The Jesus That Kills

THE JESUS THAT KILLS

I have addressed this subject before in many posts but this one is especially applicable.

Bloodshed in His name.

 

The Roman Emperor Constantine had crosses painted on the shields of his soldiers in order to elicit God's blessings on his battles. Now we discover that the Army had Bible verses etched into the scopes on the rifles. History repeats itself. It is not enough to enjoy the fruits of violence, killing, and mayhem, but we must drag Jesus into it as well. Depravity and sacrilege reign supreme. These are the verses etched upon guns:

Jn.8: ¹² Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

II Cor.4: ⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

An article published on The Blaze, a right wing publication connected to Glenn Beck, suggested that the mandate was an attack of Judeo-Christian values. Here is a quote from that article:

“Questions surrounding purported attacks on faith in the United States military continue to abound. Over the past few years, many critics have decried perceived attempts to remove Judeo-Christian values from the ranks. A new report claiming that the Army has mandated that troops remove Bible inscriptions from their weapon scopes will likely only add to the debate.”

(source here)

Ok, we as believers must consider just how vicious and convoluted the extreme darkness of the culture and the fallen world at large is when Bible verses can be placed upon weapons in the killing fields and then we suggest that is a way to represent Christianity, the gospel, and Jesus Himself. Consider the implications of those verses. The scopes are used to line up your targets, human targets I assume, so light is what is used. So those verses about Jesus being the light openly suggest that our Savior, being the light of the world, will help soldiers be more accurate in their killing.

It is very difficult to fully expose the tremendous paradox in all of this and the profound antithetical nature of such a practice as it pertains to Jesus and His teachings. I mean it actually boggles the mind. I guess I could equate it like drawing a side of bacon on Israeli scopes, or drawing a hamburger on Hindu scopes. It is extremely shocking that this practice actually existed. To use the New Testament to support war and violence, and to use those particular verses is so disgusting, so alarming, and so viscerally distasteful that it should make all who follow Jesus physically sick. It is hard to imagine something more at odds with our faith.

But now that the government has ordered the practice to cease and the verses removed, the religious right, right on cue, rise up in religious umbrage. They suggests an attack on “Judeo-Christian values”. Let us be clear here: There are no “Judeo-Christian values”. That is a man made term designed to present some amalgam of the Old Testament and the New Testament moral tenants and it is used to describe the moral foundation for America. So in essence it is presented in defense of the culture rather than a true and principled outline of God’s ways. It is a myth but comes in handy as a nebulous moniker which elicits patriotism for a country rather than a self denying following of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So not only is it astonishing that Bible verses were used on gun scopes, and not only is it astonishing that those particular verses were used, but now the cultural sect of Christianity which follows the founding fathers more than Jesus are up in arms (pun intended) about it. Just when I thought the faith of Christ could not be any more compromised and redefined than it already has in the west, this is exposed. If Jesus is involved in helping men and women line up their gun sites and blow people away than let us at least be honest and throw away the New Testament. I mean all that love your enemies stuff is a bunch of hogwash and we need not even consider it anymore. In fact, America is now the golden calf and with a few Bible verses painted on it we can bow down and worship openly what we now worship between the lines. And we can place Bible verses on all our bombs and keep accuracy records to determine which ones hit their targets more often and use those verses in the future. It’s insane.

So that is an attack on Christianity? No, when they started placing Bible verses on guns THAT was an attack on the faith. Can there be any deeper compromise and blasphemy than that? War has now become a favorite son of the church and now we print God’s Word upon our weapons. Ok, has anyone ever heard of Constantine? His spirit still lives on today here in America. He was a Roman emperor who before a great battle saw a vision of a cross in the sky and a voice telling him that through this cross he would be successful in war. He painted that cross on all his soldier’s shields. How barbaric?

History repeats itself. We are not just satisfied with going to war preemptively, but now we drag Jesus into it openly and for all to see. Now I ask you, when some Muslim sees those verses on our guns what does he think? Of course he believes that he is fighting against Jesus and that Jesus is his enemy and that Jesus must hate him. And it isn’t just the religious pagans that support this practice. It is also a large section of professing evangelicals. Instead of spreading the light of the gospel they have embraced some wicked amalgam of violence and killing and Jesus. It is an amazing feat that takes the faith of Jesus and transforms it into a vehicle for democracy through war.

Can you just imagine a soldier peering through his scope that says that Jesus is the light of the world, and he gently pulls the trigger and his bullet races toward his target and “Wham!!” the person’s head explodes into bits of flesh and blood all over the ground. The lifeless corpse falls immediately onto the ground. And looking up and realizing what has happened, the soldier rises to his feet and loudly proclaims, “Thank you Lord Jesus!” And gazing lovingly at his rifle he once again reads the two verses etched into the scope:

Jn.8: ¹² Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

II Cor.4: ⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

And we wonder why Muslims feel that they are in a war against Jesus and that Jesus hates them. Oh when we will we as believers realize that we have nothing in common with this world and this culture, and yes, this country? When we will see souls in the light of the cross and not as earthly enemies? And make no mistake there is a connection between war and money.

Oh how my heart aches when I see just how mangled men have made the teachings of Jesus and instead formulated a concoction of earthly logic, manmade necessities, and humanistic philosophies of nationalism and divided allegiances. Two nations go to war and within these two nations are followers of Jesus. So are the followers of Jesus in each respective nation supposed to support their nation in this war? Are they both supposed to enlist and fight for their respective nation? And if by chance they meet on the battlefield, and assuming they are both born again believers, which follower does Jesus help to kill the other? Oh the absurdity and absolute horror of such earthly constructs. But this is what happens when we refuse to receive the teachings of Jesus in the abstract and make them applicable to our own earthly parameters. We have learned the ways of man and then taken hold of the teachings of Jesus and force fed them into all kinds of worldly situations and philosophies. And instead of the teachings of Jesus having an impact upon earthly understandings our earthly understandings remain solid while the teachings of Jesus become mercurial and easily poured into the machinations of man. In fact, we now openly suggest that Jesus will help aid us in all our ways regardless of whether they are aligned with His truth.

Bible verses on guns. Why did Jesus come and why did He leave us His Word if in fact His own church was going to change it to fit our own craftiness and carnal motivations? And now people scream about an attack on our Judeo-Christian values? What are values anyway? Values are something that have worth. But what value is there in certain moral tenants and ethics without Jesus? In fact we are called to preach Jesus to those who hold beliefs in direct opposition to the truths and values found in Jesus. Yes, they are called lost souls. But now we consider our rights and our views as values and the church willingly joins hands with unbelievers to protect those values even if it means at the end of a gun or under the power of a bomb. Oh Dear Lord, where oh where did we leave You and go a –whoring after the ways of man?

And in a stunning display of hubris and compromise, many who wholeheartedly support war and Bible verses on weapons have very little Bible in their hearts. Selah.

The End Justifies the Means Theology

THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS THEOLOGY

Let us lay a foundation here before I make a case that the western church and believers en masse have followed a path of least resistance and even employed unscriptural means to achieve a desired end. First, nowhere in the New Testament does it teach that we can use any method to achieve something that we deem as right. In other words, if we see something that is wrong, or if we see something that should be changed, we do not have the liberty to engage that wrong with another wrong. In essence we must walk in the Spirit and not the flesh.

Gal.5: ¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

There is no wiggle room here, and we must then assess everything through the unvarnished prism of God’s Word regardless of how absurd it seems. In fact, even when obeying God’s Word and walking in the Spirit seems like it will not accomplish what we believe needs to be done, we are still debtors to the Word and not our strategies. Sometimes this seems easy, but there are times where it requires a complete and illogical surrender to God’s Word even though our minds cannot understand how that can be effective. And in these last days those scenarios will become more and more prevalent.

But we must live upon this foundation: The end results are God’s business and not ours. That is a very difficult concept to grasp much less live. We as humans and especially in this culture of human effort and achievement are not only prone to depending completely upon our own plans and energies, but we have come to the place where we even think that is God’s will. And the real conundrum is that when we do achieve some desired results through our own schemes and power, then we learn to make them our template. And it does not take too long before we are walking in the religious flesh attempting to do good for God by the arm of the flesh.

And with so little time devoted to prayer it only adds to the necessity of operating in the flesh. We make a plan, use all kinds of worldly methods to achieve it, and then we ask God to bless it. Instead of praying and waiting on the Lord we set out on our own doing what things we think God wants. And the western church operates almost without exception within that scenario. We as westerners have been taught from birth to see something and go after it with all our might. We who were active in sports learned that principle and then we have brought it into the church.

But that principle is correct. The problem is that what we see needs to be completely through the vision if God’s Word and “going after it” requires prayer and love and humility and self denial and everything that follows and imitates Christ. You see? The principles that works in the world must never be dragged into the church. God ways are not our ways, and when we rely on our own excitement and energy and visions we quickly surrender the power of the Spirit for the power of the flesh.

The difference between the flesh and the Spirit is the difference between following Jesus and following ourselves. But make no mistake, the flesh is very crafty and can morph into all kinds of things including presenting itself as good and moral and even spiritual. But the flesh is the energy of death. And when we walk in the flesh we walk in death even though we might be saved. But the church has seen how the world operates and we have believed a lie.

We now believe things will change by the power of legislation and the democratic process and even war. And when we seek change through earthly vehicles we lend our minds and hearts to that which is perishing. And without realizing it our eyes become fixated upon the temporal and the things that are eternal become doctrinal resource material and not the exclusive power in our lives. We seek to change the culture which has never been our spiritual calling. And we think God doesn’t see what is happening or that He needs us to fix things? God forbid we walk in that delusion. By our words and actions we impugn the sovereignty of God and make the gospel of no effect. While we correctly reprove men like Joel Osteen for their worldly messages, we ourselves are caught up with politics and nationalism and all sorts of mindless conspiracy theories. The voting booths are full and the prayer closets are empty.

So let us view this through the Spirit but also in practical terms. We must start with what do our eyes see, and our ears hear, and what do our hearts desire? We are told several times to keep our eyes upon Jesus, and the moment we look at earthly issues and the constant machinations of man then we will soon be caught in its undertow. The Spirit urges and beckons and leads, while the world shouts and pushes and bullies. We must see with the eyes of faith the kingdom of God. We must look through eternity rather than the ever changing temporal issues. It is a discipline of the Spirit and it cannot be done by a partial surrender to the flesh.

Just what is the “end” for a believer? Our primary calling is twofold: To preach the gospel to every creature and to be transformed into the image of Christ. That is some heavy lifting, my dear brethren. And when you take that in thoroughly, then hopefully you can see that only spiritual ways can achieve spiritual results which please our Father. And the way of the Spirit can never include violence, greed, idolatry, self promotion, or earthly allegiances. It is a very curious thing about the life in the Spirit. The means are always in the Spirit, and the end belongs to God. And therein lies the peace which passes all understanding which keeps our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus our Lord.

Phil.4: ⁵ Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
⁹ Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Has Anyone Heard of Jesus Lately?

HAS ANYONE HEARD OF JESUS LATELY?

Could I tell you a story?

“Is it a true story?” you ask.

Oh very much so. In fact it is a story which reveals the truth which shall decide the eternal destiny of every human being. Now you may think that this story is archaic and little difficult to believe, but I assure you this story has changed lives for thousands of years. This is actually much more than a story although it is a story. But this story has the power to reach out and capture a soul and make that soul part of this very story. It is the miracle of all miracles. And it does not matter what men think or how they alter this story, the true story will live on throughout eternity. Yes, it is that transcendent.

But this glorious story begins in an ignominious and humble way. Even though the story revealed some peeks and shadows for thousands of years, and even though this story began before the first atom came into existence, the story itself actually began in a tangible way in a seemingly obscure town just west of the Sea of Galilee. It was called Nazareth. Could there be any more insignificant place for this miraculous story to begin? There would be no worldwide fanfare and no streets lined with worshipers. This story began with a very young virgin from the loins of Judah and the angel Gabriel.

Mary was a sinner like all of us, but God had chosen her to be the servant through which He would birth this story. And although Mary would play a most prominent role in this story, it would not be about her at all. She was the handmaiden of the Lord and was blessed by God in a sacred and astounding way, but it still would not be about her. In fact, after many years in which God had let the story unfold without much revelation, we see Mary at a wedding feast. And her words were not about herself, no, she opens her mouth and says, “Whatever He says, do it.” In fact, those words describe Mary’s ministry completely.

But back to Nazareth. The angel Gabriel informs Mary that she will be pregnant through the miraculous visitation of God’s Spirit. See, who can even comprehend such a thing? I mean how does that work? Mary was a virgin and she reminded Gabriel of that fact. And yet this frightened and probably confused girl bows before this diving messenger and says, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” Do not exalt Mary for she is a servant and not a lord in this story, but do not ignore her breathtaking example of servanthood.

And in just nine months the main figure of this story comes forth through Mary. It is not hyperbole to say that this baby is really not the main figure in this story, but He IS the story. And God does not give much detail about this birth except to say “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Yes, the Holy Spirit delicately draws a sacred veil over the human details of the event and moves forward with the real story.

This baby looked like any other baby however many things about His birth had prophetic significance that presented His birth as something very special. To be honest at this point only some shepherds and Mary herself had any inkling that something was happening and that some divine story had taken flight. But the Author of this story had four thousand years of prophetic rehearsal and now He was gently but determinatively revealing a story that would change all of eternity. This baby came forth upon the prophetic foundation already laid by God’s own mouth. But even the prophets who were used to foretell this story did not know the glorious particulars inherent in this story. Even the angels only knew a part.

But God this story would move on for decades, and with the one exception of being in the Temple, the story shifts to when this baby called Jesus is now a man, or more accurately, a God man. You see, I told you that this story is unlike any other. God has come as a man. Just that truth would be enough to boggle the mind, but there is more. Much more. And this Jesus reveals Himself initially at that same marriage feast where His mother bowed to His Word. Jesus performs His first miracle by turning water into wine. Many today have claimed that they can do what Jesus has done and they present some cured headache or backache as evidence. But we all await someone turning water into wine. But this will never be done because Jesus is not part of our story; we are part of His. We are not called to showcase our own spiritual prowess; we are called to continually point to Him and attempt to replicate His story through our lips and lives.

Now Jesus performed many miracles in three years, so much so that many of them had to be cut out of the final historical script. But after many miracles and many miraculous teachings Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on Passover week when He is in His early thirties. Now if you haven’t been paying attention this is the time to open your eyes and ears. This week will be like no other week and in reality the entire story has been told up until now just to get to this part. Buckle your seat belts because there will be some unsettling images, some unexplained hatred, and two scenes that defy human understanding. And everything will not be enhanced by visual effects or enhanced stage lighting or screen writer’s hyperbolic license. This will be raw and visceral and challenging and true.

The entire world was imprisoned by sin which is the direct disobedience and rebellion toward the Creator God. But God had instituted some observances and sacrifices that would provide a temporary covering for sin. Some could be sacrificed daily while one was to be observed on one day in the year. This system had been observed generally for almost three thousand years. But as Jesus entered Jerusalem all of that would change. At the end of the week all of what had been practiced by the Jews because of God’s Word through Moses would be abolished through a better and eternal sacrifice. No one knew. No one even suspected. The earthly Passover lamb would give way for the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. To the natural understanding this is about to get wonderfully strange.

Through a string of self serving events based upon fear Jesus is arrested and brought to trial. After He was interrogated by Pontius Pilate He was sent to be scourged, or in other words, tortured. Here is where it gets an R rating for violence. He was beaten unmercilessly. They lashed His back with a whip made with sharp pieces of stone or iron. Over and over and over again they lashed His back until it appeared as bloody raw meat. He was made to wear a crown of thorns pressed down upon His brow. It was painful in the extreme. He was blindfolded and punched in the face while they mocked Him. Covered in blood and swelling all over, His beard was plucked from His face. His face began to swell which only added to the repulsive spectacle. He stood there at the beginning stages of death. As they placed a robe upon Him they continued to mock Him holding back nothing.

“Now wait a minute” you protest. “Wasn’t this the Son of God?” Yes, it was. He was God in the flesh and the incarnate Creator of all that was, and is, and is to come. “So why then”, you ask, “is He being beaten and tortured and why is He allowing such a thing?”

Ok, now I have your attention. This is the part of the story where you must rely on the Spirit’s cliff notes. You might be persuaded that this is a story about a martyr and you would be wrong. You might think that this is a story about how any good deed doesn’t go unpunished and you would be wrong. You might believe this is a story about how wrong things can go and you would be wrong. Let’s go a little further and see how it all unfolds. Remember this is a story unlike any other story ever told and there are profound implications that penetrate much deeper than some principle or some moral to the story. In fact we have entered the part of the story which can only be fully understood through the ministry of the Spirit who told the story.

Those that have tortured Him make Him carry His own cross to the place called Golgotha. A black man is enlisted to help Him. The Romans nail His hands and feet to that Roman cross. Many men were tied to these kinds of crosses since spikes were expensive and the Romans crucified tens of thousands, but the Scriptures had foretold the wounds in His extremities so the Romans used spikes although they were unaware of any prophetic fulfillment. God has His ways. They lift Him upon that cross and with a thump they allow it to find the hole in the earth which will stand it up. And there He hangs, struggling to breathe and beaten beyond recognition. But His pain has only begun.

And here is where we must push the pause button and receive divine illumination. There have been literally tens of thousands of crucifixions at the hands of the Romans, so why is this one any different? This one is so unique and unlike any other that to use the word “different” is doing it an injustice. The word “unique”, although appropriate, still falls far short of awarding this event, this cross, with the hallowed and sacred essence it deserves. This man, this God, this Jesus is dying an excruciating death and with each struggling breath He draws closer and closer to His last. But look again. He is not just suffering within His own body. His pain is not just emanating from His own nerve endings. These sufferings belong to the whole world, and here He is willingly receiving the unfathomable punishment meant for us all in His own human frame. He does not deserve it but yet He has embraced this suffering before the worlds were spoken into existence.

This is where the story leaves the understanding of the three dimensional and wanders into a realm unknown to anyone heretofore. This battered frame, already worn out and bloodied beyond measure, is taking upon itself the sins of the world. And although the Passover lamb under Moses stood as a one year reprieve, this Lamb is paying for the entire portfolio of man’s sins from Adam to the last sin which will ever be committed. Anyone who genuinely wishes to understand this mystery quickly understands his own limitations of complete understanding. Yes, we can understand the words but to understand the depth, the eternity, the sacrifice, the sufferings, and the glory of this redemption is beyond the scope of complete human comprehension. And when a sinner, redeemed by this sacrifice, suddenly realizes he cannot comprehend the magnitude of this crimson event, well it is exactly that realization which drapes us with God’s glory.

What a story! From the innocence of the baby in Bethlehem’s manger to the open massacre of that same person disturbs our sensibilities. I mean what kind of a story is being told here?? What once was a wonderful story of celebration and humanitarian deeds and the performing of the miraculous, has now take a turn of violence and the macabre. This story has become very, very dark. But that is where you would be deeply in error. This Creator, this God, this Savior has now revealed the core of the story! It is this cross to which the story had always pointed even though we could only interpret the story in a finite and even self serving way. This torture, these wounds, this blood, this cross, this death has always been God’s story to us regardless of how ignorant we wish to remain. And the word “story” is now painfully insufficient as a description for what we have witnessed. A narrative? A report? A novel? A chronicle? No, God Himself has given His own story a word which he desires us to use. The word is “gospel”. Yes, this is the gospel. Amidst all the suffering and blood and gore and sweat this is good news! This is the everlasting gospel which is to be preached to every creature. But there is one chapter which also must be included.

Jesus died. God died. Just accept it since it is beyond us all. And add on top of it all that Jesus died for you and me. Receive it and believe it as if it were the gospel truth for indeed it is. But Jesus did not stay dead. Death could never relax with the final victory and present a dead corpse indefinitely. After three days death was vanquished and life came once again into that dead frame and Jesus resurrected from the dead. I said Jesus resurrected from the dead!!!!! Oh please do not let it be said that we have grown so accustomed to those words that they are now stale and contemptibly familiar. Oh please child of God, please rekindle the fire within you and rejoice! Jesus has risen from the dead!! Oh halleluiah forevermore! Death has been defeated and the Lord of Glory has crushed the serpent’s head! This is not just a dusty old doctrine we pull out of a drawer once a year at “Easter”. This is our joy our salvation and our life! At the cross we found life through His death and at the resurrection we die through His life.

This is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you heard of Jesus lately? Among all the many “issues” which consume us and all the temporal worries that so often imprison us…have you heard about Jesus lately? Well if you haven’t then take hold of your heart and mind and walk once again into His story and wade into the waters of the gospel until they wash you once again. You see, the gospel has been stretched across the expanse of time altogether

I Pet.1: ²⁴ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

²⁵ But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Amen and amen.

A Toxic Arena of Sin

A TOXIC ARENA OF SIN

 

For those of you who still participate in this antichrist governmental system, I want to hold up a mirror and show exactly what it is you support. Just as a sidenote, I could mention how many adulterers continue to be elected to state and national office. Even Newt Gringrich, a serial adulterer garnered millions of supporters inside the Republican party which seems to pride itself on its moral stands. Yes, he was running for president and he was the same man who excoriated President Clinton for his philandering. Just this week the Republican party of South Carolina nominated former governor Mark Sanford for the United States senate. Sanford had made his adultery a soap opera while still in office, and at his acceptance rally his fiancé/mistress was there standing and smiling behind him. He introduced her to his delirious fans. Ok, I could go on and on and on and on and I could suggest that at this very moment there are national and state elected officials involved in adultery who have yet to be caught. 

Here is a list of some of the scandals involving federal officials.

 
But I want to narrow it down to one recent case which reveals the putrid nature of the beast and exposes politics for the antichrist fraud that it has always been.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonald was a staunch pro-life governor who attempted to force every abortion candidate to be subjected to a vaginal ultrasound in an effort to dissuade her form having the abortion. A noble pursuit however these are the same people who say they love the Constitution. I guess the Constitution is like Gumby, it can bend and twist when you want it to. Gov. McDonald also has pushed tough legislation designed to make it more difficult to vote, especially for poorer people.

But on his way out of office the governor has crafted a pretty clever golden parachute. To begin with, the chef who was chosen by the governor to work at the governor’s mansion had to leave because he was indicted for felony embezzlement. But in a long tradition of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” the chef and his catering company cooked for the governor’s daughter’s wedding held at the governor’s mansion. And just so there would be no hint of impropriety concerning the former chef, the governor sent his spokesman to inform the press that the family was picking up the tab.

But when questions arose, the spokesman changed his statement to say that the governor’s daughter and her fiancé had picked up the entire tab for the event. Ok…now the plot thickens. It seems by “paying for it” it means the daughter accepted the event as a gift from one of the governor’s campaign contributors. Conveniently, gifts to the family do not need to be reported. But during the eigtht months of his 2009 campaign that same contributor donated over $28,000 worth of air travel to the governor’s political action committee. (PAC) And in 2011 and 2012 the governor received almost $10,000 worth of food and lodging and entertainment from the same company.

Now the company that continues to donate so graciously to the governor produces a product called Anatabloc. It is a non FDA approved anti-inflammatory drug which contains a product produced by the tobacco plant. The company which is the producer is Star Tobacco. You know, Virginia and tobacco. The public launch for the product was held at the governor’s mansion and paid for by the governor’s PAC. Bless be the tie that binds. You inject money into my hands and I will open the mansion doors for you. It’s the American way.

Now three days before the governor’s daughter’s wedding the governor’s wife was flown down to Florida to tout the incredible benefits of using that product. It’s all so warm and fuzzy. Ok all you mothers, what were you doing three days before your daughter’s wedding? I thought so. The company in question is being investigated for transactions involving the company’s securities transactions. And in another warm and fuzzy moment the man chosen as the Republican nominee to succeed Governor McDonald is a significant share holder in that same company. He is in a little hot water for going almost a year without disclosing that he owned those shares of stock.

Are you feeling a little sticky and unclean? I mean these kinds of chummy money deals which live on the very fringe of legality and sometimes cross the line are being done across the nation.

Remember, this guy was being groomed for a possible Republican nomination for vice president and he presents himself as a proud moralist. Oh the unsavory compromises and the under the table gifts and donations and the practice of self aggrandizements flourish within the entire political system. And when these men and women leave office there awaits for them a sea of opportunities to make much more money. President Clinton, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and many, many others have become millionaires many times over just because of their “relationships” with movers and shakers. This American political structure is nothing more than a ponzi scheme self described as “public service”. Yes, the American public is that dumb. Sorry.

And allow me to add just a little more insight into this toxic waste dump.

Thirty years ago Chuck Hagel who is now the Secretary of Defense strongly suggested that the Veteran’s Administration become computerized. Thirty years later they are still not computerized. And now there are almost one million cases backlogged concerning veteran disability claims. And because of two costly wars the number has ballooned. And consider this: While hundreds of thousands of veteran’s await their case to be heard, one veteran per day commits suicide while waiting. Ok, let’s all say the Pledge of Allegiance.

And instead of going into all the diabolical scheming that goes on during war and in the military in general, I direct you to THIS.

That is only a small sampling of a fallen system that is so energetically supported by many who claim to believe in and follow Jesus. I suggest and strongly contend Jesus is not in that system and that all who claim His name should come out from among them.

Resume general swim, but do not drink the water.

The Sacrificing of Human Flesh

THE SACRIFICING OF HUMAN FLESH

This post emanates from a post from APOSTASY WATCH.

I must admit that I find very little wiggle room concerning the narrative of how the white man came and settled in America and how the indigenous people, the American Indians, were obliterated and provided a few token places in which to exist. I could never imagine anyone denying that the Indians were not treated fairly, and I strongly felt that no follower of Jesus could ever justify such a literal genocide. But I was wrong.

I can hardly believe how vicious and violent much of the church has become. David Barton is a well known Christian historian. HERE is his opinion concerning the massacre of the American Indians.

David Barton insists that America was God’s modern darling and that it was founded as a Christian nation unlike any other in history. He even suggests that almost all of the founding fathers were evangelical believers. He is endorsed by a wide cross section of the church including word of faith and emergent and orthodox teachers and preachers. But here he is suggesting that the American Indians were sacrificed and slaughtered by God so they would sign treaties that had only the European interests at heart. It is an astounding teaching which goes against the entirety of the New Testament while supporting the patriotic rationale.

I remain astounded at how little human life means when American interests are at stake. The same people who are against abortion and call themselves pro-life can so easily dismiss the lives of many millions of American Indians as if they are just collateral damage necessary to fulfill God’s dream. Their loyalty to America runs so deep and so strong that they not only reject the teachings of Jesus, but they feel no compassion for other human beings? And starving the Indians by wiping out the buffalo was necessary to force them to sign a treaty which in essence makes them prisoners of the white man?

How can anyone suggest that this kind of perspective is Christian? How can we endorse such violence in Jesus’ name? Did the early believers come to America to be a light to the darkness or did they come to start their own nation regardless of the human cost? There is a vast difference between those two. Is it any wonder why the kingdom of darkness sees very little difference between their views and the views of those who say they walk in light?

If Jesus endorses such human slaughter than we can assume the Scriptures are a concoction of man since they reveal teachings that go against any such notion. But if the Scriptures are breathed of God then we cannot allow earthly allegiances to be our standard. Even if what they teach seems at odds with what the majority of the evangelical community believes then let the Scriptures be true and the church be a liar.

So when pagans are ignorant and brutal they are expendable especially if they occupy a portion of land we desire? This is utter madness but it follows a logical path which is laid out by nationalism. The end justifies the means when you have something other than Jesus as your pursuit. Throughout history the church has had arguments over points of doctrine. But this places human life on the altar of nation building and it devalues the human soul and makes millions of eternal souls little more than obstructions living on land which God desires so much He is willing to let the land flow with the blood of millions of indigenous people including women and children. And that is the God called Jesus in the gospels? Please show me that revelation.

So we as believing followers of Jesus are faced with a stark reality. Are we to follow Jesus or the church? Are we to alter the gospel narratives and present a twisted version of Jesus that orchestrates genocide or are we going to present the Jesus who taught things contrary to the dictates of his and our culture? There is no common ground. One is sinking sand while the other is the Rock. Be aware, though, that the sinking sand is the well worn path that is accepted in evangelical circles while the Rock will be criticized by a man’s friends and family. One will cost you while the other will be applauded.

The Art of Deception

THE ART OF DECEPTION

 

 

This 25 year old woman mourns at the grave of her 28 year old brother who lost his life while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There was a recent documentary on television called “Hubris” which outlines the manipulation and sometimes out right lying which led America to war in Iraq. After ten years we still have a presence in Iraq and soldiers still die in Afghanistan. And before going in the lying tongues of politicians told the public that this would not be another Vietnam.

War breeds lying and manipulation and many people become wealthy. And war brings death and mutilation and misery. But the patriotic spirit many times covers up the reality and horror of war and provides a forum for well fed and hedonistic people to revel in a misguided nationalistic spirit. It happens oh so often among believers as well. Thousands of men and women have died and many thousands will live wounded and maimed for the rest of their lives. But let us be very clear, except for the initial attempt to bring justice to Osama Bin Laden, the rest was manipulated lies by the ruling political class in America.

Although President Obama presented a platform that was less aggressive than was President Bush’s, his policies are very close to that of his predecessor. I am not a part of any of it, but I continue to feel a strong sense of responsibility to inform and correct my brothers and sisters in Christ because so many of them are walking in a state of delusion. Nationalism, moralism, violence, and war in general are all at odds with the teachings of Jesus, if that even matters anymore.

This is not a contest between liberals and conservatives or between Democrats and Republicans. This, for us as believers, must be a reinforcing of what we know to be true as it pertains to Jesus, His gospel and His teachings to His followers. The world is a colossal mess, and America if measured by the teachings of Christ is no better than Russia or China. Just because a country has religious freedom does not in any way mean they are more or less moral than a country which does not.

In many ways this earthly freedom has built an unseen bridge which systematically transfers fallen ideas into the church as well as removing any deep spiritual commitment from within the church. It is in this clandestine way that the church has become a product of the culture and not a product of the Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost it wasn’t the Roman government which proclaimed Christianity as legitimate and produced a constitution which contained a “free exercise clause”. Those men and women in the upper room did not spill out into the streets to begin a Tea Party movement designed to protect their religious freedom.

No, the church was born of the Holy Spirit distinctly separated from and at odds with the fallen course of the world. In fact, for many, it would cost them their lives to follow Jesus. It still does cost many their lives today. But the church has become so blind and deaf that it does not see the vicious dangers connected with any earthly freedom. In fact the church revels in that which is killing her. Believers have bought into what the secular schools have taught them. And instead of a remarkable and separate thought process which makes it distinctly Biblical and diametrically opposed to this world, the church walks in lockstep with its national origin.

And now the church endorses killing and violence whenever America takes to the battlefield. And believers continue to drink the Kool Aid offered by the secular media. And in an astonishing and breathtaking spectacle, carnal and hate filled men like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and women like Ann Coulter are loved by millions of professing believers. That in and of itself is profound evidence concerning the depth of deception and how the Christian faith has been changed in order to fit in with conventional patriotic thought.

But violence covers the earth and permeates the culture. Headstones continue to be added to military graveyards. Tens of thousands return home wounded physically and emotionally. And the fallen world continues to manipulate the people into supporting what they say they believe to be true. The entire system is one of deceit and decay and all kinds of diabolical trickery. And money flows like a river. And in the midst of all this is the church…participating, supporting, and joining hands with the enemies of Christ. The young woman in the picture was mourning the death of her brother. But that picture could also be a metaphor for a believer mourning the spiritual death of the church. We as followers of Jesus should not even believe the words of unbelievers when they speak the truth since that is an unstable bridge which eventually leads to lies.