Revelation 12:11

"They overcame the evil one by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11

Quote from Anonymous

"Congress is like a horrible circus; it is constantly attacking the President and conservatives who support him. Tension is high, stress for some in the thick of it is off the charts." Anonymous

Beast of a Highway

Beast of a Highway
Excerpted from Copper Crucible by Jonathan D. Rosenblum and U.S. 666: Beast of a Highway? by Richard Weingroff.

Route 666 was originally so named as the sixth branch of U.S. 66 in early August 1926. Because of the association of '666' as the 'number of the beast' or Antichrist, it was later nicknamed as the 'Devil's Highway' and a 'Beast of a Highway.'

In the Christian New Testament, the Book of Revelation 13:18, it states: 'Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.'

Because of the controversy associated with the number, the highway's designation was later changed to Route 491:
"Route 666 rides the rugged eastern seam of Arizona from the Petrified Forest, south, across the Zuni River, through the Apache National Forest, and into the mountain mining towns of Clifton and Morenci. Unlike the straightforward, gentle passage of retired Route 66 ('America's Highway'), U.S. 666, its descendant, is tortuous, wild, and as strange as its name.

In little more than one hundred miles, the surrounding altitude ranges from twenty-nine hundred feet to more than eleven thousand feet. With some four hundred twisting curves in one sixty-mile stretch, the road has sent more than its share of travelers crashing off cliffs.

If, as Nat King Cole sang, drivers get their kicks on Route 66, they take their risks on Route 666.

"From the time it was numbered, people who lived along the road worried over a possible connection between ancient symbolism and their modern fate. For those nearest the Phelps Dodge copper mines in Morenci, the allusion was obvious: the beast in the Book of Revelation rose from a pit with the markings '666' to signal the apocalypse. ...

At the road's dedication in the 1920s, local Apaches reacted with curiosity to the white people's numerology; they performed a ceremony called 'the Devil's Dance.' Residents regularly wrote the highway department and their congress people to change the highway number. After all, an Arizona car owner cannot even purchase a vanity plate with the number '666' on it - the state won't permit it. But highway routing follows its own science (666 indicates that the road is an extension of Route 66) ... (Copper Crucible 13)

"The association with the 'beast' earned U.S. 666 the nickname 'Devil's Highway.' USA Today quoted a State trooper who recalled one drunken-driving suspect on U.S. 666 who told him, 'Triple 6 is evil. Everyone dies on that highway' (August 4, 1990).

The Wall Street Journal titled an article 'Beast of a Highway: Does Asphalt Stretch Have Biblical Curse?' (August 3, 1995). Referring to the highway's dangers, the article quoted a resident who 'blames Satan. After all, "the highway has the devil's name." ' It was also the subject of a cartoon in The New Yorker's issue of February 23/March 2, 1998 (a Corvette-type open top sports car is passing the U.S. 666 sign; the driver and his passenger are depicted as satanic figures). ...

"This association is a result of gematria, a system of numerology that assigns a value to each letter of the alphabet. A word can, thus, be counted by adding the value of each letter. Through gematria, '666' is the biblical 'number of the beast' because the letters comprising the name of the 'beast' add up to 666. The identity of the 'beast' is unclear, although the Roman Emperor Nero is a possibility. (U.S. 666: Beast of a Highway?)

"In fact, the highway does have a hellish [geological] past. From the Painted Cliffs near New Mexico, rising to Alpine, Arizona, and plunging again to Morenci, the highway traverses millions of years of lava flows, shifting tectonic plates, and what geologists call ' plutonic bodies.' ... (Copper Crucible 14)

"The dark and ill-fated U.S. Highway 666 that, for three-fourths of a century, switched back across New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado [was renamed in 2003] ... The New Mexico Legislature passed a joint resolution literally begging the U.S. Department of Transportation to shed and shred the numeration. The Legislature resolved, among other things that,

WHEREAS, people living near the road already live under the cloud of opprobrium created by having a road that many believe is cursed running near their homes and through their homeland;

and

WHEREAS, the number "666" carries the stigma of being the mark of the beast, the mark of the devil, which was described in the Book of Revelations in the Bible; and

WHEREAS, there are people who refuse to travel the road, not because of the issue of safety, but because of the fear that the devil controls events along United States route 666; and

WHEREAS, the economy in the area is greatly depressed when compared with many parts of the United States, and the infamy brought by the inopportune naming of the road will only make development in the area more difficult.

"Based on these considerations, the Joint Memorial Resolutions requested a new numeric designation as quickly as possible, adding that, 'changing the numeric designation of United States route 666 would provide an added degree of comfort for those using the road.' " (U.S. 666: Beast of a Highway?)

Alpha and Omega

Alpha and Omega by Gerrit Bomhof
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:1-8
“I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13

Some people yearn for past decades, when life may have seemed simpler. Others wonder what life will be like in one or two generations. Solomon understood how difficult it can be to grasp changes through the ages, and he writes, “No one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Still, we try to live our lives for God during the time that we have.

Both God the Father and Jesus the Son reveal themselves as the Alpha and Omega. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and to­gether they represent everything in between. As the Alpha, God is the source of life. We confess that he is “the creator of heaven and earth.” And Jesus the Son, through his death and resurrection, “came that [we] may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

God is also the Omega. History has a trajectory, and no other ruler or power can change the final outcome. In Scripture, we hear loud voices in ­heaven proclaim, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

This month we have considered a variety of things we see in everyday life. I pray that our eyes have been opened in some ways to see more clearly the One who graciously reveals himself as the “Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Awaken our imaginations, Lord, to see you in the ordinary things of life. Thank you for revealing your love and good news to us all. In Jesus, Amen.

International Day of Prayer

November 3, 2019:
International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Religious liberty is the freedom to hold beliefs of one's choice regarding matters of faith, and to live according to those beliefs.

While the concept of religious freedom was foundational to the formation of the United States of America, religious freedom is not practiced in many parts of the world. While we do not believe it is merely an American right, but an inherent human right, that view is not enjoyed universally.

The human race currently faces unprecedented religious persecution from governmental and societal forces worldwide. In 2016, one or more religious groups were harassed in 187 countries around the world.

Over the last decade, Christians have been harassed in more countries, including the United States, than any other religious group. Believers in Christ do indeed face a worldwide crisis of religious liberty.

We must increase awareness of the expanding threat to religious freedom around the world and to the persecution that many Christians are facing. As we grow awareness of this problem we must also increase engagement that will bring tangible hope and help to the persecuted.

Around the world, Christians are harassed, discriminated against, and even killed simply because of their beliefs. As fellow Christians, it is our responsibility to care about those who face danger just for living out their faith and lift them up in prayer.

That's why we're urging Christians to observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, which will take place on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

Today in History

Today in History

1517

Martin Luther Posts 95 Theses

On October 31, 1517, the priest and scholar Martin Luther approached the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nailed a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.

In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment—called “indulgences”—for the forgiveness of sins.

At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to repent for their sins.

Luther’s frustration with this practice led him to write the 95 Theses, which were quickly snapped up, translated from Latin into German and distributed widely. A copy made its way to Rome, and efforts began to convince Luther to recant his position. He refused to keep silent, however, and in 1521 Pope Leo X formally excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church.

That same year, Luther again refused to recant his writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany, who issued the famous Edict of Worms declaring Luther an outlaw and a heretic and giving permission for anyone to kill him without consequence. Protected by Prince Frederick, Luther began working on a German translation of the Bible, a task that took 10 years to complete.

The term “Protestant” first appeared in 1529, when Charles V revoked a provision that allowed the ruler of each German state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms. A number of princes and other supporters of Luther issued a protest, declaring that their allegiance to God trumped their allegiance to the emperor. They became known to their opponents as Protestants; gradually this name came to apply to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those outside Germany.

By the time Luther died, of natural causes, in 1546, his revolutionary beliefs had formed the basis for the Protestant Reformation, which would over the next three centuries revolutionize Western civilization.

Hillary -- Picked by God?

Hillary -- Picked by God?

A former Bill Clinton political adviser says Hillary Clinton believes God wants her to be president.

Dick Morris told the John Catsimatidis radio show, "She feels entitled to do it. She feels compelled to do it. She feels that God put her on the Earth to do it."

According to Morris, the only thing standing in her way is Joe Biden. If Biden drops out, the way is opened for Hillary to get in. Morris said, "Make no mistake. She wants it...She's planning on it. She'll do everything she can to achieve it."

As far as our research shows, Hillary herself has not said that she thinks God wants her to be president. She demurred from that idea in a forum at Messiah College in 2008 when she was running for the Democratic nomination the first time, saying with a smile, "I guess we'll see."

But whether God wants her to or not, some Democrats are quietly, and not-so-quietly, floating the idea of Hillary carrying their party's mantle once again.

Hillary sure hasn't avoided the spotlight. She stirred the 2020 pot recently when she claimed the Russians had planted Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to undermine the election as a possible third party candidate.

She also fueled speculation about a Hillary run when she put forth the idea to PBS reporter Judy Woodruff, that perhaps there should be a "rematch" between her and Trump, saying, "Obviously, I can beat him."

Delusional, or just making a joke, it's no joke that anxiety is rising among Democrats about their current field of candidates.
"With Trump looming, there is genuine concern that the horse many have bet on may be pulling up lame and the horse who has sprinted out front may not be able to win," David Axelrod, a former adviser to Barack Obama told The New York Times.

He's referring to Joe Biden. Though still the front runner, there's concern about him. He's struggling with fundraising, he's not shone brightly in debates, and he's being bombarded by family ethical issues that just won't go away.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren is surging in polls, but there's fear someone who wants to eliminate private health insurance is just too far to the left to win a general election against a formidable President Trump.

A "who else is there?" desperation is taking hold. Michael Bloomberg is said to be a favorite among Wall Street Democrats, and he supposedly is toying with the idea, but he reportedly won't take the plunge unless he's sure he can win.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown's recent opinion piece in The San Francisco Chronicle is making the rounds among some party insiders, touting Hillary as the great hope of the Democrats—and obviously NOT touting his former lover, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

"It's time for Hillary Clinton to come out of retirement, lace up the gloves and get back in the ring with President Trump for what would be the biggest political rematch ever," he writes.

"Call me crazy, but from what I've seen so far, Clinton is the only candidate short of Barack Obama who has the brains, the battle-tested brawn, and the national presence to take out Trump. And Obama can't run."

The Washington Post reports people close to Hillary say she's unlikely to do it all again. But... maybe...

"Ultimately, it's unlikely she would do it," said one person who has spoken with her. "But put it this way: It ain't zero. And does she think about it all the time? Absolutely."

No one's expecting a Biden pull-out from the race, but if it happens at all, it will be before the first of the year. But Democrat dissatisfaction with the current line-up and qualms about any of them being able to beat Donald Trump make the speculation hot and heavy about somebody different.

"If Biden were surging, I doubt you would be hearing this," Harold Ickes, a longtime Democratic consultant, and Clinton confidant told the New York Times. "This shows a restlessness among a lot of people."

Thoughts on Genesis 18:20-21

Thoughts on Genesis 18:20-21 by Ted Bowling

"And the LORD said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, (21) I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against them that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."

We live in a land today where sin is discussed and displayed daily. Some of our own major cities could easily compare to Sodom or Gomorrah because of their blatant depravity. Even some of our smaller cities and towns have mayors and commissioners who flaunt their sins in public.

Though sexual corruption is the sin most associated with Sodom, the people of that city displayed other evil traits. Ezekiel 16:49-50 lists some of their other sins:

Look, this is the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

The Sodomites also resorted to violence quickly when they were crossed.

In a December 3, 1995, article in The Charlotte Observer, Linnet Myers reported:

Within the Western industrialized world, the United States not only is the undisputed leader in murder, but in rape as well.
According to the International Criminal Police Organization's 1990 statistics, England reported 6.7 rapes per 100,000 population; France, 8.1; the Netherlands, 8.9; Switzerland, 6.2; Germany, 8.2; Poland, 5.9.

The United States reported 41.2.

Former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, author of the popular Book of Virtues, spoke of other shameful categories in which the U.S. leads the world:

During the thirty-year period [1960-1990], there was a 560 percent increase in violent crime; more than a 400 percent increase in illegitimate births; a quadrupling of divorces; a tripling of the percentage of children living in single-parent homes; more than a 200 percent increase in the teenage suicide rate; and a drop of 75 points in the average SAT scores of high school students. . . .

Consider, too, where the United States ranks in comparison with the rest of the industrialized world. We are at, or near, the top in rates of abortions and divorces, and we lead the industrialized world in murder, rape, and violent crime. (Imprimis, November 1995, p. 3)

Our society is certainly similar to the one into which Lot led his family. In his selfishness and greed, he purposely chose to expose his children and servants to the depravity of Sodom where Satan lay in wait like a hungry lion (I Peter 5:8).

We, already living in Satan's world, are commanded, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).

God wants us to make strides to overcome the ungodly practices to which we are exposed from "this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4).

Thoughts on Today's Verse

"The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware

The Bible repeatedly reminds us that we are in a spiritual war with forces that are strong, malicious, and evil (Ephesians 6:10-12). We should steer clear of every appearance of evil.

We shouldn't involve ourselves in anything related to Satan and his work. But we also need to remember that our Lord is greater than Satan and all of his evil angels. He is faithful. He will not abandon us to our enemy. He will strengthen us and protect us from attack if we will let him!

My Prayer...

Almighty God, thank you for giving me victory over Satan through the sacrifice of your Son, his resurrection from the dead, and his promised return to take me home to heaven.

Please strengthen me and empower me to overcome temptation and resist the deceptive enticements of the Evil One. O Lord, it is only you that I want to worship, serve, and obey. To you belongs all glory forever, and ever, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

America in Prophecy?

America in Prophecy? by Bill Wilson

Many Christians have the impression that America is the hinge upon which the final door is opened regarding the return of Christ and the rapture. This leads to the misconception that all the American political disruption, immorality, economic disruption, deep state, support of abortion, the fall of traditional marriage, the alphabet of sexual orientation, climate change and whether your neighbor considers you a bigot and racist for which political candidate you support, must inevitably hasten the return of Christ.

While it may play a miniscule part in general, scripture points to God the Father, not America, in this determination. Acts 1:7 says "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power."

Now the rough part: God's timepiece on the return of Christ is not found in America. The political, economic or social condition of America is not the axel upon which prophecy turns. America is not found in the Bible. You have to do some pretty fantastic wordplay, eisegesis, and biblical gymnastics to find America in the Bible.

It doesn't mean that America doesn't exist or has been destroyed. It only means that it is not specifically found in the Bible. America's role in prophecy today is contingent on its ability as a world power to spread the gospel, influence events, people, and the political landscape in the Middle East, which directly or indirectly impacts God's prophetic timepiece-Israel. Don't get angry with me, read your Bible for yourself.

When we think of the end times, we often think about the great falling away and how there will be wars and rumors of wars, famines and pestilences. There will be earthquakes, persecution, betrayals and false Christs. And as Christ says in Matthew 24:6, "see that you are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."

Christ lists these events in general even as he says the gospel will be preached in all the world "for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Then Christ becomes specific to Israel and what happens there. In the chronology Christ provides, it is from Israel that the end time events culminate, and the rest of the world will know that the Lord is God. This is backed up by all the prophets that write of the end of days. So where does America fit in the end of days?

Currently, America is an influencer of the prophecy clock. During the immediate past president's two terms, American policy decidedly favored Israel's enemies. The current policy highly favors Israel. America is so powerful that it is currently a player in God's prophetic plan. This comes, however, with a scriptural warning: Matthew 25:32-34, "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand...

Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you." Zechariah 12:9, speaking of the Day of the Lord, says "I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." Best understand that America does not replace Israel in God's prophetic plan.

Jeremiah 32:27

"I am the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

Quote from S. D.

"We're not young and we're not old, we're eternal." S.D.

Stand Up for Christianity

*If we don't stand up for our Christian faith today, we will be denied our Christian faith tomorrow.

I'm going to vent here... I am not an over the top religious preachy person. I believe we all have the right to worship as we please. I believe we should be proud of what we believe in. 

A quote is a quote. It should not be amended or watered down. The news should not be afraid to use someone’s quote that refers to a God.

On the "Today Show", one of the wives of one of the Navy Seals killed along with the US ambassador in Libya. He asked what she would say to her children about their dad and how she would want them to remember him. 

Her answer, and I quote, "His love for Christ", and then continued on with a few other things. Throughout the day and on MSN homepage, replaying the story, they edited the "Love of Christ" part out. 

Why? 

Because using the word Christ might offend someone! 

Well, Christian or not I am offended! I'm offended that they would edit it out. Offended that Christians are asked to tread lightly so as not to offend someone of another religion. This man loved his country and loved his God and gave his life for both.

This Founding Principle is actually embedded in our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“If we ever forget that we're one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under.” Ronald Reagan

*  False religions are being promoted  and Christianity is being denigrated in the land founded by Christian people !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What incontrovertible evidence that the enemy is working overtime to undermine this nation!

Most Conservative Public Colleges in the US

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