All throughout the History of the Church, the Bride of Christ, has stood a harlot who masquerades as the elect but lures people into the depths of darkness with seductive words and practices. But in modern times, Christianity has witnessed the emergence of a progressive American “Church” movement that surpasses anything we’ve seen before. This movement, under the guise of adapting to contemporary standards, has embraced such an idolatrous path that it has abandoned the gospel altogether for such causes as the LGBTQ movement, social justice and Critical theory, and feminism.
This movement isn’t limited to the obviously apostate mainline denominations but its tentacles have a grip on even the most “traditional” and “conservative” churches and denominations in our nation. By professing allegiance to Christ while simultaneously contravening His commandments and compromising the gospel to maintain superficial peace with the world, this movement exemplifies a profound disconnect between confession and conduct, invoking God’s name in vain.
The Holy Scriptures, unambiguous in their denunciation of sin, offer stark illustrations of God’s wrath against apostasy and disobedience. The verses from Jeremiah 19:9, Leviticus 26:29, Ezekiel 5:10, and Lamentations 4:10 serve not merely as historical records of divine judgment but also as metaphors for God’s enduring abhorrence of sin. These passages depict a horrifying scenario where, under the severe duress of a siege—both literal and spiritual—the people of God resort to cannibalism, a graphic emblem of the depths to which humanity can fall when it turns away from the Lord.
In the time of Jeremiah, the people of Israel faced such dire punishment because of their steadfast refusal to heed God’s commands, engaging in idolatry and social injustices that mirrored the actions of the nations around them. In Jeremiah 19:9, God warns, “And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.”
This prophecy was a literal unfolding of events during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, but it also symbolizes the self-destructive consequences of abandoning God’s law—the prophet laments this destruction of the imago dei in Lamentations 4:10. Similarly, Leviticus warns of the ultimate degradation of moral fiber, illustrating the extreme measures to which God is willing to go in order to cleanse His people of their sinfulness.
“You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters.” —Leviticus 26:29
Ezekiel’s grim portrayal further accentuates the inevitability of divine retribution within the community, where the familial bond is shattered under the weight of God’s judgment. “Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. And I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to all the winds,” the prophet writes in Ezekiel 5:10.
This is a graphic reminder that sin not only estranges us from God but also corrodes the social and familial structures He ordained. Lamentations mourns the unspeakable acts of a besieged Jerusalem, where even the most seemingly “compassionate” hearts are driven to desperation. These historical accounts mirror the spiritual desolation that ensues when those who profess the name of Christ forsake His commandments.
The application of these scriptures to the modern false church movement is both fitting and foreboding. Just as Israel and Judah faced severe consequences for their unfaithfulness, so too will contemporary “churches” that distort the gospel for societal approval, political correctness, or personal gain. The false church, by embracing doctrines and practices contrary to the Bible, invites upon itself a judgment as severe as that which befell the unfaithful in ancient times.
God’s historic judgments, ranging from the flood in Noah’s time to the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, to the severe penalties inflicted on His people for their idolatry and faithlessness, serve as solemn reminders. We can conclude from these events that nothing is off the table when it comes to God’s judgment—these are not mere anecdotes from a bygone era but are indicative of God’s immutable nature. His holiness demands justice, and His justice will not spare those who, under the banner of Christ, propagate falsehoods and lead many astray.
In our modern church age, the warning is clear and urgent. The modern American “Church,” by diluting the gospel’s power with human ideologies and rejecting the clear teachings of Scripture, stands on precarious ground. The call to repentance is not just a plea but a mandate for survival. For the true bride of Christ, the path forward is one of separation and sanctification—to disentangle from the deception that pervades these false assemblies and to stand firm in the truth of God’s Word.
As we face an increasingly hostile world, we must heed the dire warnings of Scripture with both fear and reverence. Remember that our God, who is loving and merciful, is also a consuming fire, intolerant of sin and compromise. May this reflection inspire a return to the unadulterated gospel, prompting a revival within the church that aligns with God’s sovereign will and eternal statutes. The stakes are eternal, and the time for discernment and decisive action is now.
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Like the author of this article, Jeff Maples, I too have reservations about Jimmy Carter’s faith. Jimmy despised Adrian Rogers and others who boldly and unequivocally stood on the Word of God without apology. He appears to be a liberal Baptist, twisting the Truth to his own liking. Pastor Steve <><
According to reports, former President Jimmy Carter is approaching the end of his life, as shared by his grandson Jason Carter at the 28th Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum. Jason provided an update on the 99-year-old former president, who has been in hospice care for nearly a year and a half, stating, “He really is, I think, coming to the end that, as I’ve said before, there’s a part of this faith journey that is so important to him, and there’s a part of that faith journey that you only can live at the very end, and I think he has been there in that space.”
As Carter spends his final days in his home in Plains, Georgia, his legacy and the implications of his lifelong advocacies come under renewed scrutiny.
Carter, who has often portrayed himself as a devout Christian, even a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher at one time, has promoted policies and taken horrific views on key issues that could only be described as completely godless. While Carter has frequently invoked his faith in his public life, his unrelenting support for the LGBTQ movement and abortion, along with every other godless left-wing ideology under the sun, reveals a troubling state of his soul that should leave him in fear of the coming judgment.
Carter’s promotion of sexual immorality in our culture is one of the most glaring examples of his hatred of God. Despite the clear teachings of Scripture regarding marriage and sexuality, Carter has championed the LGBTQ movement. In a 2015 interview with HuffPost Live, Carter asserted that Jesus would approve of same-sex marriage.
Even more grievously, Carter’s relentless advocacy for the death penalty for unborn children to be carried out on them for the crimes and sins of their parents demonstrates his hatred of the giver of life. As early as 1977, during his presidency, Carter supported federal funding for abortions in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Over the years, he has maintained a position that allows for unfettered access to abortion, especially under various circumstances. By supporting abortion, Carter endorses a practice that ends innocent human lives, flagrantly violating the sanctity of life as ordained by God.
Carter’s advocacy for these positions has significantly impacted public policy and the broader cultural landscape. His support for LGBTQ rights and abortion has contributed to the normalization and legal recognition of these practices, having profound implications for religious freedom and the ability of Christians to live out their faith in the public square. As these issues become more entrenched in society, those who hold to biblical principles face increasing pressure to conform to secular values.
Carter’s positions highlight a broader trend among those who claim the Christian faith yet embrace secular ideologies that conflict with Scripture. This trend reflects a growing tendency to prioritize cultural relevance over biblical fidelity, leading to a compromised witness in the public sphere. Carter’s example serves as a grave warning of the dangers of allowing personal or cultural preferences to supersede the authority of God’s Word.
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus delivers a stern warning: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Carter’s advocacy for godless ambitions such as LGBTQ rights and abortion aligns him with those who profess faith but deny its power and authority in their lives.
As Jimmy Carter nears the end of his earthly journey, we lament that he will soon likely hear these chilling words from our Lord. A truly saved person, being sanctified, cannot continue in abject rebellion against his Creator. Scripture affirms that those who endure to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). Carter’s legacy serves as a somber reminder of the need for unwavering commitment to biblical truth and the perils of compromising with secular ideologies.
In these critical times, believers must remain steadfast in their commitment to God’s Word, upholding the sanctity of marriage and the value of human life. We must trust in the authority of Scripture and reject any cultural trends that seek to undermine the foundations of our faith. Let us pray for true repentance and enduring faith, standing firm in the truth until the end.
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Many churchgoers have shared with me that when their churches reopened after Covid, Wokism had become the new religion. Sermons dealing with current events were now messages incompatible with biblical Christianity. The themes switched to social justice and equality; the key phrase was that we had to be tolerant. The motto switched to, “Do not preach anything that will offend anyone.”
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul also prophesized and warned: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”
This apostasy or rebellion is when people turn from their faith.
Sleeping Churches
I used to wonder how it would ever happen. What would this look like? I have had a passion for Bible prophecy for years. However, reading and studying Bible prophecy and seeing it lived out before your eyes is totally different. It is extremely exciting to live in a day when so many prophetic events are converging, yet when I speak with my peers, many pastors and churches are sleeping, not concerned about the events unfolding right before us.
I routinely have people attend my church who say they have been searching for a church that would preach the truth about the day we live in. They say they have been trying to find a pastor who will speak about what’s happening in the world. People regularly tell me the only pastors they can discover who go deep into God’s word and explain how it applies to what’s happened in our world today are online. They can’t find a physical church where they can be part of a real like-minded community of believers who understand the days we live in.
To my fault, I have heard these voices, but I have been slow to acknowledge how correct they are. I didn’t want to fully acknowledge that our Christian pulpits have gone silent at a time when we need to be blowing the trumpet the loudest.
A Christian Worldview
I ask myself, when did this slide away from prophecy and prophetic events take place? A 2004 survey by Barna Research found that only 9% of all born-again adults have a Christian worldview. Worse, the same report said that only half of evangelical Protestant pastors, 51%, have a biblical worldview. 9% of adults and 51% of pastors! That is sad and tough to comprehend.
To define a worldview, it is believing that absolute moral truth exists and that it is based on the Bible. To have a Christian worldview, Barna’s research listed six core beliefs:
– the accuracy of biblical teaching,
– the sinless nature of Jesus,
– the literal existence of Satan,
– the omnipotence and omniscience of God,
– salvation by grace alone,
– the personal responsibility to evangelize.
That was in 2004. In 2022, the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University did another survey on this topic. They found that just slightly more than a third (37%) of evangelical pastors possess a biblical worldview, and the majority, 62%, hold a hybrid worldview known as Syncretism. Syncretism is the fusion of differing systems of belief. It is the blending of multiple and different belief systems. In 18 years, the percentage of Christian evangelical pastors with a Christian worldview dropped from half to a third.
The Remnant
There is a remnant of believers who want to be awake and help sound the trumpet of the soon return of Christ and the coming judgment on this world. There is a remnant of believers who want to connect with like-minded believers. The issue is that this group of remnant believers is often separated. They are mixed in with the 91% of adult churchgoers who do not hold to a Christian worldview.
The Tipping Point
Again, how did we get here? Was there a tipping point? Yes, there was. It was Covid-19 — when churches decided to close.
Many churchgoers have shared with me that when their churches did reopen, Wokism had become the new religion. Sermons dealing with current events were now messages incompatible with biblical Christianity. The themes switched to social justice and equality; the key phrase was that we had to be tolerant. The motto switched to, “Do not preach anything that will offend anyone.”
Not of the World
Years ago, the Seeker-Sensitive Movement compromised biblical values and truths and replaced them with entertainment. The trend was to offer whatever it took to get people to attend church. The focus was no longer on being salt and light. The focus was to make it loud, add colorful lighting, and focus on motivating, not correcting. Enough time has passed now that we know that that direction did not work.
I once had a professional rock-and-roll star share his view of the church being what it was not called to be. He received Jesus and started to attend church. He was shocked to find church services use fog machines, strobe lighting, and stadium sound systems. He told me he wasn’t attending church for a concert; he wanted to hear about Jesus and be taught the Bible. He said he wanted to yell at these churches and tell them to stop trying to be like the world. Besides, he said, churches stink at it anyway. That conversation was years ago, but his words still ring true.
Universalism
In this woke culture, churches need to stop preaching a Universalist view of salvation. Universalism promotes the idea that all people will be saved regardless of their beliefs. They need to stop using the word “diversity” all the time. Instead, we need to teach a literal interpretation of Scripture. We must stop straying away from the purity and truth of God’s Word.
Israel in the Pulpits
Since October 7th, Israel has been in the news, but not in the pulpits. Research shows that Amillennialism has become a prominent view. Scripture details that Christ will return to establish His Kingdom, which He will reign over for a literal thousand years. Amillennialism sees the thousand years as spiritual and non-literal. This teaching leads directly to Replacement Theology, which teaches that the Church has replaced Israel. That’s heresy! It seems some want the Kingdom without the King.
In 1 Timothy 4:1, the Holy Spirit says, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” This prophecy of falling away is spoken to those in church, not those in the world.
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, the Apostle Paul prophesied, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Joe Biden stands at one very tenuous heartbeat from eternity. So he blasphemes the Lord and makes a sign of the cross at a baby butchering rally. He blasphemes God by saying: “…what the hell is in the Bible?” We are now paying for the 60 million plus abortions in our country at our southern border. Why is Joe Biden in power? Because God gives us the leaders we deserve. Pray for our rebellious president’s soul and for this godless nation.Abortion = the murdering of the innocents.
BY BEN JOHNSON/THE WASHINGTON STAND APRIL 26, 2024
Joe Biden has now invoked a Higher Power in his battle with Pro-Life opponents as he continues to twist scripture so that evil is good and good is evil.
Nearly two years after launching a “whole-of-government approach” to support the abortion industry, President Joe Biden has now invoked a Higher Power. At a campaign stop in Florida on Tuesday, Biden made the sign of the Cross in an apparent attempt to ward off pro-life legislation, mocked the notion that miracles happen in politics, and wondered aloud about “what the Hell is in” the Bible.
During a pro-abortion speech in Tampa, the purportedly “devout Catholic” Biden lashed out at former President Donald Trump for allegedly being a pro-life extremist. The 46th president seemed incredulous that the 45th president “described the Dobbs decision as a ‘miracle.’ Maybe it’s coming from that Bible he’s trying to sell. Whoa. I almost wanted to buy one just to see what the hell is in it.”
It seems curious Joe Biden wouldn’t have picked up some of the fundamentals of the Bible from attending daily Mass before going to “the black church” every Sunday, between stops in the Greek Orthodox and Puerto Rican communities, all after attending synagogue on Shabbat.
That was but one facet of Biden’s inversion of Scripture. At a meeting with volunteers in Tampa, Biden invoked the power of our Lord’s precious and life-giving Cross as a guest speaker discussed abortion.
Biden made the holy gesture as Nikki Fried — the current chair of the Florida Democratic Party and former state commissioner of agriculture, who lost the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary to a former Republican by 14 points — belittled Governor Ron DeSantis (R) for signing a bill that halted abortion once babies have a detectable fetal heartbeat. “Ron DeSantis felt like he needed to run for president, and so [protecting unborn life at] 15 weeks wasn’t good enough. We had to go to six weeks,” inveighed Fried.
As Fried uttered those sentences, Joe Biden made the sign of the Cross, apparently trying to ward off the heartbeat bill from becoming law. But as it turns out, Jesus is pro-life, Ron DeSantis is a leader, and on May 1 the Heartbeat Protection Act will become the Heartbeat Protection law.
Making the sign of the Cross at an abortion rally would be entirely appropriate … for an exorcist. One of the foremost figures of the early Church wrote, “By the sign of the Cross all magic is stopped, and all witchcraft brought to nothing, and all the idols are being deserted and left, and every unruly pleasure is checked.” But for the nation’s second Catholic president to make a sacred gesture of his faith to mock the sanctity of life — a teaching of his church, the Bible, and his Savior — is sacrilegious.
The Bible — in any translation, with or without any individual’s endorsement — makes abundantly clear the Cross is the preeminent Christian sign, reconciling a holy God with sinful mankind. For that reason, Christians have always embraced, cherished, and clung to the Old Rugged Cross.
The sign of the Cross is an ancient Christian prayer. Scripturally, the Christian makes the sign of the Cross to show he plans to fulfill the Great Commandment to love God with all his mind (forehead), heart, and strength (shoulders). Early church writings seem to indicate that originally, it was traced on the forehead with the thumb, perhaps calling to mind Bible verses about God sealing the faithful by placing His mark on their foreheads. (See Exodus 13:16, Ezekiel 9:3-6, and Revelation 14:1 and 22:4.)
Over time, it became standard to make the sign of the Cross over the whole body. The exact method varied geographically, but eventually all traditional Christians — Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Copts, Armenians, Ethiopians, Anglicans, Lutherans, and others — came to begin all their prayers with this sign, asking the blessing of the Holy Trinity.
Early Christians took their role as the people of the Cross so seriously — and placed such trust in Christ crucified — that they used this holy sign to sanctify, and drive demons out of, everything. The early church leader Tertullian (160-240 A.D.) wrote, “At every step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign [of the Cross].”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386) told those preparing for baptism that making the sign of the Cross is how Christians “confess the Crucified.” It is “our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in our goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are traveling, and when we are at rest.”
The one thing early Christians did not do is use the sign of the Cross as a joke, much less to bless demonic activity. Joe Biden has a strange history of using Christ’s Cross as a punchline. In a 2019 campaign speech, then-candidate Biden responded to claims that he was too friendly to Republicans by crossing himself while mouthing the first words a Catholic says in confession: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”
Biden bizarrely also made the sign of the Cross during a joint press conference last September with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when Netanyahu mentioned the two had been “friends” for “over 40 years” — an apparently playful reference to the octogenarian’s longevity.
Some have indicated that Biden intended his latest mockery of Christ’s Cross as a requiem for the DeSantis presidential campaign. Or he could have indicated that he intends for his Justice Department to challenge one or both of the pro-life protections. Others may say Biden’s continual invocation of this faithful sign shows his desire to sanctify even banal statements of politics.
But perpetually making the sign of the Cross does not indicate piety. Our soul inclines toward the actions our bodies commit and the words our mouths speak. To use holy things flippantly falls under the category of taking the Lord’s Name in vain.
When the president — during a visit to secure his position as the leader of the nation — applies this classical mark of the Christian to abortion, which Christianity has taught for 2,000 years is murder, it rises to the level of calling “evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). That notion is heightened by Nikki Fried who, one day after her joint appearance with Biden, declared Republicans who passed pro-life laws protecting babies from abortion “have blood on their hands.”
Politicians who support dismembering innocent children in the womb have blood on their hands — the same hands they use to make the sign of the Cross over the abortion industry. Joe Biden has repeatedly said he believes he is fighting “a battle for the soul of this nation.”
He has repeatedly invoked spiritual powers while promoting immoral policies and jailing pro-life advocates. In his 2023 State of the Union address, he called on Congress to “restore the soul of this nation” by expanding abortion. And Biden has declared, “Transgender Americans shape our nation’s soul.”
With each day, the spiritual warfare lurking below the surface of our political discourse manifests itself more fiercely. Christians must remember “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Therefore, “we do not war after the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (II Corinthians 10:3-4). But the president making the sign of the Cross over the blood-drenched abortion industry should serve as a wake-up call that the spiritual combat is all-too real. And the spiritual battle must be joined with the spiritual weapons of prayer, fasting, and complete faith that “the battle is the Lord’s.”
As Biden blesses the unthinkable, Christians must pray, vote, and stand.
If you feel that the world is quickly slipping away from the tranquility and peace we have grown accustomed to, it is more than a feeling. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift, and we are at the threshold of big league changes, and we are at the tail end of the church age. This is the overwhelming consensus of most all mature believers to whom I speak. Are you prepared for Christ’s coming for His church? Maranatha, Pastor Steve <><
For over four years now, almost everyone who pays attention to what’s going on in the world lives in a constant state of anxiety. The reason? They’re waiting for the next shoe to drop – the next major global event that will upend their lives.
For over four years now, almost everyone who pays attention to what’s going on in the world lives in a constant state of anxiety. The reason? They’re waiting for the next shoe to drop – the next major global event that will upend their lives.
This is understandable. Over the past four years, we’ve endured COVID, the government response to COVID (lockdowns, passports, mandates, etc.), global supply chain issues, global inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, the shutdown of Red Sea shipping lanes, and numerous rumors of other major events set to break at any moment. So what’s next? Will it get worse before it gets better? The answer is yes, and this article reveals why.
The Interregnum
One of the reasons we see all these events taking place is the interregnum. What does that mean? Well, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition defines an interregnum as:
“The interval of time between the end of a sovereign’s reign and the accession of a successor.”
This typically describes a time period between two reigning kings, but in this instance, we’re using it to describe the time period between one superpower or group dominating global affairs and second rising to take its place. The last time we experienced an interregnum of this type was the 1914 to 1945 timeframe. Needless to say, this was quite a tumultuous era – 31 years that included two world wars and a global depression.
When 1914 started, the Royal Navy of the British Empire ruled the high seas. The colonies of the British Empire spanned the globe, and it had dominated the 19th Century global order – controlling the world’s shipping lanes, issuing the world’s global reserve currency (the pound), and boasting the world’s premiere center of international finance (London).
When 1945 ended, the United States Navy ruled the high seas. U.S. military bases spanned the globe, and the United States dominated the 20th Century global order – controlling the world’s shipping lanes, issuing the world’s global reserve currency (the dollar), and boasting the world’s premiere center of international finance (New York).
As 2024 begins, we see U.S. naval power waning. Houthi rebels have shut down the Red Sea to all traffic from Israel, the United states, and their western allies. Almost 12% of all global trade passes through the Suez Canal, making the Red Sea one of the most vital shipping corridors in the world. For over 80 years, the U.S. Navy has carried out the role of ensuring the world’s shipping lanes remain freely navigable and open to international trade. Now, they are increasingly unable to do so.
The ability of the U.S. to project military power across the globe and secure vital waterways is one of the primary reasons the U.S. dollar dominates international trade. Another reason is the petro-dollar. When president Nixon ended the U.S. dollar’s convertibility to gold, it became a fiat currency – meaning its value is derived from nothing more than government edict. Since that day in 1971, all the world’s major currencies have been fiat currencies – something unprecedented in history. History shows all fiat currencies eventually reach their intrinsic value – zero. So what happens when all the world’s currencies collapse at the same time?
In 1974, Henry Kissinger brokered a deal with Saudi Arabia wherein OPEC agreed to only trade oil for dollars. This has helped underpin demand for U.S. dollars for the past 50 years, but now the petro-dollar is ending. Saudi Arabia and OPEC are increasingly accepting other currencies for oil. U.S. debt is at unsustainable levels. Foreign nations are dumping U.S. debt in favor of gold, and the BRICS nations are attempting to create an alternative to the U.S. dominated global financial system.
In other words, the post-World War II order of global military power is transforming, and the current global monetary system is coming to an end. All this and more is why we see U.S. power and influence in decline, an increasingly fragmented global order, and a world where it seems we’re moving from one crisis to the next.
But I would argue there’s a more significant reason we’re seeing all this. Depending on your preconceived beliefs, you might reject it out of hand. But I encourage you to read on and examine the evidence for yourself. If you do, and reject my conclusion – fine. But it might just open your eyes to a truth that could change your life forever.
What’s Really Happening…
If the interregnum alone is not the reason for this constant state of crisis, then what’s really happening? Why do we see all these global events taking place? The answer is simple.
Jesus is coming.
The constant state of crisis we see today is exactly what Jesus said the world would look like just before his return:
“Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.” Matthew 24:3-8 (NLT)
Read that last line again, where Jesus says, “all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come” (emphasis mine). What does Jesus mean by the phrase “birth pains”? What do the spiritual, natural, societal, and political signs He described have in common with birth pains? Only this – birth pains (or labor contractions) are sharp pains which increase in both frequency and intensity in the moments leading up to birth. Jesus says this same pattern will precede His coming.
There’s another name for this pattern. It’s called an exponential curve. If you were to plot labor contractions on a graph, the result would be an exponential curve that increases right up until the time the baby is born. According to Jesus, the signs He describes and the general nature of things in this world will increase in both frequency and intensity just prior to His arrival. In other words, the exponential increase of the signs of His Coming is how we’ll know He’s near.
So what are those signs? Fortunately, we don’t have to guess. Jesus told us. The prophets told us, and the Bible is filled with verses that tell us. Furthermore, Jesus told us how to recognize the general timeframe of His return. When the disciples said, “Tell us the signs of your coming and the end of the age” (Matthew 24:3), Jesus told them a number of things to look for. He then said, “When you see all these things, you can know my return is near. I’m right at the door” (Matthew 24:33). He also said, “When all these things begin to happen, look up for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28).
This means the #1 indication Jesus will soon return is all the signs appearing together. The Bible tells us what those signs are, and the appearance of just one is reason enough to take notice. But the arrival of one sign after another demands your attention. It’s the sign Jesus said to look for. This convergence of signs confirms our generation will witness the Second Coming – not according to me, but according to Jesus.
Below are just a few of those signs. They include:
Israel Back in the Land – God promised to bring the Jewish people back into the land of Israel before He returned (Jeremiah 23:7-8). He said He would call them from “among the nations” (Ezekiel 39:28), from “the farthest corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12), and from “north, south, east, and west” (Psalm 107:3). He promised to welcome them home from the lands where they were scattered (Ezekiel 20:34). When they did, He promised to return and establish His everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 11:11-12).
The Jewish People in Control of Jerusalem – Jesus said armies would surround Jerusalem, destroy the city, and enslave its citizens. The Roman legions fulfilled this prophecy in A.D. 70. Jesus then said non-Jewish people (Gentiles) will control Jerusalem for a time, until the Jewish people once again control Jerusalem. Jesus promised to return once that happened (Luke 21:24-28). Since 1967, the Jewish people have controlled Jerusalem.
The Gospel Preached Throughout the World – When asked about the end of the age and the signs of His coming, Jesus said to look for a specific sign. He said the Gospel will be preached throughout the entire world. Every nation will hear it, and then, the end will come (Matthew 24:14). For centuries after the crucifixion, the Gospel rarely left a small area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. In the past two centuries, Christians have brought the Gospel to every nation in the world. Today, missionaries are in every nation. The Bible is translated in hundreds of languages, and the message of Jesus is sent around the world by radio, TV, satellite, and the Internet. For the first time in history, we’re on the verge of seeing the Gospel preached to every last person on earth.
Digital Currencies – According to the Atlantic Council, 134 countries (representing 98% of the global GDP) are exploring, developing, or preparing to roll-out central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). CBDCs will mean government control of programmable currency, giving government insight into every financial transaction taking place. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Bible said:
“He required everyone – small and great, rich and poor, free and slave – to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.” Revelation 13:16-17 (NLT)
While CBDCs are NOT the mark of the beast, they set the stage for it. CBDCs are indistinguishable in function from the mark of the beast, giving government the power to control who can buy and who can sell.
Israel Surrounded by Enemies – The Bible says enemies will surround Israel in the end times. Those enemies will say “Come, let us wipe away the nation of Israel. Let’s destroy the memory of its existence” (Psalm 83:4) and “Let us take for ourselves these pasturelands of God” (Psalm 83:12). Ezekiel said Israel’s neighbors will say “God has given their land to us” (Ezekiel 11:14‐17), and “Israel and Judah are ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care if their God is there?” (Ezekiel 35:10). Ever since the rebirth of Israel in 1948, the daily headlines have included these Bible verses. Israel’s Muslim neighbors claim the land of Israel for themselves, and they have no regard for the God of Israel.
Israel’s Exceedingly Great Army – Ezekiel said, in the end times, Israel will field “an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10). Zechariah said Israel will be like a fire among sheaves of grain, burning up the neighboring nations (Zechariah 12:6) and even the weakest Israeli soldier will be like David (Zechariah 12:8). Since 1948, Israel has fought no less than four conventional wars against its neighbors. Despite being outnumbered more than 50 to 1, Israel has achieved overwhelming victory every time.
Rise of the Gog of Magog Alliance – The Bible says a military alliance that includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, and a number of Muslim nations will attack Israel “in the latter days” (Ezekiel 38:8) when God brings His people home from among the enemy nations (Ezekiel 39:27). Today, we see those very nations coming together for the first time – an alliance that has never existed in world history.
Rise of a United Europe – The Bible says a revived Roman Empire will come to power in the end times (Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Revelation 17). According to Daniel, it will be a ten nation alliance of weak and strong nations. Some parts will be as strong as iron, while other parts will be as weak as clay (Daniel 2:42). We see the beginning of this alliance in the European Union – a coalition of weak and strong nations struggling to stay together.
The Rise of Global Government – The Bible says a single government will rule the world politically (Revelation 13:7), religiously (Revelation 13:8), and economically (Revelation 13:16‐17) in the last days. It will rule over “all people, tribes, and languages” on the face of the earth (Revelation 13:7). Its authority will be so complete no one will be able to buy or sell anything without its permission (Revelation 13:16‐17). For centuries, a true global government was impossible. Today, world leaders openly discuss it.
Denial of the Signs – Almost two thousand years ago, Peter issued a warning. He said in the last days people will mock the idea of Jesus returning. They will make fun of those who believe in the Second Coming and say exactly what we hear today – things like, “I thought Jesus was coming back? What happened to His promise? Generation after generation has said He’s coming. Yet, since the beginning of the world, everything has remained the same!” (2 Peter 3:3‐4).
The World is in Crisis Because Jesus is Coming
Keep in mind, these signs haven’t always been present. Generations of Christians lived and died without witnessing any of these signs. For centuries of Christian history, none of these signs were present. Today, they all are. Jesus said when you see these signs, you can know His return is near. He’s right at the door (Matthew 24:33). In fact, Jesus said the generation witnessing these signs will not pass away before He returns (Matthew 24:34). The convergence of all these signs confirm it.
Moreover, Jesus compared these signs to birth pains. So it shouldn’t surprise us to see global events increasing in frequency and intensity. We should expect this constant state of crisis.
Britt Gillette is the author of several books on bible prophecy and the end times. You can find more of his work at brittgillette.substack.com
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Judges 7:20 King James Version (KJV) And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.
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The Amen Corner
“The holiness of God demands sin must be dealt with regardless of whose heart that is.” -Dennis Leatherman
“We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to stand for something – for liberty and freedom…and these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to.” -Ronald Reagan
“Everything the Devil does has a lie connected to it.” -Norris Belcher
“His heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson on Abraham Lincoln
“My worst day as a Christian is better than my best day as a lost person.” -Ron Titus
“Until we deal with sin in our lives, we cannot expect revival.” -Dan Carr, Sr.
“If someone today faces the crucified Saviour, realizing you have wounded Him, have grieved Him, perhaps have denied Him; if you have disgraced your profession of faith in Christ, have lost the joy of salvation, have even lost the assurance that your sins are forgiven, oh, poor backslider, come on back to Jesus!” -John R. Rice
“If your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care; of whom you speak, to whom you speak, and how and when and where.”
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; it is also what it takes, on occasion, to sit down and listen.”
“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light I have…. I must stand with anybody who stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.” -Abraham Lincoln
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly implore His protection and favor.” -George Washington
“Victory is not the absence of an enemy – it is the defeat of one.” -Dr. Jeff Fugate
“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” -George Washington (1732-1799), Continental Army General and the first American President
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” -William Shakespeare
“Culture never trumps Scripture – Scripture trumps every culture!” -Mike Allison
“Half a truth is often a great lie.” -Benjamin Franklin
“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” -Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President
BY JAMES SUNDQUIST http://www.eaglemasterworksproductions.com Dear Founder Dominick Pepito Alpha International, My father was a WWII U.S. Army Veteran physician in charge of all of the medical supplies in North Africa, and later stationed in Naples, Italy helped liberate your country of Italy from Nazi tyranny. In response to your unsolicited email to sell coins to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral: First let me say, that If you are going to name a building, name it after Christ, not Mary as Notre Dame is French for Our Lady. A more accurate title and name of this building your are trying to rebuild and restore: “SHRINE OF THE INQUISITION TORTURE CHAMBER” Your solicitation reads: “DIVINE PROVIDENCE CUSTOM DESIGNED COINS HELP THE RESTORATION EFFORTS OF NOTRE-DAMECATHEDRAL THROUGH OUR “HEART OF PARIS COIN” Our “Hearts of Paris” Notre-Dame Cathedral coin is trademarked and was minted to help raise money for the rebuilding and restoration efforts of Notre dame Cathedral”, with the front of the coin stating ”Liberté, égalité, fraternité, and the the back of the coin stating “We will rebuild Notre-Dame Together”. Source:
There at least six very striking critical biblical problems with these slogans and promises: First, Divine Providence is the domain of God alone, who had nothing to do with designing these coins. And God would never design such a coin, as you will will see in the rest of this report. Secondly, ”Liberté, égalité, fraternité, was the slogan that launched the French Revolution in which 17,000 were beheaded by the infamous guillotine in what is called The Reign of Terror. Today it is the national motto of France. But this is a political cry and ideology, certainly not even remotely a Christian religion mandate or command even remotely resembling the Great Commission of the Gospel. Thirdly, it makes a promise for the future, in defiance of the Lord’s own command and warning to not make pledges and promises about the future, for tomorrow is known to no man. So this whole campaign is fatally flawed at its premise. Fourthly, the ad is very misleading and deceptive because it implies that the entire cathedral burned to the ground and/or is going to be completely rebuilt and restored. But the fact is, only a small portion fo the cathedral burned at the top which was its spire and part of the roof, and therefore, only a small percentage of the entire building complex. In fact, here is proof of precisely what burned in the fire:
SOURCE: https://www.vox.com/2019/4/16/18312072/notre-dame-cathedral-fire Fifthly, the ad also gives the impression that Alpha International Enterprises is the primary channel for funding the rebuilding and restoration of the cathedral, when in fact, the government of France and many other billionaires are donating hundreds of millions of dollars in and outside of France for its reconstruction. Proof:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/339-million-pledged-rebuild-notre-dame-fire-destroys/story?id=62424888 And even in the ad, only a portion of the sale of the coins is even going to its restoration. Sixthly, by integrating church and state into the campaign and coin, the promoters defy Christ’s warning of the Leaven of Herod. And why would this organization sell coins in the U.S., whose very raison d’etre is separation of church and state? *****A host of Catholics and even Evangelicals are grieving. I am grieving too, but not for the same reasons. I grieve for the host of true Christians and their families of the martyrs tortured during the Inquisition by what that building symbolizes as well as for the hundreds of millions of Catholics who have been victims of RC extortion and threat of Purgatory, and the Fraud that RC committed with Indulgences. Roman Catholics are so shaken by fire that caused the partial burning down off this building. But where is the outcry for the fire of saints being burned at the stake during the Roman Catholic Inquisition which began in France, where Notre Dame Roman Catholic Cathedral still stands. You name a building after Mary the Mother of Jesus. How would think she would feel about her name being invoked for a building responsible for much of the torture and martyrdom of saints. And even if they were heretics, is that what Jesus or the New Testament taught as the technique for evangelism and restoring a person to the faith or the church of Christ? That is what I see. And didn’t Christ judge another building in 70 AD that was the nerve center for another religion that Paul said was eternally damned? Therefore, I submit the following which is not new, but we need reminding: 1. Roman Catholicism is a religion of terrorism, extortion, and necromancy. Roman Catholicism is a false religion in which you co-pay for your salvation vs. Christ’s last words on the Cross were “FULLY PAID!”. That means Mary (Notre Dame) can’t be a co-redemptrix (i.e., a sinner who co-pays with Christ for our salvation). This also means that we would have to at least partly pay back Christ for his most expensive gift (present) in history. And have you ever heard of telling someone who gave you a gift “Please let me pay you back at least part of the cost). What an insult to the giver! And as though paying back in this life weren’t bad enough, you might have to go to Purgatory to pay off the balance of what you owe God, contradicting Isaiah 53 and Christ and his own Apostles. The Apostle Paul eternally damned the religion that taught that works and the law are necessary for salvation, precisely what Roman Catholicism teaches, meaning it is no longer a gift. Paul made it clear that Salvation is by Grace alone that you are saved, not by works, lest any man boast. The gifts of God are irrevocable according to Scripture, therefore, we have assurance of our salvation, not maybe we get to Heaven. 2. This is what their Pope just did:
https://catholicism.org/only-in-baptism-does-one-become-a-child-of-god.htmlAs you know there a a number of Scriptures that define who is truly a child of God. But If I could also submit some Scriptures and Jesus Christ’s own words of who is NOT a child of God. Doesn’t this all should seal the deal? For example, Jesus saying “depart from me you wicked and accursed, I never knew you”, Matthew 7:23. How are the wicked and accursed that Jesus never knew “all children of God”? Jesus also said “your father the Devil” John 8:44-45. (Can you be both children of God and children of the Devil at the same time?). Jesus also called some of the Judaizer’s twice the sons of Hell”: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Matthew 23:15 So are sons of Hell children of God? The Apostle John stated: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36 And again John states: “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” I John 5:12 So if the wrath of God is on many children, how are all of these children, children of God? John also defined “antichrist” as anyone who does not believe the Word (God) was made flesh and dwelt among us. This is Islam in a nutshell. So are all of these antichrists “all children of God”. Is the Antichrist yet to come a child of God? Was Judas? Was Haman, Sanballat, Tobiah, Bhudda, Mohammad (Islam), Ananias and Sapphire, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, The False Prophet “all children of God”? Jesus also said, “he who does the will of my father which is in Heaven, he is my brother, he is my sister”. Therefore, those who don’t are brothers and sisters of a different Father, and could not be all children of God. Paul eternally damning the Judaizers in Galations. If they are children of God how can they be eternally damned? Revelation makes a list of who will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If they are children of God, how can you exclude them? So my most critical question for you is if the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, would he and Jesus Christ be in agreement? I look forward to reading where any Roman Catholic can reconcile this question and the others I posed above. And add to these quotes from Roman Catholic Mother Teresa, exalting Islam and other religions: MOTHER TERESA stated that she wanted to make Muslims better Muslims, Hindus better Hindus, and Buddhists better Buddhists. When “Mother” Teresa died, her longtime friend and biographerNaveen Chawla said that he once asked her bluntly, “Do you convert?”She replied, “Of course I convert. I convert you to be a better Hindu or a better Muslim or a better Protestant. Once you’’vefound God, it’s up to you to decide how to worship him” (“MotherTeresa Touched Other Faiths,” Associated Press, 9/7/97).The April 7–13, 1990, issue of Radio Times tells the story of “Mother”Teresa sheltering an old Hindu priest. “She nursed him with herown hands and helped him to die reconciled with his own gods.”—www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/teresa/general.htm And regarding the promotion of Mother Teresa: To laud Mother Teresa without mentioning her stand on the Gospel is a denial of the Gospel. Here is what Mother Teresa thought of the Gospel: “”I love all religions. . . . If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there”.” She upheld that there are many ways to God: “All is God— (That sounds a whole lot like Roma Downey seeing the Face of God in everyone.). Buddhists, Hindus, Christians,betc., all have access to the same God” (12/4/89 Time, pp. 11, 13). Mother Teresa told everyone no matter what their religion: “If in coming face to face with God we accept Him in our lives, then we are converting. We become a better Hindu, a better Muslim, a better Catholic, a better whatever we are. . . . What God is in your mind you must accept” (from Mother Teresa: Her People and Her Work, by Desmond Doig, [Harper & Row, 1976], p. 156).—www.deceptioninthechurch.com/ditc11-4.html3. Notre Dame Cathedral was the Roman Catholicism headquarters in France responsible for torturing and killing myriads of true saints and we should contribute money to rebuild this shrine of abomination to the Lord? 4. Rick Warren thinks Roman Catholicism and Pope are also our brothers in Christ and wants to include Muslims in his Global Peace Plan even though Christ’s Global Peace Plan will not have a single Muslim or Muslim nation in his Global Peace Plan. Islam is also a false religion because it teaches that Christ was not crucified and did not die, but was taken up into Heaven, the antithesis of what the Apostle Paul taught if Christ be not risen (which he couldn’t do unless he died), then our faith is in vain and we are dead in our trespasses! WARN EVERYONE!!!!!! I personally can’t warn everyone, but I can warn my extensive two thousand plus media database, and the Christian radio networks I have been a guest on and the publications and Christian journals I write for about your unholy alliance and promotion of the Prince of Darkness who is not the heart of Paris, rather the heart of darkness! I solemnly entreat you to read my documentary: Islamic Jesus vs. Biblical Jesus at:
https://www.arabicbible.com/for-christians/1316-jesus-christian-vs-islam.html I also note that you wrote a book exalting Augustine. On your website re Augustine you state: “I TRULY BELIEVE IT WAS MARY OUR QUEEN OF HEAVEN, WHO GUIDED MY HANDS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO CREATE THESE WORKS IN HONOR FOR HER & OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” Dominick I wrote a documentary on Augustine I entreat you to read. I was shocked that he was your initial inspiration as he was the one who weaponized Christianity. Proof:
https://procinwarn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Augustinewasnotasaint.pdf Finally, from your website, your first obligation is not to serve, but preach the Gospel, not another Gospel and another Jesus or Queen of Heaven! And if you want to serve which indeed is what a Christian does as a New Creation, why not raise money to pay the families of all of the victims of sexual abuse by millions of Roman Catholic priests instead of raising money to pay for rebuilding a shrine that historically tortured true saints, and make restitution as John the Baptist commanded? And while you are at it, why don’t you (the Roman Catholic Church) who defrauded tens of millions Catholics for the Indulgences you took to deceive Catholics into believing they could shorten their sentence in a non-existent place of Purgatory, in the spirit of Zacchaeus pay back four times what you defrauded? Selling forgiveness could not be a more accurate description of still one more warning by the Apostle Peter who described religious leaders in Judaism as “experts in greed”. But Peter’s warning was virtually prophetic in describing Roman Catholicism. Peter condemned this practice called Simony (selling or buying spiritual pardons spiritual powers) in Acts 8:18. And Peter verified the authority of all of Paul’s Scripture which means he concurred with Paul’s warning in I Timothy 6:10 that “money is the root of all kinds of evil”. Indulgences also would qualify as one the six things God hates: “ a heart that devises wicked plans” (Proverbs 6:18). Selling Indulgences could rank as one of the greatest scam and financial swindle and scandal exponential dishonesty in history. But even worse, they usurped Christ having FULLY paid for the remission of sins, denying Christ’s last words on the Cross and Isaiah 53 which clearly states the God “laid on Christ the iniquity of us all” and not by our stripes are we healed, but by Christ’s alone. Jesus actually gave us a picture of the worth of one soul that all of the wealth of all of the kingdoms would not add up to be sufficient for even one soul, in Matthew 16:26 and Mark 8:36. But imagine it did equate in an accounting sense to one soul? Then the rest of all Catholics and all of mankind would have no money or ability to commute their sentence in Purgatory. And if Indulgences are so holy, noble, valuable, and financially secure, then why did Pope Pius V abolish them in 1567? Think of the billions of Roman Catholics who have lived since 1567, who could have had their punishment sentence reduced or commuted but now have to serve out their full sentence of potentially millions of years in Purgatory. Why aren’t they protesting this injustice, if God is not a respecter of persons as it says in Romans 2:11-16? Why don’t Roman Catholics initiate a petition to the Pope to reinstate Indulgences so they can get the same deal Catholics were offered before 1567? For certain, I am not advocating this because it goes against Scripture, I am simply using their own reasoning to refute them. And if the Roman Catholic Church needed a new building, why didn’t the Pope simply do what Solomon did to raise money for a new Temple, and simply send out a fund raising campaign to raise the necessary funds required to fully fund the building where all of the collections were voluntary contributions without bribery or extortion? I invite you to read this comparison chart between Biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism by Richard Bennett, former Roman Catholic Priest:
Dear Founder Dominick Pepito Alpha International and Staff of AIE, I trust that you received and read my response letter to your solicitation? Will you be responding? There are two more critical comments and document you should receive.
1. WHO IS BIBLICALLY A SAINT VS. ROMAN CATHOLIC SAINT Why won’t you call everyone a saint the Scripture states is a saint? And why don’t you address every true Christian as a saint, if Peter himself whom you revere said that every single person who was purchased by Christ’s shed blood is a saint. So by singling out and canonizing saints it not only insults every true saint that the Roman Catholic Church and Pope does not canonize, but it presumes and redefines the definition of saint with different criteria than Peter and Paul define one. Secondly, it presumes that those whom the Pope canonizes even meet the biblical criteria to be a saint in the first place, e.g., Augustine. Thirdly, the Apostle Peter calls all born again Christians who repented unto salvation priests. So by calling only Roman Catholic priests as priest defrauds every Christian of this title, who will also rule and reign with Christ as kings…yes every single one of them. If only whom the Pope canonizes are saints, this effectively is saying that only the prayers of Roman Catholic saints availeth much, and non Catholic prayers does not availeth much, in fact would avail nothing, since Roman Catholic Doctrine anathematizes all (curses) all non Catholics according to the still binding Council of Trent. I should also point out that Roman Catholic definition of “anathematize” is not the same meaning that the Apostle Paul gives to this word in Galatians. Paul’s definition of “anathematize” was to eternally damn, Roman Catholic definition means a curse that is reversible. Finally, the Apostle Peter, the supposed rock and first Pope of the Catholic church, demolishes this stronghold of who is really a saint, in I Peter Chapter 2, verses 5,9: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” and “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” I Peter 2:5,9 Notice how Peter is forensically precise in defining who “you” is…every single saint that purified themselves by taking the action of belief and faith in Christ. They are the royal priesthood! Go back and read all of Chapter 2 as well as I and II Peter and see how Peter fully instructs who are truly priests according to Scripture. In so doing, just like defrauding all of the Christians who are truly already saints, Roman Catholicism defraud every born again Christian who is already a priest. Counterfeit Vicar of Christ (Popes), Counterfeit surrogate Apostolic Succession (i.e., Popes), Counterfeit Priests, and Counterfeit saints. So the bottom line is that Roman Catholicism has born false witness against the Apostle Peter’s own testimony, which is an abomination to the Lord to bear false witness against a brother in Christ. In this regard, I entreat you to read former Roman Catholic Rebecca Sexton’s article:
THE BIBLICAL APOSTLE PETER VS THE PETER OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM By Rebecca Sexton
http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n2042.cfm It is almost as though Peter knew in advance prophetically what Roman Catholicism was going to with his name, title, and doctrine and metastasize it into the Spiritual Cancer of the Ages.
2. INFANT BAPTISM (PRACTICED BY BOTH ROMAN CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS) VS. BELIEVERS BIBLICAL BAPTISM Peter demolished this stronghold of Roman Catholicism by comparing baptism to Noah’s Flood in which the entire earth was submerged (deluged). (I Peter 3:20-21, II Peter 5:6-7). But if infants are baptized as infants it can not be an act of the infant doing so as an act of faith or believe, which Peter says is necessary to purify oneself” “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth” I Peter 1:22 How does an infant exercise an act of obedience in which they had no voice or free will to exercise? Impossible! DECALOGUE OF TEN REASONS
TO RECONSIDER IF INFANT BAPTISM IS BIBLICAL
CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART commanded by Apostle Paul, is what counts, not circumcision of the foreskin (Romans:2:29). Defenders use literal circumcision of infants and the ceremonial cleansing with water to justify baptism of infants. But literal circumcision was instituted by God as a sign to visually separate and mark Jews from Gentiles, and only by biological genealogy, under the Old Covenant Law, and that only to males. And literal circumcision accomplished nothing for the souls of these infants. And many Jews who were circumcised remained in unbelief, so, spiritually speaking it didn’t even help them. Biblical circumcision purpose is to separate Non-Christians from Christians. So if this is a direct equivalent, then how could females be saved? Answer: circumcision of the heart occurs for both sexes, and Jew or Gentile, as the Apostle Paul makes clear. Paul does equate spiritual circumcision to new birth, but he does not equate literal circumcision to literal baptism. Name one child in the history of the church whose heart was circumcised when they were an infant when they were baptized. So Paul would say this kind of baptism does not count. And if you think infant baptism was bad when it was just in the church, it really became globally destructive, when the church and state were merged, even making failure to baptize infants a crime, in defiance of Christ’s warning to beware of the Leaven of Herod.
CITIZEN OF THE KINGDOM at the time of infant baptism? This is tantamount to giving U.S. Citizenship to illegal aliens, who haven’t even applied for it. But a true Citizen of the Kingdom must be a Christian. A child is a citizen of the Kingdom of Darkness until he or she becomes a new creation and a new man or woman in Christ, not before. Who is a CHILD OF THE NEW COVENANT OR THE JOINT HEIRS TO THE KINGDOM? Protestant defenders say that infant baptism doesn’t save, but turn right around and call the infant a child of the New Covenant and grafted into the Body of Christ. But all children are children of darkness and enemies of Christ until they become children of light, which can’t happen until they are born again, which can’t happen when they are an infant. Collective baptism for entire households collides with individual decision, as Christ declare that only “he who does the will of my Father, which is in Heaven, are my brother and my sister”. Where is the “will” in an infant? Even if you knew which children would become Christians, you shouldn’t baptize them until they profess their faith publicly. Another religion of billions of adherents has forced conversion to their faith for fifteen hundred years. So we want to force conversion upon infants? And this action is Liberty in Christ? Freedom in Christ? And if the infant grows up to later reject the faith, are they still considered a child of the New Covenant? To whom did Christ even give the power to become sons of God, or Child of the New Covenant? Only those that received him! Those are Christ’s own words in John. What infant in the history of the church ever received him? Answer: NONE. Therefore, it is impossible that they become sons of God during infant baptism.
ARRANGED MARRIAGE. Would you be OK with being forced by your parents to marry whomever they choose? The pastor or priest even blesses the parents for presenting their child for this compulsory engagement and presumption of eventual marriage. A forced literal marriage results in forced relations (renting the veil) without consent. So wouldn’t a forced spiritual marriage. which the infant is incapable of preventing, defile the spiritual wedding bed? Well that is precisely what is happening when you force infant baptism upon a child because you are forcing the spiritual betrothal of Christ the Groom to the Infant Bride of Christ, effectively placing a spiritual engagement ring on the child’s finger. But the engagement is not consummated until the circumcision of the heart as the first prerequisite, the spiritual marriage between Christ the Groom and the Collective Bride of Christ, will not take place until Christ returns in glory to set up his kingdom. CHOOSE TODAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE? So how are infants able to choose to serve and follow Christ? They don’t choose to be baptized, i.e, whom they would spiritually marry, their parents do the choosing. Paul’s answer was that you have to BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. How does an infant believe? But you can’t get to Heaven on your parents apron strings. No surrogates allowed. Infant baptism presumes it is an invitation to the Marriage Wedding Supper of the Lamb.Every communion is a preview of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb between His Bride the Church, and himself as the Groom, when we literally see Christ face to face.
CONFIRMATION & COMMUNION. When a baptized infant grows up he or she must then confirm what was done to them in infant baptism. But what are they confirming? They can’t be confirming their salvation at infancy, because they had not yet repented and were not saved yet. Therefore, then, what is the purpose? And what happens if they reject the infant baptism and reject the faith? Or reject infant baptism because they want to be baptized by immersion because they are NOW making their profession of faith and want to do this publicly as as Scripture commands. A person will be entitled and commanded to take communion once they become a Child of the New Covenant. An infant can’t take Communion (The Lord’s Supper), who does not even know what Communion means yet. Paul also said that a Christian should not take Communion unworthily. So wouldn’t the taking of Communion at Confirmation be unworthy if they were taught and still believe that they are already a child of the New Covenant because they were baptized as an infant? Roman Catholic Confirmation also bestows seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, five of which are not listed in Scripture, therefore, they are counterfeit gifts, not Gifts of the Holy Spirit. They also exclude many of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and administer the same seven Gifts to every person, even though Scripture does not give the same Gifts to ever Christian. Plus it is the priest who must administer these gifts, usurping the Office of the Holy Spirit, who alone gives these gifts, adding and replacing what Scripture teaches and commands.
GLOBAL FLOOD (Total Immersion) or LOCAL FLOOD (Sprinkling). The Apostle Peter compares conversion to Christ to the Global Flood where the entire earth was submerged in water, in which a person is totally buried symbolically to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Peter even said this pledge symbolizes a good conscience. How does an infant make a pledge? How does an infant obtain a clean conscience? But a person must believe all three of these to be in union with Christ to be truly redeemed, in which Christ is not sprinkled with dirt, otherwise, there would have been no tombstone to roll away.
SOLA SCRIPTURA. Scripture never once describes infant baptism. This act is going beyond what is written, prohibited in Scripture, and it collides with sound doctrine on several fronts. God cannot bless what he has not commanded in Scripture. In fact, adding unto Scripture, or being an enabler or participant in this fake sacrament, bringing in this doctrine, what is not in it actually receives a curse from God. And the Apostle John warns that welcoming a doctrine that they did not teach, would share in their guilt. Adding infant baptism doctrine, and going beyond Scripture by adding gifts of the Holy Spirt, in the Church is Satan’s masterpiece, the author of confusion and this lie, as to who is really saved, which was given birth, when Replacement Theology took root to usurp everything that belonged to Israel and transferred it to the Church. How ironic, that the parents must renounce Satan and all his works, while simultaneously doing his very work and bidding, by creating the illusion and delusion that infant baptism accomplishes salvation and rebirth for their child.
SOLA FIDE. Where is faith in an infant to baptize them? We are saved through faith. Faith is unconditional, meaning faith alone, and it must precede baptism, which infants do not possess yet. And it is not just faith on its own, but the OBJECT of faith, Christ himself that is required. So they can’t become Members of the Body of Christ without faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. So where is the faith in the infant?
SOLUS CHRISTUS. Where and when did Christ or any Apostle ever perform or authorize infant baptism? There is no precedent. The thief on the Cross was not baptized, but was saved. Therefore, literal baptism is not required for salvation, whether infant or adult. A host of saints died in the faith because they were martyred first, or died before they had an opportunity, or were simply unable to be baptized, even as adults. Rather they were baptized into the faith through their faith in Christ alone, at the nanosecond of their conversion. All of these saints at the beginning of the Church Age would have been baptized by immersion in water after their conversion, as a public testimony and witness, but only if and when they were able.
SOLA GRATIA. By grace alone are you saved. The grace of God (alone) draws a man to repentance. Where is the repentance during infant baptism? Paul said if you are literally circumcised, it is NO LONGER grace. Therefore, if infant baptism is the equivalent of circumcision, then infant baptism is no longer grace, because literal circumcision is a work, and that not even by the infant. Yet Reformer giant, John Calvin’s heir was Heinrich Bullinger, who taught that a second baptism or re-baptism (anabaptist) at conversion was profane (as did even most of the Reformation teach), that he ordered a third baptism, aka execution by drowning. And this is by grace alone? You get executed simply for refusing a free gift?
SOLI DEO GLORIA. How is God glorified when Christians do something they have no authority biblically to do? Remember what the Lord did to Uzziah, the perhaps well-meaning but disobedient Israelite, who laid hands on the Ark to rescue it from falling? Aren’t you touching what God has NOT yet anointed until they are truly born again? Aren’t you defrauding the child by taking and usurping from him or her a glorious experience that should belong only to him or her to choose, but only after the Holy Spirit has drawn this person to repentance long after they are infants? Aren’t you stealing and robbing this child of their New Birth birthright to choose to obey Christ and his Apostle’s to be baptized as a believer, not by the obedience or disobedience of a surrogate, their parents? Aren’t you defiling and desecrating and robbing the temple (potential temple) of the Holy Spirit? The infant is not yet SAVED or BORN AGAIN. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican, and most Protestant Denominations declare the infant reborn or New Creation who has been purified, justified, and sanctified by this bath. Not one single sin has been washed away for even one infant in the history of the church. And when this child reaches age of reason and accountability, does, or has the priest or pastor ever repented or made restitution to someone they baptized as an infant, who confronts him for doing so before the proper time? Or even repent if the child rejects the faith? The pastor or priest asks the congregation to be WITNESSES to a conversion to Christ by calling the infant a CHILD of the New COVENANT that never happened, having born false witness, deceiving the people, and later as well, when the infant discovers he or she too was deceived, when he or she has come to majority. These pastors and priests who administer infant baptism are actually derelict watchman on the wall for shirking their responsibility to tell the congregation and potential converts the truth. InfantBaptism is not one of the only two Sacraments commanded in Scripture. Infant Baptism is a Rite that is not Right!
***So all we need is Peter’s own words to refute and demolish Roman Catholicism Principality and their audacity to steal the Apostle Peter’s true identity totally misrepresenting him committing false advertising, fake news, false claims, and marketing fraud, a crime! Sincerely in Christ, James Sundquist *****
PART III If Apostolic Succession of Popes were biblical, there would always be 12 Popes all serving simultaneously to this day. All 12 Apostles were directly selected by Christ alone, and were eyewitnesses to Christ, and given the power to perform signs and wonders and cast out demons (no Pope every performed and signs and wonders or cast out demons, except Peter who was not a Pope), with no successors. The Apostle Paul verified the criteria for the mark of an Apostle in 2 Cor. 12:12. The Office of Apostle ended when the last Apostle John died. Elders and deacons were appointed by the Apostles and brothers in Christ appointed them too, but elders and deacons had no Scriptural authority to elect or appoint Apostles in the Church. And note that until Roman Catholicism was established not even the Apostles kept replacing the Apostles, with one exception, Matthias to replace Judas, but none after that. In reality is was the Apostle Paul who became the 12th Apostle, as he was chosen by Christ. As the Apostles died off one by one, note there was no Council in Jerusalem or anywhere else to replace them, after the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., and the church dispersed, so that right before John died on the Isle of Patmos, there was only one, then when he died there were zero, and henceforth zero. The Apostle Paul confirms in Ephesians 2:20 that Apostles are part of the foundation of the church (not the floors, walls, ceiling, or roof): “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:20 This further confirmed by the Apostle John in Rev 21:14 “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Rev. 21:14 So there were and are not 13 or 266 (i.e, Popes). Therefore, the rest of the Church was build UPON this foundation of 12 Apostles, all members, including elders and deacons. There is no foundation above the foundation. The Apostles were not the super-structure. So once the last Apostle died, so ended Apostolic Authority in the form of a man, so even discussing Apostolic Succession becomes a moot point. Though we still have their final authority of any New Testament Scripture they penned, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It was even Peter who declared in Scripture that no Scripture is subject to private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20), meaning no Pope could privately interpret Scripture to mean that the Apostolic Succession is available. It was not just terminated. It never existed in the first place. Roman Catholicism uses the term Apostolic Succession, but that is really a misnomer when they really mean Christ Succession. Furthermore, Roman Catholicism calls the Pope the Vicar of Christ. But this could not have been Peter as the First Vicar in Succession of Christ, because Christ himself already told us in Scripture who the true Vicar of Christ would be, and that is the Holy Spirit he would send at Pentecost after he had ascended into Heaven. Besides this the Office of Christ and the Office of Apostle are separate and mutually exclusive offices. Any other Vicar is an imposter, an Apostle becoming a Christ is an oxymoron. The office of Christ on earth (though Christ himself is “the same yesterday, today, and forever”), and office of Apostle were each created after their own kind, so they can’t become the other. And Christ even warned that many would come in his name saying they are the Christ (or substitute) deceiving many. The Apostle John describes and defines these fake vicars as antichrists, which in the Greek doesn’t just mean against Christ, but also means “in place of” or “substitute” for Christ. Attributing authority in the Trinity to someone other than to whom the title belongs is blasphemy. In fact, so serious is this sin, that Scripture says attributing works of the Holy Spirit to Satan, called Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is the one unforgivable sin. And Jesus said only those “who do the will of my Father which is in Heaven, he is my brother and my sister, and my mother”. So if you call someone the Vicar of Christ, who is not, that is disobeying the will the Father. But Roman Catholicism does not just prevaricate and usurp the Office of the Holy Spirit, they usurp the name Father in complete defiance of still another command by Jesus Christ to call NO man Father, by calling the Pope Holy Father, and every priest Father:”And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” Matthew 23:9 Remember the whole context of Matthew Chapter 23 is in the framework of religious leaders. Then let’s look forward to the First Council in Jerusalem to see who was actually present in Acts 15 (50 A.D.). The passage in Acts 15 makes it clear that ALL of the Apostles were present. That means Matthew who authored Matthew 23:9 was present. Now imagine Peter or any Apostle present were to postulate at the Council in Jerusalem in 50 A.D. that Peter (the so-called First Pope) be addressed as “Holy Father” as all Popes are still currently being called? Tragically, even the world and many Protestants even call the Pope “Holy Father.” And remember there were a host of other witnesses present when Jesus said those words, many of whom would also be present as elders at the First Council of Jerusalem. There would surely have been an uproar or even a riot as there was in Ephesus were this to have been even suggested. Twenty years later in 70 A.D., Matthew, one of the Apostles penned the Book of Matthew confirms by the authority of Scripture that there was no one you could call “Father.” So by then, Peter still wasn’t a singular authority over the entire church of the whole earth, i.e. “Holy Father Pope.” The bottom line is that no one would have dared propose such a model of Church government and authority in light of the commands of the Lord Jesus himself….that is until the launch of Roman Catholic religion replete with revisionist history and NO evidence. And further note that there was no Apostle that outranked any other Apostle. Paul even rebuked the church in I Corinthians Chapter 3, for putting a single man (even an Apostle) as their singular spiritual authority, underscoring that even an Apostle is just a fellow servant. Paul hammers home this strong rebuke even more to shame them by telling them in Chapter 4: 6-8 to not go beyond what is written. But that is precisely what Roman Catholicism has done with their hierarchy of authority and single man over them all. But because they didn’t listen to Paul’s warning, they took pride in one man over another (vs.6). Paul said imitate him as a servant, not try to imitate him by becoming an other Apostle, let alone a Pope with absolute global authority over the entire church. And why do they call the Pope Holy Father instead of Holy Son since they believe that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, not the Vicar of the Father? So in reality Roman Catholicism has usurped and denigrated all three persons of the Trinity: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit, without the slightest qualm. So in believing and promoting this triune axis of evil, then all Roman Catholics are not doing the will of the Father in Heaven, therefore they, by Scriptural definition can’t be brothers or sisters as Jesus Christ defines them. Former Roman Catholic Priest Richard Bennett proves that it is the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, alone, who is the Vicar of Christ. Here is the link:
https://bereanbeacon.org/who-is-the-true-vicar-of-christ/ It would appear that the Roman Catholic church has also usurped and stolen another dimension of vicarious (vicar), and that is Christ’s vicarious atonement via Indulgences, usurping who has the authority to forgive sins, and priests misappropriating the title of priests that belongs only to all true Christians, none of whom have the power to forgive sins, as this power belongs only to Christ. So in truth, they may think they possess authority to forgive sins, but this is a myth and a tradition of man. The money a bank robber steals from a bank he can still use to purchase goods. But the currency of purchasing forgiveness (Christ’s shed blood) was never stolen and can not be stolen, as it remains with Christ alone. One more thing on the Pope being the Vicar Fake Surrogate. How does Roman Catholicism deal with Colossians that says Christ’s power and authority holds EVERYTHING together, every electron, otherwise, the entire Universe would fly apart? (Col 1:17 and Heb 1:3a)
I’m sure you remember a few years ago when the nation celebrated as one of the top headlines in the news the fact that Pete Buttigieg and his homosexual were granted the “right” to adopt children. The nation clapped and cheered as the two announced the news to the world.
“We’re becoming parents,” Buttigieg tweeted, with nearly a half-million hearts clicked in favor of the news.
But in a rational world that acknowledges its Creator, this news was awful. These men are not parents, they are sodomites who are now abusing innocent children and dragging them into their sexually immoral lifestyle, and forcing them to accept it.
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” —Matthew 18:6
The Scriptures are clear on how God looks upon this kind of behavior. But These two men are not the problem in America—they are merely a symptom of the problem. You see, it isn’t just Pete Buttigieg and his homosexual lover who will be causing these little ones to sin, the entire nation is responsible for this. The entire nation now celebrates sexual immorality and even when there are those who claim to oppose it, their silence is deafening.
I do not deny that America was once a Christian nation; however, we must define what that means. By “Christian nation,” I do not mean in any way that America is somehow a nation chosen by God, in covenant with Him, as was the nation of Israel during Old Testament times, for the purpose of carrying out God’s plan of redemption in the world. It is not and never has been.
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America is ripe for judgment, or are we already past ripeness and rotten to the core? If the Lord tarries, next will be the full acceptance of pedophilia. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already accepted it, and more Americans place their faith in AI and TikTok than in God Almighty. This nation, formerly built on the Judeo Christian ethic, makes me sick. “Even so, come Lord Jesus……” Maranatha, Pastor Steve <><
Judges 7:20 King James Version (KJV) And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.
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The Amen Corner
“Treasures are laid up in Heaven when the treasures of Earth are laid down.”
“Thinking, trying, toiling and trusting in God is the full story of my biography.” -John Wanamaker
“If you expect to leave footprints on the sands of time, you’ll need to get up out of your recliner.”
“The same people who say they can’t understand ‘thee’ or ‘thou’ in a hymn hav no prblm figrng out a txt lik dis.”
“Spread out your petition before God, and then say, ‘Thy will, not mine, be done.’ The sweetest lesson I have learned in God’s school is to let the Lord choose for me.” -D. L. Moody
“Error is like leaven of which we read, ‘A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.’ Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent-looking and, therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or any truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation. To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died.” -Dr. Harry Ironside
“To all of those whose lives you touch, you are either a stumbling block or a stepping stone.”
“How can we play the game of life if we do not know where the goalposts and the boundary lines are?”
“You can’t no more learn something from someone who don’t know nothing than you can come back from where you have not been.”
“The human race owes much of its advancement to those who worked hard and were not content to leave well enough alone.”
“Morale is when your hands and feet keep on working when your head says it can’t be done.” -Admiral Benjamin Morell
“If you cross your bridges before you get to them, you’ll still be on the same side of the river.”
“Yesterday is over, done, gone; tomorrow is promising but uncertain; today is what you have; it is here now. Grab hold of it and use it.”
“God makes a promise. Faith believes it. Hope anticipates it. Patience confidently and quietly awaits it.”
I could not publish this blasphemous article on Easter Sunday so I waited until the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was over. Our president has trampled on the holiest day of the Christian faith in favor of abominations and perversion. This man is soon to stand before the Lord in judgment. The Lord help him. Our country is obviously under judgment for such a declaration to be made on Easter by our president. There is absolutely no end to the terrible news in our nation. Most believers I speak with think we are in the midst of a paradigm shift, rapidly preparing the world for the Great Tribulation period. I cannot believe how quickly things have changed and how even mere decency, respect and civility are all but extinct. Maranatha, Pastor Steve <><
The White House has issued an official proclamation declaring March 31, 2024 — Easter Sunday — Transgender Day of Visibility— a brazen attack on truth and on the deeply held beliefs of millions of Christian Americans.
MARCH 29, 2024
The White House
A Proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility, 2024
On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.
I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start, working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly, in safety, with dignity and respect. I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military. I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more. I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love.
Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation. Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive. They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves. But extremists are proposing hundreds of hateful laws that target and terrify transgender kids and their families — silencing teachers; banning books; and even threatening parents, doctors, and nurses with prison for helping parents get care for their children. These bills attack our most basic American values: the freedom to be yourself, the freedom to make your own health care decisions, and even the right to raise your own child. It is no surprise that the bullying and discrimination that transgender Americans face is worsening our Nation’s mental health crisis, leading half of transgender youth to consider suicide in the past year. At the same time, an epidemic of violence against transgender women and girls, especially women and girls of color, continues to take too many lives. Let me be clear: All of these attacks are un-American and must end. No one should have to be brave just to be themselves.
At the same time, my Administration is working to stop the bullying and harassment of transgender children and their families. The Department of Justice has taken action to push back against extreme and un-American State laws targeting transgender youth and their families and the Department of Justice is partnering with law enforcement and community groups to combat hate and violence. My Administration is also providing dedicated emergency mental health support through our nationwide suicide and crisis lifeline — any LGBTQI+ young person in need can call “988” and press “3” to speak with a counselor trained to support them. We are making public services more accessible for transgender Americans, including with more inclusive passports and easier access to Social Security benefits. There is much more to do. I continue to call on the Congress to pass the Equality Act, to codify civil rights protections for all LGBTQI+ Americans.
Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility. I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
Even Steven 