WHO, ME?

                                         
                                              WHO, ME?

    In studying prophecy in Daniel and Revelation, we become accustomed to
an assortment of "bells and whistles" that make the scripture colorful and
interesting. Obviously, God has had a long range plan drawn up forever.
Everything that transpires from day to day now and in the future is part of
His plan. The same was true in the past. We have seen in the first few 
chapters of Daniel that God used the Jewish young men to introduce the
great king, Nebuchadnezzar, to the God in Heaven. This plan is still in effect,
and I'm puzzled by the comments and teaching I hear from many church
leaders,

    With that in mind, let's look at a key verse of scripture, Matt. 15:45, "that
you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the
evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." God has
permitted Satan to move freely around earth until tribulation is finished. But,
God still controls the earth, and Christ His Son, will rule earth following
tribulation. People on earth have free will, and with Satan's coaching, most
would destroy the earth without God's judgment and Christ's return.

    God's plan clearly shows us He knew how mankind would behave and fall
victim to Satan's wiles. Scripture tells us in plain English, what is going to
happen, although not with specific dates. God's plan includes the entire world
with all the races, all the religions and all the nations. We can preach the 
gospel to all the world, but we can't make people accept Christ's offer of
salvation. In fact, we can't convince a majority of Americans, let alone people
who live in jungles or the remote areas.

    So, why do so many church leaders and media church leaders bemoan the
fact that America is "going down" because of morality and lost values, and we
are responsible for the tribulation and end of the present world? Does not the
above scripture tell us we (America and the remainder of the world) are all in
this prophecy together? The end times do not belong to America exclusively.
If every American and every Christian in America had "perfect" morals and
Godly ways, it would not make much of a dent in the world model.

    Now, then, why all this blame talk about specific sins and misleading
information about social issues? I believe its time to fall back on a bit of
intelligence from a comic strip--"We have met the enemy and it is us."
Many of these church leaders refer to general statements that are true,
but misrepresent scriptural facts. Most Christians know so little about
scripture, they don't ask questions or challenge general statements. They
join a lynch mob of emotionalism.

    For example, they claim homosexuality, abortion and same sex marriage
are "unpardonable" sins that will bring America down. They are wrong on
both counts. These sins are just that--sins, the same as murder, envy, lies
and the other sins. God does not condone them, but He tells us there is
only ONE unpardonable sin. See Matt. 12:31. "Therefore I say to you, every
sin and blasphemy  will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the
Spirit will not be forgiven men. Verse 32 makes it very clear all other sins
against God and Christ can be forgiven. 

    Let's begin this "blame game" with solid facts, which are not part of the
blame game nor the church leaders' claims. We go to the World Almanac,
with population numbers verified by the International Data Base, the U.S.
Department of Commerce, the World Factbook and the Central Intelligence
Agency. The current world population is almost 7 billion people. That's a
7 with nine zeros after it. Two nations-- China and India--have over one
billion people each. After them comes the United States, with just over
300 million, and Indonesia, with  nearly 250 million. You see that the
United States makes up a paltry 4 percent of the world population. Do
you really believe the end times is based on 4% of the world population?
Isn't God interested in the hijinks going on in 96 percent of the world?

    Do you honestly believe the actions of .96 of the world's people will be
ignored by God, and the end time will depend on the action of 4 percent
(America) of His creation? If all the Christians and Jews in the United States
lived perfectly moral lives, do you believe the end times wouldn't come? Do
you believe any of scripture except the propaganda expelled by many of the
church leaders? How many of these leaders count sins such as lying and
cheating the same as abortion or same sex marriage? All sins are equally
bad--scripture says so; refer to Matt. 12:31 again.

    I realize you don't want to disagree with the church leaders who preach
in church, television and radio that the sins I've mentioned above are the
reason America is immoral and leading the nosedive to the end times. Why 
do you suppose Christ didn't preach on these sins? Do you know the sins
he preached about and the warnings about following church leaders? Who
do you think set the wheels in motion to kill Christ? Christ referred to passages
in the Old Testament, and the Apostles referred to Christ's teaching.

    Christ knew that Proverbs explained clearly that God did not approve of
same sex marriage or homosexuality. The church of that day taught the laws
of the Old Testament, and these acts were sins. Sacrifices were the means for
abolition of sins. When we talk about these two "sins", most church people
place them in a category of filth. That may be true for homosexuality, but isn't
necessarily true for same sex marriage. If this union is platonic in nature, it is
sincere friendship and companionship. There is no sex involved. That is why
many people favor their eligibility to receive some of the benefits of regular 
marriage.These people are citizens, employed, and pay taxes. It is not our
place to pass judgment. Matt. 7:1 warns us, "Judge not, that you be not judged." 

    In our ministry we have counseled people who were homosexuals. We found
that many didn't want to be part of that lifestyle, and some were married. These
were not people who flaunted their lifestyle, and some wanted desperately to
be "normal". Usually something had happened in their early years that caused
them to reject the normal relationship. They need to be invited into scripture
study and the power of the Holy Spirit. The filth belongs to those who flaunt
that lifestyle.

    Now we come to the topic of abortion. A question for you: If a toddler or
young child is killed by a bolt of lightning, is it murder? If a child is killed when
a natural gas explosion destroys a house, is it murder? What happens to the
soul of the dead child? Christ didn't teach about abortion because the Old
Testament and Jewish religious instruction gave people the answer to the
preceding questions. For example, check out 2nd Sam. 12:22-23. David knew
the child would be in God's bosom and he would see him in heaven. That's
where children not yet of the age of accountability go when they die, unless
they are saved sooner. Murder is when a pregnant woman dies from an
easily curable medical problem because doctors refuse to abort a fetus that
dies anyway. This just recently happened in Ireland where abortions are
against that country's constitution. The religious right's hue and cry against
all abortions for any reason is led by--you guessed it--men, who never have
to carry a fetus.

    I've written about the major topics I'm hearing from many church leaders who
are placing the blame for America's leading role in bringing about the end time.
Certainly the immorality in America is a bad thing. Leaders need to read some
of the Gospels to discover what they should be talking about. You know--it's the
lessons Christ taught in person. Often they are parables I've heard butchered
by people who misinterpreted plain English to prove their desire. If church leaders
would teach the material prepared for them in scripture, we would have a much
more moral America. Instead, they are pushing flawed interpretations of subjects that
easily inflame people's emotions.

    A survey by Public Religion Research Institute reports that all faiths contacted
concerning the safety net subject--social security, medicare, etc.--indicated the
various faiths all want this safety net saved and protected; EXCEPT Christian
protestants, whose majority is white. This group includes the corporate executives
and highly paid professionals. A look at the blue/red political map shows us the
red states of the south and central plains/mountain area are the building blocks
for fiscal ultra conservatives. I challenge you to read the four gospels and find any
of Christ's teaching about NOT caring for our neighbors. Our neighbors in this
scenario are those who worked their entire lives to make a living, those who
shouldered guns to protect our nation, those with medical problems, widows and
widowers, orphans, and the disadvantaged. 

    THIS IS THE MORAL BASIS UPON WHICH AMERICA WILL BE JUDGED. IT
WILL NOT BE ON FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY EXCEPT THE WILD SPENDING
TO FINANCE TWO WARS AND PROVIDE TAX DOLLARS TO VIRTUALLY
EVERY NATION IN THE WORLD. We don't want to care for our own people,
but the religious right support all the foreign aid and unfounded wars. The gospel
tells us America will be judged according to HOW WE TREAT THE LEAST AMONG
US. America will not slow down the end times or preserve anything as long as we
continue to value money over Christ's teaching.

    If we are going to preach about a blame game, we should start with the church
and media people who are choosing emotional subjects to separate people in the
church. It is a fear tactic which makes some Christians feel not only good about
themselves, but also superior to other sinners. Not a one of them is any better or
superior to someone who has had an abortion or is involved with a same sex
marriage. We are all sinners, and God's very Word tells us the end times will
come--period--and America can't change God's plan one way or the other. Rather
than blame a small segment of our society for the ending, it would be profitable
for these leaders to actually learn some scripture so they would know what they
were talking about.

Rev. Walbear