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Tuesday, January 9, 2018

STUDY: MORE THAN 25% OF CALIFORNIA KIDS ARE "GENDER NON-CONFORMING"~ALEX NEWMAN & DR. DUKE PESTA REVIEW

STUDY: MORE THAN 25% OF CALIFORNIA KIDS ARE "GENDER NON-CONFORMING"~
ALEX NEWMAN & DR. DUKE PESTA REVIEW
For those wondering whether the gender insanity preached in government schools across America was having an effect, we seem to have an answer — and it's not pretty. According to a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, more than 25 percent of children aged 12 to 17 in that state are viewed as “gender nonconforming” at school. And the numbers are likely to keep rising. The findings, based on surveys of almost 1,600 youth in California, divided students into three categories: gender conforming, highly gender nonconforming, and “androgynous” for children who were neither masculine nor feminine. Of those, just 1,200 were identified as “gender conforming,” while the rest fell in the other two categories. | Article: http://bit.ly/2mif51M

 

LANCASTER, PA. CONFERENCE LEAVES MENNONITE CHURCH USA OVER CONCERNS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY

 Mennonite World Conference
LANCASTER, PA. CONFERENCE LEAVES MENNONITE CHURCH USA OVER CONCERNS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY
BY HEATHER CLARK
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 
 LANCASTER, Pa. — The largest conference of Mennonite Church USA has parted 
ways with the denomination over concerns that include increasing acceptance of 
practicing homosexuals in leadership positions.
The Lancaster Mennonite Conference, which consists of over 170 congregations, officially left the Mennonite Church USA on Jan. 1 following a vote two years ago to no longer affiliate with the group.
“[D]ifferences over whether LMC can remain in this affiliation have reached a breaking point,” Chairman Keith Weaver wrote to the Constituency Leaders Council in 2014, according to the Mennonite World Review.
He told that outlet that, at that time, the Conference Board of Bishops wanted to reevaluate its relationship with the denomination in light of concerning developments, such as the licensure of a lesbian woman by the Mountain States Conference, and the decision by Eastern Mennonite University to review—and ultimately change—its policy prohibiting practicing homosexuals from working at the institution. Read reports here and here.

150 Mennonite leaders had also signed a letter supporting the allowance of members to be in same-sex relationships.
Listening meetings were consequently held about the matter, and over 700 attendees submitted responses surrounding the question of whether or not to end the affiliation. Church polity, vision and governance were also stated reasons for the proposed departure.
In November 2015, it was announced that 82 percent of the leaders of the Conference had voted to leave Mennonite Church USA.

“[This] announcement will likely be received in very different ways by leaders and congregations of Lancaster Mennonite Conference and across the denomination. Leaders were encouraged to interact with others in loving and respectful ways and to pray for the Lord’s leading in the life of [the Lancaster Mennonite Conference] in the days ahead,” Conference leadership said in a statement.
The separation did not take effect until Jan. 1, 2018.
“We are disappointed that Lancaster Mennonite Conference made the decision to leave MC USA, because it is painful to separate from part of our body in Christ. We will miss our mutual sharing of valuable gifts and perspectives, and lament our diminished capacity for fellowship across difference,” Ervin Stutzman, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, said in a statement on Friday.
“The official separation does not mean that all of our relationships with Lancaster Conference will end,” he added. “Members of the conference will continue to participate in some MC USA program agencies such as Everence and MHS Alliance. And there are many other ways that members will cross paths in the coming years, particularly in inter-Mennonite programs such as Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, and Mennonite Economic Development Associates.”
As previously reported, in 2014, Hartville Mennonite Church in Lake, Ohio likewise decided to leave Mennonite Church USA over concerns about homosexuality.
“We felt that Mennonite Church USA and [our church] were going in different directions concerning scriptural authority and holiness,” Ross Miller, pastor of the church, told Mennonite World Review.
According to the membership guidelines of Mennonite Church USA, the denomination holds that homosexuality is a sin and that marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman. Pastors are also prohibited from officiating same-sex ceremonies.
“We hold the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (1995) to be the teaching position of Mennonite Church USA. ‘We believe that God intends marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for life’ (Article 19),” the guidelines read. “We hold the Saskatoon (1986) and Purdue (1987) statements describing homosexual,  extramarital and premarital sexual activity as sin to be the teaching position of Mennonite Church USA.”
JESUS CHRIST SAVED ME FROM 27 YEARS 
OF HOMOSEXUALITY
______________________________________________________
SEE ALSO:
https://themennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Stoltzfus-Merv-0001-282x310.jpg
 Merv Stotzfus, executive minister, Atlantic Coast Conference 
Mennonite Church USA
EXCERPTS:
 Citing the divide over same-sex relationships, Stoltzfus said most people within MC USA still hold a traditional view of marriage as between a man and a woman “but there’s more room and space within MC USA in our polity for this diversity or disagreement.”
He added there is a strong belief among the 36 congregations in the Atlantic Coast Conference that “we need to engage and invite this marginalized group of people into an opportunity to worship with us and others are not comfortable with that.”

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION & GENOCIDE: "WORSE THAN ANY TIME IN HISTORY"

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION & GENOCIDE: 
"WORSE THAN ANY TIME IN HISTORY"
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 Christian Persecution and Genocide | Worst Countries for Christian Persecution
 
A believer prays in the ruins of a church in Al-Hasakah destroyed by Daesh (ISIS) militants.
The persecution and genocide of Christians is “worse than at any time in history” according to several studies on the oppression and murder of Christians worldwide. Although it has not dominated the headlines in mass media, for tens of millions of Christians across the globe, each day they live professing their faith in Christ is one that can end up in violent attack, kidnapping, imprisonment or death.

“More Persecuted Than Any Other Faith Group”

Worst Countries for Christian persecution | World Watchlist rankings
Pakistani Christian women mourn their loved ones after an Easter Sunday suicide bombing killed over 70 Christians.
“Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10.
“More than 200 million Christians in the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian experience persecution because of their faith.” (source).
So concluded the report from Open Doors USA, an aid organization that raises awareness about persecution of the Christian faith while at the same time supplying Bible, training church leaders and providing aid to those believers suffering for their faith.

A 2-year study by Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic persecution watchdog group, arrived at the same conclusion – the atrocities committed against Christians is by far at its worst:
“In terms of the numbers of people involved, the gravity of the crimes committed and their impact, it is clear that the persecution of Christians is today worse than at any time in history. Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of persecution. It is in this context that this report concludes that in 12 of the 13 countries reviewed, the situation for Christians was worse in overall terms in the period 2015–17 than within the preceding two years. An especially notable example of this was China where intolerance was on the rise, as evidenced by a renewed clampdown on dissident clergy and destruction of churches as well as crosses and other Christian symbols.” (source).

Saints Are Suffering in Many Nations

Worst Countries to live as a Christian | Why do Muslims hate Christians?
The World Watchlist map identifies the countries with the most extreme forms of Christian persecution.
“But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.” – Luke 21:12.
According to Open Doors’ annual World Watch List, where they track and rank the “restricted nations”, countries where persecution takes place on a regular basis, there are 30 countries where believers experience high, very high or extreme persecution, here are some of the stories from the many who have suffered:

Nigeria – Rise of Islam Leads To Attacks on Christians

Why do Muslims hate Christians? | Worst countries to be a Christian
Rescuers carry a body amidst the carnage from a twin car bombing attack by Muslim militants in Jos, Nigeria.
Nigeria ranks 12 on the World Watch List and has seen a dramatic increase in the oppression of Christianity all due to the rise of Boko Haram, the Islamic terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic terror group ISIS. Among the atrocities:
  • In December 2017, Islamic herdsmen slaughtered 100 Christians in the northeastern state of Adamawa. The herdsmen, who are aligned with Boko Haram, razed villages – destroying homes and stores during their rampage. Additionally, the group may have had assistance from the government as a military jet bombed and destroyed a Lutheran church during the attack. The government claimed the bombing was accidental. (source).  This massacre comes on the heels of an October terror attack in which 48 Christians were killed when Muslim gunmen attacked predominately Christian villages for nine days straight. (source).

  • In Jos Nigeria, where Beginning and End previously reported of mass graves of murdered Christians, a mother and her two children were kidnapped and executed by Muslim herdsmen. The Islamic attackers ambushed and shot to death Rebecca Daniel Choji, her 16-year-old daughter Suzanna Daniel Choji, and her 29-year-old son Joel Choji, in Jos village, Riyom Local Government Area (LGA) in Plateau state, as the family members were on their way to a health facility in Vwak village.“We have been under attack constantly from these Fulani herdsmen because we are Christians,” Gyang Dahoro, 55, an area COCIN congregation elder, told Morning Star News by text message. “Our villages have been ravaged, and our houses and churches destroyed, and in most cases these herdsmen have taken over the villages where Christians have been displaced.” (source).

Egypt – A Wife Loses Her Husband At Church

Christian Persecution in Egypt | How to help persecuted Christians
Michael and Sara Ragheb with their 3-year old baby. Michael was killed in a church bombing.
On Palm Sunday, April 9, 49 people were killed in two ISIS attacks on churches in Egypt. Michael Nabil Ragheb, the father of a 3-year-old and deacon in Saint George Church in Tanta, was one of them. His widow, Sara, shared her story of loss:
When Sara heard a loud blast and everything in the church went dark, she thought the end of the world had come.
“Michael, my husband, had sensed something like this was going to happen. The day before, on our daughter’s third birthday, he told us he thought he would soon be among the martyrs in heaven.”
That morning, the dreary premonition led Michael to ask his wife and daughter to sit in the last bench, in the back of the church—instead of close to him, in the front row.
“I was a bit surprised about that,” Sara says, “But looking back, I know that it was God’s will.” After leaving his family on the last bench of the church, Michael put on his deacon rope and went to the front of the church, where he was in charge of the singing that day.
“He asked me to wait for him after the service. But he never came back.” Sara will never be able to wipe the horrible images of what happened next from her memory.  It was about ten minutes past nine. All of the sudden, I heard the sound of a big explosion, the church shook like there was an earthquake. The smoke filled the church, and it became dark. I heard people screaming. I was screaming, too. I was screaming the name of my husband and rushed to the place of the deacon choir, where I hoped to find him alive.”
It’s difficult for Sara to continue her story. “What I saw on my way to him was horrible, like a massacre had just taken place. The bodies of dead church members and pools of blood. Then I saw my husband. I was in shock. He was just lying there, like the others. Gone to heaven like he had sensed would happen.”
Sara and Michael had been married for four years. Sara and daughter Priscilla will have to continue their lives without their beloved husband and father. “I loved him so much,” Sara says. She sees it as a sacrifice for Christ, but not one she has to deal with alone. “Despite everything, God has put comfort, peace and great grace in my heart.” (source).

Pakistan – Armed Guards at Church Services

Worst countries to live as a Christian | Bible verses on persecution
Armed guards protect Bethel Memorial Church in Quetta Pakistan, the site of a recent suicide bombing.
Pakistan, which ranks #4 on the World Watch List, is so prone to violence against the Christian faith that many churches keep armed guards on patrol during Sunday services. Christmas season is a time of extreme danger as Muslim terrorists increase their violent attacks.
  • On December 17, 2017, 2 Muslim militants with ties to ISIS attempted to enter Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta, but guards stopped the men at the door. One of the attackers set off his explosives, killing nine people. The other assailant fled.“It’s very hard. This is my mother’s childhood home,” a Pakistani Christian who works with the Alive aid network said. “The members of the church are people whom we know and love. Our phones are ringing endlessly. Some of our Bible College students have lost family members too. Just now, a woman wept on my shoulder. She just kept repeating ‘Lord, have mercy, have mercy, have mercy’, and then, ‘Lord enable us to lift our voices and cry out ‘Jesus is Lord!’ so that we may stand and not be stopped from being in church. They cannot stop us!’” (source).

  • Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are used disproportionately to punish Christian believers for not following Islam. “There are hundreds of Pakistanis imprisoned falsely under blasphemy laws. In even more recent days, there was a Pakistani Christian who at the end of December, right before New Year’s, was arrested because people said they found ripped up pages of the Quran in front of his home, and his name was on those pages,” said Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International. (source).

Somalia – “This is the Somali 9/11”

Christians in Somalia | Somalis for Jesus
The aftermath of a bombing by Muslim terror group Al-Shabab in Mogadishu, Somalia.

North Korea – “Hell on Earth”

North Korea is the perennial No. 1 offender in terms of extreme Christian persecution. Officially an atheist state (although its leader Kim Jung Un is viewed as a god), Christians are “hostiles” and are subject to all manner of atrocities by the government:
“Most Christians worship secretly. If discovered, they are “taken to political camps (kwanliso); crimes against them in these camps include extra-judicial killing, extermination, enslavement/forced labor, forcible transfer of population, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, persecution, enforced disappearance, rape and sexual violence and other inhuman acts.” CSW reports documented cases of believers being “hung on a cross over a fire, crushed under a steamroller, herded off bridges, and trampled underfoot.”” (source).
What is life like in North Korea? | North Korea human rights violations against Christianity
Choi Hangkyuk, a Christian, escaped a North Korean prison camp and now shares his story on the streets of Los Angeles.
  • Choi Hangkyuk, a Christian who escaped a prison camp and defected from North Korea gave insight into the life of a Christian:“We couldn’t raise our voice during a service, we couldn’t sing out loud during a worship … that was hard,” Choi told Fox News through a translator. “Also, we had to hide so that other people could not see us. There were about nine people,” he said. “I couldn’t do mission work because we had to keep it secret that we had a church. If that information had leaked, we could have faced the death penalty.” (source).Arrested for his faith, Choi found himself sentenced to Camp 22, a notorious concentration camp that is part of an 87-mile prison colony. Inmates there are often tortured as beatings, gouged eyes and scarred faces are a regular occurrence:

  • “Prisoners are forced to stand on their toes in tanks filled with water up to their noses for 24 hours, stripped and hanged upside-down while being beaten or given the infamous “pigeon torture” — where both hands are chained to a wall at a height of 2 feet, forcing them to crouch for hours at a time.Tiny rations of watery corn porridge leave inmates on the brink of starvation, and many hunt rats, snakes and frogs for protein. Some even take the drastic measure of searching through animal dung for undigested seeds to eat. Beatings are handed out daily for offenses as simple as not bowing down in respect to the guards fast enough. Prisoners are used as practice targets during martial arts training. Guards routinely rape female inmates.” (source).

Hope in The Midst of Tribulation

Underground church success | Muslims converting to Christ
Sunday service at one of the thousands of thriving underground churches in China.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12.
The Lord Jesus Christ prophesied that the church would face persecution that would only increase with time. By God’s grace, rather than shrink in the face of violence and oppression, the Christian faith is flourishing in many restricted nations:
Muslims converting to Christianity | Muslim converts to Jesus Christ
A baptism at an underground church service in Iran. More Muslims are converting to Christianity than ever before.
  • The Church in Iran is one of the fastest growing in the world. More Iranians have come to Christ in the last 20 years than in centuries prior. In 1979 there were an estimated 500 Christians from Muslim backgrounds. Today there are hundreds of thousands. (source).“Despite severe persecution by the Iranian government against underground churches, God’s Word is spreading like a wildfire all over Iran.” To the extant that Iranian evangelical Pastor Reza Safa “believes that Iran will be the first Islamic nation to convert to Christianity.” (source).
  • For the first time in its nation’s history, the Somali evangelical Christian population has reached 200,000.
  • China, which ranks 39 on the World Watch List of worst persecutors, has seen an absolute explosion in the underground church movement. Although Christianity is permitted in the country, churches are required to register with the state who can dictate how sermons are done, install 24-hour video monitoring in church buildings and in one case even ordered a church to replace an image of Jesus with a communist leader. Violators can be arrested, beaten and have their church buildings razed. Despite political pressure the protestant community has swelled from 1 million to an estimated 60 million believers today. And it is predicted that in the coming decades china will have the largest Christian population on Earth. (source).

Pray For Persecuted Brothers And Sisters Across The Globe

The Bible says: “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26).  If you are living in a nation where you have full freedom to worship, thank God for your liberty and pray for your brothers and sisters suffering all over the world. Continue to pray for their safety, strength and faith despite the evil the world inflicts on them. And pray for the thousands of underground churches all over the world that are literally risking life and limb to share the light of the Gospel in the darkest corners of the earth.
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-12.

"FIRST FRUITS" TWISTED~APOSTASY ALERT: PAULA WHITE, TRUMP SPRITUAL ADVISER, PUSHES VIEWERS TO GIVE HER "ONE MONTH'S SALARY" TO KEEP THE BLESSINGS COMING

 "FIRST FRUITS" TWISTED
 
 http://cdn.charismanews.com/images/stories/2015/featured-news/Instagram-Paula-White-halloween.JPG
 https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/502425325.jpg?mw=1920&mh=1080&q=70
Paula White-It's January And Paula White Is Pushing Her First Fruits Scam Once Again!
 It should not surprise us one bit that just a few days removed from peddling her year-end "Get Some Favor Offering Scam" that predictable Paula White is at it again pushing her First Fruits Offering Scam on New Year's Day. In this riveting program Wolf Tracker explains why Paula White's signature teaching on the subject of First Fruits is nothing but a con game.
 APOSTASY ALERT: PAULA WHITE, TRUMP SPRITUAL ADVISER, PUSHES VIEWERS TO GIVE HER "ONE MONTH'S SALARY" TO KEEP THE BLESSINGS COMING
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 False Prophets in the church | End times Bible prophecy
 
Word of Faith Heresy “Pastor” Paula White is hustling her First Fruits financial false doctrine once again.
In one of the most brazen pleas for money of the early year, Presidential Spiritual Advisor and Prosperity Gospel promoter Paula White implored her followers and fans to give her ministry a “first fruits offering” of as much as one month’s salary – even though there is absolutely no Biblical basis for such an offering whatsoever. This type of shameless greed in the church, all based on heretical doctrines, are just one sign of the growing apostasy in the church today as it moves from sound, Biblical teaching, in favor of man and woman-made false doctrines and New Age witchcraft.

The False Teaching of “First Fruits” – the Prosperity Gospel Strikes Again

According to reports:
Popular televangelist Paula White is urging her followers to donate a “first fruits” offering of up to their entire salary for the month of January to enjoy “blessings” for the rest of the year or suffer the “consequences” of failing to follow God’s command.
“Each January, I put God first and honor Him with the first of our substance by sowing a first fruits offering of one month’s pay. That is a big sacrifice, but it is a seed for the harvest I am believing for in the coming year. And God always provides!” White explains on her website.
She explained the difference between the tithe, usually 10 percent of earnings, and the first fruit donation.
“The difference between tithe and first fruit, first fruit is all of it,” she told congregants at the New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “All of what? Well, if you want to bring God all of one day’s salary, one week’s salary or one month’s salary, that’s between you and God. … I try to bring a month’s salary, but at the very least every year I give God a week’s salary.” (source).

Here is a video where White attempts to make a compelling case for “The Principle of First Fruits”:
 This entire teaching is based on the false and unbiblical Prosperity Gospel heresy. This idea teaches that by giving money to a pastor’s ministry, a person can “unlock” and “release” amazing blessings from God in the form of money, material items, career success, health and better appearance. In other words, it makes the blessings of The Lord contingent on how much money a person is willing to give to that particular pastor.
Beginning and End has given extensive coverage to this heretical teaching as it emboldens false pastors to manipulate their congregations into giving them their hard-earned money to support the luxurious, extravagant lifestyles these millionaire pastors lead.
Word of Faith Heresy | Who are wolves in sheep clothing in the church today?
Paula White has made her First Fruits teaching an integral part of her sermons and numerous products.
Oftentimes, the way this doctrine is established is by taking Old Testament verses from the Mosaic law out of context. White does this in her video marketing campaign and her website:
“There is a specific principle that I am deeply convicted about and MUST share with you after years of studying the Word of God. This principle is found from early on, throughout the Bible, and it supernaturally unlocks amazing opportunity, blessing, favor and divine order for your life. It is the basis or underlying support for your success in 2018. It is GOD’S PRINCIPLE OF FIRST FRUITS. All Firsts belong to God. When you honor this principle it provides the foundation and structure for God’s blessings and promises in your life, it unlocks deep dimensions of spiritual truths that literally transform your life! When you apply this everything comes in divine alignment for His plan and promises for you. When you don’t honor it, whether through ignorance or direct disobedience there are consequences. “(source).
From the onset, White sets up “The First Fruits Principle” as the key to unlocking “amazing opportunity, blessing, favor and divine order in your life.” Giving money to her is the key to having any type of material success or happiness for the year 2018. She also warns that if one does not give their first fruits offerings (even through ignorance) “…there are consequences.” (source).
According to White, those “consequences” are found in Joshua 7:
“The principle of FIRSTFRUITS is all about honoring God by putting Him first IN EVERYTHING. The reason is God lays claim to all firsts. So, when you keep for yourself something that belongs to God you are desecrating what is to be consecrated to God. It reminds me of Joshua chapter 7, “But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel.”
Devoted things and First things have the exact same meaning; they are the irrevocable giving over to the Lord. They are the things that belong to God and God alone. Again, honoring God with the principle of FIRST FRUITS will open up something powerful I have seen consistently in my own life and the lives of those around me since I received revelation and was mandated by God to teach it. It releases GENERATIONAL BLESSING, OPPORTUNITY, FAVOR, & SUPERNATURAL BLESSINGS.” (source).
What religion is Paula White | How does Paula White know Donald Trump?
White has become a figure on the global stage as a key adviser to President Donald Trump.
This is a very dangerous teaching. It is essentially telling the viewer/congregant: “if you do not give your first paycheck or series of paychecks to God you are desecrating your earnings and offending The Lord.” This is essentially scaring people into giving. In Joshua 7, the Israelites were entering the Promised Land by force, as God commanded the mighty military leader Joshua to do. Having just conquered Jericho (thanks to The Lord’s supernatural miracle of bringing the impregnable walls of that city down), the Israelites found themselves defeated by the people of Ai, the second city they attempted to conquer. Before the battle of Jericho, God gave Joshua a very specific battle plan and forbade the Israelites from taking any of the material goods of the people of Jericho because the city and its goods were to be “accursed” or devoted to God (Joshua 6:17). However, they failed at this:
“But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.  And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.  So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.  And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.  And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!  O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?  And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?  Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.” – Joshua 7:1-11.

Understanding Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Passages

Paula White Spiritual Advisor to President Trump | Apostasy in the church
The Bible predicts the apostasy – the falling away from sound, Biblical teaching to doctrines of demons.
What Paula White (and many other Prosperity Gospel false preachers) tend to do is look at a passage like the one above and extract a universal principle from it, such as: “Since Achan was clearly in disobedience as he took an item from Jericho, we as Christians today should be sure that never touch any “first” payment or item we receive because it belongs to God.” However, this is not the proper way to interpret and teach the Bible. The account of the battles of Jericho and Ai are descriptive passages: historical accounts in which we as believers are to learn from the general principles in how they relate to the Lord Jesus Christ and living one’s life as a believer.
In the case of the battle of AI there are very powerful lessons to be learned. Before the battle of Jericho, Joshua consulted with God on every detail of the plan for battle. Before Ai, Joshua consulted only with his spies and military advisors who assured him they did not even need their full forces because it was a small city. The Christian life is one of continued reliance on God through faith in Jesus Christ.
When the battle was lost, rather than “re-strategizing” or marshaling the full might of the Israelite army, Joshua “rent his clothes” and fell on his face for hours in repentance (and the elders of Israel joined him in this repentance). This is a foundational teaching. It is when one recognizes their sin before God, that they can be saved: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
The question in life is not if you will sin, but when. All people are sinners (Romans 3:23). But what can bring salvation, God’s blessing and Spirit is having a heart that feels sorrow over your sin. This is what The Lord wants from all people – repentance. Understanding your guilt before God and trusting in the sacrifice He sent – Jesus Christ, The Son of God – for your forgiveness. And as soon as Joshua repented, God responded and told him of his error and the sin of Achan.
This passage is NOT a prescription for giving. It is not a universal command that every time a person receives their first paycheck they should give it to their pastor. The command to leave every item in Jericho for God was a specific instruction for that event, not a command for all believers for all time. These are descriptive passages. A prescriptive passage is one that is intended for all people for all time, for example:
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” – Isaiah 53:6.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” – Ephesians 5:25.
These are passages that are intended to direct all believers at any time. They have clear universal application and were not directed towards one specific person in Scripture.  And when we look to the Bible’s prescriptive teaching on giving we find:
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7.
Christians give based on how they feel in their heart to give. Offerings in church should not be done reluctantly or because of “necessity.” There is no required giving amount in church. But that has not stopped the apostate preachers all over the world from fleecing their fans and viewers using Scriptures ripped from context.

The Biblical Meaning of First Fruits

Do we still celebrate Jewish feast days? | Feast days and bible prophecy
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.  And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.” – Leviticus 23:9-12.
The first fruits offering accompanied the feasts of the Mosaic law. It was a command to reserve a part of the first reaping of the barley harvest for God and the priesthood. While this was indeed practices, Christians are not under the Mosaic law or the Old Covenant. Born again believers are under the New Covenant, which was founded upon the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross (for a detailed explanation see our article: “Are Christians Understanding The Law And Gospel”).  The Bible explains that the feasts and rituals of the Mosaic law were all a foreshadow of the work and person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” – Colossians 2:16-17.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus for the first time He made a direct connection between Jesus and the Passover feast:
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – John 1:29.
John taught that the Passover – which commemorated the blood of a lamb being put over the doors of the Israelites so that the avenging angel would spare their lives during the Exodus – was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ. Just as the blood of the lamb saved the lives of the Israelites at that time, Jesus Christ is “The Lamb of God” whose blood provides eternal life for everyone in the world who believes. This is foreshadowing or commonly referred to as a type and shadow.
What do Jewish feast days mean in prophecy? | When will Jesus fulfill the fall feasts?
Similarly, Jesus Christ, in His resurrection from the dead is the first fruits of the true harvest – God’s Church:
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.
Jesus Christ is the true First Fruits (and just as His crucifixion took place on the Feast of Passover, His resurrection took place on the day of the feast of First Fruits). False teachers like Paula White are forced to basically ignore these passages because they refute whatever type of financial scheme they are trying to hustle on their unsuspecting fan base.

The End Times Apostasy – False Teachers Invade The Church

What is the Biblical meaning of the feast of first fruits | When will Jesus fulfill the fall feasts
Many churches are misusing the feast of first fruits for shameful gain.
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” – 2 Peter 2:1-3.
The Bible prophesied that false prophets and teachers would infiltrate the church as the end times approached. And they could be identified by their lust for money and material wealth. Notice the scripture says that these wolves in sheep clothing would use “feigned words” to “make merchandise of you” – employing false teaching to pimp their followers for millions of dollars.
Beginning and End has detailed the excess of Word of Faith heretics like Creflo Dollar (who had congregants literally dropping cash at the pulpit which he then danced on top of, in addition to requesting $65 million in offerings to purchase a new jet), I.V. Hilliard who flaunts his numerous luxury cars, pressured his followers to buy him a new helicopter and charged $100 for a “ticket” to his wife’s birthday party, Joel Osteen and many others.
The Bible says:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-11.
Note that the passage emphasizes that Christians “gain” by being content with whatever they have in life – no matter how great or how little. And it exposes the focus on money and material gain as evil. Word of Faith false teachers repeatedly emphasize earthly wealth and “increase” with “sowing seeds” of money and using “power words” – as the key to unlocking God’s power and attaining blessings. This not Biblical doctrine but are the basic foundation of New Age witchcraft – where specific actions on our part initiate superantural results. In Christianity, God blesses us on His own. The Lord does not need us to “activate” or “unlock him.”
Health and wealth teaching exposed | False prophets in end time bible prophecy
Many churches are promoting the “health and wealth” false teaching to compel payments from their followers. (source)
Jesus Christ said:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21.
Time and time again, the Bible teaches Christians not to focus on money and material gain. There is no “secret” to “unlocking” financial blessings in the Bible. A Christian may be rich and well off, or they could be poor and struggling all their lives. The true reward and riches are heavenly ones – because their souls are saved, and they have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Do not be deceived.

Pray for Paula White

Pray for Paula White and the many other Prosperity – Word of Faith false preachers to repent. Rather than twisting God’s Word for shameful gain, they should be on their knees, begging God for forgiveness for their heretical teachings and leaving the pulpit.
And pray for their congregations and the millions of tv/internet viewers who follow these false teachings on the hope they will receive their “harvest” or “breakthrough.” Many churches are in desperate need to understand the Biblical Gospel – that God has redeemed us freely. No down payment, deposit or “seed money” is required to be blessed by The Lord. Pray for discernment and God’s Spirit to fill the hearts and minds of those caught up in the Prosperity Gospel. And that rather than giving their hard-earned salaries to false teachers that they instead put their faith, trust and hope in the true First Fruits of all who believe – Jesus Christ.
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SEE ALSO:
http://christiannews.net/2018/01/08/paula-white-urges-followers-to-give-first-fruits-offering-of-a-day-week-or-months-wages/ 
EXCERPTS:

“We are demanding life to your purpose,” she declared. “And with obedience to this first fruits instruction, which is putting God first now, your purpose, your year, your prosperity, and your power will have life and be resurrected!”
“When you apply this, everything comes in divine alignment for His plan and promises for you. When you don’t honor it, whether through ignorance or direct disobedience, there are consequences,” White also said.
 However, as reported by Leonardo Blair with Christian Post, some believe that the concept of first fruits is being abused and used as manipulation to coerce the hearer or reader to give the person money in the name of God.
 To say that ‘laying down a seed’ so that God will make someone rich, or that you can pay off God to bless future plans, is an abusive lie from adherents of the prosperity gospel,” writes the site Compelling Truth. “To give sacrificially is to follow in the example of the widow of Mark 12:41-44, and is commendable as long as it isn’t coerced.”
 (Paula White) She has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Dean Knight, who she married as a teenager. The two have a son together, named Bradley. In 2007, White divorced her second husband, Randy White, and in 2015, she married Journey rocker Jonathan Cain, who has likewise been married three times.
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SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT PAULA WHITE, INCLUDING:
https://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2016/12/trump-inauguration-to-feature-prayer-of.html
 

EX GOOGLE ENGINEER ESTABLISHES RELIGION TO WORSHIP ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE "GODHEAD"~IMAGE OF THE BEAST?

EX GOOGLE ENGINEER ESTABLISHES RELIGION TO WORSHIP ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE "GODHEAD"~IMAGE OF THE BEAST? 
SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST:
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 Former Google Engineer starts AI religion | Singularity and the image of the beast
 
Some scientists are hoping they can create their own god.
A former Google and Uber engineer and registered a new church with the IRS whose stated goal is to “develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence.” This new religion which anticipates advanced machines ruling over humanity as gods, has more support in the Silicon Valley community than many may think. And it lines up with one of the most stunning prophecies of the book of Revelation.

The Way of The Future Church – A Religion To Worship Artificial Intelligence

Singularity Transhumanism Satanic Deception | Mark of the Beast Technology in Bible prophecy
Anthony Levandowski, the founder of the Way of The Future Church wants to spread the “Gospel” of a coming computer god.
Anthony Levandowski, the founder of Way of The Future Church, made a fortune developing self-driving automobile technology at a startup which was eventually acquired by Uber (and that same technology is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit). Wired magazine, in an exclusive interview with Levandowski reported the following about the “church’s” filing documents:
“The documents state that WOTF’s activities will focus on “the realization, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) developed through computer hardware and software.” That includes funding research to help create the divine AI itself. The religion will seek to build working relationships with AI industry leaders and create a membership through community outreach, initially targeting AI professionals and “laypersons who are interested in the worship of a Godhead based on AI.” The filings also say that the church “plans to conduct workshops and educational programs throughout the San Francisco/Bay Area beginning this year.”
… “What is going to be created will effectively be a god,” Levandowski tells me in his modest mid-century home on the outskirts of Berkeley, California. “It’s not a god in the sense that it makes lightning or causes hurricanes. But if there is something a billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going to call it?” (source).
Levandowski’s hope is that Way of The Future can start spreading the news and discourse on the inevitable Artificial Intelligent supercomputer that will so surpass human intellect, it will essentially be a deity. He even calls this news “the Gospel” and is developing their own bible which he calls “The Manual.” The Way of The Future will have a liturgy and even a physical place of worship. All this preparation is necessary for what the founder or “Dean” (his official title in the church) sees as preparation for the most powerful being in creation:
“If you had a child you knew was going to be gifted, how would you want to raise it?” he asks. “We’re in the process of raising a god. So let’s make sure we think through the right way to do that. It’s a tremendous opportunity.” (source).
While the notion may seem farfetched, Beginning and End reported on this desire for tech futurists years ago in our article: The Singularity: Science’s Quest for Immortality and Satan’s Deception. In that article we reported on the Global Future 2045 Conference which focused on the date when the human body will physically combine with machine technology to enable a person to live outside of the biological body and achieve “immortality” by downloading their consciousness into a machine avatar.
This would all be possible once humanity achieved the Singularity – the moment computer surpass humanity in intelligence and become so powerful they can rule over us all. The conference, held, in Russia, celebrated the inevitable takeover of society by computers and how humans could leverage this technological ascent to promote “life extension” – avoiding death via digital download or copy of one’s consciousness into computers.
Here was the promo video for Global Future: 2045:

All this lines up with Way of The Future’s philosophies. However, they prefer to call the Singularity “the Transition”:
“Humans are in charge of the planet because we are smarter than other animals and are able to build tools and apply rules,” he tells me. “In the future, if something is much, much smarter, there’s going to be a transition as to who is actually in charge. What we want is the peaceful, serene transition of control of the planet from humans to whatever. And to ensure that the ‘whatever’ knows who helped it get along.” (source).

Denial of The God of the Bible

Can AI replace God | Transhumanism Singularity Ray Kurzweil and Genesis 3:15
Many news stories point to the day artificial intelligence will “replace God.”
The fervor for the Singularity or Transition includes a vehement denial of the God of the Bible and the Christian faith. To little surprise, Levandowski used a moment in his rare interview to knock Christianity:
“There are many ways people think of God, and thousands of flavors of Christianity, Judaism, Islam…but they’re always looking at something that’s not measurable or you can’t really see or control. This time it’s different. This time you will be able to talk to God, literally, and know that it’s listening.” (source).
Note that while the thousands of flavors of Christianity are seemingly inferior because it’s looking at something “not measurable” – Levandowski ignores his own hypocrisy as he creates a “church” to worship technology that does not exist yet and may not for decades or ever at all.  Such is the danger of humanity combining its inherent sinful nature with intellect and technology – abject denial of the God who created us all. The book of Romans details this exact sinful downward spiral:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” – Romans 1:18-20.
What this passage explains is that all people inherently know that God exists. Nature, all on its own with its vast complexity, amazing uniformity and inexplicable existence (the odds of a planet having the conditions to permit carbon-based life and support it with water, proper temperature, UV levels, gravity, etc. are incredibly minute in the extreme) all prove to people that there is a God. So, no one of sound mind living in this world has an excuse for denying that this world had a Creator. The passage continues:
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping thing. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” – Romans 12:18-23; 25.
Human beings were made with a desire to worship. Even when a person denies God outright, they will still find an outlet for the worship by giving glory to created entities rather than The Lord who is Creator. Just as the Bible states, Levandowski branded Christianity a lie and suggests that this time – with Artificial Intelligence, a believer can speak to God “literally” – mocking Christianity as a fictional belief system. All this even though WOTF is creating a church, urging people to spread its “gospel”, developing a Bible and mimicking Christianity in numerous aspects as it awaits its “Godhead.”

The Image of The Beast – The Ultimate A.I. God

Google Engineer registers A.I. Church | Transhumanism and the book of Revelation Image of the Beast
The Bible predicted this “new religion” of A.I. thousands of years ago in the Book of Revelation.
The Book of Revelation chronicles the rise and fall of the Antichrist – the satanically-empowered false messiah who will rule over the Earth in a global government in the final years before the Second Coming of The Lord Jesus Christ.  There are some interesting parallels between its details and the future A.I.-dominated world envisioned by the Silicon Valley tech leaders. Revelation 13 describes a cashless future society where all purchasing and selling is done via “mark” in the hand or forehead of every person. Worship of the Antichrist will be mandatory under punishment of death.
But rather than worship the leader directly an “image” will be created which people can direct their praise to. The False Prophet, the religious cohort of the Antichrist who will oversee the worship of the false messianic figure, will, through supernatural satanic means, be able to give “life” to this image:
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” – Revelation 13:13-15.
This image – whether it be a statue or robot will have consciousness and be “alive.” It will speak and be able to determine who should be executed for violation of the Antichrist end times global religious system. Even though Revelation was written around 96 AD, the Bible was able to accurately predict the same technology futurists of today eagerly anticipate. And note that the Bible prophesies that this ultimate artificial intelligence will be worshiped – precisely what Way of The Future is looking forward to.

Silicon Valley Tech Moguls and the Quest for Immortality

Singularity Google Ray Kuzweil 2045 Conference | Genesis 3:15 ye shall be as gods
Major publications question if technology can lead us to immortality.
Levandowski is not alone in seeking salvation via technology. In recent years, many tech moguls in Silicon Valley have invested millions in “life extension technologies” – studies and products that can not only extend life past the normal average span of today but ultimately lead to immortality. Billionaire Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google, along with a host of other celebrities and tech luminaries, recently launched the National Academy of Medicine’s Grand Challenge In Health Longevity – which will distribute $25 million towards projects with the goal to “end aging forever.”
Google has already invested over $1.5 billion dollars in their own life extension technology firm Calico – short for California Life Company. Other Silicon Valley giants such as Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, Peter Thiel (cofounder of PayPal and one of the original investors in Facebook) and Bill Gates (who in an online chat stated one of his main remaining goals was “don’t die”) are focused on developing solutions to aging and death itself.
Sergey Brin Google Seeking Immortality | Life extension technology Satanic Illuminati deception
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, has invested over $1Billion dollars in life-extension technologies.
All this desire for an artificial godhead and life extension goes back to the Garden of Eden and Satan’s original false promise:
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:1-5.
When Satan tempted Eve, he promised that despite God’s clear warning “she would not die” if she at the forbidden fruit but would instead “…be as gods…” And since that time, the Devil has enticed humanity with that same deceitful proposition – that through our own efforts, intelligence and might we can become godlike and achieve eternal life. Of course, that never happened. Silicon Valley has now turned its sights on achieving this.
Hollywood has also promoted this concept to the masses with movies like Transcendence, a film starring Johnny Depp as the first scientist to merge his consciousness with computers and become godlike:

Trust in Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ

Prayer over Bible | Silicon Valley Billionaires life extension technology
When we humble ourselves before God, we receive Divine wisdom and the gift of eternal life.
If you are not a Christian and have put your faith in science to explain the origin of the universe and humanity (e.g., the Big Bang, evolution, etc.), ask yourself why are the most brilliant tech experts in society forming a church? Why are they adopting the exact terminology and structure of the Christian faith?  Why are they preparing worship for an entity that does not even exist at present?  It is because there is a spiritual battle taking place that even the most scientifically inclined minds are drawn into.  And 2,000 years ago, the Bible accurately predicted the road Way of The Future and other Singularity believers are considering. Do not be deceived.
There is a way to immortality. There is a way to have your soul transcend this world. And it is through eternal life in Jesus Christ. The same Bible that prophesied there would be an all-powerful artificial intelligence acting as a god, also prophesied that all people – everyone of us, are destined for eternal punishment because of our sin. But because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, where He took the punishment for our sins – all who believe in Him receive free forgiveness and eternal life. This is the message Satan has tried to hide from humanity since the beginning:
 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.
Do not be blinded by the world’s advances. We have no reason to fear, science, technology or looking to the future and what we can achieve. But there is no replacement for the true God of the Bible. Hopefully one day those in the “church of A.I.” will be wise enough to realize this.