The Whore of Babylon

For many years, the general consensus has been that the Roman Catholic Church is in a steep decline from which she will never recover.

Certainly, membership statistics bear that out. Although the Catholic Church still retains about one billion members globally, she has lost millions of members over the past 50 years.

Some of that loss has resulted from the numerous pedophile scandals that the church has often attempted to cover up. But much of that loss has been due to the Catholic Church's growing irrelevance in an increasing secular world.

However, that's about to change. Biblical prophecy clearly reveals that "religion" will play a major role in the last days on earth preceding the return of Jesus Christ. But how? Through the explosion of supernatural events that the world has never witnessed before in history.

Miracles have the ability to recruit even the greatest skeptics who don't believe in the supernatural. And miracles provide the greatest tool of deception for a dark spiritual realm that is at war with God and wants to destroy his human creation.

Not all miracles are good miracles. Jesus Christ Himself warned that a powerful wave of demonic deception is going to sweep across the world in the end times that will recruit billions of folks into a false Christianity that will destroy them eternally. Here's Christ's caveat: "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Matthew 24:24-25)

The elect that Christ referred to are true Christians rather than cultural ones. What Christ's warning clearly means is that the supernatural events that are going to manifest will be so potent that even many true bible-believing Christians may succumb to them.

The apostle Paul revealed that these counterfeit miracles will begin appearing shortly before the appearance of the dreaded Antichrist. Paul wrote: "The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) 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)

How is the Catholic Church related to these events? Biblical prophecy reveals that the Catholic Church will not only be the catalyst for this counterfeit revival, she will eventually become partners with the end time world government.

In his famous vision he received from God in about 90 A.D. while he was in exile from Rome on the desolate island of Patmos, the apostle John saw a garishly dressed woman that sat high stop a scarlet beast. (Revelation 17) The beast featured seven heads and 10 horns, which is symbolic for the coming world government that will feature 10 nation groups that will be ruled by seven kings. (Daniel 7:7, Daniel 7:24, Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:3)

Who is this mysterious woman that John described as a harlot? She represents this coming global religion. But how can she be identified as the Roman Catholic Church? By John's description of her and her location in the world.

John described her dress as "purple and scarlet...glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls." (Revelation 17:4) Purple and scarlet represent the colors of the Roman Catholic priesthood. Furthermore, John described her earthly location as a city that is surrounded by seven hills.

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. The Vatican is located in Rome and is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. When John recorded the Revelation, the Catholic Church didn't exist and wouldn't come into existence for another 250 years.

And furthermore, John wrote this: "I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus." (Revelation 17:6)

What was John referring to? John referred to the millions of true Christians throughout history that have been martyred by the Catholic Church for refusing to join her. That history includes the wholesale slaughter of the Waldenses and the Albigenses as well as the slaughter of many Jews who refused to convert to Roman Catholicism.

But before the miracles commence, the Catholic Church needs to spread a new ecumenical message to the world by offering a false olive branch of peace. That ecumenical movement, which actually began with Vatican II (1962-1965) aims to bring all the religions of the world together under the Catholic Church in preparation for the coming one-world religion.

Pope Francis has not only offered an olive branch to Islam by praising that religion, he has offered similar praise to other world religions in defiance of what the Bible teaches that reveals faith in Jesus Christ as the only path to heaven and eternal life. (John 14:6)

The pope has also revealed the Catholic Church's Marxist intentions by praising socialism and demonizing capitalism. Calling capitalism "the new tyranny", here's what Francis recently said: "In this context, some people continue to defend trick-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 naive 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." Pope Francis criticizes unchecked capitalism - Orlando Sentinel

Why is that statement so significant? Because socialism is the lifeblood of every totalitarian government. And the coming world government will be a very totalitarian state. So totalitarian that it will control everything from business to economics to personal property.

The Catholic Church has historically been a model for the coming world government. She denies her priesthood independence by refusing them their own personal property and the freedom to marry. That's total economic and social control. And that's what Francis advocates when he promotes Marxism over capitalism. He wants a massive, central world government to control everything in the same way that the Catholic Church controls its human and economic property.

And so, Pope Francis has become just the ecumenical religious leader that the Catholic Church needs for a global revival in preparation for the coming counterfeit supernatural revival.

Not only has the pope extended olive branches to the secular and religious world, he has put his stamp of approval on homosexuality that was historically condemned for centuries by the Catholic Church. When the highest ranking leader of the Catholic Church now praises homosexuality, then we are getting close to the end. And the end will begin when the miracles begin.

And those miracles will mostly likely feature manifestations of the Virgin Mary (not to be confused with Christ's true mother Miriam) that have been increasing throughout the world over the past 100 years. Queen of the World

Why does Mary hold the key to a counterfeit global religious revival? Because she's not only revered by one billion Roman Catholics and several million Orthodox Christians, she's also revered by two billion Muslims as Fatima.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=a3146ea8-5c72-4be2-b9ce-f688c0cf6b49

Mary is revered by nearly half of the world's population. It stands to reason that the appearance of Marian apparitions across the world have the potential to promote the greatest counterfeit religious revival in the history of the world.

And when you consider the war, strife and economic upheaval going on throughout the world right now, that religious revival is just around the corner. And so is the dreaded Whore of Babylon

Homosexuality and Christianity

Phil Robertson, the embattled star of the popular A&E series, Duck Dynasty, has been accused of invoking hate-speech against homosexuals because he had the audacity to condemn the gay lifestyle.

Actually, all Robertson did was quote 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 that says this: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 

Apparently, fornicators, idol worshipers, financial shysters, con artists, thieves and alcoholics weren't the least bit insulted by Robertson's use of a scripture penned by the apostle Paul 2,000 years ago that condemned their lifestyles. But gays and lesbians were extremely insulted by it.

They were so insulted by Robertson's use of that scripture that they demanded A&E throw Robertson off the show even though very few of them--if any--watch the show.

And A&E meekly complied until the cable TV network received an avalanche of complaints from people who actually do watch the show and like Robertson and his southern folksy family. A&E reluctantly reinstated Robertson to the show because the network faced the loss of millions of viewers which translated into tons of lost advertising revenue.

It's become a tragic day in America when a person such as Phil Robertson can be persecuted for merely sharing his biblical views publicly concerning the gay lifestyle.

Robertson didn't resort to slurs as some are in the habit of doing who disapprove of the gay lifestyle. He merely quoted a biblical passage which he has a constitutional right to do under the First Amendment. And for that, he was soundly condemned and nearly banned permanently from television.

For the record, homosexuality is merely one of a host of behaviors categorized in the Bible as sinful. In fact, more scripture is devoted to condemning such sins as idolatry, fornication, greed and adultery than to homosexuality.

And yet, for some reason, Christians who embrace a biblical worldview concerning homosexuality are condemned as bigots and haters.

What's the reason for that? The reason is simple: America has a large minority of godless secularists who hate fundamental Christianity and want to completely eradicate it from the landscape. And what better way to accomplish that than to exploit a group of people by making them victims of a faith that declares their lifestyle as sinful.

Once a group has gained victim status, then any criticism of its lifestyle and practices is deemed bigotry. That's how you silence your enemies. You marginalize them by turning them into ugly, freakish bigots.

I'm not going to get into an argument whether homosexuals can be "straightened" out. Many gays have gone straight and many others have tried, only to return to the gay lifestyle.

I will say this: Those who willingly practice the homosexual lifestyle--like those who steal, murder, commit adultery, molest children, practice the occult and worship false gods--will not inherit the kingdom of God, no matter how often they attend church or profess Jesus Christ as Lord.

The antidote to the power of sin can be found in the greater power of Jesus Christ. And it isn't shameful to be overcome by sin and its many manifestations.

It's only shameful when one refuses to turn the power of sin over to Christ.    

Roasted Duck Well Done

Phil Robertson

Many folks will hail the decision by cable TV colossus A&E to reinstate Phil Robertson to its popular show Duck Dynasty as a victory for conservatism over secularism.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. The only reason why Robertson was reinstated was because A&E stood to lose millions of dollars in revenue with the cancellation of the show.

And so, even in an industry controlled by godless leftists who abhor all things Christian, money still ultimately wins out. Robertson and his family, who are undoubtedly looked down upon by media elites as uneducated hillbillies, were just too valuable to lose.

Thus, to the chagrin of humanists who want to eradicate fundamental Christianity from America's landscape, Duck Dynasty lives on for the time being.

But you can be sure that if Duck Dynasty was a show with marginal ratings, it would've been permanently banished from the airwaves after Robertson criticized the homosexual lifestyle via the bible in an interview he gave to GQ magazine. 

For the record, here's the scripture Robertson quoted that ignited the controversy: "Or do you not know that evildoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men  nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

Robertson also shared a somewhat crude opinion of his preference for female sexual anatomy over the anatomy that homosexuals derive their sexual pleasure from. 

For that, Robertson was branded a homophobe. That logically means that anyone who publicly recommends conventional intercourse over the homosexual variety should be considered a homophobe.

Robertson was also skewered as a racist for these remarks concerning blacks: "I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks because we're white trash. We're going across the field--they're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people--not a word. Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."

No one with a functional brain would've interpreted that as a racist remark. Nevertheless, America's godless left was somehow offended by it and trotted out loyal puppet Jesse Jackson, the phony reverend who condemned Robertson's remarks as classic Jim Crow.

You might remember Jackson. He was the "clergyman" who counseled President Bill Clinton back in the 1990s when Clinton had great difficulty keeping a certain part of his anatomy in his pants.

It turns out that during the time that he served as Clinton's sex-abstinence counselor, the "reverend" was indulging in a bit of his own non-homosexual intercourse that resulted in a love-child out of wedlock.

No matter. Being a loyal member of America's secular-progressive culture means never having to be held accountable by that culture for the things that destroy the careers of conservative Christians such as Phil Robertson.

For now, A&E's favorite duck has dodged the proverbial bullet. However, you can be sure that America's godless tolerance police will look for another opportunity to shoot him and his popular show down again. Since Robertson's a professing Christian, he's their mortal enemy.

And, according to Jesus Christ who predicted this sort of animus against His followers nearly 2,000 years ago: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:18-19) 

The Messiah For All Seasons

Many folks will spend today opening gifts, feasting and surfing TV channels to find something to watch that won't chloroform them to sleep.

That's what Christmas has become for much of the western world that gives only a nominal nod to the Son of God Jesus Christ for whom the holiday is supposed to honor.

Though Christmas isn't the true birthday of Christ--we don't know the exact date of His birth--it should be a day to reflect upon the real reason why Christ entered this world.

And that reason wasn't to give people an annual excuse to engage in pagan revelry such as excessive eating and drinking, partying, lounging around on the couch watching TV or opening presents.

That reason was to reconcile a sinful human creation back to God by Christ's death on a Roman cross and His resurrection from the dead. Without that everlasting atonement, we would all be dead in our sins and condemned to an eternity in hell.

But for many people, that's not a popular message because that message forces them to face the reality of their sinfulness and rebellion against God.

Yes--I'm referring to the millions of professing Christians across the world who don't live for the Savior they claim to follow.

There's a difference between being affiliated with a church and actively serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Church membership and or infant baptism does not make someone a Christian.

Faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ is what makes a person a genuine Christian in God's eyes. As the apostle Paul wrote to the early Roman church nearly 2,000 years ago: "The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:8-10)

That message should be the focus of Christmas. No world religion or faith offers the hope of eternal life through the death and resurrection of a savior as Christianity does.

And no other world religion or faith can because apart from Christ they offer only the false hope that human beings can atone for their own sins and gain eternal life by following the rituals and traditions of man-made religious systems.

The Christmas message should be all about the cross rather than an infant in a manger. It should focus on how God extended His grace to mankind by sending His perfect Son Jesus Christ into the world to cleanse us of our sins by shedding His blood on Calvary's cross.

In fact, that's a message that we should reflect upon each and every day of the year.

Return of the Jews

"For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days."--Hosea 3:4-5

For those who haven't noticed, there's a burgeoning conservative movement taking place among the Jews that began about 30 years ago.

Though that movement is still largely a political one, it has motivated many Jews to take a new look at Jesus Christ to seriously consider whether he is indeed the Jewish Messiah that Israel's ancient prophets foretold of thousands of years ago.

Though the majority of Jews throughout the world--and particularly in the west--still identify as liberals and progressives, a growing number of them have turned away from liberalism in recent years to embrace conservative values.

But why? Largely because of two reasons: (1) the resurgence of anti-Semitism throughout the world and (2) the support they've received from bible-believing Christians who pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel's survival.

The first reason why many Jews are abandoning liberalism for conservatism is an obvious one: because many Jews have finally discovered that the nexus of global anti-Semitism is found in liberalism.

Leftists make up one of the largest groups of anti-Semites in the world. They not only call for the destruction of Israel--like some of the worst fascists of old--they increasingly blame the Jews for everything from climate change to poverty to global economic problems.

And they really believe that if Israel would just go away, true peace would come to the Middle East. That's why liberals hate Israel and hate those who support the Jewish nation.

Tragically, many Jews continue to side with these monsters, not realizing or caring that a lot of these folks want to resurrect Hitler's Final Solution and eradicate world Jewry.

The second reason why many Jews are abandoning liberalism is because they've found that evangelicals are genuine friends who truly care about them and the survival of Israel.

For many centuries, the Jews tried to avoid Christians because they believed that Christians who tried to befriend them were only interested in converting them.

And of course, for centuries, the Jews were persecuted harshly by the Roman Catholic Church that taught that they were eternally cursed and cutoff by God for rejecting Christ. Though God promised through His prophets to bring the Jews back to Him and restore their nation (Amos 9:11-15, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Joel 3:18-21), the Catholic Church ignored the Bible by arrogantly claiming that she had replaced Israel as God's chosen people.

In fact, much of the modern anti-Semitism that continues to plague the Jews today wherever they go in the world can be traced to the Roman Catholic Church that remains one of the most anti-Semitic organizations on earth.

Sadly, when many Jews think of Christianity, they think of the Catholic Church and her historical persecution of their ancestors. Who can blame them for having a such a negative view of Christianity?

And yet, in accordance with God's will and the fulfillment of His word spoken to His ancient prophets, the Jews are beginning to come home.

The apostle Paul recorded this prophecy, ironically to the early pre-Catholic Roman Church nearly 2,000 years ago: "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited; Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." (Romans 11:25-27)

Amen. Are we seeing the fulfillment of biblical prophecy concerning the Jews? I believe we are.

Christmas Truths and Falsehoods

Christmas has long been celebrated by many as the birth of Jesus Christ. And the majority of Christians throughout the world take it for granted that Christmas is Christianity's most sacred holiday.

But was Christ truly born on December 25? Most of Christendom believes that he was. However, a close examination of the Bible's account of Christ's birth (where the Christmas story comes from) tells us a different story.

For example, the gospel of Luke, that reveals the most extensive account of the birth of Jesus Christ, informs us that the angel Gabriel visited Mary "in the sixth month" (Luke 1:26) to inform her that she had been chosen by God to give birth to His Son Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah.

What was the "sixth month" that Luke referred to? It was most likely the Hebrew month of Elul that coincides with August-September on our Julian calendar.

The Bible never reveals whether Mary conceived during that month, but it's safe to assume that the reason why the Holy Spirit encouraged Luke to record the time of Gabriel's visit was to inform us that Christ wouldn't be born in late December.

If Christ had indeed been born on December 25, then Mary would have conceived sometime in the month of Nissan, or the first month of the Hebrew calendar that coincides with March-April on our calendar.

Is it really important to for us to know when Christ was born? Yes, because Christmas isn't the birthday of Jesus Christ, but rather a pagan holiday that was once celebrated by the ancient Romans as the Saturnalia.

The Saturnalia was an annual festival that honored the Roman god Saturn and was marked by raucous merrymaking, gluttony, debauchery, heavy drinking and orgies.

Simpletoremember.com gives us a description of that pagan festival: "Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25.  During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the week-long celebration.  The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.”  Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week.  At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman." 
http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

How did the birth of Christ become incorporated into such a detestable holiday?

In the Fourth Century C.E., the early Roman Catholic Church decided that it could best encourage the pagans to join the church by converting pagan celebrations such as the Saturnalia into "Christian" holidays. Thus, the Saturnalia was changed to the mass of Christ or the birthday of Christ that later became known as Christmas.

Though Christ became the alleged focus of this strange new holiday, the old pagan traditions continued to thrive for many centuries. According to David Kertzer, (The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001, p. 74.) Pope Paul II forced several Jews to run naked through the streets of Rome in 1466 as part of that year's Christmas festivities.

And in 1881, according to Kertzer, high-ranking leaders of Poland's Warsaw Catholic Church stirred up the faithful against the Jews during Christmastime that year that resulted in the murder of several Jews and the widespread destruction of their property.

Obviously, I don't think that Jesus Christ would want us to celebrate His entrance into the world in that fashion. Rather, he would want us to honor and celebrate His life, ministry, death on the cross for the sins of the world and his resurrection from the dead.

And He would want us to celebrate that each and every day of the year rather than on just one day of the year that was once dedicated to a detestable, false god.

End Time False Messiahs

Jesus Obama

It took Barbara Walters five long years, but she finally came to the conclusion that many of us have known for years--that Barack Obama is anything but divine. 

Here's what Walters said: "He made so many promises. We thought that he was going to be – I shouldn’t say this at Christmastime, but – the next messiah. And the whole ObamaCare, or whatever you want to call it, the Affordable Health Act, it just hasn’t worked for him, and he’s stumbled around on it, and people feel very disappointed because they expected more." 

http://patriotupdate.com/2013/12/barbara-walters-really-thought-obama-next-messiah-something/

Walters is disappointed because she came to realize too late that Obama doesn't walk on water. And if Obama is no longer the messianic figure that she and millions of others once thought he was, that's because they ignored reality and conjured Obama's mythical image in their fertile imaginations.

Obama doesn't walk on water, and he probably can't even spell the word, either. Is that a bit harsh? Not when you consider that the man, whom his dwindling number of supporters still defend as an intellectual genius, won't even release his college transcripts to defend that claim.

And when a person refuses to release his or her college transcripts, that's usually because those documents contain embarrassing information. Such as terrible grades. And intellectual genius and terrible grades do not conform.

Certainly, Barack Obama isn't the messiah. But he's definitely a false messiah, and one of many that biblical prophecy reveals will visit the world in the last days preceding the return of the true Messiah Jesus Christ.

Concerning the appearance of false messiahs in the last days, Christ warned: "At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Matthew 24:23-25)

We've already seen Christ's prophecy fulfilled with the advent of counterfeit religious messiahs such as Moses David Berg, David Koresh, Sun Myung Moon and the infamous Jim Jones. 

However, their influence has mainly been limited to lost and disenfranchised people who were looking for something and someone to follow. The advent of political messiahs--while not unique in world history--really began to manifest in the 20th century with Germany's love affair with Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.

Like Hitler, Obama is a con artist who has frequently used hyperbole to influence people and mask his real agenda. Like Hitler, Obama rose to power by exploiting terrible economic conditions that he blamed on his predecessors. And like Hitler, Obama's an atheist who managed to win votes from gullible Christians by convincing them that he's one of them.

Certainly, Barack Obama isn't Adolf Hitler. But he's a prototype of the ultimate false messiah who's yet to come. Who's that? The Antichrist.

And when that wicked man appears, he'll be worshiped as a messianic figure by billions of people across the world who will fail to investigate the man before they cast their lot with him.

Why will they refuse to investigate him? Because he'll tell them "what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Timothy 4:3) God help us.

Read more at http://patriotupdate.com/2013/12/barbara-walters-really-thought-obama-next-messiah-something/#2zcJvaTeY2P9tqCm.9Obama doesn't walk on water and he probably can't even spell the word. If that sounds a bit harsh--so be it.When a person refuses to release his or her college academic transcripts, it's usually because those transcripts are embarrassingly

Duck and Run

Phil Robertson

Older Christians who remember better times in America probably never thought that they'd live to see the day when their faith would be ridiculed and scorned throughout the nation.

But that day has come. And the increasing persecution of Christians in America and across the world in the end times is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Concerning that persecution, Jesus Christ said this:  ^"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)

In his second letter to fellow apostle Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote this: "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Jesus Christ will be persecuted while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

We saw the fulfillment of those prophecies recently when the cable TV network A&E "suspended" Phil Robertson from the popular show Duck Dynasty. 

Television networks like to use the term suspended to give people the impression that they actually investigate the perceived politically-incorrect transgressions of their employees before they cut them loose.

In Robertson's case, he was suspended-fired for condemning the homosexual lifestyle in a recent interview he gave to GQ Magazine.

Unlike human blowtorch Alec Baldwin, who was finally canned by MSNBC after a long history of invoking gay slurs against his enemies, Robertson was "suspended" by A&E for merely quoting a scriptural passage that condemns homosexuality and other forms of sin.

Here's the scripture verse that Robertson quoted: "Or do you not know that evildoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men  nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

Robertson's a professing Christian and he used that bible verse to explain why he disapproves of the homosexual lifestyle. Unlike Baldwin, he didn't level obscenity-laced ad hominem attacks loaded with gay slurs to demean others. He simply voiced his opinion of homosexuality based upon his Christian worldview.

And for that, he was kicked off one of the most popular shows in the history of cable television. And tragically, the people who were most offended by Robertson's comments probably don't even watch Duck Dynasty.

The people who are responsible for kicking Robertson off television aren't the executives at A&E; they are the powerful humanists and militant homosexuals in America who want to stamp out fundamental Christianity and silence the dissent of those who use the Bible to condemn their pagan lifestyles.

Phil Robertson isn't the first Christian to be thrown off television for sharing his biblical worldview about homosexuality. And he probably won't be the last. Earlier this year, football analyst Craig James was terminated by Fox Sports Southwest for condemning the homosexual lifestyle.
http://prophecyreviewtoday.blogspot.com/2013/09/fascism-in-america.html

Like Robertson, James offered his opinion off the air on his own time. And yet, like Robertson, he was persecuted by his employer after his comments became publicly known. And like Robertson, James' freedom of speech that the First Amendment is supposed to protect was violated.

Expect more of this. We are living in the end times that the bible calls terrible times. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) And a very big part of these terrible times is the persecution of Christians.

The Color of Christianity

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

There is a religion called Christianity and there is a faith called Christianity.

The religious version comes from the world and as such, embraces many of the world's traditions and pagan customs. Such as? Such as its two most celebrated holidays in Christmas and Easter that have pagan roots.

Some of the worldly deceptions embraced by Christianity the religion include evolution that is increasingly taught as fact by a growing number of churches, and ecumenism, an unbiblical and universal view that claims all religions are valid and lead to heaven.

The faith version of Christianity bases its worldview upon God's revelation in the Bible rather than upon man's interpretation of God's revelation.

For example, the Bible reveals that God created the earth and all life forms in six literal days (Genesis 1) while the Roman Catholic Church debunks the Bible by claiming that life evolved over millions of years.

The faith version of Christianity reveals that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and eternal life (John 14:6) while the religious version teaches that Christ is just one of many ways to heaven.

The faith version of Christianity also teaches that salvation is a free gift from God that cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8-9) while the religious version promotes good works as essential for salvation and eternal life.

And the faith version of Christianity teaches us that when we are born again in Jesus Christ, we become a new creation: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

What does that mean? That means that all of us who are reborn into eternal life by faith in Christ are equal and the same no matter where we come from, our ethnic backgrounds or our skin color. The ground at the cross is always level.

And when we look at other people, we see only human beings created in the image of a Holy God. We no longer see the things that once divided us by skin color, ethnicity, religion etc.

That's the beauty of true Christianity--the fact that we are all equal in God's eyes no matter who we are or where we come from.

As the apostle Paul so aptly wrote nearly 2,000 years ago: "That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord over all and richly blesses all who call upon His name. (Romans 10:9-12)

And that's the color of Christianity--transparency. No hidden agendas; no folks who are better than others and no strings attached to the gospel. 

What a mighty and awesome God we serve.

Russia's Rise and America's Fall

New York City Mayor Elect Bill de Blasio

New York City mayor-elect Bill de Blasio states that liberalism is eventually going to prevail throughout the United States of America.

Of course, when de Blasio uses the term "liberalism" he really means communism. Liberalism is to communism what a silk dress is to a pig. Liberalism is the proverbial silk dress that covers the ugly, foul-smelling pig.

And de Blasio and his liberal comrades are the foul-smelling pigs that want to impose communism upon America so that they can enjoy unbridled power and wealth while ordinary Americans suffer in the poverty and destitution of hopelessness, high unemployment, inflation, and a terrible health care system.

Of course, "liberals" will never admit to that. However, look back at every society in recent history that has employed a Marxist style economy and you'll see what I mean. The only folks who get rich in that economic system are the dictators, despots, their insiders and the lackey propagandists who are paid to tell everyone how wonderful Marxism is. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin certainly knows a thing or two about communism. He served in the KGB during the days of the old Soviet Union, and he realizes that a Marxist financial system doesn't work, never has worked and never will work. 

He saw how that system ruined the economic infrastructure of Russia that is still trying to recover from its Marxist-Leninist curse over 20 years after the Soviet Union finally drew its last breath. 

Here's what Putin recently said during a speech that mocked the moral relativism of the United States and the western world: "This destruction of traditional values from above not only entails negative consequences for society, but is also inherently anti-democratic because it is based on an abstract notion and runs counter to the will of the majority of people."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10513330/Vladimir-Putin-claims-Russia-is-moral-compass-of-the-world.html?fb

After Putin declared that Russia will not treat good and evil as moral equals, he took a backhanded slap at the gay lifestyle by claiming that strong family values offer the best protection against "so-called tolerance--genderless and infertile."  

Putin may be a thug, but he understands power. And he realizes that when nations are morally weak, they become economically and militarily weak. 

Many people in the western world simply yawn when Putin speaks. But they shouldn't. He's a dangerous man on a mission to remake Russia into an economic and military powerhouse. 

And he realizes that with the United States in a moral and economic free-fall, the time is right for Russia to make her move to usurp America as the world's next superpower. 

How powerful is Russia? When the Ukrainian government recently canceled plans to sign an association agreement with the European Union at the behest of Russia, then you can understand how powerful Russia is becoming.

Russia's rise to world prominence is prophetic. Nearly 2,600 years ago, the ancient Hebrew prophet Daniel revealed the rise of a powerful nation that would become the head of a world government in the last days. Daniel described that nation as a northern kingdom. (Daniel 11)

Why would that kingdom be Russia? Because the Bible always places Israel at the center of its geographical map. Russia is located furthermost to the north of Israel and is a rising and dangerous superpower.

Furthermore, Putin is an Orthodox Christian and he often consults with the Russian Orthodox Church on matters of faith and morality. Daniel also revealed that the dreaded Antichrist will come from Russia. 

Is Putin the Antichrist? No. Many events still must take place such as the rise of a world government (Daniel 7:7, Daniel 8:23-24, Revelation 13) and the rise of a one-world religion (Revelation 17) before he appears.

But Putin is a very good prototype. Especially when he says things like this: "Nobody should have any illusion about the possibility of gaining military superiority over Russia. We will never allow this to happen. Russia will respond to all these challenges, political and military."

Return of Mystery Babylon

Pope Francis

Time Magazine's recent decision to name Pope Francis as its person of the year was great news for the Roman Catholic Church.

Why? Because the Roman Church needed some good news after several years of scandals and stodgy leadership that have made her increasingly irrelevant in a post-modern, post-Christian world. Unless that trend is reversed, the Catholic Church could become extinct in the not-too-distant future.

However, biblical prophecy reveals that the Catholic Church is going to play a very important role in the end time world directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ.

How so? Because she's going to become partners with a world government and become the vessel that reveals the dreaded Antichrist to the world.

Certainly, that sounds preposterous and much like a conspiracy theory. Although biblical prophecy may sound preposterous to those who are ignorant of the Bible, it's definitely not a conspiracy.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle John, who was living in exile from Rome on the desolate island of Patmos that was located in the Aegean Sea, received an incredible vision from Jesus Christ. John recorded that vision and it became known as the Revelation, which is the Bible's final book.

The Revelation describes the Apocalypse that is the end times. An integral part of John's vision includes the rise of a world government (Revelation 13) along with the rise of a one-world religion. (Revelation 17)

The Roman Catholic Church will be the head of that global religion. How can we determine that? By John's description of an allegorical harlot that represents this religion. John's description of her dress, code-name and her earthly location all identify the Catholic Church as the religion that will rule the world and help bring the Antichrist to power. http://www.prophecyreviewonline.org/pages.asp?pageid=71621

Keep in mind that when John recorded the Revelation in about 90 A.D., the Catholic Church didn't exist and wouldn't come into existence for another 250 years.

How does Pope Francis factor into this end time prophecy? He's immensely popular; he embraces socialism and he's ecumenical. And he's downplayed historical church teachings that condemn such topics as abortion, homosexuality and all non-Catholic religions.

And unlike his predecessor--Pope Benedict XVI--Francis is energetic and possesses a youthful enthusiasm that betrays his age. He's just the sort of pontiff that the Catholic Church needs to revitalize its flagging membership base.

Pope Francis' popularity signals the beginning of a religious renaissance for the Catholic Church that will not only convince many lapsed Catholics to return to the church, but convince many non-Catholics to join her as well.

And that's bad. Why? Because the Roman Catholic Church isn't the true church of Jesus Christ. And it never was. The Catholic Church teaches a gospel of works that's condemned by the Bible. The apostle Paul wrote: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

And so, Time Magazine's 2013 Person of The Year award is not only good for the Roman Catholic Church, it's also good for the devil; "the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10) the souls of human beings by deceiving them with a false gospel.

Socialism and Death

Population Control secular style

The Huffington Post doesn't seem like the sort of news outlet that would ever criticize the Obama administration.

And yet the liberal website betrayed its loyalty to the White House recently by publishing a memo that reveals the administration's proposal that calls for big pharmaceutical companies to gain monopolies over their products.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/08/tpp-trade-agreement

The memo supposedly comes from an unidentified country that's been involved in the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations. The Obama administration's proposal to grant monopoly powers to pharmaceutical giants is just one of several items on the agenda.

When HP asked the administration to comment on the memo and its controversial proposal, a spokesman for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative claimed ignorance. Isn't that a surprise?
                                                                                                                               
So what? What's the big deal about that? The big deal is this: If major world pharmaceutical companies are allowed to monopolize their products, then smaller independent companies won't be able to compete with the big giants without violating international patent and copyright laws.

That means the big pharmaceutical companies will be able to charge whatever they want for their medications without any concern for competitors that could offer cheaper alternatives that would help keep prices down.

If the Obama administration gets its way, millions of people will be unable to afford medicines that keep them alive. They will either have to depend on insurance companies to foot the bill, or they will be forced to survive without their medicine. Good luck with that.

And when you consider that more and more insurance companies are getting out of healthcare because of rising costs and crippling regulations, that means socialized medicine will eventually be the only choice for billions of folks across the world.

And you know what that means. A panel of unelected bureaucrats will eventually possess the power to decide who lives and who dies. That's what Obamacare is all about. It's about socialized medicine and population reduction and control.

Economic freedom is anathema is socialists. In order to enslave people, they have to take away their money by raising taxes, destroying the economy and controlling healthcare.

Without money, a person has no freedom. When they get sick, they're at the mercy of a callous, monolithic government. If they're too old or too sick or practice the wrong politics, they can be sent home to die.

Fortunately, according to HP, the Obama administration's proposal is DOA with the 11 other nations. For now, no one else wants it except the White House. But you can be sure that it will be back because death is an integral part of the Obama administration's agenda.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ said this concerning the devil and his true intentions: "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Thieves are also liars. When they speak of "affordable healthcare" for everyone, beware. That's code-speak for socialism, death and population control.

Heroes and Jerks

Dolores Pittman

According to biblical prophecy, people are going to become exceedingly wicked in the last days preceding the return of Jesus Christ.

Concerning that prophecy, the apostle Paul wrote this: "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)

Sadly, we just saw another fulfillment of Paul's prophecy recently when a blind 67-year-old woman named Dolores Pittman, who survives on a modest income, was informed that she had to move out of the only home she's known for the past 55 years.

Why was Pittman forced to move out? Has her town of Cedar Lake, Indiana condemned her property? Did she fall behind on the mortgage payments? Neither. The property hasn't been condemned and the house was paid for by Pittman's family long ago.

Pittman was forced out of her home because the house was purchased by a man named Clayton Pullins in 2009 at a Lake County tax auction for the princely sum of $43. Did Pittman fail to pay the property taxes on her small home?

No. It seems that Pittman's property was owned by a local church that wasn't required to pay any property taxes on the land until 2006 when Indiana changed its property tax laws. For many years, Pittman and her family had paid the church $10 per year to lease the land.

Evidently, when the church began receiving the tax bills, it ignored them. Then, in 2009, Lake County put the property up for sale at a tax auction and Pullins bought it.

Pittman wasn't aware of the sale until she received an eviction notice from Pullins last year. Pittman tried valiantly to keep the house through court battles, but to no avail. She finally moved out and is currently living in a rented home paid for courtesy of donated money from thousands of supporters who have taken up her cause.

However, although Pittman has a new home, her battle isn't over. She's blind and she has to become familiar with the layout in her new home.

If you've never known a blind person--and I do--you don't realize how important familiarity is to them. New surroundings can be difficult and terrifying to them because they must memorize where everything is. Until that happens, everything is a risk.

But there may be even a happier ending to this story. It turns out that Cedar Lake has decided to purchase the property from Pullins and allow Pittman to move back into the only home she's known since she was 12.

What if Pullins refuses to sell the property? Then Cedar Lake will use its municipal condemnation powers to buy the land from Pullins. One way or another, Pullins will be forced to sell the property to Cedar Lake. He has no choice.

When the sale is completed, Cedar Lake will offer Pittman a "life estate" which is a legal arrangement that will allow Pittman to live out the rest of her life in the home she first moved into in 1958. And Pittman has indicated that she plans to use the donated money she received from her supporters to fix up the home.

As for Pullins? He's keeping a low profile and has refused all interview requests from the media in what has now become a national story. He may be a jerk, but he isn't stupid.

However, Pullins' real problem isn't with those who'd like a piece of him for what he did to an elderly blind woman.

His real problem will come when he stands before Jesus Christ on Judgment Day and he's asked to explain what motivated him to do that. I certainly wouldn't want to be in his shoes on that day.

And so, here's hoping that he repents and gives Dolores Pittman back her house without a fight. Because if he refuses to repent, he's going to deal with an angry God who will judge him severely.

And you know what that means.

The Importance of Prophecy

Prophecy makes up about 20 percent of the Bible. Though that small number seems to suggest that biblical prophecy is insignificant, it plays a vital role in validating Christianity as a genuine faith.

What's so significant about biblical prophecy? Several things.

Evidential, historical prophecy contained in the Bible sets Christianity above and beyond the religions of the world because it proves the faith. No world religion, no matter how long it's been around contains any historical prophecy that validates its claim to truth.

For example, Muhammad, who is Islam's founding prophet, never recorded a single prophecy in the Koran that foretold of a future event hundreds and thousands of years before it happened. And yet he's esteemed--even by many Christians--as a prophet of God.

However, the Bible contains hundreds of historic, evidential prophecies that foretold the birth of the nation of Israel (Genesis 15:12-16), the virgin birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ (Isaiah 7:14), his ministry, crucifixion and resurrection from the dead (Isaiah 53), the diaspora of Israel and the subsequent restoration of the Jewish nation (Zephaniah 3:20, Micah 7:8-20, Ezekiel 37).

Biblical prophecy is also important because it alerts us to future events that will take place in the end time world. It allows those who are willing to pay attention to be ready for these events.

Such as? Such as the rise in moral depravity and lawlessness (Matthew 24:12, Romans 1:18-32, 2 Timothy 3:1-5), the global persecution of true Christians (John 15-16), the increase in famines and earthquakes (Luke 21:11), the increase in wars and rumors of wars (Mark 13:7-8), the rise of intellectual and spiritual deception (Matthew 24:23-25, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:3-4) and the rise of an evil world government (Daniel 7:7, Daniel 8:23-24, Revelation 13, Revelation 17).

All the events concerning the last days on earth as foretold in biblical prophecy are now occurring. Why is it important for Christians to pay attention to these events? Because the prophetic fulfillment of these events signals that the return of Jesus Christ is getting close.

Christ Himself said this: "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:32-35)

This is why biblical prophecy is important to us. It's historically factual and accurate. It has a flawless track record. And it proves God's existence and His divine intervention with His human creation.

Christianity's Decline in America

I'm frequently asked to critique Christianity in America. When I offer my opinion, many folks aren't too happy with me. They don't like what I tell them.

What's wrong with Christianity in America these days? Three things: (1) The American Church has become worldly-focused instead of heavenly-minded. (2) The American Church has increasingly forsaken the cross, and (3) the American Church has increasingly ignored the Bible for secular ideologies and unproven humanistic theories.

All three maladies happen to be prophetic. And certainly, these maladies aren't limited to America's churches. They affect churches throughout the world, and particularly in the western world.

The worldly focus of America's churches underscores a prophecy revealed by Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago concerning the end times: "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." (Matthew 24:10-11)

When people turn away from something, they turn to something else. The "turning away" that Christ revealed concerning the end time church has to do with the increasing rejection of historical biblical doctrine by many professing Christians for a false, experiential form of Christianity. Remember that the second part of Christ's prophecy deals with the rise of false prophets.

Who are these false prophets? They are prophets that proclaim that a great end time global revival is coming that will be predicated upon supernatural events and great miracles. Biblical prophecy speaks of no such end time revival. Rather, the Bible reveals a great end time apostasy where many people will abandon biblical truth to follow "deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

And so, indeed, a global revival is coming. But it will be a counterfeit revival that will deceive millions. Christ warned: "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect if that were possible." (Matthew 24:24)

The second malady that's ruining the American church is its increasing embrace of ecumenicism over the exclusive truth of the cross. Ecumenicism legitimizes all religions by denying the exclusivity of Christ's death on Calvary's cross for all sin. Christ Himself invalidated all world religions with this statement: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the (Heavenly) Father except through me." (John 14:6)

And yet despite what Christ proclaimed, many churches are embracing false religions such as Islam to promote unbiblical paths to heaven and eternal life. That's not only wrong--that's blasphemy. Remember what Christ stated concerning those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit? (Mark 3:28-29)

The third malady that's plaguing the American church is its increasing reliance upon godless ideologies such as Possibility Thinking, Positive Mental Attitude and humanistic psychology.

For nearly 1,900 years, Christendom relied on its faith in Christ to overcome the power of sin and evil. Christ stated: "I have given you power to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." (Luke 10:19) 

And yet, many churches today no longer believe that. Instead, they look for healing and deliverance in the godless theories of Freud, Jung, Maslow and Rogers. In many churches, the gospel has been superseded by the powerless doctrines of "Christian" psychology.

In fact, Christian psychology is an oxymoron. Christianity and psychology are totally incompatible. The true gospel comes directly from heaven while psychology comes from the world and the minds of godless men such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung who hated God with a passion.

Can the American church regain its influence over the nation and reverse the downward trend? Only if it returns to Christ and becomes obedient again to His word in the Bible.

If not, then it's all over for Christianity in America.