There is a reason envy made it in to the Top Ten Commandments.

Envy springs from the fertile ground of entitlement thinking. Resentment builds as feelings of unfair treatment blossom into anger and turn into hatred. Eventually envy feels justified in breaking the other commandments like lying, theft, and even murder. The monstrous crimes of the French Revolution, Russian Revolution, Mao in China, Hitler in Germany, and many other Communist and Socialist regimes are rooted in envy. So is the poverty they generate.
In America we have, for the most part, escaped from bloodshed sort of envy. Instead we focus on “Soaking the Rich” through financial populism, like Andrew Jackson versus the National Bank, William Jennings Bryan versus the Gold Standard, or Teddy Roosevelt versus Trusts. The most famous “Soak the Rich” episode in our history was the income tax, which, as we well know, actually soaked the middle class along with the rich. It was envy which provided the money to fuel our bloated Government and envy continues to be a favorite tool of Big Government.
During the past several years the Socialists and other lovers of Big Government have returned to the envy deception by campaigning against “income inequality”. Now we see another round of “Soak the Rich” populism, with Big Government promoters promising to make the rich pay for everything from free college tuition to a $50 trillion Medicare for All scheme. This time it is not an income tax but a “Wealth Tax” they are pushing.
According to a Wall Street Journal editorial on November 6, 2019, the Wealth Tax has been tried and abandoned by several European countries because of its cost to the overall economy. Sweden lost many of its most productive citizens, including the founder of Ikea, and repealed its tax in 2007. France lost 70,000 millionaires and the Wealth Tax actually caused a net revenue loss. The Germans abolished their wealth tax and a German think tank concluded that a Wealth Tax lowers long term Gross Domestic Product by 5% and employment by 2%. In other words, a Wealth Tax produces little or no net revenue and can cause substantial losses to the economy.
Another interesting fact about the wealth tax in Europe was the levels where the tax kicked in. In Sweden it was only $200,000, in Spain it is $700,000, in Norway it is $170,000, and it was $1.5 million in France. It should surprise no one that the “Soak the Rich” mentality of envy migrated to soak the middle class.
Then there is the effect on stock values of pensions, retirement plans, 401(k) plans, and other investments held by nearly half of Americans. The downward pressure of stock sales to pay for a Wealth Tax could crash the market and ruin the retirement plans of half of the country.

Counting the double tax on corporate earnings, the tax rate for the rich is about 40%. On top of that, their heirs pay another 40% in estate tax. Maybe they should pay more, or maybe they should pay less.
But if our motive is envy, it will boomerang on our economy and on us. We will “soak ourselves” as we “Soak the Rich”.
So remember the Tenth Commandment and pray that we are spared from the high cost of envy.

The next few days mark the 101st anniversary of the end of the First World War on November 11, 1918 and the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

The city of Berlin was the epicenter of the ideological and military wars of the Twentieth Century. Those conflicts were rooted in the Nineteenth Century, when German theologians sold out to secularism, cast doubt on the scriptures, and destroyed the Christian faith of most Germans. The spiritual void was filled by a secular state religion and Darwinist survival of-the-fittest militancy. It is not a coincidence that the Germans brought the ancient Temple of Zeus from Pergamum, “where Satan has his throne” (Rev 2:13) to Berlin in the 19th century. And based on what followed it may truly be said that Satan moved with his throne to Berlin.

The First World War was welcomed by the militant Germans, who expected easy victories. They did manage to defeat the Russians, but at the price of helping to establish an expansionist Communist state. However, the Germans could not sustain the war in Western Europe and they surrendered on November 11, 1918. The Peace Treaty which followed in 1919 left the Germans humiliated and bitter, but they did not give up their militaristic spirit. They hardened their hearts, missing their chance to repent, and Satan remained enthroned in Berlin.

Feeding on that militaristic spirit, Adolph Hitler and his Nazis fashioned a new religion where the Germans would evolve into God-like super humans. Their version of the Godhood Religion, or New Age Religion, swept through Germany and led to the Second World War. Their early success in the war led them to attack the Russian Communists and they even declared war on the United States. All the while they were murdering Jews, Christians, and others who did not fit into their super human evolutionary vision. No one could doubt that Satan ruled through the Nazis in Berlin.

Judgment came to Berlin in 1945 as the Russian army destroyed the city, revenged itself on the population, and took the Temple of Zeus to Moscow. Berlin, and Germany, were divided between the Russians and the Western Powers. Yet, after the war, Berlin became the focal point of Cold War tensions as the Russians tried to force the Western Powers out. West Berlin became an embarrassment to the Russians as it prospered under free enterprise and democracy. Finally, in 1962, they built the infamous Berlin Wall to keep East Berliners from fleeing the Communist police state.

German Christians began to repent for their country and pray for deliverance from the Communist oppression, and in response God sent them a Polish Pope and an American President. Miraculously, the Russian tyranny simply fell apart under its own weight without a shot being fired. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 as the prayers of the Christians were answered in an unmistakable way.
The two days in Berlin show the horrible consequences of failure to repent and the power of God to move for those who reach out to Him in repentance.

As we remember these two days, let us not harden our hearts if God’s judgment does come, because the Lord sends judgment to bring righteousness (Isaiah 26:9). Let us learn from the German Christians to repent and ask God to deliver us from the consequences of our sin.

“If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” -2 Chronicles 7:14

Once again Halloween is upon us. People are carving their Jack O’ Lanterns, selecting scary costumes, and buying candy for the neighborhood kids. But what, exactly, are they celebrating?

Beneath the mask of Halloween lies a dark secret and an even darker purpose.

To understand the dark secret of Halloween it is necessary to trace its origin back to the ancient Celtic peoples and their priests, the Druids. November 1 marks their high festival Samhain, named after the ancient Babylonian Sun God Samas. However, the real purpose of the celebration is death, as the Druids sacrificed humans on that day and kept the people in fear of the vengeful spirits of the dead. The Jack O‘ Lantern, representing a severed head, and the frightful costumes are echoes of these murderous rituals, the dark secret of Halloween.

When Christianity came to the Celts a decision was made to incorporate their holidays into the Church calendar in order to make the pagans feel more at home in the Church.
However, this attempt to put a Christian mask on a pagan holiday backfired, as the pagan celebration was brought into the Church.

So the dark purpose of Halloween, the celebration of death instead of celebrating Christ the Author of Life, continues to this day.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to have fun without celebrating the death day of the Druids. Many churches offer Halloween alternatives, allowing children to enjoy the candy and the costumes without being exposed to the Druid spirits. Children can wear costumes of positive role models, like Biblical figures, heroes, Princesses, or cartoon characters instead of the demonic ghosts, witches or zombies. It is also much safer to stay indoors and not be exposed to bad actions or bad candy.

Some Churches even sponsor “Hell Houses” for teens, who can see the consequences of sin displayed before them. It can be an effective evangelical tool.

If you are staying at home, you might consider handing out Christian trinkets or material along with candy. Please don’t forget the candy!

Remember that Christ came so we could have abundant life. So have some fun and share the life this Halloween.

In an October 11 speech at the University of Notre Dame Law School, Attorney General William Barr sent out a wakeup call to a Church facing increasing persecution from Militant Secularism and a society drowning in moral chaos.

Mr. Barr drew an important distinction between the moral world view of Christians and that of Secularists. He described Christian morality as “Micro-Morality.” That is, individuals are responsible for their conduct and suffer the consequences for bad behavior. It is Christian faith which transforms us individually and can solve social problems by transforming the communities we live in.
Secularists, on the other hand, follow what Barr calls “Macro-Morality.” To them, individual conduct is not important. What is important is the “commitment to political causes and collective action to address social problems.” Thus, instead of helping set individuals free from the effects of sin in their lives, the Militant Secularists look for ways the state can make individuals comfortable in their sin.
Barr cited several examples of such policies: “So the reaction to growing illegitimacy is not sexual responsibility, but abortion. The reaction to drug addiction is safe injection sites. The solution to the an break down of the family is for the state to set itself up as an ersatz husband for the single mother and an ersatz father for the children. The call comes for more and more social programs to deal with this wreckage and while we think we’re solving problems, we are underwriting them”

And now the Militant Secularists are following their “Macro-Morality” semi-religion to turn the power of the state against the “Micro-Morality” people whose beliefs contradict theirs. Barr mentions instances of LGBT curriculums being forced on parents in public schools. We are also all aware of the attacks on the Christian bakers who opposed gay marriage. Barr compares these modern attempts to compel Christians to violate their conscience to the Roman emperors who tried to compel Christians to worship them.

Lest you think that these actions are restricted to a small lunatic fringe, there was a recent presidential debate where candidates could not conceal their hostility to Christianity as they promised to force the Church to bow to their Militant Secular Macro Morality. Persecution is at our door.

Sad to say, the Church is often complacent in its own undermining. Barr tells of a church service where a need for more soup kitchens was to be met not with volunteers and church outreach, but with appeals to the government. We are too often guilty of abandoning our call to save sinners and transform communities, standing by while the soulless government tries and fails to make people comfortable in their sin.

Attorney General Barr has issued a dire warning and a wakeup call to the Church.

We have the answer to the suffering of those in bondage to sin. His name is Jesus. But we must come together, reach out, take responsibility for our communities, meet people’s needs, and above all lead people to Him.

So remember God’s prescription for healing the land:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

It is up to us to repent and bring an end to the moral chaos and darkness which is spreading over the land. Let us turn on the light so darkness will flee.

Next week the celebrations of Columbus Day and the Feast of Tabernacles both occur on the same day, October 14, reminding us of the launching of Christopher Columbus’s second voyage to the New World, on the same day as the Second Blood Moon of the 1493-1494 Tetrad, which occurred on the Feast of Tabernacles.
It was on his second voyage that Columbus had been given the mission and resources to create a Christian society in the New World. The Native American people he found were descendants of ancient Siberian immigrants, but had lived in isolation from the rest of mankind for about three thousand years. Nevertheless, their pyramids, their religions, and their culture still contained the stamp of their origins with the rest of mankind in ancient Babylon. Unfortunately, they also retained some of the worst pagan practices of Babylonian Religions, as the Aztecs demonstrated by sacrificing 50,000 human victims every year.

Our study of history shows that human sacrifice is a flash point for God’s judgment, and we believe that the Aztec, Inca and other Native American civilizations were judged and destroyed by God through the technology and diseases of the Europeans. Sadly, the Conquistadors enslaved the survivors and forced them to “Convert” to Christianity, thus losing the opportunity to achieve a real Christian society. Those sins were compounded by bringing in African Slaves to replace the decimated populations working the European Plantations.

The establishment of a Christian society did finally occur when a small group of English Christians landed in New England. Over time the English settlers in Eastern North America adopted the concept of religious freedom and went on to build the greatest Christian society on earth, the United States. And, despite all its failures, backsliding, and flaws, the United States, with its 250 million who claim to be Christians, remains the World’s most powerful beacon of the Christian Dream.

Christianity has also flourished in Latin America, thanks to revival and renewal from the Catholic Charismatics and the Evangelical Christians. Today Latin America is 92.5% Christian, the highest proportion of any continent. And the Catholic Church, in recognition of this fact, recently selected the Cardinal of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis, as its Leader.

As we have discussed in our book The Mystery of the Blood Moons, the Blood Moons are signs of revival and expansion of the Church. (See Acts 2:17-21)Today there are over 800 million Christians in the New World, a testimony to the evangelization of the New World launched by Columbus on his Blood Moon voyage of 1493.
In our time we are seeing signs of revival following the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-15, as the Pope from the New World has instituted a great wave of unity and reconciliation among Christians by sending a video reconciliation message to a group of pastors meeting with Kenneth Copeland. Since that time many American leaders have visited with the Pope in Rome as the Unity Revival has gained momentum. Let us pray that Christian Unity will cause a lost and dying world to believe our message, as Jesus prayed (John 17:22), and ask the Lord to pour out His Spirit in our time.
For more information on the Unity Revival and to view the Pope’s message to Kenneth Copeland, see the website www.unitedinchristinternational.com .
And may the fruit of the Blood Moon voyage of Christopher Columbus continue to grow.