TITLE: "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENT"

Subtitle: Something To Fight For, Or Just Another Political Football?

I abhor the fact that the United States is casting off the last vestiges of its Christian heritage. Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ played a vital role in the formative years of our country and God's laws are, beyond question, the very foundation of its legal system--as well as that of most other nations. To turn our back upon the Creator is truly a mistake of cosmic proportions, but why should we be surprised at behavior that is totally consistent with all the nations who have preceded us? It has been said that history repeats itself and here we go again--charging toward the abyss with reckless abandon!

However, having said this, I must take exception to those misguided zealots who insist upon politicizing the downward spiral of our nation. What we are witnessing is nothing less than the culmination of a moral and spiritual decline that began many years ago and it will not be reversed by human effort. To attempt to "take back America" through civil disobedience, which at the very best only delays the inevitable by strong-arming the political process, is not only futile, but contrary to the Word of God. Genuine blood-washed and Holy Spirit regenerated believers in Jesus Christ must never participate in such activities. Sinful hearts can not be changed through enforcement of constitutional rights. And even if by chance, this particular battle could be won--the war will still be lost, because the final chapter has already been written and the "bad guys" win! Satan and his unholy hordes are going to rule the entire planet for seven years, because God has ordained it to be so. Only divine intervention by the Lamb of God will put a stop to that reign and pitching the adult equivalent of temper tantrums over a slab of marble sitting in an Alabama court building will not even slow down the process.

Did Judge Roy Moore have the legal right under the Constitution and the laws of the State of Alabama to unilaterally take it upon himself to place the monument in a public building? Regardless of the patriotic passions this question raises within the Christian community, the bottom line is that a Federal judge ruled against it, both the Governor and Attorney General issued statements that the ruling was binding and the monument had to be removed. In the interim, the judicial ethics committee  suspended Judge Moore pending their final word on the matter and he may wind up losing his job because of the refusal to comply. But in the zany world of politics, his version of George Wallace's "stand in the schoolhouse door" may well earn him bigger and more prestigious offices in the future.

Has the cause of Christ been advanced by the confrontation? Have souls been won to the Savior through public displays of  indignation exhibited by the various pastors and other supporters? Has heaven-sent Holy Ghost revival broken out among God's people because of these efforts? Or would we not have to conclude, very sadly, that a lot of "heat and light" has once again been expended with precious little of eternal value to show for it? The fallout is tragic in that Satan's agenda is actually being promoted through further alienation of an unregenerate public majority by what it views as heavy-handed tactics of a "Christian" minority bent upon forcing its system of belief upon them. And trying to be as objective as possible, can we really fault them for having that perception?  My friends, we need to face the fact that  if Christians have the right under the Constitution to acknowledge our God by placing a monument on public property, then the followers of every other religion have just as much right to do so! And why that is so hard for some to understand is a mystery to me. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

Quite frankly, we should be appalled by brethren who insist upon trying to do God's work man's way. Fighting against tyranny became a fashionable topic from pulpits during the time of the Protestant Reformation and the concept has grown to the point of being considered a Christian virtue. But for the life of me, I cannot find any New Testament teaching to back it up. To the contrary, I find much that argues against it. For starters, the Lord told us in the Sermon on the Mount that we must not resist evil:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: [39] But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" Matthew 5:38-39 (KJV, emphasis mine).

"Oh, but Lord--You don't understand! This is a wicked world and we must fight to protect what is rightfully ours! Don't You remember that someone once said that all that was necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing? You gave us the United States as a Christian nation and we must fight to the death against all who would dare to try to take it from us."
 

                                      Christian nation????

Wake up, citizens!!! Where, pray tell, does the precious Name of Jesus Christ appear in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or any other document relative to the founding of our nation? To the best of our knowledge He is never mentioned once and that glaring omission is irrefutable proof our nation was not founded upon Him or the principles of His Kingdom!  Thomas Jefferson did use the phrase "....the laws of nature and nature's God...." (which is prominently displayed on the front of the Ten Commandments monument) in the Declaration of Independence, but even when capitalized the term "god" is actually generic and means different things to different people. As a matter of fact, the dictionary definition of God with a capital "G" states that it refers to "...the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions." Therefore as a minimum, the "big 3" worshippers of one God the world knows as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam could all legitimately claim that Jefferson was referring to their deity by its English name! And for a better idea about what the man actually believed, you may want to refer to the following "freethinker" site and read what they have to say about the subject, along with selected quotes from Jefferson himself:

http://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm

And we would be totally remiss if we did not stress the occult reason why the "nature's God" to whom Jefferson referred is not necessarily that which immediately comes to the minds of Christians. It is said that the term was often used by deists of that day, but a more sinister meaning is included in Rosicrucian and Masonic teaching. The ancient god of nature was Pan--the half man, half goat figure often depicted with a prominent phallus and widely recognized as being one of the many representations of Satan! Apparently historians have not been able to conclusively prove that Jefferson was a Freemason, but circumstantial evidence clearly points to him being, at the least, very knowledgeable of Rosicrucian principles. And it is beyond dispute that he held Francis Bacon in such high esteem that he claimed the Rosicrucian "supreme magister" to be among the three greatest men who ever lived. Thomas Locke and Sir Isaac Newton were the other two, so where did the Lord Jesus Christ fit in? Does this omission sound to you like a man who is in any way interested in promoting a "Christian" nation?

But back to the subject of not resisting evil--Please understand that I am not talking about protecting one's family and property against intruders, or fighting to defend our nation against military invasion.No, I am referring to "Christian soldiers" who have it in their heads that we must fight spiritual battles using fleshly means and tactics.

The Apostle Paul speaks to this principle when he wrote:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. [11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" Ephes. 6:10-12 (KJV, emphasis mine).

Satan is ultimately behind the demand that the Ten Commandments Monument be removed and resorting to civil disobedience after all legal means have been exhausted is tantamount to rebellion. And speaking of which, the Word of God says this:

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...." 1 Samuel 15:23(a) (KJV, emphasis mine).

For pastors and their followers to stand in the way of a legal court order, thereby forcing law enforcement officers to arrest them and carry some of them away bodily, is rebellion by scriptural standards and they will answer for it to a holy God. Protest and the exercise of legal rights are not in question--just actively resisting the "powers that be." Notice the clear teaching of Romans 13:

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. [2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: [4] For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. [5] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. [6] For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. [7] Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour" Romans 13:1-7 (KJV, emphasis mine).

Our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with the demonic forces of Satan who are actively manipulating judges to erect monuments and other judges to take them down! These same forces are behind the IRS insisting that Church administrations collect FICA and income tax withholding from those whom they have deemed to be "employees"--causing otherwise sane and sensible pastors to come unglued and resort to rebellion in a last-ditch effort--trying to fight a spiritual battle with fleshly means. Has it never occurred to them that God is still on the throne and if it was His will that these things be overturned, He would see to it without them having to "help Him out"? It is never right to do wrong so that good may be the result!

We should be overjoyed that our Sovereign God is in total control of all things. And when (not if) such heart-breaking problems present themselves, we have a responsibility to speak out in respectful protest, but we do not have the right, or Scriptural mandate, to bring "railing accusation" (abusive language) against those in positions of authority (or even demons who may be prompting them). Notice what Peter had to say about accusing apostates and the manner in which Michael, the archangel, responded to Satan:

"Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord" 2 Peter 2:11 (KJV).

"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" Jude 1:9 (KJV).

So if angels find it necessary to restrain themselves in such matters, we certainly should!

Again, I want to make it clear that peaceful protest is not the issue. What is wrong is that name-calling, judging people's heart motives, and engaging in civil disobedience are all prohibited by Scripture. Christians must not engage in such behavior. And please note that the one instance in the New Testament where the disciples of Christ disobeyed an order by the "authorities" (Acts 4:19)--often quoted by brethren trying to justify such action--was in fact against their own ungodly Sanhedrin Council and not the Roman government. By that time in history the Sanhedrin had no governmental authority over the people and served only as a religious body. Plus the disobedience exhibited by the disciples was also verbal in nature--they kept on preaching the Gospel message after being commanded to keep silent--and that preaching did not constitute the type of resistance forbidden by Romans 13. Also there is no record in the Word of God where any of them ever resisted arrest and had to be dragged off to jail bodily. Quite the contrary, in each and every case they were respectful of their captors and when verbal protests failed, endured unjust punishment without ranting and raving at those administering it--following, of course, the perfect example set by the Lord Himself.

Mark it well--this current example of civil disobedience and inflammatory rhetoric by "believers" may result in some temporary victories, but over the long run it will only have provided more fuel for the fires of persecution. The devil knows how to pull our chain and a hot-headed response is exactly what he is looking for. Please do not fall into that trap.

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order—Kingdom of Antichrist—in their daily news.

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God bless you.