I read last night that the Obama family hosted yet another party at the White House. It was the 10th in the “In Performance at the White House” series since Obama took office, according to the article in The Blaze. Opponents have criticized the White House’s lavish parties as the administration continues to warn about the disastrous effects of the sequester. Fox News’ “Hannity” mockingly referred to the party as a “sequestration celebration.” The excessive partying and vacationing by Obama and his entourage reminds me of another king in former times. More on that in a minute. As far as the cost of these parties and vacations tot he American public, one website toted up the cost of Obama’s Hawaii vacations as exceeding 20M. Michelle Obama’s ski weekend in Aspen alone cost $83,182.99 according to Judicial Watch.
As Obama and his family and entourage party in high, lordly style, on the backs of his minions (us), he is also promoting a devastatingly Godless agenda that contains homosexuality, sodomy in the military, same sex marriage, abortion and live post-birth abortion, financial malfeasance, easier access to drugs, more difficult access to medical help for the ill, oppression of the poor and much much more. God does not like this agenda. He never has, and He never will.
That is why Hannity blew up, because while the money is supposed to be sequestered, plenty of it paid for this lavish party.
This comes on the heels last year of Obama celebrating his 50th birthday in lavish style in Chicago, renting an ornate ballroom costing $40,000 per night and hosting celebrities who paid up to $38,000 to attend. That was done despite a Chinese credit rating agency downgrading the US, reported the UK Daily Mail.
The ornately decorated Aragon Ballroom, where the lavish birthday party is being held
While this is going on, the ailing budget process as demonstrated by sequester, is not the only thing that is ailing. The economy is terrible and many millions of folks in America are suffering along with it. There are soup lines, food stamps, joblessness, scavenging to survive, and desperation- people are actually living underground now, the real underground- in Kansas City
Amid this stress and poverty, Obama and his family think nothing of charging massive bills to the American taxpayer for their endless vacations, dinners, jaunts, and parties. The latest party was Tuesday night (April 9, 2013).
Reactions to the parties the lords and ladies are having on the backs of the people caused a harsh reaction in newscaster Sean Hannity. The headline reads, “Hannity Explodes at Former Obama Adviser After He Tries to Defend Obama’s Music Party: ‘You’re on Drugs! You Can’t Be Serious!’
Oh, but Obama is.
I mentioned above that Obama reminds of of another king. Belshazzar. Remember him from Daniel 5? The one where the finger of God appeared and write the handwriting on the wall while the king was partying? Here is the passage:
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. (Daniel 5:1-6)
Daniel told the king, “The Lord in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.” (Daniel 5:23). The writing turned out to be translated “you have been weighed in the scales and found wanting” and that very night the King was killed.
The chapter is very interesting. Daniel tells King Belshazzar that his father Nebuchadnezzar was made to eat grass like the oxen and for 7 years lived as a beast and afterward humbled himself before the Holy God of heaven. But though Belshazzar knew all this, he still opposed God and refused to humble himself. He lifted up a toast to profane things and idols, and for that, God slew him.
God raises up kings and he takes them down, all in His timing. The bottom line is that we have a king of the united States that seems to be wanting, in the Godliness department. Worse, this state of godlessness seems not to bother him, despite the fact that Obama knows all this.
God weeps when men refuse grace (Luke 19:41) but He is still angry over sin and idol worship.
“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” (Psalm 7:11)
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Romans 1:18).
For the people who despair over having such a king in our White House, or any king who sets himself up in any part of the world, despair not! Our Lord and our God is not waiting to send wrath, He already IS sending wrath. He sends grace to us but He is wrathful over idolatry, godlessness, and the wicked living in profane ways.
Our own king Belshazzar will stand before a holy God one day. Nothing we can say on this earth in anger or heated political discussions, or even around the table at family dinners, can come near what God Himself will say to him on the Day. Keep praying for our leaders and take heart that grace is here and justice will come.
I happen to agree with Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu’s brother-in-law. Here is news today regarding Obama in Israel-
Netanyahu’s Brother-In-Law Says Obama Is An Anti-Semite, Hates Israel “In the midst of trying to ease tensions following one of the worst diplomatic rifts between the US and Israel in recent memory, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to distance himself from his brother-in-law Wednesday after he accused US President Barack Obama of being an anti-Semite during a radio interview. “It’s not that Obama doesn’t like Bibi,” Hagai Ben-Artzi said during the interview, according to Haaretz. “He doesn’t like the nation of Israel.” Ben-Artzi attributed Obama’s alleged anti-Semitism to his long association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose views Obama came to disavow during his presidential campaign in 2008. “When there is an anti-Semitic president in the United States, it is a test for us and we have to say: We will not concede. We are a nation dating back 4,000 years, and you in a year or two will be long forgotten. Who will remember you? But Jerusalem will dwell on forever,” Ben Artzi said.”
Netanyahu immediately distanced himself from his brother-in-law and rejected his opinion.
However, as with anyone, anywhere, check to see that what they say and what they do match up. Obama’s behavior over the last 4 years as president toward Israel’s prime minister has not been one of love or even regard, but of barely disguised disdain.
In 2010 the UK Telegraph reported, “Obama snubbed Netanyahu for dinner with Michelle and the girls, Israelis claim“ “Benjamin Netanyahu was left to stew in a White House meeting room for over an hour after President Barack Obama abruptly walked out of tense talks to have supper with his family, it emerged on Thursday.”
This is not how you treat your ONLY ally in a harsh and hostile part of the world, not if you have regard and respect for its people nation to nation, that is.
Obama seems to be getting some props for “brokering” a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey. Their relations had broken down after Turkey violated (allegedly) a marine blockade by Israel and Israel shot several Turkish officers in the sea scuffle. Diplomatic relations had been called off since late 2010-early 2011, with only one phone call by Netanyahu to Turkey to offer help after Turkey’s earthquake. Turkey said no thanks.
The Japan Times explains, “Israel and Turkey were once close allies. Relations began to decline after Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey’s Islamist movement, became prime minister in 2003. Erdogan has embarked on a campaign to make Turkey a regional powerhouse in an attempt to become the leading voice in the Muslim world but has in the process distanced the country from Israel.”
However, despite those ambitions, at least for today, the two nations appeared to ‘bury the hatchet’ as Japan Times said. Haaretz reports, “In November 2012, Israel and Turkey resumed talks on ending the crisis in relations between the two countries. On March 22, 2013, Netanyahu made the phone call to Erdogan, apologizing over the deaths of the nine Turkish citizens in the flotilla incident. The normalization agreed by both countries included the return of the Turkish ambassador to Tel Aviv and the Israeli ambassador to Ankara.”
Some say that it is good that diplomatic tensions have eased between the two nations. The region is aflame with Syria’s civil war and refugees streaming into Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. Israel could use Turkey’s help with the situation and vice versa. Others say it is not a good idea, Israel looked weak to bow to Turkey after all this time and lowered morale of the soldiers. His apology created a firestorm at home. And after all, biblically, Turkey will attack Israel in the Gog-Magog war. (Ezekiel 38:6). If they form warm relations now, it won’t last.
At the end of Obama’s trip to Israel, he stopped to tour the ancient rose-red city of Petra in nearby Jordan. Petra means rock, and it is located in the region of Bozrah, which means sheepfold. It is the place where the Jews will flee to when they see the abomination of desolation. (Matthew 24:16). How do we know this?
Daniel 11:41 declares that Jordan is the only place that will escape the domination of the antichrist in the last days. The Jews at that time will flee over the mountains as per Matthew 24:16 and as Revelation 12:14 says, they will cross the desert. Geologically, the only mountains and desert is toward the southwest, over the Jordan river and into Edom. Isaiah 63:1 shows the Lord Jesus coming from Bozrah with blood stained robes, indicating one of His stops before He lands on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) will be to save the Jews hiding there.
To see a person such as Obama who has such a strong antichrist spirit (1 John 4:3 and also here) standing in such a prophetically wonderful and important place for the Jews, and he who hates Israel so much…it is a jarring juxtaposition.
As far as Netanyahu’s brother-in-law goes, I am in total agreement. Obama by his behavior and by his placement here at this time in America, seems to have severe disdain for the nation of Israel. But that is no more or no less than the rest of the world, which seems to be hurtling toward fulfillment of the following prophecy:
“On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.” (Zechariah 12:3)
Zechariah has much to say about the coming times. There is an incredible amount of last days prophecy throughout Zechariah’s book, including parallels with Revelation. As Pastor Steve Hadley says, pound for pound, Zechariah has it almost over even Daniel in terms of prophecy. If you would like to listen to a preacher preach through this book, verse by verse, I’d recommend Steve Hadley at Harvest Family Fellowship, here.
Always keep your eyes on the Lord through His word. What He is doing is amazing. We look at the news in wonder but the real wonder comes when we read His valuable and precious word, and see what He has planned. Did you ever stop to think that it is amazing in itself that He even tells us what He plans to do? He is God after all. He doesn’t have to. Just reading the bible is a miracle for us, because it is the place where His holiness and perfection and love is revealed. If your bible is dusty, brush it off and open it up. There are many wonders awaiting you there.
Russia Today is a good newspaper. I often discover things about my nation that the US newspapers do not report. All that a totalitarian state needs is two things, a compliant media and a gullible citizenry. More on the latter in a second, but of the former, if the media is not accurately reflecting the government back to the population then it makes it all the easier to become gullible.
So in RT as the paper is known, there was this pictorial representation of their headline about the economic state of the US nation:
I thought that was funny. Not the default thing, which will all likelihood actually happen, but that the American electorate voted for “change” and we got it.
I mentioned before that the US citizenry are frogs slowly being boiled. That metaphor relates to the (untrue) notion that if you put a frog in boiling water, he’ll howl and try to escape. But if you put a frog in cold water and incrementally turn up the water to boiling over time, he will complacently sit there until it is too late. Though scientifically untrue, the story is an apt metaphor for the inability of people to react to significant changes that occur gradually.
I’ve said that in order to measure progress toward the ultimate end, mentally stand in a giant bible. Look back from the end to see where we are now. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow but we know for sure what the end will look like. That is when His fixed truth tells us that by the very last years, a totalitarian state will exist all over the world. There will be a one-world religion along with thought crime, one world economy along with starvation for the masses who do not comply in taking the Mark of the Beast, hyper-surveillance via technology and betrayal by neighbors and family.
It will be awful. But the fact is, it will happen. Worse, there will be technology available to support the implementation and maintenance of it all.
So look from the perspective of Revelation then, back to today and see how close we are, and even further back to before Obama was elected, then a bit further back to your youth. If you are over 50 years of age you see how quickly we have gone from the land of the free to the land of the oppressed. It is the same if you live in other countries. The UK’s surveillance of private citizens has increased dramatically…Economic oppression in other nations…all lead to the same thing. We are boiled frogs about to die, metaphorically speaking.
In the early 2000s when I was a journalist, in any civic discussion where the person mentioned Hitler it was instant grounds for getting roundly drummed out of the debate. According to Godwin’s Law, you lost the debate instantly if you mentioned Hitler. Also known as Godwin’s Law of Nazi Analogies, it states that “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches. In other words, Godwin observed that, given enough time, in any online discussion—regardless of topic or scope—someone inevitably makes a comparison to Hitler or the Nazis. … Godwin’s law applies especially to inappropriate, inordinate, or hyperbolic comparisons of other situations (or one’s opponent) with Nazis… falling foul of Godwin’s law tends to cause the individual making the comparison to lose their argument or credibility.” (source).
However, with the bible’s prediction of a totalitarian state in place immediately prior to His Second Coming, it will happen eventually. I find it interesting that the comparison to Hitler and/or Stalin is being made quite constantly now, and no one is citing Godwin’s Law.
But first let’s go back to the bible. The Old Testament is replete with types of men who foreshadowed the Christ. Who, in effect, were Christ-types. Just as there were Christ-types, there were also antichrist-types. AW Pink write a book on The Antichrist, and in chapter thirteen he enumerated at least ten men who in his biblical opinion were types of antichrists foreshadowing the real one to come.
Daniel 11:21-35 predicted Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and that passage is also a dual prophecy for the final antichrist. Antiochus IV was the 8th Seleucid King of Greece and the first to call himself god. ‘Epiphanes’ means ‘visible god’ or ‘god manifest.’ Antiochus outlawed Jewish religious rites and traditions kept by observant Jews and ordered the worship of Zeus as the supreme god. This was anathema to the Jews and when they refused, Antiochus sent an army to enforce his decree. Because of the resistance, the city was destroyed, and many were slaughtered. (source)
We know from Roman history that the Caesars began calling themselves gods and so it was with the Greek kings too. The final antichrist will cause all to worship him and to demonstrate that worship by receiving a mark on their hand or forehead. (Revelation 13:15-18). It seems that all the best dictators these days call themselves god and require proper worship from the people. (Obama hasn’t called himself a god but he hasn’t refused the title when others called him one, either. Maybe he thinks of himself as a demi-god.)
In recent secular history the antichrist type that most frequently comes to mind is Hitler. By 1923 Hitler looked to Italy and saw the rising popularity of Mussolini. Taking the hint, Hitler looked increasingly to a strong man who would rescue Germany, too. He was still speaking of leaders, plural, but it soon became obvious that he meant himself as the sole rescuer, and he wasn’t going to share the political power- or limelight- with anyone. On May 4, 1923, Hitler gave a speech, in which he said,
“What can save Germany is the dictatorship of the national will and national determination. The question arises, is the suitable personality to hand? Our task is not to look for such a person. He is a gift from heaven, or is not there. Our task is to give the dictator, when he comes, a people ready for him!” (Source: Hitler, 1889-1936: Hubris By Ian Kershaw)
By 8 weeks later, Hitler was saying that only a man with personality could save Germany, not the decisions of Parliament. But isn’t it spooky that the path to dictatorship first involves getting a people ready to accept him? We have seen an antichrist-type in Obama in that the people who have been primed accept the cult of personality and willingly follow the one who dismisses Congress and shreds the Constitution. Nothing happened in Germany that wasn’t without the vote of and later the willing acceptance of the people-at-large. It happened incrementally enough that they were frogs in boiling water before they knew it.
In preparing the people, God is sovereign. Satan is at work readying his children of darkness, but because they refused to believe the truth, it is God Who allows them to accept the lie. (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
Now, we have gone for many years with a Congress and not a king, and the people fully understood that the twain were different. Our elected leaders were just that- leaders. But remember Antiochus- suddenly he decided that he was not just a king, but also a god, blending those two offices into a deadly combination.
That same sudden shift will occur in the Tribulation also.
“A defining moment in the general tribulation period is described by Jesus in Matthew 24:15, where He describes an incident that immediately brings about a terrible series of events: “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—“ (Matthew 24:15). Once this “abomination of desolation” occurs, “Then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will (Matthew 24:21).”
This abomination includes several things, including the sudden shredding of the covenant he’d made with the many, (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11) and another is that he takes his seat in the holy places and exalts himself as god. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). In effect, he does as past dictators have done, saying, “Hey everyone, I’m boss, forget the promises I’ve made before, I’m god and you must worship me. I’ll say what happens from now on.”
Back to the Hitler-references for a minute. They are occurring more often these days. For example,
“What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could not understand it, it could not be released because of national security. And their sense of identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it.
“This separation of government from people, this widening of the gap, took place so gradually and so insensibly, each step disguised (perhaps not even intentionally) as a temporary emergency measure or associated with true patriotic allegiance or with real social purposes. And all the crises and reforms (real reforms, too) so occupied the people that they did not see the slow motion underneath, of the whole process of government growing remoter and remoter.
Do I think Obama is the antichrist? No. Do I think he is an antichrist-type? A million times yes. The key piece in this essay is what Hitler said in 1923- “Our task is to give the dictator, when he comes, a people ready for him!” To that end, Obama, and satan, are doing an admirable job.
You might be interested in a 2007 essay by Naomi Wolf, called Fascist America, in 10 Easy Steps. I wrote about it on my other blog in 2008. Calling America ‘Fascist 7 years ago seemed fringe-extreme. Nowadays it is the near-reality.
But most of all, Christians are interested in the Savior! Far from secular futility and doomsday darkness, he is Light (1 John 1:5-10). We look to Him because He looked out for us:
The Eternal Watcher is looking over the vast ocean of life, not that he may spy out the vessels which sail along proudly in safety, but that he may see those who are almost wrecks. “He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profiteth me not; he will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.” Our Lord was more moved at the sight of sickness than of health, and wrought his greatest wonders among fevers, leprosies, and palsies. This is the end and object of the gospel, namely, to save the unrighteous; the God of the gospel is he that “justifieth the ungodly,” “for when we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly.” “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled “The Sinner’s Savior,” delivered October 1, 1876
Pray that the world will turn their eyes from roaming futilely in the dark for a secular savior to seeing His light and salvation come for them!
So this weekend brought the Inaugural ceremonies to acknowledge Obama’s second term as President of the United States. I’ll say right off the bat, that it is my opinion gained through observation of the times (secular and biblical) that Obama is America’s judgment. I believe he means ill for the nation and has been and will continue to dismantle it. Just so you know my stance at the outset 😉
Even a hermit would notice that there seems to be something different about the people’s reaction to Obama, who, after all, is just a politician. In his earliest campaign days in 2007 and 2008 people saw in him a unique charisma capable of transfixing his audience and causing actual fainting. Even early on, the charisma exceeded adoration and plunked itself firmly into the land of physiological reaction (fainting, swooning, screaming) and Messianic language. This article’s from 2008–
“Call it the Barack Obama traveling salvation show – campaign rallies and speeches that seem like the secular counterpart of tent-meeting revivals and evangelistic sermons common in the U.S. a century ago. And, in apparent similarity to the religious enthusiasm of that bygone era, some of those coming to hear the Democrat presidential candidate “preach” his message are fainting as he speaks.”
In 2008, the NY Times remarked on Obama’s charisma, calling it a cult of personality, perhaps unknowingly revealing the uniqueness of what is normally simply an attribute had veered into something deeper, and darker.
“Would we call this a cult of personality? Today that term is all around Barack Obama — perhaps because there seems so little other way to explain how a first-term senator has managed to dazzle his way to front-runner in the race for the presidency, how he walks on water for so many supporters, and how the mere suggestion that he is, say, mortal, risks vehement objection, or at least exposing the skeptic as deeply uncool. Charisma, as defined by the early sociologist Max Weber, was one of three “ideal types” of authority — the others were legal, as in a bureaucracy, and traditional, as in a tribe — and rested upon a kind of magical power and hero worship. Philosophers call it “civil religion,” using the language of religion and elevation to talk about your country.”
Newsweek editor Evan Thomas, the same Newsweek that created a cover this week of Obama and named him as the Second Coming a few days ago, in 2009 wrote, “brought adulation over President Obama’s Cairo speech to a whole new level on Friday, declaring on MSNBC: “I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God.”
Newsweek didn’t even bother to use a lower case “G”.
This kind of reaction and language to describe Obama’s unusual charisma continued unabated from his first appearances in 2007 through to now- where it was revealed this month that the reporter pool was ‘treated’ to a personal visit at hang-out their bar by Obama and they were all atwitter and a-flurry. It was a group swoon, a reporter said.
The Messianic language popped up again and as mentioned a moment ago, continues to this day. At yesterday’s Inauguration Weekend church service the Reverend Braxton said,
Obama, said Braxton, was just like Moses facing the Red Sea: “forward is the only option … The people couldn’t turn around. The only thing that they could do was to go forward.” Obama, said Braxton, would have to overcome all obstacles – like opposition from Republicans, presumably, or the bounds of the Constitution. Braxton continued, “Mr. President, stand on the rock,” citing to Moses standing on Mount Horeb as his people camped outside the land of Israel.
But it wasn’t enough to compare Obama with the founder of Judaism and the prophet of the Bible. Braxton added that Obama’s opponents were like the Biblical enemies of Moses, and that Obama would have to enter the battle because “sometimes enemies insist on doing it the hard way.”
Yet the civil religion as mentioned in the above article surrounding the charismatic Obama goes much further than previously idolized or even idealized politicians, such as FDR or Ronald Reagan. That is because previously “civil religion” language was used by politicians to connect with the people to elevate their nation. But with Obama, civil religion language is used by the people to elevate the politician.
In the same NYT article it is stated, “What is troubling about the campaign is that it’s gone beyond hope and change to redemption,” said Sean Wilentz, a historian at Princeton…”
Without Jesus, what this whole Obama exercise shows us is that people without hope want hope. That people without a savior need a savior. That people who live in darkness will swap their loyalties to any ‘dazzling’ entity that comes along.
The Newsweek editor’s sycophantic adulation of Obama and likening him in 2008 to God and in 2012 to the Second Coming is ironic in the extreme. It shows just how illogical and how deep into the craven psyche they will go in clinging to their false hope. Why? The same political figure that four years ago Newsweek endowed with all trust that he would get the nation out of the economic mess only deepened it, to the point where Newsweek itself has folded as a print publication by the opening of his second term. Yet as Newsweek fades away, they still give him godlike qualities as a Second Coming. With their dying breath they continue to reach out to their false god.
This is all a pale imitation of what will happen when the antichrist comes on the scene. By then, the church will have been raptured. Though the rapture will cause many to come to faith the number of unsaved, sinning, lawless, and ungodly will be running rampant, crawling over the world like cockroaches in the dark. They will love him.
Obama only promised hope and change, and did not deliver. They still love him now, even while the nation is practically living in a refrigerator box by the side of the road. The antichrist will have actual solutions and actually implement them. They will love him more.
They will love him because he will wear out the saints and make war against them. (Daniel 7:21), something the unsaved would really love to do now but the Restrainer is still on the earth. He will speak flatteries (Daniel 11:32) and great things (Revelation 13:5-6).
We have gone beyond mere ‘charisma’, the kind of human attribute given to likable politicians such as JFK and Reagan. No one ever called them gods or savior or national husband. With Obama’s ‘charisma’ we entered the territory of nearly visible demonic, spiritual warfare. It is a supernatural charisma that sparks worship. The antichrist’s appearance will cause exponentially more adoring fans, deeper worship, and more firm adherence to all-things-antichrist. What we see today is nothing compared to what’s coming, as creepy as this Obama-worship is today.
“Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false” (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Many translations say ” believe THE lie” and interpreters take that to mean they will believe the lie that antichrist is Messiah. It is hard to know for sure, but given the prophetic promise that the world will follow after the beast, (Revelation 13:3), it seems a reasonable interpretation.
When you shake your head at the foolishness of people who worship a man like Obama, think of how it will be when the Restrainer Holy Spirit is gone and they worship an evil man as THE Messiah, not just a god. Given the following that Obama has received and sustained despite the Spirit being on earth, as well as Jesus Christ’s Bride, it’s easy to see how the coming delusion will be deep and horrific.
The glory of the Lord is that now, we know Him now and we have nothing to fear. The Tribulation saints will know the Lord and will not be seduced by the antichrist, either. The New Living Translation says,
“He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.” (Daniel 11:32)
I pray you know Him. Jesus is the only Person worth knowing first and foremost. He will help you resist sin, and will take the scales off your eyes to see who the true Savior is!
Well, this is just gross. Newsweek calls Obama’s next presidential term, The Second Coming.
I’ve discussed before that the Messianic language and pictorial representations of Obama abound. They have been foisted on us since 2007 when Obama first ran for President. He has been called Pharaoh (in the nicest, most king-y way), Messiah, and The National Groom. He has been depicted with halos, in crucified pose, as part of nativity scenes, and ministering to his adoring proselytes. He’s been called the New Hope, the Last Hope, and Hope and Change. He even discovered alikeness of himself on an Egyptian tomb. He’s been called the Healer-In-Chief. He has been proclaimed savior outright. You can see many, many of the Obama halos here.
One accidental depiction, OK. One wayward artist, fine. One lapdog photographer, I understand. But please note that the media has purposely and constantly presented this man as Messiah for five years. It is not an accident.
Obama says these things himself about himself. His campaign slogan was “Believe”. He said in NH in 2008, ““… a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany … and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama” (Barack Obama, Lebanon, New Hampshire, Jan. 7, 2008)”
OK, so those were the facts. The media, whose power to influence and reflect a skewed reality is immense, has for years shown us and told us Obama is a messianic figure here to save us. What does all this language and Obama-idols mean?
It means America (and parts of the world) are deep into idolatry. It also means that America (and parts of the world) have a monumental gullibility that satan will monumentally exploit. First, our nation’s gullibility.
The unsaved population is under satan’s sway. They will believe anything. The bible says that deception in the last days will abound.
–“while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13) –“Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.” (2 Timothy 2:16) –“and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” (Matthew 24:11) –“and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
It’s clear, deception abounds to all those who refuse to believe the truth.
All the unsaved believe satan’s lie. The bible shows us that they are the most gullible people in the world, ever. That gullibility will find its final expression by the time Revelation 13 comes to pass:
“One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Revelation 13:2-4).
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)
Aside from the gullibility of the unsaved, at eternal risk from satan, the second meaning of all this Obama-worship involves idolatry. Credible watchmen and mature pastors recognize and preach Romans 1 in terms of the biblical statement on the downward progression of a society. Sexual sins and homosexuality/lesbianism are the benchmarks by which it is written that judgment comes.
However, let’s not forget the sin of idolatry. Idolatry will kill a society faster than you can say “Barak Obama”.
GotQuestions deals with the topic of idolatry: “The definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God.”
And wouldn’t you know it, we’re right back to Romans 1 and read that the Omniscient Lord knew that our tendency is to worship the created and not the Creator.
Holman Standard says it well:
“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:23)
When people worship a person, whether it be Lance Armstrong sports star, or Oprah Winfrey media darling, or Hitler the political genius, or Obama the savior, they’re engaging in a most dangerous practice. When the majority of a society idolizes something or someone besides God and gives it worship, Romans 1 comes into play. What that means is, judgment looms.
Deluded Americans dangerously heap Godly worship unto Obama, who gladly accepts this false glory. What can one expect of a nation and/or an individual who do these things? Well, when Herod accepted Godly worship unto himself, he died.
“Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.” (Acts 12:20-23)
Nebuchadnezzar took the glory that was God’s and put it onto himself. And the judgment came and was swift:
“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,…” (Daniel 4:28-31).
It is a dangerous thing for a society to replace the one True God with any idol, whether it be persons living or dead, image or animal.
We are living in the Age of Grace. How wonderful to have a Savior who bestows so much grace to us while we are still sinners! Who even replace Him with craven images and sinning men! The Age of Grace is upon us!
Jesus is so wonderful. His grace abounds. You don’t have to believe the damnable lie, but bask in His grace and believe the truth. We worship the ONE God and no other. And with a God as glorious as He is, why would we need another?
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10).
Are we even allowed to ask that question about people who claim Christianity? Pastor Matt Slick answered a similar question this way – “Is Glenn Beck a Christian?”
“It would not be possible to ascertain if he is really a Christian outside of a direct interview with Glenn Beck where I asked him specific questions about his understanding of Christianity and Mormonism. However, we can look at what Mormonism teaches and compare it to the Bible. … It may be a shock to many people, but just saying you “believe in Jesus” doesn’t make a person Christian. There are many religious groups who have contradictory concepts of who Jesus is. In fact, Jesus warned us that in the last days many false christs and false prophets would arise and deceive many (Matt. 24:24). So, we have to be careful because groups can teach a false Jesus.”
In the same way, we can look at what the bible teaches and see if someone is bearing fruit of a regenerated Christian life, and thus determine how to pray for that person.
The man currently occupying the Oval Office, Barack Obama, claimed once again in his speech to the troops on Christmas Day that he is a Christian. Is he? How can we know for sure? Well we can’t know the heart for sure but the bible tells us to watch for fruits. James talked about dead faith, which is profession with no Holy Spirit behind that profession. Empty. (James 2:17, 20, 26). Paul warned that in the last days people would adopt a form of Godliness but deny its power. (2 Timothy 3:5).
John MacArthur asked the question “By what criteria do we determine true from empty faith?” and he answered it by listing 7 conditions that do not prove genuine faith and listing 9 conditions which do. I recommend the article.
Obama talked about Jesus in his speech, saying, “For my family and millions of Americans, it’s a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, to reflect on His life and learn from His example,” Obama, a self-professed Christian, stated. “Every year, we commit to love one another. To give of ourselves. To be our brother’s keeper. To be our sister’s keeper. But those ideas are not just part of our faith. They’re part of all faiths. And they unite us as Americans.”
There are several statements in that section of his speech to the troops that are false. We are not to learn from Jesus’s example but to submit to His authority as Holy God. There is a difference between intellectual submission to good ideas espoused as philosophy, and obedient submission to a Holy God because He is worthy.
Every year at Christmas we commit to honor Him who came to earth to live a sinless life so He could put away our sin. Yes, we commit to each other, as Christians, but first and foremost we commit to Jesus as Savior. the day is a recognition of the most dramatic moment in the universe, equalled only by the resurrection 33 years later.
Third, the notion that the ideas of brotherly love and commitment to that love are part of all faiths is also false. Buddhism denies love by aiming for release from attachment, including love. (Four Noble Truths). Islam denies love by saying it is all right to lie as long as it advances Islam. (Qur’an 16:106). Muslims are allowed (expected) to kill unbelievers (Quran (2:191-193, 2:216) and anyone who does not join in the killing is called a hypocrite and warned that Allah’s wrath is upon them. Mormonism denies love by promoting polygamy. Hinduism emphasizes love as pleasure as one of the four aims of life.
Obama is incorrect when he says that all faiths commit to love one another and be each other’s keeper. This is an example of using biblical terminology as a form of godliness but denying its power. That statement uttered by Cain after murdering his brother and disobediently flung at God is ripped apart from its proper context in Genesis 4:9, and thus it is stripped of meaning and devoid of Spirit. They are godly words with no power.
The bottom line is that all other faiths deny love because they deny God, who IS love. (1 John 4:8). The concept of Godly love does not unite us as Americans. It unites us as only as Christians, because brotherly love through Christ is non-existent in all other faiths.
Additionally, in the past, Obama has said that the Muslim Koran is ‘holy’. No Christian names a book of satanic lies ‘holy’. Only the bible is holy because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Obama has mocked the bible, satirically denying the authority of several scriptures in the Old Testament and casting doubt on the truth of the word. What a person thinks of the bible is an outward indicator of what he thinks of God.
Obama has said that the prettiest sound on earth is the call to Arabic prayer. In a NY Times interview in 2007, “Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it’ll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”
He recited the prayer in that same interview. The prayer states that “Allah is most great, there I bear witness that is none worthy of being worshiped except Allah.”
The prayer itself may sound pretty, but the God-hatred behind it in its words is blasphemous in the extreme. No Christian can call that pretty nor would even recite it unless to state immediately afterwards that it is a lie from the pit of hell and that there in truth is none worthy to worship except Jesus.
For example, the Ave Maria is a beautiful aria especially when it’s sung by Luciano Pavarotti. But I can’t listen to it any more because it is a Catholic prayer which says, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death. Amen.”
Mary is not a prayer intercessor in heaven for us. Only Jesus is. (1 Timothy 2:5). If I was to sing it I’d be blaspheming the true Intercessor. The words are what is important. How can one call a particular song or prayer pretty, even though it sounds good, when the words are saying the worst things against God?
He has never mentioned his conversion testimony. (Psalm 18:2; Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 3:15). He doesn’t speak of sin, submission to a resurrected Jesus, or Jesus as the only way. When presented with an opportunity to let the name of Jesus shine behind him on a pediment from which he was speaking at Georgetown University, Obama instead asked for it to be covered over before he would agree to speak there. Matthew 10:33 says that ‘whoever denies Me before people I will deny in heaven.’
Obama believes in and encourages abortion and homosexual marriage. Babies in the womb are people whom God formed and we are commanded not to kill (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16, Exodus 21:22-25) and marriage defined by God is a sacred institution designed by God in order to bring Him glory. Whenever marriage is mentioned it is always between a man and a woman. (Genesis 2:24, 1 Corinthians 7:2-16, Ephesians 5:23-33)
He does not attend church, saying it would be a distraction to others. Yet both Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter worshiped regularly when they were President. While a person’s church attendance or involvement does not determine their entrance into heaven, the Bible does emphasize the importance of Christian fellowship in a local church. (Hebrews 10:25).
Does a Christian cover the name of Jesus, call the Koran holy, recite an Allah prayer without accompanying refutation of it as untruth, twist scripture, support abortion and homosexual marriage, mock the holy bible, and equalize all religions?
Is Obama a Muslim? I don’t think he is that either. But that‘s a post for another day.
Ultimately we can use the resources above as guideposts for our own faith. I read Dr. MacArthur’s list with myself in mind before I wrote this essay about Obama. We will never know another person’s heart nor what the future may bring for them (conversion?! one can hope). The main point here is that just because a person calls himself a Christian, just because they cite Jesus, does not mean that they are a Christian.
We will all have to account to Jesus for every careless word, (Matthew 12:36-37) including any words we spoke that used Jesus as a vehicle for personal, political, or professional glory. So here is a synopsis of the list so you can check your own self, and if you go to the link there are several other resources there too. Check yourself to see if you are in a saving faith of belief in a resurrected Jesus. As for the others whom you suspect are professing an empty, dead faith, pray for them.
1. Visible Morality 2. Intellectual Knowledge 3. Religious Involvement 4. Active Ministry 5. Conviction of Sin 6. The Feeling of Assurance 7. A Time of Decision
1. Love for God 2. Repentance from Sin 3. Genuine Humility 4. Devotion to God’s Glory 5. Continual Prayer 6. Selfless Love 7. Separation from the World 8. Spiritual Growth 9. Obedience
I got a chuckle out of the genteel jab at the President by Cambodia’s First Lady. So much of diplomacy is non-verbal ritual. I’ve noted Obama’s bowing to Arab kings and faux pas with the other leaders in terms of non-verbal signals. Now the Cambodian First Lady comes along but she does not make a faux pas but instead makes a pointed non-verbal remark.
First, a short explanation of what the bowing and pressed hands means. Emphasis mine
Wikipedia “The Sampeah is a Cambodian greeting or a way of showing respect. It is very similar to the Thai wai and the Indian Añjali Mudrā/namasté. While performing the sampeah, the person places his palms together in a prayer-like fashion while bowing slightly. The higher the hands and the lower the bow, the more respect is shown.
This is how Bun Rany, Cambodia’s first lady, gives President Obama a “sampeah” greeting at a tilt usually reserved for servants. Read More At IBD
Bun Rany, Cambodia’s first lady, gives President Obama a “sampeah” greeting at a tilt usually reserved for servants.
Joel Rosenberg has a measured and sober reaction essay. He asks,
“Is the implosion of America more or less likely now?“ “Many evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics are stunned and grieving by the fact that the President’s support for abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, massive deficits and national debt, nationalized health care, and large defense cuts have been ratified by the majority of the American people, as has his policies of appeasing the mullahs in Iran, misreading and mishandling the Arab Spring, and creating distance and daylight between the U.S. and Israel.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ChantryNotes has a good piece, examining
1. The reelection of President Obama demonstrates the wickedness of America. Make no mistake about it: a vote for the President was a wicked act. 2. The reelection of President Obama demonstrates the stupidity of America. The Scriptures teach that sin makes us stupid. 3. The reelection of President Obama demonstrates God’s judgment on America. It’s pretty hard to overstate how bad this election is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I posted this earlier, from Pastor Phil Andrukaitis, pastor of First Baptist Church at South Portland Maine, a state which is reeling from its first-ever successful initiative legalizing homosexual marriage.
“Now What?” So, how’s that cup of coffee tasting this morning as you listen to the election and referendum results?”
We are rightly and deeply concerned. We must pray that God will change President Obama’s heart on a host of issues, ranging from the sanctity of unborn life to the integrity of marriage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So enjoy and keep reading scripture. Remember, Jesus is building His church anddn the gates of hell will not prevail against it!
Two separate newscasts report that the town of Seaside Heights NJ is under martial law.
1:08 minute in
50 seconds in
The reaction on Twitter-verse was the usual wit laced with some Macabre humor:
“As fun as it is watching NJ steadily creep toward martial law after Sandy, I think I’ll try to fly to Columbus today. Football is the cure.” Ramzy Nasrallah @ramzy
“NJ declares martial law in desperate attempt to stop me as I collect fallen branches to throw on cars of those who doubted me in high school.” Cory snearofwushjki @corysnearowski
“Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis.Martial law is usually imposed on a temporary basis when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively (e.g., maintain order and security, or provide essential services), when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law becomes widespread.”
“In most cases, military forces are deployed to subdue the crowds, to secure government buildings and key or sensitive locations, and to maintain order. Generally, military personnel replace civil authorities and perform some or all of their functions. In full-scale martial law, the highest-ranking military officer would take over, or be installed, as the military governor or as head of the government, thus removing all power from the previous executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.”
The situation in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is dire. Many places look like a war zone, and what comes with war zones is chaos. Hence, the Martial Law to restore order. Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures, I guess.
“Hurricane Sandy is another reminder of just how incredibly fragile the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted on a daily basis really is.”
One twitter comment along those same lines struck me:
M. @MKriegbaumJr: “Seeing what essentially is martial law surrounding gas situation in NYC/NJ area is what the world will be like if catastrophic event hits.”
Indeed. One hurricane and a few days later, people are reduced to animals, pooping, fighting, scrambling for food. I had written last Tuesday in the height of the storm, “Anyway, as millions upon millions are discovering now, living on any floor above, say fifth, means a lot of walking up and down stairs. No elevators. No running water. That means you have to lug water up, if you can even find any. No flushing, unless you stored water ahead of time and can use it to flush the toilet. No food, or if you find some, you have to lug it up. If you go out on the street there are a lot of other tired, desperate, hungry, thirsty people. There were twitter meet ups planning a mass looting, so it is even more dangerous than usual to be out and about. Then cabin fever sets in. What to do with the kids for days on end inside an apartment with no internet, tv, or PlayStation? And where would you even go? The subways aren’t running, along with bus and most likely, cabs. The streets are littered with tree limbs, flood sludge, dangling electrical wires, and debris. Even if you want to get out and about it is impossible and dangerous. … So the city is a bad place in the best of times. It is downright survival UNfriendly in the worst of times.”
That wasn’t a prophetic statement. It was a realistic statement.
The LORD knew we were not ready for cities. He told Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. (Genesis 1:28). But they didn’t. After the flood Noah to go throughout the world and be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 9:1). But they didn’t. In one famous case, Noah’s great-grandson Nimrod collected the people into one city, Babel. So God He stopped the city-making at Babel and disbanded the people. (Gen 11:5-7).
With a veneer of civilization over us we tend to forget how full of sin we are. We forget how close to the surface it is. We do not think of how easily our sin will come out. All the imaginations of the unrenewed heart are sinful. (Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21). All.
Did that man in the gas line who pulled a gun think that a week ago he would be tempted to take another man’s life? Did he envision any circumstance in which he would be arrested and awaiting trial for his crime? Likely not. The Queens blog says that the man allegedly pulled a gun just because he didn’t want to wait in line. He allegedly wanted to cut, so he could fill up his BMW before everyone else.
We’re sinners. When pressed, and not too much either, sin comes out fast and hard.
So for this next thought, as we transition into this part of my essay, is to think about some words I’ve already used, anarchy and chaos.
“A presidential transition or presidential interregnum refers to the period of time between the end of a presidential election and the inauguration of a new President of a country. During this time the incoming President usually designates new government personnel, including selecting new Cabinet positions and government department or agency heads.In the United States, during a presidential transition, the outgoing “lame duck” President has lost many of the intangible benefits of a Presidency (e.g., being perceived as the default leader on issues of national importance) but the incoming President-elect is not yet legally empowered to effect policy. This ambiguity in the roles of the President-elect and outgoing President creates the potential for a leadership vacuum, which may be most acutely felt during wartime or times of economic crisis.” [emphasis mine]
Our nation has been a beacon of light in terms of what democracy can do with the support of the people and an informed electorate. We have shown the world that no matter what happens to our President, we can institute an orderly transition from one man to the next. Whether from assassination, unexpected death, impeachment, voting irregularities, or resignation, we have always gone from one President to the other without civil unrest, chaos, or the application of martial law.
I believe that time is over.
I usually don’t speculate on the blog because I want to stay biblically grounded. Also, I don’t like to add to the general confusion and anxiety. But in my opinion this is a serious time.
I read people saying things like ‘I can’t wait for this election to be over and Obama is out.’ Given the nature of sin, the nature of the times, and the nature of the man we have come to know as Obama, do we actually think that if Obama loses he will participate in an orderly transition from the most highest position in the world down to obscurity? Really? I don’t. I think the times are over when we can expect anything that has gone before to continue going as before, and this includes political processes.
When was the last time Congress really worked? When anything got accomplished? They haven’t even passed a Federal budget in years.
Do we really think that Obama, the most arrogant man in the world, the most hateful in terms of actively destroying America, will actually leave office with the job unfinished? Do we really think that a little piece of paper, or historical tradition, will stop him from simply enacting martial law and staying in power?
I hope it does not happen. I really do. I am proud of our hundreds of years of orderly transitions in both Congress and the Presidential office. But we need to stop thinking that these are normal times. Men are increasingly sinful. If a NY Yuppie would pull a gun just so he could get gas into his BMW what would the most evil president we’ve ever had do to get what he wants?
This is the man who campaigned on instituting civil national security force. He said in 2008, “We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” (July 2, 2008, in Colorado Springs, Colorado).
Now one reason I don’t like to speculate is that people take conspiracies and run with them. Viral emails are even now circulating that claim that Obama has signed 900 Executive Orders, that they add up to creating a platform to an easily implemented martial law. Liberal sites claim that Obama is doing no such thing. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth. But the truth is hard to find these days.
But even the site FactCheck.org admits that “It’s true that President Obama is increasingly using his executive powers in the face of staunch Republican opposition in Congress. He’s changed federal policies on immigration and welfare and appointed officials without congressional approval.” However the site claims that “Obama’s executive actions have nothing to do with martial law.”
FactCheck.org (an extremely liberal site, remember) does state that Obama is “sidestepping Congress through his ‘We Can’t Wait’ initiative, a series of executive actions that he says benefit the middle class through infrastructure projects and economic policy changes.” He did the same when he created the DREAM Act.
A new Executive Order that was signed last week adds fuel to the fire. On October 26, 2012, Obama signed, “Establishing the White House Homeland Security Partnership Council“. The Order tightens Department of Homeland Security ties with local law enforcement and other federal agencies.
Joseph Farah of World Net Daily (a conservative site I do not usually cite or read or use), said of this Order,
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If Barack Obama is re-elected Nov. 6 for a second term, he will declare a full-scale war on his domestic opposition. There may not be another free and fair election in America. I would expect due process to go the way of the horse and buggy. I think he will move to shut down and destroy all independent media. In fact, I think his biggest critics will be rounded up in the name of national security. Last week, for instance, with little fanfare, Obama issued an executive order establishing something that sounds so innocent on the surface – but it could prove to be a vehicle for the kind of political putsch I am describing.”
“It establishes the “White House Homeland Security Partnership Council.” What’s the purpose? As Obama put it, to advance the federal government’s use of local partnerships to address homeland-security challenges. He claims to be doing it under the authority of the Constitution. Why is such a council needed? Don’t we already have a Department of Homeland Security that works with local governments? Of course we do.”
As I’ve said, I don’t like to run with conspiracies. However, we have to be realistic. If Martial Law was called in some parts of New Jersey after just a couple of days without power and fuel, what might happen if Popocatépetl Volcano in Mexico were to erupt and millions of Mexican citizens were to stream north as refugees to America? Or if the New Madrid fault were to let go and millions of Americans in the central US were to be facing a worse catastrophic situation than NY/NJ in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy? Or if the earthquakes along the western coastline and British Columbia were to raze Seattle? Or if an EMP were to be loosed over the United States in a terror attack? If any of these situations that we are currently facing were to happen imminently, what are the chances of an orderly transition? The catastrophes are going to keep coming, and they will only increase. There is already a Nor’easter forecast to soon hit Hurricane ravaged areas, though it will not be as severe. It is forecast to bring cold rain and high winds, with snow further inland. Those are woes to people already cold and hungry, and worse still for those without shelter.
As I’ve said before, it is a long time between November 6th and any inauguration that would install the successful candidate. And it would be a long, long four years if Obama were to be re-elected. (If the rapture doesn’t take us first).
It is a hard ministry, this. On the one hand I am called to watch and warn. To report what I see and point to impending doom. On the other hand I point to Jesus and assure believers that they need not worry. In sum, what I do is to say “Doom is coming! But don’t worry!” It is a fine line. But it is also a fact, the bible says that things will go from bad to worse. (2 Timothy 3:13; 2 Timothy 2:16, Matthew 24:12)
In Matthew 24:12 Jesus said that love will grow cold. The Greek here is plēthýnō – properly, made full, especially to maximum capacity (potential); hence, “multiplied; to increase, multiply”.
In other words, as the end time nears its conclusion, coldness in our hearts will increase until its full capacity. People are never going to get nicer than they are today. Tomorrow they will be worse. And worse, and worse, until they are completely mean in the Tribulation when the Holy Spirit does not even restrain their sin any longer. (2 Thessalonians 2:7).
We have every reason to claim that this period of election and power transfer might not go as expected according to law or tradition. Alternately, we have every reason to claim that that no matter what happens, Jesus is in control.
So on the one hand we have legitimate biblical reasons to be pessimists on earth. On the other, we have eternal reasons to be optimists; for heaven is our hope!
We have the Gospel which brings joy:
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11).
We have the Word which brings joy:
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16).
We have His promises of joy which bring us joy:
“I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.” (Psalms 132:16)
And we have joy because of JESUS!
“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:11)
So though we expect worse and waxing worse because the bible says this will occur, we hope for the best, which is our Holy Jesus delivering us out of this present world into His beautiful heaven. Maranatha!
I’ve been wrestling, and wrestling hard about the upcoming American Presidential vote. I abhor the current political system, the two parties, and the corruption that is Congress.
I loathe the two candidates, based on spiritual qualifications. Obama is an abomination and Romney is lost and deluded, an enemy of God, being a Mormon. Charles Spurgeon said, “Of the lesser of two evils, choose neither.”
However, standing on the sidelines as a Christian doesn’t seem right, either. The first century Christians lived under a horrible dictator who burned them alive, yet the Word says we are to submit to all governing authorities. (Romans 13:1). This is because God is the ultimate governing authority who sets up kings and takes them down. Rebelling against government is rebelling against God. (Romans 13:2b)
It also didn’t seem right to remain on the sidelines as an American. God, in His providence and wisdom, created me at this time and in this nation, where we do have freedom to speak, worship, and vote. I would not want to squander the gifts and opportunities He gave me, and since I am a free American, I have a right and a duty and a privilege to participate in the government He set me up in.
To play devil’s advocate on myself, though, there is a limit to submission to governing authorities. My friend Pastor Phil Andrukaitis wrote in his sermon series, A Biblical Perspective on Politics, quoting John Piper here. “Scripture supports and prohibits civil disobedience. There are limits when it comes to submitting to horizontal authorities. Therefore, [John Piper said] “subjection to governing authorities is subjective, not absolute; it depends on whether the demands of the governing authorities require the Christian to disobey Jesus Christ”. Have we passed that limit? Are still within the boundaries of that limit? It is up to each Christian to make that determination for him or herself.
How do I balance my heavenly citizenship with my national citizenship?
I am not a fan of the current revival movements that focus on America as a political entity. I mean those movements that call for returning America back to a Christian nation, the ‘America for Jesus’ rallies, praying for America so that we would be reset to ‘original factory conditions.’ Blogger Erin Benzinger calls this ‘patriotic idolatry‘, and I agree. People who call for America’s return to Jesus have no idea how far the Founding Fathers were from the true God and Holy Jesus. John Adams was the most thoughtful, the most curious and the most studied about the things of God. He denied the Trinity, writing to Thomas Jefferson in 1813, “Had you and I been forty days with Moses on Mount Sinai, and been admitted to behold the divine Shekinah, and there told that one was three and three one, we might not have had courage to deny it, but we could not have believed it.”
Pastor Andrukaitis explained that we are citizens of heaven, but until we’re raptured or resurrected, we are also citizens of a nation here on earth. He said, “Paul and Silas beautifully illustrated their understanding of their dual citizenship when they were unjustly beaten, mistreated, and thrown into a Philippian jail. What were Paul and Silas’ reactions? They prayed and sang songs to God (Acts 16:25).”
So I am presented with a quandary…I have a national right and a God-given duty to participate in a corrupt process and thus choose between two men that at their soul-level are ungodly. This is a hard thing.
Then I listened to a 4 minute clip from an essay that’s based on two sermons John MacArthur preached last week called The Campaign for Immorality. The link is to the summary of two sermons, the first sermon is:
Dr MacArthur doesn’t talk about politics as much as he lays out the case that America is actively campaigning for judgment according to the process in Romans 1. He has spoken of this before. He has been essentially saying the same thing all along, that Divine Judgment comes when a nation rejects the basic platforms and institutions God set forth. Government, family and the Church are the three institutions God set up by Divine decree. MacArthur has been warning for years now that America is under that judgment due to our having rejected those institutions and have descended into immorality as a permeating and institutionalized level.
But this year, this time, it is really bad. In his two sermons, MacArthur shows through the bible how the two political parties, particularly one party, is engaging in a process that will drive us straight off the cliff of Judgment. He attended both Conventions and he returned to his home town stunned and aghast at how closely Romans 1 is being lived out by the decision makers in America today.
For example, taking God out of the Democratic platform, legalizing abortion, homosexual marriages, feminism, and other related government sanctioned behaviors that infringe on God’s territory show us how close we are to that judgment.
It is this that he preaches on.
In the excerpt of the essay, The Campaign for Immorality, Dr MacArthur said the following, which helped me decide what to do about voting. I put in bold the parts that especially helped me come to a decision about my vote. I hope it helps you. Here is the excerpt:
————-begin MacArthur————-
“I’m not one to talk about politics as such, but I was essentially amazed that one of the historic parties here in the United States adopted the sins of Romans 1 as their platform. This is a new day in our country. Parties which used to differ on economics now differ dramatically on issues that invade the realm of God’s law and morality.”
“In an ideal situation, their platform would mean that the government passes out condoms so people can fornicate at will. For those who happen to get pregnant in the process, platform advocates that you kill the baby at the will of the mother, up and including the ninth month.”
“At the same time, it advocates a homosexual marriage, which is an oxymoron, an utter impossibility, and a gross violation of the law of God. And then to add to that, the murder of abortion, and then a platform originally leaving God out. All of that’s Romans 1. Romans 1 says God will judge, God has judged throughout human history, nations that experience sexual freedom. Romans chapter 1 lays that out clearly: the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against those who advocate sexual freedom, sexual conduct outside of marriage. And that’s an indication of the demise of a nation.”
“And then Romans 1 also says that God will judge those nations that advocate homosexual behavior, men with men, women with women, doing what is unnatural. They are also haters of God, haters of God–leaving God out, advocating abortion, advocating homosexuality, advocating free sexual conduct and government-provided condoms so that everybody can do what they want. That is literally creating a platform out of what God hates.”
“This is not about politics, although there are things we could talk about. You’re not voting for a pastor, you’re not voting for a spiritual leader, you’re voting for someone who has some sense of morality. Since the Bible says that the role of government is to punish evil doers and protect the good, you better have somebody in power who understands what is good and what is evil. And if you think homosexuality, abortion, sexual freedom, hating God are not evil, then you better go back and check your Bible again. How can people with that kind of agenda protect those who do good and punish those who do evil? That’s Romans 13’s definition of the role of government. We could talk about foreign policies, should we protect as many defenseless people from evil aggressors as possible? We could talk about economics, Is it right to get into irreparable debt? Is that responsibility? We could talk about that.”
‘We could talk about the economics of if you don’t work, you don’t eat, which is what the Bible says. But those things are not what concern me. And I’ve seen something happen in these conventions that is just stunning. The adaptation of a Romans 1 platform, sexual freedom, homosexuality on an equal level with marriage, the murder of infants, and the elimination of God.”
“And by the way, I didn’t like it any better when they put God back in because that’s blasphemy. To connect God with that agenda is a horror, it’s a horror. It’s taking His name in vain. In fact, I don’t think God should be in either agenda (applause). But when you have an advocacy of support for the slaughter of infants and homosexuality, complete sexual freedom, you have a formula for divine judgment. If we have any sense of justice, if we have any sense of righteousness, if we want to make a little bit of a voice heard about what is right and about the role of government being to punish evil doers and protect the people who do right, then we better step up. I’m not sure what God has in the future, but I do know we can take His side and give Him honor.”
—————end MacArthur—————
Pastor Andrukaitis ended his message about this upcoming election this way, “Therefore, when we enter the voting booth on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 or submit an absentee ballot prior to Election Day, remember that there is a day when each of us will give an account to God for our decisions. Please, choose wisely.”
For me, the quandary about whether to even enter the voting booth and vote has been resolved. The quandary on who to vote for has also been answered.
I hope that this information, or the wealth of Christian information out there helps you resolve any dilemmas you may have on this upcoming election.
the-end-time.org 