10/11/2024
REVISITED AN OLD POST:
The Abomination of Desolation
By James Q. Muir
The Abomination that makes Desolate is false religion. It can range anywhere from a huge idol lifted up before the eyes of all nations to the humble small town corner Evangelical Howling where salvation is inferred from excessive worship. My own enemy in this regard has been the Latter-day Saint variety as I was raised a Mormon. Much like the Catholic false salvation, by membership alone, the LDS version claims to have restored the original true Church of Jesus Christ. And I still believe that Joseph Smith did just that. What I learned however is the sad fact: The Restoration never got realized on a whole and the LDS Church became as much a sham of Christ's gospel and salvation as the Catholic Church has been for hundreds and hundreds of years.
I fully expect this to shock my Mormon relations and old neighbors and hopefully the Church Leadership. But here is the thing that makes my critique true. All that is required in the LDS gospel is to either join the church or be born into it. That's it. Sure there are ordinances like baptism and confirmation and these are performed religiously and meant to be serious and effectual. Like all Christian ordinances they are a performance and not the real event commanded by Jesus Christ. It is no great discovery to uncover the fact that no church of name actually knows how or intends to accomplish the actual event that Jesus Christ personally coached the Jews to accomplish when he was seen among them for forty days. (Acts 1&2)
The closest appearance is the ecstatic enthusiasm of evangelicals. That is a mere performance as well. It is what the people are doing and nothing about what God is doing or has commanded to be done. The reason organized religion refuses to obey the commandments is because the key to come unto Christ and take his name upon you with full purpose of heart requires one to forsake the world. The Jews who already believed and were already called and chosen were coached by Jesus Christ for forty days in the earnest intent of what baptism in water signifies, and that is death to the natural man. Lay it down as if in the grave and rise up a new creature.
Just how much of the real world is required for a sacrifice? See there? People really choke on this concept and want it spirited away from reality. They want it painted over and circumvented somehow as if never part and lot of what the gospel of Jesus Christ is truly about.
How can you have the New Creature, born of God, and truly forgiven of sin and open the door where Jesus employs no servant there if you drag with you the old man, the learned worldly accomplished seeker of success and proven leader and possessor of riches and glory? Children are none of that. But most children are educated in all manner worldliness and expected to be excellent about it. The two dynamics are an eternity apart. And here the natural world always wins out.
No church wants to encourage people to forsake the world. That would place a burden upon the church. Where is the gain in it? They say a slothful servant will not multiply their talents. Go be a doctor a lawyer or a successful businessman first, so that you bring some value into the church, right?
So it's a great test. Which kingdom is chosen? The meek and contrite who feel the need to be healed and will draw out their soul in fasting and prayer and distil their hearts desires to please God and want to partake of his grace, be forgiven and healed and made acceptable to the kingdom of God, at any cost and sacrifice, will be drawn of the Father. As Jesus said:
John 6: 44
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Missionary work and enthusiastic howling will gather all manner of fish in their nets. The churches will covet each and every one as choice and special and acceptable. They will never discern between them. They only desire to increase in their own wealth and prominence. They willfully rebel and refuse to follow Christ or ever see to it that his commandments are kept.
For Mormons these thieves and robbers are called apostles and prophets and presidents of this or that. But the question remains, how is it the people are content with less and are so easily deceived to go joyfully down a false way?
Yes, well, here is where the real abomination that makes desolate is manifest. The people feel a spirit about their religion. Why if it is a false way that disobeys the commandments of Jesus Christ could there be a felt spirit that slakes their need to feel at ease and that all is well?
It is strong delusion that they believe a lie. Every lie needs leverage and in the case of false religion the leverage is always the same. The people at the top justify the common people and the common people adore the leaders. The more the leaders flatter the members and relieve their anxieties the more certain the members are that the feelings of relief that they feel is in fact the Holy Ghost. Feeling this release justifies them and sears their conscience with a hot iron. Nothing will pe*****te them or cause them to doubt or be troubled in the least because they believe they are chosen and saved.
The case with Catholics and Mormons are very similar. Both esteem their prophet or pope as the ultimate authority. Not so much any one person in evangelical sophistry. The 'Holy Spirit' alone rules and that is merely the perpetual enthusiasm of the people. They are their own grandpas as it were.
The proof is simple as pie. If they do not teach what Jesus commanded and see to it that his doctrine is done then they are none of his and have no authority or honor or power with Christ in God. And no one owns the least confidence with Christ in God who has not been truly visited of the power of the Father in the mighty change of heart where a new creature in Christ is conceived in the grace of Christ's atonement by the literal baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost. And no one comes unto Christ and takes his name upon them with full purpose of heart that is not led first to forsake the world. That is what to forsake the world means. Jesus Christ is NOT OF THIS WORLD. Every feeling of 'spirit' is not a baptism of fire. Many want to claim the rank like a badge of honor. Only the honest will pass.
You might have great talents and abilities already and have been told to magnify the gifts of God. And nothing magnifies them more than surrendering all to God first. The new creature is you WITH Christ in God. The old you is truly less of the real you, as incredible as you already are. Will you be strengthened in having to forego a talent or opportunity here and there in God's service? Yes. And that is a good thing. Not one hair shall be lost. Trust in the Lord. Will you be alone and forsaken and cast out and hated by all men. Yeah? So? Welcome to the club. There is the greatest of glory and honor and wealth of knowledge and hidden treasures that wonderfully rest within you, knowing that in all things you are truly led of God and beloved of Christ. You shall be added upon.
Only a few shall hear. Those many who are already very righteous can go their way and be self-assured. For those who begin to wonder, even broken hearted and contrite may be led of God to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Do come and seek this Jesus who died to make of you his jewels. Know that it is indeed his work and glory and not joining with people of name or by howling to make it so.
False religions build their own legacy, stealing that from a pretense of the Lord's kingdom, even generation after generation. If your 'spirit of God' is derived by an affiliation with men, that needs to checked out seriously. Love God more than men. Forsake all abominations that make desolate.
I am adding this one thought to the above. The spirit of false religion is not darkness of heart by any means. There is the love of God that can be in the hearts of all people. There is hope and charity and even faith. Because of it people are deceived and lured into carnal security. The seeds of spiritual humanity are born with us. It is that seed base that feeds the abomination like fuel to a flame. It is the background radiation of good will and benevolent human intent and purpose. A corruption in spiritual leadership always relies upon this base element of humanity to flatter the people that they are very righteous and God is with them. Which is only true to a point but never true unto the fruition of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The native goodness of man is a tether God can use to draw his saints to come unto him and take the name of Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart. Wickedness, the Abomination that makes Desolate, will draw upon the same element to lead people astray into forbidden paths of pure hypocrisy.
