In The News: Government vs. Freedom Of Religion

We know what lies ahead as the world progresses towards the Tribulation. During the first half of the Tribulation there will be a false religion in place. While it is hard to know exactly what kind of soup mixture this will be, it certainly won't include traditional Christianity or anything close to the Jewish roots, as both will suffer extreme persecution. Things will get worse during the second half of the Tribulation, as forced worship of the antichrist becomes the order of the day, and those who refuse to worship the antichrist and take his "mark of the beast" will be put to death. Period. No Questions. 

So we shouldn't be surprised that we are already experiencing the early phases of this kind of persecution, and indeed we have been seeing such on a world-wide basis over the past several years. 

A Viral Video On Religious Freedom

A video on religious freedom and traditional values released a few months ago as part of an effort to highlight anti-Christian initiatives by the Obama Administration has now gone viral, generating over 2.1 million views on YouTube. The filmmaker, Jeremy Wiles, tells Accuracy in Media that the idea for the video came from a dream and that he now sees “God’s fingerprints” all over the project.

The 3-minute “Test of Fire” video says voting for the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious freedom are of grave importance and poses the question, “Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?” It shows a blacksmith pounding out words signifying various election issues but putting, “life,” “marriage,” and “freedom” in the forefront and then being placed on an American flag.

The official description of the video, which includes dramatic music and a woman entering a voting booth and marking a ballot, says, “Some things are more important than high gas prices or a faltering economy. They are life, marriage and freedom. Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?”“Your vote will affect the future and be recorded in eternity,” it says.

Wiles told AIM that he was struggling with the idea of a script when he remembered the words “life,” “marriage,” and “freedom,” from a dream he had just had. He integrated those into the video, “Test of Fire: Election 2012,” which was originally posted on the website of a small Catholic group in Florida and then picked up by commentators for Fox News, Glenn Beck, Catholic television networks, and others.
The video includes the quote, “When the government tampers with a freedom so fundamental to the life of our nation, one shudders to think what lies ahead,” by Cardinal Timothy Dolan. It is from an op-ed on religious freedom.
...three “non-negotiable principles:”

• “Protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death.

• “Recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family—as a union between one man and one woman based on marriage—and its defense from attempts to make it juridical equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role.

• “The protection of the right of parents to educate their children.

EWTN, a global Catholic television network, recently interviewed Adriana Gonzalez and her husband Manuel about their organization and how the “Test of Fire” video came about. They were also interviewed by the CatholicTV Network, an online service seeking carriage on cable and satellite services. “It was truly a work of God,” she said of the video. “We put it on YouTube and we sent it off with a prayer.”

Any bets on whether this video gets removed or not? We'll see.

Here it is:

Test Of Fire

Occasionally humor can be inserted in the absurdity of the government. While in the government today, just read Daniel 2 to see how God views human government. ALso review 1 Samuel 8, when Israel asked God for a King (aka human government): According to God, we can expect to see this from such a form of government:

¹⁰ Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. ¹² Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants.¹⁶ Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but theLord will not answer you in that day.”
¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

And from human government, we get absurd ideas like this:

Human Government Will Take Care Of You

Also in the news today:

Hundreds Of Arabs Assault Guards At Temple Mount

Following the conclusion of Friday prayers at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, hundreds of Arabs threw stones at security guards in the area. Police charged through the Mughrabi Gate in the Old City and fired stun grenades to disperse the angry mob.
Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites of Israel Shmuel Rabinovitch expressed shock following Friday’s violent demonstration, assessing that it was meant to prevent Jewish worshippers from praying in the area during Sukkot. He said that it was up to the police to arrest those who “wish to harm the delicate fabric of the holy sites in the Old City, and to harass worshippers.”
According to a police spokesperson, about 30 Muslims began chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and tried to attack a group of Jews who were visiting the site. Police broke up the altercation, and arrested five Arabs and one Jew.

Muslim Brotherhood In Jordan Calls For Mass Protest Against King's Policies

One day after King Abdullah II of Jordan dissolved parliament, the country’s Muslim Brotherhood called for a mass protest in Amman on Friday against what it sees as “foot-dragging” on the part of the monarchy with regard to promised reforms.
Jordanian media outlets reported that the protest, after Friday prayers, is meant to be a show of strength for the Muslim Brotherhood in the kingdom.
Jordan’s government has claimed that the need for new elections stems from reforms that they say spared Jordan the Arab Spring uprisings that have toppled four Mideast rulers so far.Critics charge that the electoral reforms do not go far enough in curtailing King Abdullah’s powers or neutralizing distortions that ensure parliamentary strength for the supporters of the king.

Turkish Parliament Approves Military Intervention In Syria

The Turkish parliament on Thursday approved a government proposal to use military force against Syria “when necessary” in response to Wednesday’s cross-border bombardment that killed five civilians.
In an emergency meeting of parliament convened on Thursday morning, the Grand National Assembly voted 320-129 in favor of a bill calling for “a one-year-long permission to make the necessary arrangements for sending the Turkish Armed Forces” into Syria in light of the “negative impact of the ongoing crisis in Syria on our national security, as well as on regional stability and security.”
“Statements and declarations did not seem to do the work anymore, so Turkey feels compelled to act militarily, even if in a limited manner,” Dr. Nimrod Goren, chairman of MITVIM, The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies told the Times of Israel.
While the bill does not constitute a declaration of war, it would “enable the government freedom in deciding if, when and how to react to possible further escalation. It also aims to serve as a sign of deterrence to Syria, and to show to the Turkish public that the government is reacting harshly to the situation,” Goren said.

World Food Prices Near Crisis Levels

World food prices rose in September and are moving nearer to levels reached during the 2008 food crisis.
The United Nations food agency reported on Thursday that the worst drought in more than 50 years in the United States had sent corn and soybean prices to record highs over the summer, and, coupled with drought in Russia and other Black Sea exporting countries, raised fears of a renewed crisis.
"It's highly unlikely we will see a normalisation of prices anytime soon," said FAO senior economist Abdolreza Abbassian.
Parmjit Singh, head of the food and drink sector at London law company Eversheds, said higher prices would place further pressure on squeezed international food supply chains.

Gas Prices Are Exploding In California And Experts Expect Them To Get A Lot Worse