WILL PREACHING THE WORD SOON BE ILLEGAL?

Will Preaching the Word Soon Be Illegal?

8:00AM EDT 4/26/2018 JOSEPH MATTERA

In the news recently, on April 19, 2018, it was said "California Bill AB 2943 has passed."

According to this law, the church can no longer preach or teach that homosexuality is a sin or wrong behavior and cannot try to correct that behavior. Even psychotherapy for gender dysphoria is against the law.

Somebody on Facebook correctly opined "Editing the Bible would be the next logical step."

"By a vote of 50-18, the California Assembly approved a bill on Thursday April 19, 2018 telling churches and others with traditional beliefs about gender and sexual orientation that advocating their views could get them sued. AB 2943 declares "advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual" is illegal under state's consumer fraud law. Assembly Floor Vote: 50-18" (California Family Council).

Now, this article is not about homosexuality, but a concern that churches and or individuals could possibly be sanctioned for preaching from the Bible. I would have had the same concern if a law was passed that said a person could be sued for preaching on the biblical practice of "tithing" or that "Jesus is the only way to heaven".... you get the point.

The fact that this assembly voted against Free Speech, which abridged the First Amendment, shows how far the radical left will go to enact tyrannical rule. 

These are the same people who speak against the church and or Christians being involved in the public square and accuse such concerned citizens of trying to institute a "theocracy" or to have dominion over them.

The truth is, they try to frame the narrative this way to hide the fact that they are the ones who desire dominion and autocratic ideological rule over society. (I don't know one Christian leader who believes the institutional church should have political rule over the nation—church history has demonstrated that to be a disaster.) 

On the contrary, it was the original founders of the U.S. who made sure the Constitution included the principles of freedom of religion and free speech (the First Amendment). They enacted this and other principles, such as the nation being governed by three jurisdictional branches: the executive, Congress and the judiciary, all to counterbalance each other so that power is never centralized in one branch of government.

The framers wrote such august principles because they had a biblical (Judeo/Christian) worldview that informed their political theory (the fact that Christianity should not be spread and or enforced by the sword led to freedom of speech, religion and the First Amendment) as well as the biblical belief in original sin and moral depravity—which led them to have several branches of government that counterbalanced each other to prevent an oligarchy (by the judiciary) or a maniacal leader from exerting tyrannical rule (the executive branch or the presidency).

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These various branches of government arise from the de-centralized form of government found in Scripture. (Exodus 18:19-23 showed the executive and congressional branches in principal; and Deuteronomy 17:9-20 showed the executive and judiciary working together in principle). Consequently, the Jewish tribes were not held together by a despotic king as the other nations around them were, but by a shared vision and values based on their covenant with God. Hence, their family and tribal leaders diligently taught their children the Torah (Deut. 6:6-9), which was distilled down to the populace, so their nation was held together by virtue (the fear of God) more than mere rule of law.

What this means for the USA today is ominous—the seeds of our own destruction 

(as it was with ancient Israel) are already built into our national Constitution because of the biblical values of freedom of speech and religion (especially the New Covenant espoused by Jesus and the apostles), which grants the same religious and free speech rights to Christian and non-Christian alike (including those antithetical to Christianity).

Thus, the constitutional system is built upon a meritocracy so that those who have the most compelling ideas will lead.

When the church abandons culture and the general culture espouses an unbiblical (immoral) national ethos (the former leads to the latter), both the Constitution and the nation can collapse, since they are held together by the common values of decency, love for neighbor and respect for all human beings, which leads to the common value of fighting for life, liberty and justice—as the American way.

This lack of national virtue (due to Christians dividing the gospel and abandoning culture to focus on personal blessing) can eventually lead to making the very book responsible for the ideological framing of our constitution (the Bible) illegal. 

This is not farfetched, because if this law is passed in the state of California it can eventually spread to other progressive "copy states" and permeate the national conversation, leading it to be the law of the land (which essentially means making the unedited Bible and the preaching of the Bible illegal!).

That being said, since this law primarily rests upon "free speech" and not gay rights—it will probably eventually be shot down because the courts have historically sided with free speech, even when said free speech was horrific (like the Westboro Baptist church who had signs that said "God hates [expletives]" which were not only unbiblical but a disgrace to humanity!).

In conclusion, one radical segment of society is getting bolder and more influential in their attempt to eradicate both the Bible and biblical Christianity from both the USA and Western civilization. 

If the overall church doesn't wake up and serve humanity and influence culture (the way the generation of the original framers did) we may find the Bible outlawed the way it was in Russia, China and all tyrannical, atheistic nations that fear not God nor respect the fundamental rights of humankind.

Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He is renowned for addressing current events through the lense of Scripture by applying biblical truths and offering cogent defenses to today's postmodern culture. He leads several organizations, including The United Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma News called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go to josephmattera.org.

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/the-pulse/70753-will-preaching-the-word-soon-be-illegal

My comments: Christians have forgotten that this life is a Battle between the Forces of Evil, Satan and his Demonic Horde, and Almighty God, Who extends His offer of Salvation from this Evil, to every willing person. If Christians understood this Reality, they would fight for Freedom as the Founders did, which is both spiritual and civil.

TRUMP: NO APOLOGY FOR TRAVEL BAN MUSLIM COMMENTS

Trump: No apology for travel ban Muslim comments

By S.A. Miller and Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Monday, April 30, 2018

President Trump said Monday he won’t apologize for his past comments about Muslims and suggestions of a Muslim ban, saying he doubts it would make a difference to the courts that are deciding the legality of his travel ban policy.

“I think if I apologize it wouldn’t make 10 cents worth of difference. There’s nothing to apologize for,” Mr. Trump told The Washington Times at a press conference at the White House with the Nigerian president.

The travel ban went before the Supreme Court for oral argument last week, and the lawyer for Mr. Trump’s opponents, former top Obama administration litigator Neal Katyal, said if Mr. Trump would recant his previous statements the case against him could disappear.

During the 2016 campaign Mr. Trump proposed a temporary ban on Muslim entry to the U.S. as the crux of an “extreme vetting” policy.

When he took office he imposed a ban on entry for citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries previously identified by Congress and the Obama administration as having terrorism connections. That initial policy was blocked by the courts.

A second version applying to six majority-Muslim countries was allowed to go into partial effect by the Supreme Court.

Mr. Trump has now released a third version that applies to an updated list of both majority-Muslim and non-Muslim countries, with differing levels of sanctions.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/apr/30/trump-no-apology-travel-ban-muslim-comments/?

IRAN APPEARS TO SIGNAL THEIR WITHDRAWAL FROM NUCLEAR DEAL

Deputy Foreign Minister Appears To Signal Iran’s Imminent Withdrawal From Nuclear Deal

Iranian deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to signal Monday the country’s imminent withdrawal from the nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration in 2015.

“The Iran nuclear deal is no longer sustainable for Iran in its present form, without regard to a US exit,” Araghchi stated Monday, according to the Iranian Students News Agency.

Araghci added that Iran is “preparing all necessary options for any scenario.”

The deputy foreign minister’s comments came just before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech claiming that Iran had been in violation of the nuclear deal.

“First, Iran lied about never having a nuclear weapons program; 100,000 secret files proved that they lied,” Netanyahu argued. 

“Second, even after the deal, Iran continued to preserve and expand its nuclear weapons knowhow for future use. Why would a terrorist regime hide and meticulously catalog its secret nuclear files if not to use them at a later date. 

Third, Iran lied again in 2015 when it didn’t come clean to the IAEA as required by the nuclear deal.”

President Trump added at a Monday joint press conference with President Buhari of Nigeria that he was considering withdrawing from the nuclear deal, a point he has consistently made since beginning his presidential campaign in 2015.

http://dailycaller.com/2018/04/30/iran-deputy-foreign-minister-withdraw-nuclear-deal/?utm_medium=push&utm_source=daily_caller&utm_campaign=push

ISRAEL: IRAN ONCE HAD A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM

Netanyahu says Israel obtained ‘half a ton’ of documents on Iran’s nuclear weapons program

By - Associated Press - Monday, April 30, 2018

Israel’s prime minister says his government has obtained “half a ton” of secret Iranian documents proving the Tehran government once had a nuclear weapons program.

Calling it a “great intelligence achievement,” Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the documents show that Iran lied about its nuclear ambitions before signing a 2015 deal with world powers.

Iran has denied ever seeking nuclear weapons.

In a nationally televised address, Netanyahu said Israel recently uncovered 55,000 documents and 183 CDs of information from Iran’s “nuclear archives.”

Speaking in English, perhaps with an international audience in mind, he says the material is filled with incriminating evidence showing the Iranian program, called “Project Amad,” was to develop a weapon.

President Donald Trump is to decide by May 12 whether to pull out of the international deal with Iran. Netanyahu has led calls for Trump to withdraw.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/apr/30/netanyahu-says-israel-obtained-half-ton-documents-/?

My comments: Since Iran cannot be trusted, it is entirely possible that Iran still has an ongoing Nuclear Weapons program.

WHEN WILL THE INDICTMENTS BE ISSUED?

Allen West: The Republican Party Controls Government’s Three Branches – ‘So What?’

 By Allen West | April 30, 2018 | 10:28 AM EDT

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (left) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with President Donald J. Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan respectively (right) (Screenshots)

Back in the mid-80s when I was a young Army Second Lieutenant, I was tasked to give our commanding officer a briefing. Now, these were the days before power point, so this was old school briefing style. I took great pains to prepare my briefing on a series of butcher paper flip charts—of course, the current generation has no clue as to what I am describing. I was proud of the briefing, and I rehearsed it to perfection. I had all the right statistics and points. However, at the end of the briefing, the commanding officer was complimentary, but he said two words that rocked me, and taught me a vital lesson, “so what?”

His point was that all the words, research, and points were great, but what was the final assessment? Later, as a young Captain, I learned how to properly present a decision brief, but I had already been given that lesson. From that day on, I have always lived by the “so what” test.

And I am sure y’all are asking yourselves already, “so what?” about this missive.

Last week, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell wrote a piece entitled “The Can’t-Do Republicans.” 

Mr. Bozell presented very vital points about how the GOP has been given the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and now the White House, but so what? 

That was Mr. Bozell’s point. All of these campaign promises, of repealing Obamacare and restoring fiscal discipline, which includes cutting wasteful government spending and the cronyism of the federal government, were made, and none of that has happened, as Mr. Bozell articulated in his piece.

But for me, there is an even larger “so what?” 

that evidences the utter disappointment of the Republican majority, one that is witnessing massive resignations. 

I call it quitting. 

Let me be very clear, I much rather prefer a GOP majority than having to endure a Nancy Pelosi speakership or a Chuck Schumer as Senate Majority Leader. And I am glad that we do have the GOP in a position of the majority, knowing that without such, we would have no idea as to the depth of the “Deep State.”

But again, I say, “so what?”

We have been inundated with all the reports and evidence of massive corruption, collusion, deceit, and lying over the past year. 

We all know the names by heart now: Peter Strzok, Lisa Paige, Bruce Ohr (and his undisclosed wife), Andrew McCabe, Rod Rosenstein, James Comey, James Clapper, John Brennan, Susan Rice, Ben Rhodes, Samantha Power, Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, John Koskinen, Lois Lerner, Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, Valerie Jarrett, and Hillary Clinton. And yes, shall I say so, Barack Obama.

Every night on the evening news we hear the same repetitive points, and now I ask again, “so what?”

It is time that the Republican Party gets a killer instinct. 

It is time they close the deal and not just keep telling us about what they have uncovered. Sadly, many of us have come to expect the legislative failures, such as the Omnibus spending bill, the continued funding of Planned Parenthood, and the lack of full funding for the border security system and the wall. We have almost become accustomed to the pervasive letdowns of a political party that wants the gavel but tells those who elect them that they do not understand how to govern, meaning navigate the swamp.

 

But what the GOP cannot fail to do is to capitalize on this moment to ensure we have a federal government that represents the highest standards of honor, integrity, and character. 

The bureaucratic administrative state that we have come to learn of as the “Deep State” must be eliminated. 

We need to have the American people to once again trust and believe in the people who are supposed to serve them, the public servants of the federal government.

The “so what?” test is one that the Republican Party must pass now that we have endured the countless hearings and media interviews. When is anyone going to be held responsible for these abhorrent actions? Case in point, what will happen to Montana Democrat Senator John Tester for his nefarious and disgusting attacks against White House Physician, Admiral Ronny Jackson?

And what will become of the laundry list of names, individuals previously presented in this piece, of whom we all know have evidenced questionable behavior and appear to have committed felonious crimes of lying, and worse? 

How much longer will the American taxpayers have to foot the bill on the insanity and insidious “investigation” called the Robert Mueller special prosecution? 

How very odd that a GOP-controlled committee in the Senate would vote in support of protecting what has become at best a very bad Kabuki theater, at worse, truly a theater of the absurd.

Just as my commanding officer, all those years ago, appreciated my facts, figures, and points, what he really wanted in the end was my analysis, assessments, and decisive action recommendation. This is what we seek from the GOP. 

We want to know, when will the indictments be issued? 

When will these aforementioned individuals find themselves heading to jail? We want to know why there is a system of justice for us, but a different one for these people? 

We want the corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and dishonor of “the swamp” to be ended.

This is the “so what?” test that the GOP faces, and if they are not up to the task, please let the American people know. We will then find the true patriots who fear nothing, especially the progressive socialist left and the DC swamp.

Allen West is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. Mr. West is a Senior Fellow at the Media Research Center to support its mission to expose and neutralize liberal media bias.

https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/allen-west/allen-west-republican-party-controls-governments-three-branches-so-what

CHRISTIANS DECEIVED BY THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT

Christians deceived by the LGBTQ movement

By Lloyd Marcus

April 26, 2018

For crying out loud Lloyd, another article about how the LGBTQ movement seeks to ban Christianity? Folks, I keep talking about this because too many fellow Christians still don't get it.

California pro-LGBTQ Assembly Bill 2943 threatens free speech and freedom of religion for Christians. It uses the state's consumer fraud statute to make it illegal to "distribute resources, sell books, offer counseling services, or direct someone to a biblically based model for getting help with gender confusion and homosexuality." https://bit.ly/2HjbMnH

Meanwhile, Christians believe the LGBTQ movement's lie that they only seek Christian love and acceptance. 

The truth is the LGBTQ movement seeks to bury Christianity; bullying us into silence and extinction. 

Christians have told me to stop posting my articles about LGBTQ aggression on their facebook pages. 

A Christian told me not to post articles on their facebook page about Planned Parenthood illegally trafficking aborted baby body parts. https://bit.ly/2HhRPxn

Some Christians want to remain neutral on political/cultural issues for business and various other reasons. 

Folks, I would never arrogantly tell adults how to run their lives or facebook pages. What concerns me is Christians who still do not understand what we are up against and Christians who have embraced leftists' agendas believing it's what Jesus would do.

It bothers me that Christians allow themselves to be bullied into not speaking biblical truths and commonsense in America today. 

Growing up in the mean tough projects in Baltimore, I learned early that you never surrender ground to bullies.

Leftists worldwide portray Israelis as villains, claiming Israel refuses to negotiate peace with the Palestinians. 

The goal of the Palestinians is to drive Israelis into the sea. So how do you find common ground to negotiate peace with people who want you dead? 

Christians are dealing with the same scenario with the LGBTQ movement. 

Using their bogus victim status, LGBTQ activists are using every weapon in their arsenal to punish, humiliate and destroy Christians; ultimately wiping Christianity off the planet.

A lesbian dressed like a clergy "man" attended my stepmother's funeral. The lesbian was unknown to our family. Everyone was kind and polite to her. The loving Christian thing to do is to help this gender confused woman find peace in being the woman God made her to be. Outrageously, leftists have made it illegal in some states to compassionately share Christ's love with this troubled woman. Incredible. 

An extremely effective tactic of leftists to force their agendas down the throats of the masses is to portray themselves as victims. 

This has caused me to roll-my-eyes when duped Christians lecture me about being more understanding of Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ movement.

Black Lives Matter is an awful evil hate group funded by evil George Soros and groups that hate America. https://bit.ly/2HNUjTR These evil people promote the hate- generating and racial divisive lie that blacks are mistreated and are suffering in America. The truth is America is the greatest land of opportunity on the planet for all who choose to go for it. End of subject. Now, can we please move on?

Deceived decent Americans think they are doing the right thing by not in anyway opposing Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ movement. 

Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter is aggressively engaged in punishing southerners, beating up Trump voters https://bit.ly/2doHQqm , dragging down historical monuments, assassinating police officers https://bit.ly/2HPaP5Z and teaching white kids to hate themselves for being born white. https://dailym.ai/29AwJVZ 

Folks, teaching innocent kids to hate who God made them to be is pure evil.

Equally aggressively tyrannical is the LGBTQ movement which is steamrolling across our country flattening anyone who has ever expressed anything other than enthusiastic approval of redefining marriage.

The Benham brothers who build homes for needy families were scheduled to launch a show on Home & Garden television. LGBTQ activists dug into the annals of the Benham brothers' past to discover they once spoke out in favor of marriage. This caused HGTV to cancel the Benham brothers' TV show. https://bit.ly/2Kah8PN

Notice how punishing the Benham brothers trumped providing homes for needy families. This is why it is repulsive hearing fake news media furthering the lie that leftists have superior compassion for minorities and the poor.

Most disturbing is how we have allowed LGBTQ activists to totally hijack public education, placing LGBTQ lessons above reading writing and arithmetic. https://bit.ly/2HnMHE1

LGBTQ activists forced Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich to resign upon discovering that Eich donated $1,000 to California's Proposition 8 which defined marriage as between one man and one woman; God's definition of marriage. https://washex.am/2HOOzJk So much for leftists being tolerant of other points of view. Meanwhile, the masses who are minding their own business, living their lives, are relentlessly scolded by duped Americans and leftists for not being submissive enough to the LGBTQ movement.

Deception is a powerful tool to control people. 

Jews at Auschwitz passively marched into gas chambers to their deaths because the Nazis deceived them into believing they were being taken to take showers. https://bit.ly/2n3n8Rd Christians are passively allowing LGBTQ activists to steal the hearts and minds of their children https://bit.ly/2HR94oK , drive followers of Christ out-of-business https://bit.ly/2vDaYEA and threaten pastors with jail-time for quoting the Bible. https://fxn.ws/2daopOV 

Deceived by the LGBTQ movement, Christians are passively marching to the death of Christianity.

But wait: according to God's Word, we win in the end!

© Lloyd Marcus

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/marcus/180426

BETWEEN THE LINES

WHY ISRAEL'S 70TH IS SO SIGNIFICANT

Exclusive: Joseph Farah asks, 'Is the clock ticking off minutes to hour of great change?'

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

– Psalm 90:10

Why are people so excited about the 70th anniversary of Israel’s rebirth as a nation?

Obviously, for many of us who lived through all or most of this history, it may seem like the blink of an eye.

For me, Israel has played a significant role in my life – how I viewed the world and the spiritual things of God.

As an Arab-American teenager, I vividly recall the 1967 war and how I hoped the Arab armies would vanquish the Jewish state, which was not yet 20 years old. A few years later, in college, I was evangelized for the first time and heard about the Hebrew prophets and what they said about Messiah Jesus and the state of Israel. It had a profound effect on me – changing my view of the world practically overnight.

Shortly afterward, I became a Middle East correspondent and began visiting Israel frequently – something I do now every year, at least once.

But, for most people throughout the world, Israel is just another country. For Christians, it should not be so.

For God, Israel is the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8).

As for the number 70, it is the proverbial biblical lifespan. Seventy represents the number of years we are normally granted to achieve our mission on earth. It is the number that may well define a generation, which is an important concept to note, given what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.

Speaking of the future and His return, Jesus said: “This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.”

But there’s more to the number 70 in the Bible:

• There were 70 direct descendants of Jacob when His family entered Egypt to be reunited with Joseph.
• There were 70 elders in the days of Moses.
• Israel was captive in Babylon for 70 years.
• There are the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 that serve as a countdown to the return of Messiah.
• Jesus appointed 70 disciples in Luke 10:1 – disciples to whom even the devils became subject.

This is why I produced the new documentary “70 YEARS: Israel’s Prophetic Past, Present and Future,” the only documentary of its kind and one rich with the story of Israel’s unique resurrection as a nation – one predicted so clearly, accurately and specifically by the Hebrew prophets. Only God could do that.

As His prophets predicted Israel’s rebirth, so they also foresaw Israel’s restoration as the beautiful apple of His eye, something I wrote about in my latest book, “The Restitution of All Things: Israel, Christians and the End of the Age.” And that process is also clearly under way – something you can see for yourself if you travel with us to Israel this fall to take part in the 70th anniversary celebration. It’s the only tour I know of with this emphasis – this focus.

Then there is Psalm 90:10: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

What does it mean?
Obviously, it reaffirms that 70 years is seen as a lifetime in the present age, possibly 80, then we are cut off and fly away.

But I strongly suspect there is much more meaning here than that. Does it bear directly on what Israel is experiencing this year? Is the clock ticking off the minutes to an hour of great change that is on the horizon not only for Israel but for the entire world? What lies ahead?

If you want to know the answers to these questions, I urge you to see the movie, “70 YEARS: Israel’s Prophetic Past, Present and Future,” read the book, “The Restitution of All Things,” and come with me to Israel this fall.

I believe, if you do these three things, it will represent a life-changing, life-enriching experience for you.

Don’t miss Joseph Farah’s upcoming book, “The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament,” dubbed a “breakthrough Bible book” by endorsers including Franklin Graham, Mike Hucakbee, Jack Van Impe, Greg Laurie and many more Christian luminaries. Get a preview now, and see how you can help support its release this fall.

http://www.wnd.com/2018/04/why-israels-70th-is-so-significant/

AMERICAN MINUTE

HOW 1 SHORT LITTLE MAN NEARLY RULED THE WORLD

Bill Federer recounts circumstances leading up to Napoleon's conquests

Spain claimed most of the Americas from its native inhabitants by virtue of first discovery. Conquistadors who explored North America include:

• Ponce de Leon, 1513
• Panfilo de Narvaez, 1527
• Desoto, 1539
• Coronado, 1540
• Cabrillo, 1542

Since gold was minimal in North America, the area was of little interest to the Spanish Empire, and thus was sparsely settled for over a century.

English settlements began in Virginia in 1607 and Massachusetts in 1620. In 1673, French missionary priest, Jacque Marquette, and French explorer Louis Joliet, traveled down from Canada to Lake Michigan. They then followed the Fox River till they reached the Mississippi, canoeing as far south as Arkansas.

In 1699, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, started the first French settlement, at Fort Maurepas (now Ocean Springs, Mississippi). France claimed Canada and the land west of the Appalachian Mountains, across the Mississippi River valley to the beginning of the Great Plains. The Louisiana Territory was named after Louis XIV, “the Sun King,” the longest-reigning monarch in European history.

Louis XIV had a global empire stretching from the Far East to the Caribbean, Africa to America. Centralizing power, Louis XIV was reputed to have said “L’État, c’est moi” (“I am the state”) and “It is legal because I wish it.”

In 1702, Sieur de Bienville settled the Mobile, Alabama, area. In 1718, Sieur de Bienville started construction of New Orleans. In 1723, he moved the capital of French Louisiana there from its previous locations of Dauphin Island and Biloxi.

Beginning in 1755 the British drove the French out of Acadia, Canada, in the Great Expulsion. Thousands of French sailed to the Caribbean Islands and other colonies, most notably Louisiana, where the name “acadian” came to be pronounced “cajun.” Describing the expulsion, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem “Evangeline.”

Louis XIV’s grandson was Louis XV, who lost the French and Indian War in 1763. This gave Britain control of all of America east of the Mississippi, with the exception of Spanish Florida. As the war was ending, France ceded the Louisiana Territory west of the Mississippi to Spain in the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau, 1762, to keep Britain from getting it. French settlers fled the the British-controlled land and crossed the Mississippi, founding the city of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1764, even though the land was nominally under Spanish control.

In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, the British and Indians led a failed attack on St. Louis. France’s new King, Louis XVI, sent his navy to help America win the Battle of Yorktown, resulting in America’s independence from Britain.

Ironically, France’s enormous accumulated war debt weakened the monarchy. The French Revolution began in 1789, and on January 21, 1793, a mob beheaded 38-year-old Louis XVI. A Reign of Terror began in France with 40,000 beheaded in Paris by the Committee of Public Safety, and hundreds of thousands killed across France who refused to embrace the new secular government.

Out of this chaos, Napoleon staged a coup d’état in 1799 and installed himself as First Consul of France. Napoleon pressured Spain to sign the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800, giving the Louisiana Territory back to France.

In 1802, Jefferson sent James Monroe and Robert Livingston to France to purchase land in New Orleans to dock ships. Needing cash to fight Britain and the other European countries, Napoleon offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million dollars. President Thomas Jefferson agreed to the purchase and the size of the U.S. doubled on April 30, 1803, with the Louisiana Purchase. The 828,000 square miles were purchased at less than three cents an acre – it was the greatest real estate deal in history!

Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore it. Not everyone in America was happy. The state of Massachusetts threatened to secede from the Union, arguing that the adding of so large a territory would dilute the influence of existing states.

Jefferson brokered a compromise with Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, commenting in his second inaugural address, March 4, 1805: “I know that the acquisition of Louisiana has been disapproved by some from a candid apprehension that the enlargement of our territory would endanger the union, but who can limit the extent to which the Federative principle may operate effectively?”

The rush to turn the Louisiana Purchase into new states, either slave or free, was a factor leading up to the Civil War.

Another contributing factor influencing Napoleon to sell the Louisiana Territory was the slave rebellion in Haiti. Christopher Columbus discovered Haiti, calling the island Hispanola, with the capital city of Santo Domingo named for Columbus’ father, Dominic. The French took half of the island in the year 1660, and calling it Saint-Domingue, and later Haiti. It was one of the wealthiest colonies in the world, producing sugar, indigo, cotton and coffee.

Plantations deplorably used slave labor. While the French Revolution abolished slavery in France, they let it continue in Haiti. Slave revolts from 1791-1804 resulted in tens of thousands French, Mulattos, Blacks, and even Polish, dying with horrible brutality on all sides.

After losing Haiti, France wanted another tropical colony so Napoleon invaded Egypt, 1798-1801. Napoleon’s fear that Haiti’s slave rebellion might spread to the Louisiana Territory was a contributing factor in his rush to sell it.

During his career, Napoleon fought in over 100 battles, conquering large areas of Europe. When Napoleon put his brother Joseph on Spain’s throne in 1808, Venezuela declared independence in 1810, followed by Central American countries of Chile, Argentina, and eventually Mexico.

On June 23, 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia with nearly a half million men. Six months later he retreated with less than 50,000. This disastrous loss forced him to abdicate the throne and he was exiled to the Mediterranean Island of Elba. Napoleon escaped Elba on Feb. 26, 1815, and returned to rule France for 100 days. After losing the Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815, Napoleon was permanently banished to the tiny South Atlantic island of St. Helena.

The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) had caused an estimated 6 million deaths from battle and related diseases, starvation and exposure.

Discover more of Bill Federer’s eye-opening books and videos in the WND Superstore!

On the island of St. Helena, Napoleon began to reflect on his life and even began reading the Bible.

A few years before dying at the age of 52, Napoleon commented to General H.G. Bertrand, as recorded in “On St. Helena,” 1816: “The Gospel possesses a secret virtue, a mysterious efficacy, a warmth which penetrates and soothes the heart. One finds in meditating upon it that which one experiences in contemplating the heavens. 

The Gospel is not a book; it is a living being, with an action, a power, which invades everything that opposes its extension. Behold it upon this table, this book surpassing all others (here the Emperor solemnly placed his hand upon it): I never omit to read it, and every day with new pleasure. Nowhere is to be found such a series of beautiful ideas, and admirable moral maxims, which pass before us like the battalions of a celestial army. … The soul can never go astray with this book for its guide. …”

Napoleon continued: “Everything in Christ astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds me. Between Him and whoever else in the world there is no possible term of comparison; He is truly a Being by Himself. His ideas and His sentiments, the truth which He announces, His manner of convincing, are not explained either by human organization or by the nature of things. Truth should embrace the universe. Such is Christianity, the only religion which destroys sectional prejudices, the only one which proclaims the unity and the absolute brotherhood of the whole human family, the only one which is purely spiritual; in fine, the only one which assigns to all, without distinction, for a true country, the bosom of the Creator, God.”

Napoleon concluded: “Christ proved that He was the Son of the Eternal by His disregard of time. All His doctrines signify one only and the same thing-eternity. What a proof of the divinity of Christ! With an empire so absolute, he has but one single end – the spiritual melioration of individuals, the purity of the conscience, the union to that which is true, the holiness of the soul. … Not only is our mind absorbed, it is controlled; and the soul can never go astray with this book for its guide. Once master of our spirit, the faithful Gospel loves us. God even is our friend, our father, and truly our God. The mother has no greater care for the infant whom she nurses. …”

Napoleon ended by telling General H.G. Bertrand: “If you do not perceive that Jesus Christ is God, very well: then I did wrong to make you a general.”

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