God is doing amazing things in these last days!  The Scriptures tell us that the gospel of Yahshua (Jesus) will literally be preached to the ends of the earth, and that is happening right in front of our eyes.  Some time ago, the Lord laid a tremendous burden for the African pygmies on Dr. Bree Keyton's heart while she was in prayer.  She did some research and she discovered that the indigenous pygmies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are literally being eaten out of existence.  Yes, it is actually happening.  Anti-government rebel forces that hide in the jungle, particularly the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, consider the pygmies to be animals and they hunt them for food.  In fact, they have been using them for food so much that the pygmies are threatened with extinction.

Unfortunately, cannibalism is alive and well in 2010.

The Lord God has always had a heart for "the least of these", and in Africa, the pygmies are really treated as the lowest of the low.

The truth is that the pygmies are hated by even their fellow Africans throughout much of Africa. Many Africans actually consider the pygmies to be directly related to monkeys, and most of the time the pygmies are treated little better than animals.  In fact, in some areas of Africa, pygmies are actually openly owned as slaves.

In Congo, the pygmies are caught in the middle of a brutal civil war, and they are being systematically wiped out.  Both sides in the conflict consider the pygmies to be subhuman and as noted above, the anti-government rebels regularly eat them.

Other Africans actually believe that the flesh of the pygmies can confer magical powers, and so sometimes pygmies are being killed for that reason as well.

So needless to say, something urgent needs to be done to save these precious pygmies.

That is where Dr. Bree Keyton comes in.

Bree Keyton is an on-fire Christian evangelist who is waging a one woman crusade to rescue these pygmies.

She has already made a couple of trips into the areas where the pygmies live and she has been able to rescue some of the pygmy tribes and bring them to a location where they will be safe.  It is incredibly dangerous work, but God has kept her and her team safe.

The truth is that God loves the pygmies as much as he loves anyone else.  Dr. Bree Keyton is doing  wonderful thing.  More pygmy tribes have learned about what Bree Keyton is doing and now they want to be saved as well.

To learn how you can get involved in this outreach, please visit Dr. Bree Keyton's official website:

http://www.breekeytonministries.com/

The most wonderful thing in all of this is that as a result of Dr. Bree Keyton's rescue missions, entire tribes of pygmies are receiving Yahshua (Jesus) as Savior and Lord.  These are now our brothers and sisters in Christ and we will see them in heaven someday. 

For more on Dr. Bree Keyton's outreach to the pygmies, check out the video posted below.... 

What is with all of the giant pagan idols that are suddenly popping up all over the United States?  The latest example of this is a seven ton, 26 foot tall concrete sculpture of an Egyptian god that is being installed at Denver International Airport.  The giant statue being constructed at the south end of the DIA terminal is of Anubis - the Egyptian god of death and the afterlife.  So why is this being done?  Well, it is apparently being put there to advertise the Denver Art Museum's King Tut exhibit that is about to open up.  That exhibit will go from June 29th through January 9th, 2011.  The plan is for "Anubis" to remain in place at Denver International Airport the entire duration of the exhibit. 

But this is not just an isolated incident.  Suddenly it has become "trendy" to set up giant statues of pagan gods.  We recently reported on a 26 foot tall Buddha weighing almost fifteen tons that has been installed across the street from the city hall of San Francisco and that will remain there through 2011.

Most people would say that these statues are just "art" and that they are perfectly harmless.

In fact, most Christians would insist that there is nothing wrong with these statues.

But what does God think about all of this?

The truth is that idolatry is loudly denounced by God throughout the Scriptures.  In fact, according to the Bible, it does not matter what "significance" one places on an idol.  What matters is that God wants no idols to ever be set up.

In fact, we are told in Revelation 9:20 that there will still be widespread idolatry in the last days....

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

We just can't resist setting up idols, can we?

After all of God's warnings we just have got to tempt fate.

So now the hundreds of thousands of people who visit Denver International Airport will have one more thing to creep them out.

The weirdest airport in America just got a little weirder.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the world community will accept no peace plan for Israel that does not include a Palestinian state.  In fact, at this point the creation of a Palestinian state is a foregone conclusion in most diplomatic circles.  The only question seems to be what the exact dimensions of that state are going to be.  The Scriptures have long foretold the division of the land of Israel in the last days, but to see it play out in front of our eyes is absolutely stunning.  Virtually the entire world is united behind the idea that a Palestinian state is a great idea, and the pressure for Israel to accept one will continue to grow in the coming days.   

Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, was recently asked if there is an alternative to a Palestinian state during an appearance at the Hebrew University's Truman Institute. 

His response? 

"No." 

In fact, he made it clear that the UN is not even considering any other alternatives when he made this statement....

"I don't know of any alternatives."

So that is what Israel is faced with.

Accept a Palestinian state or nothing.

In essence, a Palestinian state is Plan A and there is no Plan B.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that the Obama administration's plan for Israel includes stationing international troops along Israel's border with a future Palestinian state.

Apparently the idea is that by deploying international soldiers along the Palestinian side of a future border with Israel, there would be a "buffer" that would keep peace between the two sides.

Of course we have all seen how well UN troops "keep the peace" in other areas of the world.

So what is the main obstacle to a Palestinian state at this point?

Well, it is the fact that the Palestinians want East Jerusalem for their capital.

Benjamin Netanyahu and the current Israeli government are not about to accept that.

But we were warned in Zechariah 12:3 that the city of Jerusalem would one day become a huge stumbling block for the nations.....

"On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

So how will all of this play out?

We will just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, the entire region continues to prepare for war.

*The president of Syria is openly accusing Israel of trying to start a war.

*According to one new report, Syria has approximately 1,000 ballistic missiles zeroed in on Israeli targets.

*Egyptian military forces recently concluded maneuvers in the Sinai Peninsula that simulated an invasion of southern Israel.

*The National News Agency reported this week that the Lebanese Armed Forces fired anti-aircraft artillery from the town of Shebaa in South Lebanon at Israeli warplanes flying over Lebanese territory around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

*A top IDF Home Front Command officer said on Tuesday that Israel is not sufficiently prepared for a chemical missile attack.

*Israel recently kicked off a five-day nationwide defense drill with the goal of preparing civilians for rocket attacks.

*It is being widely reported that teams of American special forces have been authorized to conduct spying missions intended to pave the way for a military strike on Iran in case Barack Obama orders one.

The truth is that tensions continue to rise in the Middle East and war could break out at any time.

So will a Palestinian state come before or after the next war?

There is quite a bit of debate about that among Bible prophecy scholars.

The truth is that we will just have to wait and see.

But let us pray that the division of Israel and of Jerusalem does not happen, because if the U.S. has a hand in that, God will not be pleased at all.

As if California didn't have enough problems, a 26 foot tall Buddha weighing almost fifteen tons has been installed across the street from the city hall of San Francisco and will remain there through 2011.  This piece of "art" is a sculpture by Zhang Huan entitled "Three Heads Six Arms".  This piece is Zhang’s largest sculpture to date, and the San Francisco art community is extremely excited that this piece is going to be displayed in their city.

In fact, on the website that has the official announcement about the dedication of this "sculpture", San Francisco May Gavin Newsom sounded absolutely thrilled to have this idol sitting directly across from city hall....

"The installation of Zhang Huan’s spectacular sculpture in the Civic Center marks a high point in the Shanghai-San Francisco Sister City 30th Anniversary Celebration and a milestone for the San Francisco Arts Commission," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "By bringing this incredible work of art to the City, we underscore Shanghai and San Francisco’s bond as two of the world’s most important centers for arts and culture."

Hopefully at this point alarm bells are going off for you.

Is there a problem when a city puts up a 15 ton Buddha right across from city hall?

Yes, of course there is a problem.

But shouldn't we appreciate art?

Isn't a statue okay as long as we don't worship it ourselves?

Well, no.

Absolutely not.

So what does God think about San Francisco putting up a 26 foot tall Buddha in the center of the city?

In the Scriptures, we find that God severely denounces idols all the way from Genesis to Revelation.

It doesn't matter if you worship the giant Buddha or not.  Any idol is an abomination in the eyes of God.

In fact, we are told in Revelation 9:20 that there will still be widespread idolatry in the last days....

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

But today, it has become so "fashionable" to put up little buddhas in your home.

In fact, you can find little buddha statues in stores all across America.

And Christians act as if they could care less about all these idols.

But God cares.

What in the world is happening to this nation?

It seems like California almost revels in the fact that they are leading the way into moral depravity.

For example, the San Francisco Chronicle the other day ran an article about what a great thing it is that more lesbian couples are choosing to become "moms".

Not only that, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (from California) is now claiming that it is cheaper to treat teens for drug use than it is to interdict drugs being smuggled across the border.

What?

Seriously?

But this is what we have come to expect from the state of California.

Hollywood is a cesspool of godlessness and sin.  The television shows and movies that are being produced there are leading the whole world into wickedness.  In addition, California has produced more pornography than anywhere else in the world for decades.

California just keeps piling up sin after sin after sin after sin as if none of it will ever catch up with them.

But perhaps someday it all will. 

The number of earthquakes greater than magnitude 4.0 in Southern California has increased significantly in 2010.  In fact, there have been 70 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater in the region so far in 2010.

That is extremely troubling, because there were only 30 such earthquakes in all of 2009 and only 29 such earthquakes in all of 2008.

So considering the fact that we have already had 70 this year and it is only April is a really troubling sign.

California should be repenting for their sins, but instead they are setting up a 26 foot tall statue of Buddha and they are pumping out record setting amounts of pornography.

We will all just have to wait and see how all that ends up turning out.

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.