Here at the Temple we speak the true Word of God as faithfully as possible, and to the highest degree that we and our fellow men and women can understand it. We believe the Judeo-Christian God of the Old and New Testaments, who told Moses to call him Yahweh (meaning "I am that I am"), and who sent His son Jesus to redeem mankind, is the true Creator of All that is, visible and invisible. Every other religion falls short. But the followers of any religion have the opportunity to find salvation if they desire it. Our God is always listening to us, and will open doors if you knock.
These are the Last Days foretold in the final book of the Bible, called Revelation, and we are rejoicing mightily; with all our hearts. The End Times are at hand and Heaven will open. So will Hell. We have a choice where we'll end up.
There are major pitfalls to overcome, though.
Idolatry, the worship of things other than God, even creation itself, is a major stumbling block. All of us are tempted by idols, and it's hard to resist the many alluring facets of idolatry: sex, money, power, beauty, revenge, and comfort, to name a few. The internet and other media are filled to bursting with the temptations and lies of this world, and many are disguised as virtues. Particularly the ones that portray themselves as religious and angelic.
Politics is the fiercest and most dangerous idol of all, because it promises all the others. Political power can always be used to acquire worldly goods - and to control the masses of people to boot. The majority of political leaders think they are like gods, and are often encouraged by their subjects to think so.
This is demonic, and extremely dangerous. There are three qualities of Satan and his demonic army. First, they want to possess all and do all. Second, they claim that nobody - even God Himself - has authority over them. And third, they are gods unto themselves. They created Hell by their rebellion and gross nature, not God.
In the eyes of God, all political systems of any value must begin with acknowledgement of Him. Absent this statement, the ends of those systems will be evil:
Dennis Prager on the Second Commandment
The American Declaration of Independence is the purest political document ever written. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."
Since these words were written, women and minorities of every kind have been embraced by the United States, and this system has been imitated by every other successful nation. The United Nations incorporated many of these ideas in its constitution, and all member nations have signed onto them; even if they utterly fail to try and live up to them. "Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue." - Matthew Arnold
But there is a worm of destruction that has been allowed to grow in these most liberal systems, and as a result, massive breakdowns are taking place globally. What is this core problem? Atheism, agnosticism, and anti-theism. Everyone knows atheists, and those who just can't believe (agnostics), and even people who hate God. Marxism in all its forms encourages this, and Socialism tends to drift into Marxism. We've never seen such rage, and as these godless regimes collapse, people rage against God more than ever. They neglect God and then blame Him for not saving them. Or they blame free market systems such as capitalism, which has been vastly more successful than any other.
Understand that we humans are hard-wired to worship some form of god. If we claim not to believe in the One God, we will end up worshiping an idol of one sort or another. We can't resist our genetic nature.
Science has been very successful at explaining many things, and the resultant technology has created miracle-working machines that make our lives easier, more fun, and more comfortable. We've come to worship and cherish these, rather than the more difficult and rewarding knowledge of God and the universe. Irony of ironies, our science and technology came from our mind and heart, which are God-given gifts.
Our pride often stops us from taking steps that would turn things around. We hate to admit our mistakes, even small ones. Admitting the stupendous error of ignoring and slandering God and His people is the biggest challenge there is to our character.
The election of Donald Trump to the U.S. Presidency marks the greatest political and religious about-face ever in recorded history. It's been relatively peaceful and bloodless, unlike previous dramatic political reversals. President-elect Trump has pledged to return his country to the principles of the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Hillary Clinton raged openly at people of faith (calling them "deplorables" who should be set apart in a "basket"); preached the right to free taxpayer-funded abortions for all, up to the minute of delivery; and even sold access to her power while enriching herself and her family to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Oh, and in the meantime, she mishandled thousands of secret documents, leaving them open to theft from every enemy of the United States. Many lives were lost through her neglect, and incalculable damage was done to America.
She and her Democrat-Marxist political party were utterly defeated and rejected by Americans on November 8th. The United States has a shining chance to regain the good graces of the universe's Creator, and to set an example for every other nation on this globe. If we pray for their success, we will also open a door to salvation for ourselves, wherever we live.
These are the Last Days foretold in the final book of the Bible, called Revelation, and we are rejoicing mightily; with all our hearts. The End Times are at hand and Heaven will open. So will Hell. We have a choice where we'll end up.
There are major pitfalls to overcome, though.
Idolatry, the worship of things other than God, even creation itself, is a major stumbling block. All of us are tempted by idols, and it's hard to resist the many alluring facets of idolatry: sex, money, power, beauty, revenge, and comfort, to name a few. The internet and other media are filled to bursting with the temptations and lies of this world, and many are disguised as virtues. Particularly the ones that portray themselves as religious and angelic.
Politics is the fiercest and most dangerous idol of all, because it promises all the others. Political power can always be used to acquire worldly goods - and to control the masses of people to boot. The majority of political leaders think they are like gods, and are often encouraged by their subjects to think so.
This is demonic, and extremely dangerous. There are three qualities of Satan and his demonic army. First, they want to possess all and do all. Second, they claim that nobody - even God Himself - has authority over them. And third, they are gods unto themselves. They created Hell by their rebellion and gross nature, not God.
In the eyes of God, all political systems of any value must begin with acknowledgement of Him. Absent this statement, the ends of those systems will be evil:
Dennis Prager on the Second Commandment
The American Declaration of Independence is the purest political document ever written. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."
Since these words were written, women and minorities of every kind have been embraced by the United States, and this system has been imitated by every other successful nation. The United Nations incorporated many of these ideas in its constitution, and all member nations have signed onto them; even if they utterly fail to try and live up to them. "Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue." - Matthew Arnold
But there is a worm of destruction that has been allowed to grow in these most liberal systems, and as a result, massive breakdowns are taking place globally. What is this core problem? Atheism, agnosticism, and anti-theism. Everyone knows atheists, and those who just can't believe (agnostics), and even people who hate God. Marxism in all its forms encourages this, and Socialism tends to drift into Marxism. We've never seen such rage, and as these godless regimes collapse, people rage against God more than ever. They neglect God and then blame Him for not saving them. Or they blame free market systems such as capitalism, which has been vastly more successful than any other.
Understand that we humans are hard-wired to worship some form of god. If we claim not to believe in the One God, we will end up worshiping an idol of one sort or another. We can't resist our genetic nature.
Science has been very successful at explaining many things, and the resultant technology has created miracle-working machines that make our lives easier, more fun, and more comfortable. We've come to worship and cherish these, rather than the more difficult and rewarding knowledge of God and the universe. Irony of ironies, our science and technology came from our mind and heart, which are God-given gifts.
Our pride often stops us from taking steps that would turn things around. We hate to admit our mistakes, even small ones. Admitting the stupendous error of ignoring and slandering God and His people is the biggest challenge there is to our character.
The election of Donald Trump to the U.S. Presidency marks the greatest political and religious about-face ever in recorded history. It's been relatively peaceful and bloodless, unlike previous dramatic political reversals. President-elect Trump has pledged to return his country to the principles of the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Hillary Clinton raged openly at people of faith (calling them "deplorables" who should be set apart in a "basket"); preached the right to free taxpayer-funded abortions for all, up to the minute of delivery; and even sold access to her power while enriching herself and her family to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Oh, and in the meantime, she mishandled thousands of secret documents, leaving them open to theft from every enemy of the United States. Many lives were lost through her neglect, and incalculable damage was done to America.
She and her Democrat-Marxist political party were utterly defeated and rejected by Americans on November 8th. The United States has a shining chance to regain the good graces of the universe's Creator, and to set an example for every other nation on this globe. If we pray for their success, we will also open a door to salvation for ourselves, wherever we live.
