The Offering

OF CAIN

The Paradigm Shift to End Abortion Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to my lovely bride, Kendra Thomas, for editing this work. Her worth is far above rubies.

Also, a shout out goes to Jonathan Sutherland for his creative graphics and innovation. He took the content of this booklet and enhanced it. Thank you, Jonathan.

This booklet is the result of fighting the battle for decades to end abortion in America. It is not meant to offend or disparage others who have saved babies in the womb from horrible deaths. This booklet, however, will be somewhat challenging. Some may even consider it controversial. The purpose is to challenge the status quo that prolongs the suffering of children— in a nation that condones their slaughter.

After forty-three years of national blood guiltiness, it is time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Both the church and the pro-life movement need to be reformed in order for our nation to be restored to Biblical and Constitutional soundness. We cannot afford to do the same thing the same way and expect different results. Someone defined that mental exercise as insanity.

It is time for a paradigm shift.

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Introduction

First, it would be helpful to clarify some terms. Most of you who have read the Bible and studied its contents should have some knowledge of the “offering of Cain.” Hopefully, you are aware of the Genesis account and not much explanation is needed in that regard. Though, it may be helpful to refresh your memory by reading the first four chapters of Genesis before reading this booklet.

The terms of clarification that may need to be defined, however, is paradigm shift. I heard the word paradigm for years, but it was always connected with shift. To me, the combination of these words meant “a necessary change.” It was close, but no cigar. What kind of change are we talking about? It was Rev. Flip Benham who challenged me to understand paradigm apart from shift to comprehend the phrase more fully.

In Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary, paradigm is defined as “An example; a model.” Shift is defined as “A change; a turning from one thing to another; hence expedient tried in difficulty; one thing tried when another fails.” Together, paradigm shift means to turn from one failed example or model to another. For our purposes, it means to move from one failed worldview to another.

How do these definitions apply to us in our attempt to end the American holocaust? We need to turn from our

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model to end abortion and adopt God’s way to end it. We need to reject the failed offering of Cain and shift to the offering of Abel. We cannot expect God, who created us, to fit into our schemes to end abortion, while we deny His Lordship, compromise His truth, and ignore His commandments.

The following pages will prayerfully lay out the case for this much needed change. It will take courage, humility, and an immovable faith in the Word of God to change the way we think and act concerning the American holocaust.

The booklet is replete with Scripture references. I would encourage you to read the booklet with an open Bible. Take the time to study the passages mentioned. The Apostle Paul admonished us to,

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Speaking of the Bereans, the book of Acts records, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched

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We need to turn from our model to end

abortion and adopt God’s way to end it.

the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Paul preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and sought to prove from Scripture that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Bereans were a people who afforded the Apostle Paul a hearing. They tested everything he stated by searching the Scriptures to see if it was true. The time has come for us to do the same.

We need to examine ourselves in the light of Scripture. Does what we believe, think, and do comport with God’s Word or is it rooted in the world system that is in rebellion to its Creator? Are we approaching the grave evil of abortion from a humanistic perspective or from a consistent Biblical worldview? In other words, are we duplicating the offering of Cain or are we offering the acceptable sacrifice of Abel in this battle for the souls of men, the lives of children, and the future of our bloodstained land?

May the Lord grant to us the grace, truth, and the power of His Spirit to discern the difference. May He bestow upon us the holy determination to make the necessary changes to abolish child sacrifice and the shedding of innocent blood once and for all. May “His kingdom come

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and His will be done on the earth as it is in heaven,” in Jesus’ mighty name (Matthew 6:10)!

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“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord” (Genesis 4:3)

Cain was the first human born after the Fall. Adam and Eve, his parents, enjoyed a life unmarred by sin and its severe consequences. They failed, however, to pass that godly heritage to their offspring.

In their treachery, our first parents traded a paradise for a wilderness. Through their disobedience to the command of God, a great paradigm shift took place. Cain would be the first of their offspring to suffer Original Sin. In its dreadful wake, sin, death, hell, and the grave emerged to corrupt the world.

In the process of time, another child was born to Adam and Eve. His name was Abel. He was a shepherd, whereas Cain, his elder brother, was a farmer by trade. Cain worked the cursed land bequeathed to him by the sin of

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The Offering of Cain

his parents (Genesis 3:17-19). Thanks to his dad’s sin, passivity, and irresponsibility and his mother’s gullibility, Cain, by the sweat of his brow, toiled with thorns and thistles to eke out a living. No longer would the earth yield its bounty through the mere touch of man. Unless a recipient of statist welfare, this is the plight of all men to this day.

A time came when the religious impulse that rises up in all men, rose up in Cain and Abel. They both brought offerings to the Lord. It is important to recognize they submitted their offerings to the same Lord, the God of the Bible. They did not bring their offerings to false gods and idols. Later in human history, the floodgates of idolatry

opened wide, which deceived and devoured the sons of men. At this point, however, Cain and Abel approached the true and living God uncontested by bogus gods.

It is in the nature of Cain and Abel’s offerings that we witness another great paradigm shift— one that would separate man-made religion from the true salvation of God. One offering would be accepted by the Lord; the

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The Original Paradigm Shift

other rejected. Abel followed the pattern set forth by the Lord. He brought “a firstborn of his flock.” Bible scholars surmise that Abel remembered that God killed an animal, shed its blood, and used its skin to cover the sin and shame of his parents. Based upon this example, Abel offered a lamb to the Lord (Genesis 3:21). This sacrifice would serve as a pattern throughout redemptive history, until the ultimate Lamb of God came to take away the sin of the world (Exodus 12, 29:38-41; John 1:29).

Why did the Lord accept Abel’s offering, but reject Cain’s? Cain brought the fruit of the ground— the ground that had been cursed by the Lord. He brought an offering covered with the sinful sweat of man’s feeble attempts to be accepted by God. Abel brought the sacrifice God required. Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” This verse came true when Cain, in a jealous rage, slew his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8).

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It is in the nature of Cain and Abel’s offerings that we

witness another great paradigm shift— one that would separate man-made

religion from the true salvation of God.

To this day, those who cloak their fleshly desires in religiosity persecute those who love, honor, and obey the true and living God (Galatians 4:29). If we desire to avoid Cain’s sins of dead religious works and murder, we must first avoid his man-made offering. We must approach the Living God on His terms; not our own.

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Since time immemorial, man has asked deep philosophical questions regarding his existence. Who am I? Why am I here? What am I suppose to do with my life? What is the meaning of life? What happens to us after we die? Every religious system known to man has attempted to answer these questions. Every one of them is rooted in the sinful minds of depraved men living in a fallen world.

Every one, that is, except one.

A lesson from aviation may help. If a pilot flew a single degree off course, he would miss his target landing spot by 92 feet after a mile. Clearly, if our starting point is off, we will not arrive at our destination. Similarly, if we extrapolate from erroneous beliefs entrenched in the world system, we are guaranteed to miss the mark for our lives. This is a key point that will be raised later in the booklet as we explore the failure of the church and the “pro-life”

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Philosophical Questions

Clearly, if our starting point is off, we will not

arrive at our destination.

movement to end the American holocaust.

Mankind has tried to comprehend the spectrum of beauty and barbarity that not only beats in our own breasts, but manifests in the world at large. We tend to know what should be, but find to our consternation, another power at work that undermines and overthrows our higher aspirations (Romans 7:13-25). We crave peace, yet war rages in our minds (James 4:2). We seek love, but find disillusionment and hatred. We know we should exercise benevolence, but malevolence operates in and through our members. We long for happiness, but it is fleeting. Truly, life is but a vapor. (James 4:14).

Every man-made religion, philosophy, and faith seeks to address the disparity that rages within our souls. Tragically, man-made systems are rooted in the fallen world. They follow the pattern of Cain’s offering. These man-made approaches to God merely reinforce our fallen state. They are powerless to deliver us from evil. They may treat symptoms, but they are incapable of reaching the root of our woe. Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul cried out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

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Due to the Fall, man’s salvation cannot be discovered in the earth. It must come from above. “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all” (John 3:31). Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is above all. He is God Almighty, in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 1:23). To believe otherwise, is Anti-Christ (2 John 1:7).

The Bible teaches that salvation is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). The New Jerusalem, the city whose builder and maker is God, has come down to earth. Those who are born of God’s Spirit have entered into this glorious city (Hebrews 11:10, 12:22-24; Revelation 21).

Christ taught that His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). We must not confuse the meaning of this statement. It merely means our Lord’s Kingdom does not derive its authenticity, veracity, or authority from this world. Otherwise, it would be as Jesus stated, “My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews” (John 18:36). Although His Kingdom is not of this world, it is certainly in this world. It rules over this world

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…Our Lord’s Kingdom does not derive its

authenticity, veracity, or authority from this world.

(Psalms 22:28, 103:19, 145:13; Daniel 2; Matthew 12:28, 28:18-20; John 19:11; Revelation 11:15, 12:10). In the same way true Christians are in this world but not of the world, so Christ’s Kingdom is in this world but not of this world (John 17:14, 15).

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Biblically, the offerings of Cain and Abel also reveal the crucial doctrine of mediation. The God of the Bible is particular on how we approach His throne of grace, majesty, and glory (Hebrews 4:16). The first two commandments of the “Ten Words,” as they are known in the Hebrew, establish this truth. We are to have no other gods before the Lord nor make any graven images to bow down and worship them (Exodus 20:3, 4).

No earthly representation in the universe is sufficient to illustrate God. Nor can a representation offer a perfect pattern of mediation between His holiness and the sinfulness of men. Our Lord is totally other. He is transcendent. He is outside His creation. He is above and beyond His creatures. Yet, He is immanent. He intervenes in the affairs of men and nations.

It is in the New Testament that we discover the only acceptable mediator between Holy God and sinful man.

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The Essential Doctrine of Mediation

The Apostle Paul states, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). The implications of this verse are immense as it relates to the true salvation of God and His intervention in the affairs of men. No religion, church, denomination, philosophy, worldview, good work, pastor, priest, pope, religious ceremony, dead saint, Mother Mary, confession booth, or religious icon is sufficient to mediate God’s salvation amongst men and nations.

The role of mediator is reserved for Christ alone. If men and nations do not have Jesus Christ acting as their advocate, they will perish in their sins, no matter how much they cloak themselves in religion or good works (1 John 2:1; John 8:23-24).

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The role of mediator is reserved for Christ alone.

God has given us a tried and tested formula to emerge victorious against evil. Revelation 12:11 states, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” To overcome the enemy, who has come to kill, steal, and destroy, three vital truths are essential to apprehend (John 10:10).

First, we overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Our sins must be washed away by Christ’s redeeming blood (1 John 1:7). We have to be saved and regenerated by the Spirit of God. We need our minds renewed and our very being washed by God’s Word (Acts 4:12; Titus 3:5; Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 5:26).

Practicing a religion, Christian or otherwise, in and of itself, is powerless to defeat the lies and murder of Satan (John 8:44). One of the reasons why Jesus came to the earth was to destroy the works of the devil. If we are the

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Three-Fold Strategy for Victory in the Battle Against Evil

Lord’s disciples, we can do no less (1 John 3:8).

Secondly, we overcome by the word of our testimony. This may be taken two ways. There is our personal testimony of how we came to faith in Christ and were delivered from the power of sin. Our salvation acts as an Ebenezer Stone, a Stone of Remembrance, to remind us in life’s struggles the reality of God’s saving grace (1 Samuel 7:12).

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He promised to finish what He began in us. Philippians 1:6 assures us, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” In the stress of battle to end abortion, these truths act as an anchor to our souls, which helps keep us on the straight and narrow.

Our personal testimony needs to be shouted from the rooftops (Matthew 10:27). People can argue theology all day long, but it is hard to argue against a personal testimony. The blind young man in John 9 was not a theologian. He was not schooled in the great doctrines of the church. One thing he did know, however, before he

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One of the reasons why Jesus came to the earth was to destroy the works of the devil. If we are the Lord’s

disciples, we can do no less.

met Jesus, he was blind, after he met Jesus, he could see (John 9:25). All he did was meet Jesus and his life was radically changed forever. Jesus taught, “Except a man be born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

We also need to know the testimony of God’s Word and wield it into battle. Jesus defeated Satan in his weakened condition in the wilderness (40 days without food) by courageously leading with God’s Word (Luke 4:1-14). With every temptation, Jesus responded, “It is written.” The Word of God, in the life of the believer, is the only offensive weapon God granted us to wage a good warfare. It is the Sword of the Spirit. We must unsheathe it to break the strongholds of evil and set the captives free (Ephesians 6:17).

How many have heard Revelation 12:11 quoted and the last part left out? I heard it countless times. Many preachers purposely ignore “they did not love their lives to the death.” Why do they refuse to complete the sentence and finish the thought? Simply, it takes courage as a Christian to overcome sin, Satan, and this corrupt world system that murders babies with impunity.

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C. S. Lewis stated, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” In other words, in order for a Christian to live out his faith and all the virtues required, it takes the foundation of courage.

Where do we find such courage? Acts 1:8 states, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The word witness in the Greek means martyr.

Our Lord knew the obstacles, persecution, and resistance His people would face. In response to the opposition, He sent the Holy Spirit to provide the courage they would need to overcome (John 16:5-15).

Consequently, if God’s people have to choose between their possessions and their faith, they will choose their faith. If they have to choose between their freedom and their faith, they will choose their faith. If they are forced to

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“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing

point.” -C.S. Lewis

give their last ounce of devotion by choosing between their lives and their faith, by God’s grace and power, they will choose their faith. All this takes the virtue of courage that is conveniently ignored in Rev. 12:11. God forgive our cowardice.

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When it comes to the offerings of Cain and Abel, keep in mind their response to God. It is critical to mankind’s spiritual, moral, mental, physical, and eternal wellbeing.

All men respond to God in some manner. We all know He is there, but mankind is wired to suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-23). Most do not seek Him for the same reason a thief does not look for a police officer. Who wants the party to end while it ruins lives? We run from God, while enveloped within His creation. Yet, it is the creation itself that bears witness to His invisible attributes (Romans 1:20).

Although God’s laws are written upon all hearts (Romans 2:14, 15), men continually violate them (Romans 3:9-19). God has equipped every man with a conscience that accuses or excuses our thoughts and behavior. If we continue in blatant sin, however, we run the risk of searing our conscience till it becomes dysfunctional (1 Timothy 4:1, 2). Our minds can turn reprobate as we are

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Proper Response

convinced good is evil and evil, good (Romans 1:24-27; Isaiah 5:20).

In the fallen state, men love their sinful pleasures more than they love God (2 Timothy 3:4). Some men deny, patronize, or ignore God. Others hate Him or try to change Him into their perverted image. Still, there are others who love, adore, and obey Him.

In light of these many responses to God, which pleases Him? Was it Cain’s or Abel’s offering? Just as Cain and Abel reacted differently to the Lord, it is clear that men to this day do the same.

Our Lord tackled this dilemma during His earthly ministry. Notice how Jesus described His generation:

But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament” (Matthew 11:16, 17).

The Lord’s generation refused to respond correctly to Him. They were responding alright, but just not acceptably. The Lord was calling for an Abel response, but all He got was another offering from Cain. They reacted

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All men respond to God in some manner.

erroneously to the burning issues of the day. When God called them to rejoice in the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom (Their captivity to sin was over) they refused to dance and celebrate. When God called them to turn their laughter into mourning and joy into gloom (over their sinful state) they refused to lament (James 4:7-10).

God loves a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 66:2). This generation’s refusal to respond correctly cost them greatly. The Kingdom was taken from Israel and given to a nation worthy to bear the fruits (Matthew 21:33-43, 8:10-12). Another powerful paradigm shift took place as the Old Covenant grew obsolete and passed away and the New Covenant emerged (Matthew 9:17).

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Now that the Biblical foundation is laid, it is time to build (1 Corinthians 3:10). The rest of this booklet will concentrate on relating the offering of Cain to the paradigm shift to end abortion.

This year (2016) marks the 50th anniversary of child sacrifice and the shedding of innocent blood in America. The decriminalization of abortion began in 1966 in the state of Mississippi. Due to bigoted fears that black men might rape white women, Mississippi thought it prudent to open the floodgates of hell by allowing abortion in the case of rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

Eighteen other states followed (CO, CA, OR, NC, NY, AK, HI, WA, FL, AL, AR, DE, GA, KS, MD, NM, SC, and VA). New York had the radical distinction of allowing "elective" abortion on demand through the first six months of pregnancy. These states were harbingers that led to the infamous Roe vs. Wade decision that struck

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Building On the Biblical Foundation

down every statute that protected the life of the preborn in the womb.

Though some in the church

murmured against the injustice, most yawned and went back to sleep as our nation made a covenant with death (Matthew 13:25; Isaiah 28:15). True to Biblical form, once we removed the knowledge of God from the public life of our nation and blatantly violated His commandments, violence and perversion replaced Him (Hosea 4:1-6). Proverbs 8:36 warns, “But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me (God’s wisdom) love death.”

Our government, like Nazi Germany, chose death to solve its economic and moral problems. Eventually, God-fearing Americans observed the plight of the little ones and got involved in what we call the “pro-life movement.” Some got involved in politics. Others got involved in education. Still others concerned themselves with mercy ministries like crises pregnancy centers and unwed mothers’ homes. A few prophetic ministries, like Operation Rescue/Operation Save America and Missionaries to the Preborn,

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Though some in the church murmured against the injustice, most yawned and went back to

sleep as our nation made a covenant with death.

took the Gospel of the Kingdom to the actual places of death to rescue babies.

No doubt, there was a response to God when it came to the plight of babies being led to slaughter. In the last forty-three years, many different kind of offerings have been lifted up to the Lord in the hopes of saving babies from certain death. The time has come to investigate the nature of these offerings.

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Some of what the pro-life movement accomplished was necessary and good, though not perfect. Faithful Christians attested to the Lordship of Christ and the humanity of preborn babies, which impacted the culture. I know a few who carry the scars of the Lord Jesus Christ in their bodies (Galatians 6:17). They rescued those unjustly sentenced to death, spoke for those who could not speak for themselves, and loved their neighbors as themselves (Proverbs 24:11, 12, 31:8, 9; Matthew 22:36-40). They acted as their brother’s keeper (Genesis 4:9).

Some were jailed. Others were beaten and suffered the loss of blood and broken bones. One friend, Jim Pouillon, was martyred at a high school for his faithful witness to Christ and His little ones. He was shot to death. Others experienced deep personal and familial loss. They were rejected, slandered in the media, and shunned by the church. They endured financial ruin and a host of other sufferings to interpose to save the least of these (Matthew 25:40-45).

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The Pro-Life Movement’s Faithful Offering

Operation Rescue/Operation Save America members who were formerly involved in the “rescue movement” were part of the largest non-violent civil rights movement in the history of America, with over 50,000 arrests. Through their sacrifices they proved that there was no greater love than to lay down one’s life for another (John 15:13). These pro-lifers’ sacrifices were as gold, silver, and precious stones. They had duplicated Abel’s offering (1 Corinthians 3:10-12).

Before I tackle what I perceive to be the failure of the pro-life movement, it is important to once again reiterate my intention is not to disparage the well-meaning efforts of others. It is prayerfully to show a more excellent way (Acts 18:25, 26). My hope is that we will all take the time to reexamine our response to the abortion holocaust. Are our beliefs and actions an offering that is acceptable to God or have we inadvertently fallen into the trap of Cain?

How can we discern today which offering is acceptable to God and which is not? No mere opinion of men, including my own, will suffice. God’s Word alone judges the thoughts and intents of men’s hearts (Hebrews 4:12; John 12:48).

None of us have the ability to perfectly judge the motives of men. I know a few who tend to assume the worse in

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that regard. Most of the time, they presume appalling intentions in individuals. They have a propensity to forget that none of us have ex-ray vision to perceive men’s hearts to discern their true thoughts. Biblically, however, Christians have the duty to inspect fruit and judge actions (Matthew 7:15-20).

No doubt, many in the pro-life movement have great motives to eventually end abortion. Yet, do they consider that perhaps some of their thinking and strategies may be rooted in the offering of Cain? It is vital to understand that we serve a God who weighs motives just as much as He judges actions (Proverbs 16:12). Thus, we can have a right motive and perform a wrong action. We can also have a wrong motive and perform a right action. God

wants both to be correct.

Where there is true orthodoxy, sound doctrine

and solid theology, true orthopraxy will follow, right behavior, genuine integrity, and good character. God is not just concerned with the ends we achieve; He also

cares about the means through which we achieve them. In God’s economy, the ends never justify the means. There is

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It is vital to understand that we serve a God who weighs motives just as much as He judges actions.

God’s will, word, and way. We need all three to successfully vanquish this evil from our land.

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Through the years, it has become painfully clear that many involved in the pro-life movement have adopted the offering of Cain to end abortion. Instead of gold, silver, and precious stones, they proffered wood, hay, and stubble. (1 Corinthians 3:12). They preferred a scientific, medical, or humanistic approach rather than a consistently Biblical, Christian approach. In other words, they chose Saul’s armor to face the Goliath of abortion, rather than the armor of God (1 Samuel 17:38, 39; Ephesians 6:10-17).

To this day, far too many rely on the wisdom of man (political strategies) rather than the self-evident truth of God’s Word. They pursue a pragmatic “what works” model of change, rather than a “what is right” model of repentance, reformation, and revival. They prefer pliable pragmatism rather than sturdy principle. Due to their pragmatism, these pro-lifers would rather stand upon the sinking sand of exceptions, incremental policies, and

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The Pro-Life Movement’s Unfaithful Offering

“laws” rather than the rock solid foundation of God’s commandments.

It should be evident by now that God’s people cannot afford to deny the Lord, compromise His truth, or ignore His commandments in this battle for the souls of man, the lives of children, and the future of our broken, wounded land. How can we disregard Him and still expect His victorious intervention?

When we give an “offering of Abel” we recognize that we must do things God’s way in order to receive His blessing, help, and aid. When we give an “offering of Cain” we may expect the same blessing, yet our attempt to please God through our own strategy (rooted in earthly wisdom) only prolongs the reign of oppression and the suffering of victims (1 Corinthians 1:20-24). If we do things the world’s way, we will get the world’s results.

After close to 60 million dead children with their blood on our hands, how can we tout success as a movement (Isaiah 1:15)? By any stretch of the imagination, our boasts ring hollow. We must realize that the offering of Cain not only failed Cain; it has failed the pro-life movement. We need to repent— drop the offering of Cain and refrain

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from exchanging God’s truth for man-made strategies. We must give God what He demands and bring forth fruits meet for repentance (Matthew 3:8).

It is time for the church and the pro-life movement to realize that we need to move closer to God and His Holy Word. We need to stand where He stands on the burning issues of the day (Ephesians 6:13). We must come into agreement with God’s assessment of abortion, faithfully present His message, and produce godly actions in a world drowning in a sea of blood and perversion.

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We must give God what He demands and bring forth

fruits meet for repentance.

When it comes to this national sin that has wrought national calamity— it is time to change the status quo.

After decades of staggering under the curse of blood guiltiness, it is time for another paradigm shift. It is time for the “Gentle Revolution” to gain momentum and vanquish the evil of abortion, once and for all. It is time to implement the serious changes necessary to end child sacrifice and the shedding of innocent blood in America.

One of the main purposes for this booklet is to change the narrative. The goal is to create a shift in focus and language in order to take back the narrative from those who advocate for baby murder. At the same time, I hope to challenge pro-lifers who try to “limit” the number of abortions to join with us to end it. God does not want us to regulate baby murder, He wants us to stop abortion now.

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The Paradigm Shift

Repentance for sin, both individual and national, is not gradual. It is immediate. Jesus told us to cut off known sin or perish (Matthew 18:8). Religious systems may preach penance but God requires repentance, if men and nations are to thrive under His blessings.

Jeremiah 5:28 declares, “Plead the case of the fatherless to win it.” Some in the pro-life movement have pleaded the case of the fatherless, just to plead it, raise money, or gain political power. God, however, demands that we win the case of the fatherless. How can we do this, if we continue to exchange God’s truth for man-made political strategies? The offering of Cain is insufficient to get the job done.

We can no longer fight abortion based upon the premises of those who advocate for the murder of the preborn. He who defines wins. And let’s be honest, the merchants of death have framed the arguments that we extrapolate from. Thus, it is a foregone conclusion why they still prevail in murdering the innocent.

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Repentance for sin, both individual and national, is not

gradual. It is immediate.

The Bible speaks of “the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). According to Benson’s Commentary, “They understood public affairs, the temper of the nation, and the tendencies of the present events.” They possessed wisdom. They knew the best course for the nation to take. We need men like that now.

What course should we take? How can we give God what He wants? How can we end abortion now? How can we distance ourselves from the offering of Cain and adopt the offering of Abel that is well pleasing to the Lord?

First, we must change the standard of what it means to be pro-life. Second, we must call the church and state to interpose and abolish abortion, once and for all. The five premises below will prayerfully help reframe the abortion debate.

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Abortion is a direct violation of God’s holy commandment, “Thou shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) Yet, people with malice and forethought premeditate the murder of innocent children in the womb. These babies have not committed a capital crime deserving capital punishment. Everything about abortion, both Biblically and legally, constitutes murder.

The pro-life industry has been very squeamish about coming into an agreement with God’s Word concerning this brutal act. In fact, many times the pro-life movement has treated abortion bound parents as victims along with the baby. There may be a few whom God would consider victims in this

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Abortion is Murder

Premise I

The pro-life industry has been very squeamish about coming into an agreement with God’s Word concerning this

brutal act.

travesty, but the majority will be found guilty of murder in His court. If we cannot correctly define the abominable practice of abortion, how can we expect to defeat it? Let God be true and every man a liar (Romans 3:4).

Biblically, there is a twofold purpose for civil government. First, it was established by God to prevent the world from descending back into the wicked condition that preceded Noah’s flood. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). It was so appalling that it grieved the heart of God that He even created us. He sent a flood. Civil government was ordained to restrain that level of evil from ever taking place again.

The Apostle Paul also weighed in on the Biblical worldview of government. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he penned Romans 13:1-4, which states:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you

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want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.  For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

What can we glean from this passage? First, it reveals the courage of Paul. He wrote this while, Nero, the demonic tyrant of Rome, was in authority. Second, God is the supreme authority. Third, civil government is a delegated authority established by God. It is His minister to establish justice in the world by punishing evil doers and protecting those who are good citizens.

Here is the catch. God’s commandments must define for men and nations what is good and what is evil. If men and nations reject God’s transcendent standard, good can become evil and evil, good (Isaiah 5:20). This leads to governments codifying evil into law. Once this takes place, tyranny, injustice, and oppression will rule the land. Our chains are already being forged.

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God’s commandments must define for men and nations what is good and

what is evil.

Secondly, civil government was ordained by God to protect life and stop the shedding of innocent blood. Genesis 9:6 declares, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.” Roe vs. Wade violated that sacred trust. Our government has defended the indefensible ever since.

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Roe vs. Wade is legal fiction. The Supreme Court is not the Supreme Being. Roe vs. Wade and other decisions like Obergefell v. Hodges, which seeks to redefine marriage, are in blatant rebellion against Almighty God.

Roe vs. Wade is legal fiction on two counts. First, it violates the Constitution. No person shall be deprived of life without due process of law. No penumbra of the Constitution, no magic fairy dust that emanates from the Constitution can change the plain meaning of the text.

Secondly, Roe vs. Wade impugns the Law of God. According to the Bible and 1500 years of Western Civilization, any law of man that countermands or violates the Law of God is no law at all. Sir William Blackstone, English Jurist who wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England stated “Upon these two foundations, the law of nature (the eternal laws of good and evil) and the law of revelation (found only in the scriptures), depend all human laws.

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Roe v. Wade is Legal Fiction

Premise II

That is to say, no human laws should be allowed to contradict these.”

More recently, Martin Luther King Jr. gave this apologetic on law:

There are two types of law: just and unjust. I would be the first advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’ Now what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.

Divine law trumps human law. As Christians, we should know better. When the laws of men conflict with the laws of God, we are duty bound to obey God rather than men (Acts 4:18-22, 5:29).

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Divine law trumps human law.

The Pro-life movement must stop trusting in chariots, horses, and the legal minds of unregenerate men. We need to place our trust in the name of the Lord, our God (Psalms 20:7). The Bible repeatedly warns us not to put trust in men. We are to love men, but never trust them. We all have feet of clay.

The Psalmist tells us to not to trust in our bow or sword (Psalm 44:6). We are not to trust in uncertain riches (1 Timothy 6:17). Instead, we are to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). The Lord promised to direct our paths if we acknowledged Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:6).

The Psalmist adds, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes” (Psalm 118:8, 9). Again, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help” Psalm 146:3).

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Courts Cannot Make LawsPremise III

Why should we do this? The race does not always go to the swift nor the battle to the strong (Ecclesiastes 9:11). There is a God in heaven that rules

and reigns in the affairs of men. He sets up kingdoms and knocks them down. He judges and restores nations based upon their obedience or disobedience to His holy commandments (Deuteronomy 28). We can trust that as we faithfully believe, speak, and an act upon His Word, He will faithfully watch over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12; Isaiah 55:11).

The pro-life movement must wean itself from trusting in the courts. It is the Supreme Court of the United States that unleashed this hell upon our nation in the first place. Going to the courts for justice today is like chickens going to foxes for protection from wolves. The courts cannot solve our dilemma because they are the source of our dilemma. People vote for lawmakers, lawmakers pass laws, and the courts continually strike down laws. How long are we going to play these judicial games while babies are being murdered and we slouch towards Gomorrah?

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The Pro-life movement must stop trusting in

chariots, horses, and the legal minds of

unregenerate men.

Our federal government is broken. The chains are off the beast. Whatever checks and balances existed, have disappeared. What guides the federal government today is not the Constitution, but a leftist political agenda. The federal government gladly enforces the Constitution when it suits its agenda. When it does not suit its agenda, it ignores the Constitution. Our duty is to make sure the states do not follow suit. We must convince the states to spit out the bribe (federal tax money) that keeps them enslaved on the federal plantation.

Courts can issue opinions and rulings, but it cannot make laws. Only our legislative branch is ordained by the Constitution to make laws. Roe vs. Wade was imposed on America by an activist court. In the name of the Constitution, they violated the Constitution. “We the people” certainly did not vote for this atrocity nor did our representatives. No; it came by judicial fiat, from an oligarchy of black robe judges whose wicked decision stained our land red with the blood of innocent children. Roe vs. Wade established a covenant with death. It must be broken in Jesus’ name, if we are to secure a future and a hope.

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Courts can issue opinions and rulings, but it cannot

make laws.

We must establish justice by completely abolishing abortion. Those who care about preborn lives are introducing uncompromising bills to state legislatures, like Abolish Human Abortion’s 2016 Oklahoma Senate Bill 1118. These bills ignore the legal fiction of Roe vs. Wade. These bills state the self-evident truth that abortion is murder and attach penalties that are consistent with justice. The bills simply demand the historical American jurisprudence position, which is equal justice under the law. Some may think this is a radical position. Well, it may not be politically correct, but it is Biblically just.

Here is the deal— the church and state may fail to treat this demonic scourge we call abortion for what it is, but God cannot deny Himself. He is the God of justice. In fact, His throne in heaven is supported by the pillars of justice and righteousness (Psalm 89:14). If our government does not punish murder, the penalty does not magically disappear. It merely moves from the guilty parties to the

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Establish Justice by Completely Abolishing Abortion

Premise IV

society that condones it. The violence in our nation bears witness to this irrefutable truth.

God and His moral commandments are inescapable. They provide the framework for all reality. We cannot continue to break God’s commandments, they eventually break us. They function as a sort of “spiritual gravity.” Bloodshed touches bloodshed (Hosea 4:1-6). It breaks out like a plague. If we want to curb violence in America, if we want peace to return, we must treat abortion as murder and penalize it accordingly. In other words, whatever

penalty is on the books for the murder of a born person should be the same for the preborn. 

The truth that abortion is murder does not exclude

the church from exercising compassion upon the criminal. The state is the ministry of justice. It should be concerned about the physical welfare of its citizens. Civil government exists to protect life. It is ordained to stop the shedding of innocent blood.

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God and His moral commandments are

inescapable. They provide the framework for all reality.

The church is to be the ministry of grace, concerned about the spiritual welfare of men and nations. These roles are not in conflict with each other. They both represent divine attributes of God— justice and mercy (Psalm 85:10). You cannot have one without the other. Mercy indeed triumphs over judgment, but mercy cannot be obtained apart from judgment (James 2:13).

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Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master, or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.” “We the People” need to remonstrate and call our Lesser Magistrates to do their duty to defend the preborn. It is important to remind our governors, state legislators, and sheriffs that the God of all justice demands justice for the preborn, just as He demands justice for the born. He makes no distinction between the two.

Man is made in the image of God. Abraham Lincoln stated, “God did not send anyone who is stamped with His image into the world to be stomped on.”

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Rally the Lesser Magistrates to Defend the Preborn

Premise V

The Lesser Magistrate Doctrine teaches that when the

superior or higher ranking civil authority makes immoral/

unjust laws or policies, the lower or lesser ranking civil

authority has both a right and duty to refuse obedience to that superior authority. If

necessary, the lesser authorities may even actively

resist the higher authority.

America stomped on our black brothers and sisters liberty through slavery and now we are stomping on the preborn. Thomas Jefferson declared, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.”

Does God’s Word demand justice for the preborn? Exodus 21:22–25 states:

If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

In this passage of Scripture, we learn of God’s concern for justice for the preborn. Contrary to some interpretations, this

passage does not promote vigilantism or revenge. In truth, it displays the brilliance of God’s justice. The essence of the passage deals with a vital legal principle known as Lex Talionis, which is Latin for “law of retaliation.” In the science of criminology, this tenet

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The penalty should not be less than the crime deserves. Otherwise, there is a danger

that injustice may spread.

translates, “The punishment should fit the crime.” Nothing more. Nothing less.

The penalty should not be less than the crime deserves. Otherwise, there is a danger that injustice may spread. Ecclesiastes 8:11 warns, "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." On the other hand, if retribution exceeds the crime, it can turn lawful authorities into abusive tyrants. In a sense, this legal principle, Lex Talionis, is “God's Golden Rule” applied to the area of justice (Luke 6:31).

I know some balk at the notion of treating abortion as murder. They struggle with the concept of due penalty. They are not alone. The United States Supreme Court in 1973 had similar concerns. The justices saw the inconsistency of having low penalties or no penalties regarding those involved with abortion. Harry Blackmun used the lack of punishment for women and the low punishment for abortionists as proof that the preborn child must not be a "person." Therefore, the Fourteenth Amendment was not applicable to protect the preborn in the womb.

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The Roe vs. Wade opinion reads:

There are other inconsistencies between Fourteenth Amendment status and the typical abortion statute. It has already been pointed out, n. 49, supra, that, in Texas, the woman is not a principal or an accomplice with respect to an abortion upon her. If the fetus is a person, why is the woman not a principal or an accomplice? Further, the penalty for criminal abortion specified by Art. 1195 is significantly less than the maximum penalty for murder prescribed by Art. 1257 of the Texas Penal Code. If the fetus is a person, may the penalties be different?

Pastor Matt Trewhella, commenting on this discrepancy stated, “The Court is pointing out the incongruity of the Texas law. 1.) The 3 to 6-year sentence for the abortionist came far short of the capital punishment proper to anyone convicted of the premeditated murder of another person; and, 2.) the mother is not punished at all. By refusing to criminalize the actions of the woman and instead labeling her a victim―we undermine both the humanity of the preborn child and the

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It was the lack of equal justice under the law and the lack of

penalty equivalent to the crime of abortion, that helped to

establish Roe vs. Wade.

rightly stated argument that abortion is murder.”

It was the lack of equal justice under the law and the lack of penalty equivalent to the crime of abortion, that helped to establish Roe vs. Wade. 60 million babies have been murdered as a result. To this day, we have refused to acknowledge our grave hypocrisy, inconsistency, and contradiction. If we continue to hold to this error in judgment, how many more children will die?

It is my sincere prayer that these five premises (Abortion is Murder, Roe vs. Wade is Legal Fiction, Courts Cannot Make Law, Establish Justice by Ending Abortion, and Rally the Lesser Magistrates to Defend the Preborn) are the offerings the Lord receives to end the American holocaust in Jesus’ name!

IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,Rev. Rusty Lee ThomasNational Director, Operation Rescue/Operation Save America

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Rusty Lee ThomasP.O. Box 3126

Waco, TX 76707rusty@elijahmin.com

www.operationsaveamerica.orgwww.elijahmin.com

www.statesofrefuge.orgwww.defytyrants.com