I hate Satan!
Sitting here today, I began thinking about that piece from yesterday titled "Satan Becoming Bolder" and another thought occurred to me.
He must be feeling rather invincible at the moment (or maybe he knows his time to rule this world with an iron fist through the Antichrist is close at hand) because it just dawned on me how "in-our-faces" he's been with his mockery of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this week.
Last night, the History Channel asked: "Does the Shroud of Turin show the 'real face of Jesus'?". Today, many seekers of the truth who remain unsaved are asking: "Are all Christians wacky militia members like those arrested over the weekend?".
So, when the Body of Christ is just days away from meditating on the eternal significance of the "Passion of Jesus Christ" -- His arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion, and resurrection all on our behalf -- Satan is succeeding in getting the rest of the world to refrain from considering this holiday as truly being demonstrative of the free gift that is still available to them, and is instead getting them to ask if the "passion of all Christians" is to believe in "crazy stuff" and to want to kill those who disagree with them.
When did we become Jihadists and when have we ever called/treated those who disagree with us as infidels? Folks, the prophesied persecution which is a hallmark of the end times is on its way for sure. How can there be any doubt about that when we're witnessing a world that is calling us the enemy when their are millions out there who are killing and decapitating all in the name of their god?
It makes me angry! It makes me sick! Lord, please shield the hearts and minds of those who haven't returned to you yet so that Satan cannot place his death grip on them!
It's so sad to think about how deluded the unbelieving world is at the moment. To call them "delusional" seems laughable to them I'm sure, but that doesn't mean it's not true. When I surfed over to The Huffington Post (I know, I know, I was "asking for it" by going there willingly) to see what the general sentiment is about all of this from a group where the majority does not believe in God, my heart broke.
These are some excerpts from one article that appeared there today:
> Like many of us, I was horrified but not shocked by news of the heretofore obscure Hutaree militia and their plans to foment an uprising in Michigan. Instead of waiting for the "end-times," these rapture-ready militias seem bent on making them come early.
> It would be nice if the militias were an isolated example of periodic Christian fanaticism, but this kind of extremist religiosity has been wreaking havoc on the world for centuries. A short list would include the Inquisition, slavery, the genocide of native populations in the Americas, and the legacy of African colonialism. It's enough to make one wonder if far from being distortions of the Christian message, these horrors represent the inevitable consequence of a religion whose central symbol -- the cross -- represents one of the most unpleasant and cruel tortures that can be inflicted.
> I used to think, like Oscar Wilde, that the idea of a man dying to take on the sins of the world was the ultimate work of art. Now it seems rather grandiose, a delusion that would land someone in the psych ward. There is nothing inherently redemptive about a violent end to a sacred life. What Christians have done to try to make the suffering of Jesus meaningful is to glorify it. This, unfortunately, bleeds into a fetishization of violence itself.
> There is nothing to glorify in the ugly death of Jesus. Suffering is not inherently ennobling, even if, as in childbirth, it's necessary and even tolerable given the result. Redemption does not come in the afterlife; it comes right here on earth, in the practice of a millions forms of kindness. It certainly does not come at the end of a gun barrel.
Pray for Mark Olmsted who is the author of that column.
In hindsight, and in all fairness though, there were some important truths contained in that same commentary that struck a chord with me because it was spot on. Here's that section:
The most chilling excerpts from their manifesto invoke the perpetual emphasis on violence as a vehicle to "defend" Jesus. They seem to believe with complete sincerity that if Christ were here today, he'd be carrying an Uzi and be ready to lead a bloody overthrow of the government. I truly wonder if these fanatics have stopped reading the Gospels every night and just watch an endless loop of The Passion of the Christ.
Condescending and mocking tone aside, the point about those "Christians" who are more like the Hutaree Militia members is a fair one. They have stopped reading the Gospels.
The irony, however, is in the fact that this observation is coming from someone who writes for an online news service that is typically more anti-Christian in its views than it is pro-Christian, which leads me to wonder how many of The Huffington Post readers (let alone its writers) ever even read the Gospels at all themselves. But I digress.
You know, I've often wondered how many people come to Christ during Easter. When you think about it, it seems like if there was ever a good time to talk to people about the Gospel, if there was ever a good time to impress upon the lost, unsaved world who Jesus was and what He really did for us, then Easter would be the time to make that powerful impression.
If that assumption is correct, then it pains me to see Satan ramping up his efforts just days before what is commonly thought to be the most important time of the year for those of us who are praying that we might be put in a position to reach the lost with Jesus' free gift of salvation.
The worst part? Instead of the focus being on Jesus Christ Himself and of having people ask themselves and others, "What is this Passion of Jesus Christ all about anyway?", we have those same people shifting their focus and asking, "What is the passion of all Christians anyway?".
Thus, Satan has succeeded in getting them to place their focus during this Easter season on the Christian (on fallen man himself!) and not on the Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ) where it belongs this time of year!
You wanna know what the "real" face of Jesus looks like? Here's a start...
> Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and
experience God's love and plan for your life.
> The face of Jesus is portrayed as The Messiah, The Prince of Peace, The Word Made Man, Lord and Savior, The King of Kings, The Lion of Judah, The Lamb of God.
> He dies in our place.
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
> He rose from the dead.
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)
> He is the ONLY way to God.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6)
Shall we continue? We could go on and on if we have to.
Yes, I hate Satan -- especially lately! Yet, nothing he does this time of year will lessen my love for my Lord and Savior.
If anything, it will only serve to strengthen it and motivate me to want to worship and praise Him that much more.
Share
Sitting here today, I began thinking about that piece from yesterday titled "Satan Becoming Bolder" and another thought occurred to me.
He must be feeling rather invincible at the moment (or maybe he knows his time to rule this world with an iron fist through the Antichrist is close at hand) because it just dawned on me how "in-our-faces" he's been with his mockery of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this week.
Last night, the History Channel asked: "Does the Shroud of Turin show the 'real face of Jesus'?". Today, many seekers of the truth who remain unsaved are asking: "Are all Christians wacky militia members like those arrested over the weekend?".
So, when the Body of Christ is just days away from meditating on the eternal significance of the "Passion of Jesus Christ" -- His arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion, and resurrection all on our behalf -- Satan is succeeding in getting the rest of the world to refrain from considering this holiday as truly being demonstrative of the free gift that is still available to them, and is instead getting them to ask if the "passion of all Christians" is to believe in "crazy stuff" and to want to kill those who disagree with them.
When did we become Jihadists and when have we ever called/treated those who disagree with us as infidels? Folks, the prophesied persecution which is a hallmark of the end times is on its way for sure. How can there be any doubt about that when we're witnessing a world that is calling us the enemy when their are millions out there who are killing and decapitating all in the name of their god?
It makes me angry! It makes me sick! Lord, please shield the hearts and minds of those who haven't returned to you yet so that Satan cannot place his death grip on them!
It's so sad to think about how deluded the unbelieving world is at the moment. To call them "delusional" seems laughable to them I'm sure, but that doesn't mean it's not true. When I surfed over to The Huffington Post (I know, I know, I was "asking for it" by going there willingly) to see what the general sentiment is about all of this from a group where the majority does not believe in God, my heart broke.
These are some excerpts from one article that appeared there today:
> Like many of us, I was horrified but not shocked by news of the heretofore obscure Hutaree militia and their plans to foment an uprising in Michigan. Instead of waiting for the "end-times," these rapture-ready militias seem bent on making them come early.
> It would be nice if the militias were an isolated example of periodic Christian fanaticism, but this kind of extremist religiosity has been wreaking havoc on the world for centuries. A short list would include the Inquisition, slavery, the genocide of native populations in the Americas, and the legacy of African colonialism. It's enough to make one wonder if far from being distortions of the Christian message, these horrors represent the inevitable consequence of a religion whose central symbol -- the cross -- represents one of the most unpleasant and cruel tortures that can be inflicted.
> I used to think, like Oscar Wilde, that the idea of a man dying to take on the sins of the world was the ultimate work of art. Now it seems rather grandiose, a delusion that would land someone in the psych ward. There is nothing inherently redemptive about a violent end to a sacred life. What Christians have done to try to make the suffering of Jesus meaningful is to glorify it. This, unfortunately, bleeds into a fetishization of violence itself.
> There is nothing to glorify in the ugly death of Jesus. Suffering is not inherently ennobling, even if, as in childbirth, it's necessary and even tolerable given the result. Redemption does not come in the afterlife; it comes right here on earth, in the practice of a millions forms of kindness. It certainly does not come at the end of a gun barrel.
Pray for Mark Olmsted who is the author of that column.
In hindsight, and in all fairness though, there were some important truths contained in that same commentary that struck a chord with me because it was spot on. Here's that section:
The most chilling excerpts from their manifesto invoke the perpetual emphasis on violence as a vehicle to "defend" Jesus. They seem to believe with complete sincerity that if Christ were here today, he'd be carrying an Uzi and be ready to lead a bloody overthrow of the government. I truly wonder if these fanatics have stopped reading the Gospels every night and just watch an endless loop of The Passion of the Christ.
Condescending and mocking tone aside, the point about those "Christians" who are more like the Hutaree Militia members is a fair one. They have stopped reading the Gospels.
The irony, however, is in the fact that this observation is coming from someone who writes for an online news service that is typically more anti-Christian in its views than it is pro-Christian, which leads me to wonder how many of The Huffington Post readers (let alone its writers) ever even read the Gospels at all themselves. But I digress.
You know, I've often wondered how many people come to Christ during Easter. When you think about it, it seems like if there was ever a good time to talk to people about the Gospel, if there was ever a good time to impress upon the lost, unsaved world who Jesus was and what He really did for us, then Easter would be the time to make that powerful impression.
If that assumption is correct, then it pains me to see Satan ramping up his efforts just days before what is commonly thought to be the most important time of the year for those of us who are praying that we might be put in a position to reach the lost with Jesus' free gift of salvation.
The worst part? Instead of the focus being on Jesus Christ Himself and of having people ask themselves and others, "What is this Passion of Jesus Christ all about anyway?", we have those same people shifting their focus and asking, "What is the passion of all Christians anyway?".
Thus, Satan has succeeded in getting them to place their focus during this Easter season on the Christian (on fallen man himself!) and not on the Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ) where it belongs this time of year!
You wanna know what the "real" face of Jesus looks like? Here's a start...
> Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and
experience God's love and plan for your life.
> The face of Jesus is portrayed as The Messiah, The Prince of Peace, The Word Made Man, Lord and Savior, The King of Kings, The Lion of Judah, The Lamb of God.
> He dies in our place.
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
> He rose from the dead.
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)
> He is the ONLY way to God.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6)
Shall we continue? We could go on and on if we have to.
Yes, I hate Satan -- especially lately! Yet, nothing he does this time of year will lessen my love for my Lord and Savior.
If anything, it will only serve to strengthen it and motivate me to want to worship and praise Him that much more.
Share
14 Comments:
Those words are synonyms!
Good piece on righteous anger:
http://bible.org/seriespage/righteous-anger-ephesians-426-27
Should we not be equally if not more concerned about how dilusioned the church is? Why is it so hard to know that Easter is a pagan holiday? And yet 99% of Christians insist on celebrating this. Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...
Come out of Babylon!!
Passover in 2010 will start on Tuesday, the 30th of March and will continue for 7 days until Monday, the 5th of April.
Anonymous #3,
You're absolutely right and I don't think anyone here would dispute that -- certainly not me.
I'm wondering if my inclusion of the word "Easter" in this post and reference to it is what offended you and prompted this response. I'm not sure. It may be just a general comment on your part.
Either way, please know that I agree with you 100% and am fully aware of the pagan roots of "Easter" (with all the bunnies and eggs and stuff) as well as all the other "Christian" holidays we tend to celebrate and shouldn't.
I guess my use of Easter here in this piece and my reference to it instead Passover, which is more accurate, Biblical, and proper was born out of writing with a particular audience in mind -- mainly the fence-sitters, skeptics, and unbelievers -- because they're the ones I was concerned about. So, sorry if I confused and/or offended you in any way.
Your comments resonate with me though (more than you know). As the father of 2 small children, this is one of those times of the year when I have to live out my faith and not just pay it lip service.
Thanks for commenting.
Saved By Grace Through Faith,
Jeff (JRed)
Hey Jeff,
Sorry about that. I didn't get to sign my name...
The title of your post "I hate Satan" just made me think of how he has infultrated the church on so many levels and what should seem a simple realization (not celebrating pagan holidays) is considered debatable among Christians. You have not offened me at all! And you're right my posting is probably out of whack with your post...But what we're talking about is all tied together.
If we face persecution, may it be because we have/are living the Truth. And when one really starts to come out of Babylon (which includes the organized church-because it practices everything the RCC does and the mysteries of Babylon) you really start to see and FEEL the narrow and lonely road you are on. You speak the truth because you want people to come to Christ as savior, but the truth, the real truth is not what the so called Christian churches are preaching today. If people will practice xmas and easter, then how easy will it be to transition to another 'who comes in his own name'. Pastor Mike Hoggard www.mikehoggard.com has some excellent teachings.
Well enough said...
Peace,
Dee
The anti-Chrisitian rhetoric has been amped up for sure. Funny you should mention about the militia group knowing the gospels because my husband and I agreed that they had stopped referring to them a long time ago. If they were true Christian warriors, they would have had their prayer vigil raided and callouses on their knees.
They seem to forget that Jesus lived under a repressive with few guaranteed "freedoms" as we koow them. Yet, never a weapon except the Sword of the Word and willingly submission to their earthly authority.
jeff
I agree with most of this post, but
you are still missing the BIG point about TRUTH!TRUTH! TRUTH!
easter is not a holliday of my GOD JESUS CHRIST! easter which is realy ishtar is a pagen ritual to the godess ishtar, astaroth, isis and many other names. it is the worship of the queen of heaven, who brings in the new spring growth.
it invloves group orgies, chaseing of rabbits, rolling of eggs, eating of pork and all other unholy debotcheries.
the holyday we as christians are supposed to be celebrating is PASSOVER!!! and it falls on 4-14 at sundown. it is the holyday that GOD commanded us to celebrate and it is the date of JESUS crusifixtion! we are to worship GOD and thank him for his protecting wings that deflect evil and preserve us from all the unholy attacks by lucifer. we are to eat unleavend bread and drink wine, to show are allegence to the one TRUE GOD JESUS CHRIST!!!
so please stop mixing GOOD with bad. JESUS with lucifer. stop confuseing the new CHRISTIANS out there, and show them the LOVE OF THE TRUTH!!!
GOD help those who still do not understand!!! THRUTH, LOVE AND RIGHTIOUSNES ARE ALL JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!! amen
john
I don't really think it matters when you celebrate the Resurrection. God knows what's in your heart and what you're celebrating.
John,
Jeff renounces easter: read his comment....
Dee
dee
thanks, I was writting my comment before his came up, so I did not see it! any way thier are others out there that need to hear the truth also!!!
john
dee
thanks, I was writting my comment before his came up, so I did not see it! any way thier are others out there that need to hear the truth also!!!
john
dee
thanks, I was writting my comment before his came up, so I did not see it! any way thier are others out there that need to hear the truth also!!!
john
Right on cure today:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100401/ap_on_re_us/us_abortion_shooting
I do not hate easter, have you people considered the fact that to deny our christian holidays is exactly what the NWO wants us to do? they hate easter and christmas because it reminds the world of Jesus and what he did for us, I don't care what ancient custom it might have once represented,it's when we take time to think about what he did for us, also it's not in the new testament for christians to follow Jewish holidays and I for one will not be observing passover I celebrated easter as the day the lord rose from the dead.
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