Those who worry about the end of the world or live in fear of a great worldwide catastrophe are not living their lives in accordance with God. For God tells us to live boldly and without fear of the things of this world:
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
Don't worry about global warming or a nuclear holocaust. Don't live in fear of a worldwide pandemic or asteroids or comets or aliens or massive volcanoes. The Lord is in control of everything, and He has already revealed what will happen to this present age. He will usher in the end of the world and transform the earth into his own dwelling place. Therefore, if we are to have fear of anything, it should be the Lord Himself. The prophet Isaiah agrees:
"Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else." Isaiah 8:13 (NLT)
Jesus reminds His disciples of this command while teaching them not to fear persecution:
"Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28 (NLT)
In short, don't fear the end of this world. Celebrate it. Christ is coming. And when He arrives, He will eliminate all the evils of this world, including our fear and worry.
Showing posts with label hell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hell. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Christian Prosperity Crisis
Researchers point out that one of the main differences between the U.S. financial crash and others — for example, that of Japan in the 1990s — was that it was households (individuals and families) that became heavily overindebted. This was not the case in Japan, nor the Asian crisis of the late 1990s, nor those in Scandinavia in the early 1990s. There, it was more the actions of companies and governments that led to these crises. But why in the case of America’s situation, did people became so easily seduced to take on such huge amounts of debt and to accept the vain predictions of perpetual prosperity? Responsibility of stewardship was thrown to the wind and the idea that prosperity and wealth was both eternal and effortless was the common belief.
It may have to do with another main difference. Namely America’s major religion—a post-modern, utilitarian aberration of the Biblical Christianity. This may seem a harsh statement, but I believe that the facts well support it. Most definitely, America is the most Christian-professing, major nation in the world. That religious belief and philosophy had an impact on economies and financial markets is a well established fact. Why do Chinese households save so much? Could it be that their Confusion culture is predisposed to such behavior? Max Weber (see The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) and other social economists developed a framework for such religious/economic connections.
Crucially, only in North America do we find such a significant influence of the Prosperity Theology. It is a teaching that will have played an insidious and contributing (perhaps causal) role in America’s final slide into financial crisis and decline. We want to examine this connection further by investigating some of the doctrinal distortions behind this movement which merges Christianity and money into the eschatological timeline.
Deeply Rooted False Prosperity Beliefs.
While Prosperity Theology tends to be more associated with the charismatic segment of North American Christianity, it could be said that virtually all of North American Christianity has been infected with its influences. This perspective co-exists comfortably with the ideology of the American Dream. For centuries the “Christian nation” of America has been a land of opportunity, espousing upward mobility and success for all who seek it.
Prosperity thinking is therefore subtly imbedded in the psyche of Western Christians. It is almost considered an entitlement in some circles. Of course, most will perhaps not swallow the teachings and techniques of the likes of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar and Peter Popoff — he of the “divine transfer” — and many others. After all, some of these more extreme teachers in this community even go so far as to claim that if you have much faith that you can “get wealth.” Just send in your seed faith offering and you may get a “divine wealth transfer” or “100-fold” return.
In this bartering system with God, one is taught to expect that He may choose to reciprocate your seed offering with a monetary or material blessing of some kind. It could be a sizable check arriving in your mailbox from a mysterious source or some other lucky happenstance. Unfortunately, this erroneous teaching about money promotes the notion that God runs His kingdom on the principle of monetary and material incentive. How crass. God manipulates Christians to love Him and to obedience through the carrot of material wealth and well-being? They confuse the realm of Mammon for the Kingdom of God.
Theological Wealth Distortions Everywhere
False gospels are deadly, their heresies distorting virtually every doctrine, world view and eschatological perspective. In like manner, Prosperity Theology radiates its destruction into many doctrines and perspectives. If its destructive contributions to America’s recent demise were already not convincing enough, there is yet more to consider. A sure sign of all false gospels is their perspective on money.
Every single false teaching or heresy mentioned in the New Testament epistles was associated with greed or an inordinate affection with money and wealth. This is evident today as it was then. If anything is different, it is that some of these heretical perspectives have become much more systemized than they were in New Testament times.
Though beliefs held by certain Christian sects may appear rooted in scriptural teaching, it is disturbing to discover how subjective and unfounded these are. These beliefs simply do not hold up under the scrutiny of all Scripture. This theology even merits an entry on Wikipedia which points out that this “somewhat similar (yet strikingly different) belief appears in most "New Thought" religions, Unity, Religious Science, Divine Science denominations.” It should seem strange that such commonality is found with these other religions.
Moreover, Prosperity Theology does not even pass the test of common sense. If the promises of Prosperity Theology were legitimate and observable, then it should be discovered that its adherents indeed would be wealthier than the general population. Yet, the opposite is true.
According to the surveys of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life2, the average income level of all Christians is less than that of other faiths. For instance, the percentage of protestant Christians with incomes over $100,000 per annum is 15%. This is less than Muslims (16%), Jews (46%), Buddhists (43%) and Hindus (43%).
Drilling down into comparisons between Christian denominations themselves, the same non-confirmation is evident. If one assumes that prosperity teaching is to be most prevalent in evangelical Pentecostal sects, the falsehood of this teaching is found to be most fraudulent. The Pentecostal demographic is the poorest of all, with the exception of Baptists in the Historically Black Tradition.3 48% of Pentecostals have incomes less than $30,000; only 7% greater than $100,000 per annum. That compares to 31% and 18% in the Christian population overall, respectively.
Clearly, the promises of Prosperity Theology are a hoax. Much worse allegations could be made. It would be considered a financial sham were its promoters to be seen to be preying on the hopelessness of its congregants. In that sense, it would not be much different than the consumer credit business. Just which demographic has historically proven to be the most profitable credit market for financial institutions … at least up until the GFC? The poor. It is these people that are made to pay high loan fees and interest rates and tend to run high balances on their credit cards with exorbitant charges. This gospel is certainly not “releasing the oppressed” as was Christ’s mission. (Luke 4:18)
Why is it that Christians are so gullible? It may be for the same reason that the thickest complaint file of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in America is the category of religiously-associated fraud. When con artists or teachers imply a relationship with God or make a purported scriptural reference promising prosperity, the wallets are opened unthinkingly. Charismatic churches time and again have proven themselves most vulnerable to the flimsiest of Ponzi schemes. It is simply astounding.
This quote from an op-ed article published just recently in the Russian online news portal, Pravda, offers a disturbing perspective. The journalist, though somewhat irreverent and an apologist for the official Russian Orthodox Church, does make some connections between America’s economic slide and liberal Christianity:
“First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their “right” to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our “democracy”. Pride blind the foolish. Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different “branches and denominations” were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the “winning” side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the “winning” side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.”4
In the populist mindset of prosperity and easy money, what Christian might not be tempted to think that God and country abandoned them should they experience hardships and trouble during an economic downturn such as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC)? What Christian would not be inclined to whine to God, as did Jeremiah: “Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?” (Jeremiah 15:18) Jeremiah figured that since he was walking with God and answering His calling, that he deserved special treatment. He bargained with God, saying “I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me, and you had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable?” (Jeremiah 15-17-18)
How did God respond? He didn’t even acknowledge the complaint. He simply said this: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me.” (verse 19)
No doubt, all 12 of the New Testament apostles settled this same issue in a satisfactory manner. They were doing the Lord’s will and were all blessed with rich robes and fine foods. Actually, directly to the contrary. 11 of them died an unnatural death. All of them physically suffered for their beliefs. Was this just? Said Paul, “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love […]” (2 Corinthians 6:4-6).
Notes
1. Prosperity theology, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology, accessed April 25, 2009.
2. U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, February 2008, Table: Income Levels of Major Religious Traditions, pg. 60.
3. Ibid, Income Level by Protestant Denominations, pg. 80.
4. Stanislav Mishin, Op-ed, Pravda Russia, June 1, 2009
It may have to do with another main difference. Namely America’s major religion—a post-modern, utilitarian aberration of the Biblical Christianity. This may seem a harsh statement, but I believe that the facts well support it. Most definitely, America is the most Christian-professing, major nation in the world. That religious belief and philosophy had an impact on economies and financial markets is a well established fact. Why do Chinese households save so much? Could it be that their Confusion culture is predisposed to such behavior? Max Weber (see The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) and other social economists developed a framework for such religious/economic connections.
Crucially, only in North America do we find such a significant influence of the Prosperity Theology. It is a teaching that will have played an insidious and contributing (perhaps causal) role in America’s final slide into financial crisis and decline. We want to examine this connection further by investigating some of the doctrinal distortions behind this movement which merges Christianity and money into the eschatological timeline.
Deeply Rooted False Prosperity Beliefs.
While Prosperity Theology tends to be more associated with the charismatic segment of North American Christianity, it could be said that virtually all of North American Christianity has been infected with its influences. This perspective co-exists comfortably with the ideology of the American Dream. For centuries the “Christian nation” of America has been a land of opportunity, espousing upward mobility and success for all who seek it.
Prosperity thinking is therefore subtly imbedded in the psyche of Western Christians. It is almost considered an entitlement in some circles. Of course, most will perhaps not swallow the teachings and techniques of the likes of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar and Peter Popoff — he of the “divine transfer” — and many others. After all, some of these more extreme teachers in this community even go so far as to claim that if you have much faith that you can “get wealth.” Just send in your seed faith offering and you may get a “divine wealth transfer” or “100-fold” return.
In this bartering system with God, one is taught to expect that He may choose to reciprocate your seed offering with a monetary or material blessing of some kind. It could be a sizable check arriving in your mailbox from a mysterious source or some other lucky happenstance. Unfortunately, this erroneous teaching about money promotes the notion that God runs His kingdom on the principle of monetary and material incentive. How crass. God manipulates Christians to love Him and to obedience through the carrot of material wealth and well-being? They confuse the realm of Mammon for the Kingdom of God.
Theological Wealth Distortions Everywhere
False gospels are deadly, their heresies distorting virtually every doctrine, world view and eschatological perspective. In like manner, Prosperity Theology radiates its destruction into many doctrines and perspectives. If its destructive contributions to America’s recent demise were already not convincing enough, there is yet more to consider. A sure sign of all false gospels is their perspective on money.
Every single false teaching or heresy mentioned in the New Testament epistles was associated with greed or an inordinate affection with money and wealth. This is evident today as it was then. If anything is different, it is that some of these heretical perspectives have become much more systemized than they were in New Testament times.
Though beliefs held by certain Christian sects may appear rooted in scriptural teaching, it is disturbing to discover how subjective and unfounded these are. These beliefs simply do not hold up under the scrutiny of all Scripture. This theology even merits an entry on Wikipedia which points out that this “somewhat similar (yet strikingly different) belief appears in most "New Thought" religions, Unity, Religious Science, Divine Science denominations.” It should seem strange that such commonality is found with these other religions.
Moreover, Prosperity Theology does not even pass the test of common sense. If the promises of Prosperity Theology were legitimate and observable, then it should be discovered that its adherents indeed would be wealthier than the general population. Yet, the opposite is true.
According to the surveys of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life2, the average income level of all Christians is less than that of other faiths. For instance, the percentage of protestant Christians with incomes over $100,000 per annum is 15%. This is less than Muslims (16%), Jews (46%), Buddhists (43%) and Hindus (43%).
Drilling down into comparisons between Christian denominations themselves, the same non-confirmation is evident. If one assumes that prosperity teaching is to be most prevalent in evangelical Pentecostal sects, the falsehood of this teaching is found to be most fraudulent. The Pentecostal demographic is the poorest of all, with the exception of Baptists in the Historically Black Tradition.3 48% of Pentecostals have incomes less than $30,000; only 7% greater than $100,000 per annum. That compares to 31% and 18% in the Christian population overall, respectively.
Clearly, the promises of Prosperity Theology are a hoax. Much worse allegations could be made. It would be considered a financial sham were its promoters to be seen to be preying on the hopelessness of its congregants. In that sense, it would not be much different than the consumer credit business. Just which demographic has historically proven to be the most profitable credit market for financial institutions … at least up until the GFC? The poor. It is these people that are made to pay high loan fees and interest rates and tend to run high balances on their credit cards with exorbitant charges. This gospel is certainly not “releasing the oppressed” as was Christ’s mission. (Luke 4:18)
Why is it that Christians are so gullible? It may be for the same reason that the thickest complaint file of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in America is the category of religiously-associated fraud. When con artists or teachers imply a relationship with God or make a purported scriptural reference promising prosperity, the wallets are opened unthinkingly. Charismatic churches time and again have proven themselves most vulnerable to the flimsiest of Ponzi schemes. It is simply astounding.
This quote from an op-ed article published just recently in the Russian online news portal, Pravda, offers a disturbing perspective. The journalist, though somewhat irreverent and an apologist for the official Russian Orthodox Church, does make some connections between America’s economic slide and liberal Christianity:
“First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their “right” to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our “democracy”. Pride blind the foolish. Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different “branches and denominations” were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the “winning” side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the “winning” side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.”4
In the populist mindset of prosperity and easy money, what Christian might not be tempted to think that God and country abandoned them should they experience hardships and trouble during an economic downturn such as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC)? What Christian would not be inclined to whine to God, as did Jeremiah: “Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?” (Jeremiah 15:18) Jeremiah figured that since he was walking with God and answering His calling, that he deserved special treatment. He bargained with God, saying “I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me, and you had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable?” (Jeremiah 15-17-18)
How did God respond? He didn’t even acknowledge the complaint. He simply said this: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me.” (verse 19)
No doubt, all 12 of the New Testament apostles settled this same issue in a satisfactory manner. They were doing the Lord’s will and were all blessed with rich robes and fine foods. Actually, directly to the contrary. 11 of them died an unnatural death. All of them physically suffered for their beliefs. Was this just? Said Paul, “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love […]” (2 Corinthians 6:4-6).
Notes
1. Prosperity theology, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology, accessed April 25, 2009.
2. U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, February 2008, Table: Income Levels of Major Religious Traditions, pg. 60.
3. Ibid, Income Level by Protestant Denominations, pg. 80.
4. Stanislav Mishin, Op-ed, Pravda Russia, June 1, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Calling yourself a Christian doesn't make you a Christian!
Last Monday night, I spoke at the local chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This is the group whose national leader is Barry Lynn, a true tool of satan who is a former ACLU operative that spends his life trying to stop those true men and women of God who share His Truth in the marketplace. He has gone after many high-profile Christian leaders over the years, including me, using the IRS to try and remove the tax exemption from Godly ministries he disagrees with.
I have debated Lynn many times, so it was strange that the local group would ask me to speak, but I readily agreed. I arrived at the church where they were meeting, and walked into the foyer to find rainbow flags promoting gay pride. A gentleman greeted me and his first words upon seeing me were, "Is that a Bible?" I knew this was going to be an interesting evening when upon walking into a church, my first interaction with someone was asking me if the book I was carrying was a Bible!
The fact was, the 30 people or so who attended were all middle age to older. I have no doubt they were all respectable members of the community. They seemed to be very decent, kind people. They were a great representation of the vast majority of the people who make up our communities. Despite a belief in God, calling themselves Christians, they all believed there was nothing wrong with the sin of homosexuality, that a woman should be able to do whatever she wants "with her body," and that the Bible is NOT God's Word, but a book written by men.
THE POINT I WANT YOU TO HEAR LOUD AND CLEAR TODAY IS THAT THIS GROUP IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN THIS NATION THAT ARE IN THE PEWS OF CHURCHES EVERY SUNDAY!!! I AM NOT EVEN TALKING TODAY ABOUT THOSE OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH, BUT INSIDE THE CHURCH!!!
In case you have been sleeping, there is a new group of people in our nation who call themselves the "religious left." This is a relatively new term so you may not be familiar with it. That is why I felt it was so critical to take the time today to ensure you not only understood what it means, but who actually makes up this new group of people. Forty years ago, this group didn't even exist. They have actually evolved and grown tremendously over the past decade.
The "religious left" is made up of people who identify themselves as Christians and hold strong religious beliefs as well as sharing left-wing ideals. Obviously, this group has risen up in opposition to those who have been tagged the "religious right" or the "Christian right." The "Christian right" is that group of Bible-believing Christians who are politically active and seek to elect to office those candidates who hold to Biblical values on the key spiritual issues of our day that are also political issues.
These would be issues like abortion and life-related matters, gay marriage, family issues, the proliferation of the pornography industry, and the drive to remove God from the public square. Those in the "religious left" actually take an anti-Biblical position on these issues and are also heavily involved in the ecumenical movement, environmental issues, opposing war for any reason, world hunger, and social issues like healthcare, welfare, and education.
There is nothing wrong with pursing these noble social issues.Believers should be more involved on those fronts. The problem with this group is their anti-Biblical position on the key spiritual issues of our day and their involvement in these ecumenical movements that require you to set aside the Absolute Truths of the Bible.
I refuse to try and judge their heart, that is something only God can and will do. However, I have every right to judge them on their actions in accordance with God's Word. How can you say you are a person of faith, yet vote to support the legalized slaughter of over 4,000 innocent babies every day? How can you say you are a person of faith, yet vote to redefine God's Holy Institution of Marriage? How can you say you are a person of faith, yet support special rights for people who have chosen to engage in perverted sex acts God calls an abomination, including their ability to adopt children into their deviant lifestyle?
I guess the real question becomes, what is their faith really in? It is inconsistent to say you are person of faith yet continually take a stand in complete opposition to God's Word. Jesus said that if you love Me, you will obey Me. That means His Word. Of course, those in the "religious left" has been born out of the liberal "churches" of our day who make a mockery of Christ as they operate in open rebellion to the Truth of the Bible while claiming to be followers of Christ.
They support the legalized slaughter of babies, redefining marriage to include men with men and women with women, perverting the family by bringing children into homes with homosexual parents, and embrace ecumenical fellowships with all of the cults and false religions of the world. They deny the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, have rejected God's Word for the Absolute Truth it represents, and have bought into the lie of the world that there are "many roads that lead to God." These are the people who make up the "religious left!"
It is beyond me how a person can consider themselves a Christian, which means they are a follower of Christ and automatically a follower of His Word, yet take a public position in complete opposition to that Word. You better wake up, since this is the largest growing segment of Christendom, this apostate group who calls themselves Christians but go to churches who operate in complete rebellion to Christ and the Bible.
This is the group that is Biblically illiterate since they don't even believe the Bible to be true. They are the politically-correct crowd who has bought the lie a woman has the right to kill her baby. They are the group who lambasts those who speak out against the sin of homosexuality, calling them names like "intolerant" and "hateful." They call themselves Christians, but support the things Christ and the Bible condemn. Pray for these people since you can't call yourself a follower of Christ, yet stand on the opposite side of Christ on so many issues. Truth is not what we want it to be, it is what God says it is. We don't have the luxury of giving our heart and life to Christ and then live any way we want. A true follower of Christ is a follower of His Word. Jesus said, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
I have debated Lynn many times, so it was strange that the local group would ask me to speak, but I readily agreed. I arrived at the church where they were meeting, and walked into the foyer to find rainbow flags promoting gay pride. A gentleman greeted me and his first words upon seeing me were, "Is that a Bible?" I knew this was going to be an interesting evening when upon walking into a church, my first interaction with someone was asking me if the book I was carrying was a Bible!
The fact was, the 30 people or so who attended were all middle age to older. I have no doubt they were all respectable members of the community. They seemed to be very decent, kind people. They were a great representation of the vast majority of the people who make up our communities. Despite a belief in God, calling themselves Christians, they all believed there was nothing wrong with the sin of homosexuality, that a woman should be able to do whatever she wants "with her body," and that the Bible is NOT God's Word, but a book written by men.
THE POINT I WANT YOU TO HEAR LOUD AND CLEAR TODAY IS THAT THIS GROUP IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN THIS NATION THAT ARE IN THE PEWS OF CHURCHES EVERY SUNDAY!!! I AM NOT EVEN TALKING TODAY ABOUT THOSE OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH, BUT INSIDE THE CHURCH!!!
In case you have been sleeping, there is a new group of people in our nation who call themselves the "religious left." This is a relatively new term so you may not be familiar with it. That is why I felt it was so critical to take the time today to ensure you not only understood what it means, but who actually makes up this new group of people. Forty years ago, this group didn't even exist. They have actually evolved and grown tremendously over the past decade.
The "religious left" is made up of people who identify themselves as Christians and hold strong religious beliefs as well as sharing left-wing ideals. Obviously, this group has risen up in opposition to those who have been tagged the "religious right" or the "Christian right." The "Christian right" is that group of Bible-believing Christians who are politically active and seek to elect to office those candidates who hold to Biblical values on the key spiritual issues of our day that are also political issues.
These would be issues like abortion and life-related matters, gay marriage, family issues, the proliferation of the pornography industry, and the drive to remove God from the public square. Those in the "religious left" actually take an anti-Biblical position on these issues and are also heavily involved in the ecumenical movement, environmental issues, opposing war for any reason, world hunger, and social issues like healthcare, welfare, and education.
There is nothing wrong with pursing these noble social issues.Believers should be more involved on those fronts. The problem with this group is their anti-Biblical position on the key spiritual issues of our day and their involvement in these ecumenical movements that require you to set aside the Absolute Truths of the Bible.
I refuse to try and judge their heart, that is something only God can and will do. However, I have every right to judge them on their actions in accordance with God's Word. How can you say you are a person of faith, yet vote to support the legalized slaughter of over 4,000 innocent babies every day? How can you say you are a person of faith, yet vote to redefine God's Holy Institution of Marriage? How can you say you are a person of faith, yet support special rights for people who have chosen to engage in perverted sex acts God calls an abomination, including their ability to adopt children into their deviant lifestyle?
I guess the real question becomes, what is their faith really in? It is inconsistent to say you are person of faith yet continually take a stand in complete opposition to God's Word. Jesus said that if you love Me, you will obey Me. That means His Word. Of course, those in the "religious left" has been born out of the liberal "churches" of our day who make a mockery of Christ as they operate in open rebellion to the Truth of the Bible while claiming to be followers of Christ.
They support the legalized slaughter of babies, redefining marriage to include men with men and women with women, perverting the family by bringing children into homes with homosexual parents, and embrace ecumenical fellowships with all of the cults and false religions of the world. They deny the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, have rejected God's Word for the Absolute Truth it represents, and have bought into the lie of the world that there are "many roads that lead to God." These are the people who make up the "religious left!"
It is beyond me how a person can consider themselves a Christian, which means they are a follower of Christ and automatically a follower of His Word, yet take a public position in complete opposition to that Word. You better wake up, since this is the largest growing segment of Christendom, this apostate group who calls themselves Christians but go to churches who operate in complete rebellion to Christ and the Bible.
This is the group that is Biblically illiterate since they don't even believe the Bible to be true. They are the politically-correct crowd who has bought the lie a woman has the right to kill her baby. They are the group who lambasts those who speak out against the sin of homosexuality, calling them names like "intolerant" and "hateful." They call themselves Christians, but support the things Christ and the Bible condemn. Pray for these people since you can't call yourself a follower of Christ, yet stand on the opposite side of Christ on so many issues. Truth is not what we want it to be, it is what God says it is. We don't have the luxury of giving our heart and life to Christ and then live any way we want. A true follower of Christ is a follower of His Word. Jesus said, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
Friday, May 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hell Hath Enlarged Herself
Hell is in the center of our Earth, where molten rock and brimstone cast themselves about like a Tsunami out of the deep. This hellish place did not exist when God the eternal Father created a perfect world. The world was a garden paradise, where the loving Father could step out of His Ivory City to walk in fellowship with His earthly family. It appears that He created the Earth for His pleasure and retreat like a great garden in the suburbs of Heavenly Jerusalem. The space or distance between the Heavenly City and the Father’s paradise garden probably did not exist until sin was judged.
Satan was still a beautiful angel and walked about in God’s city and His garden. He was a breathtaking being to behold. Music flowed from Him in its created splendor and blessed the ears of all God’s universe. Ezekiel spoke of this excellent created cherub, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created” (Ezekiel 28:13).
Satan had been created as a masterpiece, revealing the uniqueness of God’s creative powers. He was a jewel in the family of angels; however, his pride somehow caused him to see his beauty as his gift to God instead of God’s gift to him. He used his charm to deceive a great company of angels and, together, they rebelled against the Sovereign God. They were cast out of Heaven and left without any permanent dwelling place. This entire company of Satan and his fallen angels has been vagabonds from that day.
Using a beautiful creature as his disguise to sneak into the Garden of Eden revealed his fallen mind as he sought to get even with the Father. In the process He turned that creature into a snake. From the moment Satan was cast out of Heaven, he has had to use trickery in all of his designs. Honesty, beauty, and righteousness do not exist in his world. “. . . For he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). He cannot create, he can only destroy. Remember, he had walked in that garden in the splendor of his created beauty. He had thrilled God’s entire universe with Heavenly music that revealed the highest form of worship. He was one of God’s grandest angels, but now he returned disguised as a snake in his fallen condition.
In every place where men give him room, he produces a wilderness. His powers are still paranormal as are all of God’s angels -- fallen or unfallen -- but not supernatural. God’s holy angels can do supernatural things at God’s command but not in and of themselves.
This worldwide calamity of Satan had to be judged and the Father created a place called Hell in the heart or center of His earth. The earth’s magnetism demanded great heat within its center to make our world cohesive and inhabitable. It was the chosen place to which Jesus commanded the wicked be exiled and locked up forever.
The souls of the wicked are consigned to this horrible place, but it was not created for them. The Bible clearly states it was created for the devil and his angels, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). The souls of men go there because they choose to follow Satan’s kingdom and to reject God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation. Such a multitude has chosen Satan and his world over God and His offer that Hell must be constantly enlarged. The Bible states, “Therefore Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it” (Isaiah 5:14). < /div>
There are literally three Hells that await the wicked persons and even morally good people that reject Jesus Christ. God created us for Himself. To reject His Lordship over our lives is to be lost forever. Hell will be filled with the most despicable of wicked souls, but also the careless souls who live valuable lives but refuse the mastery of Christ.
The first Hell is in this life and is represented by multitudes that hear the Gospel, experience the Spirit’s conviction, but sin away the grace His Spirit offers. Noah’s day was a picture of these blasphemous persons that rejected mercy and died in the flood. A growing spirit of blasphemy is gripping our world. Once the Holy Spirit withdraws Himself from a person, it is Hell on earth for that soul. A great majority of today’s population is on this road to despair. Probably the greatest percentage of today’s world has sinned away grace than at any time since those that rejected Noah’s message and laughed at the ark he was building. There is a growing hatred for the prophecy message because it represents the same truth and escape as Noah’s Ark.
Hell in the center of our earth is the present place of every lost soul that has died since creation. Preachers in our day are preaching a vast number of souls into Heaven that are forever damned in Hell. Nothing could be sadder than the deception about Hell in our pulpits. If anger can make Hell worse, there will certainly be a multitude of ministers that will be cursed by the lost for eternity.
Jesus settled the question of eternal fire in His Biblical story of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus’ exact words were, “And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke16:23-24). Anyone that denies that Hell is a place of eternal fire and torment speaks the language of Biblical confusion and denial.
The third possibility of Hell is called the “Lake of Fire.” The Bible gives the location of this damnable place. The ruins of the City of Babylon have been the very center of satanic activities since early history. John describes the scene, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation (dwelling place) of devils, and the hold (captive) of every foul spirit, and a cage (locked) of every unclean and hateful bird”(Revelation 18:2).
Isaiah describes the joining of Hell in the heart of the Earth to the ruins of Babylon, where the Lake of Fire will be located. Concerning Satan being cast into the Lake of Fire, he stated, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations” (Isaiah 14:9).
The multitudes that are dying without the righteousness of Christ are forever lost. Hell may be full, but it is enlarging its border for the next wave of the damned. The name of Jesus Christ alone is God’s escape from eternal judgment in unquenchable fire.
Satan was still a beautiful angel and walked about in God’s city and His garden. He was a breathtaking being to behold. Music flowed from Him in its created splendor and blessed the ears of all God’s universe. Ezekiel spoke of this excellent created cherub, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created” (Ezekiel 28:13).
Satan had been created as a masterpiece, revealing the uniqueness of God’s creative powers. He was a jewel in the family of angels; however, his pride somehow caused him to see his beauty as his gift to God instead of God’s gift to him. He used his charm to deceive a great company of angels and, together, they rebelled against the Sovereign God. They were cast out of Heaven and left without any permanent dwelling place. This entire company of Satan and his fallen angels has been vagabonds from that day.
Using a beautiful creature as his disguise to sneak into the Garden of Eden revealed his fallen mind as he sought to get even with the Father. In the process He turned that creature into a snake. From the moment Satan was cast out of Heaven, he has had to use trickery in all of his designs. Honesty, beauty, and righteousness do not exist in his world. “. . . For he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). He cannot create, he can only destroy. Remember, he had walked in that garden in the splendor of his created beauty. He had thrilled God’s entire universe with Heavenly music that revealed the highest form of worship. He was one of God’s grandest angels, but now he returned disguised as a snake in his fallen condition.
In every place where men give him room, he produces a wilderness. His powers are still paranormal as are all of God’s angels -- fallen or unfallen -- but not supernatural. God’s holy angels can do supernatural things at God’s command but not in and of themselves.
This worldwide calamity of Satan had to be judged and the Father created a place called Hell in the heart or center of His earth. The earth’s magnetism demanded great heat within its center to make our world cohesive and inhabitable. It was the chosen place to which Jesus commanded the wicked be exiled and locked up forever.
The souls of the wicked are consigned to this horrible place, but it was not created for them. The Bible clearly states it was created for the devil and his angels, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). The souls of men go there because they choose to follow Satan’s kingdom and to reject God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation. Such a multitude has chosen Satan and his world over God and His offer that Hell must be constantly enlarged. The Bible states, “Therefore Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it” (Isaiah 5:14). < /div>
There are literally three Hells that await the wicked persons and even morally good people that reject Jesus Christ. God created us for Himself. To reject His Lordship over our lives is to be lost forever. Hell will be filled with the most despicable of wicked souls, but also the careless souls who live valuable lives but refuse the mastery of Christ.
The first Hell is in this life and is represented by multitudes that hear the Gospel, experience the Spirit’s conviction, but sin away the grace His Spirit offers. Noah’s day was a picture of these blasphemous persons that rejected mercy and died in the flood. A growing spirit of blasphemy is gripping our world. Once the Holy Spirit withdraws Himself from a person, it is Hell on earth for that soul. A great majority of today’s population is on this road to despair. Probably the greatest percentage of today’s world has sinned away grace than at any time since those that rejected Noah’s message and laughed at the ark he was building. There is a growing hatred for the prophecy message because it represents the same truth and escape as Noah’s Ark.
Hell in the center of our earth is the present place of every lost soul that has died since creation. Preachers in our day are preaching a vast number of souls into Heaven that are forever damned in Hell. Nothing could be sadder than the deception about Hell in our pulpits. If anger can make Hell worse, there will certainly be a multitude of ministers that will be cursed by the lost for eternity.
Jesus settled the question of eternal fire in His Biblical story of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus’ exact words were, “And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke16:23-24). Anyone that denies that Hell is a place of eternal fire and torment speaks the language of Biblical confusion and denial.
The third possibility of Hell is called the “Lake of Fire.” The Bible gives the location of this damnable place. The ruins of the City of Babylon have been the very center of satanic activities since early history. John describes the scene, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation (dwelling place) of devils, and the hold (captive) of every foul spirit, and a cage (locked) of every unclean and hateful bird”(Revelation 18:2).
Isaiah describes the joining of Hell in the heart of the Earth to the ruins of Babylon, where the Lake of Fire will be located. Concerning Satan being cast into the Lake of Fire, he stated, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations” (Isaiah 14:9).
The multitudes that are dying without the righteousness of Christ are forever lost. Hell may be full, but it is enlarging its border for the next wave of the damned. The name of Jesus Christ alone is God’s escape from eternal judgment in unquenchable fire.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The End of Christian America? Not Really
"The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades. How that statistic explains who we are now--and what, as a nation, we are about to become." This was a lead-in to a cover story by Newsweek magazine.
The article tries to imply that America is becoming a "post-Christian" nation. Even though 76 percent of the people polled identify themselves as Christians, Newsweek implies that the God of the Bible is on His way out. The only real change in the poll is the number of people who chose not to identify their religious belief--up from 14 million to 34 million.
Christianity is in good demographic shape. The American Religious Identification Survey that Newsweek cited estimated there are now 173.4 million self-identified Christians in America, up from 151.2 million in 1990. The percentage declined, but the actual number increased.
In March, CNN ran a similar story about the downfall of Christianity. The two stories tell me there is a liberal agenda at work.
To have Newsweek and CNN predicting the end of Christian America is like the dinosaurs telling the cockroaches that their days are numbered. In the past two years, Newsweek has lost 52 percent of its readers. The magazine's circulation now stands at 2.6 million. The Wall Street Journal reported that a 21 percent decline in ad pages could soon drop Newsweek circulation by another 500,000 to 1 million readers. In February, the magazine said it would probably drop to 1.9 million by this July and 1.5 million readers by January 2010.
Columnist L. Brent Bozell may have found the reason for Newsweek's plunging sales, "One has to wonder whether Newsweek's financial gurus really think it's a smart business strategy to greet the Easter season with funerals for ‘Christian America,’ and greet the Christmas season by making the ‘religious case for gay marriage?’ (That's not to mention all the reverent Obama worship in between.)"
CNN has seen even larger declines. Its viewership has plunged from 3 million to around 1 million. A lot of those eyeballs have switched over to watching Fox News.
I'm not hearing these two liberal media outlets crying about the death of journalism. I read one report by a head honcho at CNN who said he was happy with the network's numbers, and he described the 66 percent plunge as just a natural cycle of viewership.
The liberal media is trying to foster the idea that Christianity is no longer part of the mainstream. Their aim is to damage the Church's ability to work against the immorality sweeping over the land. They particularly seek to discredit the politically conservative influence that believers exert in matters such as abortion, pornography, and gay rights.
Many Christian leaders are buying the idea that their "antiquated notions" need to adjust to a new reality. Rather than standing up for truth, they often gravitate towards the stance that promises them the most favorable press coverage.
I was stunned to hear Rick Warren back-pedaling big time over his support for Proposition 8 - a California ballot that changed the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples. Here is what he said on Larry King's program, "I am not an anti-gay or anti-gay-marriage activist. I never have been, never will be. During the whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement, never-never once even gave an endorsement in the two years Prop 8 was going." This remark baffled me, "I wrote to all my gay friends--the leaders that I knew--and actually apologized to them."
The new Rick Warren was probably apologizing for a statement made by the old Rick Warren of just a few months ago, "Let me just say this really clearly. We support Proposition 8. And if you believe what the Bible says about marriage, you need to support Proposition 8" (Rick Warren in an Oct. 23 video to church members).
I have some very good news for the folks in the liberal media. The day is soon coming when the percentage of true believing Christians in America (the most troublesome variety) will drop by a tremendous amount. It won't be a decline of 50%, 60%, or even 70%. At the rapture, 100% of believer will turn up missing. And best of all, the decline won't take 19 years to happen, it will occur in a blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, the respite won't last very long. When millions of people realize they missed the rapture and come to faith in Christ, the liberal media will quickly find itself confronted with a group of Christians with a profound level of dedication.
The article tries to imply that America is becoming a "post-Christian" nation. Even though 76 percent of the people polled identify themselves as Christians, Newsweek implies that the God of the Bible is on His way out. The only real change in the poll is the number of people who chose not to identify their religious belief--up from 14 million to 34 million.
Christianity is in good demographic shape. The American Religious Identification Survey that Newsweek cited estimated there are now 173.4 million self-identified Christians in America, up from 151.2 million in 1990. The percentage declined, but the actual number increased.
In March, CNN ran a similar story about the downfall of Christianity. The two stories tell me there is a liberal agenda at work.
To have Newsweek and CNN predicting the end of Christian America is like the dinosaurs telling the cockroaches that their days are numbered. In the past two years, Newsweek has lost 52 percent of its readers. The magazine's circulation now stands at 2.6 million. The Wall Street Journal reported that a 21 percent decline in ad pages could soon drop Newsweek circulation by another 500,000 to 1 million readers. In February, the magazine said it would probably drop to 1.9 million by this July and 1.5 million readers by January 2010.
Columnist L. Brent Bozell may have found the reason for Newsweek's plunging sales, "One has to wonder whether Newsweek's financial gurus really think it's a smart business strategy to greet the Easter season with funerals for ‘Christian America,’ and greet the Christmas season by making the ‘religious case for gay marriage?’ (That's not to mention all the reverent Obama worship in between.)"
CNN has seen even larger declines. Its viewership has plunged from 3 million to around 1 million. A lot of those eyeballs have switched over to watching Fox News.
I'm not hearing these two liberal media outlets crying about the death of journalism. I read one report by a head honcho at CNN who said he was happy with the network's numbers, and he described the 66 percent plunge as just a natural cycle of viewership.
The liberal media is trying to foster the idea that Christianity is no longer part of the mainstream. Their aim is to damage the Church's ability to work against the immorality sweeping over the land. They particularly seek to discredit the politically conservative influence that believers exert in matters such as abortion, pornography, and gay rights.
Many Christian leaders are buying the idea that their "antiquated notions" need to adjust to a new reality. Rather than standing up for truth, they often gravitate towards the stance that promises them the most favorable press coverage.
I was stunned to hear Rick Warren back-pedaling big time over his support for Proposition 8 - a California ballot that changed the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples. Here is what he said on Larry King's program, "I am not an anti-gay or anti-gay-marriage activist. I never have been, never will be. During the whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement, never-never once even gave an endorsement in the two years Prop 8 was going." This remark baffled me, "I wrote to all my gay friends--the leaders that I knew--and actually apologized to them."
The new Rick Warren was probably apologizing for a statement made by the old Rick Warren of just a few months ago, "Let me just say this really clearly. We support Proposition 8. And if you believe what the Bible says about marriage, you need to support Proposition 8" (Rick Warren in an Oct. 23 video to church members).
I have some very good news for the folks in the liberal media. The day is soon coming when the percentage of true believing Christians in America (the most troublesome variety) will drop by a tremendous amount. It won't be a decline of 50%, 60%, or even 70%. At the rapture, 100% of believer will turn up missing. And best of all, the decline won't take 19 years to happen, it will occur in a blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, the respite won't last very long. When millions of people realize they missed the rapture and come to faith in Christ, the liberal media will quickly find itself confronted with a group of Christians with a profound level of dedication.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Beware of Men
Many of the articles I write for the site are intended to fill an information void I find on the net. I'll do a search on a certain subject, and if very little is written about that topic, I'll produce an article to fill that need.
There are 76 million pages that include the phrase, “things to do,” but only 460,000 pages containing the phrase, “beware of men.” Half a million references may seem like a lot, but that is hardly anything when you consider that tens of billions of pages on the net. If you look at the listings, most of the pages are references to a warning given by Jesus:
“But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues” (Matthew 10:17)
When I post this article, I'm sure it will eventually rise to the top of the “beware of men” ranking because of the simple fact that it doesn’t have much competition. People love giving advice, but they don't care to dispense words of caution that might include themselves.
Don't Trust Anyone with Clay Feet
I was recently going through the process of digitizing my vast collection of audio tapes. I have hundreds of tapes on about every subject one can imagine. While assessing the worthiness of some of these tapes for reproduction, I found myself listening to an old series in which Jimmy Swaggart addressed the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have about every tape series his produced in his prime, and one of my goals in life is to someday meet the man.
One segment of the tape especially caught my attention. First, Swaggart made a passing reference to Kathryn Kulman, then he spoke glowingly of Oral Roberts, and finally he said he had just returned from a preaching engagement at the church of his beloved friend Marvin Gorman.
I immediately thought this would be a good example to use in some future editorial on why we shouldn’t put our trust in mankind. Every one of these dear saints Swaggart mentioned, including himself, turned out to have feet of clay. The teaching series was recorded sometime in the early ‘80s, and it wouldn’t take long for Swaggart's words to gain an ironic twist. Here is a brief rundown:
Kathryn Kuhlman is not that well known, but she was the forerunner of many of the questionable faith healers of today. Benny Hinn cited her as a major influence in his life. He has been know to pray at her grave to get her special power.
Oral Roberts made national headlines with a very questionable fund raising ploy. In 1987, he told his audience that he needed to raise $8 million for the medical school that bore his name; otherwise, God was going to kill him.
Marvin Gorman was found to have had an affair with another pastor's wife. Jimmy Swaggart is said to be the one who exposed him.
Jimmy Swaggart himself was caught in a Louisiana motel with a prostitute. As a retaliatory move, Marvin Gorman hired a private detective to follow Swaggart and take pictures of the tryst.
We should never blindly trust men because the behavior of other people has a profoundly negative influence on our actions. You can preach all the good moral values you want, but one of the most primary rules of life is “monkey see, monkey do.” And suddenly you're driving down the highway doing 80 miles per hour in a 65 miles per hour speed zone because everyone else is exceeding the speed limit.
On judgment day, God will not allow us to blame other people for our own transgressions. Even if we are the victims of deception, our moral accountability does not change.
We don't have the option of running off and living in a cave to escape the influence of our fellow earthly inhabitants. We are social creatures, and we depend on one another for survival. The only thing we can do is realize that we need to check the biblical truth of everything our fellow citizens of earth tell us.
Don't Blindly Follow the Herd
The Bible tells us that Lucifer became known as Satan when he grew prideful and organized a coup against God. We are told a third of the heavenly host followed him into a rebellion.
I've often wondered how so many angelic beings could be persuaded to join forces with Lucifer. He must have been an incredible salesman to convince them to buy into what would seem to be to a hopeless mission.
We'll never know the details until we get a chance to ask those who witnessed this event. I suspect one of the key factors that aided Lucifer was the kinship he had with his fellow angelic beings. He was in a position of authority, and they blindly put their trust in him.
Humans aren’t any better when it comes to blindly placing their trust in other individuals. There is a good reason Jesus compared us to sheep. We might all have individual personalities, but when it comes to our social cues, we don't stray from the herd.
Some of the worst examples of this “follower” trait have occurred on our message board. The board has been part of NM, I have seen several episodes where a key individual or group of people has left the board for various reasons. The regular occurrence of these schisms is the main reason most major prophecy ministries don't have message boards.
I put up with the hassle because I’m a masochist. Sorry, I don’t have a better answer.
A few years ago, I had to part ways with a person in a position of authority when we discovered a disagreement over a fundamental issue of the faith. We agreed that it would be best for us to have separate operations.
I approached key moderators individually about the situation, and I assumed they would see the logic and remain with Rapture Ready. The reason for the split didn't matter. Every one of the moderators left with the administrator, but this was a small issue in comparison to what happened soon after.
The really confounding stuff occurred when people who had been directed to the new board came to me asking why there were two boards. When I told them the reason, most said they would never go back to the new board. Some were very insistent about their intentions. A few days later, they were back posting on the board they said they would never return to—ultimately, principle didn't matter.
A Beautiful Evil Mind
I love getting emails from people who disagree with Rapture Ready. These folks have proved to be very valuable tools for helping me improve the site's content (not that all negative email is a goldmine of information; most critics have no valid reason for their objections).
One time I received a note from a gentleman who sent me a wonderful outline explaining why there is no God and asserting that religion is a bunch of nonsense. He was obviously wrong, but I marveled at how well written he had made his argument. God had blessed him with a beautiful mind, and it was going to waste.
This gentleman was only disagreeing with me. I wondered about all the men with similar talents, and how they were using their God-given abilities to deceive men.
Some of the most well-known villains of history have been charismatic and gifted with special abilities. Fidel Castro is one such example. He has the gift of gab, and the man could talk for hours about how well the grass is growing.
Castro holds the Guinness Book of Records title for the longest speech ever delivered at the United Nations: 4 hours and 29 minutes, on September 29, 1960. His longest speech on record in Cuba was 7 hours and 10 minutes in 1986 at the III Communist Party Congress in Havana.
Hitler was cruel monster of history, and his name is now synonymous with evil. What is often lost is the fact that he had a natural ability to make people like him. He inspired millions of Germans with the hope of a new national Germany. In the end, his charismatic appeal guided many to their death.
We should never judge the value of a message by how well it is conveyed. Because Satan has a proven track record of using gifted people, we should be suspicious of any person who presents an appealing message. Because truth doesn't need any fancy packaging, God prefers to use people of weaker abilities.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27)
How Great I Art
Arrogance is the best warning sign that someone is a potential source of erroneous doctrine. People who trust their own opinions on all matters are destined for error. Proverbs 15:32 tells us, “He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. Here is a popular tale that illustrates this point:
An officer in the navy had dreamed from childhood of commanding a great battleship one day. He finally achieved his dream and was given commission of the newest and proudest ship in the fleet.
One stormy night, the captain was on duty on the bridge when he spotted a strange light rapidly closing in on his own vessel. As his ship plowed through the waves, the light rose and fell just above the horizon of the sea. He ordered his signalman to flash a message to the unidentified craft on his port side, "Alter your course ten degrees to the south."
Within seconds a reply came, "Alter your course ten degrees to the north." Determined that his ship would never take a back seat to any other, the captain snapped a second order, "Alter course ten degrees--I am the CAPTAIN!" The response was beamed back, "Alter your course ten degrees? I am Seaman Third Class Smith." By this time, the light was growing ever brighter and larger.
Infuriated, the captain grabbed the signal light and personally signaled, "Alter course. I am a battleship." The reply came just as quickly, "Alter your course. I am a lighthouse."
I have found that the more arrogant preachers are, the less productive they are for the Kingdom of God. There are some men in prophecy circles that I can't stand to be around because of their pride, and I've noticed they tend to be the most error-prone group.
I recently came up a quick test for haughtiness that can be applied to the homepage of any Christian leader. I'm not going to say it's 100 percent foolproof, but I have found that an egotism level can roughly be gauged by how many times someone's image appears on their main page. Here is a list I came up with after searching dozens of sites:
Perry Stone - 21
Rev. Sun Myung Moon - 14
Pastor Ron Gibson - 11
T. D. Jakes - 10
Fred Price - 9
Rick Joyner - 9
Morris Cerullo - 8
Benny Hinn - 7
Creflo Dollar - 6
R.W. Shambach - 6
Dr. Ed Young - 5
I don't have my photo on the main page because I realize some folks might be reading the site during their lunch break or dinner hour. I also believe that web space is too valuable to be used for anything that doesn't directly advance the end-time gospel message.
Anyone who thinks he or she is someone special in God’s eyes can rest assured that he or she is not. Because God absolutely hates arrogance, a preacher with an inflated ego will receive only a small reward from the Holy Father.
Jesus Is Your Only True Friend
There is an old song with the title, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Sometimes I wonder if it should have been given a longer title: “What An Only True Friend We Have in Jesus.”
There is not a single person on planet earth whom we should trust, and that includes yours truly. Everything I post on Rapture Ready is modeled after what God has written in the Bible, so why would you trust a middle man?
I can try to be your friend, but I cannot make any guarantees that I will always act in your best interest. Because all men still have a fallen nature, even the best counsel from men is subject to error.
You can do even worse by being your own friend. We naturally believe our own view of reality, so people who hold to their own opinion in all matters are more subject to deception. This is why a lawyer who defends himself in court is commonly said to have a fool for a client.
The only advice with a proven track record is the wisdom that comes from God. People can disagree with His teachings, but they can't offer a better set of moral, social, and spiritual guidelines.
Jesus is the type of friend described in Proverbs 18:24: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” He is the friend who has given His life for us.
There are 76 million pages that include the phrase, “things to do,” but only 460,000 pages containing the phrase, “beware of men.” Half a million references may seem like a lot, but that is hardly anything when you consider that tens of billions of pages on the net. If you look at the listings, most of the pages are references to a warning given by Jesus:
“But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues” (Matthew 10:17)
When I post this article, I'm sure it will eventually rise to the top of the “beware of men” ranking because of the simple fact that it doesn’t have much competition. People love giving advice, but they don't care to dispense words of caution that might include themselves.
Don't Trust Anyone with Clay Feet
I was recently going through the process of digitizing my vast collection of audio tapes. I have hundreds of tapes on about every subject one can imagine. While assessing the worthiness of some of these tapes for reproduction, I found myself listening to an old series in which Jimmy Swaggart addressed the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have about every tape series his produced in his prime, and one of my goals in life is to someday meet the man.
One segment of the tape especially caught my attention. First, Swaggart made a passing reference to Kathryn Kulman, then he spoke glowingly of Oral Roberts, and finally he said he had just returned from a preaching engagement at the church of his beloved friend Marvin Gorman.
I immediately thought this would be a good example to use in some future editorial on why we shouldn’t put our trust in mankind. Every one of these dear saints Swaggart mentioned, including himself, turned out to have feet of clay. The teaching series was recorded sometime in the early ‘80s, and it wouldn’t take long for Swaggart's words to gain an ironic twist. Here is a brief rundown:
Kathryn Kuhlman is not that well known, but she was the forerunner of many of the questionable faith healers of today. Benny Hinn cited her as a major influence in his life. He has been know to pray at her grave to get her special power.
Oral Roberts made national headlines with a very questionable fund raising ploy. In 1987, he told his audience that he needed to raise $8 million for the medical school that bore his name; otherwise, God was going to kill him.
Marvin Gorman was found to have had an affair with another pastor's wife. Jimmy Swaggart is said to be the one who exposed him.
Jimmy Swaggart himself was caught in a Louisiana motel with a prostitute. As a retaliatory move, Marvin Gorman hired a private detective to follow Swaggart and take pictures of the tryst.
We should never blindly trust men because the behavior of other people has a profoundly negative influence on our actions. You can preach all the good moral values you want, but one of the most primary rules of life is “monkey see, monkey do.” And suddenly you're driving down the highway doing 80 miles per hour in a 65 miles per hour speed zone because everyone else is exceeding the speed limit.
On judgment day, God will not allow us to blame other people for our own transgressions. Even if we are the victims of deception, our moral accountability does not change.
We don't have the option of running off and living in a cave to escape the influence of our fellow earthly inhabitants. We are social creatures, and we depend on one another for survival. The only thing we can do is realize that we need to check the biblical truth of everything our fellow citizens of earth tell us.
Don't Blindly Follow the Herd
The Bible tells us that Lucifer became known as Satan when he grew prideful and organized a coup against God. We are told a third of the heavenly host followed him into a rebellion.
I've often wondered how so many angelic beings could be persuaded to join forces with Lucifer. He must have been an incredible salesman to convince them to buy into what would seem to be to a hopeless mission.
We'll never know the details until we get a chance to ask those who witnessed this event. I suspect one of the key factors that aided Lucifer was the kinship he had with his fellow angelic beings. He was in a position of authority, and they blindly put their trust in him.
Humans aren’t any better when it comes to blindly placing their trust in other individuals. There is a good reason Jesus compared us to sheep. We might all have individual personalities, but when it comes to our social cues, we don't stray from the herd.
Some of the worst examples of this “follower” trait have occurred on our message board. The board has been part of NM, I have seen several episodes where a key individual or group of people has left the board for various reasons. The regular occurrence of these schisms is the main reason most major prophecy ministries don't have message boards.
I put up with the hassle because I’m a masochist. Sorry, I don’t have a better answer.
A few years ago, I had to part ways with a person in a position of authority when we discovered a disagreement over a fundamental issue of the faith. We agreed that it would be best for us to have separate operations.
I approached key moderators individually about the situation, and I assumed they would see the logic and remain with Rapture Ready. The reason for the split didn't matter. Every one of the moderators left with the administrator, but this was a small issue in comparison to what happened soon after.
The really confounding stuff occurred when people who had been directed to the new board came to me asking why there were two boards. When I told them the reason, most said they would never go back to the new board. Some were very insistent about their intentions. A few days later, they were back posting on the board they said they would never return to—ultimately, principle didn't matter.
A Beautiful Evil Mind
I love getting emails from people who disagree with Rapture Ready. These folks have proved to be very valuable tools for helping me improve the site's content (not that all negative email is a goldmine of information; most critics have no valid reason for their objections).
One time I received a note from a gentleman who sent me a wonderful outline explaining why there is no God and asserting that religion is a bunch of nonsense. He was obviously wrong, but I marveled at how well written he had made his argument. God had blessed him with a beautiful mind, and it was going to waste.
This gentleman was only disagreeing with me. I wondered about all the men with similar talents, and how they were using their God-given abilities to deceive men.
Some of the most well-known villains of history have been charismatic and gifted with special abilities. Fidel Castro is one such example. He has the gift of gab, and the man could talk for hours about how well the grass is growing.
Castro holds the Guinness Book of Records title for the longest speech ever delivered at the United Nations: 4 hours and 29 minutes, on September 29, 1960. His longest speech on record in Cuba was 7 hours and 10 minutes in 1986 at the III Communist Party Congress in Havana.
Hitler was cruel monster of history, and his name is now synonymous with evil. What is often lost is the fact that he had a natural ability to make people like him. He inspired millions of Germans with the hope of a new national Germany. In the end, his charismatic appeal guided many to their death.
We should never judge the value of a message by how well it is conveyed. Because Satan has a proven track record of using gifted people, we should be suspicious of any person who presents an appealing message. Because truth doesn't need any fancy packaging, God prefers to use people of weaker abilities.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27)
How Great I Art
Arrogance is the best warning sign that someone is a potential source of erroneous doctrine. People who trust their own opinions on all matters are destined for error. Proverbs 15:32 tells us, “He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. Here is a popular tale that illustrates this point:
An officer in the navy had dreamed from childhood of commanding a great battleship one day. He finally achieved his dream and was given commission of the newest and proudest ship in the fleet.
One stormy night, the captain was on duty on the bridge when he spotted a strange light rapidly closing in on his own vessel. As his ship plowed through the waves, the light rose and fell just above the horizon of the sea. He ordered his signalman to flash a message to the unidentified craft on his port side, "Alter your course ten degrees to the south."
Within seconds a reply came, "Alter your course ten degrees to the north." Determined that his ship would never take a back seat to any other, the captain snapped a second order, "Alter course ten degrees--I am the CAPTAIN!" The response was beamed back, "Alter your course ten degrees? I am Seaman Third Class Smith." By this time, the light was growing ever brighter and larger.
Infuriated, the captain grabbed the signal light and personally signaled, "Alter course. I am a battleship." The reply came just as quickly, "Alter your course. I am a lighthouse."
I have found that the more arrogant preachers are, the less productive they are for the Kingdom of God. There are some men in prophecy circles that I can't stand to be around because of their pride, and I've noticed they tend to be the most error-prone group.
I recently came up a quick test for haughtiness that can be applied to the homepage of any Christian leader. I'm not going to say it's 100 percent foolproof, but I have found that an egotism level can roughly be gauged by how many times someone's image appears on their main page. Here is a list I came up with after searching dozens of sites:
Perry Stone - 21
Rev. Sun Myung Moon - 14
Pastor Ron Gibson - 11
T. D. Jakes - 10
Fred Price - 9
Rick Joyner - 9
Morris Cerullo - 8
Benny Hinn - 7
Creflo Dollar - 6
R.W. Shambach - 6
Dr. Ed Young - 5
I don't have my photo on the main page because I realize some folks might be reading the site during their lunch break or dinner hour. I also believe that web space is too valuable to be used for anything that doesn't directly advance the end-time gospel message.
Anyone who thinks he or she is someone special in God’s eyes can rest assured that he or she is not. Because God absolutely hates arrogance, a preacher with an inflated ego will receive only a small reward from the Holy Father.
Jesus Is Your Only True Friend
There is an old song with the title, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Sometimes I wonder if it should have been given a longer title: “What An Only True Friend We Have in Jesus.”
There is not a single person on planet earth whom we should trust, and that includes yours truly. Everything I post on Rapture Ready is modeled after what God has written in the Bible, so why would you trust a middle man?
I can try to be your friend, but I cannot make any guarantees that I will always act in your best interest. Because all men still have a fallen nature, even the best counsel from men is subject to error.
You can do even worse by being your own friend. We naturally believe our own view of reality, so people who hold to their own opinion in all matters are more subject to deception. This is why a lawyer who defends himself in court is commonly said to have a fool for a client.
The only advice with a proven track record is the wisdom that comes from God. People can disagree with His teachings, but they can't offer a better set of moral, social, and spiritual guidelines.
Jesus is the type of friend described in Proverbs 18:24: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” He is the friend who has given His life for us.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
C.S. Lewis warned against A.A. cofounders' spiritualism
…holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these. (2 Timothy 3:5)
Increasingly, we see a false repentance to a false god. It is like watching the pieces of an unholy puzzle being assembled. The goddess worship of The Shack, Emergence/homosexuality (homospirituality), contemplative practices, and the 12 Steps are all joining together as the rudimentary “roots” of something even bigger. While it may also have Rome, this coming system will have neither the Biblical Christ nor His followers.
Many have difficulty recognizing Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Step spirituality as anti-Biblical, much less as a rudimentary cog in this rising apostasy. Why? Sadly, with time and familiarity, even a wolf can masquerade as the family dog.
The 12 Steps are an integral part of our culture. For years Christians have participated in A.A. and “Christ-centered” 12 Step groups. This participation is increasing, as pastors ignore Scripture and allow A.A. meetings to be conducted in the very House of God.
These pastors hope that A.A. will serve as a tool for evangelism—and so it does. Unfortunately, it is the Christians who are being “evangelized” as they are exposed to A.A.’s inherent universalism. Christians both in A.A. and in groups such as ‘Celebrate Recovery’ are greatly influenced by 12 Step theology.
A.A.’s Christian promoters and defenders are fierce and active. They are convinced—and have convinced others—that A.A. and the 12 Steps are Biblical in origin. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Before we proceed, remember that A.A. people are mostly unsaved, and in grave need of Christ. They are hurt, desperate, sinful people. In short, they are just as we were. As we wade through the swamp of this deceptive religion, it is important to remember this. Unsaved A.A. people are doing the best they can with what they have been taught—which is that anything and everything can be worshiped as a “higher power.” In A.A., any concept of “god” is valid.
According to the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book (the A.A. “bible”), “We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.”[1] (Bold mine)
Well, that sounds very loving and reasonable. Yet Christ Himself warns us against such a thing. Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but through me. (John 14:6)
The Lord, in fact, specifically warns against the broad way. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is BROAD that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13)
It is no coincidence that the A.A. Big Book again makes a direct reference to this spiritual Broad Highway: “If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly, encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway. With this attitude you cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.”[2] (Bold mine)
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, we are told to separate ourselves. In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul says that he who brings another gospel is “accursed.” The Alcoholics Anonymous theology, wherein Christ is seen as one higher power among many, is most certainly another gospel.
If Christians were to base involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous on the Word of God—Sola Scriptura—we would not be at the meetings at all.
Why, then, are so many of us part of it? Most Christians believe A.A. and the 12 Steps have a Biblical beginning. Therefore, the reasoning goes, we can either “take back” the 12 Steps (Celebrate Recovery etc.), or attend A.A with Jesus as our “higher power.”
But there is no “taking back” something that never came from Christ.
When all is said and done, the spread of this false “Christian” origin can be largely credited to Richard Burns, better known as Dick B., author of numerous books on the Biblical “roots” of A.A. and the 12 Steps. Through sheer repetition and volume, Dick B. has conjured up a Christian origin that simply did not happen.[3]
This is neither to attack nor impugn this author’s motives. Yet it is virtually impossible to address this issue without dealing with his well meaning but erroneous scholarship. His books are seemingly everywhere.
The 12 Steps are based on general spiritual principles. When A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson was first given the 12 Steps by a familiar spirit, Jesus Christ was not mentioned. There was only a generic reference to “God,” and even that was changed to “God as we understood Him.” (A.A.’s Step 3)
Nor is there any reference in the 12 Steps to sin or repentance. There are terms that are close, allowing Christians to believe this is what they are dealing with, just as many believe the “God as we understood Him” in Step 3 was originally Christ.
A.A.’s 12 Steps suggest the alcoholic deal with “shortcomings,” “moral inventory,” “defects of character,” “wrongs,” and “making amends.” Millions of unsaved people have come to believe they are right with God and man because of the Steps.
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Both the Alcoholics Anonymous cofounders were heavily involved in spiritualism. This means little to people today, saturated as we are with entertainment that celebrates communication with the spirit world. Through rapidly spreading practices such as the meditative states of contemplative prayer, contact with demonic beings is now a daily event for many.
Since fully sixty percent of the Body of Christ no longer believe Satan is real, A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson’s communication with evil spirits is generally laughed off or disbelieved.
C.S. Lewis believed it. When a concerned Tony Guggenheim wrote Lewis a letter informing him of Bill and Lois Wilson’s Biblically forbidden activities, C.S. Lewis wrote back, “This is necromancy. Have nothing to do with it.”[4]
Christians too easily give C.S. Lewis a pass regarding some of his fiction. Either it lines up with the Bible, or it should not be read or viewed as “entertainment.” Still, Lewis was clearly horrified the A.A. cofounder was involved in spiritualism.
Increasingly, we see a false repentance to a false god. It is like watching the pieces of an unholy puzzle being assembled. The goddess worship of The Shack, Emergence/homosexuality (homospirituality), contemplative practices, and the 12 Steps are all joining together as the rudimentary “roots” of something even bigger. While it may also have Rome, this coming system will have neither the Biblical Christ nor His followers.
Many have difficulty recognizing Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Step spirituality as anti-Biblical, much less as a rudimentary cog in this rising apostasy. Why? Sadly, with time and familiarity, even a wolf can masquerade as the family dog.
The 12 Steps are an integral part of our culture. For years Christians have participated in A.A. and “Christ-centered” 12 Step groups. This participation is increasing, as pastors ignore Scripture and allow A.A. meetings to be conducted in the very House of God.
These pastors hope that A.A. will serve as a tool for evangelism—and so it does. Unfortunately, it is the Christians who are being “evangelized” as they are exposed to A.A.’s inherent universalism. Christians both in A.A. and in groups such as ‘Celebrate Recovery’ are greatly influenced by 12 Step theology.
A.A.’s Christian promoters and defenders are fierce and active. They are convinced—and have convinced others—that A.A. and the 12 Steps are Biblical in origin. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Before we proceed, remember that A.A. people are mostly unsaved, and in grave need of Christ. They are hurt, desperate, sinful people. In short, they are just as we were. As we wade through the swamp of this deceptive religion, it is important to remember this. Unsaved A.A. people are doing the best they can with what they have been taught—which is that anything and everything can be worshiped as a “higher power.” In A.A., any concept of “god” is valid.
According to the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book (the A.A. “bible”), “We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.”[1] (Bold mine)
Well, that sounds very loving and reasonable. Yet Christ Himself warns us against such a thing. Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but through me. (John 14:6)
The Lord, in fact, specifically warns against the broad way. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is BROAD that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13)
It is no coincidence that the A.A. Big Book again makes a direct reference to this spiritual Broad Highway: “If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly, encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway. With this attitude you cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.”[2] (Bold mine)
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, we are told to separate ourselves. In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul says that he who brings another gospel is “accursed.” The Alcoholics Anonymous theology, wherein Christ is seen as one higher power among many, is most certainly another gospel.
If Christians were to base involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous on the Word of God—Sola Scriptura—we would not be at the meetings at all.
Why, then, are so many of us part of it? Most Christians believe A.A. and the 12 Steps have a Biblical beginning. Therefore, the reasoning goes, we can either “take back” the 12 Steps (Celebrate Recovery etc.), or attend A.A with Jesus as our “higher power.”
But there is no “taking back” something that never came from Christ.
When all is said and done, the spread of this false “Christian” origin can be largely credited to Richard Burns, better known as Dick B., author of numerous books on the Biblical “roots” of A.A. and the 12 Steps. Through sheer repetition and volume, Dick B. has conjured up a Christian origin that simply did not happen.[3]
This is neither to attack nor impugn this author’s motives. Yet it is virtually impossible to address this issue without dealing with his well meaning but erroneous scholarship. His books are seemingly everywhere.
The 12 Steps are based on general spiritual principles. When A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson was first given the 12 Steps by a familiar spirit, Jesus Christ was not mentioned. There was only a generic reference to “God,” and even that was changed to “God as we understood Him.” (A.A.’s Step 3)
Nor is there any reference in the 12 Steps to sin or repentance. There are terms that are close, allowing Christians to believe this is what they are dealing with, just as many believe the “God as we understood Him” in Step 3 was originally Christ.
A.A.’s 12 Steps suggest the alcoholic deal with “shortcomings,” “moral inventory,” “defects of character,” “wrongs,” and “making amends.” Millions of unsaved people have come to believe they are right with God and man because of the Steps.
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Both the Alcoholics Anonymous cofounders were heavily involved in spiritualism. This means little to people today, saturated as we are with entertainment that celebrates communication with the spirit world. Through rapidly spreading practices such as the meditative states of contemplative prayer, contact with demonic beings is now a daily event for many.
Since fully sixty percent of the Body of Christ no longer believe Satan is real, A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson’s communication with evil spirits is generally laughed off or disbelieved.
C.S. Lewis believed it. When a concerned Tony Guggenheim wrote Lewis a letter informing him of Bill and Lois Wilson’s Biblically forbidden activities, C.S. Lewis wrote back, “This is necromancy. Have nothing to do with it.”[4]
Christians too easily give C.S. Lewis a pass regarding some of his fiction. Either it lines up with the Bible, or it should not be read or viewed as “entertainment.” Still, Lewis was clearly horrified the A.A. cofounder was involved in spiritualism.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Christians, Conspiracies, Faith and Love
“...but the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4.
Conspiracy theories abound and are being thrown at us from every angle. Recently I was provided with a link to a two hour video that if true would probably scare the most hardened atheist. The video begins by proclaiming that all our past presidents had been puppets clear back to, but excluding, John F. Kennedy. This recent conspiracy points to multi-billionaires, the bankers of the world, as the ones holding the puppet strings of our government leaders. It seems, according to this theory, these greedy fiends are the ones behind the push to a one world government. These theorists say there are concentration camps being built all over the US to imprison those who know the truth. They are constructed and will be utilized to keep the nonconformist silent while these evil and maniacal men and women pour out their treachery on the rest of unsuspecting mankind. Is this truth or fiction?
Conspiracy theorists have been around forever it seems, and they always appear when times get tough. Our economy is in the tank and our government leaders seem bent on replacing the US Constitution with some other form of government; no one really seems to be able to put their finger on just what form of government that’s going to be, whether it’s new designation will be that of a socialistic or communistic form of government is yet to be seen. To the theorists, the American republic we once knew and loved is all but washed up.
Certainly we can clearly see there’s a movement afoot to eliminate our US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We see them both being trampled and trashed more and more every day. Worst of all, in my mind, is what’s happening to the Christian Church in America . The signs are so painfully obvious yet biblical. Clearly, the apostasy of the Church is nigh at hand. Yes, absolutely something evil this way comes. Those who have no faith in God have no hope for anything better. But the true born again believer, those who are “in Christ” are justified and thus living in faith, right?
My brethren, do yourselves a huge favor and stop listening to men or women who have their own agendas apart from God’s. Whether they be our government leaders or conspiracy theorists, or even some of our church leaders, stop this lunacy and let’s remember what God told Habakkuk “The Just shall live by his faith”. Our faith is in Jesus Christ and also our trust. Many of these conspiracy theories seem to be in line with Bible prophecy, so where better to turn than to God and His word for the details? I’m not saying that these conspiracies can’t be true, but that we should approach each new theory through the lens of scripture always remembering in whom we’ve placed our faith and trust.
God gave us His word to study, to immerse ourselves in, and to obtain the truth. God is truth and He puts more emphases on the truth of His word than on His very name. That’s why it is so important that we live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. “...that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3. Even when our Lord was being tempted in the wilderness for forty days it was God’s word that He always fell back on as He rebuked the Devil.
Aren’t Christians being tempted each day? Where should we turn if not to the Lord? Will we see the times we live in worsen? Probably. If we are worrying and fretting now while we are still living in abundance, what’s going to happen to our faith and our witness as we see the US crumble around us? The Just shall live by faith. Who are the just? If you are a born again believer you are justified and you now live by faith.
The Bible is a history lesson, and it has taught us plenty about mankind’s past history, and interestingly we are also given a look at the future history of all mankind. We call the future history prophecy. Prophecy is all through the Bible; God uses prophecy to authenticate His word. Whether we are inundated with conspiracy theories or evil ungodly people pushing to realign this planet as a one world government everything has been written down for us before hand so we wouldn’t be surprised. My point is, God will not allow anything to happen in this world that doesn’t conform to His plan, His will for the future of mankind.
Sincerely studying the Bible will probably become the national pastime of most born again believers as we traverse these last of days on planet earth. Staying in fellowship and prayer are basics that should never be neglected. Building strong relationships with our brethren will bring huge blessings and benefits to both us and them. God wants us to come together as His children and unite in our common faith. That faith is in Jesus Christ His Son.
There are going to be many aspects of the end times that we disagree on, this is painfully evident, but those disagreements don’t need to tear us apart. Satan loves to get Christians bickering amongst ourselves. My brethren this should not be so. The just are living by faith in Christ and that fact alone becomes our uniting tie that binds us together. We are going to need that binding more and more as we watch these last days drawing to a close.
When will the Church be raptured? No one knows. The heat of persecution is already upon us though, and most believers are already feeling it. What am I speaking about? Take a look at how the ungodly have infiltrated our government and its programs. These people are now pushing their evil attitudes and agendas to replace what was once a free country with new radical socialism. The left and centrist of this country are the antagonists that will stop at nothing to eradicate Christians and our beliefs from being a part of their new enlightened society.
Our faith and our God given rights to oppose anything that is contrary to God’s laws are being systematically discouraged and even eliminated from the American scene. Oh, and of course our newly elected president has some wonderful new agendas that he’s seeing fit to push down the throats of the spiritually blind populace. Please consider that anyone who is opposed to God’s laws will be the ones ratcheting up the heat of persecution upon the Christian community. Again we turn to the book of Habakkuk for God’s response to all this evil. “The just shall live by his faith”. God makes it easy to understand, we are His and we are justified in His sight. Therefore, we shall live out our lives here on earth by faith.
Will America take her place among the trash heaps of discarded past civilizations that refused to humble themselves or to show any respect or reverence for their Creator God? Time will tell. I’ve heard it said that if God doesn’t judge America , He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah . Wow, God really let Sodom and Gomorrah have it. Just what kind of judgment might He have in store for a country that began so strong in the Christian faith and yet has now done a 180 degree turn and is currently engulfed in unholy, godless, evil, activities, so perverse that even Sodom would blush? Since God knows the future of all events, there’s no doubt His plan for America ’s judgment is already set. Christians need not fear God’s fierce wrath, many other Americans should.
My brethren, we have a wonderful Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He came into this world to save us from our sin and to give us life more abundantly. That said, why do we worry so about the future? If we believe that God is in control then whatever happens to America , or the world for that matter, is up to God. All our faithless worries are an abomination since believers are the just who shall live by faith.
First and foremost our focus in these last days, as always, should be on our Lord Jesus and secondly on the lost, not on conspiracy theories. Believers know the final outcome of all this evil that abounds, but what of those who are still living without Jesus? What must be going through their minds as they witness the systematic destruction of our once favored way of life? Some, when they hear the truth, will turn from their wicked ways, but what if no one tells them the truth? When a family member or even a friend dies the last thing any of us will want to hear ourselves saying is, “Why didn’t I tell you, before it was too late”?
Are you one of the just that shall live by his faith? I know there are many road blocks impeding our movements as we try to adhere to our Saviour’s will. By faith we don’t allow Satan to instill fear in us. By faith we won’t allow him to establish a wall of separation between us and the lost. By faith we will allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in all our endeavors. Worrying about what kind of evil reaction might follow our presentation of the Gospel will be nonexistent to those who are justified and living by faith. God will take care of the evil things of this world as long as we are presenting the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There’s a song that I really enjoy singing, and the chorus goes like this, “And they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love”. How many lost people have seen your love today Christian?
Conspiracy theories abound and are being thrown at us from every angle. Recently I was provided with a link to a two hour video that if true would probably scare the most hardened atheist. The video begins by proclaiming that all our past presidents had been puppets clear back to, but excluding, John F. Kennedy. This recent conspiracy points to multi-billionaires, the bankers of the world, as the ones holding the puppet strings of our government leaders. It seems, according to this theory, these greedy fiends are the ones behind the push to a one world government. These theorists say there are concentration camps being built all over the US to imprison those who know the truth. They are constructed and will be utilized to keep the nonconformist silent while these evil and maniacal men and women pour out their treachery on the rest of unsuspecting mankind. Is this truth or fiction?
Conspiracy theorists have been around forever it seems, and they always appear when times get tough. Our economy is in the tank and our government leaders seem bent on replacing the US Constitution with some other form of government; no one really seems to be able to put their finger on just what form of government that’s going to be, whether it’s new designation will be that of a socialistic or communistic form of government is yet to be seen. To the theorists, the American republic we once knew and loved is all but washed up.
Certainly we can clearly see there’s a movement afoot to eliminate our US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We see them both being trampled and trashed more and more every day. Worst of all, in my mind, is what’s happening to the Christian Church in America . The signs are so painfully obvious yet biblical. Clearly, the apostasy of the Church is nigh at hand. Yes, absolutely something evil this way comes. Those who have no faith in God have no hope for anything better. But the true born again believer, those who are “in Christ” are justified and thus living in faith, right?
My brethren, do yourselves a huge favor and stop listening to men or women who have their own agendas apart from God’s. Whether they be our government leaders or conspiracy theorists, or even some of our church leaders, stop this lunacy and let’s remember what God told Habakkuk “The Just shall live by his faith”. Our faith is in Jesus Christ and also our trust. Many of these conspiracy theories seem to be in line with Bible prophecy, so where better to turn than to God and His word for the details? I’m not saying that these conspiracies can’t be true, but that we should approach each new theory through the lens of scripture always remembering in whom we’ve placed our faith and trust.
God gave us His word to study, to immerse ourselves in, and to obtain the truth. God is truth and He puts more emphases on the truth of His word than on His very name. That’s why it is so important that we live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. “...that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3. Even when our Lord was being tempted in the wilderness for forty days it was God’s word that He always fell back on as He rebuked the Devil.
Aren’t Christians being tempted each day? Where should we turn if not to the Lord? Will we see the times we live in worsen? Probably. If we are worrying and fretting now while we are still living in abundance, what’s going to happen to our faith and our witness as we see the US crumble around us? The Just shall live by faith. Who are the just? If you are a born again believer you are justified and you now live by faith.
The Bible is a history lesson, and it has taught us plenty about mankind’s past history, and interestingly we are also given a look at the future history of all mankind. We call the future history prophecy. Prophecy is all through the Bible; God uses prophecy to authenticate His word. Whether we are inundated with conspiracy theories or evil ungodly people pushing to realign this planet as a one world government everything has been written down for us before hand so we wouldn’t be surprised. My point is, God will not allow anything to happen in this world that doesn’t conform to His plan, His will for the future of mankind.
Sincerely studying the Bible will probably become the national pastime of most born again believers as we traverse these last of days on planet earth. Staying in fellowship and prayer are basics that should never be neglected. Building strong relationships with our brethren will bring huge blessings and benefits to both us and them. God wants us to come together as His children and unite in our common faith. That faith is in Jesus Christ His Son.
There are going to be many aspects of the end times that we disagree on, this is painfully evident, but those disagreements don’t need to tear us apart. Satan loves to get Christians bickering amongst ourselves. My brethren this should not be so. The just are living by faith in Christ and that fact alone becomes our uniting tie that binds us together. We are going to need that binding more and more as we watch these last days drawing to a close.
When will the Church be raptured? No one knows. The heat of persecution is already upon us though, and most believers are already feeling it. What am I speaking about? Take a look at how the ungodly have infiltrated our government and its programs. These people are now pushing their evil attitudes and agendas to replace what was once a free country with new radical socialism. The left and centrist of this country are the antagonists that will stop at nothing to eradicate Christians and our beliefs from being a part of their new enlightened society.
Our faith and our God given rights to oppose anything that is contrary to God’s laws are being systematically discouraged and even eliminated from the American scene. Oh, and of course our newly elected president has some wonderful new agendas that he’s seeing fit to push down the throats of the spiritually blind populace. Please consider that anyone who is opposed to God’s laws will be the ones ratcheting up the heat of persecution upon the Christian community. Again we turn to the book of Habakkuk for God’s response to all this evil. “The just shall live by his faith”. God makes it easy to understand, we are His and we are justified in His sight. Therefore, we shall live out our lives here on earth by faith.
Will America take her place among the trash heaps of discarded past civilizations that refused to humble themselves or to show any respect or reverence for their Creator God? Time will tell. I’ve heard it said that if God doesn’t judge America , He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah . Wow, God really let Sodom and Gomorrah have it. Just what kind of judgment might He have in store for a country that began so strong in the Christian faith and yet has now done a 180 degree turn and is currently engulfed in unholy, godless, evil, activities, so perverse that even Sodom would blush? Since God knows the future of all events, there’s no doubt His plan for America ’s judgment is already set. Christians need not fear God’s fierce wrath, many other Americans should.
My brethren, we have a wonderful Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He came into this world to save us from our sin and to give us life more abundantly. That said, why do we worry so about the future? If we believe that God is in control then whatever happens to America , or the world for that matter, is up to God. All our faithless worries are an abomination since believers are the just who shall live by faith.
First and foremost our focus in these last days, as always, should be on our Lord Jesus and secondly on the lost, not on conspiracy theories. Believers know the final outcome of all this evil that abounds, but what of those who are still living without Jesus? What must be going through their minds as they witness the systematic destruction of our once favored way of life? Some, when they hear the truth, will turn from their wicked ways, but what if no one tells them the truth? When a family member or even a friend dies the last thing any of us will want to hear ourselves saying is, “Why didn’t I tell you, before it was too late”?
Are you one of the just that shall live by his faith? I know there are many road blocks impeding our movements as we try to adhere to our Saviour’s will. By faith we don’t allow Satan to instill fear in us. By faith we won’t allow him to establish a wall of separation between us and the lost. By faith we will allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in all our endeavors. Worrying about what kind of evil reaction might follow our presentation of the Gospel will be nonexistent to those who are justified and living by faith. God will take care of the evil things of this world as long as we are presenting the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There’s a song that I really enjoy singing, and the chorus goes like this, “And they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love”. How many lost people have seen your love today Christian?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Antichrist: Where Is He?
The most frequently asked question at prophecy conferences and in Bible prophecy classes–at least in my experience—is: “Is America in Bible prophecy?” The second most asked is: “Do you think Antichrist is alive on earth today?”
These questions are for the most part posed by people in the audiences or classes in general. However, more and more frequently I find these questions being asked by journalists, both print and broadcast. It is interesting to me that I rarely hear a skeptical or scoffing tone in the voices of the media representatives who interview me. There seems a sense, even among secular journalists, that perhaps there’s something to this Bible prophecy stuff after all.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not sensing a sudden turning to God, or to His Word. However, there is a halting uncertainty there. Like, “Well, maybe I had better be just a bit more serious about the subject, since there is such angst over these strange economic conditions.”
Economic Conditions
There is a sense that strange, unexplainable things are happening, and even secular newshounds seem to viscerally understand that Bible prophecy has something to do with the increasingly troubling issues and events of our time. U.S. leaders–I use that term loosely—have seemingly thrown caution to the wind. It’s like, as I heard one Bible prophecy broadcaster say the other day—those who are supposed to be trying to fix the melting financial structure of America have placed the whole shebang on 17 black, and have given the roulette wheel a hope-filled turn. Actually, it is more like they have written trillions in IOUs and put them on 17 black, and have given the wheel a turn.
If the little ball ends up on any number other than 17 black, what then? That is the crux of the crucial nature of this insanity surrounding the American economy as the end of the age approaches. Craziness rules--like when the Federal Reserve reached in its right pocket and transferred more than a trillion dollars IOU to its left pocket to keep the American financial system afloat.
“Just last Wednesday the Fed said it would flood the teetering financial system with an additional $1.2 trillion. The money will be used, the Fed said, to buy government bonds and mortgage-related securities in hopes of lowering the borrowing costs for home mortgages and other types of loans, thereby stimulating economic activity. In other words, the central bank will print more money to pay for the purchases. What the Fed does not explain publicly is how those kinds of infusions of money out of thin air, with nothing to back it, reduce the purchasing power and assets of all Americans by devaluing the dollar.
The $1.2 trillion is in addition to hundreds of billions already added to the system since the beginning of the year and dwarfs even the biggest government
bailouts to date…” (“Fed's secrecy policy 3 years old,” WorldNetDaily MoneyNetDaily, 3/22/09).
Keep in mind that the Federal Reserve is a non-government agency. Congress designated this monetary governing body to control the nation's money supply. The
Fed’s actions directly impact the value of the dollar. This body, manned by the non-elected financial elite, holds sway over every investment held by Americans.
Actions like those taken by the Federal Reserve in the case of creating out of nothingness the trillion-plus dollars, then putting that massive IOU into the system with a blind faith that that unbacked infusion will beat the odds of failure, will, if nothing else is done, put not only America’s economy, but the economies of the nation-states of the world into the final stages of collapse.
The following excerpt tells of just how surreptitious are the actions against the taxpayers and their offspring, who are expected to shoulder the burden of funding the globalists elite’s grandiose plans to build their new world order.
“WASHINGTON – As America's economy continues in freefall, tomorrow marks an auspicious three-year anniversary – the day the Federal Reserve announced, with little fanfare, its decision to stop reporting to the public the M3 money supply, the broadest measure of three standards of measurement…Since 2006, Americans have seen their investments plummet in value and witnessed the shrinking buying power of their earnings. Why did the Fed make that decision three years ago? What was its rationale? The justification for the secrecy by the organization that prints money was cost. By not producing those numbers for the public, the Fed would save about $1.5 million annually…” (ibid.).
The Craziness Proliferates!
It should be astonishing to think that the media, so obsessed with nefarious financial dealings by civilian monetary elite–e.g., the AIG executive bonuses, would let civilians with the power of the Fed go without being punished for perpetrating such surreptitiousness on American taxpayers. There seems to be, however, not the slightest notice.
The $1.5 million savings by the Fed in not reporting to the public the M3 money supply amounted to 0.00000699 percent of its annual net income of last year. This savings was highlighted as sufficient reason to keep vital information from the public. Just to point out the deceptive nature of this piddling savings being reported in order to justify keeping taxpayers in the dark, remember that the same media went all out in diverting the publics’ attention from the enormous bailouts by focusing on–by contrast to the prodigious bail-out dollar amount— the infinitesimal bonuses paid to AIG executives. Remember, too,
that the bonuses were given to the AIG executives through contractually mandated arrangements.
The sleight of hand by the Fed in transferring the massive IOU from one pocket to the other to keep the country’s economic ship afloat was done under the knowing eyes of the Obama administration and Congress. An uninformed American public was, and is for the most part, kept in ignorance by news media not fully disclosing the scope of the thievery of the economic well-being of this and future generations.
What About Antichrist?
This essay’s title is “Antichrist: Where Is He?” So, where, if anywhere in this present hour, is this future evil Bible character in all of the foregoing? Can he be on the scene today?
Jesus forewarned that false christs will come on the scene in the latter times. The definition of antichrist is most often given as the one who will present himself in place of (imitate) Jesus Christ, and will at the same time oppose Jesus Christ. The “beast” is prophesied to be the world’s worst tyrant of human history. The prophet Daniel was given the following about this person who is called “son of perdition,” “man of sin,” and many other names.
“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall
stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy
the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and
by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand “ (Dan. 8:24-25).
We will examine this man who is of legendary proportions, yet who transcends by far any legend. He is not an imaginary monster such as Dracula in the Stoker novel, or Darth Vader as in Lucas' fictional wars among the stars. Antichrist, when he is revealed, will be a real monster, and a most treacherous one, because he will through supernatural deceit appear as a geopolitical and socioeconomic savior of mankind. Be sure, the beast of Revelation 13 is about to step into the spotlight of history’s final act.
The question “Where is Antichrist?” is appropriate for this “time of the signs,” as my friend Chuck Missler has phrased his description of these strange days. So many signals are on today’s prophetic horizon that one must ask, if he or she knows much about Bible prophecy, “Is Antichrist alive today?”
Those who have looked at the world’s issues and events through the prism of God’s prophetic Word throughout preceding decades of America’s history have heard questions about the leaders of the times. Are presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, or non-presidents like Henry Kissinger and others the Antichrist? Now the question is pointed at President Barack Hussein Obama: “Is he the Antichrist?”
This hour is more prolific with end-times signs than any in history. Obama’s watch as president marks one particular characteristic that adds, peripherally, to the more substantial signals pervading the news at present. I refer to conditions like Israel’s being back in its land and the center of world attention, the Roman Empire seeming to revive in the form of the European Union (EU), and the Gog-Magog coalition of Ezekiel 38-39 forming right before our eyes.
The peripheral matter of concern in this case is the deceit with which this administration is trying to steer the American ship of state. Mr. Obama’s campaign claim was that he would have “transparency” in all of his dealing with the business of the American people. Yet his administration, with the continuing ramrod tactics of his political party, has gone against the will of the American public and is in the process of running up trillions of dollars in debt, an action that even the most “progressive” economists have declared to be beyond any semblance of fiscal sanity.
One such expert comes across as almost fearful of Obama’s plan as put forward by his controversial secretary of treasury, Timothy Geithner.
“HONG KONG (Reuters) The U.S. government plan to rid banks of toxic assets will rob American taxpayers by exposing them to too much risk and is unlikely to work as long as the economy remains weak, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said on Tuesday… U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plan to wipe up to US $1 trillion in bad debt off banks' balance sheets, unveiled on Monday, offered ‘perverse incentives,’ Stiglitz said.
The U.S. government is basically using the taxpayer to guarantee against downside risk on the value of these assets, while giving the upside, or potential profits, to private investors, he said…” (“Geithner plan will rob American taxpayers,” Susan Fenton and Deborah Kan, Reuters, 3/24/09).
The economic expert expressed his concern.
"Quite frankly, this amounts to robbery of the American people. I don't think it's going to work because I think there'll be a lot of anger about putting the losses so much on the shoulder of the American taxpayer" (ibid.).
Time and time again in this fledgling administration, Obama’s regime demonstrates a level of non-transparency that borders on treachery, in my view. To strap an entire nation’s citizenry with debt they don’t want, going against their will, expressed through legitimate polling methods, is beyond taxation without representation. This administration is taking liberty from Americans in a way that does so by deception and force by fiat, not constitutional vote. Such tyranny will enslave citizens and their offspring for generations–possibly into perpetuity—and is among the most despicable forms of deception and deceit.
Does all of this criticism mean I view President Obama as a prime candidate for the one who will be Antichrist? No. In no way do I mean to express that Mr. Obama is the biblically prophesied man of sin. However, the way things are being done in Washington D.C. during these strange times should make the observer of issues and events from a biblically prophetic perspective sit up and take notice. They should know from their observations that this generation is seeing governmental razzle-dazzle not unlike the machinations that will mark the ultimate deceiver’s regime. Antichrist’s most tyrannical dictatorship will be one of ultimate enslavement to the 666 marks and numbers system of Revelation 13:16-18.
There is a peaceful revolution going on, about which most of us have at least heard–the neo-Tea Party to protest the forcing of trillions of dollars of debt on American taxpayers, their offspring, and their progeny yet unborn. People are putting tea bags in envelopes and mailing them to the appropriate address in Washington, D.C. At least, the White House kitchen help should, through all of the submitted tea bags, be able to–through having copious amounts of tea on hand, sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. by irate citizens—save a few of the dollars that are coming off the presses like toilet paper off the roll. (Be aware, you Tea Partiers, however. Word is that the envelopes containing the bags--a powdery substance--are being summarily disposed of because of possible harmful substances they might contained. Best, I’m told, just to send the tags with the attached strings.)
Something Rotten in Denmark–And Everywhere Else
The smell permeates almost every corner of America and the world. It is an odor of things to come.
Beyond the political exigencies of this troubling hour is the spiritual atmosphere that has the stench of Antichrist and his father, the devil. The scent was prevalent 2,000 years ago, and the Bible prophet John forewarned about its cankering, corrosive qualities, as well as defined it:
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time… Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1 John 1:18, 4:1-3).
Denial of Jesus Christ and God’s prescription for living godly lives on Planet Earth saturate this generation. The antithesis of Christ’s words is not only carried out in the sinful lives of earth-dwellers; the opposition to the Lord is set in the hardened rebellion of manmade law.
The denial that Christ came to teach God’s standards for living on the planet He created is almost imperceptible. Most–even leaders of every conceivable religious sort--often agree that Jesus was a great teacher of good. But when Jesus is held up as the only Way to God the Father (John 14:6), the shrieks emanating from the spirit of Antichrist come from every dark direction of this fallen sphere.
During the present hour, there are even claims that Jesus taught that it is the mother’s right to choose whether her baby lives or dies. It is held among a growing number of clergy that Jesus himself gave blessing to those who chose homosexuality over heterosexuality. Most worrisome of all, the world is more and more embracing the lie that Jesus only represented the Christ spirit during His time on earth. He didn’t die for the sin of man. He didn’t resurrect from the dead because He didn’t really die at the crucifixion, but feigned death on the cross. He didn’t ascend to on high to sit at the right hand of God. He is, therefore, not coming back to rule and reign.
Jesus, the majority of the world–including many in our government as it is presently constituted, deny that Jesus is God–the second Person of the Godhead, the Trinity.
Just a cursory examination of the earliest phase of the new presidential administration tells the story of this time of the growing Antichrist spirit. The first months following the inauguration have brought changes by presidential edict that are diametrically opposite God’s will as given in His Word, the Bible. For example, the president ordered that money of the American taxpayers now be used to help with abortion practices in foreign nations, reversing former President George W. Bush’s presidential order that no such use of taxpayer money be made. This Obama did, despite the protestation of more than half of the American public.
The United States is being channeled and forced into a mold that looks like the biblically foretold one world order that will be ruled with a deadly iron fist by the one who is called “the beast.” With the stage of history’s last act set, for all practical purposes, it is perhaps not far-fetched to suspect that Antichrist is among us even now. He is here in spirit, for sure.
These questions are for the most part posed by people in the audiences or classes in general. However, more and more frequently I find these questions being asked by journalists, both print and broadcast. It is interesting to me that I rarely hear a skeptical or scoffing tone in the voices of the media representatives who interview me. There seems a sense, even among secular journalists, that perhaps there’s something to this Bible prophecy stuff after all.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not sensing a sudden turning to God, or to His Word. However, there is a halting uncertainty there. Like, “Well, maybe I had better be just a bit more serious about the subject, since there is such angst over these strange economic conditions.”
Economic Conditions
There is a sense that strange, unexplainable things are happening, and even secular newshounds seem to viscerally understand that Bible prophecy has something to do with the increasingly troubling issues and events of our time. U.S. leaders–I use that term loosely—have seemingly thrown caution to the wind. It’s like, as I heard one Bible prophecy broadcaster say the other day—those who are supposed to be trying to fix the melting financial structure of America have placed the whole shebang on 17 black, and have given the roulette wheel a hope-filled turn. Actually, it is more like they have written trillions in IOUs and put them on 17 black, and have given the wheel a turn.
If the little ball ends up on any number other than 17 black, what then? That is the crux of the crucial nature of this insanity surrounding the American economy as the end of the age approaches. Craziness rules--like when the Federal Reserve reached in its right pocket and transferred more than a trillion dollars IOU to its left pocket to keep the American financial system afloat.
“Just last Wednesday the Fed said it would flood the teetering financial system with an additional $1.2 trillion. The money will be used, the Fed said, to buy government bonds and mortgage-related securities in hopes of lowering the borrowing costs for home mortgages and other types of loans, thereby stimulating economic activity. In other words, the central bank will print more money to pay for the purchases. What the Fed does not explain publicly is how those kinds of infusions of money out of thin air, with nothing to back it, reduce the purchasing power and assets of all Americans by devaluing the dollar.
The $1.2 trillion is in addition to hundreds of billions already added to the system since the beginning of the year and dwarfs even the biggest government
bailouts to date…” (“Fed's secrecy policy 3 years old,” WorldNetDaily MoneyNetDaily, 3/22/09).
Keep in mind that the Federal Reserve is a non-government agency. Congress designated this monetary governing body to control the nation's money supply. The
Fed’s actions directly impact the value of the dollar. This body, manned by the non-elected financial elite, holds sway over every investment held by Americans.
Actions like those taken by the Federal Reserve in the case of creating out of nothingness the trillion-plus dollars, then putting that massive IOU into the system with a blind faith that that unbacked infusion will beat the odds of failure, will, if nothing else is done, put not only America’s economy, but the economies of the nation-states of the world into the final stages of collapse.
The following excerpt tells of just how surreptitious are the actions against the taxpayers and their offspring, who are expected to shoulder the burden of funding the globalists elite’s grandiose plans to build their new world order.
“WASHINGTON – As America's economy continues in freefall, tomorrow marks an auspicious three-year anniversary – the day the Federal Reserve announced, with little fanfare, its decision to stop reporting to the public the M3 money supply, the broadest measure of three standards of measurement…Since 2006, Americans have seen their investments plummet in value and witnessed the shrinking buying power of their earnings. Why did the Fed make that decision three years ago? What was its rationale? The justification for the secrecy by the organization that prints money was cost. By not producing those numbers for the public, the Fed would save about $1.5 million annually…” (ibid.).
The Craziness Proliferates!
It should be astonishing to think that the media, so obsessed with nefarious financial dealings by civilian monetary elite–e.g., the AIG executive bonuses, would let civilians with the power of the Fed go without being punished for perpetrating such surreptitiousness on American taxpayers. There seems to be, however, not the slightest notice.
The $1.5 million savings by the Fed in not reporting to the public the M3 money supply amounted to 0.00000699 percent of its annual net income of last year. This savings was highlighted as sufficient reason to keep vital information from the public. Just to point out the deceptive nature of this piddling savings being reported in order to justify keeping taxpayers in the dark, remember that the same media went all out in diverting the publics’ attention from the enormous bailouts by focusing on–by contrast to the prodigious bail-out dollar amount— the infinitesimal bonuses paid to AIG executives. Remember, too,
that the bonuses were given to the AIG executives through contractually mandated arrangements.
The sleight of hand by the Fed in transferring the massive IOU from one pocket to the other to keep the country’s economic ship afloat was done under the knowing eyes of the Obama administration and Congress. An uninformed American public was, and is for the most part, kept in ignorance by news media not fully disclosing the scope of the thievery of the economic well-being of this and future generations.
What About Antichrist?
This essay’s title is “Antichrist: Where Is He?” So, where, if anywhere in this present hour, is this future evil Bible character in all of the foregoing? Can he be on the scene today?
Jesus forewarned that false christs will come on the scene in the latter times. The definition of antichrist is most often given as the one who will present himself in place of (imitate) Jesus Christ, and will at the same time oppose Jesus Christ. The “beast” is prophesied to be the world’s worst tyrant of human history. The prophet Daniel was given the following about this person who is called “son of perdition,” “man of sin,” and many other names.
“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall
stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy
the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and
by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand “ (Dan. 8:24-25).
We will examine this man who is of legendary proportions, yet who transcends by far any legend. He is not an imaginary monster such as Dracula in the Stoker novel, or Darth Vader as in Lucas' fictional wars among the stars. Antichrist, when he is revealed, will be a real monster, and a most treacherous one, because he will through supernatural deceit appear as a geopolitical and socioeconomic savior of mankind. Be sure, the beast of Revelation 13 is about to step into the spotlight of history’s final act.
The question “Where is Antichrist?” is appropriate for this “time of the signs,” as my friend Chuck Missler has phrased his description of these strange days. So many signals are on today’s prophetic horizon that one must ask, if he or she knows much about Bible prophecy, “Is Antichrist alive today?”
Those who have looked at the world’s issues and events through the prism of God’s prophetic Word throughout preceding decades of America’s history have heard questions about the leaders of the times. Are presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, or non-presidents like Henry Kissinger and others the Antichrist? Now the question is pointed at President Barack Hussein Obama: “Is he the Antichrist?”
This hour is more prolific with end-times signs than any in history. Obama’s watch as president marks one particular characteristic that adds, peripherally, to the more substantial signals pervading the news at present. I refer to conditions like Israel’s being back in its land and the center of world attention, the Roman Empire seeming to revive in the form of the European Union (EU), and the Gog-Magog coalition of Ezekiel 38-39 forming right before our eyes.
The peripheral matter of concern in this case is the deceit with which this administration is trying to steer the American ship of state. Mr. Obama’s campaign claim was that he would have “transparency” in all of his dealing with the business of the American people. Yet his administration, with the continuing ramrod tactics of his political party, has gone against the will of the American public and is in the process of running up trillions of dollars in debt, an action that even the most “progressive” economists have declared to be beyond any semblance of fiscal sanity.
One such expert comes across as almost fearful of Obama’s plan as put forward by his controversial secretary of treasury, Timothy Geithner.
“HONG KONG (Reuters) The U.S. government plan to rid banks of toxic assets will rob American taxpayers by exposing them to too much risk and is unlikely to work as long as the economy remains weak, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said on Tuesday… U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plan to wipe up to US $1 trillion in bad debt off banks' balance sheets, unveiled on Monday, offered ‘perverse incentives,’ Stiglitz said.
The U.S. government is basically using the taxpayer to guarantee against downside risk on the value of these assets, while giving the upside, or potential profits, to private investors, he said…” (“Geithner plan will rob American taxpayers,” Susan Fenton and Deborah Kan, Reuters, 3/24/09).
The economic expert expressed his concern.
"Quite frankly, this amounts to robbery of the American people. I don't think it's going to work because I think there'll be a lot of anger about putting the losses so much on the shoulder of the American taxpayer" (ibid.).
Time and time again in this fledgling administration, Obama’s regime demonstrates a level of non-transparency that borders on treachery, in my view. To strap an entire nation’s citizenry with debt they don’t want, going against their will, expressed through legitimate polling methods, is beyond taxation without representation. This administration is taking liberty from Americans in a way that does so by deception and force by fiat, not constitutional vote. Such tyranny will enslave citizens and their offspring for generations–possibly into perpetuity—and is among the most despicable forms of deception and deceit.
Does all of this criticism mean I view President Obama as a prime candidate for the one who will be Antichrist? No. In no way do I mean to express that Mr. Obama is the biblically prophesied man of sin. However, the way things are being done in Washington D.C. during these strange times should make the observer of issues and events from a biblically prophetic perspective sit up and take notice. They should know from their observations that this generation is seeing governmental razzle-dazzle not unlike the machinations that will mark the ultimate deceiver’s regime. Antichrist’s most tyrannical dictatorship will be one of ultimate enslavement to the 666 marks and numbers system of Revelation 13:16-18.
There is a peaceful revolution going on, about which most of us have at least heard–the neo-Tea Party to protest the forcing of trillions of dollars of debt on American taxpayers, their offspring, and their progeny yet unborn. People are putting tea bags in envelopes and mailing them to the appropriate address in Washington, D.C. At least, the White House kitchen help should, through all of the submitted tea bags, be able to–through having copious amounts of tea on hand, sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. by irate citizens—save a few of the dollars that are coming off the presses like toilet paper off the roll. (Be aware, you Tea Partiers, however. Word is that the envelopes containing the bags--a powdery substance--are being summarily disposed of because of possible harmful substances they might contained. Best, I’m told, just to send the tags with the attached strings.)
Something Rotten in Denmark–And Everywhere Else
The smell permeates almost every corner of America and the world. It is an odor of things to come.
Beyond the political exigencies of this troubling hour is the spiritual atmosphere that has the stench of Antichrist and his father, the devil. The scent was prevalent 2,000 years ago, and the Bible prophet John forewarned about its cankering, corrosive qualities, as well as defined it:
“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time… Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1 John 1:18, 4:1-3).
Denial of Jesus Christ and God’s prescription for living godly lives on Planet Earth saturate this generation. The antithesis of Christ’s words is not only carried out in the sinful lives of earth-dwellers; the opposition to the Lord is set in the hardened rebellion of manmade law.
The denial that Christ came to teach God’s standards for living on the planet He created is almost imperceptible. Most–even leaders of every conceivable religious sort--often agree that Jesus was a great teacher of good. But when Jesus is held up as the only Way to God the Father (John 14:6), the shrieks emanating from the spirit of Antichrist come from every dark direction of this fallen sphere.
During the present hour, there are even claims that Jesus taught that it is the mother’s right to choose whether her baby lives or dies. It is held among a growing number of clergy that Jesus himself gave blessing to those who chose homosexuality over heterosexuality. Most worrisome of all, the world is more and more embracing the lie that Jesus only represented the Christ spirit during His time on earth. He didn’t die for the sin of man. He didn’t resurrect from the dead because He didn’t really die at the crucifixion, but feigned death on the cross. He didn’t ascend to on high to sit at the right hand of God. He is, therefore, not coming back to rule and reign.
Jesus, the majority of the world–including many in our government as it is presently constituted, deny that Jesus is God–the second Person of the Godhead, the Trinity.
Just a cursory examination of the earliest phase of the new presidential administration tells the story of this time of the growing Antichrist spirit. The first months following the inauguration have brought changes by presidential edict that are diametrically opposite God’s will as given in His Word, the Bible. For example, the president ordered that money of the American taxpayers now be used to help with abortion practices in foreign nations, reversing former President George W. Bush’s presidential order that no such use of taxpayer money be made. This Obama did, despite the protestation of more than half of the American public.
The United States is being channeled and forced into a mold that looks like the biblically foretold one world order that will be ruled with a deadly iron fist by the one who is called “the beast.” With the stage of history’s last act set, for all practical purposes, it is perhaps not far-fetched to suspect that Antichrist is among us even now. He is here in spirit, for sure.
Friday, April 10, 2009
He Is Risen
The passion of our Savior and Lord is at the heart of our redemption. Yet, that passion quickly becomes mute if we forget the resurrection. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples were locked behind closed doors. Their lives were in danger; their families were in danger. They, no doubt, saw themselves as the laughingstock of Israel. Jerusalem was still in an uproar and guards were standing watch over the Savior’s tomb. I understand there was a rumor in Jerusalem that friends tried to convince Joseph of Arimathaea not to give his tomb for the burial of this confessed Messiah. He is reported to have said, “Why not, He only wants to borrow it for three days.”
His disciples had lost one of their number to suicide; Judas’ death was horrible. It was so violent that all his bowels gushed out. As they contemplated the loss of their Lord, one out of their number, and their future, Godly women were carrying burial ointments to the tomb to add embalming spices to a hastily buried Jesus. I can imagine that after they found Jesus’ body gone and were rushing to the location of the eleven, the disciples heard them coming down the alleyway. They must have been screaming, “He’s alive, He’s alive; His grave clothes are there but He is gone.” The disciples’ fear was immediately broken and they openly ran to the graveyard. The immobilizing powers of fear and sorrow were gone because they had heard the tomb was empty. There is not one word of fear ever named again among His disciple s. Hope arose in their hearts like sunrise at midnight.
Thank God that we do not worship before a victim on a cross. There is no hope in such a sense. Apostle Paul settled this great truth in his discourse on the resurrection. He said, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:17-20).
Our hope is not in contemplating His wounds but rejoicing in His completed victory. The risen Lord they saw was so glorious in resurrection victory that they never talked about His mutilated body again. When they spoke of sharing His death, they spoke not of a lacerated body, but they spoke of death to their plans and dreams and a total surrender to His will. They turned the world “upside down” because His resurrection became their resurrection. “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day (after the resurrection) ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:19-20).
What glorious truth! Living a life delivered from sin by His death but raised in His resurrection is the New Testament standard. Apostle Paul did not see Him before He ascended to Heaven but He did see Him shortly thereafter. In his testimony before the Jews in Jerusalem he said, “And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus” (Acts 22:11). Later he testified to King Agrippa, “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me” (Acts 26:13).
This victory of a glorified Jesus totally arrested Paul (then called Saul of Tarsus). It was so heavenly that he wrote to the Philippians of his new life and our hope and spoke of this glorious body that Jesus now possessed. Apostle Paul said, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).
The early churches were powerful in ministry because they served a risen and glorified Lord. His “Glorious Body” was their assurance of their future “Glorified Body.” They never gloried in the lacerated and wounded earthly body that He offered on the cross; they gloried in the “Glorified Body” that reflects the absolute victory of the cross and the Resurrection.
“Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Hebrews 12:12-13). The “Gospel of Jesus Christ” is the “good news” that He is not in a tomb or on a cross, but He is alive and at the Father’s right hand and soon to appear. Serve Him with great joy and unfailing hope.
His disciples had lost one of their number to suicide; Judas’ death was horrible. It was so violent that all his bowels gushed out. As they contemplated the loss of their Lord, one out of their number, and their future, Godly women were carrying burial ointments to the tomb to add embalming spices to a hastily buried Jesus. I can imagine that after they found Jesus’ body gone and were rushing to the location of the eleven, the disciples heard them coming down the alleyway. They must have been screaming, “He’s alive, He’s alive; His grave clothes are there but He is gone.” The disciples’ fear was immediately broken and they openly ran to the graveyard. The immobilizing powers of fear and sorrow were gone because they had heard the tomb was empty. There is not one word of fear ever named again among His disciple s. Hope arose in their hearts like sunrise at midnight.
Thank God that we do not worship before a victim on a cross. There is no hope in such a sense. Apostle Paul settled this great truth in his discourse on the resurrection. He said, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:17-20).
Our hope is not in contemplating His wounds but rejoicing in His completed victory. The risen Lord they saw was so glorious in resurrection victory that they never talked about His mutilated body again. When they spoke of sharing His death, they spoke not of a lacerated body, but they spoke of death to their plans and dreams and a total surrender to His will. They turned the world “upside down” because His resurrection became their resurrection. “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day (after the resurrection) ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:19-20).
What glorious truth! Living a life delivered from sin by His death but raised in His resurrection is the New Testament standard. Apostle Paul did not see Him before He ascended to Heaven but He did see Him shortly thereafter. In his testimony before the Jews in Jerusalem he said, “And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus” (Acts 22:11). Later he testified to King Agrippa, “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me” (Acts 26:13).
This victory of a glorified Jesus totally arrested Paul (then called Saul of Tarsus). It was so heavenly that he wrote to the Philippians of his new life and our hope and spoke of this glorious body that Jesus now possessed. Apostle Paul said, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).
The early churches were powerful in ministry because they served a risen and glorified Lord. His “Glorious Body” was their assurance of their future “Glorified Body.” They never gloried in the lacerated and wounded earthly body that He offered on the cross; they gloried in the “Glorified Body” that reflects the absolute victory of the cross and the Resurrection.
“Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Hebrews 12:12-13). The “Gospel of Jesus Christ” is the “good news” that He is not in a tomb or on a cross, but He is alive and at the Father’s right hand and soon to appear. Serve Him with great joy and unfailing hope.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Lazy People
In this age of psycho-babble, feel-good commentary, one can find an endless number of reasons the world is slipping into spiritual darkness. Preachers try to tackle the moral issues of our day by giving people a detailed description of every angle of the sin issue.
The lack of knowledge cannot be the main problem. We are very well educated about the problems of our generation, yet the world continues to grow darker with each passing day.
The reason sin abounds is simple: People are lazy. We are slothful, idle, immobile, inactive and whatever other terms describe just plain laziness.
When it comes to identifying the lazy, the finger of blame points mostly to Christians. The unsaved can't be held accountable for something they never pledged to uphold. An atheist is obviously not going to be instructing others to adhere to God's commandments.
Believers are the ones responsible for carrying the banner of the Great Commission. The poor spiritual condition of the world today is a testimony to the fact that the average Christian does not have a burning desire to help advance the gospel message.
Most Christians hold to the idea that they are not directly involved in the salvation plan. They didn't lead the world into rebellion, so why should they be required to guide people to the truth? Even believers who understand responsibility seem to think that the assignment of being an ambassador for Christ is a general rule that does not necessarily apply to them.
What is Laziness?
The French author Jules Renard once wrote, "Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired." Comic strip Blondie once had Dagwood Bumstead offer this bit of humorous wisdom about laziness, “You can't teach people to be lazy - either they have it, or they don't.”
Laziness, as it relates to believers, is the gross failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind, and all one's soul. It is the tendency to do nothing in the face of opportunity.
Laziness is also the failure of a person to properly manage the time and resources God has provided. Because we all have different skills and abilities, the quantity and quality of our work can never be a true indicator of dedication.
One person may be highly skilled at a task, yet lack the motivation to be productive. Someone else may have limited skills, yet choose to overcome shortcomings by putting forth more effort.
Because no action is required in the sin of laziness, it is one of the easiest of the seven deadly sins to commit. Unlike with pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony and lust, sloth is performed through a passive response.
Lazy Critics
Over the years I have received every type of negative email the human mind can conceive.I firmly believe the main message presented by Rapture Ready is the truth, and someday the majority of my detractors will have to admit their errors.
Because every idea we present on the site is based in some way on biblical text, it baffles me that people are bold enough to make claims that are not backed by anything but their own twisted logic.
It is almost comical to read some of these curse-riddled messages from people who feel they have the authority to lecture me in spiritual matters. If they had done their research, they might have had a chance to stump me on some point.
The sad part is that they are likely wrong in their views because they are too intellectually lazy to search for the truth. I wonder how many lost people would find the truth if they just attempted to verify their beliefs.
Do You Really Really Want To Help Out?
Many times a year I get emails from people who want to help out with the site. Whenever I receive one of these emails, I always try to respond to their requests.
After providing a list of things they can do, I rarely hear from them again. I quickly figured out that 90 percent of the time, volunteers disappear after making a pledge of support.
I finally realized what happens in most cases. Some folks tell me they feel convicted to become better ambassadors for Christ, and I can tell from their sincerity that they are making that decision from the heart.
Unfortunately, for the most part the offers of help don't turn out to be genuine. The volunteers understand the need for doing good works. But because they have no commitment to take action, the result is just a mechanism for appeasing their conscience.
It is far easier to stand by as an observer and do nothing than it is to get involved in the difficult task of soul-winning. Some people have promised me their support, then failed to follow through. Weeks later these same people have come back and asked for my forgiveness. Then they have failed to follow up on their second pledge.
Because it is so easy to make empty promises, I question all volunteers about their commitment level. Most of them don't get past, "Do you really really want to help out?"
Managing Your Time and Abilities
For me, writing is a very difficult process. I often have a terrible time trying to translate my thoughts into an organized article, and my spelling is equally as bad.
My determination is what allows me to overcome these handicaps. I'll arrange and rearrange paragraphs dozens of times before they become presentable. As far as spelling and grammar goes, there's always spell check.
I may kick around ideas for an article for several months. As long as I plan to eventually finish the project, time really is not a factor. Once an article is written, all the delays instantly become null and void.
Many people view time as an obstacle that bars them from doing good works. They don't think they have the time, or are too busy on less important matters, so they refrain from becoming involved in spiritual materials.
Imagine that someone needs to go from Los Angeles to New York City, and the only means of transportation is a car that can only move 5 miles per hour. Because there are 2,462 miles between the two cities, the trip would take 20 days of nonstop travel.
The idea of having to take a month to travel from one end of the country to the other would be an insurmountable obstacle for most people. But before the days of cars and trains, this was the speed at which settlers moved from the East to the West.
Because we have a lifetime to accomplish what God might expect of us, the rate at which we go about these tasks is not a central issue. The most vital component for achieving a fruitful life is our willingness to contribute. The smallest effort over the longest period of time is worth 100 percent more than a continuous state of disengagement.
Priorities
The act of being busy does not guard us from also being slothful. To be productive, we need to assign priorities to our daily activities.
Many people become lazy by making poor choices regarding their priorities. I have a half-brother who has always neglected to keep himself employed. As long as I've known him, he has been on welfare or living off one of his many girlfriends. However, when it comes to working on old cars, he has been very engaged in that endeavor. It's obvious that he has a priority problem.
I'm lazy about balancing my checkbook. Because of my spend-thrift habits, I have the option of using my bank statement to keep track of my money. If I were a shopaholic, it would then be a necessary priority for me to keep close tabs on my budget.
I find many misplaced priorities in the field of Bible prophecy. I know from experience many prophetic authors are only interested in prophecy because it puts money in their pocket. Any project that doesn't have a commercial value is of no interest to them. If you want to find out a preacher's true priorities, go to his official website and check to see how many free resource materials he offers.
Rapture Ready was started with the realization that there is nothing of greater importance for me to be doing with my time. Maintaining RR as my top priority is what has allowed me to stay focused all these years.
Laziness: That Means You, Buster
The motivation for writing this article came from my many years of experience with managing a web-based ministry. Before I began this site, I had the general impression that most Christians would be engaged in their faith.
It didn't take me long to realize that nearly all Christian endeavors are supported by a very small number of believers. Out of any group, you might find one percent active in the moral, political, and social issues of our day.
Because God has already forewarned that most Christians will fail to be active in championing the gospel message, every believer needs to be mindful of his or her own level of productivity.
No one is going to come knocking on your door, point a finger, and say, "You've been too lazy about your Christian faith." This is a determination we will have to make ourselves.
Scripture strongly warns that the slothful believer will suffer embarrassment and loss of rewards in the Kingdom of God. The failure to act on our responsibilities can lead to an eternity of regret. All the glory of heaven cannot hide the fact that one of our friends or family members may have died lost because of our lack of concern for their salvation.
Engagement is the only cure for laziness. No herbal remedy or motivation speech can cure laziness. A person will remain motionless until he or she finds the willpower to get up and go. It is simply fruitless to go beyond the call for action.
Your Involvement
One day, I was searching the internet and ran across the following note on a site about ballet. "When I started BalletWeb in 1996, there were very few good ballet sites on the Web. Now there are hundreds (and, of course, some pretty dreadful ones, too!) Since the need now seems to be well filled, and I no longer have the time or stamina to keep the site up to date, the most sensible thing seems to be to close it and clear the way for others," said Jim, the site's webmaster.
I chose to use the quote here not because I thought this guy seemed lazy. Jim's reasons for discontinuing his updates seem reasonable. What I found interesting was how his decision brings up the contrast between ballet sites and Christian websites.
Just as in the subject of ballet, there are hundreds of well maintained sites on prophecy. However, their abundance doesn't indicate we have reached any type of saturation point. The fact that our world is slipping deeper into wickedness is testimony to the need for more Bible-based sites.
The business of saving souls is far more important than commentary about people dancing around in tutus. The believer's need to propagate the gospel message should be a life-long commitment.
Since beginning Rapture Ready, I have relied upon the contributions of fellow believers to build up the content of this site. I have some articles that were written back in the early days of the internet. Over the years, I've completely lost contact with many of these people.
When each person has submitted an article, he has probably thought nothing of the impact it would have over these years. One person wrote a piece that has been on RR for nearly 18 years, and it now has been read by nearly a million people.
I often think about how pleased these folks will be on judgment day when they are presented with the fruits of their labor. The magnitude of their reward will be like someone who bought stock in companies like Microsoft or Dell Computer at their initial public offering and held the shares up until now. Because people keep track of their financial holdings, the windfall for people who invest in the site will be a sudden and shocking revelation.
The benefits of being a productive Christian do not need to be accidental. Everything we do for the sake of the gospel should be viewed as a value contribution. It's regrettable that most people neglect something that will someday garner God's praise.
There are many ways to defeat the spirit of laziness. You can start at home by witnessing to friends and family. Helping out in your local church is another option.
Opportunities abound here at Nearing Midnight. I don't think the day will ever come when I say have to refrain from extending offers to help with the task of building up the site. If you have an idea or desire to become involved in this ministry, you can contact me about helping out on some project.
The lack of knowledge cannot be the main problem. We are very well educated about the problems of our generation, yet the world continues to grow darker with each passing day.
The reason sin abounds is simple: People are lazy. We are slothful, idle, immobile, inactive and whatever other terms describe just plain laziness.
When it comes to identifying the lazy, the finger of blame points mostly to Christians. The unsaved can't be held accountable for something they never pledged to uphold. An atheist is obviously not going to be instructing others to adhere to God's commandments.
Believers are the ones responsible for carrying the banner of the Great Commission. The poor spiritual condition of the world today is a testimony to the fact that the average Christian does not have a burning desire to help advance the gospel message.
Most Christians hold to the idea that they are not directly involved in the salvation plan. They didn't lead the world into rebellion, so why should they be required to guide people to the truth? Even believers who understand responsibility seem to think that the assignment of being an ambassador for Christ is a general rule that does not necessarily apply to them.
What is Laziness?
The French author Jules Renard once wrote, "Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired." Comic strip Blondie once had Dagwood Bumstead offer this bit of humorous wisdom about laziness, “You can't teach people to be lazy - either they have it, or they don't.”
Laziness, as it relates to believers, is the gross failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind, and all one's soul. It is the tendency to do nothing in the face of opportunity.
Laziness is also the failure of a person to properly manage the time and resources God has provided. Because we all have different skills and abilities, the quantity and quality of our work can never be a true indicator of dedication.
One person may be highly skilled at a task, yet lack the motivation to be productive. Someone else may have limited skills, yet choose to overcome shortcomings by putting forth more effort.
Because no action is required in the sin of laziness, it is one of the easiest of the seven deadly sins to commit. Unlike with pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony and lust, sloth is performed through a passive response.
Lazy Critics
Over the years I have received every type of negative email the human mind can conceive.I firmly believe the main message presented by Rapture Ready is the truth, and someday the majority of my detractors will have to admit their errors.
Because every idea we present on the site is based in some way on biblical text, it baffles me that people are bold enough to make claims that are not backed by anything but their own twisted logic.
It is almost comical to read some of these curse-riddled messages from people who feel they have the authority to lecture me in spiritual matters. If they had done their research, they might have had a chance to stump me on some point.
The sad part is that they are likely wrong in their views because they are too intellectually lazy to search for the truth. I wonder how many lost people would find the truth if they just attempted to verify their beliefs.
Do You Really Really Want To Help Out?
Many times a year I get emails from people who want to help out with the site. Whenever I receive one of these emails, I always try to respond to their requests.
After providing a list of things they can do, I rarely hear from them again. I quickly figured out that 90 percent of the time, volunteers disappear after making a pledge of support.
I finally realized what happens in most cases. Some folks tell me they feel convicted to become better ambassadors for Christ, and I can tell from their sincerity that they are making that decision from the heart.
Unfortunately, for the most part the offers of help don't turn out to be genuine. The volunteers understand the need for doing good works. But because they have no commitment to take action, the result is just a mechanism for appeasing their conscience.
It is far easier to stand by as an observer and do nothing than it is to get involved in the difficult task of soul-winning. Some people have promised me their support, then failed to follow through. Weeks later these same people have come back and asked for my forgiveness. Then they have failed to follow up on their second pledge.
Because it is so easy to make empty promises, I question all volunteers about their commitment level. Most of them don't get past, "Do you really really want to help out?"
Managing Your Time and Abilities
For me, writing is a very difficult process. I often have a terrible time trying to translate my thoughts into an organized article, and my spelling is equally as bad.
My determination is what allows me to overcome these handicaps. I'll arrange and rearrange paragraphs dozens of times before they become presentable. As far as spelling and grammar goes, there's always spell check.
I may kick around ideas for an article for several months. As long as I plan to eventually finish the project, time really is not a factor. Once an article is written, all the delays instantly become null and void.
Many people view time as an obstacle that bars them from doing good works. They don't think they have the time, or are too busy on less important matters, so they refrain from becoming involved in spiritual materials.
Imagine that someone needs to go from Los Angeles to New York City, and the only means of transportation is a car that can only move 5 miles per hour. Because there are 2,462 miles between the two cities, the trip would take 20 days of nonstop travel.
The idea of having to take a month to travel from one end of the country to the other would be an insurmountable obstacle for most people. But before the days of cars and trains, this was the speed at which settlers moved from the East to the West.
Because we have a lifetime to accomplish what God might expect of us, the rate at which we go about these tasks is not a central issue. The most vital component for achieving a fruitful life is our willingness to contribute. The smallest effort over the longest period of time is worth 100 percent more than a continuous state of disengagement.
Priorities
The act of being busy does not guard us from also being slothful. To be productive, we need to assign priorities to our daily activities.
Many people become lazy by making poor choices regarding their priorities. I have a half-brother who has always neglected to keep himself employed. As long as I've known him, he has been on welfare or living off one of his many girlfriends. However, when it comes to working on old cars, he has been very engaged in that endeavor. It's obvious that he has a priority problem.
I'm lazy about balancing my checkbook. Because of my spend-thrift habits, I have the option of using my bank statement to keep track of my money. If I were a shopaholic, it would then be a necessary priority for me to keep close tabs on my budget.
I find many misplaced priorities in the field of Bible prophecy. I know from experience many prophetic authors are only interested in prophecy because it puts money in their pocket. Any project that doesn't have a commercial value is of no interest to them. If you want to find out a preacher's true priorities, go to his official website and check to see how many free resource materials he offers.
Rapture Ready was started with the realization that there is nothing of greater importance for me to be doing with my time. Maintaining RR as my top priority is what has allowed me to stay focused all these years.
Laziness: That Means You, Buster
The motivation for writing this article came from my many years of experience with managing a web-based ministry. Before I began this site, I had the general impression that most Christians would be engaged in their faith.
It didn't take me long to realize that nearly all Christian endeavors are supported by a very small number of believers. Out of any group, you might find one percent active in the moral, political, and social issues of our day.
Because God has already forewarned that most Christians will fail to be active in championing the gospel message, every believer needs to be mindful of his or her own level of productivity.
No one is going to come knocking on your door, point a finger, and say, "You've been too lazy about your Christian faith." This is a determination we will have to make ourselves.
Scripture strongly warns that the slothful believer will suffer embarrassment and loss of rewards in the Kingdom of God. The failure to act on our responsibilities can lead to an eternity of regret. All the glory of heaven cannot hide the fact that one of our friends or family members may have died lost because of our lack of concern for their salvation.
Engagement is the only cure for laziness. No herbal remedy or motivation speech can cure laziness. A person will remain motionless until he or she finds the willpower to get up and go. It is simply fruitless to go beyond the call for action.
Your Involvement
One day, I was searching the internet and ran across the following note on a site about ballet. "When I started BalletWeb in 1996, there were very few good ballet sites on the Web. Now there are hundreds (and, of course, some pretty dreadful ones, too!) Since the need now seems to be well filled, and I no longer have the time or stamina to keep the site up to date, the most sensible thing seems to be to close it and clear the way for others," said Jim, the site's webmaster.
I chose to use the quote here not because I thought this guy seemed lazy. Jim's reasons for discontinuing his updates seem reasonable. What I found interesting was how his decision brings up the contrast between ballet sites and Christian websites.
Just as in the subject of ballet, there are hundreds of well maintained sites on prophecy. However, their abundance doesn't indicate we have reached any type of saturation point. The fact that our world is slipping deeper into wickedness is testimony to the need for more Bible-based sites.
The business of saving souls is far more important than commentary about people dancing around in tutus. The believer's need to propagate the gospel message should be a life-long commitment.
Since beginning Rapture Ready, I have relied upon the contributions of fellow believers to build up the content of this site. I have some articles that were written back in the early days of the internet. Over the years, I've completely lost contact with many of these people.
When each person has submitted an article, he has probably thought nothing of the impact it would have over these years. One person wrote a piece that has been on RR for nearly 18 years, and it now has been read by nearly a million people.
I often think about how pleased these folks will be on judgment day when they are presented with the fruits of their labor. The magnitude of their reward will be like someone who bought stock in companies like Microsoft or Dell Computer at their initial public offering and held the shares up until now. Because people keep track of their financial holdings, the windfall for people who invest in the site will be a sudden and shocking revelation.
The benefits of being a productive Christian do not need to be accidental. Everything we do for the sake of the gospel should be viewed as a value contribution. It's regrettable that most people neglect something that will someday garner God's praise.
There are many ways to defeat the spirit of laziness. You can start at home by witnessing to friends and family. Helping out in your local church is another option.
Opportunities abound here at Nearing Midnight. I don't think the day will ever come when I say have to refrain from extending offers to help with the task of building up the site. If you have an idea or desire to become involved in this ministry, you can contact me about helping out on some project.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Flourishing Laodicean Church
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” Revelation 3:17. The book of Revelation reveals to us who Christ is – He is Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Almighty. He wears this name on His vesture, King of kings and Lord of lords. The Revelation of Jesus Christ also tells of His church and its condition through the ages. In chapters two and three Jesus addresses seven different Churches and sends them a report card of sorts. These churches existed at the time John received the Revelation; these letters give the condition of each church. They also give a prophecy of what Christ’s Church would go through.
Below is a Prophetic Profile of the Seven Churches Jesus is addressing:
1. Ephesus – The Apostolic Church
2. Smyrna – The Persecuted Church
3. Pergamos – The Married Church
4. Thyatira – The Medieval Church
5. Sardis – The Denominational Church
6. Philadelphia – The Missionary Church
7. Laodicea – The Apostate Church
Two of the churches received a good report, but the other five were failing in some areas and Jesus warned them to shape up. The last Church Jesus addressed was the Church at Laodicea in which He hands over the most scathing of indictments and tells them they’d do well to heed His words.
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16. Jesus refers to the Laodicean Church as being lukewarm. This Church is concerned with the materialistic riches of this world and not God. It’s all about them and their well being. They are quite in tune with their own feelings and believe themselves to be very spiritual as well, but the spirituality they embrace is not of God. The Laodiceans put their faith and trust in prosperity, outward luxury, and physical health. They are in need of nothing, especially Jesus.
When Jesus refers to the Laodicean Church as being lukewarm He’s not saying they’ve almost made it to where He expects them to be. Jesus’ reference to hot means to be on fire for Him and cold is compared to being refreshed with a cold drink of water on a hot parched day. “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16. Lukewarm being so distasteful to the Lord Jesus that He cannot even swallow it, all He can do is spit it back out of His mouth. My brethren, you don’t want to be in that lukewarm state of affairs when Jesus raptures His Church.
What Jesus is telling this Church is that they are spiritually naked, basically dead. The Church of Laodicea is not currently Heaven bound. The worst part is they don’t realize how utterly distasteful they are to God. They truly believe they’re in great shape and in line with what God expects of them. That’s what makes it difficult to witness to these folks. In their minds their relationship to God is faultless. But take another look at what God says about them. They are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. In the mind of God there’s no difference between the folks of the Laodicean church, as described above, and those who are perishing through unbelief.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20. The Laodicean Church has shut Christ out, yet He still wants to come in. He is standing on the outside knocking, and even if one man will open the door for Him, He’ll come in and sup (join in spiritual union) with that individual. Sadly though, the door of that Laodicean Church remains closed to their true Messiah.
America is replete with Laodicean Christians, and these folks will follow anyone who tickles their ears with soft, persuasive, and appealing words. Jesus Christ is not the foundation in those Churches. Heaven forbid that Christians should look to Christ as the author and finisher of their faith and place Him in the middle of every aspect of their lives. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2. As followers of Jesus Christ no matter where we are, at Church, home, work or play our faith is paramount and Jesus is always the center of our lives.
A major factor at play with this end times apostate Church is their undying support of what the Bible plainly refers to as abominations. They’re upside down, as these folks now call evil good and good evil. The reason I know the Laodicean Church is alive and well is by the many emails I receive from folks complaining about their Church leaders who’ve capitulated to Obama’s socialistic agendas. It’s staggering when I realize that professing Christians can be so completely deceived as to follow such blatant evil. One of these days in the not so distant future, our government will be fully entrenched in interfering with even the content of the Gospel message.
Most Churches in America have bowed the knee to Baal, and it has now become more important for the Church to retain their coveted tax exempt status than to speak out against a tyrannical repressive government. In order to remain tax exempt, churches have surrendered rights. They can be tax-exempt if they remain politically correct and allow the government to police what can and cannot be said from the pulpit. Of course we know this is to be expected as we’re watching the establishment of the apostate Church in America and around the globe.
Think about it, the government of the United States currently interferes with our Christian churches by demanding our pastors refrain from endorsing a political candidate when addressing their congregations. This is just the beginning of their interference. We only need to look to China to see where America’s Christian churches are headed. China fully regulates the content of sermons preached in their government supervised quasi-Christian churches. America’s not quite there yet, but we’re getting close. As I’ve said before, the only church remaining in the last days unimpeded will be the apostate Church, from which a socialist government will have nothing to fear.
On a marquee in front of a Church I passed one day were the following words, “The cornerstone of the Christian church is truth not tolerance”. There’s a good possibility that Church is not of Laodicean fame.
Were the Apostles Peter and John known for their political correctness? These two men had been brought before Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest for preaching about Jesus and for performing a miraculous healing in His name. Peter and John listened patiently as Annas and the others told them that they were forbidden to preach Jesus in public. Peter and John’s response to these foolish men was quite blunt but precisely to the point. “... Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye,” Acts 4:19. Who are we hearkening unto these days?
Christians are told to submit to the governing authorities because they are appointed by God and they serve a purpose in His plan (Romans 13:1), although, sometimes it is to judge the people or to ripen the nation for judgment. Since governments derive their authority from God, we are bound to obey them – unless, of course, they order us to do something in contradiction to God’s law. The murder of unborn babies in the womb and the condoning of a homosexual lifestyle contradict God’s laws. We are to hearken unto God not man (Acts 4:19). If the state’s rulers are God’s ministers (servants), they should remember that they serve the people, and they are not gods. Christian obedience to the state is never blind – it obeys with the eyes of conscience wide open. Know God’s word, His commands and precepts and don’t be deceived.
Children many times follow other children without even a second thought, but now that we are older and able to think and discern for ourselves we should know better than to follow anyone opposed to God. “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11. It’s childish to follow someone the way a puppy tags along after a small boy.
Be he eloquent of speech, or persuasive of words, whether he’s charismatic and charming, and though his stature be as a Greek god, he still needs to be viewed through the filter of Scripture. And we never use scripture to promote our preconceived ideas or agendas. Remember the one barrier to truth is the idea we already have it.
We don’t follow after vain, puffed up, arrogant, flamboyant, suave and articulate speaking men or women. We follow Christ and His commandments. As born again believers we stand up for Jesus our God and we proclaim His message until He comes. Nothing else matters, nothing of this world can compare to what awaits believers on the other side.
If you’re on the cusp and just about ready to head down Laodicea road, you’ve given up on the scriptures because you just don’t agree with them anymore “They’re out dated, they don’t fit in our new world society” or perhaps your above learning anything new when it comes to the never changing word of God “I know the scriptures better than you do”, then remember this “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14. Only born again believers are given the ability to grasp what the scriptures are proclaiming while the non-believer remains in darkness. That same darkness surrounds the Laodicean Church.
These apostate churches, have thrown away their first love, Jesus the Christ, and replaced Him with a naked spirituality. They’ve given up the battle and have lain down in the camp of the enemy. The cause of Christ has been hurt far more by people who profess to be knowledgeable Christians, and yet through their very ignorance of the scriptures do more harm than those who ignorantly and arrogantly proclaim there is no God.
Where’s Satan in all this? He’s done his part he’s succeeded in moving the once Christian Church into the land of Laodicea. Satan has moved on to greener pastures so to speak, to undermine Churches on other continents where Christianity is still flourishing and not dead. His greatest conquest has been America’s Christian Churches. Oh sure he left some of his minions of evil here to supervise the remaining slide to Laodicea, but for all intents and purposes he’s accomplished his mission. America’s once Christian Churches have largely been moved into a new arena of spiritual apathy.
Satan was defeated long ago, at the cross, long before he began his work corrupting the Christian Churches in America. Jesus did that through His death, burial, and resurrection. But the Church allowed Satan a stronghold, a footing as it were, so he could advance his agenda to the uttermost extreme. He and his minions of evil have now become more prosperous than ever before.
So what motivates believers nowadays to keep the faith? Is it the love we have for Jesus that keeps us going in the face of all adversity? It should be. But where does that adversity come from if Satan’s mission is mostly complete? Sadly, Christians today are finding their very own brethren to be their biggest stumbling blocks.
I continually receive emails from professing Christians that disparage God’s word. I’ll point out the chapter and verse but no matter what God’s word proclaims they still disagree. Who are they disagreeing with? It seems we can no longer agree on what is right and what is wrong. Any mention of sin has been banned from the pulpits of these apostate Churches. Abortion, homosexuality, pornography, divorce are accepted in the minds of many professing Christians today, and if those four abominations aren’t enough to turn God’s stomach, we are quickly becoming a nation that curses Israel. That Brethren, is the scariest.
The Church at Laodicea is a body of professing believers who aren’t really followers of Christ. They’ve stopped holding the entirety of God’s word as authority. Those congregational attendees who fall into that category will not be included in the rapture of Christ’s Church. Sadly they’ve eliminated Jesus as the foundation of their faith. People, that’s not judging. If Jesus said He would spew them out of His mouth what makes us think He’ll allow them into His Heavenly Kingdom in that state?
Yes my friends, the Laodicean Church is flourishing in the United States of America and around the world for that matter. These thriving congregations will soon be into full apostasy. This is the prophetic course set for the Church according to the scriptures. They will be the only remaining Church in the last days before Christ’s return. Yet Jesus still loves them, and considers them His friends “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19.
If you feel you’re involved in a Church that is Laodicea bound, it’s time to make a change in your Christian walk.
Below is a Prophetic Profile of the Seven Churches Jesus is addressing:
1. Ephesus – The Apostolic Church
2. Smyrna – The Persecuted Church
3. Pergamos – The Married Church
4. Thyatira – The Medieval Church
5. Sardis – The Denominational Church
6. Philadelphia – The Missionary Church
7. Laodicea – The Apostate Church
Two of the churches received a good report, but the other five were failing in some areas and Jesus warned them to shape up. The last Church Jesus addressed was the Church at Laodicea in which He hands over the most scathing of indictments and tells them they’d do well to heed His words.
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16. Jesus refers to the Laodicean Church as being lukewarm. This Church is concerned with the materialistic riches of this world and not God. It’s all about them and their well being. They are quite in tune with their own feelings and believe themselves to be very spiritual as well, but the spirituality they embrace is not of God. The Laodiceans put their faith and trust in prosperity, outward luxury, and physical health. They are in need of nothing, especially Jesus.
When Jesus refers to the Laodicean Church as being lukewarm He’s not saying they’ve almost made it to where He expects them to be. Jesus’ reference to hot means to be on fire for Him and cold is compared to being refreshed with a cold drink of water on a hot parched day. “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16. Lukewarm being so distasteful to the Lord Jesus that He cannot even swallow it, all He can do is spit it back out of His mouth. My brethren, you don’t want to be in that lukewarm state of affairs when Jesus raptures His Church.
What Jesus is telling this Church is that they are spiritually naked, basically dead. The Church of Laodicea is not currently Heaven bound. The worst part is they don’t realize how utterly distasteful they are to God. They truly believe they’re in great shape and in line with what God expects of them. That’s what makes it difficult to witness to these folks. In their minds their relationship to God is faultless. But take another look at what God says about them. They are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. In the mind of God there’s no difference between the folks of the Laodicean church, as described above, and those who are perishing through unbelief.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20. The Laodicean Church has shut Christ out, yet He still wants to come in. He is standing on the outside knocking, and even if one man will open the door for Him, He’ll come in and sup (join in spiritual union) with that individual. Sadly though, the door of that Laodicean Church remains closed to their true Messiah.
America is replete with Laodicean Christians, and these folks will follow anyone who tickles their ears with soft, persuasive, and appealing words. Jesus Christ is not the foundation in those Churches. Heaven forbid that Christians should look to Christ as the author and finisher of their faith and place Him in the middle of every aspect of their lives. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2. As followers of Jesus Christ no matter where we are, at Church, home, work or play our faith is paramount and Jesus is always the center of our lives.
A major factor at play with this end times apostate Church is their undying support of what the Bible plainly refers to as abominations. They’re upside down, as these folks now call evil good and good evil. The reason I know the Laodicean Church is alive and well is by the many emails I receive from folks complaining about their Church leaders who’ve capitulated to Obama’s socialistic agendas. It’s staggering when I realize that professing Christians can be so completely deceived as to follow such blatant evil. One of these days in the not so distant future, our government will be fully entrenched in interfering with even the content of the Gospel message.
Most Churches in America have bowed the knee to Baal, and it has now become more important for the Church to retain their coveted tax exempt status than to speak out against a tyrannical repressive government. In order to remain tax exempt, churches have surrendered rights. They can be tax-exempt if they remain politically correct and allow the government to police what can and cannot be said from the pulpit. Of course we know this is to be expected as we’re watching the establishment of the apostate Church in America and around the globe.
Think about it, the government of the United States currently interferes with our Christian churches by demanding our pastors refrain from endorsing a political candidate when addressing their congregations. This is just the beginning of their interference. We only need to look to China to see where America’s Christian churches are headed. China fully regulates the content of sermons preached in their government supervised quasi-Christian churches. America’s not quite there yet, but we’re getting close. As I’ve said before, the only church remaining in the last days unimpeded will be the apostate Church, from which a socialist government will have nothing to fear.
On a marquee in front of a Church I passed one day were the following words, “The cornerstone of the Christian church is truth not tolerance”. There’s a good possibility that Church is not of Laodicean fame.
Were the Apostles Peter and John known for their political correctness? These two men had been brought before Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest for preaching about Jesus and for performing a miraculous healing in His name. Peter and John listened patiently as Annas and the others told them that they were forbidden to preach Jesus in public. Peter and John’s response to these foolish men was quite blunt but precisely to the point. “... Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye,” Acts 4:19. Who are we hearkening unto these days?
Christians are told to submit to the governing authorities because they are appointed by God and they serve a purpose in His plan (Romans 13:1), although, sometimes it is to judge the people or to ripen the nation for judgment. Since governments derive their authority from God, we are bound to obey them – unless, of course, they order us to do something in contradiction to God’s law. The murder of unborn babies in the womb and the condoning of a homosexual lifestyle contradict God’s laws. We are to hearken unto God not man (Acts 4:19). If the state’s rulers are God’s ministers (servants), they should remember that they serve the people, and they are not gods. Christian obedience to the state is never blind – it obeys with the eyes of conscience wide open. Know God’s word, His commands and precepts and don’t be deceived.
Children many times follow other children without even a second thought, but now that we are older and able to think and discern for ourselves we should know better than to follow anyone opposed to God. “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11. It’s childish to follow someone the way a puppy tags along after a small boy.
Be he eloquent of speech, or persuasive of words, whether he’s charismatic and charming, and though his stature be as a Greek god, he still needs to be viewed through the filter of Scripture. And we never use scripture to promote our preconceived ideas or agendas. Remember the one barrier to truth is the idea we already have it.
We don’t follow after vain, puffed up, arrogant, flamboyant, suave and articulate speaking men or women. We follow Christ and His commandments. As born again believers we stand up for Jesus our God and we proclaim His message until He comes. Nothing else matters, nothing of this world can compare to what awaits believers on the other side.
If you’re on the cusp and just about ready to head down Laodicea road, you’ve given up on the scriptures because you just don’t agree with them anymore “They’re out dated, they don’t fit in our new world society” or perhaps your above learning anything new when it comes to the never changing word of God “I know the scriptures better than you do”, then remember this “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14. Only born again believers are given the ability to grasp what the scriptures are proclaiming while the non-believer remains in darkness. That same darkness surrounds the Laodicean Church.
These apostate churches, have thrown away their first love, Jesus the Christ, and replaced Him with a naked spirituality. They’ve given up the battle and have lain down in the camp of the enemy. The cause of Christ has been hurt far more by people who profess to be knowledgeable Christians, and yet through their very ignorance of the scriptures do more harm than those who ignorantly and arrogantly proclaim there is no God.
Where’s Satan in all this? He’s done his part he’s succeeded in moving the once Christian Church into the land of Laodicea. Satan has moved on to greener pastures so to speak, to undermine Churches on other continents where Christianity is still flourishing and not dead. His greatest conquest has been America’s Christian Churches. Oh sure he left some of his minions of evil here to supervise the remaining slide to Laodicea, but for all intents and purposes he’s accomplished his mission. America’s once Christian Churches have largely been moved into a new arena of spiritual apathy.
Satan was defeated long ago, at the cross, long before he began his work corrupting the Christian Churches in America. Jesus did that through His death, burial, and resurrection. But the Church allowed Satan a stronghold, a footing as it were, so he could advance his agenda to the uttermost extreme. He and his minions of evil have now become more prosperous than ever before.
So what motivates believers nowadays to keep the faith? Is it the love we have for Jesus that keeps us going in the face of all adversity? It should be. But where does that adversity come from if Satan’s mission is mostly complete? Sadly, Christians today are finding their very own brethren to be their biggest stumbling blocks.
I continually receive emails from professing Christians that disparage God’s word. I’ll point out the chapter and verse but no matter what God’s word proclaims they still disagree. Who are they disagreeing with? It seems we can no longer agree on what is right and what is wrong. Any mention of sin has been banned from the pulpits of these apostate Churches. Abortion, homosexuality, pornography, divorce are accepted in the minds of many professing Christians today, and if those four abominations aren’t enough to turn God’s stomach, we are quickly becoming a nation that curses Israel. That Brethren, is the scariest.
The Church at Laodicea is a body of professing believers who aren’t really followers of Christ. They’ve stopped holding the entirety of God’s word as authority. Those congregational attendees who fall into that category will not be included in the rapture of Christ’s Church. Sadly they’ve eliminated Jesus as the foundation of their faith. People, that’s not judging. If Jesus said He would spew them out of His mouth what makes us think He’ll allow them into His Heavenly Kingdom in that state?
Yes my friends, the Laodicean Church is flourishing in the United States of America and around the world for that matter. These thriving congregations will soon be into full apostasy. This is the prophetic course set for the Church according to the scriptures. They will be the only remaining Church in the last days before Christ’s return. Yet Jesus still loves them, and considers them His friends “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19.
If you feel you’re involved in a Church that is Laodicea bound, it’s time to make a change in your Christian walk.
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