Grace and peace believers and greetings to those who do not believe.
This question was asked by one of our readers:
“Is investing wrong? I would like to learn about investing and do it one day. But is it the same as gambling?”
No, investing is not gambling, so it is not against God’s will for you to invest. But I would caution you to seek God’s mind before you do something like that, and I will tell you why. The end of life as we’ve known it here in America is fast approaching. The Bible says in Revelation Chapter 13 that the False Prophet will cause every person in the world (save Christians) to receive a mark on their foreheads and on their right hands, without which, “no man might buy or sell” (Revelation 13:16-17).
So we know that at some point very soon, money will become obsolete. Now the European Union has already gotten rid of the individual currencies of most of its member nations, the so-called Euro Zone, and substituted the Euro. The United States, from what I understand, is also planning to bring in a new currency called the Amero. Now, I was living in Germany when the Euro came in and I can tell you what happened before it was instituted and after, so brace yourself.
About a year or so before the Euro came in, all product price tags had the price of a product in both euros and deutsche marks. For example, if a loaf of bread cost one mark, below it would be the price in euros, which was roughly half the price in marks or 50 cents (true example). Most people thought that this was being done to accustom the public to the price difference between deutsche marks and euros. If this were true, then the exchange rate from marks to euros would be roughly 2 to 1, or two marks for one euro. So when the euro came in, it is logical to assume that the price of the product in euros would remain the same. Right? Wrong!
When the euro came in we expected to see the price in deutsche marks gone, and only the euro price remaining, at the same price we were accustomed to seeing. But do you know what happened? True, the deutsche mark price was gone, replaced by the euro price, but instead of the product remaining at the same euro price as before, it was the same price in euros as it was in deutsche marks. So, for example, that loaf of bread that used to cost one deutsche mark, but 50 cents (or one half euro) now cost one euro instead of 50 cents. In other words, overnight the price of food increased 100 percent!
And the bad part is that salaries remained the same. So, literally overnight, your salary could only buy half as much as it could before the euro came in. This actually happened, and I was there to see it. People immediately went into debt. One man passed me on the street distraught, because he was retired and living on a government pension. He said that now that the euro had come in, after he payed his rent and utilities, he barely had enough to eat. This man didn’t know me from Adam, but he was so distraught, that he had to talk to someone.
Moreover, what money people had in bank accounts, CD’s, money market funds, and other investments was now worth only half as much as before. The same was true of any money folks had squirreled away at home. The media advertised when would be the last day for folks to take their deutsche marks to the bank to exchange them for euros, because the next day they would be worthless. And, of course, they were.
Now, I have no doubt whatsoever that this will happen in America. I believe that the excuse to get people to accept the mark of the Beast will be that the problem with the world economy is money. They will tell us that in order to fix the problem, it would be better to just eliminate money altogether and bring everybody on line with a cashless economy. That is why the debit card, online purchases, and PayPal have been pushed: to get people used to making financial transactions without handling money. It’s all designed to get them primed and ready to accept the Mark of the Beast. And most will.
Now, I’m giving you my opinion based on Biblical testimony and my own personal experience. I don’t know anything about economics and I am horrible at math. But I’ve got common sense and I believe my Bible; and I’ve got the personal experience that I’ve just related to you. So, I’d be very careful with my investments if I were you, because believe me, we are getting prepared for something. I can feel it. If we are going to a cashless society—and we are—then in a very short while, a million dollars won’t be able to buy you a pack of gum.
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Grace and peace to my brethren in the Lord, and greetings to the lost.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Job: how he was a righteous man, upright before the Lord, and eschewed sin. We know how God allowed Job to be afflicted by Satan in order to test his faithfulness, and that Job’s friends accused him falsely, saying that God afflicted him because of his sinfulness and self-righteousness. But Job remained faithful until the end, and at no time during his temptation did he ever “charge God foolishly.” As a result, “the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
It is no secret that God tests his people, and that often the severity of those trials is proportionate to the measure of our faithfulness. During these trials, Satan will often use those closest to us to discourage us, as Job’s wife proves:
“Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die” (2:9).
We normally only emphasize the last part of this sentence, that Job’s wife said he should “curse God and die.” But we often overlook the first part. Job’s wife asked him if he still retained his integrity. Is it merely a coincidence that God had only just spoken of Job’s integrity at His second meeting with Satan?
“Hast thou considered my servant Job…still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause” (2:3)
No, it is no accident. It obviously chapped Satan’s hide when God said this about Job: that he held his integrity even after Satan took everything he had, including his children. Satan said that Job would curse God to his face, but Job proved him wrong.
The point I am trying to make is that Satan, angered at this reference to Job’s integrity, used Job’s own wife against him by putting God’s very words in her mouth. Only whereas God meant them for good, Satan used them for evil.
There is a great lesson in spiritual warfare here. Many of us are suffering temptations because of our faithfulness to God. And our friends and loved ones play a major part in this temptation. Oftentimes a friend or family member will say or do something that seemed to come right out of left field. It will be obvious that the intent of the action was not to edify or encourage us, but to hurt us or to make us angry. Our first reaction will often be one of anger, but we should take a moment to examine the comment before we react, because often it will give us a glimpse of the spiritual warfare that is taking place behind the scenes.
Take Job’s wife. Now the Bible says of Job:
“[T]here was none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil” (1:8).
God said these things about Job, not about his wife. So it is a good guess that his wife was not a God-fearing woman. But even so, I don’t believe under normal circumstances, she would ever have suggested that Job kill himself.
What? You say. Who said that Job’s wife told him to kill himself? Why, the Bible, of course. What do you think the sentence, “Curse God and die” means? It is a double imperative or a two-part command:
1. “Curse God.” 2. “Die.”
Understand that no one can just die. We don’t have the power over life and death; only God does. So for us to die, either someone has to kill us, we commit suicide, or Satan kills us through sickness, disease, an accident, or some other means. Under certain circumstances, God simply allows us to die (as in the case of Moses). In any case, God is in complete control.
Now Job’s affliction was not terminal. It was not going to kill him, because God specifically told Satan not to take Job’s life (2:6). Job’s wife knew that his illness wasn’t terminal. So what else could she have meant when she told Job to die, when she knew that he wasn’t terminally ill? She meant for him to kill himself.
Are we to believe that Job’s wife really wanted for him to die? Of course not. These were not her words; they were Satan’s. And proof of this is that Job’s wife prefaced this suggestion with God’s very words, only twisted. Job knew this, because he didn’t even address the second part of her comment. He only addressed her admonition to curse God:
“What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evil?” (2:10).
At her suggestion that he kill himself, Job said nothing. He knew these were not his wife’s words. So he let it go. Moreover, Job’s wife told him to curse God. This is interesting, because Satan told God that if He allowed Satan to afflict Job, he would curse God to His face” (Job 1:11). Again, this is proof that these words, though said by Job’s wife, actually came from Satan.
This is important for us to remember. Satan is going to use those nearest and dearest to us to hurt and discourage us. Why? Because God hasn’t given Satan permission to kill us. Satan has to stop us in some way, and he would prefer to kill us. But if God hasn’t given him the right to take our lives, he can’t do it. So he will try to discourage us and may even try to get us to kill ourselves, just like he did Job. And he will use our friends and families for this purpose. That is why we must fight diligently not to let them beguile us into saying or doing something that we most surely will regret later. We must learn to let it go.
Think about it: You are going through one of the most difficult times in your entire life, and your wife or husband, who is supposed to stick by you through thick and thin, tells you to kill yourself. What would you do? I can tell you that most of us would say something we would later regret; and we would regret it, no matter how we tried to justify it. Job did not do this, for even after his wife made this suggestion, the Bible says:
“In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (2:10b).
Most believe that this verse means that Job didn’t curse God. Though this is true, it may also mean that Job didn’t go off on his wife after she told him to kill himself, nor blow his top on his friends when they accused him of being a hypocrite. Job understood spiritual warfare intrinsically, even though he didn’t know the specifics. Job knew God, so, conversely, he knew Satan. And if he knew Satan, he knew his tactics.
What this means for you and me is this: Understand that this warfare is not primarily about our friends and family. It is about us. Satan already has them, and he doesn’t have to do anything special to keep them. He must only feed them a steady dose of the sin of their choice to keep them in bondage.
We, however, have slipped through Satan’s fingers, and that is a problem for him. A faithful Christian is like a bag of seeds with a hole in it. Wherever we go, we are constantly dropping seeds on the road. A healthy seed doesn’t last long on the ground. If a bird sees it, it will come and snatch it up and eat it or feed it to its chicks, and they will be nourished. If an ant finds it, it will take it home and provide nourishment to the colony. And if it finds its way to fertile soil, it will take root and grow. And even if it doesn’t, it will decompose and provide nourishment for other plants.
The point is that a faithful believer is a regenerating agent. When his seeds fall out of the bag, there is no telling what they will do or where they will end up. They may fall in Los Angeles and end up in Japan. This of course agrees with Scripture, which says that God’s Word will not return to Him void. Once the seeds are are out of the bag, it’s anyone’s guess.
Satan doesn’t want to take the chance that this will happen, so he will do everything he can to patch the hole in your bag. And one way he will try to do this is to discourage us through our friends and family. This is actually a two-pronged attack, because not only is he attacking us through them, but if we react the wrong way, he is also attacking them though us. If we say or do something drastic in a moment of anger, we could lose forever the chance to impact them with the Gospel. And that is Satan’s end game. He knows he can’t have us, so he wants to make sure that we don’t get them.
We must be ever on the lookout for this tactic. When Satan comes against us through our friends and family, we must always remember that we are the ones who are saved, not them. Therefore, it is we who must be responsible for our words and actions even if they are not. We must learn to let it go.
Now in order for us to do this, it may mean putting some distance between them and us. Some will do this for us, electing to have nothing to do with us for our preaching the Gospel. They may call us crazy or judgmental, and just decide that they would rather not come around us. Sometimes we get upset at them for this, but it may be a good thing if our being a Christian excites something in them that is not conducive to an amicable relationship.
There are also others from whom we may have to distance ourselves. Some will take offense to this, even if they know that they are the ones with the problem. That’s human nature. But though we are admonished to show ourselves friendly, with some that is not always possible. It is best to part on good terms, than on bad. We must let them go.
The important thing is that when we are treated badly by a friend or relative, we must do our very best to consider the action from a biblical perspective. We are in a war, saints, and everyone and everything that is not of God is a potential weapon—especially those nearest and dearest to us. We must always remember how Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him saying,
“Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
This is no less true of our friends and family. They know not what they do. They are merely pawns in the hands of a cruel and relentless chess player. And as long as they reject Jesus, Satan will move them in whatever direction he chooses. But he is no match for The Chess Master. In fact, Jesus declared “Check Mate” when He said:
“It is finished” (READ “You are finished.”) (John 19:30).
So, understanding that we are in a war, we have to forgive them just like Jesus did. If we do, we stay on amicable, if not friendly terms with them, and it is always possible, God willing, that they will one day accept the Gospel. And even if they don’t, it won’t be because we were unloving and without charity, which includes pity and understanding. We must let it go.
Job did this. Notice that only three people came to see Job the entire time he was afflicted: Eiphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Proof of this can be found in verse 11 of the last chapter of the book of Job, which says:
“Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before” (42:11).
What? We didn’t even know that Job had brothers and sisters. Why? Because when Job was going through this very difficult time, they were nowhere to be found. But Job didn’t complain, though it must have hurt him very much to suffer so without the consolation of his family and friends. Job knew that their absence was part of the evil that had been visited upon him. Listen to this:
“[God] hath put my brethren far from me,and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. “My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.
“They that dwell in mine house, and my maidens, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.
“I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.
“My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body.
“Yea, young children despised me; I arose and they spake against me.
“All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me” (19:13-19).
Poor Job! You see, we only think of Job’s affliction in terms of the disease, but it went much deeper than that. Job was utterly alone. All his friends and family had forsaken him. And when his three friends did show up, it was only to accuse him, and he was innocent of any crime. Now that’s affliction.
But Job didn’t accuse them, because he knew that this was all God’s doing. It was part of his trial. With all that was done to him, the Bible says Job “sinned not with his lips.” Thus, at the end of his affliction, his friends and family were able to come and console him. And they didn’t come begrudgingly. Listen to what happened:
“And [Job’s family and friends] did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned (cried over) him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold” (42:11b).
Everyone who had abandon Job came to him at the end of his affliction and comforted him and made restitution with him. The preceding verse is the key to understanding the change in attitude in Job’s friends and family. Listen, because it is very important:
“And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (42:10).
Did you see that? God restored Job, but only after he prayed for his friends. Job forgave them for all the evil they spoke of him. Job let it go.
There is a great lesson here for us, brothers and sisters: we who are going through various trials for our Christian witness. It is not a pleasant thing when our friends and family become our enemies because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We think that if they were truly our friends, then they would not forsake us. We fail to understand that nothing in a believer’s life happens that is not ordained of God. So when our friends forsake us and our families speak evil of us, ultimately it is God who is bringing it about.
Now, I can’t pretend to understand the what and the why of everything that God is doing in our lives. But I do understand this lesson that God has provided for our edification and encouragement. God is ordering our steps. He is bringing it about. So let us not hold grudges against those who do evil to us and spitefully use us. Let us forgive them. Let it go.
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Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The family that stays together, prays together. If this is true—and it is—it is no wonder that so many families are imploding today. We have turned our backs on God. We feel that we know better than He does what is best for us. Only we don’t; and we are going to pay dearly for our disobedience. The New World Order that is taking shape around us is a product of our willful disobedience of God and rejection of His will for our lives.
Those who are bringing about this “Great Work” call it a “benevolent despotism,” which, in layman’s terms, means they are going to rule us for our own good. Only no good will come out of it, as they will micromanage every single facet of our lives and “free will” will become a thing of the past. In fact, all freedom will become a thing of the past. Proof of this are the draconian laws that government is already passing, such as to regulate school lunches in order to combat “childhood obesity.”
We didn’t want a loving, merciful, and caring God telling us what to do, so we will get a cold, impassive, and unrelenting Big Brother that will tell us what to do—for our own good. William Penn said, “Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.” Think about this as you watch the following video.
Remember that nothing that comes out of Hollywood is strictly for entertainment purposes. If it is not being used for world shaping, it is being used for prophesying: to show us Satan’s vision of the future. Welcome to the future.
Many of our new readers may not be familiar with some of the material on this site from the past year. So, to keep you from having to wade through all the material, every week I will post the best articles from that week a year ago.
How many of us realize that our Omnipotent God knows everything, including the future? God is the only Author in history who encourages you to go to the end of the Book to see how the story will end.
Can God see in the dark? If He can, why did He command there to be light at the beginning of the Creation before He created a man and a woman who would need it? Light may be the very best evidence we have for a literal six-day Creation.
Starting today we will begin to present a memory verse every week. You should say these verses with every meal when you give thanks. Not just when you are sitting at the table, but anytime you eat or drink anything.
Program yourself to say these verses several times a day until they become a part of rote memory. Write them on a post-it note and stick them on your computer monitor. Stick them on your refrigerator and on your bathroom or vanity mirror. Stick one inside your wallet so that whenever you open it, the verse will be right there winking at you. Stick one on your front door so that before you go out, you can see it and walk out with that verse in your head. Before you know it, you won’t need the note anymore.
The theme for this week’s verse is fear. Now most of us know that “God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).” But it is also nice to know that God is always with us:
“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).
Isn’t that good news? God is with us wherever we go, so we need not fear.
That’s good to know in this crazy world. Things are going downhill so quickly that most people know intrinsically that something is terribly wrong. Countries are experiencing unprecedented turmoil. Almost everywhere you turn, someone is rioting. School shootings are no longer news.
The love of many has waxed cold. Parents are killing their children, children are killing their parents, and children are killing other children. Hollywood glorifies debauchery and immorality and thanks to Harry Potter and Twilight, witchcraft is the fastest growing religion in America.
And on top of all that, there is growing hostility towards the things of God. The Gospel is being trampled underfoot as America has turned its back on the Lord Jesus. And the government is passing laws that will ultimately make it very hard for soul winners to fulfill the Great Commission without great risk.
And as if that wasn’t enough, even nature has lost its mind as floods, tornados, and earthquakes have become almost commonplace. It has gotten so that when you go to bed at night, you have absolutely no idea what kind of world you are going to wake up to in the morning. The light has virtually gone out of the world.
With all this, we need to know that God is with us. This verse tells us that God is with us no matter where we go, so we have no need to fear. God is ordering our steps. He will protect us.
So be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Grace and peace to the Saints, from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I came from a nominally Christian family; that is, we had the form of righteousness, but our lives denied the power thereof. We weren’t hypocrites, but the only person in our family who really hungered after the things of God was my grandmother. My mother, unfortunately, did not, and whatever my grandmother built with her hands, my mother would stomp to pieces with her feet (Proverbs 14:1). She has gone on to her reward: which, I know not, so I won’t belabor this point.
The point I am trying to make is that there was constant spiritual warfare going on in our house, as my grandmother tried her best to raise us in a Christian environment, only to have her best efforts thwarted. As a saved man, I can now look back on my childhood and appreciate what a monumental struggle she had with Satan as she tried to give us an appreciation for the things of God and for the good things of life in general, but was woefully inadequate to the task, as we were much too heathen for her.
God knows how my grandmother must have prayed for me. I can remember as a young man in the military going to see her when I would come home on leave. She would be sitting alone in her bedroom, dressed in a nightgown and nestled in her recliner with the Bible on her lap full of handwritten notes and scraps of paper. I would sit and talk with her for awhile, and I could see in her eyes that she wanted to talk with me about the things of God, but she knew that my visit on those Saturday nights was only to say, Hi before going out to party. Sometimes I would sit long enough to watch Larry King a bit with her, but it was rarely for more than an hour, and my heart was already through the door and on its way to the club.
How I wish I could have those days back, but alas, my grandmother has gone on to be with the Lord, and all I have is the memories of those times. I was closer to my grandmother than I was to my own mother. When I sang my first and only Gospel solo at my high school Spring Festival, it was my grandmother who came to see me perform. My mother could not have cared less. I didn’t know the sacrifice my grandmother had made to be there for me until one of the girls in the choir came and told me that my grandmother was in the bathroom throwing up. That was love. That was my grandmother. I can’t wait to see her in Heaven. And I will.
I really hadn’t intended to say this much, but I have been groaning in my spirit this morning about the hardness of our hearts and how it was the patience and perseverance of some Saint praying and interceding on our behalf that led us to repent and get saved. Jesus honored the prayers of that one person often praying through tears on our behalf. I bless the name of Jesus for His mercy.
What I wanted to talk about today is one of the traditions we had in our family that I never forgot: reciting a Bible verse before eating the meal. You see, back in those days, we used to pray before eating. Even if we didn’t pray before eating any other meal of the day, if we were sitting at the dinner table, we were required to pray. Now, most people merely give thanks for the meal, but in my family, we would recite a Bible verse. Actually, my siblings and I would recite THE Bible verse, for the only verse we ever learned was “Jesus wept.” And we were in such a hurry to eat, that we never really said, “Jesus wept,” but, “Jeeswep.” What irreverent little gremlins we were!
Now, I, my mother, and siblings lived upstairs from my grandparents in a two-family flat that they owned. (Whenever my grandfather would get mad at my mother, he would tell me how it was his intent to rent the upstairs to someone else so that he would always have some cash coming in, but that they gave it to my mother, because she needed a place to stay. I don’t doubt this for one minute.) During the week, my family would eat upstairs, but on Saturdays and some Sundays, we all ate downstairs at my grandparents’.
It was on Saturdays that I got a chance to hear my mother’s and grandparents’ Bible verses. There was a time when I could remember all their verses, and as a child, whenever their turn came, I would say their verses in my mind, even imitating their voices. (Yes, I was strange.) But, now I can’t remember their verses at all; that is, I have forgotten all but the last few words of my grandmother’s verse, which was, “I can’t understand it.”
I never understood what the purpose was to this ritual, as no one ever explained to me why Jesus wept, and why we were required to orally commemorate what I thought must have been a very sad point in our Savior’s life. Moreover, I wondered why only the children had to commemorate this day, while my grandfather and mother said something else, and my grandmother was confused about something. But, confusion notwithstanding, it was a tradition, and children love traditions.
Flash forward to 2006. I have been saved since September 2005, and I am regularly studying my Bible to know my Jesus better and growing in wisdom and understanding. I am in John 11, which is where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, when I come across verse 35: “Jesus wept.” I got goosebumps as I realized that it was this verse that I had been saying for as long as I could remember! I was so happy about my discovery, that I tried to explain it to my three small children. The problem was that they were only 7, 6, and 4, and their eyes were glazing over and spit running down the sides of my little boy’s mouth as I tried to explain this watershed event to them. I’m convinced that some of history’s greatest events were only witnessed by four-year-olds with spit running down their mouths. I’m convinced of it.
Anyway, as I reflected on this, I realized that my grandmother had been trying to teach us Bible verses and had started with what is one of the shortest, if not the shortest verse in the Bible. It is also one of the most powerful, as it shows our Lord’s humanity.
As you recall, Jesus wept because Mary, the sister of Lazarus, was crying before Him saying, “If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” The onlookers thought that Jesus was crying because “He loved him.” But I believe He was crying because they still didn’t fully understand who Jesus was and is and that if they had fully realized that Jesus was God in the flesh, they would have understood that they had merely to ask, and He would have given Lazarus life. As a matter of fact, they doubted until the moment Lazarus walked out of the tomb. But I digress.
As I was saying, I not only realized that what I had been saying since a child was in the Bible, but I now understood the circumstances under which Jesus said it. Powerful stuff.
I didn’t realize the effectiveness of teaching children Bible verses to say at mealtime until 2008, when I and my children came to the States from Germany. I knew my time with them was going to be short, because of the circumstances under which I brought them to America. That story is not the subject of this discourse and is much too complicated for me to include here. But suffice it to say that there was a conspiracy to keep my children in Germany, one purpose of which I believe was to keep them from becoming Christians. Believe me when I tell you that Satan will expend an inordinate amount of energy to prevent a child from turning to Christ or to destroy their faith in Him. Understand this.
The forces of Satan succeeded in bringing them back to Germany, but not before I preached Jesus to them and got them saved. Hallelujah! Believe me when I tell you that the enemy is clever, resourceful, and relentless. But he is no match for Jesus Christ.
Now, I realized that the reason Jesus had wanted me to bring the children to America was for them to not only hear the Gospel, but to live it. This is very important. You see, Germany is a pagan country, as Roman Catholicism, the dominant religion in Germany, is a pagan religion. It is not Christianity. Not to speak evil of my wife, but she is not a Christian either, though she claims to be, and goes to church ever Sunday. I found this out when I once asked her where she thinks we go when we die, to which she replied, “I know we go somewhere, but I don’t know where we go.”
I want you to understand something: If you don’t know where we go when we die, then you are not a Christian, because Jesus has told us in the Bible. Saying you don’t know is calling Jesus Christ a liar. What do you think the term “saved” means? It means you are saved from the flames of Hell. Salvation has come to mean different things to different people, but to the Christian, salvation means just that. But that is fodder for another discussion.
Now, it was impossible to create the proper Christian atmosphere in my house in Germany, as there were just too many forces in conflict. When we came to America, however, I was able to live the life that God intends without strife in my home. As I said, I knew my time with them would be short, so I wasted no time getting the Gospel into my kids, constantly gauging their understanding to know when I should ask them to make a decision for Christ. I was trying to get them to memorize Scripture, but only one was able to memorize them sufficiently.
Then one day I remembered the Bible verse I learned as a child, and that we would say it every day at mealtime. I decided to try this with the kids. And it worked like a charm. I gave my little boy, who has learning issues, Psalm 87:1, “His foundation is in the Holy Mountain” as his first verse, and he learned it almost right away. I gave my teenage daughter from a previous marriage, who had come to live with us, Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” And I gave my other two daughters their verses. The plan was to have a different verse every week, but various factors changed this to bi-weekly and sometimes even monthly. But the important thing is that we stayed at it, and it paid off.
One day I decided to test the effectiveness of the program, so I asked each of the kids to write down ever verse he knew. As it turned out, each knew about 30 Bible verses! This was because they not only memorized their own verses, but the verses of their siblings as well, because they would hear them every day. And not only did they know the verses, but they also knew where to find them in the Bible, as I would allow them to choose their own verses, and they would declare the chapter and verse after reciting it. This worked marvelously. An unintended benefit from all this is that I also learned their verses as well as my own.
Now that the kids have been back in Germany with their mother for almost three years, they have forgotten many of their old verses, but John 3:16 and John 14:6 they have never forgotten. And if there were two verses they should never forget, those would be the two. In November of last year, my thirteen-year-old took it upon herself to choose Bible verses for her and her brother and sister to recite at mealtimes. So, the tradition continues. God is good, Saints.
Of course the devil will do everything he can to destroy what God has established in these children, but what Jesus has started, He will also finish. You can count on that. The important thing is that the foundation has been established. And as many of you know, even when a tornado has blown the house down, the foundation often remains intact, and the house can therefore be rebuilt. But without the foundation, there is nothing to rebuild on.
That is my message to you today, Saints. Those of you who have children, start right now to get God’s Word into them. They will soak it up like a sponge; I’m a witness. God let me hear my little boy at six years old–six years old–preach the Gospel to his mother one day when she called to speak to the kids. I never told him that his mother was not saved. Yet, there he was one day when we were at the post office and his mother had called: walking around the post office with my cell phone in his hand, totally oblivious to everything and everyone around him, preaching the Gospel of Reconciliation to his lost mother. Don’t you tell me God ain’t able. I’ve seen what He can do.
So, don’t waste any time getting the Word of God into your kids. Turn off the T.V. Put the Bible on the middle of the table, so the kids understand that it’s the center of your existence. Let them handle it, touch it, make it theirs. Get them their own Bible and tell them to write their name in it, and do anything they want to make it theirs. Only do it on the outside. The inside is the Word of God and should not be tampered with except for notes and such. Let almost every other word that comes out of your mouth be “Jesus” or “God.” Make sure that they understand that Jesus is not only the Son of God, but God Almighty. Don’t be surprised when your kids start using the two interchangeably, which is exactly what you want them to do.
Stop watching anything that your kids can’t watch with you. If you think along these lines, you will quickly see how sinful are most of the programs that we think are OK. This is what walking the walk is all about.
If you do these things, you will see incredible results. But you gotta start. So why not do it today?
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he shall not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
Grace and peace to the body of Christ and greetings to all nonbelievers.
Chapter 13 of the book of 1 Kings gives a rather poignant example of spiritual warfare that is often overlooked. It illustrates what happens when the man of God disobeys the will of God.
As you may recall, in the previous chapter, King Solomon has just died, and there is division in Israel over who will reign. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin follow Jeroboam, the son of Solomon, while the other ten tribes follow Rehoboam, whom God has ordained to lead Israel, because of King Solomon’s disobedience. God has ordained Rehoboam, so his future as king of Israel is secure, but he is not satisfied. As the Jewish feast approaches, Rehoboam is worried that when Israel goes to Jerusalem to sacrifice to God, their hearts will turn again to Jeroboam, and they will want to install him as King.
Unsure of his future, the king makes a fateful decision. Rehoboam repeats the error of Aaron and the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, and fashions two golden calves. He offers them to the people to worship (v. 28), so that Israel will not go up to Jerusalem. He invites them to become idolaters.
It is upon the heels of this action that Chapter 13 introduces an enigmatic character: the “Man of God”:
“And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.”
This nameless man pronounces God’s judgment on the altar and those who worship at it. At this, Jeroboam attempts to have the man of God arrested, but when he points at the man of God, the very hand Jeroboam uses to point him out shrivels up, so that he can’t bend it. Jeroboam asks the man of God to entreat God to restore the hand, which he does, and God restores his hand. Jeroboam then invites the man of God to eat with him and receive a reward, to which the man of God replies,
“If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
“For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest” (13:8-9).
The man of God steadfastly obeys God’s commandment and refuses the king’s hospitality. He then leaves town by another road, per God’s instructions.
Now upon his departure, word of the man of God reaches a certain prophet, who, upon learning by which way the man left town, assays to go after him. He finds the man of God sitting under a tree, and asks him to return home with him to eat something, and the man of God again replies:
“I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
“For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
To this, the old prophet retorts:
“I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
“So [the man of God] went back with [the old prophet], and did eat bread in his house, and drank water (13:16-18).
The man of God is deceived into disobeying God and eating with the false prophet.
Now while they were eating, God spoke to the man of God and told him that for his disobedience, he would not be buried in the tomb of his fathers. Later, after the man of God had left the old prophet’s house and was returning home, a lion met him and killed him. The lion did not eat the man, nor did it eat his donkey, which stood next to the man’s body alongside the lion.
When news of the man of God’s death reached the old prophet, he said:
“It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake unto him” (13:26).
The old prophet then went and retrieved the man’s body and buried it in his own tomb, even commanding his sons to bury him alongside the man of God when he dies.
I must confess that when I first read this, I was somewhat perplexed. Both the man of God and the old prophet are unnamed and are not mentioned again, but God thought it important enough to dedicate an entire chapter to this story. It therefore behooves us to find out what the Lord is trying to tell us.
This curious interchange prompted the following questions:
The old prophet lived in the very town where Rehoboam and the Israelites were fornicating with strange gods. Why then, did God send the man of God from Judah instead of commissioning the old prophet to deliver the message to Rehoboam?
Why did the prophet lie if he was a prophet of God? Would God instruct his
prophets to lie?
Why are we not told that God talked with the old prophet? We are told that “the word of God came unto the prophet” (v. 20) while they sat eating, but we are not told that God came to him before that. This is a very important detail, one that we will revisit shortly.
How did the prophet know that the man of God was killed for disobeying God’s commandment? And if he knew that the commandment came from God, why did he coerce the man to disobey it?
Why didn’t God punish the old prophet for lying?
As I reread and meditated on this chapter, the Spirit showed me some details that helped me to put everything in perspective. To begin, it is clear that God gave the man of God a commandment, and that he disobeyed this commandment. What is not clear is why the old prophet beguiled the man of God to disobey God if he too were also a prophet of God.
The key to these questions can be found in verse 20, which tells us that “the word of God came unto the prophet” while he was eating with the man of God. This is the first time we are told that God spoke to the old prophet. When he took it upon himself to go and find the man of God, he did so only when his sons told him of the works he had done before Rehoboam (verse 11). It is clear from this verse that it was the news of the prophet that his sons had given him that prompted him to go and find the man of God. We are not told whether God spoke with the old prophet, and, because the passage says that the false prophet lied, it is safe to assume that God had not spoken to him.
If his actions were not instructed of God, why, then, did the old prophet take it upon himself to speak for God? Why did he say that the man of God had been disobedient? I believe this was a test from God: a test of the man of God’s faithfulness.
You see, when the man of God went to Bethel to confront Rehoboam, he was speaking for God. He was representing the Most High. Now Scripture tells us that God hates idolatry (Exodus 20:4-5). As it was the man of God’s commission to declare God’s judgment on Rehoboam’s idolatrous altar, he could not do so and at the same time fellowship with those whom he was condemning. Scripture tells us that we should “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11). Eating bread with someone was considered an act of fellowship:
“And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.” (Exodus 18:12).
We cannot rebuke the sinful and at the same time sit down and have lunch with them, lest we defile ourselves and bring reproach upon the cross of Christ.
But we already know this, do we not brethren? Then where and what is the object lesson here? That my friends can be found in the person of the old prophet.
As we said, the old prophet lived in Bethel, so it stands to reason that he could have carried God’s message to Rehoboam himself. So, why didn’t God use him? I believe it’s because the old prophet had not rebuked Rehoboam for enticing Israel to sin. Even if the prophet himself had not committed idolatry, the fact that he remained silent while Rehoboam and Israel practiced idolatry against the Most High God could be taken as a de-facto endorsement of their sin by God. Therefore, this prophet had fallen out of step with God.
Further proof of this was the fact that the prophet lied to the man of God. God cannot lie, and would never command His prophets to lie. He can however allow a fallen prophet to lie.
Take the case of King Ahab in chapter 22 of the book of 2 Kings. Now King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahab of Israel were having a discussion. Ahab wanted to go to battle against the Syrians and had inquired of his prophets if he should do so. All but one of the prophets advised that he should go. That one dissenting prophet was Micaiah. How King Ahab hated Micaiah, because, according to him, the prophet never gave him any good news.
The next passage of Scripture gives us interesting insight into spiritual warfare. For the prophet Micaiah tells them of a vision of heaven in which he saw the heavenly host standing before God the purpose of which was to devise a means by which King Ahab would die in this same battle. Listen:
“And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner (one suggested this, and another suggested that).
“Then stood forth a spirit (Satan), and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him.
“And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith (How)? And [Satan] said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets. And [God] said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so” (2 Kings 22:20-22).
What the prophet Micaiah says next is very important, so pay close attention:
“Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee” (v. 23).
Did you see that? The devil said that he would put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets, but Micaiah said God did it. Is this a contradiction? Of course not. This is an example of God’s omnipotence. God brings evil, but Himself does no evil. This agrees with James 1:13 which says:
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.”
This is how the prophet was able to lie. God, through Satan, put a lying spirit in his mouth. Why did He do this? He was testing the man of God. He allowed the old prophet to lie to the man to try his faithfulness. And the man of God failed the test.
This should be a lesson for us. We represent the Most High God. We should therefore not fellowship with idolaters. When we sit down and eat with them, yet make no attempt to tell them they are living in sin and will be judged by God, we send the message to the unbelieving world that we approve of their sinfulness. We give it God’s seal of approval.
Now we are in the age of Grace, so we don’t have to worry about lions attacking us on the way home for being disobedient. But if we are guilty of fornicating with idolaters, we should know that God is not pleased.
It is important to understand that God used a false prophet to test a true prophet. I cannot over-emphasize this point. There are those in the church including pastors, deacons, elders, evangelists, and such like, who are no longer in step with God. They will be evident to the discerning Christian by what they preach, what they say, whom they support, and how they live. God will make this clear to those who truly want to please Him, because He doesn’t want us to give these people an indirect endorsement by passively supporting them. If we are in the position to reprove them, then we must do so. If not, then we must make it clear in some manner that we do not support them, for God may just use someone like that to test our faithfulness also.
Let me give you a personal example that brings this home. As you may know, I am monitored round the clock both physically and electronically. There is nothing that I say or do that is not recorded. For a long time, I didn’t see the significance of this. But one day something happened that really opened my eyes.
I went to visit a (false) friend’s church one Sunday. Unbeknownst to me, on this particular day a Roman Catholic priest had been invited to speak. Now as soon as this man stepped up to the pulpit, I knew I had no business in that place. But instead of listening to the Spirit telling me to get up and leave, I stayed.
About halfway through his sermon, the priest cited the example of Stephen in the book of Acts as an example that Jesus cares for us. He mentioned how Stephen, while being stoned, looked steadfastly into Heaven and saw “Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” Now, we know that Jesus sits on the right hand of God, so the fact that He was now standing when Stephen was being stoned tells us that Jesus was not passively sitting by watching this, even though He knew that very shortly Stephen would be coming to see Him. He cared very much what was happening to Stephen. This was an exciting revelation.
Now, while the priest was explaining this, I started shouting, “Amen!” Why? Because I had just discovered this passage myself the day before, and I had similarly reacted when I made the discovery. I tend to get excited about Truth. Now, it was only when I got home and realized what had just taken place, that I understood that this was too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence. The whole thing had been planned.
Now, if this man had been a Christian, it would not have been a big deal. But he was a Roman Catholic, and Roman Catholics are not Christians. The enemy, knowing my zeal for the Scriptures, knew what my reaction would be, because he had already seen it the night before. He wanted me to endorse this Roman Catholic as being a Christian by shouting “Amen” to his teaching. He knew that my reaction would be considered by many as an endorsement of Roman Catholicism as being of God, which it is not.
This was only the first of many such occurrences. The enemy watches me like a hawk, not only following this blog, but also watching intently when I study Scripture. You see, Satan can make a pretty good counterfeit, but they are not anointed of God and so do not have the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit. So the only way for Roman Catholics and other false Christians to get anointed teaching and understanding of the Scriptures is to steal it from a true Christian. Just like their father, Satan.
So, we must be on guard constantly. Satan knows that the unbelieving community, including those who are searching for the truth, are watching us. So, if he wants to mislead those people into one of his false religions, he will try to get the endorsement of a true believer, and the truth seeker, seeing us fellowship with a false prophet and knowing that we stand for the truth of God, may think that he, too, has the truth. Now do you see how the game is played? Satan is a liar.
He also uses this same tactic to persuade those who are already imprisoned in one of his false systems to remain where they are, the logic being that, if they were in a false system, then surely we would tell them, and most assuredly we would not be fellowshipping with them. Everyone knows that God hates idolatry and doesn’t want his people in the company of idolaters unless they are preaching the Gospel.
We also should not forget that when we fellowship with those who hate our God, we are in sin, and at the very least, Satan can use this as an opportunity to accuse us to the Father. So we must be very careful not to fall for this tactic.
The man of God is so-named because he is the Christian Everyman. He is you and I. We who name the name of Christ are all men and women of God, and as such, we must stand for God’s truth at all times. We must not compromise the Gospel of Jesus Christ for anyone or for any reason. We must be sober and vigilant lest we fall into condemnation. We must not for any reason eat bread with idolaters and sinners. Let us keep our robes clean and undefiled.
“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
“Yet not altogether with the fornicators of the world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an oneno not to eat” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11).
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Grace and peace, Saints, and greetings to the world at large.
Saints, it’s OK to laugh: we just shouldn’t laugh at someone else’s misfortune or at sin. Yes, we should separate ourselves from the world, but we should not be afraid to interact with the world. We just have to be careful that when we do, it is on our terms and not theirs.
OK, I can’t come up with anything profound to say, so I’ll just get to the point. I happened upon this video on YouTube and it made me laugh. It’s kind of goofy, but I liked it. And many of us can probably relate to its message.
So I present it to you not for your edification, but for your enjoyment. At the very least, It should make you really appreciate the things that are genuinely funny.
Grace and peace to the elect of our Lord Jesus, and greetings to the enemies of God.
As many of you know, occasionally I will post a comment of one of our readers that deserves a thoughtful response too long for the standard comment section. Oftentimes, I do so because the reader’s opinion echoes that of many others and I feel the body of Christ would be edified by the dialogue.
Such is the case today. Many are disillusioned by organized Christianity—especially the church experience—and have decided that it is better to leave off going to church altogether. This is, in part, due to the influence of New Age propaganda the goal of which is to destroy people’s faith in the church and in Christianity in general. This gentleman’s comments reflect this phenomenon. I include them here for your edification.
I should add that his comment was in response to yesterday’s post, “Does Anyone Have A Lent Brush?”I have edited his comments for length and readability, but I left the more salient points intact, which are in bold blue italic, followed immediately by my response.
I must reiterate that I have included this here for the edification of the body of Christ. The gentleman who left this, though he insists he is Christian, has made so many unChrist-like comments that he cannot be Christian in the Biblical sense of the word. So, this is in no way intended to persuade him. I am appealing to those true Christians who may be buying into the New Age propaganda.
[BEGIN DIALOGUE]
“I, like you, stopped attending Church, because I cannot find any GOD approved, Jesus sanctioned Church “gatherings”. I say this because I believe also that almost all religious denominations under the banner of “Church” are offspring of the Whore spoken about in Revelation. As you pointed out, they are ecumenical. My beef against all such-so-called organizations of man-made “traditional” Christianity is as follows:
“1. Easter: Our Lord Jesus Christ is not a lair. He specifically said, 3 days, 3 nights; meaning 72 consecutive hours.”
It’s not important. Easter is a pagan fertility holiday, hence rabbits and Easter eggs. Rabbits are known for procreating, eggs are a symbol of fertility, and chocolate is an aphrodisiac. But even so, Easter is a free pass for Bible-believing Christians to rejoice that our Lord Jesus is risen.
In the United States, even Christians have come to celebrate Easter like the pagans, and forget the significance of our Lord’s resurrection. But in Russia, a Communist country that hates Christianity, true Christians have not forgotten. When Russian Christians great one another on Easter Sunday, one says, “Cristos Voscres!!!” to which the other replies, “Da, soversheno Voscres!!!” (Christ is Risen!!! Yes, indeed He is Risen!!!).
Forget when He rose. The important thing is that He rose. The important thing is that we are free to worship Jesus on Easter Sunday and the pagans are free to worship procreating bunnies. That’s what freedom is all about. And I love it so.
“2. Christmas was chosen by Catholics on or about 1500 because almost every other Pagan-satan-nature worshiping religion had their “Sun” god die Dec 21…”
It is true that Christmas is a pagan Roman Catholic holiday, but we are blessed to be able to commemorate the birth of Jesus on this day. The important thing is that, regardless of the history or origin of Christmas, for now, those who love the Lord are free to worship Him on that day. In a Communist or Muslim-dominated country, that would not be possible. As for what day Jesus was actually born, I love what Paul has to say:
“One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).
In other words, one day is as good as another. The important thing is that Jesus was born, because if He were not born, then He could not have died. And if He had not died, then He could not have risen!
“3a. How can a manly-man of God focus on the teaching, singing and preachings of God when his eyes are watching these women in high heels and short skirts…”
This manly-man of God does it every Sunday, after praying about it the night before.
“3b. Besides this, most preachers, church leaders, members of the board of the church are Freemasons, witches or members of other satanic organizations.”
This is true in many cases, but it is not always the case. I am not a Freemason or any of the other things you mention. And that means there are others who are not, also. You can’t paint everyone with the same broad stroke.
“3c. Jesus the Christ commanded we worship God in our hearts and minds and soul. Inwardly where no one can see nor make jest of us.”
This is false. Jesus never commanded we worship God inwardly. In fact He said, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” An “inward” noise is not a noise at all. It is a thought. What Jesus told us to do was to pray in our “secret closet,” meaning not to make a public show of piety by praying out loud like the Pharisees.
“4. Sabbath Day and Holy Days: They simply cannot obey and keep the Sabbath Day holy. They change the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sunday. Who gave them that authority?”
The Sabbath has nothing to do with the Christian Church. It was made for the Jews. The Christian Sabbath, if you want to call it that, is Sunday. Christians worship Jesus on Sunday, because that was when Mary Magdelene came to the tomb and found it empty (John 20:1). And the early Christians continued this tradition:
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7).
The first day of the week is Sunday.
“5. Tithing, offerings and money collection: Where did this 10% doctrine come from?”
There are several places where God talks about the tithe, but we should at least tithe for the reason Jacob gives in Genesis 28:20-21:
“And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come to my father’s home in peace, then shall the Lord be my God, and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenthunto thee.”
Genesis 28:20-21
We tithe because God has promised:
1. To never leave us
2. To guide us
3. To feed us
4. To clothe us
5. To shelter and protect us
In short, to supply our every need. We show our gratitude for His all-providence by honoring Him with the tithe. The tithe is one of the most important responsibilities for the Christian.
It doesn’t matter if Jesus doesn’t mention the tithe in the New Testament. Jesus is God Almighty. So it was He in the Old Testament who promised to take care of all of Jacob’s needs. Now, in the New Testament, God promises to “supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). And our needs are the same now as they were in Jacob’s time. So, if it is the same God and the same need, why shouldn’t it be the same tithe? You’re trying to justify not honoring God with the tithe, and it ain’t working.
“6. Toleration [sic] of Sin: Most Churches are now tolerant of Homosexuality. They are tolerant of Divorce and many, many other sins.”
It is not the church’s responsibility to approve or deny divorces. A church is not a theocracy. It is still limited by the laws of the secular government. With respect to homosexuality, homosexuals need salvation too. If a Christian is a practicing homosexual, he needs prayer and support to stop, not condemnation. That said, he definitely should not be allowed to hold any church office or sing in the choir.
As for the sin issue, there is no way to keep Satan from going to church. So it is pointless to think you can keep him from fellowshipping with the brethren. In John Chapter 13, Satan was sitting at the table with Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper. Now if he showed up at their gathering, what makes you think you can stop him from showing up at yours? You can’t! But if you are obedient and diligent, you can limit his activities.
7. “The assembly of brethren includes visiting a friend or friends, eating and talking about Christ…I will chill out from all my labors, enjoy my wives and children.”
Not if they are not our brethren in Christ Jesus. And if you decide to visit your friends, you had better make sure you are witnessing. If not, you are fellowshipping with unbelievers, which is expressly forbidden by God. A Christian must go to church. This is a commandment.
Besides, we here in the U.S. are among the few in the world who have the right to assemble to worship Jesus without fearing for our lives. This is on my mind every Sunday. So when I go to church, I’m celebrating the freedom to do so. And when I don’t, I’m celebrating the freedom not to. Soon—and very soon—many who take that right for granted will be wishing they hadn’t.
“I said WIVES and I mean WIVES. God GAVE King David WIVES, and he has blessed me thus.”
But you are not King David. Plural wives are wrong on so many levels, I won’t even address it. We can justify anything if we want to do it bad enough.
“Please forgive me for not providing quotes of Scriptures mentioned here. I am sorry for those who do not know Scripture.”
Please include yourself among “those who do not know Scripture,” for if you knew them, you would include chapter and verse to back up the things you claim, and you wouldn’t be claiming things are in the Bible that are not. Moreover it helps when you are making certain contentions, and makes all the difference between a discussion and an argument.
Now out of respect, I have addressed your points, but I won’t pursue further dialogue on the matter, because it is not edifying. As Paul said:
“But if any man be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.”
1 Corinthians 11:16
Peace go with you.
[END DIALOGUE]
I hope this dialogue clarified a few points and will edify the body of Christ.
Be encouraged and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.
The following announcement appeared in the February 5, 2012 program for the church that I attend:
All Church Fast
Here we go again!
Our 40 day fast for the Lenten Season will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012 and will end on Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012.
As many of you may know, a few months ago, I joined a local assembly close to my home, after having not attended church in almost three years. I did this even though they are a Church of God, which I have always suspected was ecumenical; that is, they are essentially a denomination of the Roman Catholic church. This suspicion was based on my having once attended a Church of God congregation for about a year; in fact, it was that experience which caused me to leave off attendance of any organized congregation whatsoever.
But as I related, I joined them out of obedience to God, because He says that we “should not forsake the gathering of ourselves together.” As part of church procedure, I had to attend a 12-week “Newcomer’s Class,” which, as the name implies, is a mandatory class for all new church members, whether they be newly converted or saved people looking for a church home. Of course, I fell into the latter category.
By the end of the first class, I knew that this church was charismatic. I was the only one in class, so it was just the pastor and I on a one-on-one session. Because I am already saved, but still had to attend the class, I knew that, besides church history and rules and regulations, the only thing that could possibly occupy fourteen hours was doctrine. This was to be an indoctrination.
During the first and second briefings, the pastor seemed to be feeling me out to see whether what they believed was going to conflict with my beliefs. So he gave me their doctrine indirectly and in very minute doses. I sensed what was going on, and so, to allay the pastor’s fears, I told him that I was not there to play the dissembler. I explained that my purpose for joining myself to any congregation was simply because church attendance is commanded by the Lord Jesus. Therefore, I would not be troubleshooting their beliefs and practices unless they were a clear heresy, and even then, I would rather leave than become contentious.
This had no effect at all, and I could tell that he hesitated to tell me what they really believed when, after he made a side comment concerning tongues, I told him what Paul said concerning the same: that if a trumpet maketh an unclear sound, how will one know when to go into battle, or, if one gives thanks to God in tongues, how would another know when to say, “Amen,” if he can’t understand what you’re saying (1 Corinthians 14).
At this, he balked somewhat, and I knew instinctively that this man believed in the tongues movement. As a matter of fact, he repeatedly referred to the Church of God as a “movement,” which was a dead giveaway. Yet, I held my peace. At about the halfway point in our discussion, he asked me about my writing, as I had written on the visitor’s card that I was a writer. After telling him what I do, he asked if he could one day read one of my tracts. Since he wanted to know what I believed without disclosing what he really believed, I took this opportunity to give him the URL of this blog, so he could find out what I believed without exposing himself. Yes, I threw him a lifeline.
Well, that was our last meeting. The first time he didn’t show, he called to say that he would not be coming. But after that, he didn’t say anything: he just stopped showing up. This is the first time I have gotten on the bad side of a charismatic preacher without opening my mouth. Sigh.
Though this is a charismatic church, I continue to attend, because I told the Lord Jesus that I was not going to search anymore for a church home, as, in my experience, virtually all Protestant churches in St. Louis, a Roman Catholic city, are charismatic, or at least ecumenical. Though I don’t know for sure if this church is charismatic, it is definitely ecumenical, as the announcement in the church bulletin clearly demonstrates. Saints, Lent is not Christian. It is Roman Catholic.
Webster’s Dictionary defines Lent as:
“the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed the Roman Catholic, Eastern, and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting.”
There is only one Christian celebration authorized in the Bible, and that is the Lord’s Supper. Christmas has come to be celebrated because of the Roman Catholic church (Christmas = Christ Mass), but it is found nowhere in Scripture: neither are Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, or Fish Friday. These things are not Christian, they are Catholic.
While I have no problem with Christmas other than the fact that it is pagan, commercial, and has nothing to do with the Lord Jesus, I do have a problem with Christians celebrating what is clearly not Christian. And a holiday during which Roman Catholics make an outward show of penitence and piety after having celebrated a weeklong pagan festival of debauchery and licentiousness called Carnival and Mardi Gras (during which many participate in sexual orgies) IS NOT CHRISTIAN.
The celebration of Lent by the Protestant Church is one of the most visible signs of the Ecumenical Movement, which has all but absorbed the visible Christian church into the Roman Catholic church; so much so, that Roman Catholic terminology (and holidays) has become a permanent part of the Christian lexicon. For example, Protestants used to say we “accept” the Lord Jesus as our Savior, when we got saved. But now it is common to say that we “receive” the Lord Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible is this terminology used.
As we wrote inThe Charismatic Movement, The Lord’s Supper, and the New Age,this is one of the most visible examples of the Roman Catholic Ecumenical Movement in the Christian church, for “receiving” Jesus Christ is a Roman Catholic concept. You see, the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence holds that the actual body, blood, and divinity of Jesus Christ are contained in the communion wafer. So for the Roman Catholic, the communion wafer is not the symbolic body and blood of Jesus, but His actual body and blood. Former Catholic priest, Charles Chiniquy, writes about this in his book,50 Years in the Church of Rome.
So, when the Roman Catholic eats the communion wafer, he truly believes he has eaten the body and blood of Jesus Christ and can, therefore, say that he has “received” Christ. That is why, oftentimes, when a Roman Catholic is talking to a Protestant, he will not reveal that he is a Roman Catholic, but instead will say that he has “received” Christ as his Savior. The undiscerning Protestant will take this to mean that the Roman Catholic is also a Christian, which is not the case. Early Protestant Reformation Christian churches did not use this term, as they knew full well what Roman Catholics really believed and practiced. But today, thanks to Charismatic preachers, this is no longer true.
Today Roman Catholics enjoy a much better reputation as Christians than true Bible-believing Christians (Protestants). Protestants are seen by the unbelieving world as judgmental and dogmatic because we stress sanctification and holiness. Because the Roman Catholic is permitted to sin indiscriminately and then ask forgiveness of another sinful man rather than of God, who demands holiness, he is more readily accepted by the world, while Protestants are seen as hypocritical.
Be that as it may, the Protestant Church is not to compromise. We are to stand for God’s truth. We are to stand for holiness, for God said, “Be ye holy, as I am Holy.” We are not to join with an harlot, for Scripture says that we are not to be “unequally yoked with unbelievers.”
The Great Whore of Rome has all so-called Christian denominations comfortably tucked away into her bra. So it is folly to expect that the visible Christian church will ever separate from her. But I appeal to all true saints, the true Body of Christ, the true, Bible-believing priesthood of all believers, to “come out of her” that we receive not of her plagues.
“He that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1 Corinthians 10:21).
Be encouraged and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.
We have completed the series of podcasts to accompany our article onGenerational Curses.The series consists of five episodes of approximately two hours each. They are packed with information not available on the blog article.
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which was and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
Grace and peace to the brethren, and greetings to those still in the world.
For those of us who love our Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God, it is nothing for us to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and, in fact, God Almighty, for the Scriptures testify to this in numerous places. But there are many who call themselves Christians, but do not believe this.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, claim to be Christians and to love the Lord Jesus Christ, but though they say they believe Jesus is the Son of God, they do not believe that He is God Almighty. I have spent countless man hours witnessing to the Witnesses (pun absolutely intended) to no avail. Even though I’ve shown them many Scriptures that undeniably demonstrate that Jesus Christ and Jehovah are the same person, they refuse to accept this.
New Age “Christians,” or Gnostics, also say that Jesus never said that He was God; that it was His disciples who later twisted His teachings. Sigh.
I had given up on the subject, understanding that many who deny Jesus is God are “willingly ignorant” of this fact. They are holding on to some sin that they don’t want to leave off, and don’t want to believe that Jesus will be sitting in judgment of them on that fateful day. But they still want to claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They are in a quandary.
I run into Scriptures time and again in both the Old and New Testaments that clearly demonstrate that Jesus is the Almighty God; so often, in fact, that I had stopped writing them down, determined as I was to stop trying to convince the Witnesses, or anyone for that matter, of the deity of Jesus Christ.
Because God is not into coincidences, I believe the Spirit kept showing me these, because He wants me to share this information with the body of Christ. To that end I have created this page, which I will update periodically with Scriptures that demonstrate that Jesus is God Almighty. You may want to bookmark it and check it periodically. Whenever I update it, I will move it to the front page of the blog. So when you come here and find it is the first page, you know that it has new information.
Let us start with a scripture I read today. Now we know that God will sit in judgment of every one of us. For those who have accepted Jesus as our Savior, this will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ. For those who have not accepted Him, this will be at the Great White Throne Judgment. Many believe that everyone will appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, but the Bible says that those who appear before God at this judgment will be judged for their works. That means that they will be judged according to the Law.
But believers in Christ will not be judged by their works, for we are not under the Law. (Wow, the Spirit just told me that I need to devote a separate teaching on this subject, so you can look for it shortly.)
Now to continue, we know that God will judge us. One place that says this is Psalm 50:6:
“And the heavens shall declare His righteousness forGod is Judge Himself.Selah.”
Many believe that when the Old Testament uses the word God, it is referring to God the Father, not to Jesus Christ, and that it is the Father who will judge us on Judgment Day. But if this is true, then Jesus is a liar, because Jesus said:
“[T]he Father judgeth no man,but hath committed all judgmentunto the Son”(John 5:22).
The Son, of course, is Jesus Christ. Now was Jesus a liar, or is He really God Almighty?
Many cite John 10:30 as proof that Jesus said He was God; and they do well, because He is saying this very thing:
“I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
But we often neglect verse 29, in which He is saying the exact same thing. Though subtle, it is also very powerful. Let’s take a look at it.
“My father, which gave them me,is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:29).
Jesus says that God the Father is greater than all, and gave Jesus all believers. But if the Father has given us to Jesus, why does He say that no man can take us out of His Father’s hand, rather than His own hand?
Because Jesus was saying that the Father’s hand is His own hand. That is why Jesus then says that He and the Father are One.
Now did Jesus come right out and say that He was God? No He did not. But, the Jews knew exactly what he meant, as their reaction clearly demonstrates:
“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
“Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God” (John 10:30-33).
They understood perfectly what Jesus was saying: that He is God almighty. Now if the Jews of that day understood that Jesus said He was God, even though He didn’t use those exact words, why is it so hard for us to understand today?
Folks, you must choose, and you must do it as expeditiously as possible. Because if Jesus Christ is God, then you had better find out what He wants you to do (or not to do), and do it (or not do it). The clock is ticking.
Be encouraged and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.
We’ve added another video of Whitney Houston onour first article about her death. It shows Whitney at age 17 singing on the Merv Griffith show. You have got to see it. She throws up so many signs and so often, that it blew my mind.
Now I am not scouring the internet looking for dirt on Whitney Houston. I was watching the Diane Sawyer interview with Whitney from 2002, when they showed a clip from that appearance on Merv Griffith, which clearly showed her throwing up hand signs. I had to see the whole thing.
I believe that we have proven our contention that Whitney was involved in occult activities as well as her family. This is not unusual, because witchcraft is an abomination to God and practicing witchcraft brings a generational curse upon the family. So it was inevitable that Whitney Houston would practice witchcraft in some fashion.
She may have wanted out and was killed for that reason, though I don’t know that for certain. We can hope that before she drew her last breath, she returned to her first love, the Lord Jesus Christ. I certainly hope she did. I don’t plan to write anymore on Ms. Houston. My heart goes out to her daughter.
We need to pray for her daughter, because, as Whitney was likely involved in generational witchcraft, it is highly likely her daughter is carrying on the same tradition, and may very well be cursed with her mother’s problems.
“Any black entertainer, who is of any consequence today, primarily started in the churches.”
Dionne Warwick
Grace and peace, believers and unbelievers alike.
As many of you know, I contend that Whitney Houston was murdered by the forces of darkness of which, she too, was a part. I also contend that, not only was her death planned, but her birth also, as there are absolutely too many numerological coincidences in both. As I said, I believe this so strongly, that I won’t even bother researching it.
Understand that the celebrities and the occult should not be a concern of the Christian church. The purpose of our coverage of Whitney Houston’s murder was neither to sensationalize the occult elements of her death, nor to draw attention to the problems in this poor lady’s life. But the occult has become a major part of daily American life largely due to the efforts of celebrities and their influence has extended to the Christian church. This is because many celebrities—especially black celebrities—claim to be Christians, many even having started in the Christian church. And they have used their influence to deceive the Body of Christ. Through their music and popularity, they have helped to bring worldly music and occultism into the Christian church.
That was our purpose for covering the Whitney Houston murder: to show not only that she was involved in the occult, but to show that her family and associates are also involved—as indeed, virtually all celebrities are, in some way and to some extent. We should, therefore, not be deceived when we see them smiling and being seemingly wholesome and down-to-earth on interviews and awards shows. That is all part of the deception.
Whitney Houston was no exception. While professing to be a Christian, she lived as anything but. And though she was certainly the victim in her murder, there is no discounting that the many young girls who were deceived into thinking that Whitney was the epitome of young black American female wholesomeness were also victims. Whitney Houston contributed to the destruction of black female morals. Make no mistake about it.
Look at the lyrics and themes in many of the songs that made Whitney Houston a household name. They are not wholesome. You may find it interesting, for example, that “The Greatest Love of All” made popular by Whitney, is actually Antichrist. Click here to learn how. Even a cursory examination of the roles she played in her movies reveals an even more disturbing trend.
What role did Whitney play in “Waiting to Exhale?” A single, independent, and successful black woman having an affair with a married man. What role did she play in “The Bodyguard?” A single, independent, and successful black pop diva who has an affair with her white bodyguard. In “The Preacher’s Wife,” she played a married woman, but she almost carries on an affair with an angel. What blasphemy!
Do you see a pattern here? Affairs are the central element in almost every role Whitney played. And we wonder why there are so many problems between black men and women. We wonder why there is such a problem with promiscuity, teen pregnancy, and AIDS among young black women—even the successful ones. We wonder why most black women these days want to be single, independent, and successful and not marry and start a family. They had a lot of help. Our celebrity heroes have largely contributed to the compromising of black morals and the destruction of the black family.
How did this happen? Celebrities like Whitney Houston (RIP) came in under the radar clothed in sheepskin. Why didn’t we see it? Because we were literally mesmerized. We were hypnotized. You did know that Hollywood practices witchcraft didn’t you? Why, of course you did.
Thanks to YouTube and the internet, celebrity involvement in the occult is all but common knowledge to the average, unbelieving citizen; but the Christian church has yet to wake up to this fact. We tend to believe that a celebrity can go to church on Sunday and live like the devil Monday through Saturday. All they have to do is give thanks to God when they accept an award, give props to Jesus now and then, and wear a cross around their neck, and we believe they are Christian. Never mind that the fruit they bear is anything but Christian.
Understand that the dark occult forces of the world are actively working to destroy the Christian church and morality, and Hollywood and the entertainment industry play a major role. These people are the enemies of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the only association we should have with celebrities is to pray for them and, if possible, witness to them. We should not ask them for their autograph, buy or listen to their music, watch their movies, or buy their books. Our doing so not only sends the wrong message to the unbelieving world, but it sends the wrong message to our children.
But I digress. What I wanted to say today is that since the Whitney Houston murder, I have contemplated the role of occult family connections. When I was writing the piece on Whitney, it seemed to me that I had heard somewhere that Dionne Warwick, Whitney’s cousin, was involved in some form of witchcraft. But I couldn’t remember what I had heard or where I had heard it.
Then, this morning while I was making coffee, it hit me: Dionne Warwick used to be involved with the Psychic Friends Network. I googled “Dionne Warwick Psychic Friends” and was taken to a link for the following YouTube video of Miss Warwick pitching the Psychic Friends Network.
Understand that psychic phenomena like ESP, telepathy, fortune-telling, and the like are witchcraft, according to the Bible. So this is proof positive that Dionne Warwick was involved in witchcraft. Intrigued, I went to Wikipedia for some quick information on Dionne Warwick, and was surprised at what I found.
I saw that, like Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick also came from a so-called Christian background having sung in the same gospel group with Houston’s mother, Cissy, called the Gospelaires. But the similarities didn’t end there. The themes of some of Warwick’s songs were also very telling, and have their counterpart in societal ills. For instance, in 1982, Warwick released a duet with Johnny Mathis entitled “Friends In Love” from the album by the same name. Sounds innocent enough, doesn’t it? After all, many married couples began as friends.
But in 1993 Warwick released an album entitled “Friends Can Be Lovers.” This title carries a less innocent connotation. My question to you is this: is the theme of a man and a woman who are supposed to be friends, but who also enjoy a sexual relationship a Christian one? Have you noticed that there have been a recent spate of music and movies (such as “Friends With Benefits”) that echo this motif?
It is no secret that Satan hates anything that God loves, and God loves marriage. So Satan destroys the sanctity of marriage by offering people everything that marriage has to offer without the commitment. And it is working. Increasingly, couples are deciding to stay friends instead of getting married, and to enjoy all the benefits of marriage without the sacrifices. A perfect recipe for disaster. The problem is that “Christians” are falling for this deception, having been beguiled into this lifestyle by those whom the media promote as the perfect blend of Christian wholesomeness and worldliness.
Another thing Warwick has in common with Whitney Houston is drugs. Only Dionne’s troubles weren’t as ostensibly serious or as highly publicized as Whitney’s.
A 61-year-old Christian pop singer who also smokes dope. Christian right?
Additionally, Dionne Warwick had some interesting romantic entanglements. This from Wikipedia:
“Warwick has been connected romantically with Philadelphia Eagles great Timmy Brown, French singer-songwriter Sacha Distel, actor Philip Michael Thomas (Miami Vice), Seagram heir and CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr., and Las Vegas restaurateur and actor Gianni Russo (The Godfather).”
According to Wikipedia,Philip Michael Thomas of Miami Vice fame, like Dionne Warwick, was involved in a psychic network called the Psychic Reader’s Network (later known as Traffix, Inc.) and become the spokesman for the Philip Michael Thomas Psychic Connection. Do not for one minute believe that this occult connection was purely coincidental.
I was totally unaware that Warwick had been involved with Seagram heir Edgar Bronfman Jr., the grandson of Samuel Bronfman, of the fabulously wealthy Canadian Jewish Bronfman family. This is a very intriguing connection indeed, for the Bronfmans made their fortune peddling bootleg liquor during the Prohibition era, according to the book, Dope Inc. The book also states that the Bronfmans have connections to organized crime in Canada and in the United States.
Interestingly, Warwick is not the only black female Edgar has been involved with, and through one of his relationships, Bronfman has had an influence on black public education in the United States.
One website on Warwick former romantic interest and NFL great, Timmy Brown, included some of his stats. When I looked them over, I was amazed by the numerological “coincidences.” I noticed all the 9’s, 11’s, 13’s, 18’s, 22’s, 27’s, 29’s, and 33’s that kept popping up, not only in his birthdate and player stats, but on the birth dates and information of many of the football players listed on the webpage. Because of this, something told me to go to YouTube and check out some footage of some of Brown’s games. In one game, I was amazed as, repeatedly, the defensive linemen seemed to make no real effort to sack the quarterback as he completed pass after pass to Brown.
Once again, I was convinced that nothing is a coincidence: right down to a famous football player’s career. I went away more convinced than ever that careers in entertainment (and sports are entertainment) are not only made and ended, but are meticulously managed: right down to an athlete’s stats. Famous athletes’ careers are managed just as famous singers’ and actors’ careers are managed. They are managed with a purpose, and their fame is not coincidental. It has been given to them by Satan, and it is to be used for his ends. If you look closely at the lives of celebrities, you will see Satan glorified in them.
That is what we must consider when we look at celebrities like Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, Kirk Franklin, Steve Harvey, and others who purport to be Christian. What is their fruit? Do their lives glorify the name of Jesus Christ? When we see a secular artist like Dionne Warwick put out a gospel album, as she did in 2008, we should wonder about that. We should wonder what connection a singer who is involved in the occult, makes music that glorifies gratuitous sex, and smokes marijuana could have with the Lord Jesus. We should ask ourselves these questions and not consider these people our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Did you know that the Pointer Sisters also got their start in church and that their parents were ministers? And as many of you know, June Pointer, like Whitney Houston, suffered from substance abuse problems, right until the day of her death. Where was Christ glorified in her life? People like these need our prayers and not our patronage.
These things should concern us. I don’t believe for one minute that Dionne Warwick’s Psychic Friends connection was solely financially motivated any more than I believe that her affiliation with the animal rights movement is purely out of concern for animals. And if you’ve read our articles on the Animal Rights Movement, then you know that there is a New Age connection between the Animal Rights Movement, the occult, and the New World Order.
Please understand that I am not trying to cast any aspersion upon Dionne Warwick or the memory of Whitney Houston. I am merely suggesting that we, as Christians, take a moment and think about why we do what we do. I am merely suggesting that we scrutinize the actions of Christian artists who act worldly and worldly artists who claim to be Christian. Because these people claim to represent our faith, and are influencing us and our children, we should hold them accountable.
Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Still Man
Quote from Dionne Warwick interview can be found @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IgwTGLg2Bk&feature=related
Grace and peace to my brothers and sisters in Christ and in Adam.
Today many Americans are mourning the death of Whitney Houston, who died on Saturday February 11, 2012. I believe I speak for many when I say that many, if not most, of us, at some point of our lives, were a fan of Whitney Houston’s music, if not a fan of Whitney Houston.
I have never been a big fan of Kevin Costner, but I went to see “The Bodyguard,” because of Whitney Houston. I am not a big fan of “chick flicks,” but I went to see “Waiting to Exhale,” because of Whitney Houston.
Ok, maybe I was a fan of Whitney Houston. But I was not a fan of Whitney Houston’s lifestyle, or at least her purported lifestyle, which was allegedly one of heavy partying and drugs. Her handlers really did a good job, though, promoting her as a squeaky-clean, girl-next-door type from a Christian family, as most everyone has heard of her being discovered at the age of 11 singing in a church choir. They might even have pulled it off, had her drug addiction and marital problems not become such a public matter.
I will not remember her as a drug addict, nor a pop diva, however. I will remember her as a lost soul who needed Jesus in her life. That is what we as Christians must take away from the lesson of Whitney Houston’s life.
It is pretty much common knowledge these days that everybody who’s anybody in Hollywood and the entertainment industry is into Satan and Lucifer worship. And it doesn’t matter how pristine their image and their reputation appear to be. If they are famous, then they are also infamous. They are lost and living in sin, and if they don’t find Jesus, they will die in their sins.
Our job as Christians is not to idolize them, but to pray for them; that they will come out of Satan’s camp and step into the kingdom of Heaven. The problem is that if they do, they may very well be risking their life, at least according to former witch, John Todd. I believe many celebrities, who come out of witchcraft and Satanism, are killed. I can’t prove it, but I believe it.
Think about it. Imagine all of the people a celebrity can implicate. Imagine all the people who the media portray as good, hardworking, honest people, but are really some of the most evil people on earth, that a celebrity could identify as a satanist, or a witch, or a pedophile, or a murderer. Imagine someone with all that information leaving “the group.” If someone with a knowledge of the entertainment business’s inner workings left “the group” and became a civilian, they would take all of that information with them. They would probably be considered a risk to the health of “the group.” They would probably not be allowed to leave alive.
For you see, Hollywood is nothing but a bunch of criminals: thugs, gangsters, murderers, perverts, homosexual pedophiles, pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers and drug addicts, witches, satanists, and every other societal predator imaginable. And the filth that comes out of Hollywood proves it, just as the filth that write, direct, produce, promote, sing, and star in that filth prove it.
Someone like Whitney Houston, who had been a part of that lifestyle at its highest levels, would not be allowed to leave—at least not standing up. Jack Chick, in the Crusader Comic, The Broken Cross, relates just such a scenario, and John Todd, who helped him to write that tract, has related it in his testimony.
Of course, many will doubt what I’m saying here: that Whitney Houston was involved in Satan worship. This is how good her handlers were at portraying her as just a good ol’ fashioned girl, who just made a few mistakes along the way. After all, we all make mistakes, right? We do all make mistakes, but we don’t all worship Satan. And I have every reason to believe that Whitney Houston did.
Many would also doubt that Whitney Houston was murdered. But I believe she was. Do I know this for a fact? No. Do I have any inside information? No. Why then, do I believe this? A gut feeling, that’s all. A gut feeling: But not an uneducated gut feeling.
First of all, if you’ve read our article, The Occult Significance of the Norway Shooting,you know the significance of numerology in planned occult events. I’m so certain that Whitney’s death was planned and executed in an occult fashion, that I won’t even take the time to thoroughly research it. I will only give a few particulars that raised a red flag for me.
First of all, Whitney died on February 11, 2012, or 2/11/2012.
2 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 2 = 9.
9 is very important in occult numerology, because it hides the triple number of Antichrist, the Beast, which is 666.
6 + 6 + 6 = 18. 18 is formed by 1 and 8. 1 + 8 = 9.
In this manner, 9 hides the triple number of the Beast, or 666. When you see a lot of 9’s and 18’s showing up, rest assured, the occult is involved.
Let us continue to examine the date Whitney died, February 11, 2012.
The number 11 pops up a lot in occult numerology, as does the number 22. Those who study occult numerology say that any multiple of an occult number makes its magical properties stronger. February, the second month, therefore becomes 2, and:
2 x 11 = 22
The year 2012 becomes 5, as 2 + 1 + 2 = 5
So, 22 + 5 + 27
As we stated in our article on Norway, 27 is an occult number, probably based on Revelation 3:9, which talks about the Synagogue of Satan. The number 18, besides holding the number of the Beast, or 666, also may be a reference to Revelation 2:9, which also talks about the Synagogue of Satan.
News sources say that Whitney was pronounced dead at 3:55 PST.
3 + 5 + 5 = 13.
Furthermore, she died February 11, or 2/11. 2 + 11 = 13. Coincidence? No.
Thirteen is the number of rebellion. Keep this in mind.
To show you how the media are into numerology, one news source says that Whitney died at 3:55 PST (6:55 EST).
CNN coverage of Whitney’s death
This is not normally done. Most news sources will either use local standard time or Eastern Standard Time, not both. That’s because everyone knows that there is a three-hour difference between Pacific and Eastern Standard Times. Therefore it is superfluous to list them both; that is, unless you are into numerology:
Add the 3 from 3:55 and the 6 from 6:55 and you get 9 (3 + 6 = 9).
Add the two 55’s and you get 110 (55 + 55 = 110)
So we have 9 and 110. Take off the zero from 110 and you have 11. Again, 11 is a very important number in the occult. So now we have 9 and 11, or 911. Sound familiar?
Additionally, if one adds all the digits in 3:55 PST and 6:55 EST one comes up with an interesting number:
If you think this is just a coincidence, you really ought to read Norway.
It is said that Whitney died at 48 years of age, but she was born August 9, 1963, which would actually make her 49 this year.
4 + 9 = 13, the number of rebellion, while 4 x 9 = 36.
36 is formed by the numbers 3 and 6, and 3 + 6 = 9 and 3 x 6 = 18.
By the way, Whitney’s birthday is pretty interesting too. August 9, 1963 or 8/9/1963.
Let’s start with the year, 1963. Take away the 1 and put it to the side. You are left with 9, 6, and 3. Add them together and you get 18. 18 = 666. Now let’s go back to the the month and day. Take the 1 that you took from the year and add it to the 8 for the month of August and you get 9. Add that 9 to the day Whitney was born (9) and you get 18. And 18 = 6 + 6 + 6 or 666.
Additionally, add the two 18’s together and you get 36 (18 + 18 = 36). Now add the 3 and the 6 from 36 together, and you get 9. And, again, 3 x 9 = 18 or 666.
Now if you think that a person’s birthday coming up with all those 9’s and 18’s is something, what are the odds that the digits of the day that a person dies also adds up to 18? Astronomical. Coincidence? Of course not. When there are too many coincidences, there are no coincidences.
You would almost think that Whitney Houston’s birth was planned, wouldn’t you? I have read that in the occult, numerology is so important that births are planned to fall on certain days or add up to certain numbers for the magic that is placed on a person’s life to be effective. Now if a birth can be planned in this fashion, would it be too hard to plan the death? Absolutely not.
There is a lot more to this story that really makes me suspicious, especially the fact that Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy night celebrity gala was going on downstairs while Whitney’s body was growing cold upstairs. Ironically and tragically, Clive Davis was supposed to be Whitney Houston’s mentor. Here’s what guests had to say about it:
“This is just wrong. Her body is still right here in the building, and yet here everyone is out partying and playing her tribute music. It’s so eerie.”
Another guest said:
“It’s surreal. I can’t believe the body is still here and this is all going on. I don’t know if its disrespectful, or a celebration of her life.”
If the feeling among Hollywood insiders is that Whitney rebelled, then their lack of compassion makes total sense.
Now you’re probably thinking that all this sounds good, but I still haven’t proven that Whitney Houston was involved in Satanism. Well a picture is worth a thousand words.
What follows are still images I captured from a YouTube video featuring Ms. Houston at a live performance she gave in South Africa in 1994. They are pretty self-explanatory, but I will accompany each photo with a brief description.
This is often referred to as the “Three Rings” or 666 and looks like the familiar “OK” sign. It is rather fuzzy against the color of her dress, but shows up pretty good in the video at 1:32.
I don’t know what this is called, but a lot of people are doing it. It’s basically the same thing as the El Diablo hand sign, except the middle fingers, are held together and erect rather than curled underneath. The separation between the middle fingers and the index and baby fingers makes it clear that something is happening here. You can see this @ 1:43 of the video.
Both this hand sign and the one below are associated with the worship of the goddess Diana, now commonly called the Virgin Mary. Read about the Cult of Mary here.
A lot of people are doing this too, especially in Hollywood. Notice how the the index, middle, and ring fingers are held together with the baby finger held apart. This hand sign is also associated with the worship of the goddess. Whitney does this @ 1:49 of the video.
There can be no doubt about what Ms. Houston is doing here. She is mesmerizing her fans. Now that you have seen this, erase all doubts from your mind.
And as if one is not enough, Whitney hits the crowd with a double wammy. It may appear a little blurry, but shows up nicely in the video @ 3:37. Notice both index fingers are pointing at her fans, and the middle fingers are curled. But look at the sly way she barely extends the baby fingers: just enough for those in the know to see.
I think by now you get the point. Whitney Houston appears to have been involved in occultism, which should not surprise us. Nothing is free, and fame and fortune are definitely no exceptions.
So, if Whitney were, in fact, involved in occultism, what makes me think that she may have wanted out? Well, according to news reports, the night before she died, she had sung “Jesus Loves Me” at a function alongside Kelly Price. I know that is not enough, but the callous way in which Clive Baker and the other attendees at the pre-Grammy set continued to party, while Whitney’s body lay cold just a couple of floors above, suggests to me that it did not come as a shock to many, if anyone, that she had died. That, to me, suggests foreknowledge, and foreknowledge suggests collusion. But that’s me.
Add to that the numerological markers, and it certainly is cause for pause.
Below is the video of Whitney in concert singing, “I Have Nothing,” in 1994. You will see that her hands are constantly moving: a trademark of those who perform satanic hand magic. Notice her body movements and speech at the beginning and towards the end of the video and tell me if she acts or sounds anything like the Whitney Houston you know.
She sounds somewhat inebriated or under the influence doesn’t she? But if you consider the skillful execution of those hand signs, you will realize that there is no way she could do that if she were under the influence—of alcohol that is. Could she be under another kind of influence, say…demonic?
Doubt it not!
Now that you know what to look for, check out this video of Whitney’s singing debut on the Merv Griffith show at the tender age of 17. Check out her hands. You will be totally amazed, as I was. By the way, I’m not scouring the internet looking for incriminating evidence on Whitney. I was watching a YouTube video of her “60 Minutes” interview with Diane Sawyer in 2002, when they showed a clip from her singing on Merv Griffith: a clip that showed her execute no fewer than three hand signs in about twenty seconds. I had to see the whole thing for myself.
When she first starts singing, you will see her make the gesture that the man below is making:
And this man is a Satanist as you can tell by the way he holds his cup:
The thumbs form the horned devil. So what seems an innocent gesture, takes on a new meaning. Keep this in mind as you watch young Whitney. Her fingers are moving like crazy.
Here is a very moving tribute to Whitney Houston by Wendy Williams. I’m not a big fan of Williams, not through any fault of hers, but I must admit, she said all the right things here. She identified with Whitney in a very real way, and was not self-aggrandizing in the least.
In the way of tributes, this is probably as real as it is going to get. I don’t know if you saw what I saw, but Wendy doesn’t seem any more convinced that Whitney’s death was an accident than I am. Sometimes what a person doesn’t say can be more powerful than what he does. Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Still Man
P.S.: To read how Whitney Houston was used to help destroy biblical morality in the United States and to create a generation of single, independent, and rebellious young black women, click here.
