Demonstrators march in New York, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, during the Justice for All rally and march. In the past three weeks, grand juries have decided not to indict officers in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York and the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. The decisions have unleashed demonstrations and questions about police conduct and whether local prosecutors are the best choice for investigating police. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Hosea 4:6
Grace and peace, Saints,
This morning I awoke around 3:30 .A.M. And could not go back to sleep. This is nothing new, but, today was different. Today, I couldn’t go back to sleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about a letter someone wrote me concerning our article, Does God Hate Blacks?
It is incredible how deceived my people are, and it grieves me that after all we’ve been through, after all the deceptions we’ve survived, and in spite of being used for so long to foment rebellion, sow discord, and spread hatred many–and I dare say most–Black people still cannot see the forest for the trees. They still can’t see that racism is being used not only to destroy Blacks, but also whites as well.
Racism is a tool of the devil. And, just as racism was used in the nineteenth century to divide the United States over the issue of slavery, an issue that eventually ignited the most bloody conflict in the History of the United States and caused the death of one of the bravest and noblest men who ever lived—Abraham Lincoln—so racism is being used in the twenty-first century to once again divide our nation over the problem of racial inequality and the unjust treatment of Blacks by the “Justice” System.
You know, racism, slavery, the Civil War, and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln have much in common, and that is no coincidence. They all share one common denominator: Rome.
Charles Chiniquy, in the book, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome writes that the U.S. Civil War was actually instigated by the Roman Catholic Church. According to Chiniquy, a close personal friend and confidant of Lincoln, the President was well aware of the role Rome played in starting that conflict, and he quoted Lincoln as saying:
“This war would never have been possible without the sinister influence of the [Roman Catholic] Jesuits. We owe it to Popery (Roman Catholicism) that we now see our land reddened with the blood of her noblest sons.
“Though there were great differences between the North and the South on the question of slavery, neither Jeff Davis nor any one of the leading men of the Confederacy would have dared to attack the North, had they not relied on the promises of the Jesuits, that, under the mask of Democracy, the money and the arms of the Roman Catholics, even the arms of France, were at their disposal, if they were to attack us.
“I pity the priests, the bishops, and the monks of Rome in the United States, when the people realize that they are, in great part, responsible for the tears and the blood shed in this war; the later the more terrible the retribution will be. I conceal what I know, on that subject, from the knowledge of the nation; for if the people knew the whole truth, this war would turn into a religious war…” [Brackets mine.(
Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, p. 498-499
As a former Roman Catholic priest, Chiniquy well knew that racism is an integral part of the Roman Catholic belief system, and he held that this was ultimately what motivated Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, a devout Roman Catholic, in handing down the infamous Dred Scott decision, to write, “The Negro has no rights that the white man is bound to recognize.”
You may also find it interesting to learn that Mary Surrat, another devout Roman Catholic, who was tried, found guilty, and ultimately hanged for being one of the chief conspirators in the murder of Abraham Lincoln, and in whose house the Roman Catholic priests and other engineers of Lincoln’s murder met, slept, ate, and planned that assassination, said, “The death of Lincoln was no better than the death of any nigger in the army.”
Chiniquy went on to explain how the Roman Catholic Church went to great lengths to ensure that it’s involvement both in the Civil War and in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln were kept out of the press and out of the history books. That is why many of us never learned any of this in high school, which is incredible, when you think about it.
And, lest you be further deceived into believing this is purely a white vs. black thing, you should know that many blacks have also taken part in this scheme. In fact, without the help of many blacks of all ranks, stations, education levels, and income brackets, Rome would not be able to implement its racial agenda nearly as efficiently. You may recall, for example, our article entitled the Occult Hand signs and the Cult of Mary, where I explain a certain hand sign in use by Mary worshippers of all flavors, and provide ample photos of many Blacks: famous, infamous, and relatively unknown, flashing the Marian Signal: from President Barack Obama and the First Lady to Muhammad Ali.
Moreover, in an article entitled Trayvon Martin and the Roman Catholic Takeover of America, I show you Rachel Jeanteel, Trayvon Martin’s alleged girlfriend, (as well as George Zimmermann) flashing the Cult of Mary hand sign during Zimmermann’s trial, and I explain that the whole Trayvon Martin affair was just another Jesuit plot to further divide America over the issue of racism.
So, folks, don’t fall for the lie. This is not about White vs. Black; this is about Rome vs. Freedom. And the ultimate goal is to destroy the American republic and eventually enslave all of humanity—not just Blacks.
In order for Rome to rule, America must fall. And for America to fall, it must remain fractured and divided; and racism has proven to be the most potent weapon of fraction and division ever devised.
Read more about the Roman Catholic Takeover of America here.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Today I was on YouTube looking for the lyrics and melody to an old Negro Spiritual entitled “Changed My Name” to add to my repertoire.
Because I went to church only occasionally before I got saved in September, 2005, I never knew many Christian hymns or spirituals. So, when my children and I started having church at home, in 2013, and wanted to have praise and worship, we found that we didn’t know any praise and worship songs. Then, I remembered a couple of songs from “Vacation Bible School” which I attended one summer when I was about ten years old. One of the songs I remembered was “Onward Christians Soldiers.” I couldn’t remember all the lyrics to the song, so I googled “Christian hymns” and one of the sites that came up was hymnal.net, which has the lyrics (and sometimes the accompanying music) to many Christian hymns and spirituals. They had the lyrics and the melody to the song, and it took us about a month to learn it. Now we know about 15 songs, which is not very many, but is way better than just one.
When I want to learn a new hymn, I’ll occasionally go to a site like hymnal.net and look for something. If I find a song I like, but the melody isn’t available, I’ll often go to YouTube and search for the song there. Sometimes only the lyrics and melody will be available, while, at other times, a person, group or choir will perform it.
Yesterday, it occurred to me that we know only a couple of Negro spirituals, so I went to a site I had visited years ago called negrospirituals.com ,where years ago I found the lyrics to “Oh Freedom!” There I found a song called “Changed Mah Name” that I really liked. Here are the lyrics:
I tol’ Jesus it would be all right if He changed my name,
Jesus tol’ me I would have to live humble if He changed mah name,
Jesus tol’ me that the world would be ‘gainst me if He changed mah name,
But I tol’ Jesus it would be all right if He changed mah name.
I believe this song is based on Revelation 2:17 where the Lord Jesus, through the Apostle John says that one day He would give all victorious believers a white stone with a new name on it:
“To Him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name,which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”
I like that.
While searching YouTube for a video of someone performing the song, I happened across this video of a renowned Gospel singer singing “Changed Mah Name” at a church celebration. I don’t know why, but I was rather surprised to see this lady flash the Cult of Mary hand sign a couple of times in as many minutes.
I had never heard of Irma Gwynn before today, and so I don’t have enough background information to venture a comment as to her religious beliefs. But I do know the Cult of Mary.
I also couldn’t help but notice that during her testimony, Ms. Gwynn used the words “Lord” and “God,” but did not once mention the name of Jesus Christ. I would have wondered why had I not seen her flashing the Cult of Mary hand sign.
As she continued, the smile I originally had on my face in response to her opening words slowly vanished, and I realized that she was not going to give the Lord Jesus the glory He so richly deserves by specifically saying His name. Then, again, why would she?
I have noticed that many Gospel singers seldom use the name of Jesus, but often substitute the words “Lord,” “God” and “Christ,” which I guess we are to assume mean the Lord Jesus Christ. You want to know why our churches are so jacked up? This is why: many of our leaders belong to the cult of Mary.
Grace and peace to my fellowservants who have the testimony of Jesus, and greetings to the servants of the Infernal One.
As Christians, how we react to—or rather, that we not react to, but resist, peer pressure—is vitally important. As a Christian preacher living, working, and raising my children in a very un-Godly place, resisting peer pressure is of paramount importance, and I have spent considerable time and energy trying as best I can to teach my children why they should and how they must resist peer pressure.
A few days ago, while talking with my children on this subject, I used Romans 12:2 as an example of how we should resist peer pressure.
“Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2).
The root word of conform, I explained, is form, which means to shape. When we conform to the world, we are allowing ourselves to be shaped by the world. In order to shape something, you have to be able to some degree to hold onto it and handle it. It follows, therefore, that if we make ourselves impossible to hold, then we make ourselves impossible to shape.
The easiest way to keep something from holding and handling you is to keep moving. In boxing, when an opponent finds he cannot stop your assault, or, when he is too slow to keep up with you, he will either run from you or try to hold onto you to slow you down and keep you from moving.
This is no less true in spiritual things. If Satan sees that you are staying busy for the Lord and he can’t stop you, then he will try everything in his power to slow you down and keep you from moving. He will first try to grasp you; and, if he manages to grasp you, then he will try to hold you. If he manages to hold you, then he will try to mold (conform) you. And once he forms you, you lose the will (and power) to resist.
The best way to keep from conforming, therefore, is to keep it moving, and to not slow down for anyone or anything. That way, Satan can’t grab you and hold onto you. And if he can’t hold you, then he can’t mold you.
My way of staying busy for the Lord and keeping it moving is by witnessing, whether it be by passing out Gospel tracts, teaching the Word, giving my testimony, writing edifying pieces for this blog, or working on or doing research for the book I hope to soon publish. Witnessing is a good way to keep it moving.
But not everyone can witness, has the boldness to witness, or is able to witness, especially at school or work. How do these “keep it moving?” The answer is by being careful where they focus their attention. The same way Satan tries to grab us and hold onto us to keep us from moving, he also tries to grab and hold our attention to keep it off the things of God. He is constantly dangling carrots (sin) before our eyes to get us to focus on them, because he knows that where the eyes go, the mind will follow.
The key, then, is not to focus on the carrot. We should certainly see the carrot (for we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices), but we should not fixate on the carrot, become obsessed with the carrot, or go bonkers over the carrot. When we see it, our antenna should go up, and we should be aware that Satan is up to no good. But after saying, “Get thee behind me Satan!” we should take our attention off the carrot, pop smoke (military vernacular for get out of Dodge), and keep it moving.
And, let us not forget that one sure-fire way Satan throws a cockroach in the cake mix is through a spouse, one or all of our children, a friend or family member, or a troublesome co-worker or boss. These can hold you and slow you down too if you let them. Like everything else in our lives, they have to be managed if we are to keep it moving.
If we do this thing, then we will never stand still long enough for Satan to get his hands on us, let alone go to work on us.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Written by a survivor of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Yugoslavia during WWII, this book provides a horrifying glimpse into the torture, murder, deprivation, starvation, and psychological trauma which were a daily part of life at Jasenovac, the third-largest concentration camp in Europe. When it was apparent that the Nazis were going to lose the war, and the Allies were approaching, the Roman Catholic Croatian Ushtashi who ran Jasenovac began murdering all the prisoners, to try to erase all evidence and witnesses to their crimes.
This book is one of the few first-hand accounts of the atrocities that occurred at Jasenovac, written by a survivor who escaped the camp at sixteen years of age. It is amazing that given it’s historical significance, only a couple of copies of this book are available at Amazon and they cost over six-hundred dollars. It is not available at all through Abe’s Books. I was blessed to find a copy at a university library here in Munich and spent the next two weeks digitizing it. It is my goal to help keep this important historical resource available, and to awaken Christians to what is going to happen to the body of Christ in the very near future when the Roman Catholic Takeover of America is complete.
I strongly urge you to download and read this important historical resource. And please pray with me for the Persecuted Church as well as prepare your own hearts for what will soon be coming for all who name the name of Jesus.
“There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act.”
–British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on May 23, 2013, during a press conference following the brutal daylight slaying of British soldier, Lee Rigby, by two Muslims.
“Muslims kill more Muslimsthan anyone else.”
–Usama Hasan, Sr. Researcher at the Quilliam Foundation, during a CNN interview on May 24, 2013, regarding the murder of British soldier, Lee Rigby.
By now, many of you know about the man who opened fire on partygoers at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, Saturday night, killing 50 and wounding 53. He has since been identified as Omar Mateen of Port St. Lucie, Florida, a devout Muslim of Afghan parentage.
This will no doubt fuel the anti-gun rhetoric in the United States and many believe it will also serve as an impetus for more anti-gun legislation. Critics of Islam are calling for the government to quell the influx of immigrants to our shores, and supporters of Donald Trump are hoping that this will cause many to see that he was right in his stated belief that Muslims should be banned from entering the United States.
What is for sure is that Islam is once again on the radar. It had popped up on the radar last week upon the death of Muhammad Ali, as CNN, during its coverage of the influential boxer, was careful to mention that the Islamic holy week of Ramadan was beginning. But, all the contradictory media propaganda notwithstanding, anyone who was deceived into believing that Islam is a religion of peace was violently awakened to the unfortunate reality that Islam is anything but peaceful.
On the heels of this latest episode of Islamic violence, many Americans are asking themselves why Islam is such a violent religion, and why the adherents of a religion that purports to be peaceful, not only kill others, but also kill each other.
As an evangelist, I have often witnessed to Muslims, both in the United States and here in Germany, and I have occasionally asked Muslims why Islam is such a violent religion. Of those who will admit that Muslims do, in fact, kill non-Muslims, most will offer various reasons for this, usually having something to do with someone offending their religion, their prophet, or their holy book, the Qur’an. One Muslim gentleman even told me that the reason Muslims kill is owing to a misinterpretation of what their prophet, Muhammad said. Most, Muslims, however, will not admit that their holy book not only condones, but commands the killing of non-Muslims, or infidels. Of course, in that Muslims promote Islam as a religion of peace, any explanation they offer for why Muslims kill falls way short of the mark.
But, while Muslims may be able to explain–albeit insufficiently–why Muslims kill non-Muslims, there is one very perplexing phenomenon that no Muslim to date has been able to explain: why Muslims kill each other; because Muslims do kill each other–frequently. As a religion, Islam is distinguished in this regard. One statistic holds that (as of 2007) over 11,000,000 Muslims had been killed worldwide and that 90% of those deaths were the result of Muslims killing other Muslims. This is a startling statistic for a religion that claims to be a religion of peace.
The situation is so bad that even Muslims are asking the question, “Why do Muslims kill other Muslims?
For his part, vocal Muslim cleric and Islamic apologist, Dr. Zakir Naik, blamed “division within Islam,” the media, and anti-Islamic rhetoric for Muslims killing other Muslims. But this does absolutely nothing to truly explain why Muslims kill other Muslims.
Let me illustrate for you by way of example how perplexing this question is even for the most devout Muslim.
A few months ago, I was walking through the main thoroughfare of the Munich main train station, when I spotted two African men talking together. Knowing that the majority of Africans in Munich are from Muslim countries, I decided I would witness to these men, as I had gospel tracts in my pocket targeting Roman Catholics and Muslims. I approached the young men and, greeting them in English, asked them if they were Muslims. When they affirmed that they were, I pulled out the German version of the Chick tract, “Allah Had No Son,” and handed it to them. They didn’t seem to speak German well enough to understand the tract, so I told them to please hold onto it, until such time as their German was good enough to enable them to comprehend the tract and its message.
One of the men spoke enough English to hold a decent conversation, so I decided to give this man the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I first asked him where his religion taught he would go when he died. When he answered “Paradise,” I told him that his religion would not get him into Paradise, because Islam does not solve the problem of sin. I then asked him if it were not true that Islam teaches that Muslims should kill infidels (non-Muslims). He agreed that this was true, but added that he did not believe that this was the right thing to do. I then asked him if he were a good Muslim, and, when he replied that he was, I asked him why he disobeyed his prophet Muhammad, who wrote Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an, which commands Muslims to kill non-Muslims. He said that not all Muslims believe that the Qur’an is right about this teaching. I asked him if he obeyed the prophet Muhammad, and he answered that he did, adding that if anyone “touched” the prophet Muhammad or the Qur’an, he would kill them. He then went on to say that the men at Charlie Hebdo were wrong for what they did, and that had he been there, he would have killed them himself.
Charlie Hebdo, as most of you know, is a satirical magazine based in Paris, France. In January 2015, Islamic terrorists murdered four employees of the magazine, including the editor, supposedly for satirizing their prophet Muhammad. Religion is a personal and highly charged subject, especially for Muslims. One should not mock another’s religion, even if it is protected speech in some countries. That said, the taking of a human life for any reason, according to the Bible, is a sin, which makes it wrong. So, while I don’t agree with what Charlie Hebdo did, I also don’t agree with how these men chose to express their discontent. As the saying goes, “two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“Allah must be a bloody god,” I said, “if he commands the murder of anyone.” At that, the man quickly changed the subject by saying that he had never seen a Muslim become a Christian, though he had seen Christians become Muslims. I told him that the only reason he had not seen any Muslims become Christians was because he lived in a Muslim-dominated country, and Muslim-dominated countries are notorious for persecuting and killing Muslims who convert to Christianity. I told him that I know of Muslims who have become Christians.
Returning to the subject, I asked the man if he were being obedient to Islam’s holy book by not killing non-believers. It was then that he said that he, too, would kill non-believers. This, I felt was the truth of the matter. I then asked him why, if Islam is a religion of peace, it commands Muslims to kill others, and permits Muslims to kill other Muslims. “How does one know,” I asked, “who is right and who is wrong, when both sides are shouting, ‘Allah U Akhbar!’ (Allah is great!)?” “Yes, that is a problem,” he said, not attempting to explain this phenomenon.
Again attempting to change the subject, he repeated that he had never seen a Muslim become a Christian, though he had seen Christians become Muslims. I then told him that the Bible explains why Muslims kill other Muslims. “The Bible prophecies about Islam,” I told him, “and even prophesies that Muslims would not only be known for killing others, but for killing one another also”
Suddenly, he yelled to one of his companions, who was now heading for the train, and abruptly left. “God bless you,” I said, again urging him to read the tract I had given him. I then headed for my own train.
While this man at least tried to justify the killing of non-Muslims, he did not even attempt to explain why Muslims kill other Muslims. The reason is simple: If a good Muslim obeys the Qur’an and follows the teachings of their prophet, Muhammad, who did not command Muslims to kill their brethren, then why do Muslims still kill other Muslims?
I have asked Muslims why, if Islam is a religion of peace, their holy book not only allows, but encourages Muslims to kill non-Muslims. And I have been given many different answers: someone has insulted their religion, offended their prophet, or mistreated or disrespected their holy book. One even attributed this violence to some Muslims having misinterpreted what Muhammad wrote. But, like the Muslim at the train station, not one Muslim whom I have asked has been able to explain why Muslims kill other Muslims.
I once watched a YouTube video of one battle of the civil war in Egypt apparently taken by a rebel fighter, that well illustrated this perplexing phenomenon. Each time a soldier fired his weapon, he shouted “Allah U Akhbar!” and opposition soldiers could be heard shouting the same thing as they returned fire. In the “Comments” section, Shias and Sunnis took turns offending one another, using some of the most appalling and hate-filled speech I have ever heard.
How can this be? How can two individuals share the same religious heritage, believe in the same god, hold to the same religious tenants, profess to love and obey their religion’s prophet, and obey their holy book, yet hate each other with such an intense hatred? What is for sure is that the god of the Qur’an is not the God of the Bible; for the Bible states that God is not the author of confusion, and this inexplicable hatred between Muslims is extremely confusing—confusing, that is, to those who do not know the Bible.
Did you know that the Bible prophesies about Islam? It’s true. And not only does the Bible prophesy about Islam; it also prophesies that Muslims would wage war against others, and that Muslims would kill other Muslims. Turn with me to the Book of the Revelation chapter 6. Many of you will be familiar with this chapter, which speaks about what are commonly called the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Our concern is with the second horse, which is red.
“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Revelation 6:4).
There are varying opinions as to what this rider and the red horse symbolize. Jack Chick, in volume 16 of his Crusader series of comic tracts, writes that the rider of the red horse symbolizes Communism, while the red horse symbolizes war.
Former Jesuit priest, Alberto Rivera, in a sermon dedicated to this subject, focused on the red horse, believing that the color red symbolized government, as many governments, including the Nazi and Communist governments, have used the color red. And false prophet, Tim LaHaye, in Revelation Revealed, a commentary on the Book of the Revelation, also believes the red horse to be a symbol for war.
Though all of these interpretations contain some truth, they all effectively miss the mark, not only because they place too much emphasis on the horse, but because they either completely overlook or misinterpret the symbolism of the rider. A correct interpretation, which can only come from the Holy Spirit, would reveal the mystery that is Islam. It would behoove us, therefore, to listen to what the Spirit has to say about this. We will use the perfect, inerrant Word of the Living God, the King James Version, to unravel this mystery.
Now, I believe that much of the misunderstanding regarding the rider of the red horse is due to the New International Version’s (NIV) faulty translation of the passage. The NIV renders Revelation 6:4 thus:
“When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth andto make men slay each other.To him was given a large sword.”
Because the NIV interprets the passage differently than the King James, much of the prophetic meaning of the passage has been lost, leaving the passage subject to misinterpretation. The result is that three crucial details have been missed that are crucial to an understanding of the identity of the rider of the red horse.
First, while the KJV says the rider of the red horse is given the power “that they should kill one another,” the NIV says he is given the power “to make men slay each other.” This misinterpretation has caused most to believe that the rider of the red horse has been given the power to cause the inhabitants of the earth to kill one another. This has led to the incorrect belief that the rider of the red horse simply means war.
Second, the faulty interpretation that the inhabitants of the earth are the “men [who will] slay each other has led to a second faulty interpretation: that the rider of the red horse represents some system that will cause the inhabitants of the earth to kill one another. Jack Chick, as we have seen, believes the rider is a symbol for Communism. Communist regimes have killed hundreds of millions of their own citizens in the countries where they have come to power. But Communist regimes are not known for causing those citizens themselves to kill one another.
Third, the faulty interpretation that the rider of the red horse represents some system that will cause men to kill each other, has led to the faulty interpretation that the red horse represents war. But this, I believe is complicating the overt symbolism of the color red. The color red symbolizes blood. The red horse, therefore, symbolizes bloodshed.
Fourth, The NIV says that the rider of the red horse is given a “large” sword, while the King James says that he is given a great sword. While this may not seem very important, it is actually a very important detail. It may even be the most important detail in the passage. Bear this in mind.
Before we reveal the prophetic significance of Revelation 6:4, let us take one more look at this passage as rendered in the King James Bible:
“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Revelation 6:4).
First, we are told that the rider of the red horse is given power “to take peace from the earth.” Many interpret this passage to mean war, but, while war is the best known way to take away peace, it is not the most common way. Peace is more than just the absence of war. Peace is the absence of strife. Peace is the absence of contention. Peace is the absence of vengeance. And peace is the absence of hatred. War may be the most effective way to take away peace, but it is not the only way. The incident in the Orlando gay bar brings this home.
Second, we are told that the rider of the red horse is given power that “they” should kill one another, but we are not told who “they” are. Again, because the NIV says that the rider is given the power “to make men slay each other,” theologians have incorrectly interpreted this to mean that it is the inhabitants of the earth that would kill each other. The King James, however, says that the rider is given power that “they” should kill one another. Bear in mind that we are not told in the passage who “they” are, and, since no one else is mentioned in the passage, we can only conclude that “they” refers to the rider. Therefore, in that the rider is a symbol—that much is clear—then we know that the rider symbolizes a group of people—a nation, who will take peace from the earth. This is an important detail.
Because every society to some degree has been guilty of killing its own people, then this must mean that this people is especially distinguished by this behavior. Bear this in mind.
Third, the symbolism of the sword is highly significant for several reasons:
1. The rider receives it from God, meaning whatever the sword represents was given of God.
2. That the sword is given to a people means it is not merely a symbol for war, but a symbol for this people. It is an emblem, so to speak. We may therefore call these people the “people of the sword.”
3. Because the sword is symbolic of a people, then the Apostle John’s description of the sword as “great” (as opposed to the NIV’s use of the word “large”) is also symbolic.
To summarize Revelation 6:4, the rider of the red horse is symbolic of a warlike people, who are known not only for waging war against and killing others, but also waging war against and killing each another. The sword has historically been a symbol for this people, and they are great (both in number and in power and influence) and their greatness was given to them by God. I submit that there is only one people on the face of the earth who fit this description marvelously: The Muslims.
“[They shall] take peace from the earth…”
The Muslims are a warlike people who have conquered most of the world by waging war in the name of Islam. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the Muslims have been waging an unconventional war of jihad (Islamic holy war) against their enemies, mostly Jews and Christians, using terrorism.
We should also remember that war is not the only way to take peace from the earth.Muslims have been known to stab and behead people in public, throw acid in the faces of Muslims and non-Muslims alike (such as in the case of Umar Mulinde, a Ugandan pastor and former Muslim who was attacked in 2011 after a church service).
“They should kill one another…”
Shias and Sunnis, the two major branches of Islam, have been warring against each other for more than a thousand years. Various minority Islamic sects have also been persecuted and killed by both majority branches.
Sharia (Islamic law) is another way that Muslims kill one another. In the countries where sharia dominates, Muslims have been imprisoned, tortured, and put to death for a variety of things considered crimes under sharia law, such as converting to Christianity, adultery, homosexuality, criticizing Islam, and other things. Sharia law even condones the murder of a woman for refusing to marry the man her parents have arranged for her. It is called an “honor killing.”
“[They were] given a great sword.”
A large curved sword, called a scimitar, has traditionally been the symbol of Islam.
The scimitar appears in Arab and Muslim art and folklore:
Many Islamic nations and organizations have used a scimitar as their emblem.
Flag of Saudi Arabia
Flag of Pakistani Army
Lion and sun emblem of Persian Empire
Flag of Persian army corps general
Modern jihadist flag
During the Second World War, there was a Muslim Division of the Nazi SS called the 13th Waffen SS Gebirgsjaeger or “mountain fighters,” which was composed primarily of Muslim Croats. They were also called the handschar (German for scimitar), because of their unit insignia, which featured a scimitar.
Below are the 13 SS Waffen Division’s patches. Note the scimitar on the collar patch at the upper left. The Gebirgsjaegers wore the patch in place of the SS runes worn by the German SS soldiers.
The red and white shields were worn on the sleeves. The color red corresponds to the color of the horse and is no coincidence.
“He was given aGREAT sword.” [Emphasis mine.]
Again, the use of the word, “great” is not arbitrary; it is symbolic. The symbolism of God giving this people a “great” sword not only means that God made them great, but that God called them great (think “given” name). If God called this people great, then the Bible should record this.
And it does. In the entire Bible, there are only two nations that God specifically said He would make “great,” and those nations sprung from two sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael.
Speaking of Isaac, God told Abraham:
“I will make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 12:2).
“My covenant will I establish with Isaac…” (Genesis 17:21).
Speaking of Ishmael, twice God said He would make him great:
“As for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly (make him great in number); twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation (great in power and influence) (Genesis 17:20)
“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation” (Genesis 21:18)
The children of Isaac, as we know, are the Jews, and the children of Ishmael are the Arab nations—the Muslims. Of these two nations, the Muslims marvelously fulfill the criteria of Revelation 6:4. There is another very important factor to consider: Muslims are not of any particular race or culture. In fact, Muslims are distinguished by their religion, and that religion is Islam.
The rider of the red horse, therefore, is Islam.
As for the symbolism of the red horse, the color red is one of five colors long associated with Islam: red, black, white, yellow, and green. The fez hat, an Islamic headdress, is red.
The fez is believed to be named for a city in Morocco where at one time, it was exclusively made. It’s red color is significant: In 980 A.D., the Moslems, under Mohammed, attacked the city of Fez and massacred over 50,000 Christians there. As the streets ran red, Mohammed’s soldiers reportedly dipped their fezzes, formerly white, in the blood of the slaughtered Christians and wore them as a testament to their god, Allah.
Given Islam’s bloody history, I submit that the red horse is symbolic of this history.
The hat of a Shriner (a degree of Freemasonry based on Islam) is a fez emblazoned with a scimitar. Coincidence?
The uniform of the 13th Waffen SS included a red fez.
Now, the next time you ask yourself why Islam is so violent and why Muslims kill not only non-Muslims but other Muslims as well, don’t be perplexed. It is prophetic.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Vatican may soon issue a formal apology for the Roman Catholic church’s historical persecution of Bible-believing Protestant Christians. During a recent homily, Pope Francis, the False Prophet of Revelation 13, said,
“Jesus, before the Passion, prayed for the unity of Christians, so that they might be one—as He and the Father are one—that the world might believe. But within the Church there are those who “sow weeds,” who divide and destroy the community with their wagging tongues.”
“The unity of the Christian community,” he said, “is a witness: a witness to the fact that the Father has sent the Son. But achieving unity is very difficult.”
He then went on to say this:
“We have to seek forgiveness for our history, for having waged war against our Christian brothers,—divisions which continue even today.”
httpv://youtu.be/ScQ3u9CaVDM
“Those who sow weeds,” I believe, refers to those Protestants who know the truth; those Protestants who know that all cumbaya rhetoric aside, the Roman Catholic church and its Pope always have been and always will be the irreconcilable enemy of Protestant Christianity.
Jack Chick, in volume 16 of the Crusader Series, entitled “The Four Horsemen,” says that according to former Jesuit priest, Alberto Rivera, the Vatican is planning to one day formally apologize for the Holocaust. Perhaps this is a lead up to that event. The Roman Catholic church has always been the bitter enemy of both the Christian Church and Israel and has sworn to destroy both—and it will pull out all the stops during the Great Tribulation towards this end.
You must understand that the Roman Catholic Council of Trent declared Martin Luther and all Bible-believing Christians heretics and placed them under one hundred twenty-five curses. Beginning with Vatican II, the Roman Catholic church ostensibly left off the incendiary rhetoric and began to call Christians “separated brethren.” But the reality is that the Vatican has never repealed the decrees of the Council of Trent and follows them to this very day. Bible-believing Christians are still considered heretics who deserve to die.
Charles Chiniquy, in the book, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, speaking on the hatred the Roman Catholic church holds towards Christians writes:
“The Roman Catholics [feel that they] have not only the right, but it is their duty to kill heretics” (p. 78). [brackets mine.]
He then goes on to quote the Roman Catholic church father, “Saint” Alphonsus Liguori to have written:
“Though heretics must not be tolerated because they deserve it, we must bear with them till, by a second admonition, they may be brought back to the faith of the Church. But those who, after a second admonition, remain obstinate in their errors must not only be excommunicated, but they must be delivered to the secular powers to be exterminated.” [Emphasis mine.]
Think about that and consider what the United States government did to the Branch Davidian church, in 1993, during the siege at Waco, Texas, when it burned those men, women, and children alive. Think about that and consider what the Philadelphia police department did to the Move Group, in 1985, when it burned those men, women, and children alive. It is important to understand that both those groups had religious beliefs that were very un-Catholic.
The Roman Catholic church feigns friendship for the time being in order to beguile Christians to go along with its One World agenda. Their reason for courting Christians, according to Ligouri, is to bring them “back to the faith of the Church.” They want to unite the Roman Catholics and Protestants in the Vatican’s One World Church. But, once they achieve their ends, the mask will come off and the poor Christians who fell for the deception will see Rome’s true colors. History will repeat itself. Don’t be deceived!
“Christian brothers” could also mean the Eastern Orthodox Church, which Rome has too persecuted, but the Pope’s use of the term “wagging tongues” and that he says they cause division makes me believe he is talking about Protestant preachers who preach against Rome.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
This photo depicts First Lady Michelle Obama at a Times Square event with members of the United States Olympic team passing a basketball. My question is how she manages to pass a basketball with those two fingers sticking up like that without trying. Then again, who said she wasn’t trying?
As many of you may know, the two finger salute, or papal salute, is used by romanists as a sign of their allegiance to the pope and by popes as a token of their claim of supreme spiritual and temporal (worldly) authority.
We have seen Mrs. Obama throw up the Cult of Mary hand sign so often that we have no doubt of her romish leanings. Still, I couldn’t resist adding this photo to the mix.
Thursday May 26, 2016, here in Bavaria and in other German states, a holiday called fronleichnam will be celebrated. Fronleichnam is the German equivalent of what is called Corpus Christi Day in America. Corpus Christi Day is a Roman Catholic holiday honoring the Eucharist, the consecrated bread used in the Roman Catholic Mass.
“Corpus Christi is a Christian observance that honors the Holy Eucharist. It is also known as the Feast of the Most Holy Body of Christ, as well as the Day of Wreaths.”
The “Holy Eucharist” is the round, flat, consecrated bread–the wafer–that Roman Catholics eat during the celebration of the Mass. Corpus Christi Day, therefore, is a Roman Catholic holiday or holy day which honors a piece of bread.
The Augsburger Allgemeine, a German newspaper, in the May 24, 2016 edition, has this to say about fronleichnam:
“Fronleichnam wird in der Kirche auch ‘Hochfest des Leibes und Blutes Christi’ genannt. Das Fest knüpft an Gründonnerstag an und setzt die Menschwerdung von Gottes Sohn fort. Der Name leitet sich aus dem mittelhochdeutschen vrône lîcham – „des Herren Leib” – ab.
“Das Fest selbst entstand, nachdem die Augustinernonne Juliana von Lüttich im Jahr 1209 eine Vision hatte. Christus offenbarte ihr eine Mondscheibe, auf der ein dunkler Fleck zu sehen war. Die Mondscheibe sollte das Kirchenjahr darstellen und der Fleck symbolisierte ein fehlendes Fest zu Ehren des Abendmahls.
“Das Bistum Lüttich führte daraufhin das Fest im Jahr 1246 ein. 1264 wurde es von Papst Urban IV zum allgemeinen kirchlichen Fest erklärt.”
Translation:
“In the [Roman Catholic] Church, Corpus Christi Day is also called the ‘High Feast of the body and blood of Christ.’ The Festival falls on Maundy Thursday and celebrates the incarnation of God’s son. The name is derived from the middle high German vrône lîcham, which means ‘the Lord’s Body.’
“The festival itself was created after the Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège had a vision in 1209. Christ revealed to her a moon dial on which could be seen a dark spot. The moon dial represented the liturgical year and the spot symbolized a missing feast in honour of the Lord’s Supper.
“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Liège then introduced the feast in 1246. In 1264 it was declared a General Church feast by Pope Urban IV.”
Note that Corpus Christi Day is not based on the Bible, but was inspired by the alleged vision of a Roman Catholic nun. That means the early Christian Church did not celebrate Corpus Christi Day or anything like it. The Bible does not record the Lord Jesus commanding His Church to establish a holiday honoring the bread used in the Lord’s Supper. The reason for this, I believe, is simple: the bread is merely symbolic.
At the Lord’s Supper, the night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus broke the bread and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is my body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). “This do” refers to the breaking, sharing, and eating of the bread, which is recorded in Mark 14:22,23:
“And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it,and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
“And He took the cup, and when He has given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it.”
Jesus said “This do in remembrance of me.” This means that in the breaking and sharing of bread we are to remember Him. It is an imperative: that is, a commandment. And the early Christians, obeying this commandment, continued to remember Jesus through the breaking of bread every Sunday, the first day of the week:
“On the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7).
“And [the disciples of Jesus] continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, andin breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).
“And [the disciples of Jesus], continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart (Acts 2:46).
It is through the breaking of bread (the Lord’s Supper) that true Christians are to honor the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice, not by celebrating a holiday in honor of that bread. Corpus Christi Day then, or fromleichnam, is unscriptural.
But, there is something else you should think about. More than being merely unscriptural, Corpus Christi Day is actually blasphemous. Jesus said that through breaking the bread we symbolize the giving of His body “which was broken for us.” The breaking of bread, then, symbolizes His crucifixion. If we do not break the bread, then, we effectively deny the death of Jesus. And by denying Jesus’ death, we also deny His resurrection; for in order to be resurrected, Jesus had to first die. Because the Eucharist is a perfectly round intact piece of bread, it actually denies the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But there is still more. The Roman Catholic Church has not only established a holy day in honor of a piece of bread, but it actually worships that piece of bread as Jesus Christ Himself. The Roman Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence (also not biblical) declares that the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ are actually present (hence the term Real Presence) in the Eucharist:
“First of all, the holy council teaches and openly and plainly professes that after the consecration (blessing) of bread and wine, Our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is truly, really and substantially contained in the august sacrament of the Holy Eucharist…”
“This has always been the belief of the Church of God, that immediately after the consecration the true body and the true blood of Our Lord, together with His soul and divinity exist under the form of bread and wine…” –Council of Trent, Thirteenth Session, October 11, 1551.
Many of you Christians who count Roman Catholics as your brothers and sisters in Christ may be asking yourselves why we should even care that Roman Catholics have set aside a day honoring a piece of bread and, in fact, worship that bread as Jesus Christ. Allow me to illuminate you by quoting from the Roman Catholic Council of Trent on which the Roman catechism is based and is the basis for much of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church:
“If anyone denies that in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist are contained truly, really and substantially the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ, but says that He is in it only as in a sign or figure, let him be anathema” (Canon 1).
“If anyone says that in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not to be adoredwith the worship of latria…let him be anathema” (Canon 6). (Latria is the highest form of worship and is only supposed to be given to God).
“Let him be anathema,” as many of you know, means “Let him be accursed.” When the Roman Catholic church curses someone, it is, in effect, a death sentence. And, because the Council of Trent was instituted primarily to condemn Martin Luther and all Protestants, then the “him” that is being cursed is the Bible-believing Christian–me, and, hopefully, you.
Roman Catholics profess to be Christians, and many say that the only difference between Catholics and Protestants is that they have “a different worship tradition.” DON’T YOU BELIEVE IT! If you were paying attention, then you know that the Roman Catholic church holds the Bible-believing Christian in very little esteem, to put it charitably, especially if you don’t agree with their doctrines concerning the Eucharist. Roman Catholics are very serious about the Eucharist and it is considered the most important of the seven sacraments (the sacraments are the “channels of grace” by which the Roman Catholic strives to merit the grace of God). They really believe that Jesus Christ is present in the communion wafer, and, in fact, call it Jesus.
The worship of the Eucharist is yet another form of idolatry practiced by the Roman Catholic church. Roman Catholics attempting to justify their worship of the Eucharist will say that they don’t actually worship it, but merely “adore” it. But, you must understand that adoration is a type of worship. And, as the previous quote from the Roman Catholic Council of Trent affirmed, the Roman Catholic must give the Eucharist the highest form of worship: that of latria. This makes the Eucharist an idol–a false god. The First Commandment is that we should worshipGod only, and, according to my Bible, that is Jesus Christ, who right now sits in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus Christ, contrary to Roman Catholic doctrine, cannot be compelled to leave Heaven at the whim of some priest and enter into a piece of bread.
In “A God Whom His Fathers Knew Not,” we explain that Corpus Christi Day is a literal fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel found in Daniel 11:38. It is also an example of the idolatry that Paul speaks of in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans:
“When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened.
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image…
“…And worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:21-23,25).
On Corpus Christi Day, the Eucharist is paraded around some Roman Catholic towns and communities housed in what is called a monstrance. A monstrance looks like a sunburst and is supposed to represent the glory of God. The Eucharist, housed in a monstrance, is literally an “image of the uncorruptible God.”
Roman Catholics have been deceived into believing that they are worshipping Jesus Christ when they “adore” the Eucharist. They need to know that they are, in fact, committing idolatry.
Christians who consider Roman Catholicism to be just another Christian denomination are also deceived, and they should be offended by the spectacle of Eucharist adoration and the idea that Jesus Christ resides in a piece of bread.
Christians should also be aware that during the Dark Ages, millions of Christians were burned at the stake under the Roman Catholic Inquisition, because they denied that Jesus Christ was “really present” in the Eucharist. If you believe the Bible, then you must also believe that history will certainly repeat itself.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Still Man
Note: The source for the quotations of the Council of Trent were taken from The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, translated and introduced by Reverend H.J. Schroeder, TAN Books, Charlotte, NC, ISBN: 978-0-89555-074-3.
A couple of weeks ago, I heard the sound of a helicopter flying somewhere near my house. By the sound of it, I could tell that it was flying very near to the ground and very close to my apartment building. Helicopters are not a novelty–especially if you live near a military base, or a civilian helipad. But, I don’t live near a military base or a civilian helipad; and, even if I did, helicopters are not supposed to fly that close to a residential area. As I listened, it seemed to be no more than about a couple hundred feet away and getting closer. When it sounded closest, I looked out the window, and saw a blackish-grey military-type helicopter with no markings cruise by my apartment building at about treetop level.
Now, I’m not a pilot, but I’m pretty sure that no aircraft–civilian or military–should be flying that low over a densely-populated urban area when there is no war or civil unrest. There were no military maneuvers going on in the area, to my knowledge, so there was really no reason for the helicopter to be there and for it to be flying so low in a residential area. What was even more notable was the fact that no one even seemed to notice or care that a military helicopter was cruising through their neighborhood–even the construction workers on the nearly completed two-story building across the street as it cruised right by them. No big deal: just another day in paradise.
You probably would think that I would have been at least a little surprised by this event, but, I wasn’t. I’ve been hearing helicopters flying over or near my house for years, but I never got a look at one. I’m actually not the first person to see such a thing. Many Americans have reported seeing low-flying black helicopters over their neighborhoods for many years. The late researcher, William Cooper, on his shortwave radio show, “The Hour of the Time,” often talked about this, and had even seen them flying around his house in Eager, Arizona. I had never seen the helicopters for myself, but because of what I have been through, I believed the reports. Now I’ve seen one for myself, and can testify that the reports are true.
It is interesting about this is that all of the incidents of helicopter harassment that I have read about have been reported by Americans living in the United States. I live in Munich, Germany. This happened at around 10:30 A.M., and when I looked out the window, no one else was looking out of theirs and the few people I saw on the street didn’t even look up, not even the construction workers when the helicopter flew right over the building they were working on!
Common sense says that when something unusual happens and everyone acts as though it isn’t happening, they are probably in on the game. Under the circumstances, I am not surprised, as I’ve been aware of my neighbors’ involvement in my harassment for many years. As you may be aware, the enemies of freedom and liberty of conscience have been harassing me and others like me for years. These people have been from virtually all walks of life, and have involved police officers, government officials, and military personnel, including pilots. Let me tell you about something that happened a few years ago.
Back in 2012, my children and I were visiting the United States. Being retired military, I am eligible to travel on military aircraft on a space-available basis. At Andrews Air Force Base, MD, we boarded a plane bound for Pope Air Force Base, NC. After we were seated, the pilot came and told me that he and the crew would be performing some type of “special maneuvers” as a training exercise. Now, I knew that it is against regulations to perform such maneuvers in non-tactical situations and with civilian personnel on board—especially children. But I didn’t protest, knowing what was going on, and confident that the Lord Jesus had foreseen this situation well in advance and would use for good what the devil meant for evil.
After takeoff, we climbed to cruising altitude, and after about fifteen or twenty minutes, the plane dropped abruptly a few hundred feet, before ascending to its former altitude. Then, it rapidly descended again, before repeating this maneuver several times in the next half hour. It was like flying on a roller coaster. And every time we descended, we were very low to the ground–so low that I thought we were preparing to land. This went on for about half an hour. During these maneuvers, I glanced around and noticed that most of the passengers seemed unfazed, while some were visibly uncomfortable. One man, for example, lay across from us on two seats pretending to be asleep, but he would stiffen like a board every time the plane began another rapid descent. One of the crew, seated next to me, had a wry smile plastered to his face. Strangely, not one passenger complained about this strange and highly unusual event.
It was obvious to me that the whole thing was planned in advance and was meant to terrify my children. By the grace of God, however, they were calm the entire trip. My daughters were asleep most of the time, but my son was awake and experienced the whole thing. Only back in Munich, almost a year later, did my son, then only ten years old, admit that he had been a little afraid that day. He was very relieved when I told him that under the circumstances, it was totally normal for him to be afraid. “It does not matter if you are afraid,” I told him, “what matters is what you do when you’re afraid. And you did very well!”
People have been asking why police officers, government officials, and even soldiers have been behaving very badly. It makes no sense that someone who has taken an oath to “protect and to serve” and to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic” would violate that oath and abdicate his sworn responsibilities in order to fulfill another obligation: no sense, that is, unless seen from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Takeover of America.
There may have been a good reason for the helicopter. And even if there was not, one would have been fabricated. But as far as I’m concerned, it was merely more proof that in this war, many of those whom we trust—even many men and women in uniform—have been compromised. Choose your heroes wisely.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Saints, when I wrote my first blog post back in February 2011, I had no idea that it would develop into a ministry. I didn’t have a plan. I neither knew what I wanted to say nor how I wanted to say it. I didn’t have any short- or long-term goals. And I didn’t know what I would do if everything failed. All I knew was that I wanted to serve the Lord Jesus in some way, and the only way I knew to serve Him, besides preaching, was to write and give my testimony.
I try to be honest and glorify the Lord Jesus in everything I do. And so it is with this blog. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I don’t claim to be a prophet, an apostle, or a pastor. And I’m not trying to be some spiritual guru. What I try to do is glorify Jesus Christ by giving you “sound Bible doctrine and sound Bible teaching,” and I do that by sticking to the inerrant Word of the Living God. If it’s not in the Bible, I don’t teach it as doctrine.
It has been said that the difference between your character and your reputation is that your reputation is what people think you are, while your character is what you really are. Since I have been saved, I have always tried to live as honestly as possibly in private as well as in public, and I have tried to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Sometimes that is hard to do, but it is something, we must do if we are going to glorify the Lord Jesus with our lives. Jesus Christ is the Truth, and, we, as His children, are to worship Him in spirit and in truth. If we live a lie, then we make Him a liar. And Jesus never lies.
Jesus did more than save me: he gave me a ministry. And, Jesus expects more from his ministers than He does from those who are to be ministered unto. While we are not expected to be perfect, Jesus expects us to set the example in all things pertaining to our Christian walk. I come before you to say that I have not done this.
Since about May of 2013 until about a couple of months ago, things had been pretty bad around the Keeton household. Our little family has been through the ringer. That’s really not surprising if you consider the things I write and preach about. Our message has not been well-received by most. Tribulations and trials are part and parcel of the Christian life, but how we handle those trials and tribulations that is important. That’s why I admire Job so much. Even after God took away his children, destroyed his health, bankrupted him, alienated his friends and family, and turned his wife against him, the Bible says, “In all this, did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:10).
I wish the same could be said of me. I must confess that at times—and especially in the last six months or so—I have not been faithful in all things. I have been known to curse, something I was guilty of before I got saved and had been delivered from. I have also been spiteful. I recently finished an historical novel in which one of the characters was a very spiteful man. While I was not nearly as spiteful as this character, it really made me look at myself and admit that I, too, at times, have been spiteful. I tried to justify it, but there was really no excuse for it. I wasn’t able to see what I was doing until I realized that I could identify to an extent with this spiteful character. I have also been proud, haughty, and arrogant. And though I speak the truth, I have not always done so “in love” as the Bible says we should.
But, above all this, I have been unfaithful. The Bible says that when we make a promise to God, we should “defer not to pay it” (Ecclesiastics 4:5). That means that when we promise the Lord that we would either do something or not do something, we should do what we promised God we would, and we should not do what we promised Him we would not. There is a particular thing I have done from time to time that I know the Lord Jesus would rather I would not. While not a grievous sin, I know in my heart that the Lord is not happy with it. I once promised the Lord that I would not do that particular thing again, but I did not keep my promise. Every time I do it, I confess it and ask the Lord Jesus to forgive me, but my conscience will give me no peace. The Bible teaches that whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Whatever we do, we must be convinced that God is okay with it for our conscience’s sake. And, if not, then we must confess it and believe that in accordance with 1 John 1:9, Jesus has forgiven it. That way our conscience stays clean and we do not sin with our conscience.
Now, I know that when I confess my sins, Jesus forgives my sins. But I also believe that God holds those in ministry to a higher standard. This, I believe, is especially true for those of us involved in spiritual warfare.
I believe that Christians involved in spiritual warfare must be more vigilant than most, because spiritual warfare is not defensive, but offensive. In spiritual warfare, you are taking the fight to Satan’s doorstep (his strongholds), and, to do this effectively, you must do more than just have faith and live right; you have to be more diligent in every aspect of the Christian walk: You have to pray more. You have to be more obedient. You have to confess sins more often. You have to be more diligent in recognizing and avoiding sin. And you must strive to be more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. But, most importantly, you must have a clear conscience.
It is concerning this last reason that I am writing to you.
It is now Tuesday morning 2:30 A.M. Central European Time, which is Monday evening about 8:30 P.M. E.S.T. Before about an hour and a half ago, I did not have a clear conscience because, though I had confessed these things to the Lord Jesus and asked His forgiveness, I had not confessed them to you, the body of Christ. The Apostle James admonishes us to confess our faults one to another (James 5:16). I could not, in good conscience, continue to minister without confessing these faults to the brethren. And you are my brethren.
I ask, therefore, that you would please forgive me for my failings, and I also ask that you would pray for my physical and spiritual strength because the past four months have not been easy and it is not likely to get any easier. Please pray also that God would forgive me for anyone who was seeking the truth and got turned off because of my actions, or for anyone who trusted me and was disappointed. I pray that I have not discouraged anyone from investigating the Gospel for themselves and, if I have, I pray that the Lord Jesus would please forgive me. If I have hurt any one of you through a lack of compassion and love, or in any other way, please accept my apology.
I also ask that you please pray for my wife, because, I have come dangerously close to undoing all my prayers for her to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. And please pray for my children also. I covet your prayers.
Thank you, and God bless each and every single one of you.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Today is the anniversary of the murder of one of America’s greatest statesmen, presidents, abolitionists, fathers, husbands, and Christians, President Abraham Lincoln. I owe a great debt of thanks to Mr. Lincoln, and, in my small way, I want to honor the man without whom I literally would not be where I am today, doing what I am today. For, were it not for “Honest Abe” Lincoln, I would not be sitting in my chair, in my “study,” in my apartment (which is not even mine), writing this on my computer (which is mine), looking at my monitor (also mine) as I write this. I would not own anything, not even the clothes on my back. In fact, I would be owned by someone else and I would be considered little more than someone else’s property. My name would be of little consequence. I would have no address of my own. I would never know what it is to receive mail, and I wouldn’t know what it is to get paid for the work I did. I wouldn’t be allowed to raise my own children, to go where I wanted, or to wear what I wanted. I wouldn’t know how to read, wouldn’t know how to write, wouldn’t know how to format this essay. The fact is that I would know little else other than what I needed to know in order to pick cotton, which ain’t much. In other words, I would be a slave.
President Abraham Lincoln lost his life because he believed that “all men are created equal” and are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among them being life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness. President Lincoln did something that few people do anymore: he walked the talk. He lived what he believed knowing full well that it would cost him his life. According to former Roman Catholic priest, Charles Chiniquy, whom Lincoln once defended when he was a young lawyer, when Chiniquy informed him that the Jesuits of Rome were conspiring to assassinate him, Lincoln said:
“You are not the first to warn me against the dangers of assassination. My ambassadors in Italy, France, and England, as well as Professor [Samuel] Morse, have many times warned me against the plots of the murderers which they have detected in those different countries. But I see no other safeguard against those murderers but to be always ready to die, as Christ advises it. As we must all dies sooner or later, it makes very little difference to me whether I die from a dagger plunged through the heart or from an inflammation of the lungs…”
“My dear Father Chiniquy…Has not He (God) taken me from my poor log cabin by the hand, as He did of Moses in the reeds of the Nile, to put me at the head of the greatest and the most blessed of modern nations, just as He put that prophet (Moses) at the head of the most blessed nation of ancient times? Has not God granted me a privilege which was not granted to any living man, when I broke the fetters of 4,000,000 of men (the slaves) and made them free? Has not our God given me the most glorious victories over our enemies?
“Now, I see the end of this terrible conflict, with the same joy of Moses, when at the end of his trying forty years in the wilderness; and I pray my God to grant me to see the days of peace, and untold prosperity, which will follow this cruel war, as Moses asked God to see the other side of the Jordan and enter into the Promised Land. But do you know that I hear in my soul, as the voice of God, giving me the rebuke which was given to Moses? (Though shalt not go over!)
“Yes! every time that my soul goes to God to ask the favour of seeing the other side of Jordan, and eating the fruits of that peace, after which I am longing with such an unspeakable desire, do you know that there is a still, but solemn voice, which tells me that I will see those things, only from a long distance, and that I will be among the dead, when the nation which God granted me to lead through those awful trials, will cross the Jordan, and dwell in that Land of Promise.” (Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, p. 50).
So much for the Jesuit lie that Lincoln was not a Christian, and so much for the Jesuit lie that Lincoln did not want to free the slaves.
Saints, I am not feeling to well today, and, for that reason I did not write the article and do the podcast I wanted to do to commemorate this great man. But I have provided a link to the podcast I did in 2014 on the anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination. I pray you will listen to it. Even if you don’t, please think on Honest Abe today and tomorrow, especially if you’re Black.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
“Thou shalt not take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous” (Deuteronomy 16:19).
Grace and peace, Saints.
Last month, I went to visit a friend whom I had not seen in almost two years. The last time I saw him, he had told me about a relative of his, who had stage three cancer, and was not expected to live much longer. Since then, I had been praying for the woman’s healing, and was quite pleased to learn that, in the meantime, she had made a complete recovery. I give all the glory to the Lord Jesus.
The conversation thereupon turned to the blessings of God, and, during the course of our conversation, my friend related that he had recently moved into a large house on the German economy the purchase of which was made possible by a sizable monetary gift from a widow whose car he had once repaired.
I was very happy for my friend, because, unlike in America, a house in Munich, one of the most expensive cities in the world, is almost impossible for the average person to purchase. Even a modest two-bedroom with a tiny garden could cost well over a million dollars. My friend only lives about a couple hours drive away from Munich, so I don’t think it is much different where he lives.
This gentleman happens to be one of the most pleasant and agreeable people I have ever known, so I was very pleased at his good fortune. Still, I was somewhat troubled, and I could not help but wonder, if I were in his stead, if I would have dared to give this generous lady the Gospel message.
This is an important question, when you consider the fact that the region of Germany where we live–Bavaria–is very Roman Catholic. All over are to be found statues of the Virgin Mary and altars with dead men hanging on them (which many suppose to be Jesus). It is very possible that the woman was Roman Catholic. And if she was Roman Catholic, then it is very possible that her generosity was motivated by something other than a genuine desire to help my friend. It may have even cost her eternal soul.
Let me explain. The Roman Catholic church derives its catechism (body of beliefs and doctrine) from the Council of Trent which was convened in sessions from 1545 to 1563. The Council of Trent was instituted to counter the “errors of the Protestant Reformation” started by former Roman Catholic priest, Martin Luther. The Council of Trent condemned Luther and all Bible-believing Christians (including you and me), whom they called heretics, pronouncing upon them over 125 anathemas, or curses. These curses still stand today.
You may be interested to know that the Roman Catholic church declares it an anathema (curse) to believe that faith in Jesus’ death and the shedding of His blood alone is enough to save you:
“If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.” –Canon 9, Council of Trent, Sixth Session.
“Action of his own will” means “good works.” The Roman Catholic, therefore, is taught that he must earn his way into Heaven by his own good works. The Bible says our works are but “filthy rags.” Only faith in the blood Jesus shed on the cross at Calvary can wash away our sins:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).
The Roman Catholic, however, is taught that it is anathema to believe that his good works will not get him into heaven:
“If anyone says that all works done before justification, in whatever manner they may be done, are truly sins, or merit the hatred of God; that the more earnestly one strives to dispose himself for grace, the more grievously he sins, let him be anathema.” –Canon 7, Council of Trent, Sixth Session.
The same Council of Trent also declared it anathema for one to be confident he is going to heaven:
“Moreover, it must not be maintained, that they who are truly justified must needs, without any doubt whatever, convince themselves that they are justified…and that absolution and justification are affected by this faith alone…so each one, when he considers himself and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension concerning his own grace, since no one can know with the certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God.” –Council of Trent, sixth session, January 13, 1547.
By its own admission, then, the Roman Catholic church believes and teaches that Roman Catholics must always be in doubt about and have “fear and apprehension” concerning the future of their eternal souls. And they do.
Evangelist Monica Farrell, a converted Roman Catholic, in the book, “From Rome to Christ,” writes that Roman Catholics live in a constant state of fear. On page 24, Farrell says that Catholics are taught that Jesus’ death opened the door to Heaven, but that you had to “work your own way in.” Because of this doctrine, the sincere Roman Catholic can never know if he has been “good enough” and is always striving, through good works, to merit the grace of God. For this reason, Roman Catholics have been known to be very generous.
That’s why I was concerned about my friend accepting the woman’s generous gift. If she was a Roman Catholic, it is highly possible that could have been trying to earn her way into Heaven. I doubt that my friend is a Christian; so, unless he is himself a Roman Catholic, it is highly unlikely that he would suspect that her action was motivated by the hope of eternal rewards. It would be a pity if this were the case.
Generosity is good, and the good works done by many sincere Roman Catholics doubtless benefit many. But if their good works are, in fact, efforts to “earn” their way into Heaven, then they are only deceiving themselves. Only faith in the shed blood of Jesus saves.
As a missionary and evangelist here in Munich, I witness to Roman Catholics quite frequently. I took all this as a sign from the Lord Jesus that I must never forget that, regardless of my circumstances, my first concern should always be for the souls of the lost Roman Catholics. I cannot allow gifts, promises, or personal gain deter me from telling them the truth.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Last week my son and I were waiting for the subway, when an advertisement for chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies appeared on the television monitor on the wall of the subway station. As we watched the advertisement, it dawned on me that I had never explained to my son the difference between Easter and Resurrection Day and why Easter eggs and bunnies have nothing at all to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
The modern-day Christian Church is extremely ignorant about the pagan origins of many of our holidays, traditions, and customs. Consequently, many Christians believe that Easter is the same as Resurrection Day. Not a few churches, for example, will host Easter egg hunts on the church grounds (weather permitting), and children will receive Easter baskets full of chocolate bunnies, eggs, and candy. Many Christians believe that because Easter is mentioned in the Bible, it must be Christian. But this is not true. Easter is not the day our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, but is instead a pagan celebration in honor of the ancient Phoenician fertility goddess Ashtoreth, also called Ishtar and Easter.
In reality, Easter has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. In fact, Easter is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Chapter 12 of the book of the Acts, and it is not in connection with Jesus or the Christian Church:
“Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
“And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
“And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
“And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people” (Acts 12:1-4).
To understand the Bible’s mention of Easter, it is important to first understand that it Easter is connected with King Herod and not the Christian church. It is also important to understand that Herod was not a Christian. He even mocked Jesus when Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to him. Herod wasn’t even a believing Jew. He was a pagan: Jewish by birth, but Roman at heart. The Herods were always loyal to Rome. The Romans worshipped the goddess Diana (and many other gods and goddesses), and there is every reason to believe that Herod did also. Herod wanted to wait until Easter passed to kill Peter, because he worshipped the goddess Ishtar or Easter.
Easter has also been confused with the Passover, because the Roman Catholic church used to base the date of the Easter celebration on the Jewish Passover. Christians make the mistake of believing that because the Bible says Herod had Peter arrested during the days of unleavened bread, which are the six days that precede the Passover, then Easter must be the same as the Passover. As a matter of fact, one of my Bibles, the 1990 Regency Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers, in the “read along translation,” says that Easter is the Passover. Additionally, the New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (also from Thomas Nelson) says that Easter is the Passover.
How can this be? The Passover is celebrated on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week. They are not the same. Nowhere in the Bible is the word Easter substituted for Passover. That is because Easter is a pagan fertility festival.
Secular sources agree. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines Easter as “the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” yet it goes on to say that the word Easter is “derived from Eastre, the name of a goddess associated with spring.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged), says the word Easter comes from the “West Germanic name of a pagan spring festival.” Collier’s Encyclopedia says that the word Easter comes from Eostra a “goddess of dawn or spring” (p. 492). And the New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language, International Edition (1970), defines Easter as “a goddess of light or spring, in honor of whom a festival was celebrated in April.”
For its part, the New Strong’s Concordance says that the word Easter is Chaldean, not Hebrew. Chaldean means Babylonian, and the Babylonians worshipped the goddess Beltis. Many historians agree that the paganism of Rome was handed down directly from Babylon. Easter is a pagan Roman holiday named for the goddess of sex. This goddess goes by many names; Easter is just one of them.
The Bible gives absolutely no evidence that the early Church celebrated the resurrection of Jesus with a holiday. In fact, according to the Bible, the only way the first century Church celebrated Jesus’ resurrection was by eating the Lord’s Supper.
At the Last Supper, the night before our Lord Jesus was to be crucified, He told His disciples that the bread symbolized His body, which was broken (crucified) for us, while the wine symbolized His blood, which was shed for us (Mark 13:22-24, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). By eating the Lord’s Supper, then, we celebrate Jesus’ death. Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week (Mark 16:9). When we eat the Lord’s Supper on Sunday, therefore, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. The Sunday observance of the Lord’s Supper is therefore, the celebration of Jesus’ death AND resurrection. The early Church ate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday (Acts 2:42), and, therefore, celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection every Sunday. Incredibly, the Encyclopedia Britannica, a secular publication, says that Sunday “came to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection” (Vol. 4, Macropedia, p. 333 “EASTER”).
How, then, did the Christian Church come to identify the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with a pagan fertility festival? Well, the Roman Catholic church had everything to do with that. It was the Roman Catholic Council of Nicaea in 325 that established the Easter celebration as a church holiday. And what is even more revealing of the true nature of the Easter celebration is that the Nicene Council did not base the date for the Easter celebration on the day Jesus rose or even three days after He was crucified, but set it to fall “always the first Sunday after the full moon on or next after the vernal equinox, March 21” (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, p. 716). The current date of the Easter celebration is based on the moon!
This is especially significant when one considers that the Roman Catholic church was not established by Jesus Christ, but by the Roman Emperor Constantine. History records that Emperor Constantine worshipped the Sun God “Sol Invictus,” and the Romans in general worshipped Diana, the goddess of the moon. That the Roman Catholic church did not base the date of the Easter celebration on Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest evidence that Easter is not the day Jesus rose from the dead.
But there is more. Not only was Diana the Roman goddess of the moon, but she was also the goddess of fertility and sexual love (Oxford Dictionary of English). This is where Easter eggs, the Easter rabbit, and chocolate enter the picture. They all have a pagan sexual connotation. The Encyclopedia Britannica, says this:
“Easter eggs…have been very prominent as a symbol of new life and resurrection. The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbol that was kept later in Europe, is not found in North America. Its place is taken by the Easter rabbit, the symbol of fertility and periodicity both human and lunar, accredited with laying eggs in nests prepared for it at Easter or with hiding them away for children to find” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Fifteenth Edition, Vol. 4 Macropedia, p. 333).
Chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac (a substance that heightens sexual urges). The word aphrodisiac is actually derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of fertility and sexual love. As one can plainly see, Easter is not about Jesus. Easter is about sex.
There is something else to consider. Because the Apostle Luke, the writer of the Book of the Acts, uses the word Easter so matter-of-factly and with no explanation whatsoever, it stands to reason that he, and perhaps all Christians at the time, were familiar with this pagan holiday. This is especially true, when one considers that many of the early church were former pagans.
In conclusion, one difference between Christians and the world should be that Christians don’t do anything without knowing why they do it. The basis for everything we do as a Church should be the Bible. If it’s not in the Bible, we shouldn’t be doing it. Easter, while on the surface, a day to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, is really a pagan fertility festival, and has nothing to do with Jesus. According to the Bible, the Church ought to be celebrating the Lord’s resurrection by eating the Lord’s Supper, and we should be doing that every single Sunday.
Now, I’m not saying that Christians shouldn’t celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. All I’m saying is that the first century Church and Christians for long after celebrated Jesus’ resurrection every Sunday with the Lord’s Supper. The 21st century Church should do the same. My Bible says that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Shouldn’t that be true of His Church also?
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
A lady wrote me recently asking what she should do regarding choosing a minister to marry her and her longtime boyfriend. She wondered whom she should choose to say the nuptials, because she and her boyfriend no longer believe in “man-made religions,” and, for this reason, they had no church and, therefore, no minister to marry them.
As I considered this question, it dawned on me that Adam and Eve had no minister to marry them either. Now, some would most likely argue that God was their minister, but I would disagree, because, according to the Bible, God uttered not one word to marry the two. Eve didn’t say anything either. As a matter of fact, the only one who did any talking was Adam:
“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
“And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
Did you see that? God did not officiate at Adam and Eve’s wedding. Adam did. God, then, was the Witness [stomp, stomp, stomp].
And get this: Adam was the one who defined what marriage is and the terms of that marriage: to wit:
Marriage is to be between a man and a woman. (Because God brought Adam a woman and not a man.)
The woman and the man become one flesh (that is, they work together in concert, not each one doing his own thing).
The man is to leave his father and mother (no living under your parents’ roof or in their garage, and the man’s parents are not to meddle in the affairs of the couple.
The man should cleave–stick like glue–to his wife.
Now, how many marriages would have been saved long ago if the couple (and the parents-in-law) would have adhered to these guidelines?
So, Adam married Eve, when he accepted her as “bone of his bone” and “flesh of his flesh.” He made her his other half. Besides making the both of them, God basically just hooked them up. Adam did all the rest. That ought to be preaching to you right about now.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
You may have noticed that I have yet to make good on my New year’s resolution to be a better blogger this year. Believe me when I say I have every intention of writing more, podcasting more, and doing more videos for our You Tube channel this year. But, as the Good Lord would have it, I suffered a pretty bad stroke back in mid-January, and was in the hospital until this past Monday. I’m actually writing this from a rehab center outside of Munich.
By the grace of God I suffered none of the debilitating effects usually associated with a stroke as large as the one I suffered. In fact, though they never came right out and said it, the surprise of the neurologists who treated me and the nursing staff at my rapid recovery made it obvious that my recovery was considered no less than a miracle. In fact, the reason I’m in this rehab center is because when the neurological team at the hospital where I received treatment saw my CAT scan results, they were certain I would need a great deal of physical therapy to return to a normal life. I had suffered some brain damage, which resulted in a large amount of bleeding on my brain, and my brain was badly swollen. When the chief of the Neuro-Brain Clinic saw me, he said that my condition was not consistent with the brain scan he saw.
But, God was merciful, and, this past Monday, 19 days after I was admitted, I walked out of the hospital with my wife on my arm, and we caught the streetcar and the subway home, stopping for a pizza on the way, while my enemies, who were all over the hospital, the subway station, and the street outside the hospital, looked on in anger and amazement, glorifying God in the process. A few hours later, we celebrated one of my daughters’ sixteenth birthday. Don’t you dare tell me God ain’t good!
This year has not started off too well with regard to blogging, as I’m having a lot of trouble accessing the internet. My browser just keeps on freezing and I get the spinning beach ball. It seems to happen most whenever I try to log in to the blog. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m suspecting that it’s either some sort of virus, or my site has been hacked. Either way, it wouldn’t be the first time.
So, if you see I haven’t posted anything in a few days, that’s what’s going on.
Going into this new year, many of us reflected on last year intent on doing better this time around. We did the same thing last year, when we looked back on 2014 and determined to do better in 2015. We set goals, we established priorities, we made lists, and we set boundaries and limitations on ourselves governing everything from food intake to home energy consumption. We determined to get more exercise, to be nicer to our neighbors, to spend more time with our families, and to get a hobby. We decided to finally write that book, plant that garden, build that shed, and fix those stairs. We decided to get more done.
But if you think about it, while getting more done is a good thing, sometimes the best thing you can do is less. Sometimes it’s better to work less, to travel less, to worry less. To just stop and smell the roses. Sometimes it’s best to think less about getting more, doing more, and being more, and concentrate on appreciating what you already have: relatively good health, “three hots and a cot,” and the freedom to come and go as you wish.
If you are fortunate to be one of the reported 5% of the world with spare change in their pocket, perhaps it would be a wake-up call to reflect on what that means and to try to imagine what it must be like to be in that 95% who has never known that kind of a blessing. Sometimes it is enough to appreciate having a roof over your head, clothes on your back, shoes on your feet, and food in the fridge.
Did you know that the simple act of brushing your teeth is a blessing? It is. If you brush regularly, it is likely that you are eating regularly. Consider how many people in the world don’t have to worry about brushing their teeth daily.
We all want to have a good life. We all would like to have a good-paying job that we love, a nice house, a new car, and a fat bank account. While nothing is wrong with any of those things, we should not lose sight of the most important thing: Freedom; for without it, none of the other things would be possible.
Some of the greatest privileges in the world are being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor, raise your own children, live where you please, come and go as you like, and, most importantly, worship the God of your choice. Remember that. Cherish that. Appreciate that. And thank God for that.
This reminder was brought to you by the same Person who brought you air, water, and life: the Lord Jesus Christ. When was the last time you said, “Thank you, Jesus?”
If you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, consider doing so today. It will be the best decision you ever made.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
This Christmas, I read from the Book of Luke, Chapters 1 and 2, which tell of the events surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I did something like this also this past Resurrection Day, and because I enjoyed it, and, because many of you did also, I am doing it again, as a way of sharing my love for Jesus with you.
I hope you enjoy it and that it blesses you.
Be encouraged today, and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Today is Christmas, and I want to wish you all a safe, peaceful, and blessed day.
You may notice that I didn’t say “happy.” That is because not everyone will be happy today. Some will not be happy because they are not with family and friends. Others will not be happy because they weren’t able to buy presents for their children. Still others will not be happy because they or a loved one are in the hospital. And still others will not be happy because someone they love very much has passed on into the next world, and will not be here this year to spend Christmas with them. Some will not be happy because they are alone.
While you are enjoying Christmas with your family, please think on these people. They would like to be where you are today, but life happened to them, differently than it happened to you. Say a prayer for them. And while you’re at it, say a prayer for yourself, and thank God that it wasn’t you.
Putt, I’m sorry that Ronnie can’t be here this Christmas. And I’m sorry that I can’t be there for you and Stink. I love you both, and I’m thinking of you all.
Remember, Christmas is not about being happy. Life can be too difficult to keep up that charade. Christmas is about Jesus and Him crucified. If you’re a Christian, then you have a reason to celebrate. If you’re not, then you should really consider becoming one. If you’re not interested…well…enjoy the day off.
God bless you all, and have a safe, peaceful, and blessed day.
