America's Alarming Depression Problem

 Isn't it interesting that the wealthiest modern-day nation is filled to the brim with citizens suffering from depression and anxiety?

How can that be?  We have grocery stores filled to the brim.  We have homes with electricity, air conditioning and heat.  We don't have Muslims dragging us from our homes to torture and kill us.  We have Amazon dropping off a toothbrush in our driveways.  We have cars to drive us anywhere in the nation we want to go...and yet we are miserable.

Could it have everything to do with the fact that we have rejected God?  The very God who gives us our daily bread?

Depression remains an ongoing problem in the U.S. as historically high rates persist, polling company Gallup reveals.

The reported percentage of U.S. adults suffering or receiving treatment for depression has been higher than 18 percent for the past two years. A decade ago, in 2015, the number was just over 10 percent.

"The increase is alarming, and it is important that we keep an open mind and explore all possible causes for the rapid, and apparently sustained, rise in depression rates over the past decade," Dr. Gerard Sanacora, a professor of psychiatry, director of Yale Depression Research Program and co-director of Yale New Haven Hospital Interventional Psychiatry Service at Yale University, told Newsweek.

Depression is a common mental health condition that can affect how a person thinks, sleeps, eats and acts, and often causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in previously enjoyed things, but is different to sadness or grief.

It affects millions of Americans, and recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that as many as 1 billion people worldwide are living with mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.

There are many different types and severities of depression, and in severe cases, it can lead to self-harm or death by suicide. Tens of thousands of Americans take their own lives each year, highlighting the crucial importance of mental health treatment and support.

While depression can affect anyone, both children and adults, there are some known risk factors, Sanacora said. These include "genetics, age, gender, and decline in general health."

"It is possible that some change in general health, for example related to long COVID or increased levels of obesity and metabolic disorders could be contributing to the increase," he added, noting though that the impact of these risk factors "probably has not changed dramatically throughout the population in recent years."

Other major risk factors known to be associated with depression "are more related to stressful life events, substance use, and social isolation," he said.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The turning point of the recent increase in America's depression rates occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, according to Gallup's data.

In 2019, the percentage of U.S. adults that reported having depression in Gallup's survey, which is part of the ongoing Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index, was 12.5 percent.

The questions respondents were asked included: "Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression?" and if yes, "Do you currently have or are you currently being treated for depression?"

From 2019 onward, rates of depression soared, going from 13.8 percent in 2020 to 17.8 percent in 2023.

As depression rates continued to rise in the wake of the pandemic, it suggests that "the pandemic was more of a tipping point than a blip," Dr. David Mischoulon, director of the Depression Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, told Newsweek.

This is likely because the COVID-19 pandemic "led to major changes in the way our society functions, resulting in various forms of physiological and psychological stress as well as marked social isolation," Sanacora said.

Here;  America's 'Alarming' Depression Problem - Newsweek

Ancient Israel was certainly a model for us all to learn by.  When times were great for them and they had food a plenty and peace on all sides...who needs God?  And then they would get destroyed and after suffering for a while they would call out, "God!  Where are you??  We need you!!"  And then God would send them a judge and they would be delivered.  But after a few years of peace and prosperity...who needs God?  And the cycle went over and over again.

Here in America we have so much food that a large percentage of us have turned into obese gluttons.  We don't go outside, we don't know our neighbors, we don't have friends, we aren't involved in churches and millions would rather seek solace in drugs, alcohol and other self-medications.  What will it take for us all to turn back to God and say, "God we need you!?"

Why Did So Many Teachers Cheer Charlie Kirk Assassination?

 Probably not a hug surprise to most of us that the majority of public teachers are on the Left.  But how stupid do you have to be to cheer the death of someone and not think you might end up without a job?

When you send your child to school, you expect educators to teach reading, math, history-and character. You do not expect them to cheer when someone is killed, or show violent videos to ten-year-olds with commentary that says the dead man "deserved" it. Yet right now, parents across America (and in Canada) are seeing exactly that. And it's terrifying.

Real People, Troubling Actions

There are several shocking stories making national headlines. These aren't rumors. These are documented, public, deeply upsetting incidents:

In Oskaloosa, Iowa, a high school art teacher, Matt Kargol, posted "1 Nazi down" in a public social media response to Charlie Kirk's assassination. He has been placed on administrative leave, and the school district is conducting an emergency hearing about whether he should lose his job. 

In Massachusetts, a special education teacher was caught grinning and singing "God Bless America" while watching the news of Kirk's death on TV. 

In North Carolina (at Fort Bragg), a Department of Defense Education Activity teacher named Kristen Eve openly called Kirk a "garbage human," declared she would not mourn him, and went further, suggesting maybe the country would have to get "rough, messy, maybe even violent." 

In South Carolina, a Greenville County social studies teacher -- Wynne Boliek -- was fired after a Facebook post stating, "America became better today. There I said it." 

In Toronto, Canada, a substitute teacher at a French immersion class for 5th- and 6th-graders showed a graphic video of Kirk's assassination. While doing so, he allegedly said Kirk "deserved" what happened -- invoking anti-fascist and anti-trans rhetoric. The teacher has been suspended pending investigation, and parents were deeply shaken. 

In Texas, more than 180 complaints have now been made against teachers for posts or actions related to celebrating or inciting violence in response to Kirk's death. Over 100 teacher certifications may be suspended; some teachers already suspended or fired. Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency are calling these acts grossly inappropriate. 

What It Says About the Root of the Problem

These examples show us something deeper than just "bad behavior." They point to a culture somewhere between moral relativism and moral collapse--where violence is cheered, where ideology overwhelms empathy, and where the role of a teacher as a caretaker, moral guide, or role model is forgotten.

Blurring of professional / personal boundaries: Many teachers seem to believe their private social media posts, or what they do outside class, are somehow detached from their role in school. But when you're teaching, parents and students see you not just as someone who imparts facts, but someone who shapes values. When that teacher with students in Grade 5 plays a graphic, violent video and says the victim "deserved" it, that crosses the boundary from "personal opinion" into indoctrination--or at least into something deeply harmful. 

Here;  Why Did So Many Teachers Cheer The Assassination? A Wake-Up Call For Parents

The demonic delusion is real.  The rhetoric of calling someone you disagree with a Nazi, transphobic, homophobic, racist and misogynistic is an attempt to make their enemies less human.  And once they are less than human, you can justify and celebrate their murder.  The irony is that while they are calling the other side Nazis, they are repeating the same thing Hitler did to dehumanize the Jews.

Israel Striking Doha Was 100% Legal

 The world is even further in a tither over what to do about Israel.  First off Israel has the nerve to defend itself against the murder and kidnapping of 1500 Israelis who were just minding their own business on October 7, 2023.  And when they went into Gaza to respond to Hamas and get their hostages back, the world told them, "You've killed too many people in Gaza!  Now quit it!"

I wonder if the world screamed at America and the allied forces of WWII when we all teamed up and bombed Dresden, Germany and turned the entire city into a firebomb?

I wonder if the world screamed at America when we dropped atomic bombs on Japan and killed 100,000 plus civilians?

Nope!  Why?  Because we were attempting to win a war against an enemy that attacked us at Pearl Harbor and killed 3000 Americans!  

So what is different about the world hating Israel and Jews?

The latest anger pointed at Israel was when Israel attempted to kill some Hamas leader who were not in Gaza but had gone to Qatar for some meetings.  "You illegally attacked a sovereign nation when you bombed Doha!"

But did they break any laws?  NOPE!

Here are just a few of the absurd reactions from world leaders in the wake of Israel’s stunning strike on Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar, last week:

• A “blatant violation of international law.”
• A “violation of sovereignty.”
• A “flagrant breach of international law.”

France, Spain, the UK, the Qataris themselves, and others have joined in the hysterics.

Yet all these sloganizing leaders have one thing in common: an astonishing and total ignorance of actual, international law.

In future articles, I will dive into the far reaching implications and consequences of this stunning operation, but for now, here’s a quick review of international law.

In future articles, I will dive into the far reaching implications and consequences of this stunning operation, but for now, here’s a quick review of international law.

• Qatar is not technically at war with Israel, therefore the country could be considered a “neutral power” under the Hague Convention V and thus immune from attack.
• However, under articles 2, 3 and 4 of Hague Convention V, a “neutral power” may not allow anyone on its territory to direct combat operations, run command and control centers, or even to communicate electronically with combatants.
• For years, the Hamas leadership has been carrying out exactly those prohibited acts from within Qatar — with sustained and integral Qatari support. In other words, Qatar has been violating international law for years — before, during, and after the October 7 massacre.
• Hamas is the internationally-designated terror organization that carried out the October 7 massacre of Israelis in 2023, and continues holding Israeli hostages in Gaza to this day. Though the Hamas leadership in Qatar claims the moniker “political wing,” it is consistently involved in directing combat operations against Israel.
• Qatar cannot claim to be a “neutral power” under the Hague Conventions, because it provides sustained and integral support for Hamas — which aids Hamas combat operations against Israel — from Qatari soil.
• Furthermore, Israel has an inviolate right to self defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, and Hamas may not undermine that right simply by directing its combat operations from inside a third-party country.

In summary: Qatar has been providing sustained and integral support for Hamas combat operations — from Qatari soil — in violation of The Hague conventions.

These acts give Israel the inviolate right, under both the Hague Conventions and the UN Charter’s Article 51, to defend itself and its citizens by targeting Hamas leadership inside Qatar.

Here;  Striking Hamas Leaders in Qatar Is 100% Legal Under International Law | Algemeiner.com

The Restoration of Babylon

 We can't say for sure what the future holds for the actual city of Babylon which is in Iraq.  The word Babylon certainly appears many times in both OT and NT but there is disagreement as to what that word represents based on when, where and how it was used.

Sometimes the word actually means the historical ancient city of Babylon.  This is the place that Nebuchadnezzar had his kingdom centered and where the Jews got hauled to along with the prophet Daniel.  

Some point out that the word Babylon, as used in the NT, is a reference to the entire global system that is under the control of the spirit of the antichrist.  It's kind of a code-word for the Satanic system that governs the world.  Think about it like this:  When you hear on the news that "Wall Street had a great day!"  Do you think, "I sure wonder what happened to that street in New York that made it have such a great day?"  No!  You know that when they say "Wall Street" they are referring to the financial system that centers around the valuation of stocks and bonds.

Some believe that the Antichrist will actually set up his capitol in Babylon and it will be destroyed when Christ returns at the 2nd Advent.

We can say that all of this could certainly be true and all of it has some scripture to support that thinking.

So today on Google News there is a headline story that they chose to put on the front page and it is about Babylon.

Mentioned in the sacred texts of all three Abrahamic faiths, the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon, in modern-day Iraq, is today undergoing a revival. Two World Monuments Fund (WMF) projects are nearing completion and much-needed cultural tourism is returning.

One project mitigates groundwater damage to the north retaining wall of the Ishtar Gate. The second is a restoration of the Temple of Ninmakh, dedicated to the Sumerian mother goddess. The team hopes there will be an official reopening for the temple this autumn, after which it will be available for gatherings such as weddings and concerts, as well as for the Babylon Festival, a celebration of international cultures that takes place every spring.

Largely funded by the US embassy in Baghdad, the restoration of the temple and the north retaining wall are part of the Future of Babylon Project, initiated 15 years ago, which aims to document, waterproof and stabilise structures throughout the 2,500-acre site. (The US embassy cancelled funding for a planned walkway spanning the site of the Ishtar Gate in July due to budget cuts.)

Visitor boom

The completion of these two projects coincides with a boom in tourism. Even in the midday heat, when tour guides refuse to emerge from their office, visitors from Romania, Russia and Iran enthusiastically explore attractions including the largely intact Lion of Babylon, the processional way and the museum next to a reconstructed Ishtar Gate.

The return of heritage tourism is one of Iraq’s few recent success stories. Even as sectarian tensions simmer and the electrical grid has yet to be restored 22 years after it was destroyed in the US invasion, Babylon is being reborn.

“We’ve had record numbers of visitors this year,” Raad Hamid Abdullah, Babylon’s antiquities and heritage inspector, tells The Art Newspaper. In 2024 Babylon hosted 43,530 Iraqi tourists and 5,370 foreign tourists, an increase from 36,957 Iraqi visitors and 4,109 foreigners in 2023, he says.

“Now even locals from the adjoining city of Babil are coming,” Abdullah says. “It has once more become a popular place for family gatherings and wedding parties,” he says, adding proudly, “Babylon is a symbol of Iraq.”

Babylon, the survivor

Around 80km south of Baghdad, comprising both the ruins of the ancient city as well as surrounding villages and agricultural areas, Babylon is a survivor. From its peak as the Neo-Babylonian capital under King Nebuchadnezzar II through to the Iraq War, when American and Polish troops ran roughshod over its ruins and a decade later, Islamic State (Isis) threatened its very existence, the ancient city has witnessed empires come and go.

Babylon has survived decades of looting and ongoing environmental challenges. Construction, too, has taken a toll over the years. In 1927 the British ran a railway line through the site, and in the 1980s Saddam Hussein built a highway through part of it, along with a palace for himself, complete with helipad. There are still three non-functioning oil pipelines, two built in the 1970s and 1980s and a more recent third one—work on it was blocked after Iraq’s General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage filed a lawsuit in 2012. Babylon was only recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2019.

Now the Egyptian architect Ahmed Abdelgawad, an expert in mud brick buildings, is working with the WMF to train locals in the traditional art that befits the Temple of Ninmakh, named after the mother goddess associated with creation, birth and healing who breathed life into humankind via small clay figures in their likeness.

Years of war-related damage and neglect combined with poorly executed mid-century “reconstruction” methods resulted in serious structural problems at the temple. Corrosion caused by the intrusion of increasingly salty groundwater is the product of prolonged droughts and soil erosion in climate-vulnerable Iraq.

Here;  How the restoration of ancient Babylon is drawing tourists back to Iraq - The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

Why would the US Embassy in Baghdad be funding the restoration of an ancient, demonic temple in Babylon???  The Sumerian Mother Goddess?? 

That is super strange.

Now here's another interesting piece for today.  I just received an email from Harpazo TV and has this listed as a new show on their site;

This week on Hope for Our Time, Tom Hughes interviews Pastor Andy Woods. Prophecy is unfolding before our very eyes. The Bible warns of a coming global system, and at its center will be a city unlike any other—Babylon. Scripture foretells that Babylon will rise again as the Antichrist’s capital, a hub of power, deception, and corruption that will dominate the world before its sudden destruction.

Now come on!  That's interesting!  Google puts up a story on America funding the restoration of Babylon on the very same day I'm sent a new story from Bible believers saying that Babylon will be the Antichrist's capital!!

As we say often these last days, YOU CAN'T MAKE THAT UP!!

We Must Be So Very Close

There are so many things happening all at once!  September was filled with prophetic events even before Charlie Kirk was murdered and revealed just how dark many of our family and friends actually are.  The love of many has grown cold.  The thousands of videos showing people cheering and rejoicing over the murder of a husband and father who SPOKE Biblical truth, serves as one other sign of how late in the game we actually are.  Read Jonathon’s comments below referencing a few things that are happening.

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We live at a time like no other. We live in biblical times.

The Bible says that the last days would look exactly like what we see all around us today. How can anyone miss how closely world events align with what God prophesied for the days leading up to Jesus’ glorious return to the earth? The many distractions of modern life effectively blind the multitudes, and even most believers, to the multitude of signs pointing to the rapid approach of God’s judgment upon the planet.

We are witnessing the convergence of signs at an ever-accelerating rate. It borders on the surreal. Below are just a few of the reasons for believing that the start of the Day of the Lord could happen at any moment, which means that our homegoing is even closer to reality.

The lawlessness and corruption of our day already far exceed what I thought possible before the Rapture. Paul described the antichrist as “the man of lawlessness” and wrote that the “mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7). The disregard for civil authority that we see today is extreme, no doubt, and fulfills a key aspect of the apostle’s warning concerning the “perilous times” of the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-9). The ramping up of anarchy and violence, as evidenced by the murder of Charlie Kirk, points to the soon arrival of the “lawless one” on the world scene.

We know that he cannot begin his reign of terror until after the restraining work of the Holy Spirit ends with our departure from planet Earth. How much longer can it be before Jesus comes for us?

The Bible says God will judge the world in real time. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, there’s coming a time when the world will experience the “sudden destruction” that will mark the beginning of wrath during the Day of the Lord. The Old Testament prophets wrote of an extended period of God’s vengeance upon the earth that they referred to as “the Day of the Lord.” This time will culminate with Jesus’ return and thousand-year rule over the nations.

Someday soon, God’s patience with the wickedness and killing of the innocent in both America and the world will end. The Lord Jesus will take all born-again believers out of this world, and His wrath will fall upon those now promoting the violence and mayhem of our day.

Modern technology not only makes the mark of the beast possible, but it also makes it highly likely. With the advances in artificial intelligence (AI), the creation of huge databases, the arrival of digital currencies, and other advances in technology, the day of a cashless society with governments possessing the ability to control the buying and selling is not only possible but highly probable. It’s remarkable that even those who might scoff at our belief in the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-18) tell us that the day is coming when those in authority will be able to dictate all monetary transactions.

Twenty years ago, I thought that the antichrist would need a huge army of loyalists in every nation to control all the buying and selling. About ten years ago, I began to see how he could use recent technical advances to accomplish it. Now, even those who don’t believe what John wrote in Revelation say that such a time surely lies ahead for the world.

The clamoring of the nations to divide Israel and Jerusalem tell us the antichrist will soon arrive on the world scene. The purpose of the September 22 UN meeting is to carve out a Palestinian state in the Land that God gave to the Jewish people. Just as technology has advanced in readiness for the unveiling of “the man of lawlessness” after our departure, so has the world’s attitude toward Israel and Jerusalem opened the door for his arrival.

The meeting in New York later this month will not yield the covenant that kicks off Daniel’s seventieth week (Daniel 9:24-27). However, the antichrist will someday bring all the sides together in agreeing to a package that will guarantee Israel’s security and bring peace to the region. The fact that this happens after the Rapture shouts with the message that we will be going home soon, very soon.

The UFO mania underscores Satan’s prepping of the world to believe “the lie” regarding our sudden disappearance. During the past twenty-five years, there’s been a growing consensus of belief that alien life is real. Just this year, the belief in small UFOs has grown to that of gigantic alien spacecraft either heading toward the earth or already here. The devil is actively conditioning the world to believe that the Rapture will be an alien abduction.

These unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) have grown from compact objects to gigantic ones capable of housing a multitude of people whom the aliens could beam up from the earth. I don’t think this is a coincidence; Satan knows that his time is short, and as a result, he’s actively preparing people to believe anything but the truth regarding our sudden disappearance.

The widespread unawareness that judgment is coming is precisely what the Lord predicted for the time just before He again intervenes in human history. When speaking about the signs of the last days, Jesus used those living at the time of Noah’s flood and those in Sodom as examples of the unawareness that would characterize the last days (Matthew 24:36-39; Luke 17:26-30). God’s judge will come as a “thief in the night” for those left behind because they have no idea that they live in the last days.

Is this not what we see today? Not only do most pastors ignore the many signs of the rapidly approaching sudden destruction of the Day of the Lord, but they also actively deny the Lord’s soon intervention in our world. Sadly, it’s not just the world that’s soundly asleep, but many saints are also totally unaware that they may soon meet Jesus in the air.

These are just a few of the great many signs that together proclaim the nearness of the Rapture.

I am still in shock over the murder of Charlie Kirk. It comforts me to know that Charlie is with Jesus whom he loved and served, but it also makes me long all the more for the day Jesus appears to take us home. When Jesus comes, He will administer justice in our world and continue to do so until He returns in great glory and sets up His righteous kingdom over all nations.

Maranatha! I pray He comes soon, very soon!

 https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/

It’s Dangerous to Speak Biblical Truth

 I love how this author points out that speaking Biblical truth is dangerous in a world where truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth. So true!  

Try posting on social media that the Bible tells us God ordained marriage to be one man and one woman united for life.  You HOMOPHOBE!!

Mention that you believe that God made 2 genders, male and female and that’s it.  You TRANSPHOBE!

Even saying statistics can get you in serious trouble.  “55% of violent crimes in America are committed by about 8% of the population…black males.”  You RACIST!!

Charlie Kirk said it best when he pointed out that the Left cant actually argue with good ideas and facts so they are left with using slurs and foul language.  

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Although the United States of America and Australia are a vast ocean apart, our core shared values mean that we often stand shoulder to shoulder through war, natural disasters and tragedy.  Many people I have spoken to remain in shock, disbelief and tears over the assassination of Charlie Kirk.  It is a reminder that speaking truth, particularly Biblical truth, is inherently dangerous in a world where truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth.   

In a world where, in 2024, a little over a third of Stanford students said using violence to silence speech is acceptable, it is clear that the unbelieving and hostile world has a problem with truth.  Why?  Because of their genealogy.  I speak not of their biological family, but of their spiritual family.  You see, when your spiritual inheritance comes from the father of lies, you will see truth as antithetical to the vitality of your family unit.  Because the unregenerate sinner is spiritually dead, only death can come out of their mouth.  There is no doubt they value the principle of free speech for themselves.  However, what we must understand is that free speech is seen differently in the kingdom of darkness than in the kingdom of light.

To the father of lies and his children, free speech is designed to tear people down, spread lies, destroy the witness of the church and stoke violence against those who wish to bring light to the kingdom of darkness.  After all, let’s not forget what Jesus said as recorded in John 3:19: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”  They don’t just tolerate the darkness, they don’t just like the darkness, they love the darkness.  Consequently, those who love darkness will hate the light because light is seen as the enemy of darkness and in their mind, an enemy needs to be destroyed.

https://harbingersdaily.com/speaking-biblical-truth-is-inherently-dangerous-in-a-world-driven-by-the-father-of-lies/

Kirk’s Assassin Lived With Transgender

 I’m guessing that by now all my readers have seen that the assassin lived with a man who thinks he’s a woman…so they’re gay AND confused.

So here’s an idea;  the Left is so hell-bent on making guns illegal, so let’s start with making them illegal for the mentally ill and those who live with the mentally ill.  Surely the Left will understand that anyone who don’t know what gender they are should not be healthy enough to be buying guns.  

Seriously, someone should continue putting together this pattern of violence and rage being carried out by the sexually confused.  

On the test to own firearms should be the questions, “what is a woman and you can’t use the word woman in your definition.”  Maybe follow that up with, “can men get pregnant and deliver a baby?”  And finally, “a 50 yr old man says he’s actually a 12 yr old girl and demands to join the teen-girls athletic teams and join them in the locker room, is this reasonable?”

“We will issue your permit based on your answers.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin lived with his transgender partner, senior-level FBI officials told Fox News Digital. 

Bureau officials confirmed that Tyler Robinson, 22, was in a "romantic relationship" with the unnamed person, who is a male transitioning to a female, and that they shared an apartment in Saint George, Utah. Those FBI officials told Fox News Digital that Robinson's partner is fully cooperating with the FBI's investigation.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-kirks-assassin-lived-transgender-partner-who-now-cooperating-fbi-sources