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Showing posts with the label land

A Christian Response to the California Wildfires

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For the past few days, wildfires have devastated the Los Angeles area. Since January 7th, the fires have claimed at least 27 lives, forced over 200,000 to evacuate, and destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 structures. Some were houses owned by Hollywood celebrities.  One Facebook friend wrote a post claiming the fires are divine judgment. I don’t believe it’s an " act of God ." For one thing, the Pasadena Jewish Temple plus some churches have burned down. Approximately 20% of Californians are evangelical Christians. Actor Mel Gibson (who directed “The Passion of the Christ”) lost his home. It’s unlike Sodom in Genesis 19, which was destroyed after only four righteous people fled the city. I’ve also heard reports of homes supernaturally spared from the wildfires. Unfortunately, questionable posts have circulated about one of them. Take a look at the photos of the preserved houses above. Notice how they differ. One shows a house with two chimneys plus a charred house to the...

Possess the Land

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Moses overlooking the Promised Land Some of the social causes Americans stand for have gotten ridiculous. Last Sunday at a festival in New Orleans, R&B singer Jill Scott sang “The Star Spangled Banner” but altered the words claiming black people are oppressed and “blood built this land.” Those remarks come from a woman with a net worth of $12 million. It’s true blood built this land. Countless U. S. soldiers shed theirs so one could be free to desecrate our National Anthem by singing misguided lyrics. I’ve already boycotted Ben & Jerry’s ice cream because their founders promote ungodly causes like abortion and same-sex marriage. This past Fourth of July, the Vermont-based company posted a tweet suggesting it was “high time we recognize that the U.S. exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it.” Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield better be ready to put their money where their mouths are. One Native American leader wants them to return the land their company headqua...

Godly Disobedience

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Coronavirus lockdowns have forced many places to close or change how they do business. For two months now, I haven’t been able to get a haircut, hang out at coffee shops, or attend most church services in person. Nevertheless, there are Christians who are quick to preach about “obeying the laws of the land” (Romans 13:1-6, Titus 3:1-2). I agree with that to a point. For example, no one should  violate the speed limit  except for policemen catching criminals and first responders trying to save lives. Sometimes civil disobedience is necessary when a law contradicts the higher laws of God. These individuals in the Bible wouldn’t have fulfilled their divine destinies had they followed every man-made ordinance… The Hebrew midwives were ordered to throw newborn boys into the Nile River (Exodus 1:16). One mother hid her son for three months and then sent him floating down the river. Moses eventually led the Israelites out of captivity.  Esther went against protocol by ...

The Six-Day War...50 Years Later

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Tomorrow will be the golden anniversary of a noteworthy event relating to end-time prophecy. On June 5th, 1967, Israel launched attacks on six neighboring countries that amassed troops near their borders threatening invasion. The war ended just five days later. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Israel routed her enemies and possessed additional territory including the eastern half of Jerusalem. For the first time in 2,000 years, the entire city was in Jewish hands. Since the Six-Day War, Israel has given up some of her territory in hopes of lasting peace with her neighbors. Shortly after the Gaza Strip was turned over to the Palestinians in 2005, rockets from there were fired upon Jewish settlements. The PLO’s charter still calls for the destruction of Israel. This past week, President Donald Trump delayed his promise in moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. According to a White House statement, this was done “to m...

Supernatural Speeding

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Christians are living epistles according to 2 Corinthians 3:3. Non-Christians carefully observe the actions of professing believers to see if they are “walking the walk” as well as “talking the talk.” One thing that leaves a bad witness is when God’s people don’t obey traffic laws. Imagine what an unbeliever thinks when he sees a Christian speeding with a “What Would Jesus Do” bumper sticker on the back of his car. I’ve met a few Christians who tried justifying their need to speed but still found themselves in trouble. One morning I rode with a pastor who was running behind schedule and drove well over the posted speed limit on our way to his church. Despite having a radar detector in his car, this pastor got pulled over. Since I was from out of state, the patrolman searched my luggage to make sure I wasn’t transporting drugs. Fortunately for the pastor, all he got was a warning ticket. In spite of this, we arrived at his church much later than had he obeyed the speed l...