By Chuck Baldwin
February 17, 2010
This column is archived at
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.
Almost immediately after Adam's fall, Lucifer and his minions collaborated
with evil men to usurp God's authority and sovereignty. And nowhere is God
more sovereign than in the heart and conscience of man. In the spirit world,
the First Commandment ("Thou shalt have no other gods before me") is the
battleground that is most fought over. The war for man's heart and soul is
never-ending.
Nimrod was the first would-be tyrant to try and bring the world into a
global "New World Order." His handiwork produced the Tower of Babel, which
brought about a cataclysmic judgment from Jehovah. However, while Nimrod was
the first globalist to try and unify the nations against God, he was
certainly not the last. The Pharaohs, Darius, Artaxerxes, Cyrus, Alexander,
Nebuchadnezzar, the Caesars, and hundreds like them have all brought their
tyrannical rule over the hearts of men. And their ideas and passions are as
alive and active in the world today as ever.
With every would-be world tyrant, there is one constant: the unholy marriage
between a supranational government and Big Religion. If Jehovah God made
anything clear in the Mosaic model of government, it was the fact
that--until Christ Himself comes to occupy both offices--the offices of
Priest and King were to be eternally separate. At least one Old Testament
Jewish king learned that lesson the hard way.
Yet, Big Government and Big Religion have always come together for the
purpose of enslaving the masses. The devilish duo of Big Government and Big
Religion killed the Old Testament prophets. They hung Jesus on the cross and
persecuted the early Church. They murdered masses during the Dark Ages; they
managed the Holocaust; and their obnoxious offspring are still at work
today. This criminal cabal has been the bane of genuine faith and personal
liberty since the beginning of time.
When Colonial America fired that shot heard around the world and fought
their way to independence, they broke free, not only from the political
domination of the Crown, but also from the religious domination of a State
Church. No longer would citizens be required to join a particular church in
order to hold public office. No longer would citizens be required to
financially support churches and institutions they deemed to be offensive to
their spiritual convictions. No longer could a religious institution use the
power and force of civil government to subjugate men to its tenets and, yes,
tentacles. Indeed, the apostate kingdom created by Constantine's spiritual
whoredom ended at the eastern shore of America!
And dare I say that I am proud of my Anabaptist forebears for helping to
embed the principle of religious liberty into American law and
jurisprudence? Indeed, I am! What many Americans do not know (and what many
militant secularists refuse to acknowledge) is that it was the influence of
the Colonial Baptists--most notably, the Baptist minister John Leland--that
was most responsible for the First Amendment being added to the US
Constitution.
Therefore, it is more than disturbing when I see evangelical Christians
being seduced by the ancient Big Government/Big Religion whorish union
today. How can any true Gospel preacher accept federal Faith-Based
Initiative monies, except that he has either lost all understanding of what
freedom truly means, or is willing to sacrifice the sacred principles of
liberty upon the altar of his own selfish interests? How can any true Gospel
preacher not realize that Big Religion has always conspired with tyrannical
governmental forces against the true Gospel message? Why are they so blind
to these devilish conspiracies? At the highest levels of virtually every
major religion, the conspiracy to hijack truth and enslave the masses is
constantly at work, whether it is Catholicism, Judaism, or Protestantism.
This is what the Apostle Paul warned about in Ephesians 6:12. "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."
Of course, the "rulers of the darkness of this world" are demonic. But it is
also an absolute certainty that these demonic forces accomplish their
devilish deeds through evil men who are given to "spiritual wickedness in
high places."
Was not the spiritual netherworld complicit in helping to construct Nimrod's
Tower of Babel? Was not spiritual wickedness at work when Pharaoh murdered
the little children of the Hebrews? Were not dark principalities at work
when Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to bow to the image of the Babylonian
leader? When the Lord Jesus called Jewish King Herod a "fox," was not He
acknowledging Herod's complicity with evil? Were not spiritual powers aiding
and abetting the Jewish Sanhedrin when they moved the crowd to crucify the
Son of God? When the early Church was being persecuted, was not spiritual
wickedness at work? When nonconforming Christians were thrown to the lions
and sawn asunder, were not their tormentors influenced by these same rulers
of darkness? Of course they were!
Then, why is it so difficult for modern Christians--especially our pastors
and preachers--to understand that this unholy union of Big Government and
Big Religion is as evil and sinful today as it ever was? Why are they
unwilling to recognize that the same devilish system that plagued the Church
throughout the ages--suspended only temporarily by the successful revolution
for American independence--is rearing its ugly head again? Why are they
unwilling to believe that many of America's leaders (from both parties)
routinely give themselves to luciferian rituals, such as those annual dances
around the fire at the Bohemian Grove? Why is it so hard to believe that we
have leaders (from both parties) who have given themselves to dark, secret
societies, such as Skull and Bones? Why are they not suspicious when certain
religious schools and institutions repeatedly produce many of the leaders
(from both parties) who seem to universally take America down the same path
of globalism?
As most Christians should know, The Beast of Revelation is as much a SYSTEM
as it is a person. As the Apostle John warned, the "spirit of antichrist . .
. even now already is it in the world." (I John 4:3) He also warned, "Even
now are there many antichrists." (I John 2:18)
Any Big Government/Big Religion system that seeks to bring nations into
global unity, enshrine a politically correct theology of universalism,
establish Church/State uniformity, and marginalize independent,
nonconformist ideology is nothing more than the emergence of another Tower
of Babel or Beast-like system! And, dear Christian friend, has it occurred
to you that our central government in Washington, D.C., is currently engaged
in all of the above?
Both political parties--including most of our national leaders and news
media--actively promote globalism; universalism is, without a doubt, the
unofficial--but clearly understood--national religion; and anyone who holds
nonconformist views (i.e., pro-life, Jesus-only theology, anti-UN,
anti-illegal immigration, questioning official government explanations of
national tragedies, etc.) is being viciously ridiculed, impugned, and
marginalized by virtually everyone in the national press corps and central
government. Yes, I am saying it, THE BEAST IS EMERGING IN WASHINGTON, D.C.!
The powers that be in both Big Government and Big Religion want to control
both our hearts and our minds. They cannot tolerate dissent. Mind you: they
do not care if one is Republican or Democrat, because at the national level,
both major parties are marching in the same beastly direction. They do not
care if one is conservative or liberal, because the leaders of both camps
are, likewise, marching in lockstep to the tune being played by The Beast.
They do not care if one is Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant, because at the
highest levels, these religions are committing whoredom with The Beast.
If a pastor or preacher is going to be true to his calling today, he must be
willing to adopt the philosophy of the late, great Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
who said, "The more prominent you are in Christ's service, the more certain
are you to be the butt of calumny [slander]. I have long ago said farewell
to my character. I lost it in the earlier days of my ministry by being a
little more zealous than suited a slumbering age. And I have never been able
to regain it except in the sight of Him who judges all the earth, and in the
hearts of those who love me for my work's sake."
Any desire for promotion, pleasure, riches, or fame will quickly make one a
servant of The Beast. And, I'm afraid, that is exactly what many of today's
pastors and preachers have become.
The fight for independence was as much for the freedom of the heart and mind
as it was for the freedom of a State or nation. In fact, one cannot enslave
the latter until he first enslaves the former. And this is what is currently
at stake: the freedom of the heart and soul to be governed by God and no
other! And this battle will never be won--at least not nationally--as long
as Christians and pastors are unwilling to recognize the enemy for what it
is: "spiritual wickedness in high places."
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