Are we a "Christian nation"?

I got a link to the video Our Judeo-Christian Nation which is Congressman Randy Forbes' response to Not-the-President Obama's recent comment that we are not a Christian nation.

Here's my response after viewing the videos:

Obama did not deny our Christian heritage, so Forbes is answering a point that was never raised.

Would a "Christian nation" really "legally" murder over 50 million children? Would a "Christian nation" really legalize homosexuality? I don't know what point Obama was trying to make, but like Caiaphas (see John 11:49-52) he may have been speaking a prophetic word. We — the nominal "Christians" in this country — have in fact repudiated our Christian heritage. David Barton has done landmark work in this area, and I would guess that most church-going Christians know more about the work of Simon Cowell than they do about Barton's achievements.

John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

James Madison: "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions... upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

Are we a "moral and religious people" as contemplated by Adams, or Washington, or Witherspoon? Does the average American Christian even know the Ten Commandments?

As Walt Kelly said many years ago through his "Pogo" comic strip: "We have met the enemy, and they is us."

2 Chron. 7:14 predicates national healing on the repentance of "My people who are called by My name." When we, as Christians, repent before the throne of God .... then Mr. Obama can eat those words. Until then, the Muslims actually have some of the moral high ground, because they don't murder their inconvenient children and they don't tolerate sodomy.

Check out ---> http://www.prayersforthepeople.com/id100.html <--- for some sobering thoughts.

I'm not defending Obama, not by a long shot. He is the most rabidly pro-abortion "President" in our history, not because he favors abortion (as a Muslim, he opposes it) but because he favors dead Americans.

But we — the Christians — have brought this on ourselves. Check out Ezekiel 16:49-50. Sounds like us to me.

We in Laodicean America are in deep, deep doo. And the problem is not Obama ... it's us. He did not repudiate our Christian heritage; we did.

Will we repent? Will we rebuild our family altars? Will we turn off the streams of video immorality that flow into our homes and fall before our Savior in tears? Will we make restitution? Or will we continue to comfort ourselves that "we're Christians; the problem is with the Democrats/Socialists/homosexuals/Muslims" and that God is somehow indifferent to our sins because, after all, we "invited Jesus into our hearts"?

I posted these thoughts on an online forum, and one reader took exception to my statement that "the Muslims actually have some of the moral high ground, because they don't murder their inconvenient children."  He pointed out what is fairly common knowledge by asking, "What would you call sending young children out as suicide bombers?  What would you call it when Iran sent their little kids to the front lines to be the triggers/sensors for booby traps?"

It's a point worth considering.  I don't believe for a second that Islam is more moral in the Biblical sense than Christianity.  My point is that American "Christianity" is on the same level.  They kill kids; we kill kids.  They "justify" it because it's their war against the infidels.  We "justify" it because "we can't afford another child right now" or "I won't be able to fit into my prom dress" or "what will the neighbors say?  I'm a deacon!"  Have they killed fifty million yet?

We in America are "horrified" that those "evil Muslims" would send their kids out onto the battlefield to trigger booby traps, but how much noise do we make about guys like Tiller and Haskell ... or the abortionist who has an office right down the street?  What do American "Christians" have to say about that?  A lot apparently said, "We want Obama."  The one sin that Jesus rebuked more severely than any other was that of hypocrisy.

Matthew 12:41 comes to mind, as does Ezekiel 23:11.  The Ninevites were no paragons, but they had the sense to repent in the face of imminent judgment.  "Oholibah" had more spiritual light, and yet one-upped the wickedness of her sister.

They have the Koran; we have the Word of God.

And I stand by my statement.  We had a Christian heritage, and we have squandered it.  God will hold us accountable, and having "Proclaim Liberty" engraved on the Liberty Bell won't blunt His judgment.  It's not Obama's fault and it's not Islam's fault; it is OUR fault.

We are in trouble.  Will we repent?

Time will tell. But there isn't much of that left, either.

When is Pentecost? And How Much Does It Matter?

I was recently asked why I am using July 23rd as my Pentecost date for The Final Fulfillment of Pentecost.

I had contacted Arnold Bowen and he said it's on July 22nd. Then I went to Troy Miller's "creation calendar" site and checked out http://www.creationcalendar.com/CalendarIssue/17-FeastOfWeeks.pdf and that seems to point to the 20th (unless I miscounted).

I also considered Deuteronomy 16:9-10, which says:

"You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from [the time] you begin [to put] the sickle to the grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you.

I can certainly sympathize with anyone who says the whole issue is confusing.

I selected July 23 because it's the "outside limit" and because, at the time, Arnold was my most trustworthy source. July 22 is the New Moon.

It will also be Obama's 183rd day in office. It could be that he plans to have all the Christians off the streets at the end of his 172nd day and then he will "rest" (faithful Muslim that he is) and we will have ten days in the slammer (Rev. 2:10) before we are delivered ... one way or the other. Highly speculative, I readily admit ... but in today's political climate it is not all that unlikely.

From a practical point of view, it's becoming less important to me because, when that time actually arrives, I believe there will be Magor Missabib ("terror on every side") and most of our neighbors will be freaking out. In any event, our calling at this hour, I believe, is to speak prophetically, and our example should be John the Baptist, during whose ministry the Kingdom was also at hand.

In The Greatest Prophet? Steve & Marilyn Hill point out:

According to Jesus the greatest prophet was John the Baptist who came preaching "repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." So far as we know John never had a vision, dream or angelic encounter. Yet Jesus called him the greatest prophet!

So if we get the date right, good for us. But if we get the message wrong ....

My prayer is that each of you remains strong and focused, and that you are extremely effective in the ministry God has given you.

Pentecost Rapture 2009

A case can be made that Pentecost is a feast that lasts more than one day (Acts 21:27). If the Feast of Weeks is a week long, we still could have a "Pentecost rapture" this year, while not knowing the day or the hour.

In the parable of the bridesmaids, the bridegroom was delayed. He was not there at the appointed time. At midnight, when ALL the lamps were apparently running out of oil, the delayed bridegroom's arrival was announced. Was the Lord telling us, in veiled parabolic language, how events would play out when He returned for His bride?

We can speculate, of course. What isn't speculative is the growing international animosity against Israel and the accelerating efforts of Iran to develop nuclear weapons. These are, to me, much more compelling arguments for the soon coming of Christ than are my extrapolations from parables. And Jesus definitely gave us signs to watch for that concern Israel, and relate her last-days distress to His return.

Not-the-President Obama is out of town this week. Most of his cabinet will be in the midwest. It appears that the NWO people in our federal government know that something major is about to happen, and that DC will not be a very safe place to be. A rapture in the next six days remains, to me, extremely likely.