.....The United States Of Religion!

AOL recently printed an article on the religiosity of America as a whole. A Gallup poll taken in 2011 separated people into three main categories: very religious, moderately religious and nonreligious. I'll give you an overview of the information gathered.

People who stated that religion is an important part of their daily life and who attend religious services every week or nearly every week were considered 'very religious' and comprised 40% of the population. Those who said they were 'moderately religious' were classified in two ways. Either they said religion is important but they don't usually attend services or they attend church services but don't consider religion to be important. These folks comprised 28% of the population.

Why one would bother going to church if religion was not important to them beats me! Maybe it's the let's-go-to-church-to-be-seen-because-that-is-what-a-good-person-does crowd, and therefore they feel content that they did their duty to God and can live like hell the rest of the week. After all, we know that "I'm a good person" will absolutely cut it with a Holy God when "I'm a good person" stands before Him. And, boy oh boy, there are a bazillion "I'm a good person" kind of folks in America. That's about the only kind of person I talk to!

Then there is the last category. These people are probably the most truthful of the bunch. Religion is not an important part of their daily life and they seldom or never attend religious services and are, of course considered 'nonreligious.' They made up 32% of the American population.

As expected, 8 of the 10 most religious states are located in the Bible Belt of the South and are Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia with Mississippi ranking as the 'most religious state' in the Union. The other 2 states in this category are Oklahoma and Utah, the majority of whose residents are Mormon. They were awarded the honor of being 'the most religious group in America today.' Oh yay. A twisted, mishmash of bizarre beliefs and blasphemous statements about Jesus Christ represents the most religious group in this country. No wonder the USA is going to hell in a hand- basket!

There are 12 'least religious states' and 6 are in New England. These are New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island with Vermont nabbing the 'most heathen' award for the whole country. I guess those folks in Vermont are too busy sucking syrup out of Maple trees to give God much thought.

Other states in the 'least religious' category are, Alaska (next door to Russia, what can you expect?), Oregon (The Wicca State), Nevada and Washington (The let's worship a tree State). The last 2 are the District of Columbia (completely Godless!) and, surprise, surprise, New York.

So what does all this mean? According to Gallup, America remains a generally religious nation, with more than 2/3 of the residents classified as very or moderately religious. These statistics bring up some interesting questions.

What does Gallup even mean when they use the term 'religious?' I suppose that would encompass all Christian beliefs which would include the many Protestant denominations and 'non-denominational' congregations. Apparently they consider Mormonism to be a religion. What about Scientology and their mother ship? Are they including Muslims? What about Buddhists or Hindus? The Wiccans? The luciferians and plain 'ol satanists?

And, of course, we can't forget the Catholics, because NO one can put on some religion like the Catholics! The robes. The ceremonies. The metal thingy's with incense and smoke being waved about. Genuflecting to a graven image of Christ on the cross. Sprinkling holy water on the faithful. Sitting in a little wooden hut, confessing your sins to some unseen voice who thinks he has the ability to forgive you, along with the seemingly endless hour and a half of men with funny hats, mumbling Latin which no one in the building can understand. Mmmm, Lord knows I love me some Catholics! Now THAT'S what I call a good show of religion!

But, if the majority of America is religious and all these people of varying beliefs are trying to find their way to God or their concept of a transcendent Being, why are we acting so wicked and aborting 4000-5000 babies a day? How does that fit in with the definition of 'religion?' Of raising ourselves up to a higher level of being and enlightenment?

What about all the murders, rapes, robberies, cheating, adulteries, gossiping, lying, hating, cruelties, coveting, bullying, making our own gods and on and on? What about all that stuff? How can we say we're a religious country? We threw God out of our schools in 1962 and we've spent the years since trying our best to eradicate any mark or memory of His involvement in the founding of our country.

What precisely is all this religion about if we are overwhelmingly turning our backs on God and even on His chosen people, Israel? We've always had Israel's back, but not now! No, we've succumbed to the brain dead lies of revisionist history authored by the Arabs, and are feeling so sorry for the poor, poor displaced Palestinians. If we were truly religious and still worshipping God, we wouldn't dare abandon the Jews!

I don't know who this Gallup guy is or why he's never asked me any questions, but I have to wholeheartedly agree with his poll. America used to be a Godly country, which is much different than being a 'religious' people. A good definition of 'religion' is mankind's arrogant, worthless attempt to make himself acceptable to a Holy God by his own efforts or works. Religion is one of the greatest and most destructive lies satan ever hatched in that putrid little brain of his. It is anything but Godly.

No, America has fallen from being Godly to being religious. We have a plethora of gods to worship, command and control. The gods of our religions don't tell us how to live and don't expect anything from us so we can toddle off to our churches every Sunday and feel good about ourselves because we're 'a good person.' Somehow, I don’t think America's gods will be able to save us from the approaching and well deserved wrath of the one true God. You know; the one we used to have before we became religious.


Lord God...forgive us!

.....For Shame!

Oh my goodness, Urban Outfitters, a popular clothing and home furnishing retailer, has gone and upset the uber-sensitive Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) advocates and may have even caused a few of them to cry! You see, the company is selling a greeting card that LGBT feels is 'transphobic' and this has hurt their oh-so-tender little feelings. Shame on them!

The greeting card features an updated version of the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme written in the entertaining form of a very bawdy limerick. Although I found it to be quite vulgar, I must admit it was funny but I can see absolutely no reason why the transgender crowd should wave their g-strings in the air. After all, what the limerick describes happening has, undoubtedly, been the shocking experience of numerous men the world over. Hey, you'd think they'd be happy! It's like free advertising!

But apparently the LGBT doesn't consider that to be the case. I think they haven’t had enough news coverage lately, so they needed to manufacture something to be offended about to draw attention to themselves like the prima-donnas they are. However, to their horror, the official Urban Outfitters website has sold out of the cards! They're obviously hitting the funny bone of quite a few people who are probably weary of being told what they can think and say about those who insist normal society accept their aberrant lifestyle as normal.

In 2008, This is Money UK printed an article stating that Richard Hayne, the co-founder and now former CEO of Urban Outfitters "views on homosexuality are both bizarre and old-fashioned," and said, "Buying his clothes is like giving cash to George Bush." Wait a minute.

For an opinion to be considered old-fashioned it has, by definition, to have been an accepted belief for an extended period of time. When a new belief challenges that established, commonly accepted opinion, the new belief is the one considered to be 'bizarre.' So how could Mr. Hayne have an opinion of homosexuality that was both bizarre and old-fashioned at the same time?

Honestly, if the LGBT community continues to insist on lobbing insults on those who reject their choices, the least they could do is compose attacks that make some sense. Come on people, put some brains into it!

Carl W. Bushong, PhD established the Tampa Center Identity Program which provides a variety of transition services including hormone therapy, electrolysis and guidance counseling. He states that, "Gender is a recent concept in our culture. (5000+ years of human civilization is 'recent'?) John Money, PhD first used the term 'gender' in 1955 to discuss sexual roles. Then in 1966, he added the term 'gender identity' while conducting his gender research at Johns Hopkins."

"In 1974, Dr. N.W. Fisk fabricated the diagnosis of 'gender dysphoria'. Previously, the male or female sexual role was considered one of two non-overlapping congenital attributes, determined by one's external genitals."

Really? I had no idea! For thousands of years, all midwives or doctors had to do to figure out this deep mystery of gender was take one look at the newborn and identify the obvious. There, all settled. See how easy that has been? But NOooooo, the liberal doofuses in academia couldn't leave society alone. They just HAD to plant the idea of abnormality where there had never been a problem before!

Most of the general public are, I hate to admit, basically sheeple, content to have someone else take care of their needs and tell them what to do, where to go and what to think. I suppose God made us to have these somewhat child-like qualities because He wanted us to look to Him as our Father who would perpetually love and care for all our needs. Just a theory.

But, isn't it interesting that before the 1950's you never heard of anyone questioning their own sexual identity or gender? It was only when these morons introduced their theories of aberrant gender issues that the general public began wondering if something was, indeed, wrong within them. "Here, little sheeple, listen to us. We're the intellectual elite and we say you should begin to examine whether you were born in the right body."

"Baaa-baaa, oh no! I should have been born a girl! I need to destroy what God has made and tinker with my wonderfully balanced hormones, get sacks of saline surgically implanted in my chest, tie the old man down and start wearing dresses and high heels. There, I feel SO much better and more fulfilled now! Baaa."

I'm a huge proponent of the, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", mindset. Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with innovation and improvement on things that will make life easier and more pleasant. But for thousands of years of human history, what gender we are has never been in dispute. This isn't a matter of not liking your hair color or wanting to try a new style of clothing to make yourself feel more confident and attractive. This goes WAY beyond that.

The problem with people who are so miserable inside they question the very basics of whom and what they are has nothing to do with being the wrong gender! They aren't gonna like this but truth is truth. It boils down to the very simple, original sin of wanting to be our own god. Make our own decisions about how we live our lives. They are listening to and believing the same slick lie Eve fell for. 'God is holding out on you.'

"Pssst! Did God really mean to make you a boy? Didn't your parents want a girl all along? They must be pretty disappointed they had you. I bet you're ashamed of what you are. You can undo what God has made, you know. They have the technology now..."

How sad. What an abomination those brainiacs came up with. I think of all the men and women who have tried to remake themselves; who have endured unnecessary, painful surgeries and hormone treatments. All the ones who got so depressed and lived in such misery they committed suicide. Their blood is on the hands of those men who came up with the question of being the 'right' gender and on the hands of the people who continue to perpetuate and support this lie today.

This is just one more brick in the wall of God's coming judgment. They should have just left well enough alone.


Maranatha!

....."Accepting" Christ!

To the question "What must I do to be saved?" we must learn the correct answer. To fail here is not to gamble with our souls: it is to guarantee eternal banishment from the face of God. Here we must be right or be finally lost. To this anxious question evangelical Christians provide three answers, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ," "Receive Christ as your personal Saviour," and "Accept Christ." Two of the answers are drawn almost verbatim from the Scriptures (Acts 16:31, John 1:12), while the third is a kind of paraphrase meant to sum up the other two. They are therefore not three but one. Being spiritually lazy we naturally tend to gravitate toward the easiest way of settling our religious questions for ourselves and others; hence the formula "Accept Christ" has become a panacea of universal application, and I believe it has been fatal to many. . . . The trouble is that the whole "Accept Christ" attitude is likely to be wrong. It shows Christ applying to us rather than us to Him. It makes Him stand hat-in-hand awaiting our verdict on Him, instead of our kneeling with troubled hearts awaiting His verdict on us. It may even permit us to accept Christ by an impulse of mind or emotions, painlessly, at no loss to our ego and no inconvenience to our usual way of life. For this ineffectual manner of dealing with a vital matter we might imagine some parallels; as if, for instance, . . . the prodigal son had "accepted" his father's forgiveness and stayed on among the swine in the far country. Is it not plain that if accepting Christ is to mean anything there must be moral action that accords with it?

"So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." - Acts 16:31

"For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Romans 10:13

Thank You that You have received me; forgiven me; made me a new person; come to live in my heart. May my heart commitment to You deepen and grow day by day...Amen!

.....Five Minutes After The Rapture!

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

What then? What happens after the first initial shock of a catastrophic event and just before the search and rescue begins? The demonic thugs begin to loot, ravage, destroy, and terrorize those remaining victims. News coverage of past events has shown us this greed of truth.

What would make the Rapture of the church any different? In a world where we hear so much about the quest for equality; five minutes after the Rapture will definitely bring equality for all those left behind. Those evil ones not rummaging through unmanned houses and vehicles will be scavenging through open graves, with no second thought as to why the graves are suddenly opened and the dead gone.

Equality would begin with "every man for himself". No more enemies or friends, both so called friends and your enemies will be equally willing to betray you or kill you for anything that you may have - that would be of some value to them.

I often think about those persons who are in desperate preparation for the end (yet, never mention the Rapture as the only absolutely sure way of escape); who will say they are preparing so much as to be able to help those in their community. Five minutes after the Rapture, they will not remember your name, let alone offer you canned food and water. Evil will overtake every good intention.

If you happen upon a church, don’t expect to find a Crucifix on any other Holy Element that once would have tugged at your soul. Most likely those things will have been stolen and sold for something as small at bread. Ironically, just minutes/a day earlier with a simple "Here I am, Lord" you would be sharing eternity with the Bread of Life.

Five minutes after the Rapture, there will be no one to witness to you about the price Jesus paid for your sins. Sinner to sinner, those left will equally have to figure it out for themselves. This will truly be a time of working out your own salvation; and if finding it only to be killed by those destined to be eternally lost.

Five minutes before the Rapture and five minutes after the Rapture are unmistakably the difference between eternal life and death - it is just a matter of win or lose. And, since no man knows the day or the hour; is a five minute gamble worth it? Jesus spent approximately thirty-three years teaching His love on earth; roughly six-seven hours on an Old Rugged Cross to prove that love; three days in a tomb to give us a hope of resurrection. He did rise from the dead and ascend into heaven; and almost two thousand years later, His offer still stands for Amazing Grace. A love that is so simple, simply there, can be obtained by whosoever will come - all in less than five minutes. Equally as simple as one of the most repeated and so often ignored verse in the Holy Bible…

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

.....Will The Church Go Through The Tribulation?

The Church will not go through the Tribulation. There is a distinct difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming. Some may disagree with me, and that is perfectly okay. Whether you and I, do or do not agree about the Rapture, it will have no effect on our salvation in Jesus Christ. However, for those who disagree, I strongly believe that rather than my being sorely disappointed, you will be pleasantly surprised.

There are many differences in these two events as shown here:

 - Rapture: Jesus comes FOR His Church.

- 2nd Coming: Jesus comes back WITH His Church.

- Rapture: Jesus waits in the air for His Church.

- 2nd Coming: Jesus comes to the earth.

- Rapture: Church removed and unbelievers left behind.

- 2nd Coming: Unbelievers removed but Tribulation saints left behind.

- Rapture: He comes to present His bride to the Father.

- 2nd Coming: He comes to judge and set up His kingdom.

- Rapture: The marriage of the Lamb in Heaven follows the Rapture.

- 2nd Coming: The marriage is followed by war on earth.

- Rapture: It happens in the twinkling of an eye.

- 2nd Coming: Will be a steady view of His return.

- Rapture: Only the Church will see Him.

- 2nd Coming: Every eye will see Him.

- Rapture: Jesus descends with a shout.

- 2nd Coming: No shout is mentioned.

- Rapture: A resurrection takes place.

- 2nd Coming: No resurrection is mentioned.

- Rapture: It can happen at any time.

- 2nd Coming: Can only happen at the end of the Tribulation.

- Rapture: Angels are not sent. Jesus comes Himself.

- 2nd Coming: Angels are sent to gather people for judgment.

- Rapture: Earthly bodies are changed to Heavenly bodies.

- 2nd Coming: The Church returns with Heavenly bodies.

- Rapture: Jesus does not return on a white horse.

- 2nd Coming: Jesus does return on a white horse.

- Rapture: Jesus’ return is for His Church (His bride).

- 2nd Coming: Jesus returns for redeemed Israel and Tribulation saints.

- Rapture: It is a message of hope and comfort.

- 2nd Coming: It is a message of judgment.

I’m sure this is not an exhaustive listing, but with it we can see that the Rapture and the Second Coming are not one and the same.

The seven year period of Tribulation on earth will be a time of God’s wrath on earth like never before. He will judge the nations and through this self-same judgment bring Israel back in faith believing. "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17) But concerning His bride, the Church, He says, "...and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:10) He promised again in, "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." (Revelation 3:10)

Also, some see Revelation chapter four verse one as a clear reference to the Church being raptured. On the other hand, some do not, even though they believe in the Rapture. Personally, it is very clear to me that this passage is most definitely referring to the Church being taken up to Heaven via the Rapture. This verse is shown below in four reliable English translations.

"After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." (NKJV)

"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." (KJV)

"After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (ESV)

"After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things." (NASB)

Note that in every instance verse one begins with the word "after" and ends the same. In chapter one of Revelation we see Jesus revealed (revelation) in His glory. In chapters two and three Jesus is speaking to the church. He then transfers the Apostle John to Heaven in chapter four verse one to continue the prophecy. In chapter one, we see the eternal "I Am." In chapters two and three, we see the present day and age of the church period. Then beginning at chapter four, verse one He immediately takes us past the church age to the future.

If I go to see a play and there are three acts to the play, I will see one act after the other, not all three at once. Neither do they overlap in any way. If I attend a concert, I will listen to one song after the other, not all at one time. Neither do they overlap in any way. Neither do the church age and the Tribulation period co-exist or overlap in any way. One follows the other. As in a play, Act 1 comes BEFORE Act 2. Act 2 comes AFTER Act 1 and BEFORE Act 3. Act 3 comes AFTER Act 2. The Apostle John is shown the church age, and then he is raptured up to Heaven to see what follows the end of the church age. To me, you just can’t get any clearer than that. After means after.

Some say that the word "Rapture" is not in the Bible. That is true, and neither are the words "Bible" or "Trinity" found in the Bible, but they are just as true as the Rapture.

The word "Rapture" is derived from the Latin translation of "caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." The Latin translation uses the word "rapturo," and this is where the word "rapture" is derived. The Greek word is "harpazo," and it means:

1.     To seize, carry off by force

2.     To seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly

3.     To snatch out or away

A few other verses where “harpazo” is used are:

"Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing." (Acts 8:39)

"Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks." (Acts 23:10)

"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago - whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows - such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man - whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows - how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)

So there is no doubt that Jesus will come in the clouds and eagerly claim His bride the Church for Himself, by seizing her and snatching her away by force to Heaven at the end of the church age. The next act will be the Tribulation, AFTER the Rapture.

The Tribulation period is a time of intense judgment by God. What groom would beat the living daylights out of his bride and then say, "Okay, now let’s go get married." It ain’t going to happen.

Some say that the Church has suffered persecution down through the years, so why would she not suffer during the Tribulation? The reason is quite simple. "Persecution" has come from evil men who carry out the deeds of their father, the Devil. Judgment comes from God. The Tribulation, as I have already stated, is not persecution. It is judgment. God is not going to judge those who He has already promised will be protected from His wrath to come. (See verses above.) Conclusion; the Church will not go through any part whatsoever of the Tribulation. She will be raptured (LT-rapturo), snatched up (GK-harpazo), BEFORE the Tribulation, and the Tribulation will commence AFTER the Rapture.

"Look up!"