@Anti Federalist, I decided to address your concern about God not saving us with fire out his arse (I caught the Braveheart reference) separate from "The Q Thread." I started a long response, but cut it short and decided to put the rest here because this is really a religious discussion and should be distracted by the noise that is that thread. I'm sure you'll disagree with much of what I say and that's cool. This isn't to change your mind, but rather to give you insight into another perspective.
This is what Jesus said about how to fight evil.
John 18:36
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
And Jesus actually wrote the Book of Revelation. John just copied it down again.
Revelation 1:1
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.
Christianity didn't become the religion of the Roman empire through conquest. It became the religion through conversion. It was really the first "information war." (And I know Alex Jones has tainted that phrase.) Whatever the freedom movement accomplishes will not primarily be through force of arms. Nothing wrong with having weapons for self defense. Jesus told His followers to get a sword, but then he said two swords, among 13 people, was "enough."
Luke 22:36, 38
He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That's enough!" he replied.
But when Peter used the sword and cut off the ear of one of their enemies, Jesus healed the enemy and rebuked Peter.
Matthew 26:50-53
50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”[d]
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
Luke 22:49-53.
49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.
John 18:10
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)
Note that it was directly after that when Peter denied Jesus.
Luke 22:54-62
54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”
57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
He was willing to kill for Jesus, and die in the process if necessary knowing that Jesus had the power to raise the dead. But he wasn't willing to be martyred for Jesus. The Islamic martyrs fought and died. Christian martyrs bared witness to the gospel and died in peace. Peter eventually became a Christian martyr.
I know this is a tough thing to hear and a tougher act to follow. I don't expect everyone to follow it. I don't think people who don't will be condemned to hell for not following it. You were right in the other thread when you mentioned me and you said I likely have a target on my back. If I am reading the prophecies right, there is a good chance I may be martyred someday. But not for any of this Q nonsense. Q is not Christian and neither is Donald Trump. What was the result of the witness of the Christian martyrs? Why it's still happening today. Did you know that, thanks largely to the brutality of the Islamic State towards Christian martyrs, more Muslims converted to Christianity than at any time in human history? More words from Jesus.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
But check out the whole context.
Matthew 24::9-14
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Christian martyrdom is a prerequisite for the gospel getting to everyone. It will separate the wheat from the chaff. You won't have any phony preachers talking about "name it and claim it" when people's heads are being chopped off for acknowledging Jesus. But maybe then people who have been fooled into thinking that Christianity is about enslaving black people and hating gays will see the light. Christianity never supported slavery (I can biblically prove that), and Christianity is about becoming free from the lust of the flesh (I have a long way to go on that). When true Christianity is embraced in its fullness, the petty differences that divide us no longer matter. The problem is that Christianity right now is lukewarm. As Jesus said in Revelation 3:15-16
Revelation 3:15-16
New International Version
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
How can a lukewarm Christianity change anything? Only the fire of persecution will heat Christianity up to a temperature acceptable to God and healing to humanity. Only then will we get the "plank out of our own eye" so we can better see how to help our brethren get the speck out of their own. (Matthew 7:3)
And no. Our existence, the Christian existence, will not be "blotted from history." Christianity DEFINES human history! Even the most blasphemous atheist has to acknowledge that. Human history is divided by the birth of Jesus Christ. Even though atheists now want to use "Before Common Era" and "Common Era" to define history, what made the era "common?" It wasn't the power of the Roman empire or the "enlightened" (and degenerate) pagan Greek culture. It was the uniting force of Christianity. Christianity accomplished what no other religion could because it did what no other religion did, not even Judaism. Christianity embraced all races and cultures of people around the common idea that rather than sacrificing animals (or people) to reconcile yourself to God, God sacrificed Himself so that He could do the reconciling. How do you fight such a gracious idea? You can't. Even when the German barbarian tribes overthrew Rome, they were the ones "conquered" in a sense that they became Christianized.
Lastly, of this I am certain. Before this decade is over the real persecution will come. And it won't be based on "right vs left." It will be based on right vs wrong. And when that happens all will be revealed.
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