TURNING AWAY FROM GOD – AN APOSTATE CHURCH

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“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:20-22

Many people who declare themselves Christians today and attend church know about God and Jesus. This does not necessarily mean that they are true Christians. People may outwardly reform and escape from the open corruptions that prevail around them or that they have themselves practised but still have no true grace at heart. Neither does “through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesses Christ” imply that they were true Christians and had received the Holy Spirit. There is a knowledge of the doctrines and duties of religion, which may lead sinners to abandon their outward vices, which has no connection with saving grace. They may profess religion and may know enough of religion to understand that it requires them to abandon their vicious habits, but they have never received the Holy Spirit, which enables them to live the Christian life.

Jesus’s parable of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom, their Saviour, Jesus Christ, should be a wake-up call for the church. Only half of them were saved and had oil (Holy Spirit) for their lamps. This parable is a picture of the church before Jesus returns. It is sobering as it says that all ten virgins were sleeping at the time of His arrival, and only half were saved.

We are living in the Biblical prophesied end times before Jesus’ second coming. Much of the denominational/institutional church has compromised with the world on homosexuality, gay marriage and transgenderism, just as Jesus prophesied. A great falling away, an apostate church.

Are you even aware of what is next on God’s agenda for planet Earth? This Earth has another 1,000 years before God destroys it with fire. After Jesus raptures His Saints to join the resurrected Saints, He will pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with Trumpet (Revelation 8 & 9) and Bowl judgements (Revelation 15 & 16). Jesus then returns with the glorified Saints to usher in Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom.

EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AMERICA PROMOTES GODDESS WORSHIP

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A Lutheran church in San Francisco that was founded nearly 150 years ago now worships a “goddess” and has a “resident witch” on staff. Formerly known as Ebenezer Lutheran Church, “herchurch” is a congregation within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and is part of the progressive denomination’s Sierra Pacific Synod, which consists of approximately 180 “worshipping communities” across Northern California and Northern Nevada, according to its website.

The staff, which is led by “pastor and priestess of ritual” Stacy Boorn, includes over a half dozen “priestesses” and a “priestexx” Thom Longino, who is listed as “adjunct pastor” and “spiritual director.” A CP review of Longino’s LinkedIn profile also revealed that he is an employee of Catholic Charities San Francisco. 

A video of Longino discussing his work with homeless LGB-identified youth at San Francisco Night Ministry is featured on the YouTube page of Megan Rohrer, who made headlines in 2021 as the first openly trans-identified bishop to serve in a major denomination. Rohrer was later suspended after allegedly using “racist” language.

One of “herchurch” priestesses, Christine Konkol, identifies as a “resident witch” and is seen in a photo on the church website wearing a traditional witch’s hat. 

Described as an “open and affirming community” where all are “loved in the love of Christ-Sophia and the Great Mother of us All,” the church’s website calls “all expressions of gender identity…a blessing.” As part of its about section, its website calls “herchurch” an “emerging, liberating feminist congregation” which is “hoping to be a part of the prophetic voice of the divine feminine that will deconstruct Christianity and other patriarchal religions.”

What more evidence do Christians need to realise we are in the Biblical prophesied time of a great falling away in the church (apostasy) (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The time before Jesus returns to rapture His church and pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world. Jesus then returns to Earth to defeat the Antichrist army at the battle of Armageddon and usher in His Millennial Kingdom.

For more on Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom, go to http://www.millennialkingdom.net. This Earth has 1000 more years before God destroys it with fire. The second resurrection and the White Throne judgement follow before God creates a new Heaven and new Earth where only the righteous dwell.

The purpose of the thousand-year reign is to allow God to fulfil the promises He made with Jesus, Israel, the Saints, and the Creation to vindicate His Holy name.

“Then the end will come when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all of His enemies under His feet..” 1 Corinthians 15:24-25.

The Millennium is the 1,000-year period in which Jesus will rule this world in partnership with resurrected saints (Rev. 20:4-6). Understanding the Millennium gives us insight into what the Lord is preparing His people for.

“I saw thrones, and they [saints from Rev. 19:14] sat on them, and judgment [decision making] was committed to them…and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 6…but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

FAMILY BURNED ALIVE FOR FOLLOWING CHRIST

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NAIROBI, Kenya — A Muslim couple and their adult son who received Christ in November were burned to death on Dec. 26 in eastern Uganda, sources said.

In the Budini Nyanza area of Kaliro town, Kaliro District, 64-year-old Kaiga Muhammad, his wife, Sawuya Kaiga, and their son, Swagga Amuza Kaiga, 26, put their faith in Christ on Nov. 22, 2024, when members of an undisclosed church visited their home and shared the Gospel.

The pastor of the church, undisclosed for security reasons, said that after the three family members received Christ’s salvation, they requested prayer for Swagga Amuza Kaiga, who was suffering from malaria. “We prayed for the son, and immediately he was restored to good health,” the pastor claimed in an interview with Morning Star News. “The three members of the family who gave their lives to Christ decided to keep their faith secret for fear of Muslims of the area, since Muhammad himself was a committee member in one of the mosques in Budini Nyanza zone.”

On Dec. 15, area Muslims noted Muhammad leaving the church’s worship service in a nearby village and informed area chairperson Wangule Abudu. The chairperson on Dec. 16 went to Muhammad’s home to question him, and Muhammad openly told him that he and other family members had given their lives to Christ, the pastor said.

The angry Abudu gave Muhammad one week to renounce Christianity, saying that if he refused, he would mobilize the Muslim community against the family, according to a relative who was away when the parents and son accepted Christ.

“Abudu said that our family had blasphemed the name of Allah and embarrassed the Muslim community,” the family member, whose name is withheld for security reasons, told Morning Star News.

Area Muslims on Dec. 26 set the family’s house ablaze with gas and burned the three members of the family beyond recognition, said a neighbor who had arrived with others too late to save them and the structure.

Kaliro police arrived after the lives had been lost and, after investigating, arrested Wangule Abudu, 62, and Ismail Njagi, 20. The two Muslims were being kept at Kaliro central police station on charges of murder and arson, sources said.

The bodies of the deceased were taken to Bumanya Heath Centre for postmortem.

The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Jesus told us that persecution comes with being a Christian and that prior to His return, it will escalate to refine the church, and only those totally committed to Jesus will be saved.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

Also, it is hard to understand how the Pope and so many others who call themselves Christians believe that we all serve the one God. The Christian God says to love our enemies, and Allah says to kill them.

WHAT VOTERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS

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Here’s what people NEED to realize about Kamala Harris and her presidential run. In this short video, Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis (AIG) speaks on the recent political ideologies of Kamala, sharing his perspective on them as a Bible-believing Christian.

Amazingly, so-called Christians are coming out in support of Kamla Harris. There is even a website http://www.evangelicalsforharris.com

On a Zoom call “White Dudes for Harris” that featured celebrities and grabbed headlines, John Pavlovitz, a liberal-leaning Christian author and activist hatched the idea for a Christian-centric version and texted his friend Malynda Hale, a singer, actress, and fellow activist. “We had a conversation about how, specifically on the Democratic side of the political spectrum, you don’t hear a lot of people talking about their faith,” Hale told Religion News Service in an interview. “We wanted people to know that there are progressive Christians, there are Christians on the Democratic, left-leaning side so that they didn’t feel alone.”

The result was Christians for Kamala, a part-fundraiser, part-virtual roundtable live-streamed event on Monday (Aug. 12). Featured speakers cited their faith as they praised liberal policies and personally endorsed Harris.

Jerushah Duford, a counselor who is also Billy Graham’s granddaughter and Franklin Graham’s niece said, “Voting Kamala, for me, is so much greater than policies,” Duford said. “It’s a vote against another four years of faith leaders justifying the actions of a man who destroys the message Jesus came to spread, and that is why I get involved in politics.”

Thankfully, Jesus told us that this would be the state of the world before He returns to restore righteousness and usher in His Millennial Kingdom. Go to http://www.millennialkingdom.net if you want to know what is next on God’s agenda for planet Earth. It still has another 1000 years before God finally destroys it. We have had 6000 years of Satan’s rule. To complete the covenants God made with Abraham, David, and Jesus we will have 1000 years with Jesus and the Saints ruling the world with a rod of iron.

“From His (Jesus) mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:15-16

“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron” Revelation 2:26-27

CHRISTIANS NEED TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING TRIBULATION

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Jonathan Cahn speaks on current events as they relate to end times Scriptures. Antisemitism is rampant worldwide. Nations are coming against Israel exactly as prophesied. How important it is to know how to stand in these end times when persecution is rife. Jonathan gives us 18 Keys on how to stand in the days of lawlessness and chaos.

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ELECTS THIRD OPENLY GAY WOMAN BISHOP

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A regional body of The United Methodist Church has its third openly gay bishop, the first since the mainline Protestant denomination changed its rules to allow noncelibate homosexuals to be ordained.  

The Rev. Kristin Stoneking, a United Methodist studies professor at the Pacific School of Religion, was elected a bishop by the UMC Western Jurisdiction at their meeting held last week in Spokane, Washington.

Stoneking was elected on the 11th ballot, receiving 65 votes out of 94 valid ballots cast. For that ballot, she needed to receive at least 63 votes, according to UM News. Her term of service begins on Sept. 1.

An emotional Stoneking addressed the regional body shorty after being elected, stating that saints were “ordinary people” who “love without limits,” echoing the theme of the gathering.

“I’m so humbled at this time, at this incredibly momentous opportune time for us as a denomination to lean in to all of the doors that are opening. May we all be humble learners. I commit to you to be a humble learner.” Learner of what? It is certainly not God’s Word.

Stoneking is the third person in a same-sex marriage to be elected bishop by the Western Jurisdiction, as the regional body had previously elected Bishop Karen Oliveto in 2016 and Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth in 2022, both in defiance of the denomination’s rules prohibiting the ordination of noncelibate gay clergy.

Earlier this year, at the UMC General Conference, delegates voted overwhelmingly to remove from the Book of Discipline rules that prohibited the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals, the blessing of same-sex unions, and the funding of LGBT advocacy groups.

This came after more than 7,000 mostly conservative congregations had left the denomination over the ongoing debate over LGBT issues, as well as the refusal of many progressive UMC leaders to enforce the rules. It is no longer the United Methodist church and I am sure John Wesley would be appalled at what it has become.

Jesus told us that this would be an end-times sign: an apostate church.

“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13

HOW DID JESUS TEACH US TO WATCH FOR HIS RETURN?

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Jesus’ top END-TIME command to WATCH is being ignored, and according to Jesus, it will lead to the Great Apostasy. Pastors are afraid to teach what it really means, so vast numbers of our churches are clueless. Many have already compromised with the world and are already apostate churches: gay marriage, homosexual pastors, and transgenderism.

How many churches are preaching the need to watch for Jesus’ return and to watch for the right things. How many times did Jesus say we need to watch and how do we watch? At least following Jesus’ command to be a good disciple is a good start but it is not what Jesus is saying, here. Watching for the signs Jesus has given us is so that, we know what is coming and can act accordingly. God has given us much information on the time before He returns, particularly on the Antichrist so He wants us to watch for the events so we will be prepared and can warn others.

There were 300-plus prophecies of Jesus first coming and the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees totally missed it. There are 2000 prophecies of Jesus’ second coming and the religious leaders of our day are totally missing it.

Watch this Nelson Walters video to find out what the command is, and how to obey it.

SATAN’S END TIMES STRATEGY

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This is the fifth and final post on knowing our enemy: the first was entitled SATAN – PRINCE OF THIS WORLD: WHO HE WAS AND NOW IS (26/05/2024). The second was WHEN DID SATAN REBEL AGAINST GOD? (27/05/2024) The third was ANCIENT SUMERIANS RECORDED THE DIVIDE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH IN ACCORD WITH THE BIBLE (03/06/2024). The fourth post was KNOWING HOW YOUR REAL ENEMY OPERATES (07/06/2024). If you have not read these I suggest you do. It is important we know our enemy.

God has revealed all we need to know in His Word, the Bible. Much is given about Satan’s last desperate efforts to maintain control of the Earth before Jesus returns to defeat him and his Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon. This post is about Satan’s end-times strategy. Doug Hamp’s latest book, Corrupting the Image, Vol. 3, Singularity, Superhumans and the Second Coming of Jesus brings our understanding of events in the days of the Beast leading up to the return of Jesus into focus. Doug carefully lays out a theological roadmap for understanding the heavenly and earthly battles yet to take place in the future.

 Mike Spaulding is pastor of Calvary Chapel of Lima and he hosts the Soaring Eagle Radio show. He sums up the end times scenario playing out in our time. “While the modern American church leads the way into global apostasy, Satan, the enemy of God, of His creation, and of His people, is gaining strength and assembling his forces for the coming great conflict. Satan is staging his assets for a blitzkrieg of shock and awe evil that will overwhelm the earth. UFO disclosure, Artificial Intelligence, genetic engineering, transhumanism, and the mad rush toward singularity are not disparate endeavours but are all part of the devil’s strategy of casting a dragnet to ensnare all of humanity in a great deception of faux hope and faux salvation“. This is part of Mike’s Foreword for Doug’s latest book.

Are you living your life knowing Jesus’ return is near and that God’s wrath is going to be poured out on an unrepentant world? God gives us a great deal of information about the Trumpet and Bowl judgements so we need to warn our unsaved family and friends of what is coming (Revelation 8-9 and 16).

PROPHESIED APOSTATE END TIMES CHURCH

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UMC drops decades-old ban on ordaining LGBT clergy without debate

The United Methodist General Conference has voted to remove a decades-old ban on ordaining pastors in romantic same-sex relationships after thousands of conservative congregations left the denomination in recent years. 

Bishop Karen Oliveto (in blue jacket) and her wife, Robin Ridenour (front, center), join in embracing delegates and visitors at the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. after the conference voted to remove the denomination’s ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” — a prohibition that dates to 1984

At the UMC General Conference Wednesday, delegates approved without debate a measure removing the language from the Book of Discipline as part of a broader consent calendar, passing it by a final tally of 692 to 51.

Since 1984, the UMC Book of Discipline has prohibited the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” with many progressives in the mainline Protestant denomination openly refusing to enforce or follow the restriction.  

Applause from General Conference attendees was heard after the vote, with retired Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, a longtime proponent of removing the language, offering a prayer.

“You every day are great God, and every day You are working for good in the world. Stir up in us a desire to serve You, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all creation, and devote this day to your service,” Ward said, as quoted by UM News.

Over the past several years, the UMC has experienced intense debate over whether to change various rules in its Book of Discipline regarding LGBT individuals, which included barring the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals, prohibiting clergy from performing same-sex unions and barring church bodies from funding LGBT advocacy groups.

Although efforts to change the rules at the General Conference have failed in past years, many theological liberal leaders within the UMC have ignored the rules and allowed individuals who were in same-sex relationships to be ordained or even promoted to bishop.

For example, Karen Oliveto was elected bishop in 2016 by the UMC Western Jurisdiction despite being in a same-sex marriage. Although her election was deemed invalid by the United Methodist Judicial Council, the denomination’s highest court, in 2017, she remains a bishop to the present day.

Oliveto gave a sermon at General Conference on Monday, asking those gathered if they were “willing to meet and serve Jesus in the queer clergy person who has been faithful to God’s call even when the Church has tried to deny that call?”

At a 2019 special session of the General Conference, delegates approved a temporary measure that created a disaffiliation process for congregations that wanted to leave the UMC due to the debate over sexuality, with more than 7,500 churches doing so by the end of 2023.

On Tuesday, as part of another consent calendar, delegates voted 667-54 to remove the Book of Discipline’s ban on funding LGBT advocacy groups and mandatory punishments for clergy who blessed same-sex unions.

Article by Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor, The Christian Post, Wednesday, May 01, 2024

PROPHESIED END TIMES APOSTATE CHURCH

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Parachurch head leaves Church of England because it ‘no longer affirms biblical orthodoxy’

Rico Tice, a well-known Evangelical leader and former Church of England clergyman, has left the denomination in reaction to what he perceives as its growing departure from biblical values, especially concerning same-sex marriage and repentance.

Tice, best known for co-writing the evangelism course Christianity Explored and co-founder of Christianity Explored Ministries, cited the denomination’s recent decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples and its lack of substantive response to concerns laid out by him and five other leaders of CofE-connected parachurch organizations last October.

In an interview with Evangelicals Now, Tice, the former senior minister at All Souls, Langham Place in London, explained that he now worships at the International Presbyterian Church (IPC) in Ealing, London.

“Last October, I was one of six Evangelical leaders of parachurch organizations with connections to the Church of England who wrote to [Archbishop of Canterbury] Justin Welby and all the bishops explaining our deep ‘heaviness of heart, soul and mind’ about the church’s onward trajectory toward affirming same-sex marriage, specifically the new Prayers of Love and Faith,” he said.

“We called upon the archbishop to resist the influence of cultural values when they are in opposition to those of the Bible. We did this because it was harming our ability to work with orthodox people from other denominations — how could they trust us? We received no substantive response from him, and that was a key moment in my decision to leave.”

CofE’s “Prayers of Love and Faith” are new guidelines enacted last December that allow priests to bless same-sex couples but don’t require them to do so, a measure opposed by many Evangelicals within the Church of England amid a growing divide within the Anglican community regarding same-sex marriage and biblical orthodoxy.

Tice said the move to the International Presbyterian Church in Ealing, London, was motivated by a desire to maintain alignment with his values. He has had a longstanding relationship with the church’s minister, Paul Levy. He said the congregation’s emphasis on eldership, Reformed theology and the Westminster Confession appealed to him. Tice still retains his permission to preach, which allows him to speak in CofE congregations.

“But I think it vital that I demonstrated clear separation from a church that no longer affirms biblical orthodoxy, especially concerning preaching repentance,” he said. 

Tice’s role at the International Presbyterian Church includes evangelism and training on evangelism techniques like Christianity Explored, Hope Explored and The Word One to One. But he sees himself as an ordinary member of the congregation, attending services with his family and engaging in fellowship with other church members.

Tice expressed disappointment and sadness, describing the situation in the CofE as “utterly heartbreaking.” “In retrospect, I was naïve about our current culture in the Church of England because I never thought I would see such a clear, pervasive denial of the Christian’s need to repent of each and every sin they commit,” he said. 

What we see happening in the institutional churches confirms end-times Biblical prophecy of a great falling away, the church compromising with the world and its values. Worse is yet to come as Jesus revealed in this Scripture.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.“ Matthew 24:9-12