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SELF INDUCED
BLINDNESS: THE VEILED CHRISTIAN (Feb 2005) BLINDNESS? Matthew
13:14-15 And in them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s
heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and
I should heal them. Matthew 15:8-9 This
people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips;
but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men. I use to think that there must have been some pretty blind and faithless people back in Jesus’ time. How could they not see what was going on around them? How could they not see the prophecy unfolding right in front of their eyes? It’s almost as if they didn’t want to know the truth, even though it was staring them right in the face. How could these people be so ignorant as to miss the fact that the Messiah, the Son of God, was in their midst? How could they miss all the signs, all the hints, all the scripture that verified what was happening right in front of them? I now see that the people of Jesus’ time were no different than the people of today. The amount of prophetic
scripture that is unfolding here in the 21st century is astounding.
The “wars and rumors of wars” and the hegemonic nation going out conquering
and to conquer are not just happenstance. These things become even more alarming
considering the fact that the nation of Israel is once again settled in the holy
land and once again at the center stage of world affairs. Most Christians,
however, don’t see what’s going on with this super power nation as
fulfilling any prophetic scripture because according to them, “ 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
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. The fact that America is spreading its empire securing the natural resources, and “gaining the whole world” while killing countless people in its wake, and all the while claiming it is ridding the world of evil and spreading liberty is some of the exact unrighteousness that Paul is speaking about in 2nd Thessalonians. Anybody who supports this madness, that is clearly not of God, is taking pleasure in this unrighteousness and will suffer the fate spoken of by Paul who states “that they might all be dammed who believe not the truth”. Many Americans and most Christians today are living in some Orwellian novel and have turned the truth upside down. To think that wars of aggression and world hegemony were what Jesus, the Prince of Peace, had in mind is ridiculous. This same
Jesus who said: John
18:36 Jesus
answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be
delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. And also: Matthew 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? SELF INDUCED?
How can any person who claims the name of Jesus not see the madness of this
unless he is truly veiled and blinded and still under the influence of this
present evil world.
To think that the Bible would mention such nations as Daniel
7:19 Then
I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the
others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass;
which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; Revelation
18:11-18 And
the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth
their merchandise any more: The merchandise of
gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and
purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of
ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and
marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and
oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots,
and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are
departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed
from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these
things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her
torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was
clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and
precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought.
And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as
trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning,
saying, What city is like unto this great city!
To remove any doubt as to the identity of this nation, God has silenced all the
nay Sayers who were sure that Prophetic Babylon was the very same ancient
THE
LAW, GOVERNMENTS, AND THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
I wondered how Christians could justify this militant form of Christianity that
the Matthew
5:17 Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfill.
Many people repeat Matthew 5:17 saying that Christ didn’t come to
destroy the law but to fulfill it. I
couldn’t agree more. When one fulfills a particular or current situation, he
then moves on to the next. When one, for instance, fulfills his requirements for
his bachelor’s degree in college, he then moves on to a higher degree or into
the workforce. Christ fulfilled all that was written about the first coming of
the Messiah. He was the perfect and final sacrifice. There need not be any more
ritualistic slaying of the unspotted lamb as Christ is the unspotted Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world. The old things have passed away, all
things are new. Hebrews
8:6-7
But
now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For
if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought
for the second. Hebrews
8:13 In
that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which
decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews
9:1 Then
verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly
sanctuary. Hebrews
9:11-14
But
Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For
if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot
to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The fact is quite obvious that Christ fulfilled the law and brought us a new
covenant, and with it he changed how we are to look at and treat our enemies as
well as our friends. Christ didn’t destroy the law, He fulfilled it and then
he changed the rules as He clearly showed in His wonderful sermon on the mount. Luke 6:27-37
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which
hate you, Bless them that
curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that
smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy
cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man
that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For
if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those
that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank
have ye? For sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom
ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to
receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the
children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and
ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and
ye shall be forgiven:
This sermon completely destroys the logic of old the testament relating to
current governments. Gentile governments are still run by people who make
decisions on an individual basis. It is impossible to make the decisions that
are currently being made by this administration and supported by today’s
Christian leadership, while adhering to the teachings of Christ and His
disciples. This is just further proof of the level to which this veil and
blindness has risen and to the fact that it is a self-induced blindness to allow
today’s Christians to have the best of both worlds.
Christians today have put on their republican mantle and taken on the label of “Hammer
of God” to bring about peace and prosperity in the world. They have done
this because their leader claims he’s a Christian and that this is his call
from God. To heck with the fact that there aren’t any scriptures to back up
what they are doing! Somewhere in church history people decided that Christ
wasn’t and isn’t able to bring His kingdom to the world unless the Church
subdues it for him first. This is preposterous at best and down right dangerous
at the worst. Christians have decided to play God. They have decided that they
know who is good and who is evil and if you have to kill some of the good to get
rid of the evil then so be it. Forget about what Christ said when referring to
our enemies, Matthew
5:38-48 Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on
thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the
law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever
shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee,
and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it
hath been said; Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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 maketh his sun
to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth 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 so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect.
I think that it’s interesting that Jesus said “And
if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the
publicans so?”. Saluting your brethren only sure sounds a lot like patriotism to me.
Please see the article PATRIOTISM
IN LIGHT OF THE SCRIPTURES on this site for more clarification on this
matter. Today if you so much as question what America’s leaders are doing
you’re looked upon with utter contempt by the republican party, (which now
consists of the vast majority of what makes up the Christian community), which
has long had a plan in mind for what’s going on around the world today. Please
don’t think that these wars of liberation or the war on terrorism is something
that has just cropped up out of necessity because of 911. F. E. Reilly of the 11th
hour has written an outstanding article on the PROJECT
FOR A NEW AMERICAN CENTURY and how this administration has put the people in
place and the pieces together to fulfill their agenda perfectly. CORPORATISM!
Dick Cheney was the secretary of defense under George Herbert Walker Bush. Under
Cheney’s command the pentagon started what now has become common practice in
today’s military affairs. Cheney is the one who spearheaded the plan to
privatize many of the military’s non-combat functions. The idea was that a
private company could do it more efficiently and that this would also free up
our soldiers to concentrate on what they were really trained for…..waging war.
The defense department would contract companies to handle all these operations
during both times of peace and while at war. The demand for these functions,
however, was obviously much higher during times of war. After privatizing these
functions and hand picking the major corporate players in this grand scheme, Mr.
Cheney conveniently left public service and found his way into one of the main
companies who would be receiving these very lucrative contracts. I’m sure most
of you are familiar with the name of Halliburton by now.
In the mid 1990’s Dick Cheney became the CEO of Halliburton and started to
cash in on these military and reconstruction contracts. Things were not going as
well as planned while under the leadership of Cheney, however, after Halliburton
merged with Dresser Industries which eventually became saddled with $4 billion
dollars in legal claims by people who were injured by asbestos. Seeing the
companies value dropping because of the lawsuits as well as waning military
business, Mr. Cheney got back into the public arena, along with many other
individuals from the elder Bush’s administration, and started pounding the war
drums incessantly with bogus intelligence and hyped warnings to whip the people
into a frenzy. Lo and behold Kellogg Brown and Root, a division of Halliburton,
got no bid, cost plus projects in Mark 4:12
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not
understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be
forgiven them.
Most people today however, and especially most Christians, just don’t want to
hear anything about it. To even bring up for discussion what America, under
George W. Bush, is doing now, without being in full agreement with it, is
considered treasonous. Remember the words of our “compassionate
conservative” president in his speech following 911: “You’re either with
us, or you’re with the terrorists”.
This is something one would expect to read out of Mien Kampf. What he is saying
here is that disagreeing with him is unacceptable…. period. This is not open
for discussion. His wars of aggression are so absolutely morally justified by
today’s Christian community that to even question them is not only unpatriotic
but even blasphemous! If you don’t agree with your current commander in chief,
then by his definition, you are a terrorist. A more fascist statement has never
been uttered in my mind and the way today’s Christian leaders have gotten on
board you would think Jesus himself spoke it. THE VEILED CHURCH
The complete blindness that has befallen today’s church would be astounding if
it had not been spoken so clearly about in the Bible. The Bible clearly speaks
of a great deception and a strong delusion. 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.
Most Christians
today however, feel that this delusion is going to be some other form of
religion. Like a Christian could really be fooled by Islam or Buddhism. Let’s
be perfectly clear here, this deception is going to look and smell and feel like
Christianity or it wouldn’t fool anyone. For
the longest time I couldn’t figure how Christians would be deceived. Those in
the spirit, who truly loved Christ could never be deceived….right! How could
this be possible? Well how about if someone was to blend or marry Christianity
to loyalty to our country. A “Godly country”, mind you, who was doing
God’s will. A country, who like the leaders of old, was carrying out God’s
divine plan in the here and now. At first glance one would think that this could
never work because as the Bible clearly states, this world is not our home.
We would never believe that Christ was married to a worldly kingdom. How
could we believe that Christ, who said; John 18:36
Jesus answered, My
kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my
kingdom not from hence Who also
said: John 14:30
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh,
and hath nothing in me. would ever
condone us getting political and showing allegiance and love for a worldly
kingdom? This would be in complete contrast to the scripture that says; 1
John Why would someone who clearly states his separation from the world and calls his disciples to do the same suddenly condone joining together with such evil forces? Is this world are home? I think not. WE ARE ONLY STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS HERE. Hebrews 11:13
These all died in faith, not having received
the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and
embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Somehow over time, however, Christians have forgotten this fact. This use
to be so universally accepted by the church of old, that we were not of this
world and that the whole world lies in the evil one. In today’s Laodicean
church, however, the world has obtained a much higher place than it ever was
meant to. 1
John
Christians who try to have the best of both worlds are blinded by the world and
can’t see the light and the truth of the scriptures. 2
Corinthians 4:4
In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.
It’s impossible to be a member of Christ’s heavenly kingdom while getting
all tangled up in the affairs of the world. Most people think they can do both
and not get caught in the trap but they can’t. Jesus warned his disciples many
times about the world and the things of the world. Although we think we can keep
the two separate and not fall prey to the deception, we can’t. Many a brave
soul and a devout man of God got deceived and lost their way while trying to
serve two masters. One of the wisest men to ever walk the face of the earth fell
prey to the wiles of the world. 1 Kings 11:1-4
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together
with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites,
Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the
children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto
you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave
unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three
hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass,
when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and
his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his
father. Even Solomon, when he was older turned to other Gods and his heart was not right with God. There are many things which can be our “other gods”. They can be women, or gold and silver, or strong drink or even our country. People pledge allegiance to their flag without even thinking about it. Our only allegiance should be to Christ. When we start putting anything else up in a place of honor or reverence it pulls us away from God and has a way of blinding us from the truth. We start to make decisions to protect our life and our homeland even though they are contrary to the teachings of Christ.
Today, most American Christians are totally and completely blinded and veiled by
their love for their country. People feel lucky that they are living in a
“Christian nation” and have “Christian leaders” which are guiding them.
The fact is that there is no such thing as a Christian nation for all the
kingdoms of this world are under Satan’s power until the return of Christ. Revelation
11:15
And
the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Then and only then, after Christ returns, do the kingdoms of this world become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Try
speaking to American Christians about this and you will see just how far the
deception has gone and how far the veil has been pulled over their eyes. They
are so comfortable with their relationship to this world that they will condone
and agree with almost anything that their government does so long as it will
ensure they can keep their current situation protected. Even if you back what
you’re saying with countless scriptures and what they are clinging to has no
scriptural backing at all, it won’t matter. Truly Jesus’ words ring clear: Matthew 6:23
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore
the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
There is nothing more dangerous to the Christian community than an apostate form
of Christianity. It is far worse and far more deceptive than all other false
teachings. Truly, when someone believes they know the truth and their mind is
closed to facts that are all around them, only God can lift the veil from them
at that point. God will only do this, however, to those who fervently seek the
truth. One cannot find the truth if he starts his search with a preconceived
notion of what he is looking for. When our minds have been so programmed, which
has happened since we were children and has only gotten far worse in these past
several years, that we won’t even contemplate the possibility that what we
believe to be true could be wrong, we are so far down the road that is very
difficult to turn back. The only real truth and light that is in the world is
found in God’s word and if what we believe cannot be justified or proven by
his word, then we better seriously question the source and basis for our
beliefs.
I have spoken to Christians who are totally on board with what this great end
time nation is doing in its quest for imperial supremacy because they believe
what they’re told by their leaders without questioning and without verifying
it with the scriptures. Most of these people have no need of the knowledge of
prophetic scripture because after all, they will be raptured and won’t be here
for anything that will transpire during the final times before Christ’s
return. This is a very dangerous belief and is a major part of the veil and
blindness that has engulfed today’s Christian community. The pre-tribulation
rapture theory is one of the greatest deceptions to ever befall the church. Most
people, even pastors that I talk to say that the rapture question is not
clarified in the scriptures. This article is not intended to be a complete
dissertation on the rapture question. For more information on the rapture please
see THE
RAPTURE AND THE COMING OF THE LORD . There are, however, several
scriptures that say the rapture will be after the tribulation. There are many
that don’t give a clear time as to when it will happen. There are NO
scriptures, however, that say the rapture will happen before the tribulation.
Christians cling to this false teaching, once again, because of their
relationship with this present evil world. Below are a couple of scriptures that
if considered carefully and with an open mind clearly prove that the rapture
cannot happen before the tribulation. According
the Paul: 1 Thessalonians
4:16-17 For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: (the seventh
trumpet) and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This clearly states that the resurrection will happen before the rapture. It is
very clear. All we need to do is determine when the first resurrection happens
and we can easily determine if the rapture is pre or post tribulation. According
to the book or Revelation: Revelation 20:4-5
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for
the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection.
This verse clearly states that the first resurrection is of those who “had
not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hand;”. This
is clearly describing those who have gone through the tribulation. If the dead
in Christ rise first, (clearly a reference to the resurrection), and the first
resurrection is of those who have gone through the tribulation, how could the
rapture precede the tribulation. It is scripturally impossible for the rapture
to be pre-tribulation. This is just one of the many deceptions perpetrated on the
church and most Christians are not even willing to discuss it. They say it makes
them too uncomfortable to even think about the great tribulation and that God
would never make his people suffer like that.
What a slap in the face that is to all the saints throughout church
history who have suffered and died for Christ’s sake. Please see "Foxe’s
Book of Martyrs" at Pergamos Ministries.
In conclusion let’s remember that Jesus forgave the murderers, and the
thieves, and the adulterers, and all manner of sinners.
The hypocritical leaders of the church who’s minds were made up and
eyes were blinded by their own self righteousness were the ones whom He
condemned and of whom He said: Matthew
23:13 But
woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of
heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that
are entering to go in
The church leaders of today, as in Christ’s time, have married themselves to
the world and have taken leading roles in the advancement of a corrupt worldly
political agenda. They are teaching a false and militant form of Christianity
which is the antithesis of everything Christ is and taught. It is our duty, even
at our own peril, to speak out against this false preaching and these blatant
lies in these end times. And let no one kid you, these are the end times and
this great deception was written about thousands of years ago so it should be no
surprise.
This veil is surely thick and this blindness is surely deep seated and it will
take much to remove it. We must understand that God will only remove it from
those who truly desire His will to be done in their lives, regardless of the
cost to them in this life. Our job is not to headlock individuals and drill
them until they agree. Our job is to be witnesses so there will be no excuse
before the Lord for their blindness. My
prayer is that as these end time prophecies continue to unfold and God’s
spirit continues to move, that these manifestations will be made clear and those
who have truly chosen to forsake this world and all that it holds for the riches
of eternal life that is in Jesus Christ, will accept the truth. In Christ, W. C. Kisiel ©Copyright 2003 11th
Hour ministries All Rights Reserved |