"Christian" and Other "Patriotic" Militias

Christians Taking on the Antichrist By Todd Strandberg

 
The members of a Christian militia were arrested after a series of raids in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. A court document says the raid capped an undercover FBI investigation that involved dozens of agents and a cooperating witness.

The group went by the name "Hutaree militia," and was led by 44-year-old David Brian Stone. Prosecutors claimed the nine members were plotting to kill police officers and kick-start a violent revolution. The name Huttaree means "Christian warrior," and they were making ready to defend themselves against the arrival of the Antichrist and the New World Order he will head.

According to their website, "We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Antichrist. All Christians must know this and prepare." It also claims, "Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment."

I don't see how anyone who plots to assassinate law enforcement officers can be a follower of Christ. The federal indictment says their plans "included killing a member of law enforcement after a traffic stop, killing a member of law enforcement and his or her family at home, ambushing a member of law enforcement in rural communities, luring a member of law enforcement with a false 911 emergency call and then killing him or her, and killing a member of law enforcement and then attacking the funeral procession motorcade."

The Hutaree militia was not the only anti-government group that made headlines last week. An organization called the Guardians of the Free Republics wants to "restore America " by peacefully dismantling parts of the government. It sent letters to all fifty state governors demanding they leave office or face being removed. The Restore America Plan can be found at: http://www.guardiansofthefreerepublics.com/front-page.html.
Over the past year, we’ve had a sharp increase in the number of violent protests against the government. Here are three examples:

1. Joe Stack: In February, the 53-year-old software engineer rammed a plane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas, killing himself and one IRS employee. Stack left a long, rambling suicide note, saying the government "left me to rot and die while they bailed out their rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY!"

2. Richard Poplawski: He shot and killed three police officers and seriously injured another two last spring. Poplawski feared that President Obama planned to confiscate weapons. He also believed reports that FEMA planned to herd protesters into concentration camps.

3. John Patrick Bedell: Just last month, he tried to shoot his way into the Pentagon. He fired on two police officers before being mortally wounded himself. In an on-line video manifesto, Bedell had railed against the government's ability to "confiscate the resources of their citizens to fund schemes that need only be justified by lies and deception."

There has been a huge upsurge in the number of militia groups that believe that the US government is conspiring against them. The Southern Poverty Law Center claims to have documented a 244-percent increase in the number of what it called "Patriot" groups in 2009. The number of militias--ones who actively train as military units--has increased from 42 in 2008 to 127 in 2009.

The apocalyptic nature of the Hutaree group caused Rapture Ready to receive some inquires from the media. We've been frequently asked if we think President Obama is the Antichrist.

My response so far is to tell people to keep your powder dry. I believe the government's encroachment on our civil liberties will only get worse in the coming months. By the time President Obama leaves office--if he chooses to do so--it will be far easier to compare him to the Antichrist.

It concerns me that some Christians may be helping to fulfill prophecy by taking up arms. The Hutaree would have handed the Obama administration a free gift if they had been able to carry out their alleged plans.
With any drastic action, you need to consider the consequences. I’m sure there must have been some Germans who said to each other, "Hey, let's burn down the Reichstag to trigger an uprising against Hitler." History now tells us the Nazis already had taken the idea.

Trust me, to get on the government’s most-wanted list, you don't need to make a pipe bomb or threaten to kill political leaders. The day is coming when the simple act of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ is reason enough for you to be declared an enemy of the state.

I think the most dastardly thing you can do to the power-hungry leaders of the world is to win souls for the Kingdom of God . Every time a person gets saved, the Beast is deprived of one more follower. I hope when the rapture takes place, so many people will be missing that another census will be necessary to figure out who is still here.

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44).