Tuesday, July 22, 2008

I'm in the World, but, No Longer of it!

I'm in this world, but, I'm no longer of it. How can I be, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? I tried, I went to Church and listened to the Preacher's version of the Gospel, how they had conformed to this world. How they could chase after the pleasures of this world, money, big houses, new cars, political power, wars, etc., and twist that to the message of the True Gospel and it didn't add up. When I first looked into the Bible, or being saved, I went to see a Lutheran pastor, and he gave me a Bible, which I read frequently. After a while of just reading the Bible I went to a few different Churches, some of them had very low key services, some tried to put on a show, and some completely turned my stomach! None of them, to me, seemed to be what the Bible called for in a Church.
I went to a few Baptist Churches and their services were very laid back, they'd read a few verses of the Bible and try and explain what they meant, or in most cases explain away the plain truth of Jesus' Words, listen to some bad music, pass the offering plate around and go home. The same thing happened at the Lutheran and Methodist and Episcopal Churches I went to. Basically they didn't say much of anything. Or they'd take a hard line against a few of the sins which most of the Churches are in agreement on, homosexuality, gay marriage, adultery, etc. If they didn't do that then the preacher would go out of his or her way to not offend anyone.
I went to a couple "Charismatic" or "Pentecostal" Churches and they would put on a show. They talked in tongues, or so they said, no one was there to interpret. When they talked in tongues they all seemed to say the same thing, or make the same sounds anyways. Then they would all shout and raise their hands and then run around the Church and hop on one leg or any number of things that the "spirit" was leading them to do. When my wife and I didn't feel led by the "spirit" to do the same, others under the "spirit" would encourage us to just fake it until we were under the same "spirit" as they were.
Usually the messages were to pray for the Church to grow and for us as members of the congregation to grow our bank accounts as well. I have heard quite a few sermons like this and to be honest my flesh really wanted to hear it. "Gods wants me to be rich"! "We'll honor God by showing how wealthy He has made us and our Church"! When we have the largest and fanciest Church building and the preacher is driving a BMW and the parking lot is of full of Hummers and Lexus's, Cadillac's, etc., we'll know we are blessed! Problem being the Bible says:
Mat 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Luk 1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Luk 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Luk 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luk 18:23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
Luk 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Jas 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Riches, as Jesus and the Apostles explain very carefully in the verses above are a hindrance to salvation, not a sign of being blessed! In my opinion, this is trying to serve mammon and God at the same time:
Luk 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
So in the "Church", for the most part, there's an apostate (fallen away from the true Gospel, or conformed to this world) Gospel being preached every Sunday.
After a few years of this, I quit going to Church and started watching televangelists. This opened up a whole new area for apostasy to come in. Of course the same false doctrine of the "Prosperity Movement" was prevalent. But there were new lies, The "Rapture", or how God was going to take the "Church" out of the world and then destroy everyone that was left, unless they accepted Jesus Christ. There was the "Dominionist Theory" or how God is calling His "Church" to take control of the world, by military means if necessary, so that Christ can return for His "Church". This particular area of apostasy was what led to me to drop out of organized religion all together and started me on my search for the Truth. A couple of my favorite televangelists at the time, Charles Stanley and John Hagee were emphatically supporting the American invasion of Iraq. In fact they were going so far as to say if we didn't support the President in the war we were going against God. That was indeed the final straw.
The apostates were no longer content to steal money from the gullible with false teachings, they now were publicly supporting military action which has so far led to the slaughter of over a million innocents in Iraq!
They were doing it in God's Name, they said, according to their interpretation of prophetic scriptures. In preaching their message of military action they proved that they had totally disregarded Jesus' commandments to His disciples, and that they had no understanding of the new Covenant, or just complete disregard for it, for the sake of bloodlust. In other words they are either Biblically incompetent or they are warmongers.
Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Luk 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
As has been plainly shown above, a Christian, or a disciple of Christ, has no Biblical mandate to use violence EVER! I'll be getting into the apostate doctrines in more detail in the near future.
God bless you and yours,

disciple

http://www.perverted-christianity.com

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Israel, the United States, and the "Strong Delusion"

Israel, and the United States, and the "Strong Delusion"

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

In this Epistle Paul warns of the dangers to the Apostates, or those that fall away from the true Gospel. In the end times, the times we live in now, those that call themselves the "Church", have as a whole lost their love of the truth!

The "Church" for the most part has been deceived by false doctrines that "tickle their ears", or that justify the lusts of their flesh. One of the most common: The Prosperity Movement which insists that God wants "His" people to be rich. In the last blog we showed quite a few scriptures that prove that riches, far from being a blessing from God, are a hindrance to the salvation of those that chase after them, or try to hang on to them. The Dominionist Theory, basically says that God is calling "His" people to take over the country and the world so Christ can return. This particular theory is used to justify collaboration with the world to use military and political means to accomplish the goal of "taking back America, and the world for Christ".

Also included in this heresy is the belief that modern, secular Israel is the Israel of God, and that we're called to support them or be cursed. We're required to support them in their battles with their neighbors and their land expansion plans, and if we don't God will destroy America. The Bible verses most commonly used to support their false interpretations are:

1. Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This first one is used (by the Apostates) to show that we as a nation must support modern day Israel in all ways or else face the wrath of God. What it doesn't take into consideration is that the promise is to Abraham, not Israel as a nation, as Abraham himself never even stepped foot into the Promised Land of Israel. Later in the Bible God makes the promise to Abraham's seed, which many in the "Church" falsely assume to be modern day, secular Israel. The Bible is clear that the seed of Abraham is Jesus Christ!

Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

Rom 4:16 Therefore it is faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father us all,

Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Rom 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

He, Jesus Christ, is the fulfillment of all the promises God made to Abraham and his seed! If the seed were only the Jews or Israelites of that age and the modern age then how could all the families of the earth be blessed by it? They couldn't be, of course. So then at the time of Christ's ministry on the earth, the Jews were indeed the seed of Abraham:

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Sadly, Jesus here while acknowledging they are Abraham's seed by birth, states what will be their downfall: "my word hath no place in you." The rejection of the Messiah by the physical or biological seed, or the seed under the law, of Abraham would lead to their destruction, the destruction of their Temple and their City and there scattering to the 4 corners of the earth. Those that didn't believe His Word, in whom His Word had no place, were doomed:

Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

I am praying that those who are reading this are in accordance with what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us and many others.

Unfortunately, most of the "Church" today believes that a group of unsaved people calling themselves Jews and Israelites, living in a part of the land where ancient Israel was are the "Israel of God". I can assure you that the earliest disciples of Jesus did not believe that! This false belief leads to the "Strong Delusion" mentioned in 2nd Thessalonians Chapter 2 that started our article.

The belief that modern day, apostate, secular Israel is the true "Israel of God" gives moral and religious high ground to endless wars in the middle east. To the killing and horrible treatment of the people who rightly lived on the land that the unbelieving seed of Abraham was scattered from. A large portion of the modern "Church" support bringing back unbelieving people who call themselves Jews from all over the world and forcibly removing the existing owners, bulldozing their houses and sending them to refugee camps, imprisoning them, torturing them, and depriving them of the necessities of life. Many of today's "Churches" actually send money to Israel to accomplish these attrocities, called "Settlements". They actually believe God will bless them for it. Strong Delusion.

At this time, the U.S. and Israel are on the verge of starting World War III because Iran threatens to develop nuclear energy. Iran, a country that has not attacked another country in the entire history of the United States, is the target of international economic sanctions because it wants to develop nuclear energy. Modern day Israel has between 200 and 300 nuclear weapons and no one says anything about that. But if Iran wants to develop nuclear energy the U.S. and Israel and their allies in hypocrisy and blood and oil lust are willing to start W.W. III over that. And the modern day Church cheers on the agressors and uses their political connections to try to push through ever more extreme measures through Congress until they have the war they desire, which may well bring on a world wide catastrophe. Strong Delusion.

The second verse used most by the apostates is:

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

This much misinterpreted verse is used by the apostates to say "he" the anti-christ, shall make a peace treaty with the new Israel, which will then rebuild the Temple and live under the Mosaic law again. In Bible prophecy one week equals 7 years and in the middle of the 7 years the anti-christ will turn on Israel, "cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" by sitting in the rebuilt Temple, calling himself God and demand that the "Israelites" worship him. They'll refuse and then the anti-christ will destroy most of the world and the "Israelites" except for a remnant and at the last moment Jesus will return and the remnant will then accept Him as Messiah and they'll be saved, and so will all Israel be saved too. Of course the "Church" according to these end time delusions, will be gone already, raptured away before God pours out His vengeance on the unbelievers. Sound like a fairy tale? That's because it is!

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

In truth, which we strive for and has been received through the Holy Spirit, the prophecy the Angel Gabriel gave to Daniel has already been fulfilled! It concerns the 70 weeks or 490 years from the return of the Israelites to their lands from their Babylonian captivity, the rebuilding of the Temple in times of trouble, to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem after the rejection of Jesus Christ by the physical seed of Abraham.

Jesus Himself predicted it, that and more, the cost of their rejecting Him:

Mat 23:32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mat 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Mat 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Mat 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Or, until they accept Jesus as the Messiah! For you, for me, for anyone, Jew or gentile, the only way to Salvation is Jesus Christ!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

And again Peter under the influence of the Holy Spirit prophesies to the Jews in the Synagogue:

Act 3:13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
Act 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
Act 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
Act 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
Act 3:17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
Act 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Act 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Act 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Act 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

A merciful, loving God even after they killed His only begotten Son, still had His servants preaching the Gospel to them and some listened, some did indeed convert and be healed! But most did not and they "which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." After Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, the Jews which survived were scattered over the face of the earth, those that were saved beforehand were long gone and not harmed by the destruction of the Temple or Jerusalem itself! From either the mouth of our Lord and Savior or by the Holy Spirit of God they were warned what was going to happen to the unbelieving Jews and were led away. A remarkable story of prophecy fulfilled and something we can all put our faith in and get strength and courage from, amen!

So Brethren, have the Jews in Modern day Israel accepted Jesus? No they haven't, in fact, it's illegal to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jews in Israel! Punishable by deportation and up to 5 years imprisonment. Now anyone reading this, can you tell me they are the "Israel of God"? Do you still believe that? If so, you too are a victim of "Strong Delusion"!

Let us return to Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:

How could we as disciples of Jesus Christ bless anyone more so than to preach the true Gospel to them? In fact what the Jewish and Christian Zionist apostates are doing is cursing those in modern day secular Israel and themselves! How so? By supporting those that won't allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached! But as is the case in modern "Israel" those who preach the Gospel to the Jews in that country will be deported, and or imprisoned, what's the Biblical answer?

Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Mat 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Mar 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Luk 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
Luk 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
Luk 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luk 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
Luk 10:13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luk 10:14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
Luk 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
Luk 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to make disciples of, or preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the nations of the earth, and if a certain house or city or nation rejects the Gospel, then it's clear from the above verses what we are to do, and also clear what God will do. Don't be deceived into supporting the rich men of the earth that oppress us, don't give them a moral or religious high ground to use in their wars of empire, in their raping and pillaging of the peoples of the earth. Do not have the blood that they have on their hands on your hands also. The secular nations of Israel and the United States and others will indeed continue to kill the innocent and steal the lands and resources of the earth, but, as Christians, we should have absolutely no part in it! Repent from not loving the truth of the Gospel and be healed of the "Strong Delusion".

God bless you and yours,

disciple