Many times Christians in America speak of the persecution that is coming someday.  But the truth is that intense persecution of Christians is already here.  According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, two out of every three people in the world now live in countries where religion is highly restricted.  Governments around the globe are regularly killing Christians, torturing Christians and imprisoning Christians in absolutely horrific conditions.  But it isn't just governments that are persecuting Christians.  Jihadist groups throughout the Islamic world have taken it upon themselves to slaughter those who commit "blasphemy" by preaching the gospel.  The truth is that it is a very dangerous time to be a Christian, and things are only going to get even more intense as we get deeper into the last days.

Things are really getting frightening out there.  Just consider a few of the recent reports of Christian persecution from around the globe....

*Christian organizations around the world are expressing outrage over the killing of ten Christian medical workers who were serving the poor in the northeastern province of Badakhshan in Afghanistan.  According to reports, the Christian medical workers were killed by jihadists for "spying for the Americans" and for "preaching Christianity".

*An out of control Muslim mob in Jhelum, Pakistan slaughtered the wife and four children of a prominent Christian a number of weeks ago, but local authorities were too intimidated by the local Muslim leader to file charges.

*Two brothers were recently shot dead by Islamic extremists outside a courtroom in the Pakistani's Punjab province.  The brothers were facing blasphemy charges after allegedly distributing gospel pamphlets.

*Jihadist organizations in Indonesia have declared their intention to establish paramilitary units in local mosques to fight "ongoing attempts to convert people to Christianity".

*A Christian pastor in the Russian republic of Dagestan known for founding the biggest Protestant church in the region and for successfully sharing the gospel with Muslims was recently shot and killed by unidentified gunmen.

*Christians in Bhutan were disheartened to learn that the government there has proposed the kind of "anti-conversion law" that other nations have used as a pretext for persecuting Christians and shutting down the sharing of the gospel.

*In North Korea, you are likely to get thrown into prison for the rest of your life or tortured to death just for trying to bring a Bible into the country.

But it just isn't in other areas of the world where Christianity is being persecuted.  The truth is that Christians are now being heavily persecuted inside the United States itself.... 

*A federal judge recently recently ruled in favor of a counseling program at Eastern Michigan University that kicked out a master's student who refused to affirm the morality of homosexuality.

*A newly filed lawsuit against Augusta State University in Georgia alleges that university officials essentially gave a graduate student in counseling the choice of either giving up her Christian beliefs or being expelled from the program.

*Pastor Ronnie Wallace was recently placed under arrest in Charlotte, North Carolina for preaching the gospel in front of an abortion clinic.

*Two other Christians were arrested recently for sharing the gospel and singing hymns on a public sidewalk outside an Islamic mosque in the city of Philadelphia.

*One North Carolina pastor is demanding an apology from lawmakers in his state after he was dismissed from his chaplain duties for praying in the name of Jesus.

*Four Christians face fines of up to $500 each and up to 93 days in jail for sharing the gospel with Muslims on a public sidewalk outside of an Islamic street festival in Dearborn, Michigan.

So would you continue preaching the gospel if it meant that you would be put in jail?

That is something to think about.

The sad thing is that most American Christians don't preach the gospel anyway.

In fact, for most Americans, God is not a very important part of their lives at all.  According to a brand new study by the Barna Group, only 12 percent of American adults say that faith is a top priority in their lives.

Only 12 percent?

Unfortunately, even many of those Americans that do consider faith to be important have been completely lulled to sleep by their "shepherds".

All over the United States, Christians are being taught by their "life coaches" to "live their best lives now" while millions of other Christians throughout the world are literally risking their lives to advance the gospel.

Christians across America better start waking up.  The last days are upon us and a time is coming when Christians are going to be killed in staggering numbers.  We all need to decide right now what we are willing to give up for the sake of Christ. 

You better get ready.

Hard times are coming.

An umbrella organization in Pakistan that includes more that two dozen fundamentalist Islamic groups plans to formally ask the United Nations to enact a global law against blasphemy that would include the death penalty for anyone who blasphemes the Prophet Muhammad.   Yes, unfortunately this is actually true.  The formal name of the umbrella organization is Jama'at-ud-Dawa (JuD) and according to IndianExpress.com, the leadership of the JuD has decided to contact the UN and ask them to implement a global law "against blasphemy of prophets and awarding death penalty to violators." 

So what types of things would be considered blasphemy?

Well, according to Wikipedia, the following are just some of the things that are considered blasphemy in Islam....

-to speak ill of Allah.
-to find fault with Prophet Muhammad.
-to slight any prophet who is mentioned in the Quran, any member of Prophet Muhammad's family, or any cleric.
-to speculate about how Prophet Muhammad would behave if he were alive.
-to draw a picture to represent Prophet Muhammad or any other prophet, or to make a film which features a prophet.
-to write Prophet Muhammad's name on the walls of a toilet.
-to name a teddy bear Muhammad.
-to state facts such as: Prophet Muhammad's parents were not Muslims.

So is there any chance that the UN will grant their request?

Well, there are over 40 Islamic countries in the UN, but there is no chance at all that the other members of the United Nations are going to go for something like this.

But what this does demonstrate is the dangerous mindset of radical Islamic organizations around the globe.  They are determined to impose their radical agenda on us however they can.

In this case, these radical Muslims in Pakistan are trying to make it sound like it is all about their hurt feelings....

The following is an official statement from the JuD that followed the meeting where it was decided to go to the UN on this issue....

"The ambassadors of Muslim and non-Muslim states will be told that blasphemy against prophets not only hurts the feelings of one religion but also sows a seed of hatred against the people of other religions."

So because someone hurt their feelings that person deserves the death penalty?

No, this is not about hurt feelings.

This is about the desire to use force and violence to advance the cause of radical Islam.

But we have seen this pattern repeated over and over for centuries.

The followers of radical Islam are just not pulling this stuff out of thin air.  They are getting it right out of the Quran.  In Sura 9:29-31 it says the following....

"Fight those who believe not in God nor the last day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."

The reality is that the vast majority of radical Muslims have no problem using violence to get their way.  Just check out a few examples of violence commited by radical Muslims recently all over the globe....

*A Christian man in Pakistan's Punjab province was literally fighting for his life after radical Muslim leaders, backed by police, burned him alive for refusing to convert to Islam while his wife was raped by police officers.

*A horde of radical Muslims recently stormed into a central Nigerian town and slaughtered about 500 Christian villagers - most of which were women and children.

*A World Vision mission office in Pakistan was recently assaulted by Islamic gunmen, leaving at least five of the staff members dead.

*In broad daylight and in full view of witnesses, a group of 4 Islamic radicals in the southern Egyptian city of Attaleen fired 31 bullets into the head of a Coptic Christian before beheading him.  The dead body was then dragged through the streets accompanied by shouts of victory.  Later, an Egyptian court acquitted the four Muslim men accused of committing the crime.

*Two Islamic suicide bombers in Lahore, Pakistan killed at least 43 people and injured at least 100 others in a high-security area with a dense military presence.

The truth is that wherever radical Islam encounters any other kind of culture all over the world there is violence.

But it is not going to just be Islam that becomes very violent in the last days.

In Matthew 24:9, Yahshua (Jesus) told us that the entire world will hate Christians and will want to kill them in the last days....

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

So the truth is that hate is going to continue to grow and massive persecution of Christians is coming.

The world is rapidly changing, and we are all going to have to get much closer to God in order to be able to handle the days that are ahead.

Recently, Comedy Central started censoring episodes of South Park after the network and the producers of the series received a large number of violent threats from radical Muslims.  In fact, in one recent episode every instance of the words "Prophet Muhammad" was bleeped out by the network, and whenever the character of Muhammad appeared in the episode it was covered by a large block labeled "censored".  The producers of South Park were upset about this censorship, but apparently Comedy Central is taking no chances when it comes to dealing with Islamic extremists.  However, apparently making fun of Jesus is still fair game on Comedy Central.  In fact, Comedy Central is developing an entire animated series that mocks Jesus Christ.

Yes, that is right.

An entire animated series that does nothing but mock and degrade and make fun of Jesus Christ.

The working name of the show is  "JC", and it is scheduled to be a half-hour show about Jesus wanting to escape the shadow of his "powerful but apathetic father" and live a "normal" life in New York City.

What in the world?

It is being reported that the show will depict God as being preoccupied with playing video games while Jesus tries to adjust to life in the big city.

How disgusting is that?

How dare they openly mock the God of the universe?

But that is exactly what they plan to do.

They are scared to death to make fun of Muhammed, but Comedy Central's head of original programming Kent Alterman considers making fun of Christianity to be "comedy in purist form"....

"In general, comedy in purist form always makes some people uncomfortable."

Yes, I am uncomfortable with someone mocking my God. 

But this is not new for Comedy Central.

Jesus has been openly mocked on South Park and on other Comedy Central shows for years and years.

But still millions of Christians have no problem watching that filth.

But we should expect that the mocking of Christianity will get even worse.

In Matthew 24, Jesus told us that in the last days "you will be hated by all nations because of me" and that "the love of most will grow cold", so we should not be surprised when these things happen.

By the time all of this is over, Christians and Christianity are going to be greatly hated around the world.

If you watch carefully, you can see the persecution starting to grow around the world.  You can see hearts growing cold from the hardness of sin. 

God is being pushed out of all aspects of public life in the United States, just like He is in most other nations around the globe.

In fact, Franklin Graham recently said that he believes that Christians in America may lose the right to preach the gospel outside of the walls of a church during his lifetime....

"I think its coming to this country where we (will) have the freedom to preach inside a church wall, but we will lose the freedom to do it outside. That day will probably come – maybe in my lifetime."

The truth is that things are going to get a whole lot worse than even Franklin Graham is imagining.  Those who follow Jesus Christ and stand up for righteousness are now commonly depicted as "evil" or "deluded" or "morally wrong" on television, in movies, in our popular music and all over the Internet.  Standing up against abortion and homosexuality and sex before marriage will now get you labeled as being part of a "hate" group.

The sad thing is that Christians have participated in constructing this godless society, and now we are so amazed when our children grow up completely godless.

But we should not be surprised that record numbers of  young people are turning away from the Christian faith.  We recently examined how young people are dramatically leaving Christianity and are rapidly being secularized on our sister site.... 

Our public schools teach our children day after day after day that they evolved from monkeys, that abortion, sex before marriage and homosexuality are perfectly moral and that anyone who disagrees is a bigot.  Then they go home and they are surrounded by entertainment for the rest of the day (television, radio, video games, Internet, movies) and the overwhelming message regarding the Christian faith in these forms of entertainment is that either Christianity is irrelevant, not true or should be openly mocked.

The tide of public opinion is radically shifting against the Christian faith.  Those who still hold to Biblical Christianity should expect that persecution will only get a lot worse as time rolls forward. 

It is time that we started learning from the great martyrs of the past in order to start preparing ourselves for what is coming.  One great book that we recommend is Extreme Devotion by The Voice Of The Martyrs.  That book contains a ton of amazing testimonies from persecuted Christians that have gone before us.  There is a lot that we can learn from them. 

Since the first century, millions upon millions of Christians have been slaughtered for their faith, and Christians all over the world are being killed for their faith today.

While persecution in the United States is not that bad yet, the truth is that the Scriptures promise us that the persecution of Christians will be absolutely horrific in the last days.  Now is the time for all of us to start preparing ourselves mentally to be able to endure whatever persecution we are to face while we are still on this earth.

Did the headline above get your attention?  It should.  The truth is that approximately 400,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations, including thousands of Christian ministries, are just weeks away from losing their tax exemptions.  Why?  Well, a very sneaky provision buried in a 2006 pension reform bill required all nonprofit organizations to file tax forms the following year.  Prior to that, only nonprofit organizations that had revenues of $25,000 or more had to file tax returns.  The problem is that hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations did not realize this.  This new provision, which was deeply embedded in the 393 pages of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, also instructed the IRS to revoke the tax exemptions of all nonprofit organizations that failed to file tax returns for 3 consecutive years.

Well guess what?

The three years are just about up and hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations are about to experience a financial doomsday.

The New York Times recently quoted Diana Aviv, the president of the nonprofit trade group Independent Sector, as saying the following about the impact that this deadline is going to have....

"It’s going to be an unholy mess once these organizations realize what’s happened to them."

And that is what this is.

A gigantic mess.

Have the Christian ministries and organizations that you are affiliated with been filing tax returns with the IRS?

Are you sure?

If not, they may be about to lose their tax exemptions.

The reality is that many politicians in Washington have been trying to figure out for a long time how to start sucking some revenue out of the nonprofit world.  In particular, many liberals have long resented the tax exemptions that churches and other religious organizations have enjoyed.

But coming out and openly proposing a repeal of the tax exemptions for churches and religious organizations would not be popular at all.

So they have to find backdoor ways to do it.

The truth is that it would be really easy for Congress to repeal this stupid provision so that hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations do not suddenly lose their tax exemptions.

But they aren't going to do it.

They have got thousands upon thousands of unsuspecting victims in their legislative trap and that is just where many of the folks in Washington want them.

The reality is that we have become a nation that has so many thousands upon thousands of laws that it is literally impossible to comply with them all.

Trust me on this - I went to law school. 

So what should a ministry do that finds itself trapped by this situation?

Well, you need to contact the IRS immediately and try to get this straightened out.

For those individuals who are very upset about this, you can try contacting your representatives in Congress, but with Barack Obama and the Democrats in control, the odds that this provision will be repealed are somewhere between very slim and none.

The truth is that this is yet another example of how the U.S. government is literally getting their fingers into every aspect of our daily lives.  But as we move into the last days things are going to get far worse.  Right now in America we are only facing "soft" persecution.  In other areas of the world they are already facing torture and death for the cross, and that will happen in this country some day as well.  But in the midst of the persecution millions will turn to Yahshua (Jesus) and be saved.  This is going to be one of the most exciting times in all of history to be alive, so let us be thankful and let us take the gospel forward no matter what the opposition is.

The persecution of Christians in Pakistan is becoming very brutal and very deadly.  The truth is that it is no longer safe to be a Christian in Pakistan anymore.  A Christian man in Pakistan's Punjab province is literally fighting for his life after radical Muslim leaders, backed by police, burned him alive for refusing to convert to Islam while his wife was raped by police officers.  This incident, which took place on March 19th, is just the latest in a series of deadly attacks on Christians in Pakistan.

The name of the man is Arshed Masih, and according to reports Islamic radicals tried to burn him alive right in front of a police station in the city of Rawalpindi.

So did the police do anything to protect the Christian man?

No, the police were too busy raping his wife.

Now 80 percent of his body is burned and he is struggling to stay alive.

One of the saddest things is that their 3 children (ranging in age from 7 to 12) were reportedly forced to watch the attacks on their parents.

So how did this all come about?

Well, it is alleged that in January Islamic leaders in the area asked Arshed to convert to Islam with his whole family.  

After Arshed refused their request, the group of Islamic leaders reportedly threatened him with "dire consequences".

Apparently they were quite serious.

But this is just the latest in a serious of vicious attacks on Christians in Pakistan recently.

For example, a World Vision office in Pakistan was attacked by Islamic gunmen recently, leaving at least five staff members dead.

Another example made world headlines a while back.  A Christian couple in Pakistan was sentenced to 25 years in prison for touching the Quran without properly washing their hands first.

Radical Muslims in Pakistan are quite serious about their desire to eradicate Christianity from their land.  Their Scriptures call for all infidels to either convert or to perish.  Pakistan is not a safe place for Christians any longer, and it most likely will not be ever again until Yahshua (Jesus) returns.

But Yahshua (Jesus) told us that there would be tremendous persecution of His followers in the last days.  In Matthew 24:9-14 it tells us this....

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

The reality is that the persecution of the last days is only just beginning.  Millions more Christians will be tortured and millions more will be killed before all of this is over.

Are you ready to give your life for the Messiah?

There may come a day when someone will kill you if you do not deny your faith.

Now is the time to decide what you will do when faced with that choice and now is the time to get yourself mentally prepared for what is coming.

Are home Bible studies slowly being made illegal in many areas of the United States?  Unfortunately, the headline above is not a joke.  It is actually happening in many areas of the country.  Many of you who are reading this have already seen some of the headlines.  It just seems so bizarre that authorities are spending their time and resources going after home Bible studies when there are so many other problems out there right now.  But it is happening.

Ever since the United States was created, people have gathered in their homes to study the Bible and worship God together.  There has never been a time when such meetings in homes have been against the law.

Until now.

For example, it is being reported that a home Bible study group in Rancho Cucamonga, California must have a "Conditional Use Permit" by Good Friday, April 2nd, in order to continue gathering.

This is for a Friday Bible study that only has an average of 15 people attend.

Do the authorities there really need to spend time, money and resources to stop a 15 person Bible study?

No wonder this nation is spinning wildly out of control.

But sadly there are more examples of this phenomenon.

One town in Arizona has actually banned absolutely all church meetings in private homes.

Seriously.

The pastor of the Oasis of Truth Church received a cease and desist letter ordering him to terminate all religious meetings in his home, regardless of their size, nature, or frequency.

So how many members does this horribly threatening church have?

7 members.

But apparently the town of Gilbert, Arizona is prepared to go all out to keep these 7 adults and their children from having Bible studies in their homes.

What in the world has happened to the United States of America?

The truth is that we need to be able to meet in our homes.  The home church movement in America is growing, because most of the "establishment churches" have sold out and have abandoned the gospel long ago.

But in the new America the churches that sell out and conform to worldly standards are the ones that get approval from the establishment.

For example, many national leaders are absolutely thrilled that the Episcopal Church has confirmed the election of an Annapolis, Maryland priest as the first openly lesbian bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

But churches and Christian organizations that try to live according to God's standards increasingly find themselves being persecuted.

In fact, a new bill before Congress would prohibit Christian adoption agencies from refusing to adopt to gay and lesbian couples.

So would that cause a large number of Christian adoption agencies to shut down?

Of course.

But they don't care.

The truth is that America is increasingly becoming a hostile place for Christians.

But America is not alone.

The world is becoming an increasingly hostile place for Christians, but this is exactly what Yahshua (Jesus) told us would happen in the last days.

Persecution of Christians is only going to get worse from here on out, so you better buckle up and get ready.

This is going to be quite a ride.

Much of western civilization is still in complete denial about how incredibly dangerous radical Islam is.  The truth is that those who are committed to "jihad" have a mindset that is totally and completely different from you and I.  There is no compromise, no negotiating and no lasting peace with radical Islam.  Yes, radical Muslims may make a temporary treaty in order to improve their strategic position, but it will never result in lasting peace.  To them, there are really only two alternatives for "infidels" like us - either submission to Islam or death. 

Another huge misconception about radical Islam is that it is a "Middle Eastern" thing.  As we have seen in Africa, Indonesia, the Phillipines and India, wherever radical Islam encounters modern civilization violence is likely to erupt.  This violence against Christians is likely only going to get worse as we get even deeper into the last days.

The truth is that radical Islam would be more than glad to take over the entire world.  Christians are regularly being tortured and killed by Islamic militants all over the globe, and yet these incidents get very little attention in the U.S. media.  The following are ten examples from just this past week that show how dangerous radical Islam truly is....   

#1) Thousands of Nigerian Christian women dressed in black and carrying Bibles, wooden crosses and pictures of victims marched in a central Nigerian state on Thursday to protest the slaughter of about 500 Christian villagers (mostly women and children) by Islamic radicals.

#2) A World Vision office in Pakistan was attacked by Islamic gunmen on Wednesday, leaving at least five staff members dead.

#3) Two Muslim suicide bombers in Lahore, Pakistan killed at least 43 people and injured at least 100 others on Friday in a high-security area with a dense military presence.

#4) Some time ago there was an incident in Egypt that was extremely disturbing.  In broad daylight and in full view of witnesses, a group of 4 Islamic radicals in the southern Egyptian city of Attaleen fired 31 bullets into the head of a Coptic Christian before beheading him.  The dead body was then dragged through the streets accompanied by shouts of victory.  But now an Egyptian court has acquitted the four Muslim men accused of committing the crime.

#5) The government of Morocco is attempting to fend off criticism regarding its decision to expel 20 foreign Christian aid workers it accuses of trying to convert Muslims.

#6) A Pennsylvania woman known as "Jihad Jane" has been indicted for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and of attempting to kill a person in a foreign country.

#7) On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised that the state of Israel "will be annihilated" before too much longer.

#8) It is being reported that Iran is constructing a new rocket launch facility that could eventually accommodate an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a nuclear warhead.

#9) In an almost unbelievable story, the opening prayer at the opening session of the Virginia General Assembly was delivered by a radical imam.

#10) A Christian couple in Pakistan has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for touching the Quran without properly washing their hands first.

Did that headline get your attention?  It should.  A new law is dangerously close to becoming law in the U.K. that would essentially outlaw evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism.  Not that "The Equality Bill" specifically designates those faiths as illegal in the legislation itself.  Rather, the bill outlaws specific beliefs and practices that are fundamental to both evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism.  In fact, experts are saying that "The Equality Bill" would create a volcanic eruption of litigation in U.K. courts and would ultimately force those who wish to continue to practice anything that even looks like traditional Christianity to go underground.

So just what is the Equality Bill? 

The Equality Bill allegedly aims to consolidate all existing anti-discrimination laws into a single legal framework.  However, it actually goes much farther than any "anti-discrimination" laws in the U.K. have ever gone before.

On the surface, this legislation seems like a good idea.  After all, who wants to discriminate against old people or people of other races?  You can read a summary of this legislation put out by backers of the bill right here.  It actually contains a few good proposals. 

But it is also a vicious attack on traditional Christianity.

The Telegraph quotes a top level official from the "Ministry for Equality" as saying the following when he was asked whether the Equality Bill would lead to legal action between churches and atheists....

"Both need to be lining up [their lawyers]," he said. "The secularists should have the right to challenge the church."

Secularists should have the right to challenge the beliefs and practices of the church?

What in the world?

So exactly what would the Equality Bill mean for churches in the U.K.?

Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics would be wide open not only to lawsuits but also to unlimited government fines and even criminal prosecution if....

*They are found to discriminate against homosexuals or transsexuals in any area of employment - including the hiring of pastors and priests.

*They are found to discriminate against homosexuals or transsexuals in any preaching or teaching. 

*They are found to discriminate against hiring married men or women as priests as the Roman Catholics have done for centuries.

*They are found to insist that pastors or priests remain celibate (as in the case of Catholics) or only have sex within marriage (as in the case of evangelicals).

*They are found trying to prevent any of their clergy from entering into same-sex civil partnerships.

*They are found to be trying to prevent their pastors or priests from having sex change operations, living openly promiscuous lifestyles or engaging in any other form of sexual expression.

So essentially, if the Equality Bill is fully implemented, no religious organization is the U.K. will be able to preach or teach against sexual immorality, will be able to discriminate against the sexually immoral when hiring clergy or will be able to take a formal moral stand against sexually immorality in any way whatsoever.

Some analysts are even claiming that if the Equality Bill is adopted, all hiring for church positions that do not spend at least 51 percent of their time leading worship and preaching would be subject to regulations that would ban discrimination against those from other religions.  So, for example, a Baptist church would be forced to consider an Islamic candidate for a position that ministers to the youth but that also performs other non-teaching functions much of the time as well.

Basically the Equality Bill would be a total nightmare for both evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics in the U.K.  The fact that the law is written in such vague terms would open up the floodgates for all kinds of endless litigation.  If the Equality Bill becomes law, free speech and free expression in churches in the U.K. would be deeply chilled as church leaders struggle with the never ending threat of lawsuits, fines and criminal prosecution.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly preach against sexual sin would be over.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly have any say over the sexual behavior of their clergy would be over.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly discuss what the Bible says about "right" and "wrong" would be over.

Thus this would essentially mean that end of legal evangelical Christianity and legal Roman Catholicism in the U.K.

That sounds quite dramatic, but that is the truth of the matter.

In fact, Baroness O'Cathain, a Tory lawmaker and an evangelical Christian, said last week that the Equality Bill is the "single most damaging Bill to come before the House in my 18 years as a Member".

Are you starting to get the idea?

We are living in the last days, and the truth is that Christian persecution is exploding all over the world.  Christians in western nations have always thought that it was something that happened "over there", but now Christian persecution is moving forward with blinding speed in places such as the U.K.

Ultimately, there will be no escaping persecution.  If you plan to be a Christian in the last days you will face persecution as long as you are on this earth.

You better get ready for it.

If you are a Christian and you are not already being persecuted, you will be soon.

While the church is asleep, Christian persecution is exploding around the globe.  Even in the western world, freedom for Christians to practice and express their faith is being curtailed as never before.  Today even we were shocked when we read about how two Christian hotel owners in the U.K. are being charged with a crime for witnessing to some Muslim guests.

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang were arrested and charged with using "threatening, abusive or insulting words" that were "religiously aggravated" after a Muslim woman complained to local police in the U.K. that she had been "offended" by their comments.

So what was so offensive?

Apparently the couple believes that Christianity and that Islam is wrong.

It is alleged that they told the woman that Mohammed was a warlord and that traditional Islamic dress for women is a form of bondage.  However, the couple is insisting that they did not threaten the woman and that they have every right to explain and defend their own beliefs.

So what will happen to this couple if they are convicted of this hate crime?

Well, they could face a fine of up to £5,000 and they will have a permanent criminal record.

It would be nice if this was just an isolated incident, but the reality is that freedom of religion simply does not exist in the U.K. any longer.

For example, recently we reported on a couple of street preachers in the U.K. that were confronted by police and told that preaching the gospel and passing out tracts is not only offensive but also against the law.....

http://signsofthelastdays.com/archives/u-k-police-it-is-against-the-law-to-preach-and-hand-out-tracts

True Christianity is now considered to be "offensive" in the U.K., and if you seek to promote the Christian faith there you are apparently now in danger of being arrested.

Hopefully the hotel owners will win their case, but there is a bigger issue than that at stake here.  The reality is that millions of Christians in the U.K. will hear of this case, and they may become very hesitant to ever speak out about their faith for fear that they could be arrested and hauled into court.

The persecution of Christians is increasing not only in the U.K., but also in places such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even in the United States.  Those of us who study the signs of the last days knew that such times would come, but to see it actually happening can be stunning at times.

The Scriptures tell us that one day there will be no place on earth where it is legal to preach the truth about Christianity. 

Are you prepared for that day?

Will you continue to stand for the truth when it may cost you your freedom or even worse?

It is something to think about.

The persecution of Christians in the U.K. and the United States is heating up like never before. Street preachers are being told it is against the law to hand out tracts and read the Bible in public, school officials are threatened with prison for praying over a meal and prison officials even cut Bible verses out of the mail sent to prisoners.

Yes, all of those examples are true.

We will deal with them one at a time.

Firstly, let's examine the story of 29 year old Miguel Hayworth and his father. Hayworth has been a street preacher in the city of Manchester area for five years and he is often accompanied by his father when he does his street preaching.

Recently they were preaching at St. Ann's Square in Manchester when they were approached by several police officers who accused them of inciting hatred by making homophobic and racial comments.

According to the Telegraph, one plain-clothed police officer made this statement to them:

It is against the law to preach and hand out tracts: preaching causes offence and handing out tracts is harassment and could result in an arrest.

So what Bible passages were they reading.  Well, according to reports, one of the passages they were reading from was Romans 1:27 which says this : "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly..."

But apparently reading the Bible in public is no longer acceptable in the U.K. 

In fact, it can get you arrested.

Not that the United States is any better.

A principal and an athletic director down in Florida are likely headed to prison for saying a lunch-time prayer.

Yes, this is actually happening in the United States of America.

You see, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Pace High School in Santa Rosa County, Florida last year accusing them of allowing teachers to endorse religion.  The school quickly agreed to a settlement whereby all school employees were banned from engaging in prayer or religious activities before, during, or after school hours.

Of course the settlement was blatantly unconstitutional, but very few people in the United States seem to care about the Constitution anymore.

Now a principal and an athletic director face the prospect of going to prison for offering meal-time prayers at an appreciation dinner for adults who had helped with a school field house project.

Seriously.

With all of the other massive problems that America is facing, why does the ACLU have to go after meal-time prayers like a rabid dog?

Why?

It is because they hate God.

Now even prisons are censoring Christian material.

One prison in Virginia is actually cutting Bible verses out of the letters that inmates receive from their relatives.

Seriously.

What in the world have we become?

Anna Williams, whose son was held in that prison for several months says that prison officials cut out entire sections of several letters that she sent to her son.

The section that they cut out contained Bible verses or other Christian material.

When she asked the prison about this, they said that they were following prohibitions on religious material sent from home.

What in the world is going on?

The truth is that the U.K. and the United States have rejected God.

We have removed Him from our schools, our courthouses, our government buildings and just about every other public place.  We have pushed Him and His followers deep into the corners and we have made it very clearly that we don't want anything to do with Him.

So why in the world should God protect us and bless our nations?

The truth is that when nations willingly reject God, then God will reject them.

The judgment of God is coming, and when it does come, nobody should be surprised.