Christians on the Mountaintop - Do We Bow Down?

Robert Jeffress endorses Trump

Whether you believe we are approaching the end of the world or not, things certainly are becoming interesting in a "striking parallels" sort of way. This past week, First Baptist Church of Dallas Pastor, Robert Jeffress, told his congregation that "Christians who do not vote for Donald Trump are fools." Jeffress has become a very loud proponent of Donald Trump as savior of the country of late and he doubled down on that in last week's sermon.

Let's skim right over Jesus's admonition that anyone who calls another person a "fool" will be in danger of "hell fire" (Matt. 5:22) and get right to it. Most Christians are familiar with the story in Matthew 4, ironically found just one chapter in front of the 'no calling people fools" admonition, is the story of the devil's temptation of Christ.

Remember there were three temptations. The first was the temptation for Christ to show off his power by turning stones to bread (remember he was hungry at the time). The second was the temptation to show off his power by engaging in risky behavior (throwing himself off the temple roof) and forcing the angels to catch him. The third was on the mountaintop where Satan offered to give Jesus the world and skip all the uncomfortable flogging and crucifixion business in exchange for him bowing down and acknowledging the prince of this world.

Jesus would have none of it. The takeaway from this story is that you don't give obeisance to the devil in exchange for a promise of power. You probably know where this is going. Donald Trump has made passing remarks about protecting and empowering Christianity, not that he, himself, needs any of the traditional benefits of Christianity like forgiveness of sin or guidance in how he should behave. He promises to make this a "Christian" nation again and to make America great. He promises to drive out the filthy Muslim hordes and give us free government healthcare, to make us rich and to make us powerful.  Sound familiar?

We, as Christians are standing with the devil on the mountaintop. The devil isn't wearing a red suit. He doesn't have a tail and horns and a pitchfork. He's wearing a $3000 suit and a bad red combover. Instead of a pitchfork, he has a fat bank account full of money that he's conned and swindled out of the very sorts of people who shout his name and who apparently will beat up anyone who dares to disagree with their lord and master. We were even treated last week to an eerie group pledge with right hands raised at a Trump rally. 

As Nancy Reagan would have put it, "Just say NO!"  The Donald is promising Christians power, glory and riches in exchange for worship. And he's getting the worship, make no mistake. Throughout history, the devil has used the same tactics over and over to win power for himself and his supporters. He starts with promises to fill their bellies, then to show off their power by doing dangerous things. Finally he asks them to bow down in exchange for all the wealth in the world.  It's always the same.

While Christ offers to change our hearts, Satan only offers to change our circumstances. Hitler did it in 1933. Stalin and Lenin did the same thing in 1917. Mao repeated the process in 1949. The Roman emperors took power by offering "bread and circuses", then the excitement of conquest, then power over the world. It's always the same playbook. Trump offers us "deals" that will make us wealthy and well-fed, a chance to show off our power over our enemies and only asks us to pledge our loyalty to him in exchange for the chance to share Trump's glory.

I find it stunning that Christians, who worry about the rise of the Beast at the end of time, so eagerly flock together to create an Image to the Beast in someone like Trump. Donald Trump may not be the actual anti-Christ any more than they feared Barak Obama was, but like Obama, I think the Donald is working for the anti-Christ. Even he may not know it yet, but the events that Donald Trump threatens to put into motion - war on the families of terrorists, a veritable "Trail of Tears" for Mexican illegals, and the further expansion of government to take care of our "needs" all serve the interest of the Beast or the anti-Christ or the devil or whoever is behind the actual conspiracy against humankind that is taking place right in front of our eyes.

And as the Jews in Jesus' day had the Sanhedrin pitching for Satan's team, we apparently have church leaders doing the same. Prominent clergy like Jeffress, Jerry Falwell Jr., Michael Murdoch, and black evangelical leader Mark Burns are pitching for Trump.  Even Evangelical TV host, Pat Robertson, says, "(Trump) inspires us all." 

Well, this is one Christian who is not "inspired" by Donald Trump. I'm horrified. God help us if we let this serial philanderer, adulterer, swindler, mob-connected racketeer, casino and strip club owner, serial bankruptcy artist and egomaniacal demagogue anywhere near the White House. Some simple trusting Christians like Trump because they say that because he is rich, he will not be corrupted by the corporate oligarchs who buy influence in Washington and secretly control everything in our country. "He doesn't need their money," is the reasoning.

I've got news for you people - Donald Trump IS the corporate oligarchy. He's been buying influence in Washington and everywhere else for his entire career. How do you think he got so rich in the first place?  He's not corruptible?  You could make that argument. Trump is corruption incarnate. He doesn't need God's forgiveness he says. Of course not. Why would a man who sees himself as the Messiah, need to ask God for forgiveness? Sending him to the White House only means he doesn't have to bribe politicians anymore. They have to bribe him!

The fact that Christian "leaders" are falling for this deception only proves to me that we are approaching the last days of Earth's history. They've said it couldn't happen before, but that hasn't stopped the devil from trying again and again and again; each time with more destructive results; each time with more death and destruction. And I believe he will keep at it until he brings the world down around him. Unfortunately, for the first time in history, mankind has the means with which to burn the surface of the planet to ashes. Isn't it interesting that Revelation describes a "lake of fire" being the final end of evil. Me, I'd like to avoid all that.

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth:
and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
- Isaiah 65:17

Whether Trump wins or someone else does, things don't look good for our world. They always promise a utopia - a man-made heaven on Earth. There's no such thing and cannot be so long as men love power and worship themselves. If we do get a reprieve and someone decent does become the most powerful political figure in the world, we should get our affairs in order as soon as we can while there is still time. We should witness to the truth as loudly as possible and to all the Earth, because the end will surely come. Jesus' coming is not an invasion or a conquest. It is a rescue mission and at its conclusion the world will go up in flames and be cleansed that we may start over with a new Earth - pure, pristine and sinless.

The storm's coming. Get ready.

© 2016 by Tom King

The World Hates Us - The Twisted Argument for Isolationism

A friend told me I have to vote for Gary Johnson the Libertarian Candidate if I don't vote for Trump. So, like a good political junkie I go to the Libertarian Party and look at their platform. A lot of it I agree with, but I always stumble when I get to that last plank!

The Libertarian love of isolationism.

Now, my friend tells me that the world hates us and we shouldn't try to be the world's police, because it offends the world and that's why they hate us so much. I always stumble over this one, especially when this same dude tells me immigration is our biggest problem. We need to keep out all those nasty immigrants.

So tell me this, then. If the world hates us so much why are its best and brightest trying so flippin' hard to get here to America. A whole bunch of folks from "the rest of the world" that finds us so offensive, risk life and limb by sneaking over the border. They uproot themselves from their homes and lives and spend years trying to get here? Why would anyone who hates a country so much want to come here so badly.

They don't seem like they hate us all that much.

As to our offending the rest of the world, that doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. I don't deny that we offend some people out there in "the rest of the world".  Many of them are offended by our wealth, our freedom, our movies, music and literature. Many of them are offended because we come to their countries to trade and make money and actually take some of the money we make home for ourselves. I get it that we offend some people in "the rest of the world".

So what? 

I'm offended by Muslims lining up Christians and beheading them. That really offends me. I'm offended by Russian troops invading a sovereign nation and taking their territory. I'm offended by Hutus murdering Tutsis. I'm offended by petty African warlords stealing children and forcing them to be soldiers. I'm offended by Islamic terrorists blowing up things and killing innocent people. I was really offended when they destroyed the World Trade Center and tried to destroy the Pentagon and killed hundreds of innocent people in airplanes and thousands on the ground. I'm offended by the international sex slavery trade going on in North Africa. I'm offended by the Chinese annexing an ocean and threatening to stop ships that sail on it in violation of international law. I'm offended by the murder of Christian tribesmen and women in Malaysia by the government. I'm offended by someone who believes we can build a damned wall around our country and let the evil people of the world just have their way out there when I know all we're doing is giving them time to reload and rearm before they come pouring over the borders from their cesspool countries to muck up ours. 

Am I, as a liberty-loving American not entitled to be offended by the awful things done by "the rest of the world?" Why do Libertarians think everyone else should be allowed to be offended by us but that we shouldn't be offended by what happens to ANYONE ELSE except ourselves. I mean, the other libs (liberals as opposed to libertarians) think we shouldn't be allowed to be offended at all. Yeah, sometimes we play cops around the world. That's not a bad thing. Bill Clinton may have been covering his behind for diddling the White House Interns, but intervening to stop the genocide in Yugoslavia was a righteous mission. Too bad he wasn't serious about that mission when he sent an under-armed, under-manned army into Mogadishu. He could have done a lot of good for the people there who were starving and being murdered. Should we be the world's cops?  You bet. Who else is going to do it?  The Russians?  We already know what kind of strings are attached to Russian "help". Vladamir Putin is a former KGB officer for crying out loud.

The only way to slow terrorism and global bullying down is to fight it at the source. George Bush was absolutely right about that. If someone is draining sewerage onto your property, the thing to do is not to sandbag around your house and hope to stay ahead of it. The thing to do, no matter how many sandbags you may have, is to find the pipe and shut off the valve. Eventually, if you don't, you're going to run out of sandbags.

© 2016 by Tom King

Don't Do It Doctor Carson

A rumor is circulating that Ben Carson is about to endorse Donald Trump. If that happens I am a man without a country. I immediately went on his campaign website and wrote this letter. I encourage you to do the same if you care at all about the integrity of our nation and the message Dr. Carson brought to the campaign.

An Open Letter to Dr. Carson:

DO NOT ENDORSE TRUMP.  That man is a serial adulterer, strip club operator, liar, con man, fraud, racketeer, is pro nationalized healthcare, abortion and a closet socialist. He is Hitler in 1933, Lenin in 1914. He's a racist, a bully and appeals to the worst in people. You, Dr. Carson appeal to the best in people. That was what set you apart from the herd. Tell me they are lying about you again.

If you endorse a monster like Trump, you are betraying everything you said you believed in. I have to believe this is a Trump subterfuge designed to discredit you in advance of your speech on Friday. Please tell me it isn't so.  If they make Trump the nominee, I will leave the Republican party. I was going to write in your name, but if you endorse Trump, you will be part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Stand tall as you have in the past and speak out against the evil that infests the leadership of our nation. PLEASE DO NOT ENDORSE TRUMP. That would be the most discouraging thing next to your withdrawal from the race that could happen this year.

Thank you for your service.
We need you to stand in the breach at this momentous point in history.

Tom & Sheila King