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


Showing posts with label Christian Responsibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian Responsibility. Show all posts

August 30, 2024

Inhumanity, Dehumanization, and Extermination: Satan's Tools for Destruction


I know this may appear to be a dark subject matter, but my spirit has increasingly become aware that our Enemy is launching what may be his final campaign against humanity, and especially against those whom God loves. As a daughter of a WW2 veteran, and a student of history, I have long been interested in how seamlessly Satan was able to convince Hitler and his Nazi regime to sign on to his demonic agenda to exterminate the Jewish people. But that agenda hasn't just focused on the Jews in that war. In our century alone, the world has seen genocides in Sudan; Cambodia; Rwanda; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Armenia; the afore-mentioned Holocaust in Germany; Poland and Czechoslavia; the pogroms in Russia; and now the attempts at mutual annihilation in Israel and Palestine. 

We, here in the U.S., have been largely sheltered from the effects of a State policy of intentional destruction of a people. Yes, we are not without our sins towards humanity, and we may yet suffer the consequences of our various forms of inhumanity. For instance, consider our nation's hot-button topics of human trafficking and abortion. And the way I see it is that we begin with inhumanity, move into dehumanization, and it all ends in extermination [or elimination] ... none of which is in alignment with God's Spirit or His heart and intentions for mankind. So, Let me break down my theory of this spiritual disintegration. 

Let's look at human trafficking. The victims of this horrid practice are initially seen as a product of convenience, to be sold and profited from. This "business" becomes inhumane when they are subjected to cruel and brutal behavior; treated unkindly and without feeling. The practice moves into dehumanization when the process begins defining the victims as no longer possessing human qualities or a human nature; making them less than human and therefore not worthy of humane treatment. The final stage is the most grave sin [or crime] against humanity; the deliberate and systematic destruction of a person or people group. A heartless decision is made to toss the human[s] onto the trash pile of history.

The same system applies to the topic of abortion. God's creation is initially seen as nothing but "a clump of cells" or a non-human. And like the "business of human trafficking", the fetus becomes a commodity to be sold for profit; inhumanity instigated by humans against another unborn human. The dehumanization began simultaneously with the inhumanity -- the fetus was not credited with human qualities, which allows for its easy extermination. But I have never understood why some people will mourn a miscarriage of what they will call their "child", [which qualifies as the same "clump of cells" or "fetus"], yet maintain that it should readily be dismissed as a child and aborted.

I have set this discourse up in order to bring you a testimony that will tie it all together. It is the story of Eda Edl, an 89-year-old survivor of a Communist concentration camp following World War 2. You can read more about her story here. She was only six when the Nazi's invaded her homeland of Yugoslavia after a coup of their king weakened the country and led to a civil war. For a little while her family was safe from the rampage of the Nazi's, but after her father was kidnapped to fight in the Nazi rampage across Europe, he managed to get a letter to them, urging them to flee ... the Red Army was coming, and they would be brutal. They did not get out in time. The Soviet Union sought vengeance against their former Nazi allies in Germany [who had deliberately starved 3.3 million Soviet prisoners of war, and millions of civilians].

The Soviet Union, backed by the weapons and moral authority of the U.S. and Great Britain, brought its inhumanity in the form of Stalin's hatred and reign of terror against Germany and its conquered lands. Eva and her family were Yugoslavian by birth, but German by heritage and language. The new communist government then dehumanized her people by enacting laws that barred them from voting and took away their voice in domestic affairs. Her mother was kidnapped to dig trenches for the war effort, and her two older siblings were led by bayonet to a forced labor camp. Eva and her grandmother were put on a train bound for a concentration camp. While the free world was celebrating victory over Nazi Germany and the U.S. nuclear bombs at Nagasaki and Hiroshima elevated America to the pinnacle of world power, Eva and her people were targeted for elimination. 

Although the Nazi concentration camps ended at the end of the Second World War, the Communist death camps did not; they were just getting started. But there, in the darkest depth of hell on earth, Eva found Jesus! She was miraculously rescued from the genocide and destruction of her people and eventually emigrated to the United States. Because of her own experience of witnessing inhumanity, dehumanization and extermination, she recognized the same litany of godless laws and funding by the government that resulted in a million unborn babies being killed in what she saw as American death camps. That number has grown to over 60 million since those days.

Eva soon felt the call of God to lay down her life to rescue unborn children, just as others laid down their lives to rescue her. She became -- and still is -- a vital member of the Christian community who have become voices for life and justice. She has been arrested 46 times for interfering with abortion clinics, trying to save babies from death by abortion. The 89-year-old activist now faces a possible 4-year prison sentence for her latest protest of a clinic. But she has decided to live her life by the dictates of Proverbs 24:11-12 ... Rescue those who are being taken away to death, and those who stagger to the slaughter, Oh hold them back [from their doom]! If you [claim ignorance and] say, "See, we did not know this," does He not consider it who weighs and examines the heart and their motives? And does He not know it who guards your life and keeps your soul? And will He not repay [you and] every man according to his works?   

So, my question to you is this ... Can you see the inhumanity, dehumanization and destruction in the ideologies of modern factions of society who perceive their fellow man as less than human, whether by the color of the skin, their faith, or their ethnicity? Sadly, it all seems to go hand-in-hand with our current toxic and virulent culture. But it also all makes perfect sense when you consider that so much of society has turned its back on God and is incapable of imitating His love for others, or seeing their unique gifts, purpose, or worth. Morality is now merely relevant to one's own system of values. 

Without God's standards of morality and righteousness, the human spirit becomes narcissistic and self-interested, fomenting indignation and anger against anyone who thinks  differently or is perceived to be their "enemy" and prohibiting their influence and power. This form of dehumanization is essentially incapable of comprehending that ALL men are made in the image of God. This lack of spiritual identity as image-bearers of our Almighty God will lead the world to destruction, if we, His remnant, do not find a way to turn the hearts of hardened men towards those they persecute. In addition, we must cling to the Word which says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you".  That's a tall order when we are experiencing hostilities directed specifically at us. But we should expect nothing less from ourselves. 

The inhumanity of man towards his fellow man, plus the dehumanization and ultimate extermination and destruction of the human race leads us to the commands of the God we honor and exalt: "And this we will do so that at the Name of Jesus,"every knew should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".  It is our duty and responsibility as the image-bearers of the God of all Creation to stand and to speak for those who are being subjected to Satan's brutal agenda to destroy mankind. 

As you read the Scripture at the end of this post, think of the world on the brink of catastrophic war; of the innocent babies in the womb; and of the trafficked children who suffer unspeakable horrors at the hands of wicked and vile men. That chapter of Isaiah prophesies the downfall of ancient Babylon to the Medes. But remember, Revelation, Chapter 18 prophesies of a future Daughter of Babylon [Babylon the Great] who will meet a similar fate because of her greed, pride, immorality, and agreements made with demonic agendas and Evil. Let us pray to God for repentance for this nation, and then let us be in agreement with Him to wage war in the spiritual realms [and through our Godly behavior] to re-establish God's dominion on the face of the Earth.    

Isaiah 13:18.    Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity [or show compassion to] the children.

September 3, 2022

Silence in the Face of Evil


The title for this blog post came from a conversation I recently had with my husband concerning our ongoing frustration with who I can best describe as "cultural Christians". These would be people who believe in the atoning death of Jesus Christ and tend to play it safe in their faith. The reality of the cost of discipleship does not seem to factor into their faith. They love Jesus, go to church on Sundays, attend every social event with their "church family", and self-identify as a follower of Christ. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that! But when we, as human beings, find ourselves in the midst of growing evil and lawlessness, we cannot remain silent in the face of such obvious sin.

The truth is, the American Church has remained silent for far too long. And that is not the role, the purpose, nor the function for which it was designed. We represent God in our culture and in our nation! When we don't recognize [and call out] evil; or choose to ignore it because it makes us uncomfortable or doesn't fit the paradigm we've adopted; or we fear reprisal by our fellow man, then we allow evil to continue and flourish. And before we know it, our moral culture has changed and we find ourselves asking the question, "How did we get here?"

But we have no excuse. As the representatives for God and His standards in the world, it is our duty and responsibility to respond to evil in the manner that God desires and instructs. But for some in this current culture, evil has become entertainment, and therefore tolerated. Just turn on the TV or scroll the internet -- it's on the nightly news and in our movie theaters -- evil is everywhere! So much so, that we have become numb to it and accepting of it [especially among our younger generations]. As Christians, we are to have nothing to do with evil, and that means being intolerant of it. But far too many people interpret that as meaning we try to be righteous and live sinless lives as much as possible. Add to that the reality that in this Age the Church preaches grace and love, so our response to evil is tepid at best. Talk of God's victory in defeating Evil overrides any discussion of His righteous judgment against the Christian who remains silent in the face of it.  Plus, we are told that the Church shouldn't "get political", so we are discouraged from directing any criticism towards those who govern over us. But is that God's way? 

Remember, evil is not new. It has existed since the Garden. It has occurred throughout history and in our own nation. Our land has known attacks from foreign enemies [which has led to war], as well as seeing brother fighting against brother a century and a half ago. Our nation has seen how the Enemy convinces man to enslave his fellow man. And the world has seen what keeping silent looks like in the concentration camps of Europe. In this modern era in America, we have more than enough sin to repent for ... the bondage of the poverty-stricken to a welfare system that has kept them enslaved for generations; the sacrifice of millions of babies on the altar of abortion; the profiteering by politicians who get wealthy on the backs of their constituents; and the consignment of our children's minds and futures to an education system becoming increasingly consumed by indoctrination that goes against Christian principles and encourages alienation against parents. What would it look like if the Church warned our fellow countrymen of the consequences of those sins? Has the fact that the Church has tolerated these sins contributed to their proliferation?

Notice that I highlighted the word "repent" in the previous paragraph. It is my hope that I am able to convey my deepest thoughts here. What I want to try and express is this: Yes, God wants us to know how much He loves us and to know our ultimate victory in this life against Death. But His focus is also on Sin. And He wants us to be aware of not only our sin, but the sins of the people and our nation. When Jesus says in Mark 1:15, The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Good News of the Kingdom, He is not only announcing that the Kingdom of God is now available on the earth, but He is preparing the elect for their spiritual responsibilities now [and in the future] and the final fulfillment of the Kingdom at the end of the Age. 

And repentance is more than just "to change" or "to turn", but to see the state of the world from God's perspective. God is concerned with Sin and seeing mankind transformed from a life of sin to a life that represents His standards in Heaven. Repentance is being so stricken by the sin we see in the world that we are willing to take action to rectify it and call it out. Has the Church done that? If you can say yes, then I would suggest that we haven't done a very good job of it. And are we aware that God will judge us for our lack of "follow through" in our responsibilities? We have been blessed to live in a nation that has been prosperous and free. But that prosperity and freedom does not absolve us of our instructions from God to rid ourselves of sin. We must not continue to reside in our own inordinate pride and achievements at the cost of watching our nation slide into the increasing sin to which we have become numb. 

I'd like to conclude with a quote from Elizabeth Schmitz, a theologian in Nazi Germany, who confronted the passivity of the German Church during that nation's most sinful crimes. Schmitz's theology was simple and practical: "For the church, this is not about a tragedy taking place, but rather about our nation’s sin and, since we are members of this nation and accountable before God for this nation of ours, [it is] about our sin." Yes, we ARE accountable before God for our nation's sin. And the Church must now make a decision... is it going to continue to remain silent in the face of sin and evil while continuing to sing forth in jubilant praise of Jesus's return and victory? Or are we, the Church, going to speak out in our authority and purpose to warn the nation that God will not hesitate to judge us for squandering the favor and blessings He has bestowed upon us? Do we understand that God will not hold us guiltless? 

It's hard to look at ourselves in the mirror, but perhaps it's time to lift that false mask we've been presenting to the world and each other and face the cold, hard truth of that word we don't like to acknowledge ... our SIN!

#Evil #ChristianResponsibility #Sin #Silenceinthefaceofevil

James 4:17     As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, IS evil.