Author: Mark Anthony Escalera

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The Danger of the US Deficit

Regardless of our politics, I believe we as a nation here in America are in very grave danger. Ezekiel 14:12, 13 states, “The word of the LORD came again to me, saying: “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.”

I recognize that this passage is a direct reference to Israel, but I believe the principles shown in God’s Word are clearly evident in their soberness. If we forget the God Who has blessed us, it would not take much for God to bring us to complete ruin. The economic collapse of America is not far away and before long, the rest of the world will not only own us, but will make demands from us that are unsustainable! Are we prepared for anarchy, riots, and most importantly – the persecution of the true church??

Watch this sobering movie entitled I.O.U.S.A. and contemplate the fact that we have been duped by our leaders both Democrat and Republican alike who are greedy for their own gain!

HT: Escalera Photography

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My Recent Absence!

In a nutshell, the last month has seen the evil one completely decimate the already small congregation which I pastor.  Freemasonry reared its ugly, Luciferian head within our midst.  Some in our church preferred the ungodly, worldly alliances instead of the covenant they made with God’s people.  Instead of making things right with the Lord and forsaking the wicked connections they had probably unwittingly made years ago, they chose to start calling others within the congregation.

For the rest of this post, please go to The Desert Pastor.

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Saturday Message – Can a Christian Be a Freemason?

For the third week in a row DefCon interrupts our regularly scheduled Saturday sermon series Studies in Ephesians to bring you a message which we believe is VERY vital to all who claim to be a Christian and are also involved in Masonry.

This message entitled Can a Christian Be a Freemason? was preached by Ed Decker.

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The Evil Oath of a Shriner

Disclaimer – Some of the information in these blogs is not deemed suitable for young readers.  We ask that discretion be used.  Much prayer is needed in the understanding of the ways of Lucifer.  This is NOT a trivial matter and we take our responsibility to warn of the evil and dangers of heresy, false doctrine, and cults very seriously.

The following information makes it very clear that no true Bible-believing Christian who has been born again by the Spirit of God can willfully, deliberately partake in the oath that follows.  It is a wicked organization, and it does not matter that they do some good or have children’s hospitals.

No local church will ever be blessed by God that allows a Shriner or a Mason in without that person first being willing to recant of the evil and the curses which they have uttered that are contrary to the Word of God! We will be discussing this in more detail in a later blog, Lord willing.

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The Oath of a Shriner!

“Candidates for induction into the Shriners are greeted by a High Priest, who says:

“By the existence of Allah and the creed of Mohammed; by the legendary sanctity of our Tabernacle at Mecca, we greet you.”

The inductees then swear on the Bible and the Koran, in the name of Mohammed, and invoke Masonry’s usual gruesome penalties upon themselves:

“I do hereby, upon this Bible, and on the mysterious legend of the Koran, and its dedication to the Mohammedan faith, promise and swear and vow … that I will never reveal any secret part or portion whatsoever of the ceremonies … and now upon this sacred book, by the sincerity of a Moslem’s oath I here register this irrevocable vow … in willful violation whereof may I incur the fearful penalty of having my eyeballs pierced to the center with a three-edged blade, my feet flayed and I be forced to walk the hot sands upon the sterile shores of the Red Sea until the flaming sun shall strike me with livid plague, and may Allah, the god of Arab, Moslem and Mohammedan, the god of our fathers, support me to the entire fulfillment of the same. Amen. Amen. Amen.”

With this oath, Christians swear on the Koran, and declare Allah to be “the god of our fathers.” From the perspective of Christianity and Islam alike, Shriners take the name of God in vain, and mock both faiths.”

Excerpt from The Origins and Influence of Masonry
by Lee Penn, SCP Journal Vol. 25:2-25:3 2001
P0 Box 4308, Berkeley, CA 94704

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A Word from a Shriner!

This video is very shocking.  The man actually claims to be Lucifer because Lucifer (in this man’s mind) is pure and virtuous.  Being a Shriner is COMPLETELY and TOTALLY incompatible with true Christianity.  It is a fact that there are believers who are caught up in Masonry.  However, a clear and careful examination of the Scriptures will reveal that the evil one is duping many.

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Mark Driscoll mocks the Sinlessness of Jesus Christ

“If you’re tempted to these sorts of things — including sexual sin — some of you say, “Now Mark, Jesus wasn’t sexually tempted.” Well, of course he was — 30 something year old single man who had women who adored him. You don’t think he ever wanted the comfort of a woman? You don’t think he ever got tired of going to bed by himself? You don’t think that he didn’t once want to have intimate relations with a woman? He was tempted.”
(Mark Driscoll – “How Human was Jesus?”, October 15th 2006.)

How is this rubbish defensible from one who claims to be a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ?  This is the same thing as saying that Jesus Christ was tempted to lust after Mary Magdalene as others have claimed.  The next thing we will hear is that the thoughts of the Lord Jesus Christ did equal sin until He (the Lord) actually acted upon those thoughts —– Oh wait a minute, never mind, he did say that also!

This is the same man who claims that the heresy teaching Joel Osteen is a Christian brother and the “happiest Christian preacher” out there.  This is the same man who claims the Bible is completely silent on whether Jesus COULD have sinned.

This is the same man who is being endorsed by a man who has in the past stood for the truth of God’s Word.  He is being endorsed by a man who it seemed would not have endorsed much less allowed to preach in his pulpit a man who teaches the things that Driscoll believes.

I am afraid that I am one of those who take a stand for Biblical separation.  These issues are NOT matters of secondary separation.  They are clearly defined matters which require an explanation from one who has demeaned the office of elder by his caustic, vulgar, offensive, Christ-dishonouring speech (Driscoll) and also a Biblical explanation from those who are willing to openly endorse such nonsense without calling such a one to account.

It is a mockery to say that such a one who openly (and seemingly) with no remorse and repentance and no chastisement or discipline even has the Spirit of God dwelling within him.  The Bible makes it clear that by their fruits you shall know them.  While the ultimate judgment is in the hands of the Almighty Sovereign of the Universe, I believe that it would behoove Christian leaders to start being more discerning in what and who they allow into their pulpits.

Sadly, I believe that based on the writings and warning by the apostle Paul, it can be concluded that John Piper is gravely in error in allowing this man to preach at Bethlehem Baptist Church.  He is wrong for not condemning the language and for waffling on the issue.  I have serious concerns that such endorsements will just as surely lead true believers down wrong paths as what men like J.I. Packer did when being willing to embrace Colson and Neuhaus as brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grieving for the downhill slides in the church,

The Desert Pastor

********** EDITED WITH ADDITION BELOW **********

James 1:15 says, “Then, when desire (lust) has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

The word used for lust in this verse means “a longing (especially for what is forbidden), concupiscence, desire, lust (after).”

Desire is defined by Princeton as “the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state.”

For those who are trying to smooth over the harm that Mark Driscoll is doing, it won’t work – at least, not with those who seek to be discerning.  Even if his only problem is that he used a poor choice of words, he has had plenty of time since 2006 to make this right.  His verbage indicates that Jesus wanted/desired what He could not have.  He also made it clear that Jesus had an unsatisfied state.  This explicitly demeans the sinlessness of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ had need of nothing, and He certainly did not “long for/want/desire/etc” the company of a woman to “satisfy” His flesh!

*************** PER MBAKER’S RECOMMENDATION ***************

**** I AM ADDING THE FOLLOWING COMMENT AS OF 11/29/2008 ****

Thanks again for your comments. We have no problems here at DefCon considering the issue of Mark Driscoll from a biblical perspective. The problem is that when we do his followers trot out the “do not judge” line. When we address his vulgar language and sexual innuendos about the Lord Jesus Christ, we are told that MD is merely trying to be culturally relevant.

If you are truly interested in further conversation, may I recommend that you go to the following link:

http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/search?q=driscoll

Read all the posts by Steven Camp that have been written from a carefully worded position that I believe is honouring to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those blogs have more than enough information showing the heresy that Mark is teaching and his connections with people like T.D. Jakes and the heresy of Oneness teaching, connections with the emergent church and the contemplative movement that is taking many within so-called new-evangelical by storm.

For the record, we do NOT hate Mark Driscoll. However, we do believe that he is disqualified from currently being a minister of the gospel. We also believe that instead of being openly rebuked that there are other ministers such as John Piper and Joshua Harris who are openly endorsing this man.

I would challenge ANY reader from a Biblical perspective ONLY (not your personal feelings) to prove that Mark Driscoll is theologically correct in his belief on the doctrine of imputation (as just one example) or that he somehow manages to qualify as a pastor (when such drivel as he preaches and teaches and such language would not have been tolerated even 10-15 years ago from mainline evangelical pulpits.

The Desert Pastor

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The Biblical Perspective on Ray Boltz

HT: Mark Moring – Christianity Today liveblog

“Ray Boltz, who sold about 4.5 million records before retiring from Christian music a few years ago, came out of the closet Friday to announce that he’s gay.

“I’d denied it ever since I was a kid,” Boltz, 55, told the magazine. “I became a Christian, I thought that was the way to deal with this and I prayed hard and tried for 30-some years and then at the end, I was just going, ‘I’m still gay. I know I am.’ And I just got to the place where I couldn’t take it anymore … when I was going through all this darkness, I thought, ‘Just end this.’”

Boltz will perform in September at (two Bible mocking, Christ-dishonouring, wicked acceptance of that which is abomination before God) congregations that are part of a growing network of churches that are not biblical in any aspect.

Boltz is known for his songs “Thank You”, “Watch the Lamb,” “The Anchor Holds,” and “I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.”

Boltz also told (a homosexual newspaper) that he doesn’t want to get into debates about Scripture and has no plans to “go into First Baptist or an Assembly of God church and run in there and say, ‘I’m gay and you need to love me anyway.’”

For him, the decision to come out is much more personal.

“This is what it really comes down to,” he says. “If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I’m going to live. It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself.”

******************** – Emphasis in the above is mine.

Our hearts break for the misery that this man is putting his family through.  What is sad is that many will simply reject the man out of hand without any prayer for repentance.  This is not what we are doing or advocating to our readers.  If it was not for the grace of God, it could be any one of us struggling with such sins.  However, to be biblical, ALL of our sins are just as heinous as each others.

I am thankful that God is a forgiving God, and a merciful God.  He can forgive Ray Boltz just as He does with us when we sin against His holiness.  Sadly, there is nothing in anything that I have read that would indicate ANY remorse for sin.  This goes beyond the recognition that Ray’s sins are no worse than ours.  The situation here is that a man who claims the name of Christ is deliberately, willfully and consistently breaking the commands of Scripture with nothing but excuses for his wicked, perverted, immoral behavior and lifestyle.

Ray states that he “became a Christian” because he thought it was the way to deal with the perversions of his mind.  Wrong answer!  I became a true believer (a Christian) because the Lord Jesus Christ convicted me of my sins and I realized that I was headed for a Christ-less eternity unless I came by grace through faith alone and accepted the finished work of Calvary!  I didn’t come to Christ (and neither does any other true believer) as a way to deal with trying to overcome sins or to better myself.

His statement about not wanting to get into debates about Scripture marks Ray as one who delights in his sin.  In doing so, he seeks to make a mockery of the Word of God in many different areas.

He concludes that “It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be.”  Mr. Boltz, I am afraid that you are VERY WRONG!  God did not make you or anyone else to live a perverted lifestyle that demeans His creation of man, and the institution of marriage which God ordained to be between 1 man and one woman.  And, yes, if there is NO REPENTANCE, God will send you and many others to hell – but the reason will be because you reject the truth of Scripture and remain in unbelief.

One last note, what Scripture verse tells us that we draw closer or feel closer to God because we don’t hate ourselves anymore.  What a load of new-age nonsense!  The ONLY way we will ever draw close to God is by cleansing our hands, we who are sinners.  Cleansing our hands does not take place when we choose to live in habitual sin which is condemned by God.

Our decision is that we cannot condone Ray in any aspect of his life or his music.  We have made the decision that this man who has been living a lie for all of these years is one who from whom we are to separate.  I can no more permit his music to remain a part of my selection than I could Elton John or Kirk Talley (for the Southern Gospel music afficionados).  I believe to do so would be an affront to the holiness of God.  Others may choose differently, but they only have to answer to God.

“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15

Praying for godly sorrow and repentance,

The Desert Pastor


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R-Rated Movie Messages??!!

The following excerpt is from an article done by Washington Post.  It only serves to show the depths to which pastors are willing to go in order to entice people to come “worship” the Almighty Sovereign of the Universe.  This man has demeaned the high office to which he aspires to hold.  He is not being the protective shepherd that God requires him to be, and he is in flagrant opposition to the Word of God to be separate from the world.

The picture above is from the message where he came dressed as the Joker from the Batman movie!  You can go here to Washington Post to see more pictures and read about this man.

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“Since June, Seagears, senior pastor at Christ Chapel Mountaintop in Prince William County, has based his sermons on the summer’s blockbusters, managing to draw life lessons from the most unlikely subject matter. The Summer Cinema Series, which concludes today, seeks to attract those who don’t ordinarily attend church while making the experience more fun for those who do. The four-year-old church averages about 20 visitors a week, in addition to members, which is significant considering that attendance usually lags during the summer, he said.

“We try to make church and God applicable to people’s lives,” said Seagears, 47.

Seagears bases each week’s message on the highest-grossing movie the previous weekend. He sees the movie, then prays about how to extract a biblical message.

He has had to see movies with violence and language he would otherwise avoid. Last month he saw “Hellboy II: the Golden Army,” in which an evil prince seeks to resurrect an indestructible army to take over the Earth by assembling pieces of a magical crown.

We, too, have invaluable crowns, Seagears preached, rewards God has prepared for those who love and serve him faithfully.”

(Editor note – Bold emphasis is mine)

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Quotes (367)

“Entertainment is not revival. Although that is an obvious statement, it is sadly not always understood. Too often it is assumed that an ‘atmosphere’ of revival can be achieved by using music, lighting and techno-media presentation. Highly organized events with attractive multi-coloured brochures can generate excitement and draw huge crowds, but it is misleading to think that ‘having a good time’ equates to spiritual revival. It is very easy to be negative about such displays but the problem remains that we lack spiritual vitality and life, and we are often boringly out of touch and tradition, or else events like that would not seem so attractive to young people. The sad fact is that we have an idea in our heads of something far better, but in our hearts and experience too often there is not much that is better.”

– Rev. Brian Edwards, British Pastor

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Filled With The Ecstacy of God???

Pay close attention to what happens when the music starts about 5:09 and then LISTEN to what he says about “no longer having to study the Word” at about 5:52 into the video!

What Club Mysterio, Ekstasis Worship, and Patricia King are all offering worship which is not acceptable to God.  PlumblineApologetics states the following on this video –

“1) Ekstasis means any casting down of a thing from its proper place or state, displacement i.e Occultism

2) a throwing of the mind out of its normal state (Astral Projections), alienation of consciousness, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God.

3) the state of one who, either owing to the importance or the novelty of an event, is thrown into a state of blended fear and wonderment”

HT: PlumblineApologetics

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Prayer Cloths Coming to a Mailbox Near You!

Some continue to question why we share videos, comments, blogs, etc. about those who are teaching heresy.  I believe that if more Christians were discerning, submissive to the Holy Spirit, and Berean Christians in their study of God’s Word that charlatans like those mentioned in this particular video would not have the time of day.

Sadly, it is easier to let somebody else do the “studying” (if that’s what you want to call it) for most who claim the name of Christ.  Instead of testing the spirits to see whether they are of God, thousands upon thousands are swallowing the bait put out by the enemy of our souls.

Then despite the truth of Scripture to lay up treasures in heaven and not on earth, and Colossians which tells us NOT to set our affections on things of this earth – you have videos like this showing one preacher “blessing another” by praying the blessing of a private airplane (for ministry purposes of course).

And if you can’t have your own airplane, then the least you can do is to get a prayer cloth prayed and sweated over personally for your point of contact between you and whatever your little heart desires!

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The Depravity of a 5 year old!

The following very sad article is a direct quote from FoxNews minus the actual names. This is but one more simple proof that children are NOT little angels.  They are wicked at heart and depraved enough to do whatever given the right materials, means, and availability.

At 5 (five) years old, he has already learned to get what he wants.  He has not learned the meaning of “NO!”  He has shown a great aptitude for showing forth his true heart condition – rebellion against authority!  However, don’t worry, a 12 year run in the public school system should prove VERY beneficial to his well-being. <sarcasm>  He will come out a well-adjusted individual with no fear of God and an increased appetite for self-pleasure!

Please do not think that I am calloused, because I am not.  My heart feels for the pain this little fellow has to endure along with that of his family.  What bothers me about all of this is that in his short 5 (five) years, he has been provided the wrong kind of teaching and entertainment.  It is quite possible that he does not truly realize the implications of acting out what he sees on Mr. TV.

“NEW YORK —  A 5-year-old boy is in critical condition with severe burns after he allegedly started a fire in his grandmother’s Brooklyn apartment to punish her.

“<The boy> was angry about being reprimanded and planned to burn his grandmother’s apartment down in revenge, police told the New York Post and MyFOX New York.

“The blaze at the apartment in the three-story building on K_________ Avenue broke out about 3 p.m. Monday, the Fire Department of New York said.

“Police said the boy called 911 on Sunday night claiming his grandmother had died, according to the Post. But firefighters arrived to find her unharmed. <The grandmother> tried to save her grandson, but he was engulfed in flames, so she escaped.

“The next day, <the boy> allegedly told friends he planned to burn the house down after <Grandma> wouldn’t let him go out and play.

“The blaze appears to have started when the curtains were set on fire with a cigarette lighter, the Post reported, but the FDNY said the cause is under investigation.

“<The boy> is being treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, according to MyFOXNY.com.”