Time is Short Anti-Christian Crusade
By Terry James
My "Nearing Midnight" column commentary of October 12 dealt with "Despisers of Good." It pointed to the fact that recent history of school shootings at Columbine, at the mostly African-American church in South Carolina, and at the college in Oregon were directly aimed at Christians--the only people God sees as "good."
This designation is not because the believer in Christ for salvation is, within himself or herself, better than any other person on the planet. It means that Jesus is the only person (God who came to earth in the flesh to live among mankind) who had no sin. He is the only "good" to be found. Jesus was perfect in His walk with His Heavenly Father. He, in fact, was and is God, the second Person of the Godhead--the Trinity.
Every person who accepts Jesus Christ--that is, believes that Christ died for them to take away their sins--is seen by the Heavenly Father as "good" because they are under the saving umbrella of His Only Begotten Son. God, in other words, sees the believer through Jesus, whose blood was shed as the sacrificial Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).
That commentary pointed out that the apostle Paul's "perilous-times" prophecy that there will come in the last time "despisers of those that are good" is now upon this generation, as made manifest with the murders that are routinely aimed at Christians. Further evidence continues to accumulate that hatred for Christians is growing, thus proving Paul's prophecy as accurate and identifying these as the very last days of the Church Age (Age of Grace).
A recent "Bible in the News" commentary broadcast by my longtime friend, Dr. Larry Spargimino, who is pastor of Southwest Radio Church Ministries, brought to the surface of these troubling days the virulence of the animus that boils for those who name the name of Christ. I thank Dr. Spargimino for helping spark this week's commentary. Facts and threats surrounding what is going on must not be missed by discerning believers. There is an anti-Christian crusade underway, and we face perilous times, indeed.
Larry's commentary largely reflected findings by Christian commentator and social analyst Michael Brown, whose gathering of quite troubling data should concern all Americans--but Christians in particular. Michael Brown, in his article, "When Committed Christians Are Compared to ISIS," pointed to the many immoral, ungodly upheavals taking place at this moment in society and culture. His analysis is hard-hitting and he comes under attacks from organized opposition such as that within Human Rights Campaign.
The organization claimed that Brown is exporting hate because of his opposition to the radical agenda it pursues. According to Dr. Spargimino, writing on matters reported within the Brown article, the invective is raging in answer to Brown's exposure of the agenda:
One reader [of Brown's article] claimed that Kim Davis is a terrorist. "Kim Davis, by virtue of defying the Constitution and the Supreme Court is NO BETTER than those men who conceived, executed and plotted those attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11." Another wrote to Brown: "You are just as brutal as ISIS."
Already in May, 2005, John McCandlish Phillips, formerly a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter, pointed out how some of the major newspapers told their readers that evangelicals and traditional Catholics were engaging in a "jihad" against America.
Not surprisingly, Christians have been called the "American Taliban," a label that reflected the sentiments of some Californians who opposed Proposition 8, the pro-marriage bill, and who carried signs reading: "Don't Silence the Christians, Feed Them 2 the lions."
In his Charisma blog Brown quotes Shephard Smith on Fox News who calls pro-traditional family Christians "haters," and hypocrites for resisting Sharia Law while we hold to our conservative Christian values.
The caustic vitriol from the "tolerant left" is bitter. Just because Christians don't want to participate in their ceremonies, Christians are now bigots. Brown commented: "People don't just hate you. They see you as downright dangerous, and that in itself is dangerous. And it's not just some isolated wacko making an extreme internet comment or a crowd of protesters carrying signs."
What does this hatred sound like? "I want them all to die in a fire," said one man. Another said, "I would be in favor of establishing a state for them...If not then sterilize them so they can't breed more." A man with a doctorate said, "The only good Christian is a dead Christian." A college educated man referenced evangelical Christians and said "A torturous death would be too good for them." An elderly woman with a master's degree chimed in and said: "They should be eradicated without hesitation or remorse." (Dr. Larry Spargimino, commenting on article, "Townhall.com,When Committed Christians Are Compared to ISIS," by Michael Brown, September 13, 2015, http://townhall.com/columnists/mich...tians-are-compared-to-isis-n2051359/page/full)
It is beyond obvious that those who respond in such a vicious way to Christian concerns about the raging ungodliness have a diminution of rationality in their thinking. Michael Brown questioned one woman who apparently had lost all reasoning ability and had launched a verbal attack that boiled with hatred. He asked the reasoning behind her outrage.
[Is your anger]...because we want to protect innocent babies in the womb? Because we care about marriage and family? Because we feed the poor and needy around the world? Because we want the whole world to know how wonderful Jesus is? Please be kind enough to explain your views.
Brown wrote that he received no response to his inquiry.
While Christians in America don't yet face life-threatening persecution as do Christians who are being beheaded by ISIS, the Anti-Christian crusade is underway. It will one day--during the Tribulation, for certain--bring martyrdom to believers everywhere in the world. In 1 Peter 4:12, the apostle Peter wrote: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
All of this is not meant to instill fear, but to exhort the believer to look for the Blessed Hope--the Lord Jesus Christ, who will call true believers out of this God-hating world before Satan and his minions can bring his anti-Christian crusade to fruition. Meantime, the believer is to stand against the fiery darts of the opposition to godliness. Christians, in the final analysis, are invincible, according to their Lord.
By Terry James
My "Nearing Midnight" column commentary of October 12 dealt with "Despisers of Good." It pointed to the fact that recent history of school shootings at Columbine, at the mostly African-American church in South Carolina, and at the college in Oregon were directly aimed at Christians--the only people God sees as "good."
This designation is not because the believer in Christ for salvation is, within himself or herself, better than any other person on the planet. It means that Jesus is the only person (God who came to earth in the flesh to live among mankind) who had no sin. He is the only "good" to be found. Jesus was perfect in His walk with His Heavenly Father. He, in fact, was and is God, the second Person of the Godhead--the Trinity.
Every person who accepts Jesus Christ--that is, believes that Christ died for them to take away their sins--is seen by the Heavenly Father as "good" because they are under the saving umbrella of His Only Begotten Son. God, in other words, sees the believer through Jesus, whose blood was shed as the sacrificial Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).
That commentary pointed out that the apostle Paul's "perilous-times" prophecy that there will come in the last time "despisers of those that are good" is now upon this generation, as made manifest with the murders that are routinely aimed at Christians. Further evidence continues to accumulate that hatred for Christians is growing, thus proving Paul's prophecy as accurate and identifying these as the very last days of the Church Age (Age of Grace).
A recent "Bible in the News" commentary broadcast by my longtime friend, Dr. Larry Spargimino, who is pastor of Southwest Radio Church Ministries, brought to the surface of these troubling days the virulence of the animus that boils for those who name the name of Christ. I thank Dr. Spargimino for helping spark this week's commentary. Facts and threats surrounding what is going on must not be missed by discerning believers. There is an anti-Christian crusade underway, and we face perilous times, indeed.
Larry's commentary largely reflected findings by Christian commentator and social analyst Michael Brown, whose gathering of quite troubling data should concern all Americans--but Christians in particular. Michael Brown, in his article, "When Committed Christians Are Compared to ISIS," pointed to the many immoral, ungodly upheavals taking place at this moment in society and culture. His analysis is hard-hitting and he comes under attacks from organized opposition such as that within Human Rights Campaign.
The organization claimed that Brown is exporting hate because of his opposition to the radical agenda it pursues. According to Dr. Spargimino, writing on matters reported within the Brown article, the invective is raging in answer to Brown's exposure of the agenda:
One reader [of Brown's article] claimed that Kim Davis is a terrorist. "Kim Davis, by virtue of defying the Constitution and the Supreme Court is NO BETTER than those men who conceived, executed and plotted those attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11." Another wrote to Brown: "You are just as brutal as ISIS."
Already in May, 2005, John McCandlish Phillips, formerly a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter, pointed out how some of the major newspapers told their readers that evangelicals and traditional Catholics were engaging in a "jihad" against America.
Not surprisingly, Christians have been called the "American Taliban," a label that reflected the sentiments of some Californians who opposed Proposition 8, the pro-marriage bill, and who carried signs reading: "Don't Silence the Christians, Feed Them 2 the lions."
In his Charisma blog Brown quotes Shephard Smith on Fox News who calls pro-traditional family Christians "haters," and hypocrites for resisting Sharia Law while we hold to our conservative Christian values.
The caustic vitriol from the "tolerant left" is bitter. Just because Christians don't want to participate in their ceremonies, Christians are now bigots. Brown commented: "People don't just hate you. They see you as downright dangerous, and that in itself is dangerous. And it's not just some isolated wacko making an extreme internet comment or a crowd of protesters carrying signs."
What does this hatred sound like? "I want them all to die in a fire," said one man. Another said, "I would be in favor of establishing a state for them...If not then sterilize them so they can't breed more." A man with a doctorate said, "The only good Christian is a dead Christian." A college educated man referenced evangelical Christians and said "A torturous death would be too good for them." An elderly woman with a master's degree chimed in and said: "They should be eradicated without hesitation or remorse." (Dr. Larry Spargimino, commenting on article, "Townhall.com,When Committed Christians Are Compared to ISIS," by Michael Brown, September 13, 2015, http://townhall.com/columnists/mich...tians-are-compared-to-isis-n2051359/page/full)
It is beyond obvious that those who respond in such a vicious way to Christian concerns about the raging ungodliness have a diminution of rationality in their thinking. Michael Brown questioned one woman who apparently had lost all reasoning ability and had launched a verbal attack that boiled with hatred. He asked the reasoning behind her outrage.
[Is your anger]...because we want to protect innocent babies in the womb? Because we care about marriage and family? Because we feed the poor and needy around the world? Because we want the whole world to know how wonderful Jesus is? Please be kind enough to explain your views.
Brown wrote that he received no response to his inquiry.
While Christians in America don't yet face life-threatening persecution as do Christians who are being beheaded by ISIS, the Anti-Christian crusade is underway. It will one day--during the Tribulation, for certain--bring martyrdom to believers everywhere in the world. In 1 Peter 4:12, the apostle Peter wrote: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
All of this is not meant to instill fear, but to exhort the believer to look for the Blessed Hope--the Lord Jesus Christ, who will call true believers out of this God-hating world before Satan and his minions can bring his anti-Christian crusade to fruition. Meantime, the believer is to stand against the fiery darts of the opposition to godliness. Christians, in the final analysis, are invincible, according to their Lord.
