He must be feeling rather invincible at the moment (or maybe he knows his time to rule this world with an iron fist through the Antichrist is close at hand) because it just dawned on me how "in-our-faces" he's been with his mockery of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this week.
Last night, the History Channel asked: "Does the Shroud of Turin show the 'real face of Jesus'?"." Today, many seekers of the truth who remain unsaved are asking: "Are all Christians wacky militia members like those arrested over the weekend?".
So, when the Body of Christ is just days away from meditating on the eternal significance of the "Passion of Jesus Christ" -- His arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion, and resurrection all on our behalf -- Satan is succeeding in getting the rest of the world to refrain from considering this holiday as truly being demonstrative of the free gift that is still available to them, and is instead getting them to ask if the "passion of all Christians" is to believe in "crazy stuff" and to want to kill those who disagree with them.
When did we become Jihadists and when have we ever called/treated those who disagree with us as infidels? Folks, the prophesied persecution which is a hallmark of the end times is on its way for sure. How can there be any doubt about that when we're witnessing a world that is calling us the enemy when their are millions out there who are killing and decapitating all in the name of their god?
It makes me angry! It makes me sick! Lord, please shield the hearts and minds of those who haven't returned to you yet so that Satan cannot place his death grip on them!
It's so sad to think about how deluded the unbelieving world is at the moment. To call them "delusional" seems laughable to them I'm sure, but that doesn't mean it's not true. When I surfed over to The Huffington Post (I know, I know, I was "asking for it" by going there willingly) to see what the general sentiment is about all of this from a group where the majority does not believe in God, my heart broke.
These are some excerpts from ONE ARTICLE that appeared there today:
> Like many of us, I was horrified but not shocked by news of the heretofore obscure Hutaree militia and their plans to foment an uprising in Michigan. Instead of waiting for the "end-times," these rapture-ready militias seem bent on making them come early.
> It would be nice if the militias were an isolated example of periodic Christian fanaticism, but this kind of extremist religiosity has been wreaking havoc on the world for centuries. A short list would include the Inquisition, slavery, the genocide of native populations in the Americas, and the legacy of African colonialism. It's enough to make one wonder if far from being distortions of the Christian message, these horrors represent the inevitable consequence of a religion whose central symbol -- the cross -- represents one of the most unpleasant and cruel tortures that can be inflicted.
> I used to think, like Oscar Wilde, that the idea of a man dying to take on the sins of the world was the ultimate work of art. Now it seems rather grandiose, a delusion that would land someone in the psych ward. There is nothing inherently redemptive about a violent end to a sacred life. What Christians have done to try to make the suffering of Jesus meaningful is to glorify it. This, unfortunately, bleeds into a fetishization of violence itself.
> There is nothing to glorify in the ugly death of Jesus. Suffering is not inherently ennobling, even if, as in childbirth, it's necessary and even tolerable given the result. Redemption does not come in the afterlife; it comes right here on earth, in the practice of a millions forms of kindness. It certainly does not come at the end of a gun barrel.
Pray for Mark Olmsted who is the author of that column.
In hindsight, and in all fairness though, there were "some" important truths contained in that same commentary that struck a chord with me because it was spot on. Here's that section:
"The most chilling excerpts from their manifesto invoke the perpetual emphasis on violence as a vehicle to "defend" Jesus. They seem to believe with complete sincerity that if Christ were here today, he'd be carrying an Uzi and be ready to lead a bloody overthrow of the government. I truly wonder if these fanatics have stopped reading the Gospels every night and just watch an endless loop of The Passion of the Christ."
Condescending and mocking tone aside, the point about those "Christians" who are more like the Hutaree Militia members is a fair one. They have stopped reading the Gospels.
The irony, however, is in the fact that this observation is coming from someone who writes for an online news service that is typically more anti-Christian in its views than it is pro-Christian, which leads me to wonder how many of The Huffington Post readers (let alone its writers) ever even read the Gospels at all themselves. But I digress.
You know, I've often wondered how many people come to Christ during Easter. When you think about it, it seems like if there was ever a good time to talk to people about the Gospel, if there was ever a good time to impress upon the lost, unsaved world who Jesus was and what He really did for us, then Easter would be the time to make that powerful impression.
If that assumption is correct, then it pains me to see Satan ramping up his efforts "just days before" what is commonly thought to be the most important time of the year for those of us who are praying that we might be put in a position to reach the lost with Jesus' free gift of salvation.
The worst part? Instead of the focus being on Jesus Christ Himself and of having people ask themselves and others, "What is this Passion of Jesus Christ all about anyway?", we have those same people shifting their focus and asking, "What is the passion of all Christians anyway?".
Thus, Satan has succeeded in getting them to place their focus during this Easter season on the Christian (on fallen man himself!) and not on the Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ) where it belongs this time of year!
You wanna know what the "real" face of Jesus looks like? Here's a start...
> Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and
experience God's love and plan for your life.
> The face of Jesus is portrayed as The Messiah, The Prince of Peace, The Word Made Man, Lord and Savior, The King of Kings, The Lion of Judah, The Lamb of God.
> He dies in our place.
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
> He rose from the dead.
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)
> He is the ONLY way to God.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6)
Shall we continue? We could go on and on if we have to.
Yes, I hate Satan -- especially lately! Yet, nothing he does this time of year will lessen my love for my Lord and Savior.
If anything, it will only serve to strengthen it and motivate me to want to worship and praise Him that much more.