Quote from Forum Archives on June 19, 2008, 6:18 pm

Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>

PREPARED For The SLAUGHTER: The Disarming Of The Church

-1998 by John Green.

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed;
as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe.” – Noah
Webster of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1787.

“[W]hen the resolution of enslaving America was formed in Great
Britain, the British Parliament was advised by an artful man, who
was governor of Pennsylvania, to disarm the people; that it was
the best and most effectual way to enslave them; but that they
should not do it openly, but weaken them, and let them sink
gradually.” — George Mason of Virginia, 1788.

As history has shown, it is a common tactic for the oppressing
force to gain control of a nation by seizing the means by which
individuals might defend themselves. Once the citizenry are
disarmed, it is a relatively easy matter to exert complete tyrannical
control. It seems to me that the same principal holds true in the
spiritual realm.

The New Testament is replete with warnings of false teachers and
teachings, of lying signs and wonders, and of corrupt men who
would seek to draw followers after themselves. God has not left
His people defenseless. He has indwelt us with His Spirit of Truth,
provided us with the example of Christ, His teachings, the
teachings of the apostles, and all the other writings found in the
Bible. There is a gift of the discerning of spirits given to some, but
more importantly, there the ability to test all things and to be
discerning, which is the responsibility of all believers. If the believer
is to be armed against the deceptions of the enemy, and to remain
free from his oppressive regime, then he must exercise
discernment with continual vigilance. If this defensive weapon is
seized and taken from you, then you are easy prey for any who
would desire to take you captive.

Because of these things, it is very disturbing to me to observe a
trend in the Body of Christ today. This trend is to scorn and belittle
those who would exercise their God-given self-defense weapon of
discernment. Those who would obey scripture and “test all things”
are mocked and ridiculed and labeled ‘Pharisees.’ It seems that
the Church has fallen prey to the pluralistic, non-judgmental
mindset of our present age. The one unpardonable sin is to
question someone’s belief, or dare to say that it might be wrong.
These new leaders demand you climb on the bandwagon, and if
you cannot agree, then you must remain silent at all costs. They
call for us to experience now, and evaluate later. Adam and Eve
had no experiential knowledge of good and evil. The Serpent called
their attention to the attractiveness and desirability of the fruit, and
enticed them to experience for themselves. In their later evaluation,
they knew that they had been wrong to ignore what God had said
on the matter, but by then the damage had been done.

Those who would remove the defensive weapon of discernment are
binding the hands of the Church. They are preparing God’s people
for the slaughter. Why are they doing this? Why would they want
to expose millions to the myriad deceptions of the enemy with no
protection. Why do they take away what the Father has given?
The Church is becoming a slaughterhouse slick with the spilled
blood of saints who have been seduced by false teachers. The
faithful plod forward to the killing floor, their trusting eyes fixed on
their leaders. Error and deception runs rampant. Charlatans rule
the bestseller list. Pseudo-knowledge is dispersed around the
world, speeding through electrical synapses. Make no mistake. It
is a battle, and much is at stake.

Let us examine the logic (or lack of it) behind what some of these
leaders are saying:

“You have to experience it yourself before you judge it.” This is
pure nonsense. It is the method the Mormons use to get people
hooked in (pray about the Book of Mormon and see if you get a
‘burning in your bosom’). You don’t have to experience suicide to
know that it is bad for you. Christians are never commanded to
authenticate a questionable spiritual experience by submitting
themselves to it.

“If you don’t jump in the River, then you may miss out on the move
of God.” If you don’t exercise your duty to test everything and hold
on to what is good, then you may be deceived. God is not in a
hurry. If you are walking with Him, seeking to please Him, then He
will guide you into all He desires for you. Just because someone
proclaims something is a move of God, doesn’t make it so.
Beware of the salesman who pushes you to make a decision on
the spot. He may have something to hide.

“God offends the mind to reveal the heart.” I don’t know what this is,
but it is not Scripture. It is true that God’s ways may be offensive
to human wisdom. Often though, this quote is used to say that if
you are offended by something going on in the Church, then your
heart isn’t right. The real issue is, are you offended because what
is going on is unscriptural? If so, then stand fast.

“Don’t oppose what is going on, in case it turns out to be a move
of God.” This is the argument used by Gamaliel in Acts chapter 5.
Although this argument worked in favor of the apostles, it must be
pointed out that Gamaliel was a Pharisee making a pragmatic
argument. His was not a directive from the Lord on how believers
should conduct their discernment. If something is not from God,
ultimately, it is true that it will not succeed. In the time that it
takes for a false movement to runs its course however, many lives
will be damaged, and many souls deceived and damned. Look at
the phenomenal growth and apparent success of Mormonism.
Christians rightly oppose Mormonism on a basis that it twists and
deviates from Scripture. Things which occur within Christianity
should receive no less scrutiny. Or consider the works of Satan.
We know that he will not succeed, but we certainly do not sit back
and allow him to do his work unhindered. When souls are at stake,
we cannot afford to sit back and do nothing.

“Don’t you want more of God in your life?” This is a sneaky one.
Of course, any sincere Christian realizes that they need to grow
closer to God, and they desire to do so. This should not lead us to
embrace everything that comes down the pike however. Part of
growing closer to God includes obeying His commands to test and
be discerning. The desperation of some Christians reminds me of
King Saul turning to the witch of Endor. He wanted an answer at
any price. The price he ended up paying was his own destruction.

Look for yourself. See how many times the New Testament
references false teachers, false teaching. Using your concordance,
look up the commands to discern and test, to not be deceived.
Shake off the chains of those who would seek to bind you.
Exercise your “Right to bear arms” as a believer.

"The healthy soul, like the healthy blood system, has its proper
proportion of white and red blood cells. The red corpuscles are like
faith: they carry the life giving oxygen to every part of the body.
The white cells are like discernment: they pounce upon dead and
toxic matter and carry it out to the drain. In the healthy heart there
must be provision for keeping dead and poisonous matter out of
the life stream." -A.W. Tozer.

~SOURCE:
pjmiller.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/prepared-for-the-slaughter-the-
disarming-of-the-church/