The time is fast approaching when the church will need to remember the lesson of German pastor Martin Niemoller.

Pastor Niemoller was a man of great courage. He had been a submarine captain before he entered the ministry. As a minister, he spoke out against the atrocities of the Nazi regime. On March 2, 1938, he was sent to prison, where he stayed for the duration of the war because of his Christian beliefs.

Nevertheless, this Christian hero apologized for his delay in opposing the Nazis. Here is what he said:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”

You may think Nazi Germany is far removed from today’s America, but you should think again. There are forces in America that no longer believe in individual liberty and democracy. Our freedoms are being diminished day by day, and most Christians remain silent.

When the courts in California overruled the democratic vote against gay marriage, there was little outcry. When the government sabotaged the Defense of Marriage Act, few noticed. When Christians were fined for refusing to participate in gay marriage ceremonies, we were told we were bigots. After the Supreme Court forced gay marriage on the nation, hundreds of florists and bakers have been attacked because of their beliefs. Now the “progressives” want our daughters to be forced to shower with confused boys. We are getting perilously close to the old Soviet communist concept of religious “freedom,” where you could have religious beliefs so long as you said nothing and did not act according to your faith.  

Freedom of speech has been under attack in the cause of “politically correct” speech. University students, who used to demonstrate for free speech, new demand censorship on college campuses. In the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, so adamantly opposed by the “progressives,” the government actually argued that they had the right to censor books and movies. Must we wait until they are burning books to arouse from our slumber?

Under the guise of fighting crime, the government has passed thousands of laws which entrap innocent Americans every day. People have gone to jail for getting lost in a snowstorm on federal lands or failing to follow packaging regulations of foreign countries. The government can seize your money without proving anything, and you have to hire a lawyer to get it back, except you can’t pay a lawyer because the government took your money. You can become a criminal even if you have no criminal intent, and the “progressives” fiercely resist any attempt to bring this elementary human right back into our legal system.

You may not have much sympathy for a business man who can’t defend himself because the government took his money. You may not agree with Catholics who are persecuted for their opposition to birth control. And the airways and internet are full of obnoxious political speech.

Just remember: If you are cheering for the government as it moves against others, you are only bringing the day of destruction closer to yourself.

Stand up for freedom before there is no one left when they come for you. {eoa}

Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage, and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.

On Feb. 27 in A.D. 380, Roman Emperor Theodosius made Christianity into the official state religion. It was one of the most catastrophic events in church history.

Up until the time Constantine legalized the Church in A.D. 313, the great strength of the church was the fact that the kingdom of God resided within the believers. Under Constantine, the church became “respectable” and began to attract the ambitious and worldly who would make a show of outward piety without an inward transformation. After A.D. 380, the church was swamped with unconverted pagans, and the outward rituals replaced the inner power for most church members.

The first to clothe themselves in the new mantle of the state religion were the emperors themselves. The bishop of Rome was eventually forced to trade church recognition for military protection in Western Europe, beginning with Frankish King Clovis, in order to remain independent of the Eastern Roman Emperor. When the European church split between Protestants and Catholics, the local kings and rulers forced their own views to be followed in their realms, and millions of Christians were martyred. The marriage between church and state meant that religious questions would be solved with the sword instead of the Spirit.

The religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries left much devastation and little change, and the idea of religious toleration, espoused by Paul in the 14th chapter of Romans, began to take hold. The idea that Christians with different doctrines could be united in their diversity appeared in the 18th century with the First and Second Great Awakenings and the interdenominational missionary societies. The United States, itself a patchwork of states with Catholic, Anglican, Quaker, Methodist and Congregational backgrounds, became a symbol of unity in diversity and its religious freedom is still a light to the world. The sword, which brought division, had begun to give way to the spirit which brings unity.

The Pentecostal and Charismatic movements which swept the world in the 20th century brought a Holy Spirit awakening in much of the church. However, the Spirit movements also cried out that “The broken body of Christ” would be healed. Now, in our time, a historic video sent by Pope Francis to Evangelist Kenneth Copeland has opened the door for spiritual unity in the body of Christ in answer to the prayer of Jesus in John 17.     

We believe that 2017 is a strategic year for church and nation. It is the 500th anniversary of the reformation, and God is calling His church to reconcile in answer to the prayer of Jesus. We invite you to pray with us for unity at the and websites.     

Let us pray for reconciliation of the church and focus on expanding the whole Kingdom of God. Pray that the world will know us not by our swords, but by our love and unity in the Spirit. {eoa}

Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage, and co-founder with his wife Pat of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.

The New Age people have falsely tried to promote the idea that we are entering a new age of peace and brotherhood—the Age of Aquarius. The real Age of Aquarius is represented in the zodiac constellation of Aquarius (the water pourer), which slips behind the sun on Feb. 18.

Aquarius is the sixth chapter of the star Bible, a picture of a man pouring out an urn of water. Aquarius comes after the constellation Capricorn (the goat) which pictures the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ. After his resurrection, Christ told his followers to wait for him in Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit. Aquarius shows the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, often represented by water, that began on Pentecost in Jerusalem. This is the real Age of Aquarius.

The three constellations associated with Aquarius are Cygnus (the swan), Pisces Austranis (the southern fish) and Pegasus (the winged horse). Cygnus contains the northern cross, including the black hole where the star of Bethlehem was located (See our book The Stars of His Coming), but it also represents Christ’s promise to return in star names such as Azel (who goes and returns quickly) and Sadr (who returns in a circle). Pisces Austranis (the southern fish), is shown as a fish drinking the water poured out by Aquarius. The brightest star of Pisces Austranis, formalhaut (the mouth of the fish), shows how the believers received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost by speaking in tongues. Finally, Pegasus (the winged horse) tells us that the spiritual power represented by the Christ/horse constellations of Centaurus (the despised one) and Sagittarius (the archer) is available to all believers now that Christ has returned to heaven.

As we look forward to the return of Christ, we also note that Aquarius moves into the spring season when all four seasonal signs change in 2121 A.D. We are reminded that the church age, represented by the current occupant of the spring equinox, Pisces (the fish), will end when Christ returns, and we will worship God in Jerusalem as the water of Aquarius pours out of the temple. (Ezekiel 47:1-12).   

Of course, Aquarius is not visible to us now because the water of Aquarius is hidden in the fire of the sun. However, right after sunset, the Aquarian constellation Pegasus (the winged horse) is visible just above the horizon. Pegasus, which is recognizable by the great square, would be best viewed through binoculars in the early evening twilight.

And don’t forget to tell someone about the Holy Spirit Age of Aquarius and the Aquarian sign of the return of Christ. {eoa}

Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage, and co-founder with his wife Pat of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.