This article was first published today on Facebook by mitch salmon and is republished here with the kind permission of the author.

~ WARNING ~
CONTAINS IMAGES OF A GRAPHIC NATURE

Just a few months ago in April this Syrian youth died by crucifixion rather than denying Christ.

Last week I shared a video called, “The Test.” It’s hard not to be disturbed at the ideas being presented within this short message. It’s difficult to imagine that such things could be right outside our front doors. Yet they are. We live in a world that is increasingly hostile to followers of Christ. Although we have skirted violence in the United States, it is only a matter of time.

Are we really that surprised? Sure we live in a nation where there is a precedence of Christian values or at the very least tolerance, but this is changing. We are finding ourselves plunging headlong into the words written by the prophet Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20) We are witnessing the death of a nation… a nation that long heralded the motto, “One nation under God.” Clearly for the masses this motto no longer applies. So then what shall be put in its place? “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”? Perhaps it already has been.

For the past several decades the church in the United States has embraced the world. We’ve sought to transform it by being relevant but the truth is that it is we who have been transformed. Just as water draining from a tub, the allures of this world begin with a gentle tug but as momentum gathers, we find ourselves in the vortex on our way to oblivion. The salt has lost its saltiness and the light has been all but snuffed out.

And our faith is about to be put to the test…

You say, “No! It cannot happen!” I imagine there are those in other places across the world who thought the same things at one point. However, as they have been immersed into a society that is anti-Christ it has been a rude awakening. Yet somehow the news media completely fails to report such things. Depiction of protesters taking part in the persecution of Christians in Egypt. Discrimination, property seizures, harassment and even execution are all common place.

Depiction of protestors taking part in the persecution of Christians in Egypt. Discrimination, property seizures, harassment and even execution are all common place.

The headlines may be talking about other nations, but they will be talking about ours when they feature such words as, “Christian Teenagers Crucified, Unborn Babies Hung from Trees .” When we send our high school aged children off to school we don’t have to prepare them with the warning, “If someone asks you to deny Jesus and threatens your life you have to stand strong in your faith!” But what if we did?

You say, “But I’ll keep my child safe at home. I’ll educate them myself based on my values.” Will you? Parents who home school are under increasing pressure to turn their children over to the public school system. Why? The government wants the right to indoctrinate our children. They want to prepare them to be “good global citizens.” The rights of parents are fading quickly in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The insanity of our nation is not solely the responsibility of the government. It is the responsibility of the people. Narcissism has become the norm to the point where many Americans are so self absorbed that they have all but tuned out the outside world. We have become ignorant, fat and lazy for lack of a better way of phrasing this. Without a literal about face occurring in the very near future what we knew the United States to be will have been shoved off a cliff.

I know my language is abrupt. Perhaps it is even offensive to some. Yet consider for yourself just a few examples of the insanity and decide for yourself.

Prior to September 11th, 2001 the Islamic faith was something most of our citizens knew little about. The greatest terrorist act on our soil provided a rude awakening and forced a deeper probe into what it means to be Muslim. If we delved far enough into their doctrine we learned their duty is Jihad (holy war) and that Christians, or anyone else that does not wholeheartedly embrace their views, is the infidel. And the infidel must die. Yet today what is the fastest growing religion in the United States? Shockingly it’s Islam! The very same religion blamed for claiming so many American lives and breaking the heart of a nation is now overtaking it without a single missile, bomb or bullet. Even the women of our nation who fought with such determination for equality through the 70s and 80s are seemingly silent despite the Islamic view that women are little more than property.

Insanity?

What if I told you that nearly as many babies are aborted as are born in the United States?

In 1973 we passed a law that we could kill our unborn children at will and since then we have expanded these laws to make them increasingly liberal. We’ve finally reached the place where the government will gladly pay to kill your unborn child. As a result of this holocaust, the number of unborn slaughtered has surpassed 50 million and is well on its way to 60. The blood of a generation cries out from the ground. Hobby Lobby was nearly the only entity from sea to shining sea that made a stand. They insisted that it was their right not to offer state sponsored murder. Christians heralded their victory in the Supreme Court even as the polls on the street indicated that 66% of Americans disagreed with the decision. 66% of those polled believe that a business should be forced into offering murder on their healthcare plan.

Again I ask, “Insanity?”

The words I have written are covered under my First Amendment right. It says that I have the right to express my views whether you agree with them or not. Yet it won’t be long before my views will be labeled as hate speech and I will be viewed as a criminal. What was it I cited above? “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”

Now picture this. A well dressed man comes on the television tonight. He rudely interrupts your favorite sitcom forcing you to listen to what he has to say. He states, “New studies show that Christians are the new number one terrorist extremist group in the nation.” He encourages viewers to be good citizens by volunteering the information of those they know to be “radical Christians.” Will much of the nation willingly volunteer such information even as they know it could lead to the imprisonment of their neighbors and co-workers? Maybe not yet, but then again…

One may come to the conclusion that I am all doom and gloom based on what I’ve shared and I suppose there is good reason to arrive in such an abysmal place. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. My heart is deeply saddened by the state of our nation and the stat e of the world. I know that we will face judgment and that the judgment is coming very soon (notice I did not say if because there are no more ifs regarding this). Yet I am blessed with faith unshakable and hope that cannot be stolen from me. I may lose my job, my house, my car and even my cat but no one can take my Jesus.

Along with the knowledge I have been given comes a call to action. The same is true of you if you have read this far into the article. I must sound the alarm so that the blood is not on my hands and I must pray so that eyes are opened and souls are awakened to the only hope for mankind…. namely, JESUS. This may seem like a strange time and place to extend such an invitation but I must. I want to ask you, have you given your heart to Jesus. Before you dismiss this question because you prayed a prayer at some point in your life let me rephrase. If a gun was placed to your head right now and you were told to either denounce Jesus or die, would you hold fast? If you hesitated in your response you just survived an encounter at gunpoint but denied my LORD and Savior.

The days of gray are over. In fact they never should have been. Still, they are behind us. Only black and white remain. Those who insist on trying to play the middle ground will find that it is shrinking. Before long it will no longer exist. All that will remain is a void which is forming and causing an ever increasing gap between the church and the world. What we decided yesterday matters little. What we decide today may make all the difference.

When examined under the light of the scenario presented above, if you are unsure, today is the day to make a choice. Repent of your position that seeks to preserve self and affirm before the LORD today that you are ready to lay your life down. I pray it never comes to that, but you will be glad for all eternity that you firmly decide your position and refuse to waiver.

Below are several links to videos available on the web. I suggest that you take the time to view these as it will solidify the point being made above.

This brief video gives a glimpse into the plight of Christians in Syria. Take note of what they are saying.

The Christian movement in Syria has deep roots. It was not long ago that they were free to worship God in their country. They have been praying for many years for a great revival.
Persecution came suddenly. There is parity to our own nation here. Have you seen anything about their plight on the news? Did you even know it existed?

I highly recommend the video below. It details Christian persecution throughout the world. This includes persecution of Christians within our own borders. Beware. Once your eyes are opened there is no turning back.

<<< Video removed by YouTube >>>

This last video from Info Wars is a stark wake up call. It is almost unfathomable that this level of persecution could be taking place right under our noses and yet the news media and political seemingly ignore this plight.

<<< Video removed by YouTube >>>

By no means is this an all inclusive list. The numbers of videos are growing as the level of worldwide persecution increases. Consider this your wake up call. More to follow. God bless you.

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mitch salmon is a follower of Jesus Christ and proclaimer of the good news!
This article was first published on Facebook on July 30, 2014.

 

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