The Kingdom Guard

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The saddest verse in the Bible

By Robin Schumacher, Exclusive Columnist Follow | Monday, December 07, 2020 Allow me to set the stage for what I think is the saddest verse in all of Scripture.Courtesy of Robin Schumacher The second coming of Christ has taken place as has the Millennial reign of Jesus – 1,000 years of perfect rule under the only perfect ruler that has ever existed. In addition, Satan, the great deceiver of humanity, has been banished and forbidden to interact with those alive in the world, making for a first-ever safe spiritual environment (Rev. 19-20).I get chills just thinking about it.But what’s also happened is that the planet has been populated by the offspring of those who were alive during Jesus’ second coming and who entered into His Millennial kingdom. All of them have been face to face with the King of kings and eyewitnesses to Jesus’ righteous rule.But then it happens. Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! The devil is released by God and, true to his nature, works to deceive humanity just as he did in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3). He gathers the nations together to fight against Jesus in some kind of crazed, last-ditch effort to supplant the Son of God.After 1,000 years of seeing Jesus’ picture-perfect reign, you would think that the number of those involved in the conflict would be infinitesimally small. Read the full article

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Imprisoned Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong leaning on Romans 5:3-4

Joshua Wong has been instrumental in the pro-democracy protests.ReutersHong Kong activist Joshua Wong, who has been imprisoned over his pro-democracy stand, has been drawing strength from Romans 5:3-4.He recently told German newspaper Die Welt that the Bible passage is "what gives me strength".  Romans 5:3-4 reads: "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Wong, a Christian, has been at the forefront of the democratic movement in Hong Kong for many years. Last month he was sentenced to 13 and a half months in prison after pleading guilty, alongside Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, to unlawful assembly during mass protests in Hong Kong last year. The sentencing came just a few months after Beijing imposed a controversial National Security Law that prompted some high profile activists to flee Hong Kong.  In a hand written note to Die Welt, Wong commented on the impact that the law is having on the territory.  "Since the communist-ruled China introduced the National Security Law in Hong Kong this summer, authorities there have cracked down on any activities that they believe threaten China's national security," he said. He warned, however, that the scope of the law is far-reaching and has international implications. "The increasing pressure of communist China on Hong Kong no longer weighs only on the activists," he said. "The escalation is targeting each and every one of us and Read the full article

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The humble bar of soap's vital role in the fight against Covid-19

The humble bar of soap can help millions of people protect their families from Covid-19(Photo: Christian Aid)A bar of soap may not seem like much to most people in the UK, but some 40 per cent of the world's population - 3 billion people - do not have access to soap and water in their homes, making regular hand washing difficult, says Christian Aid.Given the need for increased hygiene during the pandemic, the need for soap is greater than ever. With this in mind, Christian Aid's partners in Bangladesh have distributed over 40,000 bars of soap for Rohingya families living in overcrowded refugee camps.  In Ethiopa, the focus of Christian Aid's 2020 Christmas Appeal, women are being trained by the development agency's partners to make their own soap from the aloe vera plant.  While Ethiopia has been plagued by swarms of locusts and a climate crisis, the beauty of the aloe vera plant is that it is drought resistant.  Not only are the women able to make soap for their own family, but they are also able to make extra bars and sell them for income.  NHS Consultant Dr Paul Grime of St Thomas' Hospital, London, who travelled with Christian Aid to see projects improving access to water in rural Ethiopia said: "We mustn't underestimate the importance of soap and water. "These may seem like basic and simple resources to us, but they can make a huge difference to those who don't have them. "Making them available gives people the chance to protect themselves and their loved ones, control t Read the full article

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Pro-life groups in call to MPs to reject DIY abortion

Pro-life groups are calling on MPs not to support moves to make DIY abortions permanent.Christian Concern, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) and other pro-life groups are teaming up this week for Care for Women, a parliamentary briefing for MPs laying out the findings from research into DIY abortions and why they should not be supported.  The briefing will cover the legality of the 'pills by post' service introduced in the first lockdown to allow women to take both abortion pills at home. MPs will also hear the results of a mystery client investigation which found that women were able to receive pills despite providing false personal details, and the testimony of a woman who suffered devastating side effects after taking the pills. The briefing is taking place this Thursday in the wake of the launch of government consultations in England, Wales and Scotland into whether to make the changes permanent.  Christian Concern said the policy was "dangerous and offers no care for women". The group is encouraging people to contact their MPs and ask them to take part in the briefing. "Brandished as 'women's healthcare', abortions that take place entirely at home are dangerous," it said. "They provide no opportunity to safeguard women against coercive partners or family members, nor to go through proper safety checks such as ultrasound scans and blood tests. "Tragically, we know that many illegal and dangerous abortions have taken place since the government introd Read the full article

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City of Refuge serves youth in Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods

By Jackson Elliott, Contributor Follow | Monday, December 07, 2020 Coaches at City of Refuge pose on the field | Stephanie MarquardtGod’s miraculous provision keeps Chicago’s City of Refuge ministry in business, but the most important part of the ministry is the way it draws community groups together, founder Stephanie Marquardt said.City of Refuge started in 2018 after Marquardt, her husband, Kurt, and Chicago West Bible Church Pastors Jon Kelly and Kent Steiner experienced a calling to minister in Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, she told The Christian Post.Marquardt started sports leagues to teach youth valuable life skills through sports. Before COVID-19, the program had over 1,000 students who were learning archery, baseball and basketball. Each team receives coaching from a police officer, a faith leader and a local nonprofit leader, she said.Marquardt is also a devoted sports fan, often using metaphors from sports to talk about her work.“What’s distinctive is that we follow what we call the three-legged stool,” she said. “It’s getting civic, sacred and secular parts of society to work together. I think that’s very biblical.” Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! The combined approach allows each group to use their strengths most effectively, she said. It also lets community leaders form Read the full article

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What does the Bible say about Santa Claus?

By Jim Denison, Op-ed Contributor | Sunday, December 06, 2020 Unsplash/Mitya Ivanov In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York City’s The Sun newspaper. She asked, “Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?” News writer Francis Pharcellus Church soon responded in the newspaper’s editorial section with one of history’s most reprinted newspaper editorials: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” He went on to explain “the existence” of Santa Claus in terms of the love and generosity that Christmas ushers in every December. He encouraged her not to be swayed by the skepticism of the age.If only the answer were that simple. As with many holidays, there is history and myth intertwined in the traditions and origins of Christmas. But, for Christians, the most important, valid information comes from God’s word. Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! What does the Bible say about the jolly old man we see every Christmas in malls and store advertisements and for whom small children await in eager anticipation on Christmas Eve? The figure we know as Santa Claus who brings gifts piled up on a sleigh pulled by reindeer all the way from his home at the North Pole?  The short answer, of course, is nothing. But there’s more to the story about Santa. There really was a St. Read the full article

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Pakistan: Christian woman killed for refusing marriage proposal, conversion to Islam

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Follow | Monday, December 07, 2020 Christian devotees attend a Palm Sunday service at the Sacred Heart Cathedral church during the government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Lahore on April 5, 2020. | ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty ImagesA young Christian woman was shot dead in public after she rejected unwanted physical advances, a marriage proposal and invitation to convert to Islam by a Muslim man in Pakistan’s Punjab province.The Muslim man, identified as Muhammad Shehzad, murdered the 24-year-old Christian woman, identified only as Sonia, a resident of Fazaia Colony in Rawalpindi area, on Nov. 11 but the incident was reported only on Sunday by Pakistan’s The Express Tribune newspaper.Sonia was killed in public while she was returning from work at a garment factory.The victim’s family has said the accused had been harassing Sonia for the last six months and had tried to force a physical relationship with her, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern, which said that Sonia refused these advances due to the difference in faith backgrounds.As a “solution,” Shehzad proposed that Sonia should marry him and convert to Islam. Shehzad’s mother also met with Sonia’s family to negotiate an arranged marriage. But the family also refused the marriage. Free CP Newsletters Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special Read the full article

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British Catholic bishops say getting COVID-19 vaccine is not sinful even if from aborted fetus

By Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter Follow | Monday, December 07, 2020 A researcher works on a vaccine against the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Copenhagen's University research lab in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 23, 2020. | AFP via Getty Images/Thibault SavaryCatholic Church leadership in the United Kingdom are encouraging people to receive vaccines developed to combat COVID-19, despite some ethical concerns regarding their creation.The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales released a statement last Thursday regarding the coronavirus vaccine, which was recently approved by British authorities. The Rt. Rev. Richard Moth, chair of the Conference’s Department of Social Justice, acknowledged that there is some debate over “the use of the vaccines developed by Pfizer & BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.”“Some have questioned the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine since it has been developed from cell-lines originating from the cells of an aborted foetus in 1983,” stated Moth.Nevertheless, Moth explained that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Academy of Life have both said that “one may in good conscience and for a grave reason receive a vaccine sourced in this way, provided that there is a sufficient moral distance between the present administration of the vaccine and the original wrongful action.”“In the COVID-19 pandemic, we judge that this grave reason exists and that one does not sin by receiving the vaccine,” continued Moth Read the full article

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Pedophilia: Innocence Lost

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Rape & Murder: Disregard of Life

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Riots & Looting: Loss of Civility

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Election Fraud: Kings of Deceit

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Abortion: Death of Innocence

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Covid-19: A World-wide Pandemic

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Reason Based Faith

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Amber Alerts

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This Thanksgiving, Come to the Table

My dish sits on the table in front of me, piled high with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and glazed carrots: the flavors of home. To my left and right are my siblings and in-laws, nephew and nieces passing gravy and commenting on the green beans. This family of mine—pieced together and added to through marriage and friendship—rings with the melody of home and belonging.  The dinner table has become a place of great significance for me. There is something profound about bringing a family member, whether sister or second cousin, through the door and simply telling them to have a seat and be fed. At a rich dinner table, where food and joy abound, where everyone comes as they are and enjoys their own seat, we see a fractal of a more profound feast. The best aspects of the Thanksgiving table remind us of the communion and celebration we share at the Lord’s Table.  We Come As We Are At the dinner table of my childhood home, I experienced the freedom that comes with simply sitting, with being loved for who I am and not who I wish I were. At that table, the guises I’m prone to carry come off, and I quench my thirst at the well of acceptance, exchanging food and self in a way that fills my deepest longing. There is no room for pretense or false impressions within my immediate family, nor is there any pressure to earn my place. At the table of my childhood home, I am known deeply and loved fully. Read the full article