Tag: jesus christ

The Future (and Past) of an Uncertain World

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

It’s been relatively quiet this week on the news front. The war in Ukraine seems to have settled into a slow advance and retreat with most of the action coming by way of long-range drones. The war on Iran by US/Israel has become like a boxing match with the combatants ducking, bobbing, and weaving while only an occasional punch is thrown, with the damage loudly disputed. “Did too!” “Did not!” At this point, I’m not sure what to believe, except that the price of gasoline keeps going up, in my area now at about $4.50/gallon for regular.

How long this will continue is unknown. Iran is supposed to be controlling passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, allowing some in and out, while denying others. The US is supposed to be blockading the southern end of the Strait to prevent any Iran/China affiliated tankers from moving into the open ocean, but, once again, everything about these moves is questionable. Perhaps by design.

The warnings are piling up along with the timelines. Iran will have to shut down its functioning wells due to a lack of storage space next week…or is it next month? The world economy is going to descend into chaos and financial recession (depression) unless the Strait is opened immediately…or will it? Supply chains, fertilizer shipments, and LPG tankers are at risk to countries which need them. It’s likely that some version of these will manifest quite soon, almost certainly before the end of summer, and none of it is looking good for the average person regardless where they live in the world.

But life goes on.

I’ve just finished reading Immanuel Velikovsky’s book, Worlds in Collision1. It was quite a slog and toward the end, I started skipping over the repetitive parts. Still and all, it was an interesting read which sought to explain many of the unexplainable things which “regular” science has not been able to. Mammoths in Siberia flash frozen with fresh flowers and grass still in their mouths. Extreme floods all over the world at the same time. Solar and lunar movement stopped as described in the book of Joshua. The plagues of Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea at the time of the exodus by the Hebrews. Sodom and Gomorrah. The annihilation of Sennacherib’s army of 185, 000 soldiers in a single night. And more, a lot more.

Some of his assertions seem plausible, others are completely outlandish and raise an eyebrow. Or two. For instance, the theory that the planet Venus was once a comet which almost collided with Earth could be correct. His extensive research and footnotes posit that Venus was not counted among the planets until late in the B.C. era, but showed up suddenly everywhere around the world in extremely diverse cultures. I mean, it is quite possible that this could have happened. Yet, the claim that Venus came so close to the earth that their atmospheres actually touched and created huge electrical sparks and storms does seem a little far-fetched. Further, the position that during this “close encounter”, Venus dripped naphtha and petroleum in such great quantities that it seeped into the earth and produced our current oil fields also is questionable. At the same time, the manna from heaven, ambrosia, also was a product of Venus, but in a highly edible, nutritious, and tasty form, completely unlike the naphtha which destroyed.

Call me open to the potential but quite skeptical about the claims. Nevertheless, Velikovsky, who had been consistent with his treatment of science, archaeology, and religion throughout the book, all at once veered off into a philosophical thought at the very end, in fact, the next-to-last page before the epilogue.

“The average man is no longer afraid of the end of the world. Man clings to his earthly possessions, registers his landholdings and fences them in; peoples carry on wars to preserve and to enlarge their historical frontiers.” — Velikovsky, Worlds in Collision, pg. 356

The average man alive today carries on because the events he described happened as much as 3000 years ago and no longer pose a threat to life on Earth, but he is wrong in one respect. Many people are increasingly afraid that we are living on the brink at the end of the world and that life as we know it (knew it) is going to end in a cataclysmic catastrophe of some sort or another: all-out nuclear war. The imminent return of Jesus Christ2 with its attendant “rapture” and appearance of Anti-Christ. Climate change which has apparently changed now that the Big Boys have seen the need for massive amounts of electricity to power their AI data centers. Extensive famines. Unheard of diseases, like the “newly mortal lethal, and deadly” hantavirus which is being prepped as the New Covid Dampanic, er, pandemic. And on and on and on.

But life goes on and I’m planning to live until I die. In the meantime, a friend gave me a book to read, Technological Slavery, by none other than Ted Kaczynski. Yes, that Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Oh, dear, from Velikovsky to Revelation to Kaczynski. Who knows what I might pick up next? Nostradamus? Or a virus caught by accidentally swallowing a mouse turd which can only be cured by subsequently swallowing rat poison?

Oh, dear!

  1. Download a free copy here. ↩︎
  2. See my recent article on the meaning of the Mark of the Beast. ↩︎

Mark of the Beast: Trying to Make Sense of It.

Roger Mitchell9 Comments

This is a long post, but hang with me because I have arrived at an understanding which most people will automatically reject…unless they stop to think about it. I think.

Revelation, the last book in the Christian Holy Bible, is a fascinating narrative and many people find themselves lost, bogged down, confused, unable to understand it. Some, probably not a few, simply refuse to explore it for the reasons listed above and may not even try because it leaves them terrified. However, since it is part of the Bible and God expects us to gain knowledge through the written, revealed word, we should, at the very least, make an attempt to sort it out, always thinking about it, always moving ahead, never afraid to discard one theory, opinion, or belief we might have held for a long time as long as we have something better to replace it with. It is my intention to try to shed some light (feebly, of course, on the scale of a flickering candle) on one of the most anticipated events of the book, e.g., the emergence of the mark of the beast, the explanation of which consumes an enormous amount of time in Christian circles today.

A little background here: I grew up in a family which held to Baptist, evangelical, and dispensational viewpoints and subscribed to the Rapture theory of pre-millennial eschatology. I learned that the world is going to become increasingly evil as time goes on. The only thing which believers can truly hope for to stop the total destruction of the world is the physical return of Jesus Christ, Who will snatch (rapture)1 His true followers out before He sets up a physical throne in Jerusalem from which He will rule and reign for a thousand years. According to this teaching, that thousand year reign (millennium) will be a time of peace like the world has never known, but at the end of it, Satan will once again be able to exercise power over mankind and this will end in the final battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell. The result will be that Jesus and his followers will prevail, Satan and his followers will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to burn for eternity, and time and history will cease.

The doctrine also teaches that a “great tribulation” will fall on the Earth in which God’s people will experience massive suffering. This is split into three different categories: Pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation, depending on whether the Rapture happens before, during, or at the end of the Great Tribulation. In the pre-trib belief, the true believers in Christ will be removed from Earth and will not experience it, but the mid-trib and post-trib believers will have some or all of the full weight and fury of the Anti-Christ (different topic, future date) thrown at them. My family held to the pre-trib view and I can remember a couple times when I was young and afraid that I had missed the “blessed” Rapture because I didn’t see anyone else around for a few minutes.

Then my momma called me and relief flooded my soul.

This is a pretty simplistic explanation. I could go into much deeper detail, but most of you probably have some understanding about the details and there is no end to the topic in bookstores, podcasts, and online. If you’re interested, research it for yourself.

Full disclosure: I abandoned the “faith” when I was about 18 or 19 after I learned about post-millennial doctrine, specifically the dominion branch of it as espoused by Christian Reconstructionism. I have never looked back and never will. I might have some sympathy for really honest pre-millennial thought, but I have none at all for the Rapture variant and will be happy to see it ended. The sooner, the better. Jesus is not going to take us out of the mess we have created so that we don’t have to be responsible for it. I am more than willing to engage in conversations and debates with anyone who shows an interest in learning, but will not discuss it if an arrogant, stubborn, willfully blind attitude is displayed. There are many people out there who live by the saying, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” Well, multitudes evinced that mindset during the Covid years as well, except that they elevated Anthony Fauci to the place of God and we can see in hindsight where that got us.

End of discussion. Settled science. Except that science, like accrued knowledge, is never settled and there is always more to learn. Even when we think we know it all. Let’s move on.

Mark of the Beast.

If there is one thing about Revelation which stirs more debate than anything else, it would be the identity of the Anti-Christ. Unless it might be the Mark which the Anti-Christ forces everyone in the world to get, carried on their foreheads or back of their right hands. Redundancy, you know, just to be sure. No one knows what this “mark” might be or how it will be implemented, but it is usually assumed that it is a secure and certain method of identification of individuals. Maybe Elon Musk’s vision of chip implants will do the trick. Maybe laser tattoos which can be read with a scanner. Maybe, this, that, or another thing. Who knows what technological marvels will be used against us tomorrow?

I can remember the hysteria among Christian groups of my youth (before I went my own way) when bar codes emerged and became ubiquitous. Similarly, those long lines of numbers, all computer generated, at the bottom of checks which are used to route money the check represents to the proper account. QR codes? Everywhere, and everyone is being encouraged to sign up for one, especially if you are in business in any form of selling to the public. And I have probably only scratched the surface. Add in facial recognition and retina scan technology, the increasing use of AI and quantum computers to instantly sort through millions, billions, and trillions of data points, and the propensity of human beings to follow the crowd, which is being told to “stand over there so we can snap your photo” and to shop in the direction the arrows are pointing. Doesn’t look good for privacy of any kind, does it? Especially the financial kind and, with the up-and-coming CBDC digital currency which is programmable and will be used to “socially control” populations, it really looks like personal individuality is screwed. Oh, and don’t forget the American system called Social Security numbering, which is implanted instantly when a new baby arrives on the scene.

So, what is this “mark”? Here are some scriptures from Revelation which mention it.

  • “He [the second beast] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name…His number is 666.” — chapter 13:16-17
  • “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” — chapter 14: 9-11
  • “So the first [angel] went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.” — chapter 16: 2
  • “And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” — chapter 17: 5

The first scripture says that he [the beast] causes all, that is everyone to get the mark, meaning that this will be universal. No one will be exempt, no one will be left out. Yet, the next quote lays out the possibility that acceptance of it is not universal, using the word, if, which implies that there is at least some measure of choice, some resistance, in receiving the mark. And, when the first angel poured his bowl over the earth, it was only those who had the mark of the beast who were affected, not those who had refused it. Clearly, there is more here than just a simple, “this means that”.

Revelation also has scriptures which describe those who had not submitted to the marking.

  • “Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.” — chapter 15: 2
  • “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” — chapter 20:4

Evidently, the system of beast-marking could be overcome and resisted, although it may mean death to those who travel that road. Which means that although the beast ordered universal acceptance of the mark, he was not able to fully implement it. And, then, there is this scripture which shows the mark from a completely different perspective.

  • “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.” — chapter 14: 1

What are we to make of all this? Wouldn’t it be wise and prudent to examine where all this symbolism and imagery originated instead of just throwing speculative guesses about its meaning? Yeah, I thought you might agree with that, so let’s get into it.

Note: I am not a scholar nor highly educated in this field. I do not know Hebrew nor Greek. I am only taking what I can read and have considered, then developed this thought logically. I could be completely off base and am open to differing opinions and any correction which might be necessary.

“It [an annual ceremony to celebrate and remember the deliverance from Egypt concluding in the Exodus] shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes…” — Exodus 13:9a (full context, 13:1-15, or more narrowly, 13: 3-10)

“You shall bind them [laws, statutes, commandments, ordinances of God] as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” — Deuteronomy 6: 8 (full context, 6: 1-25)

Sign on your hand, frontlet between your eyes. These were meant to be reminders that the people would not forget the manner in which God brought them out of slavery in Egypt and gave them a new code of conduct by which they were supposed to live in a state of freedom and liberty. As long as they followed the rules, they would be blessed, but if they abandoned this law, they would reap the consequences of their sinful behavior.

Furthermore, according to Exodus 28:36-38, Moses’ brother, Aaron, who was the first high priest of Israel, was to wear a plate of pure gold tied to his turban so that it rested on his forehead. This plate was engraved with the phrase, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. He (and all other high priests following) were to wear this continually while ministering to the people. It was always there, always prominent, and could not be missed nor mistaken for anything else. A sign, a mark, visible for everyone to see.

The High Priest was to wear the “mark” continually as part of his uniform, but the common people were only required to manifest it once a year, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, although they were commanded to keep the commandments of God in their hearts and minds throughout the entire year. If I am reading Exodus 13: 9 properly, the feast itself was to be the mark of their remembrance and obedience. “It shall be as a sign…” As a symbol, a representation and reminder of the exodus event, perhaps not dissimilar to the practice in Christian churches today known as Communion, which signifies the Last Supper of Jesus and his twelve disciples.

“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” — Deuteronomy 11:18

Side note, short detour:

It is interesting, but not surprising, that Jewish tradition and rabbinical rules have corrupted this beyond the point of original meaning. Today, men and boys over the age of 13 wear phylacteries with scraps of parchment inside which have the relevant scripture verses written on them. They wear these daily during morning services, but never on Sabbath or holy days. In addition, instead of binding it on one’s hand (John mentions the right hand), they tie it to their upper arm, on the bicep facing the heart, their left arm if they are right-handed, but on the right arm if they are left-handed. As soon as the morning service is over, they are taken off and put away until the next morning. The rules regarding phylacteries, their manufacture, and their use is mind-boggling and Jesus referred to these when he called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites who were more concerned with enlarging their own phylacteries so others could more easily see them.2

What is even more interesting is that these same men can wear their phylacteries as a part of their morning worship to Yahweh, take them off, pick up a weapon, and two minutes later kill an innocent person who is not Jewish, without ever batting an eye. This shows how closely they hold the commandments of their god in their hearts and minds, especially the one which says, “Thou shalt not murder”, which they have contorted to mean that they are only forbidden to kill fellow Jews. The goyim are fair game and no meaning is attached to their murder. These are, according to too many Christians, God’s Chosen People and everyone else plays second-best. Jesus loves us all, but He loves them more than He does me.

What a shame!

IF the concept of the Mark of the Beast, as so many understand it today, would not be viable nor possible for more than two millennia, then it seems quite odd to me that John would have written Revelation and sent it out expecting his colleagues to read and understand it. The people alive at that time and for many centuries afterward, right up until the last 100 years of so, would not have had a clue IF the “mark” was dependent on computers, electronics, telecommunications, digital surveillance and banking, etc. Yet, John wrote this at the very beginning, clearly expecting that they would understand it.

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” — Rev. 1: 3

What good would it do if they read it and heard it read, but couldn’t understand anything about it because it didn’t apply to them, but to generations two thousand years and more into the future? However, people at that time would have instantly known what he was referring to. They were thoroughly steeped and trained in the Hebrew tradition and would have understood that the “mark” he mentioned was to be taken in a symbolic and spiritual sense, not necessarily in a physical one. Those 144, 000 believers who had the name of the Lamb’s Father written on their forehead were seen as HOLY TO THE LORD, faithful to His Word, and “marked” as off limits3 to the Anti-Christ Beast. It is not that they carried an actual, physical marker on their head, although they may have done so, but that their lives were sealed in the service of the Lamb.

Likewise, those who “took” the mark of the Beast did not necessarily submit to a physical brand, tattoo, implant, or other device, but they were sold out to the anti-Christian system which worshipped power and control over the lives of others. The ones who receive the mark of the Beast believe fervently in the statist system of satanic government which views people as nothing more than something to be used in furtherance of a political program, to change society to a specific mindset, to gain wealth, to gain social significance, etc. In John’s day, they would have been those who bowed before the Roman authority, not because they were afraid, but because kowtowing had advantages and blessings. They would have been those who actively worked, not to love their neighbors and enemies, but to subjugate them to the “rule of law”, as interpreted by those who hold power. More importantly, however, they were the ones who would have put their faith and trust wholeheartedly into the system of the day, believing that salvation and life spring from it.

In other words, the “mark” is not so much a physical or electronic means by which a person can be identified, supervised, surveilled, and controlled, as much as it is a spiritual attitude. It is one in which loyalty, fealty, submission, and worship is given to an anti-Christ figure and/or system. Those who receive the mark are true believers in the system and will not tolerate any other. They are totalitarians who insist that everyone participate in the system whether they want to or not. They embrace it from the heart, voluntarily, and demand that those who won’t must be forced to accept it.

They don’t have a clue.

I have barely scratched the surface here, but this is enough for now. Therefore, in conclusion:

  1. The “mark” is universal, always has been, always will be, and those who wear it (everyone) must make a choice to worship Jesus the Christ as Messiah and Savior OR worship the anti-Christ false messiah and ungodly, worldly system.
  2. The “mark” is, more than anything else, an attitude and belief from the spiritual depths of our hearts. It may be forced on us as an outward sign, but God looks at the heart, not the tattoo or one of Elon Musk’s chips.
  3. There may be a governmental order and drive to “mark” everyone on Earth, but it is not guaranteed that this will be successful. It is not a fait accompli and resistance to it is not futile. In fact, the more people who push back, the less likely it is to reach its goal.

Looking at it from this perspective, there is no reason at all to be afraid. Even if (and it is entirely possible) that the entire world population is ordered to “line up and get the mark”4, we need to keep in mind that a physical system does not overrule a spiritual one. Granted, even though it seems that we are being overwhelmed by a godless state which wants to control every aspect of our lives and is speedily developing the means to do that, it is not what the body is “marked” with, but what the content of the heart is.

“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7

If our heart is focused on God and aligned with His Spirit, we are secure even if every square inch of our body were to be covered with man’s marks. An apt analogy would be the concentration camps in Nazi Germany at which every prisoner was tattooed with a number for identification purposes. Many of the people gave up and died there, but there were some who refused to let their circumstances dictate how they should live and die. One of these, Viktor Frankl, wrote that,

“…everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”5

As Christians, we should be living in faith, believing that God will take care of us no matter the circumstances, and working to bring our lives into conformity to His Word. We should NOT be driving ourselves crazy trying to swallow the crap which some deluded or deliberate preacher, teacher, and cab driver tells us is the coming future.

  1. Remember Star Trek? “Beam me up, Scotty.” Get me out of here. ↩︎
  2. Matthew 23:5 ↩︎
  3. The first time this happened in history according to Genesis 4: 15, tells of the Lord setting a mark on Cain so that no one would kill him, i.e., putting a supernatural personal shield over him to protect him. See also Ezekiel 9: 4, 6. We could go back even further to the Garden of Eden when Adam was told by God that he would earn his bread by the “sweat of his brow”–a mark on his forehead to remind him of the bad choice that he had made. ↩︎
  4. Remember Covid? “Mask up and get your shot!” ↩︎
  5. Frankl, Viktor: Man’s Search for Meaning, 2006, Beacon Press, page 66 ↩︎

Dr. Trumpenstein’s Monster: Mocking the Master

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

No good will come of this.

You may have seen the photo of Donald Trump posing as Jesus healing a sick man (bringing a dead man back to life?). If not, feast your eyeballs…or turn away cringing in shame that this poseur and charlatan represents America to the world.

It would be reasonable to assume that this was created by one of his enemies to discredit him and to cause discord among his groupie following, but this was actually posted on Truth Social by THE MAN HIMSELF, and then taken down just a few hours later because of the ruckus it caused. Too late, however, since it had already been seen, downloaded, Photoshopped, AI rebuilt, and reposted by others. The version below is probably far more accurate. Notice that none of the figures shown has six fingers, although it is impossible to tell about Benni Nutti Yahoo since he is keeping his hands well out of sight. Notice also the figure above Trump’s left shoulder which was in the original and has not been manipulated.

Then, to top it all off, when asked by a reporter about it, Trump explained that, yes, he posted it because he thought it presented him as a doctor, a healer, someone who makes people better, and blasted the “Fake News” for pushing the idea that he was putting himself into the role of Jesus.

I mean, like, Wow! Does the arrogance of this man know any bounds? Or is it only limited by his own mind? I do have to admit, though, that Melania looks as soft and caring as I have ever seen her and the sight of Ghislaine praying and giving thanks for the miracle about to happen just really warms my heart and gives me hope that any or all of them might actually have a “coming to Jesus moment”. Except Epstein, of course, because he’s been “dead” for a lot more than four days.

For more information, check out this BBC article which has the video and this line.

“Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump did not apologise.”

Of course not! The unmitigated gall! The effrontery!! Trump does not apologize. Trump does not admit wrong. Trump does not ask forgiveness. Which is too bad because, unless he changes course in a hurry, he will go to his eternal grave guilty of the charge of trying to make himself equal with God. He may not know it, but he is following in the footsteps of King Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:21-23) who was struck down by an angel because he did not correct the people when they said that he spoke with the voice of a god, but accepted their worship and praise as if it were true.

Herod, you’re fired!

This is the man that a lot of American Christians voted for, the man they put into the White House as their Dear Leader, the one they trusted to straighten out the condition of the nation AND the world, the one they expected to save them from the cesspit in which they live. The man who lies to them constantly about everything, yet they hang onto his every word as if it were gospel. For some, if Trump had shown blood dripping from his right ear1 onto his white robe, it would have been as if God Himself had drawn that picture. They worship a false god who cannot heal their disease, but are convinced that the snake oil he sold them will work.

“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…” (II Timothy 3:2-4)

Doesn’t this fit Donald Trump to a T? And Paul’s advice?

“From such people turn away!” (v 5)

How many will take this counsel? My hope is that many who have hoisted him on a pedestal will drag him off it of their own volition and change the way they think about the man and his politics. I would be quite happy if they would also think about their own politics while they’re in a repenting mode.

  1. Shortly after the Butler incident, I created a “fake” rendition of Johnny Cash’s hit, A Boy Named Sue, and applied it to the situation.

    “Well, the shots rang out and then the cries, And he went down but to my surprise, He came back up with a fist and blood all over his ear.” ↩︎

Whose Voice Will You Hear? And Follow?

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

News Flash: There may have been a negotiated cease-fire in the war. According to this, Iran, the US, and Israel agreed to stop shooting at each other for a period of two weeks and Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz for the same two weeks. Whether this will hold or not is debatable, but if the destruction and killing ends, even temporarily, that will be a good thing.

https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/power-politics-the-iran-war-john-j-mearsheimer/

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

I may have read Donald Trump wrong the other day when I said he was a madman. After a few days of reading other commentary and thinking about it, his childish, foul eruption on Truth Social may have been because he was simply irate with the way things were going on the ground in Iran. In other words, angry and raging. Mad man! Not necessarily insane nor off his rocker (that possibility still exists, BTW), but definitely upset. His antics resemble those of a pampered, spoiled child who has been told that he cannot have the thing he wanted and has thrown a hissy fit.

What appears to have set him off was the horrible loss of aircraft taken in the (supposed) mission mounted to rescue the second airman who was stranded in Iran after his plane, an F-15E was shot down. Speculation is rife that the official story is a smokescreen and was designed to mask the real operation–a bold attempt to grab the enriched uranium stored near Isfahan by Special Forces, which, if successful, would have been a major victory for the Trump administration. Unfortunately, for him, it was not and resulted in a major disaster.

This is reminiscent of the hapless military maneuver ordered by Jimmy Carter in 1980 to rescue the 53 kidnapped hostages from the American embassy following the revolution which ousted the Shah and replaced him with Ayatollah Khomeini. Carter’s reputation took an immense hit over the incident and he lost the presidential election to Ronald Reagan by a landslide. It is interesting that the Iranian regime released the hostages almost immediately after Reagan took office.

To be sure, Donald Trump’s outbursts are important as they help to shape and manipulate the world situation and have extraordinary power to mold events and happenings in real time. What is more important, however, is how we perceive, not the message, but the messenger. Do we see him as The Answer to all our troubles? A messiah who will correct America’s problems and reverse her downward course? Are we consumed with the concept of American Exceptionalism which teaches that we are better than the rest of the world? Is Trump our Glorious Hope and constant Source of Strength? Are we trying, perhaps without even realizing it, to live vicariously through him?

Questions like these matter greatly because they shine a brilliant light on the faith in our lives, where we actually live and what we actually believe to be true. As Christians, professed believers in Jesus the Christ, the Prince of Peace, we have to make a decision as to the course we will follow and will be held responsible for any deviation from the truth. Consequently, when our man Trump makes a declaration or takes an action which is contrary to the teachings of Jesus, we are put into a position of decision: Which version of truth will I hold to and whose word will I follow?

Thinking about it this way brings the Gospel message home, personally close, and we simply cannot avoid it. Attempting to shove it under the rug, to make excuses, to justify our actions only creates confusion and controversy. In the end, we must admit that the Gospel reigns supreme or a political paradigm based on violent force and selfishness does. There is no middle ground here, no neutrality, no fence-straddling. It is either one or the other.

As a lifelong skeptic, I am forced to concede that neither of these positions may be true and that both may be false, however, it is certain that both cannot be right. Either the Gospel is correct or…it is not. Either Trump’s method of “kill, steal, and destroy” is the way to go…or it is not. Either of these might be right, both might be wrong, but both cannot be right. It is my responsibility as a son of God, Who is Truth, to determine which of these two is proper and to forsake all others or, if in deciding that both are wrong, to find something else to pursue. In the event that you hold to neither philosophy, then it is up to you to point the rest of us in a different direction, because without that, your version of truth is worthless, null, and void.

This holds significant authority in the lives of modern-day American Christians who are instructed constantly to live like Christ, to exemplify His pattern on Earth, yet still worship and exalt the religion of violent power. How can this be? Jesus, love him or hate him, spoke constantly about sacrificing one’s own life so that others would benefit, yet, today there are many who claim to believe in this way of life who do not hesitate to loudly and persistently seek to rain death and destruction on others so that they might personally benefit from the loss that others experience.

I cannot tolerate that.

If you proclaim your faith in Jesus, this is for you. You have a choice to make. You can follow the message of the Gospel of Peace, learning what it means to love your neighbor AND your enemy at least as much as you love yourself, OR, you can follow the path of violence, vengeance, and hatred toward others that you don’t even know.

The status of your eternal future depends on the way you respond.

Fired Up! Who Holds the Greater Power?

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

I am fired up! Fired up at least as much as Chuck Baldwin, the pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, MT, who just preached this message to his congregation on Sunday, March 22nd. Trigger Warning: Do not watch this if you are not interested in hearing the truth. If you are only concerned with the way you have always believed and do not want to hear another view which may be different than yours, this is not for you. DO NOT OPEN!

For those who seek truth, there comes a time in our lives when we have to question what we truly believe. What am I staking my life on? What am I staking my eternity on? Do I really believe what I am saying is the truth? Are there questions and doubts? If there are, how am I addressing them? Am I willing to admit that I don’t know everything and that I might be wrong?

Heavens, no! God forbid that I should be wrong!!!!!

Here’s a question for you.

According to your beliefs, is the Word of God more powerful, less powerful, or only equal in power to Donald Trump and the MIC/Deep State/Establishment/Blob/Banks which supposedly rule America today? According to Donald Trump, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me,…”

“One thing. Only one thing that can stop me and that is myself. I control myself. No one else controls me. I am the master of my own destiny and if I decide to destroy all of humanity and Earth itself for the sake of my own desires, who is there to stop me?”

Well, he didn’t really say that. I just made it up, but between what he did say and the way I paraphrased it, there is virtually no difference.

So you have three choices, only three:

  1. More powerful
  2. Less powerful
  3. Equal in power.

Now, if you answered that the Word of God is less powerful than Mr. Trump, then you have just acknowledged that he really can do anything he likes and there’s not a doggone thing you (or anyone else) can do about it. There really are no limits to his reach and grasp. What you have done is to admit that power and truth are relative to the situation and, in dealing with human beings, the situation always revolves around who is the strongest and who can control others the most. You have no hope that things will get any better, unless, of course, you manage to elect a new “king” to replace him. No Kings, except the one I want!

If, perhaps, you think the Word of God and The Donald are equal in power, then it is a simple matter of the two jockeying for position and advantage all the time, except of course, those times when the Word aligns with Trump’s words. This is really as ludicrous a position as anyone could conjure up and I’m almost embarrassed to mention it, but, well, let’s just close the chapter on that option and not say anymore about it.

However, if your answer is that the Word of God is more powerful than Trump or any other government, institutional, or corporate official, then you have to take this into consideration. If his politics, words, and actions do not align with the Word, how far are you going to go to support him? Will you have to bend your own beliefs and principles to conform to his? Wouldn’t this make him a false god in your eyes? Wouldn’t this ambivalence on your part be considered idolatry? As a firm believer that the Word reigns supreme in the lives of men and that God sets up “kings” and takes them down again when their role is finished, aren’t you supposed to speak the truth to those around you, whether it is popular or not, regardless as to the trouble it might land you in? Even if Kamala Harris were elected to represent America on the world stage? Or, as the ancient saying goes, “Shall we vote for an evil person to lead us so that another even more evil person doesn’t?”

Actually, I just made that up, but you can quote me on it.

Nevertheless, as Christians, believers in the supremacy of Jesus the Christ, our allegiance and loyalty is to His kingship and when the rules and behavior of men who would be kings does not conform to His authority, we have to make a choice. Do we live as these men (women) order us to even though we know it is wrong OR do we refuse to submit and follow the example of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego? Jeremiah? Stephen, who was stoned to death and became the first recorded martyr of the early church? Peter, who denied his Lord three times in one evening, but was crucified upside down because of his unwavering stand? Paul, who persecuted the early Christians, but completely changed his attitude, groveling in the dirt at the feet of his future master while on the road to Damascus?

Or, are we more concerned with the creature comforts of home and try to justify the killing and destruction of those around the world who are labeled “enemies” of the American way of life?

This is something we need to make up our minds about because the demons are coming out of the woodwork everywhere and it is becoming evident that something is changing–big time. The life we once knew is behind us, in our past, and we can no longer depend on it (or the Constitution of the United States) to keep those demons in check. If we do not know who holds the Real Power, then life is just a bouncing back and forth from one extreme to another, all of which seek to diminish us as individuals created in the Image of God, with all the rights and honors which come from that.

No Kings!! Second Verse, Same as the First.

Roger Mitchell4 Comments

The first verse in this chorus can be seen here. Below is the second.

Today, 3/28/2026, was “No Kings” day in Missoula, in conjunction with multiple like events all over the country. I attended the local protest along with a few of my friends and had a relatively good time, talking with passers-by, none of whom could be bothered to get into in-depth conversations, and would-be politicians, all of whom were making a show of concern, letting the public know that they were, of course, not Donald Trump. I would estimate the crowd as numbering at least 5, 000, but there may have been twice that many there. Good turnout, but then this is a deep blue city in a red state, so I’m not really surprised at the size of the crowd.

I tried to get a video of the participants as they paraded past, chanting their slogans and holding their signs, all of which were designed to show opposition to Trump. Unfortunately, my phone shut down in the middle of the take and I lost everything, so I can’t give you that. What I can show you are the signs I had printed up specifically for this occasion, which got a fairly decent reception, a lot of thumbs up, and head nods.

The main problem I have with people like these is that they are inconsistent with their professed creed–No Kings! What they are really saying is that we don’t want Donald Trump to be the king. The whole shebang, nationwide, was not a protest against rulers in high places but a massive show of TDS, Trump Derangement Syndrome. I think it is a fairly safe bet that if Kamala Harris had won the Oval Office in 2024, there would not be anything of this nature cropping up, at least not from the left side of the bed. The fact of the matter is that most, probably an extremely large percentage of the crowd, would be considered leftists, progressives, and liberal. In other words, Democrats, who would be completely happy to serve a king (or a queen), as long as he (or she) had no connection to Trump. It’s not that they don’t want a king, they just want one they agree with.

Caitlin Johnstone recently wrote about this phenomenon and, while I disagree with quite a lot of her political philosophy, she was dead on the mark here.

Trump is not some freakish aberration; he is the product of the same American political status quo as his predecessors. He became president the same way they did, and the powers he now wields were given to his office via mundane executive, legislative and judicial decisions and precedents before he was ever elected.

But because the “No Kings” protests are organized by liberal defenders of that same political status quo, the demonstrations cannot address any of this. The whole thing is designed to be as large and inclusive as possible while also ensuring that it doesn’t disrupt the established order in any meaningful way. They make no real demands. They coordinate the demonstrations with police and government officials. Protesters show up for a few hours with their brunch signs and their orange guy shirts, and then they go home without inconveniencing anybody.

They are not protesting against the US empire. They just want a more polite, photogenic empire.

For a couple years during the Covid years (2021-2022), a small number of us spent a lot of Saturday afternoons on the streets and sidewalks of Missoula demonstrating against the “regime” of the time. It is quite probable that many of the people who were protesting “NO KINGS!” today hated us, flipped us off, shouted obscene remarks, etc., and refused to treat us decently because we were proclaiming a different message than what they wanted. It is not far-fetched to believe that, if they had had the control of the state then, we might have spent more than a few days in the county jail, yet here they are telling anyone who will listen that they don’t want to be ruled…by anyone. Especially Trump. And, to further make the connection, there was then virtually no unified, significant outcry over the Covid thing, in the same way that there is no real protest over the Iran war. As long as Covid and its ramifications didn’t touch daily lives, people ignored it, and, until the war “collateral damage” starts hitting close to home, people will ignore it.

I can’t be bothered, let the king handle it.

This is not a question of “kings vs. no kings”. It is a question of which king or whose king. A question of who will be king. Kings speak of authority and the concept of authority is inescapable. There will always be an authority figure, always someone who will exercise authority over others. Whether they are called kings or presidents (as Johnstone points out) is irrelevant. You could call them Smokey the Bear or the Grand Ayatollah and it wouldn’t matter. Persons in positions of power, from parents of children to leaders of great nations, have authority and they use it to advance and further their agenda. Unfortunately, sometimes this authority is used to harm those who are subject to it and, in this, even parents of young children are not exempt, because they can (and do) abuse it to the detriment of their children who are unable to defend themselves. The greatest abuse of this power is, in my opinion, that “freedom” known as a woman’s right to choose, a.k.a., abortion, in which an unborn human being is destroyed forever simply because she decided to kill it. Authority, but perverted and lethal.

The slogan I presented, “No law but love, no kings but Christ”, is a paraphrase on the popular saying from fifty or so years ago, “No law but love, no creed but Christ”, which, like every other popular fad and fashion flared for a little while, then died away. The principle, however, remains as true today as it was then: If we, as individuals truly lived in the way that Jesus taught, “Love your enemies” and “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”, then there would be no need for a political king to force everyone to subject themselves to his rule. If we were to acknowledge Jesus as our King, which He is, and live according to the truths that He spoke, then we would love our enemies and our neighbors as He loves us. There would be no need for a political king because society would be made up of self-controlled individuals who did no harm to their neighbors. This would be an enormous change from the world of today in which most people are out to get whatever they can for themselves and they are willing to take it from someone else. We operate in a world, based not on love, but selfishness, greed, and hate.

This will go on and on until people quit looking for a savior to impose their desires on the world, but find a Savior who works miracles in the human heart and transforms the sin nature we all possess into one conforming to the Spirit of God. This is not done through political action nor is it done through ritualistic practices of religion, but is accomplished only through a continual surrender to the Spirit and constant repentance of our sinful lifestyles. This, rather than depending on the whims of a “king”, is the only way to freedom and liberty, and, because it requires a radical change from the way we are means that it is usually discarded out of hand.

“…wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” — Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:13

This is the political solution. Choose a leader, make him responsible, and then, when you don’t like him, agitate for a replacement. And it never works. Never.

It’s Time to Make a Stand: Christian Zionism is a Dead End

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

“Within the Zionist lobby, everything is extremely rational and carefully calculated—up to the moment when the final act arrives: the coming of the Messiah. That is the promissory note on which everything is built. It is issued against a future event. If that future does not arrive, everything collapses. Christian Zionism is even worse: everything in it rests on pure hallucination (the Rapture, and so on), which cannot come to pass, no matter how much one might wish it.” — Alexander Dugin

I’m going to unload here. I’ve been carrying this for a long, long time and it’s time to shuck it completely.

I subscribe to Alexander Dugin and have a lot of respect for his insights, but I’m not quite sure how to take this. He calls (the Rapture, and so on) pure hallucination, therefore, it cannot happen and, while I agree that he is spot on about the religious belief, nevertheless, I’m not ready to put God in a box. God can do whatever He wants and, if God wants the Rapture to come to pass, it will, no matter the protest from Dugin. Granted, however, he might have just used poor wording and grammar to make his point and, if so, I’ll withdraw my protest.

Not that it matters greatly to me because I don’t think it’s going to happen the way that so many are hoping for.

  1. What happens to the Zionist movement if the expected messiah, Moschiach, does not show up on schedule?
  2. What happens to the Christian Zionist Rapturist Dispensational Evangelical movement if…ditto?

I was born into and grew up in a conservative Baptist family and became well-steeped in the pre-millennial theory that Jesus was coming back soon, real soon (it’s always real soon), to take the true believers out of here (Rapture) and punish the evildoers with a rod of iron for 1000 years. As I recall, we were pre-tribulation Rapturists, but I knew (still know) many people who held to the mid-trib and post-trib opinions. I read Hal Lindsey’s blockbuster book, “The Late Great Planet Earth” at least twice and, by the time I was in my mid-teens, pretty sure that I had it all figured out. I’m not ashamed to admit that for a little while, I considered the possibility that Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon might be the Anti-Christ and there were a few times when I found myself alone, wondering if the Rapture had occurred without me.

My parents encouraged us (siblings, myself) to think and question, so I did, and eventually in my late teens, became acquainted with the writings of dominion theology authors (Gary North, et al), absorbing the material like a dry sponge soaks up water. It didn’t take much “education” before I made the decision to leave the pre-millennial world behind and embraced post-millennialism whole-heartedly and with vigor. That was close on to fifty years ago and I have not looked back once, never regretted the change of direction, nor entertained any ideas about returning to the “fold” in the hopes of leaving Earth without dying.

One of the main tenets of pre-millennialism (pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib) is that the nation known as Israel must be present in the End Times (that period at the end of the world in which Jesus comes back physically). It is believed that world affairs will be orchestrated so that there will be an immense, ferocious battle between the nations in Israel, with the blood of the slaughtered humans rising as high as the bits in the mouths of the horses. How this would play out in an age of digital warfare where drones and missiles have become the dominant weapon is beyond me, but no matter. Armageddon MUST play out so that Jesus can return to prevent the total annihilation of His “Chosen People” and, by extension, save the Gentile believers as well. Once the battle is over and the Anti-Christ has been defeated, there will be an extended period of peace, 1000 years, after which all Hell and Mayhem will break loose once again, forcing Jesus to conquer Satan once and for all, condemning him and his hordes of demons to the Lake of Fire forever and ever, Amen!

This is a pretty simplistic explanation, but millions and millions of people actually believe this or some variant of it. I have no problem at all with calling it out, as Alexander Dugin did above, as a fantasy, a hallucination of the mind, a false religion. If this hurts your feelings and you want to respond in a Christian manner, well, I allow comments. Click on the button at the top of the page. Heck, if you want to unload on me in a non-Christian fit of rage, go ahead. I can take it.

There are any number of reasons why I reject the pre-millennial Rapture theory, but the main one is that it is a belief of hopelessness. I have heard this expressed untold numbers of times. Evil is getting worse and worse, the Bible guarantees that it will, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it until Jesus comes back to rescue His church from the mess which it is mired in.

“…I will build My church, AND the gates of Hades shall NOT prevail against it.” (emphasis added)

Apparently, the implication of the words in Matthew 16:18 have not been thought out to their logical end, because Jesus does not say that the gates of Hades will be broken down by Him, but by His Church.

This mindset, Rapture escapism, then, is used to excuse personal inaction on any given issue, abortion, for instance. If this issue (or any other) is ever raised in an attempt to galvanize Bible-believing Christians into some kind of action to put a stop to it, they will raise the argument that I just mentioned. Evil is getting worse, the news proclaims it, and this just confirms it, which means all we can do is pray and hope that Jesus shows up soon. Real soon. Does the term “circular argument” resonate with you? Did it ever occur to you to change your “news” source?

Pre-millennial Rapturism is a failed, deficient theology and it will be made evident when the State of Israel, which is the bedrock foundation of Christian Zionism, is beaten and destroyed, disappearing into the dustbin of history, joining other cruel, vicious, murderous empires like Genghis Khan and the Mongols, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao, the Soviet Union, and, of course, the Roman Empire. Which brings me back to the question I raised earlier: When the expected return of the messiah (Jesus Christ, or the Jewish version, Moschiach) does not materialize, what are these people going to do, other than to watch their long-held, die-hard belief system crumble into dust.

Which, as far as I’m concerned, cannot happen soon enough.

Gary North had a saying. “You can’t beat something with nothing.” Since the Rapture theory is “something”, what that means is that, in order to beat it, I’ve got to have a superior philosophy, a better argument, otherwise, I have failed. I’m going to have to explain why I am so confident in my own beliefs and why I have an unbending faith in the future, in time and on Earth, without the physical return of Jesus Christ.

Let me just give you a taste, something to chew on.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” — Jesus Christ (John 16:7)

The Helper (Holy Spirit) would not come as long as Jesus was here, but has been present since He went away. What does it say about the power of the Spirit, Who is God, to overcome evil if Jesus has to come back to do the job Himself? If this is what you believe, then you are basically saying that the Spirit of God is not up to the task and must have help to finish the work.

Think about it.

I’ll be back.

America’s Moral Obligation to Defend the World and Attack Iran

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

I can remember discussions with my father when I was young and learning to form and assert my own opinions. In one of those, he brought out the argument that America had a responsibility to police the world because the US was the premier power of righteous morality (or something to that effect) and if we didn’t keep things in order, the world would soon end up in a chaotic maelstrom of Communist rule, headquartered in Moscow, Russia. At the time, as I recall, the Viet Nam war (Domino Theory) was still in full swing and, due to his experiences during WW21, it is understandable why he might be of that opinion.

Just the other day, a local chat group I participate in blew up into an intense, mildly rancorous debate because one of the members said that Donald Trump had to attack Iran and the main reason given for the “required” action was that 40, 000 Iranian citizens had been killed in the recent street protests. Needless to say, his viewpoint was severely questioned and the argument raged for some time with no clear resolution of the issue. Given that “Jeff” is a conservative Christian Zionist, it is understandable why he might think that way.

The US had a responsibility to make the world safe. The US had to attack Iran to stop the government there from killing its own citizens. These are nearly identical positions which bespeak that America has some (nebulous, unproven) God-given duty to ensure that the rest of the world behaves itself and to “straighten it out” if necessary, like a young boy facing a whipping for some misbehavior. Fifty years apart, they only prove that deeply held beliefs across a wide spectrum of society take a long time to change.

That line of thinking is dying out in America and it is fairly evident that most of the rest of the world has kicked it to the curb. Today, the US is widely seen, not as a shining knight on a white steed administering justice, liberty, and the American way, but as an overbearing, monstrous, murderous bully, intent only on getting its way, pushing its way into arguments which do not concern it, and beating the living daylights out of small, weak countries. Because, we can. Because, as Donald Trump famously said when asked if there were any limits on his actions as President, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. I don’t need international law.” Because, his Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth openly states about the war, “Death and destruction from the sky all day long…This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be.” Because, as Michael Ledeen put it twenty some years ago, “Every now and again the United States has to pick up a crappy little country and throw it against a wall just to prove we are serious.”

“I define my own limits.” “Kick them while they’re down.” “Beat up somebody smaller and weaker than you are so others will notice.” These are the attitudes which rule American foreign policy today. Morally righteous behavior has nothing to do with it. God-given authority has nothing to do with it. In fact, the current administration has made it quite clear that it will no longer be held accountable by the standards and norms (internationally accepted) which ruled the interactions between countries. Supposedly ruled, I should say, since strong countries like the US have always forced the issues and never hesitated to use violent force whenever it was deemed “necessary”. From here on out, it’s the Law of the Jungle, and woe betide anyone who gets in the way of the rampaging 800 pound gorilla. Power exercised for the sake of power, and the collateral benefit is that great wealth is gained thereby.

As professing Christians, believers in the gospel of Jesus the Christ, disciples of His teachings, obligated to follow and obey His commands, it should be apparent that waging war by an ungodly State (US) goes against everything we are expected to adhere to, especially when said war is in the “service” of an anti-Christian, atheistic, murderous regime (Israel) which is absolutely opposed to Christian belief and actively persecutes those Christians (along with believers in other religious orders) who live within its jurisdiction. There is nothing Christian at all with the popular policy that “We have to kill them over there, so that we don’t have to kill them over here.”

For those who would disagree with this (and they are legion), I ask this. Where is it written that we MUST employ violent force to destroy anyone who gets in the way of “national interests”? Where is it written that “service” to our country overrides our obligation to the Prince of Peace? Where is it written that we are given the option between the way of the world and the narrow way to life? Where is it written that the US is an exceptional nation simply because we have been blessed materially with a scope of riches and power which history has never seen before? Where is it written that we can, like Donald Trump said, do whatever we want. Where is it written that we will never be called out for our behavior and reap the consequences of our actions?

In the current situation, there is a blatant hypocrisy which causes extreme discomfort and cognitive dissonance in those who refuse to face the truth. Enormous outrage is vented against Iran for killing 40, 0002 people, its own citizens, and action is demanded to impose “justice”. Yet, nary a peep is heard from these same people about the ongoing genocide in Gaza which has demonstrably and visibly slaughtered at least 75, 000 persons, most of them women and children. In addition, nothing is ever mentioned about the “sanctions” imposed on the Palestinians (Iraqis, Cubans, etc.) which have (and will) result in the deaths of many, many more due to lack of food, good water, and adequate health care. In fact, many of those who express anger at the Iranians for their “crimes against humanity” often, at the same time, profess to believe that the State of Israel, as the chosen people of God must be supported, idolized, and excused without restriction or accountability.

The teaching of Jesus simply does not matter in our world and can be relegated and confined to the weekly show known as “church” which passes for holiness today. “Thou shalt not kill” is relative. “Love your enemies” is conditional on how we feel about them. “Do good to those who hate you” means that we do “good” to them, but do it first. Kick them while they’re down.

Where is the concept of sacrifice for others out of a spirit of love, as exemplified by Christ and taught in the New Testament? How can we square the order of the true Commander-in-Chief3 with the way we live according to our own word? When will this change to better conform with what we profess to believe? Why do we continue to hold onto this contradiction and refuse to acknowledge it, except that we, again like Donald Trump, cannot bring ourselves to admit we are wrong and to repent of our sins?

Think about it.

  1. He was stationed on a light cruiser, USS Helena, which was sunk somewhere in the South Pacific. Incidentally, he and all four of his brothers were in active combat operations and all of them came home without serious injury. I take that as a REAL blessing of God. ↩︎
  2. This is an unproven claim which has been broadcast widely by the mainstream news, but is almost certainly inflated from the real number. It has been reported that many of the deaths which occurred, both civilian and law enforcement, were due to random sniper fire at riots which may have been orchestrated by Israeli (Mossad) and US (CIA) intelligence. ↩︎
  3. Not Donald Trump, BTW, who only holds that title as relates to the military. It does not transfer over to civilians. ↩︎

God! What Do I Do Now?

Roger Mitchell3 Comments

This is a recent photo taken at the White House which has been spread far and wide in the also-recent revelation that members of the military have been subjected to “religious” persuasions and pressures from superior officers, presumably following the example and advice of the Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth. It reminded me of the painting which showed George Washington and Abraham Lincoln praying over George W. Bush while laying their hands on him. But, I guess that’s what warmongers do for each other.

The controversy began after an anonymous non-commissioned officer contacted the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) on behalf of several soldiers in a unit stationed outside the Iran combat zone. The individual wrote that a commander urged personnel to view the war as “all part of God’s divine plan,” while citing passages from the Book of Revelation. According to the complaint, the officer told troops that “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.” — The Cradle

I am not concerned whether this is true, although it certainly would be in keeping with the character of the head honchos who have visited the latest military destruction on Iran. Understanding so-called Biblical “prophecy”1 from a Zionist, evangelical, and dispensational point of view, it is not hard to believe that Earth is indeed “in the last days” as foretold by Revelation, just prior to the return of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who will rule and reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years, forcing everyone to bow and scrape to His authority on pain of being bopped by a Rod of Iron for disobedience, rebellion, and disbelief. Days of peace, indeed!

If, a big IF, Donald Trump has been set up in the Presidency by God Himself to usher in Armageddon and “light the signal fire” so that Jesus can find His way here, then he is certainly holding up his end of the responsibility. It makes me wonder, however, if this isn’t the wrong way to look at the situation. More than likely, instead of showing Jesus the way, Trump, his coterie of sycophantic yes-men and women, Lindsey Graham and his neoconservative ilk, and the world’s foremost arch-criminal, James Moriarty Benjamin Netanyahu and the entire leadership structure of Israel, are manipulating the actual sequence of events, literally forcing an appearance by Jesus to put an end to the fighting lest all mankind be killed and the Earth destroyed forever. And, if Jesus should somehow not show up, well, they win by default and take His place.

Shall we do evil so that good may come? Yeah, for sure, as long as the good comes to me.

Of course, that might be a little too far-fetched, so I’ll rescind the assertion and apologize to anyone whose feelings were hurt and whose beliefs were bruised. It is far more plausible to see things as Alexander Dugin explains in a well-written expose of Zionist thought.

“…Zionism is Judaism’s heretical rebellion where Jews declare themselves God, seize the Holy Land by force, and plunge tradition into apocalyptic upheaval.“

Well, Donald Trump hasn’t yet declared himself God, but he thinks of himself as The Supreme One. It wasn’t long ago that, in answer to a question about restraints on his behavior, he replied,

“…Trump insisted, just “one thing” that can curtail his desire for global supremacy: “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” — from an article on People

Add to that, his statement that, as President of the US, he can do whatever he wants, and you get the idea that he really thinks he is above the law, not just international law, but the Law Itself. The Highest Law. The one which says, “Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not lie, unless you’re on the campaign trail or at war.”

All this is to raise a question, however. Who or what were those people, including Donald Trump, praying to as shown in the photo above? If he cannot be stopped by anyone once his mind is made up and if he can act in any manner he wants, then why does he feel the need to seek guidance from a “higher” authority? Considering that he also is rumored to have said that he is not a Christian, that he hates his enemies, and that he has no compunction nor regrets about destroying others for his own sake (unarmed, hard-working fishermen in the Caribbean, e.g.), I am confident in stating2 that he does not worship the same Prince of Peace that I (and millions of other Americans) do. Maybe he recognizes and serves some other nefarious character who encourages him to indulge his god-like powers, you know, kill, steal, and destroy. I’d be willing to bet that all of the people in that photo think of only one thing–power and how to gain more of it, which is about as far from true Christianity, selfless sacrifice in the service of others, as anyone can get.

One of the ironies of the American War between the States, the War of Northern Aggression, the Civil War as some call it, is that the people on both sides of the conflict, both Union and Confederacy, believed that they were right, that their cause was just, and they prayed to the same God to give them victory over their enemies–the others, those over there. The same god, the same religion, the same belief structure, yet they expected God to pick and choose sides, to favor one while hurling lightening bolts at the other. Kind of like the internecine wars the Greek gods on Mount Olympus would involve themselves in and with just about the same results–a lot of dead people and widespread destruction.

Since, as human beings created in the Image of God, aren’t we all one big family? Brothers and sisters? Related to each other? Yet, in this current war which Trump and Netanyahu deliberately started, whose god is going to triumph? The stronger side? The more resilient force? The ones who don’t run out of ammunition first? The one who punched first or the other who punched back? Far be it from me to predict how God is going to act, but I am sure of this.

“God resists the proud…” (James 4:6)

Interestingly, I typed this exact phrase into my Brave browser which produced this response.

God resists the proud — a declaration rooted in Scripture, most directly found in James 4:6, which states, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The Greek word used, antitasso, conveys a military image of deliberate, strategic opposition — God actively arranges circumstances to confront and humble those who exalt themselves. 

This resistance is not arbitrary but a response to pride rooted in self-reliance, arrogance, and a refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty.  As seen in Proverbs 3:34 (quoted in James), pride leads to divine opposition because it excludes God from one’s life. Psalm 10:4 describes the proud as those who “make no room for God,” and their self-sufficiency blocks true relationship with Him. 

Yet, the message is not only warning — it is an invitation. God’s resistance is not final rejection, but a call to humility.  Those who humble themselves, acknowledging their dependence on God, receive His grace. As James 4:7-10 urges: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” 

In essence, God opposes the proud to bring them to humility, so they may receive His grace and be restored.

Not bad for AI. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Iran was playing the role of antitasso?

  1. I have a close friend who calls it profit-cy, which, for those who make money off other’s misery, fits far better. ↩︎
  2. “By their fruits you will know them.” — Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:20) ↩︎

“Vengeance is Mine, I Will Make You Pay”, says Donald Trump

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“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That way the whole world will be blind and toothless.” — Tevye, from Fiddler on the Roof

“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” — Romans 12:17-19 NKJV

Contrast those sentiments with the words coming out of the mouth of the one who thinks he can do anything because he is the president of the United States.

“They’ve [Venezuela] treated us badly. I guess now we’re not treating them so good.” — Donald Trump

https://twitter.com/i/status/1999565449093169515, at about 51 seconds in.

During the entire history of Christianity from the very beginning 2000 years ago, one of the points of the message has been that retaliatory vengeance, the repaying of evil with evil, is not to be tolerated. Instead, God claims vengeful authority for Himself alone, and any instance where Man is allowed to exercise power in that area of the realm is by designated permission which is constrained by clearly marked parameters and boundaries. In fact, the legal basis for restraining one from taking vengeance goes all the way back to the early days of the Hebrew nation, e.g., among others,

  • Deuteronomy 32:35 “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.”
  • Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

The amount of ink spilled onto paper concerning the so-called Christian roots of America is voluminous and even today there are those who call America a Christian nation (or at the very least, call for America to return to its Christian beginning). Yet, in all of this, where are the voices of prominent Christians who tell Donald Trump to change his course, to cool down his rhetoric, to take it easy where it concerns his belligerent words and actions?

Chuck Baldwin comes readily to mind, but there are not a lot of others that I know of.

I am not surprised by Trump. He is promoting his own religion, one of unilateral power, wealth-gathering, and self-importance which incorporates many aspects of religious worship but cannot rightly be called Christian. The ones I am constantly in amazement of are those who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ, but who flock to Trump’s banner and idolize him as the modern, visible incarnation of the anointed messiah, despite the clear commands of Scripture. In many circles within American society today, criticizing the man about anything he might have said or done is swiftly met with vituperative condemnation.

The questions before us are the same as those posed by the prophet Elijah to the people of Israel at Mount Carmel in his head-to-head confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Who is the god you will worship? Whose word is true? What are you going to believe? These, and others like them, have to be answered in the hearts and minds of all of us and it would be best to settle them, once and for all, before fire rains down from heaven…again. This time, it could be nuclear.

Face it, MAGA! The Man lied to You.

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

And you still act like a groupie?

I am really confused. Why did Donald Trump spend so much time and energy on the campaign trail talking about releasing the Epstein files and then refusing to actually do it when he had the power to make it happen? Kash Patel and Dan Bongino are both small potatoes and it’s obvious that someone or something scared them s*itless. But Trump? He’s as big as they come and should have seen the way the wind was blowing, yet continued on with his endless, mindlessly bloviating promises to his supporters who ate them up like red meat thrown to a mad, ravenous pack of wild dogs. Something doesn’t add up, in my opinion. I don’t know what. Two things come to mind, though:

  1. Trump was completely clueless when he was on the trail and no one bothered to set him straight even though it was plainly evident he was going to triumph “bigly” over Kamala Harris and sweep into Washington with a huge, cohesive mandate to clean house, only to find out later, after the fact, that he couldn’t say anything at all, could not expose any of the putrid rotting stench emanating from the scandal, or,
  2. He understood all along what was going on and simply misled his followers (true believers, all), telling them what they wanted to hear, a.k.a., itching ears syndrome, knowing full-well that he would abandon them as soon as he could and do it in such a fashion that there would be no question about walking it back.

I find it difficult to believe the first option. If he didn’t know, he should have. Trump has been in bed, so to speak, with the muckety-muck, high-powered, extremely wealthy, movers and shakers all his life. He had the overt backing of Miriam Adelson, an ardent Zionist, to the tune of $100 million tossed into his campaign budget. He was closeted with numerous other Zionist proponents and made his intentions toward Israel plain, earning himself the derogatory nickname, “Zion Don”. To say that none of these well-connected persons, among many others, had an inkling about Epstein’s (alleged) connections to Mossad and did not caution him to tone down the rhetoric is unlikely. Either they knew and kept quiet or they were also clueless.

Given my opinion of government and political leaders, it is easier for me to assume, without proof, mind you, that he blatantly flat-out lied to gain votes and backing. Part of the game, you know. Anything goes. The end justifies the means. After all, the man does not have a reputation for honesty or honest dealing and has shown his utter contempt for anyone who dared to show even a smidgeon of resistance over his actions. Thomas Massie, for instance, the embodiment of America First, whom Trump has declared persona non grata over their differences on a budget bill. Or the millions of MAGA men and women he casually jettisoned when the notice on Epstein was given because they became upset at the news. Or the hundreds of J6’ers and their families that he let twist in the wind because it was convenient when he could have laid down the law and turned them loose forthwith.

No, I have no problem at all saying that Trump deliberately lied to “his” people, the very ones whom he rode into the White House for the second time, or maybe the third, depending on who you ask. The only thing that adds a jarring, discordant note to my theory is that he appeared to be visibly agitated and angry (watch Marco Rubio’s eyes speak volumes while he says nothing at all) at the hearing which broke the news that Epstein had no client list, that there was no evidence of pedophilia, no blackmail, and that there would be no more investigations on the subject. “It is finished”, thundered the verdict, sealing the box closed forever, much as the Romans hoped to do when they rolled a massive stone over the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid after his crucifixion. (Note: see here for more similarities between Jesus Christ and Jeffrey Epstein)

Why was Trump so angry? Why did he lash out at the reporter who dared to ask him a simple question about the files? If he was complicit with the scheme all along AND if he was an accomplished liar as I have asserted, it would seem logical that he would have simply blown this all off with a practiced air of aplomb and sangfroid. He most definitely was not as “cool as a cucumber” under the pressure. I cannot decide if his moral conscience was bubbling up to the surface and struggling to be let out or if he was truly livid at the fact that his word was being questioned and that the issue refused to die. Probably the second. If his name was Greta Thunberg, his response would have been “How dare you?”

If he didn’t know, he was incompetent. If he did know, he was complicit. Either way, he deserves to be turned out of office and relegated to the “dustbin of history”. Officially, this would happen after the 2026 elections IF the Democrats manage to scrape together a majority of Congress, but this is not certain because it appears they are actively trying to collectively commit suicide and destroy the party. Constitutionally, it could happen IF J.D. Vance were to depose him with the strong support of Trump’s cabinet via the 25th Amendment, Section IV, which we were introduced to during the waning days of the Biden Administration. It does look, at least to my untrained eye, like he has visibly changed and grown old in the last few months and his speech and actions increasingly seem to be schizophrenic and erratic.

Regardless, public trust in the federal government has been broken, probably irrevocably, and Epstein’s List may loom large in the history books as the straw that broke the camel’s back. I tend to agree with Charles Hugh Smith who seems to think so.

“Perhaps when we look back on the Epstein Affair, we’ll understand that it broke the back of Americans’ faith in their political and law enforcement institutions. A great many Americans are not party loyalists; they voted for Donald Trump as the independent “outsider” who vowed to clean house, an independent who used one of the parties as a convenient platform.”

“If even an “outsider” is incapable of cleaning house, then it’s hopeless, and if the two parties have failed us, then where do we turn? That is both an open question, and a taboo, for the corporate media is already churning out narrative control about the 2028 election being a “contest” (heh) between flimsy cardboard cutouts of failed ideological covers for systemic corruption.”

“America’s elites aren’t above the law; there is no law. But don’t say it out loud; it’s an unbreakable taboo.”

No, don’t say anything out loud. Just sweep it under the rug and hope that no one notices.

Face it, MAGA. You’ve been lied to. And you took it.

Jesus, Jeffrey, and Existential Paranoia

Roger Mitchell3 Comments

I have read that one of the reasons why Jeffrey Epstein’s (non-existent) list of wealthy, powerful men and women will not be released is that it would cause so much turmoil and chaos that the entire Western system of government could collapse. Under such a scenario, the Pullers-of-Strings who now control the corridors of power would be exposed to public ridicule, scorn, and hatred on such a level that they would be deposed and someone else would take their place, thus upending the entire apple cart.

God forbid! We can’t have that! This is America, after all, the land of the fraudulent and the home of the buffoons.

Well, bring it on. I’m down with that.

“It is preferable that one man should die than that the whole nation should perish.” — John 11:50

Two thousand years ago, the high priest Caiaphas used this argument to persuade his fellow priests and Pharisees that it would be better for the Jewish nation if Jesus Christ were to die, thus creating the rationale which they immediately pursued with single-minded zeal.

“Then from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.” — John 11:53

In this sense, Jeffrey Epstein and Jesus Christ are alike and Donald Trump is acting like Caiaphas, trying his dead-level best to quell an uprising which might very well cause the overturning of the nation, the death of the current power regime. If only Epstein would just die and be dead and go away forever, everything would be MAGA for all eternity. In Donald’s view, that is. The rest of us might beg to differ.

The only problem is that Epstein, although being dead (?) for more than five years, simply won’t stay that way and his “resurrected presence” haunts The Powers That Be (whoever they might be, Trump is only a puppet on a string) to this day. Jesus was dead for three days and His resurrection and Presence have created consternation, worry, and fear among rulers and tyrants ever since.

The truth cannot be buried forever. Sooner or later, it will be brought to life and the agents of death have no power to stop that from happening. In fact, the more they try to suppress it, the more pressure is brought to bear on the issue. Eventually, all will be known. No telling how long it will take, but Jeffrey Epstein will “out” and the world will finally know what is actual and real about his “little black book”, whose names are written therein, and what their deeds amounted to. My guess is that once Epstein’s List has been made fully public, JFK, the USS Liberty incident, and 9/11 will follow soon after.

Like that of Jesus’ day, the world paradigm is changing. Trump, like Caiaphas, is fighting a losing battle.

There are a lot of “conspiracy theories” wandering around about Epstein’s cadre of associates, all of whom plausibly deny that they had sex with any of his girls, many of whom were under the legal age of consent. Take your pick. I’m not going to regurgitate them more than I already have (see the opening paragraph above). What I am going to mention is that someone, arguably more powerful than Trump, got to him and his staff in some “yuuge” way, enough so that they lied through their rattling, clattering, clacking teeth about the issue. Just watching their body language and the way they reacted to comments or questions was enough to convince me. The real question is “whodunit”? I don’t think it was a coincidence that Trump did a 180 turn as soon as he walked Bibi Netanyahu out the door of the Oval Office and kissed him goodbye. There are no coincidences in politics. Draw your own conclusions from that.

While there are no coincidences in politics, there certainly is irony, and what I find deliciously ironic is that history, which doesn’t repeat itself, appears to be rhyming. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were the ones who openly schemed to have Him crucified, believing that He wouldn’t be able to “stir up” more trouble if he were dead and buried. Wouldn’t it be sweet if their modern-day compadres (those who will not be named, use your imagination to determine who I mean) were the ones to stifle and suffocate Epstein to death (even though he’s (allegedly) already dead), in the vain attempt to keep him (or at least his List) from creating extreme difficulty, hardship, pain, and suffering for them and their untold, unlimited riches and power.

The more I think about this, the more excited I get.

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. — James 5: 1-4

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress them in His deep displeasure.” — Psalm 2: 2-5

I would not want to be in their shoes. Nothing would be worth that.