by Steve McCranie | Jun 24, 2019
Now, even FOX News is covering the inevitable. The following is from Doug MacKinnon and was posted on the FOX website on Sunday, June 23, 2019.
We will speak much more about this on our website beginning in mid-July. But for now, read this and consider what Doug says.
Will You Survive the Coming Blackout?
There are many never-ending debates between Republicans and Democrats. Impeach vs. don’t impeach; capital punishment vs. life in prison; wall vs. no wall; legalizing marijuana vs. not; self-driving cars vs. human drivers; Red Sox vs. Yankees; takeout vs. home-cooked; or Gone With the Wind vs. any other movie.
All of these issues are stunningly important, right up to the second where cataclysm falls and creates a nightmare scenario that so many fear.
That cataclysm is a complete loss of electricity and every mode of convenience and survival we take for granted.
The largest red flag on this issue in years just waved in South America. Last weekend, tens of millions of people in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay found themselves in a complete blackout. In one moment, they had electricity. The next moment, they had none, and they were catapulted back to the 1800s.
Only much worse.
People in the 1800s were not dependent upon electricity for their jobs, money, communication, Internet, transportation, education, security, medical services, prescriptions, water, and very lives.
The national power grid of the United States is truly a mess held together with, as the joke goes, by not much more than “baling wire and chewing gum.”
The average age of large power transformers in the United States is 40 years. Seventy percent of all large power transformers are at least 25 years old. It’s little wonder that, according to data from the Department of Energy, the United States suffers more blackouts than any other nation in the developed world.
The overall system is so weak, so taxed, and so vulnerable that in 2003, over 50 million people in the United States and Canada were hit with cascading blackouts simply because a tree branch fell on a power line in Ohio.
Because the infrastructure is so antiquated, weather triggers multiple blackouts per year in the U.S. Blackouts which collectively cost the nation upwards of $30 billion in spoiled inventory, lost wages, and repair of the grid.
Unfortunately, weather is becoming the least feared trigger of a blackout. In the age of terrorism and increasing cyber-threats, our power-grid getting taken down by a hack is no longer seen as a question of “If it will happen,” but rather, “When it will happen?”
The U.S. government is so rightfully fearful of this, that last November, it ordered DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to war-game a complete cyber take-down of the U.S. power grid.
An exercise they are now wisely running on a regular basis.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, just last year, hackers – strongly suspected to be Russian – gained access to a number of utility control rooms in the United States and got to the point where “they could have thrown switches.”
The DHS report further stressed: “Russian government cyber actors targeted government entities and multiple U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, including the energy, nuclear, commercial facilities, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors.”
Aside from the Russians, the Chinese, North Koreans, other terrorist states, and even cyber-extortionists, are targeting our power grid on a daily basis.
That clock is ticking.
Unfortunately, much like any large terrorist attack, when an extended regional or national blackout hits, you and your family will be on your own. No one is going to ride to the rescue.
How will you survive?
In the blink of an eye, you will lose access to money, food, gasoline, communication, medicine, medical attention, heat, air conditioning, and security.
Gone.
Even though most don’t do it, residents of California and Florida are reminded every year to assemble their “two-week” survival kit. In California, it’s because of earthquakes. In Florida, it’s because of hurricanes.
Survival kits which include water, non-perishable food, medicine, first-aid kits, batteries, a radio, flashlights, candles, cash, a hand-crank charger, with smaller versions of all for your vehicle and office.
The federal and state governments should be issuing that same reminder to every citizen in the nation about the coming blackout. It truly is not a question of “if,” but of “when.”
A night on the town for a movie, dinner, a sporting event or a political debate is great fun until none of it matters and your survival is literally at stake.
Make a plan, because you will be on your own.
by Steve McCranie | Oct 24, 2016
This has been one of the most contentious election seasons I can remember. Good people have been dragged into the mud with lies and character slander for the sole purpose of trying to win an election. Which raises a few questions for the Christian.
How does a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, who is also a citizen of the United States of America, reconcile their responsibility as citizens to both? Especially in this election.
What is the purpose of human government? And what is our duty towards that government? But what if that government is oppressive? Are we to obey a government that commands us to sin? Then what are we to do as Christians when we are appalled by the corruption in our own government?
Have you ever asked yourself these questions? I have. To find the answers from Scripture, keep listening
The following is a study on the Kingdom of God and human government.
To download the slides for this message, click – HERE
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by Steve McCranie | Oct 22, 2015
Not Every Christian Will Suffer Persecution. Will You?
If you’re alarmed and concerned about how bad the persecution of Christians and the church will get in America in the very near future, you’re showing yourself to be far more astute in understanding the “signs of the time” than most of the professing church today (Matt. 6:33). Why? Because it seems, at least in America, that we have adopted a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” mindset regarding current events and how they may interrupt what we hold most dear: our vacations, our retirement, our free-time, our video games, and our false sense of security in our immature relationship with Christ.
Oh, I’m sorry. Did that last phrase sting a bit? Did it seem somewhat unloving, maybe a little unkind? Good. It shows you’re not completely anesthetized to what is happening all around us. And that’s a good thing. A real good thing.
But to your question: How bad will the persecution really get? Well, that all depends on what kind of Christian you are and what kind of church you attend.
Let me explain.
We Will Not All Be Treated Equally
Not everyone will suffer the same under the coming persecution, just like they didn’t all suffer the same under Nero’s reign of terror during the first century of the church. Nor did all Christians suffer the same under the persecution of the Third Reich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for example, was martyred for his faith on Monday, April 9, 1945. But just six days later churches all throughout Germany met in their own church buildings unmolested by the Nazis who murdered Bonhoeffer earlier that week.
How could that be? How could one group of professing Believers suffer persecution at the hands of the Nazis yet another group freely worship with the permission and approval of the persecuting State? How is that possible?
More recently, in September 2015, twelve Christian missionaries, including the 12 year old son of a ministry team leader, were crucified and beheaded near Aleppo, Syria for not renouncing their faith and converting to Islam. If they caved into their fears, as some did, and renounced the Jesus they loved, they would be alive today. But since they “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41), they died a horrific death. For those twelve, it was more important to obey God and not man (Acts 5:29) and, in doing so, proved the “world was not worthy” of them (Heb. 11:38).
Again, two groups of Believers. One group renounced Jesus and lived and the other remained faithful to Him and died. Both groups were not treated equally. The severity of their persecution, and ours, is always contingent on one’s commitment to Christ. Throughout the history of the church it has always been that way, and it always will.
Soon, in our own country, we will find pastors and true Believers punished for preaching the whole Word of God, especially the Politically Incorrect passages from Romans 1:26-27 that deal with the sin of homosexuality. You heard right, the sin of homosexuality. Those who refuse to compromise on God’s Word regarding sin, even politically protected and government sanctioned sin, will suffer persecution. They will be fined for their faith in Him Who does not change (Mal. 3:6). Many will lose their positions, their life savings, and even their homes for their unwavering faith. They will be marginalized, vilified, mocked and ridiculed, they will be threatened and sued, they will be charged with a hate crime, arrested, and imprisoned for their faith.
And just like in Bonhoeffer’s day, while some are languishing in prison for preaching truth the culture rejects, others will be leading or attending churches deemed “acceptable” and “tolerant” by the very State that persecutes and imprisoned others in the Body of Christ.
What’s the difference? What separates these two groups of Believers?
Simply this: Desire. A desire to live Godly in Christ – no matter the costs.
Those Who Desire and Those Who Don’t
In 2 Timothy 3:12 the Scriptures state, “All who desire to live Godly in Christ will suffer persecution.” Note the condition and the promise. It’s one of the if/then conditions and promises found in Scripture. If you do this or meet this condition, then this will happen.
An if/then condition and promise means if we do our part, if we meet some sort of condition or requirement the Lord has established, then we have the confidence to know God will fulfill what He has promised to do. We see these all throughout the Scriptures. Remember the one from Romans we so often use when we share our faith with others?
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and (if) you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, (then) you will be saved (Rom. 10:9).
Now, when it comes to persecution, the Lord gives us another if/then promise. He says, “All who (what) desire to live Godly in Christ will (what) suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). That’s a promise from the Lord. And that same promise is echoed by Jesus when He tells us not to be surprised, “If the world hates you, you know it hated Me before it hated you” and “If they persecute Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18, 20).
Let’s look at the if/then condition and promise again:
“All who (if you) desire to live Godly in Christ (then you) will suffer persecution.”
The Condition: “All who (or, make it personal, if you) desire (or, will, wish, want, strive, make it your aim) to live (or, have your existence, your mode or manner of life) Godly (or, devoutly, reverently, obediently) in Christ…”
The Promise: “(again, make it personal, then you) will (or, shall, most certainly) suffer persecution (or, distress, trouble, peril).”
As you can see, not all will suffer the same. The defining characteristic of those who will be persecuted and of those who won’t, will be their innate “desire to live Godly in Christ.” This desire, this longing, this passion to live Godly in Christ no matter the costs, come what may, is the hallmark of a committed Christian’s life. They desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). To live as a committed Christian, as a real Christian, is to boldly acknowledge Him before “kings and governors” (Matt. 10:18) and to not count our life as worth anything other than following Him and being faithful to what He has called us to do (Acts 20:24). After all, isn’t that why He saved us in the first place?
When the darkness begins to fall and the persecution of the church becomes impossible to ignore, some Believers and churches will have that great desire to “walk as Jesus walked” (1 John 2:6) and renounce the deeds of darkness in obedience to Him (1 Cor. 4:2). And sadly some, in fact most, won’t. Some will suffer for the sake of their Lord knowing “this world is not their home” (Heb. 13:14) and they are simply blessed to be called ambassadors for Him, the One True King (2 Cor. 5:20). Others will love their life in this world: their status, financial security, their ease and comfort, and will renounce their love for Jesus, in either word or deed, and continue to hold on to the lie of “Your Best Life Now.” They will forsake their inheritance as a child of God (Rom. 8:16) for something far less and faithfully continue with the pageantry and charade of the life of a good Christian while the true Christians are rejoicing in the privilege of suffering for the truth, just like their Lord (Acts 5:41).
The stark difference between these two groups will be apparent to all. Actually, it’s apparent now. Can you tell the difference?
So you see, not all so-called Christians will suffer persecution at the hands of the State or by the hatred of our culture. Some will live in ease and comfort, proudly bringing their Bibles to the approved churches, the ones that proclaim the virtue of tolerance for sin and promote a god created in the image of man. But some will not compromise. They will bend their knee to no one but the Lord Jesus (Rom. 14:10). They will render to Caesar what is Caesar’s but they will not, under any circumstances, render unto Caesar what is God’s (Matt. 22:21).
In which group of persecuted do you find yourself? Are you one of those who will be persecuted for the sake of Christ by desiring, above all else, to live for Him? Or are you one of those who will persecute Jesus and His Church by feigning your loyalty to Him with false spirituality and loving your life in this fallen, perverted world more than you love the Lord? Are you the righteous or the hypocrite? Are you one who cries out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matt. 21:19). Or will you, surrounded by an angry, Christ-hating mob, shout through your own apathy and indifference, “Give us Barabbas! We have no king but Caesar!”? (John 18:40, 19:15).
Which will it be? You can’t have it both ways, you know. Persecution has a tendency of forcing those it confronts on either one side or the other. Which side will you be on?
Remember, not everyone will be treated the same because of the name of Christ. Only those who truly are His will be willing to endure suffering and persecution. In fact, true Believers will embrace the honor to show the unbelieving world Who they belong to.
Do you belong to Him? And, if so, how do you know?
That’s the very question we’ll look at tomorrow.
For Part 2: Why is the Church in the Situation it is Today?
by Steve McCranie | Jul 29, 2015
How to Prepare for the Coming Persecution
Reality Check
As you know, on Friday, June 26th, the Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples have the right to marry nationwide thus establishing a new civil right in our land. In effect, by their 5-4 decision, five unelected lawyers redefined the meaning of the word “marriage” and changed the landscape for Christians, and the church, in this country forever.
How so, you ask?
Simply this, what has been historically deemed as deviant behavior by our society and as a sin and an abomination by the Bible and the church, is now the Law of the Land. Those who oppose that Law will be guilty of just that, violating the Law. And in violating the Law the full force and weight of the State will come against those who hold uncompromisingly to Biblical values and a Biblical worldview in an effort to crush them and bring them into submission and compliance. The door is now wide open for full-scale persecution of the church in America and, unfortunately, most Believers have their head buried neck deep in the sand hoping this is some bad dream, some nightmare, that will soon go away.
Wish again, my friends. The nightmare is here and it’s here to stay.
Dred Scott v. Sandford and Roe v. Wade
Remember, this is not the first time the Supreme Court made an infamous ruling and defiantly shook its fist in the face of God. In 1857, the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision essentially stripped African Americans of their right of personhood and relegated them to the status of a mere possession, a slave. It took a bloody Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln to correct and set right what wrong the Supreme Court decreed.
But the evil and injustice of this ruling, as reprehensible as it was, was not forcibly imposed upon Christians and the church. As Christians, we had the right and the duty to follow the clear teachings of Scripture and our own conscience and reject the ruling by treating people of color the same way we would treat each other.
Then, on January 22nd 1973, in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, the Supreme Court again ruled against God and basic human dignity when they denied the unborn the rights of personhood and life. They held, by a 7 to 2 vote, that a woman’s right to privacy and choice trumps an unborn child’s right to life.
And 80 million unborn children have died.
But again, Christians in this country were not forced, under penalty of law, to participate or even endorse abortion. We had the freedom, and the responsibility, to speak for those who could not speak for themselves (Prov. 31:8) and to stand against this horrific holocaust. And the church did just that, by the thousands. Crisis Pregnancy Centers sprang up all over the land as well as homes for unwed mothers and the like.
Obergefell v. Hodges
But this time, the Supreme Court ruling is different. With the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle has now been elevated to the lofty position of a civil right. To speak against it, like Christians did in the Dred Scott and Roe v. Wade decisions, is tantamount to a crime. A potential hate crime.
And this ruling, unlike in the past, has been forcefully imposed on the Christian and the church. It has become the Law of the Land, cast in judicial stone.
As the Law of the Land, the civil rights of a legally protected class of sins now trumps the religious liberty of the majority of Americans. The application of this ruling in real time will be the attempt to govern and control all speech about homosexuality contrary to the ruling. Anything deemed politically incorrect, anything that speaks against the recent ruling, anything that offends the sensibility and well-being of the homosexual community, will be smacked with the labels of “intolerant” or “homophobic” or “hate speech.” This will mean our cherished freedom of speech will soon be subservient to the civil rights of a protected homosexual minority.
But how will this affect each of us? you wonder.
Just think, there are now passages in the Bible that our courts have ruled as potential hate speech. Why? Because they offend the civil rights of a protected minority. Those who feel otherwise will soon be stripped of their right to speak in the public square, to share their opinions or sincerely held convictions openly, or to worship anywhere but in solitude and privacy of our own closet. In their view, we have no choice but to comply. The acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage is settled law, it’s now the new Law of the Land. It will soon be a hate crime for a preacher in a local church to accurately teach what the Bible says about homosexuality. And if he does, watch out. Why? Because defiance of the Law of the Land always comes with unwanted consequences.
They have taken the battle to us and are forcing us to take a stand, to choose whose law we will obey.
If we obey man’s law and compromise and capitulate to the legal perversion set before us, we can probably live relatively quiet and peaceful lives. But if we stand for Biblical truth and commit, like our Lord, to being light in darkness (John 1:5), then we will certainly find ourselves at odds with Caesar, and we will soon discover what persecution tastes like.
1935 in Nazi Germany
I know many of you may reject what I’m about to say, but I see us as Christians in America in the same place the Jews found themselves in 1935 in Nazi Germany. Yes, you heard me right. I see us as living in Germany in 1935.
The parallels are striking.
This ruling shows us clearly that the Rule of Law in America is dead. The Supreme Court now changes law to push its own agenda and has become, like the Executive and Legislative branch of our government, compromised and untrustworthy. In essence, the Republic we’ve all come to love and respect is no more. It has been replaced by those who will twist and manipulate the law and media to fit their own desired end. Widespread corruption, habitual lying, and dishonesty in the highest places, in all three branches of our government, leave us distressed as citizens of this great country.
But the same thing happened to the citizens of Germany in the early 30’s. They also saw their sacred institutions, the church, the school, the family, and the government, hijacked and taken over by unscrupulous, evil men who would stop at nothing to achieve their selfish ends.
And what was the result of those ends? World War II. Over 60 million people dead, which was over 3% of the earth’s population in 1940. And the atrocities against the Jews? Utterly unthinkable. That is until we discovered the ovens of Dachau, Auschwitz and Ravensbruck.
“But, that could never happen to us in America.”
Why? Because we’re better or more loving or more tolerant than the good citizens of Germany? Open your eyes and look around. Read the headlines. Do you see a sense of civility and tolerance towards the church today? Have you read the vile and vicious comments made by the good citizens of this country to those who hold, for example, a Biblical view of marriage? Do you trust your President to do what is honorable and right according to the Law? Or have you forgotten Benghazi, the IRS targeting of conservative groups, the ATF and “Fast and Furious” scheme, among countless others? And, of course, there are the cover ups and almost criminal delays in trying to get the Government to honor subpoenas by the Congress or Freedom of Information requests from others to try to get to the bottom of all these scandals.
Do you still not believe the persecution is coming?
Listen to what a few notable voices say about the recent ruling and the chilling effect it will have on Christians and those who hold to a traditional view of marriage.
The majority attempts, toward the end of its opinion, to reassure those who oppose same-sex marriage that their rights of conscience will be protected. We will soon see whether this proves to be true. I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in his Dissenting Opinion
“I think we’re going to see persecution in this country. You better be ready and you better be prepared because it’s coming. I think there will be persecution of Christians for our stand.”
Evangelist Franklin Graham
Samaritan’s Purse
“I believe a barrage of court cases has already been planned against those who hold to politically incorrect views of marriage. Many of us will be dragged into court to be prosecuted or subjected to civil judgments. Some will lose their jobs, while others forfeit their businesses. Some will be persecuted and ridiculed and fined. Some may go to prison as the years unfold. Since same-sex marriage has now been determined to be a universal human right by the highest court in the land, it will trump religious liberty, churches, seminaries, Christian schools, businesses and a host of individual liberties. I also fear judgment will befall this once great nation.”
Dr. James Dobson
Focus on the Family and Family Talks
Don’t be naive or deceived, persecution will come. And it will come quickly. To reiterate, we are basically living in Nazi Germany in 1935.
And for the church, we’d do well to remember what that means.
Edmund Burke once said, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”
And Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel also said, almost prophetically, “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”
Let that not be said of the church today.
by Steve McCranie | Jul 6, 2015
We know it’s coming. We can see the signs of it everywhere. Persecution for the church has now come to our own shores and, quite honestly, we are ill prepared for it. Which raises the all important question: Is there something we can do now, before the persecution begins in earnest, to prepare for what is soon to happen?
And the answer is, yes.
One, we can prepare spiritually by totally committing our life into the hands of the living Lord Jesus, come what may.
Two, we can prepare physically by disengaging from the world’s system and begin to live in His Kingdom.
Three, we can prepare emotionally by embracing persecution as a means of furthering the Gospel by looking beyond our own circumstances and looking only at Him.
And we can begin to prepare today.
The following is a lesson on Preparing for the Coming Persecution in America.
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