Endtime Prophecy
SLEEPLESSNESS
Sometime after the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in Germany, many Germans perceived the real intent of Hitler that was hidden behind his rhetoric to put a Volkswagen in every German carport. After organizing a door-to-door campaign to warn the German people of what lay ahead, they were met by a complacent, self-satisfied public that slammed the door on them for disturbing their peace.
It is with this in mind that we study the Apostle Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians that professing Christians, who are asleep spiritually, are living in danger of missing the Rapture.
The Greek word that the Apostle Paul used for “sleep” (I Thess. 5:6) is the Greek word katheudo, and means “to repose oneself in sleep.” The same Greek word is used in Matthew 25:5 to describe the faithless, careless, indifferent virgins.
However, context determines the Biblical meaning that the Holy Spirit intends. In I Thessalonians 5:6, therefore, katheudo is used metaphorically as “carnal insensibility to Divine things involving conformity to the world.” The Apostle Paul contrasted spiritual sleep (Vs. 6) with the natural sleep that comes at night and with the drunkenness that dulls a person’s senses (Vs. 7).
Another Greek word for “sleep” may be mentioned here that carries the same connotation as katheudo, but with a little different slant. This word is found in Romans 13:11.
“And that, knowing the time, and now it is high time to AWAKE out of SLEEP: for now is our Salvation nearer than when we believed.
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
“But put you on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14).
The Greek word for “sleep” that we are exhorted to “awake out of” is hypnou, from the root word hypnos. It is the same word from which our word “hypnosis” is derived. “Hypnosis” is a “state that resembles sleep, but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject.”
Think of that! What better definition could we have of Spiritual Sleep than that of listening to the voice of the Devil (induced by a person) who suggests that we turn our eyes from the Lord and toward those things that direct our attention to the world?
Paul’s warning in the light of the imminent Return of the Lord Jesus Christ is to awake us out of our Spiritual Conformity to the world and to “put on Christ”; that is, our sole interest in life must be the same as that of our Lord to enter into His Views, His Thinking, and to imitate Him in all things. Why? Because, as the Apostle Peter said:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Pet. 5:8).
No sooner had the Children of God come out of Egyptian bondage than they became disenchanted and disillusioned and began to turn back to the beggarly elements of the world. The Christian experience is similar. When people are first Saved and begin their Christian walk, they are usually on a mountaintop high. For a time they continue bouncing from mountaintop to mountaintop, or, as King Solomon described it …
“leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills” (Song of Sol. 2:8).
But sooner or later the season wears on. The petals fall in the rose garden until the thorns begin to show. The cherry bowl begins to display more pits than cherries.…
Unfortunately, most Christians believe their Christian gardens will never become invaded by weeds. They are taught by overzealous teachers and misguided preachers that a Christian’s walk should never come down from the mountaintops, but it always does. Why? Because it is only during these periods that we are able to stand back, evaluate our Christian Growth, and recognize the areas where we need more work.
Faith that has never been tested is a Faith that can never be quite certain. That is the reason that our reactions during these periods of “valley” Christianity determine the outcome of our Christian walk. Every moon walk has its reentry, and every spiritual high has its return to Earth. A solid enduring relationship with God is something to be arrived at only with hard work, sweat, and tears.
Too many Christians become indifferent with the passage of time. Living for Christ, in Christ, and like Christ becomes a bore. Attending church can become an inconvenience. If we fail to work at it and fail continually to renew our commitment and review our Blessings, it is possible for us to fall by the wayside.
It is always more fun to talk about the Blessings and the highs and the glory and the grandeur. But a farm would soon fall into disrepair and ruin if the chores were not done every day. If the cows were not milked twice a day, they would soon stop giving milk. If they were not fed daily and their stalls cleaned, they would soon sicken and die.
Chores keep the world turning. And if we neglect our Spiritual Chores, our eternal farm is going to wreck and ruin. We should spend more time on the chores of our Spiritual Walk rather than spending so much time lifting our eyes to the glories above.
We like to gather a crowd on a hill and point out the absolute beauty of the well-tended farm spread out below us. But, unfortunately, we do not give equal time to the cultivation that produced those tended fields.
A Christian has to make a conscious decision to walk in the Ways of God. Our human, carnal nature is such that we crave constant stimulation. We are easily drawn off into the world. But excitement and stimulation can come from the enemy. A Christian who wishes to be truly “in Christ”—to be an overcomer—must decide first whether he is willing to dedicate himself to this and every waking moment of his life.
We must constantly decide we are going to do these things necessary to grow as Christians—things that require energy and effort. Jesus said:
“He who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Lk. 16:10).
These daily chores are the basis of the Christian life. Let us never lose sight of one fact: we do not do these things to earn Salvation or to win favor with God. No one earns anything from God. Everything we have from God comes to us by Grace. We are the ones who need the maturity that is the outgrowth of a daily consistent Christian walk. God can get along with or without our “works”; we cannot.
Just as a dedicated farmer does not fall asleep as he rushes from one chore to another, the Christian who spends each day exercising his Spiritual Gifts is neither blind nor prey to Satan’s devices. The problem comes when the Christian decides to take a break. He becomes bored, takes a few days off to refresh himself with an excursion into the world. Then, he becomes vulnerable to Satan’s serene song and soon falls prey to his hypnotic lures.
How many times have you been present among gatherings of “Christians,” where you mentioned revival, and no one perked up? You tried to get a conversation going about some Bible Passage, and then someone brought up the Super Bowl or the latest movie. What happened? Everyone was suddenly interested. These are Christians who are asleep in Christ and awake to the things of the world.
What elicits responses in your own heart? What excites you? What gets you out of your chair and heading for some activity?
The true answer may come as a shock to you. It is almost as though the world has taken a spiritual sedative. We are asleep at the wheel. Church services are a bore. Living for God has become a bore. God’s Word just is not as exciting as it used to be.
Or is it? Are we the ones who are out of step? A great percentage of the Christian segment of the world’s population has been lulled to sleep by Satan’s hypnotic lures. We believe when the Holy Spirit gave the words to the Apostle Paul, He was putting them there for Christians in this day as well.
Wake up, Christian world! Sleeping Christians are not going to have an alarm clock just before the Rapture.
~J. Swaggart
Daniel 10
(13) “but the prince of the kingdom of persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and i remained there with the kings of persia.”
The structure is:
1. The phrase, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days,” refers to a fallen angel appointed by Satan to control the Persian Government. Gabriel had to oppose this fallen angel and for reasons we will momentarily discuss.
2. The phrase, “But, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me,” pertains to Michael, the mighty Archangel, the Angel who is in charge of Israel, who came to help Gabriel regarding this conflict.
3. The phrase, “And I remained there with the kings of Persia,” doesn’t refer to earthly kings, but, again, to many fallen angels, who evidently were mighty and powerful. They were there to help the “prince of the kingdom of Persia,” the chief evil angel appointed by Satan as it regarded the Persian Empire.
The Prince of the Kingdom of Persia
This Scripture appears to reveal that Satan places an agent in charge of every nation (fallen angel); and, if so, this may explain national hatreds and national movements.
Similarly, God has His Angelic agents operating in opposition to Satan’s. The conflict of Ephesians, Chapter 6, and the battle of Revelation, Chapter 12, harmonize with this supposition.
Satan, as the “god of this world” and the “prince of the power of the air,” runs his kingdom of darkness in a military sense (II Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2).
It seems from the statement of Verse 13, that God involves His mighty Angels primarily in the carrying out of His Will regarding the fulfillment of Prophecy. God’s Angels also help the Saints (Heb. 1:14).
Prophecy
It would stand to reason that Satan would do all within his power to keep Prophecy from being fulfilled, and especially regarding the displacement of powerful nations and kingdoms; consequently, what is portrayed in this Thirteenth Verse is just such a contest.
The time had now come for the preparation of the moving out of the Medo-Persian Kingdom, and the bringing in of the Grecian Kingdom under Alexander the Great; however, even though beginning now, as Gabriel was to show Daniel (11:1–2), it was to some 200 years before this would actually be fulfilled. In fact, several more kings would reign after Cyrus; however, the events were already transpiring in the spirit world, that would ultimately bring all of these things to pass. The following is something else we learn from this Thirteenth Verse.
Disharmony in Satan’s Kingdom
It seems that various kingdoms in Satan’s domain vie or fight against each other. Even though the prince of the kingdom of Persia and the prince of Grecia, both fallen angels, were in the domain of Satan, they, in a sense, contested each other. Of course, this is unheard of among the Angels of God. But, it seems among the angels of Satan, one prince of darkness which rules a particular part of the world under Satan little desires to give up this place of leadership to another fallen prince.
From Gabriel’s description, it seems the fallen angel that was the power behind the kingdom of Persia did not desire to give up this particular position, and had to be forced by Gabriel and Michael to do so!
Even though the conflict lasted for some 21 days, still, Verse 20 tells us that the conflict still was not resolved, and further effort must be made.
It also seems that the contest was so difficult that Michael, the mighty Archangel, had to come help Gabriel respecting the situation.
The Archangel, “Michael,” as stated, and according to Verse 21, is the Mighty Angel who looks after Israel.
The phrase, “And I remained there with the kings of Persia,” refers to the Satanic princes of the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, of which there were more than one. So, there could have been, and no doubt was, a host of fallen angels promoting this Empire and, as well, greatly encouraging idol worship and all manner of iniquity. This, as well, should tell us some things about present-day events!
If it held true then, and certainly it did, it holds true today that fallen angels work behind the scenes controlling governments of this world.
THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
To use just one example, it was no doubt a fallen angel who instigated the horror of Communism in 1917 and, as well, was moved aside by powerful righteous Angels sometime back. We saw the results in the Autumn of 1989. At that time, Eastern Europe was released from Soviet domination; the Berlin Wall came down, and Russia seemed to change tactics.
This was not by chance, and it was not caused by U. S. State Department policy. Actually, it came as a surprise; but, in reality, and according to Scripture, it happened so that another one of Daniel’s Prophecies might be fulfilled (Dan. 7:7).
The ten horns that Daniel saw on this dreadful beast of 7:7 came up in the old Roman Empire territory, and included some of the Eastern European countries, such as Bulgaria, former Yugoslavia, and Romania, etc. So, according to Daniel’s Prophecies, these countries had to be loosed from Soviet domination, because the ten horns represent ten nations that will rise up in their own sovereignty, and pertain to this very area. Therefore, Soviet domination of this area had to be pushed aside for the sovereignty of these nations to come about.
The first part of Daniel’s Prophecy was fulfilled in the Fall of 1989, with Eastern Europe, in effect, being released from the dominion of the Soviet Union.
The ten horns (ten nations) out of this area have not yet formed an alliance to oppose Israel, but they will in the not-so-distant future.
Therefore, as the prince of Communism (Satanic prince) was pushed aside, the prince that will take his place, and, in effect, has already taken his place, will enable the ten-kingdom Empire to arise. He is now the ruling prince in this realm of darkness. This means that the events now coming about in the Middle East are all working toward this conclusion.
Quite possibly, righteous Angels had to force the prince of Communism aside, as in Daniel’s day, in order that the Satanic prince of the ten kingdoms may come forward, which is already now in progress, and will be fulfilled shortly.
Incidentally, the “little horn” (7:8), who will come up among these ten nations, will be the Antichrist. He will actually be aided by the “prince of Grecia” (Vs. 20) who gave Alexander the Great such power.
J. Swaggart Ministries -Book of Daniel Commentary
Religion
Chapter Two
Religion is that which is conceived by man, birthed by man, instituted by man, and carried out by man, in order to reach God, or else to better oneself in some way. Anything of this capacity conceived by man, is unacceptable to God. This means that anything and everything that’s not strictly according to the Word of God is unacceptable.
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Shintoism, modern Judaism, Mormonism, Catholicism, etc., all and without exception, come under the heading of religion.
Biblical Christianity
Biblical Christianity is not a religion, but rather a relationship, and that with a Man, the Man Christ Jesus. And yet, much of modern Christianity has been divorced from the Bible, meaning that it is perverted and twisted and, therefore, corrupt. It too must come under the heading of religion. Perhaps the simple phrase, “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,” would come closer to explaining Biblical Christianity than anything else. Concerning this, the Apostle Paul said:
“Now the Spirit (Holy Spirit) speaks expressly (pointedly), that in the latter times (the times in which we now live, the last of the last days, which begin the fulfillment of Endtime Prophecies) some shall depart from the Faith (anytime Paul uses the term ‘the Faith,’ in short he is referring to the Cross; so, we are told here that some will depart from the Cross as the Means of Salvation and Victory), giving heed to seducing spirits (evil spirits, i.e., ‘religious spirits,’ making something seem like what it isn’t), and doctrines of devils (should have been translated, ‘Doctrines of Demons’; the ‘seducing spirits’ entice Believers away from the true Faith, causing them to believe ‘Doctrines inspired by Demon Spirits’)” (I Tim. 4:1).
While the words “religious” and “religion” appear in James 1:26–27, the Greek words originally used would have been better translated “spiritual,” and “spirituality,” making it read, “If any man among you seems to be spiritual …” and “Pure spirituality.…”
The Great Whore
The Holy Spirit, even as we shall see, takes a very dim view of religion, which, in fact, has been the nemesis of the Lord from the very beginning of time. We see religion at work in the case of Cain and Abel, the offspring of the First Family. The Lord had given instructions as to how communion with Him should be carried out, plus forgiveness of sins. It would be by the means of the slain lamb, offered up in sacrifice, which would be a symbol of the coming Redeemer. Abel offered up his sacrifice accordingly, and was accepted by God.
Conversely, his brother, Cain, refused to offer up that which God demanded, instead, offering up the fruit of his own hands, whatever that may have been. Please understand, Cain did not deny there was a God, and did not deny the need for a sacrifice, but rather that he offer a sacrifice of his own choosing, which God would not accept and, in fact, could not accept (Gen., Chpt. 4). Cain’s unacceptable offering was the first evidence of “religion.”
We know what the Lord thinks of religion, by what He said in the Book of Revelation:
“And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials, and talked with me (probably is the seventh Angel; however, we actually have no way of truly knowing), saying unto me, come hither; I will show unto you the judgment of the great whore who sits upon many waters (the ‘great whore’ refers to all the religions of the world that ever have been, which are devised by men as a substitute for ‘Jesus Christ and Him Crucified’; God’s Way is Christ and Him Crucified Alone; as well, the ‘many waters’ are a symbol for multitudes of people):
“With whom (the great whore, i.e., all type of religions) the kings of the Earth (from the very beginning, most nations have been ruled by some type of religion) have committed fornication (all religions devised by men, and even the parts of Christianity that have been corrupted, are labeled by the Lord as ‘spiritual fornication’ [Rom. 7:1–4]), and the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication (proclaims the addiction of religion; the doing of religion is the most powerful narcotic there is)” (Rev. 17:1–2).
All of this means that all religion is devised either by demon spirits, or men, or a combination of both. In any case, as stated, it is unacceptable to God. Religion is Satan’s substitute for the reality of Christ.
To describe religion, the Holy Spirit used one of the most base, descriptive phrases (the great whore) that could be used. He did this for purpose.
The simple meaning of the word is that it pertains to a woman who practices promiscuous sexual intercourse for hire. It also means, “to pursue a faithless, unworthy, or idolatrous desire.”
Used in the spiritual sense, “it pertains to religious favors offered for a price.” As well, it will stoop to any level, strike any bargain, and go to any length, to attain its devious ends.
The Religion of Islam
I think I can say without fear of contradiction, that the most destructive religion that’s ever been birthed in the heart of evil man, is the religion of Islam. In one overwhelming sense of the word, it is very much akin to the religion of Baal worship in Old Testament times. This form of worship majored in human sacrifice, and I think it is overly obvious that the religion of Islam follows suit.
This religion made its debut in A.D. 622. It began with Muhammad of the tribe of Quraysh in Mecca. He claimed to have received a revelation that God (Allah) was “one” and that he (Muhammad) was to be Allah’s messenger of that truth.
He began this religion by making converts of some of his family members and close friends. Due to opposition, he left Mecca and went to the town of Medina, both in present day Saudi Arabia. This particular episode, his flight from Mecca to Medina, is now viewed as year “one” in the Islamic calendar. But actually it was the year 622 A.D.
The Jews
In Medina, Muhammad came into contact with a large Jewish community. Evidently his dealings with them resulted in him being influenced in that he adopted some of the Jewish practices. For example, at least at this particular time, he taught that faithful Muslims should pray facing Jerusalem. The Jews did the same thing and, in fact, had been doing the same thing for some 1,500 years. When the Jews rejected the message of Islam, which they did unequivocally, only then did he change his method of praying, by directing prayers toward Mecca.
He also taught his followers to fast on the tenth day of Tishri, the same day as the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur. This was later expanded to include the entire month of Ramadan.
In his so-called revelation, he also demanded that his followers abstain from pork and, as well, that all little Muslim boys be circumcised, which as most know, are standard Jewish practices.
He also claimed to accept the Jewish Prophets of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. He also included Adam in this list, as well as the “Prophet Jesus.” And yet, he strongly rejected the idea of the Deity of Christ. So, it’s difficult to understand how that he could claim that Jesus was a great Prophet, while at the same time being a liar, considering how much our Lord affirmed His Personal Deity.
Muhammad
Muhammad claimed that he was personally “the seal of Prophecy,” meaning that he was God’s final messenger. While he accepted some of the Scriptures of the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, still, he always perverted the Text. At any rate, his “revelations,” embodied in the Koran, became the authoritative “scriptures” for his faithful followers. These followers were called and are called “Muslims,” from the Arabic word “Islam,” meaning “submission” to the one God.
Due to his acceptance of some of the Jewish practices, he felt surely that the Jews would accept his message of “one God.” He found to his dismay, that the Jewish Rabbis gave him no credence whatsoever, ridiculing his illiteracy, and especially his confusion of Biblical traditions. But above all, the Jewish people could not even remotely accept a non-Israelite as God’s “seal of Prophecy.”
In a rage because of the rejection of the Jews, he initiated a policy of extermination that resulted in thousands of Jews being massacred, with thousands of others being evicted from their homes and, in fact, from Northern Arabia.
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
To understand the Arab-Israeli conflict, we must try to understand the attitude of Islam toward the Jewish people.
The land that we presently refer to as “Israel,” or “Palestine,” was conquered and ruled by the Muslims from the Seventh Century to the Twentieth Century.
There was one interruption during this period of time, and that was when the “Christian” crusaders ruled the land for less than 100 years. Islam presently finds it unacceptable that this land, originally conquered for Allah by his followers, to now be ruled by the Jews, a people who they considered to be inferior and subservient. At least that is the way it is pictured in the Koran.
The Muslims find it impossible to acknowledge the historic reality that the land of Israel, according to the Bible, which they do not consider to be the Word of God, but rather the Koran, belongs to the Jews. This is the real key to understanding the impasse that exists in Israel presently. The Arab countries, predominantly Muslim, refuse to accept a foreign, Jewish presence in a land that is supposed to be, according to them, a part of the “world of Islam.”
~J. Swaggart Ministries
By F. Swaggart
On Thursday, January 10, 1963, Florida Congressman A. S. Herlong, Jr., stood on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and read a list of 45 “Current Communist Goals”—an excerpt, he said, from the book The Naked Communist.1
All of these goals are listed on page 17-18, but I would like to comment on just a few of them:
Number 3: “Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.” A simple comparison of the size and strength of our armed forces now to what they were just 30 years ago will show how the U.S. military has been cut down again and again.
Number 26: “Present homosexuality, degeneracy, and promiscuity as ‘normal, natural, healthy.’” The president of the United States just appointed the first openly transgender man who dresses as a woman to be a recruitment director in the White House.
Number 32: “Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the grounds that it violates the principle of ‘separation of church and state.’” This goal was met more than 50 years ago. In 1962 and 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court banned state-sponsored prayer in schools.
I could go down the entire list of these communistic goals and show how each one has been accomplished—completely or in part—inside of one generation.
This infiltration of communistic ideals did not happen overnight. The change happened gradually—accelerating over the past 50 years as America shifted from her capitalist foundation to reach out for socialism and communitarianism, only to find herself completely conditioned for communism.
WHAT IS CAPITALISM, ANYWAY?
Webster’s dictionary defines capitalism as a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products—land, oil, factories, ships—are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government.
We see capitalism taught throughout the Bible, beginning with the book of Genesis:
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Gen. 2:15).
God planted the garden, but He gave man the innovation, strength, and wisdom to work it. For Christians, this is capitalism in its truest form—believing in God’s provision while doing the work at hand.
A WORD ABOUT WORK
In Proverbs, Chapter 14, Verse 23, we read, “In all labor there is profit.” I believe that God expects all those who are able-bodied to work.
Having said that, I completely understand that some people—due to circumstances beyond their control or because of sickness or disability—simply cannot work. We sympathize with these precious people; they are the very ones our government absolutely should help and assist.
But there are millions of Americans out there who are capable of taking a job yet refuse to work.
Statistics show that of the 316 million people who live in the United States, 46 million receive food stamps. Think of that.
One news report claimed that the U.S. has more people dependent on food stamps than the total populations of Argentina, Columbia, Kenya, or Ukraine. The same report said, “Households on food stamps got an average benefit of $261.44 during the month, and total benefits for the month cost taxpayers $5,978,320,593.”2
So, basically, those who are working support those who either choose not to work or those who cannot work.
This dependency on government lines up with the communist agenda credited to Karl Marx.
His Manifesto of the Communist Party includes Frederick Engels’ “Draft of a Communist Confession of Faith,” which is written in a question-and-answer format. One question reads, “What will be your first measure once you have established democracy?”
The Marxist answer: “Guaranteeing the subsistence (amount of food, money needed to stay alive) of the proletariat (lowest social or economic class of a community).”3
WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT WORK?
When the Lord established the nation of Israel, He showed them how the nation was to be governed. He set their economy in motion with instruction on bartering, commerce, free enterprise, and trade. Provisions were also made for the poor:
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God” (Lev. 19:9-10).
Notice that the landowner did not gather the food and hand it over to the poor. No, his part was to leave some of the harvest—some of the work—for the poor to do.
We see this “law of gleanings” carried out in the Bible story of Boaz and Ruth:
“And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: and let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley” (Ruth 2:15).
Gleaning barley is hard, physical work, yet we see Ruth out there from morning until night doing what she needed to do to feed herself and her mother-in-law.
Nowhere in the Word of God will you find laziness rewarded in any shape, form, or fashion. Instead, you will find Scripture after Scripture condemning slack hands and slothful living:
“He becomes poor that deals with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Prov. 10:4).
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute” (Prov. 12:24).
“He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster” (Prov. 18:9).
“The desire of the slothful kills him; for his hands refuse to labor” (Prov. 21:25).
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (I Tim. 5:8).
In America, we are guilty of rewarding laziness with our welfare programs. People who won’t work (but laugh) go out and buy their alcohol and drugs with money for which we have worked very hard and paid in taxes to the federal government. Then the federal government doles it out to people with no accountability for the money they receive. That’s a sin.
God had no welfare program for Israel. He made no provision for people who were lazy. In Bible times, people who refused to work were looked down upon; they were outcasts of society, and they didn’t exist for long.
God gives us the ability to work and expects us to work to provide, not only to help meet the needs of ourselves and our families, but also to have some left over to give to others.
In Ephesians 4:28 we read: “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needs.”
Christians are instructed to give to the Lord. The Bible shows Israel giving to build the tabernacle so the presence of God could dwell among them. Then we see the temple constructed, again so that the people could experience the presence of the Lord. Today we have the tithe, which helps support the place we worship the Lord and finances the propagation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
America is a blessed nation because it has always been a Christian nation, a nation built on a strong work ethic – a capitalist nation. And it’s the capitalist countries, not the communist ones, that are producing and have overflow.
I’ve been on the docks in foreign countries where goods are shipped in – food, water, and medical supplies – in response to something like a natural disaster, and all the food that’s being brought in is coming from the United States of America. It’s a patriotic feeling to see that huge ship and know it’s from the United States of America. However, as patriotic as that may look or feel, goods and services are not this country’s greatest export.
As you’ve probably heard my husband say many times, “As long as the gospel of Jesus Christ is America’s greatest export, the jackbooted heels of foreign invaders will never walk on American soil.”
Karl Marx may be the founder of communism, but God the Father is the founder of capitalism, and we must hold fast to God’s way as outlined in His Word.
As Christians, we must continue to seek the face of the Lord and pray—especially heading into this most important election year – that America returns to her roots as a capitalist and a Christian nation.
Sidebar of 45 Communistic Goals
Extension of Remarks of HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR., of Florida in the House of Representatives on Thursday, January 10, 1963.
Mr. HERLONG: Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Florida, is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America. At Mrs. Nordman’s request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following “Current Communist Goals,” which she identifies as an excerpt from The Naked Communist, by Cleon Skousen.
CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS
1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up ‘as a one-world government’ with its own Independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward, and meaningless forms.”
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy, and promiscuity, as “normal, natural, healthy.”
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
29. Discredit the America Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the grounds that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture-education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric, which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat.
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks, and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political, or social problems.
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and Individuals alike.
We mean by the Rapture (Resurrection) of the Church, the catching up of all true Believers in Christ to meet the Lord in the air. This event is simply and clearly predicted in Luke 21:34–36; John 14:1–3; I Corinthians 15:23, 51–58; Philippians 3:20–21; Colossians 3:4; I Thessalonians 4:13–17.
If one carefully reads I Thessalonians 4:16–17, there is no room for misunderstanding. So it is obvious that if one does not believe in the Rapture (Resurrection) it is because he does not believe the Bible. In fact, if one believes in the Resurrection, one must believe in the Rapture, for they are one and the same.
THE COMING OF THE LORD
The Rapture of the Church is called the “Coming of the Lord” but never the Second Coming of Christ. At the Rapture, Christ does not appear visibly to those on the Earth, but He comes in the air above the Earth to catch up or Rapture the dead and living Saints who rise together to meet Him in the air.
There are many different ideas about these two Comings of Christ, which have made it difficult to distinguish one Coming from the other. There are so many Scriptures that have been misapplied to the one or the other Coming that one might readily see why many have found themselves involved in difficulties from which they are unable to clear themselves.
The Rapture is purely a New Testament Doctrine and was first revealed to Paul as a special revelation (I Cor. 15:51–58), while the Second Coming of Christ is not only a New Testament Doctrine, but is one of the chief themes of the Old Testament as well.
THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE CHURCH
The Old Testament Prophets never saw the New Testament Church, much less the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture should never be called the Second Coming or Second Advent of Christ, for He does not come to the Earth at that time. Also, it should never be referred to as one stage or phase of the Second Coming of Christ for the two will be separated by at least seven years, and possibly longer.
The Rapture is a distinct Coming in itself, not to the Earth, but in the air where Christ meets the Saints and then takes them back to Heaven to present them blameless before God (Jn. 14:1–3; I Thess. 3:13; 4:16–17).
THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO COMINGS
1. The Rapture takes place several years before the literal Advent of Christ to the Earth.
2. The Saints are in Heaven before God, from the time of the Rapture to their coming again with Christ to reign as kings and priests (Zech. 14:5; Jude vs. 14; Rev. 19:14). This seems clear from the facts that the Saints are judged, are given their rewards, and partake of the Marriage Supper in Heaven, immediately before the Second Coming (II Cor. 5:9–10; Rev. 19:1–10).
3. At the Rapture Christ comes for the Saints (I Thess. 4:16–17); at the Second Coming, He comes back to Earth with the Saints (Jude vs. 14; Zech. 14:5).
4. At the Rapture, the Lord comes from Heaven as far as the air above the Earth, and the Saints will be caught up to meet Him in the air. At the Second Coming, the Saints are already in Heaven, and will come back with the Lord to the Earth together.
5. The Rapture (Resurrection) takes place before the coming Great Tribulation, whereas the Second Advent takes place after the coming Great Tribulation.
6. The Rapture could occur at any moment. The Second Advent cannot occur until certain things happen such as the rise of the Antichrist, etc. (II Thess. Chpt. 2).
1 Corinthians 15:24
(24) “THEN COMETH THE END, WHEN HE SHALL HAVE DELIVERED UP THE KINGDOM TO GOD, EVEN THE FATHER; WHEN HE SHALL HAVE PUT DOWN ALL RULE AND ALL AUTHORITY AND POWER.”
The phrase, “Then cometh the end,” does not refer to the time immediately following the Rapture or even the Second Coming, but when all satanic rule, authority, and power will have been put down, which will take place at the conclusion of the Millennial Reign (Rev. Chpt. 20). The final conclusion will actually be Satan loosed out of his prison for a short period of time, which will take place at the end of the Millennial Reign, when the Lord will make short order of this last attempt by the Evil One, with him being “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone … and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:7–10).
The phrase, “When He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father,” tells us what happens when the “end” comes.
END OF WHAT?
The phrase, “When He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power,” refers to every last vestige of evil and wickedness under the auspices of Satan and his minions, which actually began with Satan’s rebellion against God and is described by both Isaiah and Ezekiel (Isa. 14:12–15; Ezek. 28:11–19). This began long before the episode in the Garden of Eden.
As a result of this rebellion, in which a third of the angels threw in their lot with Lucifer (Rev. 12:4), untold sorrow and heartache have come to the Earth, with possibly much more elsewhere.
JESUS THE VICTOR
It is Jesus Who will “deliver up the Kingdom to God,” a Kingdom incidentally, that will then be free of all Satanic “rule,” “authority,” and “power.”
Jesus defeated Satan at Calvary and the Resurrection.
The idea is, that the Lord Jesus has received or been entrusted with an important power or office as Mediator; that He has executed the purpose implied in that trust or commission; and, that He is now rendering that to God (or will in that day) the Office and Authority which He had received at God’s Hands.
As the work has been accomplished which had been contemplated in His Design; as there would be no further necessity for mediation when Redemption should have been made, and His Church recovered from sin and brought to Glory, there would be no further need for that peculiar arrangement which had been implied in the Work of Redemption, and, of course, all the entrustment of Power involved in that which will now be restored to the Hands of God.
~J. Swaggart Ministry 1 Corinthians 15
Romans 1:18-19
(18) “FOR THE WRATH OF GOD IS REVEALED FROM HEAVEN AGAINST ALL UNGODLINESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OF MEN, WHO HOLD THE TRUTH IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.”
The phrase, “For the Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,” tells us several things:
1. As the Righteousness of God is revealed to those who have Faith in Christ, likewise, “The Wrath of God” is revealed against those who reject that Righteousness.
2. The “Wrath” or anger of God is here revealed, along with the purpose of the Revelation.
It is absolutely imperative that God hate evil, because if He did not do so, He could not love good. If there is to be one (to love good) of necessity, there must be two (to also hate evil). In other words, God must do both or neither.
The Greek word for “Wrath” is “Orge.” It is used of Jesus when, after healing the man with the withered hand, He observed the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, and looked upon them with anger (Mk. 3:5). “Orge” is an anger “Which Righteous men not merely may, but as they are Righteous, must feel; nor can there be a surer and sadder token of an utterly prostrate moral condition than the not being able to be angry with sin—and sinners.”
Vincent describes “Orge” as God’s personal emotion with regard to sin. It represents God’s abhorrence and hatred of sin.
3. These Passages tell us that inasmuch as God has revealed His Righteousness from Heaven to sinful men, if that Light is rejected, as it mostly is, the Wrath of God automatically follows. In fact, Paul said, “And the times of this ignorance (the world before Jesus came) God winked at; but now Commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).
This tells us that the Judgment of God is even more severe now than it was in Old Testament times, which is the opposite of what most people believe. However, it should not be difficult to understand.
To where little Light of the Gospel was given, the Lord did not step in until there was absolutely no other choice. I speak of the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the proposed extermination of certain Tribes, the threat and ultimate destruction of Nineveh, plus others. As should be obvious, there was some Light before Christ, but it was ensconced almost altogether in Israel, who at times hindered its illumination.
Since Jesus came and died on Calvary, thereby paying the sin debt, and rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit now has much more access to the world and to men in general, thereby, providing much greater opportunity for acceptance of the Lord. In other words, considering the proliferation of the Gospel, ignorance is no longer an excuse.
I think the record will show, that inclement weather, wars, famines, disease, and pestilence is the judgment of God against “ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.”
A man asked me once if I believed that AIDS was a judgment from God?
My answer is an unequivocal “Yes!”
I realize that many would say, and rightly so, that all sickness and disease originate with Satan. However, even though that is correct, the Lord is still in control of everything. In other words, Satan can only do what the Lord allows him to do (Job Chpt. 1). To not understand that, is to deny the Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God!
The phrase, “Who hold the Truth in unrighteousness,” does not represent here the Gospel, but the fact of a Supreme Being with Divine Attributes to Whom worship and obedience are due.
This “Truth” being seen by all men through their observation of the created Universe, thus demands a Creator to answer for its existence.
The human race, possessing this Truth which is overly obvious, yet holds it down in the sense of refusing to acknowledge its moral implications, continues on in its sin, despite the proliferation of “Light.”
The primary thrust of this particular Passage deals with evolution, which without a doubt has to be the biggest farce ever perpetrated upon gullible humanity. The promoters of this drivel, and drivel it is, claim to be scientific, which has no place for Faith, etc. The Truth is, it takes much more Faith to believe in evolution than it does the Biblical account of Creation.
The purveyors of this lie claim that all the evidence is available, with the exception of the “missing link.” The Truth is, the whole chain is missing.
It is amazing that educators will teach this fabrication, especially considering that there is not one single specimen of evolution in the world. The simple fact is, were the teaching of evolution correct, there would be hundreds of millions of beings who are half ape and half man, or any such combinations. The answer that it takes billions of years to produce such, is no answer at all.
Once again, the simple fact is, if through these millions or billions of years evolution has produced the human family from apes, if we now have the finished product, or even a stage toward the finished product, there would also be other stages in between. Of necessity, that is a must, that is if there is any truth to evolution!
However, in this of which the Holy Spirit says through Paul, the “Holding of the Truth in unrighteousness,” not only applies to evolution, but as well to psychology. It too is an insult to God.
As evolution denies the Creator, psychology denies the Saviour. It claims it holds the answer for the sin and aberrations of humanity. In other words, man can save or rehabilitate himself.
As I have stated many times, and will continue to do so, if man is able to do that, then Jesus wasted His time coming down to this sinful world. He should have read a few of the books written by modern Psychologists and saved Himself the trouble.
No! As evolution is a lie pure and simple, psychology (psychoanalysis) falls into the same category.
It is ironical that two of the standards of atheistic Communism are “evolution and psychology.”
And yet the modern Church, even the Pentecostal variety, has accepted and bought into this lie pretty much totally.
(19) “BECAUSE THAT WHICH MAY BE KNOWN OF GOD IS MANIFEST IN THEM; FOR GOD HATH SHEWED IT UNTO THEM.”
The phrase, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them,” simply means it can be known if so desired. It speaks of the universal objective knowledge of God as the Creator, which is, more or less, in all men.
The phrase, “For God hath shewed it unto them,” means that in Creation is His Signature.
As we have stated, the Gospel reveals a Righteousness from God on the principle of Faith, as opposed to merit. Those who reject this Righteousness are justly exposed to the Wrath of God not only because they are without Righteousness, but because they are wholly unrighteous and corrupt and desire to remain that way. As well, all humanity is declared here to be sunken in this corruption.
The heathen world then as now, debased the gift of reason, degraded God to “a creeping thing,” and conduct being determined by creed, they gave themselves to vile affections.
Twenty-four of these are particularized, to which we will address ourselves momentarily, all of them together proving fallen human nature to be sunken into an appalling abyss of moral putridity.
This true picture of sinful man is fiercely denied by modern thinkers, as energized by the evil author of ancient and modern thought.
The Greeks and Romans who were the Disciples of Philosophy, condemned the heathen. One of the greatest of the Greek Philosophers was Socrates, and one of the most celebrated of the Romans was the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. But these cultured Nations disobeyed, degraded, and corrupted the wisdom which they had, for while applauding virtue they practiced vice, and taught that man being impotent to do what was right was not to be condemned if he practiced what was wrong.
To the Hebrew people was granted by Divine Election the most precious of all gifts—Revelation. Since man is a creature it was reasonable that his Creator should have made a Revelation of Himself to him. But just as the Rationalists and the Philosophers degraded the Light given to them, so Israel corrupted the Law, and became proud and self-righteous.
Thus, all men are by voluntary action subject to the Wrath of God; and the Holy Spirit places this terrible Truth in the forefront of the Gospel in order that the Doctrine of Justification by Faith might be based upon the fact of universal guilt and condemnation, and so open wide the door of boundless Salvation.
For the Gospel can only be truly preached, or embraced, as being the Good News of Life and Pardon to all who are lost beyond recovery and know it.
So the first Foundation Doctrine of the Gospel which the Apostle preached (vs. 15) announced the Wrath of God (vs. 18). This dogma angers self-righteous man (Williams).
~JSM
Romans 1:24-28
(24) “WHEREFORE GOD ALSO GAVE THEM UP TO UNCLEANNESS THROUGH THE LUSTS OF THEIR OWN HEARTS, TO DISHONOR THEIR OWN BODIES BETWEEN THEMSELVES:”
The phrase, “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,” presents mankind not merely drifting toward depravity, but actually in a sense being shoved by God in that direction.
Since men chose to give up God and worship the creature, God could do nothing but give men into the control of the sinful things they preferred. In other words, God would not violate man’s will and force him to do something he did not want to do. When men persisted in following their totally depraved natures, God allowed them free reign. The natural result was immorality of the vilest kind (Wuest).
Alford says of God’s act of delivering mankind over into the control of utter human depravity, “Not merely permissive, but judicially, God delivered them over. As sin begets sin, and darkness of mind, deeper darkness, Grace gives place to judgment, and the Divine Wrath hardens men, and hurries them on to more fearful degrees of depravity.” God delivered man to uncleanness.
The word “lusts” is “epithumia” in the Greek Text, and means, “a passionate craving, longing, desire,” and in this sense, an inordinately sinful one.
Alford again says, “Not by or through the lusts; the lusts of their heart were the field of action, the department of their being in which the dishonor took place.” In other words, this was what their hearts wanted.
The phrase, “To dishonour their own bodies between themselves,” carries with it more than the mere profligacy in the satisfaction of natural lust, but rather bestiality, which refers to impurity in the physical, and not only in the social and religious sense. In other words, man is grossly immoral.
It speaks of adultery, fornication, pedophilia (sex with children), bestiality (sex with animals), lesbianism and homosexuality.
(25) “WHO CHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD INTO A LIE, AND WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE MORE THAN THE CREATOR, WHO IS BLESSED FOR EVER. AMEN.”
The phrase, “Who changed the Truth of God into a lie,” refers back to verse 23, which speaks of spiritual and sexual uncleanness.
In the realm of idolatry, this refers to anything that is placed before Christ.
Most people presently are not inclined to make idols out of pieces of wood as they did many centuries ago; however, if we allow anything to come between Christ and us, whether we realize it or not, such becomes an idol. That’s why John the Beloved said, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (I Jn. 5:21).
However, this condition of men’s hearts in purposely refusing the Truth of God, led to the Lord using no restraining force over man whatsoever, allowing him without restraint to push headlong into this lie of darkness, which in effect is the same as God giving man a push. Considering man’s already depraved condition, the slide even further downward was terrible, to say the least!
As we see here, the words, “God also gave them up,” as given in verse 24, is a restraining force exercised by God even on unregenerate mankind, unless refused, which it was and continues to be.
As well, there is a far greater restraining force on Believers as should be obvious (Job 1:10; Ps. 91; Rom. 8:28).
However, this restraining force even on Believers can be removed as well through disobedience and rebellion.
The phrase, “And worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,” presents that of which Paul spoke in his Message to the Athenians (Acts 17:29–30).
For man to worship and serve the creature, means that he is doing such to something he has made with his hands, and is, therefore, less than him.
Regarding the “creature,” even if man worships himself or other men and women, which most of the world does, still, what good does such do him?
The phrase, “Who is blessed for ever,” should have been translated, “bless-ed,” because it refers to God.
The word “blessed” refers to one receiving a Blessing, in which as should be obvious, God needs nothing.
The word “bless-ed,” in effect, two syllables, refers to the One doing the Blessing, in this case, the Lord.
The idea is, all True Blessings come exclusively from the Lord, with idols or anything else for that matter, able to produce none at all.
The word “Amen” means that this is anchored in the Word of God, and as such, will not change.
(28) “AND EVEN AS THEY DID NOT LIKE TO RETAIN GOD IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE, GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO A REPROBATE MIND, TO DO THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT CONVENIENT;”
The phrase, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,” carries the idea of the human race putting God to the test for the purpose of approving or disapproving Him.
They wanted a God to their liking, and finding that He did not meet those specifications, the world refused to approve Him as the God to be worshiped, or have Him in its knowledge.
The “knowledge” spoken here, in the Greek is “epignosis,” and means “full and precise knowledge.” In other words, their knowledge of God, due to their rebellion against Him and, therefore, going into deep sin, was only a dim memory, and that perverted!
If one wants to know what is wrong with the modern School System in America, despite the fact of hundreds of billions of dollars being thrown at this ever-worsening situation, it is because Educators “did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” So, and speaking of the Public School System, we have Godless schools, which means that the schools are filled with Satan. We have Godless education, which means that what knowledge the students do have is largely warped and twisted, ill preparing them for life. We have Godless direction, consequently we have erroneous ways.
The phrase, “God gave them over to a reprobate mind,” presents the third time such a statement is used (vss. 24, 26). Once again, humanity wanted that which was licentious and evil and the Lord took away the restraining forces, allowing them to have what they desired.
The words “Reprobate mind” in the Greek Text is “adokimon noun.” It carries the idea of the human race putting God on trial, and because it rejected Him after trial, God gives it a “trialess” mind, in other words, one incapable of discharging the functions of a mind with respect to the things of Salvation (Wuest).
As they did not think it fit to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a mind which has no way to comprehend God. In other words, Light rejected is Light withdrawn. The one thing answers to the other.
Virtually, they pronounced the True God disapproved, and would have none of Him, and He in turn gave them up to a disapproved mind, a mind which is no mind and cannot discharge the functions of one, a mind in which the Divine distinctions of right and wrong are confused and lost, so that God’s condemnation cannot but fall on it at last.
This speaks of people who are completely perverted, and as the Canaanites of old, who did their abominations unto their gods, then the last deep of evil has been reached.
The phrase, “To do those things which are not convenient,” concerns wrong direction which will affect the person in every capacity, and in a very negative way.
The Greek word for “convenient” is “katheko,” and means “It is becoming, it is fitting.” So, the human race does things which are not fitting.
It is like an old abandoned building, the home of bats, spiders and snakes, not a very pleasant place to be (Robertson).
~J. Swaggart Ministries
2 Peter 3:1-9
CHAPTER 3
(A.D. 66)
REMEMBER
THIS second Epistle, beloved, I now write unto you (he had addressed his First Epistle to the same group of people); in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance (by reminding them of what is going to happen in the last of the last days):
2 That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the Holy Prophets (we are plainly told here that, as Believers, we must know and understand the Old Testament along with the New), and of the Commandment of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour (refers to the New Testament, but at the same time the Verse says we cannot understand the New unless we first understand the Old):
SCOFFERS
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers (speaks of the times in which we now live; they scoff at the Cross), walking after their own lusts (which will happen when the Cross is rejected),
4 And saying, Where is the Promise of his coming? (This refers to the Second Coming, not the Rapture. Endtime events as predicted in the Bible are met with scoffing.) for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation. (The two major themes of the Word of God are the Atonement and Endtime events. If we have a proper understanding of the Atonement, we will have, I think, a proper understanding of the latter.)
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of (their ignorance was a willful ignorance; in other words, the evidence was presented and then rejected), that by the Word of God the Heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water (everything was created by the Word of God; this Verse points to Gen. 1:2; it speaks of the original Creation and the rebellion by Lucifer, which left the world in a convoluted state):
6 Whereby the world that then was (speaks of the pre-Adamite Creation), being overflowed with water, perished (doesn’t refer to Noah’s Flood, but rather the Flood of Gen. 1:2; this is when Lucifer led his revolution against God):
7 But the Heavens and the Earth, which are now (refers to the present Heavens and Earth as restored to a second perfect state in the days of Adam [Gen. 1:3; 2:25; Ex. 20:11]), by the same Word are kept in store (refers to the fact that all Creation is dependent solely on the Will of God), reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and Perdition of ungodly men. (This refers to the coming “Great White Throne Judgment” [Rev. 20:11–15]. At this time, the Heavens and Earth will be renovated by fire.)
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing (considering that we have the Word of God, there is no reason for the Believer to be ignorant concerning spiritual things), that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (A human promise may be weakened or destroyed by time. However, a Divine Promise is as certain of fulfillment in a thousand years as in one day.)
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His Promise, as some men count slackness (if it seems as though God delays the fulfillment of His Promises, it is for the purpose of getting more people into the Kingdom of God); but is longsuffering to us-ward (God suffers long with man, attempting to bring him to a place of Repentance), not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance. (The dispensation of the Cross has been the longest of all, and it is that because God keeps calling after sinners to be saved. He has made a way through the Cross for all to be saved. Most, however, refuse His Way.)
~Jimmy Swaggart Ministry – Expositor’s Study Bible
Let No Man Put Asunder
By: Frances Swaggart
Matthew 19:4-6 – “And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges, declaring that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. Moments after the decision was announced, President Obama made a personal cell phone call to the lead plantiff in the case, Jim Obergefell.
After offering his congratulations and praising Obergefell’s leadership, the president told him: “Not only have you been a great example for people, but you’re also going to bring about lasting change in this country. It’s pretty rare when that happens, so I couldn’t be prouder of you and your husband, and God bless you.” 1
Ladies and gentlemen, God is not going to bless any part of this court’s decision because it was made in complete and utter disobedience to the Word of God.
NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE
In a message preached over the Fourth of July weekend at Family Worship Center, Donnie did an excellent job of dealing with this subject of same-sex marriage. He said, “It’s not a civil rights struggle. It is a moral problem. It’s not political. It’s not constitutional. It is a moral problem that defines who we are as a nation and how far we have sunk as a people.”
We don’t believe that it’s right for the U.S. Supreme Court or anybody else to try and redefine marriage as something other than what God says it is. In the book of Genesis, we see that marriage is the first institution that God ever created:
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept (records the first anesthesia): and He took one of his ribs (the word rib here actually means ‘side’), and closed up the flesh instead thereof (the woman is not merely of a rib, but actually of one side of man);
22 And the rib (side), which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman (the Hebrew says, ‘built He a woman’; Horton says, ‘When God created the man, the word form was used, which is the same word used of a potter forming a clay jar; but the word build here seems to mean God paid even more attention to the creation of the woman’), and brought her unto the man (presents a formal presentation, with God, in essence, performing the first wedding; thus He instituted the bonds of the marriage covenant, which is actually called the covenant of God [Prov. 2:17], indicating that God is the Author of this sacred institution; this is the marriage model and was instituted by God; any other model, such as homosexual marriages, so-called, can be constituted as none other than an abomination in the eyes of God [Rom. 1:24-28])” (Gen. 2:21-22, The Expositor’s ).
MAIN SOURCE OF SUPPORT
This is what the Word of God says, but it’s not what people want to believe, especially America’s young people. Just weeks before the Supreme Court ruled on same-sex marriage, we sent a TV crew from SonLife Broadcasting Network to the streets of Baton Rouge to ask random people for their definition of marriage.
Nearly all of the people we interviewed — middle-aged and up — said that they believed marriage was between a man and a woman, but take a look at the responses we received from the younger set, roughly 25 years old and younger:
Q: How do you define marriage?
A: “I think marriage is love between two people, and it doesn’t matter what two people it is.”
A: “I’m open-minded. I have a lot of gay friends, and I’ve never seen anything wrong with it. Traditionally, I guess it’s the union of a man and a woman but to me, I think it’s just the union of two people that love each other.
A: “Our generation is known for doing things completely different and I think [traditional marriage] is out of date; [same-sex marriage] is a new thing that’s happening, and we should all accept it and not judge.”
A: “Anybody who wants to have same-sex marriage or anything, I feel like that’s your choice, and I don’t think anyone should judge somebody for that. I think whatever you feel like you want to do, you should do.”
The responses of these young people are not surprising. In June of this year, a Pew Research Center’s report pointed to youth as a major source of support for same-sex marriage.
The report states: “A key component of the shifting attitudes on this issue is the strong support for gay rights among younger Americans. Younger generations have long been more accepting of homosexuality and of same-sex marriage than older generations, and as millennials (who are currently ages 18-34) have entered adulthood, those views have influenced overall public opinion.” 2
CHANGE OF HEART
At 31 years old, Heather Barwick qualifies as a millennial and, as the daughter of lesbian parents, she grew up as an advocate and supporter of gay marriage. But somewhere into her 20s, she said she could no longer be a supporter because “of the nature of the same-sex relationship itself.”
Barwick, now a wife and mother of four, is a children’s rights activist. In March, she wrote an open letter entitled, “Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are Hurting,” to explain her change of heart. “It’s only with some time and distance from my childhood that I’m able to reflect on my experiences and recognize the long-term consequences that same-sex parenting had on me,” Barwick wrote. “And it’s only now, as I watch my children loving and being loved by their father each day, that I can see the beauty and wisdom in traditional marriage and parenting. Same-sex marriage and parenting withholds either a mother or father from a child while telling him or her that it doesn’t matter. That it’s all the same. But it’s not. A lot of us, a lot of your kids, are hurting. My father’s absence created a huge hole in me, and I ached every day for a dad. I loved my mom’s partner, but another mom could never have replaced the father I lost.” 3
For other children of same-sex couples, the damage is even greater.
Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, B. N. Klein was one of four adult children of gay parents who testified against same-sex marriage at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and reportedly argued that “government-sanctioned homosexual unions could lead to disaster for thousands of kids.” 4
In her brief to the court Klein wrote, “While I do not believe all gays would be de facto bad parents, I know that the gay community has never in my lifetime put children first as anything other than a piece of property, a past mistake, or a political tool to be dressed up and taken out as part of a dog-and-pony show to impress the well-meaning.”
Klein’s brief also stated that as a child of a lesbian mother, she was pressured to pay “constant homage and attention” to her mother’s gay identity, taught that “some Jews and most Christians are stupid and hate gays and are violent,” and told that homosexuals were “much more creative and artistic because they are not repressed and are naturally more feeling.” 5
Katy Faust was another one of these four adult children who testified. She said, “The label of bigot or hater has become very powerful and effective tools to silence those of us who choose not to endorse the marriage platform of many gay lobbyists. For much of my adult life, I was content to keep my opinions on the subject of marriage to myself. I was (and still am) sickened by the accusation that I was bigoted and anti-gay for my belief in natural marriage.” Faust said she was speaking out now because she believes that a child has the right to a mother and a father.
“When we institutionalize same-sex marriage … we move from permitting citizens the freedom to live as they choose, to promoting same-sex headed households,” Faust wrote. “Now we are normalizing a family structure where a child will always be deprived daily of one gender influence and the relationship with at least one natural parent. Our cultural narrative becomes one that, in essence, tells children that they have no right to the natural family structure or their biological parents, but that children simply exist for the satisfaction of adult desires.” 6
Dawn Stefanowicz, who was raised by a homosexual father who later died of AIDS, testified against same-sex marriage in her native Canada, which legalized gay marriage in July 2005. According to Stefanowicz, Canada has changed a lot in those 10 years. She said that as soon as same-sex marriage passed in her country, parenting was immediately redefined. Stefanowicz writes, “Necessary parental rights to teach children your beliefs, express your opinions, and practice your personal faith are infringed upon by the state when your beliefs, opinions, and or faith practices are in opposition to what is taught and promoted at school. In fact, in Ontario, Canada, the Human Rights Commission regulations permeate and surround all public education.” 7 Think of that.
I thank the Lord that these people were brave enough to come forward and speak out on this issue. Their testimonies illustrate the impact that same-sex marriage is having on our children, schools, and our nation.
REPETITION REDUCES RESISTANCE
Still, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community remains unsatisfied and continues their fight for what they call “civil rights.” We see their agenda unfolding every day in the news: the Boy Scouts welcoming openly gay men and boys; Baylor University–a prominent Christian college in this country—dropping the phrase “homosexual acts” from its sexual misconduct policy; an Oregon labor commissioner ordering Christian bakers to pay $135,000 for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding.
On Frances & Friends, Mike Muzzerall commented on this type of progression. He said, “What happens is, if we’re in a situation where we’re tolerant–we’re not abusive toward the person, but we don’t acknowledge it–that’s no longer good enough. Now they want us to accept. Repetition reduces resistance. We’re seeing it everywhere, and it’s wearing us down as a church, and we need to stand on what the Word of God says.” Pastor Mike is absolutely right.
The Bible says, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
What authority does the U.S. Supreme Court have to change the definition of marriage? They don’t. Four of the justices disagreed with the majority on that historic ruling, including Associate Justice Samuel Alito, who offered America a warning.
In his dissent Alito wrote, “Today’s decision usurps the constitutional right of the people to decide whether to keep or alter the traditional understanding of marriage. The decision will also have other important consequences. It will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy. In the course of its opinion, the majority compares traditional marriage laws to laws that denied equal treatment for African-Americans and women. The implications of this analogy will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent.” 8
JUDGMENT AND THE CROSS
On the same night of this ruling, President Obama decided to illuminate the White House in rainbow colors, symbolizing gay pride. Outraged by this demonstration, Rev. Franklin Graham wrote, “God is the one who gave the rainbow, and it was associated with His judgment. God sent a flood to wipe out the entire world because mankind had become so wicked and violent.” 9
Ladies and gentlemen, as my husband has said so many times, “The only thing holding back that judgment and wrath of Almighty God is the Cross of Christ.” If the church is not preaching the Cross, then judgment comes.
Sources:
1. Arlette Saenz, “Same-Sex Ruling: President Obama’s Historic Phone Call With Plaintiff Jim Obergefell,” ABC News, June 26, 2015.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sex-ruling-president-obamas-historic-phone-call-plaintiff/story?id=32051689
2. Pew Research Center, “Support for Same-Sex Marriage at Record High, but Key Segments Remain Opposed: 72 Percent Say Legal Recognition is ‘Inevitable,’” June 8, 2015.
http://www.people-press.org/files/2015/06/6-8-15-Same-sex-marriage-release1.pdf
3. Heather Barwick, “Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are Hurting,” The Federalist, March 17, 2015.
http://thefederalist.com/2015/03/17/dear-gay-community-your-kids-are-hurting/.
4. Kirsten Andersen, “‘Quartet of Truth’: Adult Children Of Gay Parents Testify Against Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ at 5th Circuit,” Life Site, January 13, 2015.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/quartet-of-truth-adult-children-of-gay-parents-testify-against-same-sex-mar.
7. Dawn Stefanowicz, “My Father Was Gay. Why I Oppose Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage,” Daily Signal, April 13, 2015.
http://dailysignal.com/print/?post_id=182334.
Let No Man Put AsunderSept 2015 |
| By: Frances Swaggart Matthew 19:4-6 – “And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges, declaring that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. Moments after the decision was announced, President Obama made a personal cell phone call to the lead plantiff in the case, Jim Obergefell. After offering his congratulations and praising Obergefell’s leadership, the president told him: “Not only have you been a great example for people, but you’re also going to bring about lasting change in this country. It’s pretty rare when that happens, so I couldn’t be prouder of you and your husband, and God bless you.” 1 Ladies and gentlemen, God is not going to bless any part of this court’s decision because it was made in complete and utter disobedience to the Word of God. NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE In a message preached over the Fourth of July weekend at Family Worship Center, Donnie did an excellent job of dealing with this subject of same-sex marriage. He said, “It’s not a civil rights struggle. It is a moral problem. It’s not political. It’s not constitutional. It is a moral problem that defines who we are as a nation and how far we have sunk as a people.” We don’t believe that it’s right for the U.S. Supreme Court or anybody else to try and redefine marriage as something other than what God says it is. In the book of Genesis, we see that marriage is the first institution that God ever created: 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept (records the first anesthesia): and He took one of his ribs (the word rib here actually means ‘side’), and closed up the flesh instead thereof (the woman is not merely of a rib, but actually of one side of man); 22 And the rib (side), which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman (the Hebrew says, ‘built He a woman’; Horton says, ‘When God created the man, the word form was used, which is the same word used of a potter forming a clay jar; but the word build here seems to mean God paid even more attention to the creation of the woman’), and brought her unto the man (presents a formal presentation, with God, in essence, performing the first wedding; thus He instituted the bonds of the marriage covenant, which is actually called the covenant of God [Prov. 2:17], indicating that God is the Author of this sacred institution; this is the marriage model and was instituted by God; any other model, such as homosexual marriages, so-called, can be constituted as none other than an abomination in the eyes of God [Rom. 1:24-28])” (Gen. 2:21-22, The Expositor’s Study Bible). MAIN SOURCE OF SUPPORT This is what the Word of God says, but it’s not what people want to believe, especially America’s young people. Just weeks before the Supreme Court ruled on same-sex marriage, we sent a TV crew from SonLife Broadcasting Network to the streets of Baton Rouge to ask random people for their definition of marriage. Nearly all of the people we interviewed — middle-aged and up — said that they believed marriage was between a man and a woman, but take a look at the responses we received from the younger set, roughly 25 years old and younger: Q: How do you define marriage? A: “I think marriage is love between two people, and it doesn’t matter what two people it is.” A: “I’m open-minded. I have a lot of gay friends, and I’ve never seen anything wrong with it. Traditionally, I guess it’s the union of a man and a woman but to me, I think it’s just the union of two people that love each other. A: “Our generation is known for doing things completely different and I think [traditional marriage] is out of date; [same-sex marriage] is a new thing that’s happening, and we should all accept it and not judge.” A: “Anybody who wants to have same-sex marriage or anything, I feel like that’s your choice, and I don’t think anyone should judge somebody for that. I think whatever you feel like you want to do, you should do.” The responses of these young people are not surprising. In June of this year, a Pew Research Center’s report pointed to youth as a major source of support for same-sex marriage. The report states: “A key component of the shifting attitudes on this issue is the strong support for gay rights among younger Americans. Younger generations have long been more accepting of homosexuality and of same-sex marriage than older generations, and as millennials (who are currently ages 18-34) have entered adulthood, those views have influenced overall public opinion.” 2 CHANGE OF HEART At 31 years old, Heather Barwick qualifies as a millennial and, as the daughter of lesbian parents, she grew up as an advocate and supporter of gay marriage. But somewhere into her 20s, she said she could no longer be a supporter because “of the nature of the same-sex relationship itself.” Barwick, now a wife and mother of four, is a children’s rights activist. In March, she wrote an open letter entitled, “Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are Hurting,” to explain her change of heart. “It’s only with some time and distance from my childhood that I’m able to reflect on my experiences and recognize the long-term consequences that same-sex parenting had on me,” Barwick wrote. “And it’s only now, as I watch my children loving and being loved by their father each day, that I can see the beauty and wisdom in traditional marriage and parenting. Same-sex marriage and parenting withholds either a mother or father from a child while telling him or her that it doesn’t matter. That it’s all the same. But it’s not. A lot of us, a lot of your kids, are hurting. My father’s absence created a huge hole in me, and I ached every day for a dad. I loved my mom’s partner, but another mom could never have replaced the father I lost.” 3 For other children of same-sex couples, the damage is even greater. Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, B. N. Klein was one of four adult children of gay parents who testified against same-sex marriage at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and reportedly argued that “government-sanctioned homosexual unions could lead to disaster for thousands of kids.” 4 In her brief to the court Klein wrote, “While I do not believe all gays would be de facto bad parents, I know that the gay community has never in my lifetime put children first as anything other than a piece of property, a past mistake, or a political tool to be dressed up and taken out as part of a dog-and-pony show to impress the well-meaning.” Klein’s brief also stated that as a child of a lesbian mother, she was pressured to pay “constant homage and attention” to her mother’s gay identity, taught that “some Jews and most Christians are stupid and hate gays and are violent,” and told that homosexuals were “much more creative and artistic because they are not repressed and are naturally more feeling.” 5 Katy Faust was another one of these four adult children who testified. She said, “The label of bigot or hater has become very powerful and effective tools to silence those of us who choose not to endorse the marriage platform of many gay lobbyists. For much of my adult life, I was content to keep my opinions on the subject of marriage to myself. I was (and still am) sickened by the accusation that I was bigoted and anti-gay for my belief in natural marriage.” Faust said she was speaking out now because she believes that a child has the right to a mother and a father. “When we institutionalize same-sex marriage … we move from permitting citizens the freedom to live as they choose, to promoting same-sex headed households,” Faust wrote. “Now we are normalizing a family structure where a child will always be deprived daily of one gender influence and the relationship with at least one natural parent. Our cultural narrative becomes one that, in essence, tells children that they have no right to the natural family structure or their biological parents, but that children simply exist for the satisfaction of adult desires.” 6 Dawn Stefanowicz, who was raised by a homosexual father who later died of AIDS, testified against same-sex marriage in her native Canada, which legalized gay marriage in July 2005. According to Stefanowicz, Canada has changed a lot in those 10 years. She said that as soon as same-sex marriage passed in her country, parenting was immediately redefined. Stefanowicz writes, “Necessary parental rights to teach children your beliefs, express your opinions, and practice your personal faith are infringed upon by the state when your beliefs, opinions, and or faith practices are in opposition to what is taught and promoted at school. In fact, in Ontario, Canada, the Human Rights Commission regulations permeate and surround all public education.” 7 Think of that. I thank the Lord that these people were brave enough to come forward and speak out on this issue. Their testimonies illustrate the impact that same-sex marriage is having on our children, schools, and our nation. REPETITION REDUCES RESISTANCE Still, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community remains unsatisfied and continues their fight for what they call “civil rights.” We see their agenda unfolding every day in the news: the Boy Scouts welcoming openly gay men and boys; Baylor University–a prominent Christian college in this country—dropping the phrase “homosexual acts” from its sexual misconduct policy; an Oregon labor commissioner ordering Christian bakers to pay $135,000 for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. On Frances & Friends, Mike Muzzerall commented on this type of progression. He said, “What happens is, if we’re in a situation where we’re tolerant–we’re not abusive toward the person, but we don’t acknowledge it–that’s no longer good enough. Now they want us to accept. Repetition reduces resistance. We’re seeing it everywhere, and it’s wearing us down as a church, and we need to stand on what the Word of God says.” Pastor Mike is absolutely right. The Bible says, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” What authority does the U.S. Supreme Court have to change the definition of marriage? They don’t. Four of the justices disagreed with the majority on that historic ruling, including Associate Justice Samuel Alito, who offered America a warning. In his dissent Alito wrote, “Today’s decision usurps the constitutional right of the people to decide whether to keep or alter the traditional understanding of marriage. The decision will also have other important consequences. It will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy. In the course of its opinion, the majority compares traditional marriage laws to laws that denied equal treatment for African-Americans and women. The implications of this analogy will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent.” 8 JUDGMENT AND THE CROSS On the same night of this ruling, President Obama decided to illuminate the White House in rainbow colors, symbolizing gay pride. Outraged by this demonstration, Rev. Franklin Graham wrote, “God is the one who gave the rainbow, and it was associated with His judgment. God sent a flood to wipe out the entire world because mankind had become so wicked and violent.” 9 Ladies and gentlemen, as my husband has said so many times, “The only thing holding back that judgment and wrath of Almighty God is the Cross of Christ.” If the church is not preaching the Cross, then judgment comes.
|