Headline News

Catholics Nailed To Crosses In The Philippines In Mocking Re-enactment Of Jesus’ Death

Beloved, you cannot begin to imagine the PRICE HE PAID for your sin and mine. Which is why we recoil in horror when we read stories like this that only serve to mock and belittle the true sacrifice Jesus made on Calvary.

Published

14 years ago

April 6, 2012

Geoffrey Grider

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A grim Good Friday reenactment of Jesus’s suffering.

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” (Hebrews 10:12-18)

The Philippines is about 80% Roman Catholic, and the country’s culture is strongly mixed with and established based on Catholicism. Since the Lenten Season is the time of the year where most of the Catholic practices and rituals are performed, it is never a surprise for the locals to see some devout parishioners go beyond what was called for by the Catholic church. Because of the rich mixture of pagan roots and that of Catholicism, many devotees naturally lean toward folk superstition ending up in the spectacle that is a unique brand of Catholicism in this country. It is baffling, though, to know that although the Catholic church condemns such practices, the annual rituals have continued since the 1950’s.

Calculating the true cost

From a biblical perspective, though, re-enacting Jesus’ suffering and death in such a way borders on mockery to the sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God who was sent to die for the reparation sin of those who will believe. Just imagine Jesus standing before Pilate. He is about to have His back scourged with a Roman cat-of-nine tails. Nine rough leather straps, with bits of broken glass and sharp metal shards woven in to lacerate the skin. The hulking, powerful Roman guards would lash out with all their might, make contact, and then drag the whip back across the skin. Over and over again this was done to the back of Jesus in brutal, barbaric fashion. Now, if any of you think this was just a little “whipping” and was something Jesus could easily shake off, let’s do the math to see exactly how brutal it really was.

The cat-o-nine-tails has 9 leather straps with, on average, 5 sharp pieces of metal or glass woven in. According to Roman law, He would have been whipped about 40 times. Take out your calculator and times 9 x 5 x 40, and what do you get? 1,800 potential lacerations that filleted our Saviour like a fish at cleaning time. Beloved, you cannot begin to imagine the PRICE HE PAID for your sin and mine. Which is why we recoil in horror when we read stories like the following that only serve to mock and belittle the true sacrifice Jesus made on Calvary.

From the Washington Post: Nine Catholic devotees in the Philippines marked Good Friday by reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, with real nails driven through their hands and feet as villagers dressed as Roman centurions and thousands of others looked on. The devotees say they endure the pain to give thanks, atone for their sins and pray during Holy Week.

Agony or Mockery?: Bobby Gomez grimaces as a nail is hammered into his hand in the Good Friday celebration

“I feel good because my suffering has ended,” Ruben Enaje, a 51-year-old sign painter, told the Associated Press. Enaje went through his 26th crucifixion this year after recently surviving a fall from a building. The annual event, held this year in the northern province of Pampanga, is opposed by Catholic Church leaders in the Philippines and around the world, who say that there is no reason to go through this pain.

“The church’s position is there’s no need to go through this physical and literal pain on the body because Christ already did that for us,” the Rev. Melvin Castro of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines told the AP.

Pain: A Filipino man has nails through his hands - and some more put through his feet as he is put on a cross in the reenactment.

Castro suggests that people go to confession and give alms instead. Also opposed to the tradition are the country’s health officials, who have warned in years past that those taking part in the rituals should have tetanus shots and be pierced by sterilized nails.

Horror: Percy Valencia, 41, is hoisted up onto a cross before being 'crucified' for a few minutes today .

Just before Friday’s crucifixion, scores of people who did not go up on the cross whipped themselves as a symbol of their repentance. Others marched through the streets beating their naked backs with sharp bamboo sticks and pieces of wood.

Hooded barefoot penitents perform self-flagellation to atone for their sins in San Fernando, Pampanga in northern Philippines.

Two foreign students were allowed to film this year’s rites, but angered organizers when they tried to participate in the procession, according to the AP. Foreigners are not allowed to participate because of two incidents in which an Australian comic was nailed to a cross using a fake name, and a Japanese man tried to be crucified for a scene in a porn film. source – Washington Post

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Donald Trump

The Terrible Truth That Donald Trump Won’t Tell You Is That His Department Of War Has Fired Years Worth Of Munitions In Weeks, Leaving America Exposed

Published

1 day ago

July 28, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Donald Trump Says America Is Stronger Than Ever, But The Pentagon’s Emptying Missile Stockpiles Tell A Far More Dangerous Story About The Nation’s Readiness For A Larger War

The United States may still possess the most technologically advanced military force on earth, but advanced weapons mean very little when the magazines holding them are being emptied faster than American factories can refill them. That is the terrifying reality behind America’s growing munitions crisis. Patriot interceptors, Tomahawk cruise missiles, air-defense weapons and long-range precision munitions can take months—or even years—to replace, yet they can be fired by the hundreds in a matter of days. America has built a military designed to win spectacular opening battles, but it is increasingly questionable whether that military has the industrial depth necessary to sustain a long and brutal war.

“There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.” Psalm 33:16 (KJB)

For decades, Washington behaved as though the United States would always have unlimited time, unlimited money and uncontested access to the global supply chain. Factories were closed, production lines were reduced, skilled workers disappeared and critical components were outsourced overseas. Meanwhile, politicians continued sending weapons around the world while assuring the American people that our own stockpiles remained strong. Now the wars in Ukraine, Israel, the Red Sea and Iran have exposed the truth: America has been spending missiles like they are bullets, while manufacturing them like they are handmade luxury automobiles. Trump’s promise to “rebuild the military” remains, as of this writing, largely unfulfilled. Posting about it on social media is not the same as actually doing it.

President Trump inherited much of this industrial weakness, that’s is true, but it is also true that he cannot, and will not, escape responsibility for what happens next. His administration has projected overwhelming strength while simultaneously acknowledging that replenishing America’s most valuable weapons will take months and years. You cannot boast that the arsenal is overflowing while urgently requesting tens of billions of dollars to prevent critical shortages. The public rhetoric says America is stronger than ever, but the frantic scramble to reopen plants, expand production and rebuild inventories tells an entirely different story.

The greatest danger is not merely another confrontation with Iran. The nightmare scenario is that America becomes trapped fighting multiple wars while China makes its move against Taiwan. Every Patriot interceptor fired in the Middle East, every Tomahawk launched against Iran and every missile transferred overseas is one less weapon immediately available in the Pacific. You better believe that Beijing is watching the numbers, that Moscow is watching the numbers, and that North Korea is watching the numbers as well. Every enemy of the United States is calculating how long America can fight before its launchers remain loaded but its ammunition bunkers stand empty. And if we are where I think we are on the end times timeline, it’s just about time for them to take their shots.

A modern war between major powers would consume munitions at a rate the American people have never witnessed. The United States could expend years of production in the opening weeks. Once those weapons are gone, money alone cannot instantly replace them. Congress can appropriate another $100 billion overnight, but it cannot manufacture a missile overnight. It cannot instantly create rocket motors, guidance systems, explosives, rare-earth components or trained industrial workers. The weakness is not merely financial—it is physical, industrial and strategic.

America has spent decades financing the image of military supremacy while neglecting the machinery required to sustain it. That illusion is now colliding with reality. The United States remains extraordinarily powerful, but power without endurance is a dangerous deception. A nation that prepares for war through speeches, slogans and televised airstrikes—but not through factories, stockpiles and production capacity—is a nation gambling with its own survival.

The lesson should be unmistakable: America cannot continue attempting to police every conflict, arm every ally and confront every enemy while assuming its arsenal will never reach the bottom. The munitions crisis is not simply a Pentagon bookkeeping problem. It is a warning that the world’s greatest military power may be entering the most dangerous period in generations with fewer arrows in its quiver than its leaders are willing to admit. America right now is in an incredibly tenuous position, and Donald Trump is the one who put us there. World War Trump just might be about to run out of gas and nowhere near the finish line.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

From Sickness And Scarcity To Fresh Water And Hope, Operation Africa! Finishes Kenya Well Project And Watches God Turn Desperate Need Into Lasting Miracle

Published

2 days ago

July 27, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Operation Africa! Completes A Life-Changing Well In Kenya, Bringing Clean Water, New Hope And A Powerful Testimony Of God’s Faithfulness To Pastor Dancan’s Children

What began as a burden for children suffering without dependable clean water has now become a finished well, standing in the soil of Kenya as a testimony to answered prayer, faithful giving, and the goodness of God. Those children gathered around it are not looking at concrete and stone; they are looking at life, health, hope, and a future that has been changed because God moved through His people. Pastor Dancan wrote to me this morning and said “the children are shocked at how much life has now changed for the better, something they never could have imagined.” To tell you the truth, I am a little shocked, too, at how quickly the LORD brought all this to come to pass.

“I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Isaiah 41:18 (KJB)

Pastor Dancan carried the burden on the ground, Operation Africa! carried the need before NTEB’ers, and the Lord brought everything together in His perfect timing. Every prayer offered, every dollar given, every obstacle overcome, and every foot drilled into the earth became part of a miracle those children will remember for the rest of their lives. Long after the excitement of the project fades, that well will continue giving water day after day, becoming a silent preacher declaring that God sees the forgotten, hears the cries of the needy, and rewards those who act in faith.

THE KENYA WELL PROJECT UPDATE: Operation Africa! is thrilled to report that we have now successfully completed the drilling and installation of a well at the Glory Fellowship Orphanage in Kisii, Kenya. All glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for this incredible lifechanging miracle!! pic.twitter.com/0VvWz1ZRfv

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) July 27, 2026

This is what we have accomplished together so far. We’ve given them over 1,100 Bibles, enough medicine to heal 81 children of malaria and typdoid, a 10,000 liter permanent water tanked, filled it twice with fresh water, and now a beautiful, amazing, incredible and permanent 60-foot well complete with charcoal filtration system that connects to the water tank. The “cherry on the sundae” was sending them, this morning, 20 wash basins to bathe in and 20 jerrycans for water transport. Thank you all so very much for your prayers and faithful giving, this entire project is now 95% paid for. If you would like to help us get the last 5% in, right around $1,200, please click the donation link below.

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this overwhelmingly urgent task of providing the children of Glory Fellowship Orphange with medicine and clean drinking water. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!

NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:

NTEB Ministries
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Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

End Times

New Roadside Billboard Campaign Denying The Deity Of Jesus Christ Reveals A Growing Satanic Assault On The Biblical Doctrine Of God Manifest In The Flesh

Published

5 days ago

July 24, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Jesus Christ Did Not Begin In Bethlehem: New Billboards Deny His Pre-Existence, His Deity And The Unmistakable Testimony Of Scripture

A new billboard campaign has appeared declaring, “JESUS IS NOT GOD,” followed by the equally blasphemous claim that Jesus Christ did not pre-exist in Heaven. That is not merely bad theology, it is a direct attack on the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The billboard says “Scripture says,” but Scripture says the exact opposite. The King James Bible declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the place where the eternal Word was made flesh and stepped into the world He created. Jesus Christ is God the Father in a human body, take it or leave it, like it or lump it.

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (KJB)

Jesus Christ Himself said, “I came down from heaven.” He prayed concerning the glory He possessed with the Father “before the world was.” He declared, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Paul tells us that all things in Heaven and Earth were created by Him and for Him, and that He is before all things. A man who began his existence in Mary’s womb could not have created the universe, shared glory with the Father before creation, walked with Israel in the wilderness or come down from Heaven. The billboard cannot be reconciled with the words of Christ because its message is built upon denying them.

COME HELP US PROVIDE A WELL FOR 81 ORPHANS IN KENYA, CLICK FOR MORE INFO AND HOW TO DONATE!!

This is how religious deception operates. It keeps the name Jesus, quotes selected verses, speaks reverently about God and then quietly replaces the biblical Christ with a counterfeit. A Jesus who is not God, did not pre-exist, did not create all things and did not come down from Heaven is the “another Jesus” that Paul warns us about. He may wear the name, but he is not the eternal Word of John chapter one, the great I AM of John chapter eight, the Creator of Colossians chapter one or God manifest in the flesh of First Timothy chapter three. Satan has always desired a Jesus without deity, a cross without saving blood and a gospel without the power to save.

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38 (KJB)

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:5 (KJB)

The truth remains unshaken: Mary did not create Jesus Christ; she gave birth to the human body prepared for Him. The One lying in the manger was the One who made the stars shining above it. The infant wrapped in swaddling clothes was the eternal Creator entering His own creation. The Man nailed to the cross was the Lord of glory shedding His precious blood for sinners. The One who rose from the dead was not merely a prophet vindicated by God—He was God manifest in the flesh, victorious over death, Hell and the grave.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4 (KJB)

So let the billboards shout their lies from the roadside. The King James Bible answers with thunder: “The Word was God.” Jesus Christ existed before Abraham, before Mary, before Adam, before the angels and before the foundation of the world. He is the eternal Son of God, the Creator of all things, the great I AM, the crucified and risen Saviour, and the coming King. The billboard says Jesus is not God. Thomas looked upon the risen Christ and gave the only answer the Bible allows: “My Lord and my God.” That’s exactly who Jesus Christ is.