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Anti-Chinese RHETORIC : RSS Textbooks & The Book of Revelation Shaped India history & America’s Border Politics Trump Wall

February 5, 2025 Thien Bui

(REVIEW) On June 15, 2015, Donald Trump announced his presidential candidacy from Trump Tower, declaring, “I will build a great wall on our southern border.” This wall symbolizes the anti-immigration policies he pursued during his time in office, which continue to have lasting effects.

Netanyahu, West or Pope Theological Drift? Modi ‘New Era’ _Why conservative American evangelicals are among Israel’s strongest supporters

Netanyahu, West or Pope Theological Drift? Modi ‘New Era’ _Why conservative American evangelicals are among Israel’s strongest supporters

Surprisingly, his statement about building a southern wall against immigrants reflects an exclusive mindset inspired by the book of Revelation in the Bible. The Book of Revelation by John of Patmos details God’s judgment during the Apocalypse and envisions Christ’s return to defeat evil and establish the New Jerusalem. Despite the message of hope, the interpretation and usage of the book are much darker.

Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. GC 588.1

The Dangers of Defining Pope Francis Has World’s Morality Guardian Angel

As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power. GC 588.2

In “Immigration and Apocalypse: How the Book of Revelation Shaped American Immigration,” Professor Yii Jan Lin narrates how some Americans have used the apocalyptic vision from the Book of Revelation to idealize the United States as a new holy land, while simultaneously marginalizing immigrants. The U.S. is portrayed as the New Jerusalem, with immigrants viewed as outsiders exhibiting unethical behaviors.

Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium. GC 588.3

Two Beasts : Trump’s ‘God squad’ holds increasing sway at White House _Pope Assembles a Squad to Fight Religious Extrimism Bias

Two Beasts : Trump’s ‘God squad’ holds increasing sway at White House _Pope Assembles a Squad to Fight Religious Extrimism Bias

This book demonstrates how Judeo-Christian scripture, which describes a just God, can be interpreted to exclude those deemed unfit by temporary human standards.

In general, “Immigration and Apocalypse” is full of knowledgeable ideas and distinguished analyses of intellectual writings, religious tracts, presidential speeches and even social media posts. When purusing the book, readers may find some introductory paragraphs on immigration history a bit lengthy. However, these paragraphs are necessary to understand the correlation between the intellectual ideas on the Revelation and anti-immigration in the U.S.

Controversial ICE Raids : Is America Preparing The Way For A One Word Ruler? Back to Rome/Egypt!

If you are concerned about religion and the harsh border policies under the current Trump administration, especially the controversial ICE Raids, this book will be worth your time.

America: A New Jerusalem

Despite being perceived as violent intruders by Native Americans, European colonizers considered their discovery of America as the fulfillment of a Book of Revelation prophecy about a new city with diverse languages and nations. Cotton Mather, a Puritan clergyman in colonial New England, praised America as “the holy city” based on Revelation.

It was the desire for liberty of conscience that inspired the Pilgrims to brave the perils of the long journey across the sea, to endure the hardships and dangers of the wilderness, and with God’s blessing to lay, on the shores of America, the foundation of a mighty nation. Yet honest and God-fearing as they were, the Pilgrims did not yet comprehend the great principle of religious liberty. The freedom which they sacrificed so much to secure for themselves, they were not equally ready to grant to others. “Very few, even of the foremost thinkers and moralists of the seventeenth century, had any just conception of that grand principle, the outgrowth of the New Testament, which acknowledges God as the sole judge of human faith.”—Ibid. 5:297. The doctrine that God has committed to the church the right to control the conscience, and to define and punish heresy, is one of the most deeply rooted of papal errors. While the Reformers rejected the creed of Rome, they were not entirely free from her spirit of intolerance. The dense darkness in which, through the long ages of her rule, popery had enveloped all Christendom, had not even yet been wholly dissipated. Said one of the leading ministers in the colony of Massachusetts Bay: “It was toleration that made the world antichristian; and the church never took harm by the punishment of heretics.”—Ibid., vol. 5, p. 335. The regulation was adopted by the colonists that only church members should have a voice in the civil government. A kind of state church was formed, all the people being required to contribute to the support of the clergy, and the magistrates being authorized to suppress heresy. Thus the secular power was in the hands of the church. It was not long before these measures led to the inevitable result—persecution. GC 292.3

Three centuries later, the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, echoed a similar message. Lin notes the connection between Reagan’s speech and Revelation 21, which describes the city of God. Reagan called America a “shining city on a hill,” portraying it as a beacon of hope and reflecting themes from traditional Puritan beliefs and 20th-century American Evangelicals.

In other words, Reagan’s imagination reflects a prolonged expectation of the American religious elite on America as a New Jerusalem. However, the New Jerusalem has its own secular criteria.

When the holy city is not for everyone

Race is a crucial element. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Chinese workers were categorized as the outsiders of the New Jerusalem. American elites likened Chinese symbols to demonic images. For instance, they perceived the dragon on the flag of the Qing Dynasty as the Satanic dragon in the Book of Revelation.

American writer Pierton W. Dooner, in his 1880 book “Last Days of the Republic,” depicts the Chinese as the demonic “Asiatic serpent”. This anti-Chinese rhetoric contributed to immigration restrictions, with U.S. Senators labeling China as “the apocalyptic whore and the enemies of God’s kingdom.”

What’s more, the ruling political class also used the description from the Book of Revelation to set up the standard of “cleanliness,” which means the exception of biological threats. Revelation 22 writes “who wash their robes […] may enter the city by the gates.” Some American nativists interpreted the text to set barriers for people with diseases and even unethical behaviors.

To control immigration, American lawmakers created a system akin to Revelation’s Book of Life, called, “The Book of White Life.” According to Lin, this book records who is considered “white enough to have citizenship” in the New Jerusalem of America. Congress developed a “Book of Deeds” to further specify “The Book of White Life,” outlining the actions required to enter the United States.

We can see a scripture-based selective process to exclude those unwanted. Eventually, this thinking shapes the extreme state policy adopted by the current most powerful figure: Trump, who won election for a second time this past November.

From prejudice to policy

Many modern American politicians favored a passage from Revelation 21. This passage vividly describes a holy city with ” a great, high wall with 12 gates” and “12 foundations.” These politicians often invoke the imagery of the New Jerusalem, with its walls and gates, to convince the public to support anti-immigration policy.

Many American political figures believe that America is a land blessed by God and that constructing a wall to restrict immigration aligns with divine will. An Iowa congressman posted on social media: “Heaven has a wall, a gate and a strict immigration policy. Hell has open borders.”

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Galatians 4 : 26

The post pales in comparison to the speech given by Trump in recent years. Lin points out that Trump often discusses the specific measurements of the wall, including its height and length. However, she argues that the real issue is not the size; rather, it deeply revolves around Trump’s self-image as the person who would rebuild America, envisioning it as a New Jerusalem, complete with walls and gates.

Furthermore, the narrative of America also represents a gateway of meritocracy, as described in Revelation, that draws in those who could “enrich the New Jerusalem.” No surprise that Trump’s slogan is “Make America Great Again.”

Millions Allegiance to the Pope : A Courageous Team Rescues a Leopard Beast infested with Millions of “Parasites”

A courageous team rescues a leopard infested with millions of parasites. Watch their heroic efforts to save this magnificent predator and give it a second chance at life.

Magnificent Gaza Rebuild Second Chance Lie

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: Proverbs 24 : 21

P.S. Don’t repeat such actions. All stories are made up and created by AI.

#LeopardRescue #AnimalHeroes #SaveWildlife

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. Jeremiah 13 : 23

Upon obtaining supreme power, Rome had trampled upon the Sabbath of God to exalt her own; but the churches of Africa, hidden for nearly a thousand years, did not share in this apostasy. GC 578.1
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White

Netanyahu, West or Pope Theological Drift? Modi ‘New Era’ _Why conservative American evangelicals are among Israel’s strongest supporters

Netanyahu, West or Pope Theological Drift? Modi ‘New Era’ _Why conservative American evangelicals are among Israel’s strongest supporters

Watch as they carefully treat the leopard, remove the parasites, and help it recover!”

In a shocking wildlife rescue, a leopard was found completely infested with millions of parasites, struggling to survive! 🦠😨 The brave rescue team rushed to the scene, fighting against time to save this majestic predator. Watch as they carefully treat the leopard, remove the parasites, and help it recover!”

[2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. [3] And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

Revelation 13 : 2-3

Marvelous in her shrewdness and cunning is the Roman Church. She can read what is to be. She bides her time, seeing that the Protestant churches are paying her homage in their acceptance of the false sabbath and that they are preparing to enforce it by the very means which she herself employed in bygone days. Those who reject the light of truth will yet seek the aid of this self-styled infallible power to exalt an institution that originated with her. How readily she will come to the help of Protestants in this work it is not difficult to conjecture. Who understands better than the papal leaders how to deal with those who are disobedient to the church?
The Roman Catholic Church, with all its ramifications throughout the world, forms one vast organization under the control, and designed to serve the interests, of the papal see. Its millions of communicants, in every country on the globe, are instructed to hold themselves as bound in allegiance to the pope. Whatever their nationality or their government, they are to regard the authority of the church as above all other. Though they may take the oath pledging their loyalty to the state, yet back of this lies the vow of obedience to Rome, absolving them from every pledge inimical to her interests. GC 580.1 – GC 580.2

🔥 What happened to the leopard?
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💪 Will the rescue mission be successful?

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And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Matthew 24 : 14

The line of prophecy in which these symbols are found begins with Revelation 12, with the dragon that sought to destroy Christ at His birth. The dragon is said to be Satan (Revelation 12:9); he it was that moved upon Herod to put the Saviour to death. But the chief agent of Satan in making war upon Christ and His people during the first centuries of the Christian Era was the Roman Empire, in which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus while the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome.
In chapter 13 (verses 1-10) is described another beast, “like unto a leopard,” to which the dragon gave “his power, and his seat, and great authority.” This symbol, as most Protestants have believed, represents the papacy, which succeeded to the power and seat and authority once held by the ancient Roman empire. Of the leopardlike beast it is declared: “There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies…. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” This prophecy, which is nearly identical with the description of the little horn of Daniel 7, unquestionably points to the papacy.
“Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” And, says the prophet, “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.” And again: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” The forty and two months are the same as the “time and times and the dividing of time,” three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7—the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, A.D. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.” GC 438.2 – GC 439.2

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The churches of Africa held the Sabbath as it was held by the papal church before her complete apostasy. While they kept the seventh day in obedience to the commandment of God, they abstained from labor on the Sunday in conformity to the custom of the church. Upon obtaining supreme power, Rome had trampled upon the Sabbath of God to exalt her own; but the churches of Africa, hidden for nearly a thousand years, did not share in this apostasy. When brought under the sway of Rome, they were forced to set aside the true and exalt the false sabbath; but no sooner had they regained their independence than they returned to obedience to the fourth commandment. (See Appendix.)
These records of the past clearly reveal the enmity of Rome toward the true Sabbath and its defenders, and the means which she employs to honor the institution of her creating. The word of God teaches that these scenes are to be repeated as Roman Catholics and Protestants shall unite for the exaltation of the Sunday. GC 578.1 – GC 578.2

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Jeremiah 13 : 23

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Lockdown Again : 1780 Britain Parliament and Porteus Bishop of Chester crack down on Religious Criticism

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The Blog secularism Christianity uk religion

The bill that Parliament approved, greatly affecting British culture for more than 150 years, stemmed almost single-handedly from the actions and concerns of one influential bishop, Beilby Porteus.

Two Beasts : Trump’s ‘God squad’ holds increasing sway at White House _Pope Assembles a Squad to Fight Religious Extrimism Bias

Two Beasts : Trump’s ‘God squad’ holds increasing sway at White House _Pope Assembles a Squad to Fight Religious Extrimism Bias

By Christopher Lane, Contributor

Professor, Northwestern University; Author, SURGE OF PIETY

Jan 10, 2012, 10:22 AM EST Updated Mar 11, 2012, 05:12 AM EDT

The “Act for Preventing Certain Abuses and Profanations on the Lord’s Day, Called Sunday,” which Britain’s Parliament made law in 1781, bears more than a striking name. For more than a century-and-a-half, while Britain was industrializing and democratizing, the Observance Law was responsible for closing each Sunday not just the nation’s theaters, but also its libraries, museums, zoos, public gardens and of course its stores. Especially toward the end of the 19th century, adjustments to the law relaxed its broad powers. But as late as 1972, amazingly, the Sunday Theatre Act was needed to make it fully legal for British theaters to hold performances on such days.

Bishop /Pope Francis Moral Obligation to Care for the Earth and Get Vaccinated

In his book “The Literature of the Sabbath Question” (1865), the Victorian Robert Cox justly complains that the law had become a “barrier” to public learning and relaxation, as well as one that “prevents the admission of the public on Sundays to the Crystal Palace at Sydenham.” But wryness wasn’t the only Victorian response to the law. In his famous treatise On Liberty (1859), John Stuart Mill notes that zealots had begun invoking the law in their “repeated attempts to stop railway traveling on Sundays.” He calls such obstructions a type of “religious bigot[ry]” — a form of harassment against freethinkers and unbelievers, to say nothing of those simply wanting to move freely around the country. Such harassment stems, Mill writes, from “the notion that it is one man’s duty that another should be religious … a belief that God not only abominates the act of the misbeliever, but will not leave us guiltless if we leave him unmolested.” It is, he concludes, “the opinions men entertain, and the feelings they cherish, respecting those who disown the beliefs they deem important which makes this country not a place of mental freedom.”

The English Reformers, while renouncing the doctrines of Romanism, had retained many of its forms. Thus though the authority and the creed of Rome were rejected, not a few of her customs and ceremonies were incorporated into the worship of the Church of England. It was claimed that these things were not matters of conscience; that though they were not commanded in Scripture, and hence were nonessential, yet not being forbidden, they were not intrinsically evil. Their observance tended to narrow the gulf which separated the reformed churches from Rome, and it was urged that they would promote the acceptance of the Protestant faith by Romanists. GC 289.1
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White

The Barbaric actions and concerns of one influential bishop, Beilby Porteus.

How the observance law came to exist in the first place is itself notable. The bill that Parliament approved, greatly affecting British culture for more than 150 years, stemmed almost single-handedly from the actions and concerns of one influential bishop, Beilby Porteus. An avid reformer and abolitionist with keen interests also in the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, Porteus was bishop of Chester before passage of the bill, but made bishop of London after its approval. In 1780, he writes candidly in his memoir, uncovered a few years later, he sought the aid of Parliament to crack down on religious criticism in Britain:

“The beginning of the winter of 1780 was distinguished by the rise of a new species of dissipation and profaneness.”

Pope’s Eye and Hatred of Protestants

On Sundays, the bishop noted with dismay, groups across London would assemble in public meeting rooms, adopting names such as “Christian Societies, Religious Societies, [and] Theological Societies.” Though meeting “under pretence of inquiring into religious doctrines, and explaining texts of holy Scripture,” he claims, they were “unlearned and incompetent to explain the same.” The bishop, who has since been noted as a likely prototype for Mr. Collins in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” (1813) (there’s a portrait of him here) argues that such discussions “were calculated to extinguish every religious principle,” and thus “threatened the worst consequences to public morals.” They “gave offence … to every man of gravity and seriousness … several of whom I have heard speak of [them] with abhorrence.” Foreigners apparently had been “shocked and scandalized … considering it a disgrace to any Christian country to tolerate so gross an insult on all decency and good order.”

But “the noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.”—J. A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism, b. 1, ch. 4. The Holy Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests. Like the Pharisees of old, the papal leaders hated the light which would reveal their sins. God’s law, the standard of righteousness, having been removed, they exercised power without limit, and practiced vice without restraint. Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no crime by which they could gain wealth or position. The palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs were guilty of crimes so revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose these dignitaries of the church as monsters too vile to be tolerated. For centuries Europe had made no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual paralysis had fallen upon Christendom. GC 60.2

The Doubts of Infidels: Queries Relative to Scriptural Inconsistencies & Contradictions (1781).

Passage of the bishop’s bill was far from smooth. Several members of Parliament “violently opposed” it, Porteus recalls, and heated discussion also broke out in the House of Lords, though the bill eventually “passed [both houses] without a division.”

“Babylon the great” was “drunken with the blood of the saints.” The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance upon that apostate power.
Popery had become the world’s despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of men, both for time and for eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of Rome had been extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently performed, its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were honored and liberally sustained. Never since has the Roman Church attained to greater dignity, magnificence, or power. GC 59.3 – GC 60.1

But the new law also led to the publication of a powerful and articulate rebuttal, an anonymous pamphlet called The Doubts of Infidels: Queries Relative to Scriptural Inconsistencies & Contradictions (1781). Its author called himself “A Weak but Sincere Christian” who was submitting his questions to “The Bench of Bishops for Elucidation.” As a self-described infidel, however, the author captured both the word’s flavor of heresy and its suggestion of infidelity (“infidel” comes to us via the Old French infidèle). Bristling with indignation and anger, he was doubtful of the bishops’ ability to answer pages of well-documented concerns about scriptural inconsistency, which he detailed for them chapter and verse.

The pamphlet has since been attributed to William Nicholson (1753-1815), a renowned London chemist and philosopher, and it begins as brilliantly controlled satire:

“An act of parliament is,” he writes, “an excellent engine for producing that kind of uniformity of opinions, which consists in holding the tongue. … It is carrying the notion of liberty too far to suppose, because we are free-born Englishmen, that we may choose our own faith and go to heaven our own way!”

Parliament Pope’s Engine of Holding The Tongues Science Deniers : Laudato Si “Our Guide” on Creation and fall of man

Then follows a series of devastating questions: “How can the attributes of God be vindicated, in having performed so great a number of miracles, for a long succession of very distant ages, and so few in latter times?” “Is the account of the creation and fall of man, in the book of Genesis, physical or allegorical?” And so on, for 21 more pages.

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3 : 7

In “The Age of Doubt: Tracing the Roots of Our Religious Uncertainty” (2011), which details this and several other major wrangles over doctrine and dogma, I show that Nicholson’s pamphlet was not the only one to appear after observance of Sunday as “the Lord’s Day” became law across Britain for more than 150 years. However, Nicholson’s intervention helps underline how well-argued doubts about the Bible galvanized British freethinkers in the 1780s, creating a vibrant culture of doubt and unbelief that, among other things, helped temper the extremes to which some Victorians, in their attempt at restricting the public’s movement on Sundays, made clear they were still very much prone.

Two Beasts : Trump’s ‘God squad’ holds increasing sway at White House _Pope Assembles a Squad to Fight Religious Extrimism Bias

A day earlier Trump had unveiled a task force under new Attorney General Pam Bondi to root out what he called the “persecution” of Christians in the United States.

[8] Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. [12] There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Daniel 3 : 8, 12

Danny KEMP

Sat, 8 February 2025 at 1:31 am GMT+33-min read

Trump criticized the bishop who gave the sermon at his post-inaugural prayer service in the Washington National Cathedral (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU) (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/AFP)More

Donald Trump said at his inauguration that he had been “saved by God.” Now he appears to be returning the favor with an increasingly conservative, religious focus in his second term as US president.

The three-times-married billionaire signed an executive order on Friday to open a “Faith Office” at the White House, led by the televangelist Paula White, Trump’s so-called spiritual advisor.

Excommunication?

A day earlier Trump had unveiled a task force under new Attorney General Pam Bondi to root out what he called the “persecution” of Christians in the United States.

The Republican has also appointed several cabinet members with links to Christian nationalists, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

All of this comes despite the fact that Trump has long had an ambiguous relationship with religion.

Though virtually a heathen statute, it was enforced by the emperor after his nominal acceptance of Christianity.
The royal mandate not proving a sufficient substitute for divine authority, Eusebius, a bishop who sought the favor of princes, and who was the special friend and flatterer of Constantine, advanced the claim that Christ had transferred the Sabbath to Sunday. Not a single testimony of the Scriptures was produced in proof of the new doctrine. GC 574.1 – GC 574.2

Unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, Trump rarely appears in Church. He was confirmed into the Presbyterian church but said he was “non-denominational.”

Then there are the sexual scandals — and a criminal conviction for in a porn star hush money case — and the selling of $60 Trump-branded Bibles on the campaign trail.

While he was still a heathen, Constantine issued a decree requiring the general observance of Sunday as a public festival throughout the Roman Empire. After his conversion he remained a staunch advocate of Sunday, and he then enforced his pagan edict in the interests of his new faith. But the honor shown this day was not as yet sufficient to prevent Christians from regarding the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord. Another step must be taken: the false sabbath must be exalted to be equal with the true. A few years after Constantine issued his decree, the Bishop of Rome conferred on the Sunday the title of Lord’s day. In this way the people were gradually led to regard it as having a degree of sacredness. Still the original Sabbath was kept. SH 95.3

Yet evangelical Christians continued to back him in the 2024 election, just as they did in 2016.

– ‘Changed something’ –

During his first term Trump certainly dabbled with religion.

He posed with a Bible outside a church near the White House after security forces cleared out “Black Lives Matter” protesters, and had prayer meetings in the Oval Office with evangelicals.

But now Trump claimed to have had what amounts to a religious awakening.

The 78-year-old said that he had become more religious since he narrowly escaped death when a gunman’s bullet hit him in the ear at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last year.

More Religious since he narrowly Escaped Death

“It changed something in me,” Trump told a prayer breakfast at the US Capitol on Thursday.

“I believed in God, but I feel much more strongly about it.”

Not that this stopped Trump lashing out at the bishop who gave the sermon at his inauguration service, Mariann Budde, after she called on him to show “mercy” to immigrants and LGBTQ people.

But the people Trump has chosen to surround himself in the White House are also telling.

Christian Nationalist Movement Playbook Game ‘acts Jesuits’

A number have ties to the New Apostolic Reformation church — a Christian nationalist movement that calls for the levers of government and society to come under Christian control.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has been linked to the movement, as has Paula White, who will head up his new Faith Office.

White hit the headlines in 2020 when she led a marathon — and widely mocked — prayer session to call for Trump to win the US election against Joe Biden.

Vance converted to Catholicism in his 30s and appeared at a town hall hosted by a leading figure in the New Apostolic Reformation Church.

– ‘Bring religion back’ –

Former Fox contributor and military veteran Hegseth, meanwhile, belongs to a church affiliated to the right-wing Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), a Christian nationalist group.

The movement wants to reestablish Biblical law, with some of its adherents calling for the repeal of women’s right to vote, US media reported.

As the papacy became firmly established, the work of Sunday exaltation was continued. For a time the people engaged in agricultural labor when not attending church, and the seventh day was still regarded as the Sabbath. But steadily a change was effected. Those in holy office were forbidden to pass judgment in any civil controversy on the Sunday. Soon after, all persons, of whatever rank, were commanded to refrain from common labor on pain of a fine for freemen and stripes in the case of servants. Later it was decreed that rich men should be punished with the loss of half of their estates; and finally, that if still obstinate they should be made slaves. The lower classes were to suffer perpetual banishment. GC 574.3
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White

While Trump has not expressed support for such views, he has increasingly adopted positions that have delighted America’s religious right.

He repeatedly boasted that the Supreme Court justices he picked in his first term helped lead to the 2022 overturning of the nationwide right to abortion.

Since his inauguration he has sent a video message to a huge anti-abortion march attended by far-right groups and signed a series of executive orders tackling liberal causes, from diversity to transgender rights and abortion.

Call for an Increased role for Religion

His prayer breakfast speech at the US Capitol this week was unusually explicit in its call for an increased role for religion.

“We have to bring religion back,” said Trump. “Let’s bring God back into our lives.”

dk/st

Dem Claims ‘Christian Prayer’ Should Not Be Allowed In Capitol, Protests National Prayer Breakfast

President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the event stating his intention to “bring God back” to America and address the years of “anti-Christian bias” and “targeting” of Christians that occurred under the Biden Administration, according to the Associated Press.

By Jaryn Crouson of the Daily Caller News Foundation, Originally Published February 6, 2025.

By DCNFFebruary 6, 2025Updated:February 6, 20258 Comments3 Mins Read1K Views

Dem Claims ‘Christian Prayer’ Should Not Be Allowed In Capitol, Protests National Prayer Breakfast — **California Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman protested the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday, claiming it violates the separation between church and state.**

The congressman said in an X video that “Christian prayer” should not be allowed in the Capitol building and that the government needs to “build a wall” between church and state to uphold a “secular republic.” (RELATED: Blue State Bill Would Force Catholic Priests To Violate Church Law)

“I am not going to this event because I support it, I’m actually going to protest it.”

“Hi Folks, just getting ready to cross the street for the National Prayer Breakfast,” Huffman said in the video taken outside of the Capitol. “I am not going to this event because I support it, I’m actually going to protest it.”

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=themainewire&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=Fdem-claims-christian-prayer-should-not-be-allowed-in-capitol-protests-national-prayer-breakfast%2F

“Build This Wall” : “creepy dystopic theocracy” _ “slippery slope we’re heading down with events like this.”

Huffman went on to show several buttons he wore to the event, one that said “Build This Wall” with an image of the Capitol building and a church, and another that said “Entering Gilead” to reference the “creepy dystopic theocracy” he said is the “slippery slope we’re heading down with events like this.”

“So look, we should not be having a Christian prayer in the sanctum of the United States Capitol in Statuary Hall,” Huffman continued. “This is an actual violation of the church-state separation like we’ve never seen.”

The National Prayer Breakfast has hosted members of the government for a time of nonpartisan prayer since 1953, though this is the first year the event was held at the Capitol. Christian prayer has been a routine part of the U.S. government since its inception, and Congress still begins with a prayer at the start of every session. (RELATED: ‘Sign Of Great Hope’: Religious Leaders See A ‘Fourth Great Awakening’ As Americans Flock To Christianity)

The Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a national church

“The Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a national church. It doesn’t say presidents can’t publicly pray,” Josh Mercer, vice president of CatholicVote, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Obama and Biden each attended the National Prayer Breakfast when they were president, but Jared Huffman never protested them, leaving one to assume that Huffman only has a problem when Republicans pray.”

Communist America : Trump Has Ordered the US Attorney General to Create a Task Force to Unite Our Country Again as “One Nation Under God”

https://kingosiemo.wordpress.com/2025/02/07/communist-america-trump-has-ordered-the-us-attorney-general-to-create-a-task-force-to-unite-our-country-again-as-one-nation-under-god/

Huffman has led multiple efforts to strip churches and religious organizations of their tax-exempt statuses. The representative has denied any formal religious affiliation and describes himself as a “humanist.”

“The notion that religion has no place in our nation’s public square just doesn’t hold water,” Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, said in a statement to the DCNF. “Our founders understood the importance of a moral and virtuous citizenry. Our country has been a beacon of light for the world for our commitment to safeguarding religious freedom and countless Americans today of all political stripes consider faith as an important part of their lives.”

President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the event stating his intention to “bring God back” to America and address the years of “anti-Christian bias” and “targeting” of Christians that occurred under the Biden Administration, according to the Associated Press.

Legal organizations urge Texas schools to reject religious curriculum

Jaden Edison

The Texas Tribune

State Board of Education member Tom Maynard prays at the start of the board's Nov. 22 meeting to discuss the controversial Bluebonnet teaching materials. Maynard defended the use of biblical stories in the elementary school materials.

A coalition of legal organizations on Thursday called on Texas school district leaders to reject the adoption of a recently approved state curriculum heavily infused with references to Christianity and biblical teachings.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Center for Inquiry and the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent superintendents and their school boards a letter Thursday telling them that adopting the curriculum, called Bluebonnet Learning, would “unlawfully impose a set of religious beliefs upon your students and violate their constitutionally guaranteed right to be free from religious coercion.”

The letter suggests a willingness by the groups to take legal action to stop Texas schools from adopting the materials.

“Our organizations, which have long fought for religious freedom for all, will closely monitor any school district across the state that considers implementing the Bluebonnet curriculum and will take any action that is necessary and appropriate to protect the rights of Texas children and their parents,” the letter reads.

In a statement to The Texas Tribune responding to the letter, a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency said that “public schools may not provide religious instruction, and there is no religious instruction in Bluebonnet Learning.”

“Bluebonnet Learning is comprised of instructional materials that have a broad base of topics including history, literature, the arts and culture which, when contextually relevant, can include religious topics sampling from a wide range of faiths,” the statement said. “The materials include content from or about varied religious source materials for the literary and historical value of the content and its connection to creating a strong background of knowledge for students.”

The State Board of Education narrowly approved the free-to-use elementary school curriculum in November, with a temporary Gov. Greg Abbott appointee casting the deciding vote.

Schools that choose to adopt the materials this year could begin using them for free at the start of the 2025-26 school year. The state will offer an incentive of $60 per student to districts that choose to do so. The education agency said that added funding would allow schools to offset the costs of printing the curriculum’s materials.

The curriculum uses reading and language arts lessons to advance or establish concepts in other subjects, such as history and social studies. Many of the lesson’s critics, which include religious studies scholars, note that the curriculum’s lessons reference Christianity more than any other religion. They believe the disparity could lead to the bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermine church-state separation and grant the state far-reaching control over how children learn about religion.

Critics have also questioned the accuracy of some lessons, saying the materials whitewash America’s history of slavery and racism. Many see the curriculum as part of a growing Christian nationalist movement, which holds the belief that the United States’ founding was ordained by God and that its laws and institutions should favor Christians.

Roger Williams was respected and beloved as a faithful minister, a man of rare gifts, of unbending integrity and true benevolence; yet his steadfast denial of the right of civil magistrates to authority over the church, and his demand for religious liberty, could not be tolerated. The application of this new doctrine, it was urged, would “subvert the fundamental state and government of the country.”—Ibid., pt. 1, ch. 15, par. 10. He was sentenced to banishment from the colonies, and, finally, to avoid arrest, he was forced to flee, amid the cold and storms of winter, into the unbroken forest.
“For fourteen weeks,” he says, “I was sorely tossed in a bitter season, not knowing what bread or bed did mean.” But “the ravens fed me in the wilderness,” and a hollow tree often served him for a shelter.—Martyn, vol. 5, pp. 349, 350. Thus he continued his painful flight through the snow and the trackless forest, until he found refuge with an Indian tribe whose confidence and affection he had won while endeavoring to teach them the truths of the gospel.
Making his way at last, after months of change and wandering, to the shores of Narragansett Bay, he there laid the foundation of the first state of modern times that in the fullest sense recognized the right of religious freedom. The fundamental principle of Roger Williams’s colony was “that every man should have liberty to worship God according to the light of his own conscience.”—Ibid., vol. 5, p. 354. His little state, Rhode Island, became the asylum of the oppressed, and it increased and prospered until its foundation principles—civil and religious liberty—became the cornerstones of the American Republic.
In that grand old document which our forefathers set forth as their bill of rights—the Declaration of Independence—they declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” And the Constitution guarantees, in the most explicit terms, the inviolability of conscience: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
“The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man’s relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate.”—Congressional documents (U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271. GC 294.2 – GC 295.3
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White

Education officials and advocates for the curriculum say references to Christianity will provide students with a better understanding of the country’s history and the effect of important texts like the Bible on the world. They say the materials cover a broad range of faiths and only make references to religion when appropriate. Officials also believe the curriculum provides students with an in-depth understanding of the abolition of slavery, highlights the importance of events like Juneteenth and the Civil Rights Movement, and celebrates the contributions of Black Texans.

Abbott, after the curriculum’s passage, called Bluebonnet “a critical step forward to bring students back to the basics of education and provide the best education in the nation.”

Public Schools Now Religious Schools! Shaw: No displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools and no taxpayer dollars to private schools

Public Schools Now Religious Schools! Shaw: No displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools and no taxpayer dollars to private schools

Since the curriculum received approval in November, at least one school board — the South San Antonio school district — has voted to adopt the materials. The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw district in Fort Worth plans to use the math portion of the materials but avoid the reading materials infused with the Bible lessons. The Conroe school district, located north of Houston, started considering whether to adopt the lessons. And the Denton school district in North Texas publicly stated that it does not plan to consider the curriculum.

“There’s a lot of interest from districts around the state in Bluebonnet, and we are sort of nonstop helping answer those inquiries, supporting them, answering their questions, trying to help facilitate transition,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told the State Board of Education this week.

School districts have wide latitude when it comes to adopting lesson plans. A district could, for example, decide to use parts of Bluebonnet and ignore other sections, such as the chapters that reference Christianity. Or a district could choose to heavily reference the biblical lessons in Bluebonnet while using another curriculum for other teachings.

Legal experts told The Texas Tribune that recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority have eroded decades of precedent and made it unclear what state actions constitute a violation of the Establishment Clause, which prohibits state endorsement of a particular religion.

The Supreme Court decided, for instance, that a Washington state high school football coach did not violate the First Amendment by conducting personal prayers on the field after team games. In doing so, the justices ended what many referred to as the Lemon test, a standard the court relied upon to assess whether a government action, in part, represented an “excessive entanglement” between church and state.

During a State Board of Education meeting last year, Austin Kinghorn, the state’s deputy attorney general for legal strategy, told board members that he sees teaching about religion and the Bible as “absolutely permissible” under the Constitution.

“So long as it’s done in an objective, academic manner and it does not amount to proselytization,” Kinghorn said.

The letter sent by the legal organizations Thursday expressed the groups’ stance that the Bluebonnet curriculum “treats Christianity and the Bible as true.” The organizations cited many lessons in the curriculum, including one for fifth graders on the painting of the Last Supper. The organizations say it presents the Book of Matthew as “a literal and historical record of what happened.”

The groups reference a unit they say describes Jesus as a historical figure “without any qualification” and that directs teachers to mention that the “Christian Bible explains that Jesus rose from the dead.” The groups also criticize a lesson that asks students to repeat the phrase that starts the creation story in the biblical Book of Genesis and an activity requesting that children remember the order in which the Bible says God created the universe.

Richard Conn, general counsel for the Center for Inquiry, an organization advocating against religion in government, said in a statement that the Bluebonnet curriculum represents “a clear and obvious Establishment Clause violation, even if Texas legislators have decided to pretend otherwise.”

Conn added,

“We urge school superintendents not to make that same mistake and instead to stand up for the rights and constitutionally protected freedoms of the students, families, and communities they serve.”

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs and engages with Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Idaho lawmaker wants to ‘cultivate’ morality through mandated public school Bible reading

By Ian Max Stevenson

Updated February 06, 2025 11:01 PM

Christian conservative lawmakers in Idaho are pushing to bring the Bible into public schools. Shawn Raecke Shawn Raecke

A nationwide effort by Christian conservatives to tear down firewalls between the government and religion took a step forward in Idaho on Thursday, with the introduction of a bill to require Bible reading in all public schools.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, would require verses of the Bible to be read daily, “without comment,” in all “occupied” classrooms at public schools, such that the entire Bible would be read over a 10-year period. The proposal would allow teachers to absent themselves from the readings if they have a “conscience” objection, and also allow students to skip participation if they have a note from their parents.

Parents and other members of the public could sue if they believed the law was not being enforced, and a judge could order the school to comply, according to the bill.

Trump signs executive order to combat ‘anti-Christian bias’ : Today Christian Nationalists Exile Rodger Williams https://kingosiemo.wordpress.com/2025/02/07/trump-signs-executive-order-to-combat-anti-christian-bias/

“The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man’s relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate.”—Congressional documents (U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271.

“This bill seeks to cultivate morality and encourage good citizenship,” Redman told a House committee Thursday.

The Idaho Family Policy Center, a Christian lobbying group that has also previously written state laws that limit abortion and transgender rights, crafted the Bible bill.

Blaine Conzatti, the group’s president, stressed Idaho’s history with religion during Thursday’s House committee hearing, adding that an Idaho law passed in 1925 required public school Bible reading.

Trump signs executive order to combat ‘anti-Christian bias’ : Today Christian Nationalists Exile Rodger Williams https://kingosiemo.wordpress.com/2025/02/07/trump-signs-executive-order-to-combat-anti-christian-bias/

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1963 barred school-sponsored prayer and Bible reading in public schools. Teaching the Bible violates the First Amendment’s requirement that the government “maintain strict neutrality, neither aiding nor opposing religion,” the nation’s highest court ruled.

The following year, federal judges in Idaho implemented the U.S. justices’ decision by quashing the earlier state law. However, it remains on the books.

The 1963 decision was one of a number of mid-century liberal Supreme Court decisions that broadened civil liberties and individual rights — and which many conservatives have since sought to undo. Conzatti called the court’s 62-year-old opinion in the case, Abington School District v. Schempp, an “activist” decision.

Richard Seamon is a constitutional law professor at the University of Idaho. He told the Idaho Statesman by phone that, based on the court’s 1963 ruling, the proposed bill would be plainly unconstitutional.

Youths Organizing To Fight Those Raping The Earth, Pope Youths Revolution

But the Supreme Court justices in recent years have already undone a number of limits on religion in the public square — like affirming a public school football coach’s right to pray on the field with his players, or requiring school voucher eligibility for religious schools. So the high court may expand on those in the future, Seamon said.

“The trend is to uphold religious practices in the public sector that probably wouldn’t have survived under earlier case law,” he said, noting that the court’s justices in recent years — a majority of which have been appointed by Republican presidents — have focused on the “history and traditions” of the country.

Idaho following lead of Louisiana, Oklahoma

Last year, Oklahoma ordered public schools to read the Bible, and a Louisiana law requires the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools.

“Folks who believe that religion should have a greater role in the public schools are taking this time and this trend of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions to take a run at some of these practices that have been struck down in the past,” Seamon said.

Three Republicans as well as the two Democrats on the House committee were skeptical of the new Idaho legislation.

“This country was settled by people that weren’t moving to religion, they were moving away from state-mandated religion,” Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, told the committee. “To me, this picks a particular religion’s Bible, and I am not for advancing this.”

Rep. Dan Garner, R-Clifton, asked Conzatti whether Attorney General Raúl Labrador had given an opinion on the bill. Conzatti declined to respond. A spokesperson for Labrador’s office declined to comment.

Rep. Chris Mathias, D-Boise, the only Black member of the Legislature, said he had many questions about the bill he would address at its expected public hearing.

“I can’t speak for all Black people, but history and tradition tests just really make me nervous,” he said.

President Trump’s China Tariffs to Raise Cost of Bibles_Price increase comes as sales of Bibles, many printed in China, are also rising

Culture Featured

Mark Kellner February 7, 2025

Bible buyers in the U.S. will likely be paying more for copies of Scripture.

FILE – Then former President Donald Trump endorses the “God Bless the USA” Bible in a March 2024 video. (Video screen grab)

Any Bibles printed and bound in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will face a 10% tariff imposed by President Donald Trump on exports from the Asian industrial giant.

A White House official, who spoke on background, told MinistryWatch the February 1 tariffs are designed to make the PRC blunt the flow of fentanyl and the opioid’s components to the U.S., often by way of Mexico. The official said there are no exemptions for Bibles, as was granted in 2019 when a 25% tariff was imposed on China in Trump’s first term.

Ironically, the tariff comes as Americans are buying more Bibles. The Wall Street Journal reported a 22% spike in Scripture sales for the first 10 months of 2024, versus the same period in 2023.

Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, told MinistryWatch via email that without exemption, “consumers and religious organizations will face higher prices, and churches, schools, ministries and non-profit organizations will have fewer resources to educate others and connect them to God’s word, the Bible.”

The ECPA chief said global policy officials at the Association of American Publishers “indicated that the exemptions from 2019 were still in effect, but this is a very fluid situation.”

Because many Bibles are printed on thinner paper than novels or nonfiction books, specialized printing facilities and trained personnel are required to produce the ever-expanding range of Scriptures hitting the American market. China’s Amity Publishing Company is arguably the PRC’s top Bible-maker, churning out texts in 147 languages, including controversial “Sinicized” versions for the domestic market.

Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.

It appears the vast majority of specialized and study Bibles sold in the United States are printed in Chinese facilities. In 2019 Tyndale House said 56% of its Bibles were produced in the PRC. That same year, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, which owns Zondervan and Thomas Nelson publishing imprints, told Christianity Today its Chinese production accounted for “more than three-quarters of its production costs” for books, including Bibles.

MinistryWatch contacted HCCP, Tyndale, and Holman, the Bible publishing imprint of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Lifeway Resources, for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.

A controversial Bible endorsed—but not sold—by Trump is likely also subject to the new levy.

The $59.99 “God Bless the USA Bible,” which Trump endorsed last year during his successful presidential run, is manufactured in the PRC, the Associated Press reported in October 2024.

Derided by critics as a “Trump Bible,” the volume includes the King James Version text of the Scriptures, as well as the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Pledge of Allegiance and a handwritten reproduction of the chorus of “God Bless the USA,” the popular Lee Greenwood song Trump used at campaign rallies.

The Trump-boosted Scriptures are produced in Hangzhou, China, which had shipped 120,000 copies to the U.S. distributor last year, the AP reported. Marketers have since produced new editions of the Bible noting Trump’s inauguration last month.

MinistryWatch contacted the publisher of the “God Bless the USA Bible” for comment, but did not hear back.

TO OUR READERS: Do you have a story idea, or do you want to give us feedback about this or any other story? Please email us: info@ministrywatch.com

Trump to ‘Own’ Gaza : Israel exodus, Economic Golden Age of Deportations

Jeremiah 13:

Ruined Waistband- The Pride Of Judah, And The Great Pride Of Jerusalem

1, ¶ Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.

2, So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.

3, And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,

4, Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

5, So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

6, And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

7, Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

8, Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

9, Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

10, This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

They Might Be Unto Me For A People, And For A Name, And For A Praise, And For A Glory

11, For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

12, ¶ Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

Jos 9:13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles:2 else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

13, Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

2Pe 3:9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

14, And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

PERILOUS TIMES-LOVERS OF PLEASURES

15, Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.

16, GIVE GLORY TO THE LORD YOUR GOD, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

17, But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive.

How Art Thou Cut Down To The Ground, Which Didst Weaken The Nations!

18, Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: FOR YOUR PRINCIPALITIES SHALL COME DOWN, EVEN THE CROWN OF YOUR GLORY.

Eze 22:10 In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.

Eze 22:11 And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

19, The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.

20, Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north (BABYLON): where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

Revelation 16:13-16 (Revelation 13:13, 14; Revelation 17:13, 14; Revela- tion 19:11-16; see EGW comment on Revelation 7:1-3). Battle of Armageddon Soon to Be Fought—There are only two parties in our world, those who are loyal to God, and those who stand under the banner of the prince of darkness. Satan and his angels will come down with power and signs and lying wonders to deceive those who dwell on the earth, and if possible the very elect. The crisis is right upon us.Is this to paralyze the energies of those who have a knowl- edge of the truth? Is the influence of the powers of deception so far reaching that the influence of the truth will be overpowered?

The battle of Armageddon is soon to be fought. He on whose vesture is written the name, King of kings and Lord of lords, leads forth the armies of heaven on white horses, clothed in fine linen, clean and white (Manuscript 172, 1899).

Isa 17: 12, ¶ Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!

13, The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

Every form of evil is to spring into intense activity. Evil angels unite their powers with evil men, and as they have been in constant conflict and attained an experience in the best modes of deception and battle, and have been strengthening for centuries, they will not yield the last great final contest without a desperate struggle. All the world will be on one side or the other of the question. The battle of Armageddon will be fought, and that day must find none of us

sleeping. Wide awake we must be, as wise virgins having oil in our vessels with our lamps….

MICHAEL– the Captain of the Lord’s host will stand

The power of the Holy Ghost must be upon us, and the Captain of the Lord’s host will stand at the head of the angels of heaven to direct the battle. Solemn events before us are yet to transpire. Trumpet after trumpet is to be sounded, vial after vial poured out one after another upon the inhabitants of the earth. Scenes of stupendous interest are right upon us (Letter 112, 1890).

Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

For Thou Hast Taught Them To Be Captains, And As Chief Over Thee-BEGINNING OF SORROWS

21, What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?

22, ¶ And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.

Zec 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt (Aaron) of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. Isa 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

23, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

24, Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.

25, This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

Mat 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

26, Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.

27, I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?

Rev 16:12 ¶ And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings (dragons) of the east might be prepared.

Exo 14:21 ¶ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. Exo 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

13, And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Dragon Tail Of Deception-Liar From Antiquity-Murderer

Isa 9:15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Priest (Aaron Skirt) Mouth of Truth

Mal 2:6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and DID TURN MANY AWAY FROM INIQUITY.

Mal 2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Spirits Of Devils Reign On The Earth

14, For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

15, Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

16, And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Ripening Cosmic Conflict- Prince of Air Full Sway

17, ¶ And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a GREAT VOICE out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, IT IS DONE.

Deu 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

Jer 51:55 Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:

14-16 (Ephesians 6:12; see EGW comment on Revelation

5:11). Two Opposing Powers—Two great opposing powers are [983] revealed in the last great battle. On one side stands the Creator of heaven and earth. All on His side bear His signet. They are obedient to His commands. On the other side stands the prince of darkness, with those who have chosen apostasy and rebellion (The Review and Herald, May 7, 1901).

GOD’S LAW HONORED AGAIN

18, And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Exo 20:18 ¶ And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

The Great City Was Divided Into Three Parts-ROMANISM,WORLDINGS & APOSTATE PROTESTANTISM

19, And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,7 son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Every Island Fled Away, And The Mountains

20, And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21, And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

(Revelation 12:12.) Satan Mustering His Forces for Last Battle—The present is a solemn, fearful time for the church. The angels are already girded, awaiting the mandate of God to pour their vials of wrath upon the world. Destroying angels are taking up the work of vengeance; for the Spirit of God is gradually withdrawing from the world. Satan is also mustering his forces of evil, going forth “unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,” to gather them under his banner, to be trained for “the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Satan is to make most powerful efforts for the mastery in the last great conflict. Fundamental principles will be brought out, and decisions made in regard to them. Skepticism is prevailing everywhere. Ungodliness abounds. The faith of individual members of the church will be tested as though there were not another person in the world (Manuscript 1a, 1890).

14-17 (Revelation 18:1). The Armies of God Take the Field—We need to study the pouring out of the seventh vial. The powers of evil will not yield up the conflict without a struggle. But Providence has a part to act in the battle of Armageddon. When the earth is lighted with the glory of the angel of Revelation eighteen, the religious elements, good and evil, will awake from slumber, and the armies of the living God will take the field (Manuscript 175, 1899).