False Prophets and False Teachers

A follower of the infamous Harold Camping

Many students of biblical prophecy believe that the prophetic warnings concerning the appearance of false prophets and false teachers in the end times has little to do with Christianity and a lot to do with false religions and the New Age Movement.

They're dead wrong. When Jesus Christ and the apostles Paul, Peter and Jude warned about the rise of these folks in the last days, they spoke about the con artists who would invade the church and deceive God's people.

Here's what Jude wrote: "For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." (Jude 1:4)

And here's what Peter wrote: "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping." (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Certainly, a false prophet is someone who claims to have knowledge of future events based either upon direct revelations from God or the ability to discern mystical secrets contained in scripture. 

A good example is the late Harold Camping. Who was Camping? He was a popular self-styled prophet and evangelist who was notorious for making outrageous predictions that always failed to occur. For example, he wrote a book (1994?) that predicted the end of the world in 1994. 

Camping also predicted that the Rapture was going to occur on May 21, 2011. How did he come to that conclusion? He claimed that he discovered some hidden biblical calendar dating back to the prophet Daniel's time (600 B.C.) that allegedly revealed the date. When the Rapture failed to occur on the date Camping selected, he was appropriately dismissed as a false prophet and a fool. 

However, there are many other Harold Campings out there teaching outrageous things and uttering false prophecies. And tragically--like Camping--they've attracted a cult following of lemmings who believe everything they teach and predict.

There's Paul (call me David) Yonggi Cho, a South Korean pastor who's attracted tens of thousands of followers from all over the world. Cho teaches a combination of Hindu-New Age concepts combined with the false prosperity gospel. His book, The Fourth Dimension is an occult primer that's sold in many Christian book stores and utilized by many pastors.

There are too many of these characters to name them all. There's a man who I won't name who identifies himself as a "messianic Jewish rabbi" who claims that al Qaeda's 9/11/2001 attack against the United States was foretold over 2,700 years ago in Isaiah 9:10. 

And this man claims that on the recent Jewish new year (Rosh Hashanah) the world entered a Shmita (Sabbath) year that will feature all sorts of calamities. This man even traces past calamities to previous Shmita years.

Two things: Isaiah 9:10 has nothing to do with the United States. It's part of a prophetic warning from God to ancient Israel for her chronic rebellion against Him. (Isaiah 9:8-12) To claim that Isaiah 9:10 applies to America is extremely disingenuous. 

However, when you take a scripture out of context, you can often make it appear to say something it was never meant to convey. You could just as easily apply Isaiah 9:10 to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Secondly, the Jewish new year doesn't begin on Rosh Hashanah. It begins on Nisan 1 which coincided this year with March 21 on our Julian calendar. 

Rosh Hashanah is a rabbinical holiday that traces back to the 3rd century A.D. The biblical holiday is called the Feast of Trumpets that has nothing to do with a new year's celebration. 

Thirdly, the Shmita was an ordinance given by God strictly to the nation of Israel. It was never given to the nations of the world. The ordinance commanded the Israelites to leave their fields fallow every seven years and to cancel financial debts. 

To imply that calamities occur during Shmita years is incredible. They occur every single year. To imply that God uses the Shmita to send a message to the world is extremely dishonest.

Beware of false prophets and false teachers. The way to defeat them is to know the scriptures. The way they deceive you is to ignore the Bible and listen to them. 

Spiritual Wickedness: Satan's Master Plan

The ultimate counterfeit

If we could read Satan's mind, what would we discover? Certainly, we'd discover that the devil has a master plan to abolish the sovereignty of 193 world nations and establish a one-world government.

We'd also discover this: That Satan wants "Jesus Christ" to be the head of that government. But not the genuine Jesus Christ. Rather, an elaborate counterfeit who will possess hypnotic ability and supernatural powers to convince the entire world that he's the real deal.

Therefore, those who claim that the coming world government is going to be ruled by an Islamic caliphate are either ignorant of biblical prophecy, or they don't believe it. 

No, the coming world government won't be ruled by a caliphate because Israel is going to play a prominent role in the last days leading up to the return of the real Jesus Christ. 

Not only is Israel going to continue to exist--something that an Islamic caliphate would never permit--but the Jewish nation will also be allowed to rebuild her coveted Temple that was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

Why will Israel be allowed to rebuild her third temple? So the Antichrist can enter it and declare himself God to the world. The apostle Paul wrote: "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

Satan's ultimate desire is to be worshiped as God. And he wants to deceive God's people--Christians and Jews--into embracing his counterfeit messiah the Antichrist as the genuine Christ.

When you consider how many Christians and Jews are completely ignorant of the Bible and its prophecies, the potential for spiritual deception is a frightening reality.

The devil doesn't want to be worshiped as Allah. Remember, no one is permitted to see Allah. The devil doesn't want to be worshiped as Krishna, Vishnu or Shiva. Those are false gods and goddesses worshiped mainly by Hindus and pagans.

Rather, Satan wants the world to see his false messiah who he himself will possess. And he wants the entire world to bow down to him rather than the true God of heaven.

How do we know this? Nearly 2,800 years ago, the Lord revealed Satan's true desires: "How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'" (Isaiah 14:12-14)

Therefore, the coming Antichrist will not be Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, humanist or a Shinto. He'll claim to be Jesus Christ. And his followers will believe themselves to be Christians.

And they'll be so devoted to this man that they'll willingly have his mark placed either on their foreheads or hands. (Revelation 13:16-17)

The whole world will worship this counterfeit messiah. (Revelation 13:8) The whole world will be convinced that he's Jesus Christ when he appears and begins performing incredible miracles. (Revelation 13:13-14) And this counterfeit will lead millions--if not billions--into the pit of hell.

That's Satan's master plan. It's not a secret. The Lord revealed it to us long ago. But who believes it? And who's been paying attention?

Spiritual Wickedness: Part II

A Voodoo doll

Many years ago before I became a Christian, I inadvertently stumbled into the occult and subsequently became acquainted with the demonic.

How? As a prank, I purchased a voodoo doll from a friend who was selling them as novelties. The doll's purpose was to offer someone an object that they could use to vent their anger against an enemy.

The doll was promoted as harmless fun. It came with instructions, a set of stickpins and a curse to be recited against the person the doll was designated to represent. 

The doll's instructions mandated that in order to punish the person of your frustrations, you needed to acquire one of their personal items such as a comb or a strand of hair and then pin it to the doll while reciting the curse.

I didn't take the doll seriously until the person who I selected began complaining of sharp pains in the area of the doll where I stuck the pins. Since that person was completely unaware of what I had done, I realized that the doll had power. 

This was no toy--it actually had the power to hurt someone. And it scared me so badly that I threw the doll away. I began to realize that ghosts and demons weren't fictional creatures; they were real spiritual beings that possessed power. However, at the time, I didn't realize that they were fallen angels serving the devil. 

Later, when I became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, I repented of what I had done. Though some would argue that I acted in ignorance--and indeed I did at the time--ignorance provides no excuse for sin. Those who willingly or unwillingly get involved in the occult will be punished--and severely. You can count on that.

And so, my advice to everyone is this: Think very carefully before you get involved in something mystical that's promoted as harmless fun. It isn't. The occult opens the door to Satan and his demons, and if you give them the opportunity, they will invade your life and make things extremely difficult for you.

Some of the prime spiritual door-openers are the Ouija board, hallucinogenic drugs and eastern religious practices such as creative visualization and transcendental meditation. Other door openers to Satan include seeking spiritual counsel from horoscopes, mediums, psychics, fortune tellers and shamans.

I mention this because we're coming up on the demonic holiday of Halloween where occultism will be promoted and practiced--even by many biblically illiterate Christians.

What does God's word in the Bible say about those who practice the occult? It says this: "I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people." (Leviticus 20:6) 

And it says this: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord..." (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

If you've been involved in any occult practice, then you're under a curse. You may not see the results at the moment, but eventually you will. 

And unless you confess that sin to Jesus Christ and become born again into eternal life by faith in his death on Calvary's cross for your sins, that curse is going to take you to hell.

Spiritual Wickedness in High Places

When it comes to the reality of spiritual evil, many Christians either deny that it exists or they're obsessed with it.

To deny the presence of spiritual evil is to deny the reality of a fallen archangel named Satan and his band of fellow fallen angels--called demons--who rebelled against God a long time ago.

Conversely, those who are obsessed with spiritual evil attribute almost everything bad in this world to Satan and his demons. They're convinced that they can wage spiritual warfare against the devil and eradicate his evil influence.

Those who deny spiritual wickedness often downplay or ignore the existence of evil. They refuse to believe that Satan and his fallen angels encourage violence and depravity; promote false religions and empower ruthless, despotic political leaders.

For example, Islam is a religion that can easily be dismissed as fraudulent based on the evidence of the numerous historical inaccuracies and contradictions contained in the Quran.
http://prophecyreviewtoday.blogspot.com/2014/08/muhammad-or-isaiah-part-i.html

And yet two billion people throughout the world embrace that religion as truthful and divinely inspired. Any person who conducts a serious and objective study of that religion would conclude that Islam is a fraud. And yet Islam lives on, stronger than ever. Why? Because it's demonically empowered.

And the very fact that Islam promotes jihad as an essential proselytizing tool and encourages its adherents to murder Christians, Jews and others reveals the true spiritual source behind that religion.

Here's how Jesus Christ referred to the devil: "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)

That statement would make no sense if Satan lacked the ability to influence the physical realm. But he does and Christ alerted us to that reality.

But how can we discern the devil's influence? Very simply. When something so abjectly false (evolution, Islam, global warming etc.) continues to be embraced as truth by millions despite the evidence, then you know who's behind it.

When certain groups (Christians, Jews) are targeted for intellectual abuse, physical persecution and even annihilation because they believe in a holy God and his absolute transcendent moral laws, then you know who's behind it.

And when millions of people throughout the world--including may professing Christians--believe that the only solution for global peace is the establishment of a world government that would possess absolute authority, then you know who's behind it.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul warned the early churches to always be aware of Satan and his diabolical schemes. The failure to do so would be disastrous.

Here's what Paul wrote: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:12-13)

If the Christian church had not forgotten that passage, we probably wouldn't be seeing all the moral and spiritual problems that are plaguing the world today.

No, the devil doesn't force us to do evil. But he encourages us to. And he's very good at it. After all, he's had thousands of years to perfect his evil art.

Islam's Final Days

I'm frequently told that it's just a matter of time before Islam takes over the entire world. And there are those who insist that the coming dreaded Antichrist is going to be Islamic.

First of all, is Islam going to conquer the entire world and establish a global caliphate? My answer is an emphatic no. I can find no reference anywhere in the Bible that alludes to a global Islamic caliphate that's going to rule the world in the end times.

Secondly, the coming Antichrist isn't going to be Islamic. How do I know this? Because Israel is going to play a vital role in the coming seven-year Tribulation period leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.

How? The Jewish nation is going to be allowed to build her third temple on the Temple Mount where Islam's Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque currently exist.

No Islamic world leader would ever permit Israel to build a temple on the Temple Mount, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. In fact, no Islamic world leader would even allow Israel to exist.

Therefore, the coming Antichrist will not be Islamic. Rather, he will be a counterfeit messiah who will convince the entire world that he is Jesus Christ. And he will have an ulterior motive for allowing Israel to build her new temple; so he can enter it and declare himself God to the world.

The apostle Paul wrote this: "He (Antichrist) will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4) And Christ said this: "So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15-16)

And so, the Antichrist isn't going to be Islamic. And the very fact that he will have the power to allow Israel to build a new temple tells us that Islam probably isn't going to be around when this man allows the Jewish nation to construct the new facility.

If Israel tried to build that temple today, a bloody, violent war would break out in the Middle East and the United Nations would likely send troops to Jerusalem to halt the construction. Obviously, the Antichrist will possess extraordinary power and authority to allow the Jewish nation to successfully build the new temple.

Why is Islam doomed? Because it's a violent, barbaric religion that no sensible person wants. And consider the emerging nations in the world such as Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Korea. None of these nations want Islam. And they are going to do everything in their power to prevent the spread of Islam within their borders and ultimately eliminate that religion altogether.

As these nations grow in strength, they will begin to spread their influence to other nations. And these nations will begin to limit and ultimately outlaw Islam. Islam will eventually be forced to find refuge in weak nations until that religion is completely eradicated.

Islam may seem unstoppable at the moment. However, Islam only advances wherever there is weakness in the world. Islam is like the classic bully who only picks on those who are too scared to fight back.

The emerging nations are going to begin fighting Islam. And they're going to continue fighting until that religion is gone. You can count on that.

Bush and Hitler?

When ignorance reigns

When Jesus Christ looked out over Israel 2,000 years ago, He saw a nation that had fallen away from God into narcissism, nihilism and apathy.

This is what He said: "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the market places and calling out to others: 'We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.'" (Matthew 11:16-17)

What would He say today to a nation such as the United States that has become so intellectually lazy and morally apathetic that its people corporately yawn when one of their presidents is compared to a notorious mass murderer?

Who is that president? He is George W. Bush. Who is the notorious mass murderer he's been compared to? He is Adolf Hitler, the infamous German Chancellor who murdered 10 million people including six million Jews during his reign of terror from 1933 until 1945. 

I wasn't fond of America's 43rd president. President Bush was a big spender who ran up considerable debt during his eight years in the Oval Office. He also dragged the nation into two wars that cost America a lot of money and a lot of blood. 

Nevertheless, it's an insult to anyone who possesses intelligence and a conscience to compare Bush to a vile monster such as Hitler. Hitler nearly wiped out European Jewry. Had he not been stopped, he would have committed mass murder on a scale not seen since Genghis Khan. 

Hitler had plans to exterminate all non-white races and establish a super race of Aryans who would repopulate the earth. He was truly a diabolical man influenced by and likely possessed by demons. 

Certainly, there have always been kooks throughout history who have made such frivolous comparisons. But when the kooks are firmly entrenched in such industries as education, the media and entertainment, they have the ability to spread their rotten influence and cause considerable damage. 

One such kook is a sixth grade English teacher at McKinley Middle School in Washington, D.C. She recently assigned her students a homework lesson that asked them to find commonality between Bush and Hitler. 

Fortunately, some parents became outraged after they learned of the dubious lesson and they complained to the principal and the local school board. The D.C. Public Schools system was forced to issue an apology that sounded more like a political press release.

How does this relate to the time we're living in? It provides additional proof that we're living in the wicked end times. (Matthew 24:12, 2 Timothy 3:1-5) 

Many folks mistakenly equate wickedness strictly with violence and murder. But wickedness is also selfishness, indifference, apathy, debauchery, immorality, greed, ignorance, foolishness and unholiness. 

When people no longer fear God, they become ignorant of His laws and His ways. Thus, they begin living by their own moral code, as in the days of ancient Israel when "everyone did as he saw fit." (Judges 17:6) 

And when folks reject God for their own moral compass, then anarchy prevails. If Americans truly want to save their nation and preserve their freedoms, then they need to wake up and realize that their nation is on the verge of collapse. They must return to God and stop looking for their heaven on earth.

And they must get out of their churches and into the streets and begin influencing the culture once again with the Gospel. Prayer vigils won't do it. Revival meetings won't do it. Electing the right politicians won't do it. 

What America and the rest of the world needs right now is a dedicated group of Christian apostles who aren't afraid to preach the Gospel in the streets and are willing to suffer the consequences for it--even if that means losing their lives.  

Death of a Civilization

The world according to Barack Obama: “Now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not Islamic. No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim.”

For those who lag a bit behind in current world events, ISIL stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. And for those who are unfamiliar with Islam, ISIL is indeed Islamic.

How? Because its members are fundamentalists who take the Quran and the Sunnah literally. That's why they're waging jihad against those they consider to be infidels, because their religion commands them to.

Obama made his dubious claim concerning ISIL during a recent speech (September 10, 2014) that outlined his alleged strategy for defeating the barbaric group. ISIL has taken over a significant part of Iraq in recent months while murdering tens of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and Muslims in the process.

When Obama claims that ISIL isn't Islamic, he's either ignorant of Islam or he's lying which is always a strong possibility. Since he grew up in Indonesia, he ought to be very familiar with Islam because that religion is the predominant faith of that nation.

What's important to understand about Obama's statement concerning ISIL is that it's representative of the left's view of Islam, religion and the world. Like Obama, the left doesn't believe in moral absolutes. As such, the left considers religion merely a fading cultural institution expressed for an hour or two on the weekends.

Thus, according to the left, those who base their worldview on their faith are dangerous. And so, in the eyes of the left, the conservative, bible-believing Christian who opposes abortion and gay marriage is morally equivalent to the ISIL jihadist who butchers unbelievers in the name of Allah.

I've stated this in the past and I'll state it again: I consider leftists or progressives more dangerous than Islamic fundamentalists.

Why? Because leftism is extremely seductive and leftists are extremely disingenuous. Leftists are experts at hiding their destructive agendas behind noble causes.

For example, though they claim that they're champions of the poor and opposed to income inequality, leftists really want to destroy free market capitalism and install a socialist economy based upon the old Soviet model. Remember how well that worked?

While leftists claim that they support free speech, they really want to outlaw any speech that doesn't conform to their atheistic worldview.

When leftists claim that they support freedom of religion, they really mean that they're okay with religion as long as it stays out of the public square and inside churches, synagogues and mosques.

And when leftists claim that Islam is really a religion of peace that's been hijacked by a few radicals and whack jobs, they're either lying or they're expressing their ignorance of that religion. Both are strong possibilities.

Islam isn't a peaceful religion. It's never been a peaceful religion. It has no tolerance for other faiths, nor secularism which Islamists consider just a euphemism for paganism.

Islam advances the greatest wherever there is weakness. And right now, the western world has become extremely weak because it's no longer guided by Judeo-Christian principles. Christianity has become obsolete in Western Europe and is rapidly declining in North America.

And Islamists are moving in for the kill. And they're being aided and abetted by leftists who hate freedom as much as they abhor Christianity. The marriage of Islamists and leftists is truly a marriage consummated in hell.

If Americans don't wake up--and soon--their nation is going to look very different in the future. Instead of churches where they sing Amazing Grace, there'll be mosques where Americans will be forced to recite the Shahada.

In the Islamic world they have this saying: "First we get rid of the Saturday people (Jews), then we get rid of the Sunday people (Christians). 

If the western world wants to survive, then it needs to counter with this: "First we must do away with leftism and then we must do away with Islam." There is either survival or destruction.

Thirteen Years Ago

September 11, 2001

Though it's been 13 years since the Islamic terror group al Qaeda flew hijacked jetliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, it seems like it happened only yesterday.

Some folks take issue with me when I qualify the infamous September 11, 2001 attacks with Islam. They vehemently argue that the attackers didn't represent true Islam. While that logic might work with those who are ignorant of that religion, it doesn't work with me.  

Contrary to leftists, the attacks were indeed about Islam and not about an extremist group of religious fanatics who hijacked a peaceful religion and committed mass murder. Islam isn't a peaceful religion, nor has it ever been peaceful. 

Its Quran contains over 100 war verses that encourage Muslims to conquer the world by the sword for Allah. Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of Islam and the Quran understands that. Leftists can certainly read the Quran but they choose not to because that book's call to propagate Islam by coercion betrays their deluded ideology.

Certainly, the majority of the world's two billion Muslims are peaceful because they aren't fundamentalists. Muslims who take the Quran and the Sunnah literally aren't extremists or radicals. They're fundamentalists. The "whack jobs" who committed mass murder on 9/11/2001 were fundamentalists. They obeyed the teachings of their prophet Muhammad.

For example, according to Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun, "the holy war is a religious duty because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and the obligation to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force." 

Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi openly promotes jihad against unbelievers or "infidels" and teaches that every Muslim has a responsibility to commit to jihad: "In the jihad which you are seeking, you look for the enemy and invade him. This type of jihad takes place only when the Islamic state is invading other countries in order to spread the word of Islam and to remove obstacles standing in its way."

Those aren't the opinions of extremists or radicals who hang out in some remote region of Waziristan. They are the opinions of respected Islamic scholars. And the primary job of a scholar is to teach and indoctrinate. 

Unfortunately, until the west decides to wake up from its politically correct coma and recognize Islam for what it really is, more 9/11's are on the way. And since America's southern border has become a sieve thanks to President Barack Obama's horrible policies, another catastrophic attack is inevitable.

What will Obama say if another 9/11 occurs? Will he try to blame George W. Bush? It doesn't matter because he always has his media lackeys to cover his better half when things go wrong for him. And he knows that half of the American people are too stupid and apathetic to care. They'll continue to believe whatever he tells them.

Though I don't want to be a doomsayer, I would strongly suggest that on the upcoming anniversary of 9/11, folks be wary when they're around synagogues, churches, shopping malls and sports arenas. Something bad is in the air.

I hope and pray that nothing happens. But considering our terrible leaders who are blind to reality and are whistling past the proverbial graveyard, we have to be prepared for the worst. 

The terrorists are certainly prepared. They're prepared to deliver the worst to America and other parts of the western world. Let's hope they fail.

From Eternal Death to Eternal Life

Charles Watson

Most people don't know who Charles "Tex" Watson is because they weren't around when he became notorious.

Watson became famous by joining a hippy cult in the late 1960s. While that doesn't seem like anything newsworthy, the cult that Watson joined wasn't just any run-of-the-mill cult running around southern California in those days.

The cult that Watson joined was headed by the notorious Charles Manson, a sociopath, loser, career criminal, con artist, drug dealer and a failed musician. 

The cult had about 30 members that consisted mostly of young girls that had left middle and upper class families at Manson's behest to find their happiness and spiritual fulfillment in the self-styled guru. 

Manson managed to convince the girls that he was the second coming of Jesus Christ who would teach them how to become divine through a combination of hallucinogenic drugs, eastern philosophy, free sex and total submission to him. 

Along the way, Manson also convinced them that a global race war between blacks and whites was imminent and that he had been ordained by God to prepare a group of people who would emerge from a secret hideout at the end of the war to rule the world. 

Watson joined the group soon after he had dropped out of college in Texas and drifted west to find his own fulfillment. He grew up in Copeville, Texas, the youngest of three children from a conservative, church-going family. 

Watson was an extremely bright, gifted young man who seem destined for success in whatever field he chose. Unfortunately, he was also restless and he became disenchanted with a world that in his eyes placed more value on wealth and materialism than upon spiritual things.

And so, he took off for California in search of his own spiritual enlightenment. It was there that he met up with the diabolical and charismatic Manson who became impressed with Watson because the young man from Texas also happened to be a gifted mechanic. Since the cult had acquired a fleet of cars mostly by theft, they needed someone to maintain them. And Watson had the ability.

Watson also had a mean streak in him that was enhanced by the plethora of drugs dispensed by Manson. It was that mean streak, coupled with Watson's ample size, that convinced Manson to appoint Watson his chief executioner for a series of murders that Manson hoped would ignite his race war. 

You see, Manson was also a racist who hated blacks and wanted to commit murders that police would attribute to the Black Panthers. Manson ordered Watson and some of his women to carry out the murders, and they eagerly did. 

On August 8, 1969, Watson and his crew murdered Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger in a Los Angeles home located on Cielo Drive. Watson also gunned down a young man named Steve Parent who had gone to visit a friend who was staying in a guest house on the property. The next night, Watson and his crew traveled across the city to murder Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary. 

Watson, his crew and Manson were eventually caught and convicted of the murders. Watson was sentenced to death in 1971, but his sentence was eventually overturned and he was re-sentenced to life in prison. Soon after he was imprisoned, Manson's influence faded and Watson's conscience began bothering him. Big time.

He realized that he had not only ruined his own life, but he'd destroyed several others, including actress Sharon Tate who was pregnant at the time. Watson's conscience condemned him severely. He could have destroyed himself in the bizarre hope that suicide would've somehow atoned for his deeds.

Instead, he remembered his Christian roots as a child--the roots that he had abandoned to follow a false messiah in Charles Manson. In 1975, he repented of his deeds and committed his life to Jesus Christ.

I know that a lot of folks treat jailhouse conversions with disdain. They think they're phony. But Watson's conversion is genuine. He's a different man today than he was in 1969 when he was under Manson's evil spell. He's truly been born again.

He also leads a ministry called Abounding In Love, that's designed to lead not only prisoners to Jesus Christ, but all people as well. In 1981, Watson also became an ordained minister. His transformation from a murderous thug to a loving, apostle of Christ is truly remarkable.

Yes, Watson remains in jail. He's been up for parole several times. But he realizes that it's unlikely that he'll ever get out, given the hideous nature of his crimes, even though they occurred 45 years ago.

Still, Watson does the Lord's work from behind bars. In the end, he's accomplished more in prison than he probably would've had he never met Manson.

Please understand that I'm not advocating folks get thrown in jail so they can start a prison ministry. What Watson did was reprehensible, and he'd be the first to admit that. 

But he managed to turn a negative into a positive. As the scripture says: "What was intended for evil, God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20) 

Getting it Wrong Every Time

Barack Obama and John Kerry

Why is President Barack Obama so reluctant to confront Islamic terrorism? Because of his worldview.

That may sound like an oversimplified explanation, but it isn't. Barack Obama is a Marxist who views religion disparagingly through the eyes of a secularist. 

A secularist views religion as an outmoded belief system that's embraced by ignorant, backward people. To secularists such as Obama, religion functions little beyond a cultural institution practiced on Saturdays and Sundays by folks in deference to their ethnic customs and traditions. 

And so, according to secularists, religion is destined to become extinct because younger, more "educated" people are going to put their faith in science rather than in an imaginary God and his mythical laws. 

As such, secularists believe that those who stubbornly continue to believe in the existence of God and take the Bible or the Quran literally are dangerous because they are ignorant and anti-science.

Remember then Sen. Obama's famous quip he uttered in 2007 during a presidential campaign stop in San Franciso? He derided fundamental Christians as ignorant buffoons who cling to their guns and religion during difficult times. 

That wasn't a slip of the tongue--that was one of the few times when Obama actually told the truth. And when he uttered those famous words, he spoke for the majority of secular humanists rather than just a few.

Thus, when Obama and his fellow secularists look at terror groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah etc., they see the same ignorant buffoons who are anti-science and believe in fairy tales.

They view Islamists the same way they view fundamental Christians. They don't understand that the Islamic world has a vastly different worldview than the west where faith and religion have lost their influence and have become hackneyed, trite, mundane and irrelevant.

And they don't understand that much of the eastern world equates the west's moral bankruptcy with its abdication of God and faith. And many in the Islamic world want to drive the west--and particularly America that is viewed as the face of the west--out of their world.

They don't want abortion, promiscuity, secularism, gay marriage, radical feminism etc. They don't want violent street gangs marauding around robbing and terrorizing innocent people. And they don't want Hollywood film producers and record company executives indoctrinating young children into the gore and sexual depravity that have become so prevalent in the western world.

That's why the Islamic world has declared war on the west. Islamists not only want to drive the west and its influence out of the east, but they believe that they must conquer the west--by force and violence if necessary--in order to eradicate the west's rotten, secular influence.

I'm not promoting Islam. I've written at length on the falsity of that religion, so I won't elaborate on it here.

But Islamists are much more dedicated and loyal to their faith than Christians are to theirs. And therein lies the real problem. Had the Christian church not stopped contending for the faith (Jude 1:3) many years ago, Christianity wouldn't have lost its influence throughout the world.

The Christian church began to lose its influence in the eastern world centuries ago. And now it's lost its influence in the western world. The results of that are logical and depressing.

Unfortunately, secularists such as Barack Obama and his clueless Secretary of State John Kerry don't understand that. And they probably never will. They are convinced that Islamic terror groups amount to a few radicals and whack jobs who merely take their religion too seriously--just like those fundamental Christians.

And that's why they choose to deal with these groups as they deal with street gangs--as a law enforcement issue rather than as an existential threat to freedom and liberty.

Obama, Kerry and their arch-ignorant minions have placed the western world in grave danger of another 9/11 catastrophe. The question now isn't whether it's going to happen again, but when? Because it's inevitable.

When you choose bad leaders who have the wrong worldview, this is what you get. And when the Christian church fails to contend for the faith by keeping it relevant to the world, this is what you get.

Let's all pray that the Lord Jesus Christ protects us and keeps us safe from evil. That's all we can do.  

The Global Police State

Coming to a town near you

Something was overlooked by many folks during the recent street protests that took place in Ferguson, Mo. after 18-year old Michael Brown was shot to death during a confrontation with a cop.

No, everyone saw the Marxist buffoons masquerading in their Guy Fawkes masks and Palestinian keffiyehs. 

Everyone witnessed the seething crowds of angry blacks marching behind the race-hustling preachers who showed up in Ferguson to turn the spotlight onto them and away from Brown.

And everyone saw the assorted anarchists, losers and riffraff who descended upon the Midwestern town from other venues to vandalize property, loot stores and terrorize innocent residents who just wanted peace and quiet. 

What many folks failed to notice was what the police looked like. They more resembled an infantry unit than a police force. If you didn't know that the confrontation took place on the streets of a St. Louis suburb, you might have thought the event took place in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Don't get me wrong, I support the police. Most cops are hardworking folks who have extremely difficult jobs. If you're a cop who works in a town like Chicago, Detroit or Newark, then you know what I mean. Some cops understand that when they leave home for work, they may never return. That's how bad it is.

Sadly, the increasing militarization of the police across America has become the logical response to the increasing evil and violence that permeates our modern times. We're living in a post Judeo-Christian culture, and it shows. 

The prophetic words penned by the apostle Paul 2,000 years ago concerning the last days are being fulfilled in our time. Here's what Paul wrote: "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." (2 Timothy 3:1-5) 

As our society grows more wicked, it's becoming more violent. And as it becomes more violent, the police become more militarized in order to deal with the escalating violence. 

And as the violence increases, our freedoms decrease. That's evident in all those cameras looking down at you from buildings, lampposts, in hallways and in elevators. Even the automobile manufacturers are being encouraged to install devices in their vehicles that will enable governments to keep track of how people drive and where they go. 

Where are we headed? We're headed for a world government that will become the ultimate police state. That government will have the authority and technology to keep track of everyone on earth. Thus, the dreaded mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-17) that the apostle John wrote about in 90 A.D. is close to becoming a reality.

And when the world government takes over, the police will be given unlimited power to enforce law and order by whatever means necessary. Even if that means cracking heads.

And when the police are given that kind of power, you won't be seeing the Marxists, anarchists, vandals or race-hustling preachers marching around in the streets. But you will notice the police. 

The Leaders They Deserve

From the Email Bag, our monthly Q and A:

Question: Why do you pick on President Obama so much? Aren't Christians called to pray for their leaders?
Answer: Actually, I don't pick on Obama. We do pray for him. Unfortunately, he's such an abysmal failure that it's hard to ignore his mistakes. And his mistakes are huge. They've cost us dearly on the world stage. By pulling American troops out of Iraq, he left a void there that ISIS has quickly moved in to fill. That wasn't a surprise. Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of that region knew what was going to happen when we left Iraq. Everyone obviously knew, except Obama. What's Obama's excuse for withdrawing our troops? He says that the U.S. can't afford to keep our troops there anymore. It's too expensive. If that's true, then why do we keep troops in South Korea and Germany? Are there any wars going on in those two nations?

Question: Do you think that Islam is eventually going to take over the world? It seems unstoppable.
Answer: No. Islam is like the classic bully that pounces on weakness. And that's why Islam is marching through the west right now because the west is morally weak and reluctant to defend its freedoms. Western leaders such as Barack Obama and David Cameron are convinced that you can appease Islamists. Just be nice to them and praise their religion and they'll leave you alone. Appeasement is the first cousin of cowardice and weakness. When Islamists sense weakness, they jump on you. You can't appease Islamists. The Russians and Chinese know that. They realize that as long as Islam is around there'll be trouble. That's why they don't want Islam and are working hard to get rid of that religion. Other emerging nations that don't want Islam include Brazil, India and South Korea. Islam is eventually going to disappear. No one wants the type of barbarism and violence that Islam inevitably brings. The emerging nations don't want Islam and we can find no prophetic references for that religion concerning the end times anywhere in the bible.

Question: When do you think that Jesus Christ is going to come back?
Answer: I can't answer that. There are still many prophetic events to be fulfilled. We still don't have a world government, although we're moving in that direction. Israel has yet to build her third Temple that the dreaded Antichrist will eventually enter and defile with his presence. And we've yet to see the prophetic counterfeit religious revival that is going to sweep across the entire world. If I had to take an educated guess, I would say that we will probably see Christ's return within 50-60 years. But that's just a guess.

Question: Since it's become apparent that Climate Change is a fraud, why is it still being promoted as scientific truth?
Answer: Because most people simply don't care about it. They're morally apathetic and intellectually lazy. To most people, it makes no difference. But it should because it's going to drive up the cost of everything from utility bills, food prices, transportation costs, automobiles etc. It's a job-killer. And it's going to take away your individual freedoms. What's behind Climate Change? The redistribution of wealth and the eventual transfer of sovereignty from individual nations to a massive world government. Let's put it this way: Climate Change is the communism of the 21st century.

Question: Can Russia be stopped? Will anyone stand up to Vladimir Putin?
Answer: Not likely. We're seeing the prophetic rise of this nemesis, just as the prophet Daniel revealed 2,600 years ago. Now, while Vladimir Putin isn't the Antichrist, he's a prototype. He has a reconstituted military and a lot of nuclear weapons at his disposal. And no one in the world has the guts to challenge him. Certainly not Obama. Thus, when the U.S. and Europe threaten Putin with economic sanctions, he merely laughs. Too many European nations have become dependent on Russian oil and natural gas. If they get on Putin's bad side, he'll threaten to turn off the spigots and do serious damage to their economies. And so, threats of economic sanctions against Russia are strictly political rhetoric that don't amount to anything.

Question: What do you consider a greater threat to freedom, Islam or Liberalism? 
Answer: They're both bad. Believe it or not, I consider liberalism a greater threat to individual freedom than Islam because it's so disingenuous and seductive. Islamists aren't coy about their desire to conquer the world for Allah and establish a global caliphate. However, liberals or progressives or whatever you want to call them have become masters of deception. They usually cloak their destructive intentions behind noble causes. For example, Climate Change is promoted as the sincere effort to protect the environment, when in reality, it's a ruse designed to redistribute wealth and move the world toward a global government. Abortion is promoted as the solution to ensure that unwanted babies aren't born into a world where they'll suffer abuse, neglect and poverty. In reality, abortion is about population reduction and the eradication of undesirable races. If you don't believe that, then study Margaret Sanger, who founded Planned Parenthood. And gun control legislation is promoted as the solution to rid our streets of violent crime. In reality, gun control legislation is about eradicating the Second Amendment and disarming law abiding citizens. If you want to see how well draconian gun control laws work, visit Chicago, a city that has some of the toughest gun control laws in the U.S. and one of the highest gun-homicide rates in the nation. And so, in my opinion, liberalism is a far greater threat to freedom than Islam.