Biden says US outreach to Vietnam is about providing global stability, not containing China

By JOSH BOAK and AAMER MADHANI

Updated 6:41 PM PST, September 10, 2023

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday his visit to Vietnam to showcase stronger ties with Hanoi was not about trying to start a “cold war” with China, but rather was part of a broader effort to provide global stability by building U.S. relationships throughout Asia at a time of tensions with Beijing.

“It’s not about containing China,” Biden said at a news conference in Vietnam’s capital after attending the Group of 20 summit in India. “It’s about having a stable base.”

The American president came to Hanoi as Vietnam was elevating the United States to its highest diplomatic status, comprehensive strategic partner. That is evidence of how far the relationship has evolved from what Biden referred to as the “bitter past” of the Vietnam War.

The expanded partnership reflects a broader effort across Asia to counter China’s influence. Biden has said Vietnam wants to flex a degree of independence, and U.S. companies are seeking an alternative to imports from Chinese factories. He is pursuing possible allies while also trying to soothe tensions with China.

“I think we think too much in ... cold war terms,” Biden said at his news conference. “It’s not about that. It’s about generating economic growth and stability in all parts of the world. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

He added: “We have an opportunity to strengthen alliances around the world to maintain stability. That’s what this trip is all about.”

Biden opened his news conference by saying he had “traveled around the world in five days,” from Washington to New Delhi and now Hanoi, showcasing efforts by his administration to forge alliances. The president will stop in Alaska on the way home Monday to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

In response to one question, Biden told reporters he had met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang while in India. The contact is the highest-level interaction between U.S. and Chinese officials since Biden and China’s president, Xi Jinping, held talks at last year’s G20 in Indonesia. Xi skipped the India talks and sent Li in his place.

“We talked about stability. ... It wasn’t confrontational at all,” Biden said.

The exchange, between G20 sessions Saturday, was brief, according to a senior Biden administration official. It was not clear who approached whom, but Biden was interested in seeing Li and underscoring his desire to stabilize the up-and-down relationship between the two countries, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Biden went into meetings with Vietnam’s leaders after his arrival in the country. He welcomed the new partnership and said he hoped for progress on climate, the economy and other issues during his 24-hour stop in Hanoi.

“We can trace a 50-year arc of progress between our nations from conflict to normalization to this new elevated status,” Biden said with Nguyễn Phú Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, at party headquarters.

Biden has described himself as being part of the “Vietnam generation” although he did not serve in a war. He was given five draft deferments and was exempted from military service because he had asthma as a teenager.

Biden called Vietnam “a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community.” He noted that veterans such as John Kerry, his climate czar, and the late John McCain, a Vietnam POW and Republican senator from Arizona, found ways to build a relationship with Vietnam after the war.

“Both men saw so clearly, as I and so many others did, how much we had to gain by working together to overcome a bitter past,” he said.

Trong pledged that his country will work hard to implement the agreement. “Only then can we say it is a success,“ he pledged.

Biden described the U.S. and Vietnam as “critical partners at what I would argue is a very critical time.” Neither leader specifically discussed how China’s economic and geopolitical rise had contributed to their countries’ expanded partnership, yet it was hard to explain the mutual embrace without Beijing’s growing influence.

Vietnam previously bestowed the same level of relations on China and Russia. Elevating the U.S. suggests that Vietnam wants to hedge its friendships as U.S. and European companies look for alternatives to Chinese factories.

With China’s economic slowdown and Xi’s consolidation of political power, Biden sees an opportunity to bring more nations, including Vietnam and Cambodia, into America’s orbit.

Biden was welcomed upon his arrival in Vietnam with a pomp-filled ceremony outside the mustard-colored Presidential Palace. Schoolchildren lined the steps and waved American and Vietnam flags. Biden watched from an elevated review stand as high-stepping members of the military marched past.

Biden and Trong both expressed happiness over seeing each other again after last meeting some eight years ago in Washington. Biden was vice president at that time.

Trong had some flattering words for Biden, who is running for reelection next year and faces persistent questions at home about his age.

“You have nary aged a day, and I would say you look even better than before,” Trong said. “I would say every feature of you, Mr. President, is complimenting your image.” Biden chuckled at that.

But the packed schedule and jet lag appeared to take a toll on the 80-year-old president, who wrapped up his news conference saying “I’m going to go to bed.”

Jon Finer, Biden’s principal deputy national security adviser, addressed reports that Vietnam was pursuing a deal to buy weapons from Russia, even as Hanoi is seeking stronger relations with the U.S. Finer acknowledged Vietnam’s lengthy military relationship with Russia. He said the U.S. continues to work with Vietnam and other countries that have similar ties to Russia to try to limit their interactions with Moscow, which Washington accuses of committing war crimes and violating international law with its aggression in Ukraine.

U.S. trade with Vietnam has already accelerated but there are limits to how much further it can grow without improvements to the country’s infrastructure, its workers’ skills and its governance. Nor has increased trade automatically put the Vietnamese economy on an upward trajectory.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that the CEOs she talks with rank Vietnam highly as a place to diversify supply chains that, before the coronavirus pandemic, had been overly dependent on China.

American imports of Vietnamese goods have nearly doubled since 2019 to $127 billion annually, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But it is unlikely that Vietnam, with its population of 100 million, can match the scale of Chinese manufacturing. In 2022, China, with 1.4 billion people, exported four times as many goods to the U.S. as did Vietnam.

—-

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-vietnam-status-china-trade-ac8f9dd899f77910c42295769d3fedb6

Info Brock Law

Wed, Dec 31, 2025, 8:01 AM (9 days ago)

to me

Good Morning,

Mr. Dunn, I am in RECEIPT of your email regarding your upcoming hearing. You are scheduled to appear before the Third Judicial District Court in Yerington on Monday, January 5, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The Courthouse is located at 911 Harvey Way, Yerington, Nevada. We ask that you be at the Courthouse by 8:15 a.m. Mr. Brock will meet you upstairs, you are welcome to take a wait on the bench outside of the Public Defender offices.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you!

-Cristal

Subject:

Rusty

"Joe Robinson" phoxbek@bektel.com "Susan & Rusty Dunn" kifa1@attbi.com Tuesday, June 24, 2003 8:00 PM Re: good drink

I guess we'll have to send you a bottle and see if you like it first, or you can always drive up here and try it in person. :)

Joe wrote up the receipt for Red Eye, but not for Apple Pie.

But first: The 118 if your buying $50.00, if your selling $125.00

RED EYE:

3 cups sugar

Heat sugar in pan until melted (do not allow to burn)

Add 3 cups water, stir until water and sugar mix.

DO THIS PART CAREFULLY

Add 11 more cups water, stir and let cool down. This mix will look like tea. When cool add the juice from a jar of Cherries and 1 bottle of 190.

Bottle

up and let set 5 days to cure.

If any questions, just call, maybe then he'll give you the RECEIPT for Apple Pie. hehehehe

Sharon

To: phoxbek@bektel.com

Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 12:32 PM Subject: good drink

Joe

Could you please e-mail me the way to make RED EYE, also what you think a cr. 118 .22 repeater is worth.

thanks

Rusty

6/24/2003

Info Brock Law <info@brocklawnevada.com>

Attachments

Mon, Oct 20, 2025, 12:40 PM

to me

Good Morning,

Mr. Dunn, we hope this email finds you well.

This email serves to inform you that your case has been transferred to the Fernley Justice Court and you are scheduled to appear on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.

Can you confirm that you have received this email?

Kind Regards,

Brock Law, LTD.

phone: (775)993-9683

email: info@brocklawnevada.com

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 222

Winnemucca, Nevada 89446

NOTICE: This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by anyone other than the recipient is strictly prohibited by the electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete and destroy all copies of the original message.

When enough Papists that support Robert FRANCIS Prevost Pope Leo XIV are arrested charged and convicted then Robert Prevost retires by 2027-2028 for Cardinal Louis Sako from Baghdad to be elected Pope at the Roman Vatican, of course, this has nothing to do with my case despite being named FRANCIS, you need to repent for being intellectually dishonest, this isn't an opinion this is the truth, both Kale Brock and Samuel Figueroa, you are smarter than what you have been portraying and neither of you give your clients a fair voice despite what you advertise and have cause painful emotional torment in people that did not deserve your treatment, you did abuse the law now repent for the kingdom is at hand!

Keep your jobs stop abusing clients saying you give them a fair voice when you don't when Philip IV wasn't Fair in French History either

William FRANCIS Dunn IV

2031 Lonnie Lane Dayton Nevada 89403

Social Security Number: 557-73-0018

DOB: November 12 1980

red birthmark right wrist

As per numerology, 666 when added comes to 9, a tricky number that stands for greediness, and natural disasters. But 9 (6+6+6+18=1+8=9 is also the number of Mars (Mangal) which means extra energy which can either make or break. It is impulsive, restless, stubborn and inflexible,' adds Jumaani.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-times/666-the-devil-or-cupid/articleshow/1621141.cms#

Revelation 13:18

New International Version

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number"

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2013

ROME Survey Page Social Security Administration

https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/lp/landing-page-rome.html

Negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow there from, but this inequality is not of man's origin.

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie

Timeline: Ban on Blacks for Priesthood and Temple Ordinances

https://www.ldsdiscussions.com/bantimeline

On June 15, Giffords was released from the hospital to return home, where she continued speech, music, physical and occupational therapy.[90] Having learned the French horn as a child, she picked it up again as part of her music therapy, an experience she described in a speech endorsing JOE Biden's presidential bid at the 2020 Democratic presidential convention.[91]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabby_Giffords

Biden was scheduled to travel to Rome on Thursday, where the White House said earlier in the day that he’d meet with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Biden also had been set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday in Rome for what was likely to be their final meeting of Biden’s presidency.

During the trip, Biden had planned “to discuss efforts to advance peace around the world, including Pope Francis’ work to alleviate suffering for vulnerable communities,” national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters during a virtual gaggle Wednesday previewing the travel.

And in his meeting with Italy’s leaders, he was expected to “highlight the close and enduring bilateral relationship,” Kirby said, while thanking Meloni for her leadership as president of the G7 and highlighting a new agreement that will see the G7 disburse $50 billion in loans to Ukraine.

The first lady was expected to travel with the president and meet with World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain around a new announcement surging humanitarian assistance to what the White House says will “deal with many of the worst crises facing the world.”

It’s not the first time domestic issues have forced the president to upend foreign travel. In October, Biden postponed a scheduled trip to Germany and Angola as Hurricane Milton made landfall.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/08/politics/biden-cancels-rome-italy-trip-wildfires-california

The St. Joseph's Cathedral[1] (Arabic: كاتدرائية القديس يوسف) or Latin Cathedral of St. Joseph[2] or Church of the Latins (Arabic: كنيسة اللاتين) or Church of the Virgin Lady (Arabic: كنيسة السيدة العذراء),[3] is a Catholic cathedral located on al-Jumhuriya Street in Baghdad,[4][5] the capital of Iraq.

Because it is in the jurisdiction of the Latin Church, it is sometimes called the Latin Cathedral of St. Joseph in order to distinguish it from the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph dedicated to the same saint but belonging to the Chaldean Catholic Church (also in communion with the Holy See). St. Joseph's functions as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baghdad (Bagdathensis Latinorum) which was established in 1643 as a diocese and elevated to its present status in 1848.

The Cathedral's churchyard also contains the tomb of Anastase-Marie al-Karmali (1866–1947), Iraqi Catholic priest and Discalced Carmelite friar, as well as lexicologist, lexicographer, and philologist of the Arabic language.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Cathedral_of_St._Joseph

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

A papal renunciation (Latin: renuntiatio), also called a papal abdication, occurs when the current pope of the Catholic Church voluntarily resigns his position.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_renunciation

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

RAPHAEL Gamaliel Warnock[1] (/ˈrɑːfiɛl ˈwɔːrnɒk/ RAH-fee-el WOR-nok; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptist pastor serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.[2][3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Warnock

Sako Limited (natively Sako Oy)[1] is a Finnish firearm and ammunition manufacturer located in Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme in southern Finland. It also has owned the Tikka brand of bolt-action rifles since 1983, and is now owned by the Italian firearm holding company Beretta Holding. The name Sako comes from the company's former name Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Oy (lit. 'Civil Guard Gun and Machining Works Ltd').

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAKO

The Phoenix Program (Vietnamese: Chiến dịch Phụng Hoàng) was designed and initially coordinated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Vietnam War, involving the American and South Vietnamese militaries, and a small number of special forces operatives from the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. In 1970, CIA responsibility was phased out, and the program was put under the authority of the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS).[1]

The program, which lasted from 1968 to 1972, was designed to identify and destroy the Viet Cong (VC) via infiltration, assassination, torture, capture, counter-terrorism, and interrogation.[2][3][4][5] The CIA described it as "a set of programs that sought to attack and destroy the political infrastructure of the Viet Cong."[6] The Phoenix Program was premised on the idea that North Vietnamese infiltration had required local support within noncombat civilian populations, which were referred to as the "VC infrastructure" and "political branch" that had purportedly coordinated the insurgency.[7]

Throughout the program, Phoenix "neutralized" 81,740 people suspected of VC membership, of whom 26,369 were killed, and the rest surrendered or were captured. Of those killed 87% were attributed to conventional military operations by South Vietnamese and American forces, while the remaining 13% were attributed to Phoenix Program operatives.[8]: 17–21

The Phoenix Program was heavily criticized on various grounds, including the number of neutral civilians killed, the nature of the program (which critics have labelled as a "civilian assassination program,"[7]) the use of torture and other coercive methods, and the program being exploited for personal politics. Nevertheless, the program was very successful at suppressing VC political and revolutionary activities.[7] Public disclosure of the program led to significant criticism, including hearings by the US Congress, and the CIA was pressured into shutting it down. A similar program, Plan F-6, continued under the government of South Vietnam.

Background

See also: Viet Cong

Shortly after the 1954 Geneva Conference and the adoption of the Geneva Accords, the government of North Vietnam organized a force of several thousand to mobilize support for the communists in the upcoming elections.[8] When it became clear that the elections would not take place, these forces became the seeds of what would eventually become the Viet Cong, a North Vietnamese insurgency whose goal was unification of Vietnam under the control of the North.[9][10]

While counterinsurgency efforts had been ongoing since the first days of US military involvement in Vietnam, they had been unsuccessful with dealing with either the armed VC or the VC's civilian infrastructure (VCI)[11] which swelled to between 80,000 and 150,000 members by the mid 1960's.[12] The VCI, unlike the armed component of the VC, was tasked with support activities including recruiting, political indoctrination, psychological operations, intelligence collection, and logistical support.[9][13] The VCI rapidly set up shadow governments in rural South Vietnam by replacing local leadership in small rural hamlets loyal to the Saigon government with communist cadres.[12][13] The VCI chose small rural villages because they lacked close supervision of the Saigon government or the South Vietnamese Army[14]

VCI tactics for establishing local communist control began by identifying towns and villages with strategic importance to either the VC or North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam and local populations with communist sympathies with the Hanoi government putting a great deal of emphasis on the activities and success of the VCI.[14] After a community was identified, the VCI would threaten local leadership with reprisals if they refused to cooperate or kidnap local leaders and send them to reeducation camps in North Vietnam. Local leaders who continued to refuse to cooperate or threatened to contact the Saigon government were murdered along with their families.[14] After VCI agents took control of an area it would be used to quarter and resupply VC guerrillas, supplying intelligence on US and South Vietnamese military movements, providing taxes to VCI cadres, and conscripting locals into the VC.[12]

History

By April 1965, the CIA Counter-Terror Program supported 140 teams of between three and 12 men each. Aimed exclusively at the VCI, the teams claimed a kill ratio in excess of eight to one.[15]

On 9 May 1967 all pacification efforts by the United States came under the authority of the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS). In June 1967, as part of CORDS, the Intelligence Coordination and Exploitation Program (ICEX) was created, from a plan drafted by Nelson Brickham.[16] The purpose of the organization centered on gathering and coordinating information on the VC.[16] In December 1967 the South Vietnamese Prime Minister signed a decree establishing Phụng Hoàng, (named after a mythical bird) to coordinate the numerous South Vietnamese entities involved in the anti-VCI campaign.[17]: 58 The 1968 Tet Offensive demonstrated the importance of the VCI.[17]: 50 In July 1968 South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu signed a decree implementing Phụng Hoàng.[17]: 56

The major two components of the program were Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRUs) and regional interrogation centers. PRUs would kill or capture suspected VC members, as well as civilians who were thought to have information on VC activities. Many of these people were taken to interrogation centers and were tortured in an attempt to gain intelligence on VC activities in the area.[18] The information extracted at the centers was given to military commanders, who would use it to task the PRU with further capture and assassination missions.[18] The program's effectiveness was measured in the number of VC members who were "neutralized",[19] a euphemism[20][21] meaning imprisoned, persuaded to defect, or killed.[22][23][24]

The interrogation centers and PRUs were originally developed by the CIA's Saigon station chief Peer de Silva. DeSilva was a proponent of a military strategy known as counter-terrorism, which encompasses military tactics and techniques that government, military, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies use to combat or prevent terrorist activities, and that it should be applied strategically to "enemy civilians" in order to reduce civilian support for the VC. The PRUs were designed with this in mind, and began targeting suspected VC members in 1964.[18] Originally, the PRUs were known as "Counter Terror" teams, but they were renamed to "Provincial Reconnaissance Units" after CIA officials "became wary of the adverse publicity surrounding the use of the word 'terror'".[25]

Officially, Phoenix operations continued until December 1972, although certain aspects continued until the fall of Saigon in 1975.[26]

Agencies and individuals involved in the program

Central Intelligence Agency

United States special operations forces

U.S. Army intelligence collection units from the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV—the joint-service command that provided command and control for all U.S. advisory and assistance efforts in Vietnam)

US Navy SEAL Detachment Bravo

USMC, 1st Force Reconnaissance Company stationed near Da Nang

Special forces operatives from the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV)[27]

Republic of Vietnam National Police Field Force

Operations

The chief aspect of the Phoenix Program was the collection of intelligence information. VC members would then be captured, converted, or killed. Emphasis for the enforcement of the operation was placed on local government militia and police forces, rather than the military, as the main operational arm of the program.[28] According to journalist Douglas Valentine, "Central to Phoenix is the fact that it targeted civilians, not soldiers".[29]

The Phoenix Program took place under special laws that allowed the arrest and prosecution of suspected communists. To avoid abuses such as phony accusations for personal reasons, or to rein in overzealous officials who might not be diligent enough in pursuing evidence before making arrests, the laws required three separate sources of evidence to convict an individual targeted for neutralization. If a suspected VC member was found guilty, they could be held in prison for two years, with renewable two-year sentences totaling up to six years.[28] According to MACV Directive 381-41, the intent of Phoenix was to attack the VC with a "rifle shot rather than a shotgun approach to target key political leaders, command/control elements and activists in the VCI [Viet Cong Infrastructure]." The VCI was known by the communists as the Revolutionary Infrastructure.[30]

Heavy-handed operations—such as random cordons and searches, large-scale and lengthy detentions of innocent civilians, and excessive use of firepower—had a negative effect on the civilian population. Intelligence derived from interrogations was often used to carry out "search and destroy" missions aimed at finding and killing VC members.[31]

87% of those killed during the Phoenix Program were killed in conventional military operations.[32] Many of those killed were only identified as members of the VCI following military engagements, which were often started by the VC. Between January 1970 and March 1971, 94% of those killed as a result of the program were killed during military operations (9,827 out of 10,443 VCI killed).[1]

Torture

According to Valentine, methods of torture that were utilized at the interrogation centers included:

Rape, gang rape, rape using eels, snakes, or hard objects, and rape followed by murder; electrical shock ("the Bell Telephone Hour") rendered by attaching wires to the genitals or other sensitive parts of the body, like the tongue; "the water treatment"; "the airplane," in which a prisoner's arms were tied behind the back and the rope looped over a hook on the ceiling, suspending the prisoner in midair, after which he or she was beaten; beatings with rubber hoses and whips; and the use of police dogs to maul prisoners.[33]

Military intelligence officer K. Barton Osborn reports that he witnessed "the use of the insertion of the 6-inch dowel into the canal of one of my detainee's ears, and the tapping through the brain until dead. The starvation to death (in a cage), of a Vietnamese woman who was suspected of being part of the local political education cadre in one of the local villages ... The use of electronic gear such as sealed telephones attached to ... both the women's vaginas and men's testicles [to] shock them into submission."[34]

Author Gary Kulik has said that Osborn made exaggerated, contradictory and false statements and that his colleagues said that he liked making "fantastic statements" and that he "frequently made exaggerated remarks in order to attract attention to himself."[35]: 134–138 Osborn served with the United States Marine Corps in I Corps in 1967–1968 before the Phoenix Program was implemented.[36] Torture was carried out by South Vietnamese forces with the CIA and special forces playing a supervisory role.[37]

Targeted killings

Phoenix operations often aimed to assassinate targets or kill them through other means. PRU units often anticipated resistance in disputed areas, and often operated on a shoot-first basis.[38] Lieutenant Vincent Okamoto, an intelligence-liaison officer for the Phoenix Program for two months in 1968 and a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross said the following:[39]

The problem was, how do you find the people on the blacklist? It's not like you had their address and telephone number. The normal procedure would be to go into a village and just grab someone and say, "Where's Nguyen so-and-so?" Half the time the people were so afraid they would not say anything. Then a Phoenix team would take the informant, put a sandbag over his head, poke out two holes so he could see, put commo wire around his neck like a long leash, and walk him through the village and say, "When we go by Nguyen's house scratch your head." Then that night Phoenix would come back, knock on the door, and say, "April Fool, motherfucker." Whoever answered the door would get wasted. As far as they were concerned whoever answered was a Communist, including family members. Sometimes they'd come back to camp with ears to prove that they killed people.

William Colby denied that the program was an assassination program stating: "To call it a program of murder is nonsense ... They were of more value to us alive than dead, and therefore, the object was to get them alive." His instructions to field officers stated "Our training emphasizes the desirability of obtaining these target individuals alive and of using intelligent and lawful methods of interrogation to obtain the truth of what they know about other aspects of the VCI ... [U.S. personnel] are specifically not authorized to engage in assassinations or other violations of the rules of land warfare."[40][26][41][42]

Strategic and operational effect

Between 1968 and 1972, Phoenix officially "neutralized" (meaning imprisoned, persuaded to defect, or killed) 81,740 people suspected of VC membership, of whom 26,369 were killed, while Seymour Hersh wrote that South Vietnamese official statistics estimated that 41,000 were killed.[43] A significant number of VC were killed, and between 1969 and 1971, the program was quite successful in destroying VC infrastructure in many important areas. 87 percent of those killed in the program were attributed to conventional military operations by South Vietnamese and American forces; the remainder were killed by Phoenix Program operatives.[28]: 17–21

By 1970, communist plans repeatedly emphasized attacking the government's pacification program and specifically targeted Phoenix officials. The VC imposed assassination quotas. In 1970, for example, communist officials near Da Nang in northern South Vietnam instructed their assassins to "kill 1,400 persons" deemed to be government "tyrant[s]" and to "annihilate" anyone involved with the pacification program.[28]: 20–21

Several North Vietnamese officials have made statements about the effectiveness of Phoenix.[28] According to William Colby, "in the years since 1975, I have heard several references to North and South Vietnamese communists who state that, in their mind, the toughest period that they faced from 1960 to 1975 was the period from 1968 to '72 when the Phoenix Program was at work."[44] The CIA said that through Phoenix they were able to learn the identity and structure of the VCI in every province.[45]

According to Stuart A. Herrington: "Regardless of how effective the Phoenix Program was or wasn't, area by area, the communists thought it was very effective. They saw it as a significant threat to the viability of the revolution because, to the extent that you could ... carve out the shadow government, their means of control over the civilian population was dealt a death blow. And that's why, when the war was over, the North Vietnamese reserved "special treatment" for those who had worked in the Phoenix Program. They considered it a mortal threat to the revolution."[46]

Public response and legal proceedings

The Phoenix Program was not generally known during most of the time it was operational to either the American public or American officials in Washington.[47] In 1970, author Frances FitzGerald made several arguments to then-U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger against the program, which she alludes to in Fire in the Lake.[48] One of the first people to criticize Phoenix publicly was Ed Murphy, a peace activist and former military intelligence soldier, in 1970.[49][50]

There was eventually a series of U.S. Congressional hearings. In 1971, in the final day of hearing on "U.S. Assistance Programs in Vietnam", Osborn described the Phoenix Program as a "sterile depersonalized murder program."[49] Consequently, the military command in Vietnam issued a directive that reiterated that it had based the anti-VCI campaign on South Vietnamese law, that the program was in compliance with the laws of land warfare, and that U.S. personnel had the responsibility to report breaches of the law.[50][51]

Former CIA analyst Samuel A. Adams,[52] in an interview with CBC News, talked about the program as basically an assassination program that also included torture. They would also kill people by throwing them out of helicopters to threaten and intimidate those they wanted to interrogate.[53] While acknowledging that "No one can prove the null hypothesis that no prisoner was ever thrown from a helicopter," Gary Kulik states that "no such story has ever been corroborated" and that the noise inside a helicopter would make conducting an interrogation impossible.[35]: 138

According to Nick Turse, abuses were common.[54][55] In many instances, rival Vietnamese would report their enemies as "VC" in order to get U.S. troops to kill them.[56] In many cases, Phung Hoang chiefs were incompetent bureaucrats who used their positions to enrich themselves. Phoenix tried to address this problem by establishing monthly neutralization quotas, but these often led to fabrications or, worse, false arrests. In some cases, district officials accepted bribes from the VC to release certain suspects.[28]

After Phoenix Program abuses began receiving negative publicity, the program was officially shut down, although it continued under the name Plan F-6[57][58][59][60][61] with the government of South Vietnam in control.[60][59][b]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Program

Foxes are mentioned in several Bible verses, often symbolizing cunningness and distraction, with notable references in the context of spiritual vigilance.

Key Verses

Luke 13:32: “He replied, ‘Go tell that fox, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day, I will reach my goal.’”

This verse highlights Jesus' use of the term "fox" to describe Herod, indicating cunning and deceitful behavior.

Matthew 8:20: “Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’”

Here, Jesus contrasts the security of animals with His own lack of earthly comfort, emphasizing His mission and the sacrifices involved.

Song of Solomon 2:15: “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”

This verse uses foxes as a metaphor for distractions or small issues that can spoil the beauty and productivity of life, urging vigilance against such threats.

Nehemiah 4:3: “Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, ‘What they are building—if a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall!’”

This illustrates the derision faced by the builders of Jerusalem's wall, using the fox as a symbol of weakness.

Significance

Foxes in the Bible often represent cunningness, distraction, and the need for vigilance in spiritual matters. They serve as reminders to be aware of the subtle influences that can lead us away from our faith and purpose. The verses encourage believers to remain steadfast and discerning in their spiritual journey, guarding against distractions that may spoil their spiritual "vineyards."

For further exploration of these themes, you can refer to comprehensive resources that delve into the symbolism and context of foxes in biblical literature.

Generative AI is experimental

Subject:

Rusty

"Joe Robinson" phoxbek@bektel.com "Susan & Rusty Dunn" kifa1@attbi.com Tuesday, June 24, 2003 8:00 PM Re: good drink

I guess we'll have to send you a bottle and see if you like it first, or you can always drive up here and try it in person. :)

Joe wrote up the receipt for Red Eye, but not for Apple Pie.

But first: The 118 if your buying $50.00, if your selling $125.00

RED EYE:

3 cups sugar

Heat sugar in pan until melted (do not allow to burn)

Add 3 cups water, stir until water and sugar mix.

DO THIS PART CAREFULLY

Add 11 more cups water, stir and let cool down. This mix will look like tea. When cool add the juice from a jar of Cherries and 1 bottle of 190.

Bottle

up and let set 5 days to cure.

If any questions, just call, maybe then he'll give you the receipt for Apple Pie. hehehehe

Sharon

To: phoxbek@bektel.comSent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 12:32 PM Subject: good drink

Joe

Could you please e-mail me the way to make RED EYE, also what you think a cr. 118 .22 repeater is worth.

thanks

Rusty

6/24/2003

Revelation 17:3-6

1599 Geneva Bible

3 [a]So he carried me away into the wilderness in the Spirit, and I saw a woman sit upon a [b]scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, which had seven heads, and ten horns.

4 And [c]the woman was arrayed [d]in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, [e]and had a cup of gold in her hand full of abomination, and filthiness of her fornication.

5 [f]And in her forehead was a name written, A mystery, [g]that great Babylon that mother of whoredoms, and abominations of the earth.

6 [h]And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of Saints, and with the blood of the Martyrs of JESUS: and when I saw her, [i]I wondered with great marvel.

Footnotes

Revelation 17:3 Henceforth is propounded the type of Babylon, and the state thereof in 4 verses. After a declaration of the type, in the rest of this chap., in the type are described two things, the beast (of whom chap. 13), in verse 3, and the woman that sitteth upon the beast, verses 4, 5, 6. The beast in process of time hath gotten somewhat more than was expressed in the former vision. First in that it is not read before that he was appareled in scarlet, a robe imperial and of triumph. Secondly, in that this is full of names of blasphemy: the other carried the name of blasphemy only in his head. So God did teach that this beast is much increased in impiety and injustice and doth in this last age, triumph in both these more insolently and proudly than ever before.

Revelation 17:3 A scarlet color, that is, with a red and purple garment: and surely it was not without cause that the Romish clergy were so much delighted with this color.

Revelation 17:4 That harlot, the spiritual Babylon, which is Rome. She is described by her attire, profession and deeds.

Revelation 17:4 In attire most glorious, triumphant, most rich, and most gorgeous.

Revelation 17:4 In profession, the nourisher of all, in this verse, and teaching her mysteries unto all, verse 5, setting forth all things most magnificently: but indeed most pernicious besotting miserable men with her cup, and bringing upon them a deadly giddiness.

Revelation 17:5 Deceiving with the title of religion, and public inscription of mystery: which the beast in times past did not bear.

Revelation 17:5 An exposition: in which S. John declareth what manner of woman this is.

Revelation 17:6 In manner of deeds: She is red with blood, and sheddeth it most licentiously, and therefore is colored with the blood of the Saints, as on the contrary part. Christ is set forth imbrued with the blood of his enemies; Isa. 3:1.

Revelation 17:6 A passage unto the second part of this chapter, by occasion given of S. John, as the words of the Angel do show, in the next verse.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2017%3A3-6&version=GNV

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

A papal renunciation (Latin: renuntiatio), also called a papal abdication, occurs when the current pope of the Catholic Church voluntarily resigns his position. As a pope conventionally holds the office for life, a papal renunciation is an uncommon event. Before the 21st century, only five popes unambiguously resigned with historical certainty, all between the 10th and 15th centuries. There are disputed claims of four popes having resigned, dating from the 3rd to the 11th centuries; a fifth disputed case may have involved an antipope.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_renunciation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND was a small, formidable elite black ops unit of the United States Army that was established by the "Legendary Soldier" Big Boss.

Although its function changed over the years, FOXHOUND specialized in covert, solo infiltration, to cope with local revolutions, regional complications, and global terrorist activities in "unauthorized" combat zones too politically sensitive to intervene through conventional means. Its agents were also trained to complete various missions that were assigned in secret, to the extent that they were considered the modern versions of the ninja. All its members were battlefield hardened veterans, with many coming from a mercenary background.

Because of its status as an advanced special forces unit, members of FOXHOUND received training regarding a variety of operational skills, including guerilla warfare tactics, methods of tactical insertion and extraction, surveillance and reconnaissance, sabotage, martial arts, wilderness survival in harsh environments, foreign language, and hi-tech military equipment. It was officially disbanded by the U.S. Government after 2005.

https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/FOXHOUND

Baldwin IV (1161–1185), known as the Leper King, was the king of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death in 1185. Baldwin ascended to the throne when he was thirteen despite having leprosy. He launched several attempts to curb the increasing power of the Egyptian ruler Saladin, though much of his life was marked by infighting amongst the kingdom's nobles. Throughout his reign, and especially at the end of his life, he was troubled by his succession, working to select a suitable heir and prevent a succession crisis. Choosing competent advisers, Baldwin ruled a thriving crusader state, protecting it from Saladin.

Baldwin's parents, King Amalric and Agnes of Courtenay, separated when Baldwin was two. At nine years old, he was sent to be educated by Archbishop William of Tyre. William noticed preliminary symptoms of leprosy, but Baldwin was only diagnosed after he succeeded his father as king. Thereafter, his hands and face became increasingly disfigured. He mastered horse riding despite gradually losing sensation in his extremities and fought in battles until his last years. First, Miles of Plancy ruled the kingdom in Baldwin's name, then Count Raymond III of Tripoli took over until the king reached the age of majority in 1176. Baldwin's mother then returned to court, and he became closer to her and her brother, Joscelin.

As soon as he assumed government, Baldwin planned an invasion of Egypt, which fell through because of his vassals' uncooperativeness. Leprosy prevented Baldwin from marrying; he hoped to abdicate when his older sister, Sibylla, married William of Montferrat in 1176, but William died the next year. Saladin attacked Baldwin's kingdom in 1177, but the king and the nobleman Raynald of Châtillon repelled him at Montgisard, earning Baldwin fame. In 1180, to forestall a coup by Count Raymond III of Tripoli and Prince Bohemond III of Antioch, Baldwin had Sibylla marry Guy of Lusignan. However, Guy was opposed by a large fraction of the nobility, and soon permanently impaired his relationship with Baldwin through his insubordination. Although Baldwin wished to abdicate, the internal discord that followed forced him to remain on the throne, as only he was capable of uniting the quarreling nobility.

Baldwin again repelled Saladin in 1182 at the Battle of Le Forbelet, but leprosy rendered him near-incapable in 1183. After Guy's failure to lead, Baldwin disinherited him and had Sibylla's son, Baldwin V, crowned co-king before travelling in a litter to lift Saladin's Siege of Kerak. Because of their refusal to attend court, Baldwin failed to have Sibylla's marriage to Guy annulled and Guy's fief of Ascalon confiscated. In early 1185, he arranged for Raymond to rule as regent for Sibylla's son, dying of a fever before 16 May 1185. Two years after his death, his realm was destroyed by Saladin at the Battle of Hattin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_IV_of_Jerusalem

Has a Mormon President ever retired?

No, a Mormon president has not retired. Russell M. Nelson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently passed away at the age of 101, but he is not retiring. The next president is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, who is the longest-tenured member of the church's governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Bing

Charlie Kirk says gun deaths are 'worth it' to protect our rights in resurfaced 2023 clip

The Independent

Sep 12, 2025

Resurfaced footage shows conservative activist #CharlieKirk saying, “It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.”

Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university campus in Utah on Wednesday (September 10), made the remarks at a Turning Point USA event in Salt Lake City in April 2023.

Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMzr5cDKza0

The friendliness of the Mormons towards Catholics is attributed to their appreciation that their settlement in the great Salt Lake Valley is due to having been directed to it by Fr. Pierre Jean de Smet, the great Jesuit missionary and explorer, who met and was entertained by Brigham Young in Council Bluffs, while the Mormons were on their trek West. Writing to his nephew, Fr. de Smet said: "They asked me a thousand questions about the regions I had explored, and the valley I have just described to you, pleased them greatly from the account I gave of it. Was that what determined them to settle there? I would not dare affirm it. They are there!"

https://web.archive.org/web/20151020074727/http://www.catholictradition.org:80/Tradition/goldstein70.htm

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints

416 Finally, those means that are proposed by our holy father Saint Ignatius in Part X of the Constitutions for the preservation and development not only of the body or exterior of the Society but also of its spirit, and for the attainment of the objective it seeks, which is to aid souls to reach their ultimate and supernatural end, [10] are to be observed eagerly and diligently by all, with a truly personal sense of responsibility for its increase and development, for the praise and service of our God and Lord Jesus Christ, and the help of souls.[11]

L. D. S. "

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

The Mountain Meadows Massacre (September 7–11, 1857) was a series of attacks during the Utah War that resulted in the mass murder of at least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train.[1][a] The massacre occurred in the southern Utah Territory at Mountain Meadows, and was perpetrated by settlers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) involved with the Utah Territorial Militia (officially called the Nauvoo Legion) who recruited and were aided by some Southern Paiute Native Americans.[2] The wagon train, made up mostly of families from Arkansas, was bound for California, traveling on the Old Spanish Trail that passed through the Territory.

After arriving in Salt Lake City, the Baker–Fancher party made their way south along the Mormon Road, eventually stopping to rest at Mountain Meadows. As the party was traveling west there were rumors about the party's behavior towards Mormon settlers and war hysteria towards outsiders was rampant as a result of a military expedition dispatched by President Buchanan, and Territorial Governor Brigham Young's declaration of martial law in response.[3][4][5] While the emigrants were camped at the meadow, local militia leaders, including Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee, made plans to attack the wagon train. The leaders of the militia, wanting to give the impression of tribal hostilities, persuaded Southern Paiutes to join with a larger party of militiamen disguised as Native Americans in an attack. During the militia's first assault on the wagon train, the emigrants fought back, and a five-day siege ensued. Eventually, fear spread among the militia's leaders that some emigrants had caught sight of the white men, likely discerning the actual identity of a majority of the attackers. As a result, militia commander William H. Dame ordered his forces to kill the emigrants. By this time, the emigrants were running low on water and provisions, and allowed some members of the militia – who approached under a white flag – to enter their camp. The militia members assured the emigrants they were protected, and after handing over their weapons, the emigrants were escorted away from their defensive position. After walking a distance from the camp, the militiamen, with the help of auxiliary forces hiding nearby, attacked the emigrants. The perpetrators killed all the adults and older children in the group, in the end sparing only seventeen young children under the age of seven.[a]

Following the massacre, the perpetrators buried some of the remains but ultimately left most of the bodies exposed to wild animals and the climate. Local families took in the surviving children, with many of the victims' possessions and remaining livestock being auctioned off. Investigations, which were interrupted by the American Civil War, resulted in nine indictments in 1874. Of the men who were indicted, only John D. Lee was tried in a court of law. After two trials in the Utah Territory, Lee was convicted by a jury, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad on March 23, 1877.

Historians attribute the massacre to a combination of factors, including war hysteria about a possible invasion of Mormon territory and Mormon teachings against outsiders, which were part of the Mormon Reformation period. Scholars debate whether senior leadership in Mormonism, including Brigham Young, directly instigated the massacre or if responsibility for it lay only with the local leaders in southern Utah.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Meadows_Massacre

Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.”

That is the law of God as laid down in the beginning; that if a man shall shed blood, by man shall his blood be shed. Why? Because the blood is the life of the flesh, and is the only atonement a man can make for killing another. A murderer, by the shedding of his blood, may make some atonement for his sin; but he cannot come forth and inherit an exaltation in eternal life, he must be content with a less degree of glory. Still, as Brother Brigham taught, there is a chance for some men who have committed this great transgression if their blood be shed, and there are others who, even if they were willing to have their blood shed, could not obtain forgiveness for their transgressions. You can read about this in the revelation on celestial marriage. (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. cxxxii,par. 26-7.) They are those who have not only been baptized into the Church of Christ, received the power of the Holy Spirit and been enlightened from on high, but have been in the most sacred places on the earth, ordained of God by His holy law, and have made special covenants in relation to that and other sins; they have been specially enlightened ; they have gone from step to step, from grace to grace, from knowledge to knowledge, and have had keys of power placed in their hands whereby, if they are faithful, they may climb to the highest pinnacle of honor and glory in the presence of our Heavenly Father, and then they turn round and commit this great transgression, the shedding of innocent blood. For them there is no forgiveness. They will be banished from the presence of God; they cannot inherit the glory which was sealed upon them, however repentant they may be; they cannot come up in the first resurrection and enter into their exaltation; but they must be cast out from the presence of God and have the everlasting penalty pronounced,

“Depart from me ye workers of iniquity.”

They will be banished from the presence of God,, which is spiritual destruction, that spiritual death which is called the “second death.”

But, there are other persons who by making thisitonement may obtain redemption—persons that have not advanced to this degree of knowledge in understanding, and whose sins are not of so* heinous a nature. Because sin is guaged by the light of the individual. The depth of man’s infamy is guaged by the degree of his light and is opportunity. He that knows much is expected to do much. Of him that knows but little, only little is expected. If a man has great light and he sins he is the greater sinner. I have heard people argue that all sin is the result of ignorance. Well, it is just the other way. Sin is rather the result of knowledge ; because a man cannot sin without some light. An idiot cannot sin, because he is responsible. It takes a responsible being to do responsible wrong. The more responsible a man is, the greater wrong he does if he commits transgression.

The greater a man’s light is, the greater is sin. The greater the light, the greater the condemnation for doing wrong. That is based upon the eternal principle of justice. From this, then, it would seem that if a man commits a sin unto death there is no redemption : if not unto death, and he pays the penalty, there is for him a chance of salvation.

This divine law for shedding the blood of a murderer has never been repealed. It is a law given by the Almighty and not abrogated in the Christian faith. It stands on record for all time that a murderer shall have his blood shed. He that commits murder must be slain. “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” I know there are some benevolent and I philanthropic people in these times who think that capital punishment ought to be abolished.

Yet I think the Lord knows better than they. Their law He has ordained will have the best results to mankind in general.

Well, is there any other sin that a man may commit which is worthy of death? I think there is. I will refer you to one in the Book of Leviticus, 20th chapter and 10th verse:

“And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and; the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”

That was the law of God in the days of Moses. It was the law of God previous to the days of Moses, as you will find by reference to the Book of 1 Genesis. It has been a law of God from the beginning. Some people have an idea that Jesus.

Christ did away with that law, and they bring up the case of the woman that had been taken in transgression. The object of the Pharisees in bringing the woman to the Savior was that they might catch Him in some way. You will find by a reading the history of Jesus Christ’s ministry on the earth that it was then as it is to-day—snares are all the time being laid to catch the servants of God. They tried to entrap Him in many ways but He was able to meet them with the wisdom of the Great God ; for the Spirit of God was given to Him without measure. The woman they brought to Him was taken in this great transgression. The Pharisees knew the law -of Moses was that she should be put to death. They inquired what Jesus had to say. He stooped down and thought a little while, then wrote with His finger on the ground and exclaimed, “Let him that is without sin cast the first stone !

”The Pharisees looked at each other and finally they slipped away. Why ? Because that was “an evil and adulterous generation.’’

Those self-righteous hypocrites were guilty of the transgression themselves, and the person to inflict the penalty justly, had to be one who was not guilty; for how could one such sinner rightly inflict the penalty upon another? Jesus Christ’s words smote them to the heart, and they slunk off and left the woman standing there. Did the sinner go free? Did Jesus say the law ought not to be inflicted? No. He asked: “Woman, where are thine accusers ?” They were gone. “Neither do I accuse thee.” It must be remembered that there must be accusers as well as judges. Jesus set a pattern which judges in these times would do well to follow. He did not act as an attorney for the prosecution or as a witness against the accused as well as a judge to pronounce the sentence. “Woman, where are those thine accusers ? * * *

Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” pages 26-27

Blood atonement, as taught by leading elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints : an address delivered in the Twelfth Ward assembly hall, Salt Lake City, October 12, 1884 (archive.org)

https://ia800408.us.archive.org/11/items/bloodatonementas00penr/bloodatonementas00penr.pdf

Charlie Kirk @charliekirk11

Good men must die, but death can't kill their

names.

12:40 PM 2/26/13

https://www.facebook.com/TheBlaze/posts/pfbid0uUDwH1jAkn6nuV5ZTqeTzskY479R4oW5Gjr1ULkUBM5PdWkc3Yt12Cyyqe9y5EUal

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_renunciation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

"Sara" is a song recorded by the American rock band Starship which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 15, 1986. It was sung by Mickey Thomas, of the newly renamed band Starship, from their first album Knee Deep in the Hoopla (1985), and Grace Slick provided the backing vocals.[1]

The recording became one of the best-selling singles of 1986 in North America. It was the band's second number-one hit after the song "We Built This City" hit that mark a few months earlier in 1985. It also became the band's first number-one song on the adult contemporary chart, where it remained for three weeks.[2] Although written by Peter and Ina Wolf, the song was named for Sara (née Kendrick), Thomas's wife at the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_(Starship_song)

Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally (née Bowser; born 26 March 1962) is an English Anglican prelate and former nurse. She has been the bishop of London since 2018, and is the first woman to hold this office. By virtue of her office she is also a Lord Spiritual, one of the 26 Church of England bishops who sit in the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. On 3 October 2025, it was announced that Mullally would become the 106th archbishop of Canterbury in January 2026; she will be the first woman to hold the office.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Mullally

In Hebrew, the word saraph means "burning", and is used seven times throughout the text of the Hebrew Bible as a noun, usually to denote "serpent",[4] twice in the Book of Numbers, once in the Book of Deuteronomy, and four times in the Book of Isaiah.[5][6][7] The reason why the word for "burning" was also used to denote a serpent is not universally agreed upon; it may be due to a certain snake species' fiery colors, or perhaps the burning sensation left by its venomous bite. Regardless, its plural form, seraphim, occurs in both Numbers and Isaiah, but only in Isaiah is it used to denote an angelic being; likewise, these angels are referred to only as the plural seraphim – Isaiah later uses the singular saraph to describe a "fiery flying serpent", in line with the other uses of the term throughout the Tanakh.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraph

Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane.[2] Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albums, and one gold-selling compilation.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Starship

AI Overview

As of September 2025, there has been no 37th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. The most recent assembly was the 36th General Congregation (GC 36), which met in Rome in October 2016.

What is a General Congregation?

A General Congregation (GC) is the highest governing body of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order. A GC can be called for two main reasons:

To elect a new Superior General: This happens when the previous Superior General resigns or dies. In 2016, GC 36 was called after Father Adolfo Nicolás announced his resignation.

To address important matters: A GC can be called by the Superior General to discuss and act on significant issues concerning the order, the Church, and the world.

Key outcomes of the 36th General Congregation (GC 36)

The last General Congregation made two major decisions for the Society of Jesus:

Election of a new Superior General: The delegates elected Father Arturo Sosa Abascal of Venezuela as the 31st Superior General.

Declaration on reconciliation and justice: The assembly released a decree titled "Companions in a Mission of Reconciliation and Justice," which recommitted the order to the service of faith and the promotion of justice, continuing a priority first established at the 32nd General Congregation.

AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

1987 Slammy Awards

The Slammy Awards returned a year later, now honoring the events and individuals involved within the professional wrestling aspect of the World Wrestling Federation. The second edition of the ceremony (referred to in commercials and on-air as the 37th annual Slammy Awards) took place on December 16, 1987, from Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It aired in syndication on December 19, 1987.[11][14][13] The ceremony was hosted by Jesse Ventura and Gene Okerlund.[15] Musical numbers were performed by Vince McMahon (singing the song "Stand Back")[16] and Jimmy Hart (singing "Girls in Cars"), with the entire WWF roster performing "If You Only Knew" as the show's closing number.[16][15]

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.[11][14][13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slammy_Award

Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, Named Next Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada

March 15, 2024 — The Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) announced the appointment of Fr. Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, as the next provincial of the Jesuits of Canada. This appointment is the culmination of a thoughtful, prayerful process of consultation and discernment, marking a significant milestone for the Canadian Province.

https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jeffrey-s-burwell-sj-named-next-provincial-of-the-jesuits-of-canada/

Detroit Spinners - Rubberband Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdiB3cISeBk

Before the discoveries of the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Dagobert's assassination was

regarded as the end of the Merovingian dynasty. At least this is what the Catholic Church wanted the world to believe. In its place in 754 A.D. Rome established the Carolingian dynasty with Pepin II. The name "Carolingian" derives from Charles Martel, grandfather of Charlemagne, the first designated "Holy Roman Emperor." This title, by virtue of the pact with Clovis three centuries before, should have been reserved exclusively for the Merovingians.

The authors of Holy Blood discovered, however, that Dagobert's son (Sigisbert IV) by his second

wife had survived. His sister had rescued him and smuggled him southward to the domain of his mother, the Visigoth princess Giselle de Razes. Arriving in the Lanquedoc (southern France) in 681 A.D., he shortly thereafter inherited his uncle's titles - Duke of Razes and Count of Rhedae.

Sigisbert also adopted the surname "Plant-Ard" (subsequently Plantard), which means "ardently

flowering shoot" of the Merovingian vine. Under this name, and under the titles acquired from his uncle, he perpetuated his lineage. By 886 A.D. one branch of that lineage culminated in a certain Bernard Plantavelu (which name is a derivative of Plant-Ard or Plantard), whose son became the first Duke of Aquitaine.18

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

The Carolingian dynasty (/ˌkærəˈlɪndʒiən/ KARR-ə-LIN-jee-ən;[1] known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD.[2] The dynasty consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary, and becoming the de facto rulers of the Franks as the real powers behind the Merovingian throne. In 751 the Merovingian dynasty which had ruled the Franks was overthrown with the consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy, and Pepin the Short, son of Martel, was crowned King of the Franks. The Carolingian dynasty reached its peak in 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as the first Emperor of the Romans in the West in over three centuries. Nearly every monarch of France from Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious till the penultimate monarch of France Louis Philippe have been his descendants. His death in 814 began an extended period of fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and decline that would eventually lead to the evolution of the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Name

The Carolingian dynasty takes its name from Carolus, the Latinised name of multiple Frankish kings including Charlemagne and Charles Martel.[3] The name originates from a common Germanic word, rendered in Old High German as Karl or Kerl,[4] meaning 'man', 'husband', or 'freeman'.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_dynasty

Pope John Paul II[b] (born Karol Józef Wojtyła;[c] 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third-longest-serving pope in history, after St. Peter and Pius IX.[d]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II

In Revelation 17:3-5 the apostle John describes a vision, which Rev. J. R. Church in Guardians of the Grail believes is fulfilled in the Grail legend. The Whore of Babylon is holding in her hand a golden cup full of blasphemy. Church believes the cup is the blasphemous Holy Grail Another element of the Grail legend is the spear supposed to have pierced the side of Jesus, also known as the Spear of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny. Whoever possesses this spear, so the legend goes, will rule the world. The Merovingians, whose descendants are the Habsburg pretenders to the Austrian throne today, are in possession of the spear. It is on display in the Habsburg museum in Vienna, Austria~ No one, however, knows the location of the Holy Grail. At least no one is telling. Although heretical, this secret society should not be discounted, for it is alive and well today. In fact, in 1956, an Order calling itself the Prieure de Sion, or Priory of Sion, registered itself publicly for the first time with the French government. (Sion is French for Zion.) It is from this Order that the legend of the Holy Grail originated five centuries after Christ's death. Rev. Church remarks of this organization: This mysterious group is presently made up of over 9,000 men, including Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, and Moslems. The members of this secret sect should be considered unfaithful to their respective beliefs, for in reality they are neither Christian nor Catholic, they are neither Jew nor Moslem. Their doctrine sidesteps the basic tenets of those beliefs and replaces them with the teachings of their greatest prophet - whom they believe to be Buddha.2 From this secret order J. R. Church believes will come the Anti-Christ, for he writes, "Their ultimate goal is world government!'

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zCd0nFuvnM4OYWuVW5QUBCpsTfBv5bYx/view?usp=sharing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Cathedral_of_St._Joseph

Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thousands of followers by the time of his death fourteen years later. The religious movement he founded is followed by millions of global adherents and several churches, the largest of which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith

All historians acknowledge the ascendancy of the popes began in 308 A.D., when King Clovis of the Salian or Merovingian Franks (later France), won the decisive battle in the Catholic and Arian religious war, thereby settling the dispute in favor of the Catholics. But the popes' temporal reign officially began in the year 538 A.D. when Roman Emperor Justinian subdued the last of the three kingdoms, or "horns," that opposed the rise of the Papacy."

-page 137

Chapter 19 "Exposed (Again): 1260 Years of World Domination

Codeword Barbelon book 2

by P.D. Stuart

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

A papal renunciation (Latin: renuntiatio), also called a papal abdication, occurs when the current pope of the Catholic Church voluntarily resigns his position.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_renunciation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Warnock

6,000 years ago

The earliest trade of blacksmithing dates back to ancient civilizations, with evidence of metalworking in Mesopotamia and Egypt as early as 6,000 years ago. Blacksmiths created essential tools and weapons, contributing significantly to the development of society. The term "blacksmith" itself refers to the type of metal being worked, with iron being called "black" due to its color after heating. Over time, blacksmiths evolved their techniques and tools, playing a crucial role in trade and economy, especially during the Iron Age when iron became more abundant and stronger than previous metals.

Bing

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_renunciation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_(Starship_song)

Born in Woking, Surrey, Mullally received clinical training in nursing from St Thomas' Hospital. She practised nursing primarily in South London, where she also began her study for ministry in the Church of England. In 1999 she became Chief Nursing Officer and director of patient experience for the English National Health Service. She left these roles in 2004 to pursue full-time ministry. For her service in nursing, Mullally was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005.

Mullally was ordained a priest in 2002 and began her ministry in the diocese of Southwark. She served in various London churches, and in 2012 became a canon of Salisbury Cathedral. In 2015 she was consecrated as bishop of Crediton, a suffragan bishop in the diocese of Exeter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Mullally

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Starship

AI Overview

As of September 2025, there has been no 37th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. The most recent assembly was the 36th General Congregation (GC 36), which met in Rome in October 2016.

What is a General Congregation?

A General Congregation (GC) is the highest governing body of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order. A GC can be called for two main reasons:

To elect a new Superior General: This happens when the previous Superior General resigns or dies. In 2016, GC 36 was called after Father Adolfo Nicolás announced his resignation.

To address important matters: A GC can be called by the Superior General to discuss and act on significant issues concerning the order, the Church, and the world.

Key outcomes of the 36th General Congregation (GC 36)

The last General Congregation made two major decisions for the Society of Jesus:

Election of a new Superior General: The delegates elected Father Arturo Sosa Abascal of Venezuela as the 31st Superior General.

AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

1987 Slammy Awards

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.[11][14][13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slammy_Award

Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, Named Next Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada

https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jeffrey-s-burwell-sj-named-next-provincial-of-the-jesuits-of-canada/

6,000 years ago

The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20 September 1854. The allies had made a surprise landing in Crimea on 14 September. The allied commanders, Maréchal Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud and Lord Raglan, then marched toward the strategically important port city of Sevastopol, 45 km (28 miles) away. Russian commander Prince Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov rushed his available forces to the last natural defensive position before the city, the Alma Heights, south of the Alma River.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alma

The Book of Alma: The Son of Alma (/ˈælmə/),[1] usually referred to as the Book of Alma, is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The title refers to Alma the Younger, a prophet and "chief judge" of the Nephites. Alma is the longest book in the Book of Mormon, consisting of sixty-three chapters[2] and taking up almost one-third of the book's volume.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Alma

In 1798, General Berthier inflicted a deadly wound upon the papacy when he took the pope captive.

2. In what year was the papacy predicted to lose its world influence and power?

“He was given authority to continue for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5).

Answer: The Bible predicted that the papacy would lose its world influence and power at the end of the 42 months. This prophecy was fulfilled in 1798, when Napoleon’s General Berthier took the pope captive and the papal power received its deadly wound.

(For the full details, see Study Guide 15.)

The beast of Revelation 13:11-18 symbolizes America.

3. Which nation was predicted to arise around the time the papacy was receiving its deadly wound?

“I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon” (Revelation 13:11).

Prophecy predicted that America would arise from a sparsely settled area.

Answer: The papal captivity mentioned in verse 10 took place in 1798, and the new power (verse 11) was seen emerging at that time. The United States declared its independence in 1776, voted the Constitution in 1787, adopted the Bill of Rights in 1791, and was clearly recognized as a world power by 1798. The timing obviously fits America. No other power could possibly qualify.

4. What is the significance of the beast “coming up out of the earth”?

Answer

Answer: This nation arises "out of the earth" instead of out of the water as did the other nations mentioned in Daniel and Revelation. We know from Revelation that water symbolizes areas of the world that have a large population. "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Revelation 17:15. Therefore, the earth represents the opposite. It means that this new nation would arise in an area of the world that had been virtually unpopulated before the late 1700s. It could not arise among the crowded and struggling nations of the Old World. It had to come up in a sparsely populated continent.

5. What is symbolized by its two lamb-like horns and absence of crowns?

Answer

Answer: Horns represent kings and kingdoms or governments (Daniel 7:24; 8:21). In this case, they represent the United States’ two governing principles: civil and religious liberty. These two principles have also been labeled “republicanism” (a government without a king) and “Protestantism” (a church without a pope). Other nations since ancient times had taxed people to support a state religion. Most had also oppressed religious dissidents. But the United States established something entirely new: freedom to worship without government interference. Absence of crowns signifies a republican form of government, rather than a monarchy. Lamb-like horns denote an innocent, young, non-oppressive, peace-loving, and spiritual nation. (Jesus is referred to as a lamb 28 times in Revelation.)

Special Note: How we wish we could stop right here in Jesus’ description of the United States—but we can’t, because He didn’t stop. What comes next might be jolting. The United States is a great country, with its freedom of conscience, press, speech, and enterprise; its opportunities; its sense of fair play; its sympathy for the underdog; and its Christian orientation. It is not perfect, but even still, a host of people from around the world seek to become its citizens every year. Sadly, this richly blessed country will change drastically.

6. What does Revelation 13:11 mean when it says the United States will speak “like a dragon”?

Answer: As you learned in Study Guide 20, the dragon is Satan, who works through various earthly powers to establish his own kingdom and to crush God’s church by persecuting and destroying God’s people. Satan’s aim always has been to usurp God’s throne and to force people to worship and obey him. (See Study Guide 2 for details.) So, speaking as a dragon means the United States (under the influence of Satan) will, in the end time, force people to worship contrary to conscience or be punished.

7. What specifically will the United States do that will cause it to speak as a dragon?

Answer: Notice these four crucial points:

A. “Exercises all the authority of the first beast” (Revelation 13:12) The United States will become a persecuting power that will force people to go against their conscience, as did papal Rome—which is portrayed in the first half of Revelation chapter 13.

B. “Causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:12). The United States will lead the nations of the world in forcing allegiance to the papal antichrist. The issue is always worship. Who will you worship and obey? Will it be Christ, your Creator and Redeemer, or antichrist? Every soul on earth will finally worship one or the other. Satan’s approach will appear to be deeply spiritual, and incredible miracles will be seen (Revelation 13:13, 14)—which will deceive billions (Revelation 13:3). Those who refuse to join this movement will be considered divisive, stubborn, radical, and unpatriotic. Jesus labeled Protestant America of the end time a “false prophet” (Revelation 19:20; 20:10), because it will appear spiritual and trustworthy but instead will be satanic in its conduct. All this may seem impossible, but Jesus’ words are always reliable and true (Titus 1:2). He foretold the rise and fall of the four world empires and the antichrist (Daniel chapters 2 and 7) at a time when such predictions seemed outlandish and incredible. But all came to pass precisely as predicted. His warning to us today regarding prophecy is, “I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe” (John 14:29).

C. “Telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived” (Revelation 13:14). The United States will make an image to the beast by legislating religious practice. It will pass laws requiring worship and force people to either obey them or face death. This action is a copy—or “image”—of the church-state form of government the papacy ruled with at the height of her power during the Middle Ages, when millions were slain for their faith. The United States will combine civil government and apostate Protestantism in a “marriage” that will support the papacy. It will then influence all the nations of the world to follow her example. Thus, the papacy will gain worldwide support.

D. “And cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Revelation 13:15). The United States, as head of this international movement, will next influence the nations of the world to impose a death sentence upon all who refuse to worship the beast or his image. Another name for this worldwide coalition is “Babylon the Great.” (See Study Guide 22 for more information.) This worldwide alliance will, in the name of Christ, substitute the policeman’s power for the Holy Spirit’s gentle persuasion—and it will force worship.

8. Over what specific issues will force be utilized and the death sentence passed?

“He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:15–17).

Answer: The final points of contention will be worshiping and obeying the beast and receiving his mark—honoring Sunday as a false holy day versus worshiping and obeying Christ and receiving His mark by honoring the holy seventh-day Sabbath. (For details, see Study Guide 20.) When the issues become clear and people are forced to break the Sabbath or be killed, those who then choose Sunday will be, in essence, worshiping the beast. They will have chosen to obey the word of a creature, a man, instead of the word of their Creator, Jesus Christ. Here is the papacy’s own statement: “The church changed Sabbath to Sunday and all the world bows down and worships upon that day in silent obedience to the mandates of the Catholic Church” (Hartford Weekly Call, February 22, 1884).

9. Could a government really control buying and selling?

Answer: : During World War II, buying was controlled by requiring ration stamps for such items as sugar, tires, and fuel. Without these stamps, money was worthless. In this computerized age, a similar system would be easy to set up. For instance, unless you agreed to cooperate with the worldwide coalition, your Social Security Number could be entered into a database, showing that you are disqualified to make a purchase. No one knows precisely how all this will come about, but you can

be positive it will happen—because in Revelation 13:16, 17, God says it will.

Two Emerging Powers

Revelation chapter 13 is clear. Two superpowers will emerge in the end time: the United States of America and the papacy. The United States will support the papacy by leading a drive to force the people of the world to worship the beast power (papacy) and receive his mark or else face death.

The next two questions will evaluate the strength of these two superpowers.

The papacy is the strongest religio-political power on earth.

10. How strong and influential is the papacy today?

Answer

Answer: It is arguably the strongest religio-political power in the world. Virtually every leading country has an official ambassador or state representative at the Vatican. Notice the following facts:

A. Pope Francis’ visit to the United States in 2015 carried both pastoral and political implications. Cardinal Timothy Dolan said, “The more he tries to de-emphasize the prestige and the power of the papacy, the more people pay attention to him.” —CBS This Morning, September 22, 2015

B. The aim of the pope is to unify the Christian world. In January 2014, Francis presided over an ecumenical worship service at the Basilica of St. Paul with Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and other Christian representatives and emphasized the need for Christian unity. Francis said, “It is unacceptable to consider ‘divisions in the Church as something natural, inevitable,’ because ‘divisions wound Christ’s body [and] impair the witness that we are called to give to him before the world.’ ” —Catholic Herald, January 27, 2014

C. The worldwide response has been overwhelming as leaders turn to him for peace. Francis hosted a prayer summit at the Vatican with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Then, the pope, who as a Latin American had a lot of credibility in Havana, helped pave the way to the U.S.-Cuba thaw. —Sylvia Poggioli, National Public Radio, April 14, 2016

D. Francis’ 2015 visit to America elicited an unprecedented response from American officials: President Obama personally greeted Pope Francis as he arrived at a U.S. airbase, a decision the White House said was a symbol of the high level of respect Americans have for the Pontiff. Francis’ visit also included the first address by any pope to a joint session of the Congress in American history. —Irish Daily Mail, September 23, 2015

11. How strong and influential is the United States today?

Answer: The United States is regarded as the world’s most powerful military force and the world’s center of influence. Note the following:

A. “In the key categories of power, the U.S. will remain dominant for the foreseeable future.” —Ian Bremmer, Time magazine, May 28, 2015

B. “What ultimately makes the difference between war and peace ... is not good intentions, or strong words, or a grand coalition. It is the capability, credibility, and global reach of American hard power.” —Senator John McCain, November 15, 2014

C. “The United States is and remains the one indispensable nation. That has been true for the century passed and it will be true for the century to come.” —President Barack Obama, May 28, 2014

D. France’s then-foreign minister, Hubert Vérdine, told a Paris audience that he defined

“the United States as a ‘hyperpower’ ... a country that is dominant or predominant in

all categories.” —The New York Times, February 5, 1999

Though certainly facing challenges to its power from nations such as China and Russia, America’s overwhelming ability to stand down aggressors and rapidly deploy when needed continue to dominate the world. A future president of the United States might not hesitate to use the country’s influence to enforce new global standards, especially if promoted in the guise of world peace and stability after a difficult global event.

12. What other factors could help set the stage for a worldwide law to execute those who refuse to violate conscience?

Answer: We cannot name them with certainty, but a few looming possibilities include:

A. The activity of terrorists

B. Riots and escalating crime and evil

C. Drug wars

D. A major economic crash

E. Epidemics

F. Nuclear threats from radical nations

G. Political corruption

H. Gross miscarriage of justice by the courts

I. Social and political issues

J. Increasing taxes

K. Pornography and other immorality

L. Global disasters

M. Radical “special interest” groups

A backlash against terrorism, lawlessness, immorality, permissiveness, injustice, poverty, ineffective political leaders, and many similar woes could easily precipitate a demand for strong, specific laws to be rigidly enforced.

13. As world conditions worsen, what will Satan do to deceive the masses?

“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived” (Revelation 13:13, 14).

Answer: The United States will experience a counterfeit revival and will insist that religious

laws be passed to force every person to participate (represented by “an image to the beast” in Revelation 13:14). People will be forced to disregard God’s holy seventh-day Sabbath and worship instead on the beast’s “holy” day—Sunday. Some will comply merely for social or economic reasons. World conditions will become so intolerable that a worldwide “back to God” movement, with all joining in worship and prayer on Sunday, will be presented as the only solution. Satan will deceive the world into believing that they must compromise Bible truth and keep Sunday holy. But in reality, obedience to and worship of the beast will indicate the refusal of most people to enter God’s kingdom. No wonder Jesus makes such an issue in Revelation over worshiping the beast and receiving his mark!

14. While interest in the counterfeit revival heightens, what will be happening to the genuine worldwide revival sponsored by God’s end-time people?

Answer: The Bible says the entire world will be “illuminated” with glory (Revelation 18:1). Every person on earth will be reached (Mark 16:15) with God’s end-time, three-point message of Revelation 14:6–14. God’s last-day church will grow with amazing speed as millions join God’s people and accept His offer of salvation by grace and faith in Jesus, which transforms them into His obedient servants. Many people and leaders from all countries of the world will refuse to worship the beast nor embrace his false teachings. Instead, they will worship and obey Jesus. They will then receive His holy Sabbath sign, or mark, in their foreheads (Revelation 7:2, 3), thus sealing them for eternity. (See Study Guide 20 for additional information on God’s seal.)

Spiraling Growth Infuriates the Counterfeit Movement

This spiraling growth among God’s people will infuriate the counterfeit movement. Its leaders will become fully convinced that those who refuse to cooperate with the worldwide counterfeit revival are the cause of all the world’s woes (Daniel 11:44). They will disqualify them from buying and selling (Revelation 13:16, 17), but the Bible promises that food, water, and protection for God’s people will be sure (Isaiah 33:16; Psalm 34:7).

As his crowning miracle, Satan will impersonate Jesus.

15. In desperation, the U.S.-led coalition will decide to impose the death sentence on its enemies (Revelation 13:15). What does Revelation 13:13, 14, say its leaders will do to convince people that God is with them?

Answer: They will work miracles—so convincing that everyone except God’s faithful end-time people will be persuaded (Matthew 24:24). Utilizing the spirits (fallen angels) of Satan (Revelation 16:13, 14), they will impersonate dead loved ones (Revelation 18:23) and probably

even pose as Bible prophets and apostles. These lying (John 8:44) demonic spirits will doubtless

claim that God has sent them to urge all to cooperate.

Satan Appears as Christ; His Angels Pose as Christian Ministers

Satan’s angels will also appear as godly clergymen, and Satan will appear as an angel of light

(2 Corinthians 11:13–15). As his crowning miracle, Satan will claim to be Jesus (Matthew 24:23, 24). While impersonating Christ, he could easily claim that he changed Sabbath to Sunday and urge his followers to proceed with their worldwide revival and uphold his “holy” day—Sunday.

Billions Are Deceived

Billions, believing that Satan is Jesus, will bow at his feet and join the counterfeit movement. “All the world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3). The deception will be overwhelmingly effective. But God’s people will not be deceived, because they test everything by the Bible (Isaiah 8:19, 20; 2 Timothy 2:15). The Bible says God’s law cannot be changed (Matthew 5:18). It also says that when Jesus returns, every eye will see Him (Revelation1:7) and that He will not touch the earth but will remain in the clouds and call His people to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

16. How can we be safe from powerful end-time deceptions?

Answer: A. Test every teaching by the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11; Isaiah 8:20).

B. Follow truth as Jesus reveals it. Jesus promised that those who genuinely want to obey Him will never end up in error (John 7:17).

C. Stay close to Jesus daily (John 15:5).

Reminder: This is the sixth Study Guide in our series of nine on the three angels’ messages. The next Study Guide will reveal how Christian churches and other religions worldwide will relate to the events of the end time.

17. Are you willing to worship and obey Jesus even if it means ridicule, persecution, and finally the death sentence?

Answer:

Request your free downloadable copy of America in Bible Prophecy

Thought Questions

1. It doesn’t seem fair that, in the final crisis, people who have never heard God’s truth will innocently choose a counterfeit and thus be lost.

No one will face the final crisis without first having heard (Mark 16:15) and understood (John 1:9) God’s vital three-point message for today (Revelation 14:6–12). People will choose to receive the mark of the beast only because they do not wish to pay the price for following Christ.

2. What is the battle of Armageddon spoken of in Revelation 16:12–16? When and where will it be fought?

The battle of Armageddon is the final battle between Christ and Satan. It will be fought on the earth and will begin just before the end of time. The battle will be interrupted by Jesus’ second coming. It will begin again after the 1,000 years, when the wicked surround the holy city with hopes of capturing it. The battle will close when fire rains down from heaven upon the wicked and destroys them (Revelation 20:9). (Study Guide 12 explains the 1,000 years in detail.)

What Does the Word “Armageddon” Mean?

Armageddon is a name for the “battle of that great day of God Almighty” between Christ and Satan in which all the nations of the world will be involved (Revelation 16:12–16, 19). The “kings from the east” are God the Father and God the Son. “East” in the Bible symbolizes God’s heavenly kingdom (Revelation 7:2; Ezekiel 43:2; Matthew 24:27). In this final battle, virtually the entire world will unite (Revelation 16:14) to fight against Jesus, the Lamb, and His people (Revelation 17:14; 19:19). Their aim will be to wipe out all who refuse to worship the beast (Revelation 13:15–17).

Delusion Follows Rejection

People who refuse to accept God’s message even though they know it is true will become strongly deluded so as to believe a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:10–12). They will begin to believe they are upholding God’s kingdom when they endeavor to destroy His people. They will perceive the saints to be hopelessly deceived fanatics who are dooming the entire world by their refusal to cooperate in the counterfeit revival.

Jesus’ Second Coming Halts the Battle

The battle itself will be worldwide. Governments will try to destroy God’s people, but God will intervene. The symbolic river Euphrates will be dried up (Revelation 16:12). Water represents people (Revelation 17:15). The drying up of the river Euphrates means that the people who have been supporting the beast (Satan’s kingdom) will suddenly withdraw their support. The beast’s support will thus dry up. Its coalition of allies (Revelation 16:13, 14) will fall apart (Revelation 16:19). Jesus’ second coming will halt this battle and save His people (Revelation 6:14–17; 16:18–21; 19:11–20).

The Battle Resumes After 1,000 Years

After the 1,000 years, Satan will come right out in the open as the leader of the forces against God and His people. He will resume the battle and try to capture the holy city. Then he and his followers will be destroyed by fire from heaven (see Study Guides 11 and 12). However, every follower of Jesus will be safe in His eternal kingdom.

3. The Bible says, “The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service” (John 16:2). Is it possible that this will be literally fulfilled in our time?

Yes. The end-time coalition of world governments and religions will finally lose all sympathy for God’s people, those who refuse to join the counterfeit revival or adopt Sunday worship. They will feel that the miracles accompanying their revival prove its validity—miracles such as the sick being healed or notorious God-haters, immoral celebrities, and well-known criminals being converted. The coalition will insist that no one be permitted to ruin this worldwide revival. Everyone will be urged to lay aside personal feelings and “fanatical teachings” (the Sabbath, for example) and join with the rest of the world in its revival for peace and brotherhood. Those who do not agree to cooperate will be considered disloyal, unpatriotic, anarchists and, finally, dangerous fanatics who must not be tolerated. In that day, those who kill God’s people will feel they are doing God a favor.

4. As we study the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, it seems apparent that the real enemy is always the devil. Is this true?

Absolutely! Satan is always the real enemy. Satan works through earth’s leaders and nations

to hurt God’s people and thus bring heartache to Jesus and the Father. Satan is the one responsible for all evil. Let’s blame him and be careful how we judge people or organizations who hurt God’s people and church. They are sometimes totally unaware that they are harming anyone. But that is never true of Satan. He is always fully aware. He hurts God and His people intentionally.

5. How would the death of the pope or the election of a new president affect the prophecy of the United States in Revelation 13:11–18?

The prophecy will be fulfilled no matter who is pope or president. A new president or pope may temporarily speed up or slow down fulfillment, but the final outcome is assured by Bible prophecy.

6. Are the lamb-horned beast of Revelation 13:11–18 and the false prophet of Revelation 16:13 the same power?

Yes. In Revelation 19:20, where God mentions the destruction of the antichrist beast, He

also refers to the destruction of the false prophet. In this passage, God identifies the false prophet as the power that “worked signs” before the beast and “deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” This is a clear reference to the activities of the lamb-horned beast, which are described in Revelation 13:11–18. In this Study Guide we have identified the lamb-horned beast as the United States of America. So the lamb-horned beast and the false prophet are indeed the same power.

Quiz Questions

1. The United States is symbolized in Bible prophecy by (1)

_____ A man with red, white, and blue clothing.

_____ An eagle with a computer on its back.

_____ A beast with two lamb-like horns.

2. What do the two horns represent? (1)

_____ Wealth and military might.

_____ Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

_____ Civil and religious freedom.

3. What does "coming up out of the earth" signify? (1)

_____ That Americans would love country living.

_____ That this new country would arise in an area with a small population.

_____ That some early Americans would be cave dwellers.

4. In this prophecy, lamb-like horns mean that America would (1)

_____ Be shy and inhibited.

_____ Be a sheep-raising country.

_____ Arise as a peace-loving, spiritual nation.

5. At about what time does the prophecy of Revelation chapter 13 indicate America would arise? (1)

_____ 1492.

_____ 1798.

_____ 1620.

6. Revelation chapter 13 indicates that America would eventually speak "as a dragon." What does this mean? (1)

_____ Her people would be angry and hard to understand.

_____ She would use fire-shooting weapons of destruction.

_____ She will force people to worship contrary to conscience or face death.

7. God's mark, sign, or symbol of power is (1)

_____ A lamb.

_____ A two-horned beast.

_____ The Sabbath, God's holy day.

8. How will America make an "image to the beast"? (1)

_____ By making and selling many pictures of the beast.

_____ By making a statue of the beast to display in Washington, D.C.

_____ By creating a church-state combination (patterned after the papacy at the height of her power) that will legislate religious practice.

9. What punishments does Revelation 13:15-17 say will be inflicted upon those who refuse the mark of the beast? (2)

_____ Not allowed to buy or sell.

_____ Banished to outer space.

_____ Put to death.

_____ Forced to make a personal apology to the beast.

10. Which two earthly powers will have the most influence in the end time? (2)

_____ Revitalized Europe.

_____ Japan.

_____ China.

_____ United States.

_____ The papacy.

11. Which items tell the truth about the battle of Armageddon? (6)

_____ It is earth's last battle.

_____ The 'kings of the east' are Japan and China.

_____ The beast's aim in the battle is to destroy God's people.

_____ It will be worldwide.

_____ It begins before Jesus' second coming and ends after the wicked surround the holy city at the close of the 1,000 years.

_____ Armageddon is the symbolic name for the final battle between Christ and antichrist/Satan.

_____ Drying up the Euphrates means the beast, or Antichrist, will finally lose the support of most of its followers.

_____ It will be fought in Palestine only.

12. How successful will God's true, end-time revival be? (2)

_____ The whole world will be converted.

_____ Every person on earth will hear the message.

_____ Millions will accept it.

_____ It will not succeed. The devil will stop it.

13. How successful will the end-time counterfeit movement be? (1)

_____ Many countries will not support it.

_____ It will be successful in America and Europe only.

_____ Every person on earth—except God’s end-time people—will join and support it.

14. Are you willing to follow where Jesus leads, even though it may be painful? (1)

_____ Yes.

_____ No.

https://www.amazingfacts.org/media-library/study-guide/e/4998/t/the-usa-in-bible-prophecy

14We ought to act on the principle that everyone who lives under obedience should let himself be carried and directed by Divine Providence through the agency of the superior 15as if he were a lifeless body, which allows itself to be carried to any place and treated in any way; or an old man s staff, which serves at any place and for any purpose in which the one holding it in his hand wishes to employ it. 16For in this way the obedient man ought joyfully to employ himself in any task in which the superior desires to employ him in aid of the whole body of the religious order; 17and he ought to hold it certain that by so doing he conforms himself with the divine will more than by anything else he could do while following his own will and different judgment.[3]"

page 221

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

America and the Image to the Beast

Aug 13, 2024

•

13 min read

What can history tell us about the future of America? Will America have a part to play in the acceptance of the mark of the beast?

Revelation 13 tells the story of a blasphemous beast power that rose from the sea. Protestant Christians have historically identified this beast as the Papacy. Though the dragon (Satan) gave him his power, seat, and great authority (vs. 2), this kingdom, the Papacy, receives a wound that appears to be deadly (vs. 3). Then a new player is introduced upon the scene.

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Rev 13:11

The rise of a powerful new nation comes near the time of the wounding of the first beast. The Pope was taken captive in 1798 by France’s General Berthier. At that time, the papal states were also confiscated, stripping the Vatican of its head and territory. This deadly wound also marked the end of the forty-two months of the reign of this persecuting power.

The second beast was to come up out of the earth, unlike the first beast which came up out of the sea of “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Rev 17:15) of populated Europe. Its coming up out of the earth identifies a kingdom that develops in a sparsely populated land. In 1754, Charles Wesley, referring to the second beast, wrote, "He is not yet come, though he cannot be far off; for he is to appear at the end of the forty-two months of the first beast."1

The United States of America was a young nation in 1798. It was founded upon the Christ-like principles of Republicanism which upholds the right of self-government, and Protestantism which champions the freedom of religious faith. These principles were the strong horns of this new nation, depicted as a two-horned beast.

But the prophecy reveals that a drastic change would come and this nation would speak as a dragon. A nation “speaks” through its laws. The dragon symbol ultimately represents Satan (Rev 12:9) whose goal is to persecute Christ’s followers. To speak like a dragon is to institute laws that legalize the persecution of God’s people, as Imperial Rome did when it outlawed Christianity until the Edict of Milan (313 AD) which granted Christians toleration. Papal Rome spoke like a dragon through its policy of persecuting heretics. Likewise, America will speak with the voice of the dragon when it institutes laws that are intolerant of personal freedoms but are favorable to its state religion.

The prophecy also says that the lamb-like beast (America) will exercise “all the power of the first beast,” even forcing the earth and the people who live on it to worship the first beast, papal Rome. What does “all the power of the first beast” mean? And how will the earth and its inhabitants be forced to worship?

Papal Rome used the power of the state to coerce and control the population through its 1260 years of domination. The second beast (America) will do the same, bringing the whole world into subjection to papal Rome.

How will this happen? A look at history can give us some insight.

During the Dark Ages, the nations of Europe were subject to the Roman Catholic Church. The Papacy taught that rulers were to yield to the Pope because he was their spiritual father and Christ’s vicar. As a consequence, apart from the approval of the Pope, kings and emperors were not free to rule their estates as they determined was best for their subjects. In addition, the church’s teachings were enforced by the armies and magistrates of the nations. To exercise all the power of the first beast is to govern by these principles. The prophecy tells us that the government of the United States will submit to the dictates of the church and will use force against dissenters.

The history of the Dark Ages, a period of church domination in Europe, is marred by the sordid details of church-led, state-enforced persecution. True followers of Christ who would not bend their conscience to practice the form of paganized Christianity of the state church lost their goods and their lives. Torture machines were invented to coerce and punish those labeled as “heretics.” Some, like the Waldenses, fled to remote locations, fulfilling the prophecy of the church in the wilderness (Rev 12).

Kings who would not submit to the demands of the church were punished with excommunication and whole nations were put under interdict, which was banishment from participation in the ceremonies of the church. This dreaded sentence was considered to be a curse from God Himself because it was believed that salvation could only come through the church.

The prophecy states that those who will not submit to the authority of the beast and worship him, will not be able to buy or sell and will have the death sentence passed on them.

Before implementing the death sentence, miracles will be performed to deceive people into thinking that the beast is speaking for God. Many will be deceived by these miracles because they don’t know what the Bible says about false prophets and miracle-working demons (Mt 7:15, Jer 14:14, Rev 16:14). The time will come when we will not be able to trust our senses. It is essential to diligently study the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:15) now and learn to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7).

By deceptive miracles, the land beast (US) will convince people to make an image to the sea beast (Rev 13:14). In other words, people will be manipulated into calling for a form of civil government that is under religious control. The “image to the beast” is the union of church and state, the merging of church-craft with state-craft.

Evidence of the formation of the image to the beast

When America was still a young nation, few would have believed that the union of church and state could ever be possible. Nevertheless, it was in the 1800s that public movements arose which began working toward this union. The National Reform Association, the International Reform Bureau, the Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States, and the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America were formed by professed Protestants with this goal in mind—to break down the wall separating church and state.

While the forms of the organizations working to unite church and state have changed over the years, what hasn’t changed is the fact that there are people who believe America was founded as a Christian nation and that the constitution must be changed to officially make America a Christian nation, governed by Christian principles. What is overlooked by those who hold these beliefs is the fact that there is nothing Christian about forcing people to believe in Christ or to practice Christianity.

And while ecumenism has successfully blurred the distinctions between Christian denominations and even between Christianity and non-Christian religions, the type of Christianity that is adopted by the nation will matter to some. It is impossible that any form of state religion will be acceptable to all.

But what form of Christianity is America likely to adopt for its norm? The prophecy tells us that America will set up an “image of the beast” (Rev 13:14-15), that is a likeness to papal Rome. The death of Protestantism and the catholicization of America show us that is exactly what is happening right now. And tellingly, Paul Weyrich, the founder of the Heritage Foundation and the one credited with influencing Jerry Falwell to launch the Moral Majority, is a Roman Catholic traditionalist. Catholicism is the founding force of Christian nationalism in America, though many believe Protestant evangelicalism is.

Project 2025 is a policy playbook that was put together for the 2024 presidential election. It is a manual of religiously-based policies prepared for a conservative president to implement immediately upon coming into office. And Roman Catholic social teaching—not Biblical Christianity, not Protestantism—is behind it.

Pope Leo XIII said it was the duty of all Catholics to work toward bringing all civil society under the jurisdiction of the church. This is the aim of the Papacy because it is believed to be its right. According to the Papacy, the Pope is the vicar of Christ, and therefore, the rightful ruler of the world.

The Catholic Catechism states:

The Pope enjoys, by divine institution, "supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls."2

The prophecy tells us the whole world will worship the beast and wonder, saying “Who is like unto the beast?” (Rev 13:3-4). All the world will soon be united in worship of this power. Since Vatican 2 (1962-1965), the Catholic church has worked through the ecumenical movement and behind the scenes to unite all the churches again under the Papacy. Much progress has been made since Vatican 2, but visible unity remains out of reach, at least for now. Nevertheless, ecumenical bodies continue to push toward this goal.

In an address to the Fourth World Gathering of the Global Christian Forum in 2024, Pope Francis said, “To all of you, I invoke the blessings of Almighty God, and pray that the gathering will advance the visible unity among all Christians.”3 It’s hard to imagine how visible unity could exist without forced conformity, though. In fact, the Bible says it’s impossible. (See Amos 3:3 and Mt 10:32-38.)

Nonetheless, gatherings such as these have steadily advanced toward visible unity. The World Council of Churches (WCC) has played an important role in promoting unity. The WCC planned a World Conference on Faith and Order in 2025 “to reaffirm the goal of visible unity for churches.”4 It’s interesting that the conference was planned to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 325.

The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council and was convened by Emperor Constantine I. Important outcomes of the council were that the emperor exiled Arius because the council ruled that he was teaching heresy; and he ordered the persecution of the Quartodecimans because the council had ruled that Christ’s resurrection should be commemorated always on a Sunday, aligned with the spring equinox, rather than on Nisan 14, the Passover.

The date of the Passover, a symbolic festival that pointed toward the sacrifice of Christ, was Nisan 14. John the Baptist likened Christ to the Passover lamb when he referred to Him as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and Paul called Christ “our passover” (1 Cor 5:7). Christ’s disciples commemorated Christ as our Passover on Nisan 14, the date of Passover, not on Easter, a pagan holiday.

History tells us that the apostle John’s disciple Polycarp traveled to Rome to try to persuade Anicetus, the bishop of Rome, of the rightness of commemorating Christ’s resurrection on Nisan 14, instead of on Sunday, but Anicetus clung to Sunday. By the time of the Council of Nicaea, commemorating Christ’s resurrection on a Sunday in conjunction with the pagan Easter had become common and the council majority ruled in favor of Sunday over Nisan 14. The emperor required all Christian’s to fall in line.

Commemorating the Council of Nicaea memorializes the meddling of the emperor in church questions, the exaltation of Sunday, and the persecution of conscientious Christians. Celebrating this event is an indication that today’s ecumenical Christians share common ground with those who joined the emperor at Nicaea in 325. Persecution cannot be far off.

Mark of the beast vs. seal of God

The prophecy tells us that the second beast (America) will make an image to the first beast (the Papacy) and then the mark of the beast will be forced upon the whole world. In other words, when America repudiates the principles of its constitution that make it a Protestant republic, it will soon afterward require all nations to come in line and show their allegiance to the first beast by forcing all nations into Sunday worship.

In the 19th century, the movement that called for Sunday laws focused on the keeping of Sunday for religious reasons. Today, though for some Sunday “sacredness” is still an issue, other reasons are being given for needing Sunday rest laws. Pope Francis’ Laudato Si calls for Sunday legislation to save the environment. The European Sunday Alliance and other similar groups claim legislation is needed to require rest on Sundays for the good of the family. Regardless of the rationale, the result will be the same, a universal Sunday law and the persecution of dissenters.

While many Christians feel that which day they worship on is irrelevant, this is a mistake. The Roman Catholic Church has set itself up as the world’s spiritual authority in direct opposition to God and refers to its success in the change of worship days from Sabbath to Sunday as the sign of this authority.

God, in His Word, commands, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” When He marked the Sabbath commandment with His royal seal, He declared Himself to be the authority behind the seventh-day Sabbath.

The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand, says, “No! By my divine power, I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.”5

To obey one, is to oppose the other. If you choose to obey God, you will keep the seventh-day Sabbath. If you choose to keep Sunday, you choose the Catholic Church as your authority. The Sabbath is clearly to be the battleground for the end-time power struggle between Christ and Satan. The day is coming, according to the prophecy, that all will be forced to choose one or the other. And America, the second beast, will be the power that will force people to choose between the two authorities by introducing a law that will force Sunday worship first on a national level, then internationally.

Christian nationalism

Major changes will need to take place in America, however, for the prophecy to be fulfilled because the Constitution prohibits the making of religious laws. The Constitution will need to be changed. And that is just what American Christian nationalism is aiming at.

A particularly amazing detail given in the prophecy is that the second beast, America, will do “great wonders” and even make “fire come down from heaven” to deceive people into believing that the reforms have God’s support (verses 13-14). The second beast will claim that the miracles are signs of God’s approval, when really, they are manifestations of satanic power meant to deceive.

The prophecy is clear that when America “speaks like a dragon” by making harsh religious laws, it will then act like the dragon by unleashing satanic persecution on those who choose to honor God by keeping His commandments. This persecution will include economic restrictions and eventually a law will be passed making capital punishment the penalty for those who refuse to submit.

But there is good news. God will give His people “victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name” (15:2). Those who refuse to participate in false worship, though they are persecuted (2 Tim 3:12) will stand upon the sea of glass because they followed the Lamb wherever He led them (14:4) and kept the commandments of God (12:17). God will own them as His own and they will have His name written in their foreheads (14:1).

https://amazingdiscoveries.org/read/articles/america-and-the-image-to-the-beast

Revelation 14

1599 Geneva Bible

14 1 The Lamb standeth on mount Zion: 4 with his chaste worshippers. 6 One Angel preacheth the Gospel. 8 Another foretelleth the fall of Babylon: 9 the third warneth that the beast be avoided. 13 A voice from heaven pronounceth them happy who die in the Lord. 16 The Lord’s sickle thrust into the harvest, 18 and into the vintage.

1 Then I looked, and lo, a Lamb [a]stood on mount Zion, and with him an [b]hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s [c]Name written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers, harping with their harps.

3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the Elders: and no man could learn that song, but the hundred, forty and four thousand, which were bought from the earth.

4 These are they which are not defiled with women: for they are virgins: these follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth: these are bought from men, being the firstfruits unto God, and unto the Lamb.

5 And in their mouths was found no guile: for they are without spot before the throne of God.

6 ¶ [d]Then I saw [e]another Angel fly in the midst of heaven, having an everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred, and tongue, and people,

7 [f]Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him: for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters.

8 And there followed another Angel, saying, Babylon that great city is fallen, it is fallen: for she made all nations to drink of the wine of the [g]wrath of her fornication.

9 ¶ And the third Angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, [h]If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or on his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, yea, of the pure wine, which is poured into the cup of his wrath, and he shall be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy Angels, and before the Lamb.

11 And the smoke of their torment shall ascend evermore: and they shall have no rest day nor night, which worship the beast and his name.

12 [i]Here is the patience of Saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, The dead which die [j]in the Lord, are fully blessed. Even so saith the Spirit: for they rest from their labors, and their [k]works follow them.

14 ¶ [l]And I looked, and behold, [m]a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sitting like unto the Son of man, [n]having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a [o]sharp sickle.

15 [p]And another Angel came out of the Temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the time is come to reap: for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

16 And he that sat on the cloud, thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 [q]Then another Angel came out of the Temple, which is in heaven, having also a sharp sickle.

18 And another Angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire, and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, and said, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vineyard of the earth: for her grapes are ripe.

19 And the Angel thrust in his sharp sickle on the earth, and cut down the vines of the vineyard of the earth, and cast them into that great winepress of the wrath of God.

20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, [r]and blood came out of the winepress, unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Footnotes

Revelation 14:1 The history of the Church of Christ being finished for more than a thousand and three hundred years, at which time Boniface the eighth lived as before hath been said, there remaineth the rest of the history of the conflicting or militant Church, from thence unto the time of the last victory in three chapters. For first of all, as the foundation of the whole history, is described the standing of the lamb with his army and retinue in five verses, after his worthy acts which he hath done, and yet doth in most mighty manner, whilst he overthroweth Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth, in the rest of this chapter, and in the two following. Unto the description of the Lamb, are propounded three things: his situation, place and attendance: for the rest are expounded in the former visions, especially upon the fifth chapter.

Revelation 14:1 As ready girt to do his office (as Acts 6:56) in the midst of the Church which aforetime mount Zion did prefigure.

Revelation 14:1 As before 7:2. This retinue of the Lamb is described first by divine mark (as before 7:2) in this verse. Then by divine occupation, in that all and every one in his retinue most vehemently and sweetly (verse 2) do glorify the Lamb with a special song before God and his elect Angels: which song flesh and blood cannot hear, nor understand, verse 3. Lastly by their deeds done before, and their sanctification in that they were virgins, pure from spiritual and bodily fornication that is, from impiety and unrighteousness, that they followed the Lamb as a guide unto all goodness, and cleaved unto him that they are holy unto him as of grace redeemed by him: that in truth and in simplicity of Christ, they have exercised all these things, sanctimony of life, the direction of the Lamb, a thankful remembrance of the redemption by him: finally (to conclude in a word) that they are blameless before the Lord, verses 4, 5.

Revelation 14:6 The other part (as I said in the first verse) is of the acts of the Lamb, the manner whereof is delivered in two sorts, of his speech, and of his facts. His speeches are set forth unto verse 13 of this chapter, and his facts unto chapter 16. In the speech of the Lamb, which is the word of the Gospel, are taught in this place, these things: The service of the godly consisting inwardly of reverence towards God, and outwardly of the glorifying of him: the visible sign of which is adoration, verse 7. The overthrowing of wicked Babylon, verse 8, and the fall of every one of the ungodly which worship the beast, verses 9, 10, 11. Finally, the state of the holy servants of God both present, verse 11, and to come, most blessed, according to the promise of God, verse 15.

Revelation 14:6 This Angel is a type or figure of the good and faithful servants of God, whom God especially from that time of Boniface the eighth, hath raised up to the publishing of the Gospel of Christ, both by preaching and by writing. So God first, near unto the time of the same Boniface, used Peter Cassiodorus an Italian: after, Arnold de villa nova, a Frenchman, then Occam, Dante, Petrarch, after that Johannes de rupe casa, a Franciscan: after again, John Wycliff an Englishman, and so continually one or another unto the restoring of the truth and enlarging of his Church.

Revelation 14:7 That is, Babylon is destroyed by the sentence and judgment of God: the execution whereof S. John described, chap. 18. And this voice of the ministers of Christ hath continued since the time that Babylon (which is Rome) hath by deliberate counsel and manifest malice oppugned the light of the Gospel offered from God.

Revelation 14:8 Of her fornication, whereby God was provoked to wrath.

Revelation 14:9 That is, shall not worship God alone, but shall transfer his divine honor unto this beast, whether he doeth it with his heart or counterfeiting in show. For he (saith Christ) that denieth me before men, him will I deny before my Father, and his Angels, Matt. 10:32. And this is that voice of the holy ministry; which at this time is very much used of the holy and faithful servants of God. For having now sufficiently found out the public obstinacy of Babylon they labor not any longer to thunder out as against the same but to save some particular members by terror (as S. Jude speaketh) and to pluck them out of the public flame, or else by a vehement commiseration of their state to lead them away, they set before them eternal death, into which they rush unawares, unless in good time they return unto God, but the godly which are of their own flock, they exhort unto patience, obedience, and faith in the Lord Jesus, and charge them to give light by their good example, of good life unto others.

Revelation 14:12 The patience, sanctification and justification by faith: the consequence whereof are rest, felicity, and glory eternal, in the heavenly fellowship of God and his Angels.

Revelation 14:13 That is for the Lord.

Revelation 14:13 By works, is meant the reward which followeth good works.

Revelation 14:14 The second part of this Chapter, as I said, verse 1. Of the acts and doings of Christ in overthrowing of Antichrist and his Church by the Spirit of his divine mouth: seeing that having been called back by word both publicly and privately unto his duty, and admonished of his most certain ruin: he yet ceaseth not to maintain and protect his own adherents, that they may do him service: and to afflict the godly with most barbarous persecutions. Of those things which Christ doeth, there are two kinds: one common or general in the rest of this chapter, another particular against that savage and rebellious beast and his worshippers in chapters 15 and 16. That common kind, is the calamity of wars spread abroad through the whole earth, and filling all things with blood, and that without respect of any person. This is figured or shadowed out in two types, of the harvest and vintage. Since the time that the light of the Gospel began to shine out, and since prophecy or preaching by the grace of God was raised up again, how horrible wars have been kindled in the world? how much human flesh hath been thrown to the earth by this divine reaping? how much blood (alas for woe) hath overflown for these hundred years almost? all history do cry out, and this our age (if ever before) is now in horror, by reason of the rage of the sickle which Antichrist calleth for. In this place is the first type, that is of the harvest.

Revelation 14:14 Declaring his fierceness by his color, like unto that which is in the white or milk circle of heaven.

Revelation 14:14 As one that shall reign from God, and occupy place of Christ in this miserable execution.

Revelation 14:14 That is, a most fit and commodious instrument of Execution, destroyed all by hewing and thrusting through, for who may stand against God?

Revelation 14:15 Christ giveth a commandment in this verse. And the Angel executeth in the next verse.

Revelation 14:17 The other type (as I said, verse14) is the vintage: the manner whereof is one with that which went before, if thou except this, that the grape gathering is more exact in seeking out everything, than is the harvest labor. This is therefore a more grievous judgment, both because it succeedeth the other, and because it is understood to be executed with great diligence.

Revelation 14:20 That is, it overflowed very deep, and very far and wide: the speech is by hyperbole or excessive, to signify the greatness of the slaughter. And these be those pleasant fruits forsooth, of the contempt of Christ, and desiring of Antichrist rather than him, which the miserable, mad, and blind world doth at this time reap.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2014&version=GNV

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