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.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Silence of the Lambs
As we’re reading and studying our Bibles and hopefully taking God’s word seriously, we become empowered by the Holy Spirit to pass on our knowledge to others. As we learn our purpose in God’s plan we should become bolder with His message. And this new boldness of ours is contagious as we reach out to the lost. We teach others what we really believe about Jesus and we help them to see the truth, the truth about the transforming power of God. But along with our new God given purpose comes a not so pleasant consequence.
Believers, true believers that is, become a target for the enemy. Satan places a huge bull’s eye on those who are actually upholding God’s inerrant word and preaching the Gospel, and then directs his followers to attack and destroy those targets. This satanic attack will not diminish until Jesus removes His Church from planet earth. If you are one of those who actively follow Jesus’ command to spread the Gospel, you are currently wearing that target everywhere you go.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:27. Many times in the Bible believers are referred to as sheep or lambs. Jesus referred to those who follow Him as His sheep. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11. Even though Jesus refers to Himself as the good shepherd He still sends His flock out among the wolves. “...behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:3.
Who are the wolves Jesus speaks about? Satan’s followers, all unbelievers. You may think I’m crass in my assessment of unbelievers, but you must understand what Jesus Himself tells us about unbelievers. In the book of Matthew Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me...” Matthew 12:30. Who is against Jesus? Satan. So if you’re not with Jesus then you’re with Satan. If you have a problem with this Biblical assessment of all unbelievers, your problem is actually with the author and finisher of my faith, not me.
Recently in the news there’s been talk of pro-life adherents and those who are opposed to same sex marriages, as well as prophecy buffs and people who don’t care for the current government administration, as being considered potential rightwing terrorists. Many of the folks in this category are born again believers in Christ. As our government moves even further into a posture of enacting new legislation designed for the eventual elimination of all opposition to the current regime more and more of these kinds of verbal attacks will occur to the ultimate goal of the silencing of the lambs.
This is just one more attempt by Satan to accomplish his agenda. His strategy is to eradicate all opposition to his lies. If Satan can keep believers quiet when it comes to witnessing it cuts down on his loses. By loses I mean when believers witness to someone and the Holy Spirit moves in that person’s life and they become born again, Satan loses one more soul. That fact ultimately results in even more pressure coming to bear on Satan’s followers consequently they will press in even harder on the lambs of Christ.
In all the history of the Church, Satan’s attacks have not stopped. His maligning and horrible attacks on Christ’s church are recorded throughout history. We must remember that even though there have been numerous endeavors to silence the lambs of Christ all those satanic attempts have ended up as dismal failures. That’s because Satan is a dismal failure. He’s not god, he’s not even a god, he’s a fallen angel bent on destroying humankind.
“All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.” John 10:8. We belong to Jesus Christ not Satan, and we don’t listen to Satan or his minions of evil. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14. Believers in Christ are attentive only to our Lords voice and we follow Him and Him alone. Satan has no authority or power over believers; we became the property of Jesus Christ at our conversion. Satan still wields all authority over nonbelievers and they foolishly continue to follow him. That’s a truth that’s quite evident in our society today.
The freedoms we once enjoyed are eroding quickly. Whether it began on President Bush’s watch or President Clinton’s or even prior administrations isn’t really the question. It was bound to happen because this world is under Satan’s watch. Many people email me saying the Republicans are just as responsible for the current situation as Democrats. No argument here. Many believe Bush was the instigator of all we see that has recently changed the world for the worse. Was Bush responsible for all the immorality currently being promoted from within this country and distributed worldwide? Hardly, that is Satan’s accomplishment. I’m not disagreeing with anyone about when it started only by whom it was started. Here’s a clue, it wasn’t a man. Understand, though, that men propagate this supernatural being’s agenda to their own ends – for their own selfish lusts and desires and to their own demise.
Who’s currently pushing for the total collapse of our present way of life here in America ? We know Satan’s agenda is to silence the body of Christ, to force us into submission, and to cause a change in us that will mold us into zombies such as the unbelievers who currently follow him. Without men who are under his control, Satan could not move even one inch forward. Satan places evil thoughts in men’s minds but men act on those evils because men’s hearts are wicked. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9.
A born again believer, born from God, in Christ, will never go so far as to disparage God’s word, and be so ashamed of his or her salvation that they would have nothing at all to do with the cross of Christ. Just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn’t mean they are born again. Many so called Christians don’t even know what it means to be born again. We must look at their fruit, the fruit of their lives in Christ. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:20. If their fruit points to silencing the lambs of Christ that would be a good indication that that person isn’t concerned with bearing good fruit and the love of God is not in him. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4.
The silencing of the lambs of God is currently well underway by our current President. No one can legitimately dispute that claim. Especially, in light of the statements made by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano referring to all those individuals who oppose even one aspect of the current administrations agenda as being possible rightwing terrorist. Can there be any doubt that there is a push on to silence Jesus’ lambs? Believers have the truth but those who are perishing can’t stand to hear the truth so they will stop at nothing to silence the lambs. They will even create laws to force Christ’s lambs into submission. It’s happening even as you’re reading this commentary. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; ...” Psalm 23:4.
Some say I spend too much time lambasting our current government administration and not enough time promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve written hundreds of commentaries over the past three years with the intent of spreading the Gospel, and yet less than 5% of which have had anything whatsoever to do with confronting the evil behind our current or past government leadership. I believe it is the calling of all those who have the gift of discernment to get the truth out as watchmen on the wall.
Everyone who has the eyes of discernment can see what’s happening in our land. There is a supernatural force at work here moving at seemingly breakneck speed to force the lambs of Christ into silence. If you are one of those with this God given ability you should be shouting this travesty from the rooftops. This is not just a US phenomenon. All of you that email me from outside the US, from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Spain, South America, and Canada, wherever you’re from, this satanic agenda of silencing the lambs of Christ is either coming your way or you’re already well aware of it. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.
Just by writing about the truth of the Gospel has the distinct possibility of positioning Christians on a US government list of rightwing extremism, and therefore a potential threat to the stability of our government. Mark my words it won’t be long before all preaching of the truth will be outlawed because it is currently being perceived as “hate speech”. Thus we see a continual satanic drive on for the silencing of the lambs.
Paul said, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Philippians 4:9. How much clearer could it be? We are to preach the Gospel as Paul did in his lifetime but there will be consequences associated with that preaching. Paul faced numerous attempts on his life yet persevered until the end. God’s peace shall be with us as we proclaim His message unabashed. This boldness will no doubt infuriate our enemies and cause a great amount of scorn from those who follow Satan. Indeed our well being may be in jeopardy as we continue in God’s will.
My desire is not to come off as arrogant or prideful or even condescending, but to help block the onslaught of determined foes attempting to silence the lambs of Christ. As I read about the various scenarios currently being promoted by the current administration to accomplish their satanic task I must continue to try and build a wall of faith among the believers that won’t be breached by the enemy’s fear mongers. As the new laws in this land are passed to silence the lambs – fear will be the biggest factor.
Lies abound and the enemy has many on his side to help him achieve his desired goals. We believers will continue to be pressed from every side as we remain faithful in our Christian walk. These fear mongers are quite wrong when they say we conspire to overthrow our own government. We do not need to overthrow any of earth’s governments because One is coming who will sit on the throne of David. He shall rule and reign with power and great glory and the entire world will worship Him. There’s nothing this current group of foolish followers of Satan can accomplish which will have any lasting results on silencing the lambs. Jesus Christ will overthrow all this world’s evil governments at His very appearing. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Romans 14:11.
We do preach, though, that a new government is on the way who’s King will not take sides as to who is His favorite but He will be King over all inhabitants of earth and there will be no opposition to His Kingship. Satan knows this as fact and is working feverishly to accomplish his goal before his time is up. Praise be to God, for we know Satan has already been defeated. Defeated at the cross of Christ.
These simple words that I’ve typed here could, without a doubt, get me placed on my governments list of subversives, those of a rightwing terrorist persuasion. If so, so be it. My King is and always will be King and I need not fear those who are perishing. My voice shall not be quenched nor shall that of my true brethren. We will hold fast to the faith and occupy ‘til He comes. My fellow lambs, be ye not silenced.
Believers, true believers that is, become a target for the enemy. Satan places a huge bull’s eye on those who are actually upholding God’s inerrant word and preaching the Gospel, and then directs his followers to attack and destroy those targets. This satanic attack will not diminish until Jesus removes His Church from planet earth. If you are one of those who actively follow Jesus’ command to spread the Gospel, you are currently wearing that target everywhere you go.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:27. Many times in the Bible believers are referred to as sheep or lambs. Jesus referred to those who follow Him as His sheep. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11. Even though Jesus refers to Himself as the good shepherd He still sends His flock out among the wolves. “...behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:3.
Who are the wolves Jesus speaks about? Satan’s followers, all unbelievers. You may think I’m crass in my assessment of unbelievers, but you must understand what Jesus Himself tells us about unbelievers. In the book of Matthew Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me...” Matthew 12:30. Who is against Jesus? Satan. So if you’re not with Jesus then you’re with Satan. If you have a problem with this Biblical assessment of all unbelievers, your problem is actually with the author and finisher of my faith, not me.
Recently in the news there’s been talk of pro-life adherents and those who are opposed to same sex marriages, as well as prophecy buffs and people who don’t care for the current government administration, as being considered potential rightwing terrorists. Many of the folks in this category are born again believers in Christ. As our government moves even further into a posture of enacting new legislation designed for the eventual elimination of all opposition to the current regime more and more of these kinds of verbal attacks will occur to the ultimate goal of the silencing of the lambs.
This is just one more attempt by Satan to accomplish his agenda. His strategy is to eradicate all opposition to his lies. If Satan can keep believers quiet when it comes to witnessing it cuts down on his loses. By loses I mean when believers witness to someone and the Holy Spirit moves in that person’s life and they become born again, Satan loses one more soul. That fact ultimately results in even more pressure coming to bear on Satan’s followers consequently they will press in even harder on the lambs of Christ.
In all the history of the Church, Satan’s attacks have not stopped. His maligning and horrible attacks on Christ’s church are recorded throughout history. We must remember that even though there have been numerous endeavors to silence the lambs of Christ all those satanic attempts have ended up as dismal failures. That’s because Satan is a dismal failure. He’s not god, he’s not even a god, he’s a fallen angel bent on destroying humankind.
“All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.” John 10:8. We belong to Jesus Christ not Satan, and we don’t listen to Satan or his minions of evil. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14. Believers in Christ are attentive only to our Lords voice and we follow Him and Him alone. Satan has no authority or power over believers; we became the property of Jesus Christ at our conversion. Satan still wields all authority over nonbelievers and they foolishly continue to follow him. That’s a truth that’s quite evident in our society today.
The freedoms we once enjoyed are eroding quickly. Whether it began on President Bush’s watch or President Clinton’s or even prior administrations isn’t really the question. It was bound to happen because this world is under Satan’s watch. Many people email me saying the Republicans are just as responsible for the current situation as Democrats. No argument here. Many believe Bush was the instigator of all we see that has recently changed the world for the worse. Was Bush responsible for all the immorality currently being promoted from within this country and distributed worldwide? Hardly, that is Satan’s accomplishment. I’m not disagreeing with anyone about when it started only by whom it was started. Here’s a clue, it wasn’t a man. Understand, though, that men propagate this supernatural being’s agenda to their own ends – for their own selfish lusts and desires and to their own demise.
Who’s currently pushing for the total collapse of our present way of life here in America ? We know Satan’s agenda is to silence the body of Christ, to force us into submission, and to cause a change in us that will mold us into zombies such as the unbelievers who currently follow him. Without men who are under his control, Satan could not move even one inch forward. Satan places evil thoughts in men’s minds but men act on those evils because men’s hearts are wicked. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9.
A born again believer, born from God, in Christ, will never go so far as to disparage God’s word, and be so ashamed of his or her salvation that they would have nothing at all to do with the cross of Christ. Just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn’t mean they are born again. Many so called Christians don’t even know what it means to be born again. We must look at their fruit, the fruit of their lives in Christ. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:20. If their fruit points to silencing the lambs of Christ that would be a good indication that that person isn’t concerned with bearing good fruit and the love of God is not in him. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4.
The silencing of the lambs of God is currently well underway by our current President. No one can legitimately dispute that claim. Especially, in light of the statements made by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano referring to all those individuals who oppose even one aspect of the current administrations agenda as being possible rightwing terrorist. Can there be any doubt that there is a push on to silence Jesus’ lambs? Believers have the truth but those who are perishing can’t stand to hear the truth so they will stop at nothing to silence the lambs. They will even create laws to force Christ’s lambs into submission. It’s happening even as you’re reading this commentary. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; ...” Psalm 23:4.
Some say I spend too much time lambasting our current government administration and not enough time promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve written hundreds of commentaries over the past three years with the intent of spreading the Gospel, and yet less than 5% of which have had anything whatsoever to do with confronting the evil behind our current or past government leadership. I believe it is the calling of all those who have the gift of discernment to get the truth out as watchmen on the wall.
Everyone who has the eyes of discernment can see what’s happening in our land. There is a supernatural force at work here moving at seemingly breakneck speed to force the lambs of Christ into silence. If you are one of those with this God given ability you should be shouting this travesty from the rooftops. This is not just a US phenomenon. All of you that email me from outside the US, from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Spain, South America, and Canada, wherever you’re from, this satanic agenda of silencing the lambs of Christ is either coming your way or you’re already well aware of it. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.
Just by writing about the truth of the Gospel has the distinct possibility of positioning Christians on a US government list of rightwing extremism, and therefore a potential threat to the stability of our government. Mark my words it won’t be long before all preaching of the truth will be outlawed because it is currently being perceived as “hate speech”. Thus we see a continual satanic drive on for the silencing of the lambs.
Paul said, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Philippians 4:9. How much clearer could it be? We are to preach the Gospel as Paul did in his lifetime but there will be consequences associated with that preaching. Paul faced numerous attempts on his life yet persevered until the end. God’s peace shall be with us as we proclaim His message unabashed. This boldness will no doubt infuriate our enemies and cause a great amount of scorn from those who follow Satan. Indeed our well being may be in jeopardy as we continue in God’s will.
My desire is not to come off as arrogant or prideful or even condescending, but to help block the onslaught of determined foes attempting to silence the lambs of Christ. As I read about the various scenarios currently being promoted by the current administration to accomplish their satanic task I must continue to try and build a wall of faith among the believers that won’t be breached by the enemy’s fear mongers. As the new laws in this land are passed to silence the lambs – fear will be the biggest factor.
Lies abound and the enemy has many on his side to help him achieve his desired goals. We believers will continue to be pressed from every side as we remain faithful in our Christian walk. These fear mongers are quite wrong when they say we conspire to overthrow our own government. We do not need to overthrow any of earth’s governments because One is coming who will sit on the throne of David. He shall rule and reign with power and great glory and the entire world will worship Him. There’s nothing this current group of foolish followers of Satan can accomplish which will have any lasting results on silencing the lambs. Jesus Christ will overthrow all this world’s evil governments at His very appearing. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Romans 14:11.
We do preach, though, that a new government is on the way who’s King will not take sides as to who is His favorite but He will be King over all inhabitants of earth and there will be no opposition to His Kingship. Satan knows this as fact and is working feverishly to accomplish his goal before his time is up. Praise be to God, for we know Satan has already been defeated. Defeated at the cross of Christ.
These simple words that I’ve typed here could, without a doubt, get me placed on my governments list of subversives, those of a rightwing terrorist persuasion. If so, so be it. My King is and always will be King and I need not fear those who are perishing. My voice shall not be quenched nor shall that of my true brethren. We will hold fast to the faith and occupy ‘til He comes. My fellow lambs, be ye not silenced.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Moving Toward 666
Bible prophecy students who hold to a literal interpretation of prophecy yet future–futurists, as we are sometimes termed—have long speculated how America might figure into the ultimate system of control of the beast regime. That Antichrist economic/worship system is foretold in the following:
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Revelation 13:15-18).
America–but not Al Gore, as he has claimed--was at the heart of developing the internet. The internet is a type of medium that more and more looks to be one a hybrid of which might deliver on the globalist elite’s ambition to intricately link everyone on the planet in a person-to-person system of governance. More than coincidentally, such an internet hybrid will almost certainly produce, through electronic bondage, the Antichrist dictatorship that will enslave everyone on the planet.
We should expect, based upon the many proliferating end-of-days signals now occurring in birth pang-like frequency and intensity, that there should also be found on the prophetic horizon such an enslavement system in the making. Sure enough, there is such a system developing, and, again, the United States of America is at the forefront, just as the nation is at the forefront of the gush toward globalism.
The once mighty U.S. dollar is being systematically rendered the equal of all other of the world’s currencies. This is being done through printing trillions of dollars that have nothing of substance backing them whatever, and by U.S. leadership intentionally melding America’s sovereignty with a swiftly changing global monetary order.
The great tax-and-spend powers that be have been turning up every stone known to the fiscal world to find a way to exact tax revenues from use of the internet. Believe me when I tell you that they will be able to do this at some point in the near future. The voracious tax grab must first, of course, be shown to have a dramatic reason to be done. A crisis must be at hand, you see, in order to justify such invasion into the individual liberty intrinsic within the internet. No doubt, the crisis must involve national security so that we the people will be afraid not to go along.
Try this on for size, my fellow citizens…
“The President has likened threats to the internet to that of a nuclear attack. The White House should take direct control of US cybersecurity, the woman tipped to be President Obama's net security czar has said. Melissa Hathaway told a conference in San Francisco that the net had not been built with safety in mind.
She has just completed a review of cybersecurity for the President.
‘This poses one of the most serious challenges of the 21st century. Cyberspace won't be secured overnight on the basis of one good plan,’ she said…
President Obama has made the issue of cybersecurity a top priority and ordered this 60-day review to determine how the government should dramatically restructure how it handles the internet and security… Recent breaches have targeted the US power grid and the Pentagon.
To date, the government has kept its own counsel on the shape of its new cybersecurity establishment. However it has been reported the administration has finalized plans for a new Pentagon cyber command to coordinate the security of military computer networks…” (“US ramps up cybersecurity focus,” Maggie Shiels, BBC News, RSA Conference San Francisco, 4/24/09).
The American administration’s determination to bring the internet–and all involved within the medium--under strict government control proves there are plans for new bureaucracy on the drawing board of ever bigger government. It is only a matter of time–a very brief time, I suggest—until such bureaucracy will be constructed globally. It is just such a construct from which I believe the 666 mark and numbering system of Revelation 13:15-18 will ultimately emerge.
The super internet will have at its core the use of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) monetary units. Such will eliminate, the developers and implementers will claim, theft of money that the hard currencies have presented. The problems that are part of national currencies will also be eliminated, or at least made controllable, they will assure, such as problems involved with the rates of exchange of one national currency against another.
The ultimately evolved super internet system will have at its heart a computer marking and numbering system that will electronically link the individual with a central controlling entity whereby all people can be monitored and instantly dealt with as necessary. Bible prophecy foretells this whole diabolist ball of wax will revolve around worship of the beast–Antichrist. This will take place during the tribulation era, the time of God’s wrath against rebellious earth dwellers (Rev. 6: 17). However, Satan’s scheme to ultimately have all of humanity worship him will not touch saints of the Church Age (Age of Grace).
Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church (Matt. 16:16). The Apostle Paul said: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thess. 5: 9-11).
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Revelation 13:15-18).
America–but not Al Gore, as he has claimed--was at the heart of developing the internet. The internet is a type of medium that more and more looks to be one a hybrid of which might deliver on the globalist elite’s ambition to intricately link everyone on the planet in a person-to-person system of governance. More than coincidentally, such an internet hybrid will almost certainly produce, through electronic bondage, the Antichrist dictatorship that will enslave everyone on the planet.
We should expect, based upon the many proliferating end-of-days signals now occurring in birth pang-like frequency and intensity, that there should also be found on the prophetic horizon such an enslavement system in the making. Sure enough, there is such a system developing, and, again, the United States of America is at the forefront, just as the nation is at the forefront of the gush toward globalism.
The once mighty U.S. dollar is being systematically rendered the equal of all other of the world’s currencies. This is being done through printing trillions of dollars that have nothing of substance backing them whatever, and by U.S. leadership intentionally melding America’s sovereignty with a swiftly changing global monetary order.
The great tax-and-spend powers that be have been turning up every stone known to the fiscal world to find a way to exact tax revenues from use of the internet. Believe me when I tell you that they will be able to do this at some point in the near future. The voracious tax grab must first, of course, be shown to have a dramatic reason to be done. A crisis must be at hand, you see, in order to justify such invasion into the individual liberty intrinsic within the internet. No doubt, the crisis must involve national security so that we the people will be afraid not to go along.
Try this on for size, my fellow citizens…
“The President has likened threats to the internet to that of a nuclear attack. The White House should take direct control of US cybersecurity, the woman tipped to be President Obama's net security czar has said. Melissa Hathaway told a conference in San Francisco that the net had not been built with safety in mind.
She has just completed a review of cybersecurity for the President.
‘This poses one of the most serious challenges of the 21st century. Cyberspace won't be secured overnight on the basis of one good plan,’ she said…
President Obama has made the issue of cybersecurity a top priority and ordered this 60-day review to determine how the government should dramatically restructure how it handles the internet and security… Recent breaches have targeted the US power grid and the Pentagon.
To date, the government has kept its own counsel on the shape of its new cybersecurity establishment. However it has been reported the administration has finalized plans for a new Pentagon cyber command to coordinate the security of military computer networks…” (“US ramps up cybersecurity focus,” Maggie Shiels, BBC News, RSA Conference San Francisco, 4/24/09).
The American administration’s determination to bring the internet–and all involved within the medium--under strict government control proves there are plans for new bureaucracy on the drawing board of ever bigger government. It is only a matter of time–a very brief time, I suggest—until such bureaucracy will be constructed globally. It is just such a construct from which I believe the 666 mark and numbering system of Revelation 13:15-18 will ultimately emerge.
The super internet will have at its core the use of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) monetary units. Such will eliminate, the developers and implementers will claim, theft of money that the hard currencies have presented. The problems that are part of national currencies will also be eliminated, or at least made controllable, they will assure, such as problems involved with the rates of exchange of one national currency against another.
The ultimately evolved super internet system will have at its heart a computer marking and numbering system that will electronically link the individual with a central controlling entity whereby all people can be monitored and instantly dealt with as necessary. Bible prophecy foretells this whole diabolist ball of wax will revolve around worship of the beast–Antichrist. This will take place during the tribulation era, the time of God’s wrath against rebellious earth dwellers (Rev. 6: 17). However, Satan’s scheme to ultimately have all of humanity worship him will not touch saints of the Church Age (Age of Grace).
Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church (Matt. 16:16). The Apostle Paul said: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thess. 5: 9-11).
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
