There has been a worrying development in New Zealand recently with regards freedom of religion. The NZ Ministry of Education is requesting Bethlehem College of Tauranga to remove any reference to its belief in Christian monogamous female/male only marriage from its list of beliefs.
How far the government ministry will go with this will be interesting. Meanwhile, a little way up the road...
Long Bay College in Auckland is teaching their students that there are 112 genders and over 200 sexualities.
The present tensions between left and right, liberal and conservative, is a phenomenon we have observed in America to a startling and extreme degree, but it appears the inevitable, after sojourning here in Australia for a time, has now reached the shores of paradise, and is set to create more division and unsettle society as it has elsewhere. I am of the firm belief that these tensions and conflicting opinions and the resulting overreach of government over conscience in order to accommodate what is euphemistically called by those in power, 'the common good', is a deliberately induced conflict in order to bring about what we Adventists understand as the final tyranny over conscience with regards the Sunday/Sabbath issue. Okay, so call me a conspiracy theorist.
But we have seen some remarkable swings from one extreme to the other in politics over the years, and those extremes are getting broader at every turn. One day soon, western society, under the weight of its own incapacity to deal with the tensions and the strife of conflict and passions, will turn to the man in white, and present him as the only morally acceptable leader with the mandate to lead the world into a period of peace and safety.
We read of these divisive and amoral and immoral mandates being touted as 'tolerant', 'responsible', 'inclusive', and a host of other buzz words along with the popular ad hominens aimed at those who choose to think differently from the prevailing culture. And make no mistake, for those of us over 30, who remember a time when LGBTQDXOPF+ folk were a decided minority, it is a shock at how quickly the general populace has embraced the new morality, placing Christians, at least those who believe the Bible is the ultimate standard in faith and practise, the new minority. However, I think that is a false reality, because I think that many who profess to accept that new morality, have capitulated to the pressures of what really is a demonic onslaught on society because of fear. Fear of losing business. Fear of losing jobs. Fear of losing family members. Fear of being called out for being homophobic, racist, and the many other nonsense incendiary insults designed to embarrass, harass, and denigrate those who choose to
“stand in the ways and choose the old paths”. Jer. 6:16
If given the opportunity, many would reverse their support for most of the changes being imposed on our society, so long as there was an even playing field. That however is not the case, and will never again be the case. Religious liberty is under attack everywhere, and it is only going to get worse.
Time is short. Jesus is truly coming soon, but the seeming delay in His coming (we Adventists have been expecting Him for over 140 years) is not because He wasn't ready and wanting to free us from this mess, but because we haven't been ready. He is waiting for us, not the other way around. But the limits of His patience I would imagine are wearing thin. The pressures being laid upon good God-fearing folk all over the world is mounting, the pressures upon our institutions, the schools, the hospitals, and even our churches, is such that soon the limits of God's forbearance will be reached, Christ will come, and those not ready will have to go through the tribulation without any protection.
The time is now to prepare. It is time to pray. It is time to study the word, and plead for the holy Spirit to fill us and empower us to share God's love while we can. The gospel must go out. It cannot be done in our own strength. We need Jesus. Today. Tomorrow may be too late. Every day people are dying without knowing Jesus. The latest catastrophe taking our loved ones away from us is called Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Look it up.
Look up^^^. Our redemption draws near.
How far the government ministry will go with this will be interesting. Meanwhile, a little way up the road...
Long Bay College in Auckland is teaching their students that there are 112 genders and over 200 sexualities.
The present tensions between left and right, liberal and conservative, is a phenomenon we have observed in America to a startling and extreme degree, but it appears the inevitable, after sojourning here in Australia for a time, has now reached the shores of paradise, and is set to create more division and unsettle society as it has elsewhere. I am of the firm belief that these tensions and conflicting opinions and the resulting overreach of government over conscience in order to accommodate what is euphemistically called by those in power, 'the common good', is a deliberately induced conflict in order to bring about what we Adventists understand as the final tyranny over conscience with regards the Sunday/Sabbath issue. Okay, so call me a conspiracy theorist.
But we have seen some remarkable swings from one extreme to the other in politics over the years, and those extremes are getting broader at every turn. One day soon, western society, under the weight of its own incapacity to deal with the tensions and the strife of conflict and passions, will turn to the man in white, and present him as the only morally acceptable leader with the mandate to lead the world into a period of peace and safety.
We read of these divisive and amoral and immoral mandates being touted as 'tolerant', 'responsible', 'inclusive', and a host of other buzz words along with the popular ad hominens aimed at those who choose to think differently from the prevailing culture. And make no mistake, for those of us over 30, who remember a time when LGBTQDXOPF+ folk were a decided minority, it is a shock at how quickly the general populace has embraced the new morality, placing Christians, at least those who believe the Bible is the ultimate standard in faith and practise, the new minority. However, I think that is a false reality, because I think that many who profess to accept that new morality, have capitulated to the pressures of what really is a demonic onslaught on society because of fear. Fear of losing business. Fear of losing jobs. Fear of losing family members. Fear of being called out for being homophobic, racist, and the many other nonsense incendiary insults designed to embarrass, harass, and denigrate those who choose to
“stand in the ways and choose the old paths”. Jer. 6:16
If given the opportunity, many would reverse their support for most of the changes being imposed on our society, so long as there was an even playing field. That however is not the case, and will never again be the case. Religious liberty is under attack everywhere, and it is only going to get worse.
Time is short. Jesus is truly coming soon, but the seeming delay in His coming (we Adventists have been expecting Him for over 140 years) is not because He wasn't ready and wanting to free us from this mess, but because we haven't been ready. He is waiting for us, not the other way around. But the limits of His patience I would imagine are wearing thin. The pressures being laid upon good God-fearing folk all over the world is mounting, the pressures upon our institutions, the schools, the hospitals, and even our churches, is such that soon the limits of God's forbearance will be reached, Christ will come, and those not ready will have to go through the tribulation without any protection.
The time is now to prepare. It is time to pray. It is time to study the word, and plead for the holy Spirit to fill us and empower us to share God's love while we can. The gospel must go out. It cannot be done in our own strength. We need Jesus. Today. Tomorrow may be too late. Every day people are dying without knowing Jesus. The latest catastrophe taking our loved ones away from us is called Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Look it up.
Look up^^^. Our redemption draws near.
