JIMMY CARTER’S CHRISTIAN FAITH: WHAT WAS IT BUILT ON?

At his own funeral and the funeral of his wife, Rosalynn, Jimmy Carter had Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sing John Lennon’s atheistic ballad “Imagine.”

“Imagine” perfectly encapsulates a secular worldview: “Imagine there’s no Heaven / It’s easy if you try / No Hell below us / Above us, only sky.” Wow—no accountability. We can make up all the rules. We can live any way we want to, and we’ll never have to answer for it. As Church Lady ( Enid Strict, better known as The Church Lady, is a fictional character portrayed by Dana Carvey on American sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live) might say, “How convenient!”

“Imagine” croons on: “Imagine all the people / Living for today … Imagine there are no countries / It isn’t hard to do / Nothing to kill or die for / And no religion, too.”

These lyrics are clearly at odds with Carter’s professed faith in Jesus.

In his January 10, 2025 edition of “Gary Varvel’s Views from the Right,” the syndicated political cartoonist comments: “The song, ‘Imagine’ is the opposite of what Carter said he believed. Look, I have some doctrinal issues with Carter’s position on abortion and marriage, but he claimed to be born again, which requires faith in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Based on that, I assume Carter also believed in life after death and a literal heaven. So why on earth would Garth sing the song, ‘Imagine?’” This seems like cognitive dissonance.

What Lennon and Yoko Ono’s song does is undermine the very solution to the problems that plague humanity. This has been demonstrated over and over by the atheistic utopian regimes (Mao in China, Stalin in the USSR, Pol Pot in Cambodia, etc.) that engineered the deaths of over 100 million people in the 20th century alone.

America’s founders and early leaders recognized the sinfulness of man and that God would hold us to account one day. That’s why the Constitution has proved so durable. Most of the original state constitutions, notes historian Bill Federer, author of The Original 13: A Documentary History of Religion in America’s First Thirteen States, required that those who held public office be believers in God, lest they advocate lawlessness. For instance, Federer cites the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, which required officeholders to acknowledge “one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and the Punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.” Ben Franklin signed this.

Federer told me, “Later, Pennsylvania’s 179018381874 and 1968 Constitutions contained the wording: “That no person, who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments, shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this commonwealth.’” Knowing our accountability to God should change how we act.

Robert Winthrop, a Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in the mid-19th century, once put it this way: “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.

The problem with the song “Imagine” is that it is predicated on the goodness of man — a chimerical idea at best. One has to ask what did Jimmy Carter really believe?

FAMILY – GOD’S MASTERPIECE

The number of married households in America has fallen from 71% in 1971 to 47% in 2022? When mothers and fathers cannot take their place in God’s order, and children lack the example of a working father, society sets young people up for a life of government dependence and wasted potential. This is the big challenge facing the new Trump-led government, a godless generation.

America’s retreat from work serves as an indictment of the US welfare system. After the Left purposefully throttled President Donald Trump’s red-hot economy in the name of COVID-19, Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion spending spree gave workers collecting unemployment a $300 weekly bonus. That surplus gave approximately one in four workers more money than they could earn by working. One study showed that policy alone depressed employment by approximately 14%.

The report also shows the problems presented by counterproductive economic interventionist policies that destroy jobs and opportunity. Politicians promote tax hikes that raise prices, massive spending that fuels inflation, and subsidies for unpopular products such as electric vehicles — all of which distort the market — for short-term political gain. For example, a minimum wage, when raised too high, prices out the poorest and neediest from the job market. The CBO estimated a proposed minimum wage hike would give workers an average of $50 a week — and throw 1.3 million people out of the workforce, reducing GDP by $9 billion.

During the last four years of the Biden-Harris administration, all net job growth has gone to immigrants. Between 2019 and late 2023, 2.9 million immigrants took U.S. jobs, while 183,000 American citizens left the workforce. Mass immigration—illegal and legal—reduces wages, making a welfare check seem far more inviting than 40 hours of toil. 

Churches alone stand in the position to address the underlying issues that keep sidelined Americans out of the workforce — addiction, depression, lack of motivation, family commitments, lack of child care, etc. — and to elevate even seemingly mundane work to its true spiritual significance.

LISTEN TO WHAT MEL GIBSON SAYS ABOUT GOD AND THE L.A. FIRES

Ray Comfort has been accused of mocking God more than Hollywood in light of the Los Angeles fires. But is there any truth to this claim? In the video “Hollywood Mocks God, and This Happens,” Ray clarifies his original position, explaining that while we cannot definitively say the LA fires are God’s judgment, we do know that God sends both rain and sunshine. It’s challenging to attribute God’s judgment of Hollywood to a single event. However, over the past 40+ years, Hollywood has consistently mocked God, distorted truth, glorified sensuality, and exalted sin. Could this be storing up the wrath of God, as the Bible warns?

SO CALLED CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANIES

Zondervan Publishing has just released a new study Bible, The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible, with notes, essays, and book introductions that, according to the Amazon listing, feature “a diverse set of trusted Christian voices and explores difficult issues facing Christians today, with features that are honest, nuanced, and filled with grace.”

Should Christians use this study Bible?

Rather than showing how God’s Word is unique, giving us a set of glasses through which to view the world that is “upside down” to the world’s way of thinking, the writers take the world’s lenses of feminism, Marxism, evolution, and CRT and read the Bible through them.

Many of the notes I read were sprinkled with references to man-made climate change, terms like “forced migration experiences” and “systemic injustice.” From what I saw, these terms weren’t really defined, but all such terms are routinely used by “woke” and progressive Christians the same way the world uses them, so I think it’s safe to assume that the world’s definition is how they’re likewise being used here.

Also, this study Bible is supposed to be “nuanced,” and it certainly is. It’s so “squishy” on most controversial topics (but not certain “woke” ones—on some of those, the authors took obvious positions) that the notes lose any authority, turning into, “some people say this, and some people say that, but we can’t really know.” But in many cases, we can really know. For example, in Genesis, we can know how and when God created! We know He created male and female and established marriage and family as the basis of society. Homosexuality and transgenderism are abominations to Him.

Hence, this Upside Down Kingdom Bible from what was once a trusted Christian publishing company is just another end-times sign. The fact that Zondervan was acquired by Harper and Row, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, may explain their departure from believing the Bible is inerrant.

TRUMP’S INAUGURATION SPEECH

You need to watch and listen to Graham’s prayer and Trump’s speech. I was pleasantly surprised that most of his policies align with Scripture. For one, the law will acknowledge that there are only two sexes, male and female. The LGBTQ agenda in educational institutions will be eradicated. God will not be forgotten and be put back into His rightful place. “IN GOD, WE TRUST” on the USA banknotes will be meaningful again. The World has indeed just changed for the better.

The walls of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that were built throughout the Biden administration appear to be crumbling right before our eyes. In recent days, numerous companies and institutions have been forgoing their DEI programs and offices. Shortly after taking office, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) used his new position to end all state-funded DEI programs. And now, in a decision opponents of DEI have long waited for, the FBI has officially announced that they closed their DEI office.

Trump’s reaction: Why is it that they’re closing one day before the Inauguration of a new Administration? Is the reason CORRUPTION!”

CHRISTIANS CONTINUE TO FACE PERSECUTION YET THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO GROW

According to the latest report, 380 million Christians — one in seven worldwide — face high levels of persecution and discrimination.

As the organization has done for over 20 years, Open Doors US ranked North Korea No. 1 on its World Watch List. “North Korea continues to be a place that is incredibly difficult for Christians,” Brown stated. “Reports of violence have continued to escalate within North Korea, and it is expansive throughout the State.” Christians in North Korea could face execution or imprisonment in a labour camp if their faith is discovered, Open Doors warns. Despite the targeted oppression, however, the latest World Watch List reported that around 400,000 believers in North Korea are continuing to bear witness to the love of Christ. 

A North Korean Christian, Jung Jik (name changed for security reasons), who escaped imprisonment twice, is praying to see his child again and share Jesus with him, showcasing the determination persecuted believers have to keep God’s Word alive amid surges in anti-Christian violence across the globe. As Jung attested in the report, a large underground Church still survives in North Korea. “There’s still a large underground church. Because you pray, many people are miraculously healed, and they experience God’s power. They come to faith.”

Brown said Christians like Jung, who refuse to forsake Christ, are a model for Christ-followers in Western countries with the right to religious freedom. Throughout Christianity’s history, Brown stressed that the Church has continued to thrive, even when persecution is extreme. 

“There are places where the Church is, by all accounts, the life is being squeezed from it,” Brown said, citing the North African country of Algeria, which ranked 19th on the 2025 World Watch List, as an example. Per the report, “all Protestant churches [in Algeria] have been forced to close, and the number of Christians awaiting trial and sentencing is at an all-time high.” 

Other countries that have forced the Church underground include Afghanistan, which ranked No. 10 on the list. Due to the Taliban enforcing strict interpretations of Islamic law, converting from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death. Christians also face punishment or fear being murdered at the hands of their family, clan or tribe if they renounce Islam. 

“There are places where the Church is being forced deeply underground, and any visible expression of that presence is very difficult to observe,” Brown said. “But there are places where, in the midst of persecution, the Church continues to operate, the Church continues to minister.”

The latest report also found increased violence scores in 15 sub-Saharan countries since the 2023 World Watch List. The 2025 report noted that the sub-Saharan Africa region is the most violent due to Islamic extremist groups taking advantage of government instability. 

“Persecution is rising in countries such as Burkina Faso (20), Mali (14) and Chad (49), which enters the top 50 for the first time,” the report found. 

Christians in Yemen (3), Sudan (5) and Myanmar (13) are easy targets for persecution as anarchy and internal conflict within these regions grows, according to Open Doors. 

Nigeria, which ranked seventh on the list, stands out from many of the sub-Saharan countries, as there wasn’t much room for conditions in the region to worsen from previous years.

Christians in northern Nigeria are targeted by Fulani militants, Boko Haram and other extremist groups who murder or abduct people of faith. Thousands of Nigerian Christians have been killed in recent years. According to a summary of the 2025 report’s trends, “the measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology.” 

Fortunately, we know from Biblical prophecy that Christian persecution escalates in the time before Jesus returns to restore righteousness and usher in His Millennial Kingdom. This Earth still has 1000 years before it is destroyed. The nation God raised up for His purposes, Israel, must fulfill its destiny, and it will with Jesus reigning the nations of the world with the raised, glorified Saints. They rule with a rod of iron, indicating that the curse has not been lifted. People are still being born and are dying. They still need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Satan and his minions are bound for most of the thousand years but are released at the end, and he still raises an army of people like the sand of the sea to come against Jesus and the Saints. This says a lot about people who are given free will to choose. Sadly, like Satan and one-third of the angels, many want to be god and choose to rebel against God and His commandments.

THE PRINCIPALITIES THAT AMERICA NOW WORSHIP

The principalities that America now worship are Baal, Molech, and Ashtorah. The Dark Trinity works together to destroy America. This is a continuation of the message that Jonathan delivered in his book The Paradigm.

The Biblical templates of what is playing out in America are incredible, and they demonstrate that God is in control of all events in His Cosmos, including using President Trump for His purposes.

PROPHESIED END TIMES EVENTS ESCALATING

Over the past 20 years, beginning with Hurricane Katrina, the United States has seen its 10 most costly natural disasters. Hurricane Helene could top them all at an estimated $200–$250 billion in damages. The fires currently ravaging California might add to this grim record, with total costs yet unknown. That doesn’t count the irreplaceable loss of human life. Take a look at Ray Comfort’s video below on what could put these fires out.

Much of the crisis in Los Angeles stems from poor policy decisions, including environmental regulations that diverted 95% of crucial rainwater to the ocean instead of reservoirs. The Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) Strategic Plan for 2023-2026, “enhance[ing] community resilience, disaster recovery capabilities, and environmental sustainability”, ranked seventh out of seven prioritiesdead last. Much higher on the list was promoting a “progressive work environment” (second) and committing to “embrace[] diversity, equity, and inclusion” (third). These priorities reflect the goal of LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley, touted as “the first female and LGBTQ Fire Chief in the LAFD.

Turning away from God and His values results in chaos and, eventually, God’s judgement. When truth is rejected, justice suffers, and the consequences, though not always immediate, can be devastating.

Jesus actually warned of days like these. In Luke 21, when His disciples asked about the signs of the end times, He said, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences… and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” He then cautioned that believers would face persecution and be brought before leaders for His name’s sake, calling it an opportunity to bear witness.

So, how do we prepare for these unsettling times? Jesus offers a clear answer later in Luke 21, verse 36: “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things… and to stand before the Son of Man.”

By escaping, He does not mean running away, but standing firm, with confidence and compassion because you’re watching and praying, not hiding and complaining. Hard times can also become times of opportunity. When we remain alert and prayerful, we can respond in faith and compassion instead of fear. For those who are prepared, adversity can forge strength and testimony. Instead of giving in to panic, we are to rely on prayer, leaning on the eternal God, creator and sustainer of all things.

A PHENOMENAL SURGE OF FAITH ON THE FIELD

The American college football season culminates next Monday night in Atlanta. It has seen a pervasive expression of faith in the Bible and God’s love and provision for the teams and players, win or lose.

It’s hard not to notice the extent of this phenomenon, coming as it does from so many of the most prominent members of the squads, especially the quarterbacks — and the coaches as well. Take Quinn Ewers of Texas. After his Longhorns lost a hard-fought battle against the Ohio State Buckeyes, now the top-rated team still standing, Ewers told the media, “What other people think of me won’t get me anywhere. … God has made me who I am, and that’s the reality of my whole situation. … I fully opened my heart to what Jesus and God were telling me instead of relying on my own understanding — but I just wanted to fully give myself to Him and fully allow His will to be done in my life.”

Ewers’s remarks were swiftly echoed by Longhorn wide receiver Jahdae Barron, who held up his hand to stall the adjournment of the postgame presser. “I just want to say one thing,” Barron said. “I just want everybody to know, you … sometimes don’t come out on top. … We won. We truly know who our leader is, and that’s God and Jesus Christ. And ultimately, just having the ability to use the gift that He gave us, to share to the world, it’s been amazing.” Barron went on to put the game in perspective and asked for thoughts for people dealing with the fires in California and the “chaos” in New Orleans where a terrorist attack took at least 14 lives and postponed the other semifinal bowl game.

That this would be a unique year in the recent annals of sport might have best been signaled by last August’s revival by Texas’s victorious opponent in the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State. The mammoth midwestern Big Ten school is not known for religious expression connected to its athletic programs, but then again, neither are those of most major colleges outside of denominational schools. Either way, the events at Ohio State were extraordinary and drew attention in the secular media. Led by a former football team captain, wide receiver Kamryn Babb, and a group of area churches, a gathering on the weekend before the season led to the baptism of 60 or more people, including prominent members of the football team like TreVeyon Henderson, J.T. Tuimoloau, and Emeka Egbuka. They and others gave their testimonies in front of a crowd estimated at 2,000 or more.

Babb commented on the event, “This encouragement that I’ll give the world is, and that we gave students on campus and from young to old is, to repent of your sins and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power to save men and women. He says that He gives those who believe in His name and believe in what He did on the cross the right to be children of God. To be able to give an invitation to so many hurting souls and so many people who are looking for hope and love is a blessing. It’s encouraging to be able to say you need to look nowhere other than God.

Buckeye head coach Ryan Day was moved to say, “But I think when you start to see and hear some of the messages that some of our team is giving, not only out in the community but to our own team on campus, those type of things, you just recognise what unbelievable guys we have in our locker room.”

Something deeper, however, is afoot, and it is more than the recent — and ongoing tragedies in America that seem to be inspiring it. The ESPN network endured some criticism after the Sugar Bowl game between Notre Dame and Penn State for not airing the national anthem and moment of silence before that event to remember the victims of the horrendous terrorist attack in the French Quarter. On the next night during the Cotton Bowl, ESPN made sure to stay onscreen as the crowd and national audience observed not only a moment of silence but heard a prayer offered by Fred McClure, the former head of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. McClure said:

“Loving father, we seek your blessings today for all those gathered here and especially for those on the field as we come together to celebrate the 89th Cotton Bowl Classic, we lift up the young men representing the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns. Keep them safe from injury and harm. Instill within them a deep respect for one another and reward them for their perseverance.”

The prominence of prayer, meanwhile, has been newly obvious at Notre Dame as well, where the football program has approached but not reached the heights of a national championship since the 1988-89 season under Lou Holtz. The return has occurred on the watch of Marcus Freeman, who played linebacker at Ohio State and took over the Irish three years ago. The transformation occurred on the field as Freeman has amassed the most-ever wins for a Notre Dame head coach in his first three years at the school.

Off the field, Freeman restored the team’s pregame practice of attending Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus and marching across the main quad to Notre Dame stadium. Irish quarterback Riley Leonard reportedly leads a Bible study every Thursday night for fellow players. Attendance has grown. After the Sugar Bowl, Leonard answered a reporter’s question saying, “First of all, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; without Him, I wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be here, that’s the whole group.

Whatever happens next Monday night, an amazing story of faith and conviction has occurred across the spectrum of college football in 2024-25. Pinpointing a beginning to this season of spiritual revival is impossible and hardly necessary, but one event does suggest itself to anyone who witnessed the occasion in person or on national television: the near-fatal injury to Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin during Monday Night Football in January 2023. Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after a tackle. Fans of football on any level see many injuries, but this one was different from the start. The game, the players, the crowd, and the national audience came to a halt as every available resource was poured into saving Hamlin’s life on the field and then at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

We know the outcome now and Hamlin astonishingly has returned to the field of play. We know as well how the broadcasters for that game reacted to the drama playing out before them. For a time, our nation has gone through round after round of cynicism about our dependence on Almighty God for our lives and our every blessing. Prayer, much less public expressions of faith, have been downgraded, dismissed, and distrusted. The phrase “offering thoughts and prayers” then in common use has been subjected to ridicule. But on that frozen night on the Ohio River shoreline, the broadcast hosts at ESPN bowed their heads in fervent prayer for Hamlin. Where else could they and we turn?

Today, Hamlin devotes himself both to the Buffalo Bills and to charity work on behalf of youth sports, health, and safety. His story is known worldwide. Football remains the most dangerous sport from which players and their families can reap great rewards but also assume enormous risks. And all of it to win a crown of temporal fame that will be the prize of one team and one group of players, while the rest strive to the same goal in full knowledge that the trophy will belong to others. But in prayer, we can see it as so many of these collegiate champions do. Faith bids us to know that the true trophy is available to us all in chariots of fire that will carry us through our strivings toward a victory no one can take away.

A SUMMARY OF PROPHESIED EVENTS OF THE END TIMES

Jonathan’s video is a powerful and informative message on the Book of Revelation. It summarizes the key end-time events that will unfold in our day. Make sure you get this message out as widely as you are able.

Jonathan gives sixteen signs from Revelation that prove the Bible is God’s Word and He is in control of world events. It is a great end-times guide.