This was also featured on ‘Sunday’ a BBC Radio 4 religious affairs broadcast from 07.10 to 08.50.
Here’s the thing. The Bats are protected by law and have taken up residence in many Anglican Churches (maybe other churches too) and are making a mess even during Holy Communion. Children’s work is curtailed because Bat faeces are (obviously) unhygienic. Bats are protected by a European Directive and take precedence over the children and over the Worship of God.
Our little furry flying relatives clearly have as much right to the planet as we do. Bats are much more important than people. This is where we have come to! Utterly ridiculous. To my mind there is no decision to make. Solution: gas all the Bats and prevent further infestation.
But I have an alternative, a compromise is you like. Though I prefer the gassing option – quick, clean & cheap. My alternative / compromise would be to close the churches where there is no Gospel preached and hand the building over to the Bats as they will make much better use of the building. It’s a win win situation. The Bats get a home and the people are not subjected to a false Gospel.
What a confused world we live in. For some anyway. The majority of the Western world are not confused about genders but are dragged (mostly apathetically) into a world of relativism. Read the article. See the related article by Brendan O’Neil below.
I don’t want to keep going on about this – really I don’t. But it’s exactly as I said right from the word go – Justin Welby is just like the rest. The BBC News Website quotes him as saying;
‘Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said on Friday night the Church of England would now drop its opposition to same-sex marriage, as Parliament had spoken.
“The law’s changed; we accept the situation,” he told the BBC.’
No Justin we don’t accept the situation. ‘Parliament had spoken’ Justin said. But hadn’t God already spoken. The Word of God for the Archbishop is clearly of no consequence. As I’ve said many times this isn’t about ‘having a go at Gays’ or intolerance, the issues are much bigger than that. The Archbishop has put the Word of God to one side and replaced it with the word of men. That is the issue. Do we accept the word of men, or the Word of God?
Here’s how crazy the logic is. In the same BBC piece a CofE Vicar said;
‘Mr Cain, who plans to marry his partner in the summer, said he would do so whether the Church (and the Bible) approved or not (the Bible doesn’t).
“It is more important to do what is right than to be frightened into not doing what I believe to be true.’
But Mr Cain, I believe it’s false. So where does that leave us. Clearly we need a more sure word, an objective Truth. I wonder where we could find such a thing? Surprise surprise! In the Bible Mr Cain. Why is Mr Cain a minister when he doesn’t believe any of it.
Just because Archbishop Welby and his politically correct Godless mates accept it – some of us don’t. Just because Same-sex marriage is now legal, that doesn’t make it right. To do that, Parliament will need to change the Word of God. If it were possible they would. Don’t underestimate the wiles of Satan, he will make every effort to sideline the Bible, and with the help of the Archbishop. Historically, not an unusual occurrence! Don’t think it will stop here.
Thankfully Jesus said ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.’ (Mat 24.35)
At midnight tonight same-sex marriage will become legal in England and Wales. I know we are supposed to give up on this issue and treat same-sex marriage as normal. The problem is for anyone that takes the Bible seriously for what it actually is, the Word of God, this is not possible.
With a new empowerment, emboldened by an Anti-Christian State so-called tolerance will be meted out on Christians or anyone else that refuses to bow down and worship this manifestation of Baal.
However strong this latest rebellion against the Lordship and Kingly rule of Jesus Christ, it will ultimately fail. In that last day,
‘at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Php 2:10 & 11)
But while we are in Gospel days and while there is still time, Repent and Believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15).
Winchcombe Flood (Photo credit: [Beta])I’m a bit after the event, but if it’s worth saying, it’s worth waiting for.
Well, it had to happen. I heard the comment, not first hand I admit, but via a good source from someone I know well. That disastrous floods in the UK are the judgement of God because of the Government stand on Same-Sex Marriage. I realise by now that a UKIP councillor, David Silvester, also made the link. Mind you, he got panned for it. UKIP suspended him for failing to keep his views to himself. (For US readers: UKIP is a political party) Nigel Farage, the UKIP leader, according to The Telegraph said: this ‘is real extremism and nastiness’. So much for Free Speech then Nigel. I was going to vote UKIP as well, it turns out they are just that same as all the other Godless political parties. No surprise there I guess.
Is it True?
Without entering into a rant over Free Speech, there’s only one question worth asking. Is this true? Not a question we are allowed to ask any-more. Were the floods a judgement from God? It could be so. In truth, I have no idea and neither has anyone else the foggiest clue. One things for sure though, any mention of Judgement from God will be seen as nutty, nasty and nonsensical. It’s nothing new: we read in 2 Peter 3:3-4
‘… scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
So despite mankind’s supposed advancement, they were saying exactly the same thing. Nothing new there then! There’s no doubt that Homosexuality and all its associated manifestations is sinful before a Holy & Righteous God. The Bible clearly says so and in several places. So it’s no good arguing that one. But the floods the UK experienced; a direct result of Same-Sex Marriage? Unlikely, to say the least.
If that is the case, why hasn’t there been a judgement over adultery, spoken against far more in the Bible. And in scathing terms. And what about the pornographic industry? And then there’s the abortion holocaust, so easily forgotten. Not forgetting all the lying, thieving, self-righteousness and a host of other ‘sins’ worthy of judgement falling upon us. The law of God is devastating not just for homosexuals, but for us all: James 2:10 ‘For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all’. And so we are all guilty,all of us, Romans 3.23
At the root of such connections as the flooding is a misunderstanding of the judgement of God as it pertains to today. To my mind the UK (and the West generally) is without doubt under the judgement of God. Same-Sex Marriage is a part of it. But it’s not what many people, even many Christians, think. Like the good councillor, it’s normal to think of judgement in term of disaster. [As do the climate doom-mongers – those guys can’t get enough of it!] It is a disaster, of unbelievable proportions, but not the one you might think of.
And we know this is a judgement of God because the Bible clearly tells us it is. And it’s happening right now.
Any talk of the Judgement of God is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. But in Romans 1 we have the clearest and most terrifying statement of its reality. Pay especial note to the highlighted text in verses 24, 26 & 28. Also note on the part of the sinner (again, that’s all of us) a deliberate suppression of the knowledge of God. Here are the verses:
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-32)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting (please note the following list); 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,[c] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,[d] unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
If you have got this far you will notice this handing over is not some form of catastrophe or disaster but is a giving up, a handing over of people to what they want to do. You say, what sort of Judgement is that! But here’s the thing, doing those very things that God condemns are the things people want to do, and if not actually do, approve of. So the government approve and make legal these very things. In fact, it’s now frowned on to disprove of the things God condemns. So as the country moves further and further away from its Judeo – Christian foundations the worse it will get. The light will dim as people prefer the darkness of a world without God. Be assured this is not a good thing.
And Yet there is Light in the Darkness
And yet, all the while the Grace of God is held out in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We all should be thankful the full and final judgement of God has not yet come upon us and we still live in the day of Grace. When the law of God pierces the heart and conscience of the sinner how precious is the sacrifice of the Son of God upon The Cross. Why will you perish O sinner? Turn & repent that you may live.
I can do no better that recite the Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26.
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’ (NKJV)
This blessing begs the question though: what do we mean by blessing? 2013 has been quite a year for us. Just one ‘event’ from last year. I needn’t go into details but a very dear (retired) friend of ours – pretty much family really – fainted in the bathroom just before Christmas, fell on the sink and broke his neck. We are talking reality here. This dear brother, his wife and most of their children are believers. By any stretch of the imagination how can this be a blessing? He is right now in a critical care ward. Are we to understand that God has allowed this to happen. Yes we are! It’s not easy for those that love him, yet we do see God in control. What is God’s purpose in this, we do not know. We only know and believe the scripture found in Romans 8:28 ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.’
Here’s the end of Romans ch 8 copied from Bible Gateway:
God’s Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shalltribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”[c]
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
An Atheist Response
That’s very nice for weak-minded people in need of a crutch the Atheist or Skeptic might say. But what might be the alternative since we are dealing in reality. The sort of response from Richard Dawkins might be: Shit happens, get over it. Or it might be, just make the best of your life now, eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. The only problem with these views and all points in between is that very few, if any, live by these principles. Maybe a sociopath might live by them but most people do not. Even with the best will in the world and all good intentions what can the Atheist worldview say to such events – honest answers only. No Atheist do gooding bullshit (if I might use a colloquialism for a moment). The Dawkinsianites can’t live by their own worldview. I’m guessing now, but an appropriate Atheist response could be: Nature has decided you are weak and is tossing you to one side, goodbye. If that’s not appropriate, why not?
The Only Explanation that makes sense.
I certainly do not believe nothing bad should befall Christians – that sort of thinking is plainly nonsense and is NOT taught in the Bible. The only explanation then that makes sense is that we are made in the image of God and would to like to live in an organised caring universe, not a universe of chaos without meaning or purpose. We live in God’s world – like it or not.
The peace in the Blessing above can only be found through the Prince of Peace – Jesus Christ. If you have never done so, may 2014 be the year you call upon the name of the Lord for Salvation.
President Bill Clinton with Nelson Mandela, July 4 1993. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There’s no getting away from the fact that a great man has just died. There’s no question that what he accomplished politically has been remarkable. In terms of world history Mandela will go down as one of the great Statesmen. Quite Gandhi like in his – latter – non-violent stance against apartheid. World leaders sought an audience with him as if something of his popularity would ‘rub-off’ on them. As if merely associating with Mandela would somehow make them popular as well. Such was the charisma of Nelson Mandela.
And yet, given his political achievements, in the final analysis it’s the only question worth asking – Where will Nelson Mandela spend Eternity? The short answer of course is that I do not know. But cutting to the chase; if Mandela had no faith in The Lord Jesus Christ then he will be lost and will spend all eternity in hell. It’s not going to play well in the Liberal heartlands but the frightening lesson – and the lesson of the Bible – is that no matter what we do it will not make us right with a Holy God. Even Archbishop Cranmer on his blog writes as if Mandela were a Christian without a shred of evidence. In the blog post by his grace Mandela talked about God being the Father of all – not true. Talked about worshiping as well, but politicians are skilled at using words that impress but (I’m talking Christianity here) actually means nothing. They are vacuous empty words. There is only ONE way to God. There is only ONE Saviour. You will never hear a politician say these things but they will use the language of religion. It’s all smoke and mirrors. I don’t want to take anything away from what Mandela achieved politically but it had nothing to do with the Christian faith or with Jesus.
I’ve done a quick scan of the online press and there’s not a lot of negative comment about him. There are a few pretty raw comments about him though. His approval of violence prior to his incarceration at Robben Island is mentioned but from then on it’s all positive. On Radio 4 this morning a Bishop (didn’t catch the name) said Nelson Mandela was the ’embodiment of love’. I understand hyperbole but that is just not true. Only one person could be described that way and it’s Jesus Christ not Mandala. A Churchman should have known better but given these degenerative days where ‘truth has fallen in the streets’ it’s common to hear such ridiculous statements. If it were possible Mandela would be deified and this tells us more about our current political leaders than Nelson Mandela!
Simply put, the Gospel isn’t about rewarding people for their accomplishments, whatever those accomplishments are, or for being nice! The Gospel is Good News for sinners. Nelson Mandela in the eyes of the world (by and large) is a Saint. The world does not have the foggiest idea of what a Saint is. The Bible use of the word is simply a believer in Jesus, a sinner that has placed their trust in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross not what they have accomplished.
The problem the political world has created as it drools over the Mandela legacy is the problem of how righteousness is defined. But it has ever been so. The world defines holiness, righteousness, goodness, forgiveness & love on its own terms, not at all by the law God and the person of Jesus Christ. Associating with Nelson Mandela will not make a person good. Talking warmly about Nelson Mandela will not make a person good. Only faith in Jesus will make a person right or acceptable in the sight of God. But it’s not what the world wants to hear – even at Christmas!
The really scary thing is how good a person can be – or seem to be – and yet not be a Christian. The Church ought to be saying this over & over again. The death of Nelson Mandela as sad as it is for his family and followers is a warning to those that seek a righteousness of their own and not the righteousness that God provides in Christ. It is futile to put any eternal hope in man, any man. Our hope must be in Christ alone.
And you, dear reader. Nelson Mandela will not rescue you from the wrath to come, he cannot save you, he cannot forgive your sins. Only Jesus Christ can rescue you from the wrath to come, only Jesus Christ can save you, only Jesus Christ can forgive your sins. Only Jesus paid the price on the Cross to rescue sinners. Call upon Jesus for Salvation.
The Abortion Images Debate that took place in early October is available to download. You can download it from here.
I have listened to the debate and it is worth an hour and half of your time. I listened to it in the car travelling to work. Your jaw will drop at some of the statements from Ann Furedi (and some of the questions from the floor) as she seeks to defend the indefensible.
