Sunday, June 10, 2018

Space To Repent.


I am tired of professed Christians bashing what has taken place under the Trump Administration regarding religious freedom.  During the Obama Administration “progressive Christians” were quiet and did not voice their displeasure when our religious freedoms were taken away.   When faithful Christians pointed out what was happening with the loss of our freedoms, they were ridiculed and referred to as bigots, racist, unloving, unkind and not Christ-like.  When they point out how we have regained some religious freedoms under the present administration they are compared to a supporter of Hitler.  It is time for American professed Christians to open their eyes and return to the LORD repenting of our evil ways.  You are either for Christ or against Him.  It is time to make-up your mind. 
I believe the LORD is giving America space to repent under the Trump Administration.  If we fail as a nation to return to the LORD, we will face the judgment of the LORD like we have never seen before.   Don’t count on being “Raptured” out of this judgment.  When the LORD brought judgment on a nation even the righteous suffered, remember Daniel and Jeremiah they did not escape the judgment of their nation, and neither will we.
David Barton has put together a chronological order of events under President Obama that shows the hatred the past administration had for Christians.  Don’t tell me we are not living in “perilous times.” 
1. Acts of hostility toward people of Biblical faith:
  • June 2013 – The Obama Department of Justice defunds a Young Marines chapter in Louisiana because their oath mentioned God, and another youth program because it permits a voluntary student-led prayer. [1]
  • February 2013 – The Obama Administration announces that the rights of religious conscience for individuals will not be protected under the Affordable Care Act. [2]
  • January 2013 – Pastor Louie Giglio is pressured to remove himself from praying at the inauguration after it is discovered he once preached a sermon supporting the Biblical definition of marriage. [3]
  • February 2012 – The Obama administration forgives student loans in exchange for public service, but announces it will no longer forgive student loans if the public service is related to religion. [4]
  • January 2012 – The Obama administration argues that the First Amendment provides no protection for churches and synagogues in hiring their pastors and rabbis. [5]
  • December 2011 – The Obama administration denigrates other countries’ religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights.[6]
  • November 2011 – President Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. [7]
  • November 2011 – Unlike previous presidents, Obama studiously avoids any religious references in his Thanksgiving speech. [8]
  • August 2011 – The Obama administration releases its new health care rules that override religious conscience protections for medical workers in the areas of abortion and contraception. [9]
  • April 2011 – For the first time in American history, Obama urges passage of a non-discrimination law that does not contain hiring protections for religious groups, forcing religious organizations to hire according to federal mandates without regard to the dictates of their own faith, thus eliminating conscience protection in hiring. [10]
  • February 2011 – Although he filled posts in the State Department, for more than two years Obama did not fill the post of religious freedom ambassador, an official that works against religious persecution across the world; he filled it only after heavy pressure from the public and from Congress. [11]
  • January 2011 – After a federal law was passed to transfer a WWI Memorial in the Mojave Desert to private ownership, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the cross in the memorial could continue to stand, but the Obama administration refused to allow the land to be transferred as required by law, and refused to allow the cross to be re-erected as ordered by the Court. [12]
  • November 2010 – Obama misquotes the National Motto, saying it is “E pluribus unum” rather than “In God We Trust” as established by federal law. [13]
  • October 19, 2010 – Obama begins deliberately omitting the phrase about “the Creator” when quoting the Declaration of Independence – an omission he has made on no less than seven occasions. [14]
  • May 2009 – Obama declines to host services for the National Prayer Day (a day established by federal law) at the White House. [15]
  • April 2009 – When speaking at Georgetown University, Obama orders that a monogram symbolizing Jesus’ name be covered when he is making his speech. [16]
  • April 2009 – In a deliberate act of disrespect, Obama nominated three pro-abortion ambassadors to the Vatican; of course, the pro-life Vatican rejected all three. [17]
  • February 2009 – Obama announces plans to revoke conscience protection for health workers who refuse to participate in medical activities that go against their beliefs, and fully implements the plan in February 2011. [18]
  • April 2008 – Obama speaks disrespectfully of Christians, saying they “cling to guns or religion” and have an “antipathy to people who aren’t like them.” [19] 

2. Acts of hostility from the Obama-led military toward people of Biblical faith:
  • December 2013 – A naval facility required that two nativity scenes — scenes depicting the event that caused Christmas to be declared a national federal holiday — be removed from the base dining hall and be confined to the base chapel, thus disallowing the open public acknowledgment of this national federal holiday. [20]
  • December 2013 – An Air Force base that allowed various public displays ordered the removal of one simply because it contained religious content. [21]
  • October 2013 – A counter-intelligence briefing at Fort Hood tells soldiers that evangelical Christians are a threat to Americans and that for a soldier to donate to such a group “was punishable under military regulations.” [22]
  • October 2013 – Catholic priests hired to serve as military chaplains are prohibited from performing Mass services at base chapels during the government financial shutdown. When they offered to freely do Mass for soldiers, without regard to whether or not the chaplains were receiving pay, they are still denied permission to do so. [23]
  • August 2013 – A Department of Defense military training manual teaches soldiers that people who talk about “individual liberties, states’ rights, and how to make the world a better place” are “extremists.” It also lists the Founding Fathers — those “colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule” — as examples of those involved in “extremist ideologies and movements.” [24]
  • August 2013 – A Senior Master Sergeant was removed from his position and reassigned because he told his openly lesbian squadron commander that she should not punish a staff sergeant who expressed his views in favor of traditional marriage. [25]
  • August 2013 – The military does not provide heterosexual couples specific paid leave to travel to a state just for the purpose of being married, but it did extend these benefits to homosexual couples who want to marry, thus giving them preferential treatment not available to heterosexuals. [26]
  • August 2013 – The Air Force, in the midst of having launched a series of attacks against those expressing traditional religious or moral views, invited a drag queen group to perform at a base. [27]
  • July 2013 – When an Air Force sergeant with years of military service questioned a same-sex marriage ceremony performed at the Air Force Academy’s chapel, he received a letter of reprimand telling him that if he disagreed, he needed to get out of the military. His current six-year reenlistment was then reduced to only one-year, with the notification that he “be prepared to retire at the end of this year.” [28]
  • July 2013 – An Air Force chaplain who posted a website article on the importance of faith and the origin of the phrase “There are no atheists in foxholes” was officially ordered to remove his post because some were offended by the use of that famous World War II phrase. [29]
  • June 2013 – The U. S. Air Force, in consultation with the Pentagon, removed an inspirational painting that for years has been hanging at Mountain Home Air Force Base because its title was “Blessed Are The Peacemakers” — a phrase from Matthew 5:9 in the Bible. [30]
  • June 2013 – The Obama administration “strongly objects” to a Defense Authorization amendment to protect the constitutionally-guaranteed religious rights of soldiers and chaplains, claiming that it would have an “adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.” [31]
  • June 2013 – At a joint base in New Jersey, a video was made, based on a Super Bowl commercial, to honor First Sergeants. It stated: “On the eighth day, God looked down on His creation and said, ‘I need someone who will take care of the Airmen.’ So God created a First Sergeant.” Because the video mentioned the word “God,” the Air Force required that it be taken down. [32]
  • June 2013 – An Army Master Sergeant is reprimanded, threatened with judicial action, and given a bad efficiency report, being told he was “no longer a team player,” because he voiced his support of traditional marriage at his own promotion party. [33]
  • May 2013 – The Pentagon announces that “Air Force members are free to express their personal religious beliefs as long as it does not make others uncomfortable. “Proselytizing (inducing someone to convert to one’s faith) goes over that line,” [34] affirming if a sharing of faith makes someone feel uncomfortable that it could be a court-marital offense [35] — the military equivalent of a civil felony.
  • May 2013 – An Air Force officer was actually made to remove a personal Bible from his own desk because it “might” appear that he was condoning the particular religion to which he belonged. [36]
  • April 2013 – Officials briefing U.S. Army soldiers placed “Evangelical Christianity” and “Catholicism” in a list that also included Al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas as examples of “religious extremism.”[37]
  • April 2013 – The U.S. Army directs troops to scratch off and paint over tiny Scripture verse references that for decades had been forged into weapon scopes. [38]
  • April 2013 – The Air Force creates a “religious tolerance” policy but consults only a militant atheist group to do so — a group whose leader has described military personnel who are religious as ‘spiritual rapists’ and ‘human monsters’ [39] and who also says that soldiers who proselytize are guilty of treason and sedition and should be punished to hold back a “tidal wave of fundamentalists.” [40]
  • January 2013 – President Obama announced his opposition to a provision in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act protecting the rights of conscience for military chaplains. [41]
  • June 2012 – Bibles for the American military have been printed in every conflict since the American Revolution, but the Obama Administration revokes the long-standing U. S. policy of allowing military service emblems to be placed on those military Bibles. [42]
  • May 2012 – The Obama administration opposed legislation to protect the rights of conscience for military chaplains who do not wish to perform same-sex marriages in violation of their strongly-held religious beliefs. [43]
  • April 2012 – A checklist for Air Force Inns will no longer include ensuring that a Bible is available in rooms for those who want to use them. [44]
  • February 2012 – The U. S. Military Academy at West Point disinvites three star Army general and decorated war hero Lieutenant General William G. (“Jerry”) Boykin (retired) from speaking at an event because he is an outspoken Christian. [45]
  • February 2012 – The Air Force removes “God” from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei). [46]
  • February 2012 – The Army ordered Catholic chaplains not to read a letter to parishioners that their archbishop asked them to read. [47]
  • November 2011 – The Air Force Academy rescinds support for Operation Christmas Child, a program to send holiday gifts to impoverished children across the world, because the program is run by a Christian charity. [48]
  •  November 2011 – President Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. [49]
  • November 2011 – Even while restricting and disapprobating Christian religious expressions, the Air Force Academy pays $80,000 to add a Stonehenge-like worship center for pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans at the Air Force Academy. [50]
  • September 2011 – Air Force Chief of Staff prohibits commanders from notifying airmen of programs and services available to them from chaplains. [51]
  • September 2011 – The Army issues guidelines for Walter Reed Medical Center stipulating that “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading materials and/or facts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.” [52]
  • August 2011 – The Air Force stops teaching the Just War theory to officers in California because the course is taught by chaplains and is based on a philosophy introduced by St. Augustine in the third century AD – a theory long taught by civilized nations across the world (except now, America). [53]
  • June 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs forbids references to God and Jesus during burial ceremonies at Houston National Cemetery. [54]
  • January 2010 – Because of “concerns” raised by the Department of Defense, tiny Bible verse references that had appeared for decades on scopes and gunsights were removed. [55]
3. Acts of hostility toward Biblical values:
  • August 2013 – Non-profit charitable hospitals, especially faith-based ones, will face large fines or lose their tax-exempt status if they don’t comply with new strangling paperwork requirements related to giving free treatment to poor clients who do not have Obamacare insurance coverage. [56] Ironically, the first hospital in America was founded as a charitable institution in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin, and its logo was the Good Samaritan, with Luke 10:35 inscribed below him: “Take care of him, and I will repay thee,” being designed specifically to offer free medical care to the poor. [57] Benjamin Franklin’s hospital would likely be fined unless he placed more resources and funds into paperwork rather than helping the poor under the new faith-hostile policy of the Obama administration.
  • August 2013 – USAID, a federal government agency, shut down a conference in South Korea the night before it was scheduled to take place because some of the presentations were not pro-abortion but instead presented information on abortion complications, including the problems of “preterm births, mental health issues, and maternal mortality” among women giving birth who had previous abortions. [58]
  • June 2013 – The Obama Administration finalizes requirements that under the Obamacare insurance program, employers must make available abortion-causing drugs, regardless of the religious conscience objections of many employers and even despite the directive of several federal courts to protect the religious conscience of employers. [59]
  • April 2013 – The United States Agency for Internal Development (USAID), an official foreign policy agency of the U.S. government, begins a program to train homosexual activists in various countries around the world to overturn traditional marriage and anti-sodomy laws, targeting first those countries with strong Catholic influences, including Ecuador, Honduras, and Guatemala. [60]
  • December 2012 – Despite having campaigned to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Obama once again suspends the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 which requires the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the American Embassy there. [61]
  • July 2012 – The Pentagon, for the first time, allows service members to wear their uniforms while marching in a parade – specifically, a gay pride parade in San Diego. [62]
  • October 2011 – The Obama administration eliminates federal grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for their extensive programs that aid victims of human trafficking because the Catholic Church is anti-abortion. [63]
  • September 2011 – The Pentagon directs that military chaplains may perform same-sex marriages at military facilities in violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. [64]
  • July 2011 – Obama allows homosexuals to serve openly in the military, reversing a policy originally instituted by George Washington in March 1778. [65]
  • March 2011 – The Obama administration refuses to investigate videos showing Planned Parenthood helping alleged sex traffickers get abortions for victimized underage girls. [66]
  • February 2011 – Obama directs the Justice Department to stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act. [67]
  • September 2010 – The Obama administration tells researchers to ignore a judge’s decision striking down federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. [68]
  • August 2010 – The Obama administration Cuts funding for 176 abstinence education programs. [69]
  • July 2010 – The Obama administration uses federal funds in violation of federal law to get Kenya to change its constitution to include abortion. [70]
  • September 16, 2009 – The Obama administration appoints as EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, who asserts that society should “not tolerate” any “private beliefs,” including religious beliefs, if they may negatively affect homosexual “equality.” [71]
  • July 2009 – The Obama administration illegally extends federal benefits to same-sex partners of Foreign Service and Executive Branch employees, in direction violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.[72]
  • May 2009 – The White House budget eliminates all funding for abstinence-only education and replaces it with “comprehensive” sexual education, repeatedly proven to increase teen pregnancies and abortions. [73] He continues the deletion in subsequent budgets. [74]
  • May 2009 – Obama officials assemble a terrorism dictionary calling pro-life advocates violent and charging that they use racism in their “criminal” activities. [75]
  • March 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. [76]
  • March 2009 – Obama orders taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. [77]
  • March 2009 – Obama gave $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that promotes abortion and works closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations. [78]
  • January 2009 – Obama lifts restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, forcing taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. [79]
  • January 2009 – President Obama’s nominee for deputy secretary of state asserts that American taxpayers are required to pay for abortions and that limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional. [80]
4. Acts of preferentialism for Islam:

  • February 2012 – The Obama administration makes effulgent apologies for Korans being burned by the U. S. military, [81] but when Bibles were burned by the military, numerous reasons were offered why it was the right thing to do. [82]
  • October 2011 – Obama’s Muslim advisers block Middle Eastern Christians’ access to the White House. [83]
  • August 2010 – Obama speaks with great praise of Islam and condescendingly of Christianity. [84]
  • August 2010 – Obama went to great lengths to speak out on multiple occasions on behalf of building an Islamic mosque at Ground Zero, while at the same time he was silent about a Christian church being denied permission to rebuild at that location. [85]
  • April 2010 – Christian leader Franklin Graham is disinvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer Event because of complaints from the Muslim community. [86]
  • April 2010 – The Obama administration requires rewriting of government documents and a change in administration vocabulary to remove terms that are deemed offensive to Muslims, including jihad, jihadists, terrorists, radical Islamic, etc. [87]

  • May 2009 – While Obama does not host any National Day of Prayer event at the White House, he does host White House Iftar dinners in honor of Ramadan. [88]
  • 2010 – While every White House traditionally issues hundreds of official proclamations and statements on numerous occasions, this White House avoids traditional Biblical holidays and events but regularly recognizes major Muslim holidays, as evidenced by its 2010 statements on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha. [89]
Many of these actions are literally unprecedented – this is the first time they have happened in four centuries of American history. The hostility of President Obama toward Biblical faith and values is without equal from any previous American president.  Trump may not be the best president we have ever had but he is a strong supporter of Christian freedoms.  If Old Testament prophets could see how the LORD was using pagan kings to accomplish His plan of getting Israel and Judah to repent, then maybe we need to open our eyes and heed the warning of repentance.

There are many things I do not agree on with President Trump regarding his foreign policies.  However, I can see the hand of the LORD in the actions that are taking place pushing the world towards the final conflicts.  The bottom line is this, will America repent of her sins and return to the LORD? Regardless of your politics or political party do you hear the message that the LORD is giving to America-REPENT?


[1] Todd Starnes, “DOJ Defunds At-Risk Youth Programs over “God” Reference,” Townhall, June 25, 2013.

[2] Steven Ertelt, “Obama Admin’s HHS Mandate Revision Likely Excludes Hobby Lobby,” LifeNews.com, February 1, 2013; Dan Merica, “Obama proposal would let religious groups opt-out of contraception mandate,” CNN, February 1, 2013.

[3] Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Minister Backs Out of Speech at Inaugural,” New York Times, January 10, 2013; Eric Marrapodi, “Giglio bows out of inauguration over sermon on gays,” CNN, January 10, 2013.

[4] Audrey Hudson, “Obama administration religious service for student loan forgiveness,” Human Events, February 15, 2012.

[5] Ted Olson, “Church Wins Firing Case at Supreme Court,” Christianity Today, January 11, 2012.

[6] Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day,” U.S. Department of State, December 6, 2011.

[7] Todd Starns, “Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial,” Fox News, November 4, 2011.

[8] Joel Siegel, “Obama Omits God From Thanksgiving Speech, Riles Critics,”ABC News, November 25, 2011.

[9] Chuck Donovan, “HHS’s New Health Guidelines Trample on Conscience,”Heritage Foundation, August 2, 2011.

[10] Chris Johnson, “ENDA passage effort renewed with Senate introduction,” Washington Blade, April 15, 2011.

[11] Marrianne Medlin, “Amid criticism, President Obama moves to fill vacant religious ambassador post,” Catholic News Agency, February 9, 2011; Thomas F. Farr, “Undefender of the Faith,” Foreign Policy, April 5, 2012.

[12] LadyImpactOhio, ” Feds sued by Veterans to allow stolen Mojave Desert Cross to be rebuilt,” Red State, January 14, 2011.

[13] “Remarks by the President at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia,” The White House, November 10, 2010.

[14] Meredith Jessup, “Obama Continues to Omit ‘Creator’ From Declaration of Independence,” The Blaze, October 19, 2010.

[15] Johanna Neuman, “Obama end Bush-era National Prayer Day Service at White House,” Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2009.

[16] Jim Lovino, “Jesus Missing From Obama’s Georgetown Speech,” NBC Washington, April 17, 2009.

[17] Chris McGreal, “Vatican vetoes Barack Obama’s nominees for U.S. Ambassador,” The Guardian, April 14, 2009.

[18] Aliza Marcus, “Obama to Lift ‘Conscience’ Rule for Health Workers,”Bloomberg, February 27, 2009; Sarah Pulliam Baily, “Obama Admin. Changes Bush ‘Conscience’ Rule for Health Workers,” Christianity Today, February 18, 2011.

[19] Sarah Pulliam Baily, “Obama: ‘They cling to guns or religion’,” Christianity Today, April 13, 2008.


[21] Todd Starnes, “Air Force removes Nativity scene,” Fox News, December 9, 2013.


[23] Todd Starnes, “Catholic priests in military face arrest for celebrating Mass,” Fox News, October 5, 2013; The Brody File, “Priest: Obama Admin. Denied Mass to Catholics,” CBN News, October 8, 2013.

[24] Adan Salazar, “DoD Training Manual: ‘Extremist’ Founding Fathers ‘Would Not Be Welcome In Today’s Military’,” infowars.com, August 24, 2013.

[25] Chad Groening, “‘I cannot answer your question:’ Air Force Sgt. says lesbian commander booted him,” One News Now, August 20, 2013.

[26] “Military gives bonuses only to same-sex couples,” WND, August 20, 2013.

[27] Melanie Korb, “Air Force Invites Drag Queens to Perform on ‘Diversity Day’,” Charisma News, August 19, 2013.

[28] Chad Groening, “Attorney demands answers for Air National Guard sergeant punished for beliefs,” OneNewsNow, July 15, 2013.

[29] Todd Starnes, “Chaplain Ordered to Remove Religious Essay From Military Website,” FoxNews Radio, July 24, 2013.

[30] Hellen Cook, “Pentagon Censors Christian Art,” Christian News Wire, January 21, 2010.

[31] Todd Starnes, “Obama ‘Strongly Objects’ to Religious Liberty Amendment,” Townhall, June 12, 2013.

[32] Todd Starnes, “Air Force Removes Video that Mentions God,” Fox News Radio. June 7, 2013.

[33] Todd Starnes, “Army Punishes Soldier who Served Chick-fil-A,” Fox News Radio, June 5, 2013.

[34] “Liberty Institute Calls On U.S. Department Of Defense To Abandon Shift In Military’s Proselytizing Policy,” PR Newswire, May 7, 2013; Todd Starnes, “Air Force Officer Told to Remove Bible from Desk,” Townhall.com, May 3, 2013.

[35] “Pentagon May Court Martial Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith,”Breitbart, May 1, 2013.

[36] Todd Starnes, “Air Force Officer Told to Remove Bible from Desk,”Townhall.com, May 3, 2013.

[37] Jack Minor, “Military Warned ‘evangelicals’ No. 1 Threat,” WND, April 5, 2013.

[38] Todd Starnes, “Army Removes Bible Reference from Scopes,” Fox News Radio, April 22, 2013.

[39] “Chaplain endorsers ask Air Force for equal time,” Alliance Defending Freedom, April 30, 2013.

[40] Todd Starnes, “Pentagon: Religious Proselytizing is Not Permitted,” Fox News Radio, April 30, 2013.


[42] “U.S. military insignia no longer allowed on Bibles,” CBN News, June 14, 2012.

[43] Patrick Goodenough, “White House ‘Strongly Objects’ to Legislation Protecting Military Chaplains from Doing Same-Sex Weddings or Being Forced to Act Against Conscience,” cnsnews.com, May 16, 2012.

[44] Markeshia Ricks, “Bible checklist for Air Force lodges going away,” Air Force Times, April 16, 2012.

[45] Ken Blackwell, “Gen. Boykin Blocked At West Point,” cnsnews.com, February 1, 2012.

[46] Geoff Herbert, ” Air Force unit removes ‘God’ from logo; lawmakers warn of ‘dangerous precedent’,” syracuse.com, February 9, 2012.

[47] Todd Starnes, “Army Silences Catholic Chaplains,” Fox News Radio, February 6, 2012.

[48] “Air Force Academy Backs Away from Christmas Charity,” Fox News Radio, November 4, 2011.

[49] Todd Starnes, “Obama Administration Opposes FDR Prayer at WWII Memorial,” Fox News, November 4, 2011.

[50] Jenny Dean, “Air Force Academy adapts to pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans,” Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2011.

[51] “Maintaining Government Neutrality Regarding Religion,” Department of the Air Force, September 1, 2011.

[52] “Wounded, Ill, and Injured Partners in Care Guidelines,” Department of the Navy (accessed on February 29, 2012).

[53] Jason Ukman, “Air Force suspends ethics course that used Bible passages that train missle launch officers,” Washington Post, August 2, 2011.

[54] “Houston Veterans Claim Censorship of Prayers, Including Ban of ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’,” Fox News, June 29, 2011.

[55] Todd Spangler, “U.S. firm to remove Bible references from gun sights,”USA Today, January 21, 2010.

[56] Patrick Howley, “Obamacare installs new scrutiny, fines for charitable hospitals that treat uninsured people,” The Daily Caller, August 8, 2013.

[57] “The Story of the Creation of the Nation’s First Hospital,” University of Pennsylvania Health System (accessed August 14, 2013).

[58] Wendy Wright,” USAID Rep Shuts Down Workshop on Abortion Complications,” Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, August 9, 2013.

[59] “Obama Administration Ignores Outcries, Finalizes HHS Mandate Targeting Religious Freedom,” Liberty Counsel, July 1, 2013; Baptist Press, “Moore, others: Final mandate rules fail,” Townhall, July 1, 2013.

[60] Tony Perkins, “Obama administration begins training homosexual activists around the world,” LifeSiteNews, June 6, 2013.

[61] Ken Blackwell, “Guest Opinion: Take a Risk for Peace. Move our Embassy to Jerusalem!,” Catholic Online, June 5, 2013.


[63] Jerry Markon, “Health, abortion issues split Obama administration and Catholic groups,” Washington Post, October 31, 2011.

[64] Luis Martinez, “Will Same Sex Marriages Pose a Dilemma for Military Chaplains?,” ABC News, October 12, 2011.

[65] Elisabeth Bumiller, “Obama Ends ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy,” New York Times, July 22, 2011; George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, John C. Fitzpatrick, editor (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1934), Vol. XI, pp. 83-84, from General Orders at Valley Forge on March 14, 1778.

[66] Steven Ertelt, “Obama Admin Ignores Planned Parenthood Sex Trafficking Videos,” LifeNews, March 2, 2011.

[67] Brian Montopoli, “Obama administration will no longer defend DOMA,”CBSNews, February 23, 2011.

[68] Steven Ertelt, “President Barack Obama’s Pro-Abortion Record: A Pro-Life Compilation,” LifeNews, February 11, 2012.

[69] Steven Ertelt, “Obama, Congress Cut Funding for 176 Abstinence Programs Despite New Study,” LifeNews, August 26, 2010.





[74] Steven Ertelt, “Obama Budget Funds Sex Ed Over Abstinence on 16-1 Margin,” LifeNews, February 14, 2011.




[78] Steven Ertelt, “ Obama Administration Announces $50 Million for Pro-Forced Abortion UNFPA,” LifeNews, March 26, 2009; Steven Ertelt, “President Barack Obama’s Pro-Abortion Record: A Pro-Life Compilation,” LifeNews, February 11, 2012.

[79] Jeff Mason and Deborah Charles, “Obama lifts restrictions on abortion funding,” Reuters, January 23, 2009.

[80] “Obama pick: Taxpayers must fund abortions,” World Net Daily, January 27, 2009.

[81] Masoud Popalzai and Nick Paton Walsh, “ Obama apologizes to Afghanistan for Quran burning,” CNN, February 23, 2012.



[84] Chuck Norris, “ President Obama: Muslim Missionary? (Part 2),”Townhall.com, August 24, 2010; Chuck Norris, “President Obama: Muslim Missionary?,” Townhall.com, August 17, 2010.

[85] Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner,” The White House, August 13, 2010; “Obama Comes Out in Favor of Allowing Mosque Near Ground Zero,” Fox News, August 13, 2010; Pamela Geller, “Islamic Supremacism Trumps Christianity at Ground Zero,” American Thinker, July 21, 2011.



[88] Barack Obama, “ Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner,” The White House, September 1, 2009; Kristi Keck, “ Obama tones down National Day of Prayer observance,” CNN, May 6, 2009; Dan Gilgoff, “ The White House on National Day of Prayer: A Proclamation, but No Formal Ceremony,” U.S. News, May 1, 2009.

[89] “WH Fails to Release Easter Proclamation,” Fox Nation, April 25, 2011; “President Obama ignores most holy Christian holiday; AFA calls act intentional,” American Family Association (accessed on February 29, 2012).
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Saturday, June 9, 2018

Christ Through the Bible- The Twelve- Minor Prophets


Text: O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. Hab.3:1
When we speak of The Minor Prophets, we refer to Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.  Though the message was shorter than the major prophets, they were no less powerful nor no less needed.  They should not be shunned just because they are labeled minor and not significant. Many have forsaken the truths revealed within these great books and have never taken the time to study them.  Such people have deprived themselves of great spiritual lessons that can be applied to Christians today.
In many of the scriptures, the warning given to Israel and Judah can also be applied to America.
 The major prophets tend to get all the attention due to the universal tendency to assume that bigger is better, other equally relevant but more concise representatives for God also have something to say. Over time they come to be known as the Minor Prophets, a term that refers to the shorter length of their books.
The mission of the Minor Prophets was threefold:

(1) to encourage disobedient people to repent from sin;
(2) to encourage wayward people to return to God, and
(3) to encourage the people to remember that God will ultimately triumph and God’s people will eventually be vindicated.
To fulfill this broad mission, the Minor Prophets used two primary methods:
(1) the prophets preached or proclaimed the Word of God.
(2) the prophets prophesied.
Sometimes these two methods are popularly called foretelling and forth-telling.

The Content of the Prophecies:
 Although there is some variety in the content of the prophecies of the Minor Prophets, most of the prophecies follow a basic fivefold pattern.
1) There is a warning of impending judgment because of sinfulness. These sins are often understood against a covenantal backdrop.
(2) The prophetic warning is often followed by an identification and description of the sin(s).
(3) Having identified the sin(s), the prophet then announces and describes coming judgment.
(4) Impending judgment is often followed by a call for repentance.
(5) The prophet then proclaims a promise of future deliverance and/or restoration.
Despite being separated from each other by over five hundred years, these prophets shared several messages which are relevant to this very day.  In each message of the prophet we will see how Christ is portrayed.  
Hosea- The Bridegroom
In his prophecies, Hosea denounces the corruption of the rich and powerful, whose indifference to injustice is leading the people towards inevitable destruction. While still outwardly powerful, the country’s foundations have been weakened and undermined during years of lawlessness and violence. Though his message is stark and dire, his belief in the people’s ability to repent and return is even more significant, and Hosea tries to convince them of the possibility of salvation, even when all seems lost. In its barest form, we have seen Christ in a relationship with the people that is founded on love, the love of a parent for an infant that He taught to walk (11:3), and we see Christ as the Bridegroom showing His love for His betrothed (2:16).
 Joel- The Baptizer
Messiah will offer salvation to all mankind (Joel 2:32, Rom 10:12-13)
Messiah would baptize people with the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32)
Through repentance, disaster can be averted, and judgment can be transformed to mercy.  Joel is one of the few prophets who successfully effects a transformation among the people.
In the third chapter, the outpouring of rain becomes a metaphor for an outpouring of the LORD’s Holy Spirit among the people, as the judgment day, approaches.
 Amos- The Burden Bearer
God would darken the day at noon during Messiah's death (Amos 8:9, Matt 27:45-46)
 Amos prophesied in the middle of the eighth century BCE, in the generation preceding the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel at the hands of Assyria in 722 BCE.
Amos describes himself as both a shepherd (1:1) and as a “tender of sycamore figs” (7:14). 
The book contains three main sections.
1.    The first two chapters state that just as other nations experienced disaster through their failure to behave morally, Israel will not escape a similar fate.
2.    The next four chapters wrestle with the people’s claim that their prosperity is evidence of God’s favor.
3.    The final three chapters describe in explicit detail the prophet’s visions of the disasters that await the people should they refuse to heed his warning and repent.
  Obadiah- The Mighty Savior
 The fourth book is the shortest book in the Tanakh. It contains one stark message consisting of criticism against Edom. Throughout history, Edom remained Israel’s merciless enemy, and hatred made even more unforgivable due to their close blood relationship: The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. The loathing for Edom became engraved in the Jewish mind, and in rabbinic thought, all of Israel’s enemies are Edom’s spiritual descendants.
 Jonah- The Resurrected Christ
The fifth book is one of the most famous books of the Bible and one of the least understood it contains. The excitement of the giant fish that swallows the runaway prophet. The suspense about whether the people of Nineveh will repent, and the question if God will carry out his threat to overturn the city.  All tend to overshadow the loud moral message contained in the book: the LORD is merciful, patient, and forgiving, even to the worst scoundrels and enemies that humanity knows, if they take steps towards justice, righteousness, and repentance.
Among the twelve minor prophets, Jonah himself is a type of Christ.  He was willing to die for his people.  He was in the “grave” the belly of the whale for three days.  He came back from the dead after three days to bring salvation to a wicked nation.
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matt. 12:40
 Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and one can only imagine the feelings of the prophet when asked to prophesy to save the city of Nineveh, Israel’s most bitter enemy who would become the instrument of its annihilation. In Jonah’s mind, saving the city of Nineveh would make him complicit in the destruction of his people. Is this something he can do?
 The book can be divided into two sections of two chapters each. Each section contains a request by God that Jonah prophesies to the people of Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, and Jonah’s response. The first time, Jonah refuses to deliver the message and attempts to flee, only to be stopped by the LORD. The second time the LORD calls him, Jonah agrees, and tells the people of Nineveh that their end is near. They repent, and God chooses to forgive them. When the prophet complains, God demonstrates to him that His mercy extends to all the world’s inhabitants and creatures.
 Micah- King of the Jews
Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2, Matt 2:1-2)
Messiah would be from everlasting (Mic 5:2, Rev:1-8)
The northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered and exiled by the Assyrian king Sargon II in 722 BCE, and just over twenty years later in 701 BCE, his son embarks on his own campaign of conquest, capturing all of Judah’s fortified cities and laying siege to Jerusalem. Only through God’s miraculous intervention by bringing a plague that strikes the Assyrian army at night, killing hundreds of thousands and causing their retreat, is the country saved.
 The brilliance of the Hebrew prophets is expressed in their understanding that these events were not accidental but were directly linked to the level of righteousness and justice among the nation. Judah, unlike the idolatrous Israel, Judah continued to worship the LORD. Like their northern brethren, however, unscrupulous officials in the cities profited from the labor of the hard-working farmers in the countryside. The prophet Micha was a strong opponent of these wealthy and powerful men, denouncing them at every opportunity. It is not surprising that scholars have referred to him as the “Amos of the southern Kingdom”. However, unlike Amos, Micha was somewhat successful in effecting a change among his people. When, a century later, Jeremiah is tried for sedition, the elders protested, reminding them:  Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus, saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus, might we procure great evil against our souls. (Jeremiah 26:18-19).
 The structure of the book is straightforward. It contains three sections beginning in chapters 1, 3, and 6. In each section, Micha outlines God’s complaint before the people, clarifies what the LORD wants from them, and concludes with a message of hope and salvation.
 Nahum- The Avenger of God's Elect
 The seventh book begins, “A pronouncement on Nineveh.  We know nothing about the person behind the prophecy, nor can we identify the location of Elkosh.
 What this small book does, however, is concentrate upon the imminent downfall of the Assyrian empire, which had brutally dominated the Middle East for over five centuries. The book provides a general outline of the period in which it was written; it mentions the Assyrian conquest of Thebes (No-Ammon) in 663 BCE and prophesies about the future ransacking of the Assyrian capital Nineveh, which fell in the combined assault of Babylonia and Media in 612 BCE. These references position Nahum in the middle of the seventh century BCE, a time when the helpless Kingdom of Judah barely enjoyed vassal status in the vast Assyrian empire.
 The empty fields of the exiled kingdom of Israel to the north of Yehuda served as a grim reminder of what awaited them should they similarly choose disobedience.
 Its single-mindedness empowers the message of Nahum's prophecy:  those who trust in God will find shelter while the rest of the world trembles. The second chapter provides glimpses and flashes of Nineveh’s imminent destruction. The final chapter explains the reason for Nineveh’s sudden fall.
 Habakkuk- The Great Evangelist, Crying for Revival
Messiah would come from Teman at His return, full of glory (Hab 3:3) Teman was east of Israel.
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt.24:27
Typified in the life of Habakkuk (his intercession and prayer for his people)
The eighth book is unique among the prophetic works of the Bible. In most works, the prophets convey God’s message to the people.  He saw that evil remained unpunished and unbowed and challenged Heaven for a response. God does respond, and challenges Habakkuk to wait and see how the Divine plan plays out through history. Until then, “the righteous man is rewarded with life for his fidelity” (2:4).
 We know little about the prophet’s personal life. His name, from the Hebrew word to ‘embrace,’ appears only here. Most scholars place him near the end of Assyria’s reign. That superpower, which brutally enslaved the Middle East for centuries, was about to collapse. Unlike his predecessor Nahum, who rejoiced in Assyria’s imminent downfall, Habakkuk saw that an even crueler and more vicious foe, Babylon, would arise and take its place.
 Ancient traditions identify Habakkuk as the son of the Shunammite woman who Elisha revived, and as one who was called by angels to feed Daniel when Daniel was in the lion’s den. What this teaches is that his message was understood to span generations. Each era faces its challenges to their beliefs, but we are called upon to trust in God and His righteousness.
 This short book contains three sections; a two-part dialogue with the LORD, a series of taunts towards Israel’s former oppressors, and a final request of God to overthrow all evil and injustice in the world.
 Zephaniah- The Restorer of the Remnant 
The ninth book describes the last of the twelve prophets to speak before Judah’s final disintegration and dissolution by Babylonia at the end of the seventh century BCE.  In the country, wealthy courtiers profited from the toil of the oppressed citizenry.
Zephaniah speaks about how the people of God must live in righteousness, which involves respecting the needs of the poor and engaging in genuine worship. Otherwise, he warns, the LORD is preparing a day of judgment, a “Day of the LORD.” It is up to the people to decide whether that judgment will befall them, or their enemies.
 The book contains five sections in its three chapters.
1.    Chapter 1 warns about the approach of Divine judgment on the world, including Judah.
2.    Chapter 2 repeats the warning for specific other countries, excluding Judah.
3.    Chapter 3 then begins with Judah’s call to judgment, continues with God’s punishment and concludes with the prophet urging Zion and Israel to rejoice, for, after the judgment, God’s love and care for them will become evident to all.
 Haggai- The Cleansing Fountain

Messiah would visit the 2nd temple (Hag 2:6-9, Luke 2:27-32)
 The tenth book is the first book written after the first wave of exiles returns to Jerusalem in 536 BCE.
 After the Persian empire defeated the Babylonians, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jewish exiles to return home. Those Jews who returned to their ancestral land did so filled with idealism and hope, but soon the harsh reality of rebuilding their destroyed homes and repairing their scorched fields overtook them. The land was parched, the rains did not fall, and the returnees were barely capable of sustaining themselves. At the same time, the Persian empire was shaken by a series of revolts (522-520 BCE), and the people who had moved into the land of Israel in their absence began making trouble for the returnees.
 Into this picture stepped Haggai. He carried a brief, direct message. The people who lived in Israel were not sinners, but they were so concerned with their individual lives, needs and wants that they forgot the primary purpose of the return. The reason the people of Israel were to dwell in the land of Israel was to proclaim the name of the God of Israel. Instead of concerning themselves with their personal needs, the people must dedicate their efforts to building a second Temple, where God’s Presence can rest and from there, emanate all over the world.
 If the people of Israel would recognize the greater significance of their actions and efforts, not only would they receive rains of blessing, but they would also affect change the world over. As described in Ezra (chapter 6), Haggai’s efforts were not in vain; through his encouragement, the people completed building the Temple and dedicated it in 516 BCE.
 Zechariah- The Pierced Son
Messiah would be Priest and King (Zech. 6:12-13, Heb 8:1)
Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9, Matt 21:6-9)
Messiah would be God (Zech. 11:12-13, John 12:45)
Messiah would be pierced (Zech. 12:10, John 19:34-37)
The eleventh book is one of the most mysterious books of the Bible. It is the second of the three books written during the period of return to the land of Israel after the Persians defeated the Babylonians in 538 BCE. Several of Zechariah’s prophecies are dated to the second and fourth years of the reign of Darius (520 and 518 BCE), at the time when the construction of the second Temple had begun in earnest under the Persian-appointed governor Zerubbabel. As such, it is not surprising that many of the visions in the book describe the significance of the Temple and its reconstruction, and how it could potentially allow Divine sovereignty to spread throughout the world.
 We know more about Zechariah than we do most other prophets. Like Ezekiel, he was a priest, and his grandfather, Ido, is mentioned among the kohanim in Ezra chapter 5.  His contemporaries include the prophet Haggai, who began prophesying two months before him, and the high priest Joshua. However, his message differs from that of Haggai, whose single-minded focus was the encouragement of the Jewish people to build the Temple, so that God’s rule could spread over the world. To this message, Zechariah adds a religious and moral dimension. He encourages the people to repent, emphasizes that God’s rule stands in contrast to military might – “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit” (4:6) – and stresses that ritual fast day have no value unless accompanied by the spiritual improvement.
 The book has three clear parts. The first six chapters describe a series of visions he has regarding the building of the Temple and its significance. In the next two chapters, he answers questions from the Jews who remained in Babylonia, about how to adapt religiously to the new reality of a rebuilt Israel. The final six chapters deal with visions of the distant future: Chapters 9-11 describe the restoration of Judah and Ephraim and the imminent destruction of those nations that stand against Israel, and the final three chapters describe the tribulations that Jerusalem will face in the period preceding the end of days.
 Malachi-  The Son of Righteousness
 The last book of the Twelve, not only concludes the twelve prophets in this book but also represents the end of the era of prophecy in Israel. As such, this book must be understood as a transition. The people are adjusting to life in the resettled land of Israel, and to a world without prophecy. The book’s theme is outlined at the outset – God’s love for His people Israel has never waned. The prophet is motivated to rebuke the children of Israel so that they again become worthy of receiving His love.
 It is difficult to pinpoint precisely when Malachi lived, or even if this was his name or a title of some sort, as it means “my messenger.” The Talmud also suggests that he was Ezra.
 The enthusiasm that had accompanied the original pilgrims and returnees had dissipated, and the people’s moral standards had slipped. Offerings were given at the Temple, but only perfunctorily, without emotion or passion. Gifts and tithes were only occasionally brought to Jerusalem. There was a problem of intermarriage between Jewish men and local Canaanite women and other foreigners, like the difficulties faced by Ezra when he arrived in Israel in 458 BCE. The underlying malaise that gripped the people was that they did not consider themselves unique or worthy of God’s attention or affection. This sense permeated their lives, and the commandments were performed by rote, if at all.
 In chapter 1, Malachi reiterates God’s love for Israel and then outlines the general problem that their lives were devoid of spiritual passion and enthusiasm. When they asked “how have we scorned Your name” and “how have we defiled You” (verses 6 and 7), Malachi is prepared to answer, pointing to the meager offerings they brought to Jerusalem. Much of the rebuke occurs in question and answer form; he wishes for his listeners to understand and internalize his message. He then scolds them that the Gentiles would never bring such pitiful offerings, a remarkable statement that recognizes that all sincere worship is ultimately directed towards the LORD, Jewish and non-Jewish.
 In chapter 2, Malachi addresses the priests and places upon them a new charge – beyond their ritual responsibilities, and they are to become teachers of the Law to the people. He then rebukes the people for profaning their holiness through intermarriage, often at the expense of the wives of their youth. In the final chapter, Malachi describes how God will send His messenger to purify the people of their sins before judging them so that their offerings and their lives will once again be pleasant before the Lord.
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Holiness A Way of Life


I was raised among Friends (Quakers) who believed it was essential to live a holy and righteous life.  That required a daily examination of one’s relationship with the LORD.  As Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” ICor.13:5
Living the Christian life is more than going to church, giving an offering or following the rituals of the church.  It is a daily journey, taking up the cross of Christ and following Him. 
Living a holy life is a matter of action and motivation, conduct and character, divine grace and human effort, obedience and submission and commitment to the will of God. Those who are sanctified are committed to people, self-discipline, self-giving, righteous and loving. It is a matter of Spirit-led individuals who walk with the LORD and display the fruit of the Spirit. To put it—we imitate Jesus Christ.
Our spiritual life is held together by patient, persistent righteousness, (doing right) by taking the side of God against sin in our own lives and the lives of others; of worshiping God in the Spirit as one who serves in the world with a single-minded, wholehearted, free and glad consecration to the business of pleasing God.  Our mission in life is to obey God rather than man.

In the High Priestly prayer of Jesus in the 17th chapter of John, he is praying that God may sanctify them by the truth; your word is the truth. Our sanctification does not take place in a vacuum but within the framework of our taking part of the nature of Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit. Our sanctification is the outward working of our being in Christ and Christ being in us--filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
To be holy means to be set apart and consecrated to the service of the LORD. Purification from sin is a precondition of our consecration. To be sanctified is to be dedicated to no ordinary service but reserved in the service of the LORD. The place of our service is in the world; we do not serve God by withdrawing from the world in a sacred and protected community but by engagement with the world and involvement in this life. The LORD prayed that his follower would travel safely in this world spreading the gospel of truth into the territory where Satan still holds influence. We must serve by helping to quench the thirsty by offering the Waters of Life, to feed the hungry with the Bread of Life and to shine the Light of the World in the darkness to guide the lost and wandering to Jesus Christ the Savior of the World.
Holy living requires us to engage with the lives of our neighbors, to become involved in the secular and impersonal structures of the institutions of the world. The value of our service lies in our difference from the world, even though we are in the world we are not of the world. Also, though we live in this world, we do not owe our allegiance to this world but only to the LORD who gave his life for us. We are called to be involved in our society, but we serve without conforming to its attitudes, mindsets, and behaviors. We must take care that our engagement in the world does not become assimilation and immersion in the views and mindsets of the world. Our values lie not in our friendships but with our differences from the accepted conventions of a godless society.
The nature of our service is based on the reason why we are different. We are different not because we wish to be opinionated, unattractive, backward, or better than others. We are different because the truth of God’s word has sanctified us. The Spirit of Jesus Christ can only reveal the truth. We are different because we are people of the Gospel which is the message of TRUTH-Jesus Christ.
I would give this caution, which we do not become arrogant and intolerant of those who do not have the truth. If we are indeed set apart for service of the Master, we will follow his example. Look how he interacted with his world-- he healed a grumpy old man at a pool-side, protected an adulterous woman, washed the feet of his disciples and associated with the common man and sinners, he engaged with both religious and political leaders of the day and remained righteous and holy. Our proper response to the world is to learn to think the thoughts of God and to live in conformity to his WORD.

It is from this relationship we have with God that the obligation of holiness flows from our heart. Because we are loved, we love, because we have been forgiven, we forgive because we are united with God we are joined with our fellow believers by the giving and receiving of their love and forgiveness. Out of this flows our mission to the world. We are modeling the life of Jesus Christ to those who do not know him. He said if I am lifted up, I will draw men to me. Christian holiness is more than an experience of grace; it becomes social and not individual. It is something shared and not hidden.
We must give of ourselves entirely to God and the doing of his will, just as Jesus did. Anything less than total consecration falls short of the dedication we see in him who sanctified himself that we too may be truly sanctified. To experience the life our Lord wants us to live, we must surrender to His will.
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Friday, June 1, 2018

What Happened to The Second Coming of Christ?


A few individuals in our church have been studying the book of Revelation.  In this last lesson, the question came up about Christians who are spiritually sleeping.  There was a time in the 1970’s that the subject of the “Rapture” was on the lips of many Christians.  Some movies gave instructions on how to survive after the “Rapture.”  There was A Thief in the Night (1972) and continues with Image of the Beast (1980) and The Prodigal Planet (1983) all were warnings of the coming doom that those who missed the “Rapture” would face. 
So, why aren’t more Christians talking about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and end time prophecies today? Is it because they have been fooled by the so called “prophecy experts" like:
·        1988 Edgar C. Whisenant Published a book, 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988.
·        1994 Sep 6 Harold Camping, general manager of Family Radio and Bible teacher, published a book, 1994?, a prediction that Christ's return was likely pointing to 1994.
·        Jerry Falwell, Fundamentalist preacher who predicted in 1999 that the Second Coming would probably be within 10 years.
·        Ed Dobson predicted the end would occur in his book The End: Why Jesus Could Return by A.D. 2000.
·        Timothy Dwight IV  President of Yale University foresaw Christ's Millennium starting by 2000.
·        Edgar Cayce a psychic predicted the Second Coming would occur in 2000
·        Harold Camping claimed that the rapture would be on May 21, 2011 followed by the end of the world on October 21 of the same year.
·        Ronald Weinland predicted Jesus would return on September 29, 2011. When his prediction failed to come true, he moved the date of Jesus' return to May 27, 2012.When that prediction failed, he then moved the date to May 18, 2013, claiming that "a day with God is as a year," giving himself another year for his prophecy to take place. Weinland was convicted of tax evasion in 2012 and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in federal prison.
·        Jack Van Impe, televangelist who has, over the years, predicted many specific years and dates for the second coming of Jesus, but has continued to move his prediction later. Many of these dates have already passed, and he pointed to 2012 as a possible date for the second coming. Van Impe no longer claims to know the exact date of the Second Coming, but quotes verses which imply that mankind should know when the second coming is near.
·        Starting in 2008, Mark Biltz began teaching that Christ's return would correspond with the September 28, 2015 lunar eclipse. His idea, known as the Blood Moon Prophecy, attracted attention from pastor John Hagee (who stopped short of claiming Christ would return on that precise date) and mainstream media such as USA Today.
Have Christians been burned so many times that they are saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 2 Pet.3:4

We are living in a time that it is difficult to tell the difference between predictions made by a Jean Dixon, hotline psychics, and those who claim to be a "prophecy expert." So, who is and who is not believable?  And, how does one tell?  In our age of rampant spiritual deceit, one cannot be too careful (Acts 17:11).  However, are we to allow this to destroy our faith in the promise that the LORD will return?

There is an attitude that dogmatic Christianity is falling out of favor with the secular Christian.  Christianity is no longer the common understanding among those who call themselves "Christian" and it moral principles no longer are to be shared in public or private.  The secularists who call themselves Christian do not believe the teachings of Christianity are logically defensible but are based on "blind faith." As to the return of the LORD to set up His Kingdom, you would be better off putting some aromatherapy candles around your tub and commune with the cosmos.

The "secular Christian" is more interested in the feel-good spirituality of the dozens of television preachers who have involved a counterfeit spirituality to blind the eyes of the nearness of Christ coming.  There is no longer an attitude of "Watch" among those who call themselves Christian.

Today, there is so much visible evidence taking place daily around the world that Christians should be concerned.  Most Christians do not discuss it at all. Many do not even tie current world events and figures to anything biblically prophetic.
When you can get a discussion started it ends quickly with someone quoting what Jesus said in Matthew, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 NKJV)
With that the discussion comes to an end.  However, that should not be the end of the discussion.  Paul in writing to the church at Thessalonica about the coming of the LORD.   He did not need to explain to them about times and dates because they knew the day when the Lord comes would be like a thief who comes at night. He gave a warning about what to look for when the time was approaching, people will say, “We have peace and we are safe.” At that time destruction will come to them quickly, like the pains of a woman giving birth. And those people will not escape.  He did not need to go into details about what they already knew because they were not living in darkness.  They were believers who lived in the light.  They were not sleeping they were wide awake.  Paul told them that they would not suffer the anger of God because they had salvation through Jesus Christ. (1Thes. 5)
The disciple of Jesus had concerns about when the LORD would return.  In Matthew 24 Jesus gave them the events that would lead up to His return.  He did tell them that no one knows the day and hour of His coming.  If any “prophet” tells you they know the day and/or time that Jesus is coming back, they are lying and attempting to deceive you.
However, this does not mean that we will not be able to know when He is coming back. It merely says that no one will know exactly when He will come. But He did go into detail about the end times in that same chapter of Matthew 24 and Luke 21. When the disciples asked what the signs of the end of the age would be, he explained in-depth. The whole chapter is devoted to us knowing what the times would be like and what were the things to come. If He did not want us to know what to look for, He would have told the disciples that they do not need to know. He would have told us through His Word that we do not need to know and there will be no signs.
Jesus told us about the things to come at the time of the end. He also told us there would be signs. A sign is something you look for to show you where you are going. Are you looking for His Signs? No one knows when He is coming back but based on what He has told us about what the end will look like and the signs He will show, it’s fair to say that we will be able to identify when He’s close. He wouldn’t tell us what the times would be like if He didn’t want us to be warned that the end is near.
The last of the disciples, John was given the revelation of Jesus Christ concerning the end times and His return to set up His kingdom.  Those who have taken the time to study the scriptures will not be caught unaware of events that lead up to the return of the LORD.  As a Christian, we are to wait expectantly for the return of the LORD. His day should not come upon us as a thief. Those that are not ready for Him while He gives us all the signs and warnings are making one of the worst decisions of their life. We are to watch for Him expectedly. Any view to the contrary is not biblically based. It’s a view that needs to be addressed and corrected.
Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. (Revelation 3:3 NKJV)
 I often hear from people that they do not understand all the symbols, the weird beast, the bowls, and the trumpets. Most will say something like, “I don’t believe anyone can understand or interpret prophecy.”  Some feel that because so many have been wrong before, it’s not logical that anyone would be right about it now. This a lot of times removes faith and belief that Jesus is coming back.
 It has been shown that false teachers and false prophets are claiming to know the time and date of the end. When their prediction naturally doesn’t happen, they are then looked at as crazy. Now when others that are not false want to talk about end time prophecy, they’re automatically discredited because of the overall stigma of the false ones.
As Christians, we need to wake up to the fact the description Jesus gave in Matthew, Luke, and Revelation concerning the end times is happening now.
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