Saturday, January 17, 2009

Las Vegas and Americas Descent Into Sexual Madness

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 1:22-25)

Monday morning we arrived in Las Vegas. A place I'd heard about all of my life, like most baby boomers. Made famous as the gambling capitol of the US and the entertainment capitol too. 35-40 million visitors a year, making it one of the top resorts in America. We grew up hearing names like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Pressley, Wayne Newton, Sonny and Cher and every big name in show business that would be featured somewhere, sometime during the year on the Vegas Strip. My wife, my daughter and I decided to spend a week and check it out.

We stayed at Circus Circus. My daughter wanted to ride the rides and see the circus acts under the Big Top. We weren't there to gamble, drink or see any shows. Just ride the rides and visit the shops along the Strip. January is off season in Vegas and it seemed like a good time to see the sights and miss the big summer crowds.

I brought a pile of Salvation Tracts to hand out (I love doing that!) and we took the Deuce (double decker bus) down toward the MGM Grand Hotel to start. We tracted the buses as we went along, the malls, the casinos and any place along the well beaten path. We shared the Love of Jesus whenever we had the opportunity and there were some heart rending ones.

Caesars Palace and The Forum Shops are the height of lavishness and opulence. The most exclusive retail stores in the world are found here; Nieman Marcus, Tiffany's, De Beers, Cartier, Gianni Versace, Anthropologie to name a few.

Across the street, the Venetian and its Grand Canal Shoppes brought the splender of Venice, Italy to America. Complete with a river running through it and Gondolas to taxi you around. More exquisite stores for your shopping pleasure, too.

The Ballagio and its world famous fountains were remarkable in their choreographed union of water, music and light. We saw them orchastrated to Elvis' "Viva, Las Vegas". What a spectacular display!

New York, New York, the Luxor's Pyramid and Cheops, the Freemont Street Experience! (It really is!), The Golden Nugget, Paris, Monte Carlo, the new Encore and on and on and on.

Did I say that Las Vegas has the title, "Sin City"? The slogan of the Chamber of Commerce for 2008 was "What happens here stays here". But I don't believe the vast majority of Amercans realize the real sleaze that goes on in Vegas. I believe the Lord wants me to expose it. I believe He wants this country to understand, when judgment falls, the evidence of its sin was not hidden but out front for all the world to see.

In Las Vegas, it is glaring!

Decadence!
Just unbelievable. That's how I remember it. In the midst of this splender and opulence is a greater measure of filth and vileness that is in your face. Tourists and locals, men, women and children, all are victims. As you are walking the sidewalks in front of these grandiose testaments to modern architechture, there is a line of men and women (and Grandmas!!) doing their very best to hand you a booklet, about the size of a business card, blazoned with pictures of nude and scantily clad women graphically depicted with a phone number to call for some action. These hawkers are not polite in the least either. They are aggressive and present the booklets in a confrontational gesture, slapping them against the palm of their hand and thrusting them in your face (the action, I surmise, meant to shock you and disarm you into taking one). At the end of these lines, that go on and on, is a mosaic of female body parts scattered on the sidewalks, discarded and displayed for all to see.

Would that be enough of an unexpected offense to a family on vacation? It sure would but there is more. Much more!

As you walk the Vegas Strip you will be exposed to an Ad world of nude and scantily clad women in all kinds of provocative poses and depictions. The new medium of high definition TV is exploited throughout your journey from one gaming resort to another as you observe giant screens at the hotel entrances showing girls half naked and, backs to you, fully naked, dancing, cavorting and constantly thrusting their bare bottoms to voluntary and involuntary viewers.

Would both of those be enough of unexpected offenses to a family on vacation? Sure they would but again, there's more. Much, more!

Trucks and vans pulling trailers with billboards attached, featuring......you guessed it....... scenes with nude and scantily clad women in provocative poses and a telephone number to dial. Up and down the strip, day and night, from one end to the other they roll. Also, human billboards with the same scenes on them, walking up and down the sidewalks all around you.

Who would allow this? At the least the Mayor and City Council of Las Vegas, the Police Chief, the Sanitation Department (trash pickup), the State Legislature, the Governor and last but not least the owners of these "fine" hotels, restaurants, casinos and resorts that they are soliciting in front of. Trafficking in human flesh and the souls of men.

Truly, Isaiah spoke of this when he described a last days, rebellious people:

The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. (Isaiah 3:9)

Was it a coincidence when we arrived back home and I turned on the Weather Channel to see what the temperature was and just starting was a program called, "It Could Happen Tomorrow", featuring a special presentation, "Earthquake, Las Vegas"? It talked about Las Vegas being built on a valley that has eight different earthquake faults running under it. A city built on desert sand.

If I were a resident of Las Vegas I would move from the area. I would move immediately!

The United States of America not only sins greatly against God and His Holy Word but we export our sins to the rest of the world.

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; (Romans 2:4-9)

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