Kingdom of Heaven

Religious Wolves In Clerical Robes

Rick Tryon1 Comment

The Episcopal Church has become little more than a platform for far left cultural and political ideologues to ‘preach’ their ‘woke’, anti-scriptural nonsense to a rapidly diminishing congregation.

Yes, that’s Washington Bishop Mariann Budde on the right in the picture below from the Episcopal News Service. She was the subject of much attention, and an opinion I wrote here last month, stemming from the the political lecture, disguised as a sermon, that she aimed at President Trump, Vice President Vance, and both of their families during the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral the day after Trump’s inauguration.

Read the article below outlining Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe’s (center in the picture) recent sermon, and I think you may end up with a few of the same conclusions and questions I did.

Presiding bishop in cathedral sermon: Jesus puts the marginalized at center of his kingdom
  • How can you speak “out against contemporary political divisions as ‘not of God’…” while at the same time in the same sermon introduce rhetoric that includes divisive political language, specifically against President Trump and his agenda?
  • Exactly where in the Bible does it say that “immigrants, transgender people, the poor and other marginalized communities” are “central to the kingdom Jesus envisioned…”? The King himself and God Almighty are at the center of the coming mediatorial and everlasting Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible says explicitly in Matthew 7:13-14 to, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” All are welcome. Jesus Christ is the gate.
  • Furthermore, Bishop Rowe said, “Those who have been considered at the margins are at the center. They are the bearers of the salvation of the world. Their struggles reveal to us the kingdom of God.” Who is the bearer of the salvation of the world??? This isn’t just nonsense, it’s completely antithetical to everything the Bible explicitly teaches.

As I pointed out earlier, the Episcopal Church is bleeding membership and losing all spiritual credibility and standing.

The Episcopal Church has been experiencing a decline in membership over the past few years. According to the latest reports, the church saw a significant drop in membership, losing about 40,000 members in 2023 alone. This brings the total membership to approximately 1.547 million people.

Despite this decline, there has been a slight increase in average Sunday worship attendance, which reached nearly 411,000 in 2023, up from 373,000 in 2022. This increase is seen as a gradual recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, when worship attendance had significantly dropped due to lockdowns and public health concerns.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/episcopal-church-loses-40k-members-but-worship-attendance-grows.html

The decline in membership and attendance has been attributed to various factors, including the church’s increasingly progressive theological direction and the challenges of maintaining older buildings and utility costs.
https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2023/09/21/episcopal-churchs-latest-parochial-reports-highlight-denominational-decline-hope-for-future/

Current News Of Wars And Rumors Of Wars

Rick TryonLeave a comment

Here is Jesus, in Matthew 24:6-7, teaching his disciples about the end times. But also encouraging them to ‘see that ye be not troubled’.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (KJV)

Much of what our Lord was prophesying here had to do with the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple, which would happen within 40 years or so of this prophesy and his imminent death and resurrection.

However there is no reason not to consider that he was also making a double prophecy, which is fairly common in the Bible, extending the meaning here to also warn of the time immediately preceding the Final Judgement, which is still future as of this blog post.

Let’s remember though, that people and nations in all times and places have experienced wars, famine, earthquakes, and pestilence. This prophecy is referring to a specific people in a specific place and time(s)- the people are those disciples living in the place, Jerusalem and Judea, at the time preceding the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and also in some future time right before The End.

Even so, as watchdogs living in this time and place we should always keep our ears tuned ‘rumors of wars’ and be aware of the seasons of God’s plans and purposes.

So here is a brief recap of some of the international war news happening right now.

Ukraine-Russia War

Russian drones targeted Kharkiv, but Ukrainian air defenses intercepted a Shahed drone during the attack. Additionally, Ukrainian forces claimed to have killed 21 North Korean soldiers supporting Russian troops in a standoff in Russia’s Kursk region: Sky News

Gaza Conflict

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza for the first time since the early weeks of the war with Hamas. The ceasefire remains fragile as both sides trade blame over deal violations: AP News

Democratic Republic of Congo

Rebels have moved into the key city of Goma, leading to thousands fleeing the fighting as the situation continues to escalate: AP News

Sudan’s Darfur Region

About 70 people were killed in an attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region, according to the WHO chief. The ongoing conflict in Darfur continues to cause significant humanitarian crises: Associated Press