Rapture, Preppers, and Tyrrany

I remember reading Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth’s Last Days for the first time over ten years ago.  It was a popular read among home schoolers, church goers, etc. and easily sucked readers into the well written series.  Its a captivating concept, but one that I have always struggled with and debated in the peer group.  And by no means am I suggesting that a rapture of some form won’t take place at some time of God’s choosing, I am describing the consequences that have come about because of issues of the heart among Christian culture.  What is interesting is the concept of “rapture”, that is this idea that before anything really bad happens all believers will be pulled up to heaven.  Perhaps this will happen one day, Scripture does not make this very clear in terms of timing or form, but here are some consequences of falling blindly into this belief– and these consequences are seen in other areas as well.  But first let us consider a few things.

The benefits of Liberty in the USA.  Liberty in the form of individual freedoms always create wealth.  Historically the USA has become the most wealthy of all nations because of free capitalism lead by morally upright men.  The focus over the years as a nation has instead of protecting Liberty (see Ron Paul’s sign off speech) indulged in its results: wealth and well being– “let us focus on the almighty dollar!”  Without delving on the biblical grounds of biblical liberty, consider that Christian culture has lost its understanding of Liberty.  Liberty is not something that simply happens– it requires a morally upright people to stand up and ensure it exists!

Rapturism has instead infiltrated Christian cutlture and given it only more excuses not to act.  Consider the consequence of believing such a concept in a time of huge government expansion.  I don’t believe it to be random coincidence that as these books were released Christian voters became even more pacified and consumed with individual gain as the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive wars, the Patriot Act, and the TSA exploded into existence.  It was almost as if the forces of darkness behind the scenes primed Christian culture with rapturism as a belief, set the stage for terrorist acts and thus reason for expanding the government, and then acted on it with no resistence from the only force that should have said NO, Christians.  The run away belief of rapture apart from bibical grounding destroys the active participation of the morally upright, for if you believe that before anything bad will happen that you will be pulled out, there is no reason to do anything other than indulge in the lingering benefits of what was once fought for and upheld over the years by the morally upright of the past: our Founding Fathers.

Consider history now.  2 kings 6:24-31, “²⁴ Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁵ There was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ^[m]kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. ²⁶ As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” ²⁷ He said, “^[n]If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” ²⁸ And the king said to her, “What ^[o]is the matter with you?” And she ^[p]answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹ So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” ³⁰ When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth ^[q]beneath on his ^[r]body. ³¹ Then he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ^[s]remains on him today.””

Do you suppose that preparation for such things as a blizzard, times of famine, power outage, siege are an unbiblical thing?  Consider also the story of Joseph in Genesis in which Egypt is about to face an incredible famine.  What do they do?  They prepare by storing up for themselves food such as grain.  It is not a foreign concept in the Bible, Christian.  Why do we instead during times of economic crisis still indulge in absurd wastes of time like the super bowl, football, computer games, movies, and yet there is not an ounce spent on preparing for the consequences of a tyrannical government and the results of an out of control monetary system?

Does the future of our loved ones not matter to us that we instead fall for rapturism? indulgences in wealth?  Does the story of canabalism in 2 kings not remind us of the consequences of ill preparedness?

It is time to stand up, Christian.  A dollar is only as good as the man who guarantees it– and we have seen how good that guarrantee has stood up in places like Greece, Spain and others including Hurricane striken New York in recent months that have fallen into depression and starvation because of the beliefs of the affected individuals mentioned above, or lack of moral conviction.

A Christian Majority: The American Demise

Consider the 2008 Gallup poll surveying the population in America: “The percentage of Americans who identify with some form of a Christian religion has been dropping in recent decades, and now stands at 77%.”

Seventy-seven percent is a majority.  There are two great majorities in this country that impact the outcome of the polls every 4 years in the presidential race.  One of them is the very active minority group of homosexuals, who feel threatened and so actively participate in all things political.  The second group with huge impact and oddly with the lowest voter turnout are people who call themselves Christian.  I don’t mean to sound condescending– merely stating the fact that many call themselves Christian simply to identify with a group.  Truly the term “Christian” is what historically the followers of Christ have been called by secular societies going back to the times of Rome.  The term Christian is nowhere used in Scripture by the followers of Christ to identify themselves.  It is always an outside group characterizing, identifying, or better yet– “cataloguing” (for that is the only way people are comfortable with each other when we can fit each kind of people group into some sort of paradigm we think we understand, “oh you’re one of them.”) followers of God’s own fool as Michael Card put it way back when.  Consider the lyrics:

It seems I’ve imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God’s Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind

For even His family said He was mad
And the priest said a demon’s to blame But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane

Chorus:
When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
When we in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong

So we follow God’s own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable
Come be a fool as well

Come lose your life for a carpenter’s son
For a madman who died for a dream
Then you’ll have the faith His first followers had
And you’ll feel the weight of the beam

So surrender the hunger to say you must know
Have the courage to say, “I believe”
For the power of paradox opens your eyes
And blinds those who say they can see

Chorus

So we follow God’s own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable
Come be a fool as well

Christian culture in America is very comfortable calling Christ the wisest of all men.  Here is why a distinction is important: this philosophy permeates our outlook and world view especially when it comes to interacting with individuals and people groups that do not sit down and believe this truly in their hearts.  Let me differentiate further the wisdom of God in the form of this angry young man called Christ and a secular view of the wisdom of Christ.  If you ask anyone in America about Jesus Christ, the man 77% of the population in 2008 identify with in some way, I guarantee you they will tell you Christ was a wise prophet– something along the lines as wise as Ghandi or Plato.  “He was simply a wise man” they say.  Everyone seems to think this.  Don’t you Christian?  If there are any Christians that read this blog..  Christ the “wise man” is not the view that Scripture portrays and that is not the view that Christ Jesus takes of himself!  He calls himself one with God, “I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”  The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

How then can anyone by conventional wisdom call Jesus wise?  Imagine what current societal standards would label a man that called himself God–  A lunatic, deranged, out there, “what drug is he on?”  The list would go on.  The point of all this is to help the reader understand that 77% of the population of America cannot be truly “Christian” followers of Christ.  They don’t seem out of their mind by worldly standards.  On the contrary, most fit in quite well and thus vote for the winning team, or the lesser of two evilsm etc.  There is no free or biblical thought here.

The other reasion that I mention God’s own fool is that it is a great disgrace to biblical teaching to call one’s self “Christian” and identify with a man like George Bush, Sr and Jr, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, or Sarah Palin.  I mean, everyone else is, right?  So why not you too Christian?  These men and women in office by their actions alone do not adhere to biblical standards, nor do they seek to glorify God as representatives.  Yet, a Christian majority seems to pledge allegiance to a political party, such as the Republicans, so easily.

“One of the common failings among honorable people is a failure to appreciate how thoroughly dishonorable some other people can be, and how dangerous it is to trust them.” –Thomas Sowell

This leads to the conclusion of this argument.  The group called “Christian” voters has become so infatuated with Republican candidates, especially when there is a democrat in office, that they will believe whatever that person says.  It is a great disgrace to any thinking man to go to a rally lead by Mitt Romney and to come away with a sense of hope.  It is illogical and contradictory to biblical truth to hang on to the words of Sarah Palin or Paul Ryan and to fall for these sooth sayers because of a very sad argument that Obama has to go, or the lesser of two evils.  The wisdom of man, not of Christ, believes these things.  Like all good sin, man will rationalize and justify until such stupid arguments like these sound good enough to believe.  I have been told that because I might consider a third party or writing a representative’s name on the ballot that I am part of the problem or might get Obama re-elected– as if Mitt Romney is some how better.

The logic of it all is sickening.  The people calling themselves Christian and falling for the Republican hype are saddening.  Yet, they will belittle and make fun of people who say, “Obama got me a phone!”  You are no better Christian for casting your lot with the Republican camp so blindly!

If Christians are going to be consistent with biblical truth and the teachings of Christ they need to prepare themselves to be called like God’s own fool was.  They need to flee from the philosophy that Jesus was the wisest of all men.  He was and is the Saviour of the world.  You must believe that if you are to be called “Christian” by the outside world.  If you truly believe that Christ is Lord, and not just Lord, but LORD: Yahweh, your world view will translate completely different.  Church isn’t simply something you do on Sundays.  It becomes more.  Its the reason Islam is so powerful and influential today– because Islam isn’t just something you do on Sundays.  It is a world view!  It permeates every thought and thing you do if you are a Muslim.  Christianity today can be liked to just another American flavor.  The truth of Christ as presented in the actions of Christian Voters is just something to be stepped over.  It carries no strength to it.  If Christianity was truly a world view a man like Mitt Romney would not be praised in the churches across the nation.  It is precisely because God was not their world view that the Hebrews, who wandered in the desert for 40 years remained in the desert— every year they voted for Sarah Palin, then Guliani, then George Bush again, then Mitt Romney while with condescension they looked down on the democrats.  Look at the historic parallels!  Here we are in America with a similar problem.  We are not a Christ following nation- a nation that gives glory to God.  That has long gone because of the decline of active Christianity in politics, in school, at home, at work.  Instead it has become, vote Republican, pro-war, shuffle your feet like everyone else.

Followers of Christ– however many of them are truly followers of the 77% will wander in the wildnerness just as the Hebrew nation did if they again settle for a Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

The Way of a Man (a note written to my cousin)

A man accepts his lot in life and strives towards bettering who he is in such a way as to give God the glory through honing his skills, talents, body, mind and spirit given to him by God.  It is only through testing and trials and challenges that this can be accomplished.  Such a man does not expect luxury, comfort or convenience to be owed to him– the way of a man is not easy and lacks all of these things.  A man embraces hardship then, as a way of life and improvement of self.  He is disciplined and self-controlled in all things.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence.” James 1:2-3

..and echoed again in Scripture..

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in this body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.” 1 Peter 4:1

In everything the way of a man is to beat his body into submission.  Men are geared physically in so many ways and our enemy knows it.  When we throw out the air conditioning, the soft pillows, the sleeping in, and make ourselves PT in the mornings, climb the highest peak, look the other way when an indecent woman walks by– when we do these things we are beating our body into submission and arming ourselves to do battle in America.  The only way to find strength in doing this is by reading and studying Scripture.  When I say study, I mean don’t just read a chapter here and there.  Read the entire book when you sit down, for example, read the entire book of James- not just a chapter.  Read the enture book of 1 Peter.  Sometimes it is good to catch a chapter here and there throughout the day, but really read the entire book and see what the author is saying.  Make time for it and feed the fire that gives us the will to fight.

Demand only the hardest and harshest from yourself.  You train yourself to be a man or live simply as a male.

The AMA – Murder by Injection

Interesting article and video interview of Eustice Mullins regarding his book titled Murder by Injection.

“Today, we suffer from a host of debilitating ailments, both mental and physical, nearly all of which can be traced directly to the operations of the chemical and drug monopoly and which pose the greatest threat to our continued existence as a nation.” -Mullins

 

Remembering Whose We Are

Christians were ment to lead the way!  Instead we have backslided in every way.  Our churchs borrow money instead of save for projects.  Our home life looks exactly like the world’s.  We watch the same tv shows.  We vote for the same pagan republicans.  We send our children to the same athiestic institutes.  We know more about Brittany Spears and Lady Gaga than we do about our own Constitution!  We don’t go to God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, as our how to guide for everything..  We are no different.

“We were made to be courageous
We were made to lead the way
We could be the generation
That finally breaks the chains
We were made to be courageous
We were made to be courageous

We were warriors on the front lines
Standing, unafraid
But now we’re watchers on the sidelines
While our families slip away

Where are you, men of courage?
You were made for so much more
Let the pounding of our hearts cry
We will serve the Lord

We were made to be courageous
And we’re taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we’ll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

This is our resolution
Our answer to the call
We will love our wives and children
We refuse to let them fall

We will reignite the passion
That we buried deep inside
May the watchers become warriors
Let the men of God arise

We were made to be courageous
And we’re taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we’ll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

Seek justice
Love mercy
Walk humbly with your God

In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand

In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand

We were made to be courageous
And we’re taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we’ll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

We were made to be courageous
Lord, make us courageous”

-Casting Crowns

Government Control or Out of Control?

If you haven’t heard of the ATF scandal called “Fast and Furious” its not too late to dig in to the investigation.  Basically, the ATF has been moving guns to the otherside of the Mexican border.  Then armed mexican drug runners use those guns on American citizens, on other Mexican drug runners, innocent people, etc.  The end result is more chaos on the border.

This fits in well with our current political system as it now gives hot air, good for nothing candidates, who are otherwise empty calories something to say, “hey, vote for me and I’ll get the border fixed.”

Just one thought.  Either way you have an out of control government clamping down on American citizens.  Controlling and out of control.

Read one of many articles on the ATF scandal at bloomberg at at Infowars.com.

The Christian that drove me away

“The following is a comment from a recent Catch on the Old and New Covenants. I appreciate especially the pastor who walked and talked the gospel and led this person to Christ through a friendship. I also like “if God can love and accept someone like me; there is no one out there He can’t love!” I think we should all feel that way. And then I couldn’t resist “starting to become the Christian that drove me away.”

Thank you John for sharing this catch! I too grew up in the church; but I ran because of Christians who acted this way. I affectionately called them ‘hippy critts.’ They talked about God’s grace, but then turned it all back to people. I steadfastly refused to go near the church (and I tried to avoid Christians too) until I was 31 yrs old! In January 1996, I met a pastor (reluctantly) who became a good friend and showed me Jesus. He lived the grace that Jesus bought us with His blood. On June 16,1996 I surrendered my life to Jesus and nothing has been the same since!

Your catch today hit me because I realized as I was reading: I was starting to become the Christian that drove me away. Yes I still believe in grace; but my actions and words sure don’t show it!

Thank you again! God has used this catch to help me refocus and to remind me where I come from and how I got here! I can tell you: if God can love and accept someone like me, there is no one out there He can’t love! Thanks to Him, I can love and accept anyone just where they are just as they are!”

Ron Paul Revolution

The debate continues… Ron Paul versus the system and all of its mediocre, canned answer, corrupt candidates.

See some of the highlights. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMmVwW8h4Ho

Thoughts on “America’s missing middle” for Vote 2012

In the article titled, “America’s missing middle” by The Economist, 5 November 2011, the question as to why we do not have a middle party despite all of the partisan nonsense that goes on is addressed as such, “In other countries such a huge gap in the middle would see the creation of a third party to represent the alienated majority.  Imagine a presidential candidate next year who spelled out the need for deep future cuts in spending on entitlements and defence, as well as the need to raise some revenue (largely by getting rid of deductions); who explained that the pain would be applied only after the recovery was solidly in place; who avoided class or culture wars; who discussed school reform without fear of the Democrats’ paymasters in the teachers’ unions.”

My thoughts immediatly turn to Ron Paul.  This guy has been a ten term congressman.  He has a spotless voting record.  He tells you exactly what he’s thinking regarding a legal (Constitutional) approach.  Ron Paul tells you exactly how to get out of debt: cut spending, cut useless departments, bring home the troops.  He is the candidate that has the common sense answers that pull the rug right out from under the lobbyists, the special interest groups, the bureaucrats, etc.  He is pro individual liberty, pro-business, pro-American.  What more do we need than a man who will act on principle?

All arguments against Dr. Paul are empty and absurd.  Consider the following (feel free to comment in your argument against him): He is unelectable.  According to the special interest groups who don’t want him in office!  According to powerful bureaucrats and the players in Washington manipulating the news behind the scenes!

When will Americans wake up and stop making excuses as to why they cannot vote on principle?  Every year it is the same old story..  “I’m going to vote for this hot airbag because he is the lesser of two evils.”  “I’m going to vote for this candidate that I don’t whole heartedly agree with because I want my party to win.”  “I’m going to vote on this guy because I like the way he makes me feel.”

All nonsense.  Nothing will change in the course America is takign down hill if we do not wake up to the Consitutional message men like Ron Paul are bringing.  In 2012 will we see the creation of a third party that actually represents the people?  It starts with the way you think.  Then with the way you vote.  Stop being influenced by corporate media, peer pressure, party pressure, etc.  Vote on principle!  Vote in your representative!  Not another phony.

The CDC and Molestation Charges

On October 11th an “official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been arrested and charged with two counts of child molestation and one count of bestiality, police said.”  Why does this matter other than ensuring that justice is met out on the individual?  Well for starters, what is the CDC and how does it impact the lives of children?  As Dr. Mercola aptly puts it, “I believe it’s relevant to be aware that someone in charge of your child’s health is allegedly engaged in child abuse. Her actions raise serious questions in my mind about her level of concern for the health and well-being of children in general.”

I’m continually confused by the masses of individuals, who allow the CDC or other corrupt organizations to dictate what is healthy and “safe” for their children.  The CDC for example, has a history of corruption with all of its top executives being former pharmaceutical employees.  Talk about conflict of interest.  What boggles my mind further is the coctail of chemicals that the CDC says is safe, consisting of mercury, aluminum, live viruses, formaldehyde, anti-freeze, anti-biotics, gets directly injected on the otherside of the immune system’s front line, the skin!  But its “safe”.

The CDC is no better for your children than its corrupt individuals are, who dictate unhealthy chemicals and behaviors from behind desks of pharma bribery.  The vaccines they prescribe do nothing more than molest an otherwise healthy immune system.

No where in history has any vaccine ever been successful in fighting disease.  The greatest success against disease has always come in the form of sanitation.  I will argue anyone down to the ground that this is the case.  If you are a Christian lets go back to Leviticus.  What does God say about moldy homes? Washing after sex? Avoiding certain types of meats?  If you are a historian look at the record!  Vaccines were always introduced after sanitation had already made an impact.  Clean water, sewer systems, elevated floors, rodent control, balanced diet–  guess what? Diseases disappear under these circumstances.  Vaccines have nothing to do with it!  They are nothing more than a corporate scam to get you to come back for more and do nothing but line the pockets of Mercedes driving Doctors and thrill seaking nurses.

The Vaccination scam is driven purely by fear.  There are no rational arguments for them.  This Doctor Lindsey, who has been accussed of molesting a child twice is not interested in how healthy your child is.  She is concerned for her career.  Keep the dollars rolling by jabbing children.  That is the  bottom line.  Why do you vaccinate your children?  I will show you it is only because you are afraid.  Fear is an excellent motivator to get the crowd moving.  Like sheep being led to slaughter is this nation as it marches to the pediatricians office on a vaccine schedule.

Consider also a friend of mine currently training to be a history major.  Her professor is handing out extra credit to her students who get the flu vaccine.  It is all a scam and it is purely driven by hollywood type fear.  Consider the movies– Outbreak in 1995, or the more recent 2011 flick, Contagion.  Nothing like any of this has ever occured or ever will occur!  Yet, the masses will go to these films and leave germiphobes– playing into the hands of pharmacuetical companies and keeping the current system in power.

I don’ t understand how Christians of all people can fall for this?  They partake of the world like its just a matter of fact.  The system is not even biblical!  It contradicts godly living on so many fronts.  Many of the vaccines are grown from aborted babies.  Oh yeah, the CDC just loves children.  They molest them, they support the abortion of them, and they love the fact that you keep coming back for more.

Christians cannot live in fear.  Christians cannot support abortion.  Christian are you reading the ingredients in the food you consume?  Christians wake up!  Drive the nation you live in and stop following blindly the whore called the world..  It’s no wonder Christianity has no impact.  It has lost its saltiness.  It does what the rest of the world does.  Watches the same television shows, football games, eats the same corporate garbage food, gets the same heavy metal vaccines, votes for the “greater good.”

Where there is a salty Christian and I will show you change through his lifestyle.