How Bad Is It Out There? Looters Are Now Looting From Other Looters

Do you have to go to "looting school" to learn this stuff?  It is not that difficult to smash a few store windows and grab a few things, but some of the incidents that we have witnessed over the last several days have been so bizarre that it is hard to believe that they are actually real.  

In fact, if they were put into a big Hollywood disaster movie at lot of people would probably dismiss them as "unrealistic".  But it is very important to understand what is going on out there, because these looters are giving us a preview of coming attractions.  If they will sink to such depths now, what will they be willing to do once things get really, really bad in this country?

There are so many examples that I could share with you, but I think that I will start with the looters in Fairfield, California that decided to use a telescopic forklift to break down the doors of a Best Buy store...

A particularly brazen attempt by looters to storm a store in Fairfield, California, has been caught on video, showing them commandeering what appears to be a telescopic forklift to force their way in. A video has emerged showing vandals using heavy equipment on the doors of the Best Buy store in Fairfield, a city in Solano County, located between San Francisco and Sacramento. I suppose that the moral of this story is that you should never leave a telescopic forklift sitting around where looters might find it. Now that criminals have seen how much they can get away with, they are going to become more emboldened than ever, and the entire west coast is going to be a major danger zone for the foreseeable future.

In the East Bay area, police say that "caravans of cars full of looters" have been roaming around systematically searching for targets.  Authorities have been trying to crack down on these caravans of looters, but that has proven to be quite difficult because many of them are heavily armed.

Elsewhere in northern California, one group of looters just pulled off an absolutely stunning heist that is like something out of a "Fast and Furious" film..Police in Northern California are searching for suspects after rioters reportedly stole more than 70 premium cars from a dealership near San Francisco Sunday night.

San Leandro Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership owner Carlos Hidalgo said that although he blocked the exits as a precaution, the thieves "started ramming, ramming until they could get out. They took out chains and fence posts. It was a very malicious act," FOX 2 in Oakland reported. This means that at least 70 looters must have descended upon that dealership simultaneously, because each of those vehicles would have required a driver.

If you stop and try to envision what that must have looked like, it will send a chill up your spine.

Of course it isn't just the west coast that is dealing with such over the top criminality.  The following is how Rachel Olding described the crazy looting that we just witnessed in Midtown Manhattan... Hard to describe how rampant the looting was tonight in Midtown Manhattan and how lawless it was. Complete anarchy. Literally hundreds of stores up and down Broadway, Fifth Ave, Sixth Ave. Kids ruling the streets like it was a party. These are the stores where the Wall Street elite shop.

If law enforcement authorities can't even keep that area secure, do you think that any city in the entire country is truly safe at this point? And some of these looters are not exactly "impoverished".  In fact, the New York Post is reporting that some of the looters were pulling up to the stores "in luxury SUVs"...

New York City looters were caught on camera pulling up in luxury SUVs -- including what was claimed to be a pricey Rolls-Royce -- before apparently looting an upscale retail store in Manhattan, according to footage shared on social media.  The video, filmed by Justine Miller and Keith Feldman, shows a group of men in masks hopping out of two cars and charging through a smashed door in Soho before running back outside carrying boxes of goods on Monday night.

I honestly don't know what the police in New York City were doing. They had to know that the luxury retail outlets in Midtown Manhattan would be prime targets, and yet this was allowed to happen anyway.

Down in Philadelphia, the looting has been absolutely insane.  Just yesterday, I discussed the fact that looters were allowed to loot one drugstore for 15 hours straight.  Elsewhere in the city, one very ambitious looter ended up dying in a botched attempt to blow up an ATM machine... A looter has been killed in a botched ATM explosion in Philadelphia, that police believe was part of a 'coordinated' effort to raid 30 machines across the city over a series of two nights.

Police said the 24-year-old man died early Tuesday, several hours after attempting to break into an ATM with explosives in the north of the city. Needless to say, bank robbery has nothing to do with justice for George Floyd.

All over America, thousands upon thousands of criminals are using the George Floyd protests as an opportunity to commit crimes, and the fact that it is happening on such a widespread basis is extremely sobering. At this point, things have gotten so crazy that looters are even looting from other looters.  The U.S. is descending into madness, and many people believe that this is just the beginning. Of course all of this rampant lawlessness is deeply alarming millions upon millions of ordinary citizens, and a lot of people are deeply concerned that this sort of behavior could start spreading into the suburbs and beyond.  In fact, Polk County Sheriff Judd Grady has publicly acknowledged that in his county "some folks were threatening to take their criminal conduct into the neighborhoods"...

Grady said the department "had received information on social media that some folks were threatening to take their criminal conduct into the neighborhoods." "I would tell them, if you value your life, they probably shouldn't do that in Polk County," Grady said. "Because the people of Polk County like guns, they have guns, I encourage them to own guns, and they're going to be in their homes tonight with their guns loaded, and if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I'm highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns. So, leave the community alone." Hopefully things will start to cool down at least for a while. But many Americans understand that it is just a matter of time before more violence erupts, and so they are preparing to defend themselves and their families.  Gun sales are absolutely soaring, and one shop owner in New York says that he has been so busy that he is literally running out of stuff to sell...

Phones have been ringing off the hook and the line has been wrapped around the building at Coliseum Gun Traders in Uniondale, Nassau County, ever since the coronavirus pandemic began. And now with protests and rioting after the killing of George Floyd, the store has seen another enormous spike in sales. Keeping the shelves stocked has been hard, store owner Andy Chernoff said.

"We started out this week with a fair amount of merchandise. We're running out. Literally running out," Chernoff said. "Never thought I'd say that."

Just six months ago, life in America seemed so "normal", but now everything has changed. All of the anger that has been building up for years is now starting to boil over, and the upcoming election in November is just going to increase tensions even more. So please be very careful out there, because our society really is starting to fall apart right in front of our eyes.

Gunmen Kill 27 in Predominantly Christian Villages in Mali

Attacks by armed gunmen on motorcycles left 27 dead in attacks on three villages in central Mali last week. Many of the deceased were shot or burned alive, the New York Times reports.

The attacks took place over a 24-hour period last week as mainly Islamic Fulani herders killed the predominately Christian Dogon farmers In Bamako. In the first village, Tille, they killed seven people. Then they killed the other 20 civilians the next day in the villages of Bankass and Koro.

The attacks continue a pattern of violence and reprisals after jihadists linked with al-Qaeda siezed the northern 2/3 of the nation in 2012.  French forces pushed back the Islamic militants in 2013, but they have since regained the territory and pushed their influence into Niger and Burkina Faso.

The Mali army fell under heavy criticism for their inability to protect civilians as instances of violence have been on the rise during the last two years. One group that keeps statistics on political violence, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, reported a 90% increase in civilian fatalities in Mali in the first quarter of 2020. This came after Dogon gunmen allegedly killed over 150 civilians last March.

The Barnabas Fund also reported that over 100 men, women, and children died in an attack on a mainly Christian village in central Mali last June.

According to Al Jazeera, 125 peacekeepers with the United Nations mission in Mali have been killed since 2013.

Mali is ranked as the 29th most dangerous countries for Christians, according to the Open Doors USA World Persecution Watch List.

The Unborn Baby 'Bleeds to Death' – Judge Criticizes Court for Upholding Abortion Procedure

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday overturned Kentucky’s ban on a common second-term abortion procedure, although the judges differed greatly in how they described it.

The appeals court, in a 2-1 ruling, affirmed a lower court decision that found the law unconstitutionally placed an “undue burden” on a pregnant woman.

The law, HB 454, banned a procedure that doctors call “dilation and evacuation” (D&E) but pro-lifers label “dismemberment abortion.” It involves dismembering “the living unborn child” and extracting “portions, pieces, or limbs of the unborn child from the uterus,” according to the law’s text.

The court’s majority said a D&E abortion takes place when “physician first dilates the patient’s cervix and then uses instruments and suction to remove the contents of the uterus.” Because the “fetus has grown larger than the cervical opening,” the “fetal tissue separates as the physician draws it through that narrow opening.”

But Judge John K. Bush, in his dissent, described the procedure in gruesome detail, saying he understands why some pregnant women would want the fetus’ heart to be stopped before the procedure begins.

“Dr. Anthony Levantino testified that in a D&E procedure, the ‘[f]etus dies from dismemberment from literally having arms and legs pulled off’; ‘[it] bleed[s] to death,’” Bush wrote. “Another physician, Dr. David Berry, described a D&E procedure in which the doctor ‘pulled out a spine and some mangled ribs and the heart was actually still beating.’

“... It is not difficult to understand why a majority of women would want the heart to stop beating before the fetus undergoes such an ordeal. As the Supreme Court has recognized, ‘No one would dispute that, for many, D&E is a procedure itself laden with the power to devalue human life.’ This is because ‘[t]he fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn limb from limb,’” Bush wrote, quoting a 2000 decision by former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Bush added, “[A] woman, even after hearing of the health risks involved, might opt for fetal demise simply to be assured that the fetus was not alive when its limbs were torn apart.”

Bush was nominated by President Trump. The two judges who voted in the majority, Judges Eric L. Clay and Gilbert S. Merritt, were nominated by Presidents Clinton and Carter, respectively.

9 Signs Of The End Times That Are Unfolding Right In Front Of Our Eyes

Global events are beginning to spiral out of control, and this has created a resurgence in interest in what the Bible has to say about "the last days".  Throughout the Scriptures, we are warned about apocalyptic events that will precede the second coming of Jesus Christ, and a lot of people are wondering if that period of time is now upon us.  

All over the Internet, people are engaging in all sorts of speculation and lots of really bizarre theories are being thrown around, and this is causing a great deal of confusion.  But all of this confusion is not necessary, because the Bible is actually very clear about what is coming. Jesus had quite a bit to say about the time just before His return, and He specifically instructed His followers to watch for certain signs.  He wanted us to understand that He knew about all of these things in advance, that He has a plan, and that He is in control. So there is no need to fear.  In fact, Jesus told us these things so that we would not be afraid.

Three of the key chapters where Jesus discusses the events of the last days are Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.  To set the stage for the rest of this article, let me share just three quick verses from Luke 21... 9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Could it be possible that we have entered a time when these things are starting to be fulfilled?

To answer that question, let's examine some of the global events that are currently unfolding...

#1 Wars And Rumors Of Wars

War is coming to the Middle East, and it might be coming a lot sooner than most people think.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is very eager to annex portions of Judea and Samaria before the U.S. election in November, and the coalition agreement that he reached with Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz allows him to do that as early as July.

I believe that it will happen at some point in the coming months, and the Palestinians are openly warning that such a move will mean war.  In fact, Mahmoud Abbas is so upset about this pending annexation that he just publicly backed out of all previous agreements with the United States and Israel...

In an emergency meeting in Ramallah Tuesday, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas announced that due to Israeli plans to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, all agreements with Israel and the U.S. are null and void. This would include the Oslo Accords, which was the basis for the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. And Jordan's King Abdullah just told a German newspaper that annexation "would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan"...

In an interview with the German newspaper Der Spiegel, the Jordanian monarch reiterated that a two-state solution was the "only way forward" as a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

"What would happen if the Palestinian National Authority collapsed? There would be more chaos and extremism in the region. If Israel really annexed the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," said Abdullah. This is something to keep a very close eye on, and we also need to keep in mind that a major war between Israel and Iran could erupt at literally any moment as well.

#2 Earthquakes

Our planet continues to become increasing unstable, and my regular readers know that I am particularly concerned about the west coast of the United States.  It is just a matter of time before "the Big One" hits California, and this week we did see two very alarming quakes strike just off the California coast... The first measured at a 4.7 magnitude. It hit at 11:56 p.m. Sunday about 163 miles west of Eureka.

The second earthquake was stronger, measuring a 5.5 magnitude hitting in the same area about 160 miles west of Eureka at 12:02 a.m. Monday. The second quake was at the same depth as the first earthquake at about 6 miles down.

Overall, there have been 2,668 earthquakes in California and Nevada over the last 7 days, and that is definitely unusual. Meanwhile, large earthquakes continue to strike other areas of the globe with frightening regularity.  For example, a magnitude 6.2 quake just rocked the Mediterranean Sea, and that made headlines all over the globe.

In the days ahead, the shaking is only going to get worse, but most people don't understand what is happening.

#3 Volcanoes

I have written about Mt. Popocatepetl near Mexico City many times, and it has roared to life once again. In fact, it is being reported that it was shooting hot ash 20,000 feet into the air on Wednesday. Keep a very close eye on this volcano, because someday a catastrophic eruption of Mt. Popocatepetl will result in the worst disaster in the history of Mexico. Of course Mt. Popocatepetl is far from alone.  According to Volcano Discovery, 24 volcanoes around the globe are erupting right now, and dozens more are showing signs of unrest.

#4 Crazy Weather Patterns

You may have noticed that global weather patterns have gone absolutely nuts. We are seeing record setting droughts in some parts of the world, in other areas we are witnessing unprecedented flooding, and global food production has been greatly disrupted by one unforeseen event after another.

For instance, this week India and Bangladesh are preparing for Super Cyclone Amphan to make landfall.  On Monday night, that storm "officially became the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal"... Millions of people in India and Bangladesh are bracing for what is now being called the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal. Super Cyclone Amphan is anticipated to make landfall in less than 36 hours, bringing destructive winds and heavy rain to a region already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

According to CNN, Super Cyclone Amphan officially became the strongest storm ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal on Monday night, after intensifying with sustained wind speeds of up to 165 miles per hour. Even though Amphan has weakened slightly the storm is still the equivalent of a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane, with winds speeds up to 115 mph.

#5 Armies Of Locusts

Billions of locusts have been traveling in giant swarms the size of major cities across large portions of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.  These mammoth swarms can travel up to 90 miles a day, and when they descend on a farm they can eat all of the vegetation in as little as 30 seconds.

I have written about these enormous locust armies numerous times, and they keep making headlines all over the world.  This week, video of these locusts "blocking out the sun in Iran" was being widely shared on social media...

Terrifying footage of an apocalyptic swarm of locusts blocking out the sun in Iran has emerged after it was revealed the military could be called to fight a plague that may destroy at least $7billion (£5.7bn) worth of crops.

The chilling video shows a haze formed of millions of the bugs covering the horizon on a motorway in the south of the country.

#6 African Swine Fever

Before COVID-19 came along, African Swine Fever was the most serious pestilence affecting the planet. There is no vaccine, there is no cure, and it is killing pigs all over the globe at a staggering rate. In fact, approximately half the pigs in China and approximately one-fourth of all the pigs in the entire world have already been wiped out by this disease.

Needless to say, this is having a tremendous impact on the global food supply, because much of the world relies on pig meat as a primary source of protein.

#7 Famines And Food Riots

You know that things are bad when even the United Nations is using the word "biblical" to describe the famines that are beginning to emerge around the globe. The head of the UN World Food Program, David Beasley, is publicly warning that we are heading into "the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two", and he is telling us that we could soon see approximately 300,000 people literally starve to death every single day.. "If we can't reach these people with the life-saving assistance they need, our analysis shows that 300,000 people could starve to death every single day over a three-month period", he upheld. "This does not include the increase of starvation due to COVID-19". We have already witnessed very large food riots in Africa, and now they are starting to happen in South America.

For example, check out what just happened in the capital of Chile... The coronavirus hit Chile at a particularly delicate time. Back in October, the Chilean military deployed tanks and troops onto the streets of Santiago - the Chilean capital - and President Sebastian Pinera declaring a state of emergency to quell a violent uprising triggered by - of all things - a hike in metro fares (can you imagine that happening in NYC?).

Now, some of the nation's poorest are rising up against the government again in a violent protest movement over the lack of government assistance. Specifically, food shortages have left thousands of Chileans with nothing to eat, and the mandatory closures have made it impossible for them to work or buy food. Global food supplies have gotten very tight, and they are only going to get tighter in the months ahead.

#8 Economic Collapse

Countries all over the world have locked down their economies in 2020 due to fear of COVID-19, and that has plunged the entire global economy into a deep depression. Here in the United States, more than 36 million Americans have already lost their jobs, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says that the real rate of unemployment in the United States is now 30.7 percent, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is projecting that U.S. GDP will fall by 42.8 percent during the second quarter of this year.

Now that our economic bubble has burst, the dominoes are just going to continue to tumble, and the days ahead are looking quite bleak.

#9 The Coronavirus Plague

This is the greatest public health crisis in a hundred years, and it looks like this pandemic is going to be with us for many months to come.

Already, there have been more than 5 million confirmed cases around the world and more than 300,000 people have died.  Many had been hoping that the worst was behind us, but the head of the WHO just told us that Tuesday was the worst day for new cases "since the outbreak began"... "We still have a long way to go in this pandemic," Tedros said at a briefing in Geneva. "In the last 24 hours, there have been 106,000 cases reported to WHO - the most in a single day since the outbreak began. Almost two-thirds of these cases were reported in just four countries."

Jesus specifically warned us that there would be "pestilences" during the time before His return, and I believe in the future we will see even worse pandemics than this one. In fact, many of the signs that I discussed above will get worse in the days ahead.  Just as birth pains increase in frequency and severity as the time for birth gets closer, we should expect many of the signs that Jesus warned about to increase in frequency and severity as well. But even in the midst of all the chaos that is coming, God will be moving, and I believe that the greatest revival in all of human history is still ahead of us.

Teach Your Kids to Love the Bible Today

We all hope our children will love the Lord the way we have grown to. Baking with them is a brilliant way to help His love and goodness come alive to them.

According to The International Bible Society, the Bible has been around well over 3,000 years. In these last 3,000 years it has drastically transformed hearts, nations, governments and history. Although the Bible is physically old, God’s word does not have an expiration date or lose effectiveness over the years. Instead, it gains momentum and power with each passing year.

In fact, Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

If you’ve experienced the transformative nature of God’s Word in your own life, there’s no doubt you would want your children to have the same hunger in their lives.

The Word of God is something we can all anchor our lives to. Since we as parents cannot guarantee our children won’t face hardship, we can only trust that properly equipping them with His Word will give them a firm foundation to stand on.

THE BIG QUESTION IS, HOW CAN WE HELP OUR CHILDREN CULTIVATE A LOVE AND PASSION FOR THE BIBLE?

With so many distractions like electronics and social media pulling for children’s attention in this day and age, how can we get our children to see the magnitude and importance of the Bible?

There is no easy answer, but when I found my own love for the Bible it reminded me of baking in the kitchen with my mom. Gathering all the ingredients and reading over the recipe for instruction. Just as we read the recipe and use the measuring cups to produce a delicious result, we also read God’s word as our ultimate guide and we hold His Word up as our measurement to produce a beautiful life.

As you embark on the journey of baking with your children in the kitchen it is better to go into it knowing there will be a mess. Yes, they will most likely end up stirring furiously and spilling powdery mix outside of the bowl. They might crack the egg on the counter, but it is all about the learning process.

WHEN WE ARE GUIDING OUR CHILDREN TO LEARN ABOUT THE BIBLE IT IS BEST TO LEAVE ROOM FOR MISTAKES.

If we constantly got mad at our children every time they spilled the batter outside of the bowl they would not want to bake with us anymore. It is more important to create open communication with our children for moments to share life and our love for God.

In Proverbs 34:8 it says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” When someone tastes the word of God for themselves they can see it is sweet and good. When we have an open relationship with our children it builds those “taste and see” moments.

It is no wonder Jesus is referred to as the bread of life. He and His Word are something to encounter and experience. Similarly, when pouring the batter while baking, the delightful smell and gooey appearance will inevitably warrant little hands in the batter for taste testing. When our kids see God working in our lives it will cause the same curiosity for them to want to reach their little hands out for God’s goodness.

ULTIMATELY OUR KIDS WANT OUR TIME. THEY WANT TO BE AROUND US AND ENJOY THE THINGS WE ENJOY.

In an article by The Stream, author Bob Hartman shares about his father’s love for cars, which led to his own love for cars. In Bob’s words, “My dad didn’t talk about cars because he thought it was ‘good for us.’ He didn’t sit us down and say, ‘It’s car time, kids. Pay attention.’ He talked about cars because he loved cars. He couldn’t help it.” As parents, our love for God’s word should be so genuine and strong that we can’t help but share about it.

Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

OUR TESTIMONY IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL KEYS WE CAN GIVE OUR CHILDREN.

Show your children in real-time from your own life what Jesus has done for you. Often times our legacy is bound up in our words. They are the stories that are never told, the goodness of God that does not get professed.

Deuteronomy is a strong declaration and warning to never forget what God has brought us through and to. And most importantly, to tell your children of these things so they never forget. When your kids understand that the Bible is a storybook full of testimonies and triumphs, they can better connect how your story and their story play a part.

ULTIMATELY OUR KIDS WANT OUR TIME. THEY WANT TO BE AROUND US AND ENJOY THE THINGS WE ENJOY.

In an article by The Stream, author Bob Hartman shares about his father’s love for cars, which led to his own love for cars. In Bob’s words, “My dad didn’t talk about cars because he thought it was ‘good for us.’ He didn’t sit us down and say, ‘It’s car time, kids. Pay attention.’ He talked about cars because he loved cars. He couldn’t help it.” As parents, our love for God’s word should be so genuine and strong that we can’t help but share about it.

Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

OUR TESTIMONY IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL KEYS WE CAN GIVE OUR CHILDREN.

Show your children in real-time from your own life what Jesus has done for you. Often times our legacy is bound up in our words. They are the stories that are never told, the goodness of God that does not get professed.

Deuteronomy is a strong declaration and warning to never forget what God has brought us through and to. And most importantly, to tell your children of these things so they never forget. When your kids understand that the Bible is a storybook full of testimonies and triumphs, they can better connect how your story and their story play a part.

U.S., 17 Other Countries Launch First-Ever International Religious Freedom Alliance

 In one of the first international efforts to champion religious freedom, leaders from the United States and several other countries will gather in Washington D.C. this week for the first meeting of the new International Religious Freedom Alliance.

The alliance falls under the leadership of U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, as reported by The Christian Post.

“I have not seen this type of organization or push on a human rights that I am aware of before,” said Brownback. “This is the first effort really to get a group of nations that will be the activist on a particular human right to try to champion and pursue that cause more aggressively.

“We will be looking at things we can work collectively on and [how] we can push for religious freedom efforts around the world. We are excited about the countries and their enthusiasm.”

So far, 17 countries have confirmed their membership to the alliance, though Brownback hopes that number rises. The names of the countries have yet to be disclosed.

Requirements for membership are high, according to Brownback. The alliance welcomes countries who have shown a strong commitment to religious freedom in their history.

“The United States pushes [religious freedom] but we need other allies to push it too,” Brownback said. “The fortunate thing is that it isn’t going to be just us. It is going to be a group of nations to push on this.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo first announced the alliance at the second annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, according to World. Trump continued to advertise the group at the United Nations General Assembly in September, despite the previous circulation of rumors that Trump was considering cutting the total number of refugees, including persecuted Christians, allowed into the U.S. to nearly zero, Politico reports.

As part of the initiative, Brownback traveled to Rome earlier this year to meet with the Abrahamic Faiths Initiative, which is a coalition of Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders.

“One of the key statements that came out is that this group is committed to resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism,” Brownback said.  “Unfortunately, much of the world looks at religion as the cause of wars. This group and the people they are working with see religion as an instrument of peace. They want to make it that way.”

Solar Minimum Could Bring Drastic Changes to Our Planet    

At a time when the world is already being hit with major crisis after major crisis, our sun is behaving in ways that we have never seen before.  For as long as records have been kept, the sun has never been quieter than it has been in 2019 and 2020, and as you will see below we are being warned that we have now entered "a very deep solar minimum".  

Unfortunately, other very deep solar minimums throughout history have corresponded with brutally cold temperatures and horrific global famines, and of course this new solar minimum comes at a time when the United Nations is already warning that we are on the verge of "biblical" famines around the world.  So we better hope that the sun wakes up soon, because the alternative is almost too horrifying to talk about.

Without the sun, life on Earth could not exist, and so the fact that it is behaving so weirdly right now should be big news.

Sadly, most mainstream news outlets are largely ignoring this story, but at least a few are covering it.  The following comes from Forbes...While we on Earth suffer from coronavirus, our star--the Sun--is having a lockdown all of its own. Spaceweather.com reports that already there have been 100 days in 2020 when our Sun has displayed zero sunspots. That makes 2020 the second consecutive year of a record-setting low number of sunspots.

And here is what the New York Post is saying...Our sun has gone into lockdown, which could cause freezing weather, earthquakes and famine, scientists say.

The sun is currently in a period of "solar minimum," meaning activity on its surface has fallen dramatically. Experts believe we are about to enter the deepest period of sunshine "recession" ever recorded as sunspots have virtually disappeared. Yes, covering COVID-19 is important, but the fact that scientists are warning that we are potentially facing "freezing weather, earthquakes and famine" should be deeply alarming for all of us. And since the mainstream media has been largely silent on this crisis, most Americans don't even know that it exists.

Last year, there were no sunspots at all 77 percent of the time, and so far this year there have been no sunspots at all 76 percent of the time..."This is a sign that solar minimum is underway," reads SpaceWeather.com. "So far this year, the Sun has been blank 76% of the time, a rate surpassed only once before in the Space Age. Last year, 2019, the Sun was blank 77% of the time. Two consecutive years of record-setting spotlessness adds up to a very deep solar minimum, indeed."

So why is this such a big deal?

Well, every once in a while a very deep solar minimum that lasts for several decades comes along, and when our planet has experienced such periods in the past the consequences have been quite dramatic.

For example, the New York Post is claiming that NASA scientists fear that we could potentially be facing "a repeat of the Dalton Minimum"... NASA scientists fear it could be a repeat of the Dalton Minimum, which happened between 1790 and 1830 -- leading to periods of brutal cold, crop loss, famine and powerful volcanic eruptions.

Temperatures plummeted by up to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over 20 years, devastating the world's food production. Even worse would be a repeat of the Maunder Minimum which stretched from 1645 to 1715.  It came as the globe was already in the midst of "the Little Ice Age", and it caused harvest failures and famines all over the globe...

The Maunder Minimum is the most famous cold period of the Little Ice Age. Temperatures plummeted in Europe, the growing season became shorter by more than a month, the number of snowy days increased from a few to 20-30, the ground froze to several feet, alpine glaciers advanced all over the world, glaciers in the Swiss Alps encroached on farms and buried villages, tree-lines in the Alps dropped, sea ports were blocked by sea ice that surrounded Iceland and Holland for about 20 miles, wine grape harvests diminished, and cereal grain harvests failed, leading to mass famines. 

The Thames River and canals and rivers of the Netherlands froze over during the winter. The population of Iceland decreased by about half. In parts of China, warm-weather crops that had been grown for centuries were abandoned. In North America, early European settlers experienced exceptionally severe winters.

Of course this would be an exceptionally bad time for such a cataclysmic climate shift, because African Swine Fever has already wiped out approximately one-fourth of all the pigs in the world, colossal armies of locusts the size of major cities are systematically wiping out crops across much of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and fear of COVID-19 is greatly disrupting global food supply chains. In fact, it is being reported that widespread shutdowns of meat processing facilities in the United States may force farmers to euthanize "as many as 10 million hogs by September"...

U.S. pork farmers may be forced to euthanize as many as 10 million hogs by September as a result of production-plant shutdowns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Pork Producers Council. At least 14,000 reported positive COVID-19 cases have been connected to meatpacking facilities in at least 181 plants in 31 states as of May 13, and at least 54 meatpacking facility workers have died of the virus at 30 plants in 18 states, according to an investigation by the Midwest Center for Investigative reporting.

Even if the sun suddenly started acting perfectly normal once again, we would still be facing what the UN is calling "the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two".  Global food supplies are getting tighter with each passing day, and many are warning that some areas of the globe will soon be dealing with severe food shortages. What we really need are a few years of really good growing weather, but the behavior of the sun may not make that possible.

So let's keep a very close eye on the giant ball of fire that we are revolving around, because if it remains very quiet that could mean big trouble for all of us.

Majority in U.S. Believe 'God Is Telling Humanity to Change How We Are Living' Through COVID-19

More than eight in 10 Americans say they believe in God, and a majority of them say they think “God is telling humanity to change how we are living” amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new survey.

A total of 82 percent of Americans confess a belief in God, with most of them (80 percent) saying they believed in God before the pandemic and 2 percent saying their belief in God developed after the pandemic, according to the survey by the University of Chicago Divinity School and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Among Americans who believe in God, 63 percent agree with the statement that “God is telling humanity to change how we are living” (31 percent agree strongly and 31 percent say they “somewhat” agree with the statement).

Additionally, 55 percent of those who believe in God say they think “God will protect me from being infected.”

Only 9 percent of those who believe in God think “God has abandoned humanity.”

Seventeen percent of Americans say they don’t believe in God.

Among all Americans – not just those who believe in God – about 52 percent say, “God is telling humanity to change how we are living.”

Meanwhile, 26 percent of Americans say the outbreak has made their “sense of religious faith or spirituality” stronger, while 1 percent say it’s now weaker. Most Americans (73 percent) say it’s the same.

Among other findings in the survey:

• A majority of Americans (51 percent) say they or someone in their household has experienced “some” loss of income due to the outbreak, while around one-third (31 percent) say they or a house member has experienced a “significant” income loss.
• One-third (32 percent) say they or a member of their house has been laid off.
• 11 percent say they or someone in their home has lost health insurance.
• 14 percent say they, a close friend or relative has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The poll of 1,002 adults was conducted April 30-May 4.

Mississippi Church Pushing Back against Lockdown Orders Is Burned to the Ground in Suspected Arson Attack

On Wednesday morning, a Mississippi church was burned to the ground.

First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi was engulfed in flames on Wednesday in what is believed to be an act of arson, Fox 13 reports.

Investigators noted that the church had been spray painted with graffiti following an explosion towards the front of the building.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves expressed that he was distraught over the incident.

“I am heartbroken and furious. In Mississippi, a church was just burned to the ground. They had been trying to open services,” Reeves tweeted Thursday.

“There was graffiti on the lot which read ‘Bet you stay home now you hypocrites.’ What is this pandemic doing to us? We need prayer for this country,” he wrote.

Thomas More Society senior counsel and lawyer for the church Stephen Crampton told Fox News on Thursday that the church parking lot had been spray-painted with the following message: “I bet you stay home now you hypokrits.”

Prior to the incident, the church had been in a legal battle with local authorities over lockdown measures.

According to WLBT, the city of Holly Springs does not consider churches essential businesses, despite the state’s governor declaring they are.

“It is very clear local municipalities can have guidelines that are more strict (sic) than the governor’s guidelines, but they cannot have guidelines that directly conflict with what we have put in place,” Reeves stated at a news conference Wednesday.

Pastor Jerry Waldrop, who has been leading First Pentecostal for 31 years, filed a lawsuit against the city of Holly Springs back in April.

The lawsuit came after Holly Springs issued a citation to the pastor for holding church services indoors. At the time, only drive-thru services were permitted. Additionally, the suit notes that police interrupted a mid-week Bible study and the church’s Easter service.

According to the lawsuit, the church managed to conduct its services outside, but in the face of inclement weather, services were moved indoors while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

A temporary restraining order has also been included in the complaint to keep the city from stopping the church from holding indoor services.

Crampton noted in a statement that there is “a growing hostility towards churches” such as First Pentecostal who are pushing back against lockdown orders, Fox News reports.

"We're in a time where I don't think it's any secret that there's a growing hostility toward churches, across the board," Crampton said. "And now, here are churches like First Pentecostal that are sort of stirring up the waters by being outspoken and somewhat firm about seeking to protect their Constitutional rights."

"They've had bad comments [directed at them] on social media,” he added. “There is just a segment that takes issue with the church standing up, and the church just being the church."

While Pastor Waldrop remains unsure as to who started the church fire, he asserted that the church will be rebuilt.

“We have the means, so whatever it takes, that's what we will do,” Waldrop said, according to Fox 13. “We have a tight group that's been faithful, so whatever means are necessary, that is what I will do,” he concluded.

Beyond COVID-19: Russia, China Nuclear Threat Grows

Now that 184 countries are grappling with the medical and economic convulsions of China's CCP coronavirus that seems to have originated in a bio-warfare laboratory in Wuhan, what other catastrophes might be headed our way, especially ones we have been forewarned about?

What if America's adversaries might start to believe that because the US has a Covid-19 crisis on its hands, the nation might be distracted and vulnerable, so that now might be a good time to strike? If such adversaries think the US does not have a strong deterrent, does that make it an even more tempting target?

Last month, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that by the end of 2020, Russia will have modernized 87% of its nuclear arsenal, up from its current 82%.

Many Americans might shrug it off and say that the Russians are simply being their normal selves, just like the Soviets, year after year, building and modernizing their nuclear weapons.

Many Americans might also assume that the United States would be keeping up to make sure that the Russians were not about to get the nuclear drop on the US, right? The United States, in fact, remains considerably behind the Russians. For nearly three decades after the end of the Cold War, a euphoric United States stopped taking nuclear deterrence seriously. The current administration, therefore, inherited a nuclear deterrent 40-50 years old. Its submarines had first been deployed in 1981, its B-52 bomber cruise missiles in 1982, and its Minuteman land-based missiles in 1970.

At present, exactly zero percent of America's nuclear platforms are modernized. This dangerous "procurement holiday" dates back to the end of the Cold War in 1991, when leaders in the West presumably imagined that modernized systems would no longer be needed. The problem is, presidents and Congresses have been warned. The US has known for some time that the Russians are fully modernizing their nuclear weapons. The US has also been aware that the Russians were increasing the role of nuclear weapons in their security strategy, and had also adopted a policy of "escalate to win." In this strategy, the Russians would use, or threaten to use, nuclear weapons early in a crisis, based on the assumption that in face of such threats, the United States would stand down.

Several years ago, for example, the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, the senior U.S. military officer responsible for nuclear strategy, General John Hyten, told Congress that by 2020, the Russians would have fully modernized at least 70% of their nuclear arsenal.

Hyten not only warned about the Russia's new "escalate to win" policy; he also took stock of the fact that while the United States had decided -- belatedly -- to modernize its nuclear forces, it was still nearly 15 years away from fielding its first modernized nuclear platform. Regrettably, not everyone in Congress and the nuclear disarmament community listened. For many in politics, after all, it was assumed that the U.S. would "reset" relations with Russia and nuclear threats were happily diminishing toward a "global zero."

Worse, when, in 2017, General Hyten, (now Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff), warned of the Russian threat, a common counter-narrative in the U.S. arms control community -- and shared by some members of Congress -- was that simply by proposing to modernize a then-rusting nuclear deterrent, the United States was "leading an arms race." Even these critics, however, had to know that it takes years to research, develop, test, and then build highly complex nuclear forces, so that no new U.S. nuclear deployments would even be able to start until 2029.

An ideological attachment to the arms control catechism of the day, particularly among the advocates of "global zero," trumped any common-sense support of the potential necessity, even to use as a deterrent, for U.S. nuclear modernization.

Instead, what many disarmers proposed was the elimination of more than half of U.S. nuclear armed submarines, and 100% of America's land-based nuclear missiles and air-launched nuclear cruise missiles -- all eliminated unilaterally, without the Russians reducing anything. In 2018, nuclear critics in the Democratic party, now in the House majority, called for the unilateral "roll back" of the entire ICBM leg of the US nuclear Triad (land, sea and air) to curtail a supposedly "overly aggressive nuclear strategy" by the Trump administration. The proposal appears intended to prevent a presumed "expansion" of the US nuclear arsenal.

Ironically, the Trump administration's nuclear modernization effort at that time was nearly identical to the Obama administration's effort: keeping America's nuclear forces strictly within the New START Treaty limits. The Trump administration's policy at the time did not seek to expand the U.S. arsenal by even a single nuclear warhead.

Even today, however, despite Russia's confirmation that its nuclear forces are nearly fully modernized, and that the new U.S. modernization effort may not be putting new forces in the field until 2029, the same nuclear critics still do not seem to understand the strategy of deterrence: if you look disarmed and easy to overrun, you are inviting aggression, but if you do not look easy to overrun, people might think twice before attacking you. 

Former President Ronald Reagan called it, "Peace through strength". It was how, in large part, by building up the US nuclear arsenal and promising subsequently to build robust missile defenses, he induced the Soviet Union, unable to keep up, to collapse. Even so, one unilateral disarmer inexplicably wondered recently if the current U.S. planned nuclear modernization effort might somehow open "the door to an expensive nuclear arms race".

This critic may be unaware that Russia has already completed 87% of its arms race while the US is just putting on its track shoes. The door to an arms race was opened long ago -- but by Russia, not the United States.

Sputnik News reports:

"Russia's nuclear forces have received or are in the process of receiving a series of new weapons in recent years, including the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, the Avangard hypersonic boost-glide vehicle, and the Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic cruise missile. The maritime leg of the country's nuclear triad has seen the deployment of the new Borei class of strategic missile submarines equipped with R-30 Bulava ballistic missiles. Russia has also upgraded its fleet of Tu-95MS 'Bear' and Tu-160 'White Swan' bombers, increasing their range and capabilities and equipping them with new cruise missiles."

The current U.S. administration is fully aware of the Russian challenge and has robustly funded a U.S. nuclear deterrent. The modernization plan was approved by Congress -- although there is a worrisome emerging decline in the margin of support.

Without nuclear modernization, unfortunately, the United States cannot keep a credible nuclear deterrent against its nuclear armed enemies -- not only Russia but also China, whose nuclear arsenal is scheduled to double in the next decade, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency. It is widely anticipated that the scope of U.S. nuclear deterrent modernization might be a debate topic this election year.

Some members of the House and Senate, may again push unilaterally to reduce much of America's nuclear arsenal to a level even as low as 20% of Russia's current deployed nuclear arsenal. U.S. lawmakers may also again push to require that Congress must first approve any presidential decision to use nuclear weapons, thereby making a timely U.S. response to a surprise enemy nuclear attack virtually impossible. Still other members of Congress may push to pass a new legal requirement that the United States pledge not to use nuclear weapons, even if the country was attacked and suffered millions of casualties from enemy biological, chemical, or cyber weapons.

Is this, then, the right time for the U.S. to stop nuclear modernization or hamstring its nuclear deterrent strategy? History illustrates how deadly being unprepared to face real threats can be, as in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the terrorist attacks of 9-11 or the coronavirus pandemic.

However serious these events were, most people probably know how much worse the outcome would be if an adversary initiated the use of nuclear weapons against the United States. By now, the U.S. should know that its nuclear-armed adversaries are serious about using nuclear weapons -- either straightforwardly or for coercive leverage -- if they think they can get away it and avoid painful retaliation. The only sensible plan, therefore, is for the United States to maintain a nuclear deterrent second to none, to deter not only the threat of nuclear weapons but their straightforward employment, should it come to that.

In the election this November, Americans face a choice -- whether to continue with the planned modernization of America's nuclear forces, or yet again to kick nuclear modernization down the road and again pretend that nuclear threats -- that are potentially existential to the United States -- do not in fact exist.

Survey Shows Faith Can Prosper in Online Services

(RNS) — As houses of worship remain closed due to shelter-in-place orders across most of the United States, and significant numbers of them stream their worship services online, clergy and others are no doubt asking how well virtual delivery is feeding the faith of their members. 

Some answers can be had from a Pew Research Center (via the Roper Center) survey conducted April 20-26, in which Americans were asked about their religious faith and how their houses of worship have reacted to the changes brought about by  COVID-19.

The first bit of good news is how many people said their houses of worship were able to go online. Of those affiliated with a religious tradition, 81.2% indicated that their house of worship had shifted to broadcasting services over the internet.

Even better from the clergy’s point of view is that their members who have gone online report a larger growth in faith than those whose services have not moved to online streaming. Of those who had moved online, 42.4% said that their faith had grown stronger. For those without an online service to watch, the share of those who said that their faith had grown was a more modest 30.9%. Only very small shares of either group said that their faith had gotten weaker because of COVID-19.

It’s perhaps little surprise that the beneficial effect of online worship is especially true for those who attended services most frequently before the pandemic. At almost every attendance level, those who had said that their house of worship was streaming services online more likely to say that their faith grew than those who had no online viewing option. In most cases, the difference was 10 percentage points.

The survey also allayed fears that age or economic disadvantages have created large demographic disparities when it comes to accessing streaming services. For instance, those who are 65 and older were just as likely to say that their institution was streaming services as the youngest respondents in the sample. Only African Americans as a group were slightly less likely to say their churches were online, compared with white and Hispanic respondents.

There are some differences based on education. More highly educated respondents were 6 points more likely to have streaming services compared with those with a high school diploma or less. Evangelical churches were nearly 10 points more likely to go online than Catholic parishes.

So while a furor builds about reopening churches sooner rather than later, it’s worth bearing in mind that in our current situation many houses of worship are still providing spiritual care for their members and many have benefited from virtual services, especially for their regulars.

Baseball Player Blake Bivens Says Bible Helped Him Stay Strong following Brutal Murder of His Wife, Son

Minor league baseball star Blake Bivens has opened up about the death of his wife and young son. Speaking at The River Church in Danville, Virginia, Bivens, who plays in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, revealed how he found out about his family’s deaths via social media while waiting for a flight.

“First headline I see is two females and a small child were gone," Bivens said, according to ESPN. "I immediately knew that was them. I found out my family was gone over a Facebook headline. I just immediately began to scream in the middle of the airport.''

Blake’s wife Emily Bivens and his 14-month-old son, Cullen Bivens, had been shot dead, along with his mother-in-law Joan Bernard. Emily’s brother, 19-year-old Matthew Thomas Bernard is accused of murder, though he is unfit to stand trial at this time due to mental illness.

Speaking candidly to the church congregation, Blake recalled the raw shock that followed such brutal and life-changing loss. "I think the hardest moment for me was when I got home and I walked in my son's bedroom for the first time and realized I was never going to see him on this Earth again,'' he said. "That was the worst moment in my life. Nothing ever will come to being, to feeling the way I felt at that moment. Then again, I know I will see him again one day, and it won't be long.''

Incredibly, the Christian baseball pitcher said that in his lowest moments of loss and grief, the Bible offered him tangible hope; when the darkness was thick and unbearable, he remembers turning to John 16:33 and receiving the promise that God is always in control.

“When I read, 'Take heart, for I have overcome the world,' it changed, it completely flipped a switch in my heart," he recalled. "And from that moment on I knew that this was not going to beat me, this was not going to beat family. I was going to live in victory the rest of my life, and I was going to use this as a testimony to show what he has done for me he can also do for others.”

"That moment for me was one of the biggest moments where I just knew God was with me, and the only thing I knew to do was just laugh in the enemy's face, because he thought he had won,” Bivens added. “But all he's done is awoken a sleeping giant and as long as I'm here on this earth, every day I wake up my goal is to pile-drive him right in the face every morning when I get up.'”

Blake said he still deals with many traumatic memories of that horrible day; but despite this, and even in the midst of such searing pain, he is assured that with God, there is always hope for the future. “It's unbelievable how much I can vividly remember from the day," he said. "And it's kind of unbelievable to see how far things have come from that day also."

New Report on World's Worst Religious Freedom Violators   

The report is 104 pages -- but it tells a thousand stories. For young women like Mary Mohammadi, sentenced to flogging and more time in prison, the one hope she has, apart from Jesus, is here in the United States. 

Her prayer -- like so many others in Nigeria, North Korea, China, India, Iran, and elsewhere -- is that Americans step in and stop the suffering. For 21 years, one commission's goal has been to do exactly that. There are nine of them -- different people with different backgrounds, different faiths, united by one belief: religion is no excuse for oppression. Every spring, after months of meeting with leaders overseas and shaking the hands of brave survivors like Mary, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which Tony Perkins chairs, calls out the worst offenders of faith-based persecution in the world. 

Together, they pour over the events of the last 12 months, measuring countries on the severest of scales. If their violations to religious liberty are "systematic, egregious, and ongoing" then they're recommended as a country of particular concern (CPC). This year, 14 nations -- each a symbol of anguish for tens of millions of people -- qualified. Fifteen others were just shy -- but worth including, they believed, on a special watch list.

For all of the misery this document represents, there were some rays of hope. In Sudan, where Tony visited a couple of months ago, the developments have been unexpectedly positive. The African country, one of many who appeared on the list since it started, suddenly finds itself under a transitional government that is at least open to the idea of religious tolerance. 

After his delegation met with the prime minister, they were pleasantly surprised with how receptive he was to USCIRF's recommendations -- like revising the local public-school curriculum to make it more friendly to faiths. In many ways, Sudan is a great example of how influential this administration's agenda has been. Now that President Trump and State Department Secretary Mike Pompeo have prioritized religious freedom, other countries seem more anxious to get in line. They sense that America is paying attention in a way that it hasn't before. And that's resulted in changes that, an administration ago, never seemed possible.

On the flip side, there are places where evil isn't so easy to uproot. As FRC's Arielle Del Turco pointed out, North Korea is -- and has been -- among the world's worst, if not the worst, religious freedom violator of the modern age. Christians there have absolutely no freedom at all. "Any expression of faith will land you in a prison camp. And it could land your family in a prison camp as well. 

Even something as simple as being caught with a Bible." When defectors are caught by the Chinese and sent back, Arielle explains the first questions they're asked are, "'Did you encounter Christianity? Did you meet any Christians?' And if the answer is yes, they are going to be treated much more harshly in these prison camps... This is not a new development, but the fact that it remains even in 2020 is a huge problem and we need to be paying more attention to it than we already are."

Then, unfortunately, there are the unexpected backsliders like India -- a democratic nation, at least in theory, consistently moving in the wrong direction. Ironically, as Arielle mentioned on "Washington Watch," "Indian leaders are always very defensive about their record on religious freedom. 

But really, the religious freedom situation has deteriorated rapidly over the course of the last year -- they really don't have too much to argue with here." Indian laws have been ruthless on religious minorities, specifically Muslims, but also there's also been mounting mob violence from the ground up. "And this mob violence is often inspired by the Hindu nationalist rhetoric of the current Hindu nationalist party that rules India... And frankly, these leaders have not done enough to condemn these attacks. Sometimes their rhetoric even incites it. And they just look the other way when there are attacks."

In places like Nigeria, the jihadi attacks are building a bloody legacy. FRC's Lela Gilbert talked about some of the harrowing massacres taking place as the Fulani tribe burns and kills its way through the villages, yelling "Allah Akbar!" For Christians and non-Muslims, it wasn't enough to deal with one enemy -- Boko Haram. Now they have to cope with two. "We know what the Islamic State is all about," Lela says. "They're very violent. They love to make videos now of beheadings," and with Boko Haram, "it's the same pattern."

"They go into these poor villages... in the middle of the night during darkness, and they just start slaughtering. They kill the men. They take the women. They rape the women. They take the young women and the young girls and boys kidnap them and hold them for ransom or whatever, put them into slavery... And yet, there hasn't been much done about either of these groups in Nigeria, which is a big problem for us... This is why we keep bringing it up -- because it's getting worse. It's not getting better."

That's where the Trump administration comes in. As anyone in the international religious liberty community knows from meeting with the president, these are problems he takes seriously. If his foreign policy team has to be more aggressive with the countries USCIRF identifies as abusers, he's not afraid to use the leverage he has. 

Religious freedom -- around the world and here at home -- is a top Trump priority. And for all of the Mary Mohammadis in the world, this is the hope: that America will use every tool in its chest to uphold it.

'Major Breakthrough': Israel Unveils Coronavirus Treatment Ready for Production

Israeli scientists searching for an antidote for the coronavirus announced a major advancement Monday in a joint statement with the Ministry of Defense.

Scientists at the Israel Institute for Biological Research said they had isolated a key coronavirus antibody and developed a “monoclonal neutralising antibody” that “can neutralise” the coronavirus “inside carriers’ bodies,” Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said in the statement, according to Reuters.

Bennett visited the research facility Monday and was briefed on a “significant breakthrough in finding an antidote for the coronavirus,” the statement said.

“I am proud of the Biological Institute staff, who have made a major breakthrough,” Bennett said. “The Jewish creativity and ingenuity brought about this amazing achievement.”

The research team has completed the development phase and is seeking a patent, the statement said. After it is patented, the Israel Institute for Biological Research will seek a “contract for its commercial development,” The Jerusalem Post reported.

The antibody is the latest positive development in the battle against the coronavirus.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said last week he believes it’s possible to have hundreds of millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine ready for the general public by January. It’s part of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed project.

“I think that is doable if things fall in the right place,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pfizer announced Tuesday it has begun human trials on a vaccine against the coronavirus. It is working with German pharmaceutical company BioNTech.

“With our unique and robust clinical study program underway, starting in Europe and now the U.S., we look forward to advancing quickly and collaboratively with our partners at BioNTech and regulatory authorities to bring a safe and efficacious vaccine to the patients who need it most,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. “The short, less than four-month time frame in which we've been able to move from preclinical studies to human testing, is extraordinary.”

Biblical Scholar Says COVID-19 Is 'Very Serious Foreshadowing' of the End Times

A biblical scholar says the coronavirus pandemic is “very serious foreshadowing” of the End Times.

Mark Hitchcock, who has written more than 30 books on biblical End Times prophecies, says Scripture tells of plagues in the End Times, The Christian Post reports.

He pointed to Luke 2:11, Revelation 6:8 and the prophecy of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

“In fact, Scripture tells us these plagues will kill 25% of the people in the world. It’s literally going to be biblical proportions,” he said.

Hitchcock told The Christian Post that he doesn’t believe COVID-19 is one of the plagues referred to in the Bible, but it is a “preview of what’s coming.”

“It’s a wake-up call for people to come to Christ in light of what's coming in the future, which is going to be far worse,” he said. “It’s a very serious foreshadowing of what’s to come.

“I think it reveals the globalism of today. One person in China got this sometime in the fall and now it's in some 190 countries. It’s also a picture of how small our world is today and how things are set up for the world ruler, the Antichrist, who is coming. I see just a lot of foreshadows and previews in the coronavirus, but I don't see this as a fulfillment of a specific prophecy.”

He also emphasized that there is no way to know when Jesus will return.

“But I do think it should create within us a sense of urgency to be right with God and to tell others the Good News so that they, too, can be right with God.

He added that people should trust God in these “uncertain” times.

“People are saying, ‘Things now are so uncertain.’ Well, the idea of certainty and control that we think we have is really an illusion,” he said.

“We need to look up and gain that perspective when things are happening down here on the Earth. Christ is going to come back someday, and He's going to make this world new," he said.

Pandemic Setting the Stage for World to Accept Counterfeit Messianic Figure? 

A number of recent developments help illustrate how quickly a false Messianic figure could emerge on the earth, in both religious and secular circles. Prepare to read some shocking quotes. But first, let me set the stage.

The events surrounding the coronavirus have demonstrated how quickly the status quo can be overturned, how dramatically the fortunes of nations can shift, and how a call for one-world cooperation can arise. And what if there was a worldwide economic collapse, accompanied by plague and famine? Is it too farfetched to imagine that a powerful, problem solving leader could gain an international following?

I do not believe we are at that point. But I do believe that, in front of our eyes, we're seeing how quickly the table can be set, even from an entirely secular point of view.

All the more does this become feasible when we add in religious beliefs. Jesus famously warned His disciples, saying "Be careful that no one leads you astray! For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and will lead many astray." (Matthew 24:4-5 TLV) He also warned that, "Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray." (Matthew 24:11, TLV)

So, from a Christian perspective, before the true Messiah (= Christ) will return in the clouds of heaven, there will be counterfeit Messiahs (= antichrists) who will deceive many. And this leads us to the promised, shocking quotes.

In the Islamic world, the belief in the Mahdi, the hidden Imam waiting to be revealed, could easily prepare the way for a counterfeit Messianic figure. Muslims believe that Jesus is the Messiah (although, quite plainly, they do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible). So, technically speaking, the Mahdi is not the Messiah. On the other hand, since he functions in Islamic lore as the end-time redeemer, he could be the perfect counterfeit Christ type of figure.

And here's where it gets very interesting: there are Muslim leaders today who claim to have met the Mahdi numerous times. Writing in the Jerusalem Post on January 20, Brian Schrauger explained that the Mahdi "is Islam's messiah, the 12th of 12 Imams who are successors to Mohammed. Said to have been born in 879 CE, the Imam Mahdi is believed by Shi'a Muslims to still be alive, but hidden from mankind in 'occultation' until a time of such upheaval on the earth that only his reappearance will rescue mankind and, in fact, usher in an age of global peace; Islamic peace, that is; a kind of peace in which all mankind is living in submission to the Allah of the Koran." 

He continues, "Crazy to Western ears, this messianic creed is the raison d'être for the Islamic Republic of Iran according to its founders and leaders. It is also the basis of Tehran's foreign and military policies; and it is impossible to overemphasize the Iran regime's visceral commitment to it. 

The Imam Mahdi is invoked in every public gathering, both civil and military; he is the singular inspiration for every policy, every tactic, every mission; indeed, he is nothing less than the regime's reason for its existence and, as such, its singular and unwavering motivation for the future." And Schrauger can provide documentation for every single claim he has made.

In the words of Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei, "The Iranian nation, enjoys a great privilege today: the atmosphere of the country is an atmosphere of Imam Mahdi. . . ."  And, Khamanei states, "many of our great scholars have personally met with this beloved [Imam] of hearts of the admirers during his occultation; many have made a pledge to him in person; many have heard from him some heartwarming words; many have been caressed by him and many others have received his kindness, care, and love."

The Islamic Mahdi is here, he is known to many insiders, and he is about to be revealed. And remember: this article was written before Iran was smitten with COVID-19. What are the leaders thinking today? But there's more.

A February 20 headline in Israel Today stated that, "Israeli Rabbi Says He's Already Holding Meetings With Messiah." And, "Israel's biggest rabbis are all afraid to leave the country lest they miss Messiah's coming." The article, by Ryan Jones, cited a three-hour radio interview in which Rabbi Yaakov Zisholtz "told religious broadcaster Radio 2000 that Khamanei recently told him that he (Kanievsky) is already in direct contact with the Messiah."

Rabbi Kanievsky, now in his early 90s, is considered to be the leading authority in the ultra-Orthodox (haredi) community in Israel, and he has often spoken of the nearness of the Messiah's coming. But it seems he is saying even more today.

According to Rabbi Zisholtz, "...the process of redemption is about to start happening very quickly and at a fast pace. It is important that people remain calm and steady to act properly in the right time.

"There is a potential Messiah in every generation and there are righteous men who know precisely who it is. This is, of course, true in this generation.

"Getting the word out now that the Messiah is closer than ever is a matter of life and death. Haven't you heard of Gog and Magog? That is what is going to happen very soon. Right now, the situation is explosive more than you can possibly imagine. Everyone needs to know whether they are on the inside or if they are going to be left out."

Yes, these are the words of an ultra-Orthodox rabbi in Israel, not those of an evangelical Christian, Bible in hand, with end-time prophecies heavily underlined.

While Rabbi Zisholtz was careful to say he couldn't promise anything, he was certainly raising the bar with specific predictions and events. And again, he claimed that certain religious Jews knew exactly who the Messiah was and have even met with him.

Adding to all this was the statement of Israel's Health Minister, Yaakov Litzman, himself ultra-Orthodox, as reported in HaAretz on March 26 and with reference to COVID-19: "We are praying and hoping that the Messiah will arrive before Passover, the time of our redemption. I am sure that the Messiah will come and bring us out as God brought us out of Egypt. Soon we will go out in freedom and the Messiah will come and redeem us from all the troubles of the world." The Messiah would be the cure to the coronavirus, and he would come (meaning, be publicly revealed, since in Jewish thought, he could already be here) by Passover.

Well, Passover ended on April 16. And, in case you missed the news, the expected Jewish Messiah did not come.

Ironically, Litzman himself contracted the virus, although he has since recovered. And for a number of reasons, including heavy criticism of his handling of the crisis, he is reportedly considering quitting. But all this talk about the Mahdi being here, ready to be revealed, along with the traditional Jewish Messiah being here, ready to be revealed, underscores the point I have been making. It would not take much for a counterfeit Messianic figure to arise and deceive many.

And so, while I believe the table has not yet been set for this grand finale, it could clearly be set on very short notice. Let us, then, keep our focus on the Second Coming of the true Christ (= Messiah). But let us not forget the warnings about that false Messiah (= antichrist) who will come first.

New Mom Gives Glory to God after Giving Birth While in a Coma, Suffering from COVID-19

A new mom calls herself a “miracle walking” and gives all the credit to God after she gave birth while in a medically induced coma because of COVID-19. 

According to the Washington Post, 27-year-old Angela Primachenko was 33 weeks pregnant when she thought she had Spring allergies. Two days later she started running a fever and visited the hospital where she worked. A week later she was on a ventilator and fighting for her life. 

Primachenko, a respiratory therapist from Vancouver, Washington, woke up from the medically-induced coma on April 6^th. She told NBC’s Today Show that she “woke up and all of a sudden I didn’t have my belly anymore.” She discovered that doctors induced labor on April 1st and delivered her daughter, whom she named Ava.

She has not been able to visit her daughter. She won’t be allowed to see her until she has had two negative coronavirus tests in a row. However, she has been able to see her through video calls when her husband David visits Ava in the neonatal intensive care unit. Ava will be in the NICU until she can eat and have bowel movements on her own.

Primachenko told the Today Show that her story shows that “there’s hope” and that “even in the hardest days and the hardest times that there’s hope and you can rely on God and people and community. The amount of community and people that were praying for me is just unbelievable. I was blown away, and I’m so incredibly thankful.”

One special moment for Primachenko was when her colleagues showed up to cheer for her as she was dismissed from the intensive care unit. She said, “Everyone did a standing ovation and just clapped me out of the ICU, which was so amazing and such a huge thing to be able to leave the ICU and go to the floors.” She concluded, “It was just the grace of God.”

In an interview with KGW, she said that her faith sustained her through this difficult time. She told them, “I don’t know how to make it through without faith. Faith for healing, faith for life after death, faith for it all.”

Primachenko’s twin sister, Oksana Luiten, said that she came through the ordeal with her faith strengthened as well. She commented in an Instagram post that, “It was a dark time. I doubted and questioned my faith and God. I felt so powerless and so fearful and out of control. But that’s how faith grows. She concluded, “I stand in awe of God. He is good.”

Primachenko was diagnosed from the hospital and now awaits more negative tests before she meets her daughter. Considering all she has been through, Ava’s name means even more to her now. She said, “It means ‘breath of life.’ So she’s our new little breath of life.”

The family has started a GoFundMe page to help Angela, who is also a small business owner, pay for her medical bills.

North Korea Urged to Release Christian Serving 15 Years for Spreading Gospel

Voice of the Martyrs has launched a campaign seeking the release of Jang Moon Seok, an ethnic Korean Chinese Christian who was kidnapped along the border by North Korea and sentenced to 15 years in prison for telling North Koreans about Christ.

Jang recently spent his 2,000th day in prison. 

[Jang] is a simple man who never did anything political,” said Voice of the Martyrs Korea representative Hyun Sook Foley. “He just helped North Korean people for many years. That should never be a crime, and Christians should join together to help Deacon Jang and his family.” 

Jang was friends with pastor Han Chung-Ryeol, a Chinese man who lived along the border and discipled 1,000 North Koreans before being killed by North Korean assassins in 2016. Christian Headlines profiled Han last year. 

Jang ministered to defecting North Koreans in Changbai, China, alongside Pastor Han.

“We believe the reason for [Jang’s] kidnapping was to gather information about the North Korean ministry work we were doing with Pastor Han,” Foley said.

He is serving a 15-year prison sentence for defaming the regime, attempting to incite subversion of state power, and providing aid and the gospel to North Koreans. Several North Koreans have encountered Jang in prison since 2014, Voice of the Martyrs said.

Voice of the Martyrs is urging Christians to email or write Kim Song, North Korean’s ambassador to the United Nations, advocating for Jang’s release. Emails and letters should avoid criticism and accusations, Voice of the Martyrs said. Emails can be mailed to dpr.korea@verizon.net. Physical letters can be mailed to: Ambassador Kim Song; DPRK Permanent Mission to the United Nations; 820 2nd Ave RM 13b; New York N.Y. 10017.

One of those defectors, a man known as Sang-chul, told his story in a 2019 Voice of the Martyrs video. Pastor Han helped Sang-chul make money selling mushrooms. Pastor Han also told him about Christ.

“One day I asked Pastor Han for a Bible,” Sang-chul said. “He knew that if I was caught with a Bible, my life will be in danger. But over time, I persuaded him. I showed the Bible to my wife. At first, she refused to even look at it. ‘Why would you bring that here?’ -- she cried. She knew that if anyone reported that you have even glanced at a Bible, you would be arrested. And not just you, but you and all of your relatives [would be] sent to concentration camps for years and years and years. 

“Over time, my wife, too, learned that God is real. She found hope.”

Warfare prayer of the soldiers of the Army of Jesus to bind and destroy the works of the devil

Let us bind and destroy the works of the devil in the name of Jesus Christ who has conquered sin, satan, curse and death on the cross

Psalm 7:15  The spirit which makes a man  dig a pit out and fall into the ditch which he made

Lutherans Publish New Bible Version That Omits the Word 'Israel'

A recently published translation of the New Testament has one glaring omission: it has purged all references to the place and the people of the Bible. Rabbi Tuly Weisz, who recently published a Hebrew-English version of the Torah, noted that omitting 'Israel' from the Bible is equivalent to failing to mention God.

24NYT, a Danish news service, reported on Sunday that the Danish Bible Society just published a revised translation of the New Testament. The new edition has many surprises, including a new name: the New Agreement. But even more shocking is that the "New Agreement has all but removed any references to  Israel, whether it describes the land or the people. 

The new edition was reviewed by Jan Frost on YouTube who reported that the word 'Israel' is only used once in the "Bible 2020", which is the name of the new edition. In all other passages, the word 'Israel' is either replaced with 'Jews', 'the land of the Jews, or not replaced with any alternative term.  Frost reported that the publishers justified the change by claiming that the 'Israel' referred to in the Bible is not the same as Israel today. Frost noted that this explanation does not apply to the term 'Egypt' which remains in the Bible 2020 despite ancient Egypt having significantly different borders and ethnic composition than modern Egypt. 

Posts on social media suggested that the change may have been politically motivated as an anti-Israel statement. In a recent interview about the Bible 2020, Elaine Duncan, Global Council Chairperson of the Bible Society, noted that the new edition has already been downloaded to more than 90 countries, which she considered to be a great success at moving towards what she described as a "global church."

Rabbi Tuly Weisz, the founder of Israel365, an organization that promotes the significance of the Land of Israel to the nations, disagreed strongly with the approach of the Danish Bible society.  "This translation of the New Testament is an important reminder that replacement theology is not a problem of the past,"  Rabbi Weisz told Breaking Israel News. "Some segments of Christianity still have a replacement theology problem. The notion that Israel can be scrubbed from the Bible is as ridiculous as removing 'God' from the Bible."

Christian replacement theology, also called supersessionism, holds that the Christian Church has succeeded the Israelites as the definitive people of God. Supersessionism requires reading the term Israel, referring to either the people or the land, as an allegory for the Christian Church.  It should be noted that the Danish Bible Society is run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church, a strong proponent of supersessionism. 

In 2018, Robert O. Smith, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and a stalwart in the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation, addressed a conference at St. Olaf Institute for Freedom and Community.  Smith was seated before a Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) banner and made these declarations: "The ancient Israelites are not linked in any substantive or material way to the contemporary, modern state of Israel. . . . The biblical narrative of Israel has almost nothing to do with contemporary Israel other than the intentional manipulation of sacred texts to justify a political project."

At the same conference, Palestinian Lutheran pastor, administrator, and theologian Mitri Raheb stated, that "it wasn't the Lord God who promised Israel the land; it was the Lord Balfour." Raheb also claimed that "Jesus was a Middle Eastern Palestinian Jew." 

Rabbi Weisz believes that Israel is one of the basic tenets of the Bible and towards this end, published The Israel Bible, a Hebrew version of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings with a linear English translation. As its name implies, The Israel Bible focuses on the land in which the Biblical events took place, the people of Israel, and the relationship between them, and the modern state that is the manifestation of God's eternal covenant.  

"Each of the 992 chapters of The Israel Bible features a different aspect of the land of Israel, the people of Israel, and the God of Israel," Rabbi Weisz said. "The term Israel encompasses all three and they are inseparable. If you remove Israel from the Bible, you have removed God from the Bible." It should be noted that the term "Israel" is used a total of 73 times in the New Testament. The term is first used in the Torah as a name given to Jacob after battling the angel of Esau, meaning "You have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed." (Genesis 32:29). Israel became synonymous with his descendants, the Children of Israel, and the land God promised to them. The word ' Israel' appears over 2,200 times in the Torah, Writings, and Prophets. 

China Shuts Down Zoom Easter Church Service, Detains Church Members

Chinese officials detained multiple members of a congregation on Easter for participating in an online Zoom worship service and even shut off the electricity of one of the church members, according to a new report.

The members of Early Rain Covenant Church were gathering on Zoom on Easter morning when Chinese security officials blocked the meeting on the Internet and took six members into custody from their homes, according to International Christian Concern.

Early Rain is an illegal unregistered church that was shut down by Chinese officials in 2018. Its members have stopped gathering in-person.

Early Rain’s pastor, Wang Yi, last year was sentenced to nine years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations,” although his only crime was to preach the gospel in an unregistered church, supporters say.

A church member told ICC of the Easter meeting, “At that time I was also in the Zoom call, but there was a long period of time where I did not hear a thing. I thought it’s the network connection issue at first, but I soon heard a quarrel erupt. Our coworker Wang Jun was questioning some people, [saying], ‘Who are you to do this [to us]?’”

Church members Wang, Guo Haigang, Wu Wuqing, Jia Xuewei, Zhang Jianqing and Zhang Xudong were detained and later released, ICC reported.

Zhang Jiangqing reportedly was warned by police, “Don’t participate in already banned [religious] activities anymore! Don’t listen to Pastor [Wang]’s sermons anymore! If you do this again, we will deal with it seriously and take you away!”

Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said China’s action warrant an international response.

“It is such a shame that the Chinese government has not once stopped its persecution of ERCC,” Goh said. “Ever since the … crackdown in 2018, local authorities have continued to monitor and harass ERCC members, with the hope that the church will disperse itself. In a time when the Chinese people are suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the heartless regime chose to inflict more trouble on its citizens. The UN should immediately suspend China’s appointment to the Human Rights Council for its lack of respect for human rights.”

Warfare prayer of the soldiers of the Army of Jesus to bind and destroy the works of the devil

Let us bind and destroy the works of the devil in the name of Jesus Christ who has conquered sin, satan, curse and death on the cross

Pr  28:9 The spirit which makes one turn away his ear from hearing the law

Father’s House,

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A Day's Wage for A Loaf Of Bread

"When He opened the the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, 'Come'.  And I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on him had a pair of scales in his hand.  And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."  Revelation 6:6

The verse above is the description of the 3rd of 7 seal judgments of the 7 year tribulation, or 70th Week of Daniel.  My goal here is to bear out the possibility that we are now living in the circumstances that will lead to the fulfillment of this verse in the tribulation period.  These circumstances are being driven by what is called Modern Monetary Theory, which is now being fully implemented by our government and the rest of the world.  I'll get into this in a minute. You can find various perspectives regarding the meaning of the above passage.  It is pretty much universal belief that a denarius was a about a day's wage when John wrote Revelation.  Matthew 20:2 seems to confirm it.  And a quart of wheat would make a loaf of bread.

What is not obvious is what the scales, oil and wine represent.

Some interpret this passage as famine with hyperinflation.  Seems reasonable.  Although the 4th seal is the judgment death-by-famine-and-pestilence, and not the 3rd seal.  That brings into question the scales, oil and wine and their meaning. I interpret this verse symbolically.  The scales are clearly symbolic of something, as are the oil and wine.

Some say the scales represent famine because it would be necessary to measure out the wheat and barley carefully and precisely, due to scarcity.  Some say they represent judgment.  From what I can tell, this is primarily because our symbol of justice is lady liberty holding a sword and scales. I think perhaps the scales represent balance and fairness, or justness.  I also have an idea that the oil and wine represent plenty and abundance.  Bread was a basic staple, but oil and wine were luxuries. This passage may be describing a situation where hyperinflation is rampant and those with little can barely pay for basic necessities.  However, in this not-so-distant period, the wealthy are not suffering, and still can have their treats. 

Today in the U.S. and the world, economic inequality, whether measured through the gaps in income or wealth between richer and poorer households, continues to widen.  According to the Pew Research Center, "the wealth gap among upper-income families and middle- and lower-income families is sharper than the income gap and is growing more rapidly". The Brookings Institute says, "the top one percent of the usual income distribution holds over $25 trillion in wealth, which exceeds the wealth of the bottom 80 percent. That is more than all the goods and services produced in the U.S. economy in 2018".

In Scripture, one of the purposes for the Year of Jubilee, was to prevent the majority of wealth from winding up in the hands of just a few.  You can find my article about it on my website.

So, in my hypothesis, what you have in this verse is the lower income strata struggling to survive while the elite wealthy are living their lives essentially unchanged.  The scales then would represent a lack of balance and fairness. 

Modern Monetary Theory is Now the Rule

Until recently, I had no idea about this theory.  Now that I understand what it is, so many things make sense. 

I understand why authorities have no problem printing and spending more money to solve any problem that arises.  I understand why Bernie Sanders and other radical leftists have no problem advocating for universal healthcare, universal government paychecks, universal EVERYTHING! In short, Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is the belief that by printing more money, any economic problem can be mitigated (I'm getting sick of that word).  It is the anti-orthodox, macro-economic framework which says that any 'monetarily sovereign' country does not need taxes or borrowing for spending since they can print as much as they need and are the monopoly issuers of the currency.

A monetary sovereign country is one that has exclusive, unlimited power to create their sovereign currencies.   The U.S., U.K, Canada, Australia, Japan, China and the European Union are entities that are monetarily sovereign. Because the U.S. is monetarily sovereign, it never needs to tax or borrow, according to the premise of the theory.  It can just print money to pay its bills.  Theoretically, the country can never be pushed into insolvency. 

To quote one source, "Everything you believe about your personal finances -- debts, deficits, spending, affordability, saving, and budgeting -- are inappropriate to U.S. federal finances. For this reason, your personal intuition about U.S. financing likely is wrong." Traditional thinking would say that's nuts.  But according to investopedia.com, MMT supporters say, "large government debt isn't the precursor to collapse we have been led to believe it is.  Countries like the U.S. can sustain much greater deficits without cause for concern, and in fact a small deficit or surplus can be extremely harmful and cause a recession since deficit spending is what builds people's savings."

In this theory, taxes are actually a mechanism to take money out of the money supply to control inflation!  In other words, tax revenues are simply destroyed, or erased from the money supply! Conventional thinking would say that the natural consequence of this policy is hyper-inflation.  But MMT'ers would say nay, you can just adjust policies to correct inflation.  Does the Fed rate come to mind? 

Right now, the Fed Rate is .25%.  That's the rate banks can borrow money.  The lower the rate, the cheaper borrowed money is (and the more commercial and personal debt increases), and the slower inflation would creep. Do some research on it.  Investopedia gives a very nice explanation. 

The Coronavirus Play

So now comes the coronavirus.  My spidey sense is at 100%.  I try to get a 30,000 foot spiritual view of the situation. This germ panic has prompted governments to declare a lockdown of the entire world economy.  The result of this lockdown is the most unprecedented (I know that's redundant) printing-fest of fiat currency in the history of the world.  Trillions of new dollars are being printed to ameliorate the economic hardships of the man-made economic shutdown. Recently, White House economic advisor, Larry Kudlow said that the U.S. economic stimulus package will reach $6 trillion.  $4 trillion would be immediate liquidity (that means cheap borrowing and bloating of the money supply) and the other $2 trillion would be paychecks, essentially. 

Kudlow called it, "the single largest Main Street assistance program in the history of the United States".   Duh The world is at full tilt printing new money.  Can you see the picture developing and the rationale behind my interpretation of Revelation 6:6?  Massive debt, hyperinflation, incredible wealth gap, economic depression. 

What if the rapture happened right...now?

'Prayer Was the Difference': COVID-19 Survivor Praises God, Thanks Healthcare Professionals for Saving His Life

Worry and anxiety. They're everywhere right now, and many of you have felt them. I know I have.

Certain words and phrases trigger fear, such as “pandemic,” “shelter in place” and “quarantine.” We begin to play the “what if” game. We panic, asking, “What if THIS happens?” or “What if THAT happens?”

We have to be concerned and we have to be diligent – the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a real and serious virus – but we don’t have to panic.

Did you know that the word “worry” comes from the Old English root word, “wyrgan,” which meant “to strangle” or “to choke”?  Worry squeezes the life out of us.

Jesus said, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? … Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:27, 34 ESV).

One of my personal heroes, Corrie ten Boom, put it this way, “Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”

So, how should we respond to this global health crisis?

REPLACE WORRY WITH FAITH

We must “... fix [our] thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” as the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 (NLT). These are eight different kinds of things we can fill our minds with!

We can also pray for others. Pray for those who are sick, pray for those who are at risk, pray for the doctors, nurses and researchers who are treating patients and are working to stymie the virus. Pray for the government officials who have to make difficult decisions, and pray for your friends, family members and neighbors. Thinking about others takes the focus off of ourselves and actually helps to reduce our worry and anxiety!

WHEN FEELING AFRAID, WORRIED OR ANXIOUS, TURN TO THE PRESENCE OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

When a child is afraid of the dark, the best thing to do is to turn on the lights. Then the child needs the presence of an adult, preferably mom or dad, to comfort and reassure them. The same is true for us.

Instead of listening to or reading the news as soon as we open our eyes in the morning or before we go to sleep at night, we can start or end our day with prayer or Bible reading. We can meditate on the hopeful words that God himself gives us in Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

TURN OUR WORRY INTO WORSHIP

When anxious thoughts come sweeping into our minds, uninvited and unwelcome, we can sweep them back out with praise. We can listen to worship music, sing songs, dance, play instruments and create works of art — or do whatever we do when we express our love for and awe of God.

There will always be something that will frighten us in this life. But in these uncertain days, we can take the time to count our blessings and thank God for his divine provision and protection. We don’t have to be filled with fear, anxiety and worry.

Crosses Removed from Churches across China for Being 'Higher than the National Flag'

Numerous crosses atop churches in China were recently removed by the Chinese Communist government which asserted that religious symbols cannot be raised “higher” than the Chinese national flag, The Christian Post reports.

Religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter has reported on numerous cross removals across China over the years. In mid-March, the outlet pointed out that crosses were removed from multiple churches in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui and in the neighboring Shandong, the prefecture-level city of Linyi.

Churches approved by the Chinese government are not exempt.

In February, officials removed a cross from a government-approved Three-Self church in Hexi village. In 2007, the church was built in compliance with state regulations, implementing the four requirements of the government’s religion “sinicization” campaign.

Despite canceled church gatherings because of COVID-19, churches were still removed.

“The government does not provide enough help during the epidemic but instead demolishes crosses,” a local believer told Bitter Winter.

In December, additional crosses from Three-Self churches were removed in Hegang, out in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

One church member in the city’s Dongshan district told Bitter Winter that a local official threatened to close down the church if the cross was not removed because “it was higher than the national flag.”

In the same month, crosses of Christ Gospel Church and Luobei Christian Church in Hegang’s Luobei county were removed as one county government employee explained that the crosses “were too eye-catching,” and they would “attract people into the churches.”

In November, the cross from the Ranfang Church in Gushi county in the central Henan province was removed as government officials told believers that it’s “the Communist Party that gives you food and money, not God.”

Pastor Jian Zhu, director of the China Institute at Lincoln Christian University in Illinois, recently warned that China’s persecution against house churches is now the worst he has seen since 1979.

“The Chinese government now has placed severe restrictions and policies on the house churches, asking neighbors to spy on one another, pressures schoolteachers and college professors to betray and sign a statement to denounce their faith as well as to do the same to the students,” Zhu said.

“Now, they are trying to eliminate Christianity from public life,” he continued. “Cameras are all over to watch church and Christians go to Sunday service. Families are threatened to not go to church or they will be punished or their relatives could be in trouble.”

The Open Doors USA’s World Watch List ranks China as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to Christian persecution.

Churches are seen as a threat if they become “too large, too political or invite foreign guests.”

Warfare prayer of the soldiers of the Army of Jesus to bind and destroy the works of the devil

Let us bind and destroy the works of the devil in the name of Jesus Christ who has conquered sin, satan, curse and death on the cross

Pr  26:21 The spirit which makes one a contentious man to kindle strife

Father’s House,

Brotherhood Missions,

4/364 E, Anna Salai 2nd Cross Street,

ECR, Palavakkam, Chennai 600041.

Tamil Nadu, India.

National Worship Centre is a Centre where the Lord of hosts, the Lord God Almighty is worshipped in His majesty all the 24 hours. Per day 12 worship teams come to worship from different parts of the Nation. One slot consists of 2 hours. The opening of NWC also turns to be the trumpet sign to start the fatal war against satan to win this Nation for Christ! Do you want to join this praising Army?

Book your slots

Tel : 7708505152

Praise God for the successful completion of 27961 slots in National Worship Centre with a Non Stop Worship (24/7)

Printing Services - DTP, Visiting cards, Pamphlets, Brochure, Stickers, Calendars

Gardening  - Garden decoration, Farming, Pot making and more

Construction - Painting, patch work, carpentry

Electrical - All kinds of electrical services

Graphic Designing - Logo, UX design, 3D modeling in interior & exterior design, Advertisement 

Catering Services - Veg and Non veg 

For details Contact

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Coronavirus: The European Union Unravels

As the coronavirus pandemic rages through Europe -- where more than 250,000 people have now been diagnosed with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 15,000 have died -- the foundational pillars of the European Union are crumbling one by one. Faced with an existential threat, EU member states, far from joining together to confront the pandemic as a unified bloc, instinctively are returning to pursuing the national interest. After years of criticizing U.S. President Donald J. Trump for pushing an "America First" policy, European leaders are reverting to the very nationalism they have publicly claimed to despise.

Ever since the threat posed by coronavirus came into focus, Europeans have displayed precious little of the high-minded multilateral solidarity that for decades has been sold to the rest of the world as a bedrock of European unity. The EU's unique brand of soft power, said to be a model for a post-national world order, has been shown to be an empty fiction.

In recent weeks, EU member states have closed their borders, banned exports of critical supplies and withheld humanitarian aid. The European Central Bank, the guarantor of the European single currency, has treated with unparalleled disdain the eurozone's third-largest economy, Italy, in its singular hour of need. The member states worst affected by the pandemic -- Italy and Spain -- have been left by the other member states to fend for themselves. The seeds of the European Union were planted in the ashes of the Second World War. In May 1949, Robert Schuman, one of the EU's founding fathers, boldly announced the creation of new world system:

"We are carrying out a great experiment, the fulfillment of the same recurrent dream that for ten centuries has revisited the peoples of Europe: creating between them an organization putting an end to war and guaranteeing an eternal peace." The European Union, seven decades in the making, is now unravelling in real time -- in weeks. After the dust of the coronavirus pandemic settles, the EU's institutions will almost certainly continue to operate as before. Too much political and economic capital has been invested in the European project for European elites to do otherwise. However, the EU's attraction as a post-national model for its own citizens, much less for the rest of the world, will have passed.

Recent examples of the unilateral pursuit of the national interest by European leaders, many of whom publicly espouse globalism but in times of desperation embrace nationalism, include:

France. On March 3, France confiscated all protective masks made in the country. "We will distribute them to healthcare professionals and to French people affected by the coronavirus," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter. On March 6, the French government forced Valmy SAS, a face mask manufacturer near Lyon, to cancel an order for millions of masks placed by the UK's National Health Service.

Germany, March 4. Germany banned the export of medical protective equipment such as safety glasses, respiratory masks, protective coats, protective suits and gloves. On March 7, the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported that German customs authorities were preventing a Swiss truck carrying 240,000 protective masks from returning to Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU. 

The Swiss government summoned the German ambassador to protest against the export ban. "In these contacts, the German authorities were urged immediately to release the blocked products," a Swiss government spokesperson was quoted as saying. After facing a backlash from other EU member states, Germany on March 19 reversed course and lifted the export ban.

Austria, March 10. Austria became the first EU country to close its borders to another EU country. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced controls along the border with Italy and a ban on the entry of most travelers from there. "The utmost priority," Kurz said, "is to prevent the spread and thus importing the illness into our society.  There is therefore a ban on entry for people from Italy into Austria, with the exception of people who have a doctor's note certifying that they are healthy." The government also announced a ban on all air or rail travel to Italy. Austria's decision threatened to undo the so-called Schengen Area, which entered into effect in 1995 and abolishes the need for passports and other types of control at the mutual borders of 26 European countries. Slovenia, March 11. The government closed some border crossings with Italy and at those remaining open, had started making health checks to combat the spread of the virus.

Czech Republic, March 12. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš closed the country's borders with Germany and Austria and also banned the entry of foreigners coming from other risky countries. On March 22, the government said that the border restrictions may last for up to two years.

Switzerland, March 13. The Swiss government imposed border controls with other European countries. Switzerland, although not a member of the European Union, is part of the Schengen zone.

Italy, March 13. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde dismissed calls by Italy for financial assistance to help it cope with the pandemic. After her comments rattled financial markets, Lagarde said that the ECB was "fully committed to avoid any fragmentation in a difficult moment for the euro area." Italian President Sergio Mattarella replied that Italy had a right to expect solidarity rather than obstacles from beyond its borders.

Denmark, March 14. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen imposed border controls on all traffic by land, sea and air until at least April 13.

Poland, March 15. The government closed the country's borders to everyone except Polish citizens or people with a Polish residence permit.

Germany, March 16. Germany, the largest and most powerful country in the European Union, introduced controls on its borders with Austria, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland. The move came after Germany registered 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in just one day.

Hungary, March 16. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán halted all passenger traffic into Hungary would be halted and only Hungarian citizens allowed to enter the country.

Spain, March 16. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska decreed the establishment of controls at all land borders.

Serbia, March 16. President Aleksandar Vučić declared a state of emergency due to coronavirus. He condemned the EU for restricting exports of medical equipment and appealed for help from his "friend and brother," Chinese leader Xi Jinping. "European solidarity does not exist," Vučić said. "That was a fairy tale on paper. I have sent a special letter to the only ones who can help, and that is China." Serbia applied to become a member of the EU in 2009. Accession talks began in January 2014.

Czech Republic, March 17. Czech authorities seized 110,000 face masks that China had sent to Italy. On March 23, the Czech Republic delivered the confiscated material to Italy. "There are 110,000 masks on board the bus as a gift to Italy, which is supposed to replace the material that was probably a Chinese gift for Italian compatriots," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Stichova.

Germany, March 18. Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a rare televised speech, urged all Germans to obey rules aimed at reducing direct social contact and avoiding as many new infections as possible. "It is serious," she said. "Take it seriously. Since German reunification, actually, since World War Two, there has never been a challenge for our country in which acting in solidarity was so very crucial." 

Merkel's address to the nation was the first time in nearly 15 years in office that she had spoken to the country other than in her annual New Year's address. She did not mention the European Union or other EU member states.

Belgium, March 22. The coronavirus has fueled tensions between Belgium, which is on lockdown, and the Netherlands, which is not. "In the Netherlands, shops are still open and meetings of 100 people are still allowed -- these are breeding grounds for the virus," said Marino Keulen, mayor of the Belgian border town Lanaken. 

Belgian authorities have set up barricades along the border and are ordering cars with Dutch license plates to turn around and return home. Keulen called the border checks a "signal to The Hague" to "quickly scale-up" its response and align with neighboring countries. "The Dutch government is incompetent and ridiculous in its response to the coronavirus crisis," said Leopold Lippens, the mayor of Belgian seacoast town Knokke-Heist. "The Netherlands is doing nothing, so we have to protect ourselves."

Spain, March 25. After failing to obtain assistance from the European Union, the Spanish government asked NATO for help in acquiring 1.5 million face masks and 450,000 respirators. NATO lacks this material and is limited to passing the Spanish request on to the remaining 29 allies, many of which are also members of the EU.

Poland, March 25. Polish authorities prevented hundreds of thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer from being exported to Norway, which is not a member of the EU. The Norwegian company Norenco manufactures and packages hand sanitizer for the Scandinavian market at a factory it owns in Poland. Norenco's chief executive, Arne Haukland, said that after he applied for an export license, five men arrived at the factory, and demanded to be shown its stock of hand sanitizer. He said the company then received a letter ordering it to sell any hand sanitizer it had produced to the local city authorities in Lubin at a fixed price, under emergency coronavirus laws passed in Poland at the start of March. The seizure will exacerbate the supply problem faced by Norwegian hospitals.

France, March 25. President Emmanuel Macron, in an address to the nation at a military hospital in the eastern city of Mulhouse, which has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus, called for national, as opposed to European, unity: "When we engage in war, we engage fully, we mobilize united. I see in our country factors of division, doubts, all those who want to fracture the country when it is necessary to have only one obsession: to be united to fight against the virus. I call for this unity and this commitment."

Meanwhile, in Italy, a nationwide survey published on March 18 found that 88% of Italians believe that the EU is not helping their country. Only 4% thought the opposite while 8% did not have an opinion. More than two-thirds (67%) of Italians said that they believe that being part of the European Union is a disadvantage for their country.

In an article titled, "Coronavirus Threatens European Unity," Bill Wirtz, a political commentator based in Luxembourg, observed:

"As the coronavirus unfolds, Schengen countries are shutting their own borders. Whether or not they do so because they believe that a coordinated European response would be inefficient, or whether they believe that their own voters wouldn't buy it -- at this stage it's irrelevant. The mere fact that borders have resurfaced in Europe is a failure for the integrity of the Schengen open borders agreement....

"A coordinated EU response to this crisis does not exist, and as the recommendations fall on deaf ears, Brussels is dealing with a crisis of confidence. There is no union-wide crisis response, coordinated testing or research.  Worse than that, the EU institutions are bystanders to a war between countries, which are trying to limit exports of medical supplies in order to keep them for themselves. In times of crisis, the true influence and capacity of the EU has shown, and it is very little.

"As it stands, countries are dealing with a crisis of missing hospital beds, medical equipment, and overall resources. If the virus ever happens to lay lower than it does now, and the conclusion is drawn that the European Union was a powerless bystander in the eye of the storm (which it is), then the Schengen Agreement and open borders in Europe could be dealing with a difficult recovery."

Darren McCaffrey, the political editor of the France-based news channel Euronews, wrote:

"In the past couple of weeks, solidarity has collapsed in the bloc. Countries have started imposing border controls on neighboring EU countries, and even Germany has taken steps to manage the flow of people entering and leaving its territory.

"On Tuesday, a 35-kilometer-long queue formed at the Polish-German border, where hundreds of Europeans -- Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians -- were stuck in trucks, cars and buses.

"As the EU must take measures to prevent the spread of the disease, many are worrying about the essence of the European Union and its four freedoms [the free movement of goods, services, capital and people].

"What is the EU if its own citizens can't move freely? What is the single market if goods can't cross Europe's borders without hindrance?"

In an article titled, "Nations First: The EU Struggles for Relevance in the Fight against Coronavirus," the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel noted:

"As the pandemic takes hold in Europe, the decades-old union is showing its weaknesses. While the EU managed to survive Brexit and the euro crisis, the corona crisis may yet prove to be an insurmountable challenge. "Instead of trying to come up with joint solutions, the Continent is becoming balkanized and is reverting to national solutions. Instead of helping each other out, EU countries are hoarding face masks like panicked Europeans are hoarding toilet paper. The early decisions made by some EU member states to refrain from exporting medical equipment to Italy -- the EU country that has thus far been hit hardest by the pandemic -- has even overshadowed the lack of European solidarity displayed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the refugee crisis.

"Europeans are even divided on the question as to how to combat the virus. Whereas Germany is eager to prevent as many people as possible from encountering the virus and becoming infected, the Netherlands wants to see as many healthy people as possible fight off COVID-19, thus becoming immune. The signal is clear: When things get serious, every member state still looks out for itself first -- even 60 years after the founding of the community."

God's Answer to Your Fear, Worry and Anxiety

Worry and anxiety. They're everywhere right now, and many of you have felt them. I know I have.

Certain words and phrases trigger fear, such as “pandemic,” “shelter in place” and “quarantine.” We begin to play the “what if” game. We panic, asking, “What if THIS happens?” or “What if THAT happens?”

We have to be concerned and we have to be diligent – the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a real and serious virus – but we don’t have to panic.

Did you know that the word “worry” comes from the Old English root word, “wyrgan,” which meant “to strangle” or “to choke”?  Worry squeezes the life out of us.

Jesus said, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? … Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:27, 34 ESV).

One of my personal heroes, Corrie ten Boom, put it this way, “Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”

So, how should we respond to this global health crisis?

REPLACE WORRY WITH FAITH

We must “... fix [our] thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” as the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 (NLT). These are eight different kinds of things we can fill our minds with!

We can also pray for others. Pray for those who are sick, pray for those who are at risk, pray for the doctors, nurses and researchers who are treating patients and are working to stymie the virus. Pray for the government officials who have to make difficult decisions, and pray for your friends, family members and neighbors. Thinking about others takes the focus off of ourselves and actually helps to reduce our worry and anxiety!

WHEN FEELING AFRAID, WORRIED OR ANXIOUS, TURN TO THE PRESENCE OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

When a child is afraid of the dark, the best thing to do is to turn on the lights. Then the child needs the presence of an adult, preferably mom or dad, to comfort and reassure them. The same is true for us.

Instead of listening to or reading the news as soon as we open our eyes in the morning or before we go to sleep at night, we can start or end our day with prayer or Bible reading. We can meditate on the hopeful words that God himself gives us in Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

TURN OUR WORRY INTO WORSHIP

When anxious thoughts come sweeping into our minds, uninvited and unwelcome, we can sweep them back out with praise. We can listen to worship music, sing songs, dance, play instruments and create works of art — or do whatever we do when we express our love for and awe of God.

There will always be something that will frighten us in this life. But in these uncertain days, we can take the time to count our blessings and thank God for his divine provision and protection. We don’t have to be filled with fear, anxiety and worry.

Christians Suffer Police Brutality, Illegal Arrests in Uttar Pradesh, India

HYDERABAD, India, March 23, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Forcing them to pose like Christ on the cross, police last week beat Christians in custody on baseless charges in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, sources said.

On March 15 a church of 200 people was immersed in a Sunday service when 30 Hindu extremists brandishing hockey sticks and steel rods arrived with police at the worship hall built on the premises of the pastor’s home in the Kunda area of Pratapgarh District, sources said.

“Once I saw them armed with hockey sticks and steel rods, I understood that they had come to attack us,” Pastor Indresh Kumar Gautam, 24, told Morning Star News. “I got down from the pulpit and decided to face them before they cause nuisance or attack any of the members of the congregation.”

He could see they were young men of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal from his and neighboring villages, he said. The pastor said they accused the church of increasing conversions to Christianity in the area.

“I told them clearly that we do not convert anyone, and that we had only accepted Christian faith and would be only praying for everyone,” he said. “If anybody chooses to follow Jesus after attending prayers, they are free to do so as the Indian constitution has granted the right to practice one’s faith freely.”

The intruders shouted at the worshippers to disperse immediately or they would be beaten brutally, he said.

“They had already started attacking us, and the police kept looking on,” Pastor Gautam said. “They seized the Bibles and the sound instruments, but the officers both male and female did not stop them.”

Instead, police forced five worshippers into police vehicles and took them to the Kunda police station, he said.

Along with the pastor, Vishesh Gautam, Mohit Gautam and Akash Gautam were arrested. Another person who had only recently begun attending services also was taken into custody, but when he told police he was not a Christian, they immediately made arrangements to release him on bail, Pastor Gautam said.

The four Christians remained in custody for six hours until the Sub-Divisional Magistrate agreed to release them on bail after forcing them to sign an affidavit stating that they would never again be involved in Christian conversion activities in the area, he said.

TORTURE IN POLICE STATION

A tall, well-built officer in plainclothes walked into the police station with a bodyguard at his side, the pastor said.

“All the policemen at the police station were saluting him; we did not know who he was,” Pastor Gautam said.

The officer entered their cell and began questioning them.

“When our turn came, he came closer and first enquired what our caste was,” Pastor Gautam said. “Then he asked, ‘Are you the religious conversions people?’ [‘Aap Dharm Parivartan waaley ho?’ loosely translated.] The stink of alcohol from his mouth was very strong and unbearable.”

Before they could reply, he began beating them with the cane, Pastor Gautam said.

“I was howling in pain, crying out to the Lord – ‘Lord, if I have to take this torture for sharing the gospel, I accept it, Lord. I accept it. Give me the strength,”’ he told Morning Star News. “My voice was growing feeble. I kept repeating, ‘Father, give me the strength. I need your strength. I can’t take this pain.’”

Striking the pastor’s legs, the officer disparaged his caste and economic status in obscenities, the pastor said.

“I could hear him speak ill about me, my identity and faith, but I did not say a word,” Pastor Gautam said. “He had beaten me to a point I collapsed on the floor. I was lying there almost dead watching my friends also undergo the same degree of torture one after the other.”

The officer forced the other Christians to pose like Jesus on the cross, he said.

“He said that he wanted to get that feeling that he is torturing Jesus,” Pastor Gautam told Morning Star News. “‘Let’s see if your Jesus would come here to save you,’ he laughed, as he continued mocking us, calling us names, casteist slurs, but none of us protested.”

One of the Christians, Akash Gautam, is in severe pain and is unable to walk, Pastor Gautam said.

“He is unable to sleep because of the pain and bruises,” he said. 

The torture continued for three hours, he said, adding that there were no CCTV cameras inside the cell to capture the violence.

“There is no evidence of it. Unless we show our scars, no one would believe us,” Pastor Gautam said. “There is severe pain in my wrist, so that I am unable to do any chores.”

One of the assailants who led the attack is close with the local politicians, he said. Not wanting any other church members to suffer as he did, the church has split into smaller groups meeting in various homes.

“I have received phone calls from pastors in the surrounding areas expressing their fears that they also might come under attack,” the pastor said. “I have assured them that I will pursue this legally to get justice, so that there will not be opposition to Christian worship in the area.”

Advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom-India’s Uttar Pradesh Legal Aid Cell is providing assistance.

“The Christian youths were beaten badly by the drunk officer,” Christian rights activist Dinanath Jaiswar told Morning Star News.

Low-caste people who put their faith in Christ are often the targets of upper-caste Thakurs, Jaiswar said. Kunda is an area where local politicians from the Thakur community have police, administration and revenue under their control, he added.

“The Uttar Pradesh police force has time and again unleashed their anger against minorities,” Jaiswar said. “It appears the Hindu extremist groups are closely working with the police officers to target Christian worship.”

Superintendent of Police Pramod Pathak told Morning Star News that he was not aware of any attacks on Christian worship services, and that if any such activity comes to his notice, he would definitely look into the matter.

Pathak referred Morning Star News to the Circle Officer of Kunda. The unidentified officer only shouted to this reporter, “If you want Christian prayers, sit inside your home and pray with your family. Why should they invite others? Do it inside your homes. Don’t bring crowds inside your homes.”

ILLEGAL ARRESTS

Illegal arrests on baseless charges are among the police harassment that Christians have continued to bear this year in the notoriously anti-Christian, eastern region of Uttar Pradesh state, sources said.

Police on Feb. 23 accompanied a mob of Hindu extremists that attacked Shanti Dham village church in Lathudih, Ghazipur District. Pastor Shiv Shankar Ram was leading worship service at a home dedicated for Sunday worship when 20 extremists accompanied by police intruded and disrupted the service, he said.

“The police inspector had asked the congregation of over 100 Christians present at the home church to disperse, and if not there will be cases booked against them,” Pastor Ram told Morning Star News.

When he asked the inspector why he was threatening them, the officer only told him to shut up and forced him and pastor Shravan Kuman into a police vehicle, Pastor Ram said.

At the police station, the inspector locked them in a cell and disparaged them in foul language, he said. Church members reached the Karimuddinpur, Ghazipur Police Station and asked officers to conduct a fair and unbiased investigation, but police only took eight more Christians, including women, into custody, he said.

With 10 Christians behind bars, the police said that if anyone else came with pleas to release them, they too would be locked up, he said.

The pastor denied the inspector’s allegations of forcible conversion, he said.

The Station House Officer (SHO) later told him to go to his own village, and that if he came to the area again he would file such serious charges against him that “you will never be able to come out of jail,”’ Pastor Ram told Morning Star News.

After Hindu extremist leaders and the police began falsely accusing him of forced conversions, the inspector and other officers said they were getting calls in English from across India and foreign countries about him, he said.

Pastor Ram said some were saying, “He is the main culprit behind the conversion racket.”

Interrogation continued until late in the evening, and the Christians were booked under Section 151 of the Indian Penal Code for unlawful assembly, he said.

After ADF-India’s allied lawyers and legal aid team in Uttar Pradesh intervened, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Ghazipur released three Christians on bail. Seven other Christians were sent to judicial custody, said the ADF-India Uttar Pradesh Legal Aid Centre coordinator, identified only as Pastor David.

“The magistrate assured that the matter would be taken up the next morning (Feb. 24), but it came before him only on Feb. 27, and the rest of the seven Christians also were released on bail on the same day [Feb. 27],” Pastor David said.

A total of 15 cases of hostilities against Christians was registered in February, according to MapViolence.in, which is managed by the United Christian Forum.

“The sun would not go down without recording at least one case of attack on Christians from Uttar Pradesh on a typical Sunday,” Jaiswar said. “Neighbors in the area are influenced by the media coverage of hate-speech by local politicians, and such news spreads faster on social media applications like Whatsapp. The news articles spread false information that Christians forcefully convert Hindus by offering money or by intimidation.”

"CONVERSION RACKET"

Arrests on baseless charges in the state’s Azamgarh District led to media reports that jailed Christians were involved in a “conversion racket,” sources said.

After a church with Sunday attendance of 5,000 to 8,000 split into 300 house churches due to attacks by Hindu extremists and police, on Feb. 24 pastor Ajay Chauhan and Anita Gautam were leading a worship service at a home in Katauli village when Hindu nationalists stormed in and dragged the Christians out to the road, pastor Rajender Chauhan told Morning Star News.

“On that day, [Ajay] Chauhan and [Anita] Gautam were beaten by the Hindutva [Hindu nationalist] mob and were taken into police custody at Didarganj police station,” said Pastor Rajender Chauhan, who is Pastor Ajay Chauhan’s uncle.

They were in custody for more than 24 hours, said Christian rights activist Ravi Kant Dubey.

“It was published in all the local Hindu newspapers, mentioning the names of Hindutva youth leaders, that they had burst a conversion racket,” Dubey told Morning Star News. “My friend, activist Dinanath Chauhan, and I took up the matter before the Station House Officer at Didarganj police station, but he kept repeating the false narrative that Christians were involved in forced conversions.”

The Station House Officer (SHO) refused to free them despite not finding any evidence of forced conversions, he said, adding that the SHO confiscated his mobile phone when they continued advocating for their release.

“The SHO remained adamant until late in the evening, but we did not give up,” Dubey said. “We kept reminding him of the religious freedom and constitutional values and, by God’s grace, he finally released them at 9:30 p.m. without any charges.”

Pastor Rajender Chauhan leads a congregation of thousands of Christians in Jaunpur area and has come under attack several times. The Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in January 2019 held that the superintendent of police in Jaunpur should ensure that there be no interference in Christian worship, Dubey said.

“The order from the High Court upholds the Christians’ right to religious freedom, and we had hoped that the police officials would ensure that church attacks do not take place, but it continues even until today,” Dubey said. “We hear of an attack every next day.”

India is ranked 10^th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The country was 31st in 2013, but its position has worsened since Narendra Modi of the BJP came to power in 2014.

Warfare prayer of the soldiers of the Army of Jesus to bind and destroy the works of the devil

Let us bind and destroy the works of the devil in the name of Jesus Christ who has conquered sin, satan, curse and death on the cross

Rom  14:15  The spirit which causes one to destroy his brother with food

Sovereign Ruler of the skies!

Ever gracious, ever wise!

All my times are in Thy hand,

All events at Thy command.

He that formed me in the womb,

He shall guide me to the tomb;

All my times shall ever be

Ordered by His wise decree.

Plagues and deaths around me fly,

Till He bids I cannot die:

Not a single shaft can hit

Till the God of love thinks fit.

 (John Ryland, 1777)

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