Lynchburg News & Advance:
The Rev. John Hagee, a nationally known pastor from San Antonio, Texas, told a gathering at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg on Sunday night that America must win the war against terrorists who embrace radical Islam.
"Right now America is at a crossroads," said Hagee, who heads Christians United For Israel. "The Third World War has begun."
Thanks for the heads up. It should be said that Thomas Road is Jerry Falwell's church and Falwell is the Boss Hogg of Lynchburg, Virginia -- Hagee did not have a skeptical audience. Which is too bad, because he's squirrellier than an apple orchard.
He delivered the dispensational line, that Russia and China are in cahoots with terrorists.
Hagee said the “serpent’s head” of radical Islam is Iran, which has been gleaning support from both Russia and China.
"Russia is all over the Middle East in an antagonistic position against the United States," Hagee said. "Our president and our government needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Mr. (Vladamir) Putin is not for us, he’s against us."
How does Hagee know all this about Putin? It's in the Bible... Except it's not.
According to WhatSaithTheScripture.com, "Ezekiel 38 is the classic text used by many to prove a World War III or Armageddon-like invasion of Israel. WW III may actually be an engagement prior to the Tribulation Week involving an incident between the U.S. and the Arabs, followed by the neutralizing of the U.S.A. by Chinese and Russian missiles. However, Ezekiel 38 describes how the Russian-Arab alliance will be destroyed by "an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone" (Ezekiel 38:22) 30 days prior to the Middle of the Week."
The problem is that Ezekiel 38 doesn't say that at all. Yet, despite what the Bible actually says, endtimers believe it says all this. For example, Ezek 38:2 reads, "Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him". Hagee would point to this as 'proof' that Russia is involved in terrorism and will nuke Israel -- despite the fact that it doesn't say that. In fact, there's absolutely no reason to believe it should be interpreted that way.
One reason why this verse is interpreted this way is the ravings of the founder of the Worldwide Church of God, the late Herbert Armstrong. WCG is a cult -- no more, no less -- and Armstrong was a lunatic. Yet, this interpretation of Ezekiel lives on.
The Trumpet (Armstrongist cult literature):
Even before World War II broke out, Mr. Armstrong could foresee the emergence of these two superpowers in the end time. In the June/July 1934 issue of the Plain Truth he proclaimed, “Scripture prophesies two great military powers to arise in the last days—one the revival of the Roman Empire by a federation of ten nations in the territory of the ancient Roman Empire; the other…Russia, with her allies… possibly China or Japan.”
Other Armstrong 'prophecies' were that the UK would be conquered by the Nazis and that China would invade India. He also predicted the end of the world several times. Obviously, he missed on those by a country mile.
How did the ravings of a lunatic cult leader become part of the mainstream evangelical movement? Who knows? But, I'm guessing that the fact that Hagee and Falwell are crazy has a lot to do with it.
What's frightening is that this maniacal view of the world is influencing people in position to affect foreign policy.
Grist:
In 2002, [Tom] DeLay visited pastor John Hagee's Cornerstone Church. Hagee preached a fiery message as simple as it was horrifying: "The war between America and Iraq is the gateway to the Apocalypse!" he said, urging his followers to support the war, perhaps in order to bring about the Second Coming. After Hagee finished, DeLay rose to second the motion. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "what has been spoken here tonight is the truth from God."
With those words -- broadcast to 225 Christian TV and radio stations -- DeLay placed himself squarely inside the End-Time camp, a faction willing to force the Apocalypse upon the rest of the world. In part, DeLay may embrace Hagee and others like him in a calculated attempt to win fundamentalist votes -- but he was also raised a Southern Baptist, steeped in a literal interpretation of the Bible and End-Time dogma. Biographer Dubose says that the majority leader probably doesn't grasp the complexities of dispensationalist and reconstructionist theology, but "I am convinced that he believes [in] it." For DeLay, Dubose told me, "If John Hagee says it, then it is true."
[...]
...[James] Inhofe, like DeLay, is a Christian Zionist. While the senator has not overtly expressed his religious views in his environmental committee, he has when speaking on other issues. In a Senate foreign-policy speech, Inhofe argued that the U.S. should ally itself unconditionally with Israel "because God said so." Quoting the Bible as the divine Word of God, Inhofe cited Genesis 13:14-17 -- "for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever" -- as justification for permanent Israeli occupation of the West Bank and for escalating aggression against the Palestinians.
Let's not waste words here, these people are insane. They prefer the lunatic fantasies of a dead cult leader to the actual words in the Bible.
The sooner people stop listening to them and their followers, the better off we'll all be. They're pushing for WWIII because they want it to happen -- they think that if they can bring about the apocalypse, Jesus will come back.
As I said, they're crazy.
--Wisco
Technorati tags: politics; Middle East; Israel; cultism; the religious right want foreign policy set by crazy people like Herbert W. Armstrong
4 comments:
Hagee is a terrorist masquerading as a Christian.
We are not only fighting terrorism in Iraq, we are fighting it in our own country. People need to think for themselves and be informed.
Belief in your God is a vital part of life, but to insist that every person, country or person with a different faith is the enemy is a sign of serious mental illness.
"Crazy town" pretty much sums them up in a nutshell...(no pun intended, well...maybe a little one)
Unfortunately these people are not a joke any longer. I'm not certain whose blog I was whoring about on, but someone mentioned the extreme religious right as not being a "real" threat, or the threat was being blown out of proportion, as they appeared to be marginalized.
Whoever said that needs to read your post...carefully. I have been watching this stuff from the early seventies, a good friend of mine who happened to be a Anthro-post-grad type, who was into his southern culture/roots took me to a couple of "revivals" back in the day, for reasons of observation, and well pure entertainment... but it ain't funny no more.
Nevertheless, I will never forget what I saw, and I have never forgotten the movement, have always kept an eye on it, and for good reason, look at where we are today.
These people now have money and power, and they are not afraid to use it.
What is totally amazing to me is how much of America either doesn't see this, or continues to keep their head in the sand (or...inserted elsewhere).
What was crazy yesterday is now considered quite sane, and is calling a bunch of the shots today. No, there is nothing marginalized about this movement and what their plans have in store for us all. Oh, and that nut Hagee has probably been trying to get some one to blow up Russia for decades, no doubt his fixated obsessions seem to be stuck in that vein. I will say he is correct in that Russia probably is undermining us in the Middle East. But that's nothing new, I mean they always have, what would have them stop?...oh yeah, a few nukes. I am sure DeLay has milked him like a cow, that has got to be one hell of a collection plate they pass around down there.
Your blog is a good one, and has good information. We Christians have to test the spirits to see if they are from God or not.
Herbert Armstrong, Hagee, and many of these men have made prophecies that have failed. Look to Deut.18:22 and you will see that a failure has never been sent by God. They have failed the test of what it means to be a prophet according to the Scriptures, and only fools follow fools. The blind leading the blind will both fall into a pit.
Check out my blog if you're interested ...
http://christianprisoners.blogspot.com/
The true Christians will be prisoners and will be found in the world's prsions not in the halls of power. These Evil Evangelicals are hoping to take over America and get their hands on the bomb.
I wouldn't trust them with a plastic knife in their pockets, let alone a nuclear bomb.
"Woe to the man who trusts in man." This means you too, you Evangelical Armageddonists!
Jesus also said the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. What does this mean? I'll tell you. Unbelievers are smarter than believers. Why would anyone want someone who is dumber than they ruling over them? Do we want people with lower IQs ruling America and making decisions about our lives?
Christians are the village idiots of this world, let them stay ranting and raving about insane things in the town sqaures, not in our places of power!
Don't forget, I am a Christian myself, so don't get all angry and stuff about what I said here. Make your complaint to the Lord. He said it. Not I.
More proof that the Religious Right is not smart enough to rule the United States ...
From:
http://www.theocracywatch.org/taking_over.htm
San Jose Mercury News, 1992, Two articles -- one before the election, one after:
A group dedicated to making the Bible the law of the land has quietly positioned itself to take over the Republican Party's power structure in Santa Clara County.
The 17 Christian right candidates for the Republican Central Committee appear on a mailer put out by a Tehama County group called Citizens for Liberty. The flier says the candidates advocate "traditional family values, more jobs, lower taxes, welfare reform and choice in education."
But at least some have a more sweeping agenda ... Some see takeover plans. More liberal Republicans say the Central Committee campaign is part of a widespread "stealth" effort to take over America by starting with little-noticed local races. They cite elections in San Diego County two years ago, when 60 of 90 Christian right candidates for low-level offices won election, largely by campaigning through conservative churches.
"Clearly the strategy is to control the central committees and then use the central committees to give credibility to their candidates," said Luis Buhler...
A fundraising letter ... includes "a call for the death penalty for abortion, adultery and unrepentant homosexuality."
Many of these links come from The Activists Handbook, by Frederick Clarkson and Skipp Porteous of the (no longer active) Institute for First Amendment Studies. Articles from the Handbook have been scanned for this site because they are not otherwise available on the web. These articles document the activities of the Christian Coalition from 1991-1993 as they began to take "working control" of the Republican Party.
_______
Let's see ... not even Hitler, although he announced his hatred for Jews and made others as anti-Semetic as he was, was dumb enough to tell people what diabolical plans he had in store for the Jews, the ovens and such.
Yet, the Christian Right has the audacity to release a fundraising letter ... includes "a call for the death penalty for abortion, adultery and unrepentant homosexuality."
At least the AntiChrist will be smart enough not to tell the world that he plans to chop off the heads of every Christian he can get his hands on. Not at first, at least.
The Christians have also forgotten that the Lord their God said, "Mercy to the merciful." The Christians will reap what they sowed, because they had no intention of showing any mercy whatsoever! Problem is ... all Christians all over the world will suffer due to the Evangelicals' foolishness.
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