GOD IS RAISING UP THE MARTYN ISLES OF THIS WORLD FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

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If you do not know who Martyn Isles is then I suggest you check out YouTube for his videos, The series “The Truth of It” and “Mystery Babylon” are good starting points. I am certain that God has led Ken Ham and the team he leads at Answers in Genesis to appoint Martyn Exec. CEO to initially work alongside Ken to impact this fallen world for God.

FROM MARTYN ISLES OF ANSWERS IN GENESIS,

As you know, an important focus at Answers in Genesis is on raising up a new generation of Daniels, who will stand firm for God in an increasingly uncertain and anti-God era. “The writing is on the wall.” It’s a phrase that has gone down in history in the Western world. It means that the end of something is guaranteed, although it hasn’t happened yet. This phrase conveys wisdom for us as we discern where we should focus our energies and our funds.

I have just finished writing an article for Answers magazine in which I point out that many of the ideologies that are rising in the West could be described as “lifting ourselves up” against God.

These are the things championed by governments, intellectuals, pop culture, and activists. Things like queer sexuality, transgenderism, race politics, abortion, climate doom-ism, same-sex marriage, and so on. They are all things that take what God has defined in his authority as Creator and redefined them according to our own authority. They all lift up mere humans to the status of gods.

As human beings, made from the dust of the ground, we were never meant to have the authority to define marriage, gender, sex, life, race, or when the planet will end. This is pure arrogance.

We may read Daniel 5 and gasp at Belshazzar’s arrogance, taking God’s vessels and using them to praise false gods. But it’s the same today: we’ve taken God’s good things in creation and used them to serve our own idols. The main idol in our day is identity, the idol of self.

That very night, Belshazzar the king was killed, and the mighty empire of Babylon the Great fell.

A line had been crossed, and it was all over.

It is impossible not to reflect on the sobering lessons for our day. I marvel at God’s grace in withholding his hand of judgment on us for so long. He truly is longsuffering, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

While this day of grace persists, we must continue to take the gospel to a rebellious world. Is there anything more urgent?

How long can we resist God’s grace? How long can we raise ourselves up against God?

DID JESUS COME TO START A RELIGION?

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No, He did not. He came to set up a Kingdom and the only prayer He taught us to pray is

“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven“… only then do we ask for our daily needs.

“And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:29-34

Next on God’s agenda for His Earth is for Jesus to set up a Kingdom on Earth where Jesus and the glorified Saints will rule and reign for 1000 years. God’s Word tells us exactly how Satan’s rule comes to an end. He is bound in the Abyss for most of Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom. He is released at the end and is still able to raise an army like the sand of the sea to come against Jesus and the Saints. I am reminded here of the time before God destroyed all of mankind except Noah and his family.

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Genesis 6:5-6

How many churches are preparing believers for Jesus’ coming Millennial Kingdom on planet Earth? I would say very few, they are not even preparing them for the coming tribulation. The seven churches in Revelation represent the church in each of the last seven years prior to Jesus’ return and God pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet (7) and Bowl (7) judgments. Also, the six seals show us what will happen on Earth during the last seven years. Let us look at the Sixth Seal and the Sixth Church.

SIXTH SEAL: The celestial signs in the sky that precede the Rapture of the Saints and God pouring out His wrath upon the Earth. The Rapture happens at the trumpet blast and the opening of the seventh seal.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:12-17

SIXTH CHURCH (Church of Philadelphia – Philadelphus means “love of the brethren“) This is the church that God is going to rapture

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘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.” Revelation 3:7-8,10

The seventh church (Laodicea means “judgment of the people,”) This is the church God is going to spit out of His mouth. They will face the wrath of God but note, that God still calls them to repent (Rev. 3:14-22).

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW CHRISTIANS WILL BE PERSECUTED IN THE DAYS AHEAD

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An Arlington, Virginia voter, later identified as a federal contractor, went viral on Tuesday for cursing out a Republican poll greeter, Matthew Hurtt, outside a precinct. In the video of the incident, which has been viewed nearly 12 million times as of Friday morning, the contractor cursed out Republicans as “Bible-beating bigots and freaks” and “rapists” for supporting pro-life, pro-family policies.

The voter opened with: “You ******* people tried to overthrow the election”. (His favorite adjective/adverb began with “f” and is censored throughout this article.) “You might as well have been walking up to my head on the way to the polling station and putting a gun to my head, trying to tell me how to vote.”

Finding a Republican greeter at his deep-blue polling location made him furious. “[Do] you expect me to not take that ******* personally? You ******* try to overthrow elections with violence, and then you’re out here, among decent people?”

Unable to provoke Hurtt, the angry voter continued to seek out an argument and increased his use of foul language. “What do you have to say to that, huh? And what’s on your ******* [sample ballot] — what are your policy prescriptions? … ******* rapists, right? Involving yourself in people’s ******* families, in their ******* bedrooms. You ******* animal.”

The voter began to walk away, but immediately stepped back to threaten the poll greeter, despite just accusing the poll greeter of threatening him. “You try to steal my vote next year, I’m going to ******* remember you personally,” he said. “In fact, I’m taking a ******* picture of you.” Americans have historically worried about partisans intimidating voters at the polls; here is a voter intimidating a partisan at the polls.

Then the voter’s progressive reflexes kicked in, and he remembered the Left’s emphasis on not taking someone’s picture without their consent, which has been used to prosecute undercover journalists exposing abortion centers’ gruesome practices.

So, the voter quickly added, “Is that alright? Do I have your permission?” Hurtt responded, “Yeah, that’s alright. It’s a one-party-consent state.” By that, he meant that it is not illegal in Virginia to photograph someone without their permission. But the voter wasn’t thinking in those categories at all. Apparently, he thought Hurtt was complaining that Democrats run everything in Virginia because after a gratuitous insult he responded, “Yeah, ‘one-party state.’ You want a one-party country is what you want.”

The voter did not seem to recognize the irony of that last statement. By delegitimizing the entire Republican Party, and by being offended by the very presence of a Republican outside his voting precinct, he revealed that he was the one who wanted a one-party country — one where only left-wing Democratic politicians can win elections.

Hurtt tried to end the conversation by engaging another prospective voter who just then walked down the sidewalk, in the exchange relayed above. The disgruntled voter at first walked away, but then he came back again and spoke to the other man.

“Try not to be buddy-buddy with these people,” he warned, “because they put on the face of a good neighbor, but they support lynch mobs and the ******* KKK. Or they’re ******* Bible-beating bigots and freaks. And they’re not good neighbors.

Notice how the man describes Christians: “Bible-beating bigots and freaks.” A bigot is “a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices.” A freak is “one that is markedly unusual or abnormal.” Despite the negative connotations, this angry, progressive voter is describing people who believe the Bible contains absolute truth and are unwilling to compromise on that — in short, Bible-believing Christians.

In a recent interview with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, House Speaker Mike Johnson discussed the hostility he has faced in Washington as a result of his Christian faith. “There are whole industries, as you know, that are dedicated to taking down public officials like me,” he said. “They can’t stand the idea that someone would openly acknowledge their faith. That’s not in vogue in Washington anymore — hasn’t been for a long time.”

That anti-Christian bias seems to have spread beyond select industries to infect a large part of the federal bureaucracy. So, when Christians go to Washington to advance pro-life, pro-family policies, or even basic morality, they are bound to face near-crushing opposition.

Prior to Jesus’ return to Earth, he told us that Christians would be hated by all nations for His name’s sake.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

God has given us incredible detail about what will take place in the last seven years prior to His return. We know it is a time when God purifies His church prior to its Rapture to Heaven. There is a great falling away in the church and we see that happening now as more of the institutional/denominational churches compromise with the world with gay marriage and homosexual/transgender leaders. We need to get into prayer so we know what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do in the sphere of influence we operate whether it is family, friends, or workmates. In the above Scripture Jesus said that the gospel of His Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world and then the end will come. Let us play our part but we also know from Revelation that prior to the seven Bowl judgements God sends out three angels throughout the world to proclaim His eternal gospel.

The Messages of the Three Angels

“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” Revelation 14:6-12

PERSECUTION GROWS GOD’S CHURCH

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A new study has revealed that Christianity is continuing to spread across the globe despite believers facing extreme persecution for their faith.

The 2023 “Persecutors of the Year” report by the anti-persecution charity International Christian Concern (ICC) details the various groups, organisations, and locations posing a significant threat to Christians worldwide.

The advocacy group claims some 200-300 million believers currently experience persecution for their faith, including torture, imprisonment, and murder. Writing in the document’s forward, ICC President Jeff King says he’s inspired by the courage and strength of Christians who appear to be “thriving” in their faith, amid “unimaginable pain.”

China, Iran, and Nigeria are highlighted as key countries where the Church appears to be expanding despite fierce opposition.

NIGERIA: The ICC argues Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places to be Christian today. Believers are kidnapped, tortured, and killed every week by Boko Haram, Fulani militants and other Muslim extremist groups while churches and Christian institutions are destroyed and burned to the ground. “Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) have killed tens of thousands of Christians and displaced millions to discard Western influence and impose strict Islamic Sharia law,” it reads. Yet, the approximately 100 million Christian population is steadily growing in the region.

IRAN: The report claims that the Islamic Republic of Iran has “one of the fastest-growing churches in the world.” While 99% of the population is Muslim and Christians there are harshly penalised for practicing their faith, ICC reports show a Christian population that has rapidly grown to around 500,000 – 800,000. Iranian Christians face persecution in the form of raids, arrests, fines, detention, torture, and death penalties for practicing their faith.

CHINA: China reportedly has between 70-100 million “underground Christians”. This is despite the communist country “aggressively suppressing free religious expression” which is seen as a threat to national security. House churches face persecution and harassment by the authorities, as they are often unregistered and not sanctioned by the government. Some are denied registration while others choose not to be state-run due to the heavy surveillance and restrictions that are applied.

In highlighting the extent of suffering Christians encounter across the world, ICC says the “resilience of the body of Christ” is also revealed.

We cannot say that Jesus did not warn us of the persecution/tribulation that Christians will face in the last days before His second coming. It will be a church refined by fire that will be raptured to heaven prior to God pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet and Bowl judgments.

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

APPOINTMENT OF MIKE JOHNSON AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. Representative for the 4th District of Louisiana, sits down with Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council (www.frc.org) for a personal interview covering his Christian faith, the rise of anti-Semitism worldwide, and pressing priorities on Capitol Hill.

The House of Representatives had been in chaos for weeks after Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by a motion to vacate. The House was paralyzed, and in such volatile times with tumultuous events in Israel and across the globe, the need for a strong Speaker of the House was evident. By an evident display of God’s providence, that need was filled by Speaker Mike Johnson.

Tony Perkins reported that before Speaker Johnson was elected, FRC had prayed for a speaker who would stand firm for biblical truth. In a remarkable display of the power of prayer, Mike Johnson was unanimously elected by the House Republicans as speaker. We are immensely grateful to have a speaker who shares our vision of advancing faith, family, and freedom.

HOLD TO BIBLICAL VALUES AND PRESENT-DAY MEDIA WILL ATTACK YOU

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Rolling Stone Magazine decided to attack Jonathan Cahn along with Evangelical Christians. Jonathan gives his answer in this video.

Jonathan’s response is a dignified, compassionate, rational response to a twisted, gaslighted, defamatory article! So much for tolerance and diversity. This article is a discredit to responsible journalism and demonstrates Rolling Stones’ obvious lack of credibility and ethics. Again, Jonathan, thank you for your wisdom and articulate, factual exposure of this repugnant article.

God told us that Evangelical Christians would be attacked in the end times prior to Jesus’ return to restore righteousness. Most of the Bible is prophecy and now fulfilled prophecy so that we know the God of the Bible is real and in control of History. We know therefore that this attack by Rolling Stone magazine is demonically motivated and is another Biblical end-times sign.

MORE EVIDENCE FOR A YOUNG EARTH

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In 1980, Mount St. Helens (in Washington State, USA) erupted, blasting the top and side off the mountain. Then, as volcanoes do, it began to rebuild. In 1992, samples of new volcanic rock—KNOWN to be only about 10 years old—were dated using standard radiometric dating techniques (3 samples from the same rock, 350,000 years, 900,000 years, and 2,800,000 years). The results were eye-opening. Radiometric dating is not all it’s cracked up to be! In fact, it’s fair to ask: “Can radiometric dates be trusted at all?” Join geologist Dr Tas Walker for a discussion of the Mount St. Helens eruption and its aftermath, the fundamental flaws in radiometric dating methods, and the relevance of the age of the earth to people’s view of the world.

TIMESTAMPS ⌛ 00:00 Teaser 00:40 Introduction: What’s the deal with Mount St. Helens? 02:33 Dating rocks from Mount St. Helens 04:34 Assumptions underlie radiometric dating 05:57 Three samples, three dates: 350,000 – 2.8 million years 07:36 Story-telling accompanies radiometric dating 11:10 How can we get ACCURATE dates? 12:29 How were the Mount St. Helens dates received? Handling objections 17:05 Carbon dating gives good evidence for a YOUNG earth! 18:37 The only way to be sure of the age of something 19:58 Different kinds of radiometric dating 21:19 Radiometric dating seems so SCIENTIFIC – How can it not be right? 23:00 What to do when the dates don’t fit the expectations 27:56 Is it okay to publish dates/perspectives that don’t match existing expectations? 31:51 The age of the earth is a critical part of people’s worldview 33:38 So, what do long-age geologists think of Mount St. Helens? 35:55 Other lessons from Mount St. Helens: 36:09 → Geologic layers can be deposited rapidly 36:59 → Erosion can happen rapidly 38:02 Geologists are now more accepting of catastrophism, but won’t let go of long ages 39:17 In conclusion: The age of the earth matters to both the biblical and the naturalistic worldviews

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP

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KENYA HOUSE CHURCH  MISSION TRIP (DISCIPLESHIP) TO THARAKA NITHI  COUNTY semi-arid region:

Arrival – Oct, 25, 023 and Departure – Oct, 31, 023

Hosts  –  Mr. Peter Wamatuba & sister in Christ, Alice Anyyango   

Purpose- Discipleship & House church planting.

We were well received by Mr, Peter Wamatuba and Alice Anyango, their closest friends together with other believers.

An opening prayer meeting was held in the house of Mr Peter Wamatuba before proceeding with indoor gospel teaching which was well received. It included men, women, and children.

On the morning of October 26th, in the compound of our host, a tent was raised up for meetings. Many people from nearby homes and neighboring villages came. We had a full house for our first tent meeting. We were encouraged as they were hungry for the word of life. And in that meeting, 8 people surrendered their lives, repented, and believed in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Evangelism: While the tent meeting was going on within the home compound of our host, Our evangelistic team was out on the streets and neighboring villages and homes ministering the gospel messages and praying with many people including the elderly, sick, and disabled who were unable to turn up for our meeting at the home of our host.

Among the people our team ministered to was a young motorbike rider, Mr. Dickson Ogolla, the young man believed the gospel message of repentance and accepted Jesus as his saviour.

Later, our team entered the home of  Mrs. Pauline Anyango, a widow woman,  she was with some other women in her house who had come to visit her following her long-standing illness. Repentance, healing, and the gospel message were ministered to them by our team. They all repented and believed, accepting Jesus Christ as their saviour. The sick widow woman was healed, praising the Lord and gave her testimony.

At another point, our team ministered to a young man, Mr. Ole Mpaka, who for many years had been bound by the traditional practices of his ancestors, practicing witchcraft. He believed the gospel message of repentance and accepted Jesus Christ. He believed and was baptized.

In the home of Mr. Tom Ondiek and his household and close friends, our team ministered the gospel and the message of prophesied end-time signs being fulfilled of Jesus soon coming return, they accepted the message and believed in Jesus Christ.

From that point, the team moved to another home and entered the house of Mrs Truphena Akoth. This woman had a young daughter, who had never heard about salvation found in Jesus Christ. Pastor, Seth took her through the bible verses on salvation, she believed the gospel message and accepted Jesus Christ as her saviour.

Pastor Julius Makacha also met and ministered to a young boy Mr Albetus Onyango, and shared with him the scriptures on salvation, on our way to the villages for evangelism.

In Thara Nithi market, we ministered to many people in the marketplace, preaching the gospel message on repentance, also on the coming Rapture and Wrath of God, the 1000 years (Millennium) reign of Jesus Christ, the White Throne judgement, and the New Heaven and New Earth where only the righteous dwell.

The presence of the holy spirit accompanied us and was working powerfully, through us in every house meeting, home, street, and village that we entered and ministered in.

House church established: Our trip to Tharaka became successful, and was with a positive outcome. A new house church of 12 people was established.

Prayers & Request: God knows all the needs of the Kenya house church movement, We continue to face many financial difficulties to reach people with the gospel. Lack of funds has been a great hindrance. Our prayers are for God to intervene and cause any willing person/people to come in, and help give support for this movement to the next level.

We have new disciples including the elderly, sick persons, and disabled who are unable to afford to buy Bible copies. And we request help to buy 20 copies of the Bible from any willing person ready to support. Each at a cost of Kshs 1000.

As Charles said God knows the needs of the KHC Movement but I would ask each of you reading this post to both pray and consider supporting them financially. You can do so on this website under Donations or if you would prefer to deal directly with Charles then let me know.

TIM SCOTT CALLED IT RIGHT AT THIRD REPUBLICAN DEBATE

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Tim Scott: ‘America does not work without a faith-filled Judeo-Christian foundation’

Scott insisted that “the loss of faith in this nation” has led to the “deep challenges” currently engulfing the U.S.

The South Carolina senator spoke of the importance of “restoring faith, restoring our Christian values that will help this nation once again become the city on the hill.”

He noted how former President Ronald Reagan’s description of the U.S. as a “city on the hill” originated from Matthew 5.

He also cited former President Abraham Lincoln’s warning that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” as a reference to the Gospel of Mark. 

“Our founding documents speak to the importance of the faith foundation,” he added. “You don’t have to be a Christian for America to work for you, but America does not work without a faith-filled Judeo-Christian foundation.”

Scott made his pitch to voters as a leader who can help “restore faith in God, faith in each other and faith in our future.” He contends that “without that focus, none of the issues, the policies matter.” 

“We have to get back to being a nation that is, in fact, the city on the hill that believes in each other enough for us to fight for that future,” he concluded. 

PORNOGRAPHY USED AS A POLITICAL TOOL

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Conservative leaders who get busted using pornography is the most effective use of porn as a political tool, as it not only isolates the outed conservative from his typically-not-fond-of-porn voter base but also labels him a hypocrite, as the conservative ideology (and even the Republican Party platform) condemn porn use. But this time around, leftists are taking the newly elected Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson to task for… not watching porn. In the last days, God said they would call good evil and evil good.

That’s right, in a recently-resurfaced video clip, Johnson stated that he uses Covenant Eyes, an online filter and accountability program that blocks porn from laptops and cell phones and sends a designated accountability partner a regular update on websites visited. During a panel discussion entitled “War on Technology” hosted last year at Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana, Johnson explained that Covenant Eyes had been suggested to him at a marriage conference called “Promise Keepers.” Conference speakers also suggested fathers sign up their sons once they hit the teenage years and serve as their sons’ accountability partners. Following this advice, Johnson signed up his teenage son for Covenant Eyes and the two have been one another’s accountability partners, receiving daily reports on what websites the other visited. He quipped, “I’m proud to tell you my son has got a clean slate.”

Left-wing media pundits and publications have, predictably, piled on Johnson for his position on porn. The vociferously pro-LGBT outlet “Pink News” wrote, “The revelation is yet another example of Johnson’s conservative views, which include him making a number of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion statements.” The online magazine also asked, “Should House Speaker Mike Johnson allow third-party surveillance apps on his personal devices?”

The far more mainstream Rolling Stone piled on, “Since he was elected Speaker of the House in October, Johnson’s history as a faith-obsessed, election-denying, far-right Christian nationalist has come under the microscope…” and referred to using porn-blocking and accountability software as “creepy Big Brother-ness…” The “Receipt Maven” Twitter account, which resurfaced the original clip, quipped, “[S]o basically don’t watch porn or your son/dad will know…”

Scientists have often noted that porn use typically progresses into more and more depraved categories. Scientifically, this is because the brain has become so desensitized to the images it sees that, in order to produce the dopamine the porn addict seeks, more extreme imagery must be viewed. In his novel “That Hideous Strength,” the great Christian author C.S. Lewis described this depraved progression of lust:

“It is idle to point out to the perverted man the horror of his perversion: while the fierce fit is on, that horror is the very spice of his craving. It is ugliness itself that becomes, in the end, the goal of his lechery; beauty has long since grown too weak a stimulant.”

Spiritually, this seeking out of the more and more depraved, the more and more perverse is even more startling. As most Christians know, virtue is the bending of one’s own will to align with God’s. Those whom we consider holiest, noblest, and most saintly are those whose wills are so in accord with God’s that there is little discernible difference. Cultivating such virtue, of course, is an arduous and even a lifelong task — it is no mere matter of wishing or wanting, and its demands are often high. The martyrs are prime examples of this: from Peter and Paul to Maximilian Kolbe and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the ardently virtuous offer their wills to God so completely that their very lives come along with them. Although all are, of course, made in the image and likeness of God, the virtuous are those who clarify that image and let it shine forth, brightly and colorfully.

Conversely, those who live according to vice turn away from the image of God and remake themselves in the image of Hell. They bend their wills so far away from God’s own that they actually run in the opposite direction. Pornography is a horrifically illustrative example of this principle.