"Truth Under Fire"

What do you get when you blend Christianity, pantheism, Eastern religion, mysticism with a dash of New Age philosophy? A recipe for disaster!

The Bible tells us that the end times will be characterized by false teaching and deception. Even what passes for the church will grow lukewarm and lethargic, (Revelation 3:16), with a watered-down, seeker-friendly version of the Gospel that has no place for Jesus.

We are no longer a predominantly Christian society. In fact, anti-Christian sentiment so permeates our public schools, one would think the mere mention of Christ (or God forbid!), the Ten Commandments, might actually corrupt young brains. The end result is a people ignorant of biblical truth and polluted by sin. The pursuit of a secular life without God leaves a spiritual vacuum that will, of necessity, be filled with deception. Take God out, and an empty, lost society will fill the void with something. Drugs, alcohol, materialism or some false religion are all popular options.

The Bible predicts that a time of spiritual apostasy will precede the end and pave the way for the arrival of the Antichrist. The word apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia which means, literally, "to defect, or to forsake the faith."

Most evangelicals believe this apostasy is the product of a false Christianity--people who claim to be Christian, but who don't follow Christ. This false Church will have only the appearance of Godliness, but deny the power of God to save. They will be devoid of the Spirit and of truth. They will be counterfeits.

The false religion of the last days will be a combination of: corrupted Christianity, pantheism, Eastern religion, mysticism, and New Age blather all tossed together into one big fat grand DECEPTION.

Buyer beware.

A wise man once said: "Test everything against the truth of God's Word. The more familiar you are with the "real thing"--Scripture--the easier it becomes to spot a phony." -- Greg Laurie, evangelist

"How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure"  Ephesians 1: 3-5.

News:

• CNN: Rogue FBI employee marries ISIS terrorist she investigated.
• RR News: Iran Using U.S. Cash To Fund Massive Military Buildup; Money part of nuclear deal under Obama Administration.
• The Hill: U.S. intercepts Russian bombers, fighter jets off Alaska.

"Trump, Cruz, Rubio: WWJD?"

Evangelicals are a mixed bag, politically speaking," says Nathan Finn, church historian and Dean of the School of Theology at Union University.

You can say that again--evangelicals, politically speaking, seem to be all over the map when it comes to choosing a candidate that best reflects our Christian values.

"We come in a variety of ethnicities and worship in a multitude of languages," Finn explains.

"The vast majority of us are pro-life and affirm the biblical view of marriage, but these are not the only issues that affect how one votes."

Of course not. There's Israel--and with several possible Supreme Court appointments looming, the stakes could not be higher. Integrity and character matter.

Meanwhile, Franklin Graham, son of internationally known evangelist Billy Graham, has decided to leave the GOP. "I don't have faith in either party," he said. "The only hope for our country is God."

"I believe we are perilously close to the moral tipping point for the survival of the United States of America," Graham warned.

Speaking to NBC News, Graham said that he is not affiliated with any party because the whole American political system is godless and contrary to the Founding Fathers' vision.

"This may be the most important election in our nation's history. America is headed in the wrong direction and only God can turn it around."

Rather than promote a party or candidate, Graham has launched a bus tour taking a message of repentance and prayer to all 50 state capitals, urging Christians to honor God in their homes, public lives and at the ballot box.

Roughly 50 million Christians failed to vote in the last election. Imagine if every Christian voted biblical values in every election--how different would this country be today?

As followers of Christ, we don't have the luxury of being a "mixed bag". We must all prayerfully ask God (politically speaking) "WWJD?"

The Last Days Church

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Ruler of God's creation. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:14-16.

A wise man once said: "In very vivid terms, the Lord rejects the halfhearted efforts of self-satisfied Christians." --Len Wood, Th.M

News:

• Tribune: Supreme Court's female justices take aim at Texas abortion restrictions; clash with conservative colleagues over most important abortion case in decades.
• Reuters: North Korea orders nukes on stand-by after U.N. Security Council impose harsh, new sanctions.
• Fox News Channel: Republicans at each other's throats over possible Trump nomination; providing Dems with a "house divided"