Free Republic

The words leaped off the page. As I read Habakkuk 1:2-4, I thought about the United States. The prophet’s complaint about the violence, iniquity, and injustice in ancient Judah matched everything that I saw all around me. How much longer could it be before God’s judgment falls on America? That was over twenty-five years ago. What grabbed my attention back then is tame compared to now. Wickedness, lawlessness, violence, and injustice have increased exponentially in America since then. Abortion and child trafficking hang over our nation like a thick black cloud of hazardous, deadly chemicals. Corruption defines the U.S. government....

This is very scary. Anywhere I stopped for more than a couple of minutes in the last few years is shown as a red dot on a world map. The level of detail is very creepy when you zoom in. I didn't recall being in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles or Seattle . . . but zoom in and I'm at the airport.

Vladimir Putin today is considered by many to be the world’s enemy number one. He’s a bloodthirsty tyrant, and his country holds the world’s largest nuclear stockpile. Bible prophecy speaks of an evil despot who is going to rise from Russia in the end times to lead a great coalition of nations that invades Israel. What we see happening today is a frightening preview of that. The Bible in Ezekiel 38 and 39 talks about an individual called Gog. These two chapters were written over 2500 years ago, but they read like they were ripped from today’s headlines. Gog is...

You might be wondering, what is being besieged? Our borders? Yes. Common sense values? For sure. How about proper theology? Absolutely. We are besieged like never before but, then, this was predicted! There would be a vast “falling away” from the faith. (2 Thessalonians 2) But I think that this issue goes deeper. Let me explain. I have watched Bible prophecy attacked, scorned, mocked, criticized, and improperly taught for a lot of years. There has been overwhelming confusion about the last days. Again, that is predicted, so no surprise (II Peter 3:3–7). In many denominations, it is taught egregiously wrong....

If you read through the New Testament, you’ll quickly notice how its various authors point their readers back to the first Book of the Bible: Genesis. Peter, Paul, and the Lord Jesus Christ all interpreted Genesis 1-11 as real, literal history. In fact, the Lord Jesus draws a fascinating parallel between the calling up of the Church from this world (the pre-tribulation Rapture) and the dramatic events that occurred during Noah’s life. Consider how Jesus used the historical backdrop of Genesis 6-9 to illustrate an important truth about the pre-tribulation Rapture: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall...

We have looked at Restraint and Derision by the Lord against the anti-God wickedness of these evil, current times on a number of occasions in these commentaries. That this Intervening action from Heaven would be the order of the last of the last days of the Dispensation of Grace (Church Age) is, of course, found in Psalms chapter 2 of the Old Testament and in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 in the New Testament. “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bands asunder,...

The Rapture is perhaps the most important piece of prophecy for us to understand since it could very well impact us personally. This [article] will help you examine what the Rapture is, defend it biblically, and explain its personal and practical importance. What is the Rapture? The Rapture is the biblical prophetic event where all who have put their trust in Christ, living and deceased, will suddenly be caught up from earth, be joined with Christ in the air, and taken to heaven. Paul describes the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV – “But I would not...

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has voiced a series of opinions lately that have caught my attention. On Feb. 14, 2024, on live TV, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said, “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us. It’s a political movement.” Erdan responded: “Is the brutal murder of hundreds of civilians not terror? Is the systematic rape of women not terror? Is attempting Jewish genocide not terror? Ladies and gentlemen, this is the UN: a terror-excusing, Hamas-promoting, victim-blaming organization that has lost every ounce of credibility. Nothing said by the...

A realistic look at our world is enough to generate much anxiety. The widespread wickedness, violence, government corruption, and continual rumors of WWIII and/or terrorist attacks often set off alarms concerning our future well-being. I write as one who is not immune to the panic that comes from living amid the multiple threats to our livelihood and safety. Where do we go when the perils of this life spark anger within us or cause us to retreat within ourselves in fear of what might happen next? The most popular response today is to fall for the illusion that all will...

The Talmud tells us that the solar eclipse is a sign or omen for the Gentiles, who base time on the solar calendar, and a lunar eclipse is a sign or omen for the Jews, who calculate the months (and Feast days) according to the cycles of the Moon. 1 Corinthians 1:22 says, “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom.” Although this is true, I think we would all like a sign from God as man’s wisdom doesn’t compare to God’s wisdom, for God knows the end from the beginning. According to Astro Pixels (NASA) calculations, the...

I was listening to a radio ministry called Discipleship Ministries. The late Russell Kelfer is the speaker. He went to his reward around 2000, but his ministry lives on. Today's message is called "And Every Eye Shall See Him." It covers the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, and I thought it so appropriate given world conditions being what they are. The audio message is about 33 minutes, but once you start listening it's hard to stop. He's that good. If you have a chance, give a listen. I think it will speak to you. God bless.

I am cautious about “pinning the tail” on the Antichrist and the False Prophet. We cannot know ahead of time who these personalities are; however, Pope Francis comes close to “filling the bill” on the False Prophet. Or he may be but a “type” of that man just like there are many “types” of the Antichrist throughout history. I think the devil has always had a candidate for the Antichrist waiting in the wings as he doesn’t know when the final generation is. The False Prophet is described in Revelation 13:11-15. He is also referred to as the “second beast”...

Are Leftists stupid, ideologically blind, or just preying on the stupidity/ignorance of young people? It's probably some combination of all three, I suppose. There are plenty of really smart Leftists who are ignorant; most Leftists think of people with whom they disagree as evil or stupid, and ideological blindness is a characteristic that describes most Leftists. Then, of course, there are just plain evil people who sell nonsense to these other groups whom they consider useful idiots, in the way Stalin used Westerners who wanted to believe in communism. NEW: Keffiyeh-donning gay activists in Seattle have declared a “homosexual intifada.”It...

On Feb. 5, 2024, several members of Congress and political experts gathered on Capitol Hill for a press conference to discuss how the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Treaty threatens America. This is how an article by Louis Knuffke at LifeSiteNews.com reported it: “Members of the U.S. Congress warned Monday that the proposed World Health Organization Pandemic Treaty, which would cede significant power of governance over nations to self-appointed globalists in the case of a newly declared ‘health emergency,’ looms as the greatest threat to freedom, national sovereignty, and the sanctity of life that has ever been seen in human...

ight now, China, Taiwan, North Korea, Japan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, among other nations, are all posturing for war or are at war. What’s going on? Jesus said in the last days, there’s going to be a time of “wars and rumors of Wars” (Matthew 24:6). Now, there have always been wars and rumors of wars, but in the Olivet discourse in Matthew chapter 24, he’s talking about an escalation and frequency of these things. While all these other things are taking place, there’s going to be a coalescing of...

The Bible predicts there is a false Christ coming. In 1 John 2:18, he is called the Antichrist. Many typically think the Antichrist is somebody who’s against Jesus. But the prefix anti- can just as easily mean instead of. It seems from Scripture that this Antichrist will pose as a substitute Christ—and it’s quite possible he is alive at this moment. Now, I’d much rather talk about Jesus Christ than the Antichrist. But in studying this person, it just makes Jesus even more wonderful. Here’s a quick comparison between the two: the Antichrist is called “the man of sin” (2...

A conservative California preacher invited to deliver the invocation as a guest chaplain in the U.S. House last month has drawn the ire of self-identified atheist Rep. Jared Huffman and 25 other House Democrats. Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, who spoke of “a coming day of judgment,” in his Jan. 30 invocation, is described in the Democrats’ letter of protest as a “radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and [who] has a long record of hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community.” In their letter to House Speaker...

To me, one of the strangest oddities of the year 2020 was the call for safety in the face of COVID-19. “Stay safe,” we were cautioned. Here in Wisconsin, our governor even issued an order titled “Safer at Home.” This seemed to me to be an extraordinary choice of wording—because COVID-19 results from a virus. I’m sure that experts disagree on the best methodologies for warding off infection from a virus. But one thing that you certainly cannot do to escape it is to stay safe. Your only hope is to stay healthy. So, the expression itself was bizarre but...

The Greek parliament on Thursday passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, in a landmark victory for human rights in Greece and making it the first majority Orthodox Christian country to establish marriage equality for all. The decision, supported by 176 out of 300 lawmakers in parliament and with 78 against, follows months of polarized political and public discourse, and has been welcomed as a long-awaited vindication by the country’s LGBTQ+ couples.

This is the moment a Met Police officer threatens to arrest a Christian gospel preacher who was accused of a hate crime. In a video posted to YouTube, a group of preachers can be heard protesting their innocence to officers after a member of the public claimed they had made homophobic comments. The person who is videoing the officers says: 'All we're doing is preaching our religion. We've been preaching about the gospel and Jesus Christ [and what] the Bible says in the book of John, chapter three verse 16. 'For God's love of the world he gave his one...