The Final Countdown

It is time once again to play, Does this mixture of headlines make any sense? As you read the following news items, remember that the embracing of sin (Jeremiah 50:14) coupled with the systematic removal of God (Jeremiah 50:29) will lead to catastrophic judgment upon the Western world (Jeremiah 50:28), including the United States (read Isaiah 18, Jeremiah 50-51, & Revelation 18 for an in-depth picture).

Group one–pro sin:

• Obama plans to fund D.C. abortions
• (UK) Parents will have “no say” over sex education in schools
• Surgeon General nominee wants to train new doctors on abortions
• Obama wants to rescind regulations enforcing “conscience-clause laws”
• National Health Service tells pupils they have a “right to good sex”
• Schoolchildren given sex lessons on what is available at local brothel
• ObamaCare to provide taxpayer funded abortion on demand
• Police officers who practice witchcraft get Pagan Police Association, own holidays
• 25% of abortions are done by pill (abortions increase because of ease)
• Abortion funds, marijuana in house health bill
• ‘Sex play’ for teens promoted in cartoon
• Gov’t drive fails to cut teen pregnancies
• Obama science czar called for forced abortions
• Obama science czar says, “years after birth, (a fetus) will ultimately develop into a human being”
• Gov’t insurance would allow coverage for abortion
• Stimulus Bill funds go to art houses showing “pervert” revues, pornography
• Same-sex couples granted legal status in Wisconsin
• US House funds needle exchange programs

Group two–anti-God:

• IRS tells pro-lifers to give up 1st Amendment
• Jail removes Bible verses from letters to inmate
• Catholic nurse ‘forced’ to help in late-term abortion
• City rejects ‘In God We Trust’ logo
• Sotomayor supported censoring Biblical verse
• National Institutes of Health head opposed as “nutty” after Christian conversion
• Church faces fine after town bans Sunday afternoon services
• Christian doctor axed for failing to back gay adoption
• Program to curb AIDS questioned after Bible verses used to promote abstinence
• Gov’t funded art exhibit encourages people to deface the Bible
• Prayers at Chesapeake council meetings stir debate
• Public library bans Sunday School posters because they promote religion
• UN shuts out Christian NGO after China objects
• Hall-of-Fame coach canned after student accepts Christ
• American arrested for talking about Jesus in Norway

Group three–just to think about:

• Fetuses found to have memories
• Parents cradle “dead” baby, who comes back to life
• Baby born at 23 weeks survives
• Grieving father finds ‘dead’ baby alive in coffin

At the midpoint of the Tribulation the Antichrist will claim to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Daniel 11:36; Revelation 13:5-6), and with the help of the False Prophet unsaved people will believe him (Revelation 13:12-17). The Antichrist will then make it his mission to kill the Jews and Christians who are on earth during that time (Daniel 7:21, 25; Revelation 13:7, 12;13, 20:4; Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9, 12-13; Luke 21:12-17; John 16:2).

Amazingly, people will turn in their own family members for being Christians and hand them over to be killed (Mark 13:9-13). With that in mind I am going to occasionally post some headlines showing that the natural love between family members is eroding quickly in our culture. It will be no surprise that millions of believers are given over to the executioner by “loved” ones.

• Woman left newborn in portable toilet
• Woman charged with poisoning daughter with methadone
• Parents selling children to Taliban to become suicide bombers
• Stillborn baby flushed down toilet
• Mother slits throats of her three children
• Three accused of letting rats chew toes off Ohio infant
• Louisiana baby with rodent bites bleeds to death
• Father confesses to strangling 3-year-old daughter to death
• Two children shot by siblings in separate attacks
• Woman beheads, dismembers her newborn
• Dad kills daughter, self
• Toddler found alive in trash can
• Dad threw girl off cliff to avoid child support
• School children wearing diapers after parents “too busy to potty train”
• Mom in Minnesota starves disabled daughter to death
• Jerusalem mother starves, deliberately injures son
• Father stabs teenage daughter to death
• Dad beats, strangles 7 year-old son to death while fiancee watches
• Oklahoma kids found locked in bedroom, covered in feces and blood

The persecution of Christians and Jews will continue to increase (Revelation 12:13, 13:7; Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9), culminating in the beheading of many who are converted during the Tribulation (Revelation 20:4). The current hatred of and attacks against the Jews are well documented, but it serves us well to look at some headlines and remember that people are harmed and even killed for the name of Christ every day.

• North Korea threatens foreign Christians
• Muslims attack fleeing Christians with acid
• Terrorists congregate at site of rampant Christian persecution
• Lawsuit filed challenging Ten Commandments in Kentucky
• Britain has become a cold place for Christians
• Fifa tells soccer superstars to ‘Keep God out of football’
• Six Baghdad churches bombed
• Group seeks to block ‘In God We Trust’ engraving at Capitol Visitor Center
• Malaysia arrests 9 Christians for trying to convert Muslims
• Christian women flogged for wearing pants
• Christian-funded centers vandalized

At least there is one interesting pro-God story out there this week–DNA proves God made all creatures.

I do not talk about this topic too much because most of the “real” persecution of believers does not begin until after the start of the Tribulation, when saints will be beheaded for converting to Christianity (Revelation 20:4). And while we have it easy in the United States, facing only the occasional discrimination, Christians in other parts of the world face death on a daily basis for their faith. Just so we don’t lose sight of what is starting to take place, here is a sampling of headlines from the past week. All except for the first one comes from the United States:

• Christian man raped, murdered for refusing to convert to Islam
• Bucknell University requires permit to hand out Bibles
• Student barred from using Christian song in talent show
• Teacher fired for keeping Bible on desk
• PBS to begin phasing out religious programming
• Lawyer warns: Christians targeted in new Hate Crimes bill
• Company sued for “abusive, harassing” letters WWJD

There will come a time when all the Christians and Jews from around the world will face death at the hands of the Antichrist (Daniel 7:21; Matthew 24:9; Revelation 13:7, 20:4; Mark 13:9, plus many others).  Stunningly, many will die after being reported to the authorities by their own spouses, parents, children, and siblings (Mark 13:12-13; Luke 21:16). That notion becomes very believable when one reads the headlines and realizes that the natural love among families is eroding away. In the past few days we have seen a slew of horrific stories to this affect, such as the mother who broadcast the sexual assault of her 5-year old daughter live on the Internet, and the mom who set her daughter on fire in a voodoo ritual.

Specifically to the United States, America will continue to remove God from society (Isaiah 18:2, 7; Jeremiah 50:11, 24, 29, 31, 32). As with every nation that follows a like path, this will cause God to reign holy judgment upon the land (Jeremiah 50:14, 28, 29; 51:24).

The reports of a Chinese bookstore owner being jailed for three years for printing Bibles to give to local Christians is a somber reminder of how blessed we Americans are to live in a nation founded on God and His principles. Sadly, the Almighty remains under assault in the United States, with fringe minority groups having full support of the government in attempts to eradicate the name of Jesus from public life.

Consider these headlines from the last two weeks:

• Liberty University’s tax-exempt status challenged
• Pepsi stops donations to disaster relief ministry because it has ‘God’ in its name (Note: Pepsi has since reversed its stance)
• Senate, Supreme Court refuse admission to wearers of “Jesus is the Standard” shirts
• UCLA student told she can’t reference Jesus Christ in her personal graduation statement
• Bishop faces jail for ringing church bells (Note: Muslim prayer horns in Dearborn, MI are “protected,” regardless of the public outcry of noise pollution)
• Christians prohibited from conducting Bible study in public housing projects
• Oklahoma braces for challenge to Ten Commandments law
• Calls for Red Cross symbol to be axed

Thankfully there is some good news from this week. Students at Florida’s Pace High School thumbed their noses at the ACLU by standing in unison and reciting the Lord’s Prayer at their graduation ceremony. Also, a House committee has approved a resolution that, if passed, will fix the egregious removal of references to God from the US Capitol Visitor Center. Some of these “omissions” include leaving the National Motto, In God We Trust, off the replica of the Speaker’s rostrum; the removal of the Pledge of Allegiance; and the striking of references to God from the Northwest Ordinance and the Constitution.

The United States appears to be depicted in Scripture in Isaiah 18, Jeremiah 50-51, and Revelation 18. Among the many descriptions given we find a nation who was founded on God, but has systematically removed Him from society, growing worse and worse as time goes on (Isaiah 18:2, 7). There is even rejoicing that the Godly heritage of the nation is covered up (Jeremiah 50:11).

Because of great sin (Jeremiah 50:14) and the turning away from God (Jeremiah 50:29), monumental judgment is coming (Jeremiah 50:28; 51:24). This will come in the form of missiles (Jeremiah 50:14, 29; 51:3, 11) launched by Russia (Jeremiah 50:9, 41; 51:48) and perhaps even Iran (Jeremiah 51:11, 28). If this passage does indeed picture America, the United States will be completely destroyed (Jeremiah 50:13, 26).