The Death of Christianity

The remains of a church

According to biblical prophecy, the decline and fall of Christianity will be one of the prophetic events that will occur in the end times. Here’s what Jesus Christ predicted concerning the last days directly proceeding His return: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” (Matthew 24:10-11)

With that statement, Christ revealed that not only will many abandon true Christianity, but that many others will be led astray by false prophets. Who are these false prophets and what sort of deception will they promote? Christ continued: “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead to time.” (Matthew 24:23-25)

And so, Christ revealed that many will abandon the true faith for a counterfeit faith based upon supernatural events and religious experiences. The second half of Christ’s prophecy clearly reveals that there is going to be a religious revival that will spread across the world and be fueled by demonic power under the guise of a Christian revival. But before all this happens, the influence of true Christianity is going to decline and millions are going to abandon the faith.

Is this prophecy being fulfilled? In fact it began its fulfillment in the 19^th century when many European Christian seminaries and theology schools began integrating liberal secularism into their curriculums. That was a direct result of the influence that the French Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment had throughout Europe that caused many to question whether God really existed and if he did, then why did he allow evil to flourish? Liberal theologians began to ask those questions and they began to cast doubt on the authenticity of the Bible as the inerrant word of God and such historical scriptural teachings as the virgin birth of Christ, his divinity, sinless life, miracles and his resurrection from the dead.

The logical result of secularism’s influence on the weak minds of European theologians produced a universal, powerless gospel that emptied the cross of its power and reduced Christ to an ancient Gandhi. Christianity lost its power; Christ became just another religious figure and within a century, the church began losing members by the millions. If Christianity was seen as just one of many world religions, then it was reduced to a Sunday morning cultural expression. Today, most European churches are empty on Sundays except for a few hardy old souls that have remained faithful to the end. But many Europeans under the age of 50 either no longer believe in God, or they believe that he’s some impersonal energy source that exists billions of miles off somewhere in outer space. As such, they view Christianity as an outdated religion that’s no longer relevant to the world.

Europe’s secular influence began contaminating American seminaries by the late 19^th century. Like their European counterparts, American churchmen and theologians began to question and doubt the Bible and the divinity of Christ. By the 20^th century, much of Christendom had lost its focus and was promoting social justice and positive, possibility thinking over the lifesaving gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, one of the biggest false prophets that became one of the patriarchs of the human potential movement was a man named Norman Vincent Peale who taught that man’s greatest sin was poor self-esteem.

When American denominations began ignoring Christ and denied the miracle-working power of His Holy Spirit, American churches quickly died and lost millions of members. According to Mark Noll’s A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada, the membership of America’s mainline denominations declined from 31 million in 1960 to 25 million in 1988. Furthermore, according to Ellen Lindner, (Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2009) America’s mainline membership dropped to 21 million by the year 2005. If Noll’s and Lindner’s numbers are correct, America’s mainline denominations lost a whopping 10 million members from 1960 to 2005. And furthermore, according to Barna Research, the total number of American churches declined from approximately 80,000 in the 1950’s to 72,000 by 2008.

While America is still considered to be the most Christian nation on earth, Christianity is waning in the United States, albeit at a slower pace than it declined in Europe. The reason for Christianity’s decline in America is simple and easy to understand; fewer people today believe in the historic, prophetic evidence for Christ as the Son of God and the uniqueness of His Gospel. Thus, the early First Century Church grew on its faith in the absolute truth of God’s word that manifested in signs, wonders and miracle-working power. The early 21^st Century Church declines because it no longer trusts in God’s word and has lost its faith in His power to perform great miracles.

Certainly, of the myriad of reasons why Christianity is in a steep decline in America and throughout most of the world is because the church has lost its love for Christ and has stopped contending for the faith against the spiritual forces of darkness. Biblical Christianity degenerated into religious churchianity and the prevailing fallen culture overtook the cross. When Christ appeared to the apostle John who was in exile from Rome on the island of Patmos, he critiqued seven churches that were located in Asia Minor. He revealed that five of them had compromised their faith and were in jeopardy of being cutoff from God. One of the churches was located in Ephesus and Christ revealed that it had lost its love for God and was just going through the proverbial motions. Christ stated: “You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first! If you do not repent, I will come and remove your lamp-stand from its place.” (Revelation 2:4-5)

Another prophetic event that Jesus revealed will prevail in the end-time world will be the increase of wickedness. (Matthew 24:12) The apostle Paul also prophesied that wickedness would increase exponentially across the world in the last days. (2Timothy 3) There is a direct correlation between the increase in wickedness throughout the world and the decline of Christianity’s influence. And when we speak of wickedness, we also include moral wickedness such as sexual perversion (homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderism) fornication, adultery, drug and alcohol abuse, idolatry, occultism etc.

Certainly, crime, violence and moral depravity are fractional in many Islamic nations that are ruled by the iron fist of Sharia Law. But Sharia Law restrains by the fear of persecution, torture and death for those who violate Islamic law. Unlike Islam, true Christianity ultimately restrains by changing the human heart through the fear of God and the knowledge of his laws that everyone is accountable to. And unlike Islam, Christianity offers God’s grace to everyone through the eternal pardon for sin in Christ’s death on Calvary’s cross.

The regeneration that the Holy Spirit provides to those who are born into eternal life through Christ is what restrains evil by creating a new person into the image of God through Christ. The Christian church forgot about that a long time ago and it’s been fighting a losing battle ever since. If the empty pews don’t provide a strong clue, then nothing will.

Where You Go, When You Go

                              

Death is one of the great mysteries of life. Since the beginning of time, man has wondered whether life exists beyond the grave. Atheists believe that no life exists beyond the physical realm while many religions teach that life continues on after the physical body expires.

So who's right? The Bible, which has a flawless, evidential, historical-prophetic track record, tells us that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment", (Hebrews 9:27) which means that life indeed goes on after physical death. If it doesn't, then that scripture recorded in the Book of Hebrews makes no sense. If there is no life beyond the physical realm, then there isn't any judgment and thus, a despicable mass-murderer such as Adolf Hitler fares no worse in death than Pope John Paul II.

But life indeed exists beyond the grave. Where then do the spirits of the deceased go when they leave their mortal bodies? According to the Bible, they go to one of two destinations; heaven for those who have been born again in Jesus Christ and hell for those who rejected Christ and have died in their sins. But how do we know this? By over 300 specific prophecies recorded in the Bible's Old Testament that revealed Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah hundreds and thousands of years before he came. Those prophecies, such as the virgin birth of Christ, (Isaiah 7:14, Eighth Century B.C.) his birthplace in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Sixth Century B.C.) and his resurrection from the dead (Psalm 16:10, 1,000 B.C.) all verify Christ's teachings on the absolute reality of heaven and hell.

Interestingly, Christ taught more about the awful reality of hell than he did about heaven. Why? Because hell is a horrible place of damnation and eternal torment. If you've ever experienced a terrible nightmare, hell is far worse than your worst nightmare. It is such a horrible place that a group of demons that Christ drove out of a demoniac one day begged him not to send them there. (Luke 8:30-31) It is a place, according to Christ, of eternal fire and intense pain and suffering. (Mark 9:48) In fact, Christ gave us a glimpse of the horrible reality of hell with his account of a greedy rich man who mocked God and lived a selfish life on earth before he died and was thrown into hell. (Luke 16:19-31)

What is important to understand about Christ's account of the rich man who was thrown into hell is the fact that the man retained all of his mental faculties and physical senses that he possessed while he lived on earth. Oh yes, he also experienced the intense pain of torture from the heat of hell's never-ending fire.

Have you thought about your own mortality? Where do you believe you'll go after you die? Do you believe you'll go to heaven because you've done more good things in your life than bad things? How can you be sure that will get you into heaven? Do you believe you'll go to heaven because you're devoutly religious and faithfully attend a church, mosque or synagogue every week? Again, how does that guarantee you eternal life? Where's the evidence for that?

In fact, no amount of good deeds, charity, or devotion to a religious system will earn you a trip to heaven. If you die in your sins outside of Jesus Christ, you'll spend eternity in the same place where that rich man that Christ spoke of is spending eternity. Heaven isn't about religion--it's about faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for your sins on Calvary's Cross to keep you out of a horrible place called hell. All you need to do is believe that Christ came into this world to die for your sins; confess that with your mouth and believe that God raised Christ from the dead and you'll be saved. (Romans 10:9-11) It's that easy.

Don't put off that decision, for tomorrow is promised to no one. Make that decision right now and be assured that you'll be spending eternity in the most beautiful place in the universe--a place called heaven. As Christ famously stated: "For God so loved the world that he gave his One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Make that decision right now while you still have the time. You won't regret it.

The Road to Global Government

Gazprom: Russia's plan for global dominance

When the pipe dream of green energy fails to deliver on its promises to rid the world of its dependence on fossil energy, then what happens? This is what happens; the nations that have refused to buy into the Global Warming-Climate Change canard will be in a position to control the world.

Consider Russia, for example. While the Russians are very adept at telling people what they want to hear, they're also adept at doing what's best for themselves. Russian President Vladimir Putin may be a ruthless thug in the eyes of many, but he's also a shrewd man who can quickly size up an opponent and determine just what his opponent is made of. In U.S. President Barack Obama, Putin discovered a political puppet of America's far left who will dance to the left's musical agenda of radical environmentalism, nuclear disarmament and big-centralized government. 

While America's 44th President has dumped several hundred million taxpayer dollars into failed green energy projects such as Solyndra, Beacon Power and Ener1 in an effort to ween America off of fossil energy, Putin has been instrumental in opening up doors for Russian energy giant Gazprom to spread its energy influence across the world. Gazprom is currently the largest supplier of crude oil and natural gas to Eastern Europe and has signed several energy agreements in recent years with nations such as Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, Brazil, Algeria and Libya.

Gazprom's agreement with Libya was signed in 2008, three years before the so-called "Arab Spring" toppled Libyan dictator Moammar Ghadafi. What's so significant about Libya? Libya is the largest supplier of crude oil to Western Europe. Had the Russians gained control over Libya's oilfields via Gazprom, they would've been in position to control Europe's energy. Perhaps that could explain why Ghadafi was toppled by NATO; to keep the Russians from gaining control of Libya's oil. 

Former President Ronald Reagan warned that the Russians should never be allowed to build their oil pipelines throughout Europe, and he understood why. Energy equals political power, especially when those who supply the energy can use that energy as a weapon for political and economic blackmail. For example, in 2009 when the Ukrainians complained about the price that the Russians were charging them for natural gas, Putin promptly turned off the spigots and plunged the Ukraine into the deep freeze. If the Russians used economic extortion to force the Ukraine to pay its inflated price for gas, they can and will use energy as a political weapon to force nations that rely on Russia for energy to do what Russia demands. And that could very well include forcing NATO member nations to choose between NATO and oil and natural gas.

While the United States currently remains economically and militarily superior to Russia, the Russians are quickly closing the gap. And ominously, the Russians own a significant amount of America's huge $16 trillion debt. And according to the Institute For Energy Research, (IER) the U.S. possesses approximately 1.4 trillion barrels of crude oil beneath its soil and underneath its waters surrounding its coastlines. http://www.prophecyreviewonline.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=79085&columnid=  That crude oil potentially becomes collateral for those U.S. Treasury Bonds the Russians have purchased to finance America's debt.

Nearly 2,600 years ago, two ancient Hebrew prophets named Daniel and Ezekiel prophesied that a powerful nation would arise in the last days that would ultimately lead a world government. Ezekiel named this nation Gog which is an ancient moniker for modern Russia. (Ezekiel 38-39) Daniel described this nation as the kingdom of the North. (Daniel 11) Keep in mind that the Bible's geographical map always places Israel at its center, so a northern nation would be located directly north of Israel. What nation is located north of Israel that is rising rapidly as a world power? It's Russia. Is this a coincidence? Hardly--it's the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. And fossil energy is the fuel that's powering Russia's rise to become the world's next superpower.

A Mormon or an Atheist?

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama

Who would you rather vote for? A man who's a member of a religious organization that's considered one of the largest cults in the world? Or a man who's an atheist who feigns belief in God for political purposes?

America's Marxist media believes that if you consider yourself a Christian, i.e. Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, non-denominational etc., then you'd prefer to vote for an atheist such as Barack Obama rather than a Mormon such as Mitt Romney. Oh sure, Obama claims to be a Christian and he attempts to back that up with his 20-year membership in the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church which is located on Chicago's South Side. But Trinity United Church is also a cult; an epicenter of racist, separatist Black Liberation theology spewed by the arch-racist Rev. Wright. 

Obama became a member of Wright's church not because he was seeking eternal life through a close relationship with Jesus Christ, but rather because he was seeking a place to justify and encourage his own bigotry and racism. Trinity United and its incendiary pastor Rev. Wright became the perfect fit for the ambitious young politician who was looking to build himself a constituency of angry people who would embrace his class warfare rhetoric. It was Adolf Hitler who famously stated that people unite around hatred instead of love, and in the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama found the perfect mentor to teach him just how to accomplish that. Wright's virulently racist, anti-Semitic and anti-American venom schooled Obama on just who to blame for the failure of many blacks to climb America's social-economic ladder.

Some believe that Obama's a closet Muslim who hopes to supersede the U.S. Constitution with Shariah Law someday in America. They base that belief upon Obama's childhood in Indonesia and his virulent hatred of Israel. But Obama's professed support for abortion, homosexuality and gay marriage rules him out as a Muslim. And his contempt for true Christians who have a biblical worldview rules him out as a Christian. He is an atheist who embraces a Darwinian-Marxist worldview behind a "Christian" facade.

The American media doesn't want you to know that. They believe that true Christians won't support a Mormon for the U.S. presidency. And certainly, some won't. But John F. Kennedy's Roman Catholicism didn't prevent him from being elected to the presidency in 1960, and the Roman Catholic Church is every bit a religious cult as Romney's Church of Latter Day Saints. The U.S. media have planned an information blitz on Mormonism in the upcoming weeks to discourage true Christians from voting for Romney. They believe that if mainstream Christians learn about Mormonism, they'll reject Romney and vote to reelect Obama for a second term in November.

However, the majority of Christians already know what Mormonism is all about. A media information blitz on Mormonism will amount to a complete waste of time. Mitt Romney is a candidate for the U.S. presidency rather than the Living Prophet of the LDS Church. Though Mormonism promotes a counterfeit Christ with a different gospel that can't save anyone, it also promotes traditional Judeo-Christian values such as honesty, integrity, hard work, traditional marriage, the sanctity of life and respect for all human beings regardless of race, creed, religion or ethnicity. These are the values that are critically important for a president to have and these are the values that Americans will consider when they evaluate both Romney and Obama as presidential candidates for the upcoming election.

As for myself, I'm voting for Mitt Romney because I'm voting for a president rather than an American pope or an archbishop. It was Jesus Christ who stated: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:21) Mitt Romney isn't Caesar and he certainly isn't God either. But he is the most qualified man running for the U.S. presidency and we should give our votes to him rather than to someone such as Obama who has governed like Caesar and considers himself as great as God.

A New World Order

Although I'm not particularly fond of conspiracy theories that promote shadow governments with hidden agendas, I believe that Mitt Romney is going to be elected as the next president of the United States. How do I know this? I don't, but when a major news magazine such as Newsweek has suddenly thrown Barack Obama under the proverbial bus, then something's up.

Like most of the American print and electronic news media, Newsweek has been Obama's best friend until recently. Since 2008 when he was elected as the 44th president of the United States, Obama has enjoyed a free ride on the backs of the U.S. media, being shielded from virtually all criticism of his policies and all scrutiny of his murky past. And that past includes some rather unsavory characters such as the arch-racist Rev. Jeremiah Wright, communist Frank Marshall Davis, terrorist Bill Ayers and political-fixer, con man-bag man extraordinaire Tony Rezko.

In reality, Barack Obama is a political puppet of the radical far left who dazzled liberals and progressives with his keynote address at the Democratic Party's 2004 convention. That speech convinced an extremely wealthy radical leftist named George Soros that Obama was the man who could eventually win back the White House from the Republican Party and unleash the radical left's Marxist agenda upon America. That agenda includes the complete economic destruction of America's middle class; the rape of the U.S. Constitution via executive fiat, the radical downsizing of the U.S. military, the expansion of the welfare state via confiscatory taxes on the wealthy and subsequent redistribution of their wealth, and the creation of new political constituency groups beholden to the Democratic Party such as illegal aliens, gays, lesbians, trangenders, bisexuals and young, unmarried, sexually promiscuous women.

No matter what his personal beliefs are, Barack Obama is too intelligent of a man to have truly believed that he could transform a center-right, socially conservative and predominantly Christian nation such as the United States into a socialist, post-Christian entity like many western European nations. Most Americans abhor Obama's agenda and despite the current polling numbers that indicate a tight race between Obama and Romney, the majority of Americans are prepared to dispose of Obama in November.

I'm convinced that Obama was talked into running for the U.S. presidency in 2008 and became a political front man for an evil cabal of radical leftists such as George Soros who truly believes that he is God incarnate. Had he been left on his own, Obama probably would've governed more like Bill Clinton; stubborn but pragmatic; loyal to his personal beliefs but willing to listen and consider the beliefs of others. And America would have been a much better nation because of that.

We don't know whether Mitt Romney is anyone's political puppet as Barack Obama is. Perhaps Romney is beholden to someone such as the extremely wealthy Sheldon Adelson who is the conservative counterpart to George Soros. Perhaps not. On thing's for sure; when America's mainstream news media begins turning against someone they once treated as a messianic figure, then something's up. And that usually means that change is coming.

We don't know what a Mitt Romney presidency will look like. Certainly, there will be an economic recovery, but for how long? Certainly, America will regain some of her respect among the world nations again, but for how long? And certainly, religious freedoms and those who promote traditional values won't be persecuted and maligned as they have been under Obama, but for how long? Only time will answer that question if Obama loses in November.

But we do know one thing for certain; the United States will not be a major player in end-time world events. Biblical prophecy reveals that two powerful nations are going to vie for world power and supremacy in the last days leading up to the return of Jesus Christ and I believe that those nations are Russia and China. (Daniel 11) Furthermore, biblical prophecy reveals that the dreaded Antichrist is going to come from one of these two nations. And that nation will likely be Russia. (Ezekiel 38-39) And so, keep your eyes on the Russian Bear.

Merchants of Evil

The Random House Dictionary defines hate this way: "To dislike intensely or passionately; detest. An intense dislike or extreme aversion or hostility."  According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, (SPLC) any person or organization that believes strictly in the Judeo-Christian view of marriage between one man and one woman is a hater.

Thus, the Family Research Council, (FRC) an American conservative Christian group founded in 1981 by James Dobson, is a hate group, according to the SPLC. The FRC promotes biblical Judeo-Christian values such as traditional marriage, marital fidelity and abstinence from sexual relations until marriage. For nearly 2,000 years, those values formed the bedrock of western civilization until recently when the rise of godless secularism, coupled with the declining influence of Judeo-Christianity made such moral abominations as homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderism and gay marriage socially acceptable.

Certainly, the increasing acceptance of homosexuality throughout the western world has largely been the result of powerful gay rights organizations that have forced many to embrace their lifestyle through political lobbying to outright intimidation of those who resisted. For example, the American Psychiatric Association considered homosexuality an emotional disorder until the early 1970s when gay lobbyists used their economic and political clout to coerce the APA to change its view of homosexuality and redefine that lifestyle as normal.

Gay rights groups have also bullied and intimidated media organizations and educational institutions into promoting their lifestyle and they have even recruited civil rights organizations such as the SPLC to do their bidding. The SPLC was originally founded in 1971 by Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr. as a nonprofit legal organization to combat white supremacist groups that persecuted blacks and other minorities. While the SPLC did heavy financial damage to such groups as the Ku Klux Klan by filing numerous lawsuits against them, they were eventually persuaded by gay activists to take up their cause and condemn those who opposed the homosexual lifestyle and gay marriage.

Such as the Family Research Council. The FRC is on the SPLC's list of hate groups and it's no surprise that the FRC was recently targeted by a militant homosexual named Floyd Corkins II who planned to commit mass murder at the FRC's headquarters in Washington D.C. before he was stopped by Security Guard Leo Johnson who was shot by Corkins. Fortunately, Corkins was a bad shot and merely wounded Johnson in the arm before Johnson managed to wrestle him to the ground and prevent what could have been a disaster.

But the SPLC has become the very antithesis of what it was originally created for. Instead of combating hatred and bigotry, the SPLC promotes evil behind the facade of civil rights and tolerance. Floyd Corkins II is a product of the SPLC's venomous rhetoric against bible-believing Christians who are guilty of nothing more than holding to a biblical worldview that has sustained western civilization for thousands of years.

But that biblical worldview is now being threatened by the new merchants of evil such as the SPLC. If you speak up for traditional biblical values, even if those values are protected by the First Amendment, you run the risk of being marginalized, ostracized, humiliated and being labeled a bigot by such groups as the SPLC. And you run the risk of being targeted for murder by their armed stooges such as Floyd Corkins II.

Over 2,700 years ago, the Lord spoke this to the ancient prophet Isaiah concerning those who inverted good and evil: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight." (Isaiah 5:20-21) The Lord pronounced a curse upon those who promote evil as good and threaten evil to those who do good. Woe indeed to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Bad Russia Rising

A Russian Akula Nuclear Submarine

Biblical prophecy clearly reveals that Russia is going to become a dominant world superpower in the last days directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ. (Daniel 11, Ezekiel 38-39)  Many prophecy experts believed that Russia was finished forever as a world power after the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago.

But after several years of economic destitution that resulted from the failed economic policies of communism, Russia is once again on the rise as a world political, economic and military superpower. However, unlike the old Soviet Union that was content to control Eastern Europe, the new Russia under President Vladimir Putin aims to control the entire world. And that's a very bad thing. Vladimir Putin may be a thug, but he's also a brilliant man who can quickly size up an opponent and determine just how strong or weak he is.

Putin has struck gold with U.S. President Barack Obama who will go down as one of the weakest, if not most inept presidents in American history. In 2009, Putin discovered just how weak Obama was when he bullied America's 44th president into canceling a planned missile shield for Eastern Europe. Putin was Russia's "Prime Minister" at the time under President Dmitry Medvedev, and he threatened to destroy the missile sites if the U.S. implemented them. Then in 2010, Putin coerced Obama into signing a terrible strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty (START) that not only ensured the Russians would gain a huge advantage over the U.S. in strategic nuclear weapons, but didn't mandate any third party oversight to guarantee that the Russians would obey the terms of the treaty.

And recently, the U.S. Navy discovered that a Russian Akula nuclear submarine had been cruising undetected for weeks in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Navy officials, the Akula is a literal killing machine that carries cruise missiles such as the SSN-21 and the SSN-27 that can travel up to 1,900 miles and deliver several nuclear warheads. That nuclear submarine was in a strategic position where it could have launched a missile attack against any major U.S. city before it was detected. That's frightening. Furthermore, that oversight followed incursions made by Russian strategic bombers that invaded American airspace near Alaska and California in June and July. (Washington Free Beacon, 8/14/2012) And those incursions followed a 2009 incursion into the Gulf of Mexico by a Russian Akula.

Certainly, the Russians had no plans to launch an attack against the U.S. with their latest incursion into the Gulf of Mexico. This incursion was merely designed to test the United States for a response. Since there wasn't any response, the Russians now know they can push the United States around militarily. If Obama is reelected in November, look for the Russians to turn up the heat on America even more because they know that Obama is a weak president who is beholden to his radical antiwar base.

The Bible not only reveals Russia's rise as a global superpower in the end times, but it also reveals that the dreaded Antichrist is going to come from that nation. And biblical prophecy also reveals that he will be an extremely violent man who will murder hundreds of millions: "He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does." (Daniel 8:24) 

Vladimir Putin isn't the Antichrist. But he has the spirit of the Antichrist living in him. His Deputy Premier Dmitri Rogozin recently announced that Russia plans to build 10 new attack submarines and 10 new missile submarines by 2030 along with new aircraft carriers. Those military vessels have one purpose; to kill and destroy. With the United States rapidly disarming under Obama, the Russians are soon going to be the baddest military players on the world stage. That's prophetic. And when the Antichrist appears, he will have an arsenal of mass-murder weapons to threaten the world into doing his bidding.

The World Beyond Iran

The next world superpowers

Some so-called prophecy experts are claiming that the dreaded Antichrist will be Islamic and he will come from a nation such as Turkey. They cite the rise of Islam's influence throughout western Europe and North America as proof that it will only be a matter of time before Islam dominates the world and establishes a global caliphate.

Certainly, when you consider the current political and religious climate throughout the western world, that seems plausible. Christianity's influence has been steadily eroding in Europe over the past three centuries since the French Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. Many European churches are practically empty on Sundays except for a few old souls who remain loyal to the end. Although Christianity is much stronger in North America, its influence there has been declining over the past 50 years. Since the 1950s, America has lost approximately 8,000 churches and American denominations have lost over 10 million members. Many of those churches have now become mosques and some of those former Christians have converted to Islam.

Nevertheless, there is no mention in biblical prophecy of an end-time global religion called Islam. Instead, the Bible reveals that the global religion of the last days will be a counterfeit form of Christianity that will be centered in Rome (Revelation 17) and headed by the Antichrist who will in fact be embraced by much of the world as Jesus Christ when he appears.

How then, does this counterfeit Christianity overtake Islam as the dominate global religion? Two ways: (1) By supernatural signs and wonders that will influence millions to follow this movement and (2) when the United States attacks Iran and destroys the Persian nation's nuclear facilities. Iran is the epicenter of global Islamic terrorism and fundamentalism. The Iranians fund terror groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda. They have sworn to annihilate Israel; exterminate all Jewish life from the earth and wipe out Christianity. If they succeed in acquiring nuclear weapons, they will attempt to accomplish these goals.

But God is going to use the United States to overthrow the Persian nation and prevent the Iranian mullahs from achieving those goals. (Daniel 8) After the Iranian Islamic regime is overthrown, the Russians will very likely move in and install a puppet government that will answer to Moscow. The United States, still smarting from its experience in Iraq after deposing Saddam Hussein from power, will want nothing to do with creating a new government in Iran. And the Russians will be more than happy to accomplish that.

So what does this mean in terms of the coming world government and the major players on the world scene in the last days? The Bible clearly tells us that Russia will be the dominant superpower of an end-time global government. (Daniel 11, Ezekiel 38-39) The Bible also reveals that nations such as Turkey, (Meshech-Tubal) Ethiopia, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, (Cush) and Iran (Persia) will be part of this Russian confederacy that will eventually invade Israel in an event the Bible identifies as Armageddon.(Ezekiel 38-39) Iran's inclusion in this group indicates that it will be a follower rather than a leader among world nations in the end times. That's prophetic.

A world beyond Iran may seem peaceful in the short run and beneficial to Israel and the entire Middle East. But in the long run, more trouble is coming--this time from Russia that has her own aspirations for world dominance. The Russians aim to gain control of the world--by force if necessary. And that's a very bad thing.

Treacherous, Rash and Conceited

Joe Soptic

It wasn't just the blatant lie that former steelworker Joe Soptic told that was reprehensible, it was the method that he used to tell that lie.

And what was that method? He exploited the memory of his deceased wife to (1) make money for himself by promoting a vicious lie that was intended to (2) benefit President Barack Obama's reelection campaign by slandering Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Soptic claimed that Mitt Romney's Bain Capital closed his steel plant in 2001 which not only cost him his job, but his health insurance as well. As a result, according to Soptic, his wife eventually died of cancer because he lacked health insurance that could have saved her life.

Soptic's sob story turned out to be a lie. Yes, his wife did indeed die of cancer, but that occurred in 2006, four years after she was diagnosed with the disease in 2002. When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, she was employed by a company that provided her with health insurance. As for Soptic's claim that Romney closed his steel mill, that also turned out to be false. Romney left Bain Capital in 1999, two years before Soptic's steel mill was shuttered by Bain in 2001.

Certainly, liars have been around since the dawn of history and the Bible tells us that "all men are liars." (Psalm 116:11) In fact, the Bible also tells us that the destiny of liars is eternal damnation in hell. (Revelation 22:15) And the Bible tells us that the spiritual ruler of all liars is Satan himself who Jesus Christ described as "a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)

Biblical prophecy reveals that in the last days, the world will become exceedingly wicked. This is how the apostle Paul described what people will be like in the end times: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2Timothy 3:2-5)

Joe Soptic certainly fits Paul's description of a godless, end-time person. Not only is he a liar, he's also a brutal, slanderous and unholy person who loves money so much that he was willing to throw his deceased wife's corpse under the proverbial bus just to do the bidding of Barack Obama's political assassins. Unless he repents--and quickly--of what he just did, Joe Soptic may very well meet a similar or even worse fate than what befell his wife. And that's not a curse or a threat--that's a reality. 

Certainly, Joe Soptic can be absolved of his sins by confessing them to Jesus Christ and asking the Lord to forgive them. And Christ certainly will. And certainly, those who work for the Priorities U.S.A. Super Pac that enticed Soptic to lie for Barack Obama in that detestable ad they produced, can also repent of their sins by confessing them to Christ. In fact, they should and soon because to use a man's deceased wife as an election prop is so vile it's beyond comprehension. What isn't beyond comprehension is the divine judgment that these people just invited upon themselves. And you can bet it's coming.

Darwinism and Homosexuality

Homosexuality presents a serious problem for Darwinism because if it's biologically determined--and homosexuals claim that they are born that way--then Darwin's theory of Natural Selection collapses like a house of cards.

The theory of Natural Selection teaches that only the fittest among all living species are allowed to survive and reproduce while the unfit are eliminated by nature. If Natural Selection is true, then homosexuality shouldn't exist because homosexuals would be unfit to survive. In what way? Because they can't procreate and reproduce themselves which means that they are unfit to move up the evolutionary ladder. Thus, much like a religion, homosexuality can only survive and maintain itself by recruiting new members.

And so, homosexuality and Natural Selection are only compatible if homosexuality is an alternative and arbitrary lifestyle that is derived from the prevailing culture it comes from. The theory of Natural Selection destroys all biological arguments for homosexuality by rendering it unnatural to the process of evolution and unnecessary to the survival and advancement of the human species. Thus, homosexuality is alien to evolution and evolution is alien to homosexuality. Both are unable to coexist because if homosexuality is indeed determined by biology rather than by individual choice then Darwin's theory of evolution becomes a failed theory. And if evolution is scientifically valid then homosexuality becomes a lifestyle determined by choice rather than by nature.

The only case for biological homosexuality is creationism. In fact, many homosexuals claim that God created them that way and heterosexuality would be unnatural and harmful to them. But if God did indeed create them that way, then why did he condemn homosexuality in the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13) and then again under the New Covenant? (Romans 1:26-27, 1Corinthians 6:9-11) Why would God create certain people with a sexual orientation that he condemns? And why would God create certain people with a  sexual orientation that makes them susceptible to shorter lifespans and deadly diseases because of their sexual practices?

And if homosexuality is indeed natural, then what about such sexual orientations as pedophilia and bestiality? If the Bible's laws concerning sexual behavior are incorrect as homosexuals claim, then how do we determine what's natural and what's not? If homosexuals can claim that their sexual orientation is biologically determined, then so can pedophiles and everyone else that practices a form of sexuality that the Bible defines as perversion. Thus, when God's transcendent moral laws concerning human sexuality are cast aside, then anything goes.

The fornicator can make the claim that he was born to have sex with women outside of marriage, and that abstinence would be harmful to his biology. And the adulterer can make the claim that God created him to have sex with women married to other men. Without God's ultimate standard of judgment, anything goes and it usually does. Without God's unchangeable rules, society quickly collapses into a sewer of chaos and moral depravity.

Moral depravity flourishes sans the fear of God and respect for his laws, statutes and commandments. A society that turns its back on God eventually destroys itself. Here's what the apostle Paul wrote concerning what becomes of those who reject God and his laws: "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)

That's what homosexuality grows out of--rebellion, not biology. But the antidote is Jesus Christ and the power of his salvation that cleanses us from sin and delivers us from the grip of its evil power.

The End Times: False Messiahs

"For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible." (Matthew 24:24)

According to Jesus Christ, one of the prophetic signs of the very last days on earth preceding his return will be the rise of false prophets and false messiahs. Some of these men, Christ warned, will even possess supernatural powers that will enable them to perform incredible miracles that science won't be able to explain away.

Certainly, Barack Obama doesn't possess any supernatural powers. But he did perform a miracle in 2008 when he convinced 69 million people to vote to elect him as the 44th president of the United States. Despite his murky past and his nondescript career as an Illinois politician, Obama was chosen by the American people over Republican challenger John McCain largely because he possessed an uncanny messianic ability to persuade millions to follow him. He not only offered a myriad of promises that he has subsequently failed to deliver on, he told countless outlandish lies during his 2008 campaign that only complete fools chose to believe.

No doubt, history will judge Barack Obama as perhaps the worst president in American history. He has presided over the most corrupt and mendacious presidential administration in history. His administration is loaded with desperately wicked men, pathological liars, Marxists, Communists, crony capitalists, tax-cheats, corruptocrats and inept, bumbling failures. He has broken nearly every campaign promise he made to Americans in 2008 except one; to fundamentally change America. And he has changed America by making her less prosperous, less free, less optimistic, less united, less safe and a far more dangerous place to live.

And that has been his only accomplishment. His economic policies have not only failed miserably, they have brought the United States to the brink of financial ruin. Economic experts are now warning that unless the United States gets its massive and growing debt under control--largely due to Obama's economic policies--America's bond markets could collapse within three years. And that would cause the U.S. economy to implode, creating economic conditions not seen here since the Great Depression. And Obama's foreign policy has been an unmitigated disaster from cancelling a planned missile shield for Eastern Europe that was designed to protect that territory from Russian military aggression to his capitulation to the Russians by signing the dreadful START Treaty in 2010 that will practically disarm America while ensuring that the Russians will gain a huge advantage over the U.S. in strategic nuclear weapons.

False messiahs are not limited to phony religious holy men--they can also be empty-suit politicians such as Barack Obama. The only talent that Obama possesses other than lying is his gift of hypnotic speech. Unfortunately, ignorant and wicked people are most susceptible to con artists who possess the gift of persuasion. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul prophesied that in the last days: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2Timothy 4:3-4)

Tragically, Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. presidency because he told millions of people what they wanted to hear. They turned away from the truth that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing who hated America, despised her freedom and prosperity and desired to ruin her. Barack Obama was only made possible by people who rejected the truth and embraced falsehood. Unfortunately, the Bible warns that the ultimate deceiver is coming who will rise to power using the same formula that Obama did. Unlike Obama, this man will be more than just someone who is a clever speaker--he will be the Antichrist. Tragically, Barack Obama has shown us exactly how this man will be embraced by a wicked and evil world.

More Terrible Times

Murder Victim: A familiar scene in our violent times

One of the key biblical prophecies concerning the last days on earth directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ can be found in Paul's second letter to his fellow apostle Timothy. This is what Paul wrote: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days." (2Timothy 3:1)

What specifically will make the last days on earth so terrible? The people, according to Paul, who will turn completely away from God and become desperately wicked. Paul wrote: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2Timothy 3:1-5)

There's a direct correlation between the decline of Christianity's influence throughout the world and the rise in moral depravity and violence. Since 1960, moral decadence and crime have exploded across the western world and crime statistics verify the western world's slide into violence, chaos and depravity. For example, with a population of 179,323,175 in 1960, the United States recorded 3,384,200 crimes for that calender year. In 2010, with a population of 308,745,538, the United States recorded 10,329,135 crimes for that calender year. While America's population increased by nearly 75 percent from 1960, crime increased over 200 percent.

Furthermore, when we break down crime statistics per 100,000 residents, violent crime rose to 404 incidents for every 100,000 Americans in 2010 from 161 incidents for every 100,000 residents in 1960. Clearly, the United States, which reflects the values of the western world, has become an immoral and wicked nation. And clearly, the apostle Paul's prophecy concerning terrible times in the last days is being fulfilled in our time.

Crime is a moral problem. Consider Paul's description of the people who inhabit the end-time world; selfish, greedy, immoral, impure, unholy, violent, lacking self-control, arrogant, narcissistic, nihilistic and addicts of pleasure. (sex, leisure, entertainment, sports etc.) But Paul also revealed this detestable contradiction of the end-time world--it will possess a form of godliness but without any power. 

That's religion and the end-time world has an abundance of it. Travel through any major American city and you'll see that contraction; numerous churches from simple storefronts to elegant stain-glassed buildings. And you'll see the assorted moral destitution that surrounds these churches from gangbangers to prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, addicts and alcoholics. A weak and powerless church provides no influence to its surroundings. Rather, a weak and powerless church is usually influenced by the world as evidenced by the endless scandals involving clergy who are either accused of pedophilia or who get caught in sexual trysts with underage girls.

Many in the Christian Church claim that all we need is a good old fashioned revival and everything will get better. But the world needs to recognize the clear distinction between good and evil and realize that it is accountable to a Holy God for violating his laws by committing evil acts that the Bible calls sin. Recognizing evil brings recognition of one's sinfulness before a Holy God that leads to repentance that in turn leads to the cross where Jesus Christ died for all sinners to spare them eternal damnation in hell. Unless that happens--and the Christian Church needs to help make that happen by promoting the biblical gospel over dead, powerless Churchianity--then no revival is ever going to happen. 

Instead, we'll just continue to see crime, violence and moral decadence increase exponentially across the world. Another deadly shooting just took place in Oak Creek, Wisconsin just weeks after the deadly shooting that took place in North Aurora, Colorado. Remember Paul's prophecy and remember what it will take to transform a wicked, violent world that has turned its back on God. It certainly won't be religion.

We Need Revival Not Religion!

The recent overwhelming  national turnout to support the restaurant chain, Chick-fil-A was certainly heartwarming, and it underscored that many Americans still embrace traditional Judeo-Christian values over godless, secular values. However, the insults and verbal intimidation by hack politicians and their media surrogates shouldn't have to provide the motivation for many Americans to declare their Christian beliefs to the world.

But too often these days, it does. For too many years, Christians have been losing the battle for the heart and soul of the American culture because they've become lazy and apathetic in their faith. For too many years, secular humanists have had their way with the culture by taking control of America's educational system, its entertainment industry and its media. 

And the results are obvious; fewer Americans marry today than at any time in their history. Fewer American households have children, and those that do are often missing at least one parent. The United States aborts nearly one million babies annually because America has become a despicably immoral nation that worships pleasure and sex. When pregnancies occur because of all that pleasure and sex, abortion is often utilized as the solution to get rid of an unwanted baby before it is born. In the African-American community, the abandonment of traditional biblical mores has resulted in a 79 percent out-of-wedlock birthrate, soaring rates of violent crime, drug and alcohol abuse, academic failure and high incarceration rates. It's been estimated that nearly 30 percent of African-American births are terminated by abortion.

And so, it stands to reason that many of those Americans that stood with Chick-fil-A and its CEO Dan Cathy on August 1, 2012 against the political and media forces of intolerance, would like to see their nation return to the God-fearing country that featured strong families that raised their children right and respected authority. It also stands to reason that if tens of thousands of Americans still believe in biblical values such as traditional marriage, honesty, integrity, hard work and prosperity, then they still possess the freedom to spread those values across their nation.

And those values aren't spread by church membership drives, Sunday morning religiosity in the local church where clown-costumed clergy lockstep the aisles while tossing burning incense and holy water, or by quasi-political-religious events dominated by loudmouthed motivational speakers. Judeo-Christian values are spread by those who truly know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and understand what it truly means to be born again by faith in Christ as the Son of God. That's not religious--that's living faith. 

And an active living relationship with God through Christ produces strong faith that translates into unwavering Christian values that influences people. For example, many years ago in San Francisco, a homosexual gave up his lifestyle and became a born again believer in Christ because he witnessed firsthand what living faith was all about. The man had gone to a church with a group of his friends to provoke a confrontation with church members because that church taught that homosexuality was a sin. When the members of that church refused to be provoked into violence and instead turned the other cheek as per Christ's commands (Matthew 5:43-48) it had a profound affect upon the man who felt condemned by his actions. The man confessed that he was unprepared for the response he received and he was transformed by Christ's love.

And that's what we need if we are to retake America from the secular forces of darkness. It's easy to be a Christian inside a cozy church where others share your values. But it isn't easy outside the walls of a church where the enemy lurks. Reclaiming America for Christ won't happen at the ballot box--it needs to begin inside our churches where Christians need to profess their love once again for Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and stop treating him like some historical figure from the ancient past. That love for Christ needs to be displayed on the streets with a powerful verbal and living witness that makes Christianity relevant once again to the world. And that love needs to remain strong in the face of anger, hostility, violence and persecution.

Love conquers all. Love spreads the gospel of Jesus Christ. Love must never waver nor shrink back from evil. It is Christ's love for us that we must translate to America and the world if we want to save our nation from certain moral destruction. The apostle John stated: "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1John 3:18) If we do that, we can transform our culture and ultimately the world into a far better place than the moral sewer it's become over the past 50 years.

Could This Be A Revival?

Rev. William Owens Sr.

Revivals are like forest fires; they're often ignited by a single match before they begin to spread and explode into an inferno. The Rev.William Owens Sr. and his son the Rev. William Owens Jr. may have just lit the match that could not only limit President Barack Obama to one term but could ignite the fire for a badly needed and long overdue revival in the African-American community.

Who are Rev. Owens Sr. and Jr.? Rev. Owens Jr. is the head of "Mandate for Marriage", an initiative that opposes Obama's recent proclamation that professes support for same sex marriage. Rev. William Owens Sr. is the founder and president of the Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP) that currently has over 3,000 members and growing. Rev. Owens Sr. has made it clear that he and his CAAP members plan to discourage African-Americans from voting to reelect Obama in November unless Obama drops his support for gay marriage.

Rev. Owens Sr. and his son have requested a meeting with Obama to voice their concerns over the gay marriage issue and thus far, Obama has ignored them.. However, for Rev. Owens Sr. and his CAAP members, the issue isn't going to go away. Unless Obama meets with Rev. Owens Sr. and Jr to listen to their disgust over his support for gay marriage, both reverends plan to continue to speak out across the nation on what they plainly sees as Obama's betrayal of African-Americans. Said Owens Jr.: "It's only going to increase because the very core of America is founded upon Judeo-Christian beliefs. That's debatable to some people but you can't do away with history." (Christian Post.com, 8/1/2012)

No you can't. History has plainly shown that while African-Americans are fiercely loyal to the Democratic Party, they're also solidly grounded in traditional Christian values. And one of those values is traditional marriage between a man and a woman. As such, gay marriage isn't embraced by the majority of African-American churches, nor is Obama's "evolution" on an issue that he didn't support just four years ago during the midst of his successful presidential campaign. 

Certainly, Obama's about face on gay marriage is less about his "evolution" on the subject and more about garnering votes from America's GLBT community. And certainly, fearing fallout from the African-American community because his sudden support for an issue considered repugnant by many blacks, Obama has enlisted liberal mouthpieces at the NAACP and the Rev. Al Sharpton to try to persuade African-Americans to embrace gay marriage.

But it isn't working. And according to both reverends, they're not going to be bullied, bribed or dissuaded by Obama, the Democratic Party or their media stooges to drop their campaign and just go away. Rev. Owens Sr. has warned that if the Democratic Party follows through with its promise to endorse same-sex marriage as part of its platform during its convention next month, then he and his son plan a national campaign to convince African-Americans that the Democratic Party has become their enemy. Said Rev. Owens Sr.: "So if the Democratic Party is foolish and bold enough to believe that just because it's going to make it an issue on the platform their going to sway it, they're not going to sway it because it's causing more and more people to stand up and say, 'that's it, we're drawing a line' and so this is a good thing."

Unless Obama drops his support for gay marriage, it could be a very bad thing for him. He desperately needs the African-American vote if he has any chance at all to be reelected, and he had better not take that vote for granted. But Obama's betrayal of his core constituency could be a huge blessing in disguise; it could provide the impetus for a long overdue moral and spiritual revival in the African-American community. And that would be a very good thing.