Coming Internet Tax

The Federal Communications Commission plans to impose new regulations on the Internet starting February 26th.  Ajit Pai, one of the Republican commissioners on the FCC went on the "Mark Levin Show" to alert the public to the massive power grab that these new regulations represent.  While the 332-pages of new regulations requested by President Obama will not be made public until February 26th, Ajit Pai gave an overview of what is included. 

The Federal Government will begin treating Internet service providers just like telephone service providers.  This means that everyone's Internet access cost will go up due to taxes.  This is expected to extract $11B of new taxes per year from the private sector.  Even more problematic is the micromanaging of Internet business that the government will impose.  A huge new bureaucracy will be required to deal with the new regulations which will especially challenge smaller businesses making it harder for them to stay in business.

George Orwell would be proud how well the ruling elite has embraced his fictional concept of "Newspeak" to deceive the public.  The term "Net Neutrality" is a classic case in point.  Everybody loves fairness and what could be more fair than neutrality?  But the devil is in the details and as we learn more about what the FCC has in mind for Net Neutrality, the more devilish it is.  Commissioner Pai said the new regulations mimic Obama Care in many respects, particularly in the secrecy associated with it's development.  He also said the new regulations are, "adopting a solution that won’t work to a problem that doesn’t exist using legal authority we don’t have."

Unlike Obama Care, these new FCC regulations are not coming through Congress, it is one more example of how rule-of-man is replacing rule-of-law as we near the Tribulation.  So we can expect more of this because, "the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us'” (Psalm 2:2).

Related to "Net Neutrality" is increased scrutiny of the Federal Election Commission on Internet activity.  The Obama administration doesn't like voices of opposition so they are calling for onerous new rules for Internet-based campaigning. Republican FEC Commissioner Lee E. Goodman said there are some Democrats on the panel demanding regulations to control people who write political blogs, chat rooms or news sites like "Drudge Report."  Even humorous Internet campaigns like "Obama Girl" and "Jib Jab" would face new regulations.

The closer we get to the Tribulation, the more obvious the prevailing spirit of Antichrist becomes.  The Bible says there will be a totalitarian world government in place when Jesus returns.  Regulating the free speech of the Internet is necessary for the control of the public that the Antichrist will need.  So this is just one more thing that shows the stage being set for the Tribulation. 

The only way to escape the coming tyranny of Revelation's Beast is to be a follower of Christ before the Church Age comes to it's dramatic conclusion.  I sincerely hope that all who read this yield their life to Him before it is too late.

Islamic State Terror

The Islamic State visionaries have ratcheted up the terror in their effort to get the world's attention on their quest to unite the world's true Muslims under their banner.  No longer content with the Islamic tradition of beheading their captives, they burned a Jordanian fighter pilot alive. 

Jordan may be one nation that will increase the resistance to the Islamic State.  But this will be futile because Western nations have effectively given up against the Islamic State saying that containment and suppression is a more realistic goal than elimination.  The success of the Islamic State is in the spirit of Antichrist and is a movement that will continue to grow; "they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?'" (Revelation 13:4).  As the terrible power of the Antichrist will grow during the Tribulation, so too will the political/religious movement that will embrace him.

I continue to be fascinated with people of the liberal persuasion I meet who stumble all over themselves to speak highly of Islam.  They do not make any connection between the fundamentalists who take the Koran literally and the more moderate Islamists who aren't violent but will cheer on the Jihadists from the sidelines nonetheless.  Yes, there are cultural Muslims who do want to live peaceful lives but they are coerced into supporting the more radical elements of their religion because that is what the term Islam means, submission.  

It is hard to see how the struggle to unite the world under Islam will end when Western leaders will not even acknowledge that it will take a religious war to resolve it.  Either they secretly agree with the vision of the Islamists or they fear them too much to get serious about opposing them.  And there is also a third possibility that they have been so blinded by their postmodern multicultural ideology that they just don't see Islam for the threat that it is to world peace.

It is becoming more and more apparent that President Obama is in the camp of those who secretly agree with the vision of the Islamists.  His drive to help Iran get a nuclear weapon reveals a lot.  His support of the Muslim Brotherhood is well documented, he goes out of his way to show the Islamic world that he identifies with them, and he takes every opportunity to say that Christianity is on par with Islam.  Given Obama's anti-colonial bias for social justice on a global scale, he probably sees the emergence of Islam as a way to counter-balance the domination of Western Civilization.  What better way to usher in a New World Order.  Obama is paving the way for the Antichrist whether he realizes it or not.

Whenever the words "New World Order" are invoked, many blank out thinking these are just the babblings of yet another conspiracy theorist.  Everyone knows that globalist conspiracy theories are something only wide-eyed kooks speak of.  I really don't know if secretive groups such as the Bilderbergers, Trilateral Commission, and Council on Foreign Relations are cabals of government elites conspiring to consolidate their power globally or not.  What I do know is that there is a spiritual conspiracy that is working to pave the way for the Antichrist's rise to power.   "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).

The best way to win the spiritual warfare already breaking out in this world as physical warfare is to know Jesus Christ as your Savior.  The urgency to yield one's life to Him is increasing by the day.

Fear the Machines

Bill Gates is the latest technology guru to warn us about the danger artificial intelligence poses for humanity.   He joins entrepreneur Elon Musk and physicist Stephen Hawking in being concerned that AI is well on its way to being a threat to mankind.  This sounds like science fiction but it is uncanny the rate at which the sci-fi ideas people have envisioned have come to fruition. 

In this case, Bill Gates and the others fearing AI are right to be worried.  The Bible tells us of a day when machines will be used to enforce compliance with the coming world government: "He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed" (Revelation 13:15, NKJV).  Since the Antichrist will not be omniscient as God, technology will be employed to take up the slack.  There will be many images of the beast used to make sure people are yielding to his will. 

In times past believers would just have to think the image of the beast needed demonic forces to work.  But in modern times, technology has advanced to the point where robots duplicate many human capabilities.  Automation has improved manufacturing but will be used by the Antichrist to facilitate his controlling people.  Today we have machine vision that can read people’s facial expressions, body language and gestures.  Artificial intelligence makes decisions without the need for human involvement. 

During the Tribulation to come, those who “rage against the machine” will be hunted down and killed as an enemy of society.  For all who fear the coming tyranny of the machines, the best way to do that is to escape the Tribulation by being a follower of Christ before this current Church Age comes to its dramatic end.

Global Warming Nonsense

This week the meteorologists forecasting an epic snowstorm for the New York City area blew it so badly that they apologized.  You'd think in this enlightened age with computer models forecasting doom decades from now if we don't cut back our carbon emissions that we could at least get a 24-hour forecast right.  

The global warming faithful are quick to say that climate is not weather as if that gives them license to ignore the limitations of computer models.  But we can't do that because global warming proponents base their entire argument of the doom to come on computer models.  As anyone who has worked with computer models know, they are only as good as the information and algorithms they are given. 

The computer models used to predict the weather are simpler than those being used to predict the climate.  Global warming proponents claim that their more complex climate models are better than those used for predicting the weather so we should trust them.  I'm sorry, this is debased logic.  If you can't get the simple right, why should we trust you with the more complex?  Indeed this problem with modeling has led to "Bonini's Paradox" which explains the challenges of simulations that fully represent complex systems.  French philosopher Paul Valéry effectively summarized this paradox in advance when he said, "Everything simple is false. Everything which is complex is unusable" (Notre destin et les lettres, 1937).

It is getting harder for global warming proponents to sustain the myth.  More scientists are coming out to proclaim that the emperor has no clothes.  MIT meteorology professor emeritus Richard Lindzen recently commented on the religious nature of global warming:

“As with any cult, once the mythology of the cult begins falling apart, instead of saying, oh, we were wrong, they get more and more fanatical. I think that’s what’s happening here. Think about it, you’ve led an unpleasant life, you haven’t led a very virtuous life, but now you’re told, you get absolution if you watch your carbon footprint. It’s salvation!”

The global warming proponents don't much like us calling them religious.  After all, they are Scientists; and Science can't be wrong!  They say those who oppose the settled Science of global warming are unscientific.  This only serves to shut down the debate; it is futile to argue with someone who is irrational.  What they don't realize is that they have made Science into an idol that will fail them sooner than they realize.

The reason governments and their paid scientific lackeys are pushing the global warming agenda so religiously is that it will be used to level the playing field between nations.  Dealing with global warming will throttle the economic power of the United States and facilitate wealth redistribution on a global scale.  Global warming is a world-wide problem that will require a global government to administer.  And that is coming sooner than most people expect.    

What the global warming faithful should fear is what the Bible says is coming.  "The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men"   (2 Peter 3:7, NIV).  The only way to escape the real global warming that is coming is to let Jesus Christ in your life before it is too late.

Coming Islamic Caliphate

The growing band of Islamic State Jihadists continue to make progress toward establishing an Islamic Caliphate.  It is beginning to look like they now intend to take control of the Islamic holy sites of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.  This will be necessary if they have any hope of convincing the Islamic world that they have sufficient authority to rule over them. 

The Islamic State certainly has the momentum to be convincing even surpassing the Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan in influence.  They have accomplished a lot tripling the area they control in the face of an anemic bombing campaign by the U.S. and other nations.  The Islamic State "extremists" are also very vocal about their plans to kill hundreds of millions of people in their quest to bring an Islamic Caliphate into existence.     

Meanwhile, leaders in Western nations can't even bring themselves to link terrorism with Islam.  Either they are cowering in fear of Muslims or they secretly agree with their cause.  I am inclined to believe the latter, that our liberal Western leaders sympathize with Muslims thinking it is only fair that the West yields some of its power and influence in the world to Islam.  The political left already share many ideals with Islam; both are totalitarian in wanting to control all aspects of human existence, both are anti-capitalist regarding individuals as existing only to serve the collective, and both see the U.S. freedom culture with individual liberties as an obstacle. 

The rapid rise in the power and influence of Islam is one of the key indicators of the advanced stage of history we are in as the Church Age comes to an end.  Islam is obviously a doctrine of demons growing in the spirit of Antichrist as God removes His restraint of evil with the Tribulation drawing near.  We seem to be powerless against this growing wickedness with our political correctness not even letting us name Islam as the inspiration for virtually all of the world's terrorism.  Indeed, this will be the case with the Antichrist whom no one will be able to stop; "they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?'" (Revelation 13:4).

The closer we get to the Tribulation, the closer the Church gets to the Greatest Adventure anyone could ever hope to aspire to.  We all need to live ready; "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).

Will 2015 be the Year?

Jerusalem has been the longing for Diaspora Jews who traditionally reflect that they might celebrate the Passover, “next year in Jerusalem.”  Likewise with the beginning of a new year, Christians who are watching for the return of Christ long for this to be the year of our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).  It sure seems it could be with all the stage setting for the Tribulation going on.

It is only by the grace of God that the world economy has not imploded.  It wouldn’t take much to set it off.  The rapid drop in the price of oil is an indicator that the world is already in recession.  The low oil prices are also putting pressure on financial institutions to raise interest rates but this would crater the huge derivative and bond markets.  I’m no economics expert but I have observed our market swings enough to know that those economics experts in charge are more often wrong then they are right.  How else can you explain why our smart economics wizards allowed us to get in the position we’re in?  It is enough to make you become a conspiracy theorist thinking that some cabal of global government elitists are trying to crash the world economy so that they may foist changes on us that we would otherwise resist.  As the leftist change agents love to say, “you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.” 

Another thing the low oil prices are doing is causing significant pain for Russia because oil is their primary export.  Russia has been testing NATO’s resolve to keep them in check and has found that we don’t much care beyond imposing sanctions.  But lower oil prices are having a greater economic impact on Russia than the sanctions.  This may well be the hook of Ezekiel 38 that is being set to cause Russia to invade the Mid-East under the guise of helping their Arab partners with their Israeli problem.  Whoever controls the oil controls the world.

And of course we have wars and rumors of wars in the Mid-East.  The United States President appears to be hell-bent to allow Iran to get nuclear weapons threatening Congress to not impose any more sanctions on them.  We can only surmise that he must think there is some benefit to a nuclear-armed Iran like being able to use it to pressure Israel to make more concessions in the endless pursuit of peace.  Meanwhile, the Islamic State which suddenly emerged out of no where continues to win hearts, minds and real estate in Iraq and Syria with designs on Lebanon as they bring Sharia Law to the region beheading their opponents.

In Europe, growing anti-Semitism is causing more of their Jews to immigrate to Israel.  At  the same time they have opened their doors to Muslim immigrants who will not be assimilated because “iron does not mix with clay” (Daniel 2:43).  What the European nations are just now starting to realize is that with Islamic immigrants come Islamic terrorism.  Europe has traded a peace-loving creative people for Jihadists who only use their creativity to tear down Western Civilization.  As the Islamic Clay Kingdom of Daniel 2 emerges, we can expect to see more terrorism in the world this year.

I also expect something spectacular to happen in the history of the United States, and by extension, the world this year.  On September 11, 2001, Islamic Jihadists attacked the United States announcing to the world their desire to replace Western Civilization with Islam.  On September 29, 2008 the Dow dropped 777 points or 7% kicking off a world-wide recession.  Both of these events happened seven years apart within a week of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.  Was that coincidence or God trying to get our attention?  This has only resonated with the spiritually discerning who are watching for Jesus to return.  Seven years from 2008 is this year with Rosh Hashanah beginning on September 13^th. 

I’ve always thought that Rosh Hashanah would be a great time for the Rapture of the Church.  Even so, come soon Lord Jesus, this world sorely needs You.

Debased Minds

As our country gets further from God, we will suffer the consequences of being ruled over by leaders with debased minds. Romans 1:28 says, "even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (NKJ). This passage came to mind as I read about the insane rules of engagement our military has in Afghanistan. I couldn't believe that we have a catch-and-release program going on for Taliban over there. It really makes you wonder why we are there. This would be a tough time to be in the military. And it is a tough time to be a citizen in this country. Ungodly decisions are causing the United States to lose our power in the world, and with it our freedoms. Whether it is by incompetence or evil design, decisions our government has made is destroying our economy by keeping the unemployment rate up, destroying the value of our savings, and driving up inflation. The American Dream is evaporating before our eyes. God gives us the government we deserve. If our voters do not have sufficient spiritual discernment to elect the most godly leaders, we deserve the consequences of those we put into power. I wonder how people who don't know Jesus Christ as Savior can deal with all the negative trends we are seeing in this country today. I suspect they do whatever they can to put these things out of their minds. But this only exacerbates the proliferation of debased minds. So we may already be past the point of no return for turning things around in this country. I'd like to think there will be a collective awakening and certainly this is a worthy thing to pray for but it is beginning to look like the lateness of the hour will dictate the course of events. It is a blessing to know the prophetic Scriptures. I know that the eventual demise of the United States as the last superpower on earth has to happen to make way for the global government that is coming. The fact that our fall is happening so quickly shows we have to be close to the Tribulation and we know the Rapture will be even closer... Come soon Lord Jesus, this world sorely needs You.