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“Russia was originally founded by Rus, a Varangian tribe related to the Swedes, Angles and Northmen. Its first koning or prince was Rurik who arrived at Novgorod in 862. At that time Constantinople still retained its independence, as it would for another 600 years

Modern Russia arose under Ivan III, the Great. By 1505 he had not only prepared the ground for future enlargement, but had married Sofia, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor. Ivan therefore regarded himself as the heir of the second or New Rome, the original name of Constantinople

The word czar means ‘Caesar,’ and ever since Ivan’s time Moscow has often thought of itself as third Rome; for it became the most powerful center of the Orthodox Church. For this reason Russia -as well as Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and other countries in Eastern Europe -can perhaps be considered part of the beast depicted in Daniel 7. They may yet play an important part in the future history of the church, especially if Roman Catholicism should reunite with Orthodox Christianity from which it has been separated for over 1000 years.”
(Edwin de Kock, Christ and Antichrist in Prophecy and History, 268)

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“It is one of the most remarkable facts of history that the oldest civilizations of the present world known to us, such as the ones found in the valley of the Nile and the Euphrates, in Crete, in Asia Minor and southern Greece, have peculiar similarities both as to the stages of their development and as to their colossal designs. And all of them are separated by only a comparatively short period of time from the age of Noah and the antediluvian world. Judging from the civilization we find there, Noah must have lived amidst a race enjoying many of the highest results of social and political maturity. In the remotest period of which records survive, we find Egypt exhibiting a degree of civilization that is inexplicable, except on the theory that she had received most of the secrets as a priceless heritage from the world that had perished in the Flood.” (Alfred Rehwinkel, The Flood, 1951, p.44)

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“Does the history of tyranny apply to the United States? Certainly the early Americans who spoke of ‘eternal vigilance’ would have thought so. The logic of the system they devised was to mitigate the consequences of our real imperfections, not to celebrate our imaginary perfection. We certainly face, as did the ancient Greeks, the problem of oligarchy-ever more threatening as globalization increases differences in wealth. The odd American idea that giving money to political campaigns is free speech means that the very rich have more far more speech, and so in effect far more voting power than other citizens. We believe that we have checks and balances but have really faced a situation like the present [the Trump Administration]: when the less popular of the two parties controls every level of power at the federal level, as well as the majority of statehouses. The party that exercises such control proposes few policies that are popular with the society at large, and several that are generally unpopular-and thus must either fear democracy or weaken it.”
(Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny, 29-30, 2017)

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As the faithful experimented with new options, they became increasingly demanding and insisted upon new ways of doing business within their home churches. For example, parishioners within mainline denominations insisted that their churches adapt to the modern world by ordaining women. Others called on church leaders to work for the passage of civil- rights legislation and to denounce the Vietnam War. Protestants grew inspiration from the Roman Catholic proceedings of Vatican II (1962 -1965), in which a church more hierarchical than most in Protestantism nevertheless affirmed and expanded the roles of its laity. If laity could speak with power in Catholic circles, the reasoning went, then Protestants unencumbered by religious bureaucracy should certainly feel empowered to speak out.

The church responded with surprising alacrity to its newly emboldened parishioners. In a seismic departure from centuries of scriptural interpretation, according to which only men were presumed acceptable church leaders, several mainline denominations began ordaining women in the 1960s and 1970s. These moves cause some controversy, but they also satisfied intense calls from the pews for the Church to set a bold example for gender equality in society. Mainline churches also indulged their clientele by revamping the practice of ministerial counseling. The modified version would involve principles appropriated from psychotherapy, such as mirroring and letting parishioners find their own answers instead of offering directive advice. In this era of skepticism towards authority these changes in counseling techniques helped make parishioners more comfortable by bringing clergy down a notch from their positions of power.

In effect God’s representatives now present themselves not as authorities but instead as companions for the journey wherever it may lead.” (G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Thieves in the Temple, 2010, p.16-17)

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“To overcome long-standing prejudices against Bible study we need to bear in mind that its goal is not to obtain new information and expand our ‘brain’ knowledge’ but to understand Christ spiritually. Without studying and understanding the Scriptures we cannot know Christ our Savior and Intercessor or exercise faith in Him, become disciples, and be saved. Consequently, the goal of pastoral ministry should be to help believers and non- believers to understand Christ through Bible study” (Fernando Canale, Secular Adventism, 115)

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As the church loses sight of its core mission, less entertaining elements of church life are becoming endangered or lost altogether. Tools of the Church that were once essential to shaping hearts of virtually impotent. The tragic result is a Church where edification and wisdom passed down through the ages are now kept from individuals who seek them.

Pressure to make worship more appealing in liberal circles is depriving churchgoers of singing spiritual benefits. Jazz vespers or evening worship services has become a staple in churches from Seattle to Cape May, New Jersey over the past two decades. The smooth sound may draw a crowd, but as fine as the jazz may be, it routinely denies worshippers the opportunity to sing, since lyrics and jazz are either nonexistent or performed by a soloist. This is no small matter. Singing has long been critical to worship- it prepares the soul, loosening up the body and the spiritual alike. This is why revivalist services in South Africa and elsewhere in the developing world devote an hour or more to collective song before the sermon begins. It is why believers from atheistic or agnostic backgrounds have told me time and again that they came to love God through the singing of hymns. Sermons without song can stimulate the brain, but the heart -which is the part that ultimately matters in the eyes of God -is more likely reached after listeners have had the disarming experience of raising their voices together in joyful praise.” (G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Thieves in the Temple, 2010, p. 38-39)

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The following is excerpted from Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation by Pete Hegseth & David Goodwin:

“In 1892, [Francis] Bellamy, an early Progressive [social gospel/socialist Baptist pastor], authored the precursor to the pledge of allegiance, called the Bellamy Salute, which would come to be used in schools across the United States.

Curiously, Bellamy’s pledge included the Roman salute with outstretched arm—very similar to what would later be known as the Nazi salute. It was nearly identical to what would become our current pledge, except that it made no mention of God.

Bellamy’s salute had a purpose: to unite and elevate the American people with reference only to America, not to Christ. The WCP [Western Christian Paideia] no longer bound America together; the new pledge was designed to supplant the creeds of Christianity. The public school classroom would become a shrine of sorts to progressive ideas. The Bellamy Salute was intentionally part of that liturgy, as were American flags. By the early 1900s, there were portraits of John Dewey and Horace Mann in the classroom, alongside George Washington. In 1942, the original salute, with hands outstretched, was replaced for its obvious connection with the Nazi salute. In the 1950s, Bellamy’s original pledge was amended to add ‘under God’ by Congress amid fears of another form of Marxism—atheistic communism. ... The original 1892 Bellamy Salute: ‘I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.’ The current pledge of allegiance: ‘I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one Nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.’ The Bellamy Salute served its purpose as nationalism slowly replaced Christianity over a period of decades. This form of nationalism, married to what has been called Manifest Destiny, became a sort of civil religion in its own right in America. Nationalism has its place —no doubt—but this form of American ‘democracy’ was intentionally disordered. It was an early placement of ‘nation’ above ‘Christ’— and executed intentionally” (pp. 76-77).

https://www.wayoflife.org/pdf/fcnn-23-27.pdf

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When the bishops of Rome made a compact of mutual assistance in 311, the bishops promise Constantine that the Christians would come to his aid if he stopped the persecutions. Daniel describes this alliance of state and church as transgression. It is equally true that from 311 onward, Constantine used his armies to support and exalt the bishops of Rome over the Christian churches. This alliance eventually grew into an independent papal Kingdom that opposed the truth of the Gospel. In the ordinance of the Mass, papal Rome opposes the teaching of the once for all sacrifice of Christ and by absorbing pagan rituals and doctrines, papal Rome also cast truth to the ground… The alliance between the bishops of Rome and Constantine and a subsequent conversion of the emperor to Christianity resulted in the creation of the Christian Roman Empire. By imperial fiat, without benefit of conversion, the entire Roman world became ‘Christian.’ Paganism was gradually extinguished from the realm by the unrelenting efforts of Christian emperors and bishops of Rome. When the emperors abandoned the city of Rome for Constantinople, the bishops of Rome became more and more powerful, eventually becoming the most powerful force in the Western empire. The extension of the line of Western emperors in 476 opened the door for the emergence of the papal Roman Empire.” (James Henderson, Evangelical Civil War, 2017, P. 39 -40)

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