As long as I've been writing this call-to-arms (figuratively) for America to repent (return to Almighty God in Yashua Christ & the Bible) for the past 8 years, it's been mentally & spiritually exhausting. First in e-mails, then on the web, I've measured and taken the pulse of America's heart & spirit; high & low, rich & poor, happy & sad. It doesn't take a PhD to know the patient is dying. All the symptoms have been & are too apparent for several generations; excessive, wasteful living & lifestyle, an over-abundant diet of greed, avarice, pleasure-seeking, living for self, with no concern for the things of God, no sense of sin, and no love of Christ & the Gospel. Everything that once made this nation strong in the Lord, bountiful in His blessings, the salt of the Earth, the light for hope shining in a dark & dying world, has been cast aside & forsaken for vain philosophies & religions, wealth & accumulation, glitz & glamor, false government salvation, and sole concern for the temporal. It breaks my heart to see what we have become and where we're going. As Jeremiah wept for Israel, so I weep for America...
The avalanche of bad & disheartening news on every front hasn't abated, in fact, it's building momentum. The tsunami of despair grows higher each day across this land; joblessness, homelessness, crime, violence, corruption, inhumanity, spiritual deadness, sin in all its forms rises to drown us. Until we realize God & His Spirit in Yashua are our only redemption, we and this world are destined for failure. Ever since man's first rebellion, mankind has refused God's rule over us, we sought our own way of salvation, invented our own gods...and thought we didn't need Him, and even deny His existence.
I don't care how educated or learned one may be, they are a fool to think or harbor the thought God isn't. As a lifelong student of science & engineering, intellectually, I cannot but conclude that He is. The glory & awe of creation stand testament to His Majesty, His Mentality, Skill & Forethought, His Grace and Mercy. The DNA which instructs each & every cell to know its specific purpose & function, the genetics which determine the exact size, scope & limits of procreation & reproduction, the engineering of physical laws of the universe, the moral & spiritual character of humankind are but a few of the evidences of His handiwork. The odds of any one of these, or even accumatively, happening by chance are by best guess, 1 in 10 to the 120th power (10 followed by 120 zeros). You'd have a better chance of a tornado going thru a metal scrapyard and leaving behind a fully functioning, ready for take-off, Boeing 747 in its wake.
Sure the invisible, often silent, God is beyond the reach of our senses, but our souls cannot deny the obvious without committing spiritual suicide. But, we have and do anyway...
I've re-emphasized over & over that America's ills are not political, financial, educational or societal, they are only symptoms. America's ill is spiritual. She has turned her back on YHWH God, and sought her own way for these past generations, and God's mercy & grace are no longer being extended. America's cancer has killed us from within, and our weakness is showing to the rest of the world. Like jackals circling the fallen, diseased antelope, our enemies gather to finish our demise. It's only a matter of time...
Time to gather your family, gather your friends, gather strangers, and even your enemies and tell them of God's Timeless Plan of Redemption in Christ. Tell them how we are by nature at enmity with Him, how we sin against Him, ourselves and each other, and are therefore condemned to death. Then, tell them how God loves us even so, even while we hate, despise and curse His name. So much so, that He became a man just like us, undertook every suffering life heaps upon us, yet went willingly to die and bear the punishment we more than deserve. He who knew no sin, became sin for us, that we should live eternally with and in Him. Furthermore, and tantamount, to show that the chains of sin and death were broken forever, He rose from the dead. Whereever, beyond our known universe, Heaven and God's Throne is, He watches, listens and answers the prayers of all those who call upon Him in repentance and faith. He lifts us above the sufferings and circumstances of this world, cleanses us from the inside out, prepares a place for every new believer in Him, and counts down the minutes til He stands up and says to His angels, "Let's go, it's time to gather my flock". "For as many as receive Him, to each & every one He gives the authority to become His children, to be called the Sons & Daughters of God." Tell them His testimony, be His witness, love your neighbor (and family) as yourself. The sand in God's hourglass is running out, we are past the eleventh hour, and the opportunities for you to win the souls of the lost are becoming fewer & fewer.
Every day we see God's foretelling of the End Times coming to pass. Contemplation, discussion and enactment of a world government, a world currency, and a world religion are on the lips of world leaders and in the news more & more. Signs on the earth and across the heavens pulsate like a woman in labor pains, like a pendulum swinging from one extreme to the other. Global warming, global cooling, record heats, colds, floods, rains, snows, droughts, famines, disease & pestilence. Man-made catastrophes, food contaminations, crime & unspeakable violence, civil wars, uprisings & rebellions, political upheavals, financial ruin, and human despair boil in the cauldron of our humanity. There is no hope, except hope in God in Christ Yashua (Jesus).
For those of us found in Him, He has saved us from the penalty of sin, He is saving us from the persistence of sin in ourselves and the world, and will save us from the destruction and devastation of sin to come. He has so promised, and God cannot lie. It will come to pass.
As a watchman on the wall of His Kingdom, I see the landscape of battle before me. I shout warnings to the masses, and beckon all who would come into the safety of Christ. He has already declared, "Whosoever will, come. Come, all who are weary and burdened by sin and its consequence. Come, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and see that it is light. Come, taste & see that the Lord is good. I have prepared a banquet and feast before you. Come."
Regardless of what the newscasters, pundits & politicos say, the truth of world news continues to be nothing but doom & gloom. I won't heap more coals upon the already evident headlines. The good news is always that Yashua God has conquered death, there is hope, there will be new heavens and earth, righteousness will reign forever as He reigns. God in Christ is our King of Kings, Lord of lords, Ruler of rulers, and we long for the day when He enters Jerusalem for the final time to be our God and we His people forever & ever.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Next Wave in America's Peril
I’ve been taking a hiatus from blogging of late, yet I wonder if anyone was really listening. Obviously, the majority of Americans deny what’s happening, even when it’s going on right before their eyes. Our nation has slipped off the cliff into destruction, and the blind are leading the blind right over the edge. But, even I can only take so much negative before it weighs down even the strongest among us. I’ve been recharging my batteries, so to speak, on some really good books, which should be required reading for every sincere soul. Lee Strobel’s ‘The Case for Faith’ & ‘The Case for Christ’ are great faith leaders and builders. Another set I’ve just finished are C.S. Lewis’ (The Chronicles of Narnia) ‘The Screwtape Letters’, ‘Surprised by Joy’, and ‘Mere Christianity’. These men have powerful testimonies of their conversion, and coming to faith in Christ; which is why I read their books to get to know the how & why of their thinking.
Back to the Present
I love analogies; I use them all the time. Analogies paint an easily understood mental picture of deeper truth, usually a spiritual one.
It is sadly amusing to watch & listen to our government and its media parrots offer “glimmers of hope” to a growingly skeptical populace. It’s kinda like a man falling 20,000 feet from an airplane without a parachute at 200 mph and suddenly hitting an updraft. “Oh, we’re not falling as fast as we were right now.” Again, another analogy. But get this, idiot…you’re still falling without a parachute, and the ground is still just as hard. We’re still on the way down; the “when” is only left open to question.
No matter how they skew the statistics, the truth is, we’re in deep, dark kimshee as a nation, as a society, as an increasingly divided people. As I’ve stated emphatically before, every facet of American life as we’ve known is changing, and definitely not for the better. Our government grows more desperate and oppressive, and our social, economic, educational and moral structure declines daily at an alarming rate. Violent crime, theft, greed, and the largest prison population in the world are sad testaments to these facts.
But knowing certain facts has never been the all persuasive catalyst toward changing people’s hearts & minds; just like knowing right from wrong doesn’t stop us from doing bad, hurtful or harmful things to ourselves and one another. It takes more than what we have from within ourselves. It requires a new spirit imparted from the One who designed and created us; someone who knows us better than we know ourselves. The One who set the perfect standard, yet identifies with our failings, our sufferings, our inconsistencies, our needs & desires, our humanity: The Messiah Yashua (Jesus the Christ), the God-Man, the Savior-Redeemer of the human race.
If you’ve never seriously looked upon Jesus, the Biblical Christ, I implore you to do so. It is so sad and disheartening that the most popular and bestselling Book in the world, the story of the Greatest Person who ever walked the planet, who died for the sin of all mankind, and rose bodily from the dead for our eternal hope, never gets read. The Book of the greatest news ever published sits on coffee tables and bookshelves, stuffed with mementos and family records. People, that Book is our deed to eternal life with Him. Ought you not to know what it says? Trust me; it’s infinitely more important than your property deed or insurance policy. Not only will it and He change your life now, but for all eternity.
"Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: for they are which testify of me." John 5:39
-----------NEWS-------------
Christians to save Israel from Obama?
Calif. Voters Reject Measures to Keep State Solvent
Japan's economy contracted at the fastest pace since 1955 in Q1Monday, April 6, 2009
Newsweek declares, "The End of Christian America"
"Now brothers, regarding the (Second) coming of our Lord Yashua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) and our gathering together to him, do not to be so quickly upset or alarmed when someone claims that we said...that the Day of the Lord has already come. Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day cannot come unless the falling away takes place first (rebellion against the faith of the Gospel of Christ) and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he will seat himself in the sanctuary of God (the third Jewish Temple) and declare himself to be God." II Thess 2:1-4
Europe has already preceded us in falling away from the Faith in Christ, and according to the April 13th edition of Newsweek, America has now joyfully joined their ranks.
Do you think it was by accident the Apostle Paul knew this would occur? Looks like it's playing out just as Scripture states.
This is a long article. Click the headline to read the entire story. I've only included excerpts of certain highlights.
___________________NEWS____________________
"the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percent...the Northeast emerged in 2008 as the new stronghold of the religiously unidentified."
According to the American Religious Identification Survey, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent. The Jewish population is 1.2 percent; the Muslim, 0.6 percent. A separate Pew Forum poll echoed the ARIS finding, reporting that the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent; in terms of voting, this group grew from 5 percent in 1988 to 12 percent in 2008—roughly the same percentage of the electorate as African-Americans. (Seventy-five percent of unaffiliated voters chose Barack Obama, a Christian.) Meanwhile, the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million to about 3.6 million.
(That is about double the number of, say, Episcopalians in the United States.)
Still, in the new NEWSWEEK Poll, fewer people now think of the United States as a "Christian nation" than did so when George W. Bush was president (62 percent in 2009 versus 69 percent in 2008). Two thirds of the public (68 percent) now say religion is "losing influence" in American society...
And what comes next here, with the ranks of professing Christians in decline, is going to be different, too.
Europe has already preceded us in falling away from the Faith in Christ, and according to the April 13th edition of Newsweek, America has now joyfully joined their ranks.
Do you think it was by accident the Apostle Paul knew this would occur? Looks like it's playing out just as Scripture states.
This is a long article. Click the headline to read the entire story. I've only included excerpts of certain highlights.
___________________NEWS____________________
The End of Christian America
The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades.
How that statistic explains who we are now—and what, as a nation, we are about to become.
The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades.
How that statistic explains who we are now—and what, as a nation, we are about to become.
From the magazine issue dated Apr 13, 2009
"the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percent...the Northeast emerged in 2008 as the new stronghold of the religiously unidentified."
According to the American Religious Identification Survey, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent. The Jewish population is 1.2 percent; the Muslim, 0.6 percent. A separate Pew Forum poll echoed the ARIS finding, reporting that the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent; in terms of voting, this group grew from 5 percent in 1988 to 12 percent in 2008—roughly the same percentage of the electorate as African-Americans. (Seventy-five percent of unaffiliated voters chose Barack Obama, a Christian.) Meanwhile, the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million to about 3.6 million.
(That is about double the number of, say, Episcopalians in the United States.)
Still, in the new NEWSWEEK Poll, fewer people now think of the United States as a "Christian nation" than did so when George W. Bush was president (62 percent in 2009 versus 69 percent in 2008). Two thirds of the public (68 percent) now say religion is "losing influence" in American society...
And what comes next here, with the ranks of professing Christians in decline, is going to be different, too.
Friday, April 3, 2009
America Bows to Foreign Dominion
One could certainly find the double meaning here; As Obama bows to the Saudi king, America bows to foreign dominion. He may as well have bowed to the President of China, too. Through our debts of sin, America is enslaved to foreign powers.
Call it hypocrisy, ignorance, reprobative, faux pas, a host of descriptions will do, there is something definitely wrong with this man's thinking. For a person who says he's a "Christian", President Obama's spirit & mindset are OBVIOUSLY not in accordance with God's Word or Yashua (Jesus). This obeisance to a Saudi king is just one more of many such a contradiction of his words versus his actions.
"But you are not to be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, the Messiah (the Christ), and you are all brothers. And call no one your father (GOD) on earth, for One is your Father GOD, the One in Heaven. Nor be called leaders (rulers, kings), for One is your Leader (Ruler, King), the Messiah (the Christ). But the greater of you shall be your servant. And whoever will exalt himself shall be humbled, and whoever will humble himself shall be exalted." Matt 23:8-12
All in all, this act by a sitting US President bespeaks mountains in regard to our nation's present state. Say or think what you will, there is no excuse for it. We have crossed the bridge of no return...
____________________NEWS_____________________
Obama bows to Saudi king
'most unbecoming for president of the United States'
Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily
Posted: April 02, 2009, 4:12 pm Eastern
Call it hypocrisy, ignorance, reprobative, faux pas, a host of descriptions will do, there is something definitely wrong with this man's thinking. For a person who says he's a "Christian", President Obama's spirit & mindset are OBVIOUSLY not in accordance with God's Word or Yashua (Jesus). This obeisance to a Saudi king is just one more of many such a contradiction of his words versus his actions.
"But you are not to be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, the Messiah (the Christ), and you are all brothers. And call no one your father (GOD) on earth, for One is your Father GOD, the One in Heaven. Nor be called leaders (rulers, kings), for One is your Leader (Ruler, King), the Messiah (the Christ). But the greater of you shall be your servant. And whoever will exalt himself shall be humbled, and whoever will humble himself shall be exalted." Matt 23:8-12
All in all, this act by a sitting US President bespeaks mountains in regard to our nation's present state. Say or think what you will, there is no excuse for it. We have crossed the bridge of no return...
____________________NEWS_____________________
Obama bows to Saudi king
'most unbecoming for president of the United States'
Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily
Posted: April 02, 2009, 4:12 pm Eastern
President Obama greeted the king of Saudi Arabia with a full bow from the waist yesterday, a move one commentator described as a violation of protocol and not worthy of the office he holds.
"I am quite certain that this is not the protocol, and is most unbecoming a president of the United States," writes Clarice Feldman in an American Thinker commentary.
The situation developed as leaders of the world attending the G20 summit in London assembled for a photograph to mark the event.
In this first image, after the king extended his hand while Obama approached, Obama bends from the waist until his head is nearly at the monarch's waist:
 President Obama's bow to Saudi king |
In a second image, Obama has straightened up and is exchanging remarks with the Saudi leader:
 Obama speaks briefly with Saudi king after bowing |
Video by a television crew was posted on YouTube. The bow comes at about 50 seconds into the video:
The action appeared especially awkward since among the dozens of world leaders and their spouses, handshakes abounded, but there appeared to be no other bowing in the room.
The U.S. State Department's office of protocol did not respond to a WND request for the proper etiquette for two heads of state meeting, but the online Travel Etiquette website for Saudi Arabia said handshakes are common greetings between members of the same sex.
"You should expect to undertake a considerable amount of small talk, and learning a few Arabic greetings would be well received. Saudis will stand closer to each other than many westerners are used to, and members of the same sex will often touch arms when postulating or emphasizing a point. You should not draw away from this as it would be considered rude and rejecting. Be aware that due to the conservative nature of Saudi Arabian society, it is not considered proper etiquette for men and women to greet each other in public," the site advises.
"It is proper etiquette to refer to a royal as Your Highness, and any members of the government ministries as Your Excellency," it said.
Many of the proper procedures for meeting royalty are set by the British monarchy, since its members carry probably the highest royal profile around the world today.
The website for the British queen advises men who are from the United Kingdom to provide a neck bow (from the head only) "whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way."
"On presentation to The Queen, the correct formal address is 'Your Majesty' and subsequently 'Ma'am'," the site advises.
ABC reported Obama and his wife, Michelle, were less formal meeting Queen Elizabeth II earlier this week, when they exchanged handshakes. The queen briefly touched Michelle Obama on the back, and she returned the contact.
Pundits were surprised, since in 1992 Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating was criticized when he put his arm around the queen in violation of a general "no-touch" rule regarding royalty.
But the traditional Miss Manners book of etiquette advises: "One does not bow or curtsy to a foreign monarch because the gesture symbolizes recognition of her power over her subjects."
Thursday, April 2, 2009
False Hopes, Empty Rhetoric, & Vague Promises
"You're dying of cancer, but this week you didn't deteriorate as fast as we thought. Things weren't as bad as we projected, so let's celebrate by continuing our reckless & irresponsible ways. Let's pump up the stock market so we can shortsell the next big drop and make a huge profit. Keep throwing the mainstream media those poisoned bones so we can keep fooling the public with false hopes, empty rhetoric, and vague promises."
This is the current inane thinking in Washington & Wall St. What's worse is they fool themselves into believing their own lies. As our major cities become wastelands of derelict homes and nearly 15Million affected jobless (Remember every lost job hurts an entire family), our government & mainstream media hype we may be near the bottom of our economic crisis.
Let God's Word be true, we can only be in the "beginning of sorrows" (Matt 24:8, Mk 13:8)
Politically, economically and constitutionally, we are & have been racing toward a cliff of historic & unprecedented proportion. Our government is taking wholly unparalleled power & control over private industry. Who knows how far they will go? "Never waste a good crisis in order to seize opportunity." These are the words of Obama, Geithner & Bernanke, and our Congress is taking their cue.
Yes, it would be much easier to believe & swallow their garbage, stick my head in the sand and ignore all the warning signs. But then, I would also have to deny the Word of God, all it teaches, and the Savior who redeemed me on Calvary....I don't think so.
______________NEWS________________
March Job Losses Highest on Record, 750,000
February's Losses Revised up to 706,000
Israeli Foreign Minister Miffs US on Palestinian State
Says Israel not bound to Annapolis agreement
Sweden Votes Yes to Legalize Gay Marriage
London Protestors Riot Against Banks, G20
Banks Walking Away from Foreclosures
Abandoned Boats Littering US Waterways
US Libraries Become Unwitting Homeless Shelters
Ammo Shortage Now Epidemic, No End in Sight
This is the current inane thinking in Washington & Wall St. What's worse is they fool themselves into believing their own lies. As our major cities become wastelands of derelict homes and nearly 15Million affected jobless (Remember every lost job hurts an entire family), our government & mainstream media hype we may be near the bottom of our economic crisis.
Let God's Word be true, we can only be in the "beginning of sorrows" (Matt 24:8, Mk 13:8)
Politically, economically and constitutionally, we are & have been racing toward a cliff of historic & unprecedented proportion. Our government is taking wholly unparalleled power & control over private industry. Who knows how far they will go? "Never waste a good crisis in order to seize opportunity." These are the words of Obama, Geithner & Bernanke, and our Congress is taking their cue.
Yes, it would be much easier to believe & swallow their garbage, stick my head in the sand and ignore all the warning signs. But then, I would also have to deny the Word of God, all it teaches, and the Savior who redeemed me on Calvary....I don't think so.
______________NEWS________________
March Job Losses Highest on Record, 750,000
February's Losses Revised up to 706,000
Israeli Foreign Minister Miffs US on Palestinian State
Says Israel not bound to Annapolis agreement
Sweden Votes Yes to Legalize Gay Marriage
London Protestors Riot Against Banks, G20
Banks Walking Away from Foreclosures
Abandoned Boats Littering US Waterways
US Libraries Become Unwitting Homeless Shelters
Ammo Shortage Now Epidemic, No End in Sight
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