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The Christian Celebrity System: Part One
We are living in an age of deception, un âge de tromperie. A type of
surrealist painting was called "tromper l'œil," or "fool the eye."
Likewise, a celebrity may fool not only the eye, but also the mind.
In the tribulation, which is coming soon, or we may now be in its
early stages - meaning tribulation will get worse later - many church
Christians (and others) will be deceived by false teachers who have
good images - who serve the appearances - and teach false doctrines,
which the church people will accept. They are now being deceived by
false prophets, and its hard to find church Christians who have not
accepted some form of false doctrine, which they received from
celebrities like Hal Lindsey, Grant Jefferies,Tim LaHaye and many
others.
But those who follow the lamb wherever he goes, and have his mind in
them, will not be deceived by Christian celebrities with their lies.
Those of the Remnant as Revelation 14: 5 and Zephaniah 3: 13 say are
not deceivers, because of their love of the truth, which implies they
are also not easily deceived by false doctrines.. In part though,
some who claim to be of the Remnant do sometimes tend to follow
Remnant leaders who have good images rather than those who do not but
have just as much truth.
In II Corinthians 10: 7 Paul asks "Do ye look on things after the
outward appearance? " After the outward appearance is from kata
prospopon, according to appearance. Prospoon can mean the face,
visage, surface, external form, or appearance (Moulton, Harold K. The
Analytical Greek Lexicon revised, 1978, p 353). Prosorolerteo means to
pay regard to external appearance (Moulton, p.353). A prosopoleptes is
a "respecter of persons" in Acts 10: 34.
Christ says in John 7: 24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but
judge righteous judgment."
In our post-Christian culture image is everything. Some years ago,a TV
commercial on NBC for Canon cameras told us that "Image is
everything." In Norman Spinrad's science fiction novel, Bug Jack
Barron (1969) Morris, head of the Republican Party, tells Jack,
"You're a marketable commodity...an image behind which we can
unite...Image, Barron, image is what counts...not the man...never mind
what the real man behind the image is like."
In the image culture success has become more and more a matter of
giving An appearance of being successful and attractive. And the main
game in the worldly culture is to win image and success for oneself.
An artist is successful when he attains to much image.
Network television is responsible for making the the image culture,
created earlier by Hollywood movies, much more
a dominating part of popular culture. Most viewers of network TV were
seduced by a medium that was so deceptive that viewers did not know
they were bring hoodwinked by the dumb show. Network TV weakened the
cognitive abilities of many viewers and also reduced their capability
of detecting deception on TV and in real life.
A person who has been dumbed down by network TV - and by other means
and through other media - is more likely to fall for the messages of
secular and Christian celebrities, than a person who has greater
cognitive abilities to discern lies and truths behind images.
Its interesting that the Greek word "emoranthesan," translated as
"they became fools" in Romans 1: 22, aorist passive, breaks down to
the Greek μωρός (moros), which means, according to the Analytical
Greek Lexicon Revised, by Harold K. Moulton, p.274 "dull, foolish."
Our word "moron" was coined by psychologists from the Greek μωρός, and
Alfred Binet and the Stanford–Binet Intelligence IQ Scale defined the
moron IQ range as being 51-70, superior to "imbecile" (IQ of 26-50)
and even more superior to an "idiot" (IQ of 0-25).
So, a person dumbed down by American education, bad food, toxins in
the water and air plus celebrities in the media (including Christian
ones) might be likened to what happened in Paul's description to the
guys who professed themselves to be wise, but "emoranthesan," i.e.,
"they were made dumb," the passive aorist. The one word "emoranthesan"
means "they received dumbness, (or stupidity)."
We are living in an increasing age of cognitive dimness. And spiritual
darkness follows cognitive dimness and deception with its dumbess
regarding truth, especially among church Christians, and increasing
moral insensibility. Often contemporary people cannot tell the
difference between truth and lies - in Christian doctrines and
elsewhere. This is also true in the sciences, though some basics are
agreed upon as working truth.
II Thessalonians 2: 3 says "Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." The false teachers
and their followers do not believe their theology is a big part of
this falling away, and so they are deceived. Matthew 24: 11 tells us
that
"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."
Both of these scriptures warning of deception zero in on the time of
the end, the tribulation period. II Thessalonians 2: 7-10 says that
during the very end time the man of sin, who in this context of the
falling away, looks like the Second Beast of Revelation 13: 11-18,
which is the Church in the falling away, will operate with deception.
He will mislead church Christians and some others perhaps "...with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness.
In the age of deception at its height, the urge to deceive people,
which is a desire of most, grows out of an evil urge.
Matthew 24: 4- 5, 11 say "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying,
I am Christ; and shall deceive many..And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many."
Again, in Matthew 24: 24 Christ warns that " For there shall arise
false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect."
He is talking about the period of time he describes in Matthew 24: 21
as "...then shall be great tribulation..."
Then II Timothy 3: 1-5, 12-13 warns that "This know also, that in the
last days perilous times shall come.
2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away....Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution.
13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving,
and being deceived."
The "last days" can be the present time. Many of the personality
traits that Paul lists here apply to the "Me Generation," of the
sixties and seventies,of the purple decades, or to the Baby Boomers,
born between 1946 and 1964. And then Paul warns that evil men and
seducers will grow worse and worse. They will deceive many and be
deceived themselves. This prophecy can be applied to the false
prophets of our time, the Christian celebrities. Some of these
Christian celebrities are older than the Baby Boomers, but many are
Baby Boomers.
We are living in an age of deception, un âge de tromperie. A type of
surrealist painting was called "tromper l'œil," or "fool the eye."
Likewise, a celebrity may fool not only the eye, but also the mind.
In the tribulation, which is coming soon, or we may now be in its
early stages - meaning tribulation will get worse later - many church
Christians (and others) will be deceived by false teachers who have
good images - who serve the appearances - and teach false doctrines,
which the church people will accept. They are now being deceived by
false prophets, and its hard to find church Christians who have not
accepted some form of false doctrine, which they received from
celebrities like Hal Lindsey, Grant Jefferies,Tim LaHaye and many
others.
But those who follow the lamb wherever he goes, and have his mind in
them, will not be deceived by Christian celebrities with their lies.
Those of the Remnant as Revelation 14: 5 and Zephaniah 3: 13 say are
not deceivers, because of their love of the truth, which implies they
are also not easily deceived by false doctrines.. In part though,
some who claim to be of the Remnant do sometimes tend to follow
Remnant leaders who have good images rather than those who do not but
have just as much truth.
In II Corinthians 10: 7 Paul asks "Do ye look on things after the
outward appearance? " After the outward appearance is from kata
prospopon, according to appearance. Prospoon can mean the face,
visage, surface, external form, or appearance (Moulton, Harold K. The
Analytical Greek Lexicon revised, 1978, p 353). Prosorolerteo means to
pay regard to external appearance (Moulton, p.353). A prosopoleptes is
a "respecter of persons" in Acts 10: 34.
Christ says in John 7: 24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but
judge righteous judgment."
In our post-Christian culture image is everything. Some years ago,a TV
commercial on NBC for Canon cameras told us that "Image is
everything." In Norman Spinrad's science fiction novel, Bug Jack
Barron (1969) Morris, head of the Republican Party, tells Jack,
"You're a marketable commodity...an image behind which we can
unite...Image, Barron, image is what counts...not the man...never mind
what the real man behind the image is like."
In the image culture success has become more and more a matter of
giving An appearance of being successful and attractive. And the main
game in the worldly culture is to win image and success for oneself.
An artist is successful when he attains to much image.
Network television is responsible for making the the image culture,
created earlier by Hollywood movies, much more
a dominating part of popular culture. Most viewers of network TV were
seduced by a medium that was so deceptive that viewers did not know
they were bring hoodwinked by the dumb show. Network TV weakened the
cognitive abilities of many viewers and also reduced their capability
of detecting deception on TV and in real life.
A person who has been dumbed down by network TV - and by other means
and through other media - is more likely to fall for the messages of
secular and Christian celebrities, than a person who has greater
cognitive abilities to discern lies and truths behind images.
Its interesting that the Greek word "emoranthesan," translated as
"they became fools" in Romans 1: 22, aorist passive, breaks down to
the Greek μωρός (moros), which means, according to the Analytical
Greek Lexicon Revised, by Harold K. Moulton, p.274 "dull, foolish."
Our word "moron" was coined by psychologists from the Greek μωρός, and
Alfred Binet and the Stanford–Binet Intelligence IQ Scale defined the
moron IQ range as being 51-70, superior to "imbecile" (IQ of 26-50)
and even more superior to an "idiot" (IQ of 0-25).
So, a person dumbed down by American education, bad food, toxins in
the water and air plus celebrities in the media (including Christian
ones) might be likened to what happened in Paul's description to the
guys who professed themselves to be wise, but "emoranthesan," i.e.,
"they were made dumb," the passive aorist. The one word "emoranthesan"
means "they received dumbness, (or stupidity)."
We are living in an increasing age of cognitive dimness. And spiritual
darkness follows cognitive dimness and deception with its dumbess
regarding truth, especially among church Christians, and increasing
moral insensibility. Often contemporary people cannot tell the
difference between truth and lies - in Christian doctrines and
elsewhere. This is also true in the sciences, though some basics are
agreed upon as working truth.
II Thessalonians 2: 3 says "Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." The false teachers
and their followers do not believe their theology is a big part of
this falling away, and so they are deceived. Matthew 24: 11 tells us
that
"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."
Both of these scriptures warning of deception zero in on the time of
the end, the tribulation period. II Thessalonians 2: 7-10 says that
during the very end time the man of sin, who in this context of the
falling away, looks like the Second Beast of Revelation 13: 11-18,
which is the Church in the falling away, will operate with deception.
He will mislead church Christians and some others perhaps "...with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness.
In the age of deception at its height, the urge to deceive people,
which is a desire of most, grows out of an evil urge.
Matthew 24: 4- 5, 11 say "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying,
I am Christ; and shall deceive many..And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many."
Again, in Matthew 24: 24 Christ warns that " For there shall arise
false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect."
He is talking about the period of time he describes in Matthew 24: 21
as "...then shall be great tribulation..."
Then II Timothy 3: 1-5, 12-13 warns that "This know also, that in the
last days perilous times shall come.
2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away....Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution.
13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving,
and being deceived."
The "last days" can be the present time. Many of the personality
traits that Paul lists here apply to the "Me Generation," of the
sixties and seventies,of the purple decades, or to the Baby Boomers,
born between 1946 and 1964. And then Paul warns that evil men and
seducers will grow worse and worse. They will deceive many and be
deceived themselves. This prophecy can be applied to the false
prophets of our time, the Christian celebrities. Some of these
Christian celebrities are older than the Baby Boomers, but many are
Baby Boomers.
