Post by Cindy on Jun 28, 2019 10:58:06 GMT -5
by Christine Pack
"For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 'Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.'" (Isaiah 8:11-13)
Yes, the world is wicked. And yes, a lot of that in-your-face wickedness was on display, both visually and lyrically, in many ways during the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show. But please, let's not go down the Illuminati rabbit hole. Exhibit A, an article from the dodgy, conspiracy-focused website called Now The End Begins, entitled: Ex-Christian Katy Perry Promotes Dark Magic and LGBT Agenda at 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The above article, which claims that various performers in the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show were openly broadcasting the intentions of the Illuminati and the New World Order, has been popping up in my Facebook newsfeed all day. For those who have never heard those terms before, the Illuminati and the New World Order are believed to be organizations in which Satan's minions gather in secret to work his dark mischief, but Old Scratch will occasionally (it is believed) come out into the open and use his minions to broadcast his intentions to the world, which he does through various costumes and hand signals. Beyonce making a triangle with her fingers during a stage performance was one widely quoted example of this, and so was Madonna's half-time Super Bowl costume from a few years ago. What are these high level occultists supposed to be broadcasting? The code-breakers can't quite figure it out, but they know Something Is Going On, what with All! Those! Symbols! being flashed. From the article:
In the recent years the Super Bowl, almost always the highest-rated and most-watched television broadcast on the planet, has given over it’s famed Halftime Show to trumpet the cause of the New World Order and the Illuminati. And as referenced in our opening bible verse at the top of the story, the Illuminati knows that it is “their hour”, and they are defiantly out in the open. (online source)
But as Christian researcher Marcia Montenegro wrote a few years ago, symbols vary from culture to culture, and don't always mean the same things (read her article entitled Demystifying Symbols here).
These conspiracy sites are concerning for two reasons:
(1) They confuse and mislead Christians about what the occult is. It is not about symbols that are embedded in the landscape, and which must be decoded. It is not about tracking conspiracies like a bloodhound, and examining all the (supposedly) dropped-breadcrumb-clues of the Illuminati when they (supposedly) Broadcast Their Intentions, and then unraveling the mystery about what wealthy industrialist knows what world leader, and what they were *really* (wink-wink) doing together at that private resort (cue scary music: dun dun dunnn!). Hint: They weren't planning chem-trail routes and other nefarious evil; they were drinking whisky, smoking cigars and comparing their golf scores. That's what they were doing.
(2) While it is true that evil does exist on a rampant scale, we only need God's word, which is our standard for what is good and holy and righteous, to be able to understand what is wrong and unholy and unrighteous. We don't need to be unraveling conspiracies and trying to figure out if the wealthy elite of the world are getting together to conspire and scheme in smoke-filled rooms. We already know there is evil. We already understand that there is an evil force that is alive and well, and operating in the world, and it is Satan. And we know this from God's word, not from unraveling supposed conspiracies. But truth and light overcome lies and darkness, so let's proclaim it to those taken captive by the world's system.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5)
Full disclosure: I had a season of conspiratorial thinking in my own Christian walk, spending waaaaay too much time on conspiracy websites trying to Connect All The Dots. I have repented of that, and hope to help others do the same (that was one of my reasons for writing the article). And yet at the same time, as believers we know that Satan IS a real entity who prowls the earth seeking whom he may devour, and that he always has his willing agents from generation to generation. So it can be tricky sorting through the information, and coming to a biblical understanding of the right filter through which to see the world. Nonetheless, it's important for Christians to strive to think as biblically as possible in this area, as in all other areas, because not only will our Christians walks be strengthened, but the truth of the matter is important. God is the author of truth, and thus the truth of a matter should be important to us, because it's important to Him.
To learn more about the conspiracy mindset, please read some of these Facebook threads in which we discuss the conspiratorial worldview, and why such thinking can so seriously hinder a Christian's walk.
Symbols and conspiracy theories (9-30-13)
Conspiracy theory films (12-2-13)
Conspiracy theories and the Christian (12-31-13)
Be cautious of those teaching a conspiratorial worldview (12-16-13)
King James Onlyism and how it is conspiratorial thinking (9-28-13)
King James Onlyism, Textus Receptus and Jesuit Change Agents.....oh my! (10-1-13)
(Part 2)
Oh dear, just when the folks who might have a tendency to be conspiracy minded get settled down after the Super Bowl performances, Madonna gets "kind of Satanic" by dancing with "a bunch of masked, horned bull-men," according to the on-site MTV reporter. *sigh*
It's interesting to note that the above was reported in a tongue-in-cheek way by MTV, but this doesn't help the conspiracy theorists, whose ability to decode Illuminati conspiracies is high, but their ability to decode cheeky commentary is apparently non-existent. (Conspiracy theory website Now The End Begins ran with the headline Madonna Dances Over Pit of Horned Demons at 2015 Grammys.)
In reality, Madonna gave a performance that featured a matador theme, and which included horn-hatted dancers who did look something like how we might imagine Satan's minions to look.
However, there were other displays of demonic/Satanic imagery at the Grammys, including AC/DC singing "Highway To Hell," which the audience rocked out to while wearing glowy, devil horn hats. These devil hats were passed out to the crowd, who were encouraged to take them home as a keepsake. Sweet, huh?
Friends, this is not Illuminati indoctrination. This is just celebrities riding the wave of the culture. They love to shock and outdo each other and be outrageous. And besides, I've always had a theory about Madonna, who was raised Roman Catholic, that at heart (besides being a sinner), she's just a Catholic schoolgirl who wants to shock the nuns.
To be clear: there's no question about the fact that Madonna lives and promotes a wicked lifestyle. But no, she's not a member of the Illuminati.
Steady on, folks. Respond to the evil that you know of (which is readily known through the content of Madonna's songs and lifestyle), and "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
★★ And PLEASE do not see this as an opportunity to mock or ridicule Madonna. She's a lost person, living a depraved lifestyle, but at one time "such were some of you" (1 Cor 6:11). Pray for her. Pray for someone to have access to her who can give her the gospel, the TRUE gospel, which she undoubtedly never heard, having grown up Roman Catholic. ★★
(Part 3)
On a recent show on Stand Up For The Truth radio, Dr. Randy White, who pastors a church in Katy, TX, was asked by the show host about the wisdom of Christians getting involved with conspiracy theories and conspiracy theory websites, which often involve poring over websites of corporations and performances of popular celebrities, and looking for hidden meaning in logos, symbols, costumes and "hand signals." This is often a hot topic every year around the time of the Super Bowl, when these websites hum with activity and get busy deconstructing costumes, lyrics and performances. Madonna and Beyonce's Super Bowl performances from a few years ago have been the source of much speculation, and right on cue, Katy Perry's performance from the recent 2015 Super Bowl half-time show also generated discussion, with some websites proclaiming that Perry is the woman who rides the beast from Revelation 17. Even MTV got into the action with a cheeky article about the Illuminati (19 Grammy Moments That Prove The Illuminati is Definitely Real...warning for coarse language).
Deconstructing signs and symbols is a staple among the conspiracy theory set. Just put "Illimuniti" into a Google search engine, and see what you get: 45 million stories in a split second (0.25 seconds, to be exact), that's what you get. That's a rabbit hole from which a person might never emerge. But is this where God wants us to put our focus and spend time? Listen to Amy Spreeman of Stand Up For The Truth as she asks Dr. Randy White of the Word For The World ministry his thoughts on this topic (starting at around the 34:15 min mark):
QUESTION: One thing I do want to ask you, this is kind of my own brain here. I posted something on our Stand Up For The Truth Facebook page yesterday.....not meaning to, of course, disparage anybody, but just..... we don't focus here on things like symbols and the Illuminati and things like that. And that came up over the Super Bowl weekend when, you know, Katy Perry (performed) and there was a lot of symbolism and stuff. And I don't certainly fault anyone for doing that, but I think discernment, if you're going to be looking at things, what we've always done here is just hold things up to Scripture. So, you can look at Katy Perry's music and what she says she believes versus what she actually does, and hold it up to Scripture and discern that way. Could I just get your thoughts on symbols, Illuminati, that sort of thing?
PASTOR RANDY WHITE: Yeah, I am not excited about conspiracy theories. There are so many that come about, and they begin to see things between the lines, and things that aren't readily noticeable in some sort of symbol or, you know, the way somebody raised their eyebrow or something, has to do with some ancient symbol or whatnot. I would much rather a Christian focus on what does the actual black and white in the (Bible) say? Become an expert in the Word. And don't--- it's just too easy to be snookered on all these things. There's no way to prove anything. There's no way to look at it. And we've got the facts right before us in the word of God. And it doesn't take rocket science to figure out that where our government is going is not according to the word of God. Do we have to know, you know, all the ins and outs of who's connected to who, and how this went back to that theory and this other theory? I personally don't. I just know it's unGodly. I don't trust the whole bag of it.
And there are these economic conspiracies that are given. And too many Christians have honestly, spent a lot of money, and done a lot of things that were not economically sound because they got their economics from a preacher who didn't know what he was talking about, rather than look at the word of God, and then, economic principles, you know, from the word of God, are economic principles for the saved and unsaved. You've got to look at fundamentals as it relates here. So I'm one who would much rather look at the word of God and look at fundamentals, and go with that.
Our thoughts.
The acceptance and study of conspiracy theories is not an activity that is edifying for the Christian walk. Yes, conspiracies exist, and the Bible even mentions conspiracies in several places. There was even a conspiracy to kill Jesus. But the conspiracies are mentioned in passing, and nowhere are Christians exhorted to study them.
So what is going on with the Super Bowl performances? Obviously, we are living in a wicked time, a time that is becoming more and more wicked with each passing year. Our culture is hyper-sexualized. Many thousands of babies are murdered every year by being aborted. There is rampant fornication and immorality and violence all around us. In short, our culture has cast off all moral restraint. There's not even a pretense of it anymore. And so it's to be expected that the celebrities this immoral, hyper-sexualized, sensation-seeking culture chooses to build up and idolize will reflect those values (or lack of values). And they do. They sing songs with lyrics that celebrate wickedness, fornication and the latest cause du jour, normalized homosexuality. So should it really be any surprise that the performances of these celebrities at one of the most-viewed events of the year would be over the top in every way? That's what we know and can see plainly, and that's what we should be dealing with. We don't need to deconstruct costumes or hand signals in order to know that the lyrics of Katy Perry's songs are wicked. The lyrics celebrate bisexuality, and we don't need to do any code-cracking on a conspiracy website in order to know whether or not that's wrong. We can know it's wrong from God's word.
Hysteria of this type is nothing new. In the 1980s, there was a widely circulated rumor that the CEO of Fortune 500 company Proctor and Gamble had publicly stated he was donating a portion of Proctor and Gamble's profits to the Church of Satan. This rumor took on a life of its own, and was widely repeated and whispered about for years. During this season of slander, the Proctor and Gamble logo was also widely deconstructed for evidence revealing the company's (alleged) connection to the Church of Satan. But this rumor, which continues to surface every few years, is completely false. (Read the Snopes article that documents this here.) And to go a step further, from a Christian perspective, for Christians to repeat this information without verifying it, is to bear false witness (transgression of the 9th Commandment). As we say often here, truth is important, because God is the author of truth. Truth is important to God, and so it ought to be important to us. This means that we have an obligation to verify whether things that we repeat are true or not.
And as far as a high-level conspiracy in the way that conspiracy theorists generally think of it, that interconnects the government, the pharmaceutical industry, the military, past and present world leaders, the banking industry, corporate heads, and even farmers (all those GMOs, you know)? No. Just, no. The idea not only stretches the bounds of credulity, but it's just simply not possible. (Listen here to an in-depth discussion about conspiracy theories, and why they are not possible as they are commonly thought to exist.)
Conclusion:
Is there a balanced way for Christians to view conspiracy theories, the answer is yes, there is. Simply put, it involves weighing actual evidence, and not just relying on anecdotal accounts or speculation or the first 10 websites provided by a Google search (or in the instance of an Illuminati Google search, the first 45 million websites). Of all people, Christians know that there is real evil in the world, and that we have a real Adversary, a real spiritual presence that is alive and well and active in the world today ("Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8). But, we also know that a sovereign Lord rules and reigns over the affairs of man, and that what we are commanded to do is simple: contend for truth, love and serve our families and our churches, and share the gospel.
(Part 4)
In the past few days, we've written extensively about Christians and the conspiracy theories, and the wisdom of such a focus. We want to make it clear that just because biblical history records conspiracies doesn't mean that as believers we should study conspiracies. There is plenty of evil in the world that is plain, that we already know of, that we should address. We don't need to decode Katy Perry's or Madonna's or Beyonce's song lyrics according to some conspiracy theory website in order to determine that they are wicked and promoting a wicked lifestyle. It's plain to see from what they have recorded and how they live.
With this is mind, please consider the following two examples for witnessing to the lost:
THE BIBLICAL WAY:
Christian to a lost person: "Did you notice what Katy Perry was singing about in the half-time show? Her lyrics encourage out-of-wedlock sex and homosexuality. The Bible teaches that fidelity in marriage is a good thing and that we should flee from homosexual sin, let me show you.
Lost person: It does? Okay, can you show me that?
contrasted with......
THE CONSPIRACY THEORIST'S WAY:
Christian to a lost person: Did you watch Katy Perry's Super Bowl performance? First of all, she's the woman who rides the beast from Revelation 17. And about that costume, did you notice....(insert four thousand more words here on the costumes, symbols and hand signals of the half-time show)."
Lost person: Zzzzzzzz (asleep)
Romans 1 and Suppressing The Truth In Unrighteousness
The Bible is all we need in terms of understanding why the lost are enslaved to Satan. Romans 1 stands in stark contrast to the claims of conspiracy theorists on how people become enslaved to sin, which is that these symbols, or hand signals, or corporate logos, or whatever, somehow "condition" people to accept Satan's schemes. But this is simply not true. When unconverted people stand before God at their judgment, God will not say:
"You were under Satan's spell because you looked at a symbol. It was a Satanic symbol, but because you didn't take the time to study symbols, and therefore identify one correctly, you were put into bondage under Satan."
Nor will He say:
"Remember that ad you saw in the magazine that time. Well, it had an embedded Satanic message that your subconscious mind saw, and this ensnared you in Satan's trap. Too bad there was nobody schooled in 'visual literacy' that could have pointed this out to you." ('Visual literacy' is a term that was used by a recent commenter to explain why Christians need to study symbols for occult meaning, and warn others about them.)
No....but what God will say is something like this:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Romans 1:18-25)
They will be condemned because although God makes His existence self-evident and plain to men, they suppress this truth in unrighteousness.
Men love their sin.
This is what binds men to Satan.
Men are not ensnared unknowingly and unwillingly through subliminal messages or imbedded symbols, but are enslaved knowingly and willingly through denying the clear evidence of their Creator and refusing to honor Him as God or give Him thanks. They refuse to come to Him on the terms He has given (faith in His Son Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins).
That's it. And that is God's own prescription for what enslaves people.
God's Children Marked By Love
No-one's denying that there is a coming Antichrist or dark times ahead for believers. We're just discouraging the fearmongering websites that cause believers to become, in our experience, angry, paranoid, panicky and mean-spirited when biblically challenged about the wisdom of looking at conspiracy websites. We're not saying all those who frequent conspiracy websites are this way. But Christians are told by God that they WILL be marked by love. Well, many of the conspiracy theorists who have come onto our Facebook wall to debate this in the past few days have been mean, foul-mouthed, unkind, panicky and angry. Those are not the fruits of the Spirit.
A Final Appeal
Let me close with a direct appeal to our friends, the conspiracy theorists: please understand that our desire really is to see Christians who are caught up in conspiratorial thinking to become free from this snare. Because even if it's ALL true, every bit of it, so what? What are you going to do with all this information that you get from your conspiracy websites? Are you going to storm the doors and demand answers? They shoot people at the White House for that. You know that, right? What about the resorts where the world leaders are (allegedly) meeting to conspire evil? You can't get in there, it's a gated community, and even if you could, what would you do? Pass out You Might Be An Illuminati Member If..... pamphlets? They'll cart you off and lock you up in a padded cell.
I mean honestly, what is the point of looking at this stuff, and supposedly "educating yourself" on it all? What is the end-game for it? What lost people need is not a dissertation on evil. They need Christ. They need the gospel message. They need to be helped to understand what sin is, and then told that they need to repent and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Let's keep our eyes on the Christ, and make sure we're keeping our hearts pure, and making sure our time is being spent on a BALANCED study of the Scriptures.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17)
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil 4:8)
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15)
"The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." (Prov 4:18)
So let's keep the main thing the main thing. Preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. And when souls are saved through the preaching of the gospel, those new believers WILL leave behind the trappings of the world of their own accord, because He who has begun good work in them will bring it to completion, will He not?
(Part 5 - Conclusion)
We understand that there are conspiracy theory ministries who are doing what they think is right, and that, for them, that involves decoding conspiracies and showing Christians that symbols are spiritually compromising them and indoctrinating their children into evil.
We are equally passionately about our position, which we believe is the biblical one. We believe we fight this spiritual battle first and foremost by contending for truth (Jude 1:3) and by contending against arguments and vain speculations raised up in opposition to the Lord.
We also believe it is important to warn Christians against putting undue focus on things we're not commanded to. Scriptures by which we are constrained in this area are Ephesians 6:17, Colossians 2:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17)
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor 10:3-5)
The John MacArthur NASB study notes on these passages are as follows (I have highlighted in red the passages that I think particularly apply):
EPHESIANS 6:17
'the sword of the Spirit' As the sword was the soldier's only weapon, so God's Word is the only needed weapon, infinitely more powerful than any of Satan's. The Greek term refers to a small weapon (6-18 inches long). It was used both defensively to fend off Satan's attacks, and offensively to help destroy the enemy's strategies. It is the truth of Scripture.
COLOSSIANS 2:8
'takes you captive' this is the term for robbery. False teachers who are successful in getting people to believe lies rob them of truth, salvation and blessing.
'philosophy and empty deception' 'Philosophy' (lit. 'love of wisdom') appears only here in the NT. The word referred to more than merely the academic discipline, but described any theory about God, the world, or the meaning of life. Those embracing the Colossian heresy used it to describe the supposed higher knowledge they claimed to have attained. Paul, however, equates the false teachers' philosophy with 'empty' or worthless 'deception.' (Cf. 1Ti 6:20; see note on 2Cor 10:5).
'the elementary principles of the world.' (see note on Gal 4:3) Far from being advanced, profound knowledge, the false teachers' beliefs were simplistic and immature, like all the rest of the speculations, ideologies, philosophies, and psychologies the fallen satanic and human system invents.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5
'war according to the flesh' Although a man, Paul did not fight the spiritual battle for men's souls using human ingenuity, worldly wisdom, or clever methodologies. Such impotent weapons are powerless to free souls from the forces of darkness and bring them to maturity in Christ. They cannot successfully oppose Satanic assaults on the gospel, such as those made by the false apostles at Corinth.
'our warfare' The motif of the Christian life as warfare is a common one.
'of the flesh' Human.
'fortresses' The metaphor would have been readily understandable to the Corinthians since Corinth, like most ancient cities, had a fortress (on top of a hill south of the city) in which its residents could take refuge. The formidable spiritual strongholds manned by the forces of hell can be demolished only by spiritual weapons wielded by godly believers—singularly the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), since only the truth of God’s Word can defeat satanic falsehoods. This is the true spiritual warfare. Believers are not instructed in the New Testament to assault demons or Satan (Jude 9), but to assault error with the truth. That is our battle (John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12).
'speculations' Thoughts, ideas, reasonings, philosophies, and false religions are the ideological forts in which men barricade themselves against God and the gospel.
'every thought captive' Emphasizes the total destruction of the fortresses of human and satanic wisdom and the rescuing of those inside from the damning lies that had enslaved them.
************
In contrast to those who believe that evil symbols have inherent power to spiritually compromise people, we believe that the Bible is clear that it is ideologies that are transmitted through words which ensnare and spiritually compromise people. Simply put, ours is a battle of ideas and truth claims.
We're not doubting or minimizing the cunning and guile of the devil. We're not saying that evil doesn't exist, and that Satan isn't real. We affirm that evil exists, and that Satan is real, and that he prowls around the earth, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
We don't deny that symbols exist. We don't deny that symbols mean certain things to certain people. But just as we cannot know why someone might wear a cross without asking them, we cannot know why they are wearing a different symbol unless we ask them. So instead of spending hours researching the possible meanings, one can simply ask. The meaning of symbols change over time and therefore aren't a fixed reference. What a person believes, confesses, and lives out is what matters. Symbols have no inherent power. Period. I (Cathy) wore a cross as an unbeliever. It certainly didn't mean that I was saved. Unfortunately, for people who give weight and credence to symbols, it would have given a false assurance that I was identified with the Lord Jesus Christ, when I most certainly was not.
Satan doesn't work his evil through symbols. He works his evil through ideas that are conveyed with words. You don't witness to a lost person ensnared in evil by giving them a dissertation on symbols and the Illuminati. Neither will you find any model or command for that anywhere in scripture. You convey to them, with words, the truth of Jesus Christ and him crucified for the forgiveness of sins.
And when a person is saved, they will leave their wickedness behind on their own accord, in the same way that as a new believer, I (Christine) gathered up 3 garbage bags full of occult materials that I had in my house and destroyed them. I didn't destroy them because they had inherent power, but because they were part of a life that belonged to a person I no longer was. I was born again, with new beliefs, and new desires. The old was gone, and the new had come.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Cor 5:17)
We urge Christians not to waste time researching symbols and their supposed connections to (alleged) secret societies on fearmongering conspiracy websites that are sensationalistic and only feed the flesh, only to reach conclusions that are already explicitly stated in scripture: people are born depraved and are in the kingdom of darkness and are the children of Satan and enslaved to him and to sin. They will remain in this state until and if they hear the gospel and are converted and transferred into the Kingdom of light. And when souls are saved, those new believers will leave behind the trappings of the world of their own accord.
Ours is not a battle of flesh and blood, but of truth, ideological truth, which we must use words to communicate. Simply put, we preach Jesus Christ and him crucified for the forgiveness of sins, and this for the salvation of souls, and to the glory of God.
For Additional Resources and Facebook Discussions see last link.
Posted with permission:
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-super-bowl-and-rejecting.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-and-conspiracy-theories-part.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/pastor-randy-white-on-christians-and.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-and-conspiracy-theories_11.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-and-conspiracy-theories_10.html
"For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 'Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.'" (Isaiah 8:11-13)
Yes, the world is wicked. And yes, a lot of that in-your-face wickedness was on display, both visually and lyrically, in many ways during the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show. But please, let's not go down the Illuminati rabbit hole. Exhibit A, an article from the dodgy, conspiracy-focused website called Now The End Begins, entitled: Ex-Christian Katy Perry Promotes Dark Magic and LGBT Agenda at 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The above article, which claims that various performers in the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show were openly broadcasting the intentions of the Illuminati and the New World Order, has been popping up in my Facebook newsfeed all day. For those who have never heard those terms before, the Illuminati and the New World Order are believed to be organizations in which Satan's minions gather in secret to work his dark mischief, but Old Scratch will occasionally (it is believed) come out into the open and use his minions to broadcast his intentions to the world, which he does through various costumes and hand signals. Beyonce making a triangle with her fingers during a stage performance was one widely quoted example of this, and so was Madonna's half-time Super Bowl costume from a few years ago. What are these high level occultists supposed to be broadcasting? The code-breakers can't quite figure it out, but they know Something Is Going On, what with All! Those! Symbols! being flashed. From the article:
In the recent years the Super Bowl, almost always the highest-rated and most-watched television broadcast on the planet, has given over it’s famed Halftime Show to trumpet the cause of the New World Order and the Illuminati. And as referenced in our opening bible verse at the top of the story, the Illuminati knows that it is “their hour”, and they are defiantly out in the open. (online source)
But as Christian researcher Marcia Montenegro wrote a few years ago, symbols vary from culture to culture, and don't always mean the same things (read her article entitled Demystifying Symbols here).
These conspiracy sites are concerning for two reasons:
(1) They confuse and mislead Christians about what the occult is. It is not about symbols that are embedded in the landscape, and which must be decoded. It is not about tracking conspiracies like a bloodhound, and examining all the (supposedly) dropped-breadcrumb-clues of the Illuminati when they (supposedly) Broadcast Their Intentions, and then unraveling the mystery about what wealthy industrialist knows what world leader, and what they were *really* (wink-wink) doing together at that private resort (cue scary music: dun dun dunnn!). Hint: They weren't planning chem-trail routes and other nefarious evil; they were drinking whisky, smoking cigars and comparing their golf scores. That's what they were doing.
(2) While it is true that evil does exist on a rampant scale, we only need God's word, which is our standard for what is good and holy and righteous, to be able to understand what is wrong and unholy and unrighteous. We don't need to be unraveling conspiracies and trying to figure out if the wealthy elite of the world are getting together to conspire and scheme in smoke-filled rooms. We already know there is evil. We already understand that there is an evil force that is alive and well, and operating in the world, and it is Satan. And we know this from God's word, not from unraveling supposed conspiracies. But truth and light overcome lies and darkness, so let's proclaim it to those taken captive by the world's system.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5)
Full disclosure: I had a season of conspiratorial thinking in my own Christian walk, spending waaaaay too much time on conspiracy websites trying to Connect All The Dots. I have repented of that, and hope to help others do the same (that was one of my reasons for writing the article). And yet at the same time, as believers we know that Satan IS a real entity who prowls the earth seeking whom he may devour, and that he always has his willing agents from generation to generation. So it can be tricky sorting through the information, and coming to a biblical understanding of the right filter through which to see the world. Nonetheless, it's important for Christians to strive to think as biblically as possible in this area, as in all other areas, because not only will our Christians walks be strengthened, but the truth of the matter is important. God is the author of truth, and thus the truth of a matter should be important to us, because it's important to Him.
To learn more about the conspiracy mindset, please read some of these Facebook threads in which we discuss the conspiratorial worldview, and why such thinking can so seriously hinder a Christian's walk.
Symbols and conspiracy theories (9-30-13)
Conspiracy theory films (12-2-13)
Conspiracy theories and the Christian (12-31-13)
Be cautious of those teaching a conspiratorial worldview (12-16-13)
King James Onlyism and how it is conspiratorial thinking (9-28-13)
King James Onlyism, Textus Receptus and Jesuit Change Agents.....oh my! (10-1-13)
(Part 2)
Oh dear, just when the folks who might have a tendency to be conspiracy minded get settled down after the Super Bowl performances, Madonna gets "kind of Satanic" by dancing with "a bunch of masked, horned bull-men," according to the on-site MTV reporter. *sigh*
It's interesting to note that the above was reported in a tongue-in-cheek way by MTV, but this doesn't help the conspiracy theorists, whose ability to decode Illuminati conspiracies is high, but their ability to decode cheeky commentary is apparently non-existent. (Conspiracy theory website Now The End Begins ran with the headline Madonna Dances Over Pit of Horned Demons at 2015 Grammys.)
In reality, Madonna gave a performance that featured a matador theme, and which included horn-hatted dancers who did look something like how we might imagine Satan's minions to look.
However, there were other displays of demonic/Satanic imagery at the Grammys, including AC/DC singing "Highway To Hell," which the audience rocked out to while wearing glowy, devil horn hats. These devil hats were passed out to the crowd, who were encouraged to take them home as a keepsake. Sweet, huh?
Friends, this is not Illuminati indoctrination. This is just celebrities riding the wave of the culture. They love to shock and outdo each other and be outrageous. And besides, I've always had a theory about Madonna, who was raised Roman Catholic, that at heart (besides being a sinner), she's just a Catholic schoolgirl who wants to shock the nuns.
To be clear: there's no question about the fact that Madonna lives and promotes a wicked lifestyle. But no, she's not a member of the Illuminati.
Steady on, folks. Respond to the evil that you know of (which is readily known through the content of Madonna's songs and lifestyle), and "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
★★ And PLEASE do not see this as an opportunity to mock or ridicule Madonna. She's a lost person, living a depraved lifestyle, but at one time "such were some of you" (1 Cor 6:11). Pray for her. Pray for someone to have access to her who can give her the gospel, the TRUE gospel, which she undoubtedly never heard, having grown up Roman Catholic. ★★
(Part 3)
On a recent show on Stand Up For The Truth radio, Dr. Randy White, who pastors a church in Katy, TX, was asked by the show host about the wisdom of Christians getting involved with conspiracy theories and conspiracy theory websites, which often involve poring over websites of corporations and performances of popular celebrities, and looking for hidden meaning in logos, symbols, costumes and "hand signals." This is often a hot topic every year around the time of the Super Bowl, when these websites hum with activity and get busy deconstructing costumes, lyrics and performances. Madonna and Beyonce's Super Bowl performances from a few years ago have been the source of much speculation, and right on cue, Katy Perry's performance from the recent 2015 Super Bowl half-time show also generated discussion, with some websites proclaiming that Perry is the woman who rides the beast from Revelation 17. Even MTV got into the action with a cheeky article about the Illuminati (19 Grammy Moments That Prove The Illuminati is Definitely Real...warning for coarse language).
Deconstructing signs and symbols is a staple among the conspiracy theory set. Just put "Illimuniti" into a Google search engine, and see what you get: 45 million stories in a split second (0.25 seconds, to be exact), that's what you get. That's a rabbit hole from which a person might never emerge. But is this where God wants us to put our focus and spend time? Listen to Amy Spreeman of Stand Up For The Truth as she asks Dr. Randy White of the Word For The World ministry his thoughts on this topic (starting at around the 34:15 min mark):
QUESTION: One thing I do want to ask you, this is kind of my own brain here. I posted something on our Stand Up For The Truth Facebook page yesterday.....not meaning to, of course, disparage anybody, but just..... we don't focus here on things like symbols and the Illuminati and things like that. And that came up over the Super Bowl weekend when, you know, Katy Perry (performed) and there was a lot of symbolism and stuff. And I don't certainly fault anyone for doing that, but I think discernment, if you're going to be looking at things, what we've always done here is just hold things up to Scripture. So, you can look at Katy Perry's music and what she says she believes versus what she actually does, and hold it up to Scripture and discern that way. Could I just get your thoughts on symbols, Illuminati, that sort of thing?
PASTOR RANDY WHITE: Yeah, I am not excited about conspiracy theories. There are so many that come about, and they begin to see things between the lines, and things that aren't readily noticeable in some sort of symbol or, you know, the way somebody raised their eyebrow or something, has to do with some ancient symbol or whatnot. I would much rather a Christian focus on what does the actual black and white in the (Bible) say? Become an expert in the Word. And don't--- it's just too easy to be snookered on all these things. There's no way to prove anything. There's no way to look at it. And we've got the facts right before us in the word of God. And it doesn't take rocket science to figure out that where our government is going is not according to the word of God. Do we have to know, you know, all the ins and outs of who's connected to who, and how this went back to that theory and this other theory? I personally don't. I just know it's unGodly. I don't trust the whole bag of it.
And there are these economic conspiracies that are given. And too many Christians have honestly, spent a lot of money, and done a lot of things that were not economically sound because they got their economics from a preacher who didn't know what he was talking about, rather than look at the word of God, and then, economic principles, you know, from the word of God, are economic principles for the saved and unsaved. You've got to look at fundamentals as it relates here. So I'm one who would much rather look at the word of God and look at fundamentals, and go with that.
Our thoughts.
The acceptance and study of conspiracy theories is not an activity that is edifying for the Christian walk. Yes, conspiracies exist, and the Bible even mentions conspiracies in several places. There was even a conspiracy to kill Jesus. But the conspiracies are mentioned in passing, and nowhere are Christians exhorted to study them.
So what is going on with the Super Bowl performances? Obviously, we are living in a wicked time, a time that is becoming more and more wicked with each passing year. Our culture is hyper-sexualized. Many thousands of babies are murdered every year by being aborted. There is rampant fornication and immorality and violence all around us. In short, our culture has cast off all moral restraint. There's not even a pretense of it anymore. And so it's to be expected that the celebrities this immoral, hyper-sexualized, sensation-seeking culture chooses to build up and idolize will reflect those values (or lack of values). And they do. They sing songs with lyrics that celebrate wickedness, fornication and the latest cause du jour, normalized homosexuality. So should it really be any surprise that the performances of these celebrities at one of the most-viewed events of the year would be over the top in every way? That's what we know and can see plainly, and that's what we should be dealing with. We don't need to deconstruct costumes or hand signals in order to know that the lyrics of Katy Perry's songs are wicked. The lyrics celebrate bisexuality, and we don't need to do any code-cracking on a conspiracy website in order to know whether or not that's wrong. We can know it's wrong from God's word.
Hysteria of this type is nothing new. In the 1980s, there was a widely circulated rumor that the CEO of Fortune 500 company Proctor and Gamble had publicly stated he was donating a portion of Proctor and Gamble's profits to the Church of Satan. This rumor took on a life of its own, and was widely repeated and whispered about for years. During this season of slander, the Proctor and Gamble logo was also widely deconstructed for evidence revealing the company's (alleged) connection to the Church of Satan. But this rumor, which continues to surface every few years, is completely false. (Read the Snopes article that documents this here.) And to go a step further, from a Christian perspective, for Christians to repeat this information without verifying it, is to bear false witness (transgression of the 9th Commandment). As we say often here, truth is important, because God is the author of truth. Truth is important to God, and so it ought to be important to us. This means that we have an obligation to verify whether things that we repeat are true or not.
And as far as a high-level conspiracy in the way that conspiracy theorists generally think of it, that interconnects the government, the pharmaceutical industry, the military, past and present world leaders, the banking industry, corporate heads, and even farmers (all those GMOs, you know)? No. Just, no. The idea not only stretches the bounds of credulity, but it's just simply not possible. (Listen here to an in-depth discussion about conspiracy theories, and why they are not possible as they are commonly thought to exist.)
Conclusion:
Is there a balanced way for Christians to view conspiracy theories, the answer is yes, there is. Simply put, it involves weighing actual evidence, and not just relying on anecdotal accounts or speculation or the first 10 websites provided by a Google search (or in the instance of an Illuminati Google search, the first 45 million websites). Of all people, Christians know that there is real evil in the world, and that we have a real Adversary, a real spiritual presence that is alive and well and active in the world today ("Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8). But, we also know that a sovereign Lord rules and reigns over the affairs of man, and that what we are commanded to do is simple: contend for truth, love and serve our families and our churches, and share the gospel.
(Part 4)
In the past few days, we've written extensively about Christians and the conspiracy theories, and the wisdom of such a focus. We want to make it clear that just because biblical history records conspiracies doesn't mean that as believers we should study conspiracies. There is plenty of evil in the world that is plain, that we already know of, that we should address. We don't need to decode Katy Perry's or Madonna's or Beyonce's song lyrics according to some conspiracy theory website in order to determine that they are wicked and promoting a wicked lifestyle. It's plain to see from what they have recorded and how they live.
With this is mind, please consider the following two examples for witnessing to the lost:
THE BIBLICAL WAY:
Christian to a lost person: "Did you notice what Katy Perry was singing about in the half-time show? Her lyrics encourage out-of-wedlock sex and homosexuality. The Bible teaches that fidelity in marriage is a good thing and that we should flee from homosexual sin, let me show you.
Lost person: It does? Okay, can you show me that?
contrasted with......
THE CONSPIRACY THEORIST'S WAY:
Christian to a lost person: Did you watch Katy Perry's Super Bowl performance? First of all, she's the woman who rides the beast from Revelation 17. And about that costume, did you notice....(insert four thousand more words here on the costumes, symbols and hand signals of the half-time show)."
Lost person: Zzzzzzzz (asleep)
Romans 1 and Suppressing The Truth In Unrighteousness
The Bible is all we need in terms of understanding why the lost are enslaved to Satan. Romans 1 stands in stark contrast to the claims of conspiracy theorists on how people become enslaved to sin, which is that these symbols, or hand signals, or corporate logos, or whatever, somehow "condition" people to accept Satan's schemes. But this is simply not true. When unconverted people stand before God at their judgment, God will not say:
"You were under Satan's spell because you looked at a symbol. It was a Satanic symbol, but because you didn't take the time to study symbols, and therefore identify one correctly, you were put into bondage under Satan."
Nor will He say:
"Remember that ad you saw in the magazine that time. Well, it had an embedded Satanic message that your subconscious mind saw, and this ensnared you in Satan's trap. Too bad there was nobody schooled in 'visual literacy' that could have pointed this out to you." ('Visual literacy' is a term that was used by a recent commenter to explain why Christians need to study symbols for occult meaning, and warn others about them.)
No....but what God will say is something like this:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Romans 1:18-25)
They will be condemned because although God makes His existence self-evident and plain to men, they suppress this truth in unrighteousness.
Men love their sin.
This is what binds men to Satan.
Men are not ensnared unknowingly and unwillingly through subliminal messages or imbedded symbols, but are enslaved knowingly and willingly through denying the clear evidence of their Creator and refusing to honor Him as God or give Him thanks. They refuse to come to Him on the terms He has given (faith in His Son Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins).
That's it. And that is God's own prescription for what enslaves people.
God's Children Marked By Love
No-one's denying that there is a coming Antichrist or dark times ahead for believers. We're just discouraging the fearmongering websites that cause believers to become, in our experience, angry, paranoid, panicky and mean-spirited when biblically challenged about the wisdom of looking at conspiracy websites. We're not saying all those who frequent conspiracy websites are this way. But Christians are told by God that they WILL be marked by love. Well, many of the conspiracy theorists who have come onto our Facebook wall to debate this in the past few days have been mean, foul-mouthed, unkind, panicky and angry. Those are not the fruits of the Spirit.
A Final Appeal
Let me close with a direct appeal to our friends, the conspiracy theorists: please understand that our desire really is to see Christians who are caught up in conspiratorial thinking to become free from this snare. Because even if it's ALL true, every bit of it, so what? What are you going to do with all this information that you get from your conspiracy websites? Are you going to storm the doors and demand answers? They shoot people at the White House for that. You know that, right? What about the resorts where the world leaders are (allegedly) meeting to conspire evil? You can't get in there, it's a gated community, and even if you could, what would you do? Pass out You Might Be An Illuminati Member If..... pamphlets? They'll cart you off and lock you up in a padded cell.
I mean honestly, what is the point of looking at this stuff, and supposedly "educating yourself" on it all? What is the end-game for it? What lost people need is not a dissertation on evil. They need Christ. They need the gospel message. They need to be helped to understand what sin is, and then told that they need to repent and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Let's keep our eyes on the Christ, and make sure we're keeping our hearts pure, and making sure our time is being spent on a BALANCED study of the Scriptures.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17)
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil 4:8)
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15)
"The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." (Prov 4:18)
So let's keep the main thing the main thing. Preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. And when souls are saved through the preaching of the gospel, those new believers WILL leave behind the trappings of the world of their own accord, because He who has begun good work in them will bring it to completion, will He not?
(Part 5 - Conclusion)
We understand that there are conspiracy theory ministries who are doing what they think is right, and that, for them, that involves decoding conspiracies and showing Christians that symbols are spiritually compromising them and indoctrinating their children into evil.
We are equally passionately about our position, which we believe is the biblical one. We believe we fight this spiritual battle first and foremost by contending for truth (Jude 1:3) and by contending against arguments and vain speculations raised up in opposition to the Lord.
We also believe it is important to warn Christians against putting undue focus on things we're not commanded to. Scriptures by which we are constrained in this area are Ephesians 6:17, Colossians 2:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17)
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor 10:3-5)
The John MacArthur NASB study notes on these passages are as follows (I have highlighted in red the passages that I think particularly apply):
EPHESIANS 6:17
'the sword of the Spirit' As the sword was the soldier's only weapon, so God's Word is the only needed weapon, infinitely more powerful than any of Satan's. The Greek term refers to a small weapon (6-18 inches long). It was used both defensively to fend off Satan's attacks, and offensively to help destroy the enemy's strategies. It is the truth of Scripture.
COLOSSIANS 2:8
'takes you captive' this is the term for robbery. False teachers who are successful in getting people to believe lies rob them of truth, salvation and blessing.
'philosophy and empty deception' 'Philosophy' (lit. 'love of wisdom') appears only here in the NT. The word referred to more than merely the academic discipline, but described any theory about God, the world, or the meaning of life. Those embracing the Colossian heresy used it to describe the supposed higher knowledge they claimed to have attained. Paul, however, equates the false teachers' philosophy with 'empty' or worthless 'deception.' (Cf. 1Ti 6:20; see note on 2Cor 10:5).
'the elementary principles of the world.' (see note on Gal 4:3) Far from being advanced, profound knowledge, the false teachers' beliefs were simplistic and immature, like all the rest of the speculations, ideologies, philosophies, and psychologies the fallen satanic and human system invents.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5
'war according to the flesh' Although a man, Paul did not fight the spiritual battle for men's souls using human ingenuity, worldly wisdom, or clever methodologies. Such impotent weapons are powerless to free souls from the forces of darkness and bring them to maturity in Christ. They cannot successfully oppose Satanic assaults on the gospel, such as those made by the false apostles at Corinth.
'our warfare' The motif of the Christian life as warfare is a common one.
'of the flesh' Human.
'fortresses' The metaphor would have been readily understandable to the Corinthians since Corinth, like most ancient cities, had a fortress (on top of a hill south of the city) in which its residents could take refuge. The formidable spiritual strongholds manned by the forces of hell can be demolished only by spiritual weapons wielded by godly believers—singularly the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), since only the truth of God’s Word can defeat satanic falsehoods. This is the true spiritual warfare. Believers are not instructed in the New Testament to assault demons or Satan (Jude 9), but to assault error with the truth. That is our battle (John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12).
'speculations' Thoughts, ideas, reasonings, philosophies, and false religions are the ideological forts in which men barricade themselves against God and the gospel.
'every thought captive' Emphasizes the total destruction of the fortresses of human and satanic wisdom and the rescuing of those inside from the damning lies that had enslaved them.
************
In contrast to those who believe that evil symbols have inherent power to spiritually compromise people, we believe that the Bible is clear that it is ideologies that are transmitted through words which ensnare and spiritually compromise people. Simply put, ours is a battle of ideas and truth claims.
We're not doubting or minimizing the cunning and guile of the devil. We're not saying that evil doesn't exist, and that Satan isn't real. We affirm that evil exists, and that Satan is real, and that he prowls around the earth, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
We don't deny that symbols exist. We don't deny that symbols mean certain things to certain people. But just as we cannot know why someone might wear a cross without asking them, we cannot know why they are wearing a different symbol unless we ask them. So instead of spending hours researching the possible meanings, one can simply ask. The meaning of symbols change over time and therefore aren't a fixed reference. What a person believes, confesses, and lives out is what matters. Symbols have no inherent power. Period. I (Cathy) wore a cross as an unbeliever. It certainly didn't mean that I was saved. Unfortunately, for people who give weight and credence to symbols, it would have given a false assurance that I was identified with the Lord Jesus Christ, when I most certainly was not.
Satan doesn't work his evil through symbols. He works his evil through ideas that are conveyed with words. You don't witness to a lost person ensnared in evil by giving them a dissertation on symbols and the Illuminati. Neither will you find any model or command for that anywhere in scripture. You convey to them, with words, the truth of Jesus Christ and him crucified for the forgiveness of sins.
And when a person is saved, they will leave their wickedness behind on their own accord, in the same way that as a new believer, I (Christine) gathered up 3 garbage bags full of occult materials that I had in my house and destroyed them. I didn't destroy them because they had inherent power, but because they were part of a life that belonged to a person I no longer was. I was born again, with new beliefs, and new desires. The old was gone, and the new had come.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Cor 5:17)
We urge Christians not to waste time researching symbols and their supposed connections to (alleged) secret societies on fearmongering conspiracy websites that are sensationalistic and only feed the flesh, only to reach conclusions that are already explicitly stated in scripture: people are born depraved and are in the kingdom of darkness and are the children of Satan and enslaved to him and to sin. They will remain in this state until and if they hear the gospel and are converted and transferred into the Kingdom of light. And when souls are saved, those new believers will leave behind the trappings of the world of their own accord.
Ours is not a battle of flesh and blood, but of truth, ideological truth, which we must use words to communicate. Simply put, we preach Jesus Christ and him crucified for the forgiveness of sins, and this for the salvation of souls, and to the glory of God.
For Additional Resources and Facebook Discussions see last link.
Posted with permission:
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-super-bowl-and-rejecting.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-and-conspiracy-theories-part.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/pastor-randy-white-on-christians-and.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-and-conspiracy-theories_11.html
www.solasisters.com/2015/02/christians-and-conspiracy-theories_10.html