The Top 3 Of 2023 - Our Top Stories Of The Year - We Are The Watchmen Weekly December 16, 2023
In this edition, we take a look at the top 3 stories of the year, reminding us how important our work as Watchmen is - Read, Share, & Subscribe - WeAreTheWatchmen.org
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We Are The Watchmen Weekly is our look at what’s happening in the world, and what we, as Watchmen on the Wall, are responsible to make people aware of.
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We invite you to actively participate in this newsletter with your contributions. Please email your thoughts, sermons, or studies to us at wotw@usa.com so that we can consider them for use in a future edition as reference material.
The Top 3 Of 2023 - The Stories That Matter Most To The Watchmen
As 2023 winds down to a close, We Are The Watchmen Weekly highlights the top three stories that were most important you this year.
These stories are reminders of the work that still needs to be done for the Kingdom.
Editors Note: If you have success stories through sharing the We Are The Watchmen newsletter with others, we would love to feature you in a future edition of the newsletter. Please send a note to wotw@usa.com.
We’ll jump into the top 3 stories right after this.
Don’t Miss This Week’s Edition Of “The Culture Crossroads” With Andrew Southwick & Our Publishers, Julianna Ormond & RC Williams
This Week, FL House Representative Doug Bankson and FL State Senator Ana Rodriguez Join Us For An Update On The Florida Sound Money Act!
Watch live Sundays at 7pm ET at BEK.news.
The Top 3 Of 2023 - #3: Paganism Gone Wild - Earth Worship & Womb Transplants
On April 21, two Time Magazine contributors, Paul Greenberg and Carl Safina penned this piece. We’ll be breaking down the relevant parts into sections for you, with commentary and scripture as usual:
For context: Greenberg teaches in NYU’s Animal Studies Program and is the author most recently of The Climate Diet. Safina holds the Endowed Research Chair for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University and is author of the forthcoming book Alfie and Me.
And, it doesn’t take them long to get to the agenda at hand.
Let’s dig into the article:
“For the two of us environmentalists—one of us nominally Jewish, the other a recovering Catholic—we find the ill-defined nature of the only day honoring the place that makes life itself possible more than a little sacrilegious. So, on this 53rd Earth Day we thought it useful to pose what a real Earth Day should represent and how it could form a central time for a new approach to worship.”
Commentary: Hard Stop.
Let’s set the environmentalist part of this to the side for a moment… it’s designed to distract from the biblical and spiritual issue at hand: Faith.
Notice that one of our writers is “nominally Jewish,” and the other a “recovering Catholic.”
This is a perfect mix for Satan… it checks all of his favorite boxes!
Lukewarm belief
Either you are extreme for the Lord, or you aren’t… period. The thing that He hates most is someone sitting on the fence. As He tells us in Revelation 3:15-16:
15. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
16. So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Mockery
When you’re lukewarm, it’s easy to mock the creator… seeing that you’re worshipping something else, it’s no big deal… except that it is. As we are told in Galatians 6:7:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
Playing God
Once you’re lukewarm and open to mocking God, then it’s pretty easy for Satan to convince you that YOU are god. And that has eternal consequences, as we’re shown in 1 John 2:15-17:
15. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
16. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
17. The world and its desires pass
away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Now, Satan has his useful vessels.
Let’s continue with the article:
“So, what would an earth-reverent belief system look like with Earth Day at its center?
To begin with, let’s take a look at what established religions get right and where we might take a cue. Perhaps the first step might be, um, unearthing the nature-centered origins of our existing religious holidays.
Most of us know in the back of our minds that Christmas and Hanukkah fall around the time of the winter solstice; that Easter and Passover are celebrated in tandem with the arrival of spring; that Sukkot and Diwali mark harvest and summer’s last warmth, and Eid follows the path of the moon.
These holidays have origins in gratitude. Gratitude for the sun returning. Gratitude for the harvest that could avert the starvation winter might bring. Thanks for when it did avert it. We could conceivably reframe these holidays as days of thanks for what the natural world gives and reminders that our responsibility for what remains is an ongoing covenant.”
Commentary: Hard Stop.
If you are a believer: This is VERY IMPORTANT for your conversations with non-believers or those who are seeking.
The context for the section above is a slight of the hand from Satan - he’s trying to use logic, making the case for “you can SEE why they created those holidays right?” You MUST make a clear distinction for those who don’t understand this with SCRIPTURE, which we’ll get to in a moment.
If you are a non-believer, lost, or seeking: Welcome and God Bless You. As you’ll see in a moment, just because something sounds good doesn’t mean that it is good.
Friends, this is a textbook case of idolatry. These writers are trying to convince you, logically, that you should worship the creation and not the creator.
That is not good.
As we are told in Isaiah 1:14:
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
And in Exodus 20:3-5:
3. “You shall have no other gods before me.
4. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me
Before you think to yourself, “That’s the OLD Testament!” (Spoiler Alert: It still matters) Let’s take a look at Revelation 9:20 to see what happens when we worship creation:
20. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
The reason that God warns us, sternly, about this is because he understands our sinful nature. If we are not in covenant, we’re alone in Satan’s dominion (that’s here on earth) and susceptible to his manipulation.
That’s where articles like this come from. Scripture shows us how in Colossians 2:18:
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.
Worship “mother earth,” pay the penalty.
Click Here to read the fill article.
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The Top 3 Of 2023 - #2: “AI gods & ChatGPT Religions” - MAN’S FULFILLMENT OF THE SIN OF IDOLATRY
Words matter!!
Which is why we were careful to spell ‘god’ with a small ‘g’ in the headline above.
We’ve seen rapid growth in the areas of technology, to the point that we now see some of that technology beginning to try and think for itself.
And that has led to headlines like this one:
We’re told about this in scripture, in a very clear way, in Exodus 20:3:
Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
That’s pretty straightforward right?
But, mans desire to be God is strong… and that shouldn’t surprise you, if you understand that the earth is Satan’s dominion.
“INTELLIGENT AI robots are coming - and they will have the ability to perform religious ceremonies and could even turn against humans, experts have warned.
As AI becomes more prominent in our day to day lives, it wasn’t going to be long before the worlds of religion and tech merged.
The thought of robot Gods and ChatGPT sermons terrifies some people - and rightly so, according to experts.
Wesley Wildman, Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, and of Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University, told The Sun that he believes AI will soon be able to perform religious duties even better than human priests.
He said: ‘AIs will write better sermons than most preachers, give better bible studies than most teachers, create amazing music and visual art for use in services and communications that struggling religious groups don’t have to pay for.’
The likes of ChatGPT have already reportedly found their way into churches, writing thoughtful and authentic sermons on behalf of the priests.
And the listeners were none the wiser.
Wildman explained that AI will have the ability to change everything we know about relationships with spiritual advisers and religious figureheads.
He said: ‘It will be like having your own personal guru you can take with you anywhere.
‘You can confide in it, get advice from it, and learn to trust it to help you figure out complicated moral and spiritual situations.’
Many religious communities have already begun to incorporate robotics into their practices.
One example is the Catholic Church, which has endorsed the use of apps that facilitate the act of confession, according to Wildman.
He even says the Vatican is cautiously encouraging apps that can assist with a confession - but the sacrament must still be carried out person-to-person.
This is ‘partly for convenience, and partly because they’re [people] are trying to avoid human priests,’ Wildman said on the idea of confession apps.
He also believes that this bizarre wave of new AI will be able to simulate deceased relatives, religious leaders and spiritual advisers.”
Hard Stop. There’s a lot to digest here.
Let’s be clear: “AI” is a creation of man, period.
If we understand scripture, we understand that we were born into sin, our heart is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), and we have a sin nature.
And, we’ve created a tool with AI, in our own image, and the majority of people who create it are not believers in our one true God.
Then, that AI is worshipped… as a god.
That’s idolatry. And it grieves God. As he told us in in Exodus 32:8:
They are soon turned out of the way, which I commanded them: for they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have offered thereto, saying, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
We’re also told to stay away from such things, in 1 John 5:21:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols, Amen.
And Romans 1:25-27, where we are told about the action of idolatry, and what it leads to:
25 Which turned the truth of God unto a lie, and worshipped and served the creature, forsaking the Creator which is blessed forever, Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up to vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.
27 And likewise also the men left the natural use of the woman, and burned in their lust one toward another, and man with man wrought filthiness, and received in themselves such recompense of their error, as was meet.
Does that sound anything like the world today?
Click Here to read the full article, and to see video of two of the “AI gods.”
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The Top 3 Of 2023 - #1: “THE BROKEN” - MAN’S ATTEMPT TO DESTROY GOD’S ORDER
“THE BROKEN” - MAN’S ATTEMPT TO DESTROY GOD’S ORDER
When we move away from, ignore, or mock the word of God, common sense is no longer common practice.
We are seeing it more and more everyday…
And, at first, it feels confusing…
We say to ourselves, “That’s just flat out wrong! Why is this madness happening?!?”
Well, it’s in the book, starting with Isaiah 5:20:
Woe unto them that speak good of evil, and evil of good, which put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for sour.
See, Satan is a master of “small spaces…”
As soon as he sees any opportunity to insert evil… he’s all over it.
Then he uses weak and rebellious hearts and minds to stoke the fire.
Here’s a quick example: In the world, we often hear “Listen to your heart!”
Sounds good at first, but what does scripture say? Let’s look at Jeremiah 17:9:
The heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, who can know it?
And now, Satan has taken the mask off completely. As we shared last week (Click Here To Read It), Satan is attacking women with a feverish intensity… because he wants to destroy the MOST SACRED PIECES OF GOD’S ORDER.
Why? Because Women:
Give Life
Nurture Youth
Anchor The Home
And Satan hates it.
We see this in the news this week… confusion, mocking of God’s order, and those things being positioned as righteous:
“First lady Jill Biden celebrated International Women's Day Wednesday by presenting an International Women Of Courage award to a biological male who identifies as a woman.
At the White House's annual International Women of Courage ceremony, Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken awarded 11 ‘extraordinary women’ who are ‘working to build a brighter future for all,’ the State Department said in a press release. Included in that list was Alba Rueda, a transgender biological man and Argentina’s special envoy for sexual orientation and gender identity in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship.
The Biden administration joined the numerous other liberal organizations taking pains to include transgender people in March's Women's History month. Washington, D.C., Public Libraries announced this month's theme ‘honors all women, including trans women, and femme individuals who have made it their life's work to capture our stories.’ Hershey Canada, in a special #HerforShe ad campaign, featured transgender male Fae Johnstone on its candy wrappers.
In touting Rueda's transgender activism, the State Department noted Rueda's ‘campaigning’ to change the name of the National Women’s Conference to the ‘Plurinational Conference of Women and Lesbian, Cross-Dresser, Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex, and Non-Binary Persons.’"
Wow… Quite a bit to unpack here. Let’s break it down:
First, let’s revisit Isaiah 5:20, because of the confusion and misdirection at work here:
Woe unto them that speak good of evil, and evil of good, which put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for sour.
You’re basically being told that:
A man, who feels like a woman;
Isn’t really a woman;
But you are commanded to treat this man like a woman;
Because this man feels like a woman.
Item three has bolded text for a reason. The hidden context in this article is that you’re being commanded, by man, to conform and except something that is not of God. We’re told in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 how that works out:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wantons, nor buggerers,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.
This evil creates the division that Satan wants. It confuses God’s order, which provides Woman protection by Man in covenant and under the protection of God.
It is ONLY through this order, that Children are fully protected.
And this is why we see a full frontal attack on children and their innocence from all sides.
And over 800,000 of them go missing every year in the UNITED STATES. Click Here for additional reference on this figure.
This is what happens when we break covenant with God.
And, Satan has convinced many in the world that we don’t even need women to have babies any more… and science, along with technology, have stepped up to the plate.
Click Here to read the full article, and see the video of the EctoLife Artificial Wombs.
These articles, combined with scriptures, provides us with powerful opportunities to share the gospel with the world through mainstream conversations about what is really going on behind the curtains.
Even non-believers have concerns about being controlled. And being able to share these scriptures will help those that are lost, as well as those who are searching, to connect the dots to Jesus.
Use them powerfully, Watchmen!
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