Remember the 1972 television commercial for Quaker Oats promoting their breakfast cereal Life? Two young boys don't want to eat their new "healthy" cereal, so they foist it on their little brother Mikey because "he hates everything!" By the end of the commercial, though, Mikey is devouring the bowl of cereal because it's so delicious!
Well, I wonder if that Mikey, who "hates everything," grew up to be Mikey Weinstein? Because this Mikey apparently hates everything, too.
Especially everything Christian.
If you have watched this program, then you remember Mikey Weinstein. We've reported on him several times. Mikey heads the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). Actually, that's a misnomer. It should be the Military Freedom From Christianity Foundation. This Mikey "hates everything... Christian."
In May, Major General Craig Olsen, USAF, spoke at a National Day of Prayer Task Force event. He spoke as a private citizen to an audience that chose to attend. The event was sponsored by the United States Congress.
General Olsen gave a 23 minute speech in which he had the audacity to give God the credit for his military success. He also asked for prayer for Department of Defense leaders.
Even though this was not an Air Force event, for simply telling about his private faith in Jesus Christ, Mikey Weinstein demanded that General Olsen be court martialed. To be specific, Weinstein demanded that Olsen be "aggressively and visibly brought to justice for his unforgivable crimes and transgressions."
Now, what makes this scary is that Mikey Weinstein and the MRFF are the go-to guys when the Pentagon or the Obama administration need advice on issues of religious tolerance in the military.
No. I am not making this up.
I'm happy to report that the Department of the Air Force has refused to prosecute General Olsen. However, Mikey wins because he forced the Air Force to consider punishing the General. That makes Christians in the military more reluctant to publicly share their faith. And it makes the Air Force - and all of the other branches of the armed forces - reluctant to promote Christians because they seem like too much trouble.
Remember that song, "What a Difference a Day Makes"? What a difference 40 years makes! Every President from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama has put their Christianity front and center in their campaigns. Now, if you're associated with the government, especially the military, you had better keep your Christianity hidden deep in your back pocket.
You don't want Mikey to hate you, too, do you?
As per its usual practice, the Obama administration's Department of Commerce recently downgraded its original assessment of the first quarter's economic growth. Now that the original positive report has served its usefulness, the Department admits that the economy really didn't grow by 0.2 percent as they originally reported. Instead, it declined by 0.7 percent.
Now, in real terms, decline in one quarter isn't such a big deal. However, it reminds us of the shaky ground on which this economy is built. The United States continues to borrow heavily and live large. You have to wonder how long that can last.
We're also reminded that the Bible describes the Antichrist's rise to power in largely economic terms. Massive global economic problems are depicted as the cause of his beginning. They throw the door open to him. The prophets predict a world where economic circumstances become so dire that people are willing to turn to anyone they think has the answer.
That's when the Antichrist convinces everyone that he is the answer. Thank God that we true believers won't be here to suffer through the chaos and agony that this "man of lawlessness" will wreak upon the earth.
China seems to figure heavily into those dire days, too. In Revelation, the "kings of the east" cross the Euphrates river and start a nuclear exchange that will destroy one-third of what is left of the human population at that time.
The Apostle John is very specific about the fact that these "kings of the east" will field an army of 200 million. No one has a standing army even remotely approaching that figure today. However, it's interesting that the two major nations of the "east," are the only ones in the world large enough to even possibly fulfill this prophecy. China with its 1.4 billion people and India with its 1.3 billion could assemble a force like that, and have 2.5 billion people to spare!
It's interesting that China is in the news lately for its increasing aggressiveness in its part of the world. Just five years ago, China's Defense Minister said that it is determined to "push forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction."
We know from the Bible prophets that China will one day exert itself like no other nation ever before.
We also know from the Bible prophets that in the last days there will be a phenomenal increase in Satanic influence in the world. We've already seen some pretty terrible things in just the last century. Hitler and the Holocaust; Stalin's Russian purges, Mao Tse Tung's murdering of 65 million Chinese, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian killing fields, and now ISIS.
How can it get worse, you say? It can come to your home. And it's already there.
On the internet, with "games" like the Charlie Charlie Challenge, in which young people summon a demon known as Charlie Charlie. Or "Slender Man," a demonic spirit that has already inspired two 12 year-old girls in Wisconsin to brutally murder another 12 year-old girl.
On television, with shows like Fox's new series, "Lucifer," in which Satan is the hero.
I think people talk about these things less today than they did 30 years ago. That's not because occult practices have diminished, but because they've become such a regular part of our lives that they seem normal now.
Folks, these are dangerous days. Satan and his forces are working harder than ever to drag your soul to hell. Or to steal away your children and utterly destroy their lives and damn them for eternity.
We must get serious about preparing our hearts and the hearts of our loved ones for the battle ahead. Fortunately, we do not have to face the Evil One alone. God has promised that He will fight for us, if we but give ourselves completely to Him and trust Him.