The Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas tries his hand at an answer, but fails to answer why God allows such extensive suffering? He Says:

“It is similarly irresponsible for anyone to second-guess God’s redemptive purpose or explain what He is doing through an individual disaster, such as the Haitian earthquake. To try and do so would be to twist the dagger in the backs of people who are hurting.”

“Where was God during this tragedy? The same place He was 2,000 years ago when His Son died. Was God in control? Of course He was. Why did He allow it? I don’t have a clue. He has not revealed His purpose.”

Well, if he doesn’t know I would suggest he find another line of work because the passage he quotes gives the answer, “Repent, or you shall likewise perish.”

“God is ultimately responsible for the earthquake in Haiti and has a reason that is beyond our ability, trapped in time, to understand or comprehend. But it would be theological ignorance coupled with absolute arrogance to try and interpret God’s actions as a judgment against a particular person or nation.”

Thank you Dr. Robert Jeffress, for keeping us in the dark. At least Pat Robertson was honest. It appears to me that Dr. Jeffress is trying hard to be religious by preaching a nice five point sermonette and never getting to the point of sin; but of course that may offend someone.

Elizabeth McAlister, Associate Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University says:

“Vodouists in the Haitian diaspora are praying on their knees today, just as Catholics and Protestants are. Why did this devastating earthquake have to happen in Haiti. . . ?  In Vodou most ritual is about finding balance, putting yourself into equilibrium with the spirits, with your family, and with yourself. In Haiti things are way out of balance. We might say that spirits of death have launched a coup d’état.”

My friend and colleague, the artist, educator, and priest of the spirits, Erol Josué, has been praying and crying in Brooklyn. Through Twitter, Facebook, and his cell phone he has learned of at least twenty dead friends in several Port-au-Prince congregations. He told me today that for him, as a spirit-worker, this event is both scientific and symbolic. This is indeed a natural disaster for Josué. But the land in Haiti is a person, he said. We consider it a woman, our mother. “Haïti Chérie,” as the well-known ballad goes. She wants to know, ‘who will make me beautiful, put clothes on me, and take care of my children?’ When you mistreat her, and uproot her trees, when you give her too much responsibility, she is like a woman with cancer. The tumor metastasizes, and explodes.

For Erol Josué, the earthquake was mother nature, the land of Haiti, rising up to defend herself against the erosion, deforestation, and environmental devastation that have been ongoing for the last few decades. Said the famous painter and Vodou priest André Pierre, “The first magician is God who created people with his own hands from the dust of the earth. No one lives of the flesh. Everyone lives of the spirit.” We humans live in the material world, and other spirits–called lwa, or mystères, “mysteries”–dwell in the unseen realm. God created the spirits to help govern humanity and the natural world.

Others, who may read this and disagree with great force, will not necessarily share it. But Vodou works through spiritual revelation, and this is the revelation Erol gives me today. Vodou has no single spokesperson and no inerrant text. It has God, the angels, and the spirits in the unseen realm.

O.K., now were getting somewhere, NOT! Obviously Ms McAlister belongs in the Emerging New Age camp of Post Modern Christianity. Can you believe these words coming out of the mouth of a “Christian”? These are those who condemn the straight talk of judgment on sin and sinners. Jeremiah would no doubt be left in the well to die, if he had to depend on Ms McAlister.; no, Ms McAlister would have been among those who put Jeremiah into the well (see Jeremiah 38).

It may be prudent to look at the writing of another person, one Silvianus c424, known for his “plain dealing” with sinners, during the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire, when the collapse was being blamed on the Christians.

THE EIGHTH BOOK

1. I think, nay, I am certain, that the great length of my argument will arouse distaste in many, especially since it upbraids our vicious lives. For most men wish praise, and no one enjoys censure. Worse than this, however evil a man is, however profligate, he would rather be falsely praised than rightly reproved, and prefers to be deceived by the mockery of false praise than healed by the most salutary admonitions. Since this is true, what are we to do? Must we accede to the will of wicked men? Or if they wish even empty praise conferred on them, is it fitting to proffer silly and meaningless eulogies? Surely we must consider that, as men of honor should not mock even those who wish to make themselves ridiculous, so they should not laud in lying phrases those who yearn to be adorned by praise, however false.  We must not take into account the preferences of individuals, but rather what is fitting for us to say, especially since the prophet said: “Woe unto them that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

We must by every means hold fast to the truth, so that what a thing is in fact, it may also be in words, and those that contain sweetness be called sweet, and those that contain bitterness, bitter.

You say, however, that he does not bid, but merely permits us to endure them. Suppose we grant this point, still I ask how far he is from ordering what he permits? For he who knows we endure such woes and can prevent our suffering them, proves beyond a doubt that we ought to endure whatever he permits. From this it is manifest that his acquiescence is part of his judgment, and that we are enduring a sentence from heaven. As all things, are subject to sacred authority and the will of God rules everything, whatever evils and whatever punishments we bear daily are the censure of his divine hand, which censure, indeed, we constantly arouse and kindle by our sins. We kindle the fire of the celestial wrath and arouse the flames by which we are burned, so that the words of the prophet may rightly be used against us as often as we endure such ills: “Make your way into the flames of the fire that you have kindled.” From this we see that according to the sacred sentence each sinner is preparing for himself the suffering that he endures.  From this we see that according to the sacred sentence each sinner is preparing for himself the suffering that he endures. None of our misfortunes can be imputed to God; we are the authors of our own misery. For God is gracious and merciful and, as the Scripture says, he wishes no one to perish or be injured. So whatever is done against us is done by our own actions; there is nothing more cruel to us than ourselves; we, I say, are torturing ourselves even against God’s will.

2. Since I have already spoken at length of the unchastity of Africa, let me now briefly discuss its blasphemies, for the paganism of the majority has had no interruption. They have indeed confined within their own walls their native crime, by which of course I mean that “Celestial” demon of the Africans, to which I suppose the pagans of old gave so fair-sounding a title in order that having no divinity it should at least have a name, and lacking any virtue derived from actual power should gain honor from its designation. Who among them has not been initiated into the worship of that idol? Who has not been dedicated to it by his very family and birth? I am not speaking now of men who are pagans as much by profession and name as in their way of life, and whose name indicates their heathen error. Paganism is certainly more tolerable and less evil in men avowedly pagan; the more deadly peril lies in the fact that many who have made their vows to Christ continue to give their real devotion to idols. For did not those who were called Christians turn from the worship of Christ to that of the “Celestial deity,” or—which is far worse—worship her even before they paid their devotions to him? Who among them did not cross the Lord’s threshold redolent of the odor of demoniacal sacrifices and go up to the altar of Christ reeking with the foulness of very demons, so that it would be less monstrous not to come at all to the Lord’s temple than to come in such a fashion? For a Christian who does not come to church is guilty of neglect, but one who comes in such a way is guilty of sacrilege. It is less difficult to atone for failure to honor God than for direct insult to him. So we see that any who have acted thus have not given honor to God, but have taken it away from him. They have even in a way given the attention due to the church of God to an idol, because that to which priority is accorded gains in honor from that which is relegated to second place. See then the faith of the Africans, and especially of the noblest among them! See what their religion and their Christianity have been! It was in scorn of Christ that men called them Christians. Though the apostle cries: “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils,” it was not enough for them to drink the cup of the Lord with the cup of devils, but they must take the latter first. It was not enough for them to match the table of devils with the Lord’s table, unless they came to the temple of God fresh from the worship of infamous superstitions and breathed on the holy altars of Christ the foul miasma of the diabolical spirit itself.

_____________________________

It is blatantly well-defined by now that the Haitian Nation exist in great sin and that a call to repentance should be the clear and plain message, a message delivered with bread in hand, but a message Plain, and Clear, that their repentance is a prerequisite to their healing.

Steve Blackwell

For an interesting article on the history of Haiti and their problems read Government Of The Devil, By The Devil, And For The Devil by Tom Barrett.

For follow-up research see the following sites:

US Department of State Report of Religious Freedom

http://www.cesnur.org/testi/irf/irf_haiti99.html

Haiti – God’s country after a ‘holy invasion’

http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/1998/dawn9802.html

Victory Over Voodoo in Haiti

http://www.christian-connection.org/print.php?sid=299

Religious Persecution Intensifies In Haiti

http://www.andyfigueroa.net/haiti.htm

Haiti; Satan’s Stronghold

http://www.raptureme.com/rap16.html

Breaking the Blood Pact

http://www.newdirections.org/index.php/pressroom

Aristide Approves Voodoo as an Official Religion

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/archives/00002966.html

Voodoo  It’s Official in Haiti

http://www.ccgm.org.au/articles/ARTICLE-0070.htm

Aristide Defends Record

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/5060184.htm

ARISTIDE MANSION

http://www.salon.com/news/1999/03/12news.html

Media Research Center http://www.mediaresearch.org/printer/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040302pf.asp

Pearl of the Antille

http://www.rminet.org/retreat_center.htm

Aristide Must Go The Weekly Standard

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/795ywram.asp

Aristide Claims He Was Kidnapped from Haiti

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040306/wl_nm/haiti_aristide_dc_1

Islamic Influences on Haitian Voodoo

http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/islam.htm

The Challenges Facing Haiti

http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/bookreviews/arisfarmplum.htm

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPyyXQN8cG0

Christians who attack Pat are without understanding of the workings of God in the world, and especially in these perilous end days. God has always judged the world and His children for its sins, so what’s the problem with preaching it?

Now, look at the world you live in. What do you see? You see a world decaying before your very eyes; a world of ugly, decaying, death; a world controlled by an unseen force of evil, occupied by a race of beings with a death sentence on them, humans bewitched into believing they see goodness, value and beauty where none exist, only filth; a world about to disappear. The story of Jesus’ love is a story of how the spell has been broken; of how the blinders have been removed, and of how we say thank you. Even those who have no Hope, those who have bought into the Great Lie can see that the world is rapidly accelerating towards self destruction, this is apparent. What they don’t see is the solution. Some of you see the Solution, as I did, but choose to allow the weeds of your life to come in and choke the tender new growth. It is a choice you make, and unfortunately, others are affected by your choices. Because you are weak you think you have an excuse and that God understands your particular set of circumstances, or that you can continue in your weakness for just a few more days. Your “particular” sin will find you out, and then it will be too late, as the sins of Haiti found them out.

In December 2005 the main topic of discussion was the Tsunami tragedy. Both Christian and non-Christian people were confused, and insurance companies were calling it an act-of-God and just leaving it there. People can’t understand how a “good” God would allow 200,000 “innocent” people to die.  Lk. 13:1-9 says everything that needs to be said for those who want the truth. Luke 13:1-9 “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’” Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” It was generally accepted by the Jews of that time, and some today, that if something bad happens to you it is because of sin in your life, in other words if a building falls on you, you must have been very bad. Jesus’ simple answer was, “no, that isn’t true. But, unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” So, Jesus answer to the Tsunami disaster, and the Haiti disaster, is “no, God did not cause this disaster, but He did allow it, and unless you repent you will likewise perish.” The parable that follows sheds much light on the matter. What some will see here is a mean natured God; others will see a God of Mercy. What you discover is that the wrong question is being asked. They, and we, ask “why did God do this or allow this to happen?” By understanding the parable and what Jesus is trying to teach us we understand that the question should be, “Why does a perfectly “just” God tolerate anyone to live, why doesn’t He destroy all mankind, not just a few?” The answer is “MERCY.” In the parable God is the owner of the tree and Jesus is the gardener, who asks for mercy on the tree for a period of time, to try and make the tree fruitful. God is a merciful God who has waited and waited and waited, but He will not wait forever, and He may choose to allow America to suffer likewise.

All this is happening in the world while Americans play dumb and place their hope in the lottery, worship materialism, idolize Hollywood, praise sports, fill their bellies, cheat their friends and neighbors, hate their boss, and commit unfaithful acts of all kinds. And, we do all this thinking we’re perfectly normal, declaring to the mirror on the wall that we’re, “the fairest of them all.” Pornography, mutilation of the body, 4,000,000 dead babies, 50% divorce rate inside the church, all kinds of selfish addictions, mass mental illness, murder, rape, homosexualism, child molestation, and everything evil is on the rise in the “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.” Americans along with many all over the world are under the curse of believing they can live as they want and fix any problem that comes along while they secretly contemplate suicide. They chase the “illusive butterfly of love” and happiness while walking a tightrope over Hell, without a net. We are a country gone mad. Not only can we not catch the, “butterfly of love” it doesn’t even exist, it’s an illusion. There is no love, happiness, or life apart from Jesus. The “American Dream” has become a nightmare.

Heb 3:6-15 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”   See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
Ps 9:7-10 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Rom 2:5-11 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”   To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

Rev 6:15-7:1 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
2 Peter 3:3-10 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Matt 11:20-12:1 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Isa 58:1-12 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,’ and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the accusing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
I have tried to write you a letter of love and desperation. There are only two groups of people: those who are Christian and those who God is calling to become Christians. The Bible says, “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” If you are unsaved, glorifying God may not sound too exciting, but the truth is that you were created for that purpose.

What has happened in Haiti is horrible, and they need help, but all the liberals and their social gospel (which is no gospel) of only good deeds will fill their bellies just to send them to Hell. They are sinners who desperately need to be saved. This is not just a warning to Haiti, this is warning to the whole world, including the Christian world.

Repent, or you shall likewise perish.

Steve Blackwell

It is beyond me how anyone with half a brain could sit and listen to men like Perry Noble, Mark Driscoll, Rick Warren, or a hundred others in their blood line and not pickup on their falsehood. The only answer is “Strong Delusion.”

We read in Scripture of the strong drink that the nation will be made to drink of, and the drunken state that will be the result. “A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.’” What we began to experience in the circus church was a spectacle, and still is, but it has moved on to an intoxicated fisticuff.

I have followed loosely Ken Silva at Apprising Ministries and Christian Research Net, and Lighthouse Trails documenting of Perry Noble at New Spring Church in Anderson S.C., but have never commented, till now. After reading about the account of the leadership at New Spring, going way over the line, in their attack of James Duncan for his critique of Perry Noble, and Perry’s strong arm response of intimidation, a word of warning is overdue from this site.

In an interview with Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith Radio, James Duncan, a Professor at Anderson University advises all believers to start a discernment blog to warn of the imminent danger that is at hand; this is good advise. The interview, “Perry Noble’s Employees Assassinate the Character of a Critic,” needs to be listened to. Perry is a growing influence in the Seeker Sensitive, Mega Church movement and is charting the course for many market driven Churches. This man brings violence one step closer to the elimination of all Bible believing Christians, and he gets support for his deeds.

Also, on James Duncan’s own blog, Pajama Pages, James documents, in detail, how  these so called followers of Christ, tried to destroy him for openly criticizing Perry Noble.

Perry Noble, like Mark Driscoll, preachs a very worldly and flesh oriented message, and by so doing gather to themselves large followings of those who gravitate to the base nature of man, rather than to the Cross, where the flesh and the world are put away. Perry openly feeds his congregation the filth of the world, then tries to intimidate, by his crude rashness, anyone who would dare disagree with him.

This is the trend of Church Growth today, the blind leading the blind into accepting a false, flesh gratifying, Im O.K., You’re O.K. as long as you don’t take the Bible too serious, kind of Gospel.

Perry Noble, Mark Driscoll, and Rick Warren are the worst of the worst, but there are many others who exist on the fringes of their teachings and who have not ventured out of the closets yet, but they will come. They exist up and down Main Street, in your town and across the Nation, and have listened to these men and rehearsed their methods in their own Churches, and envy their success, and secretly desire their fame for themselves. They live and play on the edge of a dangerous cliff and promote the teaching of these men as if it were their own, and encourage their flock to graze ever closer to the edge, all the while saying it is good and healthy for their soul; Peace, Peace, but there is no Peace sayeth the Lord.

These men never blush for their wickedness, but encourage others to celebrate this new kind of freedom. The freedom they celebrate is freedom from the narrow way; it is freedom from the Cross, which is freedom from Christ.

Hag 2:12-14

“If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?”‘” Then the priests answered and said, “No.” And Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord , ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.”

These verses speak loudly to a nation caught in its sin, and it speaks loudly to these American Churches. Where did the mentality come from that says, that if we put a Christian in the midst of the world we can make it holy; that by a Christian presence we can spread holiness? Where did the mentality come from that says that a Christian can maintain their purity when simultaneously mingling with impurity? Who said that we could keep an open relationship with the world and come away unscathed? It is a lie, it cannot be done.

Haggai here declares the same; it cannot be done. The pure person cannot by being with impurity and mixing with them impart his purity to them. But, to the contrary, if a holy person touches an unclean thing the holy person becomes unclean. To say it plainly: corruption and sin are more easily transferred to the righteous than righteousness transferred to the unrighteous. So the rule seems to be plain enough. Don’t think that an evil person living in the midst of goodness will commend that goodness to the evil person. The Spirit has declared that it is not so, but this is exactly what we see, routinely, in the institutional Church. We advertise, we promote, we poll neighborhoods, we beg and we plead that the world would please come and be a part of us, and they have, and we have become corrupted and unclean, deluded, because we now see as the world sees, and we see that the world’s ways and means have great promise for the Church. We have become an unclean thing and we don’t know how to repent, so the Lord will come to us in our darkest hour, and we will see our nakedness and be ashamed.

Repentance and shame is not in the vocabulary of these men, they exalt there shame and draw ovations from their flatterers.

As we watch the world tumble and turn, and the organized church slip into apostasy, words start taking on new value, meaning, and understanding, both for the worldly Christian and for those enlightened souls who recognize the fulfillment of end time prophecy. We have witnessed, in our generation, the grand sermons of talented preachers, with their endless chatter, flowing like a fermented mash, to inebriated crowds, bellying up to the bar for a round of worldly religion, and seen them stumble home, and still manage to confess, in the face of their sin, their creedal and national allegiance, then fall for the umpteenth time while convinced, by their pastor, that they can live in the world and not be of it. They are not only in the world, they are awash in it; it covers them; they have become to the “world,” just, the “religious world,” no different than those outside, just more cocksure that’s all.

The words of Scripture are very clear today.

2 Cor 6:14-7:1

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

Steve Blackwell

Steve Blackwell

Rick Warren’s New Magazine Promotes the New Global Spirituality

When Lighthouse Trails reported in November of 2006 that New Age leader Marianne Williamson came to Rick Warren’s defense regarding his strategy to bring about global peace, tying it in with global meditation, it became clear to some that it was just a matter of time before Rick Warren came out of the “new spirituality” closet. That day is much closer now with the launching of the premier edition of his new magazine, the Purpose Driven Connection.

After subscribing online to the magazine, Lighthouse Trails received the first issue less than 24 hours later by U.S. mail. While the customer service and delivery was remarkable, the content of the magazine is troubling.

The 144 glossy page, high quality magazine has been put together by a professional team of editors, marketing engineers, and design directors and will be issued four times a year at a cost of $29.99 annually or $10 an issue. Rick Warren is the Editor-in-Chief, and is also one of the main writers. On a first run through, one thing becomes quickly apparent – this is a promotional project for Rick Warren and his Purpose Driven Movement. Aside from articles written by him and about him, as well as the mention of his name in numerous spots, there are 18 photos of Rick Warren throughout the publication.

But a pricey magazine filled with the chief editor’s name and picture does not constitute serious concern. What does, however, is the material within its cover. The magazine reads like a Robert Schuller, Norman Vincent Peale, and Peter Drucker book all rolled into one with articles written by contemplative proponents Mark Batterson, Max Lucado, Bill Hybels, and Lee Strobel.

An emphasis in the magazine is “connection.” In the “Editor’s Letter,” Rick Warren says: “YOU WERE CREATED FOR CONNECTIONS…. Life is all about connecting. A disconnected life is merely existing” (p.2-3). Warren promises that the Purpose Driven Connection will give the “power” and the tools for this connection. “Power flows through connections…. When you’re a member of the Purpose Driven Connection, we’ll help you develop the four kinds of relationships you need in order to grow: mentors, models, partners, and friends” (p. 3).

In addition to the magazine, an online community, a Personal Spiritual Health Assessment, and Small Group Study Guides, Warren plans on offering PDC Courses, Summits, Retreats, Coaches, Weekends, and more. With so many venues being offered to members, it is a fair question to ask what resources and influences will be used to provide all this training.

Those who have tracked Rick Warren over the past several years, using biblical discernment, know there have been New Age implications in his teachings and his persuasions. Warren Smith, in his book Deceived on Purpose, laid out many of these implications and Warren’s tie to New Age sympathizer Robert Schuller. In the premier issue of Purpose Driven Connection, Warren has once again brought in New Age influences, which are given as tools to build Purpose Driven connections.

In a section of the magazine called “The Scene,” one page is devoted to popular “Christian” books. Warren has included books that have contemplative and or emerging slants, such as Brennan Manning’s Ragamuffin Gospel, as well as listing The Shack as a “notable best-selling Christian” book (no disclaimer or warning provided, which gives the indication to readers that this is a good trustworthy book, and yet within its pages is the message of the Black Madonna, that God is in all things.

Even more troubling, on that same page of Purpose Driven Connection is a book titled Led by Faith written by Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagaza with a foreword written by Rick Warren. Ilibagaza’s story is a most incredible and heart rending story of her survival, hiding in a cramped bathroom with a group of other women during the Rwandan genocide. But Ilibagaza’s message is one that resonates with New Age leader Wayne Dyer, who has vigorously promoted Ilibagaza. Her books are published by Dyer’s publisher, one of the largest and most prolific New Age publishers today, Hay House. It is Dyer who said that A Course in Miracles would be the way to bring peace to the world. In Ilibagaza’s first book, Left to Tell, she acknowledges Dyer’s influence in her life.

This Lighthouse Trails report is not intended to bring criticism against a woman who suffered so much in Rwanda. It is rather to show that America’s most popular evangelical pastor, who few Christian leaders have dared to challenge on his beliefs and actions, is moving swiftly toward a global spirituality that will ultimately reject the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. The Purpose Driven Connection is a step toward this reality.

Immaculee Ilibagaza, a Catholic, has also written a book about Mary apparitions called Our Lady of Kibeho. On Ilibagaza’s website, it reads:

“After the genocide, and two decades of rigorous investigation, Our Lady of Kibeho became the first and only Vatican-approved Marian (that is, related to the Virgin Mary) site in all of Africa. But the story still remains largely unknown. Now, Immaculee Ilibagaza plans to change all that. She made many pilgrimages to Kibeho both before and after the holocaust, personally witnessed true miracles, and spoke with a number of the visionaries themselves.”

Some may feel that for Rick Warren to write the foreword (and promote in his magazine) to a book that has a story of such incredible suffering, releases him from any obligation. But in light of Rick Warren’s major influence on millions of people and given the fact he claims to be a Bible believing Christian, he is obligated indeed. To promote a book and author, in the name of Christianity, that points to Wayne Dyer (author of Living the Wisdom of the Tao and Real Magic) and Mary apparitions is misleading and unruly.

On the back page of the Purpose Driven Connection sits a full page promotion for an organization called Hands on Network, which is now part of the Points of Light Institute. The promotional reads: “It is Through People That Change Happens in the World. Take action. Be the change.” The “Be the Change” theme is prevalent in the global spirituality efforts. As we have previously reported, Rick Warren is on the “Leadership Council” of a liberal organization, Service Nation (Be the Change, Inc, which is working toward mandatory volunteer service for Americans. The motto of Service Nation, “Be the Change,” is taken from Hindu guru, Mahatma Gandhi and a motto that both Rick Warren and President Barack Obama would agree upon. Incidentally, in the middle section of Purpose Driven Connection is a full page photo of Rick Warren and President Barack Obama, along with a five page interview Warren did with Obama, which states that Obama’s “Christian beliefs … “influence his views on faith, abortion, freedom, and evil” (p. 74).

What is most tragic about the Purpose Driven Connection is that Rick Warren presents stories of those who have truly suffered in one form or another (persecution, natural disaster, poverty, etc), but he is using these stories to further his plans for a Purpose Driven world and has left much of truth behind, offering a false spirituality in its place. It is equally disturbing, that in a world where so many have either rejected Jesus Christ or not heard about him at all, in what could perhaps be the 11th hour before the return of Christ, a man who claims to be a Christian and who many say is the major representative for evangelical Christians goes virtually unchallenged by Christian leaders and the majority of Christian pastors and professors. The question must be asked, is Rick Warren hiding behind the sufferings of the world in order to masquerade his plans of a new universal reformation that will include all religious persuasions and will offer the world a “gospel” that offends no one, yet for that very reason can save no one?

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
(1 Timothy 4:1-3)

How many times have we put our trust in individuals who, if they knew we were Christians, would gladly feed us to the lions. Many today are proud of their anti-Christian associations and even promote their anger and hatred over the internet and with placards, and billboards, and bumper stickers, even in Indiana. Some day that hatred will reach a fever pitch, and Jews and Christians will become like varmints, to be destroyed. It may be hard to believe, but it is true, and it may be sooner than we think; are you ready!

Steve Blackwell

One of the craftiest things that the Devil has pulled on an entertainment, experiential, existential, and empirical driven church is that he has effectively voided out “faith” as the Churches means of pleasing God. Faith has now become only a religious word used to signify to the “brethren” that they are connected to the spirit world. It is not something that they actually practice or can explain, but just another word like: apostasy, atonement, blasphemy, confession, eschatology, testimony, repentance, or sinner, that confirms to everyone listening that they are a member of the lodge or club. Why is this? Why is it that there is such a move to be creative in our approach to God? Is it to get God’s attention or applause? Yes, that is it! It is because of the silence of the Lamb that we are making such a commotion! It is because of a Satanic prescription that we must “raise” God’s awareness that we are here. We will not admit that this is the case, but it is. This is nothing new; it was the whole idea behind idol worship in the first place; it was a lack of “FAITH.” The Devil doesn’t require that we exercise faith to worship him, he only requires action, creativity, and intelligence. When the silence becomes deafening we take matters into our own hands. We have read of the outward manifestations of God in the Old Testament, and the confirmation of the Spirit in power, sealing the New Testament, then silence. . . . I have a friend who never shuts up, if there is silence he feels that something must be wrong, so he talks, not realizing that everything is O.K. It comes from a sense of insecurity, or guilt, or some other fault in his reasoning, so he is always trying to fix something that isn’t broke.

Whether we want to admit it or not, one of the characteristic marks of the age of Grace is silence. Whirlwind, earthquake, and fire may create awe, as in the days of the old Prophet Elijah, but God is not in these, He is in the “still small voice” 1 Kings 19:11,12. This still small voice speaks of Grace and Mercy and Trust, and seeks to win lost men from the power of darkness that broadcast itself, and is loud, and is the tasteless showiness of men in all their desperateness and creativeness. This very silence is an expression and token of God, that His throne is now a throne of Grace, through faith. The only noise we hear is the noise of men projecting their god, because the silence threatens their religion. But, that very silence, of God’s grace, is appealed to as the crowning proof that God is but a myth. This is the favorite trick of the blasphemer in tempting God to show Himself, and declare Himself, to be all powerful through some manifestation, but only silence. . . . Do not fear, in days to come, God will take up the challenge, and death will seize upon men who in days past demanded signs.

We have a God who will not remain silent, and when He speaks the world will know it, for there is coming a great shaking, and men will desire forever death at the sound of His voice.

In this age of God’s grace we need only faith to trust Him; His word is enough. He has shown Himself mighty. Is that enough for you? Then obey Him! No more excuses. Be done with the leaven, be done with the signs and wonders, be done with the lust for things of this world, be done with the flesh. Hold tight to Jesus, and believe Him, and trust Him, and obey Him. Don’t fear the silence of the Lamb, fear the ROAR of the Lion.

Steve Blackwell

What could be better for the miracle industry than to have a respected magazine do a spread endorsing miracles and extra Biblical experiences. The following Link to Market Watch ,which is a part of the Wall Street Journal digital network, ran this article by Share International about the return of Maitreya, the World Teacher, with miracles.  “British futurist Benjamin Creme, foremost spokesperson for this message, has for 30 years been preparing the way for Maitreya’s emergence. He is the author of 12 books, translated into numerous languages, and editor of Share International magazine. Maitreya, the World Teacher, has not come alone, but with a group of wise Teachers who have long guided humanity from behind the scenes.”

This would not be a cause for alarm if it weren’t directed toward Christians. Christians have long known that the world possessed many unusual deities and forms of devil worship. But with the advent of “Emerging,” “Mega,” and the general apostasy of the Protestant Church the flood gates to the sanctuary have been opened wide, and every foul and unclean bird is seen as a harmless canary.

I have said several times in past post that the intent of my articles is not to convert the world to my position, or to even turn apostate Christianity to repentance, but to simply warn those who have been given the ability to hear and to see, and provide needed light for the next few steps.

Multitudes are being led to their doom by the craftiness of flimflam men dressed in pretty clothes with pretty words, having hearts filled with darkness. These men know you are hungry and thirsty but they don’t offer you food or water, only promises. They know that you are wandering from shore to shore in search of food and drink, but the food they give will kill, and the water they hold out to you is polluted and stinks of the pit it came from.

The Bible states that God would, in the last days, send a strong delusion “that they should believe the lie.” That day has arrived and the general Christian population is rapidly becoming deluded.  Today real Christianity appears so bland next to the exhibitionism of the modern church and the slick marketing of tabloid Christianity, and throw into that mix the latest guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, God’s direction to “be ye holy even as I am Holy” seems kind of boring.

Just as Jesus’ life and appearance had no slick marketing appeal and there was no great desire stirred by His simple life, so the true Church today is overlooked in favor of the extravagant and conspicuous behavior going on at every level of the organized church.  Granted, some will say that Jesus had a great following, but where were they on the day of His execution? There were many then, as there are now, who love a good show, and hang around for the fish and the loaves, but the Church, on the day of its execution will be few in number, compared to the vast “following” it boast of now.

There is a truth to all that exist now, and there is a truth as to the true nature of the Church, and can only be known to those who have sold out to It. Truth does not lay on top of the ground like so much trash, it has to be mined and every ounce hidden as a precious treasure, a commodity purchased with your whole life. Solomon instructs us to “buy the truth, and sell it not.” Today we have bought the “lie” and at a bargain price, but in the end we will find that it was only fools gold, and worthless.

There is an alternate plan to holding onto the truth, and here it is. Ignore everything you have ever heard about who Jesus was and is. Stop what you are doing and make a list of what it is that makes you feel good, the things that get you high on life, and go after them, at any cost, and as fast as you can, because, you see, you only have one chance to enjoy life, so get all you can, ………………………………….THEN IT IS OVER.

Steve Blackwell

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

The initial questions that come to my mind after reading this are these:
1.    Who are the “them” that we are to separate from?
2.    What is the “unclean thing” that we are not to touch?

Who are the “them” that we are to separate from?

When everything is boiled down in the world there remains only two classes of people: believers and unbelievers, and this distinction is to be carried forward into the Church also. In other words, as Paul states, “all are not Israel that are of Israel” and not all are Christians who profess Christ, or prominently display a picture of a fish on their car bumper.

Being unequally yoked goes further than marrying an unbeliever, or becoming a business partner with an infidel, which is common enough. Unbelievers are “unclean” and should be avoided except where absolutely necessary. The plain message of Scripture, both O.T. and N.T. is to have nothing to do with them. Any association with the world is to be “unequally yoked.” So, how does this carry over into the Church today? It doesn’t carry over at all. Virtually any and all relationships are acceptable. I was getting my hair cut the other day from my “Christian” barber and our conversation landed on children and schooling and I volunteered that all of my seven grandchildren were being home-schooled. My barber added that that was a good thing, but that they should be, at about eleven or twelve, put into public school so that they could learn to socialize properly. I responded that that would be the worst possible age to do such a thing. Did he really believe that the world had something of value to teach my grandchildren? Yes, he did, and this coming from a “Christian.” The world to him was not an “unclean thing,” but rather necessary for our full development. This man, in my estimation is an “unbeliever.” He does not believe the Scripture rule of separation, and is skeptical of the value of this verse in this present age; he is faithless and deluded and probably lost. My only association with this person would be to fulfill my mission to deliver the Gospel, and that is all. He exhibited no signs of being a Christian except that he said he was a Christian and went to a building he called his church. This man is the run of the mill Christian, and no doubt has a form of godliness, but denies the power that makes a person Godly, faith and trust that God is who He said He is, and will do what He said He would do, no skepticism allowed.

Today the rule of not being “unequally yoked” should mean, to most serious Christians, that they be not joined in communion with most of those who simply say they are Christians and pack out the pews of the places they call “Church.” The serious Christian has only one recourse when the local church has become the local whorehouse or den of thieves, and that is to separate from them and “touch not the unclean thing.”

But, let’s not stop now while we’re having so much fun, let’s go deeper still. Let’s touch that nerve that will win you enemies faster than talking bad about their mother, their golden calf, the T.V. I told the Post Master of the post office in the little town where I live that I didn’t watch television anymore. She responded that she had heard of rare cases of individuals who didn’t watch T.V., but that she had never, in her whole life, met one. When I told her that I didn’t listen to the radio either, not even Rush Limbaugh, or subscribe to news papers, she began wondering if I wasn’t part of some strange cult. I reassured her that I was simply a Christian trying to keep my focus. At that time I never realized what a hold Hollywood had on people. The yoke that Christians have with Hollywood and its celebrity priest can be honestly called a shackle of carbide steel, welded shut, with the key thrown away. The influence that Hollywood carries on Christian lives is the worst kind of bondage, introducing all sorts of filthiness and uncleanness under the guise that it is just entertainment, and that if you don’t want to watch it all you have to do is turn it off. Next to religion, T.V. is the drug of choice for nearly all “Christians.”

Is television an unclean thing? Without a doubt it is evil to the core, lock, stock, and barrel. I feel that if Christians could destroy all their T.V.’s it would go very far in reversing the curse that has engulfed our nation. I also feel that the likelihood of that happening would be equal to our ability to successfully land a man on the surface of the sun. “Can a man carry fire in his bosom and not get burnt?” The fire of Hell burns in Hollywood and in our Christian homes.

What is the “unclean thing” that we are not to touch?

The Old Testament laws were given as types and shadows for us today of the vast degree to which one must go to stay pure, and the vast degree to which the world will corrupt a pure soul, and the consequences that must inevitably follow.  The Israeli people are our example of how it works, of both the blessings of being pure, and the curse of compromise. But, somehow we on this side of the Cross have concluded that all has changed. We, the American Christian Church, have been, aptly and generously, instructed that by quoting, like some sort of mantra, “you are in the world but not of it” you can handily sidestep every situation in which you find yourself tempted to purity. It is like having a “get out of jail free card” for worldly Christians. This verse is quite possibly the most well known and quoted Bible passage in the Laodicean Church of America. This verse is used far and wide to justify everything worldly, and it is used by both leaders and laymen to the same degree. This verse has become the antidote to “touch not the unclean thing.”

How is it that the Church has effectively overridden the express mandate to NOT be unequally yoked, and to touch not the unclean thing? Jesus reminded the Pharisees that their faulty understanding of Scripture did not void out the true meaning. The law instructed them to take care of their parents. Jesus said,

Mark 7:10-13
Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’;* and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’* But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban” — ‘ (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Likewise, the Laodicean Church of America says, “whatever you can justify by covering it with the phrase “in the world but not of it” will effectively eliminate any guilt association that might be caused by having to live in the world.

The Laws of Moses appear to be difficult and meaningless to us who live under the shadow of the Cross and not under the shadow of the Law. Nonetheless, there is much meaning in the law for us today. The Law showed the seriousness of doing the things the way the world did things. The Jews were a separated people and their life, and the way they lived it, were distinguishable from everything around them, not so much by their inclusion of things, but by their exclusion and separateness. God’s ways were not to be looked at as something that was added to what they already had or knew, but that God’s ways were the right ways, and the only right ways. Therefore, the normal life of the Jew was to exclude anything that was contrary to the way of God, and that was the rule, and that is our rule. Yoking ourselves to the world was illustrated in the O.T. by the prohibition of ploughing with an ox and an ass, or to have sown differing kind of seeds together, or sewing wool and cotton together. What an absurdity to think that we can blatantly mix darkness and light, good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness, God and the Devil. What communion do we have with the world in any of its vast corruptions, even when it has a veil “Christian” spread across its bumper. We are the Temple of the Living God and the danger is immense that by thinking lightly, that we are in the world, we can touch the unclean thing without consequences. Today our unbelief is flagrant and the consequences paralyzing.

The unclean thing is no less than the dunghill of this present world and its inhabitants. We are commanded to “come out from among them” and to keep a very safe distance, “to be separate,” as one would avoid a society of lepers, or the plague, for fear of being infected or defiled in the presence of the God we say we cherish. How close can one get to a smoking fire and not come away smelling. We must not defile ourselves, and we must not mingle, bind, or unite, with those who do. Do we thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise?

A Defiled People

Hag 2:12-14

“If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?”‘” Then the priests answered and said, “No.” And Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the Lord , ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

These verses speak loudly to a nation caught in its sin, and it speaks loudly to America. Where did the mentality come from that says, that if we put a Christian in the midst of the world we can make it holy; that by a Christian presence we can spread holiness? Where did the mentality come from that says that a Christian can maintain their purity when simultaneously mingling with impurity? Who said that we could keep an open relationship with the world and come away unscathed? It is a lie, it cannot be done.

Haggai here declares the same; it cannot be done. The pure person cannot by being with impurity and mixing with them impart his purity to them. But, to the contrary, if a holy person touches an unclean thing the holy person becomes unclean. To say it plainly: corruption and sin are more easily transferred to the righteous than righteousness transferred to the unrighteous. So the rule seems to be plain enough. Don’t think that an evil person living in the midst of goodness will commend that goodness to the evil person. The Spirit has declared that it is not so, but this is exactly what we see, routinely, in the institutional Church. We advertise, we promote, we poll neighborhoods, we beg and we plead that the world would please come and be a part of us, and they have, and we have become corrupt and unclean, deluded, because we now see as the world sees, and we see that the world’s ways and means have great promise for the Church. We have become an unclean thing and we don’t know how to repent, so the Lord will come to us in our darkest hour, and we will see our nakedness and be ashamed.

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As we watch the world tumble and turn, and the organized church slip into apostasy, words start taking on new value, meaning, and understanding, both for the worldly Christian and for those enlightened souls who recognize the fulfillment of end time prophecy. We have witnessed, in our generation, the grand sermons of talented preachers, with their endless chatter, flowing like a fermented mash, to inebriated crowds, bellying up to the bar for a round of worldly religion, and seen them stumble home, and still manage to confess, in the face of their sin, their creedal and national allegiance, then fall for the umpteenth time while convinced, by their pastor, that they can live in the world and not be of it. They are not only in the world, they are awash in it; it covers them; they have become to the “world,” just, the “religious world,” no different than those outside, just more cocksure that’s all.

This is the “Church” in America. We have become the poster child of the Laodicean Church and we don’t even know it. We have fallen, and can’t get up, nor do we want to! Amos’ prophecy of a famine that would not be of food or water, but of the Word of God, describes the complacency and self-assurance the Laodicean Church has found feeding on corn husk and wallowing in mire. The Church of Laodicea can not even conceive what is meant by “touch not the unclean thing.” Surely, to the Church in America this only means: don’t get caught stealing, or only get religious tattoos. Don’t say the g-d word; don’t lust after women openly while church members are with you; it’s O.K. to get married for the second and third time, because God knows you need sex, and having ill feelings toward the homeless is acceptable, (because they’re probably all drug addicts, and losers anyway); don’t watch XXX rated movies, but the filth during halftime is O.K., and the list goes on, and on, and on. The Laodicean Church really has no qualms about doing any of the things listed above, that all the rest of the Church members are also doing, including the leaders, which is the same as the world is doing, only the world doesn’t have their “get out of jail free” card to play. Being part of the status quo is comforting to them, and if one of their own happens to color outside the lines of satisfactory behavior, and go beyond the veil of their “cure all” verses,  it’s alright, there is an endless supply of forgiveness potion on hand.

What in Heaven could the Lord have meant by “touch not the unclean thing” if everything we see in the organized Church, seemingly, meets His approval? I can assure you that the real meaning has much more to do with how we love  Jesus (i.e. obedience) than it has with practicing acceptable Laodicean religion, whose highest goal is self satisfaction, pleasing men, and appearing righteous and holy, while “looking good”: cars, clothes, hair, teeth, education, electronic gadgets, position, endorsements, acquaintances, neighborhood, nationality, race, etc, etc, etc.

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There is a special feature of this age that has become a  religion in its own right, and that is, religious skepticism. There are very many who are openly skeptic, and call themselves “Christian” and celebrate their inconsistency. It amazes me that the very thing in which we are called to exercise “faith” they will wholeheartedly reject because it doesn’t make sense to them or fit their lifestyle. Then there are the ignorant skeptics, who can not put a definition to their dilemma, or even know they have a dilemma, but are no less unbelievers than their brothers the “open skeptics.” This thing which should be the cause of anxiety–which denies a Christianity of “revelation” and obedience–becomes to them a form of godliness which disallows the power of true Godliness. Their skepticism and unbelief come all nicely clothed in the cloth of being “in the world but not of it,” how convenient.

2 Tim 3:5

…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Isn’t today’s institutional Church the epitome of these words spoken by Paul to Timothy? And, what is his conclusion?, “and from such turn away!” But we don’t turn away, we embrace, and are encouraged to embrace the more, and to tolerate, regardless of the filthiness. In every aspect of Church life touching the unclean, is promoted, and even advertised as being “good.” we have adopted all their ways: business practices, music, dress, education, even their means of reaching God.

We live in a country whose “believers” believe it has no reason to repent. Doesn’t the command to “repent” assume guilt? We are a guilty nation and so thoroughly infected that “guilt” has no meaning and consequently there is no need to repent.

Time is short and there is much work to be done, and few there be that do it.

“. . .Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. . . .”

Steve Blackwell