CRAZY GOVERNMENTS PRIORITIES

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The world is in a state of chaos. Government debt is spiraling out of control in the U.S.A. and most Western countries. War in Gaza has been raging for months. War in Ukraine has been raging for years. And Russia has even threatened to use nuclear weapons. Terrorist groups brazenly attack American shipping vessels. Iran keeps stirring the pot by shipping weapons and cash (most of which has been provided by the US) to belligerents around the world. China continues to insist that it will “reunify” with Taiwan by force if necessary, and demonstrates its resolve for war by bombing mock-ups of US ships.

Now, the world has been in far worse shape in the past. World War 2 is a prime example. History shows that it is possible to pull back from the brink of almost certain conflict— the Cuban Missile Crisis is a great example. But putting out all these fires requires serious, experienced professionals who can be laser-focused on achieving their nation’s diplomatic priorities from a position of strength. Yet the US State Department has a far higher calling than achieving peace through strength: gender neutrality.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently sent a memo to State Department employees entitled,“Modeling DEIA [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility]: Gender Identity Best Practices.”

The memo informs State Department employees that they should use “gender-neutral language whenever possible” because gendered terms such as “manpower”, “you guys”, “ladies and gentlemen”, “mother/father”, “son/daughter”, and “husband/wife” can be offensive.

Offensive to whom, exactly? Does the US Secretary of State honestly believe that the word “father” is in any way offensive to the people with whom they have to negotiate?

Are Hamas terrorists triggered by the term “husband”? Will Ukrainian soldiers be outraged for praising “the brave men and women” who are fighting on the front lines? Obviously not.

Terms like “father” and “mother” are only offensive to a tiny, tiny group of silly extremists in the US who have nothing better to do than wake up every morning and find an excuse to live in a state of perpetual victimhood. But apparently, the State Department is teeming with these whiny perpetual victims… which is pretty terrifying given the state of the world today.

Rather than focus on promoting strength, peace, and stability, there are ostensibly American diplomats who are more concerned about not being triggered by gender-specific words that have existed in the English language for more than 15 centuries.

Now, bear in mind that the entire purpose of the State Department is to interact with officials in other nations, who obviously tend to speak different languages. Yet many of these gender-neutral terms don’t even translate.

In Spanish, for example, mother is la madre and father is el padre. And if you’re referring to both parents, or you’re not sure which one, native speakers say padre, i.e. father. There is no genderless word for parent in Spanish. It simply doesn’t translate. So what exactly is the point of using this new genderless woke newspeak when it cannot even be communicated to foreign diplomats?

A good example of the stupidity of gender-neutral language is the story of Fran Itkoff who worked as a volunteer with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The organization recently implemented a new Diversity and Inclusion policy in which staffers must include their pronouns, i.e. she/her, at the end of an email. Fran didn’t understand the policy and asked why putting ‘she/her’ was inclusive? It’s certainly a reasonable question.

But “why” is the most triggering word of all to Diversity & Inclusion fanatics. They have no answers, they have no logic. So they respond with rage. 90-year-old Fran Itkoff was fired— as a volunteer— for asking why.

Her story started making the rounds online, so the National Multiple Sclerosis Society subsequently issued a bizarre apology, which stated that, even though “Fran has been a committed champion of [the Multiple Sclerosis] cause” for six decades, they fired her “with the best intentions”.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society cares more about pronouns than they do about eradicating Multiple Sclerosis! How does this organization expect anyone to take them seriously?

But the same question applies to the State Department. By publishing this memo, the Secretary of State has made it very clear what his Department’s priorities are. How does he expect Iran, Hamas, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, etc. to take him seriously?

Remember, we’re not talking about a mid-sized non-profit or some random Congressman. This woke newspeak is now official guidance at the US Department of State.

The United States faces a mountain of extraordinary challenges, from geopolitical threats to the southern border crisis to the looming national debt catastrophe. These problems are not unsolvable. Unfortunately, the Inspired Idiots in charge keep making things worse. And this is a perfect example: by publishing this memo, the Secretary of State weakened America’s position in front of its adversaries. He made things worse, not better. Obviously, they don’t believe they’re making anything worse. They think their crusade for justice makes the world a better place. But they’re clearly out of touch with reality.

The State Department’s Newspeak memo states that you should not “pressure someone to state their pronouns” because it is “problematic” and sends a “harmful, exclusionary message”. Wait, so which is it? Are we supposed to demand people state their pronouns or aren’t we? It’s all so confusing… pronouns cannot be simultaneously “inclusive” and “exclusionary” at the same time, can they? And that’s part of this 1984-style newspeak. Nothing has any fixed meaning. Everything is arbitrary and open to interpretation. There is no structure, there is no order. It’s all fluid and ever-changing… just like their definition of gender.

The world has discarded God and His commandments/laws as Jesus said they would before His return to restore righteousness. In God’s Word, we are given incredibly detailed prophecies about the state of the world before His return so we can prepare.

“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them… 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.” Matthew 24:3,6-13

There are many ministries God has raised up to prepare Christians for the approaching end times events. One I can recommend is http://www.lastdaysovercomers.org with Nelson Walters, Marquis Laughlin, and Jake McCandless. It is imperative Christian prepare for the coming tribulation.

THE CHURCH THAT IS LEFT BEHIND

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The tragic shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston is another sad reminder that sin is irrational, evil, and enduring.

The mayhem caused when a woman with a rifle opened fire led Osteen to say, “In the face of such darkness, we must hold onto our faith and remember evil will not prevail.” That’s good theology: In the long run, the God of the Bible triumphs. But that long run is much less temporal than it is eternal. Christians know no immunity from pain in a world cursed by sin. Instead, they look to a universe cleansed from sin and everlasting life in the presence of their Lord and King.

Osteen seems eager to talk about other things. According to him, “We’ve got to make our [church] services good. They’ve got to uplift people. They’ve got to walk away saying, ‘You know what, I feel better today.”’

Walk away feeling good? “Uplift?” Is this why God became both a man and, on the cross, the very essence of sin (II Corinthians 5:21)? This is Christianity without Christ, a spiritual oxymoron that removes the centre of the gospel and then throws only a shadow of hope on those in desperate need of transformation. It is grace reduced to psychological slobber and truth as a buffet from which you can select only those things you find appealing.

Lakewood’s statement of belief is sound, although basic. It’s my hope that Osteen and those on his large staff truly believe in the necessity of new birth in Christ and the need for faithful obedience to Him. But these things are not what Osteen preaches. His best-selling “Your Best Life Now” is hundreds of pages about how to obtain fulfillment without a single mention of dying to self and the cost of following Jesus. Instead, Pastor Joel recommends “letting go of the past” and tells us that we must “find strength through adversity.” In themselves, these things can aid you in regaining your emotional equilibrium. But is that it? Is this the message of the cross? Is this why, all over the world, martyrs are dying for their love of Jesus?

John Piper has outlined six problems with the “feel good” gospel. His analysis is a useful summary of where preachers like Osteen go far afield from “the faith once delivered” (Jude 1:3). According to Piper, such ministries as Osteen’s are characterized by:

  1. An absence of a serious doctrine of the biblical necessity and normalcy of suffering
  2. An absence of a clear and prominent doctrine of self-denial
  3. An absence of serious exposition of Scripture
  4. A failure to deal with tensions in Scripture
  5. Church leaders who have exorbitant lifestyles
  6. The prominence of self and marginalization of the greatness of God

The “serious exposition” of the good news of Christ involves things sinners often dislike hearing. As theologian Ray Ortlund reminds us, “The good news of the gospel begins with some really bad news. Our sins only provoke a bigger problem: the wrath of God. Our real problem is not our sins but God. He is angry, he isn’t going away, and there is nothing we can do about it.”

Nothing. We. Can. Do. About. It. No self-talk, no therapy, no learned technique to quell genuine guilt or silence the voice of divine conviction. This is the broad way against which Jesus so vividly warned, the way of Oprah and mysticism and prideful self-reliance. It might indeed lead to transient happiness but invariably takes one through the gates of hell.

The bad news of human sin and our inability to redeem ourselves is not the end of the story. “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked … and were by nature children of wrath,” Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” Once dead, now alive: this is the key to your best life now and forever. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” Ephesians 2:1-9

Followers of Jesus should pray that God would so arrest the heart and mind of Joel Osteen and all like him that they would repent of the false gospel they so happily broadcast and issue a new message, one that announces the righteous anger of a holy God and the gracious offer of a loving Father. He is one and the same, and His offer of hope, meaning, transformation, and life itself never changes.

Sadly, Joel and Lakewood Church represent the church of Laodicea that is left behind to go through the Trumpet and Bowl judgements of God.

‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 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. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:15-19

Compare this with the church of Philadelphia which is the church that is raptured at the trumpet blast at the opening of the seventh seal.

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.” Revelation 3:10-12

BE ENCOURAGED AND PRAY FOR OUR PERSECUTED BROTHERS & SISTERS

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Deep in the capital of Lebanon, thousands of Christians recently gathered to praise Jesus in a one-night worship experience that organizers say became “a beacon of hope and joy” for the Middle East. “Beirut 2024” was an ecumenical musical event that brought together believers from different Christian faith traditions to worship God and instill hope in its attendees.  The event was held as part of celebrations for the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the 50th anniversary of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

The MECC organized the gathering and estimated that about 10,000 people were in attendance. According to the “Beirut 2024″ website, the celebration was an event that sought to “showcase the Holy Spirit’s presence in the Church’s worship across ages.” With escalating tensions in the Middle East, leaders also decided to hold a “unique prayer meeting” to unite “diverse Churches in praise, fostering unity as outlined in Ephesians 1. Additionally, it symbolized a beacon of hope and joy for Lebanon and the wider Middle East.” “It is an opportunity to pray for peace in Lebanon and repentance for its people,” the website shares.

A choir of 300 singers and musicians from different churches led the congregation of church leaders and worshippers through the night of prayer and praise. “No one is surprised that this blessed choir speaks with multiple languages, for it is filled with the Holy Spirit who gave it to speak in this way, as happened on the day of Pentecost. Our chant tonight will be ascending to heaven, with the power of the Spirit that unites us, and it will be stronger than the screams of haters and murderers of man, and louder than the blast of their bombs,” said Professor Dr. Michel Abs, Secretary General of the MECC. “Our ecumenical spiritual evening is the product of the Holy Spirit, through believers, who worked with persistence and determination to make it happen and bring together the one Church of Christ with its cultural diversity and richness, in which the Middle East abounds,” he added. Those who attended reflected on the importance of praying for unity and peace in the Middle East. The event was broadcast live on the Lebanese MTV channel and other Christian stations.

Source: CBNNews

40,000 REVIVAL PRAYER GROUPS SPRING UP AS TAIWAN’S CHRISTIANS FACE WAR

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Source: CBN News

China’s sabre-rattling has been escalating for months. “Tensions are peaking. Beijing’s belligerence is once again making Taipei jittery,” said a report from WION News. China’s military recently released a video showing what simulated attacks on Taiwan would look like. “A war here in Taiwan would have catastrophic economic consequences not just for this island, but for the whole world,” warned SkyNews London in a report from Taipei. The tiny island off the mainland coast is now facing almost daily Chinese military harassment. “Taiwan is beefing up its military and training with new U.S. weapons,” reported CBS News, as its military prepares for possible full-scale war. “To be clear, we do not seek conflict or confrontation, but we will not flinch in the face of bullying or coercion,” said a defiant U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. While the war drums grow louder by day, Taiwan’s Christians are taking to their knees by night.”The united prayers and fasting prayers of the churches in Taiwan are much more than ever before. It’s an unprecedented prayer movement,” Brian Lu, pastor of Shekinah House of Bread of Life in Taipei, told CBN News.

All across this island, people are meeting every day, 24 hours a day, to pray for revival, unity, repentance, and protection over their land. “I believe something so simple is starting to have such a huge impact upon people in the church and also the people around the church,” said Gordon Huang, a prominent church leader. Huang pastors one of Taiwan’s most well-known congregations. His church sits atop the iconic landmark known as Taipei 101 in the heart of the capital city. He fears war with China is coming and wants Christians to be ready. “I think one thing for sure is that people are going to be so shaken and people will want to hear the Gospel. Are you ready or are you going to be on the run yourself?” Huang told CBN News. That theme of shaking gripped Don Young two years ago. “I had heard from the Lord: ‘Time is short, the hour is urgent, it’s time to pray’,” he recalls. In May of 2021, Pastor Young says the Lord spoke to him and gave him a word that there was going to be a shaking coming to this nation. He brought that message to the church leaders of the island and that gave birth to a prayer movement that has since swept across Taiwan.

The Revival Prayer Group or RPG movement began, made up of a handful of people in groups taking turns around the clock to pray for Taiwan. “Prayer is the only way that you can get through anything shaking,” said Young who now works with the Georgia-based College of Prayer International. “Jesus said everything by prayer. He did nothing apart from prayer. Before it was just kind of a moment with God, we all have them, but now it was shaping up to become a movement for God. There’s a huge difference between a moment and a movement.” “Because RPG has two or three people in a group, so if one day a war happens and there are no physical buildings that people can meet in, we can still pray in small groups so the church will not be affected,” said Pastor Lu. Peter Yang has pastored and planted churches in Taiwan since 1978 and says he’s never seen the kind of unity now on display. Churches across denominational lines have been joining the initiative.

“What’s happening today is so rare,” said Rev. Yang who leads the Taiwan Christian Alliance. “Every day, every week, I join pastors from other churches, other denominations, and we pray for our cities, for our nation for other countries. It’s amazing, it’s clearly God’s doing. Unity will be the legacy of this movement.”

More than 40,000 Revival Prayer Groups have sprouted up, with members of China’s underground church movement also taking part. Each group has about 5 members, so that brings the current total to roughly 200,000 participants. “We want to have 300,000 RPG groups where we also unite with churches in China, coming together, all the leaders and members, on both sides, so we can pray with the goal of impacting China as well,” said Yang. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year sent a chill across this island nation of 23 million people with many drawing comparisons between Putin’s obsession with taking over Ukraine and Xi Jinping’s determination to “annex” Taiwan.

Many fear war can erupt here with little notice and it’s prompting some to search for peace amid constant threats from Beijing. “Many people came and joined RPG because they heard testimonies of how God is answering prayer, so you have a lot of unbelieving people joining RPG and as they open their mouths and pray, they experience the Lord so they are coming to the Lord as well,” said Pastor Huang. CBN News spoke with church leaders who said a potential Taiwan-China war would be like David facing down Goliath, bringing untold devastation and loss of life. They believe prayer can make the difference between war and peace.  “We ask churches around the world to pray for this most dangerous place in the world today so that God’s peace can come upon cross-strait relations,” said Pastor Lu. “Ethnic Chinese should not kill one another, but instead, we should together fulfill the end-time missions’ movement, to bring the Gospel back to Jerusalem.”

This is just another end-times sign and it is great to see that Taiwanese Christians recognize it and are responding to it.

GENESIS PROVIDES US WITH A TRUE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

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The video IS GENESIS HISTORY features over a dozen scientists and scholars explaining how science intersects with the history recorded in Genesis. From rock layers to fossils, from lions to stars, from the Bible to artifacts, this fascinating film will change the way you see the world. The film’s goal is to provide a reasonable case for Creation in six normal days, a real Adam and Eve, an actual fall, a global flood, and the tower of Babel. Dr. Del Tackett, creator of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, serves as your guide—hiking through canyons, climbing up mountains, and diving below the sea—in an exploration of two competing views…one compelling truth.

1. Changing Our Perspective 0:00 2. What do the Rocks Tell us? 3:59 3. A Question of Paradigms 13:49 4. What Does the Text Say? 17:55 5 How do you Measure Time? 23:32 6.A Brief History of the World 34:13, 6 – A Brief History of the World 34:13, 7. The Origin of Fossils 42:26 8. When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth 50:14, 9. Soft Tissue in Dinosaur Bones 55:51, 10. The Genius of Design 1:02:58, 11. The Potential of Created Kinds 1:12:34, 12. The Purpose of the Stars 1:21:22, 13. Where was Babel? 1:28:03, 14. Genesis and Our Culture 1:33:19, 15. A Changed Perspective 1:39:09, 16. Credits 1:41:26

We all need to be equipped with good resources to bring our unrepentant family and friends to a knowledge of God and His redemptive plan for mankind. This video is an excellent tool. As well, go to http://www.answersingenesis.org and http://www.creation.com.

Martyn Isles (formerly of A.C.L) is now CEO of Answers in Genesis. He and Ken Ham (Founder) are in Australia at present. I attended their first meeting (Living in Babylon) in Adelaide at the Convention Centre. It was a sold-out event. The Perth event was last night but they still have Brisbane and Melbourne to go. Sadly, they could not get the numbers for Sydney. You can connect online, by going to http://www.answersingenesis.org.

ANOTHER PROPHESIED END TIMES SIGN

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“Up until recently,” mass shootings were “almost exclusively men. But something’s changed,” said Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, host of “Washington Watch.” “Something’s changed,” agreed Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, director of the Center for Family Studies at FRC, “and it’s been in conjunction with the rise of transgenderism.”

“This is an alarming trend,” Bauwens added, “that we’re seeing these young women who don’t fit the profile … commit these heinous acts.” On Sunday, a 36-year-old woman opened fire at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. In March 2023, a 28-year-old woman killed six people at Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. A female shot nine people at a Colorado charter school in May 2019, and another female shot three people at her Maryland workplace in September 2018. In all four cases, the female shooter identified as transgender.

“A good researcher would say, ‘What is going on here? And why is it that these women are also connected in some way to the transgender ideology?’” suggested Bauwens.

One factor is the presence of mental health issues. Bauwens acknowledged that there was “a mental illness issue with shootings across the board.” Police revealed almost immediately that the Lakewood Church shooter was mentally ill, and the Covenant School shooter wanted to die.

However, Bauwens added, in the case of the Lakewood Church shooter, “You have to wonder, was there more going on than just her baseline mental health distress?”

Mental health issues are often caused by “adverse childhood events,” said Bauwens, and as a result they have unprocessed trauma. As a former clinical researcher of trauma patients, Bauwens has studied how trauma can manifest in other areas of a person’s life. Whether recognized or not, childhood trauma can often lead to the mental health issues so often linked both with people with gender dysphoria and those with a propensity toward mass shootings, Bauwens explained.

Another overlap between the two groups is a “susceptibility to suicidal ideation or committing suicide,” Bauwens continued. She was “not saying that everyone who has a suicidal ideation is going to commit mass murder,” she clarified, but anyone with suicidal ideation is already fantasizing about “committing murder of yourself,” making the leap to contemplate the killing of others that much more likely.

While these relationships have been well established by research, Bauwens contended, the recent change, which corresponds to the rising trend of trans-identifying female mass shooters, is the advent of cross-sex hormones and a worldview of victimhood. If “there’s already mental health distress, and now you’re going to throw the wild card of hormones into the mix,” Bauwens observed, “it’s a recipe for disaster.”

“We’re not talking about, in some cases, [a female] just identifying as a male,” Perkins agreed, but the increasingly widespread “experimental use of drugs and surgery. So, if you’re a female and you are wanting to identify as a male, you take male hormones. And if you have an underlying mental illness, … this is like a concoction that is just so volatile and dangerous.”

Even a healthy person would be negatively impacted by hormone treatments, Bauwens contended. “If you take someone who has great mental health, and then you pump them with higher levels of male or female hormones,” she posited, “how can you expect a good outcome? … That’s not rocket science. It’s not normal.”

If you “take a woman and you pump her full of testosterone,” Bauwens argued, it would introduce even more psychological variables. “Now she’s having to socially adjust to the fact that her body is changing to look more like a male,” she said. “That’s introducing all kinds of other mental health issues with the possibility of greater levels of bullying, etc.” On top of that, Bauwens added, the woman would “have all these new emotions to deal with,” such as rage, an increased sexual drive, and other effects of testosterone.

Bauwens pointed out the absurdity of mental health professionals affirming a woman that this volatile situation is normal. If a woman takes testosterone because she wants to identify as a man, said Bauwens, she will “have a mental health community that’s surrounding her saying, ‘This is great. This is the answer to all your problems.’”

Bauwens also warned about the influence of Marxist ideology that encourages a person with gender dysphoria to adopt an identity of victimhood as a member of an oppressed minority. “You have this framework that says, ‘You are a victim, and there are these other people — Christians, others who believe that sex is binary — [who] are keeping this vital treatment from you,’” said Bauwens.

“So, you can see,” Bauwens concluded, “just how some of the circumstances in our society have set up the belief system that Christians are the problem.” Police have not officially released the motive for the shootings at either Lakewood Church or Covenant School, but both incidents involved female shooters who identified or may have identified as transgender, and who attempted to inflict mass casualties associated with Christianity.

“There is a convergence of transgenderism, drug treatments, and violence,” Perkins summarized, at a time when “both mental health [problems] and attacks on churches continue to rise.”

This is just another confirmation that we are living in the prophesied end times before Jesus returns.

“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

DO WE HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL?

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Modern, mainstream Christianity teaches that our bodies die, but we live on as souls. So why does the Bible teach something else entirely? Knowing what your soul is—and what happens to it after you die—is a core concept of Christianity. Join Gary Black as he explains both the biblical teaching of the soul and how that teaching became corrupted over the centuries.

“Then when death comes to a man, the mortal part, it seems dies, but the immortal part goes away unharmed and undestroyed withdrawing from death.” Plato, Phaedo 106e

Understanding the soul is not immortal is critical to understanding that eternal conscious torment is not the fate of the unrepentant.

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14-15

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8-9

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

CHRISTIANS ARE THE MOST PERSECUTED PEOPLE. ONE NATION ACTUALLY HELPS THEM

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Taken from an article in The Washington Stand by Ben Johnson February 14, 2024

Hundreds of millions of Christians suffered religious persecution in 2023, according to a religious liberty watchdog organization, but one European nation is going out of its way to assist “the most persecuted religion in the world.”

One out of every seven Christians worldwide experienced some form of persecution last year, according to the 2024 World Watch List produced by Open Doors — an increase from one in eight in 2021. A whopping 365 million Christians underwent “high levels of persecution and discrimination,” up from 340 million just two years ago. The worst anti-Christian sentiment exploded into violence: 14,766 Christian churches or properties were destroyed, and 4,988 Christians were killed in 2023, the report found.

“We have to just say the facts: Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world,” said Tristan Azbej, Hungary’s secretary of state for programs to help persecuted Christians at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. “In the world, there are more than 360 million people who suffer discrimination, oppression, threats by terrorist organizations or genocidal attacks because of their faith in Jesus Christ.”

That spurred the government of Hungary to form a government agency to assist the persecuted globally. “There are many charities who are working for them. However, the Hungarian government realized that this should not be left only to charities. The international community has to step up, governments have to step up,” Azbej recently told “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins.” “And us, being a thousand-year-old, proud Christian nation who is still courageous enough to say that.”

Azbej’s remarks came as he attended the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. late last month.

Over the last year, levels of anti-Christian persecution spiked in Africa, where 20% of Christians experienced some form of hostility or oppression based on their faith. The number rises to 40% of Christians in Asia. The world’s most anti-Christian government is North Korea, according to the Open Doors report.

Nearly 90% of all Christians killed worldwide lived in Nigeria. Azbej has noted that “jihadist, Islamist tribes” attacked 20 Christian settlements, killing 200 Christians last Christmas. Despite continued violence and murder in the nation of 230 million people, the Biden administration removed Nigeria from its list of the worst offenders of religious liberty — a policy Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) has called “anti-Christian.”

Fiona Bruce, a Conservative Party member of the U.K.’s Parliament, introduced the International Freedom of Religion or Belief Bill 2022-23 (Bill 373) last October. The bill would require British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to appoint a Special Envoy for International Freedom of Religion or Belief. That government office would document religious persecution of all faiths globally, work with U.K. civil society groups, and prod British and foreign government officials to promote freedom of religion and conscience rights worldwide. As of this writing, the Private Members bill had its first reading but is now stalled in Parliament.

Four of the worst nations persecuting Christians are in Latin America: Mexico (37), Cuba (22), Nicaragua (30), and Colombia (34). Yet the issue receives little attention from U.S. lawmakers.

Tristan Azbej said that due to the dearth of global leadership, “We decided that we will lead by example. Therefore, the Hungarian government established my department, which was the first ever dedicated governmental department for the aid of persecuted Christians in 2016. Right away, we started the Hungary Program, which delivers humanitarian aid to those Christians who have been just attacked by terrorist organizations, which delivers aid and financial assistance to rebuild places like the Nineveh Plains in Iraq, where Daesh/ISIS has committed atrocities against Christians,” Azbej told Perkins. His agency also “offers Hungarian scholarships at Hungarian universities for those Christians in Africa and Asia, who are unable or have no chance to go into the higher education system.”

The Hungary Helps humanitarian aid program expanded, thanks to an amendment that took effect at the first of the year.

In the last six years, “I can report to you that we have reached about two million persecuted Christians by extending the solidarity of the Hungarian people towards them,” Azbej told Perkins. “We have run 330 projects for persecuted Christians in more than 50 countries.”

Yet far from receiving the West’s gratitude for filling the need, “When we rebuild the church in the Middle East or in Africa, then I go to a professional diplomatic event in the West, they ask me the cynical question, ‘Why don’t we support something more useful, like hospitals and schools?’” Azbej revealed. “Now, we also support Christian hospitals and schools all around the world. But I can see the ignorance or the cynicism of the question” from Western diplomats, Azbej told Perkins. “The answer to that is that we always ask what is needed. In many cases, our Christian brothers and sisters would choose their church to be rebuilt first before their homes are rebuilt. This is how important their churches are for them,” he said, “and their faith.”

We should not be surprised at the increasing persecution of Christians. Jesus told us this would happen before His return to restore righteousness and set up His Millennial Kingdom.

“As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?… 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 24:3, 9-13

“WOKE” CULTURE IS AN ATTACK ON THE WAY GOD ORDERED AND DESIGNED CREATION

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The new CEO at ANSWERS IN GENESIS (AIG), Martyn Isles explains how AIG will address the issue of woke ideologies.

To be “woke” simply means to be awake. Awake to what? Awake to all the kinds of oppression in society that used to go unnoticed because they are hidden in the “system” we’re living in.

But what is the “system” which is so oppressive? Well, woke ideologies say that things like marriage are part of this system of oppression, or the gender binary, “heteronormativity,” the ethnicities of people, and so on.

They actually think that we can destroy these realities and be less oppressed as a result! But these realities are not “systemic oppressions.” These realities are just, well, reality! They are God’s creation design and order.

Thus, woke culture is an attack on creation. Hence, the answers are in Genesis, because Genesis 1–11 is about God’s design and order in creation. It specifically addresses the things that wokeness attacks.

Right now, there is a wave of compromise sweeping the Western world, including America, on all these woke issues. A generation is being taken out of the church, believing Christianity is bigoted, hateful, and oppressive because it believes in God’s creation order and design.

This woke critique is causing pastors to compromise and the world around us to reject the Christian faith.

But Genesis shows us the connection between how things are made and how we must therefore live. It answers this woke critique by describing realities—like males and females, the fact of only one “race,” marriage, family, and so forth—and then showing that these realities hold the key to understanding our world and living wisely.

Genesis shows that the very things wokeness attacks are for our good!

For the past five years, I have been teaching Australian young people about the connection between Genesis and the woke ideas they are being confronted with. This teaching always had a major impact on them and fortified them in their faith.

Seventy of these young folks have just visited the Ark Encounter to participate in our brand-new, 10-day Catalyst program. They came all the way from Australia just to be there.

Young people are hungry for answers. We’d like to build more housing so that we can run these programs year-round—the demand from around the world is huge.

But Catalyst is only the beginning.

Answers in Genesis is going to focus on equipping this generation with the answers they need to confront the woke era in many ways.

Consider the issue of identity, which is a huge concern these days. People are asking “Who am I?” with no reference to objective truth—whether that be the gospel, the Word of God, or the scientific facts about how we are made. They are left to be governed by their feelings, looking to their sinful hearts for meaning.

This identity question not only leads people into a false view of themselves and of life but is also the basis for identity politics and so much woke activism.

We are addressing this at Answers in Genesis. Right now, our exhibit designers are planning out an identity exhibit at the Creation Museum. It will be near the world-class Fearfully and Wonderfully Made pro-life exhibit.

Martyn and Ken Ham are in Australia for the “Living in Babylon” meetings in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane. If you can get along to one of thses meetins. I will be at the Adelaide Meeting next week.

When Martyn was with ACL, with many loyal supporters, they distributed one million John New Testaments to Australian households. Martyn would like for AIG to pick up the mantle and get another six million John New Testaments out. AIG will need volunteers to help with this task. If you feel called to help contact http://www.answersingenesis.org.

THE WORLD CONTINUES TO REJECT GOD AND CREATION AND TEEN MENTAL HEALTH WORSENS

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Article by Sarah Holliday in the Washington Stand, February 13, 2024.

Sarah does not mention the key factor that is impacting the mental health of teens. It is the teaching of evolution as a fact in schools, even Christian schools. The Big Bang and Evolution remove God from His creation and make the Bible a book of fables and myths. It also removes any purpose or meaning to life. There is no hope or knowledge of the God who loves His creation and has provided a way back into a right relationship with Him.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

A recent study conducted by Common Sense Media (CMS) found that America has a teen mental health crisis. Yet, with the way social media has plagued the younger generations, is anyone really surprised by this? But it goes beyond technology, as many factors contribute to the decay of younger generations and their mental health.

“The negative effects of social media on young people’s mental health is a top concern, including across party identification,” CSM reported. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a survey in 2021 that noted the roles “risky sexual practices, illicit drug and alcohol use, and bullying at school” play in this analysis. We are also seeing a rise in broken homes and fatherlessness, and many researchers suggest the pandemic worsened the mental health crisis that was already present.

And at a time in history when the world is warring over the topic of identity, how are developing youth supposed to know what to believe about anything? Marlo Slayback, national director of Student Programs at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, shared with The College Fix that over time, “the culture surrounding Gen Z [has changed]. It’s a recipe for despair, hopelessness, nihilism, disaffection.” She described it as a “decaying culture” that causes young people to “feel alienated and lost at sea.”

While many societal factors could be considered, the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University conducted a survey that found children between eight and 12 years old, preteens, are increasingly denying biblical truths. Is this a coincidence amid the growing mental health crisis? I don’t think so.

According to the results, only 21% of preteens agreed that “there are absolute truths — things that are right and things that are wrong, that do not depend on feelings, preferences, or circumstances.”

Only 27% of preteens believed “the main reason to live is to know, love and serve God, with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” And only 17% felt a successful life was connected to obedience to God.

George Barna, the director of Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center and Family Research Council senior research fellow, said these results only reflect the lack of biblical worldview present in the lives of many today. He added, “[W]e are on the precipice of Christian invisibility in this nation unless we get serious about this crisis and invest heavily in fixing what’s broken.”

Barna explained, “Children are intellectual and spiritual sponges in their preteen years. They are desperately trying to make sense of the world, their identity, their purpose, and how to live a meaningful and satisfying life.” As such, it’s obvious how toxic social media and other issues have caused mental health problems among this group. But it’s also worth emphasizing the spiritual aspect.

As Christians, we know the only true life is a life lived for Christ. Upon conversion, we are spiritually reborn into a new creation that has a desire to follow and obey Jesus and His word. Our eyes are opened to the truth of this world as laid out in Scripture. And once our eyes are opened, we can see how the world has so greatly abandoned these biblical truths. And what follows? Disorder and destruction; confusion and hopelessness.

When I was growing up, life wasn’t as crazy as it is now, but I still had to face the realities of its brokenness. And it was my biblical worldview that allowed me to persevere through any hardships growing up. Young people now are growing up in a society that believes men can become women and vice versa. They are being raised to believe that marriage has nothing to do with God and that sex (specifically outside of marriage) has no consequences. Truth is subjective, and children can carve out their own reality as they enter adulthood. This is detrimental to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

No wonder these children feel lost and in a constant state of unrest. They’re being fed lies around every corner — physical or virtual. Approaching this crisis, Christians “should respond with brokenness and a realization that much of our discipleship efforts in the church geared towards young people has failed,” said David Closson, director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview.

He explained how we are at the “highest rates of biblical illiteracy and the lowest of biblical worldview” since it’s been measured. “It’s not good,” he said, “but the writing has been on the wall for a long time.” And a lack of biblical worldview does factor into decreased mental wellness. Why? Because anything other than a biblical worldview is “a deficient worldview,” Closson noted, and sets “people up to fail very early.”

He added, “Since most people are not thinking rightly about the world, we shouldn’t be surprised that they’re not going to be thinking rightly about other things. Not just theological matters, but they won’t be thinking rightly about themselves, their place in the world, body image,” or anything under the sun. Ultimately, Closson concluded, “[W]e need to be [more] intentional in our discipleship efforts” in reaching younger generations.

For resources to reach young people go to http://www.answersingenesis.org and http://www.creation.com.