The Marriage Supper Parable - A Cartoon with Sound Effects, Music, and Scripture - A Teaching of Jesus in Matthew 22

(See the PDF file here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-l2aOUz80mv-LIyzzPpySegRgZDMaDLT/view?usp=sharing .) The Marriage...

Showing posts with label decay of Roman Empire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decay of Roman Empire. Show all posts

Saturday, January 27, 2018

A Message to the Church – The Reasons Why America Must Be Judged (Section 1.) (with Links) (lukewarm Church) (false teachers) (false doctrine)



A Message to the Church – The Reasons Why America Must Be Judged (Section 1.) (with Links)


Sections with Links:
4. Why America cannot be restored, except on an individual level (Conclusion)

[This 4 part article will take less than 20 minutes to read. But, it is arranged in sections for convenience.]
___________________________________________________________


1. The Church in America is in need of repentance

There are many people who say that the Church in America will experience a revival and that this country will become great again. They give evidence that Donald Trump is a man for the hour who is supposed to build up this country and restore it to greatness, and wealth, and influence on the world stage. But, will this country really become great again? And, can the Church experience a revival without having true repentance first?

Monday, October 6, 2014

The Downfall of America and the Reasons Why It Shall Collapse-- PART TWO

In part one we looked at how the "Indian Wars" saw the removal of Native Americans from their land; we saw how "abortion" has taken the lives of over 55 million innocent babies; and we saw how Harry Potter, which was endorsed by Christians, is really witchcraft (as an example of witchcraft sneaking into Churches). Now we will look at some more reasons why God shall judge America.



The Downfall of America and the Reasons Why It Shall Collapse -- PART TWO


Eastern Meditation and Deception and Heresy in the “Church”

(A Buddhist monk is meditating.
Eastern meditation has crept into the "Church".
Click for source.)
Harry Potter is just one example of how the occult and witchcraft have crept into the Church to lead astray children and their parents.  Eastern meditation has been given the name “contemplative prayer” or “centering prayer” or “breath prayers” by evangelical “Christians” and is becoming popular in many American churches. As one example, Rick Warren encourages people, in his book The Purpose Driven Life, to repeat phrases over and over in a mantra similar to prayers used by Zen Buddhism and Hindu yoga (h) (See Works Cited at the end).

Brian McLaren, a leader in the emerging church movement, has endorsed heretical books by people such as Tony Campolo (Speaking My Mind) and Dave Fleming (The Seeker's Way). These authors believe that Christianity is too limited and needs to be joined with other religions (h).


(Tony Campolo [right] with Bill Clinton [center].
Campolo was an advisor to Clinton. Click for source.)
Campolo writes: “Beyond these models of reconciliation, a theology of mysticism provides some hope for common ground between Christianity and Islam." (Tony Campolo. Speaking My Mind, pg. 149.) (i)

Campolo told Charlie Rose: “I’m not convinced that Jesus only lives in Christians.” (Tony Campolo. Charlie Rose show on January 24, 1997.) (i)

Tony Campolo believes that other religions have “Jesus” in them somehow.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation…

John 14:6
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Acts 4:12 (bold / underline added)
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

(33 percent of the "Christian" teens surveyed in a 2010
 survey believe that Jesus Christ is not the only way.)
Please notice again that the Bible says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Only by the name of Jesus Christ can people be saved. Buddha, Muḥammad, Hinduism, Mormonism, etc. do not have the way of salvation. Their gods are not the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. Only by the true Jesus Christ is there salvation.

By denying that Jesus Christ is only in true Christianity (found in the Bible), Campolo and other false teachers are teaching false doctrines, denying Jesus Christ, teaching a false, new-age “christ.”

Is it any wonder, then, that 33 percent of the “Christian” teens surveyed in a 2010 survey (at Reach Workcamps ministry sites across the country) believe that Jesus, Buddha, Islam, and other religions all lead to heaven? According to Mike Nappa, who was responsible for the survey, the kids were “cream of the crop” coming from Christian homes (j). Christian parents and pastors are not doing their job and the kids themselves are buying into the lies promoted at schools and by false teachers.

Homosexuality

(Click for source.)
The moral foundation of America has been eroded severely, so much so that many “Christian” denominations have either embraced sodomy as acceptable or have warmed up to the idea that sodomy is not so bad. Some even have homosexual “pastors”. The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted, last June, to allow gay people to be “ordained” and for Presbyterian pastors to conduct gay ceremonies (k). They redefined “marriage” as a union of “two people” (k).

Many other denominations have warmed up to the belief that being gay is not against the Bible. But, what does God’s Word actually say about “homosexuality”?

Romans 1:24-27

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

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.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

This is not very popular, but it is the truth. 1 Corinthians 6 speaks about sodomy and other sins…

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

(America is full of idolatry so much so that
a famous TV show is called American Idol. Source.)
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Idolatry

Idolatry is mentioned in this list. America is full of idolatry so much so that a famous TV show is called American Idol. Idolatry is defined by God as: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3).

Jesus told us this regarding idolatry…

The Downfall of America and the Reasons Why It Shall Collapse -- PART ONE

America, once the land of the free and home of the brave, is no longer so free, nor so brave. What had once thrived as a superpower is now declining economically, militarily, and spiritually. It had welcomed the poor and hungry and had been a beacon of hope to the masses of poor immigrants that came to its door.

Today, America has changed. It is... (Read more below.)



The Downfall of America and the Reasons Why It Shall Collapse

America, once the land of the free and home of the brave, is no longer so free, nor so brave. What had once thrived as a superpower is now declining economically, militarily, and spiritually. It had welcomed the poor and hungry and had been a beacon of hope to the masses of poor immigrants that came to its door.

Today, America has changed. It is no longer the powerful nation it had once been. It is in debt trillions of dollars, borrowed from countries such as China. Instead of being a beacon of hope, it has become very dark and full of great spiritual depravity. You may know America is getting darker, but for the sake of exposing the truth, we will look at how dark America really is getting. We will see how such a nation cannot endure much longer, having had the spiritual knowledge it once had.

America and the 19th Century

(Sioux in traditional dress)
As America expanded westward, it met resistance from the original inhabitants of America, the Native Americans. Did America work with them and settle in land the Native Americans willingly give them? Did they buy the land from the Natives? The Federal Government forcibly moved Native Americans from their own land and put them on reservations where they were often bordering enemy tribes.  Some of the Native American tribes were given land that was arid and bad for planting.

Under of Dawes Act of 1887, Native American tribal land was taken away from the tribes and much of it given to settlers. Land was then allotted to individual “Indians.” While it was meant to help prepare the Native Americans for citizenship, it took away their hunting rights and reduced their reservation land. The best land was often given to white settlers (a) (See Works Cited). This is identical to stealing. America had broken one of the Ten Commandments in its treatment of the Indians: “Thou shalt not steal.” (Exodus 20:15). 

(Hotchkiss 42 mm gun)
They also broke the sixth commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.” (Exodus 20:13). During the “Wounded Knee Massacre” a single gunshot sparked a blood bath that resulted in Native American men, women, and children being murdered. The tensions between the U.S. Army of 1890 and the Sioux tribe came to a head at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Sioux tribe had been fighting the U.S. Army for decades, on and off, and tensions were high. When some members of the 7th cavalry came to confiscate weapons in an Indian encampment under the leadership of a Sioux called “Big Foot”. They had misunderstood Big Foot’s intentions and thought he was a threat. The camp was surrounded by Hotchkiss guns and 500 soldiers (b).

One of the Indians, Black Coyote, refused to give up his rife. Soldiers began roughing him up and insisting that he give up the gun. Somewhere a shot rang out. The Hotchkiss guns began firing, and in the chaos, many innocent children, women, and men were murdered. This would mark the end of the “Indian Wars” and the further decline of the Native Americans’ way of life (b).

Legalizing Murder
(View Source)

Today, killing is legalized. How so, one may ask? When the human life has been redefined so that a baby is called a “fetus” and so that killing that innocent baby is termed “abortion”, this breaking of God’s law is rationalized as simply getting rid of something unwanted.

Since abortion was legalized in 1973, there have been over 55 million abortions in the United States (c). Each year approximately 1.2 to 1.3 million babies are killed by abortion (Foust).  That number is roughly equal to the 1.2 million U.S. soldiers that have died since the American Revolutionary War (including all the wars up to the recent Iraq War) (d).

The process of abortion is very gruesome and bloody and the child has to suffer great pain. It is absolutely horrible and yet it is accepted as being normal and okay. A society that doesn’t think much of human life cannot last long.

Because the Ten Commandments are a thought of as a threat to society, they have been removed from many courthouses, city halls, and public places. In August this year (2014), a judge in New Mexico ruled that the Ten Commandments display at the Bloomfield City Hall must be removed (e).  

The Influence of the Occult (Magic) and Satanism

(CGI Rendering of Baphomet statue [Source])
While the Ten Commandments are being removed, a statue to honor Satan is currently being constructed to be placed at the Oklahoma State House beside a donated Ten Commandments monument. While a legal battle is being fought, it is very clear that the worship of the devil is becoming more popular. This is only a sign that evil is becoming more blatant.

If one only looks at the movies and TV shows designed for kids one can see the influence of witchcraft and the occult. Harry Potter, a best-selling series that became a highly-popular Hollywood franchise, has been endorsed by “Christians.”

A Christianity Today article from the year 2000 stated (f):

(Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Source)
'But the literary witchcraft of the Harry Potter series has almost no resemblance to the I-am-God mumbo jumbo of Wiccan circles. Author J.K. Rowling has created a world with real good and evil, and Harry is definitely on the side of light fighting the "dark powers."

'Third, and this is why we recommend the books, Rowling's series is a Book of Virtues with a preadolescent funny bone. Amid the laugh-out-loud scenes are wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship, and even self-sacrifice. No wonder young readers want to be like these believable characters. That is a Christmas present we can be grateful for.'

(Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Source.)
The late David J. Meyer, a former witch who left witchcraft to become a follower of Jesus Christ, wrote that “Harry Potter books are training manuals for the occult.” (g). Meyer explains (g):

'Harry also learns a new vocabulary, including words such as "Azkaban", "Circe", "Draco", "Erised", "Hermes", and "Slytherin"; all of which are names of real devils or demons. These are not characters of fiction!

'How serious is this? By reading these materials, many millions of young people are learning how to work with demon spirits. They are getting to know them by name. Vast numbers of children professing to be Christians are also filling their hearts and minds, while willingly ignorant parents look the other way.'



Eastern Meditation and Deception and Heresy in the “Church”

Harry Potter is just one example of how the occult and witchcraft have crept into the Church to lead astray children and their parents.  Eastern meditation has been given the name “contemplative prayer” or “centering prayer” or “breath prayers” by evangelical “Christians” and is becoming popular in many American churches. As one... (CLICK to READ PART TWO.)



Wednesday, October 1, 2014

America’s Doom: The Cycle of Nations



America’s Doom: The Cycle of Nations
(10/1/14)

Almost 240 years (238 exactly) have passed since the signing of The Declaration of Independence during America’s war for independence from the British Empire. Since that time, America has gone through a number of wars, industrial and economic growth, and has spread its hegemony of power over the globe.

Its power was greatest after the Second World War, after Europe had been devastated by six years of war. America had drawn its power from its war effort and citizenry to defeat Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. Both tasks were tremendous, but of course were the result of cooperation with America’s Allies.

After WW2, America entered a period of great economic prosperity which lasted for a few decades. America was exporting more than it was importing. The housing market was booming as American soldiers returned home from the war and had large families.

As people began buying things and enjoying life they gradually became more and more hedonistic, believing that there were no moral absolutes. If people evolved from apes, why should people have to follow the Ten Commandments?

(Sign reads: "If you were born after 1973,
you're a Survivor." Click to view source.)
The 1970s and the Vietnam War brought drugs into popular demand. During this period it became more acceptable for a man and woman to live together without getting married. Consequently, abortion was seen as a necessity to get rid of that unwanted baby.

With the Supreme Court decision, Roe V. Wade, making abortion legal, precious infants were treated as if they were something that could be thrown away. Life was considered to be a burden and society determined that it would remove this burden even if it had to break the Ten Commandments, namely: Thou shalt not kill.

With this abomination legalized, the descent away from God and the depravity of man became more blatant and strong. Prayer had been removed from schools, God has been ignored, and the Ten Commandments have been torn down from courthouses. It was not that way hundreds of years ago.


Following in the Footsteps of Rome

(Click to view source.)
Little by little, America, over the past several decades, had been sinking into the dark water of hedonism, rebellion against God, and depravity, like ancient Rome or ancient Greece.

Will Durant, an American historian, wrote of Rome’s moral decay in his book The Story of Civilization: Caesar and Christ (pp 89-90):

“Women won the free administration of their dowries, divorced their husbands or occasionally poisoned them, and doubted the wisdom of bearing children in an age of urban congestion and imperialistic wars. […] Men became brave by proxy; they crowded the amphitheater to see bloody games and hired gladiators to fight before them at their banquets.” (b, see Works Cited)

Women in the Roman Empire were divorcing their husbands and sometimes killing them. The people of Rome had a desire to be entertained with killing and violence. Is this not similar to our present time? Violent and immoral video games, movies, and TV shows have been streaming images of death and destruction and rape into kids, teens, and adults for a few decades.


Evidence of Spiritual and Moral Decay