With the death of Prince, believe it or not (and I only knew of his good works towards others and his extremely private life, believe it or not, I do not think I have ever listened to a song by Prince) but watching the tributes tonight, I was blown away by the carnality of his performances, and yet the blending with a belief in Jesus Christ. His androgynous look was not shocking to me; after all, there had been Bowie…as well as other famous artists and even movies. It was the bringing it into spiritual terms that shocked me (it is the sin of Jezebel….. Rev. 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.) This is called a carnal Christian, though I do not believe Prince himself lived what he portrayed. I think most American Christians are carnal Christians (seduced by the ways of the world, pursuing sex outside of the constraints of our faith, rolling around and indulging in everything physical..like a cat with catnip, not believing the “body sins” matter to God.) No, I do not think Prince caused the downfall of our country (and it is in absolute freefall my friend) And I hope he is with his beloved master, Jesus, this very night. To get to the source of social discontent (and we have always had social discontent, but it has changed in the last fifteen years or so, a strident screaming to throw off all bonds of nature, of civil conduct, of anything remotely resembling the natural human tendency to form family and community bonds) and of the dismal lack of education about being a Christian in today’s world, even from the so called churches. We have an unchurched, untaught, biblically illiterate generation in the largest (formerly) Christian country in the world. A country based on Judeo Christian values. Well, that is being written out of our history, too. The founders have been dismissed as slave owning bigots who had only their own interests in mind. So to begin at the beginning. When God created man and woman (Genesis) he taught them to live in something called marriage. They were to be one flesh. That’s pretty darned equal. But the purpose of this bonding was for more than sexual pleasure. When they had children they were to teach them the proper way not only to live, but to worship God. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it . The purpose of marriage is to raise children who know about God. This does not guarantee they will hold to their parents’ ways, but it is the surest way. Eve was required to live under her husband’s guidance because she sinned and encouraged him to sin. Men are supposed to be godly, loving heads of family. That will not please most women that read this, I think. But it was and is the plan. We can keep demanding that history be changed to suit us and prove ourselves “evolved” and in the right, but it does not change the truth, The lessons took with Abel..offering something precious, a life, to God, but Cain brought him fruits. It was arrogant and hasty and God even conversed with Cain about his error. It did not change him..he committed murder, and then demanded protection from God! Mankind has gone his own way ever since, Instead of family ties leading to communities and tribes, and eventually to nations, where at least the knowledge of correct behavior in regards to God could flourish, Cain started a city, and entertainments; if this sounds familiar, it should. Genesis 4 :17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. Meanwhile the line of Seth continued on worshiping God right down to Noah and his family. You did notice that it was a family, right? In just a few generations, things devolved into a total chaotic mess. (Or as one bible teacher says, “we are always just one generation away from paganism”) Some of the sins of the people at the time of Noah: violence. Sexual sin is implied, and corruption of all kinds. God sent a flood. But saved a single family. His command for them was to spread out across the earth, Instead, they stayed in one place, and built the tower of Babel. To stop this attempt to have a high place so God could not kill them with another flood (note that obedience would have done the same thing, and that God promised never to flood the earth again. They were uneducated about God, and trying to seal themselves up, make a mighty stand, on their own. This scenario should also sound familiar) He broke their speech into different languages. They had to spread out then. Each family/tribe was now alone and had to seek out where they could best live. God once again broke into history a few generations later by calling Abram out of his pagan culture (many gods were worshiped including goddesses by this time) Abram’s covenant, which changed his name to Abraham, was to worship the Lord only. God chose this man to start a family.To start a nation devoted to him, in stark contrast to the pagan nations all around them. To briefly repeat what I have discussed before, the main difference in mankind’s thinking at the time about sex was that of the doer of the deed(male) and the recipient, not male or female. Eunuchs were popular as prostitutes too. This put wives, honorable women, in the position of being housekeepers and bearers of legitimate children only. They were not involved in the carnality of the temple worship or ease of finding sexual partners. I am sure they were guarded as carefully as women in some Muslim countries today. ( I am sure of this because Allah derives from Bel and Baal, therefore Marduk, and not from the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob.) The Jews, on the other hand, were to keep only to their wives, and eschew sex outside marriage. This gave women a status and a security unknown to other women. Only monogamy and faithfulness gives women in effect full rights. Only successful, God fearing parents raise children who can emulate their parents and live a godly life. Rebellion is so basic to human nature, some will always find their way out to “the world.” But an intact family is the best way to raise children. And people of both sexes seem to have a hard time staying away from prostitution, divorce, etc. Moses had to legally lay out the case for divorce. It was not ideal, but sexual sin has always been the easiest way to draw a man away from his family, and his God.Moses sought to contain these urges. So genderbending, same sex attraction, adultery,none of it is new. By the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, city states grown fat with wealth and privilege, we get to a place not just of sin, but of overwhelming sin, to the point of raping other men (this is dominance and control, if you think about it.all the men of Sodom were there, the young with the old., They were taught homosexual rape was OK. They were going to rape messengers-angels-of God! ) Further when Lot asked them not to do such a wicked thing, they tried to kill him… “Who are you to judge us!” That should ring a bit of a bell too. Lot had nothing to do with their destruction. But destruction came. I offer this, the words of Jesus’ when he asked the conditions for the end of the age, He said: Matthew 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, Luke 17:27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark And that what he may be describing is not just life going on as usual, but conditions of violence, partying in all forms, and two kinds of marriage. Another alarm bell may be ringing about now. . It took about a generation for the full effects of this to really begin to crack our national stands on morality. Easy divorce, legal abortion ( so women were now ”free” of their slavemaster husbands in all ways) legalized homosexuality and now enforced protections for eunuchs dressing as the other sex. I refuse to use any of the now popular terms regarding sexuality, as I am not a pagan. The flip side is the unloving hysterical attitude of folks living a more mainstream lifestyle, in making police remove gay/masculinely dressed women from restrooms, and insisting they are men dressed as women. This is not what the law was intended to do; it was intended to stop predatory males from taking advantage of the new social “norms.” On the other side, you have people so dedicated, so in worship of anything other than heterosexuality, they have written laws which men HAVE successfully used to gain entrance to women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, and no one will raise a peep, there is no protection. Women and children are on their own. Everyone is so afraid of giving offense they turn their backs and turn off their common sense. The problem with strict laws is it takes out the compassion and the raising of moral citizens, who also know to be civil, not to give false witness, and that God died for every man’s sins, not just their own….and imposes a moralistic shell which makes no sense to non believers. The problem with liberal laws is it leads to more immorality and predatory behavior…as in the days of Noah.. Only believers will be able to negotiate these strange times with any level of even handedness and peace. Only believers can uphold a moral code, and so influence the community to also uphold these standards. And all of that is because our righteousness is not our own, but Jesus’s, in dying for us. He paid the price, and we are to live as He taught us. Conservative politics, meanness and bullying, are not exactly winning new converts. This hardness of heart, this coldness, already present in non believers, has infected the Body of Christ. Instead they talk about making money, or taking over the world, and deny any form of grace, of a plan for Israel (still in covenant with God) or absurdly insist we are living in the time period of the Kingdom of Heaven. That the Kingdom is here, now. I wouldn’t want Christianity , as it is presented, either, But I have knowledge of my Lord and Savior. And I trust Him to see me through the coming hard times. God said he would allow people to walk away. That, indeed, he would give them a “reprobate” mind, where they could not understand the things of God. No being convicted of sin, and being brought to knowledge of Jesus as Savior and God as Creator.No indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So, Satan has been given his absolutely favorite set of circumstances in which to rule, just like the world before the Flood, the tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, Hitler’s Germany… (He is the god of this world until Jesus takes dominion. He is the prince of the Air, not the ruler of Hell.) his plans, from extremism in all forms, to a web of lies and deceit, to pushing more and more humans into poverty and teaching the elite has the right to keep everything to themselves ( what do you think Darwinism is? It is a format using “science” to state, might makes right. those who are “evolved” are the might that is right, despite all evidence mankind is in the exact same condition it always been. That’s all it is. ) He is all set to reveal his masterpiece, the Antichrist, and have the world at his mercy. Next moves, besides more pandemonium to make humans more afraid (and kill as many as he can before they can hear of salvation) will be crisis to force Europe into the configuration he wants and planning the death of Israel. Some commentators think he is trying to force every Jew into going home to Israel, to make it easier to finally kill them. and the movement to outlaw Christianity is well on its way. Christians, repent, read, pray, and worship. Remember you are now talking to people from an entirely different mindset…be like Peter and Paul. Teach the truth! If it disturbs you that the events in prophecy from the Bible, with its amazing 100 percent accuracy for every event to this present day, might be true into this horrible time of man’s ousting of God, and God’s response, I invite you to find a Christian to talk to. There is one way to salvation. There is one way out of anger and confusion. His name is Jesus. I urge you to investigate this salvation before any more time passes. |
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