Reincarnation or Resurrection?

The Wheel of Karma

What is reincarnation? It's the belief that after a person dies, his or her soul will inhabit a new body. And, according to this belief, the human soul is immortal and can inhabit several bodies over the course of time.

Where does reincarnation come from? It comes from the eastern religions, specifically Hinduism that teaches that souls must continually reenter the so-called Wheel of Karma to be reincarnated until they achieve perfection. According to this teaching, a person who commits a crime such as robbery or murder in this life must come back in another life and become the victim of a robbery or a murder in order to atone for the transgression.

As you can see, such a system--if it's true--perpetuates evil rather than solves it. Why? Because those who commit a transgression in their current life must become the victim of the same transgression in their following life, committed by a perpetrator who will then have to become the victim of that transgression in their next life.

Is reincarnation biblical? Of course it isn't. The Bible clearly teaches that we are given only one life to live on this planet and no more. We don't get a second or multiple chances to get right with God after death. (Hebrews 9:27) Those who die in their sins outside of Jesus Christ are consigned to hell to await God's final judgment. 

The Bible teaches us that on Judgment Day, the righteous will be resurrected by Christ to inhabit new, immortal bodies that will never grow old, get sick, decay or die. (Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2, Luke 14:14, John 6:40) However, the unrighteous will be raised by God to face eternal damnation for committing evil. Though millions of people will plead with God on that day to give them another chance, it'll be too late. They'll be doomed.

If reincarnation is true then why did God institute the sacrificial system for sin under the terms of the Mosaic Covenant? That system mandated that the blood of animals such as bulls, goats and rams be sacrificed in order to cover the sins of the ancient Israelites. The Bible clearly says that "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)

Certainly, the system of animal sacrifice was temporary and insufficient. It was put in place until God's Son Jesus Christ came into the world to become the final and everlasting sacrifice for all sin by His death on Calvary's cross. The Bible says this: "Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus Christ) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:11-14)

For nearly 2,000 years, the Christian church believed that message. And for good reason, because that message was backed by the factual evidence of Christ's resurrection from the dead. However, in recent decades, more and more Christians have begun to doubt the Bible in favor of pagan myths such as reincarnation.

Though no recent polls have been conducted, a Gallup poll taken in 1999 reported 20 percent of professing Christians claimed to believe in reincarnation. That means two of every 10 Christians embraced an unbiblical pagan religious belief 16 years ago. That figure's probably much higher today.

One man who professes to be a Christian, wrote this: Many Christians have the misconception that the concept of reincarnation holds that, at the time of death, people reincarnate immediately and do not have any experiences in the spirit realms in between Earth lives. Near-death experiences prove this misconception to be untrue. Because time does not exist in the spirit world, a person can spend an "eternity" in the spirit realms, if they wish to do so, and have the freedom to decide if they want to reincarnate or not. The ultimate goal of reincarnation is to learn enough lessons from Earth lives that reincarnation is no longer necessary.

Reincarnation is a demonic lie. It's a myth, and an extremely dangerous one. It's designed to give people the false hope that if they live bad lives punctuated by decadence and immorality, they'll be given another chance or chances to get it right. But they won't. Concerning Satan's lies, the apostle Paul wrote this: "The (Holy) Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

It's understandable that the world would embrace such a pagan myth. But professing Christians? That's a tragedy. It proves just how badly the church has been straying from the Bible in the times we're living in.

Evil People and Their Wicked Causes

Louis Farrakhan

While millions of people throughout the world remain in shock over the recent murders of WBDJ7 news reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, few folks are probably aware of something that occurred three weeks prior to their deaths that may have triggered the tragedy.

What was that? It was a Facebook posting made by Louis Farrakhan, an arch-racist and the leader of the of black militant Nation of Islam who wrote this: Retaliation! If the government won't intercede in our affairs, then we must rise up and kill those who kill us; stalk them and kill them and let them feel our pain.  

Farrakhan's a notorious race-hustler who blames whites and Jews for the predicament of blacks in America. It's very possible that Vester Lee Flanagan, the man who shot Parker and Ward to death on August 26 while they were on assignment in Moneta, Virginia, was inspired by the fire-breathing minister. 

Farrakhan posted his inflammatory Facebook message in response to the tragic shooting that took place in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17 when white supremacist Dylann Roof murdered nine African-Americans at a church in that town.

Though Farrakhan's now an old man, his racist fire seems to have been rekindled since Barack Obama was elected to the presidency in 2008. Here are some of his more notorious quotes: 

• "The Jews don’t like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that’s a good name. Hitler was a very great man."
• "You see everybody always talk about Hitler exterminating six million Jews. That’s right. But don’t nobody ever ask what did they do to Hitler."
• "America is in trouble, and I say God is about to wipe this nation from the face of the Earth. I’m not crazy, I’m not drunk, how long do you think a nation can do evil and not face the wrath of god?" 
• "White people are potential humans – they haven’t evolved yet."

One of Farrakhan's closet friends is the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the incendiary pastor who led Chicago's Trinity United Church until he retired about five years ago. Wright promoted Black Liberation theology, a racist ideology that teaches that blacks will never prosper and be free until they become completely independent of whites. Of course, BLT blames whites for the predicament of blacks in America and in other parts of the world.

One of Trinity United's members during Wright's tenure was Barack Obama who attended that church for 20 years until he was elected to the Oval Office. Wright wasn't the only person who influenced Obama. America's 44th president was also an ardent admirer of Harvard professor Derrick Bell, one of the founders of Critical Race Theory. Bell saw America as a hopelessly racist nation where blacks would always be considered inferior to whites.

Since Obama was elected to the presidency in 2008, race relations have deteriorated significantly in America. Am I suggesting that Obama and his administration created the climate for the Moneta tragedy? You bet I am.

Not only have we seen the rise of the New Black Panthers and the Black Lives Matters Movement since Obama took office, we're now seeing an uber-racist movement called F**KYOFLAG. This is a movement that encourages blacks to attack and kill whites. Here are two comments by members of this radical movement:

• "When those mother f**kers are by themselves, that’s when when we should start f***ing them up. Like they do us, when a bunch of them ni**ers takin’ one of us out, that’s how we should roll up.”  He said, “Cause we already roll up in gangs anyway. There should be six or seven black mother f**ckers, see that white person, and then lynch their ass. Let’s turn the tables."
• "Find a mother f**ker that is alone. Snap his ass, and then f***in hang him from a damn tree. Take a picture of it and then send it to the mother f**kers."

The escalating racial violence in America and across the world is part of the increasing evil that biblical prophecy warns us will prevail in the last days. (Matthew 24:12, 2 Timothy 3:1-5) And sadly, some of that racial unrest has been created by a man who promised to heal the planet and bring people together.

Barack Obama claims to be a "Christian." If he truly believes that he is, then he ought to be familiar with this statement that Jesus Christ made 2,000 year ago: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9) True peacemakers bring people together. But evil people with wicked intentions create strife and foment violence. What best describes Obama?

The Great Fall of China?

Has China's economic boom come to an end?

I've written quite extensively for several years about the power shift from the western world to the eastern world. We've seen that in the steady rise of Russia as a military power and the explosive rise of China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan as economic powers.

The shift in power from the west to the east is prophetic. Nearly 2,600 years ago, the Hebrew prophet Daniel received a prophecy from God concerning the rise in the end times of two powerful nations he described as northern and southern kingdoms. (Daniel 11)

I believe those kingdoms are China and Russia, and I wrote about that before either nation began to grow economically, militarily and politically. China's economy has grown so rapidly that the Red Nation is poised to supplant the United States as the world's premier economic superpower.

However, in recent months, China's economy has cooled off to the point where the international markets have been rattled. China reacted by devaluing its currency in an effort to make its products cheaper and more affordable so that business would rebound. Obviously, that hasn't happened. 

China's currency manipulation has infuriated Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump who's convinced that the Red Nation is murdering the U.S. economy by devaluing the yuan. Here's what he said in a recent interview with CNN: "I've been telling everybody for a long time China's taking our jobs, they're taking our money. Be careful, they'll bring us down. You have to know what you're doing. We have nobody that has a clue." 

Certainly, Trump was referring to the bumbling and inept Obama administration that's allowed American businesses and manufacturing jobs to relocate to China while getting nothing in return except cheap products that were once manufactured in the United States. 

As Trump has aptly pointed out, China's economy has been built by American dollars. What he hasn't pointed out is that China's military is being built on the interest payments from the $1.3 trillion America has borrowed from the Red Nation. 

And so, the proverbial $64 trillion question is this: What does China's recent economic downturn mean? Is the communist nation going to collapse? If China does collapse, that would send shock waves across the world, beginning in Russia that's heavily invested in China's economy. 

While a lot of people would love to see that happen, China isn't going to collapse. Economic downturns happen everywhere and China's experiencing something that the older, western economies have experienced before. Remember that China's free-market economy is still relatively new. 

Why has China's economy slowed down? Because people aren't spending as much money as they did a few years ago. And that's because they don't have the money to spend. And when the money isn't there, the products don't get bought and sales go down. The industries that typically get hit the hardest in economic downturns are the manufacturing, restaurant and retail industries.

When the sales go down, companies reduce their inventories and they lay off employees because they can't afford to pay them. And when people lose their jobs, they don't have the money to buy those products that keep those factories going in places such as China. That's what's hurting China along with the heavily taxed and over regulated economies that are stifling economic growth in Europe and the United States. It's really that simple.

China will rebound. It may take several months or even a year or two. But the communist nation will bounce back as long as it continues to keep its currency low and offer incentives to companies to relocate to China. 

After all, socialism doesn't work. That's why China turned to capitalism. If you want to become a premier global economic and military superpower, you need money. And as long as nations such as the United States keep passing free trade agreements, companies will keep moving to places such as China where they'll be able to keep more of their money. That's good for them and good for China. And that's bad for the world.

Heading Towards Hell

A website for adulterers

Does anyone still remember the 10 Commandments? And of those who do, how many of them can you name? For example, what does the seventh commandment say?

It says this: "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14) Adultery is such an egregious sin in God's eyes that he condemned it and warned His creation never to engage in that detestable practice. What is adultery? It's when a married man or woman cheats on their spouse by having sex with someone they aren't married to. 

Why is that so detestable to God? Because it's a statement of unfaithfulness and a violation of one's marital vows. According the terms of the Mosaic Covenant, those who were caught and proven guilty of the sin of adultery paid the ultimate price: "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death." (Leviticus 20:10)

There are those who'll claim that the adultery law only applied to the Jews and to no one else. But that's a fallacious argument because the Law that God revealed to Moses applies to everyone. Certainly, God commanded the ancient Israelites to apply the death penalty to those who were convicted of adultery. But even though we aren't under the Mosaic Law, we're all under God's transcendent moral laws that condemn such sins as adultery.

That's a point the apostle Paul made in his first epistle to the early church in Corinth when he wrote this: "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." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Though the Corinthians weren't Jews, Paul informed them that they were still under God's law. 

And so, what happens to those who commit adultery? Unless they repent of that sin and never commit adultery again, they'll be condemned to hell once their life ends. And it matters not whether a person claimed to be God-fearing and church-going. It matters not whether they claimed to believe in Jesus Christ. If they were adulterers and adulteresses, they will go immediately to hell when they die.

Tragically, we're living in a godless, depraved time when sin is celebrated as virtue. There's even a loathsome website (Ashleymadison.com) that encourages married folks to cheat on their spouses. Though I'm extremely reluctant to give this site any publicity, I have to mention it just for the shock value that it elicits in those who still fear God and follow his commands. 

Here's some of the advertising you'll find on this detestable site: Ashley Madison is the most famous name in infidelity and married dating. As seen on Hannity, Howard Stern, TIME, Business Week, Sports Illustrated, Maxim, USA Today. Ashley Madison is the most recognized and reputable married dating company. Our Married Dating Services for Married individuals Work. Ashley Madison is the most successful website for finding an affair and cheating partners. Have an Affair today on Ashley Madison. Thousands of cheating wives and cheating husbands signup everyday looking for an affair. We are the most famous website for discreet encounters between married individuals. Married Dating has never been easier. With Our affair guarantee package we guarantee you will find the perfect affair partner. 

Married Dating. Is that what they call it? Rather, it's called adultery and it will condemn your soul to eternal damnation. Sadly, there are many professing Christians today who aren't bothered by such trash. And that speaks volumes about their so-called faith.

Such depravity that's occurring in the time we're living in isn't an anomaly. It's prophetic and it's what happens when people turn away from God. Nearly 2,000 years ago, 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)

Indeed, have nothing to do with those who mock God and defecate on His laws. Certainly, pray for them to repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ into their lives as their Lord and Savior. And certainly, try to warn them. 

But if they refuse to listen, then treat them as lepers and get away from them. Because if you don't, you may end up like them. And you may end up going to the same place they're going.

Sowing and Reaping

Jimmy Carter

Unless you're an evil person, you experience sadness whenever you learn that someone is seriously ill with cancer. And that's how I felt when I learned that former President Jimmy Carter was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Though Carter is scheduled to undergo radiation therapy to treat the malignant tumor in his brain, he's resigned to the fact that at age 90, he's probably not going to be around much longer. Here's what he said: "I've had a wonderful life. I've had thousands of friends, I've had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence. So I was surprisingly at ease, much more so than my wife was."

I believe in being honest and blunt, so I'm not going to sugarcoat my words concerning Carter. Even though I'm saddened that he's ill, Carter was a terrible president who caused significant damage to the United States and the world during his only term in the White House from 1977-1981. And he's caused significant harm to the nation of Israel since he left the Oval Office.

Though he claims to be a Southern Baptist, Carter's an anti-Semite who's chronically sided with Israel's enemies that seek to destroy the Jewish nation. Under his leadership as America's 39th president, the U.S. suffered domestically and internationally. The U.S. economy choked under high taxes and inflation that led the the term "stagflation."

Thanks to Carter's atrocious foreign policy, the Iranian Revolution occurred in 1979 because Carter refused to come to the aid of the Shah of Iran who was under siege from the fanatical supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Though the Shah pleaded with Carter to help him put down Khomeini's rebellion, Carter ignored him and Iran became an Islamic theocracy after the Shah was overthrown. Thanks to Carter's ignorance, Iran has now become a grave threat to the entire world.

And now, even though this is going to infuriate some people, I'm going to say it anyway: Carter is reaping what he's sown. That' not my opinion. That's a biblical tenet. Here's what the apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the early church in Galatia: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8)

While Paul was speaking about God's judgment on those who willfully disobey Him by breaking His laws, the apostle referenced a spiritual truth that everyone ultimately gets what they deserve. To the early Roman church, Paul wrote this: "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism." (Romans 2:7-11)

Carter's anti-Semitism is legendary. Until Barack Obama occupied the White House, Carter was the most anti-Israel president in the history of the United States. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote this for the Observer about a year ago: Mr. Carter said in 2006 that Israel’s policies in the West Bank were actually worse than apartheid South Africa. He followed this disgusting libel with his infamous 2009 book “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,” in which he claimed that due to “powerful political, economic, and religious forces in the U.S., Israeli government decisions are rarely questioned or condemned, voices from Jerusalem dominate our media.” We’re skirting awfully close to a protocols-of-Zion style argument here, that the Jews control the media and American foreign policy.

In 2006, Carter also made this preposterous claim during an interview with Der Spigel: I don't think that Israel has any legal or moral justification for their massive bombing of the entire nation of Lebanon. What happened is that Israel is holding almost 10,000 prisoners, so when the militants in Lebanon or in Gaza take one or two soldiers, Israel looks upon this as a justification for an attack on the civilian population of Lebanon and Gaza. I do not think that's justified, no.

No one knows how many prisoners Israel holds--not even Carter. And yet he concocted the figure of 10,000 to justify his contempt for the Jewish nation. For several years, Israel has been inundated with rocket attacks that have come from Lebanon and Gaza. Thus, the Jewish nation has bombed Lebanon and Gaza to destroy those rockets and the terrorists that launch them. Some of those rockets have destroyed schools, homes and businesses in Israel. That's a fact that continually escapes Carter.

Or, maybe Carter ignores that fact because he loathes Israel. Whatever his reasons are for habitually condemning Israel while siding with Israel's enemies, his reasons aren't based on factual and historical evidence. Rather, they're based on personal animus. 

I don't know where Carter stands with God. He promotes himself as a bible-believing Christian, but he doesn't sound like one. I hope he examines himself thoroughly during his last days on earth, because he has a lot of repenting to do. And I sincerely hope he changes his heart toward the Jews and Israel before he takes his final breath.

The Demonic and Evil II

Consider this prophecy Jesus Christ revealed 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. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:10-13)

Christ tied the rise of evil in the last days with the fall of Christianity and the appearance of false prophets. We certainly see the correlation between the decline of true faith in God and the rise in evil. But what does the appearance of false prophets have to do with the rise in wickedness?

False prophets not only lead people astray by promoting aberrant doctrines that deny the true God of the Bible and His transcendent moral laws, but they also lead people into wickedness through spiritual deception. And when Christ warned of false prophets, he wasn't speaking about people such as Nostradamus or St. Malachi. 

Rather, he was speaking about people such as William Branham, Paul Cain, Paul Yonggi Cho, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Bob Jones, Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, William Seymour and John Wimber. All these men have played a significant part in luring multitudes of Christians away from the true church to follow a counterfeit Christ and a false gospel.

How did they accomplish that? Let the apostle Paul explain it: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

These are just some of the false prophets that Christ warned us about. They deceive people by pretending to be Christian prophets and teachers, and then they introduce destructive heresies that point people toward hell. Here's what the apostle 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)

For example, Peale and Schuller denied the need for repentance and promoted a gospel of self-esteem. Cho promotes a new age gospel that claims everyone has the ability to create their own reality while Seymour and Wimber promoted a gospel that based salvation not on faith in Christ, but rather on one's ability to manifest miracles such as speaking in tongues.

But the decline and decay of the end time Christian church is just one manifestation of the rise of evil in the last days. Certainly, while crime has increased significantly since the mid-20th century, so has moral depravity in the form of sexual immorality, alcoholism, drug abuse and gambling.

There's a significant, although often overlooked factor in the rise of evil in the end times. And that factor is the increased contact that the world has made with the demonic. But how? Through hallucinogenic drugs, occult practices and eastern mysticism. How is the increase in evil related to these factors? Because they are conduits to Satan and his demons who spread their lies through people who make contact with them.

Certainly, Satan and his fallen angels hide their identities to those who encounter them. They will masquerade as Christ, Mary, Moses, Muhammad, Buddha, apostles such as Paul or Peter or Hindu avatars. And they will persuade people to reject God's revelatory word in the Bible for an amoral message that promotes hedonism and debauchery, and denies sin, judgment after death and the existence of hell.

Concerning those who willingly pursue falsehood, Paul wrote: "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

Tragically, many people have embraced powerful delusions that come from the demonic. We see this in professing Christians who embrace new age and occult techniques disguised as Christian practices. We see this in those who consult with fortune-tellers and psychics, despite the fact that God's word condemns those who seek counsel from such people. And we see that in the growing interest in pagan and occult practices such as Kabbalah, Transcendental Meditation, Sufism, Wicca, necromancy and the Ouija Board.

The growing spiritual darkness throughout the world is indeed prophetic. And it's tragic as well. Paul gave us this warning: "Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith." (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

The Demonic and Evil

Demon Possession: Fact or Fiction?

Many older folks remember the classic horror film, The Exorcist, that featured a young girl played by actress Linda Blair who became demon-possessed and turned into a hideous monster.

The Exorcist was released in 1973 and became one of the most popular horror films of all time. It was based upon the true story of a boy named Roland Doe (not his real name) who grew up in Mt. Rainier Washington in the 1940s and became demon-possessed after he dabbled in the occult.

Doe came from a family that had a history of being involved with the occult. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, the occult encompasses such practices as astrology, magic, wicca (witchcraft), spiritism, necromancy, sorcery, shamanism, voodoo, satanism and kabbalah.

Doe admitted that his troubles began when he tried to contact his recently deceased grandmother via the Ouija board. Shortly thereafter, he began speaking in strange tongues; furniture began rearranging itself in his home and he began having nightmares. Eventually, Doe became violent and had to be restrained by chains to a bed. Even then, the chains didn't always hold him.

Though Doe was suspected of being afflicted with a rare and dangerous form of schizophrenia, drugs and treatments had no affect on him. Eventually, he was transferred to a Catholic hospital in St. Louis where a priest recognized that he was demon-possessed. The priest administered an exorcism, and after a lengthy struggle, the demon left Doe and he was delivered from evil.

Doe's account sounds similar to the biblical account of a demon-possessed man that Jesus Christ encountered and delivered. (Luke 8:26-39)  Like Doe, the man was violent and unpredictable. And like Doe, the man couldn't even be restrained by chains. When Christ asked the man his name, he answered Legion because he was possessed by a multitude of demons.

Certainly, not everyone who dabbles in the occult becomes demon-possessed. But those who willfully and even innocently get involved in the occult give Satan and his demons a legal right to invade their lives. And they will always take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself.

And so, if you've ever visited a psychic or a fortune-teller, you've exposed yourself to the demonic. If you've ever gotten involved with eastern mysticism and its religious practices such as astral travel, visualization, chanting, transcendental meditation or tantric yoga, you've exposed yourself to the demonic. And if you've ever taken hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD or PCP, you've exposed yourself to the demonic.

Here's God's warning to those who practice the occult: "I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people." (Leviticus 20:6) 

And here's a warning He issued to the ancient Jews: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their 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; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)

What happens when people make contact with the demonic? In some cases, they can become possessed. But in most cases, they come under demonic influence that manifests in hatred of and rebellion against authority; hostility to those who believe in God--especially Christians and Jews--and an inflated sense of self-worth. 

Those who make contact with the demonic are also under a curse. They have no protection from God and are susceptible to misfortune, calamity and sudden death. If you've ever wondered why some people suffer extreme misfortune and die at a young age, wonder no more.

The antidote is repentance from sin and a life committed to Jesus Christ. It's not complicated. If you confess your sins to Jesus Christ and ask Him to become your Lord and Savior, He'll remove every curse from you and bless you with eternal life. You can bank on that.

Here's what the Bible says: "If you declare 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 profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 10:9-13)

Don't wait until tomorrow. Do it now because tomorrow may be too late.

The Post Christian USA Pt. II

According to the Barna Research Group, the number of non-Christians in America has risen by seven percent in the last two years. Though the United States remains a predominantly Christian nation for the time being, that's going to change if the trend continues.

And America's trend toward godless secularism isn't a recent phenomenon. America's Christian population has been steadily decreasing since the early 1950s when there were more Christians and more churches in the U.S. with less than half of the population that exists today.

Since the early 50s, America has lost 8,000 churches and 25 million Christians. According to Barna, the greatest abdication of the faith is occurring on the West Coast and particularly in Northern California where there are more secularists than there are Christians.

From Barna: The West coast is also fairly well represented among the top 15 cities, with San Francisco, CA (66%) climbing up the rankings from sixth place in 2013 to top the list as the most post-Christian city in America, and Los Angeles, CA (54%) coming in at 15th place. But other West coast cities like San Diego, CA (50%), and Portland, OR (51%) actually dropped out of the top 15 from 2013, either because of a decrease or minimal increase in post-Christian metrics compared to 2013. Other outgoing cities include Denver, CO (52%), and Cedar Rapids, IA (51%).

Is the decline and decay of the modern Christian church an anomaly? Or, is it prophetic? It's prophetic. Jesus Christ prophesied that the church would indeed decline in the last days directly preceding His return.

Here's what Christ said: "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. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:10-14)

Notice that Christ tied the decline of Christianity with the increase of evil and the rise of false prophets. While the increase in evil and the rise of false prophets wouldn't seem to be related to the decline of the Christian church, they are. As more people reject the truth of God's word in the Bible, they don't believe they're held morally accountable for their behavior. And when that happens, they turn to wickedness.

But what about false prophets? They're the ones who promote aberrant doctrines that discredit the Bible and encourage evil. Here's what the apostle Paul wrote concerning the rise of false prophets in the last days: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Many of those false prophets belong to pagan religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism where some of those ex-Christians have gone. Other false prophets belong to aberrant Christian movements such as the Health and Wealth Prosperity churches, the Word of Faith and the Third Wave Movements. What makes them aberrant? They use the name of Jesus Christ to promote false and perverted doctrines not found in the Bible.

Certainly, those who've left mainstream churches to join the aberrant churches still identify as Christians. They're counted among the 56 percent of America's Christian population. But God counts them among those who've fallen away from the faith.

Why are so many people dropping out of the church? Because the church has made itself irrelevant over the past 150 years. It no longer contends for the faith by utilizing science to prove God's existence. Instead, "science" is used against the church to disprove God. Perhaps the greatest damage done to Christianity over the past 150 years has been done by the theory of evolution that Charles Darwin introduced to the world in 1859.

Though evolution is nothing but a terrible theory that's never been observed to occur and can't be proven, it's taught as factual science in classrooms throughout the world. If evolution is true, then God doesn't exist. And if God doesn't exist, then no one is morally accountable for their behavior and no judgment awaits anyone after death.

There was more than enough evidence to prove God's existence even during Paul's time. Here's what the apostle wrote: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20)

And now, we have even more evidence, thanks to microbiology that's allowed us to study genetics. Modern science has allowed us to study the vast and complex design of living cells. And yet, the church continues to ignore that evidence and lose more ground on a daily basis.

And so, the church's demise is its own fault. When someone else's argument is stronger than yours, then that argument prevails. And unless you counter that argument with factual evidence, you'll eventually become an historical footnote. Just like the Christian church in America. 

Do Black Lives Really Matter?

Another victim of Chicago's gang wars

How bad has violent crime gotten in Chicago?

From the chicagotribune.com: The shootings this weekend bring the year's total to at least 1,714, according to an analysis of a Chicago Tribune database on city shootings. That's an increase of 200 over last year and 361 over 2013, according to Tribune data. The city has also seen more murders, according to a Tribune database on homicides: At least 281 were slaying victims through Monday morning this year, which is almost 40 more than last year and 30 more than 2013.

Of course, what the Tribune won't tell you is that blacks account for the majority of those shooting victims. In fact, blacks account for nearly 90 percent of Chicago's homicide victims this year, as they've accounted for the majority of the Windy City's homicide victims for decades.

The deep-thinkers and self-professed intellectuals such as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his police superintendent Garry "Charlie" McCarthy, will tell you that the homicides are the result of too many guns on Chicago's streets. What they won't tell you is that even though Chicago has some of the strictest handgun laws in America, those laws haven't deterred violent crime. Why? Because strict handgun laws only prevent law-abiding citizens from carrying guns. They don't stop criminals. 

But it's always easier to blame guns than it is to hold people accountable for their behavior. If Emanuel and his police superintendent dared to call out the violent anti-social behavior of blacks that's the real cause of Chicago's violent crime, they'd be gone in a heartbeat. Emanuel would never win another election and McCarthy would be forced to resign amid the faux outrage of the PC enforcers.

And so, while the assorted Marxists, leftists and anarchists gathered in Ferguson, Mo. over the past weekend to mark the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death by causing even more trouble in that embattled town, two more people were shot to death and 43 others were wounded on Chicago's violent streets. The two homicide victims were blacks, as were the majority of those 43 who were wounded.

Certainly, Chicago isn't the only city where blacks are killing blacks at an alarming rate. That's happening in other cities such as Detroit, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Cleveland, just to name a few. However, Chicago has become the model for the abject failure of liberal policies and the leftist worldview. The leftist worldview makes perpetrators victims and victims perpetrators. And the leftist worldview invents problems and then blames them on its opposition.

For example? Leftists have destroyed the black family in America via the entitlement-welfare-dependency culture that has made millions of blacks beholden to the government for their survival. Leftists have delivered ruinous public schools to America's inner cities that do little to educate blacks and other minorities.

And leftists then blame white racism for the plight of blacks in America. Who are the real racists? There are white leftists whose success depends on the ignorance and failure of blacks and other minorities. Is it really ironic that the BlackLivesMatter movement is heavily funded by a despicable white leftist such as George Soros?  Soros is one of the worst human beings on the planet.

And so, when blacks shoot and kill other blacks--which accounts for the majority of black homicides in the US--it's not news. However, when a white person or a white cop shoots a black person, then it's promoted by the national news media as a catastrophic event.

Evidently, black lives only seem to matter when blacks are killed by whites. At least, that's the impression one gets listening to the inflammatory rhetoric spewed by corrupt politicians, empty-headed celebrities and blowhard clergy.

All lives matter. Every human being, regardless of color, is created in the image of God. And Jesus Christ, the author of life, said this: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Every life matters to God. However, to leftists, life is cheap and meaningless and is exploited for their own personal gain. Their intentions and actions will damn their souls for eternity.

The Post-Christian United States

Che Obama

Occasionally, I'm criticized because I don't promote conservative political candidates "who'll turn America around and take back our nation!" I'm chastised because I spend too much time "in the Bible and not enough time promoting conservative political candidates."

First of all, you aren't going to turn America around at the ballot box. Secondly, how are you going take America back when godless humanists control much of the government, the public schools, media and the entertainment industry? And thirdly, the very reason why the United States has become a post-Christian nation is because too many folks who profess to be Christians spend very little--if any--time reading and studying their bibles.

Nearly, 3,000 years ago, King Solomon wrote this: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7) Nearly 80 percent of Americans claim to be Christians, and yet their actions clearly betray their declaration of faith. A growing majority of professing Christians today support such anti-biblical causes as same-sex marriage and abortion.

How can you claim to be a Christian when you support godless causes that the author of your faith condemned? What? Jesus Christ never condemned abortion or same-sex marriage? Jesus Christ is called the Word who became flesh (John 1:14), meaning that He's the One who wrote the Law and the 10 Commandments and revealed them to Moses. Thus, those who claim that Christ never publicly condemned such sins are completely ignorant of the Bible and its author.

Politics is the lazy person's way of promoting the faith. Promoting political candidates is much easier than promoting the gospel because that involves engaging people on the street and challenging them to get out of sin and commit their lives to Christ. Although political candidates may be able to limit crime and moral decadence via the laws they write and pass, they can't solve the problem of sin that's the cause of all crime and moral decadence.

The reason why so many Christians continue to put their faith in the ballot box is because until recently, it generally worked. Back in 1980, millions of Americans denied the ultra-liberal and thoroughly inept Jimmy Carter a second term in the White House and chose a conservative named Ronald Reagan. Reagan reversed the damage that Carter had done to the nation at home and abroad and made America the most powerful nation on earth once again.

Reagan was succeeded by George H.W. Bush, a moderate conservative who was then succeeded by Bill Clinton, a liberal who was moderately conservative on certain issues such as welfare reform and traditional marriage. And Clinton was succeeded by George W. Bush, a professing evangelical who governed very much like a big government liberal. And of course, we know who succeeded George W. Bush.

The political leaders of nations are a direct reflection of the people who elect them. If the people are righteous and godly, they'll elect righteous and godly leaders. But if the people are depraved and evil, they'll elect wicked leaders after their own hearts. Thus, Barack Obama is a direct reflection of the morally depraved culture he came from. He's a liar and a Marxist and a virulent racist. And tragically, that's a pretty good synopsis of many Americans today.

And so, whoever succeeds Obama isn't going to change America anymore than any powerful politician is going to change America. America won't be changed until her somnolent Christian community wakes up and begins to exert its influence once again on the culture.

Sure, that's hard. That'll bring persecution and even death. If you want to know how it's done, then read the Book of Acts and the apostle Paul's epistles to the early churches. The apostles gave up all their worldly possessions for Christ because they knew that a far better place awaited them in Heaven after they left this fallen world. They put their faith completely in Christ. And their faith wasn't blind--it was based upon hard evidence.

Here's what Paul wrote in his second epistle to the early church in Corinth: "We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." (2 Corinthians 6:3-10)

That's genuine faith. That's the kind of faith that changes cultures and civilizations. And that's the kind of faith that's needed to turn America back from the brink of destruction. Because without it, America is doomed.

When God is Irrelevant

A familiar scene in many big cities

What does the world look like without the presence of God? What does the world look like without the fear of God and the knowledge of his laws and commandments? And what becomes of human beings who reject God?

The apostle Paul gave us that answer nearly 2,000 years ago in his epistle to the early church in Rome. The Roman Empire of Paul's time had many gods, but rejected any notion that there was only one true God who revealed His laws and commandments through Moses and His prophets. Absent that reality, human beings were left to determine what was right in their own eyes.

That created chaos and anarchy. When human beings become willfully ignorant of God, they descend into the deepest depths of depravity. Here's what Paul wrote: "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)

History teaches us a clear lesson concerning those who turn away from God. From the ancient Ninevites to recent entities such as Nazi Germany, Communist China, Cambodia and the Soviet Union, atheism has always led to depravity, hopelessness, persecution, and mass murder. When people refuse to believe that they're held morally accountable by God for their behavior, they inevitably sink into depravity, violence and bloodshed.

We learned that lesson yet again recently when the Center for Medical Progress released a series of videos showing officials from Planned Parenthood discussing the sale of body parts from unborn babies with CMP employees who posed as buyers. The CMP videos are both shocking and disgusting. It's disgusting to hear adults dehumanize the unborn into commodities to be chopped up and sold, and it's shocking to hear them describe the procedures that Planned Parenthood uses to extract body parts from the unborn.

Those Planned Parenthood officials are no different than the Nazis who dehumanized the Jews and other groups they persecuted during Adolf Hitler's reign of hell in Germany during the 1930s and 40s. And America's embarrassing indifference to the videos and the barbaric procedures discussed in those videos leads us to the painful conclusion that America has turned her back on God and is about to be judged by Him.

No nation that has murdered 55 million unborn babies since abortion was legalized in 1973 is going to continue to survive and prosper. No nation that's legalized the abomination of same-sex marriage can escape God's judgment. And no nation throughout history that's persecuted Jews and Christians has survived for very long.

What does America need to do? She needs to repent by repealing Rove v. Wade and same-sex marriage. She needs to stop betraying Israel and persecuting Christians. And she needs to repent soon because time is running out.

What will happen to America if she refuses to repent? She's going to experience violent hurricanes, blizzards and tornadoes; damaging earthquakes, extensive forest fires, floods, intense heat waves and devastating droughts. Her economy will collapse; her cities will become crime-ridden sewers and she will be threatened with nuclear destruction by nations such as Russia and China.

Don't think that will happen? Then you'd better think again. It's coming.

What's the solution? It's repentance from sin and the acknowledgment of the true sovereign God of the universe who revealed Himself 2,000 years ago through His Son Jesus Christ. That acknowledgment must include the honor and respect for God's laws and commandments rather than a revival of religiosity. America needs more genuine faith in God rather than more religion.

Nearly 3,000 years ago, the Lord spoke these words to King Solomon who sought His blessing upon the ancient land of Israel: "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

That's how America can prevent God's wrath from coming upon the land. And that's the only way.

The Last Days: Part II

Shortly before He went to the cross to die for the sins of the world, Jesus Christ revealed several prophetic events that would occur shortly before He returned.

Among those events were these: "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. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:10-13)

What did Christ mean? He revealed that in the end times, many people would abandon the church to follow false prophets who would tell them what they wanted to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3) While most people associate prophets with religion, prophets can also be associated with secular ideologies. 

Prophets are usually considered to be folks who claim they can foretell the future. But they can also be teachers who offer ideological worldviews that contrast with the biblical Judeo-Christian worldview. Thus, people such as Charles Darwin and Karl Marx can be considered prophets because they offered worldviews that contrasted and contradicted the biblical worldview.

Darwin offered a godless worldview that claimed life began millions of years ago in a primordial mud-pond via random chemical processes. Marx offered a utopian, socialistic worldview that claimed the majority of crime, violence and poverty resulted from class warfare between rich and poor. Spread the wealth around, Marx reasoned, and the world would have peace. 

Darwin's theory of evolution was so terrible that it was dismissed by many scientists as nonsense. Eminent scientist and astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle said this: The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junkyard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein. 

Even the brilliant Albert Einstein who was an agnostic, dismissed Darwin's theory of evolution as scientifically impossible. Einstein reasoned that if the physical universe came about via a primordial "Big Bang", all the organic material would've been sterilized by the intense heat from such an explosion, making life impossible.

Nevertheless, Darwin's bizarre theory gained traction and took off. Millions of people throughout the world believe that they are the descendants of apes and monkeys. They don't believe the Bible's claim that God created the physical universe and fashioned human beings in His own image. (Genesis 1:1-26) By dismissing the biblical revelation of God's creation, these people either deny God's existence or they redefine Him into an energy source who's not a personal being.

And so, as the logic goes, if the biblical account of creation is a myth, then so is God. Thus, God's laws and commandments are nothing but human constructs that can be changed or eliminated. And if God is a myth, then no one is morally accountable for their actions. There's a direct correlation between the decline of the Christian church in the world and the rise of lawlessness. When people no longer believe in God, they inevitably fall into depravity and wickedness.

Thus, the rise of lawlessness, predicted by Christ 2,000 years ago, is directly related the collapse of the Christian church. Why has the church collapsed? Because it stopped contending for the faith right about the time Darwin introduced his terrible theory of evolution in 1859.

The church offered no rebuttal to Darwin's theory and godless leftists, who were desperately seeking anything they could use to deny God's existence, found their answer in evolution.

Concerning those who reject God despite the irrefutable evidence, Paul wrote this: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles." (Romans 1:18-23)

Without God, mankind is like a rudderless ship hopelessly lost at sea. Without a commitment to a faith that demands purity and separation from the world, the church becomes a museum piece to be treated as a relic from the past. And without the guiding light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the world grows more dark and evil with each passing day.