Last fall I read an interview of Bishop Athanasius Schneider (LifeSite News, “Interview with Bishop Schneider: COVID rules may be ‘a kind of prefiguration’ of the mark of the Beast”, August 31, 2021) regarding mandates in various countries to take abortion-tainted “vaccines” — that is, those designed, produced, or tested using cell lines from aborted babies — and carry health passes to participate in the most basic activities of society.

Bishop Schneider’s parents were Black Sea Germans from Odessa, Ukraine. After World War II, they were sent by Joseph Stalin to a gulag in Krasnokamsk in the Ural Mountains. After surviving that ordeal, they moved to the Kirghiz SSR of the Soviet Union (present-day Kyrgyzstan) where their son Anton (Athanasius) was born in 1961. Later they moved to Estonia, then after several years escaped to West Germany in 1973. Currently, Bishop Schneider lives and serves in Kazakhstan.

Because of his experience growing up under communism in the Soviet Union and the faith of his parents (and later his own), Bishop Schneider expressed his opposition to both “vaccine” mandates and health passes as highly immoral and a Satanic attempt to enslave and destroy humanity. While he did not believe that health passes — which are increasingly being required to buy, sell, and participate in some of the most fundamental aspects of society — constituted the mark of the beast described in Revelation 13, he did believe that they were a prefiguration of it. He said that this was something that must be resisted by all Christians and people who love liberty, even if it meant living a simpler, financially poorer life, or imprisonment, or death.

The bishop referred to his parents as an example of God’s provision in adversity. Though they were highly educated and could have lived a higher standard of life, they refused to deny Christ by cooperating with the Communist Party. They remembered Jesus’ words regarding the eternal value of temporal suffering being His disciple versus the eternal forfeiture of true life for temporal gain:

Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)

They were barred from having a profession and were limited to menial jobs with the lowest of salaries. But they were comforted by the words of David:

I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.(Psalm 37:25)

The family lived very simply, but they always had what they needed to live, and they never starved. God never abandoned them. Living with an eternal perspective and trusting in the promises of God strengthened their faith in Him.

While there has ever been trouble of various kinds in the world, there are times when crises encompass more than an immediate area and cause more worldwide concern and fear. In seeking some explanation of the times, many have become interested in end times study and speculation.

There are a variety of perspectives on the end times promoted by many Christian and other religious groups. Regardless of the specific view, within biblical Christianity some purposes of eschatology include helping increase worship of God, bolstering proclamation of the gospel, providing hope in the midst of trouble, and giving a perspective that looks beyond this present world to heaven.

We have the assurance based on Scripture that Jesus will never cease to intercede on our behalf before the Father. He will never leave us during our darkest times.

The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:23-25)

In fact, when Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land, the Lord encouraged him and strengthened his faith by telling him,

No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.(Joshua 1:5)

God encourages believers in the same way. Persecution, distress, sickness, poverty, or death, none of these things can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39). Jesus is always faithful and will never abandon His children. In commissioning His disciples to go to all nations to proclaim the gospel, Jesus knew the struggles and hardships they would face and reminded them that He would always be with them and that He had all authority in heaven and earth to do so.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'(Matthew 28:18-20)

This is a promise to be with us in our present circumstances, in the future unseen by us, and at the end of time where the crown of immortality and glory will be granted to us. This promise extends to all who become His disciples by doing the work of God — believing in Jesus (John 6:28-29).

In the early church when many Jewish people were coming to faith in Jesus, they faced ostracism, loss of their jobs, loss of family relationships, imprisonment, and threats to their lives. But they were reminded through their suffering that the Lord would never abandon them.

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’ so that we confidently say, ‘THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?’ (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Martin Luther, in his commentary on Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, acknowledged the never-ending presence of God through the grace and peace He grants us in Jesus Christ:

But when the grace and peace of God are in our hearts, then we are strong, so that we can neither be cast down with adversity, nor puffed up with prosperity, but will walk on confidently and will stay on the King’s highway, for we take heart in the victory of Christ’s death, and our confidence in it begins to reign in our conscience over sin and death. Through Him we are assured of the forgiveness of sins, and once we have obtained this, our conscience is at rest and is comforted by the word of grace. If we are comforted and heartened by the grace of God (that is, by the forgiveness of sin and by this peace of conscience), we are able to bear troubles valiantly and to overcome them, even death itself. This peace is not given to the world, because the world never longs for it and does not understand it; it is given to those who believe. And this happens only by the grace of God. (Chapter 1)

The same God who causes us to be born again always remains with us. He protects us for the inheritance He has reserved for us in heaven.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

We may not know what challenges we will face tomorrow, or the details of how end times events will unfold, but we know based on His infallible word that Jesus is coming back for His children. Whether He takes us home through death or catches us up when He returns, Jesus will always be with us through our journey on earth. He who by His great mercy has brought us into a living hope will never, ever abandon us!

© 2022 Rolaant McKenzie – All Rights Reserved

 

We were warned, but nobody listened.  I’m referring to the warning about how nefarious forces have been planning America’s demise for many decades now.  Specifically, how our once-great nation, founded on Godly principles by Godly men and women seeking true freedom and liberty would eventually be destroyed from within — by Communism.  In 1958, W. Cleon Skousen, a former FBI employee, published a book titled “The Naked Communist.”  Five years later, in January of 1963, Albert ‘Syd’ Herlong — a member of the House of Representatives from Florida — and a Democrat — stood before Congress and listed the “45 Current Communist Goals,” which were entered into the official Congressional Record.

What was going on in America in January of 1963?  Well, just six months earlier, the Supreme Court had rendered it’s decision that prayer in public schools would be outlawed.  In June of ‘63, the Supreme Court proclaimed that Bible reading in public schools should be done away with also.  Of course, there was some pushback from this, but American Christianity had already started to lose much of it’s influence, and with the Johnson Amendment entering into the tax code nine years prior, many pastors were already beginning to tuck their tails between their legs and remain silent on all things that might be construed as “political,” as the weaponizing of the IRS had begun.

World War II was still a fairly recent event, having ended less than twenty years earlier.  And we were still mourning the bloody Korean War, which ended just ten years earlier leaving three million people dead — and cold war tensions high.  We had seen first-hand the brutal effects of Socialism, Communism, Fascism and Marxism.  Many were warning that although the wars had ended, we still faced the dangers of creeping Communism in this country.  But it seemed absurd to most people because surely America would never fall under the tyranny of such an evil, tyrannical ideology.  After all, our military heroes in uniform had just recently fought, bled and died in foreign lands to put an end to those evil regimes and assure that would never happen here.

Still, we were warned.  Let me share a few of those Communist Goals from 1963, that I believe have been very effectively accomplished.  Among them: “Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.”  (Done). “Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.” (Done).  “Get control of the schools.  Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda.  Soften the curriculum.  Get control of teachers’ associations.  Put the party line in textbooks.”  (Done).

Also: “Infiltrate the press.  Get control of book review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.” (Done).  “Gain control of key positions in radio, TV and motion pictures.” (Done).  “Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them ‘censorship’ and a violation of free speech and free press.” (Done).  “Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.” (Done).

More Communist goals: “Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as ‘normal, natural and healthy.’”  (May have seemed impossible but they got that done too).  “Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with ‘social’ religion.  Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity.” (Done).  “Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools.” (As we’ve seen, that one was checked off the list that very year).  “Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a world-wide basis.”  (Done).

“Discredit the American founding fathers.  Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the common man.” (Done).  “Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture, education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.” (Done). “Infiltrate and gain control of big business.”  (Done).  “Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies.”  (Done).  “Discredit the family as an institution.  Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.” (Done).  “Emphasize the need to raise children away from the ‘negative influence’ of parents.”  (Done).

Believe it or not, the Communists accomplished pretty much every one of their goals, which were designed to destroy America from within.  And they did it so slowly and so stealthily that nobody really noticed.  Those who did and sounded a warning were shouted down as crazy conspiracy theorists and fanatics.  So here we are, today, scratching our heads and wondering what in the world happened to the country we grew up in.  We were warned.  Nobody listened.

Who would have ever believed that the idea of “Democratic Socialism” would even be taken seriously in America?  But now, according to polls, 39% of American adults said they would prefer socialism.  That number jumps to 54% for those age 18-24.

When I first heard about the idea of “The Green New Deal,” I thought it was one of the most ridiculous things the Leftists had come up with yet.  No more vehicles with gas or diesel engines; imposing a new ‘carbon tax’; everyone guaranteed a job with a universal basic income; free college for all; free healthcare for all; elimination of private homes in favor of ‘green’ multi-unit residential facilities; more public programs, eliminating personal or private property.

Now, we have Klous Schwab of the World Economic Forum — and thousands of his minions embedded in every American state and countless cities across the country — stating boldly that by 2030, we will own nothing and we will like it that way.  That sounds like Communism to me.  But again, the idea of American freedom has been so villainized by the Left while Communistic ideals have been purposely spoon-fed to our children in our public schools and college campuses for so long, I honestly don’t think it’s going to take that long for them to gain complete control.

Our young people have been trained to hate their country, their history and heritage, especially if they happen to be white.  They’ve also been trained to believe that God is dead and Christians are hateful bigots.  In just the past two years, we’ve seen the destruction and removal of statues and monuments honoring America’s historical heroes.  Yet in Seattle, Washington, the statue of the Communist dictator Vladimir Lenin remains the pride of the city.

Law and order is gone.  George Soros-selected District Attorneys are turning criminals loose and crime is not prosecuted. We have the  highest rates of violence ever in this country right now.  Not to mention homelessness, drug abuse and mental illness. Meanwhile, a full-scale invasion of foreign soldiers is taking place on our southern border.  Of course, not all who are entering this country illegally mean to do us harm, but a significant number are coming here just for that purpose, and we’re rolling out the red carpet for them.  Our government is transporting them to cities and towns across America under the cover of darkness so that citizens won’t so easily notice.  Once they’re settled in, the government “Welcome Wagon,” funded with our taxpayer dollars, supplies them with free housing, food, healthcare, education and cash.

We’ve purposely shut down our energy production, and now we must beg our enemies for help.  Freedom of speech is gone, for all practical purposes, because even though we’re still able to speak words that defy the regime, few ever will, for fear of retribution from friends, family and neighbors — or any number of three-letter agencies that have been weaponized by the Globalists.

Along with the deliberate destruction of our economy, energy resources and supply chain, we’re also seeing the start of a planned world-wide famine.  Farmers are being paid by the government NOT to plant their fields.  Millions of chickens and turkeys are being destroyed due to a supposed “bird flu” outbreak.  The Banksters are buying up massive amounts of farmland and the “climate change” police are calling for the culling of millions of heads of cattle — in order to mitigate CO2 emissions.  Bill Gates wants us to eat insects.  And what’s going on with all the mysterious fires at food processing plants throughout the country, all happening just in the past few months?

And millions have been forced to take an experimental injection of poison that’s been proven, now, to have over 1291 adverse side effects — which the snake oil salesmen KNEW ABOUT before the jabs were released on the public, evidence they’d hoped to hide for 75 years.  Yes, 1291 adverse side effects — not the least of which is DEATH.  Millions of Americans have been forced to either take those jabs or lose their jobs.  Many have lost their lives, others have been forever crippled.

The American Library Association’s newly-elected president proudly proclaims herself as a ‘Marxist Lesbian.’  Emily Drabinski, who will take office next summer, has promised to “Queer” the libraries across the country.  Expect an exponential growth of “Drag Queen Story Times” coming soon to libraries nation-wide.

In 2015, the Supreme Court validated homosexual so-called “marriage,” but that wasn’t enough for the powers that control and manipulate American thought.  Now, citizens had better be careful what they say and what they think, and they’d better celebrate sodomy enthusiastically and pridefully, or they may be severely prosecuted for a “hate crime.”

In the last dozen or so years, the numbers of young people “coming out of the closet” and declaring themselves to be homosexual has skyrocketed.  This is a direct result of homosexual “grooming” and encouragement to embrace all manner of sexual deviancy — by their teachers, youth leaders and every area of media, art and entertainment.  Newly brainwashed young people who declare themselves to be homosexual are considered “courageous” and “heroic” among their peers.  They don’t realize how horrifically they’ve been lied to, manipulated and used as throw-away pawns by child sex predators.

Meanwhile, “transgenderism” has become the latest “hot, new trend.”  This is pushed everywhere you go.  Again, our children are directly targeted by this agenda.  And pity the poor soul who refuses to go along with this game of “dress up” or uses the wrong pronouns.  Those who do face instant retribution and punishment.

All this sexual deviancy is not just happening “organically.”  It’s been specifically designed by the LGBTQP+ mafia to indoctrinate and lure young people into sexual activity and gender confusion at the youngest of ages.  Some of the players include the big bully known as the Human Rights Campaign, the taxpayer-funded Planned Parenthood, and even the once wholesome, family-friendly Walt Disney Corporation.  Parents who desire to protect their kids from these predators are now labeled “domestic terrorists.”

This is all part of the plan for a New World Order.  Next up: the death of the US dollar and the “need” for a One-World digital currency, embedded under the skin.  Those who refuse will be outcasts, or forced to live in captivity, if they’re allowed to live at all.  Regardless, the coming Great Reset and New World Order will have to be Communist in nature.  It will be sold to us as it’s been sold to countless billions of naive people in the past: as “power to the people.”  But the only ones with the power will be the tyrannical dictators.  The “people,” rather than being empowered, will lose any last vestiges of freedom they may have ever thought they once had.

George Orwell’s book, ‘1984’ was required reading when I was in high school.  I always found it odd that of all the books out there, ‘1984’ was required.  Perhaps the Globalists wanted us to see what our future held.  Remember: these demons always tell us what they plan to do before they go ahead and do it.  I doubt Orwell meant the book to be an instruction manual, but that’s what it’s become.  We were warned.  But we didn’t listen.

© 2022 Rob Pue – All Rights Reserved