What’s with this BCE and CE Nonsense?
For many years there has been a continuous effort to remove any reference to Jesus Christ in society. The major battles have long been lost with the Bible, and with prayer prohibited in schools and various other government organizations. The enemy is so dedicated to oppose the Lord Jesus, it is now going after the most trivial references to His holy Name.
Among the more irritating manifestations of anti-God political correctness is the attempt to replace the terms AD and BC with CE and BCE. CE stands for “common era” and BCE for “before the common era.”
Even the most obscure symbol of Christ is under attack. The Swedish Transport Administration has banned outdoor Christmas lights because they don’t want to upset Muslims. It came up with some weird concern over the weight of the lights:
“Poles are not designed for the weight of Christmas lights, and we have to remove anything that should not be there. We guarantee safety first,” says Eilin Isaksson, national coordinator at the STD.
Many churches are hosting Muslim refugees, and they regularly take down altars and crosses. Pastor Joachim Deterding is the overseer of a Protestant church in Oberhausen Germany. When his church provided temporary shelter for 50 refugees from the Middle East, he had the altar and pulpit removed to make the refugees feel more at home.
Unless these guests are all vampires, they shouldn’t have any problems with the image of a cross. Many of these Muslims are actually worse than vampires; they treat kindness with disgust. If the sight of something related to the Bible is going to cause Muslims to flip out, we may have an indication that these people are not compatible with our Christian culture.
It is an absolute disgrace for Christians to be so timid in their deals with Islamists. We are told to let our light shine to the unsaved. Jesus warned what would happen to anyone who was too ashamed to defend the gospel:
“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
The hostility that Christianity faces has no equal in any other religion. Christmas has become almost totally secularized, and yet people still oppose it. Christmas lights, flying reindeer, and talking snowmen have zero connection to the birth of our Savior.
Years ago Saturday Night Live came up with a Hanukkah Harry character. He was a parody of the modern-day image of Santa Claus, delivering toys to good Jewish boys and girls. There is no Ramadan Randy because Muslims would not tolerate any attempt at applying secular figures to one of its holidays.
I have never heard anyone question why we have planets named after Greek gods. You don’t have people saying, “We can’t name a planet after the god of war. Let’s rename Mars to Flemington after Scottish scientist, Alexander Fleming—who discovered Penicillin.
Even the most hardcore atheists should perfectly happy with the AD and BC date system. If we are basing our timelines on Jesus’ birth, we might as well keep his name. The Muslims have their own yearly calendar. The current Islamic year is 1438 Hijri (Anno Hegirae or AH), which is the year of the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina. Of course, you are never going to see a movement to change the Islamic year to something more secular.
The enemy of truth will never be content with even with the mildest form of Christianity. The name of Jesus sparks fear in the hearts of all who are under the judgment of sin. King Herod feared the baby Jesus and wanted to get rid of him. The King Herod’s of today have the same mindset. Their fixation on opposing our Lord shows that Jesus is the only way of salvation.
If Jesus was a fake, the lost would just laugh Him off with all the other pagan gods. Because He is the only path to God the Father we need to resist those that seek to defame His name.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
–Todd
Prayer Wars
Never in American history has there been in presidential politics a time that more fits within the descriptive given in Ephesians 6:12 than the time we are currently experiencing. That spiritual battle describes succinctly, in my opinion, the time that has led up to Tuesday, November 8, 2016.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ”
For decades it has been as if the dark, hellish forces of the ages have been turned loose against this nation, which has been so openly blessed by Heaven. The cultural and social “progress” thought to have been made, according to those who want to detach America from the Judeo-Christian mooring the founding fathers provided, are threatened by a significant challenge. We the people of God just might have decided we don’t wish that progressive agenda to proceed further. Thus, the war is on in a way perhaps unseen in the annals of U.S. presidential elections.
We as God’s people are told how to fight such warfare as that which we are presently engaged. We are to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11).
The Bible provides a description of that spiritual armor with which we are supposed to adorn ourselves in order to wage war against this most powerful and wicked enemy force. Once we are fully, spiritually armed, we are told we are to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
How well most Christians these days have fully armored up is in question. The dumbing-down by the godlessness of the secular world and–even more troubling–by the compromising churches of recent times, has taken a heavy toll. However, the one weapon mentioned in the apostle Paul’s spiritual battle preparation of Ephesians chapter 6 is in play during this war for the survival of this once-great republic.
I am believing that the core of the people in this nation who hold to the truth of the Word of God–the Bible– are “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” that the Lord will intervene in this war that is raging. It is a “prayer war” to be sure.
I’m aware of the seminary and other positions that say 2 Chronicles 7: 14 was only for Israel and doesn’t apply to America. But, the God of Heaven does not change. Jesus Christ, who is God, is the same yesterday, today and forever, the Scripture tells us. I am trusting, therefore, that that great promise given to Israel during their direst time of need applies equally to those of this day and time who are “called by His name.”
Although the nucleus of God’s people who hold fast to the Heavenly Father’s precepts and promises might be a dwindling number, we are still here in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. We are engaged in this Prayer War for a restoration of sanity in America’s government, society, and culture.
We are praying specifically that the evil forces that are raging to make this nation into a state totally apart from all godliness will be, at least on an interim basis, kept from their luciferian goal. I say “on an interim basis” because Bible prophecy plainly foretells that the satanic, globalist forces will for a time one day achieve establishment of a one-world order as Antichrist’s platform of power. It will happen. It’s just a matter of time. Meantime, however, while the Church of Jesus Christ is here, thus the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) resident within that Body holding back evil, it is right and proper–and I believe expected–that God’s people, called by His name, are to pray the prayer of 2 Chronicles 7:14.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Millions, I’m convinced, are even at this late hour just before this presidential election praying this prayer to the best of our ability. I believe movements and revelations of corruption within the political processes of late reflect directly the Lord’s attentiveness to the genuine prayers of His spiritually attuned prayer warriors. If America is to be so blessed by a positive answer to those prayers by Heaven’s throne room, I believe it will mean that the battle like that described in Ephesians chapter 6 will, after the election, intensify even more than if God’s answer is otherwise. And, it will, in that case, be this nation’s final dispensation of liberty, if there is not a turning back to God in a major way.
Very shortly after this commentary is posted, we will know God’s answer to those prayers–and, perhaps the nation’s disposition with regard to personal liberty for whatever time is left in this Age of Grace.
The war of the ages as this Church Age dispensation moves into its final stages will be fought most effectively by God’s people in the prayer closets of America. Let’s be sure to put on the whole armor before engaging in the battles we face.
–Terry