THOUGHTS TO ENCOURAGE FAITH
- “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12
- “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2
- “But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:11
- “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5,6
- “You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.” Matthew 28:20
KEY WEBSITE: Check this website to watch how rapidly Project 2025 is happening:
https://www.project2025.observer
INTRO
The Bible tells us that there will be times of great difficult in the last days (2 Tim. 3:1-2), and that there will be persecution of God’s faithful people. It also gives us a strong indication that a primary issue will involve denial of creation (2 Peter 3:3-7) and God calling people back to the Creator from this destructive deception.
“And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.” Rev. 14:6,7
If you’re not aware of how much devastation and suffering Darwinism has caused to human life, this is a very short introduction to just one of many cases and many ways it has harmed lives.
Dr. Richard Weikart has studied the influence of Darwinism extensively. He has shown decisively with rigorous and peer reviewed research in in prestigious scientific journals in Germany and other places that Darwinism was a main inspiration for the killing of many millions of people by the Germans in World War 1,the Nazis in World War 2 and in many of the ~28 atheist states in modern history. Dr. Richard Weikart,, a California State University historian, wrote the book “From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany”. He showed how Darwin’s ideas were a major cause of the Germans efforts to kill off races they thought were lower, such as 16 million people in Africa in World War 1 He explains a little of this in this short documentary.
The Biology of the Second Reich: Social Darwinism and the Origins of World War 1
https://www.discovery.org/v/the-biology-of-the-second-reich-social-darwinism-and-the-origins-of-world-war-1/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n900e80R30 (See also: www.darwintohitler.com)
The Bible tells us that creation is a crucial proof that God is the Creator and that this is one reason He is worthy of worship:
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they exist, and were created and brought into being.” Rev. 4:11 AMP
What is the main symbol that points to creation and calls people to worship their Creator? It is the Sabbath. So SDAs have long said that as part of the long war against creation, there has also been a war against God’s Sabbath which points to it. There have been many Sunday laws in history requiring worship on Sunday and forbidding worship on God’s wonderful Sabbath that points to Creation. And since a core part of the most crucial 3 angels’ messages is calling people to worship Him as Creator, it’s very reasonable that there will be Sunday laws attacking Sabbath at that time as well. This is in brief, why SDAs have predicted and warned that a Sunday law will come in America (as well as specific predictions from Ellen White on that topic).
We know persecution will happen, because God says that in the Bible many times…and it already has happened many times. But this is a time to be thankful, because:
- God gives special power to His people at these times. God said through Ellen White: “”The disciples were not endowed with the courage and fortitude of the martyrs until such grace was needed.—The Desire of Ages, 354 (1898).
- When powerful religions and nations persecute God’s people, they almost always lose moral sense and cause much suffering for other people too. Then people are much more open to listening and accepting God’s truths. This is what happened in China after the terrible experiment with communism and in Russia similarly and in other places. China went from 1 million Christians to ~100-200 million Christians when people say that man’s methods failed.
Many politicians have said that you should never waste a crises. It’s a golden time when people are more willing to change than at any other time. So God’s people can see a major silver lining in the difficult and challenging times that we are facing and that are ahead of us. It’s a golden time to share God’s better ways and good news!
SUNDAY LAW BACKGROUND
Republicans have been advocating for Sunday laws since the 1880s with Senator Blair who A.T. Jones and other SDAs successfully opposed in court.
https://www.diggingfortruth.org/religious-liberty/first-sunday-law—proposed-by-senator-blair-1888
SDAs were actually put in prison for working on Sunday in Tennessee.
https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/664.639
But both parties have supported Sunday laws in the 1900s, and in the 1960s, the Supreme Court decided that Sunday laws are not a violation of church and state, they have secular benefits for society.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-1/sunday-closing-laws
In recent decades more and more leaders in both major political parties have been advocating for Sunday laws.
With conservatives, Catholics talk very vigorously about protecting the families based on the Deis Domini encyclical and that a Sunday Law is crucial to protect time for families. Conservatives also are deeply involved with corporations, education, legal areas. Jesuits focus heavily on these areas and are members of or highly influential on the Republican party.
Catholics have long worked with people on the left. Dominicans and Franciscans heavily focus on these issues, fight poverty, economic justice, etc. In recent times, they have been advocating Sunday laws through the Democratic party as well, based on the Laudato si encyclical and saying that a Green Sabbath (of course they mean Sunday) is important to protect the environment.
Matthew Fox was a very influential Catholic priest, theologian/professor, member of the Dominican Order who authored 35 books that have been translated into 68 languages. In an interview with Real News he shares some very intriguing insights about his work at high levels of the Catholic church (esp. parts 7 and 8). He tells about how he heard from various high level Catholic sources, that many leaders on both the right and left are Catholics or favorable to Catholics. He doesn’t talk about Sunday laws, but very clearly documents heavy influence by Catholics in both parties.
https://therealnews.com/stories/pope-francis-confronts-the-idolatry-of-money-rai-with-matthew-fox-7-8
https://therealnews.com/stories/coming-to-terms-with-ones-religious-past-rai-with-matthew-fox-8-8
This is why it is wise for Christians not to side with any party any more than Jesus or the disciples sided with the Pharisees or Sadducees.
PROJECT 2025 BACKGROUND SUMMARY
Many have heard about Project 2025. What is it? Project 2025 is a plan by over 100 conservative organizations to reshape the executive branch of the U.S. federal government in the 2024 U.S. presidential election based on a specific political ideological view of Christian nationalism. On the surface it is a war against Marxism and an effort to reshape the US government and society based on Republican values with a veneer of Christianity. But underneath are some very dangerous concepts, including a Sunday law. It is a tame one at present, only penalizing companies by increasing over time pay if they have people work on Sunday. But we know that on history Sunday laws that started tame, often turned deadly over time.
One good overview is:
You Won’t Believe What They Have Planned for 2025 – The Coming “Golden Age” with Matthew Schanche
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liwzEr328rQ
A couple highlights are:
- the dangers of Project 2025 (proposing the 1st national Sunday law is just one major danger of several)
- Trump and Vance are heavily pro-Catholic (Trump is closely connected with the secret Catholic Knights of Malta organization which is behind Project 2025 and Vance has major Jesuit connections…and Biden of course was Catholic as well),
- Trump/Vance are working hard to unify church and state (which results in persecution of all who differ from the govt. religion). Catholics and evangelicals are uniting heavily together in this movement as they have in others, to control the government and make sweeping changes.
- the Vatican is behind most secret societies and is behind this as well.
- Kevin Roberts, the main architect of Project 2025, has close ties to radical Catholic group Opus Dei,
- the occultist Alice Baily predicted over 100 years ago that we are going to see the “externalization of the (occult) hierarchy” in 2025 and many other things are converging in 2025.
It’s all very good, but the last 40 minutes is esp. insightful and shows clearly how several major prophecies in the Bible, esp. the Rev. 13 ones, are coming true in front of our very eyes now.
Who are the influences behind Project 2025? Project 2025’s main sponsor is the Heritage foundation. And the Heritage Foundation has been influenced by several major Catholic figures. Some key individuals include:
1. **Paul Weyrich**: A co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, Weyrich was a significant figure in the conservative movement and a devout Catholic
https://kansaspress.ku.edu/blog/2024/08/30/the-legacy-of-the-catholic-new-right-in-project-2025/
2. **Leonard Leo**: Known for his role in the Federalist Society, Leo has been influential in shaping conservative judicial appointments and has strong ties to Catholicism
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thecreationproject/2019/07/serving-god-mammon-rise-influence-heritage-foundation-federalist-society
“Leo is a member of the secretive, extremely conservative Knights of Malta, a Catholic order founded in the 12th century that functions as a quasi-independent sovereign nation with its own diplomatic corps (separate from the Vatican), United Nations status, and a tremendous amount of money and land…
Leo played the decisive role in the appointments of Justice Alito (whom few people had heard of before Leo first promoted him), Chief Justice Roberts, and Justice Gorsuch—as well as in the unprecedented stonewalling of would-be Justice Merrick Garland. Now, of the 25 people on Trump’s Supreme Court list, all but one are Federalist Society members or affiliates…
“He’s gotten away with all kinds of things for years, and nobody seems to notice,” Carter told me. And because Leo is shaping institutions with life-tenure members, his impact will be felt for decades to come.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-secrets-of-leonard-leo-the-man-behind-trumps-supreme-court-pick
“all six Supreme Court justices appointed by Republican presidents were raised Catholic [Reagan appointed Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy, Bush Sr. appointed Clarence Thomas, Bush Jr. appointed John Roberts and Samuel Alito, Trump appointed three justices raised Catholic: Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Barrett]…
Ronald Brownstein. How Conservative Catholics Became Supreme on GOP’s court. September 27, 2020
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/27/politics/conservative-catholics-gop-supreme-court/index.html
3. **Kevin Roberts**: The current president of the Heritage Foundation, Roberts is associated with the secretive Roman Catholic group Opus Dei
https://www.advocate.com/news/kevin-roberts-project-2025.
These individuals have contributed to the Heritage Foundation’s conservative agenda, often reflecting Catholic values and perspectives.
One of the most serious issues with it for Seventh Day Adventists is that it has a section that is aiming to implement a Sunday law with the claim that this is something to help families become more stable and stronger. This is not a death penalty level Sunday law as is predicted in prophecy since at present it only requires employers to give their employees Sunday off and if they don’t they have to pay time and a half. There is also an exception for those who don’t keep Sunday whether Muslims or Jews or SDAs or others. But will these exceptions make it into the final bill? That remains to be seen. But it one of the most major movements towards a Sunday law in US history. And we know from history that the change from Sabbath to Sunday was gradual, taking quite a few years, so that many didn’t realize what was happening. If done, this would be a major breach in US government policy, a beachhead, that could develop, possibly quickly, into the prophetically foretold Sunday law.
The Republican Project 2025 leaders of course call Sunday Sabbath, redefining the biblical term with reframing propaganda to mean Sunday instead of Saturday. Reframing is the #1 most common form of propaganda in America according to Dr. William Lutz at Rutgers and he says that the US government (both parties) is the #1 culprit, corporations are a close 2nd, and academia as 3rd in distorting words for ideological ends. Reframing has been done extensively in America by many organizations so much so that most Americans have an American understanding of dozens of important biblical words that is completely different from the intended meaning of the authors.
Here is the section on the Sunday law, which again is reframed and called Sabbath.
“Sabbath Rest. God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest, and until very recently the Judeo-Christian tradition sought to honor that mandate by moral and legal regulation of work on that day. Moreover, a shared day off makes it possible for families and communities to enjoy time off together, rather than as atomized individuals, and provides a healthier cadence of life for everyone. Unfortunately, that communal day of rest has eroded under the pressures of consumerism and secularism, especially for low-income workers.
Congress should encourage communal rest by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)9 to require that workers be paid time and a half for hours worked on the Sabbath. That day would default to Sunday, except for employers with a sincere religious observance of a Sabbath at a different time (e.g., Friday sundown to Saturday sundown); the obligation would transfer to that period instead. Houses of worship (to the limited extent they may have FLSA-covered employees) and employers legally required to operate around the clock (such as hospitals and first responders) would be exempt, as would workers otherwise exempt from overtime.” p. 589 (621 in pdf)
Here are some primary sources regarding this issue and then several SDA and Christian ministries speaking about it.
PROJECT 2025 PRIMARY ORIGIN SITES
Project 2025 is a major effort by over 75 conservative organizations and 400 scholars to “save our republic” from a tide of moral corruption.
“Project 2025 is unparalleled in the history of the conservative movement—both in its size and scope but also for organizing 75 different groups under a single banner. Spearheaded by Heritage, the coalition is systematically preparing policy and personnel for the next conservative president. Project 2025’s four pillars will collectively pave the way for an effective and historic administration: A policy agenda, personnel recruitment, training, and a 180-day playbook to kick off the term on Jan. 20, 2025.”
https://www.heritage.org/press/project-2025-reaches-75-coalition-partners-continues-grow-preparation-next-conservative
Project 2025 Homepage:
https://www.project2025.org
Mandate for Leadership (full book PDF can be found here):
https://www.project2025.org/policy/
180 day playbook is here:
https://www.project2025.org/playbook/
Why Is Everybody Talking about Project 2025? | Spencer Chretien The Heritage Foundation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGnwG40iPRk
ADVENTIST REVIEWS:
The Danger of Christian Nationalism, Project 2025 and The Coming Sunday Law… | TPE – E13by Midnight Cry (best short one) Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG5igW1ITpM
What you need to know about Project 2025 “Sunday law!” by Scott Ritsema (short)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RYT2NB4ClU
MEDIUM LENGTH
Project 2025 Sunday Law – The War Is Coming (Sabbath Laws vs Ten Commandments) by Bible Spotlight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgh2cq7Qai0
Decoding Project 2025 – What Are The End-Time Goals Of The False Prophet? | Truth Matters by Amazing Discoveries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8o0G-MiGfM 2025
LONG:
Part 1: Project 2025, Sunday Laws, El Latigo, and SDA Broken Ankles by Ivor Myers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fwMTbCRl-E
Part 2: Project 2025, Prophetic Denialism and the Rise of SDA Maga-Churches by Ivor Myers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVrkisMcOro