Anti-Semitism and Anti-Christianity

The return of anti-Semitism

According to prophecy revealed by Jesus Christ, the end times on earth directly preceding His return are going to be exceedingly bad times for both Jews and Christians.

Here's what Christ said: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9)

And He also said this: "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city." (Luke 21:20-21)

While Jerusalem hasn't yet been surrounded by the armies of the world, the nation of Israel is surrounded by hostile Islamic countries that not only refuse to recognize her existence but also call for her destruction. Even though Jerusalem is never mentioned in the Koran, Muslims claim that the city belongs to them and not to the Jews.

And so, Christ's prophecies are definitely being fulfilled concerning the persecution of Israel, the Jews and Christians in the last days. Anti-Semitism, which was the scourge of Roman Catholic Europe for many centuries, was considered past tense after Germany's defeat in WWII 70 years ago that brought a merciful end to Hitler's Holocaust.

Now however, anti-Semitism is not only spreading once again like a deadly malignancy across Europe, it's spreading across the entire planet. At Chicago's De Paul University, the students, faculty and alumni have asked the administration to pull its financial investments from companies that do business with Israel because they believe that the Jewish nation illegally occupies Palestinian land. DePaul University student body votes to divest from Israeli occupation in campus-wide referendum | Mondoweiss

Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of history understands that no Palestinian people or nation ever existed. That land was promised by God to the Jewish people and to no one else. (Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:13-21) The land of Israel came to be known as Palestine in 130 A.D. when Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed the nation Syria Palestinia after he had quashed the Bar Kochba rebellion.

Nevertheless, De Paul, a university that claims to be a "Christian" institution, actively promotes an unbiblical heresy that foments anti-Semitism by encouraging its students, alumni and faculty members to punish Israel by divesting economically from that nation. 

However, De Paul is actually a Roman Catholic school. And the Roman Catholic Church has historically been the epicenter for anti-Semitism throughout the world since its inception in the 4th century A.D.

And the Catholic Church refuses to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city because the Catholic Church believes that she has replaced Israel and the Jews as God's chosen people. As such, the Catholic Church believes that Jerusalem belongs to her.

Throughout the world, anti-Christianity also spreads. In Khartoum, Sudan, Meriam Yehya Ibrahim has been sentenced to death for refusing to renounce Christianity and convert to Islam. Ibrahim, who recently gave birth, also has a 20-month old son. Her husband Daniel Wani is a U.S. citizen who is confined to a wheelchair and is totally dependent upon his wife. Sudanese woman sentenced to die for Christianity gives birth in prison - CNN.com

In Sierra Leone, two Christian villages were burned down recently by Islamists after many of the villagers converted to Christianity. In predominantly Islamic Malaysia, Christian churches have come under increasing attacks from Muslims who want to eradicate Christianity from that nation. Christian proselytism is illegal in Malaysia and Christians are even forbidden from saying Allah's name. The Voice of the Martyrs

During Christmastime last year, Islamists set off three bombs in a Christian section of Baghdad, killing 37 people. In September, 2013, the government of Cameroon closed down several churches to try to halt the spread of Christianity in that nation.

And in predominantly Roman Catholic Argentina, a law (Law 9891) that was passed to allegedly safeguard citizens against "psychological manipulation" is now being used against Protestant churches that have been increasingly condemned by that government for attempting to convert Roman Catholics.

Why have Jews been historically persecuted and maligned throughout the world for many centuries? Because they are under an ancient curse from God for repeatedly violating His covenants; rebelling against His laws and persecuting His prophets that He sent to warn them to repent.

The Lord spoke these words to the ancient prophet Jeremiah in the 6th century B.C.: "I will send four kinds of destroyers against them (the Jews); the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem." (Jeremiah 15:3-4)

What did Manasseh do that so angered the Lord? He rebuilt shrines to detestable pagan gods that his father had destroyed. And he also reinstituted the detestable pagan practice of human sacrifice by fire to the pagan god Molech. But certainly, Manasseh's sins were just some of many sins committed against God by the ancient Israelites.

That curse that God instituted against the Jews will finally end when Christ returns to Israel and establishes His millennial kingdom on earth. (Zechariah 12-13) At that time the Jews will finally recognize Christ as their Messiah. However, until that time the ancient curse will remain on them.

And that ancient curse has been the reason for the historical anti-Semitism that has plagued the Jews for many centuries.

And the Roman Catholic Church has been the purveyor of much of that anti-Semitism. During the 16th century, Pope Clement VIII (1536-1605) said this: "All the world suffers from the usury of the Jews, their monopolies and deceit. They have brought many unfortunate people into a state of poverty, especially the farmers, working class people and the very poor. Then, as now, Jews have to be reminded intermittently that they were enjoying rights in any country since they left Palestine and the Arabian desert, and subsequently their ethical and moral doctrines as well as their deeds rightly deserve to be exposed to criticism in whatever country they happen to live." The New Catholic Church

For Christians, the persecution comes with being Christ's ambassadors on earth. Since they possess the truth of eternal life through the biblical gospel, they are targeted by Satan for persecution and destruction. Simply stated, the devil's business is to prevent the salvation of every human being on the planet. And in order to do that, the devil seeks to silence the Christian witness.

Christ warned: "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. They will treat you this way because of my name,  for they do not know the One (Heavenly Father) who sent me." (John 15:20-21) And then, Christ said this: "In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me." (John 16:2-3)

Certainly, Christians will continue to be persecuted by Islamists throughout the world. But Christians are now facing persecution in places where they were never persecuted before. For example, in the United Kingdom, Christian ministers can be charged with hate crimes for declaring Islam a false religion or preaching against homosexuality. To illustrate just how far the U.K. has fallen away from a Christian worldview, homosexuality was illegal there just 50 years ago.

And Christians are being hauled before human rights commissions in western nations for opposing homosexuality or proselytizing non-Christians. Eventually, all public displays of the cross, the 10 Commandments and Christianity will be outlawed throughout the entire world.

How bad is it going to get for Christians and Jews? Prophecy warns us that when the dreaded Antichrist appears and assumes control over a world government, he will seek to eradicate Christians worldwide.
The prophet Daniel wrote: "He (Antichrist) will speak against the Most High (God) and oppress his saints..." (Daniel 7:25) The apostle John who lived about 600 years after Daniel, wrote this in the Revelation: "He (Antichrist) was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them." (Revelation 13:7)

The future isn't going to be good for Christians and Jews. And the persecution is going to get much worse

Death of a Nation

A veteran endures another long wait at a V.A. hospital

It was Gen. Douglas MacArthur who once famously said that "old soldiers never die, they just fade away."

That was back in 1951 when the legendary general closed out his brilliant military career with a speech he gave to Congress on April 19, 1951. It was a rousing speech; the kind that America's military heroes used to make back in those innocent times.

Of course, the general did die 13 years later in 1964 at the age of 84. Thankfully, he never lived to see the catastrophe that the Veterans Administration has become that has forced many old soldiers to fade away from debilitating diseases before they died of neglect at the hands of an utterly corrupt government.

The V.A. scandal is now old news. Phony waiting lists were created by corrupt administrators at V.A. hospitals to prolong the waiting times of seriously ill veterans, many who died because they were denied access to the care they could have gotten and should have gotten.

We were told that the waiting lists had something to do with a financial bonus system set up to reward corrupt bureaucrats at V.A. hospitals. Allegedly, sick veterans were recycled over and over on these lists to make it appear as though they were being given top priority to get the medical care they so desperately needed. Whatever.

When the scandal broke, V.A. hacks and their political and media mouthpieces claimed that the deplorable health care was the result of the agency's insufficient funds. 

And yet the V.A. is funded by the U.S. government to the tune of $11 billion a year. It's been reported that 13 employees at the now infamous Phoenix V.A. hospital where the scandal first surfaced, earn at least $300,000 a year. 

One of those employees is an orthopedic surgeon who earns $357,000 a year which is more than twice the average for doctors who work in the state of Arizona. 

So obviously, there's plenty of money to go around for the bureaucrats and physicians who are plugged into that juicy political power that blessed them with those lucrative jobs. But we're told there's not enough money to take care of those who fought to defend a nation that has now betrayed them.

Naturally, after the scandal broke, President Obama claimed he found out about it by watching the nightly news. And this from a man whose sycophants continue to defend as one of the greatest minds in human history. 

That "great mind" finally realized the anger coming from all those veterans and he threw Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gen. Eric Shinseki under the bus by firing him. That was a token act that won't fix the V.A. 

Obama then feigned ignorance of the V.A.'s massive troubles. That's what he usually does when he tries to avoid taking responsibility for problems that manifest on his watch. But he didn't feign ignorance of the V.A.'s problems on the presidential campaign trail back in 2007 when he acknowledged the agency's problems and pledged to fix those problems if he was elected president.

Of course, after he was elected in 2008, Obama broke his promise and never fixed the V.A. That was just one of many lies told by one of the "greatest minds" in human history. 

As for Obama, he's about as useless as fertilizer on artificial turf. Bad leaders come and bad leaders go away, and this bad leader will eventually go away as well. And the sooner, the better.

I don't believe for a moment that Obama was oblivious of the V.A. scandal. I believe that he wants to punish the veterans because (1) he hates the military; (2) the military loathes him and (3) veterans tend to vote for Republicans. This is his way of screwing those who he grew up hating and he still hates.

Tragically, when a nation embraces terrible leaders such as Obama who betray those who fought and sacrificed for its freedom, then that nation comes under a curse. 

Barack Obama isn't merely a terrible leader, he's God's judgment upon a wicked nation that has turned its back on God and defecated on His laws. 

As the Lord spoke against the ancient King of Assyria, He speaks these words to America today: "Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal. Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?" (Nahum 3:18-19)  

The Seven Seal Judgments

Terrorism? Or, Divine Judgment?

"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."--Luke 21:28

Much of the Book of Revelation, which is the Bible's final book, reads like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey; two literary works containing epic stories and poems that were based upon an ancient 10-year war fought between Greece and Troy that took place around 1260 B.C.

Though Homer's works were fictional accounts that were meant to convey the truths of an historical battle, the Revelation contains allegorical visions recorded by the apostle John that are meant to reveal future events that will take place on the earth just prior to the return of Jesus Christ.

John's vision was given to him by Christ in about 90 A.D. while John was in exile from Rome on Patmos, a desolate Greek island that was located in the Aegean Sea. It was there that the elderly apostle received an incredible vision of the last days on earth that included cataclysmic events such as natural disasters, nuclear destruction, violent wars, the advent of a global government, a world religion, an electronic financial system and the appearance of the Antichrist.

John's vision was so allegorical and apocalyptic that many biblical scholars throughout the history of Christianity claimed that the Revelation never should have been included in the Bible. And for over 1800 years, the Bible's final book made very little sense to much of the world.

But with the dawn of the 20^th century came the age of technology and John's vision began to make a lot of sense. With technological inventions such as television, satellites, high-speed computers and iphones, people could communicate instantly with almost anyone, anywhere in the world. With the advent of jet airplanes, people could travel to almost any destination on earth in less than a day. And the new technology produced barcodes and computer chips that gave the world the ability to track packages, vehicles, animals and even human beings all over the earth.

And so, though John's infamous mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-17) made little sense to the world for over 18 centuries, it began to make perfect sense in the 20^th century. And though John's allegorical vision of a world government that featured seven heads and 10 horns (Revelation 13:1) made little sense to the world for many centuries, it began to make perfect sense in the 20^th century with the advent of the League of Nations and its successor the United Nations.

Though the United Nations is an oxymoron, it signifies that the world is eventually headed toward the dreaded global government that John witnessed in his vision. That vision was also seen by the ancient prophet Daniel (Daniel 7:23-24) over 600 years before John recorded the Revelation.

However, unlike Daniel's vision, John saw a partner alongside the coming global government; a powerful world religion. That religion is the Roman Catholic Church that is the modern extension of the ancient Roman Empire. Return of Mystery Babylon Though the Catholic Church seems to be a dying institution throughout the world, she is going to experience a revival, largely ignited by Marian apparitions and other supernatural phenomena that are going to occur in the future. The Counterfeit Revival: Part II

In the immediate future, a world government is coming that is going to radically reshape the world's political landscape. Currently, there are 193 sovereign nations in the world that are eventually going to be organized into 10 nation groups based upon their geography. Each group will have a ruler who will answer to a supreme world ruler. 

At some point after this global realignment occurs, this global ruler, who will be the Antichrist, is going to remove three rulers (Daniel 7:24) which will leave seven rulers to govern his 10 nation confederacy. The Bible never reveals why he is going to remove three rulers, so we can only speculate that those who will be removed may be deposed because of disloyalty.

And so, what are the seven seal judgments witnessed by John? And what do they reveal about the rise of a global government, a one-world religion and the appearance of the dreaded Antichrist? Each seal represents a specific judgment that God has decreed for the world prior to Christ's return.

According to John, the first four seal judgments involve horsemen that will ride across the earth to execute God's judgment. The first horse, according to John is a white horse. John explained: "Its rider held a bow, and was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." (Revelation 6:2) What does this horse represent? A horse represents a powerful animal that can travel great distances with minimal nourishment. The first horse symbolizes a conquering nation that travels to confront and defeat other nations.

The color white represents good or righteousness. The first seal judgment describes a powerful nation that will confront and destroy a nation or group of nations that pose a significant threat to the safety of other nations. While John's allegorical white horse could describe any number of nations that have defeated evil kingdoms throughout history, this horse sounds like the United States that has confronted and overthrown rogue nations and their wicked leaders since the early 20^th century.

In recent times, the U.S. deposed Saddam Hussein and his government from Iraq, and also removed the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. In the near future, the U.S. will be forced to confront and destroy the Iranian government along with its clandestine nuclear weapons program before the Iranians can launch missiles aimed at Israel and Europe. America's coming invasion of Iran is inevitable and prophetic. Prophecy Review Today: America's Prophetic Future

But America is destined to fall as a superpower soon after the U.S. disposes of Iran's Islamic government. Why will America collapse as a superpower? Because of God's judgment upon the U.S. for its abandonment of Israel and for its increasing wickedness. With the decline of America, many nations will no longer fear the U.S. or its military prowess, and they will cast off restraint and begin oppressing other nations they see as weak and vulnerable.

That brings us to the second seal judgment and John's allegorical red horse. Red symbolizes war, violence and bloodshed. John explained: "Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword." (Revelation 6:4) When America falls, wars and rumors of wars, which Jesus Christ prophesied would be one of the signs of the last days, (Matthew 24:6-7) will begin to increase. Russia, under its ruthless President Vladimir Putin, senses America's weakness and is going to rise up as an industrial, economic, energy and military power in the wake of America's demise.

The Russians are spending several billion dollars to upgrade their military arsenal and they plan to introduce a new fleet of nuclear submarines that will carry long range ICBM's loaded with nuclear warheads. Russian Black Gold Though Putin claims that the military upgrades are merely for "defensive" purposes, the Russians seem to have offense in mind with the type of destructive weaponry they're developing.

Also, while much of the western world is trying to find alternative energy sources to fossil fuels such as coal and crude oil, the Russians are expanding their oil industry by developing new oil fields throughout much of the eastern world and now in parts of the western world such as South and Central America. The Russians realize that when the pipe dream of clean green energy fails to deliver on its promise to rid the world of its dependency on fossil fuels, they will be in a position to control the world through their monopoly on coal and crude oil.

China is also rising rapidly as a industrial, economic and military superpower while America fades. Red China Rising The Chinese own a sizable chunk of America's colossal $17 trillion debt that puts them in a strategic political position to blackmail the U.S. economically if they so desire. The U.S. and many western nations import a huge amount of raw goods from China which has created a significant trade imbalance between the west and China.

And some of that money that the west spends to purchase Chinese products is helping the communist nation finance new military hardware and long-range ICBM's. Like the Russians, the Chinese claim that the new ICBM's are being designed for defensive purposes only. But only a fool would choose to believe that. ICBM's are missiles that can carry multiple nuclear warheads to distant parts of the planet and cause massive destruction.

And so, John's allegorical red horse revealed in the second seal judgment is also being realized with North Korea's latest belligerence towards South Korea, the U.S. and Pacific Rim nations.

The third seal judgment reveals a black horse that rides across the earth. The color black symbolizes darkness, evil and despair. John wrote: "Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, (four angels that surround God's heavenly throne) saying, 'A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine.'" (Revelation 6:5-6)    

What does the third seal judgment reveal? It reveals a very serious global economic crisis highlighted by high unemployment, food shortages and an economic depression. We've already seen this occur in western Europe where many nations have high unemployment rates and massive economic debt. This scenario has also occurred throughout the African continent and is occurring in the United States.

But John's vision entails a global economic crisis rather than regional crises. John's vision of the third seal judgment tells us that terrible famines and pestilences are also coming that will cause a global food crisis and result in astounding inflation on food products. Food products will be scarce, extremely expensive and will probably be rationed.

But what does the last part of this seal judgment mean? (and do not damage the oil and the wine) Since oil and wine are integral items used in biblical ordinances such as healing and anointing, this indicates that God's true church is going to be protected and provided for during this global crisis.

The fourth seal judgment John witnessed was a pale horse that rode across the world. John wrote: "Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:8)

What does this horse represent? Pale represents the color of death, as anyone who has ever seen a corpse knows. The fourth seal judgment warns us that a time is coming where a fourth of the human race is going to perish--perhaps two billion people--from disease, war and famine. It's a known fact that godless humanists who belong to the United Nations and its affiliated groups believe that the earth is overpopulated and the human race needs to be significantly reduced. Agenda for a Holocaust

As such, there's a common denominator between sex education being promoted in public schools along with abortion, euthanasia, radical feminism, environmentalism and the radical homosexual agenda. That common denominator is population reduction and control. Mass Murder and Population Control Though these programs have had some effect in the western world in stabilizing and lowering population numbers, they aren't working in the eastern world.

Therefore, "westernization" schemes such as pro-democracy movements in Islamic nations are designed to topple Islamic regimes and replace them with "democratic" regimes that will promote western programs (sex education, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, environmentalism) designed to reduce population numbers. And "immigration reforms" such as massive amnesties promoted as compassion for third world immigrants are merely fronts designed to attract immigrants to western nations to "westernize" them and influence them to stop producing large families.

But when these "programs" fail and the earth's population continues to increase, a world government is going to arise and possess the authority to order mass killings under the guise of saving the planet and its environment. Though that frightening scenario is still in the future, it's coming. And keep in mind that global crises from economic depressions to weather disasters to the threat of nuclear destruction to Global-Warming-Climate Change hysteria encourage nations to trade their individual sovereignty for the security of an international government that will be looked upon to solve these problems.

But the fourth seal judgment also reveals that massive death will also come via deadly disease and plagues that medical technology will have no answer for. From the guardian.co.uk: "Antibiotic resistant bacteria with the potential to cause untreatable infections pose a catastrophic threat to the (global) population."

 

Britain's Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, gave this blunt assessment of the potential threat of new drug-resistant viruses that threaten the world: "Antimicrobial resistance is a ticking time-bomb not only for the UK but also for the world. We need to work with everyone to ensure the apocalyptic scenario of widespread antimicrobial resistance does not become a reality. This threat is as important as climate change." Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies: Resistance to antibiotics risks health 'catastrophe' to rank with terrorism and climate change - Science - News - The Independent

But, according to biblical prophecy, it's going to become a reality. Multitudes are going to perish from wars, new deadly plagues and malnutrition. It is going to be a terrible time on earth unlike any time since the dawn of history. Christ himself warned of this coming destruction: "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)

What can true Christians expect during this terrible time on earth? They will be protected by God for a time, but their faith is also going to be severely tested. They will face harsh persecution from incarceration to loss of homes, income and property and many will be put to death. 

Though millions of Christians believe that they will escape this coming persecution via the Rapture, that isn't what the Bible says. They will be around to be persecuted.

From Oz to Ozymandius

Detroit: The future of America?

For those old enough to remember, Detroit was once a thriving metropolis that was considered America's model city. It had plenty of jobs courtesy of its thriving auto industry; cozy and affordable homes that sprawled across a beautiful landscape and a seemingly brilliant future.

Alas, that was then and this is now. Now, Detroit has become the punchline for standup comics; a destitute town of poverty, misery, mountains of trash, hopelessness, rats, feral dogs, high crime and abandoned neighborhoods.

Many self-styled experts blame Detroit's misery on the auto industry that abandoned the city, beginning in the 1970s. The "experts" claim that cheap Japanese imports that delivered superior fuel economy put the American automakers out of business.

But the Japanese automakers didn't put the American car manufacturers out of business. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are still in business and they're still building and selling a lot of cars and trucks. They just don't build very many of them in Detroit anymore.

That's because the big labor unions drove the automakers out of Detroit and into other towns to build their products. The Big Three now build many of their products in Canada and Mexico. And if Chrysler gets its way, it could be building Jeeps in China in the not too distant future.

Certainly, Detroit isn't the only American city to be visited by poverty and misery. There are other towns such as Scranton Pa., Newark New Jersey, Stockton Ca. and Jefferson County Alabama where the American dream has checked out of. 

And there are cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Cleveland that are ready to follow Detroit's path to misery, poverty, destitution and bankruptcy. From all indications, it isn't a matter of if, but when.

Detroit's collapse offers a grim but necessary lesson that socialism doesn't work. It never has and it never will. Detroit rose on the strength of its people who worked hard and sacrificed of themselves to provide a better future for their children and grandchildren. 

And Detroit collapsed on the weakness of those who embraced the Marxian lie that big government should provide everything for the people so they can party and drink and have sex and get high and enjoy a never-ending cycle of pleasure. 

But for the people of Detroit, the party's over because the town's bankrupt. Isn't that how things usually end up with socialism? Now, detroit.cbslocal.com reports that nearly half of that city's water and sewage customers can't pay their water bills. Detroit resident Rodney Carter wrote: "Call President Obama: he has plenty of taxpayers cash to spend. Wasn’t that a campaign promise he made along with free rent and gas and payin’ my car note…Socialism only works if there is someone to pay for it."

The car manufacturer's used to pay for much of it. But they're long gone, thanks to the greedy labor unions that made it virtually impossible for them to compete with the cheaper imports because of outrageous wage and benefit demands.

And the steel companies and many other heavy industries are also long gone from America's cities and towns. Where have some of them gone? Look towards the eastern world where nations such as China, India, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Russia and Uzbekistan are now rising rapidly as industrial and economic powers. 

And the rise of these nations is prophetic. The ancient Hebrew prophet Ezekiel, who lived about 2,500 years ago, revealed the rise of a powerful political union in the last days preceding the return of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel identified the head of this union as Gog (Russia) and its client states as Magog. (Ezekiel 38-39) Some of the nations that are currently rising in the east will comprise Magog.

As for America and her dying cities such as Detroit, the party's over. And the glorious promises of Karl Marx have once again failed to deliver an economic Utopia. 

According to Marx, religion provides the opium for the masses. If it does, then his economic theories provide the cyanide pill for civilizations.

Apostasy in the Last Days

Going, going...

I don't like to tell folks to leave other churches because that smacks of audaciousness. However, I strongly recommend that people who attend Presbyterian churches find new venues to follow Jesus Christ.

That's because the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) is dead. And it's been dead for a long time.

The Presbyterian Church wasn't always that way. It was founded in the 16th century by John Calvin who was one of the early church reformers along with Martin Luther who rejected the Roman Catholic gospel. 

Calvin was a pragmatist who believed that Scripture rather than tradition had to be the defining authority of the faith. Although Calvin embraced Predestination, the contentious belief that God chose his followers before the dawn of history, Calvin was otherwise dedicated to the orthodoxy of Scripture. 

And for several centuries, the Presbyterian Church shared her founder's passion for the inspiration of the Bible. Many folks were born again into a new eternal life in Jesus Christ through the Presbyterian Church. And millions more heard the good news of the genuine gospel of Jesus Christ: "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16) through Presbyterian ministers and missionaries.

But that was then and this is now. Now, the Presbyterian Church has decided to allow its clergy to perform same-sex weddings in clear defiance of the scriptures that Calvin and his church held in such sacred esteem for centuries. 

If you're a bible-believing Christian, then there's no sense debating this issue with those who promote same-sex marriage within the Christian church. Because those who believe that the homosexual lifestyle is normal and permitted by God don't believe in the scriptures. And there are a lot of professing Christians who no longer consider the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant word of God. 

After PCUSA legalized same-sex marriage, it decided to divest economically from companies that do business with the nation of Israel. On Friday (June 20, 2014), the PCUSA General Assembly voted to dump its stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions because those companies do business with the tiny Jewish nation.

Of course, PCUSA doesn't want the stock divestiture to look like anti-Semitism. So, PCUSA offered up the convenient excuse that the divestiture was designed to send a message to companies to stop doing business with Israel inside "the occupied territories."

Get it? According to PCUSA, this isn't about Jew-hatred--it's about companies that conduct business with the Jewish nation on land that PCUSA claims belongs to the Palestinians. After the vote, PCUSA spokesman Heath Rada made the sanctimonious statement that "in no way is this (vote) a reflection of our lack of love for our Jewish brothers and sisters." 

Then why the divestiture vote? Because PCUSA refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. When PCUSA speaks of "occupied territories" what it really means is that any land that Israel possesses is unlawfully occupied. 

Why does PCUSA believe that? Because PCUSA has embraced a Roman Catholic heresy. The Roman Catholic Church teaches a concept called Replacement Theology that claims that when Israel corporately rejected Jesus Christ as her Messiah, God rejected the Jewish nation and replaced her with the Roman Catholic Church. 

Therefore, according to Replacement Theology, Israel has no right to exist. And, according to the Catholic Church, Israel's reemergence in 1948 as a sovereign nation once again after 1,800 years wasn't the fulfillment of God's promises made to His ancient prophets but was a coincidence that had no prophetic significance. 

A long time ago, God spoke these words to Abraham concerning his descendants and the nation of Israel: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3)

Therefore, the Presbyterian Church is under a curse. Not surprisingly, PCUSA has lost over 500,000 members since the dawn of the 21st century. And PCUSA figures to lose many more because the Holy Spirit has also left that church.

Somewhere in heaven, John Calvin is weeping. Surely, he remembers Christ's prophetic words that in the end times "many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." (Matthew 24:10-11)

Calvin probably never thought that those words would be fulfilled through his own church. But now they have. What a tragedy.  

The Myth of Palestine

"Before the establishment of anti-Semitic terrorist Arab groups like the PLO, the Palestinian Arabs had never had a single symbol of nationhood: no flag, no passport, no anthem and most importantly, no country." The Berean Call, March 17, 2008

How close has the United States come to God's divine judgment? This close when we read the Lord's caveat issued to the ancient Hebrew patriarch Abraham concerning those who would oppress the Jews, his chosen people: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3)

Or, consider this curse that the Lord revealed to the ancient prophet Ezekiel concerning those nations that would seize the land that he gave to the Jews and to no one else: "In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland." (Ezekiel 36:5) 

Who was ancient Edom that the Lord spoke against, and who were Edom's descendants? Ancient Edom was part of what is now modern Jordan, and the Edomites were the descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob and the son of Isaac who renounced his right as Isaac's firstborn son and brought a curse upon himself and his descendants.

The Edomites were the ancestors of many modern Arabs and the spiritual ancestors of Islam. Though Esau was Isaac's firstborn son that entitled him to his father's blessing and inheritance, he treated his firstborn status with contempt and willingly gave up that right to his younger brother Jacob. Needless to say, Jacob and Esau became bitter enemies with Esau insanely jealous at having lost his blessing to his brother. 

Through Jacob came the Jews, the nation of Israel and ultimately the Jewish Messiah Jesus Christ who brought salvation to the entire world through his death on Calvary's cross. Through Esau came many of the ancient and now modern Arab nations that have persecuted Israel and the Jewish people throughout history. And through Esau came Muhammad, the founder of Islam, a religion that seeks to set up a global caliphate by converting the entire world to Islam.

Today's Muslims can rightly claim Abraham as their ancestor because they can also trace their lineage back to Ishmael who was Abraham's firstborn son. And yet, just as Isaac's second son Jacob received God's blessing instead of Esau, so too did Isaac, the second son of Abraham receive the Lord's blessing instead of Ishmael. 

Isaac received God's blessing because he was born of God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 17:19) while Ishmael was born of Abraham's own free will. Though Esau was in line to receive God's blessing as Isaac's firstborn son, he rebelled and forfeited that right which was then bestowed upon Jacob. 

Though Ishmael was Abraham's firstborn son, he wasn't the son that God promised to Abraham and his wife Sarah; he was the illegitimate product of a liaison between Abraham and his Egyptian maidservant Hagar. Ironically, it was Sarah who encouraged Abraham to father a son with Hagar because she feared that she was too old to conceive the son that the Lord had promised them.

Like Esau and Jacob, Ishmael and Isaac didn't get along, which became a foreshadow of history between Jews and Arabs. Eventually, through Sarah's encouragement, Abraham sent Hagar and her son Ishmael away because Ishmael was mocking and incorrigible toward Isaac and Sarah. 

However, the Lord promised to bless Ishmael (Genesis 21:17) and his descendants multiplied and spread across the ancient Middle East. In fact, Ishmael's descendants played an important role in the history of the ancient Jews when they purchased Jacob's son Joseph from his own brothers for 20 shekels of silver and took him to Egypt where Joseph later gained great prominence and power.

But how does all this factor into today's monumental struggle between Israel and the Palestinians? And how does this factor into the resurgence of global anti-Semitism and Israel's growing isolation in the world? Israel is increasingly called an apartheid state that allegedly commits terrorism and mass murder against innocent Palestinians. 

In fact, Israel's alleged treatment of the Palestinians is regularly equated with Hitler's Nazi Germany in the 1930's, an extremely serious allegation if that's true. And tragically, ageless canards such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, that allege a Jewish conspiracy to control the world, are now being taken seriously in many colleges and universities rather than by the racists and ignoramuses who used to peddle such hate propaganda. 

Many western colleges and universities have become extremely hostile to Jewish and Christian students who support Israel, and the Palestinian Kaffiyeh, the headscarf made famous by PLO founder Yasser Arafat, has become a popular symbol of rebellion and uprising on college and university campuses.

Tragically, many college and university students have become propaganda dupes for the Arab-Islamic world's contempt and hatred for the Jews and Israel. Ignorant of the most basic and contemporary world history, many students and their enablers in the global media actively call for the destruction of Israel. It was Vladimir Lenin, (1870-1924) considered the father of the Russian Revolution who famously coined the term "useful idiots" to describe gullible and ignorant people who could be used by the state to achieve its goals and objectives. 

Today's gullible and ignorant academia from students to faculty, to their willing propagandists in the media have become the "useful idiots" of the Arab-Islamic world and their stooge-front groups such as CAIR. (Council on American-Islamic Relations) CAIR is popularly promoted as a civil-rights organization that defends American Muslims against perceived bigotry. In reality, CAIR has become the proverbial Trojan Horse that seeks to undermine America's Judeo-Christian heritage and replace it with Islam and ultimately replace the U.S. Constitution with Sharia Law.

The Arab-Islamic world claims that Israel illegally occupies land that the Jewish nation allegedly stole from the Palestinians in 1948 when the United Nations declared Israel a sovereign nation again after nearly 1,900 years. The Arab world claims that the land belongs to the Palestinians who have allegedly lived in that land for over 3,000 years. 

In fact, there never ever was an indigenous nation, tribe or people called Palestinians. The very name of that land was given by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 130 A.D. after he put down the Bar Kochba uprising. Incensed at the Jews for attempting to rebel against the Roman authorities in Israel, Hadrian renamed the land Syria Palestina after the ancient Philistines who were a maritime nation that lived along the coast of the ancient Mediterranean Sea. 

The ancient Philistines were a light-skinned, non-Semitic tribe unrelated to Arabs, Egyptians or any of the descendants of Ishmael or Esau. And yet, modern Arabs who call themselves "Palestinians" wrongfully claim the Philistines as their ancestors.

For example, PLO founder and arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat was an Egyptian who was born in Cairo Egypt. And yet he successfully reinvented himself as an oppressed Palestinian and sold that lie to a gullible and willing world media. 

Arafat claimed that the nation of Israel illegally occupied land that had belonged to the Palestinians for 3,000 years. In fact, not only did no such indigenous people or nation ever exist, but that until 1948 when Israel was reincorporated once again as a sovereign nation, no Arab living in what is now Israel wanted to be known as a Palestinian. And the reason for the Arab world's revulsion at the term Palestinian was simple; before 1948 Palestinians were considered Jews.

However, after the United Nations voted to reestablish Israel as a sovereign world nation on May 15, 1948, the reemergence of the Jewish nation came to be considered the Yawm an-Nakbah or the day of catastrophe in the Arab-Islamic world. 

Israel's hostile Islamic neighbors immediately declared war on the tiny Jewish nation and ordered Arabs living in that land to evacuate so that the invading Arab armies could march into Israel and destroy her. Instead, with God's blessing, Israel trounced the invaders and the Arabs that fled the land lost their homes and became refugees after they were refused asylum by neighboring Arab nations.

In fact, the nation of Jordan that had been designated by the British Mandate as a homeland for Arabs that desired to leave Israel after her incorporation in 1948, refused to admit the refugees. Instead, squalid refugee camps were set up throughout the Arab world in such places as Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to house the homeless Arabs. 

Ironically, the refugees would've retained their homes within Israel had they refused to leave for the ill-fated 1948 invasion. Instead, they became human pawns in the Arab-Islamic world's relentless propaganda campaign to win sympathy from a gullible and ignorant world that embraced the lie of Israeli occupation of "Palestine."

And so history was not only revised by the Arab-Islamic world in its attempt to cast Israel and the Jews as villains that stole land from an innocent nation, but history was also erased. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is the mouthpiece and puppet for Iran's religious ruling class known as the Mullahs, claims that the Jews invented the Holocaust to gain sympathy from the world and influence the United Nations to award the land of Palestine to Israel. 

The Holocaust is not only a grim historical fact, but it also resulted in the extermination of four million non-Jewish Europeans who perished in Hitler's concentration camps. To deny the Holocaust isn't merely an obscene insult to the six million Jews who died in Hitler's hell, but it also impugns the memories of millions of others who perished in that nightmarish period as well. And yet a growing segment of the world, including part of Christendom, has embraced Arab-Islamic propaganda that teaches that the Jews fabricated the Holocaust.

But why do the Jews continue to be mocked, maligned and persecuted throughout the world just as their ancestors suffered for centuries? What is it about the Jews that so angers the world that many are motivated to seek their destruction?  Even many who identify themselves as Christians--who should know better--have sided with Israel's worst enemies in calling for the destruction of Israel and the persecution of Jews. 

Major denominations such as the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) and the Episcopalian Church have denounced Israel as an apartheid state and have threatened to boycott and divest from companies that do business with Israel. What a tragic irony that churches that owe their very existence to the Jews would turn their backs on God's chosen people to side with Israel's sworn enemies.

But there's historical, biblical precedence for the growing anti-Semitism and isolation of Israel in the world today. Throughout the ancient times, God repeatedly warned the Jews through his prophets to stop ignoring his laws and treating his commandments with contempt. 

For example, the ancient Hebrew prophet Hosea recorded these words of the Lord concerning Israel's rebellion during the eighth century B.C.: "But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him. They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction." (Hosea 8:3-4) 

Or, listen to the Lord's rebuke recorded by the prophet Amos who also lived during the eighth century B.C.: "They (Jews) sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines." (Amos 2:6-8)

But it was an ancient king named Manasseh who so angered the Lord by his rebellion against God and his laws that finally brought a curse upon Israel. The son of Hezekiah who was one of Judah's most righteous kings, Manasseh restored the shrines in Israel to the pagan gods that his father had destroyed during his reign in the eighth century B.C. 

And Manasseh also instituted many of the pagan religious practices that Hezekiah had abolished. That prompted this curse from the Lord that the ancient prophet Jeremiah recorded: "I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," declares the Lord, "the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem." (Jeremiah 15:3-4)

The Lord's curse against Israel took effect in 586 B.C. with Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar ransacked the Jewish Temple, carting off much of its gold, silver and property to Babylon, and his armies took thousands of Jews into captivity as well. 

Though the Jews were finally allowed to return to Jerusalem 140 years later under Persian king Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar's invasion in the sixth century B.C. began an ageless curse against the Jews by forcibly removing them from their homeland and scattering them across the world. 

But what was just as significant about Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Jerusalem was that it began the age of gentile control and domination of that city that God had given to the Jews. Israel would not gain complete control of that city again until 1967 when the Jews trounced the invading Arab armies and drove them out of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War.

Much of the world, under the influence and control of Satan, called "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4) and "the prince of this world" (John 12:31) has relentlessly condemned the Jewish nation for calling Jerusalem her own, even though that city was given to the Jews by God and to no one else. In fact, the United States continues to refuse to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city and instead has its embassy in the city of Tel Aviv. 

And many other world nations also refuse to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital as well as the Roman Catholic Church that believes that she has replaced the Jews as God's chosen people and therefore, Jerusalem should belong to her.

What's truly tragic is that even though Muslims claim Jerusalem as one of Islam's holiest cities, that city is never mentioned even once in the Koran. However, in order to stir up hatred against the Jews, Haj Amin el-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (1921-1948) and a close ally of Adolf Hitler, fabricated the story that Islam's founding prophet Muhammad rode off into heaven on his horse from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. 

That fable was intended stir up the Arabs and world opinion against the growing Jewish population in Jerusalem that el-Husseini feared would seek to destroy the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount and replace it with a new Jewish Temple. 

Ultimately, a new Jewish Temple will be constructed upon that site, but it will be under the absolute, supreme authority of a powerful world leader the Bible identifies as the Antichrist. No other man would be able to accomplish that without triggering a bloody, violent war that would result in millions of casualties.

But how critical is it for the United States to continue to support Israel and refuse to acquiesce to the opinion of anti-Semitic world nations that desire to see Israel vanish from the face of the earth? It is this critical; remember Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city of New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast in 2005? 

That came just days after the Bush Administration had coerced Israel into surrendering Gaza to the Palestinians, who promptly converted that area into a launching pad for rocket attacks against Israel. Katrina became God's divine judgment against America for forcing Israel to hand over land to her sworn enemies. Since 1948, America has been blessed by God as the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth, and much of that blessing has come from her support of Israel.

But that support is waning and if and when America abandons Israel to coddle favor and approval from the world, the United States will be finished forever as a superpower. President Barack Obama has already stated that if he is reelected to a second term, he will work toward establishing Palestine as a sovereign nation, a tragic move that would not only jeopardize Israel's existence but doom America. 

And tragically, Obama continues to enjoy the unwavering support of many American Jews who are either ignorant of Israel's standing with God or who simply don't care. Either way, many Jews remain spiritually blind to Israel's significance and in rebellion against their Messiah Jesus Christ who will one day return to rescue Israel from a world that seeks her destruction.

Pay close attention to God's word recorded by the Psalmist: "If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!" (Psalm 81:13-14)

No Future for Islam in the East

China charges 55 Islamists with terrorism

Consider that three nations that are rising rapidly in the world as economic, political and militarily powers are China, India and Russia.

Also consider that Islam isn't the dominant religion in any of these nations. In fact, none of these nations wants anything to do with Islam. 

While that may not mean anything to many folks, it should because as China, India and Russia continue to grow and expand their influence to neighboring countries, Islam will increasingly be pushed out of Asia and Europe.

That means that Islam will be forced to find a haven in western nations that are methodically losing their power and influence in the world. And eventually, as the eastern nations come to dominate the west, Islam will be eradicated from the planet.

Despite the apocalyptic predictions of self-styled prophecy experts, Islam has no future. It not only won't become the world's dominant religion, it probably won't even be around in 50 years.

But how can that be possible? How can a religion be stopped that currently seems unstoppable? It will be stopped because no one outside of Islam wants to live with its inherent and historic violence. 

And the eastern powers will deal with Islam very differently than the west does. Nations such as China and Russia will eventually outlaw Islam and punish those who practice that religion with incarceration and death. 

The western nations deal with Islamic terrorism as a law enforcement issue. But the eastern nations realize that they will never overcome jihadists and terrorism until they get rid of Islam.

What does the Bible reveal about the future? It reveals that a new Jewish Temple is going to be built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. And the Antichrist will enter that temple and defile it with his presence. (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4)

A coming Jewish Temple in Jerusalem indicates that Islam is going away. The Islamic world will never permit a new Jewish Temple to be built, especially on Islam's third holiest site. 

In fact the Islamic world doesn't want Israel to exist. It wants to destroy the Jewish nation. And so, those who claim that the coming Antichrist is going to be Islamic simply don't know what they're talking about. They're entitled to their opinions, but they shouldn't claim that their opinions are based upon Scripture.

Furthermore, the ancient Hebrew prophet Ezekiel recorded this prophecy from the Lord about 2,500 years ago concerning the Edomites who persecuted the Israelites: "In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland. Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn." (Ezekiel 36:5-7)

The land that belonged to ancient Edom is now divided between Jordan and the Palestinian territories. And certainly, the nations that surround Israel are all Islamic and extremely hostile to the Jewish nation.

Was Ezekiel's prophecy for the end times? If it is, then Islam's days are truly numbered.

The Harder They Fall

The end of another false messiah?

It was Jesus Christ who warned us that in the last days, "false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible." (Matthew 24:24)

When Christ revealed that prophecy to His disciples shortly before His crucifixion, he was speaking of demonically-empowered miracle workers who would appear in the end times claiming to be the Son of God.

But I believe that Christ also warned folks to watch out for charismatic political charlatans who would appear and mesmerize people with their hypnotic speeches. Certainly, Barack Obama fits that description. 

His hypnotic speeches on the presidential campaign trail beginning in 2007 dazzled many folks to the point that some considered Obama to be a messianic figure. And certainly, considering the economic-political climate in the United States in 2007, the nation was vulnerable to being seduced by a slick-talking opportunist.

Many people now laugh at the mere thought of Obama as a messianic figure. But they weren't laughing in 2008 after Obama defeated his Republican opponent John McCain to win the presidency. 

When Obama stepped out on the stage in Chicago's Grant Park on November 4 to deliver his acceptance speech in front of hundreds of thousands of his supporters, many reacted as if Obama had just descended from the heavens to save the world.  

Some folks swayed back and forth like trees in the wind. Some giggled foolishly; others fainted while still others stared at Obama with those glassy, vacant eyes as if God himself had appeared to them in person. And yes, some even urinated all over themselves. 

Now, nearly six years later, Obama's mythical coat of chrome has turned to rust. He presides over the most oppressive, corrupt, inept and scandal ridden administration in the history of America. There's no need to list his administration's litany of sins. They speak for themselves.

This is inevitably what happens when people ignore the hard evidence and vote with their emotions. And the hard evidence screams at us now as it did many years ago that Barack Obama was nothing but a political con artist; an inexperienced politician who had few--if any--political accomplishments who also happened to keep company with terrorists and racist, fire-breathing preachers. 

However, America's problems run a lot deeper than overrated politicians such as Barack Obama who manage to fool the people and get themselves elected to positions they aren't qualified for. Barack Obama isn't America's problem--he's merely a symptom of a much larger problem.

America's problems are moral rather than political. America has become a nation of morally depraved imbeciles who live only for food, sex, alcohol, drugs, money, materialism and pleasure. In other words, America has become a pagan nation. And pagan nations don't usually have long shelf lives.

For those who now express buyer's remorse for trusting in a contemptible person such as Obama not once but twice, I urge you to go look in the mirror. Then you'll see the real problem. 

And if you want to correct that problem, then I urge you not to put your faith and trust in fallen human beings such as Barack Obama for your salvation, but rather in the Son of God Jesus Christ who'll correct the real problem in your life. And that's your selfish, sinful heart. 

Doctrines of Demons: Christian Psychology Part III

Isn't it tragic that so much of the modern Christian Church now seeks the spiritual counsel of godless men while ignoring the wisdom of Jesus Christ who's the Son of God?

Consider a godless man named Sigmund Freud who was one of the patriarchs of psychology and a sexual pervert. Or, consider a godless man named Carl Jung who was deeply involved in the occult.

Jung frequently heard the audible voices of demonic spirits that encouraged him to create his brand of behavioral science. Jung's psychology utilized the occult technique of hypnosis that sought to retrieve so-called unconscious memories by regressing people into the past.

Jung claimed that those past memories often influence how people behave in the present. Therefore, he believed that it was vital to the emotional health of people to recover those distant memories and "heal" them.

And consider a godless man named Alfred Adler whose theories helped form the foundation of the self-love-self-esteem, inner healing gospel that so much of the modern world and the church now eagerly embraces.

It was Adler who coined the term "inferiority complex" to make the claim that people harm themselves and do bad things to others because they have low self esteem.

Despite being thoroughly discredited, Adler's theories continue to be taught by thousands of psychotherapists throughout the world. And his theories continue to be embraced by a large segment of the Christian church.

It was a lapsed Methodist minister and an arch-heretic named Norman Vincent Peale who first brought Adler's bogus theories into the church in the 1920s under the banner of positive-possibility thinking.

And it was a Peale disciple named Robert Schuller who so successfully mainstreamed the false Positive-Possibility Thinking gospel in the 1960s that sin, repentance and redemption were increasingly viewed as old-fashioned and dangerous concepts in many churches.

But the real damage that Christendom inflicted upon itself by embracing humanistic psychology was its shift from a Christ-centered gospel of redemption and deliverance from the power of sin to a man-centered gospel of deliverance from low self-esteem.

Psychology became a secular version of the eastern religions that encourage people to turn within themselves to find emotional and spiritual fulfillment. The biblical gospel teaches us that no one can find emotional or spiritual fulfillment outside of a true relationship with God that only comes by being born-again through faith in Jesus Christ.

Psychology is preoccupied with self. Biblical Christianity is preoccupied with God. Psychology focuses on the past. Biblical Christianity focuses on the present in preparation for a glorious future where Jesus Christ will reign supreme over a new heaven and earth.

Psychology attempts to redefine sin into neuroses and psychoses that can only be overcome through exhaustive psychotherapy. The biblical gospel tells us that sin is our worst enemy and the power of sin can only be broken when we repent and turn our lives over to Jesus Christ to become our Lord and Savior. The apostle Paul so aptly wrote: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!" (1 Corinthians 5:17)

The church doesn't need psychology. Rather, the church needs to begin paying attention once again to the gospel that contains everything we need for salvation, good spiritual health and happiness. As Paul wrote: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

And the apostle Peter wrote this: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

May the church heed those words and stop following the lies of foolish men who hated God and whose minds were influenced by the spiritual forces of darkness.