CHRISTIAN CHURCHES URGED TO FLY U.S. FLAG BELOW ANOTHER ONE

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‘THE LORD JUST LAID ON ME THAT HE IS 1ST’

Bob Unruh, WND Faith — First it was one church. Then a second joined. Now there’s an online presence and a campaign for people of faith across the nation to recognize that God comes first, ahead of nation, and that means the Stars and Stripes will be accorded second place, behind the Christian flag.

According to a report from WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina, pastor Rit Varriale is placing the Christian flag at the top, with the American flag below it, on the flagpole at Elizabeth Baptist Church in the town of Shelby.

“Our typical flag etiquette is to have the American flag above the Christian flag. But when you stop and think about it, it should be our commitment to God first, then our commitment to country,” he told WBTV.

See video coverage of the story:

He admits he got the idea from pastor Walter Wilson, down to road, at Focus Missionary Baptist Church.

And Wilson said the idea just came to him.

“As I was changing the rope one day, the Lord just laid on me that He is first and when He told me that, I switched the flags around.”

Now Varriale has launched the God Before Government website, through which other pastors are encouraged to join the movement.

There, he writes, “If there was ever a time when people need to stand up for traditional values and beliefs, it is now. On Sunday July 5th, Elizabeth Baptist Church in Shelby, North Carolina, took its stand with a flag raising ceremony that displayed the Christian flag over the American flag. This new approach to flag etiquette symbolizes that our service and commitment to God is greater than our service and commitment to government – especially a government that coerces us to violate our commitments to God.”

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He said churches need to “start flying the flags in such
a manner that it is clear we will serve God before government.
If your church is willing to join ours, please take a picture of the
flag pole at your church, post it on Instagram, Facebook, or
Twitter using the hashtag #GodBeforeGovernment, and join the conversation about religious freedom and the
role of government in modern society.”

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On the site, he advises readers that silence is “no longer an option.”

He recalled a prayer offered to the North Carolina General Assembly, in which he said, “The sad truth about the church is that it often takes the path of ease, when instead it should take the path of resistance, responsibility and reform. … The American church, like the German church of the 1930s and 1940s, is free of persecution because it has done little that is worthy of persecution.”

Both pastors told WBTV they hope to spark a movement across the land – especially in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that created same-sex “marriage” in all 50 states.

Varriale acknowledges that some claim the move is disrespectful. And unpatriotic.

But the former Army Ranger brushes it off.

“I really don’t need a lecture on patriotism. I’m willing to give my life for my country. When you think of military mottoes, for example, God and country, God first and then country,” he told WBTV.

Varriale he said the position of the flag is a symbol that congregations will serve God first.

One online commenter, Dave Higginson said, it’s a wake-up call for Americans “that God blessed us with our country and [Christians] should not, nor ever will, play ‘second fiddle.”

» Full Article

About the Author

BOB UNRUH joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially.

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PASTOR SPILLS SECRET ON KIDS SUMMONING DEMONS

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‘WE ARE SEEING MORE OF THIS BECAUSE IT WAS
PREDICTED IN THE WORD OF GOD’

WND EXCLUSIVE — Young people around the world are trying to summon a demon in the latest trend sweeping social media – but a well-known pastor and Christian author believes those who participated in the “Charlie Charlie challenge” are fooling themselves about the realities of the spiritual realm.

Pastor and bestselling Christian author Carl Gallups told WND: “The ‘Charlie Charlie’ trick is just that – a trick. In fact, it’s an old bar room parlor trick that originally involved putting two cigarettes on top of each other, only now it’s two pencils. It’s very easy to manipulate and make it look like something is happening by itself when actually it’s just someone breathing on the pencils, usually the person filming the ‘challenge.’ So these kids are not actually summoning demons or anything like that.”

But the mundane reality isn’t stopping media outlets around the world from discussing the phenomenon and more broadly entertaining the possibilities of conjuration. MTV even lightheartedly suggested nine other demons people can summon.

In the “Charlie Charlie Challenge,” participants align two pencils in the shape of a cross and ask, “Charlie, Charlie are you here?” Supposedly, the pencils then move to indicate the entity’s presence. On YouTube, videos of participants filming themselves doing the “challenge” are racking up tens of thousands of views.

Gallups sees real significance in the massive reaction to the “Charlie Charlie Challenge.”

“This story is everywhere in mainstream news coverage, even though there’s nothing actually there,” he said. “People are utterly fascinated by it. And interestingly, much of the fascination seems to be coming from the United Kingdom.”

The author of “Final Warning: Understanding the Trumpet Days of Revelation” believes while the challenge itself is bogus, the spiritual world and demons themselves are real. And Gallups believes the massive reaction to the challenge by a post-Christian culture reflects the hunger people have to experience spiritual realities.

He observed, “We live in a secular culture and here we have all these people that are so aggressively secular, so aggressively anti-Christian, who believe in evolution, and yet they are so quick to want to contact a demon.”

Gallups added, “People are turning to this kind of thing because there is a hunger for spiritual life. The fact is, we are spiritual beings. The Word of God is so clear. God sent his Son to die for us, and there is only one way to salvation. God cares about how we are living our lives. But people don’t want to live under that. They reject God’s authority over their lives. So this is an attempt by people to be in touch with their spiritual side, but still be in rebellion against God.”

Parents should not overreact if their children are participating in the “challenge” and should instead encouraging them to show what a simple con it really is, Gallups said. However, he also notes that the old parlor game, framed in its new context as an attempt at demonic conjuration, could lead to real dangers.

Gallups warned: “This is the Ouija board of our time in the sense that it is a trick, but also a gateway drug. This is a gateway to the occult.

“It’s like candy cigarettes. In and of itself, it is harmless. But look at what you are actually doing. With candy cigarettes, you are walking around pretending to smoke. With this, you are literally praying to a supposed demon, calling out to ‘Charlie,’ asking for a gateway to be opened. So it is a trick, but it can set people on a path to something darker.”

As a specialist in the End Times prophesied by the Book of Revelation, Gallups believes the rising interest in the occult and attempts to dabble in magic and demonology are another sign the latter days are approaching.

“We are living in prophetic times,” he said. “We are the only generation to see the creation of Israel, the rise of ISIS, the alliance of the nations against the Jewish state, and so much else that has been foretold. And we even hear increasing warnings of global war.

“There have always been fortune tellers, and supposed magicians and whatever else. The difference now is we live in a world that allows for instant, worldwide communication. And as it says in 1 Timothy 4, verse 1, ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

The bottom line?

“You shouldn’t play around with conjuring and trying to contact the demonic world,” Gallups said. “But we are seeing more of this because it was predicted in the Word of God.”

» Full Article
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AMERICA GOING SECULAR? SURVEY SAYS – YES

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CHRISTIAN RANKS FALL
AS NUMBERS CLAIMING ‘NO FAITH’ GROW

Cheryl Chumley, Testing The Faith, WND — Christianity is still the dominant religion in America, with seven in 10 claiming affiliation with the belief, but those touting no particular religion – the “nones” – are rapidly taking over the country.

The number of “nones” has grown to 56 million, a Pew Research Center study released Tuesday found.

Pew conducted two surveys between 2007 and 2014 on religion in America and discovered the number of Americans who claim atheism, agnosticism, or no particular faith grew from 16 percent to 23 percent. During that time frame, the number of Americans laying claim to Christianity fell from 78 percent to 71 percent.

Protestants are now only 47 percent of the country, a massive decrease in recent years, Pew found. By the numbers, Protestants decreased by five million, to 36 million, between 2007 and 2014.

“[The findings] point to substantive changes” said Greg Smith, Pew’s associated research director, in the Associated Press.

Among one noted change: Those with no religious affiliation or belief trend Democratic. Conversely, white evangelicals typically vote Republican, Pew said.

The survey of 35,000 people is called “America’s Changing Religious Landscape” and has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.6 percent.

It notes: “The drop in the Christian share of the population has been driven mainly by declines among mainline Protestants and Catholics. Each of those large religious traditions has shrunk by approximately three percentage points since 2007. … And the share of Americans who identify with non-Christian faiths also has inched up, rising 1.2 percentage points, from 4.7 percent in 2007 to 5.9 percent in 201. Growth has been especially great among Muslims and Hindus, albeit from a very low base.”

» Full Article

About the Author

CHERYL K. CHUMLEY is a staff writer for WND and author of "Police State USA: How Orwell’s Nightmare is Becoming our Reality." Formerly with the Washington Times, she is a journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation in Washington, D.C., where she spent a year researching and writing about private property rights.

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BALTIMORE BURNS AND MEDIA WONDER: WHERE’S OBAMA?

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Fox News Guest Says Prez Should
Use His ‘BIG MOUTH’ To Calm City

Cheryl Chumley, WND — As Baltimore burns and chaos in the city continues, analysts in the media have started to question: Where’s President Obama and why isn’t he making a public statement?

“The president of the United States, who’s got a big mouth, should have been on national TV last night saying, ‘Kids, go home,’” said former New York Police Department detective Bo Dietl, during a Tuesday interview on Fox & Friends.

Dietl’s remarks were framed in the context of saying most of the Monday evening protesters were youth who were in the streets because schools were closed, and who wanted to make an impression on their friends.

“These are kids who thought this was an opportunity to [say], ‘Wow, let’s go loot stores,’” he said. “It was animal house, that’s what it is. When you have nowhere, nothing to live for, you want to do something that makes your friends go, “Wow, Bo just whacked a cop.’ That’s what’s out there.”

Dietl issued a stark warning the violence in Baltimore needed to be quickly “nipped,” else it would grow worse. And he faulted Obama for not taking the opportunity to send out a message of peace and calm.

“This should have been nipped in the bud and the president … should get on national TV and say [stop],” Dietl said. “We’ve got to take charge otherwise anarchy will be all over this country. … I pray to God the president steps up and becomes a leader.”

He’s not alone in that view.

Charles Payne, a Fox Business Network analyst, said similarly on the same news show.

“Obama mishandled this whole thing, particularly on the racial side,” Payne said. “You’ve got to admonish people. You can’t always make the looters the victims. … When we look at President Obama, he could have taken the words of Martin Luther King to the next level,” and spoken of the immediate need for peace.

Looters and rioters have been setting fires, damaging buildings and breaking into businesses and destroying properties in recent days, since the funeral of Freddie Gray, a black man who died from massive spinal injuries incurred during police custody.

» Full Article

About the Author

CHERYL K. CHUMLEY is a staff writer for WND and author of "Police State USA: How Orwell’s Nightmare is Becoming our Reality." Formerly with the Washington Times, she is a journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation in Washington, D.C., where she spent a year researching and writing about private property rights.

» Cheryl Chumley | Article Archive
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POPE AGAIN STOKES WORLD WAR III FEARS

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Heinous Crimes Committed Against Christians
Daily In Bloody Massacres

Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, WND — NEW YORK – At a time when Christians worldwide are facing persecutions of historic nature, Pope Francis, in his homily delivered Sunday at Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City, expressed concern that “World War II is upon us” and urged Christians to proclaim their faith fearlessly, without concern for the consequences.

“The path of the Church is openness, to speak frankly, with liberty,” Pope Francis said, reading from New Testament scriptures of the days after the Resurrection of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and gave them the courage to go forth and proclaim their faith without fear.

Pope Francis based his homily from the Acts of the Apostles, recalling the words of Saint Peter and Saint John expressing the courage they felt after the Resurrection when the Holy Spirit had descended upon them, urging them to shed their fear of reprisals, going forth openly into the world to proclaim, “We can speak openly now of what we have seen and heard Jesus do.”

“Even today, the message of the Church is the message of the openness in the path of Christian courage,” the pope said. “These two apostles, Peter and John, as the Bible says, found they had the courage without having to be told what to do. The Bible conveys this in simple words, translated as ‘courage,’ ‘openness,’ ‘freedom to speak,’ and ‘to not be afraid” to say what they felt. Even in the original, the Bible has so much significance with the simple assurance that all our fears will pass when we find the courage to express our faith in Christ openly.”

The pope’s homily at the Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City followed a High Mass celebrated in the St. Peter’s Cathedral to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1915 massacre of the Armenians by the Turks, in which the pope caused uproar in Turkey by utilizing the Armenian genocide of a hundred years ago to explain that Christians once again are seeing “heinous crimes committed against Christians daily, in bloody massacres and the madness of destruction.”

“I fear we are already in World War III,” Pope Francis said, explaining that genocides such as happened to the Armenians in World War I and were repeated with the atrocities of Hitler and Stalin in World War II are being repeated today.

“I fear World War III is upon us when we hear daily the muffled cries of our brothers and sisters who are killed in unimaginable violence. These martyrs, simply because they believe in Jesus Christ or because of their ethnicity, are forced to abandon their land or be murdered horribly – decapitated, crucified, and burned alive.”

In reporting on the pope’s homily at Mass in the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City, the Vatican Radio noted the hero of the story is the Holy Spirit.

[...see full article link below for entire report]

» Full Article

Related ‘WND’ Article
» OBAMA BREAKS VOW TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Critic Points To Pressure From Turkish President

About the Author

Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, a Harvard Ph.D., is a WND senior staff reporter. He has authored many books, including No. 1 N.Y. Times best-sellers ‘The Obama Nation’ and ‘Unfit for Command.’ Corsi's latest book is Where's the REAL Birth Certificate?

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‘GAYS’ IN TIZZY AFTER VOTERS DEFEND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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Activists Vow New Push For Special Legal Protections

Cheryl Chumley, WND — Residents of Springfield, Missouri, the state’s third largest city, voted to repeal a six-month-old ordinance that gave housing and hiring protections to homosexuals, but ‘gay’ activists are hardly giving up.

The group PROMO, Promoting Equality for All Missourians – a statewide organization that presses for anti-discrimination laws for ‘gays,’ lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders via legislative action – reacted to the repeal with a promise to keep pressing for change.

“PROMO and the entire community of Springfield will continue to focus on the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act (MONA) which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Missouri Human Rights Statute, which currently prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations for other protected categories, including race, sex and national origin,” the group said on its website.

WND reported the Springfield vote came only days after Indiana rushed through a change in a state religious freedom law amid a backlash led by homosexual-rights groups. Arkansas reacted, meanwhile, by modifying a similar bill before it was adopted.

PROMO said the more than 160,000 LGBT adults who live in Missouri would benefit from a statewide law.

Meanwhile, posters at a Facebook page for The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of the Ozarks were more blunt in their reactions to the appeal.

One wrote: “Ok Springfield you brought this on yourself. Since the state of misery has deemed that I am a male and Springfield has determined that I am no longer supposed to use the girls bathroom, then I can only conclude what any reasonable person would. Since I am ‘male’ I am allowed to go shirtless. Hope you enjoy my gorgeous boobs during my top less walks thru your fine bigoted city. I encourage all of my TG/TS/Intersexed sisters to do the same. Sorry [expletive], I can now legally get an even tan from the waist up. You can’t have it both ways.”

And others on the same site reminded, “Remember, we are a strong and resilient community.”

The homosexual-rights group Human Rights Campaign weighed in, giving kudos to ordinance supporters for their hard work to fight the repeal.

“The fight goes on and the future is bright,” HRC’s national field director Marty Rouse said in a statement posted on the group’s website. “We’re committed to ensuring that equality will ultimately prevail in Springfield and throughout the state of Missouri.”

Who’s to blame for the demand for same-sex “marriage”? Paul Kengor’s “Takedown” argues that extreme-left radicals are attacking America’s families in their pursuit of “fundamental transformation.”

The vote earlier this week, as reported by WND, was painted by some media as a religious battle. Time magazine, for instance, opened a story with this sentence: “Like recent political battles in Indiana and Arkansas, the fight pitted Christians against the LGBT community.”

Others, however, see the controversy over Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act as more of a constitutional issue, ensuring that First Amendment rights are upheld for all.

Springfield’s vote was emotionally charged. The ordinance ended up being repealed with 51 percent of the vote.

City Council members had approved the non-discrimination rule in October with a 6-3 voice, making it illegal to discriminate against anyone in housing or employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Sign the petition in support of ordinances that allow Christian business owners to live by their faith.

» Full Article

About the Author

CHERYL K. CHUMLEY is a staff writer for WND and author of "Police State USA: How Orwell’s Nightmare is Becoming our Reality." Formerly with the Washington Times, she is a journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation in Washington, D.C., where she spent a year researching and writing about private property rights.

» Cheryl Chumley | Article Archive
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THE FALSE PROPHET OF THE END TIMES

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WND TV interviews Laurie Cardoza Moore, president and founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, about who the false prophet of the end times will be.

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IT’S OFFICIAL! BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA HATES CHRISTIANITY

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Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Explains Why
President Is ‘Revealing His Dark Heart Now’

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“For the devil is come down to you, having great wrath,
because he knows that he has but a short time.”

Revelation 12:12 ~ King James Version (KJV) Bible

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Jesse Lee Peterson, WND —

“This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.”

– Barack Obama to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev

If anyone doubted Barack Hussein Obama’s deep hatred of Christianity and abiding love for Islam, those doubts should now be erased after Obama verbally attacked some 3,500 Christians at the recent National Prayer Breakfast.

Just days after ISIS burned a Jordanian pilot alive, Obama used the occasion to minimize the escalating brutality by Islamists and lecture Christians about their supposed history of intolerance, incredibly reaching back as far as a thousand years to make his point:

“Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,” Obama said. “In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.”

And thus Obama’s hatred of Christianity has been revealed for the world to see.

Obama left out that the Crusades were a defensive measure against the Islamic conquest of the Christian world. Islam teaches war against “non-believers” and conversion by force. Christianity teaches that people must wage an internal spiritual battle that leads to repentance and inner peace.

Obama also failed to mention that some of the greatest abolitionists and civil rights leaders who eradicated slavery and Jim Crow were Christians. And that slavery still exists today in many Muslim countries!

Contrast Obama’s rebuke of Christianity to what he has said about Islam:

• “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.”

• The Muslim call to prayer is “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”

• “America is not – and will never be – at war with Islam.”

Islam influenced Obama at a young age. His biological father and his stepfather were both Muslim. He lived in a Muslim nation. Obama was a close friend of Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. and a member of his America-hating, anti-Israel and racist black church. As a result of his background, Obama has an aversion to Christianity and for America’s exceptionality.

Fundamentally Transforming … The World

Obama not only wants to fundamentally transform America, he wants to transform the world and prop Islam up as a “great religion.” He wants Christians and Jews to doubt their faith and turn a blind eye to the evil nature of Islam.

Case in point: Iranian officials claim that Obama administration officials are “begging” them to sign an agreement on nuclear weapons. According to the Associated Press, the United States is conceding ground to Iran in talks and will now allow it to “keep much of its uranium-enriching technology.”

Obama’s love for Iran, a major state sponsor of terrorism, is no secret. In the past, he has openly gushed about this murderous Islamic nation:

“To the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran … your art, your music, literature and innovation have made the world a better and more beautiful place. … We know that you’re a great civilization and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world.”

Obama’s affinity for Islam, his hostility toward Israel and his selfish political aspiration to negotiate “peace for our time” is empowering Iran and jeopardizing the security of the U.S. and our allies.

Iran has stated that it wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, and a nuclear Iran could be the leverage Obama seeks to coerce Israel to allow a Palestinian state, which would be a major political and personal accomplishment for Obama.

Obama operatives are trying to undermine the upcoming March 17 Israeli elections – no doubt to support a more liberal Israeli leader. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported that a U.S. taxpayer-funded nonprofit organization called OneVoice is actively working with a campaign operation called Victory 2015 (V15) – working hand-in-hand with Obama field director Jeremy Bird – in an effort to defeat Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Why Obama Is Revealing His Dark Heart Now

Obama knows “his time is short” and that he has no more elections. Despite losing both chambers of Congress, Obama is still acting like he’s in control – and Republicans refuse to stop him. They’re caving in on almost every campaign promise. The weaker the opposing force, the bolder Obama becomes.

Republicans are weak with Obama, like the West is weak with Islamists. Obama said the sound of Muslim prayer is “one of the prettiest sounds on earth at sunset.” If that’s true, what is the second prettiest sound – that of a man being burned alive or the sound of a human being’s head being sliced off by Islamic terrorists?

If Obama is not stopped, ISIS, al-Qaida, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood will have their way, and America will be forced to bow to Islam (as Obama bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia). Then, the only choice left for us will be to submit or die.

That is a choice unacceptable to any real self-respecting American.

» Full Article

About the Author

THE REV. JESSE LEE PETERSON is the founder and president of two dynamic organizations: BOND (Brotherhood Organization Of A New Destiny), a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to "Rebuilding the Family by Rebuilding the Man," and BOND Action, a 501(c) (4) organization whose purpose is to educate, motivate and rally Americans – especially black Americans – to greater involvement in the moral, cultural and political issues that threaten our great country. In 2011, Jesse founded The South Central L.A. Tea Party. He's a media commentator and also hosts "The Jesse Lee Peterson Radio Show" M-F, 6-9 a.m. Pacific, 9-Noon Eastern (weekend show airs every Saturday on AM 870 "The Answer," 2-3 p.m. PST/5-6 p.m. EST), and is the author of "SCAM: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America." For more information, visit www.bondinfo.org or www.bondaction.org. Also, check out the BOND LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, a school for boys and girls grades 1-12

» Jesse Lee Peterson | Article Archive
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‘FATHER OF MODERN GOSPEL MUSIC’ DIES

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Legendary Singer Andraé Crouch ‘Was All About Joy’

IN MEMORIAM — Many young people today who enjoy Christian music don’t know the name Andraé Crouch. But his peers knew him as the “father of modern gospel music,” a giant figure over five decades who helped lay the foundation for what is now known as contemporary Christian music while making a lasting mark in the mainstream scene, writing, producing and singing for the industry’s biggest names.

A key figure in the Jesus Music movement of the 1960s and 1970s, he helped bridge the gap between black and white Christian music and was recorded by artists such as Elvis Presley and Paul Simon, and produced and arranged for many others, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Quincy Jones, Diana Ross and Elton John.

Crouch’s family announced the music legend, 72, died Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at Northridge Hospital Medical Center near Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack Saturday.

His illness forced the cancellation of his Let the Church Say Amen Celebration tour, which had been scheduled to begin Dec. 6 in Philadelphia.

“Andraé was all about joy,” wrote former Billboard gospel music editor Robert Darden in a Christianity Today tribute. “The joy of his salvation and the joy of creation. His prodigious gifts challenged and transformed an industry.”

His twin sister, Sandra Crouch, a pastor and vocal artist in her own right, issued a statement.

“Today my twin brother, womb-mate and best friend went home to be with the Lord,” she said. “Please keep me, my family and our church family in your prayers. I tried to keep him here but God loved him best.”

Stephen Strang, the editor of Charisma magazine, recalled interviewing Crouch in the 1970s as a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel.

“His impact on Gospel music cannot overestimated. He was a crossover artist who made the black Gospel music sound part of contemporary Christian music mainstream,” Strang wrote.

Darden, now a professor at Baylor University, said Andraé Crouch was “an innovator, a path-finder, a precursor in an industry noted for its conservative, often derivative approach to popular music.”

“He combined gospel and rock, flavored it with jazz and calypso as the mood struck him and the song called for it, and is even one of the founders of what is now called ‘praise and worship’ music. He took risks with his art and was very, very funky when he wanted to be.

“Amy Grant may have made CCM popular; Andraé made it sound great.”

Among his many notable songs were “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power,” “My Tribute (To God Be the Glory)” and “Soon and Very Soon,” a song sung at Michael Jackson’s public memorial service.

Darden noted Crouch was criticized by many Christians for his crossover into the secular world, in effect, combining Saturday night with Sunday morning.

The criticism from the church sometimes hurt, Darden wrote, “but he soldiered on.”

Andraé Passes On Elvis Presley’s 80th Birthday Anniversary

Elvis Presley recorded Crouch’s “I’ve Got Confidence” and Paul Simon recorded his “Jesus Is the Answer.” Crouch’s gospel albums often featured guests such as Stevie Wonder, El DeBarge, Wilton Felder and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey.

Crouch’s numerous awards and honors included nine Grammy Awards, four GMA Dove Awards, and ASCAP, Billboard and NAACP Awards. In 2004, he became the only living gospel artist to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Prodigy

He was born July 1, 1942, in San Francisco along with his twin sister to Benjamin and Catherine Crouch. In his early years, his parents owned and operated a dry-cleaning business and a restaurant in the Compton area of Los Angeles. His parents also had a Christian ministry in hospitals and prisons and preached on the streets.

He started playing piano at services led by his father and wrote his first gospel song at the age of 14.

His first group, the Church of God in Christ Singers, was formed in 1960 along with future recording artist Billy Preston.

Andraé Crouch & the Disciples was formed in 1965, bringing a contemporary pop and R&B sound to gospel that appealed to both black and white audiences.

Strang said Crouch told a story of his father praying for him to receive the gift of music, and he learned to play the piano without ever having taken lessons.

When his father, a highly respected pastor in the Church of God in Christ denomination, died in 1993, Andraé took over as pastor along with his twin sister.

Strang said the church thrived under his leadership.

But Strang recalled his magazine covered the downs as well as the ups of Crouch’s life.

In 1982, police stopped Crouch in Los Angeles for an unspecified reason and found a vial of cocaine on him. In an interview with TodaysChristianMusic.com, Crouch said he had never done drugs, but he, nevertheless, was detained for 10 hours before posting bail.

Strang commented: “Whether his account of the situation was true or not, I know that Andraé had been going through a difficult part of his life and that instance was a real wake-up call for him to get things right.”

Strang noted he listens regularly to one of Crouch’s most recent albums, “Mighty Wind,” pointing to a song about coming home that reflects Crouch’s testimony of hard times.

“You may have some problems and life might be so confusing. But when you come home, God is gonna fix it for you,” the song goes.

As he listened to the song Friday, Strang said, “I could imagine that Jesus must have been saying to Andraé: “Come home. Please come home. The door is always open and the family is waiting. We’ve been waiting for you to come home.”

“Andraé Crouch is home with the Savior he loved and served so well.”

» Full Article

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NEWS BRIEFS: DECEMBER 4, 2014

Current Events And Commentaries

“And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come,
he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.” ~ Jesus

Luke 12:39

WND

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GOP Opposes Amnesty ‘Because Obama Is Black’

Gowdy blasts witness for accusation of racial motive

By Garth Kant — WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., vehemently scolded a congressional witness for suggesting Republicans opposed President Obama’s amnesty order because he is black.

In an answer to a question from a Democrat earlier in the Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday on the legality of Obama’s amnesty order, Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, claimed Congress is treating Obama differently than other presidents because he is the first black chief executive.

When it came time for his questioning, Gowdy asked Hincapie, “You suggested race was the basis for why we may have this constitutional perspective; did I understand you correctly?”

When her response rambled, Gowdy interjected, “For you to run to race as the explanation for why we hold the position that we do … Harry Reid had a very different perspective on recess appointments when there was a Texan in the White House and none of us accused him of geographic discrimination.”

Clearly exasperated and his voice rising, Gowdy then unloaded on the witness, telling her, “In fact, hell, for that matter, Sen. Obama had a different perspective on executive overreach than President Obama and nobody runs to race as an explanation for that. So I would just caution you to be careful when you try to import motives to people.”

Watch video of Rep. Trey Gowdy:


[See full story link below for entire article]...

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.: “President Obama is not above the law and has no right to issue executive amnesty. His actions blatantly ignore the separation of powers and the principles our country was founded on. The president has said 22 times previously that he does not have the power to legislate on immigration. I will not sit idly by and let the president bypass Congress and our Constitution.”...

» Full Story...

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King Obama Defies Congress And Rewrites Obamacare Law Yet Again

NTEB News Desk — On Thanksgiving eve, the Obama administration dumped reams of mind-numbing ObamaCare regulations into the Federal Register — including yet more unilateral rewrites of the Affordable Care Act. Dropping the rules as most Americans were busy preparing for the holiday made a mockery (again) of President Obama’s promise to have “the most transparent administration in history.” The stunt has even worked to keep most of the media from reporting on the rules. Yet the changes these regulations make in the health care law...

» Full Story...

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Defunding Obama’s Amnesty: House and Senate Tea Party Leaders
Join Forces With Grassroots Activists

TPNN — On Wednesday, House and Senate Tea Party leaders came together with grassroots activists on Capitol Hill to denounce President Obama’s unilateral amnesty order that now frees an estimated 5-6 million illegal immigrants from the worry of being deported from the country in which they remain illegally. TheTeaParty.net’s Executive Director Niger Innis spoke at the event and was joined by many top Tea Partiers in Congress including Senator Ted Cruz, and Reps. Steve King, Michele Bachmann, Louis Gohmert, Tim Huelskamp, and Curt...

» Full Story...

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Sheriff David Clarke
Crushes Eric Holder And Al Sharpton

Fox News: The Kelly File

“Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke assails Eric Holder for turning the Ferguson shooting into an attack on local police. When asked about Al Sharpton's role, he trashes him as a "charlatan," exploiting the Ferguson situation for his own gain. And he shames President Obama for actually relying on Sharpton as an "advisor."”

» Video Source | WesternFreePress

Related Sheriff Clarke Video
» “Irresponsible Groups Descended On Ferguson Like Vultures On A Roadside Carcass”

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Alarm Bells Toll For Human Civilization As World’s 12th Largest Mega-City To Run Out Of Water In Just 60 Days

By Mike Adams, Natural News — The city of Sao Paulo is home to 20 million Brazilians, making it the 12th largest mega-city on a planet dominated by shortsighted humans. Shockingly, it has only 60 days of water supply remaining. The city "has about two months of guaranteed water supply remaining as it taps into the second of three emergency reserves," reports Reuters. Technical reserves have already been released, and as the city enters the heavy water use holiday season, its 20 million residents are riding on a fast-track collision course with...

» Full Story...

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Plummeting Oil Prices Could Destroy The Banks
That Are Holding Trillions In Commodity Derivatives

By Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse — Could rapidly falling oil prices trigger a nightmare scenario for the commodity derivatives market? The big Wall Street banks did not expect plunging home prices to cause a mortgage-backed securities implosion back in 2008, and their models did not anticipate a decline in the price of oil by more than 40 dollars in less than six months this time either. If the price of oil stays at this level or goes down even more, someone out there is going to have to absorb some absolutely massive losses. In some cases...

» Full Story...

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Obama’s War On Marriage!

Dick Morris TV - ‘Lunch Alert!’

» Dick Morris Reports | YouTube

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Mysterious Black Horse Seen Flying Over Mecca
(Babylon The Great Has Come)

By Walid Shoebat (Shoebat Exclusive) — The video clip which went viral (especially in the Muslim world) of what seems to be a flying black horse over Mecca with the real sounds of thunder and clearly visible lightening alongside the sounds of “Allah Akbar hisan ye-teer hisan yeteer” (Allahu Akbar, a horse if flying, a horse is flying) which caught the attention of millions. The yelling and the thunder can clearly be visible seems genuine indeed and these folks have definitely seen what appears to be a flying black horse hovering over Mecca, no doubt....

» Full Story & Video...

Related Pastor Paul Begley Video
» “Black Horse Flying In Saudi Arabia”? Lying Sign And Wonder?

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St. Louis Police Chief:
Brown, Garner Deaths Not Racism

By Greg Richter, Newsmax — St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar says the two recent U.S. deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers did not result from racism. Belmar, appearing Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "The Kelly File," said the Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City cases were not based on racism by the officers involved, and that tying them to racism actually marginalizes the message of protesters. Protests began in Ferguson and across the country last week when a grand jury declined to indict police officer...

» Full Story...

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The Race War Is A Trap!

The Alex Jones’ Show - Infowars Nightly News

The UN is pushing restrictions for gun ownership in America in the name of the Ferguson riots. What follows is a culmination of current events cooled by the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King. Please be aware that we are well aware of white, hispanic, asian, etc…. racism here at Infowars. This report is not intended to be a one sided attack on Americans of African descent. It is simply an eye opening representation of where we are now and where we may be headed. We are all in this trillion dollar indebted boat together. The powers that be want it sunk. Don’t be fooled into giving in to hatred. Because if you do, you are gonna HATE where we all end up. Please open your mind and eyes and realize that a greater threat than skin color is moving its agenda forward to completely enslave all of humanity. The new world order is an equal opportunity genocidal system.

» The Alex Jones’ Channel | YouTube

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Qatar Funding ISIS Attack Against U.S.

‘Ally’ providing new weapons for jihadist army’s counter-surge

By Aaron Klein, WND — TEL AVIV — Qatar is financing a planned ISIS counter-attack against Western allies in Iraq and Syria, according to an Egyptian government intelligence document obtained by WND. The document claims Qatar provided ISIS with new weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, for use in a surge against Western-allied forces in the coming weeks. Qatar is a member of President Obama’s coalition fighting ISIS. The U.S.-led coalition is also planning a surge against ISIS in the coming weeks. However...

» Full Story...

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Medal Of Honor Recipient Has A Clear Message
For ISIS ‘Cowards’ Issuing Threats Against Him

By B. Christopher Agee, Western Journalism — With Islamic State terrorists openly calling for soldiers to be hunted down and murdered, there is clearly reason for those in the military to be on heightened alert at all times. While Marine Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer is heeding the recent FBI warnings that these terrorists could be tracking him via social media, he welcomes the challenge. “I take the threat seriously,” he told Military Times in an interview Wednesday, “but you are talking about a bunch of cowards. We’re not cowards. We’re the most feared nation on the face of the planet, and we’re worried about some radical group, some extremists that prey on the weak? I mean, that’s like sheep preying on lions.”...

» Full Story...

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Obama’s America Transformed As Promised

» Cartoonist: Michael Ramirez is the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for Investors Business Daily. Please contact your local newspaper editor if you want to see Michael Ramirez’s cartoons in your hometown paper.

» Creators.com - A Syndicate of Talent

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Jesus Privately Briefing His Inner Circle of Disciples
Regarding The Last Days

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 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 24:3-14

NEWS BRIEFS: DECEMBER 3, 2014

Current Events And Commentaries

“And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come,
he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.” ~ Jesus

Luke 12:39

Sheriff David Clarke:
Irresponsible Groups Descended On Ferguson
Like Vultures On A Roadside Carcass

CSPOA: “The Last Line Of Defense”

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, WASHINGTON D.C.-- Sheriff Clarke talks about Ferguson Missouri and how politicians and irresponsible groups came like vultures on a roadside carcass to exploit the situation. Eric Holder made a bad situation worse with self-serving rhetoric. 9-17-14

Clarke is a lifelong resident of the City of Milwaukee and in March 2002 was appointed Sheriff by Governor Scott McCallum, and eight months later was elected to his first four-year term, earning 64%of the vote. Sheriff Clarke is now in his third term, having been re-elected in November 2006 and 2010, increasing his victory margins to 73% and 74%.

Clarke graduated summa cum laude from Concordia University Wisconsin with a degree in Criminal Justice Management, and in May 2003, Concordia honored him with their Alumnus of the Year Award. Sheriff Clarke also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. This prestigious school trains law enforcement executives from all over the world, and provides management and leadership instruction. In July 2004, he completed the intensive three-week Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Sheriff Clarke was honored in May 2013, with the Sheriff of the Year Award from the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association for, “demonstrating true leadership and courage. . . staying true to his oath, true to his badge, and true to the people he has promised to serve and protect.”

For more information visit: » Constitutional Sheriffs And Peace Officer Association

» Video Source | Mert Melfa

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Missouri Lt. Gov. Just Destroyed Al Sharpton,
Obama, And Ferguson Criminals All At Once

By Tom Hinchey, Western Journalism — Missouri’s Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder was a guest on Monday night’s Hannity on Fox News when he gave his reaction to Al Sharpton meeting with President Barack Obama for the 82nd time: That’s so tragic. I cannot imagine any previous American president of either party welcoming an inciter of mobs like Reverend Sharpton into the White House, into his inner councils for sober advice, you’re not going to get it from him. And he was apparently there on the day they announced the new...

» Full Story & Video...

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Muslims Desecrate Temple Mount By Playing Soccer

Israel Today — The Muslims claim that Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, or, more accurately, the Al Aqsa Mosque that occupies its southern end, is the third most holy site in Islam. The Muslims regularly demonstrate their reverence by using the sacred plateau as a soccer field, much to the consternation of the Jews, for whom the Temple Mount is the most holy site in the world. The Islamic authorities that oversee the Temple Mount could care less if Jews are offended by the soccer matches, given that they do not recognize the Jews’ historical and religious...

» Full Story...

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Lame Duck Gone Wild: Election “Butt Kicking”
Unleashes Mad-Duck Obama

PJTV: TRIFECTA

His policies repudiated at the polls, Obama doubles down on unpopular actions using unconstitutional means. Who can restrain a lame duck gone wild?

» PJTV | YouTube

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Homeland Security Secretary:
Legalized Illegals Don’t Need To Comply With Obamacare

By Melanie Hunter, CNS News — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in congressional testimony today that the Affordable Care Act--also known as Obamacare--will not apply to illegal aliens who are allowed to stay and work in the United States as a result of President Obama's executive action. “Mr. Secretary, is it true that the illegal immigrants who are granted amnesty will not need to comply with the Affordable Care Act?” Rep. Lou Barlett (R-Pa.) asked Johnson at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Obama’s...

» Full Story...

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Lesbian Judge Takes On Jesus In Court

Praying in name of Savior was big trouble

By Bob Unruh, WND — An openly lesbian federal judge whose appointment was opposed by dozens of U.S. senators has ruled against a Christian former Navy chaplain who alleged his superiors engineered his dismissal from the service because he was not “ecumenical.” The decision by Elaine Kaplan of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims rejected the allegations of former chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt, who recently was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. He had routinely prayed “in Jesus name” as part of his work as a chaplain....

» Full Story...

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Katy Perry, Cher and Macklemore
All Lie About Ferguson

TruthRevoltOriginals: Ben Shapiro’s Reality Check

Ben Shapiro breaks down the witness testimony from the St. Louis County Police Investigative Report of the shooting of Michael Brown and demonstrates that, contrary to President Obama’s assertions, the black community in Ferguson did in fact make up the story of the racist cop murdering a teenager with his hands up.

» Truth Revolt Originals | Videos

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Leading GOP Senator: House Republicans Breaking Campaign Promise To Stop Obama’s Unconstitutional Amnesty

By Matthew Burke, TPNN — Virtually every Republican, in their recent electorial landslide victory over Democrats on every level of government, campaigned fervently on the promise that they would stop Obama’s unconstitutional executive order to bypass Congress and grant amnesty to a reported five million foreign invaders who have been living in the United States illegally. Ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Jeff Sessions (F-AL), called out GOP leadership on Tuesday, saying that House Republicans were going back on their...

» Full Story...

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Lebanon Detains ISIS Head’s Family

By Ahuva Balofsky, Breaking Israel News (BIN) — On Tuesday, Lebanese media reported the capture and detention of a woman and child believed to be the wife and young son of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “Military intelligence detained one of his wives, who was traveling with their son, near (Lebanese border town) Arsal 10 days ago,” a security source told AFP. According to conservative interpretations of Islamic law, a man may marry up to four wives. Tribal sources in Iraq told The Guardian that al-Baghdadi has...

» Full Story...

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Police Blame Hammer Attack Victim
For His Own Death

Infowars Nightly News

Related ‘Infowars’ Article
» Family Demands Hate Crime Charges For Murderers of Zemir Begic
Police assert no racial motive despite eyewitness accounts, attack on second Bosnian

» The Alex Jones’ Channel | YouTube

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Muslims Slaughter And Behead Thirty Six Christians
For Refusing To Accept The Image And The Mark Of The Beast

By Theodore Shoebat, Shoebat Foundation — Muslims in Kenya, all members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group, slaughtered thirty six Christians for refusing to declare the Shahada, or “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger,” the Islamic creed that explicitly rejects Jesus Christ, is thus the declaration of Antichrist. When one says it they automatically accept the image of the Beast, or the Blackstone in Mecca. According to one report: At least 36 quarry workers have been killed in a fresh attack suspected to have...

» Full Story...

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The Mark Levin Show

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Broadcast Synopsis — Mark talks about the state of our political leaders who demean and lie to us. It's not just Democrats, it's all of our leaders in Washington. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell have no intention of defending the Constitution, repealing Obamacare or securing the border. Maybe Boehner and McConnell should pretend President Obama is president of a tea party group then they would try their hardest to defeat him. Also, Jeb Bush is back talking about possibly running for 2016 and cable is endlessly talking about it. We don't need a good moderate Democrat, like Jeb running for anything. Finally, Mark discusses Ferguson, praising Sheriff David Clark and Charles Barkley for their outstanding comments on Eric Holder and the looters.

» Hear Full Show...

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Attacking America’s Police

» Cartoonist: Michael Ramirez is the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for Investors Business Daily. Please contact your local newspaper editor if you want to see Michael Ramirez’s cartoons in your hometown paper.

» Creators.com - A Syndicate of Talent

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Jesus Privately Briefing His Inner Circle of Disciples
Regarding The Last Days

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 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 24:3-14