Life is often far more complex than we can adjust for with our definitions. Self-preservation rarely makes for honesty however within any paradigm and being "Christian" does not seem to change these dynamics. You think they should. You would hope that access to final and inarguable truth would result in a little more truthiness from us but alas, it does not seem to be. In fact, matters of faith often interject a more nefarious element into the discussions and that is morality. Instead of just believing something might be the "right side" morality confers a sense of "I'm right and thus you are evil" to our positions. So much so that we may never take into consideration if there are any fundamental or biblical flaws within our own positions. No need to when you already believe that your positions has staked out the superior moral high ground. When you have already conveyed evilness upon your perceived enemy there is little need for self-examination! At least I am not him!
Perhaps this is why so many in "church" leadership gravitate towards politics. Sure, they hide behind the silly seven mountains heresy but in the end there is nothing perhaps more exhilarating than claiming moral superiority within the filthiness of our own lives. The above link is from NAR dominionist Shane Idleman. Shane has been on a political rant for several years running now. He cannot see that he has not made biblical choices during this time but rather carnal political choices. His chosen savior is the Republican Party and all of his animus for evil has been foisted upon anyone who does not share his political views, disguised as Christian concerns. Let us reason once more together beloved.
"The title of this article comes from the oft-quoted Isaiah 5:20 (NKJV): "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil." Isaiah's "woe" was designed to awaken and convict the nation to turn back to God before the hammer dropped. Sadly, that didn't happen. A lack of fear, repentance and reverence for God led to physical and spiritual judgment. In the Bible, the word woe carries the idea of impending judgment brought on by the wrath of God in sin. It signifies overwhelming grief, sorrow, and regret, accompanied by suffering. The word woe adds a power-packed punch to what the prophet Isaiah is vocalizing. In essence he is saying, "Listen, this is serious! If you don't heed my advice, the judgment and justice of God will fall, and the hammer will hit hard." It's been said that not even Sodom and Gomorrah reached the level of decadence that we see today in America. Praise God for the remnant and the churches that intercede. In my opinion, they are the only thing keeping God's judgment at bay." - Shane Idleman
Idleman is correct, this verse is serious business. What he misses is the intended audience. To whom is Isaiah speaking? The answer of course are the Lord's people. You can certainly extrapolate this out to the church today. Woe to those who know better yet still insist on calling evil good. What you cannot do is what Shane likes to do, apply it to unbelievers. They do not need the "woe" as they are already facing an eternity apart from God for not having saving faith in Christ. One cannot also expect those that are walking in darkness to have a handle on exactly what is good versus evil. But people who claim the mantle of Christianity? People like Shane Idleman? Yeah. He should have known better. No one actually knows if America today is as bad or worse than Sodom and Gomorrah and quite frankly it is irrelevant. The more strikingly arrogant comment is that it is only the intercession of the apostate church keeping God's judgement at bay. Really? You sure it is not the unwavering mercy of God? Does He get any credit at all or is it all Shane Idleman?
"Sin Fascinates Before It Assassinates - When Isaiah pronounced this "woe," the nation of Israel had become comfortable in their sin. Moral conviction was fading and obedience to God was passe'. As a result, they began to compromise and drift further from God. They were calling evil good and good evil. Two of the top evils were infanticide (laying their newborn children on the searing hot arms of Molech as a sacrifice) and sexual sin. Ring a bell? We still sacrifice our children on the altar of sexual sin. As I'm writing this, the news just broke of Justice Alito's thoughts on Roe v. Wade. The news that this law might be overturned has created a huge uproar. Imagine being angry that babies will live " "Woe to those who call good evil." Israel, not unlike America today, paid no attention as their leaders seduced them to do more evil than any other nation before them. (See 2 Kings 21:9.) They failed to see that when sin fascinates, it assassinates." - Shane Idleman
The delusion of NAR dominionism runs so deep that most can no longer see the un-sustained points they try to make. Israel is constantly getting comfy in their sin throughout the Old Testament and is constantly being warned or "woe'd" by God to repent. Do you know who never fit this bill? Unbelievers! You cannot mix apples and orangutans. The nation of Israel should know better but to the unsaved the things of God are utter foolishness! The unsaved cannot be reached by casting woe upon them but by preaching the gospel! Shane also misses the point on the actual sin of Israel with Molech. Sure, human sacrifice was appalling but the sin was in worshiping foreign gods, which violated the very first commandment! Sexual sin? Seriously? Solomon had over 900 combined wives and concubines. David had multiple wives. Jesus tells the Pharisees that Moses allowed them divorce because they were stiff-necked. Despite Idleman's little rhymes about assassinate and fascinate, sin is truly the issue. The difference is that his examples are dealing with people who understood sin and the consequences thereof yet he uses those examples to berate and vilify people who do not know God, let alone understand sin. As a pastor, Shane had one job - preach the gospel. He instead has chosen to make an enemy of the very people who need the gospel the most in service to his new master, the Republican Party.
Can You Hear Isaiah Today? I Sure Can - Woe to the school districts who promote sexual perversion and undermine the family. Woe to the universities who mock God and teach their students to do the same. Woe to politicians who call evil good and good evil, and have the blood of the innocent on their hands. Woe to pastors and Christian leaders who encourage sin by their silence, and who openly embrace apostasy. Woe to the media who lead people astray by twisting the truth to promote the demonic agenda of darkness. Woe to the film industry who bows to the whore of Babylon " the stench has reached the nostrils of God. Woe to liberal churches who say that they love people but hate God's Word. Yes, all of those points are hard to hear for those caught in sin and enamored by idolatry; that's the point. The "woes" are meant to sound an alarm. They allow the hammer of God to break and the fire of His Word to devour sin. God's Word is also like a double-edged sword that cuts deep and discerns the motives of the heart (Heb. 4:12).
These are canned political talking points from the Republican Party. Seriously. In many instances this is all GOP candidates will run on this fall. Realize however that these are twisted from reality and are designed to pit one against another. I know of no school district that promotes what Idleman alleges here. Can you find a rogue district here or there? I am sure but to pretend it is somehow again good versus evil is making a mockery of both terms. It is difficult trying to rebuff Universities when our own apologetics is so poor. The real problem however is baked into the purpose driven church model that currently operates the apostate church in this country. I remember Andy Stanley lamenting that he would send kids from his church away to college and they would return atheists because of what college taught them. It made Andy give up on preaching the sufficiency of scripture! What he failed to see of course is he is a rank heretic and does not preach the uncompromised gospel, thus no one is actually saved at his church. So, when he sends the kids off to university he sends them completely unarmed. No faith to fight back against the beliefs of this world. But woe to the universities? Do you think they care that you said woe to them? Are not the things of God foolishness to them? Do you think the unsaved politicians care? Is there a more serious hell you have reserved for them? And if your defining issue is innocent blood on their hands then that has to go beyond the womb. It has to count for innocent children left to fend for themselves while politicians strip away the social safety net in order to give tax breaks to millionaires. It has to count for people of all ages left to die in the richest country in history for the lack of healthcare, denied by governors to try and score cheap political points. It has to count for the wars supported that were based on lies that led to the death of a million civilians. Yeah Shane, I hate to break it to you but those people mattered to God too. Not just the ones you think. This is the problem when you think you have the righteous angle on morality. You no longer can see your own apostasy while blaming others for theirs. The inane comment on media may as well have been directly provided by the GOP. Just because media disagrees with you that does not mean that they are evil. The film industry? What about the "Christian" film industry that makes a mockery of sound doctrine? You cannot have it both ways. You cannot let your faux moral superiority blind you from your own immorality. The woes are meant to sound an alarm? Only for those who already believe but dominionists constantly make the unsaved the enemy.
"Continuing to Drink the Poison - Instead of humbling themselves, repenting and turning back to God, most dig their defiant feet into the soil of sin. Instead of running to the cure, they continue to drink the poison. As a recent headline illustrates, they become angry and belligerent: "Liberal group calls for protests at conservative Supreme Court justices' homes". They are not open to opposing views " "my way or the highway" is their mantra. This begs the question: Why do certain groups seek to silence God's truth and adamantly oppose His Word, whereas Christians are open to dialogue and discussion? It's because the truth invites scrutiny, and error runs from being challenged. It also has to do with the darkness hating the light because the deeds of the darkness are evil. In short, God's Word exposes evil hearts and demonic plans." - Shane Idleman
Here we find the typical NAR error. In order for the unsaved to "turn back" to God, they must have at one point been with Him. Dominionists believe erroneously that America was once under covenant with God and that the country has fallen away from God over the centuries due to an infringement upon us by dirty immigrants and lefties who hate freedom. This narrative is asinine of course but so many people believe it. It is also disingenuous to blame your perceived enemy for not being open to opposing views when you are never open to opposing views. Idleman's stance here that Christians are always open to dialogue and discussion is laughable. Look however how Idleman sounds here. How morally superior. He is light and anyone in opposition? Darkness. He represents truth and his opponents are error. Anyone found in disagreement with Shane Idleman is guilty of willingly drinking poison. God's word does indeed expose evil hearts but one first be willing to look inward to ensure that we do not become what we claim to abhor.
'The Cure Has Never Changed - Sadly, without a massive spiritual awakening, the divide in our country will only get wider. We all must learn from King Josiah in the Old Testament. Once he heard what God's Word said about the current condition of the nation, he humbled himself in a profound way, repented and asked for God's intervention. God's answer also offers hope for us today: Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself, I heard your cry and answered your prayer. I have stayed My hand of judgment for now (paraphrasing 2 Kings 22:19). The cure for spiritual disease never changes: humility, repentance, brokenness and desperation lead to spiritual health. Our cry must resemble Isaiah's: "Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence" (Isa. 64:1, NKJV). Like any parent, God hears the cries of His children: Oh God, would You rip heaven open and come down and help us? This is our only hope, that the nations would tremble again at His presence (cf. Isa. 64:1-2). In these dire times, let's make sure we're on the right side of the "woe."' - Shane Idleman
Except King Josiah was already Jewish when he decided to repent and install reforms in Judah. He already believed in and followed God so it is not overly surprising that he turned to Him for guidance. That is not what Shane Idleman is asking for here. In this day, Idleman expects people who are unsaved to have a spiritual awakening! How can people without the Holy Spirit have a spiritual awakening? They can't! Why in the world would they? They do not know God. They do not believe in God. Yet this is the spiritual insanity the NAR traffics in. they chase a mythical end times revival where unsaved masses across this country will wake up one day and just decide to behave better and God will stay His hand of judgment for this country; their idol.
The word specious means superficially plausible but actually wrong. That is the perfect description for the morality wielded by the NAR and dominionists today. It looks credible. It even sounds credible but it actually is wrong. In this grand play the unsaved are the only ones behaving as one would expect. You would expect people who do not know or believe in God to be oblivious to their sin. According to the bible there is only one thing that can pierce that darkness they live under and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The vehicle God has chosen for the delivery of the gospel is the church yet those who fancy themselves as the church today are far too busy blaming the lost to be bothered with trying to save them through the preached gospel. The reason the country is in the shape it is in is because of the apostate church and Shane Idleman better soon realize he is on the wrong side of the woes.
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