(The Straw Man Ploy, Part 9: “Imagine There’s No Heaven!”)
By admin On April 16th, 2022The New York Times, on this “Good Friday” morning, had an editorial opinion piece calling for the elimination of God from society, since, as the editor put it, “Religion is responsible for so many wars, so much hate, so much resistance to society’s desire to live any old way we want to live!”
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But truth-be-told, this writer is actually correct, to a certain degree! Yes, God is responsible for so many wars, as well as so much resistance to mankind’s desire to “live any old way we want to live”.
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“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
Matthew 10:34
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Listen to the very words of Jesus…“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
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Yes, indeed, God has declared war on this selfish world! And by sending His only begotten Son into the world, to give His life on the Cross, God began a massive campaign to destroy this antichrist world-system.
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And yet, it was not God who has been bloodying the world. No, just the opposite! It has been the “god of this world” who has been busily working through fallen, sinful humans to do his dirty work, quite often in the name of God, and under the guise of Christianity, false Christianity!
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After all, what better way could there be to trash the name of Jesus than to pretend to come in the name of Jesus, performing evil deeds, causing the children of men to despise that glorious name!
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This of course is what is known as “The Straw Man Ploy”. Yes, it is no less than the Prince of Darkness who “now works in the children of disobedience”, inspiring them to commit a myriad of heinous acts of evil in God’s holy name! Ephesians 2:2, 3
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And thus, Satan gives secularists all the necessary “ammunition” to foolishly charge God with causing all the mayhem and madness we see in the world! And so, this “Straw Man” of counterfeit Christianity accomplishes its designated purpose to defeat Heaven’s unselfish love!
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But even though these humanists feel morally superior to the Christian community, they will have no excuse on Judgment Day as they stand before the divine Judge of the universe, to give account for their condemning accusations against the Lamb of God and His fellow sheep! Because, besides what has been revealed in the Bible concerning God’s flawless character, has also been clearly seen in God’s marvelous Creation! And though these critics might make plausible accusations against erring men, they could not successfully accuse the One who stretched out His hands on the Cross, making Himself the atoning sacrifice for sin and sinners! And so, they will be without excuse on that Day!
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And yet, the very Good News is that this is still the day of salvation! And all those who realize their need of soul-saving redemption, may fall down at the foot of the Cross, and confess that they, not God, shared in the responsibility for the wars and hate and sickness, and heartaches which have plagued mankind for much too long!
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Listen to Scripture…
22 It is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness…
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.
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39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
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Here is a dramatic testimony concerning God’s patience with mankind, the very same ones who spit in God’s face on a daily basis, and write “hit pieces”, condemning God, when in truth, it is they themselves who are the guilty ones!