BIBLICAL END-TIMES PROPHECIES WARN US CHRISTIANS WILL FACE INCREASING PERSECUTION

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In November 2020, a Christian woman in New Jersey named Betsy Fresse filed a lawsuit against Starbucks when the coffee chain allegedly fired her for refusing on religious grounds to wear an LGBT pride shirt as part of her uniform. 

Now Taylor Price, a Christian claims Starbucks fired her after opposing pride promotions, refusing to use trans pronouns.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Trice said she started working for Starbucks because the company offered tuition assistance for Arizona State University’s online program. In 2022, she was fired from Starbucks in Apex, North Carolina, after working for the company for two years.

“Before working at Starbucks, I knew nothing about it except that it was considered a bougie coffee shop,” Trice said. “So I didn’t know that it was a very liberal company.”

In a statement sent to The Christian Post, a Starbucks spokesperson said the company will not comment on this “private employment matter.”

“However, Starbucks has no tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind in our stores, and we’re committed to fostering an environment where everyone is welcome, respected and valued,” the spokesperson said. “We expect all partners (employees) to abide by company policies and standards, including our anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies.”

According to Trice, the Starbucks where she worked put up a glass wall during pride month in June that described various sexual orientations, saying families with kids would be able to see the display. 

She said that the display explained the sexual attractions of people who identified as “demisexual,” adding that she would have still opposed the display if it said “heterosexual.”

“I just felt like that didn’t need to be added to the decorations,” Trice said. 

Trice said her co-workers got defensive. She believes they thought she was a “homophobic Christian” and became “salty” towards her. 

Another issue with the company concerned a policy requiring her to use the “preferred pronouns” of individuals who identify as the opposite sex.

Trice said that she was willing to call a trans-identifying individual by name or avoid using pronouns, but her faith would not allow her to lie. 

“So, that means if I see you are a man, and I call you a woman, that is lying,” she said. “That is identifying you as something that God did not create you to be. And it’s identifying you as something that Satan wants to identify you as, and Satan’s ultimate goal is to confuse you and deceive you about your identity.” 

Trice said the power of a “small sin” can’t be underestimated.

“So, with all those factors combined, I say, respectfully, hey, ‘I’m willing to call you by your name; I’m willing to avoid using pronouns, but it’s against my faith to lie and say that you are a woman if I know that you are a man.'” 

She told Fox News that managers said customers made complaints against her, such as they believed she wasn’t comfortable with their “identity.” 

“I do not understand because I would talk to everyone there all the time,” she told the outlet. “I was never making insults towards them or anything.” 

Trice said she felt God warned her about what was to come, as the day before her store manager called her into a meeting with the district manager, she had a dream that she was in trouble at work. During the meeting, Trice’s employers informed her that people had accused her of “homophobia.” 

“As predicted, I got fired,” she said. “I’m not saying this to bash my old co-workers or my old manager. I actually had a lot of fun with them, and I love them, and all I want to see is for them to be in Heaven.” 

HOW FAR OFF IS ROBOTAXI?

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Elon Musk recently tweeted that Tesla’s robotaxi will launch on 08/08/2024. This video is from 2022. China is so far ahead of Tesla and Musk in robotaxis and EVs. China is rapidly crushing US E.V. companies. The video below reveals China’s Baidu is already operating robotaxis in Wuhan.

China’s electric vehicle companies have grown rapidly in recent years, becoming major competitors for U.S. automakers like Tesla. 

William Li, the CEO of NIO, said competition in the EV industry is “much fiercer” in China, the world’s largest market for EVs and for automobiles overall.

The fierce competition has spurred rapid development of the industry. According to Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research, about one-quarter of passenger cars sold in China last year were all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, compared with about 7% in the U.S.

“China is way ahead of the U.S. in terms of EV adoption,” said Soumen Mandal, a senior analyst for Counterpoint, based in Kolkata, India.

Faced with pressure at home, China’s EV makers are pursuing expansion abroad, especially in emerging markets. Last year, China’s exports of EVs increased 131.8% year on year to around 680,000 units, official data showed. Thanks in part to the surge in EV sales, China overtook Japan as the world’s top auto exporter in the first quarter of this year.

China’s growing EV shipments to Europe have vastly increased its share of the European market. Chinese manufacturers’ share of the Western European new EV passenger car market stood at 9.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, an astonishing rise from 2019, when China’s share in the total European EV market only reached 0.5 percent. 

Chinese industry leader BYD — a Shenzhen-based company whose name stands for “Build Your Dreams,” which is backed by U.S. investor Warren Buffett — now rivals Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles, including hybrids.

The Seagull, a subcompact hatchback BYD unveiled at the Shanghai auto show, is the cheapest EV in the world, at about $11,000, compared with $25,000 for a Toyota bZ4X and $40,000 for Tesla’s top-selling Model Y.

This article demonstrates how fast China is overtaking the U.S.A. in becoming the world’s leading superpower. Moreover, considering Taiwan’s dominance of the semi-conductor chip market and China’s dependence on microchips it is likely 2024 will see its takeover move on Taiwan. In October 2022, Biden dropped the hammer on China’s semiconductor industry by fully implementing a slew of tough controls on the export of American chip technology to China. This was a painful blow to Xi’s ambitions to rival the U.S. and only increased his need to take over Taiwan.

End times prophecies of wars and rumors of wars are playing out across the world and a possible China and Russia alliance is possible. Jesus said not to be alarmed when you see these things happening they are only the birth pangs.

No matter what wars and rumors of war are going on around us, our mission is the same, and it just so happens that the mission is what Jesus says is a reliable predictor of the end times.

“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 24:14

SATAN’S RULE IS COMING TO AN END

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As the deceiver of humanity, Satan has been active in deceiving the church since its inception. He deceives mankind by counterfeiting and corrupting the teachings of God. The apostles encountered it in many ways. Note Paul’s response.

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:6-7

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” Galatians 1:8-9

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough… And what I am doing I will continue to do, to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 12-15

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” Romans 16:17-18

“I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Acts 20:29-32

In 2 Peter, Peter describes some twisted versions of Christian truth being taught. Peter explains the “more fully confirmed” truth of the gospel as an antidote to heresy. The gospel is like “a lamp shining in a dark place” (1:19). In chapter 3, Peter focuses on those who scoff at the idea of Christ’s triumphant return and the final judgment. Just as God once destroyed the world with water, he will one day bring his fire to it. In light of this, we should live in “holiness and godliness” as we await his return.

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1-2

Jesus told us that this deception will only intensify as we approach the end of Satan’s rule over the Earth. When he is cast out of heaven He knows his time is short and the angel warns the earth, “woe to you O earth and sea for the devil has come down to you in great wrath“. We have been told beforehand to expect to see the Antichrist and experience the great tribulation that will be the fate of believers and Jews so be prepared.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” Matthew 24:21-22

Living Eternal Now Ready for Jesus’ Return is available on Amazon as an ebook and trade paperback. If you would like a signed copy then email me ron.careshare@gmail.com and make a donation of $20 on this website and I will post it to you.

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him... Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:9,12

TAX PAYERS FUND A REVOLUTION

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Critical theory is an analytical framework that aims to identify and dismantle systems of power. It takes Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism and extends it into other domains, including race, gender, sexuality, nationality and indigeneity. Claire Lehmann, The Australian

Anti-Israel activists Elisa Tuet-Rosenberg, co-founder of Hue and Zee Mazloum

If someone wants to go all out and purchase from Hue, a Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Survey Licence and Support Package, they can expect to pay the handsome price of $4150.

These documents are to be used in the workplace as guides in dealing with employees who might be “gender diverse”, Indigenous or a person of colour. Like other forms of social justice activism, the primary concern is to influence social norms through the introduction of workplace policies, speech codes and other forms of bureaucratic oversight.

At first glance, one might wonder what gender affirmation has to do with racism. Why would a consulting agency dedicated to issues of race be in the business of transgenderism? It’s an important question because the answer sheds light on the all-encompassing nature of modern progressive activism.

Today’s activism is shaped by a philosophical worldview known as critical theory. Developed by post-WWII academics such as Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse, critical theory is an analytical framework that aims to identify and dismantle systems of power. It takes Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism and extends it into other domains, including race, gender, sexuality, nationality and indigeneity. Systems of power that need to be dismantled include white supremacy, patriarchy, cis-heteronormativity, colonialism and capitalism.

This preoccupation with power is why social justice activism today comes in a package. The civil rights movements of the past focused on tangible results, such as making changes to legislation that would promote dignity and equality for all.

But since racial, gender and, later, marriage equality have become formally enshrined by law, the focus of activists has shifted from the concrete to the abstract, with the goal now being to “dismantle power”.

From the critical theory worldview, dismantling one system of power works towards dismantling other systems. This is why students carrying banners that read “Queers for Palestine” see no contradiction: it’s power that needs to be dismantled, not rights that need to be won.

This gets us back to the AHRC. The AHRC’s remit is not to dismantle power. It is a statutory body funded by the Australian government and is tasked with ensuring compliance with Australian law, namely the Racial Discrimination Act. As an instrument of power itself, any attempt to “dismantle power” would become self-contradictory. The clash of worldviews doesn’t stop there, however.

The Racial Discrimination Act of 1975 states: “It is unlawful for a person: (a) to refuse to allow another person access to or use of any place, by reason of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of that other person or of any relative or associate of that other person.”

But a visit to Hue’s website, (which is linked to by the AHRC) suggests this rule has been superseded. Hue offers events and workshops for “people of colour only”. One event, titled “Power & Resilience (People of Colour only)” purportedly “creates a safe space for people of colour at your organisation to share, reflect, connect and learn without the impact of the white gaze … the session also explores strategies for coping and wellbeing under oppressive and racist systems”.

Yet the Racial Discrimination Act does not include carve-outs allowing certain groups of people to be exclusionary or racist towards other groups of people because they feel they are living under “systems of oppression”. The legislation itself is blind to race – it simply prohibits discrimination. It’s worthwhile asking: does Hue – and the AHRC more broadly – see itself as above the law?

Unlike the Racial Discrimination Act, the critical theory definition of racism is not colourblind. Any condemnation of racism is determined by the identity of the actors engaged in it, rather than by the racism itself. And this selective condemnation also applies to rape, torture and murder.

On Hue’s LinkedIn page, an article in reference to October 7 states: “Whiteness culture is … hyper-individual, emphasising harm that takes place on an individual level, and disguising the violent systems that give rise to that harm in the first place. This culture erases ongoing ‘Israeli’ (sic) violence from our conversations and highlights and demonises the violence of resistance efforts and land defence.”

In the critical theory worldview “land defence” now outranks prohibitions against mass rape and mass murder. The mistaken notion that today’s social justice activists are passionate advocates of equality and dignity for all, rather than the carriers of a radically sectarian moral framework, has allowed establishment institutions such as the AHRC to be duped into giving them access and influence.

Activists with Tuet-Rosenberg’s worldview have effectively taken over institutions across corporate, non-profit and government sectors. Centre-leftists have no match for their zeal, and quickly find themselves defenestrated whenever there is conflict.

With companies like Hue receiving public subsidies, Australian taxpayers are funding a revolution.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Originally published at Christian Today UK

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

AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY TO CLOSE DOWN $60 MILLION MUSEUM

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The American Bible Society will be closing down its Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, around three years after the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based museum, which cost around $60 million, had opened.

The museum held its grand opening ceremony in July of 2021, coinciding with the city’s annual Wawa Welcome America Festival, with the ABS proclaiming that “guests can explore 25,000 square feet of interactive gallery space featuring groundbreaking technology.”

The press release cited “structural limitations,” the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns, and “other factors impacting sustainability” as the reasons for closing.

The center struggled from the onset, receiving only around $54,000 in ticket sales for the tax year of July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, while reporting total expenses of around $11 million, according to a statement of revenue.

The new Bible Society CEO Jennifer Holloran said, “The Faith and Liberty Discovery Center has served as a place of exceptional learning and inspiration since its doors opened.” and “We look forward to reimagining what the future of content could look like through a publicly accessible, digitized format,” she added. I suppose she had to say something positive.

The Faith and Liberty Discovery Centre Executive Director Rob Wonderling was quoted in the press release as saying that it had been “an honor to serve the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center and witness the many ways it has spurred inspiration, engagement, and personal discovery over the years at the heart of Independence Mall.” “The center was an innovative vision for sharing the importance of Scripture and I’m proud of the role our dedicated staff played in its mission,” Wonderling continued.

Opened in May 2021, the center was located on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall and sought to educate people of all religious views about the impact of Christianity on American history. The fact it has closed just 3 years after opening is a sad indictment on the Bible Society and no doubt the reason it now has a new CEO.

It is also clear from the lack of interest in the Faith and Liberty Discovery Centre that the USA no longer honours God’s Word. “IN GOD WE TRUST” is on the USA currency but the nation no longer believes God is in control of world events, and Gen Z does not believe that He even exists.

HOSTILITY AGAINST CHURCHES IN USA ACCELERATING

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Over the past several years, the Family Research Council has been tracking acts of hostility against churches in the United States. Between January 2018 and November 2023, at least 915 acts of hostility occurred. The types of acts include vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more.

In 2023, the Family Research Council identified 436 incidents—more than double the number identified in 2022 and more than eight times the number identified in 2018. These findings suggest that hostility against U.S. churches is not only on the rise but also accelerating.

From January to November 2023, there were at least 315 occurrences of vandalism, 75 arson attacks or attempts, 10 gun-related incidents, 20 bomb threats, and 37 other incidents. Seventeen incidents fell into multiple categories. Criminal acts of vandalism and destruction of church property may be symptomatic of a collapse in societal reverence and respect for houses of worship and religion.

Although the motivations for many of these incidents remain unknown, the rise in crimes against churches is taking place in a context in which American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity. Criminal acts of vandalism and destruction of church property may be symptomatic of a collapse in societal reverence and respect for houses of worship and religion—in this case, churches and Christianity. Americans appear increasingly comfortable lashing out against church buildings, pointing to a larger societal problem of marginalizing core Christian beliefs, including those that touch on hot-button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality. Attacks on houses of worship may also signal a discomfort with religion in general.

We should not be surprised because all three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke record what Jesus told the disciples about the intense persecution of Christians that will take place before Jesus returns, first to rescue His Saints, then pour out His wrath upon the unrepentant, and finally to restore righteousness during His Millennial reign on this Earth.

“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

“And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Mark 13:12-13

“You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.” Luke 21:16-19

FATAL EFFECTS OF TRANS PROCEDURES

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Extract from Article in the Washington Stand by Sarah Halliday “Leaked Files Reveal WPATH’s Awareness of ‘Debilitating,’ ‘Potentially Fatal’ Effects of Trans Procedures”

On March 4, the U.S. think tank Environmental Progress released leaked files from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) that “revealed that the clinicians who shape how ‘gender medicine’ is regulated and practiced around the world consistently violate medical ethics and informed consent.”

It continued, “In the WPATH Files, members demonstrate a lack of consideration for long-term patient outcomes despite being aware of the debilitating and potentially fatal side effects of cross-sex hormones and surgical treatments. Messages in the files show that patients with severe mental health issues, such as schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder, and other vulnerabilities such as homelessness, are being allowed to consent to hormonal and surgical interventions. Members dismiss concerns about these patients and characterize efforts to protect them as unnecessary ‘gatekeeping.’”

Most unsettling about the leaked files, experts have pointed out, is that they prove the alleged “medical professionals” are keenly aware “they are offering minors life-changing treatments they cannot fully understand.” On Wednesday, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins highlighted on “Washington Watch” that the “injuries described in the files” that WPATH members are aware of “include sterilization, loss of sexual function, liver tumors, and even death.”

Concerning the leaked files, Dr. Quentin Van Meter, a pediatric endocrinologist and executive committee member of the American College of Pediatricians, observed on “Washington Watch” that “it’s a very large battering ram that’s hit the wall … that has been hiding all of the information that they know, and they willingly discuss among themselves.” He added that the files prove that the procedures they are doing on “these kids are clearly experimental [and] not based on science.”

He explained that doctors have been warning against WPATH and their practices for years in hearings and courts — efforts that have been repeatedly “shot down.” Van Meter emphasized that WPATH considers their work as a “saving grace” and that they “save lives.” For years, WPATH has claimed that any contrary belief “is a bald-faced lie, and is politically motivated by right-wing conspiracy theorists,” he said. “That’s been their mantra since we’ve known them on the scene.”

Ultimately, he argued, the “WPATH secrets that have now been leaked show that [they have] no scientific background [and] that they are living and repeating lies over and over again. It’s quite shocking.” But he also described it as a “gift,” since it exposes the truth that “this is not good for children.”

Perkins added, “It exposes the fact that many of these entities that are held out as experts have been compromised by the political agendas of these ideologically driven individuals.” He continued, “This is what happens when this ideology, untethered to truth and ethics, mixes with science. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it.”

Especially since “it leads to horrible outcomes for children,” Perkins contended. Children that “can’t drive … can’t get a tattoo, but we’re letting them cut off body parts and … make them think they’re changing their gender.”

Van Meter agreed. “This needs to be shouted from the … hilltops: ‘Stop.’ The whole world must stop this nonsense, this insanity. We have hurt hundreds of thousands of children irreparably since this whole process began in the mid-2000s, and we’ve got to put a stop to it.”

Perkins asked if the leaked information would be enough to make “the medical associations … stop and rethink” what they’re doing. Van Meter responded, “That would be the intellectually correct thing to do.” However, what unsettled the doctor the most was how “casual” and “flippant” the members of WPATH seem to be discussing this. “The ideology is embedded so deeply in their minds that I don’t think they really care,” he remarked.

 “It’s sad,” Perkins concluded. “It is absolutely sad. What an indictment against our culture to allow this to occur.”

Imagine how God sees the lives of children being decimated by this insanity. Fortunately, God has already told us in advance that this would happen and that this world like the lawless/godless people living in Noah’s day will be judged. God will pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet (Rev. 8) and Bowl (Rev. 16) judgements.

The Seven Trumpets
“The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” Revelation 8:6-7

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath
​”Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” Revelation 16:1

CHRISTIANS EXCLUDED FROM JURY DUTY

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The nation’s finest legal minds warn that ongoing efforts to exclude Christians from serving on juries due to their biblical beliefs is part of a campaign “relegating Christians to second-class citizen status.” The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Missouri case in which potential jurors were kicked off the jury after saying they went to a “conservative Christian church” that taught that having homosexual behavior is sinful – even after assuring they could properly apply the law. Barring Christians from serving civic functions based on their beliefs “exemplifies the danger that I anticipated in Obergefell v. Hodges,” the controversial 2015 Supreme Court decision that invented the “right” to same-sex marriage, wrote Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

The legal fracas began when a woman named Jean Finney, who identifies as lesbian, said the Missouri Department of Corrections fired her because she “presents masculine,” which she says violates statutes barring discrimination based on sex. The Obama-Biden administration significantly altered the judicial landscape by promoting a novel legal theory that landmark civil rights legislation intended to ban discrimination against women actually applies to people who identify as homosexual or transgender.

Finney’s attorney asked potential jurors if any of them “went to a conservative Christian church” where “it was taught that people [who] are homosexua[l] shouldn’t have the same rights as everyone else,” because “what they did” was “a sin.” One pastor’s wife reportedly told the lawyer that “homosexuality, according to the Bible, is a sin,” and “so is gossiping, so is lying.” Another agreed homosexual relations are sinful, because “it’s in the Bible,” but “every one of us here sins. … It’s just part of our nature.” Furthermore, whether someone sins “has really nothing to do with” the case at hand.

“The jurors specifically said, ‘We are Christians, we have some sincerely held Christian beliefs but can follow the law,’” Bailey told Hice. “Christians can follow the law just like anybody else.”

But Finney’s attorney insisted “there’s no way … somebody [who] looks at a gay person and says … ‘You are a sinner’” could fairly apply the law and denied the Christians their right to fulfill their civic duty.

The Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the Christians’ dismissal, saying the belief that sodomy is “sinful (meaning immoral and wrong)” gave Finney reason to believe “that they could not impartially and fairly decide her claim that she was unlawfully harassed due to her homosexuality — even if [they] claimed that their religious beliefs would not prevent them from serving.” The court said the Christians weren’t thrown off the jury because they’re Christians, but because their Christian church holds to traditional views of same-sex behavior.

The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, Missouri Department of Corrections v. Jean Finney, last Tuesday — a decision Alito reluctantly affirmed due to technical, procedural issues. But in a rare comment on the order, he wrote the case bore out concerns he identified nine years ago at the time of the ruling.

In his dissent to Obergefell, Justice Alito dismissed assurances from the court’s activist bloc that Christians’ “rights of conscience will be protected.”

“We will soon see whether this proves to be true,” wrote Justice Alito. “I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools.”

Since that time, left-leaning legal organizations and governments have targeted Christian photographers, bakers, florists, and adoption agencies to deny them their right to practice their religion in business, or in the raising of their children.

Justice Alito similarly warned Obergefell, like Roe v. Wade, constituted a raw exercise of judicial power. “If a bare majority of justices can invent a new right and impose that right on the rest of the country, the only real limit on what future majorities will be able to do is their own sense of what those with political power and cultural influence are willing to tolerate,” wrote Alito in the dissent. “All Americans, whatever their thinking on that issue, should worry about what the majority’s claim of power portends.”

Years later, he sees his warning coming to fruition. “I see no basis for dismissing a juror for cause based on religious beliefs,” wrote Justice Alito on Tuesday. “I am concerned that the lower court’s reasoning may spread and maybe a foretaste of things to come.”

“When a court, a quintessential state actor, finds that a person is ineligible to serve on a jury because of his or her religious beliefs, that decision implicates fundamental rights,” wrote Alito.

The Founding Fathers agreed. In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson listed “freedom of religion; freedom of the press … and trial by juries impartially selected” as part of “the bright constellation” of “essential functions of our government.”

“The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment,” he said.

Jefferson’s predecessor and political rival, John Adams, agreed. “Representative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty. Without them we have no other fortification against being ridden like horses, fleeced like sheep, worked like cattle, and fed and clothed like swine and hounds, says Adamas.

Christian jurors grounded in the Constitution say they refuse to sit by as believers to be systematically stripped of their rights and excluded from a civic duty the Founding Fathers described as analogous to voting. “We’re not going to let radical left-wing progressives relegate Christians to second-class citizen status. … We can’t let that happen,” Bailey said. “The right to participate on juries is codified in the United States Constitution. And that’s a right of citizenship.”

“The only people being discriminated against when the states pass these anti-discrimination laws too often are Christians, Christians who believe in biblical truth.”

Fortunately, Jesus told us in advance that the persecution of Christians would escalate in the time before His return to restore righteousness. It will be a time when God refines His church. Sadly, we already see a great falling away in the institutional churches with them compromising with the world on gay marriage and transgender issues.

“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

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.