increase with devastating effects on the American culture, while being tacitly supported by many believers.

Believers have become nearly indistinguishable from the world. If we want our children and grandchildren to experience even a fragment of a remaining free culture, the body of believers must act now, with determination and persistence. There is no time left. An occasional Bible class lesson or sermon on a controversial life-damaging topic will not come anywhere close to overcoming the widespread ignorance among believers.

There must be a very intense, all-out effort lead by the clergy. Here are a few recommendations:

  • Weekly group discussions—There must be intense weekly discussions for at least 8-12 weeks to cover all relevant issues. The discussions could occur within the traditional Sunday School or in home-based groups at any time.
  • Weekly sermons—Throughout the same period, there must be a reinforcing series of sermons on the same topics. People desperately want to hear from their spiritual leaders.
  • Suggested resource—An excellent resource is Dr. James L. Garlow’s book, Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today’s Tough Issues. His book was just published within recent weeks and addresses many of today’s most vexing issues in 3-5 page bite size chunks. A sampling of topics includes political correctness, school choice and parental authority, marriage, schools universities and the Christian faith, abortion, sexual orientation, the judiciary, social justice, Israel, racism, and many more. All topics are addressed from an uncompromising Biblical world viewpoint.

We cannot fail to arm the believers within our sphere of influence with clear, accurate, easy-to-articulate Biblical information to wage the ongoing spiritual war.

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their intimidation; do not be shaken.” But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to articulate a defense to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But respond with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you will be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.… [1 Peter 3:14-15 NIV]

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

 

The Gender Unicorn Is Coming To A Middle School Near YOU!

The relentless liberal/progressive effort to blur gender distinctions, invent new “genders,” and create new forms of “gender expression,” is currently invading an ever broadening list of public middle schools. The latest and most insidious wave is the Gender Unicorn:

gender-unicorn

Notice the similarity between the Gender Unicorn and Barney, the purple anthropomorphic tyrannosaurus rex, with whom many children are already familiar. Having already embraced a warm and fuzzy Barney, it becomes a very short step to embracing the Gender Unicorn.

The Gender Unicorn is clearly one of the most powerful and dramatic assaults on God, the Bible, and Judeo-Christian values of our time, just behind the U.S. Supreme Court ruling establishing the Constitutional validity of same-sex marriage

Believers are called upon by God to love everyone, regardless of lifestyle. But sin is still sin; it has never changed. The intimate actions of same sex unions are still an abomination to God. Adoptions be same-sex couples are still sinful. Any blurring of the God-given distinctions between men and women and their God-given roles is inviting the wrath of their Creator!

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: “Who lost Europe?”

In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: “Who lost Europe?”

Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom, the Netherlands, spoke urgently and forcefully at the Four Seasons, New York, introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem.

Prayerfully consider his following remarks. Subheadings and emphases have been added, by this writer, for clarity. I’ve been aware of Geert’s mission for some time. This message is a particularly good summery. Consider skimming the highlights; return for details as time permits.

Geert Wilders

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for inviting me. I come to America with a mission.  All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic.

Urgent Warning!       We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States is the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe. 

First I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe. Then, I will say a few things about Islam. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem.

The Europe you know is changing. You have probably seen the landmarks. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration.

The New Reality of an Increasingly Muslim Europe

All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It’s the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead.

With mosques on many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe. These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.

There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe with larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule.       Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseilles and Malmo in Sweden. In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by Muslim neighborhoods. Mohammad is the most popular name among boys in many cities.

The Educational Systems Have Been Islamized

In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims. Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils.

In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear ‘whore, whore’.  Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin.

In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin. The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity.   

In England sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he was drinking during the Ramadan.

Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II.  French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel.  I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization.

The Scoreboard Tells the Story

A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhardt Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.       Now these are just numbers.  And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France.

One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate. Muslims demand what they call ‘respect’. And this is how we give them respect.  We already have Muslim official state holidays.

The Christian-Democratic attorney general is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority. We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey. Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus.

Who Are These “Settlers?”

I call the perpetrators settlers. Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies; they come to integrate us into theirs. Therefore, they are settlers. Much of this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries.  Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored.

Mohammed Established a Violent and Immoral Heritage

The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Gandhi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages – at the same time.

Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammad himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza.  If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad.

Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life.  Islam means ‘submission’. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is Sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies.       Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam ‘the most retrograde force in the world’, and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran. The public has accepted the Palestinian narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor. I have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times.

Geert’s Support for Israel

I support Israel. First, because it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz. Second because it is a democracy.  And third because Israel is our first line of defense.       This tiny country is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam’s territorial advance.  Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in Indonesia.  Israel is simply in the way; the same way West-Berlin was during the Cold War.       The war against Israel is not a war against Israel.  It is a war against the West. It is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us.  If there would have been no Israel,

Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest. Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers looming.       Many in Europe argue in favor of abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of our Muslim minorities. But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West. It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values.

On the contrary, the end of Israel would give enormous encouragement to the forces of Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed.  The end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning. It would mean the start of the final battle for world domination. If they can get Israel, they can get everything.

So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islam as a ‘right-wing extremists’ or ‘racists’. In my country, the Netherlands, 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II.  And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat.

The Greatest Danger!

Yet there is a greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America – as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs.

With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.

Geert’s Final Plea for Freedom

Dear friends,

Liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives.  All throughout Europe, American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe’s children in the same state in which it was offered to us. 

We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams.  Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so.

We have to take the necessary action now to stop this Islamic stupidity from destroying the free world that we know.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

God Warned of America’s Decline in Scripture!

Working together

As America spirals down into a cultural sewer, we are comforted by knowing that we’ve read the end of the Book. We know how it ultimately ends. Meanwhile, we are told to live the life precisely as instructed by Scripture, visible standing for all that is good and actively opposing all that is evil.

Consider God’s ancient warning to a modern America:

“The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.” Proverbs 9:17 

“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the las is joyful.” Proverbs 29:18 

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” Proverbs 29:2 

And finally, the familiar verse,

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” Proverbs 14:23

It’s up to us as believers to be the “light of the world,” “the salt of the earth,” and positive, loving, ambassadors for God!

 

Don’t Miss Dinesh D’Souza’s New Movie—Just opened nationwide on Friday, July 23, 2016

Hillarys America.jpg

Don’t miss it. D’Souza’s new movie is powerful and well documented. Hillary is just a portion of this blockbuster. After addressing some tough stuff, it has a wonderful red, white, and blue patriotic ending.

It opened nationwide last Friday at 1500 theaters.

Presidential Election Demands Attention!

donald trump

The upcoming presidential election is very literally the most important election of our time, perhaps the most important election in the history of our country. The book Wake Up America or Die!—YOU Must Save America and the Family includes two chapters devoted to government. One is in the “Undeniable Crisis” section; the other is in the “Awesome Remedy” section. Although written with abundant clarity, neither mentions any specific political party or living politician or candidate.

However, it is no longer possible to escape such specifics. With Hillary Clinton wearing horns and a forked tail, the ongoing controversy over Donald Trump is troublesome and dangerous.

There is a view often stated among university faculty members that, “We must teach the students we have not the students we wish we had.” Donald Trump was not my first choice for a conservative candidate. Nevertheless, the candidates for President of the United States have apparently been reduced to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Compare the Candidates

Voting is essential. It is an act of worship to protect the God-given freedoms secured by the Declaration of Independence and codified in the United States Constitution. Sitting at home and not voting is absolutely not an option for Judeo-Christian believers. Despite the misgivings of some conservatives and clergy, the bright line contrast between Trump and Clinton could not be greater. Consider as side-by-side comparison:

Donald Trump pledged to restore faith to its level of historical prominence in this country.

Hillary Clinton routinely supports views antagonistic to Judeo-Christian tradition. Her occasional politically correct remarks are overtaken by her actions.

Donald Trump is Prolife. Although he is against abortion, he has supported certain well known exceptions with which many believers, including this writer, would disagree.

Hillary Clinton is pro-death (Prochoice)

Donald Trump supports defunding Planned Parenthood.

Hillary Clinton is demanding substantially even more funding for Planned Parenthood.

Donald Trump pledged to nominated originalist (constitutionalist) justices to the Supreme Court.

Hillary Clinton will nominate the most liberal justices available to the Court.

Donald Trump is committed to aggressively dealing with uncontrolled immigration and border security.

Hillary Clinton is a globalist advocate of a borderless United States and a borderless world.

Donald Trump is committed to aggressively combating terrorism in all forms.

Hillary Clinton is unable to identify the sources of terrorism, beyond perfunctory, politically correct comments following each terrorist attack.

Donald Trump will rebuild the military for the protection of all citizens.

Hillary Clinton will continue to decimate the military.

Donald Trump is committed to “Make America Great Again.”

Hillary Clinton is a globalist committed to taking down America, following Obama’s “fundamental transformation” to make all countries equal.

Donald Trump says, “I refuse to be politically correct.” Political correctness is a movement designed to shut down the Biblical worldview.

Hillary Clinton fully embraces political correctness and all of its nuances.

There are other areas of glaring comparison, but those listed are sufficient for this message.

The greatest American presidents were known for having a noticeably humble spirit, a character trait that often fosters good listening skills. Humility seems to be Donald Trump’s most visible short-coming. But even that attitude is better than Hillary Clinton’s arrogance, sense of supremacy, and infamously harsh treatment of those she encounters and even those within her inner circle.

Judicial Appointments

A vastly overarching sleeper issue is the ability of the President to appoint federal judges. Each President appoints hundreds of federal judges who generally operate under the cloak of media darkness unless the media declares a case to be sufficiently controversial to report.

Many bad judicial decisions stand simply because the resources are not available for successive appeals or the Supreme Court is so avalanched with cases they can only hear a few due to the lack of time. Consequently, a Supreme Court decision not to hear a case can be as important as a decision to hear one.

An out-of-control judiciary was feared by the great Founders of the United States of America. Presidents have the opportunity to greatly influence the federal court system by selecting judges and justices who either support a Originalist view of the Constitution (It is a sacred anchor document that means what it says and can only be changed through the amendment process.) or a post-Constitutional view that claims the Constitution must be treated as a living document, continuously reinterpreted to keep up with the changing times. A so called fluid Constitution is effectively no constitution at all.

Due to political polarization, the power of the president to appoint federal judges has become the most influential and lasting power within the president’s grasp.

Former President Franklin Roosevelt was well known for attempting to pack the Supreme Court with liberal justices. Although he died in 1945, his Supreme Court appointees served until 1975. His appointees, along with liberal justices appointed by Presidents Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and even Dwight Eisenhower handed down a stream of devastating decisions including rulings that:

  • Effectively declared all religions equal and equally subservient to the United States Government. Such a decision effectively replaces God with the federal government.
  • Removed prayer from the public schools
  • Removed Bible reading from the public schools
  • Routinely supported the breakdown of morality in the American Culture.
  • Handed down the infamous Roe v. Wade decision
  • Supported no-fault divorces

Justices nominated by Hillary Clinton, as president, would continue the stream of devastating Supreme Court rulings “lowlighted” by the now infamous ruling sanctifying same-sex “marriage.” Constitutionalist justices appointed by Donald Trump as president would be a powerful restraint on the Supreme Court and possibly tilt the Court in a conservative Biblical direction.

Restoring America is up to YOU!

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

 

National Christian Leaders Call on Pastors and All Believers for Widespread Action Now!

Caution - Political Protests Ahead

Tony Perkins, President of Washington-based Family Research Council issued a stinging rebuke of the Obama Administration’s bullying states and public schools systems regarding their efforts to keep men’s/women’s and boy’s/girl’s restrooms and locker rooms separate. This week Obama issued “guidance” to school districts threatening to withhold federal funding from noncompliant school districts. Perkins forcefully argued that the motivations and objectives are far deeper than the use of public restrooms/locker rooms.

Perkins further charged that:

Far too long American pulpits have remained silent on controversial cultural issues. Preachers don’t want to rock the boat. Parishioners don’t want to cause trouble. Far too long society has turned a blind eye as President Obama fundamentally transformed our nation.

“But now the country stands at the edge of a great moral abyss. And we must ask ourselves – do we defy the president and save the nation or do we keep the peace and sacrifice our children?”

He (Perkins) reported that Ronnie Floyd, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention, warned, “Sooner or later we have to determine that enough is enough. It’s not going to change until Christians get involved in this battle.”

Mat Staver, Founder/CEO of Liberty Counsel further proclaimed:

“The reason they want to abolish gender is because they also want to remove any kind of moral construct regarding human sexuality,” Staver explained. “Ultimately they want to abolish gender so they can abolish the very notion of the creator God himself, who created you and I in His image. Male and female, God created you and I, distinctly different yet complementary.”

As the once great Roman Empire fell, the emperor’s offered “bread and circuses” to pacify the people, much as our government does today. Do we dare allow America to suffer the same fate? Might we someday be accountable to God for our widespread indifference—or will He celebrate the actions we are about to take?

The time for action is inescapably urgent and the time is now! Just ask Tony Perkins, Ronnie Floyd, and Mat Staver.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

 

If Truth Be Not Diffused, Error Will Be

Imacon Color Scanner

“If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error well be: If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.”

Senator Daniel Webster

Veterans’ (Armistice) Day!

Tyne Cot brittish memorial cemetary of the first world war in Passendaele (Flanders Fields)

As we commemorate this Veteran’s Day we ought to pay special attention to each and every word of the moving elegy “In Flanders Field.” It was written in 1915 by Canadian physician Lt. Col. John McCrae, who was as close as one can get to the nightmare of World War I. In it, the dead speak to us from their graves:

In Flanders Field

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe; To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

Billy Graham issues a stern warning regarding upcoming persecution!

billygraham

“As a whole, our nation does not know what privation is. We do not know what sacrifice is. We do not know what suffering is. Suppose persecution were to come to the church in America, as it has come in other countries,” “Christ strongly warned Christians that to follow Him would not be popular, and that in most circumstances it would mean cross-bearing and persecution,”

“… it is likely that under pressure many would deny Christ. Those who shout the loudest about their faith may surrender soonest. Many who boast of being courageous would be cowardly.”

Specific actions for faith to survive the coming trials.

“Make sure of your relationship with God.” “Even though most Americans see the storm clouds gathering on the horizon, by and large we are making few preparations to meet God. This is a time for repentance and faith. It is a time for soul-searching, to see if our anchor holds.”

“If you are not strengthening the inner man or woman by daily walking with God now, when a crisis comes you will quake with fear and give in, having no strength to stand up for Christ.”

“Too many Christians today are entangled with the affairs of this world, caught in a net of material interest and diversion. Scripture, to many, is little more than a reference book for biblical facts. It is seldom opened and rarely relished as the spiritual staff of life that it is.”

“If Christianity is to survive in a world filled with materialism, the church must have a revival of prayer. As individuals, we must repent of prayerlessness. The prayer meeting must become the vital institution it was when evangelical Christianity was the mightiest force in the world.”

“Christ must be vitally real to us if we are to prove loyal to Him in the hours of crisis.”

“Our nation ranks as the greatest power on the face of the earth. But if we put our trust in armed might instead of Almighty God, the coming conflict could conceivably go against us. History and the Bible indicate that mechanical and material might are insufficient in times of great crisis”

“The wheels of God’s judgment can be heard by discerning souls across the length and breadth of nations. Things are happening fast! The need for a return to God has never been more urgent.”

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Two ancient gates to heaven and hell. Choice concept.

“Why may not the Bible, and especially the New Testament, without note or comment, be read and taught as a Divine revelation in the (school)–its general precepts expounded…and its glorious principles of morality inculcated?…Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament? Where are benevolence, the love of truth, sobriety, and industry, so powerfully and irresistibly inculcated as in the Sacred Volume?”

United Stated Supreme Court

Vidal v. Girard’s Executor, 1844

U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington D.C.
“The President, who exercises a limited power, may err without causing great mischief in the state. Congress may decide amiss without destroying the Union, because the electoral body in which Congress originates may cause it to retract its decision by changing its members. But if the Supreme Court is ever composed of imprudent men or bad citizens, the Union may be plunged into anarchy or civil war.”
Alexis de Tocqueville,
“Democracy in America,” 1835

Christianity v. Atheism

“I myself believe that the duel between Christianity and atheism is the most important in the world. I further believe that the struggle between individualism and collectivism is the same struggle reproduced on another level. I believe that if and when the menace of Communism is gone, other vital battles, at present subordinated, will emerge to the foreground. And the winner must have help from the classroom.” Bill Buckley (1951)

Same-Sex “Marriage” Ruling is a Cultural Tsunami!

James Dobson

Most people are already aware that Dr. James Dobson has soundly condemned the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established a nationwide “right” to same-sex marriage. While much of the commentary focuses on the gay marriage issue, he contends that the intentional impact is far larger. We are not talking about a ripple effect. The consequences will be a spiritual and temporal tsunami.

In a recent newsletter, Dobson explains, “We are convinced that this unconstitutional decision, issued by five unelected, unaccountable and imperious justices, will ultimately prove to be as catastrophic as Dred Scott v. Sanford in 1857 and Roe v. Wade in 1973. It will touch every dimension of culture…This court decision is not about same-sex marriage, except only tangentially. Many gay and lesbian groups have admitted that marriage has never been their primary objective. Instead, it is about everything else.”

“What’s at stake is the entire culture war.” Dobson characterized the decision as an “expression of hostility toward people who take their Christianity seriously.”

“As you probably know, certain groups and organizations hate us. It is about weakening the church of Jesus Christ and limiting what pastors and ministers can say and do publicly…It is about undermining the religious liberties of Christians that are guaranteed by the Constitution. It is about attacking Christian schools, Christian non-profit organizations such as Family Talk, and Christian businesses, hospitals, charities, and seminaries. It is about Christian colleges and universities, and about whom their leaders choose as professors and what their students will be taught. It’s about government funding and accreditation.”

“There is almost no limit to what will be imposed on the American public as a result of Obergefell. There is every indication that a barrage of court cases has been pre-planned and will be implemented against those who dare to disagree with the government’s view of marriage. Some will lose their jobs for failing to knuckle under…Some will lose their professional licenses. Some will be persecuted, ridiculed and fined. Some will go to prison. After all, the Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is an inviolable constitutional right that will trump other liberties considered untouchable for more than 200 years.”

Dobson expressed a particular concern for the children. “I grieve over what will happen to kids in public schools. They will be taught that right is wrong and wrong is right, and that the teachings of Scripture are unreliable and inaccurate.”

How unthinkable it is that in some states kindergartners, barely out of babyhood, are being taught adult perverse behavior that should never be discussed in the classroom. Soon, publishers of public school textbooks throughout the country will have to re-write and re-illustrate materials to make them conform to the demands of Obergefell. It matters not that these revisions will contradict the beliefs and convictions of Christian parents. It has already become the law of the land in some states.”

Dobson chillingly warns that anything activists “can dream up could be imposed on our children by liberal judges.”

LGBT propaganda will be blatantly taught to wide-eyed kids who are too young to understand how they are being manipulated. There is no consideration that the messages given will contradict the beliefs and convictions of millions of parents. The wishes of moms and dads will have been overridden and superseded by five justices who have a better plan for their kids,” he writes.

It all has a familiar ring. Remember that Adolf Hitler said, “Your child belongs to us already … what are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing but this new community.”

Quoting Rod Dreher, senior editor at the American Conservative, Dobson adds, “The alarm that the four dissenting justices sounded in their minority opinions…Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia were particularly scathing in pointing out the philosophical and historical groundlessness of the majority’s opinion. Justice Scalia even called the decision ‘a threat to democracy,’ and denounced it, shockingly, in the language of revolution.”

It is up to the pastors to lead, warn, and prepare the body of believers. “…if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.” [Ezekiel 33:6 NIV]

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Storm Clouds are Gathering—Again!

Majestic United States Flag

The ACLU has filed complaints against four schools in Indiana, California, New Jersey, and Oklahoma and New Jersey. Their crime? The have used a sign with “God Bless America.” The complaints demand that the schools remove the words “God Bless America” from their signs, alleging that the phrase is hurtful, divisive and a violation of the constitution.

How far can America implode? Recall that just a few years ago, all of Congress stood outside the Capitol and sang, “God Bless America.” The occasion was just after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. After that infamous date, the song was heard often. It has been only 14 years!

Irving Berlin composed that song in 1918. It sat in his desk drawer for twenty years until 1938. Here is the original:

God bless America, land that I love

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with a light from above

From the mountains, to the prairies

To the oceans white with foam

God bless America

My home sweet home

The song was popularized by Kate Smith after a preamble was added. Here’s the complete version:

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea

Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer:

God bless America, land that I love

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with a light from above

From the mountains, to the prairies

To the oceans white with foam

God bless America

My home sweet home

Notice that the song, so often sung in a celebratory mood today was popularized as a “solemn prayer.” Why? World War II had not yet broken out, but the rapidly gathering dark clouds of war were unmistakably clear, especially to families who had already lost loved ones in World War just twenty years before.

Famed singer Kate Smith introduced the song in her Armistice Day (now called Veteran’s Day) radio broadcast, November 11, 1938. It was just a day after the senseless, tragic Kristallnacht, a series of deadly Nazi attacks on Jews throughout Germany and Austria.

Estimates vary widely, but hundreds died during that horrific two night period. Another 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. Over 1000 synagogues were burned and over 7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed or damaged.

The rapidly gathering dark clouds of war were inescapable. That is why “God Bless America” was a solemn prayer.

But today, it is 2015. There is some saber rattling going on in North Korea. Terrorists from a variety of organizations are wreaking worldwide havoc and causing unspeakable violence, without much apparent opposition. Certainly, those are dark clouds of our time.

But there are even darker clouds with even more formidable consequences. They are the dark clouds of America’s apostasy. America has increasingly abandoned God and the Judeo-Christian principles that made America great.

Others have said that judgment follows desecration. Scripture proclaims, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” [Ecclesiastes 12:14 NIV] Also, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” [Proverbs 12:34 NIV]

Now is a good time to go back and read the lyrics (no music please) of the expanded version of “God Bless America.” Read it; pray it as a heart wrenching “solemn prayer.”

While you are at it, pray for the ACLU!

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?