NOTES ON LOSING NEVERLAND: SALVATION VS. SUPERSTITION IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH – PART II: TREACHERY

SCRIPTURE. “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then do we deal faithlessly and treacherously each against his brother, profaning the covenant of [God with] our fathers?” – MALACHI 2:10, AMPC

QUOTATIONS

“The witch would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.” – C. S. LEWIS, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe/The Magician’s Nephew,’ 1950; edited

“There is a Darkness in you. In all of us, probably. Beasts we keep chained. Ordinary men have to keep the chains strong, for if we let the Beast loose then society will turn upon us with fiery vengeance. Kings though … well, who is there to turn upon them? So, the chains are made of straw. It is the curse of kings, Helikaon, that they can become monsters. And they invariably do.” – DAVID GEMMELL, ‘Shield of Thunder,’ 2006; edited

“Pastors who support Trump were scolded two years ago [in 2018] by ‘Christianity Today,’ a magazine founded by Billy Graham, for not denouncing Trump as ‘profoundly immoral.’ Many Evangelical pastors then attacked the magazine rather than following the Biblical exhortation to examine their own souls … The Question pastors should raise in their Sunday sermons, the Question [Michael] Cohen’s book lays before them, is how can any Christian support a man who mocks Christianity, embraces revenge as his only life philosophy and rejects that most basic Biblical teaching—forgiveness.” – DAVID CAY JOHNSTON, “What He Really Thinks: Trump Mocks Christians, Calls Them Fools and Schmucks,” ‘Salon,’ September 11, 2020; edited

FIRST THOUGHTS

THE CONVERSATION. So, I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Monument, Colorado on October 8, 2021, getting ready to start this Commentary. In the booth next to me are four folks having an intense, somewhat hushed conversation, about needing to take some sort of action. All were educated, including an engineer and two Ph.D.’s, when a somewhat younger retired airline pilot I heard saying this:

“‘Well, I am not willing to push that hard, to the point of getting arrested. I just don’t want to go down that road. Let the younger guys take care of that. But I assure you I’ll do what I need to do when the time comes.’ The male Ph.D. chimed in later with: ‘The MRNA when administered a second time to animals killed them!’”

After a friendly, nondescript conversation with the engineer, snippets of talk about “Antifa,” the possible “nationalization” of American assets, and lots of comments about, “No one knows what’s really going on, and we have to find out.”

After some cordial introductions later, we had an extended chat as they began to leave, when seeing my books spread about, they inquired about what I was doing. As I got around to the part in my story about being fired by Jerry Falwell, Jr., they perked up with intense interest and promised to “follow you, Cliff,” online.

One of them, the airline pilot best I recall, even said: “Bring the fire!” ‘Indeed, brother,’ said under my breath.

THE AMERICAN CONSPIRACY. My point is twofold. One, these were some of the most educated, if not brilliant folks I have ever met. By my best discernment, they were all highly educated Christian professionals, white by the way, and clearly canny observers of the socio-political mileu of the Nation.

Yet they appeared to be convinced that true Christian patriots had to ‘rescue’ the Nation from some sinister, existential, threat (from the Left), by the exercise of some degree of civil disobedience or even measured force, to save the country. I kept thinking of January 6, but I didn’t hear a whisper about it.

Here is NOAH WEBSTER’S definition of this now all-important phenomenon so much in the news these days

CONSPIRACY. “A combination of men for an evil purpose; an agreement between two or more persons, to commit some crime in concert; particularly, a combination to commit treason, or excite sedition or insurrection against the government of a state; a plot; as a conspiracy against the life of a king or a conspiracy against the government … In law, an agreement between two or more persons, falsely and maliciously to indict, or procure to be indicted, an innocent person of felony.” – ‘American Dictionary of the English Language,’ 1828; edited

All the evidence, both anecdotal and scientific, points to a rapid proliferation of the Conspiracy View taking center stage in the current American Drama. Here for example is a canny Commentary by journalist CHARLES DAVIS, writing for ‘Business Insider’ on June 1, 2021.

“In 2021, Conspiracy Theories are no longer a source of amusement, nor are leading purveyors mere harmless weirdos. What was once AM-radio ‘Star Trek’ is now [seriously considered as] state-sponsored disinformation and plagiarized anti-Semitism — a Global Cabal of cosmopolitan elites conspiring to abuse children — serving the interests of the world’s most powerful people, with heads of state and big tech companies profiting whenever someone new goes down the rabbit hole …

People, particularly those with ‘Authoritarian tendencies’ — on either the Left [but especially on the] Right — desire simple explanations for complex phenomena that flatter their existing beliefs. And the darker the allegation, the more noble an ‘independent journalist’ or Facebook user can feel in their ‘Crusade’ against mainstream notions of Truth. ‘Heroism is really a key component,’ [far Right politics expert DAVE] NEIWERT told me over the phone, laying out the thrust of his most recent book, ‘Red Pill, Blue Pill: How to Counteract the Conspiracy Theories That Are Killing Us’ (2020) …

In the case of ‘QAnon,’ a conspiracy theory which holds that an anonymous account on the Internet reflected the insights of a high-ranking state official with the goods that DONALD TRUMP was too modest to share, ‘people really see themselves as saving these children who are victimized by the global pedophilia ring, and against these nefarious conspirators.’ And they have support at high levels: At a QAnon Conference in Dallas, former national security advisor MICHAEL FLYNN was a featured star (who called for a military ‘coup’ while there).”

All of which reminds me, dear friends, of my most sacred charge as a Teacher:

WARNING. “Do not call conspiracy [or hard, or holy] all that this people will call conspiracy [or hard, or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make others afraid and] in dread … See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah).” – ISAIAH 8:12; COLOSSIANS 2:8

CONSPIRACY. From the Hebrew this time, ‘Qesher’ [קֶשֶׁר]: “An unlawful alliance or confederacy; to confine oneself to a secret compact or league to carry out a work of treason; to knit or join together for such purpose.” As with WEBSTER’S (1828) DEFINITION: It is “unlawful.” It is “secret.” And it is by definition “treasonous,” cobbled together in Darkness for the ‘Overthrow’ of legitimate authority. Selah.

COMMENTARY. “‘Say ye not, a confederacy’ … With the [foreign] King of Assyria, or any other; do not cry it up as a right thing, and express pleasure and satisfaction in it, and encourage others to come into it, and vote for it, and declare an approbation of it; or a ‘Rebellion’, as the Targum, that is, against Ahaz; and so deliver up the Kingdom of the house of David into the hands of its enemies: ‘To all them to whom this people shall say, a confederacy’: Who either were for entering into an alliance with the Assyrian monarch [as with an antichrist], and sending for him to help; or were for joining with their enemies, to the ‘subversion’ of the present government.” – JOHN GILL, ‘An Exposition of the Old and New Testaments,’ 6 vols., 1746-1763; edited

DK. By these arcane undertakings, beloved, the People of God are knowingly or unknowingly engaging in ‘Treason’ against a sitting President – and against Almighty God! They have bought The Lie that they are Christian Patriots in service to the saving of God’s America, and its ‘sacred’ Bill of Rights.

Sedition and Idolatry crammed into a single, treacherous, Trump-inspired Movement. And it is spreading, SANCTIONED BY THE CHURCH, with members of the police, military and even medical communities refusing vaccination, further crippling major institutions.

A famous saying comes to mind here, perfectly suited to the Satanic Snare into which much of the Nation has so willingly, eagerly ‘Fallen’: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave/when first we practice to deceive.” – SIR WALTER SCOTT, ‘Marmion,’ 1808

AMERICAN DARKNESS. Beloved, Lawlessness, Lying and Violence are overwhelming the American Order – from the halls of Government to the Commercial centers, to the Educational institutions, and still again, even to the veritable Queen of all the Sciences – the Church.

And there is both Hell and Heaven to soon pay for it. It is the wise man or woman who would fear the latter over the former, and to make preparation accordingly.

THE SPIRIT OF ISCARIOT

Which leads us into the further Consequence and Definition of the Present Age by which we find ourselves surrounded more and more each day. An Age with many names – Antichrist; Deception; Delusion; Corruption; Decline. Debauchery. Collapse.

But one name not yet mentioned, painfully descriptive of the Present Hour, deserves special scrutiny.

TREACHERY. “Noun trech’ery. Violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence. The man who ‘betrays’ his country in any manner, violates his allegiance, and is guilty of Treachery. This is ‘Treason.’ The man who violates his faith pledged to his friend or ‘betrays’ a trust in which a promise of fidelity is implied, is guilty of Treachery. The disclosure of a secret committed to one in confidence, is Treachery. This is Perfidy [deceitfulness].” – NOAH WEBSTER, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828; edited

To be quite blunt once again: What I see occurring in the American Church, and larger population as a result, is the ‘Spirit of Judas Iscariot’ rapidly advancing, the very definition of Historic Treachery against God and Truth that Webster defined above.

It truly is, ‘Spiritual Treason,’ a theologically violent Insurrection against the Godhead.

THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL. Here now we look at the spiritual ugliness of what is occurring across the Nation’s Sanctuaries.

MATTHEW 26:46-50 (AMP). “‘Get up, let us go. Look, My betrayer is near!”’ As Jesus was still speaking, Judas [Iscariot], one of the twelve [disciples], came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, [who came as representatives] from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.’ Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings (rejoice), Rabbi!’ And he kissed Him [in a deliberate act of betrayal]. Jesus said to Judas, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then they came and seized Jesus and arrested Him.”

MY BETRAYER. In perhaps the saddest Words the Messiah shall have ever spoken, the Greek term here is ‘Paradidómi’ [παραδίδωμι]: “To hand over, to give or deliver over, to betray; I hand over, pledge, hand down, deliver, commit, commend, betray, abandon; to give over into (one’s) power or use; to place into [grave] hazard; surrender by treachery or fraud; unfaithfulness, as with the violation of a trust [or covenant].”

ROBERT WURTZ. “Understand that when I say, ‘the Spirit of Judas Iscariot,’ I do not mean that his spirit is walking the earth or that there is necessarily a demon spirit after that name (as some preach). I’m defining ‘spirit’ as those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in a person’s character and attitude. Judas Iscariot was [at heart] a ‘Thief,’ and apparently served the God of Mammon under the guise of serving Jesus Christ. In the end, we discover that Judas would do anything for a buck and occasionally stole money from the purse that he and the disciples shared with our Lord meant to cover the cost of their necessities (John 12:6). In modern times we would call it embezzling funds. What a brazen thing to do. A person like Judas Iscariot routinely does unconscionable things and seemingly gets by with them — emboldening them to do worse things until they finally commit ‘unfathomable evil.’” – “The Spirit of Judas Iscariot,” ‘The Girded Mind.’ April 23, 2021; edited

If Wurtz is correct, and I believe that he is, then the ‘Spirit’ the True Church must confront is that of ‘The Thief.’ WEBSTER (1828) again, does the honors: “One who seduces by false doctrine (John 10:1). One who makes it his business to cheat and defraud; as a den of thieves.”

ANOTHER GOSPEL. What all this boils down to is, as I argue, the American Church has treacherously become part and parcel and even Spiritual Leader of the Trump-inspired Movement to ‘Steal the Gospel’ of Jesus Christ, further, to supplant it with a Counterfeit, what the Apostle Paul derisively called, ‘Another gospel.’

2 CORINTHIANS 11:4; GALATIANS 1;8 (AMP). “For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted. You tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception] … But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be condemned to destruction!”

CONDEMNED. If ever you wondered why I believe God is so severe about these matters, consider the language He gave Paul to use for such Treachery in His Houses. ‘Anathema!’ [ἀνάθεμα], literally defined as: “Coming under a strong, ‘Divine Curse,’ the sentence for which is utter Condemnation – “Due to a despoiled or unclean votive offering or message, the Liar is subjected to the direst of woes, without any hope of being redeemed; doomed, forever separated from Christ.”

MATTHEW HENRY. In words and tone commensurate with the gravity of this Lethal Sin, Henry writes this. “No enemies are so much to be abhorred as those professed disciples that ‘Betray Christ with a kiss.’ God has no need of our services, much less of our sins, to bring about His purposes. Though Christ was crucified through weakness, it was voluntary weakness; He submitted to death. If He had not been willing to suffer, they could not conquer Him. It was a great sin for those who had left all to follow Jesus; now to leave Him for they knew not what. What folly, for fear of death to flee from Him, whom they knew and acknowledged to be the Fountain of Life!” – ‘Exposition of the Old and New Testaments,’ 1708-1710; edited

Perhaps now, beloved, you are hearing the Father’s Heart ignite in a Blaze of Grief and Fury in this hour. He shall simply, no longer brook such Betrayal of His Son. Once was enough!

THE TEACHING

So now to the meat of the Study of Treachery within the ranks of the Church. Note the Definition offered earlier, then compare and combine with what follows. What we are about to further penetrate the depth and the very terror of this Last Days concept, in the hope of ‘Awakening’ a slumbering Church in the midst of her most perilous hour in memory – perhaps her entire history.

TREACHERY. Considered this time from the Hebrew term, ‘Bagad’ [בָּגד], meaning: “To act covertly, fraudulently or deceptively; to cheat, betray or otherwise oppress; afflict or spoil; to transgress the Law; to cover or conceal; refers to unfaithfulness; also, to depart from a friend [or important agreement].” DK: In case you had not done so at this point, when Conspiracy and Treachery are viewed together, that act in unison: ‘To do great evil against legitimate authority.’ Selah.

PROFANE. To complete a severe theological indictment of what is going on in America and the Church today, here is the final term: ‘Chalal’ [חָלַל]: “Base word means to pierce or kill; to bore or drill through; more specifically, to pollute, defile, or prostitute; to loosen or break; refers to doing violence to the Law of God or the desecration of the Holy; figuratively, sexual defilement; to debase.” DK: To make sure all are getting the core meaning: This is the height of Rebellion against God by those professing to be His; it constitutes an ‘abomination.’ Selah.

COMMENTARY. “‘Deal treacherously’: Despise, so some, break our faith in the marriage contract engaged, so carry it disloyally, against the duty we owe to God’s Law, which equally binds us as our wives to mutual love, honour, and faithfulness; and why then do we take ‘Heathen wives,’ Jewish wives being disliked, rejected, and so greatly despised? Why do we this against the bond of Consanguinity [‘of the same bloodline’]? And do we sons of Abraham abuse thus the daughters of Abraham? Why do we so little regard the bond of Religion? We are people, sons and daughters, of one God, who hath called us, ‘separated us’ from the Heathen to keep Religion pure and unmixed; why then do we transgress thus?” – MATTHEW POOLE, ‘English Annotations on the Holy Bible,’ 1685 (posthumously); edited

What we learn from all this analysis, again, is that the American Church, by joining hands and hearts with the unprecedented Darkness of Donald Trump, is transgressing the Law and Holiness of God so wickedly, that it constitutes Harlotry, a most violent ‘Blasphemy.’ Some argue, even ‘Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’ of the One True God.

Son of Dr. Francis Schaeffer, FRANK SCHAEFFER, delivers a most scathing indictment in this very regard of the then-Press Secretary to the President, KAYLEIGH MCENANY.

“Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, is an Evangelical. She is ‘lying for Trump.’ Therefore, McEnany is lying for Russia when she denies Trump’s betrayal of our troops by doing nothing about Putin putting a bounty on their heads. McEnany, like all Evangelicals such as FRANKLIN GRAHAM, caught in Trump’s endless web of lies is destroying the reputation of Jesus in America by loyalty to Trump instead of to God. If Christianity is true, then everyone needs Faith in Jesus to be saved. In that case then Kayleigh McEnany, lying for Trump is denying a chance to accept Christ to millions turned off by Trump. Trump is her poster boy for the cause of Jesus. Bad choice!

In Biblical terms, Kayleigh McEnany will ‘not’ be forgiven by God. The Bible says, ‘Blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven’ [Matthew 12:31]. In other words, McEnany stands between the Holy Spirit and lost souls the Spirit could otherwise reach in order to ‘move their hearts’ to accept Jesus. Thus, Kayleigh McEnany, judged by her own literally-interpreted Bible, is an ‘unrepentant enemy of God’ of whom the Bible says (in Matthew 7:21-23): “‘Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” – ‘Frank Schaeffer Blog,’ June 28, 2020; edited

SELAH. Now about here all of us need to take a deep breath to begin to contemplate what is being proposed, of the most heinous nature about which I have ever dared to write. We are advancing the theological argument that I can best summarize in this way:

DK. In the Last Days, a Great Apostasy of believers in Jesus Christ will take place, as the majority of those professing Him shall willingly depart from the Faith, rejecting the Blood Covenant they struck at their Salvation, thus attempting to crucify Him a second time, which He refuses to allow. They are, consequently, and by their own sustained, unrepentant free will choices, consigning themselves to The Flames.

About such grave matters, JOHN THE APOSTLE wrote in the most sober of tones:

“He who overcomes [the world by adhering faithfully to Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior] will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the LIARS [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” – REVELATION 21:7-8, AMP

DK. I cannot say more of this than both God and Trump have together said it, purposely juxtaposed opposite each other because they ARE ‘opposite’ one another, beloved. As in ‘The (true) Christ,’ as over against the ‘Anti-Christ.’ The implications of that Grand Proposition, if valid, are nothing less than Existential and Eternal – and fully Terrifying.

LAST THOUGHTS

What all this pleading and debating and admonishing and exhorting is about that I do nowadays as a matter of course is because of THREE INCENTIVES. One, I fully believe I am called by our Sovereign to bring these warnings, that some might listen and be rescued. Two, because such Messages are so completely absent from the American Church today.

Three, most vitally, as Mr. Shaeffer roared in so many words: Lives are at stake! Last week I quoted JOEL 3:14 that I virtually ‘heard’ on October 7, 2021, that drives so powerfully to these points. Allow me to revisit it as we begin to close in greater depth.

“Put in the sickle, for the [vintage] harvest is ripe; come, get down and tread the grapes, for the winepress is full; the vats overflow, for the wickedness [of the peoples] is great. ‘Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!’ For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” – JOEL 3:13-14, AMPC

Of this terrible passage, the venerable MATTHEW HENRY writes:

“Here is a challenge to all the ‘Enemies’ of God’s people. There is no escaping God’s Judgments; hardened sinners, in that Day of Wrath, shall be cut off from all comfort and joy. Most of the Prophets foretell the same Final Victory of the [true] Church of God over all that oppose it. To the Wicked it will be a terrible day, but to the Righteous it will be a joyful day. What cause have those who possess an interest in Christ, to glory in their Strength and their Redeemer! The acceptable Year of the Lord, a Day of such great favour to some, will be a day of remarkable vengeance to others: Let everyone that is out of Christ AWAKE, and flee from the Wrath to come!” – ‘Exposition of the Old and New Testaments,’ 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

DK’S TAKE. My own sense is that, along with a DAVID WILKERSON sermon I just heard yesterday-night, the Postmodern Church in America is simply not listening to the many Warnings God is sending and now shouting to our beleaguered Nation. It’s as if the Doctrine of ‘The Parousia’ has been back-benched for years now.

Thus, American Christians, as with their Jewish predecessors 2,000 years ago, are looking for a Political Savior in matters of both Church and State.

I view all of this as sinister Runup to keep believers from the Final Days Truth that will literally lead them away from The Rapture, to be left behind for an unthinkable Seven Year Horror Show on the earth, called the Great Tribulation, described by Jesus Christ like this:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” – MATTHEW 24:21, NKJV

NOT ALL ‘GET TO GO.’ In the interests and spirit of Last Calls to the Renegades from the Canon, presuming that it is not too late already, let me begin to close with a stark definition of that phrase I have been using for the past couple of years now.

“Not everyone gets to go.”

Here is a stunning Commentary on that Revelation 21 passage I cited a bit earlier, by the normally staid and steady WILLIAM MACDONALD. You must make special note of the ‘Unrepentant’ Sinners who were specified by the Spirit of Text.

“But not all are overcomers. Some are cowardly, afraid to confess Christ; unbelieving, unwilling to trust the sinner’s Savior; sinners … all those who remain in their sins, whether guilty of the gross iniquities listed here [Revelation 21:8] or not; abominable, given over to disgusting immorality; murderers, malicious and savage killers; sexually immoral, practicing fornication [natural or spiritual] and other forms of sexual sins; sorcereers, those who traffic with evil spirits; idolaters, insulting God by worshiping images; and and ALL LIARS, compulsive deceivers. These will be assigned to the Lake of Fire as their final destiny.” – ‘Believer’s Bible Commentary,’ 1995, p. 2379; edited

CODA. My final read of The Times is that the Age of Grace is in its last minutes of remaining open. ‘The Moment’ that Christ comes for the True Church, the Door of the Ark shall slam shut forever. And those who were found ‘Unrepentant’ but confessed Christ, shall for their Blasphemies will not likely have ‘another chance’ to sign on in the Great Tribulation.

As Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews said it plain, as we opened this Series on it:

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” – HEBREWS 6:4-6, NKJV

That is the Consensus of the Canon and the Bible sages, beloved. All that to say, as some of you so passionately express it: “Get on the Ark!” For the time for doing so is growing to a close. Though we know not the Hour nor the Day.

Yet the Seasonal Signs of His Arrival all about and upon us, beloved. They are everywhere! In that may we rejoice jubilantly every single day. Selah.

Ever your servant, DK

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