The Pop Culture Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States was established by Article III of the U.S. Constitution. Its primary job is to act as the final interpreter of federal constitutional laws. The court was designed to rule in one of three ways: It’s constitutional; It’s unconstitutional or That’s not within our jurisdiction.

Over the years, the Supreme Court has drifted away from the guidelines set by our Founding Fathers. What we now have is a court that rules based on what’s popular. If something is embraced by the majority of the culture, the justices will find some way to bend the meaning of the Constitution to make it a reality.

I think the greatest example of this activism occurred when the Supreme Court voted to make abortion a constitutional right. In the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, abortion was made legal in special cases based partly on a “right of privacy” for women. Later, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), the Court said that a woman has a right to abortion until “fetal viability” based on the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

Last week, by a 5 to 3 vote, the justices struck down a Texas law that required doctors who perform abortions to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery and to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals in case of a medical emergency. These reasonable health standards were voted down because they would create an “undue burden” on the abortion process.

One method used to justify all these absurd rulings is the idea that the Constitution was meant to be a “living document;” which argues that it must be interpreted in light of the moral, political, and cultural climate of the age of interpretation.

A growing number of people are emerging who think the U.S. Constitution is simply dead and doesn’t need to be part of any legal decision. Dick Posner, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, recently made the following remark:

And on another note about academia and practical law, I see absolutely no value to a judge of spending decades, years, months, weeks, day, hours, minutes, or seconds studying the Constitution, the history of its enactment, its amendments, and its implementation…Which means that the original Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the post–Civil War amendments (including the 14th), do not speak to today. David Strauss is right: The Supreme Court treats the Constitution like it is authorizing the court to create a common law of constitutional law, based on current concerns, not what those 18th-century guys were worrying about.

When Posner took office, he had to take an oath to defend the Constitution. For him to now declare it to be a waste of time should automatically cost him his job. Posner will likely escape impeachment because the people who have authority over him do not have enough regard for the Constitution to call him out.

The death of Justice Antonin Scalia raised the possibility of the loss of the 5 to 4 conservative majority that has hindered the leftist agenda. The defection of Justice Anthony Kennedy on the abortion ruling makes me wonder if our hope of a 4 to 4 tie until President Trump can nominate a new judge is wishful thinking. Clarence Thomas is the only justice that remained faithful to the conservative wing.

I do know that a President Hilary Clinton will mean judicial Armageddon. Once there is a solid liberal majority on the Supreme Court, every ruling to follow will fit the liberal agenda. There will be no need for oral arguments, because the same mindset that tells the liberal media what to promote will be in charge of the court.

One way to remain positive is to stay focused on the Lord Jesus’ coming, to take us away from all this madness. Another reason to be optimistic is the realization that we can see the truth. When I saw all those people shouting for joy on the Supreme Court steps after the Gay marriage and abortion ruling, I knew faithful believers have insight that they lack.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

–Todd

---

Somebody Needs to Cause Craft to Prosper

Europe and the world continue to reel economically from the fallout of Brexit–the British pulling out of the European Union. Fear of financial free-fall into the abyss of global depression is igniting fires of protests that something must be done. One such protest comes from the very heart of Europe–the area of the world most associated with Bible prophecy and the reviving Roman Empire.

Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan warned that “The unthinkable is happening… A double reaction to Brexit is under way, one financial, one political. The financial one, at least until now, is limited. I am more worried about the political one…There is a cocktail of factors that can lead to various outcomes, including a further push towards disintegration.”

Padoan lectured that those in authority in Europe must begin to listen to the people and their worries over out-of-control immigration, unemployment, and increasing inequality. Austerity measures, he said, exacerbate the problems, and something has to be done to change those budget rules Rome considers to be fueling the crisis.

He said, “Inequality is growing in Europe because growth is weak.”

He said further, “We have had proposals on the table for months that say employment, growth, well-being and equality have to be the priorities… the situation we are in now is exceptional. We have to change.”

There is a sense that Mr. Padoan’s call for new leadership is rising among the common people not only of Europe, but of the whole of the Western world. The message, it is equally observable, is being missed by those who hold the financial reins at the highest echelons of power. There seems to be rebellion building amongst the common folk against the elite who display a wanton disregard for the rest of us.

When thinking on what Bible prophecy has to say about the ultimate outcome of all of the machinations going on in the arena of international power politics these days, the prophet Daniel comes immediately to mind. He was given some very specific things to pass along to us by the messenger sent from the throne room of God. The message had at its heart a most directly pertinent point regarding world economic conditions that will produce history’s most all-controlling leader.

Here’s what the great prophet tells us about this prophetic message that seems to be particularly relevant to the days into which our world is swiftly moving. Daniel was given a profile of the one who will be Antichrist. That beast of Revelation chapter 13, Daniel was told, will be a king of fierce countenance who will prosper greatly.

“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:25).

It is the first part of the prophecy that is most notable for our purposes. This last and most powerful political/military leader will “cause craft to prosper.” He will apparently take a terrible economic situation that exists on a worldwide scale and turn it around. The economy will be caused, through his manipulations, to turn around in a mighty way.

Adolf Hitler did exactly this, students of recent history will recall. The German economy was in free-fall–actually had hit the bottom. Hitler turned it around.

But, we remember how he did it! All-out war-making–exactly how the angelic messenger told Daniel the final fuehrer–Antichrist–will accomplish the economic turn-around. “Through peace he will destroy many.” The red horse of war, you will remember, follows immediately the rider on the white horse (Revelation chapter 6).

We again remember the perhaps overly used words of Henri Spaak, Secretary General of NATO 1957-1960: “What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the alliances of all people and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him.”

The world–particularly the stress-torn EU–certainly appears to be in an economic morass. A central figure from the exact center of Rome is calling for leadership to again cause craft to prosper. According to all other signals that are everywhere the prophecy student looks today, that man–who really is a devil, must be awaiting in the shadows to step into the spotlight of history when the call comes.

That call will come just after another call resounds across the earth’s atmosphere. That call will be Christ’s shout, “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1).

–Terry

Persecution of the Jews Syndrome

God declared that it is a blessing to be a member of the Jewish race. He looked down from heaven and decided to make the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob His chosen people. To see evidence of this blessing all you need to do is open a phone book and find all the lawyers, doctors and bankers with Jewish names.

Although Jews make up only 0.2 percent of the world’s population, they win an astonishing 22 percent of the Nobel Prizes. Jews constitute 11 percent of the global billionaires list, and their total wealth reaches to $812 billion.

There is no genetic explanation for why Jews stand out. Science has shown that despite being identified with certain mutations such as Tay-Sachs, Jews do not constitute a distinct genetic group; there is no “Jew” gene. The Jewish race is simply a group of people who share the same family tree.

There is a very high price that comes with being God’s chosen people. From those who are given much, much is required (Luke 12:48). Or as God said through one prophet, “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins” (Amos 3:2).

Moses warned the Israelites that their disobedience would result in them being driven out of their land and that they would suffer tremendous persecution:

“The Lord will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve gods made of wood and stone, gods that neither you nor your ancestors have ever worshiped before. You will find no peace anywhere, no place to call your own; the Lord will overwhelm you with anxiety, hopelessness, and despair.

Your life will always be in danger. Day and night you will be filled with terror, and you will live in constant fear of death. Your hearts will pound with fear at everything you see. Every morning you will wish for evening; every evening you will wish for morning” (Deuteronomy chapter 28: 64-67).

The special relationship God has with the Jews naturally makes the devil their natural adversary. Satan knows that the destruction of Israel is the only way for him to delay his own judgment. His simple strategy has been to stir up hatred against Israel.

Problems have been handled so well in Israel that it’s hard to understand why there would be any reason to criticize the Israeli government. After suffering an endless series of terror attacks from the Palestinians, Israel finally wised-up and constructed a wall to protect herself from these savages. There has been some violence by the followers of Islam, but overall, this has been the most stabile time in the Jewish state’s history.

The enemies of Israel are not happy to see Israel so confident and strong, so they have decided that the status quo is unacceptable. They see the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights, not as the natural outcome of a conflict that took place nearly 50 years ago—instead, they see these areas as an “occupied territory.”

It’s pure delusion to think the Palestinians are ready to fully manage their own affairs. The West Bank is a cesspool of corruption and brutality that is only maintained by handouts from donor nations. The last presidential elections for the “Palestinians” were held in 2005 when Mahmoud Abbas won a four year term. There wasn’t an election in 2009 because Abbas didn’t see the need for one. Abbas is a dictator who steals from his own people; giving him a hefty net worth of $100 million.

A poll taken by the Arab World for Research and Development published on Nov. 5, 2015, showed that 83 percent of Palestinians support holding legislative and presidential elections. Around 65 percent of the Palestinians want Abbas removed from post. The lack of democracy by the Palestinian government has been ignored by the West.

This anti-Israel madness has even made its way into the Democratic Party’s platform drafting committee. Three members of that body are strident Israel haters. All three were selected by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; proven that the best Jew hater is the self-loathing variety.

The issue of Israel is a sensitive one in Democratic circles: There was a public and embarrassing flare-up over Israel in the 2012 platform when language declaring Jerusalem Israel’s capital was removed, and then reinstated into the platform after protests. At next month’s Democratic Party’s National Convention, it’s very likely that the platform for 2016 will use the word “occupation” to describe Israel’s control of “Palestinian” territories.

I am constantly coming across examples of the growing hatred of Israel. When four Jews were gunned down in a Tel Aviv restaurant, I was shocked by the number of sick anti-Semitic remarks that were posted on a video site. Financial news sites increasingly feature news content that blames Jews for the world’s economic problems. Most news sites post negative articles about Israel, but lately—they read like they were borrowed from Nazi news archives.

Because the most recent attacks of Anti-Semitism fall in line with other prophetic events, there is little doubt in my mind that what we are seeing is part of the acceleration of the last days prophecies. The coming persecution of the Jews during the Tribulation will be the worst of all time, but it will be the final persecution before she is rescued by God Himself.

“‘And it shall come to pass in all the land,’ says the LORD, ‘That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one–third shall be left in it: I will bring the one–third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, This is My people; and each one will say, The LORD is my God’” (Zechariah 13:8-9).
–Todd

---

Perilous Times and the Selfie

This one will likely land me in trouble. The commentary might be pointing the bony finger of condemnation in a direction many will possibly insist it has no right to be poked.

However, we are at the very end of the Age of Grace (Church Age). Every signal for the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ is becoming more visible by the hour. We are, when we see these things begin to come to pass, to look up and lift up our heads, because our redemption is drawing near. These words of the Lord Jesus, as recorded in Luke 21:28, are further affirmed in Mark 37:13 where we see His command: “What I say to one, I say unto all; watch.”

Therefore, in the spirit of “watching,” we must look at what God’s prophets tell us to watch for as the end of the age comes more and more into view. The apostle Paul, in that regard, gave some quite specific things that will mark the end of the age. He did so particularly as recorded in 2 Timothy, chapter 3.

I often refer to these many prophetic indicators as the characteristics of end-times man. Paul, in describing these signals, puts them within a time-frame he calls “perilous times.” He describes many of these characteristics in this prophetic segment of his second letter to Timothy. It is the very first of these characteristics of end-times man I will touch upon here. As I said, it will be more than enough to get me in some trouble, most likely.

The reason I say that is that I believe the most popular thing in all of our culture in America today is involved directly in this condemning characteristic. The younger generation–the Millennials–are the most into exhibiting this characteristic, but they are by no means the only segment of the culture that is involved. The president of the United States, for example, has engaged in this end-times characteristic on a number of occasions as gleefully reported by his fawning press–and by that I mean most all of the mainstream news and entertainment media.

I’m talking about the phenomenon known as the selfie.

The selfie is but the tip of the proverbial iceberg in pointing out this end-times characteristic. The bulk of that iceberg is made up of the vast social networking services such as Facebook, Instagram, andTwitter. The selfie, if I really need to define it, is a self photograph taken by one’s cellphone or other device–usually from above one’s head so that it presents what, I presume, the selfie-taker believes to be the most flattering angle.

The selfie then is disseminated through the above-mentioned social network services–thus to enhance whatsoever the total self-image and desired celebrity the individual wants to present to his or her, hopefully, geometrically progressing, cyberspace world.

See, I told you I would be in trouble–probably with you the reader.

I know that my view of this is just reaching for application of the apostle Paul’s perilous-times condemnation, in the opinion of many. I still believe this is a primary indicator of where we are on God’s prophetic timeline. People are becoming increasingly “lovers of their own selves,” as Paul prophesied. It might seem like an innocuous charge–even a silly one. But, I think it is relevant much more than any of us can imagine.

In my new book, Rapture Ready…Or Not: 15 Reasons This Is the Generation That Will Be Left Behind, I point to the serious ramifications such self-love has produced and will likely further produce to a greater degree as Christ’s call to His Church in the Rapture nears. Here is an excerpt from that part of the book:

Psychologists and sociologists have for years planted in the minds of Americans that self-esteem is something that is important to making a successful life. These point to the fact that at the center of most every problem of the human condition resides the feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing.

We are told that the radical Islamists who attacked on September 11, 2001 did so because they felt inferior due to U.S. treatment that looked down upon them. The whole matter involving the attacks that took the lives of more than three thousand that day, therefore, convinced those in charge of the U.S. State Department to employ a study group designed to help determine how to make those who hate us, particularly in the Middle East, no longer hate us.

So ingrained is self-love in our nation that we in delusion covet the admiration of those who hate us with satanic rage born out of our support for Israel, not out of envy and low self-esteem on the terrorists’ part.

The terrorists, murderers, gang members, rapists, and all other of those who commit crimes these days are analyzed by the woolly-minded psychologists and sociologists based upon the premise that the perpetrators hate themselves, thus all others who they see as deserving of their victimization.

God’s Word says, “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh” (Ephesians 5:29a). In other words, self-loathing is not part of our DNA. Quite the opposite is true. The Bible says that those who have not the Holy Spirit are of their father, the Devil. Satan is the ultimate example of self-love.

The social engineers tell us the secret to ultimately producing a healthy cultural environment is high self-esteem. A sense of self- worth will make man live up to his own great expectations.

Rather than love of self, however, God’s Word tells us to love others, to esteem others more than ourselves, to humble ourselves before God. This generation is obviously doing none of these.

That we are in perilous times can’t be denied, except by the most willfully uncomprehending. I’m afraid that many of this selfie-immersed generation fits within that universe of those destined to be left behind when Christ calls the Church in the Rapture. We are very near that time. The prophetic evidence is flashing in every direction one looks today. We must lift Christ at every opportunity so many will come to Jesus for salvation when the Holy Spirit draws them to the Savior.

–Terry