Tag: Freedom

VIDEO John MacArthur Lists the Requirements They Were Given to Keep Meeting as a Church

Sept 16, 2020

On Thursday, September 10, 2020, a preliminary injunction (which can be read here) was issued against John MacArthur and Grace Community Church by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. The order prohibits Grace Community Church from “conducting, participating in, or attending any indoor worship service.” The order, according to the Thomas More Society, also “bans outdoor worship unless onerous restrictions are followed.”

That didn’t stop John MacArthur or the congregants at Grace Community Church from worshiping indoors this past Sunday. As Pastor MacArthur took the pulpit for announcements, he was greeted with a thunderous round of applause. He followed by saying “Are you happy to be at church?”

Pastor MacArthur told his congregation that he “thought it might be helpful to give you the list of things that are required of us as a church so that you understand how utterly impossible that would be.”

The List of Restrictions That Must Be Met

  • No indoor meetings at all
  • Pre-registration of every person who comes on the church property
  • People only allowed on church property for scheduled events
  • Every person who comes on the church property is to be screened and have their temperature taken at the entry.
  • We all must maintain 6 feet of social distance at all times everywhere, including the parking lot and restrooms
  • Every other parking space must be left vacant.
  • Marked pathways to maintain social distance, keeping people apart monitored by staff monitors
  • Everyone wears a mask.
  • Restroom monitors to control 6 feet social distancing; tape on the ground marking distance
  • Signs indicating these mandates and also full exposure on social media
  • Restrooms are to be used during the service to minimize the rush.
  • No hymn books
  • No communion
  • No offering containers
  • No pew Bibles
  • No singing
  • No hugging
  • No shaking hands
  • Disposable seat covers changed between services
  • Services have to be shortened.
  • Based upon the separation, we could only meet in a tent with a maximum of 350 to 400 people.

After hearing some of the mandated requirements, the crowd followed with laughter but none louder than after the requirement of John MacArthur’s sermons being cut down because of services needing to be shortened. MacArthur humorously responded, “That’s not a problem to me, right?”

“You can see that these are the requirements that would completely shut the church down,” he said and then expressed by hyperbole a requirement that is not fact: “Anyone that comes in contact with someone outside their family for more than 15 minutes must self-quarantine for two weeks. Obviously this is not constitutional, but more importantly it goes against the will of the Lord of the church who calls us to gather.” After which the crowd again showed their approval of his statement with a round of loud applause.

Watch the entire sermon below

John MacArthur Sees Himself as the Appointed Champion of the CHURCH

Later that night at their Sunday night service, John MacArthur did a Q&A and expressed, “I feel like it took me to get to 80 years before maybe the most critical moment in my life has taken place. I think it is because there are more people listening to the Word of God at this particular time from this pulpit than ever in the history of our church in a regular way, Sunday after Sunday.” MacArthur said this is due to the multiple ‘dire conditions’ in our world and a greater interest in hearing the Word of God.

MacArthur believes that he is delivering truth in a way that other church leaders are not delivering. MacArthur made the comment, “I’ve been ‘kind of a joke,’ for the last 15 to 20 years to the pragmatists, to the church growth, church strategy people.” He said that he “has been like a dinosaur to those type of strategists [because he doesn’t adapt to culture to grow the church], but when the nation starts to burn and people are wanting real answers; they’re not gonna go to a show. They’re not gonna go to a superficial ‘Ted Talk’. When they want the truth, when they desperately need the truth, they’re going to find the truth as God directs them. So this is a time for the truth, and it’s an amazing thing to see this all happening.”

“Superficial preaching is becoming obsolete,” the pastor said. “The people who thought that they were at the top of food chain in terms of ministry and effectiveness in the church are now void. They’re nullified.” MacArthur didn’t mince his words as he said, “This is way too desperate for some superficial approach. You got to tell people more than ‘God wants them to be happy.’ “

As a pastor who is generations removed from the average audience, why is MacArthur getting so much media attention? MacArthur touts his superiority as a Bible preacher for being asked to write and appear in blogs, news articles, talk shows, and podcasts. He says people are saying “give us more, give us more, give us more,” citing because there is a “hunger” for biblical truth. And it seems that MacArthur believes he is the “one” who is called to deliver that truth–apart from other church leaders.

“The Lord is the head of the church and that’s why we’re here, regardless of what a judge says,” MacArthur said as he elaborated on their stance ‘Christ, not Caesar, is the head of the church‘. “[The government is] not the head of the church and that is where the church has taken its stand through its entire history…when [the government] steps in and tells the church whether it can meet or not, they have over-stepped their bounds because Christ said my kingdom is not of this world.” The pastor likened himself to the apostles’ example of “we’ll obey God rather than men, and we’ll take the consequences; whatever they are.” MacArthur mentioned that those consequences may begin this week but said “I’m not sure.”

Ever critical of other church practices, MacArthur did not pull any punches when he was asked about his role during this pandemic. The moderator asked pastor MacArthur if he felt like what he is demonstrating [by defying the government] is preparing future generations of pastors to make a similar stand [as Grace Community Church is]. MacArthur answered without hesitation, “I think we have had enough of the pragmatic stuff. I think the church has been sold out to pragmatism…weak-willed, unbiblical preachers that are just personalities…narcissistic self-focused personalities, brokering their charisma, their skills, and their communication ability to build what they call a church, when it isn’t a church at all. Life is far too serious for those…what they are telling people is shy of what people want to hear. It’s time again for the Word of God. Life is far more serious, at least from my perspective, more than it’s ever been.” He then summed up his answer by saying, “The attention of the world is on us and I think we are beginning to see other pastors be strengthened.”

Watch the entire Q&A session here.

MacArthur Says He Has the Backing of President Trump

John MacArthur appeared on The Ingraham Angle Tuesday night to answer host Laura Ingraham’s question of why it’s so important to stand up against the state’s ‘onerous edicts’. MacArthur said, “We believe the governor, the county, the city, and the health department are going against the constitution.” He expressed his thankfulness that “President Trump has told me personally that he supports the church as essential and the churches need to stay open. So with the constitution on our side and the President’s backing, we’re open.”

Pastor MacArthur said that the “church doesn’t exist to make sure it navigates around politicians’ whims. The church exists in the world to preach the saving gospel of Christ.” He shared that the more dire situations around the world become, the more “critical” and the more “essential” the church becomes and the more the world needs to hear the gospel.

Ingraham asked the pastor if Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to do anything to [MacArthur] personally for defying his order. He responded, “No, not personally, but we received a letter with the threat that we could be fined or I could go to jail for a maximum of six months.” MacArthur stated that he didn’t mind ‘being a little apostolic’ referring to one of his biblical heroes, the Apostle Paul. MacArthur joked, “When [Paul] went into a town, he didn’t ask what the hotel was like. He asked what the jail was like cause he knew that’s where he was going to spend his time…If they want to tuck me in a jail, I’m open to a jail ministry. I’ve done a lot of other ministries, I haven’t had the opportunity to do that one…so bring it on!”

John MacArthur Lists the Requirements They Were Given to Keep Meeting as a Church

VIDEO Freedoms Are Not Taken Away by Communists, but Given Away by Our Surrender

JimCaviezel1
ROBERT KRAYCHIK 10 Sep 2020

 

The loss of freedom requires its surrender from an acquiescent citizenry, warned actor Jim Caviezel, best known for portraying Jesus in The Passion of the Christ and who plays the lead role in the forthcoming film Infidel, offering his remarks on Thursday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow.

“It’s not going to be some communist or Nazi that takes away your freedoms. It’s going to be you giving them away,” said Jim Caviezel.

Caviezel addressed the growth of left-wing political censorship and intimidation. He said combating “cancel culture” is one of the reasons he starred in Infidel.

Infidel‘s website describes the movie as “a contemporary Middle East thriller starring Jim Caviezel as an American kidnapped while attending a conference in Cairo, who ends up in prison in Iran on spying charges. His wife goes to Iran, determined to get him out.”

“That’s why I wanted to do this movie: because this character is not that guy [who surrenders],” Caviezel said. “One of the interesting things about this script is that he stands up for what he believes in, and that is something lacking today in terms of cancel culture.”

LISTEN:

Caviezel described diminished human connectivity in Hollywood driven by cultural, political, and technological shifts over the past decades. He identified social media as a contributing factor to the increasing atomization of people.

“When I first came into this industry, you would see people sitting together, reading books, and saying, ‘Oh, what book are you reading?’ getting each others’ addresses, talking, [and] communicating,” recalled Caviezel. “It’s not that way anymore. Their heads are in their phones. Their heads are, ‘How many people are following me?’ And I would say a lot of that has to do with wanting to be liked very badly, but they’re so misinformed.”

Caviezel continued, “When you look at what Jesus spoke about — what love really is — yes, you can be loved by the world, but do you want to be liked by many or loved by one?”

WATCH:

Marlow asked, “You’re a man of obviously outspoken faith. How has that affected your career, particularly [after] The Passion of the Christ?”

Caviezel described a de facto blacklisting he was subjected to within Hollywood after the success of The Passion of the Christ. He replied, “I had no choice. I had to defend it. I had to fight to survive. The film exploded. It was off the charts. You’d think, ‘Oh, you’re going to work a lot.’ No, I didn’t. I was no longer on the studio list. That was gone.”

Caviezel continued, “Because of what I do as an actor — that’s my skill — it was given to me from God. I didn’t give it to myself, but it’s something in which I have a great range. … I really felt that faith was much bigger than the industry and Hollywood and bigger than the Republican or Democratic Party or any of that.”

Political corruption has entered American churches, lamented Caviezel.

“[Many] politicians are so corrupt, and I see it in the church,” remarked Caviezel. “Oh my God, everywhere: Bishops — I’m a Roman Catholic — bishops, they have done nothing, pastors, priests, but there are a few phenomenal ones. … but you don’t hear about them in the media. You hear about the corrupt ones. There is a lot of evil going on in the world, but there are a few of us doing the right thing.”

Continual appeasement of expanding left-wing demands will destroy Christian life in America, determined Caviezel. He addressed the inclination to avoid discussion of politics and religion as “appeasement” of “secular extremists.”

Caviezel stated, “A lot of people sit there and say, ‘I don’t want to talk about religion or politics.’ Well, I say, ‘If we don’t discuss it at some point, we’re going go from bad to worse.’ At some point, the bombs were falling on Germany. They were hitting in Hamburg, and I’m sure they didn’t want to discuss it.”

Caviezel cautioned against “appeasement that we as Christians [extend to] secular extremists.” He added, “That’s a war — if you want to get into one — that’s a war we should get in and must be won. We need to win that because this way of life that we have as Christians … in the United States [will end].”

Caviezel concluded, “The way of life we’re living right now is not going to be a Christian way of life if we don’t stand up and start fighting back.”

Infidel debuts in theaters on September 18.

Breitbart News Daily broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/10/jim-caviezel-freedoms-not-taken-away-communists-given-away/

Science And Data Say School Reopening Is Safe, So Why Do Democrats Oppose It?

Science And Data Say School Reopening Is Safe, So Why Do Democrats Oppose It?

JULY 24, 2020 By Allison Schuster

Although the majority of parents in America are concerned about their children falling behind due to the closure of schools over COVID-19, the split over whether or not to open schools is purely a partisan choice. According to market research and public opinion group Ipsos, 78 percent of Democrats oppose re-opening schools while 79 percent of Republicans support the decision.

Schools have been closed nationwide since the coronavirus outbreak began in the United States in early to mid-March. Since then, scientific research has largely reached a consensus regarding the safety for school-aged children, encompassing all parts of the COVID-19 threat including their risks of development and rates of transmission.

According to the Foundation for Research of Equal Opportunity, maintaining the closure of schools poses expansive threats to the mental, emotional, and physical health of children and their family than the reopening schools could.

“While the risks of COVID-19 in children are low and manageable, the harms of prolonged school closures are high. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, ‘The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020,’” the report says.

The science also points to children being at very low risk of hospitalization or death from the novel coronavirus.

“The Center for Disease Control’s most recent report shows 12 pediatric COVID deaths total, compared to 174 pediatric flu deaths this season. In the 2018-2019 flu season there were 400 pediatric deaths, and the 2009 swine flu pandemic killed 2,000 children,” writes Phil Kerpen in The Federalist.

Despite the strong scientific support for sending children back to school next month, democrats still advocate for keeping schools closed and continuing alternate forms of learning.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been pushing back on school openings since early July, when she said, “We don’t want our children to take risks to go to school.”

Democratic governors, including the governor of the state with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, are hesitant in opening schools. Cuomo claims his likely pending decision to remain closed is “data-driven.”

“Everybody wants to reopen schools, but you only reopen if it’s safe to reopen, and that’s determined by the data,” Cuomo said. “You don’t hold your finger up and feel the wind, you don’t have an inspiration, you don’t have a dream, you don’t have an emotion–look at the data. We test more and we have more data than any state. If you have the virus under control, reopen. If you don’t have the virus under control, then you can’t reopen.”

Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, are pushing for schools to go back to teaching in-person. The next COVID-19 relief package, proposed by a Senate Republican, will include $70 billion for K-12 education, half of which is for schools that reopen in-person. It leaves only $5 billion for governors’ discretionary education spending. The education spending accounts for just a small percentage of the $1 trillion total package that is set for negotiations with democrats this upcoming week.

President Donald Trump has also expressed strong support for reopening schools this fall. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the president faces resistance from local leaders, many of whom are Democrats.

“President Trump has repeatedly said he wants schools to reopen fully and that keeping them physically closed hurts the economy and working parents. But some state and local leaders have already postponed school start dates and delayed in-person learning, saying it is too dangerous to have children back on campus where infections could spread,” the article reads.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, however, recommends leaving the decision at the discretion of localities. Trump accused Biden of taking a meager stance for political reason, and thereby putting the health of students second.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany quoted Dr. Scott Atlas in a press briefing, who says the argument to keep schools closed is non-existent when looking at the science. Atlas is a member of Hoover’s Working Group on Health Care Policy and the former head of neuroradiology at Stanford Medical School.

“Of course we can do it. Everyone else in the Western world, our peer nations, are doing it. We are the outlier here,” she said. “The science is very clear on this… The risk of critical illness from COVID is far less for children than that of seasonal flu. The science is on our side here. We encourage for localities and states to just simply follow the science. Open our schools. It’s very damaging to our children.”

Despite the overwhelming scientific support, the public debate over opening schools in America remains a partisan issue.

Allison Schuster is an intern at The Federalist and is also a rising senior at Hillsdale College working toward a degree in politics and journalism. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonShoeStor.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/24/science-and-data-say-school-reopening-is-safe-so-why-do-democrats-oppose-it/

VIDEO John MacArthur’s Church Defies California Orders To Close Doors

‘We cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship,’ MacArthur and the church’s elder board said in a statement.

John MacArthur’s Church Defies California Orders To Close Doors
JULY 25, 2020 By Elle Reynolds

John MacArthur, evangelist and pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, defied state orders to limit worship gatherings in a statement released Friday.

“In response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction,” the statement said. “Faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.”

On July 13, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions, requiring certain counties on a “monitoring list” to stop indoor worship services. Los Angeles County, where Grace Community Church is located, was one of 30 counties on the monitoring list as of July 13.

“In these counties, we have added a requirement that we close indoor operations” for certain sectors which include worship services, Newsom said in an announcement. He also suggested that restrictions would not end anytime soon. “Until there is a vaccine or effective therapy, we will be mitigating the spread of COVID-19 for the long term,” read one of the slides Newsom presented. “Californians must adapt to new behaviors if we are to slow the spread.”

In response, MacArthur and the elder board of Grace Community Church have a clear message for the state of California. “We cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings,” they said.

When officials restrict church attendance to a certain number, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible for the saints to gather as the church. When officials prohibit singing in worship services, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible for the people of God to obey the commands of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. When officials mandate distancing, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible to experience the close communion between believers that is commanded in Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26. In all those spheres, we must submit to our Lord.

The statement represents a shift for MacArthur and his church, which previously issued a statement acquiescing to a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court that barred churches from meeting in late May. “The Ninth Circuit decision is sadly the law of the land in California, and we gladly submit to the sovereign purposes of God,” the church had said.

But now, after more than 20 weeks of restrictions, Grace Community Church is letting Newsom know they’ve had enough. “Roughly forty percent of the year has passed with our church essentially unable to gather in a normal way,” MacArthur and the elders said, noting that the lockdown measures they originally conceded to were supposed to be short-term. “The church by definition is an assembly. … A non-assembling assembly is a contradiction in terms.”

MacArthur’s church isn’t the only one to defy California’s restrictions on worship. Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, California, held an in-person service on Sunday and is suing the state for the right to continue assembling. “We’ve been essential for 2,000 years,” said Pastor Ché Ahn.

Calvary Chapel of Ukiah, Calvary Chapel of Fort Bragg, and River of Life Church in Oroville are suing the state over its ban on congregational singing. South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista renewed a lawsuit over the state’s decision to shutter churches, noting that government favoritism toward the George Floyd protests while churches are forced to stay shut “has caused amazing harm in the form of a general loss of confidence by the American people in the merits of the pandemic restrictions at all.”

MacArthur and his church firmly noted the importance of respecting the rightful authority of government. “Insofar as government authorities do not attempt to assert ecclesiastical authority or issue orders that forbid our obedience to God’s law, their authority is to be obeyed whether we agree with their rulings or not,” their statement said.

They also noted, however, that government authority does not extend over Christians’ freedom to assemble as the church. “We do not need the state’s permission to serve and worship our Lord as He has commanded,” they insisted. “Freedom of worship is a command of God, not a privilege granted by the state.”

MacArthur and the elders of Grace Community Church encouraged other congregations to join them in their decision to gather for worship. “It has never been the prerogative of civil government to order, modify, forbid, or mandate worship,” they said. “When, how, and how often the church worships is not subject to Caesar. Caesar himself is subject to God.”

Elle Reynolds is an intern at the Federalist, and a senior at Patrick Henry College studying government and journalism. You can follow her work on Twitter at @_etreynolds.
Photo Pigby / Wikipedia

 

https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/25/john-macarthurs-church-defies-california-orders-to-close-doors/

John MacArthur: A Triumphant Hour for the Church, and Fresca

 

 

Justice Gorsuch Torches Roberts and the Liberal Wing of SCOTUS in Nevada Church Case…In One Paragraph

Matt Vespa Jul 25, 2020

 

In Nevada, it seems being in the entertainment business has more leeway than those exercising their constitutionally protected right to worship. Amid the COVID outbreak, the state has limits on the capacity of certain locations. For churches, it’s no more than 50. For everything else, from movie theaters to casinos, it’s much more than that. It seems a bit unfair. The standard makes no sense, but it seems to be perfectly logical for Chief Justice John Roberts who sided with the liberal wing of the Supreme Court in the case of a church who challenged this unfair standard (via NYT):

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request from a church in Nevada to block enforcement of state restrictions on attendance at religious services.

The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining the court’s four more liberal members to form a majority.

The court’s brief order was unsigned and gave no reasons, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. The court’s four more conservative members filed three dissents, totaling 24 pages.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in Dayton, Nev., argued that the state treated houses of worship less favorably than it did casinos, restaurants and amusement parks. Those businesses have been limited to 50 percent of their fire-code capacities, while houses of worship have been subject to a flat 50-person limit.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in a dissent joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett M. Kavanaugh, wrote that the distinction made no sense.

 

Judge Neil Gorsuch’s dissent is a mere paragraph but torches the liberal wing of the Court with this decision. This isn’t the first time Roberts has sided with liberals on places of worship challenging COVID attendance policies. It’s yet another time this man has stabbed us in the back. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) went onto say this decision shows the man has abandoned his oath.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2020/07/25/roberts-has-abandoned-his-oath-bushs-chief-justice-sides-with-liberals-again-n2573111

 

What does the Bible say about Judgment Day?

DAVID KYLE FOSTER MARCH 14, 2020

I was recently looking into “life expectancy” rates and discovered that they are all over the map. Quotes from various websites, for example, set mine at 67, 78 and 88. (Suzie Orman says that it’s in the 90s!)

Here’s another surprise……..as you age, your life expectancy can actually increase because by then, you will have survived many of the things that could have brought about an earlier death.

Here’s an example that I found online…………..

In 2006 the life expectancy at birth of someone born in 1942 was about 68 years. If that person survived to 65, they could expect to live another 18.4 years, meaning their life expectancy was no longer the same as it was at birth.

The biggest surprise to me, however, was to realize that half of the people who shared the same life expectancy died earlier than their expected end.

Consequently, for those who plan to turn from sin and accept Christ’s offer of forgiveness at some point in the future, it is a foolish and perilous thing to do. It is a sign that deep in your heart, you are more in love with the world than with God (1 John 2:15; Matthew 7:21-23).

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

(LUKE 12:20)

The same principle applies to believers who have decided that they will get serious about living for God at some point in the future. They say to themselves: “I’ll just be glad to get into heaven.” And certainly, we’ll all be glad to get into heaven!

However, the crowns and rewards that are on offer will be ours for all eternity! So also will the loss of such crowns and rewards – making this a far more important issue than is often realized.

What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love Him – these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

(1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-10)

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us……..

(EPHESIANS 3:20)

Salvation by God is a Limited-Time Offer!

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!

(PSALM 90:12)

The Bible teaches that the number of our days are fixed and are already known by God. In other words, salvation by God is a limited-time offer!

From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

(ACTS 17:26-28)

Man’s days are determined; You have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.

(JOB 14:5)

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.

(PSALM 139:13-16)

You Have Been Designed to Win Big!

This explains why so many people who have had near-death experiences are met by loved ones who are already in heaven – who have obviously been alerted to their arrival. It also explains why some are told that they have to return to earth because their “time” has not yet come.

Based on the character of God, I believe that the number of days assigned by God, whether many or few, has been calculated to produce the greatest, eternal outcome for us on the Day of Judgment. Even the severity of a negative outcome may be lessened in this way.

It’s true that King Hezekiah begged God to allow him more time on earth. After many tears, God relented and gave him an extra 15 years beyond what had been allotted. (See Isaiah 38-39).

However, during those extra 15 years, Hezekiah foolishly invited the king of Babylon to see all the treasures of Israel, only to see those treasures stolen, his sons kidnapped, castrated and sent into exile.

This is where the exception proves the rule. God had calculated the years Hezekiah should live – I believe, in order to maximize his eternal and temporal blessings and to save him from the disasters that would come upon him should he live longer.

You see, God knows our hearts. He knows our sins – past, present and future. And He knows whether we will repent of sin and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. He also knows the number of days that will optimize the outcome of our final judgment.

The “Bema Seat” vs the “Great White Throne” Judgment

I believe that God’s judgment for the lost will be designed to limit the eternal suffering that will be the consequence of their earthly lives. In some cases, God may shorten their earthly years in order to limit the number of sins for which they will be penalized. (This is speculation on my part, but it is based on the merciful goodness of God).

For believers, God’s criteria for final judgment, (and all the evidence that pertains therein), is based on what we have done in the body since our salvation (2 Corinthians 5:10). It perfectly flows from His omniscience (Romans 2:5-7; Psalm 18:30) and like the judgment of the unbeliever, cannot be appealed.

Again, for believers and unbelievers alike, it is likely that God plans the number of our days on earth so that we will have the best possible outcome on Judgment Day (Matthew 25:31-46; Hebrews 4:13).  Yes, He is that good!

The “Bema Seat” judgment of believers will determine the rewards, or loss thereof, for those who gave their life to Jesus Christ and have therefore escaped eternal separation from God. (See Romans 8:1-2; 14:10c-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27-28; Revelation 14:13). They will be saved, but as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).

Assuming that the ”crowns” given to believers are different than the “rewards” cited above, those too can be won or lost at the judgment of believers. (See 2 Timothy 2:5; 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10).

As for the “Great White Throne” judgment, which is for those who never repented of their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, they face a divine determination of what their experience in Hell will be like for all eternity. In other words, Hitler’s experience of Hell will undoubtedly differ from that of the sweet lady next door who never surrendered her life to Jesus Christ. (See Matthew 12:36-37; Luke 23:41; John 5:29; Romans 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:1-3; Revelation 2:23c; 20:11-15).

So for both believer and nonbeliever, the Bible declares……

I urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

https://godinterest.com/2020/03/14/what-does-the-bible-say-about-judgment-day/

AUDIO Mayors Threaten Religious Liberty & Public Health – America Come Back To God!

By Bill Donohue | July 10, 2020

 

 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot share a similar record on their handling of violence, public health, and religious liberty. Both are a disgrace.

From July 3 to July 5, 27 persons died of COVID-19 in New York City. During that same period, 64 people were shot and 10 were killed. In Chicago, 9 persons died of the virus over those three days; 64 were wounded and 15 were murdered.

It is hard to know where the blame lies in deaths due to coronavirus, but it is not hard to know who bears responsibility for the violence. Both de Blasio and Lightfoot have made the police the enemy, and everyone knows it, especially the shooters.

When it comes to religious liberty, however, these two mayors sing a different tune. To be exact, they have gone out of their way to punish church-goers for not complying with their public health edicts. Worse, they have done nothing about the public health threat posed by protesters, many of whom were violent.

De Blasio not only endorsed the mobs that took to the streets, he gave them immunity from his contact-tracing mandate. New York employees charged with coronavirus contact-tracing were told that they could not ask anyone if he or she attended a Black Lives Matter protest. But they sure could ask if he went to church.

In other words, the mayor decided it was more important to guard the anonymity of someone who picked up COVID-19 while demonstrating side-by-side with thousands of others—in illegal marches—than it was to protect an innocent person from being infected by them.

Religious New Yorkers, however, were told to stay out of churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship. They were told they were a threat to public health. Then a federal district judge stepped in and put a temporary stop to de Blasio’s game: He accused the mayor (and Gov. Andrew Cuomo) of sending “a clear message that mass protests are deserving of preferential treatment.”

Like de Blasio, Lightfoot threw public health concerns to the wind by doing nothing to enforce social distancing among protesters.

Church-goers, however, are another story.

In May, Lightfoot threw down the gauntlet. She pledged to fine any church that was open.

“This is not playing Russian Roulette. This is playing with a gun that is fully loaded and cocked.”

Sadly, real guns go off every weekend in her city, and she has done nothing about it. Blacks kill blacks by the dozens, turning Chicago streets into a bloodbath. Yet Lightfoot will not condemn the killers with the kind of incendiary language she uses against innocent church-goers.

De Blasio and Lightfoot are a threat to public health, public safety, and religious liberty. How much more must they do to their cities before their residents finally rise up and demand justice?

Bill Donohue is president and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. He was awarded his Ph.D. in sociology from New York University and is the author of eight books and many articles.

https://cnsnews.com/commentary/bill-donohue/nyc-and-chicago-mayors-threaten-religious-libertyand-public-health

AMERICA! COME BACK TO GOD!

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/city-violence-liberal-mayors-social-media-feuds-trump-officials

3 Hindrances To A Positive Outlook!

March 10, 2020 hepsibahgarden

 

 

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalms‬ ‭27:13‬

Land of the living here does not refer to being alive in this world; it refers to the state of living/being alive in the Presence of God. Staying in the Presence of God we should also see the goodness of being in this land. David could see the goodness of the land of the living because he saw it with the eyes of faith and believed.

In these days we must also have the eyes of faith because then we can see the goodness in the path that the Lord is leading us. Trials and difficulties may arise, but, if we lose the eyes of faith chances are our vision will become negative.

The negative outlook can come in 3 ways. What are they?

1. Looking back to what we left – This was one of the command given to Lot and family when they were fleeing away from Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:26. Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Similar was the case with the Israelites – They were going forward in their wilderness journey, but sadly their mind and heart were still in Egypt.

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Proverbs‬ ‭4:25‬

2. Looking at the Storm – As long as Peter’s eyes were on Jesus he was happily walking on the water. But suddenly when the boisterous wind blew and the storm raged in the mighty sea, for a moment Peter’s eyes turned away from Jesus and looked at the raging sea. He began drowning. Mathew 14:29,30. Thank God, Peter called out to Jesus as he was going down; Jesus caught hold of his hand and kept him from drowning. The wind refers to difficulties and troubles arising in our life. When our eyes are on Jesus, we will be able to see the goodness of the land (Jesus).

3. When we focus on others instead of looking at ourselves – In the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, both went into the temple of God to pray. But instead of praying by searching his own life and heart, the Pharisee was busy justifying himself and looking down upon the Publican. The Pharisee’s eyes was not only on God but on the Publican as well. Luke 15:11,12. Always remember – when we look at others and compare ourselves with them pride and discouragement will enter us.

May God help us!

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VIDEO So Many Statues, So Little Time – Vet Flags

 

by Jerry Newcombe, D.Min.

 

Ronald Reagan once noted, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

There is a frenzy right now of iconoclasm. We are going through a period where so-called “Social Justice Warriors,” are tearing down statues left and right.

It began with heroes of the confederacy, such as Robert E. Lee, but now it has even reached General Lee’s great rival—General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union army.

When does it stop? Where does it stop? So many statues, so little time. Just last week in the state of Oregon, rioters targeted a statue of George Washington, spray-painting the words “Genocidal Colonist.” Then they burned a U.S. flag on the head of the statue, before pulling it down. And they reveled in their supposedly good deed.

No one is sacrosanct. Not even any of those four heads on Mount Rushmore. Statues of each of them are slated for the chopping block. Like Washington, Jefferson statues have to go. He too committed the original sin of slavery.

Lincoln, though he freed the slaves, has had his statues desecrated recently, and the city of Boston wants to tear down a statue of the “Great Emancipator.” Now it’s Teddy Roosevelt’s turn. How did our 26th president violate today’s standards of political correctness?

WCBS radio reports (6/21/20), “The bronze monument—which features Roosevelt on horseback flanked by a Native American man and a Black man—has been at the front entrance of the [American Museum of Natural History in New York] since 1940.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York said, “[The museum] has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior…The City supports the Museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”

If the issue is slavery, then why would the self-styled revolutionaries tear down the statue of Ulysses S. Grant?

TheHill.com reports (6/20/20), “Protesters in San Francisco on Friday toppled the statue of former President Grant, who led the Union Army during the Civil War, in Golden Gate Park. San Francisco police said that approximately 400 people gathered around 8 p.m. to take down the statue, though no arrests were made.”

They also tore down a statue of Francis Scott Key, who wrote our National Anthem, which today is boycotted by the “woke” culture. And they tore down a statue of Father Junipero Serra, an 18th century Catholic missionary who founded many of the missions in California.

It would appear that the real target of all the rioters and iconoclasts is America as founded. But a nation that does not remember its past does not know its future.

A few years ago, James S. Robbins, Ph.D., a writer for USA Today, wrote the book, Erasing America: Losing Our Future by Destroying Our Past.

Robbins told my radio audience when his book came out, “It’s a broad-based assault on the American story, on the American legacy. And the intention of it, in my opinion, is to wipe the slate clean, so that the progressives can write in the future whatever stories they want—emphasizing the values that they want to bring.”

To target George Washington is in many ways to target America itself. Born into the fourth generation of slaveholders, Washington freed his slaves—albeit at his death; but he freed them nonetheless.

Robbins told me, “I admire George Washington. He was the founder of our country. And yet he had this difficult legacy with slavery, like a lot of the founders and a lot of the people back then. But it’s not everything about them. He was not just a slave-master. He had a lot of other much more important, salient characteristics that we honor him for.”

Recently, I saw a 1950s television program on George Washington, highlighting the sacrifices he and his troops made, particularly in that brutal winter of 1777-1778 in Valley Forge. The man playing Washington noted that he has 12,000 men in rags and they are starving. 500 die every month of disease and deprivation. But they are sacrificing so that this upstart nation could be independent and free.

And now all these generations later, barbarians in the streets are tearing down statues of Washington and others. So many statues, so little time.

There is a battle for the soul of America. We should always remember what Ronald Reagan said—and thankfully, they haven’t torn down his statue…yet. Said the Gipper, “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.”

https://www.djameskennedy.org/article-detail/so-many-statuesso-little-time

Vet Flags

7 Things We Should Do To Be Blessed! (Part-2)

March 19, 2020 hepsibahgarden

Hello dear friends🌸❤️ Blessed day to you all!! 😇

Let me take you to the second part of what we should be doing in order to be blessed!! So, here we go:

4. By blessing others, we become blessed in turn – That’s what Jacob did to Pharoah when he came to Egypt – Jacob blessed Pharoah. Genesis 47:7. Egypt, spiritually refers to this present sinful world. We must be a blessing for people those around us – in our neighbourhood, workplace and places where we live. When we become an encouragement for those who have given up on this world and are heading towards destruction, God will bless and reward us for the help and good we do to them!!

Let our lives be a blessing for others as long as we live!

5. When we do God’s work ON TIME – Yes, that’s right! There will be times when we might delay what we thought of doing for the Lord! For example, Abraham’s elder son Esau delayed in getting the savoury food for his dad ON TIME; and thus, lost the blessing he was supposed to receive.

However, Jesus was very particular regarding this aspect of His ministry – I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. John‬ ‭9:4‬. When we come to God’s presence on time, He blesses us with blessings that lasts forever.

6. When we live peacefully with one another – The Triune God live unitedly, or in other words, they are three-in-one. But the devil desires the opposite of being united and so creates division among people.

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrews‬ ‭12:14‬. Peace and Holiness go hand in hand and both are required to be caught up at the coming of Jesus.

7. By preserving the hope of His Coming in us – The Lord loved us before the foundations of the world were laid and Called us by counting us as faithful. 1 Timothy 1:12. Not because of our righteousness or good works, but out of His immense mercy upon us. Now, it’s our duty to abide in this Calling (1 Corinthians 7:20) and grow in it.

He has gone to prepare a place for us, and when He is done preparing He will come back again and take us to be with Him. May the Lord help us!

Be blessed 💕

 

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