Archive for the 'Religion' Category

This tweet thread is making the rounds. Its points are good if narrow in scope.

What is meant by Christians that believe in a negative world? We think he means those who hold a positive view of the state of affairs in America are dull of spiritual senses. Well, they are, and perhaps not actually converted, either. Clueless Christians deny sin; perhaps that’s it? Denying sin is certainly a positive view though erroneous. Those don’t believe the Bible and their own eyes. The notion that men are generally good is an infection taking hold in Christianity: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one!

We don’t disagree with the thread; we’ll broaden the historical spectrum, recalling God’s stated purposes and Goals lest we lose sight of the end.

America is not simultaneously supposed to be blessed by God and immune to judicial determinations and instruction in righteousness from God. That’s the God of the New Religion (positive world?), not the God of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible teaches God’s great purposes in judgment, grace in salvation by His mercies, and for instruction in righteousness. This is not a menu from which America may choose one or another; none are immune to these workings of God.

We’re negative in the short run on America and Western Civilization, but that doesn’t change God’s plan. If only Christians understood that they are no longer citizens of this world but ambassadors for Christ to this foreign and hostile land. They see these words in their Bible but do they get it?

Before you think we’re promoting abandoning our obligations on earth, that’s not what the Holy Bible teaches; see yesterday’s post.

What are the larger view of God’s plan and our purpose in it?

Sin has consequences. The rapid decline of western civilization is directly correlated to the growth of rampant sin (degeneracy, perversion, abortion, war, sexual promiscuity, etc.), as the thread rightly points out. The catalog of corruption is not necessary to review. What’s essential is to call it what it is, Sin. That’s God’s word for it; that’s what it is.

What is the Holy Bible, if not a history of the onset of sin and God’s dealings with the wicked, but also by His mercies choosing a people He desires to live for Him in righteousness?

America finds itself on the waning side of the last significant growth era of faith in the Almighty. That previous growth era was the most extraordinary yet in size and depth of fundamental belief, for this God’s blessings rained down from the throne of heaven upon western civilization.

Don’t, brothers and sisters, lose sight of the fact that Christ had conquered three continents and significant areas of one other over the last 500 years or so. You’ve heard that weak men bring hard times. The Bible’s view is that those weak men are the leaders you get, perverters of all that is holy when the people reject God’s Law. But even that scope is too narrow.

Christ is conquering the world. That’s hard to see for us because of the narrow point of view of a single lifetime and the skewed antichrist perspective of the history books. Christianity has grown geometrically in 2000 years, from 122 souls in that upper room who awaited the promise of the Holy Spirit to millions and millions of professing people from the center of empires to the farthest reaches of distant and strange lands. This didn’t happen by accident.

As our Lord gave us in the Great Commission, the Christian project is a long road with ups and downs, perils and pitfalls, evil seducers and sorceries, and the raising and razing again of kings and kingdoms, religions, and whole ways of living. But God’s power prevails; souls are converted, entire courses of history are subsumed under the power of the Gospel, the Father is glorified in the work of His saints, and civilizations are birthed as the blessings of God are poured out upon a faithful people. The name of Jesus of Nazareth continues to spread, which also doesn’t happen by accident.

The point here is that sin has brought trouble from evil rulers to a dying civilization, so what? These are not our kingdoms; they belong to Christ to do with as He pleases. It doesn’t gladden God to have to destroy them any more than it satisfies us that He will. But it’s necessary; every knee will bow. We’re sure God would much rather men accept His word and do it without a fight, but we are sinners making ourselves the enemies of God.

Which leads to this point; How could God do anything but destroy a wicked and adulterous generation? (That adultery in the Bible is meant as cheating on God.) There are vestiges of European pagan roots left, antinomianism, and spiritualism not of the Spirit of God, but today our current form of adultery is self as god. Father God will have no partners, no equal; He will not compete for His throne. He destroys the inhabitants of His planet over and again to bring them to the knowledge of His Son, that through Christ, all peoples would hear and fear Him, the Just One, judge of heaven and earth.

Our day is not one to lament except that we be grieved deeply by the depravity of our fellow man, troubled of heart, for they will not (re)turn to God and be saved. But, have you asked them, you know, if they need to be forgiven of their sin and saved from hell? Maybe nobody told them how! Perhaps the whole problem today is Christians’ fault for not doing what Christ said to build His Kingdom. And so you see, neither does His Kingdom get built by accident.

But know, Christ is putting down all rule. His project is for as many thousands of years as the Father chooses, bringing the whole earth to heel. Rejoice that He cares enough to destroy your wicked civilization. Praise His holy name that the Lord God Almighty puts down sin with vengeance, for righteous is He, just and perfect, and will not tolerate the ways of wicked men forever. Be not deceived; there are things God hates!

You are here now. You should find out why. What is it that God is calling you in service to perform? Teach the next generation to call upon Him? Spreading the seed of the word of God that souls be converted, prepared of God to carry forth the next explosive growth phase of the Gospel after God, sadly, deals with the trash now rampant among us? Hard times breed hard men, but are you training them, above all else, to fear God and keep His commandments, preparing them for the way of Christ?

In the coming hard times, people will be looking for answers. God is that answer. Do you know how to explain clearly and purposefully what sin is, how saving self from hell is impossible, how all sinners without Christ will die being cast out into eternal hellfire, and only those belonging to God’s own Son will be saved? Can you explain the purposes of the cross to scared, cold, hungry men who need a Saviour? That’s the Christian project; that’s the generations of work, century after century, a long hard slog of doing the works Jesus commissioned when He created His Church, the body of Christ.

Having heard of Christ’s commission, do you even know your purpose and calling in the Kingdom of God? Will you pray? Will you read the entire New Testament, examining what you are supposed to do? Will you train yourself to carry on the works of God, the Holy Spirit in you, to bring glory to the Father through Jesus Christ?

Now in heaven, there are millions of the most productive and faithful saints of God that nobody has ever heard of who labored in obscurity, year after year, for decades of their life, that you might one day, in God’s providence, hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent, and find salvation. Are you up to this task? Thankless hard work, ridiculed, derided, a nobody, and very soon persecuted for the name of Jesus, can you do it?

The churches no longer teach the blessing of obedience and the curses of disobedience. The people don’t want to hear it. They have no fear of God, do you?

Christ has already won when He rose from the grave. The writing, as they say, is clearly on the wall. All power and authority in heaven and earth are given unto Christ. Death, hell, sin, and the devil who has tried to steal God’s throne are all defeated in the Kingdom of God that now reigns by the Spirit. But the day is coming of no more tears, no more sorrow, no more death when the Lamb of God shall have put down all authority by His own power, the kingdom of death and hell will be called forth and cast into the lake of burning brimstone for all eternity.

Those in Christ from all ages will be left, and the greatest King that ever was, with the utmost contrite act of humility, will turn and hand us all, with His Kingdom, up to the Father, that God may be all in all.

Having suffered the entire grieving process of anger, tears, and sorrow for America a decade ago, living for Christ should have been the first choice. But I had to see the ugliness of this world and the futility of its politics with the fragility of its kingdoms before getting it; Christ is King. His is an everlasting Kingdom.

Two thousand years ago, a new Kingdom was birthed; the Stone not cut by hands is growing into a mountain crushing all other power. Daniel’s vision is sure and true, coming to pass in the person of Jesus Christ.

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” – Daniel 2:44

In today’s narrow scope, the war between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of death and hell is ugly and disturbing, but our King wins! Sometimes we think that evil is winning, only to find that God is withholding His blessings so that judgment might march across a land, destroying His enemies. This prepares the way for the next growth phase as the Gospel of Christ, by the Spirit of God, begins again to convert His people by the many millions, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.

The job of the Christian is not that of an observer of the machinations of evil during the death throws of empire: but to be doers of the word, telling the lost of salvation at the foot of the cross, teaching and training Christ’s disciples, carrying forth the good news of the resurrection, bringing to bear our coming victory in the Lord Jesus Christ, our King.

“7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” – Galatians 6:7-10

Verse 7 above is often quoted as a general principle of God, and rightly so. The biblical doctrine of reaping what you instill carries an immensely important compass with which the Christian lives, particularly in how he interacts with his fellow man. Broad application is often made, but if we read the following several verses, we see that what God teaches here applies to whether our actions are His commands or our desires.

One of the hardest lessons for the child of God is that God’s Law and plan for you are superior to anything you could imagine doing for yourself and your family. Following His Law may be the narrow path with some difficulty, but it brings fruit in abundance for you and glory to God.

Don’t misunderstand verse 8, as the New Religion of modern American Churches teaches it. It does not mean ignoring this world to the detriment of future generations being so heavenly-minded that they are useless in the Kingdom of God that now is. Nor does it mean what hyper spiritualists claim; that we have no duty to man, retiring to our inner meditations alone with God abandoning the commitment to kith and kin, tribe, and nation.

Verse 8 does not contradict other Scripture. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15.

People have this strange notion that the Spirit of God may sometimes contradict the word of God. Brethren, it isn’t so. We are to cultivate all things by the Spirit of God under the purposes and doctrines given by specific instruction in the Holy Bible. All that is sown outside the Spirit only adds to the world’s corruption. Let that sink in a bit; We’re not even talking about open sin or rebellion against God but serving ourselves. All that’s done for any purpose not commanded by God isn’t merely a waste of time and effort before the throne of God; it’s harmful to you, your fellows, and your country.

Verse 8 is not about choosing to abase yourself or denying creature needs for your family. It’s about following the Law of God, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness so that all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). What are “these things?” Food, clothing, and gathering into barns for the future are God’s blessings to His faithful. If your eye be single, doing all by the word in the Spirit, then all you accomplish will be full of light to the glory of God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:22).

Verse 8 concludes, “but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” A man is birthed into eternal life by the Spirit of God. It does not say that sowing to the Spirit of God shall of our works reap life everlasting. No, life everlasting is a work only God can perform when He makes a man His own. Not by the spirit of your own works, but only can you be sealed with the promise by the Spirit of God in you.

Modern Christianity has a considerable compartmentalization problem. You have your work life, family, leisure or recreation, and Christian life, and most have a pet sin. That’s not at all what the Bible teaches. We are to be Christ’s first, in all places and all ways, while doing all things to exalt the name of Jesus; this is to the glory of God the Father.

If you spend all your time struggling only for that which is of the flesh, worldly, self-promoting, gathering money, things, and fake friends, this is faulty and sows the seeds of corruption. It’s harmful to your family and your country. Look around at the condition of Western Civilization, who among us is not our own god, living in sin, serving self, with slovenly care for the future of the kingdom of heaven and God’s promises to those that love Him while building the hope of all nations under His command. Instead of hearing the warning in verse 8, all is corruption all the time; Christ’s commission is abandoned.

And so, what does verse 9 teach, therefore? Let us not be weary in well doing. Examine this self-centeredness of sowing to the flesh in verse 8 and how it leads to the end of well-doing toward all men in verse 9.

Persecution or rejection by men for the truth that is in you confirms by the Spirit that you are indeed God’s, advanced in the certainty of your future home among the saints of the faith seated in glory with the Almighty. Press onward toward the prize in the love where God keeps you for His grand purposes, ever striving, accomplishing the vocation in the faith to which He placed you.

Again the New Religion would have you believe that this is about a church program against which there is no law, but it’s not that; it’s serving in the Spirit by the love of God in all things full of joy in the hope of life everlasting to see the face your Saviour.

There was a woman blind from her birth saved later in life. A fellow believer lamented to her how God had not restored her sight. The blind woman admonished, Don’t say that; my blindness is the most wonderful blessing; the first face I’ll ever see is that of my Lord and Saviour.

Weary not, no matter how ugly and wicked the world becomes or what they throw your way. Faint not, but hope to the end for the glorious appearing of our Lord as He sets down all rule. Keep in mind; tumultuous times are His rule being established; don’t be among those that need to be made His footstool. Be found doing the works of the Spirit in love and peace.

For this cause, if war becomes an absolute necessity, you’re well-founded before God, having followed His Law in kindness and truth toward all men. You can be part of the problem and accumulate enemies, or be upright, knowing you did all you could to forestall the day of evil, justified when, sadly, men must act. In due season the righteous shall reap if we faint not.

Verse 10 starts, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good.” This thought is very well aligned with our situation today. As in the first century, a significant shift today with massive change is coming. War, famine, plagues, and pestilences were arriving in the first century judgment; the end of all things was at hand (1 Peter 4:7). Opportunity to do good for God is fleeting. Perilous times bring out the best or worst in a man.

So let us do good unto all men sowing in the Spirit; meekness, kindness, joy, and love. Glory be to God. Do something nice for somebody who’s a total jerk? It’s arresting; it either sets them aback or makes them all the more furious. And besides, it’s the funniest thing to be sincerely kind and gracious to people who don’t know how to handle it. It’s a fond memory, especially the look on their faces. Make sure to tell them it’s because of Christ in you.

Train your children in all things, and take care to pray for them. Job sacrificed for his children (1:5), saying, “it may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Your children are not yours; they are God’s: “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” – Psalm 127:3. Children are given by the Lord, the ultimate custodial responsibility of His property.

Do good, especially to your brothers in Christ, which is, lastly, the real point we desire to make. Be a man of allegiance to the Almighty, sowing in your clan the word of God, making them fellow citizens in the faith and family of the King. A home is just an empty plot without the love of Christ one toward another. We have the most extraordinary family ever conceived because the Spirit of God birthed it as the gracious and precious gift of the Father through faith in the crucifixion and resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father is the finest there ever has been or ever will be. Rule your family well, be the head, and worship the Father: teaching the word and emulating Christ in your home and among your broader lineage. Have fervent charity among yourselves, as this will cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)

Clearly understand; sowing to the flesh is rottenness to the core, destructive of all that is good. Sow all things instead to the Spirit, according to His word, doing good, especially unto those who are alive in the faith of Christ, reaping life everlasting.

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” – Ephesians 2:19-20

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began”

Source:

It’s up to you:

You can categorize this post in the context that is perhaps in answer to Covid Amnesty, a Warning from the Wall, a note to future rebuilders of a just civilization, Christian Nationalism, or a message on the good news of the Gospel of salvation by Christ Jesus. The Law of God is far-ranging. None has kept the entire Law, other than Jesus, that is.

First, the good news.

“18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. 22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” – Deuteronomy 21:18-23

You are the stubborn son! You have rebelled against the Father, your creator, and cannot be redeemed in the Law from sinning against Him. You couldn’t stop sinning against God if you wanted to; there’s no escape but the full restitution in the Law, which is death under the penalty of the code for your rebellion; you are a sinner. In rebellion, openly at times and stubborn, yet unknowing at others, you should be hanged on a tree, accursed of God, that all may see and know what becomes of a rebellious and stubborn son.

But God made a way impossible for you under your own strength: He gave His only begotten Son, a sinless perfect testament to God’s holy righteousness; He never broke the Law. Though He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, He fulfilled the law of restitution in perfect obedience to the Law. You owe Holy Father God but could never repay, even with your life, but Christ gave Himself that you might go free.

Jesus was taken outside the city as an unclean thing, treated as the lowest of sinners, and hanged like the accursed upon a tree, yet was He holy and perfect. Jesus was hanged on that cross of wood you deserve; he died for you there and rose again the third day. The whole world is hearing of this; the Law is fulfilled, once for all; the curse of sin is lifted in Christ Jesus.

That is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. Though sacrifices by many millions were made over thousands of years to attempt a temporary stay of judgment, Jesus Christ closed all accounts with holy Father God for those that accept His gracious atoning gift of sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin and salvation from eternal hell by the wrath of God. The restitution you could never hope to escape was paid in full.

And next, the Law; the Ten Commandments are an outline or table of contents for the entire Law. The Law is not a list of proverbs.

The God of the Holy Bible is the God of restitution; He is the God of the Just Balance (Proverbs 16:11). God’s Law sets forth just compensation, up to or above 100 percent. In God’s economy, crime must never be allowed to pay; it must cost at least double what it destroys. If crime were allowed to pay, you’d be ruled by criminals extracting the nation’s wealth and leaving it all in shambles of inflationary ruin.

It can be noted that the time and work required to re-establish that which was lost to crime are also a cost that full restitution requires. We’ve often heard that somebody got abused by criminals and then abused again by the criminal justice system. It’s not supposed to be this way; the victim is not supposed to pay. Capital punishment is the ultimate just recourse.

“If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.” – Exodus 22:1

The animals in the Law of God are both literal and examples. It was not the Law’s purpose to provide for every circumstance then or now that requires understanding the value placed on the means by which a man makes a living and cares for his family. An ox was a big deal in the ancient agricultural economies. It plowed your field, threshed your wheat, ground your corn. A family of any size couldn’t grow and prosper without such a tool. Think of whatever you require most today to do your job in order to care for your family; that’s your ox. As many seek a simpler life abandoning the cities and suburbs, there isn’t a rural small farmer or property owner today that doesn’t depend upon his pickup truck or a tractor. Without these tools, all his livelihood is gone. According to the Law of God, you must pay fivefold if you separate a man from his ability to provide for his family. No, God is not a communist!

“2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.” – Exodus 22:2

Note that the source of the so-called Castle Doctrine stems from this verse. Breaking and entering is grounds for lethal force without recourse against the property holder or a tenant. Property and your family have value to God. God is the God of private property; being secure in your persons and effects is a blessing by the Law of God.

Instead of causing a deep sleep or actual coma to come over the reader, we won’t exposit this entire section, but read the following verses with a mind toward allegorical examples of life today, crime, and just recompense.

“3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. 5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. 6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. 7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. 8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods. 9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.” Exodus 22:3-9

The principle behind these laws is that obedience to God will bring you and your family a humble and quiet life. Want to be left alone? Build a civilization that thrives on the Law of God. There is no salvation from hell in the law.

As constricting as the Law-word of God can seem, to those redeemed by Christ, the word of God is liberty from further sin. Nothing is more freeing than salvation in Christ, to go and sin no more by keeping His commandments. If you know God’s word, you know where you stand with God at all times; this is freedom. Keep short accounts with God so that it may be well with you all your days.

The notion that what a man can imagine or exact upon the guilty would be even the spark of an ember of the wrath God has awaiting the sinner in hell is prideful and thorough foolishness. A man cannot begin to imagine the hell of hell, and all the fury he can dispense on earth is silliness compared to the vengeance of the Almighty. The Laws purpose is to set examples among men, not as final judgment. Dominion has limits; final authority is not ours.

Restitution is the principal payment for one man’s crime against another, providing excellent deterrence. The Law of restitution is the essence of justice and righteousness in God’s created order. That’s why whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7), and those that sew the wind shall reap the whirlwind, strangers shall eat of his substance (Hosea 8:7).

Western civilization used to operate under restitution. The criminal is supposed to pay, not the taxpayers; the criminal is to yield in full and then deliver a number of times again, depending upon the type of crime. The habitual criminal is condemned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18).

“Biblical law has no prison system. A criminal was held in prison only pending a trial, and then either made restitution, or was a bondservant until he worked out his restitution, or was executed.” – Rev. R.J. Rushdoony

Restitution can be no more abolished than God can be eradicated. All things are brought before the throne of the Almighty; a just recompense is His very nature; holy and just is He. America and the west can try to wiggle out of the principles under which God has ordained His created order. In the mercy of His longsuffering, He may, with patience, take a season and leave us to our ways desiring all the while for us to come to our senses again, but if men do not implement justice, He will. It would go so much better if America had a true revival of heart toward the Holy One, and we set about to correct all things in accordance with His word. But short of that, He will set things straight, and when He’s left with little choice, red, black, and pale horses are usually involved.

Rushdoony again:

Without restitution, man’s idea of law loses its center and becomes erratic and unstable. Among the more common eccentricities of law have been emphases on class, caste, race, or status, whereby the law becomes an instrument for inequality. A related eccentricity is the emphasis on equality, so that law and justice are separate from justice as restitution and made the instruments of a drastic levelling of men, circumstances, and institutions. Eccentric law loses its orientation towards righteousness or justice and becomes governed by social standards, mores, and pressures. Law then becomes the product of pressure politics, not of a principle of justice.

Restitution makes the Law focus on the object of the offense, whether it needs to be restored two or four-fold, instead of focusing on the criminal. Today, by way of courtroom illusions, the criminal becomes the aggrieved party in need of restoration that God empowers no State to provide. Only the Church, through the Gospel, can restore a man. The law is the schoolmaster; Christ is the redeemer (Galatians 3:24-25).

And worse it gets, the victim receives no compensation which is due; the taxpayers, who are no party at all to the dispute, pay $60,000 a year to keep the criminal entertained, while the State pretends that it has power over the soul of the criminal to make him whole. This is not God’s ordained way of justice. Its trickery and sleight of hand played against the ignorant.

The cross, where this post started, requires us to see the urgent need for restitution. For it is God’s own way of Law; it’s why Christ had to die on that cross to save your soul; somebody worthy, by the Law of God Almighty, had to pay.

Civilization can only fail where there is no justice. And justice short of restitution is no justice at all. Somebody has to pay; by God’s divine hand, they always will, even if He has to destroy your civilization to get it through your head.

Last week we posted about the killing of Nigerian Christians.

Nigeria was recently removed from the CPC list by the Biden Administration.

Linked here is an effort to reinstate Nigeria to the list. While that’s a nice gesture, Nigerian Christians need to take up arms and form local militias.

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last year on November 15th, 2021 the Biden approved the removal of Nigeria from the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list. The CPC list was established under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and Frank R Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016. The criteria for the CPC list includes (1) Torture, (2) Prolonged detention without charge, (3) Forced disappearance, or (4) Flagrant denial of life, liberty, or security of purpose. Nigeria meets ALL of these criteria for their brutal treatment of Christians.

Nigeria is the most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian. Last year 4,650 Christians were martyred by Islamic terrorist groups and over 3,000 were kidnapped. 13,000 churches have been forced to close or have been destroyed and burned to the ground. Radical Muslim clerics have called for the immediately killing of any Christians who blasphemes, without exception, even if that person repents, stating that they should “kill now” and let “Allah sort it out.”

Christians that are kidnapped are often beaten, raped, sold as slaves and girls, typically young teenagers, have been forced to marry older Islamic men. Christians are often arrested on false charges of blasphemy while the Muslim persecutors of Christians are almost never charged.

American Christians need to plan for the day when they have to take group defense seriously.

There’s more at the link, including a video.

Catholic Evangelizes repentance from sin and proselytizes spreading the Gospel; the church apologizes.

'Sin leads to hell'

This sermon led to an apology from the Bishop of Kerry

What are your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/pBXVtjb5PG

— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) November 1, 2022

I didn’t know Catholics evangelized the souls of men. Sheehy got in trouble, and the church apologized. So, no, Catholics don’t, in fact, evangelize for Christ?

In a statement, Bishop Ray Browne apologized to “all who were offended,” adding “the views expressed do not represent the Christian position” and the message was not appropriate for a “regular weekend parish Mass.”

We agree the views expressed in the clip don’t represent the Christian position. And that’s the problem. We might have worded it differently, but what Sheehy said is Bible 101. We’re offended that he didn’t receive a standing ovation.

Browne’s Monday statement was released to appease parishioners who were outraged by Father Seán Sheehy’s homily delivered to mass-goers in Listowel on Sunday.

Watch a clip from Sheehy’s now-viral sermon for yourself: ‘Sin leads to hell’

This sermon led to an apology from the Bishop of Kerry

Bishop Browne needs to apologize to Christ! Are there any Catholics here who can explain, from the church’s position, why what he did is wrong? Is it wrong?

Chuck Baldwin just preached Revelation Chapter Seven this past Sunday. It’s an interesting, wide-ranging (beyond Revelation 7), and worthwhile video study. He also spends time laying some foundation for future messages on Revelation.

Reading this brief post first by Ken Gentry will help as background.

The 144,000 saints represent Jewish converts to Christianity who dwell in Israel. Note the following evidence:

1. The text expressly refers to the twelve tribes of Israel: “I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Rev 7:4; cf. vv 5–8). John later calls this body of 144,000: “first fruits” (Rev 14:4). Christianity’s first converts hail from Israel (Ac 1:8; 2:5–12, 22–24, 36–42; cp. Ro 1:16; 2:9–10). They are the remnant of Israel that forms the seed of the new covenant church.

2. John distinguishes them from “the great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” (Rev 7:9). John is careful to make this strong distinction between the two groups.

We find ourselves in good company in this, as Baldwin also agrees with the distinction between the 144,000 and the “great multitude, which no man could number.” (7:9)

1. The Old Testament source from which John draws his imagery is Ezekiel 9:4, which clearly specifies they are from Jerusalem: “The LORD said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.’”

2. God protects them in “the Land” which is being judged (Rev 7:1; 14:3). The Greek phrase he ge in Rev often means “the land,” i.e., the promised Land of Israel. This fits well with the previous action occurring in Israel.

3. Such a designation comports well with Christ’s warning his followers to flee Jerusalem before its final overthrow (Mt 24:15–16; Lk 21:20–24). He promises that those who heed his prophecy will be protected (Lk 21:18–19).

4. We must always remember that Revelation’s events are to occur “shortly” because the “time is near” (Rev 1:1, 3; 22:6, 10). This fits perfectly with the historical flight of Jewish Christians from Jerusalem prior to its fall.

This is interesting.

Despite Christians instructing the magistrate on how they must govern to honor God being the historic protestant position of political theory, many have attempted to malign Christians with the label of “Christian Nationalist” in an attempt to disarm them from public discourse on politics. This term has scared many Christians and caused them to reject Christian Nationalism. This article will respond to some of the major concerns many Christians have with what they perceive Christian Nationalism to be.

Christian nationalism can be summarized by this: God instituted governments to promote good and punish evil and it is a duty of the Christian to inform the magistrate of what God calls good and evil. This is because Romans 13 details that the government is established by God and is His minister. Uncoincidentally, the word “minister” used here is the same word used for both deacon and servant— “diakonos”; the Christian then must inform the rulers on how they are to honor God with laws that promote good and punish evil.

Many have claimed that Christian Nationalism is about instituting a theocracy when nothing could be farther from the truth. God created three institutions, the Family, Church, and Government as distinct institutions with unique roles. The role of the government is detailed in Romans 13:3-4 as “Rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior but for evil… for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” Governments have been ordained by God to promote good and punish evil and they do this by instituting just laws. Since good and evil are defined by God, it is the Christian’s duty to inform rulers on how laws are to honor Christ.

When discussing God’s ordained created order of Church, Family, and State, a proper understanding is essential. The use of the word Government instead of State detracts from the argument. The Family has a government, and the Church has a government. As the Family is being destroyed by the State, we see that the essential God-ordained government of a family, with the man as the head, is indispensable for a thriving civilization. The correct representation of magisterial or civil authority is State. It’s an important distinction, but the thrust of the message remains solid. All bodies have government, but not every government is State government, despite the communist’s best efforts. Romans 13 is prescriptive, not descriptive.

The distinction between Christian Nationalism and Theocracy can be made because Christian Nationalism is about enforcing the second table of the Law and not the first. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) the laws were divided into two tables. The first table, commandments one through three, dealt with God’s relationship with mankind and proper worship. This is administered through the body of Christ with the Church. The second table of the law, commandments four through ten, deals with man’s relation to his fellow man. This is basic civil law which is the duty of the government to enact. Since Christian Nationalism is about proper enforcement of the second table of the law Christians from varying traditions can unite around it as it does not involve the institution of laws regarding proper worship.

There’s no evidence as to which tablet contained which commandments. The author uses a common Lutheran explanation. The Law of God is a covenant; both tablets probably held a complete set of commandments, as any valid two-party contract would. Also, the ten commandments are a summary or table of contents for the entire Law of God. From that, we understand interpreting any one of the ten as a proverb will always lead to misapplication of the Law of God. “Indeed, The full covenant summary, the Ten Commandments, was inscribed on each of the two tables of stone, one table or copy of the treaty for each party in the treaty, God and Israel” – Rousas John Rushdoony.

I don’t think there’s proof either way from the text of the Bible, but we’re willing to be wrong about that if somebody could indicate the verse(s) that shows which commandments were on what block. It’s not a significant contention.

We also disagree that you can enforce a portion of the Law and not be in violation of the entire code. If an offense exists in just one point, the whole Law is transgressed (James 2:12). What the author describes in partial enforcement will always fail because the Law is perfect, by which we mean both infallible and complete as a single (statutory requirement) body of doctrine. A contract void in any one point is invalid in all. That’s a fundamental legal precept, the source of which, in the west, is the Bible.

It’s readily accepted that civil government flows from culture. But where most balk is to take the logical and ultimate conclusion that the source of culture is derived from that society’s religion. Religion is the first order, penultimate, from which all else flows; despite decades of the communists and other socialists attempting to eradicate this simple truth, it’s still a fact. This campaign of the socialists has been so effective that merely using the word religion gets people’s dander up. You are a religious creature. You have a religion, whether you like it or not, and whether it’s recognized as a religion or not. This religion of yours creates not only a common culture but then also informs the type of State governing apparatus you have. Religion concludes the determination of moral codes, which are a nation’s law.

Rushdoony:

“Law is in every culture religious in origin. Because law governs man and society, because it establishes and declares the meaning of justice and righteousness, law is inescapably religious, in that it establishes in practical fashion the ultimate concerns of a culture. Accordingly, a fundamental and necessary premise in any and every study of law must be, first, a recognition of this religious nature of law. Second, it must be recognized that in any culture the source of law is the god of that society. If law has its source in man’s reason, then reason is the god of that society. If the source is an oligarchy, or in a court, senate, or ruler, then that source is the god of that system. Thus, in Greek culture, law was essentially a religiously humanistic concept… Third, in any society, any change of law is an explicit or implicit change of religion. Nothing more clearly reveals, in fact, the religious change in a society than a legal revolution. When the legal foundations shift from biblical law to humanism, it means that the society now draws its vitality and power from humanism, not from Christian theism. Fourth, no disestablishment of religion as such is possible in any society. A church can be disestablished, and a particular religion can be supplanted by another, but the change is simply to another religion. Since the foundations of law are inescapably religious, no society exists without a religious foundation or without a law system which codifies the morality of its religion. Fifth, there can be no tolerance in a law system for another religion. Toleration is a device used to introduce a new law system as a prelude to a new intolerance…” – Rousas John Rushdoony, Institutes of Biblical Law vol 1

That bolded part explains everything that’s being done to America and the west. And it explains very well why a country can have millions of laws and be a corrupt cesspit of vipers, and we’re not talking about Washington, DC. The religion of America is self, self as god. All are sinners; there’s no way but for evil to abound under this regime. The solution is not to implement Bible Law or a Christian ethic in code; souls must be converted to Christ. That’s His commission. Trying in any way to create a just society outside of the method ordained by the Just One will fail.

The author of the linked piece rightly explains that Christian Nationalism cannot be divorced from the Law or the Great Commission.

While it has been made clear that Christian Nationalism is about instituting just civil laws, some have thrown out the accusation that Christian Nationalists want to force conversions. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to draw sinners to Himself. However, when a government’s laws are based on God’s word those who transgress them will know they have broken God’s law. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 3:24 that “the law is our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we may be justified by faith.” The Law does not save us but it teaches us we need to be saved. This is the first step in telling people they need the Gospel as they cannot know the good news without first understanding their depravity and need for a savior. Having civil laws based on God’s word will in turn teach people they need a savior.

“Only the Holy Spirit has the power to draw sinners to Himself.” And what is a Christian’s role in this?

Christian Nationalism is not uniquely American, nor is it about spreading Americanism. God calls all the nations to honor Him.

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Some have claimed that being a Christian Nationalist means only caring for your own country. This has been a result of the post-war liberal consensus that the only way to properly love other nations is to first hate your own. Scripture does not tell us to love our neighbor by hating our own family, but tells us the exact opposite when the Apostle Paul states in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Paul is saying that even the pagans take care of their own so how much worse is it that Christians don’t take care of their own? This principle can be applied at the national level as well because the nation is a large group of people with common descent and shared culture. If even non-Christian nations take care of their own, how much worse would it be for a Christian nation to not take care of its own?

Timothy is being instructed on being a public Christian, particularly a Pastor and leader, and the context of that passage is about widows. But we don’t argue against the application made in the article. 1 Timothy 5:8 seems to broaden out the principles discussed about the treatment of widows to give general Christian instruction in all cases. It’s apt to Timothy’s congregation perhaps and us today certainly.

The Left has destroyed the very thought processes of Americans, but we’re encouraged to see these truths struggling to come to the fore. There’s a new book on the topic that we have not read. The article is worth reading for its main points, which are valid and poorly understood, if at all, in mainline American Christianity.

Serious Christian men would do well to review a body of work already in place on these very topics. Rushdoony, North, Gentry, and others have laid the profound groundwork in preparation for what is now being called Christian Nationalism. The Kingdom of God is supposed to be the primary influence upon all of mankind under the Great Commission. That doesn’t mean only individual Christians acting outside of civilization; it means a Christian Global Civilization.

No, we’re not talking about prepping for Christians, whatever that is. Here’s the lead; you need to be able to have church away from prying eyes.

Assembling with other believers is commanded (Hebrews 10:25). If you have children, the man, as the head, should already be giving a family bible study, perhaps as often as every evening. Those husbands and wives with grown and gone children could still be doing this. There’s something quaint and very pleasing about that notion; a husband having a bible lesson, just him and his wife. What a wonderful way to honor the Lord. Where were we?

It would have been challenging to convince American Christians of the need for this preparedness just a few years ago. People would have thought it absurd that the government would shut down churches, especially a Republican president. Well, the government did, and your pantywaist Pastors complied.

That’s just a tiny foretaste of what’s coming for the Christians in America. Keeping in mind that most mainline churches would turn you over to the government if required, the first rule of underground church is – you don’t talk about underground church.

Many, tens of thousands, perhaps millions, never returned to those closed churches. That might be a good thing. Some of those certainly went to find a group of true believers who did not quit on God so readily. For those who never bothered going again, we also consider this a good thing; it’s unlikely they were converted if all it took was shutting the door to a building. Most are merely brainwashed slugs; they did as they were told, never concerned enough to voice an objection.

Our God is the God of redemption; read, Thanking God for Covid 19. Consider wisely your future with Christ, your leadership role now, and the needs of the believers counting upon you in a country rapidly growing antichrist. You are the very best Christian somebody knows. Get better; begin the work to build an antifragile church group.

Your group leader doesn’t have to be the same man who brings your bible lessons.

Many started groups of intrepid believers meeting away from corporate 501(c)(3) buildings in open defiance. Good for them. Their reward is rich in Heaven. And that’s what you must prepare to do. Meeting in open defiance is obviously the first choice. That’s the most significant and crucial qualifying statement we’ll make. You don’t have to put on a show or make a political statement; you do it with your heart toward Father God, prepared always to suffer for Christ’s name, who died for your eternal soul, not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together.

For followers of Christ, it shouldn’t be a stretch to consider what your family, group, church, or team needs. The object is to continue to gather along a continuum of possibilities from a home church to entirely underground, at least not in a mainline building, but in varying degrees of relative secrecy depending upon the circumstances.

What does it take for you to hold church? Well, those are the things you need. Christian men should already be providing a simple bible lesson for their families on a regular schedule, perhaps around a table. Extending this concept during government oppression or a cataclysmic event is easy. You need knowledge, materials, and to already be in practice.

We make sure to say here that a preacher of God’s word, a Pastor in the name of Christ, is a specific calling God places on the lives of a small percentage of men. We are in no way advising you, outside of God’s will, under your own power to start being a Pastor or a Preacher. Those are God-ordained and called men. There are circumstances in which one may be pressed into service. This is a serious thing. American churches are full of men and now women that claim ordination of God but are false. With a humble heart, admitting that you are not called to Pastoral headship, nonetheless, a group of believers being required to meet, a man of good repute must be prepared to lead. Nobody has authority outside God’s calling to assume Pastoral headship or the office of the Preacher. Still, you men should be able to bring a clear, encouraging bible lesson when the need arises. Being prepared is all the more critical because the potential for the absence of a Pastoral head under persecution is real. A good Pastor must be willing to lay down his life for the flock (John 10:11) in the name of Christ, for “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – 1 John 15:13. So should all true Christians.

Be prepared to step into the breach when needed. Make a list and get the materials; undoubtedly, this starts with the Holy Bible in sufficient quantity for everybody present or expected. Consider that depending on the situation, you may minister to neighbors or complete strangers. Hard times bring hard questions and people looking for answers. Every Christian must be ready to share the hope that is in you, the splendid joy, and blessed assurance of life everlasting that you have in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 3:15); we are all witnesses for Jesus Christ.

Most people have a strange view of the church, it’s a show put on by professionals, and sadly, in most churches, it is. America, and your team, don’t need more professionally trained carnival barkers spewing false Scriptural understanding to followers; obviously and, in many cases, willfully slothful ignoramuses that refuse to educate themselves in the word of God. All you need is two or three gathered together in the name of Christ, and there He is in the midst (Matthew 18:20). Nonetheless, some structure seems required; singing Psalms, the Lord’s supper, reading of Scripture, and a plain lesson from the text have been sufficient throughout Church history.

Encouraging and uplifting one another should be something you already do at church.

For most believers, you are a long way from where you can hold a simple church service type of bible lesson. Opening the Scriptures to fellow believers (or lost souls) is a weighty matter and should be treated with the humble reverence it deserves. First, you must be a practicing Christian, not practicing religiousness, but a doer of the word.

And offers zero apologies.

“In the face of so much uncertainty, getting something right had a hefty element of luck. And, similarly, getting something wrong wasn’t a moral failing.” – Your godless thought leader of moral relitivism

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Moving on is crucial now, because the pandemic created many problems that we still need to solve.

You’ve been divorced, and don’t you even know it yet. There is no we, no us, and no community. Those that matter have already moved on.

The author is seeking absolution from the collective. This is the communist mind in action: we are our own god, and we will save ourselves. That is their reasoning, the same intellect that brought the problem in the first place.

We have one question, how many elderly in care facilities died of loneliness?

Her day in court is coming; here is the verdict: “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” – Matthew 25:41