The Rapture Profiteers

Interesting…

For nearly a year, nonagenarian preacher and radio personality Harold Camping predicted the world would end on May 21. Locusts would blanket the earth and millions would die while Camping and his flock would rise up to the sky, rendezvous with Jesus, and ascend to the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, May 22 happened, Camping postponed the end of the world by five months, and then suffered a debilitating stroke—leaving a huge vacuum in the Rapture market.

The meltdown came at a propitious moment for apocalypse followers. A proliferation of earthquakes, a plague that may or may not be sweeping Brazil, the Greeks, and Kim Kardashian, among other things, may be conspiring to create a Rapture bubble. In addition to Camping’s revised forecast—the world is definitely going to end on Oct. 21—many Rapture-seekers now believe the Aug. 2 debt-ceiling deadline signals that the end may be very, very near. “If the economy goes, that’ll be fertile soil for the antichrist to take power,” says Todd Strandberg of Little Rock, Ark. “Hitler came out of the Depression. A lot of us believe the antichrist will use the same stepping stone.”

This means there are only so many days left to get rich.

Strandberg, the proprietor of RaptureReady.com—the most popular Rapture-preparedness website in the world—is part of a new generation of entrepreneurs trying to take advantage of Camping’s absence. Unlike Camping, the new apocalypse establishment is offering an unprecedented array of doomsday-themed literature, podcasts, survival kits, and other goods and services for navigating the end of times.

Jack Van Impe, a televangelist from Troy, Mich., has developed an e-commerce business hawking educational literature such as the Prophetic Guide to the End of Times ($14.95) in addition to DVDs like 11:59: The Countdown (two-discs, $34.95). Van Impe, who co-runs his ministry and budding apocalypse empire with his wife and fellow prophet, Rexella, is competing for market share with the Costa Rica-based writer Tim McHyde; Alex Dodson, whose Watchman Radio Hour enjoys a nationwide audience; and evangelical minister and author Tim LaHaye, who has co-written 16 Judgment Day-inspired novels. According to Cheryl Kerwin, senior marketing manager at Tyndale House Publishers, LaHaye’s Left Behind series has sold 63 million copies worldwide.

All are facing a common problem of the Rapture business: They’re making more money than they can spend before the world ends. Keith Preston, owner of Rapture Ready Consulting in Kenton, Ohio—which is completely unrelated to RaptureReady.com, he says—estimates his company grossed $380,000 in 2009 by selling products like screen savers featuring the Red Sea and a smartphone app for $4.99 that tells you if you’re in a flood zone. Although sales plummeted to $200,000 in 2010—the short-lived economic uptick, Rapture-sellers say, cast a pall over the sector—Rapture Ready rebounded this year. Preston is currently at work on an app for everyone who is not Raptured. “Let’s say 2 million people disappear,” Preston says. “You’ve got doctors and police officers, you have IT guys, writers, and politicians. So the problem is, who’s going to do whatever they were doing? You need an app for that.” How he plans to sell it from Heaven remains unclear.

Religious Leaders Arrested At Capitol For Budget Protest

WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill police arrested 11 people — many of them members of the clergy — protesting the Republican House budget-cutting plan, a police spokeswoman said.

The group, organized by Rev. Bob Edgar, occupied the center of the historic Rotunda for more than a half hour Thursday, praying and singing until police closed the massive chamber and arrested the group, one by one.

“They were trying to send the message to Congress that the budget cannot be balanced on the backs of the poor, the middle class, or the neediest in society,” Boyle said. She said that Edgar only decided on the action recently, because it appeared likely some sort of legislation would soon come out of Congress that hurts the vulnerable. A police spokeswoman said the clergy members were cooperative, and were charged with demonstrating in the United States Capitol.

more and video

A Christian Terrorist in Norway?

Ligonier Ministries,

Last Friday (July 22, 2011), a bomb went off in Oslo killing eight people and injuring many more. Soon afterward, a gunman went on a shooting spree at an island youth camp in Norway, killing 68 people. The gunman was arrested and later claimed responsibility for both attacks. When interviewed by the police, Breivik claimed that his actions were intended to save his country and all of Europe from Marxist and Muslim infiltration. Because of his belief that it is failing on the issue of immigration, he wanted to create as much loss as he could for Norway’s Labour Party. The bomb, therefore, was placed near buildings occupied by Labour Party members, and the shooting occurred at a Labour Party youth camp.

Political terrorism has not been unusual in the twentieth and twenty-first century, but this attack hits home for those of us who claim to be Christian because Breivik has identified himself as one of us on his Facebook page. He claims to be a Christian. This has raised important questions in the minds of many. First and foremost, does Christianity promote such politically inspired violence? Some would say yes, pointing to the Crusades as an example.

In the following article, however, Dr. Robert Godfrey says no: He rightly points out that it is a betrayal of Christ to “identify Him with the slaughter of political enemies. As Christians, we must seek always to advance Christ’s cause through truth joined by love and self-sacrifice, not through violence.” 

The Bible can be a dangerous book if misused and abused. In the history of the church, the misunderstanding of the Bible has led to many serious problems, ranging from false doctrine to legalistic customs and misdirected lives. One of the most blatant examples of this is the Crusades: a series of wars led by Europeans in the name of Christ against Islamic states in the Near East during the Middle Ages… (Continue reading  “The Crusades” by W. Robert Godfrey)

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” I Corinthians 3:16

O Brother, do believe that you are the temple of the living God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ! You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit; He is the mark, the living assurance of your sonship and your Father’s love. If this have hitherto been a thought that has brought you but little comfort, see if the reason is not here. You sought for Him in the Holy Place, amid the powers and services of your inner life which come within your vision, And you could hardly discern Him there. And so you could not appropriate the comfort and strength the Comforter was meant to bring. No, my brother, not there, not there.

Deeper down, in the secret place of the Most High, there you will find Him. Within you! in your inmost part! there faith will find Him. And as faith worships in holy reverence before the Father, and the heart trembles at the thought of what it has found, wait in holy stillness on God to grant you the mighty working of His Spirit; wait in holy stillness for the Spirit, and be assured He will, as God, arise and fill His temple with His glory.

And then remember, the veil was but for a time. When the preparation was complete, the veil of the flesh was rent. As you yield your soul’s inner life to the inmost life of the Spirit, as the traffic between the Most Holy and the Holy becomes more true and unbroken, the fulness of the time will come in your soul.

In the power of Him, in whom the veil was rent that the Spirit might stream forth from His glorified body, there will come to you, too, an experience in which the veil shall be taken away, and the Most Holy and the Holy be thrown into one. The hidden glory of the Secret Place will stream into your conscious daily life: the service of the Holy Place will all be in the power of the Eternal Spirit.  

Brother, let us fall down and worship! ‘Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for he is waked up out of His holy habitation.’ 

(Excerpt from The Temple of the Holy Spirit by Andrew Murray)

* To read the sermon in its entirety visit The Old Time Gospel

Suspect In Norway shooting a “self-described nationalist” and Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections

OSLO — The Norwegian police on Saturday charged a 32-year-old man, whom they identified as a Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections, over the bombing of a government center here and a shooting attack on a nearby island that together left at least 91 people dead.

Even as the police locked down a large area of the city after the blasts, the suspect, dressed as a police officer, entered the youth camp on the island of Utoya, about 19 miles northwest of Oslo, a Norwegian security official said, and opened fire. “He said it was a routine check in connection with the terror attack in Oslo,” one witness told VG Nett, the Web site of a national newspaper. The police said the suspect had used “a machine pistol” in the attack, but declined to provide further details. Of the at least 84 people killed on the island, some were as young as 16, the police said on national television early Saturday. They said the death toll could rise further as they continue to search for bodies in the waters around the island.

A Facebook page matching his name and the photo given out by the police was set up just a few days ago. It listed his religion as Christian, politics as conservative. It said he enjoys hunting, the video games World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare 2, and books including Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and George Orwell’s “1984.” There was also a Twitter account apparently belonging to Mr. Breivik. It had one item, posted last Sunday: “One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests.” (NY Times, Death Toll Rises to 91 in Norway Attacks)

Norwegian TV2 reports that Breivik belongs to “right-wing circles” in Oslo. Swedish news site Expressen adds that he has been known to write to right-wing forums in Norway, is a self-described nationalist and has also written a number of posts critical of Islam. (HuffPost, Anders Behring Breivik Identified As Suspect In Norway Shooting)

Remember the Victories

The lyrics are a reminder of a time of personal hopelessness and despair, when suddenly in prayer the Holy Spirit spoke, telling me to ‘take out my book of remembrance’. Looking back over old posts it seems this isn’t the first time I’ve remembered that day (Book of Remembrance).

“So many times I’ve questioned certain circumstances Or things I could not understand. Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision And my frustration gets so out of hand.  Its then I am reminded I’ve never been forsaken, I’ve never had to stand the test alone. As I look at all the victories The spirit rises up in me And its through the fire my weakness is made strong”

“He never promised that the cross would not get heavy And the hill would not be hard to climb. He never offered our victories without fighting But He said help would always come in time. Just remember when your standing, in the valley of decision, And the adversary says give in: Just hold on, our Lord will show up And He will take you through the fire again”

Man’s call for Obama’s assassination is free speech, not a crime

Today this Nation’s legal system is a joke

quote…

LATimes, July 19, 2011

A La Mesa man who posted racial epithets and a call to “shoot” Barack Obama on an Internet chat site was engaging in constitutionally protected free speech, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in overturning his criminal conviction. Walter Bagdasarian was found guilty two years ago of making threats against a major presidential candidate in comments he posted on a Yahoo.com financial website after 1 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2008, as Obama’s impending victory in the race for the White House was becoming apparent. Bagdasarian told investigators he was drunk at the time.

The observation that Obama “will have a 50 cal in the head soon” and a call to “shoot the [racist slur]” weren’t violations of the law under which Bagdasarian was convicted because the statute doesn’t criminalize “predictions or exhortations to others to injure or kill the president,” said the majority opinion written by Judge Stephen Reinhardt.

Nine years ago,

WWeek, December 24th, 2002

quote…

What started out as a short trip through South Dakota has turned into an extended stay for a Portland man who learned earlier this month that he would be spending three years in prison for threatening the president.

“I said that God might speak to the world through a burning Bush,” Humphreys, 50, later testified in federal court. “I thought it was funny. It was prophetizing.” Knowing President George W. Bush was scheduled to visit nearby Sioux Falls the next day, a bartender reported Humphreys’ comment to local police, claiming that Humphreys alluded to the possibility of someone pouring a flammable liquid on the president and lighting it.

Unfortunately for Humphreys, the humor was lost on U.S. Attorney Michael Ridgeway. “It wasn’t a joke,” Ridgeway told the federal jury a year and a half later. “It wasn’t funny. Simply put, it was a threat.” As evidence, Ridgeway pointed to a transcript from an Internet chat room where Humphreys wrote, “now going to ask Bush for justice, and if I don’t get it don’t be surprised to see a burning Bush.” The jury agreed with Ridgeway, convicting Humphreys in September 2002..

The most basic component of freedom of expression is the right of freedom of speech. The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government. The Supreme Court requires the government to provide substantial justification for the interference with the right of free speech where it attempts to regulate the content of the speech. A less stringent test is applied for content-neutral legislation. The Supreme Court has also recognized that the government may prohibit some speech that may cause a breach of the peace or cause violence. (LII / Legal Information Institute: The First Amendment)

IHOP’s New Breed Leaders

I sincerely hope you read Herescope’s previous message, IHOP & the NAR: The Formation of a Revolution, and will now check out the latest post, IHOP’s New Breed Leaders.

quote..

The very strange teachings about Bloodlines, New Breed, Elect Seed, New Order and Abortion in the history of the IHOP movement 

“The best of every blood line”

“300,000 that will have a special measure of the Spirit”

“getting the next generation into the warfare”

” the elect generation”

“leadership over the one billion” (Mike Bickle & Bob Jones)[1]

The IHOP (International House of Prayer) movement is now front and center stage as a national controversy continues to swirl around Texas Governor Rick Perry and his upcoming prayer rally The Response featuring prominent IHOP and NAR leaders as “endorsers.” The national media is scrambling to catch up with the significance of this event, and a few reporters are bungling it badly.[2]

In the meantime, The Response showed no signs of faltering, as James and Shirley Dobson, Max Lucado and Maine Governor Paul LePage added their weight to a new promo webpage for the event, “What Others are Saying.” This quasi-political prayer event continues to be controversial because of the potential political ambitions of Gov. Perry who, according to one reporter, “may be counting on apostles and prophets to help propel him to the White House.”[3] This same article recounts the attempts by the NAR and IHOP movements to bridge racial divides:

[Alice] Patterson’s aim, as she makes clear in her book [Bridging the Racial and Political Divide: How Godly Politics Can Transform a Nation], is getting black and brown evangelicals to vote Republican and support conservative causes. A major emphasis among the New Apostles is racial reconciliation and recruitment of minorities and women. The apostolic prayer networks often perform elaborate ceremonies in which participants dress up in historical garb and repent for racial sins. The formula—overcoming racism to achieve multiracial fundamentalism—has caught on in the apostolic movement.

Some term the approach the “Rainbow Right,” and in fact The Response has a high quotient of African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans in leadership positions. Lou Engle, for example, is making a big push to recruit black activists into the anti-abortion ranks. “We’re looking for the new breed of black prophets to arise and forgive us our baggage,” he said at Trinity Assemblies of God, “and then lead us out of victimization and into the healing of a nation, to stop the shedding of innocent blood.”[4]

What do these self-proclaimed apostles and prophets of IHOP and NAR mean when they talk about race and abortion? Do they mean what YOU think they mean?

This group is noted for their clever use of language and unique terminology, especially the concoction of new doctrines. Note the terminology in the quotation above: “new breed.” And note the reference to “ceremonies” which supposedly repent of “racial sins.” These ceremonies are based on a Dominionist teaching called “Identificational Repentance” which puts more focus on ethnicity than language, a strange practice if one is concerned about spreading the Gospel.

Their agenda may be totally different than what appears on the surface. Like any cult, they may seem sincere. But they also have scary ambitions, which are both political and religious, and they fall far outside the American mainstream. And they intend to use the current young generation, what they call the “New Breed,” to achieve their political aims.

What follows are a series of quotations and excerpts from old Discernment Ministries newsletters. Discernment Ministries began publishing newsletters in May of 1990, chronicling the rise of the Kansas City group in particular.[5] The most important pieces of documentation are the graphic image exhibits that were common during the era when the Kansas City group merged with the Vineyard…

Click here to continue 

Mitt Romney ‘Obviously Not a Christian,’ Fox Host Says

Mitt Romney is “not a Christian” and therefore he may not have a good chance of raising big money among Christians if Rick Perry runs for president, “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt said Sunday.

The discussion on Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s possible run for the White House Sunday morning led Earhardt, Fox News correspondent and weekend co-host of the daily news analysis, to pronounce what many evangelicals and mainstream Christians believe: former Massachusetts Gov. Romney, a Mormon, is “obviously not a Christian.”

The talk turned to Romney, the presumptive frontrunner, when host Dave Briggs said he wasn’t sure if Perry could “get in and raise money with Mitt Romney.” Co-host Clayton Morris replied that many Republican thought he couldn’t. But Earhardt disagreed. “Well the Christian coalition … I think [Rick Perry] can get a lot of money from that base because [of] Romney obviously not being a Christian … Rick Perry, he’s always on talk shows, on Christian talk shows, he has days of prayer in Texas,” she said. Christian Post

I happened to be watching Fox yesterday morning when this aired and was frankly astonished. Not because Romney was the recipient of this judgment. No, what stunned (and deeply disturbed) me was obviously the mainstream media, at least Fox News, now feels it necessary to help the body of Christ know who is a “real” Christian and who is not. 

So move over Church! No longer are you required (to discern) nor are you needed to judge righteous judgment (John 7:24). Just relax and leave it to the mainstream secular media to tell you who is/isn’t a child of God.

An aberrant form of Christianity

Rick Frueh (Judah’s Lion) has written a very good post…

I believe we are living in the last days. I have no idea about the day or hour, but the signs are becoming more and more clear. Although Israel is a secular nation whose inhabitants deny Christ for the most part, that nation seems to figure in the last days. That does not imply that God shows them any particular favor, or that we as believers should support or not support them, it just means that God has identified the nation as an end time sign. There are many other signs such as violence, sexual perversion, greed and avarice, war, national calamities, weather anomalies, and others. And one of the most prominent signs is a great falling away from within the visible church.

It is very easy for the most elementary Bible student to see the heretical teachings of the emergent church, the liberal denominations, the ecumenical movement, the health and wealth movement, and the overall slide into lethargy and utilitarian Christianity that has swept the world.

But there is another movement that is very sly and operates under a cloak of moral self righteousness and national idolatry. They are holding get togethers and so called prayer meetings to “turn America back to God”.

This is a very subtle form of spiritual decay, even when it is accompanied by much activity, host pastors, and contrived prayers. It has an observable element of moral hubris and a sense of religious clique-ism. There is little humility and much feistiness. And the overall ambiance does very little to represent the Spirit and Person of Jesus Christ. In fact, many of these events bring together many segments of evangelicalism whose theology is sometimes at odds with each other.

And this movement usually champions specific candidates because these people have professed some kind of faith in Christ along with an aggressive moral crusade. And an uncomfortable affection for the founding fathers, along with a fanciful historical account, is usually a requirement. The entire spectacle is counter productive to the gospel of Jesus Christ and is a false construct concerning the kingdom of God. The gathering is usually constructed with an array of speakers who attack the lost and the progressing liberal slant of the country and challenges the listeners to take back the country.

This kind of Christianity is contagious. It appeals to the patriotic spirit and does not address the deep spiritual issues that should be dealt with in the lives of such “patriots”. Abortion and gay rights are front and center, and in a remarkable departure from New Testament Christianity they usually address financial issues that are not considered pure capitalism. In reality, the entire movement is mired in nationalism and reflects a self righteous spirit of hedonism rather than a humble, self sacrificing spirit of servanthood.

Again, it must be considered an aberrant form of Christianity which draws believers away from Christ. It is more than just misguided, it rips at the very fabric of what it means to be a believing follower of Jesus Christ. I know, I used to be one. I do not claim an air of superiority, but I do claim to be grieved at such things when I think back to how I behaved and what I used to say. I know what it is to hate liberals and lost people who have immoral agendas, and I know how we can camouflage such hatred by suggesting we are “standing for the truth”. Does that even hint at the spirit of the cross?

If you are in a church who does not recognize the danger of such a movement then I suggest that you maintain a humble posture while attempting to be salt and light among the brethren. Resist the temptation to act like a prophet who thrives on correction, especially when you yourself was once deceived.

Ti.3:2-3 – To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 

Ah, there are the parameters in which we must live. These should be corrective commands to us all even though they are sometimes very difficult to exhibit. But like all the commandments of Christ, they must be acknowledged and practiced. Many of these nationalistic people are brothers and sisters in Christ. They must be prayed for and loved even while we correct their ways. In many ways the Christian life is a paradox, and this situation is no different. We cannot stand for one set of truths while ignoring another. And without love and humility, the gospel becomes a weapon designed to injure rather than redeem.

Oh let us return to a deeper reflection of the Lord Jesus, and a more painful denial of our own interests. His interests must be our interests, and He has no interest in politics or any so called “national interests”. Jesus is the King of a kingdom, one in which we have been made a part through faith in His death and resurrection. That cannot be our main interest, that must be our exclusive interest.

Be on guard for any movement whose focus is not the Lord Jesus and His gospel. A good rule of thumb is this: If its new, its probably not true.

A Subtle Gospel Departure by Rick Frueh

IHOP & the NAR: The Formation of a Revolution

Herescope has posted a ‘must read’ article,

Governor Rick Perry’s The Response prayer rally already has support from self-proclaimed prophets and apostles like Cindy Jacobs, Mike Bickle, Che Ahn, Doug Stringer, John Benefiel, and Jay Swallow, and now we can add one of the most prominent leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation to the list of endorsers: C. Peter Wagner.[1]

Last week C. Peter Wagner added his name to the list of The Response prayer rally endorsers.[2] This has the effect of putting the full weight of his New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) behind Texas Governor Rick Perry and his potential bid for president. The “Kansas City Prophets” via their IHOP movement was already a primary backer of this quasi-political “prayer event.” But now, with Wagner’s high-profile endorsement, the event takes on new significance. Wagner’s presence indicates the marshaling of forces of his Seven Mountains Army behind a potential presidential candidate. 

Meanwhile, on Sunday (7/10/11), IHOP moved to the national stage with a high-profile New York Times article, “Where Worship Never Pauses,”[3] which provided a superficial overview of Mike Bickle’s movement, with only a few passing nods to the longstanding controversies surrounding this group’s cult-like activities and beliefs. Bickle, in classic fashion, was able to dodge the conflict by persuading the reporter that he had “avoided direct involvement with partisan politics himself” even while acknowledging that “a member of his leadership group, Lou Engle,” has now become a high profile political activist. The article made no mention of Bickle’s longtime association with C. Peter Wagner and the NAR.

Most Tea-Partiers don’t have a clue about the significance of these endorsements from NAR and IHOP leaders. This type of prayer seems pretty benign on the surface but it is a cover for political activism. To the leaders of the NAR/IHOP movements this prayer rally is much more than just delivering votes to an anointed Tea Party candidate for 2012. The NAR/IHOP leaders hope to gain power — political power. They have already built extensive downline networks which are well-developed at the precinct level.

To them, the real issue is their agenda. The NAR/IHOP movements have an agenda which has been percolating in the backrooms for three decades, and their leaders view an event such as this The Response prayer rally as a perfect opportunity to come onto the national stage as “change agents” on the political scene.

Their agenda in a nutshell: they want to rule the world. 

Nope, this isn’t nonsense. There is a long and very well documented history behind this. There is a fascinating history of how these leaders have managed to mainstream their most controversial doctrines into evangelicaldom. The IHOP movement which is supporting Gov. Perry’s prayer rally is part and parcel of C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation and, in fact, helped to spawn the NAR and its foundational doctrines for Dominionism.

While I sincerely hope you will continue reading this important article (please continue here), at the end is a quote I want to share…

It is true that politics makes for strange bedfellows. This is especially true this past year as the New Apostolic Reformation has sought to mainstream itself into comfortable respectability in the Tea Party and Christian Right. As with any dalliance of this nature, sharing a bed with someone you don’t fully know is fraught with danger, both spiritually and physically. In this case, there are numerous dangers — not only to America but also to the individuals who are blindly aligning themselves with these leaders. Over twenty years ago Al Dager penned a sober warning in his book exposing these movements:

“While I don’t wish to label everyone who has contact with dominionists a fellow traveler, it’s obvious that those who are asked to teach on the same platform would share similar views. Otherwise their appearing together would be billed as a ‘debate’ or a ‘dialogue.’ And while they may not agree on every issue, there must be sufficient agreement in order to be supportive of one another. So those who are supportive of dominionists and/or hold to important dominionist philosophy are well known among their peers. To seek unity with them without challenging their error leaves one’s own beliefs open to question. Those who defend heretics, even if they do not believe in their teachings, are guilty of lending credibility to their heresies, and will be held accountable to God for the souls that are destroyed as a result. It’s up to those who know the truth to defend the Church against false teachers whatever the cost to unity or to personal benefit.” (Dager, p. 125)

American Family Association Embraces “Seven Mountains” Theology

“For the last several decades the Church has operated from a belief that the more Christians we have in culture, the more society would become Christianized. Consequently, evangelism has been the focus of the Church for many decades. However, this premise is flawed. Culture is most defined by the influence of the 7 cultural mountains. They are family, government, business, media, arts and entertainment, education and the church. Those who control these cultural gates exercise the greatest influence over the culture.” –  Os Hillman,The Theology of Reclaiming 7 Mountains: “Its Not About (More) Salvations”

A few months ago, a post appeared on the American Family Association’s blog criticizing the Religious Right for aligning itself with “false prophets” like Cindy Jacobs, Rick Joyner and Lou Engle. 

The post was, not surprisingly, immediately removed because the inclusion of these self-proclaimed prophets and apostles and the dominionist Seven Mountains theology they promote has largely become accepted and embraced within the movement to such an extent that leaders like David Barton are openly promoting it.

The same can now be said for the AFA itself, which featured Seven Mountains proponent Os Hillman on a recent broadcast of “Today’s Issues,” one of its flagship programs, where nearly the entire discussion was dedicated to the Seven Mountains concept.

More and video, RWW: Seven Mountains Theology Makes Its Way

*Further info about the AFA (American Family Association) - 

Today, AFA is one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country with over two million online supporters and approximately 180,000 paid subscribers to the AFA Journal, the ministry’s monthly magazine. In addition, AFA owns and operates nearly 200 radio stations across the country under the American Family Radio (AFR) banner.

Other divisions of AFA include OneNewsNow.com, an online news provider that is syndicated around the world. AFA maintains activist web sites such as OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com that rally Christian activists to contact companies asking them to drop their advertising from objectionable TV shows. AFA web sites average over 40 million hits and five million visitors each month.

AFA uses all these means to communicate an outspoken, resolute, Christian voice throughout America.

Related: Seven Mountains: Set To Go VIRAL  *  The Creeping Dominionism Of the Religious Right

“….in the book of Revelation there a “great harlot” appears, whose name is “Mystery Babylon the Great,” the originator of all the harlotries and false religions of earth. The essence of Babylonianism, as we understand from Scripture, is the attempt to gain earthly honor by means of religious authority. That is Babylonianism, and it has pervaded Christian churches…., it is the element that marks falseness in religion-the attempt to gain earthly power and prestige by means of religious authority. That is what Nimrod began and what God will ultimately destroy, as we read in the book of Revelation”- Alexander Hislop, “The Two Babylons”

Is the gospel of Jesus the Messiah for Jews?

Peter Cohen at Messianic Good News sent out notification this evening of their latest post, Is the gospel of Jesus the Messiah for Jews?

quote…

We pose this question in the face of a growing lobby within the Christian Church that is repudiating missions to Jews on the basis that they do not need to accept Jesus as their Messiah in order to be saved. Others anticipate that God will Himself, by some supernatural act – most probably at the second coming of Messiah – accomplish such a conversion. i.e. without the gospel and without our assistance.

We respond to these challenges by looking particularly at the supposed scriptural basis for a “Renunciation of Missions to the Jews” – see “Make disciples of all nations” and secondly by exposing the supposed motive for this position – see “The Gospel of Messiah – First for the Jew”.

We also republish an edited version of a 1922 Report on the Success of Jewish Missions, showing a very great harvest of souls in the 18 and early 1900’s preceding the Holocaust which demonstrates the faithfulness of God in sending his messengers out to gather in his people before calamity struck.

We have previously investigated the scriptural basis for a future mass conversion of Jews and have found these to be shaky. While we long to see 3000 added in a single day (Acts 2:41), it is rather our experience that a consistent effort over many years bears fruit unto salvation. See our article on Zechariah 12 – they will look to Me whom they have pierced and also an addendum to our recent exposition on Romans 9 to 11 – All Israel will be saved.

In addition, our response to John Haggee’s ‘In defense of Israel’ challenges this notion – see “In Defense of the gospel” 

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” – (John 1:12-13)

Birmingham Seeking to Block John Hagee Rally

Interesting. Birmingham England appears none too happy with John Hagee’s planned visit.   

Birmingham Post

Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby has been urged to cancel a planned rally led by a controversial American pastor.

Richard Burden (Lab Northfield) has written to Coun Whitby asking him to confirm whether the rally will be allowed to go ahead, and asking whether he believes it is ethical to receive payment for the event. He spoke out after US Pastor John Hagee booked Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, which is run indirectly by the council, to hold a rally and seminars on August 19 and 20. Tickets are for sale at £10 each.

Pastor Hagee has said in the past that the Holocaust was part of God’s plan to force Jews to return to Israel and claimed Hurricane Katrina was divine punishment for a planned gay pride rally.

Symphony Hall is run by a charity called Performances Birmingham Limited, which is controlled by Birmingham City Council. The board of directors includes Coun Whitby, as well as Labour group leader Sir Albert Bore. Mr Burden said:

“There is a difference between accepting Pastor Hagee’s right to speak and actively helping him to perpetrate his views by providing premises.”

A city council spokeswoman said: “If and when we receive this letter we will look at it but at this stage we do not have anything to add to what Symphony Hall has said.”

In a statement earlier this week, Chris Baldock, general manager of the Symphony Hall, said:

“We have a general open policy as regards all faith groups and have therefore accepted a booking from John Hagee Ministries. “We have been made aware of the views expressed by individual members of the public and will be liaising with the organisers to discuss the matter further.”

Mr Hagee has been criticised in the US for a series of controversial statements. He compared Adolf Hitler in one sermon to a “hunter” sent by God to force Jews to live in Israel and said the Koran gave Muslims “a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews”. He also claimed that Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,800 people in 2005, was “the judgment of God against New Orleans” because of a planned “homosexual parade”.

This Nation…

“….if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch”

“The saddest condition a man can be in on this side hell, is to sit under the most lively ordinances with a dead, stupid, untouched heart. To hear God’s Word, and see His providences, and yet not to understand and perceive His will, either in the one or in the other, is the greatest sin and the greatest judgment that can be.” - Matthew Henry 

“Men deserted of restraining grace, sin with deliberation…” – Charles Spurgeon 

“It is God’s work to give an understanding heart, and He often, in a way of righteous judgment, denies it to those to whom He has given the hearing ear, and the seeing eye, in vain.” – Matthew Henry 

In Deuteronomy 32:28, Israel is described as – “a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.” They were a people devoid of the true knowledge of the Scriptures. They were the most sottish, inconsiderate people that ever lived in that they didn’t believe the glory of God – though they saw it several times – but cast off God for vain and dunghill deities. Resultantly, they had no “understanding” of divine and spiritual things;  the Scriptures, doctrines, the person of Christ and the righteousness of God. Instead of taking on God’s righteousness, they set up a righteousness of their own.

Israel was not the only nation that was ever “void of counsel” – “having no understanding.” Perhaps the one that you live in can be described in the same fashion.

How would you describe ” a nation void of counsel” – “lacking understanding”? How does the Word of God describe it?  

This nation does not depart from evil – Job 28:28 says – “to depart from evil is understanding.” Since it lacks understanding, it is a nation that has not abandoned sin…has not forsaken every evil way…does not shun and avoid evil…and does not labor to be reconciled to Jesus by righteousness and true holiness. This nation does not hate sin…is not careful not to commit it…nor does it have a regard to God and His commandments.

This nation walks in its own counsels – Psalm 81:12 mentions a people who “walk in their own counsels” because God has given them over to their own lusts. Man is willful and loves his own way which is in direct opposition to God’s way. God withdrew His restraining grace from these people. Resultantly, they walk after the imagination of their evil heart and not after the counsel and direction of His Word.

This nation is comprised of fools who have no desire for the knowledge of God – Proverbs 1:7 mentions the “fool” who “despises wisdom and instruction.”

This nation is comprised of people who are stupid and indifferent to God’s character. They have no dread at all of His wrath nor do they desire His favor. They are men of evil hearts, heads, and ways. They treat with contempt or make no account of the knowledge of God that is available to them.

This nation lacks the right views of God and His government – Isaiah 27:11 describes a people as being “of no understanding.” Jeremiah 4:22 describes a people as being “foolish” and having “none understanding.”

This nation has no spiritual understanding of spiritual things. It cannot make the distinction between truth and falsehood or good and evil. It is sinful – wise to do evil. It is under a judicial blindness whereby it is given up to strong delusions.

This nation despises the Word of the Lord as given by His ministers – Jeremiah 8:9 describes a people who – “rejected the word of the LORD.” This nation refuses to heed the word given by those sent of God to warn. They will not be governed by it…follow its direction…nor do what they know to be right.

This nation closes its eyes upon the truth – Matthew 13:14 refers to a people who “hear, and shall not understand.”

This nation will not see the truth…rejects divine teaching… and will not understand anything contrary to their opinions and desires. This is all due to the hardness of their heart and their love for the world. They are sealed up under the darkness – deliberately preferring it to the Light of the Gospel.

These are the traits of “a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.”

Walking In Truth 

“For the time is come that judgment (‘severe trial which will determine true character’ - Barnes’ Notes on the Bible) must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” – I Peter 4:17