From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. (Psalm 113:3)

You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. (2 Samuel 22:29)

God isn’t really a lamp.  It’s poetic language to paint a picture of what God does: turning human darkness into light of life in His grace. 

Unlike a created lamp, we can’t turn God off and on.  We can’t control Him.  We can’t place limits on the distance His light can travel.  We can’t extinguish Him and we certainly wouldn’t want to.  The whole universe falls apart without Him (Colossians 1:15-20).  With God as our source, our lamp can always be burning.  No matter what, we can’t use Him up or exhaust Him.  He turns our spiritual darkness into light of life.

Psalm 18 presents a song of David after being delivered from the hand of Saul.  In it, David praises God as a fortress, a shield, a refuge and his protector.  It is no surprise that given God’s actions in David’s life as a deliverer, David would begin the psalm with “I love you, O LORD, my strength” which is missing from the same song also recorded in 2 Samuel 22.  Psalms are like that, evoking strong emotions in poetic language.

Psalm 18:28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. 

Poetic or spiritual (or poetic and spiritual), God gives us sight and keeps us from stumbling in the darkness by keeping our lamps burning.  What’s not to love about that?

Fun fact of light from Live Science: 

The Earth’s surface curves out of sight at a distance of 3.1 miles, or 5 kilometers. But our visual acuity extends far beyond the horizon. If Earth were flat, or if you were standing atop a mountain surveying a larger-than-usual patch of the planet, you could perceive bright lights hundreds of miles distant. On a dark night, you could even see a candle flame flickering up to 30 mi. (48 km) away.

How far the human eye can see depends on how many particles of light, or photons, a distant object emits. The farthest object visible with the naked eye is the Andromeda galaxy, located an astonishing 2.6 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy’s 1 trillion stars collectively emit enough light for a few thousand photons to hit each square centimeter of Earth every second; on a dark night, that’s plenty to excite our retinas.

For further thought: 

• How is witness like a shining light? 
• 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
• And how does the Church collectively look like stars in the universe?
• Philippians 2: 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life.

Lord Jesus, help us to shine like stars in the universe, holding out the word of life to a world in darkness.  During this Lenten season as we examine our lives and rediscover what You have done for us, please help Your Church to be the witness You desire her to be, a light for the Gentiles, reflecting the light of Yeshua that cannot be hidden.  Inspire us toward good works that shine forth to all nations and bring praise and glory to You!  Amen.

* * *

Light: There’s Nothing Like It, the Seminary Gal 2017 Lenten Devotional Series began March 1, 2017 and will be archived in the sidebar for you.

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2017 Lent Devotionals automatically.  Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed.  If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so.  Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings.  You don’t want to miss this great way to learn about light to prepare your heart for Easter!

Come join me in the Light. There’s absolutely nothing like it!

===

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• And ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.

Light Moves.  That all by itself is quite remarkable.  Unlike much of physical creation, it’s never stationary.  It’s always moving, never sleeping, never stopped unless something extinguishes its source, blocks it from our view, or could absorb it completely.  Not even black bodies as imagined by Gustav Kirchhoff or observable black holes do that.  Some light has traveled 13.7 billion years to reach us.

Now think about what Jesus said in Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Light is meant to be on the move and so are we.  Our good deeds are meant to radiate from our Source (the Holy Spirit) as evidence of God to a watching world.  As the light of the world, we are meant to radiate His light and His love.  After all, He is the Light of the World and God is love!

John 9:4 “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Fun fact of light:  Regarding the movement of light, it radiates within the electro-magnetic field but it’s not electric or magnetic all by itself.

Physicist Matt Calhoun explains,

According to the theory of Electricity and Magnetism, charged particles which are stationary are “electric”, charged particles which move at a constant velocity are “magnetic”, and charged particles which accelerate will emit “electro-magnetic radiation” which travels at the speed of light…In other words, “light” is the transportation of energy from one part of the electromagnetic field to another, and it facilitates the interaction between electric and magnetic objects, but is neither electric nor magnetic itself.

For further thought:

• John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
• How does following Christ suggest we should always be on the move?  
• How does following Christ give us the light of life?
• How can spiritual darkness be understood as spiritually dying, leading to spiritual death?
• Do dead things move?  What happens when we display no movement of light?

Our Father in heaven, help us to follow our Lord Jesus and radiate His light and His goodness wherever we go.  His light moves and so may ours.  May we always be about Your work so long as there is Day for us to be sharing the Gospel and bringing Christ’s light to those in darkness so they might have the light of life.  Amen.

* * *

Light: There’s Nothing Like It, the Seminary Gal 2017 Lenten Devotional Series began March 1, 2017 and will be archived in the sidebar for you.

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2017 Lent Devotionals automatically.  Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed.  If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so.  Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings.  You don’t want to miss this great way to learn about light to prepare your heart for Easter!

Come join me in the Light. There’s absolutely nothing like it!

===

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• And ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.

One of the interesting things about God’s creating light is His doing it for our benefit.  He did it knowing He would be creating plants and creatures that required light to grow and produce.  And creating people who would have the ability to see.  He didn’t have to create us with sight, but He did!

Since that time, God uses light to produce food for us to eat and to lead us in the way we should go–to light our way!  In Exodus, the Israelites were on the move,  Exodus 13:21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

In the daylight, they could see a pillar of cloud, but at night there was a pillar of fire which gave off light.  In both cases, light was used to light our way.

Fun fact of light: Humans have a “visible spectrum” of light, basically that rainbow of colors that white light separates into when it passes through a prism or raindrops.  But light also includes a spectrum we cannot see, but other animals can.  Bees, for example, can see ultraviolet light which attracts them to flowers which aren’t perhaps the showiest in our visible spectrum.  Reptiles can see infrared light which supplies heat to assist with maintaining body temperature and locating warm-blooded prey.  Fire is predominantly in the infrared range to the warm colors of our visible spectrum which is why it looks red, orange or yellow overall.

For further thought:

• Are there any ways in which God still uses light to lead us or to light our way?
• Why do you think God might have chosen a rainbow in the sky rather than one of those “God-beams” breaking through the clouds to accompany His promise of never again flooding the earth? Genesis 9:8-16
• In Numbers 22:21-40, there’s a very strange story that includes a talking donkey which saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path, but her rider, Balaam, did not. Could our visible spectrum have blinded Balaam to what was spiritually visible to his donkey?  The Bible doesn’t say, but it makes me wonder what other things we might not be seeing. How does spiritual light make things invisible to our naked eye, visible by faith?

Lord Jesus, during this season of Lent, give us spiritual sight so that we might see You for who You are. That we might see our own sinfulness clearly so that we might repent.  That we might recognize our need for Your forgiveness.  Give us Your light and lead us in Your ways for Your glory.  Amen.

* * *

Light: There’s Nothing Like It, the Seminary Gal 2017 Lenten Devotional Series began March 1, 2017 and will be archived in the sidebar for you.

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2017 Lent Devotionals automatically.  Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed.  If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so.  Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings.  You don’t want to miss this great way to learn about light to prepare your heart for Easter!

Come join me in the Light. There’s absolutely nothing like it!

===

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• And ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.

Why did God start Creation with saying “Let there be light?” 

Well, I don’t know exactly why He created light first, but I can tell you why not. 

It wasn’t because He couldn’t see in the dark, like Dad needing to turn on the shop light to work in the basement.  It wasn’t because light was needed for everything else to happen in a chain reaction: lights, camera, action!  It wasn’t for His benefit or as materials-and-methods for God or for us to repeat His science experiment. And it wasn’t so we’d argue about old earth, young earth, Big Bang, Creationism, Darwinism, or any other host of things Christians can find to argue about.  It wasn’t even to give scientists something to prove.  Such things evidence a misunderstanding of God, of Genesis, and of God’s act of Creation.

Probably the easiest explanation is that God started Creation with saying “Let there be light ” because He could.  It was an act of His will, His choice, and His sovereignty.  And He did it, not for His benefit, but for ours.

Even among cosmogonies (myths and theories of creation and ordering of the cosmos) from the Ancient Near East, the Bible stands alone in that light doesn’t emanate from God in creation as a divisible part of Himself to create things (divine, quasi-divine or not) or to create other gods (like a sun god, moon god, etc.).  Light was created at His command “Let there be light.”  And light and dark segments were necessary for time to exist as day and night.  To the ancient Hebrews, day and night had far more meaning than any concept of photons in explaining how the universe is ordered.  We do Scripture justice when we understand the ancient mindset even as we enjoy the mysteries of this creation.

Fun Fact of Light: Nothing travels faster than the speed of light.  Physicists have pondered this for centuries.  Summarizing an excellent explanation,

“The faster something travels, the more massive it gets, and the more time slows—until you finally reach the speed of light, at which point time stops altogether.”  This was theorized by Albert Einstein who “came up with a crazy solution: the motion of an object must somehow make time slow down. Time was no longer constant and so relativity was born.”

For further thought:

• In Genesis 1:5 God called the light Day. It has been argued that God didn’t just create photons of light.  He created time.  How do the days of creation (first, second, etc.) get anchored in God’s creation of time through alternating light and dark periods?
• Read Psalm 90.
• In regard to the return of Christ, Peter writes, 2 Peter 3:8 “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.” How might God’s creation of light make that possible?  What is God’s relationship to time?

Lord, help us to appreciate you as our Creator.  Help us to make the most of the gift of time.  “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom…Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Amen.

What Should I Give Up for Lent?  I actually get that question quite frequently.

Let’s first say what giving something up for Lent doesn’t mean:

• It isn’t a weight loss strategy to get ready for swimsuit season.
• It isn’t something to tell all your friends about so they’ll think you’re spiritual.
• It isn’t about giving up something that you really don’t like anyway.
• It isn’t a competition to see who can give up something more substantial.
• It isn’t earning you a blessed thing.
• It isn’t making you more acceptable to God or more loved by Him.
• It isn’t making up for something bad you did.

When we examine those wrong conceptions of self-denial at Lent, we realize it comes down to our hearts.  Our hearts need to be right with God and that means accepting He is Lord and we are not. 

• We don’t pretend it’s all about God when it’s really all about that bod in a swimsuit.
• We don’t pretend it’s all about sacrifice and self-denial when it’s all about spiritual pride.
• We don’t pretend we’re making a huge sacrifice when it’s all a great big fraud because we never liked it anyway.
• We don’t pretend it’s all about our relationship with God when the truth is it’s about keeping up with the Joneses.
• We don’t pretend it’s about sacrificing for God when it’s about buying Him off to get more blessing for ourselves.
• We don’t pretend it’s about humility when it’s about trying to earn something that we can never buy.
• And it’s not about assuaging our own guilt.

Giving something up for Lent is about getting our hearts right with God because we know He’s God and we’re sinners and without Him, we’re toast.  The prophet Joel says it this way:

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand– 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. 3 Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste– nothing escapes them. 4 They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry…. 10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. 11 The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? 12 ‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing– grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. 17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?” 18 Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.

In giving something up for Lent, let it be something significant.  A rending of your heart or as The Message paraphrase says,

Change your life, not just your clothes.
    Come back to God, your God.
And here’s why: God is kind and merciful.
    He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love,
    always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now,
    maybe he’ll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all’s said and done,
    there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!

It’s not to buy His blessing, but an appeal for His grace upon the change of life and change of heart that Lent can mean for you.  The Day of the Lord will be upon us someday.  The wise man and woman return to God anticipating that Day, for His glory…and not just for our own. 

What should you give up for Lent? 

Start with your heart and your mind and all that is selfish within them. 

You will be blessed and be a blessing to all for it. 

Open borders sound so nice, don’t they?  Just like Open Society Foundations, a grant-making network group founded by a man named George Soros.  Before you assume I’m going post-Christmas fruitcake on you, it’s my goal to be honest and even-handed.  His name is familiar–to varying degrees–to those on the political right and the political left.  Controversy follows him and the truth is particularly hard to find because his organizations fund a wide variety of media outlets and also media accountability groups whose interests rarely have a disclaimer like the one provided by the Organization of News Ombudsmen, “which is an independent group of 60 news ombudsmen in 17 countries” in their acknowledgment of Soros funding of both Ombudsman and NPR (National Public Radio).

Soros is a source of concern for me as a Christian.  Why?  Because the truth shouldn’t be so hard to locate.  Christians are called to be highly discerning and to know who we’re being yoked to.  Soros is not a good yokefellow for any Christian.

But I’m not yoked,” you say. 

Are you sure? Do you know who you’re dealing with?

If you, as an objective Christian, watch the 60 Minutes interview of him there should be a genuine unease in your spirit.  He’s godless and admits it.  But he calls himself a player and betrays the truth that there is a god he loves: money.  He wields it as a weapon against world economies; he uses it not only for personal enrichment but to purchase political power; he controls other organizations with it, and he worships it. 

Player sounds tame until you see how he plays.

Christians, do you really want to partner with this man?  Many already are and just don’t know it.  His “philanthropy” is overwhelmingly to his NGOs (non-governmental organizations) which sound good but link to chaos.

Reports are widespread saying his Open Society Foundations are behind the unrest in many countries and he tries to profit from it while his official spokespeople and those media watchdogs he funds say “Not.”  Who do we believe?

Should the truth be that hard to find? 

It wouldn’t be if he put his own true words out in the light of day.  But where is he?  Open Society Foundations may not be familiar to you.  But other names acting in his stead are.  Ever heard of David Brooks, Media Matters, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, or MoveOn.org?

From a variety of sources, there are reports that the chaos of masked rioters in Ferguson, Black Lives Matter in Baltimore, and Occupy Wall Street was funded by his NGOs to make nations “ungovernable.”  So, kind of like money laundering, he comes out squeaky clean because he’s never front and center with the rioters.  It’s just his money doing the dirty work behind the scenes, even paying to transport a migrant flood which tore down fences in Macedonia and additional influx that terrorizes Paris.

Yes, this same George Soros is often called a Nazi-collaborator because at the age of 14–adulthood for a Jewish male–he betrayed his Jewish brothers and sisters as the Nazis seized property and sent them to the gas chambers in Hitler’s Germany (story begins at the 7 minute mark in that 60 Minutes interview).  Other reports say this same George Soros now funds the Islamic refugees pouring into little German towns. Some of them are planning attacks, plowing trucks into Christmas markets and elsewhere in Europe, raping Swedish women and UK children as permitted in their interpretation of the “religion of peace.”  

What has blinded Christians and opened doors to their accepting such irreconcilable things if the Gospel is truly paramount to them?  It’s disturbing, but frankly, it’s nothing new.  Not even for pastors or priests.

Jeremiah 8:5 “Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. 6 I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle… 10b From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. 12 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the LORD… 15 We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there was only terror. 16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses is heard from Dan; at the neighing of their stallions the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there.”

Christians should not be blindsided by pretenses of good when the underbelly is as evil as the night seems long. 

After all, the Bible tells us that the devil masquerades as an angel of light and prowls about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

You?

Perhaps some bit of social good is sprinkled as Soros’ breadcrumbs on the Open Borders/Open Society path of destruction.  Irrespective, true Christians are fools to play with such a player and to align themselves with someone whose truth is cloaked and whose god is apparently money. 

Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them … 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

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NOTE:  On January 12, 2018, I went back to the original posting to review the 60 Minutes interview, uploaded as I recall BY 60 Minutes.  It was gone from You Tube.  The new link contains the same interview from a different source.  I have linked to this only because the original one from 60 Minutes is gone but the video is still worth watching.

This present series includes:

Innocent as Doves in a Politicized Church

Wick Trimmed and Oil Ready for the End Times

Doves, Refugees, and the Antichrist

Open Borders and the Man of Lawlessness

George Soros and Open Borders

So friends, should we keep all the foreigners out of America?  No refugees?  No immigrants? Or just no Muslims?  No, no, no, and no.  Wrong political solutions one and all.  To that they’re not-one-of-us mentality, it is written, Luke 9:50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”  But shrewd doves, there is one who is against us: the man of lawlessness.  And he likes lawlessness… and open borders. 

The man of lawlessness, often called the Antichrist, makes Christians nervous…as well he should.  He’s nothing for us to mess with.  But the good news is that Jesus will continue to do that for us ( Romans 16:20, 1 John 4:4).  Wise Christians will be alert Christians.

Who is the Antichrist, that man of lawlessness?

No one really knows, but we do know some things about him.  The word antichrist appears only four times in the New Testament–and all of them from the apostle John in his first and second letters. 

• 1 John 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
• 1 John 2:22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist– he denies the Father and the Son.
• 1 John 4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
• 2 John 1:7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Was John just being a reactionary?  Nope.  Because in the Bible, this same spirit of the antichrist and the man of lawlessness go by many different names (Daniel 8:23, Daniel 9:26, Daniel 11:21, Zechariah 11:16-17, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9, and Revelation 13:1).  Many writers speak of him, but the spirit of the antichrist always has one motive (to destroy the work of Christ in His Church) and his means (steal, kill, and destroy) manifest as a legion of assaults to separate Christian from Christian … and Christian from Christ.

To real Christians, Jesus reassures us:  John 10:29 My Father, who has given [disciples] to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

This promise applies for true Christians and Christ.  But separating Christians from Christians is another story entirely since not everyone calling “Lord, Lord” really thinks He is (Matthew 7:21).  Christian against Christian division–welcome to our world of social media.

Matthew 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The divisions start as an insidious bitter seed and when it germinates, it exploits the cracks in the Church and blows it wide open.  Dr. David Jeremiah writes in What in the World is Going On,

“Daniel 7 tells us that that Antichrist will not make a big splash when he arrives on the political scene.  He will not enter with a fanfare, announcing “I am here!  I will now take over!”  Instead he will squeeze his way in, little by little…he will attract little attention as he methodically begins to grasp more and more power.”

And here’s where open borders are a key. 

If he’s fighting big wars every time he wants to get in, that’s kind of a splash, isn’t it?  A deceiver will make something look good, loving, or noble until that bitter seed takes root.  Open borders masquerade as brotherly love and peace; they look like tolerance and compassion, and they get reported as something good when in fact, not really.  By removing the separation God gave us for protection of His Church, it pits Christian against Christian.  And it paves a wide open road for destruction from the Antichrist.

Borders and separate governments are not cruel at all, but may very well be the “one” and the genderless Greek expression translated he in  2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.”  Once you have nothing–not even governmental law and order– holding lawlessness back, this passage says all hell breaks loose.  Look familiar?

You’d have to be an avid reader and a political junkie to know it, but dig deep and many Christians, whether they realize the danger or not, are aligning themselves with open borders policies, an open society, and a globalist agenda.  They’re unwittingly siding with the coming Antichrist and as much as I don’t want to do it, it’s why I’ve got a bit more writing to do.  Jude 20-23. 

====

This present series includes:

Innocent as Doves in a Politicized Church

Wick Trimmed and Oil Ready for the End Times

Doves, Refugees, and the Antichrist

Open Borders and the Man of Lawlessness

George Soros and Open Borders

I am deeply concerned about the Politicized Church because I believe it’s destroying Christianity and it’s using well-meaning doves and helpless refugees to do it.  There’s a wolf in there and sometimes people can’t see the wolf for the sheep.  Let me just ask you all one question:

What does Jesus think of Islam?” 

Boil it down, peaceful or radical, moderate, progressive, or fundamentalist Islam…does it matter?  And would Jesus disapprove of Islam in the same way God did Baal worship (1 Kings 18:17-40)?  If so, why on earth would any Christian want to cozy up to it?   Verse 21

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.

Do we have two opinions or do Christians follow Christ?  Oh you say, the Islamic refugees are helpless.  Some surely are.  Maybe many, even most.  And that’s why lots of idealistic Christians jump on the Save our Refugees bandwagon as innocent as doves. Understandable. Even laudable…provided these doves are also as shrewd as snakes. 

Are all refugees equal to the Politicized Church?  

Some famous pastors like Tim Keller and Max Lucado (both becoming vocal during the Presidential election) say “Let the Syrian refugees in!” never uttering a word about the barred Cubans stranded off the coast on January 12th.  Other Christians like Franklin Graham are providing refugees food and safe havens nearer their homeland as Christian compassion all over the globe, including Syria.  Equally doves, are they not?  Ah, but are they equally as discerning and shrewd?

Shrewd means seeing that Jesus hates the practice of Islam every bit as much as He hates any other kind of idolatry and false teaching.  And it’s not just Old Testament, get-over-it-Barb stuff.

Revelation 2:12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live– where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city– where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Shrewd means seeing a similar pagan compromise today as Christianity’s decline gives rise to secularism and Islam.  Peaceful Islam or not, the culture of Germany cannot withstand the social pressure from this many religious people building mosques.  Are Germans more or less likely to learn about Christ in a country closing a last gasp of churches and opening mosques?  Is that what Jesus wants for America?

Christians, there’s a difference between being shrewd and “Islamophobic” which is just an epithet designed to separate weak Christians from their faith. 

There is no anti-Muslim irrationality in asking what Jesus thinks of Islam and as a Christian, thinking likewise.  It’s simply recognition that our two faith traditions only have Abraham in common. Our differences are day and night.

As we act in dove-hearted ways to love refugees, only some fleeing persecution, please be shrewd as snakes so you don’t find yourselves sucked in to the wrong side of the spiritual battle.  The Antichrist wants open borders since that’s how he extends his rule. It’s called conquest and this invasion can be peacefully subversive… or not. (Daniel 11:36-45)  

Daniel 11:40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage [the Antichrist] in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape.

Shrewd faithful Christians guard their separation from spiritual darkness (spirit of the antichrist, 1 John 4:3).  It’s called holiness and in the end, it’s not about your dove-like motives or your good intentions.  It’s about what you did.  But you don’t need to take my word for it.

Revelation 2:23b Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. ..29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Are you listening?  And do you hear?

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This present series includes:

Innocent as Doves in a Politicized Church

Wick Trimmed and Oil Ready for the End Times

Doves, Refugees, and the Antichrist

Open Borders and the Man of Lawlessness

George Soros and Open Borders