Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35

Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35
January 10, 1963
Current Communist Goals EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, January 10, 1963

Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.

At Mrs. Nordman’s request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following “Current Communist Goals,” which she identifies as an excerpt from “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen:

image: https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists//watchwomanonthewall/files/2011/04/130px-US_Congressional_Seal.svg_.png
[From “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen]

  CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS
1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use [“]united force[“] to solve economic, political or social problems.
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court

You may not find these 45 Communist Goals on the Web in it’s original form because in 1963 there were no digitized documents. You will find web sites that have copied them as I have. Call your local library and you can obtain an original copy there. Or ask your U. S. Congressional Member. They will be able to help you get a genuine copy of this Congressional Record of the 45 Communist Goals. ▬ Donna Calvin, The Word Warriorette

Watchwoman: In addition to reading this, the 45 communist goals, click here to read “The 10 Planks of Karl Marx, ‘The Communist Manifesto.’ ”  America has already fulfilled 90% of them. 

Read more at https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/watchwomanonthewall/2011/04/the-45-communist-goals-as-read-into-the-congressional-record-1963.html#165WSreRJaApmiMA.99

Judgment Seat of Christ :: By Daymond Duck

Published on: June 16, 2019 by RRadmin7 Category:Daymond Duck, General Articles

 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Cor. 5:10).

“We” refers to believers (those that have received the Holy Spirit and walk by faith in Jesus (II Cor. 5:1-9).

“Must” means appearing before the judgment seat of Christ is a requirement for believers.

“All” means every believer must appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
“Judgment seat of Christ” means Jesus will be the Judge.

The time will come when every believer will be required to appear before Jesus.
He received the authority to judge from the Father (Jn. 5:27). Believers will be judged after He comes for His Church (after the Rapture when all believers are in heaven (I Cor. 4:5; I Thess. 4:17); believers will be judged before His throne in heaven (see Rev. 4:4-10); and believers will be judged rightly and fairly (Psa. 98:9).

But this judgment is not for condemnation because our sin was judged on the cross; and “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1).
“That every one may receive the things done in his body” means the judgment seat of Christ will be established to evaluate what believers did when they were alive.

The Apostle John wrote, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13).

Those that “die in the Lord” (die as believers in Jesus) are blessed because their works (what they did while they were alive) will follow them into heaven.
“Whether it be good or bad” means the believer’s works on earth will be examined, appraised, or judged to determine their significance or value in the eyes of Jesus.

Paul said, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (I Cor. 3:9-15).

Jesus will judge the quality and quantity of the believer’s works (was it done in faith; was it done to honor Jesus; was it self-serving; was it done for personal praise; how many years did the believer serve; etc.).
The person that gets saved on their deathbed is just as saved as the person that gets saved in their early years, but there will be a big difference in rewards.
The person that gets saved on their deathbed has no time to lay up treasure in Heaven, but the person that gets saved in their early years could have many years to lay up treasure in heaven (Matt. 6:19-21).

Some believers serve in many ways, and they will receive great treasure in heaven; but others serve very little, and they will receive very little treasure in heaven.

Some believers serve to glorify Jesus, and they will be rewarded for honoring Him (gold, silver and precious stones); but others serve to glorify themselves, and their works will be worthless and destroyed (burned up like wood, hay and stubble).

Some believers will receive 5 crowns, some 4, or 3, or 2, or 1, or none (II Tim. 4:6-8; I Pet. 5:2-4; I Thess. 2:19-20; James 1:12; I Cor. 9:24-25).
Some Christians will be made ruler over 10 cities, some 5, or 1, or none (Luke 19:11-27).

The one that does more and for the right reason will receive a greater reward.
The one that does less or for the wrong reason will receive a lesser reward.
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. The contractor he worked for asked him if he would build just one last house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed, but he thought, “This is my last house. Why should I knock myself out?”
His work was sloppy, and the materials he used were cheap.

After the carpenter finished, the contractor gave him the keys to the house and said, “These keys and this house are yours in appreciation for your service.”
The carpenter was shocked! He thought, if I had known that I was building this house for myself, I would have built a better house.

Know that what believers do in this life will be evaluated for quality, quantity and motive; and there are implications for all eternity!

Talk about rewards in heaven makes some people nervous; but Jesus urged believers to lay up treasure in heaven (Matt. 6:19-20), and John encouraged believers to carefully receive a full reward (II Jn. 1:8).

FYI: My surgery is behind me, and my recovery is going better than anticipated.
Glory to God, and thanks to all of you that prayed.
I will now try to get back to current events.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck duck_daymond@yahoo.com

False righteousness and true righteousness. Personal Reflection. Edited and expanded

Written and published by Jean-Louis Mondon

Jesus, talking about the righteousness of the Pharisees: 

"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20.

How can we exceed the Pharisees´ righteousness? Jesus here I believe is using irony. 

 

The only righteousness the Pharisees had was self-righteousness. Is that what Jesus meant? That we should try to surpass their performing to the minute detail their more than three hundred commands and ordinances. I think not.

What could we do to exceed their own righteousness? Nothing. It would be futile and useless to even try.

Our first parents Adam and Eve tried to hide themselves and their shame by covering their nakedness with fig tree leave that had to be replaced over and over like the works of the Pharisees. What was the remedy provided by the Father/Creator? A hide from an animal sacrifice, a type of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for the remission of sin would be enough to cover the sin of disobedience, desire for self-sufficiency, forbidden wisdom and the subsequent shame they felt.

Their webs will not become clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And an act of violence is in their hands. Isaiah 59:6

  
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Isaiah 64:6.

The works that the Pharisees covered their nakedness with are like the figs leaves of the tree of Israel that produced useless leaves and no fruit worthy of repentance and no faith in Jesus-Christ. 

See Matthew 21:19: Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He(the Lord Jesus) came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered.

At this point let me interject something about flowers. The Bible talks about leaves and flowers. But what about flowers? They are beautiful, colorful, fragrant and some are even edible. They fill our life and our house with pleasure.  To join our gratitude and humility to their awe-inspiring qualities we have to recognize the creative hand of our Creator/God that created everything that was good to add a measure of pleasure to the beautiful earth that he created as our temporary home. 

  

To me, flowers represent the fading beauty of the artistic creations of man in all its forms such as painting, music, poetry reflecting the talents given to us by God. Such artistic abilities could be perverted and turn into nightmarish representation of the tormented psyches of man without God or in rebellion against God´s sovereignty. 

One example comes to mind, Alexander Scriabin, a famous and talented Russian pianist and composer (1872-1915) was influenced with mysticism, theosophy and became a delusional megalomaniac who met a tragic end by suicide, drowning in a river.  Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22357678
 

The creation is in constant flux. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8. 

And so it is: the flower must die in order to leave room for the fruit to appear grow and provide food. Holding on the fleeting beauty of the ephemeral flowers, the beauty of creation for one´s own selfish pleasure without recognizing and honoring the source in the God of love is like keeping a song bird in a cage or retaining flowing water in a stagnant pool. We cannot selfishly and endlessly hold on to passing life and beauty.

In I Corinthians 13 Paul declares: But now faith, hope, loves, abide these three; but the ^[f]greatest of these is love.

So let us cultivate and hold on to faith, hope, remembering that love is the ultimate fruit that God grows in us for his purpose and that as I John 4:19 states: “We love because He (Jesus) first loved us”.

The leaves could not cover Adam and Eve, the works the Pharisees perform could not cover them and following their teachings without faith resulted in the putting aside of Israel until the end of the time of the Gentiles in which we are living now. 

What Jesus wanted from the Jews is faith in the living Savior that walked among them, not the dead works that did not please him. What He wants from us when we are seeking salvation is the same thing: faith in His saving power and abandoning any hope of saving ourselves by our good deeds.

John  6:28-29:

Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent; and further in verse 40:  For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

How could it be clearer than that?

               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is an excerpt from the last chapter of an allegory I wrote a few years ago: To read the whole story click Here: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/02/joshua-tree-desert-parable.html

The Tree of Life

Theophilus woke up, with tears of joy flowing from his eyes. He was watching an unforgettable scene.
There in front of him, stood up a Joshua tree, majestic and radiant that bore an uncanny resemblance with the man from his dream whose blood had saved his life. He fell down, prostrate on his face against the hot desert sand. He knew without the shadow of a doubt that he was in the presence of the Master of the Joshua Trees. He didn’t dare move from his position such was the power emanating from the glorious appearance. An indescribable ripple of fear coursed through his being.

"Rise, Theophilus and look at me." The commanding tone of voice was enough to make him obey. He was reluctant at first to lift his gaze directly into the eyes of the Master. Lifting his head up slowly, he saw the pierced feet, then, the pierced wrists. He gathered enough courage to focus on the chest where a scarlet wound in the shape of the tip of a lance or the eye of a needle remained from a cruel wound.
  
"Don’t be afraid, look at me. I am Yeshua, the Master of the Joshua Trees. What is your quest? Why do you want to meet me?"
 
While the Master was asking these questions, his eyes whispered softly words Theophilus never heard before, words of love that penetrated deep in his heart.

"Master, I am looking for the desert exit door. Your trees told me that you possess the keys and that a word from you can set the captives free, can give sight to the blind, make a poor man rich, and heal the afflicted. You can also give knowledge to the ignorant who think they are wise, and you can clothe with your pardon and righteousness the nakedness which I try to cover with my religion and good deeds."
 
'It’s true. But you have too big a notion of yourself to be able to go through this door. First, you must answer a few questions."

"Yes, master, as you wish."
 
"What is your name? Who are you?"
 
"Well, before, they called me Theophilus, but I will accept whatever name you wish to call me. "
 
"Where do you come from?"
 
"From the land of deadly illusions and appearances, a world filled with violence and deception."
  
"Well said! Are you rich, or do you intend to be?"

"Well, before now, I had credit cards, bank accounts, a good and profitable business, cars, a beautiful house, but all that didn’t help me very much. To tell you the truth, I will accept whatever you want to give me."

After these answers, Theophilus was feeling his body shrink little by little. What a strange sensation!

The Master continued:
"What about your reputation?"
 
"Alas, people looked at the appearances. But I can see that you know me and I desire to become what you want me to be."
 
"What do you hope to gain from me?"
 
"Freedom from the chains that keep me tied up and hinders my walk, understanding truth and knowing which way to go."
 
"Good, I can do that for you. But what will do once you are free if I give you the key to the door?"
 
"Master, I want to belong to you and serve you, for you are the one who saved and healed me."

Each of Theophilus’ responses was followed by a change in his size until at last, the Master's stature appeared gigantic in comparison without overwhelming him. Then, the Master bent forward and catching him tenderly in the palm of his right hand, he lifted Theophilus up to his chest and hugged him close against the wound shaped like the tip of a lance or the eye of a big needle.

On his way up, Theophilus was helplessly watching on the screen of his memory the video from his first meeting with the touchstone at the crossroad of his destiny, the first step of a stairway which led to the royal capital of the heavenly kingdom, illumined by the eternal light of the Master.  He possessed a law of gravity defying lightness, with no desire to resist the attraction propelling him towards a universe of unconditional freedom. Being transported on this celestial stairway, this bridge between two worlds without any effort on his part, he was about to enter a territory invisible to the human eye and yet so real.

Instantly, going through the open door at a breathtaking speed, Theophilus found himself standing on the desert floor that he had just left.
 
"Welcome to the kingdom, announced the Master in a warm tone of voice. Open your eyes and look at yourself."

His eyes opened by the voice of his Master, Theophilus looked at his legs, his trunk, his arms and discovered that he had turned into a Joshua tree with soft scars in the place of the usual armor of thorns. Yeshua spoke to him solemnly: 
 
"From now on your name will be Joshua Theophilus O’Call because I called you to my service and you responded with good will."

Tears of joy mixed with gratitude flowing from his eyes, Theophilus answered:
 
"Master, where do you want me to serve you?"
 
"Right here in the desert to guide those who have lost their way or those who have wandered from the way of truth and need help in finding me."
 
"Yes, Master. But I have a question. How do your trees find food and drink? There is nothing but sand in the desert."

Yeshua touched his eyes and now he could very clearly watch a fantastic scene through the desert floor as if it was made of transparent crystal. From the feet of the Master, roots full of a sap that resembled light amber honey extended all the way under the feet of the Joshua trees and fed them constantly night and day.
 
"Please, Master, what do you want me to call you?"
 
"Call me Lord Jesus, for I am both Savior and King."

"Lord, I can see the trees, the roots, the leaves and the cactus flowers, but where are the fruits?"

"Every time one of my servants extended to you love, kindness, goodness, patience, they shared their fruits with you. When you enjoyed their light, their protective and refreshing shade, their peace, their wise words of counsel, comfort or encouragement, those are the fruits that grow from the source of life that I give each one of them."

Read more: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2011/07/joshua-tree-desert-parable_15.html#ixzz3fLWh5vlf

The Battle Of Man - by Hal Lindsey

 Republished from  Omega Letter Community

The Battle Of Man - by Hal Lindsey

In 1972, I released a book called, Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth. That was a year after William Peter Blatty’s novel called The Exorcist, and a year before the film version of that book. Satan is Alive and Well sold more than 8 million copies. The Exorcist film, adjusted for inflation, is the 9th highest grossing movie of all time.

In those years, interest in Satan was at a peak — partly because of a smalltime hoodlum, turned cult leader, turned mass killer named Charles Manson. With Manson, the world caught a real glimpse of the face of evil. People realized that his ability to turn young people into monsters was something more than crime as usual.

Since then, interest in Satan has ebbed and flowed many times. Now, it’s building again. Fictional versions of him regular appear in films, television shows, music, and video games. For a society that can’t get enough of anti-heroes, the devil is the ultimate bad boy.

But he’s also the ultimate loser. Think of his position. He’s locked in a battle with the omnipotent Creator of all things. What strategy can he possibly employ in such a battle? How can he who is merely mighty have any hope against the Almighty? God’s power knows no limits. Revelation 19:6 says, “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!”

Limited power cannot defeat infinite power. But the devil is not stupid. He has a strategy. He has chosen to do what any military commander would — find a point of vulnerability and exploit it. You might think it impossible to find vulnerability in the all-powerful Lord of the universe. But you would be wrong.

Love and Vulnerability

Every romance novel, every teenager-in-love pop song, every he-done-me-wrong country ballad, every romantic film, every good old-fashioned love story… carries an underlying point. Love makes you vulnerable. Love, in all its forms, opens us up to the possibility of pain.

The dearest friend can be a source of anguish. You feel the hurt as you read the words of King David. “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalms 41:9)

The greater and more intense the love, the more painful the betrayal. No one can break a parent’s heart quite like that parent’s son or daughter. At the same time, there’s no other pain quite like what a child feels when betrayed by parents.

Romantic love almost guarantees sorrow and grief somewhere down the line. Maybe there will be a breakup, and that will hurt. But even if the couple stays together, and they marry for life, “Till death do us part” hangs over them. Husband and wife rarely die together. In almost all cases — one will go, one will stay, and there will be heartbreak.

Although love makes us vulnerable to pain, it’s worth it. The most miserable people of all are those whose past pain makes them fearful of love. They build walls around their hearts. They put up guard towers to keep watch. They’re wrong to do that. But we can all understand it.

Satan looked at God, searching for a point of vulnerability, and there it was. Love. God is love. God loves human beings in greater, deeper ways than we can even imagine.

But what really made God’s love a point of vulnerability was that He also gave humans the ability to love. By definition, that includes the power of choice. Automatons cannot love because real love requires a choice. Humans can love… or not.

That’s why Satan chose mankind as the battlefield in his war with God. Knowing that God is completely pure and utterly holy, he thought he had won the Battle of Man when he persuaded Adam and Eve to sin.

Their action unleashed the virus of sin into the world, infecting all of humanity from that time until now. Ephesians 5:5 says, “No immoral or impure person… has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” With Satan’s victory in the Garden of Eden, every human being would be impure.

How vulnerable did God’s love make Him? Picture Jesus hanging on a cross, receiving in Himself God’s justice for our sin. Consider the pain — physical and spiritual. It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable figure. What held Him there? Soldiers? Nails? Those things couldn’t hold Him to the cross in a billion years! Love held Him there. Love for you, and love for me. Love made Him that vulnerable.

Maybe your heart is broken. Maybe your love for a child, parent, friend, or spouse, made you vulnerable to a deeper hurt than you know how to express. I have a suggestion for you. Don’t go through it alone. In Philippians 3:10, the Apostle Paul put his deepest heart cry into words. “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.”

“The fellowship of His sufferings” is not an easy place. But you will find Him there in richer, deeper more beautiful ways than you ever thought possible.
C. S. Lewis asked, “Why love, if losing hurts so much?” The Christian can answer by citing no less of an authority than Jesus Himself. We are to love God and to love each other. Love is the greatest commandment, (Matthew 22:36-40), our highest purpose, and the mark of a Christian. (John 13:35)
God also chose love. He chose to love us and be vulnerable to the pain of our rejection. And in that love, He never wavered. Satan saw it as a point of attack. But God used the love and resulting pain to defeat Satan, and redeem mankind. 

 That is our example.

Hallindsey.com

Evil Pressure vs. Heavenly Restraint by Terry James

I’ve written elsewhere that I once heard an evangelist back in the mid-’70s preach during a city crusade that he believed the unthinkable would happen in America. It would take place just before the Rapture of the Church.

The evangelist believed that, just as the debauched society and, by then, totally anti-God governmental agencies would be about to grab Christians around their throats, the Rapture would occur.

A significant puzzlement to me is that so many who are truly born again (John 3:3) don’t seem to concern themselves with the tremendous evil that is building. They don’t seem to even notice that in the freest nation on the planet, the powers and principalities of Ephesians 6:12 are grasping to clutch and strangle believers.

Those who faithfully read articles such as those on Rapture Ready and other such forums exhibit concern for the evil pressures that are building. But God’s people in general–and I’m talking about those who are born again (and only God knows those who are in His family)– show little concern, it seems to me, while the anti-God forces do their nefarious work.

This is attributable in large part to neglect in the pulpits of America. Pastors and Bible teachers would rather not touch prophetic topics–particularly not prophecy yet future. We’ve noted before that they find those biblical areas too frightening to their flocks, too difficult to understand, or just of no importance for these modern times. Besides, such troubling messages might drive down attendance, thus dry up offerings.

And the evil pressures build…
Again, all we have to do is to look at the political scene in the nation. One party has all but publicly committed to abandoning anything to do with the God of the Bible. As a matter of fact, that party is seeking to totally debauch our society and culture. This is obvious, yet the pulpits for the most part remain silent on the fact that this very condition for the end of the Church Age was prophesied. God’s Word, through the Apostle Paul, forewarned and instructed those responsible for overseeing God’s people in the last days:

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:1-4)
Evil pressure builds within the church itself. Just a cursory glance at what’s going on in some areas of a growing number of religious bodies that claim to be Christian lays bare the truth of Satan’s assault.

One such organization claiming Christianity as its belief system shows the lateness of this Laodicean hour:

The Vision Church of Atlanta, Georgia, a progressive congregation, has added a psychic medium who claims to commune with the dead to their staff.

Lakara Foster, who holds a doctorate of ministry from the Interdenominational Theological Center, is now a licensed minister at the Vision Church of Atlanta, Rolling Out reported. She is also the creator and star of the YouTube series “The Gift,” which she argues God told her to do. It follows her life as a medium, minister, and spiritual teacher.

“God told me to do the show. Honestly, I was reluctant at first because I felt very vulnerable and thought I would get a lot of pushback and negative feedback being a minister and a medium. I thought people wouldn’t understand but I knew I still had to do it. I knew I had been called to do it. When I asked God, ‘Why this gift? Why not singing?’ God said, ‘I promised my people eternal life. How will my people know that I’ve kept promise if you don’t demonstrate your gift?’” she told Rolling Out. (“Vision Church of Atlanta adds psychic medium to ministerial staff,” By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post reporter , Friday, May 24, 2019)

That the church medium is surprised she has received little to no pushback is itself surprising. The changes taking place within various denominations are becoming a ho-hum part of the quickly evolving reality. It would be a good bet, if a gambler, to wager that most Christians in the pews today would see little to nothing wrong with what this “psychic” said.

Pastors in the pews of Bible-believing churches are silent for the most part, for example. They just don’t want to get involved in these extrabiblical machinations–only they’re not extrabiblical. Read 2 Timothy 4:1-4 above once again. It is the minister’s God-ordained commission to fight against such heresy, especially as the last days of the Church Age manifest.

After considering the evil pressures and actions assaulting this generation, it is true that there is opposite and equal reaction. This comes from God, Himself, it is obvious and provable through watching things going on, particularly within the American political war being waged. To my way of thinking, the fact that this president remains alive–that is, not assassinated because of the hatred cast his way–much less that he continues to work hard for the American people–is nothing short of miraculous. Every evil influence has been brought to bear in trying to destroy Mr. Trump and his family. The mainstream media, the entire entertainment industry, the increasingly reprobate opposition party, America’s top intelligence agency heads, nearly half of the American populace, and even members of his own party who hate him spend 24/7 feverishly trying to remove him from office in whatsoever way possible.

The spiritual war going on is made obvious, too, by the fact that Christian leaders like Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, and many others have called for prayer for the president and for the nation. This call is as desperately needed as at any time in human history.

God, alone, is holding back the evil that is assaulting. This is undeniable to the Christian who believes in God’s Word and applies himself or herself to study of the Word.

Why more Christians are comporting themselves as if in a stupor is extremely troubling. Don’t be one of those who refuse to look up from your life’s routine in order to see that Christ’s promised redemption is drawing near (Luke 21: 28). Take part in the Lord’s heavenly restraint through prayer and study, in order to discern the signs that Christ is about to return.
–Terry

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