Ban the Burka

After a series of terrorist attacks in Europe, a number of political leaders have proposed the banning of any type of full-face covering worn by some Muslim women.

The French government has been one of the first European countries to pursue a burka ban. Since 2011, full-face coverings have been prohibited in public places there, which means that Muslim women who wear burkas can face a fine of $167—or be required to take a citizenship course. Any man who forces a woman to wear a burka can be hit with a heftier fine of $16,700.

A burka ban has just been enacted in Switzerland with fines of as high as $12,000. Two people have already been fined for defying it. One of them is Nora Illi, a member of the Islamic Central Council Switzerland. She purposefully defied the ban and was fined by police officers.

The French island of Corsica has banned burkas following a violent clash between Muslims and locals. One man was stabbed for taking a picture of women covered up by a burka.

The Koran does not list any specific guidance on female clothing. All Muslims—whether male or female, are told to dress modestly and refrain from revealing “any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary.” That means that the burka, hijab or veil could easily be worn by men.

The way liberals defend women who wear burkas, one would think it was mandated by the Koran. Since the Left encourages Western women to wear as little clothing as possible; it is a strange contradiction for them to defend a religion that requires women to have a bag over her entire body.

A key reason why I wrote this article is because of the love affair the liberal media had with Ibtihaj Muhammad, a fencer who became the first U.S. athlete to compete at the Olympics while wearing a Hijab.

Reports slobbered endless praise over this woman simply because she is a Muslim. Even though followers of Islam only represent less than one percent of the U.S. population, the press called for Muhammad to carry the American flag on opening day.

Muhammad said she was at the Olympics to combat hate—meaning the hatred against Muslims. “This has been a beautiful experience,” Muhammad told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “This is the America that I know and I love. The America that is inclusive, that is accepting and encompasses people from all walks of life.”

The wearing of an Islamic head covering has little do with freedom. Anyone with any common sense should know it represents a culture of oppression. Most Muslim women wear such attire because they have no choice. If they dare to defy the dress code, they risk being beaten or arrested.

This past weekend, I encountered an ad on a news site featuring a girl portrayed as a rapper wearing Islamic garb. It was an ad promoting a YouTube music service. I simply could not get past the propaganda. Because there have been dozens of Islamic terrorist attacks, this brand of religion should naturally be portrayed in a negative light. Yet for some strange reason, a Western advertiser is trying to convince me and you that the Islamic people are hip.

Sometimes this not-so-subtle attempt to glorify Muslims can go too far. Britian’s Channel 4 Network used a reporter dressed in a hijab for the coverage on the Muslim terror in Nice. The channel assigned the Islamic reporter to this story to, once-again, combat anti-Islamic bigotry. What they were really doing is poking the eyes of viewers who see the Nice attack as another example of Islam’s violent nature.

The image that best defines the burka is the video of the 300 young girls who were kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram. None of those girls were smiling because they knew they were trapped in the reality of how Islam treats women. In their case, a burka was the uniform of a sex slave.

A good argument against the wearing of a burka comes from the leader of a Muslim country, Kyrgyzstan. President Almazbek Atambayev made a practical observation by saying, “Women in miniskirts don’t become suicide bombers.” Addressing criticism of his policy, President Atambayev said, “When we erected banners some smart people appeared and started pointing at miniskirts. Our women have been wearing miniskirts since 1950s, and they never thought about wearing an explosive belt.”

The banning of the burka is just a single baby step. If Europeans want to maintain their freedom, they will need to do far more to fend off the enemy. Islam is a religion that aggressively seeks to dominate the world. Even when they are a minority, they expect the majority to bow to their religious rules and guidelines. If the people of Europe can’t resolve a small matter about dress, then the fight is lost. Islam will devour the continent and all women there will lose many of their basic civil rights.

–Todd

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Globalism at Full Gallop

In writing last week’s “Nearing Midnight” column, I expounded a bit on the all-out assault on national sovereignty. I thought I was through. I’m not. The gist was that this end-times attack can be seen in all its vehemence while the entire mainstream media and even Republican establishment leaders in many cases are waging all-out war on Donald Trump’s candidacy.

Trump presents his political case as “America First.” He claims to want to reestablish America’s autonomy in the area of global trade–a thing that has set off a frothing-at-the-mouth rage by the globalist-elites. No matter any other invective they throw at him, Trump’s nationalistic campaigning, wanting to keep America as the leader of the world’s nations, thwarting their globalist agenda, is the real reason for the rage, make no mistake.

There is no longer any pretense of equal coverage of the candidates. Rather than question both candidates on the issues, the mainstream news journalists (no longer an accurate nomenclature for this mob) don’t question Mrs. Clinton at all and hang on every word from the mouth of Trump. There ravenous desire is not to find out what his hopes for making America great again is all about, but to take anything he says and either blow it out of all proportion or make up lies about what he says out of whole cloth.

Well…maybe not always exactly out of whole cloth, but certainly to take his audaciousness and turn it, through twisting and fabrication, into what they hope will continue to widen the margins in the polls in favor of their own political ideology and chosen candidate–an ideology that is in complete synchronization with that of the Democrat Party–in my humble estimation.

The mainstream news organization is a global conglomerate as never before. They view America as the hold-up to the utopian dream. If all nations are forced to be more equal in material wealth–all peoples equal in personal wealth–the world will live at peace. It didn’t work with Stalin’s Soviet Union or with Mao’s China. It’s not working anywhere in the world at present–e.g., Venezuela, Cuba, and any other place it’s being tried. But, somehow, if America gives up its wealth in some sort of insane redistribution scheme this time it will work, so the reprobate thinking goes.

Thus, globalism is the ideology, philosophy, and theology all rolled up into one ball of upside-down thinking that will in the minds of the one-world order types bring peace, prosperity, and love for all mankind.

We have witnessed the scheme being implemented to an incremental degree over the past seven and three-quarters years. Even before the Obama administration, the scheme was underway, as a matter of fact.

The James Bakers of this new world cabal, it must be truthfully noted, are no different in their pursuit of bringing America down than are the George Soros types. They are all simply at the opposite ends of the geopolitical spectrum, and rather than that spectrum being linear, it forms a circle, with the left meeting the right to close what will be a planetary dictatorship at some point.

Put a cross-hair symbolically over that circle, and it is all of us who are at the center of that bull’s eye. We are to be encapsulated within that circle of power.

The circle is quickly closing. This election of the next American president will likely determine just how quickly and completely that geopolitical spectrum-corral is in place.

Ours is not a political website. We are about eschatology–the study of end things from the perspective of Bible prophecy. So what I have written here is all examined after prayer and much study about what God’s Word has to say about things to come. We are particularly interested for the moment, of course, in what might be about to come to pass in terms of the immediate future.

We know beyond any doubt within our own prayer and study that what we are seeing is the attempted closing of that one-world circle–the structure that will be the stage setting for the coming king of fierce countenance. We are witnessing the rapid advancement of the neo-Tower of Babel being constructed, the platform from which Antichrist will, for a time, be allowed to subject most of the planet.

I find it rather ironic that the one question I and other speakers often get at forums where we interview or speak is: “What about America? Is it in Bible prophecy?” Or: “Why isn’t America in Bible prophecy?”

I find it ironic because we have no real answer as to why America, the most grandiose and powerful nation-state of all of history, is given no mention, while other smaller places–like Libya–are mentioned. Yet, we, in my opinion, now find ourselves at a moment in history when the American electorate has at its fingertips when entering the voting booths the ability to determine whether, in fact, this circle of global gulag will be sooner rather than later closed.

That global, imprisoning circle will ultimately be closed. There’s no doubt about it. The Lord has long ago reported it’s closing. But, I sense it doesn’t have to be closed just yet. I believe the American electorate might just be able to have an effect on its timing so far as its closing into a lock-down position is concerned–to delay it for a time later rather than sooner.

I view this matter under the rubric of 2 Chronicles 7:14. God’s people hold the key to slowing the onslaught of the Antichrist regime that is reaching out for the throats of the peoples of the world–particularly for the throats of all Christians. The Holy Spirit is still the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. He is resident within each believer, those who constitute the church of Jesus Christ.

We must, as God’s people, humble ourselves and pray, turn from our wicked ways, and seek His face. And, I believe that we must vote in the right way in this presidential election, perhaps one of the last opportunities we might have to do so.

The rider on the white horse of Revelation chapter 6 is preparing to gallop. Rapture Ready…or not the time is coming when God’s children will be called into Christ’s presence. It is time to be about doing our earthly duty, while looking up.

Terry

Despotism by Design: Autocratic Governments

The high point of freedom in the world was 1991. That was the year a coalition of 34 nations led by the United States showed Iraq that bad things can happen when you try to annex your neighbor.

In 1991, we also learned that Communism doesn’t work. Once the Soviet Union was dissolved on December 26, America was declared the winner. Most of the Soviet Union’s former client states turned to Uncle Sam and Western Europe for guidance.

The last 25 years have seen a relentless decline in freedom. The biggest cause of the slide has been Islamic terrorism. Every time a Muslim decides to commit mass murder, the government reacts by taking away our rights.

It was because of the shoe bombing that we now have to take our shoes off at the airport. It was because of 9/11 that I had to pass through a dozen metal detectors when I traveled up to New York City.

The most troubling reason why we are losing our liberties is the simple lack of outrage. When the Supreme Court said it had jurisdiction over gay marriage, the moral majority had no reaction. When the President Barak Hussein Obama declared all he needs is pen to write new laws, there was no groundswell to remind him that Congress is the only legislative branch.

We don’t even recognize when other countries make a sham out of liberty. Vladimir Putin has the title “President of Russia,” but it has nothing to do with free elections. Putin’s regime has gone from a mild form of authoritarianism to an outright dictatorship.

Last month Putin signed a so-called anti-terrorism bill into law that infringes on the rights of missionaries and evangelists. Among other things, the measure bans evangelism outside of churches, bans missionary activities in residential neighborhoods and requires Christians to obtain authorization in order to share their faith with others—even on the Internet. As a result of these new laws, churches could face over $15,000 in fines if they are caught in violation.

Before last month’s coup in Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan was already well on his way to turning the nation into a mirror of Iran. Since the failure, Erdogan has acted quickly to set up a dictatorship. He has fired or dismissed 70,000 people from the education system, and closed more than 130 media outlets. Western leaders have chosen to just look the other way.

The nation of South Africa has been long praised as an example of success because it managed to throw off the shackles of the apartheid system. Lately, South Africa has been looking more like a banana republic.

The African National Congress party has used the general term of “national interest” to restrict the freedom of the press. A recent poll revealed that 83 percent of South Africans believe that corruption has been increasing and 79 percent believe that the government is doing a poor job of combating it.

I was surprised to learn that freedom in South Korea is in decline. President Park Geun-hye has been using national security laws to clamp down on the press and political rivals. The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has been actively censoring Web content that is deemed threatening to national security. In its last reported year, there was a 27 percent increase in the number of Web pages that were blocked or deleted by the KCSC.

A wave of oppression has even swept over Europe. You would think with all the Islamic terrorism that they have endured would cause nationalism to dominate political discussions. But here hasn’t been much talk about the escalating terrorism because it’s been stamped out by calling it “hate speech.”

People who open forums to simply express their views about immigration policy our being arrested and threatened with jail time. In Sweden, you are not allowed to post news reports that link Muslims to the rise in rape crimes. People in Germany have had their homes raided just because they started a Facebook page that had a negative view of Angela Merkel’s Muslim immigration policy.

I think the only logical explanation for why despotism is breaking out everywhere like a bad rash is because of our closeness to the Tribulation. The spirit of Antichrist is busy setting the stage for the man who will briefly have the whole world bowing at his feet. The one positive thing about this inrush of iniquity is I believe that the Church is the restrainer that must be taken out of the way before the Beast can be revealed.

“… this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (I John 4:3).

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

–Todd

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This Race We Face

Do you sense that time is moving faster than ever before? I must tell you that I sense that the rush of everything going on becomes more intensive by the hour.

We all have had the conversation that when we were younger, time for us seemed to move much more slowly. The older we get, the minutes, hours, days, etc., fly by at a much faster rate.

Maybe it’s just that as our age increases, everything slows down within our own physiology–within our capability to match the speed with things whizzing past us. The race of life in which we must participate, possibly, might simply overwhelm us, and we can no longer keep up…

The perception, therefore, might be that time itself is moving ever faster, while that’s not really the case.

Some of you physicists could likely make the case that time is actually speeding up or slowing down, or whatsoever theory science postulates these days. But, the clock still moves one second at a time. We live our own given increments of life one tick at a time like every other of our fellow travelers on the planet. So, it is outside the realm of reality to suppose that the movement of time itself is appreciably changed from the time we were youngsters.

It has to be that the increased activities and events crowding in on our given ticks of the clock have colluded to alter our perception–to make it seem that time is moving more swiftly.

There is not much room for argument that in America today, for many of us, life’s pressures have seemingly compressed our given twenty-four hours. We are indeed racing toward our destinations–our destiny–at ever-increasing speed, it seems.

This column, of course, is called “Nearing Midnight.” The commentaries Todd and I write are focused as much as possible on Bible prophecy. We place Bible prophecy as a template over the issues and events of this, what we believe to be the end-times, generation. We hope thereby to gauge how near human history is to the Second Coming of Christ.

Progression in stage-setting for fulfillment of prophecy is all-important in this gauging effort. How quickly things look to be taking place that line up with what Jesus and the Old and New Testament prophets foretold give some sense of when the Rapture of the Church might occur–i.e., we know that the Rapture of the Church will happen at least seven years prior to Christ’s Second Advent (Revelation 19:11). Therefore, if we consider that things are swiftly moving toward what the prophets say will happen during the post-Rapture era and Daniel’s seventieth week (the Tribulation), we can say with a degree of certitude that Jesus is on the very brink of calling the Church to Himself (Revelation 4:1).

For example, we have witnessed and analyzed the formation of the Gog-Magog coalition of Ezekiel 38 and 39 taking shape at a phenomenal pace. Russia, Iran (Persia), and a number of other entities that hate Israel are gathering.

There is a building world financial crisis that threatens to collapse the global economy. And, in that regard, the internationalist, new-world-order architects are going full steam ahead in their efforts to do away with national sovereignties and to instead bring the world back to Babel.

We see the absolutely blatant all-out assault on the U.S. presidential candidate who opposes globalism and calls America back to the founders’ vision for this country.

Mainstream media now admits, through an article by a New York Times former journalist who is now a news media-analyst for the Times that the mainstream news conglomerate is all in for defeating Donald Trump. The writer admits their objective is to see that Trump, whom they claim–as does Barack Obama–is unfit for the land’s highest office never gets into the White House. There’s no longer any pretense of fair and balanced coverage of the candidates.

Prophetically, this fits what Daniel the prophet and John the Revelator foretold. There is to be a revived Roman Empire–a final world empire over which a beast called Antichrist will rule. We are, at this present time in history, caught up in a race politically, prophetically, and personally, as believers.

Politically, we witness the fomenting of chaos in our nation by those who want America brought into conformation with the global blueprint. It is a luciferian plan being carried out by Satan’s human minions. The current presidential administration has taken an active part in creating this chaos, through the Department of Justice (attorney general) actions and in other ways through international diplomacy.

The presidential race is bringing into focus just how determined the fallen one is to bring all mankind into its prophesied final form.

Prophetically, we are racing toward the time when the Lord will catastrophically intervene into the affairs of rebellious mankind. The Church–all born-again believers in Jesus Christ–will be removed and the most terrible time of all human history will begin.

Personally, we who name the name of Christ should all be engaged fully in the race to complete the Lord’s Great Commission while there is yet time to do His work here on earth. There are those in Heaven watching God’s children. They are cheering for believers who are running the race set before us. If you’ve read my book, Rapture Ready…Or Not, you know that I’m convinced with all that is within me that I met some of these heavenly observers on Good Friday, April 22, 2011. [Todd, here put link to the book]

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)