Seventh Day Adventist

Are Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) a Cult?

Most people recognize adventists as being very adamant about observing the Sabbath, from sundown Friday through sundown on Saturday.  Many are also typically vegetarian, engage is foot washing, and other traits common to a "works based" view of salvation.

These things are neither forbidden nor supported by scripture as requirements for salvation.  While these activities may seem strange to some, these activities by themselves do not necessarily make them a cult.

A quick synopsis from watchman.org:

Adventism: Widespread trans-denominational movement inspired by William Miller's prediction that Jesus' "advent" (return) would take place in 1844. Even after the Great Disappointment (the date's failure), many people in the movement continued to believe. Some suggested revised chronologies and new dates, eventually forming groups such as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Others, notably Hiram Edson and Ellen G. White, suggested that the 1844 date was accurate but that a heavenly (thus invisible) event had taken place. Their teachings became the basis of Seventh-day Adventism, which eventually spawned its own offshoots, including Armstrongism and the Branch Davidians.

Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA), Washington, DC: The largest Adventist church. Ellen G. White, who claimed to have "the spirit of prophecy," was an important early leader of the movement and taught a number of distinctive SDA doctrines, including the Investigative Judgment and Sabbatarianism. While the church's official theology now appears to be generally in the tradition of evangelical Christianity, certain SDA claims and unique doctrines continue to raise questions. These doctrines include the SDA belief that Sunday worship will result in the "Mark of the Beast," imbalanced teachings on keeping the commandments (baptism, Sabbath observance) that often implies a kind of salvation by works, the "Remnant Church" doctrine that implies that the SDA is or will be God's only true church, and the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment.

To reiterate, our criteria for a cult:

Things that are critical to Biblical Christianity involve a right understanding of the nature of God, the nature of Jesus, and soteriology or salvation (we are sinners, wages of sin is death, Jesus died in our place, we need to repent and receive what Jesus did for us).

A cult is a perversion of any of those critical doctrines and are typically centered around the exclusivist teachings of a single man or organization.  Another common trait goes back to Satan's lie that we can become a god or be like God (Genesis 3:5).

So, to summarize, an examination of a group's beliefs along these points should lead to a conclusion.  The more a group strays from scripture on these points (especially points 3 & 4), the more likely it is to be a cult.

1) Authority of Scripture
2) Understanding of God's nature
3) Understanding of who Jesus is
4) Understanding of Salvation
5) Position and destiny of man

So, how does SDA rate based on these critieria?

1) Exclusive Authority of Man (or woman) over scripture

They revere their founding prophetess, Ellen G. White. They believe that her writings are equal with scripture. SDA  made this statement in their "Ministry" Magazine of Oct. 1981 and have never retracted it:

"We believe the revelation and inspiration of both the Bible and Ellen White's writings to be of equal quality. The superintendence of the Holy Spirit was just as careful and thorough in one case as in the other".

They not only revere the writings of Ellen G. White as equal to the Bible, but have also published their own version of the Bible, the "Clear Word Bible" that has her doctrines interspersed throughout the scripture as commentary.

They also practice exclusivity in their belief that all other churches are ruled by satan, and that Sunday keeping is the "mark of the beast".

2) Nature of God

At the early onset, they denied the Trinity.  They have since changed their official public position on this and now affirm the Triune nature of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), though it can vary from one fellowship to another.

3) Nature of Jesus

Ellen G. White wrote in Patriarchs and Prophets, page 761, "...He (Jesus) was revealed to them as the Angel of Jehovah, the Captain of the Lord's Host, Michael the Archangel".
While they claim to have changed position on the Trinity, they still have yet to deny Ellen White's belief that Jesus was the angel Michael, a creation of God, rather than God Himself (as one of three members of the Godhead).

4) Salvation

- Jesus on the cross was insufficient, so we have to earn salvation

According to SDA, receiving Christ as your Saviour only forgives your past sins, up to that moment are forgiven. From that point forward you must get to work to earn your salvation.  Since Ellen G. White saw the fourth commandment glowing in a vision, sabbath keeping became the litmus test for salvation.

They also believe that Jesus is currently conducting "Investigative Judgement" and has angels recording our every thought and deed for the purpose of determining if we have been good enough to earn salvation.

- Satan pays for our sins

According to the SDA, it will be Satan who will eventually bear your sins! Ellen G. White wrote,

"When Christ, by virtue of His own blood, removes the sins of His people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministration, He will place them upon satan, who, in the execution of the judgment, must bear the final penalty." (The Great Controversy pg 422)

"...so Christ will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin...so Satan, bearing the guilt of all the sins which he has caused God's people to commit, will be for a thousand years confined to the earth, which will then be desolate...".(The Great Controversy pg 485)

According to the Bible, Christ bore our sins
1 Peter 2:24 says, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree...".


5) Man earns his own salvation

Like any works based religeon, SDA exhalts the works of man above the completed work of Jesus on the Cross.


Other items of note:

Sabbatarianism

Worship on the Sabbath is not a bad thing, but thinking it is something that helps you earn righteousness is.  The Bible just says not to forsake gathering ourselves together, it doesn't say when, how, or how often.

Col 2:16-17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ

Jesus fulfilled the Law and He is our Sabbath rest.


Vegetarianism

Ellen indicated that your very salvation could be dependent on giving up meat . She clearly said that no meat-eaters will be "translated" at Christ's coming (Counsels on Diet and Foods p. 380)

They seem to overlook this verse...
Romans 14:2 "... he who is weak in faith eats vegetables only ..."


Soul Sleep

They say that believers go to soul sleep in the grave until Christ's return.

Philippians 1:23 "I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ".

2 Cor. 5:8 "To be absent from the body (death), and to be present with the Lord." (in heaven).


Ellen G. White was a false Prophetess

  -- Recognized by SDA as Prophet
  -- Made over 2000 prophecies, the majority of which have been proven false
  -- Documented plagiarism of Joseph Smith's LDS writings (The White Lie by Walter Rea)
  -- Consulting the Dead (Necromancy): claimed to be in regular communication with dead husband



Conclusion

Seventh Day Adventism is a conflated mishmash of plagarized LDS, Jehovah's witness, and Puritan doctrines.  There are a lot of very nice and well meaning people associated with this group, and the leadership and marketing works very hard to appear as just another Christian denomination.  However, if they refuse to deny the writings of Ellen G. White they are complicit in a false religeon.

References and resources:
http://www.watchman.org/profile/sdapro.htm
http://mmoutreachinc.com/seventh_day_adventists/sda_facts.html

no private interpretation

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Beware when any say they have an exclusive on God's "truth".  Gnostics are famous for luring people in with promises of "hidden" knowledge and access secrets.

The wisdom of God is a gift that is free for the asking.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Also, God's word is open to all who seek after it...

Luke 11:9 And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

The Lord your God proves you

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them;" 

You shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proves you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 

Deut 13:1-3


And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

2Cor 11:14



But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.

Gal 1:8

contrary doctrine

“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” – Romans 16:17-18

Whenever I speak the truth in love and identify false doctrine, I'm often accused of being divisive and part of this verse is quoted out of context: "Mark them which cause divisions".

Note however, the divisive ones are those who are touting the contrary doctrine and using flattery to tickle ears and win hearts away from the truth.


Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1

the bride

Genesis 2:20-24

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.  

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.



Notice how this is a foreshadow of Messiah, the second Adam (1Cor 15:45-47) and the "Bride of Christ" (Eph 5:22-33):

1) The "deep sleep" foreshadows Jesus's death
2) There is a wound in the side
3) Out of that wound a Bride is made (rib -> Eve; blood -> the congregation of believers)
4) The Bride is brought to Adam

same color

We are all the same color, brown.   We just all have different levels of melanin in our skin.

There is only one race, the human race.  Race is a concept born out of a mistaken and unfounded belief in evolution.

We are all of one blood, one family.  We are all descendants Noah, and further back, all descendants of Adam.

Through one man (Adam) sin and death entered the world and in this way death came to all people.

Through one man (Jesus) we are justified and we can be born again into life; and, for those who receive this free gift, we are all of one "body" in Messiah. (Rom 5:12-20; 1Cor 12:12-20)

Armstrongism

I recently had some conversations concerning Armstrongism and the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) and here is some of the background concerning it.

The WCG was basically a cult up until the years following 1986 (after H.W. Armstrong died) when they began changing their doctrines to conform to more biblical doctrines and practices.

The modern WCG (now known as Grace Communion International) can no longer be considered a cult -- at least according to their public doctrinal statements.

Things that are critical to Biblical Christianity involve a right understanding of the nature of God, the nature of Jesus, and soteriology (we are sinners, wages of sin is death, Jesus died in our place, we need to repent and receive what Jesus did for us).

A cult is a perversion of any of those critical doctrines and are typically centered around the exclusive teachings of a single man or organization.  Another common trait goes back to Satan's lie that we can become a god or be like God (Genesis 3:5).

Other issues are good topics for study and discussion, but disagreement on those issues does not make for a cult or a reason to break fellowship.

What made Armstrong's WCG a cult was their unbiblical understanding of 1) the nature of God, 2) that man can become God, and 3) exalting the authority of a single man above scripture.

They believed that Armstrong was "The Apostle", the second coming of Elijah and that the Bible and all other churches had been perverted over time and that ONLY Armstrong and ONLY the WCG knew the truth.  Armstrong had the ultimate authority in the same way that the Pope is considered to have the ultimate authority over Catholicism.

They believed that man was completely mortal (do not possess an immortal soul).

They believed in the "Family of God", that the Godhead started out as God the Father and God the Son and that men can be "born again" into this family after the resurrection and become part of God.

Some family members (including myself) were reading WCG materials back in the 80's and we recently had some discussions about it.

One of the possible holdovers from the WCG that I did have a conversation about, was annihilation.  

Annihilation is the belief that when unbelievers are thrown in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:14-15) they cease to exist.  It is something I believed for years, but repented of it when confronted with the truth in the Bible.

Annihilation, while not necessarily what I would call "heresy" or a "salvation issue", it is not supported by the Bible.  

Folks usually justify the belief by saying "God is so loving, He wouldn't punish someone forever...".  There are many answers to this, here are two quickies: 1) God created hell for Satan and his angels (Matt 25:41); 2) Our offense is against and Eternal God

There are also many scriptures (including Jesus' own words) that talk about an eternal hell (Matt 18:8; 2 Thess. 1:9; Jude 1:7, 12-13; Rev 19:3; Rev 20:10)

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matt. 25:46)

(More info here: http://carm.org/hell-eternal)

In any case, my intention is to inform and motivate folks to do their own research.  Don't believe me, read the Bible and trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide to truth.

All that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution

2 Timothy 3:12

Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

John 15:18-21

If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Matthew 10:14-25 (excerpts)

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in theirs synagogues they will scourge you; yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  

And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household!  

Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 

surveillance society

God's attributes include omniscience and omnipresence, or that He knows everything, everywhere, all the time.

Satan is not all-knowing and he can't be everywhere at once.

Since it is part of satan's plan to "be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14), it makes sense that part of his new world order would be ubiquitous surveillance.

Camera's everywhere, UAVs/drones, TSA inspection points, all transactions made electronically (and tracked), all news and entertainment delivered electronically (and monitored), neighbors spying on neighbors (see something, say something)...

satan's five point plan

Isaiah 14:12-14

How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!

For you have said in your heart,

1) "I will ascend into heaven"
2) "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God"
3) "I will sit also on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north"
4) "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds"
5) "I will be like the most High"

the only hope

As a nation, we get the government we deserve.  If we will not be ruled by God, we will be ruled by tyrants.

The only hope for America is repentance and turning to God.  This cannot be forced from without, it can only come from within.

Only the Gospel -- not social, political or religious movements -- can change people's hearts.

born this way

there's a popular song out called "Born This Way" that many folks are using as an excuse for their bad behavior.

In a sense, Gaga may be on to something...

It is true, we are all "born this way"...

We are all born with a fallen nature, we are all born into sin and are slaves to self-centered appetites and desires.

The thing is, we don't have to stay that way...

While we are all born a slave to sin and dead to God, through Jesus that sin nature can be nailed to the cross and then we can be Born Again dead to sin and alive in Christ.

genius

Genius is taking something complex and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.

Pretentiousness is taking something simple and explaining it in a way no-one can understand.

turned away?

I'm told again and again, "You come on too strong, your turning people away from the Gospel"

I have news for them...

The Gospel turns people away from the Gospel!

Matthew 7:13-14

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

fear of man brings a snare...

Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man brings a snare: but whoever puts his trust in the LORD shall be safe.



Is it possible that our fear of Obama will snare us with Romney?

Manufactured Dialectic

Evan-jellyfish

How much of "christianity" has traded salt for sugar because we lack the backbone to tell the truth?

watchman

Ezekiel 33:6

But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

a cup of trembling

“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel , saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem . And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:1-3).

the problem with ecumenism

Ecumenical charitable efforts seem really great on the surface.

I agree that we need to cooperate on some things and that it is good to help people.

The thing is, it does no good to help people without presenting them the gospel.

It is great to give food, comfort, shelter, and clothing to those in need.  However, to give people these things without the gospel only makes people more comfortable living in their sin.

It is akin to giving someone a glass of icewater on their trip to hell.

How loving is it to give someone a pair of shoes when they are fixing to walk off a cliff?

Fine to give them a pair of shoes, but also turn them in the right direction while doing it.

The problem with ecumenical efforts comes when it is time to present the gospel...

Which gospel do you present?

Do you tell them they need to confess their sins to a priest, take the euchrist and perform seven sacraments in order to maybe reduce the time they spend in purgatory?

Do you tell them they need to be a good person, wear special underwear, baptise the dead, have lots of kids, and tithe every penny faithfully so that they can get access to the temple and maybe someday get to one of the levels of heaven or even become a god?

Do you tell them that, since God loves everyone, that everyone who is a "good person" is going to heaven and it doesn't matter what you believe?

Or, do you tell them that we have all sinned against an eternal, Holy, and Perfectly Just God and that the only way they can pay for their sins themselves is death and an eternity in hell.  That God Himself, because of His Perfect Love, made a way out for them by becoming a man, Jesus, and paying their debt for them, then rising again in victory over sin and death.  That they need to repent (turn) from their sin, turn to Jesus, accept what He did, and live for Him.

positive

People who say they want to be "positive" all the time will have to tell something other than the truth.

The truth is not always "positive".

Look at what people do, not what they say

Look at what people do, not what they say.

For example, Obama has made more affirmations to being a Christian and believing in Jesus than any other President in American history. Yet how many people believe him? And, why should anyone doubt him? It is because of what he has done, not what he has said.

You who claim to love freedom and support the Constitution, are you carefully examining the voting records of the people you are supporting?

Politicians will say anything to get elected. What these people do with the power they are entrusted with is what matters, not what they say.

they had a good start...

Saul had a good start.  He was humble and merciful in his dealings and was annointed by God to be king over Israel.  However, in time he began to concern himself with what people thought of him.   It got to the point that he started doing things to please the people instead of obeying God.  Saul went back on his word and even broke his own laws against necromancy.  The final result was the loss of his son, his kingdom and ending his own life in suicide.

David had a good start.  Even as a boy he was a good shepherd and able to face down bears and giants because of his trust in God.  However, in time he became complacent and self serving in his success.  Because of this, David committed adultery and then murder to try and cover it up.  The effects of David's sexual sins and permissivness with his sons led to incest, rape, and murder within his own family as his sons rebelled against him.

Solomon had a good start.  He sought after Godly wisdom rather than riches and is to this day regarded as the wisest man (second only to Jesus).  His kingdom knew peace and prosperity that was unmatched.  However, he began to compromise for the sake of peace by taking wives of the surrounding nations.  His ecumenism extended to building temples to appease the desires of his many wives to worship their pagan gods and idols.  The result of this was that the kingdom if Israel was divided and later overthrown and the people taken captive by a succession of pagan empires because of their idolotry.

We get in trouble when we put too much stock in personalities.  Leaders may start out really good and in the right direction, however, it is important to know when NOT to follow them if they begin making wrong turns.

Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;
Eph 5:11

Spiritual -vs- Mystical

There is a danger in mistaking the mystical for the spiritual. The "mystical" is satan's poor facsimile and substitute for God's true spirituality.

political spectrum

This is what is taught in a lot of schools and popular media concerning the "political spectrum"

It creates fallacious paradigm of the “Left-Right” dialectic (basically, the two sides of the argument are positioned in such as way as to point to a predetermined outcome).  This spectrum is designed to give students the idea that Communism and Fascism are some kind of extreme bogey-man and Socialism is the "not so bad" happy medium.

This diagram reveals the truth that it is really the spectrum of socialism.  Far left results in Communism (International Socialism) and far right results in Fascism / National Socialism (NAZI).

This still occludes the true roles of Communism, Fabian Socialism, and Fascism.  They are just the IDEOLOGIES by which Socialism is established.

The goal of Communism, Fabian Socialism, and Fascism is the establishment of SOCIALISM.

Communist, Fabian, and Fascist ideologies are the MEANS by which Socialism is established.

Communist ideology is a bottom-up revolution that throws out the old ruling elite and replaces them with a new group of bureaucrats  who are supposed to make sure everything is distributed “fairly” and “scientifically”.  The problem is, these bureaucrats will tend to treat themselves a little “more fairly” than others and they become the new ruling elite oligarchs.

Fascism is top down imposed transformation.  There is a point at which mega-monopolies use the government to squash all free-market competition and ultimately merge with the state in control over all of the markets, goods, services, and property.  The end result is the same ruling oligarchy you get with communism.

Fabian ideology, also known as “The Third Way”, “Communitarian”, or “Progressive”, is working within the existing system like a virus to implement socialism through incremental steps.  The goal is to incrementally bring a society to a point of critical mass where it is ready for a revolution and/or transformation to a completed socialist model.

Socialism is not the means, it is the goal.  The end result is always the same — SOCIALISM.  THE GOAL IS ALWAYS SOCIALISM!!!!

A more accurate representation of the political spectrum.

It is not about “left” or “right”.  It is about Liberty or Tyranny.

The end goal is to eliminate the middle class and have a two class system of the super wealthy who are supported by a manageable number of working class economic slaves.  The oligarchs have a front man who catches all of the flak for things being bad.  The general public feel they have a say in matters because they get to “throw the bum out” with an election.  However, the oligarchs have already hand picked any and all of the candidates “competing” for office, so regardless of who gets in office, the status quo will be preserved.

Power is being centralized at the apex of the executive branch of the federal government.

This concentration of power makes a dictatorship inevitable.

Those who control the president, indirectly gain virtual control of the entire country.




A better way...

1. For liberty to thrive, we start with the presumption that man has a fallen, sinful nature and that man’s wisdom is fallible and incomplete.

2. Because of this fallen nature, without anything to stop it, there would be anarchy, lawlessness, and mob rule.  Government is then necessary in order to preserve life, liberty, and property.

3. At the same time, while government has a necessary function, man’s fallen nature also means that any form of government where men are in leadership will have those same sinful attributes.  The very nature of government means that a few men will have power over other men, and those who covet this power will be the most depraved among us.

4. So, the ideal form of government is one that is only big enough to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens; but, not so big that the government itself begins to violate the life, liberty, and property of the very citizens it is supposed to protect.

5. To protect this balance, there must be checks and balances, division of powers, limitations on government, and rule of law--where the law applies the same to everyone whether they are a politician, judge, entertainer, businessman, farmer, or factory worker.

compromise

Compromise is a good thing when it comes to sharing toys, but not when sharing the truth.

reformed or re-packaged?

Why anyone attempts to be an apologist for "Reformed Theology" is beyond me.

Instead of reformed theology, it should be called "Anti-Semetic Re-Packaged Catholic Theology".

Any "theology" that has its basis in anything that came after the syncretism of gnosticism and paganism that was the foundation of the doctrines of Augustine and Roman Catholicism is sorely corrupt.

True, many of the "fathers of the reformation" did get it right in criticizing popery in the areas of soteriology. However, they failed to reject the rest of the pagan practices and gnostic doctrines that continue to this day in many "reformed" churches.

Personally, I'm more interested in what scripture actually says, rather than what a bunch of "reformed" catholic priests have to say any day.  Their major accomplishment in their criticism of Catholicism was to convieniently not get burned at the stake they way that true Christians (who totally rejected popery) had been murdered for hundreds of years both prior to and during the reformation.

Some things to keep in mind as the days get darker...

- The darker it gets, the brighter even the smallest light shines.

- The majority of people who call themselves "christian", are not.  Most people who call themselves christian are false converts to a godless religion of works or they think is christian spirituality is really new age mysticism repackaged as spirituality.

- Persecution will first come from fellow "christians" because we are not tolerant, we are too dogmatic about the Bible, and we don't accept just anything as "christian".

- Teaching from the Bible is already considered "Hate Speech" because it allegedly causes "Hate Crimes", and eventually even "Hate Thoughts" will be a crime.

- We need to be very strongly grounded in truth, or we too can fall for the lie.

- We need to be proclaiming the gospel as loud as we can for as long as we can.

myth of inevitability

One thing that the enemy would like you to believe is that his agenda is inevitable and "you might as well give in to it".

It is true, if we do nothing, then it really is inevitable.

However, we can fight back, we can slow it down, we can stop it and even reverse it.

To do that, it is important to get informed and get involved.

In the process, let us not forget our reason for standing against the tide.

We lobby for liberty not so that we can do whatever we want, we lobby for the liberty to exercise our commission to preach the Gospel.

The enemy's ultimate goal is to silence the Gospel and replace it with his own false gospel.

While we are here and actively resisting, the enemy's plan is restrained from coming to full fruition.

We need to keep our lamps full, remain vigilant, and sound the shofar any time the enemy approaches the gates.

slaves in our own land

What is the big deal about the Federal Reserve being "private", international bankers, and all that jazz?

What does they have to do with anything?

The issue is not every corporation or every bank.

The Federal Reserve is "backed" by international banks and international investors.  Every dollar printed in the United States is "backed" by a loan from the Federal Reserve.  Every dollar the government spends increases this debt.  The collateral for the loans are taxes collected from the American citizens.  Your taxes do not go to pay for government services, taxes collected by the IRS go to pay interest on these loans to foreign financiers.  When the people cannot pay their taxes, their labor and property is forfeit to pay these debts.

This is how the globalists end up owning and controlling American citizens. 

We become slaves in our own land to a foreign power.

This is not without precedent.  We have ample warning of this from scripture.

While nothing has "replaced" Israel (no, not America, the church, or any other entity), there are still lessons to be learned concerning how God meets out judgement against nations.

There are some insightful passages from Nehemiah on the subjects.  The thing to keep in mind, even while in the process of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, they were still subjects to the Persian emperor, King Artaxerxes.

Nehemiah 5:4-5 NAS
"We have borrowed money for the [foreign] king’s taxes against our fields and vineyards ... we are bringing our sons and daughters into bondage as slaves. Some of our daughters have gone into slavery already, and it’s beyond our power to do anything about it, because other men have our fields and vineyards.”

Further passages reveal that this is part of the judgement against Israel for the people turning their back on God and worshipping foreign gods.  The people had become slaves in the very land that was to be their inheritance.  The fruit of their labors went to foreign kings.  They were being sold into bondage to pay thier taxes.

Nehemiah 9:33-37 NAS
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.

For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law
   Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.

But they, in their own kingdom,
   With Your great goodness which You gave them,
   With the broad and rich land which You set before them,
   Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.

Behold, we are slaves today,
   And as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty,
   Behold, we are slaves in it.
Its abundant produce is for the [foreign] kings
   Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
   And over our cattle as they please,

So we are in great distress.

501c

Next time you get a chance, ask your pastor if they are prepared for a time when they will need to give up their 501c non-profit status...

God declares the end from the beginning...

Isaiah 46:9b-10
... I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'

I've recently heard this misquoted twice recently and had to look it up to make sure I was remembering the verse correctly.

man's fallable government

Looking to government to solve your problems is making government a "god".

Government seeks to eliminate all "gods" before it.  Otherwise, you can believe what you want, as long as government is the ultimate authority.

when you care enough to tell the truth

Giving people a helping hand is great. 

However, how helpful is it to provide temporal assistance to someone without sharing the Gospel of turning away from sin (repentance) and turning toward salvation found only in Jesus the Messiah?

So often, when we help someone it is just so that we can feel better about ourselves.

Most of us are helping others to alleviate our own sense of guilt.  That is not love.

Once the guilt is assuaged, we then pat ourselves on the back and smugly reflect on how "good" we are.

Assistance without the Gospel is is akin to giving someone icewater on thier way to hell.

Heaven forbid that we should share the truth with someone.  Telling someone the truth is more likely to alienate you and make you the target of ridicule.

The truth does not make us any friends.  If we tell someone the truth, well, it might offend them and they may not like us. 

So, for selfish reasons we hold back the truth and try to selfishly assuage our guilt by throwing money at the problem. 

Always maintain an eternal perspective.  Ask yourself, how much will this temporary circumstance really matter 10,000 years from now?

If you truly love and care about someone, then you should be VERY CONCERNED about where they will be spending ETERNITY before you concern yourself with where they will spend the night or get their next meal.

Providing food, clothing, and shelter to those in need is a great draw for getting people's attention.

But, the assistance should not be a goal in and of itself.

It should be an avenue to the goal of sharing the Gospel.  That should always be the drive and focus.

my criteria for charitable giving

1.  Must be used toward a biblical purpose (ie: taking care of widows and orphans, feed and cloth the destitute and hungry)

2.  Sharing the Gospel of turning from sin and turning to the salvation found only in Jesus the Messiah must be the central purpose, the food and other items are just the draw.

3. Over 95% of the funds collected must verifiably go toward #1 and #2 and not to "administrative  costs" (someone's pocket)

The Harbinger

I just completed listening to the Harbinger on audiobook.

Some have criticized Cahn's book, but their criticism makes it clear they have not thoroughly read the book or listened to the author's explanation of it.  I have yet to find a solid criticism, and instead have only seen circumstantial and knee jerk attacks by those who are trying to hock their wares.

I strive to be someone who is very picky about what I read and quick to point out the rampant apostasy, false prophets, and misinformation that clouds the truth.  I did not get the least impression that this book was trying convince anyone of replacement theology.

Cahn, himself a Jew and Messianic Rabbi, has stressed several times both in the book and in interviews that he does not believe in replacement theology (that America, the church, or anything else has replaced Israel) or that the Isaiah 9:10 is a prophecy written just for America or anything of the sort.

What he is uncovering is that there was a pattern in Israel's judgement that seems to be repeating itself in actual recorded events surrounding 9/11 (and yes, they are all verifiable in news stories, pictures, and video of actual events).

While I agree that the fictional backdrop might cause confusion for some, the point was to arouse people to investigate further for themselves, repent, and turn to God -- not make a "thus says the Lord" declaration.

(NOTE: I don't receive anything for my comments on this book)

freedom and liberty

Is there a difference between freedom and liberty?

Often the words freedom and liberty are used interchangably.  From time to time, they may carry with them different connotations or distictive definitions based on an author's intent.

Typically, if a distinction is drawn, freedom is typically tied to a person's belief or feeling about their circumstances.

In contrast, liberty is typically tied to a person's ability to perform certain actions.

Some progressives might say that "We want to protect freedom to worship".

This may sound good, but a freedom to believe something or worship is something is quite different than the liberty to act on those beliefs.

For example, you may have the freedom to believe that "Jesus is the only way".

However, as currently exists in many countries, you do not have the liberty to share that belief with others.

essentials

I have heard it said: "Let us unite on the essentials and have grace on the non-essentials"

I agree with that. But, then the discussion turns to the question of "What are the essentials that we are supposed to unite on?"

The Bible may not tell us everything there is to know, but it does tell us everything we NEED to know.

My observation thus far has been that there are many things in the Bible that are crystal clear.

There are also some things that require time, study, and spiritual discernment to understand. These things best understood by "getting to know" God and His nature.

Additionally, there are some things that are prophetic and "sealed" (their meaning is not clear) right now, but will become clearer as we approach the in the time for which they were written.

The more essential it is, the clearer it is stated and the easier it is to understand. Since we are to recieve the kingdom of God as a little child (Luke 18:17, Mark 10:15), then the essentials should be simple enough for a child to understand.

If you have to really do some hard core gymnastics to stretch it beyond its obvious meaning, your doing it wrong. We get into trouble when we put our own pet theories, traditions of men, and doctrines of demons ahead of the simplicity of God's Word.

We must unite around the truth, even if the truth is sometimes hard to take.  The key is for us to submit ourselves to the truth as reavealed in the Bible.

Why the Government Fears Veterans

It has been a recurring theme in history that a government uses the youth of a generation as tools to further its own agendas and protect the wealth of the elite. Once the veteran is no longer useful, the government is quick to break its promises of pensions, health care, and benefits to those who have given so much.

http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/revwar-77.htm

March 15, 1783 - General Washington gathers his officers and talks them out of a rebellion against the authority of Congress, and in effect preserves the American democracy.

June 24, 1783 - To avoid protests from angry and unpaid war veterans, Congress leaves Philadelphia and relocates to Princeton, New Jersey.


1894 - Coxey's Army was a protest march that included disgruntled Civil War veterans who marched on Washington to claim benefits. It was the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time. It was the first significant popular protest march on Washington and the expression "Enough food to feed Coxey's Army" originates from this march. Named after Jacob Coxey, a Civil War veteran.


1922 - Mussolini, a former socialist coalesced the Fascist party around a cadre of disgruntled war veterans and nationalists, organized into paramilitary gangs, known as squadri fascisti, who fought in the streets with communists and socialists and protested against the peace treaties and the weakness of the parliamentary government.

German Workers Party (DAP) was made up primarily of disgruntled World War I veterans. The DAP would later evolve into the National Workers Socialist Party (Nazi) and would recruit former World War I soldiers, to whom Hitler as a decorated frontline veteran could particularly appeal.

1932 March of the Bonus Army - a group of disgruntled World War I veterans marched on Washington, D.C., to demand a "bonus" promised to them for their military service, few could have foreseen the turbulence that lay ahead. Determined to ensure that the military would make good in delivering the funds promised, the 45,000 war veterans set up camp and refused to budge. When two tense months had passed and Congress refused to immediately pay the bonus, general Douglas MacArthur and officers Dwight D. Eisenhower and George S. Patton Jr. led the U.S. Army in driving the veterans from Washington with tear gas, tanks, and saber-wielding cavalrymen before burning the protestors' camp to the ground. Though the bonus would be paid off four years later to the benefit of some four million veterans, the historical march on Washington, D.C., laid the groundwork that would eventually influence the WWII GI Bill, cement the rights of citizens to assemble, and petition the government, and serve as one of the first occurrences of large-scale integration in a time where racial relations were an extremely sensitive issue.

Isaiah 9:7-21

The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
All the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:

“The bricks have fallen down,
But WE will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But WE will replace them with cedars.”

Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks folly.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.


For wickedness burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.

Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
No man shall spare his brother.
And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.

Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still

unity

Unity is a good thing, but compromising the truth for the sake of unity destroys your foundation and leaves you standing on the shifting sands of incomplete and fallible human "wisdom".

If we are to have unity, let us be united around the truth.

tolerance

We go around proudly touting of how "tolerant" we are.  We stick our noses in the air with smug superiority and look down on anyone who is not as refined, intellectual, hip, and tolerant as we are.

Tolerance, in the classical sense, is not a terribly bad thing.  Basically, the concept of not shooting someone in the head just because you don't agree with them is a good thing.  Classical tolerance did not prohibit people being critical of other beliefs, it just meant that you wouldn't beat up or kill someone just because of those differences.

Today, it is not enough to have the civil freedom (at least for the time that we have it) to believe what you want and live without fear of being imprisoned or killed just for your beliefs.

The problem comes in that the modern definition of tolerance has become more about permitting, accepting, affirming, encouraging, experimenting with, and even adopting what someone else believes or how they behave rather than just live and let live.

This just demonstrates how well we have been indoctrinated and trained to believe that tolerance is a virtue.


The wrong understanding and overemphasis on tolerance is by design.  It destroys our willingness and ability to take a stand for the truth out of fear of being ridiculed and accused of being "intolerant".

If you will not stand for the truth, then you will fall for any lie.

Neo Babylon

European Parliment building in Brussels

Artist conception of Tower of Babel

Coincidence?


And curious that they would choose symbolism from Revelation 17 concerning a woman riding a beast...

Five Stages of Persecution

Stage one: Label the opposition

Stage two: Marginalize the opposition

Stage Three: Vilify the Opposition

Stage Four: Pass laws criminalizing the activities of the opposition

Stage Five: Enforce the new laws against the opposition

- John Loeffler

rot from within

 

Persecution against Bible believing Christians will not come as much from outside the church as it will come from the compromise, new age, social justice “Christians”.

Easter in the Bible!

For all those scribes and pharisees who say that easter is a pagan holiday, here ya go. Easter is in the Bible!

Acts 12:4

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. (KJV)


Um, wait a minute... let's look at it in context...


Acts 12:1-5

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

Notice here, it wasn't Christians who were keeping "Easter", it was King Herod who was a known pagan...

Of course, it is probably more appropriate that the word here be translated at Passover rather than easter, as it is in most other literal translations. Since Herod (who was an Edomite appointed by Rome to rule over Israel) was looking for ways to gain favor with the Jewish leadership, it is more likely that his staff would observe the Passover Sabbaths and not do business during that time.

It is true that many people have been worshiping a pagan “holiday” that God never directed them to do. Throughout scripture, God repeatedly reveals that He hates the pagan “grove” worship of Ishtar and other false gods.

Meanwhile, we ignore the feast day of Passover that God did establish. Jesus and His disciples all kept Passover (Matt 26; Mark 14; Luke 2, 22; John 2, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19; 1 Cor 5:7), and it was during the Passover Sedar (meal) that Jesus revealed the true meaning behind it... that it was fulfilled in Him.

Food for thought...

No one left to speak up

“In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

Rev. Martin Neimoller, a German pastor arrested by the Gestapo in 1937.

visualize whirrled peas

Visualization can be a useful tool. When you read a novel, you picture what is happening. Architects use it to design a building in their head. Athletes and dancers might mentally walk through routines. These are fine, good, and healthy uses of the imagination that God has given us.

There is, however, a line we should not cross. The problem comes when you use visualization in a spiritual context. That is the point where you cross over into the occult and it becomes an open door for the demonic. It is not a tool for creating anything, visualizing a conversation with "Jesus", getting God to do something, or to create or "attract" health and wealth.

Revolutionary War Propaganda

Most of the founding fathers where enlightenment thinkers. A handful were (based on their writings and actions) believing Christians such as Noah Webster, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams.

Others were sympathetic to Christianity, however they mixed the holy (God's wisdom from scripture) with the profane (Greek, humanist, pagan, and enlightenment philosophy). They would pick and choose from various wisdom literature sources including the Bible, Voltaire, John Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Freemasonry, etc.

You will often find men such as Gouverneur Morris, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams making public comments, speeches, and legislation that would include Christian friendly terminology. Then their private letters would reveal their condescending ridicule and even open hostility toward the Christian faith.

To reconcile this difference, you only need to realize that human nature has not changed over the last 6,000 years. Politicians back then are the same as politicians today. They will say whatever it takes to get people to follow them.

It is not strange that their public and on record remarks are very carefully worded so as not to offend Christians. The vast majority of the colonists at the time of the Revolution were Christian. The Puritans and Pilgrims were Christian and purposefully came to the new continent for the purpose of spreading the Gospel and living out their Christian faith. They wanted a Christian Nation, and this is evident by the charters of the various colonies and constitutions of the various states. They intended to establish Christianity as the official religion of their colonies.

The Enlightenment thinkers, however, leveraged the differences between the various denominations to include language in the founding documents of the federal government for "religious freedom". In the minds of the general Christian populace, this meant that not one denomination would be superior or enforce it's distinctions over another. In the minds of the Enlightenment philosophy, religious freedom meant freedom for all religions with the ultimate goal of freedom from religion.

Some were openly hostile to Christianity such as Thomas Paine. Yet, Thomas Paine used very Christian language in Revolutionary War propaganda such as "Common Sense". Yet in his other works such as "The Age of Reason" it is very clear that he is very anti-Christian. It is interesting to note that Thomas Paine was a Mason and lived with a man who was a member of the Bavarian Illuminati. Paine was not out to inspire a Christian revolution, he was motivating Christians to support and participate IN the revolution.

Now don't think that I'm trying to say that our country is bad or the Constitution is a bad thing, etc. As far as human governments go, it is about as good as it could possibly get. I support the Constitution and believe that it is the only thing (besides God's intervention) standing between us and a socialist tyrannical government. However, I do not need to "Christianize" the Constitution or our federal government system in order to believe that it is worth protecting. There are good and valuable things in our founding documents, but they are not scripture. The Founding Fathers are great men who risked (and lost) much, and we owe them a debt gratitude, but they are not saints or demigods.

Primary Focus

Yet again questions such as: "should Christians run for office" and "should Christians engage the culture" have come up.

The answer is: Yes, of course

The Bible says we should be salt and light, and not to hide our "light" under a basket.  We should engage society and stand against social evil, government corruption, abuse, crime, etc.  Christians should run for political offices, vote, participate in petitions, awareness drives, defend the victimized, help the widows and orphans, etc.

However, these activities should never replace, take away from, or supersede

#1 Our personal relationship with God (including reading the Bible, prayer, gathering together)

and


#2 Our primary mission, while we are here, is to share the gospel and make disciples.

All other activities should flow naturally out of our walk with God.  As our hearts are molded more and more in the likeness of His heart and nature, sin becomes more and more offensive to us.  That SHOULD drive us to take a stand against the evil system of the world.

The thing to remember is that the only PERMANENT way to effect society is by changing the hearts of individuals, one at a time. 

You can't change hearts by signing petitions, participating in a pep-rally, getting someone elected, or passing bills.  While these things are all good things to do, they cannot effect a lasting change.  Only sharing the good news about Jesus and the heart transforming power of the Holy Spirit can make an eternal difference.

America IS Mentioned in Bible Prophecy!

Zechariah 14:2

I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.


Joel 3:2

I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. 

Is it Biblical to make pledges and oaths? Part 1

Before the kids participated in the Lord's supper, I researched and we did a week long "unit study" about it.  We did the same before the kids were baptized.  It was very important that they not participate in these ordinances "unworthily" (without understanding the complete meaning and context of what they were doing and being able to participate willfully and knowingly).

I had planned to do this concerning things like the "Pledge of Allegiance", since I had brought up the question at one point in a past conversation -- but, had not gotten around to this.  This is the start of correcting that.  Hopefully a conclusion can be prayerfully reached that is subject to the authority of scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit toward all truth.  (I continue to dig into this though, and welcome input from anyone who has found examples from the Bible that I have not yet run across, and all assertions are subject to what the entirety of scripture has to say about it.)

Does the Bible direct us to make pledges or explicitly say that oaths and pledges are OK?

There are many examples where God creates covenants such as the covenant of marriage, the covenant between God and Abraham, and the multitude of promises throughout scripture.

Most of the oaths made in the Old Testament initiated by men were made without God's direction and turned out badly.  Since God holds us accountable to our oaths, the biggest lesson is not to enter into an oath lightly and not without considering the cost and/or consequences.  A good example includes where God held Saul and all of Israel accountable for a promise Joshua made to the Gibeonites several generations before.

So far I have not found any New Testament examples of oaths or pledges initiated by believers.  (Although, people are still held accountable for what they say -- just ask Ananias and Sapphira).

 I realize that there were various confessions of belief (probably not the same thing as an oath) developed in later times by the church to counter various heresies that crept in; but, for the purposes of this study, I am mostly concerned with what God has revealed in scripture and not inventions of men.

Are pledges and oaths such as the Pledge of Allegiance (to the U.S. Flag), the Pledge to the Christian Flag, the Pledge to the Bible, or even by extension the "vows" said in a marriage ceremony the same as to "swear by" as referenced by Jesus and James?

Matthew 5:33-37

Again, ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt pay to the Lord thine oaths; but I -- I say to you, not to swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God, nor by the earth, because it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is a city of a great king, nor by thy head mayest thou swear, because thou art not able one hair to make white or black; but let your word be, Yes, Yes, No, No, and that which is more than these is of the evil.

James 5:12

And before all things, my brethren, do not swear, neither by the heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath, and let your Yes be Yes, and the No, No; that under judgment ye may not fall.

It seems that the actual sin here is blasphemy by taking of the Lord's name in vain.  That "swearing by God" or by "anything" at all (since it all belongs to God and isn't yours to swear by) is the problem and not as much making the oath, pledge, or promise. 

In context, Jesus is demonstrating several instances of the law being followed "to the letter", but additionally God looks on our hearts and motivation.  For example: adultery and murder are not just the physical acts, but start in the heart with lust and hatred.  Of course, Jesus did not say it was "OK" to commit murder if you didn't hate.  Murder is still a crime, but so is hatred of other people (we should still hate sin - Rom 12:9).

Similarly, we will still be held accountable by God for breaking oaths, pledges, vows, covenants and promises -- but even beyond that, it is sinful to casually invoke God as surety that what you are saying is true, or that you will do what you say.  We are instructed to simply keep our word and let our "yes be yes, and no be no".

* Could the "so help me God" in some oaths of office or service possibly be the same as "swearing by God"?   (question to ponder and address at some future date; initially I would say "not unless the oath is taken casually" which is all too often the case)

Conclusions

1) I currently do not see in the Bible where God expresses commands, encourages, or says it is "OK" to make pledges

2) Pledges that include a "swear by ___ " clause are not to be made.

3) I currently do not see in the Bible where God explicitly tells us not to make pledges (except in the case of #2 above)

4) We should not make pledges casually, lightly, without understanding, and/or without counting the costs and consequences.

5) We will be called into account for every idle word and held accountable for every pledge we break (Matt 5:33, Matt 12:36)

Part 2 coming (eventually)...

Future installments will look into the history behind the Pledge of Allegiance, what it means, and other questions including...

- Can you be a Christian and choose to say the Pledge? (Yes)

- Can you choose to opt out of saying the Pledge and still be a Christian and a patriot? (Yes)

- Someone who opts out of saying the pledge should respectfully, attentively, and quietly stand without drawing attention to themselves with their hands at their sides or held in front of them (not in pockets or moving about).

- Why bother about this at all?

- Can the words pledge, oath, vow, promise, covenant, etc be used interchangeably or are there sufficiently significant differences in the scriptural meanings?

- Is it idolatry to pledge to a flag, book, or anything other than God?

- What is the true origin and purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance?  Is the pledge a patriotic duty or socialist indoctrination tool? 

(No kidding, look it up for yourself.  When was it written?  Who was the author?  What was the purpose?)

- Should children who do not yet understand the meaning, purpose, and consequences of the Pledge be led to say it?

- We are to train a child in the way they should go.  Does this mean train them how to think or what to think (or both)?

- Some people say "positive peer pressure" is a good thing.  The problem is that it is still conditioning kids to go along with the crowd.  It works fine while they are in a "good" crowd, but then they do not have any personal character to guide them in times when they are in a "bad" crowd.

- Is having children mindlessly parrot a "pledge" really teaching "patriotism" or conditioning them to go along with the crowd?

- Anything done without faith is sin (Rom 14:23).  If someone is not fully convinced in their hearts and minds (consciously, confidently, knowingly, and willfully) concerning the pledge, they should not be made to say it. (Romans 14).  This should not be an excuse in the long term, a person who is not fully convinced one way or another is still responsible to "do their homework" and make a decision.

- A person who puts God first can still be proud to be an American, proud of our nation's history, heritage, and accomplishments, yet disagree with some of the actions of segments within our culture and government.

- If you want to be a true rebel, take a stand for God against the corruption of the world system which is at odds against Him. (James 4:4)  Jesus said, "you are either for me or against me" (Lk 9:50, Mt 12:30) and you "cannot serve two masters" (Mt 6:24, Lk 16:13).

- Should we just blindly follow the flag wherever it goes or would a true American patriot be willing to stand (nonviolently) against a tyrannical government that is godless, lawless, and/or when it takes actions contrary to God's law?

- The only way to make a lasting impact on a culture is to change hearts.  The only way to change hearts is to share the Gospel.

- I do not know of any groups or movements among Christians to stop saying the pledge.  I am given to understand that Jehovah Witnesses abstain from any pledges other than to God.  They may have a point, but I'm not Jehovah Witness, nor am I an authority on what they do or do not believe.

can't handle the truth

True Bible-believing Christianity has always been the minority and even small compromises 30 years ago have big ripple effects today. (Mat 7:13)

Folks today want candy-coated, feel good, pop-psychology messages that tickle their ears and they will not hear the truth (2Tim 4:3).

Unfortunately, so many preachers are lured by the easy money they get by delivering these false messages. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

given over

A nation gets the government it deserves.

The lack of any viable Presidential candidates is further evidence that since this nation overall has turned its back on God, God has given this nation over to its own vile affections. (Romans 1:21-32)

If the people of a nation cannot rule themselves, then the nation gets an oppressive government (Prov 28:2).