GENERATION JUDAS (March 2005)

WHAT IS APOSTASY?

Apostasy is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the Christian church these days. Christians believe that it stands for a great falling away that will occur in the last days of the world prior to the coming of the lord, and they are right. This is what the scriptures are talking about when they mention a great "falling away" that will precede the coming of the Lord. Let's take a look at what the root word that apostasy comes from means: for some insight on what is meant by the word

Webster's Definition.

Pronunciation: &-'päs-t&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -sies
Etymology: Middle English apostasie, from Late Latin apostasia, from Greek, literally, revolt, from aphistasthai to revolt, from apo- + histasthai to stand
1 : renunciation of a religious faith
2 : abandonment of a previous loyalty :

Encarta's Definition.

14th century. Via French from, ultimately, Greek apostasis , literally standing away, from histanai to stand (source of English prostrate and system).]

I want to concentrate on the Greek indications in the definitions above, for we know that this is the word and the definition that the scriptures are implying when the word was used. In either form: aphistasthai, apostasis or apostasia, the meaning behind the Greek word from which we get the word apostasy, is literally to revolt or to stand away. The word revolt, and the words stand away, are extremely significant in the context of this conversation because of their implications, which are the following: (my definitions) Revolt: To turn against something that one was once faithful to. And to Stand away: To distance one's self from a position or person, also implying that we were once standing close, otherwise how could we move away?

THE TRUE DEFINITION

The true definition of the word apostasy, in the context of discussing the end times Church, is to revolt against the Faith that we were once faithful to, and even to distance ourselves from the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that the modern day definition of this word is really nothing more than "A renunciation of one's faith", and this is to a certain extent true, but lacking in a full understanding of the word the scripture used. For the great apostasy the church is waiting for is far more than a bunch of folks leaving the church and going back to their old lives, forgetting about church attendance and bible study on Wednesday nights. No it means a whole lot more than that. It bespeaks of a time when the church will see an enormous "walking away" from the principles of our faith. People don't have to leave the Church to do that. A time when they will not only walk away from those principles, but will do it en masse. In fact, we will show that most of them will stay in the Church, thinking themselves to be right with God!

The Bible dictionary's definition of the word is even more clear than the ones I noted above...

Apostasia

ap-os-tas-ee'-ah

Feminine of the same as G647; defection from truth (properly the state), (apostasy): - falling away, to forsake.

There is a very different picture being drawn by Paul's words, than the one conjured up in the minds of Christians today, who narrowly define the word apostasy as a "falling away", since that only means to basically leave the Church in our common thought. For instance, when he wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Which is about a great apostasia that would occur at the end of time. He is not talking about the Catholic Church, he is not talking about the world and the already lost souls there, he is talking about bible believing, formerly enlightened believers in the Lord, betraying the principles of the faith, and even distancing themselves from our Lord in certain ways. The clearly spoken meaning of this word is more along the lines of betrayal, than it is about backsliding. In fact, Paul wasn't talking about backsliding at all. Lets take a look at the context of the full thought Paul expressed in that set of verses...

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Since verse 3 leads into verses 4 through 12, we have to look at the whole idea (context) of Paul's thoughts, in order to understand ANY of what he said there. In verses 3 and 4 Paul discusses what he is really talking about here, and that is that this "falling away" is one that is lead by the rise of the Son of Perdition's reign, as signified by the words: "and that man of Sin be revealed". He goes on to talk about what the Son of perdition works in their hearts, signified by the words: "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

WHAT IS BETRAYAL?

So what do we have unfolding here in the first few verses of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2? Paul says not to expect the coming of the Lord to take place until there is a great betrayal BY THE CHURCH. He clearly ties this betrayal into the coming of the Son of Perdition, to the point that he indicates that these two items go hand in hand. The Betrayal is not an after thought, or a forethought of the discussion of the Son of Perdition, because he sums it up in 10-12, with a more detailed expression of the Betrayal. He says there will be a falling away, (betrayal), and the Son of Perdition will be revealed, (the Son of perdition being revealed HAS to be at the time that the Revelation discusses his rule, because this is the only time he is revealed), then he describes him a bit, and goes back to finish his thoughts about the betrayal. So a re-phrase in our current language, could look like this...

From verse 3-12 - "Let no one deceive you, for the coming of the Lord will not take place until there is first a great betrayal by the people of the faith, and the Son of Perdition is revealed. Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he AS God, sits in the temple of God, trying to make himself God. Remember I told you these things? You know what withholds, so that he will be revealed in his time. The mystery of iniquity is already at work: Only he who now keeps will keep until he is taken out of the way. Then that transgressor will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of his coming. Him who's coming is the work of the Devil, accompanied by all power, and signs and false wonders. He also comes with pure deceit and immorality, which he instills in those who will be condemned because they loved not the truth which saves them. For this reason (that they loved not the truth that saves them), God will send them strong delusion and they will believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not that truth, but put their blessing on unrighteousness".

Do you think my paraphrase is inaccurate? Lets discuss it further, and I will more clearly articulate what I am driving at here...

Paul clearly says that the coming of the Lord will not take place until there is a great betrayal by the Church. There can't be a falling away if you weren't there in the first place, so he is surely talking about believers.
He says, in the SAME sentence, "And that Son of Perdition will be revealed". placing the betrayal at the time he is revealed, which is in the revelation, at the end times.
He says that this one sits in the temple of God (the temple of God since Jesus came is YOUR HEART, so he will sit in YOUR HEART, and will claim to be God, or OF GOD.
He says that this one comes with all power, signs and lying wonders (false miracles), AND with all deceit and immorality in those who are condemned, (why are they condemned?) BECAUSE THEY LOVED NOT THE TRUTH, but rather took pleasure in unrighteousness.

This is plain, simple truth here Brothers and Sisters. At the time of the coming of the Lord, the Christian Church, at the behest of the Spirit of Antichrist, under the influence of the Son of Perdition, will BETRAY THE FAITH AND THE WORDS AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. The Son of Perdition will sit on the throne of YOUR HEART, and will claim to be God (in the flesh). This event will be THE WORK OF THE DEVIL, and Christians will be led into condemnation, because he will make them LOVE NOT THE TRUTH, (the teachings of Jesus), and they will have pleasure in unrighteousness! IN FACT, these occurrences will be the manifestation of his imminent arrival! Still not plain enough for you? Let's spell it out in even more stark terms...

If we are now at the time of the coming of the Lord, which we believe we are, the Christian Church is about to betray the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will no longer love the true teachings of Christ, but modified ones. This is manifest today in three ways...

It is manifested in the fact that Christians no longer love the truth that we are not to live our lives in service to wealth and luxury and toys, but rather in service to the Gospel. It is manifest in the way Christians live for their wealth, calling it the "blessings of God"
It is also manifest in that Christians no longer love the truth that Jesus Christ was meek and lowly, a passivist, and demanded us to be as his followers, and that we are not to raise up the sword even in our own defense. It is manifest in that the Church of Jesus Christ hails the American Government's Military conquest, war profiteering, and revenge seeking as a "godly mission", and that they confess the President as a holy man.
It is also manifest in that Christians are in full approval of, campaign for, and preach a message that it is a Christian duty to support George W. Bush. Turning a blind eye to the atrocities that his administration is committing, and take FULL PLEASURE IN HIS PRESIDENCY, which is basking in unrighteousness.

Am I saying that therefore George W Bush is the Son of Perdition? No I can't possibly know that yet, nor will any mature Christian try to call that one in advance, but I know we are CLOSE. The Son of Perdition is in the world today, and is about to take power. I believe he will be much more "Religious" than this president is, but there is no guarantee of that. But let me ask you this, should you be wasting any time here trying to decide if I am saying that? NO!!

What you should be thinking about VERY CAREFULLY, is numbers one, two, and three above! ARE YOU BETRAYING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST? This should be the burning question in every Christian's mind, as he reads this article! Do you live your life almost ENTIRELY for your accumulation of wealth? Do you cheer on the American Military as "blessed by God", as it has killed over one hundred thousand CIVILIANS (not including soldiers and insurgents) women, children, and men who are neither soldiers nor combatants in Iraq since the beginning of this phase of the War? Do you call George W Bush a godly man, and blessed by God, knowing full well that he didn't even care enough to finish the job in Afghanistan and capture Bin Laden, to get the justice he supposedly went there for, because he was so anxious to get into Iraq and secure the oil? Knowing full right well that a hundred thousand innocent people have died since he did? Do you get a good feeling inside when you watch him make a speech on television, and say amen to his words, TAKING PLEASURE IN THEM even though they are LOADED with utter hypocrisy? Ask yourself friend, only YOU KNOW THE TRUTH. Betrayal? Let's take a look at some well versed Betrayers of history...

JUDAS ISCARIOT

Lets take a look at the man Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed our Lord. Who was Judas, what was he like before he met our Lord? What did he stand for? Judas came from a city named Kerioth, which was identified in the ruins of el-Kureitein about 10 miles south of Hebron. This is considered by some as the birthplace of the sect of the "Zealots", which was a sect of Jews that refused to pay Roman taxes under the belief that God was the only king of Israel. They despised the tyranny of Rome, and carried out many attacks in the spirit of their patriotism, and in the name of freeing the Jews from Roman occupation.

There is strong historical evidence that Judas was a scholar, probably from a wealthy family, and that he was most likely a Zealot prior to his acceptance as one of the Lord's disciples, as was Simon. It is understandable that these men were attracted to their hope of what Jesus would do, given the Zealot's desperation at that time. Judas was a man who had the prevalent hope during Jesus' ministry that he was going to lead the people of Israel to a literal, immediate uprising which would create a new kingdom, and establish freedom for the Jews. When Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, this belief was at its height.

The Zealots were a very militant sect, who believed in killing to bring about what they believed to be God's will. At some point in time during following Jesus, Simon "got it", apparently Judas did not. There is another man who is a pretty famous Zealot from the time that Jesus was alive and his name was Barabbas. Unlike the catholic church's depiction of Barabbas as a barbaric killer, (as most folks saw in the "Passion of Christ"), Barabbas was a barbarian, but not in the dirty, freaky, sense of the word. He was a barbarian because he believed in murder as a way to bring about a better end, and it is VERY clear in scripture, and just by the nature of the fact that Barabbas was released instead of Jesus, that our Lord was not in line with this type of thinking!

There are some who speculate, and I agree with them, that when Judas realized, or when he was told by Jesus that he was going to Jerusalem, and that he would be killed by the Elders, and the Chief Priests of the temple (Mark 8:31), that the seeds were sown in Judas, that ultimately led to his betrayal. Jesus was not going to do what the Zealots believed he was supposed to do, and what they believed the messiah was going to do, and this is where they parted company. As I said, somewhere along the line Simon got it, but Judas, Barabbas, and the rest of the Zealots, especially the ones who threatened folks to scream for Barabbas' release instead of Jesus, were no longer "on board" with Jesus or his ministry. They chose the belief in murder and bloodshed over the expression of Love that Jesus taught would set all men free, and this is the ultimate betrayal of Jesus Christ and everything he taught and stood for!

THE PHARISEES

Furthermore, the Pharisees also thought that Jesus was about to establish the kingdom of David, and this is one of the reasons they both feared and despised him, (Luke 17:20) because their reign over the people of Israel would come to an end. I don't think anyone would disagree, that the Pharisees represented a deep and total betrayal of what Jesus stood for and taught, especially since they were the ones who manipulated the Romans to put him to death! Some may wonder why I would call what the Pharisees did a betrayal, since they were never with him in the first place. The truth of the matter is that the Pharisees, more than anyone in Israel in that day knew the word of God. They knew that everything this man did was a sign and a testament to who he was. Yes, they knew it better then anyone! What they betrayed was the Word of God which they knew well having studied it all of their lives, and since Jesus was in fact the Word of God they, in a very real way, betrayed him directly. Jesus was literally the Word of God, and he was literally walking the words of prophecy right in front of them, and they denied, lied, and deceived the Romans into killing the salvation of God. You can be guaranteed that after his death, as each and every single one of them walked into the Temple and saw the torn veil, that they knew absolutely and fully what they had done.

A FORGOTTEN DEFINITION?

So we see that betrayal doesn't only bear the face of one who literally turns his friend in to the authorities, or someone who walks away from something they once followed, or one that denies the truth, and seeks to destroy the truth. Although those definitions are real and appropriate, they are not the face of deception and betrayal that I am now pointing out. The betrayal I am pointing out is more along the lines of the one that the Zealots committed with respect to Jesus, and that one is found in the betrayal of the teachings, the personality, the spirit, and the message that Jesus brought to the world. It was the acceptance of, and clinging to, the idea that violence and murder and hatred are ways to bring about God's will. This concept violates in the most significant way of all, the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, everything that he stood for, and everything that is offered in his salvation, which brings us back to the scripture that I quoted earlier in this article...

As we have said many times, just prior to the coming of the Lord, the Church of Jesus Christ will walk away from the truth of Jesus Christ, and from the foundations of Christianity, and will believe a lie. They will not endure sound doctrine and according to Paul, they will fall away from or "stand away from", revolt against, and yes BETRAY the word of God. This will occur during the rise of the Son of Perdition's kingdom, and the end result is that they will be sent strong delusion from God himself because of that betrayal. This is a solemn picture indeed, since most of those people will continue to be thinking they are right with God, (as we know, this is the earmark of the Son of Perdition's reign; that he deceives the Church into following him, thinking that they are following God), and not only is it solemn, but it is playing out on the world stage right now as you read this article!

I don't think that the 21st century understanding of the word apostasy is what we are to be looking for I.E. a massive departure from the Church, and a mass exodus from the faith, but rather I think it is an event that will see the predominant membership of the Church of Jesus Christ distancing themselves from the truth of Jesus Christ and the principles of our faith! I am talking about a time in which three things will be taking place,

The rise of the Son of Perdition's Kingdom,
The wide spread acceptance and adaptation of false and Christ betraying doctrines into the Church,
Members of the kingdom of God will be taking pleasure in unrighteousness, placing them in a position to literally receive Delusion from God himself as a result of their betrayal.

How is this playing out on the world stage right now?

#1 THE RISE OF PERDITION'S KINGDOM

Again, as we have stated before here at 11th Hour, we believe that the rise of the kingdom of the one known as the Antichrist, the one the scripture names the Son of Perdition, is occurring on the world stage today. If you have read any of the articles on this site you know that we see the sanctimonious charlatans of the government of the United States, who pursue domination and control of the world's oil, in both the name of freedom and in the name of Jesus Christ, while killing hundreds of thousands of innocent souls (including our soldiers who believe they are fighting for God), as the spawning of that kingdom, and whether it turns or morphs into something bigger and made up of more countries than just the US, in the coming months, it is on the rise in a huge way.

War in the name of Christ... The ultimate betrayal! Although we don't necessarily believe that the current leadership is in fact the Son of Perdition's entourage, this kingdom has accomplished a weaponless rule and control over half or more of the world's kingdoms, by way of economic domination in the form of trade agreements, or swindling them into accepting huge loans which they can never pay back, a fact that has most of central and Latin America under the thumb of the world bank and the American lackeys that run it to an inescapable degree, as well as many other countries who's economies are so completely dependant on the US market for sustenance since the opening of these trade agreements , that if America's economy drops so will theirs.

This deliberate set of acts committed by the United States since the end of world war 2, and even more so since the end of the cold war, clearly identifies this Kingdom for what it is, and can only be. We have argued repeatedly, that in deference to the Church's belief that America is never mentioned in scripture, that there is in fact NO WAY that the scripture, being the Word of God as it is, could possibly have left out the biggest, most powerful, wealthy, religious kingdom that has ever existed, if it is the Word of God. We have argued that the Bible never talks about a great holy nation that will rise up and do God's will in the last days. We have also argued that when America took over the country that sits on the banks of the Tigress and the Euphrates rivers, which is ancient Babylon, that God allowed a great sign to occur that also identifies this kingdom for what it is, in order to help his people see the truth of it's identity.

We have labeled these actions as the manifestation of the opening of the first seal which occurs after the Church enters the Laodicean age of its life, when the kingdom of the Son of Perdition goes fourth conquering and to conquer, by way of this economic stranglehold on the world's kingdoms. We have named the current "War on Terror" which has been presented as a Holy and righteous cause which was commissioned by God, and is being carried out by this Government as the opening of the second seal in that it is clearly the military extension of the actions begun in the first seal. In the article "Right From The Horse's Mouth" I reviewed a document written by our current leaders before they were the leaders, that describes this fact in full detail, please read that article! It may change your life! That document, I am coming to realize, is probably the most important work I have ever done.

Once the kingdoms that could be dominated without weapons of war were dominated, it became necessary to begin the Military domination of the remaining Kingdoms as described symbolically by the first four seals. We are predicting a global crash of the world's economies, and thus the currencies of the world, which will result in the need for a cashless system, which will of course be dominated and controlled by this Government within the decade, brining in the opening of the third seal, and the conditions where folks will work a whole day just for their food. This will be followed by or accompanied by World war 3, which I believe will be because of the international conflicts surrounding control and administration of the cashless system, the turmoil in the middle east, and the final conflict between Worldly Christianity and Islam, known as the Gog and Magog war, resulting in the death of a full fourth of the earth, which is the fourth seal. Some time before, or during these events, the "Agreement with many for one week", (a written agreement between the United States and Israel) will be signed, and that will kick off the tribulation period, or the period known as the seventieth week, which was prophesied about in the book of Daniel.

#2 DOCTRINES OF BETRAYAL OF JESUS CHRIST

Dominionist Theology Yes, the world stage is currently playing out the exact scenario that the leadership of the Church used to believe, but has forsaken for their Dominionist view, which justifies their cheering on of the American New World Order as the beginning of the promised millennial reign of Jesus Christ, which he will now, (according to them), execute from Heaven rather than in person, because the American Government will take over the world, and run it for him. I believe that the Dominionist Theology that has begun to wash over the Church in America and the Church throughout the World, is part of the very delusion that Paul spoke of in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. It is a lie, and a most vile BETRAYAL of the teachings of Jesus Christ, his spirit, and what he stood for, and is being defended in the seminaries of America as doctrine. It is the chief manifestation of the state of affairs in the American Church today, and is part of the reason for this article. (Please see our article "Warfare Theology and The Coming 4th Reich" for a more thorough discussion of these items). Dominionist Theology is not the only false doctrine that is enjoying a welcome home in the 21st century Christian church today either...

The Prosperity Gospel We were actually present for and witnessed with our own eyes, the church's entrance into the Laodicean period, which occurred in the 1970s in an unbelievable way! In the article "The Gospel of Convenience" we detailed this event and I would encourage anyone who wants to understand the full argument here, and across this entire site to read that article. I am realizing that this too, is probably one of the most important documents we have posted on this site. It details how the doctrine that God blesses his children in dollars and cents, and with luxury and possessions entered the Church, and has taken a root as deep as the Gospel itself. This doctrine basically teaches Christians that God wishes for you to be wealthy, and that it is ok for Christians to spend most of their time and life seeking, obtaining, growing and storing up wealth and money. It is preached in varying degrees, and has a multitude of different faces, depending on the willingness of the teacher to express it. The most popular version states that if you give to God's work and the Church "sacrificially", that God will supply you with an abundance of cash and material substance, which will be a token of his pleasure with your life. The reason that this is a betrayal of Jesus' words and teachings is obvious. You can view the article "The Blessings of God" for a clear understanding of why this doctrine is not of God, and as with the other articles mentioned here, if you wish to see this thing through and really see what we are saying, I think it is important that you give that article a read as well.

The Patriotism/Nationalism debacle Since the occurrence of the tragic attacks of 9-11, a newly accepted and probably the most betraying doctrine of all has taken the Church by storm! It is a burning sense of nationalism and patriotism, that is coupled with an absolute thirst for revenge and bloodshed, that has taken on a Christian face, and is causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, and the Church seems to be totally ignorant of the reality of the darkness that has now crept in among us. When 3000 Americans were killed on September 11, 2001 an unimaginable thing took place! We have discussed Patriotism in the article by W. C. Kisiel, called "Patriotism In Light Of The Scriptures" This article will also help toward a full understanding of the concepts shared here at 11th Hour, please don't miss it! So, what was the unimaginable thing? We need to move to number 3 in order to discuss it...

#3 TAKING PLEASURE IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

It was not the indignation of a whole country of people, it was not the tears that millions shed (including myself), as they watched the buildings fall to the ground, it was not that the American population looked to its leaders to say something to the international community about this tragic day, in fact, it wasn't even that the American government went into Afghanistan and over threw the government that housed the terrorists that committed this hideous event, Heck, it wasn't even the fact that without even finishing the job, or catching Osama Bin Laden and getting justice for the 3000 families that lost loved ones in those buildings that the salivating corporate billionaires that run this nation dropped the ball, and hightailed it into Iraq to take advantage of the deaths of those 3000 to snag the second largest oil reserve on the planet, and make all their buddies rich with huge contracts, that was not the unimaginable thing. This is what the kingdoms of this world do it is to be expected, it is not unbelievable, and we know we are to separate ourselves from the world.

But the incredible, unimaginable thing that took place, is that ever since September 11, 2001 those same people that did what was just described, received the blessing of the Christian Church on their actions, and they are being heralded by the Church as Godly men. In this is found the most brutal and apocalyptic betrayal of the teachings of Jesus Christ that has ever occurred! Today in America, the Christian Church finds a way to completely disregard all the truths and tokens of perdition that are being paraded in front of its face on the daily news, and still insists on calling the American Government a holy thing, turning its back on the realities that are so evident, and gave its voting loyalty to this administration which rode the Church's support to a second term, now proclaiming that it has a mandate to do what it is doing, supplied by the evangelical church, who labels its deeds as Godly, and having its support. Christians are cheering the government's deeds, they are praising George Bush and his mission, they talk of how great a spiritual leader he is, and most importantly, they truly take pleasure in his presidency since 9-11.

GENERATION JUDAS - BETRAYAL

This betrayal is going to wreak havoc on the spiritual lives of the Church, and on whoever participates in the betrayal! This betrayal far exceeds the one committed by the Pharisees, it far exceeds the one committed by the Zealots in Israel in Jesus' day. Could it be said that it exceeds the one that was committed by Judas himself? Maybe not, but it does have something in common with each of the betrayals of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, The Pharisees, and the Zealots: It is bringing about the undeniable fulfillment of God's eternal plan, it is fulfilling the scriptures verbatim, and it is going to be a deserved outcome in the end. What else does it have in common with those betrayals? It Betrays the teachings of the Christian faith, as the Pharisee's betrayal of the Old Testament prophecies, it betrays the Lord our Savior, as Judas his own companion did, and puts to shame in the eyes of the world what Christianity stands for. It betrays the peaceful master that gave his life on the cross for our sin, when he said to "Love your enemies", when he said to "bless those that curse you" when he said to "pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you"

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (politicians) so?

Is this not the words of Jesus? how is it that men like Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Pat Robertson and the self anointed leaders of the Christian world can preach that Jesus was not a passivist in nature? How can anyone who reads the words of Jesus say that he would be in support of killing over a hundred thousand innocents in his name, an act of revenge??? How can anyone believe that the Lord who taught us literally not to take up a sword even in our own defense, Yea, not even in HIS DEFENSE, would put his approval on this filthy lucre based atrocity that is called "The War on Terror", which transferred instantly into "The War to secure America's energy needs going forward"?

GENERATION JUDAS -THE "CORPORATE" CHURCH

When I hear the words that are being spoken by Christians today, some of them very dear and long term friends, praising George Bush as a Godly man just because he made a reference to Jesus during the 2000 republican debates, yet has not made even one coherent reference to or accurately quoted even one verse of scripture since, it saddens my heart. It brings a terrible sense of foreboding to my life, as I watch the revelation unfold before my eyes! What am I talking about?

A Generation of Christians melding into the world, whole heartedly believing that a "life engrossing" sojourn for wealth, success, luxury and toys, is the divine purpose for them in this world. That they are meant to spend their lives "consuming" rather than giving, is God's will and purpose for them.
Churches "Marketing" themselves like the greed based businesses of America, conforming themselves to the image of the world to make them more palatable, entertaining and acceptable to the world. Jingles and catch phrases, commercials on radio and television promoting their new and in-vogue tolerances for sin and blasphemy in order to draw in people. Apologizing publicly for offending certain people while speaking the truth, and using a cartoon character as an example of that truth. Viewing their churches in the same light as a corporation views itself; That if they aren't taking in more money this year than last year, there must be something wrong, as the standard of success is now based on money, and the size of the member ship... POPULARITY (friendship with the world), and euphemistically labeling all this as the "purpose driven church".
Theological Institutions of Learning leaning on man's understanding, bowing to the trends of modern day psychology and science, corporate strategy and philosophy, political activism and warfare theology, to guide their students into the pulpits of America, teaching them concepts that nullify the effectual power of the word of God for their congregations. Teaching them to show their congregations to look to the publicans and the kingdoms of this world for answers to their dislikes in the world, and to offer their support to some of the most hideous things I have seen in my lifetime, labeling the most money hungry, power drunk, imperialistic, arrogant group of men I have ever seen as holy and godly standards of what it means to be Christ like.

What we are witnessing today, are the final steps of the breakdown of the Church by a skillful Enemy, that has been working for 2000 years to accomplish his task. With unimaginable patience and cunning he has bided his time, waiting for just the right moment when Christians were sleeping looking to blow out the Church's lamp stand. To place the basket over our candle, to remove the savor from our salt, to turn the hill our city is on into a mudslide, to remove the Armor of God from the soldiers in this kingdom, and most importantly of all to cultivate compromise with sin, thereby closing the open door in heaven by which we all have access to the Father by one spirit, giving them no choice but the political arena to find answers. He has cut off the troop's line of communication with command, and now has us surrounded! Soon, he will move in for the kill!

The most incredible abominations we could have ever imagined are happening in the world, and the Church, rather than standing up and proclaiming the truth of the word of God, raising up the holy standard and rebuking the hypocrisy of the kingdoms of this world, grabs its own slice of the lucrative pie, and stands by cheering and hailing the leaders of the kingdoms of this world as godly men! It feels so sad and so painful to say the words... Generation Judas has taken the world stage! COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!

In Christ, F.E.Reilly