The Bible uses only a few words to describe the mark of the beast money system. But that description gives us an amazing amount of information. Here are just seven of the things it teaches us.

Number One — The system will be global. Revelation 13:7-8 says, “authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him [the Antichrist]. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him.” The mark of the beast will be tied to his authority and will be part of the worship people give him.

Number Two — The mark will be required by law, and no one will be exempt. Revelation 13:16-17 says that the False Prophet “causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead.” Wealth will not buy an exemption, and neither will poverty.

Number Three — Some will reject the mark despite the law. At the time of the rapture, the dead in Christ will be resurrected into new heavenly bodies and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Those in Christ who are still living will change. Their mortal bodies will change into immortal, heavenly ones. After the rapture, others will turn to Christ. These post-rapture followers of Jesus will be distinguished in part by the fact that they will refuse the mark of the beast.

Revelation 20:4 says, “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand.”

Number Four — The mark of the beast will be the culmination of a great deception. Revelation 13:14 says the False Prophet “deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast.” This deception leads directly to the mark.

Number Five — Satan will empower the mark system. Daniel 8:24 makes this intriguing statement about the Antichrist. “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power.” We find that verse explained in Revelation 13:2. “The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 explain that the dragon is Satan.

Number Five — The mark of the beast will be the ultimate rejection of God. Revelation 14:11 says, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Number Six — The Antichrist and False Prophet will use the mark as a weapon against believers. Revelation 13:7 is speaking of Antichrist when it says, “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” Imagine a worldwide law that does not allow anyone without the mark to buy or sell. In our jobs, we sell our work, services, or creative output. In our day-to-day living, we buy food, clothes, transportation, and housing. All that will stop for tribulation believers because they will refuse the mark of the beast. That’s one of the ways Antichrist will make war with them and overcome them.

Number Seven — The mark system will not last long. At the halfway mark of the seven-year tribulation period, Antichrist will shatter his covenant with Israel. In the last three and one-half years of tribulation, pain and chaos will reign on the earth. At the end of the seven years, Jesus will return. Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire. The seven years will seem long to those experiencing it, but in the context of eternity, it will be like nothing.

Our time here is short. We need to get the word out to everyone we can by every means available.

Copyright 2021- Hallinsey Report–All rights reserved.

On this week’s edition of “The Hal Lindsey Report,” I address a subject that has loomed in the thinking of American Christians only as a hazy shadow in the far-off future. Well, that hazy shadow is beginning to come into sharp relief. That shadow is the specter of persecution.

Of all nations on earth, the United States of America seemed to be the last place where the persecution of Christians would be a problem. But it’s no longer such a far-fetched idea.

Though religious freedom recently won a modest victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, it suffered a disturbing defeat in a Canadian Supreme Court decision. And what happens in Canada too frequently turns up in the United States!

I believe we are seeing a crescendo of events and changing attitudes — political, cultural, spiritual, and economic — that will soon coalesce to put evangelical Christians in the cross-hairs of our society. Many of you are already facing some of these challenges at work, at school (or your child’s school), or among your neighbors or family members.

“Political correctness” is even now a problem, but I don’t believe it will be too long before being “politically incorrect” will land you a fine or a jail term. When that happens, we will be faced with a choice: be “politically correct” or stand boldly and speak out for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In many parts of the world, our brothers and sisters are already facing that dilemma. Some are even paying for their boldness with their lives!

This week, I want to share with you the story of a man who faced that moment and stood tall. In fact, two of the 28 chapters in the Book of Acts are dedicated to “A Man Called Stephen.” His defense of the Gospel before the Sanhedrin was so brilliant, powerful, and Spirit-directed that he drove the council of learned scholars into a frenzy. They mobbed him. Then they took him out and stoned him to death.

Now, you’re probably thinking that it doesn’t sound like Stephen offered a very effective defense if it resulted in his death. Consider this, though. He was an ordinary Israelite who allowed himself to be so completely used by the Holy Spirit that he literally confounded the most educated religious leaders of his day.

When they finally realized they were guilty of the grievous charges with which Stephen accused them, they gnashed their teeth and killed him. Yet during the inquisition, the power of the Holy Spirit was so strong upon Stephen that “his face was like the face of an angel.” And when he fell asleep, the Bible implies that Jesus Christ Himself stood in honor of Stephen’s obedience!

Not only did this ordinary believer, who allowed himself to be used by the Spirit, so please Jesus that He stood to welcome him home, but his example no doubt inspired one of the young rabbis who witnessed the entire ordeal. Saul of Tarsus would later become history’s greatest evangelist: Paul the Apostle.

So, don’t despair that days of persecution may lie ahead. Jesus Himself promised that He would give us the words to say when that moment comes. And rather than our darkest hours, those moments will be our brightest.

Copyright © 2018 Hal Lindsey.com–All rights reserved

Controversy swirls around last week’s tragic shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As is to be expected, the information being revealed about the shootings is sketchy and often contradictory. Arriving at the truth about these events is usually a tortured process. The final story is seldom what it appears at first to be.

Two things are clear to me, though. The first is that certain factions appear to have been poised and ready to strike a blow at the Second Amendment at the first opportunity. As Rahm Emmanuel said — and Hillary Clinton confirmed — one should never let a good crisis go to waste!

The second is that, contrary to what the four students we are seeing across the mainstream media may think, guns alone are not the problem. It is simplistic to think that and will be disastrous to continue to believe it.

Our problems run much, much deeper than guns. America is in a moral freefall. We are at a cultural crossroads and if we choose the simplistic path, we will be doomed to collapse. Sooner, perhaps, rather than later.

In 1962, there were few laws governing the ownership and use of guns. In 1962, there were no school shootings.

In fact, in the entire 20th century, there were 227 school shootings. In the first 18 years of the 21st century, there have been 207! And that alarming number despite the fact that we have an ever-increasing number of ever-increasingly restrictive gun laws.

Now, I’m no rocket scientist, but it seems to me that if school shootings have gone through the roof AFTER we started tightening our gun laws and even creating “gun-free zones” (schools and entire cities), then there is either no relation between the two or the restrictive laws are contributing to the increase in violence.

Why is it that in the “old days,” young men carried rifles to school in the gun racks of their pickups, and some schools even taught shooting classes and competed against each other in shooting competitions, yet we would go entire years with no school shooting incidents?

Simply because guns don’t cause violence. Humans do. And until we realize that we humans are the culprits, we are going to see more incidents as tragic as Parkland, or more so.

The Apostle Paul warned that in the last days, people would be “without self-control, brutal, haters of good….” (2 Timothy 3:3 NASB)

Is that not a perfect description of what we saw last week in Parkland? Or Las Vegas? Or Sutherland Springs? Or San Bernardino? Or Orlando? Or South Carolina? Or Aurora? Or Newtown? Or Columbine? Or… and the list goes on. Unimaginable brutality.

Experts who are much smarter and better informed than I have warned for years that we are raising a generation of “avid videogame players who turned their sick fantasy into our tragic reality.” And, “From a military and law enforcement perspective, violent videogames are ‘murder simulators’ that train kids to kill.” (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, US Army, Ret.)

Obviously, videogames alone have not bred this climate of violent brutality. Movies, television, the music industry, academia, social media, the breakdown of the family, and more have all contributed to the moral depravity that has engendered such self-centeredness, lack of self-control, and brutality.

But I believe the most critical contributor to this onslaught of violence, brutalness, and terror that now grips our schools and our lives is the fact that America has turned its back on God. When our nation made the decision to begin systematically erasing God and His influence from our national psyche, beginning with our schools, we started down a road that has grown ever darker and more treacherous with each passing day.

It’s like a man who stops eating nutritious foods and taking vitamins, then wonders why he is getting weaker and experiencing greater health problems. What did we think would happen when we decided to cut ourselves off from the very lifestream that has brought America so much blessing, so much abundance, and so much freedom and safety?

In 1962, the US Supreme Court decided that it was no longer constitutionally acceptable to have institutional prayer in our public schools. Of course, that didn’t necessarily stop everyone from praying at school. Ronald Reagan observed at the time that “as long as there are final exams, there will be prayers in school.” But when we proclaimed as a matter of national policy that God and our acknowledgment of Him and His positive influence in our lives was no longer important or acceptable, we did something dangerous. We closed the door to God and opened the door to Satan.

It’s not that America chose Satan over God, we didn’t. But we told God that we didn’t need Him, that we could handle our lives and our futures by ourselves. We didn’t need His influence in our lives, but, most importantly, in the lives of our children. We — through our teachers and professors — were quite capable of raising good kids without Him.

Now, just two generations later, America is on the brink of becoming a third-world nation filled with violence, tribal conflict, poverty, and exploding danger. And I believe it’s largely because we have raised 57 years of children who think God and His principles are not at all important. And why do they think that? Because we taught them exactly that when we kicked God and His influence out of public education — the very place He is most needed!

The prophet Hosea could have easily been describing modern America when he wrote: “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.” (Hosea 8:7 KJV)

We have walked away from God and chosen to trust our own intelligence and abilities. The anemic seed we have sown is now yielding crops we never anticipated or desired: anger, despair, selfishness, hatred, lasciviousness, violence, sheer brutality, and so much more. Doesn’t that sound eerily like the description Paul gave for these times? “…men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God… always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:2-4, 7 NASB)

This week, Michael, my son in the Lord, sent me a photograph of a t-shirt. It was emblazoned with a powerful truth. It read: “Dear God, why do you allow so much violence in our schools? Signed, a concerned student.”

Below that was written the reply: “Dear concerned student, I’m not allowed in schools. Signed, God.”

Folks, I’m not saying that one disastrous Supreme Court decision in 1962 caused all of the mayhem that has followed, but it is indicative of the path America chose. It shows that, as a nation, we determined that God was unimportant to us. And when you walk away from God, you must walk toward something, or someone, else. As Bob Dylan once sang, “You gotta serve somebody….”

Also on this week’s program, I will discuss the recent Department of Justice indictment of several Russian nationals and organizations for alleged interference in the 2016 general elections. I will also give you an update on the crisis Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing in Israel.

Finally, I will share with you my thoughts on God’s “chosen people,” the Jews. Many people don’t realize that God chose the Hebrews for some very specific “missions” in this world. Some they fulfilled brilliantly — and all of us who followed have been blessed immeasurably. In others, they failed miserably — and bore the consequences.

But God’s promise remains true to this day: those who bless them will be blessed and those who curse them will be cursed.

On a personal note, I am, at once, saddened and joyful at the passing of our brother, Billy Graham. I believe he was the greatest influence for the Kingdom of God of our time. Truly, only eternity will reveal the impact he had on our world. His influence will always be felt, but his presence will be missed.

I smile when I read what Billy once said. Echoing D.L Moody, one of his heroes, Billy said, “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

What encouragement for those of us who remain here. We, too, will soon change addresses. What a great day that will be.

So long, Billy. See you soon.

Copyright © 2018 The Hal Lindsey Report–All rights reserved

We are beginning to hear serious discussions about the “deep state.” Especially with the furor surrounding the release of the Congressional memo regarding the use of dubious (or false) information by the FBI to obtain FISA warrants to surveil the campaign of Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

What is the “deep state?” Google defines it this way: The “deep state [is] a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy.”

I’m sure that in the coming weeks we are going to be learning a lot more about the “deep state.” Probably more than we wish we knew! In the meantime, it appears we are seeing evidence of the “deep state” beginning to overtly manifest.

Recently, former Secretary of State John Kerry met with Hussein Agha in London. Agha is a close associate of Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The Israeli newspaper, Maariv, reported that Kerry asked Agha to pass a message to Mahmoud Abbas. He allegedly told Abbas to “hold on and be strong” because Trump will not be in office long. Kerry reportedly said that President Trump could be out of office within a year.

Though the PA has confirmed the meeting, they will not confirm the comment. But if the Israeli report is true, what does John Kerry know?

Even government officials have a right to their own personal political opinions. But during the last presidential election, a real “deep state” began to emerge.

A story about the “deep state” is not a story about Donald Trump. It is about “the rule of law.”

Jesus warned that in the last days, “Lawlessness will abound.” (Matthew 24:12 NKJV) I believe we now see lawlessness reaching new and disturbing levels. We have mounting evidence that high ranking members of the Department of Justice, including the FBI, sought ways to illegally interfere in the 2016 election. And have apparently sought ways to influence its aftermath.

Immediately after the election, a troubling number of people who opposed the results began calling themselves “the Resistance.” A “resistance movement” typically works in opposition to totalitarian regimes or occupying powers in which the “rule of law” has been suspended.

In May of last year, Hillary Clinton announced the formation of a political organization to fund “resistance” groups. She said, “I’m going to do everything I can to support the resistance.” Even former President Barack Obama has publicly encouraged “resistance” activities.

Now, Clinton and Obama no longer hold official government positions. So they have influence, but no actual power. However, other members of “the resistance” hold power at the highest levels.

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, recently warned of “corruption at the highest levels of the FBI.”

For years, we have lamented the moral decay in our nation. Moral decay means a corruption of values. And that corruption can reach anywhere — even into the Justice Department and the FBI.

There is something deeply wrong in the United States when some of our most trusted citizens and officials form themselves into a “fifth column” — determined to do “everything” in their power to topple the duly elected government.

If you or your loved ones have had the flu this year, you know what I mean when I say, “This year’s flu is catastrophic!” It’s killing the very young and the very old. But it’s also killing young adults in seemingly perfect health.

Recently, Bloomberg News ran a story on the influenza outbreaks under the headline: “Flu Season from Hell Keeps Getting Worse.” This year’s version of the flu first hit back in 1968. Then it was known as the “Hong Kong Flu.”

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report “widespread flu activity” in every state except Hawaii. Schools have closed in 12 states. Emergency rooms are swamped. Some major hospitals have erected huge tents in their parking lots to handle the overflow.

And the CDC notes that the flu season hasn’t even peaked yet! Some experts estimate that as many as 56,000 could die from the flu this year.

Jesus warned that the last days will see a rise in “pestilence.” (Matthew 24:7) The current flu epidemic may be just one example.

Another has been called “Spermageddon.” That’s what they’re calling the male infertility crisis that’s happening around the world.

Hebrew University in Jerusalem recently released a study of data involving 43,000 men over a period of four decades. The study found that in the last 25 years, male sperm count has declined 60%. The Daily Mail of London called it “the most robust evidence to date of an unfolding disaster.”

Last week, a group of scientists announced their opinion that, at this rate, the human race could be infertile in 50 years!

I began reporting about the comments of Dame Sally Davies in 2013. Dame Sally is the Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom (UK). She has been warning the world about the coming “superbug apocalypse.”

Five years later, it’s here! CBS News recently reported: “Experts estimate that 700,000 people die around the world each year from drug-resistant ‘superbugs,’ and they expect the number to grow sharply.” Some experts think that number will rise to two million deaths per year.

The CDC estimates that more than 23,000 a year die from antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ in the United States alone.

It’s true that the medical world has made unbelievable advances over the past century. But, despite our progress the world is seeing a dramatic rise in diseases from tuberculosis to smallpox to bubonic plague. And we are rapidly reaching the point where our miracle medicines will no longer be effective. Precisely as Jesus warned would happen in the final days before His return.

Late last year, The Jerusalem Post reported, “A train station that will be built not far from the Western Wall will be named after US President Donald Trump.”

Israeli Transportation Minister Israel Katz said, “The Western Wall is the holiest place for the Jewish people, and I decided to name the train station that leads to it after President Trump… following his historic and brave decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.”

Extending the train route to the Donald J. Trump Station near the Western Wall shows that the Israelis are getting ready for an enormous increase in tourism near the Temple Mount.

Israeli officials may not realize it, but they are building the infrastructure for what may one day be the most visited single site on earth — the new Temple sitting atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

In Matthew 24, Jesus prophesied that the Temple of His day would be destroyed. And, in 70 AD, it was. But He also spoke of an “abomination of desolation” that will desecrate a future Temple.

Even the mainstream media has noticed something unusual is happening. Recently, Newsweek reported, “Some Jews said Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital paved the way for the construction of a Third Jewish Temple in the same place the Second Temple had been.”

Folks, this one recent development alone signals to us that we are shifting into high gear as we approach the final days of this Age. The next big event will be the return of Jesus Christ to catch away all true believers in the Rapture.

Finally, in my years as a believer, I have seen many Christian leaders acknowledge that we are not living under the Law of Moses. Then I have watched them turn around and substitute their own version of the law!

But to do that is to try to combine law and grace. We forget that the law must be kept completely. Completely. No room for even one misstep or failure. That is humanly impossible.

You see, the purpose of the law was to drive us to despair of self-effort. The law leads us to accept grace because it shows how far short of God’s standards we all fall.

Mixing law and grace is not possible because grace is only grace if all other requirements are dropped. Romans 11:6 says, “If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”

We must have grace, but we cannot earn it or deserve it. If you could qualify to deserve it, you wouldn’t need it.

This subject is one of the great issues with which many in the Christian traditions have struggled throughout history. This week, on the programme. I will explain it all in great detail.

You must see it for yourself.

Copyright © 2018, Hal Lindsey Media Ministries-All rights reserved

A few years ago, a viewer wrote to me and asked if James 5:1-8 had any prophetic significance. To be candid, I had never carefully studied the passage in that light before. I was surprised to discover that its message really does apply to these times.

To give you just a glimpse of what the Apostle James had to say, he begins, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted…. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you…. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed, the wages of the laborers who have mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of [Hosts].”

And James says even more, much of it condemning of a certain kind of “rich person” or system, the kind who come from a long line of those who became wealthy by defrauding the laborers of their wages.

Now, it’s important to make a distinction. The Bible does not condemn everyone who is rich. It’s not a sin to have money. It’s a sin for money to have you. The Bible teaches, “For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil….”

But it appears that the Apostle James predicts that in the last days there will be some extremely rich people who gained their wealth by defrauding the vast majority of those who do the labor for the economy. Yet the Lord will cause their wealth to become a snare to them, because the world’s economy will collapse around everyone, both the rich and the poor. And, apparently, the greed of the rich will cause them to steal so much that the entire world economy will collapse.

No, I’ve not joined the “Occupy Wall Street” or Antifa movements. I believe those kids, or rather the labor unions and “community organizers” who are running the show, are targeting the wrong people. I’m closer to the Tea Party because I think those people got it right. It’s not Big Business doing the damage, it’s Big Government. But not just the politicians. You see, in the past, the politicians did the heavy lifting for the ones that Abraham Lincoln called the “money power.”

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln specifically warned against letting the “money power” get its way. But Woodrow Wilson ignored those warnings and crawled into bed with these guys.

As a result, the world’s economies are teetering on the verge of collapse. We are literally standing on the precipice of global economic chaos. And all because a little over one hundred years ago we let a few shadowy — mostly non-American — wealthy families take control of our nation’s money supply, then treasury. Since then, they have plundered America’s wealth, literally stolen from its citizens, and driven us into economic bondage — from which we cannot and will not ever emerge.

Indeed, as James says, “You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.”

But, remember, James also warned, “Your gold and silver will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire.”

If you have watched this program very long, you know that I have a huge distrust of and disdain for the Federal Reserve System. As Representative Louis T. McFadden of Pennsylvania said on the floor of Congress in June, 1934, “…the truth is, the Federal Reserve Board has usurped the government of the United States…. It controls everything here…. No man, and no body of men is more entrenched in power than the arrogant credit monopoly which operates the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks. These evildoers have robbed the country of more than enough money to pay the national debt.”

I don’t believe the Apostle James was referring specifically to the Federal Reserve, or even the world’s central banks, in 5:1-8, but I do believe he foresaw that in the last days a small group of ruthless, heartless, greedy, and, yes, evil people would control the economy of the world. Some have begun calling them “globalists.” And the only thing that can result from the work of ruthless, heartless, greedy, and evil people is heartache, despair, destruction, and chaos. Exactly the setting needed to encourage the people of the world to turn to someone who has an answer and can save them from disaster. And we know who that “someone” will be: the Antichrist.

Also on this week’s program: As we celebrate this Thanksgiving season, I want to share with you why I think it’s more important than ever to understand the power of praise in thanksgiving to God. As I said last week, our nation faces real and present dangers. Our citizenry faces challenges we’ve not faced in decades, if ever. As I report weekly on “The Hal Lindsey Report,” the threats are mounting and the odds appear to be impossible. But it’s precisely at those moments that the power of praise and gratitude to God can be our pathway to victory.

I pray that you had a happy Thanksgiving Day. As we continue to celebrate the season through the weekend, remember to take time to reflect on God’s goodness to you, your family and friends, and our beloved nation.

In everything give thanks! (I Thessalonians 5:18)

Copyright 2017, Hallindsey.com-All rights reserved

The September 23^rd deception, like those of date-setters past, will soon be debunked by the calendar itself. On September 24^th, the world will not have come to an end. PlanetX will not have crashed into Planet Earth. The Millennial reign will not have begun. The earth will not have split in two. The star of Bethlehem will not have returned.

Will there will be any apologies from the people who perpetrated these hoaxes? If history is a guide, probably not. They will have had so much fun stirring up attention for themselves, they’ll just decide to do it again next year, or maybe even later this year.

Robyn Flynn is a Montreal radio producer. On September 19^th, she tweeted, “Just tried to book an interview w/ a researcher who says the world ends Saturday. Told me he’s not available for interviews until next week.”

She was talking about the so-called “Christian numerologist,” David Meade. And their discussion neatly sums up the problem.

In a video with 9 million YouTube views, another speaker excitedly tells us about the possibilities of September 23, 2017. But he admits that he made a similar video in another year. “I made that video about September 23, 2015,” he said. “And quite a few people watched that video. Now, some people said, ‘Well, nothing happened.’ Well, some of the things I mentioned, if not all of them in that video, did happen. The pope came to America — something that the world had never seen before.”

The Pope did visit the United States in September 2015. But it wasn’t the first time the world had ever seen a Pope come to America. It happened in 1965, 1979, 1984, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1999, and 2008 — not to mention a couple of layovers in Alaska.

And it was hardly a prophetic prediction. He made the video in August, and the Pope visited the U.S. in September. The visit had been on the world calendar for months. If that’s supposed to give his new video credibility, it sadly fails.

Now this particular teacher is careful to say that the things he’s talking about may come true, or may not. He’s not dogmatic, and rarely makes straight forward statements. He says he will leave it to his viewers to reach their own conclusions — something viewers tend to do whether you want them to or not. But when a teacher tells the viewer to decide for himself based on the facts, the teacher needs to be especially careful to give accurate facts.

He said, “In September 23^rd of 2015, many astronomers, many scientists were saying that there is some weird, weird thing going on in the fact that there is this star that showed up… and they called it the ‘Bethlehem Star,’ the star that appeared during the time when Jesus was born — that same star.”

I believe he was referring, not to a star, but to a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the skies as viewed from our angle on earth. They appeared in close proximity in July and August of 2015. Then, in October, Jupiter and Venus again appeared close in the sky, this time also near Mars. A few astronomers think that one of these conjunctions of planets may account for the star seen by the wise men long ago. This is not unusual. Unbelievers often try to come up with explanations for what they consider “myths.”

The YouTube teacher goes on to say, “So, almost 2000 years later, we have a star appearing that was the same star that appeared according to astronomers. You can look this all up on YouTube. Look at video.”

YouTube is a wonderful tool, but just because someone posted something there does not give instant credibility to their opinions. In fact, from earth, we see a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus fairly often — not every 2000 years as claimed in the video. If he’s referring to the three planets together, that didn’t happen in September of 2015, but in October. And it lasted only days — not the two years he implies.

I realize I haven’t gotten into the astrology lesson that these people give when they speak about Revelation 12. Suffice it to say, they don’t understand Revelation 12. I won’t bother to prove the fallacy of their opinions because, as I said at the beginning, the calendar will debunk them.

I have several concerns, though. First, the Bible’s credibility is harmed by these kinds of teachings. When the predicted event doesn’t happen, people are left to think that the Bible said something inaccurate. Nothing could be further from the truth. This stuff is about pseudo-science, and the religion of astrology. It’s not about the Bible. But when preachers such as this man say it, people assume such preachers speak for God.

My second concern is that so many people have chosen to take these things seriously. Nine million people viewed the video I just referenced. That means people are passing it on to one another using email and social media. Why pass on such obvious fallacies? Where is Christian discernment?

Finally, I’m concerned that Christians are so quick to accept something that God condemns — the false religion of astrology. Isaiah 47:13-14 says, “Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame.” (NIV)

Christians follow the great God of the universe. He has spoken to us. He has given us the precious gift of His word. Yet, some of us are willing to turn to astrology as the answer to the puzzles of the universe.

Brothers and sisters, stick to the Bible.

Copyright 2017, Hal Lindsey.com-All rights reserved

In Matthew 24, the Lord’s disciples asked Him for signs of the end of the age. He began His answer with these words: “‘Take heed that no one deceives you.'” (Matthew 24:3 NKJV)

There is no denying that we live in an age of deception: fake news, false advertising, viral lies, clickbait, and mainstream media propaganda, to name just a few examples. And it gets worse every day.

But Jesus also mentioned other “signs” of the end of the age. He included “rumors of war.” The world’s stand-off with North Korea may qualify as a “rumor of war” on steroids!

Jesus noted “earthquakes.” In the last 30 days, two massive earthquakes have hit Mexico alone! So far, the death toll from last week’s is over 300. And they’ve not even begun to tally the monetary damage! Many places in Mexico City still don’t have electricity or constant running water.

In 2 Timothy 3:1, the Apostle Paul says that, “In the last days perilous times will come….” Then he enumerates a list of perils.

But notice that the list does not mention a single natural disaster. No floods, famines, pestilences, or earthquakes. That’s because the greatest perils of the last days are the dangers of moral decline.

Look at this list. It is stunning how it mirrors — with amazing precision — today’s America (even down to the NFL stadiums!): “In the last days perilous times will come, For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5a NKJV)

Is that not a rundown of a single day’s headlines on America’s news channels?

Jesus also warned of the moral decay near the end of this age. He said it would manifest itself in several ways. He warned of a rise in lawlessness. That doesn’t necessarily mean train and bank robberies and raping and pillaging! It also means a general rise in disregard for the laws and order of the nation. Even by its government and business and political leaders!

Speaking specifically of the end times, Jesus said, “Then they will deliver you (His followers) to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name.” (Matthew 24:9 NASB)

In its annual report, The First Liberty Institute found a dramatic rise in hostility toward people of faith. The Institute’s Jeremy Dys said, “This year’s survey represents a 15 percent increase in just the last year. And an alarming 133 percent increase in just the last five years.”

But, thank God, not all signs of the times are negative. In Matthew 24:4, still speaking of these days, Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations.” Jesus is adamant that this will include every part of the earth. He emphasized “the whole world” and “all the nations.”

Author Joel Rosenberg notes that, “Amidst the worst persecution in the modern history of the Church, we are seeing the greatest advance of the Gospel and the greatest harvest of souls in the Middle East in the history of the Church.”

When both China and the Soviet Union finally opened up to the West, we found far more Christians than anyone thought possible. And there are many reports by other Christian ministries that the Gospel is sweeping the Middle East — thanks in large part to the internet!

The worldwide preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of the major signs that Jesus will return soon.

Most people, Christians included, think of October 31 as Halloween. That’s understandable since business and the media begin pounding it home as soon as we say goodbye to Labor Day.

But October 31 is also the day we annually celebrate something far more important and uplifting than Halloween. It’s “Reformation Day!” It is the day we celebrate Martin Luther nailing his “95 Theses” to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of that monumental event.

In 1997, LIFE magazine called Martin Luther the third most important figure of the last millennium, behind only Christopher Columbus and Thomas Edison.

Though Luther undeniably had many flaws, at his best, he returned the Word of God to the center of Christian thought. He renewed the Church’s understanding of Christ as the author and perfecter of salvation. He brought salvation by grace through faith back into focus. In a very real sense, he reintroduced Christianity to Christ.

Retailers say that Batman will be the most popular costume this Halloween. I’m guessing there won’t be very many Martin Luther trick-or-treaters. Maybe it’s time to teach our kids about real people who truly changed the world!

Finally, have you ever wondered why conflict always seems to surround the city of Jerusalem?

Napoleon called Jerusalem, “…the hinge of history.”

Mohammed said that those who dwell in Jerusalem will be in a constant “state of jihad until Resurrection Day.”

Even the Berlitz Pocket Guide to Jerusalem notes that, “This is sacred ground and has had more blood spilled on it for its own sake than any other place in the world.”

Jerusalem does not possess the traditional assets of a great city. It is great because it is a spiritual city.

In Isaiah 45:13, God calls it, “My city.” In 2 Chronicles 33:4, He said, “My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.” (NASB)

To this day, the nations of the world are in turmoil over Jerusalem. Just as the prophets predicted.

As Jason Greenblatt, President Trump’s Middle East envoy prepares to return to the region in an attempt to restart the peace process, let’s remember to do what the Psalmist admonishes: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (Psalms 122:6 NASB)

Copyright 2017, Hal Lindsey.com-All rights reserved

Though we do not want to think about it, and some will deny its existence, there is a worldwide phenomenon happening right now. It is ripping apart nations, communities, and even families.

It’s called “Identity Politics.”

It is dangerous. Those who engage in it are contributing to the destruction of our great nation. Those who promote it in government, the media, and international relations are doing so for their own political and financial benefit.

But they are playing with fire.

Why do I believe “Identity Politics” is so dangerous? Well, Jesus Himself thought it threatening enough that He warned us that in the last days it would be prominent.

He said that in the days just prior to His return, “…nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:7 NASB). To modern ears, those sound the same, but Jesus made an important distinction. “…Kingdom against kingdom….” means country against country. “…Nation against nation….” means people group against people group.

People group can also mean “race” or “tribe.” Usually, these “people groups” identify with one another because of race, but people groups can identify with one another because of gender, language, or many other things.

Though much — if not most — of identity politics is instigated and manufactured for the express political benefit of the Leftists, nonetheless it is fracturing the United States.

At last week’s demonstration against free speech that took place on the Boston Common, a woman was photographed carrying a protest sign. It read: “My heroes are queer immigrant female people of color.”

That’s identity politics in a nutshell.

In the last century, identity politics resulted in Jim Crow laws, segregation, and the systematic exclusion of African-Americans from U.S. politics. It was the philosophy that engendered the Ku Klux Klan and Planned Parenthood.

For a while, it seemed to mostly disappear, but in the last few years it has made a roaring comeback.

The site of its most dramatic resurrection may surprise you: American universities. Judging people based on their race or gender permeates academia.

White nationalists saw this and rejoiced. So did the newest group of public racists — black supremacists. They had both been judging by race all along, but now they have seized upon identity politics for their own exploitation. And with great success. Identity politics now dominates the mainstream media and reaches into the Congress itself.

But God has a better way. The Bible gives us three reasons not to participate in identity politics.

First, we are all sons and daughters of Adam. Acts 17:26 says, “He has made from one blood every nation (people group) to dwell on all the face of the earth.” President Trump observed that very thing in his inaugural address, “…whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood….”

Second, we are all made in the image of God. What better reason to treat everyone with dignity and respect?

Third, Jesus Christ died for the sins of everyone. I John 2:2 tells us, “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

Jesus Christ paid a ransom that we can never begin to fathom. And He paid it for every person born into this world. That makes each of us priceless.

Galatians 3:28 says that in Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)

Ephesians 2:14 tells us, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made them both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” (KJV)

In these days of rage and fear, Jesus alone is our peace. Despite our outward differences, in Christ we are one.

But identity politics is not confined to America. It is raging through societies and countries across the world.

In the last decade, we’ve seen a new surge in Jews returning to the Holy Land from Europe. Just as the Bible predicted. But they are not doing it because they want to fulfill Biblical prophecy. They are fleeing to Israel because Europe has once again become a dangerous place for them.

Nazis again roam the streets of Germany. French Jews are attacked in their own businesses.

A recent study by YouGov shows that 33% of Jews in Britain have thought about leaving Britain. They no longer feel safe there.

40% of British Jews say that they hide their faith. They’re afraid of anti-Semitic attacks.

No doubt the arrival of massive numbers of Muslim migrants has contributed to the increase in animosity toward British Jews. But I’ve documented on previous Reports the anti-Semitic beliefs of several British leaders. And it seems to be getting worse. Last year’s election of a practicing Muslim as mayor of London does not bode well for any reversal of the tension that Britain’s Jews are beginning to feel.

In the United States, people on both the Left and the Right have expressed outrage over the anti-Semitism of the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. But the rising hatred of Israel and the Jews on American college campuses promises to pose an exponentially greater danger to American Jews and the State of Israel than all of the neo-Nazis in America ever will.

Add to that the growing anti-Jewish sentiment of the far Left and I see the potential for new persecution of Jews in America.

There are almost as many Jews here as there are in Israel. I believe many of them may soon decide it’s time to go to the land of their Fathers. Sadly, Charlottesville and Boston may be a preview of things to come.

Finally, on this week’s program, I want to tell you about the greatest hellfire and damnation sermon ever preached.

It was the Sermon on the Mount.

In it, Jesus declared that it wasn’t just what you did on the outside that was a sin. He said that sin includes what goes on inside your heart and mind.

The highly religious of His day were stunned to hear that “good works” were not enough to get them into heaven.

Jesus showed that the Law of the New Testament went far beyond the Law of Moses. It focused on the thoughts and intents of the heart!

In fact, it is the most definitive and exacting law ever given to man. It is impossible to live up to and fulfill to the letter.

In fact, it is so difficult that the most influential of all of Christ’s followers — the Apostle Paul — was reduced to utter despair. He cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:25 NASB)

That’s bone-deep despair!

You see, the law makes all of us realize that there is no human effort that can save us. It points us to Christ because it does not permit us to hope in ourselves.

But thanks to a merciful God, Paul’s despair is immediately followed by hope! In the next verse he said, “Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord! … There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 7:25-8:1 NASB)

When we are “in Christ Jesus,” the law is finally done with us. So why can’t we let go of it?

If the Law of Moses was impossible to keep (and it was), what on earth makes us think we can keep the laws of the New Testament (that demand purity of thought as well as deed)? That’s a million times tougher!

The Jews in Paul’s day tried to be righteous by obeying the Ten Commandments. Today, we’ve made a list of rules for being a “good Christian.” It doesn’t work.

Galatians 2:21 makes it perfectly plain: “If righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” (NASB)

So how can we live a righteous and obedient life? Romans 10:4 tells us, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (NASB)

The answer to a righteous and obedient life is to walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will produce God’s righteousness within us!

Copyright 2017, Hal Lindsey.com– All rights reserved

Before the election, pundits all over the place somberly warned that if Donald Trump lost, his followers (referred to as a “basket of deplorables” by Hillary Clinton) would take to the streets in violent protest. So be ready!

Well, they got it half-right at least (just about the only thing they got right in the last 18 months!). Someone’s supporters took to the streets in “violent protest.” It just wasn’t Donald Trump’s supporters!

Never mind that I doubt there would have been “violent protests” had Mr. Trump lost. His supporters seem mostly to be mature, conscientious, realistic, patriotic adults.

Not so with some of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters it now seems. She lost. Fair and square. In fact, she lost so bad that, contrary to recent DNC practice, she’s not even asking for major recounts. I suppose the DNC realizes that to do so would run the risk of revealing major examples of attempted election fraud.

But I digress.

It is amusing — though terribly disappointing — that we are having to endure a disgusting national temper tantrum. No doubt, most of it is organized and promoted by far-left agitator organizations (such as MoveOn.org and Black Lives Matter) largely funded by Mr. George Soros, whom I have discussed previously on this program.

An interesting side note. MoveOn.org was founded to urge Americans to “move on” and stop concentrating on Bill Clinton’s disgusting and criminal behavior during his time in the White House. Not important, I suppose, but interesting nonetheless.

It’s also interesting that some of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters turned out to oddly resemble the “basket of deplorables” she attributed to Mr. Trump.

All in all, I’d say this national tantrum is giving America’s “millennials” somewhat of a bad name. Of course, who can blame them? They’ve grown up receiving “participation prizes” in school and sports. Never learning that in real life there are winners and losers. But I suspect it won’t improve from here on out.

I guess that soon some enlightened educator will determine that even “participation prizes” make non-participants feel bad. So we should give out prizes just for “being.” That way, everyone will feel included. Unless you’re dead, and then you probably won’t care.

But I digress, again.

The bottom line is that America is going through somewhat of a national convulsion brought about by forces that do not want to see America abandon the path toward one-world globalism and reassert itself as a sovereign nation.

These are forces that detest the fact that America’s freedom is founded on and guaranteed by America’s virtue. They understand that if we forfeit our Judeo-Christian virtue, we will lose that hard-won freedom.

Just as the Bible predicts for the final days of this Age of Grace.

By the way, please pray for Mr. Trump’s personal safety. The forces that oppose him are so dogmatic — and in many cases, evil — that I believe his life may be in more danger than previous presidents-elect.

Speaking of danger, that is exactly what Israel is facing during the final few weeks of the current “lame duck” administration.

Writing in Bloomberg News, Eli Lake noted that some of Israel’s friends in Washington fear “the threat of a last-minute speech, executive order, or UN action.”

The United Nations is especially worrying. Michael Snyder notes: “Barack Obama knows that he is the only one standing in the way of a UN Security Council resolution that would formally recognize a Palestinian state…. If Obama decided not to use the U.S. veto power to block such a resolution, it would be legally binding on both Israel and the Palestinians, and the next president would not be able to go back and reverse course.”

Given this administration’s history of slights and insults directed at Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, such a vindictive move is not out of the realm of possibility.

Recently, Secretary of State John Kerry refused to assure Mr. Netanyahu that the U.S. would have Israel’s back at the UN Security Council in the waning days of Obama’s term.

I believe that one of the great tests of Barack Obama’s presidency will be the measure of his personal integrity in his final days in office. If he fails, it will have lasting and dramatic impact on Israel’s safety in the near future.

Again, just as the Bible predicts for these days.

© Copyright 2016, Hal Lindsey

With, arguably, the most critical election in America’s history just days away (or hours away) our current President, Barack Obama, may be on the verge of a test like few other world leaders have ever known. In fact, it may have already begun.

Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin shocked the world when he sent a naval task force toward Syria — through the English Channel! It was an obvious show of strength and belligerence against the West.

Seven Russian warships escorted Russia’s only aircraft carrier right through the famous Strait of Dover, within sight of the storied white cliffs.

By sending the carrier group to Syria, Putin is strengthening his presence in the Middle East. The Russian and American militaries are both active in Syria, but make no mistake, Russia is in charge.

The Russian task force joins warships from Russia’s Black Sea fleet that have been dispatched to the Mediterranean carrying nuclear-capable missiles.

Russia has also sent nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles to the region bordering Poland and hundreds of paratroopers for military exercises in Egypt. They have suspended three separate nuclear agreements with the United States.

Last summer, President Putin warned journalists that “the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction.”

The Russians have also just completed a “nuclear war drill” that involved 40 million people practicing ways to survive atomic war.

Is Putin actually preparing for war with the United States? Is he sending a message to President Obama? How will the President handle increasing Russian aggression in the waning days of his administration?

That’s his big test.

But there’s an even bigger question. Why? Why is Putin testing Obama and why now?

Although President Obama is already considered a “lame duck” President — since he cannot serve another term — after Tuesday’s election, his lame duck status grows even more acute.

Is Putin testing Obama to see if he will wilt under the pressure of a nuclear ultimatum? And if Putin decides he will, then Obama and the United States may get a nuclear ultimatum, and probably before the end of the year.

It will be disguised as something else, but it will be real.

With this President, Putin may see an opportunity for a world-changing moment. He seems to be testing Obama’s resolve right now. If he fails the test, it may invite nuclear blackmail or even World War III.

In 1962, God used a profane, deceptive, and womanizing President to save civilization as we know it. His name was John F. Kennedy.

That moment of truth became known as the “Cuban Missile Crisis.”

At the time, most Americans understood that the U.S. and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war. We now know that they were closer than anyone at the time realized.

Information discovered after the collapse of the Soviet Union revealed that the commanders on the ground in Cuba already had battlefield nuclear weapons and were authorized to use them if necessary.

Some of Kennedy’s top military advisers encouraged him to make an all-out assault on the nascent Soviet military sites on the island. Had he done so, it would have triggered the use of those weapons and the nuclear dominoes would have fallen fast all over the world.

But for the hand of God in that crisis, you and I would probably not be here today.

We now know that the choices President Kennedy made in that critical time were influenced by a book called The Guns of August. It was Barbara Tuchman’s examination of the events and decisions that triggered World War I.

We also now know that Ms. Tuchman’s historical assertions were largely incorrect in that book, based on new information about Germany discovered in recent years.

However, even though her history was wrong, the lessons she taught were perfect for President Kennedy in 1962.

There was tremendous danger in showing weakness, so the President couldn’t let the Soviets establish nuclear launch platforms in Cuba. But in resisting the Soviets, he couldn’t let a mistake trigger a sequence of events that would have caused the world to descend into nuclear chaos.

So he took a middle ground and imposed a naval blockade of Cuba. Long story short, it worked.

God used an imperfect man and a history book with a flawed thesis to prevent a war that would have devastated the planet.

In the early 60s, Americans understood the nuclear threat and Christians prayed for Kennedy on a regular basis. When that book fell into his hands, it was an answer to prayer.

Even if you think a President — or other leader — is wrong on every issue, the Bible admonishes us to pray for that person. There is powerful evidence, both Biblical and historical, that God’s intention is for us to pray for our leaders so that we may lead “a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” (I Timothy 2:2 NASB)

In a few days, we will be given the opportunity to choose our next group of national, state, and local leaders. In our time, when the alternative to peace is so unthinkable, our incentive to pray doubles.

The Bible doesn’t say you have to approve of the leaders’ policies. It says, unequivocally, to pray for them. Pray that they will see the light where they are wrong and repent. Pray they will be given wisdom and good judgment. Don’t pray for the success of wrong or sinful policies, but do pray for the men and women who lead us.

Pray for the upcoming election. Pray that those elected will have an awareness of God; and that they will find good advisers with godly morals. Pray that God will send His Word into all their lives — now more than ever.

We have entered one of the most dangerous periods in world history. So vote! And pray!

Here is another report from CBN showing the growing war of words between Russia and the West.

© Copyright 2016, Hallindsey.com