Save America Ministries

Chuck Crismier: New York City Mayor Zoran Mondami and his administration has published the names and addresses of property owners who could face the city's new Pierre Tax, the New York Post reported today.

The Department of Finance released a supplementary property roll, covering residences potentially subject to the tax. It includes condominiums and co-ops valued at $1 million or more, and one to three family homes valued above $5 million.

The city cautioned that appearing on the list does not necessarily mean a property will be taxed. Owners may qualify for exemptions if the residence is occupied by the owner, a tenant, or an immediate family member. But the release followed Mondami's warning to second homeowners to check their mail for notices.

He said the best city in the world deserves the best parks, libraries, and schools in the world. The only possible when we all pay our fair share. So, the City Hall estimates the tax will raise about $500 million annually.

Critics contend the tax could depress luxury property values and have questioned the city's decision to publish owners' personal information. That's the part that we want to talk about here today.

On the new upcoming form of persecution, the new upcoming form of persecution that isn't even being called that yet, until today. So, today on Viewpoint, we're going to talk about the matter of doxing. Doxing, the malicious online exposure of private personal data.

It affects about 4% of US adults directly today, bringing severe consequences like harassment, physical danger, and job loss. It involves a whole lot of things. It's pretty nasty. If you ever get caught in it, you'll find out how nasty it really is.

But what if doxing is expanded beyond political purposes, or carrying on certain kinds of agendas that we don't connect spiritually? And if it actually ends up being a mechanism directly used by government and other agencies in order to bring persecution to those who identify with Jesus Christ.

Today on Viewpoint, we're going to take a look at that as we move forward in the program today. This conversation is always with ever-increasing conviction, talk that transforms. Before we get into the doxing issue.

I want to bring you a little update concerning some other areas of persecution that are taking place. By the way, we may be looking now at the 500 years after Tyndale, William Tyndale first translated the Bible. Bible translators are still dying for the word of God today.

And Tyndale, William Tyndale, suffered death as a result of being tracked. You could say almost doxed in those days. They tracked him around, tried to find him. They did the same thing with Martin Luther, to try to find him, to persecute him, and to kill him.

Well, William Tyndale published the form of the Bible, the English Bible, that about 80% of it has been used in the King James Bible, as we understand it today. But as one writer says, "Nothing is more tragic and disastrous for any man or tribe on Earth than not to have the Bible."

Not to have the Bible. So, a few months ago, armed men ambushed Reverend Siltu's vehicle after a church gathering in Northern India. They killed him and two fellow pastors in a deliberate and evil attack. Reverend Siltu had spent years revising the Bible in Tado, a language spoken by just 350,000 people in India. Before his death, his translation team completed the New Testament and much of the Old Testament.

His son has now undertaken to complete the work his father began. So, the Trinitarian Bible Society was very concerned. They said the murder of one of our translators reminds us that 500 years after William Tyndale translated the Bible into English, a mission that eventually cost him his life, the ultimate price is still being paid by those with a similar calling today.

At first, there seems to be little connect to connect a Bible translator executed in the 16th century with a pastor killed in modern-day India. Yet the two are linked by a single conviction. Ordinary people should be able to read God's word in their own language.

Well, William Tyndale's English New Testament first emerged from a printing press in Europe before being secretly smuggled into England in 1526. To mark the anniversary, they have delved into more recent things in order to document his story. So, they reflected on Tyndale's amazing life when making the film. We found ourselves asking a question that goes far deeper than historical facts.

What if Tyndale's story hasn't really, wasn't really about a past? What if it's actually about the church mission today? Today, too often we remember Tyndale simply as a martyr. We picture the flames that devoured him. In France, recall his famous last words, "Lord, open the king's eyes," and celebrate the extraordinary courage of a man who changed history.

All that's true, but it's not the whole story. Tyndale did not give his life merely so the world could have an English Bible. He believed something much greater, that everyone should have access to God's word through a faithful translation drawn directly from the original scriptures.

Tyndale refused to settle for second-hand work because he believed every word had been inspired by God and deserved the utmost care. So, that conviction, believe it or not, transformed the English-speaking world and our lives and our speech forever. His words still echo through our churches, our worship, even in everyday English, and most people have no idea how often they quote William Tyndale.

It's estimated that more than 80% of the King James version derived from his translation. So, Tyndale's greatest legacy is not found in the past, it's found also in the present. And the need for continued Bible translation to make it available to every language, to every people group, just as Jesus said in his Olivet discourse, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to the whole world, and then shall the end come."

Those words are engraved right there on the front edifice of the building, of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Very exciting to see those words engraved up there. And indeed, they continue to guide our destination and our direction today. But they involve danger.

In fact, Bible translation in those days, back in the 1500s, from 1300 to 1500, involved grave danger to life and limb, principally from the Roman Catholic Church. Did you know that? They didn't want the Bible to be translated into the language of the common people. Why? Because that would take away from the power perks and position of the bishops and the Pope.

You notice how everything is about power, perks, and position? That's what crucified Jesus, the religious leaders of the day. It's still after people today, and today, we're going to take a look as we move forward in the program, the second half of the program, how a new form of persecution is very likely to begin to take place. And are we prepared for it? Stay tuned, friends, you're listening to Viewpoint.

Chuck Crismier: Today, I did the first interview around the country concerning my book, "The Power to Overcome," the 12th book, "How to Triumph in Troubled Times." It was a fascinating interview down in Florida, and I'm so delighted with the woman who conducted the interview. What a wonderful person she is, a godly woman, and it was such a privilege to be able to be interviewed by her concerning that book, which she said is so essential to the church in our time. "The Power to Overcome."

So, when you think about "The Power to Overcome," overcome what? What do I have to overcome? Well, what if you become doxed in the name of Christ? You say, "What does that mean?" Well, we're going to talk about that. What about, what if you become doxed in the name of Christ? What if Mondami, there in New York, said, "You know what, we're not just going to tax you. If you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, or, let's say, you claim to believe that homosexuality is not sinful, and you claim that it is immoral, you claim that transgenderism is immoral, that it's ungodly, unbiblical, maybe it'll send somebody to hell, and you claim that. We're going to let the world know what you think, under color of law."

"So, we're going to publish your name and your address and your phone number, and we're going to let people know exactly who you are." What are you going to do? I'm asking you, what are you going to do? How are you going to respond? Is there any ability to respond? And what that is doing now is paving the way to create a mob effect, to urge a rabid, larger group of people out there to go after you because of your beliefs.

And it's coming under color of law. And being paid for by the taxpayer. So what are you going to do? What do you think the effect of that would be? Really, what do you think the effect of that would be? What would the effect of that be on your job? What would the effect of that be on your family? How about where you live? What if your neighbors then rise up against you?

What if your own children hear about that at school? And they come home and they tell you, "What did you do, Mom and Dad? What are you doing? Look what you're doing to us. Look what you're doing to us, and now we're persona non grata, we're hated by our fellow students. What are you doing?" You think that can't happen? It already is. It's just not happening in mass. But with an action taken by Mondami here just this last weekend, it sets the stage for exactly that to happen.

Instead of just announcing people that are going to be required to pay more taxes, which is not necessary for it to be announced anywhere. Now, it'd be one thing if it was announcing people who were not paying their taxes, who had not paid their taxes, who were in arrears in taxes. That would be a different story. Because then they would be subject perhaps to legal proceedings of removal, of repossession, and so on. But that's not what's happening here.

What's happening here is virtually unprecedented in this country. It's a form of doxing. You say, "Well, what is doxing?" You know, I, I, I've wondered about that. What, what is doxing anyway? Well, it, it's the malicious online exposure of private personal data. But it doesn't necessarily happen, have to happen online per se. It can happen in various ways. How about publication in the newspaper?

How is Mondami going to do it? He's going to post it. How is he going to post it? Well, the New York Post says that it was going to be released a supplementary property roll that's going to be available to the public. It's going to list these properties that Mondami wants to go after to get more taxes. Not because they owe taxes, but because they, or they're unpaid. But because he wants more taxes from them, and now he wants to use the public.

The large number of millennials and Generation Z who elected him to go after the people who own those properties, and to make them suffer, to compel them to submit. That's what he wants to do. That's his whole motivation, friends. So again, this matter of doxing. The, the idea of doxing. And I, I was curious about, where does this come from? Well, apparently it comes from going back to the 1990s. It's called the 1990s hacker culture. The hacker culture. So in the 1990s, everybody and his brother started hacking. And they tried to hack into everybody else's affairs, and then use all that information for self-interest. Or to compel people to follow their particular agenda, political agenda, or whatever it happened to be. In other words, to create pressure, inordinate pressure on people to do what they wanted you to do. Ultimately, the term devolved into document something to doxing. So, in the digital age, what does doxing mean? What does it entail? What are its types, its impact, are there legal consequences, and what are the spiritual consequences for you and for me? That's what we want to look at here in the balance of the program today. It's the unauthorized hacking of data that is subsequently published openly in the public domain without the consent of the data owner. According to one, the term doxing originates from the acronym "dropping documents" that further clarified in Cambridge Dictionary, which defines doxing as the act of seeking out or publishing another person's personal data without their consent. But there's always a motivation behind it. They don't want to just publish the information for information's sake. So, here are some of the common practices. One is de-anonymization. In other words, to keep you away from being anonymous. It involves the disclosure of basic information, such as a name, address, or identification number, that was previously anonymous or known only through a pseudonym, a false name in the digital space. Generally, the perpetrator seeks to expose this information so that the victim no longer has the protection of anonymity. Why do they not want the protection of anonymity? So that you can be abused by the public. That's why. In other words, there's a motivation. It's not just to take away your anonymity, it's so that your anonymity now is no longer anonymous and you can be gone after by anybody in their particular group that wants to go after you. The second is targeting. A form of doxing that focuses on disclosing specific information that allows others to identify or even track the victim's physical location. The information typically shared includes residential addresses, work locations, or other data that could potentially lead to the identification of a specific location. The third is called delegitimization. A form of doxing aimed at damaging a person's reputation, credibility, or public image. In this case, the information disseminated is often used to construct a negative narrative, causing the victim to lose the trust of their social and professional circles, even their friends. From a psychological perspective, victims often experience mental distress, such as anxiety, stress, even trauma, resulting from the dissemination of personal data beyond the control of the individuals concerned. Doxing can also have social consequences, significantly damage a person's reputation, not uncommon for the disseminated information to be accompanied by narratives that cast the victim in a negative light, thereby shaping harmful public opinion. Can reinforce negative societal stigmas against the victim. Affecting not only public perception, but also their social interactions. For example, victims may face social exclusion, loss of trust within their workplace, and disruption of personal relationships, whether within the family or in their daily social circles. Friends, do you not see how this will become a major engine of persecution? I want you to think about it. This is not a pretense, it's not a supposition, it's a real thing. Doxing has economic consequences for the victim. The dissemination of personal data, such as a dress or workplace, can result in the victim losing their job, business opportunities, or even becoming a target of fraud and other criminal activity. In practice, doxing often creates opportunities for other crimes, such as stalking, extortion, and even physical threats. Friends, that's what's happening in Nigeria. Physical threats, for what? Because you're a Christian, or because you hold to certain views. That are biblical. Like the Member of Parliament in Finland, who has been attacked by her own government three times now. Because she happened to say, in private, not on the job, in private, her position with regard to homosexuality. Her whole country has gone after her, friends. She is doxed before the world. Doxed before the world. And that's a Western country, a supposedly liberal democracy. Are you listening? We'll be back.

Chuck Crismier: How does doxing relate to persecution? Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you." He said, "Why do you think you should be different than your Lord?" Jesus said, "Look, if and when they persecute you, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven." For so persecuted they the prophets that were before you. The Apostle Peter said, "Don't be surprised concerning the fiery trial that is to come upon you, as if some strange thing has happened." No. Persecution is going to be the name of the game, so to speak. It's going to be everywhere. So, be strong in the Lord, and the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God. That's, friends, one of the reasons why you need the book, "The Power to Overcome, How to Triumph in Troubled Times." You need to read that and the book, "When Persecution Comes," because they deal with different aspects, different things. We need these books to encourage and strengthen us for times like these. There is no book out there like these, none. Just isn't. Because a lot of people, spiritual leaders, just don't think they will sell, and therefore they won't write them. Or they just don't believe it. They don't want to address their constituencies, they don't want their constituencies to believe that they're thinking about these times because it will make them uncomfortable. Friends, Jesus didn't make his followers comfortable. He didn't try. In fact, there's a sense in which he did just the opposite. He told them in advance what was going to take place. He said, "Look, guys, I want you to count the cost. If you're going to follow me, then be prepared to follow me." "If they did this to me, they're going to do it to you." So, why do you think you should be any different? You see, we have a whole different view of Christianity today. We don't even understand biblical Christianity anymore, hardly at all. Especially in the West. In other countries in other parts of the world, like even in Iran, oh, let me tell you, they understand it. In Nigeria, they understand it. They understand that when they make a commitment to Christ, it could be a death sentence. They understand that if they convert to Christ from Islam. It could be a death sentence, even by members of their own family. But those are private areas, those are private, limited responses. But what if the governments of the world, which is what's happening, decide that they are not going to tolerate people who truly desire to live out the Christian life? Who truly hold views that Jesus held, that the apostles held in the scriptures. And will teach them, but they don't want to allow them to be heard in their state, their city, their country, or even their church. Hmm. See, you can actually have doxing within a church. Oh yeah. If a pastor or board doesn't want the people to hear certain things about the scripture, they can reform the whole congregation by doxing. What does that do? It puts pressure, pressure on those who are doxed, like saying, "Now what are you going to do?" "Who do you think you are?" In other words, it's bringing to bear a group that presents themselves as the majority power to enforce their will on others under penalty of exclusion. Financial exclusion, losing their jobs, losing their friends, losing their homes, if you dare not submit. You have to be prepared in the spirit of your mind. In other words, we have to gird up the loins of our minds today. Not wait until it happens sometime, gird up the loins of our minds today so that we're prepared for the kinds of eventualities that are not going to be eventualities very long. They're coming. They're happening. When Colorado as a state goes after Christians in small businesses and brings lawsuits against them to shut down their businesses and bring huge financial penalties upon them, what do you think they're doing? They're announcing to all the residents of Colorado, "You want to be like this?" They're doxing those people. It's a small form of it. They're doxing those people for public consumption to warn the rest of the denizens, including professing Christians. "Oh, you think you're going to stand?" "You're going to be like this person? You're not going to make, make a cake for professing homosexuals that for line with homosexual ideals? Yes, you can make the cake for them, but you say you're not going to do it with a homosexual theme? Oh, okay, well, away with you." "And then they make a public example of you." That's a form of doxing, friends. It's a way to put pressure on the whole state. Why is it that Colorado has refused to submit to the United States Supreme Court on these issues over and over again and continues to bring such lawsuits and criminal penalties? Because they have no intent on giving up. They are going to put pressure and continue to put pressure and pressure and pressure and pressure until you succumb. That's what it's all about. I know this may seem a bit heavy. And indeed it is, but it's happening, friends. In a major article coming from none other than the Far East, Indonesia, they said doxing can be viewed as a minor offense, but rather as a form of cybercrime with multi-dimensional impacts such as psychological, social, and economic that has the potential to cause serious harm to victims. And they're not even talking about spiritual issues. The practice of doxing constitutes a prohibited act as explicitly stipulated, and they give their own laws that any person who intentionally attacks the honor or reputation of another person by making an accusation with the intent that such accusation be public in the form of electronic information and or electronic documents transmitted through an electronic system. That's digital, friends. Serving as legal guidelines for users of information technology. Punitive measures against doxing practices are imposed because of criminal penalties up to two years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $200 million or $400 million, whatever it is that they're, their monetary scheme over there in Indonesia. In other words, it's a big deal. Doxing is a digital crime that not only violates an individual's privacy but also has the potential to cause serious impacts, both psychologically, socially, economically. And under Indonesia's legal system, doxing is prohibited as an act as stipulated in the Personal Data Protection Act. Now, I don't know about US, you can look it up yourself. I daresay that we have similar kinds of things in the US. But they don't mention the spiritual implications because that's not their business. Their business is to deal with what they call criminal aspects, dealing with the relationships, the persons, and so on, not the spiritual intentions. But I guarantee you that the greatest, most powerful intent for doxing will ultimately be spiritual. Now, I want you to think about this. In Revelation chapter 13, we read about a false prophet and an antichrist figure who is going to gain dominion in the earth. It doesn't say he might gain dominion, it says he will. And the majority of people are going to follow. Now, what's going to cause the majority of the people to follow? The first thing is going to be they're going to be marketed like the greatest thing since sliced bread, and they're going to do what appear to be miracles, they're going to perform, do all kinds of great things, and the people are just going to glom onto it like bees on honey. That's what's going to happen. Then, a system is going to be devised. To where every person is going to be required to take a mark, either in their forehead or in the hand, that will demonstrate their loyalty to this new global government under the Antichrist, who is going to look like the great peacemaker on the planet. A pseudo-Christ, and people are going to just say, "Man, this is so great, so great," and he's going to bring peace on Earth, at least for a short period of time. And prosperity is going to soar. And anyone who resists is going to be the odd man out. Now, let's suppose that the government, that you haven't received the mark. And somehow the government hasn't found out about it, but your neighbor does, your employer does, and eventually it comes to the attention of the government. Now, you are part of the official list of the resistors. You are the odd man out. Everybody else is joining, thinking this is the greatest thing to unify the world into final world peace. Even Israel is going to join with it. Yeah. A man. And it's going to be so seductive. But anybody who isn't joining, isn't part of the, of those who pledged their allegiance through receiving the mark on their forehead or their hand, whatever that means, whether it's a chip, whatever it happens to be, a tattoo, that's not, that's beside the point. It's an attitude of the heart. And the Bible portrays it that way. In Revelation 14, whoever receives that will have made a final choice from which you cannot repent. It will be a final choice of your allegiance. So, when the pressure comes on. And the doxing takes place, and you're identified as one of the holdouts, the standouts. What are you going to do? Are you prepared to stand? Don't answer too quickly. It could affect your family. It could affect your spouse, it could affect other relatives, it could affect people in your congregation, and it could affect your eternal destiny. So, get a copy of the book "When Persecution Comes," also the new book "The Power to Overcome." You're going to need them. To be strong in the Lord, in the power of his might, friends. Do it today. Go to the website, saveus.org, get those copies today and be blessed. God bless, and be a blessing.

Chuck Crismier: You've been listening to Viewpoint with Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is supported by the faithful gifts of our listeners. Let me urge you to become a partner with Chuck as a voice to the church, declaring vision for the nation. Join us again next time on Viewpoint as we confront the issues of America's heart and home.