Russia, China and the 2016 Election

Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi

Musings as we approach the renewal of Springtime:

1) Who do Russia and China favor in the upcoming presidential election? Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump? 

The Russians probably favor Trump, assuming that he wins the Republican nomination, while the Chinese likely favor Hillary Clinton, assuming she isn't indicted over the ongoing email scandal swirling around her. And it's unlikely she'll be charged with anything under the current administration. They protect their own, and she's one of their own. Why would the Russians favor Trump? Because he's pledged to work with them in fighting terrorism, and he's promised to help them economically, whatever that would entail. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have deteriorated badly under Barack Obama; so badly that we're in a new cold war. And that's not good because unlike the days of the old cold war, the Russians now possess a vastly improved military; better military hardware and more powerful strategic nuclear weapons. Though we'd still probably prevail in a military encounter with Russia, the Russians could inflict very heavy damage upon us. 

As for China, they'd favor Hillary Clinton because Donald Trump has promised to end the lopsided trade advantage that China has gained over the U.S., and he's pledged to punish the Chinese for manipulating their currency that's hurt U.S. manufacturing and contributed to the enormous trade imbalance between the two nations. The Chinese have grown fat and prosperous under the current trade agreement between the two nations, and they don't want that to change. And Hillary Clinton, who's a puppet of Wall Street and the American Chamber of Commerce wouldn't change a thing.

2) Why has Christianity's image suffered so badly in the western world over the past 60 years?

Simply because the Christian church has done an absolutely marvelous job of making itself irrelevant in the world. The church has a responsibility to "contend for the faith" (Jude 1:3), and it hasn't done that for a long time. We're involved in a spiritual war with the forces of evil, something that the apostle Paul wrote about in his epistle to the Ephesian church. (Ephesians 6) 

This is a war fought not with conventional weapons, but with spiritual weapons. Paul wrote this: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

But those weapons are useless if you choose to fight your battles at the ballot box instead of by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

3) What is the oldest religious cult in the world?

That would be the Roman Catholic Church, followed by Islam. The Catholic Church has all the classic features of a cult; a charismatic leader (Pope) who's considered infallible and is worshiped as a religious icon; an unbiblical gospel that contradicts and denies the biblical gospel; charms, fetishes and enchanted objects that supposedly bring good luck and protection (rosaries, scapulars, medals etc.), and idolatry in the form of Mariolatry and the worship of saints. There's nothing Christian about the Catholic Church at all. And yet many Protestant and Evangelical leaders promote the Catholic Church as mainstream Christianity. It isn't and it's never been.

4) Is Islam destined to take over the world?

No, Islam is eventually going to disappear. But how? Consider three major world nations that are rising. They are China, Russia and India. What do they all have in common? They loathe Islam and want to get rid of that religion. Why? Because unlike the western world that's become poisoned by politically-correct multi-culturalism, the rising eastern powers understand that Islam is an extremely intolerant religion that can't coexist peacefully with anyone. It never has, and it never will.

Also keep in mind that these three nations don't offer "freedom of religion" as it's offered in the U.S. For example, if the Russians decided to outlaw Islam, they could simply pass a law without changing their constitution. And as Russia grows politically and militarily stronger, she's going to begin exerting her influence across eastern Europe and then into western Europe. As Russia's influence spreads, Islam will eventually be driven completely out of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. And the Chinese will drive Islam out of Asia and the southern hemisphere. Where will Islam's final stand come? Probably in North America before it's eradicated there as well. 

Greed by Any Other Name

Erin Andrews

Erin Andrews, the popular, photogenic sports reporter and television star feels so wronged about being secretly video-recorded by a peeping Tom that she's suing the man who committed the vile act.

And she's suing the Nashville Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt University and Windsor Capital Group, the management company, for $75 million. The trial began on February 22, in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Who's the peeping Tom? He's an insurance salesman named Michael David Barrett who filmed Andrews in the buff several years ago while Andrews was staying at the Nashville hotel.

Andrews was in Nashville at the time to cover a college football game. Evidently Barrett, whose job required him to travel extensively, was a frequent Marriott customer. And according to Andrews and her attorney, Barrett got to know Marriott employees quite well.

So well in fact that Andrews and her lawyer believe that Barrett was able to persuade the Marriott employees to rent him a room next to Andrews at the Nashville hotel. Barrett then proceeded to record Andrews through a peephole in Andrews' door, and he eventually published the videos on the internet.

It turns out that Barrett had made unsuccessful attempts to record Andrews at other Marriott hotels before he finally succeeded in Nashville. He was caught after Andrews was alerted to the racy videos circulating on the internet. 

Barrett initially attempted to sell the videos to TMZ, a provocative organization that covers celebrities and entertainers. The folks at TMZ may be bold and aggressive, but they aren't stupid. They rejected Barrett's offer, and you don't have to be a brain surgeon to understand why.

Barrett was arrested for stalking and invasion of privacy, and he served two and a half years in prison. He should've done a lot more time because no one has the right to exploit someone else for personal gain. How much time should Barrett have been given? I would've given him at least 10 years or more.

Andrews says that Barrett humiliated her, and that's a valid argument. She's an attractive woman who draws a lot of attention wherever she goes. Her privacy was violated by a greedy, sleazy stalker who's now deservedly in some deep you-know-what. And it's now up to Andrews' attorney to convince the jury that the Nashville Marriott conspired with Barrett to set up the unauthorized video session.

If the jury decides that Marriott colluded with Barrett to place him in a room next to Andrews, then the hotel should be made to pay. The hotel's attorneys claim--naturally--that Barrett was able to track down Andrews on his own. Obviously, the jury will decide whether they believe that or not.

But should the hotel be made to pay $75 million if it's found guilty? Andrews claims that she's been emotionally scarred by the ordeal. She claims that those scars will probably never go away. And maybe she's right.

But will $75 million make those emotional scars go away? That might make the hotel go away, but what about those scars? Certainly, Andrews has a right to seek damages for her ordeal. And the perpetrators need to be punished. But $75 million?

That sounds like greed. And it is. Why is Andrews asking for $75 million? Because she's suing a profitable hotel chain. If the jury decides in favor of Andrews, it will probably reduce the award. Andrews and her lawyer know that. That's why they asked for such an exorbitant amount. If they win, they'll still come away with a bundle.

I don't know if Andrews is a Christian. But if she believes that she is, then she needs to heed these words by the apostle Paul: 

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? (1 Corinthians 6:7-9)

And she needs to heed these words from Jesus Christ Himself:

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Michael David Barrett deserves to be punished for what he did. And if the Nashville Marriott colluded with him to put him in a room next to Andrews, they deserve to be punished as well.

However, $75 million isn't about punishment. It's about greed. And there's no other name for it.

Jinn Rubbish?

Spirit Problems? Call the Islamic ghost busters

Apparently, the Islamic world still believes in such things as ghosts and demons. For example, if you live in Saudi Arabia and suspect that your house is haunted, you can call the Jinn police and they'll come and rid your home of spirits, much like a spiritual exterminator.

What's a Jinn? That's an Arabic term for a spirit. According to Islam, Jinns aren't always bad spirits. Islam classifies some Jinns as good and helpful, just as some churches claim that Christians have guardian angels at their side.

The Bible informs us that true Christians are protected by God's angels. (Psalm 91) But nowhere does the Bible reveal that Christians have their own personal angels who've been assigned to them by God. That's an unbiblical heresy taught by the Roman Catholic Church.

Here's what the Bible says concerning God's protection of His people: 

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. (Psalm 91:9-13)

 The reality that spirit beings such as angels, demons and ghosts exist is repugnant to many folks in the west who consider any belief in such beings to be primitive superstition.

Hugh Fitzgerald, who writes for the conservative weblog, frontpagemag.com, is one such skeptic who lampoons the Muslim world for its belief in spirits. Here's what he wrote recently:

The Saudi witchcraft-hunt offers us a glimpse of the Bizarro-World that we enter whenever we penetrate the world of Islam. In the West, we hardly bother to denounce those who claim to be witches and wizards, exorcists and fortunetellers, that is, all who lay claim to supernatural powers, because we know, as rational creatures, that they are frauds and fakes, they cannot possibly have these powers. And because we don’t believe any of that stuff, we don’t worry about them in this, our Western world, the dutiful child of the Enlightenment and rationalism. If we punish any fortunetellers or magicians at all, it’s only because they have charged for services we know are worthless and we want them to disgorge their ill-gotten gains. Witchcraft has not been taken seriously, i.e. as effective, since Salem, when outside it was 1692.

Fitzgerald shows his rank ignorance of the spiritual realm by equating the belief in the demonic with witchcraft. If Fitzgerald bothered to do the research, he'd discover that witchcraft--although vile and evil--is taken very seriously these days by a lot of folks, including many of his own on the left. Witchcraft, or Wicca as it's more popularly referred to, has grown exponentially in the western world, despite the so-called triumph of rationalism and science.

Fitzgerald might also want to explain how some children and adolescents acquire the ability to speak with adult voices, or speak in languages they've never learned. I'm sure that Fitzgerald believes that science has a plausible explanation for that.

And he can believe that all he wants. But science has no explanation for that. Or, for furniture and other objects that move themselves around rooms, in full view of people. That's what happened in the famous Roland Doe case in the late 1940s.

Who was Doe? Doe was an adolescent boy who tried to contact his deceased grandmother with a Ouija Board. Soon after his attempt, Doe began acting strangely and he started speaking Hebrew, a language he never learned. The furniture in Doe's house began to move by itself, and Doe eventually was committed to a hospital after he became extremely violent. In fact, he became so violent that he couldn't even be restrained by chains.

Compare Doe's story to the biblical account of a man that Jesus and His disciples encountered one day:

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. (Mark 5:1-5)

Doe became demon possessed via the Ouija Board. In fact, the horror film, The Exorcist, was based upon Doe's story. However, modern intellectuals such as Hugh Fitzgerald would try to explain away Doe's behavior to some psychological malady. After all, science has provided all the answers for that type of behavior, hasn't it?

No it hasn't. We're living in a post-Christian world where, for millions of people, science and rationalism have replaced faith in God and the reverence for His word in the Bible. Even many professing Christians no longer believe in Satan, demons, or Jinns, if you prefer the Arabic term.

But they still exist, and they operate best under the cover of secrecy and darkness. The less you know about them, the greater damage they can inflict upon you and the world.

For Hugh Fitzgerald, the damage has already been done. His god is science. And like all false gods, Fitzgerald's god won't be able to rescue him from eternal damnation after he leaves this world.

The New Anti-Semitism

An inflammatory sign that recently appeared on a Chicago expressway

So, who's behind the inflammatory signs that encourage folks to boycott Israel? The signs have been popping up along the interstates across the U.S. for the past several years.

The group that's paying for the signs is known as StopFundingApartheid.org (SFA), a subsidiary of an organization called the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SMAC). The SMAC says it's not anti-Semitic, but claims it merely exists to alert Americans to Israel's alleged persecution of the Palestinians, and the Jewish nation's unlawful occupation of Palestinian land. Yep, sure.

One of the SFA's signs recently appeared in the Chicago area before it was taken down when the company that put up the sign decided to remove it following an avalanche of complaints. Evidently, a lot of Chicagoans are unenlightened bigots and racists who don't agree with the SFA.

And so, what's the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign really all about? Is it truly just an educational group that believes Israel is persecuting the Palestinians? Or, is it a front group peddling Islamic propaganda for such terror organizations as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood?

According to folks such as David Horowitz, the founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center that battles anti-Semitism and the spread of Islamic propaganda on college campuses, the SMAC is indeed a front group for Hamas that seeks Israel's destruction and the elimination of all the Jews from the world.

Furthermore, a group called Standwithus.com has linked Edward Mast, a leading SMAC spokesman to the International Solidarity Movement, a group with close ties to Islamic terror groups.

Who's Mast? According to Familysecuritymatters.org, Mast is a playwright who grew up in California and now resides in Seattle. And furthermore: Seven years ago, Mast was an activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and more recently he has been involved with the “Palestine Online Store.” He is a founding member of the Seattle-based Palestine Information Project which also goes under the name Palestine Solidarity Committee, which has campaigned to boycott Israeli products and produces (Islamic) propaganda.

Islamic terror groups pay puppets such as Edward Mast to spew their vile propaganda to ignorant folks who don't understand what the real agenda is. And what's the real agenda? The real agenda is the Islamic world's vehement hatred of the Jews and Israel. The Islamic world wants to destroy Israel and murder all the Jews. Why? Because that's what the Quran and the Hadith teach. Here's an example:

The last hour (Judgment Day) will not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims will kill them until the Jews will hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree will say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him. (Sahih Muslim, 6986, Hadith)

Since the call for the mass murder of world Jewry and the destruction of Israel is overt anti-Semitism, terror groups camouflage that message in the covert sophistry of "human rights."

And they use front groups such as the SFA and SMAC to deliver that message to ignorant, gullible and unsuspecting folks in order to turn them against the Jews and the nation of Israel. Tragically, too many people embrace that message without investigating its source or examining what its real motives are.

When we examine the evidence, we can easily discover what the real motives are. I've written at length on it, so there's no need to deal with it again here. Here's are some links to articles I've written on Islam, Israel and God's promises to the Jews: Israel and Islam, Isaac and Ishmael. Israel, the Jews and the World. Blissful Ignorance. Islamic Fundamentalism 101.

Why is anti-Semitism metastasizing throughout the world once again? Tragically, the Jews remain under an ancient curse that they incurred thousands of years ago because of their chronic rebellion against God.

Nearly 2,500 years ago, the Lord spoke these words to the prophet Jeremiah: "I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. For they have not listened to my words," declares the Lord, "words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets." (Jeremiah 29:17-19)

The Bible reveals that this ancient curse will end when Jesus Christ comes back to rescue Israel and destroy her enemies at an event known as Armageddon. (Zechariah 14) But before that happens, Israel and the Jews will continue to be persecuted by both the old anti-Semites, and the new ones such as Edward Mast and his SMAC.

Blind Guides

Glenn Beck

According to Glenn Beck, a controversial conservative political commentator, if the country is lost, it will be lost because of the Christians.

What was Beck referring to? Was he referring to the Christian church's abdication of its role in keeping the Judeo-Christian worldview relevant in the United States? Was he referring to the sorry fact that the church has failed to adequately contend for the faith in America for over three generations? Or, was he referring to Christians who've sold out Christ for the temporal pleasures of this world?

Beck wasn't referring to any of that. Rather, he was referring to Christians who refuse to support Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and help him get elected to the presidency. You see? In Beck's eyes, it's just that easy. Just elect Cruz to the White House in November and that will stem the tide of godless secularism that's been steamrolling across America for the past 50 years.

Beck continued: There will be no one else to blame. You can’t blame the progressives. You can’t blame the left. You can’t blame Hillary Clinton. You can’t blame anyone else but the Christians who are not living and voting their principles.

If Cruz isn't elected as America's 45th president, it won't be because Christians didn't vote their principles; it will be because there aren't enough genuine Christians left in the nation to make a difference. 

Beck doesn't seem to realize that the United States circa 2016 isn't the United States of 1980 when Ronald Reagan soundly defeated Jimmy Carter for the presidency. That America doesn't exist anymore. 

That America consisted of a majority of conservatives who recognized the evils of big government, godless humanism and Marxist economic principles. They recognized that the ideals of Jimmy Carter and his political party were anathema to freedom and prosperity. And they refused to send Carter back to the White House for a second term.

Not so with Barack Obama, whose presidency is so failed that it makes the Titanic look like a fender bender. You could understand why Obama was elected in 2008 after eight years of George W. Bush, and during a calamitous economic time. But 2012? Even a circus clown should've been able to defeat Obama in that election. 

But Obama was reelected because half of the nation was woefully ignorant of his character and too apathetic to bother finding out. Obama's reelection was blamed on the alleged five million or so conservatives who stayed home that year and failed to vote. But in reality, they didn't exist. Because if they did, Obama would've been a one-term president like Carter. 

If you have your doubts about the apathy and ignorance of today's Americans, then consider this:

A national survey by FindLaw.com, a legal information Web site, found that nearly two-thirds of Americans can't name any of the nine members of the Supreme Court of the United States. In fact, results show that only 34 percent of Americans can name any member of the nation's highest court, and only one percent can correctly name all nine justices.

That's tragic. Why? Because that's a barometer of the ignorance of today's American voters. But wouldn't Beck argue that he's trying to overcome such ignorance by informing the voters? If that's his argument, then it's a misguided one.

Ignorance is the first cousin of apathy. If people possess a debauched worldview that makes hedonistic pleasure sacrosanct and the only thing worth living for, then they won't have any use for patriotism or Christian values or moral decency. Rather, they'll embrace politicians who promise to protect their "freedoms" while punishing those who would deny those freedoms.

Glenn Beck wants to elect Ted Cruz as America's next president so Cruz can select a conservative Supreme Court justice to replace the recently deceased Antonin Scalia, who was a staunch conservative. However, conservatism and the return to a prevailing Judeo-Christian worldview in America doesn't begin with SCOTUS or the presidency.

It only begins when the Christian church in America wakes up from the spiritual coma it's been in for the past 50 years. As the apostle Paul so aptly wrote: "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 Glenn Beck and other conservative Christians who are concerned about America's slide into moral depravity would heed those words, then they wouldn't be wasting their time with ballot box evangelism. Rather, they'd be trying to change a culture that's been contaminated by the rot of secular humanism for an awfully long time.

Is the Pope a Christian?

Donald Trump (left) and Pope Francis

Many folks consider it sacrilege to question whether Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the world's largest church, is an authentic Christian.

Why even ask that question? Because the pope recently questioned Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's faith. Why? Because if Trump's elected, he's promised to build a fence on America's southern border that would keep illegal immigrants from Central America out of the U.S. That's angered the pope.

When he was asked whether American Catholics should vote for Trump, the pope said this: 

I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.

The Bible never defines a true Christian as someone who encourages and abets illegal immigration. Nor does the word of God deny salvation and eternal life to those who build fences to keep illegal immigrants out of their nations. And yet Pope Francis claims that Trump can't be a Christian because he wants to build a border fence.

Is Donald Trump a true Christian? He claims that he is. But only God knows whether he is or not. Certainly, the pope claims to be a Christian, as do millions of people across the world. But what makes a person a true Christian, as opposed to someone who merely follows a cultural form of Christianity that mandates rituals, baptisms and works as essential for salvation and eternal life?

Let the apostle Paul explain it: "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 on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 10:9-14)

In his epistle to the church in Ephesus, Paul emphasized that rituals and works play no part in gaining eternal life in Jesus Christ: "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.For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Neither Pope Francis, nor his church agree with Paul. Rather, they promote a gospel that mandates a lifetime of works and sacraments that begin with baptism and end in purgatory before a person can be admitted into heaven. That's not biblical. 

The Catholic Church condemns anyone who believes that faith alone in the crucified and resurrected Christ is all that's required for eternal life. And that's despite the fact that Christ Himself revealed that salvation comes by strictly by faith alone: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) 

What does the Catholic Church teach regarding salvation? It teaches this:

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)

According to the Bible, Pope Francis isn't a true Christian. It doesn't matter what he calls himself, or what his followers call him, or what the numerous sellouts in the Protestant and Evangelical churches call him.

Unless he truly believes that salvation is a free gift from God that can only be received by faith rather than by works, then he isn't a true Christian. And neither are his followers.

If that seems radical, then consider that the scriptures were written long before the advent of the Catholic Church. And nowhere does the Bible reveal the Roman Catholic gospel. It's a false, man-made gospel that can't save anyone.

Concerning the veracity of the scriptures, the Bible says this: "Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." (Isaiah 8:20) And that includes Pope Francis.

Where are the Miracles?

Just before He returned to heaven following the Resurrection, Jesus Christ gave His disciples and followers these commands: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18)

Christ gave His followers the power to heal the sick, a miracle that He often performed during His three year ministry in ancient Israel. Christ sighted the blind (Mark 8:22-25); gave hearing to the deaf (Mark 7:31-37) and even raised the dead (Matthew 9:18-26, John 11).

The gift of healing is but one of nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that the apostle Paul listed in his first of two letters to the early church in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) It was a gift that was quite prevalent in the early churches, but has essentially vanished from Christendom over the past 200 years.

The question is why? Why is there such a dearth of miracles in the modern church? The obvious answer is faithlessness. Much of the modern church has marginal faith, meaning that--yes--most Christians still believe in the virgin birth of Christ, His miracles and in His resurrection from the dead. But that's about it. They don't believe that modern Christians are endowed by God with the power to perform the type of miracles that prevailed in the early church age.

The modern church's faithlessness is enabled by a false doctrine that attempts to explain away the lack of miracles. Many evangelicals embrace Dispensationalism, a doctrine that claims that miracles were permitted by God in an earlier age (dispensation) but are no longer allowed in the current age. Dispensationalism teaches that the miracles ceased with the death of the "last apostle", whoever that was.

That's pure baloney. Nowhere does the Bible even hint that the miracles would cease before Christ returns. That was a point made by a preacher named John Alexander Dowie, the founder of Zion, Ill. in the 19th century, who blasted the tepid faith of church ministers during his day. While Dowie was considered a nut by some folks for his unusual dress and erratic behavior, he was on the mark when he pointed out the metastasizing faithlessness in the church during his time.

Indeed, miracles are for today, as they were 2,000 years ago. Here's one example: Several years ago I shared the gospel with a Jewish man named Richard Krause. He admitted that he was willing to accept Christ into his life if God would show him a miraculous sign. I told him to ask God to provide him with that sign.

A few months later, Richard informed me that he had accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior because he received his sign. What was that sign? Richard revealed that he had suffered since childhood from Hepatitis B, a chronic, incurable and sometimes fatal illness.

Richard told me that after a routine examination, his doctor revealed that he no longer showed any trace of the disease. It was completely gone. Richard was healed. Was that a miracle? Indeed it was. And Richard became a believer.

Certainly, not everyone gets healed. Faith isn't a science where you say a simple prayer and you get results. If that's how it worked, then it wouldn't be faith. Rather, it would be witchcraft. Why don't some folks get healed? The best answer is that some folks are unwilling to let go of the sin in their lives that brings problems and curses.

And certainly, there are a lot of sham ministries out there that prey upon desperate folks by promising them miracles for money. They're despicable and too numerous to list, and they're a stench in God's nostrils. They've done almost as much harm to the church as the many pedophile scandals of the Catholic Church.

If you still have doubts about God, Christ and miracles, then I want you to ask the Lord for a sign just as Richard Krause did. Be sincere and be patient because you may not see it right away. But you'll see it.

And don't ask for selfish things such as vast wealth, material goodies or your favorite sports team to win a championship. Those are wants and not needs. If you have a health problem, or a marital problem, or a problem with family members, co-workers etc., or a serious financial or legal problem, then give it to the Lord and let Him take care of it. And He will.

Above all, get out of sin because that cuts you off from God. If you don't know what that entails, then here's a good reminder from Paul: "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21)

Go ahead and ask God for sign. He's waiting to hear from you. And He won't let you down.

An Adulterous and Perverse Generation

Glorifying a deadly sin

Jesus Christ referred to the generation He encountered in Israel 2,000 years ago as "wicked and adulterous" (Matthew 16:4). How would He refer to today's generation that's gone way beyond the wickedness and perverseness of that ancient civilization?

He would likely use much stronger language because today's generation is not only exponentially more wicked than that generation, but it glorifies and celebrates wickedness. In what ways? Specifically in the ways of sexual sin such as adultery, fornication and sexual perversion.

Today is Valentine's Day, a day when sexual sin proliferates. Millions of folks will commit adultery and fornication, completely oblivious to the fact that sexual immorality is one of the worst sins in God's eyes, and a sin that can bring curses upon those who are sexually immoral.

The apostle Paul expressively warned the early church to avoid sexual sin like the plague because "all other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 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 6:18-20)

To the church in Ephesus, Paul issued this caveat: "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them." (Ephesians 5:3-7)

How prevalent is adultery? According to some studies, it's become very common. Lisa Penn, of Yourtango.com, claims that about 70 percent of married men admitted to cheating on their wives! Another study found that 2/3 of women are not aware of their husband's affair...What about the women? Most statistics found that about 50 to 60 percent of women admitted to having an affair. This one really shocked me. Are there really millions of cheating women in the states? I never even imagined these statistics.

The seventh of the 10 commandments says this: "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14) Adultery encompasses more than just having sex with another person's spouse; it also encompasses fornication because sex was meant for marriage only.

Thus, anyone who's guilty of breaking that commandment--and that includes professing Christians--is in danger of eternal damnation unless they confess their immorality to Christ and repent of it. And repentance means permanently turning away from sexual immorality.

What about those who've married and divorced, and remarried again? Christ said this: "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." (Matthew 5:31-32)

Thus, millions of folks who divorced and remarried for reasons other than infidelity, are guilty of adultery. Does that condemn them to eternal damnation? Only if they refuse to repent of that sin. And repentance means confessing the sin of adultery to God and pledging never to commit that sin again. Otherwise, they will suffer eternal punishment. 

Concerning the danger of adultery, the Book of Proverbs says this: "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished." (Proverbs 6:27-29)

And so, avoid sexual sin like a deadly plague. Because it can afflict you with more than just a sexually transmitted disease. It can afflict you with eternal damnation.

Feeling the Heart-Bern

Bernie Sanders

Can Bernie Sanders be elected as America's 45th president? That's a possibility that seemed remote and absurd just a few months ago, but now it seems quite plausible.

Yes, he has a decent chance of winning the Democrat Party's nomination for president, and then winning the general election in November.

Who's Sanders? He's a 74 year-old Vermont senator who's an avowed socialist. For those who aren't familiar with the term, a socialist is a benign label for a communist. And that's what Sanders is. He's a liberal Jew from New York City who grew up in a progressive Jewish culture that embraced leftist ideals and Soviet communism.

And that's what America could get if Sanders is elected. Is Sanders a bad guy? Not at all. He's intelligent, well-spoken and likable. Unlike Barack Obama, he's honest about who he is and what he wants to do if he's elected president.

He wants to dismantle America's already decimated military; soak the rich with punitive taxes and he wants to hand out all sorts of free stuff to the so-called 99 percent of Americans who've allegedly been screwed over by the wealthy one percent.

That's not revolutionary stuff when it comes to progressives. They believe in Marxist economic principles. They believe that the government should run everything and decide who gets what and how much money they can have. And that's what Sanders believes in.

Obviously, Sanders would be a train wreck if he's elected to the presidency. America's economy, already teetering after nearly eight years of Obamanomics, would collapse. More jobs would flee to Mexico and Asia, and America would be further on her way to becoming a third world outhouse.

However, what's equally troubling about Sanders is his worldview that would directly affect his foreign policy. Like most progressives, Sanders presents himself as an atheist who doesn't believe in a personal God.

And that would most certainly affect his foreign policy because if he doesn't believe in God--the true biblical Judeo-Christian God--then he doesn't believe that Israel is anything special in the world, or that the land that the Jewish nation possesses was given to the Jews by God and to no one else.

Although Sanders believes that Israel has a right to exist, he also believes that the Palestinians should have their own state that's recognized as a legitimate nation by the world.

Furthermore, Sanders believes that more economic aid to the Palestinians will make them more benign and less inclined to launch terror attacks against the Jewish nation:

 Again, I think that you have volatile regions in the world, the Middle East is one of them, and the United States has got to work with other countries around the world to fight for Israel’s security and existence at the same time as we fight for a Palestinian state where the people in that country can enjoy a decent standard of living, which is certainly not the case right now. My long-term hope is that instead of pouring so much military aid into Israel, into Egypt, we can provide more economic aid to help improve the standard of living of the people in that area.

For decades, the U.S. has given tons of money to the Palestinians that's been squandered and stolen by Palestinian Authority officials. Much of that money has been used to fund terrorism that's shed the innocent blood of thousands of Jews. And yet, Sanders wants to increase aid to the P.A.

Does Sanders believe in God? Sort of. Here's what he said recently: I think everyone believes in God in their own ways. To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together.

While that sounds benign and innocuous, it's not because anyone who rejects the biblical Judeo-Christian God, rejects His laws and commandments. Those laws forbid murder (abortion, euthanasia etc.) and sexual perversion (homosexuality).

Concerning murder, the Sixth Commandment says this: "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13) Abortion is always murder and never a choice. Concerning sexual perversion, the law says this: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." (Leviticus 18:22) And it says this: "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." (Leviticus 20:13)

Certainly, as president, Bernie Sanders couldn't overturn abortion and same sex marriage laws. However, he could use his influence to change a leprous culture that mocks God and defecates on His laws. But he won't because he supports abortion and same sex marriage.

As they say; wicked people choose wicked leaders after their own hearts. And not all wicked people are nasty scoundrels. Some are sociable and amusing like Bernie Sanders. But there's nothing sociable and amusing about evil.

Demonic Influence, Oppression and Possession

Possession or insanity?

How prevalent is demon possession today? It's probably more prevalent today than it's ever been. However, fewer folks believe in it today than ever before.

Why would demonic possession be more prevalent today than in earlier times? Because of two reasons: (1) there are more people in the world than at any other time in history, and (2) more people have exposed themselves to evil than ever before.

Specifically how? Through occult practices, involvement with eastern religions and their mystical practices, and the wide use of hallucinogenic drugs. All three factors open the door to Satan. And those who open that door will come under either demonic influence, oppression or possession. Every time.

What type of occult practices bring people into contact with the demonic? All types, such as the Ouija Board, witchcraft, magic, necromancy, spiritism, shamanism, sorcery etc. Also, any sort of contact with psychics, fortune-tellers or mediums who receive counsel from unclean spirits that impersonate the dead.

While not everyone who gets involved in these practices becomes possessed, they open themselves up to demonic influence. That influence manifests in one's worldview that will often shift away from a Judeo-Christian worldview to a pantheistic, eastern worldview. And that influence will also translate into a morbid hatred of rules, authority, morality, Christianity and Christians.

Those who consult fortune-tellers and psychics give Satan a legal right to invade their lives because they've violated God's transcendent moral laws that forbid contact with the spiritual realm: "I (the Lord) 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)

What did the Lord mean when He threatened to "cut off" those who consulted mediums and spiritists? He meant that they would be cursed and cast out of the nation of Israel forever. Today, that law condemns anyone who consults mediums and spiritists. Condemns them how? To eternal damnation. And ignorance of that law provides no excuse to anyone who violates the law.

What about demonic oppression? Demonic oppression manifests in all sorts of things from nightmares to hallucinations, paranoia, seeing ghosts, hearing voices, experiencing paranormal activity (furniture or objects moving by themselves etc.) to prolonged misfortune, to obsession with suicide, death and personal destruction. The most common form of demonic oppression is popularly known as schizophrenia.

And possession? That occurs chiefly through drugs, hypnosis or any activity that neutralizes the free will such as transcendental meditation, trances or achieving an altered state of consciousness. Those activities open up a spiritual window to the soul that allows demonic spirits to enter and take possession of a person. But again; not everyone who gets involved in these things becomes possessed. There is no science to it.

If you've ever used hallucinogens, dabbled in the occult, consulted a medium or fortune-teller, or been involved with an eastern religion such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism etc., then you've exposed yourself to the demonic and you're under a curse.

You may not be experiencing any demonic oppression. In fact, things may be going extremely well for you at the moment. But that will eventually change. It always does. And when it does, then look out. The bottom will literally fall out of your life. And you won't know how to stop it.

But there's a way out, and that's through Jesus Christ. If you're willing to repent of your wickedness and believe that He died for your sins on the cross and then rose from the dead, the curses will be broken and you'll be delivered from eternal damnation to eternal life. The apostle Paul said it best:

"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 on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 10:9-13)

 And everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus Christ will be delivered from Satan's power. That means no more demonic influence, oppression and possession. You can take that to the bank.

Demon Possessed Christians? Part Two

Deliverance being performed on a Christian woman

According to the Hegewisch Baptist Church (Highland, Indiana), the Bible declares that Christians can be possessed by demonic spirits. And those who claim otherwise are simply ignorant of what the scriptures say.

Here's a portion of what Hegewisch teaches concerning demon possession and Christians: Almost one hundred percent of our deliverance ministry has been among the born-again believers; most of them also baptized-in-the-spirit. Being saved, and even being baptized in the Holy Spirit, is no guarantee against the inroads of the evil spirits.

Does the Bible reveal that Christians can be possessed by unclean spirits? It doesn't. Then why do churches such as Hegewisch claim that believers can be possessed? Because such churches succumb to the temptation to interpret spiritual problems by experience rather than scripture. In other words, they ignore the scriptures in favor of religious experiences if the experiences seem genuine.

And ironically, Hegewisch initially denounces choosing experience over scripture, and then reverses course:

In his tract, “Demon Activity and the Christian,” Ernest B. Rockstad rightly concludes that: “Experience of course is not the basis for the interpretation of the Bible.  Nevertheless, if consistent experiences run counter to an interpretation, the dedicated seeker after truth will set out to find the reason.  He must be willing to re-study his interpretation under the direction of the Holy Spirit… and be prepared to make any necessary corrections in his own beliefs so as to be in full agreement with the facts as they are.” 

He further points out that understanding the Biblical doctrine of human depravity should cause one to wonder that the Holy Spirit would enter a person under any circumstances.  You cannot argue anyone into believing that the ancient fundamental stand against Christians having demons is fallacious. 

Donald Jacobs illustrates it this way: “There once lived a skeptical fisherman who heard unbelievable stories about people catching fish two feet long.  He had never caught one over twelve inches.  One day he caught one three feet long, held it by the tail, shook his head, threw it back into the water and said, 'Just another lie.' Likewise, faced with the evidence of a 'real live demon,' a western man would probably react just about this way. 'There are just no such things,' he would say.” 

Anyone who's familiar with the demonic understands that choosing to embrace religious experiences over scripture is a deadly mistake. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul issued this prophetic caveat concerning the end times: "The 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)

While Paul's prophecy speaks mainly of those who would leave the church to join cults and false religions, it also speaks of churches that cast aside the Bible in favor of religious experiences that are intended to deceive.

But in what way? If Satan can persuade people to believe that their problems are rooted in demonic possession rather than in sin and bad moral choices, then he can convince them that they aren't responsible for their behavior. Something else is, such as demonic spirits. Thus, they can get fixed via deliverance or exorcism.

Here's what Paul wrote concerning sin and unacceptable moral conduct:

"So I say, walk by the (Holy) Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:16-26)

As one who's ministered to demon possessed and oppressed people, I can tell you that possession isn't pretty. It's often ugly and menacing. And it can be frightening. If you don't have strong faith in Christ, you shouldn't get involved in it.

Nevertheless, true born again Christians can't--I repeat--can't be possessed by evil spirits. Yes, they can be harassed by them, especially by people who aren't saved and are under the influence and control of evil spirits. Therefore, it's vital that Christians avoid sin like the plague so they don't give Satan a legal right to oppress them. Because true Christians are his worst enemies.

And it's important for everyone to understand that demon possession and oppression are very real and probably more prevalent today than at any other time in human history. With the advent of hallucinogenic drugs and the rising interest in the occult and eastern mysticism, millions of people have exposed themselves to the demonic. And exposure to the demonic invariably leads to possession, oppression and spiritual deception. Every time.

The antidote is confession of sin and repentance from practices that invited Satan into your life, and dedicating your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He cannot be your savior only. He must also be your Lord. That means that you must live the rest of your life for Him rather than for yourself.

And if you truly dedicate your life to Christ, you won't have to worry about demon possession. Because you'll be possessed by the Spirit of God who'll live in your heart.

Demon Possessed Christians? Part One

Anneliese Michel

Over the past 40 years, the deliverance ministry (exorcism) has grown exponentially in some Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.

What's deliverance? It's the casting out of evil or demonic spirits that possess the bodies and souls of human beings. While deliverance was commonplace during the time of Jesus Christ, it waned over the centuries until it experienced a revival after the classic horror film The Exorcist was released in 1973.

While many folks believed the movie was a fictional account of a demon possessed girl, it was based upon a true story. In the actual account, a teenage boy who lived in Mt. Rainier, Washington in the late 1940s became demon possessed after he tried to contact his deceased grandmother with a Ouija board.

The movie revived a ministry that had essentially been forgotten by the Christian church. And while deliverance became popular after the movie came out, demon possession was and is still considered by many to be ignorant superstition.

But it certainly wasn't during the time of Christ. Christ not only cast out several demons, He also gave His disciples and followers the authority to do the same. 

Shortly before He returned to heaven after His resurrection, Christ gave His followers these instructions: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18)

Why did deliverance disappear in the modern age? Because of the appearance of mind sciences such as humanistic psychology that promised remedies for all sorts of aberrant human behavior. With the advent of psychology, deliverance--or exorcism as it's known in the Catholic Church--was debunked as a primitive, outdated and cruel superstition.

However, psychology has provided no answers for certain types of bizarre behaviors, such as people speaking in foreign languages they never learned, or deep, male voices speaking from the mouths of women and children. That's what happened to the teenage boy in the real life account that inspired The Exorcist movie. He began speaking Hebrew, a language that he had never learned.

And so, demon possession is now being taken seriously again by many folks who were formerly skeptics. However, most people still consider demon possession to be nonsense.

What causes demon possession? And who becomes possessed? Demon possession is often caused by direct contact with the demonic realm via the occult such as spiritism, necromancy, witchcraft and shamanism. 

It's also caused by hallucinogenic drugs (LSD, PCP etc.) and exposure to eastern religious practices such as transcendental meditation, and various forms of yoga such as Hatha, Tantric and Kundalini Yoga. And it's caused by curses that are inherited from ancestors. However, not everyone who dabbles in these practices or uses hallucinogens becomes possessed. But they do come under demonic influence.

Can true Christians become demon possessed? Not according to the Bible. However, there are various churches that teach that Christians can and do become possessed by demons. One of those churches is the Hegewisch Baptist Church located in Highland, Indiana. Since 1970, this church has been offering deliverance to Christians who believe that they've become possessed by evil spirits. Here's a portion of what Hegewisch teaches concerning Christians and demon possession: 

When you go into the ministry of casting out demons, inevitably you will be challenged by the question.  “Is it possible for a born-again believer to have a demon?”  

 In charismatic circles the question is:  “Is it possible for a believer who is baptized in the Spirit to have a demon?” “Absolutely not!” comes the stock answer.  “The Holy Spirit cannot coexist in the same body with a demon!” 

 This answer is designed to shut off all further inquiry, to close the mind even to the possibility as unthinkable.  It is invoked with the insistence of a slogan.  Yet it is not a Scriptural answer!  It is an extra-Biblical piece of logic that stands quite by itself.  This often-heard statement does not rest on scripture but on an assumption. 

Actually, the answer to both questions above is a definite “YES!”  It is a particularly dangerous delusion to think that Satan or the demons, adopt any kind of a hands-off policy toward believers.  In fact, they affect and afflict believers as far as possible.  They buffet, oppose, seek to tempt or deceive or lead them astray.  They look for and quickly seize any advantage to handicap and hinder believers.

 Almost one hundred percent of our deliverance ministry has been among the born-again believers; most of them also baptized-in-the-spirit. Being saved, and even being baptized in the Holy Spirit, is no guarantee against the inroads of the evil spirits.

Through these or subsequent spiritual experiences there is no automatic disposal of evil spirits.  It is possible however that demons may be rendered temporarily inactive and unable to function for a time.  So long as they are still present there is always the danger of a “revival” of their power during times of stress and pressure.  This explains the necessity of removing them completely.

In part two, we'll examine the scriptures to see whether any evidence exists to suggest that evil spirits can enter and possess born again Christians.