Mr. Geert Wilders leads the main opposition party in the Netherlands parliament. It is growing so rapidly that it is possible Wilders will be Holland's next prime minister.
In other words, Geert Wilders is an established, well-known, respected public servant in the Netherlands.
Last week, a Dutch court made Wilders a convicted criminal. It convicted him of what amounts to "hate speech." It was the first time in that nation's history that a court ruled against freedom of speech.
It's true that Mr. Wilders has said controversial things throughout the years, especially regarding the dangers of Islam. In fact, we have extensively reported his remarks on this program.
What did he say that was so horrible? Remember, Wilders is a prominent politician speaking to a crowd on the topic of immigration -- definitely an important aspect of public policy that affects all Dutch citizens.
Wilders asked the group: "Do you want more or fewer Moroccans in this city and in the Netherlands?"
For asking that question, he was charged with and convicted of "hate speech."
Keep in mind, it's not "racism." Moroccans aren't a race. But even if he had said something that almost everyone considered deplorable, he should still have the right to say it -- then bear the resulting recriminations and criticism, if need be.
But all of us should be concerned when a western nation's government can convict a member of the political opposition for saying something the present regime does not like.
Once a government can silence you because what you say is inconvenient for them or at odds with the official position, there are then no more checks and balances. And that means there are no more practical legal limits to what a sitting government can and will do.
It's the same with so-called "fake news." It is true that there are websites that purposely invent things that they think either conservatives or liberals will click on and read (mostly so they can sell advertising that targets those audiences).
But when the government decides what is and is not "fake news," then it can shut down anything or anyone who expresses opinions it doesn't like. Had the government been able to officially brand reporting on Watergate or Monica Lewinsky as "fake news," those activities by sitting Presidents would never have been finally exposed.
If today the government can shut down "fake news" sites, then tomorrow it can use the same pretext to shut down Fox News or MSNBC.
Further, people who do not believe the Bible will call the miracles of Jesus "fake news" and forbid discussion of them. They will call the Bible's condemnation of sin "hate speech."
For a free society to remain free, government must not be allowed to regulate the discussion or presentation of ideas and information.
Political Correctness has made Geert Wilders a condemned man. It has turned Amnesty International into Amnesty Hypocritical.
It is ironic that Islam is probably the greatest beneficiary of Political Correctness. Yet Islam is hostile to the main tenets of Political Correctness.
Homosexuals once held the highest level of "protected status" among the politically correct. But it now seems that the gay community's "most protected" status has been replaced by love of Mohammed.
His religion despises, outlaws, and punishes gays. It regards women as commodities, to be bought and sold with the goats. But the PC people don't care about that, and apparently, neither does Amnesty International.
The once highly respected human rights group has apparently decided to cast its lot with Islam. It promotes and supports individuals who are not only sympathetic to Islam and its many terror organizations, but who actively associate with and campaign on behalf of those terrorist organizations. It now even fires its officials who point out the incongruity.
So for a preeminent "human rights" organization to champion the world's most intolerant religion, one that suppresses and abuses human rights, virtually shouts "hypocrisy," at the least, and "insanity" at worst.
Theirs is the confused thinking of a world at war with God.
The Bible warns time and again that when people throw away the knowledge of God, they can't even think straight. They cannot see the contradictions in their own thoughts.
Amnesty International, in defending a warped version of human rights, helps destroy real human rights.
Romans 1:28 says, "Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind." This means their intellects become so corrupt they can't even think in their own best interest.
Europe was once considered Christian. Today, the powers-that-be have made Islam the continent's favored religion. It gets special protections and privileges. That makes no sense. Long term, Islam will utterly destroy the current liberalism of the continent and replace it with a rigid, hard-nosed theocracy -- hardly the ideal of the global elites.
But they have become so Godless, they don't even realize the danger they have allowed in.
It's a funny thing. During the primaries, many Christians opposed Donald Trump because he wasn't "Christian" enough. But since he won the presidential election, some of those Christians have decided that these may not be the end-times after all.
They place so much hope in President-Elect Trump that they foresee only good things happening in the United States and the world. And it's true that some positive things have already taken place.
Now, I don't know how the President-Elect will do as President. I sincerely hope he does well. But I believe we will continue moving toward a soon-Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 24:8, Jesus compared the signs of His coming to "birth pangs." To relax now is a little like a first-time mother confusing one of the first contractions of childbirth with the last one. After each contraction, she feels better, but it's not over. More contractions are coming.
Birth pangs come and go. So do the signs of Christ's coming. One minute the world is in the midst of intense labor pain. Then the contraction subsides. But until the birth takes place, we can know for certain that more will come. And they will come with greater frequency and intensity.
So now is not the time to relax. We must be diligent and watchful. Be in constant prayer for our new President, that God will grant him wisdom, courage, and personal safety.
His election, the turmoil it has caused, and the hope it promises are surely a "birth pang" in the process carrying us to the soon return of Christ. It places us in the center of some amazing events and on the threshold of that great event -- no matter who serves as President.
Finally, this week I want to continue my recent discussion regarding the Church and, specifically, the believer.
There is an exclusive description given in the Bible only to the believer in Christ. It is a simple prepositional phrase that is repeated some 165 times in the epistles.
It is variously stated as "in Christ," "in Jesus Christ," "in Him," "in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." These phrases describe the eternal, inseparable, personal union that each believer has with the Lord Jesus through the baptism of the Spirit.
Virtually every benefit of salvation that the Heavenly Father bestows upon the believer is transmitted through this union with Christ.
Tune in this week to learn more about this wonderful gift from God on this week's program.
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com. Check your local listings.
For those of you who watch "The Hal Lindsey Report" on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), please note that we are moving to a new time. Beginning Friday, January 6, 2017, the Report will be seen 30 minutes later, beginning at 6:00 pm Pacific/9:00 pm Eastern. Hopefully, this new time will make it even more convenient for those of you in the western United States.
Merry Christmas, y'all!
Watch this week's Report before it airs! An HD quality MP4 download of each week's show will now be available for purchase from the website. Visit the store at www.hallindsey.com to get your report.
God Bless,
Hal Lindsey
In other words, Geert Wilders is an established, well-known, respected public servant in the Netherlands.
Last week, a Dutch court made Wilders a convicted criminal. It convicted him of what amounts to "hate speech." It was the first time in that nation's history that a court ruled against freedom of speech.
It's true that Mr. Wilders has said controversial things throughout the years, especially regarding the dangers of Islam. In fact, we have extensively reported his remarks on this program.
What did he say that was so horrible? Remember, Wilders is a prominent politician speaking to a crowd on the topic of immigration -- definitely an important aspect of public policy that affects all Dutch citizens.
Wilders asked the group: "Do you want more or fewer Moroccans in this city and in the Netherlands?"
For asking that question, he was charged with and convicted of "hate speech."
Keep in mind, it's not "racism." Moroccans aren't a race. But even if he had said something that almost everyone considered deplorable, he should still have the right to say it -- then bear the resulting recriminations and criticism, if need be.
But all of us should be concerned when a western nation's government can convict a member of the political opposition for saying something the present regime does not like.
Once a government can silence you because what you say is inconvenient for them or at odds with the official position, there are then no more checks and balances. And that means there are no more practical legal limits to what a sitting government can and will do.
It's the same with so-called "fake news." It is true that there are websites that purposely invent things that they think either conservatives or liberals will click on and read (mostly so they can sell advertising that targets those audiences).
But when the government decides what is and is not "fake news," then it can shut down anything or anyone who expresses opinions it doesn't like. Had the government been able to officially brand reporting on Watergate or Monica Lewinsky as "fake news," those activities by sitting Presidents would never have been finally exposed.
If today the government can shut down "fake news" sites, then tomorrow it can use the same pretext to shut down Fox News or MSNBC.
Further, people who do not believe the Bible will call the miracles of Jesus "fake news" and forbid discussion of them. They will call the Bible's condemnation of sin "hate speech."
For a free society to remain free, government must not be allowed to regulate the discussion or presentation of ideas and information.
Political Correctness has made Geert Wilders a condemned man. It has turned Amnesty International into Amnesty Hypocritical.
It is ironic that Islam is probably the greatest beneficiary of Political Correctness. Yet Islam is hostile to the main tenets of Political Correctness.
Homosexuals once held the highest level of "protected status" among the politically correct. But it now seems that the gay community's "most protected" status has been replaced by love of Mohammed.
His religion despises, outlaws, and punishes gays. It regards women as commodities, to be bought and sold with the goats. But the PC people don't care about that, and apparently, neither does Amnesty International.
The once highly respected human rights group has apparently decided to cast its lot with Islam. It promotes and supports individuals who are not only sympathetic to Islam and its many terror organizations, but who actively associate with and campaign on behalf of those terrorist organizations. It now even fires its officials who point out the incongruity.
So for a preeminent "human rights" organization to champion the world's most intolerant religion, one that suppresses and abuses human rights, virtually shouts "hypocrisy," at the least, and "insanity" at worst.
Theirs is the confused thinking of a world at war with God.
The Bible warns time and again that when people throw away the knowledge of God, they can't even think straight. They cannot see the contradictions in their own thoughts.
Amnesty International, in defending a warped version of human rights, helps destroy real human rights.
Romans 1:28 says, "Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind." This means their intellects become so corrupt they can't even think in their own best interest.
Europe was once considered Christian. Today, the powers-that-be have made Islam the continent's favored religion. It gets special protections and privileges. That makes no sense. Long term, Islam will utterly destroy the current liberalism of the continent and replace it with a rigid, hard-nosed theocracy -- hardly the ideal of the global elites.
But they have become so Godless, they don't even realize the danger they have allowed in.
It's a funny thing. During the primaries, many Christians opposed Donald Trump because he wasn't "Christian" enough. But since he won the presidential election, some of those Christians have decided that these may not be the end-times after all.
They place so much hope in President-Elect Trump that they foresee only good things happening in the United States and the world. And it's true that some positive things have already taken place.
Now, I don't know how the President-Elect will do as President. I sincerely hope he does well. But I believe we will continue moving toward a soon-Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 24:8, Jesus compared the signs of His coming to "birth pangs." To relax now is a little like a first-time mother confusing one of the first contractions of childbirth with the last one. After each contraction, she feels better, but it's not over. More contractions are coming.
Birth pangs come and go. So do the signs of Christ's coming. One minute the world is in the midst of intense labor pain. Then the contraction subsides. But until the birth takes place, we can know for certain that more will come. And they will come with greater frequency and intensity.
So now is not the time to relax. We must be diligent and watchful. Be in constant prayer for our new President, that God will grant him wisdom, courage, and personal safety.
His election, the turmoil it has caused, and the hope it promises are surely a "birth pang" in the process carrying us to the soon return of Christ. It places us in the center of some amazing events and on the threshold of that great event -- no matter who serves as President.
Finally, this week I want to continue my recent discussion regarding the Church and, specifically, the believer.
There is an exclusive description given in the Bible only to the believer in Christ. It is a simple prepositional phrase that is repeated some 165 times in the epistles.
It is variously stated as "in Christ," "in Jesus Christ," "in Him," "in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." These phrases describe the eternal, inseparable, personal union that each believer has with the Lord Jesus through the baptism of the Spirit.
Virtually every benefit of salvation that the Heavenly Father bestows upon the believer is transmitted through this union with Christ.
Tune in this week to learn more about this wonderful gift from God on this week's program.
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com. Check your local listings.
For those of you who watch "The Hal Lindsey Report" on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), please note that we are moving to a new time. Beginning Friday, January 6, 2017, the Report will be seen 30 minutes later, beginning at 6:00 pm Pacific/9:00 pm Eastern. Hopefully, this new time will make it even more convenient for those of you in the western United States.
Merry Christmas, y'all!
Watch this week's Report before it airs! An HD quality MP4 download of each week's show will now be available for purchase from the website. Visit the store at www.hallindsey.com to get your report.
God Bless,
Hal Lindsey
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