The world fears and hates all over the place; deeply, pathetically, violently.

But I’ve noticed one overarching theme in all this mess: people fear and hate that which will not, or that which they believe will not, leave them alone.

Right now (U.S. election time), there is a heated battle between Conservatives and Liberals. Why? Liberals think Conservatives want to take over, and vice versa. If that weren’t the case, it would just be two groups with differing views who would be content to leave each other alone. I think the same is true for Muslims and non-Muslims, with one side fearing the takeover from the other side. The added complication here is that there are quite a few prominent and conspicuous Muslims who are claiming that taking over is precisely what they intend to do, no matter what the cost in lives or destruction. I’m pretty sure they’re serious.

Personally, I’d like to live on a planet where everybody agrees with me, or where everybody is at least willing not to kill me if they disagree. Actually, I’d like more than that. Not only do I not want them to kill me, I’d like them to not threaten or intimidate me either. Maybe even treat me as something less than dirt or excrement. And I’d like them to be convinced that I don’t want to force them to do or think any particular way, as long as they are willing to leave me alone.

That means I’m willing to leave them alone, too. Is that isolationist?

I think there are peaceful people in the world. People like the Amish, who mostly just want to be able to live their life their way, without hurting anyone or being hurt. They’ve pretty much proved that in my book, by the way. I know I would have difficulty in forgiving a mass murderer of helpless children, but they’ve done it, and I don’t see any in their community trying to make money off of this recent horrendous tragedy either. What gives with them, I wonder? What do they have that most of the rest of the world doesn’t have? I think I know, but if I say it aloud, then I’ll be labeled and discounted, and a whole plethora of assumptions and presumptions will be made about me. Instead of maybe being listened too, I’ll be categorized and vilified or ignored. Not by everyone, of course, just those people who disagree with me and think I want to take over.

Recently, President Putin of Russia indicated, more or less, that there’s a new Cold War taking place. Doesn’t it figure? Reagan takes down the Soviet Empire, much to the dismay of righteous socialists everywhere, and now, less than a generation later, we have an opportunistic Russian Czar – ah, er, President – making an alliance with the radical Iranian regime against the interests of the West (read the U.S.) and Israel. There’s always something.

In the last 100 years or so, Western democracies have led the world in industrial, medical and technological innovation. We’ve cured hideous diseases, overwhelmed the global populace with enhanced life styles brought about by chemistry and technology, and now these very improvements are being used as bludgeons against us. We’ve defended the rights of the down-trodden everywhere, not perfectly, but with a kind of innocent optimism, thinking that we’re doing a good and noble thing, and what happens? We’re accused of arrogant exploitation and imperialism. (If you really want to get a good look at Imperialism, take a look at Ahmadinejad’s plans for a nuclear Caliphate.)

Against all odds, Israel, established as a nation state a mere 60 years ago, transforms its arid desert topology into a fecund horticultural and agricultural paradise, defeats its manifold enemies who far outnumber them, creates and maintains the only functioning democracy in the Middle East, and what happens? This tiny U.S.-supported nation is viewed as one of the central cause of global hostilities. The reason: an irrational, pervasive and ancient hatred of Jews by a vast majority of the rest of the world. What are the odds that a place roughly the size of the U.S. State of New Jersey would have such earth-shaking impact? What are the odds that a people group of a few tens of million, who have been the target of innumerable attempts at genocide throughout history, surviving into the nuclear age and being reconstituted as a “cup of trembling” to the whole planet? There’s always something.

Petroleum, the single most prevalent source of energy fueling the Western economy sits underneath a consortium of nations known for their seething mass of anti-Western hatred. Talk about ironic. Our supposed Middle Eastern partner, good old Saudi Arabia, is spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year undermining the very fabric of U.S. culture and society, through funding of terrorists, engendering jihadist mentality in the young, and generally performing the most duplicitous fence-straddling of any nation in history. Its purported purpose is peace. The actual goal: preservation and expansion of the anti-democratic Islamic state.

In this country, it is more than a little bizarre that the vituperative, infantile, leftist fanatics that inhabit the blogosphere use the very liberties that they so take for granted to besmirch, denigrate, and disparage the very system (U.S.-style representative democracy) that enables them to freely spew their despicable diatribes (foul language warning) onto an unsuspecting nation. How weird is that?

In the drive for multiculturalism and diversity, this nation (the U.S.) is welcoming into its propaganda machine all sorts of diversity swallowing sources. The end result is that the “multiculti movement” is destroying the very foundation of strength and tolerance that made this country a force for good in the world. It has now become a thought-crime to be unapologetically supportive of the effects this country has had on world history (despite its many missteps and tragedies). It has become a faux pas along the lines of wearing polyester suits, or worse.

Educationally, the globalist agenda of Western public education, the foundational system that has enabled the industrial, medical and technological innovations of the West, is being gutted. Actively rewriting recent history, and shamelessly promoting anti-nationalism and anti-democracy, the leftist, liberal, socialist plan for overtaking the world is alive and well and living in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. If it weren’t so perniciously disastrous, it would be funny.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am all for multicultural tolerance, providing the culture I hold near and dear is not relegated to the so-called “vast right-wing conspiracy” that is treated like a cesspool that must be drained. I am all for a liberal education, providing all the facts are presented as objectively as possible, enabling the student to independently decide where he or she stands, and not be brain-washed into loony, leftist groupthink. And I am all for people in the boundaries of their sovereign nations living in whatever way they feel right and appropriate (within the bounds of instinctive human decency), provided they do not, like Nazi Germany, or the Shari’a Caliphate, insist on forcing other sovereign nations to toe their line.

The bottom line is that as soon as there’s any hint of an effective one-world government, we are all doomed. And that, oddly enough, includes a one-world democratic government. Why? Simply because wherever there is monolithic human power, there is inevitable corruption and eventual exploitation of the weak. Until such time as the Lord sees fit, there will always be something in the way of attaining that kind of global unity, for which we should all be humbly thankful. But beware. A time is fast-approaching, when all these pesky obstacles to world unity will be taken out of the way. When that happens... duck, cover and pray.

Escaping the “Great Tribulation” and “Armageddon” should be a high priority if either event is taken seriously. In previous posts (here and here), I detailed why I believe both are real and inevitable future occurrences, but you’ll need to reach your own conclusions. What is undeniably true is that there are leaders in the world today with access to unthinkable weapons of mass destruction who have stated that bringing about such global catastrophe is a good idea; placing it right up near the top on their “to do” list.

Regardless of your personal belief, unless you are exceptionally good at denial or head-in-the-sand behavior, or haven’t been exposed to the news in several years, you are aware that something bad is on the horizon; something unavoidable. Or is it? Unavoidable, that is.

Economic action that can be taken to stem this obviously encroaching tide can be found here, and military action here. Then, of course, there’s active participation in the American electoral process during the primaries and General Election in 2008. You can also stay informed by reading some of the non-MSM news sources at the Links on the right of this page. (Please note that inclusion of these links does not necessarily constitute a full-fledged, no-holds-barred endorsement of their views, or constitute a guarantee that the information is 100% accurate. The odds are, however, that the data and views at these sites are substantially more reliable and reflective of reality than many, many other sources. Comments that you might find on those links are another matter entirely. They are undressed opinions, some far more appealing than others. So beware.)

But all the above items are temporal, earthly, manmade responses, and frankly, although significant, there is something far more beneficial that can be done to maintain hope in the face of this impending cauldron. And hope is essential, because without it, we surrender, and in surrendering, we die. My belief in Jesus Christ provides me with that very hope.

First, let me explain hope from a Biblical perspective by detailing what it is NOT. It isn’t wishing for something, like one might wish for good weather, or a great marriage, or a raise in salary, or for food on the table. It’s not what Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz, clicking her magical ruby red slippers and repeating the mantra, “there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”, while wishing fervently to return to Kansas. Biblical hope is none of these things. It is, instead, the sure and certain understanding that what God has promised, He will deliver. And this certainty, based on faith and the knowledge of who God is – notice I said “who”, not “what” - naturally engenders hope as a powerful human emotional response. So my hope in these troublesome times is based on three of these magnificent promises, and also on a bit of “icing on the cake”. 

The first divine promise is that, through faith in Christ, I have eternal life because my sins are forgiven by believing in His death on the Cross. In very practical terms, this means I will never cease to exist, although I will, unless the “icing” comes first, die in the physical sense. Death in this context is the realization that who I am will no longer be encased in this body, but will be transported into a place defined as Heaven, the key data points being that Heaven is where God dwells, and where true death, pain and sorrow is banished forever. Furthermore, this gift of eternal life extends to everyone who believes, including family and loved ones who live also by faith. Bottom line: physical death for Christians results in never having to say good-bye, although a heartfelt “see you later” might be in order.

The second promise is that Christ will never leave me nor forsake me. There is nothing I can do, no place I can go, and nothing that anyone can do to me that will negate my relationship with my Savior.  In theological terms this is called, Eternal Assurance. It means that once I am Christ’s I am His forever. No one, including me, can “snatch me out of His hands”. Good news, indeed. Now at this point, I might be tempted to launch into a detailed discussion about whether “losing my salvation” is possible, and then summarize the age-old arguments between Calvin and Arminius, but suffice it to say I firmly believe (because the Bible emphatically teaches it), that Christ’s death on the Cross paid for all my sins, past, present, and future. While this does not give me the license to sin, it certifies that when I inevitably do sin, my ongoing forgiveness is guaranteed.

Thirdly, God assures me that He is in control of even the most minute details of history, and that for me as His child, “all things work together for good to those who love God”. No matter what it might look like from my perspective (and believe me when I say that in any believer’s life things may look dark and despairing), I have an all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, and loving Deity assuring me that it will all work out for my good and His glory. This doesn’t imply, by the way, that I or my loved ones will be spared tragedy, loss, or suffering. But it does suggest that ultimately, that suffering will serve God’s purposes in carrying out His undeniable promises. So, even in the face of what could be unimaginable anguish and pain, my faith that God is in control provides me with a foundation of unassailable hope, which is undoubtedly foreign to anyone who has not acquiesced to Christ Jesus as Lord, and Savior.

Now, the icing on the cake is this: my extensive study of the Bible has led me to conclude, along with many other Christians throughout the ages, that Jesus will take His church out of the earth before the final climax of human history unfolds. In other words, I, and all living believers will be “snatched away” (rapturo in Latin) before the Great Tribulation occurs. So however bad things seem, I can rest my hope on the sure and certain knowledge that before things get as bad as God has decreed they will, I and my loved ones will be raptured into Heaven. That makes a whole lot of sense when you think about it – certainly a loving Father would shelter His beloved children from punishment and judgment that they, through faith in Christ, no longer deserve.

However, three subsidiary points about this icing on the cake need to be made. First, it doesn’t allow me to conclude that I am to sit around and wait for the rapture. That would just be plain silly since I don’t know when it will occur, at least not precisely, and although the Bible does give some general hints, it explicitly says that no one knows the day or hour. Secondly, Jesus commands His followers to be active until He comes. So sitting around and waiting would be in direct violation of an explicit order. And finally, looking forward to Christ’s return for His children does not portend that I am equally certain that I will not suffer and die beforehand. I very well might undergo both suffering and death, but if I do, all that signifies is that I’ll be among those who return with Him, rather than in the crowd He comes to get.

What my faith in God’s word does provide is the knowledge that while I am sure things are going to get monumentally bad, I am not without hope. In fact, it is because of this hope, and the strength and purpose that it gives me that I take the time to post these (hopefully) life-changing truths to the internet. However poorly or well these expositions are received, please understand that my motive is one of love and hope, and not condemnation nor a sense of “being in the know”. I am what I am by the grace of God, not by anything special about me, and if these missives provide any reader with hope, faith or purpose, then don’t thank me (God forbid). Thank the One who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

What I’m saying here is simply this: pull your head out of the sand and look up, your “salvation draws near”.

The next few posts will concern themselves with some observations about life and history that are pretty much summed up by the phrase, “there’s always something”.

Last post I wrote that I’m convinced that history as we know it is coming to an end; a bad end. Mind-bending evil abounds in the world, and from my perspective it seems more pervasive than ever. The problem we face in the West is that the effects of this evil are not, for the moment, right at the doorpost.

Most of us aren't in the streets of Baghdad, or in the ravaged villages of Darfur where sudden, horrendous suffering and death is a very real prospect each and every day. This is not to say that no westerners suffer senseless violence, or are victims of inhuman, ideologically motivated hate crimes. Nor is it to pretend that similar widespread atrocities haven’t occurred in the past. But it is to say that the tenor of modern evil is very different from anything that has gone before.

First, current practitioners of institutionalized and individual mayhem have never received the kind of instant, global publicity that we see today. Until now, the technology didn’t exist.

Secondly, and perhaps because of that very publicity, never before has there been such comprehensive acceptance of that level of violence. Global shock tolerance is at an all-time high. As a species, we’ve been culturally desensitized through overexposure. That, added to the fact that multiple generations have now been propagandized to believe that underneath our thin veneer of civilization we are, at best, very clever animals, gives us the twisted perspective that we have no real reason to expect anything else.

I see and hear this attitude of practical indifference everywhere. We might give lip service to abhorrence and condemnation, but then, as a society, we turn around and go to that movie, buy that book, rent that DVD, or watch that television show that reinforces the very things we pretend to be shocked about.

There are prophecies in the New Testament of the Bible which guarantees that, as the culmination of world history approaches, love will grow cold, evil will be called good, families will dissolve, and faith will disappear.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self–control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power...” (2Ti 3:1-5 NKJV)

“"And then [near the end] many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another...And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Mt 24:10-12 NKJV)

I submit that these very things are happening today in ways profoundly different than ever before. Brutality, lack of self-control, betrayal, and hatefulness are rampant, and we now have the means and the will to disperse this vileness around the globe. Regions of the world heretofore bereft of technology now have cell phones, internet, satellite communications and ready access to world travel. Not to mention, ICBM's and nuclear capability.

“So great,” you say again. "You’ve convinced me. The world is ending. What do I do about it?”

The answer: make peace with your Maker.

How?

Simple: acknowledge your hopeless and helpless sinfulness. This takes a humble admission that while you may not be as evil and depraved as is humanly possible, and certainly not as bad as ten other people you know and maybe hang out with, you are, nonetheless, in active, unrepentant rebellion against God. (You’re probably bristling in indignation at this very moment, haughtily and self-righteously proclaiming, “Who the hell is this idiot passing moral judgment on me? Me! Crazy, religious fanatic!”)

Once you suck that bitter pill deep down into your black, encrusted heart, then you gratefully accept the only way to escape the condemnation you so richly deserve. You must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (boy, if you weren’t bristling or dismissive before, you’re near the boiling point now! “How dare this delusional imbecile impose some antiquated, psychotic religious fairy tale on me? Me! Doesn’t this brainless stooge understand that religion is the problem? Look at the Middle East, for God’s sake!”)

Receiving Jesus means that you believe, believe, that He was crucified because of your sin, dying in your place, so that you can live! Christ’s voluntary sacrificial death, the Sinless One becoming sin for you, enables you to be declared righteous and innocent in Him, and thereby escape eternal death! It’s a transaction that you must enter into through belief. He paid the price for you out of love and compassion. Your job: accept that fact and live.

Deny this fact, reject it for any reason, and when the world ends in misery and bloodshed, your personal suffering will just be beginning. And perhaps for you personally, your commencement into unthinkable torment may start a whole lot sooner, because you are just one heart beat away from death. For “...it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,” (Heb 9:27 NKJV)

There it is. Now you know what to do about the end of the world; and about your own eternal destiny.

In Part 3, I’ll give you information as to how it may be possible for you (yes, you!) to not only escape judgment at the time of death, but also how to avoid the coming Armageddon. Deep down you know it’s not far off. Admit it!

So tune in.

As a crazy fundamentalist Christian, I believe in the end of the world. Interestingly enough, I don’t get a lot of disagreement from most people, at least in principle. Even hard-core materialists, believe the world will end eventually, like when the sun goes nova in 10 or 15 billion years. But what I mean is something that will happen substantially sooner, perhaps in my life time.

I base my belief on prophecies found in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament book of Matthew, Chapter 24. Jesus is on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, and His disciples are trying to get insider information on the future. Here’s the passage:

Jesus went out and departed from the temple [very shortly before His arrest], and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down [this happened literally in 70 A.D., some 38 years after Christ was crucified]." Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Christ had taught His followers that He was God, and then proceeded to prove it by performing some 38 recorded miracles, ranging from changing water into wine to raising at least 2 people from the dead (not counting Himself after the Crucifixion). He also told His disciples that He was going away for a time, but would return. They didn’t get it right away. They couldn’t quite understand that He meant He was going to be killed, rise again after 3 days, and then ascend into Heaven for some unspecified period of time. It’s not that Jesus didn’t come right out and say these things, because He did; it’s that they just weren’t hearing Him. (Has that ever happened to you?)

Anyway, by the time of this Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, the disciples understood enough to ask 3 questions: 1) when will these future things occur; 2) what will be the sign of His return; and 3) how can we tell when the end is coming?

That word, age, quoted in Matthew 24, is the Greek word, cosmos; you know, where we get the English word, um, cosmos, from. It can mean age, or everything, or world. It’s a pretty ambiguous noun in that sense, but taken in view with the rest of the New Testament, it is pretty accurate to see it as meaning age in the above context. So technically speaking at this point, I have to modify my first sentence from; I believe in the end of the world, to, I believe in the end of the age. On the one hand, this refinement is significant because it says the physical planet itself won’t come to an end, but rather that the current age will terminate. On the other hand, as we’ll see, this distinction between the end of the planet versus the end of the age is relatively meaningless. (Incidentally, I also believe that the age in question, is the Age of Human Control, but more on that later.)

Christ answers the disciples’ last question first (how can we tell when the end is coming?), and let me just summarize his response in bullet points. The end will be characterized by:

• Deceit
• False Messiahs
• Wars and Rumors of Wars
• Nations Rising Against Nations
• Kingdoms Rising Against Kingdoms
• Earthquakes
• Famines
• Pestilences
• Lawlessness

Jesus goes on to say, “[for] then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved;”

Did you catch that? This Man, who proved Himself to be God in the flesh, warns that the end of this age is going to entail so much destruction and death, unlike any seen since the beginning of the world, that unless those days were supernaturally cut short, no life would remain. So while the earth will remain intact and not be completely destroyed, there will be unprecedented and widespread death and devastation. Additional gruesome details are provided in the New Testament book of Revelation, particularly chapters 6 through 19.

By the way, there has been no period in human history where such global catastrophe could occur by human hands... until now.

You might ask why I believe that the Bible is an accurate source for anything, let alone predicting the future. There are many reasons, but let me give you just one: Israel. Dispersed from its homeland more than 19 centuries ago, as per Biblical prophecy, and brought back into the land and declared a nation once again in 1948, as per Biblical prophecy, this tiny nation is the center of world attention today. This is no accident, or the result of happenstance. It is precisely as foretold throughout the Bible. In fact, Israel is the greatest argument for the existence and power of God. No other people group in history has been preserved and reconstituted in this way, despite millennia of exile. That says something, because Israel’s history was written in advance in the Scripture.

And as for deceit, false Messiahs, wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences (a.k.a. pandemics like AIDS, bird flu, e. coli, not to mention the plethora of available manmade epidemics from bio-warfare), and lawlessness, well, unless you’ve been on Mars lately, these things are prevalent and increasing throughout the world.

If you’ve bought all this up until this point, the question may arise, “So, great! What do I do about it?”

I have an answer and I’ve got more details, but that will be reserved for a future post.

Coming between a human being and his or her favorite depravity is like interfering with the proverbial bear and its cubs. Ferocity, desperation, and attack are the results. Just look at what happened during a recent pro-life rally in San Francisco.

The response there was rabid, vicious and insane, ranging from physical intimidation and condom-throwing, to parading naked down the street with signs containing hate-filled slogans lofted high and proudly.

Pro-abortion factions are virulently jealous of their freedom to destroy life in the womb, and view any infringement on that right as a fascistic attack on modernity and political tolerance. “Keep your laws off my body and I’ll keep my hands off your throat!” was one of the more moderate placards. “Ban sex with a pro-lifer!”, “Abortion saved my life!” and “Keep the Right-wing out of my womb!” were other signs displayed prominently, without the slightest sense of shame…or irony.

Yet issues like “Stop Protecting Rapists in Europe” or “Ban Suppression of Woman’s Rights in Islamic Countries!” don’t elicit much of a peep from the same emphatic woman’s rights crowds here in the U.S. But let somebody in D.C. propose a ban on partial birth abortion, and all hell breaks loose.

Why is that, I wonder? Why are people so eager to proclaim the sanctity and priority of “tolerance” in their own safe and sound backyard with unwavering, some might say, fanatical, commitment, and so unwilling to protest similarly on behalf of those who can’t safely do so on their own? Why don’t we see such public shows of dissent by these same “committed” individuals in places where that activity might result in being beaten, stabbed, tortured or having acid thrown in your face (as reportedly happened a few months ago in Gaza, when young women were caught walking about without a head covering). Where is the passion, the moral and logical consistency, the do-or-die attitude prevalent in say, San Francisco? Why isn’t the same sense of outrage displayed? Where are the cries of protest on behalf of those female victims? Why aren’t American leftists hopping on a plane and making the same fuss in Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait, or Lebanon?

The bottom line here in American is that there is a large segment of the population who is, oddly enough, very protective and proud of antisocial and anti-survival behavior. The truth is that it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of courage to protest against the ideas and positions of decent citizens safely ensconced in a country founded on the rule of law. Christians and most other mainstream groups are, after all, unlikely to threaten anyone with retaliation for disagreeing with them (unlike what happens when a conservative speaks to a liberal audience at Columbia University). And even those despicably uncivilized rightist groups, that occasionally rear their ugly heads, are far less conspicuous and boisterous overall, and, on the whole, receive much more negative press.

It is only in a free society like ours that the vituperation, vehemence and blatant disrespect evidenced on the part of the irreligious left is possible; where they are allowed to safely manifest behavior reminiscent of a bear responding to perceived interference with its offspring. The motivation is the same, by the way. The bear is attempting to protect and defend, in whatever way necessary, something of vital importance to its life; in this instance, its cubs, instinctively representing future viability of the species.

In the instance of the abortion-on-demand proponents, that something vital is a fierce attachment to independent self-will: the unholy desire to persist in doing what he or she wants, when he or she desires. In short, it is the self-centered insistence that human beings are not accountable to any higher authority other than their own vain conceits and imaginations. Their often unspoken position is that no one other than themselves has the right to impose moral boundaries. Unless of course, the imposers are really, really scary, and uncivilized, and the consequences actually dangerous, then immediate capitulation is the order of the day.

Sin is what we’re talking about here, of course, and please note it is not “quoted”, either figuratively or literally. It’s a real thing with real consequences, and is the hallmark of the inherent rebellion of our species in wanting to “do our own thing” (and God help anyone who gets in the way, unless of course they are willing to wield a bigger stick than the defenders of “freedom and tolerance”).

I’ve come to understand that allowing such reprehensible rebellion is a remarkable component of God’s trying to instill obedience in His creatures. And I, myself, have often been the beneficiary of such temporary Divine tolerance. You see, God often does not make the consequences of sin immediately apparent. He gives fair warning that judgment’s coming, but He usually does not back the caution up with anything demonstrably tangible right at that moment. He allows us, for the time being, to believe Him or not. And there’s the rub, because by not compelling belief in some fashion, by not waving the big stick right in front of us, as it were, He leaves the decision up to us. Until the grace period is over and He no longer does.

It’s true that, for now, He provides us the choice, and the means of our free will to choose. But He’s made it clear that a time of divine reckoning is coming. On the individual level, it’s at death – the separation of the soul from the body. For the world as a whole, it’s the Day of Judgment. So those who see it as an intolerable offense that a Supreme Moral Authority exists, and has the gall to make His behavioral proscriptions known to mankind, will some day, perhaps soon, find themselves in the same position as a kid caught bloody-handed beating that puppy - with no excuse and no defense.

On that day, it won’t be bear and cubs, it will be omnipotent God and depraved, unrepentant sinner, and ain’t no amount of yelling, screaming or blasphemous sign-wielding that will make a bit of difference. God will have His way. The question is will we let Him have it now, while we’re free to choose, or we will wait until the choice is no longer possible and we are held accountable for our deliberate unbelief?

As far as I can tell, this saying first gained popularity in the 1940’s, though variations of it were in use throughout American history, beginning as early as 1629. The phrase suggests lack of struggle or ease of use, in the sense that if you can carry something in a handbasket, as opposed to a wheelbarrow, then it’s light enough so as not to require too much effort.

In reviewing the last five or so years of current events, hell in a handbasket is an apt description of where this society is headed, but probably not for the reasons you think. Yes, it’s true we’ve ejected God from the class room and from our governmental institutions. Yes, we’ve abandoned the unborn to abortion on demand, and relegated our aging to family-free nursing homes and geriatric care facilities. And yes, we’ve undermined the foundation of sane morality by the cultural espousing of relativism, multi-culturalism, and the if it feels good do it mantra. But none of these is the true underlying root of the problem, though all have been contributing factors for more than a generation.

The real issue in the last half-decade, you see, is an increasing addiction to entertainment. Our societal complacency is only shaken when we’re hit in the couch cushions, so to speak. As long as whatever is going so obviously wrong is over there somewhere, and doesn’t threaten our plasma TV or restaurant time, well then, we here in the United States are pretty much OK with it.

There are exceptions, of course: our all-volunteer military; certain unpopular politicians and writers; and some clergy, just to name a few groups. But on the whole, unless gas goes up to some heretofore astronomical price, or we are victims of another massive homeland attack (for which some citizens will blame us, and excuse the guilty), we Americans are content to TiVo and iTunes and youTube ourselves into gradual oblivion.

The Middle East may be a cauldron of chaos, but football is still on, and the annual car show awaits, and little Johnny has a soccer game, and Kareena’s orthodontist appointment got rescheduled to Wednesday, and, well, life goes on. In fact, we are so embedded in our comfortable, entertainment-rich lifestyle that we are unwilling to look deeply at anything that might threaten us over the long term. It’s not that we don’t care, or are unintelligent. It’s that we have been so conditioned to the pace and relative ease and stimulus-level of our way of life that we are sitting ducks for patient, persistent people who want to do away with us.

The smartest thing the jihadists could do to defeat us, instead of constantly threatening us or scaring us with grainy videos of beheadings and stonings, or trying to infiltrate and forcibly transform our democracy into shari’a law, is to produce an addictive, racy cable TV program with just the right amount of sex and violence, or invent and market an overwhelmingly popular video game console. In so doing, they would enthrall most of our society, and while thus distracted, those who want our destruction could do us in with one or two well-placed attacks, destroying the power grid, and collapsing our entire economic base.

But they’d have to wait until just the right moment to strike; giving their insidious entertainment strategies sufficient time to irrevocably enslave us to what has become our greatest weakness: stimulus addiction. And they’d have to make sure the disruption was comprehensive, because if the enemy’s efficacy or timing was off even a little, I believe there would be real hell to pay. There is nothing like American vengeance when the lights go out in the middle of a big game.

Yep, without God, or sane morals, or an appreciation of what really sustains our largely comfortable, entertainment-centered American way of life, we are doomed – for sure headed for hell in a handbasket.

Full disclosure: I’m a mystic of sorts. Don’t jump to conclusions here, I don’t do trances or channeling or anything like that, nor am I a New Ager. I’m an evangelical Christian who believes that the spiritual realm exists. Ask me if there are angels and demons and I’ll say yes. Ditto to the questions of whether there is sin, life after death, heaven and hell, God, Christ, the Holy Spirit and a being known as Satan. So stop here if all these disqualify me, in your opinion, for serious consideration. Otherwise, read on.

I’m looking at the state of the world today, and am convinced that we are being set up for some impending globe-shaking events. I’m not sure exactly what the physical manifestations are going to be: nuclear/biological/chemical war; monstrous terror attacks; natural epidemics; planet-wide financial collapse; or a Democratic congress (oh yeah, that’s already happened). But I am convinced that the planet is ripe for bad things that could only happen in the world today, as opposed to, let’s say, 100 years ago. That’s significant, because aside from the fact that modern technology is what will enable whatever is going to occur to be global in nature, what’s fascinating is that this coming chaos has been predicted in the Bible.

There are prophecies in Scripture, hundreds, if not thousands of years old, that speak of world-wide events, clearly impossible prior to the last century, and increasingly probable in this one. And interestingly enough, Israel is at the core of these predictions. That tiny little Middle Eastern country that was reconstituted just 60 years ago, millennia after being annihilated and dispersed, is now back on the forefront of the world scene, and the center of endless hatred, controversy, enmity and focus. Go look for yourself if you’re skeptical.

This is no accident. In fact, the odds of such bizarre Biblically accurate circumstances happening in the “natural course of events” are astronomically negative. The point here is that the primary cause of the world situation today is not physical, or material, or even psychological. The primary cause lies in the spiritual realm. Circumstances are being set up in this invisible sphere that make fulfillment of these prophecies in time and space inevitable. Like or not, the human race is not solely to blame or even remotely in control, though we do play a large part and are accountable for our actions (or inactions). Yet without us, these horrendous events would not be possible or, strangely enough, even meaningful.

It is no accident that there is a predominant and irrational hatred of Israel. It is no accident that this small parcel of land is the central cause of global tension. It is not due to mere happenstance that arrayed against this insignificant country is the majority of the rest of the world, except for a few staunch supporters who just happen to be part of the only remaining superpower in the planet.

It is not mere bad luck that Israel is surrounded by large hostile nations that sit upon the world’s foremost petrochemical energy reserves. It is not blind chance that these same nations are driven by a deep-seated and powerful religious ideology that demands the annihilation of all who are not its members, and of the Jews and those who support them, specifically. It is not just fate that has made Israel a powerful economic and military force.

It is absolutely unthinkable that all these components of the present world situation have come about by accident. Particularly in the light of these very things being prophesied in the Bible centuries ago, before any of these people, places, and political and religious forces existed.

It is clearly a set up of unimaginable proportions, making us humans, with all our vile and noble preoccupations, infinitesimal puppets in comparison. We are most definitely not in control, though we are the main earthly players, as well as the primary audience, and have an effect on the outcome, not because of who or what we are, but because of the role we have been given by the power of Whoever or whatever is in control.

You see, if it weren’t for the fact that the essential nature of current events were spelled out in magnificent detail 2000 years ago, we human beings could operate under the self-serving illusion that we were both the problem and the solution. We could go along blithely believing that if we could just do this or that, or eliminate this or that, then everything would turn out for the best (as defined by our own finite and fallible viewpoints). We could live under the false assumption that we, ourselves, were in control.

But assuredly, that is NOT the case. Something or Someone, other than us, is the primary mover of history. It’s not chance. It’s not fate. It’s not the Force. It’s personal. And that Person has taken the time to detail beforehand what is about to happen. He has also provided us with the only means of escape, the only hope for the future, and the only reason for our existence in the first place.

That, my friend, is pretty powerful information. What you do with it, is up to you. If you want to learn more, go here.

Here’s what I’m pretty sure is going to happen in this country (I just don’t know how long it will take).

Through various means, some subtle, some bludgeoning, public opinion is going to be increasingly managed. What Americans think and talk about will be governed by whoever controls the media. Yeah, I know, I know. Startling revelation, right? People have been saying that since Cain held the first press conference about his brother’s unfortunate demise. (Had it been possible back then he would have placed the blame on Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.)

Whatever you want to call it, the Main Stream Media (MSM), the Drive by Media, Zionist Propaganda, the Dhimmi News Network, or Hollyweird, the truth is that a conspiracy of thought-control is afoot. And it’s effective. The human brain is a vacuum (seriously) and nature abhors a vacuum. The mind requires filling, like an empty gas tank, or a politician’s pork barrel.

I’m not talking stimulus here; little zaps of bioelectric energy that generate endorphins or satisfy bodily desires. I’m talking information. Raw data. Our species thrives on it, despite appearances to the contrary. We all want to know stuff in order to successfully navigate our world, whether it takes the form of physics, sports stats, celebrity minutiae, or gossip. It’s a need, plain and simple.

And we are in the information age, meaning there are a whole lot of people who no longer build or do real stuff for a living, they instead get paid to produce, manage or act upon information. Do you see where I’m headed here? (case in point: you’re reading this over your high-speed internet connection wondering where this guy is coming from and why he’s wasting your time when you could be finding out something important from some other source. Am I right? You know I am.)

So, whoever can win the information war rules the world. Why? Because everything is so connected now. Oh, maybe not every square inch will be conquered, but enough so that whatever’s left over doesn’t amount to a hill(ary) of beans. There really is no such thing as Freedom of the Press, and the Freedom of Information Act is anything but. No spin? Forget it. When it comes to the promulgation or reception of human information, spinning is not only the name of the game, it is the essence of every kind of people on people activity.

I predict (sadly) that because of this, goodness will die a tortuous death, and what will feed off the carcass will be unmitigated evil. First it will be disguised as something else, maybe something noble or sophisticated or tolerant, but once it’s in full ascendance, depravity and decadence will rip off its flimsy façade and boastfully present itself as pleasure-seeking, power-mad, globally destructive insanity. 

What can we do about it? How can we escape? Only one way out, I’m afraid. Only one hope of redemption, and for saying it out loud, I’ll be patronized, marginalized and pigeon-holed. But here it is anyway: Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Without that, each and every one of us is doomed. Doomed, I tell you!

Just thought I’d cheer you up.

My father always said, “Don’t start a fight, but if you can’t avoid it, give it all you’ve got.” I don’t think invading Iraq was a good idea, given how we’ve mishandled it by not using overwhelming force, but it’s not too late to change the course of the war in our favor. Or is it? We are a representative democracy, and it’s possible to read the midterm election results as a war veto by the American people, but is that correct? Only 41% of eligible voters actually went out and exercised that right, and I don’t think it’s accurate or possible to then say that we are vehemently opposed to the war. What I believe, in hindsight, is that we are vehemently opposed to losing the war. The message that was sent was, “Hey Washington, either win or get out. Enough of this half-way stuff.”

That may not have been the right message, but maybe, again in hindsight, it was the only message that would have been heard in the halls of government. The hope is that collectively, we are by the grace of God, wiser than we are individually. But the jury is most assuredly out on that verdict.

Forget about the particulars for the moment, and look at the big picture. Because this man has mixed politics and religion he has become a tool for the god-haters, and a propaganda bonanza for the antichristian leftists that have hijacked the leadership of the America-bashing democratic party. Frankly, George Bush has become the same thing, but for different reasons. There are lessons to be learned here; lessons that will serve us well, if we heed them, in the current global religious war.

It is not possible for beliefs not to influence public and political behavior. What a man believes about the world determines what actions he will take, and what decisions he will make. This goes without saying, it is so fundamentally true. Those who are screeching about evangelical hypocrisy do so because, among other reasons - like emotional and intellectual immaturity – they have rightfully concluded that those who set themselves up as religio-political leaders want to impose their view, morality, and way of life on others who don’t believe the same things.

This is just plain stupid, and carried to extreme (like Islamic Jihadists), can be the worst form of fascistic evil. Divisiveness in a society or culture will doom it to failure and collapse. A house divided cannot stand. This is not to say that evangelical Christians should compromise in any way their worldview, but it does mean that the Christian church has no business in American politics. The United States was founded as a place for freedom of religion. This has allowed Christianity to greatly influence the American culture until recently. I believe this trend has waned for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the perceived hypocrisy of Christian leaders. America is now a post-Christian, increasingly globalistic society. Any attempt to force secular society to live by Christian, rather than legal standards, is doomed to failure.

Does this mean that citizens should not exercise their political rights according to their beliefs? Absolutely not. Does that mean that citizens should not vote for those politicians who most accurately reflect their views under the law? Of course not. But it does mean that as soon as Christian conservatives couch those positions and viewpoints as moral absolutes, they are going beyond the bounds of freedom of religion, and entering into the realm of theocratic government. The rest of society will perceive this as a threat, and, carried to extremes, it will undermine the very foundation of this unique representative democracy.

Unity is essential if a society is to survive the coming turmoil, and that unity must be founded on something that all members of that society can agree upon, like objective law. That is why activist judges are so dangerous. That is why activist religionists are equally dangerous. We are a nation under God, certainly, but we are also a nation founded on freedom. When that freedom is threatened, we all need to respond in the common defense. We can’t do that if we are divided. We can’t do that if one side comes across as repressionist. We can’t do that if we don’t prevent differences from becoming divisiveness.

The United States must stand firm against any and all threats to the freedom that has been so hard-won over nearly two and a half centuries. The United States must therefore be united. If we’re not, we’re done for. We need leaders; politicians, judges, business people, and citizens who value unity over discord. Most of all, we need to be able to look at one another and identify ourselves as being essentially on the same side. If we can’t, or won’t, then this great experiment in democracy will go down in flames. We need to be able to accurately identify the enemy, and stop declaring war on each other.

We are in desperate need of a President who will stand by his principles while not coming across as arrogant or indifferent. We need an impassioned leader who is willing to do what is necessary to unite, rather than divide us. We need someone who will assure the citizens of this country that disagreement does not result in disenfranchisement. I’m not sure our current President can do that in the two years he has left in office. But I do know that if he can’t, we’ll be in sorry shape indeed.