 One of the interesting things that is often overlooked by those studying the decline of the true Church and the Word of God in a society is how persecution begins and grows. The persecution that follows is often carried out by the apostate church that aligns itself with society rather than with God’s Word. One of the things I will predict (and it is kind of unfair for me to call it a prediction - because it is more like a re-visit to what has already happened in history) is that when persecution breaks out against the true Church in the United States, it will often be carried out by the apostate church that aligns itself with our immoral culture.
A quick visit to Biblical history may be informative. Once Israel was delivered from Egypt, the majority of the problems and difficulties for Moses and those representing the true work of God came from the religious sector of Israel. The group led by Dathan and Abiram wanted a religion which morphed with what they did in Egypt. They were very uncomfortable with the radical laws and ways being given by Jehovah God. David’s problems stemmed as much from Saul who did not follow God fully than they did the ungodly nations that surrounded them. The people who killed the prophets were the apostate Jews who had perverted the worship of Jehovah with the customs of the nations. And who was it that eventually turned Jesus over to the Roman authorities to carry out their murderous designs - oh, that’s right, it was the Jewish religious authorities. In Acts 22:4 Paul remembered that he had “persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prison.” Where did Paul get the authority to do this? He got it from the Jewish religious leaders. It is a consistent thing that the ones who hold to a form of religion, but lose it’s power and the truth of the Scriptures - will be primary persecutors of those who hold fast to these things. Those who believe the gospel to be the power of God and the only way of salvation will soon be seen to be narrow minded. Those who hold to the righteousness of God shown to us in the Word of God will be seen this way as well. Cultural Christianity will reject God’s Way (the gospel) and they will also reject God’s righteousness and embrace the way culture leads them in regard to morals. This will eventually manifest itself in a hatred of the true Church and the way they interpret Scripture. The cultural church will be far more fond of those who see Scripture more broadly. They will align themselves with those who favor a cultural interpretation of Christianity, rather than a Bible that instructs culture on moral issues. They do not want God’s righteousness or God’s way and those who hold to it will become seen as strange and different. They look down on them as ignorant and intolerant. They call them backward - and whatever “ist" is in style at the moment - racist, sexist, or maybe homophobic or sexually repressed. Whatever makes those who hold to biblical righteousness look bad. There is a principle behind this. It is revealed to us in the book of Galatians. Paul says this about those in the Spirit versus those in the flesh. “But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.’ Galatians 4:29 (NASB) As it was between Issac and Ishmael - it will also be between those born according to the flesh and those born according to the Spirit. The “cultural church,” which is not born again, will continue to make decisions to ape the culture as the pressure of the culture pushes the false church to adopt ungodly views. The true Church, which consists only of those born according to the Spirit, will not be willing to make unbiblical compromises. As animosity grows toward the true Church for its unpopular stands for righteousness that animosity will be held especially by those who have suppressed the truth by their unrighteousness. Persecution - even violent persecution will follow after this rejection of the truth. Let me give you an example of what we are seeing now - which will grow in the months and years to come. When someone posts that they have openly identified with homosexuality the reactions and posts that follow are almost always positive. They are congratulated for their new identification of themselves in this way. They are often even told or affirmed that God has made them this way. If someone has the audacity to respond otherwise, the bashing will begin - and often it will be unmerciful. If the person identifies as a Christian and states the Bible as the place where they got their views - it will not go well for that person. We’ve watched as it has become clear that CEO’s, sports figures, spokespersons, Chiefs of fire departments, and even down to bakers and pizza makers are going to be punished if they espouse and desire to hold such views. Currently this is primarily cultural pressure in the form of protest and boycotts. But in time it will wind up being codified into law - and the price for being a Biblical Christian will become much higher. So what do we DO? Saints, we have no other option than to continue to hold fast the Word of God as our standard. We don’t do this with a hateful and vindictive attitude. But we do speak the truth in love - which means we use wisdom as to when we speak, but if necessary, we speak. It is my opinion that Biblical Christianity is incompatible with sin. Whenever someone or some group seeks to align certain lifestyles and choices of sin as being OK with God, it will become abundantly clear that God no longer aligns with them. I am not saying that culturally they will decline. They may expand on the cultural level. But you will not find the Spirit or the presence of God among those who call what God calls sin - and acceptable lifestyle. We watched a generation in the 1960’s tout “free love” which is honestly nothing more than bondage to heterosexual immorality outside marriage. In time what the Bible calls fornication was renamed living together. As more time passed culture embraced this - although God never has (and never will). Culture continued to push its agenda - which meant having to deal with all the pregnancies that resulted from the cost of this so-called free love. From that came the culture of abortion on demand. A baby no longer was the result of sexual activity which called for responsibility to be taken by the man and woman who fornicated and now had a baby. They were not called to be responsible for their choice to be sexual immorality. Once again there was a choice to recast this situation into a more socially acceptable mold. No longer a baby - now it was a blob of tissue that belonged to the woman. It was now a part of a woman’s body, and she could do with it whatever she wanted. She could be rid of it in the first trimester - then the second - and eventually up to the moment the “whatever it was now” was to be born - at which point if the mother wanted it - it was a baby. The Bible warns that a society that rejects God - will reject God’s morality. This would begin in heterosexual immorality that rejects marriage as a prerequisite to sex. But in time things would move from heterosexual immorality toward homosexual acts. (All this is written for us in Romans 1:18-32) The Word of God says that all homosexual acts are sinful. God intended for a man and a woman to be married before they engaged in sexual activity. When it comes to two men or two women - God called all homosexual acts sinful. But as culture pushed back eventually, as we are seeing today, the culturally accepted church began to call acceptable what God can never call acceptable. Now there are growing numbers of people - and even theologians and Christian writers who say that God can bless homosexual marriage. The true Church cannot go with this - because God’s Word does not. In time the rhetoric toward those who continue to hold to Biblical righteousness will grow more and more strident. That will one day give way to the cultural church persecuting the true Church. They will do this first with words (which is already happening) and eventually with culturally accepted legal acts (because the laws will eventually call the Biblical standard espoused and taught to be hate speech). From there it is only a matter of time until violence against the “haters” will be acceptable. What is fascinating is that if we think the issue is sexual activity we are behind the times. The best way to blur all sexual morality is to deny that gender itself is nothing more than a personal choice. You are not assigned a sex at birth by God - either male or female. Your sexual activity is not governed by what biological sex you are. You have the right to such radical autonomy that you can choose whatever sex you want to be - and change it as often as it suits you. The next Supreme Court overstep will be to abolish biological gender to the ash heap of societal rejection. This is going to be fought over what bathroom (and eventually locker rooms too) you choose to use. Those who stand in the way will be called intolerant, gender lords who want to impose a gender on you rather than allow you to embrace your inner gender based on - well - based on whatever you want to it to be at the moment. Complete autonomy is the goal. Whatever a person declares to be right is right. That is unless someone declares the Word of God to be right where it defines things like gender and sexuality. THAT VIEW IS JUST WRONG! This is how the persecution of the real Church by the cultural church will happen - and actually is happening today. We are watching the fact that Biblical Christianity is untenable to those who celebrate the sexual revolution (and by the way the revolt is against God and what He says is sexually moral). Watch as this will be the path upon which persecution will travel with increasing speed. And saints - in pains me to say that we will also watch - as generations have before us have - that the willing accomplices in that persecution will often be the culturally accepted church which rejects the clear teaching of Scripture. I don’t want to hasten it. I don’t enjoy it - nor do I even want to see it. Yet, my precious brothers and sisters in Christ, it is coming. We just need to make sure that our response is one of The Truth spoken in love. We will also need to remember that God’s kingdom will not be advanced in this hour by violent, angry, armed force. May God give us grace to respond by holding fast to the Word of God. May we respond, if necessary, with the proof of our very blood if that is what faithfulness to Christ requires. And may God have mercy upon us so that our testimony would be like that of the faithful fathers who have gone before us.
0 Comments
 I recently read an article on facebook that God used greatly in my life to bring about an awakening of sorts. The article is entitled, “Enjoy your transgender bathrooms. We just lost America.” Below is a link to the article. (I do need to warn you that the author uses one curse word in a description of our elected leaders – so please be aware of this in advance)
http://newbostonpost.com/blogs/enjoy-your-transgender-bathrooms-we-just-lost-america/ The author of this article does a good job and is very eloquent at identifying some of the problems in our nation. There is only one thing I noticed as I finished the article. I didn’t really see a whole lot of answers being offered – except to shut off the TV and the myriad of screens in our homes and enjoy the innocence of the writer’s little child. These are good things – but not enough to honestly see any change in the things that the author was seeing in our nation. In all candor, there honestly will be no real unity in our country until we realize just what we are "unifying" under in the area of our worldview. The division comes because we (and I include myself) are selfish, self-centered, and sinful. That will NOT change until the hearts of men and women are confronted by the Gospel for the purpose of being changed by that same Gospel. Then the gospel will facilitate and empower us to turn from self to God. Then God will change our hearts so that we will live for the glory of God and not the glory of our own self-love. HOW DO WE GET THAT TO HAPPEN!? It begins when I repent of MY sin - MY selfishness - MY self-centered living - MY lack of love for God - MY coldness and indifference to the glory and honor of God and to the fact that I am not living FOR HIM! It continues as I am broken - I return to Him with all my heart and all my soul - and then expend all my strength for His purposes once again. It grows as I then get right with MY wife - MY children - MY brothers and sisters in Christ - MY neighbors - and even with MY enemies (whom I should be loving and praying for - more than protesting against and being infuriated with for their practices, politics, and public ungodliness). This is not so that I can just sit and let society degrade and dissolve - but so that I can be in a position to actually DO something about the plight of our society and world. Real change will begin first and foremost with me being right with God, right with my family, and right with my brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ! The church has not been salt to preserve our world - or light to illumine it of its need of God (and by the way – we are the only real hope of either of those two things happening). The emptiness of our spiritual lives is what is killing our nation. It is not the emptiness of the wicked - but the emptiness that I MYSELF have and am promoting. I am promoting it by not being filled with the Holy Spirit. I am promoting it by lacking an impassioned love for my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. I am promoting it by not loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength – and evidencing that love by being obedience to God. I am promoting it by not having my chief desire to be seeing Him honored and glorified by the proclamation of the gospel that will bring people into a right relationship with Him. This gospel is the ONLY thing that can truly alter people’s hearts and turn them to a pursuit of godliness out of a fear and love for God. Here is what I see - and it lets me know that things may not change very soon (but oh how I hope they do by the working and power of God). I personally pastor a small to medium church. Our prayer meetings - especially the one set on Wednesday night that is most convenient for people to attend - are empty for the most part. There is no great concern being poured out by the saints who should be the most concerned about these things. The other prayer times - most of which are in the mornings at 6 a.m. are for the most part empty as well. That speaks volumes to me - and to God as well. We may be concerned enough to post an article on facebook - or even comment or press LIKE when reading that article - but we are, as of yet, not moved enough by our circumstances to seek out a unity in prayer with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not moved enough yet to cry out to God for His work of revival in our own hearts and in the church (which I truly believe is the only hope for us in our nation). I am not lifting myself up in this - because I've been delinquent in making the choice to go to bed early enough to make the early morning prayer meetings for about 2 weeks now (and for that I am currently ashamed of the coldness and hardness of my heart evidenced by my lack of commitment to pray together with a few brothers). I truly intend to change that immediately and ask for your prayers that my cold, indifferent heart would be revived and changed so that, as a pastor and supposed spiritual leader, I won’t continue to be part of the problem. The state of the church leads me to make the following prediction, which I believe to be in accord with what we see in Scripture. God will continue to allow things to fall apart further and with greater consequence until we are moved by how bad it gets - to finally turn to Him in personal - and then corporate prayer. He said in Matthew 5:13 that if the salt has lost its savor/flavor - it is good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. Historically that has meant that the government of the nation in which the church finds itself will become more and more totalitarian and anti-Christian so that persecution will motivate us to turn to Him and seek Him once again. Please forgive me for sounding too adamant about all this. If you will grant me mercy, which I need desperately, I need to be the first one to read what I've written. I need to repent - and lead the way by example once again, and to do so by crying out to God for a personal revival, a revival among the men in our church, and then a revival in the whole church. And maybe, if God is merciful to the extreme, maybe a spiritual awakening in our land. But . . . even if He does not choose to do that in our nation, there should be no lack of revival in my own heart as I return to Him in repentance and a passionate pursuit of knowing, loving, and serving Him with all my heart. I am committed to doing this immediately. For you see – the falling of America is not due to a bathroom issue – a marriage issue – or a “ungodliness among the masses” issue. The fall of America has been due to a spiritually impotent church. The spiritual impotence of the church has been due to cold and hardened hearts among her pastors and leaders. Unless these things are FIRST addressed – there is little hope for our nation. May God have mercy on me - and on the United States of America.  Just musing on the future . . .
I am a pastor - and one who holds ultimate value in the Word of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life. As such I cannot compromise how I teach God's Word to fit how my culture views what God calls sin. I also cannot adopt how many in the church are altering the message of the Gospel to fit our culture's sexual revolution. (Just a note - that revolution began in the 60's when heterosexual immorality was embraced - not just in the 2000's with the most recent downward step into homosexual marriage and its legalization last summer by the courts). This places me squarely in the sites of those who at one time said all they wanted was tolerance - but who now have made it clear that they will not tolerate God's revelation on these matters. I am writing this now because the day will come when such things cannot be spoken or written without censure, severe fines, and eventually arrest. That is where our culture is going - that is where our nation is going - and that is what I am viewing at present in my mind's eye. I am neither a prophet nor a son of a prophet. But I am a student of history - both secular and biblical. Therefore here is what I see as I muse on the future. We are already living in a day when they will not put up with sound doctrine - but will gather to themselves teachers according to their own lusts. This will grow steadily worse - to the point where sexual immorality (especially "living together" and homosexuality) will rarely be mentioned. It will all be about love and tolerance and acceptance. There will be little mention of sin and how God points out exactly what sin is - and how He responds to it. Judgment will be a dirty word. In many ways the apostate church will be a tool in the hand of the enemy to attack the remnant on these matters. The statement will be something like this. "We need reasonable churches - not ones that dogmatically judge everyone according to 'their interpretation' of what the Bible means." This will be a rallying cry to shut down free speech not only in the public sector - but even within the walls of church itself. There will be a growing list of laws that hem in Biblical believers so that they cannot express their views in public. Those that do will find themselves facing the wrath of a legal system that no longer protects religious freedom when it comes to holding Biblical beliefs dealing with sin. There will be fines, re-education, and for those who continue to resist arrests. Businesses will be forced to conform to a "way of doing business" that is inclusive, except for how they treat biblical believers. Churches will be facing several changes that will soon be coming to us via the courts. There will be challenges to freedom of religion as the state forces itself into situations where the need for "thought conformity" is necessary. This will lead to first the church being told it can only preach within its walls - that internet access can be denied on the basis of hate speech (i.e. saying heterosexual and homosexual sin is wrong, gender is something assigned by God at birth). The air waves will slowly be shut down to churches as well, based on these same things. There will also be challenges to the tax exempt status of churches and gifts to them. Eventually tax exempt status and tax deductions for gifts will be either restricted (to government accepted churches) or done away with all together. The state will hold title to all benevolent giving - which will be based on their accepted guidelines (which will be politically motivated and doled out as reward for conformity to the state agenda). Eventually the psychiatric community will join the state in condemning outright those who hold to sexual immorality being sin. This will be seen as a mental disorder - making the way for some to be institutionalized for their beliefs. Pastor's sermons will become subject to law suits - if they are deemed by the state courts to contain the new definitions of hate speech. This will lead to bankruptcy for some churches - while others will accept court rulings to either fire their pastor or face serious fines and government backlash. Pastors who preach such things will be sent off to prison for "speech violations" or for re-education in some sort of internment camp. Many godly men will be detained, arrested, and will disappear in these situations. The true church will go underground in America. Facing these things - facing the loss of their leader(s) - facing the loss of their facilities - and facing the specter of losing their freedom - many will show their true colors and become apostate. They will either flock to government sanctioned churches - or will leave the things of God altogether. The church will shrink back to a size that matches those who are truly born again. It will seem sad and discouraging - but it will be a much godlier church - given to intercessory prayer - and willing to suffer for Christ any cost. There will be a brokenness that will prevail with the true remnant - and will lead to churches underground who glorify God in all they do. Many will risk gave danger to witness to others of the gospel - but oh what a glorious church it will be! Some may think I've lost my mind saying such things. Others may criticize for this sounding so defeatist. But I would only remind them that what I've described here is what has happened in the communist countries of the Soviet Union (now Russia), China, countries behind the former Iron and Bamboo curtain, and now is happening slowly in Europe and Canada. These countries are further down the road to Socialism than we are presently - but we seem to be gaining steam (Ominously so with the candidacy and success of Bernie Sanders at present). This actually is not any kind of prophecy - it is a history lesson. It is one that is NOT being taught to our children, because we've forgotten what sacrifices were made on our behalf to fight Communism and Socialism. As far as "negativism" or "defeatist" rhetoric - I can only answer that any true rallying cry needs to first swallow a cup full of realism first. I am about to issue a rallying cry - but it is one that will most likely be rejected - as it was throughout history - both biblical and secular. Church awake! These are not days in which we should falter or get lost in the midst of what is going on around us. These are days much like those Paul spoke of when he said this in Romans 13:11-14, "And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (NASB77) Repent and return to Jesus Christ precious saints. The day is late - very late in our nation. The stakes are enormously high in an hour in which we must prepare our hearts to be "strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." This should not shock us that the world hates us - because it hated Him and still does. It is a day to remember the height from which we have fallen, repent, and do the first works again. Works of seeking God's face - confession of sin - submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ - humbling ourselves and praying - and seeing our first love restored so that there is nothing - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING more precious to us than the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood so violence is to be repudiated in our cause. We are to return to a white hot love for Jesus - a white hot love for one another in the church. We are to return to holiness, mortification of sin (our own), and a selfless, self-giving, gospel-centered, gospel-proclaiming life lived for the glory of God in all things. Saints - I am in the same place as all of you. Such things shake me and cause me to tremble. May it be that we tremble in fear of God and not in fear of man. May it be that our trembling and fear bring us back to Him - back to seeking, loving, and knowing Him as the greatest of all things in our lives. I dearly love all of you and only hope to be found, along with you, faithful to Him in this hour. May God have mercy on the church in the United States. - PJ -  Prophecy/News Update 2016
Falling Apart or Falling Together? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As this New Year begins I want to begin it by saying, maranatha! For those of you who are not familiar with this word, it means, “O Lord, come!” in Aramaic. It was a phrase that was used by the early church – and was used by Paul in the New Testament. The word or phrase was used to speak of a strong desire for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. I mention this because like never before I want to pray daily, maranatha! Next Sunday I will be sharing the 2016 Prophecy/News Update message. This year has been filled with events that involve Israel, and that possibly foreshadow the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. World events are definitely heating up and many, even in the secular world, are predicting that we may be on the verge of World War III. It was also a year in which the United States Supreme Court legalized homosexual marriage. This decision has set up a monumental battle between the newly fashioned erotic rights of our age with the constitutional right to religious liberty. That battle will be fought right before our eyes in the courts of our land and the court of public opinion. In light of how scary this can be – I want to begin this week with an encouraging word to the saints. Things that are going in our world can be very frightening. We are definitely watching our world become more and more volatile before our very eyes. Things in the Middle East continue to degenerate almost daily. The ongoing Syrian civil war is a flashpoint for the entire world as superpowers like Russia, China, and the United States get involved in that conflict. The rise of ISIS (The Islamic State in Iran and Syria) and the ongoing fight to remove them from large portions of Syria and Iraq are causing a destabilization of the entire region. The daily rocket fire on Israel continues (those it is a situation almost completely ignored by the mainstream news media) – as does the daily threat to Israel from Hezbollah, ISIS, Hamas, and Iran. Add to this the uptick in terrorist activity in Europe, Africa, and the United States – and we have a world that is ready to blow up in a worldwide war between various factions and nations. In the midst of all this it would be easy to want to throw your hands up and say, “The world is falling apart!” Things are also scary when it comes to the changes in our nation. The battle between religious liberty and erotic liberty is heating up every day. It is no surprise that the world system is standing firmly behind erotic liberty. What we were told was a quest for tolerance has become a very intolerant attack on the church for holding to a biblical view of sexuality and marriage. Close on the heels of the recent victories for gay marriage we watched as the next battle began concerning gender confusion. The speed at which the sexual revolution is happening is dizzying – and frightening. It is as if nothing is either sacred or stable in our culture any longer. On top of all this there is a growing racial tension in our nation as we watch police shootings being questioned and riots erupting that engulf entire cities in flames and lawlessness. In light of all that is happening around us it would be easy to say, “Our nation is falling apart!” Those with a Christian/Biblical worldview understand this differently. First of all we know that the world has been falling apart ever since the “fall.” When man chose to sin against the Lord – everything began to fall apart. The descent into chaos and destruction began in that moment – and for those who forget the narrative of Genesis – resulted in the whole earth being flooded to address the wickedness of man just 10 chapters later. Shortly after Noah and his family departed from the ark – Noah got drunk – and the whole process started all over again. Our current situation is not any more wicked than others in history – it is just that we are given vastly more information about the results of godlessness in our day. Sin has always been destructive – wars and devastation have always either been ongoing – or on the horizon as mankind continues to reject God and live according to their own sinful nature and inclinations. A Biblical understanding of the chaos that happens as a nation turns away from God is also nothing radically new. The history of nations recorded for us in Scripture makes it clear that when a nation rejects God and godly principles bad things happen. The history of Israel and Judah’s kings as recorded by the historical record as well as the prophecies spoken against them for their rejection of God is clear. Just as a nation is blessed when it submits to God – it will be under a curse when it rejects and turns from Him. Our nation is rejecting not only godly principles – but God Himself as it rebels against what the Scriptures say. When we take a few minutes to refocus our thinking with Scripture, we may come to a different realization about the current state of affairs in the world. Things have always been falling apart due to sin – but God is working so that things are falling together for the return of Christ. Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21 are accounts of Jesus’ teaching about the last days. In this teaching Jesus presents the things that will be happening before His second coming. Many of these things match events that are taking place in our time. Jesus closes this section of both gospels with the following words, “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (Mark 13:29, NASB) When you read through the previous verses to this one, you will see that what is happening in our day was foretold by our Lord Jesus. He spoke of wars and rumors of wars – earthquakes – famines – and a wholesale rejection of God by humanity. What is equally fascinating is that passages that speak of future prophetic events, which require a certain aligning of the nations against Israel, are being fulfilled before our eyes. Truly things are falling together just as God said – even as they fall apart because of mankind’s rejection of Him. The more they fight against Him – the more they are unwitting accomplices to do what He said would be done. Take courage saints, none of what has happened has taken God by surprise. All of it was foretold 2000 or more years ago. Anyone even remotely aware of what the Bible says about the last days knows that the return of our Lord Jesus Christ will be at a time when the world is falling apart. You cannot read of what the prophets foretold and imagine a world getting better and better. You cannot be familiar with the seal judgments of Revelation 6, the trumpet judgments of Revelation 8 and 9, and the bowl judgments of Revelation 16 and think that things will be at an all time best at the second coming of Christ. All the nations, all the prophetic predictions, all the things necessary to see all thing fulfilled just as God spoke – are falling together as if God were sovereign over the affairs of men (which, by the way, He is). Based on this knowledge, then, we need to live in reality concerning where the world is headed. This is not our home, saints – it is the place where God has been rejected. We await the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. And as that falls together the world itself will fall apart. But take courage dear ones of God – He has overcome the world – and by His grace and the power of His Spirit – He will grant to us the ability to be overcomers even in this difficult hour! What is happening in our world today? It seems that over the past several years the world around us has become much more dangerous. The recent Paris terror attacks are a reminder of the ability of our enemies to strike at the very heart of western nations. As I thought about such things recently I read in the book of 1 Kings some things we should take very seriously. We should read these things and fear God - and turn to prayer for our own hearts, the hearts of those we love, and the hearts of those who lead our country in this hour.
As many of us labor to understand what is happening to our nation, we unfortunately labor under the thought that this is a Christian nation. While this nation was founded for the most part on wise and godly principles, we need to come to grips with the reality that our nation no longer functions under those principles. Our nation moved away from God in the 1950’s and 1960’s and adopted a lax attitude toward heterosexual immorality and divorce. That was followed by the abortion decision in 1973 and the greed that began to seriously infect our land in the 1980’s and 1990’s. By the 2000’s we had left just about every godly principle there was to abandon - and had become a very godless nation. The leadership of our Republic had abandoned itself to the radical immorality and godless attitudes that had infected the airwaves for decades. What I am trying to recount for you is the fact that our nation has abandoned following and serving God - and has chosen instead to follow and serve the flesh instead. There is a biblical example of this kind of abandonment of God by a nation. It happened in the latter years of king Solomon of Israel. He is not the only example of it - but because of how God dealt with him - we need to take a closer look at the late years of his reign as king. Solomon began as a godly man - but his love of “many foreign women” brought him low. God warned of this - but Solomon chose his sensual desires over God’s Word and ways. As a result in his latter years he did not follow the Lord , but turned away from Him. He began to worship other gods as his foreign wives influenced him more and more. Note the narrative given to us in 1 Kings 11 - “For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 1 Kings 11:4-8 (NASB) As Solomon turned away from God he was led to worship other false gods. The worship of these gods involved sexual immorality, the depreciation of marriage, and eventually homosexual acts and even the sacrificing of babies to the horrible god Molech. It was a descent that almost mirrors that of our own nation. Thus it should be no surprise that God is dealing with us much like He did with Solomon. It might be wise of us to see how God disciplined Solomon and judged his sin. “Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 1 Kings 11:9-10 (NASB) God was angry with Solomon for his actions and choices. As a result of this, God began to take the kingdom away from Solomon - and eventually all but Judah revolted against his son. But even while Solomon was alive God began to do something to him and his kingdom. He began to raise up “adversaries” against Him. Before chapter 11 is over we read that there were two different adversaries that God raised up to discipline Israel. These adversaries began fighting against Israel militarily. But they did not fight with a full war - but in ways that eerily match that of the current adversaries of the United States. The type of problems they caused were by being “marauding bands” against Israel. They would attack an unsuspecting town and wreak havoc against it - killing people and destroying homes. These were the precursors to the type of terrorist activity we see in our day. Let me be very clear with you. I believe that ISIS and Al-Qaeda are adversaries that God Himself has raised up against the United States of America. These groups have been allowed to strike us - and the rest of the West in order to be a disciplinary measure to help wake us up. What is happening in our world in regard to these two groups is that they are being allowed to be a kind of marauding band among us. It is truly a sad thing to watch - because if I am interpreting accurately what our response is - it is not good. Instead of reacting with horror and repentance toward God for our gross sins against Him and His holiness and Word, we are reacting with anger toward our enemies - and a doubling down in wickedness. We are NOT turning toward the Lord - but we are hiding our heads in the sand. We think that we are winning this battle - that this is just the JV team that we are beating. But unless we repent and return to the Lord - this is only a small portion of what is coming our way. I fear that things are only going to get worse - with attacks that have biblical proportions to them. God said through His prophets that things would happen to Israel that would make their hands hang limp. They would be the kind of things that would blow the minds of the people of Israel. And I fear that our continued and amped up rebellion is only making such a future inevitable for our nation. I fear that in the days to come there is going to be a destruction that will make our earlier discipline seem like nothing in comparison. We are going to face a military defeat or a disaster on our own shores that will make our mouths hang open and our ears tingle as we hear of it. It will be greater than that which happened to us earlier on 9/11. I do not rejoice in this - but instead want to weep and wail over what is going to happen. I love this country and do not desire its destruction. I love our military and do not want to see it demolished. But if we do not repent and return to God - that is what is in our future. I don’t know of any timetable - nor is this meant to be some sort of prophetic warning. It is just a clear understanding of the Scriptures and of how God deals with those who turn from Him in rebellion. To close out this article - I want to answer a question that some of you may have. What can we do? How can we avoid this? I am not sure we can avoid it - because our sin is stacked to the heavens - and we’ve shed innocent blood on our land unlike any nation before us. But our own hope is in repentance and return to God. I truly believe with all my heart that our choices are revival or ruin. I would urge everyone to pick up some sort of study that deals with repentance and return. A good one I’ve used recently is called, “Fresh Encounter” by Henry Blackaby. But a study alone is not what we need - we need action - brokenness - true repentance - and a radical return to God. The things we are seeing and the sense of inevitability that is brooding upon our land and indeed upon the world lately is because our God and Father will not be merciful forever. There is a day of reckoning - especially for the church who should know better. May God grant us a heart broken over sin and rebellion and a shock and horror of how far we have gone individually and corporately into sin. May He graciously work in our hearts and may we see true repentance in the days ahead. It is truly our only hope in this hour.  Recently the airwaves and newspapers of America (not to mention the rounds of various internet social media sites) have been burning up with stories about laws that would allow Christians to act in a prejudiced manner against those desiring service at the gay marriage ceremony. At least this is what the majority of reporting claims about our current legislation in Indiana and Arkansas. What is fascinating about all this is the way a majority of these stories are more about reactions to what possibly could happen, rather than what is actually in the bills. Also lost to all but a few of these articles are the very real concerns of evangelical Christians. They are concerned about whether there is going to be a perceived repeal of the 1st Amendment protection of religious liberty without the issue ever being debated in Congress, and without proper Constitutional due process.
This article is not meant to be anything more than one pastor’s take on all this. I’ve also included at the end the printed text of the Indiana and Arkansas bills so that those who truly want to be informed may actually read them. This is so that we won’t go off half-cocked on this issue without some reading and thinking – two skills that from what I’ve seen could be used much more extensively by all involved. Far too much of this controversy has been due to knee-jerk reactions by those supporting gay rights – as well as by Christians who have not seriously thought through some things they should consider. Lost in all of this from the Christian vantage point is what God may be allowing for His purposes and intentions. He is working in the culture of the United States and in our government. He is working by His divine providence and His is divine judgment in what He is allowing to happen in our nation. First of all allow me to offer one pastor’s opinion on what is happening. I believe much of this is due to the Hobby Lobby case that was decided by the Supreme Court last year – and the backlash from those upset with how religious liberty affected that case. That case dealt with Hobby Lobby’s religious objection to The Affordable Care Act and how it was seeking to force them to provide for certain kinds of abortifacient forms of birth control. Eventually the court sided with Hobby Lobby that they could not be forced to do something against conscience and against the free exercise of their religious beliefs. The reaction of many who support big government being able to invade the privacy of ordinary citizens was horror, disbelief, and a hatred of how the idea of religious liberty protected Hobby Lobby’s evangelical Christian owners. One could see that a line was crossed and battle lines for the future were drawn. Those lines would require that religious liberty be severely curtailed so that religious conscience would not be protected when it came up against an agenda opposed to its views of sexuality in the future. Since that decision we’ve watched as an avalanche of decisions at the state level made gay marriage legal in a majority of the states. It should be duly noted that none of these were based on laws passed within legislatures. Courts who were acting as legislatures decided – often against a vote of the people as well as state constitutional amendments - that gay marriage should be legal. Now a challenge is before the Supreme Court from several states that will be decided this year. Historically next, was several cases involving primarily bakers, photographers, and florists who said that their sincerely held religious beliefs prevented them from participating in a gay wedding ceremony. The argument was that their professions involved an artistic expression intended to celebrate something that their religious conscience could not agree to do. In several states these individuals were sued after refusing to give service to the gay couples wanting them to bake, arrange flowers, or photograph their weddings. One such judgment threatens a $150,000 fine imposed on the owner for discriminating against the couple wanting to pay for services. These events led to a perfect storm when the Indiana legislature passed their Religious Freedom Restoration Act which was signed by Governor Pence. Arkansas, which was due to pass their own legislation similar to that of Indiana, was next to face this controversy. This has led to where we are now – with corporations threating states – with other state officials threatening a ban on travel and business with other states – and with our national conversation ablaze with these matters. Sorry for the length of this – but that is what I see as the context of all of this. In order to be as fair as I can – there are many on the gay marriage side of this who believe that no one should be able to refuse services to a gay couples seeking to be married. They assert that to do so is nothing more than prejudicial discrimination akin to racial prejudice – and that the government should not protect evangelical believers who say that their religious rights or rights to conscience are involved in their denial of service. Some of those who are more radical state that such actions indicate hate and that all such hate against gay couples and LBGT rights should be squelched and eventually crushed by government with extreme prejudice. First of all – neither bill’s actual language says anything about the gay marriage issue or LGBT rights. An honest appraisal of the situation has to admit that they were written to protect the religious rights and rights of conscience of those who held religious reasons why they could offer their creative services for a gay marriage. But, as some have stated wrongly – there is nothing in the actual language that states anything about hate, prejudice, or discrimination. The bills were initiated because of the way that some in government were prosecuting those who were honestly seeking to follow their conscience on the grounds of exercising their religious freedom. The United States Constitution promises the right to the freedom of religion – and forbids the United States government from establishing religion (Which was meant to keep the US government from having a state church) or from prohibiting the free exercise thereof. This is where my second point is to be made. Either our Constitution provides these freedoms to all – or they are specious at best. There is a very serious danger that we are trumping original Constitutional rights with a new form of erotic rights embraced by the LGBT community and the growing number who support them. Our founders reserved the right for us to disagree with each other on issues – without the government intruding. They definitely did not support the kind of heavy-handed way that the government is making it very clear that those who do not side with their current views will be punished and clamped down upon with severe prejudice. When a baker, who offered three alternative bakers to do the work faces a fine of $150,000 for acting according to her sincerely held religious views, we have a problem. This is in effect demanding of evangelical Christians that they only hold their views inside the church building – which fundamentally goes against what sincerely held views are for – which is living all of life according to them. What Christians are being told to do by their government is to relegate their sincerely held views of God and Scripture to only be opinions they hold – but never speak through their lives or their professions. This places a very serious burden upon Bible believing Christians. And it is a burden that governmental leaders in Indiana and Arkansas were attempting to alleviate. Now – at the risk of being seriously criticized by some in the evangelical Christian community – I want to discuss some things WE need to consider. As a pastor there are marriages that I cannot perform due to my sincerely held beliefs based on what I read and study in Scripture. I cannot perform a gay marriage. But I also cannot perform marriages where a divorce has happened in a way that the Bible does not allow. What I am stating here is that it is difficult to be consistent on such matters. I’ve had couples request for me to marry them who were living together and having sex outside of marriage. In a loving way I’ve had to tell them that until they repented of that choice in life, I could not do a wedding ceremony for them. It is my hope that I remain biblically consistent on these things. But what about a business owner who is asked to provide a service for an event? Where do we draw the line on these things? How far do we go with such things? And, if a believer does provide a service, does it mean that they are in sin in doing so? Here is where I defend the various ways that conscience is expressed – even under the Bible. I know of some who say that their services are offered to any – on a business level. Others respond that they cannot be involved in a gay wedding service. I even know one business owner who will perform a service – but is sure to tell the person that if asked, they will have to admit that they see homosexuality as sin. Their service is offered as a paid service and should not be viewed as agreement with gay marriage. What we need to do as believers is hold to the truth – and yet allow business owners to act according to their conscience on the matter. I know that for some in the evangelical community that won’t be too popular. But the question is asked – are we asking everyone about the details of their event or lifestyle before serving them? But please know that I also hold that someone whose conscience is bothered by offering services at a gay wedding should be defended to the full extent to act in accordance with their views. One thing I MUST state in all this is that for Bible-believing business owners – there is not an option to say that gay marriage is acceptable without running afoul of what Scripture itself says. Now for my last point in this article I want to answer this question. Why is God, Who is absolutely sovereign over all matters, allowing this to happen in our nation? Has God changed His mind on matters of sexuality? Is there an honest, biblically sound interpretation of Scripture that would allow for heterosexual immorality or any acting out of homosexual acts? The answer to the last question is that Scripture states that both heterosexual immorality (sex outside of biblical marriage between one man and one woman) and all homosexual sex acts is sin. But I believe there is a reason God is allowing such things to happen in our nation. Jesus said in Matthew 5 that we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. The context of that call is godly character and evangelistic actions that seek to lead the lost to Christ. When this is gone. When the church loses her evangelistic zeal and purpose – there is nothing else left except for God to allow the church to be trodden under foot by men. Historically this has meant government or dictatorial oppression. God actually allows the church to be crushed under foot by the powers that be. That is what I truly believe is happening in our nation today – and I believe it is why God is allowing this current controversy to set our nation ablaze with such strong reactions. For decades the church has needed a thorough work of revival and restoration. We’ve left God and have run after the world. There is no longer in the church a zeal for holiness, the presence of God, and evangelism. We’ve somehow lost our heart for God – becoming as Revelation 3 puts it – lukewarm in our faith. The sexual revolution began in the early 1960’s and has only steadily pushed ahead in my lifetime. In the meantime the church spent herself in the 70’s pursuing church growth by studying man rather than knowing and following God. In the later 70’s and 80’s the church turned to politics and the moral majority to try to push righteous behavior through legislation. The 1990’s saw the drive to ban gay marriage in state after state. But I’ve watched as the church has turned from God more and more through these years. There have not been concerted calls for revival – for broken prayer over our own sin – and for a return to God with all our hearts. In 2001 we watched in horror as we were hit with the 9-11 attacks. Ablaze with patriotism the country adopted the slogan, “God bless America!” without asking the question of why He should. The church all through these years was rocked with shocking revelations of sexual immorality and financial misconduct. The church began to adopt a theology that embraced health, wealth, and prosperity without adopting holiness, brokenness, and submission to the will of God in living a sacrificial, good-works, and gospel proclaiming lifestyle. The salt has lost its savor. The result has been that in progressive stages – God has been allowing the church to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by our culture – and now increasingly by our government. What can we do? We can realize that this fight won’t be won with political clout. We can realize that we need to repent and return to God. Not that our nation needs to do this – THE CHURCH needs to do this! What is needed is brokenness, deep repentance, and prayer. We need to cry out to God, confessing our sins, and calling for Him to return to the church in power. We are already losing and will lose this fight if it is fought in the political realm alone. If all we do is whip ourselves into an angry frenzy of court cases and calls for taking our country back through the upcoming election – we WILL lose. With very few exceptions, just about every elected official has backed away from this fight – or declared for a restriction of religious rights from the start. To our knees brothers and sisters – that is where we need to begin. We need to do so, not seeking a restoration of political power – but of Holy Spirit power in the church. We may not win the day politically, but we can prepare our hearts to stand and be salt and light again with the gospel in our society. Let me ask a simple question as I conclude this very long article. Where are the calls for a solemn assembly? Where are the calls for radical, sacrificial, prevailing prayer? Where are the calls for the church to repent and return to God? I have always been amazed at the mercy of God upon Ninevah in Jonah’s day. If we knew that we only had 40 days until God’s judgment is released in its fury upon our nation – would we drop everything and repent in sack cloth and ashes? Would we devote 3 days to praying day and night – repenting and returning to God? The answer to these questions has far more to do with where this will lead – than what will happen in Indianapolis, Little Rock, or Washington D.C. God have mercy on us – and grant us true repentance and return. INDIANA SENATE BILL 568 Religious freedom restoration act. Provides that a state or local government action may not substantially burden a person's right to the exercise of religion unless it is demonstrated that applying the burden to the person's exercise of religion is: (1) essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and (2) the least restrictive means of furthering the compelling governmental interest. Provides that a person whose exercise of religion has been substantially burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened, by a state or local government action may assert the burden as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, regardless of whether the state or a political subdivision of the state is a party to the judicial proceeding. Allows a person who asserts a burden as a claim or defense to obtain appropriate relief, including: (1) injunctive relief; (2) declaratory relief; (3) compensatory damages; and (4) recovery of court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. ARKANSAS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT For An Act To Be Entitled AN ACT TO ENACT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT TO BE KNOWN AS MARY'S LAW; TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR RELIGIOUS PRACTICE AND TO PROVIDE REMEDIES AND PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING OR ABUSING RELIGIOUS PROTECTIONS; TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Subtitle 20 TO ENACT THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: SECTION 1. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds that it is a compelling governmental interest to comply with federal civil rights laws. SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 16, Chapter 123, is amended to add an additional subchapter to read as follows: Subchapter 4 — Religious Freedom Restoration Act 16-123-401. Title. As Engrossed: H2/11/15 S2/26/15 S3/16/15 S3/26/15 HB1228 2 02-02-2015 14:07:32 BPG217 This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act". 16-123-402. Legislative intent. It is the intent of the General Assembly to: (1) Ensure that in all cases in which state action substantially burdens the exercise of religion strict scrutiny is applied; (2) Provide a claim or defense to a person whose exercise of religion is substantially burdened by state action; and (3) Implement Article 2, § 24, of the Arkansas Constitution, 10 which states that "[N]o human authority can, in any case or manner 11 whatsoever, control or interfere with the right of conscience”. 16-123-403. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds that: (1) The Arkansas Constitution recognizes the free exercise of religion; (2) Laws neutral toward religion have the same potential to burden religious exercise as laws purposely intended to interfere with religious exercise; (3) Governments should not substantially burden the free exercise of religion without compelling justification; (4) In Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990), the United States Supreme Court virtually eliminated the requirement that the government justify burdens on religious exercise imposed by laws neutral toward religion; (5) In response, Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C., § 2000bb, to restore the compelling interest test set forth in the federal cases of Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 29 205 (1972), and Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963); (6) The compelling interest test is a workable test for striking sensible balances between religious liberty and competing government interests; (7) In City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 (1997), the United States Supreme Court held that the protections of religious exercise afforded by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb, only applied to religious exercise burdened by federal law or As Engrossed: H2/11/15 S2/26/15 S3/16/15 S3/26/15 HB1228 3 02-02-2015 14:07:32 BPG217 agencies and provided no protection from burdens on religious exercise from state or local law or governments; (8) To provide the same level of protection from burdens on religious exercise from state or local governments, a state must enact an equivalent to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb, that was passed by Congress; and (9) Since the 1997 Supreme Court decision in City of Boerne v. Flores, many states have enacted statutes similar to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb, including: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. 16-123-404. Definitions. As used in this subchapter: (1) "Compelling governmental interest" means a governmental interest of the highest magnitude that cannot otherwise be achieved without burdening the exercise of religion; (2) "Exercise of religion" means the practice or observance of religion including without limitation the ability to act or refuse to act in a manner substantially motivated by a person's sincerely held religious beliefs, whether or not the exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief; (3) "Government entity" means: (A) A branch, department, agency, board, commission, or other instrumentality of: (i) State government; or (ii) A political subdivision of the state, including without limitation a city or county; or (B) An official or other person acting under color of state law; (4) "Person" means an individual, association, partnership, corporation, church, religious institution, estate, trust, foundation, or other legal entity; (5) "Prevails" means to obtain prevailing party status as defined by courts construing the federal Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Awards As Engrossed: H2/11/15 S2/26/15 S3/16/15 S3/26/15 HB1228 4 02-02-2015 14:07:32 BPG217 Act of 1976, 42 U.S.C. § 1988; (6) "State action" means the implementation or application or any law, including without limitation state and local laws, ordinances rules, regulations, and policies, whether statutory or otherwise, or othe action by the state or any political subdivision thereof and any local government, municipality, instrumentality, or public official authorized by law in the state; and (7)(A) "Substantial burden" means to prevent, inhibit, or curtail religiously-motivated practice consistent with a sincerely held religious belief. (B) "Substantial burden" includes without limitation withholding benefits, assessing penalties, or an exclusion from programs or access to facilities.123-405. Religious freedom preserved. A state action shall not substantially burden a person’s right to exercise of religion, even if the substantial burden results from a rule of general applicability, unless it is demonstrated that applying the 19 substantial burden to the person’s exercise of religion in this particular 20 instance: (1) Is essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and (2) Is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest. 16-123-406. Construction and applicability. This subchapter does not: (1) Authorize a government entity to substantially burden a religious belief; (2) Affect, interpret, or in any way address those portions of this subchapter, Article 2, §§, of the Arkansas Constitution, or the First Amendment to the United States Constitution that prohibit laws respecting the establishment of religion; (3) Prohibit a grant of government funds, benefits, or exemptions to the extent permissible under those portions of this subchapter, Article 2, §§, of the Arkansas Constitution, or the First Amendment to As Engrossed: H2/11/15 S2/26/15 S3/16/15 S3/26/15 HB1228 5 02-02-2015 14:07:32 BPG217 the United States Constitution that prohibit laws respecting the establishment of religion; or (4) Create a right or cause of action with respect to an employee against an employer if the employer is not a government entity. 123-407. Remedies and penalties. (a) Regardless of whether the state or one of its political subdivisions is a party to the proceeding, a person whose exercise of religion has been substantially burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened, in violation of § 16-123-405, may assert the violation or impending violation as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding. (b) (1) A person asserting a claim or defense under this subchapter may obtain appropriate relief, including relief against the state or a political subdivision of the state when the state or the political subdivision of the state is a party to the proceedings. (2) Appropriate relief under this subsection includes without limitation: (A) Injunctive relief; (B) Declaratory relief; (C) Compensatory damages; and (D) Costs and attorney's fees. 16-123-408. Exemptions. The Department of Correction, the Department of Community Correction, a county jail, and a detention facility are exempt from this subchapter. SECTION 3. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that there is not a higher protection offered by the state than the protection of a person's right to religious freedom; and that this act is immediately necessary because every day that a person's right to religious freedom is threatened is a day that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is compromised. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: (1) The date of its approval by the Governor; As Engrossed: H2/11/15 S2/26/15 S3/16/15 S3/26/15 HB1228 6 02-02-201  May the Lord gives us boldness and wisdom as we speak in these interesting days in which we live. This week I want to make you aware of a ruling that should concern all of us who cherish our freedom of religious speech.
Please allow me to begin by making the following statement concerning our so-called protected religious speech in the United States of America. Our constitution protects the right of free speech – and part of the speech protected is religious speech. That being said, those of us who belong to Christ need to know that God’s command for us to preach the gospel is not abridged by any government or law that is written or established by man. Regardless of what the governments of men say – we are to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples of all the nations. That command comes from a higher authority than that of mankind. It comes from God Himself. Therefore, it is imperative for us to remember that regardless of what decisions are reached by the IRS, the Supreme Court, or any other human entity, they do not trump the command of Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. We are to continue to proclaim the gospel – and if in the process we face punitive action by our governing authorities – we are to accept it gladly as we choose to obey God rather than men. This was the response made by the apostles as they were commanded by the governing authorities of their day not to speak or teach any longer in the name of Jesus. We should not respond any differently in our day. “What is all this about?” you may ask. It is about a ruling made a few days ago by the Internal Revenue Service in answer to a suit filed by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. They charged that the IRS was not investigating and punishing churches and pastors who preach politics from the pulpit. The law or ruling used for this invasion of our nation’s pulpits is actually not even from our Constitution, but rather is from an IRS ruling in 1954. At that time Senator Lyndon B. Johnson urged this measure so that he could use it against specific opponents of his agenda and that of the Democrat party. This provision was gradually extended to include religious groups and their speech in regard to specifically endorsing a candidate in an election from the pulpit. Some may read this and wonder why this has become a problem – and why I voice concern over it. That, my dear saints, has to do with where our government is going in regards to its moral stances being taken in our day. Many of these issues are not being decided in Congress, which is the only place laws are to be passed, but by executive decisions of the President – or by courts that are legislating from the bench. Because of decisions rendered over the past several decades, the sacred arena of religious speech has been invaded by the secular government. In 1973 the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision attacked life in the womb. And more recently a wave of lower court decisions have attacked the sanctity of biblical marriage. As these decisions have been politicized, elections have included debates over whether these decisions are just or not. Such debates REQUIRE a response from the spiritual leaders in America. Those spiritual leaders are the pastors of local churches, who have found it necessary to teach what the Scriptures have to say about these issues of life and marriage. Here is where this issue is going to reach a head. Is the IRS going to rule in such a way that pastors are no longer allowed to teach certain passages that will be deemed “preaching politics?” Will we watch pastors be cited, fined, and possibly even arrested for teaching on Romans 1:18-25 (dealing with homosexuality) and Psalm 139 (dealing with the sanctity of the womb)? The day may come where we are forbidden by the state to teach such things without losing our tax exempt status. The day may also come when things far worse that this may result. Baring God moving in our country, the day will come when pastors will be fined or arrested for committing a hate crime because they dared teach these passages INSIDE the church. May God give us grace to stand and teach His Word, with grace and meekness, regardless of the consequences. May God strengthen us to hold fast the faithful Word He has given us – not surrendering to political correctness or even punitive threats to abandon it because it has become socially unpopular in our day to do so.  Prophecy News Update – March 6, 2014
The Fall of the United States, prologue Well . . . many of you who come here frequently may have noticed that I’ve not posted on this blog in a long time. That is not without purpose. Maybe a better way to express this is that it is more out of fear of what I would be writing than any purpose of God. Let me explain. Ever since the late 1980’s I’ve known in my heart that it would only be a matter of time until our country would fall. I am not sure that this was as much from some kind of prophetic foreknowledge as much as it was from being student of history. (By the way, before I write anything else know that I do not desire nor delight in this. I have always been a patriot, and love my country very much. My heart aches when I think of what we were given and where we've taken it over my lifetime. My hope is that very soon I can also say that my knees ache from prayer offered for the restoration of the church in this nation.) The three things that I knew would bring our country to its knees – or to destruction – was first the rejection of God and absolute truth that was an integral part of the agenda of multiculturalism. Second was the sexual revolution that took place in the 1960’s that had its foundation laid by the previous generation’s hypocrisy. That revolution, that many thought was relegated to the 1960’s has actually never stopped. It has had an ongoing incrementalism that has gained speed over the years to the point of overthrowing how we view sexuality, marriage, and family. We’ve moved from revolution to a fundamental transformation of our society. The third and final sphere of this fall is how our form of government has also been incrementally changing as well. That too has sped up over the years. We are now watching the government of our nation fundamentally changed as our founding documents are being openly ignored by our leaders. We are quickly becoming a nation of decrees rather than a nation of laws. I need to admit that for the past year or so I’ve watched this happen with gathering intensity and speed. My response has followed two directions – despair and disobedience. The despair has been because I have been slowly coming to the conclusion that this may be irreversible. It seems no matter what is done – the march toward destruction seems to be undeterred by both our people and our leaders. That led to the disobedience. I reached a point where I threw up my hands and said, “Oh well, what can I do?” It has only been as I’ve watched where this led me spiritually over the course of a year that I’ve seen it as a foolish thing to have done. The end of 2013 and the start of 2014 was a time of intense soul-searching. During that time I saw that hopelessness and despair only lead to abandoning the fact that God is sovereign over all time. That error – ignoring His ultimate sovereignty not just over history, but over MY history – led to a general carelessness spiritually. I thank Him that He did not abandon me, but has convicted me greatly of my sin – and has called me to back to Himself. That also means a call back to viewing history through the clear lens of His ultimate sovereignty as well as through His ultimate purpose. That purpose is clearly delineated for us in Scripture. With the Scriptures as my compass, therefore, it is my intent to once again begin looking at what is happening and possibly going to happen in the near future. Over the next several posts/articles it is my intent to share why I believe the fall of the United States is very near. I am aware that such a statement is highly inflammatory to many but I neither make it lightly, nor do I do so without Scriptural precedent. Please understand that these are not going to be politically motivated articles. Politics has long been a Trojan horse to the Christian community. We’ve been duped by political strategists who have promised change and action – but have delivered very little of either. In being so duped, the church has spent very little of her precious capital on spiritual renewal and revival. She has not turned to God in repentance and cries for His restoration. Repentance and prayer have been the things God has used to return His people to Himself – and yet these have been jettisoned and considered outdated for our days. The old paths are still there – abandoned – but still there. God’s intent, saints, is not to save our nation, but to call a people to Himself through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two passages of Scripture will probably dominate these posts, so you might want to familiarize yourself with them. The first is Matthew 5:13 and the second is Romans 1:17-29. If you want to do any other advance reading, you can take a trip through the major and minor prophets as well. The passages in Matthew and Romans will explain our particular national predicament – or – how did we get here? The perusal of the prophets will give you information as to what God says to a nation in spiritual, moral, and therefore national decline. Please understand that my intent in writing these articles is not to place myself anywhere except among all of us. The “us” to which I refer is the church as Jesus and Scripture define and describe it. My need of what I write about is just as intense as anyone who reads this. Our ONLY HOPE is repentance and return to God. A revival in God’s church would be awesome – but know that it might not be a guarantee that our nation will be restored. God promises that if we repent and return we will get Him. We are not guaranteed that the good ole’ United States we once knew will be restored. But then again, if that is what we have in the forefront of our minds, could it be that a national idolatry might be part of the problem as well? Is not God Himself the prize which we seek? Is not a revived church, no matter what the eventual trajectory of our nation, what is in the best interests of all? Is not a return to gospel saltiness in our culture what will glorify God more than anything else? Nations have risen up and they have fallen since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Daniel might remind us that as he watched – a stone cut without hands hit a statue that represented the greatest nations and cultures that would arise in history. They all crumbled, but that stone grew into a great mountain and dominated the scene for all eternity. That stone is Jesus Christ, before Whom all nations shall one day bow. Our place in history will NOT be ultimately related to the United States, but to Him. It would be wise for us to remember that – now and into the future – which may seem uncertain now – but if I read Scripture right – should not be if we hold fast to the Living Stone.  An Open Letter To Phil Robertson
Dear Brother, Greetings in the name of Jesus, Mr. Robertson. Let me say as I begin this open letter that I have enjoyed Duck Dynasty. The primary reason I enjoy it is because of the values that are expressed regularly in between the antics of a family that truly deserves the title of “redneck.” What brings me back to your show again and again though, is the depiction of a family that loves the Lord and loves one another. That being said – please allow me to say a few things to you today. First of all, Phil, you were set up from the start. Last time I took a good look at GQ magazine (which was probably back in college) it was not even remotely a magazine friendly to the type of Christian you are. The fact that they questioned you about homosexuality should have set off every alarm in you the Holy Spirit has. I am grateful that you expressed yourself according to what the Bible teaches. It may shock some that homosexuality is listed among the more horrific sexual perversions in the Scriptures – but it does not shock me - because I’ve read it numerous times. By the way, brother, I applaud you for not just speaking about the sin of homoseuxality, but also stating that heterosexual immorality is sinful too! What does shock me just a little is that you thought you’d be well-received by GQ or any other worldly publication for expressing Biblically conservative views on these things. I do not fault you at all for your comments, because I agree with you completely. Both homosexuality and any sex outside of marriage (i.e. heterosexual immorality) is called sin by God in His revelation to us. No one was born this way. These are sins people choose to do. They are also choices that continue to be embraced when confronted by God's Word that they are sin. That being said - it shouldn't shock us that the entertainment types and news media freak out when such things are said in any worldly open forum. You were set up, brother - and all this was probably intended to be the result. Second of all, Phil, I just want to remind you of something Jesus Christ said in Luke 6:26. "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.” For about 4 years most have spoken well of you and your family. I realize that in the last year or so that has begun to change. That is because they will speak well when they think you represent rednecks who hunt and who act funny. They will no longer speak well of you when you have the audacity to speak openly of your faith in Jesus Christ. Your boldness, which is to be commended, has led you to express that you believe what the Bible says about moral issues. That, dear brother, is what led to the current situation – and the outcry about supposed hate speech toward homosexuality. You did not express hate - just truth. Remember though that the world, "can't handle the truth." Just wanted to remind you that we were not promised smooth sailing in a world that runs after sin and sexual immorality. Third, I’d like to comment on A&E’s decision to remove you from the show. They have every right legally to do this – just as Christians have every right to boycott the network. BUT . . . let me say that I always chuckled a little that your show was on this network anyway. I would say that I am going to boycott A&E – except that if I no longer watch Duck Dynasty. the only time I will come across that network is when I click over it to get to something else on TV. Can we both agree that A&E has never been a bastion for godly or righteous programming. I actually hope that this leads to Duck Dynasty moving to another network where you will have greater freedom to be who you are as Christians. I honestly felt that this was eventually coming because if your family was true to who they truly were – more problems were on the horizon between you and the A&E network. Fourth, I want to encourage you Phil. As I’ve heard you on the show and read of your statements elsewhere I have quickly learned that you are a man who is going to speak the truth regardless of the consequences. Brother, you are not exactly a wall-flower who shrinks from addressing the moral issuesof our day! I am not calling you a prophet – nor do I figure you fancy taking that title either - but – I do feel like the things you say are said in a prophetic manner. Do these things need to be said? Yes they do. But realize brother, that when you do say such things, you will receive a prophet’s welcome. You will not receive the welcome of a TV star and on-air personality. That is reserved for those who know their place as a TV star– and are willing to sacrifice everything to keep it. You, my brother, are not such a man (halleluijah!). So, do not be discouraged that this has happened. Let me remind you of the words of Jesus once again. "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. John 7:7 (NASB) When you choose to align yourself with Jesus – and with Biblical truth (especially when that truth speaks to sexual immorality of any kind – heterosexual or homosexual) you should NOT expect the world to embrace you or thank you for your comments. Let me say one last thing to you – because I love you as my brother. In a way, I am glad this is happening. One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a Christian family is what has happened to yours. I am not referring to the current attacks that are being made on you and your beliefs. I think you will see that this will prove to eventually be a blessing. I am however referring to the dangers of being wildly successful in the public eye. Am I against success? No – but I do know that you will never face a greater trial than being successful - and still loving Jesus more than anything else in life. When I look at Jesus Christ and His disciples in that first generation of Acts – I see something much different. Although they were successful at times, they never embraced success - they embraced Jesus and gospel ministry. Every single one of them was persecuted for the gospel and for the truth. Except for John the apostle, every one of them was martyred for their faith – and for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. For at least a year I’ve been concerned for you and your family. This is not because I’ve seen any kind of ungodliness of which I am aware. I am a head of a family much like you. That means I am watching my children and grandchildren navigate their way through a wicked and ungodly generation. My greatest joy is that they walk in the truth – and love the Lord Jesus Christ passionately. None of my family is famous – even remotely – and yet it is hard for them to walk in this world and remain faithful to God. I feared for your family only because of the pressures and pitfalls that come with fame and fortune. I did not want to see them fall prey to what worldliness and a desire to please the world could bring. It is my hope that all that is happening now will serve to refocus your family – and even you as well – upon eternal things. May this trial draw you even closer to the Lord in your walk with Him. May this do the same for your family. Honestly, I hope that your entire family walks in unity on this matter, even if it means shutting down the show immediately. There are things far more valuable than “network ratings” and “pleasing advertisers.” There is the joy of knowing that we are walking with God – loving Him – and loving others by preaching and speaking the gospel to them. There is the reality that those who are involved in sexual sin need to be confronted, shown that their lifestyle IS a choice, and that as with all sin – it leads to death. There is also the reality that all sin can only be remedied by turning to Jesus Christ, Whose death on the cross is the ONLY way to pay the price that God demands for it. And there is the reality that even God's church needs to be reminded that standing for such things will cost us in the world's opinion polls. So, as reality shows go – there is a much greater reality men need to grasp. All the kingdoms of men, all governments, and yes – even all dynasties will one day answer to God. May your answer continue to be that you are not ashamed of the truth – not ashamed of the gospel – and not ashamed of being willing to suffer for the sake of His name! God bless brother – and – I’ll be praying for you! Apostasy and Pope Francis' Recent Theological Positions
One of the things that will be seen prior to and leading up to the return of Jesus Christ is called, "the apostasy." We read of it in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. Paul spoke of it as he reassured Christians in his day that Jesus had not yet come back. One of the things associated with His return would be this apostasy. Here is what he said, "Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction," (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, NASB - emphasis mine) Apostasy is defined this way at Dictionary.com - "a total departure from one's faith and the principles of it." We, unfortunately, have been watching this apostasy take shape in this generation for years. The Christian church has walked away from many of its principles - and fundamental beliefs. The liberal theologians of the 20th century assaulted just about every fundamental of the faith, starting with the inerrancy of the Bible and ending with a rejection of things like the virgin birth of Christ, His substitutionary atoning death, and the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. All these things are clearly affirmed in Scripture - and yet they have been dumped by liberals for several generations. As the sexual revolution has gained adherents in its rebellion against biblical morality, first heterosexual immorality was embraced (sex outside of a monogamous, heterosexual marriage relationship) then over time homosexuality was no longer considered sin. Now just about any kind of perversion is considered normal as our world devolves into its end-times rebellion against God. One group that had stood with classic Christianity in many of these battles was the Roman Catholic Church and her various popes. But with the current pope, things are changing rapidly and radically. Recently Pope Francis wrote a long open letter to the founder of La Republica newpaper, Eugenio Scalfari, in which he has stated that non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences. Here Pope Francis redefined sin as follows, "Sin, even for those who have no faith, exists when people disobey their conscience." Therefore - if an atheist follows his own conscience, he is not guilty of sin against God. This redefinition of what God requires for us to be forgiven - and to enter heaven is nothing short of breathtaking! This most recent statement comes on the heels of Pope Francis' statement about homosexuality in July when he said, "If someone is gay and is looking for the Lord, who am I to judge him?" One commentator on these radical statements by the Pope responded by saying, "Francis is still a conservative. But what this is all about is him seeking to have a more meaningful dialogue with the world." Mr. Scalfari said in a joyful response to the Pope's letter that his comments were, "further evidence of his ability and desire to overcome barriers in dialgue with all." What we are watching is not a dialogue with the world - but a capitulation to its immorality and contrary positions to the Bible and what it says. One might think that the Pope may be in need of a dialogue with God - and some additional moments spent in Bible study. One wonders if he has recently read either Psalm 53:1 or Psalm 14:1 which reads, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" It might serve him well also to re-read Romans 1:18-35 as well when it comes to the issue of immorality in the realms of human sexuality. For years I've wondered about the Roman Catholic Church in the end times. The reason for this has been their staunch stance for biblical morality over the years. I've also wondered about how they would fare in regard to a stance about the place the person of Jesus Christ has in salvation (even though I disagree with what they teach on this matter). The recent statements of Pope Francis have put the Roman Catholic Church far more in line with "the apostasy" than ever before. Who would have envisioned that Catholicism would step away from their fundamental moral stance - or embrace a theology that gives atheists a place in heaven without repenting of their atheism? Certainly not me! But this only makes me more aware that all that God has said continues to come to pass right before my eyes. How do these recent developments relate to the second coming of Jesus Christ? I only know that they continue to be preparation for the world at His coming. As far as where I stand on the timing of Christ's return - I continue to stand on the Bible's affirmation that no one knows the day or the hour. I also stand on the fact that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ can return at any moment - and - that we should be ready to meet God right now. What we see with these kind of things is the "signs of the times." Just as someone would look and see gathering storm clouds and know that a storm is near - so we should see such events and know, just as the Bible affirms, that He is near - right at the door. Are you ready to meet Him today? NOTE: By the way, just in case there are those who read this who are confused on such issues - the atheist can receive God's mercy and forgiveness - but only if he repents of his foolishness in denying God's existance. When he has done this he will need to repent and put his faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead - which is the ONLY payment God accepts for sin. The sin of which I speak is the way the atheist has disobeyed God's laws and commandments (which, by the way, are found in His inerrant revelation to us, the Bible). Also, just in case there is confusion, both heterosexual sex outside of marriage as well as all homosexual sex is sin in God's sight, as affirmed by His Word in Romans 1:18-35. God affirms sex within a heterosexual marriage relationship only. |
 What is the Prophecy/News Update?At Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro, we believe that history is moving toward fulfilling God's plans and purposes. In an effort to help us be prepared for His appearing - and also to chronicle news items you just won't see in the national media - this page is devoted to sharing those items and their possible significance to 
Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend.
Thank you!  Archives
July 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed