The Real Reason Jerry Falwell Supported Trump for President—And Why He Doesn't Regret It - STEPHEN STRANG CHARISMA NEWS

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell (Joel Coleman)

The Real Reason Jerry Falwell Supported Trump for President—And Why He Doesn't Regret It

10/24/2018 STEPHEN STRANG  CHARISMA NEWS

This July, Charisma magazine published a cover story about Jerry Falwell, president of Liberty University. Charisma took an in-depth look at how the university is raising up the next generation and training America's young people to be champions for Christ.

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Falwell was one of the first evangelical leaders to support Donald Trump for president—and he received flak for it from both liberals and conservatives. In the foreword he wrote for my new book, Trump Aftershock, Falwell explains why he made the choice to support Trump so early on and why he thinks Trump Aftershock is an important book in our day.

I decided to share with you what he wrote, as I believe it will encourage and enlighten those who read it. The following is an excerpt from the foreword of Trump Aftershock:

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For over two years now people have been asking me why I supported Donald Trump as a candidate for president of the United States and why I continue to support him now in his role as the chief executive of our great nation. After all, I was one of the only people from the evangelical camp who endorsed Mr. Trump even before the Iowa caucuses. I determined early on that what ailed the United States would require more than a PR and policy bandage. And if Trump were to get elected, he would need more than bandwagon support.

But to answer the question about my support, much of my motivation came from my background in business. My father came from a family of businesspeople who were not Christians, including my grandfather. But a series of personal tragedies resulted in his early death at the age of 55. My dad was only 15 at the time, and he became a Christian because of those sorrowful events. I think he might have gone into the family business if those things hadn't happened. The point is that though the world knows the Falwell name chiefly in the context of my famous clergyman father, most Falwells have been successful entrepreneurs—businessmen and businesswomen.

Even in the context of a nonprofit organization such as Liberty University, I have seen firsthand what applying business principles can do to save an organization. In the late 1980s and 1990s, when donations dried up, we had to create a business model that would keep Liberty alive. In the end not only did we eliminate the debt; we also prospered enough that we've now fulfilled many of the original visions my father had for this university. But Liberty's success didn't come through hazy or lazy leadership.

So that's why I supported Donald Trump early, because the United States is drowning in $21 trillion of debt. Trump is a businessman. We haven't had many businessmen who have become president. Instead, we get career politicians who are short on transformative thinking and long on political career preservation. Even though Trump hadn't even decided what all his political views were at that time, I knew that a pragmatic businessman with common sense would come down on the right side of issues. Trump wanted to do what was best for the country. And if you start with that desire—to do what's best for the country and for the common man—then you have no choice but to be a conservative. It's that simple.

I'm proud I supported Donald Trump. And since he's entered the White House, I've stayed in close touch with him, talking to him about once a month. It has become a close friendship. I'm so pleased with how he's kept his promises. He's appointed justices to the lower courts and the Supreme Court who I believe will uphold the Constitution. On matters related to religious liberty, the president has been a godsend. And his deregulation strategies have brought about prosperity for businesses and the American worker. He's done all the things he said he was going to do—even with all the attempts to thwart his administration by fake Republicans in the Senate and all the folks on the left who will stop at nothing to overthrow a duly elected president.

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You see, we needed somebody with resolve and backbone. Republicans and Democrats—the parties had become so much alike that you really couldn't tell the difference. Many of them were—and still are—so scared of their shadow and criticism from the press that they waffle on every issue. They put their finger up and see which way the wind is blowing.

But Trump just marches ahead. He doesn't care how much criticism comes his way. And the people don't care either. The people don't care what the press say anymore because they've lost all credibility. That's what Americans have longed to see in their president—somebody who will stand up for the country, stand up for what's right and not back down in the face of adversity.

Like Stephen Strang does in this book, I compare Trump to Winston Churchill during World War II. Everything looked lost in the face of the onslaught of Hitler's military might. Churchill had to resolve to move ahead anyhow and to never quit. That's what I see in Donald Trump, and I think that's why people support him in spite of all the negatives that get thrown at him.

In this new book by my friend Stephen Strang, you will come to a great understanding of all that has been happening since election night. Strang shows how President Trump has exceeded the expectations of his supporters. And Strang reveals how the left, instead of acknowledging the genuine successes of the Trump administration, are growing in their animus toward the president. Refusing to acknowledge the roaring economy and a renewed sense of optimism and national pride, some on the left (and some on the right) are succumbing to "Trump Derangement Syndrome." And so the rift between the left and the right has grown deep, and our national politics are more polarized than ever.

But Strang's book strikes a chord of hopefulness because he believes (as do I) that these days are some of the most extraordinary times in the life of our nation. You'll enjoy Trump Aftershock. But even more, it will prompt you to pray and work in your own community to "make America great again."

—Jerry Falwell Jr.
President, Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

I hope you enjoyed Falwell's powerful message. I was honored he allowed me to put his name on the book's cover. If you haven't ordered Trump Aftershock yet, just visit trumpaftershock.com or stores like Amazon, Walmart, Barnes&Noble, Books-A-Million or The Christianbook Group. If you order the book before Nov. 6, you'll receive a package of free items, including two e-books and a subscription to Charisma.

Listen to my podcast below to hear more of my thoughts on Falwell's insights!

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The Real Reason You Haven't Seen Your Supernatural Breakthrough Yet - KAREN HARDIN CHARISMA NEWS

Are you still waiting for your breakthrough? (Unsplash/Ian Espinosa)

The Real Reason You Haven't Seen Your Supernatural Breakthrough Yet

11/19/2017 KAREN HARDIN  CHARISMA NEWS

Everywhere I go there is confirmation for the word that has been released in this season of blessing and double. My husband and I have seen confirmation after confirmation and yet ...

This year of 2017—this breakthrough year—has not been easy. Anyone else out there feel that way? I know I'm not the only one.

I believe that is because there is a second part to that word of breakthrough which is "contend"!

I was talking to my friend Kim Potter earlier this week. She had texted me several times letting me know she had felt prompted to pray for me. There was a reason.

In the last couple of months, some incredible doors have opened even as I have faced some incredible battles. Recently I was able to speak before the United Nations. I also just received an invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast. Doors within the area of government have opened this year and I have been amazed. But even as I have seen breakthrough in one area, as the owner of a small business, I have taken hit after hit. An unexpected repair. A cluster of unexpected bills. Multiple clients who were ready to sign a contract, and suddenly they had to delay the project. Every client who was on a monthly retainer stopped due to their own challenges.

Every. Single. One.

Just when it seemed breakthrough was on the horizon, it delayed.

So in the midst of incredible new open doors, this giant of lack kept getting taller all the time. What is your giant that mocks you? For he is about to be felled.

As Kim and I compared notes, we recognized that while we had both experienced some tremendous breakthrough this year, there were other areas in which we had not yet seen anything at all! Not an ounce. If this is a year of double blessing, (and it is) then why are we all not walking in it yet?

"I think we are to contend for it," Kim stated as we talked.

It wasn't just a comment. It was an anointed word. We both sensed it.

It is a word for us all.

Blessing and breakthrough are absolutely what is available in this season. But we can be in the midst of blessing and watch as it passes us by. Why? Because we must contend for the promise. Some blessings just drop in our laps. But others, and usually the big ones, require that we contend for them.

The Israelites were given the promised land, but they had to take the promised land. They had to contend for it.

Caleb understood that principle. He understood that the promised land was his inheritance; it was given to him, but yet he still had to take it.

"So now, give me this hill country that the Lord spoke about on that day. That day you heard that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. Perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out, as the Lord said" (Josh. 14:12-13, MEV).

The word of breakthrough and double portion is our inheritance. It is ours. And yet, it will not be without a fight. It will be won first by prayer and then by action.

As I consider the past, every single major miracle I have experienced in my life has come through contending. There are some promises and blessings that come in our lives that come easily. But there are others that will only manifest when we stand and say, "I'm not leaving here until you bless me."

Do you understand that principle? Jacob did. He fought with the angel and refused to let go until he received a blessing and breakthrough. How could Jacob be so bold? Because he needed a miracle and he wasn't going to settle for less.

"The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream along with all that he had. Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him there until daybreak. When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched the socket of his thigh, so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated, as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, 'Let Me go, for the day breaks.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let You go, unless You bless me.' So He said to him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Jacob.' Then the man said, 'Your name will no more be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.' ... Then He blessed him there"  (Gen. 32:22-31 MEV).

Jacob contended for a miracle because he was desperate. As he contended for that blessing he gained something more. It changed him and strengthened him. In that encounter, the Lord changed his name to Israel which means "to contend and to prevail."

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Do you need a blessing today? Have you been standing, waiting and watching as others have received their blessing? Have you have asked, "Lord, where is mine?"

Have you attended meetings where everyone else seemed to receive a word, and yet you left seemingly empty-handed? Where others received promotion and you felt invisible? Where it seems your prayers to heaven have hit a lead ceiling? Don't stop. Contend.

Times are changing. This season we must understand how to contend for what He has promised, because there is coming a season in which provision will still be there, but not in the way that we have been used to. That regular paycheck may disappear, like my retainer clients who paid on a monthly basis disappeared and suddenly my ability to pay bills had to shift. As I asked the Lord about this strange season, I sensed that this wasn't just a challenge I faced. It was a message of things to come. Things are shifting. We have to learn the walk of trusting Him for provision as never before.

That is not a fearful word. It is a word for knowledge. Let me tell you that even in the wilderness there was complete provision. It is a place of growth and a place to learn trust and contend.

What does that mean? In the Greek, contend means "to engage in a contest" or "strive for the mastery." Taking hold of the promises of God is a battle where Satan will do everything in his power to keep your inheritance—God's promises for you—from you.

Has your inheritance been delayed or stolen? Contend for it.

Where is there an area of lack in your life? It is not what He has promised you. Contend for the Promised Land. It is yours—but you have to take it.

Even after this hard year of struggle, every single day I get up with the expectation that THIS will be the day of breakthrough. I am not letting go. When we refuse to let go, we will see breakthrough for He is the God of breakthrough.

Impartation to Victory

For those who are in that land of waiting, it will not be forever. Tomorrow may be that tipping point. Don't quit contending. Not long after Kim and I hung up the phone, after months of contending, my situation hit tipping point.

Before the day was over, one of my retainer clients called to be reinstate, an upcoming ministry trip was completed funded from an unexpected source, and a client sent me a new project out of the blue. Everything can change in a day. Don't give up.

Does that mean the battle is over? Hardly.

What we must recognize is as long as we are on the earth the battle will not be over. We must contend for His promises in our lives, for our families, for our nation.

Here are five important steps:

• Clean House. Go before the Lord and make sure there is nothing that stands in the way of your breakthrough. Unforgiveness, offense and sin all can hinder blessing.

"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God" (Matt. 5:23-24, MEV).

• Give. During this time, not only did my husband and I make sure we continued to tithe, but we pressed in (contended) in giving first fruits in His timetable rather than ours. We took Him at His word where He stated:

"Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test Me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams" (Mal. 3:9-11, MEV).

• Listen. It is important to spend time not just praying, but listening. Spend time in His presence  to what He wants to share with you and write it down. We can miss a moment when we don't listen or when we don't take the time to write down and preserve what He is saying to us (Jer. 33:3).

• Find your Promise.  We have an entire book given to us full of promises. Let the Holy Spirit illuminate His Word to you today and the promise He is breathing on in this season. Sit and read the Word until you sense the Spirit stirring something in your heart as He speaks it into you and brings it to life. As you speak it out, it will renew your faith and it will set in motion the very provision pregnant within that word.

• Contend. Don't stop. That's really it. We don't stop until we see the blessing. Like Jacob we wrestle and don't let go until it comes. The first-century rabbi, Honi, which Mark Batterson details in his book, The Circle Maker, contended during a devastating drought. He walked out in public, took his staff and drew a circle around himself as he declared, "I'm not leaving, God, until it rains." Honi didn't move when a trickle of rain began. He contended.

When we start to see breakthrough, don't stop contending. It may have started to rain, but don't settle for just a trickle, pray for the overflow He has promised.

We are in interesting times. We've never seen anything like it. We are going to see amazing miracles and provision, while at the same time we will be in some of the most severe battles we have ever encountered. They will be simultaneous. It is vital that now we learn how to contend for the provision for the days ahead.

If you are discouraged and weary today because you, too, have had a hard year and have a giant mocking you, I say to you today and I release the battle cry of victory to you, contend! The battle is yours if you will contend until it comes. 

Karen Hardin is an author, minister and literary agent. She is called to exhort, encourage and help raise up the remnant. She desires to empower those who have grown weary so they can reposition to walk in identity and destiny. Her work has appeared in "USA Today,"  "World Net Daily," "Crosswalk.com," "Charisma," "CBN.com," "The Elijah List," etc. To read more from her blog, "The Light and the Remnant: Prophetic Insights for the Days Ahead" go to karenhardin.com or email her at: Karen@lightandremnant.org.

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The Real Reason You're Spiritually Exhausted—And How to Fix It - PAT AND KAREN SCHATZLINE CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Maybe you wake up so weary and exhausted you think you can't possibly make it through the day. (Getty Images)

The Real Reason You're Spiritually Exhausted—And How to Fix It
8/27/2017 PAT AND KAREN SCHATZLINE CHARISMA MAGAZINE

"Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being" (Gen. 2:7). It is the breath of our Father God that imbued life into us, and it is His breath that continues to sustain us. Without this precious breath, humankind would not exist. The breath of God is life itself.

Throughout the Bible, when the breath of God is present, it produces or revives life. If God is our very life-breath, we should be living in a place of revival, but many of us are not. In fact, some of us are out of breath. Life has a way of taking our breath away. The phrase "take my breath away" typically makes us think of moments when the beauty and grandeur of God leave us breathless, but that is not the kind of breathlessness we're referring to. There is another kind of breathlessness that comes upon us when life is pressing in so hard that we feel crushed and desperate, as if we can hardly breathe.

Maybe you wake up so weary and exhausted you think you can't possibly make it through the day. Perhaps you feel hopeless and lost. You're certainly not alone. But our God is a God of hope. If you let Him, He will breathe into you and fill your spiritual lungs with His very life and revive your soul. Then, when you are full of God, His presence will overflow to everyone you come in contact with.

If you have reached for your spiritual inhaler on more than one occasion, perhaps it is time to build a "breathing room" for God. Maybe it's time to create a place for God to meet you and breathe new life into you as you encounter Him on a personal level. But know this—when you inhale God's breath, you will exhale revival fire!

So what is revival fire? The word "revival" has become a buzzword the church uses to describe a great spiritual experience. We are continually talking and praying for revival. But if we're going to pray about revival, shouldn't we know what it actually is?

Oxford Living Dictionaries describe "revival" as "an improvement in the condition or strength of something; an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again; a reawakening of religious fervor."  Wow! That definition should not only excite us but also awaken us to the fact that most of us are not living in a state of revival.

Yes, we go to meetings where we are moved by the music and touched by the sermon, but are we in fact improved, strengthened or reawakened in our spirits? If we truly experienced revival. Shouldn't entire cities, states and nations be changed as people encounter the living God? It seems the body of Christ would be influencing culture rather than culture influencing the church if we were in revival, but that is not always happening. We have become satisfied to merely coexist with the culture around us.

It's time for us to experience personal revival so corporate revival can begin to influence our society. It's time for us to be resuscitated out of our state of lethargy and compromise so we can improve the condition of our world, strengthen the next generation, and reawaken our spiritual fervor so our lives display God's resurrection power. That's what revival is!

It's time for us to groan again that God would send His Spirit across our land. Charles Spurgeon said, "Groanings that cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused." We need to get back to a place of deep travail, where our soul groans for the breath of God to blow afresh into our lives. We call this the "sigh of the soul." A sigh is when you audibly exhale in disgust or relief. If you are tired of where you are in your walk with God, disgusted by continual shifting winds of cultural compromise, exhausted from fighting the enemy on every front and just surviving, then it is time to build a breathing room in your life, a place where you can breathe in the breath of God.

Adapted from Rebuilding the Altar by Pat and Karen Schatzline (2017, Charisma House). This book challenges you to return to the place where you can daily encounter God: the altar. When this happens and you truly encounter Him, His light and power will flow into you, your homes, church, nation and the world. To order your copy, click on this link.

Prayer Power for the Week Beginning Aug. 27, 2017

This week, go to your spiritual altar and seek a fresh encounter with God. Continue to seek and pray for personal and worldwide revival. Lift up our national and spiritual leaders. Pray that they would seek godly counsel and receive wisdom, protection and direction to navigate the challenges they face every day. Pray for the families who suffered loss due to terrorist attacks, crime and service to their country. Read Isaiah 6:4-8; Romans 13:11-14

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The Real Reason for America's Looming Retirement Crisis - MICHAEL SNYDER CHARISMA NEWS

If we had tens of millions more taxpayers, pension funds all across the country would be much more solvent. (Public Domain)

The Real Reason for America's Looming Retirement Crisis

4/21/2017 MICHAEL SNYDER  CHARISMA NEWS

Did you know that approximately 40 percent of all American workers have absolutely nothing saved for retirement?

And did you know that pension funds in the United States are currently underfunded by about $6 trillion? Social Security is supposed to be the underlying safety net for our entire retirement system, but it is essentially just a massive Ponzi scheme that everyone agrees is heading for a major disaster. Now that the Baby Boomers have started to retire, it is becoming clear that our society simply does not have the resources necessary to keep all of the promises that we have made to them. We are facing a retirement crisis of epic proportions, and by the end of this article you will understand the real reason why we have gotten into this mess.

Like so many other industrialized nations, America's population is rapidly aging. In fact, in some rural areas of the country entire towns are in the process of slowly disappearing as their populations literally die off. The following is an excerpt from an outstanding article that was published by The Atlantic:

It can be a pretty depressing proposition to start counting the deaths in this tiny town set among the hills and buttes of central Oregon.

Sherian Asher, 74, began keeping track a few years ago, despite herself, until she realized the tally: four deaths a month, in a town of 450. Then she stopped counting.

Fossil, Asher said, is "just going to die out."

Businesses are disappearing, too. There used to be four gas stations, three grocery stores, three car dealers and a lumber mill. Now, there's just one restaurant in town open at night. The nearest hospital is more than an hour away, the nearest city, Bend, is two-and-a-half.

The Baby Boomers in particular pose a unique challenge for our society, because they represent a massive demographic bubble that has fundamentally altered our culture as they have passed through each stage of life. Now they are retiring in extremely large numbers, and many of them are completely unprepared for retirement.

Of course, most of those coming after them are not preparing for retirement either. In fact, the executive director of the National Institute on Retirement Security says that 40 percent of all American workers have nothing saved up for retirement at all:

"We have a lot of individuals who have nothing saved for retirement, about 40 percent of the workforce," said Diane Oakley, executive director of the National Institute on Retirement Security. When her organization used census data to assess whether households were saving enough to retire with eight times their projected income, a very conservative estimate of retirement preparedness, "we found that 60 percent of households weren't on track."

Those numbers are absolutely staggering.

What in the world are we going to do once all of those people hit retirement age?

401(k) plans were supposed to revolutionize the way that Americans prepare for retirement, but that simply has not happened. In fact, USA Today is reporting that those that are participating in such plans only "have an average of $14,500 in their retirement accounts":

The current retirement system in America hinges on the 401(k) plan, which replaced pensions as the go-to source of retirement income. But over the past 35 years that effort has been failing because participants are not contributing enough, asking for withdrawals and not repaying 401(k) loans. More participants are instead treating their 401(k) as a checking account and making very little effort to learn how to manage their investments. The chart below outlines how less than half of Americans now participate in retirement plans and those that do have an average of $14,500 in their retirement accounts, when they will need between 20 and 30 times that amount.

How long will $14,500 last you?

Perhaps if you are very thrifty, it might last you six months.

Of course, it is quite difficult to find money to put into your retirement account when you are living paycheck to paycheck, and some recent surveys have found that this is the case for about two-thirds of the population.

In the old days, many large companies offered pensions, but once 401(k) plans were introduced, that number dropped significantly.

These days it is mostly federal, state and local government workers that are covered by pension plans, but unfortunately many of those pensions are severely underfunded.

This is something that I covered in substantial depth on the Economic Collapse Blog recently. In my piece, I pointed out a Bloomberg article that stated that overall there would be a pension funding gap of somewhere around $6 trillion if honest numbers were being used. And that 6 trillion dollar shortfall would only apply if stock prices stay at current levels. If stock valuations simply returned to normal levels, pension funds would lose trillions upon trillions of dollars and we would very rapidly have a national crisis on our hands.

But if everything else fails, don't we at least have Social Security?

I wouldn't be so sure. Everyone knows that Social Security is essentially a Ponzi scheme living on borrowed time.

According to Reuters, one recent survey discovered that just 37 percent of all U.S. workers are "very or somewhat confident" that payouts from the system will continue at current levels in the future...

No surprise, then, that only 37 percent of workers are "very or somewhat confident" that Social Security will be able to maintain current benefit levels in the future, according to survey research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)—although confidence is much higher among older workers and retirees.

From a math standpoint, potential solutions to the problem are straightforward. The cuts can be avoided through increased revenue, benefit reductions or some combination of the two. But the politics are another matter.

Of course there are many reasons why we are in such a mess, but perhaps the biggest reason is because we don't have nearly enough young people in the workforce paying taxes to support all of the older people that are retiring.

If we had tens of millions more taxpayers, pension funds all across the country would be much more solvent.

If we had tens of millions more taxpayers, the Social Security system would be just fine.

But we don't have tens of millions more taxpayers, because we killed them.

Since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, we have killed close to 60 million children. Most of those children would be in the workforce today, but since they aren't we have a major financial nightmare on our hands.

Throughout human history, the next generation has always taken care of the preceding generation once they have gotten too old to work.

But we have forfeited that right because we committed mass murder. Now an unprecedented retirement crisis is looming, and nobody is going to have much sympathy for us when the whole system comes crashing down. 

Michael Snyder is the founder and publisher of End Of The American Dream. Michael's controversial new book about Bible prophecy entitled "The Rapture Verdict" is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

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The Real Reason Why Millennials Aren't Going to Church...

The Real Reason Why Millennials Aren't Going to Church, and It's Not Because They Hate Jesus

It's no secret that Millennials aren't going to church, but it's not Jesus they're rejecting. It's something else.   WATCH NOW →

Billy Graham Shares the Real Reason People Wanted to Kill Jesus - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Why would someone want to kill Jesus? (Public Domain)

Billy Graham Shares the Real Reason People Wanted to Kill Jesus

4/10/2017 JESSILYN JUSTICE  CHARISMA NEWS

Join us on the new C-Pop podcast where Taylor and Jessilyn discuss, debate and sometimes deride pop culture with a strong sense of humor and a focus on Christ. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

---

Easter Sunday allows many believers the opportunity to reflect on their faith, why they surrendered all to a man who sacrificed Himself so we wouldn't spend eternity apart.

As Christians, we know Jesus is love. We know He is perfect.

But today, as when Christ Himself walked the earth, He is despised by many. As the apostle Paul said, He humbled himself to the death of the cross.

Evangelist Billy Graham explains why: 

Those who wanted to kill Jesus did so for one main reason: They didn't want to hand over the control of their lives to Him. To put it another way, they realized that if Jesus was the Son of God (as He claimed), then they couldn't keep on living the way they wanted to.

Think, for example, of King Herod. When the wise men came to Jerusalem they asked one question: Where can we find the new king of the Jews? When Herod heard this, he was enraged; he had no intention of giving up any of his power. As a result, he made a determined effort to have the young child killed, forcing His family to flee to Egypt. (You can read about this in Matthew 2.)

Herod soon died—but throughout Jesus' ministry, some people felt threatened by His claim to be the Son of God and were determined to kill Him. In spite of His miracles and His teaching, they refused to believe in Him. They knew that if they did, they'd have to change their way of living and become His followers. They refused—and eventually they urged Pilate to condemn Him.

Although we live in a different world, the human heart has not changed. We want to run our own lives, and we don't want to hand control over to Jesus. Like the people in one of Jesus' parables, we bluntly declare, "We do not want this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14b). But Christ hasn't changed, and neither has His power to forgive us and save us. Have you given your life to Him? 

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The Real Reason Why America Has Been Given A Reprieve - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

The Real Reason Why America Has Been Given A Reprieve

Posted: 18 Dec 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

This is one of the most important articles that I have written in a long time.  The strange events of the past year and a half have befuddled and mystified many, and in this article I am going to explain why America has been given a temporary reprieve. 

If you go back to June 2015, I warned my readers that major financial problems were imminent, and sure enough in August 2015 we witnessed the greatest financial shaking that we had seen in seven years.  I remember getting emails from my readers applauding me for absolutely nailing that prediction, but we were all concerned about what was coming next in September. 

If you will recall, there was more buzz about September 2015 than any other month that I can ever recall.  That was the month of the last blood moon, the end of the Shemitah year and the Pope’s visit to the United States among other things.  There was a tremendous amount of anticipation that the crisis that had begun in August 2015 would greatly accelerate in September and lead us into a period of cataclysmic global chaos.  But that did not happen. 

Instead, U.S. financial markets calmed down and eventually recovered.  There was a shift in the political realm as well, as the second half of 2015 marked the rise of Donald Trump.  During those key months, Trump miraculously built a commanding lead in the race for the Republican nomination that none of his opponents were ever able to overcome.  And now that Trump has won the election, an economic surge appears to be happening that is unlike anything that we have witnessed in many years.

Compared to much of the rest of the world, America appears to have been blessed over the past year and a half.  Our financial markets have performed extremely well, the U.S. dollar is the strongest that is has been in over a decade, and jobs are coming back to the United States.

None of this was supposed to happen.  In fact, our financial system was in such bad shape a year and a half ago that it was being projected that the U.S. would be on the bleeding edge of the next crisis.  But instead here we stand safe, prosperous and seemingly secure.
How in the would can we explain this?

What I am about to share with you I have previously shared on national television down at Morningside, but it has been brought to my attention that I have never shared this with my readers on The Economic Collapse Blog.  I apologize for this, because the past year and a half doesn’t make any sense until you understand these things.

When people look back at September 2015, they always forget the most critical event.  In addition to everything else that was going on that month, France had a UN Security Council resolution all ready to go that would have permanently divided the land of Israel, that would have given formal UN Security Council recognition to a Palestinian state for the very first time, and that would have given East Jerusalem to the Palestinians as the capital of their new state.

The rest of the UN Security Council was ready to go along with the French resolution, but there was just one country standing in the way.

The United States has veto power on the UN Security Council, and so the Obama administration had the power to potentially block the resolution.  After carefully considering the matter, the Obama administration decided that it was not the time for such a resolution, and so France never submitted it for a vote.

Just about everything else that Barack Obama did throughout his entire presidency was bad, but in this instance he got something completely right.  The decision whether or not to divide the land of Israel was in his hands, and he made the right call.

Once this decision was made, it was almost as if someone hit a “pause button”.  None of the bad things that people were forecasting ending up happening, and since that decision America has been blessed compared to the rest of the world.

And this is perfectly consistent with what God said that He would do.  Starting in Genesis 12 and continuing all throughout the Scriptures, God promises to bless those that bless Israel and to curse those that curse Israel.

In this case, Barack Obama blessed Israel by preventing the UN Security Council from dividing the land, and so we were blessed as a result.

But of course there have been many other instances over the past several decades when we have been cursed as a nation for attempting to take steps toward the division of the land of Israel.  One of the most notable instances took place in 1991 when George H. W. Bush got the Israelis and the Palestinians together for the very first time to discuss the dividing of the land of Israel into two states…

At that conference, the New York Times reported that Bush told Israel that “territorial compromise is essential for peace”.  Needless to say, this upset a lot of people…

At the exact same time that conference was going on, the “Perfect Storm” was raging in the North Atlantic.  Three major storms merged together, and instead of canceling one another out, they formed the kind of storm that is normally only seen once in a lifetime.  If you will remember, Hollywood made a big blockbuster with George Clooney that was based on this storm.  This gigantic storm went 1000 miles the wrong direction and slammed directly into the home of George H. W. Bush while he was at the Madrid conference talking about the need to divide the land of Israel…

Another very notable example of this phenomenon came in 2005.  At that time, George W. Bush (the son of George H. W. Bush) had convinced Israel that it should pull all of the settlers out of Gaza and turn it entirely over to the Palestinians.  According to the New York Times, the last of the settlers was evacuated on August 23, 2005…

On that exact same day, a little storm that came to be known as Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas.  It shocked forecasters by turning directly toward New Orleans, and it ultimately became the costliest natural disaster in all of U.S. history up until that time.
There are dozens more examples like this, and men like John McTernan, William Koenig and David Brennan have done a great job documenting them.

Today, 137 nations have already recognized a Palestinian state.  The holdouts are mostly in North America and Europe…

France and most of the rest of Europe have been eager and ready to recognize a Palestinian state for quite a while now, but they don’t really want to move forward without the United States.

And of course they can’t officially do anything at the UN Security Council without U.S. approval.

Barack Obama had been hoping to achieve something through direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but those totally broke down and there is no hope that there will be any new negotiations any time soon.

So Barack Obama knows that his only shot at “leaving a legacy” in the Middle East is at the United Nations, and earlier this year he said that a UN Security Council resolution that would recognize a Palestinian state was “on the table” for the very first time…

At that time he did not indicate which way that he would go, and although there have been rumblings that something might happen, he has not taken any action yet.

But now time is running out for Obama, because his term is scheduled to end on January 20th.  The advocates of a “two state solution” are becoming increasingly desperate, because they know that Donald Trump has already promised not to support a UN Security Council resolution that would divide the land of Israel.  So they know that if something is going to be done, it has got to be done now.

A UN Security Council resolution would be legally binding on both the Israelis and the Palestinians, and it would be something that Donald Trump would not be able to undo.  Another vote of the UN Security Council would be required to revoke a resolution once it has been passed, and the votes would not be there to do that.

So the next month is absolutely critical.  The UN Security Council still has time to take action while Obama is still in office, and we know that such a move is actively being considered.  For much, much more on this, please see the following articles that I have recently authored…

-“Jimmy Carter Urges Barack Obama To Divide The Land Of Israel At The United Nations Before January 20th”

-“John Bolton Warns That Obama May Divide The Land Of Israel At The UN Before The Inauguration”

-“The Danger Zone: Why Israel Greatly Fears Barack Obama’s Last Few Months In Office”

-“The New York Times Calls For Obama To Support A UN Resolution That Would Divide The Land Of Israel”

If we can get to January 20th and the land of Israel has not been divided by the UN Security Council and Donald Trump successfully takes office, perhaps our reprieve will be extended for a while.

But if Barack Obama very foolishly allows the land of Israel to be divided at the UN Security Council before January 20th, the “pause button” will be unpaused, our blessing will be turned into a curse, and all hell will break loose in America.