3 Dec 2025

Assaults Against ICE Up 1,153% in 11 Months 
Assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are up 1,153% in 11 months, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As ICE officers continue to arrest the most violent criminals nationwide, U.S. citizens have increasingly obstructed their efforts, including physically attacking them and threatening to kill them, according to multiple reports nationwide. The most recent death-threat-related arrests were of a Virginia high school assistant principal and his brother. At the same time, the number of death threats made against ICE officers has increased by 8,000%, The Center Square reported.

Massachusetts Democrats propose ‘transgender commission’ to push gender ideology throughout state
A bill introduced by Democratic Massachusetts lawmakers would create a commission of ‘transgender persons’ and activists to ensure the LGBT agenda is carried out in all sectors of public life.

Here’s where Maduro could live out his days in luxury — as Trump weighs strikes in Venezuela’s waters
A senior Trump administration source said Secretary of State Marco Rubio has floated allowing Maduro, 63, to relocate to Qatar as the gas-rich emirate helps mediate the conflict. Three current and two former administration officials described the scenario as plausible.

US envoy Witkoff concludes talks with Putin at the Kremlin on Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday at the Kremlin for almost five hours of talks seeking to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, with a Russian envoy calling the discussions “productive”.

Hegseth on the deadly boat attacks: “Just begun”
no stop to the attacks is expected, Pete Hegseth announced at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening Swedish time. “We have only just begun our crackdown on drug boats and drug terrorists, who should be sunk to the bottom of the ocean because they are poisoning the American people,” he said.

New Republican Movement to Irish politicians: “We will not sit back any longer and watch our culture and religion destroyed by the people we put in power”
A group calling itself the New Republican Movement has emerged in Ireland, appearing in a video posted on social media on 28 November 2025, threatening elected representatives in the Newry, Mourne and Down area. The video features three masked men, one of whom appears to hold a handgun, reading a statement that labels local politicians as “legitimate targets” due to their policies on immigration and alleged “sexual indoctrination” of children in schools.

NASA Responds to Russia Accidentally Blowing Up Its Only Astronaut Launch Facility
The launch pad of Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport in Kazakhstan sustained significant damage following a botched Soyuz launch last week. While the Soyuz MS-28 crew on board the rocket, including cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev, as well as NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, safely made it to the International Space Station, the launch pad was heavily damaged

Two-state solution the ‘only’ way to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Pope Leo XIV says during Middle East visit 
Pope draws rare rebuke from across Israel’s political spectrum. Pope Leo XIV strongly endorsed the two-state solution as he continued his visit to the Middle East on Monday, traveling from Turkey to Lebanon. While speaking to reporters on the papal plane, the first American-born pope said, “For years now, the Holy See has publicly supported the proposal for a two-state solution.” He noted that “We all know that Israel does not yet accept this proposal,”

Pope Leo vs. God’s Word 
In a showdown between Pope Leo and God’s Word, no one has to second-guess which has the greater authority, because that’s clear! Nonetheless, Pope Leo XIV, the 267th spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church has pitted himself in a match against the scriptures, inspired by the Almighty, suggesting that he knows better than God when it comes to the nation of Israel, bequeathed to the Jewish people.

Terrorists deserve justice, not flattering ‘NPR’ profiles
Many killers of U.S. citizens walk freely in territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority or nations that America considers allies, such as Egypt and Jordan. After the terrorist attack by an Afghan national on two members of the West Virginia National Guard in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump labeled the murderer a “savage monster” and an “animal.” He also said about Rahmanullah Lakanwal: “We will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice.”

Mom charged with killing pregnant biological daughter in rural Michigan woods
Authorities charged a woman and her husband with murder Tuesday in the death of her pregnant biological daughter whose body was found in a Michigan forest three weeks after she disappeared. Rebecca Park, 22, was in the final days of her pregnancy when she was last seen Nov. 3. The baby had been cut out of her when her remains were discovered last week, prosecutor Johanna Carey said in court. “This is, frankly, evil personified,” Carey said.

Iran recruiting spies in Bat Yam? Shin Bet issues warning, mayor sounds alarm
The mayor of Bat Yam addressed residents following a Shin Bet alert regarding attempts by Iranian intelligence actors to recruit locals for espionage activities.

‘Hezbollah disarms or Israel acts’: Netanyahu, Ortagus meet as Israel-Lebanon tensions flare
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday met with US President Donald Trump’s envoy for Lebanon affairs, Morgan Ortagus, in Israel as border tensions with Lebanon intensify, according to Israeli officials. Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder joined the meeting. The talks come one year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which Israeli officials say is eroding. “If there is no dramatic change by the end of the agreement period, another round of fighting in the north is almost inevitable, a security official told The Jerusalem Post.

Kremlin after talks with US envoy: We are no closer to peace in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with United States President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in the Kremlin has concluded, the Kremlin press service said on Wednesday. The US and Russia did not clinch a compromise over peace in Ukraine, and peace is no closer to but also no further away, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

Putin’s warning: Russia is prepared to go to war against Europe
“If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it,” Putin said, then it would end so swiftly for Europe that there would be no one to negotiate with in Europe.

Turkey Pushes for Closer Ties With Iran Despite Mounting Sanctions as Both Countries Pursue Regional Ambitions
Despite the recent reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, Turkey has called for closer diplomatic and trade relations with the Iranian regime, as both countries seek to bolster their influence in the Middle East while openly targeting Israel. Turkey’s Ambassador to Iran, Hicabi Kırlangıç, said Ankara was working to expand bilateral cooperation with Tehran by leveraging existing capabilities to increase economic ties between the two countries.

IDF kills three terrorists breaching Gaza ceasefire yellow line 
The Israeli Air Force eliminated the terrorists in separate incidents in both northern and southern Gaza… after they crossed a designated buffer zone and approached Israeli troops in separate incidents in northern and southern Gaza,

US working to save ceasefire in north but Israel is clear: ‘Heading for escalation. We will decide when’
Last ditch effort to prevent ceasefire collapse: Israel agreed not to attack Lebanon until the end of the Pope’s visit, but in light of Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, an Israeli official clarifies that ‘there is no point in continuing with the agreement’

In a ‘Post Truth’ World, What Do Pastors Appeal To As Their Final Authority?
Post-truth. It’s a term some have heard. Essentially, it means objectivity has lost its footing to subjectivity; feelings and opinion are preferred over facts. my concern is what the church thinks and does. What do churches (and especially pastors) appeal to as their final authority? Do they regard the Bible as God’s unchanging Word? His timeless, transcendent truth? Or is the Bible weighed along with societal norms and public sentiment? Jesus saw the Scriptures as unbreakable divine authority, as objective and universal truth.

Alabama Zoning Commission Rejects Proposal For Muslim School After Town Erupts In Fury
A Hoover, Alabama zoning commission unanimously rejected a rezoning request Monday that would have allowed a Muslim K-12 academy to relocate to an office building in the Birmingham suburb, capping a contentious public hearing that packed roughly 170 residents into the room and erupted with heated testimony over concerns of growing Islamification of the area,

Tropical Cyclone Senyar leaves over 1,000 dead, millions affected across Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia
Over 1,000 people have died and hundreds remain missing on Tuesday, DeTropical Cyclone Senyar leaves over 1 000 dead, millions affected across Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysiacember 2, 2025, after rare Tropical Cyclone Senyar brought severe flooding and landslides across Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

New Jersey counties under State of Emergency as Nor’easter brings heavy snow to the U.S. Northeast
The season’s first Nor’easter began impacting the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast overnight, prompting a State of Emergency in parts of New Jersey and school closures across multiple states. The storm is forecast to rapidly intensify, possibly dropping up to 30 cm (12 inches) of snow across parts of the interior Northeast through Tuesday, December 2, 2025.

US NatGas Hits Three-Year High As Forecasts Point To “Long, Cold Winter”
U.S. natural gas futures spiked to their highest levels in nearly three years as models now show a frigid first half of December across the Lower 48. Several forecasters are also warning of a potential polar-vortex-driven Arctic blast event later this month, which could drive temperatures even lower.

Oklahoma Student Says Transgender Instructor Failed Her for Quoting Bible in Essay on Gender
A University of Oklahoma student said her psychology instructor gave her a failing grade on an essay in which she cited the Bible, in violation of her First Amendment rights. The school now says it has placed the instructor, a man who claims to be a woman, on administrative leave while it investigates the matter.

‘Imported Violence’: New Hospital Data Confirms 50% Surge in Stabbing Victims in 4 Years as Germany’s Migrant Crisis Spirals
Germany’s corrupt, globalist political establishment keeps gaslighting the public, saying everything is “under control,” and all is good, but new medical data has revealed the country is spiraling deeper and deeper into chaos as knife violence explodes to levels once unimaginable.

11 US warships and 15,000 troops now in Caribbean as Venezuela tensions escalate
More than 10 US warships, including the country’s largest carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, are bearing down on the Caribbean amid escalating tensions between President Trump and Venezuela.

Pope Leo urges US not to attempt military ouster of Venezuela’s Maduro
Pope Leo urged U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday not to try to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro using military force.

Chinese, Japanese Boats In Tense Standoff Near Disputed Islands As Taiwan-Related Feud Escalates
The severe diplomatic standoff which was triggered by last month’s words of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wherein she suggested Japan would militarily aid in Taiwan’s defense in the event of a Chinese invasion is increasingly becoming a potential military standoff. We earlier detailed that Japan has even deployed medium-range missiles to a remote Japanese island not far from China.

People Are Turning to AI for Therapy, Grief & Love – And It’s a BIG Problem
More people than ever are asking AI chatbots to talk them off the ledge, help them say goodbye to loved ones, and find life partners. It feels private, always available, and cheaper than human alternatives. But when the mediator is software optimised for engagement, we hand over the parts of life that define us.

The Gathering Storm
While many Americans are searching for the best online holiday deals and figuring out what to watch on Netflix tonight, a storm is gathering. Decisions that are being made right now could radically alter the course of human history, but most of the population is so self-occupied that they don’t even realize what is happening. We could soon find ourselves involved in multiple global wars simultaneously, and once we reach that stage, there will be no turning back.

Extreme Carnage! Crypto Investors Lose $800,000,000,000 In Just 1 Month As Forced Liquidations Reset The Market
It’s a bloodbath out there right now. On Monday alone, crypto investors lost about $200,000,000,000 in just 24 hours. Overall, crypto investors have lost about $800,000,000,000 over the last month. In this article, I want to try to explain why this is happening and what is coming next. You see, the truth is that the era of easy money is ending. For a long time, investors could borrow yen at ultra-low interest rates and use that money to purchase cryptocurrency and make amazing returns. But now Japanese bond yields are going nuts and all variations of the “yen carry trade” are starting to unwind…

Vaccine Stocks Plummet After FDA Memo Links COVID Shots to Children’s Deaths
Vaccine makers saw their shares drop Monday following the release of an internal memo from Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s vaccine chief, in which he wrote that Covid-19 vaccines were linked to at least ten deaths in children.

Apostasy in the Church: The Death Rattle :: By Jim Fletcher

(Help me keep the momentum going with my two new titles, The God That Answers by Fire and Zechariah 2. They really are great Christmas gifts as you line up Bible studies for the New Year. Many thanks!)

Literally from the beginning, the enemy of our souls has used subtle lies to deceive mankind. Even humans would generally recognize huge lies and at least take some measure of pushback. We all know that first encounter in the Garden of Eden, when the serpent asked Eve, “Did God say?” He was introducing doubt to her mind, and the logical destination from that is rebellion—rejecting God’s Word.

As we all try to keep our balance against the flood of bizarre happenings in our world, it can feel overwhelming. I would suggest that the devil is doing something new in our generation. He is throwing everything at us, along with several kitchen sinks, in order to keep people disoriented. I think he’s succeeding.

(I once visited the Grand Canyon. As we explored at river-level one day, our guide pointed to the large grooves that empty at the river. They were dry, but he said that flash floods appear out of nowhere in the desert, and if you find yourself in one, you’re in trouble. He gave his account of once hiking through these areas when all of a sudden, a torrent of water swallowed him and he was sent hurtling underwater, striking his head and other body parts on the canyon walls. Obviously, a dangerous situation. Well, I think that’s a good analogy for what we’re going through now.)

Remember, Jesus heavily emphasized watching out for deception in the last days. Deception is not a frontal assault. The devil often imparts some bits of truth in a stew of lies. He draws people in, then it’s too late.

All this to set up what I hope becomes clear to you, as I unpack a devilish assault on biblical truth.

I recently became aware of a song, “Rattle,” produced by Elevation Worship and apparently Bethel Music. As soon as I played the official video, I saw that it’s really a Steven Furtick Production.

Furtick, the founder and pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, is now 45. A marketing major in college, Furtick is what I’d describe as a clever communicator. Notice I didn’t say good. Elevation launched in 2006. Furtick’s Southern Baptist background served him well in terms of networking, but he then pivoted and began hosting and slavishly lauding older ministry leaders. These included T.D. Jakes and Matt Chandler. His network also included Bill Hybels, Brian Houston and James McDonald—all now disgraced and fallen from ministry.

Furtick, though, built a powerful ministry, which includes Elevation Worship, a lucrative music outlet. Furtick is loved by many, but some others realize he is less than a solid Bible teacher. Furtick appears to be interested most in promoting Steven Furtick. He is vicious in responses to critics. When he built a $1.7 million mansion in Charlotte a few years ago, I could not (still can’t) understand why his congregants, many who no doubt can barely pay their bills, support him financially. Furtick also wears very expensive designer clothes and mega-expensive watches and other jewelry. In short, he is a Word-Faith guru, sort of a 21st-century Oral Roberts.

He is known for his extensive use of “eisegesis.” Here is an AI(!) explanation of eisegesis:

“Eisegesis is the interpretation of a text by reading one’s own ideas, biases, and assumptions into it, rather than drawing the meaning out from the text itself. This is in contrast to exegesis, which involves a careful, objective analysis of the text’s historical, cultural, and literary context to understand its original meaning. Eisegesis can lead to misinterpretation because it prioritizes the reader’s point over the author’s intended message.”

Furtick’s book, Sun Stand Still, was not a teaching book about the amazing experiences of Joshua, son of Nun. No, it was all about getting stuff from God. Several years ago, he traveled to Israel, where he was photographed dressed up like Elijah. Again, Steven Furtick sees the Bible through the lens of personal gain. He loves to talk about himself, or just loves the sound of his own voice. One of the short videos on his website was a film of Furtick preparing to leave his office and go to the pulpit. Lots of dramatic shots of him praying, adjusting his clothes, etc. Can you imagine Spurgeon (or any other Gospel preacher) doing that?

Check out this great research resource, from the late, great Ken Silva. There, you’ll find much background on Mr. Furtick.

Now, to my point. A recent music video release from Furtick’s (I mean Elevation’s) money-making venture titled “Rattle” jumped out at me immediately. I should tell you that many, many people love Furtick’s stuff and groove to his music. You can watch Rattle here if you can make it through the self-lovefest.

Now, what Furtick and his team of musicians do is conflate several biblical accounts: the Resurrection, Ezekiel 37, and Elijah. Furtick wrote the song with Brandon Lake and Chris Brown. The title “Rattle” calls to mind bones coming together.

Note some of the lyrics:

Saturday was silent
Surely it was through
But since when has impossible
Ever stopped You?
Friday’s disappointment
Is Sunday’s empty tomb
Since when has impossible
Ever stopped You?

This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise, make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling, yeah

And here we get to the Charismania stuff:

Pentecostal fire stirring something new
You’re not gonna run out of miracles anytime soon
Yeah, resurrection power runs in my veins too and
I believe there’s another miracle here in this room

This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise, make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling

This is no longer about actual Scripture. It’s about 20th-century snake-oil salesmanship. In these last lines, Furtick & Co. sing of themselves coming out of the tomb. Not Christ. Then they throw in Ezekiel 37 to their stew of Gospels accounts in the New Testament.

This is junk. It not only doesn’t feed his flock, it leads them away from actual teaching about what the Bible is.

“It would seem to me that after 3,000 years, the time has arrived to accept Israel’s nationhood as a fact, for here is the only State in the international community which has the same territory, speaks the same language, and upholds the same faith as it did 3,000 years ago.” (Abba Eban)

There is more teaching in that quote from Israel’s most famous diplomat than there is in a year of Elevation worship/church.

After “Rattle” was issued in 2020, this note appeared on the Elevation site:

“There’s no other song like it on the project. musically speaking. It was written during quarantine, over voice memos that were shared back and forth, and Zoom calls, that are so difficult to actually write because of the delay. There just quickly got to be an energy around this song, like, this is supposed to make you feel something, feel alive, feel this sense of hope.

From our standpoint, what our faith just grounds us in is if Jesus was in the grave for just a temporary moment and he got up out of that grave, then why are we staying locked inside this dark place? When the song came about, it felt like ‘Let’s give people something’—first of all, write it authentically to what we’re experiencing personally, but then give our church something to shout about, like this isn’t the end, I will get to go and see life again and experience life again, and let’s believe it.”

What?

You see, it’s all about experience and feeling. This is the hallmark of this kind of church. And don’t forget that Furtick is teaching his people that they are somehow participating in the Resurrection morning. We “participate” insofar as we are told in Romans 10, if we accept that God sent Jesus in the flesh, and raised Him from the dead, we are saved. We are not “emerging” from the tomb with Jesus to soak up applause.

There is much more that is problematic with Steven Furtick and Elevation. But this tale of “Rattle” really annoys me. It is yet another example of pastors and churches inserting themselves into Ezekiel 37, the famous “Dry Bones” prophecy, meant for…the Jews.

“Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts” (Ezekiel 37:11).

Some would say I am nitpicking. Fine. All this will shake out in the end. I said what I said.

Ezekiel 37 is not about Steven Furtick. Or the Church. It is once and for all about the Jewish people and their destiny.

I personally believe that the vast majority of professing Christians in America today are largely ignorant of biblical truth. It’s much about mediocre leadership.

We are in the endgame.

Most people are not ready.

Jimfletcher761@gmail.com

www.patreon.com/TheGodThatAnswers

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(Help me keep the momentum going with my two new titles, The God That Answers by Fire and Zechariah 2. They really are great Christmas gifts as you line up Bible studies for the New Year. Many thanks!)