by
Pastor Mike Taylor
16 “Yet
if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him
glorify God on this behalf.
17 For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if
it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God?
18 And
if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear?
19 Wherefore
let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping
of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”(1st
Peter 4:16-19
Can
persecution come to America? Its beginnings are already here if you
look around you. We see where anything that speaks of God or His Holy
Word, brings condemnation from a dying, rebellious world.
I
remember a report
in our near past, of one courageous woman in Kentucky, who would not
bow to judicial pressure to issue same sex marriage licenses to gay
couples. In this couples do circumvent clear biblical morality. Our
country and it's leaders have gone rogue in subjecting this country
to laws that were not meant for a free people. I am reminded of what
the founding fathers wrote when they broke away from the tyranny of
England in the Declaration of Independence:
“But
when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the
same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute
Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such
Government, and to provide new Guards for their future
security.”
How
can we continue to live under government tyranny without taking back
what we loaned to others in the government to represent us...? Is it
so far gone that we have not got the power to take back our own
government? I find this the fault of the pastors that stand in our
pulpits that have failed to preach and stand for righteousness and
fire up their congregation and men of good will to stand for what is
right and what this country was founded upon. I'm not advocating
revolution, although I'm sure there are many people are just about
fed up with this direction the country is headed in. I'm reminded of
a quote by our 3rd President of the USA when he said:
“The
tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of
patriots and tyrants” Thomas
Jefferson
And
let no one be mistaken, there are men who believe in this country and
will take up arms to defend her. I believe that was what the
implementation of JADE HELM was all about, because the powers that
be, knew that the American people were getting fed up. This will
promote more persecution and marshal law, and if you are labeled a
right-wing extremist, a conservative, religious, a Christian, or a
patriot, then you have been branded as a threat to the
government.
You may not think of yourself as a “domestic
right-wing extremist”, and I certainly do not, but the truth is
that patriotic Americans and conservative Christians have been
repeatedly labeled as “potential terrorists” since this present
so called “POTUS” became president. If this had just
happened one time, it would be easy to dismiss. Sadly, there
has been a steady pattern of this happening over the past several
years. Large groups of people that are the heart and soul of
this country have been systematically demonized over the past several
years. When you consider what history has taught us, it is
absolutely chilling to think about what this could eventually lead
to. Is this what those reports of FEMA camps, mass coffins, and NSA
spying on every person's personal information leading to....possible
PERSECUTION?
THE
FIRST AMENDMENT UNDER ATTACK
We
have been given unalienable rights and freedoms guaranteed by the
Constitution. The ACLU from their own website describes what we call
the 1st Amendment to the Constitution:
“Our
country's founders -- who were of different religious backgrounds
themselves -- knew the best way to protect religious liberty was
to keep
the government out of religion. So they created the First
Amendment -- to guarantee the separation of church and state. This
fundamental freedom is a major reason why the U.S. has managed to
avoid a lot of the religious conflicts that have torn so many other
nations apart.
The Establishment
Clause of the First Amendment prohibits government from
encouraging or promoting ("establishing") religion in any
way. That's why we don't have an official religion of the United
States.”
Most
everything in the above quote is correct, but the point missed from
the above clause that even the ACLU turns a blind eye to is that the
government protects the free exercise of ones own religion. We have
freedom of religion, not freedom FROM religion. The statement of
separation of church and state is not found in our original
documents, but came from a letter from Thomas Jefferson to a set of
Christian pastors who worried about a theocracy coming to America.
The phrase is lifted from this letter and is not part our governing
laws, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the landscape of this
country today.
GAY
MARRIAGE FOUGHT IN KENTUCKY
So
a firestorm that I spoke about above, has over time, developed over
one little county clerk and several other businesses who stood on
their religious freedom to not condone a practice that would conflict
their conscious of religious freedom and the right to practice that
freedom by rejecting a spuriously and flagrant violation of God's
Holy Word. They stood on the clear commands of written laws given by
God concerning the abomination of homosexual sins. They believed God
when He said:
“22 Thou
shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
(Leviticus 18:22)
“24 Wherefore God also gave them up
to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour
their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use
of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men
working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that
recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they
did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to
a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient;”(Romans 1:24-28)
9 “Know ye not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind”(1st
Corinthians 6:9)
This business owners and government
employee took their religious convictions seriously and would not
violate their Christian beliefs and issue a piece of paper, bake a
cake, or marry such condoning sin by their signature on a marriage
license or giving a pass to flagrant violation of the Word of God.
This part of the job of the woman in Kentucky was not present when
she was elected to her position..Mind you, this lady is a Democrat
and was sent to jail by a Republican judge, so the issue is not about
Democrat vs. Republican ideology..No, it's about what this country
was founded upon...Religious freedom!!! Some say that she should have
resigned or vacated her elected post if it conflicted with her
conscience. Yes, she could have rolled over and given consent by
being absent from the duties she was lawfully elected to do, the
baker could have baked that cake, or the minister marry two of the
same sex, but would that not have said they were wrong in their
beliefs by doing so? Would they not have been denying the Lord Jesus
who wrote down His commandments for righteous living in public, or in
private practice? I think it would have been so.
I
got into a long back and forth debate on Facebook when this same
question arose over whether the lady, Kim Davis was wrong in her
actions to deny a marriage license to a gay couple. One thing I
quickly learned, no matter what evidence you provide that God
condemns this act of immorality so perverse in God's eyes as calling
it an abomination, the liberal left, the Progressives (Communist,
same thing) will try and shout you down. They will mock, curse God
using expletives, start name calling, and I'm sure foam at the mouth
as they rail against your God given beliefs of moral behavior
according to God's Holy Word. It is their right to not believe
(granted), but it also my right to believe...If they refuse to
believe in the God of the Bible, that is their freedom to reject the
message, but on the flip side, it is my right to believe and voice my
opinions about what God says and quote scripture to back it up.
Each
should have the respect of varied opinions and beliefs without
resorting to verbal abuse. But get ready folks, if it happens when
you speak anything of God even on Facebook, it will get exponentially
worse as we grow closer to the judgment of God coming down on this
country to the run-up of the Tribulation in any public forum. The
godless masses won't tolerate anything that speaks of God in any
form, and will brand those that do as bigots and haters. And to some
degree, they already are doing so.
Just look at one case
in point. See what is a happening in our armed forces? Our past
POTUS...you know his name, informed the highest ranking military
generals and admirals of our military, that if they couldn't support
the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” over homosexuality in the
military, then they should resign. Many did resign. Chaplains have
been ordered to not use the name of Jesus when counseling or
ministering to any of our men and women in uniform. Religious freedom
has been stifled in the public arena. This past Usurper in chief
promoted unrighteous living at every turn, and he called himself a
“christian”...fat chance. Not by definition of a “follower of
Jesus Christ” he's not. The man worships at the altar of
himself.
HOW
DID WE GET HERE?
This
all began when this country through a decision by the Supreme Court
to ban prayer in public schools back in the 1960s, which eventually
led to the ruling over a “woman's right to choose” to have or not
to have an abortion. It wasn't about freedom to choose, but one
person denying the right of another person to life, even in her own
womb. It's been a slippery slope from that point on. America has
grown more Godless as time has progressed.
Then look at
the past “Defense of Marriage Act” or DOMA that was law in this
country and that usurper in chief, who took an oath to uphold the
law, decided on which laws he would enforce and those he would look
the other way and not enforce. At every turn, he made his own laws by
executive order and failed to uphold the Constitution which is the
LAW of the land. Of course, the argument can be made that we have
elected our national moral condition decline by putting that man in
office. Or that God has given us this man to bring the beginnings of
His judgment upon a nation who has abused the freedoms given to them
by God and turned their back on Who has blessed this nation like no
other nation in all of man's history. Now we are in Obama 2.0 who is
probably advising a mentally challenged “leader” in the White
House
The freedoms that we have enjoyed since the signing of
the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War was won,
now nigh 245 years is rapidly being shredded in the place of being
“politically correct” and morally depraved. Almost no one
trembles at the Word of God or before God Himself in our present
society in America. We have become a proud, although broken
generation, glorying in our self-esteem and positive thinking. Our
self-centered idea of ourselves looks at flesh as if it were a god,
but has lost respect for the true God. Since we do not need to fear
Him, we do not respect Him and are therefore slowly replacing Him
with an impersonal god more on our human level.
I
saw that first hand in my aforementioned debate against a self
expressed atheist who embraces Buddhist beliefs of man being his own
god. I shudder to think what would have been the result if the
exchange had been face to face. This person got so offensive in his
language that if we had been sitting across from one another, I can
envision him rising to strike with his fist. Like I mentioned, I
believe that this same kind of intolerance for anything that is of
God and His Word will find even more persecution as the Tribulation
hour approaches. This object intolerance is of Satan, the
devil.
Even now, pastors in churches have been jailed for
speaking God's truth and the authorities have arrested them for hate
speech. I find that ludicrous, as is it the same as warning a
motorcyclist to wear a helmet to avoid splattering his head all over
the pavement and in doing so it is called hate speech, because you
infringe on his right to be a danger to himself? Men of conviction
speak of God's law and sin to warn those who are lawless in their
conduct toward a Holy God. They are concerned for their spiritual
lives and wishing to follow the leading of God's Holy Spirit. But men
do not want to be told that they are sinning. The Facebook page
reinforced that concept, that men do not want to be told that what
they are doing is wrong according to God's Word. Christians are just
standing in their way of having a “good” time. We are stifling
their ability to form a “utopia” on earth where everyone can be
and do whatever they want to do, irregardless if it's right or
wrong.
Jesus warned us in John :
1 “These
things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They
shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And
these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the
Father, nor me.” (John 16:1-3)
Satan is working
overtime, as he knows his time is running short, so if he is going to
have any chance of winning over the one True God, he must make God
out a liar and he is searching for anything that would accomplish
this. He has been trying for almost 6000 years to avoid the penalty
that he knows is coming. So he uses men against other men to attempt
to thwart God's plan for mankind.
It
all started with the people that God chose as His own, the people of
Israel who gave us Jesus even in unbelief, where Christianity was
born and has spread to the whole world. Christianity has flourished
to the four corners of the globe to reaching every tribe and every
nation in our modern world by means of telecommunications, television
and the internet. Jesus proclaimed what we are seeing right
now:
34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on
earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I
have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against
her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
36
And "a man's foes will be those of his own household."(Matthew
10:34-36)
We
may face persecution in our jobs, because of our beliefs...again,see
what has happened to Kim Davis in Kentucky? At
times, we may receive social persecution within a community. We are
often excluded from friendships that would normally be extended to us
as they are to others who are not of the truth of God's Word.
Sometimes our children face this more directly in school than we do
in the neighborhood or market place. But
it's out there waiting to invade our safe place and make our lives
more uncomfortable.
I
wonder, as you are reading this, how many of us would have done as
Kim Davis did? Would we have stood up to an angry crowd that I'm sure
became abusive and loud when she followed her faith and conscience
and would not issue gay marriage license? Or the baker who would not
bake that cake for a gay couple, or the minister who would not marry
the same? Would you have been willing to go to jail for the crime of
religious freedom? Would you have gone along with the crowd, as
deputy clerks did when they issued marriage license in her absence in
fear of contempt of court of an unjust ruling in Kentucky past? It is
a difficult choice that we all may have to make before Jesus comes
for His chosen bride.
Without
a doubt, the most intense persecution will begin with those of a
religious bent and culminates with the civil authorities. Christ
received His most frequent attacks from the religious leaders, those
with the greatest spiritual pretensions. The scribes, Pharisees, and
Sadducees all attempted to ostracize Him or destroy the validity of
His teaching. In the end, the ecclesiastical authorities called upon
the civil authorities to administer the savage beating and execution.
As the Beast arises, we can expect its persecution to follow the same
pattern.
PERSECUTION
WILL GROW INTENSE
As
I've explored in past messages, there is coming a push for a New
World Order and a One World Religion. This has been proposed for the
last 29 years since 1992 and the acceptance by 176 countries of the
U.N.'s Agenda 21 and now is evolving into Agenda 2030, which I
covered in my past messages. If you missed it, you may review it
here:
https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2016/09/by-pastor-mike-taylor-revelation-1311.html
THE
COMING TRIBULATION ON THE HORIZON
There
will come a time, when a government that has been formed to cover the
whole earth will arise and demand allegiance to laws and commands
that are in direct conflict with God's commands. A religious
authority that will proclaim that all should worship an idol that
shall be erected in the Holy of Holies in the newly built Temple in
Jerusalem.
“15 And
he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image
of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not
worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And
he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,
to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And
that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name
of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here
is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred
threescore and six.” (Revelation 13:15-18)
I've often
wondered what kind of image this false prophet will cause the whole
world to worship this image. Obviously, the whole world cannot go to
Jerusalem to bow before an idol much like what King Nebuchadnezzer in
ancient Babylon when he set up his golden image. So how will this be
accomplished? I don't really know, but a good friend of mine
postulated that the only way that the whole world will be able to see
and worship the beast of Revelation is through a television broadcast
into every home.
Now
we know that even today, Gallup Polling knows who is watching what
program. Is it inconceivable to believe they will devise a means of
tracking who is worshiping, and who is not? Will they be able to see
into your living room and see how you respond, and if you bow or not?
Seems far fetched in some aspects, but with technology the powers
that be will figure out how to keep tabs on those who are loyal to
the Beast Power and who are not...who will worship, and who will not.
And if you worship, or take His mark, then that person is doomed for
all eternity. Could the present Covid Vaccine be the pre-cursor
to that same mark, of doing what the government tells you to do?
We in America have been
virtually isolated from the evils that have grown rampant in the last
several years in the rest of the world, but is it starting in America
with the intolerance for anything that goes against the agenda that
this New World Order elites envision. Will you compromise your morals
and convictions and submit to their agenda? As we bump up to the
coming of Jacob's troubles, known as the Tribulation, will it in fact
get harder to be a patriotic American, a conservative, and a
Christian? The answer is a resounding ….YES...yes, it will. How
will you be able to stand firm....? Will you stand firm?
In
this hour of man's last gasp of human government, when the
persecution starts, you must arm yourself with weapons of war: ,
“10 Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might.
11 Put
on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil.
12 For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness;
15 And
your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God:
18 Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints.”(Ephesians 6:10-18)
My friend, we could see
persecution that could come knocking at your door, before Jesus comes
back to remove His bride from this planet. Many pray, even as I do,
that Jesus will come soon. Many point to this month as something
major happening in the world. The coming of Jesus, the implosion of
the economy of this fallen world, the nation of Israel going to war
with Iran, and many other possibilities that very well could come to
pass, but of the one that we all hope for, the coming of our Lord,
what if it doesn't happen this month, or this year...what if God
tarries and holds back His Son from coming based upon His perfect
will? Then the above verses will take on a completely urgent need and
meaning. I pray Jesus is ready to burst on the scene, but prepared to
be fully armed with my weapons of spiritual warfare.
What
about the rest of you? Those who see the world going to “hell in a
hand-basket”. What will you do when millions of people suddenly disappear and the powers that be promote a lie to explain it. Will you believe the lie? The morals of the nation called the USA and the rest
of the world are becoming more permissive and evil beyond what you ever
thought possible is right before your eyes. Can you imagine what it
will be like, if the world becomes a 1000 times more wicked and
dangerous with people dying all around you in the coming Tribulation? Or you yourself, your loved ones, and those you care about dying a painful, horrifying
death what that will be like?
That
is what is coming during the last 7 years of human history, called
the Tribulation. How can you survive should you enter that time
period...? Most likely, you won't survive. For the God of Heaven will
rain down on earth an unimaginable wrath for the sins of mankind,
that I for one, do not wish to be here, and won't be, to witness. A madman called
the Anti-Christ will be the complete dictator and terror of this God
forsaken world and will destroy all who do not follow him, and
worship him as a god. But Jesus wishes to give all who call upon His
name in belief “VICTORY” over this world, and reign and rule with
Him for a thousand years...How you say?
16 “For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17
For sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved”. (John 3:16-17)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)
It's
so simple, that a child can do it...become as a little child and
believe on His name and follow Him in Spirit and in Truth.
Persecution is coming, but we who stand on God's promises will
overcome whatever is thrown our way...In Jesus Name.
This
is pastor Mike Taylor, praying for salvation through Jesus Christ our
Lord, comes into your life. Should you need prayer, counseling, or
just a listening ear, drop me an email to pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com,
or visit me online
for more biblical messages from the Word of God.
God bless you all:
TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET
