80s Metal Band - W.A.S.P. - Blackie Lawless & Premillennialism

W.A.S.P.
Babylon's Burning lyrics

Listen close to hooves you hear
Are thunders coming dread
John the Revelator's dream
Had seen a terror vision
Of the spirit led
With wrath to reign
And with slaves to flame
They kneeled and sealed a kiss
Plagues and pain and fiery rain
And blaspheme on his lips
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 and 7 seals
A pale rider and his horses sing
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 the rising beast
Bears the mark of Babylon to be
Arising with the beast a sea of men
A bloody moon of red
A whore of Babylon to bleed the seed
And make 'em take the mark upon their heads
They bowed and kneeled a mark to seal
Their souls unto a kiss
With fire and flames and with
Souls to claim
And rise from the abyss
[Revelation 13]
And I stood upon the sand of the sea
And saw a beast rise out of the sea
Having ten horns and seven heads
Ten crowns upon his head
Who is like unto the beast?
Given his mouth great things to speak
If any man has an ear
Let him hear, let him hear


My Comments:

For those who remember the shock rock antics of the 80s Heavy Metal Band - W.A.S.P., you will likely remember the satanic stage rituals of the lead vocalist/ then bassist (now rhythm guitarist) - Blackie Lawless. The sadomasochistic displays of sexual torture and the like were legendary at the time, and indeed this drew plenty of attention from the P.M.R.C. headed by Tipper Gore (wife of fmr. VP Al Gore). During this time period, the works of W.A.S.P. were indeed decadent. 

More recently; however, Blackie Lawless has declared himself as a "born-again" Christian and believer in Christ, who left the faith for many years before returning to his faith in more recent times. Read more about it in a September 2010 interview. He is also well versed on geopolitics, global economics, and the issues surrounding the "New World Order (NWO)." For more about his conservative (libertarian-minded) political views, check out his November 2009 interview. I always find it refreshing to watch heavy metal musicians that I enjoyed listening to earlier years doing productive things in modern times. It is also refreshing to see people that would have been demonized by Tipper Gore in the 1980s, are in fact the very people today who are accepting of Christ! The irony is that the current economic (and moral) decay of the USA (and the world) is a direct result of people like Tipper and her husband Al Gore. People like Blackie Lawless are not bankrupting the economy with global carbon tax scams. It is the Gores (and their NWO minions) that are doing this. Let that point never be forgotten.

The 2009 album that W.A.S.P. recorded - "Babylon" is indeed a nice piece of work. The guitars have a nice crunch to them and the lead guitar work blends in quite nicely. What I like most is the maturity of the sound, and the messages of faith which permeate the theme of this album. Only a few metal or rock bands have ever been able to pull this off. 

My only criticism of W.A.S.P. is in the details of their biblical eschatology. The album "Babylon" promotes premillennialism in it's most obvious form. For those who have followed my blog or my twitter, know that I am trying to wake Christians up to the fallacies of premillennialism. Too many well-meaning Christians take the symbolism of Daniel and Revelation and interpret it in a literalist form, in an effort to tie every "symbol" or "prophecy" to a specific current event in today's world. In reality, this is not possible to do. I explain why in my own book. 

The other falsehoods that premillennialists often fall for are the following:

1. Pretribulation Rapture - i.e. an "anytime" rapture. Only a portion of premillennarians subscribe to the pretrib view, but a fair number of others subscribe to mid-trib or pre-wrath views which are also not biblically supported.

How to innoculate yourself: 

Read my book. 


2. Zionism - I.e., that bloodline Jews are God's Chosen People, and that Christians face God's wrath if they do NOT support the nation of Israel...i.e., the one formed by international Jewry in 1948. 

How to innoculate yourself: 

Read my book.

Also read:

Jews Are NOT The “Chosen People” of God  

The New "Israel of God"  

Why Christian Conservatives should stop supporting Neocon Pro-Zionist Policies  

The Zionist Story - An Independent Documentary Film  


3. Dispensationalism - i.e., the belief that there will be a 7 year period of "Great Tribulation" prior to a future "semi-golden age" 1000 year millennium.

How to innoculate yourself:

Read my book.
   

4. Date-setting of Christ's 2nd Coming - i.e. common among some premillennialists, not all. 

How to innoculate yourself:

Read my book.

Also read:

Have Premillennialist Dispensationalists ever been accurate?  


Overall, many premillennialists mean well and want to serve God, and want to do His will. The purpose of my blog (and my book) is to ensure that believers receive the most accurate information possible, so that they can see through the common hype that so often manifests itself in popular biblical interpretation. My warning to all Christians is this: Beware of any biblical teachings that are popular and highly endorsed by the establishment! Premillennialism is the MOST popular Christian interpretation of the Bible. The Jewish-run establishment endorses this perspective above all others. Why? Because, Zionist Christians are ardent supporters of the nation of Israel! That is why! 

Blackie Lawless is well aware of the NWO and how it runs the world! Wait until he learns that it is international Jewry that runs the NWO who then runs the world! To those running the world, watch out for Blackie Lawless' chain saw or axe! 

Update - August 20, 2013:

I did a search to see if Blackie Lawless is of the Jewish bloodline or not, and found his own admission that he is in fact from this bloodline. This information is out of Wikiquote, so it is not a quote from any specific publication, but it appears to be a genuine quote. Also, his surname - Duren, albeit uncommon, is no doubt a Jewish name, although I was not able to locate it on any list via a cursory internet search.

Here is his apparent admission that he is of the Jewish bloodline:

"I was raised very religious. I always went to church. I am Jewish bloodline but I am Christian faith. I was brought up christian faith rather. I still have very deep beliefs in God and things like that but I don't subscribe to the organized religion that I grew up with." (Source link: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Blackie_Lawless)

There you have it. Those even of the Jewish bloodline who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior loose their identity is *worldly Jews* and become REAL JEWS (or "Christians"). The terms "REAL JEW" and "Christian" are one and the same. Read my previous blog entry entitled "Just who are the REAL Jews? YOU might be one and not know it!" This blog entry sums up the essence of what a real Jew is, which is a brother or sister in Christ!

Heavy Metal Band - Dr. Know depicting why Christianity has a bad name

Dr. Know - "Plug In Jesus" 
(from the 1986 album - "This Island Earth")

Lyrics (by Kyle Toucher)

A satellite dish shields my eyes
Reaching the heaven through a hole in the sky
Striking like iron at a thunderhead's heart
Burning its signal two worlds apart
False prophet's lies on my T.V. set
Taking advantage of the ignorant
Jesus needs money, Jesus needs cash
Preacher needs a paint job on his Cadillac
Fool the weak with promises
Cause their lives are a mess
Turn on Plug-in Jesus once again

A lame fat fuck with thick Christian hair
His spineless wife sitting near
God talks to him, so that's okay
For a hundred bucks you could join the crusade
Dodger Stadium filled with the blind
T.V. preachers -- a step below slime
The word is danger to describe his kind
Things get worse when he believes his own lies

Slick talking scumbag, vanish from sight
T.V. preachers are just obstructing the light
Monsters like them are more vulgar than sin
Turn on Plug-in Jesus once again


My Comments:

Here is yet another blog entry on the 80's metal band - Dr. Know. For those who have not seen the previous Dr. Know blog entry, you can check it out here.  This band never made it to the level of fame that other bands like Metallica, Megadeth, or Testament did, but it is one that I always enjoyed listening to given their clever lyrics and guitar riffing. This song - "Plug In Jesus" is reminiscent of the early Black Sabbath guitar rhythms, and the guitar solo makes clever use of the "Wah-wah pedal" (at 2:54 in the youtube clip above) used in the '70s (and early 80's) by some of the heavy metal bands of that time. 

If you read the lyrics to "Plug In Jesus" (above), you will see one of the many reasons why Christianity has such a stale flavor in the mouths of so many. I don't know if Toucher (the author of this song) is a believer in Christ or not. But, this song indeed reflects the attitudes that many people have towards Christian frauds or even all "religion" (across the entire board). 

For those who have not read my previous blog entry - "Why Libertarian philosophy & psychology cannot save you!," I suggest you do so. This blog entry is targeted at Libertarians, because in my experience, they have proven to be some of the most vocal and articulate naysayers against Christianity or against all "religions" in general. In the above blog entry, I provide Biblical evidence that the Scriptures are "God-inspired," that we are not saved by "good works," and that we are saved by God's grace. I further stress the importance of the "fear" of God, as He does have the power to take both our life & our soul. Read this blog entry in order to understand the spiritual aspects of following God's Word. Once you have read the blog entry above, you will see that reading the Scriptures is far more than just a "religion" or giving money to some sinful, greedy T.V. preacher! 

It is this very stigma that I am seeking to shatter! I'm so tired of it when a highly intelligent, liberty-loving ("Libertarian-minded") atheist or agnostic tells me that he/she is sick and tired of "hearing about my religion!" And, every time I hear such a comment, I only wish I could just open the top of my skull, and generously pull out the wisdom, knowledge, and EXPERIENCE that I have had studying God's Word, and hand it to the naysayer(s) on a silver platter that they would willfully accept! Sadly, however, it is not possible for me to do such a thing! My point is simply this: Studying God's Word (the "Holy Bible") does NOT equate to any "religion" whatsoever. One can read and study God's Word, and never step foot into a church! A relationship with God is a spiritual one, not one where there is an intermediary (such as a "preacher" or "priest") that must serve as your facilitator to God. 

That is not to say that you will read only the Holy Bible and no other books. You will need to read commentaries and books written by trustworthy conservative Biblical scholars. For direction in that area, my own book can point you in the right direction. And, there are no T.V. preachers that you must pay for overpriced sermons! Your monetary investment is several versions of the Bible and a number of commentaries, books, & etc so that you can have help understanding historical context and Scriptural content. After all, the Bible was written for the prevailing language of the day, and for that time period. As we all know, language changes over time. Thus, we need to have newer translations to keep up with the times. 

As I tell nonbelievers, those who accept Jesus as the Christ are in fact "living free" in Christ! Many liberty-minded people (and "Libertarians") contend that those who live according to God's Word are in fact "slaves" to a "religion." My counter to that point is that they are correct. We believers are "slaves." We are "slaves to Jesus Christ" who has set us "free" from the sinful world! I then tell the average nonbelieving atheist or agnostic that while they are "free" to "live apart" from God's Word (and Biblical "truth") they are not "free from" it. Why? Because God will judge all people for what they do and for what they do not do. Ignorance is not bliss. Therefore, there are severe consequences for not living in accordance to God's natural law. Given this fact, who are the real "slaves?" Is it those who are slaves to Jesus and are set "free" of the world, or is it those (nonbelievers) who have chosen the ways of the world facing God's judgment? 

Ponder the above question seriously! God's Word is very real. Everything that He has said He would do, He has done. And for those who study "eschatology" (i.e. the things to come), there is a final judgment to come and no souls are exempt! To the naysayers, Libertarian atheists, agnostics, etc, you may trash "religion" with impunity, but I strongly suggest that you never trash God's Word! Rather, study His Word, accept that Jesus is God come in the flesh, now sitting at the righthand of His Father in Heaven! Further, have faith that God will give you the gift of His grace, so that you may be capable of doing works pleasing to Him!

Why Libertarian philosophy & psychology cannot save you!

I've intended to write a blog entry of this nature for some time, but have not yet come to the point of doing it until now. Yet, I have written a fair number of tweets regarding this very topic. Now, I will expand a little bit more and discuss what I mean when I say that Libertarian philosophy and psychology are insufficient to save you!

When I speak of "Libertarian philosophy" or "psychology," I should emphasize the fact that I will refer to the elements which I consider to be the most respectable elements of these two terms, which in my view intersect. "Libertarian philosophy" has had input from notable people like the late Ayn Rand, the late Harry Browne, and a number of others. Notable "Libertarian psychologists" are people such as the late Dr. Haim Ginott and Dr. Nathaniel Branden (real name: Nathan Blumenthal). Both Libertarian philosophy and psychology feed off of each other in a continuous feedback loop. 

For more than a decade, I studied the writings of notable Libertarian (and psychology) writers, and I have considered myself to be a Libertarian at least since the year 1999, if not a little before that. Harry Browne's 1973 book "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World" was a critical book in my life which turned me onto Libertarian thought. When I read this book (at the time), nearly everything in it made sense...at least from a humanistic perspective. Such admonitions as minding one's own business and staying out of other's business made good sense. Concerning one's self with only one's own "point of control" rather than attempting to pursuade others made sense. Such points as "being free" from government traps, family traps, selfishness traps, and the other "traps" that Browne mentioned in his book all made good sense. And to the credit of his book, those Libertarian-minded folks that followed nearly all of his advice have indeed become freer than the average person who just mindlessly follows all of the mainstream/establishment messages pushed through its various sources (mainstream magazines, news, TV, internet, etc). That would be the positive aspect of Libertarian thought in my view. 

From a humanistic standpoint alone, my evaluation is that Libertarianism is no doubt the best product on the market. If I had to choose between a Libertarian-minded person or some mindless Zombie drone (either a neolib or a neocon) as my neighbor, I would choose the Libertarian-minded person any day of the week. I prefer to be around people who mind their own business, and who take personal responsibility for what they do. In my personal experience, my Libertarian friends have routinely been highly respecting of my personal privacy, my personal space, and my individual rights. For that reason, Libertarian types can be a pleasure to live around. I maintain some of these traits myself, as I believe that I must be the type of person that I would like others to be towards me. Libertarianism certainly does have some redeeming qualities.

With the positive things that I have said about Libertarianism, I also see a dark side to it that many Libertarians are blissfully blind to. Because Libertarians tend towards the attitude of "live and let live" and to a tendency to not discuss belief systems (religious or otherwise), the average Libertarian will often consider themselves to be "atheists" or "agnostics." The best of the nonbelieving Libertarians will claim they are "agnostics" and will say that "they do not know if a God exists or not." As such, they will further say that because they do not know if God exists or not, then it follows that a believer (in God) should not know either. This premise is incorrect. Believers know that God exists, because His Word says so. The common Libertarian premise is that the Holy Bible is not the Word of God, and many will proclaim that it was not "God-inspired" even though 2 Timothy 3:16 says otherwise!

 ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; (2 Timothy 3:16 NASB)

A large number of Libertarians will make numerous excuses as to why the Holy Bible is a flawed book. Some will claim that it was poorly interpreted, or written by a bunch of madmen. The History Channel can be thanked for that common perception due to some of their depictions in the past. There are other numerous "hit pieces" out there that portray the Bible as merely a piece of literature deserving of no more recognition than any other piece of literature. If you are a nonbelieving Libertarian reading this blog entry right now, fill in your own excuses as to why you think the Bible is flawed here: _____! I've heard many of the excuses, but I know I have not yet heard them all!

Not only do a large number of Libertarians believe that the Holy Bible is not legitimately the Word of God, many of them believe that the Bible is NOT necessary to do "good works!" After all, many Libertarians see themselves as "good people," because they mind their own business, they do not impose upon others, they negotiate rather than using force, etc. Certainly, such traits are admirable in my view. I would much rather live around Libertarians than around self-loathing neoliberals or neoconservatives! But, Libertarians need to realize that even our best works fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Further to that we are not saved by good works, we are saved by God's grace.

⁵ He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7 NASB)

I should also mention that in order to obtain God's grace, we must first have faith in Him! One point made in Romans 14:23 is that to act without faith (in God) is also a sin.

²³ But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. (Roman 14:23 NASB)

Because a "lack of faith" in God is sin, it also follows those who do "good works" without faith are in essence still sinning against God! So, what appears to be "good works" may not always actually be! This statement applies to both believers and nonbelievers. Most nonbelieving Libertarians are likely to wince at such a seemingly "irrational" statement, but there is more...read on! 

You see, it is impossible for anyone (Libertarians included) to do anything pleasing to God without His grace! 

⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NASB)

Thus, my overall point is this. Even the best nonbelieving Libertarians can do "good works," but those good works may or may NOT be pleasing to God. You must FIRST have faith in God in order to have His gift of "grace." Because, without His grace, you can do little that is TRULY pleasing to God! 

Just because a Libertarian minds his/her own business or takes personal responsibility for his/her actions, this still does not mean that what they are doing is "pleasing to God!" To prove my point, I will further mention that many Libertarians that I know (or have known) are indeed the most "selfish" people I have ever known in my life. Many care only about what happens in their own lives, and could care less about other people that are less fortunate. Many even hold to "social darwinism" which essentially endorses the social concept of "survival of the fittest." Not all Libertarians necessarily hold to this concept, but a majority of the ones I have known hold to it in a staunch manner. Those Libertarians holding to "social darwinism" will sneer at the Holy Bible as God's Word, and they will further sneer at the concept that Jesus is God come in the flesh (1 John 4:2)! 

² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; (1 John 4:2 NASB)

The above verse (1 John 4:2) essentially divides those who believe from those who do not. It separates the true Christian believers from those who are essentially antichristians! That is right, you are either one or you are the other as harsh (or narrow-minded) as that sounds! 

I have known many nice, polite, and intelligent Libertarian-minded types over more than a decade, and I will tell you that only a very small percentage of them are believers in God and His Word - The Holy Bible. I also have to say that the Libertarian-minded types that I have known are also the highest educated and most intelligent people I have known in my life. However, as intelligent as they may be, too many of them view the Scriptures as foolishness! See 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 below:

¹⁴ But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NASB)

Further to the above, I contend that even if I gave a Bible to a nonbelieving Libertarian to read, that even the most intelligent nonbelieving Libertarian would be incapable of fully understanding what he/she reads! There is a reason for this! God blinds the eyes & hearts of those who do NOT believe! 

⁸ just as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.” (Romans 11:8 NASB)

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” (John 12:40 NASB)

When nonbelievers are exposed to the truth that God actually blinds those that refuse to believe in Him or His Word (The Bible), there may be some who think that God is a cruel and unfair God! On one level, I can understand why some people would think this and the average nonbelieving Libertarian might ask the question: Why would I want to serve a God that behaves in such a manner? My reply to that would be this: God created human beings and he created the order of all things. It makes no difference whether we think He is a fair God or not. The fact remains that He is in total control, and He has the power to kill both our body and our soul! No other entity has that power! 

²⁸ Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28 NASB)

I know Libertarian psychology teaches that we should never be motivated by fear, but rather only by positive forces. There are times when such teachings are truthful (from a worldly perspective), but such teachings have no validity when it comes to God. We are to fear God above all else! We are to have faith that He exists, and that His Son (Jesus) sits at His right hand in Heaven! If we have that much faith, then and only then do we receive God's grace, which then opens our eyes, our heart, and minds so that we can understand and implement His Word (The Scriptures). Through God's grace, a believer of average (or below average) intelligence has a better chance of being able to implement what he/she has learned from Scripture than a highly intelligent nonbelieving Libertarian who believes he/she can "do good" on their own and without God's grace!

Lastly, I urge all nonbelieving Libertarians to humble their hearts, as that is often yet another weakness that intelligent nonbelieving Libertarians suffer with. Arrogance is not going to save you and help you to gain God's gift of grace either! Knowing that any good you have done is still garbage in the eyes of God is indeed a humbling thought! Because without a humble heart, you will NOT be saved!