Bride of the Antichrist

Pope Francis greets Muslims at Catholic University of Our Lady of Good Counsel

The apostle Paul was so emphatic in his condemnation of those who perverted the gospel that he wrote this in his epistle to the early Galatian Church: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!" (Galatians 1:8-9)

Paul wrote that because the Galatians had been deceived by Judaizers into turning away from Jesus Christ to seek eternal life by following the Mosaic Law. Paul reiterated that Christ came into the world to die for the sins of those who couldn't keep the law. Who are those folks? They're everyone.

Throughout his ministry to the gentile world, Paul continually emphasized that salvation and eternal life come only by faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ rather than by works or adherence to religious customs and traditions. To the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote this: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

The Roman Catholic Church disagrees with Paul. The Catholic Church teaches that we are saved by works and baptism, and not by God's grace in Christ's death on the cross for all sin and his resurrection from the dead. And that church pronounces a curse on everyone who chooses the Bible over the Roman Catholic gospel: 

If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema. (Council of Trent: Canon 14)

The Roman Catholic Church isn't the true church of Jesus Christ. Nor has she ever been. She's a counterfeit that's condemned millions to hell with her false gospel since her inception in the 4th century. And before Islam appeared and began persecuting those who refused to submit to Muhammad's god, the Catholic Church was persecuting those who refused to submit to her popes.

For example, during the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church tortured tens of thousands of people who were even suspected of making false confessions concerning the papacy. That occurred during the infamous period that was known as the Inquisitions. That church has never apologized for those crimes against humanity, and likely never will.

Though that church's apologists claim that the Catholic Church underwent a reformation with Vatican II (1962-1965), nothing changed at all. The Catholic Church still teaches the same false gospel and still pursues her ecumenical vision of establishing a one-world religion.

Pope Francis, who's become the world's leading ecumenical, incredibly said this concerning Islam's god Allah and the biblical Judeo-Christian God who's often referred to as Jehovah:

Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Allah. These are all names employed to describe an entity that is distinctly the same across the world. For centuries, blood has been needlessly shed because of the desire to segregate our faiths. This, however, should be the very concept which unites us as people, as nations, and as a world bound by faith. Together, we can bring about an unprecedented age of peace, all we need to achieve such a state is respect each others beliefs, for we are all children of God regardless of the name we choose to address him by. We can accomplish miraculous things in the world by merging our faiths, and the time for such a movement is now. No longer shall we slaughter our neighbors over differences in reference to their God.

The biblical Judeo-Christian God (Jehovah) is triune and consists of the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. Islam's god Allah is a single entity who has no son and can't be known.

Furthermore, the biblical God (Jehovah) loves the Jews and wants them to be reconciled back to Him through Jesus Christ His Son. Allah hates the Jews and encourages his followers to murder them. How could Jehovah and Allah be the "same entity?" They aren't. But in the spirit of ecumenicism, the Pope ignores the truth and claims otherwise. By doing so, he further deceives multitudes away from the truth and steers them toward a damnable lie that will destroy their souls.

Just as the true church of Jesus Christ is called His bride (Revelation 19:7), the Catholic Church is the bride of the Antichrist. The Antichrist is the ultimate counterfeit of Jesus Christ. And the Catholic Church is his bride.

Zika and the End Times

An infant suffering from microcephaly

If it seems that deadly viruses are becoming more frequent in the time we're living in, then that's not an illusion. For example, in 2014 the Ebola virus spread rapidly out of western Africa across the world and caused over 11,000 deaths before it was brought under control.

Before Ebola, there was SARS that spread throughout Asia; dengue and cholera that spread across Asia and parts of Africa, and the reemergence of polio in Africa.

This year, it's the Zika virus that's afflicting pregnant women and has the potential to ruin millions of lives. Unlike Ebola that was spread by contact with bodily fluids from infected persons, Zika is spread by mosquitoes, much like historic catastrophic diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever and the West Nile Virus.

What type of damage is Zika suspected of causing? It may cause microcephaly that results in underdeveloped brains and shrunken heads of young infants. Though microcephaly isn't fatal, its damage is permanent and irreversible.

According to the World Health Organization, the disease is spreading rapidly in the Americas. And as of now, no vaccine is available to immunize women from the disease.

Margaret Chan, the WHO director general says that a causal relationship between Zika virus and birth malformations and neurological syndromes has not yet been established – this is an important point – but it is strongly suspected. The possible links have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions. The increased incidence of microcephaly is particularly alarming as it places a heartbreaking burden on families and communities.

Concerning a possible vaccine that could protect women from Zika, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says that we will not have a widely available safe and effective Zika vaccine this year and probably not in the next few years.

That's alarming. Because although people who spread infectious diseases through body fluids and breath can be isolated and quarantined from the public, mosquitoes are everywhere. And they specifically thrive in warm, moist climates that receive a lot of rain. They're also voluminous breeders that multiply rapidly and are difficult to contain.

Here's what I wrote in 2014 when the Ebola virus was raging:

How bad is Ebola expected to get? Could it become a global mass murderer? While health officials don't have a definitive answer, they do agree that unless the virus can be contained in Africa, it will likely spread across the world. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim states: "The crisis we are watching unfold derives less from the virus itself and more from a disastrously inadequate response to the outbreak. Many are dying needlessly. Historically, in the absence of effective care, common acute infections have been characterized by high mortality rates. What's happening with Ebola in Africa is no different." Ebola Outbreak 2014: How Bad Could It Get?

Are deadly plagues going to strike the world in the last days? Here's a prophecy that Jesus Christ revealed concerning the end times: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven." (Luke 21:10-11)

Pestilences are deadly diseases that afflict many people. Remember that Christ revealed they would strike in "various places." That means the deadly plagues won't afflict the entire world. However, they will strike in certain areas and they will be deadly.

We know that earthquakes and famines have been increasing since the beginning of the 20th century. And now we're seeing the increase of deadly pestilences. Indeed, Christ's prophecy is being fulfilled. And only a fool would deny we're living in the last days.

Caesars and Saviors

Donald Trump

Conservative Americans have been looking for the next Ronald Reagan since 1989 when the first Ronald Reagan finished his second term in the White House.

Reagan was a polarizing figure. To those on the right, he saved the United States from the disastrous policies of Jimmy Carter (1977-81) that led to rampant inflation, a stagnant economy and the loss of respect from America's enemies around the world.

To those on the left, Reagan was their worst nightmare. He promoted capitalism, a big military and a small government. And he promoted freedom and independence from an intrusive plutocracy. That's anathema to leftists who love opulent government, Marxist economics and confiscatory taxes.

Since Reagan left the Oval Office, the United States has moved steadily to the left. Actually, America was moving to the left before Reagan was elected, but the U.S. still possessed a significant conservative population that won Reagan two terms. 

However, America no longer possesses a significant conservative population. Many of those conservatives that elected Reagan in 1980--military veterans, Christians, Baby Boomers etc. are no longer around. The succeeding generations of Xers, Yers and Millennials were weaned on multicultural Marxist claptrap that taught them capitalism is a terrible thing and socialism is a good thing.

They've been taught that conservatives are greedy capitalists and anti-science cretins who want to oppress minorities, shove the Bible down their throats and turn America into a Christian theocracy. And they've been taught that the Republican Party is the party of conservatives who oppress women and are bigots, racists, xenophobes, Islamophobes, homophobes etc. 

For those who remain skeptical of that, consider how and why Barack Obama was reelected in 2012 to a second term in the White House. In 1980, Barack Obama would never have been reelected. But in 2012 he was because he spoke the language of three generations of people who were brainwashed into embracing his worldview and form of government.

And so, the conservative movement wants to find the next Ronald Reagan who'll stem the tide of leftism that's turning America into a third world outhouse and a secular wasteland. They believe that such a man will restore America's conservative principles and return the U.S. to a "Christian nation" once again.

That's why America's once formidable conservative movement loathes Donald Trump, the current Republican front-runner for his party's presidential nomination. He's not the man to restore conservative values in America. Bill Kristol wrote this for the National Review: In sum: Isn’t Trumpism a two-bit Caesarism of a kind that American conservatives have always disdained? Isn’t the task of conservatives today to stand athwart Trumpism, yelling Stop?

Sorry. It was Jesus Christ who said this: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s." (Mark 12:17) And the apostle Paul wrote this: "No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules." (2 Timothy 2:4-5)

If conservatives want to restore Judeo-Christian values in America, then they'll need to do it through the power of Jesus Christ rather than through the ballot box. It's not a political leader's responsibility to enforce conservative values. They're responsible for upholding the Constitution and protecting America from her enemies. 

Conservatives and Christians have to make Christianity relevant to the world once again. That's done by contending for the faith (Jude 1:3) and not by politics. If they can make Judeo-Christian values relevant to the world, they won't have to worry about finding the next Ronald Reagan. Because everyone will fear God and uphold his commandments and laws.

The Prophetic Nasty Weather

About a year ago (1/18/2015),  I wrote this:

The Lord uses bad weather as a warning sign that He's not pleased with the behavior of His creation. The bad weather that struck America's upper east coast in 2012-2013 slammed states that not only offer gay marriage, but also have some of the highest abortion rates in the nation. Though there's been a break in the bad weather along the east coast, it's going to return. And with a vengeance. And it's going to strike more than just the upper east coast--it's going to strike all over the planet. 

 Certainly, violent storms have been a part of human existence since the beginning of time. But they do seem to be happening more frequently and causing more destruction than ever before. The recent storm (Jonas) that paralyzed much of America's east coast with heavy snow and flooding rains was described by some as a storm of historic proportions.

As Jonas approached the east coast, this is what some forecasters were saying:

It’s blizzard time on the East Coast, and this week’s storm could wind up being one for the ages. But lost in all the discussion of snow looms a coastal flood threat that could rival some of the strongest storms ever to hit the Northeast.Weather models continue to go all-in on what may wind up being Washington, D.C.’s snowiest snowstorm in history, besting a 28-inch snowfall back in 1922. At the moment, the Washington area is in the bull’s-eye, with potential for anywhere from 20 to 36 inches, according to the latest models. The storm is currently forecast to be a Top 10 snowstorm for Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City, too. On Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard watch for the Washington area, warning of life threatening conditions.

Of course, some folks will blame severe storms such as Jonas on "Climate Change", as if bad weather never occurred before the advent of the industrial age. But it's been occurring since the beginning of time, and it's going to get worse. Why? Because of the proliferation of sin throughout the world.

Sins such as abortion that has murdered millions of innocent babies over the last 50 years. Sins such as murder, rape, violence, pedophilia, sexual perversion and murder committed in deference to the gods of false religions. Yes, that means Islam.

There's a direct correlation between the increase of sin in the world and violent weather. Here's more from that article I wrote last year:

Is the weather getting worse? Or is the spate of recent bad weather something that's just an unusual occurrence? According to biblical prophecy, the bad weather is a specific warning sign to the world that we're living in the end times and that things are indeed going to get worse. When Jesus Christ revealed some of the specific prophetic signs that would alert the world that His return was near, he stated that there would be "fearful events and great signs from heaven." (Luke 21:11) 

Indeed, the weather is getting worse and is going to continue to worsen as we get near to the return of Jesus Christ. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) said this: The latest science suggests that more hurricanes are yet to come. Tropical storms are likely to bring higher wind speeds; more precipitation and bigger storm surge in coming decades. Over the course of this century, maximum wind-speeds could increase 2-11 percent and rainfall could increase 3-31 percent.

The monster storm that slammed the east coast will pass; the snow will melt and Jonas will become a memory. But more violent weather is on the way. And if you think that Jonas was bad, then you haven't seen anything. The world is going to experience the type of violent weather that it's never seen before. The loss of life and the property damage will be immense.

What's the antidote? The antidote is simple; repentance from evil and the fear of God and respect for His laws and commandments. That's the antidote. Nothing else will do. In the ancient times when Israel rebelled against the Lord, He brought judgment upon that nation.

And He did so reluctantly. To the prophet Isaiah (8th century B.C.) He said this: "Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil. Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers." (Isaiah 1:5-7)

And so, the next time you look out the window and see nasty weather coming, consider it's message. The Lord's trying to convey His message to the world to turn from sin and repent. But is anyone listening?

Antichrist Obsession?

Antichrist: The ultimate wolf in masquerade

Some folks believe that people such as yours truly spend too much time talking about the Antichrist and not enough time talking about Jesus Christ.

They're folks such as Dr. Michael Brown, a Jewish believer and a biblical scholar who's brought many of his people to the Lord. Brown's a brilliant guy who holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University. 

But even brilliant folks can be wrong. And while Brown's right that some people are obsessed with the Antichrist, he's wrong to suggest that everyone who talks about the man of perdition doesn't spend enough time talking about Christ.

Here's what Brown said recently in a column published by World Net Daily: I do not object in the least to believers discussing the identity of the Antichrist and to studying what appear to be the relevant scriptures. If it’s in the Word, it’s for us to explore and study and investigate and understand.

Let the debate continue. 

But every previous generation that has focused on the Antichrist has died without seeing him, and so, to be practical, I want to devote my energies to doing whatever I can to please God and make a difference in people’s lives today, living in readiness for whatever may come my way tomorrow, Antichrist or no.

That's great. However, we're living in a time unlike any other time in history. We're living in the end times and we're getting close to the appearance of the Antichrist. We're getting close to a world government, and the Bible warns us that at some point after this government is functioning, the Antichrist will appear and assume control.

But so what? We know that's going to happen. Dr. Brown knows that's going to happen. So, why bother discussing it? Why? Because the Antichrist isn't merely going to be a tyrannical global dictator, he's going to be an elaborate counterfeit of Jesus Christ.

And he's going to deceive millions into following him. How? The apostle Paul explained it: "The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

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

Millions of people who have absolutely no biblical knowledge or spiritual discernment are going to embrace this man when he appears. And when he arrives, he will claim to be--guess who?--Jesus Christ who's returned to end wars, heal the planet and bring peace and prosperity to the world. 

That's why it's important to discuss the Antichrist. He's going to destroy millions--if not billions--of lives. And he's going to send them to hell with his deception. He will do this through his incredible supernatural powers that science will not be able to explain away. And those powers will come from Satan.

That's why many of us have been warning about the counterfeit Signs and Wonders Movement that has grown exponentially within the church over the past 50 years. That movement is based upon an erroneous interpretation of Joel 2:28-32, and claims that a great wave of miracles is going to break out across the world leading to a global revival that will culminate with the return of Jesus Christ.

The Signs and Wonders Movement has its "prophets" who claim that God has revealed to them that the "Great Revival" is getting near. Here's what a "prophet" named Ryan Lestrange claims God told him: I am calling this generation forth to move in the supernatural. Even as the church in the book of Acts went from place to place with power and demonstration, so am I calling this generation to move in power and demonstration. No longer shall the hand of man prevail; no longer shall the wisdom of man stand. 

I have invested the power and authority of My kingdom inside of My family, My sons and daughters. There is an awakening unto fullness, fullness of sonship, fullness of covenant, fullness of position and grace in Me, there is an awakening to the fullness of My power, My kingdom that I have called you to carry. There is a banner of fire being cast over this generation, and I am raising up voices who will release My wind and My breath upon the embers in order to fan the flame. 

This generation is called and marked to burn for Me. This generation is called unto the supernatural. I am raising up and establishing healing ministries in the earth as a sign and a wonder. I am sending forth prophetic ministries in the earth to awaken My people from their slumber and call them back to My heart. The spirit of slumber has blinded the eyes of many and they have been asleep at the wheel while destined journeys and planned exploits have crashed in the spirit and not been fulfilled because they were driving with their eyes closed!   

The Bible reveals no great spiritual awakening preceding the return of Christ. Rather, it speaks of a great apostasy supported by demonic miracles that will deceive many. And that deception will fool multitudes into following a counterfeit messiah who'll destroy their souls.

This is why we warn people about the Antichrist. Not because we're obsessed with him. But rather because we don't want people to be deceived by him. Because he will claim to be Jesus Christ when he appears. And he will sell that con through miracles.

There's only one true Jesus Christ. He came into the world 2,000 years ago and died for the sins of the world on the cross. And everyone who puts their faith and trust in Him will be saved. (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-12) There's no greater message than that. That's the alpha and the omega of the Gospel.

But there are counterfeits who claim to be Christ who can't save anyone. And the ultimate counterfeit is coming. It's important to point that out so people won't get fooled by him when he appears. Because he won't be your ordinary false messiah. 

Is that an obsession? I think not.

Fly the Friendly Skies

Inside Creflo Dollar's $70 million luxury jet

So now it can be told: Several big time evangelists travel in private luxury jets for spiritual and safety reasons. At least that's what big-timers such as Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar and Jesse Duplantis claim.

Here's Duplantis explaining why he needs his own luxury jet in order to bring the good news of the prosperity gospel to the poor and downtrodden: "As I was going home (one day), the Lord, real quickly, he said, 'Jesse, do you like your (commercial) plane? I thought, 'That's an odd statement.' I said, 'Well, certainly, Lord.' He said, 'Do you really like it?' And I thought, 'Well, yes, Lord.' Then he said this: 'So that's it? You gonna let your faith stagnate?'" 

Duplantis claims that God encouraged him to stop traveling on commercial jets and to get his own personal plane so the evangelist could talk to the Lord privately without being interrupted by his fellow travelers.

If you suspect that Duplantis is a prosperity preacher who spun that yarn in order to justify his material opulence, you're correct. Fellow prosperity guru Kenneth Copeland went Duplantis one step further with this: Now Oral [Roberts] used to fly airlines. But even back then it got to the place where it was agitating his spirit, people coming up to him; he had become famous, and they wanted him to pray for them and all that. You can't manage that today, this dope-filled world, and get in a long tube with a bunch of demons. It's deadly.

Copeland claims that he needs his own private luxury jet because he encounters demons on commercial flights. Yes, that's right; demonic spirits that encourage dope-heads to annoy him on airplanes and interrupt his quiet time with God. 

You can believe that if you want. Obviously, a lot of people believe that because prosperity preachers such as Copeland, Dollar and Duplantis have cult-like followings that respond like Pavlov's canines to anything their heroes ask of them. Such as sending them the big coin in order to finance their lavish lifestyles.

The appropriately named Dollar came under intense criticism last year after he asked his followers to send in the coin so the globetrotting minister could purchase a new plane to replace his old used up plane. Nothing wrong with that except that the new plane was a Gulfstream G650 that came with a hefty $70 million price tag. But what's $70 million when you're trying to travel around a dope-filled world and avoid the demons?

Dollar's ministry circled the wagons by issuing a statement that claimed the board of directors of Creflo Dollar Ministries (CDM) approved of the Gulfstream purchase rather than the evangelist: While he is the spiritual leader and the public face of CDM around the world, he is also the CEO of a global, multinational ministry corporation and, as such, reports to this board like any other CEO. When Dr. Dollar steps forward to announce a ministry initiative, please make no mistake that it is actually an action of this Board. 

Sure, and it snows in Miami. Without Creflo Dollar, there wouldn't be a Creflo Dollar Ministries. Celebrity evangelists often set up management boards simply to deflect the blame incurred by terrible decisions such as the decision to blow $70 million on a private luxury jet. When the manure hits the fan, the evangelists such as Dollar blame the management board.

A significant reason why Christianity has a serious credibility problem in the world today is because of folks such as Dollar, Copeland and Duplantis. Certainly, there are others--and plenty of them. The prosperity preachers are con artists who tell gullible folks what they want to hear in order to get into their wallets.

In fact, that's prophetic, and the apostle Paul revealed this: "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)

Prosperity hucksters promise folks that they can become wealthy simply by using their faith to command God and His angels to bring them the cash. And they pervert the scriptures to justify such heresy. But pause and think about this: If the prosperity preachers claim they can teach you how to use faith to get rich, then why are they asking you to send them money?

Concerning greed, Paul wrote this: "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

Maybe the above scripture is why Copeland, Dollar, Duplantis etc. don't want to fly commercial. Certainly it would be embarrassing if some poor, demon influenced person interrupted your conversation with God and quoted that scripture to your face. Indeed.

Jewish Extremists?

A Nun views damage from an arson fire at the Church of the Multiplication

While Islamic terrorism has been attracting a lot of attention across the world for several years, there are other terrorists who are causing significant trouble who've received only sparse attention from the global media.

Who are they? They're Ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists who've been attacking the homes, businesses and churches of Christians throughout Israel. They've gotten bolder in recent years by setting arson fires that have resulted in serious injuries and extensive damage to historical church buildings.

After the extremists torched the Church of the Multiplication last month, Father Nikodemus Schnabel accused the Israeli government of going soft on the Jewish radicals: The attacks have become more brutal and more aggressive. And we have not been happy with the political response.

The Israeli government has attempted to distance itself from the radicals, claiming that the religious zealots are disenfranchised youth with very few leaders who are messianic activists riding on waves of suspicion and ignorance.

According to the Israeli government's own information, the extremists have vandalized, burned and bombed dozens of churches and monasteries throughout the Jewish nation during the past three years. The radicals have also attacked mosques, but their rancor seems to be directed more toward Christians than Muslims.

Why are the extremists targeting churches? Because they believe Christianity is a pagan religion that promotes idol worship. Specifically how? Because of the Trinity that teaches that God consists of three persons; God the Heavenly Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit. Not three gods, but rather one God who consists of three distinct persons.

The Jewish extremists consider that sacrilege because Judaism--specifically Rabbinic Judaism--teaches that God is a single being who can't be known or seen. That belief motivated the ancient rabbis to seek Christ's death and it fomented the intense persecution that Christ's early Jewish followers suffered at the hands of the Pharisees who were the forerunners of today's Orthodox rabbis.

Do the rabbis have a valid argument that Christianity promotes idol worship? Absolute not. Contrary to popular belief, the Trinity isn't a Christian concoction, but can be found in the Old Testament. For example, when the Lord created man He said this: "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1:26)

Who's us? Since God created mankind, He wasn't speaking to the angels, but to the preincarnate Christ and to the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, in Genesis 1:1, ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.") the Hebrew word used for God is Elohim, which is plural, meaning one God who consists of more than one person.

And furthermore, when the prophet Isaiah (8th century B.C.) revealed who the Jewish Messiah would be, he wrote this: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) Isaiah revealed that the Jewish Messiah would be the physical incarnation of God and possess His Holy Spirit. And Jesus Christ fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy when He appeared several centuries later.

Why can't the rabbis see that? Because they're following a counterfeit religious system that developed over several centuries. Their ancestors took the Torah (books of Moses) and the Haftarah (writings of the prophets) and changed them by adding their own rules and bizarre interpretations. And that was in violation of God's command that prohibited them from doing that. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

The Jewish extremists are motivated by a false religion that's a perversion of the truth. Though Rabbinic Judaism doesn't specifically encourage its followers to persecute gentiles and Jewish believers in Christ, it lays the foundation for that persecution with its elitist claim that it alone teaches the true wisdom of God. And those who dissent are considered apostates and fools worthy of contempt.

The terror attacks on Christians in Israel committed by Ultra-Orthodox religious fanatics is yet another fulfillment of end-time prophecy concerning the persecution of Christians in the last days. The apostle Paul wrote: "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

The evildoers and impostors are the Jewish extremists who believe they're serving God by persecuting Christians. However, they're really serving Satan, who's the god of all false religions that can't save anyone. Hopefully, they'll wake up and realize that before it's too late. Otherwise, they'll be spending eternity with their "god" in a very miserable place.

Voodoo Economics

China's recent economy woes have shaken the world

Though many folks consider the economy to be complicated, it's actually quite easy to understand.

What's so easy to understand about the economy? Simply this: When people have more money, they spend more. That helps the economy. Conversely, when they have less money, they spend less. And that hurts the economy.

How's that related to the recent economic downturn in China that's reverberated across the world, causing stock markets to suffer significant losses? China's economy has contracted because its manufacturing industry has slowed down significantly over the past two years. China's response to the slowdown has been to devalue the Yuan with the hope of reinvigorating its economy.

A devalued Yuan makes China's products cheaper and more attractive on the world market. That hurts manufacturers in western nations that can't compete with cheap Chinese products. And that scares investors away who withdraw their money from companies that can't compete with China. When the investors pull their money out of those companies, the stock market sinks.

Economic experts blame the U.S. Federal Reserve and the big British and European banks for contributing to the problem by printing too much money that's inflated the price of products manufactured in the U.S. and Europe. That makes big and small companies look to China for cheaper products that return greater profits than products made in the western world.

But there's another side to China's economic slowdown, and that's the deepening global recession that few people want to talk about. Remember, when folks have less money, they spend less. And folks around the world, and particularly in the United States and in many European nations don't have a lot of money to spend these days because their economies stink.

Why do their economies stink? Because those nations are utilizing Marxist economic principles that confiscate wealth from the productive class and redistribute it to the unproductive class. How do nations do that? Through high taxes on their citizens, and oppressive taxes and regulations on businesses and corporations. 

Those punitive taxes and regulations on western corporations have been beneficial to China because, thanks to global trade agreements in recent decades, the Chinese have become the manufacturing capital of the world. Many of the goods you now buy at your local retailers are manufactured in China, from toys to electronics to clothes, shoes, appliances etc.

Those products used to be made in places such as the U.S. until the trade agreements made it possible for companies to relocate to China where they could pay slave-labor wages to peasants to manufacture products that are shipped all over the world. China, in turn, has borrowed huge sums of money to build a massive industrial infrastructure to manufacture those items that are no longer made in the U.S. and in other western nations.

However, the factory orders are down because the global economy is in a recession. And as a result, the Chinese are having trouble paying down the debt from all that money they borrowed to build their manufacturing industry. Simply put, the money's not coming into China. And that's causing turmoil in the world's financial markets.

Some conspiracy nuts claim that a cabal of global elites want to cause a global depression by blowing up the world economy. And they point to China's economic problems as the beginning of that plan that they claim will cause international panic and result in the creation of a world government.

There's no conspiracy to blow up the world economy. The current global economic problems are the result of greed, bad decisions and poor planning. Greed on the part of western corporations that have taken advantage of international trade agreements to relocate to places such as China where they can turn huge profits; bad decisions by nations to print too much money that's causing inflation, and poor planning on the part of the Chinese to overbuild their manufacturing industry beyond global demand.

That's why the economy is sputtering. However, there are indeed globalists who believe that the world needs a massive central government and a central bank with a global currency that would prevent economic disasters. And indeed, such a government is coming. When will we see it? We don't know. But it's coming.

In the late 1st century, the apostle John recorded this metaphorical vision from God concerning an end time world government: "And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority." (Revelation 13:1-2)

The beast John saw represents a global government that will consist of 10 nation groups ruled by seven powerful leaders who will be under the authority of the dreaded Antichrist. And this government will institute a fully electronic economic system that will do away with paper money, coins, checks, credit and debit cards.

This will be the economic system of the Antichrist. John continued: "He (Antichrist) also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:16-17)

The cashless system of the Antichrist will become the ultimate expression of voodoo economics. It will not only purport to do away with economic problems, it will also do away with those who refuse to accept the mark because it will damn them in eternity if they receive it. (Revelation 14:9-12)

See No Evil and Speak No Truth

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and ISIS Mujahideen Edward Archer (right)

One of the great attributes of leftists is their amazing ability to tell folks what their motives are even when those people disagree with them. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney demonstrated that axiom recently after a 30-year old ex-con and ISIS protege named Edward Archer was arrested after he shot police officer Jesse Hartnett 13 times.

Fortunately, Hartnett's going to survive, although he could lose partial or complete use of his left arm that took most of Archer's bullets. And unfortunately, the No Islam to See Here excuse is also going to survive because soon after Archer was captured and confessed Islam as his motive for shooting Hartnett, Kenney dismissed Archer's confession.

Here's what Kenney said: In no way, shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam or the teaching of Islam has anything to do with what you’ve seen on that screen (displaying the video of the shooting). That is abhorrent, it's just, it's terrible and it does not represent the religion in any way shape or form or any of its teachings. This is a criminal with a stolen gun who tried to kill one of our officers. (It) has nothing to do with being a Muslim or following the Islamic faith.

In fact, Islam had everything to do with Archer's actions. And yet Kenney, who evidently fancies himself as an expert on Islam, denied that Islam promotes jihad and violence against non-Muslims. Kenney sounded as though he was reading from a prepared statement written by one of Barack Obama's speechwriters. It wasn't only factually wrong, it was also insulting to the millions of folks who know what the Quran truly teaches.

However, Kenney knows better because he's a brilliant man and you're just some bigoted, racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic rube who clings to your guns and religion when the times are tough. And so, when Kenney states that Archer's actions had nothing to do with Islam, who are you going to believe? A professed Muslim such as Archer who's been to Saudi Arabia and Egypt? Or Kenney, who claims to know Islam even though he's probably never read the Quran?

Kenney should study these Islamic scriptures before he decides to taste his shoe-leather again in front of the cameras: Those who disbelieve follow falsehood, while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord... So, when you meet (in fight Jihad in Allah's Cause), those who disbelieve smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as captives)... If it had been Allah's Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them (without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you, some with others. But those who are killed in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost. (Sura 47:3-4)

He (the Messenger of Allah) did that and said: There is another act which elevates the position of a man in Paradise to a grade one hundred (higher), and the elevation between one grade and the other is equal to the height of the heaven from the earth. He (Abu Sa'id) said: What is that act? He replied: Jihad in the way of Allah! Jihad in the way of Allah! (Muslim 20:4645)

Fight everyone in the way of Allah and kill those who disbelieve in Allah. (Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 992)

Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight against the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him." (Bukhari 52:177)

O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever among you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people. (Sura 5:51)

Allah said, "A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion." (Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 484)

Those are just a few examples taken from the Quran and the Hadith (Teachings of Muhammad) that contain approximately 160 verses that exhort Muslims to spread Islam by the sword. Those are the verses that the mujahideen such as Edward Archer use as their motivation for killing in Allah's name. And as long as Islam exists, there will be more Edward Archers who will believe they are serving God by murdering the infidels.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ issued this caveat: "In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the (Heavenly) Father or me." (John 16:2-3) 

Edward Archer is a prophetic fulfillment of that scripture. If he knew the true God of the universe, he never would have attempted to murder a police officer. But he serves a false god who loves death and destruction.

Jim Kenney is also a prophetic fulfillment of scripture. Which one? This one: "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." (2 Timothy 4:3)

Kenney rejects the sound truthful doctrine that reveals the violent theology of Islam. Instead, he seeks out false teachers who sooth his itching ears by telling him that Islam is a religion of peace. Will he still believe that when a mujahideen such as Edward Archer comes looking for him?  

Hell: Who Goes There?

Does it really exist?

The lives of four young men who were in their early 20s ended abruptly recently when they drowned in a lake at a southern Wisconsin resort. What were they doing on a lake in the dead of winter? And how did they end up in the water?

Evidently, after a long night of partying and drinking at the resort house, someone got the brilliant idea to go for a canoe ride in the dark early morning hours. And so, the four climbed into a three-seat canoe and rode off across the lake. 

At some point, the canoe capsized and the men fell into the icy waters and drowned. Those who are familiar with water and frigid temperatures will tell you that a sober person has only a slim chance at best to survive if they fall into extremely cold water. But an inebriated person? Forget it--no chance.

Alcohol often makes people extremely bold. And when they get bold, they get stupid. It's debatable whether the men would've stayed away from the lake had they been sober. Perhaps they would've gone for the canoe ride anyway. But that's unlikely. A significant number of car wrecks occur because someone tanked up on booze decided they could drive like a NASCAR racer on a residential street. 

After the bodies of the men were retrieved from the lake, the father of one of the victims claimed that he was at peace because he knew that his son was in heaven. Perhaps. Perhaps not. That's God's jurisdiction, not ours. If the young man was born again in Jesus Christ, then he's in heaven with the Lord.

However, tragedy and folly are two separate things. And those who do stupid provocative things often pay with more than just their physical lives. They pay in eternity. When Moses gave the ancient Jews God's Law, he said this: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah." (Deuteronomy 6:16) Jesus Christ clarified that after Satan took a scripture out of context (Psalm 91:11-12) to dare Christ to jump off the Temple Mount in Jerusalem: "It is written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test." (Luke 4:12)

Tragedy is a circumstance that happens beyond someone's control. For example, a tragedy is a plane crash or train derailment that destroys innocent lives. But death caused by ego or alcohol-impaired judgment isn't a tragedy because it was caused by selfish stupid behavior.  

The apostle Paul warned the early Christians to honor the Lord with their bodies: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  

And Paul issued this caveat: "If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:17) What did Paul mean? Was he talking about church buildings? No. Rather, he was talking about our bodies. Therefore, those who intentionally do stupid things that cost them their lives can end up in hell.

And hell is a real place. It's a terrible place. Christ gave us a glimpse of hell with this account of a selfish, narcissistic rich man and a poor destitute man named Lazarus: "The time came when the beggar (Lazarus) died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'" (Luke 16:22-24)

Christ's description of hell teaches us this: It exists and it's not merely the abode of evil, wicked people; it's the abode of selfish people who reject God to serve their own interests in this world. And hell is populated with many people who were considered righteous and successful in this world. That includes religious leaders, business tycoons and popular political leaders.

And that also includes the people who died while putting God to the test. Are those four young men there? Only God knows where they are. But if they died in the act of something incredibly stupid, then I think you know the answer.

Natural and Abnormal

Indeed, homosexuality is natural

Contrary to what many folks believe, homosexuality is indeed natural. However, it's not normal and not what God planned for his human creation.

Understandably, the very suggestion that homosexuality is natural makes many people apoplectic. And yet, not only is homosexuality natural, so are a lot of other things that many people consider repugnant. Such behavior is inherent in mankind's fallen sinful nature that drives human beings to do awful things.

When the apostle Paul preached the gospel during his travels in the early days of the church, he said things like this: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3:5-11)

Paul stated that everyone is born with a sinful nature that influences them to rebel against God's laws and commandments. Where does that fallen nature come from? It entered the human race with the original sin of Adam and Eve, and it's been passed on to all of their descendants. Certainly, it manifests differently in each person. Not everyone is driven to murder, violence, theft, dishonesty, idolatry or attraction to the same sex. But everyone is driven toward some type of sin.

Thus, homosexuality is indeed natural. But it's abnormal and it must be rejected. Paul 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. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

For some reason, only homosexuals seem to have a problem with that scripture. However, Paul also used God's transcendent moral law to condemn adultery, greed, theft, drunkenness, idolatry and fornication. The folks who commit those types of sins don't seem to object to what Paul wrote.

Paul's antidote for the sinful nature is to crucify the flesh. What did he mean by that? Did he recommend that we kill ourselves? Absolutely not. He clearly meant that the way to conquer the fallen sinful nature is by setting "your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:2-4)

When our minds are preoccupied with worldly things, our fallen nature controls us. What earthly things? Things such as money, material objects, greed, lust, sex, pleasure etc. 

Concerning homosexuality, Paul wrote this in his epistle to the early Roman church: "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.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." (Romans 1:21-27)

Even the secular world used to recognize that same sex attraction was abnormal. For example, the American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental disorder until 1973. Why did the APA change its position on same sex attraction? Because of pressure from powerful gay activists who wanted the negative stigma removed from their lifestyle, rather than any empirical data that suggested homosexuality was biological.

To date, no empirical evidence has been discovered that supports the biological theory. Same sex attraction is a moral choice--albeit a choice that's influenced by a powerful fallen nature. If homosexuality wasn't a moral choice, then God's word would be cruel and unfair in its condemnation of the gay lifestyle. (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9)

But God's word isn't unfair to those who practice the gay lifestyle. Rather, it's a warning to them to repent of that lifestyle and get out of it before it's too late.

The Return of Christ: Part III

Concerning the prophetic signs of the end times, Jesus Christ said this: "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 24:12-13)

When we think of wickedness, we think of popular forms such as crime and violence. And only a fool would deny that crime hasn't become more prevalent in the world over the past 60 years.

However, Christ defined wickedness in much broader terms than merely crime statistics. When he revealed that the love of most would grow cold in the end times, what did He mean? He meant that the love of God will wane and die in the last days preceding His return.

Thus, according to Christ, many will not only turn away from the faith; i.e. drop out of the church, but they will lose their salvation as well by renouncing their faith. That's why Christ stated that those who stand firm to the end will be saved. He meant that those who resist the temptation to trade their faith for the temporal pleasures of the world will be rewarded with eternal life.

But clearly, things are getting much worse across the world. The apostle Paul revealed this prophecy concerning the increase in evil in the end times: "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)

Since 1960, crime has skyrocketed in the United States. While statistics can be manipulated to convey unintended meanings, the crime statistics for the U.S. over the past 55 years speak for themselves. They can't be manipulated. 

Since everything has a cause and effect relationship, then what's caused the uptick in crime and violence across the world? Paul provides the answer: "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)

Paul revealed that evil is commensurate with man's ignorance and rejection of God and His transcendent moral laws. The more people turn away from God, the more wicked they become. There's your cause and effect relationship. Ironically, Paul stated that despite the prevalence of evil in the last days, people would embrace a form of godliness, but without any power. (2 Timothy 3:5)

What was Paul referring to? He was referring to dead religion that gave the appearance of honor and recognition of God, but without power. What power? The power of God's Holy Spirit that helped the early churches spread the gospel through miracles such as healing, deliverance of demonic spirits, and even raising the dead. 

Without that power, the Christian church is dead. Why has the church lost that power? Because it has no love for God. If the church did, it wouldn't have opened its doors to all the world's false religions and their assorted idols. 

To that, Paul warned: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)

Is Christ coming back soon? Based upon the signs, His return is getting near. How near? We don't know. We don't have an exact date. However, we have the prophetic signs. And the signs tell us that Christ's return is getting close. That could mean tomorrow or it could mean several years. 

But whenever it is, we have to be ready. For Christ Himself warned: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42-44)