Christianity's Clowns

Pat Robertson

If you're wondering why Evangelicals and conservative Christians suffer from such a poor image throughout the world these days, then wonder no more.

The Rev. Pat Robertson, who's popularly recognized as the host of the 700 Club, knows what shoe leather tastes like. That's because he's fashioned a career out of sticking his feet in his mouth.

He did that again recently when he urged folks who purchase clothing at thrift shops to wash them before wearing them. Well, what's the big deal about that? Since you don't know who's handled the clothing before you decide to purchase it, Robertson's advice seems pretty sound.

Except that Robertson's not recommending you wash the garments to rid them of dirt and bacteria; he's advising you to wash them because they might be possessed by demons. While demonic spirits can in fact be attracted by amulets, religious medals, rosaries, bracelets, scapulars etc., they normally prefer to possess human beings and animals rather than clothing.

From esquire.com:  "And what if you pick up a T-shirt previously owned by a member of Satan's army of darkness? What then, huh? Well, you might find yourself the owner of a pesky demonic goblin in addition to a bad-ass new shirt, free of charge (not counting your soul's eternal damnation). So you've got to bless it and douse it in holy water and maybe even burn a little sage around it, too, just in case, because even bleach can't get those suckers out. And if you thought lice or bed bugs were bad, well, think of poor old Regan MacNeil. We have a feeling that had she properly consecrated her second-hand purchases, The Exorcist might have been a much more pleasant film."

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/demons-clothing-pat-robertson-2013

Certainly, demon possession and oppression exists and is a very serious problem. The prime door openers for possession and oppression are hallucinogenic drugs, hypnosis, occultism (Satanism, witchcraft, sorcery, magic etc.) and eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Shintoism as well as Transcendental Meditation. 

But clothing is rarely a door opener for demon possession and oppression unless it's previously been used in an occult ritual. It's highly doubtful that clothing sold in thrift shops was once used in occult-pagan religious practices. But there's always that remote possibility.

If the Christian Church in the western world wants to reverse the decades-old trend of seeing its members flee for the exits, then it needs to stop looking for cheap thrills and TV ratings, and get back to preaching the gospel. The apostle Paul said it best in his second letter to fellow apostle Timothy: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2)

And Paul also said this in reference to provocative teachers who would seek to attract followers via bizarre teachings: "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 their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Such as demon-possessed clothing sold at thrift shops.  

What it Really Means

The dreaded Mark of the Beast

"This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666." Revelation 13:18

For over 1,900 years, many biblical scholars have attempted to define the infamous Mark of the Beast, otherwise known as the number 666.

Some have suggested that the number refers to a future Pope. Others have suggested that the number refers to a powerful political leader, a nation or even a computerized barcode system that will be utilized by a global government.

For those who believe that the number refers to the Antichrist, any political leader who possesses three names containing six letters in each name is immediately considered a prime candidate for the coming evil world ruler. For example, when Ronald Reagan became America's 40th President in 1981, conspiracy freaks and rapture zealots thought they had found their man. You see, Reagan's middle name--Wilson--gave him three names with six letters each.

And certainly, Reagan was the Antichrist to leftists who hated the arch-conservative president and his small government policies. But he wasn't the Antichrist, nor is Barack Obama. In fact, according to biblical prophecy, no future American president is going to become the Antichrist.

So, just what does the infamous number 666 refer to? It refers to both a powerful religious system and the world government that will be partnered with this global religious system.

How do we determine that? In 331 B.C., Greek Emperor Alexander the Great invaded ancient Persia and conquered that nation. What was significant about Alexander's conquest? It opened the door to the influence of European culture in the ancient Middle East. And it launched what became known as the Age of the Gentiles and the transfer of world power from that region to Europe. Two centuries later, the Roman Empire succeeded the Greeks and became the most powerful empire of the ancient world at that time.

In 325 A.D. the Council of Nicaea was established by Roman Emperor Constantine. What was so significant about the Council of Nicaea? It became the spiritual foundation for the Roman Catholic Church. And it came 666 years after Alexander's invasion of Persia.

Though our current calendar contains 365 days (366 every fourth or leap year) which would bring us to 335 A.D. or 666 years after Alexander's invasion, the ancient world followed a 360-day solar calendar. When we apply that calendar, we subtract 3,497 days from our modern calendar or 9.7 years which brings us to 325 A.D., exactly 666 years after Alexander invaded Persia. While that may indeed seem like a coincidence, it isn't because the coming global government that will eventually be ruled by the Antichrist will be partnered with the Roman Catholic Church.

Well, how can we prove that? Through scripture. In about 90 A.D. the apostle John was given an allegorical vision by God of the end time world government. In his vision, John saw "a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls." (Revelation 17:3-4)

Who does the woman in John's vision represent? She represents a city surrounded by seven hills. (Revelation 17:9) There are only two cities in the world that match that description; Rio de Janeiro that is located in Brazil and Rome, Italy, Rome is home to the Vatican, the world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. The beast represents a world government that will feature 10 nation groups led by seven powerful leaders.  When John recorded the Revelation, the Catholic Church didn't exist and wouldn't come into existence for another 230 years.

Is that a coincidence? Hardly. The number 666 refers to a global government that will be partnered with a global religion. And that religion will be Roman Catholicism. The dreaded Antichrist will become the leader of this partnership and everyone will be required to swear allegiance to him by receiving his mark. (Revelation 13:16-17) Those who refuse will be unable to buy, sell, work or own property. They will have to survive on their own. 

The dreaded mark will probably be an embedded computer chip or a skin-patch with a barcode. Though that sounds very Orwellian, the technology already exists to track people all over the world via computer chips or barcode labels.

What's coming on the prophetic horizon? The formation of a world government and a global counterfeit spiritual revival led by--you guessed it--the Roman Catholic Church. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) Be alert and be aware. 

Apostasy and Evil

Is there a direct correlation between the rise in evil and depravity throughout the world and the decline of Christianity? You bet there is.

Though Christianity's influence seemingly began evaporating in the 1960s, the Christian Church actually began losing its influence across the western world in the 19th century.

That's when many seminaries and theology schools began throwing out the bible in favor of Freud, Jung, Maslow, Darwin and Marx. Jesus Christ, who was historically considered "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6) was reinvented as an ancient Gandhi who started his own religion with a bunch of ragtag disciples.

And so, Christianity went from the exclusive faith that offered mankind the only true path to eternal life in Jesus Christ's death on Calvary's cross for all sinners, to the religion of white European crusaders. Psychotherapy became man's new hope for salvation while sin, repentance, salvation and regeneration became obsolete concepts that hung heavy guilt trips on people that made them despise themselves and do terrible things.

Perhaps the biggest blunder committed by the modern church was its failure to confront Darwin and his terrible theory of evolution. Evolution is in fact a bogus theory that's never been proven or observed to occur. It attempts to explain the existence of the universe and all physical life sans a creator God.

Darwin published his terrible theory in 1859 with a book titled; On the Origin of the Species, and it eventually became a bestseller that dismissed God from his creation as an outdated myth even though there wasn't a shred of evidence to back up Darwin's dubious theory.

Nevertheless, Darwin's theory became music to the ears of atheists and agnostics who were desperate to appease their consciences and escape moral accountability to a Holy God. As the theory of evolution spread across the world like a deadly cancer, the bible along with the 10 Commandments and God's transcendent moral laws were thrown out of institutions such as public schools.

Then, the inevitable results came. Millions of young children who were indoctrinated into Darwin's lies grew up believing that there was no God and thus, no moral accountability for their actions here on earth. And thus, without God, there could be no eternal judgment after death. If there was no God then mass murderers such as Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler fared no worse in death than Pope John Paul II or Mother Teresa.
http://www.prophecyreviewonline.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=82088

Crime and moral decadence exploded. The Sexual Revolution of the 1950s and 60s gave rise to STD's and the holocaust of abortion. Drugs ruined lives while depravity manifested in soaring murder rates and all other forms of violent crime.
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/

And all because the Christian Church failed to "contend for the faith" (Jude 1:3) as the apostle Jude warned the early church to do 2,000 years ago.

A Christian Church that promotes Jesus Christ as an historical figure over the one and only living savior is no church at all. A church that attempts to contend for the faith by using the weapons of a fallen world such as psychology, psychotherapy, hypnosis and the social gospel is no church at all.

Rather, it is nothing but a caricature; an abomination stripped of its power and without credibility. And rather than having the power to change the world, the church has been changed by the world. For evil instead of for good.

Signs in the Skies

The meteor in the sky above Chelyabinsk Russia

"There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven."--Luke 21:11

Biblical prophecy clearly reveals some very specific signs that alert us the end times are upon us. One of those signs occurred on February 15 when a powerful meteorite zipped across the skies of Eastern Europe before finally landing in a frozen lake in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Had the meteorite landed in a populated area instead of that lake, the loss of life would've been extensive. According to NASA scientists, the 10-ton meteorite had the equivalency of 20 atomic bombs. Even though the space projectile mercifully didn't strike land, it still caused some serious destruction--$33 million in U.S. dollars as well as damage to 4,000 buildings in that region. And 1,200 people were reportedly injured from the event.

http://www.thedailyaztec.com/2013/02/meteorite-hits-russia-injures-thousands/

Meteor strikes aren't anything new to our planet--they've been occurring since the beginning of time. For example, in 1908 a powerful meteorite exploded in the skies above Russia. Known as the Tunguska Explosion, that event uprooted an estimated 80 million trees in central Siberia. Had the Tunguska meteorite struck a populated area before it exploded, the loss of life would've been catastrophic. 

When we examine recent events that have occurred on the earth over the past several years, it's becoming clear that we are living in prophetic times. Jesus Christ himself warned us that earthquakes, famines and signs in the heavens would signal that the last days were upon us and His return was getting close. (Matthew 24:7, Luke 21:11) 

For example, from 1900 to 1950, approximately 330 major earthquakes (6.5+) were recorded across the world. From 1950 to our present time, over 1,000 major earthquakes have been reported globally.

http://www.prophecyreviewonline.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=84052

And since the dawn of the current century, 114 major earthquakes have already occurred.

http://www.mapreport.com/subtopics/d/e.html

What about famines? The USGS (United States Geological Survey) reported that 27 major famines occurred during the 19th century while 37 occurred during the 20th century. According to mapreport.com

61 major famines have already in our current century that is only 13 years old. 

http://www.mapreport.com/subtopics/d/0.html

Signs in the heavens aren't merely limited to meteorites--they also include the appearances of UFO's and religious phenomena such as Marian apparitions. All these signs have been increasing since the 19th century.

Why are these events increasing throughout the world now? Because we are getting close to the return of Christ. For true Christians, these signs mean that it's time to wake up "because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28) 

However, for the rest of the world, these signs will draw unbelievers toward the greatest counterfeit spiritual revival in world history; (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) the worship of the Antichrist and a one-world government. It's time to wake up and start paying attention.

The Prototypical Antichrist

Vladimir Putin

Biblical prophecy reveals that in the very last days directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ, a global government is going to arise that will feature 10 nation groups headed by seven powerful rulers. (Daniel 7:7,  Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:3)

Those seven rulers will be under the authority of a supreme global ruler who the bible identifies as the Antichrist. (Revelation 17:11) Furthermore, according to biblical prophecy, an extremely large and powerful nation that the bible describes as a northern kingdom (Daniel 11) is going to become the dominant nation of this world government. And, according to prophecy, the Antichrist will come from this nation.

But before this happens, several events must still take place on earth including (1) the reunification of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church and (2) the realignment of 193 world nations into 10 nation groups. While the former event is closer to happening than the latter event, both are going to occur in the next 50 to 100 years.

But what does the reunion of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church have to do with a world government? Because the dreaded Antichrist is going to be both a religious figure and a political figure as well. And he will most likely be a Roman Catholic pope.

How do we know that the Antichrist is going to come from the Roman Catholic Church? From a vision that the apostle John received from God in about 90 A.D. while he was in exile from Rome on the desolate island of Patmos.

Here's what John saw and recorded: "I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries." (Revelation 17:3-4)

John also saw this written on her forehead: "Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth." (Revelation 17:5) 

Then John revealed that this mysterious woman was symbolic for a world city that is surrounded by seven hills. (Revelation 17:9) There are only two cities in the world that are surrounded by seven hills; Rio de Janeiro that is located in Brazil, and Rome that is located in Italy and is the world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

Furthermore, the woman's colors--purple and scarlet--are the colors worn by the Roman Catholic priesthood. And "Mystery Babylon" is a moniker that the Catholic Church has historically used to describe herself. When John recorded this vision, the Catholic Church didn't exist and wouldn't come into existence for another 250 years.

And so, John's prophecy reveals that the Roman Catholic Church is going to eventually become partners with a global government that he symbolically described as a scarlet beast with seven heads and 10 horns. But where will the Antichrist come from? What is the identity of the northern kingdom described by the Hebrew prophet Daniel 2,600 years ago?

I believe that nation is Russia because the bible always places Israel at the center of its geographical map. The nation located to the furthest north of Israel is Russia that is rapidly rising as a global power. And the ancient prophet Ezekiel, who lived over 2,500 years ago, also prophesied that this nation he named as Gog (Ezekiel 38) would rise up in the last days to become a world power. Who is Gog? Gog was an ancient name for the Caucasian tribe of Rosh that many modern Russians are descended from.

But how does this tie in with the dreaded Antichrist? Because when the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church finally reunite after being separated for 1,000 years, the prophetic door will be opened for this man to rise to world power through Rome.

The Antichrist is going to be a religious figure as well as a political leader. He will be a counterfeit Jesus Christ who will be embraced by the world. (Revelation 13:8) And he will possess supernatural powers that will convince many that he's divine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin isn't the Antichrist. But he's a prototype. He's a ruthless man who destroys his enemies and he believes that compromise and capitulation are signs of weakness. He aims to make Russia the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth in place of the United States that is rapidly declining economically, militarily and morally.

Recently, Putin sent fighter jets equipped with nuclear cruise missiles that invaded American-controlled airspace over Guam in an attempt to provoke the United States. Certainly, Putin no longer fears America or its military.
http://freebeacon.com/bear-bombers-over-guam/

Here's one more item of interest concerning Putin; he's a devout Orthodox Christian. Therefore he believes that Russia has a religious duty to become the leader of the new world. He desperately wants to make that a reality. And in the not-to-distant future, one of his successors is indeed going to make that happen. 

The Final Pope



The Leader of Rome

Since the Vatican recently announced the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope to step down since Gregory XII resigned in 1415, a myriad of reasons have been offered for Benedict's sudden and unexpected departure.

Some have suggested that Benedict was forced to resign because he was too soft on pedophile priests and allowed the church's sex scandals to fester which seriously damaged the Vatican's image. Others have suggested that the predominantly Italian College of Cardinals, the body that will choose the next pope, wants an Italian pontiff after two successive non-Italian popes. (John Paul II, Benedict XVI)

And then there are those who claim that Benedict's resignation fulfills a prophecy allegedly revealed in the 12th century by St. Malachy, an Irish archbishop who claimed that God gave him a list of the final 112 popes that would rule the Catholic Church. St. Malachy's prophecy, we're told, is said to have described each of the 112 popes beginning with Celestine II in 1143.

According to the St. Malachy prophecy, the 111th pope would resign from the papacy and open the door for the 112th and final pope to reign. If the St. Malachy prophecy indeed began with Celestine II, then Benedict is the 111th pope, and he did in fact resign. Furthermore, St. Malachy's prophecy names the 112th and supposedly final pope Petrus Romanus or Peter the Roman.

And furthermore, one of Benedict's potential successors is Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone who is the current secretary of state for the Vatican that Benedict appointed as Camerlengo or Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church in April, 2007. Bertone is also known by the name of--you guessed it--Peter of Romano or Peter the Roman.

Some people who have embraced this prophecy are already predicting that Cardinal Bertone, aka Peter the Roman will be the dreaded Antichrist. Is there any credence to St. Malachy's prophecy? Did this prophecy really come from God? How do we explain that the 111th pope in St. Malachy's prophecy did indeed resign and his potential successor bears the name of Peter the Roman?  

First of all, let me explain that I believe this is indeed a prophecy, but that it didn't come from God. Since I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is a counterfeit that was created by Satan, I believe that St. Malachy's prophecy is demonic. But isn't Satan a liar? Then why would he reveal something nearly 900 years ago that would come to pass? To deceive millions of biblically illiterate Christians. And Satan has the ability to manipulate the circumstances within an institution he controls such as the Catholic Church to fulfill St. Malachy's prophecy.

The Roman Catholic Church offers a counterfeit path to eternal life through a system of works rather than by faith in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for all sinners and His resurrection from the dead. The Bible emphasizes salvation by faith alone (Romans 10:9-11, Ephesians 2:8, John 3:16) while the Catholic Church, which appeared about 250 years after the Bible's New Testament was completed in about 90 A.D., denies that. In fact, the Catholic Church pronounces a curse upon anyone who believes in salvation by faith.

If Cardinal Bertone does succeed Benedict, then some people will be convinced that the Roman Catholic Church is God's church. But it isn't and it never was.

And whoever succeeds Benedict won't be Rome's final pope. That pope will indeed be the Antichrist. But several events must still take place, including the reunification of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, and the rise of a one world government that will feature 10 nation groups headed by seven powerful rulers. http://www.prophecyreviewonline.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=66077

And so, the next pope won't be the last one. He is still yet to come. You'll know him when he arrives. St. Malachy didn't name him, but the Bible did--he'll be known as the Antichrist.

Resignation or Rejection?

Pope Benedict XVI

The Roman Catholic Pontiff is the literal face of the Roman Catholic Church. And when that face is 85 years old, then indeed, the church looks very old and very tired.

Pope Benedict XVI just announced his resignation as the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. Benedict is Rome's 266th pope and he becomes the first pontiff to step down since Gregory XII resigned in 1415. According to Catholic historians, Gregory XII resigned in the midst of a leadership crisis that became known as The Great Western Schism. Gregory XII is alleged to have resigned in order to heal a division that had arisen among the leaders of the 15th century church that lacked confidence in Gregory.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/world/europe/last-pope-to-resign-did-so-in-midst-of-vatican-leadership-crisis.html?_r=0

We're told that Benedict resigned because he felt that he lacked the health and vitality to maintain the rigorous schedule that the Roman Papacy demands. And that seems plausible given that Benedict is a very old man. Benedict, whose real name is Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, succeeded Pope John Paul II in 2005 after the immensely popular pontiff passed away from natural causes due to old age. Benedict was already 78 years old at the time which was 20 years older than John Paul II was when he became Rome's 265th pontiff in 1978. 

And therein lies a possible clue to Benedict's resignation. It's no secret that the Roman Catholic Church has lost a lot of members globally over the past several years. Part of that is due to the myriad of scandals involving pedophile priests that the Church often tried to cover up. But the other part of that equation reveals that the Catholic Church has become an irrelevant dinosaur to millions of young people who identify as Catholics for cultural reasons only. In other words, when the Vatican speaks, many Roman Catholics no longer listen.

That was evident last year when the American Catholic Church tried and failed to stir its 64 million members into rising up against Obamacare's edict that private religious institutions (hospitals, schools etc.) were required to make contraceptive and abortion services available to their employees through health insurance plans. 

When U.S. bishops announced Fortnight For Freedom, a protest that was designed to motivate American Roman Catholics to rise up against Obamacare, all they got was a collective yawn. Few listened and few cared. And that apathy was also evident in November when 52 percent of American Catholics voted to reelect Barack Obama as president, despite the fact that Obama is vehemently anti-Christian and an enemy of the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI certainly did his job. He upheld the historical church teachings concerning the sanctity of life and traditional marriage. He also wielded a formidable hammer against rogue priests and pedophiles in the church. But he was old and he never possessed the charisma to attract converts and lapsed members the way John Paul II did. In the end, he became little more than a figurehead; a throwback to a distant time that no longer exists.

Despite the recent decline of the Roman Catholic Church, biblical prophecy reveals that she is going to make a huge comeback in the future. She will eventually become the partner of a powerful global government (Revelation 17) and she will unveil the dreaded Antichrist to the world. So, don't write off the Roman Catholic Church. Though the 267th pope certainly won't be the Antichrist, someone in the not-to-distant future will. Stay alert and stay tuned.

Climate Change or Divine Judgment?

Take a close look at the map above. Gay marriage is legal in the dark green states. Outside of the east coast, there are only two states in the U.S. where gay marriage is legal--Iowa and Washington State.

Now consider that the eastern coast has been pummeled with two super-storms in the last four months; Hurricane Sandy that struck in late October, 2012 and Nemo, the recent monster Nor'easter-blizzard that dumped up to 40 inches of snow in some places.

The devastation from Sandy has been conservatively estimated at $74 billion which places it second only to Katrina in terms of the most financially damaging hurricanes that have ever struck the U.S. mainland. It's too early to estimate the financial damage caused by Nemo, but it could be significant.

Katrina, you may recall, struck the city of New Orleans in August, 2005 just days after President George W. Bush and his administration successfully coerced Israel into turning over Gaza to its sworn enemy, the Palestinians.

When the possibility was raised that Katrina was God's judgment against the U.S. for the Bush administration's sellout of Israel, many high-ranking American church leaders went ballistic. They accused those who suggested that as being narrow-minded fundamentalists and superstitious fools. America is a god-fearing nation, they shouted. How dare anyone suggest that God would bring judgment against the United States?

Well, consider this; if the Lord punished ancient Israel with wars, famines and plagues for her rebellion against Him, then why wouldn't he punish modern nations such as the United States for its rebellion against Him? Certainly, atheists, agnostics, secularists and cultural religious folks don't believe in divine judgment. They're convinced that devastating storms such as Katrina, Sandy, Nemo etc. are the result of human-caused Global Warming.

And we're already hearing that explanation from climatologists, meteorologists and other mouthpieces for the Climate Change-Global Warming Movement. Too much greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere causes these types of monster storms. As if hurricanes and blizzards never occurred before the late 20th century.

They did as they've been occurring since the dawn of history. But if it seems like they're becoming more frequent and devastating, then also consider this; the United States of America--allegedly the most Christian nation on earth--has become utterly sinful and wicked in God's eyes. And America's sin can be put into numbers--55 million--the number of babies that have been murdered in the U.S. since 1973 when abortion was legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court, and 10, the number of states that have legalized gay marriage.

Those are numbers that don't go unpunished by a Holy God who hates sin and hates those who claim to be His ambassadors on earth who ignore that sin. That would be much of the Christian Church in America that has grown soft and fat over the last century, preferring to build its own ecclesiastical empire on earth while forgetting just who it was named for and what it was commissioned to do by Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Remember the map above. Again, look at the states that have legalized gay marriage. And consider what's happened on the east coast recently. And also consider that it's never too late to repent.

Here's what Jesus said when it was suggested to him that some Galileans had been murdered by Pontius Pilate because they had sinned: "Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." (Luke 13:2-5)

Repentance. That's what is needed if America is to be delivered from divine judgment. If not, then prepare for more of the same weather events and disasters that we're becoming accustomed to.

Treating Symptoms Instead of Causes

Yet another vain anti-gun protest

Having observed leftists for many years, I'm still amazed at how they're able to (1) manufacture problems; (2) blame these problems on their opponents and (3) offer misguided solutions to these problems that just create new problems.

Case in point--gun violence. Leftists blame the increasing gun violence in America on the availability of firearms. And they demonize the NRA (National Rifle Association) as well as anyone who supports the Second Amendment that gives American citizens their constitutional right to possess firearms. 

Leftists claim that gun violence can be solved simply by restricting or even revoking the Second Amendment. Under that scenario, only law enforcement officers and the military would be legally allowed to possess firearms.

One major problem with gun control laws is that they don't work. Chicago has banned handguns for many years, and yet that city led the nation in handgun homicides last year. Criminals don't obey laws, and they find a plethora of sources to acquire guns. Handgun laws merely prevent law-abiding citizens from defending themselves against these thugs.

But the real problem here--created by leftists--isn't guns, it's a debased culture that rejects moral absolutes and promotes rebellion, violence, debauchery and immorality. The growth of violent street-gangs throughout America and much of the western world can be traced to the American media and entertainment industry that has glorified the gang culture along with its gun violence, drugs, immorality and hedonism. 

Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of Hollywood and the American media knows that these industries are controlled by amoral leftists who are predominantly atheists.  These people hate religious people (fundamental Christians) and see them as ignorant buffoons who are racist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic and anti-science. Many of the wealthy rap artists who promote murder, violence and misogynistic filth through their music are bankrolled by leftists who own and operate the major record companies.

And it was leftists such as the late President Lyndon Johnson who created the enormous welfare state in the 1960s with his Great Society Program that was supposed to eradicate poverty and reduce crime through government entitlements. Instead, Johnson's program ruined incentive, destroyed families, expanded poverty and made millions of poor people hopelessly dependent upon big government for their survival. And yet leftists continue to deny the obvious while blaming high poverty and crime rates on "racism."

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul revealed this prophecy concerning the last days:  "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  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." (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

We're seeing the fulfillment of that prophecy today. Why is it being fulfilled? Because we live in a world controlled by leftists who don't believe in God and don't believe that sin is the cause of mankind's woes rather than the symptoms of sin such as poverty, racism, gun violence etc.

When Freedom Doesn't Ring

A U.S. Military Drone

One of the characteristics of a totalitarian regime is its persecution and murder of those that it deems a significant threat to its existence and vitality. While persecution and murder have historically been used by murderous regimes throughout history, they've never been used by the U.S. government against its own citizens.

But that may be about to change. And when a leftist organization such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) begins sounding the alarm against what it perceives to be constitutional violations that the Obama Administration is contemplating against American citizens, then you know something bad is on the horizon.

From the ACLU's own website comes this warning:  The CIA and the military are carrying out an illegal “targeted killing” program in which people far from any battlefield are determined to be enemies of the state and killed without charge or trial.

The executive branch has, in effect, claimed the unchecked authority to put the names of citizens and others on “kill lists” on the basis of a secret determination, based on secret evidence, that a person meets a secret definition of the enemy. The targeted killing program operates with virtually no oversight outside the executive branch, and essential details about the program remain secret, including what criteria are used to put people on CIA and military kill lists or how much evidence is required.

Outside of armed conflict zones, the use of lethal force is strictly limited by international law and, when it comes to U.S. citizens, the Constitution. Specifically, lethal force can be used only as a last resort against an imminent threat to life. Even in the context of an armed conflict against an armed group, the government may use lethal force only against individuals who are directly participating in hostilities against the U. S. Regardless of the context, whenever the government uses lethal force, it must take all possible steps to avoid harming civilian bystanders. These are not the standards that the executive branch is using.

http://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/drones

Indeed. Based upon a confidential memo recently obtained from the Justice Department, the Obama Administration believes that it has the right to kill U.S. citizens if they are merely suspected members of a terrorist organization that is engaged in plotting acts of destruction against the U.S. or they are considered a threat to the United States and its interests.
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/020413_DOJ_White_Paper.pdf 

What's bothersome to many folks about the memo is its vague definition of just who and what constitutes an imminent threat to the United States. The memo doesn't say. And given that the Obama Administration is extremely mendacious and shielded from scrutiny by a corrupt media, it's not unlikely that this administration might use deadly force against its political enemies in the name of "national security."

And it's no secret that the Obama Administration has a healthy dislike for conservatives and fundamental Christians. That fits in with biblical prophecy that warns of increasing persecution of true Christians in the last days preceding the return of Jesus Christ. Christ himself warned: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9)

Would Barack Obama order the killing of U.S. citizens on American soil? Don't bet against it. Anyone who can get away with promoting a poorly forged birth certificate and can lie with impunity without being held accountable by the American media will believe that he can get away with anything.

Even murder.

The End of Heroes

The Boy Scouts

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."--Proverbs 14:12

Like a malignant cancer that relentlessly spreads and methodically kills the body, leftism has spread to yet another iconic American organization. Recently, the Boy Scouts of America announced that they may soon admit homosexual members and leaders into their organization.

From nbcnews.com: The Boy Scouts of America, one of the nation’s largest private youth organizations, is actively considering an end to its decades-long policy of banning gay scouts or scout leaders, according to scouting officials and outsiders familiar with internal discussions. If adopted by the organization’s board of directors, it would represent a profound change on an issue that has been highly controversial -- one that even went to the US Supreme Court. The new policy, now under discussion, would eliminate the ban from the national organization’s rules, leaving local sponsoring organizations free to decide for themselves whether to admit gay scouts.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16739587-boy-scouts-close-to-ending-ban-on-gay-

members-leaders?lite

Undoubtedly, the Scouts are considering dropping the ban against homosexuals because of the relentless pressure that the militant Gay Rights Movement has exerted against them for nearly three decades. 

And that's tragic. This isn't about exclusion, bigotry or promoting hatred of homosexuals; it's about upholding biblical values and instilling them in impressionable young boys who are constantly being bombarded with evil by a depraved culture. Since the Boy Scouts are a private organization, they have a right to promote those values without outside interference or intimidation. Those biblical values also teach young men to remain celibate until marriage; to be honest, to succeed in school through academic achievement and to become solid citizens and good role models for young children.

Homosexuals argue that they do the same things and it's wrong to keep them out of the Scouts simply because of their sexual orientation. While that argument makes sense to many folks, it doesn't make sense when an organization such as the Boy Scouts has historically promoted a biblical worldview. Not only does the Bible condemn the homosexual lifestyle, it also condemns a host of other behaviors such as fornication, greed, adultery, excessive drinking, extortion, thievery and idolatry. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) The Scouts don't want to admit those who are involved in these vices either. 

Ironically, as the United States becomes more "tolerant" toward "alternative" lifestyles such as homosexuality, lesbianism and transgenderism, Russia becomes less tolerant towards these lifestyles. So what? Who cares about Russia? 

Well, consider this; Russia is rapidly rising militarily, politically and very soon economically. In the not too distant future, Russia is going to begin exporting her influence by force all across the planet. And a big part of Russia's political influence is derived from the Russian Orthodox Church that doesn't hide its contempt for homosexuality. Here's a quote from the Rev. Sergiy Rybko: "Until this scum gets off of Russian land, I fully share the views of those who are trying to purge our motherland of it. We either become a tolerant Western state where everything is allowed--and lose our Christian and moral foundations--or we will be a Christian people who live in our God-protected land in purity and godliness."

http://www.prophecyreviewonline.org/pages.asp?pageid=71621 

If the Russians eventually do succeed in forcing their cultural values on America and the western world, then homosexuality is finished. The Boy Scouts may be losing their influence, but those who spread their influence by force usually win out. If they do, the Boy Scouts will go back to being what they once were. Because they won't have any choice.  

Going Up and Coming Down

Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama

According to President Vladimir Putin, Russia's native population has gotten so low that drastic measures are needed to encourage young Russian men to marry and raise large families.

And so, Czar Putin has come up with a novel idea to reverse Russia's declining birthrates. From the Moscow Times: The stylish trio of Boyz II Men, the most successful R&B group of all time, is coming to Moscow on Feb. 6. The group will perform a selection of their classic and new romantic ballads, hopefully giving Russian men some inspiration ahead of St. Valentine's Day.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/boyz-ii-men-expect-muscovites-to-bring-a-game-to-concert/474719.html

Whether the Boyz II Men idea actually works on impressionable young Russians, the results certainly won't be known until at least nine months after the concert. But what is now well known is the fact that Russia and the United States have become the exact opposites in an end time world where the wise and shrewd rise to prominence while the fat, lazy and stupid sink like a boulder in the ocean.

America wasn't always fat, lazy and stupid. The U.S. was once the most powerful nation in the world economically and militarily. It offered freedom of autonomy, thought and religion along the greatest educational system on the planet. In contrast, 70 years of communism turned Russia into a giant prison where political and religious persecution abounded and hope was found only in a dictionary. 

Under Marx's dream of a worker's paradise, Russia and much of eastern Europe under the Soviet Union became a nightmare for millions of folks who saw their nations and cultures crumble before their eyes. In Russia, if you were even suspected of having subversive thoughts toward the government, you could be hauled away in the dead of night never to be seen again. 

Many Russians and eastern Europeans who were fortunate to escape the Soviet nightmare will tell you horror stories of harsh persecution, government invasion of privacy, extensive poverty, apartment buildings without heat and running water in the dead of winter, stores with empty shelves, unsafe factories, inferior automobiles that rusted prematurely and frequently broke down and ambulances that never arrived during medical emergencies.

Russia's come a long way from those bleak days. And she still has a long way to go to catch up to the west. But she's getting there. Certainly, Vladimir Putin is reviled by millions of Russians who see him as nothing but a thug and a thinly disguised dictator. They believe that Putin stole the presidential election last year and they believe that he's going to return Russia to the dark days of communism where political oppression and persecution were commonplace.

That's probably not going to happen. Putin wants Russia to become the world's greatest superpower and that won't happen under a political system that denies individual freedoms while trying to control the economy. That's been tried and it's failed miserably. Putin understands that capitalism is the key to economic success which in turn brings in the wealth to help spread a nation's influence all over the world. Want proof? You can find a McDonalds restaurant almost anywhere in the world. 

In the future, Russia's going to become a friendly place to do business. You'll see businesses and corporations from all over the world move into Russia to build factories and that produce products that can no longer be built in America because of a hostile government that murders economic growth through stifling regulations and high taxes. And when you begin to see English gradually replacing Cyrillic throughout Russia, you'll understand what's happening.

Certainly, I'm not promoting Russia. And I'm no fan of Vladimir Putin. He's a ruthless man who destroys his enemies. But Russia's rise to prominence and world power is prophetic. Nearly 2,600 years ago, the ancient Hebrew prophet Daniel prophesied of a powerful nation that he described as a northern kingdom (Daniel 11) that would rise to power in the last days and eventually control the world. I believe that nation is Russia because the Bible's geographical map always places Israel at its center.

And the nation furthermost north of Israel is Russia. Is that a coincidence? Not likely. 

America's Prophetic Future

Although the United States of America is never mentioned directly in biblical prophecy, there is a scripture contained in the Old Testament’s Book of Daniel that seems to speak of the U.S.

That scripture, that’s part of a prophetic vision concerning the end times that Daniel received from the archangel Gabriel about 2,600 years ago, speaks of a world power that Gabriel described allegorically as a “shaggy goat” with a large prominent horn between its eyes. (Daniel 8:21) Daniel revealed that the horn on the goat represents “the king of Greece” and this nation will travel a great distance across the world in the last days to confront and destroy a global nemesis that Daniel metaphorically called a two-horned ram (Daniel 8:3) located in what used to be known as Persia. Gabriel revealed that the two-horned ram represents “the kings of Media and Persia.” (Daniel 8:20)

Ancient Persia is now known as modern Iran, so Daniel’s prophecy is being fulfilled in our current time. But who was Media? Ancient Media was a kingdom located to the Northwest of Persia, and encompassed much of what is known today as Iraq. And so, Daniel’s prophecy concerning two major troublemakers on the end-time world stage is clear; they are Iraq (Media) and Iran. (Persia)

What does the ram and its two horns symbolize? The ram represents fundamental Islam that seeks to destroy Israel; overthrow western civilization and establish a global caliphate. The two horns represent the kings of Media and Persia. Daniel revealed that “one of the horns was longer (Iraq) than the other (Iran) but (it) grew up later.” (Daniel 8:3) Who is the King of Media? He was former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein who presented a threat to that region and the entire world with chemical and biological weapons. And he had plans to develop nuclear weapons that Israel curtailed in 1981 when the Israelis bombed Hussein’s nuclear reactor located at Al Tuwaitha.

The ram’s longer horn symbolizes that Iraq was a dangerous power before Iran. The smaller horn that grew up later symbolizes Iran’s rise to a dangerous power that began in 1979 with the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution after the Shah of Iran was overthrown. Hussein feared the Iranian revolution and waged a long and bloody war against Iran beginning in 1980 and finally ending in 1988 when both nations agreed to a U.N. brokered cease fire. During that long war, Iraq also developed chemical and biological weapons that Hussein not only used against the Iranians, but even those living inside his own nation that he suspected of treason.

But it wasn’t until 1990 when Hussein invaded the tiny nation of Kuwait that the United States, led by President George H.W. Bush put together a military coalition of nations that came to Kuwait’s rescue and drove Hussein’s army out of that nation. The U.S. led coalition did serious damage to Hussein’s military capabilities and then the U.N. subsequently established military restrictions and economic sanctions against Iraq. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of Daniel’s ancient prophecy.

But the U.S. led invasion of Iraq in 1990 didn’t put Iraq completely out of business and another U.S. led coalition had to return again in 2003 to finish the job after Hussein had violated several U.N. resolutions by reconstituting his military. The U.S. suspected Hussein of bankrolling the deadly Sept. 11, 2001 al Qaeda terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and New York City’s World Trade Center. The U.S. also believed that Hussein had reconstituted a secretive nuclear and chemical weapons program, though no weapons were ever found after the 2003 invasion.

So far, we’ve established the identities of the ram and its two horns contained in Daniel’s ancient prophecy. But how can we determine that the one-horned shaggy goat is indeed a military power led by the United States? Gabriel described this goat as the King of Greece. Could modern Greece actually be the nation that will overthrow Iran and destroy its nuclear weapons program? That’s impossible. Modern Greece is financially bankrupt and has no military to speak of. The Greeks would be no match for the Iranians, let alone a nation such as Costa Rica. This part of Daniel’s prophecy has puzzled biblical scholars for centuries.

Some scholars believed that Daniel’s revelation was fulfilled in 331 B.C. when Macedonian King Alexander the Great conquered Persia. But that wasn’t the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy because that wasn’t the time of the end that Gabriel revealed the prophecy concerned. (Daniel 8:17) When Alexander invaded ancient Persia, Christ’s appearance on earth was still more than three centuries away. So Alexander’s invasion of Persia didn’t fulfill Daniel 8.

Then why did Gabriel refer to modern Iran’s conqueror as the King of Greece when he explained the vision to Daniel? Because Greece was the most prominent gentile nation in the ancient world. And the gentiles were often referred to as “Greeks.” For example, in his epistle to the early Roman church, the apostle Paul wrote that he was “obligated to both Greeks and non-Greeks” (Romans 1:14) to share the gospel.

In his first epistle to the early church in Corinth, Paul wrote that “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom” (1Corinthians 1:22) seeking proof that Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah. And in his epistle to the church in Galatia, Paul wrote that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) Again, Paul substituted the term Greek for gentile. If he literally referred only to Greeks in that statement then he excluded many people from God’s grace. If that’s what Paul meant to convey, then Christ didn’t die for everyone. But we know that Christ did.

Gabriel’s revelation to Daniel then clearly means that the archangel was referring to a powerful western nation rather than the literal nation of Greece. That nation is undoubtedly the United States. Another strong clue concerning this nation’s identity comes from Daniel’s vision when the prophet revealed that the goat “came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground.” (Daniel 8:5) The literal nation of Greece is located to the Northwest of Iran and wouldn’t have to travel across the entire globe to confront the Persian nation. Daniel’s description of the goat crossing the entire earth without touching the ground suggests a powerful air-strike by the United States against Iran.

Certainly, the time of Iran’s fall is extremely close. The Iranians are developing nuclear weapons that they plan to use to destroy Israel and then use against various targets throughout Europe where U.S. military bases exist. The Iranians believe that they have been commissioned by Allah to destroy Israel and overthrow western civilization by launching a series of devastating nuclear strikes all across the world in preparation for the appearance of the Imam Mahdi and the establishment of a global Islamic caliphate. But they will be stopped.

Not coincidently, Israel was prepared to strike Iran earlier this year until someone inside the Obama Administration leaked the plan to the world media. While Israel isn’t going to be the nation to bring down Iran, America’s betrayal of the Jewish nation is going to have prophetic and dire consequences. After the United States finally--albeit reluctantly--destroys Iran’s nuclear program and brings down the Islamic regime, the U.S. is going to be judged severely for her betrayal of Israel and collapse as a global superpower.

Daniel revealed: “The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.” (Daniel 8:8) The large horn on the goat’s head symbolizes the U.S. When it’s “broken off” the U.S. will fall as a world superpower and in its place, four new nations will emerge as world powers.

Why will America fall? Because she has betrayed Israel and put the Jewish nation in harms way by leaking sensitive military information to the world. Though President Barack Obama is loyal to his militant antiwar base and is reluctant to strike Iran, he’ll have no choice but to launch an attack against Iran before the Persian nation strikes Israel and the world. And then America’s end will be at hand.