Are We Losing the West? Part 16

KARL MARX – continuation

 

Proverbs 14:12  “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”

 

The theory of Karl Marx can be summed up in one sentence: “Abolition of private property.”

 

It is important to look at the ten planks of Marx’s theory that have so captivated the world. Here in the States as well as in Western Europe we see how these planks have been incorporated into the government. But it is imperative that we put these planks up against the Word of God. Kevin Swanson in his book APOSTATE lays out these ten planks that will be covered in this chapter and the next.

 

Plank #1: Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

 

I can pay the mortgage of my house off, but there will still be a yearly state tax that needs to be paid. I might think that I own my home, but if I miss several years of not paying my property tax, then I can see the government put my house up for sale for the taxes to get paid.  We have seen property taxation incorporated here in all fifty states.

 

The question is what does the Bible have to say about the confiscation of private property? Proverbs 23:10 “Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless.”

 

In 1 Kings chapter 21 we have the story of Ahab wanting the vineyard of Naboth and since Naboth did not want to sell the land to Ahab, through deceit Ahab stole the land.

 

The eighth commandment says that we should not steal; which brings in the idea of a person having private ownership.

 

Plank #2: A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

 

Since 1913 a graduated income tax was brought in the United States and since then it has only increased. Actually this is one way of spreading the wealth around that ‘progressives’ talk about. But again, is this what the Bible teaches?

 

Exodus 30:15 “The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives.”  Leviticus 19:15 “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”

 

Here we see that God did not allow a graduated tax for construction of the 

temple or other public works and when it comes to the matter of the civil magistrate God said: “Do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.” Exodus 23:3

 

It would seem that taxation by the government in order to bring about equality does not pass the Biblical test.

 

Plank #3: Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

 

It would also seem that the Bible prohibits inheritance taxation just like it prohibits property taxation. “If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love.” Deuteronomy 21:15-17

 

Here the state is not even mentioned as a beneficiary.

 

Inheritance taxation has also been incorporated (as of 2012) at the federal level and in 23 states.

 

Plank #4: Confiscation of all the property of all emigrants and rebels.

 

God was concerned about the aliens (immigrants) since for over 400 years Israel was an alien in Egypt. “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years.” Exodus 12:49

 

Plank #5: Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.

 

Some of our past leaders (Hamilton, Burr, Andrew Jackson) fought against establishment of a central bank, but in 1913 the United States created the Federal Reserve Bank.

 

A very informative book called THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND tells about the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank. It is interesting because even though it is called “Federal” it has nothing to do with the Federal government, but is controlled by just a handful of powerful banks.

 

The book mentions five goals in the formation of the Federal Reserve Bank:

 

(1) Stop the growing company vision for the nation’s newer banks.

(2) Obtain a franchise to create money out of nothing for the purpose of lending.

(3) Seize control of the reserves of all things so that the more reckless ones would not be exposed to currency drains and bank runs.

(4) Get the taxpayers to pick up the cartel’s inevitable losses.

(5) Convince Congress that the purpose was to protect the public.

 

We will look at the remaining five “planks” later, but we can see how our governments have incorporated so much of the philosophy of Karl Marx. The Iron Curtain may have come down, but the communist philosophy is still very active.

 

 

 

 

Daily Devotional

Son, how much longer will the people of your country waver between two opinions? If I am God then follow Me! But if Satan is your god, then follow him!

 

It is because of your country’s sins that I have turned away and will not listen to your leaders anymore. No one cares about being fair and honest. The lawsuits in your land are based upon lies. The people are so oppressed by injustice that they don’t know where to find peace, or what it means to be just and good.

 

The sins of your country are piled up and testify against them. Your courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. Your leaders and professors in your colleges have mapped out crooked roads, and anyone who follows their advice will never have a moment’s peace. Since there is no justice among your leaders, and since the next generation has bought into the lie taught to them by their professors – no one has any idea on how to solve the problems they face.

 

Son, My own children say, “I am allowed to do anything.” Tell them that I see the sexual immorality going on among them. I’m not referring to unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin. I mean there are people in My church who are indulging in sexual sin!  My church leaders must judge them and tell them that those who claim to be a believer and yet indulge in sexual sin must be removed. Don’t even eat with such people who live this way.

 

When My words are followed, the sinful nature will be destroyed and they will be saved on the day when I return. My church must be built on the bread of sincerity and truth that is found in My word and no where else. I cleansed My children and made them holy when they first called on My Name. I made right with Me; therefore, My children must run from sexual sin of all kinds! For no other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. Sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by Me? Therefore, you do not belong to yourself; for I bought you with a high price, and you must honor Me with your body.

 

O Lord, I give my life to You. No one who trusts in You will ever be disgraced. Show me the right path, by pointing out the way that I am to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me Your way to live; for you are My God, and You will save me. I put my hope in You; in Your unfailing love. Those who follow You will know the path they should choose. When I live according to Your truth, I stand on solid ground.

 

 

Daily Devotional

Yesterday I received an very upsetting email. In this email this person made an insulting and dishonest offer to settle their project I have been working on. So I got up early this morning and asked God how should I pray for these kind of people.  The Lord told me:

 

“These people actually destroy people for money, and they rule by fear and intimidation.” 

 

Lord, please show me how to pray, for I would love to see You destroy everything they own, and make them have to work with their hands, instead of using money this way. Then they would see the other side, the integrity of people who work hard with their hands, and do what they say they will do, even if they lose money keeping their promise.

 

Lord, listen to my cry for help. I am praying to You because I know You will answer. Protect me from wicked people who are without integrity. Listen to their boasting, Lord, bring them to their knees! By the power of Your hand, destroy them because they look to this world for their reward. They attack people when they are in distress.

 

Son, everyone must submit to someone, so give them the little respect they deserve – as you work for them. Remember, love does no wrong to others, and this fulfills My requirements. Clothe yourself with My presence, and don’t let yourself think about ways to get even. Don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and Me. So listen to Me, and consider the Rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined, as My treasured son. Do not be afraid of their scorn, or fear their insults. For I will comfort you and lead you all the way.

 

Son, why are you upset by these mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear? I will put My words in your mouth, then they will recognize that I am the One who speaks to them. My way is perfect, and you must remember that all of My promises are true. I will be your shield for you looked to Me for protection.

 

You can be sure that they will give a personal account to Me. To the faithful – I show Myself faithful; to those with integrity I show My integrity; but to the wicked I will show them My hostility. I will rescue the humble, and I will humiliate the proud. I will strike these proud people down so they will not get up. I will arm you with My strength for the battle ahead, and they will fall under your feet. When they call for My help, I will not come to their rescue. When they cry out to Me for mercy, I will refuse to answer; for it will be too late because they refused Me every time I came to them. I will pay back those who have harmed you by handing them over to their tormentors; those who they fear the most.  Soon they will come to know My power and authority.

 

Lord, You are my Rock, my Fortress, and my Savior. You have the power to save me. For I called on You and You saved me from my enemies. In my distress You heard me from Your Sanctuary. You heard my plea for justice.

 

Daily Devotional

Son, the godly people in the land are My true heroes. I take pleasure in them! I called each of them by name before they were born. These heroes know that My gifts and also their calling in life that I gave them – can never be withdrawn.

 

To the rest of My children I say, “If you stop trusting in Me – this will be your reward from me: you will soon fall down in great torment, and be in a deep sleep of your faith. Your eyes are shut so you do not see all that I am doing, and your ears are closed so they do not hear what I say through My prophets. You think that the wealth you have is a gift from Me, but it is a trap that makes you think – all is well – when it is not.”

 

My children need to turn to Me in repentance and pray, “We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.”  Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith I given you. If My children turn to Me with their whole heart and soul then I will hear their prayers and petitions, and uphold their cause. Then people all over the world will know that I alone am God and there is no other. I plead with My children to give their lives to Me because of all I have done for them. If they offer their lives to Me as a living holy sacrifice, that I find acceptable, they will know that My will is good and pleasing.  Don’t copy the world, but let Me transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what My will is for you; My perfect and acceptable will.

 

Lord, my work seems so useless! It seems as though I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it in Your hand, and trust You.

 

Son, there are some of My children in your country who have remained faithful to Me. They have never bowed down to the systems of the world. So be careful not think too highly of yourself, but fear what could happen if you stopped believing. I will discipline My children who disobeyed, but those who desire Me and My word, and continue to trust in My kindness – I will help them, and I will protect them. I will give them My words of wisdom, so that they will know how to comfort the weary.

 

Lord, thank You for showing me the way of life, and granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.

 

 

Are We Losing the West? Part 15

 KARL MARX – continued…

 

Genesis 2:24 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

 

Not only do we see that education is key in the battle for worldviews, but also the family and the church.

 

At the beginning of the industrial revolution Marx saw the capitalist corporations disintegrating the family by men, women and children leaving the “home economy” and he came to the conclusion that the statist system would be more effective; that families exist for the state. Marx saw that the nuclear family and its commitment to education and the raising of children would be an impediment to the ‘state.’ For Marx the abolishment of the family would eventually strengthen the state to take a more dominant role. Isn’t this what we are seeing today?

 

I thought it was interesting when Ron Paul, an American congressman, said in his farewell speech: “Expect the rapidly expanding homeschooling movement to play a significant role in the revolutionary reforms needed to build a free society with Constitutional protections. We cannot expect a Federal government controlled school system to provide the intellectual ammunition to combat the dangerous growth of government that threatens our liberties.”

 

In the Communist Manifesto, Marx argues for what he called an “openly legalized community of women.” Kevin Swanson said: “After 150 years of steady progress, this Marxist vision is finally being realized the world over. The majority of households in America are now led by single women. Over 50% of the children born to women under 30 years of age are illegitimate (this percentage is an increase from scarcely 5% in 1960) and women have killed millions of their own children through abortion, the abortifacient birth control pill, and emergency contraception. They do so to maintain their independence in the “community of women.”

 

We see radical feminism’s assault on Western culture today since the sixties in trying to restructure society, morality and even human nature. Radical feminism attacks not only man but the institution of the family, and is hostile to traditional religion. A radical magazine using the acronym for the National Organization for Women (NOW), declared on its cover: “NOW is the time to take back control of our lives. NOW is the time to make reproductive freedom for women of all classes, cultures, ages and sexual orientation a reality. NOW is not the time to assimilate to bureaucratic puppeteers who want to control, degrade, torture, kill and rape our bodies. NOW is the time to drop a boot heel on the groin of patriarchy. NOW is the time to fight back. NO GOD, NO MASTER, NO LAW.”

 

What a difference from the biblical woman of Proverbs 31. My sister-in-law, Carol, has done an excellent study on the Proverb 31 woman that is in book form and you can order it by going to the website www.authorhouse.com.

 

God has given us three institutions to hold in check ‘the fallen nature’ of man: family, church and government (rule of law). If we look at our Western society today we see how all three are under attack. The family, instead of being restored, is being redefined. The church, that should be the conscience of the nation, is being marginalized; we are to keep what we believe as a private matter and it is not to invade the public sector. The rule of law is slowly being eroded and man is beginning to do what he thinks is right in his own mind.

 

Francis Schaeffer said: “Soft days for evangelical Christians are past, and only a strong view of Scripture is sufficient.  Here is the great evangelical disaster – the failure of the evangelical world to stand for truth as truth. There is only one word for this – namely ACCOMMODATION. The evangelical church has accommodated to the world spirit of the age. First, there has been accommodation on Scripture, so that many who call themselves evangelicals hold a weakened view of the Bible and no longer affirm the truth of all the Bible teaches….This accommodation has been costly, first in destroying the power of the Scriptures to confront the spirit of our age; second, in allowing the further slide of our culture.  Obedience to God’s Word is the watershed. And the failure of the evangelical world to take a biblical stand on the crucial issues of the day can only be seen as a failure to live life under the full authority of God’s Word.”

Daily Devotional

Son, since My children are chosen by Me, they must tell everyone what I have done for them. I have given My children this authority and privilege to tell others about Me. Therefore, they must live out My truth and pray for opportunity to stand for Me.

 

People know the truth about Me because I have made it obvious to them. But, they traded the truth for a lie and have abandoned My word for futile thinking. This type of thinking has caused them to do things that should never be done. Since they believe the lie instead of My word, their lives have became full of sin. They have become haters of Me, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are never satisfied so they invent new ways of sinning. The encourage others to reject My word of truth.  Do not be deceived; for their words cannot be trusted.

 

Son, My anger is against all wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. My anger and wrath are on those who live for themselves and refuse to obey the truth of My word. Even My own people think that just merely listening to My word makes them right with Me. How foolish it is to think that listening makes anyone right with Me. Soon the day is coming when I will judge everyone’s secret life.

 

A person with a changed heart seeks My word for guidance. My word stands forever; the words I gave before the world began! My word is eternal. All that people have to do is simply look up into the heavens and see that their is a Creator. I call each star by name. Because of My great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. I am the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. I never grow weak or weary, and no one can measure the depths of My understanding. Whom will you dare compare me to? Who is equal to Me, or above Me? 

 

Son, those who trust in Me will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

 

Lord, listen to my cry for help, for You are my King and my God. I pray to no one but You. So please listen to my voice in the morning as I bring my requests to you. I wait expectantly; for my cry for help has reached Your ears.  Lead me in the right path. Make your way plain for me to follow.  Your way is perfect. All of Your promises are true. You are a shield for all who look to You for protection.

 

 

 

Are We Losing the West? Part 14

KARL MARX AD 1818-1883

 

Matthew 7:16-20 “By their fruit you will recognize them.”

 

Robert L. Heilbroner writes: “We turn to Marx, therefore, not because he is infallible, but because he is inescapable.”

 

It was A.W. Tozer who coined the phrase “truth and error walk the same highway.” When we read about some of these philosophers there are some elements of truth that one can get a hold of, but what happens is that the bad becomes more prominent and others come along and push their erroneous ideas even further. We see this with those who followed Thomas Aquinas where they took that one flaw in his reasoning, when he suggested that apart from the Scripture there could be a second method of thought built on human reasoning, one step further.

 

In a letter to his father on March 2, 1837 Heilbroner’s father expressed concern that a demon may have infiltrated Marx’s heart. Perhaps the father was responding to a poem that Marx sent to his father on his 55th birthday where he said: “My soul, true to God, is chosen for hell. I am great like God. I clothe myself in darkness like him.”

 

It is said that without Descartes and Locke there would have been no Kant and without Kant and Hegel there would have been no Marx. Satan tries to imitate God and in the spread of these erroneous ideas we see this being carried out through his disciples. For example, if we look at the moving of the Holy Spirit we see how He works.

 

We can trace Moravianism to Zinzendorf to Franke, but still we need to go further. We would have to go back to the Bohemian martyrs of the 15th century and they would be traced back to John Huss who yielded up his life in the burning flames.

 

We see how this movement effected the 19th century. What we see is that there is a true apostolic succession through which the Holy Spirit is communicated from generation to generation. Moravianism was born out of Pietism, so Methodism was born out of Moravianism.

 

We go back and we see John Wesley sitting at the feet of Christian David, the Moravian carpenter and preacher at Herrnhut. Also God used another Moravian preacher by the name of Peter Bohler to show John Wesley his spiritual barrenness.

 

So the great influences in Marx’s life included Immanuel Kant, Hegel and Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Charles Darwin. Kant believed that truth is derived from man as the ultimate source not God.

 

The Communist Manifesto is a good summary of Marx’s ideology and work. Regarding Marx’s Manifesto, Kevin Swanson concludes that Christianity is irrelevant. It would seem that he recognizes that ancient religions were overcome by Christianity, but in his warped thinking Christian ideas will give way to rationalist ideas. He states: “Communism abolishes eternal truths; it abolishes all religion and morality.”

 

It would seem that Marx’s explanation of history is class warfare and struggle for freedom and equality. For him, economic inequality is an injustice and must be rectified by revolution and forced redistribution. I think it is interesting to hear the ‘progressives’ here in the United States talking about economic inequality. When he was running for president, Barak Obama said to Joe (the plumber), “We must spread the wealth around.”

 

Is this the Scriptural task laid down by God for the government; that to take from those who have and give to those who do not have? This is not what God had in mind for prospering at our work. We are to give of our own free will.

 

Class conflict and envy goes against the tenth commandment of God: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17) It is interesting that Marx considers class conflict and envy wrong or evil when he rejects God and His absolutes. Trying to eliminate class conflicts and envy through egalitarian measure (equal outcome) does not solve the problem of sin or the covetousness that resides in the heart of man. Only Christ can do that.

 

Marx opposed all forms of economic inequality. However, the Bible does not condemn pay scales, even for people doing the same work. Look at the parable of Matthew 20:1-15 where Jesus insists that a landowner could pay his workers whatever he would like to pay them, as long as the workers agree on the pay at the start of their work. There are other Scripture passages that would seem to indicate God forbidding the redistribution of wealth. (Exodus 23:3, 6, 7, 30:15) “The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives.”

 

Kevin Swanson says: “Humanist solutions to the problem of sin and slavery in this sin-cursed world will always turn out to be counter-productive.  Karl Marx’s solution has failed, and it will always fail. Petty tyrannies of the old world were replaced by a far more aggressive and extensive, highly centralized, bureaucratic tyranny.”

 

In closing, Marx understood perfectly that the battle of worldviews must be fought in the area of education, especially ‘government controlled’ education. I cannot go into it now because of lack of time and space, but we see the battle being fought here in my own country with the new syllabus coming out called “Common Core,” being forced on our children in the public schools.

 

It is not that we take our older children out of the public arena, but that we as parents and grandparents (guardians) of our children – give our children the ‘tools’ they need to fight these erroneous ideas and to be able to counteract them through Scripture, faith and prayer.  We are to protect our children from false teaching by raising them up in the truth of God’s Word, and with faith in God. Without this strong foundation, they will not know what to think, but will conform to the environment of the education they are put in from early childhood.  

 

Education was once considered the responsibility of parents and grandparents, along with biblical churches; the Holy Bible as the most important book of all. In our first American schools the Bible was taught and children were to know it from beginning to end, but this is not the case today in our schools and universities.  

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:7

 

The Bible and prayer have been thrown out of our public schools. We see the consequence of this as we watch all the grievous news reports.

 

We must understand the strongholds we are up against and to tear them down, and like Scripture says; to bring every thought into obedience to Christ.

Daily Devotional

Son, listen to what is being said today towards My children, “What makes you think that the Lord can rescue you. Break free from His path. Throw away His chains of rules, and free yourselves from slavery to God.”

 

But, I just laugh and scoff at these arrogant people. Soon My Son will rebuke them and then terrify them with His fierce fury. Therefore, they must act according to My wisdom; for they have been warned. They must submit to My Royal Son before His anger quickly flares up and they be destroyed in the midst of all their activities.

 

Why does it seem incredible to anyone that I raised My Son from death? For, when they believe that I did; that He was raised from death to Life – they will repent and receive forgiveness for their sins, and be given a place among My people who are set apart by faith in Him.

 

Son, it is useless for you to fight against My will. You must to tell those around you what you have seen from Me and what I will show you about the future. This will open the eyes of those around you, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan – to Me.  When your life reflects that you have surrendered to My will, then you can speak boldly. So be strong, and do not fear; for I am coming to destroy those who oppose Me. I can, and I will save you, and all those who have their eyes opened by choosing to follow the Truth, the Way and the Life. 

 

Lord, there is great joy in following You. I refuse to accept the advice of the wicked. There is great peace found in Your words. Therefore, I must meditate on Your word day and night, and know that You watch over my family and me.   

 

Daily Devotional

Read and notice that the verses used to describe Jesus’ death were written hundreds of years before Jesus was even born. This alone should prove who Jesus is and the power He has to forgive sin. No man can make a prophecy come true, only God can do that.

 

2 Samuel 14:14 NLT

[14] “All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.”

 

Isaiah 53:5-11 NLT

[5] “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. [6] All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. [7] He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. [8] Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. [9] He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. [10] But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. [11] When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.”

 

Psalm 22:14-18 NLT

[14] “My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. [15] My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. [16] My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. [17] I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. [18] They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.”

 

John 10:24-30 NLT

[24] “The people surrounded him and asked, ‘How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ [25] Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. [26] But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. [27] My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, [29] for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. [30] The Father and I are one.'”

 

John 19:1-3,16-18,23-24,28-30,33-34,36-37,40-41 NLT [1] “Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. [2] The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. [3] ‘Hail! King of the Jews!’ they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. [16] Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. [17] Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). [18] There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. [23] When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. [24] So they said, ‘Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.’ This fulfilled the Scripture that says, ‘They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.’ So that is what they did. [28] Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, ‘I am thirsty.’ [29] A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. [30] When Jesus had tasted it, he said, ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. [33] But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. [34] One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. [36] These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,’ [37] and ‘They will look on the one they pierced.” [40] Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. [41] The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before.”

 

Think about what happened to Him on this day. We were separated from God by sin, so He took it all upon Himself, where on the cross – He paid the price of our sin.

 

Thank You Lord!!!

 

 

 

 

Are We Losing the West? – Part 13

KARL MARX AD 1818-1883

 

Matthew 7:16-20 “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

 

When we look at the philosophy and ideas of these men it would be good to keep in mind the axiom that the Lord laid down in the above verse. Can a bad tree bring forth good fruit? Or, to put it in another way: Can bad character produce good results or good fruit?

 

According to Paul Johnson (a historian of the modern age), Karl Marx (born in 1818 in Germany), had more impact upon the minds of men and women than perhaps anyone else in modern history. His writings inspired men like Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot and Fidel Castro – just to name a few. It is said that the Roman Empire killed between 8-10 million people over a period of four hundred years, but these men (inspired by the writing of Karl Marx) killed far more than that in the 20th century alone. What will the 21st century hold?

 

Here is a man that did not deny the existence of God, but denied the supremacy of God, and thought of himself as god. Kevin Swanson brings out that when reading a record of his writings and personal thoughts one is struck with the language, words and actions of Satan himself. (Isaiah14:12-15; Matthew 4:10; Cain in Genesis 4:1-8 as well as Judas in Matthew 26:49) Looking back one wonders if this man was possessed by the devil himself.

 

When he was young he wrote in his poem called Invocation of One in Despair: “So a god has snatched from me my all, in the curse and rack of destiny. All his worlds are gone beyond recall. Nothing but revenge is left to me. I shall build my throne high overhead.” 

 

What does Satan say in Isaiah 14:14? “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

 

Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Pastor who was put into prison and suffered persecution under his government, wrote the famous book Tortured for Christ where he tells about his experience. In the late sixties soon after his release from prison I heard him speak in one of our Operation Mobilization conferences.

 

In his book Satan and Marx he said this about Karl Marx’s religious commitments: “Lunatcharski, a leading philosopher who was once minister of education of the U.S.S.R., wrote in Socialism and Religion that Marx set aside all contact with God and instead put Satan in front of marching proletarian columns. It is essential at this point to state emphatically that Marx and his comrades, while anti-God, were not atheists, as present-day Marxists claim to be. That is, while they openly denounced and reviled God, they hated a God in whom they believed. They did not question His existence, but rather challenged His supremacy. When the revolution broke out in Paris in 1871, the Communard Flourens declared, ‘Our enemy is God. Hatred of God is the beginning of wisdom.’”

 

In a work called The Last Judgment Marx mocks God and in another poem called The Player Marx speaks in the first person and says: “The hellish vapors rise and fill the brain. Till I go mad and my heart is utterly changed. See this sword. The prince of darkness sold it to me. For me he beats the time and gives the signs. Ever more boldly I play the dance of death.”

 

It would seem that Marx’s goal is destruction and we know from various New Testament verses that this is the agenda of the prince of demons who is known as Apollyon or Abaddon which is translated the “Destroyer.”

 

The weakening of the Christian West did not come about through one man. If there had not been the ideas of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and  Immanuel Kant eroding the Christian roots there would probably not have been a Karl Marx. Again we see how idea upon idea or brick upon brick a fortress is built over a period of time – that needs to be torn down.

 

Karl Marx’s personal life was a disaster. Swanson, in his book Apostate says that out of the seven children by his wife Jenny and a child born from his maid, five died prematurely and two who out lived him committed suicide. His favorite daughter Eleanor married Edward Aveling, a Satanist known for his lectures on the “Wickedness of God.”

 

Marx’s life was filled with violent explosive arguments with his family that separated him from his mother as well as from his wife on occasions.

 

He blamed the Jews for the problems in the world and in an article in the New York Tribune he suggested the complete annihilation of the Jews. He felt that they were a cancer in society because through their organizations they had become so strong that they needed to be cut out of society. He also referred to the Slavic people as “ethnic trash” and prophesied that their very name will vanish.

 

In the weeklies ahead we will spend more time with Marx’s philosophy and influence, but what is amazing to me is how academia embraces him with such enthusiasm and wonder as one of the great philosophers and thinkers in the modern world.

 

Yes, he has been embraced by almost every country in the world.  Looking back over the 20th century what can we say about the results: good or bad? If we are honest we need to choose the latter.