A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


April 23, 2015

The Real Meaning Of Peace In Our Lives

     This last weekend I was blessed to get together with a faithful group of Christians who, while spread out across a couple hundred miles, are still in proximity to each other when it comes to understanding the times.  As expected, whenever you get more than two or three people of faith together, you will find differences in theology and Biblical understanding.  But, for the most part, we were all on the same page in recognizing that world events are coming to a head; that certain situations and conditions in the world could point to the prophesied tribulation upon mankind.
     Not surprisingly, I could sense both boldness and unease in the room.  There were those of us who were bold in our warnings of spiritual warfare; laying it out in real terms of opened portals and demonic activity against the followers of Christ.  And then there were those who were skeptical, denying that we would face such battle; that God would not allow that to happen because it would not glorify Him.   I am only left to think that perhaps the thought of spiritual warfare is unsettling and threatens the peace of my fellow Christians.  But do we really know the true meaning of God's peace?  I would like to share my perspective with you.
     I have been greatly blessed through an association with a Messianic Jewish organization that ministers in Israel.  They truly know what it is to operate out of God's peace!  But they have taught me that "peace", in the Biblical sense, is more than a soft, restful, calm and serene soul.  For them, Peace is Power!  Let me see if I can explain ...
     In John 16, Jesus is preparing His disciples for the time when He will leave them to go to His Father.  Naturally, they are dismayed and cannot fathom a life without His guidance.  But Jesus confirms that they will have Him in the presence of the Holy Spirit that will indwell them.  We are all familiar with that concept, and we know that He also tells them not to worry, that "in Me, you will have peace."  But here's what we don't fully comprehend!
     Peace -- remember, it is the peace of Jesus that indwells us -- in the light of encroaching darkness is not only the fruit of a life filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit, but it is also a weapon of war!  Contemplate His words ... the Amplified version of the Bible records Jesus as saying, " But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth. For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].  He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (transmit) it to you.
     What is it that Jesus has, that the Holy Spirit will draw upon and give to us?  Power from God!  He will give us a strategy for overcoming the world!  This power and authority from Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, gives us the confidence to know that we are not victims of whatever world leaders decide.  Instead we are players; we are world-changers; we are overcomers, just as Jesus was!  "Peace" is by no means a passive term, here.  We are to call upon it as we wage spiritual war against the Enemy.
     Peace is not a noun; a state of mind, soul, or spirit to be wished for.  Peace is a verb; it is what Jesus said we would receive from Him in order to overcome the tribulations we would endure.  It is a powerful tool in our spiritual warfare arsenal, and it is ours to wield.  When we use His power and the authority from the Holy Spirit to overcome this world, we are truly in the midst of His peace.  When we take to heart his words in John 14:27, we gain both His Peace and the serene calmness the world knows as peace:  "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
     As my friends in Israel have shown me, we are never helpless, and as those who have been "called out" by God, we can make a difference by partnering with Him through the use of Jesus's power and authority, which reside in us as the Holy Spirit.  Let's use His power to embrace our peace!

Philippians 4:6-7   “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”


   

April 22, 2015

Does Gender Really Matter?

     I have to admit, I wasn't sure if this topic was something I should approach.  I always try to speak my faith into the world, and there is no question how I would view this subject from my biblical foundation or worldview.  To be honest, I just wanted to ignore it, but it kept coming to the forefront of my mind (and the news); and one day I realized all the following headlines were screaming that it needed to be addressed ...
•  President Obama Opens White House's First Gender-Neutral Bathroom
•  Sweden Adds Gender Neutral Pronoun To Official Dictionary
•  All-Womens College To Admit Transgender Students for Class of 2020
•  Planet Fitness Revokes Woman's Membership For Speaking Out Against Man in Women's Restroom
•  Franklin Graham Speaks Out Against Transgender Restrooms
•  Pope Francis Meets With Transgender Man and Fiancé
•  Department of Education Says Title IX Applies To Transgender Students
•  Transgender Student Wins $75,000 In Legal Fight Over Bathroom
     
     I have tried to approach these circumstances from a Godly perspective and according to His sovereign standards.  Apparently it is not enough that our culture is forcing us to accept the gay lifestyle as mainstream, but now we must recognize those people whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.  In other words, our culture is declaring that certain people should have the freedom to interpret their gender according to their desires, instead of on the basis of their reproductive functions.  In simpler terms ... and I do not want to appear crass, but ... just because a person has a penis, does not mean that this person has to be regarded as a man.
     To be honest, this is really foreign territory for me, and I am uncomfortable trying to speak for people who identify with this lifestyle.  So forgive me if I went to a source website to get the "official" answers.  Here's what I learned:  "Transgender" has become the politically correct term for what society used to refer to as "Transexual".  But apparently among this culture, it was decided that the new term was an easier sell to the general public, and sounded less scary.
    So, if this person determines that he desires to be a woman, then it usually involves a change from their physical gender to their desired target gender.  That means some sort of reassignment surgery changing their physical appearance, and/or hormone replacement.  In the strictest sense, a transsexual is a person who has had surgery to change their physical appearance to match their target gender and live fulltime as this new gender.  Some transsexuals move into society and live solely as their target gender and identify as only male or only female.  As with all labels, nothing is black and white and there is plenty of gray area.  In fact, there are some people who don’t identify as any gender, and prefer to be considered "gender free".
    OK, I hope that I have represented this emerging sector of our society in a fair and accurate manner.  But I cannot ignore the profound impact it is taking upon our education systems, our privacy, and, most importantly, on our faith.  We are being coerced, through federal laws, to accept something that is inherently against God's sovereignty as Creator.  He knits us in the womb ... He makes us ... and He has determined what sex we are, according to His divine plan.
     But now we are being asked to accept that an individual can proclaim his or her "preferred" gender based on "feelings and emotions", rather than on biology.  Federally funded schools, from kindergarten through high school, must allow students to attend single-gender classes (such as girls-only sex education/health classes) based on their declared “gender identity,” according to a Department of Education (DoE) memo issued December 1, 2014.  That means that your elementary school (and younger!) daughters will be exposed to boys who want to be girls during discussions on biological functions of the female body.  Do you think there might be just a little bit of confusion?  Not to mention that they will be exposed to the notion that this is normal!
     My God, how far is this culture willing to go to offend God?  When you have the highest God-appointed governing authority in the land (read Romans 13) promoting self-determination of gender identity by designating a Gender-Neutral bathroom in the White House, then it is a calculated affront to the Lord.  And when the Catholic Church's full, supreme, and universal authority signals his tolerance of transgenderism by granting an audience with a sexually reassigned man and his fiancé, then might God not be insulted?  After all, the Pope is supposed to be God's representative on earth; and when other priests openly denounce this impression of acceptance, then it all smacks as a slap in the face of the Supreme Creator!
     How arrogant of the created to contravene the Creator; to violate His Wisdom and perfect knowledge; and to diverge from the Hand who has made all things!  It is Satan's greatest desire to cause disharmony, disorder, and confusion among the inhabitants of the earth.  Can you be anymore confused if you are uncertain as to which sex you are?  And the acceptance (and perpetuation) of this state of confusion as somehow defensible or appropriate just shows me that God is nowhere in the consideration.  When we, as a nation and culture, begin to blur the lines of creation (use the word "nature" if you need to), then we are open to any and all transformation; accomplishing it in ever more surprising and "magical" ways.  Transgenderism is just the first step towards shifting our focus away from being made in the image of God.
     I am not without sympathy for people who are so uncertain about who they are.  After reading articles on their different journeys, I realized that many report "strained" and "difficult" relationships, and a profound sense of loneliness.  What a burden it must be to, in effect, become your own creator.  We must pray for the spirits of confusion to be cast out of this world; and to be delivered from the coming abominations that Satan has planned.

1 Corinthians 6:20    "For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."




     

April 21, 2015

We're One Step Closer To The Edge

   
     By now, I'm sure you've heard that Apple has 1,000,000 pre-orders for its newest technology apparatus, the Apple Watch.  The rate at which people signed up for the Watch far surpassed the launch of the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010.
    Excuse me, while I refuse to get in line.  It amazes me that people (many of whom I consider quite intelligent) would so willingly expose themselves to "the plan".  What am I talking about?  For starters, let me show you the path that these "sheeple" are being led down.
     Can you even remember what it was like before personal computers?  Do you remember thinking that you didn't really have much need for that clunky contraption, or that you couldn't imagine why you would need one?  So, how many of you are reading this blog on some form of that very same invention?  I mean, even our 70 and 80-year old parents have one sitting on their desk!
     Next, do you remember any time before cell phones?  Did you even see it coming -- that we would one day be taking our computers with us everywhere?  Or did you ever think you would be glued to yours?  Well, that's how easy it has been to get us accustomed and addicted to our computers.  We can no longer conduct business without one, and if you want to communicate with anyone under the age of 25, you better have one.  Not only that, we get our news, pay our bills, and buy anything we want from this one small device.
     And now we're ready for the next step, right?  The tech gurus have designed a way we can wear our technology on our arms; we no longer have to carry anything, we can wear it right on our person. And a million people can't wait!  It doesn't officially go on sale until this Friday, April 24th, but it's already a blockbuster.  And the Millennials will rush headlong for the nearest Apple Store!
     So, if it's only been a little over 10 years since the push for "a personal computer in every home"; and only 8 years since the iPhone became a necessity; we can probably anticipate the rollout of your own personal computer IN you before the end of this decade ... don't you think?
     And I predict that the lemmings will be just as eager to get in line for this as they have for everything else.  Why not?  With every new innovation, they have continued their impulsive collaboration with the mass movement of technology enthusiasts, and rushed headlong towards their own destruction.  They never question what the end game is, nor look up long enough to see where this all leads.
     Faith seems to play no part in this mania.  Christians who would tell you that they are saved by the blood of Jesus cannot put their phones down long enough to sit through a Bible study.  What idols we have made of technology!  And they don't even recognize that they are enslaved to something that will soon call them to become ungodly.
     Chip implantment is no longer undercover ... it is out in the open and the plan is to make it as commonplace as that computer sitting on every desk in America.  Yes, they will sell the Apple Watch as one more step towards making technology convenient.  It's the next step that you should fear; that's the step that will affect your mortal soul.  Will you get in line?

Psalm 135:15-18    "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!"


April 20, 2015

The Survivors Remember ...

     This week and last, memorials are being held among the survivors of the Nazi death camps.  In Israel, these days are marked under the banner of Holocaust Remembrance Day.  For those of us who read of the atrocities committed by one human being against another, it is difficult to escape the emotions that accompany the tragedy of millions of lives lost; all because they were born a Jew.
     Our anger and tears and sympathy are displayed as we try to pay homage to those murdered, and we try to put ourselves in their place.  How would we have endured such blind hatred and evil?  Could we have survived it?  Are we even aware that the same unbridled hate is coming against Christians in the Middle East -- and will become a reality here at home?  Have we forgotten the lessons and the voices of history?
     The truth is, none of us can come close to knowing how horrific it was.  We only have the words of the few remaining survivors to keep the truth alive; to repudiate the attempts to rewrite history.  We should pay attention and listen carefully....
     Last Friday, on April 16th, Noah Klieger and Rabbi Israel Meir Lau raised the flag of Israel at the March of the Living in Poland.  Noah was one of the few Jews who survived Auschwitz; Rabbi Lau was the youngest prisoner to be liberated from Buchenwald. Neither would have dared dream at the time that one day they would participate in a symbolic march in memory of the millions murdered by the Germans.
     "The only dream that all the prisoners in the Jews' camps had was to live one day more than Adolf Hitler and survive the Reich of horrors he established. I was a prisoner at Auschwitz at the time, a nameless prisoner, with a number tattooed on my left arm. A prisoner without rights, whose life or death were determined by one SS officer or another.
      Can an ordinary person imagine hundreds of people sitting side by side at the latrine, the building in which holes were dug in the ground every half a meter, holes in which we defecated, many of us suffering from serious dysentery. An ordinary person definitely can't imagine that, just like he can't imagine standing for hours in the parade yard at the end of a working day, when the SS officers find out that one prisoner has not returned (they counted us when we left and returned from work). As long as they didn’t find the missing prisoner, as long as they suspected that someone had managed to escape, they made us stand there for hours. With no other option, we relieved ourselves while standing up. In the extremely cold weather, the urine and feces froze on our bodies and thin pajamas we were wearing. In the summer, the stench made hundreds of us – maybe even thousands – faint."
     There is the story of 80-year-old Rita Kasimow Brown, a recognized Holocaust artist, who always painted herself in her portraits in white.  " I think it has to do with the little white, not-so-white nightgown that I survived the whole Holocaust in."  Rita was just seven years old when the Nazis invaded her hometown of Turmolt, Poland.  In 1941, the Nazis rounded up the Jews there and put them in a ghetto.
     Rita's memories, like so many of the remaining survivors, are those of a child.  "What happened was we escaped the ghetto. We were hiding in all sorts of places, in barns, in bunkers, in all kinds of places with other people, but we got sick and had colds and then my father went away for a few days and what he did, he found another Christian family," she said.  "And there he dug a big pit under the stable and had a connection to the potato bin and a latch that you can open to the farmer's home," she recalled. "Now it was total darkness. We had a little light, from the cow shed, a little straw so there was a little light.  This is how we lived 20 months. We were hungry and fearful. It was just a living hell. It was a living grave," she said.
     As they lay there, Rita's mother taught her songs that she knew from the very cultured life she had led in her birthplace of Vilna.  "We sat like this and prayed and tried to sleep," she said, clutching at her heart.  Being awake was a nightmare, she explained, hour by hour, suffering day and night.  Most of her father's 12 siblings died while her little family of five stayed alive.
     "Being creative helped me survive and not only survive but keep my sanity," Rita said.  "I survived the Nazi murder machine, but the thing for us, the Nazi Holocaust survivors…we are wounded survivors."
     The Holocaust has not only affected those who lived through it, but the following generations.  David Hershkoviz would hear his mother screaming in her sleep as she relived the agony: a German soldier separated her from her own mother, who died at Auschwitz.  Hershkoviz's mother died two years ago. But through a "second generation" study course in central Israel, he's keeping her story alive. The Shem Olam Holocaust Institute is educating people like Hershkoviz to tell their stories when the Holocaust survivors are gone.
     And how many Christians share the story of journalist Nancy Beasley, who ignored the story of the Holocaust for too long?  When her Editor forced her to cover a story on the tragedy, she could no longer avoid it.  "I ended up going to a Kristalnacht ceremony where I think I heard my heart break because the survivors were talking about their family members who did not live, and it just changed my life completely," she said.
     "There was a woman named Raja Shlom and she witnessed the murder of her husband, her father and her father-in-law. And just moments before they were executed, she was talking to her husband. She'd taken some food [to him] and he said, 'Just save the boy, just save the boy,'" Beasley said.
    With the help of a German guard who had been her student, Shlom escaped with her mother, sister and the little boy, whose name was Emanuel.  "And she would say to the farmers as she went through the countryside, 'Don't be afraid. My son's name is Emanuel. That means God is with us,'" she told CBN News.  Those farmers along the way, hid the family.  Now 70 years later, Emanuel's son, Gadi, lives in Israel.  Beasley went on to spend the next 7 years writing that family's story in a book titled Izzy's Fire.  She wrote it to educate children so that they will not fall for the false narrative that God's enemies would have them believe.
     So what are the lessons for us today?  We not only see nations like Iran, who openly cry for the destruction of Israel, but the same evil intentions are being spearheaded against Christians, and it is spreading across the globe.  And if we think we will be spared Satan's plan to rid the world of those who belong to Jesus, then that's all the more reason that we should listen to these survivors.
     Evil will come as rapidly against us as it swept through Europe 70 years ago.  It will harden the hearts of your neighbors.  You will not recognize your family members or friends; they will suddenly become enemies if you do not step in line.  The stories you have read today are those of people who never dreamed that their lives would take that turn.  We must not refuse to listen to them or to learn from them.  Pray for strength to endure what is coming upon the earth, and pray that you will overcome evil with the testimony of Jesus Christ.  The Evil that overtook the world 70 years ago was not wiped out.  It just went into hibernation and is now awakening from its slumber.  We will soon feel it sweep the earth, and this time it is determined to win!

Psalm 50:15    "And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."


   

   

April 19, 2015

John 6:66

After this many of His disciples turned back 
and no longer walked with Him.


     John, Chapter 6, begins with a wonderful tribute to the affirmation of Jesus's influence on the Jews who came to see and hear this man from Galilee.  In fact, the second verse of the chapter tells us that a great crowd was following Him because they had seen the great miracles He had accomplished in healing the sick.  If you will recall last Sunday's blog post, these wonders and signs were undertaken by Jesus for the express purpose of giving Him an opportunity to share the Gospel message.
     The chapter continues with the feeding of the 5,000 near the town of Bethsaida.  The people were astounded by the miracle He performed of feeding the throng with only five barley loaves; and the miracle the next day of seeing Jesus approaching the shore in a boat manned by His disciples.  (They knew that the Disciples had left the shore to go fishing on their own, and that Jesus had not gone into the boat with them the evening before -- yet here He was departing from the boat!)  
     They were more than happy to call themselves His disciples and to receive Him as a Prophet from God and a miracle-worker when he fed them and filled their fleshly bodies with real bread and sustenance.  But when He begins to preach to them about a spiritual bread, and asks them to seek after the true Heavenly Bread from the Father, which is present in Himself, they begin to balk.  They don't trust in what He is offering, and want only that which satisfies their physical hunger. 
     He then gives them the litmus test of what it means to be a real follower of His.  He tells them that " I am the Bread of Life [that gives life—the Living Bread].  Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and [yet] they died.  [But] this is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that [any]one may eat of it and never die."  Will they get it?  Will they believe and trust in what He says?  But they don't understand ... "How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?"
     But Jesus keeps delivering the same message -- to the crowds that follow Him, and in the synagogues where they gather to hear Him teach.  "This is the Bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the manna which our forefathers ate, and yet died; he who takes this Bread for his food shall live forever."  Still they grumbled and complained about the difficulty of understanding what He meant.  It was too hard and difficult and strange to understand.  No one else could understand it, and it was offensive to their ears and their culture.  John 6:60 finds them asking, "Who can stand to hear it? [Who can be expected to listen to such teaching?]".
     Jesus knew that they protested against His teaching behind His back, and confronts them by proclaiming that "some of you fail to believe and trust and have faith."  He then goes on to explain the astounding fact that "no one can come to Me unless it is granted him [unless he is enabled to do so] by the Father."  Then comes our selected Scripture for today ... After this, many of His disciples drew back (returned to their old associations) and no longer accompanied Him.
     Why did they reject His message; because that is, in essence, what they did.  And how does this relate to us, His modern-day followers?  Could we say that these disciples were members of His following, but not committed to believing His teachings?  They certainly seemed mesmerized by the miracles and satisfied when He fed them earthly bread, which they could understand.  But when He asked them to trust in Him and have faith in something bigger than what they were comfortable in accepting, then they were more than willing to depart from Him and turn back to the way they had come.
     How is it any different today?  How many people are "in the church", yet are not true Christians?  How many people profess to be "followers of Christ", yet reject the Word and its commandments?  Remember ... in John 6, those people who had difficulty with Jesus' teaching and who ended up turning away from Him are called His disciples.  The very question they asked, (Who can be expected to listen to such teaching?) shows the state of their heart.  They certainly don't want to take any responsibility themselves for such a teaching that is just too difficult to accept; it goes against common sensibilities and acceptable practices.  
     Do we not see this today among those who call themselves Jesus's disciples?  Don't they proclaim that the Word's teachings on homosexuality are too offensive and difficult to understand in light of what our culture has become?  And do they not refuse to understand the teachings against the shedding of innocent blood, and therefore find ways to compromise their faith in support of abortion?  There are people in Christ's Church today who have tried to make Jesus into a version of Himself that they can bend to their own purpose.  These are the disciples and the churches who promote same-sex marriage, homosexuality in the priesthood, and the premise that a woman has the right to terminate her unborn child.  
     They are more than happy to be called a "Christian" when the teaching of the Word is all about grace and love and feeding the poor.  But when the teaching starts making them uncomfortable, and they have to engage with a combative culture who doesn't understand what it means to trust and believe and have faith in Him, then they are more than willing to turn back (and away) from Him ... that teaching is just too hard to follow ... Who can be expected to agree with that?  
     Jesus is now asking us the same question that He asked His Twelve Disciples ... would they, too, turn and leave Him?  Then, as today, the true and faithful believers will cling to Him and not depart, saying, "We have learned to believe and trust, and [more] we have come to know [surely] that You are the Holy One of God, the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of the living God."  Like those twelve faithful Disciples of old, we continue to walk with Him and trust in His every word and deed.  We will not reject Him!

April 18, 2015

Will Enforced Vaccinations Become The Law of the Land?

     The state of California appears to be at the forefront of forcing a showdown between those who are pro-vaccine adherents and those who maintain it should be freedom of choice.  I'm afraid that my "conspiracy" hackles are once again rising as this debate heats up.
     Supposedly the rush to law for mandatory vaccinations centers around an outbreak of measles, which originated last winter at Disneyland.  There was an immediate panic over all the deaths that would ensue, as infected children returned to their home cities and states.  The media did everything they could to fan the flames of fear and promote nationwide vaccinations among our country's school-age children.  There was all kinds of media buzz over "the outbreaks" of measles across the land.  But I could not find one report or statistic about run-away numbers of infected, or deaths.  Only one report said, "Measles count at 59 and rising" ... but that was nationwide!  We had that many in one semester of my elementary school in the 1960s.  And if I recall, no one died and no serious health issues ensued.  Is it all a sham for forced inoculations?
     If so, California is Ground Zero for amending state legislation which would require children at public and private schools to be vaccinated unless a doctor determines they should be exempt for medical reasons.
     But there has been some measure of success in stopping the government from forcing children to be vaccinated.  As of this last week, California SB277 has stalled, and the bill's author was given a one-week delay to alter the legislation in order to make it more presentable to legislators.
     At the heart of the debate are the issues of personal freedoms versus public health.  Some lawmakers were concerned that the bill would deprive unvaccinated kids of a constitutionally required education by barring them from schools.  And choosing to homeschool your children would not necessarily protect your children from the long arm of this law.  Some lawmakers said the way the bill is written, children who are homeschooled would be barred from group learning with other homeschooling families.
     It appears to me that this would be government "strong-arm" tactics.  By refusing to educate non-vaccinated children in the public schools, and by putting roadblocks in the way of home-schooled kids, the government is attempting to force it's own medical mandate on its citizens.  Not only is this a personal choice issue, but many parents are skeptical of the added chemicals in vaccines.  They simply do not trust across-the-board vaccinations because the government "says so".
     Just in case the "scare tactics" of the measles outbreak don't work, pro-vaccine advocates aren't above pitting parents against each other.  Children who cannot be immunized due to adverse reactions (those being treated for cancer, for instance) would be required to stay home for 21 days because another parent refused immunizations based on religious or anti-vaccine positions.  Do you see how it works?  Those who choose not to vaccinate (for whatever reason) are seen as the villains -- if everyone would just vaccinate their kids, then the state wouldn't have to quarantine anyone.
     So, here's how that thinking goes ... I don't really care or worry about what might be in those vaccines.  I think you should vaccinate your kids so it doesn't interfere with my child's education.  We should just all blindly follow what the state tells us.
     But parents who are skeptical of vaccines have usually done their homework.  It is not a knee-jerk reaction and they are well-schooled in the possible reactions that come with chemicals and multiple vaccinations.  They should not be forced to comply with government edicts regarding the health of their children.  As one mother stated, “I would leave the state” if the bill passes. “This is about informed consent. We should be able to make our own decisions.”  (Of course, a few hundred thousand unvaccinated immigrant children in your state should help you make that decision, right?}
     So we should all be watching California very carefully.  Those of us born with the "suspicious gene" will find it ironic that due to an inflated sense of alarm over a few cases of the measles last December, we now find, just a few months later, a bill before the California legislature that seeks to make vaccinations by the State mandatory.  If they are able to get this legislation passed, then it will become precedence for amendments to the law in the other 49 states.
    I do not think parents are being over-paranoid to mistrust vaccinations.  When one considers the government's interest in genetic engineering, and private pharmaceutical companies being funded to research nanobot medicine -- not to mention technological advances towards transhumanism -- one would be foolish to indiscriminately vaccinate your child.  As the California mother said, it is about informed consent ... the American people should become knowledgable on this subject, and they should demand their right to decide for themselves and their children.  Stay vigilant!

Addendum:  Public schools in Spokane, Washington are invoking a law that requires proof of vaccination before students are allowed to remain in the classroom.  Those who oppose the compulsory vaccinations must provide a signed waiver from a health care professional or be able to prove that they challenge it on religious grounds.  Coming soon to a school near you!

Revelation 18:23   "... and all nations were deceived by your sorcery."  [ The root Greek word for "sorcery" is actually pharmakeia (to administer drugs)].

April 17, 2015

The Best Defense Of the 2nd Amendment I've Ever Heard!

     I suppose the Sandy Hook tragedy will forever be used by the gun control crowd to further their talking points.  It's a conveniently emotional topic in which to rally support for more gun regulation and eventual transformation of the Second Amendment.  So, I wasn't surprised to hear it brought up again in an attempt to portray conservative Presidential candidates as the heartless gun nuts that the Opposition would like us all to believe they are.  But here is how you handle that trap ...
     Question:  In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, a statistic surfaced putting support for background checks at 90%.  Did you go against the want of the nation, with your vote against Manchin-Toomey [which would have required background checks on all commercial sales of guns]?  And also, how does public opinion shape your response to national problems?
     Candidate's Response:  You know there's an old line ... there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.  You're right, that was a poll that was bandied around a lot, but you can find a lot of results in a poll, depending on how you frame the question.
     As you and I both know, we have a system of background checks in place right now.  When either of us goes to a federally licensed firearms dealer, there's a background check that is put in place.  What Manchin-Toomey was trying to do was extend that to every private sale between two individuals... to put the federal government [in the middle], (not in terms of having a system of background checks for federally licensed dealers) ... but for you and me, for two guys in a duck blind selling their shotguns, one to the other.  And the federal government doesn't have any business there.
     And if you ask the American people that, they don't want the federal government getting in between private consensual sales between individual citizens.
     And I would note ... when you asked about the role of public opinion polls ... when it comes to Constitutional rights, what matters is what the Bill of Rights says.  It doesn't matter what might be popular at the moment.  We've seen regimes across the face of the earth come and take away peoples guns; strip away their right to defend themselves.  And sometimes it's been very popular, and yet it is an inevitable prelude to tyranny.
     Our country was founded on a radical proposition, which is that our rights don't come from government.  They come from God.  And the purpose of the Constitution .... Thomas Jefferson said the Constitution serves as chains to bind the mischief of government.  And the entire reason for the Second Amendment is not for hunting; it's not for target shooting -- those are both wonderful; it's great to go with your family and your kids to go hunting or skeet shooting -- but that is not what the Second Amendment is for.  The Second Amendment is there so you and I can protect our homes, our families, our children, and our lives.  It's also there as a fundamental check on government tyranny.  And that ultimately is not subject to public opinion polls.  It's subject to the expressed protection of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution.
     My response:  Those who would seek to bow to public opinion as the ultimate decision-maker would lead us down that slippery path to tyranny.  Are they that naive?  Can they not look at history and see how easily the masses have been manipulated and have played right into their tyrant's hand?  All one has to do is read a concise history of how the Nazi Party used gun control to "cleanse" and "control"; first, their own nation, and then the nations they proceeded to invade and conquer.
     Did you know that in 1941, just days before the Pearl Harbor attack, Congress reaffirmed Second Amendment rights and prohibited gun registration?  Look how easily public opinion has been swayed in just 74 years!  So do you really want some public opinion polls to determine your freedoms and the right to protect yourself, home, and country?  Due to the proclivity of sheep to be easily led to the slaughter, how could you trust those opinions?  Based on the near ignorance of important issues by the populace in this country, public opinion polls is a ridiculous way to govern!  The Constitution is the best -- and only -- method by which we can maintain our freedoms.  The freedoms that were given to us by God should not be subject to the whims and impulses of the guileless masses.

By the way, that educated response to the Second Amendment ambush was Senator Ted Cruz.  You can hear his response first-hand by clicking on this link.

1 Peter 2:16   "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."




April 16, 2015

I Wouldn't Trade Places

     These past few weeks I have encountered soon-to-be high school and college graduates who seem desperate to hide their panic about their futures.  Faced with high unemployment rates and few options for sustainable careers, they are realizing that their choices are limited.  Add to this the fact that they are bombarded through round-the-clock technological "connectiveness", which is screaming the threat of war across the globe.  You can't blame them for feeling apprehensive about a less-than-bright future.
     And in case you think that other generations have faced similar fears and negative prospects, I would like to remind you that past generations stood on the foundation of a national faith in God, strong family values, and a solidly cohesive populace.  This generation of young adults has witnessed a battleground in all those areas, and stands on shaky ground.
     These college graduates pursued degrees because their parents still believed that a college education was the roadmap to success.  And you can't blame them ... education has always been a building block and a stepping stone to achievement and success, no matter what path you took in life.  But you can no longer expect that a job will be waiting for you at the end of that four years, or even with a graduate school degree.  Too many of our college graduates are working two or three temporary jobs in the simple hope of being able to move out of mom and dad's house!
     So where does that leave the high school graduate?  There is certainly nothing to encourage them to take on the debt of college; they see those who have gone before them in desperate search of a job.  Why go down that road?  And the military used to be a viable option for high school graduates and for building a career.  But I'm sad to say, that with the treatment that our military receives and the attempt to remove God from our armed forces, I no longer think that noble service to our country is a wise choice.
      While the Greatest Generation of WWII may have faced the ultimate Evil of their time, they could concentrate on defeating the Enemy without having to contend with transgenderism within the ranks, being accused of "white privilege", or being restricted from practicing their faith during wartime.
     I graduated from college during the Carter years and in the midst of a failing economy.  But I didn't have to worry about every comment being scrutinized for racism, while suffering under an oppressive culture that was trying to force me to bend to their sexual agenda, at the same time that I was trying to figure out how I was going to afford health care insurance.  I also knew that my church was a safe haven from the influences of the culture; a place where I knew I could receive God's truth about how to live my life.
     So, while the wealthy and elite are trying to discover the fountain of youth and ways to become immortal, I have no desire to be young again.  I cannot imagine facing a long life of our decaying national identity, or determining how to navigate in a world that I can no longer recognize or respect. That being said, I deeply desire to reach out to these young people; to help them maintain a sense of individuality and marching to a different drummer than society is forcing on them.  We may not have left them hope for a prosperous future, but we can still try to instill in them a notion of uniqueness and character and value as a child of God.  They're going to need it.

Revelation 21:7   "The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son."

April 15, 2015

We Have No Other Option ...

     Based on yesterday's blog topic, I found myself wondering how we, as American Christians, will stand in opposition to an Evil agenda within our own nation.  And there followed these thoughts ....
   
     I know we are not to have idols in this world, or lift any man above another.  But there are times when we will look to the example of righteous men, in order to know the path we are to follow.  My friends, that time is now.  Our culture is rapidly disintegrating into immoral chaos.  The opposition to Christianity is growing more hostile, as witnessed by the out-and-out distortion and lies that attempted to drive a small-town pizzeria out of business in Indiana.  (The effort failed, as individual Americans have donated over $800,000 to a fund to benefit the family business).
    It started with internet bullies hounding Christian individuals and businesses; accusing them of bigotry and discrimination if they refused to support same-sex marriage.  But, in the wake of the backlash to the Indiana Religious Liberty Law, and in the case of the Indiana pizzeria, remarks grew to include death threats and warnings of retaliatory arson.  How far is this culture, which is beginning to look more and more like Sodom and Gomorrah, willing to go?  Death threats and arson are nothing to sneeze at!
     But my real question is this ... how far are Christians and the Church willing to go?  Are we, as individuals, willing to take a stand for clear Christian principles?  Is the Church capable of abandoning its non-political position and becoming active in defending the Bible and God's will -- or is it bowing to the convenience and practicality of siding with the culture, despite the culture's embracing of immoral attitudes and lifestyles?
     And whom might we look towards to see how righteous Christians are to respond?  Last week was the 70th anniversary of the execution of a man who acted responsibly in his faith during one of the most evil times in history.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a deeply religious Lutheran pastor found himself in a dilemma ... when informed of the evil that was Adolph Hitler, and the plan to exterminate the Jews, how far is "too far" in order to stop that evil?  When confronted with something so offensive to God, is there ever an excuse for Christians to compromise, capitulate, or raise the white flag?
     Bonhoeffer didn't think so, and it cost him his life.  At the beginning of the Nazi regime, many members of the [Protestant] churches did not reject National Socialism on principle.  Suffering from the effects of their loss in WWI, many Germans were drawn to the German National People's Party and their idealization of the past.
     But a small group of pastors, including Bonhoeffer, became unified in the Confessing Church and  arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.  They objected to the Nazis on moral and theological principles: they could not reconcile the Nazi state's claim to total control over the person with the ultimate sovereignty that, in Christian orthodoxy, must belong only to God.  It was their stated objective to resist state manipulation of religious affairs.  They tried to stay out of the political fray, and hoped to convince the Church to recognize the contradictions of being a Christian and a Nazi.
     But as the evil that was Hitler and his regime grew, pastors could no longer stay on the sidelines.  They had to choose between inaction, which was, in essence, condoning the atrocities towards the Jews; or becoming involved with plots to stop the madness -- even if it meant being part of assassination attempts on the Evil Mastermind, himself.  Many chose the safe route that included tolerance and turning a blind eye.  A few did not; with some being sent to concentration camps, where they survived the war -- or in the case of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whose fate was to be hanged for his opposition to Hitler and his obedience to his faith.
     I have not been surprised at the efforts of the anti-religious to tear down the memory of martyrs like Bonhoeffer.  They must not let us see or hear the writings of such a man, who struggled with how to respond within his religious principles (and God's will) to a rapidly deteriorating national culture -- and who was not only unafraid to live for what he believed in, but was not afraid to die for it.
     I can only imagine the struggle within his spirit as he confronted the likely consequences of his actions.  One day he would have to stand before God and explain how, as a Christian, he could be complicit in murdering Hitler.  He finally decided that he would have to rely on God's mercy to understand that he had to stop Evil at any cost, even if it meant he lost his soul.  But it wasn't just his own soul he was concerned about.  Writing to his co-conspirators in 1943, he said,  "The ultimate question for a responsible person to ask is not how he is to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation is to live."
     Isn't it time we asked ourselves that question?  How are we going to leave this world for the next generation?  Have we already relinquished their ability to live a principled Christian life by compromising and weakening our faith?  In an effort to show our tolerance, have we allowed those who oppose our faith to become more intolerant?  Have we been silent when they should have heard us roar?  Like Bonhoeffer, do we have the courage of our faith and convictions -- or will we stay in the shadows, afraid to call attention to ourselves and to whom we serve?
     Those who don't want us to emulate men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer have called his words and actions "small, tentative, restrained, and ambivalent."  But the fact that I am writing to you 70 years after he stood in accordance to what he thought was God's will, points to a man who neither restrained himself from doing what he thought was right, nor faltered or doubted his Christian duty to shine a light on Evil.  May we all exhibit such Christian Courage and resolve to no longer collaborate with the Enemy.  Instead of being silent, let's speak up!  Instead of compromising, let's protest!  It's time to fight the darkness of our times.  We've given up too much ground and we need to hold the line!  We have no other option ...

For an excellent reference on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, read Eric Metaxas's book, "Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy."

James 4:17    "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."


   

April 14, 2015

Is It Déja Vu? The Threat To Hungarian Jews

     For the last few months everyone's focus has been on the Middle East.  Between the marauding barbarism of ISIS and the escalating threat of a nuclear Iran, the world's attention has been centered on the region east of the Mediterranean Sea.  Only the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia has  momentarily distracted us.
     But there is a simmering and ominous hostility growing in Eastern Europe that we must not dismiss.  It is coming from Hungary, a country that we don't hear much about, but which deserves our scrutiny due to news surrounding its political environment.
     There is an increasing popularity among Hungary's youngest voters for a political party called The Movement For A Better Hungary, or Jobbik, as it is more commonly known.  So, why should the world be concerned about Jobbik?  According to Wikipedia, Jobbik is a Hungarian radical nationalist political party. The party describes itself as "a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party", whose "fundamental purpose" was the protection of "Hungarian values and interests." Jobbik describes itself as rejecting "global capitalism", European integration and Zionism.
     Patriotism and Nationalism, by themselves, do not constitute a threat; indeed they can result in a pride that translates into changes for the betterment of any country.  But when they are combined with  strict biases against religions and the full participation of every citizen in the nation, then alarm bells should be going off.
     For their part, Jobbik has rapidly ascended to the second most popular political party in Hungary.  They reject globalized capitalism, and the influence of foreign investors in Hungary.  Jobbik specifically opposes Israeli and Jewish investment in Hungary, even to the point of protesting the World Jewish Congress's choice to locate their annual meeting in Budapest in 2013.
     Then there is the issue of what they call "public order."  The Jobbik Party wants to greatly strengthen the National Police, and they once had strong ties to the Magyar Gárda militia, the paramilitary wing of the Party.  This militia was founded through an "oath of loyalty to Hungary" by its members in August 2007, but was dissolved by the Budapest Tribunal in 2009.
     Their radical nationalistic ideology was well represented in the Party's 2009 election slogan "Hungary belongs to the Hungarians".  But I discern cause for alarm when the editor of a police union newsletter (who was also a recent Jobbik Party candidate for the European Union parliament) prints the following:  "Given our current situation, anti-Semitism is not just our right, but it is the duty of every Hungarian homeland lover, and we must prepare for armed battle against the Jews."
     In November 2012, the party's deputy parliamentary leader, Márton Gyöngyösi, posted a video speech on the Jobbik website in which he stated: "I think such a conflict makes it timely to tally up people of Jewish ancestry who live here, especially in the Hungarian Parliament and the Hungarian government, who, indeed, pose a national security risk to Hungary."
     In 2014, the deputy chairman of one of Jobbik's County organizations, referred to the Holocaust as "holoscam".   And just this week, the Jobbik Party has won its first ever individual constituency seat in parliament.  Considering that 550,000 Hungarian Jews were killed during the Holocaust, how would you feel if you were one of the 100,000 Jews currently living in Hungary?  Even though you constitute the largest Jewish community in Eastern Europe, would you feel safe?
     Or would you feel that you were experiencing déja vu?  Does anyone else see shades of the nationalist German movement that resulted in Nazism?  Like the Nazi Party, the Jobbik Party opposes capitalism, and appears to resent the success and participation of Jewish businesses.  And the suggestion by the Jobbik Party that Jews and those of Jewish ancestry be "tallied" is too close to the Nazi sentiment which called for a united Greater Germany that would deny citizenship to Jews or those of Jewish descent.  Will they soon institute the wearing of a yellow Star of David to identify all Hungarian Jews?  Plus. who can deny the similarity of the Jobbik paramilitary wing to the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police whose job it was to investigate treason, espionage, sabotage and criminal attacks against the German state?
     For now, the World Jewish Congress is expressing its concerns about the rise of the Jobbik Party in Hungaray, while trying to keep the lines of communication open.  But the resemblance to the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party cannot be ignored.  It has only been 75 years since the world chose to turn a blind eye to the popularity of a charismatic leader who proclaimed the need for nationalistic pride and for the eradication of the Jews.   Surely, this time we will not be so slow to condemn the powerful surge of politics that will lead to another Holocaust!  Now is the time to keep the wolf from the door!

Malachi 3:6    "For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."