Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Post-MAGA, Pre-Apocalypse - Pete Garcia -
http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8465 Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity... With the surprising election of President Trump last November, many within the Christian community thought that the days of social and political marginalization were finally over. The days of anti-Christian legislation and heavy-handed political correctness were finally going to get their comeuppance. Trump's victory was proof-positive that God had postponed His judgment upon the wayward United States and was giving her one more chance to turn things around. Perhaps. Perhaps not. What I fear though is that we are not eyewitnesses to some grand, global revival, but rather, a dark and malevolent reaction against it. As I've stated in previous briefs, it's not that God needs Trump to make the US better, but God is undoubtedly the cause of Trump being in office (Daniel 2:20-23) at this time and place in history. To what ends I am not entirely certain. But he plays a role in this final drama of mankind. We know that the Bible states that the conditions on earth will continue to wax worse and worse until reaching a time similar to the days of Noah and Lot. Both of these periods of time were wrought with violence, wickedness, sexual depravity, greed, and a majority who have been given over to their basest natures (Matt. 24:3-14; Luke 17:26-30; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 2 Peter 3:3-7). Events today are spinning faster and faster out of control. Unlike times past where one could point to the troubled shores of Europe and say...war is coming, today there are no safe harbors anymore. There isn't a place on earth today that isn't racked by violence, war, crime, depravity, or corruption. We don't even have the luxury of pointing to some impending sign and say, "it" is coming. It is already here. We are already in it. We are in the birth pangs leading up to the time known as Daniel's 70th Week. The only luxury the Church has today is the knowledge that we will not be here to see when things turn really bad. The Lord has promised His Church that He will remove them before the first Seal is opened (1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9; Revelation 3:10). How do I know this definitively? Well, the Seal Judgments begin the period of time commonly referred to as The Tribulation. This title is something of a misnomer though because the real name is the time of Jacob (Israel's) Trouble or Daniel's 70th Week. It last seven years (or a week of years) and has two purposes: How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it... ...I am with you and will save you,' declares the Lord. 'Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.' Jeremiah 30:7, 11 Jacob here is referring to the nation of Israel in the corporate sense. Since there are still nations on the earth today and given the context of the rest of the passage, one could easily deduce that this event is yet future. But some out there are still confused about whose wrath this belongs too...so God clarifies this for our benefit to ensure that there is no confusion over who is doing and who is receiving as Revelation 6:16-17 makes so abundantly clear: They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?" A quick check on learning: Who opens the Seals? Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the executor of the wrath. It is His wrath He unleashes. Upon whom do the Seal Judgment's affect? Those who dwell on the earth are the recipients of said wrath. What does the last Seal Judgment do? It triggers the first Trumpet Judgment. Assessment As mentioned in a previous article here, I proposed that President Trump would have an even tougher time from the start than President Bush did in his last few remaining years in office. I look at the world through a particular worldview, and I speculate based on both perfect and incomplete knowledge. The perfect knowledge is God's word. The incomplete knowledge is my understanding of the timing of how things play out. So to my imperfect knowledge, there are four seemingly paradoxical situations to contemplate when considering where we are in light of our Lord's return for the Church: Because there would be a sense of normalcy on earth, His coming would catch the world and many within the Church by surprise (1 Thess. 5:1-5; Mark 13:32, Luke 12:30, Rev. 3:3, etc.) But the convergence of so many prophetic events is forcing many to wake up to the possibility that our Lord's return could be near. Even the non-Christian world is anticipating some major event in the next few years. Imminence, in the sense that our Lord's return is unknowable and could be at any moment, is quickly moving from unknowable to inevitable. This goes back to my first point in that the normalcy bias is beginning to wear off. (At an hour you think not...) As a watching believer in these final moments of human history, how are we to proceed? I've often stated that we can't know precisely, but we should generally know when our Lord will return. I did on two separate occasions see President Trump being selected both as the nominee and as the President. I am no prophet, but just made an educated guess based off of where I see things heading. What I misjudged, or perhaps underestimated, is the contempt, vitriol, and violence that would ensue. We had two very "populist" and "nationalist" movements take place in quick succession: BREXIT and the Trump election. This was quickly followed by three major defeats for both populism and nationalism, which was the electoral defeats of Geert Wilders (Holland), Marine La Pen (France), and Theresa May (United Kingdom). These troubles include a never-ending witch hunt against the Trump administration for any whiff of Russian collusion and obstructionism. Adding to this the incessant attacks by a majority of the media, academia, and Hollywood that are relentlessly calling for resistance (aka...revolution). The icing on the cake is the left's continual refusal to the let the swamp be drained. What I believe happened is that the Left (democrats, liberals, socialists, communists, and globalists) got lazy and comfortable during the Obama years. Both BREXIT and Trump caught them by surprise and have now woken up their vocal minority of left-fringe lunatics in a way that nothing else could have. They are agitated and dangerous, like caged animals being dragged out of their darkened caves into the light of day. They sense change coming and are furiously fighting against what is coming, spurred on by unseen demonic forces which are guiding their blind hatred. Conclusion If it seems like this world is spinning out of control. It seems like evil is getting the upper hand and that good people are getting trampled underfoot by the onslaught of negativism, corruption, and just sheer wickedness. But beloved, it only "seems" that way because God has not allowed us to see what He is currently doing behind the curtain. He is moving and positioning the people and events to fall into place exactly as He sees fit. God wanted President Trump to win the 2016 election. Not because He wanted Trump to Make America Great Again, but because it would accelerate the hardening of those who rejoice in evil. That may seem over dramatic to say, but considering that one of our two major political parties has the wholesale slaughter of the unborn as a key political platform. If that isn't evil, I don't know what is. I believe that President Trump still has some role yet to play in this grand drama. That role is somehow intricately tied to the nation of Israel. How and why we do not yet know, but God does. And God is allowing the left to be enraged and violent as ones being 'given over' to a debased mind and a seared conscious. This is described in Romans 1:18-32 and God allows evil men and women to be given over to their sins. It is not that He doesn't want to save them, but He is allowing them to act upon their free will, and by so doing, harden their own hearts just as Pharaoh did his before the exodus. The old saying is that World War I prepared the land (Israel) for the people, and World War II prepared the people (the Jews) for the land. The Jews have a saying now, 'never again.' What is happening now is like that but in reverse. These final moments of the Age of Grace are preparing the people (the unrepentant) for the Tribulation by allowing them to harden their hearts. Once the Rapture happens, and the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit through the Church) is removed, they will be doomed and damned entering into this final week of years. Paul states that God will send a strong delusion that they will willingly believe, and will be condemned forever (2 Thess. 2:11-12). Juxtaposed to this, is the great swell of tribulation saints from around the world who no man could count that come to faith in Christ and are killed for that faith. We are witnessing a foreshadowing of that now in the Far and the Middle East and Africa, where hundreds and thousands are being killed for the faith in Jesus Christ by groups like ISIS, Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. After the Rapture and to whatever covenant is signed (Dan. 9:27), there will be a final world system that will systematically hunt down and kill all those who do not have the Mark of the Beast. If anything, what Trump's America represents is that final audacious hardening of the unrepentant before God pours out His wrath on a world in open rebellion against Israel, against His anointed, and His authority. But if the unbelieving world can sense calamity coming, then why can't the church? (Rev. 3:3) It is time to wake up and sound the alarm while there is still light. But if you think things are bad now, one second after the Rapture, the world will enter into a period that Jesus said would be worse than any other in human history. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened (Matt. 24:21-22). ...Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? (W.B. Yeats, the Second Coming, 1919) Israel Strikes Syrian Army Two Days In Row Following Projectile Fire into Golan Heights - http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem The IDF on Sunday said it attacked a series of targets belonging to the Syrian military after several projectiles from neighboring Syria landed in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights for a second day. The military said it targeted two Syrian artillery positions and an ammunitions truck. There were no immediate reports of casualties. But as an added precaution, the military instructed Israeli civilians from gathering in open areas in the border area. It was the second straight day that Israel responded to what it has described as errant fire from Syria. Israel has tried to stay out of the six-year civil war in Syria and refrained from taking sides, but has responded to spillover fire on numerous occasions. Israel also is believed to have carried out airstrikes on suspected weapons shipments to its archenemy Hezbollah, whose fighters are in Syria backing government forces. "Our policy is clear: We will not tolerate any spillover or trickle whatsoever-neither mortars nor rockets, from any front," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday. "We will respond strongly to any attack on our territory or our citizens." He also said Israel views "with utmost gravity" Iranian attempts to gain a foothold in Syria or to provide advanced weapons to Hezbollah, its Lebanese proxy. In Saturday's fighting, Israeli aircraft struck various positions, destroying two tanks, in response to more than 10 projectiles that landed in its territory, the military said. Syrian state media said a number of people were killed. Syria warns Israel: Further attacks will have serious repercussions - http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Syria-warns-Israel-Further-attacks-will-have-serious-repercussions-497912 The Syrian military threatened Israel on Sunday evening that should it launch any further attacks on Syrian army targets, Israel will have to take the responsibility for repercussions that can ensue, according to The Jerusalem Post's sister publication Maariv, citing Lebanese television news outlet Al Mayadeen. This threat comes after the IDF struck targets belonging to forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime in response to the errant fire that hit northern Israel earlier in the day. Several projectiles fired from Syria landed in open territory in Israel's Golan Heights on Sunday afternoon, the IDF confirmed. No injuries were reported in the incident. The military stated that the errant projectiles were the result of internal fighting in Syria. Sunday was the second day in a row that the Israeli-Syrian border has been effected by a spillover from the ongoing conflict in Syria. Golan battles bring Hezbollah near Israeli border - http://www.debka.com/article/26115/Golan-battles-bring-Hizballah-near-Israeli-border In the last 48 hours, Israel has conducted airstrikes on and aimed tank fire at Syrian army positions near Quneitra's northern suburb of Baath city, 3km from IDF Golan border defenses. (See map). Those positions were the source of the mortar shells that exploded on the Israeli Golan - 10 on Saturday, June 24 and three the next day. They came from a battle in which Syrian and Hizballah units were fighting off a Syrian rebel offensive around Quneitra. The rebel militias set up a coalition to coordinate their offensive. It is dominated by the Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which Damascus claims is an arm of Al Qaeda-Syria. In fact, it is an alignment of dozens of Islamist groups, some of which belonged and still do to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham - the former Nusra Front. Fighting on the side of the Assad regime are the remnants of the Syrian army's 90th Brigade, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards South Syrian command center, and the pro-Iranian Afghan Shiite militia. They are joined by members of Hezbollah's Southern Shield Brigade. This brigade is made up of Palestinians, Druzes, Circassians and local Syrians, whom Hizballah recruited and has posted in Hermon villages ready to launch terrorist attacks inside Israel. The battle around Quneitra was preceded on June 17 by the assassination of Majd a-Din Khalik Khaymoud, commander of the Southern Shield Brigade and his two lieutenants, who were caught in an ambush near the village of Khan Arnabah. No party took responsibility for this attack. Then, on Saturday, June 24, the rebel coalition launched its offensive on the Syrian-Hizballah units at Al-Baath, boasting that they would not stop until they reached Damascus. Although they caught the enemy by surprise, they were unable to follow up with a rapid advance, because they were pushed back by superior fire power. Since the Syrian mortars were aiming their fire at the rebel units concentrated around Quneitra, i.e., from east to west, some of the shells spilled over the border into the Golan. When the rebels saw they were falling short of their objective, they drummed up a more modest goal: It was to open a second front in order to lighten the pressure on a separate rebel organization which for nearly three weeks has been fighting off fierce assaults on their positions in the southern Syrian town of Daraa, close to the Jordanian border. Assad's army, combined with large-scale Hezbollah units and pro-Iranian forces, are therefore in full flight to seize control of Syria's borders with Jordan and Israel. Amman and Jerusalem therefore face a twin peril on the Daraa and Al-Baath fronts. Both are anxious to keep Hizballah as far as possible from their territory. But for now, both these war-fronts hang in the balance and are undecided. Also undecided on how and when to react are Israel and Jordan. Hezbollah is already 3km from the Golan border, although Israel's government and military leaders have pledged repeatedly that they would be allowed to come in so close. ANALYSIS: Is Iran plunging the Middle East into another war? - By Heshmat Alavi - http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2017/06/26/ANALYSIS-Is-Iran-plunging-the-Middle-East-into-another-war-.html The days of ISIS are numbered and voices are heard about the entire region being forced into a far more disastrous conflict. Various parties, mainly the US and Iran, have begun jostling, seeking to inject their influence onto what the future holds for Syria. As Iran has also wreaked havoc in Iraq and Yemen, concerns are rallying on Tehran going the distance to pull the US full-scale into the Syria inferno. Such a mentality results from misunderstanding the nature of what is known as the Iranian regime. Escalating tensions After establishing a foothold in the strategic town of al-Tanf near the Iraq-Jordan-Syria border, US forces designated a buffer zone to provide protection for their own troops and resources, alongside their allies of anti-Assad opposition rebels. 1) On three different incidents Iran-backed militias have made advances into the buffer zone, only to receive warnings and eventually be attacked by US warplanes. 2) Raising the stakes, on two occasions Iran-made pro-Assad drones have been downed by US-led coalition forces. 3) And maybe the ultimate incident came when a US F/A-18 fighter jet shot down a Syrian Sukho-22 warplane after the latter dropped bombs on US-backed Kurdish forces north of Raqqa, the self-declared capital of ISIS. Tehran's habit Understanding its conventional and non-conventional forces stand no match against the classical armies of the US and the unity of its Arab allies, Iran has for the past 38 years resorted to tactics of its own. Terrorist attacks across the region through proxy groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah have proven successful. The 1982 Beirut bombings of US and French barracks led to the American pullout of this highly fragile country. As a result, Tehran has used this method ever since to send its message. Following the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran yet again resorted to paramilitary and proxy methods to advance its interests in the region. Seeing no strong response only emboldens Iran in its pursuit of wreaking havoc. Witnessing the disastrous and premature withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, and Obama's refusal to live up to his own red line after Assad resorted to the extreme low of gassing his own people in 2013, Iran came to a conclusion such actions will continue unabated. The language of force There have been cases otherwise, however, including Operation Praying Mantis on April 18th, 1988 when the US Navy launched a campaign against Tehran's naval fleet in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship. The attack came as a major wake-up call for Iran as the mullahs in Tehran only understand the language of force. The 59 cruise missiles the US used to target the Syrian regime airfield used to launch a chemical attack on Homs earlier this year also rose eyebrows not only in Damascus, Moscow and Tehran, but the world over. The recent incidents in Syria are further serious signals for Iran that such belligerence no longer will go tolerated, especially considering a new US administration in Washington adopting a far different perspective and strategy than its predecessor. Solution What needs grave understanding is the fact that Iran is the last party that seeks a full blown war in Syria, Yemen or any other region of the Middle East. The Iranian regime is seeking a win-win solution, enjoying an open hand in meddling across the region to such extent to prevent any major international community retaliatory action. Has Iran been successful? To this day, mostly it has, unfortunately, thanks to the West's highly flawed belief in adopting a policy of engagement with Iran to tame the mullahs and enjoy short-term economic gains. The tides, however, are changing for the better. Iran's Achilles Heel must be the main target as seen in the recent US Senate resolution imposing sanctions on the regime's ballistic missile program, support of terrorism and human rights violations. Tehran may kick, scream and threaten to abandon the Iran nuclear deal in retaliation. Yet rest assured the mullahs will not make such a grave mistake, triggering the automatic re-imposition of sanctions under six previous United Nations Security Council resolutions. Iran's Revolutionary Guards lies at the heart of the mullahs' illicit activities both inside the country and abroad. This entity also controls around 40 percent of the country's already fragile and highly corrupt economy. To this end, there is no need for another war in the region. Iran knows better that such an outcome would only accelerate developments against its interests. The US and Arab world can and should lead the international community by designating the Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization. This will be a complementary measure to the abovementioned Senate resolution, and bring Tehran to its knees. Such an initiative will place the international community alongside the Iranian people in their struggle against the ruling mullahs' regime. This is especially true after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson referred to Washington's support for domestic forces seeking peaceful regime change in Iran. Tidbits - By Daymond Duck - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/06/25/tidbits/ The news that interested me the most this week, came in small pieces. First, Daniel was told to "shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:4). A pastor friend called this week to tell me he heard someone on the radio say that today more pictures are taken worldwide in two minutes than were taken in the entire twentieth century. Obviously, the availability of cameras and cellphones has something to do with this; nevertheless there has been a tremendous increase in knowledge. Second, about 50 years ago, churches in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin posted two signs that read "The Churches of Oconomowoc Welcome You." Now, a group is threatening to sue them if they don't take the signs down. God is probably the only One who knows what will happen, but Christians are losing their freedom of speech, and persecution has started. Third, on January 23, 2017, when President Trump told lawmakers on Capitol Hill 3 to 5 million illegal ballots were cast, many people questioned him and some called him a liar. Five months later in mid-June 2017, it was revealed that a spokesperson for a group called the Pew Charitable Trust told Steve Doocy on Fox News, "Now we have four million ineligible and dead voters on American voter rolls." It is easy to understand why the "fake news" keeps calling upon Internet officials to control the news. It must be embarrassing to be proven wrong nearly every day. Fourth, while this article was being written on June 17, 2017, it was being reported that Congressman Steve Scalise was in the hospital in critical condition from gunshot wounds and a play called Shakespeare in the Park was going on in New York depicting the stabbing of President Trump several times. Violence was being glorified and that is a sign of the Days of Noah. If things like this don't stop, some believe the violence in the streets of America will grow dramatically worse in the coming months. Fifth, in an article dated June 16, 2017, Todd Starnes of Fox News fame wrote: " The Army has begun mandatory transgender sensitivity training for soldiers. The training covers everything from "transfemale" soldiers to transgender shower etiquette to dealing with a male soldier who becomes pregnant. Yes, good readers. Within the ranks of the greatest fighting force known to mankind - the baby's daddy could also be the baby's momma. This is sick, but Mr. Starnes goes on to reveal that the Army training guidelines were written by the Obama Administration. So sadly, this is not surprising. Sixth, this week it was reported that even moderate liberals in the Western world are becoming uneasy when terms like "patriotism" and "nationalism" are used. This signifies a growing acceptance of world government where borders are bad and people are "citizens of the world" not patriots or citizens of nations. Seventh, on June 12, 2017, it was reported that Germany has video surveillance systems in train stations, but they can't feed pictures into it to identify terror suspects who may be on the run. They intend to upgrade their surveillance systems to identify suspected criminals before they can commit a crime or escape. They want the system to alert the police to where certain people are before they know whether they are guilty or not. It may be a stretch, but this sounds like something the Antichrist and False Prophet could use. It could help them know where people are if they are suspected of being veterans, conservatives, or those who is not politically correct or if they are not in a database of people who have taken the mark of the beast, etc. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] News from Hal Lindsey Media Ministries - Hal Lindsey - www.hallindsey.com When a Bernie Sanders supporter tried to kill Republican Congressmen on a baseball practice field last week, it brought a growing problem into the glaring public light: American political rhetoric has reached the boiling point. Though heated political debate and even unabashed mud-slinging is nothing new to American politics, what we are witnessing now is unprecedented and alarming. In fact, certain members of the media -- if not clinical professionals -- have coined a new term to describe it: Assassination pornography. That's defined as "fantasy depictions of assassination." I'm certain you can guess who they're fantasizing about assassinating! And some of them are not keeping it a secret! Self-described comedienne Kathy Griffin produced a photograph of herself holding a bloody, severed head (ISIS-style) that looked amazingly like that of President Donald Trump. Snoop Dog produced a satirical video in which he shoots a clownish Donald Trump figure at pointblank range. Even the city of New York (President Trump's hometown) got in on the act. The infamous New York Public Theater that stages summertime productions in Central Park produced a version of "Julius Caesar" that is set in modern times and features a Donald Trump lookalike (complete with the blue suit, white shirt, and long red tie). Of course, he gets assassinated by his peers. And the audience claps joyously. To their credit, Bank of America and Delta Airlines pulled their sponsorship of the production. But Time Warner, the parent company of CNN, apparently approves of the message it presents, even in light of the real-life attempted assassinations of Republican Congressmen last week. These are but three examples of the growing public display of evil that is being touted, even encouraged, by the Left in America today. But even more alarming to me is the growing onslaught against Christians, and even non-Christians who hold traditional values, by government and individuals in the governments. Canada recently enacted a piece of legislation called Bill 89. Its net effect is that the Canadian government will be empowered to remove children from the homes of parents who do not agree that their small child may be "transgender." As if a small child even know what "gender" means, much less can identify his or her own internal gender fluidity! Folks, this is theater of the absurd -- to the extreme! Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition said: "...we've entered an era of totalitarian power by the state, such as never witnessed before in Canada's history." And trust me, when a state seizes totalitarian power, it rarely benefits the family, the Christian, or anyone who holds moral, traditional values. It's always the fringe lunatics who manage to coerce the state into doing their dirty work! It has gotten so bad that even the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom had to resign his position. Tim Farron said, "To be a political leader... and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible's teaching, has felt impossible for me." Liberal Democrat must mean something different in the United Kingdom than it does here! I can't imagine a liberal Democrat resigning his or her position for any reason whatsoever. In the past, they wouldn't do that even when they've been caught with their hands in the cookie jar! Imagine one doing it because he or she had a crisis of character or conscience! To be fair, though, this could describe a few Republicans, too. More subtly, though, is this creeping, sinister idea promoted by the Left that Christians are unfit to serve in high positions of government. The latest champion of that idea is Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. In the past, few people listened to Senator Sanders. He was considered the far left fringe. After having the Democratic nomination for president stolen from him, though, his words carry much more weight now. Recently, President Trump nominated Russell Vought to be the deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Now, that doesn't sound like a position that is going to exert much influence over the thought-life of Americans. But Senator Sanders strenuously and publicly objected to Mr. Vought's nomination. In fact, he said that Mr. Vought "is really not someone who this country is supposed to be about." Russell Vought's crime? A few years ago, he wrote an article defending the historic Christian beliefs of his alma mater, Wheaton College. Wheaton is a venerable university founded in 1860 to prepare students for service in Christian ministry. Billy Graham is a Wheaton College graduate! Senator Sanders read a statement from Mr. Vought's article: "Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ, His Son, and they stand condemned." Sanders called Vought's faith an example of "racism and bigotry." He declared that believing Jesus is the only way to God makes Islam a "second-class religion." And those who believe other religions are "second class" must not be allowed to hold a high position in government. Well, I've got a couple of pieces of news for Senator Sanders. First, applying a religious test to a nominee for government office is absolutely forbidden by the U.S. Constitution (Article VI, Section 3). Second, everyone who deeply believes the tenets of his or her chosen "religion" will feel that other religions are "second class." Islam and Christianity are mutually exclusive doctrines. If one is true, the other is not. Both Christians and Muslims believe in the superiority of their chosen faith. Sanders says if you believe that, you cannot hold high office. Even atheists prefer their ideas on religious faith to that of others. Atheists see both Christianity and Islam as "second class." Is Senator Sanders prepared to say that atheists are not allowed to hold high office? Apparently, Sanders believes that only people who firmly believe nothing are qualified to lead us! I suppose that is why he feels he should be President. Jesus warned that the days before His return would be like the days of Noah. (Matthew 24:37) They would be characterized by violence and corruption. (Genesis 6:11) He also warned that those who name His name would be hated by the world. It's happening in other parts of the world right now, but in America we are not yet subject to chains and torture. We are, however, beginning to be marginalized and ostracized. Make no mistake, the day will come when our beliefs will be outlawed and if we stand up for them, we will be prosecuted and punished. Are you ready for that day? While there is still time, make certain your relationship with God is clean and vibrant. Make sure your family and friends have the opportunity to come to Christ. And prepare yourself for the day when you must choose between your comfort and speaking aloud the claims of Jesus Christ. But don't fear that day. For in it, you will find the strength and power of the Living God to be more than sufficient. And the reward? Beyond description! Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com . Check your local listings. Daily Jot: Of fake news and fake investigations - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Two recent polls indicate that Democratic Party rhetoric is backfiring on them. A Harvard poll shows that Americans believe it's time to move on from the Russian influence narrative, and a YouGov poll indicates that Americans are wary of fake news. Driving the rhetoric on both these fronts is the radical left and the Democratic Party, which has caused violence and continues unabated even after a man influenced by the rhetoric created a hit list and attempted to assassinate Republican members of Congress. The New York Post is reporting that the dossier on Donald Trump that started the FBI Russian investigation was a product of people who were financed by and supported the Clinton campaign. The Harvard-Harris poll of 2,258 Americans indicated that 68% of the country believe the Russian investigation is hurting America. Some 62% believe the investigation will end without accomplishing anything with 38% expecting the investigation to end in impeaching the President. Interesting that the political weight of the poll was 35% Democrat, 30% Independent and 29% Republican-meaning that the Democrat respondents are hoping for impeachment while the rest of the country just wants the investigations to end and to move on to important matters. Meanwhile, the New York Post report shows that the Democrats, specifically the Clintons, were behind those that started the whole Russian investigation. Another poll conducted by YouGov indicates that 70% of the general public agrees that news organizations are subject to partisan agendas. The public however is divided along the lines of politics as to whether people trust the reporting by news organizations-52% of Democrats believe that the news media is influenced by those who fund them, and 85% of Republicans believe the media is influenced by those who fund them. 83% of Democrats are more likely to trust traditional news sources compared with 58% of Republicans. These statistics may indicate that people in general are getting tired of the fake news narrative and that Democrats are more likely to believe it than Republicans. Over the weekend, CNN-often accused as the leader in fake news and of being an ardent supporter of the Democratic Party's "Resist" agenda-fully retracted a story linking the Congressional investigation of a Russian investment fund to Trump officials. As it ends up, the story was a lie as held accountable by Breitbart News. CNN to date has refused to address how it was written and published. The Democratic Party propagandists are behind both the Russian narrative and the fake news propagated by left leaning media. Americans appear to be catching on. As Jesus said in Matthew 10:25-26, "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Therefore Fear them not: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known." Daily Devotion: Still So Far to Go - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.-Romans 7:14 When I began to lose my hair in my 30s, I started finding imaginative ways to postpone the inevitable. One day my friend, who is also bald, took off his hat. "Check this out," he said, showing me his new hairpiece. "The guy who made it is really good." A few weeks later, my hairpiece arrived. It was nice as far as hairpieces go. But when I put it on, I felt pretty stupid. I just couldn't bring myself to start wearing it. Author Peggy Noonan described a hairpiece as "a lie on your head." That's pretty accurate. I don't think any of us wants a lie on our heads or in any other area of our lives. We want to be honest. We don't want to be hypocrites. People are quick to throw around the term hypocrite when they see any inconsistency in a Christian's life. But let's understand what a hypocrite is. A hypocrite is someone who tries to appear to be something they are not at all, not someone who believes something and fails to live up to it. Believing something and then falling short of it doesn't make us hypocrites; it makes us human. We are imperfect people trying to serve a perfect God, and every believer falls short. Even the great apostle Paul made this candid admission in Romans 7, "I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. . . . So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it" (verses 15, 17). The further we go in the Christian life, we realize the further we must go. And the more I grow spiritually, the more I discover I must grow spiritually. 
FROM THE HEART
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