|
|
CHAPTER IX TAKING BACK TERRITORY FOR THE LORD Now it is not without reason that we have spent so much time on the rather bizarre belief system of the "new dominionists" and the PROMISE KEEPERS," and that's because this form of Christianity - i.e., the form of Christianity that George Bush has now embraced - has, as we shall see, BUILT INTO IT AN IMPERATIVE TOWARDS CONQUEST. And it is precisely in those terms that Bush is justifying his war against "EVIL." That word (i.e., "evil") was not chosen haphazardly; it is being used in a very purposeful fashion. "EVIL" is a religious term, and does not really fit in a secular context, or in the lexicon of the Left. ONE SHOULD BE CLEAR ABOUT ALL THIS. BUSH'S CONCEPT OF "CONQUEST" BEGINS IN A RELIGIOUS CONTEXT - THE CONTEXT THAT THE PROMISE KEEPERS HAVE SUPPLIED HIM. THEREFORE, IF ONE WANTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT BUSH IS UP TO IN HIS "WAR ON TERRORISM," [AND WHAT JOHN ASHCROFT IS UP TO IN HIS CONCOMITANT AND ANCILLARY EFFORT TO ESTABLISH A VIRTUAL "POLICE-STATE" IN THIS COUNTRY (REPLETE WITH SECRET COURTS, WARRANTLESS SEARCHES, ROVING WIRETAPS, ETC.)] ONE MUST UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WORD "CONQUEST" OR THE PHRASE "TAKING BACK TERRITORY" MEANS IN THE PROMISE KEEPERS LEXICON. As we indicated earlier, one of the underlying themes of the kind of Christianity that undergirds the PROMISE KEEPERS is that prayer and intercession (what we have labeled "CONJURING") - coupled with faith, and a life of holiness [more about this particular aspect (i.e., what this kind of Christianity means by the term "holiness") in upcoming articles] - will produce abundance and the "Good Life" in the "here and now." And when this logic is extended to the next level - in other words, when it is taken from the personal level and lifted up to the corporate level - it should follow that these same techniques - i.e., the same ones that have been used to HARNESS the power of God in one's personal life - can then be used to "take back territory for the Lord," in other words, for conquest. And make no mistake about it, control of the nation (and through the nation, the world) is what Wentroble and her cohorts are really after. [It has, after all, not escaped the attention of the "new dominionists" that the United States is the most powerful nation on earth.] For example, Kenneth Copeland, one of the leading figures in the evangelical world and someone who is very favorably disposed towards the PROMISE KEEPERS, writes, "This country belongs to God ... He's the One who brought the United States of America into existence. He had a special purpose for it ... He raised it up, and it's not going to be taken away from Him." Bill Hamon, pastor of one of the largest evangelical churches in the country, and another pastor who is sympathetic to the goals of the PROMISE KEEPERS, writes, "A new government must be established, a new way of life for ... millions of people." Gary Potter, president of Catholics for Christian Political Action, says, "When the Christian majority takes over this country, there will be no satanic churches, no more free distribution of pornography, no more abortion on demand, and no more talk of rights for homosexuals. After the Christian majority takes control, pluralism (i.e., multiculturalism) will be seen as immoral and evil and the state will not permit anybody the right to practice evil. Well known evangelical leader Sam Fife says, "... Jesus is setting up His kingdom here on earth ... . We are the rulers of this planet - it's time we take over." George Hawtin writes, "But the saints of the most High shall take (seize) the kingdom (meaning the earth), and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." And, finally, writing in the Journal of Christian Reconstruction, Presbyterian pastor Kenneth J. Gentry, Jr. declares: "The whole creation awaits the godly dominion of the New Creation Saints of God." And be clear here, like others, Gentry is not talking about the "sweet bye and bye," but the political "here and now." Wentroble elaborates on what the "new dominionists" mean when they talk about "taking back territory" for the Lord: "When we walk in covenant with Him, He provides for us. However, we are not to stop with having our own needs met. The heart of God is one who loves and gives to others. God's heart is for the whole earth to walk in covenant with Him. ALL NATIONS WILL ACKNOWLEDGE HIS LORDSHIP. "Apostolic (again, "New Order") churches have a passion to see their families and neighbors worship the Lord. They are willing to pray and intercede (i.e., "DEMAND") for the lost ... "(As we intercede) ... God is ABLE to unlock entire regions, as homes throughout an area become houses of prayer ... [Again, please notice: God's working is dependent on His people DEMANDING that He live up to His covenants. Now, one needs to be clear here, it is one thing for children to humbly petition their father for a gift; but it is quite another thing for a father's children to DEMAND something from their father - and make no mistake about it here - that's what Wentroble and her cohorts believe.] "... prayer is a key to seeing an entire region come into transformation ... An apostolic church is a praying church. The apostolic churches pray corporately. Prayer is in their homes. People of the New Order are people who live a lifestyle of prayer - prayer powerful enough to transform regions (and nations)." PRAYER AND INTERCESSION AS A "Recently I was part of a team of ministers speaking at a conference in Waco, Texas. The conference theme was 'Seize the City'. Intercessors gathered for several days to hear how they could bring their city under the lordship of Jesus. On one of the prayerwalks to historically strategic sites, we crossed a bridge over a river. About halfway across the bridge, an intercessor faced the city and cried out loudly, 'Waco, hear the word of the Lord'! She then made prophetic proclamations about the will of the Lord for that city. The other intercessors verbally agreed by shouting, 'Yes! Amen! Do it, Lord'. A sense that the proclamations were not merely the words of a human being came upon the team. God had spoken prophetically through one of His representatives." So, in the minds of people like Wentroble (and the Promise Keepers), prayer is conceived of as a DEMAND on the Lord. Make no mistake about it. There is no spirit of humble supplication here. These are DEMANDS on the Lord. That's precisely what they mean when they say, "Do it!" They mean "Do it" in just about the same manner a spoiled child would say "do it" to his mother or father - or worse, the way a diner at a restaurant would say "Do it" to his waiter. But this has nothing to do with ordering food at a restaurant; this has to do with CONQUEST - the conquest of whole cities, and whole nations, and the whole world - and not in the "sweet bye and bye," but in the "here and now." These people actually believe that they have been destined by God to conquer the world - and the sooner the better, and they are absolutely not afraid of transferring their prayers into political activity! That's precisely what Wentroble means that "New Order" Christians should "care" for their cities and take "dominion" over them. BUSH AND THE PROMISE KEEPERS This isn't to say that Bush was thinking of himself in such terms (maybe, maybe not); it's only to say that he had stumbled upon an extremely powerful RELIGIOUS message that had implicit within it potent POLITICAL connotations - AND ATTACHED TO THIS MESSAGE CAME A BODY OF FLESH AND BLOOD "TRUE BELIEVERS" WHO - IF THEY WERE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR RHETORIC - WERE PREPARED TO PAY THE PRICE TO SEE THE WORLD BROUGHT UNDER GOD'S JURISDICTION - A MODERN-DAY ARMY OF "KNIGHT TEMPLARS!" That is, after all, what the imperative of their eschatology is all about. These people are not ethereal or vaporous in their thinking; heaven is not what they are aiming at. Conquest of the earth is what they are after. It is an imperative that is inherently built into their theology and one from which they cannot escape and remain true to their system of belief. Indeed, Wentroble writes: "The Church has often considered heaven as home and the earth as just a place to endure ... But the apostolic churches (again, the "New Order" churches) realize that the earth belongs to the Lord. They are managers of the Lord's earth ... With this understanding, apostolic churches have a burden for POSSESSING THE LAND. "I remember a few brief times when my husband and I rented houses. While living in those houses, we did not put new roofs on them, install new carpet, or make major repairs. The reason we did not do these things was because the houses did not belong to us. "On the other hand, in all the houses we have owned over the past 35 years, we have always had a new roof put on when the old one leaked. New carpet was always installed when the old carpet was worn. We repaired whatever was in need of it. The reason was because we owned those houses. We take care of the things we own. "The same thing happens in a city (or a nation, or a world). When we have a revelation of owning a city (or a nation, or a world), we take care of the city (or nation, or world). APOSTOLIC CHURCHES ARE CONCERNED ABOUT EVIL GOVERNMENT. THESE CHURCHES CARE ABOUT THE KIND OF EDUCATION FOUND IN THE SCHOOLS. NEIGHBORS AND NEIGHBORHOODS ARE IMPORTANT. GOD HAS PUT HIS CHURCH IN THE CITY (AND NATION, AND WORLD) AND GIVEN IT RESPONSIBILITY AS HIS STEWARDS. AS APOSTOLIC CHURCHES, WE MUST BECOME INVOLVED ... (IN GOVERNMENT)." SPIRITUAL MAPPING: MOVING FROM THE "When a territory has been inhabited by persons who have chosen to offer their worship to demons, the land has been contaminated and those territorial spirits have obtained a right to remain there, keeping the inhabitants captive. It is then necessary to identify the enemy and to go into spiritual battle until we obtain victory and redeem the territory. Spiritual mapping is a means toward identifying the enemy. It is our spiritual espionage." In this endeavor, of course, "new dominionists" are not averse to "dismantling" the "strongholds" of the enemy politically when the opportunity provides itself. Indeed, they consider such "opportunities" as a gift from the Lord - an answer to their prayer. Hence, the "new dominionists" have very little trouble translating their activity from one sphere to the other and back again. THERE ARE, OF COURSE, SOME VERY, VERY SINISTER CONNOTATIONS IN ALL THIS. WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE PEOPLE WHOM THE "NEW DOMINIONISTS" HAVE "SPIRITUALLY MAPPED" ONCE THEY (I.E., THE "NEW DOMINIONISTS") GAIN POLITICAL POWER? AFTER ALL, IF THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WORSHIPPING DEMONS, ISN'T THAT THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT? AND WHAT SHOULD ONE DO WITH A WITCH? - KILL HER (OR HIM). ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU DO WITH A WITCH? There is certainly nothing vaporous about this. This is for real - and, again, over one-third of the population has already embraced this kind of thinking at one level or another - maybe not to this extent, but again, to one degree or another. And one should bear in mind here that in a crisis, the most extreme elements of a movement have a way of surfacing and taking control of it. And remember, this kind of thinking stems directly from the belief that a life of faith leads to the "Good Life." ONE THINGS LEADS TO ANOTHER! Of course, one might ask himself what this kind of thinking says about Christians living in countries like China, Mozambique, Malaysia, the Sudan, etc. (to say nothing about poor Christians in this country)? - obviously, it says that they are failures in their Christian lives. And if they are failures, shouldn't they be ruled over by those Christians who are successful - after all, "success in the here and now" implies success in the Christian life; IT'S FOR THEIR OWN GOOD THAT THEY SHOULD SUBMIT THEMSELVES TO THEIR "BETTERS!" This is exactly what dominionists like North, Rushdooney, and Chilton would say. THIS IS A RATIONALE FOR CONQUEST. THIS IS A RATIONALE FOR FORCING THE REST OF THE WORLD (I.E., THE "LESS SUCCESSFUL") INTO SUBMISSION TO THE AMERICAN "NEW WORLD ORDER SYSTEM." It gives a "religious" reason for naked economic imperialism, which no one - not even the elties - likes to admit to; instead they prefer to hide their greed and avarice behind a facade of fake Christianity. It makes one feel good about his greed - AND IN TIME, EVEN THE GREEDIEST CAN COME TO BELIEVE THAT WHAT THEY ARE DOING, THEY ARE DOING IN THE NAME OF GOD. WHAT DOES THE BUSH PRESIDENCY PORTEND? But think about what that means. The kind of Christianity that he has imbibed is not true Christianity at all. IT IS LUCIFERIC! And if it is Luciferic, then what does the Bush presidency connote for the world? What does that mean insofar as the emergence of an Antichrist-figure is concerned? One thing is for sure! - it doesn't bode well. Looking back at it now, IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY WHO FOUND WHOM. WAS IT BUSH WHO FOUND THE PROMISE KEEPERS? OR WAS IT THE PROMISE KEEPERS WHO FOUND BUSH? WHO NEEDED THE OTHER MORE: DID BUSH NEED THE PROMISE KEEPERS MORE THAN THE PROMISE KEEPERS NEEDED HIM, OR WAS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. THEOLOGY MATTERS "... I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: And if that's the case, what are we helping to create in our "War on Terrorism" that Bush has called on the country to wage against "Evil?" What we are doing is helping to create a "New World Order," but not to the glory of God, but to the glory of Satan. And there is a price to be paid for anyone - Christian or otherwise - who gets involved in this. READY-MADE TERRAIN The PROMISE KEEPERS are certainly not a group given to socialist schemes aimed at the re-distribution of wealth. Not at all! They believe, as we have already demonstrated, that "as a result of God's presence in the lives of many people in a city (or a state, or a nation), laws in that city (or state, or nation) change, occult activity, immoral businesses, and crime are drastically reduced" and Christians get rich "to boot" - AND ALL THIS BECAUSE OF CHRISTIAN INTERCESSION AND WORSHIP! And if things don't get better, it's because the people are not praying hard enough. AGAIN, THIS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT THE ELITES CAN SUPPORT! And if initially the elites may have had reservations about the wisdom of linking themselves up too tightly to the Christian Right (and Bush), if they at first vacillated between the "moderates" and the "Christian Right," one must excuse them - they are, after all, not "True Believers" when it comes to anything spiritual.
CHAPTER X BUSH ENTERS POLITICS IN A BIG WAY Bush first tried this new rhetoric out in his campaign for governor of the state of Texas in 1994 when he began to preach what Gail Sheehy calls "PROMISE KEEPER-LIKE SERMONS" (again, Sheehy's words) in many of Houston's largest mega-churches - laying the blame for America's "FAILED CULTURE" on the excesses of his generation in the '60s: "The culture of my generation, our generation, has clearly said, 'If it feels good, do it, and be sure to blame somebody else if you have a problem'." To counter this "failed culture," Bush called Christians to enlist in a "godly army" (again, Bush's words) dedicated to restoring "religious values" not only to the nation, but to the world. Sheehy says that by using this new rhetoric (something no president, not even Reagan, had ever done before, at least not on such a deliberate and premeditated basis) Bush began tapping into a mindset in the culture that, as we have already indicated, had grown increasingly weary of the hedonism of the last forty years (a weariness that the Clintons and their cabal of hard-core "libertines" and "debauchers" had done so much to exacerbated), and had also grown intensely concerned with the degree to which the culture had been feminized and enervated (softened). Bush gave a kind of legitimacy to a genuine longing throughout society by men (and a good many women too) for a restoration of what they considered to be their rightful place of authority not only in the family, but in the community and the nation, even to the point where he began - like his PROMISE KEEPERS counterparts - urging men to "take back" authority from their wives, and telling women to "let your man be a man." "Amazed." That is the word his father used when Bush whipped Ann Richards in 1994 using his new PROMISE KEEPERS rhetoric. In 1998 Bush - again using the rhetoric of the Christian men's movement - trampled his Democratic opponent, Garry Mauro, to be re-elected governor with 68 percent of the vote. In both the 1994 and 1998 Republican Party conventions, the Christian Right were what carried the day for Bush. In fact, the conventions themselves resembled PROMISE KEEPERS meetings. Delegates prayed in the aisles and even witnessed to reporters in the press pit. Open bars in "hospitality rooms" - a venerable tradition at Texas political conventions - were converted into gourmet ice-cream-sundae bars where chefs whipped up high-cholesterol, custom-order deserts. Bush and the PROMISE KEEPERS had tasted victory - and they were ready now for the presidency. So were the elites. Here was a way for the Republicans (and the elites) to trump the economic message that Clinton and the Democrats had so successfully used against them in the past two elections. Religion trumps economics! It certainly seemed that way. As a result, after his re-election as governor of Texas, while Bush was in California, he was approached by a member of the ultra elite, George Schultz - former president of the giant Bechtel Corporation and who had also served as Ronald Reagan's secretary of state. He reportedly told him, "I think you ought to be president. Twenty-five years ago Reagan stood on the same spot, and I said the same thing to him. Now I am saying it to you." Sheehy reports that in essence what Schultz had done on behalf of the Republican elites was "privately anoint him as president." Bush returned shortly thereafter to Texas and began mulling over a run for the presidency. Bush later described his musings as a religious epiphany. HIS MUSINGS HAD "PROMISE KEEPERS" WRITTEN ALL OVER THEM. Bush wrote concerning the experience: "Today, two weeks after Jeb's inauguration, in my church in downtown Austin, Pastor Mark Craig (Bush's pastor), was telling me that my re-election was the first Governor to win back-to-back, four-year terms in the history of the State of Texas. He said it was a beginning, not an end ... People are starved for faithfulness. He talked of the need for honesty in government. He warned that leaders who cheat on their wives will cheat their country, will cheat their colleagues, will cheat themselves.
"Pastor Craig said that America is starved for honest leaders. He told the story of Moses who had been asked by God to lead his people to a land of milk and honey. Moses had a lot of reasons to shirk the task. As the Pastor told it, Moses' basic reaction was, 'Sorry, God, I'm busy. I've got a family. I've got sheep to tend. I've got a life. Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? The people won't believe me', he protested. 'I'm not a very good speaker. Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person', Moses pleaded. "But God did not, and Moses ultimately did His bidding, leading his people through forty years of wilderness and wandering, relying on God for strength and direction and inspiration. 'People are starved for leadership', Pastor Craig said, 'starved for leaders who have ethical and moral courage'. 'It is not enough to have an ethical compass to know right from wrong', he argued. 'America needs leaders who have the moral courage to do what is right for the right reason. It's not always easy or convenient for leaders to step forward', he acknowledged. 'Remember, even Moses had doubts'.
"'HE WAS TALKING TO YOU'," my mother later said. The pastor was, of course, talking to all of us, challenging each one of us to make the most of our lives, to assume the mantle of leadership and responsibility wherever we find it. He was calling on us to use whatever power we have, in business, in politics, in our communities, and in our families, to do good for the right reason. And his sermon spoke directly to my heart and my life ... There was no magic moment of decision. After talking with my family during the Christmas holidays, then hearing this rousing sermon, to make most of every moment ... I gradually felt more comfortable with the prospect of a presidential campaign. My family would love me, my faith would sustain me, no matter what. "During the more than half century of my life, we have seen an unprecedented decay in our American culture, a decay that has eroded the foundations of our collective values and moral standards of conduct. Our sense of personal responsibility has declined dramatically, just as the role and responsibility of the federal government have increased. The changing culture blurred the sharp contrast between right and wrong and created a new standard of conduct: 'If it feels good, do it, and 'If you've got a problem, blame somebody else. Individuals are not responsible for their actions', the new culture has said. 'We are all victims of forces beyond our control'. We have gone from a culture of sacrifice and saving to a culture obsessed with grabbing all the gusto. We went from accepting responsibility to assigning blame. As government did more and more, individuals were required to do less and less. The new culture said: 'if people were poor, the government should feed them. If someone had no house, the government should provide one. If criminals are not responsible for their acts, then the answers are not prisons, but social programs .... "For our culture to change, it must change one heart, one soul, and one conscience at a time. Government can spend money, but it cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose in our lives ... But government should welcome the active involvement of people who are following a religious imperative to love their neighbors through after school programs, child care, drug treatment, maternity group homes, and a range of other services. Supporting these men and women - the soldiers in the armies of compassion - is the next bold step of welfare reform, because I know that changing hearts will change our entire society'. "During the opening months of my presidential campaign, I have traveled our country and my heart has been warmed. My experiences have reinvigorated my faith in the greatness of Americans. They have reminded me that societies are renewed from the bottom up, not the top down. Everywhere I go, I see people of love and faith, taking time to help a neighbor in need ... These people and thousands like them are the heart and soul and greatness of America. And I want to do my part. I am running for President because I believe America must seize this moment, America must lead. We must give our prosperity a greater purpose, a purpose of peace and freedom and hope. We are a great nation of good and loving people. And together, we have a charge to keep."
THIS IS, OF COURSE, PROMISE KEEPERS STUFF FROM BEGINNING TO END. THE CAMPAIGN BEGINS "... more like an evangelical movement than a political campaign." And that's exactly what Bush wanted his campaign to sound like. Over and over again, he could be found remarking - "... to truly change the culture we must have a spiritual renewal in the United States." Another time he told Connecticut state-party members at a fund-raiser in June of 2000, "We are about the quality of life ... love thy neighbors. We understand the limitations of government; government can hand out money, but churches ... are places that warm the cold. The great challenge is to work to change the culture, unleash the armies of compassion." Again, all these remarks sounded like they had been pulled straight out of a PROMISE KEEPERS manual - and essentially they had been. Many pundits let all this pass and simply didn't report on it. They thought - like Lacey Neuhaus - that he would discard his "Christianity" after the election. They believed that Bush's seeming devotion to his Christian allies was nothing more than a "put on" - a useful device in dismissing questions about his "youthful indiscretions." All he had to say was - since he had accepted Christ - his life was now changed. He was a new person, and his earlier, irresponsible conduct was now irrelevant. BUT CONTRARY TO WHAT THE PUNDITS BELIEVED, BUSH HELD FIRM TO HIS CHRISTIAN ALLIES, AND THEY HELD TIGHTLY TO HIM. JOHN McCAIN AND SOUTH CAROLINA On Monday, February 28, 2000, McCain delivered a brutal attack against what he considered to be the "stranglehold" Christian conservatives had on the Republican Party. He singled out Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as special targets of his angry assault - calling them "self-appointed leaders" of intolerance and religious bigotry. He compared Robertson and Falwell to "union bosses who have subordinated the interests of working families to their own (religio-political) ambitions. [In this connection, it should be noted that there is nothing more damning in Republican circles than to called a "union boss" - "them's fighting words."] Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of 4,000 at a high school only a few miles from the headquarters of the Christian Coalition in Virginia, McCain said, "The politics of division and slander (presumably practiced by Bush's Christian allies) are not our values. They are a corrupting influence on ... politics, and those who practice them in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame ... our party and our country." He continued by saying, "Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan and Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell on the right." Falwell and Robertson were no better than Farrakhan and Sharpton? Is that what McCain meant to say? - NOTHING COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER CALCULATED BY McCAIN AND HIS "MODERATE" COHORTS TO INFLAME BUSH'S CHRISTIAN ALLIES MORE THAN SUCH A COMPARISON. The entire Christian community in the United States rose up in wrath against McCain and delivered South Carolina to Bush in a decisive victory. State after state followed - all delivered to Bush by his aroused Christian allies. Throughout the campaign - whenever Bush got into trouble - he returned to his Christian base to get him out of it. AL GORE AND FLORIDA Whenever Gore supporters tried to do TV interviews, Christian activists blew whistles and shouted through bullhorns to disrupt them. Gore supporters called the Christian activists an "illegal mob." Only a few Gore supporters braved the relentless shouting of the Christian activists - "No more Gore! No more Gore!" Democrats thought they were witnessing a coup. CHAPTER XI IT WORKED Most pundits thought that, because of the closeness of the election, Bush would have to govern from the center - and that, as a result (and as we indicated earlier), he would jettison his Christian allies almost immediately after he got to the White House. This is what Reagan did. This is what his father did. But the pundits were wrong! They had underestimated Bush's devotion to his Christian base. His PROMISE KEEPERS-kind of Christianity was for real. He was a "true believer!" - something Washington is not used to. Bush set about proving them wrong almost immediately when he nominated Sen. John Ashcroft, a devout Pentecostal from Missouri, to be Attorney General. Ashcroft was not just any Pentecostal believer, both his father and his grandfather had been high officials in the Assemblies of God - one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the country. Moreover, Ashcroft embraced fervently a belief in dominionism. He was a perfect fit for Bush and his PROMISE KEEPERS-style of Christianity. At the time, many observers made much of the fact that Bush first offered the nomination for Attorney General to Marc Racicot of Montana, a "moderate." But those who know Bush say that he knew that Racicot would turn it down. They say that he had been "forced" to offer the nomination to Racicot as payback for an old political favor. This is what Howard Fineman and Michale Isikoff of Newsweek believe. Both say that Bush was relieved when Racicot said no - and no sooner had Racicot opted out, then Bush was on the phone to Ashcroft who, Fineman says, "PERSONIFIED THE FIERCEST ELEMENTS OF THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT AND WHO, GOP INSIDERS INSIST, WAS THE LEADING CANDIDATE ALL ALONG." Ashcroft's ascent to power launched a virtual holy war in Washington - a kind of "last stand" for the so-called "moderates," one that Isikoff at the time believed threatened the first days of the presidency. Like Bush, Ashcroft was no wilting flower insofar as his Christianity was concerned. He once declared - at Bob Jones University no less - that "America has no king but king Jesus." With Ashcroft on board along with his old Christian allies, Karl Rove (who is also a long-time friend of Ashcroft's) and Don Evans, his old friend from Midland days, the Christian credentials of the Bush presidency were solidified. All these men are TRUE BELIEVERS! And all these men are consumed with the prospect of "returning America to Christ" (or at least, their version of Christ) - AND NOW THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH HAVE MADE THAT A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY. GRAVE IMPLICATIONS "What the 1991 war against Iraq proved is that no national army or combination of armies in the world today could stand up against the military might of the United States; and what the war in Afghanistan has proved is that no guerrilla army can do so either." America rules the world now, and no one can make war against her - so that now the prophecy is fulfilled that says, "... who is able to make war with her ..." (Rev. 13:4) So again, I repeat, what will happen when these men - and millions more TRUE BELIEVERS like them - solidify their control of this nation in the name of a PROMISE KEEPERS-kind of Christianity? And don't think that we are merely dealing with hypotheticals here - the fact is, THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11th (AND THE RESULTANT "WAR ON TERRORISM") HAS NOW MADE THIS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY - INDEED, ALMOST A CERTAINTY. The "War on Terrorism" provides the "cover" now for Bush to finish consolidating (in the name of a PROMISE KEEPERS-style of Christianity) America's "New World Order System." The elites, of course, have always been pressing towards economic globalism. But their efforts were bound to stall (and they did) in the absence of a wider imperative, a wider "world-view" - after all, what was in it insofar as average people were concerned, especially average people in the United States. The fact is, the Left had pretty much brought the elite's process of economic globalization to a standstill, and the efforts by the elites to convince ordinary people that globalism was in their interest (an UTTER lie) had come to naught. People everywhere - from Brazil to Columbia, from Zambia to Egypt, from the Czech Republic to France, from India to Indonesia - had come to realize that globalization was nothing more than a very selfish effort by the elites to further enrich themselves. IMPOSING GLOBALISM ON THE "They shall put you out of the ... (churches): yea, the
time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth
God service. That's pretty heavy stuff! Jail or death for not going along with what's happening? But, of course, that's the logical extension of what Rick Joyner meant when he wrote ominously, "Some pastors and leaders who continue to resist this tide ... will be removed from their place." And again, "... there will be many 'stumbling blocks' circulating in the church ... Those serving in leadership must trust their discernment and remove the 'stumbling blocks'." Can there really be any doubt as to the logical end of such statements? - a person would have to be an UTTER and TOTALLY unrepentant Pollyanna not to see it. And that's exactly where the country is apparently headed. That's where syndicated columnist Richard Cohen (who had supported Ashcroft's nomination for Attorney General earlier in the year) thinks we're headed, as he explained in a column that appeared throughout the country on Monday, the 19th of November, 2001: "Attorney General John Ashcroft ... (is no longer considered) anymore as the comforting head of the Justice Department but, instead as the SCARIEST MAN IN GOVERNMENT. I see him as the director of the Office of Homeland Insecurity ... Ever since September 11th, Ashcroft has functioned as the real-life equivalent of the prefect of police in "Casablanca" - rounding up "the usual suspects" and, like him, doing so without the usual legal safeguards. Their exact number is not known, nor are their names. They exist in an American gulag ... [For some time now, the figure for those who have been rounded up and not yet released has been estimated at about 1,200 prisoners; recently, however, A NEW FIGURE HAS SURFACED WHICH PLACES THE NUMBER AT OVER 5000. And contrary to what most people think, a good number of American citizens are believed to be included in this figure - they are not all "non-citizens." In addition, it should be noted that on the 28th of November, Ashcroft gave a reduced figure of about 700 "that are still in federal detention." That does not necessarily mean they have been released. The difference between and among all these figures (i.e., 700, 1,200, and 5000) can be accounted for on the basis of "word games" and bureaucratic obfuscation that the Justice Department is engaged in having to do with how prisoners are being classified, where they are being held, how they are being charged, and so forth. Civil libertarians believe the higher figure. I prefer that figure as well, given the reputation the feds have for telling the truth. - editor.] "This is serious stuff. "More recently, Ashcroft broadened his powers to the point where much of the legal community snapped awake. In the name of battling terrorism, he authorized the Federal Bureau of Prisons (where all these people are held) 'to monitor mail or communications with attorneys ... subject to specific procedural safeguards'. And what are those safeguards? Nothing to trouble a judge about. The feds will decide the matter for themselves ... "The point to remember here is that not one of ... (these prisoners) has been convicted of anything. In many cases, they have not even been indicted ... Ashcroft acted within the spirit of the recently enacted, Orwellian-named USA Patriot Act, which is a broad expansion of the government's police powers ... There is a virtual certainty that ... (these powers) will be tenaciously retained (and expanded upon) by the government (in the foreseeable future)." Now that's power! That's real power! - and all in the hands of men who feel that they have a divine calling to "save the world for Christ and the church." But one thing is for sure, it is no Christ we know. It's not the Christ of the Bible. Again, it's the "false Christ" the Bible warns about in Matthew 24: "For there shall arise FALSE CHRISTS, and FALSE PROPHETS, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matt. 24:24) BUSH'S "NEW WORLD ORDER" HAS "God's plans do not exist for our convenience - they will come to pass whether we approve of them or not. In the long run, it only matters to us - AND TIME FOR RECOGNIZING THIS FACT IS RUNNING OUT!" What all these men - and not just Bush, Ashcroft, Rove, Evans, etc., but their millions and millions of Christian followers throughout the country - are aiming at is, as Wentroble puts it, setting up a "New World Order." But what do we as Christians have to do with such a thing? The Bible says: "The whole world lieth in the evil one." (1 John 5:19) That means the WHOLE world! Satan controls the entire world. As God's children, we have been called out of the world for there is nothing that we can do to make it any better. The church is a CALLING OUT FROM the world (John 15:19; 17:14-16; Gal. 6:14; James 4:4) - she is called out to witness that SHE IS NOT OF THIS WORLD, but of heaven; that she is united to a glorified Christ in heaven (Eph. 1:18-23; Eph 2:6), and not of this world, even as He is not of this world (John 18:36). That's why Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight ... but ... my kingdom (is) not from hence." (John 18:36) And that's why He further said: "Do not love the world, or ANYTHING in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For EVERYTHING in the world ... comes not from the Father ..." (1 John 2:15-16) Satan is called the "PRINCE OF THIS WORLD" (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). What is meant by the term "world?" The word "world" is the translation of the Greek word kosmos, which means an harmonious order or arrangement, and it is used in three ways in the New Testament: First, it means the MATERIAL UNIVERSE (Acts 17:14; Matt. 13:35; John 1:10; Mark 16:15). Second, it means - THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD as whole (John 1:10; 3:16; 12:19; 17:21); THE WHOLE RACE OF MAN ALIENATED FROM GOD AND HOSTILE TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST (Heb. 11:38; John 14:17; 14:27; 15:18). Third, it means the whole circle of WORLDLY goods, endowments,
riches, advantages, pleasures, which though hollow and fleeting,
stir our desires and seduce us from God, so that they are obstacles
to the cause of Christ (I John 3:17; Matt. 16:26; I Cor 2:12;
3:19, 7:31; Titus 2:12; II Peter 1:4; 2:20; I John 2:15-17; James
1:27). It is the world of our split level homes, two cars, good
careers, good educations, bank accounts, vacations, etc. It is
when these pleasures and even so-called necessities of life "possess
our hearts" and crowd out our commitment to the Lord and
to His people that they have in reality become part of the kosmos.
"The whole KOSMOS [as described above] lieth in the evil one." (John 5:19) He is the KOSMOKRATER or world-ruler - a word which, however, appears only once, and is used in the plural of his lieutenants: "the WORLD RULERS OF THIS DARKNESS" (Eph. 6:12). The world [kosmos] is Satan's grand creation and he has directed all his strength and ingenuity into causing it to flourish. To what end? To capture man's allegiance and draw him to himself. He has one object - to establish his own dominion in human hearts worldwide! WHOSE PURPOSE, THEN, DO THE "NEW DOMINIONISTS," THE PROMISE KEEPERS, GEORGE BUSH, JOHN ASHCROFT, CARL ROVE, DON EVANS, ETC. SERVE WHEN THEY ATTEMPT TO SET UP A "NEW WORLD ORDER?" Is this such a hard thing to see? If you don't see it, it's because you have chosen NOT to see it - so that in you - "... is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive ..." (Matt. 13:14) I tell you the truth! I somberly warn you: Those who involve themselves in a PROMISE KEEPERS-kind of Christianity have involved themselves in LUCIFERIC sin! [One needs to remember what lies at the core of PROMISE KEEPERS thinking - again, it's not without reason we spent so much time on that matter!] Again, I plead with you - LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENING! OPEN UP YOUR EYES! We have now reached the cusp of the "end of the age." The events of September 11th have changed everything for us. PROPHECY NO LONGER HAS MUCH TO DO WITH THINGS FUTURE, BUT WITH THINGS PRESENT! GET OUT BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE Listen, brothers and sisters, eternity is at hand - YOUR eternity! What you do now will affect you for all time. You will never get away from it. Your actions today will follow you into the "Kingdom of Heaven," and will determine whether you are known as the "greatest" or the "least" in that glorious realm. (Matt. 5:19) The fact is, we can't pretend that we don't know what's happening. We do know! - and this knowledge hangs like some kind of biblical sword of Damocles over our heads. To do nothing is to invite it to fall on us. The Bible says: Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto
them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the
land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: We are being called to warn people everywhere about what's happening (believers and unbelievers alike) - even at the cost of our own security, our own wealth, and our own lives. To this end, we urge you - we implore you - stand up and be counted; take this material, copy it, and pass it out in your churches, in your family, in your communities - everywhere! I have no doubt what will happen to you when you do - you will be ostracized, and worse! But do it anyway! One dear brother e-mailed us recently from Canada concerning this matter. He said: "I came across this website several weeks ago. I can hardly believe what I have been reading! The articles have moved me so deeply that I find it very difficult to think about anything else. God's Word has been opened up and the light of the truth has shone deep into my heart. I was raised in a Christian home, so I have been exposed to the Bible all my life. But never before until now have I had as good an understanding of the Word. How could I have been kept in such utter darkness about such important parts of the Scriptures? I remember as a child and later on as a teenager I had so many questions about the Bible, and the answer I received most often from pastors and other leaders was 'we can't understand everything in God's Word'. Well that was understood by me even at a young age. I wasn't asking to understand the whole Bible. All I wanted was to have a clearer picture in my head about God and His Son Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation, and some accurate understanding of the 'last days'. I finally have that now and as I type out this e-mail I can hardly hold back the tears of joy. God has answered my prayer to help me as a father and husband to make sense out of Sept. 11/01 so that I might provide answers to my family. This ministry has helped my family and me more than I can say. "I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT SHARING THIS SITE WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR CHURCH, BUT I FEEL VERY UNEASY ABOUT THE KIND OF RESPONSE I WOULD GET. THE WAY ANTIPAS PRESENTS THE BIBLE, AND OTHER ISSUES LIKE CHURCH STATE, AND WESTERN CIVILIZATION IS QUITE RADICAL. I WOULD BE TARRED AND FEATHERED AND RUN OUT OF TOWN. AND YET I KNOW WHAT YOU SAY IS THE TRUTH. I ALSO KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR THE TRUTH, "GOD'S TRUTH." I WOULD LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS MINISTRY AND BE A CANADIAN CONNECTION TO HELP SPREAD THE TRUTH!" [emphasis added] Your friend in Christ, -------------- What a wonderful note! What a wonderful letter of encouragement to us all! And believe me, the fear he exhibits about what would probable happen to him in his church and community is a fear that we must all face! IT IS REAL! Nevertheless, what else should any of us expect? True Christianity is NOT popular - especially to those who are religious among us. It was, after all, the "established religious community" of Christ's day that persecuted Christ and finally killed Him. Remember what the Lord said: "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before
it hated you. Listen to me, brothers and sisters, with every passing week and month, the country (and the world) moves ever more towards the installation of a "CHRISTIAN-TERROR-STATE" - all in the name of Christ! Again I ask, where will it ultimately lead? - to a kind of Fourth Reich where all those who disagree with the "established religion" will be ostracized? It's a trite but true saying, the way to hell is paved with good intentions! - and more murder and slaughter have been carried out in the name of God than we as Christians might care to admit. Maybe there's a good reason why secularists and unbelievers are afraid of Christians; maybe that's why they refuse to be drawn to Christ - they can't hear His gentle voice calling them over the din and slaughter and mayhem we have created. I hope and pray that God will raise up many of you to speak out against what's happening. People everywhere are waiting to hear - maybe not the ones in your churches, and maybe not those who call themselves "Christian" - but they are there, waiting to hear from you. Do what Christ did. He started in the synagogues. Not many listened to Him at the time; they even tried to throw him off a cliff. But He kept at it, and in doing so He raised up quite a din by His preaching, and people were drawn to Him because of that, and some began listening. That's what will happen to you. Start preaching where you are at; copy this material and pass it out! in your church (even though you think no one is reading it), in your community. As you do, you too will cause a din. And they will threaten to throw you off a cliff too. But nothing can happen to you unless God permits it. You are in the hands of God, and eventually you will find people who will listen. There is no easy way in this matter. There was no easy way for Christ, and there will be no easy way for you either. As Jesus said, "The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:20) And so I say to all of you now - alea iacta est Until then, God bless you,
|