--Ray Comfort
April 8, 2008
America is nine trillion dollars in debt. For those who normally don't count that high and are not familiar with how much that is, a "trillion" is a thousand billion. That's no small change. Ironically, 1.7 trillion of that debt is to Arab nations, 200 billion to China and 125 billion to Russia. Think about those nations for a minute.
Over two million houses are in foreclosure. Two million. A gallon of milk costs as much as a gallon of gas, and a gallon of gas is costing an arm and a leg. Add to that the incredibly bad news that we are not winning the war over cancer--over 2,300,000 Americans will get cancer in the next year, many of whom will be children, and you can see that we are in serious trouble.
ABC News recently published an article titled "More Than 60 Percent of U.S. in Drought." We have become used to seeing onslaughts of floods, hurricanes lining up on our coasts, and killer tornadoes by the dozens ripping up the nation like there's no tomorrow. And, of course, we are in a war that it seems we can't win.
The above are all signs of God's dealings with a sinful nation. If you find that hard to believe, read Deuteronomy 28 and see what God warned would happen to Israel if they forsook His Commandments and turned their backs on Him. Hold onto a pen and underline places where Scripture warns that they will get into financial debt and become the tail, not the head. Look again at the nations to whom we are in debt. Underline how God says that aliens will flood the country, or that their enemies will overcome them, or that disease will plague them.
When you hold your pen also hold on to your theology, because that chapter will destroy any image of God as being a celestial Santa Claus. He is a God of Justice and truth as much as He is of love and mercy. To have a mere one or two virtues of His character in your image of God, and to leave out the others, is to have an idol in your mind.
We are no different than ancient Israel. We are a nation that has forgotten God and created other gods before Him. He lavished His goodness upon us and we have blasphemed His holy name. Instead of honoring the God who gave us life, we have bowed before the golden calf of Wall Street (which is melting before our eyes). We have also embraced the foolish, unsubstantiated, unscientific theory paraded as the gospel truth called "evolution," and when the blossoms bloom, mother nature is praised for what she has made. Our churches are filled with preachers who preach another gospel, portraying God as a divine butler. As a nation, we have forgotten God. Almost. When there's a tragic disaster and people are killed and property destroyed, insurance companies call it "An act of God." Perhaps they have been reading the truths of Holy Scripture.
But the judgment will come, as usual, from the spiritually natural progression of sin -- not by some thunderclap.
And not because of the sins of commission we commit with ourselves and others wallowing in petty self ... can't think of the word ... self ... worship-consumption-wallowing-in-base-desires-and ... dang it, you know what I mean: sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. That stuff.
It'll be for our sins of ommission: what we didn't do, not what we did do. Those we didn't feed, clothe, reach out to, preach to, witness to, LOVE unselfishly.
But yes. God may very well be judging America.
Just curious.
Oh...and I think the word you were looking for was "narcissism".
There is certainly a lot of that going on.
35 years of thinking, praying, rethinking, repraying, studying the Bible; sermons I've heard, sermons I wished I'd heard; studies of the Church, its great writings, and its poor writings; the Church in agreement, the Church in disagreement; the Church triumphant, the Church repentant, certain segments of the church triumphant, certain segments repentant; my eatly stingy concepts of Grace, my current sloppy ideas of slobbering Grace; and every stage of my thinking in between, my experiences with God and other people' my stubborn ignorance, which is blessed nonetheless because it, too, is part of God's holy creation; my unregenerate thinking, becausre it, nonetheless thinks in faith; my imparted holiness, because to deny it, as to deny my sin, would be to deny God's Godness.
Lordy, I could go on but I'll spare you ... but I will add: guided, but never dictated, by the Bible or anyone's personal interpretation of it.
Always, always subject to the Cross of Christ, His example, and His command to love oneself, love God, and love one's neighbor.
That's a good start for an answer.
Upon what do you base your own answer to the same question?
Israel, after 2600 years, is again in the Land: Scripture fulfilled
Jerusalem is no longer "trodden under by the Gentiles": Scripture fulfilled
The Gospel is being preached in every nation of the world: Scripture fulfilled
Wars are rampant; more than at any other time in history: Scripture fulfilled
China is capable of fielding a 200 million man army: Scripture of the cusp of fulfillment
Babylon is being rebuilt: Scripture on the cusp of fulfillment.
Russia formed a pact with Iran: Scripture moving toward fulfillment
The Euro is gaining in strength, Europe is gaining greater influence in the world, and Europe is taking over the leadership of promoting Mid-East peace: You have to be blind deaf and dumb to not see the significance in this!
And these are just a few rattled off the top of my head... there are dozens of others: both fulfilled and on the cusp of fulfillment.
My point is this. We CAN pray for God to spare America. We SHOULD! But when you consider the prophecies already on the table as fulfilled and on the cusp, it clearly appears to be too late to stop what's coming.
God is just and righteous. And he has promised to spare His people from the great tribulation that looms on the horizon, but His word will be kept.
He said, the generation that sees these things begin to come to pass will not itself pass until it sees these prophecies fulfilled... to include the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is coming, and soon. And because of certain prophecies already fulfilled there's nothing we can do to stop what is coming, or impede its progress.
This, after over a hundred words of explanation in answer to my question, with "I" and "my" interspersed throughout - says volumes. It' all about you.
What do I base my answer on? In fact, what do I base my entire worldview on? Not myself - but the Word of God as given to us in the Bible - the God-breathed words of God Himself.
And when my opinion is in opposition to the Bible, I'm wrong.
And THAT speaks volumes. You worship a totem. Good luck with that.
I'll take my chances with God God's self, and God's grace. And I'll keep reading and meditating on the book about God and God's people.
But I will not confuse the two, as you do.
High horses! Faux "faith"! IDOLATRY. False humility.
Gag.
It's a confession that I'm on the verge of refusing to acknowledge Bible worshipers as worshipers of God! And the feeling is mutual.
Yes. Yes. We are on the verge of a New Reformation! Just as the first one was a reaction to the excesses of Rome, this one is a reaction to the excesses of Protestantism -- and Yes! the excessses of Sola Scriptura!
The Bible has been made a false God. It gives its followers false pride. The very human words and phrases therein distract from the Wonder and Mystery and Grace of God if one mistakes them for honey drops dripping from the Lord's own lips! They are mere clunky words and syllables and grunts and groans -- all human!
Faith! Bible worshippers have no FAITH! They have answers! How HUMAN.
Y'all spout the story of the Temptation as though it were literally factual -- yet you gobble the "apple" of our modern Tree of Knowledge shamelessly! The tree bears false knowledge and nourishes pride! Its fruits are mere words! Its skins are faux leather and rice paper! And words!
God help us all. God help me. And God help you.
I'm old enough to be ER's mom, but I'm not.
He comes by it from his own wisdom. For he doesn't believe the bible enough to take it for literal truth... only that the truth is sometimes revealed within its covers, and apparently only he and those who are like-minded have the ability to discern what is and what is not genuinely true.
The simplest truth of all, however, is that WITHOUT the bible and the truth it contains we would know little or nothing about God, or His son Jesus Christ. Or about the plan that was devised before the foundation of the world was ever laid, to redeem mankind by allowing His own holy blood to be shed in payment for our sin.
ER is right: If we were to worship the bible we would be idolaters. But I don't worship the Bible, I worship the God it reveals. The God who said through His apostle, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
And to discount the New Testament as scripture is to discount the words of Jesus Christ Himself:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
For if the Gospels are not God Inspired, then nothing of the New Testament is. And if the New Testament is not the inspired word of God, ER does not have any hope of eternal life... none of us do. If the New Testament is not the inspired word of God, then Paul was right: "...if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
ER is on the front line of a new reformation! Assuming he believes a new reformation is in the works. But reforming into what image? Purpose Driven Rick Warren? Your Best Life Now Joel Osteen? There Is No Sin Oprah Winfrey? Emergent Church and Velvet Elvis Rob Bell? Mystery Babylon? The Coming One World Religion?
I believe this is what we see happening now in the world... especially in America. REAL Christianity is drawing an increasing level of hatred, attacks and hostility, while Heresy is growing in acceptance. The Narrow Path is being up-graded to a 12 lane super highway.
This is what I see. It's not a burning bush; it's just a sign of the times. And these times are swiftly drawing to a close. It's time to start looking up. He is coming very soon.