The Son of Perdition

Throughout history, many people have attempted to discover the identity of the dreaded Antichrist.

Some folks believe that he will be easily recognized because he will be a violent and evil person. Others claim that he will be recognized for his infamous 666 mark that they believe will be prominently displayed on his forehead.

And still others believe that he will be some sort of half man, half beast who will terrorize the entire world.

Who's right? Can we learn anything about this man's identity and persona before he appears?

Though the Bible doesn't identify him by name, it gives us a detailed description of where he will come from, how he'll behave and the type of power he'll possess that will mesmerize the entire world.

First of all, the Bible reveals that this man will be an elaborate counterfeit of Jesus Christ. That's what the term Antichrist stands for: a substitute for Christ or a replacement of Christ.

In fact, Christ Himself warned us that several counterfeit Christs will appear in the last days that will deceive the world through demonic power: "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." (Matthew 24:23-24)

The apostle Paul also warned that this counterfeit will use supernatural powers to convince many that he is the genuine Christ when he appears: "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2Thessalonians 2:9-10)

And the apostle John who recorded the Revelation while in exile from Rome in about 90 A.D., revealed that this counterfeit Christ will perform "great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men." (Revelation 13:13)

John also revealed that this counterfeit will recover from a fatal wound and rise from the dead, (Revelation 13:12) and he will have his own advance prophet who will introduce him to the world. (Revelation 19:20)

Christ rose from the dead three days after He was crucified and His appearance to the world was announced by John the Baptist. And so, the Antichrist will deceive many by rising from the dead after suffering a fatal wound, and he will be revealed to the world by his own John the Baptist.

Secondly, the Antichrist will not appear as a violent, mass murdering warmonger. Rather, he will appear as a benevolent man who will convince the world that he has come to bring peace to a world ravaged by war. (Daniel 8:23)

And he'll be a con artist who'll possess hypnotic powers that will persuade the entire world to follow him. According to John: "All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb (Jesus Christ) that was slain from the creation of the world." (Revelation 13:8)

John's prophecy reveals that true Christians will refuse to worship this counterfeit because they'll know who he really is. And those who refuse to worship this man will be persecuted because he will institute an electronic marking system that will be essential for everyone's survival. (Revelation 13:16-17)

In order to receive this mark, everyone will be forced to swear allegiance to him. Those who refuse to swear allegiance to the counterfeit Christ will not be given the mark and they will be unable to buy, sell or transact business. They will literally have to survive on their own.

Thirdly, biblical prophecy reveals that this man will rise in conjunction with a global counterfeit religious revival and he will come from the Roman Catholic Church. (Revelation 17)

 

He will be both a political and a religious figure who will be backed by satanic power. (Revelation 13:2) And after he initially appears as a man of peace, he will begin a reign of terror across the world that will destroy multitudes. (Daniel 8:24)

But where will this man come from? Though many biblical scholars throughout the centuries have predicted that he will come from Rome, he will in fact come from Russia. How can we determine that?

The Bible reveals that this man will be the ruler of a powerful nation that's described as a northern kingdom. (Daniel 11) How can we determine that Russia is that northern kingdom? Because the Bible always places Israel at the center of its geographical map, and Russia is located directly north of Israel.

But how does that prove that Russia is that northern nation? Because Daniel also revealed that this powerful northern kingdom will do battle with a powerful southern kingdom for world supremacy in the last days. (Daniel 11) Who would that southern kingdom be? That southern kingdom is China that sits on Russia's southern border at two different points, separated by Mongolia.

Both Russia and China are the emerging as the globe's newest superpowers as the United States declines. And Daniel also revealed that these two nations will become allies for a period of time (Daniel 11:6) before they become bitter enemies.

 

Currently, Russia and China are allies and they cooperate on a number of military, energy and economic projects. The Russians possess an abundance of energy that the Chinese need such as coal, crude oil and natural gas. And China possesses a lot of money that Russia desperately needs to rebuild her economy.

Also, the prophet Ezekiel revealed that this northern kingdom will put together a military alliance called Magog that will attempt to destroy Israel at some future date before Christ destroys this kingdom and its alliance. Ezekiel revealed the name of this kingdom as Gog, which was an ancient name for modern Russia.

When will the Antichrist appear? According to Daniel, he will appear perhaps several years after a world government has been established. (Daniel 8:23) Daniel revealed that this man will be mysterious and will seemingly come from nowhere. But his ability to perform incredible miracles will convince the world that he is divine.

Biblical prophecy indicates that this man will be a prominent world leader who will rise from the dead after he's assassinated. (Revelation 13:3) John also revealed that when this man rises from the dead, he will begin performing miracles and the world will worship him. (Revelation 13:4)

And biblical prophecy reveals that this counterfeit Christ will order a new Jewish temple to be constructed in Jerusalem that he will eventually enter and defile with his presence. (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2Thessalonians 2:4) Obviously, if there's going to be a new temple in Jerusalem, then Israel is going to continue to exist as a nation.

The fact that this man will have the power and authority to permit a new Jewish temple to be built indicates that Islam will either be extremely weakened when the Antichrist appears, or Islam will no longer exist.

However, before the Antichrist can appear, a one-world government must arise that will consist of 10 nation groups. In conjunction with the rise of this world government will be a global religious revival that will be demonically inspired. And this revival will purport to be a Christian revival that will feature counterfeit signs, wonders and miracles.

Is the Antichrist coming? He is. Tragically, only a handful of true Christians will recognize him for who he really is. The rest of the world will believe that he is Jesus Christ who has returned to bring peace to the earth. That's when the real nightmare will begin.

Marxism and Christianity

Che Christ?

According to Pope Francis, capitalism is of the devil and it's responsible for much of the poverty and crime that exists throughout the world today.

In a recent speech, the pope claimed that financial inequality "is the root of social ills" that he blamed on capitalism which he called "the new tyranny."

Here's a quote from his speech: "In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting."http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/blog/blog-o-nomics/os-pope-francis-takes-on-capitalism

What is Pope Francis advocating? He's promoting Marxism as the economic solution to eradicate global poverty, crime, violence and moral decadence.

Pope Francis is either a very ignorant man (sorry Catholics) or he's actively cooperating with powerful socialists to help create a global Marxist government that would control all property and money and have the power to distribute it to whoever it wants. Since I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I tend toward the former theory that the pope is a very ignorant man when it comes to economics.

The pope condemns capitalism because in his mind, capitalism has created an enormous economic gap between rich and poor. That belief is based upon the prevailing argument that the wealthy steal from the poor and enslave them into a lifetime of misery, servitude and poverty.

Who first posed that theory? An ignorant man named Karl Marx who became the patriarch of modern socialism and communism. Marx truly believed that in order to create peace and harmony on earth, a new socialist utopia had to be created where everyone shared equally.

That economic theory has been a catastrophic failure wherever it's been implemented. Remember the Soviet Union? Or, how about Cuba? Or North Korea? Or China, until the red state finally threw open its doors to capitalism after decades of economic destitution?

Poverty isn't caused by capitalism. It's caused by lack of quality education, ignorance, moral depravity, political corruption and laziness. And wherever you have socialism, you inevitably find those factors in abundance.

Capitalism promotes competition that drives up quality. One example is the American auto industry. If capitalism didn't exist in the U.S., Americans would still be driving the type of junk cars that Detroit mass produced in the 1970s and 1980s.

Capitalism opened the door to better Japanese, European (and now South Korean) imports that forced the American automakers to improve their products or go out of business. And some of them almost went out of business. And capitalism has forced many other industries to dramatically improve their products or face extinction.

Capitalism provides for economic growth, opportunity and freedom. Socialism produces only failure, poverty and misery--and in abundance.

Pope Francis should go back and study history. Marxism isn't the answer to eradicating poverty. It creates poverty rather than solving it.

Just look at all the major cities in America today such as Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, St. Louis etc. Or, look at almost any Indian reservation in America. Or, look at all the nations in the world today such as Mexico, Bolivia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and the Dominican Republic where socialism is still practiced. That's what socialism creates.

And the pope can't claim that Christ endorsed socialism. He didn't. Christ was neither a capitalist nor a socialist. He was the Son of God who had compassion for the poor.

And He encouraged individuals to help the poor rather than massive, secular governments. They never help the poor--they only destroy them. 

The Prophetic Last Days

A typical urban street gang: Armed and violent.

I'm often asked about what the Bible says concerning the end times. According to biblical prophecy, the last days on earth directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ are going to be bad--and extremely so.

What does the bible specifically say about the end times? Here's what the apostle Paul prophesied 2,000 years ago: "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— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Skeptics claim that Paul's prophecy could be applied to just about any time in history. And certainly, they're correct.

However, there are many other prophecies concerning the last days that indicate that Paul's prophecy points to the very last days.

Consider that Jesus Christ revealed several signs (Matthew 24) that would alert his followers that the end was near. Those signs include the increase in persecution of true Christians across the world, the increase in famines and earthquakes, an increase in wars and rumors of wars, and the increase in wickedness. (Matthew 24:12)

If we consider two categories that Christ spoke of--the increase in famines and earthquakes--we know without a doubt that we are living in the last days. Since the 19th century, earthquakes and famines have increased significantly across the world. 

http://www.prophecyreviewonline.org/apps/articles/default.asp?

And so, when you consider all the prophecies concerning the end times, Paul's prophecy is clear--it speaks of the very last days on earth and not some earlier time.

But what is the root cause of the global end time increase in wickedness? It's godlessness. Since the late 19th century, the world has fallen away from God by turning to godless, secular ideologies that seek to build a humanistic paradise on earth at the expense of biblical truth concerning human nature. 

Those godless ideologies, such as secular humanistic psychology, deny man's corrupt sinful nature and deify positive self esteem as the new messianic hope for mankind. 

Thus, the biblical precepts of sin, accountability to God and divine judgment have been cast aside--even by a growing segment of Christendom--for the false gospel of positive self esteem. 

Tragically, many churches today ignore biblical teachings concerning the consequences of sin by promoting unproven psychological therapies as the new golden path to happiness and self-fulfillment.

Add to that the world's embrace of Charles Darwin's atheistic theory of evolution over the past 150 years and you have the recipe for moral anarchy. 

What does Darwin's unproven theory of evolution have to do with moral anarchy? It denies the existence of God by attempting to explain life in merely natural terms. 

If the existence of life is merely the accidental product of random evolutionary forces, then God is a myth and so are His laws and commandments. If so, then no one is held accountable for their behavior on earth and no judgment awaits anyone at death. 

Are we living in the last days? All the prophetic signs indicate that we are. Sadly, even many professing Christians are failing to see those signs. And that's a fulfillment of prophecy as well. (1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:3-4) 

The Fruit of False Christians

If you ask Martin Bashir what faith he ascribes to, he unabashedly claims to be a Christian.

He even makes that claim with a straight face, although about the only folks who are willing to believe him are the people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and then again last year.

Bashir, who's a hack political commentator for the dreadful MSNBC cable news network, revealed who he really is when he recently insulted Sarah Palin on the air by suggesting that someone should defecate and urinate in her mouth.

Bashir claims that he was angry with an analogy Palin used to compare America's national debt to slavery, and that's why he uttered that shocking statement. And yet, only a complete moron would be offended by Palin's comparison of the national debt to slavery.

Palin's analogy was spot on: That unless the United States stops its reckless borrowing and spending that has resulted in an immoral $17 trillion debt, America's economy will collapse and the entire nation will eventually resemble the city of Detroit.

Bashir has a right to be offended by whatever bothers him. And the First Amendment gives him the right to publicly complain about the things that bother him. Even on television.

However, if he's truly the Christian that he claims to be, then he has no right to say what he said about Palin. I understand that many folks on the left such as Bashir absolutely loathe Palin in the same way that many conservatives such as myself absolutely loathe Obama and his minions of Marxists and fascists.

But as a Christian, I don't denigrate those I disagree with the way Bashir denigrated Palin. Bashir, the "Christian", needs to be reminded of something that Jesus Christ taught 2,000 years ago regarding enemies and adversaries: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:43-45)

Bashir also needs to be reminded of something else Christ taught in regards to what constitutes a genuine Christian: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:15-16)

Bashir can claim that he's a Christian all he wants. But he produces the fruit of an arrogant, unrepentant sinner rather than a true Christian.

To his credit, Bashir later apologized for his remarks. However, only he knows whether that apology was genuine or contrived to calm the inevitable firestorm of outrage that his remarks generated, even from some of his comrades on the left.

Time will tell whether Bashir has truly repented of his awful ways. He has a history of spewing incendiary remarks at those he doesn't like.

What can folks do who are disgusted with people such as Bashir? They can stop watching MSNBC and its affiliated shows.

In fact, if you're a Christian, turn off your TV and start spending more time reading the Bible and in prayer with the Lord. I'd rather listen to Jesus Christ any day of the week instead of Martin Bashir.  

Betrayal of a Nation

What is the definition of treason? It's the betrayal of trust and loyalty.

In marriage, that betrayal is known as infidelity when a spouse violates his or her marriage vows by committing adultery.

In the business world, treason is committed when an employee shares or steals classified information from his employer and gives it to a rival company.

Treason has been around since the dawn of history. The first couple Adam and Eve betrayed God by eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that He commanded them not to eat from. (Genesis 3) As a result, they were banished from the Garden of Eden and they lost their access to eternal life.

Perhaps the worst act of treason in recorded history was committed by Judas Iscariot who was one of Jesus Christ's 12 disciples. Iscariot sold out Christ when he allowed himself to be bought by ancient Israel's chief priests who hated the Jewish Messiah and wanted to kill him.

Why did the corrupt religious leaders want Christ dead? Because he represented an existential threat to their power and authority over the Jewish people. The chief priests and the Pharisees plotted numerous times to capture Christ, only to be thwarted because of Christ's popularity. Christ was constantly surrounded by multitudes of people who came to admire and worship Him.

But Israel's corrupt religious leaders finally succeeded when they bribed Iscariot into handing over Christ (Luke 22) so they could send Him to the Roman authorities to be executed on trumped up charges.

Though the corrupt religious leaders believed that they had finally done away with their nemesis, they didn't realize that they unwittingly fulfilled God's will by crucifying the Son of God for the sins of the world. (Isaiah 53)

What sort of treason are we witnessing today? In the United States, we have witnessed our own president commit treason against his nation, the constitution and the American people.

I realize that's a strong accusation. And yet, according to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution, Barack Obama has committed treason against the United States and the American people.

What does Article III, Section 3 say? It says that a person who gives aid and comfort to an enemy of the United States by furnishing them with arms, troops, transportation, shelter etc. is guilty of treason.

How does that apply to Obama? Remember an operation called Fast and Furious? That operation, conducted by Obama's Bureau of ATF, furnished weapons to Mexican drug cartels. That resulted in the death of at least one U.S. Border Agent as well as the deaths of many innocent Mexicans.

Remember the terror attack last year on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi where four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, lost their lives? Obama betrayed them by leaving them to die at the hands of terrorists, even though he could have saved their lives by ordering help. And help wasn't that far away. Instead, he did nothing.

Obama has not only committed treason against his nation, he has violated his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution by ignoring its rules concerning the American legislative process. He has governed as a dictator rather than as the leader of a nation whose powers are limited by the constitution.

And he's lied repeatedly about anything and everything from health care to transparent government to the national debt.

It's time for Obama to go. If he refuses to resign, then Congress needs to begin impeachment proceedings against this man. Because America's future is at stake.

Some folks will tell me that American Christians should stay in their churches and stay out of politics. And I agree with them to a point.

However, the Christian Church in America needs to wake up and begin reengaging the culture once again before it's too late. The church lost the culture many years ago when it grew lazy and stopped contending for the faith.

As a result, secular humanists seized the culture and imposed their godless worldview on the nation. And now, millions of Americans no longer know right from wrong and no longer believe that they're held accountable to a Holy God for their thoughts, actions and words while they live on this planet.

That godless culture has produced corrupt leaders such as Barack Obama. He's a reflection of a morally bankrupt nation that is drowning in sin.

Getting rid of corrupt politicians such as Obama won't solve America's problems. There are many others just like him.

But America needs to start somewhere, and that somewhere is right here and right now. And the nation, along with its churches, needs to begin taking back the culture by making Christ, His death on the cross for all sin and His resurrection from the dead relevant once again.

If the American Church can do that, then Barack Obama will one day be just a bad memory. But if not, then what comes after Obama will be even worse. God help us.

Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll

It's certainly no secret that a large segment of the music industry has long been the de facto face of modern paganism.

While Rock and Roll has historically been equated with the worst of the worst when it comes to promiscuous sex, drunks and drug abusers, other segments such as Country-Western, Pop, Hip-Hop, Rap and Rhythm and Blues have also had their share of heathens and hedonists.

There's no need to mention all the names because many of those artists who have lived the bohemian party lifestyle are well known. Some lived that lifestyle so well that they died as a result of it.

Many of those artists started out with good intentions, only to succumb to temptation when fame and money inevitably brought them gallons of booze, hookers, one-night stands and lots of drugs.

Those few who actually make it big in the music business understand that a lot of fame, coupled with a lot of money and a lot of free time provide a recipe for disaster.

One such artist who understands that is Grace Slick who provided the golden voice for the group Jefferson Airplane in the 1960s before she embarked on a solo career.

For those of you old enough to remember, the 1960s were a time when the counterculture revolution was in full throttle. And Rock and Roll music provided much of the fuel for that movement.

The counterculture revolution sprang from the antiwar movement that was opposed to America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Though that movement began with good intentions, it quickly dissolved into a hedonistic sewer of drugs, booze, nihilism and promiscuous sex.

What was Grace Slick's contribution to that period besides music? She was a big-time party girl who, along with her friend Janis Joplin, glamorized drinking and drugs. For them, life was an endless party of drinking, sex and drugs when they weren't performing on stage.

Tragically, the party finally ended for Joplin on October 4, 1970 when she died of a heroin overdose in a Hollywood, Ca. motel. Though her death should have been a warning to other artists to stay away from drugs, it was quickly forgotten and many more deaths like hers followed.

Slick, who retired from the music industry several years ago, has become a different artist in the golden years of her life. She now paints, and judging by her work, she's very good at it.

But still, I was disappointed with an interview she recently gave where she spoke fondly of her hard drinking escapades with Joplin. She preferred vodka while Joplin preferred whiskey. While Slick's fondness for booze is her own business, she did a great disservice by glamorizing heavy drinking.

Slick claims that she's sober now. That's great news. However, as a former celebrity who still has a sizable following, she has a responsibility to set a good moral example for others. And that's even more vital considering that she's witnessed the type of destruction that drugs and alcohol have caused in the industry she once worked in.

During His ministry in Israel 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ warned that those who cause others to sin will be dealt with severely on Judgment Day.

Though he spoke specifically about small children being led into sin, Christ's caveat applies to all who entice others to sin: "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)

And so, if you're going to get blasted on drugs or booze--that's your own business. It's dead wrong. And if you wind up dead, that's your problem.

But please don't encourage someone else to do it by glorifying something that's evil.

Christianity: Barack Style

There are folks who are truly convinced that Barack Obama is a Christian. There are some who even believe that he's a Born Again Christian. And they're entitled to their opinions.

Personally, I believe that Obama's an atheist who masquerades as a Christian for political reasons. Such as?

Such as the fact that the majority of Americans still identify themselves as Christians and therefore, it's politically expedient for some politicians seeking high office to convince them that they share their religious beliefs.

That tactic isn't anything new. Adolf Hitler was a pagan and an atheist who managed to convince just enough Germans in 1933 that he was a Christian.

And so, many of them ignored Hitler's sordid past and elected him Chancellor on his dynamic personality combined with his clever use of Christian rhetoric that he often blended into his hypnotic speeches.

After he was elected, Hitler dropped the religious charade and revealed who he really was. And he even mocked those who fell for his act by saying this: "What good fortune for politicians that the people do not think."

Sound familiar? It should. Though Barack Obama is no Adolf Hitler--and thank God for that--he's a con artist on a par with Hitler. Like the Germans who willingly fell for Hitler, millions of Americans chose to ignore Obama's sordid past in 2008 and then again in 2012 by electing him president on his rhetoric and personality. As they say, you reap what you sow.

Though the majority of Obama's supporters are atheists and agnostics, Obama never would've been elected as America's 44th president without the support of Christians who embraced his canard that he was one of them.

Several years ago, Cathleen Falsani, who was employed as the religion reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times at the time, sat down with then Sen. Barack Obama in 2004 to discuss his "Christian faith."
http://cathleenfalsani.com/obama-on-faith-the-exclusive-interview/

During the interview, Obama was asked whether he considered himself to be a Born Again Christian, and he gave this answer: "Yeah, although I don’t, I retain from my childhood and my experiences growing up a suspicion of dogma. And I’m not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I’ve got a monopoly on the truth, or that my faith is automatically transferable to others. I’m a big believer in tolerance. I think that religion at it’s best comes with a big dose of doubt. I’m suspicious of too much certainty in the pursuit of understanding just because I think people are limited in their understanding."

A true Born Again Christian has no doubt who Jesus Christ is and why he died for them on the cross. And a true Born Again Christian understands that it's vital they not "tolerate" false religions by refusing to share (transfer) their faith with others. By Obama's own words, he fails the test of a Born Again Christian.

When he was asked if he believed that faith in Christ provides the only assurance of eternal life, Obama said this: "I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell. I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my religious makeup."

God will never punish those with eternal damnation who have never heard the gospel. Those people will be judged on their merits rather than on their faith. That's what the Bible clearly states. (Matthew 25:31-46)

However, those who have heard the gospel and have rejected Christ have no hope, and they will indeed "burn for all eternity." Christ clearly proclaimed: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the (Heavenly) Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Finally, when Falsani asked Obama what he thought sin was, he dropped this bombshell: "Being out of alignment with my values."

Those aren't the words of a Born Again Christian. Rather, they're the words of a slick politician who wants folks to believe that he's a Christian. He isn't. And he never was.

Islam and Iran

About the only people in the world who believe the Iranians can be persuaded not to build nuclear weapons are the people who work for the Obama Administration.

Those folks, who include U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, are truly convinced that if the world eases crippling economic sanctions against the Persian state, the Iranians will be so grateful that they'll scrap their plans to build nukes.

For years, the Iranians have claimed that their nuclear program is designed strictly to produce electricity. They claim that western nations such as the United States want to prevent them from achieving that goal to punish them because Iran is an Islamic (Shi'ite) theocracy.

But the world rejects that propaganda. Saudi Arabia, which is an Islamic (Sunni) state, isn't buying the Iranian canard. The Saudis know what the Iranians are up to, and that's why they recently made plans to purchase nukes from Pakistan in anticipation of Iran developing nuclear weapons.

That would never have happened under a stronger U.S. administration that wouldn't have permitted a nuclear Iran. Unfortunately, the U.S. is governed by the weak and corrupt Obama Administration that believes that appeasement is always the best policy in dealing with rogue nations.

Why do the Iranians want nuclear weapons? Because they want to destroy Israel, the United States and Western Europe. And they believe that if they can accomplish that, they will usher in the appearance of the so-called 12th Imam who Shi'ite Muslims believe is the Islamic messiah or the Imam Mahdi.

The Iranians are convinced that the Mahdi cannot appear until Israel is destroyed and all the Jews are removed from the world.

The terrorist organization Hamas teaches that it is the religious duty of every Muslim to destroy Israel and murder Jews. Article Seven of its charter states: "Hamas has been looking forward to implementing Allah's promise, whatever time it might take. The prophet [Muhammad] said: 'The time (of Resurrection) will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews; until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: 0 Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him!'" Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Number 6985]

Islam encourages Muslims to lie to non-Muslims in order to deceive them. That practice is known as al-taqiyya and it has been used by Muslims for centuries to hide their true intentions of murdering unbelievers and conquering the world for Islam. According to the Hadith: "He who makes peace between the people by inventing information or saying good things, is not a liar." (Bukhari 49:857)

And Islamic law also encourages lying as long as the end justifies the means: "Speaking is a means to achieve objectives. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish through lying because there is no need for it.  When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible (N:i.e. when the purpose of lying is to circumvent someone who is preventing one from doing something permissible), and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory... it is religiously precautionary in all cases to employ words that give a misleading impression...One should compare the bad consequences entailed by lying to those entailed by telling the truth, and if the consequences of telling the truth are more damaging, one is entitled to lie."--Reliance of the Traveler, p. 746 - 8.2

When the Iranians claim that they have no intention of building nuclear weapons, they're employing al-taqiyya. They count on folks such as Barack Obama and John Kerry not knowing what Islam teaches concerning Israel, the Jews, Christians and all other non-Muslims.

Certainly, Kerry's ignorance is understandable. But Obama is familiar with Islam. He once lived in an Islamic nation as a youth where he attended a mosque. So, there's no excuse for his ignorance.

And there's no excuse for his terrible proposal that offers to lift economic sanctions against Iran if the Persian state promises to enrich uranium at much smaller levels.

The Iranians will gladly take that deal. And so will a fool who's too dumb to realize that he's being lied to.

The Obamanation of Desolation

Those of you who regularly read this space know that I'm no fan of Barack Obama.

I've despised the man since he first slithered into politics in Illinois many years ago, courtesy of political character assassin David Axelrod.

Whatever you think about Axelrod--and a lot of folks including myself don't think too kindly of him--he's the main reason why Barack Obama became America's 44th president in 2008. Without Axelrod, Obama would probably still be practicing law somewhere in Chicago.

I don't need to go into Obama's legion of lies, corruption and excuses for failure--they speak for themselves. Before he got into politics, he was both a community organizer and an attorney whose clients included notorious slumlords who were often sued by the city of Chicago for neglecting their property.

Millions of Americans are now finding out what many of us here in Chicago knew about Obama years ago. We knew that he was a slick con artist who had the ability to sell flood insurance to desert nomads.

And we knew what would happen if Obama was elected president. He would seek to turn the United States of America into a Marxist nation. And he's doing just that. Those who continue to deny that Obama's a Marxist are either woefully ignorant or they have their heads stuck in a place where the sun never shines.

Tragically, Obama's also destabilizing the entire world with his atrocious foreign policy. His appeasement of Iran has now put the entire Middle East and much of the world in serious danger of a nuclear confrontation.

The Saudis have made plans to purchase nuclear weapons from Pakistan in anticipation of Iran going nuclear. Though the Iranians contend that they have no plans to build nuclear weapons, the Saudis know otherwise.

As does the nation of Israel that's threatened by Obama's bizarre offer to allow Iran to continue to enrich uranium and keep all of its centrifuges. Obama's plan green lights Iran's nuclear program to develop nuclear weapons and it endangers not only Israel, but the entire Middle East, the United States and much of Western Europe as well.

Arlene Kushner, a former American who now lives in Israel and understands what a nuclear Iran would mean to the world, has very little respect for those Americans who continue to support Obama.

Here's what she recently wrote in her blog: "Where are the American people? Either they're asleep, or on numbing narcotics, or they have decided they just don't give a damn any longer what happens in the world--so that the fact that their president is surrendering America's proud and exceedingly important international role is just fine with them."
www.arlenefromisrael.info

Those who threaten Israel directly with force, or indirectly through terrible policies will be dealt with harshly by God. His word clearly states that he will protect Israel and destroy those who put the Jewish nation in harms way. (Genesis 12:3, Ezekiel 36)

And that includes the United States that under Obama, has put Israel in a terrible position. But God will protect Israel. And He will punish America for not only abandoning Israel, but also for choosing a wicked leader in Barack Obama.

Warnings From Heaven

Devastation from Typhoon Haiyan

The total carnage from Typhoon Haiyan, the monster storm that recently slammed into the Philippines probably won't be known for several months.

In the city of Tacloban, a town located in the Leyte province of the central Philippines, the death toll is currently estimated at 10,000. Many more residents remain unaccounted for. If and when they're finally found, the death toll is sure to rise.

Since the Philippines is a long way from North America, many folks in this part of the world aren't as shocked by the devastation as they would have been had the killer storm struck closer to home.

How bad was Typhoon Haiyan? Do you remember Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city of New Orleans, La. in 2005? Then consider Typhoon Haiyan as Katrina on steroids. That's how bad this monster storm was.

Haiyan was listed as a Category Five storm which is as bad as a storm such as this one gets. The storm featured unheard of 195 mph winds that destroyed almost everything in its path. It's a miracle that anyone survived.

Those who were fortunate to survive are describing scenes that sound similar to a nuclear holocaust. Mila Ward, who was on her way to catch a flight to Manila, said this: "On the way to the airport we saw many bodies along the street. They were covered with just anything - tarpaulin, roofing sheets, cardboards." Ward claims that she counted about 100 corpses in the street.
http://weather.aol.com/2013/11/10/philippine-typhoon-deaths-climb-into-thousands

Certainly, this storm will be exploited by some for propaganda purposes to promote Climate Change-Global Warming. Though devastating storms have been occurring throughout history, the Climate Change promoters will use Typhoon Haiyan as "proof" that too much greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide is being emitted into the earth's atmosphere that is causing these storms.

The storm will also be exploited by some sanctimonious religious groups that will claim that God unleashed the typhoon upon the Philippines because of the prevalence of Islam, witchcraft and voodoo in that nation. They made similar claims after Katrina struck New Orleans.

If their argument is true, then the entire planet should be suffering from killer storms since false religion and occultism are practiced everywhere.

Why then, did God allow such a killer storm to devastate the Philippines? The answer is easy but painful: Because sin prevails in that nation as it does everywhere on earth.

Did I just contradict myself? No, because there isn't a place on earth where sin doesn't prevail. The next Haiyan or Katrina or killer earthquake could be coming to a place near you.

God uses such tragedies to warn the world of His impending judgment. Only His grace holds back His complete judgment of a world that has rejected Him and mocked His laws.

Shortly before he went to the cross, Jesus Christ revealed this ominous prophecy of what would take place in the last days on earth directly preceding His return: "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken." (Luke 21:25-26)

Was Christ alluding to storms such as Katrina and Haiyan? I believe He was. Unless the world repents of its sin and returns to God, even worse events are sure to come.

Weeping For A Dying Nation

Billy Graham

The legendary Rev. Billy Graham is 95 years old and his days on earth appear to be numbered. He recently gave what was probably his final sermon.

That sermon is contained in a video titled: My Hope For America. In the video, the Rev. Graham combines the gospel with his concern for the United States that in recent decades, has become a pagan nation.

Here's a quote from the video: "Our country's in great need of a spiritual awakening. There have been times that I've wept as I've gone from city to city and I've seen how far people have wandered from God."

The Rev. Graham has seen America in better times. He can still remember when churches were filled and crime rates were lower and the majority of Americans believed in God and obeyed his laws.

And tragically, in the twilight of his life, he sees a much different nation that's on the verge of collapse. And that's why he decided to speak out one last time as only he can. 

I haven't always agreed with Rev. Graham. He became an ally of the Roman Catholic Church many years ago. Anyone who has a rudimentary understanding of Catholicism knows that the Catholic Church promotes a gospel of works rather than the biblical gospel of faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

The Catholic gospel is a false gospel and the Rev. Graham certainly knows that. There's no salvation in that gospel. And the Rev. Graham has never preached a gospel of works.

I'm also not fond of the "shotgun" approach to salvation that the Rev. Graham and other globetrotting evangelists have employed over the years. The shotgun approach mandates altar calls following fiery sermons where folks are encouraged to recite the Sinner's Prayer and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Those confessions of Christ are often emotional spur-of-the-moment decisions that aren't genuine. When the emotion fades, many folks forget about Christ and go back to living sinful lives.

True salvation demands that a person recognize that he or she is a sinner who is eternally lost without a genuine relationship with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. And that relationship can only come by faith when that person makes a genuine commitment to repent and live for Christ. (Romans 10:9-12)

Whatever my differences with the Rev. Graham, he's spot on for calling out America's impending doom. And I believe that God is using the elderly preacher to warn Americans that their time for repentance is quickly running out.

Certainly, the Christian church in the United States deserves a lot of the blame for America's deepening moral crisis. For whatever reason, the American church stopped contending for the faith (Jude 1:3) many years ago and subsequently lost the cultural battle to godless humanists who imposed their worldview upon the nation.

That worldview has given us legalized mass murder (abortion), an explosion of violent crime, rampant sexual immorality and perversion, and horrible political leaders such as Barack Obama.

Shortly before Christ went to the cross, he lamented about Israel's indifference toward God and her apathy toward His laws. Here's what he said: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" (Matthew 23:37-39)

If Christ came to the United States today, he'd say the same thing. Time is running out. America, please listen to Rev. Graham because judgment is knocking on your door. 

Life Beyond Earth?

When Jesus Christ revealed the events that would take place across the world just prior to His return, one of those events was the appearance of "great signs from heaven." (Luke 21:11)

What was Christ referring to? Some prophecy experts believe that Christ was referring to the increase in comets, meteorites and asteroids that would appear in the end time skies.

Others believe that Christ alluded to spectacular heavenly light displays such as the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) that are caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere.

That's not what I believe Christ was referring to because those events have been occurring since the beginning of time.

Then what sort of signs was Christ referring to? I believe that Christ was referring to the appearance of UFOs that have been increasing in recent years.

For example, the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) reports that in recent years, UFO sightings have greatly increased across the world.

MUFON international director Clifford Clift claimed this during an interview with the Huffington Post early last year: "For the entire month of January 2011, MUFON recorded around 500 reports, and we're already up to 233 after just the first week of 2012. For December (2011), we had 810, compared to about 500 in December 2010. Last year, we averaged over 6,000 total sightings, and if it continues at this pace, we'll be up 50 percent, with about 10 percent of those reports ending up as unexplained after our investigation."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/2012-ufos-are-off-and-run_n_1194310.html

While no reliable records exist to track the number of UFO sightings over the past 100 years, I think that it's safe to say that they're increasing.

But why? And what are these UFOs? Certainly, some sightings are either fabricated or they're objects such as weather balloons, strange clouds or small aircraft that get mistaken for UFOs.

But many of these sightings are mysterious and can't be explained. What are they? Are they spacecraft piloted by aliens from other galaxies?

Many folks, including professing Christians, believe they are. But if physical life exists on other planets in other galaxies, then we have a serious problem because the Bible never reveals that. The Bible reveals that God created physical life for this planet only. (Genesis 1)

Furthermore, if life does indeed exist elsewhere in the universe, then it's doomed because, according to the apostle Peter, the physical universe is going to be destroyed by God when Christ returns: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." (2 Peter 3:10)

What are UFOs? I believe that they're supernatural phenomena caused by demons. What's the purpose of UFOs? To deceive the entire world into believing that life exists elsewhere in the universe.

That belief debunks the biblical account of creation and promotes evolution. There is no physical life beyond planet earth.

However, there is a fallen spiritual realm out there under the authority of Satan. (Ephesians 6:12) And that spiritual realm thrives on deceiving folks who are willing to believe anything other than what the Bible teaches concerning life and the physical universe.

The Brevity of Life

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."--James 4:14

Certainly, death is an unpleasant subject. While it's the destiny of every human being, few people want to think about it.

Some folks foolishly believe that death is for others, but it isn't for them. They imagine that somehow, a miracle drug will be discovered that will allow them to live forever.

Actually, eternal life was available to mankind a long time ago. It was provided by God in the form of fruit that grew from the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:22)

Unfortunately, the first couple Adam and Eve chose to eat the bad fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that the Lord had forbidden them from eating. (Genesis 2:16-17)

Because the first couple violated God's command by eating that forbidden fruit, they forfeited their right to eat from the tree of life that would've blessed them with eternal life. Death, which wasn't a part of God's plan for His creation, entered the human race with that sin. And death has been a curse upon mankind ever since.

Many people--including professing Christians--don't believe in the literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. They believe that Genesis is just an allegorical account of the beginning of time that's not to be taken literally.

The Roman Catholic Church is among those that reject the literal interpretation of Genesis. Rather, the Catholic Church teaches a hybrid called, Theistic Evolution. What is Theistic Evolution? It's a theory that claims that God laid out the ingredients for life millions of years ago and then allowed life in all of its complex forms to evolve.

That's not what the Bible teaches. The Bible declares that God created the physical universe, the earth and all life forms in six literal days and then rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 1-2)

However, the Catholic Church debunks the Bible's account of creation. If the Catholic Church is right, then death entered God's creation long before Adam and Eve appeared. If the Catholic Church is correct, then what caused death to enter God's creation? And why? Did God somehow make a mistake?

The Bible teaches us that death entered the human race because of sin. And that sin had to be atoned for; first with animal skins that God provided to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, (Genesis 3:21) and then through a system of animal sacrifices mandated by the Mosaic Law. (Leviticus 1-7)

However, that sacrificial system was inadequate for the remission of sin because those sacrifices had to be repeated endlessly. God finally provided the everlasting atonement for sin through His Son Jesus Christ who entered the world 2,000 years ago to become that atonement that God's infinite justice demanded. (Hebrews 9-10)

Christ's death on Calvary's cross for our sins rescued us from eternal death and damnation. However, our physical bodies still must die because "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God..." (1 Corinthians 15:50)

Though we will all die physically unless we're taken up in the Rapture, we will be resurrected by Christ with new immortal bodies that will never taste death again. (1 Corinthians 15:51-56) 

But only those who truly belong to Jesus Christ by faith will receive that incredible gift. The rest of mankind will be raised only for judgment, and then to be cast into the eternal lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

Do you fear death? You shouldn't unless you don't belong to God through His Son Jesus Christ. 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)

Eternal life is that simple. And God wants everyone to receive it. By faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Not by faith in religious rituals, customs or dogmas.

The Mendacity of False Hope

According to the Bible, lying is a sin that's an abomination to God: "A false witness shall not go unpunished, and he that speaks lies shall perish." (Proverbs 19:9)

Why do people lie? While fear is one of the greatest factors concerning mendacity, deceit is the foundation of every falsehood.

If you've ever been lied to, then you know what it feels like when you finally discover the truth. You not only feel betrayed, you feel insulted because the person who misled you believed that you were too dumb to know any better.

And that's what recently happened to millions of Americans. Not those Americans who recognized who Barack Obama really was five years ago in 2008 when they refused to vote for him during his first presidential campaign, but the millions of folks who ignored who he was in 2008 and then again in 2012 because they were willingly fooled by a slick con artist.

That con artist promised America an affordable health care system where health care costs would tumble and everyone would be covered. And that con artist promised Americans that they could keep their existing health care policies if they so desired.

Those were vicious lies. Many folks were conned into embracing something that they didn't want. If they had known Obama's true intentions, they would never have accepted his health care plan.

But Obama believed that millions of Americans were too dumb to know any better. And tragically, he was right.

America is now stuck with a health care system that is going to ruin the nation financially and lead to socialized medicine. And that was Obama's goal when he and his acolytes ramrodded the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010.

Socialized medicine inevitably leads to terrible health care, rationing and skyrocketing costs. Folks who will suffer the most will be the elderly and seriously ill who will live out the remainder of their lives in pain and misery before they die.

But don't blame Barack Obama. Blame the American people who ignored the warnings five years ago concerning the radical Senator from Illinois. This was a man who consorted with terrorists, (Bill Ayers) racists, (Jeremiah Wright, Derrick Bell) political fixers, (Tony Rezko) and embraced the ideology of hardcore communists such as Saul Alinsky and Frank Marshall Davis.

Obama wasn't a mystery man who concealed his past. He was always a liar and a con artist who would say anything to achieve his goals. His past was well known. And yet millions of folks ignore his past. And now, they are reaping what they have sown.

When Jesus Christ talked about the devil, here's how he described him: "He was 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)

And so, if Satan is the father of lies, then those who willfully lie and deceive are his spiritual offspring. Even U.S. presidents.