A CIVIL WAR IS BREWING IN THE USA

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America is deeply divided, yet there is no single conflict at the core of the discord. Instead, an ideological divide is widening at an alarming pace. We have seen “cancel culture,” which initially aimed to suppress opposing voices, evolve into an “assassination culture,” where some openly call for the violent elimination of adversaries.

Evidence of this disturbing trend was highlighted by a recent Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) report. Among those surveyed who self-identified as left-of-center, 55% felt that assassinating President Trump could be justified to some extent, while 48% said the same about Elon Musk. Alarmingly, 38% of all respondents believed it would be at least somewhat justifiable to murder Donald Trump. Researchers noted that these findings reflect a growing acceptance of political violence among ideological extremists.

Such a dangerous shift is taking root as assassination ideation becomes more normalized. We’ve seen Tesla dealerships vandalized and the murder of executives like Brian Thompson of United Healthcare met with approval in certain circles. Clearly, extremism begets extremism, and the future of America stands on precarious ground.

History and Scripture are unequivocal: a house — or a nation — divided against itself cannot stand for long. If America wishes to remain under a shared roof, it must find a path toward unity.

This is spiritual warfare, and because we are approaching the time of Jesus’s return, it will only intensify, so civil war between the States is a real possibility. If it does, expect China, possibly in collusion with Russia, to take advantage of it. We are in the end times, and wars and rumours of wars are prophesied.

“And you will hear of wars and rumours 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.” Matthew 24:6-8

RULING AND REIGNING WITH JESUS AND THE SAINTS ON THIS EARTH

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In this video, Matthew Foley of the International School of the Word (ISOW INSIGHTS) interviews me about Jesus’ coming Millennial Kingdom.

I reveal to Matthew that I was reluctant when the Holy Spirit directed me to focus on what is next on God’s agenda for this planet. This Earth has had almost 6000 years of Satan as ruler of the nations. His rule is ending, and the nation God established for His purposes, Israel, will finally fulfil its destiny with its Messiah, Jesus, ruling all the countries of the earth for 1000 years. Jesus rules from a newly constructed Jerusalem on the highest mountain on earth. We discuss what the Bible says concerning Jesus’ ruling and reigning on earth with the resurrected Saints. The curse is not lifted, so people are still being born, and people are dying. Jesus and the Saints need to rule with a rod of iron, and people still need to repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. You will need to watch the video to learn more, or go to the website http://www.millennialkingdom.net

DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY IS AN ESSENTIAL TRUTH OF CHRITIANITY

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After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). 

God consists of three Persons in One God. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a secondary doctrine, but an essential truth of the Christian faith. The Scottish theologian Thomas Torrance (1913-2007) wisely wrote, “The doctrine of the Trinity is the central dogma of Christian theology, the fundamental grammar of our knowledge of God.” Any other definition of God is false. 

Some recent research sadly revealed that only 11% of Americans believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. This statistic is truly alarming. After all, God’s nature is a foundational component of Christianity 101. 

Christian baptism is always administered in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Oxford theologian Alister McGrath said, “The doctrine of the Trinity wasn’t invented — it was uncovered.” And of course, the place where this glorious doctrine was uncovered is Holy Scripture. When Jesus was baptized, we see all three Persons of the Godhead in action. “As soon as Jesus was baptised, He went up and out of the water. At that moment, Heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from Heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:13-17).

Any religious group that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity is clearly outside of Christianity. After all, anyone who rejects the true nature of God is walking in spiritual darkness (see John 1:5) and without the guidance of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2:14). You see, it is a different spirit that leads people to reject the Trinity. The Apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

Two such false prophets were Joseph Smith, who invented the Mormon religion, and Charles Taze Russell, who started the religious sect known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Both men rejected the doctrine of the Trinity, and both men manufactured “another Jesus” (2 Cor. 11:4) and “a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6). Millions of Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses have been led astray by the terribly flawed teachings of these two false prophets. (This excellent resource reveals the heretical doctrines of these two religious organizations and how to respond with the truth.)

United Church of God and Oneness Pentecostalism are two religious groups that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. They teach that the Trinity is a product of pagan mythology and Greek philosophy.” Oneness Pentecostals maintain that “the only real ‘person’ in the Godhead is Jesus. Thus, this religious group is often referred to as the ‘Jesus Only’ movement.” They baptise only in the name of Jesus, rather than the way Jesus instructed His disciples to baptise. 

Mike Barden is a former Oneness Pentecostal who said, “I realizsd that I had fully embraced ‘another gospel’ than the one in the Bible!” Mike also said, “The unbiblical view of salvation within Oneness Pentecostalism creates great and unnecessary spiritual frustration for anyone seeking salvation. Instead of understanding the amazing grace of God that immediately frees an underserving sinner from the guilt of their sin, people in Oneness churches are taught that they are not yet saved if they haven’t spoken in tongues.”

Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, United Church of God, and Oneness Pentecostals completely twist the truth of Scripture to fit within the doctrinal agenda of their false teachers. These groups attack the doctrine of the Trinity, thereby blaspheming God and corrupting baptism, even when some biblical terminology is used during their baptisms. The Holy Spirit does not participate in these counterfeit baptisms because these heretical groups have perverted the message of the Bible. There is a different spirit at play whenever fallen angels use false prophets as their mouthpiece to promote “another gospel” (Galatians 1:8). Scripture warns us about “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

Christian baptism is built upon the true nature of God. And the formula for baptism, which Jesus gave His followers, contains the beautiful truth about our Triune God. Simply put, believing in the three equal Persons who make up the Holy Trinity is foundational to following Christ.

POPE FRANCIS: SERVANT OR ENEMY OF CHRIST?

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Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6, and yet Pope Francis believed all faiths lead to heaven.  Pope Francis, referring to the universal nature of God, claimed, “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.”

This video will show how far Pope Francis was from the truth of God’s Word.

Pope Francis did not believe Jesus was the only way to God, and yet Jesus said the following:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

“If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:6

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SATAN WILL HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR THE RAPTURE

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When millions of people are taken up from the world in the rapture, what will the world think has happened? Those people who believe they are Christians and know Biblical end times prophecies will know the rapture has taken place, and they are those of the church in Laodicea.

“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” Revelation 3:16-18

Hopefully, they will heed Jesus’ instruction and repent and seek Him. But what of the unsaved? The enemy, Satan, undoubtedly will have a counter explanation ready for when that happens; after all, he has read the Bible too.

STAN’S STRATEGY: Not only are demons manifesting in the heavenlies as aliens, but they are also sending messages to many on earth, which reveals their true character. In general, the entities communicate that the earth will soon undergo a period of cataclysmic changes. The descriptions they give are of what transpires when God pours out His wrath upon the earth. However, these so-called “aliens” are nothing more than demons pretending to be from some other galaxy. Their messages, as we will see, consist of some basic ideas that are the diabolical mirror to the Bible. 1. Cataclysmic events will come upon the earth. 2. They will help us overcome those events. 3. They will take those that can’t or won’t evolve to the next level. 4. Those that remain get to evolve to the next level now. 5. A man from among us will be raised with special powers and knowledge.

We can safely conclude that some time shortly after the rapture, the demons will most likely appear to the world as the saviors of the world and will provide an answer for the disappearance of over 700 million people worldwide. Many believe that the aliens/demons will say that they were the ones who seeded the planet (were the Creators of man) and have returned to help in our hour of greatest need. The reason that most of the world will not immediately turn to the God of heaven and earth following the rapture is because the enemy has been conditioning people for just such an event. The rapture is certain in that God has clearly said it would come to pass; therefore, Satan (as the father of lies, cf. John 8:44) must have some type of event in place to deceive the world when the event occurs.

Sometimes the message is that the people evacuated will be resettled to another planet. Sometimes the “aliens” tell us not to worry about where the ones taken will go. And sometimes we see it is the bad aliens who have come to catch people up into their spaceships; those brave enough to resist will survive, as portrayed in the 2010 movie Skyline, whose motto is “do not look up” because those that look at the light will be taken. Jesus told us to “look up” (Luke 21:28) when we see all these things beginning to come to pass. Could it be that Satan has found a clever way to encourage people to do just the opposite?

In her book Aliens Among Us, Ruth Montgomery writes of how the “aliens” have communicated: “We are coming in great numbers, not with any intention of harm, but to rescue the earth from pollution and nuclear explosions”. Some like Barbara Marciniak, a popular New Age author and channeller, in her book Bringers of the Dawn, writes of messages she claims she received from extra-terrestrials from the star system Pleiades. She discusses the disappearance that is coming on the world. The people who leave the planet during the time of Earth changes do not fit in here any longer, and they are stopping the harmony of Earth. When the time comes that perhaps 20 million people leave the planet at one time, there will be a tremendous shift in consciousness for those who are remaining.

It should be clear that Satan and his legions are making great preparations to have a counter explanation once the rapture occurs. She also shares another “message” from the ETs regarding the rationale for why millions of people will be taken. If human beings do not change—if they do not make the shift in values and realize that without Earth they could not be here—then Earth, in its love for its own initiation and its reaching for a higher frequency, will bring about a cleansing that will balance it once again. There is the potential for many people to leave the planet in an afternoon.

New Age writer Thelma Terrell claims to have received messages from Ashtar, the leader of an “alien confederation,” concerning the evacuation of millions around the globe. Those familiar with the Bible immediately see that Ashtar is nothing more than the same demon from Bible times (Asherah/Ashtoreth) but with a message that modern man wants to hear. Ashtar has communicated that “Earth changes will be the primary factor in mass evacuation of this planet.” Therefore, because of the impending events coming upon the earth, the “alien” ships will come in close enough to lift people off the earth “in the twinkling of an eye,”—even the terminology is borrowed from the Bible concerning the rapture. Our rescue ships will be able to come in close enough in the twinkling of an eye to set the lifting beams in operation in a moment. And all over the globe where events warrant it, this will be the method of evacuation. Mankind will be lifted, levitated shall we say, by the beams from our smaller ships. These smaller craft will in turn taxi the persons to the larger ships overhead, higher in the atmosphere, where there is ample space and quarters and supplies for millions of people.

The demons who are posing as “aliens” will try to convince mankind that they, in fact, are the saviours. The demons/“aliens” need to reassure those left behind that they in fact are the ones getting the better deal since then the aliens will return for “the children of all ages and races. The implication is that those taken were not part of the “children of all ages and races”. Do not be concerned nor unduly upset if you do not participate in this first temporary lift-up of souls who serve with us. This merely means that your action in the plan is elsewhere, and you will be taken for your instructions or will receive them in some other manner. Do not take any personal affront if you are not alerted or are not a participant in this first phase of our plan. Your time will come later, and these instructions are not necessary for you at this time.

The website Gateway to Oneness speaks of one named Cristah, the light worker, who receives messages from Ashtar. Cristah relays Ashtar’s message: “those who do not believe, will be left in the 3rd dimension,” and “those that are not of the light must stay and learn here in the 3rd dimension.” Cristah adds that Ashtar “says that the fate of earth’s inhabitants” will be handled on an individual basis.” The idea is that the disappearance of millions around the globe will be due to them being left in the third dimension, and those that then find themselves on the earth have transitioned to the fourth dimension.

Ashtar has been leaving messages with other channellers as well in order to make sure that his message is heard and spread. Johanna Michaelson is a former New Ager who is now a Christian. In her book Like Lambs to the Slaughter: Your Child and the Occult, she writes about the well-known New Age guru John Randolph Price, who also receives messages from Asher (a variation of Ashtar). Michaelson relays that, according to John Randolph Price, as many as two billion people could be wiped off the planet. This seemingly refers to the trials coming upon the earth versus the evacuation, nevertheless, the impact will be “we told you so” once the events begin to occur.

In his book Corrupting the Image – Angels, Aliens and the Antichrist Revealed, Doug Hamp provides many other New Age gurus’ messages that convey a similar message. In summary, the messages from the “aliens” and the New Age are clear: major earth changes and cataclysms are coming upon the earth. As a result, many will be removed from the earth in the twinkling of an eye by the “aliens” or will remain in the third dimension while everyone else moves into the fourth dimension. The rapture is certain, and Satan has prepared for the event through the movies and through channellers receiving messages from “aliens” about the impending event.

CHINA CLOSES THE DOOR ON FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced last week that, starting May 1, 2025, foreign missionaries will be prohibited from sharing their faith, preaching, and establishing religious organisations.

As reported by International Christian Concern, “Chinese state media claimed that the newly revised rules promote national security — a common justification for CCP persecution of religion — and help to protect ‘normal religious activities,’ referring to activities run under strict government oversight as part of state-run religious institutions.”

The restrictions apply to all religions and prohibit “non-Chinese citizens residing in the country from establishing religious organizations, preaching without authorization, founding religious schools, producing or selling religious books, accepting religious donations, or recruiting Chinese citizens as religious followers.” They further stipulate that any foreign clergy entering China may only preach if invited to by a state-run religious organization, and that all content must not “interfere with China’s religious affairs” and must be pre-approved.

This latest crackdown on independent religious groups is part of a larger pattern of religious persecution under Xi’s regime. China’s state-run media outlet the Global Times recently boasted, “China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024. They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.”

Xi’s campaign against religious freedom largely began in 2016 when he declared that he wanted to “Sinicize” all religion in China. This effort has led to the CCP officially recognising only a handful of religions and triggered the rise of state-run institutions like the protestant Three Self Church and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. In response, the underground “house church” movement of believers who wish to worship free from government oversight has grown significantly — but so has the government crackdown on the movement. Church raids by police have become commonplace.

This is just another of the end times signs. The Bible tells us that China (kings from the East) will be involved in the last great battle of Armageddon when Jesus returns to rescue and restore Israel.

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” Revelation 16:12-14

ON WHOSE MORALITY WILL WE BASE OUR LAWS?

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Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States inherited English common law from Great Britain.  It has a well-deserved reputation for fair and impartial justice, which is the indispensable foundation of a free society.  Without justice that is fair and impartial, freedom allows the powerful to use their freedom to crush the freedom of all who are less powerful.  Not until a community has built justice and freedom is it able to build the flourishing prosperity available only through the biblical system of private enterprise.

Are you surprised that much of the law that governs Australia is deeply rooted in Christianity?  If you are surprised, it is because, like most Australians, you have been taught to believe the lie that government can be “ secular“, which means separate from religion.  The truth is that there is no such thing as a “secular” nation, and there never can be.  Secular government is an academic fantasy because:

  • all nations must have laws;
  • all laws attempt to define right and wrong (morality); and
  • all morality is a matter of belief (i.e. religion).

All law is enacted morality.  A nation cannot be “secular“, because its laws must be based on someone’s beliefs about morality.  Perhaps the most fundamental and crucial question facing every nation is this.  On whose morality shall we base our laws?

Until recently, our judges based their common law decisions on Christ’s love-based morality – love your neighbour as you love yourself.  Freedom flourished because people loved their neighbour by respecting their freedom.  Prosperity followed because most people in the economy loved their neighbours by offering products that gave good value for money.  Nowadays, judges and politicians change the moral basis of our laws without our consent, and often without our knowledge.  They clearly don’t love us, and we are their neighbours!

These unloving “change agents” base our laws on beliefs that caused all the bloodshed of the French revolution and later Marxist dictatorships.  They are adherents of secular humanism, a trendy little non-theistic religious cult of the inner suburban latte-set.  The cult’s Manifesto says it is centred “solely on human interests and values”, with morality based on “the temporal well-being of man” with no need to refer to a god if there is one.

Perhaps you find it hard to believe that some judges, politicians, academics, and others would deliberately work against the widely held beliefs of our community.  Sadly, the clearest evidence is available.  Professor Manning Clark was quoted as saying of his friend the late Justice Lionel Murphy:

“it had been one of Murphy’s aims to dismantle the Judeo-Christian ethic of Australian society.”
(page 8, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 October 1986).

Murphy’s protege, Senator Gareth Evans, a former president of the Humanist Society and a key advocate of the infamous Bill of Rights, was himself once quoted as saying:

“children want a right to sexual freedom and education and protection from the influence of Christianity.”
(page 11, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 May 1976).

Some of the objectives of secular humanism are to establish:

  • a new world order (one world government)
  • a new economic system (to be run by international bankers)
  • a new race of people (by means of genetic engineering) and
  • a new world religion

All of these are prophesied to be realised under the control of the Antichrist. He is living but yet to be revealed. The UN announced a High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine to be held at its headquarters from June 2 to 4, 2025, as the General Assembly emphasised that a two-state solution remains the “only path to lasting peace” in the Middle East. Watch for who is involved in this meeting and its outcome.

Humanism’s aim of one world government is clear from its Manifesto, which states:

“We deplore the division of humankind on nationalistic grounds.  We’ve reached a turning point in history where the best option is to transcend the limits of national sovereignty and to move toward the building of a world community in which all sectors of the human family can participate.  Thus we look toward the development of a system of world law and order based upon trans-national federal government.”

Their fervour for a new world religion has been expressed this way:

“The battle for mankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as proselytisers of a new faith.  The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new; between the rotting corpse of Christianity on the one hand, and the new faith of humanism on the other.” (Humanist Magazine, January/February 1983)

They intend to legislate control of Christian churches.  The Humanist Manifesto states:

“Humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for the fulfilment of human life.  The intelligent evaluation, transformation, control and direction of all such associations and institutions with a view to enhancement of human life is the purpose and programme of humanism.  Certain religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, their ecclesiastical methods and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience allows in order to function effectively in the modern world.”

These statements are a bold attack on the Christian foundations of our freedom.  It’s time for Australians to wake up.  We have been steadily losing freedoms since politicians began using the idea of secular government to gradually replace Christ’s love-based moral foundation for our laws.  As already shown, the claim that government is secular is a lie, because government can’t avoid basing laws on someone’s beliefs about right and wrong.  As the great 20th-century jurist Lord Denning wrote:

“Without religion, there can be no morality, without morality, there can be no law.”

Extracts from an article by Richard Eason entitled Australia’s Priceless Christian Heritage.

Fortunately, Christians who believe the Bible is God’s true history of this Cosmos know the end of the story. Fulfilled prophecies are proof that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The 300-plus prophecies of Jesus’ first coming to earth were fulfilled to the letter, and the 2000 prophecies of Jesus’ second coming and His transitional Millennial Kingdom are playing out in our lifetime. They tell us that there will be a one-world government ruled by the Antichrist for three and a half years. Christians who are watching for the fulfilment of these prophecies can use them to evangelise and warn unbelievers of the consequences of taking the mark of the Beast.

UK – A SHIFTING FROM SHRINKING TO A GROWING CHURCH

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Based on The Quiet Revival report by the UK Bible Society, Glen Scrivener reports that the church is growing across age and ethnic groups. Nominalism is shrinking, and church engagement is growing, which is encouraging. A shift from a secular myth to religious reality is real in the UK.

Monthly church attendance in England and Wales has increased by over 50 per cent in just six years, according to a newly released report by the Bible Society UK.

The Quiet Revival report, drawing on nationally representative YouGov surveys from 2018 and 2024, reveals that 12 per cent of adults in England and Wales now attend church at least once a month — up from 8 per cent in 2018.

While the percentage shift may seem modest, it represents a striking increase in real terms: from 3.7 million to 5.8 million regular churchgoers over just six years, or a 50 per cent increase.

Significantly, the fastest growth has taken place among 18 to 24-year-olds. In 2018, only 4 per cent in this age group reported monthly church attendance. That figure has now quadrupled to 16 per cent.

Young men have led the surge. One in five men aged 18 to 24 — or 21 per cent of their entire cohort across England and Wales — now report regular church attendance. The researchers suggested that this revival may be linked to a changing public tone around Christianity. While older generations may have associated faith with social pressure or institutionalism, young adults are encountering it as a source of hope, meaning, and belonging.

Christianity is now being seen — at least by some — as a viable response to loneliness, anxiety, and a society searching for purpose. “Having a Christian faith is again being normalised and is arguably even culturally attractive,” the report concludes.

The latest news from Britain correlates closely with similar findings in the United States. After decades of decline, Christianity’s retreat in America has stabilised, with a surprising resurgence among young conservative men, according to major Pew survey showing Christian identity holding steady since 2019.

Arguably, the most compelling insight from the report is that British Christianity is not only expanding in reach, but also deepening in conviction. Christian faith is increasingly being chosen rather than inherited, marking a shift from nominal Christianity to intentional belief and practice.

Among churchgoers, 67 per cent read the Bible weekly outside of church services — up from 54 per cent in 2018. Young Christians are particularly engaged, with high rates of Bible reading, prayer, and curiosity about Scripture.

“These are not passive believers,” the report notes. “They are committed, spiritually active, and often vocal about their faith.”

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

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Pastor John Piper responds to a viral social media post by Jordan Peterson stating that life’s purpose is meaning rather than happiness. Piper insists believers glorify God by finding true joy in Him even amid suffering. I agree with Piper’s view.

‘In your presence [O God] there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore’ Psalm 16:11

In a Nov. 12, 2024, post on X that garnered 2.1 million views and 31,000 likes​, Peterson, a Canadian psychologist, wrote, “Life is suffering. The purpose of life is not to be happy, but to find something that sustains you in spite of suffering.”

In response to a reader who asked the pastor to share his thoughts on the topic, Piper, founder of Desiring God, acknowledged a core truth in Peterson’s message: chasing superficial, momentary pleasure is futile. 

Peterson is “right that for most people, happiness is experienced as fleeting, superficial, unpredictable, and impulsive” when pursued as an end in itself, Piper said in a recent episode of his “Ask Pastor John” podcast.

He also agreed that life should indeed be “profoundly meaningful” rather than spent in pursuit of empty pleasures. “I want people to have lives that are profoundly meaningful. So, amen, yes,” Piper noted.

However, the author of Don’t Waste Your Life diverges from Peterson on the role of happiness in life’s purpose. Piper stressed that the concept of happiness shouldn’t be discarded but redeemed. 

In contrast to Peterson’s approach of abandoning “happiness” as a life goal, Piper contended that true, deep happiness “rooted in God” is not only legitimate but essential​. 

The Minnesota-based pastor cautioned that even “meaning” can become an empty concept if divorced from God.

“I’ve been pursuing a different strategy than Jordan Peterson in the hope of rescuing people from the pursuit of fleeting, unpredictable, impulsive, superficial and (I would add) God-dishonoring, Christ-diminishing, Bible-ignoring, damning happiness,” he said. 

Drawing from biblical teaching, Piper laid out five key points to explain why joy in God stands at the heart of creation and the Christian life. First, Piper said God created the world to display His glory.​

“Creation is the overflow of God’s exuberance in being God,” he explained, meaning the universe exists to showcase God’s greatness, beauty and worth​.

“You might say that creation is the overflow of God’s exuberance in being God, in being great and beautiful and valuable, supremely so — so much so that He means to go public with His glory and communicate it,” he said.

Second, human beings are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and designed to reflect that glory​, Piper said, adding: “That’s what images are for; they image forth what they are images of.”

Third, Piper addressed the reality of sin and suffering, emphasizing that no one lives out God’s purpose perfectly; in fact, humanity has turned away and become “enemies of God.”​

Fourth, Piper stressed that being “supremely happy” in God is crucial to honouring Him, a principle that lies at the heart of his perspective. The pastor defined the term in a 2015 piece as “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

“Being supremely happy in God […] is essential to glorifying God and showing that He’s supremely valuable,” he said, “and this is true especially in our suffering.”

When believers continue to delight in God amid trials, it demonstrates that God is more precious than health, comfort or any earthly gain, he said. “If we can maintain a deep and unshaken happiness in God through suffering, we make Him look as precious as He really is,” Piper explained​.

Finally, Piper noted that if God is most glorified when His creation is satisfied in Him, then pursuing joy in God is not optional but commanded​.

“Happiness, joy, pleasure — they’re not optional for the Christian,” he said, pointing to the Bible’s many calls to rejoice. Scripture repeatedly instructs believers to “Delight yourself in the Lord” and “Rejoice in the Lord always.”

“Enjoying Him is not a by-product of something greater. It is the essence of human greatness. It is the essence of worship.”

John Piper should have included the most important aspect of living out the Christian life: Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to indwell our spirit so we can live a new life in Christ. He is our counsellor, teacher, comforter and helper. He produces the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. He also provides the nine gifts of the Spirit for ministry. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Our responsibility is to allow Him to direct our steps each day by saying, “not my will but your will be done” today.

HOW TO SPIRITUALLY BATTLE FOR YOUR KIDS

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According to the CDC  (U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) and Barna Group, one in five high school students has considered suicide, and nearly one in 10 has attempted it. A staggering 40% report persistent sadness or hopelessness. Substance use, atheism and gender confusion are rising across Gen Z. And amid it all, 1.5 million minors run away from home each year in the U.S.

As the mental health crisis among teens reaches new heights with skyrocketing rates of depression, suicide ideation and a growing disconnection from faith, author Laine Lawson Craft is assuring parents they are not powerless — they are at war.

Her latest book,Warfare Parenting: A Daily Battle Plan to Fight for Your Child, released in March, is a devotional drawn straight from the trenches of Craft’s own experience: each of her three children, despite growing up in a Christian home, became prodigals, drifting into rebellion, darkness and substance abuse during their teenage years. 

But after more than a decade of prayer, pleading and proclaiming Scripture, Craft watched God transform not just their lives, but her own.

“We were doing everything we thought the Lord told us to do,” Craft told The Christian Post. “And yet, my three children were battling different wars with the enemy.”

The idea that the battle is not with the child, but with darkness itself, is at the crux of Warfare Parenting. According to Craft, the devotional is designed to provide not only daily doses of hope, but also practical and spiritual tools for those in the throes of parenting children who have wandered from the faith or are ensnared in destructive patterns.

“I realized I wasn’t battling my children. I was battling the enemy,” she said. “And that’s where warfare parenting comes in, because the enemy is tough. He’s out to seek, kill, and destroy our children’s destinies.”

But in contrast to fear or moral panic, Warfare Parenting offers parents a strategic path forward: Scripture, prayer, surrender and the belief that no prodigal is too far gone for God. Craft is no stranger to battles, spiritual or otherwise. Before becoming an author and host of the “Warfare Parenting” podcast, she ran a national magazine, WHOAwomen, which placed women of faith like Dolly Parton and Kathie Lee Gifford on covers beside mainstream titles like Oprah and Woman’s Day.

But even as she found success in publishing and ministry, her own home was unravelling. Her children were caught in the grip of partying, addiction and suicidal ideation. “One of my children was hearing voices that told her life would be better without her,” she shared. “Another was hooked on music festivals and drugs. Another just spiraled into partying. All three had different battles.”

What carried Craft through was not formulaic parenting advice but daily immersion in the Word of God. Over 10 years, she read the Bible cover to cover eight times. As she read, she began to jot down verses for fellow parents in pain, verses that later became the 365-day devotional now in print.

“This book started in the margins of my Bible and in my iPhone notes,” she said. “Each day, God gave me a scripture for a parent in the battle.”

One of her sons took 15 years to return home spiritually. During that time, she says she quite literally hit the floor in prayer, pleading the blood of Jesus over him every single day. “When God touched him, he was high. But the encounter was so profound, he was changed forever,” she said.

Craft lamented that in the Christian community, parenting a prodigal can come with a heavy load of shame. Scripture often cited, “train up a child in the way he should go … ” can feel like condemnation when a child veers off course, she said.

“People think if their child has strayed, it’s a reflection on them as a bad Christian parent,” Craft said. “But that’s not the truth. It’s a reflection of how ferocious the enemy is.” That shame, she stressed, is what keeps many parents silent, isolated and vulnerable.

“I think that’s why we have to be loud,” she said. “If we aren’t loud, the shame will build.” For Craft, breaking that silence means building communities. Inspired by the widespread recovery network Celebrate Recovery, she envisions Warfare Parenting small groups popping up in churches and homes across the country, where parents can come together to pray, swap “life hacks,” and intercede for one another’s children.

“We need a safe place with no shame,” she said. “A place where someone can say, ‘Can you help me stand in the gap?’”

Based on her own experiences, Craft wants every parent, grandparent and guardian to know that no child is too far gone for redemption. “If there’s one message I’d give, it’s ‘don’t give up,’” she said. “God can clean them up in a second. He loves them in the darkness and will come down and rescue and deliver them.”