A quick look at the news or around your neighborhood can be disheartening. Crime, war, and hate surround us and it’s easy to become discouraged. Sometimes we may question whether or not God is really in control. He is.

Seeing the signs of the times being played out in front of us leaves no doubt that we are quickly coming to the end of days. We cannot stop what is to come, but our obedience to God in these end times can make a difference to those around us, especially our children. Christians must stand firm upon God’s Word and not waiver. Persecution is evident as the Muslim world beheads those who follow Christ. And even on the shores of America Christianity is threatened and could become illegal.

Remember, we follow Christ, not a man. This is an important truth to pass on to our children, yet on every front parents compromise God’s truth. Children are sent to secular humanistic schools where they are taught evolution, yoga, that Johnny has two mothers, they can choose their own gender, and so on. Peer pressure is stronger than God’s truth, and pretty soon Lady Gaga is a role model and Miley Cyrus is cool.

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” Psalm 127:3.

Parents, do you understand that you have a responsibility to God to teach your children godly morals and godly ways? They will not get that from public schools, and too often they won’t get it from Christian schools or Sunday school. Do you take your children to Sunday school? That’s a good start, but will it make a difference? Many things in the Bible have been watered down and made cute because we think our children can’t handle the ugliness of sin. Yet children watch X-Men and play violent video games.

As a parent you need to teach your children God’s truth.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6.

Parents, it is up to you to be sure your child is learning God’s truth in all things. Sunday school is good, but be sure the truth isn’t being watered down and made out to be cute. Have you ever seen those cute Noah’s Ark pictures? There’s a funny boat with animals on the deck. The elephants seem to squeeze the other critters out and giraffes poke their heads up through the roof. Cute lions frolic with wooly lambs. Mr. and Mrs. Noah smile upon the whole scene.

This is a totally Satanic view of what the Flood and the Ark were all about. The Ark was more like a huge barge and was built to withstand, 40 days of rain, the fountains of the deep violently opening, and the elements raging.

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” Genesis 6:5.

That sounds a lot like today. The reason for the Flood was because all of creation was corrupted by sin. Genetic mingling of fallen angels and human women brought about God’s judgment. Evil was everywhere. Only eight people and some animals had kept separate from the corruption and only they were allowed God’s protection inside the Ark. There was nothing cute about it at all, yet Sunday school books and coloring pages show your children a different story. Sin is not cute.

Another corruption of God’s Word is Jonah and the whale. We see pictures of a funny whale floating on top of the water…maybe with a little water spouting like a fountain from the whale and he has a big smile. Jonah is sitting on top of the whale grinning as the waves lap around him. The truth is, Jonah rebelled against God’s instructions. Because of this there was a violent storm at sea that nearly sank the boat he was on. Jonah knew the storm was caused by his rebellion.

“And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you” Jonah 1:12.

The sailors did throw him overboard and the sea became calm. God was there to save Jonah, but first Jonah had to repent.

“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice” Jonah 1:17-2:2.

By making a cute whale and a happy Jonah we miss the point that Jonah rebelled against God and ran away. When the great fish swallowed him he was in the fish’s belly (hell) for 3 days and 3 nights. There was nothing cute about Jonah’s situation. Stomach juices were digesting him and it was dark and smelly. Jonah finally acknowledged he was in hell and prayed to God. Lessons are missed when it becomes a funny cartoon. Rebellion to God is not cute.

Angels. Oh, aren’t they cute! Curly haired baby-faced children with tiny wings floating on a cloud. Sometimes they play a harp or a trumpet. Other times we see pretty women with long hair and magnificent wings looking oh so saintly. Are these true descriptions of what angels look like? Not hardly.

Scripture never describes female angels and they are never babies. According to Scripture they can take the appearance of a man and we are told that we may entertain angels without knowing it. Other times angels strike fear into the heart of the person who sees one.

“Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude” Daniel 10:5-6.

When Daniel saw this angel he was very afraid! Angels are often the messengers of destruction, as in Sodom and Gomorrah when the sin of those cities became overwhelming. An angel also destroyed 185,000 Assyrians who were in a battle against Israel.

“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” 2 Kings 19:35.

A cute little baby with wings didn’t do that. Seraphim and Cherubim are astonishing angelic beings and cannot be described as cute. Jesus lets us know about the willingness of angels to fight for God.

“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53.

Can you imagine 12 legions of cute chubby-cheeked babies fighting for our Lord? No, angels aren’t cute. Satan would have us believe that sin and rebellion are cute and that angels are wimps. He would also have us believe that he, a fallen angel, is a cute little tyke in a red suit. The Bible gives many descriptions of this evil entity, but cute isn’t one of them. Satan and sin are ugly and often described as serpents and snakes.

We first read of him in the Garden of Eden where he is a serpent who beguiles Eve with his lies. When the Israelites had forgotten the many miracles God had done for them, they complained against God and Moses. Because of their grumbling God sent fiery serpents which bit them. When the serpents bit a person, that person would die. Sin brings death. When the people repented, God told Moses what to do.

“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when we beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” Numbers 21:9.

This is a rather odd cure for sin, but Jesus explains it.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” John 3:14.

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin. He became sin for us, and when we look to the cross we are forgiven. Jesus also had harsh words for the scribes and Pharisees – the religious leaders of the day. He likened them to serpents because of their hypocrisy.

“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Matthew 23:33.

Today we see many pastors allowing Eastern mysticism into their congregations. These practices are all satanic and those who allow it are serpents and vipers who follow Satan rather than God. Snakes are often seen in demonic inspired practices such as yoga, the positions of which are designed to release the kundalini (serpent) spirit up a person’s spine and to the brain. Satan is described many ways in the Bible: a viper, the light bearer, a dragon, but never a cute little tyke in a red suit. He is the father of lies, full of pride, and full of hate. He is pure evil. There is nothing cute about Satan.

Jesus is often depicted as a nice guy who never gets upset. When we read where He talks to the woman at the well or heals lepers we rightly see His gentle love and forgiveness. His anger at those who defiled the Temple is seldom shown. When he found money changers and those who took advantage of people by selling oxen and sheep for sacrifices, did He smile and move on?

“And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise” John 2:15-16.

That isn’t a cute little guy with a big smile for everyone! In talking to the hypocritical religious leaders, He said:

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” John 8:44.

Jesus was a kind and gentle person, but He would not accept corruption in the Temple or from the leaders. He was a strong man who endured beating and torture prior to being crucified. No mere human could have endured such torture. His love is shown in the gospel, but so is His uncompromising stand for truth. Jesus was God in the flesh and not just some cute guy.

Today’s culture is doing everything possible to remove God’s truth from everywhere and allow sin to abound. In making sin and rebellion look cute we do our children a disservice. When we make Satan look cute he becomes a friendly sort of guy who is misunderstood. When we make Jesus look cute we mock God. Jesus loved children and rebuked his disciples when they tried to keep them from Him.

“And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him and said Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” Luke 19:15-16.

As you send your children to secular humanist schools or to Sunday school where sin is made cute you are sending them into the arms of Satan rather than to Jesus. Paul warned that companionship with evil company causes corruption:

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” 1 Corinthians 15:33.

Another translations of this verse make it even clearer, “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.” Do you want your children to grow up thinking there is no standard for right or wrong? That morality is an individual choice and sin is cute? Then keep sending your children to be taught by secular humanists. That child just may grow up to be a Supreme Court Justice who approve laws which embrace that which God abhors.

Brothers and sisters, there is nothing cute about sin, but America condones it and mocks God. God’s judgment cannot be far behind.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

What a world we live in. It’s been turned upside down and what God declares as sin is now the law of the land. Many Christians are in a quandary about what to do, but there should be no question. As Christians we follow God, not Man. Christ didn’t promise us that there wouldn’t be hard choices to make in order to follow Him. On the contrary, He promised division.

“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division” Luke 12:51.

Christians follow Christ, but the world follows Satan. There has always been a division between Christians and the secular world, and the world is hostile to Christianity. Oddly enough, as the secular world becomes increasingly hostile to Christianity they ignore Muslim atrocities, such as beheading people.

Satan blinds people to truth. Sometimes we have to choose between following Christ and losing family and friends. Jesus told us this would happen:

“For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law” Luke 12:52-53.

Unless you come from a Christian home you may be rejected by your family members when you choose to follow Christ. The world doesn’t understand that Christianity is a way of life and cannot be compromised or legislated. The division between Christians and those who follow the god of this world is the cause of all out persecution against Christians.

It is the Christian who will be expected to accept the ways of Satan in order to keep things peaceful. Go back to Luke 12:51, Christ didn’t come to bring peace on earth. Persecution is happening today as in times past when the early Christians were thrown to the lions and worse. Today we see Christians being beheaded and tortured. We need to learn from those early Christians who would not deny Christ, even in the face of prison or death.

Persecution of Christians began early. The Jewish leaders would not accept Christ as the Messiah and they criminalized Christianity. A man who had been lame from birth was at the gate of the Temple asking for alms. When Peter and John walked by he asked for money,

“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” Acts 3:6.

The man was healed and overjoyed. He praised God. The man had been healed by the power of God, not government enforced regulations. The bystanders were amazed and Peter preached to them proclaiming Jesus Christ. Of course this made the Jewish officials angry. Following Christ brought division and Peter and John were imprisoned.

Even then the people were expected to rely on the governing body and deny Christ. Peter and John were forbidden to speak to anyone about Jesus. This is very much like what is happening today…Christianity is being criminalized. Christians need to follow Peter’s example.

“But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” Acts 4:19-20.

When Peter and John told the other believers what had happened, they prayed, praising God and asking for boldness as they spread the gospel. Many Christians today deny the power of the Holy Spirit, but when those early Christians prayed they felt the ground shake and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, then went out and boldly spoke the Word of God.

We need to study the way those early Christians depended upon God. The division that Christ brought was not among the Christians, but between the Christians and the world. Peter and the others continued to openly preach Christ and once again were arrested.

This time an angel came and freed them from prison and they went right back to preaching. When the surprised Jewish leadership didn’t find them in the jail cell, but rather preaching in the Temple, Peter and the others were brought before them. When asked why they disobeyed order that they would not speak of Jesus the answer was simple.

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’” Acts 5:29.

Well said, Peter. Peter was the one who ran and hid on the night Christ was arrested, but by the time of this incident Peter truly understood who Christ was and that God is to be obeyed over man.

The division between the Jewish leaders and Christians was great. Persecution became strong against those first Christians who were in Jerusalem, so many left. Saul was a very zealous persecutor of those whom he deemed were blaspheming God. When on his way to Damascus to arrest the Christians who had fled there, something miraculous happened. A light from heaven shone around him and the voice of Jesus spoke.

“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”Acts 9:4.

Did you catch that? Saul, better known today as Paul, thought that he was acting against people who believed in Christ, but in fact it was Christ he was persecuting. That’s true today. It isn’t individual Christians that are being persecuted, but the One we serve. The lost people of this world cannot accept Jesus and hold onto their sinful ways so they persecute our Lord.

Christ causes division. The only way the unsaved think they can make their sin acceptable is to criminalize Christianity and legalize sin. They can persecute us and make Christianity illegal, but they can never take away the penalty of their sin.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23.

The same man who persecuted Christ because he hated Christians became a changed man after his encounter on the road to Damascus. He gave his life to Christ and is the same man who penned the words in Romans 6:23. God can dramatically change a person and Christians are His instruments. Plant seeds by standing firm on God’s Word. Show God’s love and mercy to those who are in need of salvation through Christ.

God’s Word never changes. God never changes. Human beings have a sin nature but when we accept Christ we are forgiven of our sins. That doesn’t mean we have God’s approval to continue in sin. The world may pass laws that condone the murder of babies in the womb or homosexuality, but that doesn’t mean God approves.

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” Proverbs 14:12.

Secular people who reject Jesus do not care about God’s ways. Christians must study God’s Word and understand that His Scriptures are superior to Man’s ungodly laws. Division comes because Satan needs to make sin seem “…right unto a man.” As followers of Christ we cannot compromise our Christian walk, but we need to study God’s word to be sure we understand what He says and then obey. Christ told us there would be division, but He didn’t say to compromise.

Brethren, we are facing perilous times.

As Daniel’s 70th week draws near, evil becomes more open and many people are not ashamed of their sin, but flaunt it. We have to make a choice. Should we compromise our faith in order to fit in with the world? No. Jesus said faith in Him would create division. Pastors will soon need to decide who they will perform wedding ceremonies for, but I would suggest that like Peter, they ought to obey God rather than men.

This might mean that the tax exempt status is taken away, but if money is more important than following God there is more trouble in that congregation than whose marriage a pastor will officiate over.

[Jesus said,] “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” Matthew 6:24.

Americans never had to choose between God and country, but today a choice is being forced upon us and division is here. We need to understand that those who pass laws condoning sin, as well as those who embrace and revel in that sin, have condemned themselves. Now let me back up a bit. If someone has truly accepted Christ their past, present, and future sins are forgiven.

The outward evidence of accepting Christ is moving away from worldly sin and conforming your life to Christ. If you can condone any sin that God abhors, then you need to examine yourself to determine if you truly have accepted Christ. If you haven’t truly accepted Him then you have condemned yourself to eternity in the lake of fire.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” John 3:18.

You may be able to convince yourself that you can embrace sin and follow Christ, but you will never convince God. As Christians take an uncompromising stance on God’s Word. Remember one other point which cannot be compromised: God is love. Not only does He love us, but He IS love.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” 1 John 4:7.

Even though our faith may cause division it is of the utmost importance that we show God’s love to everyone. After all, we are also sinners but we have been forgiven.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.

Our commission is to go into the world and share the gospel. We cannot win souls by watering down the gospel, nor will any be won through anger. A Pharisee asked Jesus which is the great commandment in the law.

“Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets/” Matthew 22:37-40.

Christians, let’s remember to love God first, then love our neighbors. If division happens, it is only because the unsaved of this world have hardened their hearts to the love of Jesus.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham