MEDIA CRUCIFY NFL STAR FOR SHARING HIS FAITH

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Most Americans were probably surprised to hear the media cover a Kansas City Chief not named Travis Kelce. But while Taylor Swift’s latest boyfriend is away on her European tour, the mob stayed very busy crucifying his Catholic teammate, kicker Harrison Butker. His crime? Daring to talk about his faith on a college campus that shares it.

Once clips of the speech started circulating, out came the media buzzsaw. Feminists, leftists, and well-known personalities skewered Harrison as misogynistic, extremist, hypocritical, sexist, homophobic — and those were the kind adjectives. LGBT activists at GLAAD described the kicker’s comments as “a clear miss” and “woefully out of step with Americans…” — an assessment that fans wasted no time debunking.

Butker’s sin, at least in the eyes of the far-left, is refusing to keep quiet about the woke cancer eating its way through American culture.

To the graduates of Benedictine College in Atchison, the three-time Super Bowl champion spoke plainly — about Joe Biden’s phony Catholicism, about the horrors of transgenderism and abortion, about the church’s refusal to speak into the moral issues of the day.

“These are the sorts of things we are told in polite society to not bring up,” he admitted to the Class of 2024. “You know, the difficult and unpleasant things. But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the ‘Church of Nice’ is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.”

He explained that he “never envisioned” himself, “nor wanted, to have this sort of platform, but God has given it to me, so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths…” But the reality, he told the crowd, is that faith “has always been countercultural.” “Our Lord, along with countless followers, were all put to death for their adherence to her teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority.” The time has come, Harrison urged, “to [say] the difficult stuff out loud.”

What Butker said is so important as Scripture shows us that we are living in the time of the end when persecution of Christians intensifies.

“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. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

“Affirming motherhood and praising your wife,” Tavia continued, “as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted. It is empowering to acknowledge that a woman’s hard work in raising children is not in vain. Countless highly educated women devote their lives to nurturing and guiding their children. Someone disagreeing with you doesn’t make them hateful; it simply means they have a different opinion.”

Her daughter, Grace, echoed those comments on “Fox and Friends,” telling the audience that she was blessed by her own experience growing up with a stay-at-home mom. “And I understand that there are many women out there who can’t make that decision but for me in my life, I know it was really formative in shaping me and my siblings to be who we are.” Steve Doocy asked, “So you understand what [Butker] was talking about?” “For sure,” she replied, “and I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field.”

Some surprising celebrities also came to Harrison’s defense, including firebrand Whoopie Goldberg, who stunned viewers by suggesting, “These are his beliefs, and he’s welcome to them. I don’t have to believe them,” she pointed out. “I don’t have [to] accept them.”

Outlets like the Babylon Bee mocked the NFL’s double standard — bashing a positive role model on one hand while elevating questionable characters on the other. “Harrison Butker does not reflect our values,’ says League of Woman Beaters,” the parody account jabbed. Others, like the New York Post’s Kirsten Fleming, piled on. “Never mind the NFL could support its own police blotter every season. Players charged with domestic assault or drunk driving aren’t uncommon. Dolphins star Tyreek Hill, who pleaded guilty to domestic violence in 2015 and was briefly suspended by the Chiefs in 2019 during a child abuse investigation, had two paternity suits slapped on him last year. But we need to get rid of a man who teared up while speaking lovingly of his wife’s unconditional support?”

Meanwhile, as the PR storm swirls on, visitors to Butker’s X account will see a single pinned tweet: “We mustn’t squander this period of the world’s history which God has entrusted to each one of us (St. Josemaria Escriva).” It’s safe to say the only thing squandered was the media’s chance to respect truth when it finally encountered some. 

CHRISTIANS RISK BEING BRANDED ‘EXTREMISTS’ BY UK GOV’T

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Christians are at risk of being branded “extremists” under the UK government’s new definition of extremism published this week, a campaign group has warned. 

The new definition says that “extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to” among other things “negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.”

Christian Concern said that Christians who are pro-life, gender-critical, or have traditionalist beliefs about marriage might fall foul of the new definition. 

Christians who are pro-life could be seen as being opposed to an ‘assumed fundamental right’ to abortion and thus to be intolerant and hence extremist. It is already the case that being anti-abortion is on a Prevent list of ideologies.

Prevent is a national program “that aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism seen as potential extremism”, the organisation said.

Christian Concern said that the new extremism definition was “vague” and could lead to Christians being excluded from influencing government policy. 

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said the definition was “not fit for purpose” and that she expected to see more Christians being reported to Prevent.

“It is absurd that Christians could be deemed ‘extremist’ for believing in real marriage or for being pro-life,” she said. 

“Christian Concern has supported Christians referred to Prevent for expressing their Christian beliefs. The new definition of extremism should have ensured this would not happen again.

“Sadly, I now expect to see more referrals of Christians to Prevent, not less.”

She called on the government to clarify that ‘fundamental rights’ do not include abortion, same-sex marriage, or identifying as the opposite sex.

“Without this clarification, Christians who express their legitimate belief that marriage is between a man and a woman would risk being deemed ‘extremist’ by the government,” she said. 

Originally published at Christian Today UK

Over the eight years, I have been posting on Living Eternal Now persecution of Christians has been escalating and many other end times prophecies are being fulfilled. Thank goodness, God has told us what will unfold as we approach the time of Jesus second coming. Jesus told us it would be like the days of Noah when God poured out His wrath upon the earth for the first time; godlessness and lawlessness will abound.

COMMUNISM HAS WON IN AMERICA

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Dr. Ben Carson identifies seven ways communism has won in America

Dr. Ben Carson warned that many of the decades-long goals of communism have come to fruition in the United States as he urged the American people to have courage and fight back against efforts to subvert the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

Carson, a former neurosurgeon and presidential candidate who served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Trump administration, addressed the crowd at the Family Research Council’s Pray Vote Stand Summit Friday. He told the audience that troubling events in American society “have been going on for quite a while.”

Retired neurosurgeon, academic, author, and politician, Dr. Ben Carson, who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021, speaks about the importance of education at the Pray Vote Stand Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., on September 15, 2023

During his speech, Carson read aloud a portion of the Congressional Record from Jan.10, 1963, which included a list of “Current Communist Goals” as laid out in an excerpt of a book titled The Naked Communist. He drew particular attention to the goal to “capture one or both of the political parties [in] the United States,” lamenting that it “seems like they’ve done a good job there.” Carson’s analysis reflects the belief that communism has taken root in the Democratic Party.

Carson also highlighted how communists sought to “get control of the schools” and “use them as transmission belts for socialism and current communist propaganda.” He read about how communists worked to “soften the curriculum,” “get control of teachers’ associations” and “put the party line in textbooks.” He identified another one of the goals as to “infiltrate the press, get control of book review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.”

After he outlined another one of the communists’ goals to “gain control of key positions in radio, TV and motion pictures,” he encouraged the audience to “think about that.” The Congressional Record from 1963, as shared by Carson, identifies the 32nd communist goal as being to “support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture — education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics.” 

The 40th installment of the list of “Current Communist Goals” consisted of an effort to “discredit the family as an institution” and “encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.” The 41st item on the list emphasized “the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents” and “attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.” 

“Does any of that stuff sound familiar?” he asked. “This is all the things that are happening in our society today,” he added, noting that “we think we won the Cold War.” Carson surmised that allies of communism “had a longer plan.” 

Carson mentioned that this plan involves “driving wedges between us on the basis of race, income, age, gender, political affiliation, religion, you name it” as part of an effort to make people view each other as “enemies.” He encouraged the audience to reject that line of thinking, maintaining that “We are not each other’s enemies.” 

The retired neurosurgeon then pointed to an effort to “fix it” and cause people to think that “this system doesn’t work, therefore we need something else.” After citing statistics finding that 23 public schools in Baltimore, Maryland, had zero students who could perform math at grade level, he suggested that such abysmal academic performance by public school students was by design.

“This is not a new phenomenon. This has occurred historically in other countries, too, particularly before they became socialist and communist countries. It’s called dumbing down the population because if people are ignorant, it’s easy to tell them anything.” 

“You know what it’s going to require for us to get back on the right track?” he posited, declaring that the answer is “courage.” “It’s going to require us to understand what our history is.” 

“This is a country that was founded on Judeo-Christian values and principles,” he added.  “Our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, says that our rights come from God and not from government.”

“If our system is going to be fixed, it is going to be we the people,” he added, encouraging those assembled to “be courageous” and “vote the right way.” Courage, he said, comes from God.”

Carson concluded his remarks by proclaiming, “If we’re going to be the land of the free, we must also be the home of the brave.” 

The reality is that God would say to most of the churches in America depart from me I don’t know you. Moreover, God told us in advance that this would happen, much of the church falls away (apostasy), in the last days before Jesus returns. God refines His church during the coming prophesied tribulation period. We need to consider now how we will act during this period. We need to trust God regardless of the circumstances we face knowing that He will be with us through it all and He will use it for His good purposes.

“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

The following scripture is being fulfilled in our day. The world has rejected God and His commandments.

“But understand this, that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

WHY CHRISTIANS REJOICE IN THEIR SUFFERINGS

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As we fast approach the time before Jesus’ return when persecution of Christians intensifies we need to begin to develop the type of Christian life that doesn’t need a large church to sustain it and a walk with Jesus that values true community, not backseat participation – in effect, non-participation. You might grow as never before under persecution, as millions around the world can testify, and as Paul testified clearly in Romans 5:1-5:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

We will experience hope in a new way as we are persecuted. Our focus will more and more turn to what is next on God’s agenda for this world, Jesus Millennial Kingdom (www.millennialkingdom.net). Suffering will purify us of our preoccupation with the current corrupt world. God will grow us all up in a hurry under such conditions, and those of us who have long lamented the differences between the church of Acts and the modern church will get a chance to see many of those differences wiped away in an instant. It will be an exciting time.

Middle Eastern Christians have learned what it means to bless those who persecute them.

Christians in Syria are learning daily how to do this. Many have chosen to stay in their towns and cities, even if Islamist rebels have overrun them and raped, looted, tortured, and killed them. As Open Doors USA spokesperson Emily Fuentes has reported: There are some Christians who are fleeing because they have no other choice, but there are many Christians who have really felt God’s call to stay in town, even though they have been attacked and targeted because of their faith. They realize that God’s using them, and (are reaching) out to their Muslim neighbours.
Thus, it seems to me that in the days ahead as persecution increases we will have the basic option of running, or remaining and seeking to win our attackers and fellow refugees to Christ. The choice that we make will be a matter of conscience, as Scripture can be used to support both. Believers in both Syria and Egypt have made different choices.

In the parts of Syria where church buildings have not been desecrated, they have become de facto relief agencies, providing clothes, food, and Christian teaching. These churches are seeing people come to faith in Christ as the congregants love everyone who has been made homeless, not just Christians. This is in stark contrast to the Islamic approach to providing aid for Muslims only.
As Syrian Christians have ministered to all people as war rips their country apart, they ask not for relief from the persecution, for money, or any sort of assistance, but primarily for prayer. Syrian Christians know prayer is the only way that peace will come to their country.
What an amazing witness, to care for everyone in the midst of intense suffering. The Church has done this throughout history. I would venture to say all of the books in the world’s libraries would not be enough to tell the stories of instances when Christians helped people in desperate need, regardless of skin color or creed.

Soon, I think, we will all enjoy caring for people in our communities and have the opportunity to make a bigger impact on their souls than a thousand sermons would be able to. It will be thrilling to watch all of our fellow church members get their hands dirty in ministry, a greater percentage than ever before, I believe! Can you see how suffering refines a church? It will do the same for us. There will be no more CEO (Christmas and Easter Only) Christians in our churches when the persecution starts. All of you who are tired of the pretenders coming to Sunday services will see the meeting sizes shrink as the wheat is separated from the chaff (Matthew 13:24-30). As a side note, won’t it be thrilling to see all the prophetic Scriptures that we have read for so long coming to pass? I think it will be an incredible time, even when it is very hard. I also believe God will give us abundant grace as we endure. All of the distractions that have kept us from following hard after God will be eliminated. Daily life will consist of a focus on how everyone in our community is doing, how they can be helped that day, how the new believers can be discipled, and how God’s love can be shown to the occupiers. Does that sound like Acts 4? It sure does to me. All of those sermons over the years, where pastors lamented the differences between Acts 4 and twenty-first-century churches will be made irrelevant. We will be living Acts 4.

Our churches will never become Acts 4 churches until the circumstances around us mirror the conditions of the early church. That prophesied day will come. And I think we will enjoy living out our faith as our predecessors did and those Christians who are already experiencing intense persecution in Muslim countries in the Middle East.

One source in Egypt reports the reaction of Christians to the burning of dozens of churches: “Churches are united together. And the spirit of prayer is happening in all the churches. People are praying all the time,” according to a source named “David.”

Churches united, churches praying, and people praying all the time. The church will become what we’ve all wanted it to become, but it may not happen until we are aggressively persecuted.

The churches in Egypt haven’t stopped with simply prayer. According to a Charisma News source in-country, Christians are answering the violence and pro-Islamic graffiti with signs that read, “You burned our church, but we love you.” If you were a Muslim in these cities, what would you think of such signs? I can tell you the two predominant reactions would be, 1. “Those Christians are just total weaklings” and 2. “How does this happen? How does someone love rather than avenge?” God is certainly doing all sorts of things amid this brutal persecution, acts of salvation that we won’t know about until we get to heaven.

During the great tribulation under an Islamic Antichrist, we will see brothers and sisters killed for their faith often, some right out of our communities. This is what is happening in the countries of the Arab Spring; martyrdom is expected, not imagined.

Soon, we will know true suffering and understand so many other portions of the Bible, such as 2 Timothy 4:6-8:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to utter these words, knowing you are about to be killed for your faith? You might get this opportunity, and join the crowd of people who come out from under the altar as Jesus returns, those who had been martyred by the Beast (see Revelation 6:9 and 20:4), reigning on special thrones, and given authority to judge.

Early church father Tertullian’s famous line, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” will come true before our eyes as those around us see our courage, even in the face of death, and are deeply moved.

It’s sad but true; people have to feel absolutely helpless sometimes before they look to God.

Peace and courage during these sorts of times of suffering have a powerful impact on the hardest hearts. One Egyptian has reported about the church’s witness there: “It’s a great message of forgiveness. This makes many Muslims discover the reality of Christianity, and many of them come to know Jesus.” These new believers are meeting “underground in a secret way. They worship the Lord together, and they’re growing.”

Extracts from Ralph Stice’s book Arab Spring, Christian Winter: Islam Unleashed on the Church and the World

PROPHESIED ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT BEING FULFILLED

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Former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has told CBN News she fears all the world’s nations are about to submit too much sovereignty to a United Nations organization. The attempted power grab described by Bachmann involves the World Health Organization (WHO). Through a series of 307 amendments and a global pandemic treaty, the WHO is seeking to gain authority over international health decisions of U.N. member nations in the event of something like another COVID pandemic. “Then they would be empowered to tell us in America we have to lock down, we have to shut down, we have to close our churches, we have to close our schools,” Bachmann cautioned. “We’re forced, mandated, to take a vaccine, whether we want to or not. We’re forced to mask. We’re forced to do whatever it is they tell us that we have to do.  We have never before in 5,000 years of recorded human history, seen this level of authority given to an international, global body.”

Those supporting this authority for the WHO say it’s necessary to protect the world’s population, even if it means restricting some of their liberties. Dr. Abdullah Assiri, who co-chairs the Working Group on International Health Regulations, explained, “The world requires a different level of legal mandates, such as the pandemic treaty, to navigate through a particular pandemic, should one occur, and it will. Prioritizing actions that may restrict individual liberties, mandating and sharing of information, knowledge and resources, pandemic control efforts are all necessary during a pandemic.”  Dechen Wangmo, Bhutan’s Health Minister concurred. “Let us seize this opportunity to foster international collaboration, ensure global health security and protect the lives and the well-being of all people beyond boundaries,” she stated.

Bachmann sees little to no opposition to handing over this power next year. “I don’t think all the nations fully understand what these implications are,” she warned, “so we have very little time.” And top backers of this United Nations move say speed is of the essence. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra conveyed the Biden administration’s urgency. “I wish to stress from our perspective, the quicker we can come together, the sooner we will all be safe,” he said. “We know that the challenges we face won’t be solved by a few leaders or a few countries, but by the world coming together and fighting for what’s right,” he claimed. Some in Congress opposed this move to further empower the WHO. There is proposed legislation that would deem it a treaty, which requires Senate approval. Bachmann, however, claims the White House is trying to make an end run around them.

She noted, “The Biden administration doesn’t plan to bring this treaty back to the U.S. Senate because they’re using a subterfuge. They’re calling it not a treaty.  They’re calling it an accord.  And they’re saying ‘This isn’t a treaty.  This is just an accord.  We can do this.  We don’t need the involvement of the U.S. government.’   But once you give government and power away, it’s very hard to get it back.” The former congresswoman points out that the Bible warns that a world-dominating power will bring trouble. “When you look at what the Bible says and the convergence of events that we are seeing across the world right now, and what the prophets from the Bible have said, we need to really pay attention to what’s going on. Because this is the creation of a platform for global government.  And according to the Bible, things that are not good come out of a global government.”

Source: CBNNews#

Bachmann is correct the Bible tells us that there will be a one-world government prior to Jesus’ return to earth to restore righteousness. The number of Biblical prophecies of Jesus second coming to earth is incredible. Almost 2000, and yet the church is not talking about the prophesied events prior to Jesus’ return. Mind you there were about 300 prophecies of Jesus first coming to earth and yet the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees missed it. Why because they wanted a conquering leader who would defeat the Roman overlords. Likewise, the church is hoping that God will take believers to heaven in the rapture event described in the Bible prior to the prophesied tribulation, even great tribulation that will come upon those that will not take the mark of the Antichrist. This is not what the Bible tells us. God will rapture the Saints prior to pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements but these do not occur until the trumpet blast of the seventh seal. The prophesied celestial signs that precede Jesus coming in the clouds and the wrath of God are not announced until the sixth seal.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 3:12-17

SOLD OUT TO JESUS; NO TURNING BACK

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The story of the song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is covered in the Book by Dr. P.P. Job “Why God Why“. This story is incredible and shares the results of someone 100% sold out to Jesus Christ, truly born again by the Holy Spirit. You cannot live the Christian life in your own strength. The faith expressed by this man is the faith that will be needed during the coming prophesied tribulation Christians will endure during the last seven years (Daniel 9:24-27) of Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy. The time prior to Jesus’ return, first to rapture the Saints and pour out His wrath on the earth with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements. Both occur after the sixth seal at the trumpet blast that opens the seventh seal.

May everyone who hears this story be inspired to go and do likewise.

Here is a comment from a person from this tribe in North East India, Javies Phaltual:

Hi! Thanks for sharing the story behind the song. First, let me correct you. The missionaries came to North East India, not North India. I am from that region and a descendant of one of the head hunter tribes. But, thanks to the missionaries we are no more head hunters, but fishers of men. It was Watkin R. Roberts who bought the gospel to our tribe. Today, the Wales that sent out such a large group of missionaries have very few numbers of Christians and most of their young generations are lost in the bright darkness of this world. So, join me in your prayers that the gospel be revived again in Wales.

HOW TO BE A LAST DAYS OVERCOMER

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Let’s look at how Christians are reacting in real-time to Great Tribulation-like persecution. The primary responses we see in Arab Spring countries, some of which Jesus endorsed, include:

1. Running from the persecutors.

2. Remaining on-site and taking up arms.

3. Remaining on-site and insisting on legal protection. ​

4. Yielding to persecutors while actively ministering to them

Option 1: This has occurred in several Middle Eastern countries over the past decade and threatens the extinction of Christianity in that region of the world. Even prominent government leaders are beginning to acknowledge this fact.
Option 2: Sadly, this option has gained a little headway, due to calls like Greek Orthodox Bishop Lukas al-Khoury in Syria to have Christians take up arms “to protect Syria, churches, and convents.” Some believers undoubtedly have, but the loudest voices have decried this exhortation, saying that it violates the spirit of Christianity. Syrian Catholic Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo responded to the call to arms in this way: “As men of the Church, we cannot incite Christians to take up arms and to take part in the conflict. We cannot say these things; it is insane. It goes against the gospel and Christian doctrine.” I have not come across any reports that indicate Syrian Christians are standing and being resistant militarily to Islamist attacks.

Jesus certainly didn’t condone option 2 as He spoke in Matthew 24. He recommended option 1, in this specific circumstance: “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.” Matthew 24:16-20

But in other passages involving persecution, He argued for option 4. Christ never encourages a running towards martyrdom. Paul, too, never seemed to advocate seeking to be killed for Christ’s sake. Rather, he fled several times when he knew that his life was threatened, twice within the space of a few verses in Acts 9 (Acts 9:25, 30; 14:6, 17:10)! We know of Paul purposefully leaving at least four towns because of threats to his life. If you count other places where he left soon after starting an uproar, that number could climb to nearly ten. Don’t let anyone tell you that Paul never ran. He did! Self-preservation, the most basic human instinct, seems to be compatible with sold-out Christian living. I think we can make a very strong biblical case for running in the midst of persecution. In a similar way, I do not see convincing biblical evidence for having a death wish and actively seeking martyrdom, something Muslims do to “guarantee” a place in paradise. God does not call us to be cowardly, but Christ Himself advocated flight, and Paul lived out that commandment many times in his ministry. Remember these truths when the heat turns up and someone near you is insisting that God wants everyone to stand and fight, be outgunned, and go down in a blaze of glory. Once you are gone from this earth, you are gone, and you won’t be able to win anyone else to Christ. You also might leave your family heartbroken and in great need. We need to be careful that we don’t adopt a martyr complex, as Muslims have heartily done around the world.

Reverend Khalil Fawzi, the pastor of the largest evangelical congregation in the Middle East, Kasr El Dobara Evangelical Church, said recently that Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt want to begin a civil war and would be helped in their quest by Christians turning violent. “They hoped the Christians will retaliate by killing and a civil war would start. I praise Christians for their patriotic attitude.”

Turkey’s defense of its mass killing of Armenians in the early twentieth century is a prime example. So if we do stand and fight, Muslims will have an easy out for killing men, women, and children who would otherwise be innocent bystanders.

Options 3 & 4: We can learn much from our brothers and sisters in the Middle East who have selected options 3 and 4. Here are the primary lessons I see from where Christians are being persecuted by Muslims: ​1.  ​They understand once and for all that the church is not a building. Two days after the famed Archangel Michael Church was destroyed in Cairo, Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II reminded his flock of what Jesus preached: “If the hands of evil kill, destroy and torch, then God’s hands are greater and they build. Christ’s commandments to us are to love your enemy, bless those who curse you, and do good to those who abuse you.”
The reaction to this charge, and other similar exhortations, has been Christians calmly meeting for worship in the areas of their churches that have not been completely burned to the ground, as seen in the 60 Minutes segment on Coptic Christians. The moving sight of Christians sitting in a room with one wall missing and the smell of burned wood still lingering, worshipping Jesus in a simple service, speaks volumes about understanding that the church is not a building. I think many Americans have come to realize this truth, as small groups have gained popularity over the past twenty years or so. That is a good realization to hold onto because we could very well come to a time when we are not allowed to meet in buildings.

Ralph Stice, author of Arab Spring, Christian Winter recounts this story: “I was struck by this possibility as I toured a literal underground church in Turkey’s Cappadocia region, mentioned in Acts 2:9 and 1 Peter 1:1. Our Muslim tour guide took us down a hole through which the four members of my family could barely squeeze. We walked among intricate hallways carved from stone and were told where meals were prepared and where people slept. It was an incredible experience to imagine living under the earth with brothers“.

In these last days as persecution intensifies we need to heed the warnings of Jesus in Matthew 24 and 25. Be watchful. Be ready. Be found faithful. Be on His mission, to spread the Good News.

Remember, Biblical prophecy tells us that Jesus is coming back and we are already seeing many of the prophecies playing out in our time. You can use these prophecies in your evangelism efforts to show unbelievers that God’s Word is true. We know the end of the story and for believers it is wonderful but for unbelievers, they will undergo the terrible wrath of God; the Trumpet Judgements outlined in Revelation 8 and the Bowl Judgements outlined in Revelation 16.

HOW FAR WE HAVE FALLEN: COME LORD JESUS, COME

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The Los Angeles Dodgers will move ahead with plans to honor a blasphemous drag troupe to perform at the team’s pride event next month after initially removing them from the event in response to backlash from conservative and Catholic groups.

It all started after the Dodgers announced their plans last month to give a Community Hero Award to the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), an organization that holds annual Easter events mocking the crucifixion of Christ, as part of the team’s annual pride event in June. SPI’s stated motto on its website is “Go forth and sin some more!”

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence 40th Anniversary Celebration

In a May 4 statement, the MLB said it would recognize the group’s LA chapter during a June 16 home game against the San Francisco Giants “for their countless hours of community service, ministry, and outreach to those on the edges, in addition to promoting human rights and respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment.”

But after receiving criticism on social media from conservative groups and lawmakers, like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who questioned why the Dodgers were awarding “a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians,” and Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League, who called SPI an “obscene anti-Catholic group,” the team reversed course.

Following that announcement, a wave of backlash from LGBT advocacy organizations and media outlets like the LA Times, which blamed the move on complaints from “religious and political extremists” and described SPI as using “satire and drag to call attention to sexual intolerance and raise money for nonprofit organizations that benefit underserved communities.”

The LA Times echoed similar language used by the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which accused the Dodgers of “buckling to pressure from out-of-state, right-wing fundamentalists” and accused abortion opponents of “white supremacy.”

“We at the Center know that the religious right — a minority aligned with white supremacy and attacks on reproductive justice — does not speak for all people of faith, including the many people of faith within the [LGBT] community,” the LGBT Center said in a statement.

Days later, the Dodgers apologized and re-invited SPI to participate in the pride event.

A team statement said in part: “After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the [LGBT] community and their friends and families.”

The drag group later confirmed they had accepted the Dodgers’ apology: “This affair has been an opportunity for learning with a silver lining. Our group has been strengthened, protected, and uplifted to a position where we may now offer our message of hope and joy to far more people than before.

God, Jesus, and God’s Word have been cast off. It is as if He does not exist, and we can do whatever we like including blasphemy.

What we see Jesus spoke about as being one of the many end times signs before He returns. For Christians, it will be a time of increasing persecution as Jesus refines His church. It is time we stand firm and allow the Holy Spirit to direct our every step. Only then will we have the peace of God which passes all understanding.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
“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. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:6-14

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

TESTIMONY OF THE AUTHOR OF ARAB SPRING CHRISTIAN WINTER

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How to Build a Faith That Will Withstand Any Persecution

I will close this book with a few words of hopeful wisdom to help you in case you are terrified of the future and wonder if you will be able to withstand the difficult days ahead. I do not claim in any way that I have a monopoly on how to build a solid Christian life, or some special secret to achieve rapid maturity, an oxymoron in itself. It would be impossible for you to have the same huge host of people build into your life that have built into mine. I’m very sorry for those of you who have had few, if any, people pour into your life by spending time with you, praying with and for you, and guiding your growth as a Christian. I have been hugely blessed in this regard. Because of that godly input over many years and forty-plus years of walking with the Lord, I have a few ideas on how to build an unshakeable faith. People often ask me if I have doubted my faith while serving the Lord abroad in overwhelmingly Muslim communities. My answer is always “No. Being the only Christian for miles around actually builds my faith stronger.” That is because I continually see the vivid contrast between the reality of Christianity and the Holy Spirit within us, and the deadness of religion, even one that calls for extremely high commitment. As I’ve said many times before in print and in person, ONLY the Holy Spirit can change a life, no one else. That’s the primary, on-the-ground difference between Christianity and every other faith out there. The longer you are among those other faiths, even as you find elements worthy of admiration in them, you will understand that none of them actually change the heart.

So let’s take a brief look at a few steps you can consider to build a faith that will remain true and strong, even if Islamists order you to forsake it. ​1. ​Get Into a Small Group(s). There is absolutely no need to build a strong faith through your own effort, gutting out daily Bible reading, going to church whenever you can, and trying to pray for longer and longer amounts of time each day. The modern, Western thought that we can walk with Jesus but not follow any “organized religion” is wrongheaded. This type of Lone Ranger Christianity is nowhere to be found in God’s Word. It is a Western, individualistic interpretation of a faith that grew out of small groups, as we see all over the Book of Acts. I am saying clearly that you cannot grow the type of faith you will need in the End Times by watching sermons on television or online and staying in your own home with no regular contact with other Christians. The Church will never stand strong if it’s built on survivalists who move as far away from others as they can and practice an isolationist Christianity. You should not want to dive into body life simply because it is commanded. You should do it because it is enjoyable and a necessary part of your growth. We all need that sharpening from one another, as Proverbs 27:17 says, As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

The author of the book Arab Spring Christian Winter – Islam Unleashed on the Church and the World, Ralph Stice has spent many years living, working, and ministering in Muslim countries. His time in Turkey (seat of the former Ottoman Empire) has led him to the same conclusion as Joel Richardson author of The Mid East Beast – The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist.

HOW DO WE RESPOND TO INCREASING PERSECUTION?

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As we see the final days approaching, how do we respond? Do we get overwhelmed by the looming threats to our daily lives? Are we overcome with fear when thinking of the things that are soon to come upon this Earth? Do we look inward and despair or do we look upward to Christ with hope?

“The steps of a man are established by the LORD when he delights in his way; though he falls, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.” Psalms 37:23-24

As believers, we have confidence knowing that our steps are guided by the one who purchased us at Calvary. We have the certainty that our good Shepherd will lead us through the most difficult of times. Why? Because He said He would.

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

We have the assurance that Christ will be with us until the very end. Though many will fall away and betray one another, we can always rely on Christ to remain with us – His sons and daughters.

“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. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

If you doubt the Lord’s provision, let me remind you of the one who led His people out of Egypt and fed them with manna for 40 years in the wilderness. How about the one who fed the 5,000 with just five loaves and two fish?

The one who did these things is also the one who says, “I am with YOU always.” We have no reason to fear the coming days. For if we delight in the Lord and His ways…He will guide our steps.

Pray that we may serve Him well until the very end Maranatha!