Grace and peace, saints, and greetings to those who are still in the world.
I didn’t use any Scripture references in this post, because I want to appeal to the thinking man who does not have the benefit of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If it seems to be rambling to a degree, it is because it is. I started writing about the Rapture and ended up with this. The best explanation I have is that God laid this on my heart, so, I’m trusting that there is someone out there that this is intended for, and I pray that they will receive it. I took out the part dealing with the Rapture and will hopefully post it later today or tomorrow, God willing.
The term “the media” originated in advertising over 70 years ago, but has come to refer to all forms of mass communication. The word media is actually the plural form of the word medium, which Webster’s defines as, “a means of affecting or communicating something.” From this perspective, all communications: movies, television, radio, advertising, literature, and music are all forms of media, for they are a means of communicating something, and they certainly do affect us.
Human beings are sensory creatures. Our view of the world is shaped and affected by what we perceive through the senses, most importantly, what we see and hear. Moreover, the human brain is like a computer. All information taken in through the senses is stored in the brain for later retrieval. This is true whether an individual can understand the information or not. Therefore, even if a child cannot understand what he is seeing or hearing, the information is nevertheless stored in memory, and can be accessed later when the child is old enough to understand. These images and sounds, stored as memories, will be appended to current images and sounds, and the lot compiled and processed. These stored, compiled, and processed images and sounds form the core of our personalities and are the essence of who we are. But they lack one important component: a context. For the human being, that context is our worldview.
A worldview is like a computer program. It takes all the data and processes it within a particular frame or context and enables a person to 1) define the world around him, 2) relate to the world around him and 3) define his place in this world.
There are essentially two worldviews that are battling for control of the hearts and minds of men: the Christian worldview and the Humanist worldview. The fate of mankind rests on which worldview is adopted by the mass of humanity.
Let me give you an example.
Data: murder
Worldview: Christian
Context: the Bible, which says, “Thou shalt not kill.”
Conclusion: murder is wrong
Result: a society that values human life and promotes peace
Data: murder
Worldview: Humanist
Context: Man is God; therefore, he chooses what is right and what is wrong
Conclusion: Murder is wrong only if a person believes it to be wrong.
Result: a society that has little regard for human life and promotes death
As you can see, the consequences of a correct worldview are earth shaking. Our worldview is crucial to who we are, and who we are determines what society is. In order to control society then, it is important to control the sensory data that is coming in and our worldview, or the context in which we view this sensory data. If Americans desired a peaceful, orderly, and moral society, they would have to first ensure that the sensory data coming in through the media is peaceful, orderly, and moral.
The next thing Americans would have to do if they wanted a peaceful, orderly, and moral society is to adopt a worldview that clearly defined what is peaceful, orderly, and moral and what is not peaceful, orderly, and moral; in other words a clear definition of right and wrong: moral absolutes. And there would have to be an authority for this definition of right and wrong that eliminates all subjectivity. Currently, there are two choices being offered to us: the Christian worldview, whose authority is the Bible, and the Humanist worldview, whose authority is man.
History is replete with examples of the horror that results when man determines for himself what is right and wrong. If he likes apple pie and hates cherry pie, apple pie will be right and cherry pie will be wrong. Cherry pie won’t just be least preferred, it will be wrong. And with man to be wrong is to die. The Humanist worldview, therefore, must be rejected completely if man is ever to have a peaceful, orderly, and moral society.
The Christian worldview uses the Bible as its moral authority. All subjectivity is eliminated because man is seen as the flawed creature that he is: incapable of goodness and morality when left to his own devices. He then turns to the supernatural Author of the Bible, the Creator of the Universe, infinitely Wise and Good, and follows His advice. He lets God determine what is right and what is wrong.
Unfortunately, the Christian worldview has been rejected by the majority of society and is seen as outmoded and incompatible with the modern age. Man sees himself as having “evolved” to the point where he no longer needs a God to tell him what to do. He is a big boy now. He can determine for himself what is right and what is wrong.
Or can he? Look around and decide for yourself whether man’s rejection of God as Supreme Authority is benefitting society. Do you feel safe? Do you feel secure? Are we at peace? Are we an orderly society? Are we a moral society? No. No. No. No. No. Who then is to blame? You are. How? Because you support the media by watching immoral movies and television programs glorifying crime, homosexuality, and immoral sex. Because you read books and magazines which in many cases are just soft porn. Because you have made pornography acceptable, which pollutes the minds of our children, young people and adults and is the number one cause of violent sex crimes. Because you believe you are God and you know best. Because you have rejected God.
There is no morality without God. There is no goodness without God. There is no hope without God. And there is no peace without God. If you don’t believe that, look at the history of every country, including ours, in times where the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not freely preached and widely accepted. Look at Communist Russia. Look at Nazi Germany. Look at Cambodia under Pol Pot. Look at Cuba. Look at North Korea. Look at China. Look at Yugoslavia. Look at Africa. And look at the United States during slavery, the Civil War, and right now. You will see unbridled debauchery, death, murder, misery, the absolute de-valuing of human life, and horror of unspeakable proportions.
You won’t understand how serious this is until it is at your doorstep. You won’t understand how dangerous is a worldview that allows an individual to decide for himself what is right and what is wrong, until such an individual decides it is wrong for you to live; or your daughter or your son, and that it is right for that individual to be the agent of your son’s or daughter’s demise. This is the hypocrisy of many Americans:
“I believe that there is no such thing as right and wrong, and I support your right to determine for yourself what is right and what is wrong as long as you do it to someone other than me and my family.” —John Q. Rebel
The United States knew this at one time. At one time the Gospel of Jesus Christ was embraced by this nation. And God blessed her with peace and prosperity. We are now losing our prosperity and Americans still haven’t awakened to why. Shortly, we will lose our peace. We will not have to watch war happen in other countries anymore. We will not have to watch screaming women carrying the bloody, limp bodies of their children and think, “How horrible!” Americans will be intimately familiar with pain and suffering. Then, and only then, will Americans truly be part of the human family. They will finally achieve the one-ship with the world that they have been brainwashed into parroting about for years. Something tells me though, that they won’t like it as much as they thought they would.
It all starts with the media: the means by which sensory data is transmitted to our hearts and minds. Incidentally, Webster’s also defines medium as “a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits.” Notice that the definition says “a” world of spirits rather than “the” world of spirits. The editors of this dictionary know full well that there are two spirit worlds: the angelic and the demonic. Which spirit world our media is communicating with is plain to see by the types of programs they put out.
Unfortunately, we can’t control that. There are very few, if any, true, Bible-believing Christian millionaires in the world and there are even fewer, if any, true, Bible-believing Christian millionaire media moguls in the world. This is important because there is a direct correlation between money, the media, and us. Money buys influence. The media is influence. And the media influences us. So, whoever has the money can influence us. And influencing us is what it’s all about. The values that those with the money and control hold dear are the values that they will be influencing us with. From what we see in the media there can be no question that those values are not Christian.
We can’t control the media, but we can control our worldview. We can decide that there are moral absolutes. We can decide that there is such a thing as right and wrong. We can stop puffing ourselves up to think that we are higher evolved than someone else. We can humble ourselves and let God tell us what is best. Only then can we begin to put incoming data into its proper context. Only then can we begin to call sin what it is—sin. If we do this, one person at a time, one family at a time, then we can postpone the inevitable. And we can give ourselves at least a couple more years to enjoy the precious few freedoms that God has allowed us to have.
I’m not sure whom this is intended for, but if it is you, please go to the Lord Jesusand let Him know that you want Him to be your medium to righteousness.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Lord has been showing me so much lately, and some of it has been very weighty. Sometimes it can be a chore to post anything, because there is so much I want to put out, that it overwhelms me. I want to talk about so many things because I can see the spiritual significance of them–the reason behind “the reason.” But to write about them means to think about them, and to think about them is sometimes very painful.
It is incredible what is going on in the world right now, and how they confirm Scripture. But you really have to keep seeing things from an eternal perspective, because to see things clearly at times can seem as much a curse as it is a blessing. Of course, that’s the devil at work, but knowing this doesn’t make it any easier.
One thing I can tell you, Saints, is that prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes! I ask any of you who are praying Christians to please say a prayer for me, because God is showing me so much, and I know that He is not doing this for me to keep to myself. Yet, it hurts to see the imminent death of life as we have known it along with the free-est country in the history of the world, and to see the majority of Americans going about their business, totally oblivious to the fact that they are about to lose everything.
But at the same time, you know that Jesus said that these things must come to pass. We are so privileged to be seeing these things, because, right now, before our very eyes, Jesus is proving Himself to be Who He Said He Was.
But the weight of this privilege! I am going to post something between today and tomorrow, God willing, and I will try to collect my thoughts and attempt to post more regularly. I praise God throughout. He is good!
Now, these articles are not nearly as extensive or as well-researched as others you will find out there (though some good research went into our essay on government surveillance), and they were not intended to be. Their purpose was to get you thinking and to get you to consider these issues in light of Scripture. It is to help you understand that the Lord Jesus told us these things would happen, because once you understand that, it should have a calming affect upon you, when you see things going absolutely crazy around you. (And believe me, if you are walking in the Spirit, you will. I Gar-On-Tee).
In my continuing effort to edify, inform, and encourage the Body of Christ, and to get non-believers to understand that Jesus is The Real Deal, I submit for your approval yet two more articles to support the aforementioned. It seems that aBritish tabloid has been hacking into the cell phones of private citizensand deleting certain calls. It is interesting to note that the tabloid is owned by Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul who also owns Fox News.
Now, besides the obvious privacy issues involved (which is actually a joke because England is a Socialist country as America will soon ostensibly be, but I digress), this may be a potentially criminal act, because many of the alleged victims of this cell-phone-peeping-Tom-age are relatives of murder victims, some of whom were killed by terrorist acts. I will not speak any further to this, because you should have already seen enough to know by now that privacy is a thing of the past.
In another story, an 11-yr-old Ind. boy is accused of murdering his brother by shooting him in the head. As the children’s mother and her boyfriend were not home at the time, there may also be child negligence charges pending. Children killing children again. Saints, are we not living in perilous times?
Now, I know that this is a pretty negative way to start the day, but I did it not to alarm you, but to sober you up. Now that you are sober, let me offer you a little comfort. When we see things like this going on in the world, we should consider them, because they are happening for a reason. But we shouldn’t think about them too hard. Remember, Jesus said that these things must come to pass (Luke 21:9).
We are not to be troubled. We are in the midst of the storm, not in the storm. We are in the eye of the Hurricane. To give you some comfort, let me share with you one of my favorite verses of Scripture in the entire Bible.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of goodreport; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).[Boldface mine.]
Did you get that? Man, if it is beautiful, lovely, and virtuous, that’s what we ought to be thinking about. The devil wants us to see these things and be afraid for our lives. He wants us to live in fear. Jesus said, “Watch and pray,” not “Watch and be afraid.” When we see these things happening, we are supposed to remember that Jesus told us about them centuries ago. We should realize that if we can trust Him about the present, then we can certainly trust Him about the future, and that’s what it’s all about!
Be encouraged and look up, your redemption draweth well nigh!
“Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants”
-William Penn
Grace and peace unto you.
Today is the 4th of July 2011 and it is raining outside; and I could not be more pleased. Independence Day is a sham. For the retail business, the 4th of July is merely a day to market grills, charcoal, coolers, and flags. For most Americans it is just a day off from work to eat barbecue and enjoy family and friends. There is nothing wrong with that. But, Americans could care less about the true meaning of this day. I would wager that many—if not most—Americans are not even aware that the true name of this day is Independence Day, and I would again wager that precious few of those who are aware know the circumstances which lend special significance to that moniker.
No. Americans have completely divorced themselves from the ideals that made this country what it is. Americans are ashamed to be Americans. Americans are ashamed to be patriots. And Americans are ashamed of their Constitution: the only document in the history of the world that set man free.
Americans are blissfully ignorant of the fact that the greatest war between good and evil, light and darkness, and liberty and slavery has been, is being and will be fought in this country. They are marvelously blind to the fact that America is the only country in the world where human beings were free to do as they like. Our Constitution gives us the freedom to say what we want, to think what we want, to worship as we see fit, to associate with whom we choose, to bear arms in order to defend our persons and property, and to be secure in our persons and property from government seizure.
Every other nation in the world is under some form of dictatorship. Even the so-called democratic countries have nothing in writing that guarantees any freedoms to their citizens to the extent that the United States has. These countries can grant or rescind any privileges given to the people that they so choose.
And therein lies the difference. The Constitution of the united States of America—unique in the history of the world—grants its citizens rights rather than privileges; and there is a huge difference. Rights are God-given whereas privileges are man-given. It is against the principles of the Bible to deny a person the right to say what he chooses, or to worship his God, or to defend himself against anyone who would want to take his life or property. These rights are given us by the Constitution, a document which would never had been ratified by the several states unless those rights were expressly given. The founders of this country knew what the inevitable result would be if a government were given unlimited powers over the people – tyranny.
Therefore the founders devised the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which the several states demanded as a prerequisite to signing the Constitution, to protect our God-given rights. The Constitution established a federal government—meaning that power was shared between the national government and the government of the several states—with limited powers. And this is very important to understand. The United States government exists nowhere but on paper.
The Constitution created a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” which was limited in power and scope to keep it from turning into a dictatorship. Without our Constitution, the government has unlimited power; and can do as it pleases, when it pleases, and to whom it pleases. Yet this document, which is the only protection that the people have from their government, is being trampled on daily by both the government and the people.
You must understand that without the Constitution we have no rights. If you think that once the Constitution is abolished, the government, out of the goodness of its heart, will allow people to continue to enjoy the freedoms that they do now, you are out of your mind.
The imminent loss of the Constitution of the United States should be of great concern to everybody, but it should absolutely terrify Blacks.
Before the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments (the Reconstruction Amendments) to the Constitution, Blacks were slaves—owned property—who did not have the right to live, let alone own property. They were property.
Slavery is the best example of the difference between a right and a privilege. Understand that the United States Constitution created a Constitutional Republic, where the rights of the individual were more important than the rights of the people; the logic being that if you look out for the rights of the individual citizen, then the rights of all citizens will be protected. But those who supported slavery preferred a democracy, where the rights of the people took precedent over the rights of the individual. Which people? The majority. Who were the majority? male, white, property owners.
The majority, who filled many offices of government, said that blacks were not people and thus, were not entitled to the right to life, liberty, and property. Without that right, blacks could be bought, sold, and discarded like all other owned property. Life, then, for the Black, was a privilege rather than a right, and, thus, could be taken away at a moment’s notice.
The 13th Amendment not only abolished slavery as a government-sanctioned institution, but it also eliminated slavery as a class (for that is exactly what it was) and thus a perpetual and hereditary condition. The 14th Amendment then established the Negro as a person and thus entitled to all the rights and privileges under the Constitution and the various state governments. Among these is the right to live, granted by the Fifth Amendment, which reads:
“No person shall be…deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”
Did you know that the right to life comes from the Bible? Well it does, and we would do well to understand that. Genesis 2:7 says,
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”
That means that God gave us life, not man. There is a very simple principle at work here: he who makes a thing owns a thing. God created us and gave us life, so only He has the right to take away our lives (as He has proven on occasion). That is why the taking of a man’s life by another is called murder and is against the law. Man didn’t come up with that; God said it first.
The Declaration of Independence
But ever since Cain killed righteous Abel, man has usurped God’s authority and determined for himself who should live and who should die. Whenever man is in charge he will set himself up as lord over other men and, taking upon himself the mantel of God, usurp a right that is exclusively His: the right to determine who should live and who should die.
Can you see now why Evolution is so dangerous? A doctrine that eliminates God as Supreme Lord and Creator and decrees that man just “happened,” supplants God’s decree regarding the sanctity of life. Then men get to choose who will live and who will die. Which men? Why, the majority. Who is the majority? Why, the most evolved. Who is the most evolved? Well, I think we all know the answer to that one. This is the danger of a democracy.
The founding fathers were Christian and learned men who knew full well the weakness of man, so they gave us the Bill of Rights to protect the common man’s life, liberty, and property from anyone who would take these away from him. This is even reflected in the way the Amendments to the Bill of Rights are ordered. The First Amendment gives man among other things, freedom of worship, and right behind it comes the Second Amendment, which gives us the right to “keep and bear arms.” Why? In order to protect the first rights and all the others. This too, comes from the Bible, for Jesus said:
“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace” (Luke 11:21).
Without the right to protect ourselves, we would have no way to keep someone from denying us any of our rights, especially the right to life.
At this point, I want to emphasize something very important: if everyone thought that all individuals were entitled to rights, there would have been no need to expressly grant them in the Constitution. So, the very fact that they are in the Constitution is a direct indictment against man. It is also important to note that at the time the Constitution was penned, there were no blacks in government and no one was looking forward to a day when Negroes would be free. That means that white men at this time feared enslavement and deprivation of life by other white men.
This is very important to understand considering that many, many, people blame Blacks, Hispanics, and anyone else they can for all of America’s ills. Yet, at this time, whites were afraid of other whites. Why? Because they knew that it is not a man’s color that one should be concerned with, but his ideology and worldview—his religion. This is why the founding fathers, after giving us the freedom to worship as we choose, gave us the right to arm and protect ourselves from someone exercising their freedom to worship a god that may not be very friendly towards you.
Think about it. If your right to live comes from God; that is, Jesus Christ, but Jesus does not hold the place in another man’s heart that He holds in yours, then this person may not even recognize your right to live. The founding fathers understood that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
You may not think that the right to live and to protect your life is important, but look at what has happened in every country where those rights were not respected. Look at Nazi Germany and the death camps. Look at Communist Russia and the more than two hundred million Russians killed under Stalin. Look at Communist Cambodia and Pol Pot’s Killing Fields. Look at Communist China and Tiananmen Square. And look at America during the time of slavery.
Everywhere where the right to life and the right to protect one’s life has been denied people have suffered terribly. Yet we have these rights expressly guaranteed in our Constitution–and we want to get rid of it! Rather than remember the terrible price that has been paid in order to make our country free, we prefer to get together and eat barbecue.
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with eating barbeque on Independence Day. But rather than celebrating the ability to cook and eat barbecue, we should be celebrating the Constitution which gave us all the rights that enabled you to be standing at your grill wearing your “Kiss the Chef” apron on a normal workday (whereas in a Communist country you would be working).
Blacks should be remembering all the brave men and women from President Abraham Lincoln to President John F. Kennedy who fought and died so that you could have the right to enjoy the same rights as everyone else. We should above all remember the Lord Jesus from whom those rights ultimately came. And we should never forget that there are those who are determined to take those rights away from us.
Enjoy this Independence Day America. Soon it will be a thing of the past. Forgetfulness is a terminal disease.
Please forgive me for this ranting diatribe, but my heart hurts for America. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
3. “God is One, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are infinite in glory, wisdom, holiness, justice, power, and love.”
This is a true statement except for one thing: notice that nothing is said of mercy or grace. A God who is all-powerful, just, and loving, can still be a tyrant if He he is not also merciful. When God proclaimed His own name to Moses on Mount Sinai, He said this of Himself:
“The Lord, the Lord God,mercifulandgracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands,forgivinginiquity and transgression and sin…” (Exodus 34:7).
This is God speaking of Himself, and the first thing He wants us to know about Him is that that He is merciful, gracious, and forgiving. Only after He had said this of Himself did He proclaim His sense of justice, and He did this for a reason. A God without mercy and grace is not a God that sinners such as you and I would willingly worship. Because we are sinners and prone to err frequently, there would be many opportunities for God to show us how just He is. If He were not merciful, I would be scared to death of Him anytime I made a mistake.
Did you know that there are sinners who will not come to God because they fear His sense of justice and His holiness? Just as Moses was afraid to look upon God because he was a sinner, so are these afraid even to come before His presence. They are crushed beneath an incredible weight of sin and guilt. Someone in this situation does not need to be reminded how Holy God is—they already know that. They need to know how merciful, gracious, and forgiving He is.
I love my children and sometimes punish them when they do wrong—sometimes being the operative word. If I punished them every single time they did wrong, I would be just and maybe even loving, but not very merciful. I would command my children’s fear, but not necessarily their love. My God is Just and Holy, but also Merciful and Gracious, and I love Him for that.
I once led a woman to Christ who had an abortion. This woman wanted forgiveness so badly, but she was sure that God would never forgive her for murdering her baby. My heart broke for this dear soul, because she, for one, understood that abortion is murder. All the propaganda in the world could not free her from the awful weight of sin and guilt that had oppressed her and made her life miserable. But what most impressed me about her was the fact that she could not bring herself to appear before the Lord. Though she was not saved, she knew that God is Holy. She could not bear to look at His face with the murder of an innocent child on her conscience. I explained to her that God said:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
She was overjoyed, and decided to give her life to Jesus. I wanted to pray with her in secret, but she was so happy that God would even grant her forgiveness for this one sin that was crushing her life, that she wanted to show that she was not ashamed of Him. We prayed out in the open on a crowded street in a busy shopping district and she prayed the most gut-wrenching, body-shuddering, sobbing, heartfelt prayer that I have heard to this day. As she bore her soul to Jesus, she felt the weight of sin being lifted from her tired body and soul. What a blessing!
Understand that if one goes to God with a broken, repentant heart, He will be:
Merciful – He will not give you what you do deserve. (Hell, eternal damnation.)
Gracious – He will give you what you do not deserve. (Eternal life, blessings.)
Forgiving – He will give you what your heart truly longs for. (Forgiveness of sins, peace, joy.)
God is merciful! Don’t believe what you’ve heard. God loves us and wants to forgive us–is waiting to forgive us. All we need do is come to Him. Jesus says,
“Behold I stand at the door and knock; and if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
Don’t be afraid to come to Jesus. He is not a tyrant. He is a tender, loving, merciful, and gracious God. And He loves you.
In his book,Fifty Years In The Church of Rome, Charles Chiniquy writes that Roman Catholics are cleverly taught from their youth that Jesus is a powerful, mean, judgmental, merciless tyrant who would like nothing better than to destroy all of mankind for their disobedience and rebellion. According to Chiniquy, they are taught that Mary is the only person who can calm Him down, and so it is to Mary that Catholics must pray to receive mercy.
This does not describe my Jesus, who said,
“Anyone who cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.”
John 1:14 says that Jesus is, “full of grace and truth.” We should remember this when we are telling people about Him.
Now, I understand that many churches have statements of faith that use this same wording, and I am not saying that every church that uses this wording is a Charismatic church. I myself at one time used this exact wording in my belief statement (which I actually borrowed from a particular ministry that I trusted) until I began to reflect on what it actually may be implying, and how it could be misconstrued by someone searching for a church they can trust.
Some may see this as inconsequential, but a person coming out of a false religion or cult could doubtless attest to the fact that the deception starts with the pitch; after all, that is how most of us get hooked. For a church, that pitch is the statement of faith, therefore, we must be wary.
4. “Jesus Christ is both Man and God (Almighty God in the Flesh), who in His incarnation was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary.”
There is a potential danger in this seemingly innocuous statement.
Jesus is both Man and God—Almighty God in the Flesh. And He was incarnated and was also conceived of the Holy Spirit. These are true statements. The statement ends, however, by saying that Jesus was “born of the virgin, Mary.” This last part is troublesome, and I’ll tell you why.
It is the virgin birth of Jesus that is important to our salvation, not the fact that He was born to Mary. Scripture tells us that because of Adam’s sin, all people on earth have inherited sin:
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and sodeath passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”(Romans 5:12).
This is what is called Original Sin. It is the sin we inherit from Adam, the first man to ever sin. Inheritance is passed down through the father, not the mother. In order for Jesus not to inherit sin from Adam, as we all have, He would have to be born only of a woman, with no male intervention. This is impossible—for us. But for God, all things are possible. Mary conceived of God The Holy Spirit, not a mortal man. In this manner, Jesus was born without Original Sin, and during His earthly sojourn He never sinned. For this reason, Jesus was the only person in the history of the world who was qualified to die for the sins of mankind.
So, it is Jesus’ virgin, sinless birth that is important to our salvation—not the fact that He was born to Mary. God chose Mary, it’s true, but Jesus could have been born to any virgin. It is not necessary therefore, to even mention Mary’s name, and doing so could even be dangerous for Christians. I will explain why.
Protestant Christian churches are born of the Reformation, the great sixteenth-century movement, started by Martin Luther, which saw the true believers of Jesus Christ split from the Roman church over certain traditions and practices which the reformers saw as unscriptural. A major distinction between Roman Catholicism and Christianity is the Catholic exaltation of Mary, whom they call The Mother of God. Scripture says that Jesus is “from everlasting to everlasting,” and that He existed “from the beginning.” Jesus was God before Mary was even born (John 1:1), so it is not accurate to call her the mother of God. She was only the mother of Jesus.
The Reformation Church has always differed with Rome on this matter. Therefore (in my experience), in their statements of faith, Reformation Christian churches never mentioned the name of Jesus’ mother, preferring instead to say that Jesus was “born of a virgin.” I believe they did this to distinguish themselves from the Roman Catholic church. This distinction is important because only the Catholic church continues to worship Mary as a virgin, when the Scriptures clearly state that after Mary gave birth to Jesus, she gave birth to sons and daughters. She was no longer a virgin.
With respect to using the name Mary, in the book of Luke especially, one will notice that after Jesus was born, Mary is mostly referred to as “His mother.” She is rarely mentioned again by name. As a matter of fact, during Jesus’ ministry, she is most often referred to as the mother of Jesus’ siblings (Mat. 27:56, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:10), or “the other Mary” (Mat 27:61, 28:1).
It is also particularly noteworthy that at the marriage feast in Cana, Jesus addressed His mother as “woman” (John 2:4). This is because she was asking Him to perform a miracle; namely to provide wine for the feast. Jesus wanted to make it clear that He didn’t do requests; not even for His mother. His response is interesting:
“Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”
Now, whenever the Bible mentions that Jesus’ hour had not yet come, it is referring to His crucifixion. Jesus therefore, was referring to a future time after His crucifixion when people would pray to Mary to get Jesus to do something for them. This is what the Roman Catholics do now. Jesus was basically saying, “Hey, I’m not dead yet!” He later uses this same manner of address again, when, on the Cross and referring to the apostle John, he says to His mother,
“Woman, behold thy son” (John 19:26).
It would seem to us very rude for a man to address his mother as “woman,” especially at a very public gathering. Was Jesus rude then? Not at all. Jesus loved His mother. But He wanted to make it clear to His true followers that He never intended for us to go to His mother as an intercessory to Him. The fact that, even at the point of death, He still called his mother “woman” is proof positive that He was serious about this.
So, in mentioning Mary by name, and calling her “the virgin,” this statement could be viewed as an endorsement of Roman Catholicism. That may not necessarily be the case, neither is a church that uses this wording necessarily Charismatic, but it should be noted that, at the very least, this statement could be viewed as consistent with the ecumenical goal of bringing Christian churches once again under Rome.
I realize that many churches use similar wording in their statements of faith, as did I at one time. In my case, when I first started this blog, I borrowed my statement of faith from another ministry, which I trusted. Only when I examined the statement in light of what I am telling you now, did I understand what it was actually implying. I then looked at the statements of faith of other churches, and I found that many use the exact same wording. I think that ministries are borrowing from others which they believe hold to the same beliefs as themselves. That is why it is very important to really know what it is that you believe, and then to make sure that everything about you: what you do, what you wear, where you go, with whom you spend your time, what you read, and especially what you say, accurately reflect who you are and what you believe.
Because many churches use similar statements of faith, one should examine whether a church’s practices reflect its beliefs. If there is a disparity, bring it to the pastor and find out what he really believes. If what he believes cannot be reconciled with the Bible, then you have a decision you must make.
In these last days, when deception is so convincing that it is extremely hard to tell which churches are truly of God, our statements of faith should be straightforward, unambiguous, and should reflect our union with Jesus Christ and none other. The Christian Church should look to distinguish itself from all other religions—especially Roman Catholicism. Even though the world will call us dogmatic, contentious, and uncompromising, we are only imitating our Master.
Understand that these are my beliefs, based on what I have seen and experienced, as well as on my understanding of Scripture. You may not agree, but if you love the truth, you should at least consider what I am saying.
We have only examined four statements in this church’s Statement of Faith, and though we have not yet proven that this church is Charismatic, the discerning eye can already see that it certainly has some ecumenical overtones.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.”
Paul was prophesying that the day would come when some Christians will leave the true Church, having been seduced by the spirit of Satan, and will join false churches with false doctrines and damnable herecies. Jesus also foretold of this when he said,
“Take heed that no man deceive you…for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Mathew 24:24).
The most distinguishing feature of the last days will be deception: false churches, false prophets, and false teachings.
Jesus said that the deception would be so convincing that, if it were possible, it would fool the very elect of God. In order for such a deception to be effective, it would have to look Christian; if it were not, it would not be an effective deception.
Buddhism, for example, is so dissimilar from Christianity as to require little or no discernment to know that it is not Christian. Buddhism pays no homage to Jesus Christ, nor does it feature a virgin birth, a crucifixion, or a death, burial, and resurrection. Consequently, Buddhism is so distinguishable from Christianity that only the most naïve person could be beguiled into believing that it is Christian.
A religion that ostensibly worships the Lord Jesus, however, and that seemingly adheres to the major tenets of the faith, while actually calling Jesus Christ a liar, would be harder to detect. Such a church could indeed fool many. This is the reason Paul said that we must watch and pray in these last days.
There could be no doubt that we are in the last days of the Last Days, for never in history have there been so many false churches and false belief systems. They may seem to be dissimilar, but they all have a few things in common. In Genesis Chapter 3, Satan tells us what to look for in a false church.
Satan, in the form of a serpent, is talking to Eve about God’s commandment concerning the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As we know, God had commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of this fruit saying, “For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Satan challenges the Word of God, and in doing so, makes five very revealing statements about the character of all false religions. Speaking to Eve, Satan says,
1) “Yea hath God said?” (“Did God really say?” Denying the inerrancy of God’s Word by questioning and casting doubt.)
2) “Ye shall not surely die, (There is no death and/or no hell.)
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
3) “Your eyes shall be opened, (Illumination through continuing revelation, mystic experience, or degrees of initiation.)
4) “And ye shall be as gods, (Man can be a god.)
5) “Knowing good from evil.” (Man can decide for himself what is right and what is wrong.)
All false religions will contain to some degree some or all of these five propositions. Some religions, like Mormonism, have all five. I will cover Mormonism some day in the future, God willing, since Mitt Romney is running for president of the United States, and is a Mormon. Mormonism claims to be a form of Christianity, so it behooves us as Christians to know something of what Mormonism teaches, for Scripture tells us to prove all things.
Now, there are many false religions out there: so many that we as Christians do not have time to study them all, for it seems that new religions and belief systems are popping up almost daily. It is more profitable, therefore, to examine those that are the greatest threat to the Christian church, for the very reasons we mentioned earlier: because they appear to be Christian, but are not: for they espouse doctrines of devils.
One religious movement definitely deserves our attention, because it is gobbling up whole churches and bringing them under the influence of Rome. That religious movement is called the Charismatic Movement.
Charismatic in this sense does not mean charming and full of charisma. Charismatic is derived from the Greek word, charismata, and has to do with the works of the Holy Spirit. The Charismatic Movement was started by the Roman Catholic church as part of the Ecumenical Movement, which seeks tounite all the religions of the world under the Catholic Churchwith the pope as the head.
The better I understand the Ecumenical Movement, the more I realize that virtually every church I have attended throughout my life was in some way ecumenical. Until I got saved, ecumenism defined my “Christian” experience. This is how pervasive and dangerous this movement is.
The Ecumenical Movement seeks to unite diverse religions on the basis of religious experience rather than doctrine, because doctrinal issues are normally what distinguishes and separates religions. Doctrine, therefore is considered “divisive.” Ecumenism attempts to circumvent doctrinal issues and unite all religions on issues that are considered less divisive and contentious.
Enter the Charismatic Movement. The Charismatic Movement focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit, in particular the speaking of tongues and healing. Every Charismatic church that I have ever visited placed great emphasis on speaking in tongues and healing through the laying on of hands.
Charismatic churches are very deceptive because in many ways they appear to be Christian and to assert most of the doctrines of Biblical Christianity. But, on fundamental, doctrinal issues, a Charismatic church will disagree with Biblical Christianity. It is important, therefore, to remember a few crucial items when evaluating a church’s doctrine in order to determine whether that church is in fact a Charismatic church.
1) Remember that the Charismatic Movement is not of Jesus Christ; any doctrine not of Jesus is of the devil and will therefore reflect one or all of Satan’s doctrines outlined in Genesis 3 above. Satan hates the Bible, so one doctrine that a Charismatic church will certainly attack is the inerrancy of Scripture.
2) If it is true that the Charismatic Movement is part of an effort to unite all religions and bring them under the headship of the Vatican, then the doctrines and/or practices of a Charismatic church should in some way somehow reflect this goal.
3) Discernment is of the Holy Spirit. One should pray for discernment when evaluating a church’s doctrine, desiring to hear the truth rather than what one wants.
We will examine the Statement of Faith of an actual church to show you how deceptive they can be and to show, based on the above criteria, how to tell whether a church is charismatic. I will not identify the church, because there are so many false churches out there, that it could easily become a full time job.
It is more fruitful to reveal doctrinal errors that one can recognize and use as a template. We will examine each statement one by one, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things, and in do doing, also demonstrate how Satan often mixes truth with error to make his errant teachings more palatable. We should remember that God says no lie is of the truth. If it is partially wrong it is completely wrong.
STATEMENT OF FAITH OF A CHARISMATIC CHURCH [numbering mine.]
“We Believe; [sic]
1. “That the Scriptures of the Holy Bible, are the Holy Word of Almighty God, and are free from error.”
This statement very cleverly declares that this church does not believe the Bible is the Word of God. The first part of the sentence, “the Scriptures of the Holy Bible are the Holy Word of Almighty God,” reveals a grammatical as well as doctrinal sleight of hand at work. Note that Scriptures is the subject, not the Holy Bible. Holy Bible is actually the object of a prepositional phrase beginning with the preposition “of.” If one were to take out the prepositional phrase, the sentence would read, “The Scriptures are the Holy Word of Almighty God.” As the word “Scriptures” is often used to refer to the Word of God—the Bible—this would be fine. As the sentence is written, however, the Scriptures are clearly being distinguished from the Holy Bible. The reason why this was done will become clear in a moment.
The next part of the sentence, the predicate, reads, “are the Holy Word of Almighty God.” Again this is referring to the Scriptures, not the Bible, because since the Bible is part of a prepositional phrase, it cannot be modified by the predicate. In other words, the verb “are” refers to the subject of the verb “Scriptures,” not the object of the preposition “Bible.” If they had wanted to say “the Bible is the Word of Almighty God,” they could easily have done so, as I just have. They did not, however, because this is not what they believe. They believe “the Scriptures of the Holy Bible” (or the Scriptures on which the Bible is based) are the Word of God, not the Bible itself.
The last part of the sentence, “and are free from error,” again refers to “Scriptures” because as we just saw, “the Holy Bible” is part of a prepositional phrase. In other words, the sentence is stating that the Scriptures are free from error, not the Holy Bible. Again, if the author had wanted to say that the Bible is free from error, the sentence should simply say, “The Bible is the Holy Word of Almighty God, and is free from error” or “The Scriptures are the Holy Word of Almighty God, and are free from error.” They did not do this because this is not what they believe.
I have never heard anyone refer to the Bible as “the Scriptures of the Holy Bible.” To understand what has been done here, imagine if I were to say, “I believe that the words of this book are true,” rather than saying “I believe that the book is true.” Any intelligent person would assume that I do not agree that the entire book is true. Why? Because I made a distinction between the words and the book.
By distinguishing the Scriptures from the Holy Bible, they are implying that the two are separate. To understand why they would make such a distinction, it is important to understand that those who deny the Word of God contend that what we have today are not the inspired, original words of God. They say that our modern bibles are full of errors, and that men injected their own thoughts for the thoughts of God.
Scriptures, therefore, refers to the original writings on which our present Bible is based. The originals were written on papyrus, which only lasts a few years, and no longer exist. Our present Bible, the Authorized King James, is based on copies of the originals that were faithfully reproduced, preserved, and handed down over hundreds of years.
Some, however, believe that the King James, as well as the many other bible versions, are full of errors, but were all based on various inspired manuscripts, and thus contain “some truth.” They believe, therefore, that all of the bible versions are necessary in order to come to some semblance of what God actually said. Hank Hannagram is one highly-regarded theologian who espouses this belief.
So, in a very clever fashion, this church is actually saying that the original inspired writings were “error-free,” but that the bibles we have now are not. This does not agree with Scripture, which says, “All scripture is given by inspiration from God” (2 Timothy 3:16). “All scripture” means “every word” in the Bible. It means that the Bible is true from cover to cover. This church (as well as others) uses the word “scripture” to refer only to the original writings and make the contention that only they were inspired of God and free of errors. They use this verse to justify their errant belief.
Let us look at their next statement:
2. “We consider the Holy Bible our final and absolute Authority, above and beyond all other authorities on earth.”
This statement is really saying that all bible versions are equally valid, and that there is no one bible version that is the actual Word of God. Remember, that they have made a grammatical (but not accidental) distinction between the Scriptures–which they take to mean the original manuscripts on which the Bible is based–and the Holy Bible.
Remember that through this distinction they implied that only the original manuscripts are the Word of God and are thus error-free–not the Bible. In that none of the bible versions, according to them, are the Word of God and error-free, then none is completely reliable. But since they believe that all bible versions are based on the “Scriptures” (by which they mean the original writings), then all bible versions contain some truth, and thus are all valid. Hank Hannagram himself has said this very thing.
To check if what I have just revealed to you is true, and if a church believes that we have the Word of God in this present day, ask the pastor which bible version is the word of God. He will either say all of them are, or none of them are.
Now, we know that all of them cannot be, because none of them agree: some of them omit verses, while others add verses. God is not the author of confusion. We also know that it is not possible that none of them is the Word of God, because Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Mathew 24:35). To say that we no longer have the word of God is to call Jesus Christ a liar. No true Christian would do this.
As I said in the beginning, Satan denies God’s word by questioning if we really have His words. (“Yea, hath God said?”).
There were a few things going on in the world that I wanted to talk about today, but I think I will perhaps talk about them tomorrow. I just finished watching a video where Roger Ebert appeared on Ted Talks speaking about dealing with the inability to speak since having his lower jaw removed due to cancer.
It was a very moving presentation. At first, Mr. Ebert used Apple’s “Alex” voice synthesizer on his MacBook to speak, but after a few minutes, he deferred to his wife and two other gentlemen who read from scripts to convey his thoughts to the audience rather than encumber them with the computerized voice for too long.
Mr. Ebert talked about his struggles to find a digital voice that was natural and as closely as possible imitated normal speech. He shared how difficult it was for him to have to type as fast as possible so that in a conversational situation the other party would not have to wait that long as he typed. He said that there is html code that he can use in a conversation that would help the synthesized voice to mimic subtle nuances in speech such as voice inflection, but that it is much too slow in a natural setting when he already has the task of typing as fast as he can so that the conversation can flow naturally.
Mr. Ebert said that at the encouragement of his wife, he contacted a software company in Scotland that was able to use samples of his voice from existing tapes and audio material from his long career in television. The company was able to use that material and synthesize it into a computerized voice that sounded almost exactly like his natural voice. He played a sample and indeed, it sounded almost exactly the way I remember him from “At the Movies.”
Mr. Ebert related something very interesting that I have not been able to forget. He spoke about how much our voices are tied into who we are as people and how not being able to express ourselves any longer can actually change who we are. He said that in his case, having to rely on another voice to speak for him actually brought about the birth of a new person. This was something that I have never thought about, but I can certainly see how that could happen. He also talked about how uncomfortable he felt without his computer and how he spends much more time listening in conversations than he used to, rather than slow the conversation down by typing.
Possibly the saddest and most sobering part of the presentation is when he talked about the physical toll this ordeal had taken on him with all the surgeries he has undergone. He said that on four occasions his carotid artery actually ruptured, and that on one occasion had he not been listening to a particular album longer than he should have, he would have died in his car. Fortunately, the artery ruptured before he left the hospital and doctors were able to save his life. He also talked about the way people react when they see him; how they speak to him with a loud voice as though he were deaf, and how many avert their eyes when they see him, because he reminds them of their own fragility and mortality.
His wife, Chaz, who did a very good job of holding herself together, read this portion of the presentation and one could plainly see that she was suffering for her husband. What I liked about her was that there was not an ounce of self-pity on her behalf. Her concern was clearly for her husband, who at one point (through his wife) said that he looked like the Phantom of the Opera, to which his wife vehemently protested. He is truly blessed, in spite of it all, to have someone by his side, and that he is not going through this difficult time alone.
Mr. Ebert devoted the final minutes of his presentation to how computer technology and the internet have given him a second chance at life and enabled him to express himself even though he can no longer speak. He talked about how he has met so many supportive people, through his blog and Twitter, who have gone through similar trials such as one man who is cripple, and another who has to type with his toes. I was very much encouraged by this man’s story because, even though I have the power to speak, I am utterly alone in this world, having been either disowned by family and friends or cruelly torn away from the only people who still love me.
I have always been the black sheep in my family, so I am used to being alone. But, when you have a burning desire within you to share what Jesus has done for you and to help others who are going through various trials with the knowledge and encouragement that the Lord has given you, it can be very difficult. Our situations are different but similar: he has a captive audience but can’t speak to them, I am very much able to speak, but no one wants to hear.
Enter the internet! This blog enables me to share with the lost the love, hope, and salvation that are in Christ Jesus, as well as to encourage, edify, and admonish the body of Christ. What a blessing! I thank God for this miracle of modern technology! Though I would never venture to compare my pithy circumstances with Roger Ebert’s, I know something of how it feels to have found one’s voice on the internet.
But how do you share the love of Jesus with someone in Mr. Ebert’s situation? How can you convince someone that is going through such a trial that the Lord Jesus loves and cares for them and has a plan for their life? I have to confess that I don’t know how. I desperately want to know how. But I fear that I am no different than most people, who have petty fears about the disabled. I have always wanted to witness to them, but have never tried because I have never walked in their shoes. It would be incredibly fake and pretentious of me to try to tell them to have faith and be encouraged and trust in the Lord, when that is hard enough for able-bodied people to do. I pray that the Lord will give me wisdom in this area.
I am glad that I saw Roger Ebert’s video. This Christian walk can be so difficult, but it’s nothing compared to what Mr. Ebert has gone through and must yet go through. It was very encouraging.
Mr. Ebert is also not a believer, as during his presentation, he spoke of the world as being billions of years old. With his newfound access to so many people, perhaps there is someone in a similar situation that has somehow found the Lord Jesus and can share his testimony with Roger Ebert.
We all have our own burdens to bear, trials to go through, and difficulties to overcome, especially in this economy, but if you can spare a moment, please pray for strength for Roger Ebert and his wife Chaz and all those who are going through similar circumstances. And while we are at it, let us ask God to help us to overcome our own ignorance and prejudice.
Adolf Hitler is reported to have said, “If you tell a lie long enough, loud enough, and often enough, the people will believe it.” I am a witness to this phenomenon of deception. I have known someone to give a completely false account of an incident that everyone present knew was a lie. Nevertheless, this person continued to tell his false version of the incident for so long–literally years–and so often, that after awhile, some of those who witnessed the event came to doubt what they actually saw, and to believe the false account.
Indeed, I know two people who actually said that they never admit guilt to anything, and that if someone were to see them commit a crime, the person would have to prove without a shadow of a doubt that the they were guilty. No matter how trivial the infraction, they have determined never to admit guilt.
I heard a story once where a woman caught her husband in the very act of infidelity. “It’s not what it looks like,” her husband said. “What do you mean, it’s not what it looks like,” his wife answered, “What else could it possibly be?” “I’m telling you it’s not,” he retorted. “Now are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?”
This seems to be the attitude that the media takes toward the public. Often, they will report on an incident and that report, which often takes place during, or immediately after the incident, will be truthful. Oftentimes, however, shortly thereafter, a new report will come out denying what the initial report either stated openly or implied. This is probably because someone in a powerful or influential position didn’t like the way the original report made something or someone look. It’s a cleanup report.
Take for instance the riot that occurred the other day in Vancouver, British Columbia when the Kanucks lost to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals. Rioters took to the streets, overturning cars, smashing windows, and setting fires. The scene was of absolute chaos and anarchy. And over what? A game. Turns out they have done the same thing before. This damning portrait is in stark contrast to the media’s perpetual portrayal of Canadians—especially those in Vancouver—as laid back, easy-going people. Yet, they are obviously capable of terrible violence for the most trivial of reasons. No different than anyone else.
I saw a glimpse of this hypocrisy a couple of months ago at a press conference for a UFC card featuring a title bout between George St. Pierre and Jake Shields.Jose Aldo, a Brazilian, was also fighting on the undercard and appeared at the press conference, held in Vancouver, which was also attended by Lyoto Machida, Randy Couture, GSP, and Shields, among others.
Brazilian Jui-Jitsu Artist and MMA fighter, Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo is one of the fastest-rising stars in the UFC and is considered by many to be pound-for-pound the best fighter in the UFC. Yet, amazingly, not one question was asked of Aldo by the many journalists in attendance. Not one question.
I personally wanted to hear what the dynamic and explosive Aldo had to say, but no one at the press conference seemed to care. It is extremely rare that a fighter of Aldo’s caliber would not be asked a single question at a press conference. In fact, I had never before seen such a thing. So this made me wonder about the Canadians, or at least, these Canadians. I chalked it up to the UFC crowd though, having been myself for a long time brainwashed into believing that the Canadians were “laid-back, easy-going people.”
Now, this senseless riot happened to snap me out of my media-induced slumber and into the real world. The Canadians are just as bad as the rest of us. Canada must have realized that they could stand to lose millions of dollars in tourist revenue if they didn’t act quickly.
Enter The Media. A new story has come out of Vancouver to put a happy face on that shameful incident. Amidst tear gas being hurled, bottles being tossed, expletives being thrown, cars being overturned, and fires being set, apparently a young couple was photographed kissing on the ground: a placid, tranquil, and tender oasis of love amidst the carnage.
Fake Vancouver Kissing Couple
I’m no media expert, but this photo looks fake as all get-out. The circumstances of their tender encounter make it all the more implausible. The words of a journalist reveal the real purpose of this “feel good” story:
“Brett Jones [the young man’s father] now says the couple is being besieged by media requests from outlets around the world.
“All, of course, are interested in knowing the circumstances that found the couple smooching as cars were burned and windows were smashed around them.” [Boldface and brackets mine.]
So, according to this journalist, everyone now wants to know why this couple was kissing, rather than what in the world made these “laid-back, easy-going people” lose their minds. Uh-huh.
But the depth to which a media clean-up effort will descend is reflected in this dubious statement:
“But despite some of our initial assumptions, the kiss seen ’round the world wasn’t the product of a riot-fueled, uncontrollable passion. Brett Jones instead notes that Thomas was injured and his son was coming to her aid.”
Please look at the photo one more time. Look at the position of their bodies, especially the young man’s legs, and tell me if it appears he was just “coming to her aid.” And believe me, the view of a particular part of the young girl’s anatomy would make the average red-blooded male forget all about the riot. Just as it is intended to.
Now, I’m not trying to come down on the Canadians. I know for a fact, based on two Canadian guys I used to know, that they are as nice and friendly as anyone. But just like anyone else, there are elements who can be excited to violence for the slightest of motives. Despite the media’s efforts to make Canadians look uber-angelic, we should not forget this. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). That includes Canadian hearts.
Brethren, in these last days, we are going to have to be especially careful of what we see, hear, and read in the media, as there will be a lot of clean-up reporting going on. They are going to be asking us, “Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?”
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Grace and Peace brothers, sisters, and friends in Christ Jesus and in Adam.
You know, it can be difficult at times to know how to talk to God. After all, He is God: Creator of the Universe, Sovereign of All Things whether in heaven, in earth, or under the earth. The First and the Last. The Beginning and The End. Wow. He, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is over everyone and everything. Yet, how many of us remember this when we go to Him in prayer?
Remember that when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He said,
“Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5).
Did you know that when we come before the Lord in prayer we are actually in God’s presence? Have you any idea what an awesome privilege this is? You and I will likely never gain an audience with an actual king, queen, or president, and even if we did we would have to first go through a lot of protocol before even being allowed in the room where the king, queen, or president sits. I have no idea what that protocol might be, and frankly, I’m not interested enough to even go through the trouble to research it. The point is that we cannot come before any king or queen at our leisure, when we want to. It must be at their leisure and when and if they want to.
But God in His love for us has given us permission to come before His sovereign presence whenever we please. Why? because God loves His Son Jesus, Who in suffering and dying for the sins of the world, was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). The Lord Jesus did not have to allow Himself to suffer humiliation at the hands of sinners (Hebrews 12:3), nor, being innocent, did He have to allow Himself to be condemned as an evil-doer by evil-doers. But the Lord Jesus did this and more: for He saw this evil all the way to its conclusion and allowed Himself to be crucified on the cross (a death reserved for criminals) for the sins of the whole world. And this man had never sinned a day in His entire life.
For this, God, who rewards righteousness (Mathew 6:6), has highly exalted Jesus (Philippians 2:9) and given Him a name that is above every name. He will give Jesus whatever He asks. Jesus said that anything that we ask of the Father in His (Jesus’) name, He (Jesus) would give it to us (John 14:13-14). (Incidentally, if Roman Catholics, who pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which is unscriptural, receive anything that they “pray” for, it is only because of the grace of God.)
Now, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that the day was coming when people would neither worship God “in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem” (John 4:21). This meant that we would no longer be required to go to a certain place to worship God as the Jews had to, but that we could worship Him wherever we are.
Jesus next told her why this would be. Please pay attention to this, because it is very important. Jesus said,
“The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.”
Jesus said that the true worshippers of God would one day worship Him “in spirit.” We know that this is true, because the Bible says,
“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit” (Philippians 3:3).
Paul draws an important contrast here. Scripture tells us that another name for the Jews was “the circumcision” because they were chosen of God to be His people, and the circumcision of all male children was a token in the flesh of the Jews’ covenant with God. Non-Jews, or Gentiles, were known as the “uncircumcision,” which name denotes not only a physical reality, but also the fact that they had no covenant with God. In other words, they were not a chosen people. The Jewish worship of God, prior to the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, entailed a person going to the priest with an animal sacrifice (usually a lamb or a goat) which he would present to the priest at the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The priest would then sacrifice it and shed its blood on behalf of that person as an atonement to God for that person’s sins. The priest then, was the mediator between God and man.
But God in His love for us, sent His Son Jesus to die and shed his blood for the sins of the world. As the Lamb of God, Jesus performs two roles:
1) As the final sacrifice for the sins of all men, Jesus eliminated the need for us to physically present a sacrifice to God for the atonement of our sins.
2) As our Great High Priest (Hebrews 9:11) Jesus is now our mediator to God under the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:7, 12:24). There is no longer any need for an earthly priest.
So, whereas the Jews (the Circumcised in the flesh) had to present themselves bodily in order to worship God, we Christians (the Circumcised in the spirit) need not so to do. We are free to worship God whenever and wherever we are through the spirit.
This enormous blessing is not without its problems though, because oftentimes we forget that we are talking to The King of Kings. If we had to travel all the way to Washington in our best clothes, at our own expense, and after much correspondence and protocol, for a once-in-a-lifetime, brief, fifteen-minute audience with God, it would immediately become clear to us how big a deal it was. And we would not only wear the best clothes we had, but we would probably buy new clothes specifically for the occasion. Worship would become a chore if we had to do this once a year, let alone once a month, a week, or—God forbid—every day. But because of the grace of God we don’t have to.
Let me put this in perspective for you. Precious few of the over one billion Roman Catholics in the world will ever gain an audience with the pope, the head of their religion. The pope is only one man, and if it were required for every Roman Catholic to travel to Rome to visit him even once in their lifetime, it would be a Herculean undertaking for the pope and certainly of no small consequence on the part of the individual. On a smaller scale, a Roman Catholic must still present himself bodily before the priest to confess his sins and receive absolution, or forgiveness (which is unscriptural, by the way). Likewise, it is also a requirement of Islam that every Muslim who is physically able must make the pilgrimage to Mecca at some time in his lifetime. Because of the planning, financing, and logistics involved, this would be a major task in the life of a Muslim—especially the poorer ones.
Our God, however, has given us the awesome privilege, because of His love for us and because of His love and regard for His Son Jesus, to come to Him in spirit rather than in person. What a blessing! We need not go to the holy mountain in Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
But, just because we are allowed to come before God in spirit rather than in person does not mean that we ought to forget that He is The King. That means that our attitude should be one of humility. Humility is first reflected bodily, and for this reason it is customary to kneel in prayer. But we should at times humble ourselves more than by merely kneeling before Him. Notice that God told Moses to take off his shoes because he was on “holy ground.” For most of us, this will not be a problem because we pray in the morning before getting dressed and at night after disrobing. But we also pray in the street: asking God to protect us from evil, help us to resist sin, to let us reflect His holiness in our dealings with people, to let this interview turn out alright, to help us to not react to certain ungodly people, etc. We should spiritually take off our shoes when we talk to God even at these times. Let us not forget that He is The King.
How do we spiritually take off our shoes? We address God in a way that reflects who He is and our reverence for His position. We use any one of His many names and titles that are found in the Bible. But you won’t know what they are unless you read your Bible. It is when addressing God in prayer that I know whether or not I have been lax—not necessarily in reading the Bible, but in remembering Him and His sovereignty when reading the Bible. I can tell you, while writing this, that I have been somewhat lax in this area, as I have been going through a difficult time lately. When I go through these trials often my prayers are me groaning out my problems to Him, thanking Him for counting me worthy to go through these trials for His name, and telling Him that He is still worthy of all praise and honor. But I neglect to praise and honor Him. Funny huh?
I thank God that He knows I am just dust. So, since I have been sleeping on this, you can walk through the Bible with me, and we’ll find some of His names and titles together. I like it this way. Let’s see…I have always liked John 17, Jesus’ Great Priestly Prayer to God on behalf of His disciples and the Church. In verse 11, Jesus calls God “Holy Father.” That is a great title, because God is Holy. Remembering that will insure that we won’t address Him as merely a friend or a relative, though He is both, but also as His Holiness. Only God is Holy. Remembering this should also enflame you against all pretenders to that title. But I digress.
In verse 25, Jesus calls God “Righteous Father.” I especially like this since I can see the actor portraying Jesus in the movie, “The Gospel According to John.” He did a really good job conveying the love and humanity of Jesus and the love He had for God the Father. When he said, “O Righteous Father” it touched something in me that I still feel whenever I read those words. God is Righteous—meaning Just—and we need to always remember that His judgments are never out of animosity. Even when He acts out of anger or vengeance it is always righteous anger and righteous vengeance, for He is Righteous.
Now let us turn to Psalms, for if there were anyone who ever knew how to pray, it was David. The psalms, besides the example of Jesus, are a great way to learn how to pray, by learning how David addressed God.
Let’s begin with Psalm 91, the Psalm of Security. Here, David calls God the “Most High” and “The Almighty.” As Most High, there is no one and no thing higher than He. Therefore He is deserving of more praise than anyone. He is deserving of more honor than anyone. He is deserving of more reverence than anyone. He is deserving of more respect than anyone. And He alone deserves our worship. As the Almighty, He is the most powerful being in existence, and is able to do anything and everything. And, most happily, He is also our God and Father. Let me tell you something: if I were a child and my father were a king, I would not be worried about too much in this world, because I would know that my father has the resources to handle most of life’s problems because he is king. And if he can’t fix it, he knows someone who can. Our heavenly father, God Almighty, is King of Kings. All resources are His. Not only can He fix anything He pleases, but He has the power to compel and empower anyone He wants to fix anything on our behalf.
But look at line 2. Because God is the Most High and the Almighty, we can say of Him, “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.” We can trust God to do what He says He will do, because He has the power and authority to do it. Let me tell you something. That is a big deal. Presidents and kings can do many things, but rarely do they promise to do anything but try, because, though they may have authority, they do not always have power. Authority is nothing without power, and without power there are no guarantees. Politicians often make promises, but rarely do they deliver, because they don’t have the power to deliver. They may have the authority to promise, but they do not always have the power to make good on their promises, even if they were so inclined (which is not often). God has all power and all authority. He is the only one who can deliver on all His promises.
Even the Roman centurion knew this. Being someone in a position of authority, and being invested with the power of the one who gave him the position, he understood that Jesus could not do the things He did without having both authority and power (Luke 7:1-10). Jesus has all power and authority, because He is King. Think about that the next time you pray.
Let’s look at Psalm 90:
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
Before there was ever a king, God was, and after all kings have longed passed away, God will be. He is eternal. However you choose to express this to Him: be it Eternal God, Everlasting God, Father of the Everlasting, Eternal One, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the important thing is to recognize His eternal nature; for if you understand His eternal nature, you understand His authority and power: for who can promote or demote an Eternal God?
Perhaps no psalm conveys the message of God’s absolute authority like Psalm 5, for here the psalmist says: “Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God: for unto thee will I pray.”
God is called both King and God. These titles convey both His temporal (worldly) and spiritual authority and power. As King He is Lord of the temporal, because he created the physical world. The Scripture tells us in many places that it is He that sets up and deposes rulers at His pleasure. If He sets up kings, then He is King of the Kings, and, as such, He is worthy of our honor. As God, He is over all gods, who in fact are no gods, for He alone is God. As God, He is worthy of our worship. We would do well to remember this when we come before Him in prayer.
Let us revisit the issue of humility once more: for if we humble ourselves in deed, it is a mere detail to humble ourselves in word. As you will recall, when Moses was speaking to God in the burning bush, Scripture tells us, “Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:6). There are a couple of important things to consider about this verse. First, it is important to note that Moses was not told to do this. His heart, which was already subject to God, knew instantly to render due respect and fear to the Sovereign of the Universe. He didn’t have to be prompted to do it. Second, notice that God never told Moses to uncover his face. God expects our fear and reverence, and it was not improper, humiliating, or unmanly for Moses to act in this manner. Even though God doesn’t demand this show of reverence when we come to Him in prayer, if your heart is right with God, at some point the Spirit will reveal to you the need to render this honor to Him.
When I would pray with my children, I would always bow myself to the ground on all fours with my face to the ground. I would not always cover my face when doing so, but somehow my children (one in particular) felt the necessity for this. If we understand that it is to the King of the universe to Whom we are praying, and we display this in our attitude and words by a reverential and humble attitude, our children will understand this right away; for children, being subject to everyone, understand nothing if not authority. But when we display an irreverent, careless attitude when addressing God, believe me when I tell you that our children will pick up on this too, and will be likewise irreverent and careless in their dialogue with the Lord. This ought not to be.
Let us by all means come to the Lord whenever we choose, being thankful that Jesus has made it possible, through His selfless sacrifice for us, to worship God how and where we are. But let us not forget that God is a Sovereign and Holy King, Who deserves not only our love and gratitude, but also our utmost respect and reverence.
The audio version of this teaching is available for download at the iTunes Store for playback on your favorite audio device. You can subscribe to our podcast for free. We hope this teaching greatly blesses you.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Grace and peace unto you, Saints, and greetings to those who are still in the world.
We are living in some frightening times. Murder has always been with us. Ever since Cain killed righteous Abel in the Garden of Eden, murder has been as much a part of life as eating and drinking. This fact, coupled with the desensitizing of Americans to violence through the media (in which the big eye in our living rooms has played no small role) has led to such a hardening of people’s hearts to violence and murder that no one seems to even notice that crimes of extreme violence seem to be on the increase. The most startling aspect of this trend is the murder of children by children.
It is bad enough to take the life of another human being. It is even worse to take the life of a child. But it is horrible beyond words for a child to take the life of another child—especially his own sibling! and a toddler at that. Prosecutors are pushing for Cristian to be tried as an adult because of the violence of the crime. That will be two lives destroyed. The boy even confessed to having broken his brother’s leg a few months earlier. What hate.
I simply cannot relate to this. When I was a child, my brother and I fought all the time, either physically or verbally. But, he was always my little brother. Nothing he could have done—and he did a lot—could have ever changed that. I felt bad even when on occasion I would punch him, because to me, he was always my little brother, and big brothers just don’t hurt their little brothers.
It is part of the unofficial job description of big brothers to take abuse from their little brothers. That’s just the way it is. It’s all part of them being immature little idiots, and us being seasoned, wise, sage, protective big brothers. Our vaunted positions entail a little abuse from time to time.
This just doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. It seems as though big brothers just aren’t as protective of their little brothers as they used to be. And it’s not just the boys anymore either. Increasingly girls—yes, girls—are becoming violent towards their siblings and other children—to the point of death.
Yesterday, in Kansas City, Missouri, a five-year-old girl drowned an 18-month-old boy in a bathtub. No, this is not a misprint; and it was no accident. The little girl actually confessed to “dragging” the toddler into the bathroom and drowning him in the tub, which was already filled with water from other children in the home who had previously taken a bath. And if you think the crime itself was terrible, the reason that she did this terrible thing is even more so, for the child said that she murdered the boy because she “did not like him,” and because he “was crying too much!”
Let me put this in perspective for you. Drowning is a horrible way to die. It is an even more horrible way to kill someone, because it is not as impersonal as a bullet or even beating someone to death with your own hands. Because of all the things that a drowning person does when he is dying, and the length of time it takes for a person to finally succumb; there is time to rethink your actions. For a person to continue to drown someone, in spite of all the signs of impending death, takes an incredible amount of coldness and impassivity, even for a grown person. But for a child!
Even if you could somehow rationalize the rage this child must have felt towards this little boy to purposefully drag him to the bathtub, put him in, and force his head under the water—even if you could somehow intellectualize that—how can you possibly explain the incredible lack of compassion and love that would allow this child to continue the act to its conclusion?
Even after seeing the boy thrashing about (as he must have), even after seeing his legs kicking (as they must have) as he is trying to survive, even after seeing his wide-eyed, terror-stricken face pleading for his life as he knows without knowing that he is going to die (as he must have), even after seeing his little body stiffen and then go limp (as it must have) as the precious life-force ebbs from his limbs…what could have possibly taken hold of this child that would allow her—in spite of all the sobering signs of the horror of her actions and of the inevitable result—to complete her gruesome mission? This is unfathomable.
There is something about the coldness and hate of this vile act—perpetrated by a mere child—that sends chills over my body. I had a difficult time sleeping last night trying to wrap my head around this. You could not have told me ten years ago that I would live to see the day when children would be killing one another at such a young age and in such a horrible way. A five-year-old child drowning an 18-month-old child. Can there be any doubt that something is seriously wrong?
What troubles me is that there are parents somewhere reading this who are going to try to rationalize these crimes. They may try to chock them up to race and economic status. After all, the victims and the perpetrators in both of these crimes were minorities. They are going to say that it had something to do with their upbringing—or lack thereof; that these unfortunate children are the result of poor parenting. There is some truth to this.
Cristian’s mother gave birth to him when she was only 12 years old. I know grown women—some in their thirties—who are lousy parents. Can you imagine a 12-year-old girl giving birth to a child? This boy never had a chance. In the case of the five-year-old girl, she and several children had been left in the care of a sixteen-year-old who allegedly suffered from some form of mental illness, while an adult had allegedly left to drive a relative home. The drowning occurred shortly before twelve o’clock midnight. These children should have been in the bed asleep, under the watchful eye of an adult.
In truth, someone somewhere dropped the ball. But even under those circumstances, there was no need for the kind of violence perpetrated.
No. There is another reason that these children murdered. There is another reason for the total disregard they had for the lives of the other children. Economics aren’t solely responsible for the frightening rash of violence among our children that we are seeing in recent years. This is the work of Satan himself. And it doesn’t matter how good a parent you are. It doesn’t matter how much time you spend with your children, though it is admirable that you do spend time with you children. And it doesn’t matter how good your intentions are. If you are not insulating your children at home from satanic influences that they are learning at school and on the streets, then your children are just as vulnerable as any.
One of these satanic influences is a religion that is being taught to practically every child, in practically every school, in possibly every city in probably every state in this country. This religion is the heart and soul of what those who are trying to destroy these United States and its Constitution believe, and what we see happening to our children is a direct result of this teaching. This religion is Secular Humanism.
The preface to the Humanist Manifesto II contains a brief, but very informative definition of Secular Humanism:
“[H]umanists still believe that traditional theism, especially faith in the prayer-hearing God, assumed to love and care for persons, to hear and understand their prayers and to be able to do something about them, is an unproven and outmoded faith.
Salvationism [sic] based on mere affirmation, still appears as harmful, diverting people with false hopes of heaven hereafter. Reasonable minds look to other means for survival.” [Boldface mine.]
In other words, Humanists rely on their own reason rather than look to God for guidance. This presents a moral quagmire. If God is taken out of the picture, how do human beings determine what is wrong or right? The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). If this is true–and history has more than proven that it is–then man cannot be left to himself to determine what is wrong or right. He will fail miserably.
Think this is not a problem? Well, you are dreadfully mistaken and are in need of a little clarification. In a book entitled Weep For Your Children, Dr. Murray Norris says this about Secular Humanism:
“Unfortunately, many parents do not recognize the real enemy of their home and their religion. They do not know that secular humanism would destroy both.”[1]
Why is Secular Humanism so dangerous? Well, a major tenant of Humanism, called Values Clarification, is being taught in practically every school in the country. Listen to what Values Clarification holds:
“It’s OK to lie…It’s Ok to steal…It’s OK to have pre-marital sex…It’s Ok to cheat…It’s OK to kill—if these things are part of your own value system and you have clarified these values for yourself.
“The important thing is not what values you choose, but that you have chosen them yourself—freely and without coercion by parents, spouse, priests, friends, ministers, or by social pressure of any kind.” [2][Boldface mine.]
Now is all this starting to come together for you? Our children are being taught in school that whatever they decide to do–be it good or bad–is OK as long as it is right in their minds. In case you are of the delusional belief that children are not buying this, Dr. Morris provides this story:
“In one school, a student came home from an “enrichment class” with a rebellious and terribly selfish attitude towards his family, especially his brothers and sisters. The distraught mother, trying to find the problem, asked the student why he had become so selfish.
“He explained that the school had told him he could choose to do anything he wanted. He was the only person who counted. His ideas were the only ideas of importance. What his parents or what anyone else wanted was of no importance to him. This is what he had been taught in school.” [3]
Understand that children are like little sponges. They will believe anything that their teachers tell them, because they are taught by parents like us to believe their teachers, and they are taught by society that teachers know better than we what is best for our children. What a shameful state of affairs.
Children who buy into this will one day grow up to be adults who will then perpetuate the lie. I had a “friend” once when I lived in Germany (the friend was an American) who made a very shocking statement to me one night while we were shooting pool. Literally out of the blue he said,
“Hitler was not wrong for trying to exterminate the Jews, because he thought he was doing the right thing. It would have been different if he had known it was wrong and still did it, but he really thought he was doing the right thing. Therefore, he was not wrong.”
Without the information I have just provided, you would probably have wondered how this person could possibly have come up with such a ludicrous idea. In light of what you now know, you should realize that he likely had learned Values Clarification in school. Don’t you just love how your tax dollars are being spent?
Humanists do not believe in moral absolutes, or right and wrong. They believe that the end justifies the means and whatever you have to do to get what you want is OK so long as you believe it is right.
Understand that this teaching comes straight from the pit of Hell. It was Satan’s promise to Eve that if she ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that she would “be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). Is it any wonder, then, that our poor children are turning on one another seeing that they are being brainwashed with this satanic doctrine?
And believe me, they are being brainwashed. Dr. Norris had this to say on the subject:
“Some intellectuals, even among the clergy, insist that Values Clarification methods can be used to instill proper values in children. They recognize that Values Clarification is not merely a neutral program, but one that can be used tobend or even brainwash the minds of children.” [4] [Boldface mine.]
Did you hear that?! This is incredible! Understand that many teachers are not our friends. There are precious few good godly teachers in the education system. Most are humanist, and are trying to mislead your children. Listen to what one university professor said:
“If I can only plant the seed of doubt that God exists in the minds of the students…I have succeeded.” [5]
I can personally attest to this. I went back to college four years ago and what I found being taught at the university shocked and horrified me so much that I never want any of my children to attend the university. What I found in the grade schools shocked me even more. Our schools are hotbeds of Socialism, Communism, Humanism, Witchcraft, Eastern Mysticism, Buddhism, and other ungodly teachings. Is it any wonder that we are seeing our children committing such heinous acts as the ones we have discussed?
*************************WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT*************************
We must pray, pray, pray. How many of us daily pray for our children? We need to pray over our children that these harmful doctrines don’t penetrate into their pliable little minds. We must pray that they recognize a lie when they hear it and train them to silently pray to themselves that those lies bounce right off them and onto the floor. I have done this with my children.
We need to teach our children right and wrong using the Bible as our authority. We must explain to our children that most teachers are not Christian, and therefore don’t hold to the same values that we do. We must tell them while they must respect their teachers, they mustn’t trust everything they say. I have taught my children that when their teachers tell them something that is contrary to the Bible that they must say to themselves, “That’s a lie,” and if they know the Bible verse that counters it, to say it to themselves.
We need to explain to our children that there is a war going on between Satan and his followers and the Lord Jesus and His followers. We need not be worried that they won’t understand. If you are saved, trust the Holy Spirit to enable you to explain this to your children in a way they will understand. If you are not saved, get saved, so that God will give you the Spirit of Discernment (if you pray for it), so that you will understand what is going on and why. Without the Holy Spirit, you could be the most intelligent, most endowed with wisdom and common sense person in the world, and still not understand the spiritual significance of current events. Without this knowledge you cannot see the Big Picture, and thus make it tangible for your children. This is crucial information that your children must have.
We need to get saved. The time for games is over. The forces of darkness are massing and they are getting bolder and more confident because they are seeing the culmination of their efforts. They see that their people have infiltrated every level of society: Government, education, the judicial system, law enforcement, the military, and most importantly, religion, have all been compromised. Our only defense is the Lord Jesus. He is our Protector. He will tell us what to do.
We need to get smart. Christians are some of the most ignorant people on the face of the earth. Most of us are blind to what is really going on in the world due to the fact that many, if not most pastors are part of the agenda. Stop merely believing what your pastors and so-called Christian evangelists and radio personalities tell you. Believe me, like former Illuminati Druid High Priest-turned-Christian evangelist, John Todd once said, if they were preaching hard-core Gospel, they would not be on TV or radio. Get right with God, and get into the Word. The Lord Jesus has promised to reveal Himself to anyone who truly seeks Him out. You don’t need to always have someone tell you what is going on. Learn from the Holy Spirit, the world’s greatest teacher.
I hope by now you understand a little better why things are getting so crazy. And they will only get worse. The last thing I want is for any of our children to make the news in this way. Stop fence sitting and get on the front lines for Jesus. Your child’s well being depends on it.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Still Man
[1]Weep For Your Children: An explanation of the anti-God religion in our schools and what you can do about it!, Dr. Murray Norris, 1979, 1983, Christian Family Renewal, p. 5. (Available on Amazon.)
The Midwest and the South are experiencing a record year with floods and tornados. With regard to tornados, Missouri had been somewhat lucky until now. The tornado that tore through St. Louis on April 20th did a lot of damage, including to the airport, and displaced many people, but no one was killed. This tornado in Joplin, however, was in stark contrast to the St. Louis twister: over 125 casualties thus far.
Possibly the sadest moment was when searchers Wednesday recovered the body of a 16-month-old toddler who was reported missing following the twister. That was a low. I was hoping that they would find the child underneath some debris or something–scratched up, but otherwise fine. Sadly, that was not to be. Though it is of little consolation to the parents of this dear child, I’m grateful that the child is now with the Lord Jesus (and he is with the Lord Jesus), and will be spared the knowledge of this profane and perverse world.
Out of this same tornado, came another story: likewise of loss, but also of heroism in the face of peril. Bethany Lansaw described howher husband threw himself on top of her to save her life, and in doing so, forfeited his own. Now that’s what I call a hero. I rarely, if ever, use that word these days, because it has been overused by the media, who will call anybody a hero. If a person survives an ordeal, they are hailed as a hero. They are not a hero; they are a survivor. There is a big difference.
The Bible says,
“greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Matthew 15:13).
That, in my opinion, is a true hero.
I don’t know if I would have done what Don Lansaw did. I would like to think that I would, but I don’t know if I would. We know, however, that this man did, and for that he is one of my heroes. In the moment of truth, he loved someone else more than himself. Let me tell you something: in this selfish age, that to me is a big deal.
May God soothe and comfort Bethany, who doubtless must feel at least a twinge of guilt. But she needn’t. Her husband did what the Bible says a man should do: he loved his wife so much that he gave his life for her. The Bible says,
“Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
The implication is clear: If we love our wives as Christ loved the church, then we are to give our lives for our wives, as Christ gave his life for the church. This is the pattern that the Lord Jesus set for us to follow.
Adam also gave his life for his wife. The Bible says that Adam was not deceived like Eve was (1 Timothy 2:14). Why, then, did he eat of the forbidden fruit, when he knew that the penalty was death?
Because he loved his wife, and he didn’t want to live without her.
Now, how many men reading this would give their lives for their wives? I am not saying that we should do it. I’m saying that we should be willing to do it. How many of us are willing? If you are not willing, why? How many women reading this are certain that their husbands would be willing to lay down their lives for them?
You might want to earnestly consider this, because believe me, as the world continues to turn, the times are drawing nearer when women are going to need their men. Just look at some of the third world countries, those in Africa particularly, where the rape and physical abuse of women is rampant. And it is not just in countries like the Congo, which gets so much media attention. South Africa has always had a huge problem with rape among the European population, but you won’t find that in mainstream statistics. Women in these countries cannot afford the luxury of saying, “I don’t need a man.”
And it is a luxury. The feminist movement has given women the delusion that times have changed. But they have not. Feminism may have changed the way women feel about themselves, but it has not and will not change the way many men feel about women. And it wasn’t intended to. What the feminist movement has done is take away the desire of many, if not most, men to give their lives for their wives. And that is a shame.
If I were a woman, I would not want to find out in the moment of a crisis that my husband would not be willing to risk his life to protect me. I would especially not want to find out that the reason is because I had not valued my husband, had not appreciated my husband, had not respected my husband, had not loved my husband. That would be a pity.
Now, I am fully aware that there are men out there who are behaving very badly. But they are actually in the minority. The media however, which supports the feminist movement, make it appear as though the majority of men are behaving badly, and this is just not the case. But I won’t argue this. Let each woman reading this examine her own conscience.
The fact is that the Lord Jesus says that a man should be willing to give his life for his wife.
Jesus is known in the Bible as “the Last Adam,” for as Adam was innocent of any transgression, yet he gave his life for his wife, so was Jesus also innocent of sin, yet He gave His life for his Bride, the Church. That is why Scripture says that Adam “is the figure of Him (Jesus) that was to come” (Romans 5:14).
This is true love: This is true heroism: To lay down one’s life for one’s beloved.
Don Lansaw did something that few men would do, and for that I commend him. So, in between worshipping your rock stars, movie stars, and sports heroes, please take a moment and consider Don Lansaw and say a prayer for his wife, Bethany. And let each examine his own conscience.
Jesus Christ also did something that no other man could or would do: He laid down His life for us, His friends. Let us be grateful. If you would like to get to know a real Hero, click here.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Folks, I have just spent the last three and a half hours on YouTube checking out videos posted by various “Christian” ministries. Let me tell you something in all seriousness: If you do not have the discernment of the Holy Spirit, you will, I repeat, YOU WILL BE DECEIVED. One site I went to featured a guy putting out information that was actually true, though he mixed it with speculation. He was talking about the correlation between the Japanese tsunami and Biblical prophecy, only he attributed the tsunami to weather warfare.
I don’t know if this is true or not. One thing I do know is thatJesus foretold of such events as the Japanese tsunami (Luke 21:25). It doesn’t matter who actually caused it, what does matters is that it fits into God’s plan.
What is more important and what I want to speak to is the fact that he seemed to be legitimate in that he was right in his assertion that this was the finger of God. He also mentions the name of Jesus Christ often, and says that people ought to get saved. But as I watched his videos and perused his website, I began to see inconsistencies. Suspicious, I looked to see if anyone had posted any comments or a video response that may help to shed some light on him. Someone had.
This individual posted a video expose that featured snippets of other videos the gentleman (who I will call a videovengelist) had made. The expose not only refuted some of the gentleman’s claims, but it also showed some glaring inconsistencies in his statements by comparing video snippets that clearly show him contradicting himself. In short, this video expose’ confirmed my suspicions about the videovangelist.
After watching the video expose’, I went to its owner’s YouTube channel to see what he was all about. He gives very little information about himself other than that he presents the truth using the same tools that Satan uses to deceive the masses, or words to that effect; those tools are namely, “comedy and video.” One of the videos posted on his site depicts stars actually denying God or attempting to deceive the public by invoking God in order to appear godly. The most memorable for me was Jamie Foxx being asked by a young lady what God was to him. Foxx is visibly perturbed at this question. He then asks the lady, “What is He to you?” When she responds that He is everything to her, Foxx then says, “You got all the answers, so why are you asking me?” He ultimately says that God is everything to him, but in a manner suggesting that he was only mimicking what the young lady said just to get through the question.
Discerning Christians know, of course, that Christianity and celebrity are diametrically opposed, and that in reality most, if not all, celebrities worship Satan or practice some form of Satan worship. So, again, this information is consistent with the truth. Another video highlights mega-church pastors and prosperity gospel preachers and how they are actually deceiving the gullible. This is also something we know is going on: so far, so good. Well, the last video I looked at was taken at a local comedy club.
In that worldly comedy is totally inconsistent with Christianity, I was interested to see what the video dealt with given my experience with comedians. Within the first minute of the video a comedian used some of the most vulgar, sexually explicit language I have ever heard. I fast forwarded to the next comedian and it was more of the same. After I clicked out of his site, I sat back in my chair and pondered what had taken place this morning. This is what I concluded.
The videovangelist reminded me that not only does Satan deceive people by combining truth with lies, but he also deceives people by using the truth for evil ends. I discovered that the videovangelist is likely a scam artist. He claims to have a Bible school, but it seems that no one has ever heard of it. He advertises books, videos, and other merchandise on his website, which people have complained that they ordered, but have never received. And he solicits donations from the public, but no one seems to know what he does with the money. It seems he also has a knack of disappearing for months at a time only to reappear with a convenient excuse for having been in absentia. But I don’t think he is an opportunist. I believe he is a part of a well-orchestrated plan designed to discredit genuine Christian ministries. People who follow this man will be deceived, and many will become bitter and distrustful of all Christian ministries, even those who are speaking the truth.
Those people will be driven to sites like Mr. Expose’s which actually exists for the same purpose as Mr. Videovangelist’s site. He exposes the hypocrisy of the videvangelist and turns people off to this gentleman. He then entices one to visit his site where one will view his videos on false pastors and may be turned off to ALL preachers, legitimate or otherwise. One then views his videos on the occult connection between the entertainment industry and the “Illuminati” (which most people these days are aware of) and think that he has all the answers. Then while at his site, one will out of curiosity view his videos of the comedy club with all their profanity and sexual overtones, and be lured into Satan’s camp through the senses. And people will begin to follow this guy just like they followed the videvangelist. He will draw people away from church and draw disciples unto himself.
Think this is a stretch? Well consider that one person had left a comment for Mr. Expose’ wherein he asked if the“prophecy” of Harold Campingwere true because he has “drifted away from God.” This poor man has already been deceived into accepting Mr. Expose’ as his guru. Other people had also left comments saying how they knew the videvangelist was a phony, many of them thanking Mr. Expose’ for helping them to see the light. It’s easy to get people to take you into their confidence in this manner. All one need do is to first establish trust by “saving” someone from being deceived by exposing a false prophet and then establish legitimacy by putting out old information with a new face. I, for instance, had never seen the clip of Jamie Foxx, nor had I seen some of the other people saying the things they do on his video, though I have seen many, many others.
One last thing I noticed was that Mr. Videvangelist and Mr. Expose’ both list contact addresses in the same state. Is this a coincidence? Maybe. Is it also possible that the two are working in tandem? Now you’re beginning to use your knowledge knot.
Remember that Jesus in Matthew 24:24 says,
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
By the way, Mr. Videvangelist actually quotes this verse in one of his videos. As I said, the devil will use the truth for evil ends. These gentlemen appear to be “deceitful workman transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” But their end “shall be in accordance with their works.”
Pray for discernment saints, and look up; your redemption draweth nigh.
Today, for some reason, I decided to go to YouTube and type “Neighbors Spying” into the search engine. I was amazed at how many hits I got. It seems that during this depression (or is it a recession?) an ever-increasing number of Americans have been busy little bees. Americans are spying on one another.
The videos that I saw on YouTube prove without a shadow of a doubt that a lot of Americans are involved in spying on their neighbors. There were videos that people have posted of them spying on others. There were videos that people had posted of others spying on them. There were videos showing you how to spy on others, as well as videos showing the ways that others could be spying on you. There were videos by people who had videotaped others involved in malicious activities against them, as well as videos people themselves had made of them committing malicious acts against others.
I was amazed—simply amazed—at the sheer number of videos and the lengths people will go to know what their neighbors are doing.
When I finished watching these videos, I understood:
That many Americans are behaving very badly.
That many Americans want to behave badly, but need guidance.
That many Americans are willing to give them guidance.
That there are people out there who are taking advantage of all groups.
That some people have way too much time on their hands
That there is a reason it’s called YouTube.
One thing that was very clear in the videos was motive. It was clear in most cases that the people doing the spying considered the subjects their enemies. It was also clear that the people considered those who were spying on them their enemies. And it was clear that the people who were videotaped committing malicious acts considered the victims their enemies. By their actions, therefore, all of these people have declared war on each other, even though there was no formal declaration of war.
This is important because we as Christians are involved in a war, even though we don’t always behave as though we are in a war. In fact, most of us don’t even know that there is a war going on.
It’s just like the war in Afghanistan. We know there is a war going on, but we forget, because we are not directly involved in that war. However, those who have family members who are involved in the fighting as well as those who have lost family members know full well that we are fighting a war. Christians are like that. Those Christians who are on the front lines of this spiritual war can testify that there is indeed a war going on—and hot and heavy, but those who are in the rear or who are “back home” may have no idea that a war is going on.
Now to most liberal Christians this may sound very unloving, but even a cursory glance through Scripture would make it clear that we are involved in a spiritual war. Most pastors, however, rather than preach this fact, are preaching love, tolerance, acceptance, and inclusiveness, and are sadly doing their congregations a major disservice.
Knowing your enemy is a major part of preparing for any war. If you don’t know your enemy: his tactics, his strengths and weaknesses, what weapons he uses, etc., you will be at a major disadvantage when you meet him on the battlefield. This is what is known as intelligence. It is information on your enemy that you can use to your advantage to defeat him. All successful armies collect intelligence and gather all the data they can on their enemy using any means at their disposal—including spying. You can rest assured that our enemies are gathering information on us, because they fully intend to win this war.
But we are not engaged in conventional warfare:
“But though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (forthe weapons of our warfare are not carnal,but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds).”
2 Corinthians 10:4
That means that we don’t gather information on our enemy, because ultimately it is not we that do the fighting, but God. And He has all the information he needs. But we are in a war. How then, do we fight? We fight by praying and witnessing—by the Word of God. But to even begin to do this we have to know who our enemy is and what he believes. If we don’t know who our enemy is, we can’t pray for him; and if we don’t know what he believes we may not witness to him.
Let me give you an example. Thanks to the ecumenical movement, most people, including many Christians, think that Roman Catholicism is Christianity, because they pay lip service to Jesus Christ. Because of this, most Christians don’t even bother to witness to Catholics because they think that they are already saved. Moreover, many Catholics use Christian terminology but with different meanings attributed to them. They are thus able to fool many Christians into believing that they are saved, and the Christians therefore do not witness to them.
If Christians knew what Roman Catholics really believe and practice, they would know that Catholics are not saved and are desperately in need of salvation. For starters, they worship an idol named Mary, who they believe is the mother of Jesus, but in fact, is not. Not only is the worship of Jesus’ mother un-Scriptural, but also idol worship is expressly forbidden in the Bible. If Christians knew this, they would feel a burden to witness to the Catholics, and give them the true Gospel.
Another example is Islam, which many Christians consider a peaceful, God-fearing religion that emphasizes family and community. What they fail to realize is that Islam, though acknowledging Jesus, considers Him no more than a prophet, saying that “Allah Had No Son.”
I know this for a fact to be true, because about four years ago, when I lived in Germany and attended a Christian church, I was passing out tracts at a busy outdoor mall one Saturday morning with the pastor and a few other members of the church, when a middle-aged Turkish gentleman came rushing up to me. “You must understand,” he said, “to be a good Muslim, one has to believe in Jesus.” “I realize that,” I said, while handing him a tract, “but you believe He was only a prophet, whereas I believe He is the Son of God, and in fact God Almighty.” “Allah had no son,” he said, waving his hand and walking away.
Now if I had not known and believed that the Bible teaches,
“God gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
or that Jesus said,
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
John 14:6
And…
“He who denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.”
1 John 2:23
I would not have bothered to witness to this gentleman.
Now, doubtless, there are many good people who are Roman Catholics. There are also many good people who are Muslims. When I lived in Germany I met and befriended both Catholics and Muslims before and after I was saved. Only after I got saved, I felt it my responsibility to witness to my Roman Catholic and Muslim friends, not only to obey the Great Commission, but because I understood that they were my enemies because of Jesus’ sake. Whether they know it or not, their religions teach this in some fashion, and if their leaders were to tell them to persecute Christians and they didn’t, they would be considered heretics and infidels and could themselves be persecuted. This can be confirmed by many sources.
Both the Roman Catholic church and Islam have persecuted Christiansthroughout history, and the Christian that refuses to accept this is only deceiving himself. Christians living in Muslim countries can testify to this right now. By witnessing to our friends, neighbors, and relatives who are trapped in these belief systems, we may save someone from the damnation of Hell, and maybe even turn an enemy into a friend. At the very least, by knowing what these religions actually teach and believe, we would know and recognize a potential enemy, and pray for those individuals, and not put ourselves in a vulnerable position.
I live in a predominately Roman Catholic city in a mostly Roman Catholic neighborhood. Believe me when I tell you that my neighbors have gone to great lengths to let me know that they do not approve of me. Things have happened to me that only happen to people in the movies. These same things happened to me when I lived in Munich, Germany. This is why I personally believe the things I have read about Roman Catholic persecution of Christians. I have lived it. Now, I know that there will be someone out there who will vehemently disagree with this, but I also know that there is someone out there who knows that what I’m saying is true.
Now, because of what I have gone through, I had to constantly pray to God to show me how to love my neighbors, because they were making it far easier for me to hate them than to love them. Of course, this is exactly what Satan wants. I knew that I was being a very ineffective witness for Christ to my Catholic neighbors. Two whole years had passed and I had only given out three gospel tracts to my neighbors and not one was on the errors of Catholicism. This weighed heavily on my conscience. I felt a burden for them, but at the same time, I was beginning to despise them. Not good. I continued to pray and fast over the matter.
Then one day, a neighbor had done something particularly irksome to me, but rather than get angry, I grabbed as many Catholic tracts as I could carry, and went door to door handing them out until I didn’t have anymore. When I got home I immediately dropped to my knees and gave God the glory: I had finally witnessed to my neighbors. The persecution has by no means stopped; as a matter of fact, in some ways it has intensified. But I know that I have done what God wanted me to do. I gave them the Gospel. I also know that I could never have done this if I truly hated them. More importantly, I would never have done this if I had believed that they were already saved.
Understand, dear brethren, that if you are a Christian (as well as anyone else), you are being watched, and that your neighbors are not all who or what they appear to be. Know also that there is a war going on and that this activity is totally consistent with war. Let this be an opportunity for you to walk the walk rather than just talk the talk. As someone said, just make sure that what you say and what you do is truth. Be honest in word and deed. Bring glory to God.
Before I understood I was being spied on, my next-door neighbor, who is a chronic drunk, once called me Superman, and on another day he called me Mr. Perfect; both times in a negative manner. I used to wonder what about me would make him call me those things when I am far from perfect. It was only when I realized that he was spying on me, that I understood that he watched me when I wasn’t looking and saw that my private character was consistent with my public character. This angered this man to no end, but it was because his own conscience was pricked. Godly behavior (not to be confused with perfect behavior) is an indictment on the ungodly.
Get out there and witness to your neighbors. Understand that spying, just like pornography, reality TV, and magic, is very addicting, and, like those, is a doorway through which Satan can enter a person’s life and get a toehold. And once he gets a toehold, its over. That is why many of us see our neighbors getting stranger and stranger. Satan has come into their lives and will not let them loose. Their only hope is Jesus Christ, and only you can tell them about Him. So, why not do it?
If you are a Roman Catholic and now understand that your religion is not true Christianity, and you want to have a real relationship with Jesus Christ, click here.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
There are many unbiblical doctrines concerning baptism, the principle belief being that baptism cleanses one from the sin of Adam and Eve (known in the Roman Catholic Church as Original Sin). These misconceptions stem from unbiblical teachings about baptism. Most of these unbiblical are a result of Roman Catholic influence.
A Practical Catholic Dictionary defines baptism as:
“The sacrament by which a person is cleansed of original sin, made a child of God and an heir of Heaven. A person must receive Baptism before he may receive any of the other sacraments. Baptism brings sanctifying grace into the soul and takes aways original sin, which is the sin inherited from Adam and with which everyone is born. Baptism also takes away any actual sins and the punishment due to them, if the person baptized is guilty of any actual sins. In baptism, a person is made alive for the first time with the life of grace. Since the one who is baptized is in the state of original sin before receiving this sacrament, Baptism is called a Sacrament of the Dead. Baptism can be received only once, because it leaves on the soul and indelible mark called a character.”
A Practical Catholic Dictionary, p. 33
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that baptism cleanses a person from “original sin,” but the Bible teaches that only the shedding of blood can wash away sin:
“It is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul.”
Leviticus 17:11
“Without shedding of bloodthere is no remission [of sin].”
Hebrews 9:22
And the Lord Jesus washed away our sins through the shedding of His blood:
“This ismy blood…which is shed…for the remission of sins.”
Matthew 26:28
“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Ephesians 1:7
By His own blood He…obtained eternalredemption for us.”
Hebrews 9:12
If baptism does not wash away sin, then what is baptism?
Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
“Know ye not, that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christwere baptized into His death?”
Romans 6:3
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.”
Romans 6:5
“Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.”
Colossians 2:12
This truly emphasizes the symbolic nature of baptism. We know we were not buried with the Lord Jesus. But, when we were baptized, we symbolically re-enacted the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection. We were laid back in the water, with our arms folded across our chest, symbolizing Jesus’ death and burial. And, when we were brought back out of the water, we symbolized His resurrection.
Baptism is a symbol of the death of the old man, and the birth of the new man
When we got saved, we became a new person:
“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Baptism symbolizes the death and burial of the old unsaved man, and the resurrection, or rebirth of the new regenerated man:
“Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that likeas Christ was raised up from the deadby the glory of the Father, even sowe also should walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:4
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Romans 6:6
“If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above…for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God…ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man…”
Colossians 3:1-10
Baptism is a way for us to remember that as Jesus died and was buried, so is our old man dead and buried, along with his sinful ways. And, as the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, so are we risen with Him. The old sinful man is dead, and the new man is alive. This is what is referred to as the new birth. Though we shall continue to “strive against sin,” we shall no longer serve sin. Sin will no longer have dominion over us (Romans 6:14).
Baptism is a symbol of our salvation
“[T]he longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight soulswere saved by water.“
1 Peter 3:20
Did you see that? Baptism hails back to the Flood when God saved Noah! But you have got to dial in on this…you have got to wrap your head around this…Notice that it says eight souls were saved by water. When we think of the Flood, we usually think only of the fact that water destroyed. But water also saved, because were it not for the water, the Ark could not have been borne up and Noah and his family would have perished with the rest! Wow!
You cannot tell me that God does not have a plan. Everything—and I do mean everything—He does has a purpose. The more that I read Scripture the more I understand this. That’s why I’ll serve no other God but the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows what He is doing.
So, our baptism also symbolizes our salvation by reminding us of how God saved Noah and his family by water.
Baptism is an act of faith
Only those who have faith in the blood of Jesus will be saved:
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”
Romans 3:23-25
We are saved when we believe that the blood the Lord Jesus shed completely washed away our sins and saved us from the damnation of Hell. We have merely to accept this as fact and believe it, just like we believe that our mother is our mother even though we didn’t actually see her give birth to us. Faith is a choice. If we believe that the blood of the Lord Jesus saved us, then we should demonstrate our faith by getting baptized.
Baptism is an act of obedience
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
Acts 2:38
For the believer, the act of baptism is non-negotiable. It is a requirement. We get baptized out of obedience to the Scriptures.
Baptism gives us a clean conscience
Because the Lord Jesus never lies, we can rest assured that because we heard the gospel, believed the gospel, and were baptized, we are saved. Our conscience is clean:
“Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from all evil conscience,and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:22
It is very important to our spiritual wellbeing to have a clean conscience:
“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men.”
Acts 24:16
“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience…”
2 Corinthians 1:12
“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience…”
1 Timothy 1:5
A clean conscience is important because it is the conscience that convicts us of sin:
“And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one…”
John 8:9
If we live with guilt on our conscience, we are guilty of sin, because the Word of God says:
“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
Romans 14:23b
Baptism is not a means of Salvation
Some interpret 1 Peter 3:20-21a as meaning that baptism saves.
[T]he longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us…”
2 Peter 3:20-21a
But they are neglecting the second part of the passage:
“…(not theputting away of the filth of the flesh [remission of sin],but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 3:21b
Out of the mouth of the Apostle Peter, we have the final confirmation. Baptism cannot save you, because it does not “put away the filth of the flesh.” In other words, baptism does not save, because it does not remit sin. It does, however, give you a clean conscience by reminding you of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This should then remind you that as Christ is Risen, so are we, because we believe. We are a new person, free of the sins we committed in our previous life, as well as the sin of Adam.
Catholic Guilt
The consequence of a guilty conscience is best illustrated by the phenomenon known as Catholic Guilt, which Wikipedia describes as:
“The reported excess guilt felt by Catholics and lapsed Catholics. Guilt is a by-product of an informed conscience…”
An “informed conscience” is Catholic-speak for being convicted of sin. Catholics feel excess guilt because they don’t believe that the sacrifice of Jesus fully atoned for their sins:
“Satisfaction for sin – Making up to God for sins committed against Him. The penitent (Roman Catholic) satisfies in part for his sins when he says his Penance after Confession.” [Brackets mine.]
A Practical Catholic Dictionary, p. 196 “Satisfaction for Sins.”
If Roman Catholics must make “partial satisfaction” for their sins through penance, then the implication is that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross did not fully atone for sin. Pope Francis called it “The Failure of the Cross”:
This is a clear heresy, as the Lord’s last words before dying on the cross were “It [the Atonement] is finished.”
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.”
John 19:30
Confessing sins to a priest and doing penance to satisfy sins is contrary to the Word of God, which says:
“And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices,which can never take away sins.But this man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
Hebrews 10:11-12
If a priest cannot forgive sins, then the penance that he prescribes cannot satisfy sins. And if your sins are not forgiven, then you are not saved. And if you are not saved, then the Holy Spirit cannot live in you. And if the Holy Spirit does not live in you, then you cannot have a clean conscience.
Scripture says:
“Because that the worshippers once purged [of their sins] should have had no more conscience of sins.”
Hebrews 10:2
Because Roman Catholics are trusting in their priests instead of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit will not give them a clean conscience. This is why they live in a perpetual state of guilt, uncertainty, and fear.
Only those who hear and believe the Gospel should be baptized
Many who believe that baptism in and of itself is sufficient for salvation do so on the bases of Acts 2:38:
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
Acts 2:38
But they neglect to consider all that passage entails. The apostle Peter told the hearers that in order to be saved, they must first repent, and then be baptized. Repentance is the willful act of turning from sin and turning towards God. It is more than being sorry for having done evil; it is being sorry for having sinned against a Holy God.
“For godly sorrow worketh to repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
2 Corinthians 7:10
In order for a person to know that he has sinned against God, someone must first give him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is exactly what Peter did. This is what happened next:
“Then they gladly received his word and were baptized.”
Acts 2:41
Then is the operative word here, because it signifies a sequence of events. FIRST, Peter testified of Jesus to them; THEN, they gladly received (believed) his word; THEN, they were baptized.
Thus is the order established. In order to be saved, one must:
1) Hear the Gospel
2) Believe the Gospel
3) Be baptized
This is supported by the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who was converted after hearing the testimony of Philip the Evangelist (Acts 8). Philip encounters the man reading a passage of Scripture (Isaiah 53:7,8), and he asks Philip to whom the passage refers. We pick up there:
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture andpreached unto him Jesus.”
Acts 8:35
The eunuch heard the Gospel.The Scripture goes on to say that as they continued on their way, “they came unto a certain water,” at which point the eunuch said:
“See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”
Acts 8:36
It is obvious that in preaching the Gospel of Christ, Philip explained the necessity of baptism. In answer to his question, Philip replies:
“If thou believestwith all thine heart, [then]thou mayest.”
Acts 8:37
This is a conditional If…Then… statement. The performance of the second action is dependent upon the completion of the first action, called the condition. This is not optional. Only if the condition is met, may the action be taken.
Notice what happens next:
“And he [the eunuch]answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” [Brackets mine.]
Acts 8:37b
The eunuch believed the Gospel.
Notice that the eunuch did not have to be told to confess his belief. He knew that the only way Philip would understand that he believed was for him to confess his belief openly. Then there could be no doubt. One should not be baptized unless one has professed a belief in the Gospel. This is why Scripture says:
“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouthconfession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:9-10
As you can see, belief and confession go hand in hand. By his confession, the eunuch showed that he believed the Gospel.
We continue with verse 38:
“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
The eunuch was baptized.
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5)
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that baptism should only be done once because it “leaves an indelible mark on the soul.” But the Bible gives a completely different reason. You see, the Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus offered Himself for the sins of the world ONCE:
“But this man, after He had offeredONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER,sat down at the right hand of God.”
Hebrews 10:12
Since the Lord died only once–our baptism symbolizes this unique sacrifice–then we should only get baptized once in faith. If we were to get baptized twice, we would be symbolically suggesting that the Lord sacrificed Himself twice. This is not only a clear heresy, but also a terrible thing to do to our Savior.
You see, when the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, He literally became a curse for us, because all of our sins were heaped upon Him:
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law,being madea curse for us: for it is written,Cursed is anyone who hangeth on a tree.”
Galatians 3:13
This was terrible, because the Lord was innocent of any sin (1 John 3:5). But in His love for us, He allowed Himself to be humiliated and treated like a common criminal. This He did this for us—once. Afterwards, Jesus was taken down from the cross and buried. He rose on the third day in His glorified body and later ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father. He is no longer on the cross. He is no longer a curse. It is finished. To get baptized a second time is to put the Lord back on the cross and again subject the Creator of the universe to shame and reproach.
Backsliders need not apply
For this reason, there is no such thing as a backslider coming back to the faith. A backslider is a person who once believed, but left the faith. He literally “slid back” into his old way of life. Such a person cannot be “saved” again, because the Lord Jesus will not get back on the cross and again subject Himself to shame and reproach:
“Forit is impossiblefor those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”
Hebrews 6:5,6
I’m not talking about a person who stopped reading his Bible or praying but still believes. I’m talking about a person who totally leaves the faith and denies Jesus as his Savior. Now, maybe you are someone who had accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, but for whatever reason, you stopped living a Godly life. It could be that you stopped going to church or reading the Bible for a time; maybe you had even slipped back into your some of your old ways. But you never denied Jesus as your Savior.
Now you have resolved to start going back to church and devote yourself to reading your Bible and truly living a Christian life. This is commonly known as a rededication or revival, and it happens to many Christians. It is good to rededicate yourself to the Lord, but you do not need to get baptized again. Remember, when you got saved, you died to the old man and were reborn in Christ Jesus. Your baptism is proof of this. You can only be reborn once. The Bible says you must be born again, not reborn again.
Don’t put the Lord Jesus back on the Cross!
Also remember that our baptism is a symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If then, we continue to get baptized, we symbolically continuously crucify our Lord, declaring that His one sacrifice did not make atonement for our sins. If this is true, then Jesus died for nothing.
The seriousness of this can be seen in the Book of Numbers. We read in Chapter 20 that after Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt, there was a point when they were thirsty and there was no water to be found. God told Moses to speak to a certain rock, and water would come from it (v. 8). But Moses, who was by this time fed up with the Israelites constantly complaining, in anger, struck the rock with his staff instead of speaking to it (v. 11). And he not only struck it once; he struck it twice. For this, God told Moses he could not cross over the Jordan into the promised land (v. 12).
Why did God do this? Because the Rock was Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), and Moses’ striking the Rock was symbolic of Jesus crucifixion and death for the sins of the people. When Moses struck it twice, it was symbolic of Jesus being crucified twice: in essence a declaration that Jesus’ sacrifice was not good enough. It was for this act that Moses was not allowed to cross over the Jordan with his people, after having led them in the desert for 40 years. Now do you see how serious this is? It is a serious crime to put Jesus back on the cross, yet this is what we do when we get baptized over and over again.
Exceptions to the rule of one Baptism
An example of someone who would need to be baptized again would be someone who was baptized before, but never truly understood the Gospel message. It could be someone who was baptized as an infant (such as a Roman Catholic), or a teenager or adult who never really understood the Gospel message and so had not truly accepted Jesus as his Savior. If such a person later hears the Gospel, accepts Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord, and is baptized, the second baptism is the one that counts, not the first. Now that the person is a true believer and has been baptized, he need not ever do it again. Even if he should stray away for a time and decide to rededicate himself to the Lord Jesus, he need not get re-baptized, else he puts Jesus back on the cross.
Let me explain this from a personal perspective. Back in 1998, as a young man, a deacon in a local church “witnessed” to me and I was subsequently baptized in a formal ceremony. But because the deacon never told me what Jesus did for me and why I needed Him, I never really understood the Gospel message and what salvation was all about. Consequently, I never really made Jesus my personal Savior, and I made no confession of faith, either inwardly or outwardly. I was not saved, evidenced by the fact that I continued to live a sinful life. My baptism, therefore, was pointless. Seven years later, I heard the real Gospel and was convicted of my sins. I repented of my sins, made the Lord Jesus my personal Savior, and confessed Him as Lord. Now, I knew that I needed to be baptized, according to the Scriptures, but I wasn’t a member of any church. So, I filled my bathtub with water, and had my wife baptize me by laying me back in the tub, while saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (I didn’t know at that time that I could have been baptized in the name of Jesus, as all the fullness of the Godhead reside in Him). This I did out of obedience to the Scriptures.
Years later, I found out that my wife was not saved (she is a Roman Catholic), and I wondered if I should get re-baptized by a believer. But the Lord showed me that it was not the externals of the baptism that were important, but the internals. In other words, it was not what my wife believed that was important, but what I believed. Later the Holy Spirit revealed to me the things I am sharing with you now, and I knew that I was right not to get re-baptized.
Conclusion
I hope you are now convinced that baptism is not a means of salvation, but is rather a symbol of our salvation. It is your receipt—your assurance that if you have heard, believed, and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and have made Him your Lord and Savior, then you are saved, and Heaven is your reward. Pray about this and ask the Lord for discernment, because it is important.
If we know that we first heard the Gospel, believed it, accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and were baptized, then we have assurance that we are saved. This is important because a frequent tactic of the Devil is to try to make us think we are not saved. When you start to believe that way, first ask yourself if you believe the Gospel; that is,
That you are a sinner and deserve to go to Hell
That Jesus Christ died for you, and shed His blood for your sins
That His death was sufficient payment for your sins
That if you believe this and have confessed Jesus as your Savior, then you are saved.
Are you saved? If you are, then have you been baptized? If you have, then relax; you are saved, and your baptism is proof. If not, then read this article on Salvation.Then go get baptized.
Baptism is like a receipt. When I buy something expensive, I make sure that I have my receipt, in fact I make a copy of it and put it somewhere safe. That way, if something were to go wrong, I could take the purchase back, with full assurance that the store will honor it, because I have my receipt.
If you believe that the Lord Jesus died for your sins and that the shedding of His blood was sufficient payment for your sins, and have been baptized, then you have your receipt in your baptism. So when Satan tries to instill doubt in you (and he will), check your receipt. Don’t have your receipt? Go get it. You will need it.
The podcast on this teaching is below. I pray it blesses you.
I hope that your day has been joyous regardless of what trials and tribulations you may be going through right now. We all know that tribulations are part of the job description for the Body of Christ, but some of us may feel like we have had more than our share of difficult times. If you are one of these, trust me, you are not alone. Be encouraged, and remember what the Word tells us:
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
In other words, God will not put more on you than you can handle. Understand that this is a promise: God will not let you go through something without providing a way for you to get through it. That may mean that you are stronger than you thought you were. It may mean that God will strengthen you for the particular trial you are going through. Whatever the circumstance, the end result will be that you will persevere. The world says it a different way, “Whatever doesn’t kill me will only make me stronger.” They borrowed that from us.
At the end of the day, the purpose of these trials is to strengthen our testimony. A Christian with a weak testimony is an ineffective witness for Christ. A Christian with a strong testimony is a powerful witness for Christ, because he has been through some things and come through them, and gives God all the glory. Now that’s living.
Paul went through a few things himself. In fact, there was no one who suffered more than the apostle Paul. Yet, through all his sufferings, he remained joyous, because he looked past them to the reward that was waiting for him. Understand that a Christian who hasn’t been through anything is probably a lukewarm Christian. If you are about God’s business, the Devil will not be happy with you. And he will let you know that.
But we are not to give up. Listen:
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;
We are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken;
Cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
Did you see that? We are to be a walking, talking, living, breathing carbon copy of what the Lord Jesus went through when He walked this earth. The Bible says that Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Why is it that they always portray Jesus smiling and showing all his teeth, as though everything was just a bouquet of roses?
That would be very inconsistent with what we know of Jesus’ life. If everyone thought Jesus was such a great guy, He never would have been crucified. The people would not have stood for it. There would have been a riot. We know that that didn’t happen. He suffered way before the Cross. And in like fashion, so do we suffer. If you are being persecuted for your witness of Jesus Christ, you are in good company:
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
“Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
I don’t know about you, but I would rather be in the company of prophets than all the celebrities in the world.
So, no matter how bad things may seem, the fact that you are going through something is proof that you will come out the other end OK. Latch on to this promise, Saints; hold onto it for dear life. And rejoice!
Be encouraged, and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Someone left me a link to his website yesterday, where he commented on my blog post regardingAmerica’s jubilation over the death of Osama Bin Laden. It seems he believes America’s celebration was justified because Bin Laden had killed many Americans. I will not argue that point. This is America and at least for the time being, we are entitled to our opinion.
The gentleman also talked about the issue of government surveillance, which I found very interesting, because he thinks the contention that the government may belistening in on the private telephone conversations of American citizensis a bit conspiracy theory-ish. (He gave the example of him calling his wife to tell her that he loved her as an example of a conversation that did not merit surveillance.) He then went on to say that he didn’t feel there was anything special about him that would merit the government’s attention.
Unfortunately, this gentleman is woefully uninformed and apparently oblivious to the nuanced definition of terrorism under the USA PATRIOT Act. You see, prior to 9/11, Section 2331 of Title 18, United States Code, defined terrorism as “acts that attempt to affect the conduct of a governmentby assassination, or kidnapping.” Section 802(A) of the USA PATRIOT Act, however, amends this definition to read “acts that:
“involve acts dangerous to human life…
“appear to be intendedto intimidate or coerce…
“influence the policy of a government… and
“affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.” [Emphasis mine.]
How do you like the new and improved version? Notice that terrorism now includes “activities thatappearto be intended to intimidate or coerce.” Appear to whom? Something may “appear” to be one thing to you, but “appear” to be something totally different to me. We may even both be wrong. This wording is very subjective; and it is intended to be. It justifies any action the government may take against a citizen, because all they need say is that it “appeared” you were participating in terrorist activity.
Note also that terrorism includes activities that are “dangerous to human life.” This is potentially very troublesome. There are many things that are dangerous to human life many of which are considered fun. Take skateboarding, for instance. Skateboarding can be dangerous, as I have seen some pretty bad skateboarding injuries. Are skateboarders to be considered terrorists? Probably not, but this vague wording gives the government the freedom to regulate a wide variety of activities and have even greater control over the lives of American citizens. The potential for abuse is great.
What, for instance, should the government have to do with “childhood obesity?” Nothing. Yet they are passing stricter regulations on school lunches using the issue of childhood obesity as an excuse. If you keep in mind that somewhere there is a law for everything the government does, you should now understand that under this nuanced definition of terrorism, the government can legally take action to “protect” its citizens against actions that are “dangerous to human life,” including eating unhealthily. Hitler did the same thing in Nazi Germany. You can look for a lot more of this to happen as the government exerts unprecedented control over our lives. Welcome to 1984.
It should now also make sense to you why the government is getting involved in “bullying.” Bullies have always been problematic. But now they can be considered terrorists. If you think this a stretch, consider that the new definition of terrorism does not say “acts that appear to intimidate or coerce the government,”but merely “acts that appear to intimidate or coerce”—period. That means anybody. If your kids are “bullies,” you might want to sit down and have a talk with them, or you might see them on the six o’clock news.
But what should most interest our innocent blogger and all lovers of freedom is that the third definition of terrorism includes acts that “influence the policy of a government.” Did you know that when a person pickets in front of the White House he is in effect attempting to influence the policy of a government? Of course you did. You should now know that picketing can now be considered terrorism. This should be of concern to our blogger, because of remarks such as this which appear on his website:
“Mr. President, don’t you know that the Bible says “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Pro 14:34)? Don’t you know, sir, that your actions here are unGodly? Why do you wish to bring America down once more? Aren’t we stooped enough in sin as it is?
“Why would anyone who claims to be a believer in God and his word want to do away with an act [DOMA] that will keep marriage between the people that God made marriage for in the first place (men marrying women only)?” [Brackets mine.]
It must be added that this gentleman noted that whatever he posts to his blog, he also sends to the President. Now, can there be any question that his intention when sending these words to President Obama is to influence government policy? If not, then why send them to the President? To show him how well he can write? Under the PATRIOT Act, this can be considered terrorism. This gentleman needs to understand this.
But what is most important for him to know and that is more to our purposes, brothers and sisters, is this: A couple years ago, a document was “leaked” on the internet that made quite a stir among lovers of freedom all over America. It was published by the Department of Homeland Security and was entitledRightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.This unclassified document identified several groups as potential targets of rightwing extremist recruitment and/or activity and therefore, of concern to the U.S. government. Included are groups that the government has traditionally labeled as “the extreme right” such as Republicans, pro-lifers, and so-called Fundamentalist Christians. But it also includes groups that one would not normally expect. We will examine those groups shortly.
Now let us return to our zealous blogger. Note the boldface above and compare it to the boldface in his words to the President:
“Nothing is said [in the Bible] about two men or two women. One man, and one woman for life. Those are the only ones that God will join together in marriage. What about the homosexuals? God does not recognize them as being married, and while President Obama has turned his back on God’s laws, God won’t.
“God will punish homosexuals in the day of judgment because they are not living in accordance with his divine will. God will punish, not only them, but also those who “have pleasure in them that do them” (Rom 1:32). [Brackets and boldface mine.]
I count seven references to God in this statement. Only an alien does not know that in America the Biblical position is considered “fundamentalist.” It is important to understand that so-called fundamentalism is considered extremist. Is it a coincidence that the media calls Islamic terrorism (such as that attributed to the Taliban) Islamic fundamentalism? No, it is not a coincidence. It is intended to draw a parallel between Islamic terrorism and Biblical Christianity and instill in the American psyche the errant belief thatBiblical Christianity is radical and extreme.
Understand the danger in the term fundamentalism. Islamic fundamentalists are so-called because they adhere strictly to the teachings of the Koran, which supposedly teaches that it is permissible to kill “infidels” (unbelievers). When President Bush, in the aftermath of 911, said that Islam is a peaceful religion by making a distinction between ordinary Muslims and Islamic “fundamentalists,” he was basically saying that those Muslims who adhere strictly to the teachings of their holy book, the Koran, are the ones the world should be worried about, not the average Muslim.
Consequently, when the media call Biblical Christianity fundamentalist, they draw a parallel in the American consciousness between Christianity and Islamic terrorism, essentially calling Christians terrorists. They send the message that those Christians who adhere to the Bible as the rule and guide of their lives are as dangerous as the Muslims who strictly adhere to the teachings of the Koran by killing infidels.
This is why the bloody Crusades are being brought up again and again. This is why so much media attention was given to so-called Christians blowing up abortion centers and executing abortion doctors. This is why all the media attention was given to the so-called Christian pastor and his church who picketed the funeral of a fallen soldier for the cause of anti-homosexuality. This is why all the media attention was given to the so-called Christian pastor in Florida who burned the Koran. It is to inculcate fear, resentment, and anger in the American consciousness towards the Christian church.
What’s worse is that many Christians have also begun to use the term fundamentalism to refer to themselves, unaware that they are really calling themselves terrorists. They have drawn a target on their own backs.
So, under the PATRIOT Act, our blogger, by his actions and words, could be considered a terrorist; not only because he is trying to influence the policy of the government, but also because his Biblical views are considered fundamentalist.
But let us return to the “leaked” DHS document, for its revelations are frightening. Not only are “fundamentalist” Christians on the government’s watch list, but so are two other groups, the inclusion of which is shocking because of the sheer likelihood that, in this economy, a large percentage of Americans with no particular political affiliation or ideological bent will at some point in their lifetime belong to them. Those groups are:
THE UNEMPLOYED, because “high unemployment..has the potential to lead to alienation, thus increasing an individual’s susceptibility to extremist ideas” (p. 4). and
THE CHILDREN OF THE UNEMPLOYED, because “there appears to be a strong association between a parent’s unemployment status and the formation of rightwing extremist beliefs in their children” (p.4). (Look at the bottom in the fine print.)
Is this starting to sink in? This is incredible. But there is yet another group that the government considers a threat to “peace and security”:
MILITARY VETERANS: because: “After Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-1991, some returning military veterans –including Timothy McVeigh–joined or associated with rightwing extremist groups” (p. 7).
It should be noted that accused Norway shooter/bomber Anders Breivik is also being compared to Timothy McVeigh. Comparing veterans to McVeigh indicates that the government considers them potential terrorists. Veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder should be especially concerned about this, because this reports says that you have a “willingness” to join extremist groups (p. 7).
I’m a military veteran. When I joined the Army, I took an oath “to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Why, then, would the government consider military veterans a threat? Because we took an oath “to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” That’s why. Veterans are some of the most patriotic Americans you will ever meet. Most of us took that oath seriously. A government that has declared war on the American people cannot abide citizens who will defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign AND DOMESTIC.
Understand that by declaring military veterans—many of whom have given their lives to defend the freedoms guaranteed us in the Constitution of the United States—terrorists, the government has essentially declared itself an enemy of both the Constitution and the United States. This much is clear. But by declaring unemployed people—ordinary citizens, most of whom are not unemployed by choice—and even their children, terrorists, this government has declared itself the enemy not only of the Constitution, but of the American people. Now do many of the government’s actions and its increasing antagonism towards citizens suddenly make sense?
Are you now beginning to see the big picture? You are seriously mistaken if you think you will escape the government’s scrutiny just because you are a good citizen or just because you pay taxes or just because you volunteer or just because you voted for Obama or just because you never discuss religion or politics. If you are alive and breathe air, as far as the government is concerned, you are a potential terrorist. Understand that. If you are a Bible-believing Christian, patriot, criticize the government in any way, or would defend the Constitution “against all enemies foreign and domestic,” understand something: to the government, you are a terrorist. Believe that.
To the blogger who supported America’s celebration over the death of Bin-Laden and anyone else who feels that the government would not be interested in his life: you my friends, have a lot to learn. For additional information,read my essay about the government’s surveillance of Americans. It is about a year old, but it still applies. And it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. In light of the controversy concerning airport scanners, you should pay particular attention to the section on BIOMETRICS. It is very “revealing.” I have included a “Works Cited” page so that you can research my claims. And read the DHS report VERY THOROUGHLY. Whether it is authentic or not, it is accurate based on current events that are being played out in the media right before our eyes.
The apostle Paul admonished us to “watch in all things.” We are not to be taken by surprise by all that is going on around us, neither are we to be ignorant. Jesus said the ungodly would not understand, but those that know their God would understand.
If you realize that events in the news are part of the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist, which the Bible predicted, then you should realize that if the Bible was right about that, then it is probably right about God’s coming judgment on this sinful and rebellious world. If you would like to escape God’s wrath, thenclick here to learn how you can be saved.
Be encouraged, and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Still Man
P.S. In case you don’t think these people are serious, I went to the post office a couple of months ago, and the postal employee who helped me asked me if I had any “special operations training” because she had a “job” that she wanted someone to do. She actually asked me this in front of a roomful of people. Now, what do you think that was all about? Can you say, “Set up?” Watch and pray.
When I posted the link to the story of the British woman that was beheaded in Spain, I did not know that the story has changed from what I had written in my post. It is a good thing that I had saved the previous two stories from the 14th and the 15th, or you would have had no idea what I was talking about. As of this writing, the Telegraph is reporting that the man was shouting that he was a prophet of God while he was killing the woman. This differs from the previous story of May 14, 2011, which stated, “It was also claimed that he had spent time in a psychiatric hospital and thought he was a “Prophet of God.”
There is a big difference between someone claiming a person thought he was something and that person actually saying he is something.
The difference between history and news is that one happened and the other is reported to have happened. Don’t fall asleep on this folks. You may be reading about yourself one day and finding out that you believe something that you had no idea you believed, and said something that you had no idea you said.
If they did it to Jesus, they can and will do it to us.
As the world spins closer to the Coming of our Lord, there will be more and more venom directed towards God’s peculiar people. In Spain yesterday, a 60-year-old British woman was stabbed and then beheaded in broad daylight allegedly by a man described as a homeless derelict. (NOTE: The version of the story now posted at the Telegraph website is different from the May 13th and 14th versions below, which I saved in PDF format. Pay close attention to all three). According to the news report dated May 13, 2011, the man entered the store and somehow procured a knife, which he then used to stab the woman. He then allegedly used the knife to sever the woman’s head and then ran out the door bearing the gruesome relic. Outside, passersby and a security guard managed to subdue the man.
There are some peculiarities regarding this incident, starting with the fact that there were conflicting eyewitness reports with regards to the murder weapon. Initially, it was reported that the man used a knife, which he got somewhere inside the store, but some witnesses say the man came into the store with a machete. The newspaper account of the identity of the alleged killer is also a puzzlement. The May 13, 2011 report simply stated that the attacker was believed to be a “homeless man of Bulgarian origin.”
However, a subsequent report, dated May 14, 2011, had this to say:
“Today Spanish newspapers said police had arrested a 28-year-old man named locally as ‘Deyan Valentinov D,’ declining to give his full surname. It was also claimed that he had spent time in a psychiatric hospital and thought he was a ‘Prophet of God.’ Local news website CanariasalDia.com quoted the local mayor, José Reverón, as saying that the man, who lived in a semi-derelict house, had shouted: ‘God is on Earth.’” [Boldface mine].
You will have to look very carefully in order to see the editorial sleight of hand that just occurred. Carefully note that the second sentence states, “it was also claimed” rather than “Spanish newspapers also said,” or “They also said,” or anything that would attribute the statement regarding the attacker having spent time in a psychiatric hospital to the Spanish newspaper. As it is, anyone could have made that statement, and it may very well not be true. Also note that the unsubstantiated claim is immediately followed by a claim attributed to Mayor José Reverón.
This appears to be a case of very creative embellishment. Sandwiching the unattributed claim between two attributed claims gives it credence when in fact it is totally unsubstantiated. Also note that the unattributed claim stating that the attacker “thought he was a prophet of God,” is immediately followed by an attributed claim stating that the man shouted, “God is on Earth.”
This is extremely important. It is nothing strange for someone to claim that God is on earth. There are those who believe that both Heaven and Hell are on earth, and many who believe this way are highly educated and successful people. Also consider that if Heaven were on earth, and God lives in Heaven, then it must follow that God would live on earth also. Moreover, it must also be noted that the pope claims to be the representative of Jesus Christ on earth. If Jesus Christ is God, then the pope claims to be God. But no one seems to have a problem with that.
But this report links that harmless statement with the previous unattributed and unsubstantiated claim that the alleged killer claimed he was a “Prophet of God.”
There is a lot of this going on lately in the media. As I said earlier, the media and Christianity are diametrically opposed. The media have always portrayed God fearing men as axe wielding, Bible toting, Scripture-quoting psychopaths, and Christian women as liars, busybodies, hypocrites, and adulterers. This is just another case of the media associating Christians with criminals. Remember that the media constantly emphasized that the man that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart was a street preacher. Also recall that the media claimed the group that recently killed the Americans in Afghanistan did it in retaliation for the pastor in Florida who burned the Koran. There are many such examples.
This is just the beginning of a major worldwide persecution of Christians under the New World Order kingdom of Antichrist; coming very soon to a neighborhood near you. Everyone these days talks about the New World Order and the coming Police State. But almost no one talks about its decidedly anti-Christian character. The Bible does though. Turn with me to the Book of Daniel Chapter 7, verse 23-25:
“The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth (the New World Order), which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it to pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them (the Antichrist); and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High” (Daniel 7:23-25).
The world will be divided into ten regions of which the North American Union (the U.S., Mexico, and Canada) is one. (That was one of the reasons for NAFTA and GATT—to break down borders). Notice that the New World Order will persecute Christians. In case the worldwide character of this persecution is not yet clear to you, let us turn to the Book of the Revelation, Chapter 17, verse 12. We read:
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast (Antichrist). These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb (The Body of Christ, Christians), and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:12-14).
I have heard people who know that the United States will be the headquarters for the New World Order say that they will go to another country to escape it, but as you can see, it will be global. There will be no escape. But be encouraged: they are playing right into God’s hands, because He is bringing it about:
“For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled” (Revelation 17:17).
God is in charge. And His will shall be fulfilled. But, in the meantime, we are going to go through some trying times. What we see happening in the media is all part of the plan to turn the mass of humanity against Christianity, so that when the next and final Inquisition comes, no one will be against it—in fact, most people will be glad to see us gone. Recall that we Christians will suffer a similar fate as the Two Witnesses, and as the world will send presents to one another when the Antichrist kills them, so will they rejoice when we are killed. It is also important to note that the Nazi Holocaust was preceded by a massive propaganda campaign to enflame the Germans against the Jews. The present propaganda campaign against the Body of Christ will precede the last and final Inquisition.
Jesus told us about this in Matthew Chapter 24:
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (verse 9).
We have been warned–and forewarned is forearmed.
Get in the Word. Stay in the Word. Stay in prayer. Be encouraged.
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Grace and peace to you.
I was reading last night that scientists have found some mysterious, dark planet called Nibiru, that is supposedly hurtling through space, right for us. Again, the media wonders if theprophecies concerning 2010could be true. Well, you already know how I feel about certain“scientists”.
What is even more incredible is all the attention the godless media are giving to these events. Common sense would tell you that the media are not trying to get people to believe in the Bible. In fact, the exact opposite is true. But, because of the media hype of the end times on television, radio, and in Hollywood, many non-believers are aware of many of the signs that Jesus’ coming is near. It is incredible that many, if not most, of these signs are occurring now, IN OUR TIME! Folks, we are in the last days of The Last Days.
The signs are growing in intensity and in frequency, and yet, incredibly, there are many who believe that these signs are not from God. I believe this is because people have been pattering about “wars and rumors of wars” for so long people no longer fear war. I believe it’s because people have been chirping about “earthquakes in diverse places” so much that an earthquake, no matter how devastating, just doesn’t seem to move the average Joe.
But a tsunami? The Japanese tsunami really got people’s attention. There was something about this tsunami, which wiped whole villages completely off the map and that actually moved Japan so much that now some villages are flooded at high tide, that thinking people know instinctively that God is trying to tell us something.
Still there are those who doubt that this is a portent from God. Well those who doubt should know that Jesus foretold of tsunamis. Did you know that? Jesus actually foretold of tsunamis such as the one in Japan. And He not only foretold of tsunamis, but He also told us about the seemingly unexpected and unprecedented turmoil that was already happening in Africa around the same time.
Let us go to Chapter 21 in the Book of Luke (in the King James Bible of course. You know, you really ought to get one) and read the words of Jesus. Jesus is telling His disciples the things that are going to happen to His followers and that are going to come upon this world. Understand that He is talking about the end times—the very times that we are in. We pick up in verse 25. The words of our Lord:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earthdistress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and waves roaring.”
Now, when Jesus said that the sea and the waves would be roaring, he wasn’t talking about your garden-variety “narly” wave that every surfer lives for. For Him to include this in His List Of Things To Watch For, it would have to be unmistakable. Something to let us know without a shadow of a doubt, that this was A SIGN. Well let’s take a look at this tsunami.
It was preceded by an 8.9 (some reports say 9.0) magnitude earthquake that actually moved the island, and caused huge waves on our country’s Pacific coast.
It caused waves that surged higher than many “tsunami hills” that were built in certain villages so that people could evacuate to higher ground.
Over 10,000 people are dead and thousands more missing and presumed dead.
I’m sure there was a lot more to this tsunami than this, but if your name is The Still Man, this was quite enough. It’s already history for most of us, and we have forgotten about it and moved on with our lives. Such is life. But for the Japanese this is still a reality that they must live and cope with every day. No one there will ever be the same again.
Now, notice that verse 25 also says that the roaring sea and waves would be accompanied by “distress of nations with perplexity.” There has always been distress of nations and will always be distress of nations until the Lord comes. But this distress of nations is different in that it is perplexing. It makes no sense. When the revolt happened in Egypt, even little kids were scratching their heads. They were perplexed. Everybody was perplexed. It made no sense! One minute everything was alright, the next, all hell had broken loose. It was the same thing with Syria. It all happened so quickly that it took everyone by surprise. Jesus told us that would happen.
Now that you’ve had a chance to digest this, and are thinking that maybe perchance there is something to this, consider that Jesus told us to look out for something else: us.
Verse 26:
“Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
People are going to be freaking out. THIS is where the media come in. Isn’t it strange that the God-less media and Hollywood have been paying so much attention to the “prophesies” of Nostradamus and the Mayas concerning 2012? Why? It certainly isn’t because they want us to read and believe the Bible. Could it be because they want people to be in fear? Could it be because they want people to check out of here before that time comes? Did you hear about the man that jumped off the tallest building in the world the other day? Hmmmm?
Those who do not commit suicide will be in constant fear, worry, and anxiety. Stress. Stress causes many problems physical and mental. Haven’t you noticed that mental problems seem to be on the increase? A hospital close to my house closed down leaving only one section open. Would you like to guess which section it was? Yep. The mental health ward. They would not do this if there were not a need for it.
People who are under a great deal of stress and have mental problems sometimes do strange things—even terrible things, like killing their children, killing their entire family, killing themselves, and a combination of these. Is there any wonder why this is on the rise? You can look for more of this to come.
Why is everyone confused when there is a Book that tells us what’s coming? The Bible says the wicked will not know why these things are happening, but that those who know their God will. That’s you and me. We are not to scratch our heads and wonder why, because Jesus has already told us why. Jesus said that “these be the days of vengeance” (Luke 21:22). This is the beginning of God’s judgment on this fallen world. And believe me, it is only the beginning.
Let the wicked cower in fear. But as for you and me, dear believers, Jesus gave us a Word of advice:
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).
Words to live by.
Be encouraged and look up; your redemption draweth nigh.
It seems that a preacher named Harold Camping has predicted that the Rapture will take place on May 21, 2011. Jesus said that this would happen (Matthew 24:23), and it’s happening just like he said. What is unfortunate is that many Christians will be taken in by this false prophet. The Rapture has gotten a lot of attention lately, even from unsaved people. But, I don’t think that all this attention is warranted.
The Rapture, or Blessed Hope, for those who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour, is a glorious event that everyone who names the name of Christ looks forward to. It is the time when Jesus shall come for His people.
I had not given much thought to it, honestly, because there is just too much for me to do here in the present for me to worry about the future. Jesus said that He would come as a thief in the night. That means that we ought to be living right all the time, because we never know when he will show up. So, the Rapture wasn’t a subject that I devoted a lot of time thinking about. A couple of months ago, however, I became concerned with the time of this event, because of a question from my eleven-year-old daughter.
One day while we were discussing the Rapture, my daughter asked me whether someone who accepted the Lord Jesus a split second before He appeared would be taken up. I thought about this question for a moment, and I told her that, yes, I believe that a person under those circumstances would be taken in the Rapture. I explained that Jesus is merciful, and that He is not so “dogmatic” that He would disqualify someone if that person hadn’t been a Christian for a specific amount of time.
I then told her that Jesus, God the Son, is Omniscient, and He knows everything, including the future. So, He would know if the person were going to accept Him as Saviour, and He would come prepared to take the person with Him. She smiled at this. I truly believe she asked this question for her mother’s sake, who is not saved.
Next, she asked me a question that I was not ready to answer. I told her that I didn’t know exactly when the Rapture would be, but that I thought it would be before the Great Tribulation. She then asked me if that were true, then when would the Resurrection of the Tribulation saints take place, because the Bible only speaks of two future resurrections: the resurrection of the dead in Christ (commonly called the Rapture), and the resurrection of the damned.
This question came from an eleven-year-old child. Don’t tell me that God ain’t good. This was an excellent question, and I couldn’t believe that I had never thought of it before. I told her that I would research it and get back with her with an answer. I found it, and I want to share it with you.
First, it is important for me to mention that there are three schools of belief concerning the Rapture. Some believe that it will occur before the Tribulation (the Tribulation will be a time of great social upheaval, when the Antichrist will persecute the Christian church and the Jews), some believe that it will occur during the Tribulation, and still others believe that it will occur after the Tribulation. I used to believe that it would occur before the Tribulation. But after some research, I have had a major change of opinion. Perhaps after reading this, you will too.
First, as most Christians know, there are two resurrections. Jesus spoke of both of them in John 5:28:
“Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice. And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
There is no third resurrection. Therefore, all who have accepted the Lord Jesus will be part of one resurrection: the first, and all that have not will be part of another resurrection: the second. This will be important later. Now, the first Resurrection, as most Bible students know, is spoken of in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4:14-17:
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
“For the Lord Himself shall descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
The second resurrection coincides with the judgment of the damned, or the Great White Throne judgment spoken of in Revelation 20:11,12,15: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works…and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
We know that we won’t be a part of this resurrection because these will be judged according to their works. We will be judged according to grace (Ephesians 2:8-90). Big difference. Now I used to believe that the Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation, because of the martyred saints the apostle John saw in his vision in Revelation 6:9-11:
“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held;
“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
“And white robes were given unto them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
I had associated these saints with the saints in white robes mentioned in Revelation 7:9-17, who are said to have passed through “great tribulation.”
Now, however, I do not believe that these are the Tribulation saints, because their mention coincides with the opening of the fifth seal, which happens before the Tribulation. What is also important to note about these martyrs is that they were martyred “for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” This is the definition of a martyr for Jesus. There is nothing in this passage that identifies these saints as those from the Tribulation. These martyrs are everyone who has ever died in the name of Jesus.
The tribulation saints are mentioned specifically in Revelation 20:4. They are distinguished from the former group because they are martyred not only for their witness of Jesus, but for “civil disobedience.”
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands…”
As you can see, these saints are martyred not only because they are Christians, but because they refuse to worship the Beast and his image, which worship will be mandatory under penalty of death. They also refuse to accept the “mark of the Beast” on their foreheads and in their hands. All of this is spoken of in Revelation 13:15-18 and is associated with the Tribulation. These then, are the Tribulation martyrs.
Now refer back to Revelation 6:11. Notice that the martyrs are told to wait on two distinct groups: 1) their fellowservants (those believers who will not have been martyred) also AND 2) their brethren that should be killed (the martyred Tribulation saints). It is important to consider that the martyrs of Revelation 6:11 are told to wait on both groups. This agrees with 1 Thessalonians 4, which says that the Rapture will involve two groups: 1) the “dead in Christ,” and 2) “[those Christians] who are alive and remain.” The Rapture must take place after the Tribulation.
Revelation 7:9-17 is referring to the collective body Christ, both saints and martyrs from all ages, for they are spoken of as “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and tongues.” That they have come out of “great tribulation” (v. 14) merely suggests that they have all suffered for Christ, as Scripture says that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Now, I said all of this to lay the groundwork for what I am going to say next. Many Christians believe they will not see the Tribulation. They believe that we will be raptured out of here before then, and that the Tribulation saints are those who will accept the Lord Jesus after the Rapture.
But like my daughter said, if this were true, and there are only two resurrections, when would the Tribulation saints be resurrected? The only scriptural answer is that the Rapture, to include all believers AND the Tribulation saints, in one resurrection, would have to occur after the Tribulation. This is the only answer, based on the two-resurrection scenario that Jesus spoke of. There is just no other way that it could happen and include the Tribulation saints.
There is something else to consider that strengthens this argument. That is the case of the Two Witnesses found in Revelation Chapter 11:
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
“These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
“These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” (Revelation 11:3-4,6).”
Most Bible students are in agreement that these two prophets are Jewish, as the Bible uses the olive tree and the candlesticks (as in the Menorah) to refer to the Jewish nation. Some believe that they are Moses and Elijah, because Moses caused plagues to come upon the Egyptians, including causing waters to turn to blood. Elijah, as you may recall, caused it not to rain for three and a half years. The Bible also says that Elijah would return before Jesus’ second coming (Malachi 4:5).
It is also important to note that neither Moses nor Elijah died. Elijah was taken up to heaven, and Moses did not die a natural death, as God merely “put him to sleep.”
Now, a thousand and threescore (sixty) days adds up to three and a half years. Bible students know that the Tribulation will last seven years. The passage says these prophets will testify for three and a half years and then:
“When they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves…
And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:7-9,11,12).
Do you know that the witnesses could also represent the Christian church during the Tribulation? They will witness for three and a half days. Then they will be killed. Then they will be resurrected. First, God will let them witness for three and a half years and no one will be able to do anything to them for Revelation 11:5 tells us that:
“If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Can you imagine what this will do to the Christian church? It will be totally energized, spurred on by the testimony and the miracles of these two witnesses. Many will turn to the Lord, because science will not be able to explain away what these men will be doing.
The governments of the world may even try to enforce a media blackout, closing down the Internet and all radio and television communication so that the world will not hear the testimony of these two witnesses or see that the governments will be powerless to stop them. But, I don’t think God will let them. For the first time, Facebook and Twitter could be used to spread the Gospel, as many will be talking about the exploits of these witnesses worldwide.
After three and a half years, the Antichrist, energized by Satan, overcomes and kills the Witnesses. But notice, that it is according to God’s will, because the passage says they will not be killed until “they shall have finished their testimony.” God will be in control the entire time. I believe that the death of the two witnesses will mark the beginning of the last and great worldwide persecution of the Christian church. Finally, the witnesses’ dead bodies will lie in the street for three and a half years: the length of time of the Kingdom of Antichrist.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. Remember that after three and a half years, the Spirit of life will enter into the two witnesses (v. 11). They will be resurrected. Once again, pay close attention to what happens next.
“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (v. 12).
This is extremely important. Let us again look at the Rapture in Thessalonians 4:16-17.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel...and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds…”
Brothers and sisters, can’t you see these are talking about the same thing? The two witnesses will be the first taken in the Rapture and we will be right behind them! Praise God!
Think about it. Considering that there is only one resurrection for believers, this is the only way that all the servants of God, including the Tribulation saints (martyred and living) and the two witnesses, can be taken in a single resurrection. The Rapture must occur at the end of the Tribulation. Now there is one last proof that the Rapture marks the end of the Tribulation, and it can be found in two places: 1 Corinthians 15:21-24 and Revelation 11:13, respectively.
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.
“Then cometh the end, when He (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God…” (1 Corinthians 15:21-24)
This establishes the order: first the Rapture, then the end, when Jesus Christ delivers the kingdom to God. Now, compare that with what happens after the two witnesses are resurrected. We pick up again at Revelation 11:12:
“And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud…
“And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
“The second woe is past; and behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
“And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven, saying, Thekingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ…” (Revelation 11:12-15).
Can you see it now? The Rapture will occur after the Tribulation, and then the end will come.
One last thing: Many believe that the Rapture will occur unbeknownst to the world. They believe that one moment we will be here and the next we won’t –that we will just vanish. For this reason, many Christians believe that the ungodly media will try to use the Rapture to prove the existence of extraterrestrials by saying that abduction by aliens is the only plausible explanation for the disappearance of so many people.
But if the Rapture of the Church coincides with the resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses, then we go up into heaven in like fashion as they: in plain view of everybody. For Scripture says that the two witnesses, “ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:12). Think about it. Why would God whisk us out of here secretly, when He said that He would reward us openly? (Matthew 6:4). The Resurrection is certainly our reward. Furthermore, God has nothing to hide. He wants the ungodly to see what they’re missing.
This is a good time to discuss Harold Camping’s claim. The Tribulation will last seven years. The Two Witnesses will testify openly for three and a half years, be killed and their dead bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem, unburied, for three and a half years. That equals seven years: the same length of time of the Tribulation. Then the Two Witnesses will get up, and ascend into heaven. God has given us a time line:
1) The Two Witnesses appear. Start of first half of the Tribulation. Christians can still witness for three and a half years, albeit through some persecution.
2) The Two Witnesses killed. Start of the second half of the Tribulation (called the Great Tribulation). Christian persecution begins in earnest. Kingdom of Antichrist (the New World Order) reigns for three and a half years.
3) The Two Witnesses get up, ascend into Heaven. Christians get up, ascend into heaven. All of this happens in plain view of everybody. All believers have left the earth. The boo-boo hits the fan. Woe to the them who are left on the earth.
So, don’t even start thinking about the Rapture until you at least see the Two Witnesses. And you will see them. Remember that Revelation 11:5 says that when anyone tries to hurt the Two Witnesses, fire will come out of their mouths. What is important to remember is that anyone to whom this happens will die, for the Scripture says, “if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. Why is this? Because Scripture says that the Word of God is a consuming fire.
If you haven’t heard anything about anyone being spoken on fire, relax: the Rapture is still a long way off.
Now, if someone were to miss the Witnesses exploits on TV, they will surely hear about their deaths, for the world will know about it. Listen:
“And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth” (Revelation 11:10).
There will be a huge party when the Two Prophets are killed. Have you received an invite yet? I didn’t think so. Scripture also says at Revelation 11:13 that at the same time that the Rapture occurs, there will be a great earthquake during which a tenth part of Jerusalem will fall. Seven thousand people will die. All this will happen simultaneously. Look for that on the 21st. Scripture proves that Harold Camping is a false prophet. He’s not even moderately convincing. But, he will garner his disciples, because people would rather listen to a man, than listen to God.
Now let me say something very important. The God-less media and their occult sponsors have hyped up the Rapture in various ways for a few years now. They are always looking for ways to disprove the Bible and prove their claims, such as the existence of extraterrestrials. I believe that they can and will, if necessary, stage a “rapture” to achieve certain ends. But, I’ve just told you what to look for. There is a lot more to the Rapture than just people disappearing. In fact, people don’t “disappear” at all.
Now, these are only my observations. But I truly believe this is what the Spirit has shown me, because the closer we get to our Lord’s coming, the more attention that will be given to the Rapture, as recent events clearly show. This is not to scare you, but to help you to put things in perspective.
I believe that all the media attention given to a pre-Tribulation Rapture is designed to give Christians a false sense of security–and it’s working. Arguably, most Christians are not the least bit interested in fulfilling the Great Commission. I have visited a great many churches and without exception the “Christians” in these churches seemed to be merely celebrating their own salvation. We should celebrate our salvation, for the gift of eternal life is something to be excited about. But we should also feel a burden for the lost: for those poor souls languishing in sin. But we don’t. We have bought into the Pre-Tribulation rhetoric and have eased back in our faith and put our feet up. This is exactly what Satan wants.
Though we should all look forward to the Rapture, Jesus doesn’t want us to overly concern ourselves with it. He wants us to occupy until He comes. There’s work to be done. We need to be out there witnessing to a lost and dying world.
Christians in America do not know suffering as Christians in Communist and Muslim-dominated countries do. As Paul said we “have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4). But we will. The time of Christian persecution is coming to America. And it will happen sooner than we think. When it does, then we can start praying for the Rapture. But until then, we need to be busy for the Lord.
Would you like to have the wisdom to discern the true character of events? Would you like to have peace when everyone else is in a panic? Would you like to have eternal life? Then you need to know Jesus.Click here if you would like a relation with Him.
