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WORD 4 TODAY
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011
THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is often referred to
as "the unpardonable sin" based on Jesus' words in
Matthew chapter 12:
"... every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven
unto men: but THE BLASPHEMY AGAINST the Holy
Spirit SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN UNTO MEN.
And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man,
it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks
against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven
him, neither in this world, nor in the world to
come" (Matthew 12:31, 32).
What IS this "blasphemy AGAINST the Holy Spirit"?
WHAT was Jesus referring to?
And WHY would Jesus say this when the Pharisees
HAD NOT UTTERED A WORD DIRECTLY AGAINST the
Holy Spirit, or even MENTIONED the words "Holy
Spirit"?
O.K., you've heard me say it time and again: WHAT
IS of PARAMOUNT importance to understand ANY
portion of Scripture?
CONTEXT.
The OTHER critical component is NOT isolating the
verse from THE REST OF the Bible, but taking into
account EVERYTHING it says about a given subject.
In verses 22-24 of this chapter we're told that Jesus
had just healed a demon possessed man who
was blind and mute.
He healed and delivered him SO COMPLETELY that the
man was now able to both see and speak.
Jerusalem being as small as it is, and being even
MUCH SMALLER back then, the Pharisees and
EVERYONE ELSE DOUBTLESSLY knew this man and
that he'd been afflicted for quite a while.
They simply COULD NOT deny that Jesus had
TOTALLY healed and restored him.
Yet, they would NOT RECEIVE Jesus. They would
not even acknowledge that He CAME FROM God, let
alone that He IS God.
They would NOT ACCEPT the Witness of God's Holy
Spirit who had CONFIRMED Jesus as the Messiah by
performing such miracles through Him (Isaiah 61:1-3).
So, they needed an excuse to "justify" their rejection
of Him. Hence, they MANUFACTURED ONE by FALSELY
CLAIMING (in direct violation of the torah's 9th
commandment about bearing false witness) that Jesus
was Himself demon possessed and that the only
reason He'd cast out the demon and healed this man is
because He was indwelt by Beelzebub the prince of
demons.
Those religious hypocrites would rather give the
credit and glory TO SATAN, than TO GOD.
Hence, they had SPOKEN AGAINST the Holy Spirit.
Pharisees were extremely well versed in the Hebrew
Scriptures. They KNEW what was written in the Spirit-
inspired Word of God. Yet they REJECTED the witness
of the SPIRIT and of His written Word, basically calling
the Holy Spirit a LIAR.
Jesus returned from His baptism in the Jordan "IN THE
POWER of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14).
It was the Spirit who performed miraculous deeds
through Him (Matthew 12:28).
He has the Spirit WITHOUT MEASURE (John 3:34).
It's the Holy Spirit which TESTIFIES about Jesus:
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send
unto you from the Father, even THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH,
who proceeds from the Father, HE SHALL TESTIFY
OF ME" (John 15:26).
They were blaspheming the Holy Spirit by
REJECTING His WITNESS ABOUT JESUS -- which
He'd so beautifully and supernaturally confirmed by
healing the blind-mute man - which resulted in their
REFUSAL TO RECEIVE Jesus as Messiah, Lord, Savior
and God.
Hence, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is
NOT RECEIVING the Holy Spirit's Witness about Jesus,
hence, IT'S NOT RECEIVING JESUS.
The ONLY sin that will not be forgiven, the ONLY sin
that brings damnation, is NOT RECEIVING JESUS as
Lord, Savior and God.
This Jesus made ABUNDANTLY CLEAR in John 3:16 and
Mark 16:16.
Those who DON'T receive Him, reject God, who is
Spirit, and BLASPHEME HIS HOLY SPIRIT.
They basically call the Holy Spirit "LIAR".
That's the ONE and ONLY sin for which there's no
forgiveness: REJECTION OF THE TRUTH, REJECTION
OF JESUS' DEITY AND SALVATION.
Those who DON'T receive Him... ARE TOAST…
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2011
FAITHFUL OVER LITTLE
"...Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful
over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you
into the joy of your lord" [Matthew 25:21].
When we compare the leaders in the Early Church vs.
today's Laodicean "leaders", the latter don't stack up
very well.
In fact, they're an embarrassment.
I recently watched a video on YouTube where a certain
famed televangelist accuses the pastor of a large
congregation of being a "demon possessed coward" for
refusing to say on national TV that Jesus is the
only way of salvation.
The televangelist is right on this, if on nothing else.
The "pastor" retaliated with a YouTube video of his
own where he shows clips of predictions made by the
televangelist, which never came to pass, and accuses
him of being "a false prophet".
Since both their "ministries" are based in Texas, I call
it "Showdown at the Televangelist Corral".
This is both puerile and pathetic.
Materialistically speaking, leaders in the Early
Church had NOTHING.
No cars, no planes, no TV studios, DVD'S, CD's,
internet or infomercials; no publishing companies, no
printing press, not even so much as a business card.
All they had was A MESSAGE.
Of course, they also had A RISEN SAVIOR.
The Savior is just as risen today as He was back
then.
And His message hasn't changed.
It's the leaders who have changed.
It's the "leaders" that are too cowardly to even
ARTICULATE that Message.
It's the leaders who have COMPROMISED the
integrity of The Gospel.
It's the leaders who have INVENTED a false Gospel of
GREED.
It's the leaders who have turned Jesus and
Christianity into A BUSINESS.
Instead of using TV, radio, internet, and publications to
SPREAD THE TRUE GOSPEL, and strengthen the
fundamentals of the faith, they have used it for self-
indulgence: to become zillionaires, live like mega
celebrities, peddle their wares, and provide third-
rate "entertainment" in the form of religious
fluff.
It's no wonder, then, than confusion and false doctrine
run rampant.
It's no wonder, then, that one can hardly tell the
difference between evangelical Christianity and
CULTS.
It's no wonder, then, that it's THE WORLD that has
gotten INTO the Church, instead of the Church going
INTO the world, as our Lord commanded [Mark
16:15].
If I were any of today's "high profile" church "leaders",
I'd start repenting now, before they're FACE TO
FACE WITH THEIR LORD.
No one ever said it was "easy" to follow Jesus.
But if the apostles accomplished SO MUCH with
SO LITTLE, He's got EVERY RIGHT to expect A LOT
MORE from people who've been given SO MUCH.
Luke 12:48:
"... to whom much was given, of him much will be
required"
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2011
CUT THE MIDDLEMAN
Never a week goes by that we don't hear from several
"Christians" who CLAIM to be conveying a message
from God.
"God" is usually telling them to tell me that I
shouldn't teach the Rapture is pre-trib, or that
Christians are not under the law or the 10
Commandments, or that Saturday observance is no
longer required, or that Christians aren't supposed to
tithe.
These "Christians" are lying.
How do I know? Because God called me directly,
clearly and UNEQUIVOCALLY to teach exactly what
I'm teaching. Why would He contradict Himself?
If He did, He would be the liar, perish the very
thought.
Chances are, if you've been Christian for more than 24
hours, that you've already encountered one or more
individuals who claim to be speaking on God's
behalf.
Let me give you some guidelines that will help you
separate the wheat from the chaff.
If you're Christian, you have God Himself living in
your heart and joined to your spirit.
That means He's got a DIRECT LINE of
communication.
He doesn't need to go thru a third party.
If God's got something to tell you, He's well able
to do so Himself.
There's ONLY ONE MEDIATOR between God and us
and His Name is Jesus Christ.
Are there times when God will speak to us thru a
brother or sister? Yes, but those times are rare.
When He does, He will NEVER, EVER contradict
Himself.
When He does, His Word will bear witness with your
spirit. You will KNOW, deep within you, that it did in
fact come from God.
When He does, God will use someone who is
TOTALLY impartial, who has NO RELIGIOUS
agenda, no axe to grind.
Anyone who claims "God said to tell you" and then
pushes some unbiblical doctrine, or their own
religious bias, is a BOLD-FACED LIAR. You can quote
me on that.
Don't be so quick to believe that "Christian" who claims
God said to tell you to be a missionary to India.
Every time God calls someone into ANY type of
ministry, He calls them DIRECTLY.
As precious as missionaries are, God did NOT call
everyone to be one. It takes a SPECIAL CALLING of
God to be a good and effective missionary.
And for God's sake don't fall for the "God told me
someone watching is supposed to send $10,000 right
now" scam.
More than one naive Christian has had his or her life
ruined by some religious manipulator pretending
to have "a word from God".
Please don't let it happen to you.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011
BALANCE
If you want to irritate me, just say we need "balance"
in the Church.
Those who push "balance" are promoting restraint,
apathy and compromise.
The only ones who preach "balance" are religious
wimps, who wouldn't have the nerve to talk about
Jesus outside the four walls of the church, or outside
the confines of "Christian" media.
There was NOTHING "BALANCED" ABOUT JESUS.
He neither taught nor practiced "balance" in any way,
shape or form.
Read the Gospels, for Pete's sake! His own family
accused Him of being "UNBALANCED"! [Mark
3:21; John 10:20].
JESUS WAS EXTREME.
HIS DISCIPLES WERE EXTREME.
DO YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE LOVE IS EXTREME.
THERE'S NOTHING BALANCED ABOUT LOVE.
THAT'S WHY IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE TO THE
NATURAL MIND.
LOVE IS TOTALLY IRRATIONAL.
Balance is LUKEWARM.
Religion INVENTED the fearful concept of "balance",
and IT'S TOTALLY FEAR-BASED: let's stay "in the
middle" so we DON'T OFFEND anyone.
Well, excuse me, but some in the world, as well as in
the religious establishment, NEED TO be offended.
God doesn't want or even like balance. He likes
extremes.
He's extremely [exceedingly] good.
He's extremely loving, extremely gracious,
extremely kind, extremely generous, patient,
merciful, faithful, extremely passionate, extremely
jealous.
That's why you don't mess with Him!
We have way too much "balance" in the Church.
Oh, I wish we had MILLIONS of unbalanced, sold-out,
RED-HOT, FANATICAL Christians.
If we did, we would have turned our world UPSIDE
DOWN with the message of Jesus, just like the early
Church.
It takes a SERIOUSLY UNBALANCED person to
teach "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES" (Matthew 5:44).
It takes totally UNBALANCED individuals to say "I don't
care what you do to me, burn me, skin me, chop me to
pieces, crucify me... KILL ME, I won't deny my
Lord". He's WORTH it all, even my life!
Oh, that we would have UNBALANCE LIKE THAT in the
Church today!
So, call me "unbalanced" if you like [I've been called
worse], but NEVER, EVER call me "balanced".
IT OFFENDS ME.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011
WHAT HAPPENED TO
JUDAS?
This is a question we get from time to time, but often
enough that, obviously, there's confusion on the
subject which merits clarification.
We have two SEEMINGLY conflicting accounts of
Judas' demise after he betrayed Jesus.
The first is found in the Gospel of Matthew 27:3-10:
"When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus
was condemned, he was seized with remorse and
returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests
and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have
betrayed innocent blood."
"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your
responsibility."
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.
Then HE WENT AWAY AND HANGED HIMSELF.
The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is
against the law to put this into the treasury, since it
is blood money." So they decided to use the money to
buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners.
That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this
day.
Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was
fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver coins, the price
set on him by the people of Israel, and they used
them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded
me."
That's religion for you: these hypocrites didn't give a
damn about the ABSOLUTE UNLAWFULNESS of spilling
innocent Blood, however, they were careful to ABIDE
BY the LEGAL requirements of their DEAD RELIGION
and not put the money in the temple treasury.
The other account is given in Acts 1:18-20:
With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas
bought a field; THERE HE FELL HEADLONG, HIS
BODY BURST OPEN AND ALL HIS INTESTINES
SPILLED OUT. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about
this, so they called that field in their language
Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.
"For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms,
"„May his place be deserted; let there be no one to
dwell in it, and, "„May another take his place of
leadership".
The biblical account APPEARS to say in one place that
Judas hung himself and, in another, that he fell
headlong and his bowels spilled out.
So, what REALLY happened to Judas? Which account is
correct?
BOTH.
This is much ado about NOTHING.
There's NO DISCREPANCY WHATSOEVER between the
two accounts.
After betraying Jesus and returning the money, Judas
went to the place in the Valley of Hinnom (pictured
below) that became known as Akeldama.
There he HUNG HIMSELF.
He tied the rope to a tree limb, placed the noose
around his evil neck and flung himself down. As he
jumped, the rope either broke or broke loose
(got untied) and instead of dying by hanging, as he
had planned, his body fell head first unto the ground.
The impact of the fall caused his bowels to burst and
gush out unto the earth.
This had been foretold in verse 18 of Psalm 109, the
very Psalm Peter quoted in Acts 1 when seeking a
replacement for Judas:
"As he clothed himself WITH CURSING like as with his
garment, so LET IT COME INTO HIS BOWELS like
water, and like oil into his bones".
That's why Revelation 13:11 tells us that when Judas
reappears as the false prophet, he will come "out of
the earth", since it was there, in the land of Israel
where his treacherous bowels were SPILLED LIKE
WATER unto the ground, in precise fulfillment of Psalm
109:18.
So, there's no ambiguity whatsoever as to what
happened to this son of perdition, just like there's no
ambiguity at all about his final destination.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2011
SALVATION FOR DUMMIES
No matter how clearly I explain it, no matter how
many Scriptures I quote to support it, NO MATTER
HOW MANY TIMES I TEACH ON IT, there are still
those who fear they've lost their salvation, or
that they aren't saved at all, despite receiving
Christ into their hearts because of some
PERSISTENT sin.
And that persistent sin is ALWAYS SEXUAL in nature.
It's kinda funny how some people only feel guilty
ABOUT SEXUAL SINS. Yet they commit other sins like
LYING, IDOLATRY or UNBELIEF, and feel no guilt
about them at all.
They write in asking my opinion as to whether they're
saved or not, whether they'll go in the Rapture or not.
My opinion doesn't mean squat. I don't get to
decide who gets saved. God gets to decide. The ONLY
OPINION that matters is His. Therefore, it's
Jesus' OPINION you should be asking for, not
mine.
So, today's message is for "dummies", WHO STILL
DON'T "GET IT".
RELIGION has done such a number on their carnal
minds, and has laid so much guilt and
condemnation in their hearts and minds that it's
difficult for them to overcome.
So, those of you who KNOW Jesus and KNOW you're
saved, please bear with us.
Let me give it ONE MORE TRY:
1. If you have earnestly received Jesus into your
heart as Lord, Savior and God, YOU'RE SAVED.
I don't care WHAT you've done. I don't care WHAT
you're doing. I don't care WHAT you'll do.
I don't care if you commit that sexual sin
100,000,000 times prior to the Rapture, is that
clear enough for you?
2. God DOESN'T find out about your sins, when you
commit them. That's when YOU find out about them.
God KNEW ABOUT THEM IN ADVANCE, before He
even created you. And He already took care of them
all. When Jesus died on the cross He PAID FOR
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR SINS (Revelation
13:8).
3. If you commit that sin 10 million times before the
Rapture, He ALREADY PAID FOR every single one
of the 10 million times (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Which part of "He ALREADY PAID FOR" all of them
don't you understand?
4. There are NO SINS (plural) that "keep people out
of heaven". There is ONLY ONE sin (singular) that
keeps people out of heaven and that is NOT receiving
Jesus as Lord, Savior and God (Mark 16:16; John
3:16; Romans 10:9).
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says those sins keep people out
of God's Kingdom, ONLY IF those people have NOT
received Christ into their hearts. If they HAVE
received Christ, they are forgiven for all eternity,
and their sins FOREVER ERASED (Hebrews 9:12;
10:14).
5. According to 2 Corinthians 5:19 God is NOT
counting your sins against you. So, the
FREQUENCY of the sin... whether you did it for the
500th time, or the 5,000,000th time... IS
IRRELEVANT.
He's NOT COUNTING THEM.
What part of "He is NOT COUNTING THEM" DON'T
YOU UNDERSTAND?
6. Even if you NEVER, in your entire life, committed a
sexual sin, or any other kind of sin, YOU STILL HAVE
A SINFUL NATURE THAT YOU INHERITED FROM ADAM.
That sinful nature is what sends people to hell.
That's why we need to acquire A NEW NATURE by
receiving Jesus (last Adam) into our hearts and being
BORN AGAIN.
That's why Salvation is ONLY thru the New Birth
EXPERIENCE.
7. WE HAVE NO RIGHTEOUSNESS of our own.
NONE. Zero.
The ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS you and I will ever have is
Jesus' Righteousness.
According to 2 Corinthians 5:21 His Righteousness,
His SINLESSNESS, is credited to us FREELY, by
Grace when we receive Jesus into our hearts.
And that's ALL THE RIGHTEOUSNESS YOU NEED.
8. LAST but not least, here's Jesus' opinion about it:
Jesus said that "whosoever believes on Him (Jesus)
shall not perish but have ETERNAL life" (John 3:16).
He said that "He who HAS THE SON has life" (1 John
5:12).
He said "if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised
Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED" (Romans
10:9).
It all boils down to this: Do you have MORE FAITH
in your sin's ability to damn you than in Jesus'
Blood to save you?
If your sin is more powerful than His Blood, I can tell
you right now THAT EVERYONE ON THIS PLANET IS
DOOMED. NO ONE WILL EVER BE SAVED.
If, on the other hand, His Blood is greater than ALL
our sins put together, then those who receive Him
into their hearts and trust Him, are saved BY GRACE.
We will NEVER deserve Salvation.
It's an UNDESERVED GIFT.
All we can do is RECEIVE The Gift (Jesus Christ). Then,
TRUST HIM. Trust WHAT HE DID to FOREVER save
us.
Salvation is NOT BY WORKS (Ephesians 2:8,9).
Therefore our WORKS (good or bad) have
NOTHING to do with it.
Last time I checked sexual sins are "WORKS".
Sexual sins have NOTHING to do with Salvation.
Jesus is your heart IS THE ONLY WAY to be saved.
And, if you haven't given Him your heart, after reading
ALL THAT, you're a bigger dummy than I even
thought.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2011
STRAIT AND NARROW
In Matthew 7:13, 14 Jesus says the following:
"Enter in AT THE NARROW GATE: for WIDE is the
gate, and BROAD is the way, that leads to
destruction, and many there be who go in there:
Because strait is the gate, and NARROW IS THE
WAY, WHICH LEADS TO LIFE, and few there be
that find it".
He made a similar statement in Luke 13:24:
"Strive to enter in at THE NARROW GATE: for many,
I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be
able".
This, according to religious legalists, means that we
are to live life constrained by all sorts of "don'ts".
That we are supposed to observe the law (torah), the
10 Commandments, the weekly Sabbath, Old
Testament dietary laws, or a combination thereof.
That we are to belong to a certain religion or
denomination, and live by its precepts, like
circumcision or good works, in order to be saved...
Actually, you can read either passage and you'll find
NO MENTION WHATSOEVER of any of the above:
NO law keeping, NO 10 Commandment keeping, NO
Sabbath keeping, NO dietary laws, NO circumcision, no
"good works" and NO RELIGION.
So, what was Jesus talking about?
It's not "what" but "WHO".
He was talking about Himself.
He is THE NARROW WAY...
He is THE ONLY WAY that leads to Salvation (John
14:6).
In fact, there is NO WAY, other than Jesus Himself,
that LEADS TO Salvation.
He is the NARROW GATE.
Didn't He say in John 10:9 "I am THE Gate;
whoever enters through me WILL BE SAVED"?
You really need ALL KINDS OF religious intervention to
mess that one up.
Didn't He also say in John 10:1 "I tell you the truth,
the man WHO DOES NOT ENTER the sheep pen BY
THE GATE, but climbs in by SOME OTHER WAY, is a
thief and a robber"?
The NARROW Gate and Way is Jesus.
Jesus -- and ONLY Jesus -- leads to Salvation.
Religion tries to BROADEN the Gate and Way by
SUBTRACTING from Jesus' PERFECT, COMPLETE
work of Redemption, and ADDING ALL THE OTHER
STUFF LISTED ABOVE.
Law keeping, 10 Commandment keeping, Sabbath
keeping, dietary laws, good works, circumcision.
membership in a particular denomination and religion
ALL LEAD TO DAMNATION.
All who teach and preach that ALL THOSE "OTHER
WAYS" ARE NECESSARY are thieves and robbers.
They have no right to even TALK about Salvation,
since they themselves ARE LOST.
Let me put it this way:
LEADS TO SALVATION LEADS TO DAMNATION
I'd CHOOSE the strait and narrow (Jesus ONLY) if
I were you.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2011
NOT BY WORKS
Ephesians 2:8, 9 is one passage of Scripture that
EVERY Christian should know by heart. It says:
"Because you are saved BY GRACE thru FAITH; and
that, NOT of yourselves: It is the gift of God: NOT
by works, lest anyone should boast".
Salvation is NOT by works.
Salvation is A GIFT.
As with any other gift, there's NOTHING we can DO
to earn it or deserve it. ALL WE CAN "DO" IS
RECEIVE IT.
The righteousness of God is by faith in Christ Jesus
UNTO ALL and upon ALL OF THEM THAT BELIEVE
[Romans 3:22].
It's NOT by works.
Being justified FREELY BY HIS GRACE thru the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus [Romans 3:24].
It's NOT by works.
Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified BY
FAITH, WITHOUT THE WORKS OF THE LAW [Romans
3:28].
It's NOT by works.
And if by grace, THEN IT IS NO MORE OF WORKS:
otherwise grace is no more grace [Romans 11:6].
It's NOT by works.
By the works of the law shall NO FLESH BE
JUSTIFIED [Galatians 3:16].
It's NOT by works.
Who has [already] saved us, and called us with a holy
calling, NOT ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, but
according to His own purpose AND GRACE, WHICH
WAS GIVEN US [ALREADY] IN CHRIST JESUS BEFORE
THE WORLD BEGAN [2 Timothy 1:9].
It's NOT by works.
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ [Galatians
2:16].
It's NOT by works.
Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Spirit [Titus 3:5].
It's NOT by works.
If it's NOT by works, THEN YOUR WORKS (good or
bad) have NOTHING to do with Salvation.
Jesus IN your heart IS Salvation, period.
Evangelical ministers, STOP preaching a confusing,
murky "gospel" of grace PLUS works.
That's NO Gospel, AT ALL.
It's NOT by works.
Armstrongnists, Seventh Day Adventists, Church of
Christ, United Church of God, Sabbatarians, legalists...
which part, exactly, of "NOT by works" don't you
understand?
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011
JESUS LOVES GAYS
I already know we're going to get a lot of mail on this.
I DON'T CARE:
JESUS LOVES GAYS.
That's the Truth.
I didn't say He loves their lifestyle. I said He LOVES
THEM.
Matter of fact, He LOVES THEM SO MUCH that He
died for them on the cross, just like He died for
your sins and mine (Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32; 2
Corinthians 5:19).
That's A FACT.
Organized Christianity may not like it, holier-than-
thou religionists may not like it, self-righteous,
hypocritical televangelists may not like it, but that's
what the Word of God VERY CLEARLY says.
NO ONE IS BORN GAY.
On the other hand, few people are gay BY CHOICE.
NO ONE KNOWS for sure WHAT CAUSES people to
prefer homosexuality, or to have homosexual
proclivities: The Truth lies somewhere in between
these two extremes.
Gay people often come from homes where the male-
female roles were REVERSED, i.e., the female was
dominant and the male submissive.
There are a number of OTHER FACTORS that influence
such behavior as well, like being sexually or
psychologically abused as a child, conditions at home,
parental behavior and so forth.
The answer probably varies with each individual, and
lies deep in the recesses of their subconscious
mind.
Despite Hollywood's and the secular media's
RELENTLESS propaganda campaign to shove the gay
lifestyle down our throats as being a perfectly
acceptable, normal, alternate lifestyle, IT IS NOT.
Most gays, whether they openly admit it or not, are
NOT happy people; most gays are CONFLICTED
individuals.
The Good News is JESUS CAME TO SAVE GAYS,
just like He came to save all OTHER sinners (1
Timothy 1:15).
Organized religion may treat being gay as the
"unpardonable sin" but, I assure you, IT IS NOT.
I have personally ministered to more than one
individual who is saved, born-again, and WHO DOES
NOT WANT TO be gay, DOES NOT WANT TO have
those feelings toward people of the same sex, yet
CANNOT help it.
Some began to experience those feelings,
UNWILLINGLY, as early as 5 years old.
Furthermore, they feel lonely and ostracized by
the religious community, even when they haven't
openly expressed their feelings, and very often can't
find a place to worship and fellowship with other
believers.
I want to reassure them that Jesus knows their
hearts, and that they are just as forgiven by His
marvelous Grace as ALL OTHER SINNERS
(Ephesians 2:8,9).
But isn't homosexuality sin?
Yes. So are lying, cheating, stealing, fornication and
adultery. So is holding a grudge. So is having jealousy,
envy or hatred in your heart. So is having the desire to
see others fail.
But doesn't the Bible say homosexuals won't
inherit the Kingdom of God?
NO.
The Bible says:
"Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male
prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people,
drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the
kingdom of God.
THAT IS WHAT SOME OF YOU WERE! BUT YOU
WERE WASHED, YOU WERE SANCTIFIED, you were
justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and
by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
According to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, those who
REBELLIOUSLY, DEFIANTLY and DELIBERATELY
practice ANY of these sins will not inherit the Kingdom.
UNREGENERATE fornicators, idolaters, adulterers,
homosexuals, thieves, etc., WON'T inherit the
Kingdom of God.
Conversely, BORN AGAIN individuals WILL
inherit the Kingdom and are NO LONGER
CONSIDERED by God to be in ANY of those
categories... even though they may have at some
point, because of human weakness, "fallen off the
wagon" and practiced such sins.
Verse 11 of that passage PROVES IT, beyond doubt:
THAT IS WHAT SOME OF YOU WERE! BUT YOU WERE
WASHED, YOU WERE SANCTIFIED; YOU WERE
JUSTIFIED in the name of our Lord Jesus the
Messiah and by the Spirit of our God".
Once a homosexual, or any other sinner, repents and
gives his/her heart to Christ, THEY ARE NO LONGER
what they used to be. They are now and forever
children of God.
They are no longer sinners, but saints, saved like any
other sinner BY THE SHEER GRACE of our
heavenly Father, thru the Blood of Jesus Christ.
That is true, REGARDLESS of their occasional carnal
feelings or outward behavior.
Those who go around with protest signs that say
"Jesus (or God) hates homosexuals" ARE LYING.
Those who want to condemn gays, better make darned
sure that THEY ARE WITHOUT SIN, before they cast
the first stone (John 8:7).
There's ONLY ONE SIN that sends people to hell and
that is FAILURE TO RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord,
Savior and God (Mark 16:16).
Some may not like to face this fact, but it's the Truth.
It's the Gospel.
It's GOOD NEWS for ALL sinners, including gays.
Deal with it.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
MARKETING GENIUSES
First century Christians had only one "product" to
sell... Jesus.
Peter never sold a DVD on "How to Walk on Water".
Thomas never wrote a best-seller on "How to
Overcome Doubt".
The disciples didn't hold a conference on Evangelism.
John didn't teach a prophecy seminar, and Paul didn't
have a workshop on winning gentiles to Christ.
They were so effective, by the power of the Spirit, in
"selling" Jesus, that they turned the world of their day
upside down.
Their message SWALLOWED UP the corrupt, mighty
and ruthless Roman Empire.
They changed history. They overcame the world.
21st century Christians SELL EVERYTHING BUT Jesus.
They sell all kinds of STUFF "in His Name". They
discovered one important fact 50 years ago: It's REAL
EASY to sell Jesus junk to Christians, it's not so
easy to sell faith in Jesus to non-Christians.
To say that they've taken "the easy way" would
be a gross understatement.
So, they've sold every imaginable thing under the sun,
and a few that are hard to imagine... They've sold us
books, tapes, CD's, DVD's, Christian "art", Christian
jewelry, Christian music, all kinds of Bibles, trinkets,
cruises, worthless books on everything from Southern
Cooking, to Better Sex, to Prosperity, to Victorious
Living.
Am I saying Christian books are worthless? Yes. 95%
of them are.
If they weren't, they wouldn't end up where they
belong, in the trash bin.
If they weren't, YOU'D REMEMBER WHAT THE HECK
IT WAS THAT THE BOOK SAID.
The reason you DON'T, is because it's NOT WORTH
REMEMBERING.
We have the greatest "product" in the world, One
that EVERYONE needs. We have THE BEST
MESSAGE, and largest "target market": the entire
world.
Yet we're such poor "sales people" when it comes to
Him.
We're so AFRAID to speak The Truth, lest we "offend"
someone.
Confidence and boldness are the hallmarks of all good
sales people.
If you're Christian, I CHALLENGE YOU to share Jesus
with someone. Start with one person. You gotta START
somewhere. And go from there.
If you're a minister, I DARE YOU to "SELL" JESUS,
and ONLY JESUS, WHICH IS WHAT YOU SHOULD
HAVE BEEN DOING ALL ALONG.
Will the Church, once again, overcome the world? Or
will the world overcome us?
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011
BRIDE OF CHRIST
There's this false teaching circulating in so-called
"word of faith" circles, that the Church ISN'T, the
Bride of Christ, and that the true Bride is New
Jerusalem.
If I were you, I would take ANYTHING the "word of
faith", name-it-and-claim-it, give-to-get, "BRIBE
God" if you want anything from Him crowd, not
with a grain, but with A TON of salt.
The Church IS the Bride [Wife] of Christ, as evidenced
by the following Scriptures:
Romans 7:4: "Wherefore, MY BRETHREN, you also are
become dead to the law by the Body of Christ; that
YOU SHOULD BE MARRIED to another, even to
Him who is raised from the dead"...
2 Corinthians 11:2: "For I am jealous over you with
godly jealousy: for I HAVE ESPOUSED YOU TO ONE
HUSBAND, that I MAY PRESENT YOU AS A
CHASTE VIRGIN TO CHRIST".
Ephesians 5:31,32: "For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined to HIS
WIFE, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a
great mystery, BUT I SPEAK CONCERNING CHRIST
AND THE CHURCH.
Revelation 19:7,8 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honor to Him: FOR THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB IS
COME, AND HIS WIFE HAS MADE HERSELF READY.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in
fine linen, clean and white: FOR THE FINE LINEN IS
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF SAINTS".
This false teaching is based on Revelation 21:2: "and
I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband".
ALSO, REVELATION 21: 9,10: "And there came unto
me one of the seven angels..., and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the
Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit...
and showed me that great city, the holy
Jerusalem"...
So, who's the Bride of Christ? The Church, or New
Jerusalem?
Since Jesus is monogamous, His BRIDE is His
Church.
Unless someone wants to argue that New Jerusalem
will be FORSAKEN and UNINHABITED... Or that Jesus
will be married TO AN EMPTY CITY WITH ZERO
POPULATION.
New Jerusalem will be INHABITED by the saints
who, COLLECTIVELY, make up the Church, the
Bride of Christ [Hebrews 12:22,23; Philippians 3:20].
Clearly, He's married to His Church and, by
extension, to New Jerusalem, who is/will be
INHABITED ONLY BY HIS SAINTS [Revelation
21:27].
Too bad, TV preachers, that's what happens when you
"cherry pick" Scriptures that appear to support your
false doctrine, and BRUSH ASIDE the ones which
DON'T.
We don't arrive at TRUE DOCTRINE by "cherry
picking", but by taking into account THE WHOLE
"COUNSEL OF GOD".
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011
THE LUKEWARM CHURCH
Nobody is born lukewarm.
When a person is "born again", that newborn babe in
Christ is NEVER lukewarm. They may not understand
Christian theology they may not be able to pass a
written or oral test on orthodox doctrine, but they
HAVE the living Lord Jesus Christ bubbling in
their hearts.
It takes a large dose of religion, and the
intervention of one or more "ministers", to dampen
their enthusiasm.
If they attend the local congregation (regardless of
"Christian label"), chances are they'll get clobbered
with legalism and fear: "Don't do this", "don't go
there", "don't wear that", and myriad other religious
"things" that will suffocate that inner babe, and
draw that new believer away from their newly-
acquired, regenerated nature.
Instead of focusing on their NEW, INNER, CHRIST-
LIKE NATURE, their attention is drawn to the
external, thereby stunting that person's spiritual
growth.
At some point that newborn babe gets disillusioned...
Is this ALL there is to the Christian walk? Going to
church on Sunday, paying a 10% unbiblical, legalistic
tax imposed by the pastor or denomination, hearing a
boring, watered-down sermon, a couple of dull hymns,
and then going home... only to repeat the same old
ritual next week?
It's at THAT POINT that lukewarmness sets in.
Add to all that, the prevalent Christian mindset in the
United States that you have to "give" in order to "get",
and that faith and spiritual "greatness" are
measured in dollars and cents, and you can't help
but end up with a lukewarm, confused, dissatisfied,
disillusioned, ineffective, DIVIDED Church.
When the focus of our "spirituality" is to be
millionaires, living in the largest mansion, driving the
most luxurious cars, or owning the most expensive
planes, instead of winning the lost, perfecting the
saints, and getting Christ's Body ready for His
return, what else can we expect?
Am I equating poverty with spirituality? No way! That
OTHER teaching is just as wrong, religious and
unbiblical as the opposite extreme. Am I anti-
congregation? No way! I'm 100% pro-Christ, pro-Holy
Spirit, pro-Word, and pro-Church. I'm unabashedly
anti-religion and anti-complacency.
So what's the solution to the Church's spiritual apathy?
Reconnecting to that new-born babe in Christ ON
THE INSIDE.
Locating that original "Fire", joy, and passion for
the Lord you had when you first became a
Christian.
It's finding that "first love" you had BEFORE you got
caught up into the religious vortex.
It's pushing everything else aside and
reconnecting with your "first love".
Everything we do based ONLY ON EMOTION is
TEMPORARY. It won't last.
Everything we do EXTERNALLY is TEMPORARY. It
won't last.
ENDURING things are INTERNAL.
You'll never find the Spirit's Fire OUTSIDE, but INSIDE.
THIS TIME, when you find Him, CLING TO HIM, AND
NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, LET
GO.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2011
JESUS WANTS YOU
One of the biggest lies perpetrated by religion is that
people have to "clean up" and abandon their sins
BEFORE they come to Jesus.
That you have to "quit" this or "quit" that, BEFORE
YOU CAN RECEIVE HIM.
That He won't accept you unless you're holy and
perfect.
Well, duh? If you COULD become holy and perfect
APART FROM JESUS, WHY WOULD YOU NEED HIM IN
THE FIRST PLACE?
ITS' THE OTHER WAY AROUND: THE FILTHIER WE
ARE, THE MORE SINFUL WE ARE, THE MORE WE
NEED HIM. THE MORE HE WANTS US. THE MORE
HE'S EAGER TO RECEIVE US AND CLEAN US UP!
WE'VE DONE THE SINNING. HE'S DONE THE
CLEANING.
FACT IS, AT THE CROSS, JESUS ALREADY PAID FOR
ALL YOUR SINS.
I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE DONE... OR HOW MANY
TIMES YOU'VE DONE IT... IT'S ALREADY BEEN
PAID FOR. ALL OF IT!
GOD'S JUSTICE HAS BEEN SATISFIED. YOU CAN GO
FREE!
That's why the message of Jesus Christ, His death and
Resurrection is called "GOOD NEWS".
THERE IS NO BETTER NEWS IN ALL THE WORLD!
Why do you think I gave my heart to Jesus? Because I
was so "good" and so "holy", I couldn't stand myself?
WRONG!
I did it because I was filthy. Because I was/am a
"NO GOOD" SINNER, JUST LIKE YOU!
As Paul said "Jesus Christ came into the world TO
SAVE SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF" [1 Timothy
1:15].
IF YOU'RE A SINNER [AND WHO ISN'T?], YOU'RE
EXACTLY THE PERSON JESUS DIED FOR. YOU'RE
EXACTLY THE ONE HE CAME TO "SEEK AND TO
SAVE" (Luke 19:10).
Jesus DIDN'T die for the righteous, He DIED FOR the
unrighteous.
If you're a really bad dude... or "dudess"... Jesus
WANTS YOU.
HE WELCOMES YOU WITH OPEN ARMS. HE LOVES
YOU!
RECEIVE HIM INTO YOU HEART, RIGHT NOW, JUST
AS YOU ARE!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2011
SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION
One of the most damnable heresies invented by
corrupt religious minds, like that of infamous and
ubiquitous old buzzard Dominic Crossan, is that Jesus
rose from the dead IN SPIRIT ONLY.
That His BODY didn't rise but that, contrary to every
Gospel account, it remained on the cross and was
"probably eaten by birds of prey".
Dominic is confused. It's his ugly face and body that
will be eaten by birds of prey, either before or after
Armageddon.
And it will happen while his DEAD spirit goes straight
to hell.
The Word of God leaves NO ROOM for such satanic
"interpretation".
More like wishful thinking on satan's part.
Jesus rose from the dead BODILY.
His actual, tangible, PHYSICAL body rose from the
dead.
THE SAME body that was crucified and placed in
the tomb three days and nights earlier.
Hell couldn't hold Him. Satan couldn't hold Him. Death
couldn't hold Him (Revelation 1:18).
He'd already raised at least TWO PEOPLE from the
dead, the widow's son, and Lazarus (Luke 7:11-15;
John 11:43,44).
If He could raise Lazarus PHYSICALLY, even after
Lazarus' PHYSICAL body had begun decomposing
(John 11:39-44), WHY ON EARTH WOULDN'T HE BE
ABLE TO RAISE HIMSELF?
Angels proclaimed He had risen from THE DEAD
(Matthew 28:7; Mark 15:5,6).
The disciples initially thought he was just a spirit (Luke
24:37).
But the risen Jesus REPEATEDLY INVITED THEM TO
TOUCH HIM and TO INSPECT His hands and feet
(Luke 24:39; John 20:27).
The risen Jesus also ate in their presence (Luke
24:30,43; John 21:13,14).
Even Thomas who adamantly said "Unless I SEE THE
NAIL MARKS IN HIS HANDS and put my finger
where the nails were, and PUT MY HAND INTO HIS
SIDE, I WILL NOT BELIEVE IT" (John 20:25)
became SO CONVINCED of Jesus' PHYSICAL
resurrection, that he called Him his "Lord and God"
and GAVE HIS LIFE preaching His CORPORAL
Resurrection and Deity (John 20:28).
The PHYSICALLY RISEN Jesus appeared first to Peter,
then the twelve disciples, then to over 500 believers
at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:4-8).
MORE THAN 500 EYEWITNESSES SAW HIM
PHYSICALLY ALIVE.
It only takes TWO witnesses in a court of law, or
under Jewish law, to establish a matter. Jesus had
OVER 500 THAT SAW AND TOUCHED, AND SPOKE
AND INTERACTED WITH, HIS RISEN PHYSICAL
BODY.
He appeared to the zealous, hard as nails, Jesus-
hating Saul of Tarsus, transforming him into the
apostle Paul and changing the apostle's life, purpose
and mission FOREVER (Acts 22:6-10).
He APPEARED TO the disciples and interacted with
them in His risen, PHYSICAL body for 40 days and
nights (Acts 1:3).
He is THE Resurrection and THE Life (John 11:25).
As Jesus Himself put it:
"For this reason am I loved by the Father, because I
give up my life so that I may take it again. NO
ONE TAKES IT FROM ME; I give it up of myself. I
HAVE POWER TO GIVE IT UP, AND I HAVE
POWER TO TAKE IT AGAIN" (John 10:17, 18).
In Acts 1:3 Luke tells us: "After his suffering, he
showed himself to these men and GAVE MANY
CONVINCING PROOFS THAT HE WAS ALIVE. He
appeared to them over a period OF FORTY DAYS and
spoke about the Kingdom of God".
Luke was a physician, a medical doctor. He of all
people was qualified to TELL THE DIFFERENCE between
a PHYSICAL, HUMAN BODY and someone's spirit or
"astral body" as New Agers call it.
It was Luke who also recorded Jesus' precise words in
his timeless Gospel:
"See my hands and my feet, that it is I; TOUCH ME
and know that A SPIRIT DOES NOT HAVE FLESH
AND BONES, as you see that I have (Luke 24:39)."
The evidence of the PHYSICAL Resurrection of Jesus
Christ is OVERWHELMING.
Had His Body remained in the tomb...
Had Jewish or Roman authorities been able to produce
Jesus' dead body THREE DAYS AFTER His crucifixion...
Or had it still been hanging from the cross, and been
eaten by birds as the OLD BUZZARD claims...
Everyone in Jerusalem and environs would have
SEEN IT.
THE CHRISTIAN FAITH WOULD NOT EVEN EXIST.
It would have been nipped in the bud.
There would be NO Christians, PERIOD.
It's Dominic's absurd and ungodly theory that's totally
"for the birds".
Belief in the ACTUAL, PHYSICAL Resurrection of
Jesus Christ is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for
Salvation (Romans 10:9).
Unless they repent (change their belief and thinking)
those who try to "explain the Resurrection away"
by saying He only rose "spiritually" ARE LOST.
As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:17:
"If Christ has NOT been raised, YOUR FAITH IS
WORTHLESS; you are still in your sins".
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2011
SETTING THE STAGE
In Matthew 24:4-8 Jesus speaks of the signs that mark
the "beginning of sorrows" or "birthpangs", which must
precede the Rapture and tribulation.
Prominent among them is that "nation will rise against
nation (against itself) and kingdom against kingdom".
First, there was the removal of Saddam Hussein by the
United States.
Since December 2010 we have witnessed one
insurrection after another causing the fall of dictator
after dictator.
We have seen several strongmen ousted from power:
Tunisia's Ben Ali, Egypt's Mubarak and just yesterday
Libya's Gaddafi met his timely demise.
Who in their right mind would have thought that the
United States would suddenly turn on its long-time ally
in Egypt and lynchpin of Middle East "peace" Hosni
Mubarak, and demand his departure?
Things are not looking well for Syria's Assad, either.
Despite his well known brutality, he must be shaking in
his boots.
Emboldened by Gaddafi's death, demonstrators are
likely to increase in numbers and become more
aggressive, and eventually rid themselves of that evil
tyrant.
WHY is all this happening now?
For one thing, because Jesus predicted it would.
Of course, people can argue that these were
oppressive regimes that deserved to be ousted. No
argument there.
But they've been repressive for many, many years (23
years for Ben Ali, about 30 years for Mubarak, and 42
years for Gaddafi). Why now?
Why are they all falling at the same time?
Because the way is being prepared for the
Antichrist to rule...
It is precisely these nations in the Middle East and
along the Mediterranean that comprised the world
known in Jesus' time and which comprise the
territories for the 10-king coalition the Antichrist will
rule over (Daniel 7:24,25).
How do you think he would get them all to coalesce
around his leadership, if they still had STRONG,
ENTRENCHED leaders like Hussein, Gaddafi or
Mubarak?
How likely would men like that be to just hand over
their countries and become subservient?
As I state in my book Seed of Satan, A POWER
VACUUM must take place to facilitate this man's
control over the world.
Iraq has a weak and VERY DIVIDED government,
hanging by a thread. So does Afghanistan. No one's
sure who's really in charge of Egypt or Tunisia, just
like no one knows who's ruling Libya tonight.
This power vacuum is taking place in these second or
third tier nations before it happens to the
superpowers.
The erosion of leadership is already evident in
Washington, as well as within the Republican Party
which has only been able to offer a flip flopping
Mormon, a savvy businessman with no governing
experience, and an inconsistent governor from Texas.
The tribulation starts off with war among the
superpowers that will destroy 1/3 of their navies
(Revelation 8:9).
The world will be chaotic, largely devastated and
devoid of leadership, when the ultimate dictator,
possessed by satan himself, emerges and wraps them
all around his little finger.
The stage is being set for the resurrected Alexander...
right before our eyes.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011
OLD AND NEW
Religionists often accuse me of believing ONLY the New
Testament and DISBELIEVING the Old.
I believe EVERY WORD written in the Old Testament.
I often quote the Old Testament and teach from it.
I've dissected certain portions of the Old Testament,
particularly the first three chapters of Genesis, and the
9th chapter of Daniel, as much as any other human.
The O.T. is the Word of God just as much as the New
Testament.
WHAT, then, is the DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
TWO?
JESUS.
In the Old Testament there was "no Jesus" in the
sense that He had not yet appeared, died for
man's sin, and risen from the dead.
Hence, BEFORE Jesus, man HAD TO observe God's
Law, including the 10 commandments, as best he
could.
Since it was downright IMPOSSIBLE for man, in his
fallen condition, to keep God's Law, God made
TEMPORARY provision for their sins by having some
poor animal die in their place.
That's why sacrifices were offered, first in the
tabernacle, then in the temple, TWICE A DAY, morning
and evening, DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY (Exodus
29:38-42).
They also had to offer sacrifices on the Sabbaths, New
Moons (Rosh Chodesh) and all major Feasts (Leviticus
chapter 23).
Additionally, each person had to offer his/her own
INDIVIDUAL sacrifice for any sins committed
unknowingly (Leviticus chapters 4-7).
Then ONCE A YEAR, the High Priest had to offer
sacrifice for himself and for the sins of the people
(Numbers 29:7-11).
Thank God for Jesus!
By ONE Sacrifice He has PERFECTED FOREVER (for
ALL TIME) those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).
He went into the REAL Holy of Holies in heaven on our
behalf having obtained ETERNAL (NEVER
ENDING) Redemption for us (Hebrews 9:12).
That's why NO ONE can ADD or SUBTRACT from
Jesus' once and for all, PERFECT, COMPLETE
Work of Redemption.
Those who do either are UNSAVED.
Those who do either are HERETICS.
God NEVER changes. The Word of God (Jesus) NEVER
changes.
But the Way He RELATES TO mankind DOES
CHANGE and, thank God, HAS CHANGED.
That's why it's SO IMPORTANT to distinguish between
what Jesus said PRIOR to Calvary, to what He said
AFTER Calvary.
BEFORE His death, the Old Testament WAS still in
effect and man's righteousness depended largely on
the observance of God's law.
So, sure enough, BEFORE Calvary Jesus would say
things like:
"Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, TILL ALL
BE FULFILLED" (Matthew 5:18).
That's the verse legalists love to quote. However, they
don't quote the previous verse, since it doesn't fit their
agenda:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or
the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but
TO FULFILL THEM" (Matthew 5:17).
Since Jesus HAS fulfilled them (praise His Name
forever!), they HAVE BEEN fulfilled, hence they
HAVE PASSED AWAY as far we're concerned, and are
NO LONGER APPLICABLE TO US.
AFTER Calvary, AFTER Jesus' death and Resurrection,
God's Righteousness is CREDITED TO US FREELY, by
virtue of Jesus' death in our stead (Romans 3:24).
Those who RECEIVE Him into their hearts and TRUST
WHAT HE DID for us, have eternal Life (John 3:16).
Their sins are instantly and forever ERASED.
Jesus' PERFECT FULFILLMENT of HIS OWN (God's) Law
on our behalf is CREDITED TO THEM, as though
THEY'D KEPT IT TO PERFECTION ALWAYS, as He did (2
Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus' OWN Righteousness is credited to them.
And there's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS anywhere but His.
Jesus' righteousness is THE ONLY Righteousness IN
THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.
Looking for righteousness ANYWHERE ELSE, or in
ANYONE ELSE, is folly.
Trying to procure righteousness ANY OTHER WAY is
futile.
So, the Old Testament was in force UNTIL Jesus died,
rose and ascended.
The NEW Testament, praise Jesus, has been IN
FORCE EVER SINCE.
As the saying goes "OUT WITH THE OLD, and IN WITH
THE NEW".
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011
NEW TESTAMENT
"being declared righteous FREELY by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
(Romans 3:24).
Salvation is found in the New Testament.
Salvation is NOT found in the Law, the 10
Commandments, or the Old Testament.
Salvation is found ONLY in Jesus.
Salvation is NOT FOUND in A MIXTURE OF Old and
New Testaments.
Unfortunately, such unholy, unkosher, IMPURE
mixture is what religion perpetually tries to
shove down our throats.
Religion wants SOMETHING to do with Jesus, but
desperately clings to the law and is hell bent on not
forsaking the Old Testament.
It wants to revive the VERY commandments which
KILL US (Romans 7:8-10).
That's why religion has NEVER SAVED A SINGLE
SOUL AND NEVER WILL.
They want to live AS THOUGH Jesus had never died
on the cross, risen and ascended.
They want to STILL play a role in procuring THEIR
OWN righteousness, when THEY HAVEN'T GOT ANY.
They fail to see that if we could have procured
righteousness ourselves, then Jesus WOULDN'T HAVE
DIED in order to GET IT FOR US.
God's System of Salvation is YOU CAN ONLY GET IT
THROUGH HIM.
Those who keep fighting the System, are REJECTING
the only Way (John 14:6).
Those who keep fighting the System, and keep trying
to "help" or MERIT their own salvation, ARE LOST.
Salvation begins by acknowledging our own
helplessness.
Salvation is turning to Jesus WITH ALL OUR
HEARTS and TRUSTING, TRUSTING, TRUSTING
WHAT HE DID, NOT WHAT WE DO.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011
GILAD SHALIT
I want to publically praise and thank my Jesus
(I've already done it privately) for Gilad Shalit's safe
return home to Israel.
As believer in the Jewish Messiah and part of the
spiritual Commonwealth of Israel, I couldn't help
rejoicing at the news that Gilad Shalit has finally
returned home.
I've looked forward to his release for the past 5 years.
Ever since he was kidnapped and taken prisoner by
Hamas, I've prayed and prayed and prayed for that
young man.
He and his family have been in my heart and prayers
nearly every day. How wonderful to have him back
home with his loved ones! How wonderful that he is
finally free!
I know Israel has paid a tremendous price, having to
swap more than A THOUSAND Palestinian
terrorists for ONE Israeli soldier.
That just shows THE WORTH of one of God's
Chosen.
It also shows how little Hamas thinks of its terrorist
pawns as well as their utter worthlessness.
How unbelievably tacky, inconsiderate and
exploitive for Egyptian TV to shove a camera and
microphone in Shalit's face for a FORCED interview,
in his emaciated condition, right after 5 years in
captivity and solitary confinement; and for that stupid
and tactless interviewer to interject political
propaganda and ask him about "thousands of
Palestinians languishing in Israeli jails".
She forgot to mention, of course, that Shalit is merely
a soldier who had the misfortune of being
kidnapped while carrying out his duty, while THEY
are hate filled terrorists who have
indiscriminately taken CIVILIAN lives and limbs.
Though most Israelis favor the prisoner swap there are
understandable objections and reservations in certain
segments of society, especially from those whose lives
and families have been victimized by the evil criminals
involved in the exchange.
But in God's eyes, in the eyes of those who love the
God of Israel, and love freedom, Gilad is worth FAR
MORE THAN 1,000 of them.
And, rest assured, God knows who they are, and
where they are; and while they may have
momentarily escaped Israeli prison, they haven't
escaped His righteous judgment.
One can hardly imagine what the past 5 years may
have been like for Shalit and what he's had to endure.
This precious young man will need lots of time to heal
mentally, emotionally and physically.
He'll also need the love, understanding and support of
his family, friends and Jewish brothers in order to
recover.
I pray that he and his family will come to know the
Messiah.
For what it's worth, there are MANY well wishers
outside the State of Israel who stand with the Shalits
in spirit and brotherly love.
From your brothers in America: Shalom, Gilad.
And "Baruch Shuvcha":
WELCOME BACK.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2011
MORMONS AREN'T CHRISTIAN
If you listened to newsmedia at all this past week, you inevitably
heard the commotion caused by Dallas Pastor and Rick Perry
supporter, Robert Jeffress' statements that Mormonism is a cult, and
that Mitt Romney is not Christian.
Every self-righteous media figure - whether on CNN, MSNBC, Fox,
or any of the major networks, was "righteously indignant" at Pastor
Jeffress' TRUE AND ACCURATE words, saying that religion should
not "play a role" in politics.
Of course the LDS (Mormons) are major stockholders at Fox
(how do you think Glenn what's his name ever made it there?), and
most networks just love anything they can inflate to portray
Evangelicals as "intolerant".
So, in a way, this was a gift to them.
Fellow Mormon and co-aspirant to the GOP nomination (like he's got
a chance in hell) John Huntsman immediately went all over
television, calling the pastor's statements "ridiculous" and trying his
best to portray Mormonism as being your typical, run of the mill,
"mainstream" Christian denomination, which it most definitely
IS NOT.
The LDS immediately launched an internet propaganda campaign
making the same claims.
Unfortunately, a lot of misinformed, ignorant Evangelicals will buy
it.
And with Beck's recent crossover into Kristian TV, and getting the
blessing of the "world's largest Kristian network", the runaway
religious deception that Jesus warned about is as strong and
widespread as it's ever been (Matthew 24:4).
However, it's not all bad news.
In a way, it's A GOOD THING that Romney's Mormonism has come
to the forefront.
The daughter of a Mormon bishop, now a former Mormon herself,
has written a book outing many of the false teachings and SECRET
satanic oaths and rituals promoted by this demonic cult:
You can read the fine article here:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=354721
You can also read the testimony of a former Mormon, now born-
again Christian, which corroborates much of what the Bishop's
daughter says, right here on this website:
http://www.christconnection.net/id4.html
This is one instance where I want to thank prophecy guru Hal
Lindsay for immediately coming out in support of Jeffress and
denouncing Mormonism, for what it truly is: A SATANIC CULT
THAT LEADS ITS FOLLOWERS STRAIGHT TO HELL.
When most so-called Evangelical leaders have been MUM on the
subject (lest they fall out of grace with the secular media and not be
able to promote the next piece of garbage they write) Hal gave a
VERY BIBLICAL, point by point exposé of Mormon lies,
including their denial of Jesus' Deity, denial of His virgin birth, and
denial of salvation by grace thru faith, saying flat-out that IT IS A
CULT and that IT'S NOT CHRISTIAN.
Thank you, Hal. I enjoyed watching it, and commend you for it.
And kudos to pastor Jeffress, for having the courage, conviction
and Christian integrity to TELL IT LIKE IT IS.
Contrary to the secular media's fallacy that religion "should play no
role", I for one believe FAITH should PLAY A MAJOR ROLE.
Being born-again ALONE is no guarantee a candidate will be any
good in public office, but it's an essential SPIRITUAL asset that the
leader of a nation purportedly "under God" should have and merits
voters' consideration.
As Abraham Lincoln said:
"My concern is not whether God is on our side; but TO BE ON
God's side, for God IS ALWAYS RIGHT".
May God have mercy on the United States.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011
MARKS OF A CULT
"....there are some who trouble you and want to distort the
gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven
should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we
preached to you, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:7,8).
The definition of a cult is a group or organization
that, while often quoting Scripture and calling
itself "Christian", DENIES one or more of the
FUNDAMENTAL TENETS of the Christian faith.
Since we constantly get new believers coming to faith
in Christ, as well as new readers, let's go over what
those fundamentals are:
1. The Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God and
is the final authority on everything.
2. There's One Almighty, eternal God, who manifests
Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. Jesus Christ is God manifested in human form.
4. Jesus was born of a virgin.
5. Jesus lived, died, was buried, and physically rose
from the dead.
6. Jesus in your heart = COMPLETE salvation.
There's no salvation in any other person, or by any
other means. Salvation is faith in Jesus alone, not faith
in Jesus "PLUS" something else.
7. Jesus will someday return to earth to set up His
everlasting Kingdom.
One dead giveaway that youre dealing with a cult is
the group, invariably, DETRACTS from Jesus (i.e.,
by saying He died to save us, but He ISN'T God), or
by DIMINISHING His Work of Redemption,
claiming it's NOT ENOUGH to save us and we
must ADD works, law keeping, 10 commandment
keeping, Sabbath keeping, membership in that group,
or ANYTHING ELSE.
Many cult leaders claim to be the reincarnation of
Jesus, that the Book of Revelation refers to them, and
that they've come to "complete" Jesus' work of
redemption. Examples of this blasphemy are Jim
Jones, David Koresh, Sun Myung Moon, and that nitwit
Jose Luis Miranda.
Anyone who makes such claim IS A LIAR.
Jesus' Work of Redemption is PERFECT AND
COMPLETE, AND LACKS NOTHING.
Most cults tend to be SECRETIVE and practice SECRET
rituals, which they WARN their members NOT TO
divulge, under threat of SERIOUS and DRASTIC
CONSEQUENCES if they break the "code of silence".
They all practice MIND CONTROL to one extent or
another, brainwashing their members with ungodly
doctrine, and subjecting them TO BLIND,
UNQUESTIONING submission to the cult leader's
teachings.
If you're involved with any group that engages in ANY
of the above, RUN -- don't walk -- from it.
All cults are SATANIC, I don't care how
"Christian" they CLAIM to be.
All cults practice RELIGIOUS DECEPTION that will lead
their followers STRAIGHT TO HELL.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011
MAHDI THIS AND MAHDI
THAT
Oh, how I wish that Christians had some common
sense and would stop falling for religious propaganda
on Kristian TV!
But I suppose that's just wishful thinking on my part.
Despite the overwhelming scriptural and historic
evidence that PROVES beyond any doubt who the
Antichrist is...
Despite the Mahdi Myth being THOROUGHLY
DEBUNKED on our Home page for over 5 years (Myth
#13 - and, IN ALL THAT TIME, haven't heard a peep
from Mahdi advocates trying to refute my arguments...
they're THAT solid and biblical... to Jesus be all the
glory).
We still hear from people who THINK he is the
Islamic Mahdi.
Of course, when I ask them to explain who the Mahdi
is... they CAN'T.
ALL they know is he's some "Islamic guy" that's
supposed to appear in the end-times. Other than that,
they haven't got a clue.
Obviously, then, they don't base their beliefs on
personal knowledge or personal conviction, but
on HEARSAY.
After all, that short guy with the shrill southern accent
has a DVD about it, and that other guy from Canada
wrote a book about it. And they're both on Kristian
TV. So, it MUST BE true, right?
Oh, sure. It's just as "true" as "the 7-year peace
treaty", the "cashless society", the "new world order",
the "revived Roman Empire" and all the other garbage
they've been SELLING YOU for years.
And which, I might add, has ended up time and
again, WHERE IT BELONGS: in the trash can.
With "expertise" like that, no wonder Christians are SO
CONFUSED.
"But I read so-and-so's book and he makes a pretty
convincing case".
Please... If the past 50 years have proven anything,
it's that you can make "a convincing case" to Bible
illiterates on just about ANYTHING.
What they CAN'T make is A BIBLICAL case:
There isn't A SINGLE VERSE in the Bible -- from
Genesis to Revelation -- that mentions the Mahdi.
NOT ONE.
There isn't A SINGLE VERSE in the Bible -- from
Genesis to Revelation -- that mentions Islamic world
dominance.
NOT ONE.
And I DARE all the would-be "experts" out there to
produce ONE.
Not two or three as the Bible requires to "establish a
matter" (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16), but
JUST ONE.
When you find ONE, write me, so I can personally
congratulate you:christco@christconnection.net
The Mahdi is a MYTHOLOGICAL figure.
That's right: The Mahdi DOESN'T
EXIST.
He's NEVER existed. He isn't even REAL.
No one's EVER seen the Mahdi.
No one's EVER heard the Mahdi.
No one knows WHERE the Mahdi is.
No reputable historian has EVER documented the
Mahdi's birth, life, works or teachings.
So, the prophecy guru who SOLD YOU that godless
piece of crap under the guise of "Bible prophecy" is
promoting AN IMAGINARY, NON-EXISTENT
"person", NOT FOUND IN THE BIBLE, as the
Antichrist.
They're pushing A RELIGIOUS INVENTION spawned by
the corrupt minds of satan possessed Islamic
extremists, as "truth".
Moreover, they are teaching FABRICATED Islamic
eschatology, thereby ENDORSING Islam as true.
They are preferring Islam OVER the Christian faith and
OVER God's Word (the Bible), which doesn't even
mention the Mahdi.
By the way, the Koran DOESN'T MENTION HIM
EITHER.
You'd think, if he were real, that AT LEAST he'd be
mentioned in their "sacred book".
They are teaching A LIE.
You'd think they'd LEARN Christian eschatology,
BEFORE writing about Islamic anything.
According to FALSE, UNSUBSTANTIATED Muslim
LEGEND, this guy is SUPPOSED TO have been born in
the year 869 A.D. and his name SUPPOSEDLY was
Muḥ ammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī.
Talk about a missing birth certificate... This joker
hasn't got one because HE DOESN'T EXIST.
Some Muslims believe that allah concealed him (HOW
can you "conceal" someone who's never even been
BORN, let alone been SEEN?).
They won't even tell you how long he lived, or HOW
OLD the Mahdi was when his alleged "concealment"
took place.
Some believe he's been kept all these centuries inside
a well.
And that, after the world is in chaos, he will reemerge,
followed by Jesus (Issa) to destroy tyranny and bring
justice.
And if you buy ANY OF THAT, I got a luxury beach
front condo in Nevada I'd like to sell you.
All that aside, ACCORDING TO THE ONE TRUE GOD
(Yahweh), the Antichrist MUST:
1. Be the serpent's seed [Genesis 3:15, 2
Thessalonians 2:3].
No one's ever claimed that the Mahdi's was satan's
son.
2. "Neither shall he regard the gods of his ancestors...
NOR REGARD ANY GOD; for he shall magnify himself
above all" [Daniel 11:37].
If he were the Mahdi, he'd have to DENY allah.
3. Must believe himself to be God [Daniel 11:36-38; 2
Thessalonians 2:4].
Again, he'd have to DENY both allah and Islam since
their profession of faith says "there is NO GOD BUT
allah".
4. He must be a king [Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:10-
12].
Mahdi's never been king.
5. Must be a king of fierce countenance [Daniel 8:23].
No one even knows what the Mahdi LOOKS LIKE, so
there's NO COUNTENANCE to refer to, fierce, tame, or
otherwise.
6. Must be a PROVEN military genius, with a reputation
of INVINCIBILITY [Revelation 13:4].
No one's ever claimed that the Mahdi engaged in war.
7. Must be "like a leopard" [Revelation 13:2].
No one's ever compared the Mahdi to a leopard.
8. According to Revelation 17:8, he must be a well
known, easily recognized historic figure. Thus, when he
rises from the dead (reappears from the pit) the world
will be in awe.
Since NO ONE has A CLUE what the Mahdi looked
like... since he was INVENTED and never even existed,
no one would recognize him, let alone be amazed
at seeing him risen.
9. According to Shi‟a mythology, this guy and Jesus
will be ON THE SAME SIDE.
He won't be ANTI-Jesus, hence he CAN'T BE Anti-
Christ.
10. According to God, Antichrist MUST BE someone
who lived PRIOR TO 90 A.D., is not presently on
earth, and rises from the dead during the tribulation
[Revelation 17:8].
Since the Mahdi, according to Islamic MYTHOLOGY was
born in 869 A.D., he's automatically
DISQUALIFIED.
But hey, what do I know?
You Mahdi fans are the REAL experts since you believe
and promote Islamic doctrine, instead of the Bible.
You're the REAL experts since you watch, listen to,
BUY and read ALL THE material produced by GREEDY
PROPHECY TRAFFICKERS, only interested in $$$.
You not only SWALLOW, but IGNORANTLY PARROT
their stupid unbiblical arguments hook, line and sinker.
And, by the way, YOU BELIEVE THE SAME
DOCTRINE AS Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Me? I just go by the Word of God.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2011
LOST OR LUST?
If I had a buck for everyone who's written about
problems with lust, I'd be VERY wealthy.
Christians keep feeling lousy, guilty, unworthy and
often doubt their salvation because they have
persistent problems with lust. They want to get rid
of "the problem", but seem unable to shake it. Some
have even thought they might miss the Rapture or be
demon possessed.
Let's just cut to the chase: Christians CAN'T be demon
possessed.
When we receive Jesus, we BELONG TO Him. Satan
and his demons can't possess someone who BELONGS
TO God, period.
What they CAN do is put thoughts and images in
your head. And therein lies the MAIN problem.
Satan will put thoughts and images IN YOUR MIND. It's
UP TO YOU to reject those images or let them linger.
Our minds respond to VISUAL stimuli. If you
constantly fill your eyes and mind with erotic or
pornographic images, and carnal thoughts, you
will become ADDICTED and you'll need sexual
gratification constantly.
So, if you really want help the FIRST thing you gotta
do is GET RID OF ALL THOSE IMAGES:
1. Get rid of ALL porn.
Don't watch x-rated or even r-rated movies.
Don't watch any erotic programs on TV.
Don't look at porn magazines, or on-line porn.
Don't even look at certain catalogs where women are
skimpily dressed.
2. If you're a believer, rest assured you will be
raptured; I don't care if you're right in the middle of a
sex act, when it happens. Salvation is by GRACE from
beginning to end. It's UNDESERVED.
You need TO TRUST what Jesus did on your behalf. He
already PAID FOR ALL your sins -- the ones you're
committing and the ones you HAVEN'T COMMITTED
YET.
He paid for ALL of them 2,000 years ago.
That eliminates FEAR and removes "tension", because
you're CONFIDENT that they're already paid for.
The more you FEAR sinning, and its spiritual
"consequences", the more you WILL sin. So,
TRUST JESUS AND WHAT HE DID.
3. RENEW your mind with the Word of God.
This is A PROCESS. You don't just push a button and
get an instantly renewed mind.
Get in the New Testament DEEPLY even if it's just for
10 or 15 minutes a day. Meditate on what you read
there.
Commune with Jesus and His Spirit.
4. You have to do "your part":
When an impure thought crosses your mind,
IMMEDIATELY REJECT IT, and every time satan
brings those thoughts, start meditating (or quoting)
Scriptures in your mind.
You're washing your mind with the water of the word
(Ephesians 5:26).
Again, this takes persistence. It's a way of life.
5. Last but not least, because you're human your body
will, at some point, require "a release". If you're
married, you can have sex with your spouse as often
as you both want. That's perfectly in line with
Scripture. Your sexual THOUGHTS should be ONLY
about her/him.
The mind CAN be trained and changed.
The word "repentance" in the New Testament
(metanoia) actually means TO CHANGE YOUR MIND.
There will come a moment, when we see Jesus, that
our minds will be totally regenerated and we
won't have struggles with such issues any more.
Until that moment arrives, the way to be delivered is
by following these steps.
It's ALL in the EYES and the MIND.
All the praying in the world won't do ANY GOOD if
you're constantly feasting your eyes on erotic images,
and continually harboring impure thoughts.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011
WHY FAITH?
Have you ever wondered WHY salvation is by faith
and faith alone? Why God wants us not to trust
our own works, but rather to trust His work?
Cause it was lack of faith (lack of TRUST) that caused
man to sin in the beginning.
Whatsoever is not of faith is sin [Romans 14:23].
The reason Eve sinned and lost the earth is because
she didn't trust God.
Had she trusted God, when the serpent approached
her, she would have said "How dare you accuse my
Father, you slimy creep? I trust Him completely. So,
shut the hell up."
Instead, Eve like many today... even like many
professing Christians, trusted her own works.
She wanted the knowledge of good and evil and, if God
wasn't going to give it to her, by golly, she was going
to get it herself.
Her "work" caused the downfall of the entire
planet... the demise of the whole human race.
Her "work" brought nothing but death, corruption
and condemnation.
In the end, she found out, much to her dismay, that
she needed to trust God in order to to restore her
immortality, the very God she'd brushed aside in favor
of "the father of lies".
Like Eve, the Church must not trust her own works,
but rather His complete, finished, perfect "work"
at Golgotha.
If Jesus is last Adam, then we, His Church, are "last
Eve".
I have some questions for you, Eve:
Have you learned nothing in 6,000 years?
How long will it take you to realize YOUR TRUST is
ALL God's ever wanted?
Are your physical eyes so open, AND YOUR SPIRITUAL
ONES SO CLOSED, that you can only discern what's
visible?
Maybe you need to rely less on physical vision, that
your spiritual eyes may be opened.
The only way you will regain immortality and
communion with God is by distrusting what you do,
and completely trusting WHAT HE DID.
CHAG SAMEACH
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011
TABERNACLES
The Feast of Tabernacles will be observed by all
nations during the Millennium.
Zechariah 14:16-19 states that, when the Kingdom of
God is established on earth all nations will be required
to come to Jerusalem, each and every year, to worship
King Jesus and celebrate this Feast.
The feast of Tabernacles [Sukkoth] is one of the three
festivals where Jews are required to make pilgrimage
to Jerusalem, the other two being Passover and
Pentecost.
Also called "the feast of ingathering" It was also a
period of general thanksgiving to God for that year's
harvest [Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:13].
Some scholars suggest that the first Thanksgiving
celebrated in America by the pilgrims, was a re-
enactment of this feast.
The colors used in Sukkoth decorations [shades of
brown, yellow, orange and green] are definitely
reminiscent of Thanksgiving.
Drawing a sharp contrast to Yom Kippur [celebrated 5
days earlier], which is the most solemn and somber
day in the Hebrew calendar, Sukkoth is the most
joyous feast, commonly referred to in Hebrew
literature as "the Season of our rejoicing".
Jewish families are required to live in huts, individually
called "sukka" [hence the plural Hebrew name
Sukkoth], for 7 days.
So, why the emphasis on Tabernacles during the
Millennium?
Why not Passover? Or Yom Kippur?
Because, according to John 1:14 The Word [Jesus] was
made flesh and dwelt [skenoo in Greek], literally,
"TABERNACLED among us".
Jesus was born during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
The "stable" usually associated with Nativity scenes,
was a sukka [hut], used during this festival.
Christians have assumed it was a stable because it
mentions the manger, or feeding troth, but the Bible
says no such thing.
The Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verse 7 simply says
there was no kataluma [guest room] available;
therefore, Mary had to give birth in a manger [phatne]
which means a feeding troth or stall.
Because there was no vacancy, and because of Jesus'
impending birth, they had to temporarily lodge inside
one of these huts.
Jesus' BIRTH, therefore, took place on that particular
Holy Day.
After defeating Antichrist at Armageddon on Rosh
Hashanah, at His Second Coming, and sealing the fate
of the tribulation's survivors on Yom Kippur, His
Kingdom on earth will begin on Tabernacles
[Revelation 21:3].
So, His birth, the beginning of His public ministry in
Israel announcing the Kingdom of God, and the
physical manifestation of that Kingdom on earth ALL
take place on that MOST BLESSED DAY.
How fitting, then, that during His Kingdom on earth, all
nations should rejoice and come to pay homage to,
and worship, the King of Kings on His SPECIAL DAY.
Isn't God's Word marvelous? Isn't He PRECISE? Isn't
He Precious?
From North to South, from East to West, from
Tabernacles to Tabernacles, from Eternity to Eternity,
our JESUS IS GOD, and of His Kingdom there shall be
NO END.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011
ASK AND... YOU'LL RECEIVE
"For the time will come when they WILL NOT
ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE. Instead, to suit their
own desires, they will gather around them A
GREAT NUMBER OF TEACHERS TO SAY WHAT THEIR
ITCHING EARS WANT TO HEAR" (2 Timothy 4:3).
It happens time after time after time:
Some "Christian" ASKS MY OPINION about some
teaching; I give an HONEST, clear, polite, and
SCRIPTURAL ANSWER, and they get offended!!!
They get offended SIMPLY BECAUSE they DIDN'T
LIKE my answer.
They get upset because I did not "rubber stamp"
THEIR opinion, validate their pet doctrine or "ministry",
and didn't say WHAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR.
They get upset BECAUSE I ANSWERED
TRUTHFULLY.
I guess they wanted me TO LIE.
Apparently, they didn't really care at all about my
opinion, or even about God's opinion, they just
wanted me to SUPPORT their FALSE doctrine.
NOT HAPPENING!
That's like the person who stands in front of a mirror
wearing something that THEY KNOW DOESN'T LOOK
GOOD ON THEM, and still asks "how do I look"?
We all know there's NO GOOD ANSWER.
Because you'll either LIE, or HURT THEIR FEELINGS.
But at least with personal appearance you can wiggle
your way out of it by saying something like "you look
O.K., but I just love how that other black dress (or
blue shirt) looks on you".
Please don't ask how I figured that one out...
But on spiritual matters, which have ETERNAL
consequences, no real minister of the Gospel can
wiggle his way out, BECAUSE WHAT WE SAY AFFECTS
PEOPLE'S ETERNAL DESTINY.
If you're NOT looking for Truth, DON'T ASK ME
ANYTHING.
Cause I'm not going to lie just to make you happy.
If you ask me a question, I'm going to give you AN
HONEST, DIRECT, AND SCRIPTURALLY BASED
ANSWER .
So, unless you want and expect A TRUTHFUL
answer, DON'T ASK.
Lord knows there are TONS of satan puppets
MASQUERADING AS "Christians" promoting all sorts of
damnable heresies and DENYING the efficacy of
Jesus' ALL SUFFICENT, once and for all, ETERNAL
Sacrifice. They'll tell you ANYTHING YOU WANT TO
HEAR and then some.
Lord knows there are PLENTY of "teachers" WHO'LL
TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT TO HEAR,
COMPROMISE THE GOSPEL, AND EVEN BETRAY
JESUS HIMSELF, in exchange for $$$$.
If you had ANY SENSE, you'd THANK GOD that there's
at least ONE ministry that cares enough about your
eternal soul to tell you the Truth, and who's NOT
after your money!
Those who ask questions NOT WANTING Truthful
answers are hypocrites, pure and simple.
When they DON'T like the answer, they invariable
TURN AGAINST us and attack me and this
ministry.
They think they can IMPOSE their pet doctrine du jour
(Lord knows what it'll be in a day or two) on me.
I guess their "friendship" and "approval" were
CONDITIONAL: They only approve of us if we agree
100% with every one of THEIR opinions.
Well, I DON'T NEED anyone's approval.
The ONLY "approval" I need is God's, and I already
HAVE IT.
The ONLY OPINION I care about is His, and I already
KNOW IT.
And NOBODY will ever IMPOSE ANYTHING on this
minister, unless their Name is Jesus Christ.
So, you've reached me too late.
Attacking me or this ministry with FALSE accusations,
snide remarks, OR TRYING TO IMPOSE YOUR
OPINION, are sure-fire ways of getting banned from
communicating with us... EVER AGAIN.
I work very hard to support this ministry, and have
devoted my life to serving Jesus and ministering to
others, and get NOTHING material in return.
I sometimes stay up til the wee hours of the morning
praying, answering people's concerns and counseling.
I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here at take your
ungrateful crap.
I don't care WHO you are: Do it, and YOU'RE HISTORY.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011
CONFUSED ON PURPOSE
If you're a NEW Christian, who's RECENTLY received
Jesus into your heart, what I'm about to say DOES
NOT apply to you.
But for those who've known the Lord, or CLAIM TO, for
years and years, I've HAD IT with you.
I've done nothing this past week (even on SUNDAY!!!)
but answer email after email straightening out THE
MESS that you - AND ONLY YOU - are guilty of making.
When I got people CLAMORING for us to make this
ministry available in Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese,
to reach well over ONE BILLION souls who, for the
most part, HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD the Gospel, it is
A CRIME that I should spend (more like WASTE) my
precious time straightening out your doctrine FOR THE
UMPTEENTH TIME.
You're confused ON PURPOSE.
I've warned time and again about RAMPANT deception
on the internet, INCLUDING YouTube.
More importantly, JESUS (you know, the One you
claim is YOUR LORD...) warned about it (Matthew
24:4).
Yet, YOU COMPLETELY IGNORE HIS WARNING.
Like heroin addicts, who CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
THEIR DAILY "FIX", you keep RUNNING AFTER
religious DOPE PUSHERS, only to end up TOTALLY
CONFUSED and COMING BACK TO ME, with your tail
between your legs, asking me to UN-confuse you.
Shouldn't you have STAYED with Jesus, His Word, and
me?
Couldn't you have ALTOGETHER AVOIDED such
confusion by doing so?
Yes and YES. There's NO EXCUSE.
If your faith is so flimsy to begin with, IF YOUR
SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION IS SO SHAKY, WHAT THE
HELL are you doing seeking MORE INSTABILITY?
Shouldn't you keep your nose, eyes and HEART in the
New Testament, and KEEP THEM THERE, until
you're FIRMLY and SOLIDLY ESTABLISHED?
Every time a Jewish Feast approaches, we get a fresh
batch of emails from FRANTIC "Christians" TERRIFIED
that the Rapture will happen and they'll stay
behind because of some sin.
Despite the New Testament and my CONSTANT
teaching on that subject, you still DON'T GET that
Salvation is UNDESERVED, from beginning to
end.
We will never earn it or deserve it. NEVER!!!
So, what does YOUR SIN have to do with it???
Salvation is HAVING JESUS (THE SINLESS ONE) IN
YOUR HEART, PERIOD.
Many of you still CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN what Jesus said PRIOR TO Calvary -- while
the law and the OLD Testament were STILL in effect --
and what He said AFTER His death and Resurrection.
You still don't get the FACT that He made a NEW
Testament (praise Him forever!).
You THINK as though His Blood had never been shed,
His death never took place, and as though He'd never
risen.
As though His Sacrifice and PERFECT Work of
Redemption HADN'T MADE ANY DIFFERENCE.
If they didn't, YOU'RE NOT SAVED!!!
My God, man! Even THE WORLD has enough sense to
DIVIDE TIME into B.C. (BEFORE Christ) and A.D.
(AFTER Christ).
And some of you are SO HOOKED ON DECEPTION,
you've become SUCH JUNKIES, that you saunter
around cyberspace for some "new and thrilling"
prophetic revelation (the "thrill" won't last but 10
seconds) and then have THE GALL to write me saying
"this video says", "this website says" or "so and so
says".
WHO GIVES A RAT'S PETOOT?
WHO CARES what "THEY" SAY?
Do you honestly think because YOU DECIDED to delve
into that CRAP that I'm going to sit and watch some
stupid, boring video then do a point-by-point rebuttal
of every false teaching out there???
Give me a freakin' break!!!
WHO CARES about mortal men's OPINIONS?
WHO MADE "THEM" authorities anyway?
I care ONLY about WHAT GOD SAYS.
And you should do LIKEWISE.
You need to focus FAR MORE on QUALITY than ON
QUANTITY.
It's bad enough I still have to correct your doctrine ON
SALVATION. I'm not about to CONSTANTLY correct it
on ESCHATOLOGY.
Even if I were to quit my job, I'd have time for
NOTHING else.
You CAN believe WRONG eschatology and STILL be
saved.
I want to spend WHATEVER time we have left on
earth, whether it's months, weeks or hours, focusing
PRIMARILY on reaching the lost.
Whatever you choose to do with your time, YOU'RE ON
YOUR OWN.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011
JESUS, JESUS, JESUS
What should EVERY believer have his/her heart and
mind SET ON in these final moments on earth?
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus.
And, did I mention, JESUS???
WHAT ELSE and WHO ELSE is there to be
concerned about?
You should certainly perform your job conscientiously
and to the best of your ability, but THE INSTANT He
appears, it won't matter.
You should certainly love your family and friends (even
your enemies) and, hopefully, LOVE THEM ENOUGH TO
SHARE JESUS WITH THEM.
But THE INSTANT He appears, they won't matter.
You can't save someone else.
ALL you can do is TELL THEM and INVITE them.
EVERYONE must choose to RECEIVE Jesus FOR
THEMSELVES.
Jesus, Jesus, and MORE JESUS, is what EVERY
Christian MUST BE FOCUSED ON.
Gee, Martel, that sounds a bit FANATICAL.
Really? How come I don't hear you complain when
someone's FANATICAL about your local baseball or
football team?
What do you think the word "fan" stands for?
How come I don't hear you complain when
someone is SO FANATICAL about a stupid soap opera,
full of lies and unrealistic fantasy, that they schedule
their WHOLE LIFE around it, or can't let a day go by
without recording it?
How come I don't hear you complain when some
FANATIC stands in line for HOURS ON END to buy
tickets to some idiotic, godless entertainer's concert,
or the latest technological gadget on the market?
You don't seem to have ANY problems when people are
FANATICAL about TEMPORARY things that WON'T
MATTER AT ALL in a year, two, or 5.
You only seem to have a problem when FANATICISM is
centered on Jesus and things that will MATTER FOR
ETERNITY.
If you feel that way, brother, sister, friend, or
whatever... YOU GOT IT BACKWARDS.
You NEED TO rearrange your priorities.
Sports, politics, soap operas, entertainers and human
technology will ALL pass away. Jesus WON'T. His
Word(s) WON'T.
As the song so rightly says: "kings and kingdoms will
all pass away"... but His Name, His Word and His
Kingdom, NEVER WILL.
Yes, THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT "THAT" NAME.
It's ALL about JESUS.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011
TO BE OR NOT TO BE
That IS the question.
The only reason you are, is because God IS.
You THINK that you are that physical body that drags
you around this planet.
But you're not.
That's just the medium you need and use to manifest
in the earth realm.
That body's temporary and will either dissolve into the
dust from where it came, or be instantly transformed
into a Light Body made of Spirit Substance at the
Rapture.
Perhaps you think you're your soul.
That's a little closer, but still not right.
Your soul does define your personality and provide
your individuality.
But it's not who you really are.
YOU ARE SPIRIT.
That's right.
You are spirit because you came from the Father of
spirits (Hebrews 12:9).
God is Spirit (John 4:24).
God's Name is "I AM" (Exodus 3:14).
Everything and everyone that IS, everything and
everyone that WAS or WILL BE, came from "I AM".
Therefore, when you tap into your spirit, into the
innermost part of your (inner) being, THAT'S your true
Self... That's WHO YOU REALLY ARE.
That's your true Nature.
And that's the ONLY place where you'll find "I AM".
You'll NEVER find God "out there".
If you truly want to find Him, if you want a deeper
relationship with Him, you'll have to look WITHIN
yourself.
When you tap into your inner being, you tap into
His Being.
Why? Because your being came from His Being.
Come on, atheists... you want PROOF that God
exists? You won't find Him in a lab or a test tube.
Do you have THE GUTS to look... inside YOUR own
GUT?
Come on skeptics: are you afraid to FIND your TRUE
Self?
So afraid, that you want to place God as far from
you as possible?
...Somewhere in OUTER SPACE?
Come on, lukewarm Christians, get in touch with the
deepest, most intimate part of your inward man, and
CONNECT with your Maker and Father.
Stop looking ON THE OUTSIDE.
Look deep inside and START BE-ing.
G'mar Chatima Tova
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2011
IS THERE ONLY ONE
JESUS?
In Deuteronomy 6:4 we find the immortal words often
recited in Hebrew worship:
"SHEMA yisrael Yahweh (Adonai) eloheinu Yahweh
(Adonai) echad".
"Hear O Israel the LORD our God is ONE".
It's often referred to simply as the "Shema".
This verse is often used by opponents of the Trinity, in
a futile attempt to DISPROVE the plurality within that
One God.
"See? It says God is ONE, not THREE".
Well, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity has NEVER SAID
there are THREE "gods", but ONE God, WHO
manifests in THREE forms: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
The PERFECT Unity of the three in One God is often
called The Godhead.
In fact the Hebrew word echad used in this verse as
"one" is what is known in grammar as a COLLECTIVE
noun.
Collective nouns are technically SINGULAR, yet
contain A PLURALITY (more than one) in
themselves.
For example, the U.S. has ONE ARMY comprised of
several branches including the Air Force, Navy,
Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard, as well as
over one MILLION individual soldiers, yet it's only
ONE army.
Your favorite football or baseball TEAM is ONE team
comprised of more than A DOZEN players.
The CHOIR in your congregation is ONE choir,
comprised of HOWEVER MANY singers.
The Church is ONE, but it's comprised of millions or
billions of believers.
That echad IS a collective noun can be clearly seen in
Genesis 11:6:
"And the LORD said, Behold, THE PEOPLE (PLURAL)
are ONE (echad)"...
And, again, in Genesis 2:24:
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and THEY (plural) will
become ONE (echad) flesh".
Paul referred to this tremendous Truth as "a great
mystery".
However, he added, nowhere is this "mystery" greater
than with regards to "Christ and His Church"
(Ephesians 5:32).
Yes, there's ONLY ONE God. Praise His Name
forever!
Yes, there's ONLY ONE Jesus, praise His Name
forever!
But that ONE God, that ONE Jesus, contains WITHIN
HIMSELF millions if not billions of facets.
That's where the Church comes in.
WHY do you think we're called, COLLECTIVELY, the
Body (singular) OF Christ?
Because we're ONE Body comprised of MANY
DIFFERENT "Body parts"... yet only ONE Body, His
Church, of which He is now and FOREVER the Head
(Ephesians 1:22,23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians
12:27):
That One Jesus LIVES in each member of His Body.
If you're born again, that ONE Jesus LIVES IN you.
He created you, He SAVED you. He BOUGHT YOU with
His own Blood.
Therefore that One Jesus has EVERY RIGHT to
MANIFEST thru you.
Why do you think He gave you His Divine Nature? (2
Peter 1:4).
Why do you think He calls you His Body?
He may be THE HEAD, but the arms are Jesus, the legs
are Jesus, the torso is Jesus, the thighs are Jesus, the
hands are Jesus, the feet are Jesus, the toes are
Jesus:
"For those He KNEW IN ADVANCE, He also did
PREDESTINATE to be CONFORMED to the Image OF
his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brethren" (Romans 8:29).
"Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth
not yet appear what we shall be: but WE KNOW
THAT, when He shall appear, WE SHALL BE LIKE
Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2).
If you're born again, you're not that big jerk you
APPEAR to be.
You're not, and I'm not, that ugly sinner you and I
APPEAR to be.
You're not even that "nice Christian" you PRETEND to
be.
Jesus LIVES IN YOU. He LIVES in me.
We're PREDESTINED (it's already PRE-ARRANGED, a
DONE DEAL) TO BE LIKE HIM.
No matter how we LOOK or ACT right now...
We have a GLORIOUS and marvelous Destiny to look
forward to...
We're A BUNCH OF JESUSES waiting to happen.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2011
IS THERE ONLY ONE
JESUS?
In Deuteronomy 6:4 we find the immortal words
often recited in Hebrew worship:
"SHEMA yisrael Yahweh (Adonai) eloheinu Yahweh
(Adonai) echad".
"Hear O Israel the LORD our God is ONE".
It's often referred to simply as the "Shema".
This verse is often used by opponents of the Trinity,
in a futile attempt to DISPROVE the plurality within
that One God.
"See? It says God is ONE, not THREE".
Well, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity has NEVER
SAID there are THREE "gods", but ONE God, WHO
manifests in THREE forms: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
The PERFECT Unity of the three in One God is often
called The Godhead.
In fact the Hebrew word echad used in this verse as
"one" is what is known in grammar as a COLLECTIVE
noun.
Collective nouns are technically SINGULAR, yet
contain A PLURALITY (more than one) in
themselves.
For example, the U.S. ARMY is ONE army
comprised of several branches including the Air
Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and National
Guard, as well as over one MILLION individual
soldiers, yet it's only ONE army.
Your favorite football or baseball TEAM is ONE team
comprised of more than A DOZEN players.
The CHOIR in your congregation is ONE choir,
comprised of HOWEVER MANY singers.
The Church is ONE, but it's comprised of millions
or billions of believers.
That echad IS a collective noun can be clearly seen
in Genesis 11:6:
"And the LORD said, Behold, THE PEOPLE (PLURAL)
are ONE (echad)"...
And, again, in Genesis 2:24:
"For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and THEY
(plural) will become ONE (echad) flesh".
Paul referred to this tremendous Truth as "a great
mystery".
However, he added, nowhere is this "mystery"
greater than with regards to "Christ and His Church"
(Ephesians 5:32).
Yes, there's ONLY ONE God. Praise His Name
forever!
Yes, there's ONLY ONE Jesus, praise His Name
forever!
But that ONE God, that ONE Jesus, contains WITHIN
HIMSELF millions if not billions of facets.
That's where the Church comes in.
WHY do you think we're called, COLLECTIVELY, the
Body (singular) OF Christ?
Because we're ONE Body comprised of MANY
DIFFERENT "Body parts"... yet only ONE Body,
His Church, of which He is now and FOREVER the
Head.
That One Jesus LIVES in each member of His
Body.
If you're born again, that ONE Jesus LIVES IN
you.
He created you, He SAVED you. He BOUGHT YOU
with His own Blood.
Therefore that One Jesus has EVERY RIGHT to
MANIFEST thru you.
Why do you think He gave you His Divine Nature? (2
Peter 1:4).
Why do you think He calls you His Body?
He may be THE HEAD, but the arms are Jesus, the
legs are Jesus, the torso is Jesus, the thighs are
Jesus, the hands are Jesus, the feet are Jesus, the
toes are Jesus:
"For those He KNEW IN ADVANCE, He also did
PREDESTINATE to be CONFORMED to the Image
OF his Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren" (Romans 8:29).
"Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but WE
KNOW THAT, when He shall appear, WE SHALL BE
LIKE Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John
3:2).
If you're born again, you're not that big jerk you
APPEAR to be.
You're not, and I'm not, that ugly sinner you and I
APPEAR to be.
You're not even that "nice Christian" you PRETEND to
be.
Jesus LIVES IN YOU. He LIVES in me.
We're PREDESTINED (it's already PRE-ARRANGED,
a DONE DEAL) TO BE LIKE HIM.
No matter how we LOOK or ACT right now...
We have a GLORIOUS and marvelous Destiny to look
forward to...
We're A BUNCH OF JESUSES waiting to happen.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2011
ANTICHRIST ON THE RUN
So, you think the Antichrist is this evil person who'll
emerge out of nowhere suddenly and unexpectedly
and just take over the world, right?
You think he'll control the world for 3½ years, right?
WRONG.
The Scriptures are clear that he will emerge from the
pit of hell, resurrected from the dead (Isaiah 14:18,19;
Revelation 11:7; 17:8).
Once the Church is raptured, there won't be ANY
believers on earth except for the 144,000 sealed
Israelites and the Two Witnesses.
Those who are left WILL HAVE SEEN Jesus coming in
the clouds with power and great glory, to rapture His
Church, and STILL REFUSE TO RECEIVE HIM.
They WON'T WANT TO submit to His lordship, under
ANY circumstance.
And they will KNOW that He will return in a few short
years to establish His Kingdom here on earth.
The unbelieving, Christ-rejecting population will be
SEEKING someone who can mount a credible challenge
to the returning Christ, someone who can PREVENT the
establishment of His Kingdom on earth.
The Antichrist will emerge from the pit, reintroduce
himself to the world, gain some support, put together
an army, and fight against Egypt, Turkey-Syria, Iran
and, finally, Israel (Daniel 11:40-42; 12:7).
As happened in the past, he will win every one of those
battles.
During one of these battles, he will be mortally
wounded with a sword, but his deadly wound will be
miraculously healed (Revelation 13:3, 14).
It's at that point that EVERYONE will be amazed, will
believe he's the risen Alexander, that he's immortal,
and thus qualified to challenge and DEFEAT the
returning Jesus, who's been tormenting them with one
judgment after another.
After all, Jesus rose after three days and nights. This
guy will rise from the dead after 2,300 years.
The arrival of ANOTHER RISEN, supernatural being, a
"DEFENDER of mankind" (that's what the name
"Alexander" means) will be more than welcome.
At that point, the earth's population, those who flat-
out reject Jesus, will gladly WORSHIP satan and
Antichrist (Revelation 13:4).
While his reign will officially last 42 months, toward
the end of that period, Antichrist will go from being
on the offense, to being on the defense.
He'll go from persecutor to PERSECUTED.
God's only going to allow that fool to boast and run his
big mouth for a while, just long enough to give satan a
tiny taste OF WHAT HE'LL NEVER HAVE.
After that, the tables will turn and God will show satan
and his pawn WHO'S REALLY IN CHARGE.
About FOUR MONTHS before the tribulation ends, God
will send his angels to pour out the vials of His wrath
(Revelation 15:7; chapter 16). They will affect the
Antichrist and his entire kingdom.
The judgments will be so awful that, in total
desperation, he will ultimately gather his armies
at Armageddon and make a "last stand", in a futile
effort to thwart God's agenda and prevent the
establishment of Jesus' ETERNAL Kingdom on earth.
When the vials begin to be poured, despite his inflated
rhetoric and mega-sized ego, Antichrist will be ON
THE RUN.
He will still be "officially" ruling the earth, but NOT IN
CONTROL of ANYTHING.
He, along with his false prophet, will be seized and
thrown alive into the lake of fire where, ONE
THOUSAND years later, they'll be joined by their
father satan (Revelation 19:20; 20:10).
All those who follow satan, all those who do not
receive the offer of FREE SALVATION available ONLY
thru Jesus Christ, will end up in the same place as
THOSE THREE LOSERS.
Those who want Salvation better get on Jesus' side.
They better RECEIVE Jesus INTO their hearts NOW.
If you haven't received Christ into your heart, YOU
ALREADY ARE on satan's and Antichrist's side (John
3:18).
And you're already headed to the same place where
THEY will end up.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011
YOUR SPIRIT IS JESUS
"Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17).
When you invite Jesus into your heart, your spirit,
which was dead, reconnects with its Source.
When it does, it becomes ALIVE again.
That's what the born again experience is ALL about.
That's WHY you MUST be born-again.
That's why you MUST connect with Christ.
Being born again is having Jesus entering your spirit,
and taking permanent residence there.
We fuse and become One with His Spirit.
Furthermore, we become PARTAKERS OF His Divine
Nature (2 Peter 1:4).
Do you realize what that means? It means YOU HAVE
GOD LIVING IN you.
He may be hidden at the moment, but He's there.
And when you turn to Jesus WITH YOUR WHOLE
HEART, when you seek FIRST His Kingdom (inside you)
the veil is taken away and YOUR INNER JESUS is
revealed (2 Corinthians 3:16).
That's what'll happen TO EACH OF US at the Rapture.
That's the marvelous destiny we can look forward to
when we know Him: manifesting the Son of God
(Romans 8:19).
When Jesus lives in us, He imparts His Own
Righteousness to us.
We are made the righteousness OF God [2
Corinthians 5:21].
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS APART FROM Him.
There's no righteousness but His.
Listen up, heretics. Listen up, Mormons, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Armstrongnists, Sabbatarians, Jews, and
other legalists:
Trying to procure YOUR OWN righteousness thru
religion, or DEAD works, is an exercise in futility.
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS besides God's.
All our "righteousness", Isaiah 64:6 tell us, is "as filthy
rags".
That's why the Bible says "there's NONE RIGHTEOUS,
no, NOT ONE" [Psalm 14:1; 53:1; Isaiah 41:26;
Romans 3:10].
Jesus said there's only ONE good Person, and that's
God [Matthew 19:17].
The ONLY righteousness you're ever gonna get is the
one GOD GIVES YOU.
And He's NOT selling it.
He gives it to us for FREE, when we TRUST HIM.
You don't have to wait till you die, or are raptured, to
go to heaven.
If you're born again, heaven's already IN YOU.
Why? Because Jesus [the King] and His Kingdom have
COME INTO you.
There are lots of DEAD people walking around.
Life with a dead [disconnected] spirit, isn't really living.
Life WITHOUT Jesus is mere existence.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011
TIMELINE JERUSALEM
There are two major timelines given in the Bible about
the Return of Christ and both HINGE ENTIRELY ON
Jerusalem.
Both timelines were given by Jesus.
The first was delivered to Daniel through the angel
Gabriel.
The second was given by Jesus Himself to the
disciples.
There's a 49-year timeline based on Daniel 9:25
which SPECIFICALLY states, "FROM the word to return
a build Jerusalem TO Messiah Prince shall be 7
weeks"...
It's based on that timeline that we know (praise Jesus
for all eternity) that the Second Coming of Messiah
Prince will take place in 2016.
7 sevens, or 7 "weeks", by any form of reckoning, are
49 years. That, is "carved in stone", since "it is
written".
Then there's the "generation" based on Luke 21:24-32
which is vaguer. Again, it bases the timing on
Jerusalem RETURNING TO Jews and Jews
RETURNING TO biblical Jerusalem.
"Jerusalem shall be trodden down by Gentiles UNTIL
the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled".
THEN, "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the
moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the
earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
(These are THE SAME signs given in Revelation 6:12-
16) that precede the Rapture.
And THEN shall they SEE the Son of man COMING
IN A CLOUD with power and great glory" (Luke
21:24-27).
The timeline given in Luke doesn't give a SPECIFIC
number of years, but rather says:
"Truly, this generation SHALL NOT PASS AWAY
until all these things have happened" (Luke 21:32).
But isn't a biblical generation 40 years?
Jesus DIDN'T say "it will be EXACTLY one generation
from the time gentiles stop trampling Jerusalem to the
fulfillment of all these things".
He said, rather, that "THIS generation (in context,
which sees Jerusalem return to the Jews) SHALL NOT
PASS AWAY".
A biblical generation is 40 years, or a bit more.
We didn't just pull the "40 years" out of thin air. This is
both explained on the website, and we've dealt with it
in previous "Word 4 Today" messages.
There are SEVERAL Scriptures that indicate it's AT
LEAST a 40-year time span:
Numbers 32:13, Psalms 95:10; 1 Chronicles 29:26-28;
Acts 13:36; Hebrews 3:9-11; Isaiah 53:8).
On the other hand, if we read Jesus' genealogy in
Matthew 1:17, which states that from the Babylonian
captivity to Jesus there were 14 generations, we see it
can be somewhat OVER 40 years.
The Babylonian captivity took place in three stages,
the earliest being in 605 B.C., the latest in 586 B.C.
If we divide 605 by 14, we get approximately 43
years. If we divide 586 by 14, we get approximately
42 years.
On the other hand, if we take THE REST OF Jesus'
genealogy in that verse (from Abraham to David,
David to Babylonian captivity, and Babylon to Jesus) as
being 42 generations (14+14+14) and divide the
approximate time from Abraham to Jesus which is
estimated to be about 2,100 years, by 42, it equals
50.
It appears, therefore, that a biblical generation is
AT LEAST 40 years, but NO MORE THAN 50 years.
Since His Second Coming happens 49 years FROM
"the word" to return and build biblical Jerusalem
(Daniel 9:25), indeed, as our Lord said in Luke 21:32,
THIS generation will NOT have "passed away"
until ALL these things (Rapture, tribulation, Second
Coming) have taken place.
Jesus' RETURN to earth is tied to Jerusalem's
RETURN to the Jews, and on Jews RETURN to
Jerusalem.
Jerusalem RETURNED TO the Jews, and Jews
RETURNED TO Jerusalem, 44 years ago.
That means that Jesus' RETURN must be VERY, VERY,
VERY NEAR.
It means WE ARE THE GENERATION that will
witness His glorious return: FIRST to rapture us and,
several years later, when we RETURN with Him at His
Second Coming.
In Luke 21:33, the Lord gave us the following
ASSURANCE:
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but MY WORDS
will NEVER pass away".
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011
TESHUVA
There's a 40-day season in the Hebrew calendar
beginning in the month of Elul and ending on Yom
Kippur, called teshuva.
The word teshuva or simply shuva means to return.
It can mean return to a physical location, or return
to God as in repentance.
For natural Israelites it's a season of introspection,
repentance, doing charitable deeds, righting the
wrongs that they've done, and reconciling with those
they're estranged from.
For believers in the Jewish Messiah, it should be a time
of returning to OUR FIRST LOVE, namely Jesus.
While our natural mind retains no conscious memory of
it, we were "in love" with Him before the
foundation of the world when He chose us, and
predestined us, in Himself (Ephesians 1:4).
Since He is love, that means we were ONE with Him.
When we were born-again, we became ONE SPIRIT
with Him again.
We are ONE with Him in spirit, right now, whether
we realize it or not (1 Corinthians 6:17).
Instead of trying to "guess dates" that will turn out to
be wrong, instead of running to every prophetic forum
on the internet and gulping all that nonsense, we
should be focused on His Presence, focused on
Jesus' very Being, His very Nature, INSIDE OF US.
He's NOT "out there". He's "IN here".
NO ONE wants the Rapture more than yours truly.
But let's not just think of it as something that'll
happen to us, but as Someone who's already IN us:
The Rapture is that split second in "time" when Jesus,
the Jesus WHO already LIVES in us, is UNVEILED and
MANIFESTED (REVEALED) IN US (Romans
8:18,19).
It's all been prearranged: We are PREDESTINED to
CONFORM TO His Image (Romans 8:29, 30).
Rapture's not a thing. Our Rapture IS Jesus.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011
DATE OF SECOND COMING
"We have also A MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY;
whereunto YOU DO WELL THAT YOU TAKE HEED, as to a
light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
day star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19).
The amount of prophetic misinformation out there is
simply staggering.
We were bombarded this past week with emails asking
whether I thought Jesus would rapture His Church on
A SPECIFIC DAY (I wish you could read some of the
"theories"). This, DESPITE the fact our Lord CLEARLY
stated that NO ONE knows THE day (Matthew
24:36).
Apparently, Jesus' words carry NO WEIGHT with most
"Christians", especially with many of those who
participate in those ridiculous forums filled with
ignoramus "experts" who don't know their nose from
their behind, yet DELUDE THEMSELVES INTO
THINKING that their unbiblical speculation will trump
His Word. Fat chance!
And some dense individuals still don't "get" WHY we
use blunt rhetoric, humor, sarcasm and satire in an
effort TO IMPACT PEOPLE'S CONSCIOUSNESS and
have at least SOME Truth REGISTER inside their thick
skulls.
I know, of course, that they'd rather we spoke in
wimpy, feeble, "religiously correct", BORING,
stereotypical "Christian" tones, and be TOTALLY
INEFFECTIVE.
Conversely, we've also received several emails saying
that the "NO ONE knows the day and hour" statement
applies not to the Rapture, but to the Second
Coming.
No wonder we sometimes feel like A DROP of biblical
water, in the midst of AN OCEAN full of LIES,
fabrication, AND UNBELIEF.
It's IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO KNOW the day of the
Second Coming.
Why? Because the Scriptures are crystal clear that the
reign of Antichrist will last 3½ years, or 42 months
(Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 13:5).
It's also crystal clear that his reign ENDS when Jesus
RETURNS (Daniel 7: 11-14; Revelation 19:11-20).
ALL that anyone with even basic knowledge of Bible
prophecy would have to do is COUNT 42 months
from the day Antichrist begins to reign.
WHY do you think the Antichrist gathers his armies at
Armageddon AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME?
Because he knows, and SATAN KNOWS, that his 42
months ARE UP.
Hence, he tries in vain to preserve his kingdom, and
PREVENT the return of Jesus and the establishment of
His Kingdom on earth.
So, the Rapture will take all unbelievers and some
Christians by surprise.
NO ONE will be surprised by the Second Coming.
In fact, EVERYONE will know when it's due and will be
EXPECTING it.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011
IT'S NOT FOR YOU TO
KNOW... OR IS IT?
"Blessed is he THAT READS, and they THAT HEAR
the words OF THIS PROPHECY, and KEEP THOSE
THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN THEREIN: for THE TIME
is at hand" (Revelation 1:3).
In Acts chapter one, as the risen Jesus is getting ready
to ascend to heaven, the apostles ask Him (Acts 1:6)
"Lord, will you AT THIS TIME restore again the
kingdom to Israel"?
Here's our Lord's reply: "And he said TO THEM, It is
not for you to know the times or the seasons, which
the Father has put in his own power" (Acts 1:7).
This, according to some Bible illiterates, means that
NO ONE is EVER supposed to know the
approximate time of Jesus' Second Coming, the
approximate time of the Rapture, or the identity of the
Antichrist.
If you've followed this ministry for any length of time,
you've heard me emphasize, time and again, THE
ENORMOUS IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT in studying
and understanding the Bible.
When you take ONE verse, isolate it from THE REST
OF THE BIBLE, and disregard ALL the other
Scriptures that deal with the same topic, you're
TAKING IT OUT OF CONTEXT.
When you take a verse of Scripture that is clearly
ADDRESSED "TO THEM" and NOT to us, and claim
that it applies TO EVERYBODY FOR ALL TIME, you're
taking Scripture GROSSLY OUT OF CONTEXT.
And, I might add, when you do it
PREMEDITATEDLY, in a desperate attempt to justify
your FALSE DOCTRINE and impose it on others,
you're A LIAR who's CONTRADICTING God
(Proverbs 30:6).
In Matthew 24:36, and Mark 13:32, Jesus clearly said
that "NO ONE knows the day and hour" of His
appearing.
"NO ONE" means NO ONE... Hence, those two
Scriptures apply TO EVERYBODY. NO ONE is supposed
to know THE EXACT DAY.
Contrast that with Acts 1:7 "And He said TO THEM"...
The Greek text is PAINSTAKINGLY clear: He spoke in
third person accusative plural masculine.
If I told you "I'm going to give this TO THEM", DOES
THAT INCLUDE YOU?
Clearly NOT.
Had Jesus meant that NO ONE was supposed to
KNOW about eschatology EVER, He COULD HAVE said
"NO ONE" instead of "TO THEM".
Hence, that Scripture applies TO THEM (to the
apostles, who lived 2,000 years ago, back in the 1st
century A.D.) and who asked that question, and NOT
to us.
If it applied to "everyone, for all time", then God would
be CONTRADICTING HIMSELF (that is, LYING) not
once but MANY times.
If Jesus DIDN'T intend FOR US, in the 21st century
A.D., to KNOW such things, then why would He even
bother to give the signs THAT INDICATE the
Rapture is approaching in Matthew 24:4-8? ...And
again in Matthew 24:37? ...And again in Mark 13:5-
8? ...And again in Luke 17:26-36?
Why would He even bother to give the signs that
will IMMEDIATELY PRECEDE the Rapture in
Matthew 24:29; Joel 2:28-32, Luke 21:25-28 and
Revelation 6:12-16?
Why would He tell Daniel that such things would
remain "sealed" ONLY UNTIL the "time of the end"
(Daniel 12:4, 9)?
Why would Jesus Himself "unseal" them in
Revelation 6:1 through 7:1?
Why would He then SPECIFICALLY promise that, AT
"THE TIME OF THE END", "THE WISE WOULD
UNDERSTAND THEM"? (Daniel 12:10).
So, either Jesus LIED (perish the VERY thought), OR
THESE JOKERS ARE LYING.
Why would He say in 1 Thessalonians 5:4: "When
people say "Peace and safety," destruction will come
ON THEM... and THEY will not escape. But YOU,
BROTHERS, are NOT in darkness so that this day
SHOULD SURPRISE YOU like a thief"?
Notice again the stark contrast between "THEM" and
"YOU".
If He didn't want us to know the APPROXIMATE time of
these events, then WHY would He SPECIFY in Luke
21:24-32 that the generation in which Jerusalem
returned to the Jews, and was no longer trampled by
gentiles, would NOT "pass away" until ALL these
things (in context, His appearing in the clouds) would
come to pass?
Why would He give the ELABORATE "70 weeks"
timeline which SPECIFIES THE YEAR OF His First
AND Second Comings? (Daniel 9:24-27).
If He DIDN'T want us to have A CLUE about
eschatological events, WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE
WRITE FOUR ENTIRE BOOKS (Daniel, Zechariah,
Joel and Revelation) DEVOTED ALMOST
EXCLUSIVELY TO ESCHATOLOGY?
And WHY would He MOTIVATE US TO READ AND
STUDY THE BOOK OF REVELATION BY PROMISING A
SPECIAL BLESSING TO THOSE WHO READ IT AND
HEED IT? (Revelation 1:3).
Obviously, since we're LIVING IN "the time of the
end", Jesus WANTS US TO KNOW the APPROXIMATE
time of these events.
Obviously, He WANTS both saved and unsaved TO
KNOW the signs that will IMMEDIATELY precede the
Rapture, and even promised that WHOEVER calls on
Him, even in those final moments before He takes us
Home, WILL BE SAVED (Joel 2:32).
Jesus told satan that man DOES NOT live "by bread
alone, but BY EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the
mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
So, if He gave ALL those "words", we are to RECEIVE
THEM, STUDY THEM, AND LIVE BY THEM.
Quoting ONE verse of the Bible OUT OF CONTEXT
doesn't prove ANYTHING.
ALL it "proves" is that individual is satan's SLAVE.
By the way, I can't blame satan for DISLIKING
eschatology, since it doesn't bode well for him,
AT ALL (Revelation 20:1-3, 10).
It was satan, in fact, who quoted the Bible
"selectively" (Matthew 4:6).
Hence, those who use Scriptures selectively (ONLY the
portions that SEEM TO support their biased, ungodly
agenda, while IGNORING the rest) ARE
INSTRUMENTS OF satan.
Obviously, those who advocate IGNORANCE of the
prophetic Word, ARE LIARS, since THEY
CONTRADICT JESUS:
They are children of their father the devil, who is the
FATHER OF lies and of LIARS (John 8:44).
They do ERR, NOT KNOWING the Scriptures or the
POWER OF GOD.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2011
NOTHING BUT KING
JAMES
There’s this increasing attitude among Evangelicals
that we are to use ONLY the King James Version of
the Bible.
They claim that is the ONLY true and accurate
English translation of the Scriptures, and that we are
to shun ALL OTHERS.
Some take it so far as to brand as “heretic” anyone
who ever uses or quotes from ANY OTHER
TRANSLATION.
Because I DO NOT always quote from the King
James, I’ve gotten my share of emails about it.
First of all, I hate to break the news to religious
fanatics, but using the King James Bible is NOT
one of the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
Relying on other translations DOES NOT make
ANYONE a heretic.
The exception would be someone reading a
translation published by a heretical sect, like the
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ so-called New World
Translation.
I STRONGLY and emphatically advise
EVERYONE to STAY AWAY FROM THAT.
For that matter, you should REJECT any
material published by the Watchtower Bible and
Tract Society.
I LOVE the King James Bible. I rely heavily on the
King James Bible. In fact, it’s the version that I use
mostly in my personal studies.
I concur with King James fans that, GENERALLY
SPEAKING, (underline “GENERALLY
SPEAKING”) it’s THE MOST ACCURATE
English translation.
Does that mean it’s error free? Not a chance.
I can point a few passages, off the top of my head,
where the KJV is NOT altogether accurate.
That’s why serious students of the Bible are often
and inevitably forced to check out the original
Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.
If you happen to like and understand the King
James Bible and feel comfortable reading all the
“thee”s and “thou”s, be my guest.
Personally, I love the accuracy, as well as the sheer
beauty and poetic quality of the language.
The problem I see is that A LOT OF Christians are
turned off by Elizabethan English.
Most middle aged or young adults don’t like it and
don’t “get it”. Teens don’t “get it” at all, and even
some of the older folk have trouble understanding
it. Hence, they feel more comfortable, and derive
more instruction and greater spiritual benefit
from a more modern translation like the American
KJV or the NIV.
What good would it do them to study the KJV if
they don’t understand it?
How can you get teens and young adults to study
God’s Word when they’re turned off by the archaic
language?
That's the reason that on the website I quote from
whichever translation provides the most accurate
AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND rendering of that
particular passage.
So, here’s where I come down on this:
If thou likest and understandest the King James
Version of the Bible, more power to thee.
Thou shouldest keep using it.
If you don’t, go with the AKJV, NASB, the World
English Bible, the Bible in Basic English, or the
NIV for daily devotions and study.
However, when you delve into a deep subject,
DON’T ASSUME EVERY WORD or passage in
those versions is accurately translated.
Consult a Good Hebrew or Greek dictionary before
you jump to conclusions and become dogmatic
about some doctrine.
I believe that’s good, sound, sensible advice.
Agreest thou not?
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
THE PURPOSE OF SIGNS
As a student of the Bible, as someone called by Jesus
to minister His Word of Prophecy, it's part of my job to
understand the signs that God gave in His Word
concerning the Rapture and Second Coming of our
Lord.
Signs are useful; signs can fill us with joy and
anticipation. Signs can tell us how close we are to
our destination.
Signs, however, NEVER POINT TO THEMSELVES.
Signs are ALWAYS given TO POINT US and LEAD US
TO something/someone else.
All the eschatological SIGNS that God gave in His
Word point to ONE PERSON, and that's Jesus.
All the dreams, visions, revelations, all the stuff that's
going on in the world, with "nation against nation",
earthquakes, economies faltering, leadership eroding,
religious deception, etc. etc. ...the signs given in Joel
2:28-32 and Revelation 6:12, ALL POINT US to
Jesus Christ.
It's nice to experience SOME of the signs.
It's nice to KNOW ABOUT the signs.
It's nice, in a way, to SEE the signs happening,
because they let us know He's near.
But we're NOT to FOCUS ON the signs themselves.
We're to FOCUS ON Jesus.
And He's NOT "out there somewhere". He's RIGHT
INSIDE YOU.
If you've given Jesus your heart, if you KNOW HIM as
Lord and God, if you're born-again, you have THAT
WONDERFUL, LOVELY JESUS LIVING INSIDE
YOU, and He's MORE REAL than any outward
sign.
He's MORE REAL THAN all the signs that point to Him.
If you received Him, He's been there INSIDE YOU, ALL
THE TIME. He's NEVER LEFT YOU. NEVER!!!
He's been there whether you know it or not, whether
your realize it or not, whether you feel His Presence or
not.
If there was EVER a time to SEEK Jesus, that time is
NOW.
It's HIS APPEARING that all the signs point to.
It's HIS APPEARING that'll rapture us.
As we LOOK FOR His Appearing, let's focus on Jesus.
Let's seek Him with ALL our hearts.
He's both the Author and the FINISHER OF our faith.
Signs are helpful, signs can be great or ominous, but
they can't begin to compare WITH THE ONE THEY
POINT TO.
Prophetic signs POINT US TO our FINAL
DESTINATION:
And His Name is Jesus.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
LET THE CHILDREN
Every time we talk about the Rapture being near,
there's always concern about what happens to
children.
There's this damnable heresy floating around that says
that ONLY children of BELIEVERS get saved or go in
the Rapture.
They get their ERRONEOUS belief from a warped
understanding of 1 Corinthians 7:14:
"For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified
through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has
been sanctified through her believing husband.
Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as
it is, they are holy".
The Greek word for "sanctified" is hagiazo WHICH
MEANS to "set apart".
While it's true that saved individuals are called hagios
(saints), all it means is that they are SET APART unto
God.
That's what the word means. So, anything or anyone
that's SET APART is, technically, "hagios".
All Paul was saying is that an unbeliever is SET APART
by the believing spouse, and so are children SET
APART by one or two believing parents.
SET APART from what? From the world, since they
would have the influence of one or more godly parents.
That's ALL he was saying.
Notice what the verse DOESN'T SAY: It DOESN'T
SAY that the "unbelieving husband IS SAVED thru the
believing wife" or vice versa.
Nor does it say that children are SAVED BY having
believing parents.
Wives CANNOT save their husbands. Husbands
CANNOT save their wifes. Neither can parents SAVE
their children. Salvation is AN INDIVIDUAL choice.
Those who are too young to make that choice ARE
SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, since "it's not His Will
that ANY should perish, but that ALL will come to
repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
The FALSE TEACHING that 1 Corinthians 7:14 speaks
of SALVATION is FLAT OUT DEBUNKED by Ezekiel
18:20:
"The son SHALL NOT bear the iniquity of the
father; neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the
son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be
upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be
upon him".
Now, let's see what Jesus had to say about children's
Salvation:
Matthew 19:14:
"But Jesus said, SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN, and forbid
them not, to come unto me: FOR OF SUCH IS THE
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN".
Mark 10:14,15:
"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid
them not: for OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive
the kingdom of God AS A LITTLE CHILD, he
SHALL NOT ENTER therein".
Matthew 18:10
"Take heed that ye despise not one OF THESE LITTLE
ONES; for I say unto you, That IN HEAVEN their
angels do always behold the face of my Father
which is in heaven".
Matthew 18:3
"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him
in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you,
Except ye be converted, AND BECOME AS LITTLE
CHILDREN, YOU SHALL NOT ENTER INTO the
kingdom of heaven".
Luke 9:48
"And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this
child in my name RECEIVES ME: and whosoever
shall receive me receiveth him that sent me".
Matthew 21:15,16
"And when the chief priests and scribes saw the
wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in
the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David
they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest
thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea;
have ye never read, Out OF THE MOUTH OF BABES
AND SUCKLINGS YOU HAVE PERFECTED PRAISE?
Jesus DID NOT, at any time, say "unless you become
AS LITTLE CHILDREN OF BELIEVING PARENTS you
shall not enter the Kingdom of God".
So, either Jesus WAS LYING (perish the VERY
THOUGHT!), OR THESE ARE JUST MISGUIDED
RELIGIOUS FOOLS WHO UNDERESTIMATE THE
GRACE OF GOD.
He's NOT WILLING THAT ANY should perish, but that
ALL will come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through Him
might be saved (John 3:17).
Joel 2:16 clearly shows that CHILDREN and babies will
go in the Rapture:
"Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
assemble the elders, GATHER THE CHILDREN, AND
THOSE THAT SUCK THE BREASTS: let the
Bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the
Bride out of her closet".
O.K., "little children", now you know THE TRUTH,
straight from THE TRUTH HIMSELF.
Be at peace and don't listen to unbelieving morons.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011
OUTPOURING
"And afterward, I will POUR OUT my Spirit ON ALL PEOPLE: YOUR SONS
AND DAUGHTERS WILL PROPHESY, your old men WILL DREAM
DREAMS, YOUR YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS. EVEN ON MY
SERVANTS, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I will pour out my Spirit in those
days.
I will SHOW WONDERS in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire
and billows of smoke. The SUN WILL BE TURNED TO DARKNESS and
the MOON TO BLOOD BEFORE the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord: And EVERYONE who calls on the Name of the Lord WILL
BE SAVED" (Joel 2:28-32).
I have often shared based on this Scripture that
thousands, if not millions of people, will cry out to
Jesus, even AT THE VERY LAST moment, and be taken
away in the Rapture.
They'll be saved and ESCAPE the tribulation by "the
skin of their teeth".
I've also said that ANYONE who purposely takes their
chances that they will do so IN THOSE FINAL
MOMENTS, before the tribulation judgments begin is a
fool and is playing with fire, both figuratively and
LITERALLY.
The ONLY guaranteed "time" for Salvation is ALWAYS
"NOW" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
I you haven't given your heart to Jesus, if you are
NOT saved, if you are NOT SURE you're saved, I URGE
YOU to invite Jesus into your heart, and receive
Him (Salvation) RIGHT NOW:
http://www.christconnection.net/id1.html
But today I want to focus on the "dreams, visions
and prophesying" portion of these verses.
While we receive accounts of dreams and visions on a
regular basis, this has changed recently, both IN
QUANTITY and in TOPIC.
The "dreams and visions" we usually get cover
different topics.
Even BEFORE we updated the Second Coming from
year 2017 to 2016 (and I had not discussed that WITH
A SINGLE SOUL, ONLY WITH JESUS and His Spirit) we
began receiving a flurry of emails with dreams,
visions and revelations ALL having to do with the
Rapture.
As I've said often, we DO NOT base our beliefs on
dreams and visions, but on the Word of God.
We also need a healthy degree of skepticism, with
regards to such things. If I had believed EVERY "word",
"prophecy", and "vision" that people claim to have
received, I would have NO MINISTRY.
We don't have the time or space to include EVERY one,
but I thought I'd offer a small sampling. (We've asked
for and gotten their permission to publish these).
While all of us are, to some extent, fallible, I've
dealt with the public in general and Christians in
particular for many years, and can spot a phony A
MILE AWAY.
These few are from individuals who genuinely know
and love Jesus, and are in tune with His Spirit.
You're not in ANY WAY obligated to heed them.
Also, keep in mind that, even dreams and visions
that COME FROM the Spirit are subject to HUMAN
interpretation, which isn't always correct.
There's a precious brother named Phil, who LIVES FOR
Jesus, constantly praises Jesus, and is very much in
tune with His Spirit, whose born-again wife has had
several dreams about the Rapture.
Lately, the Spirit has been telling him relentlessly, and
he's been telling me, repeatedly, to "THINK BIG".
When I said to Phil "that SOUNDS LIKE something
Jesus would say, but does He mean you or the
Church?" he didn't hesitate and said "THE CHURCH".
When Phil read the timeline adjustment from 2017 to
2016, he wrote immediately, because it witnessed
to his spirit. Actually, it "hit us" both at the same time:
THAT'S "BIG".
And the "great multitude" that NO ONE CAN NUMBER
which appears in heaven SUDDENLY and in glorified
bodies at the Rapture, is also REALLY "BIG"
(Revelation 7:9).
There's a wonderful sister named Robin, who loves
Jesus with all her heart, who had TWO dreams.
The first: "a friend of mine and myself were walking
down by this body of water it wasn't an ocean
maybe like a lake or large canal...
Anyway Joe was an agnostic, he needed proof of
everything, but he was like a brother to us, (we've
known him for over 20 years) anyways we were
walking and as I picked up my head OUT OF NOWHERE
THERE WERE 2 MEN IN THE WATER ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE BANK BUT THEY WEREN'T REGULAR MEN
they were like 11 or 12 ft tall big and big built,
they were like waist deep in the water and they were
dressed as in Jesus' day, they were fighting with
swords and the one on my left was stabbed and fell
on the bank, the one on my right turned and
looked at me right in the eyes and I started crying
and it wasn't from fright and I looked up at Joe and
said see? I told you Jesus was real, I told you.
At that point I looked back and he had light brown
hair, wavy and to his shoulders and was clean
shaven no facial hair and he put one foot up on the
bank and was getting out of the water and I woke up".
This scene sounds REMARKABLY SIMILAR TO Daniel
12:5-7, in which Jesus assures Daniel that Israel's time
of great tribulation (which, by all scriptural indicators
will begin in 2013), will last 3½ years.
The second (a week later): "In my dream I was at a
store/gas station and got out to go in and it was I
think late afternoon evening you know how dreams
are, anyways ALL THE LIGHTS EVERYWHERE WENT
OUT AND IT WAS DARK... I heard some one say
look at the moon and AS I LOOKED UP IT WAS
TURNING RED, and I said to the people you better
get on your knees and start praying, and I remember
about 4 of us got in a circle and got on our knees in
the parking lot and was praying and the next thing I
knew, it was awesome Martel, I JUST STARTED
FEELING THIS PULLING SENSATION AND
STARTED FLOATING UPWARDS I remember seeing
something and someone but I don't remember what I
saw, but God IT WAS THE BEST FEELING.
I woke right up after I saw whatever it was, and was
in such an awesome mood and started thanking
Jesus right off...
It sure is weird though to have a dream last Sat / Sun
morning and the same again this week".
In the Bible, when God says something TWICE it's
considered A SURE THING and something that's
ABOUT TO happen:
"And this dream came to Pharaoh TWICE, because
this thing is certain, and God will QUICKLY make it
come about" (Genesis 41:32).
See also Daniel 2:31-45 & Daniel 7:1-14, where THE
SAME prophetic events are revealed TWICE.
Then there's Stephanie, another sister very much in
tune with God's Spirit. She admits that she's "only"
had three visions in her entire life (I know people who
wish they'd had "just one", LOL). It just "so happens"
that TWO of them have been within THIS PAST YEAR.
The first, about a year ago:
"I'm not really big into visions/dreams, etc, but I know
without a doubt that these two visions were absolutely
from God - just beautiful.
So, a few weeks ago I was just having a casual
conversation/prayer time with God. One thing led to
another and I began talking about the Rapture. I was
like 'Lord, if all these signs you've obviously given
us are true about how close you are coming, then
why haven't you taken your children home? We
are so ready to be with you, Jesus.
And then, somewhat in my joking manner, I
mentioned to the Lord that if He did not come soon,
the food on the marriage table was going to get
cold :)...
Then out of nowhere, God showed me this beautiful,
beautiful vision of countless rows of long tables. I
could see the beginning of each table, but not the end.
Each table was decorated the same: pure white linen
table cloths. All the tables were elaborately and
beautifully decorated with expensive china and silver.
Then God said, 'Steph, I am lighting the candles'.
And I then saw His hand lighting each candle on the
tables. Praise Jesus!!!!!!!!
I've only told a few people about this, but now passing
the word to encourage those so eagerly awaiting
our Lord's return!!!!!!
Blessings to all and see you in heaven soon"!!!!!
Her second vision, just a few days ago:
"It was a simple, precise vision, but I know
without a doubt in my spirit it was from the Lord.
In my dream, I was looking down on a piece of 8-
1/2x11, golden brown somewhat crinkled paper.
In the very center of the paper was a small paragraph
typed in black letters. Though I couldn't read the typed
paragraph, in my dream, and even now, I knew in
my spirit every word was related to the rapture.
However, there were two words that stood out-NO
JUMPED OUT- in bold capital letters that read......IN
SEPTEMBER".
WORD OF CAUTION before everyone goes crazy: It
didn't say THE YEAR, only "IN SEPTEMBER".
We are NOT predicting or prophesying anything.
The reader can determine (discern) their relevancy and
application to the time we're living in, IF ANY.
God's Word says that believers are to "judge the
angels" (1 Corinthians 6:3).
Jesus also said we are to "discern THE SIGNS of the
times" (Matthew 16:3).
There's nothing in these dreams, visions and
revelations that CONTRADICTS God's Word in any way.
The question is "do they witness to your spirit"?
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
THE JESUS WE NEVER HEAR
ABOUT
There are an estimated 4 million professing Christian
congregations around the world.
They all talk about Jesus to one extent or another.
Some merely present Him as a great moral teacher,
philosopher or humanitarian.
Others present Him as CO-SAVIOR, along with their
denomination, but not as Deity.
Still others, thank God, present Him as Lord, Savior,
God and ONLY Way of Salvation.
But what all congregations in Christendom have in
common is that they agree Jesus is someone
whose example we should follow.
They ALL present Jesus as good, nice, sweet, gentle,
loving, "turn the other cheek" meek.
But we NEVER hear about "the OTHER SIDE" of
Jesus.
Yes, there's ANOTHER side to Jesus. And the
"OTHER SIDE" is not always as nice and sweet as
religion would portray Him to be.
Am I suggesting Jesus has a "split personality"? God
forbid.
What I'm saying is that OUR PERCEPTION OF HIM has
been tainted by religion.
Yes, Jesus IS nice, sweet, gentle and loving. He's also
FIERCE.
And THAT'S THE SIDE OF JESUS religion frowns on.
THAT'S THE SIDE OF JESUS they'd just as soon
SWEEP UNDER THE RUG.
THAT'S THE SIDE OF JESUS we never hear about.
They LIKE the Jesus who taught to "turn the other
cheek".
They LIKE the Jesus who taught to "love your
neighbor".
They LIKE the Jesus who taught to "love your
enemies".
Some even like the Jesus who took their sin upon
Himself and PAID the bloody price for their
Redemption.
But they DON'T LIKE the Jesus who GOT ANGRY
and called the religious leaders of his day
"HYPOCRITES","generation of vipers", "children of
hell", "blind guides","unclean", and "full of iniquity"
(Matthew 23:14-33).
They DON'T LIKE the Jesus who told them, point blank,
that thieves and whores would enter the
Kingdom ahead of them (Matthew 21:31).
They DON'T LIKE the Jesus who GOT SO ANGRY that
He made a whip out of ropes, overturned the
tables of the moneychangers and religious
TRAFFICKERS of His day, called them "thieves",
and THREW THEM OUT OF HIS TEMPLE (John 2:15;
Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15).
To put it in modern vernacular, He got pissed.
(Don't look now, but about 50 holier-than-thou
religionists just FAINTED)...
They DON'T LIKE the Jesus who called them out for
their religious hypocrisy which focuses on the
OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF godliness, but is ROTTEN
on the INSIDE.
They NEVER talk or preach about THAT Jesus.
They LIKE the Jesus that is meek as a Lamb.
But they DISLIKE the Jesus that is BOLD as A LION.
But we cannot LIMIT Jesus: He's both a Lamb, and
A LION.
Even the Apostle Paul, who taught more about God's
Grace than any other mortal, said at one point "it is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of A LIVING God"
(Hebrews 10:31).
The same Apostle John who portrayed Him as Love
Personified in 1 John 4:16, also depicted Him as "the
Lion of the tribe of Judah" in Revelation 5:5, and spoke
about the "FIERCENESS OF HIS WRATH" in Revelation
16:19; 19:15).
Love and anger are NOT, repeat, ARE NOT mutually
exclusive.
That may be difficult for the corrupt human intellect to
grasp, but the Scriptures CLEARLY indicate that they
aren't.
And BOTH "sides" of Jesus are about to be
DISPLAYED:
To His Church, to those who love Him and LONG FOR
His appearing, to those who receive Him, even at
the very last moment, He's about to manifest as
supremely kind, gracious, saving, delivering, infinite,
UNCONDITIONAL and ETERNAL LOVE.
To those who hate Him, who persistently reject
Him, mock Him and despise Him, to those who
take pleasure in all manner of evil, He's about to
manifest as CONSUMING FIRE, conquering King, and
RIGHTEOUS JUDGE.
And, trust me, THAT'S THE SIDE OF Jesus you
DON'T WANT TO EXPERIENCE.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
NOT TO BE CONFUSED
Unfortunately, most people confuse "religion" with
"faith". Christians are just as confused by these two
terms as everyone else.
Religion and faith are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
The word "religion" comes from the Latin religare
which means TO BIND AGAIN.
When we're BOUND, we're in BONDAGE (slavery).
And that's EXACTLY what religion does: it
engenders SLAVES.
SLAVES, who CAN'T think for themselves, seek
God by themselves, worship Him by themselves, or
study His Word for themselves.
SLAVES who need SOME SLAVE MASTER -- who is in
bondage himself/herself -- to tell them WHEN and
HOW to worship, which portions of the Bible to heed
and which to shun, how to dress, speak, think, act,
pray, and what they CAN'T eat.
SLAVE MASTERS who EXACT A SLAVE TAX FROM
THEM, which they conveniently, AND ERRONEOUSLY,
call "tithe".
All religion's EVER produced is SLAVES.
SLAVES, ruled by religious tyrants, who INVENTED
religion with their carnal, CORRUPT minds.
SLAVES always live IN FEAR of NOT PLEASING their
masters.
SLAVES always live IN FEAR of "being punished" if
they don't PERFORM as the SLAVE MASTERS require.
That's WHY God HATES religion.
Repeat: God HATES religion.
If He just wanted a bunch of SLAVES, He would have
NEVER given mankind FREE WILL (Genesis 1:26;
2:19, 20; Genesis 4:17; John 10:18; Revelation
22:17).
Faith, on the other hand, SETS PEOPLE FREE (2
Corinthians 3:17).
Faith COMES FROM God, not from man's corrupt
mind.
Faith is A FRUIT OF the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
The word for "faith" pistis means TO TRUST.
Faith TRUSTS in God's UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for
His Creation.
Faith TRUSTS that God wants to SAVE US, not
condemn us (John 3:17).
Faith TRUSTS that God looks at the intent and
attitude of our hearts (INSIDE), and NOT at how
we PERFORM on the OUTSIDE (1 Samuel 16:7).
Faith TRUSTS God's own Spirit to lead us to all the
Truth, show us things to come, and to guide our
worship, lifestyle, words, thoughts and actions (John
16:12).
Faith doesn't produce slaves, but SONS (Galatians
3:26).
Faith KNOWS that there's NO SUCH THING as "a
wrong day" to worship God, since He must be
worshipped EVERY SINGLE MOMENT OF EVERY SINGLE
DAY (Romans 14:5).
Faith KNOWS you don't need to congregate in a man-
made building to "find God".
Faith KNOWS and TRUSTS that God's infinite Grace
and Goodness provide for our needs and that His
favor CAN'T BE BOUGHT (Matthew 7:11; Romans
8:32).
Faith KNOWS that THE ENTIRE BIBLE -- not just
the portions we "like" or fit our pet doctrines -- is
to be heeded, since IT IS WRITTEN that "man does not
live by bread alone but BY EVERY WORD that
proceeds out of God's mouth" (Matthew 4:4).
Faith KNOWS there is NO CONDEMNATION to those
who are IN Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Faith KNOWS that Jesus (God) is ON OUR SIDE.
Faith KNOWS He's FOR US, and NOT against us.
Faith (COMPLETE TRUST IN JESUS) leads us into
Perfect Love, which CASTS OUT fear (1 John 4:18).
Religion's NEVER SAVED A SINGLE SOUL.
Faith -- COMPLETE TRUST in Jesus' PERFECT,
FINISHED work of Redemption... in His Blood, death,
burial and Resurrection -- IS THE ONLY THING that
SAVES US (Ephesians 2:8,9).
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011
IT'S NOT TOO LATE
There are many reading this message RIGHT NOW who
regularly visit this site, they've heard or read the
message of Salvation, they know many of the things
that are prophesied in the Bible, they are SEEING
some of those things UNFOLDING right before their
eyes, and KNOW they must receive Jesus into their
hearts.
They even sense that we're living ON THE BRINK of a
paradigm shift in world systems and society as we
know them.
They are, generally speaking, "good people", have
some sort of MENTAL "belief in God" BUT... they're
NOT SAVED.
If Jesus were to appear and take us Home today,
they'd be (to coin a phrase, LOL) "LEFT BEHIND".
They've been SITTING ON THE FENCE for years, and
they haven't budged.
What are you going to do, wait til all hell breaks loose
and then DECIDE?
Yes, I'm talking to YOU.
What makes you so sure YOU'LL MAKE THE RIGHT
DECISION?
What makes you so sure YOU'LL even BE ALIVE TO
make the right decision?
I'm NOT trying to scare anyone: Just trying to show
the utter FOOLISHNESS of gambling with your eternal
destiny.
What makes you think you'll have time to repent
WHEN ONE MASSIVE JUDGMENT AFTER ANOTHER IS
PILING ON?
What makes you think you'll EVEN CONSIDER
receiving Jesus when someone threatens to kill you, if
you don't receive the Antichrist's mark?
Some have been involved in DEAD RELIGION for
years: they pray, read certain portions of the Bible,
sing hymns, teach "moral" doctrine, even talk a little
about Jesus, but WOULDN'T KNOW JESUS IF HE
WALKED BY, LOOKED THEM IN THE EYE, SMILED
AND SAID HELLO.
YOU, yes YOU, NEED TO KNOW JESUS.
YOU need to RECEIVE HIM as Lord, Savior and God.
YOU need to GIVE Him YOUR WHOLE HEART AND LIFE.
YOU need to partake of His Spirit and be BORN AGAIN.
And YOU need to do it RIGHT NOW.
If you think what's going on in the world: economies
crumbling, unemployment rising, wars and
insurrections, terrorism rearing its ugly face, natural
calamities mounting, leadership eroding, tyrants
acquiring nuclear power, millions being ravaged by
disease and famine... if you think that's bad... it's A
PICNIC, a walk in the park compared to what'll
happen in a matter of months, and for the next 5
years or so.
STOP PROCRASTINATING and give your heart to Jesus
NOW.
You'll thank me later.
It's NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU ...yet.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011
THE FEASTS OF THE LORD
Leviticus chapters 23-25 describe the God-appointed
feasts [moedim] that the Israelites were required to
observe.
These feasts were divided into two groups: The Spring
Festivals [Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits,
Shavuot (Pentecost)], and the Fall Festivals: Rosh
Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot (Tabernacles), and
every 50th year, Jubilee.
Later, during the time of the Maccabees, the festival of
Hanukkah [Dedication] was added. Although there's no
biblical record that God ordained this Feast, Jesus
observed it (John 10:22).
In addition to these, Numbers 10:10 establishes the
observance of the New Moon, which marks the
beginning of each month [Rosh Chodesh].
The entire Hebrew calendar, including Rosh Hashanah,
which is Rosh Chodesh Tishri, is dependent on the
appearance of the New Moon in the sky verified by two
reliable witnesses [Numbers 28:14; Psalms 81:3,4].
In Colossians 2:16, 17 Paul EXPLICITY STATES that
Rosh Chodesh has prophetic significance for the
Church.
PERHAPS the Rapture of believers will take place on
this important feast.
After the Rapture, there will be 10 "Days of Awe",
where the world will be dumbstruck and the astonished
Jews will repent en masse, after seeing the resurrected
Jesus appearing in the clouds.
This, along with the appearance of the Two Witnesses,
will trigger the building of the third temple.
Though there's no harm in so doing, Christians are not
required to observe these feasts. Their relevance to us
today is mainly prophetic.
These festivals are called mikra ey kodesh, or "holy
convocations". The Hebrew word for "convocation"
[mikra] also means "meeting" or "rehearsal".
The Feasts are symbolic representations of God's
unfolding plan of Redemption.
God wanted His people to REHEARSE these things,
over and over, year after year, so their meaning would
be so ingrained in them that, when their final
fulfillment took place, they'd recognize it, and be
prepared for it.
Jesus perfectly fulfilled all the Spring Feasts in
His First Coming: He died on Passover [John
13:1,28,39; 19:14], was buried on Unleavened Bread,
Rose on First Fruits, [1 Corinthians 15:20] and sent His
Holy Spirit to indwell His Church on Pentecost [Acts
2:1-4].
It stands to reason, therefore, that He will also
fulfill the Fall Feasts in His Second Coming.
His Second Coming will take place on Rosh Hashanah,
the trumpet of Jubilee will sound on Yom Kippur, Jews
hiding in the desert will probably return to Jerusalem,
led by their Messiah, during Tabernacles. The
millennial Temple will be raised and inaugurated on
Hanukkah.
It is therefore incumbent upon Christians to be familiar
with these Feasts, as they foretell our gathering unto
Him, and Jesus' triumphant return.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011
PROPHET VS. TEACHER
Most of our readers are VERY gracious and supportive.
And I want to thank each and every one of you from
the bottom of my heart.
I thought this might be a good time to explain the
difference between a PROPHET and a Bible
TEACHER.
Bible TEACHERS base their TEACHING solely on the
WRITTEN Word of God, the Bible.
God NEVER contradicts Himself.
While some of us rely VERY HEAVILY on the Holy Spirit
to illuminate and reveal His written Word, such
revelation will always CONFORM TO the
WRITTEN TEXT.
That's what I do: base my teachings on His written
Word.
I have NEVER, EVER -- IN MY ENTIRE LIFE -- called
myself "a prophet".
You can check every message I've preached, every
thing I've written... you can check this website from
one end to the other... I have NEVER CLAIMED to
be a prophet.
In fact, I have A COUPLE OF DISCLAIMERS on the
website where I SPECIFICALLY SAY that I DON'T call
myself by that presumptuous title.
Matter of fact, I'm comfortable and confident enough
of Jesus' calling on my life to forego ALL titles and
worldly credentials.
I KNOW (Jesus be eternally praised) who I am IN
Christ, and don't need some fancy, man-invented
religious title to validate my ministry or calling.
I'm now RELUCTANTLY appropriating the title "Bible
teacher" simply for the sake of explaining, as clearly as
possible, what it is the Lord called me to do.
I'm first and foremost A SOUL WINNER.
Just a HUMBLE Bible teacher, called personally by
Jesus to minister His Word of Prophecy as "it is
WRITTEN".
I TEACH what is WRITTEN IN the Bible. While much
of it relates to prophecy, I also address MANY OTHER
biblical topics, which you've doubtlessly read about in
"Word 4 Today".
Every teaching is based on His inerrant Word and
meticulously supported by corresponding Bible verses.
In fact, I've been accused by more than one person of
being a "Bible thumper", which I take as a great
compliment.
Although, by His Grace, 99.9% of these teachings are
correct, I'm NOT infallible and have NEVER
CLAIMED TO BE.
In fact, this is THE ONLY ministry I know of,
ANYWHERE, that has AN OPEN INVITATION for
ANYONE - theologian, minister, layperson, unbeliever,
or atheist - to CHALLENGE these teachings based on
the Scriptures.
I have said, FROM DAY ONE, that if ANYONE can
DISPROVE these teachings WITH THE BIBLE, I'll
retract them, issue a public apology, and GIVE THAT
INDIVIDUAL FULL CREDIT for the correction.
Of course, when someone tries to IMPOSE their beliefs,
or COERCE me to change based on ANYTHING
OTHER THAN the Bible (their biased personal
opinion, their denomination's biased theology, what
some fallible mortal has said or written, or some
"selective" or OUT OF CONTEXT distortion of the
Scriptures) they will get, UNAPOLOGETICALLY,
ripped to shreds.
Indeed, you've witnessed with your own eyes, the
TOTAL TRANSPARENCY of this ministry, and how the
revelation from God's written Word has evolved:
First, by hitting me with the Revelation that Daniel
9:25 predicts both the first AND SECOND comings of
Messiah.
Then by revealing the SECOND rebuilding of
Jerusalem...
And, most recently, by REFINING IT with more specific
details, and backing them up with Scripture.
Prophets, on the other hand, PREDICT STUFF that is
NOT WRITTEN IN the Bible.
Prophets are those who claim to have heard
DIRECTLY FROM God, and who, IN GOD'S NAME
PREDICT specific, extrabiblical things that are NOT
WRITTEN in the Scriptures.
For instance, someone who PREDICTS that a big
earthquake will take place, within a certain time
period, at a specific location, IS PROPHESYING, since
there's no place in the Bible that says "a 6.8
magnitude earthquake will take place at (city or
country) in 2011".
THAT would be PROPHESYING.
True prophets, according to Deuteronomy 18:17-22,
ALWAYS get it right.
Conversely, Bible teachers CAN make mistakes, not
intentionally, of course, but because we're human and
our understanding of the Scriptures can get clouded
and be somewhat MISCONSTRUED BY our natural
minds.
So, there's a HUGE difference between TEACHING
Bible prophecy, as WRITTEN in God's Holy Word,
and PROPHESYING something NOT WRITTEN in
God's Word.
There's A LOT of confusion about this topic in the
Body of Christ.
Hopefully, this will clear it up.
What I've written in the past couple of days IS NOT,
repeat, IS NOT "prophesying".
I WAS NOT "prophesying" ANYTHING.
What I did is TEACH, to the best of my current
knowledge and understanding, what God - not I -
prophesied in His WRITTEN Word.
You, by the way, are NOT in any way, shape or form
OBLIGATED to receive it.
You have God-given FREE WILL to accept or
reject ANY of these teachings.
If you're born-again, and your spirit DOES NOT bear
witness to these teachings, BY ALL MEANS REJECT
THEM.
If you find that they CONTRADICT the Scriptures IN
ANY WAY, REJECT THEM.
If you have SOLID, UNBIASED, BIBLICAL evidence
to the contrary, I'd love to hear it.
And I DON'T WANT TO get emails from ANYONE
saying "I quit my job", or "sold everything", or "got rid
of all my possessions" on account of this teaching,
BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER TOLD ANYONE to do so.
ANYONE who quits their job in the midst of economic
recession is both, A FOOL, and TEMPTING GOD
(Matthew 4:7).
In fact, I've SPECIFICALLY STATED that you are to
OCCUPY, and continue living your NORMAL,
everyday life.
I HAVEN'T quit my day job, and neither should you.
Can't be any clearer.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
WHEN, OH WHEN?
Since THE WORD from Israel's Prime Minister to
"return and build" biblical Jerusalem was given in June,
1967 then the Second Coming must happen in 2016,
not 2017, since there's NO WAY of getting "7 sevens"
or 49 years from 1967 to 2017.
There are, however, 50 YEARS from 1967 to 2017.
Therefore, what does happen IN THE SPRING of 2017
is the Kingdom of Jesus on earth, the Millennium,
officially BEGINS. More detail on that in a later
message.
How does this affect the Rapture? It makes it SOONER
than expected.
If the Second Coming happens in the fall of 2016,
then the reign of Antichrist, which the Scriptures
UNEQUIVOCALLY tell us lasts 42 months or 3½ years,
(Daniel 7:25; Revelation 3:5) must begin on or about
April 1, 2013.
Antichrist MUST APPEAR, resurrected from the dead,
BEFORE April 1, 2013, since he must first reintroduce
himself to the world, make a big brouhaha about his
resurrection, gain popular support, form a political
alliance, put together an army, and fight several wars
against Egypt, Turkey/Syria, Iran and Israel (Daniel
11:40-44).
His 3½-year reign officially begins, according to Daniel
12:7 when the "power of the holy people (Israel) is
shattered".
All that takes TIME... All that has to take AT LEAST
6 months... That means he would have to reappear NO
LATER THAN November 2012.
BEFORE he even reappears, THE TRIBULATION
MUST BEGIN and 6 trumpet judgments MUST have
taken place. The 5th trumpet judgment, ALONE, lasts
5 months (Revelation 9:5). Therefore, the trib
judgments must take AT THE VERY LEAST 8
months, probably a little longer. That takes us to THE
BEGINNING OF 2012.
Since the Rapture takes place BEFORE the trib
judgments begin, that means, brothers and sisters,
that our Departure MUST be AT HAND.
There's a VERY HIGH probability that it will happen in
the remainder of THIS YEAR.
Indeed, it COULD happen during, between or AFTER
the High Holy Days in the Hebrew calendar coming up
(Rosh, Yom or Sukkot).
I'm not going to speculate as to an EXACT day.
And neither are you.
Please, please, please DO NOT bombard me with
emails giving me SPECIFIC dates and SPECULATIVE
REASONS as to WHY it will happen ON THAT SPECIFIC
DAY. Every one of those SPECIFIC DAYS that has been
sent to me in the past HAS BEEN WRONG.
And they'll be wrong this time, too. Jesus said NO
ONE knows THE EXACT day (Matthew 24:36). I freely
admit I don't know it, and neither do you.
So, fair warning to all the would-be experts: You'll be
wasting your time because your email will be ignored
and deleted.
I'm more than SATISFIED and REJOICE in knowing it's
THAT CLOSE: I await with great excitement and eager
anticipation.
In light of the above, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I'm
removing one of the Myths (#53), about the Rapture
NOT happening on Rosh Hashanah.
I'm NOT saying that it will happen on that Feast, but it
COULD and MIGHT. Or, as indicated above, it could
be later.
The Bottom Line's this: Time has RUN OUT.
There's VERY LITTLE leeway left. Our days on this
planet are NUMBERED.
Jesus MUST appear and take us Home VERY, VERY,
VERY SOON.
If, by any chance, it does not happen in the remainder
of 2011, then (as I stated in a previous message) IT
WOULD HAVE TO occur in the first half of 2012, AT
THE VERY, VERY, VERY LATEST.
But, frankly, THAT now seems a VERY REMOTE
possibility. If it happened then, I don't see HOW you
could squeeze all the events that must happen before
Antichrist begins to reign in such little time.
So, we have two possible scenarios... one where Jesus
returns in 2016, the other in 2017.
Right now, the 2016 scenario seems to have the upper
hand.
The tables have turned, and the PROBABILITY of us
leaving before the end of 2011 seems VERY likely.
The Word of God WILL BE fulfilled.
There's NO MORE TIME left.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011
SWEET SURPRISE
May I have your attention, please? I'm about to
CONTRADICT myself.
I'm about to do a 180 on something I said earlier,
namely, that the Rapture would PROBABLY NOT
happen this year, but the next.
I hate to disappoint some of you but Jesus and His
Holy Spirit come FIRST, and I will obey His
promptings, if I have to contradict myself 10,000
times.
Well couldn't He have given me this revelation BEFORE
I wrote the message entitled "NOT THIS YEAR" on
8/7/11?
Sure. He COULD HAVE.
WHY He didn't, I don't know and, frankly, DON'T
CARE.
He's God. He's sovereign. He can do WHATEVER He
wants WHENEVER He wants, and His TIMING is
ALWAYS PERFECT.
As I shared with you recently, MENTALLY I've known
for quite some time that the "word" to return and build
Jerusalem, as Daniel 9:25 requires, was given
sometime between 1967 -1969.
The reason I opted for the April 1, 1969 date was
because it was the most "official" decree I could
find on the matter and, also, because ACTUAL
RECONSTRUCTION of the Quarter began shortly
thereafter. 1969 was also the LATEST year that could
be construed as the "word" being given.
I didn't want to run the risk of picking the EARLIEST
date and then being disappointed.
However, the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me on
this for quite some time and, most recently, REALLY
HIT MY CONSCIOUSNESS with the fact it happened
EARLIER than 1969.
Matter of fact He so impressed me with this fact
recently, that I haven't been able to think of MUCH
ELSE since.
I know from previous experiences with the Spirit that
when He impresses me LIKE THAT and the impression
LINGERS LIKE THAT, and obsesses me LIKE THAT, that
not only is it true, but THERE'S BIG REVELATION
BEHIND IT.
And when He BACKS IT UP WITH SCRIPTURE,
then I KNOW we're really on to something.
There's a BIG DIFFERENCE between simply
assimilating something MENTALLY and getting the
Spirit REVELATION of it, where He just opens up the
written Word and makes us "see".
Jesus told Daniel that one of the signs the great
tribulation is approaching would be that "knowledge
shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4).
He also stated that these things would remain "sealed"
UNTIL the time of the end: Then, and only then,
would they be FULLY understood by "the wise" (Daniel
12:4, 9, 10).
As I told you before, the closer we get to "the time
of the end", THE MORE KNOWLEDGE we should
all expect.
I said all that to say this: The Lord has both impressed
me, and SHOWN ME IN HIS WORD in recent days, that
ALL that was needed to fulfill this prophecy was
A WORD from the man at the top, so to speak.
He took me back to the Book of Nehemiah and, sure
enough, ALL that was needed for the FIRST part of this
prophecy, leading to the FIRST appearance of Messiah
Prince, was THE WORD OF King Artaxerxes of Persia.
There was no deliberating body, like the Knesset, and
NO VOTE taken. So, why would ANY OF THAT be
required THIS TIME?
The answer is: it's NOT.
The "WORD" from former Prime Minister David Ben
Gurion came THE DAY AFTER Jerusalem was recovered
by Israel, on June 8, 1967. His successor, Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol, also gave a similar word in 1967.
Within days of recovering Jerusalem, as early as June
19, 1967, Arabs were being evicted from the Jewish
Quarter and rubble was being removed to clear the
streets and provide access.
Within days, basic living conditions (water, sewage,
electricity, broken windows, and doors) were being
restored and Jews were MOVING IN.
The "word" had been given, from the top, to "RETURN
AND BUILD".
While it's true that MAJOR rebuilding did not begin
until 1969, the same thing happened in Nehemiah's
time.
Artaxerxes gave the word, in the month of Aviv
(Nisan) in the 20th year of his reign (Nehemiah 2:1).
Nehemiah set out for the Holy Land, arrived in
Jerusalem, inspected the damage for three days, then
he and the men that accompanied him (that
RETURNED with him) began rebuilding the wall, which
took 52 days (Nehemiah 6:16).
They made certain repairs FIRST, then began
MOVING IN and LIVING IN Jerusalem, BEFORE
the city itself was rebuilt (Nehemiah 7:4; 11:1-3).
Except for having to rebuild the wall, that's EXACTLY
they way it happened in 1967-1969:
They began to make basic repairs first, restoring
access and utilities, then moving into the Quarter,
THEN plans were drawn, archeological sites
designated, then there was an OFFICIAL Knesset vote
to appropriate funds for the reconstruction and so
forth, then actual MAJOR reconstruction began.
Do you realize what this means? If the word was given
in 1967, instead of 1969, it's a WHOLE NEW
BALLGAME time wise.
THIS is Good News!!!
I'll share the new timeline with you on the next
message.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
"BIBLICAL PROOF"
Against my better judgment, I recently clicked on a
YouTube video that CLAIMED to provide "biblical proof"
about the identity of the Antichrist.
I watched for about two minutes, long enough to learn
that the imbecile who made this video believes that
Islam is the Antichrist and Mohammed the false
prophet.
There's no question that the religion of Islam IS anti-
Christ (small "a") and there's no question that
Mohammed WAS a false prophet.
But they're not THE Antichrist or THE False
Prophet the Book of Revelation speaks of.
The "biblical proof" consisted of Matthew 24:26, 27:
"So if someone tells you, 'He's in the desert!' don't
go out [looking for Him]. And don't believe anyone
who says, 'He's in the secret place!' The Son of
Man will come again just as lightning flashes from east
to west".
Do you see the Antichrist mentioned AT ALL in these
verses?
Of course not!
They're talking about the return of Jesus, not about
Antichrist.
Yet, according to this individual, the phrase "behold,
He is in the desert" PROVES the Antichrist is Islam and
the false prophet was Mohammed since he invented
and spread his false religion from THE DESERT in
Saudi Arabia.
Ordinarily, I wouldn't waste your time, or mine, on
such foolishness, but here's a perfect example of
how prophecy myths are concocted and spread.
Apparently, this moron, who knows nothing about
prophecy or Scripture (let alone geography) and can't
even READ, thinks THE ONLY DESERT in the Middle
East is in Saudi Arabia.
I guess he's never heard of DESERTS in Iran, Iraq,
Israel, Egypt, Libya, Yemen or Oman.
Even if that were true, it still wouldn't explain how this
passage applies to the Antichrist or the False Prophet,
since it's CLEARLY REFERRING TO THE RETURN OF
CHRIST.
CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT...
If we take the Bible OUT OF context, we can MAKE IT
"say" ANYTHING WE WANT. How do you think
EVERY SINGLE CULT in existence got started?
The YouTube idiot was taking these verses TOTALLY
out of context.
IN CONTEXT, Jesus was speaking to His fellow Jews,
who LIVED IN Judea (Matthew 24:16), NOT Saudia
Arabia, and who would be hiding IN THE DESERT,
which is the Negev in southern Israel, near the border
with Jordan, to escape the Antichrist's persecution.
This is clearly what Matthew 24:15-20 and Revelation
12:6, 14 teach.
He's merely telling them to STAY PUT and not be
tricked into coming out of hiding, by anyone
announcing "look, the Messiah's in the desert
(Negev)", or, "look, He's in the secret chamber" of the
temple.
He wasn't talking about Antichrist, and Saudi Arabia's
NOT MENTIONED AT ALL in the entire chapter.
Matter of fact, when Jesus uttered those words
Mohammed had not even been born, and the
religion of Islam DID NOT EVEN EXIST.
What we have here is a proverbial case of "the blind
leading the BLINDER".
Yet, you should have read the admiring comments and
accolades this dumbass received from EVEN DUMBER,
Bible illiterates.
How can something be "biblical" IF IT'S NOT FOUND IN
the Bible???
There have always been deceivers, but Matthew 24:4
applies uniquely to THIS generation.
DO NOT ASSUME that because someone CLAIMS to
have "biblical proof", they're telling the truth or that it
REALLY IS biblical.
DO NOT ASSUME because someone mentions the
Name of Jesus, or calls themselves "Christian", that
they're telling the truth.
Religious scammers don't just run rampant on Kristian
TV; they've also taken cyberspace by storm.
DO NOT ASSUME because someone "quotes Scripture"
that they're QUOTING IT CORRECTLY, OR THAT IT
REALLY MEANS WHAT THEY CLAIM IT MEANS.
Unless some passage in Scripture CLEARLY STATES
what the person claims, IT'S NOT "PROOF"!!!
If something's NOT supported by CONTEXTUAL
reading of the Scriptures, IT'S NOT BIBLICAL!!!
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
ISRAEL IN DANGER
Since Bible prophecy revolves almost entirely around
what happens in and to Jerusalem, it's part of my job,
as Bible and prophecy teacher, to keep a close eye on
what happens to the State of Israel and, in particular,
to the Holy City.
There have been some developments in recent days
which, from a natural perspective, are troubling, but
from a spiritual and biblical perspective are to be
expected.
First there were the flotillas, which claimed to be
carrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza, when in reality
they were smuggling weapons, and even
attacked Israeli coast guards who tried to prevent
their illegal entry into their ports.
This, in turn, has caused a rift in relations between
Israel and Turkey, since the latter demanded an
"apology" from Israel for protecting their own
coastline, which Israel isn't about to give.
As a result, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador,
and the two nations are at a diplomatic impasse.
The so-called "Arab Spring" has also impacted Israel in
various ways.
Tyrants facing popular protests demanding their
removal, try to deflect the focus and anger from
themselves and their oppressive regimes by
shifting it toward Israel, inflaming the masses with
all sorts of anti-Semitic rhetoric.
It doesn't take much, to put it mildly, to instigate the
Arab world against the Jews.
Syria's Assad and Jordan's Hussein are the two most
obvious examples.
There have been mob assaults against Israel's
embassies in Cairo and Amman, demanding the
removal of the Israeli flag and an END to all
diplomatic relations, as well as their respective
peace agreements.
This may all come as a surprise to the clueless U.S.
Administration, but not to anyone with half a brain who
knows anything about the Middle East.
Fact is, with all his character flaws, at least Mubarak
was an ally who kept things in check.
The new Egyptian government, controlled in large part
by the radical, so-called Islamic Brotherhood, is
virulently anti-Israel - the Egyptian population has
been that way ALL ALONG - and it appears that even
the massive amount of dollars given to Egypt
(about 1.5 BILLION a year) by the U.S. won't be able
to BUY the peace.
Same goes for Jordan, which receives around HALF A
BILLION just to leave Israel alone.
Don't kid yourselves into thinking that the "peace
agreements" with Egypt at Camp David, and the
subsequent "peace agreement" with Jordan came
because their leaders or people genuinely want peace.
They were BOUGHT and PAID FOR by the United
States, with YOUR tax dollars, thank you very much.
Finally, there's the impending Palestinian bid for
statehood this month before the United Nations.
127 countries around the world, to their own
detriment, have already voiced their support and
recognition of a Palestinian State, based on pre-1967
borders, meaning they view East Jerusalem, including
the EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT Jewish Quarter, as
"illegally occupied" by Israel.
This CANNOT be good.
Add to all this that Israel is already hemmed in by
Hezbollah in Lebanon, on the north, and by Hamas,
which occupies Gaza, in the south, and which regularly
fire rockets into Israel, just hoping to randomly kill,
destroy, maim or harm...
Tiny Israel is becoming more and more isolated.
It's not hard to envision a time in the near future,
when the United States will no longer exert any
influence or BUY the artificial peace, and when
Zechariah 12:1-3 will come to pass:
"The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel...
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling
TO ALL THE PEOPLE ROUND ABOUT, when they
shall be IN THE SIEGE both against Judah and
against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make
Jerusalem A BURDENSOME STONE FOR ALL
PEOPLE: ALL THAT BURDEN THEMSELVES WITH IT
SHALL BE CUT IN PIECES, though all the people of
the earth be gathered together against it".
Of course, we know that Antichrist will eventually take
Jerusalem and all Israel, divide the land for gain, and
desecrate the temple.
We also know that Messiah will return 42 months from
the day that happens, to rescue Israel and Jerusalem,
defeat the Antichrist, and bring ALL Israelites back
into the land He gave them as everlasting
inheritance.
When we put this together with ALL THE OTHER STUFF
going on in the world... ineffective leadership,
economies teetering on the edge of depression, high
unemployment, wars and insurrections, nuclear
proliferation, terrorism, natural disasters, and religious
deception...
One has to be dumb, deaf and blind NOT TO realize
how Bible prophecy is being fulfilled, right before our
eyes.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
TORAH OBSERVANT
I've never liked clichés and religious ones I JUST FLAT
OUT DETEST.
There's this disturbing trend in so-called Messianic
Judaism of BOASTING (that's what it really IS) about
being "torah observant", as if somehow such
claim made people better, more spiritual, more
righteous, or just plain morally superior to
everyone else.
Those who claim to be T.O. also emphasize their
worshipping on the Sabbath (Saturday), as if somehow
THAT made them better or "holier".
Their self-righteous attitude is A STENCH in the Lord's
nostrils.
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS BUT HIS.
We have no righteousness of our own (Isaiah 64:6;
Romans 3:10; Psalm 14:1; Psalm 143:2).
Furthermore, THEY'RE LYING.
NO ONE besides the Lord Yeshua has EVER been
"torah observant".
NO ONE besides Him has EVER kept the law.
Israelites HAD IT but NEVER kept it. Nor do they
keep it today, no matter how much they may CLAIM
to.
Had they kept it, they wouldn't have needed animal
sacrifices TWICE A DAY, EVERY DAY, TO ATONE FOR
THEIR SINS.
And if they kept it today, they'd be SINLESS and
wouldn't need Yeshua.
He came to FULFILL the torah (His own Law) on behalf
of those who put their faith (trust) in Him (Matthew
5:17).
When we receive Yeshua into our hearts as Lord,
Savior and God, He credits His own Righteousness,
His own, perfect fulfillment of the torah TO US,
by Grace (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And THAT'S the ONLY righteousness any of us will
ever have: namely, HIS righteousness.
I attended a Messianic Jewish congregation and was
baptized in water, as an adult, by a Messianic Rabbi.
However, we believed in Salvation by sheer Grace,
thru faith WITHOUT ANY WORKS and WITHOUT the
RELIGIOUS ARROGANCE of CLAIMING to be "torah
observant".
We worshipped on Saturday, but WE DID NOT worship
Saturday; and there's a HUGE DIFFERENCE.
In fact there isn't ONE Scripture in the ENTIRE
Bible, Old or New Testaments, that commands
ANYONE to worship on the Sabbath, and I dare
ANY legalistic Jew or gentile to produce JUST ONE.
Sabbath worship was NEVER practiced by
Israelites.
Sabbath worship became a Jewish CUSTOM during
the Babylonian captivity.
Sabbath worship was NEVER a commandment.
What the 4th commandment requires is that Israelites
abstain from ALL WORK and REST.
They were NOT TO congregate or go anywhere, or
hold any religious services, but to STAY HOME AND
REST (Exodus 20:8-10).
These individuals have turned the Sabbath itself
INTO AN IDOL.
They CLAIM to be "observing" the 4th commandment
when, in reality, THEY'RE NOT.
What they're doing is VIOLATING THE FIRST
COMMANDMENT (Exodus 20:3).
"For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not
have spoken later ABOUT ANOTHER DAY;
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of
God; for ANYONE WHO ENTERS GOD'S REST also
RESTS FROM HIS OWN WORK, just as God did from
his" (Hebrews 4:8-10).
In Colossians 2:16, 17 Paul calls the weekly Sabbath
"a shadow". It was merely a shadow of THE
SPIRITUAL REST we have when WE TRUST (REST)
CONFIDENTLY in WHAT YESHUA ha Moschiach
DID FOR US, and NOT in what WE DO OURSELVES.
Those who COMPLETELY TRUST His FINISHED,
PERFECT work of Redemption ...Those who trust His
precious Blood, His death, burial and Resurrection,
automatically get HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
... And there is NO OTHER.
Messianics and legalists need to STOP trusting
WHAT THEY DO, and stop bragging about how
"torah observant" they are and how much and how
well they "keep" the weekly Sabbath, and TRUST in
the TRUE, ETERNAL Sabbath Yeshua Adonai.
He's the ONLY ONE who can really give us REST.
"Come unto me, all you that LABOR (WORK) and
are heavy laden, and I will give you REST" (Matthew
11:28).
I advise ALL OF THEM to read the parable of the
publican and the Pharisee (who also CLAIMED to be
"torah observant") in Luke 18:9-14 and repent of their
pharisaical mindset and heart.
We CANNOT be saved by both Grace and works. It's
ONE or THE OTHER (Romans 11:6).
His Grace IS SUFFICIENT (2 Corinthians 2:9).
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
IF THE SHOE FITS
Oh - my - God... Did yesterday's message open up a
can of worms!
I was ready to move on, but in view of the reaction
- and we haven't even gotten thru all the emails yet -
it really TOUCHED A NERVE.
Now let me address some of the issues raised:
1. That the reason Christians search for religious
gimmicks (THAT'S exactly what they ARE) on TV or
the internet is because they are "hungry for God".
BALONEY!
If they WERE "hungry for God", they would SEEK God
DIRECTLY by SPENDING TIME WITH HIM, TALKING
TO HIM, IN INTIMATE COMMUNION WITH HIM, AND
LISTENING TO HIM.
If they WERE "hungry for God", they would read,
study and MEDITATE His Word, instead of running all
over cyberspace looking for some religious novelty.
If they WERE "hungry for God", they would KNOW
Him and His Word well enough TO TELL THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Truth and myth.
If they WERE "hungry for God", wolves would NOT be
able to pull the wool over their eyes (no pun intended)
SO EASILY.
If they WERE "hungry for God", they would seek and
get answers FROM GOD HIMSELF, instead of running
into "Christian" bookstores to BUY EVERY PIECE OF
CRAP Bible illiterates INVENT then SELL YOU.
They would TREASURE WHAT HE SAID instead of
seeking answers from Kristian websites and videos.
So please take that RIDICULOUS EXCUSE elsewhere.
Tell that to someone who believes you. I've been in
ministry FAR TOO LONG, read and answered too many
emails, and ministered to too many one-on-one, to
buy your phony excuse.
I was chuckling and commenting to someone on my
staff how the 20% who ARE grounded on the
Word, who ARE WHOLEHEARTEDLY COMMITED
TO CHRIST didn't write in, because THEY KNOW
WHERE THEY STAND, hence they KNOW that
message doesn't apply to them.
The ones who reacted as if someone had stuck a
needle into their heinies, did so BECAUSE THEY
KNOW, DEEP INSIDE, that THEY'RE the people I'm
talking about, and were pricked in their
conscience.
I SHOULD HAVE said (and I'm SORRY I didn't -
please accept my apologies) that yesterday's message
WASN'T intended for NEW Christians.
Therefore, what I said DOES NOT apply to those
who've RECENTLY come to Christ. By "recently" I mean
three years or less.
I'm talking about people who have been "Christian" for
many, many years, and who are ADDICTED TO
religious entertainment, and care little or nothing
about whether it conveys Truth or not.
That's THE MINDSET that religious networks and
religious programming have created and cultivated,
and which in turn has generated a financial bonanza
for the Kristian recording and publishing industries.
Kristian networks and programmers ARE THE PRIMARY
CULPRITS for the spineless, gutless weaklings, the
spiritual anorexics, which pervade Christendom.
2. I'm NOT telling anyone NOT TO use the internet, or
NOT TO watch Kristian TV.
Heck, I use it often, and I watch from time to time.
What I'm saying is BE SELECTIVE.
Don't just accept ANYTHING anyone calls "Christian" as
REALLY BEING THAT.
By the way, provided you're born-again, YOU WILL
"avoid hell" and be somewhat entertained by the
religious establishment. I just think Jesus DESERVES A
LOT BETTER.
3. That I bash others.
The ONLY ONES I "bash" -- and do so
UNAPOLOGETICALLY -- are the HERETICS.
I make no bones about the fact that Joseph Smith,
Ellen White, Charles Taze Russell, William Campbell
and Herbert W. Armstrong WERE heretics who
INVENTED false doctrine that leads people to hell.
I have never bashed Catholics or Evangelicals, nor
criticized SPECIFIC individuals in those groups, except
one time when I did a tongue-in-cheek message on
the "R.I.P Awards".
God got on my case about it, and I issued A PUBLIC
APOLOGY shortly thereafter to all those I made fun of.
As far as I'm concerned TBN just crossed the line into
promoting heresy by embracing and legitimizing
Mormon recruiter Beck, which in turn, made them
fair game.
4. That, they "mean no harm" and "really love" Jesus.
Oh, yeah? When was the last time you SHARED
HIM with someone?
When was the last time you BRAGGED ABOUT the
close relationship you have with Him?
When was the last time you told them HOW
WONDERFUL He is?
When was the last time YOU WON someone TO
Christ?
I rest my case.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
ITCHING EARS
For the time will come when men WILL NOT PUT UP WITH
sound doctrine: Instead, TO SUIT THEIR OWN DESIRES,
they will gather around them A GREAT NUMBER OF
TEACHERS TO SAY WHAT THEIR ITCHING EARS WANT
TO HEAR (2 Timothy 4:3).
Truer words have never been spoken.
Ministry can be VERY frustrating.
For the most part, I don't mind answering the many
questions that come in, even when the same question
is asked time and again.
What I do mind is the prevailing attitude among
Christians.
You would think that, when someone reads The Truth,
when someone finds TRUE, SOLID, BIBLICAL teaching
and revelation somewhere... that they would stick
to it, meditate on it, until it became rooted in
their hearts and minds, and they became FIRMLY
ESTABLISHED on that truth.
Unfortunately, that's NOT what I see in 80% of
Christians.
They read GREAT TRUTHS on this website, (to Jesus
be ALL THE GLORY NOW AND FOREVER) like the
TRUE, PROVEN, BIBLICAL identity of the Antichrist, or
IRREFUTABLE proof of the pre-trib Rapture, or the
God-given revelation of the EXACT YEAR of Jesus'
Second Coming, or the CLEAR, UNEQUIVOCAL
presentation of the Gospel of Grace... but IT ISN'T
ENOUGH.
They see BIBLICAL PROOF of the many myths that are
circulated as "biblical prophecy" when in fact, they're
NOT EVEN FOUND IN the Bible...
Some even write complimenting this ministry and
saying how much they've "learned" from it.
Yet it all seems to go in one ear and out the
other.
Those same people will write a week later or a month
later, about some OTHER site they visited, some blog
they read, some free for all "Christian" forum filled
with ignoramuses, or some video they watched,
WHICH FLAT OUT CONTRADICTS the Bible, FLAT OUT
CONTRADICTS our teaching, and ask about it LIKE
THEY NEVER EVEN HEARD it before.
Others take it a step farther by TAKING THE
OPPOSING SIDE and questioning OUR teaching.
That, in turn, clearly shows that NO SOONER HAVE
THEY READ THESE TRUTHS, they immediately
become "bored" with them, and rather than
meditating on them, and allowing them to penetrate
and settle in their hearts, they immediately GO AFTER
SOME "NEW" FORM OF RELIGIOUS ENTERTAINMENT
to tickle their fickle hearts and ears.
They write about some FALSE DOCTRINE they've
encountered like it's some sort of "NEW", "STARTLING"
revelation, when it's TOTALLY CONTRARY TO THE
WORD OF GOD.
It's both frustrating and disheartening.
I don't mind being challenged based on the
Scriptures. But I do mind when the challenge ISN'T
based on God's Word but on UNBIBLICAL
SPECULATION.
It makes us feel like all our work, all our study, all our
meditating, all our intercession, all the Spirit given
revelation we share, and all the time, energy and
expense we incur in getting it out there, is FOR
NOUGHT.
I can't speak for any other Bible based ministry, but I
can tell you IT FRUSTRATES THE HELL OUT OF ME.
Christians today have little or NO DISCERNMENT.
Lack of discernment stems from TWO major problems:
1. LACK OF KNOWLEDGE of the Scriptures.
2. LACK OF COMMUNION WITH the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gave us His very own Spirit to be our teacher
and guide, to lead us INTO ALL Truth (John 16:13).
Yet Christians who HAVE that Holy Spirit LIVING in
them, TOTALLY IGNORE HIM.
They never commune with Him, never ask for His
guidance, or even His OPINION.
His opinion, by the way, is THE ONLY ONE that
COUNTS.
They're CONSTANTLY SEARCHING for some "new",
fanciful, prophecy related religious INVENTION
and don't give a hoot whether it's even
SUPPORTED BY the Scriptures.
As Paul so perfectly described them, they're "ever
learning but NEVER COMING TO THE KNOWLEDGE of
the Truth" (2 Timothy 3:7).
There's NOTHING and NO ONE in this world more
important than THE WORD OF GOD.
Jesus IS the Word of God... incarnate.
He LEFT US His written Word, the Holy Bible, a
manifestation of His Own Self, TO TREASURE, STUDY
and MEDITATE.
It's taken the BLOOD of Jesus Himself, plus the
blood of MANY of His martyrs, to get that Word
to us.
Yet most Christians seem TOTALLY UNINTERESTED.
They'd rather hear what some child of satan says it
says... some sinful mortal's CARNAL, self-serving
"interpretation", or the figment of some idiot's
whimsical imagination, THAN HEAR DIRECTLY FROM
GOD HIMSELF.
They'd rather believe what some stupid YouTube video
says the Bible says that tickles their fancy, THAN
WHAT JESUS ACTUALLY SAID.
They're NOT interested in God or His Word.
ALL they're interested in is AVOIDING HELL, and
getting their daily dose of RELIGIOUS
ENTERTAINMENT.
No wonder so-called "Christian" TV is so corrupt.
No wonder cyberspace is TEEMING with religious
misinformation.
No wonder both are filled with charlatans and
scammers.
No wonder, they regularly MAKE A MOCKERY of the
Jesus they claim to serve and His TRUE Gospel.
No wonder Jesus Himself told us THAT THE FIRST AND
FOREMOST SIGN of the end of the age WAS
DECEPTION (Matthew 24:4).
He didn't say people would come in satan's name
and deceive us.
He said MANY would come IN HIS NAME and deceive
us.
He warned that the NUMBER ONE sign of the end of
the age would be PRETEND Christians.
They'd tell us what they present is "Bible doctrine".
They'd tell us that what they present is "Bible
prophecy", WHEN NONE OF IT IS EVEN FOUND IN
the Bible.
The few scriptures that they quote are either quoted
out of context, incompletely, or altogether
DISTORTED.
Dumb sheep keep going after ravenous wolves that
come to us in sheep's clothing.
But for the Grace of God it's only a matter of time,
before the wolves DEVOUR THEM.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
SOUL SLEEP
Soul sleep is A FALSE DOCTRINE put forth by many
cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses, United Church of
God, Mormons, Christadelphians and Seventh Day
Adventists.
It basically teaches that there is NO HELL, and no
lake of fire, and that those who die remain in a
state of unconsciousness until the final
resurrection, in which the "righteous" (i.e., those who
belong to their cult) are resurrected and the
"unrighteous" (everyone outside their cult) just stay
dead forever.
Does the Bible support this absurd doctrine? NO WAY.
For starters, it suggests that Jesus came down,
subjected Himself to all that horrible suffering,
beating, lashing, crowned with thorns, thrust through
with a spear, crucifixion, and three days and nights
in hell itself, to save us from a "nonexistent" hell, or
from JUST staying dead [hence unconscious] forever.
Sorry, cultists, but if THE WORST that can happen to
an unrepentant sinner is JUST that he dies and stays
dead and unaware of any suffering forever, THEN
JESUS PAID AN EXCESSIVE, and UNNECESSARY PRICE
to redeem us from JUST that.
Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in the
Bible, and repeatedly warned about going there.
In Mark 9:47,48 He said "...It is better for you to
enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have
two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their
worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched".
In Matthew 25:41 He said "Then He will also say to
those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into
the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil
and his angels.
Question: if the lost simply "cease to exist" WHY
would the fire be ETERNAL?
Then, of course, there's Luke 16:23-27 where Jesus
said: "The rich man also died and was buried. In hell,
where he was IN TORMENT, he looked up and SAW
Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he
called to him, Father Abraham, have pity on me and
send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue, because I am TORMENTED in
this fire.'
Does that sound to you like this man was
peacefully asleep and unaware of his
surroundings?
Dear God, he was SO TORMENTED and SO AWARE
that he begs Abraham to send someone to his brothers
who are still alive on earth TO WARN THEM NOT TO
GO THERE.
For good measure, there's Revelation 14:9-11: "A third
angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If
anyone worships the beast and his image and receives
his mark on the forehead or on the hand... He will be
tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the
holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their
torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest
day or night for those who worship the beast and
his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his
name."
Does that sound to you like these people have
CEASED TO EXIST?
Does it sound like they're asleep and blissfully
unconscious of any suffering? Give me a break!
The ONLY REASON the Bible refers to the dead as
"sleeping" [Luke 8:52; 1 Corinthians 15:6), is because
death resembles sleep in the sense that the body lies
down, when it's buried, AS IF it were asleep, then
"wakes up" when it's resurrected.
It's speaking FIGURATIVELY, NOT literally.
No pun intended, but those who promote the doctrine
of "soul sleep" are in for A VERY RUDE "awakening".
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2011
UNHOLY ALLIANCE
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will DEPART FROM THE FAITH and
follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through
hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (1 Tim 4:1,2)
I’m old enough to remember the days when the TBN
network denounced Mormonism for what it is, a
DECEIVING, SATANIC CULT leading millions to
hell.
I remember when a so-called Messianic Jew was
permanently banned from TBN -- AND RIGHTLY SO --
for denying Jesus’ Deity. My… oh my, how times have
changed!
I remember when, in spite of some of their over-the-top
antics, their number one priority was to preach the
Gospel.
That was SEVERAL DECADES AGO.
That was before the younger generation of Crouches and
the mother of all silicone enhanced, triple wigged, pink
haired buffoons began to exert more and more influence
on programming.
That was BEFORE SOOTHSAYERS and “prosperity
preachers” began invading the network.
That was BEFORE they SOLD OUT to the god of
Mammon.
That was BEFORE their priority changed from SOUL
WINNING to FUND RAISING and BECOMING
SUPER-WEALTHY at dumb Christians’ expense.
Despite all the excesses and false doctrine the network
regularly flaunts, I never thought I’d see the day when the
COMPROMISE would GO SO FAR AS to include the
PROMOTION OF RELIGIOUS CULTS.
…Cults which DENY the BASIC tenets of the Christian
faith.
Under the FALSE pretense of “restoring courage” and
“taking a stand for Israel”, TBN is now PROMOTING
AND ABOUT TO AIR, the self-serving religious exploits
of Mormon cult member and ex-Fox News commentator
Glenn Beck.
The member of a cult that DENIES the Deity of Jesus…
The member of a cult that DENIES the ABSOLUTE
authority of Scripture and ADDS THREE books filled
with lies invented by a heretic named Joseph Smith that
CONTRADICT the Bible.
Someone should remind TBN of what Proverbs 30:6 says.
The member of a cult that threatens and places curses
on those who DARE receive Jesus in earnest and
abandon their satanic snare. (For the personal testimony
of a former Mormon, go here):
The member of a cult that teaches that Jesus and satan
are spirit brothers.
The member of a cult that DENIES THE VIRGIN
BIRTH…
That teaches God was a natural man and that Jesus was
conceived by him having NATURAL INTERCOURSE
with Mary.
I could go on and on…
It’s downright REVOLTING when so-called “Christian”
leaders not only coddle but PROMOTE, and give FREE
AIR TIME to, A CULT member.
Just because they may share SOME of the POLITICAL
views this clown endorses, DOES NOT MEAN that they
should SELL OUT their FAITH, let alone THEIR
LORD.
If anyone reading this is a TBN supporter, I’d think it
over AT LEAST 10 TIMES -- and have A LONG,
SINCERE, HEART-TO-HEART WITH MY LORD AND
SAVIOR -- BEFORE I SEND THOSE
COMPROMISING TRAITORS ANOTHER DIME.
I’m ALL for standing with Israel. I’m ALL for supporting
Israel. But has Evangelical Christianity become SO
DECREPIT that we have to depend on a CULT
MEMBER to do so?
You might remember that Beck also held a rally recently
in Washington, D.C. where “Christian celebrities” such as
John Hagee, David Barton and James Robison stood with
Beck shoulder to shoulder.
That time, it was under the pretense of “standing for
America”.
How “convenient” that all this is happening as Beck
launches a new network, which is getting loads of free
publicity from these religious whores.
As if we didn’t have ENOUGH DECEPTION in
Christendom already…
By their accommodating attitude, so-called “Christian”
leaders are LEGITIMIZING A CULT and BLURRING
the lines between real, Bible-based Christianity and
Christ-CONTRADICTING HERESY.
Unlike dumb, ineffective Evangelicals, Mormons are
highly trained and INDOCTRINATED into their cult.
God only knows HOW MANY naive, uninformed,
biblically illiterate Christians will fall prey to this
DECEPTION, by believing that Mormons are “Christian
brothers”, that it’s O.K. to fellowship with them, that it’s
O.K. to attend Mormon temples, read Mormon literature
or LEARN THEIR DOCTRINE, when they see their
own supposed “leaders” kowtowing to them.
It’s a TRAGIC day in the Kingdom of God, when His
people CAN NO LONGER DIFFERENTIATE between
THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS and THEIR FAITH.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
INTERNATIONAL
Today I want to say a special word to our readers around the world.
We've always had readers in English speaking countries like
England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Jamaica and
the Bahamas.
But to Jesus' eternal glory, our ministry now reaches the entire
Spanish speaking world (Spain and Latin America), as well
countries around the globe.
Places like Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Korea, India, China, France,
Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Hungary,
Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Israel. (I shouldn't have started naming
countries, 'cause I'm sure I left some out).
It blesses us greatly to hear from brothers and sisters of "every nation,
kindred and tongue".
The family of God extends all around this globe. We may be
separated by geography, but we are ALL ONE in Spirit.
We are One with Jesus, who lives in us, and WITH EACH OTHER.
Man may have invented all kinds of barriers to separate us, such as
religion, denominations and political regimes, but I want to assure
you that the Body of Christ is One.
Every member in the Body is precious to God.
Every one of you is precious to me, as well.
Every member of His Body will go in the Rapture (Revelation
7:9).
How I look forward to that Day when we ALL gather before His
Throne to praise and exalt our Jesus!
I wish I could speak to each of you in your native language and
convey the Love our Wonderful Lord has for you.
I may not be able to speak your native tongue intellectually, but the
Spirit within me speaks all languages and transcends all geopolitical,
social, cultural and linguistic barriers.
Glory to Jesus forever!
We are here TO SERVE your spiritual needs.
So, from the bottom of my heart, LOVING GREETINGS TO EACH
OF YOU.
Welcome into the Kingdom of God, the family of God, the Church of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome to christconnection.net
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011
10 YEARS AGO TODAY
Whoever you are, wherever you live, 9/11 is a date
you'll always remember.
It was 10 years ago that 19 evil men, all instruments
of satan, hijacked two commercial airplanes and flew
them into the World Trade Center in N.Y. and the
Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, taking the lives of
2,974 victims, from more than 70 countries, along with
their own wretched lives, in the greatest terrorist
attack our nation has ever witnessed.
The incident sent shockwaves throughout America and
the entire world.
Since that fateful day, our nation and the world have
never been the same.
In many ways it seems like it was only yesterday. It's
hard to believe a whole decade has passed.
Since then, the masterminds, like Bin Laden and Kalid
Sheik Mohammed, have either been killed or taken
prisoner.
But their dastardly deed has left a permanent scar in
our nation's psyche.
9/11 was a wake-up call to slumbering America.
The Sunday after 9/11, churches in the increasingly
secular U.S.A. were filled to capacity. But the sudden
"turning to God" didn't last long.
All that remained of the once impressive Twin Towers
in the aftermath of 9/11 were some steel beams in the
shape of a cross.
You'd think our people WOULD HAVE "gotten the
message".
It's rather ironic that New York Mayor Michael
Bloomberg has arbitrarily decided to altogether BAN
God from the ceremonies commemorating 9/11, by
making it an empty, meaningless, SECULAR event, and
EXCLUDING all forms of prayer as well as clergy.
It's even more ironic that, at services to be held at
our National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and to
be attended by our President, there will be Buddhist
nuns, as well as Muslim Imams, but NOT ONE
representative of the Evangelical Christian faith
is scheduled to participate.
God, however, HAD THE LAST WORD, since a giant
crane inexplicably fell right next to the Cathedral,
leaving the shape OF A GIANT CROSS as a not-so-
subtle reminder of what made America great in the
first place.
It's a sad day when a nation founded by Christians,
and where 87% of the population adheres to the
Christian faith in one form or another, MINORITIES
such as Buddhists (3%) and Muslims (0.6%) are
represented and OUR FAITH, the faith of our
Founding Fathers, ISN'T.
It's a sad, SAD DAY for our nation... in more ways
than one.
As we re-live this somber day in American history, we
mourn the victims; we remember their families, the
survivors, and the heroes of 9/11.
We honor the memory of Todd ("let's roll") Beamer, a
Christian brother, and the brave men and women of
United Airlines flight 93 who TOOK THE DRASTIC
DECISION TO END THEIR OWN LIVES by attacking the
highjacking terrorists and crashing the plane into an
empty field in Philadelphia, in order to SAVE OTHER
LIVES and thwart the terrorist plan which, apparently,
intended to crash the plane into the White House.
That was an act of TREMENDOUS courage and
selflessness, which no red-blooded American can
EVER forget.
We thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for
protecting our nation and keeping us safe since that
awful, tragic morning.
It appears that, THE ONLY THING that will shake our
nation out of its spiritual stupor is A SUPER-RUDE
AWAKENING.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2011
DON'T REND YOUR
GARMENTS
When the Church is raptured and Jesus appears in the sky,
most of Israel will turn to the Lord.
Not only will they SEE HIM coming in the clouds, to receive us
unto Himself, as He promised, but the sudden ABSENCE of
millions [hopefully, billions] of born-again believers will
convince even the most stubborn, stiff-necked Jew,
that the Jesus they rejected is not only their long-
awaited Messiah, but is Yahweh manifested in flesh.
It is then that Jews will "rend their hearts, and not their
garments" [Joel 2:11-13] in REPENTANCE.
It's that GREAT JOLT OF CONSCIENCE that'll galvanize them
to rebuild their temple, guided and defended by the Two
Witnesses, Moses and Elijah.
That climactic event will cause them to "weep between the
porch and the altar", and to beg God to "spare your
people" and to "not give your heritage to reproach"
[Joel 2:17].
When Antichrist shows up, resurrected from the dead, most
nations will willingly submit to his rule, except Israel.
Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13:7 indicate that the saints
[including Jews, who've turned to the Lord] will be
given into his hand for three and a half years.
Daniel 12:7 tells us the Antichrist will get to rule the world for
3½ years, WHEN the power of the holy people [Israel] has
been SHATTERED.
This means that the Antichrist, true to his reputation as
the greatest military genius in history, will accomplish
what no one else has, since Israel's rebirth in 1948:
He will lead a military attack against Israel and be victorious.
He will CRUSH THEM.
Some may wonder how that can be, since Israel has nuclear
weapons.
Nuclear weapons are useful if you're attacking another nation,
geographically removed from your own.
But if Antichrist leads a military operation against the Jews,
IN THEIR OWN LAND, their nuclear weapons are useless,
because they can't deploy them without destroying
themselves, and wiping tiny Israel off the map, in the
process.
When Antichrist attacks Israel, Israel will lose.
He will achieve what Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq,
Morocco, Sudan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia TOGETHER,
couldn't do in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
What Egypt, Syria and Jordan couldn't do in the 1967 Six-
Day War.
And what Egypt and Syria couldn't accomplish in the 1973
Yom Kippur War.
Antichrist will defeat Israel's armies, take Jerusalem, enter
the recently rebuilt temple, proclaim himself God, and erect a
statue of himself there. This will be the "abomination of
desolation" that both, Jesus and Daniel, spoke of.
Jews, who are by then believers in Yeshua, will heed His
warning, and flee into the wilderness [Matthew 24:15-22;
Revelation 12:6,14].
While in hiding, they will remember and revisit the words of
their prophet Daniel, where all this was predicted.
They will KNOW the Messiah will return, and rescue them, in
3½ years.
They will be eagerly anticipating, and desiring His
Return, with all their hearts.
They will mourn and wail for Him as one does for an only
son [Zechariah 12:10].
Their former stiff-neckedness and hardness of heart will be
replaced with contriteness and repentance.
This time, instead of yelling "crucify Him", THEY'LL BE
SHOUTING "BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF
THE LORD".
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
"GOD TOLD ME TO TELL
YOU"
"But any prophet who FALSELY CLAIMS to speak in
my Name or who speaks in the name of another god
must die" (Deuteronomy 18:20).
Thank God we no longer live under law, but under
Grace. If we were still under law, there would be
DEAD Christians everywhere.
If you've been Christian, even for a short time,
chances are somebody's approached you, or will
approach you, saying "I have a word (or message)
for you from the Lord", or "God told me to tell you
[whatever]", or "God showed me that you're supposed
to do thus and so".
Many naive Christians have been manipulated, taken
advantage of, misled, and even had their lives
ruined, by false prophets.
Some have altogether lost their peace, and the joy of
their Salvation because of a false message delivered
by a false prophet (or prophetess), purportedly in
the Name of God, WHICH GOD NEVER SPOKE.
How should you handle these situations? Should
you believe those who claim to have "heard God"
on your behalf?
The Bible clearly teaches there is such thing as the
office of prophet. It also mentions the gift of prophecy
(Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:10,11).
There are people who have a genuine call of God to
minister in such fashion. These people, however, are
VERY FEW and VERY rare.
Most self-proclaimed "prophets" and
"prophetesses" today, especially the most visible
ones, have no more calling of God on their lives
than Elmer Gantry.
They are nothing but a bunch of greedy,
manipulating, self-serving, glorified charlatans.
When one of these "prophets" or "prophetesses"
stands in front of a TV camera and tells you (the
audience, everyone watching) that "God told them" to
tell you that "you have three days to get your offering
in the mail", THEY ARE LYING. They no more heard
from God than I heard from Napoleon.
How do you distinguish one from the other?
One way you can tell a true prophet or prophetess of
God from a false one, is by their lifestyle.
The office of prophet in the Bible was neither
lucrative nor glamorous. True prophets were often
subjected to all forms of scorn, abuse, mockery,
persecution. They lived pretty scant and perilous
lives.
Isaiah was sawn in half by evil king Manasseh.
Jeremiah was thrown into a muddy cistern for days,
and almost died of asphyxiation, starvation and thirst,
Ezekiel was taken into captivity [slavery], and Daniel
was exiled and later thrown into a lion's den.
Take John the Baptist: According to Jesus there was
"no greater prophet than John" (Luke 7:28).
He lived in the hot, dry, barren desert, wore camel
skin (no doubt somewhat smelly, ugly and not very
fashionable), and survived by eating wild honey
and locusts, which are desert insects, whose flesh
resembles worms. How'd you like to dine on "desert
locusts in green sauce"?
Doesn't THAT sound appetizing?
Only false prophets lived lives of extreme comfort
and luxury. Apparently, nothing's changed.
Balaam tried to prophesy falsely against Israel to
get Balak's monetary rewards.
The false prophets and soothsayers in Babylon lived in
the king's palace while wonderful, precious Daniel was
falsely accused and persecuted for his faith.
The false prophets of Baal lived comfortable lives and
sat at Queen Jezebel's table, while Elijah, the true
prophet of God, had to go into hiding and have his
meals delivered by raven express.
False prophets have always outnumbered true
prophets.
Another way of distinguishing a true prophet from a
false prophet is his or her track record. Does this
person have A PROVEN, VERIFIABLE HISTORY OF
PROPHESYING ACCURATELY? Have their "words" and
prophecies been fulfilled in exact detail?
Another way to tell if the "prophecy" is true is, does it
witness to your spirit? Does the inner man of the
spirit concur with it, or does it reject it?
Finally, there's the "Word" test. And this is the most
important test of all. Does the message the prophet
delivered concur with, or does it CONTRADICT God's
Word?
If it CONTRADICTS God's Word in the least, REJECT
IT IMMEDIATELY! It's false, because God never,
ever contradicts Himself.
ALL PROPHECY must be judged by, and subjected
to, God's Holy Word, which is Ultimate Truth.
So, when SOME CHRISTIAN comes to you with a "word
from God", BE VERY SKEPTICAL. WHY would God go
thru a "third party"?
God CAN AND WILL speak directly to you. You are,
after all, His child.
He may go through others occasionally, but those
occasions are VERY, VERY rare.
In most instances, the ONLY ONES who got messages
through third parties were kings or people who held
some high, influential rank, such as political and/or
spiritual leaders, or THE CHURCH AT LARGE.
Contrary to what you watch on "Christian" TV,
most ordinary INDIVIDUALS DO NOT - repeat, DO
NOT - receive messages through so-called "prophets"
or from other Christians.
So, when another believer, or a supposed "man or
woman of God", comes to you with a "message" or
"word" supposedly from God, don't be too quick or
eager to "receive" it. Submit it to these four tests:
lifestyle, track record, witness of the Spirit, and above
all, God's Holy, Perfect Word.
If it fails ANY of these tests, dismiss it, reject it. It's
NOT from God.
Seek God DIRECTLY, and get on with your life!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
WHY I'M GOING TO
HEAVEN
I don't know about you, but I'm so excited about going
to heaven and seeing my Lord.
...So thrilled at the prospect of spending eternity
with Him.
I can hardly wait.
So, HOW DO I KNOW I'm going?
Is it because I minister the word daily to thousands?
No.
Is it because Jesus called me personally into the
ministry?
He did, but that's NOT the reason.
Is it because I was allowed to reveal the identity of the
Antichrist?
No.
Is it because the Holy Spirit opened His Word and
revealed THE YEAR of Jesus' Second Coming?
No.
Is it because the Lord gave me irrefutable proof about
the pre-trib rapture? ...Or about debunking religious
legalism?
No.
Is it because I'm better or "holier" than anyone else?
Heavens, no!
Is it because I study and meditate God's Word? No.
Could it be because I follow the law, or the 10
Commandments?
Not a chance.
How about because I observe the WEEKLY Sabbath?
Nope.
Is it because I always act properly and speak properly?
Puh-lease!
It is because I belong to a certain denomination?
No. I belong to the ENTIRE Body of Christ.
...Perhaps because I'm infallible and never make
mistakes?
C'mon! You KNOW me better than that.
Is it because I have perfect doctrine?
Nah, that's not it.
Is it because I never sin?
I wish...
Is it, perhaps, because I'm a "good person"?
Hate to disappoint you, but NO.
There's ONLY ONE reason I'm going to heaven.
There's ONLY ONE reason ANYONE goes to heaven:
That ONE REASON is because I KNOW Jesus.
I KNOW Him personally, intimately and TOTALLY.
He LIVES IN my heart.
He's the LOVE OF MY LIFE.
That's THE ONLY REASON I'll go to heaven.
That's THE ONLY REASON YOU will go to heaven.
Invite Him... Receive Him... KNOW Him.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011
THE FIRST RESURRECTION
Another argument often raised by post-tribulationists
has to do with "the FIRST resurrection" mentioned
in Revelation 20:4.
Because there's a resurrection of the dead that
takes place at the Rapture, they hypothesize that
the "first resurrection" refers to the Rapture of
believers, and that this "proves" it takes place at the
end of the tribulation, when the Millennium starts.
While it's true that there will be a resurrection of the
"dead in Christ" at the Rapture, they are then CAUGHT
UP TOGETHER WITH LIVING believers to meet
Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)
Those who take part in the "first resurrection" ARE
NOT CAUGHT UP AT ALL, but remain HERE ON
EARTH to reign with Jesus (Revelation 20:4).
So, right off the bat, we see that they CANNOT BE
the same resurrection.
Furthermore, post-tribbers confuse "Rapture" with
"Resurrection".
They are, in fact, two different things.
The Greek word for what is commonly referred to as
"the Rapture" is harpazo which means to SUDDENLY
SEIZE, or SNATCH.
The word for "resurrection" is anastasis which literally
means to STAND UP, to RISE, or TO STAND AGAIN.
At the Rapture, there is a resurrection of "the dead in
Christ", but there are also MILLIONS, if not
BILLIONS, who ARE CAUGHT UP (SNATCHED)
ALIVE to meet Jesus in the air as clearly expressed
in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, also in 1 Corinthians
15:50-55.
The "FIRST" resurrection described in Revelation 20:4
is STRICTLY that of TRIBULATION MARTYRS, who
come to faith in Jesus during the reign of Antichrist
and are killed for their faith, as clearly described in
that passage.
NO ONE IS CAUGHT UP TO MEET JESUS IN THE
AIR at the so-called "FIRST" resurrection.
The "rest of the dead" in Revelation 20:5 refers to the
UNSAVED DEAD, who are not raised until THE END
OF the Millennium and get tossed into the lake of
fire, or SECOND DEATH (Revelation 20:13-15).
So the term "FIRST resurrection", IN CONTEXT, refers
to the first resurrection OF THE MILLENNIUM, since
it takes place AT THE START thereof. It is STRICTLY
FOR TRIBULATION MARTYRS, who reign with Jesus
1,000 years.
Likewise, the "SECOND resurrection" or "SECOND
death" is the SECOND resurrection OF THE
MILLENNIUM, it's strictly for the UNSAVED, and takes
place AT THE END of the Millennium (Revelation
20:13-15).
The term "FIRST resurrection" CANNOT POSSIBLY
MEAN "the first resurrection EVER", since I can
name, off the top of my head, AT LEAST NINE
resurrections that have taken place PRIOR TO that
one:
1. The boy Elisha raised from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-
36).
2. The man who rose when his corpse touched Elisha's
bones (2 Kings 13:21).
3. The widow's son at Naim (Luke 7:12-15).
4. The resurrection of the dead girl (Mark 7:39-42).
5. Lazarus (John 11:38-44).
6. Jesus (Matthew 28:6).
7. Many Old Testament saints that arose when Jesus
rose (Matthew 27:52).
8. The resurrection of the "dead in Christ" at the
Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
9. The resurrection of the Two Witnesses during the
tribulation (Revelation 11:11, 12).
So, to say that the term "First resurrection" which is
CLEARLY USED IN REFERENCE TO THE
MILLENNIUM, is the same as the Resurrection of the
"dead in Christ" at the Rapture, or the same as the
Rapture, simply DOESN'T STAND UP TO BIBLICAL
SCRUTINY.
It's NOT the first "group resurrection" either, since it
was preceded by the resurrection of MANY Old
Testament saints when Jesus arose, as stated in
item #7 above.
To sum up:
Current believers, who are ALIVE when the Rapture
happens, ARE TAKEN TO HEAVEN ALIVE BEFORE the
tribulation begins (Revelation 7:9).
Tribulation saints who SURVIVE are Raptured PRIOR
TO the end of the tribulation (Revelation 15:2).
Tribulation saints who DIE (martyrs) are not raptured
AT ALL, but RESURRECTED at THE START OF the
Millennium ("first resurrection", Revelation 20:4).
Unbelievers are raised at THE END OF the Millennium
("second resurrection") and are tossed into the lake of
fire or second death (Revelation 20:15).
There's NO WAY in heaven, hell, or earth, that the
"first resurrection" can be THE SAME AS the Rapture.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
BRITISH ISRAELISM
The doctrine of so-called British Israelism has been
around for a long time. It was INVENTED in the 17th
century by British heretics, and popularized in the
50's thru 80's by that infamous false prophet
named Herbert W. Armstrong, who is now in the
flames of hell.
I've been dealing with it, debating the misguided
fanatics who follow this lunacy, and DENOUNCING IT,
for a LONG time.
British Israelism is one of the many MYTHS that come
to us under the guise of "biblical prophecy".
They have religious infomercials on TV which CLAIM to
teach "Bible prophecy".
Again I ask, HOW can something BE "Bible prophecy"
WHEN IT'S NOT FOUND IN the Bible?
There are many denominations that promote
Armstrong's lies to UNSUSPECTING Christians, like the
Worldwide Church of God (WCG), the so-called "United
Church of God" (UCG), the so-called "Restored Church
of God" (RCG) or the so-called Philadelphia Church of
God (PCG), as well as their FALSE PROPHETS like
Gerald Flurry and David Pack.
Never ceases to amaze me how some Evangelicals run
into a YouTube video produced by these liars, or some
website or blog that promotes their false doctrine, and
thinks he or she has had this "epiphany" when, in
fact, they're watching or reading FALSE doctrine,
NOT SUPPORTED BY the Bible, from A CULT.
The false doctrine of British Israelism basically states
that ONLY English speaking people are the TRUE
Israelites mentioned in the Bible and that Queen
Elizabeth II, or whichever monarch occupies the British
throne, is a direct descendant of King David.
There is NOTHING in the ENTIRE Bible that supports,
let alone PROVES, such nonsense.
Likewise, there is NOTHING in credible, reputable,
DOCUMENTED secular history that supports, let alone
PROVES, such nonsense.
NO ONE denies that 10 of the 12 tribes, became
dispersed in 721 B.C. when the Assyrians conquered
the Kingdom of Israel and took them captive, leaving
only the Kingdom of Judah in the South.
Where exactly those 10 tribes are today is KNOWN
ONLY to God.
In chapters 36-40 of the Book of Ezekiel God
promises to bring them back into the Land of
Israel during the Millennium.
So, the world has lost track of them, God hasn't.
Consequently, to claim they are EXCLUSIVELY the
English speaking people of the world, to claim
EXCLUSIVE Anglo-Saxon Israelism, LACKS ANY
BIBLICAL OR HISTORICAL BASIS.
Cases in point: in recent years there have been
Israelites from places like Ethiopia and India coming
back into Israel because they have a long-standing
tradition of being descendants of one of the 10 "lost"
tribes.
In Spain and Portugal there are millions of people
who descend from one or more of the so-called "10
lost tribes".
It's HISTORIC FACT that many displaced Israelites
relocated to, and flourished, in Spain and Portugal, at
least until the Spanish Inquisition in 1478, and until
they were kicked out of Spain in 1492.
They are called the Sephardim.
There are also many people with Israelite roots in
Eastern Europe: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Romania,
etc. They are called the Ashkenazim.
So, this theory is FALSE, RACIST, anti-Semite,
BASELESS and UNSCRIPTURAL.
Although the 10 northern tribes became dispersed the
TWO southern tribes of Israel -- namely
Benjamin and Judah -- WERE MOST DEFINITELY
NOT.
The TWO tribes in the Kingdom of Judah were taken
into exile by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., but THEY
RETURNED TO ISRAEL 70 years later as both the
Bible and secular history confirm (Jeremiah 29:10;
Daniel 9:2).
They are just as Israelite as the other 10 tribes.
And they, together with some Levites, comprise most
of the population of the modern State of Israel,
WITHOUT THE SLIGHTEST DOUBT.
Indeed, God PROMISED that He would always
leave ONE TRIBE, Judah, intact "for David's sake"
(1 Kings 11:13, 32; 2 Kings 8:19).
Of course, you'll NEVER HEAR THAT from any
Armstrongnist, because it DEBUNKS their very
FLAWED and elitist theory.
British Israelism is A CULT.
Armstrongnists don't lead ANYONE to Christ.
They teach THE LIE that Jesus' Blood and the Grace of
God AREN'T ENOUGH. That WORKS, such as
Sabbath keeping and 10 Commandment keeping are
NECESSARY for Salvation.
Their doctrine leads people STRAIGHT TO HELL.
That's why it's thoroughly denounced by THIS ministry
and on THIS website.
If I were you, I'd stay as far away from Armstrongnists
as possible.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
CATHOLICS LOVE JESUS
"These six things does the LORD hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and
hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that devises wicked
imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false
witness that speaks lies, and HE THAT SOWS DISCORD
AMONG BRETHREN" (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Being raised Roman Catholic, and being ALL about
bringing people to faith in Jesus, I find that most
Evangelicals, though well intentioned, REALLY
BLOW IT when it comes to sharing the Gospel
with Catholics.
There are MANY Catholics who are saved. Just like
there are many Evangelicals who know Jesus.
Are ALL Catholics saved? No.
Are ALL so-called Evangelicals saved? No.
So, religious affiliation and denomination have
NOTHING to do with Salvation.
Repeat: Denomination has NOTHING TO DO WITH
Salvation.
Salvation is Jesus Christ. Those who HAVE Jesus
LIVING IN their hearts are saved. Those who DON'T
HAVE Jesus are lost (1 John 5:12).
Unfortunately, Evangelicals' usual approach is to
criticize Catholicism, accuse Catholics of being
"idolaters" and tell them they're NOT "real" Christians.
I've had many an Evangelical tell me "I'm not Catholic,
I'm Christian". Conversely, as recently as last week, I
had someone tell me "I'm not Christian, I'm Catholic"
because some idiotic Evangelicals had told them that
Catholics aren't Christian.
Well, who do Catholics worship, Buddha? No. They
worship Jesus Christ. The SAME Jesus
Evangelicals worship!!!
Of course they're Christian! ...At least NOMINALLY.
So are many Evangelicals "Christian" in name only.
Another MYTH I want to destroy, which I've often
heard, is the notion that because Catholics use
crucifixes instead of plain crosses, that they regard
Jesus as still being dead and hanging from the
cross.
That is simply false.
There were crucifixes and pictures of Jesus hanging
from the cross ALL OVER our VERY Catholic home,
and NEVER in my entire life, have I viewed Jesus, or
has anyone in my family regarded Him, as being "still
dead, hanging from the cross".
That is a BLATANT, UNFAIR LIE spawned by satan,
the father of lies.
As early as age 5, I had been taught, AND KNEW,
that Jesus had died for my sins and RISEN from
the dead.
I have NEVER KNOWN a Roman Catholic who
DOESN'T believe in the BODILY Resurrection of our
Lord.
To say otherwise is SHEER IGNORANCE.
So, please, brothers and sisters, STOP spreading
that LIE.
If you want to bring Catholics to INTIMATE
KNOWLEDGE of the Savior, don't criticize their
religion, don't call them idolaters, don't tell them to
stop worshiping this saint or that saint, don't criticize
their lighting of candles, their medals, or their rosaries.
Don't tell them they must forsake Catholicism and
CHANGE religions. And, please, DON'T TELL THEM
THEY'RE NOT Christian.
Simply tell them that since they ARE Christian, since
they ALREADY BELIEVE IN JESUS AND LOVE JESUS,
they need to EXPERIENCE Jesus.
They need to EXPERIENCE His Presence INSIDE
THEMSELVES by inviting Him into their hearts.
They need to EXPERIENCE Him intimately and
personally. It's the greatest, most thrilling Experience
in the entire world, bar none.
Then lead them in a simple, heartfelt prayer to do
JUST THAT.
When approached THAT WAY, they offer NO
RESISTANCE.
Salvation -- for Catholics or ANYONE ELSE -- is NOT
for them to forsake their religion, but to KNOW Jesus
and be born again (John 3:3-5).
Once Jesus takes residence in their hearts, it's up to
Him and His Holy Spirit to show that person whether
they should remain where they are, or CHANGE
ANYTHING.
There are devout Roman Catholics in my own family
who KNOW Jesus, have been born again, and are
just as saved as ANY OTHER Christian.
They attend Mass every Sunday, and are practicing
Roman Catholics.
But what about Catholic history? What about some of
the atrocities that have been committed in the past by
the RCC and its hierarchy?
Well, WHAT about them?
We CAN'T change the past. We can't change what's
ALREADY happened.
What we CAN change is the HERE AND NOW.
Do you want to LIVE IN THE PAST? Do you want to
RETURN TO THE DARK AGES? Do you want to hold
TODAY'S Catholics responsible for what SOME
out of control Catholics did 500, 700, or 1,000
years ago?
If you do, then YOUR ENTIRE MOTIVATION must be
called into question.
Are you MORE INTERESTED in ACCUSING Catholics
and beating them over the head with what someone in
their denomination did AGES AGO, or are you MORE
INTERESTED in bringing THEM to Christ?
Ultimately, THAT'S what it boils down to.
Sharing Jesus with others is a GREAT and very
precious PRIVILEGE.
Let's not blow it with silly religious prejudice or
obsolete tactics that have brought nothing but hatred,
discord and division among brethren.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2011
SECOND COMING IN 2018?
We keep getting this question based on the fact that if
you count 49 365-day Gregorian years from 1969 you
do indeed arrive at 2018.
I assume it also has something to do with the fact
we're less than 7 years away from 2017.
2017 isn't even here, and they're already discarding it
in favor of 2018. My answer is NO.
God has NEVER used ANY calendar other than His own.
He uses the calendar that He Himself designed and
gave to the Israelites (Exodus 12:2).
God's prophetic calendar is lunar and based on a 360-
day year as clearly demonstrated in these Scriptures
(Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7; Revelation 11:3; 12:6, 14;
13:5).
The fact we're less than 7 years from 2017 and the
Rapture hasn't happened, doesn't mean Jesus is
"late" or that His Second Coming's been
postponed.
As I've shared in recent messages the 7-year
tribulation, which I myself believed in until recently,
can now be called a MYTH.
Come to think of it, I need to make it Myth #62 on the
Home page.
There's NO SUCH THING (thank God!) as a 7-year
tribulation.
There is a 7-year period which precedes the
Millennium -- AND WE'RE IN IT RIGHT NOW-- WHICH
BEGINS WITH THE BIRTHPANGS (started in December,
2010), followed by the Rapture, the tribulation
judgments and the reign of Antichrist.
We DON'T KNOW the exact number of days the
birthpangs last, since the Scriptures don't tell us.
Likewise, we DON'T KNOW the exact number of
days the tribulation lasts. The Scriptures don't tell
us that, either.
We do know that the reign of Antichrist takes up 3½ of
the 7 years (Revelation 13:5).
We do know the tribulation lasts LONGER THAN
3½ years (Revelation 8:2).
We also know that after Antichrist's 42 months are up,
there's a 75-day transition period into the Millennium
which is also PART OF the 7-year period.
When we count 49 Hebrew, lunar, 360-day years (or
17,640 days) from 1969, we arrive at the fall of
2017, NOT 2018.
I don't see how ANYONE can make a credible case for
2018 based on Daniel 9:25.
If anything, I can make a VERY CREDIBLE case for
2016 (a year earlier than anticipated).
Why 2016? Because when the FIRST decree to return a
build Jerusalem was given, all it took was THE
WORD of King Artaxerxes. There was no
deliberating body; there was NO VOTE (Nehemiah
2:1).
I used the Knesset vote on April 1, 1969 because it's a
matter of public record, it cleared the way for actual
reconstruction to begin, and because it's the LAST
date that could be construed as "THE WORD"
being given.
The prophecy in Daniel 9:25 merely states: "From THE
WORD to return and build Jerusalem to Messiah Prince
shall be 7 weeks"...
That "WORD" came as early as June 8, 1967 when
former Prime Minister David Ben Gurion said "we now
control Jerusalem and that is one of the greatest of
events - one of the first things that must be done
is build neighborhoods - TO IMMEDIATELY SETTLE
the Jewish Quarter. If there are empty Arab houses,
we'll put Jews in them".
Sounds like "return and build" to me.
As early as June 19, 1967 Arabs were being evicted
from the Jewish quarter, to make room for its new,
rightful Jewish residents.
While actual reconstruction didn't begin until 1969, the
restoration of basic living necessities such as water,
sewage, lighting, and other infrastructure, began
shortly after Jerusalem's liberation, in June 1967.
I took all this into consideration and used 2017 as the
LAST possible year Jesus' Second Coming could
happen based on this prophecy.
If current events are any indication, Jesus' prediction
is RIGHT ON SCHEDULE for final fulfillment.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2011
GOD'S CALENDAR
We tend to think in terms of the Gregorian
("Christian") calendar, the Hebrew calendar, the Mayan
calendar, the Aztec calendar, the Inca calendar, the
Chinese calendar, the Islamic calendar.
Bet you didn't know that God has HIS OWN
calendar.
In fact, it was God who GAVE the children of Israel
their calendar, told them when the year should begin,
when each month should begin, what Feasts they were
to observe, and how (Exodus 12:2, Leviticus chapters
23-25).
Unfortunately, even Israelites today, with the possible
exception of Karaite Jews, DO NOT follow His calendar
precisely but approximately, based on calculations.
Unfortunately, there are a number of years
"missing" from both Karaite and rabbinic calendars.
God's Calendar always begins IN THE SPRING.
The beginning of the year for God HAS ALWAYS been
in the month of Aviv (or Nisan, as it became known
during the Babylonian captivity) which corresponds
with March/April in the Christian calendar.
Wait it a minute, I thought the Jewish New Year was
Rosh Hashanah, which takes place in the fall.
NO. Rabbis came up with the idea of a Civil Year
and a Religious Year during the Babylonian
captivity. That's when they began to refer to Yom
Teruah as "Rosh Hashanah" or "Head of the
Year".
However, although God ordained this Feast, He never
said it should be the beginning of ANY year.
NEVER.
God has ALWAYS used, and will ALWAYS use, His
calendar.
He won't use anyone else's.
And although His First Coming in human form, forever
divided "time" into two distinct sections B.C.
(Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, or "Year of our
Lord"), His calendar, like God Himself, NEVER
changes.
Secularists can call it "Common Era" (C.E.) all they
want, but the so-called "Common Era" is based
ENTIRELY on Jesus' birth, and the so-called B.C.E.
(Before Common Era) are the years BEFORE Jesus'
birth, like it or not.
God has never used ANY calendar other than the
ONE He established.
And His Feasts are called APPOINTED TIMES for a
reason.
Those are the moments on God's Calendar that God
sovereignly chose for certain prophetic events to
unfold.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
DIPLOMACY
If you don't have Jesus in your heart, you're going to
hell.
I know that's DIRECT, and sounds harsh, but it's true.
People need to hear the Truth. No use in pussyfooting
around, especially when millions are going to hell
DAILY.
Ministers today are so beholden to political
correctness, so afraid they might "offend"
someone, or that they'll be labeled intolerant, that
their version of the "gospel" is TIMID, diluted and
ineffective.
I got news for the world, the secular media, and fearful
Christians: God IS INTOLERANT.
He won't tolerate sin, no matter how hard you try
to sugar coat it. No matter how hard you try to
call evil "good". No matter how hard you try to
make it "socially acceptable".
The Good News, however, is that JESUS ALREADY
PAID FOR ALL YOUR SINS.
When we receive Him as Lord, His payment for
our sins KICKS IN, and ALL OUR FILTH IS
WASHED AWAY... INSTANTLY!
EVERYONE who rejects Jesus as Lord, WILL BE LOST,
regardless of what moniker they apply to themselves.
Whether they're CALLED Jews, Muslims, atheists, OR
EVEN CHRISTIAN.
Do you think everyone who calls himself "Christian" is
truly saved? Do you think everyone who uses that
label REALLY has had a personal experience with
Jesus? Ha!
I personally know Jews who are saved, NOT BECAUSE
OF their religion, or lack thereof, but because they
have received the Messiah, Jesus Christ, into
their hearts.
ANYONE who receives Jesus into their heart as Lord is
saved. They sins FOREVER ERASED.
ANYONE who DOESN'T is lost.
End of story.
No use in trying to be "diplomatic" about it.
There's NO DIPLOMACY IN SPIRITUAL MATTERS.
When you're burning in hell, you won't be able to send
ambassadors into heaven to "negotiate" with God. It'll
be too late.
We have ONLY ONE ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER,
AND HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST.
"Neither is there SALVATION IN ANY OTHER... FOR
THERE IS NO OTHER NAME... GIVEN AMONG MEN,
WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED" [Acts 4:12].
Let Jesus handle your case before God, and heaven is
a sure thing.
Jesus is the ONLY Salvation there is.
If you receive Him you're saved.
If you reject Him, you're lost.
If you FAIL TO RECEIVE Him, you're lost... even if
you've called yourself "Christian" all your life.
Those are FACTS. Deal with them.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2011
WARNING: Today's message uses VERY blunt
language which some may find "offensive". This is a
message, however, that organized Christendom
DESPERATELY NEEDS TO HEAR. If you are easily
offended, feel free to skip it. Otherwise, read at your
own risk.
CORRUPT
COMMUNICATION
"To the pure, ALL THINGS ARE PURE, but TO THOSE
WHO ARE CORRUPT and do not believe, NOTHING
is pure. In fact, both THEIR MINDS and consciences
ARE CORRUPT" (Titus 1:15).
Let NO CORRUPT COMMUNICATION proceed out of
your mouth, but that which is good to the use of
EDIFYING, THAT IT MAY MINISTER GRACE
(undeserved Goodness) to the hearers. And DO
NOT GRIEVE the Holy Spirit of God, with Whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians
4:29, 30).
The Greek word for "corrupt" in this passage is sapros,
which means rotten, putrid, or DECAYING.
What IS "corrupt communication"?
Is it using some word which isn't found in the
dictionary?
Is it saying some word that the world, or society at
large, deems "improper"?
Is it language that fails to conform to man-invented
religious norms?
OR, is CORRUPT communication, ANY FORM OF
COMMUNICATION WHICH CONTRADICTS the
INCORRUPTIBLE Word of God?
According to the Bible, it's the latter (1 Peter 1:23).
This is a message religion hates. That's EXACTLY
WHY they NEED TO HEAR IT.
They hate it because IT EXPOSES THEM FOR THE two-
faced, devout HYPOCRITES THEY REALLY ARE.
We regularly hear from religionists who take offense at
my ONE use of the word "sh*t" on the website, but
OVERLOOK 10 webpages crammed full OF BIBLICAL,
SPIRIT REVEALED information you can't get (to Jesus
be ALL the glory) ANYWHERE ELSE.
They can't see PAST THAT ONE WORD.
They can't see Jesus, they can't see the Gospel, they
can't see Salvation, they can't see the BIBLICAL
identity of the Antichrist, they can't see the pre-trib
rapture, they can't see the Second Coming, they can't
even see Salvation by grace and NOT BY WORKS.
All they see is SH*T.
Never mind that THOSE SAME RELIGIONISTS TURN
RIGHT AROUND and PAY $10 bucks at the box office
to see A MOVIE which repeatedly uses the "F" word,
repeatedly uses Jesus' Name IN VAIN, and
presents explicit sexual and/or demonic images...
AND THINK NOTHING OF IT (Psalms 101:3).
If THAT'S NOT a self-serving, hypocritical double
standard, I don't know WHAT IS!!!
Religion would have us believe that ONLY THE
LANGUAGE THEY APPROVE OF is "proper" and "non-
corrupt".
Religion has ARBITRARILY DECIDED, with their
CORRUPT mind, which is IN ENMITY WITH GOD
(Romans 8:7), that the word "sh*t" is "bad".
Yet the words "crap", "dung", "feces", "poop", "fecal
matter" or "excrement", WHICH MEAN EXACTLY THE
SAME THING, are considered "proper".
Such criterion is purely SUBJECTIVE. It's merely the
"judgment" or OPINION of their VAIN
IMAGINATION.
It's ALL in their CORRUPT minds!!!
By the way, God, THE HOLIEST BEING IN THE
UNIVERSE, uses the word "shit" OVER 1,000 TIMES
in the Bible! ... With NO ASTERISK!!!
Try TELLING HIM He needs to "clean up" His rhetoric.
Religion has decided that the word "hell", which God
also uses repeatedly, is bad, but the words "infernal
region", abyss, bottomless pit, Sheol, Hades or
Gehenna, which MEAN THE SAME THING, are
deemed O.K.
I have one word for organized religion: BULLSHIT!!!
To the pure, as Paul said, ALL THINGS ARE pure
(Titus 1:15).
The ONLY TRULY CORRUPT communication is ANY
COMMUNICATION that CONTRADICTS God's Holy,
INCORRUPTIBLE Word.
Anyone or anything that CONTRADICTS God is A
LIAR. He, she, they or it is/are CORRUPT.
Any communication that DOES NOT MINISTER HIS
GRACE (UNDESERVED Goodness) IS CORRUPT.
Corrupt communication IS NOT communication that
OFFENDS our man-invented religious etiquette.
Corrupt communication is ANY communication that
GRIEVES God's Holy Spirit because IT
CONTRADICTS THE HOLY, INCORRUPTIBLE
WORD that He inspired.
Hell is FILLED, even as we speak, with religious
hypocrites -- like those who are frowning on this
message RIGHT NOW - like those who CAN'T WAIT to
fire off a condemning email - who are pretend
Christians, who always used "proper" language,
but DIDN'T HAVE JESUS IN THEIR HEARTS.
They NEVER used "improper" speech, but THEY
NEVER HAD AN INTIMATE, PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ONE AND ONLY
SAVIOR, either.
And ALL the "proper" religious language in the world,
all their tight-@ss judgmental protocol, won't get their
sorry behind out of hell.
Or should I say "Hades"?
It's not the language you use that will send you to hell,
IT'S NOT HAVING Jesus, THE INCORRUPTIBLE
SEED, the WORD INCARNATE, LIVING IN YOUR
HEART that'll send you there.
Salvation is NOT about procuring OUR OWN
righteousness, by "doing" or "NOT doing", by "saying"
or "NOT saying".
Salvation is ALL about acquiring Jesus'
Righteousness.
There IS NO RIGHTEOUSNESS ANYWHERE, but
His! (Isaiah 64:6).
BEFORE you click the "send" button on your accusatory
email, do us both a favor and read the parable of the
Pharisee and the publican in Luke 18:9-14.
Salvation BEGINS when you DROP your own FALSE
SENSE OF pharisaical "PROPRIETY" and say, like the
publican of old, "Lord, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A NO-
GOOD, LOUSY, FILTHY SINNER".
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011
GREECE VS. IRAN
The 8th and 11th chapters of the Book of Daniel are
two of the most neglected, yet significant, prophetic
passages in the Bible.
Most prophecy teachers will dismiss chapter 8 as
"having already been fulfilled" when Alexander
conquered the Persian Empire and when, years later,
Antiochus Epiphanes set the abomination of desolation
in the second temple.
While it's true that this prophecy has had PARTIAL
fulfillment, Gabriel UNMISTAKABLY told Daniel that its
primary fulfillment would take place at the "time of
the end" [Daniel 8:17, 19, 26].
This shouldn't surprise us since God's Word makes it
clear that history, hence prophecy, which is history
written in advance, REPEATS ITSELF.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 puts it this way:
"The thing that WAS is the thing that SHALL BE;
and there is NO NEW THING under the sun".
According to this prophecy which was to remain
"sealed" until now, history is about to be repeated:
Tribulation judgments will devastate the major powers
including Russia, China, the U.S. and portions of
Europe, leaving NUCLEAR, largely intact Iran, as the
major power in the world [Revelation chapters 8 and
9].
In the midst of chaos, Iran & Israel will be the only two
nations with nuclear power which remain relatively
unscathed. They'll be poised for a showdown, when
Alexander reappears.
Iran's dreams of world domination and
Ahmadinejad's perverse delusion of a world
under Persian Islamic rule will come to a
screeching halt, when Alexander defeats the
Persians (Iran) yet again [Daniel 8:5-7].
According to Daniel 11:40-44 PRIOR TO ALL THIS
Egypt and Turkey will resist him in vain: They'll be
conquered by the risen Alexander, as will every other
nation in the Middle East including Libya and Iraq,
with the notable exception of Jordan.
Why Jordan is spared, we're not told. Perhaps they will
willingly surrender. Perhaps they'll make some sort of
pact in support of the Antichrist. Perhaps it's God's
sovereign decree, since it's in southern Jordan where
Jews will hide during that time [Isaiah 16:1-4]; or,
perhaps a combination of all the above.
Antichrist's final conquest will be Israel (Daniel
12:7).
Then, AND ONLY THEN, will Antichrist's 3½-year reign
of terror over the entire world begin.
It will be the abomination of desolation redux when he
profanes the third temple, as Antiochus did to the
second temple, puts an end to daily sacrifices, and
places a statue of himself there [Daniel 8:9-12;
11:31].
Jews will then flee Jerusalem and surroundings, as
they did in 165 B.C. when Antiochus carried out a
similar desecration [Matthew 24:15-21; Revelation
12:6, 14].
Only their Messiah's Return, 42 months later, will
deliver them and bring them back into the Promised
Land.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2011
THE LAST DAY
If you've ever engaged in discussion or debate with
post-tribbers, as I have, one of their favorite
arguments is that Jesus spoke of resurrecting
believers on "the last day".
They quote the Gospel of John, which repeatedly
states:
And this is the will of him who sent me: that I shall
lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them
up at the last day (John 6:39).
For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the
Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I
will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40).
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent
me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last
day" (John 6:44).
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"
(John 6:54).
Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24).
"There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does
not accept my words; that very word which I spoke
will condemn him at the last day" (John 12:48).
This, post-tribbers contend, PROVES that believers
remain on earth during the tribulation and that the
Rapture takes place AT THE LAST DAY, AFTER the
tribulation has ended. Hence, the Rapture
CANNOT POSSIBLY BE pre-trib.
Notice what Jesus DIDN'T say: He NEVER SAID "and
I will SNATCH believers who are ALIVE to meet me IN
THE AIR, on the last day".
In EVERY ONE of the above passages Jesus spoke
ONLY of RAISING PEOPLE UP, as in RESURRECTING
THEM, or JUDGING them unto CONDEMNATION.
NOT ONCE does He mention CATCHING THEM AWAY
to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). And
I challenge ANY post-tribber TO PRODUCE ONE verse
of Scripture that says THE SNATCHING, CATCHING
AWAY or Greek "harpazo" (a/k/a The Rapture) takes
place on the "last day".
So, even IF (huge "IF") Jesus had meant the LITERAL,
last 24-hour day, this couldn't possibly refer to the
Rapture of Christians.
The obvious question is "WHAT, then, did Jesus
mean when He spoke about "the last day".
Had He meant the last 24-hour day, I have bad, bad
news for post-tribbers: The ONLY ONES who get
raised on the last 24-hour day according to
Revelation 20:14,15 are THE DAMNED, who get
tossed into the lake of fire along with satan.
So, they sure as hell better pray Jesus didn't mean the
last, LITERAL 24-hour day.
In Psalm 90:4 Moses tell us that, from God's
perspective, "A THOUSAND YEARS in your sight are
LIKE A DAY that has just gone by".
And, again, 2 Peter 3:8 states "ONE DAY with the
Lord IS AS A THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand
years as one day".
The term "last day" refers to the prophetic "Day of the
Lord" or Millennium, which is both, succeeded and
preceded by 7-YEAR PERIODS.
The succeeding 7 years are the time for the Great
White Throne judgment of unbelievers (Revelation
20:7-15; Ezekiel 39:9).
The preceding 7 years -- which we are in right
now -- cover the birthpangs, the Rapture, the
tribulation and the Second Coming.
So, when Jesus says "No one can come to me unless
the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise
him up at the LAST DAY" (John 6:44) He meant
SOMETIME DURING the prophetic Day of the
Lord, which is a period of OVER 1,000 years
(approximately 1,014 years) that begins with the
birthpangs and ends with the White Throne Judgment
when death itself, hell itself, and the unsaved are all
cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15),
whereupon there's a new heaven and a new earth
(Revelation 21:1).
Indeed, there are SEVERAL RESURRECTIONS during
that period, including:
1. The "dead in Christ" at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians
4:16, 17).
2. The Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:11, 12).
3. The tribulation martyrs (Revelation 20:4).
4. The unsaved dead (Revelation 20:11-15).
It was THIS time span that John referred to again in
the Book of Revelation 1:10 when he states he was "in
the Spirit ON THE DAY OF THE LORD", whereupon
he was shown, "things that are" and "things which
shall be" (Revelation 1:19).
Those "things" he was shown, as taking place during
the Day of the Lord or "last day", included the
Rapture (Revelation 6:12, 7:9), the tribulation
(chapters 8-19), the reign of Antichrist (chapters
13-19), the Second Coming or our Lord (chapter 19),
all the way til the end of the Millennium, the White
Throne Judgment, the new heaven and earth, and the
New Jerusalem (chapters 20-22).
Clearly, the Day of the Lord, or "last day", is a
LONG period of time which encompasses ALL OF
THE ABOVE.
So, the Rapture DOES take place near the START
OF the "Day of the Lord" or "Last Day", BEFORE the
tribulation judgments are poured out, as
UNDISPUTEDLY described in Revelation 7:9 and 8:2.
One of the reasons it's called "the last day" is because,
once this period ends, time as we know it, WILL
BE NO MORE.
When the Day of the Lord ends, everyone and
everything steps into the realm of ETERNITY which,
ultimately, is the only REALITY, the ONLY TRUTH,
there is.
The concept of the "last day" or Day of the Lord, and
that there would be one or more resurrections
during that period, was familiar to Jews in Jesus'
time, since it's mentioned often in the Old
Testament (Isaiah 2:6-22; 11:6-10; 19:16-25; 26:1-
21; 58:13; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel chapters 47-48;
Haggai 2:23; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:4; 2:2;
Zechariah 12:8; 14:7, 20-21).
What they didn't know were the FINER POINTS of that
Day, since those are given to us in the New
Testament.
MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011
NEW OWNERSHIP
There's NOTHING more important than being born
again.
However, the Church has made the new birth THE END
of the Christian experience, instead of THE
BEGINNING.
When you're born again, Jesus Himself, thru his
Holy Spirit, takes residence in your spirit.
He joins Himself to your spirit and creates a new
"you".
People think it's still the old "you" living in your body.
The Spirit inside your body is that of Jesus.
When a business is bought, the new owners put up a
sign that says "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT".
The business may LOOK the same from the outside. It
may still have the same windows, same layout, same
size, the same merchandise. But it's under new
administration.
The former occupant is gone. He or she's been
evicted.
That's exactly what happened when you were born
again.
Your outward appearance didn't change. What
changed is the Owner who lives inside.
You're under new management.
If any man [or woman] be in Christ Jesus, [he/she] is
a new creation. Old things are passed away,
behold all things are become new and are of God
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
There's nothing left of the "old you" in there... not
even a trace.
IT'S BEEN CIRCUMCISED, CUT OFF AND DISCARDED.
REMOVED AS FAR FROM YOU AS THE EAST IS FROM
THE WEST.
ALL THAT'S IN THERE IS GOD.
THE DEVIL'S BIG LIE IS TO HAVE YOU BELIEVE
THAT IT'S STILL THE "OLD YOU" OCCUPYING YOUR
BODY.
ACTUALLY, THE "OLD YOU" IS DEAD. IT DIED WITH
JESUS ON THE CROSS.
IT'S TIME SOMEONE TOLD YOU THE TRUTH:
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOUR "FORMER SELF" IS A
MEMORY.
THE "OLD YOU" EXISTS ONLY IN YOUR MIND.
THE "NEW YOU" IS ALL JESUS. YOUR BODY IS
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. UNDER NEW
ADMINISTRATION, NEW OWNERSHIP.
JESUS OWNS 100% OF IT. YOUR SPIRIT DOESN'T
BELONG TO SATAN, OR TO ANYONE ELSE. IT'S
COMPLETELY GOD'S.
THE IMAGE YOU CARRY INSIDE IS THAT OF THE
CREATOR.
WE'VE ALREADY GIVEN TOO MUCH TO "CAESAR".
LET'S "GIVE GOD WHAT IS GOD'S".
SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2011
PRE-TRIBULATION
RAPTURE
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible teaches the
Rapture is pre-trib.
We have several depictions of the Rapture in Genesis.
God didn't send the flood on wicked, rebellious
mankind until Noah, his family, and all the
animals, were safely INSIDE the ark.
When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He
couldn't destroy the cities until Lot and his family
had DEPARTED from them.
Likewise, in Exodus, God supernaturally protected
the Israelites while He sent plague after plague on
Egypt. He didn't exterminate the Egyptian army until
AFTER the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea
and were SAFELY ON THE OTHER SIDE.
Even in the Old Testament, He demonstrated, time
after time, His faithfulness toward His Covenant
people.
We live under a New Testament, established on
better promises, and CONFIRMED not by the blood of
bulls and goats, BUT WITH THE BLOOD OF THE
PERFECT, HOLY, INCORRUPTIBLE, IMMORTAL,
LAMB OF GOD (Galatians 3:17).
Are you seriously going to tell me that God will pour
His wrath on HIS OWN CHILDREN, which He bought
and paid for with His Blood, just as if they were
unsaved, wicked, Christ-rejecting humans? No way,
José!
But don't take my word for it, take HIS WORD.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-11 tells Christians that the Day of
the Lord [tribulation] will come as a thief for
unbelievers, but not for Christians.
It says when the world talks about "peace and safety"
then sudden destruction comes ON THEM, NOT ON
US.
Verse 9 says that God HAS NOT APPOINTED US TO
WRATH, but to obtain Salvation thru our Lord Jesus
Christ.
In context, that verse could only refer to the wrath
that God will pour out on an unbelieving world during
the tribulation or "Day of the Lord". There's no other
possible meaning.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 clearly states the Day of the Lord
[tribulation] CANNOT COME UNTIL THERE'S "THE
DEPARTURE" [of Christians] FIRST.
Revelation 7:9-17 shows the Departure from earth of
an innumerable multitude of believers who show up
in heaven, suddenly, UNDER THE 6TH SEAL, PRIOR
to the Tribulation judgments, which begin in chapter 8,
verse 1, UNDER THE 7TH SEAL.
They appear in heaven in immortal, invulnerable,
GLORIFIED bodies.
Their SUDDEN appearance in heaven prompts one
of the elders to ask "who are these? Where did
THEY come from"? Like, "how come they weren't
here a moment ago, and now they all show up, ALL
OF A SUDDEN"?
Verse 14 clearly states "these are they which CAME
OUT of great tribulation". The only way to COME
OUT OF the tribulation is to be raptured.
As the tribulation begins (sun gets dark, moon turns
blood-red, and there's a huge shaking of the
atmospheric heavens, the earth and the sea),
Christians are translated to heaven.
That verse goes on to say how born-again
Christians qualified for the Rapture: they "have
washed their robes, and made them white in the
Blood of the Lamb".
It's so clear, you need lots of theological "help" to
MISUNDERSTAND it.
Jesus will rapture His Church "from every nation, and
kindred, and people and tongues" BEFORE the
tribulation judgments begin, and BEFORE His wrath is
poured out.
For a more detailed exposition of this great Truth,
please scroll down to Myth #41 on our Home page:
www.christconnection.net
It's no wonder the great multitude says, in a loud voice
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the
Throne, and to the Lamb".
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2011
ON YOUR SIDE
Religion's sold us the FALSE idea of an angry God
sitting up in a heaven, looking down on us with a giant
telescope that magnifies our flaws, just waiting for
us to make the slightest mistake, so He can zap
us with punishing judgment.
NOTHING could be FURTHER from the Truth.
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.
JESUS DID EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO PRESENT
YOU BLAMELESS BEFORE A HOLY GOD (Jude 1:24).
He ALREADY paid for ALL your sins.
Since He did, that means YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
It means your sins ARE FORGIVEN.
It's UP TO YOU to receive the forgiveness Jesus
FREELY OFFERS... or NOT.
NOT receiving it is the ONLY sin that'll prevent
anyone from being saved.
There is NO CONDEMNATION to them who are IN
Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1].
Who will dare accuse God's elect? [Romans 8:33]?
God was IN Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,
NOT COUNTING MEN'S SINS AGAINST THEM (2
Corinthians 5:21).
That's THE BEST NEWS in the entire world.
If you're a sinner, join the club.
Christians are simply former sinners, who have been
DECLARED RIGHTEOUS, not because we live more
saintly lives than anyone else, or because we act
better than anyone else, but BECAUSE we HAVE
RECEIVED JESUS and WHAT JESUS DID FOR US.
We've accepted His FULL payment for our sins.
We've accepted His forgiveness for ALL OF THEM.
If you're a sinner (and who ISN'T?) don't run FROM
Jesus: Run TO Jesus.
He loves you, NO MATTER WHAT you've done.
He will receive you, NO MATTER WHAT you've done
(John 6:37).
He'll SAVE YOU TO THE MAX, if you let Him.
If He is FOR YOU, WHO can be against you?
[Romans 8:31].
Jesus is ON YOUR SIDE.
He's the BEST FRIEND any sinner's GOT.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2011
DIET GURUS
Have you noticed how many "nutrition experts"
have invaded the "Christian" airwaves in recent
years?
How they hawk their books, tapes, supplements, and
"services"?
They've been literally coming out of the woodwork.
You turn on a Christian broadcast, that's supposed
to be telling people how to get saved, or at the
very least, enhance their knowledge of Scripture, and
instead come face to face with someone telling you.
. . WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T EAT!!!
WHAT KIND OF "MINISTRY" IS THAT? HOW DARE
ANYONE REFER TO THAT AS "EVANGELISM"?
Am I anti-nutrition? Of course not.
The Bible does teach our bodies are temples of the
Holy Spirit who lives in us. Of course we should take
proper care of our bodies, feed them properly, get
some exercise, avoid harmful stuff like cigarettes,
drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol.
There's nothing wrong with living a healthy lifestyle.
But most of this stuff is common sense. How
many times do you have to hear the same
things?
Jesus commanded his disciples to "go into all the
world and PREACH THE GOSPEL". He didn't tell
them to go preach nutrition.
Heck, who needs "Christian" TV? I can learn all
that from G.N.C.!
To all who support those "ministries": Is that really
the best, wisest, most productive and most
spiritual way your donation dollars should be
spent?
Is THAT what you're asked, over and over, to
give "sacrificially" for?
So that the guy [or gal] who hosts the program can
get even richer at your expense? So that the
nutrition guru can increase his (or her) "SALES", and
the televangelist can collect his (or her) "cut"?
How, exactly, do these con artists DIFFER from
the moneychangers in Jesus' day, who turned His
temple INTO A BUSINESS?
We have all these "nutrition wizards" going around
telling people what they shouldn't eat, when the
Body of Christ is being fed RELIGIOUS JUNK
FOOD, right and left!
Cunning religious cons have found yet another
"angle" to get your money, and silly Christians
(sorry, I gotta call it as I see it) keep taking the bait,
and SWALLOWING IT, (no pun intended) hook, line
and sinker.
Regardless of how well we care for these bodies, they
will, one day, either dissolve into dust, or be
instantly changed into immortal, glorified bodies
at the Rapture.
You want my advice? Use your God-given common
sense, eat good, nutritious food, get some exercise,
indulge once in a while, (it won't kill you to have ice
cream or pizza once a week), and PAY MORE
ATTENTION TO YOUR SPIRIT THAN YOUR BODY.
Your body is TEMPORARY. Your spirit is ETERNAL.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011
EASTERN GATE
Ezekiel has always been one of my favorite prophets.
He laid it ALL on the line for God, and was obedient
even under the most unbearable circumstances.
He was also the recipient of breathtaking visions and
revelations recorded in his marvelous Book for all
eternity.
One of those revelations is found in chapter 44, verses
1-2:
"Then he brought me back the way of THE GATE of
the outward sanctuary (temple) which looks
toward THE EAST; and IT WAS SHUT.
Then said the LORD to me; THIS GATE SHALL BE
SHUT, it shall NOT BE OPENED, and NO MAN
SHALL ENTER IN BY IT; because the LORD, the
God of Israel, HAS ENTERED IN BY IT, therefore IT
SHALL BE SHUT".
It was thru this gate that Jesus entered
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives on Palm
Sunday 2,000 years ago (Luke 19:28-45).
While the temple itself was located SOUTH OF this gate
and of the so-called "Temple Mount", this gate was
THE MAIN ENTRANCE into Jerusalem, as well as
unto the temple compound, from the East.
It was thru this gate that the Divine Presence
(Shekinah) used to appear in the temple (Ezekiel 43:2-
4). That's why it's also known as the Golden Gate.
In Jewish tradition this is the gate thru which the
Messiah will enter Jerusalem.
Ezekiel's prophecy was marvelously fulfilled in 1541
when Sultan Suleiman I a/k/a Suleiman the
Magnificent, well aware of the long standing Jewish
tradition, ordered the gate sealed, in order to
prevent the Messiah's entrance.
The Eastern Gate has remained shut ever since, in
amazing fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy.
Beware, satan: God uses even his enemies to
accomplish His Purpose.
But the story doesn't end there:
In 1967, Jordan's King Hussein made plans to build a
luxury hotel in front of what is commonly known as the
Western (Wailing) Wall. The building of this hotel
would have necessitated the closing of the Morgrabi
Gate.
Hussein, therefore, made plans to OPEN the Eastern
Gate.
Had he succeeded, it would have negated Ezekiel's
prophecy that once sealed, the gate would REMAIN
SHUT and NO MAN WOULD ENTER THRU IT.
Dirt moving equipment, including air hammers and
cranes had been positioned inside the gate in
preparation for its demolition.
Work was scheduled to begin on June 7, 1967.
It was on that VERY day that biblical Jerusalem was
recovered by Jews, during the Six-Day War, after
1,930 years of UNINTERRUPTED Gentile occupation,
thus putting an end to Hussein's unbiblical plans.
What's even more ironic is that, foreseeing what was
about to happen, Israel had contacted Hussein a few
days before the war, asking him not to take part in the
Arab coalition against Israel, and guaranteeing that, if
Jordan stayed out of the war, Israel would not attack
Jordanian forces.
Hussein turned them down.
Had he complied with Israel's request, East
Jerusalem would be in Jordanian hands to this
day, and the Eastern Gate WOULD HAVE been
opened.
Is God AWESOME, OR WHAT?
Suleiman was a fool. If a large stone couldn't prevent
the Messiah from coming out of the grave, if hell
itself, satan and all his demons, couldn't hold
Him and prevent His resurrection, whatever made
this clueless heathen think a few puny bricks will
prevent Jesus from RE-ENTERING?
Someone should have read him Psalm 24:7-10:
"Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up,
you ancient doors, that the King of glory may
come in.
Who IS this King of glory? The LORD strong and
mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you
ancient doors, that the King of glory may come
in.
Who IS this King of glory? The LORD Almighty- HE
IS the King of glory. Selah".
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011
WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN'
GOIN' ON
Must say, I never thought of Jerry Lee Lewis as a "last
days" prophet before.
But there IS A WHOLE LOT of shaking going on.
The end-time scenario that Jesus predicted is
unfolding right before our eyes.
While we dislike some of the aspects associated with
these events, such as injury or loss of life, destruction
of property, and so forth, it's awe inspiring to see THE
VERY THINGS FORETOLD 2,000 TO 2,800 YEARS AGO
play out like a well orchestrated finale.
With the modern marvels of TV and internet, it's like
having front row seats.
WHY so many earthquakes lately? Because it's one of
the signs given in Matthew 24:7 that would
precede the appearance of Jesus in heaven to
rapture His Church.
However, I'm not just referring to recent, catastrophic
seismic activity in places like Haiti, Chile, Japan,
Taiwan, New Zealand, Mexico AND, just today, A 5.9
magnitude quake IN Washington, D.C. of all
places! [Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8]. Update 2:40 P.M.
a STRONG 6.8 quake just hit northern Peru.
If THAT, combined with the approaching 10th
anniversary of 9/11, doesn't send a "wake up call" to
our leaders, and to all of us, I don't know what
will.
Nor am I referring only to the tsunamis and tsunami
warnings they've spawned.
Nor am I alluding ONLY to recent volcano eruptions,
like the one in Iceland which brought air traffic in
Europe to a virtual standstill. Or to the two volcanoes
which erupted the same day in Guatemala and Peru.
Or the one in Chile, which sent a plume of smoke
halfway around the world. Or several eruptions in
Indonesia, which killed people and interrupted air
travel.
EVERYTHING around is us being SHAKEN: the
economy, the banking system, the housing market,
major corporations, the stock market, the oil industry,
nations, governments, politics, the ecology, the world
of sports and its superstar icons, the entertainment
world, the prophetic world, even the religious and
televangelistic world, and it's supposed
luminaries, is being shaken.
It seems like everything mankind values and
PLACES ITS TRUST ON is being shaken.
IDOLS are being toppled, one after the other.
There's only ONE THING that remains STEADY AND
UNSHAKABLE in the midst of all the chaos and
uncertainty: THE WORD OF GOD.
Jesus Christ [the Word incarnate] IS THE SAME
YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER.
His Word is THE SAME yesterday, today and forever.
I promise you won't open your Bible one day and
suddenly discover that it has changed. It's been the
same for 2,000 years [New Testament] and 2,400-
3,400 years [Old Testament].
The theological term is IMMUTABLE.
Because God's Word is immutable, we can COUNT
ON IT being true, and ITS PROPHECIES BEING
FULFILLED IN PRECISE DETAIL.
I wish I could tell you the shaking will go away, but it
won't.
The shaking will continue and, if anything, intensify.
That is why it's SO IMPORTANT for us to be ROOTED
AND GROUNDED IN GOD'S WORD. That's why it's
SUPREMELY IMPORTANT to have a PERSONAL,
INTIMATE relationship with Jesus Christ.
Because He is the ONLY ONE that IS ROCK-SOLID,
that we can always LEAN and RELY ON, regardless of
what's going on around us (Matthew 7:24-25).
The things that are being shaken right now are
temporary. Hence they will end up being altogether
REMOVED... that only those things which CANNOT BE
SHAKEN, the ETERNAL THINGS, may remain
[Hebrews 12:27].
There's one more thing that's immutable and that's the
Kingdom of God INSIDE OF US.
If you have Jesus living in your heart, and have MADE
HIM LORD of your life, you have an enduring,
imperishable INHERITANCE that NOTHING and
NO ONE can take away.
Thank God we have an eternal Kingdom that CANNOT
BE MOVED, and that Kingdom is WITHIN US.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2011
JUDAIZERS
What's a Judaizer? A SUPPOSED believer in Jesus
Christ who insists we MUST keep the Old
Testament law [torah] in order to have right
standing with God.
That's not my definition. It's the Bible's [Galatians
2:14].
Judaizers have been coming out of the woodwork
lately at an alarming rate.
This shouldn't surprise us, since Jesus warned that
in the last days MANY would come in His Name
[pretending to be Christian] and WOULD DECEIVE
MANY (Matthew 24:4).
They come to us in sheep's clothing, but inside
they're ravenous wolves... or at the very least
legalistic zombies.
Judaizers are hell-bent on imposing a legalistic burden
on those who've truly been born again, and live in the
freedom of the Spirit.
They're the ones who insist we must observe Old
Testament dietary laws, the 10 commandments,
and "keep the weekly Sabbath".
Don't get me wrong, I'm ALL for keeping the
Sabbath, not just on Saturday, BUT EVERY
SINGLE DAY.
Sabbath keeping has ALWAYS BEEN (THEN AND
NOW) ABOUT RESTING FROM OUR OWN WORKS,
AND TRUSTING GOD'S.
The purpose of the weekly Sabbath was to remind the
children of Israel that they were to CEASE FROM
THEIR OWN DEAD WORKS AND REST (TRUST in)
GOD'S SUPERNATURAL WORK on their behalf.
The weekly Sabbath was NEVER the designated day to
assemble. It was THE DAY OF REST (Exodus 20:8-10).
RESTING in Jesus and TRUSTING Jesus, and Jesus
ALONE. THAT'S WHAT THE REAL SABBATH IS ABOUT.
That's what SALVATION IS ABOUT.
Unless you're COMPLETELY trusting Jesus' death,
burial, resurrection and ascension, and His Blood, to
wash away your sins... and NOTHING ELSE...
You can ATTEND SERVICES ON SATURDAY UNTIL
YOUR FACE TURNS BLUE... you're NOT keeping the
Sabbath.
Fact is, God could care less what day of the week
you attend services.
Judaizers can be very persuasive. Their approach, at
least ON THE SURFACE, appears to be quite
godly. After all, they're quoting the Bible [mostly Old
Testament]. satan, however, also quoted the Old
Testament, and there's NOTHING GODLY about
him.
One guy in particular, who wears some sort of Old
Testament costume, is now telling his CUSTOMERS
[eh... followers] that, unless they call God by His
Hebrew Name "Yahweh", or Yeshua, that they are
using His Name in vain, thereby breaking the
second commandment.
What absolutely ridiculous, legalistic crap!
According to Genesis 11:14 IT WAS GOD WHO
CONFUSED AND DIVIDED THE [one] LANGUAGE INTO
[ACCORDING TO Jewish tradition, Talmud] AT LEAST
70 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. So, after God Himself
perpetrated this on humanity, God's going to
now turn around and BLAME them FOR NOT
SPEAKING HEBREW???? Give me a religious break!
So, according to this clown [hey, if you wear a funny-
looking costume, what does that make you?] people in
France, Spain or Latin America who call on the Name
of Jesús are using His Name in vain. Same goes for the
the Italians when they call Him Gesù, the Japanese
Iesu, etc. Same goes for all English speaking people
when we call Him "Jesus". What complete farce!
There's no LESS IMPORTANT issue as far as God is
concerned, than calling God by His Hebrew Name, His
Latin Name or His English Name. The Church faces far
greater challenges than that. God knows every
language and communicates in all of them.
When He talks to me, do you think He usually speaks
Hebrew? How about when He talks to you? No, He
has complete mastery of English, I assure you.
When you called out to Him, in your time of need,
did you have to say "Oh, Yeshua"! in order for Him
to answer?
How about when you first invited Him into your heart?
Did you call Him Yeshua? No, you said "Jesus" and
He came anyway, didn't He?
Judaizers can twist and turn their dead religion all they
want, BUT THIS IS WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO: DO
YOU TRUST JESUS COMPLETELY?
If you do, you need nothing else. He's sufficient.
If you don't, you'll have to "add" and "add" and
"add". .. and keep adding because you'll never
measure up.
If you don't TRUST JESUS COMPLETELY, YOU'RE NOT
SAVED.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011
ALL THE WAY
Jesus is about to arrive. When He does, His
Appearance will rapture us, and translate us in an
instant, into the Spirit realm.
That realm is as real, no, it's MORE REAL than the
physical.
The visible, physical realm is only temporary. The
invisible, spirit realm is eternal.
Therefore, EVERYTHING we presently see around us
will dissolve. It will be no more.
The physical is about to give way to the eternal.
If we were in the spirit realm we would see each other,
touch each other, communicate with each other, just
like we do in the earthly realm. Actually, far better.
I'm addressing this message primarily to those who
SAY they're Christian, but whose hearts and minds
are far from the Lord.
Professing Christians who have a long list of
priorities AHEAD OF Jesus.
Who believe with their heads, but have never
really given Jesus their hearts.
Who call themselves believers, but have no intimate,
personal relationship with the Savior.
Who THINK they're Christian because their ancestors
claimed to be.
Or because they DO good deeds, attend Sunday
school, BELONG TO A PARTICULAR DENOMINATION, or
participated in some religious ritual like first
communion, confirmation, even water baptism.
ANY church ritual you participate in, where your
heart isn't TOTALLY involved is an EMPTY,
MEANINGLESS ritual.
Despite some or all of the above, you have never
REALLY GIVEN YOUR HEART TO JESUS.
YOU HAVE NEVER MADE JESUS NUMBER ONE IN
YOUR LIFE.
I'm talking about giving Him EVERYTHING: Your heart,
your mind, your body, your possessions, your life, your
dreams, your ambitions, your time, your talents.
I'm talking TOTAL, ALL-OUT, NO HOLDS BARRED,
100% COMMITMENT TO HIM.
Matthew 7:22 talks about a bunch of people who will
say to Jesus "didn't we DO many wonderful WORKS in
your name? And He will answer "I NEVER KNEW
YOU".
Do you KNOW Jesus? I don't mean His Name. Do
you KNOW HIM as a Person, as your God, your
Lord, your spiritual Lover?
If you don't, I urge you to "DO".
The time for tepid Christianity is over.
If you call yourself Christian, then BE ONE: ALL THE
TIME, ALL THE WAY.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2011
BY ONE MAN
"For as by one man's DISOBEDIENCE many were made
sinners, so BY THE OBEDIENCE OF ONE (Jesus) shall
many be made righteous" (Romans 5:18,19).
What did you DO in order to inherit Adam's sinful
nature and his LOST condition?
You did NOTHING:
You didn't WORK for it.
You didn't WAIT for it.
You didn't have to BREAK any law.
You didn't have to BREAK any commandments.
You didn't have to OBSERVE a certain day of the week
over another.
You didn't forsake a particular denomination.
You didn't forsake any religious leader.
ALL you had to do in order to inherit Adam's sinful,
nature was TO BE BORN.
That's right: your PHYSICAL birth was ALL it took.
Every innocent baby born into this world
AUTOMATICALLY INHERITS that sinful nature by
virtue of his/her PHYSICAL birth.
They INHERIT IT before they even have a chance
to DO anything.
All of us were PHYSICALLY BORN WITH A SINFUL
NATURE.
Likewise, in order to acquire Christ's perfect, righteous
Nature, we DO NOTHING:
We DON'T WORK for it.
We DON'T WAIT for it.
We DON'T OBSERVE the law.
We DON'T OBSERVE commandments.
We DON'T OBSERVE a certain day of the week.
We DON'T BELONG to one particular denomination.
We DON'T follow any RELIGIOUS leader.
ALL we need in order to inherit Jesus' SINLESS
Nature is TO BE BORN AGAIN.
When we're born physically, we automatically inherit
Adam's fallen nature.
When we're born SPIRITUALLY, from above, by
opening our hearts to Jesus and receiving Him as Lord
and God, we automatically inherit Jesus' SINLESS,
PERFECT, HOLY Nature.
Physical birth gave us a sinful nature, naturally.
Spiritual birth gave us a righteous nature,
SUPERNATURALLY.
It's AUTOMATIC: no law keeping required, no 10
commandment keeping, no Sabbath keeping, ALL
THAT IS REQUIRED is a NEW SPIRITUAL BIRTH.
Jesus' OWN Righteousness, His Divine Love Nature, is
THE BIRTHRIGHT of ALL who are born from above,
from the spirit realm, by the Spirit of God.
Take that legalists, put it in your ugly, deadly, religious
pipe and SMOKE IT.
That's why John 3:3-5 tell us we MUST be born again.
Except we are, we CANNOT ENTER or even SEE the
Kingdom of Love (God).
In 1 Corinthians 15:47-49 Paul assures us that:
"The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man
is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are
they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly,
such are they also that are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, WE
SHALL ALSO BEAR THE IMAGE OF THE
HEAVENLY".
Invite Jesus TO ENTER your heart, and Salvation and
Righteousness are yours...AUTOMATICALLY.
THURSDAY AUGUST 18, 2011
YOUR TRUE NATURE
Most believers in Christ are confused. They suffer
identity crisis. They don't know WHO THEY REALLY
ARE.
Religion has clouded their thinking and spiritual
discernment to the point that it's hard, often
impossible, to tell the difference between those
who've been born from above, and those who are lost.
So, who are we, really?
Are we what we SEEM to be? Are you that selfish
ingrate you seem to be? ...Or that stiff, grumpy
religionist? Am I the irreverent loudmouth I often
appear to be?
Are we, as religion has told us ad nauseam, no-good,
evil sinners?
NO.
That's what we USED TO BE BEFORE we came to
Christ.
Once Jesus penetrates our innermost being, our
nature CHANGES, FOREVER.
Once His Holy Spirit comes to live in the inner sanctum
of our hearts, we are no longer sinners but
SAINTS, called and set apart unto Jesus.
Once Love Himself is reconnected with our hearts, and
imparts His own Nature to us, THAT'S who we really
are:
MANIFESTATIONS OF DIVINE LOVE.
Oh, I know we often don't ACT like it.
We may not LOOK like it.
We may not TALK like it.
We may not THINK like it.
We may not BELIEVE it's true but, according to God's
Word, IT IS!!!
Love is God's Nature. Love is God's Righteousness.
Truth is we have no righteousness OF OUR OWN.
NONE!
The ONLY righteousness that exists in the entire
universe is God's.
Unless He imparts His OWN Righteousness, His own
Divine Nature to us, WE WILL NEVER BE righteous NO
MATTER HOW HARD WE TRY TO "ACT" like it.
...And no matter how hard organized, MAN
INVENTED religion tries to get us to ACT like it.
ONLY the Divine Nature makes us righteous.
The Divine Nature is Divine Love.
And those who have received God/Jesus (Love) into
their hearts are now MANIFESTATIONS OF HIS LOVE.
Divine Love IS our TRUE NATURE.
That's A FACT.
We can believe it and START MANIFESTING Him
(Divine Love), and allowing God/Jesus/Divine Love to
manifest through us.
Or we can reject it, KEEP LIVING A LIE, be in constant
fear, constant torment, constant INSECURITY, and live
like paupers, when all the while we're children of the
King of Kings, the King of Love.
Let's kick religion in the teeth and SHOW THIS LOST
WORLD WHO WE REALLY ARE.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2011
WALKING IN LOVE
Enoch walked with God, and he was NOT, for God
TOOK HIM (Genesis 5:24).
One of the infinite number of things I love about God's
Holy Spirit is HOW SUCCINCT AND DIRECT He is. He
doesn't mince words. Praise His Name!
That's the reason that, when we study the Scriptures,
we should pay attention NOT ONLY TO WHAT GOD
SAYS, but what He DOESN'T say.
I remember wracking my brains many years ago trying
to figure out WHAT, in heaven's name, got Enoch
raptured.
What on earth did he DO?
I also remember being utterly frustrated that God
wouldn't tell us WHAT he did.
The reason God didn't tell us is because Enoch DID
NOTHING.
Repeat: Enoch DID NOTHING.
It wasn't his actions, or lack thereof, that got him
raptured.
What got him raptured is WHOM HE WALKED WITH.
Allow me to paraphrase: "Enoch walked with Love
and He was not for LOVE took him".
Enoch, thru the Spirit, somehow got the revelation of
the Love of God. That Love is God's very Nature (1
John 4:16).
Enoch EXPERIENCED Him who is Love, He
experienced Divine Love, and once he did, he
WOULDN'T LET GO (Song of Solomon 3:4).
Enoch wasn't perfect. Enoch wasn't sinless.
Enoch WALKED WITH Divine Love until Divine Love
transferred him into the realm of immortality, the
realm of eternity the realm of God/Love (Hebrews
11:5).
Jesus came into this world in human form to MANIFEST
God's Nature, God's Divine Love for His Creation (John
3:16).
He was/is SO IN LOVE with us that "for the joy that
was set before Him, endured the cross" (Hebrews
12:2).
Glory to Him for all the eternities.
You have Jesus' VERY OWN Nature, Jesus' PERFECT
Love inside your born again heart (Romans 5:5; 2
Peter 1:4).
How, then, do we walk in Love? How, then, do we
MANIFEST God?
In 1 Corinthians chapter 13 Paul gives us a detailed
description of Divine Love.
However, in 1 John 4:18 John tells us HOW to know
if we're walking in PERFECT, Divine love:
Casts out fear
Casts out torment.
Trusts God, regardless of what goes on around us in
the natural.
If there's any trace of fear, any trace of torment, or
any doubt, WE'RE NOT WALKING IN PERFECT LOVE.
Walking in/with Divine Love begins with A CONSCIOUS
CHOICE.
CHOOSE to give Divine Love FIRST PLACE in your
heart and life, and God (Love) will take it from there.
He'll do the rest.
Don't try to manifest His Love on your own, and
please DON'T TRY TO FAKE IT. There's NOTHING more
hypocritical and artificial, and no bigger turn-off, than
SIMULATED "Christian" love.
Love is what got Enoch raptured. Divine Love is
what'll get you and me raptured.
What do you say, Church?
Jesus won't take unto HimSelf a distant, lukewarm,
indifferent Bride, but one who is IN LOVE with Him.
He won't be unequally yoked to a LOVELESS Bride.
He IS Love. He won't rapture a Church who is
ANYTHING LESS.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011
THE PIT IS OPEN
In Revelation 9:1, 2 we find the following narrative:
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from
heaven to the earth: and to him was given the key
of the bottomless pit. And he opened the
bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of
the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the
sun and the air were darkened by reason of the
smoke"...
Chances are you've never heard or read a message
about opening the pit, but you're going to read it here.
Once the tribulation judgments are underway, the
bottomless pit will be opened.
The opening of hell is a very important event,
because of what takes place ONCE IT'S OPENED:
"And there came out of the smoke locusts on the
earth: and to them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power. And it was
commanded them that they should not hurt the grass
of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree;
BUT ONLY THOSE MEN WHICH DON'T HAVE THE SEAL
OF GOD on their foreheads (namely, the 144,000,
Revelation 7:3, 4). And to them it was given that THEY
SHOULD NOT KILL THEM, BUT THAT THEY SHOULD BE
TORMENTED FIVE MONTHS:
And their torment was as the torment of a
scorpion, when he strikes a man. And in those days
SHALL MEN SEEK DEATH, and shall not find it; and
SHALL DESIRE TO DIE, and death shall flee from
them" (Revelation 9:3-6).
Yes, this is REALLY going to happen.
Hell is located in the center of the earth. The opening
of hell will result in a huge amount of smoke (and
probably ash) being released, clearly showing it's like a
pressure cooker down there.
It'll be as though the mother of all volcanoes erupted,
to the point that the smoke will block sunlight and
contaminate the air.
I hope many hyper-environmentalists, who need to
receive Jesus, are reading this. Take note, Al Gore.
Those still living on earth will breathe, literally, AIR
FROM HELL, which will clog and sear their lungs.
This will be followed by the emergence of millions of
demons, who sting like scorpions, and are
permitted to sting everyone, repeatedly, except the
144,000 sealed Israelites.
Verses 7-11 of this chapter give us a detailed
description of the demons, but forget for a moment
what they LOOK like.
They will be allowed to sting and torment unsaved
mankind for 5 months. The pain will be so excruciating
that men will WANT TO die, but won't, no matter
WHAT they do.
Suicide will be impossible.
But the story doesn't end there. Sometime thereafter,
after the 6th trumpet is blown and ONE THIRD of
mankind (close to TWO BILLION people) die, the
Antichrist will STEP OUT OF THAT OPEN PIT, OUT OF
HELL ITSELF, RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD
(Revelation 11:7; 13:1;17:8).
He will reintroduce himself as "defender of mankind"
(that's what the name Alexander means), who's come
to "defend" them against a just God, and His just
judgments.
The chaotic, devastated, agonizing, desperate,
UNBELIEVING world will be all too eager to receive
him.
The pit remains open for the rest of the tribulation.
At the end thereof, when Jesus returns, satan himself
will be unceremoniously TOSSED INTO HELL, and the
PIT WILL once again BE CLOSED (Revelation 20:1-3).
satan will be SHUT in hell for 1,000 years known
as the Millennium.
When the 1,000 years end the pit will be reopened and
satan allowed to come out for A LITTLE WHILE.
Shortly thereafter, all the dead who've gone to hell will
be resurrected and judged.
Finally, the pit (hell) itself will be tossed into the lake
of fire for eternity, along with satan, whereupon there
will be a NEW heaven and a NEW earth (Revelation
20:7-15; 21:1).
And there you have it: the destiny of hell.
Hell will be opened, hell will be closed, then hell will
be NO MORE.
MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011
ELENIN
All right: Just yesterday (Sunday) we received 24
emails (yes, we COUNTED THEM) on this stupid hoax.
That's NOT COUNTING the many we've received and
answered in previous days and weeks.
Not to mention, I addressed this myth just 33 days
ago (July 12, 2011), and it seems to have gone in one
ear and out the other.
So, all you prophecy expert wannabes PAY
ATTENTION, cause I'm NOT answering any more
emails on this topic. I've better things to do with my
time, especially on a Sunday.
This is a classic example of how quickly
UNSCRIPTURAL GARBAGE about SUPPOSED
"Bible prophecy" spreads through the internet.
How can something BE "Bible prophecy" when it's NOT
EVEN FOUND IN the Bible???
Hello???????
There's NOTHING in the Bible about A COMET --
whether it's called Elenin, Nibiru, Planet X or anything
else -- causing the Rapture or the tribulation:
NOTHING.
There's NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER
that the passing of this comet will cause any great
catastrophe.
Unless, of course, you consider the dubious "experts"
on YouTube with their Mickey Mouse theories "scientific
evidence".
According to REAL scientists at NASA this is just a
passing comet which will pass RELATIVELY NEAR the
earth, and should be a rather inconsequential event.
Please read paragraphs 8-10 at the following link:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=201
1-135
http://www.2012hoax.org/elenin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD-V6KmiB78
But, let's be generous. Let's give these fools the
benefit of the doubt (not that there's ANY doubt).
Let's assume that we had SOLID, CONCLUSIVE
SCIENTIFIC PROOF that the recent quakes in Chile or
Japan, were directly connected to this comet.
SO WHAT?
HAS THIS COMET'S ALIGNMENT (with whatever)
caused the sun to turn black and the moon blood-
red?
Has it caused a large meteor shower?
Has it caused the sky to roll up like a scroll?
Has it caused a massive rearrangement of
geography and topography as Revelation 6:12-16
describe?
Has it caused Jesus to appear in the clouds?
That's WHAT, according to the Bible, WILL HAPPEN
just prior to the Rapture.
But couldn't this be some sort of "heavenly sign" since
it's passing close to the earth during the Feast of
Tabernacles (October 16, 2011)?
Hey, there's also going to be A FULL MOON during
Tabernacles, could THAT be "a sign"?
The sun will presumably come up each morning during
Tabernacles, is that "a sign"?
Give me a break! These are ALL NATURAL EVENTS.
God DOESN'T NEED the "help" of ANY NATURAL
EVENT to cause the SUPERNATURAL signs described in
the Book of Joel, the synoptic Gospels, and the Book of
Revelation.
Jesus ALREADY TOLD US what "heavenly signs" will
happen as the tribulation starts: the sun turns
black, the moon blood-red, a huge meteor shower, the
sky rolls unto itself like a scroll, huge quake of land
and atmosphere, resulting in new geography and
topography.
That's A LOT of specific detail. Sorry. I don't see A
COMET on the list.
These are ALL SUPERNATURAL signs.
But isn't this the fulfillment of Revelation 12:1-4 which
speaks of a "woman in heaven" clothed in the sun,
etc.?
Isn't this what will happen in the sign of Virgo as this
comet passes by?
NO.
I have posted the picture below which ALLEGEDLY
shows Virgo as the "woman" in Revelation 12.
This picture shows the location of the sun and moon,
as this comet passes by.
Any OBJECTIVE viewer will have to agree that the sun
being on the woman's LEFT SHOULDER, hardly
qualifies as her "being clothed" with the sun.
By the way, the Greek text uses the word
peribeblēmenē, which means to have the sun
WRAPPED AROUND HER.
That's NOT what we see in that planetary projection.
Likewise, the moon being KNEE HIGH to the woman
doesn't even come close to being "under her
feet" as Revelation 12:1 requires.
The Greek word there is upokatō meaning "below" or
"under" her feet.
And, WHERE's the crown of 12 stars that
Revelation 12:1 speaks of?
NOWHERE.
WHERE'S the dragon standing right in front of
the woman to devour her baby as soon as he's born?
(Revelation 12:4).
NOWHERE.
Most importantly, where's THE BABY?
NOWHERE.
The woman isn't even pregnant. She's Virgo THE
VIRGIN.
So, all the crap floating around the internet and on
YouTube about this event causing the Rapture or
triggering the tribulation, or some MAJOR calamity, is
just that:
Pure CONJECTURE: NON-SCIENTIFIC,
UNSUBSTANTIATED CRAP.
C-R-A-P... is that CLEAR ENOUGH FOR everyone?
This is A HOAX. It's much ado about NOTHING. Just
like Y2k turned out to be a hoax, just like the "North
American Union" and the "Amero" turned out to be a
hoax (remember them?), just like the UFO over the
Temple Mount turned out to be a hoax. Just like a
mysterious green figure on video during the Egyptian
insurrection dubbed the "4th horseman of Revelation"
turned out to be a hoax. Just like the Harold Camping
debacle turned out to be a hoax.
You're free to believe whatever you like, but I'm most
definitely NOT on board.
And I'm not WASTING another second of my
valuable time of this MORONIC piece of crap.
Henceforth ALL communications about this STUPID
COMET, WILL BE IGNORED.
Hate to disappoint you, but I get my eschatology
FROM GOD'S WORD, not from YouTube.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2011
WHY YOUNG PEOPLE LEAVE
CHURCH
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat on that house; and IT FELL NOT: for it was FOUNDED ON THE
ROCK (Matthew 7:25).
According to a recent Barna survey, 70% of young
adults leave church before age 25.
That means that 7 out of 10 will DROP OUT.
Contrary to what most pastors would say, attending
church services is NOT essential to salvation.
You can have STRONG, ACTIVE FAITH in Jesus
Christ WITHOUT belonging to, or attending, a
particular congregation, and even without
attending services AT ALL.
(Save your emails, please: There ISN'T ONE verse
from Genesis to Revelation that says attending a
building, or attending a religious service, is required.
Hebrews 10:25 is NOT talking about congregating
physically, and I can prove it).
What no survey accurately portrays is the number of
young people who altogether FORSAKE their
FAITH or whose faith gets smothered by the
world's onslaught.
The highest percentage of our readership is in the
coveted 18-45 age bracket.
I can tell you from interacting with young or relatively
young adults that many struggle with their faith when
they reach late teens or young adulthood.
26% of survey participants found church members
judgmental or hypocritical
20% felt disconnected from people in church.
But their main problem is they find church
IRRELEVANT.
Religious services DO NOT meet their needs.
They DO NOT SATISFY them spiritually or
intellectually.
They DO NOT provide the firm, ROCK SOLID
foundation that's required to STAND for one's beliefs.
That's where the REAL problem lies.
The Church has been woefully inadequate in preparing
its youth for the challenges they face as young adults.
The latter are either attending college, or
contemplating attending. They're also entering the
work force and making friends OUTSIDE OF the church
environment.
This is also the time when young people's character is
defined.
You can rest assured that their FAITH WILL BE
TESTED sooner rather than later.
Christian Bible colleges and seminaries do A LOUSY
JOB of preparing pastors and ministers to address such
challenges OR PROVIDE CLEAR, CONCRETE ANSWERS.
Young people find man-invented religious rules
associated with Christianity stifling. (They are!)
They find the pastor's bland sermon IRRELEVANT.
And the lame, ineffective, watered down "teaching"
they get in Sunday school DOES NOT BEGIN TO
PREPARE THEM to face or answer those challenges.
So, when John S. Christian meets Jim J. Worldly who
engages him on the existence of God, on evolution vs.
creation, or who Jesus really was/is, or did Jesus even
exist, or the fact there are many religions that offer
some supposed "path" to the Divine, so who's to say
that the Christian faith is the ONLY Truth, or that Jesus
is THE ONLY Salvation... and he's not equipped to
FACE, let alone ANSWER, let alone REFUTE such
arguments...
When you compare unbelievers' "anything goes"
worldview to "Christian" severity about walking the
"straight and narrow" OR ELSE... which do you think
is more appealing?
When J.S. Christian who was taught to be "measured",
"temperate" and "perfect" AT ALL TIMES sees J.J.
Worldly all excited and gung-ho about HIS erroneous
beliefs and decadent lifestyle, which do you think is
more enticing?
That's where Holy Spirit inspired teaching comes in.
Pastors, DON'T deliver a stupid sermon, from a stupid
religious manual, or from some "stupider" seminary
taught formula that'll put the congregation to sleep
and won't do anyone any good.
A message on "I am, I can, I will" won't equip anyone
to handle life's challenges. A message on how God
loves, forgives and receives those "aren't, can't and
won't" WILL.
Unless the Church gives young people CLEAR
ANSWERS TO LIFE'S QUESTIONS, THEY'LL SEEK
THOSE ANSWERS FROM THE WORLD.
Unless the Church gives young people the spiritual
ammunition they need to refute worldly claims, and
STAND their ground...
Unless it gives them SOLID DOCTRINE (meat) instead
of watered down powdered milk...
They'll keep leaving in droves.
If we don't give young adults and teens a FIRM
FOUNDATION, something (actually, SOMEONE) SOLID
to chew on, someone to get EXCITED AND
PASSIONATE about, you can bet your bottom dollar
THE WORLD WILL.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011
DO YOU HAVE TO BE
GOOD?
Do you have to be good in order to be saved? This
may shock some of you. The answer is NO.
Oh, I know religion says you do, but they're lying.
That's NOT WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES.
First of all, with regards to people's characters, how do
you define "good"? What you may consider "good",
may not be "so good" to someone else.
What humans consider "good" doesn't even REMOTELY
satisfy God's standard for "goodness".
According to Jesus, NO ONE is good, except God
(Mark 10:18).
Even if we could define "good", the next question is
"HOW GOOD do you have to be"? How do you
even know if you're "good enough"?
YOU DON'T.
Fact is, no matter how "good" you try to be, you'll
NEVER COME CLOSE to God's requirements, so QUIT
TRYING.
Well, what's the answer, then?
If we can't measure up, are we all hopelessly
doomed?
Hardly!
The Good News is Jesus WILL PROVIDE YOU HIS
OWN GOODNESS, FOR FREE (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The ONLY human being who ever lived up to God's
standard of GOODNESS, PERFECTION AND
RIGHTEOUSNESS is Jesus Christ.
No one else has. No one else will, at least not in
this life.
You never will. I never will.
The wonder of Salvation is that when you give your life
to Him, and receive the Person of Jesus into your
heart, as your Lord, HIS GOODNESS, HIS
PERFECTION AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE ALL
TRANSFERRED TO YOU.
God sees you, from that moment on, AS IF YOU'VE
LIVED YOUR ENTIRE LIFE AS PERFECTLY, AS
RIGHTEOUSLY, and AS "GOODLY" AS JESUS LIVED
HIS.
GOD'S OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS IS TRANSMITTED
TO YOU... FREELY.
You give Him your "badness", He gives you His
Goodness.
You give Him your sin, He gives you His
Righteousness.
You give Him your life, He'll give you His LIFE.
"Your life" is temporary. HIS LIFE IS ETERNAL. So,
who gets the better deal?
Doesn't get any better than THAT!
So, how about it?
NOBODY's ever made it to heaven because they
were "good". They made it there because THEY
GOT HIS GOODNESS.
Best bargain in world history: His Life in exchange for
yours. His Goodness in exchange for your badness.
What are you waiting for? Go for it!!!
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011
AFRAID OF THE FUTURE
So many people are afraid of the future.
Each year, over 250 million tranquilizer
prescriptions are written in the United States: All
for fear of something tha doesn't exist.
That's right, there's no such thing.
What we call "future" is a lie.
The only Truth is Present.
God is Truth. God is EVER Present.
That's why He NEVER changes.
The "future" is a lie. Time itself is a lie.
Both were invented by the father of lies, satan.
satan wanted CHANGE. Change is impossible in the
Eternal Present.
he, therefore, invented the false notion of "time".
If he could subtract from THE ETERNAL PRESENT
[ETERNITY], there would be a "future" in which he
might affect change.
He said in his heart "I WILL ascend into heaven...,
and I WILL exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
WILL sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in
the sides of the north: I WILL ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I WILL be like the Most High
[Isaiah 14:13,14].
He deceived himself, and those who fell for his
lie, into believing you can change eternity. Fact is,
you can't.
That's why, if you are in God [Jesus Christ], you need
not fear the "future".
What we call "future" is TOTALLY in His Most Capable
Hands.
He is the Beginning and The End. That means our
"future" is PREDETERMINED. That's another way of
saying it's FIXED.
The Present is THE ONLY TRUTH.
The false notion of "time" is only experienced by
beings living "under heaven", in a sinful, fallen
environment, such as this [Ecclesiastes 3:1].
satan is the "I WILL". God is the "I AM" [Exodus
3:14].
You'll never find Jesus in the "future". You'll only
find Him in the Present.
And the Present is NOW.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011
RIOTS IN LONDON
It's no longer just Libya and Syria; it's no longer just
Arab nations... We have recently seen riots in Greece,
Italy, Spain and now (hard to believe) IN LONDON,
England.
While these four nations, unlike some of their Arab
neighbors, are not necessarily trying to shake off some
oppressive, dictatorial regime, riots are being fueled
by ethnic tension combined with high
unemployment, economic uncertainty, and
general hopelessness.
What do these nations have in common with the
participants in the so-called "Arab Spring"?
They were ALL part of the former Roman Empire.
They are ALL part of the world that was known in
Jesus' time.
Hence, THEY ARE THE VERY NATIONS that Jesus
predicted would rise against themselves: nation
against nation, kingdom against kingdom, as in
Libyans against Libyans, Syrians against Syrians,
Egyptians against Egyptians, Greeks against Greeks,
British against British (Matthew 24:6-8).
There were no airplanes or transatlantic ocean liners in
the first century A.D. Therefore, the "world" known
back then consisted of those regions that could
be reached by land or by relatively small vessels
along the Mediterranean Sea.
I'm aware that some are predicting similar riots here in
the United States. Does that mean they COULDN'T
happen here, since we were never part of the Roman
Empire?
Not necessarily. We hope and pray they DON'T.
But EVERY SINGLE nation where they HAVE
HAPPENED, or ARE HAPPENING, is part of the formerly
Roman world.
The ACCURACY of Jesus' words is simply astounding.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the SHEER LACK
OF LEADERSHIP prevalent across the globe.
The U.S. credit rating is downgraded for the FIRST
TIME IN HISTORY, and NOBODY says anything,
offers any reassurances, or seems to have any
answers.
The stock market takes a precipitous plunge and
NOBODY -- and I'm talking Democrat, Republican,
Tea Party, Independent, Libertarian, or WHATEVER --
offers any solutions.
Politicians are quick to proffer a million theories on
how we got into this mess, but NO CLEAR VISION on
how to GET OUT.
NO ONE in America, Europe or anywhere else, seems
to have a way out of the quagmire, or proposes a
viable plan to reduce persistently high unemployment,
and put an end to the three year old global recession.
I've never been pessimist. I wish I could tell you things
will get better between now and the time we have left.
I wish I could tell you the Rapture will take place next
month during God's Feasts in the Hebrew calendar
before things get much uglier.
But I cannot, in good conscience, say either one.
And this is one instance where I VERY MUCH WANT
TO BE WRONG.
As I stated recently, I see us being here until
SOMETIME during the first half (roughly, UNTIL
SOMETIME in the first 6 months of) 2012.
I am being DELIBERATELY vague.
Jesus described the situation PERFECTLY in Luke 21:25
as "DISTRESS of nations with PERPLEXITY".
The Greek for "perplexity" is aporia, which literally
means (being in) "a quandary, with no viable
solution, no way out".
So, there may eventually be some slight
"improvement" on the economy, but it'll be short lived.
It will continue to sputter.
That's not what any of us wants to hear, or read, but
such things MUST HAPPEN.
That's not pessimism; it's biblical REALITY.
We've experienced technical difficulties and have been unable
to publish for the past 48 hours. We apologize for this
inconvenience. New messages should resume tomorrow
(8/11). On the upside, the message below is one that should
be deeply absorbed and meditated on by EVERYONE in the
Body of Christ. Thanks for your patience.
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2011
LOVE IS YOUR VICTORY
Since the Tower of Babel, human language has been
fractured.
All human language is, at times, deficient.
This is particularly true in the English language where
the word "love" is concerned.
To us, "love" can mean ANYTHING from natural
affection for a close friend, family member or relative,
to sexual desire for another person, to LIKING
something or someone a lot as in "I LOVE chocolate",
to sublime love for God.
In the game of tennis, "love" means NOTHING, ZERO.
However, there's a reason Jesus had His apostles write
the New Testament in Greek.
Greek has three distinct words for what we call "love":
There's phileo for love toward friends and family.
There's eros for sexual desire.
And there's agape for Divine Love.
According to 1st John 4:16, God is neither phileo
nor eros. He is AGAPE.
Divine Love is God's very Nature.
That Divine Nature was placed in our hearts when we
experienced the New Birth of the spirit (2 Peter 1:4;
Romans 5:5; John 3:5).
Therefore, WE HAVE God's Own Nature, His Divine
Love INSIDE OF US, in our inner man, from the
moment we're born again (Galatians 5:22).
That Divine Nature (AGAPE Love) is our victory in
EVERY situation.
God is God because He IS Agape.
God is Agape because He IS God.
That's WHY God NEVER LOSES.
He has NEVER lost and He NEVER will.
Agape love is His Victory and He/it is also OUR
victory.
Love won't be unequally yoked with anything lesser.
Love and only love will rapture us.
LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR (1 John 4:18).
LOVE CASTS OUT TORMENT.
LOVE TRUSTS (1 Corinthians 13:7).
LOVE TRIUMPHS & NEVER FAILS (1 Corinthians
13:8).
LOVE STAYS FOCUSED ON HIMSELF (on God, on
Love).
LOVE IS YOUR HEALTH.
LOVE IS YOUR PROVISION.
LOVE IS YOUR SOLUTION.
LOVE IS YOUR SALVATION.
LOVE IS ETERNAL.
LOVE IS YOUR VICTORY.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2011
NOT THIS YEAR
Apparently, the Rapture won't be happening this
year, but in the first half of 2012.
We hear from so many, on a daily basis, asking
"WHEN". This has intensified in recent days with the
bad news about the economy and all the turmoil going
on overseas.
So, I might as well tell you that all scriptural indicators
point to AT LEAST another 6 months before it
happens.
Needless to say, I'm not happy about this, since I wish
it had ALREADY happened.
However, that's what I currently see in the Scriptures.
As I shared with you recently, THE CLOSER WE GET to
"the time of the end", the greater our understanding of
such events will be (Daniel 12:4, 9).
Revelation comes WHEN IT COMES. I know A LOT
MORE today than I did three months ago. I expect I'll
KNOW EVEN MORE between now and the beginning of
2012.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit will allow me to share the
FINER details as we get much closer to the time.
However, I can share SOME details that'll shed SOME
light on where we are prophetically.
We know, as per Daniel 9:25, that the Second Coming
takes place in the fall of 2017.
We know the Antichrist reigns for 3½ years PRIOR.
That takes us to mid-April 2014 (the final half week in
Daniel's 70 weeks) for the beginning of his reign.
We know that Antichrist must reappear and do certain
things BEFORE he begins to reign.
He doesn't just emerge from the pit (Revelation 17:8)
and start reigning.
He must reintroduce himself, prove his identity, gain
popular support (Revelation 13:3,4), form a political
coalition, put together an army and fight at least
four wars against Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Israel,
probably in that order (Daniel 8:17,19-26; 11:40-44).
All of that TAKES TIME.
So, I'm guessing, based on the above, that his
reappearance will take place sometime in 2013.
And we know that PRIOR TO HIS EMERGENCE FROM
THE PIT the 6 trumpet judgments mentioned in
Revelation chapters 8 & 9 must happen.
We also know, as per Revelation 7:9 that the Church is
raptured JUST PRIOR TO those 6 trumpet judgments.
Just ONE of those judgments, trumpet 5, lasts 5
months (Revelation 9:1-10).
Therefore, it looks like we're leaving in the FIRST half
of 2012.
That would allow anywhere between 10-20 months for
ALL OF THE ABOVE to happen, and 10-24 months to
build the third temple which MUST be finished by the
time Antichrist begins his reign of terror, in order to
fulfill Jesus' prophecy concerning the "abomination of
desolation" (Matthew 24:15).
This, by the way, has NOTHING to do with the
Mayan calendar which predicts "the end of the world"
on December 21, 2012, which would be the SECOND
half of 2012.
The world won't "end" and be replaced with a new
heaven and a new earth until at least the year 3024.
That's 1,013 years from now.
But we still have 5 months left in 2011. Don't you
think it can still happen THIS year?
...Technically, yes, scripturally, no.
Technically, God can do anything He wants
whenever He wants and still make it fit the
Scriptures.
But I doubt it. If He did that, then the Scriptures would
be misleading, and studying them would be pretty
useless.
His Word tells us we have a "MORE SURE Word of
prophecy" (2 Peter 1:19) and that God magnifies
His Word even above His Name (Psalm 138:2).
So, I fully expect the Scriptures to pan out perfectly on
this, as they have in over 2,000 prophecies
fulfilled in painstaking detail to date.
Hate to say it, I see NOTHING in the Scriptures which
points to a 2011 Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur or
Sukkot rapture. I could make a stronger case for
Hanukkah, but I don't really see it happening there
either.
I do see A LOT that points to the first half of
2012.
So, it looks like we got AT LEAST 6 more months to
go.
If God, for some reason, made this one event the
exception, and it happened THIS YEAR, I'd be both
WRONG and EXTREMELY surprised.
I'd also be the happiest person in the universe.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011
HOW LONG IS THE
TRIBULATION?
The Millennium, as I shared with you recently, is
preceded by a 7-year period.
That 7-year period, as I also shared recently, began
in December, 2010 and will end in December
2017.
It began with the "birthpangs" described by Jesus
in detail in Matthew 24:4-8.
The birthpangs precede both the Rapture and the
tribulation (Revelation 12:1-5).
The whole world, particularly the Middle East, is
experiencing those birthpangs, RIGHT NOW, as we
speak.
Consequently, the tribulation DOES NOT last 7
years as pretribbers, myself included, previously
thought.
The tribulation, according to Matthew 24:29 and
Revelation 6:12 BEGINS with the sun turning black,
the moon appearing red as blood, a large meteor
shower and a huge temblor of land, sea, and
atmosphere.
Since the birthpangs HAVE BEGUN and we haven't
seen those signs, then clearly the birthpangs ARE
NOT PART OF the tribulation. Rather, they PRECEDE
the tribulation.
As the tribulation begins with the aforementioned
signs, the Church is raptured (Revelation 7:9) PRIOR
TO the tribulation JUDGMENTS which begin with the
trumpets mentioned in Revelation 8:1-6.
How long, then, does the tribulation last?
Clearly, it depends on HOW LONG THE BIRTHPANGS
LAST.
I'm not aware of any Scripture that specifies their
duration.
If we go by the HUMAN gestation period, they would
last about 9 months, but that's a HUGE "if".
The Scriptures seem to indicate that they will last
LONGER THAN 9 months.
It appears, then, that the birthpangs would end, the
tribulation SIGNS would begin, and the Rapture would
take place, sometime between the present and
mid-2012.
I will further explain in the next message.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2011
NO CONDITIONS
There are NO CONDITIONS for receiving Christ.
Again: there are NO CONDITIONS for receiving
Christ.
I mean ZERO, ZIP.
Sinful men may have invented conditions.
Religion may have invented conditions.
But there are NONE.
EVERYONE who comes to Jesus comes to Him AS
THEY ARE.
You don't have to CHANGE anything.
You don't have to ABANDON anything.
You don't have to "reform" anything.
You don't have to STOP doing anything.
You don't have to "cleanse" yourself of anything.
It's Jesus who'll do the changing.
It's Jesus who'll remove stuff from your life.
It's Jesus who'll bring reform.
It's Jesus who'll help you STOP whatever needs
stopping.
It's Jesus WHO'LL CLEANSE YOU.
And NOBODY, including yourself, can clean you up as
well as Him.
Jesus will receive you JUST LIKE YOU ARE,
RIGHT NOW.
Don't fall for the religious lie that you have to do this,
or do that, stop this or stop that, BEFORE coming to
Christ.
That's a hellish lie if there ever was one.
There are NO OBSTACLES between Jesus and you.
Jesus loves you - yes, YOU! - AS YOU ARE.
He accepts you - yes, YOU! -- AS YOU ARE.
You don't have to pretend, put on airs, or try to
"deserve" His love.
NONE OF US DESERVE IT.
BUT HE LOVES US ANYWAY.
So, what's keeping YOU from having ALL your sins
forgiven?
What's keeping you from being cleansed?
What's keeping YOU from getting a new lease on
life?
What's keeping YOU from receiving Jesus?
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2012
CHRISTIAN STEREOTYPES
Some Christians were offended, couple of decades ago,
when Saturday Night Live came up with the "Church
lady" character, portrayed by a wigged, frumpy
dressed, stern looking, orthopedic stocking and
eyeglass wearing, Dana Carvey.
Regardless of SNL's mischievous motives, they did
organized Christianism a BIG favor by showing
them HOW a lost world perceives most
Christians.
There's no worse religious caricature than a "staunch"
Baptist... or a flamboyant Pentecostal.
Before Baptists and Pentecostals descend on me like a
proverbial plague of biblical locusts, please KNOW that
I came to INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF Jesus thru three
wonderful Baptism ministers (Oliver Greene, Theodore
Epp and Billy Graham), and that I'm also SPIRIT
FILLED.
Yes, Martel prays and speaks in tongues... IN PRIVATE,
NOT IN PUBLIC...
I love Baptists, I love Pentecostals. I love ALL
Christians, I love pretend Christians, and I love non-
Christians.
However, one thing that religion does to all of us
is we tend to take ourselves too seriously.
It's healthy, once in a while, to kick back and take a
self-deprecating look at ourselves.
Not only will we laugh a little, or A LOT, which is good
for us, but we may also learn something in the
process.
I don't know about you, but at some point my human
mind gets overloaded with prayer requests, reading
and listening to other people's problems, answering
their questions, worldly responsibilities, and even with
Bible study.
Much as I love the written Word, much as I love
prophecy, there comes a point where I have to shove
aside all the horns, and weeks, timelines, antichrists,
abominations of desolation, false prophets, seals,
horses, trumpets, woes, and vials... and take a
break.
...A non-religious, non-scriptural BREAK.
I praise God for giving us humans a sense of humor. I
suspect He has one, too, or He wouldn't have created
us.
Without it, I would have TOTALLY "LOST IT" ages ago.
But my main point is this:
Christians are not supposed to impress others with the
way we LOOK (good, bad, extreme or in-between)
but with WHO HE IS.
And WHO HE IS should be reflected in us.
He IS Love, and His unconditional, special agape Love
should manifest in us.
Love didn't come to this world in physical form,
as Jesus, in order to find fault or CONDEMN, but
TO SAVE (John 3:17).
LOOKING like the Church lady doesn't make
ANYONE more spiritual. It doesn't make ANYONE
a "better Christian". It doesn't even make
ANYONE Christian.
Neither does LOOKING like drag queen.
Neither does having tons of plastic surgery.
Unfortunately, these are some of the images that
RELIGIOUS television has perpetuated in our minds.
LOOKS have NOTHING to do with WHO LIVES IN US.
Repeat: LOOKS have NOTHING to do with WHO
LIVES IN US.
Adam looked like Jesus BEFORE he sinned.
Adam STILL LOOKED LIKE Jesus AFTER he sinned...
But he was LOST.
So, brothers and sisters, let's take Jesus seriously,
let's take His Will for our lives seriously, let's take
His Word seriously, but let's NOT take ourselves
too seriously.
It's Jesus' own Self IN US that must be taken
seriously.
It's NOT our SELF that we must take seriously but His
Self.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011
OVERCOMING THE WORLD
"In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good
cheer, I HAVE OVERCOME the world" (John 16:33).
The BODY OF Christ MUST awaken to the REALITY OF
the INNER Christ.
Repeat: The BODY of Christ MUST awaken to the
REALITY OF the INNER Christ.
Jesus Christ LIVES in us AS MUCH AS He lived in
the physical body He used to walk around the
earth.
AS MUCH AS He lived in that body which hung on the
cross for our sins, and shed its supremely holy and
priceless Blood.
AS MUCH AS He lives in that glorified body that
ROSE from the dead, and ASCENDED TO heaven.
Selah.
Yet YOU'D NEVER KNOW IT from watching THE
MEMBERS OF His Body.
Christians have managed to HIDE JESUS.
They've hidden Him SO WELL and SO DEEP that He's
INVISIBLE.
Worse, He's virtually UNDETECTABLE.
It's bad enough WE don't SEE HIM in us.
What's even worse is that THE WORLD doesn't see
Him either.
And it DESPERATELY NEEDS TO!
We make our SELVES visible. But we make Him
INVISIBLE.
We manifest our SELVES, but we STIFLE Him.
What great tragedy!
By HIDING HIM (Love), we allow satan and the world
to overcome.
You'll NEVER overcome this world and its corrupt
systems in your self.
You'll NEVER overcome it IN THE FLESH.
The ONLY HOPE we have of overcoming is JESUS IN
US.
The ONLY HOPE we have of overcoming is OUR INNER
JESUS.
Are you stifling Jesus?
Cut Him loose!
LET Him COME FORTH.
LET Him face and handle AND OVERCOME EVERY
worldly circumstance you face.
He ALREADY overcame satan and every evil spirit on
your behalf.
My God, He already OVERCAME DEATH ITSELF. WHAT
could be WORSE THAN THAT?
LET Him APPEAR. It's YOU who MUST
DISAPPEAR.
It's YOU who MUST become "invisible".
Please understand that I'm preaching TO MYSELF as
well as to you.
We've ALL failed at MANIFESTING THE INWARD Jesus.
BUT WE MUST.
Those of you who write me every day and week
whining and clamoring about the Rapture, and how
much longer we'll have to wait, and how much you
want to be with the Lord and leave this corrupt earth
realm... please listen:
The unleashing of Jesus IN US will be THE
RAPTURE OF US.
We've held Jesus in the "tomb" FAR TOO LONG.
If He is risen indeed, then LET HIM rise IN YOU.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2011
FULLNESS & TIMES
For all the self-proclaimed prophecy pundits, and all
the crappy books, CD's, DVD's, interviews and TV
shows they've produced, there's ENORMOUS confusion
about "the TIMES of the gentiles" mentioned in Luke
21:24 and "the FULLNESS of the gentiles" mentioned
in Romans 11:25.
Some "experts" would have us believe they're the
same thing.
Do the words "times" and "fullness" mean the
same thing? Obviously NOT.
Then there's NO WAY IN HELL, or on earth, that they
can be the same thing.
Jesus said Jerusalem would be trodden down by
Gentiles UNTIL the TIMES of the Gentiles were
fulfilled.
Since biblical Jerusalem has been recovered by Jews
and Gentiles are NO LONGER TRAMPLING it, that is
clear indication that their "times" have been
fulfilled.
The TIMES of the gentiles clearly refers, therefore, to
all the times the gentiles would have dominion
over Jerusalem.
Since Jesus uttered those words, Gentiles had
UNINTERRUPTED dominion over the holy city, for
1,934 years.
The TIMES of the gentiles abruptly came to an END on
June 7, 1967 when Jews recaptured biblical Jerusalem,
in fulfillment of Jesus' amazing prophecy.
Jerusalem has been in Jewish hands, praise Jesus
forever, ever since.
Paul said that blindness had come, in part, to Israel
UNTIL the FULLNESS of the gentiles had come
into the Kingdom of God, then ALL ISRAEL WOULD
BE SAVED.
Don't see any mention of Jerusalem there, do
you?
The FULLNESS of gentiles, therefore, refers to the
FULL NUMBER of gentiles coming to Salvation,
after which ALL Israel (not just Jews but ALL 12
TRIBES) will be saved.
We know the TIMES ended in 1967, what about the
FULLNESS?
In Revelation 14:6 God sends a special angel thru
heaven, at mid-tribulation, preaching the ETERNAL
GOSPEL to every nation on earth. Evidently, many will
heed the angel's message and turn to Jesus.
According to Revelation 14:6, 15:2 and 20:4, during
the reign of Antichrist there will be MANY
gentiles who will come to faith in Jesus and
reject the mark of the beast.
Many will be murdered for their faith. Those who
survive will have a special rapture just prior to the 7
vial judgments in Revelation chapter 16.
When that happens, early in the year 2017, the
FULLNESS of gentiles will have come into the
Kingdom, and shortly after ALL ISRAEL will be saved
and resettled into the land God gave them as eternal
inheritance.
The "times" of the gentiles have come to an end. The
FULLNESS of the gentiles coming into the Kingdom of
God is still in our future.
They're two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT EVENTS taking place
at two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TIMES.
The ONLY THING the two events have in common is
the word "gentiles".
SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011
PICTURES FROM THE PIT
There's this video making the rounds on the internet
and INFECTING YouTube as well as the minds OF
STUPID, IGNORANT people, where SUPPOSEDLY a
Korean "Christian" girl had a vision of Jesus, wherein
He took her to hell and showed her the specific
punishment for various types of sin.
The girl then, purportedly, depicted their punishment
in a series of gruesome, graphic and rather disturbing
pictures.
According to this ABOMINATION, smokers are
possessed by the "spirits of serpents", those who didn't
consult Jesus but "made their own decisions" hung
from crosses as they were crucified and tormented in
hell, those who didn't want to "eat the Word of God"
were covered in sores and had these long, thin, snake
like creatures coming in and out of their mouths.
Those who ate and drank "prohibited things"
(whatever those are) had this dark liquid resembling
tar poured into their mouths.
(It's ironic that this video should come from South
Korea of all places, where they eat raw, LIVE fish
and LIVE octopus still wriggling and BLEEDING in
their mouths... YUCK! And where they even eat
DOGS)... (Acts 15:29).
Those who "hurt others with their words" get a spear
through the mouth.
Liars have their mouths forced open by devils with two
horns and get hot coals or hot rocks shoved into them.
Those who steal money are penetrated from head to
toes with spears and needles...
Those who had impure thoughts were tormented in a
frying pan.
And (get this) Christians who DID NOT share the
Gospel WENT TO HELL, TOO.
THEY were tormented by being held with a chain
around their necks, while a devil with a sword
systematically hacked off their fingers, then the rest of
their bodies, piece by piece.
You get the picture.
Whoever made this video and painted those
pictures IS A DAMNED LIAR.
This ISN'T a "Christian" video, it's a SATANIC video.
It's supposedly based on the experience of a young
Korean girl, but her name is not even given, nor the
city she's from, nor the congregation she attends, nor
the name of a pastor or minister who will vouch for
her/it.
Whoever made it, besides being EXTREMELY
IGNORANT and possessing a VERY LOW I.Q., IS A
LIAR and an instrument of satan.
They've no more "seen Jesus" or "seen hell" than
I've seen Shangri La.
Besides being TOTALLY FEAR BASED - and we know
that FEAR is NOT of God (2 Timothy 1:7; 1John 4:18)
-- it CONTRADICTS the Word of God.
ANYONE WHO CONTRADICTS GOD IS A LIAR.
Where's the Blood of Jesus in all this?
Where's the Grace of God in all this?
If this piece of trash were true, NO ONE would be
saved.
EVERYONE would go to hell.
It's nothing but a cheap parody of the apocryphal
Apocalypse of Peter, written in the second century,
which depicts similar punishments for those who go to
hell and for their various types of sin.
That ludicrous piece of trash was NOT written by the
apostle Peter, was NOT Holy Spirit inspired, and has
NEVER been accepted into the canon of Scripture.
The tragedy is that there are AT LEAST 5
"Christian" places on the internet promoting
THIS EVIL VIDEO as a supposed "soul winning"
tool.
If I were a lost sinner, I'd be laughing my head off.
I'd be mocking the SHEER STUPIDITY of Christians and
how they NEGATE the very Gospel (Good News)
they profess to believe in with their superstitions
and nonsensical idiocy.
The pictures ARE from the pit, alright.
But they DON'T show who goes to hell or what
happens in hell.
What they do show is they CAME FROM HELL, NOT
from Jesus.
SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2011
WITNESSING
I was the first person in my family to become born-
again.
I'd heard about Jesus, read about Jesus, sang about
Jesus, prayed to Jesus, believed in Jesus. I even
LOVED Jesus.
I'd participated in all the rituals: infant baptism, First
Communion, Confirmation, attended Mass, gone to
confession, taken communion, sang in the church's
choir... studied catechism, taught catechism... you
name it.
Jesus was always "out there" somewhere, or
someone in my mind, someone religion had taught me
about.
Even though I loved Him, and believed in Him, I
couldn't say I REALLY KNEW HIM. I couldn't say
He LIVED in my heart.
I was NEVER SURE of being "good enough" to make it
to heaven [for the record, NO ONE IS].
Religion had taught me TO BE AFRAID OF God and,
sure enough, most of the time, I was AFRAID of Him.
In all my 21 years as a VERY TRADITIONAL Roman
Catholic, and also having had considerable exposure to
Seventh Day Adventism and Lutheranism, NO ONE
EVER TOLD ME that I needed to INVITE JESUS
INTO MY HEART.
Nobody EVER told me I needed to be born again.
Nobody EVER told me I needed to EXPERIENCE
Jesus, His PRESENCE, LOVE and power inside me.
Nobody EVER told me I needed to lose my fear of Him,
and TRUST HIM, REST in Him.
We neither studied, nor read the Bible. In fact, before
age 10, I hadn't even heard there was such thing as
a Bible.
It took a combination of three Baptist preachers to get
me saved: Oliver Greene, Theodore Epp, and Billy
Graham.
Thank God for the Baptist! They are relentless in
preaching Salvation.
It's something that I appreciate to this very day: Even
though God called me to minister primarily in the area
of biblical prophecy, I see myself as a SOUL
WINNER, first and foremost.
I rejoice as much today over each and every soul that
RECEIVES Christ, as I did many years ago with the
first person I ever brought to knowledge of the Savior.
I said all of that to say this:
I've NEVER WON anyone to Christ by asking them to
switch religions.
I've NEVER WON anyone to Christ by criticizing or
condemning them, or their lifestyle.
I NEVER WON any member of my family [and I've won
nearly all of them: parents, siblings, cousins, aunts,
uncles, nieces, nephews] BY TELLING THEM TO
FORSAKE PAINTINGS, STATUES, MEDALS OR ANY
OTHER RELIGIOUS PARAPHERNALIA.
Never told them to stop praying to this saint or that
saint.
Like Baptists, I focused on GETTING THEM TO
RECEIVE JESUS, getting JESUS INTO THEM.
A PERSON'S MOST URGENT NEED, regardless of
whether they're satanists, atheists, agnostics,
Lutherans, Episcopalians, Baptist, Pentecostals,
Catholics, or whatever... is TO RECEIVE JESUS
CHRIST INTO THEIR HEARTS AS LORD, SAVIOR
AND GOD.
Once Jesus GETS IN, all the other stuff gradually
COMES OUT.
I remember mother had for years and years a picture
of Mary in her bedroom. I never told her it was "bad",
"idolatrous", or to get rid of it.
Upon inviting Jesus into her heart, she said "she'd had
it for too long and just couldn't part with it". I said
"fine".
Couple of years went by and one day she suddenly
announced that she had gotten rid of the
painting because she'd read in the Bible that it
wasn't pleasing to God.
She did it ALL ON HER OWN.
A similar thing happened with my aunt.
She did it of her own volition, when the Holy
Spirit, not I, told her to.
Too often well-meaning Christians try to usurp the
role of the Holy Spirit, and FORCE or PRESSURE
people to "give this up" or "give that up" BEFORE
RECEIVING CHRIST.
They got it BACKWARDS:
I don't care whether it's smoking, drinking, drugs, sex,
adultery, religious images, or anything else.
We come to Jesus "JUST AS WE ARE", WE INVITE
HIM INTO OUR HEARTS, JUST AS WE ARE: NO FALSE
PIETY, NO FALSE PRETENSES.
When we do, Jesus takes over and CLEANS US UP.
Don't worry about what you've done, where you've
been, how you've lived, or even about your
surroundings.
Give your heart to Jesus. He does the rest.
Make Him your Lord, your Number One priority, and
EVERYTHING ELSE will fall into place.
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2011
BOLDNESS
Somewhere along the way, organized religion SOLD US
the idea that Christians ARE SUPPOSED TO BE MOUSY
AND TIMID.
Somewhere along the way we came to believe we're
supposed to be quiet, backward, unnoticed, and
non-intrusive: Just mind our own business.
That being a "good Christian" means to ALWAYS have
this idiotic smile, be nice, go to church, go home, and
not make any waves.
That we're supposed to be human doormats, and
accept whatever comes our way.
That we're not to have any impact in the world around
us, that we're not to engage in, or affect popular
culture.
That we are to retreat into the safety of certain
man-invented buildings we [incorrectly] call
"churches" and barricade ourselves.
That we should „hold the fort" and see those buildings
as places of refuge, to shelter us from all the evil that
goes on around us.
We were sold a whole bunch of unbiblical, religious
B.S.
Somewhere along the way, the Church was put on
defense.
When all the while we should have been be playing
OFFENSE.
Where did the religious establishment get these
ideas?
Certainly NOT from the Bible!
That's just the opposite of what we read in the
Gospels.
That's NOT the example that Jesus and His apostles
set for us.
Jesus told us to GO INTO [penetrate] ALL the
world. That sounds like offense to me.
He never told us to hide inside air conditioned
buildings with padded pews, sing boring hymns, and
let the world go to hell!
Jesus was always on offense.
Even when He hung in agony on the cross, He was on
offense. He was in control. He was pro-active. He was
setting a trap for satan. And satan fell for it.
Satan paid dearly for that mistake, and is still paying.
If the princes of this world had known they
would have never crucified the Lord of Glory [1st
Corinthians 2:8].
How can we even call ourselves "Christian" when we
don't follow our Master's example?
Go INTO all the world. . . means just that.... "all"
means "ALL".
We're supposed to go into bars and brothels, hospitals
and clubs, schools and homes, factories and offices,
parties and funerals. We're supposed to go on the
streets, and invade all forms of media with his
glorious message of eternal life.
Proverbs 28:1 says "the righteous are as bold as a
lion".
Jesus' NEVER preached retreat. He told us to
ADVANCE. He told us to OCCUPY.
Let's get on offence, and put satan and his minions on
defense.
Let's put them where they belong, under the
Church's feet.
The Promised Land is there for us to take. Do we still
fear the "giants"? Or are we BOLD ENOUGH to cross
the Jordan?
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011
FEAR MONGERS
"Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor men who have sex with men[a] nor thieves nor the greedy nor
drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And that IS WHAT SOME OF YOU WERE. But YOU WERE WASHED,
you were sanctified, YOU WERE JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NIV)
The ONE thing religion does, the ONE thing you can
COUNT ON it doing, is INSTILLING FEAR.
ALL religion is FEAR-BASED.
That includes all forms of "Christian" religion.
Fear BRINGS CONDEMNATION.
Fear is OUR ENEMY (2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18).
Every time I preach a message on the
UNCONDITIONAL Love and Grace of God, several
people immediately ask "what about this", "what
about THAT?", "what about 1 Corinthians 6:9"?
I'm not angry at these people. On the contrary, I'm
saddened by the fact that they've lived all or
most of their lives under religious bondage,
instead of the FREEDOM of the Spirit.
Matter of fact, I'm glad they ask because it gives me
the opportunity to shatter that myth to pieces with the
Word of Truth so that Jesus -- my lovely, precious
Jesus-- can truly SET THEM FREE.
Do we have to "perform" in order to please our Father?
Do we lose Salvation (Jesus) when we sin?
If that were remotely true then I would have gotten
lost and saved, and lost and saved, and lost and saved
AGAIN AND AGAIN... more times than I can count.
God doesn't want His children to live in fear that IF
THEY SIN, if they have a moment of weakness, if they
fail to act according to His righteous standards, they're
going to be lost.
Are you that way with YOUR children?
Are you constantly watching, just waiting for them to
make one mistake, break one rule, so you can
whack 'em over the head and disown them?
If you did, you wouldn't be much of a parent.
And if God did, He wouldn't be much of a God.
The fact is, when your children break the rules, you
may not like it, but you FORGIVE THEM.
If you, being sinners, can show such love and
compassion, WHAT ON EARTH MAKES RELIGION
THINK THAT God, THE PERSONIFICATION OF LOVE
AND MERCY, WILL DO ANY LESS?
Fact is, you can be an obedient son, or a disobedient
son of God, but you CANNOT un-son yourself.
Faith is TRUSTING that our heavenly Father won't
disown us NO MATTER WHAT WE DO.
Does that mean we TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIS
GRACE and SIN RECKLESSLY?
No!
Any person who's truly been born again, who is indwelt
by Christ's Spirit is NOT looking for ways to "get away
with" sin.
REAL Christians feel miserable when they/we sin,
because the Holy Spirit in us is grieved.
Any person who has the Living Christ on the inside
DOES NOT WANT TO SIN.
We sin because we're human and our flesh is weak.
Trust me, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO live
a godly life, YOU WILL SIN.
We don't want to sin, we're not proud of it, and we
wish we didn't, BUT SOONER OR LATER, WE WILL.
That's a fact.
Our PERFORMANCE doesn't impress God one bit.
Our FAITH (unconditional TRUST) does.
It all boils down to this: Is sin greater than the
Blood of Jesus?
If ANY sin is greater, we might as well throw in the
towel and forsake our faith (God forbid).
If ANY sin is greater, then Jesus DIED IN VAIN (perish
the VERY THOUGHT).
The fact is Jesus has ALREADY PAID FOR ALL -- and
I mean ALL -- your sins (past, present and future).
God doesn't find out about your sin when you
commit it. He knew about it, and JESUS WAS SLAIN
FOR IT, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE
WORLD (Revelation 13:8).
Your sins ARE forgiven!
There's NO CONDEMNATION! (Romans 8:1)
DEAL WITH IT!!!
Dust yourself off, receive His forgiveness humbly and
gratefully, and LIVE FOR HIM.
Living in the freedom of the Spirit is living WITHOUT
FEAR.
Living in the freedom of the Spirit is TRUSTING that we
are His and He is ours, REGARDLESS of our outward
behavior.
... REGARDLESS of when we act properly or when we
altogether MISS THE MARK.
As the old hymn so beautifully says "BLESSED
ASSURANCE, Jesus IS MINE".
If you receive Him, you're FOREVER His and He's
FOREVER YOURS (John 10:28,29).
NO ONE and NOTHING, in this world or the next, can
EVER change that.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27,2011
HELL, NO!
Contrary to conventional religious teaching, hell is A
TEMPORARY PLACE, NOT a FINAL destination
(Psalms 16:10; 2 Peter 2:4).
Most people confuse hell, which is temporary, with the
lake of fire, which is eternal. Or use "hell" as a
general term to refer to the destination of those who
are spiritually lost. I've been guilty of it myself.
Everyone who is in hell right now CAN STILL GET
SAVED (Psalm 139:8; Matthew 12:32).
While they still CAN get saved, there's NO
ASSURANCE that they will.
This is a question that comes in CONSTANTLY.
I realize this is a controversial subject. I certainly don't
part fellowship with those who believe differently. I
also recognize that religious tradition is HARD to break
free from. So, those who have "problems" with this
doctrine, and can't receive it, it's O.K.
This is NON-ESSENTIAL, meaning that no one's
Salvation hinges on their hell doctrine.
On the other hand, for those whose loved ones died
WITHOUT CHRIST, while I cannot give assurances that
they will be saved, there's STILL a ray of hope.
Hell is known by several names in the Bible:
1. Hell (Psalms 9:17; Luke 16:23)
2. The bottomless pit or "the pit" (Psalms 88:6;
Proverbs 1:12).
3. The abyss (Jeremiah 48:28; Luke 8:31; Revelation
9:2).
4. The "nether parts of the earth" (or netherworld)
(Ezekiel 31:14; 32:18).
Geographically speaking, hell is located BENEATH the
surface of the earth, at its center, UNDERGROUND,
BELOW where we live (Numbers 16:33; Deuteronomy
32:22; Isaiah 14:9).
They way in and out of hell, geographically speaking, is
thru the sea (Ezekiel 28:8).
The way INTO hell, spiritually speaking, is NOT
RECEIVING Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and God.
Failure to RECEIVE Jesus is THE ONLY sin, -- repeat:
THE ONLY sin -- THAT WILL SEND ANYONE TO HELL.
The way OUT of hell, is to receive Jesus as Lord,
Savior and God.
Those in hell can find Jesus, as evidenced by Psalm
139:8:
"If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make
my bed IN HELL, behold, YOU ARE THERE".
Psalm 116:3,4 say: "The sorrows of death compassed
me, and the pains OF HELL got hold on me... Then I
called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save
me"!
Proverbs 15:24: "The way of life is above to the wise
that he may depart from hell beneath":
Amos 9:2: "Though they go down to hell, there shall
my hand bring them out".
Those in hell CAN STILL GET SAVED, regardless of
what organized religion teaches, and DESPITE
traditional Christian thinking.
That's why Jesus said "And whosoever speaks a word
against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him but
whosoever speaks against the Holy Spirit it SHALL NOT
BE FORGIVEN him neither in this age NEITHER IN
THE AGE TO COME (Matthew 12:32).
Jesus could have simply said "they'll NEVER be
forgiven". If it were impossible for them to be forgiven
and saved "in the age to come" then Jesus' statement
would be TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR.
If they COULDN'T get saved, Revelation 20:13-15
wouldn't say:
"The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death
and Hades (hell) GAVE UP THE DEAD THAT WERE IN
THEM, and each person was judged according to what
he had done. Then death and Hades (HELL) were
thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the
second death. If anyone's name was NOT found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into
the lake of fire".
Such statement CLEARLY INDICATES that at the Great
White Throne (Final) Judgment SOME dead people,
who had been in hell at some point, WERE found
in the Book of Life, and were NOT cast into the
lake.
That, in turn, means that they got saved IN HELL
ITSELF.
Those in hell will still have the OPPORTUNITY TO GET
SAVED until the end of the Millennium. Those who, by
then, have not repented and received Jesus as Lord,
Savior and God, will be tossed into the lake of fire,
ALONG WITH HELL ITSELF (Revelation 20:12-15).
The lake of fire IS eternal. No one's coming out
of there, EVER (Matthew 25:41).
What about you? Are you 100% SURE of your
FINAL destination?
There are no guarantees of Salvation in hell. While
people there CAN GET SAVED, who's to say if they
will receive Jesus or not?
Why take that chance, when you CAN BE SURE?
Salvation is ONLY guaranteed, 100%, to those who
receive Christ NOW.
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2011
THEY'RE HERE
The Book of Revelation paints a pretty grim picture of
what the world will be like once God's people leave,
and an equally depressing picture of the kind of
people who'll be left in it.
Perhaps you've wondered what sort of humans will be
living on earth during the tribulation.
Don't delude yourself for a minute into thinking they'll
be atheists or agnostics. In fact, there WON'T BE
ANY.
According to Revelation 9:20, 21 they'll be Christ
haters, unrepentant, idolaters, worshipers of demons,
practicing all manner of unbridled sex, sorcerers,
thieves and murderers.
According to Revelation 16:9-11, they'll be
blasphemers and cursers of God.
And according to Revelation 13:4 they'll be
worshipers of satan and of Antichrist.
Believe it or not, they are RELIGIOUS PEOPLE, who
refuse to worship the true God, hence worship the god
embedded in their wicked imagination.
Some of them have infiltrated your congregation
and contact ministries like this one on a regular
basis passing themselves off as "Christian", and
do a pretty good job of it, until the Spirit
EXPOSES THEM.
Even after knowing, beyond all doubt, that Jesus is
God, they will want to PREVENT the establishment of
His Kingdom on earth AT ALL COSTS.
They THINK the Christian faith is evil and
intolerant, and that THEY ARE the "good people"
trying to unite the world into one big, happy, "loving"
family.
They are the ones who believe BLINDLY in the calendar
of a savage, extinct civilization known as the Mayas,
and who eagerly await December 21, 2012 as the
dawning of a New Age of peace, love, freedom and
tolerance.
They will worship THE DEVIL before they worship
God.
Where, you may wonder, are all these EXTREMELY
EVIL people?
Ha! Where AREN'T they?
They're all around us.
They're your neighbors, your co-workers, your friends,
the people you meet on the street, those you interact
with on line, AT CHURCH and, sadly, even some
members of our families.
That's why the world at large and society in general
are becoming more and more polarized:
A mere taste of things to come.
MONDAY, JULY 25, 2011
THANKS
I just want to take a moment today to thank the many
who pray for me on a regular basis.
Many write in saying they pray for me personally. For
every person who takes the time to write in and say it,
there are many others who pray and don't say it.
So many of you tell us that you were seeking answers
about Salvation, prophecy, tithing, or something else,
and the Lord "led you to our website".
That's one of the highest compliments you can give us.
I am really grateful for your prayers. Rest
assured that they are both FELT and appreciated.
It's quite remarkable that while we don't know one
another in the flesh, we do know each other IN SPIRIT,
and that the Spirit has not only led you to this
ministry, but TO PRAY for it.
Know that your prayers DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE and
are NOT taken for granted.
I'm both HUMBLED, and consider it a great honor that
you would take time in your busy schedule not only to
THINK about, but to PRAY, for me personally.
I also want you to KNOW that at christconnection we
pray, too.
Not only for the prayer requests that come in, but we
pray for all who visit the website, we pray for all
brothers and sisters, for the unsaved, and even for
those who dislike our ministry, and speak evil of our
teaching and/or style, or both.
James 5:16 assures us that "the effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous person WORKS and has MUCH
POWER".
Only eternity will reveal the FULL impact of your
prayers and mine.
So, my precious brothers and sisters, a BIG "THANK
YOU", to each and every one of you, from the
bottom of my heart...
With love and eternal gratitude,
Jesus' and your servant,
Martel
SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011
THE POWER OF GOODNESS
In Romans 12:21 Paul makes the most astonishing and
profound statement:
"Don't be overcome by evil, but OVERCOME EVIL
WITH GOOD".
The entire chapter is A GEM, which deserves to be
read, studied, and meditated, in Spirit, endlessly.
Good has POWER to OVERCOME EVIL.
Good WILL overcome evil, EACH AND EVERY TIME.
In fact, despite appearances to the contrary, evil IS
NO MATCH FOR good.
According to Jesus, there's "NO ONE good, but God"
(Luke 18:19).
So, when Paul says to overcome evil with good, he is
actually saying we overcome evil WITH GOD.
With the God who LIVES IN US, who is EXCEEDINGLY
AND ETERNALLY Good (with a capital "G").
If you haven't experienced His Good-ness, you
haven't experienced His God-ness.
And if you haven't experienced His God-ness, you
haven't really experienced Him.
The ONLY reason evil prevails is because there's
not enough goodness (or God-ness) in the world.
The reason there's not enough goodness is because
God's children, who are the ONLY ONES capable
of manifesting His Good-ness as well as His God-
ness, AREN'T ALLOWING it/Him to manifest.
All we've allowed Him to manifest in us is a drop of
goodness here, and a trickle there.
In fact, when His Church is removed from the
earth, THERE WON'T BE ANY GOODNESS AT ALL;
that's WHY evil will take over and satan's Antichrist will
manifest.
Tapping into His Goodness (or His Godness) is not a
"push button" proposition.
It involves SEPARATING OURSELVES unto God,
setting all the world's distractions to the side for
a while (people, pets, TV, internet, cell phones,
Blackberries, Fecebook, Twitter, etc.), GETTING ALONE
with God somewhere, seeking Him (within us) WITH
ALL -- and I mean ALL -- our hearts, spending time
with Him, listening to Him, being attentive to His
promptings.
Manifesting God's Goodness involves TOTAL,
WHOLEHEARTED humility, TOTAL submission to our
Lord, TOTAL dependence ON HIM, and TOTAL
TRUST in Him DESPITE appearances, and DESPITE the
reasonings of our flawed, VAIN imagination.
God's Goodness TRUSTS God UNCONDITIONALLY
even when human "logic" says otherwise.
To have the LIVING, ETERNAL, ALMIGHTY, and
infinitely GOOD God LIVING PERMANENTLY IN US,
and to ignore Him, IS A CRIME.
He MUST be allowed to MANIFEST, Body of Christ.
We MUST PLUNGE ourselves and LOSE OUR
SELVES (totally and LITERALLY) INTO Him who is
OUR LIFE and our Goodness.
The Book of Revelation repeatedly makes all kinds of
WONDERFUL PROMISES to those who "overcome".
He who overcomes "I will give to eat of the tree of
life" (Revelation 2:7)...
... "Will not be hurt at all by the second death"
(Revelation 2:11).
To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden
manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new
name written on it, known only to him who receives it
(Revelation 2:17).
... "TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE
NATIONS" (Revelation 2:26).
...Will "be dressed in white. I will never blot out his
name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his
name before my Father and his angels" (Revelation
3:5)
"I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never
again will he leave it. I will write on him the Name of
my God and the name of the city of my God, the new
Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from
my God; and I will also write on him my new Name"
(Revelation 3:12).
"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit
with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat
down with my Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21).
He who overcomes "will inherit all things, and I will
be his God and he will be my son" (Revelation 21:7).
It's the Goodness of God IN US, it's His God-ness
IN US that will OVERCOME the evil in this world
and rapture us.
Good can achieve ALL THINGS. Good will OVERCOME
ALL things.
THE POWER of Good IS the power OF GOD.
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2011
THE LOUSIEST EXCUSE
Picture this: The Children of Israel had just celebrated
the first Passover, been delivered from Egyptian
bondage, and camped at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Their leader Moses had gone up to the top of the
Mount to meet the Lord and receive His law and
commandments.
When he returns a mere 40 days and nights later,
he finds Israelites worshipping a golden calf and
committing all sorts of immorality.
These, mind you, were the same Israelites who had
THREE MONTHS earlier been miraculously delivered
from Egyptian bondage by God, thru a number of
plagues that afflicted ONLY the Egyptians, while
Hebrews were untouched, including the killing of all
the Egyptian firstborn.
They had seen the Red Sea open and form a land
bridge over to Canaan, and then seen the entire
Egyptian army perish in the sea when they tried to
follow in pursuit.
Moses, naturally, turned to his brother Aaron,
God's chosen High Priest, for an explanation:
"What did this people do to you, that you have
brought so great a sin on them"? (Exodus 32:21).
Aaron's answer should go down in history as THE
MOTHER OF all lousy excuses:
"I said to them, „whoever has any gold, let them break
it off'. So they gave it to me: then I cast it into the
fire and THIS CALF CAME OUT" (Exodus 32:24).
To hear Aaron's version of events, the Israelites gave
him their gold, he put it in the fire to melt it down, and
THE GOLD SHAPED ITSELF INTO A CALF.
Israel's High Priest WAS LYING.
In fact, Exodus 32:1-6 tells us WHAT REALLY
HAPPENED:
"When the people saw that Moses was so long in
coming down from the mountain, they gathered
around Aaron and said, „Come, MAKE US GODS who
will go before us. For this fellow Moses who brought us
up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to
him'.
Aaron answered them, „Take off the gold earrings that
your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing,
and bring them to me'.
So all the people took off their earrings and brought
them to Aaron. He took what they handed him AND
MADE IT INTO AN IDOL CAST IN THE SHAPE OF A
CALF, FASHIONING IT WITH A TOOL.
Then they said, „These are your gods, O Israel, who
brought you up out of Egypt'.
When Aaron saw this, HE BUILT AN ALTAR IN FRONT
OF THE CALF AND ANNOUNCED „Tomorrow there will
be a festival to the Lord'".
As High Priest Aaron could have, and SHOULD
HAVE, spoken up and said "wait a minute, our God is
Yahweh, we've seen His miracles, and we won't
worship anyone but Him".
Instead, without any protestation, he immediately
gave in to their demands, asked for gold, and
INTENTIONALLY MADE THE IMAGE OF A CALF.
When he heard the people proclaiming the calf as
"god", AGAIN without any objection he facilitated its
worship by immediately building AN ALTAR IN
FRONT OF IT, so they could worship and offer
sacrifices.
Not only was he A LIAR, Aaron, needless to say,
WASN'T MUCH OF A LEADER.
Moses got so angry that he had the calf melted, then
ground into powder, then put it in the water, and
made the children of Israel drink it (Exodus
32:19,20).
Moses delayed 40 days and nights in returning to the
camp. Jesus, on the other hand, has delayed almost
2,000 years.
What idols have you built? Who or what is the
GOLDEN CALF that you worship?
During Jesus' PHYSICAL absence, the "high priests" of
Christendom, like Aaron, have built MANY idols:
From actual statues and images, to denominational
idols, human idols, doctrinal idols, even eschatological
idols...
Like Aaron, they've asked people for their "gold" under
false pretenses, to satisfy THE IDOL OF GREED whom
they worship.
When Moses returned, he made Israelites drink their
idol's dust.
When Jesus returns, He will make EVERY IDOL
SHEPHERD BITE the dust.
FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011
CHILD ABUSE
Today's topic is so ugly and unpleasant that I wish I
didn't have to talk about it.
Child abuse has reached EPIDEMIC proportions.
Over THREE MILLION reports of child abuse are made
in the United States each year, that's one every 10
seconds.
If statistics are remotely accurate, ONE in every 55
children is abused in the United States each year.
That's more than 1.25 million.
More than half (61 percent) of the children were
victims of neglect, meaning a parent or guardian
failed to provide for the child's BASIC needs.
Forms of neglect include educational neglect, physical
neglect, and emotional neglect.
Another 44 percent were victims of abuse including
physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.
Child abuse, in its various forms, scars children FOR
LIFE.
FIVE CHILDREN DIE EVERY DAY as a direct result
of child abuse or neglect.
That's what we know from cases that GET REPORTED
and investigated. How many go UNREPORTED, for
various reasons, is known only to God.
This pandemic transcends socio-economic, intellectual
and ethnic lines.
It affects everyday people, rich and poor, young and
old, even celebrities.
It happens in home and schools, with relatives and,
saddest of all, WITHIN the Church.
There is NO REASON to harm a child. EVER!!!
Child abuse, in whatever form(s) it takes is
INEXCUSABLE.
I don't want to hear that someone was abused as a
child, so they're abusive toward children.
Those who've experienced the horrors of child abuse
firsthand should be THE LEAST INCLINED to inflict such
life altering pain on others.
Those who were victimized themselves and feel that
way, shouldn't go ANYWHERE NEAR children.
Those who feel that way shouldn't HAVE children.
Those who feel that way MUSTN'T inflict on kids the
pain that was inflicted on them.
The "abuse chain" MUST END.
If you have been a victim of molestation, recently or in
the distant past, please hear this:
It's NOT your fault.
You did NOT provoke or DESERVE such horrible
abuse. NO WAY!!!
And don't you dare think "this was done to me, so I'll
do it to others".
CHILD ABUSE IS EVEN MORE INEXCUSABLE, FROM
SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN A VICTIM AND KNOWS THE
AWFUL, LONG-TERM HARM IT INFLICTS.
If you've been abused, you NEED JESUS, and you
need Him NOW. He LOVES YOU TENDERLY AND
UNCONDITIONALLY, He will soothe your pain and
comfort your wounded heart and mind. RUN into His
loving, gentle, welcoming arms!
If you're an abuser, STOP!!! NOW!!!
THIS very moment!
If you're an abusive pastor, priest, Sunday school
teacher, or involved in any sort of "ministry", GET THE
HELL OUT NOW, GET AWAY FROM CHILDREN AND
TEENS, AND SEEK SPIRITUAL AND PROFESSIONAL
HELP.
If you can't control yourself, SEEK HELP.
And that help begins with repenting of your sin,
inviting Jesus into your heart, and receiving Him
as your only Lord, Savior and God.
Yes, He'll forgive and cleanse even you, if you come to
Him in heartfelt repentance.
Then seek PROFESSIONAL help.
http://www.childhelp.org/pages/help-for-parents
I can't think of a more horrible crime than abusing a
small, helpless child, or almost helpless,
impressionable teen.
Jesus was ADAMANT about it:
"He called a little child and had him stand among
them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you
change and become like little children, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore,
whoever humbles himself like this child is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in
my Name welcomes me.
But IF ANYONE CAUSES ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES
who believe in me to sin, IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR
HIM TO HAVE A LARGE MILLSTONE HUNG AROUND
HIS NECK AND TO BE DROWNED IN THE DEPTHS OF
THE SEA (Matthew 18:2-6).
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011
RUMORS OF WAR
In Matthew 24:4-8 Jesus said the "end of the age"
would be characterized by, among other things, "WARS
and RUMORS OF wars".
Nation would rise against nation and kingdom against
kingdom.
That's PRECISELY the scenario that we're seeing in the
Middle East, and have been seeing now for about 7
months.
Rumors of wars have also been circulating, especially
as it pertains to Iran.
But now those rumors are intensifying.
In a recent radio interview, former CIA operative and
Middle East expert Robert Baer, who lived 21 years in
the region, told listeners in the L.A. area that Israel
would attack Iran sometime in September, before
Palestinians present their bid for statehood before the
United Nations.
He based his conclusion on recent comments made by
ex Mossad director Meir Dagan.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/
145773
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=22960
5
Dagan has recently warned that an Israeli attack on
Iran would be "foolish" as it would not deter their
nuclear ambitions and could lead to regional war in
the already tumultuous Middle East.
I remember personally reading Dagan's comments on
a recent issue of the Jerusalem Post.
Baer's theory makes sense. Why would the former
head of the Mossad make such declarations
unless he knew about, and had been consulted
on, such plans?
Israel knows that should Iran achieve full fledged
nuclear power, it would instantly become its
number one target.
Ahmadinejad hasn't exactly made secret his desire to
"wipe Israel off the map".
All diplomatic efforts spearheaded by the U.S. and the
EU to deter Iran from its nuclear program, including
economic sanctions, to date, have failed.
Even the Stuxnet virus, attributed to Israel, was just a
temporary setback, which only managed to delay
Iran's goal of becoming a nuclear power.
Iran is already testing missiles with nuclear
capabilities, and capable of reaching Israel, in
direct violation of a UN resolution.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/29/us-iran-missile-nuclear-idUSTRE75S5CJ20110629
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13960044
Given Israel's tiny size, it wouldn't take many missiles
to get the job done.
Of course, we KNOW that won't happen because God
won't allow the destruction of Israel (Jeremiah
31:35,36).
But if you were Bibi Netanyahu, and given Israel's
awful experience in the Holocaust a mere 70 years
ago, would you just cross your arms and trust God's
deliverance, or would you make plans to take out
some of Iran's nuclear facilities?
Looks like the Middle East is headed for EVEN MORE
TURBULENCE in late summer or fall...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
MILLENNIAL SACRIFICES
The mention in Ezekiel chapters 40-46 of animal
sacrifices during the Millennium is one issue that has
baffled scholars and theologians for centuries.
If the Scriptures make it clear that Jesus‟ perfect,
once and for all Sacrifice IS SUFFICIENT TO
FOREVER put us in right standing with God
(Hebrews 9:12; 10:14), why in the world would
sacrifices be needed in the Millennial era?
Isn‟t His Blood sufficient to FOREVER cleanse us
from sin?
Rather than seeking the answer from the Holy Spirit,
or in the written Word… rather than being honest and
admitting they DON‟T KNOW… the best
“explanation” religious minds have been able to
FABRICATE is that such sacrifices will be offered “in
remembrance” of the price it cost to redeem
mankind.
I got one word for STUPID, BLIND and DISHONEST
THEOLOGIANS:
“Baloney”!
Contrary to the way some would portray Him, ours is
NOT some bloodthirsty, vengeful God. Nor does He
take any pleasure in the shedding of blood (Isaiah
1:11; Psalm 40:6).
Why would we need the blood of innocent animals as
a “reminder” of the price He paid (as if we could ever
forget) WHEN JESUS HIMSELF WILL BE
REIGNING IN OUR MIDST?
Sacrifices in the Millennium are NOT OFFERED for
us.
They‟re NOT offered for Christ‟s Church, since we
will be redeemed, sinless and reigning with Jesus in
glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-55; Revelation
5:10).
They‟re offered for NATURAL humans who have
survived the tribulation, including NATURAL
Israelites, and their progeny.
Why do they STILL need animal sacrifices for sin?
Because they‟re NOT saved.
NATURAL people who survive the tribulation in their
NATURAL BODIES, including natural Israelites, and
those they procreate during the 1,000 years, AREN‟T
SAVED.
Salvation is, and has ALWAYS been, by Grace thru
faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; Ephesians 2:8,9;
Galatians 3:6).
Faith, the Bible tells us, is “the substance of things
hoped for; the evidence of THINGS NOT SEEN”
(Hebrews 11:1).
It doesn‟t take ANY faith to believe in A VISIBLE
Jesus who has returned, demonstrated His
ETERNAL Deity, AND IS REIGNING IN
JERUSALEM FOR ALL TO SEE (Revelation 20:4).
That‟s OBSERVABLE, UNDISPUTED
KNOWLEDGE, not faith.
Hence natural individuals who survive the tribulation
and their natural offspring will still need animal
sacrifices for sin UNTIL the Millennium ends.
The Millennium is both preceded and succeeded by
7-year periods.
When the Millennium ends, satan will be released
from the bottomless pit and, for a little while, will be
allowed to rouse rebellious mankind into war, in the
FINAL battle of all the ages, known as Gog and
Magog (Revelation 20:7, 8).
It‟s AT THAT POINT that NATURAL mankind will get
a chance to exercise their faith in the living Savior.
Despite living in a wonderful, paradisiacal
environment for 1,000 years, despite experiencing
firsthand the Lord‟s Goodness, SOME natural
humans will still rebel.
While most will remain faithful to Christ and BE
SAVED, sadly, satan will succeed in deceiving
various countries like Russia, Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Turkey and certain Eastern European nations
(Ezekiel 38:1-6).
Those who follow satan will perish at the Battle of
Gog when they attack Jerusalem, in a FINAL,
desperate and futile attempt to topple the ETERNAL
Kingdom of God (Revelation 20:9,10).
Those who remain faithful to Jesus will be saved BY
FAITH in Him. His precious Blood WILL BLOT AWAY
ALL THEIR SINS FOREVER, as it has blotted ours.
After that, NO MORE innocent animals will have to
die for the sins of man.
After that, THERE WILL BE NO MORE ANIMAL
SACRIFICES EVER AGAIN.
TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011
ISLAMIC WORLD RULE
The latest prophetic fad among clueless Christians
is Islamic world domination.
Christians who don't know their nose from their
forearm with regards to BIBLICAL eschatology are
fervently pushing Islamic eschatology, Islamic
antichrists, and Islamic world rule.
Get this: IT'S NOT HAPPENING!
There ISN'T a single word in the Bible, from Genesis to
Revelation, to support ANY of the above.
There isn't ONE verse in the biblical text that
supports Islamic world rule. NOT ONE!
Just goes to show that you can SELL Christians
almost anything under the guise of "Bible prophecy"
regardless of how BASELESS IT IS.
You mean the Antichrist won't be Muslim? Correct.
He's Greek.
You mean Islamic eschatology ISN'T true? Right again.
Islam is a satanic religion invented by a liar named
Mohammed, and the Koran is a pack of lies. Is that
plain enough for you?
If you want Truth about the END TIMES, stick to
BIBLICAL eschatology.
But what about the 10 nations that will rule with
Antichrist, aren't they Muslim?
Nope.
A. The Bible doesn't call them "nations", that was
invented by the prophecy establishment. It always
refers to them as either "kings" or "horns". And,
B. According to Daniel 7:23, 24 the 10 kings come
from the territory which comprised the ancient Roman
Empire.
A look at a map of the former Roman Empire will
reveal that most of its territory laid in Europe, not the
Middle East.
The only Middle Eastern nations that fell within its
borders were Israel, Egypt, Turkey, the northern part
of Libya, and tiny parts of Tunisia, Algeria and
Morocco.
During the period of greatest expansion, which took
place under Trajan and lasted some 19 years (98-117
A.D.), it also included Syria, Jordan, Iran and Iraq.
Since the Scriptures are clear that these aren't
present, but FUTURE monarchs, it's hard to see how
you could get 10 kingdoms out of that (Revelation
17:12; Daniel 2:42,43).
Furthermore, the 10 kings CANNOT be Muslim
because they, along with everyone else, will be
FORCED TO worship satan and his Greek
Antichrist (Revelation 13:4, 8; 14:9).
They won't be allowed to worship Allah or, for
that matter, any other real or supposed deity (Daniel
11:36, 37; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
If the Scriptures clearly indicate a European (Greek)
Antichrist, plus 10 kings who'll be mostly from Europe,
plus worship of Allah or any other alleged deity
STRICTLY FORBIDDEN, then IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
that Islam will be ruling the world.
While there's no question that Islam aspires to, and
entertains dreams of, world domination, IT WON'T
HAPPEN. That's a fact.
Those who teach such absurd speculation are NOT
teaching Bible prophecy, since there's NOTHING
in the Bible to support such views.
ALL they're doing is GUESSING.
They're teaching FALSE prophecy at best, and ADDING
to the Scriptures at worst.
MONDAY, JULY 18, 2011
DROP THE VENEER
Ever wonder why the world thinks Christians are a
bunch of phonies?
Because, in large part, WE ARE.
Organized religion has sold us THE LIE that being
Christian means going thru life with a placid grin on
your face, no matter what, unfazed and untouched by
pain, injustice, anger and all the other evils that take
place "under the sun".
That we're to look perfect, act perfect, talk perfect,
and BE "perfect" and "measured" AT ALL TIMES.
Nothing could be further, and nothing SHOULD BE
further from the Truth.
Say what you will about non-Christians, but they're
neither shy nor disengaged.
They know what's going on, they are involved with the
issues they care about and, when they embrace a
cause, they do so passionately and
wholeheartedly.
This is one instance when THE CHURCH could learn
something from THE WORLD.
Perhaps THAT'S why the world is so effective at selling
us their ungodly agenda.
Perhaps THAT'S why we're so ineffective at selling
them ours.
Our agenda is NOT to change people's lifestyles.
Our agenda is to bring souls into INTIMATE
relationship with the Savior.
And we MUST NEVER be shy about it, we MUST NEVER
leave the task up to "pastors" or "ministers", since
preaching the Gospel is EVERY BELIEVER'S
RESPONSIBILITY.
We MUST embrace the Message of Jesus Christ --
WHICH IS THE BEST MESSAGE EVER PRESENTED,
BAR NONE -- PASSIONATELY, ENTHUSIASTICALLY
AND UNAPOLOGETICALLY.
His Message that Salvation is FREE, that ALL sin is
forgiven and PAID FOR, and that ALL a sinner needs to
do to be saved is receive Him into their heart and life,
IS SO SUPERIOR that, IT WILL WIN OVER ALL
OTHER messages.
If it SWALLOWED UP the mightiest military empire
know to man in less than 300 years, without even
lifting a sword or throwing a spear, IT WILL SWALLOW
UP EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE THAT STANDS IN ITS
PATH, when its presented CLEARLY.
The ONLY WAY the Gospel DOESN'T triumph is:
A. When it's NOT presented at all.
B. When the Message itself is compromised, obscured,
contaminated or convoluted by religion:
(i.e., Jesus isn't enough, we must ADD commandment
keeping to His PERFECT work of redemption; or belong
to a particular denomination; or FORSAKE certain sins
BEFORE receiving Jesus; or NOT DO a, b, c and d
AFTER receving Him; or look a certain way in order to
be "Christian").
So, share Jesus and His incomparable Message of
Salvation with others gladly, authoritatively AND
CLEARLY.
Do so WITH CONVICTION.
Drop the religious veneer, and speak from your heart.
Be genuine, be spontaneous and, above all, BE
YOURSELF.
SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2011
THE ROCKS WILL CRY OUT
I can perfectly understand why Jesus loved little
children.
Not only are they innocent, they're spontaneous, and
have no sense of political correctness
whatsoever. Children say what they think.
They're not afraid to speak their minds.
Christian ministers, on the other hand, are afraid of
everything:
Afraid of criticism, afraid of offending others, afraid of
losing favor, afraid of satan, afraid of "the Jezebel
spirit, afraid of the media, afraid of cults, afraid of
false doctrine, afraid to come out of the 4 walls of their
religious buildings, or out of the comfort of their air-
conditioned TV studios.
Not to mention AFRAID OF LOSING DONATIONS,
OR LOSING POTENTIAL BUYERS for WHATEVER it is
THEY'RE SELLING, if they say "the wrong thing".
We have pastors of so-called mega-churches who are
too timid to appear on national TV and even
mention the Name "Jesus".
Let alone call anyone to repentance, or invite
anyone to RECEIVE HIM.
We have supposed ministers of the Gospel, who
won't even present themselves as such [unless it's in
front of a TOTALLY Christian audience]. Instead, they
call themselves "life coaches".
Perhaps before they "coach" anyone else's life,
they should get their PRIORITIES, not to mention
THEIR OWN LIVES, IN ORDER.
We have supposed "ministers of the Gospel" who are
too intimidated to stand for anything for FEAR
they might offend someone.
Is it any wonder organized Christianity's been
reduced to nothing but a bunch of dull,
ineffective, insipid social clubs?
If salt loses its flavor it's GOOD FOR NOTHING.
Thank God Jesus' disciples were not afraid to
speak out and proclaim who He really is, despite
the ever-present threat of the Roman authorities.
Here we are mere days or months prior to the Rapture.
His modern disciples, at least here in America,
aren't being threatened by anyone, yet most are
more interested in pitching their latest book or DVD
than talking about Jesus, or mentioning that He's the
only hope and ONLY MEANS OF SALVATION for
this lost world.
As Jesus Himself said in Luke 19:40, if Christians
don't speak up, THE ROCKS THEMSELVES will CRY
OUT.
SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
When God created the earth it was all one single land
mass surrounded by water (Genesis 1:9).
Shortly after the flood, the earth was divided into two
major land masses that we know today as the
American Continent or Western Hemisphere, and
another even larger mass comprising ALL THE REST.
This is explained in Genesis 10:25:
"And to Eber were born two sons: the name of one was
Peleg; for in his days WAS THE EARTH DIVIDED"...
God shared this fact with Moses and, by extension,
with the rest of us, around 1,400 B.C.
It took science some 3,370 years to prove that
what the Bible had said all along is actually true.
The discovery of the earth's tectonic plates, plus
continental and oceanic crusts, proved this fact beyond
any doubt.
Frankly, the Bible and science aside, one does not
have to be a genius to figure this out. It's rather
obvious.
I remember as a young teen theorizing that Africa had
once been attached to South America, because the
outline of these two land masses seemed identical.
By way of confession (don't laugh now) as an adult, I
actually took a map, cut it all up as though it were a
jigsaw puzzle and actually pasted Africa into South
America and Europe into North America verifying,
once and for all, that they fit together perfectly.
I'm sharing this because the Bible promises the
"restoration of all things" (Acts 3:21).
ALL THINGS would include the land being lumped back
together into one gigantic mass.
Apparently, the process of geographical rearrangement
begins at the Rapture, when the 6th seal is opened.
An often missed part of this passage is that "heaven
departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and
EVERY MOUNTAIN and ISLAND were MOVED OUT
OF THEIR PLACES" (Revelation 6:14).
Further changes to the geographic landscape take
place in Revelation 16:17-20:
"The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air...
Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals
of thunder and A SEVERE EARTHQUAKE. NO
EARTHQUAKE like it has EVER occurred since
man has been on earth, so tremendous was the
quake.
The great city (Jerusalem) split into three parts, and
the cities of the nations collapsed...EVERY ISLAND
FLED AWAY and the MOUNTAINS could not be
found".
If you think recent quakes in Chile, New Zealand and
Japan have been bad, this will be the granddaddy of
them all.
What this means is that, during the coming
tribulation, the world won't be anything like
what we know today.
Besides nuclear war, economic collapse, food and
water shortages, and death on an unprecedented scale
(around TWO BILLION people), the earth will be
REUNITED, causing all the major powers (U.S.,
Russia, China, EU) to become vulnerable and severely
damaged and leaving only the CENTRAL part of the
earth, namely the Middle East and nations bordering
on the Mediterranean, as the only portions largely
unscathed.
History will once again focus on that area of the world.
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2011
SUPPOSE
Suppose you owed a debt of A BILLION dollars.
There's no way, humanly speaking, you could ever
pay it off.
Suppose a very powerful, wealthy, influential individual
like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett came along and paid
off your debt.
That huge burden would be lifted off your
shoulders.
You would no longer OWE ANYTHING.
You could be debt free and start your life anew.
Suppose you TURNED DOWN the payoff.
Suppose you insisted on, somehow, paying the
debt yourself, OR FINDING SOMEONE ELSE WHO'D
PAY IT OFF FOR YOU.
You would be, hypothetically speaking, the most
stupid, most foolish, most ungrateful, and most
miserable individual on earth.
You would be unnecessarily condemning yourself
to continuous suffering, oppression, misery, failure and
defeat, for the rest of your existence.
There are no superlatives to adequately express how
UNBELIEVABLY STUPID THAT WOULD MAKE YOU... or
for that matter, ANYONE, who'd turn down such
magnificent, generous offer.
Yet that's EXACTLY what ungrateful humans do,
day after day, week after week, month after month,
year after year, with their SPIRITUAL DEBT.
They live in COMPLETE DENIAL, thinking the debt
will magically pay itself off.
Or, they delude themselves into thinking that,
because they are "good people", their debtor will
simply cancel the debt.
Or, because they don't like "Gates", or "Buffet", they
say. No, I will find another way.
There's NO OTHER WAY!!!
NO ONE ELSE has the kind of assets necessary to pay
it off.
NO ONE ELSE HAS paid it off.
Jesus Christ paid your spiritual debt IN FULL.
NO ONE ELSE PAID FOR IT. Allah didn't. Mohammed
didn't. Buddha didn't. Confucius didn't. Lao-tse
didn't. Ahura Mazda didn't. Sun Myung Moon didn't.
Hare Krishna didn't.
You may not like Jesus, you may not like what He
says, you may not like some of His
representatives, but THE FACT REMAINS, He's THE
ONLY ONE with the necessary assets and
qualifications to pay it off.
He's THE ONLY ONE who LOVED YOU ENOUGH to
pay it off.
You can gladly and gratefully RECEIVE His Payoff and
be FOREVER FREE.
Or, you can reject it, and try your best to do the
impossible: find SOMEONE ELSE who can pay it off
for you.
If you reject His payoff, you'll BE PAYING FOR
ETERNITY.
If you reject His payoff, we've already established
what you are.
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011
NO SUBSTITUTES
The 21st century has been dubbed the information
age. More information is available to us, easier and
faster, than to any previous generation.
There's more media than ever before.
There are more books and magazines published
than ever before.
There are more electronic recordings [CD's, DVD's,
cassettes, videos] than ever before.
There are more websites, blogs, and more
information available in cyberspace, than any previous
time in history.
Yet there's also more disinformation, and lack of
knowledge about God's Word, than ever before.
How do we explain such paradox? What does it
prove?
It proves that such things are NO SUBSTITUTE for
the Word of God.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE WORD OF GOD.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR ONE-ON-ONE
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION WITH JESUS CHRIST
HIMSELF.
Just like "The Secret" has yielded no satisfactory
results for anyone but its author, (who recently was
found guilty of negligible homicide for causing the
death of some of his BLIND FOLLOWERS) there are,
likewise, thousands upon thousands of so-called
"Christian" books, written by so-called
"Christian" authors, who've ended in the trash bin of
publishing history.
Nobody even remembers what they say. They turned
out to be nothing more than superficial religious
entertainment, spiritual junk food, chewing gum
for the mind.
What makes these publications so DANGEROUS is this:
they distract people from THE BOOK. They draw
Christians away from Him who MUST BE, the
primary focus of their attention, namely, Jesus
Christ.
They're useless, unprofitable "mind fillers". Religious
Kool-aid. Feel good, sanitized boredom killers, which
provide no spiritual nourishment, and rob
Christians of the Holy Spirit's INVALUABLE input.
Gotta give satan credit for one thing: he's clever. he's
a master of deceit. No wonder the Bible calls him "the
father of lies"!
His goal is to keep people AWAY FROM Jesus Christ,
whatever it takes.
If he can't get the job done thru worldly enticements
such as sex, drugs, lust, porn and booze, he'll do it in
the form of seemingly innocuous, "innocent",
"wholesome", "Christian" entertainment.
Fill their minds and hearts with religious fluff, until
their INDIVIDUAL SPIRITS, hence the Church at large,
is so malnourished, it has no strength to stand
for anything. That's the 21st Century Church for you!
(Revelation 3:8).
First century Christians had none of the above
"conveniences". They didn't even have Bibles, but
they had enough spiritual strength to stand, even in
the face of death, torture, and martyrdom, for Jesus
Christ.
Why? Because they KNEW HIM. There were no
substitutes or fillers. They were TOTALLY FOCUSED
ON HIM.
If they wanted Truth, they had to get it directly
from the Holy Spirit [Acts 15:24-29].
That's why they changed the world of their day in
three hundred years.
Today's church has NOT changed the world. The
world has changed it beyond recognition.
A VACUOUS weekly RELIGIOUS SERVICE IS NO
SUBSTITUTE FOR THE LIVING SAVIOR.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2011
"TOP 10" REASONS WHY
PEOPLE WON'T MAKE IT TO
HEAVEN
Contrary to popular belief, NOBODY will miss heaven
because they're too sinful.
Let me say that again: NOBODY will miss going to heaven
BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO SINFUL.
The reason being, that Jesus ALREADY PAID FOR... ALL
your sins. All of them!
Also contrary to popular belief, NO ONE will miss heaven
because they couldn't live a "holy life". If that were the
case, NO ONE would be saved.
If that were the case, I wouldn't be saved.
If that were the case, we'd ALL end up in hell.
So, what are the "top 10" reasons why anyone will
miss heaven?
10. You ran into Ellen White
9. You ran into Herbert Armstrong.
8. You ran into Joseph Smith.
7. You ran into Charles Taze Russell.
6. You ran into L. Ron Hubbard, or Mary Baker Eddy.
5. You were derailed by some other cult, New Age teaching,
or Deepak Chopra.
4. You ran into Benny Hinn... actually, you can run into
"Pastor Benny" and still make heaven.
Whatever else you do, keep an eye on your wallet...
[Lord knows, if you run into Hinn an empty wallet's about ALL
you'll have left]...
REAL #4
You thought you could EARN HEAVEN... by being "a
good person", or by "sowing a seed". Can someone fax
this to Murdock?
3. You thought there was no God, and no heaven...
Surprise!
2. You thought YOUR RELIGION would lead to
heaven.
And, [drum roll, please] THE NUMBER ONE REASON
PEOPLE WON'T GET TO HEAVEN IS:
1. You NEVER KNEW HIM... Never
received Jesus as Lord.
All kidding aside, #1 is THE ONLY REASON, anyone
will ever miss heaven.
TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2011
UNIMPRESSED
Day in and day out people write us about a NON-
EXISTENT "planet Nibiru" or "Planet X" that's supposed
to crash into the earth in 2012, like I'm supposed to be
impressed by this figment of their ignorant
imagination.
They either provide a YouTube link as "proof", or refer
us to some prophecy expert wannabe's website that
expounds on this fantasy.
There are some TWO MILLION websites discussing
the INVENTED Nibiru-Earth collision, which will never
happen.
YouTube is also INUNDATED with stupid videos about
this spatial hoax.
When challenged with the fact that there's no
astronomical evidence whatsoever that SUCH PLANET
even EXISTS, they then switch to Elenin.
Elen what?
Since astronomers have looked and looked but
have NOT found the mysterious "planet Nibiru", or
"Planet X", its devotees have recently decided that a
small comet named Elenin, which is supposed to pass
near the earth in October, 2011 IS Nibiru.
Well, "experts", make up your minds: Is it a comet or
a planet?
But even pushing all logic aside, and giving them the
FULL benefit of the doubt, there's ONE HUGE PROBLEM
WITH THIS ALTERNATE THEORY: scientists say Elenin
will come NO CLOSER THAN 100 times farther than
the distance from Earth to the moon.
I haven't seen the earth and the moon collide yet,
have you?
So, if this comet will pass at least 100 times
FARTHER from us than the moon, THERE'S NO
EVIDENCE AT ALL, and NO LIKELIHOOD
WHATSOEVER, that it will crash into the earth, as
these crackpots claim.
NONE OF THIS has ANYTHING TO DO WITH the
Bible.
Consequently, NONE OF THIS is "Bible prophecy".
NONE OF THIS has ANYTHING TO DO WITH Jesus.
It's all bluff, sensationalism, and FEAR MONGERING.
God doesn't want His children to live in fear, but to
TRUST Him.
If you want to impress me, you're going to have to do
A HECK OF A LOT BETTER than to send in some
STUPID, UNSUBSTANTIATED, IMAGINED
"DOOMSDAY" calamity.
There's NOTHING in the Bible about a planet
colliding with the earth.
There's NOTHING in the Bible about a "Planet
Nibiru" or "Planet X".
There's NOTHING in the Bible about Elenin
crashing into the earth.
There's NOTHING in the Bible about WIPING OUT
humanity or our planet, until at least 1,014 years from
now.
The people who teach or believe this nonsense KNOW
NOTHING ABOUT the Bible.
They're NOT prophecy experts, they're prophecy
QUACKS.
If you want to impress me, you're going to have to
TALK ABOUT Jesus.
If you want to impress me, you're going to have to
base your teachings ON GOD'S WORD.
MONDAY, JULY 11, 2011
JESUS IS GOD
He is the First and Last, The Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of
eternity.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be
...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!
He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand Him, the armies can't
defeat Him, the schools can't explain Him, and the
leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse
Him, and the people couldn't hold Him!
He is Light, Love, longevity, and Lord.
He is Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.
His ways are right, His Word is eternal, His will is
unchanging, and His Mind is ON YOU.
He WANTS to be your Savior, your guide, and
YOUR PEACE!
He WANTS to be your Joy, comfort, and Lord.
His goal is a relationship WITH YOU!
RECEIVE HIM and He will never leave you, never
forsake you, never mislead you, never forget you.
He'll NEVER overlook you and never cancel an
appointment with you.
When you fall, He lifts you up!
When we fail, He forgives!
When we're weak, He is strong!
When we're lost, He LEADS US!
When we're afraid, He gives us courage!
When we stumble, He steadies us!
When we're hurt, He heals us!
When we're broken, He mends us!
When we're hungry, He feeds us!
When we face trials, He is with us!
When we're persecuted, He shields us!
When we face problems, He comforts us!
In every situation we face, He is our provider.
He's never our problem, He's THE SOLUTION.
HE IS EVERYTHING FOR EVERYBODY
EVERYWHERE, every time, and every way.
He is God and He is faithful. I am His, and He is
mine!
He is yours... but, more importantly, ARE YOU HIS?
SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2011
ISLAMIC WISDOM
Just when you thought you'd heard EVERYTHING from
Islamic terrorists...
Gems of priceless wisdom like Israel using a vulture
as spy, training snakes to bite ONLY Palestinians,
sharks to attack ONLY Egyptians, and doves to steal
Iran's nuclear secrets...
Like hijacking, then crashing passenger planes
into buildings to kill as many innocent civilians as
possible... (For once, I'd like to be one of those
"trained snakes" and bite the bastards who pulled that
one off)...
Or strapping explosives to one's chest so they can
detonate themselves in a public place where death and
bodily injury can be maximized.
Or strapping those explosives on mentally disabled
individuals, then detonating them by remote
control...
Or inventing and placing "roadside" bombs to kill the
enemy, not in battle, but when they least expect it.
Or decapitating those who are of different ethnicity...
Or poisoning the hearts and minds of 5, 6 and 7
year olds with Islamic propaganda and hatred for
non-Muslims, particularly Jews...
Or blaming "overexposed" female chests for causing
earthquakes...
They've added a new, clever weapon to their
arsenal...
BOOB IMPLANTS!
If the earthquake theory was called "Boobquake", we
can refer to this one as "Boobgate".
That's right: Islamic terrorists in Yemen are
considering surgically implanted explosive
devices.
"Well endowed" female passengers could potentially
board airliners and blow themselves up, along with
everyone on board.
How, you may wonder, would they detonate their
implants?
They could use a syringe containing a different
chemical and stab their own breast implant with it,
thus triggering the blast.
Diabetics and people with certain medical conditions
are allowed to carry syringes onto aircraft.
So, they'd need willing, manipulated OR COERCED
Muslim female diabetics, with explosive implants, to
carry out their nefarious plan.
You mean the same females who are REQUIRED
TO wear those long, black robes and godawful
burqas?
The same females who are forbidden to seek an
education, drive, leave the house without their
husband's permission, and are treated like
DISPOSABLE personal property?
Precisely.
Of course, if I were one of those female "candidates", I
wouldn't stick the syringe into my inflated boob, but
into a certain part of the wicked male mastermind's
anatomy that shall remain nameless...
I'd stick it into one of his shish kabobs...
This presents a serious challenge for U.S. security
officials, since modern technology is unlikely to detect
such ingenious and potentially "attractive" devices.
So, next time you're at the airport... watch out
for Muslim women with large breasts...
And if they happen to mention they're "diabetic", or
carry a syringe, run like hell in the opposite
direction.
Better to miss your flight than miss something else,
like YOUR LIFE.
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
JESUS' SECRET YEARS
Did Jesus ever travel outside Israel?
Did He travel as a young boy with Joseph of Arimathea
and visit Scotland?
Did He sojourn into India, or the Far East?
NO, NO and NO.
While there are legends circulating about such
journeys, there ISN'T ONE smidgeon of scriptural
OR HISTORICAL evidence, that Jesus traveled
ANYWHERE outside Israel.
Those who spread such myths HAVE NOTHING,
biblical or secular, to stand on, except
UNSUBSTANTIATED, PAGAN folklore.
Those who spread such myths are only
DEMONSTRATING THEIR TOTAL IGNORANCE of the
Scriptures.
Other than a brief trip to Egypt as a toddler, to escape
Herod's death decree, Jesus never traveled outside
Israel, as He Himself said "I was sent ONLY to the lost
sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).
Can't say it any clearer than THAT.
The Scriptures clearly tell us He grew up in
Nazareth, in Galilee (northern Israel) (Matthew 2:23).
His so-called "secret years" are no secret. The Bible
tells us he "went down to Nazareth with them
(Joseph and Mary) and was obedient to them" (Luke
2:51).
We know He STAYED in Nazareth, and didn't travel
anywhere until He became an adult, except to
Jerusalem to celebrate the pilgrimage Feasts
(Luke 2:41, 42).
This is undisputed since people in His home town of
Nazareth KNEW HIM very well (Matthew 13:55;
Mark 6:3).
Had he left as a young boy and then returned, as these
idiots claim, NOBODY WOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED HIM
as a full grown adult.
Jesus lived in Nazareth, and worked quietly as a
carpenter, UNTIL it was time for His PUBLIC
ministry to begin, which was at age 30 (Luke 3:23).
Additionally, there's NO HISTORIC EVIDENCE
ANYWHERE that He EVER traveled outside Israel.
There are a couple LEGENDS floating around, but
that's ALL they are: unsubstantiated MYTHS.
He NEVER ventured INTO India, or the Far East to
learn Eastern mysticism, or Eastern religions, as some
fools claim.
Indeed, that's IMPOSSIBLE because Jesus' teachings
ARE TOTALLY CONTRARY TO such false, PAGAN,
SATANIC religions.
Those who proclaim such LIES can't produce EVEN A
SHRED OF EVIDENCE to support their claims.
We can believe solid, time-tested, PROVEN Truth,
or we can be swept by every wind of doctrine that
wishful thinkers INVENT.
Truth leads people to heaven.
Winds of doctrine are FULL OF HOT AIR, and sweep
the fools who follow them STRAIGHT INTO HELL.
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2011
HOLY WHAT?
Even after the momentous Charismatic tide of recent
decades, the Holy Spirit remains mysterious,
distant and unfamiliar to most Christians today.
Yet, He should be the most influential factor in
Christian thought and living.
Without the Holy Spirit's mentorship and constant
guidance, Christian development will be stunted at
best.
God meant it to be that way. He so desired for his
children to live, walk and be in constant communion
with Him, who IS Spirit, that the very birth of His
Church, the very birth of each member thereof,
was the direct result of the Holy Spirit's
intervention.
It is this intimate interaction with the Divine that
sets Christianity apart from other faiths. Without it,
we become comparable to any world-class religion: a
bunch of regulations, a mere set of do's and don'ts.
The Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, can
transform Christianity from stale, boring, mediocre
religion to living, loving, exciting, dynamic
expression of God Himself.
It's the Holy Spirit in us that enables us to both
ACCESS and MANIFEST God's Kingdom on earth.
The Holy Spirit is God. He lives in your spirit from
the moment you made Jesus your Lord.
It's the Holy Spirit that made you a new person on the
inside, when you were born again. He recreated you
in His own Image.
2 Corinthians 5:17,18 speaks of this inner
transformation:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature [creation]: old things are passed away;
behold, ALL THINGS are become new. And all [these
new] things are of God, who has reconciled us to
Himself by Jesus Christ"...
When God states that all things are become new,
obviously He is not talking about the physical,
external, visible part of your being. All things became
new INSIDE YOU.
This inner change is invisible but nonetheless VERY
real.
In fact, NOTHING is more important than acquiring
that completely new, inner nature. It's what turns a
sinner into a saint. It's what translates a person
from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God.
It's what makes you a child [son] of God (Colossians
1:13,14).
As Jesus said in John 16:13-14:
"When the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you
into all Truth... And He will show you things to
come. He shall glorify me"...
The flip side of this statement is, if you ignore the Holy
Spirit's Presence in you, you won't be guided into all
Truth, you won't have a clue about things to come,
and you won't glorify Him.
Jesus actually said it was better for us that He leave
this world, because then He could send the Holy Spirit
to us. By physically leaving this world, He could then
manifest not just in one body, but in thousands
and millions of human bodies, thru his Spirit
[John 16:7].
Every child of God should become well acquainted with
the Holy Spirit we ALL carry inside, and rely on Him
constantly for guidance, revelation and instruction.
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
WORK
Occasionally someone will ask how ministers of Christ
can support their ministries, or themselves,
unless they ask for donations".
Here's a "novel" answer: WORK!
What? Never heard THAT before?
Well, certainly not in America, not in this generation,
and not from any crooked televangelist.
However, IT'S IN THE BIBLE! That's right! You heard
me. It's been there for TWO THOUSAND YEARS!!!
Peter, John, James, and Andrew were fishermen.
They WORKED for a living. They didn't stop fishing
when they became Jesus' disciples. Indeed, Jesus
accompanied them on several fishing expeditions
[Matthew 4:18; 7:27; John 21:3-6].
There's no record anywhere that they stopped fishing
AFTER Jesus ascended to heaven, either. They kept
fishing, only no longer just fish, BUT HUMANS.
Of course, this isn't a subject prosperity gurus will
EVER preach on. They'd rather PRETEND, AND GO ON
PRETENDING, it didn't happen.
But don't the Scriptures teach that the "worker is
worthy of his wages"?
Yes, THE WORKER IS.
The lying televangelist, living in a multi-million dollar
mansion, flying private planes, with an entourage of 20
bodyguards, engaging in nepotism by keeping inept
members of his family on the payroll, then lying in
front of the TV camera saying that the way for you to
prosper is to send HIM money ISN'T WORTHY OF
ANYTHING.
BETTER SIT DOWN FOR THIS ONE!
Did you know that Paul, the greatest evangelizer in
history, WORKED to SUPPORT HIMSELF AND HIS
MINISTRY?
Read it for yourself in Acts 18:1-3. And, again, in 2
Corinthians 12:12,13,15.
Paul was a tent maker. He WORKED for a living.
So, the man who won more souls to Jesus than
anyone else...
the man who founded more congregations than
anyone else...
the man who established them in the faith, leaving
behind a solid spiritual foundation that endures to this
very day...
the man who wrote more of the Bible than anyone
else [two-thirds of the New Testament, no less!]...
ACTUALLY WORKED FOR A LIVING! WORKED TO
SUPPORT HIS PROLIFIC MINISTRY!
Smelling salts, anyone?
But didn't I read somewhere that Paul took up a
donation?
Yes. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul takes up a
donation, NOT FOR HIMSELF, but FOR THE POOR.
There were saints in Jerusalem who were in dire
financial straits.
After Jesus' resurrection, and ascension, as Christianity
began to spread, Christians were SEVERELY
PERSECUTED. They were persecuted in Jerusalem, in
Rome, in Ephesus... and elsewhere.
Their distress was compounded by a famine that
year... so, Paul took up a collection from the more
affluent Corinthians to help their needy brothers and
sisters in Jerusalem. PERIOD.
Paul did accept, of course, the hospitality of certain
believers, as he traveled abroad. Aquila and
Priscilla, for instance, did provide him temporary
food and lodgings.
The only other time when Paul received donations is
when he was imprisoned. Even then, he didn't ask for
donations, but loving Christians, who appreciated him
and his ministry, desiring to MAKE HIS PRISON STAY
AS BEARABLE AS POSSIBLE, VOLUNTARILY SENT
HIM CLOTHING AND OTHER ITEMS [Philippians
4:14-19]. He didn't even have to ask!
Of course, prosperity gurus will never use Paul as
a role model, because they couldn't "milk" their
audiences for money if they did.
Their "role model" is Simon the magician, who
wanted to BUY the Holy Spirit, so he could use
Him for profit. And what was Peter's very proper
response? "YOUR MONEY PERISH WITH YOU".
Thank God for His mercy, or we'd have DEAD
PREACHERS everywhere!
We need faaaaaaaaar more "Pauls" and faaaaaaaar
fewer "Simons".
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011
ANGER MANAGEMENT
Religion has sold us the lie that Christians are NEVER
to get angry.
That, no matter what happens around us, we're just to
"grin and bear it".
That we "set a bad example" to others when we get
mad.
Religion, as usual, IS WRONG.
There are times when our anger is more than
JUSTIFIED, it's CALLED FOR.
Not only should believers get angry at certain things
that are going on in the world, THEY SHOULD VOICE
THEIR DISPLEASURE.
I don't know what Bible religion has been reading [oh,
that's right, it was ORGANIZED RELIGION that at
one point FORBAD reading the Bible!], but
NOWHERE does it say it's wrong to get upset.
Matter of fact, while God is EXCEEDINGLY merciful,
forgiving and loving, the Bible talks about His
ANGER from cover to cover.
If He is "holy, holy, holy", and He can get angry,
angry, angry... SO CAN YOU.
Not for the sake of being angry, of course, I'm not
asking you to turn into some mean ogre, but when
such anger is justified.
It's perfectly all right to get angry at some of the
INJUSTICES going on "under the sun".
What IS bad is to STAY ANGRY, to hold a grudge.
That's not only sin; it's detrimental to your health.
Paul put it this way: "Be angry, and sin not. Don't let
the sun go down on your wrath. Neither give
place to the devil" [Ephesians 4:26,27].
So, it's okay, for the right reasons, to be angry.
What's NOT O.K. is to allow that anger to linger.
That's why ALL OF US should do a thorough "mind
cleansing" before we go to bed each night, and FLUSH
OUT all the garbage we've collected during the day.
Jesus got angry when He threw the moneychangers
out of the temple (John 2:15).
There's a lot of "money changing" going on
around us, and WE SHOULD get angry about it.
Jesus didn't put His Holy Spirit in us, so we'd walk
around with a spaced out look and a vacuous grin on
our faces, regardless of what happens in this corrupt,
evil world.
I'll take a Christian with character and spunk over a
feeble, wimpy religious clone ANY DAY, and so will
God.
At least, He can USE THE SPUNKY CHRISTIAN.
So, there are times when you SHOULD get angry.
Just DON'T STAY that way... TOO LONG.
TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2011
YOU TUBE
Hardly a day goes by that people don't send us some
link to a YouTube video.
They either believe BLINDLY what it says, JUST
BECAUSE it's on YouTube, and want to convince us
that it's true, or they don't want to believe it -- 'cause
it scares the daylights out of them -- and they hope I
can disprove what it says.
Obviously, I DO NOT have the time to sit there and
watch ALL this silly stuff.
Some of those videos can be quite lengthy and,
frankly, IDIOTIC.
If you expect me to believe something JUST BECAUSE
some guy posted a video... you're NUTS.
That's like asking me to believe the jokers that appear
on kristian TV, JUST BECAUSE "they're on television".
If you've followed this ministry for any length of
time YOU KNOW that finding an honest preacher
on TV, is as easy as finding snow in Florida...
The same can be said for 95% of preachers, or
wannabe preachers, on YouTube.
If the video ISN'T based on the Bible, IT'S NOT Bible
prophecy, duh.
If all you get is some guy SPECULATING about
President Obama being the Antichrist, or about him
starting WWIII, or about the U.S. attacking Israel
under his leadership, about some "secret society"
taking over the world, about some supposed
"planetary alignment", or about some FEAR FILLED,
NONSENSICAL baloney TOTALLY LACKING
scriptural support, IT'S NOT OF GOD - I don't
care WHO posted it, I don't care how "Christian"
they claim to be, I don't care HOW MUCH they present
themselves as "experts" on prophecy.
Is EVERYTHING posted on YouTube garbage? No.
Occasionally, there's something worth watching. BUT
THE VAST MAJORITY IS.
Which brings us to an exciting announcement:
We have arranged to present some of this
ministry's teachings on YouTube.
Some videos are already up and can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybgmix3_B3o
If you have any suggestions on some topic, or teaching
of ours, that you think should be shared on this new
channel the Lord has opened, we'll be happy to
consider it.
We will be uploading new videos on a regular basis, as
the Spirit guides and time permits.
We look forward to your feedback and, especially, to
MANY souls coming to know Jesus.
MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011
"Our fathers' God, to thee,
Author of liberty, to Thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by Thy might,
great God, our King".
From "My Country „Tis of Thee", Lyrics by Samuel F. Smith,
1808-1895
HARDLY MENTIONED
Why is America hardly mentioned in Bible prophecy?
Other than a passing mention in Ezekiel 38:13 and
PERHAPS another in Isaiah 18, the greatest
superpower in history is all but IGNORED.
Some have made desperate attempts to identify the
U.S. as Mystery Babylon in Revelation chapters 17 and
18, but that won't wash. We are clearly told these
chapters refer TO A CITY, not a nation. And
Revelation 17:18 unequivocally identifies that city as
Rome.
Likewise, others have tried to pin the "eagle wings" on
a lion mentioned in Daniel to America, because of the
bald eagle being our national emblem. That's
RIDICULOUS.
In context, that prophecy is clearly referring to
ANCIENT Babylon, which is no longer an empire, and
which lies in ruins to this very day, as prophesied in
Isaiah 14:23.
(Babylon's emblem WAS a winged lion, precisely as
described in Daniel 7:4. See picture below).
Why this apparent omission? Is God INDIFFERENT to
what happens to this great nation?
No way.
We can infer TWO THINGS from its lack of mention:
1. That the U.S. will no longer be a superpower.
2. That it won't play a prominent role during most
of the tribulation, or during the reign of Antichrist.
Since we are VERY CLOSE to the tribulation
judgments, and since America is already in decline, its
downfall should happen fairly soon... and don't think
for a minute that I enjoy saying this.
The only mitigating factor is that it will happen AFTER
the Church has left the earth.
Revelation chapter 8 mentions nuclear war which
destroys "one third of ships". That would HAVE TO
include a large chunk of our Navy*. It also turns
ONE THIRD of the sea into blood, and kills ONE THIRD
OF sea creatures.
As a result, ONE THIRD of drinking water is also
poisoned, causing death to those who drink it.
Then in Revelation 9:14-19, there's a large number of
preprogrammed lethal missiles that go off from the
Euphrates area, killing ONE THIRD of the
remaining world population, which would mean
the death of over ONE AND A HALF BILLION
PEOPLE.
While the U.S. will be significantly depopulated when
the Rapture takes place, if ONE THIRD of the world's
remaining population dies during the tribulation, THE
MAJORITY of these deaths would HAVE TO occur in
China and India, which combined have 40% of
current world population consisting mostly of
UNSAVED humans and, by then, may have as much as
60%.
The REASON the U.S. is hardly mentioned in prophecy
is because human history began in the Middle East
and spread thru the Mediterranean, and human
history as we know it, will also END there.
The focus today is, indeed, on the Middle East:
Iran's nuclear ambitions, the so-called "Arab Spring"
marked by multinational upheavals, Palestinian threats
to declare unilateral statehood and present their claim
before the U.N. in September, and their ever present
hatred for Israel.
So, the U.S., while NOT DESTROYED, will suffer great
calamity and devastation in the EARLY part of the
trumpet judgments.
Russia and China which, likewise, DO NOT figure
prominently in the tribulation, will likely suffer a similar
fate.
We know that the U.S. and China will obey God
during the Millennium (Ezekiel 38:13; Isaiah 49:6-
12).
We also know that Russia is destroyed at THE END
thereof as it rebels and joins satan, in the Gog
and Magog war, which will be the LAST BATTLE OF
ALL TIME, and satan's final and futile attempt to topple
the Kingdom of God (Ezekiel 39:4,11).
By God's Grace America WILL survive the
tribulation... barely.
* U.S. Navy lists 473 active ships, Russia around 526 (estimate), and
China 760 (estimate).
You can now VIEW some of these messages on
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybgmix3_B3o
SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2011
TEMPLE NEWS
At some point in the near future, there MUST BE a
third temple built in Jerusalem, as the Scriptures
indicate (Revelation 11:1, 2; Matthew 24:15).
The Bible ties the rebuilding of the temple to the
appearance of the Two Witnesses (Zechariah 4:8-14;
Revelation 11:1-4).
While the world has not yet seen Moses and Elijah
reappear, there are a couple of significant new
developments that caught my attention, and I'd like to
share with you.
First there's archeology: This ministry has been saying
for the past 5-6 years that the so-called Temple Mount
ISN'T the site where the former temples stood.
Our basis for this claim is both historical and biblical.
Both sources indicate there was a spring of LIVING
WATER gushing within the temple.
The ONLY spring within a 5 mile radius of Jerusalem is
the Gihon spring, located SOUTH OF the Temple
Mount. Hence, THAT MUST BE WHERE the temples
stood.
The only water supplies found at the temple mount are
CISTERNS with STANDING WATER, making it
IMPOSSIBLE for that to be its true location.
Hence the so-called "Wailing Wall" is not "the only
thing that remains from the second temple", but the
only thing that remains from the (Roman)
Antonia Fortress, which was located NORTH OF the
Temple.
There's NOTHING remaining from the second temple,
just as Jesus predicted, that "NOT ONE STONE would
be left upon another" (Mark 13:1, 2).
As recently as May 25, 2011 we published a message
saying the temple's true location HAD TO BE SOUTH
of the so-called Temple Mount.
New archeological digs have unearthed remnants
from the FIRST temple period. And where have
these remnants been located?
SOUTH of the Temple Mount, in the area known as
Ophel.
http://www.templemountfaithful.org/Newsletters/2001/5761-10.htm
One of the recently discovered ruins is the Water Gate
mentioned in Nehemiah 3:26, which matches the
biblical description perfectly.
So, slowly but surely, the temple's true location is
becoming more and more evident.
The second significant event is that the Temple
Institute in Jerusalem has commissioned a top
architectural firm to draw up the blueprints for the
third temple, in accordance with biblical requirements.
They have already made blueprints for the "Chamber
of Hewn Stones", which is where the Sanhedrin used
to meet. They can be seen by clicking on the link
below:
http://www.templeinstitute.org/blueprints-for-the-holy-temple.htm
I have cautioned believers in the Jewish Messiah
before, and I do it again: While there is a measure of
excitement in our hearts as we witness the signs that
indicate the time of our Redemption approaching, let's
not get carried away.
We know the TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT. However, I
discourage Christians from making donations
toward such endeavor for THREE REASONS:
1) All you're doing is funding a building intended to be
DESECRATED BY THE ANTICHRIST, where he will
blaspheme the One true God, and proclaim HIS OWN
"DEITY" (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
2) Frankly, there's plenty of Jewish capital in this
world... more than enough to fund the building of a
third temple, when they choose to do so.
In any case, the building of the third temple will bring
them MISERY, not joy.
3) The REAL Temple of God is not some structure of
wood and stone built in Jerusalem.
WE ARE His Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).
There's NO OTHER TEMPLE of God on earth UNTIL
THIS TEMPLE TAKES OFF.
Archeological area outlined in blue.
SATURDAY, JULY 2, 2011
THE SABBATH
"And on the seventh day God ended His work... and He rested on the
seventh day from all His work... and God blessed the seventh day and
sanctified it..." [Genesis 2:2, 3].
Here are some facts about the Sabbath every Christian
should know:
The seventh day or "Sabbath" is, unquestionably,
Saturday.
Sunday is not the Sabbath, nor will it ever be.
Prior to the law given on Mount Sinai, nobody kept
the Sabbath.
"Keeping the Sabbath holy" was one of the
commandments given by God to Moses (Exodus 20:8-
11).
Israelites were commanded TO REST on the Sabbath.
They were NOT to do ANY WORKS.
In the Gospels, we read that Jesus went to the
synagogue on the Sabbath.
He taught the Word on the Sabbath.
He healed on the Sabbath.
His disciples picked corn on the Sabbath.
Many believe [myself included] He rose from the
dead on the Sabbath.
So, why do most Christians attend church services on
Sunday, instead of Saturday?
Mostly because of tradition.
The women discovered Jesus' empty tomb early
Sunday morning [Matthew 28:1-7].
Therefore, many have assumed that His Resurrection
took place on Sunday.
It is for that reason that many Christians gather to
worship on Sunday, instead of Saturday.
In the New Testament, we live under grace, NOT
LAW.
We are to keep each and every day holy. So, it really
doesn't matter if you go to a worship center on
Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, Monday, OR ANY
OTHER DAY.
Sabbath keeping in the Old Testament wasn't
about attending worship services since, at that
time, THERE WAS NO CHURCH.
It was all about RESTING, and setting yourself apart
unto God.
Paul makes it clear in the New Testament that
Christians are NOT to be judged with regards to
Sabbath keeping, since it was but "a shadow" of
things to come [Colossians 2:16].
In the New Testament, the Sabbath is truly kept by
RESTING SPIRITUALLY IN CHRIST (Matthew
11:28).
Sabbath in the New Testament is CEASING FROM
OUR OWN WORKS, and RESTING CONFIDENTLY
IN HIS FINISHED WORK [Hebrews 4:8-11].
Going to church Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday or any
other day doesn't save anybody. Nor does it make you
a "better Christian" than anyone else.
Going to church on Sunday is not the "mark of the
beast" as some stupid kristians allege.
You can go to church ON THE DAY OF YOUR
CHOOSING, OR NOT GO AT ALL. God never said "thou
shall attend worship services only on Saturday, but
never on Sunday".
Christians should GROW UP and stop all this silly
bickering about "Saturday vs. Sunday" worship.
Go to church services ANY DAY YOU LIKE.
Every day is God's. Every day we are to REST in
Him.
Every moment of every day WE SHOULD WORSHIP
HIM.
FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2011
BEER, WINE AND
CIGARETTES
I remember a well-known preacher who used to boast
that he "didn't even know what beer TASTED
like".
That same preacher became involved in a huge
scandal, when he was caught cheating on his wife, and
being "serviced" by several prostitutes.
Drinking beer isn't sin. Thinking you're "holier"
than others because you DON'T drink beer, IS.
Beer is the oldest known alcoholic beverage in the
world, mentioned even in the Code of Hammurabi.
It already existed at the time the Bible was written.
Yet the Bible doesn't say A WORD against it. So, it
must be O.K.
Actually, the alcoholic content in beer is only about 3-
6%, which is much lower than wine, which ranges
from 10-25%.
The Bible doesn't say you shouldn't drink beer. Nor
does it say you shouldn't drink wine. That was
INVENTED BY RELIGION.
Our Lord drank wine. He used wine at the Last
Supper to symbolize no less than His Precious
Blood. REAL wine, NOT GRAPE JUICE. The Hebrew
word is yayin, the Greek word is oinos, both meaning
FERMENTED wine.
The "grape juice" myth is also a religious
invention.
What the Bible does teach against is GETTING
DRUNK [Ephesians 5:18].
When you're drunk, your faculties are impaired.
You can cause GREAT HARM to others, as well as
yourself.
It's just plain irresponsible and inexcusable.
Do I encourage people to drink alcoholic beverages?
No.
Unlike the preacher in question, I do know what
beer tastes like. Let me state, for the record, that I
don't even like the way it looks, let alone how it
tastes.
For those who do like it, having a few Michelob Lites,
won't send anyone to hell. Matter of fact, IT'S NOT
EVEN SIN.
Having sex with a prostitute, on the other hand, IS
SINFUL. But even that, WON'T SEND ANYONE TO
HELL.
Having a glass of wine isn't sin either. In Europe,
most people [Christians included] drink wine
with their meals because it's their custom.
Even the medical profession concedes that wine is rich
in healthful antioxidants. In the Bible, we have no less
than the apostle Paul touting the health benefits of
wine [1 Timothy 5:23].
Cigarettes didn't EXIST when the Bible was written.
So, the Bible doesn't say "thou shall not smoke".
Smoking is sin only in the sense that it's been
PROVEN to be harmful to people's health. As
Christians, our bodies are the temple of the Holy
Spirit. We are to take good care of His temple.
But will anyone go to hell because he or she is a
smoker? No way!
In conclusion:
Beer and wine ARE O.K.
Adultery is NOT O.K., getting drunk is NOT O.K.,
smoking is NOT O.K.
None of the above will send anyone to hell.
The ONLY sin that sends people to hell is NOT
receiving the King into their hearts.
And I don't mean Budweiser...
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2011
SHOULD WE FOCUS ON
SIN?
"Christ Jesus came into the world TO SAVE SINNERS; of whom I am
chief" (1 Timothy 1:15).
"Therefore He is able TO SAVE COMPLETELY those who come to God
through Him, because He ALWAYS LIVES to intercede for them"
(Hebrews 7:25).
There's this school of thought in Christianity that
THINKS it's their life's mission to "call sin SIN", as if
a SINFUL world didn't know what the heck it
was.
They are the ONES that picket abortion clinics with
SIGNS that say "abortion is murder" (hang with me
here for a minute, please), that constantly bash
sinners, that constantly point an ACCUSING finger at
homosexuals, and even crash homosexual funerals
rejoicing that that person "has gone to hell".
I don't know what kind of "Christianity" that is, but
it's not found in the New Testament.
The New Testament is ALL about REDEMPTION
FROM sin (John 3:17).
My Jesus DIDN'T GO AROUND CONDEMNING SINNERS,
as some Christians do today, thinking that's their lofty
mission in life.
He went around OFFERING FORGIVENESS to ALL
who'd receive Him (John 3:16).
And THAT'S what Christians, at least REAL Christians,
should be preaching today.
Jesus' Message HASN'T CHANGED. It's THE SAME
today as it was then.
He is THE SAME yesterday, today and FOREVER
(Hebrews 13:8).
It's the "Christian" RELIGION, unfortunately,
that has PERVERTED His Message.
The ONLY SINNERS that Jesus EVER denounced were
the RELIGIOUS LEADERS of His day, who thought
they were "better" and "more righteous" than
everyone else.
They thought THEIR RELIGION and their WORKS could
save them.
They trusted THEIR OWN righteousness, instead of
His.
For the record, THERE'S NO RIGHTEOUSNESS BUT
JESUS' (Isaiah 64:6).
For the record, "works" DON'T WORK... where
Salvation is concerned.
Jesus, in fact, told these self-righteous religious
leaders POINT BLANK that "prostitutes and sinners
WOULD ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD AHEAD OF
THEM" (Matthew 21:31).
Do you REALLY think that a sinner DOESN'T KNOW
what he/she is?
Do you REALLY think that by condemning them and
telling them HOW EVIL and SINFUL they are you're
going to get them to stop sinning, let alone WIN
THEM TO Christ?
No. What A SINNER -- ANY SINNER -- needs to hear is
that THEIR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.
That's there's a God who loved them SO MUCH that He
came in human form and ALREADY PAID FOR ALL --
and I mean ALL -- their sins (2 Corinthians 5:19).
That ALL they need to do IN ORDER TO BE CLEANSED
of sin forever, is to RECEIVE THAT WONDERFUL
God-Savior into their hearts and TRUST (have full
confidence in) His unconditional love for them,
His atoning death and Resurrection (John 1:12;
Romans 10:9).
Those who want to go back to the Old Testament,
where the law demanded "an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth", and want to display those hateful
SIGNS can do so. That is their right under the law.
However, they should keep in mind that they, too,
will be judged by the same standard they apply
to others (Matthew 7:1; James 2:10).
Furthermore, those who live under the Old Testament
AREN'T SAVED!!!
Is abortion the killing of a human being? You bet!
Is homosexuality sin? YES!
Are they UNFORGIVABLE SINS? NO!!!
SIN ISN'T what Christians should be focused on.
We should focus on Jesus, THE ONE AND ONLY
REMOVER OF SIN.
...The ONLY ONE who PAID FOR, and TOOK AWAY,
the sins of the world (John 1:29).
That's WHAT He DIED FOR. That's what He LIVES
FOR.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2011
BIRTHPANGS
In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus told us PRECISELY
WHEN the 7-year period would BEGIN and when the
tribulation would END.
Matthew 24:6-8:
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but
see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must
happen, but THE END is NOT YET.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom. There will be famines and
earthquakes in various places. All these are THE
BEGINNING OF birth pangs".
So, He clearly stated that THE BEGINNING OF birth
pangs is characterized by....
1) Wars and rumors of wars.
2) Nation rising against nation and kingdom against
kingdom
(In context, He'd be referring to the nations known in
His day, and not to modern nations. So "wars" and
"rumors of war" and "nation against nation" would
have to refer to Middle Eastern nations, or
nations bordering the Mediterranean, since that
was THE WORLD the people of that era knew.
This would EXCLUDE the American continent, which
wasn't discovered „til 1492, as well as large parts of
Asia, Africa and Northeastern Europe).
3) Famines.
4) Earthquakes in various places.
He indicated that ALL OF THESE happening
SIMULTANEOUSLY would signal THE BEGINNING of
the birthpangs.
Famine, unfortunately, has been around "forever"...
But no one can deny that in the past 18 months
there's been A SHARP increase in the number of
STRONG, DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKES and
VIOLENTLY ERUPTING VOLCANOES. The Greek word
used in this passage, seismos, would cover BOTH.
Wars and "rumors of" war in that part of the world
have been ongoing for the past decade with the
invasion of Afghanistan, of Iraq, and with Iran's ever
growing nuclear agenda.
But what REALLY began this whole period is the
"nation against nation and kingdom against
kingdom" taking place in the Middle East.
It all began with Tunisia in December 2010, and
spread into Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Syria, Yemen,
Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, Oman, Sudan, Iran and
Iraq.
Even as I write, and although the protests are
somewhat different in nature, there's turmoil going on
in the streets of Athens.
This is UNPRECEDENTED in human history. NO such
multinational "chain reaction" has EVER
happened before.
And it's happening, right before our eyes, JUST AS
JESUS PREDICTED.
Naysayers may argue that famine, war, rumors or war
and quakes have been around, to a greater or lesser
extent, for a long time.
BUT WHAT THEY ABSOLUTELY CANNOT SAY is
that the multinational upheaval taking place in the
Middle East has happened before. This event is
WITHOUT PRECEDENT and UNIQUE to our time.
What's even more amazing is Jesus' pinpoint
accuracy (praise His Name):
"Nation against nation" (as in revolution, a nation at
war against itself) and "kingdom against kingdom"
since some of them, like Jordan and Bahrain, ARE
KINGDOMS.
That's PRECISELY what's taking place.
The so-called "Arab Spring", actually began IN THE
FALL OF 2010.
It began, to be exact, on December 17, 2010 when
twenty six year-old Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi set
himself on fire in utter despair and protest of the way
he was treated by local authorities, thus lighting the
fuse that ended his life and ignited the current unrest
sweeping the Middle East.
So, as per Jesus' OWN WORDS -- according to HIS
VERY OWN AND VERY ACCURATE DESCRIPTION -- the
BIRTHPANGS HAVE BEGUN.
In Matthew 24:9-13 He gave additional details of what
would happen once the tribulation was underway.
Then in verse 14, He told us WHEN THE TRIBULATION
would end:
"And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached
in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and
then THE END (of the tribulation) will come".
In Revelation 14:6,7 we read about a special angel
(messenger) flying thru heaven PREACHING THE
GOSPEL OF GOD'S KINGDOM TO EVERYONE ON
EARTH.
The "END" of the tribulation takes place shortly
thereafter when Alexander masses his armies at
Armageddon in a futile attempt to PREVENT the return
of Jesus and the establishment of His Kingdom on
earth (Revelation 16:16).
AFTER the tribulation ends, there's a 75-day (30 + 45
day) transition period, mentioned in Daniel 12:11-12
that leads to the Millennium, which starts on or about
12/13/2017.
So, there's a 7-YEAR PERIOD FROM THE BEGINNING
OF BIRTH PANGS TO THE BEGINNING OF THE
MILENNIUM.
While the Church CLEARLY won't be here for the
tribulation judgments, IT WILL BE HERE DURING
THE BIRTHPANGS.
Consequently, the Church will still be here during PART
(the start) OF THE aforementioned 7-year period.
Matter of fact, that's where we are RIGHT NOW.
TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2011
7-YEAR PERIOD
In view of the fact WE'RE STILL HERE, I have
entertained the possibility that the period involving the
Rapture-Tribulation-Second Coming might be less than
7-years in duration.
I can now say it IS less than 7 years. However, THERE
IS STILL a 7-year period that runs from the
beginning of the Birthpangs to the Millennium, as
I'll demonstrate in a moment.
So, again, and to clarify: the period covering the
Rapture, tribulation and Second Coming is LESS THAN
7 years.
However, THERE IS a 7-year period, which
BEGINS with the birth pangs and ENDS WITH the
start of the Millennium.
The more I checked and re-checked the Scriptures,
meditated on these things, and sought the Spirit's
Wisdom, it just didn't make ANY sense for there NOT
to be a 7-year period involved somehow.
As I've shared with you previously, Bible prophecy is
ALL about 7's.
Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy consists of 70 sevens, 7
sevens, 62 sevens, and HALF a seven.
The Book of Revelation contains no fewer than 19 sets
of "sevens", which I've detailed in a previous
message.
God even placed a 7-year period AT THE END OF the
Millennium (Ezekiel 39:9).
Therefore, while there's no Scripture that says in so
many words "there will be a 7-year period BEFORE the
Millennium", it JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE for it
NOT TO be there.
If God is ANYTHING He is CONSISTENT. And He is the
Supreme Perfectionist.
God SPECIFICALLY told Daniel in chapter 12, verses 4
and 9 that such things would NOT be FULLY
understood UNTIL "the time of the end".
So, the CLOSER we get to "the end", THE MORE we'll
understand, and the CLEARER we will see the picture.
Therefore, and assuming that Jesus tarries a little
longer, I EXPECT to KNOW MORE about eschatology A
MONTH FROM NOW, and even more 3 months from
now, than I do presently.
I no longer see the 7-year period PRECEDING Christ's
Second Coming, but PRECEDING the Millennium.
That's an important distinction.
So, the Millennium is sandwiched in between TWO 7-
year periods.
Assuming as per Daniel 9:25 that the Second Coming
will take place in the fall of 2017 and as per Daniel
12:11, 12 that the Millennium begins some 75 days
thereafter, on Hanukkah 2017, that would mean
that the 7-year period began in December, 2010.
It DID NOT, however, begin with the Rapture, as I had
anticipated.
It began with the BIRTHPANGS.
The Rapture, according to Revelation 12:1-5, takes
place AT THE END OF the birth pangs and,
according to Revelation 7:9, BEFORE the tribulation
JUDGMENTS (of the 7 trumpets) begin.
So, the Rapture takes place SOMETIME during that 7-
year span, IN THE EARLY PART thereof.
The tribulation JUDGMENTS BEGIN shortly AFTER the
birth pangs end and the Church has departed
(Revelation 8:1, 2).
The Church remains on earth for the duration of
the birth pangs.
It is NOT however, on earth, when the tribulation
judgments are poured out.
The million dollar question then becomes "HOW LONG
is the duration of the birth pangs?
The Scriptures DON'T tell us.
Hence, NO ONE KNOWS "the day" of our Departure.
What we DO KNOW is that if the birth pangs HAVE
ALREADY BEGUN, it can't be too far off.
In the natural, birth pangs DON'T LAST TOO LONG.
They may "seem to" last "forever", but they don't.
However, it varies with EACH woman.
How long will they last for THIS "woman"?
(Revelation 12:1)
Don't know, but they've been going on for 6 months
already.
I'll further explain the birth pangs in tomorrow's
message.
MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2011
DAYS SHORTENED
One prophetic passage that is often misunderstood is
Matthew 24:22:
"And EXCEPT THOSE DAYS SHOULD BE SHORTENED,
no flesh would be saved: but FOR THE ELECT'S SAKE
those days shall be shortened".
People constantly ask if that means the length of the
tribulation will be shortened.
They also ask if this might be the reason WHY the
Rapture hasn't happened.
The answer to both questions is "NO".
By "shortening" the days, Jesus did NOT mean that
they'd be FEWER IN NUMBER.
He meant the days themselves would be "shorter" in
the sense that DAYLIGHT will be curtailed.
This happens in Revelation 8:12 shortly after the
tribulation judgments begin, when the 4th
trumpet is blown:
"The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of
the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of
the stars, so that a third of them turned dark; A THIRD
OF THE DAY WAS WITHOUT LIGHT, and also a third of
the night.
That's what Jesus meant. So, instead of the usual "12
hours" of daylight, it will be reduced to only about 8
hours.
Obviously, that'll give the Antichrist and his forces less
opportunity to pursue and kill God's people.
Hence, Jesus' comment that UNLESS the days
(daylight) were shortened "no flesh would survive".
We know the number of days for the reign of Antichrist
is pretty much FIXED at 3½ years, or 42 months, or
1,260 days (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:5).
So, there's NO WAY Jesus could have meant that those
days would be "shortened" IN NUMBER.
Likewise, eschatology is ALL ABOUT 7's.
Both, the events in Daniel's 70 weeks and in the Book
of Revelation, are all based on 7's.
There's a 7-year period FOLLOWING the
Millennium.
Therefore, God being the Great Perfectionist that He is,
there must also be a 7-year period PRECEDING
the Millennium.
Matter of fact, if my understanding of Scripture is
correct, and although the tribulation JUDGMENTS have
not yet begun, WE ARE in that 7-year period RIGHT
NOW.
I will further explain in another message soon, so
please don't bombard me with emails asking me to
"give more details" about this. I will do so, in due time.
So, the tribulation lasts 7 years which is (give or take)
2,520 days.
And the reign of Antichrist lasts 3½ years.
Those numbers are FIXED, and unchangeable.
God's NOT shortening THE NUMBER of days. He's
shortening THE LENGTH of days, or the hours of
daylight.
That's what it means.
He thinks of EVERYTHING, down to the smallest
details... doesn't He?
Jesus be eternally praised.
The other part of that verse that raises questions is
"who are THE ELECT mentioned there"?
"Elect" means the same as "CHOSEN". The verse
could just as easily and correctly be translated "but for
the Chosen's sake those days shall be shortened".
Therefore, they are God's Chosen People, the
natural Israelites.
The Church will be safely in heaven, but most Jews
and many natural Israelites, will still be on earth.
For THEIR SAKE, God will shorten the hours of
daylight, thus ensuring their survival as a people, and
their resettlement in the Holy Land, as God promised,
during the Millennium.
SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2011
ENDURE
"For the time will come when they WILL NOT
ENDURE sound doctrine; but after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears. They will REJECT THE TRUTH and
chase after myths (2 Timothy 4:3, 4)".
No more accurate depiction of modern Christianity
could be given.
The Holy Spirit, thru the apostle Paul, spoke of the
condition of the Church today ("the time will
come") and NAILED IT.
In a day when kristian CHURCHES seek "SHARED
FAITH" with the satanic religion of Islam which
WORSHIPS A FALSE "god" and damns untold
millions to the flames and torment of hell...
WHAT, IN HEAVEN'S NAME, do we SHARE with
IDOLATERS?
...A day when RELIGIOUS APPEASEMENT is sought by
READING THE KORAN in those "churches", when
the congregation is SPIRITUALLY STARVED for lack of
knowledge of THE BIBLE...
When we have supposed Christians practicing yoga,
astrology, transcendental meditation, and even
dabbling in the occult...
When we have prophecy gurus teaching "Islamic
eschatology", to Christians who DON'T KNOW
BIBLICAL eschatology...
When legalism and Judaizing have reached EPIDEMIC
PROPORTIONS, teaching a jumbled "gospel" of
Jesus PLUS WORKS, when the Scriptures classify
those who do as "ACCURSED" (Galatians 1:8)...
Saying they "CAN'T ENDURE sound doctrine" is putting
it mildly.
Jesus also warned that religious deception, IN HIS
NAME, would be the hallmark of these "LAST DAYS"
(Matthew 24:4).
We see how tremendously accurate God's Word
is, and we do well in heeding Jesus' Words about these
end times:
"He THAT ENDURES „TIL THE END shall be saved"
(Matthew 24:13).
Are you ENDURING sound doctrine, or RUNNING
AFTER MYTHS?
FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011
NO COMPROMISE
There's a new trend in Christianity that is rather
disturbing.
In a cowardly attempt to satisfy the anti-
Christian, anti-Christ media which takes delight in
branding us intolerant, there are supposed "ministers
of the Gospel" willing to compromise its very
message in favor of dialogue and "interfaith
conferences".
They're AFRAID to say that Salvation is found ONLY
in Jesus Christ.
They're AFRAID to state before the biased,
judgmental, self-righteous, INTOLERANT media elite
that THERE'S NO SALVATION APART FROM Jesus
[Acts 4:12].
One BIG reason for this cowardly compromise is that
they want to be on the media's good side, so they'll
be well received next time they embark on their
worthless book tour.
Intolerant? Christians aren't the ones blowing
themselves up JUST SO they can indiscriminately
murder people of other faiths.
Christians aren't the ones who DISOWN their
families, or carry out "honor killings" of family
members who dare forsake such religious
abominations in favor of the Truth.
Jesus and His disciples NEVER compromised the
pure message of the Gospel that Salvation is thru
Him and Him ALONE.
This, despite the fact their VERY LIVES were at stake.
Those brave men and women in the early Church
were willing to DIE, Jesus Himself was willing to GO
TO THE CROSS, and these gutless wimps aren't even
willing to sacrifice social acceptance and a few bucks?
Give me a HUGE break!
If you love people of "other religions" enough to
MINGLE with them, you should also love them
enough to TELL THEM THE TRUTH.
AFTER THE RAPTURE - Part
Two
In yesterday's message we covered what'll happen in
the FIRST part of the tribulation. What happens,
then, in THE SECOND part?
The Antichrist emerges from the bottomless pit,
resurrected from the dead (Revelation 13:1; 17:8).
The unbelieving world is mesmerized by this great
figure from the past who, like Jesus Himself, APPEARS
resurrected and immortal. Like the Savior, he also
exhibits supernatural powers.
Since they hate Jesus, they think this is their guy, the
king capable of challenging, overthrowing and
preventing the establishment of the Kingdom of
Christ on earth. The Bible calls it "strong delusion"
(2 Thessalonians 2:11).
Israel will be aggressively and ruthlessly persecuted,
Jerusalem will be attacked and conquered, and
Jews will have to flee into the desert for safety
(Revelation 12:6).
The false prophet also rises from the dead, in support
of Antichrist (Revelation 13:11, 12). He promotes
Antichrist's "deity", and forces EVERYONE to
worship satan and Antichrist, under penalty of
death.
The false prophet will deceive millions with the
supernatural wonders he'll perform (Revelation
13:13,14).
He will control the economy and forbid buying or
selling for anyone who doesn't receive Antichrist's
mark, his name, or the number of his name in his right
hand or forehead (Revelation 13:16,17).
Those who receive Antichrist's mark will doom
themselves to spend eternity in torment
(Revelation 14:9-11).
Those who refuse the mark will, for the most part, be
beheaded (Revelation 20:4).
If they, somehow, manage to escape, they will have a
very hard time surviving, since they won't be able to
purchase food, beverages, or any of life's necessities.
Rome will be nuked out of the planet (Revelation
17:16-18).
The followers of Antichrist will be covered in painful
blisters and sores. The entire sea [that's ¾ of our
planet] will turn into coagulated blood. All marine
creatures die. One can only imagine the horrible
stench and contamination.
All rivers, lakes, and water reservoirs will turn to
blood.
There will be nothing to drink, EXCEPT BLOOD.
The ozone layer will be completely gone, and men will
be scorched with third-degree sunburn. The pain will
be so grievous, they will bite and chew their tongues
(Revelation chapter 16).
Do you think NOW, perhaps, they turn to God?
Nope. They blaspheme Him.
Finally, the situation becomes so intolerable, that
Antichrist gathers the nations at Armageddon to
engage in war against (ANTI) Christ.
The war is over before it even starts.
Jesus instantly kills the armies of Antichrist. Antichrist
himself and the false prophet are captured and
thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation
19:11-20).
Their father satan is captured, chained and imprisoned
in the bottomless pit, where he will do time, 1,000
years, to be exact (Revelation 20:1-3).
Jesus will set up His Eternal Kingdom on earth
(Revelation 20:4).
The Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ is,
therefore, INEVITABLE.
Whether you like or not, Jesus will reign forever.
From eternity to eternity HE IS GOD.
The only question remaining is: WHERE WILL YOU BE
when He reigns? In the lake of fire's eternal
torment with satan and the Antichrist? ... or
ruling and reigning with Jesus forever and ever?
It's ENTIRELY up to you.
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011
AFTER THE RAPTURE
Ever wonder what it will be like on earth AFTER
Christians are raptured?
The tribulation is described, in chronological order, in
chapters 8-19 of the Book of Revelation, with some
parenthetical details in chapters 10-12.
What will it be like, for those who remain on earth?
For starters, they'll get the shock of their lives,
when they see the Jesus they've consistently
rejected, coming in the clouds with power and
great glory.
Lindsay Lohan, who recently renounced Jesus [not that
she ever KNEW HIM] to please her former lesbian
lover, will suddenly realize just how stupid she is.
They'll be equally shocked when, suddenly, the earth
and the atmosphere quake violently, daylight
wanes as the sun becomes black, the moon turns into
a blood ball, the earth's geography and topography are
rearranged, and billions of people, children, babies
and animals instantaneously disappear.
Brad and Angelina will be looking for their babies,
natural or adopted, and they'll be gone.
The tribulation judgments begin when the 7th seal is
opened, and the first 6 trumpets are blown.
These will cause all the grass, plus the third part of
trees and crops to be burnt up. Buying a head of
lettuce is something we take for granted today. When
these judgments take place, it won't be easy to find
lettuce. If you do find it, the price will be sky high.
Animals will all be gone, so you won't be able to eat
chicken, beef or pork, either. So, you unsaved Atkins
dieters better start planning now...
Better yet, you can receive Jesus into your hearts
as Lord, and you'll be safely in heaven with Him
when these terrible events unfold.
There's nuclear war in which the third part of ships is
destroyed. The third part of the sea turns to blood,
while the third part of rivers, lakes and water
reservoirs becomes so contaminated that
drinking it causes death.
The third part of sea creatures dies. Daylight,
moonlight and starlight are also reduced by one-third,
making this a dark, dark world... in more ways than
one.
Millions of scorpion-like demonic creatures come
out of the abyss to sting and torment humans for
5 months. It will be so painful that men will want to
die, and try in vain to commit suicide, but they'll
stay alive. God won't allow them to take "the easy way
out".
A large number of lethal missiles, carrying chemical
and biological payload, is unleashed from the
Euphrates region and kills the third part of mankind.
There are roughly 7 billion people on earth right now.
Assuming that, by God's grace, 2 billion of us depart in
the Rapture, there would be 5 billion left. We're
talking about death on an unprecedented scale,
OVER A BILLION AND A HALF people sickened or
poisoned to death.
And, what we've covered so far is just the first and
"mildest" part of the tribulation.
The thing that absolutely staggers me is that chapter
9:20,21 tell us that, even in the horrible aftermath of
these unparalleled events, peoples' hearts are so
hardened that they REFUSE TO REPENT, AND TURN
TO THE ONE, TRUE GOD.
Want to know what happens in the second part
of the tribulation?
Come back tomorrow, for Part Two
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2011
ADVICE FOR SINNERS
If you're one of those "perfect" people who never sins,
or CLAIMS never to sin, go read one of those "other"
websites.
We're not after "perfect" people; sinners is what
we're ALL about.
What should be the mindset of a FORMER sinner,
who's been saved by grace, and who doesn't
WANT TO sin?
The more YOU "TRY" in your own strength NOT TO sin,
the more you will. The BIGGER the temptations will
become, and the HARDER they'll be to resist.
The WORST thing we can do is "TRY NOT TO" sin.
The BEST thing we can do is flow with the Spirit.
TRUST Jesus. Follow Jesus.
We DO NOT, therefore, live under law or
commandments "don't do this" and "don't do that".
That just makes us WANT TO sin ALL THE MORE
(Romans 7:7, 8).
We are to live in the Spirit of Christ within us
(Galatians 5:16, 25).
Christians should stay focused on His Spirit. TRUSTING
Jesus, TRUSTING that His Blood has us covered.
That NO MATTER WHAT we do ON THE OUTSIDE,
NO ONE CAN TAKE HIS SPIRIT from our INSIDE.
It's His Spirit (His own Nature) in us that makes us
saved (Romans 8:9; 2 Peter 1:4).
One reason the 10 commandments don't work is that,
when we try to live under them, we FEAR the
consequences of breaking them.
Fear is NOT of God (2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18).
The underlying reason for anyone wanting to live
under "commandments" is FEAR. Fear is of satan.
FEAR MEANS you DON'T TRUST.
The more you FEAR SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES,
THE MORE YOU WILL SIN.
Repeat: The more you FEAR SIN AND ITS
CONSEQUENCES, THE MORE YOU WILL SIN.
Fear of sinning WILL MAKE US sin. It makes us
SLAVES TO sin.
CONFIDENCE (TRUST) THAT JESUS' BLOOD IS
SUFFICIENT TO FOREVER SAVE US, and wash away
ALL our sins no matter what we do, is what KEEPS
US FROM SINNING.
That's what makes sin LOSE ITS GRIP on us.
Does that mean we'll never sin again? No.
We live in a sin riddled world, where temptations come
at us constantly and from all directions.
It means you will gradually sin less and less.
It means that sin, slowly but surely, will become A
LOT LESS ALLURING.
It means you will SELDOM sin.
This takes practice and persistence. It's a way of life.
The more we practice this Way of Life, the less
vulnerable to sin we become.
So, if any sin has a grip on your life, relax. Give it
over to Jesus. Place it in His loving Hands, and
TRUST HIM that He has FOREVER taken care of
sin for you.
Trust Him that ALL your sins (past, present and
"future") are ALL washed away.
That should be the mindset of every true believer.
There will come a day when we will NO LONGER SIN
AT ALL, when God's glory will once again crown his
human offspring, purifying our minds forever.
Until that day comes, ALL God requires of us is
UNSWERVING TRUST.
Commandments are ORDERS.
ONLY SLAVES follow orders.
Sons don't follow orders. They KNOW what's theirs BY
BIRTHRIGHT.
TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2011
AM I REALLY SAVED?
No matter how often or how clearly I explain it, I keep
hearing from brothers and sisters who are beset by
some sin that they seem incapable of shaking.
Because they've been unable to forsake some
sin, they believe they've "lost" their Salvation.
The situation isn't helped by the fact that there are
many denominations that teach THE LIE that,
unless you abstain from sin AFTER Salvation,
either you were never really saved or, if you
were, you'll LOSE Salvation.
The internet is also CRAMMED FULL of websites and
videos spreading this lie.
For whatever reason, Christians seem eager to
embrace condemnation and shun Grace.
Salvation is A GIFT from beginning to end (Ephesians
2:8,9).
You and I HAVE NEVER DESERVED SALVATION.
Your behavior, good or bad, HAD NOTHING TO DO
with getting THIS GIFT.
ALL it took on your part WAS RECEIVING HIM (IT).
God, in His infinite Mercy, CHOSE to give us this
MAGNIFICENT GIFT, which WE DIDN'T deserve.
So, WHY would He require us to be "deserving" of it,
after FREELY GIVING IT TO US?
And what kind of a loving, merciful God would He be, if
He gave us THIS WONDERFUL GIFT and then TOOK IT
AWAY?
Would YOU do that to your son or daughter?
If your son or daughter sinned, WOULD YOU
DISOWN THEM? Would he/she STOP BEING your
child?
NO.
No matter how often or how badly our children
behave, WE LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY.
No matter WHAT they do, THEY'RE STILL OUR
CHILDREN.
If you being a sinner, can show them such mercy,
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT OUR HEAVENLY
FATHER, THE PERSONIFICATION OF LOVE, will do
ANY LESS? (Luke 11:13).
Are you HOLIER than God?
Are you MORE MERCIFUL than He?
We didn't deserve THE GIFT when He gave it. We
WON'T DESERVE IT AFTERWARDS, either.
THE VERY FACT that you are concerned about
SINNING, and WISH YOU COULD forsake sin, IS
CLEAR INDICATION THAT YOU ARE SAVED.
If you WEREN'T, your conscience wouldn't bother you.
You wouldn't give a "you-know-what" about sinning.
While no true Christian WANTS TO sin, or SEEKS sin,
even AFTER receiving Christ we fall because "our spirit
is willing, BUT our flesh is weak".
Our spirit was born again when we received Jesus.
Unfortunately, OUR MIND WASN'T.
It's our unregenerate mind that causes us to sin,
sooner or later, no matter HOW MUCH we want to
quit sinning.
That's where FAITH (TRUST) in Jesus and His Word
comes in:
"...that WHOSOEVER believes on Him SHALL NOT
PERISH but have ETERNAL Life" (John 3:16).
I don't read ANY requirement there that you have to
live a PERFECT, sinless life to be saved, DO YOU?
ALL that is required is that YOU BELIEVE (TRUST)
Jesus and WHAT He ALREADY DID ON YOUR
BEHALF.
"He that believes and is baptized (by the Holy Spirit
into the Body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:12) SHALL
BE SAVED; he that BELIEVES NOT shall be damned"
(Mark 16:16).
Again, the ONLY requirement for salvation is BELIEF.
No WORKS.
"By one Sacrifice He has PERFECTED FOREVER
those who are sanctified (made holy)" (Hebrews 9:12).
He has obtained, by His own BLOOD, ETERNAL
REDEMPTION for us (Hebrews 10:14).
Can't say it any clearer than that.
2 Corinthians 5:19:
"God was IN Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself,
NOT COUNTING men's sins against them".
If God's NOT COUNTING your sins, brother/sister, you
got it made.
If God is ON YOUR SIDE, WHO can be against you?
(Romans 8:31).
ALL God's EVER wanted from humans is THEIR
TRUST.
If you have received Jesus into your heart, YOU CAN
TRUST 100% IN His Salvation:
"To ALL that received Him gave He power to
BECOME SONS OF God" (John 1:12).
Thank God it DOESN'T say "to ALL that received Him
and NEVER SINNED AGAIN".
You can TRUST Jesus, and His Word, or you can listen
to satan's accusing LIES and LIVE IN TORMENT.
Either way, if you received Christ into your heart,
YOU'RE SAVED:
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. I give them ETERNAL life, and THEY
SHALL NEVER PERISH; NO ONE can SNATCH
THEM OUT OF MY HAND. My Father, who has given
them to me, IS GREATER THAN ALL; NO ONE can
snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the
Father are one" (John 10:26-30).
Bottom line is: You can be an obedient son, or a
disobedient son, but YOU CANNOT UN-SON
YOURSELF.
If you get NOTHING ELSE, please get this:
Salvation is NEVER dependent ON HOW WE ACT
OUTSIDE, but ON WHO LIVES INSIDE.
1 John 5:12: "He that HAS the Son HAS LIFE. He
who has not the Son of God does not have life".
It's AS SIMPLE as THAT.
MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2011
UNIVERSALIST
According to a new Barna study, ONE out of four
"born again" Christians holds a Universalist view where
Salvation is concerned.
Universalism is the belief that ALL human beings
will eventually be saved after death.
Twenty-five percent of "born-again" Christians said
that ALL PEOPLE will eventually be saved or
accepted by God.
Really? I suppose, then, that Jesus went to the
Cross just "for the fun of it".
Likewise, 26 percent said a person's religion does not
matter because "ALL FAITHS teach the same lessons".
NOT!!!
And 40 percent - ALMOST HALF - of "born agains"
said they believe that Christians and Muslims
(horror of horrors) "worship the same God".
This is simply APPALLING. We're not talking about
some fringe group, or heretical sect, we're talking
about SUPPOSED "born again" Christians.
These are people who, purportedly, have received
Christ into their hearts and been born again, which
means THEY HAVE God's own Spirit LIVING IN
them.
Listen, I'm keenly aware of what goes on in the world.
I know the media's done one heck of a "snow job"
bombarding us relentlessly with the lie that "all
spirituality is good" and that all it takes to get to
heaven is being "a good person", however their
corrupt mind chooses to define "good".
But that, by no means, exonerates MINISTERIAL
RESPONSIBILITY.
In fact, it speaks VOLUMES about the feeble and
muddled message coming from behind pulpits,
about the folly of accommodating tactics, about the
failure of organized religion (a/k/a
"denominations") and of TELEVANGELISM AT
LARGE.
The Church needs TO SPEAK with a BOLD, CLEAR,
DIRECT, unambiguous, and NON-CONFORMING
voice.
My God, our spiritual forefathers DIDN'T have TV,
they didn't have internet... DIDN'T HAVE CD's,
DVD's or audio cassettes.... Didn't have modern
facilities to record... Didn't have airplanes or even
automobiles... Didn't have Bibles... Didn't even
know what a printing press was!!!
And LOOK WHAT THEY DID!!!
Evangelized the WHOLE world known in the first
century; turned it UPSIDE DOWN with the TRUE
Gospel.
It took a mere 300 years for their message, His
Message, to SWALLOW UP the cruelest and most
intimidating Empire, the greatest military machine
known to man.
The early church didn't preach a confusing mixture
of grace plus works. It taught, flat-out that YOUR
WORKS have NOTHING to do with Salvation
(Ephesians 2:8, 9).
That it's HIS Work, not yours, that'll get you to
heaven (Titus 3:5).
They DIDN'T try to be politically or religiously correct
by "accommodating" THE AMBITIONS OF first century
politicians, or by trying to find "common ground"
with FALSE RELIGIONS (i.e., SATAN
WORSHIPPERS).
They told it like it is, even if it meant LOSING THEIR
LIVES.
Many thousands of our precious brothers and
sisters paid the ultimate price FOR NOT BEING
WILLING TO COMPROMISE, for not giving an
inch, where Jesus and the Christian faith are
concerned.
HOW DARE some of today's spineless, wimpy, self-
proclaimed "church leaders" hold conferences on
"finding common ground" with Muslims???
There is NONE!
HOW DARE they say that Christians and Muslims
"worship the same God"?
Newsflash: allah DOESN'T EVEN EXIST!!!
I quote from 2 Corinthians 6:14-17:
"DO NOT BE yoked together with unbelievers. For
what do righteousness and wickedness have in
common?
Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?
What does a believer have in common with an
unbeliever?
What agreement is there between the temple of God
AND IDOLS?
For we are the temple of the living God: As God has
said: "I will live with them and walk with them...
Therefore COME OUT OF FROM THEM and BE
SEPARATE, says the Lord".
There's NOTHING WRONG WITH being SEPARATE.
There's NOTHING WRONG WITH being DIFFERENT.
Modern pastors and ministers WILL HANG THEIR
HEADS IN SHAME when they appear before their Lord,
and their accomplishments, OR LACK THEREOF, are
pitted against THOSE OF THE EARLY CHURCH.
Ministers of Christ, and Christians in general: STOP
BEING COWARDS, and STAND UNASHAMEDLY
FOR YOUR LORD!!!
SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2011
BIBLE PROPHECY
This is my favorite subject in the entire world.
Why is it important to know Bible prophecy?
For one thing, we're living it.
Right now there are a whole bunch of events
happening in the world around us that were
predicted in God's Word.
I've often discussed these events with you. Many are
also posted and discussed elsewhere on this website.
So, one reason we should all be familiar with biblical
prophecy is to be informed as to what is
happening right now, what it means, and what
lies ahead.
In His grace and infinite mercy, our loving heavenly
Father gave us a "heads up", he gave us "Advance
Notice" of what will happen and how this world
system, as we now know it, is going to end.
The other point that makes this topic so fascinating is,
of all the "sacred books", the Bible is THE ONLY ONE
which has a proven track record of precise
prophetic fulfillment.
While other "Sacred books" contain prophecy, none of
their "prophecies" has come to pass. . . Nor will
they ever.
Why? Because those "Other books" aren't sacred at
all! They are lies invented by the father of lies,
satan, in an attempt to confuse, deceive and damn
their followers to an everlasting existence in the lake
of fire, in outer darkness, and separated from God,
who is The Life.
Because only the one true God, Yahwe Adonai,
knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).
Only our Lord Jesus Christ is both the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end. Therefore, only
He can reveal our "future" (Revelation 1:8; 22:13).
There were 37 major prophecies fulfilled in our
Savior Jesus Christ alone. Prophecies about Him were
fulfilled in excruciating detail: from His virgin birth, to
the city of His birth, His flight to Egypt, His growing up
in Nazareth, His teaching in parables, His miracles, His
Wisdom, to His very death and Resurrection.
The Book of Daniel even predicted, over 500 years
prior, where and when he would die for the sins
of the world... down to the exact year [Daniel
(9:24-27].
Daniel knew just how precise and reliable biblical
prophecy was and is.
During his exile in Persia, when he wanted to know
how much longer it would be before the Jews could
return to Jerusalem, he consulted the writings of the
prophet Jeremiah [Daniel 9:2]. The same Book of
Jeremiah you and I have in our Bibles.
God had prophesied thru Jeremiah the period of exile
would last 70 years. It happened exactly as His
Word predicted [Jeremiah 25:11].
Did you know that approximately 80% of all
prophecies in the Bible have already happened,
exactly as foretold?
That's OVER 2,000 PROPHECIES FULFILLED IN
PAINSTAKING DETAIL!!!
We can be certain, therefore, that the remaining
20% will also be fulfilled in exact detail.
The apostle Peter reminds us "We have a more sure
Word of Prophecy" [2nd Peter 1:19].
More sure than what? In context, Peter says that
God's prophecies in the Bible are so true, so accurate,
so completely reliable, that they are even MORE
SURE THAN THE AUDIBLE Voice of God which he
[Peter] heard at the Mount of Transfiguration,
along with James and John [Matthew 17:1-7].
You can't be much more emphatic than that.
That's why, my friend, my brother, my sister, it's so
important to know what that "MORE SURE Word of
prophecy" really says. Not what some prophecy guru
or theologian thinks it says, but what God really,
actually said.
God and His Word are One (John 1:1). If OUR FATHER
said it, it's so sure, you can "take it to the bank".
It's as sure as God Himself!
SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2011
DO GOOD PEOPLE GO TO
HEAVEN?
No.
SAVED people do.
There are lots of bad people in hell.
There are lots of "good" people in hell.
People who trusted that if their "good" works
outweighed or outnumbered their bad works
they'd make it to heaven... DIDN'T.
Those who think they'll make it to heaven by being a
"nice", "caring", "spiritual" person... WON'T.
Sorry. But NO AMOUNT OF WORKS WILL GET
ANYONE INTO HEAVEN... or hell.
What sends people, "good" or bad, into hell is THEIR
NATURE.
We've all inherited a fallen nature, a disconnected
from God nature, from our forefathers.
The ONLY WAY to make it to heaven is to acquire a
NEW Nature.
The ONLY WAY to make it to heaven is to acquire
God's OWN Nature.
The ONLY WAY to make it to heaven is to CONNECT
WITH Jesus (God) and be BORN AGAIN.
The way we connect with Jesus is we invite Him into
our hearts. We RECEIVE HIM as our only Lord,
Savior and God.
We TRUST not what we do, but WHAT HE DID.
We don't trust OUR WORKS, but HIS WORK.
When we TRUST Him, He puts His Own Divine
Nature in us (2 Peter 1:4).
When we TRUST Him, He COMES TO LIVE IN US!!!
We TRUST that His death, Blood and Resurrection
FOREVER paid for our sins... ALL our sins ("past",
present and "future"), and we REMAIN STEADFAST
in that TRUST.
That's what "having faith" is ALL about.
That's what Salvation is ALL about.
"Good" people won't go to heaven.
People who RECEIVE Jesus, intimately KNOW Jesus,
and TRUST Jesus... WILL.
Who'll make it to heaven?
Those who BELONG TO Jesus.
Those IN WHOM Jesus LIVES.
FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2011
BY THEIR FRUITS
In Matthew 7:15, Jesus warned His followers "Beware
of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous
wolves".
"You shall know them by their fruits".
What kind of fruit does your favorite minister or
ministry produce?
Are people really being saved?
Are they really being healed?
Are they being taught the true Word of God?
Are they growing in the knowledge of God's Word?
Are they, and their audience, becoming more and
more intimate with God?
Is everything they talk about superficial, or is there
depth in their teaching?
Are the people under the ministry yielding fruit
themselves?
Is the fruit of the Spirit [love, joy, peace, patience,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance]
evident in both the leaders and their followers?
Are the poor and disadvantaged really being helped,
OR DO THEY JUST SHOW A FEW "TOKEN" POOR FOR
MARKETING PURPOSES?
Or is that ministry focused, almost exclusively on
finances?
Is money ALL they talk about?
Is that ministry "selling" God's favor in exchange
for $$$ ?
Are they manipulating God's Holy Word, and
misusing it to put fear, rather than faith, in your
hearts?
Do they pervert God's Word for filthy lucre?
Do they promote Jesus Christ Himself, or do they
promote greed?
Are the ministers focused on self-promotion, self-
aggrandizement, and fund-raising, or do they
exalt Jesus?
A pastor's main job is to protect and feed the
sheep.
Is the minister feeding and protecting His sheep, or is
he feeding himself off them?
Jesus warned that there would be false prophets
among the true ministers of the Gospel.
He also told us HOW to tell the real from the fake:
"BY THEIR FRUITS".
THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011
ATMOSPHERE
Have you ever walked into a place, a building, home,
apartment or shop where you just sense something
unsettling or evil? Where the atmosphere seems
to be charged with spiritual darkness?
If you have, it isn't just your imagination.
What you sensed is very real.
I've even detected this as I've arrived in certain
countries, cities, or even certain parts of town.
There are also specific types of music, songs,
paintings, and other artistic expressions that are
infused with spiritual turbulence.
Since this is spiritual in nature, it's invisible to
physical eyes. The Bible talks about such spiritual
forces in Ephesians 6:12:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world, and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm".
Ephesians 2:2 refers to satan as "the prince of the
power of the air".
The Greek word aeros, meaning "air", also refers to
the lower layers of the atmosphere.
The Good News is we can CHANGE THE
ATMOSPHERE.
Many Christians either thru sin, attitude, or
ignorance, have allowed dark spiritual forces to build
strongholds over their lives, and don't even know
it.
It's easier to detect strongholds in other people's lives.
Strongholds in our own lives, however, are much
harder to detect because, over time, we become
ACCUSTOMED to them.
I'm not suggesting that EVERY bad THING that's
happened in your life is the result of a spiritual
stronghold. We have brought a lot of it upon ourselves.
Facing facts and taking personal responsibility is
an essential step in overcoming WHATEVER we're
facing.
We're also influenced, to some extent, by politics, the
economy, and other people's actions. So, DON'T GO
LOOKING FOR STRONGHOLDS.
However, if every time you take a step forward it
seems that, despite your best efforts, you get
pushed three steps back, and this situation
persists, you definitely ARE dealing with a stronghold.
If there seems to be NO LOGICAL explanation for
what you're going thru, chances are you are dealing
with a stronghold.
Every Christian should conduct a regular
atmospheric cleansing over his or her life.
Parents should do this over their homes and
families at least once a month [2 Corinthians 10:5].
We do this in Jesus' Name and Authority, and by His
cleansing Blood.
It's no coincidence that Ephesians 1:21 tells us that
our Lord is "FAR ABOVE all principality, and power,
and might, and dominion, AND [ABOVE] EVERY NAME
THAT IS NAMED, not only in THIS world, but also
in that which is to come".
Jesus will DESTROY EVERY stronghold in your life.
When we welcome His Holy Spirit into our
lives and invite Him to saturate the atmosphere
around us with His Presence, we can experience a
bit of heaven on this crazy, messed up earth.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011
VOLCANOES
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all
people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men
will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens and on the
earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to
blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved" (Joel 2:28-31).
Joel gives the same signs as Isaiah, Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John that will precede the appearance of our
Lord: the sun turns dark and the moon red as blood.
However, there's a portion of this passage that we
read and re-read, quote and re-quote, yet seems to
go over our heads.
At least I know it went over mine, until just recently.
"I will show wonders in the sky and on the earth,
blood and FIRE and BILLOWS OF SMOKE".
What on earth could Joel be referring to?
What could be considered a "wonder" that affects both
the earth and the sky, and produces fire and billows of
smoke?
VOLCANOES.
Volcanic activity has SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED in
recent months. We've had numerous eruptions all over
the world.
Many times in recent months air travel has been
suspended because of volcanic smoke and ash
interfering with visibility.
Right now we have TWO volcanoes spewing TONS OF
ASH, one in Chile and one in Eritrea, in northeastern
Africa.
The one in Chile has affected flights as far away as
Australia and New Zealand. It has sent a plume of ash
and smoke almost clear around the world.
The one in Eritrea has spread as far as portions of
Israel.
Of course, Jesus predicted that INCREASED seismic
activity would signal the end of the age (Matthew
24:7).
When we think in terms of "seismic", earthquakes
usually come to mind. However, volcanoes are also
the result of underground displacement and
friction of the earth's tectonic plates.
What about the part of the verse that mentions blood?
The Hebrew word for "blood" is "adam" which can
mean "blood" but also "red earth". Keeping in mind
that Joel penned his prophecy some 2,800 years
ago, sounds like a pretty good description of lava
to me.
If Joel's order is correct (actually, it's the Holy Spirit's
order, revealed through Joel), the sequence is:
Outpouring of the Spirit
Great Volcanic activity
The sun becoming dark and the moon red as blood
We know from the Scriptures what happens after
that...
All the signs are here; and they're becoming
STRONGER and more frequent.
We've certainly had more than our share of
"billows of smoke" in recent months.
Let's believe and hope the rest of the prophecy is
fulfilled in God's PERFECT order.
TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2011
DEPART FROM THE FAITH?
We wrap up this series with two verses that can be
explained in a few words.
The first is found in 1 Timothy 4:1,2 where it reads:
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will
depart from the faith and follow deceiving spirits
and things taught by demons. Such teachings come
through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have
been seared as with a hot iron".
The word for "depart" is apostasontai in Greek which
means "TO LEAD AWAY FROM".
So, in the latter days SOME will LEAD AWAY FROM
the faith".
This ISN'T talkiing about someone who is a true
believer, and leaves the faith. This is talking about
someone WHO IS NOT A TRUE BELIEVER, HAS
NEVER BEEN A TRUE BELIEVER, BUT PRETENDS TO
BE "Christian" and LEADS OTHERS AWAY FROM
the true Faith in Jesus.
This is also made ABUNDANTLY CLEAR in verse two
(above) which calls these deceivers "hypocritical
liars, whose consciences have been seared as with
a hot iron", clearly indicating their alleged "Christian
faith" ISN'T GENUINE.
There are THOUSANDS of pastors, theologians and
denominations today which call themselves "Christian"
and ARE NOT. They are leading people to
hell, and AWAY FROM personal relationship with
Jesus, just as Paul predicted.
"They" are those who teach that EVERYONE,
irrespective of receiving Jesus or not, is a "child
of God", and that we're "all brothers". "They" are
those who preach salvation thru works and NOT
thru a personal, intimate relationship with the Savior.
The second Scripture is 2 Peter 2:1-22. For the sake of
space, I'm editing and quoting ONLY the pertinent
portions that heretics love to bring out:
"But there were false prophets also among the
people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privately shall bring in damnable
heresies, even DENYING THE LORD THAT BOUGHT
THEM, and bring on themselves swift destruction".
Peter is speaking about FALSE PROPHETS, who
PRETEND to be Christians, BUT ARE NOT. They have
never been born again. They've never had a
change of nature.
That's why he points out in verse 12 that they are "as
NATURAL (unregenerate) beasts".
Besides calling them "FALSE PROPHETS" in verse 1,
plus a number of other "choice" names throughout the
chapter, Peter clearly shows that these individuals
were PRETENDERS, and NEVER SAVED, since they
"DENY the Lord that bought them".
If they DENY JESUS, there's NO WAY they could
have been saved!
Romans 10:9 says very pointedly "if you shall
CONFESS (not DENY) with your mouth the Lord
Jesus Christ and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God
raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED".
If they were DENYING THE LORD, there's NO WAY
they could have been saved, IS THERE?
What about verses 20-22 which state:
"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with
them than the beginning. For it had been better for
them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than, after they have known it, to
turn from the holy commandment delivered to
them. But it is happened to them according to the true
proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again;
and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the
mire" (2 Peter 2:20-22).
WHY does a dog eat his own vomit? WHY does a pig
wallow in mud? BECAUSE THAT'S THEIR NATURE.
Nobody TRAINS THEM to do such things. It comes
to them NATURALLY. By comparing these people to
them, HE'S CLEARLY SAYING THEY'VE NEVER HAD A
CHANGE OF NATURE. They've NEVER been born
again.
It would have been BETTER FOR THEM NOT TO KNOW
THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (the Gospel). But now
that THEY KNOW that Jesus is THE WAY, that He and
ONLY He paid for our sins, THEY DENY HIM.
They only PRETENDED to follow Him for a while. THEY
NEVER HAD A SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH
HIM TO BEGIN WITH.
They never received Him. They NEVER HAD A
CHANGE OF HEART (nature), thru the born-again
experience.
It would have been BETTER for them NOT TO hear the
Gospel, or know its message, than knowing it and
understanding it full well, PRETEND to receive Jesus,
and then deny Him.
That's what Peter is talking about.
They KNOW HOW to get saved. They CHOSE NOT
TO. They CHOSE to DENY the Savior.
That's why they've "gone back", because they were
NEVER REALLY HIS TO BEGIN WITH.
Period. End of story.
To sum up: there is NO SCRIPTURE in the New
Testament that teaches salvation by works, salvation
by torah keeping, salvation by 10 Commandment
keeping, salvation by Sabbath keeping, salvation by
belonging to a denomination, or ANYTHING
remotely close.
The New Testament, from Acts to Revelation, teaches
Salvation by Grace ONLY (IT'S A GIFT, which
NOBODY deserves), thru TRUST (faith) only,
WITHOUT ANY works of ANY kind.
That's what Jesus Himself taught in John 3:16 and in
Mark 16:16.
His death and Resurrection made ALL THE
DIFFERENCE in the world.
His Holy Spirit and Divine Nature in us FOREVER
seal His children unto Salvation.
Thank you, Jesus. THANK YOU!
MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011
CAN'T CRUCIFY HIM AGAIN
"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have
tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the
coming age, if they fall away, to keep bringing them back to
repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of
God all over again and subjecting him to public shame (Hebrews 6:4-6).
This passage ISN'T talking about sinning after
receiving Christ. It's talking ABOUT ONE SIN in
particular, which is for a Jewish person to receive
Christ, then forsake Christ in favor of their old
religion.
This is the second passage in the Book of Hebrews that
heretics twist to their own ruin.
Isn't it odd that both these verses (today's and the
one we dealt with yesterday, Hebrews 10-26-29) are
found in Hebrews, the epistle written ESPECIALLY
FOR Jews?
Had Paul intended this to be a warning for gentile
believers who sin after receiving Christ, he COULD
HAVE said it in Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2
Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, 1Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1
Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus or Philemon.
So, he could have stuck this in ANY of the 14 books
(Acts plus 13 epistles) he wrote to gentiles.
Instead, he put them in the ONE epistle
dedicated to Hebrews.
Clearly, then, Paul's not even ADDRESSING Christians.
He was talking to Jews, so WHY anyone would try to
apply this to gentile believers beats me.
As explained in yesterday's message, some Jews who
had turned to Christ and acknowledged Him as
Messiah, had a difficult time breaking away from
their religious traditions, rituals, observance of the
law, and accompanying regulations.
They had trouble grasping the concept that, once we
receive Christ, WE CEASE FROM OUR OWN
WORKS and ENTER INTO HIS REST.
We don't even try to be justified thru our OWN
works, but we REST TRUSTING CONFIDENTLY in HIS
WORK, in Him who PAID IN FULL, ONCE AND FOR
ALL, the incomprehensible PRICE of our Redemption.
That's what FAITH is.
Paul is simply telling his fellow Israelites that ONCE
they receive Christ, and receive His Spirit, they
CANNOT FALL AWAY OR FALL BACK into those
practices. If they do, they're forsaking Christ.
And if they (hypothetically speaking) were to forsake
Jesus and GO BACK TO THE LAW, they cannot be re-
born again, because if they RECEIVE CHRIST, then
reject Christ's ONCE AND FOR ALL Sacrifice, then try to
repent and come back, THEY'RE CRUCIFYING HIM
AGAIN, and subjecting Him to public shame, by
regarding His ONE-TIME ONLY DEATH as
insufficient for Salvation.
Remember Jews had lived under the tradition of
CONTINUOUS, NON-STOP sacrifices.
Paul's simply saying "this is IT, guys. THIS Sacrifice
IS ETERNAL. He died ONCE, He took care of
EVERYTHING regarding your Salvation FOR
ETERNITY, and He's NOT GOING TO DIE EVER
AGAIN".
Paul is speaking, hypothetically, as to what would
happen if they received the Gift, rejected it in favor
of their dead religion, and then tried to receive it
again.
We know this is hypothetical from verses 9-12 in that
same chapter:
"Even though we speak like this, dear friends, WE
ARE CONFIDENT OF BETTER THINGS IN YOUR
CASE - things that accompany salvation... We
want each of you to show this same diligence TO THE
VERY END, in order to make your hope sure.
We do not want you to become lazy, but to IMITATE
THOSE WHO THROUGH FAITH AND
PERSEVERANCE (not thru works) inherit the
promises".
The Book of Hebrews is devoted in its entirety to
show Israelites the STARK CONTRAST between Jesus
and Moses, between justification by the law, and
by Christ's Perfect, ETERNALLY SUFFICIENT
Sacrifice.
Hebrews chapter 1 focuses on the Deity of Jesus. How
is the the express Image of God, the brightness of His
Glory. He's much greater than the angels. And that it's
Jesus who sustains all things by His Word.
Hebrews chapter 2 focuses on God becoming human in
order to redeem mankind.
Hebrews 3 presents Him as being greater than
Moses. It also warns Jews against UNBELIEF.
Unbelief, they are reminded, is what prevented
their unbelieving forefathers, and Moses Himself,
from entering the Promised Land (an earthly
shadow of the heavenly realm, Hebrews 3:19).
Hebrews 4 focuses on God's people entering into His
Rest. It points out that His Rest is not the weekly
Sabbath, or even entering the EARTHLY Promised
Land. His REST is where we CEASE FROM ALL OUR
WORKS (there's no such thing as Salvation thru
works) and REST (TRUST, have faith in) Jesus' Perfect
Work of Redemption on our behalf (Hebrews 4:6-10).
Hebrews 5 introduces Jesus as our High Priest, who
offered the Sacrifice of Himself to the Father as
ETERNAL payment for our sins.
Then in chapter 6, where our anchor verse is found, he
explains that once they receive Jesus, and His
Spirit comes to live in them, they can't trust
ANYONE OR ANYTHING else for Salvation.
Bottom line: Salvation is FREE.
Salvation CANNOT be earned or deserved.
Salvation is A GIFT, from beginning to end.
It's ALL been done FOR YOU.
There's NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, for you to
do.
The ONLY role you play in Salvation is CHOOSING:
you can receive THE GIFT, or you can REJECT it.
SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011
WILLFUL SIN
"For if we sin willfully after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of
judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without
mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much
sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be
thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the
Son of God, and has counted the blood of the
covenant, with which he was sanctified, an
unholy thing, and has done despite to the Spirit
of grace? (Hebrews 10:26-29).
These verses in Hebrews say that if we sin willfully
after receiving Christ, we're hopelessly lost
forever, right?
WRONG.
NOTHING could be further from the Truth.
This is one of two passages in the Book of Hebrews
that have served as stumbling blocks to misinformed
Christians who don't know the Word of God.
Consequently, they've become pet verses for
legalists to heap condemnation on those who
refuse to submit to their religious agenda.
Before we analyze the Scripture in question, let's just
go by human logic, just good, old common sense.
If anyone who sins willfully after receiving Christ is lost
forever, NO ONE -- and I mean NO ONE -- would be
saved. I wouldn't be saved. In fact, Heaven would be
EMPTY.
This is a classic example of taking ONE passage of
Scripture OUT OF CONTEXT, ISOLATING IT from its
setting, and from the rest of the Bible, and jumping to
AN ERRONEUS conclusion.
We NEVER isolate a verse from the rest of the Bible.
Never!
We ALWAYS compare Scripture with Scripture.
If a particular Scripture seems to CONTRADICT
numerous OTHER Scriptures, then SOMETHING'S
WRONG and a "red flag" should immediately go
up.
Let's see how that ERRONEOUS "interpretation" stacks
up against OTHER Scriptures:
1 John 1:8-9 (John is speaking to Christians):
"If we (Christians) claim to be without sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth (Jesus) is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and CLEANSE US from ALL
unrighteousness".
John is saying THE VERY OPPOSITE. He's telling
Christians (those who've ALREADY received
Christ) that if they say they have no sin, they're
lying. So, either God's Word contradicts Himself, or
someone has grossly misinterpreted the passage in
Hebrews.
Let's see how it stacks up against Ephesians 2:8.9:
"Because you are saved BY GRACE thru FAITH
(trust) and that NOT OF YOURSELVES. It (Salvation)
is THE GIFT OF God; NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone
should boast".
Another contradiction.
One more Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:19:
"For God was in Christ RECONCILING THE WORLD TO
HIMSELF. NOT COUNTING MENS SINS AGAINST
THEM".
If God is NOT COUNTING our sins against us, HOW
can it possibly mean that if we sin after
becoming Christians we're forever lost?
Both can't be true. It's gotta be ONE or THE OTHER.
You've heard me say it A MILLION TIMES: CONTEXT,
CONTEXT, CONTEXT.
When you remove a verse from its chronological,
historic or cultural setting, you can MAKE IT say
almost anything.
Paul WAS NOT addressing gentile believers. As the
TITLE of the Book of HEBREWS indicates, he was
talking to Jews.
Gentiles had been worshipping pagan gods and
goddesses until they came to Christ. They had no
major problem in receiving the message of God's
Grace thru Jesus Christ, which requires NO WORKS.
Jews, on the other hand, worshiped the One true God,
BUT THEY HAD LIVED 1,500 years under the law
given at Mount Sinai.
That law required works, and animal sacrifices for
sin. Those sacrifices HAD TO BE OFFERED, TWICE A
DAY, EVERY SINGLE DAY... DAY AFTER DAY AFTER
DAY... YEAR AFTER YEAR, AFTER YEAR...
The ENTIRE Book of Hebrews draws a contrast
between law and Grace, between the Old Testament
and the New.
Beginning in chapter 8, Paul talks about how the
Jewish High Priest had to offer those never-ending
animal sacrifices for men's sins.
A bit farther, in chapter 9, he draws a contrast
between those never-ending animal sacrifices and
Jesus' PERFECT, ONCE AND FOR ALL SACRIFICE
for our sins.
Matter of fact, chapter 9:12 says about Jesus: "He did
not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;
but he entered the Most Holy Place ONCE AND FOR
ALL by HIS OWN Blood, having obtained
ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US".
"ETERNAL" MEANS NEVER ENDING. So, if Jesus has
OBTAINED ETERNAL, NEVER-ENDING
REDEMPTION FOR US WHO RECEIVE HIM AND
TRUST HIM, HOW CAN IT POSSIBLY SAY IN THE
NEXT CHAPTER, THAT IF WE SIN AFTER
RECEIVING HIM, WE'RE ETERNALLY LOST???
Do you see how such interpretation doesn't make
ANY sense? Do you see how it CONTRADICTS one
Scripture after another?
Next chapter, Hebrews 10:1,2 says:
"The law is only a shadow of the good things that
are coming-not the realities themselves. For this
reason IT (THE LAW) CAN NEVER, by the same
sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, MAKE
PERFECT those who draw near to worship. If it could,
would they not have stopped being offered? For the
worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and
would no longer have felt guilty for their sins".
Verse 10 of that chapter says: "we HAVE BEEN
MADE HOLY (PERFECT) through the sacrifice of
the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL".
If the Sacrifice of Jesus made us HOLY AND PERFECT,
ONCE AND FOR ALL, how can it say a few verses
later that if we sin after RECEIVING Him, we're
lost?
It CAN'T.
The disputed verses in that chapter (26-28) say:
"if we SIN WILFULLY after that we (Hebrews)
have received the knowledge of the truth...
IN CONTEXT, WHAT "WILLFUL SIN" is Paul referring
to?
Obviously the sin of CLAIMING TO HAVE RECEIVED
JESUS AND TRUSTED HIM for Salvation, yet
INSISTING THAT, DESPITE WHAT JESUS DID FOR
US, DESPITE HIS ETERNAL SACRIFICE WHICH
FOREVER MADE US PERFECT, WE STILL HAVE TO
LIVE UNDER THE LAW AND OFFER ANIMAL
SACRIFICES.
Some Jewish believers were having trouble forsaking
their religious traditions and weaning themselves from
the law, and accompanying rituals.
Paul was simply saying: You CAN'T have it both
ways. If Jesus' Blood, death and Resurrection
FOREVER made us perfect, WE DON'T NEED THE
LAW, OR ANYTHING ELSE.
If we INSIST (WILLFULLY) on keeping the law and
offering animal sacrifices, AFTER supposedly coming to
faith in Christ, we're SAYING that Jesus' work of
redemption ISN'T enough. Hence, we're NOT
trusting Jesus for Salvation. Hence we're NOT
saved.
Those who prefer the law OVER Jesus, as these
verses say, have:
A) TRODDEN the Son of God underfoot
B) Counted the Blood of the (New) covenant,
Jesus' OWN BLOOD, wherewith that person WAS
SANCTIFIED an unholy thing, and
C) Done SPITE to the Spirit of Grace (the Holy
Spirit).
That's WHY they're irretrievably lost. Because if
they (Jews) KNOWINGLY AND WILLFULLY say that
Jesus' Sacrifice ISN'T SUFFICIENT, that they still
need the law and animal sacrifices, that these MUST
BE ADDED to Jesus' perfect, ETERNAL Sacrifice, then
they're LOST, because there's NO OTHER
SACRIFICE TODAY that GOD WILL ACCEPT FOR
SIN, AFTER THE PERFECT, ALL SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE
OF HIS PERFECT SON.
That's what that verse is saying. That's what it has
said for the past 2,000 years.
It has NOTHING to do with Christians committing sins
after receiving Christ, since it's not even addressed
to Christians.
It has to do with Jewish believers who STILL
wanted to cling to the law, the ritual sacrifices,
the 10 Commandments or the Sabbath.
Paul's simply saying if they do that, they are
REJECTING Jesus' PERFECT Sacrifice and they CANNOT
be saved, since there's NO OTHER SACRIFICE FOR SIN
that God will accept.
Salvation is ALL about placing our TRUST, totally
and completely, ON JESUS ALONE.
Those who have misunderstood that verse should
repent, welcome Jesus and His Holy Spirit into their
hearts, ALTHOUGH they've NEVER LEFT, AND
THANK HIM for HIS PERFECT, ETERNAL
ASSURANCE of Salvation.
They've lived in unnecessary torment, thinking
they're lost, when in FACT they are saved, AND
HAVE BEEN SAVED ALL THE TIME.
Those who have in earnest received Jesus into their
hearts ARE ETERNALLY SAVED, I don't care WHAT sins
they've committed.
I DON'T CARE WHETHER they sinned before, during
or AFTER Salvation.
They're victims of SCRIPTURAL IGNORANCE:
Nothing more, nothing less.
SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2011
JAMES DECODED
When you take a heretic to task about DROPPING
law keeping and commandment keeping AFTER
Calvary, AFTER the Resurrection, and AFTER receiving
Jesus and being INDWELT by His Holy Spirit, the
FIRST thing they throw in your face is James
2:17 "faith without works is dead".
James, in fact, DOES NOTHING to support their false
doctrine.
You can read the Book of James from beginning to
end (it's only 5 chapters): NOT ONCE does it say that
believers in Jesus Christ are to keep the law, the 10
Commandments, or the Sabbath. NOT ONCE.
Therefore, law pushers don't have a scriptural leg to
stand on.
Matter of fact, James says THE VERY OPPOSITE.
In THAT SAME CHAPTER, James talks about how
FUTILE it is to try to keep the law or the 10
Commandments, saying that even if (hypothetically
speaking) we kept the law to perfection (all 613
commandments), if we EVER break even ONE, we
become guilty of breaking the WHOLE LAW (James
2:10, 11).
How, then, could he make THAT statement in verses
10 and 11, and 6 verses later, in verse 17,
CONTRADICT HIMSELF by saying WORKS are
necessary?
Something's wrong. It doesn't add up.
Moreover, IN THAT SAME CHAPTER (James 2:8) James
says that THE ONLY COMMANDMENT for a born-again
person is LOVE, which he refers to as "the royal law",
since Love IS the LAW of God's Kingdom, as God
Himself IS LOVE.
So, James teaches THE SAME THING that Peter taught
(1 Peter 4:8).
James teaches THE SAME THING that John taught (1
John 4:20, 21).
James teaches THE SAME THING Paul taught (Romans
13:9).
What, then, did James mean with the
controversial statement that "faith without
works is dead"? Was he contradicting the
apostles? Was he contradicting HIMSELF? No
way.
He was simply saying that faith will save you and DO
YOU a world of good, but it WON'T DO your brother
ANY good, UNLESS it's accompanied by ACTION.
You can be saved, you can have ALL THE FAITH in the
world, and SAY to a brother or sister (listen up,
namers-and-claimers) "be well, be fed, be clothed",
BUT IF YOU DON'T ACTUALLY GIVE THEM FOOD,
your faith won't do THEM any good.
He was merely saying that we need to PUT OUR
ACTIONS where our mouths are.
In other words, don't just talk the talk, BUT WALK THE
WALK.
He DIDN'T say our salvation HINGED on any of this.
He was merely saying WE'RE INEFFECTIVE if ALL we
do IS TALK.
But wait, what about verse 14 where he says "What
does it PROFIT MY BROTHERS if a man SAYS he
has faith, and has no works? Can faith save
him"?
The problem with this passage is THE ENGLISH
TRANSLATION. When it's read it in the original Greek,
the meaning becomes quite clear.
The original Greek text did NOT contain CHAPTER AND
VERSE NUMBERS. It also DID NOT contain paragraphs
OR PUNCTUATION MARKS. All of this was added
CENTURIES LATER at the sole judgment of the
translators.
Translators are HUMAN. No matter how much they try
to be OBJECTIVE, their theological persuasion and
mindset sooner or later affects the rendering and
where they place punctuation marks.
Such is the case with this passage. Remember the
earliest English translations were done in the 14th
century; some 1,300 years AFTER James penned this
book. By then, organized religion had DONE A NUMBER
ON Christian theology.
The usual rendering of this passage is: "What good is
it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but
has no deeds? Can faith save him"?
Watch what happens when we remove that
question mark and place it a bit farther in the
text, where it belongs:
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to
have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save
him/her, a brother or sister, if he/she is
WITHOUT clothes and FOOD"?
He's NOT talking about the spiritual Salvation of the
person who has faith. He's talking about the
PHYSICAL SALVATION of the HUNGRY PERSON!
The verses that follow confirm this: "If one of you says
to him, „Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,'
but DOES NOTHING ABOUT HIS PHYSICAL NEEDS,
what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it
is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:14-
17).
IN CONTEXT, James was talking about NEEDY
Christians (James 2:15).
We know from both history and the Bible that James
was Bishop of Jerusalem, and that Christians in
Jerusalem were being persecuted by both Roman and
Jewish authorities. They were IN DIRE NEED, and
experiencing SEVERE FAMINE.
So severe, in fact, that Paul was TAKING
DONATIONS for them from the more affluent believers
in Galatia and Corinth (Acts 24:17; 1 Corinthians 16:1-
3; 2 Corinthians 8:19; 9:1-5, 12).
He's NOT talking about BEING SAVED SPIRITUALLY
since he's addressing fellow Christians WHO ALREADY
ARE SAVED (James 2:1). He's talking about SAVING
THEIR BRETHREN FROM PHYSICAL DEATH:
Your faith ALONE WON'T SAVE YOUR POOR BROTHER
FROM DYING OF HUNGER.
If you want to SAVE YOUR BROTHER from
starvation, it takes more than just praying and
speaking the word of faith to him: You NEED TO
FEED HIM!!!
After all, where's THE LOVE, if you see a brother in
need and DON'T offer him/her some food? (1 John
3:17).
That's ALL James was saying.
He was addressing fellow (SAVED) Christians.
He DOESN'T say ANYWHERE, "If you don't feed
„em, YOU'LL LOSE your salvation".
Therefore, when he asks "Will faith SAVE HIM/HER?"
he's not talking about believers' spiritual salvation.
He's talking about SAVING the POOR
CHRISTIANS in Jerusalem from PHYSICALLY
DYING OF FAMINE!!!
He's saying "don't just TELL US you have faith. If
you do, SHOW US YOUR FAITH by helping us WITH
FOOD, money and clothing, which is what we
DESPERATELY NEED" (James 2:18).
"Unless you do, YOUR FAITH ALONE won't save a
brother who's starving to death".
James NEVER said works are necessary for SPIRITUAL
salvation. NEVER!!!
He COULDN'T HAVE, since he stated point-blank that
we DO NOT rely on law keeping or 10 Commandment
keeping, since we'll break one of them sooner or later,
and when we do, THE WHOLE LAW COMES
CRASHING DOWN ON US.
Religion's SATANIC THEORY that Paul and James were
ANTAGONISTIC toward each other, and toward each
others' doctrine, IS A LIE from satan, the father of
lies.
In fact, this same James commends Paul and
SPECIFICALLY writes gentile believers in Acts 15:
5-29 that THEY DO NOT NEED TO circumcise, keep
the law, the 10 commandments, or the Sabbath.
Indeed, he calls those who were teaching that lie,
and trying to cling to the law, "trouble makers" (Acts
15:24).
James taught Salvation by the Grace ONLY, thru
FAITH ONLY, NOT THRU WORKS, just as much as
Peter, John or Paul.
That's A FACT.
James NEVER taught law keeping or
commandment keeping.
Heretics, who take James OUT OF CONTEXT, are
looking for A PRETEXT:
A PRETEXT to justify their FALSE, ungodly doctrine.
A PRETEXT that doesn't hold water with God, with
this minister, or with ANY true Christian.
FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2011
I "LOST IT"
One of the saddest issues I've encountered in ministry
is the number of people who THINK they've "lost" their
Salvation.
At some point, they gave their lives to the Lord,
were genuinely saved, then came across some
verse of Scripture -- and if they didn't find it on their
own, satan and religion were all to eager to lead them
there -- and they mistook the verse to mean that
if they sinned AFTER being saved, they'd lose
Salvation.
They became disheartened that they simply couldn't
"measure up" and CONVINCED that they had
transgressed beyond what the Blood of Jesus can
cleanse, and that they are hopelessly lost.
After all, there are DOZENS of kristian denominations
that FALSELY teach a CORRUPT "gospel" of Jesus
PLUS our own PERFORMANCE.
They say, in essence, that WHAT JESUS DID ISN'T
ENOUGH to save us.
Hence, we must ADD our own performance, our own
WORKS, our own "obedience". Otherwise, we're lost.
Examples of such are Mormons (LDS), so-called United
Church of God (UCG), so called "Church of Christ", 7th
Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, all
Armstrongnists, all Campbellists (Disciples of Christ),
Christadelphians, certain portions of Catholicism,
certain branches of Pentecostalism (United Pentecostal
Church (UPC), Oneness), and all sabbatarians.
The Truth is that Jesus' PERFECT Sacrifice lacks
NOTHING and IS SUFFICIENT to FOREVER put us
in right standing with God.
The Truth is that those who preach a false,
CORRUPT "gospel" of Jesus PLUS works are lost,
and leading MILLIONS to hell.
So, Lord willing, and should He tarry, we're embarking
on a short series of messages which will take these
LIARS' favorite Bible texts, the same ones they
twist to their own destruction, and SEE WHAT
THEY REALLY SAY, as opposed to what their false
denomination CLAIMS they say.
If you're a "former Christian" who've given up on
your faith because you sinned and were TOLD THE LIE
that you're irretrievably lost, please don't miss
these messages.
The Truth, as He always does, will set you FREE.
You will be restored to intimacy with the Lord; you'll
recover the joy of your Salvation. You'll find out,
from the Scriptures, that Jesus and His Holy
Spirit HAVE NEVER LEFT YOU!
You'll discover that you are STILL, now and forever
SAVED by God's Grace, through Jesus' PERFECT
Sacrifice.
If you're a believer who KNOWS you're saved, these
messages will give you some SERIOUS spiritual
ammunition to refute and rebuff heretics.
As many of you know, at christconnection.net we "take
no prisoners". Nor do we pretend that certain
controversial verses of Scripture "don't exist"
and sweep them under the rug.
Fair warning to heretics: you better duck for cover.
Buckle your seat belts, brothers and sisters; you're in
for one heck of a ride.
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2011
DON'T BOTHER US WITH
FACTS
It's SO HARD to find honest people.
I'm not saying there aren't any. I'm saying they're
HARD to find.
After years in the ministry and dealing with the public
in one way or another, I find most people DON'T
LIKE the Truth.
They're NOT HONEST with God, their friends, their
families, or even with THEMSELVES.
They believe WHAT THEY WANT TO believe,
whether it's true or not.
They resent it when someone debunks their religious
fantasies.
They have NOTHING to defend such fantasies with,
NOTHING to topple your teaching with, but they
express their anger, and have the temerity to
expect you to believe something JUST BECAUSE
THEY say it.
They delude themselves into thinking I will take their
fallible, baseless word over and above GOD'S.
I could tell you story after story after story where
someone tries to manipulate this ministry, AS IF they
could tell us WHAT to teach:
"Don't preach Salvation, just teach prophecy", "don't
teach prophecy, just preach Salvation", as if this
were some sort of spiritual restaurant where you
can ORDER WITHOUT PAYING.
"Teach prophecy THIS way", "Teach Salvation THIS
way".
If I listened to every nitwit who's told me I should
teach something because they "had a dream", or
because they asked God and "He said..."
(DIDN'T!!!)...
Or because they got some revelation thru astrology, or
because some unsaved religious guru or prophecy guru
teaches it, I'd be the most confused person on the
planet.
Furthermore, I'd have no ministry.
I've gotten more appreciation from UNSAVED or
worldly individuals than from alleged "Christians".
Someone shares a need, you minister to them, spend
your time, energy and knowledge addressing their
needs, pray for them, stay up „til all hours of the
morning helping them, until they get their
breakthrough. They don't even say "thank you".
Those same people are THE FIRST, not the second,
not the third, TO TURN AGAINST YOU and point an
ACCUSING FINGER at the slightest opportunity.
Someone asks a question, and you give them an
honest, thorough, truthful, practical, informed, tactful
answer and they don't like it. I guess they wanted
A LIE that would tickle their stupid ears.
Jealousy and immaturity run rampant.
Plagiarism runs rampant. I can't tell you how many
times some of my readers have reported people using
these teachings VERBATIM, passing them off as
"their own", and taking FULL CREDIT for it. You'd
think at least they'd give God the glory.
But they don't fool God, or me. They're only fooling
themselves and few dumb kristians.
This ministry doesn't "copy" anyone, except Jesus.
This ministry doesn't listen to ANYONE BUT Jesus.
This ministry teaches WHAT THE Holy Word of God
says, and what the HOLY SPIRIT puts in my
heart, PERIOD.
Whether anyone likes or not, appreciates it or not, is
IRRELEVANT. We're not running for political office,
nor conducting a popularity contest.
But judging by our readership, our rankings, and OUR
RESULTS - and especially considering the fact
we've NEVER taken a dime from ANYONE - I'd say
we're doing pretty darned good.
To Jesus be ALL the glory now AND FOREVER.
Don't ask us ANYTHING UNLESS you expect a
TRUTHFUL answer.
Those who hunger and thirst for Truth can stick
with us.
Those who only want their ears tickled, can go
elsewhere.
Good riddance and sayonara!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011
CHAG SAMEACH
7 IN PROPHECY
In the Bible, different numbers represent different things:
1: Represents God.
2: Division (from God).
3: The Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
4: Represents the earth (Zechariah 6:5; Acts 10:11; Revelation
7:1; 20:8).
5: Represents grace (Genesis 17:5; Leviticus 26:8; 1
Corinthians 14:19).
6: Is the "number of man" (Genesis 1: 26-31; Revelation
13:18).
8: (7 + 1) is the number of new beginnings.
But 7 Is the number of PERFECTION, COMPLETION, and
REST.
No other number figures as prominently in the Bible, or in
Bible prophecy, as the number 7.
For starters, the MAJOR Timeline given for BOTH the First and
Second Comings our our Lord is ALL based on 7's:
70 sevens ("weeks") (Daniel 9:24).
7 sevens (Daniel 9:25)
62 sevens (Daniel 9:26)
½ seven (Daniel 9:27)
Then, of course, there's the Book of Revelation, which gives us
a largely chronological order of end time events, including:
7 letters (Revelation 1:4; 2:1; 3:22)
7 churches (Revelation 1:4, 11)
7 spirits (Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5),
7 candlesticks (Revelation 1:13, 20)
7 stars (Revelation 1:16, 20)
7 church angels (Revelation 1:20)
7 seals (Revelation 5:1,5)
7 horns (Revelation 5:6)
7 eyes (Revelation 5:6)
7 angels with trumpets (Revelation 8:2, 6)
7 trumpets (Revelation 8:2, 6)
7 thunders (Revelation 10:3)
7 heads (Revelation 12:3; 13:1; 17:3)
7 crowns (Revelation 12:3)
7 angels with plagues (Revelation 15:1)
7 last plagues (Revelation 15:1)
7 vials (Revelation 15:7)
7 hills (Revelation 17:9), and
7 kings (Revelation 17:10)
If the number 7 is SO PREDOMINANT in prophecy, if the
Second Coming itself happens AT THE END OF 70 "sevens",
shouldn't it also be PRECEDED BY a SEVEN?
The more you analyze it, the more CONVINCED one becomes
that there MUST BE a 7-year period that precedes the
Kingdom of God on earth.
God even stuck a 7-year period AFTER the Millennium, for
Pete's sake! (Ezekiel 39:9).
If God even put 7 years AFTER the Millennium, being the
PERFECTIONIST that He is, it makes NO SENSE
WHATSOEVER that there would NOT be a 7-year period
PRECEDING the Millennium, as well.
Perhaps THERE IS.
TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2011
UFO's
We are asked about UFO's on a regular basis. Do I
believe they exist? Does the Bible mention UFO's?
Since UFO refers, technically, to ANY unidentified
flying object, I would have to answer "YES" and
"YES".
Does that mean that some little gray guy with
huge eyes is going to show up in some sort of
spacecraft? NO.
Some allege that in his "wheel within a wheel"
narrative Ezekiel was describing a UFO. However,
that's false, since he DOES identify it as a vision of
"the glory of God" (Ezekiel 1:1-28).
(For a VISUAL depiction of what Ezekiel described, see
picture below).
Tabloids, the internet and even cable TV are FULL OF
"government cover up" theories.
Hopefully, everyone reading this knows that most of
what's written on tabloids is to be taken with a HUGE
grain of salt.
UFO's are tabloid staples for one reason only: THEY
SELL COPIES.
We also can't assume that EVERYTHING on TV or the
internet is true. There's a lot of bias, CONJECTURE and
sensationalism in both.
TV is all about ratings. The evening news USED TO
adhere to certain journalistic ethics. In recent years
those have been tossed out the window in favor of
Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber's latest
escapades.
The much ballyhooed Roswell incident took place in
1951.
That was 60 years ago.
With all the fierce media competition, investigative
journalism, hackers, modern technology, and fanatics
desperately trying to find "proof", we SHOULD
HAVE gotten something SOLID by now. We don't.
The best they've been able to come up with are
unclear photos, or film which, like the recent "UFO
over the Temple Mount" have proven, time and
again, to be hoaxes.
Bottom line is: they KNOW there are people out
there who WANT TO believe this, and who'll tune in
to these shows, and buy books, DVD's, souvenirs, or
whatever on this topic.
It's BIG BUSINESS.
What about the nephilim ["fallen ones"] mentioned in
the Bible? They were NOT extraterrestrial beings.
Nothing in the Bible says they were.
THERE'S ALSO NOTHING IN THE BIBLE THAT SAYS
SUCH BEINGS, mentioned in Genesis chapter 6, WILL
RETURN TO PLANET EARTH IN A SPACESHIP
SOMEDAY, OR THAT THE ANTICHRIST WILL COME
FROM THEM.
I know it SELLS, I know kristian nitwits gulp it
down hook, line and sinker, but it's NOT
supported by God's Word or by any credible
scientific evidence.
I've done entire messages explaining who the B'nei
Elohim, who later became the nephillim, really were.
Are there "extra-terrestrials"? Yes. But they're
not little grey men with huge eyes.
They're called "angels". There are "good" angels
(God's) and "bad" angels (satan's).
There are also pre-Adamic terrestrial beings, whose
disembodied spirits roamed around the earth in Jesus'
time, and He cast them out of people. They're called
demons.
Their activity has decreased considerably since
Calvary and the Resurrection.
My personal belief is that 90% of all UFO and
extraterrestrial sightings are hoaxes. The remaining
10% are either supernatural (angelic or demonic in
nature) or some advanced technological discovery not
yet disclosed to the general public.
No born-again Christian's EVER been "abducted"
or bothered by such. Those who claim such
experiences are invariably UNSAVED.
Christians should not be either concerned with, or
focused on, UFO's.
There's ONLY ONE who deserves our FULL,
UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, and His Name is Jesus.
MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011
SPIRITUAL VIRGINS
I can almost hear some smart alecky person laughing
and saying "they HAD to be spiritual, 'cause there are
no PHYSICAL virgins left".
One question that kept coming up, in one way or
another, during the "May 21" mayhem was what was
required to go in the Rapture.
For the most part, it wasn't UNBELIEVERS that asked,
but Christians... SCARED Christians.
The PARABLE of the 10 virgins, given in Matthew
chapter 25, is called that for a reason. Parables are
never intended to be taken LITERALLY, BUT
METAPHORICALLY.
If going in the Rapture required PHYSICAL virginity,
only about 50 people would make it.
What keeps the foolish virgins in the parable from
entering the marriage feast is NOT their sexual
impurity, SINCE THEY WERE VIRGINS, but their LACK
OF OIL.
They didn't have the Spirit of Christ, because
they'd never RECEIVED Christ, hence THEY DIDN'T
KNOW Christ, nor did He KNOW them (Matthew
25:12).
Christ means "the Anointed One", as in ANOINTED
WITH OIL (1 Samuel 16:13).
Romans 8:9 makes it ABUNDANTLY CLEAR that those
who DO NOT have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy
Spirit) in their hearts, ARE NOT Christ's.
Those who DON'T have the Spirit of the ANOINTED
(with OIL) One, don't know Christ and He does not
know them.
Hence, those who DO NOT have the Holy Spirit
inside ARE NOT SAVED.
ALL that is needed to enter the "marriage feast", ALL
that is needed to be raptured, is to HAVE the Spirit
of Christ, the Anointed (with OIL) One ON THE
INSIDE.
We receive the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus
into our hearts as Lord, Savior and God. That's
also WHEN and HOW we are born-again (John 1:12;
John 3:3-5; 1 Peter 1:23).
I advise EVERYONE, "Christian" or non-Christian, who
wants to be saved, and raptured, TO STOP TRYING
to "be righteous" or to procure or produce YOUR
OWN righteousness.
We got NONE. ZERO. ZIP (Isaiah 64:6; Psalm 53:3).
Outward behavior DOESN'T make anyone righteous.
Jesus' righteousness is THE ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS
THERE IS.
His PERFECT Righteousness is THE ONLY
RIGHTEOUSNESS that will satisfy a Holy, PERFECT
God.
His PERFECT Righteousness is THE ONLY
RIGHTEOUSNESS WE NEED.
So, unless we acquire HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, unless
His OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS IS CREDITED TO US,
we don't have a chance of making it into the marriage
feast (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The way we acquire His righteousness is by RECEIVING
Jesus into our hearts as Lord, Savior and God.
That's why Salvation is purely BY GRACE THRU TRUST
(faith).
It's FREE.
It's NOT based on what WE DO, but on WHAT HE
DID (Ephesians 2:8,9; 2 Corinthians 5:19).
That's why He died, poured out His precious Blood, and
rose from the dead. He did it in order to GIVE those
who RECEIVE HIM His perfect Righteousness.
Am I telling you to go out and sin ON PURPOSE? No.
What I AM telling you that you'll never make the
Rapture based on YOUR OWN acts of righteousness.
You'll make it ONLY IF YOU receive Jesus, and
TRUST (have faith in) WHAT HE ALREADY DID ON
YOUR BEHALF.
That's ALL it takes.
That's HOW we become SPIRITUAL "virgins".
SPIRITUAL VIRGINS
I can almost hear some smart alecky person laughing and saying “they MUST
BE spiritual, because there are no PHYSICAL virgins left”.
One question that kept coming up, in one way or another, during the “May
21” mayhem was what was required to go in the Rapture.
For the most part, it wasn’t UNBELIEVERS that asked, but Christians,
SCARED Christians.
The PARABLE of the 10 virgins, given in Matthew chapter 25, is called that
for a reason. Parables are never intended to be taken LITERALLY, BUT
METAPHORICALLY.
If going in the Rapture required PHYSICAL virginity, only about 50 people
would make it… worldwide.
What keeps the foolish virgins from entering the marriage feast was not their
sexual impurity, SINCE THEY WERE VIRGINS, but their LACK OF OIL.
They didn't have the Spirit of Christ, because they'd never RECEIVED Christ,
hence THEY DIDN'T KNOW Christ, nor did He KNOW them (Matthew
25:12).
Christ means the Anointed One, as in ANOINTED WITH OIL (1 Samuel
16:13).
Romans 8:9 makes it ABUNDANTLY CLEAR that those who DO NOT
have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) in their hearts, ARE NOT
Christ‟s.
Those who don‟t have the Spirit of the ANOINTED (with OIL) One,
don‟t know Christ and He does not know them.
Hence, those who DO NOT have the Holy Spirit inside ARE NOT
SAVED.
ALL that is needed to enter the “marriage feast”, ALL that is needed to
be raptured, is to HAVE the Spirit of Christ, the Anointed (with OIL)
One ON THE INSIDE.
We receive the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus into our hearts as
Lord, Savior and God, and are born-again (John 1:12; John 3:3-5; 1
Peter 1:23).
I advise EVERYONE, “Christian” or non-Christian, who wants to be saved,
and raptured, TO STOP TRYING to "be righteous" or to procure or produce
your own righteousness.
We got NONE. ZERO. ZIP (Isaiah 64:6; Psalm 53:3).
Jesus' righteousness is THE ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS THERE IS.
His PERFECT Righteousness is THE ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS that will
satisfy a Holy, PERFECT God.
So, unless we acquire HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, unless His OWN
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS CREDITED TO US, we don't have a chance of
making it into the marriage feast (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The way we acquire His righteousness is by RECEIVING Jesus into our
hearts as Lord, Savior and God.
That's why Salvation is purely BY GRACE THRU TRUST (faith).
It's NOT based on what WE DO, but on WHAT HE DID (Ephesians 2:8,9; 2
Corinthians 5:19).
That's why He died, poured out His precious Blood, and rose from the
dead. He did it in order to GIVE those who RECEIVE HIM His perfect
Righteousness.
Am I telling you to go out and sin ON PURPOSE? No.
What I AM telling you that you'll never make the Rapture based on YOUR
OWN acts of righteousness.
You'll make it IF YOU receive Jesus, and TRUST (have faith in) WHAT HE
ALREADY DID ON YOUR BEHALF.
That’s ALL it takes.
That's HOW we become SPIRITUAL "virgins".
SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2011
HOW LONG, LORD?
As many of you know from previous teaching, we are
living between the 5th and 6th seal of the Book of
Revelation.
The 6th seal is the Rapture.
Under the 5th seal, we see many martyrs' souls under
God's altar in heaven crying out to God "HOW LONG,
O Lord, holy and true, do you not judge and
avenge our blood on them that dwell on the
earth? (Revelation 6:10).
I know from the emails we receive that MANY of you
are asking THAT SAME QUESTION.
Unlike tepid Laodiceans which pervade Christendom,
you have INTENSE DESIRE to be ushered into
God's Presence, see our Lord Jesus, and leave this
ugly, miserable world behind.
I want to assure you that God is not indifferent to
your heartfelt wish, or to your pleas.
He hears all of it, and He will answer in due course.
To the martyrs clamoring for justice, God's reply is to:
..."wait a little longer, until THE NUMBER OF their
fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed
as they had been completed" (Revelation 6:11).
The 6th seal is opened and the Rapture takes place in
the next verse, Revelation 6:12.
Tribulation judgments begin when the 7th seal is
opened (Revelation 8:2).
So, clearly ONE thing that's been holding up the
Rapture is that the number of Christian martyrs,
like those who already died and whose souls are
in heaven, MUST BE FULFILLED.
What that exact number is, we're not told.
But the point is this: Persecution of Christians has
increased dramatically in recent years and,
particularly, in recent months.
As we previously reported, Christians in Iraq weren't
even able to celebrate Christmas last December, due
to fear of Muslim retaliation.
In Egypt, we've seen increased attacks on churches,
and on Coptic Christians who, although 21 million
strong, are still a minority compared to the huge and
expanding Muslim population.
It would take volumes to talk about other places like
Nigeria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Burma, Viet
Nam, Indonesia, and China where being Christian
automatically makes you a target of either religious
fanatics, oppressive regimes, or both.
I laugh when I hear American Christians whine about
being "persecuted".
Shut up! Just because someone told a joke on TV
ridiculing Christians, or labeled us "intolerant", that's
not persecution.
Frankly, a lot of Christians bring this on themselves,
and DESERVE IT.
In America, we don't even KNOW what persecution is.
Unless your life is SERIOUSLY IN DANGER because of
your faith, don't talk to me about "persecution",
please.
THOUSANDS of our brothers and sisters throughout
the world are dying as MARTYRS for their faith.
While we pray for them, cover them with the Blood of
Jesus, and pray for God's protection, as they give
their lives for the Lord the tally in heaven is
increasing.
God said that He would judge this sin laden world,
once the predetermined number of Christian
martyrs is completed.
And our martyrs DO NOT strap a bomb to their chest
so they can blow themselves up into smithereens, and
everyone else they can kill in the process.
Our martyrs DO NOT die out of HATRED for their fellow
man, but out of LOVE for them and for their
Savior.
Our martyrs don't die because of some EVIL ACT of
terror they committed.
They die simply for being Christians: Nothing more,
and nothing less.
Every one of our precious, brave brothers and
sisters who die for Jesus' sake bring us a step
closer to ultimate Redemption.
So, to the enemies of Christ, to those who would
murder Christians, just because they ARE
believers in the One true God, Jesus Christ, we
serve notice:
Every Christian you kill brings us a step closer to
Jesus, and brings you SEVERAL STEPS CLOSER TO His
judgment.
God knows WHO you are. He knows WHERE you are.
Unless you repent, and receive His Messiah Jesus into
your heart, His tribulation will come upon you suddenly
and unexpectedly, and you will not escape.
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011
FULFILLED
Religion and cyberspace are riddled with LAW
PUSHERS and self-righteous Judaizers.
Judaizing has reached epidemic proportions.
They love to quote THE FIRST PART of Matthew 5:17
where Jesus says.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the
Law or the Prophets"...
But conveniently leave out THE LAST PORTION OF
THAT SAME VERSE where Jesus ALSO SAYS "I came
not to abolish them BUT TO FULFILL them".
Religion and religionists have never gotten over the
fact that THE LAW'S BEEN FULFILLED.
If it's been fulfilled, then IT NO LONGER CONCERNS
US.
If Jesus CAME TO FULFILL the law, THEN HE DID.
Unless, of course, you think His Divine Mission FAILED.
If you think He failed, YOU'RE NOT SAVED, and you're
NOT Christian.
God gave the children of Israel His Law. His Law is just
and good (Romans 7:12). Problem was, THEY
COULDN'T KEEP IT.
That's WHY Jesus HAD TO come AND FULFILL
THE LAW FOR US.
As God in human form, JESUS FULFILLED HIS OWN
LAW.
He FULLFILLED IT, down to every last jot and tittle
(Matthew 5:18).
He fulfilled His own law, to perfection, ON OUR
BEHALF.
Jesus IS THE FULFILLMENT OF HIS OWN LAW.
Hence, those who receive Jesus into their hearts and
TRUST His PERFECT, NOT LACKING, COMPLETE
WORK OF REDEMPTION, are FREELY CREDITED
WITH Jesus' PERFECT Righteousness, His
PERFECT keeping of God's law.
Those who have THE FULFILLMENT OF THE
LAW personified (Jesus) LIVING IN THEM, DON'T
NEED TO FOLLOW THE LAW.
ALL they need is to TRUST Him.
When they receive Him, He (who is both the Law
GIVER and Law KEEPER) gives them A NEW PERFECT,
LAW KEEPING NATURE, which He puts inside them
when they're born again.
From that moment, He (the Law) is written in
their hearts. He and they are INSEPARABLE.
If Righteousness Himself, if the PERFECT Fulfillment of
the Law, LIVES IN US, His PERFECT LIFE in us makes
us FOREVER Righteous.
Praise His unspeakable Perfection!
His perfect Righteousness, His perfect Law keeping, is
FREELY credited to us! Is there better news in the
whole world than that?
That's why His Message is called the Gospel, meaning
"GOOD NEWS"!
That's why God's not angry with anyone: His human
manifestation (Jesus) TOOK CARE OF KEEPING THE
LAW FOR US, once and for all.
Paul put it so beautifully in 2 Corinthians 5:19 "for God
was IN Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,
NOT COUNTING MEN'S SINS AGAINST THEM".
That's WHY we CANNOT both receive Jesus and, at
the same time, TRY TO KEEP THE LAW.
It's ONE or THE OTHER.
When we ADD to His Perfect Law keeping in our stead,
WE'RE NEGATING WHAT HE DID.
We're saying it's INSUFFICIENT.
We're saying His perfect Life, His perfect Law keeping,
His atoning death, Blood, and Resurrection AREN'T
ENOUGH.
ADDING EQUALS REJECTING.
Repeat: ADDING = REJECTING.
When we ADD to Jesus' PERFECT, COMPLETE WORK of
Redemption, we're REJECTING Him/it.
We're saying "O.K. YOU DID ALL THAT FOR ME, but
IT'S NOT ENOUGH.
Even after receiving Jesus, who is the FULFILLMENT OF
THE LAW, I still have to procure my own
righteousness thru MY OWN law keeping, 10
Commandment keeping, Sabbath keeping, or
combination thereof.
Truth is, YOU HAVE NO RIGHTEOUSNESS (Isaiah
64:6).
I don't care HOW MUCH or HOW HARD you try to keep
God's law, YOU'LL FAIL.
You haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of keeping
it.
In fact, THE MOMENT you TRY to keep it, YOU BREAK
IT!!!
Even James conceded that if we kept the whole law
to perfection, and break JUST ONE commandment,
we become GUILTY OF breaking THE WHOLE LAW
(James 2:10).
For 1,500 years the children of Israel tried
UNSUCCESSFULLY to keep God's Law.
How do I know they NEVER KEPT IT? Had they
KEPT IT, they wouldn't have needed ALL THOSE animal
sacrifices TWICE A DAY, day after day, after day, after
day... year after year, after year.
Had they KEPT IT, Jesus WOULDN'T HAVE HAD to
DIE FOR OUR SINS (Galatians 3:21).
Forget the law (torah) and its 613 commandments.
They couldn't even keep THE 10 Commanments!
NO FALLEN HUMAN with an inherent SINFUL nature
can keep „em.
If Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and
Daniel (and these were godly men, totally committed
to serving their God) COULDN'T keep „em, WHAT
MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN?
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS in us. NONE. ZERO
(Psalm 53:3).
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS in us... UNTIL we
RECEIVE Him who IS Righteousness Personified.
Get over it, Judaizers! Get over it, Armstrongnists! Get
over it, Campbellists! Get over it, Adventists! Get over
it, Church of Christ! Get over it, UCG! Get over it,
JW's!
STOP TRYING to "help" procure righteousness.
You HAVE NONE.
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS but God's.
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS but Jesus'.
The Law's been FULFILLED by Him who GAVE IT.
ALL we need is His Righteousness.
He's the ONLY Righteousness you, me, or anyone
else, WILL EVER have.
His righteousness, the Scriptures tell us, ENDURES
FOREVER (Psalm 111:3; 112:3, 9).
His Righteousness is PERFECT. It lacks NOTHING.
Bye, bye Law.
HELLO, JESUS!
FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2011
KNEES AND TONGUES
One thing I love about the Bible is that it gives such
absolute, blessed assurance on how everything
will ultimately turn out.
When you know the final score ahead of time, while
the game's still being played, you have a huge
advantage over those who don't have a clue how it's
all going to end.
That's also the reason I so love the prophetic Word.
God's sure word of prophecy is MORE SURE than even
God's audible voice (2 Peter 1:19)... and that's
saying a lot. You can bank on it. You can stake
your very life on it. It's that sure.
So, let me serve notice on satan and all his
instruments... and he's got a few out there... even
some who pretend to be "Christian"... Wolves in
sheep's clothing... LET ME SHED SOME LIGHT ON
THEIR DELUDED MINDS... AND TELL THEM HOW IT'S
ALL GOING TO END.
You see, satan has fallen for his own lie that,
somehow, someway, he'll do something or other and
win the game.
NO WAY! NOT A CHANCE!
HE ALREADY LOST.
GOD'S THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. THE BEGINNING
AND THE END. HE ALREADY PRE-ESTABLISHED
THE END FROM THE BEGINNING.
So, WE KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO END:
EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, AND EVERY TONGUE
SHALL CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, TO
THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.
EVERYONE will BOW TO JESUS. NO ONE is exempt.
Those who have INVITED Him into their hearts,
and are saved, will bow and confess Him as Lord
JOYFULLY, GRATEFULLY, willingly and LOVINGLY.
Those who DID NOT receive Him will HAVE TO
BOW before Him, like it or not.
EVERYONE FITS INTO ONE OF THOSE TWO GROUPS.
Which group are you in?
THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011
DESOLATIONS OF
JERUSALEM
In Daniel 9:2, just prior to the amazing 70 weeks
prophecy, Daniel is checking out God's prophecy
given to Jeremiah concerning Jerusalem, and
concludes that the "DESOLATIONS of Jerusalem
would be completed, [they would END], in 70
years".
The Hebrew word for "desolations" is lecharevovt,
which is unequivocally plural, meaning, MORE THAN
ONE desolation.
Evidently, this wasn't referring ONLY to the ONE
desolation Jerusalem was under at that time.
Although it included the desolation caused by the
Babylonians when they destroyed the Holy City, the
prophecy refers to ALL the desolations of
Jerusalem, present or future.
As always, God is true to His Word.
Jerusalem became desolate in 586 BC, when
Babylonians destroyed it and its temple.
Just as God had promised, Jews were eventually
allowed to return from exile and rebuild their temple.
The Second Temple was completed in the year 516
BC, 70 years later.
The first Jewish revolt began in 66 AD.
The revolt was crushed and Jerusalem was destroyed
again, this time by the Romans, in 70 AD.
Once again, it became desolate.
There was a Second Jewish Revolt in 135 AD.
Hadrian rebuilt it, right after the Second Jewish Revolt,
as a pagan city named Aelia Capitolina.
The building of Aelia was finished by 140 A.D., 70
years after its desolation in 70 AD.
But its desolations DID NOT end there.
In 1948 prophetic Jerusalem, which is the Jewish
Quarter was destroyed yet again this time by the
Jordanians.
Jews were expelled and it remained in desolation until
its reconstruction began in 1969.
There still remain 3½ years of desolation for Jerusalem
during the rule of Antichrist.
Why is this significant?
Because if its last desolation took place in 1948,
that means its FINAL RESTORATION, according
to the prophecies of Jeremiah, Zechariah and
Daniel, MUST take place 70 YEARS later.
70 Hebrew years of 360 days from 1948 take us
to 2017, when the Second Coming of our Lord
will take place, THUS ENDING FOREVER the
"desolations" of Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy 19:15 and 2 Corinthians 13:1 come to
mind:
"By the testimony of two or three witnesses shall
EVERY MATTER be established."
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2011
IF I FORGET THEE...
"By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we
remembered Zion...
For there our captors asked us for songs, our
tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing
us one of the songs of Zion!"
HOW can we sing the songs of the Lord WHILE IN
A FOREIGN LAND?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand
forget [its skill].
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do
not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy" (Psalm 137:1-6).
This Scripture shows how Israel's national identity, as
well as Jewishness itself, it inextricably linked to
Jerusalem.
The conquering Babylonians had just attacked and
destroyed Jerusalem. They had taken many of its
citizens captive. They were demanding they sang
HAPPY songs.
Even in the midst of heartbreak, defeat and
despair, what was THE FIRST THING that came
out of their captives' mouths? "If I forget thee, o
Jerusalem"...
Some translations render the passage "let my right
hand forget its skill". Others, like the KJV, say "let my
right hand forget its cunning".
Actually, the original Hebrew doesn't mention any skill
or any cunning. The original Hebrew says "if I forget
you, Oh Jerusalem, let me forget my right hand",
meaning that which is CLOSEST to me, and what I rely
on most (since most individuals are right handed).
It was 44 years ago today that Jerusalem was
recaptured by Israelites.
2,600 years after that Psalm was written they
HADN'T FORGOTTEN.
In fact, the word "Jerusalem" is mentioned throughout
the Bible 767 times.
That's not even counting the times it's referred to by
some other name such as "Zion", "Salem", or "Ariel".
By way of comparison, do you know how many times
this SO CURRENTLY DISPUTED piece of real estate is
mentioned in the Koran?
ZERO.
That's right. You can read the Koran from cover to
cover and NOT ONCE find any mention of "Al Kuds" (as
Jerusalem is called in Arabic).
Jerusalem was chosen by King David as the capital of
Israel, over 3,000 years ago.
The Bible tells us over and over that Jerusalem is the
city in which God chose to "put His Name" (Psalm
132:13; Daniel 9:18,19; Zechariah 3:2; 1 Kings
11:32; 2 Kings 23:27; 2 Chronicles 6:6,34; 12:13;
Ezra 6:12; Nehemiah 1:9).
God's temples were built there (1 Kings 8:43-48).
It's known as the "city of the Great King" (Psalm 48:2;
Matthew 5:35).
Paul refers to it in Galatians 4:26 as "the mother of
us all" (who know Christ).
It's in Jerusalem that Jesus will set up His
Millennial Kingdom (Psalm 2:6).
It's FROM Jerusalem that Jesus and His saints will rule
the world.
But Jerusalem is more than the PHYSICAL city that
bears its name. Jerusalem is A HEAVENLY CITY
(Hebrews 12:22).
How appropriate, then, that EARTHLY Jerusalem
should have been liberated ON THE VERY DAY (Iyyar
28) that our precious Lord ASCENDED TO HEAVENLY
Jerusalem.
There's a HEAVENLY DIMENSION TO Jerusalem.
Every born again believer, regardless of what
citizenship he or she may bear in this temporary world,
is A CITIZEN OF heavenly Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is our SPIRITUAL Home.
Every child of God who visits Jerusalem may leave it
physically, but CAN NEVER LEAVE it spiritually. It's
embedded in our hearts.
I've NEVER left Jerusalem, and Jerusalem has NEVER
left me.
It seems, in light of recent events, that much of
America has forgotten Jerusalem.
Our political leadership definitely has. Some of our
religious leadership has.
They might as well forget their right hand.
I've never forgotten Jerusalem.
Have you?
TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2011
DISTRESS OF NATIONS
In Matthew 24:4-8 Jesus gave the signs of the "end
of the age".
Critics have often dismissed those signs, saying that
since the dawn of mankind there have been wars,
earthquakes and famine.
The critics have a point. Or, do they?
When we examine the text closely Jesus said these
signs would be ACCOMPANIED BY great religious
deception not in some heathen god's name, but
in His (Jesus') Name! (Matthew 24:4).
Clearly, that could only happen in the past 2,000
years.
He also likened them to LABOR PAINS: they'd become
STRONGER and MORE FREQUENT the closer we got to
"the end".
Moreover, He said these signs would ALL be taking
place SIMULTANEOUSLY.
There have always been quakes, hunger and
wars, but I don't know ANY OTHER PERIOD IN
WORLD HISTORY where it was happening ALL AT
ONCE, and on the scale we are seeing today.
Another thing we MUST consider is CONTEXT. While
the Bible does contain many universal principles, no
Scripture can be truly and fully understood out of
its proper historic, cultural and chronological
CONTEXT.
When Jesus prophesied that "nation would rise against
nation and kingdom against kingdom", was he
referring to war between Russia and Sweden?
Between India and Pakistan?
Between Chile and Argentina?
Or was He referring to the nations that comprised
THE KNOWN WORLD of His day?
Clearly, the correct answer is the nations known in
the first century A.D., namely the Middle East, parts
of Europe, Africa and Asia.
Since the Roman Empire ruled ALL the then known
world we could say that, IN CONTEXT, He was
referring to war between nations and kingdoms
WITHIN the former Roman Empire's territories.
And WHERE are we seeing one war after another break
out?
You can compare the maps shown below and clearly
see that the nations where wars have erupted,
governments have been toppled, and upheaval is
ongoing are the portions of the world that were
known in Jesus' day.
Is this mere coincidence?
Is it coincidence that this is happening, and started
happening, 7 years PRIOR TO the fall of 2017
when Jesus' Second Coming MUST take place
according to Daniel 9:25?
Is it coincidence that, concurrent with these, 3 out of
4 people suffer hunger to one extent or another? (and
I'm NOT talking about hunger from being on a diet).
Is it coincidence that, at the same time, we have
seen huge quakes, and devastating tsunamis in places
like New Zealand and Japan?
Is it coincidence that religious deception in Jesus'
Name RUNS RAMPANT in this day and age (we just
had a prime example of it weekend before last)?
Apparently, most people think that it is.
JUST as Jesus predicted, people go about their daily
routines, eating, drinking, buying, selling, marrying
and remarrying... AS IF none of it was happening.
Yet when someone sounds the alarm, even a FALSE
alarm, as happened recently, everyone panics.
I witnessed firsthand the FEAR and feeding
frenzy that took place when people thought "the
end of the word" might take place.
Imagine when it REALLY HAPPENS:
Imagine when there's a HUGE land and atmospheric
quake that rearranges geography as we know it.
When it suddenly turns DARK everywhere during
daytime, and when people look up at night and the
moon looks like blood.
Imagine when there's a huge meteor shower, and
Jesus REALLY appears in the sky, while BILLIONS
of His followers are swept away into the heavenlies.
No wonder God's Word says those left on earth will
ask the rocks to FALL ON THEM and hide them
(Revelation 6:12-16).
There will be PANIC on a monumental scale.
Roman Empire
MONDAY, MAY 30, 2011
We remember AND HONOR all the brave men and women
who have served and are serving our country, defending it
and preserving the freedoms we enjoy. God's grace and
peace be with you, and THANK YOU.
MONDAY, MAY 30, 2011
THE NAKED TRUTH
In Mark 14:51-52 the evangelist offers a unique detail,
not found in any other Gospel:
"A young man, wearing nothing but a linen
garment, was following Jesus. When they seized
him, HE FLED NAKED, leaving his garment
behind".
I'm always amused to see how this particular passage
seems to capture the imagination of readers. The
question comes in A LOT: who was this
"mysterious" young man?
Most scholars, including me, believe it was Mark
himself.
That would certainly explain WHY he was privy to this
information, and why NO OTHER evangelist reported
the event.
Mark was either being tactful, not willing to confess it
was him for fear of reprisal, OR BOTH.
That's why he didn't come right out and say "it was I".
Jesus had just been arrested at Gethsemane and was
being led to the Sanhedrin.
Mark apparently lived along the route the soldiers
took. We know Jesus was arrested AT NIGHT.
Mark was probably sleeping in his birthday suit.
When he heard the commotion, he awoke,
grabbed the bedsheet and went out to see what
was going on.
When the Romans tried to arrest him, he pulled a
Joseph.
Remember how Joseph left his garment in Potiphar's
wife's hands when she tried to sleep with him?
Mark was no fool. He KNEW what if meant to be taken
prisoner by the Romans.
So he quickly scurried out of the sheet, leaving it in
the soldiers' hands and RAN AWAY BUCK NAKED.
Jerusalem was and is a VERY small city. Everybody
knew everybody.
But young Mark was wise beyond his years and
decided it was better to let all his friends and
neighbors see his privates, than being thrown into a
Roman dungeon to rot, and possibly end up being
executed.
That same Mark, or John Mark, as he's often called in
Acts and the epistles, later traveled around with
Peter, Barnabas and Paul preaching the Gospel
(Acts 15:39; 2 Timothy 4:11;1 Peter 5:13).
He left us the magnificent Gospel that bears his
name for all the ages.
It is generally considered by scholars as the earliest of
the four Gospels. It's also believed that he got much of
the information contained in it from Peter.
What glorious legacy!
Just goes to show you can be NAKED one moment,
and clothed in God's Glory the next. : ))
SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011
LIGHT UNTO OUR PATH
Psalms 119:105 says "your Word is a lamp unto my
feet and a light unto my path".
Jesus IS God's Word.
He is our LAMP. He is the Light of the world, the Light
that keeps our feet on the right Way (path), which is
Him.
There is NO OTHER Way.
Jesus is God. He is a Person.
Jesus, however, has given us an Expression of
Himself, of His INFINITE, all encompassing Mind.
We know that Expression of God as the Bible.
God's Word is wonderful. God's Word is
inexhaustible.
God's Word is more that what it appears to be.
The surface text is wonderful enough. I've been
captivated by it (by this Expression of Jesus) since age
10, when I first found out it existed.
But there are multiple DIMENSIONS to God's
Word which I'm convinced we will only discover
in eternity.
In recent years the "Bible Code" has come to light
where certain messages are encoded in the original
Hebrew or Greek text at equidistant intervals.
I would caution everyone NOT TO put too much stock
in everything that this Code allegedly states. This is a
relatively recent discovery, which is still in its infancy,
and needs MUCH MORE refinement.
There are so-called ministries, including some on the
internet, which base their ENTIRE message on alleged
"Bible codes". All their prognostications, to date, have
missed the mark.
I recommend that we focus on Jesus Himself, who
lives IN US, and on the regular text, and not give
too much credence to any "codes".
But the point is this: that God's ETERNAL Mind is
recorded and revealed in His Word.
If God and His Word are One, then God and His Word
contain ETERNAL, INFINITE WISDOM which is
unlimited and never-ending.
God's Word can be FULLY revealed ONLY by the Spirit
of God.
God's Word can only be FULLY understood with the
Mind of Christ, which is the Mind of God.
So, while we are this side of eternity, with these
limited minds, we look to the surface text as a Light
that shows us the Way.
We see thru a glass, darkly.
When we're translated into the eternal realm, we will
see Him as He is, and we will be LIKE HIM.
We will manifest His Word, in ALL His multiple
and infinite dimensions.
Now we are One with His Word, in Spirit.
Then His Word will be One with us, in EVERY Way.
SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011
APOSTLES AND PROPHETS
The Bible tells us to render honor to whom honor is
due.
Today I want to honor the faithful, brave,
wonderful men and women who made it possible
for the Christian faith to reach you and me.
Most Christians have no idea what it took to bring the
message of Salvation to us.
The Church of Jesus Christ is built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Himself being the
chief corner stone (Ephesians 2:20).
Few Christians can name all 12 apostles, let alone
have any idea what they sacrificed to spread the
Gospel and leave an enduring spiritual legacy of which
we are the beneficiaries.
Same goes for the prophets. Few know the hardships
and persecution these men endured.
The details are pretty horrible, so I'll spare you those.
Suffice it to say that all the apostles, except for
John, died a martyr's death. They endured all sorts
of horrific, excruciating suffering rather than renounce
their Lord, or deny his Deity or Resurrection.
The prophets of old also endured martyrdom at
the hand of wicked kings, and politicians who
didn't want to hear the truth:
Isaiah was sawn in half by wicked king Manasseh,
Ezekiel was taken captive to Babylon, and had to lay
on his side 430 days, Daniel was also taken captive
and thrown into a lions' den, and Jeremiah was thrown
into a cistern, where he would have sunk into the mud
and died of suffocation, had God not intervened
miraculously.
As Stephen, a martyr himself, asked in Acts 7:52
"WHICH OF THE PROPHETS DIDN'T your fathers
persecute?
Last, but not least, I want to honor our brothers and
sisters in the early church, especially the first 300
years.
They COULD HAVE taken the easy way out. Yet, they
were unflinchingly willing to pay the ULTIMATE
price.
They COULD HAVE renounced the Lord. After all, they
were being threatened with horrible deaths.
Had they done so, chances are Christianity would
have disappeared, and you and I today wouldn't
be saved.
We owe these apostles and prophets, as well as
the men and women of the early Church, an
eternal debt of gratitude.
Seeing how they were willing to pay ANY price, even
if it meant HORRIBLE DEATHS, for their Savior,
WHAT'S KEEPING YOU FROM RECEIVING Christ?
What's keeping YOU from giving your heart to
Jesus?
NOBODY'S persecuting YOU.
NOBODY'S accusing YOU.
NOBODY'S threatening YOU.
Are you afraid to give yourself TOTALLY to Him?
Are you BRAVE ENOUGH to entrust your heart
and LIFE to Jesus?
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2011
HOLY SH*T!!!
If you think life is rough and crappy, you should read
the Book of Ezekiel sometime.
To be sure, none of the prophets had an easy life, but
I've always felt special empathy for poor Zeke.
He was exiled to Babylon at age 25. Lost his beloved
wife in captivity, had to deliver the most unpopular
messages concerning Jerusalem's impending
destruction, and God commanded him to do some
VERY difficult and unpleasant things.
On the positive side, he received some SPECTACULAR
VISIONS about the glory of God, the Millennium,
Israel's restoration, and the millennial temple.
How'd you like to be BOUND, so you CANNOT turn or
move, and have to lie 390 days on your left side
(that's OVER A YEAR), then 40 days on your right side?
I would have gone out of my freakin' mind. I would
have ended up in the funny farm.
I know, I know... some of you think I belong there
now... Ha! You wish...
How would you like to have NOTHING to eat ALL
THAT TIME except "Ezekiel bread" while you're
bound, unable to move, and lying on your side?
How would you like it if God told you to bake that
bread using HUMAN FECES for fuel?
And when the prophet complained about how
unpleasant it was to use human dung, and how under
the law he would become "defiled", do you know what
God answered?
"O.K. Use cow sh*t instead".
Do you think I'm making this up? Read it yourself in
Ezekiel chapter 4. It's a SHORT chapter. You can
read it in ONE minute.
Obviously, if Ezekiel couldn't move AT ALL during
ALL that time, since he was bound, that means he
would have had to pee and defecate all over
himself.
Eeew!
Poor guy couldn't even clean himself up, bathe, brush
his teeth, have sex, walk, sit, you name it.
And there were NO TV, internet or cell phones at
that time.
Any normal human would have totally lost it.
Only God's supernatural intervention would have kept
the prophet from going nuts.
Why am I talking about this? Why not give a more
"inspirational" message?
Because I want everyone to realize that the Bible is
THE MOST INTERESTING and EXCITING BOOK
EVER WRITTEN, bar none.
There's NOTHING dull or tedious about it, if you
read it in the right spirit and the right frame of mind.
It's tapping into the Mind of God, the Wisdom
that created and sustains THE UNIVERSE.
Because the believer's walk is not always
pleasant.
Because it's important to tell THE WHOLE STORY, and
not paint only a rosy picture of what it's like to serve
God and live for Him.
Because religion has FALSELY portrayed being
Christian as floating around in some sort of numinous
Shangri La, where we NEVER sin, NEVER get angry,
NEVER lose our temper, NEVER use "foul" language
(I'll deal with that in another message, Lord willing),
and NEVER do or say anything wrong, shocking or
improper.
NOT!!!
Christians -- at least REAL Christians -- are AS REAL
and AS HUMAN as ANYONE ELSE.
They are subject to the same temptations and
challenges as ANYONE else.
The believer's life is often fraught with suffering,
hardship and SACRIFICE.
God sometimes calls us to follow Him in BLIND
OBEDIENCE.
Although I'm sure he must have asked himself A
THOUSAND TIMES WHY God would require this of
him, Ezekiel, to his great credit, obeyed
unwaveringly.
All true believers in the One TRUE God know that,
despite what we may face in this temporary existence,
THE ETERNAL REWARD of Christ's OWN LIFE will
manifest in us FOREVER, and is ours EVEN NOW.
We KNOW that "our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in
us" (Romans 8:18).
And because I want Christians, religious idiots and
unbelievers alike to see that God's not as huffy and
puffy, nor as "proper", as religion has FALSELY
made Him out to be.
He's REAL and He can and will talk YOUR
LANGUAGE.
He's A STRAIGHT SHOOTER, and will tell you the
Truth, clearly, directly, and without conforming
to MAN INVENTED "religious etiquette".
He's also a SUPREMELY GRACIOUS, kind, loving,
understanding, wonderful and FORGIVING God.
That's the God I know, the God I love, the God I
serve.
That's the God OF THE BIBLE.
That's the TRUE, One and ONLY God.
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011
BILLY GRAHAM
There aren't very many Christian ministers, or for that
matter many Christians, that I look up to.
Billy Graham is one of the few that I hold in high
regard and deep admiration.
For one thing, Billy was instrumental in my salvation. I
came to know Jesus as my savior, in large part,
because of his ministry.
That, alone, makes me eternally indebted, and
eternally grateful, to him.
Of course, that was over 30 years ago. At that time, I
was a baby in Christ. Needless to say, my spiritual
relationship with Jesus has greatly deepened, and
grown by leaps and bounds since then. To Him be the
glory!
One thing I've always appreciated about Billy is
his clear, simple, no-nonsense approach to the
Gospel. I learned the value of the unambiguous,
direct message from him.
He taught me I didn't have to "clean up my act", in
order to give my heart to Jesus, that I could to come
to Him "JUST as I am".
I've also never forgotten his admonition to preach the
cross, since it's the message of the cross that draws
more people to Jesus than any other.
Billy is a true leader, who's always led by
example, not manipulation.
Despite being one of the most admired and
influential men in America and the world, personal
friend to every U.S. President from Kennedy to Bush,
Billy remained down-to-earth, lived a modest life, and
never used his ministry, or considerable
influence, for personal gain.
He was never involved in any sort of scandal, and
never prostituted the Gospel for money, as have
so many pimps and pimpettes prancing around
our TV screens.
Since Billy turned 92 last November, and was recently
hospitalized with a bout of pneumonia, I think it proper
to publically honor this giant of Christianity, who's
blessed so many, including your humble servant.
Thank Jesus, he's now home and doing better.
So, from the bottom of my heart: "THANK YOU,
JESUS. AND THANK YOU, BILLY GRAHAM".
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011
GIVEN TO GENTILES
Revelation 11:1, 2 predicts the building of a third
temple in Jerusalem, and then makes a most puzzling
statement:
"Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and
count the worshipers there. But EXCLUDE THE OUTER
COURT; do not measure it, because IT HAS BEEN
GIVEN to the Gentiles".
For years I wondered what that meant. Would Israel
negotiate part of the Old City away?
If not, WHO would give the court outside the
temple to gentiles?
With traditional thinking about the Temple Mount, it
didn't make any sense.
Once we find The Truth, what this prophecy means
becomes quite clear.
As I've shared on the website for 6 years (Myth #30,
home page) the so-called "Temple Mount" is NOT
the location where Solomon's temple (a/k/a the
"first" temple) or Zerubabbel's temple (a/k/a the
"second" temple) actually stood.
The Bible is clear that the temple was built on top of a
spring of LIVING WATER.
There's only ONE such spring within a 5 mile radius of
Jerusalem and it's the Gihon Spring located in the area
known as Ophel, immediately SOUTH OF the "Temple
Mount".
So, it COULDN'T POSSIBLY have been built on the
"Temple Mount" which contains only CISTERNS with
STANDING water.
What, then, is this "outer court" that Jesus thru
His angel instructed John NOT to measure?
You guessed it: THE TEMPLE MOUNT.
The erroneously called "Temple Mount", while
technically under Israeli sovereignty, was inexplicably
GIVEN to gentiles in the aftermath of the Six-Day
War in 1967.
You would THINK that, after so many bloody
confrontations, and after 1,967 years of FORBIDDEN
ACCESS to the Mount, Israel would be all too eager to
get their beloved Temple Mount back.
Who can forget that electrifying, spine-tingling
moment on June 7, 1967 when General Motta Gur
radioed "the Temple Mount is in our hands"?
Jews were thrilled, all right. But in a controversial
move that defied all logic, General Moshe Dayan
ordered that the Israeli flag that had been raised over
the Temple Mount should be immediately lowered, that
Israeli paratroopers to be deployed at the northern
part of the Mount should be removed, and that the
place should be "entrusted to the Muslims".
He GAVE IT to an Arab waqf, which controls the so-
called "Temple Mount" to this very day.
Since the REAL temple mount is located JUST SOUTH
OF the so-called "Temple Mount", the latter would
be considered its "outer court".
It has, indeed, been GIVEN to the gentiles, in
AMAZING fulfillment of Jesus' Words. Praise His
marvelous Truth!
No wonder Jesus didn't want it included: The two
pagan structures that stand on that "outer
court", the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque,
where the FALSE god Allah is worshiped, are AN
ABOMINATION in His sight.
Is the Word of God AWESOME, or what?
Is He ALWAYS TRUE? You bet.
Do you see WHY I love Him/it so much?
Praise God for His stunning accuracy.
The correct location of the former temples is outlined
in blue above. Note how, as prophesied in Daniel
9:27, it has remained desolate until the time of the
end.
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011
ISRAEL: WHAT'S GOING
ON?
Zechariah 12:1-3 states:
"The burden of the word of the LORD concerning
Israel... Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of
reeling (from intoxication) to all the people round
about, when they shall be IN THE SIEGE both
against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a
burdensome stone FOR ALL PEOPLE: all that
burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces,
though ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE EARTH be gathered
together AGAINST IT".
I don't know WHAT they've been drinking at the White
House or at the State Department, but the Executive
Branch of our government has been staggering
about like a reckless drunkard where Israel is
concerned.
The President and Hillary are either extremely naive or
just plain stupid regarding Middle East policy.
Either that, or killing Bin Laden has gone to their
heads, and they need to come down to earth and get
in touch with reality.
For our President to deliver a speech demanding peace
negotiations based on pre-1967 lines, without even
CONSULTING our "closest" ally...
For him to SIDE WITH THEIR ENEMIES --
terrorists no less -- and ON THE DAY BEFORE their
PM is scheduled to arrive and meet with him...
Like Israel is some dummy and he's the master
puppeteer pulling the strings...
Like it's UP TO HIM to decide how much of its own
land Israel can keep... is treacherous, disrespectful,
inconsiderate, impractical and baffling to say the least.
After such foolish display of undiplomatic arrogance no
one could fault Israel for asking "if these are our
'friends', who needs ENEMIES"?
Our entire Middle East policy is incongruous. NONE of
it makes any sense.
As a believer who loves Israel, Israelites, and
Jerusalem in particular, I'm deeply offended by our
government's stance.
As a student of Bible prophecy, I know all too well
where this is headed.
Matthew 24:9 makes it clear that, at some point during
the forthcoming tribulation, Israel will be TOTALLY
ISOLATED.
They'll be hated of ALL nations (gentiles) for His
(Jesus') Name's sake.
ALL nations would include the U.S., or whatever's left
of it.
By then, every true believer in Israel's Messiah will
have been removed from the earth, except for the Two
Witnesses and the 144,000 Israelites.
Once again, we see the amazing accuracy of God's
Holy Word.
With ONLY Christ-hating unbelievers left on
earth, it's only natural that they would hate Israel,
what it stands for and, most significantly, He WHO
STANDS FOR Israel.
All nations will conspire against Israel. Neighboring
nations will surround Jerusalem and besiege it.
Zechariah 14:1-4 gives further details of what will
happen to Jerusalem:
"The Day of the Lord is coming when your plunder
will be divided among you.
I will gather ALL NATIONS to Jerusalem to fight
against it; the city will be captured, the houses
ransacked, and the women raped.
Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the
people will not be taken from the city.
Then (some 3½ years later) the Lord will go out and
fight against those nations, as he fights in the day
of battle.
On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of
Olives, east of Jerusalem"...
WITHOUT A DOUBT that's where we're headed.
Tiny Israel will be ALL ALONE and only the RETURN
(Second Coming) of their Messiah in the fall of 2017
will deliver them from annihilation.
His Name be praised!
Save your breath, cut-rate diplomacy and arrogance,
Mr. President. Israel's not giving ANY portion of
Jerusalem away in ANY negotiation.
They'll lose ALL their territory to a coalition of
neighboring countries led by Antichrist.
They'll LOSE Jerusalem for 3½ years, and for the
final time, IN WAR.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
ISRAEL: WHAT‟S GOING ON?
Zechariah 12:1-3 states:
“The burden of the word of the LORD concerning
Israel… Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of
reeling (from intoxication) to all the people round
about, when they shall be IN THE SIEGE both
against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome
stone FOR ALL PEOPLE: all that burden themselves
with it shall be cut in pieces, though ALL THE
PEOPLE OF THE EARTH be gathered together
AGAINST IT”.
I don‟t know WHAT they‟ve been drinking at the
White House or at the State Department, but the
Executive Branch of our government has been
staggering about like a reckless drunkard where
Israel is concerned.
The President and Hillary are either extremely naive
or just plain stupid regarding Middle East policy.
Either that, or killing Bin Laden has gone to their
heads, and they need to come down to earth and get
in touch with reality.
For our President to deliver a speech demanding
peace negotiations based on pre-1967 lines, without
even CONSULTING our "closest" ally…
For him to SIDE WITH THEIR ENEMIES -- terrorists
no less -- and ON THE DAY BEFORE their PM is
scheduled to arrive and meet with him…
Like Israel is some dummy and he‟s the master
puppeteer pulling the strings…
Like it‟s UP TO HIM to decide how much of its own
land Israel can keep… is treacherous, disrespectful,
inconsiderate, impractical and baffling to say the
least.
After such foolish display of undiplomatic arrogance
no one could fault Israel for asking “if these are our
„friends‟, who needs ENEMIES”?
Our entire Middle East policy is incongruous. NONE
of it makes any sense.
As a believer who loves Israel, Israelites, and
Jerusalem in particular, I‟m deeply offended by our
government‟s stance.
As a student of Bible prophecy, I know all too well
where this is all headed.
Matthew 24:9 makes it clear that, at some point
during the forthcoming tribulation, Israel will be
TOTALLY ISOLATED.
They'll be hated of ALL nations (gentiles) for His
(Jesus') Name's sake.
ALL nations would include the U.S., or whatever's left
of it.
By then, every true believer in Israel‟s Messiah will
have been removed from the earth, except for the
Two Witnesses and the 144,000 Israelites.
Once again, we see the amazing accuracy of God‟s
Holy Word.
With ONLY Christ-hating unbelievers left on earth,
it‟s only natural that they would hate Israel, what it
stands for and, most significantly, He WHO STANDS
FOR Israel.
All nations will conspire against Israel. Neighboring
nations will surround Jerusalem and besiege it.
Zechariah 14:1-4 gives further details of what will
happen to Jerusalem:
“The Day of the Lord is coming when your plunder
will be divided among you.
I will gather ALL NATIONS to Jerusalem to fight
against it; the city will be captured, the houses
ransacked, and the women raped.
Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the
people will not be taken from the city.
Then (some 3½ years later) the Lord will go out and
fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of
battle.
On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of
Olives, east of Jerusalem”…
WITHOUT A DOUBT that's where we're headed.
Tiny Israel will be ALL ALONE and only the RETURN
(Second Coming) of their Messiah in the fall of 2017
will deliver them from annihilation.
His Name be praised!
Save your breath and arrogance, Mr. President.
Israel‟s not giving ANY portion of Jerusalem away in
ANY negotiation.
They‟ll lose ALL their territory to a coalition of
neighboring countries led by Antichrist.
They‟ll LOSE Jerusalem for 3½ years, and for the
final time, IN WAR.
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2011
THE POWER OF PRAISE
Praise is one of the greatest spiritual principles. It's
also a great blessing.
There's NO WAY you can praise Jesus and not be
blessed yourself.
If we praise Him from the depths of our being,
there's no way you can feel unhappy or miserable.
It's sheer joy to praise Him. And He is worthy of
our ETERNAL, SPONTANEOUS, uncontrolled
praise!
Praising God can LITERALLY change the atmosphere
around your life. It can change YOUR OUTLOOK
on life.
Moreover, when we create an atmosphere of praise
around us, this spiritual force REPELS satan and
every evil spirit.
satan is ALLERGIC to praise.
They HATE it when we praise Jesus. They go nuts.
Can't stand it [Psalm 8:2; 1 Samuel 16:23].
Some believe that praising God consists of attending
church on Sunday and singing hymns. Nothing wrong
with that.
But the type of worship that God appreciates is
SPIRITUAL IN NATURE.
According to John 4:23 and 24, God is spirit and
those who worship Him must do so in spirit....
and in truth.
If you REALLY want to worship God, you MUST do so
spirit to Spirit.
Jesus adds that God is actually seeking such
worshipers.
Now, think about that for a moment: Almighty God,
the God of heaven and earth, the King of the
universe, who can do anything, create anything,
for whom all things are possible.... who lives in
splendor beyond our imagination, actually
WANTS something from you.
God wants our praise: Our earnest, sincere, heartfelt,
spontaneous, spiritual praise. He wants our spirits to
worship him.
The praise God wants and seeks must come from
our reborn spirits. If it comes from the soul, from
your mind or emotions, if it's carnal worship, it doesn't
count. God isn't a soul. God is spirit.
When you praise God from your born-again spirit,
spirit to Spirit, you ARE in His Presence.
Psalms 16:11 says in His Presence there is
FULLNESS OF JOY, pleasures at His Right Hand
forever more.
It's sheer delight to worship God this way!
You will experience such joy, there's no way you
can feel unhappy, regardless of what's going on
around you.
What better way to start the work week than
PRAISING HIM?
Praise Him for His love, His grace, His goodness, for all
His blessings, for Salvation... For His Spirit that lives
within...
There's a brother named Phil who seems to have this
natural gift of spontaneous praise. With his
permission, I'm quoting some of his spirit's utterances
below:
"His love is so incredible, its hard to believe that we
were made his children. What and awesome Lord
we have...
Thank God for his Holy precious Word. We can find
all sorts of teachings in books, the web, churches,
schools and radio, but His Word is the source of All
Truth.
Dear Precious God of Abraham, how Glorious is your
Name.
What an Awesome God you are that you sent your
Son to take our place. Forgive us Lord as a Nation, Oh
God Have Mercy on us for all the good that you
have done and received very little thanks for.
Thank you for your Mercy that you showed us on
the cross. Bring us to your grace and
forgiveness.
I pray for Israel, protect them and bring them unto
you as you wish to gather them as a hen gathers her
little ones.
I pray for your Truth and your Word to light our paths.
Father my God How I love you with all of my
heart, be with my family that they will make you
smile, and my brother Martel In Jesus Holy Name I
Pray"!!
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011
DOOMSDAY HYSTERIA
Lest anyone EVER doubt the power of the media, the
past couple of weeks have been tumultuous.
Millions of articles, videos, and TV segments have been
devoted to the UNFOUNDED, UNBIBLICAL,
IRRESPONSIBLE "prediction" made by Mr. Camping,
with hardly A WORD from those who debunked his
teaching being featured.
Every ridiculous idea from having a "we're still here
party" in the aftermath of the failed calculation, to
various opportunists (including atheists) offering to
take care of your beloved pet after you're raptured,
FOR A FEE.
According to Romans 8:21 PETS ARE GOING IN THE
RAPTURE, TOO.
Hence there's no need to make "special arrangements"
for them.
For the past three days the number of visitors to our
website has increased 1,000%.
Our numbers have increased greatly and steadily since
day one, but I'd never seen anything like this before.
Fortunately, we've had the #1 ranking in many
keyword categories, among them "Rapture today",
"Rapture 2011" and "endtimes timeline", so it's been
easy for them to find us.
The "good news" is that in recent days A LOT
MORE people have read the Gospel, and HOW to
prepare for the Rapture when it does happen.
The BAD news is that, despite all the hype, despite
the HUGELY increased number of visitors, we
have NOT seen a significantly increased number
of salvations.
Of course, not everyone who comes to know Jesus thru
this ministry notifies us of their decision immediately.
Some tell us months or YEARS later. Some never do.
But we have ways of keeping fairly accurate track of
the numbers.
Much as I want to BE WRONG on this, what we've
seen is mostly sensationalist, media-fueled feeding
frenzy about May 21, 2011 by people who are either
curious, Christians who are not sure what they
believe, JUST PLAIN SCARED, looking for laughs or
looking to ridicule the Christian faith, and NOT by
people who are earnestly seeking God, or trying
to "get right" with Him.
They've been looking mostly for the WRONG
reasons.
It's no different than when they search for "Tiger
Woods", "Arnold Schwarzenegger", or "Osama Bin
Laden", just because "everybody's talking about
it".
Can the Holy Spirit touch someone's heart and bring
them to Salvation, regardless of their motive?
Absolutely.
And those whom He touches WILL FIND Salvation
in Jesus Christ and in these pages.
For EVERYONE seeking Truth, the ONLY THING that
will prepare you, me, or anyone else for "Doomsday",
the ONLY THING that will SAVE YOU, is to KNOW
Jesus Christ in your heart, PERSONALLY AND
INTIMATELY.
If you want to be saved, you MUST receive Jesus
Christ into your heart as Lord, Savior and God.
NOTHING ELSE will save you.
NO ONE ELSE will save you.
Lest you think that since it's now May 22, it's all over,
let me warn you, that we're already hearing a lot of
commotion about 2012, which is only 7 months
away.
Some are already selling "doomsday shelters" in
remote locations, "survival kits", masks and special
suits to protect from bio and chemical attacks, and
other paraphernalia.
We've all heard about the 2012 prophecies based on
the Mayan calendar, and other heathen sources, which
are supposed to happen next year.
Hopefully, the Church will be long gone by then.
But, all other things being equal, we're headed for a
repeat performance, perhaps on an even grander
scale.
MSNBC even featured an hour-long program recently
where people are interviewed about how they are
preparing for that fateful year.
I was amazed to hear all the elaborate plans, but
NOT ONE person saying they were seeking God, or
deeper spiritual union with Him, or to get their spiritual
life in order, or ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE THAT.
They were making all kinds of detailed preparations
ON THE OUTSIDE, to supposedly save their
PHYSICAL LIFE, which will end sooner or later,
anyway, but NOT ONE OUNCE of preparation
about their SPIRITUAL LIFE which is eternal.
Just ANOTHER sign of the times we're living in.
In 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 Paul explained it this way:
"For the time will come when men WILL NOT PUT UP
WITH sound doctrine. Instead, TO SUIT THEIR OWN
DESIRES, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear. They will turn their ears AWAY FROM
The Truth and turn aside TO MYTHS".
Paul, you COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER.
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2011
RAPTURE NOT IN THE
BIBLE
Don't faint. You know me better than that.
If you think the media's going nuts with this "may 21
rapture" business, WAIT 'TIL THE REAL RAPTURE
happens, the sun turns black, there's a gigantic
earth and atmospheric quake, and Jesus appears
in the sky.
I guarantee that God won't tip off the media that
it's ABOUT TO happen.
The Bible is CRYSTAL CLEAR that it will take
unbelievers BY SURPRISE (1 Thessalonians 5:2,3).
CNN crews will be crawling under rocks, ducking
for cover, like everyone else who's left on earth.
The Rapture doctrine is TOTALLY biblical. But the
WORD "Rapture", as such, isn't found in the
Bible.
Neither are the terms "Trinity", "Christmas", or
"Second Coming" FOUND IN THE BIBLE. Even the word
"Bible" ISN'T FOUND IN THE BIBLE!
Does that mean there is no Trinity, there was no
Nativity, there won't be a Second Coming, and
there are no Bibles?
God forbid!
Yet this is the lame, shallow, hypocritical "argument"
that post-tribulation adherents [I hesitate to call them
"believers"] use, time and again, to "prove" there is no
PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE.
Ha! You wish...
The other stupid, stale, FALSE argument is that the
concept of the Rapture was "invented" in the 1800's by
a 15-year old, or 18-year old [depending on who's
arguing], Scottish girl based on a vision she had.
The "girl" in question was Margaret MacDonald, and
this "argument" IS A LIE.
MacDonald was a POST-TRIBULATIONIST. She
BELIEVED THE CHURCH WOULD GO THRU THE
TRIBULATION as evidenced in her own writing that:
"the trial of the church is from Antichrist" and,
"... I saw the people of God in an awfully dangerous
situation, surrounded by nets and entanglements,
about to be tried, and many about to be deceived
and fall. Now will the wicked be revealed, with all
power and signs and lying wonders, so that if it were
possible the very elect will be deceived- This is the
fiery trial that is to try us. It will be for the
purging and purifying of the real members of the
body of Jesus; but oh, it will be a fiery trial"...
[Norton's Memoirs, p. 171-176]
Their third point of contention is that NO ONE in the
early church believed the Church would be removed
PRIOR to the tribulation.
Even if it were true, that doesn't prove ANYTHING,
since God pointedly told Daniel prophecy would NOT be
fully understood UNTIL "the time of the end" [Daniel
12:9].
However, that is patently false. We have extra-biblical
evidence, from Ephraem the Syrian, a manuscript
dating back to the FOURTH CENTURY A.D., that says:
"For ALL saints and Elect of God ARE GATHERED,
PRIOR TO THE TRIBULATION THAT IS TO COME,
and ARE TAKEN TO THE LORD, lest they see the
confusion that is to overwhelm the world
because of our sins".
Furthermore, the apostle Paul believed it [2
Thessalonians 2:3].
The apostle John believed it [Revelation 7:9-14].
And Jesus TAUGHT IT [Luke 21:36].
Of course, if you'd rather STAY AND SUFFER, I'm sure
that can be arranged.
Any so-called "Christian" who'd rather spend time with
the Antichrist than with Jesus, should have both their
head AND THEIR HEART examined.
For those of us who CAN'T WAIT to SEE Jesus FACE TO
FACE, there's glorious Rapture ahead... JUST NOT
TODAY.
Luke 12:40 "Be ye also ready: for in an hour THAT
YOU THINK NOT the Son of man cometh".
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2011
WILL THE WORLD END
TOMORROW?
Will the world end tomorrow? Will the Rapture happen
tomorrow? Will "Judgment Day" begin tomorrow?
NO, NO and NO.
Despite all the media hype centering on Mr. Camping's
prediction, despite the entertainment seeking religious
idiots burning up cyberspace in search of "end of the
world May 21" or "May 21 rapture", it ain't
happening.
I gave the SPECIFIC reasons in a previous message
dated January 5, 2011. If you care to read those
reasons, we have republished that message
directly below this one.
We began getting another flurry of questions on this
topic about fifteen days ago, and by mid-week were up
to our eyeballs in questions about Mr. Camping
himself.
What's even funnier is that the same people who
accused me of being a "false prophet" back in
November, are now writing in SCARED TO DEATH
about this man's prediction, and wanting to know what
I think. WHY they would seek answers from a "false
prophet" is beyond my comprehension.
This is a SAD commentary on how ignorant, stupid and
uninformed some kristians are. And how quick they are
to accuse and point the finger at those who make a
difference and DO SOMETHING for Christ, while they
themselves DO NOTHING, KNOW NOTHING, and
are swept about by every wind of doctrine.
I don't know Mr. Camping personally, and have never
had any communication with him.
I have read some of what he's written, and the
supposed basis for his prediction, and it's TOTAL,
UNBIBLICAL B.S.
Is he saved? I DON'T KNOW.
Since Salvation is based ENTIRELY on the sheer
Grace of God, it is conceivable, even though his
doctrine is terribly flawed, that this man MAY
(underline "may") be saved.
I'll defer to Jesus on that one. Only the Lord truly
knows his heart.
I searched and searched several of his websites, and
couldn't find ONE place where the Way of Salvation is
clearly explained. Couldn't find ONE place where an
invitation to receive Jesus is given.
I couldn't even find any of the above on Camping's
followers' webpages.
You know what Jesus said about "the blind leading the
blind".
However, after digging long and hard, we did find
something posted by this man several years ago in
which he expresses his belief that we CANNOT be
sure of Salvation, and that it's entirely UP TO
GOD, not us.
According to him, we have no choice at all on the
matter.
According to him, receiving Jesus into our hearts
MEANS NOTHING unless God has SOVEREINGLY
"chosen" us to be saved.
Apparently, Mr. Camping isn't too sure about his own
salvation, since he's on record as stating that "if the
Rapture DOESN'T happen on May 21, 2011, then he's
not saved".
The fact it won't happen on that date (tomorrow)
doesn't necessarily mean he's not saved.
What it means is that he's an old fool and a biblical
illiterate.
He has shown gross disregard for the Word of God,
and his prediction DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS
Jesus' words in Matthew 24:36.
I have ZERO RESPECT for anyone who DISRESPECTS
God's Holy Word.
We should, however, pray that this man will humble
himself before Jesus, receive Him as Lord, and seek to
do His Will, instead of HIS OWN.
Can God, who is Almighty, use even a Bible
manipulator like him to bring people to salvation? Yes,
although that's NOT what I'm seeing or hearing.
Unfortunately, Mr.Camping's "prediction" will make
ALL Christians look like idiots in the eyes of the
world.
It's also a great missed opportunity.
Instead of using the attention he's getting to bring
souls to Christ and give them the TRUE message of
Salvation...
Instead of using this opportunity to tell the world
that Salvation (Jesus) is available to ANYONE
who will RECEIVE HIM into his/her heart, ALL Mr.
Camping and his followers are doing is fostering FEAR,
which in and of itself, is ANTI-God and ANTI-Christ.
Instead of promoting and focusing on Jesus
Christ, his death and Resurrection, and a
personal relationship with the Savior, Mr. Camping
has proven to be greatly adept at one thing: SELF-
PROMOTION.
I hope he's enjoyed his "15 minutes of fame" because
they're about to come crashing down on his head.
If you KNOW Jesus, and have made Him your Lord,
you have NOTHING to fear, regardless of WHEN the
Rapture happens.
If you DON'T KNOW Jesus, INVITE HIM INTO YOUR
HEART right now.
The ONLY THING that will make ANYONE ready for
"Judgment Day", whenever it happens, is KNOWING
the Savior.
ELIJAH AND WHO?
The question keeps coming up time and again "who
are the Two Witnesses mentioned in Revelation
chapter 11"?
There's little dispute about one of them being Elijah.
The Scriptures are clear that Elijah always precedes
the appearing of Jesus (Malachi 4:5; Mark 9:11,
12).
There's great debate, however, about the SECOND
Witness being either Enoch or Moses.
People either ask about it or write trying to convince us
it's their "candidate of choice".
First of all, this is an issue on which we can "agree to
disagree".
The identity of the Two Witnesses has NOTHING to do
with anyone's Salvation and, frankly, in the grand
scheme of biblical eschatology, it's relatively
unimportant.
The Two Witnesses are WHO THEY ARE.
All the wishful thinking in the world is not going to
change that.
I have stated, repeatedly, that they are Moses and
Elijah, and will give you my VERY SCRIPTURAL reasons
in a moment. However, if you disagree, that's fine.
I have taken Enoch into consideration. However, I
simply can't find ANY scriptural evidence anywhere
that points to him. I have found A LOT of scriptural
evidence that points to Moses.
I don't buy the "appointed to die" argument, because 1
Corinthians 15:51 is clear that "we will NOT all die,
but we will all be changed".
So, to say it's Enoch based on the "he never died"
argument ALONE is kind of lame.
If the second Witness were Enoch based on the fact he
never died but was translated, THEN EVERY BORN
AGAIN CHRISTIAN WHO GOES IN THE RAPTURE
ALIVE, WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK AND DIE,
like Enoch, in order to fulfill Hebrews 9:27.
What good, then, is it to be raptured when we have to
come back to this fallen, sinful world and die anyway?
That doesn't even make sense.
The Greek word used in Hebrews 9:27 is apokeitai
meaning "to put away". It's been put away (reserved)
for man to die once.
Dying may be the norm for humans, but nowhere is it
stated that this is some INFLEXIBLE,
INSURMOUNTABLE law.
2 Timothy 2:10 clearly states that Jesus "has
destroyed death and has brought life and
immortality to light through His Gospel".
And according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 MILLIONS
(hopefully, BILLIONS) of born-again Christians will be
translated or caught up, just like Enoch, without
dying, to Jesus be all the glory.
Now, let me tell you WHY I'm convinced it's Moses.
There's no record in the Scriptures that Enoch
performed any miracles or supernatural wonders, as
the Two Witnesses will perform. There's also no record
that he ever appeared with Elijah or had any direct
connection with Elijah.
Moses, on the other hand, DID BOTH.
He and Elijah were both prophets, both spent 40
days and nights on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18; 1
Kings 19:8).
Both stand before the Lord (Zechariah 4:14; Exodus
33:11; 1 Kings 17:1).
Both appeared to Jesus TOGETHER at the mount of
transfiguration, which was a preview of the Rapture
(Matthew 17:1-4).
Both witnessed the FOUNDATION of the Church.
It makes sense, therefore, that they should both
witness its departure into the heavenly realm
(Matthew 16:13-17; 17:1-4).
The wonders that the Two Witnesses will perform,
according to Revelation 11:6 are PRECISELY the
wonders attributed to Elijah, namely, shutting up the
sky so it doesn't rain (1 Kings 17:1), and TO MOSES:
turn the waters into blood, and smite the earth with
every sort of plague (Exodus 7:14-20, chapters 7-
11).
There's NO BIBLICAL RECORD ANYWHERE that Enoch
ever did such things. Even in the extrabiblical Book of
Enoch, there's no record he ever did such things.
In terms of Antichrist murdering them, what value
would there be in his killing Enoch? Again, Enoch didn't
do any wonders, or possess supernatural powers. Nor
did he do anything for Israel.
Matter of fact, the nation of Israel DIDN'T EVEN
EXIST in Enoch's day.
Moses, on the other hand, would be an extremely
valuable foe to overcome because he did possess
and will possess miraculous powers, because he was
Israel's FIRST leader, because he led the Israelites out
of Egypt and into freedom, and because he's widely
regarded as the FOUNDER OF Judaism.
Keeping in mind that satan and Antichrist's mission will
be to persecute and exterminate the Jews during the
tribulation (Revelation 12:13-17; 13:7, 10; Daniel
12:7) it makes ALL KINDS OF SENSE that the second
witness be Moses, and that Antichrist would take
special delight in overcoming him.
All that being said, if some of you still choose to
believe the other Witness is Enoch, that's fine with me.
I'm not trying to impose my belief on you, please don't
try to impose your belief on me.
Again, in the grand scheme of biblical eschatology, the
identity of the Two Witnesses is not that important.
Besides, we'll find out WHO THEY REALLY ARE soon
enough.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011
IS GOD UNFAIR?
One of the great stumbling blocks for people who
WANT TO reject Jesus Christ is that they view the
Christian message as "UNFAIR":
If Salvation is thru Jesus and JESUS ALONE, if
people can't be saved any other way, what about
the millions who never got to hear the Gospel?
HOW can a just and loving God hold them
responsible for a message they never heard?
God says [Romans 1:20] they are WITHOUT
EXCUSE.
Why? Because the heavens, the earth, and the entire
Creation, declare that THERE IS A GOD [Psalms
19:1].
If there is a God, and they knew from all the
wonders in and around them, that HE IS, WHY in
heaven's name DID THEY NOT SEEK HIM?
God gives His Word that ANYONE, at any point in
human history, WHO SEEKS HIM with ALL their
heart, WILL FIND HIM [Deuteronomy 4:29;
Jeremiah 29:13].
If they haven't found Him, it's because they have
NOT sought Him.
And if they have sought God at all, it hasn't been
from a sincere, fully surrendered heart,
determined to accept that ONE TRUE GOD, whoever
He may be, or ACCEPT HIS WILL, and whatever He
may require.
They want "God" with CONDITIONS.
Preconditions come from a REBELLIOUS heart.
They "want God", but won't come to Him HIS WAY,
which is Jesus. They want to come to Him THEIR
way.
This explains why so many end up in false religions,
like Buddhism, Kabbalah, New Age, Scientology, etc.
Because they KNOW there's a God, they want
"God", but ONLY IF they can have Him THEIR
WAY.
ONLY IF they can CONTROL and FULLY COMPREHEND
His Infinite Greatness with their puny, insignificant,
finite intellect.
ONLY IF they can LIVE ANY WAY THEY WANT.
ONLY IF they can sin to their heart's content.
ONLY IF that "god" will condone their depraved
lifestyle.
ONLY IF IT PLEASES THE WORLD.
ONLY IF what God says is deemed "ACCEPTABLE" in
popular culture.
ONLY IF they can call "good" evil and EVIL "good".
They won't CONFORM TO God. Instead, THEY
WANT God TO CONFORM TO THEM.
It's no wonder satan has capitalized on this attitude
and provided a veritable smorgasbord of FALSE
RELIGION, FALSE WAYS to "come to god", a total
hodgepodge of SUBSTITUTE, futile religious
VANITY.
God's NOT the problem.
He WANTS TO save you MORE than you want to
save yourself.
If you end up in hell, DON'T BLAME HIM.
If you want to know the REAL problem, the REAL
OBSTACLE to YOUR Salvation...
LOOK IN THE MIRROR.
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2011
WAS PAUL A FALSE
PROPHET?
Just when I thought I'd heard EVERY false and stupid
doctrine, I stumbled unto a place on the internet
which claims that Paul's teachings were contrary
to Jesus'.
That Jesus taught keeping the law, while Paul taught
NOT keeping ANY of it, not even the 10
Commandments.
That Paul wasn't one of Jesus' 12 handpicked
disciples, hence he was not a true apostle, but a
false prophet who lied about seeing Christ en route
to Damascus, and that he spread false doctrine and is
responsible for "apostate" Christianity.
To this particular moron, "apostate" Christianity
includes all who DO NOT follow the law, or the 10
Commandments.
That would make most of you and me "apostates".
What a brainless, DECEIVED, craphead!
Of course when I refuted his false teaching WITH THE
BIBLE, and since he could not counter my argument,
the LOST PERSON who espouses this belief, this
gutless judaizer, would not post my comment on his
forum. I did manage, however, to send a personal
message to him, so he is without excuse.
He'd rather spread FALSE DOCTRINE than heed God's
Word.
He has A PERSONAL AGENDA, and cares NOTHING
for The Truth.
He WANTS Jesus, but WON'T LET GO OF Moses.
If it took ONLY Jesus' personal selection to be a true
apostle, then Judas was "a true apostle" (Luke
6:12-16).
In Acts 1:15-26 we have Matthias who was selected to
replace Judas and was received as A TRUE
APOSTLE by his peers, and he WAS NOT
personally picked by Jesus.
So much for that RIDICULOUS argument.
If teaching that law (torah) keeping and 10
Commandment keeping AREN'T necessary for
Salvation makes one a "false prophet", then ALL
of Jesus' apostles (all 12) were "false prophets",
since they ALL AGREED and TAUGHT that it ISN'T
necessary (Acts 15:1-30).
If we do away with Paul's writings, the Brit Hadasha
(New Testament) would consist of only 9 books, most
of them 1 or 2 pages long, plus the four gospels which,
technically, are OLD Testament.
Jesus taught torah and commandment keeping ONLY
BEFORE He went to the cross.
UNTIL He died in ONCE AND FOR ALL PAYMENT of
man's sin and rose from the dead, the Old Testament -
hence the law - was STILL in effect.
AFTER the cross and the Resurrection,
EVERYTHING CHANGED.
So, one would have to believe that Jesus' atoning
death and Resurrection HAD NO EFFECT (perish the
VERY thought) in order to teach this BLATANT LIE,
this EVIL HERESY, THAT LAW KEEPING AND 10
COMMANDMENT KEEPING ARE STILL NECESSARY.
Newsflash to all Judaizers: Jesus made a NEW
Testament.
That NEW Testament is ENTIRELY based on WHAT
HE DID, NOT on what WE DO.
Fact is that law keeping and 10 Commandment
keeping haven't saved A SINGLE SOUL... EVER.
Fact is that Enoch and Abraham were both saved BY
FAITH ONLY, BY GRACE ONLY, LONG BEFORE any
torah (law) had been given (Genesis 5:24; 15:6).
They didn't DO ANYTHING to be saved. They just
TRUSTED (had faith in) GOD.
Fact is that Jesus' hand picked apostles, ALL
WELCOMED PAUL as a fellow believer and true
apostle of Christ, including Peter the leader of the
early Church (Acts 15:2-4, 12-22, 30-33; 2 Peter
3:15,16).
Fact is YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS:
Either Jesus' Blood, death and Resurrection ARE
sufficient to FOREVER put those who TRUST Him in
right standing with God, or they aren't.
If they AREN'T, we don't need Jesus. All we need
is to keep the torah (and good luck with THAT...).
If they ARE, we DON'T NEED the torah.
Fact is, that AFTER Jesus ROSE FROM THE DEAD
He commissioned His apostles to "go into all the world
and PREACH THE GOSPEL" (Mark 16:15).
He DIDN'T commission them to preach the torah
or the 10 Commandments, which He had already
fulfilled (Matthew 5:17 ).
Fact is, that Jesus COULDN'T HAVE BEEN
CLEARER:
"He WHO BELIEVES and is baptized WILL BE
SAVED, He who BELIEVES NOT shall be damned"
(Mark 16:16).
He DIDN'T say "He who believes and keeps the
torah will be saved".
He DIDN'T say (thank God!) "He who believes and
keeps the 10 Commandments will be saved"...
He said "He WHO BELIEVES"... PERIOD.
Thank you, Jesus!
Fact is, THERE IS NO DISCREPANCY WHATSOEVER
BETWEEN JESUS' MESSAGE AND PAUL'S MESSAGE.
MONDAY, MAY 16, 2011
A LITTLE DIRTY
Feeling a little dirty?
Or, maybe, A LOT dirty?
Don't even TRY to clean yourself.
It's A TOTAL WASTE of time and energy; and it
won't work.
Besides, it's silly to try to do it yourself, when THE
BEST CLEANER ON EARTH is available FOR THE
ASKING.
There's absolutely NOTHING you can do to CLEAN
YOURSELF, actually.
No amount of "good works", no amount of
commandment keeping, no amount of church going,
no amount of praying, and NO AMOUNT OF GIVING
will remove your sins.
So, what's A DIRTY PERSON to do?
LET JESUS CLEAN YOU.
Let Him clean you FROM WITHIN.
He can do it better and quicker than anybody.
He'll make you SQUEAKY CLEAN.
He'll remove all the filth and all the stains.
There's NO SIN His precious Blood can't cleanse.
Even Tide can't remove ALL the dirt like He can.
If He can clean a no-good, flawed, filthy, sinful
mess like me, He can certainly CLEAN YOU.
We completely depend on Jesus to clean us up.
We completely depend on Jesus to make us
righteous.
We completely depend on Jesus to BE righteous.
We NEVER depend on anything or anyone else,
including ourselves.
He'll WASH ALL your sins away and GIVE YOU HIS
OWN PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS.
If you want to BE CLEAN, receive THE CLEANER into
your heart..
SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011
GOSPEL OF THOMAS
The so-called Gospel of Thomas IS FICTION.
It begins WITH A LIE.
It professes to contain secret knowledge that Jesus
imparted to the Apostle Thomas.
That "secret knowledge" is supposed to confer
immortality on anyone who finds it.
It makes no mention whatsoever of receiving
Christ into one's heart, of the born-again
experience, of the Blood of Jesus, or of His death
and Resurrection.
It is neither a Gospel (Good News), nor was it
written by the Apostle Thomas.
More than any other Gnostic writing, this particular
book is the perennial favorite of liberal
theologians and heretics.
Why? Because it CLAIMS to offer eternal life
(immortality) WITHOUT the born again experience,
WITHOUT the Blood of Jesus, His atoning death or His
Resurrection.
Isn't that what heretics want?
Isn't that what they've ALWAYS wanted?
Most heretics have no problem with Jesus' other
teachings.
They have no real problems with "love your neighbor
as yourself", "turn the other cheek", "do unto others as
you'd have them do unto you", or even with "love your
enemies".
Their main problem with REAL Christianity is that it
teaches JESUS is THE ONLY WAY of Salvation
(John 14:6).
That THERE IS NO SALVATION, hence no
immortality, APART FROM Jesus (Acts 4:12).
That He PHYSICALLY rose from the dead (1
Corinthians 15:15, 20, 21).
That's the part of the real Christian faith they simply
CANNOT HANDLE.
By promising immortality (eternal life) WITHOUT
Jesus, WITHOUT His Resurrection - thru some
supposedly "secret" knowledge that everyone can
seek, regardless of whom or what they believe in -- it
plays right into their godless belief that ALL
ROADS lead to immortality.
That Jesus ISN'T the ONLY WAY of Salvation.
It provides the Christless, bloodless, crossless,
"gospel" they've always wanted.
It gives them a convenient excuse to say that Jesus
didn't PHYSICALLY rise from the the dead and
that His Resurrection was only "spiritual".
That's what Gnosticism is ALL about.
That's why it's so vehemently condemned in the New
Testament (Galatians 1:8; 2 Peter 2:1).
That's why it was NEVER accepted by the early Church.
That's why it was RIGHTLY marginalized, and their
writings CORRECTLY EXCLUDED FROM the New
Testament's sacred canon.
That's why the Apostle John very properly labeled it
as "ANTICHRIST" (2 John 1:7).
The REAL Apostle Thomas believed in Jesus' Blood,
death and PHYSICAL resurrection (Luke 24:37-39).
The REAL Thomas is known primarily for being the
one disciple WHO QUESTIONED the Resurrection
and demanded to see the nail prints in Jesus'
PHYSICAL hands, and to stick his hand into
Jesus' PHYSICAL side, where He'd been gored with a
spear.
Upon examining the PHYSICALLY RISEN Jesus,
and His wounds, the REAL Thomas fell on his knees
crying "my Lord, and my God" (John 20:24-28).
The REAL Thomas BELIEVED THAT RECEIVING JESUS
INTO ONE'S HEART IS THE ONLY WAY OF
SALVATION.
The REAL Thomas gave his life in martyrdom
preaching the message that Jesus, AND ONLY
JESUS, is Salvation.
That thru Jesus -- AND ONLY thru Jesus -- can
anyone obtain immortality.
Do you see WHY it was SO IMPORTANT for satan to
distort Thomas' experience and negate his
testimony by writing this fictitious "gospel" in his
name?
NO ONE has EVER attained immortality thru any
secret knowledge contained in the supposed "gospel"
of Thomas.
All Gnostics HAVE GONE TO HELL.
All Gnostics are DEAD.
Yet UNTOLD MILLIONS have attained immortality, and
are enjoying that immortality, in the Presence of the
Immortal One, Jesus Christ, at this very moment.
They attained it ONE WAY: thru Jesus' most
precious Blood, thru His death on the cross, and
thru His PHYSICAL Resurrection (Matthew 27:53;
Isaiah 26:19).
The attained it by receiving the PHYSICALLY RISEN
Jesus into their hearts.
To that PHYSICALLY RISEN Jesus, who lives forever,
be all honor, glory and praise now and for eternity.
Amen.
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
NOTHING'S LOST
Once in a great while there's something worth
watching on the History Channel, and I don't mean Ax
Men, Swamp People or Monster Quest.
But every time they present Nostradamus or some
program on the so-called "lost Gospels" or "lost books
of the Bible", it's a real headache.
Even though I've dealt with such topics before, every
time those shows air we receive a lot of inquiries,
like people never heard about it before.
For starters, NOTHING's lost.
The Bible is the Word of God. It's the Expression
of God Himself. It is inerrant. It is perfect (John
1:1).
What's contained IN the Bible is what's supposed to
BE THERE.
Again: What's included IN the Bible is what's
SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.
If it isn't there, it's because IT WASN'T SUPPOSED
TO BE.
EVERY book in the New Testament is Holy Spirit
inspired, and was written in the first century A.D.,
shortly after Jesus' rose from the dead, by people
who had, in one way or another, witnessed His
Resurrection, and while those who knew Him, talked
with Him, and walked with Him, WERE STILL ALIVE.
The so-called "lost gospels" or "lost books" were
written MUCH later.
The earliest ones were written late in the second
century A.D.
They include a lot of Gnostic manuscripts, such as the
so-called Gospel of Phillip, Gospel of Thomas, and
Gospel of Judas.
They are also known as pseudepigrapha, meaning
"books with FALSE titles".
Which means, for instance, that the so-called Gospel of
Phillip COULDN'T POSSIBLY have been written by the
apostle Phillip, who was dead LONG BEFORE the
earliest manuscript was written.
The so-called Apocalypse of Peter was NOT written by
the apostle Peter, who had long before been martyred,
and is nothing but religious fantasy and pure crap
which often CONTRADICTS the Bible.
Likewise, the so-called Gospel of Thomas, which gets
SO MUCH mention, COULD NOT have been written by
the REAL Apostle Thomas, the one who asked to see
Jesus' pierced hands and side in order to believe.
Thomas had been killed while preaching the
Gospel in India, nearly 100 years earlier.
The Gnostic Gospels ARE HERESIES.
As soon as Christianity began to spread, heresies
began to pop up, as Jesus predicted, and as
Peter, Paul and John repeatedly reported
(Matthew 24:4; 2 Peter 2:1; Galatians 1:8; 5:20; 1
Corinthians 11:19; Titus 3:10).
NO ONE was more vocal in condemning Gnosticism
than the apostle John (2 John 1:7-11).
Truth be told, that's where the term "antichrist"
originated. He refered to both Gnostics and their
doctrine as "antichrist" (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2
John 1:7).
You didn't think satan would just cross his arms and
play dead, did you?
He immediately went to work and set out to confuse
and deceive, which he does to this very day.
Ridiculous, prejudiced, purported New Testament
"scholarship" such as Elaine Pagels' notwithstanding,
such books aren't in the New Testament because
they DON'T BELONG IN the New Testament.
Such books DIRECTLY CONTRADICT the teachings of
Jesus and His apostles, and were WRITTEN LONG
AFTER the LEGITIMATE New Testament.
They were NEVER accepted by the Church at
large as inspired, even BEFORE the Council of
Nicaea.
What I find both absurd and ironic is that the same
people who constantly push the Gnostic gospels as
"belonging in" the New Testament, seldom if ever
utter a word about such apocryphal works as the
Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, or the Assumption
of Moses, belonging in the Old Testament.
They DON'T question the Old Testament canon, ONLY
the New Testament's.
Hmmm... I wonder WHY...
Do you suppose JESUS may have something to do
with it?
It's rather presumptuous for these so-called scholars
and historians to THINK they're QUALIFIED to
determine what IS INSPIRED and WHAT ISN'T, 2,000
years after the fact, and that Jesus'
CONTEMPORARIES WEREN'T.
Nobody questions the fact such documents existed.
Nobody doubts that they were circulating, AMONG
CERTAIN HERETICAL SECTS, in the second and third
centuries. But from that to saying they BELONG IN
THE CANON OF SACRED WRITINGS is quite a
leap, and the height of arrogance.
There may be some historical accounts in SOME (not
all) of these writings.
SOME (not all) may even contain some interesting
spiritual insights.
Others, like the so-called "Gospel of Judas" are anti-
Christian and downright SATANIC.
But to ELEVATE them to the level of INSPIRED,
INERRANT Scripture is folly.
THEY ARE NOT INERRANT, they were NOT inspired
by the Holy Spirit, they often CONTRADICT the
TRUE Gospels, THEY DON'T BELONG IN THE BIBLE,
and they have NEVER been part of the writings
widely accepted by the Christian community.
God wouldn't be much of a God if He was UNABLE TO
preserve the integrity of His Word.
And He wouldn't be very fair (perish the thought) if He
expected us to LIVE BY His Word (Matthew 4:4) and
He didn't CLEARLY reveal to us WHAT HIS WORD
IS..., and ISN'T.
The Old Testament, wonderful as most of it is,
DOESN'T SAVE ANYONE.
The New Testament DOES.
You can't have it both ways.
Would God preserve the purity of the Old and NOT do
the same with the New?
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011
APPEARANCE OF
GODLINESS
One of the WORST aspects of religion is its emphasis
on OUTER demeanor, at the expense of INNER
UNION.
ALL the proper religious demeanor in the world cannot
compensate for lack of spiritual connection with Christ.
ALL the proper religious demeanor in the world
CANNOT and WILL NOT save you.
An INNER CONNECTION, an INNER relationship,
INNER UNITY with the Spirit of the risen Christ is
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for Salvation (Romans
8:9).
There's NO SUBSTITUTE for it.
You can act as piously as you want.
You can dress, speak, act and look "perfect", as man
invented religion deems appropriate, and be utterly
LOST.
On the other hand, you can dress, speak, act and look
NOT SO PERFECT and, if you have that inner
relationship with Jesus, you ARE SAVED.
Am I advocating rebellion or ungodliness?
NO.
I'm merely pointing out the danger of FOCUSING
TOO MUCH on what goes on OUTSIDE, and NOT
ENOUGH on what goes on (or not) INSIDE.
Actions have NEVER saved anyone.
Demeanor has NEVER saved anyone.
Relationship with Christ HAS and DOES.
I often wonder how some of the disciples, or for that
matter, Jesus Himself, would fare in today's religious
environment.
If the Gospels are any indication, most of them
wouldn't fit in.
Jesus and His disciples constantly caught flak
from the religious establishment of His day for
NOT conforming to what they deemed "proper".
Things like eating without washing their hands, picking
sheaves of grain on Saturday, and mingling with
sinners WENT DIRECTLY AGAINST the comportment
religion considered "proper" at that time (Matthew
12:1; 15:2; Mark 2:16).
I won't even go into drinking wine...
Would Jesus, the REAL Jesus, not the one your
polluted mind has invented, feel comfortable
attending your congregation?
Would a simple carpenter from Nazareth be welcomed
in your midst?
Or a fisherman? Or a tax collector?
Or are you "TOO GOOD" and "TOO HOLY" to mix with
such folk?
Would someone who wears jeans, or too much make-
up, or a short skirt feel welcome? Or would they be
outcasts?
Jesus didn't come to save the righteous, He came
TO SAVE SINNERS.
He didn't come to save "perfect" people, but
IMPERFECT.
That was, and still IS, His mission.
Outward demeanor DOESN'T make ANYONE
righteous.
Jesus' Spirit LIVING INSIDE, DOES.
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011
PAUL'S THORN
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 the apostle Paul mentions "a
thorn in the flesh", which he asked God to remove.
Ask religious minds what that thorn was, and you get
some of the weirdest answers, however, the most
frequent one is that God had afflicted Paul with
some sort of physical sickness, and that God
refused to take it away.
It's often theorized, based on Galatians 4:15 and 6:11
that that sickness was some problem with Paul's eyes.
That, in turn, is supposed to show that "God doesn't
heal everyone".
There's no record anywhere that God put any
sickness on Paul.
God has NO sickness to give anyone.
God is a healer. He healed people back then and He
still heals people today, since He never changes.
Does He heal everyone?
NO.
In John 5:1-11 we have Jesus going to the pool of
Bethesda where a lot of sick people were gathered
waiting for the angel Raphael to stir the water. Jesus
didn't heal ALL of them. He healed ONE person, who'd
been invalid 38 years.
Jesus, in his human form, having divested Himself of
His glory, could do nothing of Himself, only what
He saw the Father do (John 5:19; 8:28).
God knows every mind and every heart.
How the Father determines who gets healed and who
doesn't, WE ARE NOT TOLD.
No theologian knows, no minister knows, you
don't know, and I don't know.
We know faith (trust) plays a significant part but,
precious as our God given faith is, I suspect there's
more to it than faith alone. So, to speculate on what
EXACTLY the dynamics are in the supernatural healing
process is JUST THAT, speculation.
The Bible tells us that God did blind Paul TEMPORARILY
on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:8,9), but we're also
told when Ananias prayed for him his eyesight
returned (Acts 9:17,18).
While it's true that Paul seems to indicate a vision
problem, there's no record anywhere that it was
caused by God.
The probable reason was the deplorable "living
conditions" he was subjected to, if you can call them
that.
Paul had been imprisoned at the infamous Mamertine
dungeon in Rome. There were no windows, hence NO
VENTILATION, and NO LIGHT.
It was a dark, damp, unsanitary, smelly, rodent
infested, urine and feces infested hellhole.
His vision problems are likely to be the result of being
held there, not because God would afflict his own son
and faithful servant.
So, what was Paul's thorn?
According to 2 Corinthians 12:7 it wasn't any illness,
but AN ANGEL OF SATAN.
Paul said this angel was assigned to "buffet him", lest
he become conceited due to the tremendous
revelations he'd received.
The Greek word kolaphizo means to strike with the fist
or knuckles.
Evidently, satan had assigned one of his angels to
continually harass Paul and make his life miserable.
That seems to be his M.O. where people of God are
concerned.
He specifically asked God's permission to afflict Job
and then brought all manner of suffering and
calamities on him (Job 1:9-18; 2:7).
In Luke 22:31 we read how he personally asked for
Peter, Jesus' designated leader of the Church, so he
could "sift him as wheat".
So this is nothing new, as far as the devil is concerned.
Paul asked God to take the angel of satan away and,
contrary to what religion teaches, God DIDN'T
DENY the request. He merely said His GRACE "IS
SUFFICIENT" to handle the problem.
Paul clearly and undisputedly says the thorn was
"a messenger (angel) of satan".
Why waste time and energy on religions minds, when
you can find the REAL answers IN THE BIBLE?
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011
SATAN ON THE RUN
Most people are under the false impression that satan
and the antichrist will be running things during the
tribulation.
Actually, God will still be in charge.
He will allow satan and his antichrist to dictate things
on earth, among rebellious, unrepentant mankind, for
about three years.
That's why conspiracy theories are so ludicrous.
Even if, hypothetically speaking, some "secret society"
was plotting to take over the world and run things,
they can't do anything or control anything
UNLESS God ALLOWS IT.
And, for the record, THERE'S NOTHING, not a Word,
from Genesis to Revelation, that says He will EVER
allow any secret society to do that.
The reappearing of antichrist will happen because
God will ALLOW IT.
He will give rebellious, Christ-hating mankind
EXACTLY what their corrupt minds lust for, for a
short while.
While Antichrist's reign will last 42 months (Revelation
13:5) the last few months won't be too pleasant
for him.
During that time he will go from offense to defense in
a hurry.
Just when he begins to feel he's got control over
everyone and everything, even worship and
commerce, the tables will turn.
When God pours out the final 7 judgments, the
vials which represent the culmination of His
wrath (Revelation 15:1), it will become painfully clear
WHO'S REALLY in charge.
Among the judgments poured on antichrist and his
kingdom will be painful sores, rivers, sea and all
water turning into blood, being scorched by the
sun's intensified heat, a massive earthquake that will
turn all major cities into rubble, and huge chunks of
hail falling from the sky.
Armageddon will simply be their final, desperate
attempt to shake free from Jesus' absolute dominion,
PREVENT His return, and the establishment of His
Kingdom on earth.
Satan knows, you see, that Jesus' Kingdom on earth
means he'll spend 1,000 years in hell (Revelation
20:1-3).
While he's deceived millions into going there, the creep
shudders at the thought of going there himself.
Thank God for His Word which assures us that he will.
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011
10 HORNS IN EUROPE
For years, the prophecy establishment has been telling
us that the NATIONS that first comprised the European
Common Market, which is presently known as the
European Union (EU) will be the 10 horns that will
support the Antichrist
Back in the 1970's, while the number of member
nations was fewer than 10, the theory seemed
somewhat plausible, however, the present European
Union is comprised of 27 member nations, with three
more whose membership is pending approval, bringing
them to 30.
But the problems don't end there. Daniel 2:40-44
clearly says it's 10 KINGS that will arise, NOT 10
nations, and that 5 must rule over the Western
division of the former Roman Empire and 5 over the
Eastern division.
EVERY Scripture where these 10 kings are
mentioned always refers to them as "horns" or
"kings". NOT ONCE are they called "nations".
So, WHY are they still teaching it's the EU?
Because that's what C.I. Scofield taught A
CENTURY AGO, and these guys seem to be caught in
a prophetic time warp.
Daniel 12:9 clearly says such things WON'T be
understood UNTIL the time of the end.
And Daniel 12:4 says that at the time of the end
"knowledge shall increase".
Apparently, these guys have never read the 12th
chapter of Daniel.
Contrary to what you've heard, the Roman Empire
WON'T BE revived. There won't be any Caesars, no
Senate, no Pax Romana, nor will the Antichrist
government be headquartered in Rome.
Revelation 17:12 indicates that they are kings who
have NOT YET received their kingdoms, and that
they will reign "for one hour" with the Antichrist. So,
clearly, these aren't present monarchs.
The former Roman Empire was divided into 13
territorial dioceses [administrations]: 6 in the Western
Part and 7 in the Eastern Part.
The three kings who are "uprooted" are those of:
Egypt [Daniel 11:41-43], the East (Israel, Syria,
Lebanon), [Zechariah 14:1-4] and Rome [Revelation
17:15-18].
That leaves EXACTLY 10 kings over the territories of
the Roman dioceses formerly named: Spain, Britain,
Gaul, Italy, and Africa, in the Western Division of
the empire, and Dacia, Macedonia, Asia, Thrace, and
Pontus, in the Eastern portion.
The territory comprised by those 10 dioceses includes
the modern countries of England, Spain, France,
Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy,
Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Turkey,
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.
So, while there will be 10 kings over 10 territorial
regions or dioceses, they will comprise, in terms of
current geography, some 22 nations all
surrounding the Mediterranean.
As you can see, SOME nations included in those
territories ARE members of the EU, and some
AREN'T.
Some way wonder how "Christian" England, France,
Spain and Italy will turn against Christ and support the
Antichrist.
First of all, the current population of these nations is
largely secular. Secondly, by then EVERY REAL
Christian will be in heaven, and only unbelievers will be
left on earth.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 says:
"because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved... God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That
they all might be damned who believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness".
Here's "Exhibit A" of why it's so important to study
what the Bible ACTUALLY says, instead of gulping
down what OTHERS SAY it says.
MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011
WOMEN IN MINISTRY -
PART 2
"The eye CANNOT say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And
the Head (Jesus) cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"
On the contrary, those parts of the body that SEEM to be
weaker are INDISPENSABLE (1 Corinthians 12:21,22).
I've always found it ironic that those who throw
UNSCRIPTURAL roadblocks in front of women, and
fight tooth and nail to keep them from ministry, have
no trouble at all RECEIVING OFFERINGS from
them!
Nor do they have any problem asking them to
"tithe"!
Do you know that 70% of the FUNDING for various
ministries COMES FROM WOMEN?
If it wasn't for women, hypocritical male preachers,
YOU would have NO MINISTRY!
So, it's O.K. to DISCRIMINATE against women being in
ministry, but NOT against TAKING THEIR MONEY!
If that's not a hypocritical, self-serving, double-
standard, I don't know what is!
You see, ladies... they have no problem TAKING
YOUR MONEY, it's ONLY YOUR MINISTRY they object
to. What a bunch of two-faced hypocrites!
By keeping women out of the ministry, by effectively
"disqualifying" HALF of Christ's Body from
spreading the Good News, not only is the Body of
Christ shooting itself in the foot, but it's in direct
violation of many Scriptures, including the anchor
verse quoted above.
For TOO LONG, religious legalists have insisted that
women be confined to singing and teaching Sunday
school.
For TOO LONG they've told women "we have NO
NEED of you". When, in fact, the Church
DESPERATELY NEEDS women in ministry.
Had women been allowed to serve Jesus as apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, Lord
knows how much of the world would be
evangelized by now.
Had women been allowed to minister, perhaps
God wouldn't need to send A SPECIAL ANGEL in
the middle of the tribulation to preach the Gospel
to people MEN FAILED TO REACH (Revelation
14:6).
We all know that, when a woman KNOWS
SOMETHING, especially something GOOD AND
EXCITING, she simply CAN'T KEEP HER MOUTH
SHUT... That's A GREAT THING where the Gospel is
concerned. Jesus be praised!
It takes both, male and female, to reproduce
physically. Likewise, it takes male and female to
reproduce SPIRITUALLY.
Bigotry against women ministers is A SAD
COMMENTARY on HOW CARNAL the Church still is after
2,000 years of turbulent history.
Instead of validating ministry based on the undeniable
CALLING OF GOD on a person's life, or the
manifestation of His Spirit, we base it on whether that
person has A PHYSICAL penis or vagina.
Then we wonder WHY His Church is so confused and
DIVIDED.
The Spirit has NO GENDER!
WHAT, legalistic men, do you suggest we do with ALL
THE SOULS women have won for Christ, DESPITE
YOUR GODLESS INTERFERENCE?
What should we do with all the people women have
DISCIPLED in the faith?
Should we give „em back to satan???
Should we "disqualify" them, too, because they
were brought into the Kingdom by women?
Christians need to GROW UP and stop interfering with
others serving the Lord.
They also need to STOP negating God's decisions.
We don't get to CALL ANYONE into ministry, nor do
we get to "disqualify" ANYONE. God does. That's His
job.
Do you think, oh mortal, sinful man, that you're
wiser than God?
Do you think your OPINIONS are BETTER than His
DECISION?
The gifts and callings or God are IRREVOCABLE, no
matter WHO possesses them! [Romans 11:29].
If God calls women to serve Him in various areas of
ministry, WHO ARE YOU to oppose Him?
Men, stop being so insecure! Ministry ISN'T
competition.
Women ministers aren't competing with you. They are
CO-WORKERS in His Kingdom, who COMPLEMENT your
own ministry and SERVE THE SAME LORD.
The harvest is plenteous. The laborers are few. We
need more laborers.
Whether the laborer's spirit is housed in a male body,
or a female body is IRRELEVANT.
STOP discriminating against women.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's EQUALITY.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, THERE IS LIBERTY!
SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2011
WOMEN IN MINISTRY
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 says: "let your women keep
silent in the churches: for it is not permitted unto
them to speak; but they are commanded to be under
obedience, as also says the law. And if they will
learn anything, let them ask their husband at home:
for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the
congregation."
When Bible verses like this one, are taken out of
context, they can be made to mean just about
anything, including THE VERY OPPOSITE of what was
intended.
This verse is conveniently isolated by religious
minds from the rest of 1 Corinthians, and used by
religious misogynists as a biblical whip to castigate
women:
"Now, see? The Bible says women are to be silent".
The Bible SAYS NO SUCH THING.
What the Bible DOES SAY is that God is NO
RESPECTER OF PERSONS [Romans 2:11].
What is also says, UNDISPUTEDLY, in Galatians 3:26-
28 is: "You are ALL sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus. For ALL OF YOU (men and women) who
were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ: There is neither Jew nor
Greek, slave nor free, MALE NOR FEMALE; for you are
ALL one in Christ Jesus".
Either Paul contradicted himself and, worse, Scripture
contradicts itself, or that verse means something
OTHER THAN the traditional interpretation.
Look at the very next verse, 1st Corinthians
14:36:"What? Did the Word of God come from
you? Did it come to you (men) ALONE?
The word for "what" [e, in Greek] has a negative
connotation of disbelief.
This is a rhetorical question. Paul was saying
[paraphrasing] "What?" Are you kidding me? Are
you speaking God's Word? Is that what God's
word says?" Clearly indicating that's NOT the case,
clearly indicating women are NOT to be silent in
church.
The Corinthians had written Paul asking him about a
number of issues, among them if women were allowed
to speak. These were NEW converts to Christianity who
were seeking instruction from the apostle.
This is clearly shown in 1 Corinthians 7:1 where Paul
says "now concerning the things you wrote me
about"... And then starts dealing with the issues they
raise, one by one.
Chapter 7:25 "now concerning virgins"...
Chapter 8:1 "now as touching things offered to idols"...
Chapter 12:1 "now concerning spiritual gifts"...
Chapter 16:1 "now concerning the collection for the
saints"...
Clearly, Paul is answering different questions asked by
the Corinthians in their letter.
In the controversial verses (14:34,35) he's merely
QUOTING the question they asked him about women
keeping silence, as the law said. And he answers
"What? Is that God's Word coming out of you? And
did His Word come ONLY to you (men)"?
Notice what Paul himself says earlier in 1 Corinthians
11:5 "But EVERY WOMAN that prays or prophesies
with her head uncovered dishonors her head..." so,
evidently, WOMEN WERE PRAYING AND
PROPHESYING!
They were NOT "keeping silent" at all!
That was INVENTED by religion, NOT BY GOD.
Had Paul WANTED THEM to keep silent, he sure missed
a great opportunity to say "every woman that prays or
prophesies SHOULD SHUT UP".
Instead, he merely says they should have their
heads covered with their own hair when they do
it. He said women shouldn't have their heads
uncovered or shaved WHEN THEY PRAY OR PROPHESY
IN THE CONGREGATION.
That statement clearly DEMONSTRATES that he
APPROVED of women praying and prophesying.
So the very scripture legalistic minds ERRONEOUSLY
use to beat women over the head and keep them from
ministry, was intended to say THE VERY OPPOSITE:
no, women aren't to be silent, and Christian women
are no longer under the law.
Now, let's examine the other "anti-woman" Scripture,
1 Timothy 2:11,12:
"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But
I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp
authority over the husband, but to be in silence".
Paul was Apostle to the gentiles [Romans 11:13, 1
Timothy 2:7].
Most of the people he'd won to Christ came from
pagan cultures, in which women either had no
rights and were treated as personal property (we still
see that in many parts of the world today) or, in some
cases, there was the other extreme, where they
were dominating their husbands.
The Greek word translated as "silence" is esuchia
which actually means "stillness".
Paul is merely saying that wives should BE STILL: not
running around, not taking CHARGE OF all things, and
NOT bossing their husbands.
He's talking about how wives should relate TO
THEIR HUSBANDS, NOT about what they can or can't
do in the congregation, or in their service to Jesus.
Indeed, for the first three hundred years of Church
history women preached alongside men, ministered in
various capacities, and DIED AS MARTYRS just like
men.
It was only in the fourth century, when Christianity
became institutionalized that the role of women was
diminished, as male dominance and religious bigotry
set in.
Now, let's get down to SPECIFIC cases:
In Acts 16:40, we have Lydia, A WOMAN, who LED
A CHURCH in her house in Thyatira.
Unless you think Lydia was a mime, who
communicated by signs, HOW could she LEAD
(PASTOR) A CHURCH if she wasn't allowed TO
SPEAK?
In Philippians 4:2,3 Paul entreats TWO WOMEN Euodia
and Syntyche to "agree in the Lord", and he asks the
church to "help these women, who have labored
side by side with me in the gospel". Clearly, Euodia
and Syntyche were evangelists.
In Romans 16:1 Paul commends Phoebe, A WOMAN,
and calls her a DEACONESS (minister) in the
Church.
In Romans 16:3 we have the same Apostle Paul
saying:
"Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ
Jesus".
He calls Priscilla, A WOMAN, his "FELLOW worker
in Christ Jesus", elevating her to HIS OWN
PRIVILEGED STATUS.
He even mentions her BEFORE her husband Aquila.
Romans 16:7 speaks of ANOTHER WOMAN, named
Junia, BEING AN APOSTLE in the early church.
So, we clearly see that IN THE EARLY CHURCH women
were pastors, deacons, EVANGELISTS and even
APOSTLES!!!
HOW DARE some prejudiced, religious idiot say
that WOMEN can't minister or speak in the
congregation?
When Jesus rose from the dead, He had NO
PROBLEM telling Mary Magdalene and "the other
Mary" to give a command to the apostles to go into
Galilee and that they'd see Him there, RESURRECTED.
[Matthew 28:10]
So, ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE, THE FIRST to
announce Jesus' resurrection WERE WOMEN!
It was WOMEN who first notified the apostles, the
original Church, gathered in the Upper Room, that He
had risen from the dead!
THE FIRST to preach the Gospel (there's no Gospel
without the Resurrection) WERE WOMEN!
Take that, stupid male preachers, stuff it down your
religious pipe, and smoke it.
Are you going to seriously tell me God wants His
women to be silent?
To this day, women are some of the most effective
soul winners Jesus has.
Ladies, if God has called you to the ministry, (and
if He really has, you KNOW IT, beyond the shadow of
a doubt) don't let ANYONE, least of all some
insecure male religious wimp, stop you from
serving Him.
Why waste your time seeking mortal men's
approval, when you already have The Immortal
Man's approval?
Acts 5:29: You must "obey God rather than men".
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2011
ASHES TO ASHES
When a loved one passes away, what is the proper
way to dispose of their body?
In Judaism, as in Christianity, it's always been BURIAL.
Throughout the Bible, THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE way to
dispose of a dead body is BURIAL.
Throughout history, the ONLY acceptable way FOR
BELIEVERS to dispose of a dead body has been burial.
Cremation, which is burning the deceased body, was
only practiced by pagans.
Believe it or not, there are PREACHERS advancing the
unbiblical argument that "our bodies will return to the
dust of the earth" one way or another. That it can
happen "slowly over time if you are buried, or quickly
if you're cremated".
They claim that "the end result is the same". And that
the way a dead body is disposed of is "a cultural issue"
and not something the Bible commands us to do in one
way or another.
That argument is FALSE, and proves the individuals
in question don't know the Bible, and should go
back to studying it, and listening to the Spirit of
God, before arrogantly and callously putting forth such
irresponsible doctrine.
The Bible repeatedly COMMANDS not to pass
human bodies thru fire. While those Scriptures refer
primarily to children offered in sacrifice to Moloch, the
principle applies to everybody (Leviticus 18:21,
Deuteronomy 18:9-12, 2 Kings 16:3, 17:15-18,
21:6,23:10; 23:10; 2nd Chronicles 33:6, Jeremiah
32:35, Ezekiel 16:21, Ezekiel 20:26,31, 23:37).
That's why cremation is strictly forbidden by Orthodox
Jews, and rightly so, to this very day.
The patriarchs and their families were all buried.
You can go to Israel, even today, and visit the tombs
of the Patriarchs in Hebron, the MacPelah cave, where
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are
ALL BURIED [Genesis 23:2-18; 49:31].
Jacob's other wife, Rachel, was buried near Bethlehem
at Ramat Rachel [Genesis 35:19].
You can find the tombs of Joshua and Caleb just north
of Ariel, in the Arab village of Kifel Heres. They were
buried.
The kings of Israel and their families were all buried
[Acts 2:29; 2 Kings 8:24; 14:16; 16:20; 21:18].
Joseph made the children of Israel promise they would
BURY him in Canaan [Genesis 50:22-26]. You can still
visit his grave at Shechem today [Exodus 13:19;
Joshua 24:32].
So, apparently, not only is burial important, but
also the location. Joseph gets praise for this decision
in the New Testament [Hebrews 11:22].
It's interesting that Joseph isn't praised for
interpreting dreams, resisting Potiphar's wife's sexual
advances, or becoming Egypt's Prime Minister, second
only to Pharaoh.
He doesn't even get credit for saving Israel from
starvation and extinction, or for forgiving his brothers
after they sold him into slavery. God gives him credit
FOR BEING BURIED in the Promised Land.
God Himself BURIED Moses. HE DIDN'T BURN HIM
[Deuteronomy 34:5, 6].
WE MUST OBEY GOD, RATHER THAN MEN [Acts 5:29].
They may call it "a cultural issue", BUT THE FACT IS
CREMATION WAS ONLY PRACTICED BY PAGANS.
CREMATION IS A PAGAN RITUAL. ALWAYS HAS
BEEN. THAT'S UNDEBATABLE, HISTORIC FACT.
No believer has ever practiced incinerating their dead.
Early Christians flat-out rejected it. It only became
"acceptable" to SOME "Christians" in the past 100
years [late in the 19th century].
I'm well aware there's an economic component in all
this. I know burial can be quite expensive and, in that
sense, cremation offers a much cheaper alternative.
If a Christian is cremated, does that mean he or she
won't go to heaven? Of course not. If they're saved,
they're SAVED.
But is cremation PLEASING TO GOD? NO.
Every Christian owes it to himself or herself, and to
their loved ones, to BURY them, if they possibly can.
THAT is, without question, the BIBLICAL way.
Revelation 11:7-9 clearly tells us that it's the
Antichrist, the incarnation of satan, who WILL
NOT allow the Two Witnesses to be buried, after
he kills them.
In 1 Corinthians 6:20 Paul tells us unequivocally that
we were "bought with a price", that we are "not our
own" and that we are to glorify God in our spirits
AND BODIES, which are God's.
From the moment you received Jesus as your Lord,
YOUR BODY became His temple. Your body no
longer belongs to you, but TO HIM (1 Corinthians
6:19).
Even after the spirit departs from the body, that
body still belongs to God. That's why He will RAISE
THAT BODY, incorruptible and immortal someday very,
very soon (1 Corinthians 15:50-55).
But THE BIGGEST problem I have with cremation is
this:
Suppose Jesus had been cremated instead of buried.
There would be no convincing, compelling proof
of His Resurrection.
ANYONE could point to a pile of ashes and CLAIM they
were Jesus' remains, and that He didn't rise from the
dead AT ALL.
That, in turn, would mean that Christianity wouldn't
even EXIST, and you, I, and everyone else would be
lost forever.
What convinced the early Church of His Resurrection,
and what still convinces us today, is that EMPTY TOMB.
Everyone in first century Jerusalem saw Him die. They
saw His dead Body taken from the cross and placed
(BURIED) in the nearby tomb.
They saw the tomb SEALED with a HUGE stone.
They saw 16 ARMED Roman soldiers guarding the
tomb.
Three days and nights later that tomb was
EMPTY.
There was NO BODY.
There was no partially decomposed body. There were
no skeletal remains. There were (thank God!) NO
ASHES.
Apart from Resurrection, NOBODY can explain, to
this very day, what happened to Jesus' BURIED
body.
But couldn't you still know He's alive because His Spirit
lives in us who received Him? Yes.
But based on such experience ALONE, the best you
could argue for is SPIRITUAL resurrection, as opposed
to PHYSICAL resurrection, which is what the Bible
teaches.
Paul is quite clear about this in 1 Corinthians 15:14:
"If Christ is NOT risen (physically), then YOUR
PREACHING IS IN VAIN, AND YOUR FAITH IS ALSO
IN VAIN".
And in 1 Corinthians 15:17 "IF CHRIST IS NOT RISEN
(physically)... YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS".
Christ is our Supreme and perfect EXAMPLE for
EVERYTHING (Colossians 2:12).
If some so-called minister wants to become the poster
boy for cremation, be my guest.
But FAITHFUL Christians should follow Jesus' example
which is BURIAL, and Resurrection.
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011
COMPETITION
"Don't be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever man sows, that
shall he also reap" [Galatians 6:7].
HOW MANY GODS are there in your life?
What? What are you talking about? There's only one
God.
True. But the question wasn't "how many gods are
there"?
The question was "how many gods ARE THERE IN
YOUR LIFE?
There's always been ONLY ONE God, but
throughout history man has turned many things
into "gods", served them as gods, worshiped
them as gods, and allow false gods to rule their
lives.
Truly there's NOTHING NEW under the sun.
Anything or anyone that occupies FIRST PLACE in
our lives is our "god" (or "goddess").
If you doubt it, ask Charlie Sheen.
Anything or anyone that COMPETES with the One
TRUE God for our affections, our attention, and
our time, has become a god or goddess to us.
Three to four thousand years ago, the "gods" which
competed with the One TRUE God for human affection
were the sun, moon and stars. They were idols of
wood or stone named Baal, Moloch, Dagon or Asherah.
In modern times, gods are called religion, computer,
MP3, IPad, cell phone, Blackberry, TV, so-called
Christian TV, celebrities, fashion, popularity, fame,
sex, drugs, booze, Twitter, Facebook and internet.
Are such things BAD, in and of themselves? In
most cases, NO.
Wood and stone aren't bad either.
Some conveniences are NECESSARY.
It's a question of PRIORITIZING.
It's when we allow these things to COMPETE
WITH Jesus, to hog the time and attention that
belong to Him, that we should be spending with
Him, that they become idols.
At some point, we have to DECIDE that it's time to
TURN THESE THINGS OFF, FORSAKE THEM (at least
for a while), and FOCUS on Him who is our life.
These things were made to serve us, not the
other way around.
REPEAT: These things were made TO SERVE
US, NOT
for US to serve THEM.
When we serve them, we've developed AN
ADDICTION.
Addictions are IDOLS. They are the gods we SERVE .
Anything or anyone we become SUBSERVIENT TO is
our god, whether we realize it or not (Romans
6:16).
No President could have EVER gotten away with saying
"America is NOT a Christian nation". Yet, our President
not only said it, and NOT ONLY did he get away with
saying it, it is largely and painfully TRUE.
Most Christians (if they were honest) would have to
admit that Jesus isn't their ONLY God. He's merely
ONE OF their gods.
IF they were honest, they'd have to admit there are
MANY "gods" and "goddesses" in their lives that COME
WAY BEFORE Jesus.
IF they were honest, they'd have to admit that
they've relegated the One True God, who gave
His life for them, to third, fifth, seventh or ____
place.
Unfortunately, we have TOO MANY THINGS
COMPETING for our hearts and our loyalties. So, how
can we truly say that Jesus is Number One?
That's WHY we are where we are.
We reap what we sow.
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
WHEN WE FALL
What remotely normal parent sees his or her child fall,
and doesn't immediately run to pick him up, and
put medicine on their bruises or scratches?
Do they stop being your children when they fall?
No. If anything, you dedicate more time and
effort to comforting, healing, and soothing their
pain.
Even if the fall happened as a result of
DISOBEDIENCE, of doing something you SPECIFICALLY
TOLD THEM NOT TO DO, you still love them, care
for them, and help them recover.
They DON'T stop being your children.
Yet "Christian" preachers CONSTANTLY ACCUSE OUR
HEAVENLY FATHER, of doing just that:
NOT ONLY of BEING callous and indifferent to our
falling, and its consequences, but of being on the
look-out for EVERY single MISTAKE WE MAKE, in
order to zap us over the head for it, then
DISOWN US!
The word "Gospel" means "Good News". Where,
exactly, is the "Good News" in any of that?
No wonder it's so hard to win people to Christ!
Most preachers portray SINFUL, HUMAN PARENTS as
more loving than our wonderful Holy Father, who
paid such incalculable price to REDEEM US.
Instead of preaching Jesus' UNCONDITIONAL love for
sinners, AND THAT WHOEVER WANTS SALVATION CAN
RECEIVE HIM, supposed "ministers" of the Gospel
preach an ALIENATING MESSAGE that God's an angry
and stern God, a STRICT DISCIPLINARIAN, who won't
allow even the slightest misstep.
That He's watching the tiniest slip, so He can
banish you into a fiery hell forever.
Lord in heaven! If God were like that, He would
have NEVER SENT Jesus TO DIE FOR US!
All He would have needed to do is WITHHOLD Jesus,
and EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE, would go
straight to hell.
I want sinner or saint alike TO HEAR THIS LOUD AND
CLEAR:
GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU IS UNCONDITIONAL.
No matter HOW LOW you may have fallen, Jesus still
loves you. He died and PAID IN FULL the price for
ALL your rebellions, and all the times you've
crashed.
Even if you're in the filthiest gutter, in the smelliest
sewer, His loving Hand will pick you up and LIFT YOU
out of there, if you reach out for Him.
Regardless of the extent to which you've
"misbehaved", Salvation is AVAILABLE TO
EVERYONE who WILL RECEIVE Jesus into their
heart.
Jesus in your heart = Salvation. Period. Nothing more,
nothing less.
Yes, IT IS as simple as that.
There's NOTHING you can DO to stop God from loving
you.
There's NOTHING you can DO to LOSE Salvation.
There's NOTHING you can DO to EARN Salvation.
ALL you CAN DO with regards to Salvation is RECEIVE
JESUS INTO YOUR HEART, or NOT receive Jesus.
He did it ALL. There's NOTHING ELSE you can do.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2011
DREAMS AND VISIONS
For some reason unbeknownst to us, people keep
sharing dreams and visions they've had and asking for
the interpretation.
For the record, I've never offered to interpret anyone's
dream or vision. Apart from the Holy Spirit's
sovereign and divine intervention, I am UNABLE
TO do so.
Dreams and visions are mentioned numerous times in
the Bible. They CAN come from the Lord, and often do.
Does that mean EVERY dream and vision comes from
God? Of course not.
In today's message we will sort this issue out and give
some helpful guidelines so that YOU can interpret
your own dream/vision and decide whether or
not it came from God and merits analysis.
1. When Christians have VISIONS, they are usually
from God.
If a DREAM is accompanied or followed by a vision,
it's usually from God.
The only word of caution here would be if the person
who experienced the vision is into some sort of mind
altering substance.
Drugs can make you "see" things that aren't
there, and aren't true. And those "visions" can
seem very real and very convincing.
2. Dreams can come from God, satan, or the
subconscious.
3. When a dream is from God, IT WILL BE what I call a
"pure" dream, meaning, it will provide revelation,
and IT WILL STAY ON MESSAGE.
Every dream in the Bible stays on message: Joseph
dreamt about the sheaves bowing to his. He then
dreamt that the sun, moon and stars also bowed to
him. He stayed on message.
The same happened to Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar,
Daniel, Joseph [Jesus' stepfather] and so on.
You can't find A SINGLE DREAM in the Bible, where it
went from seven fat and skinny cows, to fishing in the
Nile, to talking to a family member, to driving a
chariot.
When dreams drift to various topics (different
things), they usually come from the
subconscious, NOT from God.
4. The fact you had a dream that contains some
prophecy related themes or images, does NOT
necessarily mean it came from God.
It simply means that, because you're a believer, some
aspects of prophecy remain in your subconscious and
manifested in the dream.
If you dream that Jesus is coming, then you're talking
to someone about something else, then you're eating
ice cream, then you're wearing an orange T-shirt, that
dream DID NOT come from God.
That doesn't mean it's bad, it just means that it's a
compilation of things that were in your subconscious.
5. Nightmares often come from satan.
Any dream that causes fear and panic does NOT
come from God. God is not the author of fear ...EVER
(2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18).
6. If you dream you're being choked or
oppressed, that dream is from satan and should
be resisted in the Name of Jesus and by His
Blood.
7. If the dream is VIVID, and persists, and has
something to do with your safety, it's usually from
God.
If you're unsure if such dream is from God, it would be
wise to take the necessary steps to ensure your safety
"JUST IN CASE".
8. If other Christians are having the same [or
similar] dream you've had, it's ALMOST CERTAIN
it came from God.
9. If the dream contradicts the Scriptures, or
suggests you should do something that contradicts the
Bible, IT'S DEFINITELY NOT from God.
10. If the dream predicts something and it doesn't
happen, it DID NOT come from God.
11. Dreams and visions are a sign of the last days,
as prophesied in Joel 2:28-32:
"... I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons
and daughters will prophesy, your old men will
dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
... The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to
blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the LORD. And EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE
NAME OF THE LORD will be saved".
12. The Spirit and the Word must be the final
arbiters. Does your spirit bear witness to it?
When a dream comes from God, it will always line
up with His Word, and your born-again spirit will
bear witness to it, and confirm it in various ways.
TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2011
GOOD RIDDANCE!
News for the past few days has moved at a numbing
pace.
From the continued unrest in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and
other Middle East nations, to all the hoopla about the
royal wedding, to the devastating tornadoes, to the
death of Ghadaffi's son, to the so-called beatification of
John Paul II, to the death of Osama Bin Laden.
The latter, I must say, was LONG OVERDUE.
Bin Laden's death has no major prophetic significance.
Normally, and as a Christian, I wouldn't wish death on
hardly anyone, let alone rejoice at hearing the news.
This was an exception.
As an American and as a human being, I couldn't
help but be grateful that this extremely evil
coward is no longer taking up oxygen on this planet.
We tend to think of Bin Laden in connection with 9/11,
and rightly so, since he was undoubtedly behind it.
As horrible a tragedy as that was, as many lives as it
ended or changed forever, as much of a toll as it's
taken on our nation psychologically, emotionally, and
economically, this bastard was responsible for SO
MUCH MORE.
Other acts of terrorism he was involved in include the
1998 bombing of the American embassies in Kenya
and Tanzania resulting in multiple deaths and injuries,
the attack on the U.S.S. Cole which killed 17 American
sailors and injured 39, and the attack on the Khobar
Towers in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and injured
372.
This hateful terrorist had A LOT of blood on his hands.
He should have been dead LONG AGO.
I'm one of those who think it was A HUGE MISTAKE
not to finish him off back in 2001-2002 when the U.S.
invaded Afghanistan.
Had the head been cut off the snake back then, it
would have sent a SWIFT, DECISIVE, CLEAR message
to other terrorists: you mess with us, you're dead.
Instead, America allowed him to go free, got bogged
down in a bloody, costly, and largely mismanaged
war in Iraq, and sent the terrorist world a clear
message that, while we may eventually take them out,
America is VULNERABLE, and before we kill you, you
can inflict A LOT of damage on us.
Unfortunately, the snake has now spawned many other
reptiles lurking in Middle Eastern shadows, in Mexico,
Canada and even INSIDE the United States.
While I fully understand and join, at least in spirit, the
celebrations in D.C., Times Square and Ground Zero,
his death won't bring back the many victims, it
won't restore the injured ones, nor will it heal
the wounds of those who lost loved ones.
What it does do is bring some sort of closure to this
somber chapter in American history.
Bin Laden got a well-deserved American bullet to the
head.
We will no longer have to put up with the S.O.B.'s
taped messages, or his continued threats.
In his final moments this despicable would be "martyr"
hid behind a woman, apparently one of his own
wives, using her as a human shield.
Bin Laden suddenly found himself in the
torments of hell which, for him, must be
especially severe.
He found out, much to his dismay, that there were
no 72 virgins, nor 35, nor 10, not even ONE, waiting
to have unlimited sex with him.
He found out, in an instant, that Mohammed was a liar
and a false prophet who led him to hell, where they
both belong.
He found out THERE'S A GOD, AND HIS NAME IS NOT
ALLAH.
But our country will never go back to being what it was
before 9/11.
That incident has permanently scarred our collective
psyche.
Is this a HUGE moral and psychological victory? You
bet!
But it DOESN'T really CHANGE ANYTHING.
It won't bring desperately needed repentance and
spiritual revival to our nation or the world.
It won't make our other MULTIPLE problems disappear.
We still have to deal with those.
Kudos to the brave Navy Seals who brilliantly
carried out the operation, to the CIA for putting the
pieces of the puzzle together, and to President Obama
for giving timely authorization.
Enjoy it while you can.
MONDAY, MAY 2, 2011
We will address the death of Osama Bin Laden very soon.
Been waiting to hear THAT bit of news since 9/11/2001.
While nothing will bring back the victims, and nothing will be
as it was before that fateful moment, all I could do was
THANK GOD and say "it's about time".
YOU MAY BE SURPRISED
EVERY believer in Jesus Christ has the responsibility to
share Him with others [Mark 16:15].
Sharing Jesus is NOT, repeat, NOT the responsibility of
ministers only.
It's EVERYONE'S responsibility.
The main difference is true ministers are CALLED to do
it FULL TIME.
True ministers DEVOTE THEIR ENTIRE LIVES to
sharing and exalting Jesus Christ.
Does everyone we share Jesus with come to know
Him?
NO.
But MANY do.
The same thing will happen when YOU share Him with
others.
You may not win everyone you share Jesus with. But, I
assure you, YOU WILL WIN SOME.
Jesus' message of love and redemption HAS NO
EQUAL.
You should be PROUD and consider it A PRIVILEGE,
therefore, to share Him with others.
If you PUT HIM OUT THERE, you will bring souls
into His Kingdom.
It's INEVITABLE.
You don't have to be a great preacher, or great
speaker.
What you have to be is GENUINE.
Don't underestimate yourself, much less what the
Spirit of God can do thru you.
Jesus said when He is LIFTED UP, He will draw
ALL MEN unto Himself [John 12:32].
The ONLY WAY Jesus "loses" is when you and I don't
"put Him in the game".
EVERYONE needs Jesus.
EVERYONE has sinned and is in need of Redemption.
There's NO SALVATION apart from Jesus [Acts 4:12;
John 14:6].
Don't be discouraged, if you don't see INSTANT
results.
Only eternity will reveal HOW MANY people came to
know Him thru you.
And you may be surprised.
There may be a LONG LINE waiting to thank you.
Galatians 6:9:
"Be not weary in well doing for IN DUE SEASON
YOU WILL REAP, if you faint not".
SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011
DAVID WILKERSON
The Christian faith recently lost one of its generals.
Evangelist David Wilkerson died in a car crash on April
27, while inexplicably swerving into oncoming traffic,
and banging against a tractor trailer head-on.
He was accompanied by his wife who, though injured
and hospitalized, is expected to survive.
Prophetically speaking, we could not have been
further apart.
Evangelistically speaking, I've nothing but LOVE,
RESPECT and ADMIRATION for this minister of Christ,
who served Him so well and for so long.
David had a heart, and unmistakable calling, FOR
LOST SOULS.
He will forever be remembered for bringing Nicky Cruz
to Jesus, and as co-author of The Cross and the
Switchblade, based on his ministry to the gangs in New
York, which sold over 50 million copies.
He also founded Teen Challenge designed to bring the
message of Salvation to America's youth.
More recently, he felt the Lord calling him back to New
York City and to establish the Times Square Church,
which some have compared to ministering in the midst
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
In an age when most so-called "church leaders" have
SOLD OUT to the god of Mammon, David remained
steadfast and true to the Gospel, refusing to
compromise its integrity, and often denouncing
the prevailing out-of-control greed in
televangelism.
Unlike them, David was a pioneer, and a TRUE
LEADER.
David HAD GUTS. He was not afraid to go
anywhere, tell it like it is, and witness OPENLY
and BOLDLY.
Only God knows HOW MANY owe their eternal
Salvation to Jesus Christ, first and foremost, and to
David Wilkerson, in whom Jesus Christ lives.
Doubtlessly, many who came to know Jesus thru
David's visionary and very effective ministry are
greeting him and celebrating with him in glory, at this
very moment.
We TRULY mourn his loss.
We are grateful for his service.
We celebrate his life.
We rejoice in his accomplishments.
We praise Jesus for His enduring and splendid
manifestation thru mortals, who in Him become
IMMORTAL.
To the many that miss him, be comforted in knowing
that our brother is Home with our most precious Lord,
beholding His Wonderful Face.
I can almost see Jesus, with a big smile on His Face,
telling David "welcome, my son".
SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011
Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Alabama,
Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky who've
been affected by the devastating tornadoes. Some have
lost everything, including loved ones. Please remember them in
your prayers. Thank you.
TAKING AMERICA BACK
People keep talking about "taking America back".
My first question is "back to WHAT?
Political activists talk about it. They even offer special
cruises where some lame speaker talks about it.
Even Christians, WHO CAN NO LONGER
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FAITH AND POLITICAL
IDEOLOGY, talk about it.
Some of our readers have asked us to address this
topic.
I'll oblige, but they won't like the answer.
I've been hearing about this business of "taking
America back" since the 80's.
NOBODY'S taken back ANYTHING.
America is MORE LOST and more CLUELESS today than
at any point in its history.
We've certainly FAILED to take it back for Christ.
That's just stark reality. We might as well FACE IT.
Every time an election cycle comes around this stupid
catch phrase is revived.
IT MEANS NOTHING: Just EMPTY rhetoric.
When the time comes to put OUR ACTIONS -- and
OUR VOTES -- where our mouths are, not only are
Christians NOT united, not only do we NOT speak with
one voice, not only do we FAIL MISERABLY at taking
anything back, BUT INVARIABLY MOST Christians
vote their pocketbooks like EVERYONE ELSE.
JUST LIKE THE WORLD, they've SOLD OUT to the
idol of Mammon, as have most of their so-called
spiritual leaders.
They DO NOT stand FOR Christ.
They DON'T stand on principle.
They don't even stand for values.
So please spare us the self-righteous, duplicitous
BALONEY.
If we REALLY wanted to rescue America from
precipitous and impending decline, WE WOULD HAVE
BACKED UP OUR WORDS WITH ACTIONS.
And we would have done it AGES ago.
Our country is SO out of control, it's being reflected on
everything from nature, to the environment, to
government, to the economy.
Our economic woes are merely AN OUTWARD
REFLECTION of how INTERNALLY destitute we have
become.
Yet most Americans, Christians included, seem NOT to
notice.
Most are OBLIVIOUS to prevalent spiritual bankruptcy
and ever-growing moral decay.
As if they had ingested a massive overdose of religious
Ambien, most Americans, and most Christians, refuse
to be shaken out of their stupor and OPEN THEIR
EYES.
You'd think they'd be on their faces before God, in
heartfelt repentance, seeking His forgiveness,
seeking His blessing, crying out for mercy.
ALL they have in mind is who's on Dancing with the
Stars, what some stupid celebrity said on Twitter, what
Kate wore on her wedding to William, and what they
can do with their IPads.
It's the me, me, me, me, me, and me culture, heaven
help us.
I got news for you: this thing's IRREVERSIBLE.
Breaks my heart to say it, but America's GOING
DOWN.
And I'm talking "SOONER" rather than "later".
You might as well save the money on that
OVERPRICED cruise, which leads to NOWHERE.
Forget it. This thing's too far gone.
We can no longer trust this country, or our
leaders, to STAND for, let alone DO, what's right.
They don't stand on principle either.
If the ELECTORATE doesn't, WHY should the
ELECTED?
For the precious FEW who really believe, who have
unshakable conviction, who REALLY LOVE JESUS,
and seek Him ABOVE ALL ELSE, and with ALL
THEIR HEARTS, keep standing firmly on Him.
He is our ONLY hope.
No matter WHAT happens, or WHERE it happens, our
destiny is safe in Him.
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011
WHAT IF WE ALL KEPT THE
LAW?
What IF we ALL kept God's law?
And just so we're clear, I'm not talking merely about
keeping the 10 Commandments, but about the
WHOLE law, ALL 613 commandments in the
torah.
There are certain segments in Christendom who
INSIST, despite Jesus' death and Resurrection,
despite the shedding of His precious Blood, and
despite the fact He made a NEW covenant of
GRACE, that law [torah] keeping is STILL
required.
Let's indulge their religious fantasy for a moment.
NO ONE, other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
has EVER KEPT the whole law. NO ONE.
But hypothetically speaking, WHAT IF we COULD?
WHAT IF we DID?
What if we NEVER broke a single commandment?
WE would STILL BE LOST.
Why? Because the REAL problem has NEVER BEEN
what we do or don't do outwardly.
The REAL problem has ALWAYS BEEN on the inside.
The REAL problem, the reason we'd still be lost, is
BECAUSE OF OUR FALLEN NATURE.
Even if we could keep the law to perfection, all of our
lives, and NEVER break EVEN ONE of the 613
commandments, WE would STILL HAVE A SINFUL
NATURE which we inherited from Adam.
And NO AMOUNT OF TORAH [law] KEEPING can
change that SINFUL nature.
Even if we did EVERYTHING "by the law" ON THE
OUTSIDE, the REAL PROBLEM would STILL REMAIN
ON THE INSIDE.
Keeping the law will NEVER change anyone's heart.
That's why Salvation CANNOT be earned or deserved.
That's why Salvation can ONLY be by Grace.
That's why Paul said, CLEAR AS CRYSTAL, that "BY
THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO ONE BE
JUSTIFIED" [Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:20].
It's ONLY by Jesus' precious Blood, and by His Grace,
that God puts a NEW HOLY NATURE INSIDE those
who come to Him IN TRUST (faith).
He puts HIS OWN HOLY NATURE INSIDE US [John
3:3, 5; 2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21].
That's PRECISELY what happens when we're born
again.
We don't deserve it. Jesus' OWN righteous Nature
is His LOVE GIFT to ALL who receive Him.
NOTHING ELSE can or will save us.
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011
YEAR OF ALEXANDER
Matthew 24:24 makes a most surprising statement:
"for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and they shall give great signs and wonders, SO AS
TO LEAD ASTRAY, if possible, also THE CHOSEN".
But, you may be thinking, that's impossible:
"Surely, when Alexander enters the temple and
declares himself God ALL Jews will reject him".
Will they?
For starters, 85% of Israel's population is secular. Only
about 15% are considered religious.
Secularists don't really care if someone calls himself
God, as long as they like and agree with most of what
he's doing.
However, even religious Jews aren't a given.
Since Alexander's MAIN AGENDA will be to oppose
and try to PREVENT the return of Jesus and the
establishment of His Kingdom on earth, no telling
what religious sentiments it may stir up.
The religious leaders of Jesus' day would have had
ANYONE, OTHER THAN Jesus, as Messiah [John
19:15; Matthew 12:24].
That's why many of them believed in, followed and
supported FALSE messiah Bar Kokhba some ONE
HUNDRED years later, to their own detriment and
misfortune.
Bar Kokhba only had a POLITICAL message; Jesus'
message is unparalleled.
Bar Kokhba was defeated by Rome. Jesus conquered
Rome.
Bar Kokhba never performed a miracle. Jesus
performed a great many, including the greatest one of
all, HIS RESURRECTION.
Yet, Jesus they flat-out rejected.
Bar Kokhba they enthusiastically embraced.
Go figure.
It's interesting that our Jewish friends find it SO
DIFFICULT to refer to the Gregorian (Christian)
calendar in terms of B.C. [before Christ] and A.D.
[Anno Domini, meaning "year of our Lord"].
Instead, they substitute B.C.E. and C.E. which stand
for "before Common Era" and "Common Era",
respectively.
I hate to break it to natural Israelites... they can call
it WHATEVER THEY WANT, it still refers to Jesus.
Whether they like it or not, their so-called "Common
Era" is ENTIRELY based on the birth of Jesus
Christ.
However, what's even more ironic is that the same
natural Israelites who have SO MUCH TROUBLE
accepting the Christian calendar, and calling it by its
correct divisions "before Christ" and "year of our Lord",
HAD NO TROUBLE AT ALL accepting and
IMPLEMENTING a calendar based on Antichrist's
kingship, and even referring to each year as "year
of Alexander".
That's right. You heard it here first.
Before there was a rabbinic calendar,
Before there was a Karaite calendar,
There was A JEWISH CALENDAR BASED ON
ALEXANDER the Great.
Don't believe it? Check it out for yourself.
This is HISTORIC fact.
Babylonian Talmud (Avodah Zarah 10a):
"Said Rav Nahman: In the Diaspora, it is not
permissible to count [the date in years] except
only by the kings of the Grecians."
The actual counting began in the 6th year of
Alexander the Great's reign, or in what was then
the year 328 BC.
Its usage was COMMON in the Jewish world until the
thirteenth century.
The Hebrew calendar based on the "year of
Alexander" was used from the 4th century B.C.
ALL THE WAY TO the 13th century A.D., and was
used by Jews in Yemen up until just a few years ago.
Jews started that system of reckoning the years, in
recognition of Alexander the Great who was benign to
them, in his first coming, and warmly received the
Jewish High Priest who came out to greet him.
They even showed Alexander the 8th chapter of the
Book of Daniel, where his conquest of the Persian
Empire was predicted some 250 years BEFORE it
happened.
Perhaps Juddua (the High Priest), should have read a
bit farther, into Daniel chapter 11:29, where Jews
are warned that Alexander would return and that
"his latter coming SHALL NOT BE as the former".
Or Daniel 11: 31-36 which says that in his second
appearance, he will desecrate their temple, put and
end to the korbanot (offerings), and exalt himself
above EVERY god.
Perhaps they should have also heeded the warning in
Daniel 9:25 about the Antichrist:
"He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall
wear out the saints of the Most High, and SHALL
THINK TO CHANGE THE TIMES and the law; and they
shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and
half a time".
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
WHAT FRIENDSHIP?
"DO NOT be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what
friendship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there
between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an
unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God
and idols?
... "Therefore COME OUT FROM THEM AND BE SEPARATE, says the
Lord".
[2 Corinthians 6:14-17].
I know we're living in a messed up world where evil is
called "good" and good is called "evil".
However, it is HEART BREAKING to realize the degree
of confusion some supposed Christians are
ensnared in.
They PROFESS to be Christian, and to love the Lord,
and to have invited Him into their hearts, yet they
REGULARLY delve into the occult, witchcraft,
séances, Scientology, astrology, numerology,
palm reading, tarot, even satanism.
They CLAIM to be Christian, but they're also
"friends" with witches and warlocks, who encourage
them to put "spells" on people and to recite
INCANTATIONS OUT LOUD.
If ANYONE reading this is caught in that trap, I got
THREE WORDS FOR YOU:
1. Stop!!!
2. GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE.
3. Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?
Haven't you heard the Gospel?
Don't you care about what Jesus said?
(If you don't, then you're NOT Christian).
Jesus spoke VERY CLEARLY in Matthew 6:24:
"NO ONE can serve TWO MASTERS. Either he will
hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted
to the one and despise the other"...
You can't serve God and satan at the same time.
You can't be on Jesus' side and on satan's side at the
same time.
You can't serve both the Holy One and the evil
one, anymore than you could play for the Giants and
the Cowboys at the same time, or the Heat and the
Lakers, or the Yankees and the Red Sox.
Jesus also said, "He who is not with me is against
me" [Matthew 12:30].
No wonder some of you are confused and LIVE IN
FEAR.
Fear is NOT of God.
Fear is of satan [2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18].
I mean, c'mon! I shouldn't even HAVE TO say any of
this!
ALL of it is just plain COMMON SENSE.
If you're Christian, WHY would you want ANY
involvement WITH ANYONE or ANYTHING that's
UNCHRISTIAN?
WHY?
And please don't give me the STUPID and INSINCERE
excuse that "you want to know what the enemy is up
to" so you can better defeat him.
That's a BUNCH of self-serving crap, and you know it.
Are you blind? You don't need to join those groups, or
communicate with them, or strike a friendship with
them to know what satan's "up to".
JUST LOOK AROUND!
Jesus TOLD US what he's up to: the same thing
he's been up to since the Garden of Eden: TO STEAL,
TO KILL AND TO DESTROY (John 10:10).
And that means he's out to DESTROY YOU!
SATAN'S NOT YOUR FRIEND.
HE'S NOT ANYONE'S FRIEND.
His servants are NOT your friends either, I don't
care what they tell you or how much they
PRETEND to be.
No one's ever accused satan of being a bad
impersonator. He's the master of DECEIT.
Some of you need to MAKE UP YOUR MINDS about
WHOSE SIDE you're really on.
And it all boils down to this: WHO LIVES IN YOUR
HEART.
Jesus and satan DO NOT occupy the same place at the
same time. They don't. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
If you really have Jesus living in your heart, then CUT
OFF ALL TIES with anything that's satanic,
anything that's NOT of Jesus.
You got NO BUSINESS going there, EVER!
If He's NOT living in your heart, for heaven's sake,
don't wait another second: INVITE HIM IN.
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011
IS IT IN THE BIBLE?
We regularly get questions about the maelstrom of
prophecy misinformation that, unfortunately, is out
there: What do you think of thus and so?
While I appreciate the confidence you place on my
teaching, it isn't MY OPINION you should be
asking or, for that matter, ANYONE ELSE'S.
The correct question is "is this teaching found in the
Bible"?
If IT'S NOT found in the Scriptures, forget what I
think, or anyone else thinks.
Man's opinion is IRRELEVANT.
God will do WHAT HE SAID.
What He said is what WILL HAPPEN, not what we
WISH would happen.
We can "wish" til our face turns purple, if He DIDN'T
SAY IT, it won't happen.
God's not taking polls to find out what ideas are
popular and which aren't.
And, I promise, He WON'T CHANGE, nor will His Word
CHANGE.
So, when you hear all the B.S. being circulated
FALSELY and IRRESPONSIBLY as "Bible
prophecy"...
Some idiotic teaching from alleged "experts" who
wouldn't know prophecy if it CRASHED into them head-
on,
Who have less prophetic vision that Mr. Magoo...
When you hear about supposed "conspiracy
theories".
Or about a "new world order",
About "secret societies" taking over the world,
About an Islamic Antichrist, or Islamic world
domination,
About President Obama being the Antichrist,
About groups like the Illuminati, Opus Dei,
Bilderbergers, Freemasons, Rothschilds, Rockefellers,
Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations,
the Jesuits, or whatever other group du jour, seeking
world domination,
About a "7-year peace treaty",
About assembling on Sunday being the "mark of the
beast",
About FEMA concentration camps and plastic coffins,
About Javier Solana, Prince Charles, Prince William,
Prince Harry, Prince Felipe or King Juan Carlos being
the Antichrist,
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...
The question you should ask is:
"IS SUCH TEACHING FOUND IN THE BIBLE"?
If someone CLAIMS that it is, CHECK IT OUT FOR
YOURSELF.
Don't take THEIR WORD for it.
99% OF THEM ARE LYING.
If it's NOT found in the Word of God, IT'S A LIE,
plain and simple.
If it's NOT found in the Word of God, it's FALSE,
REGARDLESS of who says it's true.
That is THE TEST that every prophetic theory MUST
BE subjected to [Proverbs 30:6; Matthew 4:4;
Revelation 22:18,19].
If it's NOT found in the Bible, it's NOT "Bible
prophecy".
Repeat: If it's NOT found in the Bible it's NOT (and
CANNOT POSSIBLY BE) "Bible prophecy".
Kapisch?
MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2011
PERFECT
If you've given your heart and life to Jesus Christ,
you're perfect.
Hard to believe, isn't it?
You're a perfect person on the inside.
Jesus has already transferred His Perfection to you.
Your born-again spirit has been made perfect by Him.
You have been made the righteousness of God in Him.
So, why isn't His Perfection showing?
Because you have it (Him) on the inside. It/He hasn't
manifested yet on the outside...
This is why when we stay focused on our spirit, on
the Perfect Spiritual Man that was implanted in
us when we were born-again, we DO NOT SIN.
We sin, when we turn our focus outward.
We sin when we live MAINLY from our heads,
instead of living from our spirits.
We have Christ's own Mind on the inside.
We sin when we give all our attention to the carnal
mind, and no attention to the Mind of the Spirit.
Some day, very soon, Jesus will APPEAR and take His
rightful place in our heads, where He belongs, as
Head of His Creation.
When that happens, His Perfection will manifest in us
all the time.
All imperfection in us will vanish.
We shall see Him as He is, and we will be like
Him.
Until then, we have a choice: to focus on the "old
man", the old sinful Adam, in our minds, or the New
Man, Last Adam, who's ONE with our spirit.
Why would anyone want to live in old, sinful Adam,
when they can live in glorious, risen Jesus?
SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011
FABRIC OF TIME
"I am He that lives, and was dead, and LOOK, I am alive for
evermore..." [Revelation 1:18].
About two years ago, a brother named Rick was kind
enough to send me a DVD documentary about the
Shroud of Turin.
This one's different from all the others.
For one thing, it shows a holographic image of the face
and body of our Lord and even comes with special
goggles for viewing.
We can see the horrible suffering He endured in
graphic, 3-D detail.
For another thing, the hologram reveals a wooden
plaque placed below His beard, with the Hebrew
letters aleph, beth, aleph, which spell Abba,
meaning "Father".
Another interesting detail is the two coins placed
over his closed eyes. They've been identified as
leptons or widow's mites, minted ONLY between
29-33 A.D., the very years when His public
ministry took place.
According to Luke 3:1, 21-23, Jesus' public ministry
began in the fifteenth year of Tiberius's reign, which
would be EXACTLY 29 A.D. Hence, His crucifixion took
place in the Spring of 33 A.D., or 3½ years thereafter.
Evidently, God knew the Shroud's authenticity would
be challenged, and that some would falsely claim it
was medieval, so He even DATED IT for us!
The day before His arrest and Crucifixion, Jesus had
praised a widow that gave TWO MITES for the
temple, saying she'd given MORE than all the
rest, even all her living, as recorded for all time in
Luke 21:3.
I can't prove this with the Scriptures, but I just
KNOW in my spirit, that those two mites ended
up covering our precious Lord's eyes, at His
burial.
After all, His Body, NOT the building Herod had
built, is THE REAL, TRUE TEMPLE of God [John
2:19-21]
But the most amazing detail of all was offered by
Hungarian particle physicist and monumental artist
Isabel Piczek. God bless her knowledge and spiritual
insight!
She accurately points out that the Image is free of
distortion; therefore, the Body COULDN'T HAVE laid
flat against the hard, limestone floor of the tomb.
It would have had to HOVER above the floor and
between the two halves of the long piece of
linen.
Nor could the sheet have been contoured over his
features.
In order to be DISTORTION FREE, it would have had
to be TAUTLY SUSPENDED both beneath Him and
above Him.
This indicates there would have been NO GRAVITY.
Both the Body and the cloth seemed immune to the
known laws of physics.
This is what scientists term "an event horizon".
In an event horizon our laws of physics are
meaningless. They simply have no validity there.
Other examples of event horizons are black holes, and
the so-called Big Bang, which resulted in the creation
of the universe.
This is HIGHLY significant because Revelation 13:8
tells us the Lamb was slain BEFORE the foundation
of the world. The Greek word is kosmos, meaning
before the foundation OF THE UNIVERSE!!!
If He was slain BEFORE the foundation of the cosmos,
He must have also RESURRECTED BEFORE its
foundation, since we KNOW He didn't stay in the tomb.
Did His Resurrection create the UNIVERSE? Could
this momentous event scientists refer to as the
Big Bang been caused by Jesus' Resurrection?
This is AWESOME. I can't even say it without getting
major goose bumps.
Jesus is THE LIFE [John 1:4; 14:16]. He is the Alpha
and the Omega, the Beginning AND THE END
[Revelation 1:8].
His Resurrection is, therefore, both the beginning
of the universe and the end, since it will end and be
replaced by new heavens and a new earth AFTER
everyone's resurrected, as He was [Revelation 20:11-
15; 21:1-6].
It was Jesus' Resurrection, OUTSIDE OF TIME, that
caused THE UNIQUE EVENT we've come to know as the
Big Bang, which in turn caused space - time to be.
When Jesus sprung back to life [when He came back
into Himself], He who is Life itself created ALL
FORMS OF LIFE, and this whole orderly universe,
which by the Way, is still expanding AT THE SPEED OF
LIGHT, at the speed of GOD... AT RESURRECTION
SPEED.
John 1:3 comes to mind: "ALL THINGS were made by
Him, and without Him was not anything made that
was made".
Appropriately enough, it's also John who describes His
Body being placed in the Shroud, in chapter 19:40.
So this pivotal event had ALREADY happened
someway, somehow OUTSIDE OF TIME, before the
universe was created.
It caused the universe to be.
It manifested in this natural world [space/time]
at the proper time to affect our Redemption.
Praise Him, Body of Christ!
His Greatness is infinitely breathtaking.
There are no adjectives in human speech that can do
Him justice.
Hallelujah! He is risen. And HE'S ALIVE forevermore.
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2011
VIA DOLOROSA
The Via Dolorosa, the Way or Sorrows, the Way of
the Cross, is the route thru which Jesus carried
His Cross, from the moment He was sentenced by
Pilate at the Antonia Fortress to Calvary, where
He died.
Millions of pilgrims flock to Jerusalem at this time of
year to walk the steps which Jesus is alleged to have
walked.
This year, despite worldwide recession, a record
number of tourists is expected for the Passover-Easter
season.
I hate to burst some of my Christian brethren's
religious bubble, but that is NOT the real Way of
the Cross, AT ALL.
Oh, I know. I've been to Jerusalem. I've walked the
supposed "Via Dolorosa", where they even marked the
"stations of the cross" which conveniently lead into the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
You can see where Mary came to meet her son,
although the Bible doesn't mention it.
You can see where Simon of Cyrene was forced to help
carry the cross.
You can see where, SUPPOSEDLY, Veronica wipes
Jesus' Face, and so on.
Only problem with that is, the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher, as demonstrated in yesterday's
message, IS NOT the real place of Crucifixion.
Since it's NOT, then the so-called Via Dolorosa
CANNOT be the true Way of the Cross either,
since it leads there.
So, WHY doesn't anyone say anything?
Gee, I thought you'd never ask...
Here's your answer: $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
TOURISM is HUGE business in Israel.
TOURISM to Israel is HUGE business in America,
particularly for Christian ministries.
So, why bother with those pesky details?
Why disillusion those who are lining our pockets
with cash?
They're PAYING to see a religious show and, by
golly, they're gonna get one.
The FALSE Via Dolorosa which is a narrow alley dating
back to the time of Hadrian [around 130 A.D.] is
crammed on both sides, left and right, with myriad
tourist shops selling every kind of trinket imaginable,
and then some, ALL AT INFLATED PRICES.
Just goes to show that Jesus is BIG BUSINESS not
only in America but also in Israel and even for
Palestinians, since most of the shops are owned by
Arabs.
Whenever a tourist asks the price of some item they
are told, unequivocally "30 - 40 - 50 AMERICAN
DOLLARS".
I'm sure our Palestinian neighbors mean no disrespect
to our brothers overseas, but they ALWAYS SPECIFY
"American" dollars (as opposed to Canadian,
Australian, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Jamaican
dollars).
Although the way the dollar's headed these days, they
may soon be asking for yuans.
For those unfamiliar with international currency that's
Chinese money.
But back to my subject, it's hard to imagine that
Romans would make Jesus and whoever else they
sentenced to crucifixion, zigzag all over the city as
RELIGIOUS TRADITION would have us believe, thru
the tortuous path falsely called Via Dolorosa (see
illustration below).
Leave it to religion to complicate things which aren't
complicated.
Jesus was sentenced at the Antonia fortress, at or very
near the Ecce Homo arc. That much is true.
All the rest is baloney.
He would have been taken out thru THE SHEEP
GATE. After all, He IS the Lamb of God, who
TOOK AWAY the sin of the world, and just followed
the natural, uncomplicated route to the REAL
Calvary.
Of course, God looks at THE HEARTS of those who go
there with the sincere desire to worship Him and
rehearse His suffering to redeem mankind. That goes
without saying.
But does that mean WE KNOWINGLY HIDE Truth
from His followers, JUST BECAUSE it's FINANCIALLY
BENEFICIAL FOR US?
If Jesus was so displeased with the buyers and sellers
at the temple, WHAT WOULD HE DO TODAY, with
all the trafficking that goes on based of His
SUFFERING?
The FALSE Via Marked in White The REAL Via Marked in Red
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2011
THE REAL CALVARY
It's hard to believe that in a city as tiny as first century
Jerusalem, there are not one, not two, but THREE
locations purported to be the "real" Calvary.
The best known of the three is situated inside the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher whose ownership, in
and of itself, is in dispute among several
denominations, The RCC, the Greek Orthodox, the
Oriental Orthodox, the Anglican, and even some
secular entities.
No offense to any of the aforementioned brethren but,
as far as I'm concerned, THEY CAN HAVE IT.
There's the location known as Gordon's Calvary, just
northwest of the Damascus Gate.
And a third candidate's been recently added on the
Mount of Olives.
I get a bit miffed when I hear Christians state, in
religiously correct fashion, that "we don't know for
sure" what the correct location is.
We do if we study the Scriptures.
Obviously, the most important thing, regardless of the
correct location, is WHAT TOOK PLACE at Golgotha:
Jesus died for our sins, and He rose from the
dead three days and nights later.
However, this being THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE ON
EARTH, the place where man's eternal destiny was
decided, the place WHERE GOD'S OWN BLOOD WAS
SHED, it's hard to believe that our Lord would NOT
give us clear indication of where He died.
Here's what we know from the Bible about the place of
the crucifixion:
1. It was located "near the city" [John 19:20]
2. It was adjacent to a garden [John 19:41].
3. The adjacent garden belonged to a rich man,
Joseph of Arimathea [Matthew 27:57-60]
4. The garden contained a "NEW TOMB where no
corpse had yet been placed" [Luke 23:53].
5. The tomb was cut [chiseled] out of solid rock
[Matthew 27:60].
6. The body of the deceased was placed ON THE
RIGHT SIDE of the tomb [Mark 16:5, 6]
7. A very large stone was rolled in front of the
entrance. In order to ROLL, it would have had to be
ROUND [Matthew 27:60].
8. The sacrifice for sin HAD TO take place on
Mount Moriah, as required under Jewish law
[Deuteronomy 16:2].
9. The placed was called Golgotha, meaning "the
place of a skull" [John 19:17].
The Mount of Olives location hardly deserves mention.
There's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the Gospels that
states Jesus was crucified and buried on the Mount of
Olives. NOT A WORD.
The alleged tomb where His body would have laid has
A SQUARE ENTRANCE, and would have been sealed
with A SQUARE ROCK. Last time I checked, we
cannot ROLL a SQUARE stone in order to seal it.
There's NOTHING in the Gospels to indicate that Jesus
crossed the Kidron Valley with the cross, which would
have been the case had it happened on the Mount of
Olives.
The absurd claim for this location is ENTIRELY based
on the fact the Bible says the "veil in the temple was
rent" when Jesus died, and that there's no way anyone
could have seen the veil in the temple from either of
the other TWO locations.
Consequently, they claim, it must have happened on
the Mount of Olives, where you could get a clean look
at what went on in MOST of the temple.
That claim is ludicrous. We're talking about the veil
that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
NO ONE could have seen the entrance to the Holy of
Holies FROM ANY OF THE THREE LOCATIONS.
The fact the synoptic Gospels give this detail doesn't
necessarily mean they saw it when it happened, let
alone that THEY SAW IT FROM CALVARY.
It's interesting that Matthew, Mark and Luke give this
detail, [Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45].
John DOESN'T. And we know that, of the 12, John was
the ONLY EYEWITNESS to the Crucifixion.
So Matthew may have had some privileged access
where he got to see it. Or he may have been told
about it by those who served in the temple, or just by
Divine inspiration. To base the location on that
detail ALONE is simply ridiculous.
Which takes us to the Holy Sepulcher: It's hard to
associate this place with Calvary for several reasons.
For one thing, the inside is so ornate that it competes
with any actual value the site may have.
There's NOTHING visible that one would associate with
the Golgotha described in the Gospels.
Religious hierarchy and some archeologists CLAIM it is
built on a hill, and that under the hill there were a
number of rock-cut graves, dating to the first century,
indicating it was a COMMON burial place.
If you've read the Gospels, several red flags should
have gone up. There's NOTHING in the Bible that says
Jesus would be buried in a COMMON burial place.
More than one Scripture clearly says He would be
buried in A RICH MAN'S GRAVE [Isaiah 53:9;
Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:43].
There's nothing in the gospels that says the tomb was
UNDERNEATH the place of crucifixion.
There's nothing there that resembles A SKULL.
There's NO GARDEN, or any evidence of a garden
nearby. Nor is this location on Mount Moriah.
Thank God for Gordon's Calvary, which FITS THE
BIBLE DESCRIPTION IN EACH AND EVERY DETAIL.
1. It's located "near the city", just outside the
wall [John 19:20]
2. It's adjacent to a garden [John 19:41].
3. The adjacent garden belonged to a rich man, as
evidenced by the fact it had a winepress, and a HUGE
underground cistern to accumulate water for use
during a drought [Matthew 27:57-60]
4. The TOMB was NEW, and no corpse had been
placed there [Luke 23:53]. We know this because
part of the tomb is clearly unfinished, and because
the place where Jesus was laid had to be modified in a
hurry to accommodate Jesus' height.
5. This tomb is cut [chiseled] out of solid rock, and
the chisel marks are still clearly visible [Matthew
27:60].
6. The body of the deceased was placed ON THE
RIGHT SIDE of the tomb, just as Mark describes
[Mark 16:5, 6]
7. It had a groove in front of the entrance where a
large stone would have been ROLLED in order to seal it
[Matthew 27:60].
8. This is the ONLY one of the three locations
situated on Mount Moriah, as required by torah
[Deuteronomy 16:2].
9. 2,000 years later, despite erosion, there's still the
unmistakable FORM OF A SKULL, on the hillside.
It's easy to see why people referred to it as
Golgotha, meaning "the place of a skull" [John
19:17].
I hate to bring this up during Holy Week, but that just
shows what lengths religious liars will go to, in order
to cover The Truth.
They'd rather we believed THEIR SINFUL, SELF-
SERVING WORD OVER AND ABOVE GOD'S.
In order to believe those liars, we would have to
DISREGARD EVERYTHING God said about this unique
place, and BLINDLY believe WHAT THEY SAY.
However, lest any doubt remain, the apostle John,
the ONLY DISCIPLE THAT stood before Jesus at
Golgotha and SAW THE PLACE OF CRUCIFIXION
WITH HIS OWN EYES, told us UNDISPUTEDLY what
the correct location was:
Revelation 11:8: "Their bodies will lie ON THE SQUARE
of the great city... WHERE ALSO THEIR LORD WAS
CRUCIFIED".
There's no square at the Mount of Olives location, and
there's never been.
There's no square at the Holy Sepulcher location, and
there's never been.
Besides matching ALL the other requirements TO
PERFECTION, Gordon's Calvary, a/k/a "the place of the
skull" [Golgotha] is right across the street from
Damascus Square, which dates back to the time
of Christ.
Period. Case closed. End of story.
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2011
GOING UP?
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the DEAD IN
CHRIST shall RISE first. Then we which are alive and remain SHALL BE
CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16,
17).
How many times have we read that verse of Scripture
with our "religious glasses", or sat in the pew listening
to a sermon that says that, when the Rapture
happens, "the dead in Christ will GO UP first"?
No, no, no, NO.
That's NOT at all what that Scripture says.
Remember what happened when Jesus rose from the
dead?
Matthew 27:50-53 is an extremely important, yet
seldom taught, passage in the Gospels:
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice,
he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in
two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks
split. The tombs broke open and THE BODIES of
many holy people who had died WERE RAISED to
life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus'
resurrection they went into the holy city and
APPEARED TO many people".
That's EXACTLY what'll happen when our Lord
reappears.
The dead in Christ RISE (from the dead) first...
Then (once THEY have risen)... we who (already) are
ALIVE shall be caught up TOGETHER WITH THEM to
meet the Lord in the air...
That's why it says "we will not PRECEDE them"; nor
will they precede us. We ALL go up TOGETHER.
This means we will see Jesus, FIRST AND FOREMOST,
and we will see the "dead in Christ", even if for a
few seconds, BEFORE we lift off.
Of course, we'll get to spend eternity with Him/them.
We have to have THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST
ALIVE before it [the Body] can be caught up unto The
Head [Christ Jesus].
Jesus would never catch up a partially dead Body.
There's NO DEATH in Him.
Why, then, would Jesus catch up a DISMEMBERED
BODY?
Why would He catch up arms and legs first, then the
shoulders and torso? That doesn't even make sense.
When He rose, MANY [not all] Old Testament saints
rose, went into Jerusalem, appeared to many, then
ascended with Him.
The other Old Testament saints, plus all the saints who
have died in the past two thousand years will rise from
the dead, AND APPEAR TO MANY, once again.
Do you realize what means?
I think of a precious sister named Julie whose mom
went to be with Jesus about a year and a half ago...
I think of Judy whose beloved pastor just went to
Jesus after serving Him faithfully for 42 years.
This precious brother, even WHILE ON HIS DEATH
BED, was preaching the Gospel and winning doctors,
nurses, and hospital personnel (15 in total) to
our wonderful Lord. What a General!
I think of my own dear mother (whom I still miss so
much...) going to be with the Lord in 2008, and my
dad who went to Jesus in 2005.
THEY ARE ALL GOING TO RISE FROM THE DEAD!!!
THEY ARE ALL GOING TO BECOME TANGIBLY
VISIBLE BEFORE ALL OF US TOGETHER GO UP
(ascend) into Him WHO IS OUR LIFE.
Isn't that what Jesus Himself taught in John 5:28?
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which
ALL that are in the graves shall hear His Voice, and
shall come forth"...
That's why the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
WITH A SHOUT.
He's calling the dead forth from their graves!
Isn't that what He did with Lazarus?
Had He NOT preceded the command "come forth", with
the name "Lazarus", ALL the faithful dead would
have RISEN at that moment.
Wouldn't that have caused a ruckus!
Man, if THIS doesn't make us burst forth in praises,
then we're spiritually on life support. Hallel u Yah!
Praise Him who is THE LOVE OF OUR LIFE!
Praise Him who is THE Resurrection and THE Life!
Praise Him who LIVES forevermore!
Praise Him is who is now and forever THE HEAD of His
Body.
No wonder first Corinthians 15:54 says that, when this
happens, "death will be SWALLOWED UP in
VICTORY".
What tremendous Truth.
What unspeakable joy.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2011
SHOW US THE BODY
The Jerusalem that existed in Jesus' time is what we
presently know as The Old City.
To walk down the narrow streets of the Old City is to
transport oneself back 2,000 years to the era when our
wonderful Lord walked those streets, talked, preached,
taught, healed, died and resurrected.
The Jerusalem that existed in Jesus' time is only about
one square mile in size. It's so small that you can walk
from one end to the other in, not hours, but minutes.
So, when Jesus was crucified, EVERYONE in the city
knew it, heard it, talked about it, and SAW it.
Everyone also knew WHERE His body was laid,
about a block away from the crucifixion site.
Everyone knew that the tomb had been sealed
with the seal of Caesar, which meant instant
death for anyone who dared try to "unseal" it.
A huge, 8-ton, round stone was placed to cover
the entrance to the tomb. It would have taken
several very strong, BRAVE men to break the seal, and
roll it away. It also would have made A LOT OF
NOISE.
A permanent, 16-man Roman guard was placed
directly outside the tomb to make sure it remained
undisturbed.
These were trained, armed professional warriors
who would have pounced on, and destroyed, ANYONE
who even attempted to approach the tomb.
His disciples had fled and were in hiding in fear of
both the Jewish and Roman authorities.
One would, therefore, have EVERY REASON to
EXPECT that, after three days and nights, Jesus'
dead body would still be there for everyone to
see.
But it WASN'T.
Even worse, neither Roman nor Jewish authorities
could explain His disappearance.
They simply COULDN'T.
Moreover, 2,000 years later they STILL CAN'T
EXPLAIN it.
What happened to His Body?
What makes it even more significant is that Jesus HAD
PREDICTED that He would rise "on the third day"
[Matthew 17:23; 20:18,19; Matthew 27:63-66].
Had the Jewish or Roman authorities produced Jesus'
dead body on the 4th day, there would be NO
CHRISTIANITY.
The Christian faith wouldn't even EXIST.
Why, then, didn't they?
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO BODY!
Because He rose from the dead!
Two thousand years have come and gone, and Jesus
has more followers today than any time in history.
Why?
Because anyone who looks at these events
OBJECTIVELY realizes, there is NO OTHER
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION.
No other leader in history, political, philosophical or
religious, has ever claimed resurrection.
If all Jesus wanted was to establish a religion, His
teachings ALONE would have done the job.
Indeed, no other leader, has made his claim to
greatness CONTINGENT ON rising from the dead.
Either HE KNEW He could and would rise, or He's the
biggest fool who ever lived.
Jesus rose from the dead. If He rose, He is God.
And if He is God, ALL OF US are accountable to Him.
If He is God, you owe it to yourself to have an
intimate relationship with Him.
And, since you didn't live 2,000 years ago, Jesus will
PROVE to you THAT HE'S ALIVE TODAY.
He will PROVE IT BEYOND ANY DOUBT.
Do you want proof? Invite Him into your heart.
A dead person can't do anything, let alone MANIFEST
HIMSELF TO YOU AND IN YOU.
Only the LIVING, only God Himself, can do that.
Do you dare to find out?
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2011
HEAVEN WORE BLACK
1,967 years ago today it was NOON in Jerusalem, and
there, as all over the world, the sky suddenly
turned dark.
It was Passover 33 A.D. as the Son of God, hanging
from a wooden cross, mercilessly beaten and bleeding
to death for the sins of mankind, finally gave up His
spirit and commended it to the Father.
When He did, all nature donned sackcloth as it
mourned the death of its Creator.
When the Son of God died, heaven wore black.
Eusebius, describing the supernatural event, quoted
Phlegon, another historian, of the second century A.D.:
"On the whole world there pressed the most
fearful darkness. AT THE SIXTH HOUR (noon) day
turned into night so that the stars of the heaven
were seen and there was an earthquake. The rocks
were rent by an earthquake... this darkness without
reason seemed like and eclipse of the sun".
We know, however, that this was no natural eclipse,
since it's impossible for a solar eclipse to occur
during a full moon, and there's always a full
moon at Passover.
Besides, the longest eclipses last about 7 minutes, this
darkness lasted THREE HOURS, until 3 P.M.
That was then, this is now.
Since then, Jesus has taken the cross, the greatest
symbol of humiliation and defeat, the VERY
INSTRUMENT on which He was put to death, and
transformed it into THE GREATEST SYMBOL OF
VICTORY THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.
The Cross has become a PLUS SIGN.
In less than 7 years, the Son of God will return, with
power and great glory, prove to everyone He's
ALIVE, and set up His eternal Kingdom on earth.
When He does, ALL Creation will rejoice.
The mountains and hills shall sing...
The trees will clap their hands...
The rivers will rejoice...
Earth and the animal kingdom will be renewed.
LIFE will reign supreme...
And heaven will dress in golden splendor, as God and
His Creation are forever reunited.
MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2011
CHAG SAMEACH PESACH
Wishing all members of Messiah's
Body a SPECIAL and most blessed
Holy Week.
THE PASSION
I want to express special appreciation to TBN for airing
Passion of the Christ this past Sunday.
We've been asked in recent days if that movie is a true
depiction of what Jesus endured for our sakes.
The answer is a very emphatic "YES!"
If ANY movie ever did justice to the arrest, beating,
mocking, scourging and Crucifixion, it's The Passion.
I've watched EVERY Hollywood movie ever made about
Jesus including King of Kings, Jesus of Nazareth,
Greatest Story Ever Told, that infamous piece of crap
called Last Temptation... Campus Crusade's Jesus, and
the many mediocre Christian movies made about Him.
They all present a vapid, sanitized, thus INACCURATE,
portrayal of the Crucifixion.
Of course, Mel Gibson took certain creative license on
some scenes. For instance, there's nothing in the Bible
that says satan's a bald headed androgynous being
with green eyes.
There's nothing in the gospels about the Jewish High
Priest burning his finger, and expressing regret over
our Lord's death in the end, quite the opposite.
For sure, we disapprove of Mel's anti-Semitic rants,
and we know his personal life has unraveled ever since
he made this movie.
Mel needs to return to the Jesus he so well
presented to world audiences. Jesus needs to sit
on the Throne of his heart and have FIRST place.
When we get our priorities IN ORDER everything's that
OUT OF ORDER will fall into place and line up with the
will of God.
Jesus, of course, loves Mel, and will receive Him
with open arms and restore him to intimate fellowship
with Himself.
But as far as the savage physical punishment
Jesus took for our sakes, to Mel's eternal credit, yes
it was THAT bad.
He took upon Himself THE SIN of THE WORLD.
The Romans who carried out the flogging and
crucifixion were brutal bastards.
They gained and kept dominion over the then known
world thru sheer force and CRUELTY.
Yes, they were THAT vicious.
The great prophet Isaiah saw in spirit the torture Jesus
endured and described it as follows:
"But many were amazed when they saw Him. HIS
FACE WAS SO DISFIGURED HE SEEMED HARDLY
HUMAN, and from His appearance, one would scarcely
know He was a man" [Isaiah 52:14].
However, there's ONE ASPECT of the Passion that NO
MOVIE, including this one, can EVER portray, and
that's the terrible emotional and spiritual anguish
our Lord also endured.
The physical suffering, horrific as it was, paled in
comparison with the agony Jesus' Soul and spirit
experienced.
He who knew NO SIN became sin for us... [2
Corinthians 5:21].
He who had been FOR ETERNITY One with the Father
felt forsaken by the Father [John 1:1; Matthew
27:46].
Jesus spent three days and nights IN HELL ITSELF,
taking the hell you and I deserved, IN OUR STEAD
[Matthew 12:40; Ephesians 4:9,10].
There's NO MOVIE IN THE WORLD, no matter how
talented the director, which can do justice to THAT.
Perhaps in eternity we will catch a glimpse of the
UNIMAGINABLE PRICE our Lord paid for us.
Yes YOU were, and ARE, THAT valuable to Him.
Yes, He LOVES YOU THAT MUCH.
Jesus did ALL THAT just for YOU.
And ALL He's ever asked for, in exchange, is YOUR
HEART.
SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2011
WORD ALLERGIES
Did you know that some people have Word allergies?
They're allergic to the Word of God.
That, in turn, explains THEIR REACTION, when
confronted with it.
They're allergic to Word 4 Today, and to this ministry,
since it teaches the Word of God.
Sinners aren't allergic.
Saints aren't allergic.
Religionists ARE.
ALL who favor man-invented RELIGION, and
man-invented fables, OVER God's Word are
allergic:
Those who quench the Spirit are allergic to 1st
Corinthians.
Post tribulationists are allergic to 1 Thessalonians.
Hate mongers are allergic to 1 John.
Sabbath worshippers are allergic to Colossians.
Puritanicals are allergic to Song of Solomon.
Those with praise allergies, get hives when they
read Psalms.
Those allergic to literary beauty, faint if they read
Habakkuk.
Those stuck in the Old Testament are allergic to
Hebrews.
Atheists and Agnostics (they have religion, too) are
allergic to Daniel.
Greedy bastards are allergic to 1 and 2 Timothy.
"ALL ROADS" lead to heaven LIARS, are allergic to
Acts.
Armstrongnists are allergic to Romans.
Campbellists are allergic to Ephesians.
All legalists are allergic to Galatians.
So-called Church of Christ is allergic to Luke.
Jehovah's Witnesses are allergic to John.
Christian Science is allergic to the Gospels.
Mormons are allergic to the whole Bible.
Last, but not least, their father satan is allergic to
Revelation.
The devil SWEATS BULLETS every time someone
reads, or QUOTES, the "end of the Book".
Because it tells of his ETERNAL DOOM and defeat
(Revelation 20:8-10).
That's right... We KNOW how it all ends.
Jesus wins, satan loses.
Those who side with THE WINNER win, those who side
with THE LOSER lose.
There's ONLY ONE REMEDY for Word allergies and
that's A HEAVY DOSE OF Jesus.
His Holy Spirit must be INJECTED into men's
hearts.
Those who have Him, are immune to allergies.
Those who refuse Him, will get a bad rash on their
tuchus.
SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2011
NOTE: No matter how carefully we word something,
there are always people who jump to conclusions. Let
me be clear:
There are NO DEADLINES for the Rapture.
While world events are lining up with the signs Jesus
gave in dramatic fashion, and while there are
numerous passages in His Word that indicate it will be
soon, and within a certain season, Jesus is God. He
can do WHATEVER He wants, WHENEVER He
wants and doesn't require our approval, or even our
understanding.
God is SOVEREIGN. He doesn't answer to you or
to me. And He has the final word.
We teach and exhort to the best of our God-given
ability and insights. If He appears this year, next year,
in 10 years, or in A MILLION years, He's ALWAYS
RIGHT. So, again, THERE ARE NO DATES, AND NO
DEADLINES for the Rapture. Is that clear enough
for everyone?
TEACHING AND
PROPHESYING
Prophesying in God's Name and TEACHING Bible
prophecy are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
Again: Prophesying in God's Name and TEACHING
Bible prophecy are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
Prophesying is saying that God says something that
IS NOT written in the Bible.
Repeat: Prophesying is saying THAT "GOD SAYS"
something that is NOT, repeat, NOT written in the
Bible.
For instance, there's a self-declared "prophet" on TBN,
who regularly gives prophetic utterances IN GOD'S
NAME which are NOT written in the Bible.
About three years ago, he said there would not be a
recession. There's NOTHING in the Bible that says
"there will be, or won't be, a recession in the years
2009, 2010 or 2011".
THAT'S prophesying.
There's a "prophetess" who recently got some media
attention by attributing the mysterious deaths of birds
and fish to the U.S. military repeal of "don't ask, don't
tell".
I've given you the passages in Zephaniah chapter 1,
and Hosea chapter 4 that deal with this issue, and they
say NOTHING about "don't ask, don't tell".
Likewise, she prophesied in May, 2002 that Roe vs.
Wade would be overturned. It hasn't happened, and
it's very unlikely to happen. There's NOTHING in the
Bible that says Roe v. Wade will be overturned.
THAT's prophesying.
Earlier this year I received an email where this
individual stated the Rapture couldn't happen until at
least October, because he'd attended the meeting of a
well-known televangelist, and he'd prophesied to this
woman in the audience that she'd have a baby in
October of this year.
Of course, the Bible says nothing about that
woman having a baby in October. THAT's
prophesying.
God's always had His true prophets, although they are
VERY rare today. Likewise, satan has had his false
prophets, like Joseph Smith, the founder of
Mormonism, who denies the Deity of Jesus, and
ADDED three books that often contradict the
Scriptures.
Or Charles Taze Russell, who INVENTED the so-called
Jehovah's Witnesses which contradict the Bible in ways
too numerous to mention.
Or Herbert Armstrong, whose unbiblical teachings are
leading millions to hell.
False prophets DO NOT teach the fundamentals of the
Christian faith.
They DO NOT talk about a personal relationship
with the risen Christ who is God, but rather that
you can't be saved outside their religion.
False prophets always steer people AWAY FROM
the will of God, and AWAY FROM Jesus Christ and
the born-again experience.
Prophecy TEACHERS, on the other hand, base their
teachings ENTIRELY on the Bible. Or, at the very least,
they CLAIM to.
They teach Salvation, and point people to Jesus, not to
a denomination.
Is Hal Lindsey a prophet because he TEACHES Bible
prophecy?
Is Tim La Haye a prophet, is Jack Van Impe a prophet?
I'm quite certain if you asked Hal, Tim or Jack, their
individual and collective answer would be A VERY
EMPHATIC "NO".
Matter of fact, I've heard Hal, on more than one
occasion say that "he's NEVER prophesied anything".
So, if he teaches that there will be a "cashless society"
based, SUPPOSEDLY, on Revelation 13:16-18, does
that make Hal a false prophet?
Absolutely not.
It makes him a misinformed TEACHER.
If Tim and Jack teach there will be a "7-year peace
treaty" based, SUPPOSEDLY, on Daniel 9:27 even
though no such thing is mentioned in that passage,
does that make THEM "false prophets"?
NO.
It may make them lousy TEACHERS.
It may mean they LACK UNDERSTANDING of the
Scriptures.
It may mean their eschatology is tainted with man-
invented doctrine.
It may make them economic opportunists who profess
TO KNOW A LOT about something, which they really
know VERY little about.
It may well be that they THINK they know a lot about
this topic, when in fact, THEY DON'T. That would
simply make them deluded.
...But false prophets? I don't think so.
As much as I have criticized the prophecy
establishment for teaching and spreading unbiblical
garbage, as much as I detest the fact they've made A
BUSINESS out of selling lies to gullible Christians under
the guise of "Bible prophecy", and as much as I wish
they'd free their minds and spirits from the CENTURY
OLD eschatological time warp they're trapped in, I
HAVE NEVER - and you can check this website
from one end to the other - called them "false
prophets".
NEVER. NOT ONCE.
Despite the eschatological error in their teaching,
despite their profit-driven use of the Name of Jesus,
one thing I know about these men is that they teach
the Gospel of Salvation by grace thru faith.
NOTHING they teach will lead people to hell. It
may be a lot of baloney about how the end times will
play out, but it won't cause ANYONE to be lost.
They believe in the Second Coming, the Death and
Resurrection of our Lord, the New Birth, the Blood of
Jesus, and that Jesus ALONE is our ONLY means of
Salvation.
How can ANYONE be "a false prophet" when they
teach THAT?
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
REVISIONS
I just want to clarify a few things:
1. I was DELIBERATELY vague in yesterday's message.
When Jesus said that "NO ONE knows" the day or
hour, that includes satan.
satan reads Word 4 Today, and this website
FAITHFULLY... and he DETESTS both.
Unfortunately, there's NO WAY I can communicate
something to you, without communicating it to him,
except thru the Spirit.
As Jesus said time and again: "those who HAVE EARS
TO HEAR, let them hear".
2. I can categorically state that the 1,260 days +
1,260 days = 2,520 days model for the tribulation and
Second Coming is no longer viable.
I have been shown a new model, which I'm convinced
is 100% correct and which, even if it SOUNDS
contradictory, still involves a 7-year period.
I'm not ready to disclose that model, and will only
share it if Jesus undeniably tells me to do so.
3. The Rapture doesn't necessarily HAVE TO happen on
a Rosh Chodesh and, most probably, will not.
While there are many aspects of that holiday that
depict the Church and its translation into the heavenly
realm, the same can be said for nearly ALL the other
Hebrew feasts.
I could make A SCRIPTURAL case for a Passover,
Pentecost, Rosh Chodesh, Rosh Hashanah,
Tabernacles, and Hanukkah Rapture.
That being said, AFTER taking into account
EVERYTHING the Bible says about it (the Lord comes
down, the trumpet, our transformation, the Two
Witnesses, etc. etc. etc.) I see now that there's
overwhelming evidence that favors ONE particular
season in the Hebrew calendar.
The details have been in the Scriptures all along. Jesus
Himself told us, but somehow those Scriptures went
over ALL our heads.
The Second Coming is still VERY MUCH ON for the fall
of 2017.
The reign of Antichrist still begins 3½ years PRIOR.
Of course, Alex doesn't just show up and say "hi, I'm
the Antichrist, and I'm taking over".
He must appear some time PRIOR TO the beginning of
his reign and make a convincing case for himself, for
his resurrection, and gain popular support.
He will, once again, duke it out against Iran [ancient
Persia] for world domination (Daniel chapter 8).
Last, but not least, he will conquer Jerusalem.
Then, and only then, does his 42-month reign
begin.
So, he should emerge from the pit sometime in late
2013.
That's like 2½ years from now.
I've already covered, in previous messages, ALL that
must happen PRIOR TO his appearing (Revelation
chapters 8 and 9; 11:1-7).
Those numerous judgments CANNOT and WILL NOT
occur UNTIL the Church is taken out of the way.
As I've stated in previous messages, we're simply
running out of time.
What's going on in the world RIGHT NOW is NO
"COINCIDENCE".
Indeed, it's UNPRECEDENTED.
There's NEVER been a time in recorded history where
nation after nation, after nation, and kingdom after
kingdom in Africa and the Middle East explodes into
revolution and/or civil war.
There's NEVER BEEN a time in recorded history when
these events COINCIDE WITH tsunamis and great
earthquakes "in diverse places".
We are witnessing PRECISELY what Jesus predicted
would be "the beginning of labor pains":
Wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation (civil war
in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Ivory Coast), kingdom
against kingdom (Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia), great
earthquakes (New Zealand, Japan, Myammar) and
rampant religious deception in Jesus' name all taking
place SIMULTANEOUSLY, just as He said (Matthew
24:4-8).
And if you tell me ALL of this is happening "BY
COINCIDENCE" some 6½-7 years prior to 2017
which, according to Daniel 9:25, is the year of His
Second Coming, then either God's toying with our
feelings (not!) or His prophetic Word is being fulfilled
right before our faces.
One thing to keep in mind is this: labor pains DON'T
LAST VERY LONG.
Jesus emphasized that, just AS SURE AS summer
follows spring, when we SAW what's going on in the
world RIGHT NOW, we could KNOW HE WAS NEAR,
EVEN "AT THE DOOR" (Matthew 24:33).
Then He gave a second set of signs which take place
JUST MOMENTS before the Rapture: the sun turns
black, the moon red, great quaking of land and
atmosphere and stars fall (Revelation 6:12; Joel 2:32;
Matthew 24:29).
4. I can state unequivocally that these will be
SUPERNATURAL signs, orchestrated by God, NOT
natural eclipses.
When we see THOSE SIGNS, when they BEGIN, it
means He's rapturing us immediately.
If you've never received Jesus into your heart,
PLEASE do so NOW. HOW could you possibly go
wrong?
Whether you're a believer or an unbeliever the time
to seek Jesus with ALL your heart is NOW.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011
SEASON OF HARVEST
In Matthew chapter 13:37-43, Jesus tells the parable
of the tares.
When the disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable
He replied:
"The harvest is the end of the age..." [Matthew
13:39].
He used the exact same expression used in Matthew
28:20, sunteleia aionos.
So, if the end of the age begins with the Rapture,
and Jesus told us the end of the age is THE
HARVEST... we need to LOOK AT THE HARVEST, in
order to determine how the end of the age will go
down.
The Bible was written in an agricultural setting.
Israel's economy, to this very day, is largely
agricultural.
So, it makes perfect sense that Jesus would use the
agricultural cycles (harvest) to depict the end of the
age.
And since God is such a perfectionist, and since He
determined (planned) the END since the beginning,
I've no doubt that the opposite is also true: that He
also designed the agricultural cycles to coincide
with the end of the age.
The agricultural cycle in Israel begins in the spring,
in the month of Aviv and lasts 7 WEEKS (there's that
7-week period again!) until Pentecost.
Pentecost marks THE END of the grain harvest.
There's an additional harvest cycle in the fall, ending in
Sukkot (Tabernacles) which marks the end of the fruit
harvest.
However, Jesus didn't mention fruit with regards to the
end of the age. He mentioned grains [Matthew 3:12;
13:30].
We see this again in Revelation 14:15,16 where the
command is given to "Take your sickle and reap,
because the time to reap has come, for the harvest
of the earth is ripe."
Later, in verses 17-20, we see another order regarding
GRAPES (fruit). They are to be gathered into the
"great winepress of the wrath of God".
The same thing is stated in Joel 3:13.
So, the tribulation saints, which manage to
survive the reign of Antichrist, are raptured
(there's a special rapture for them, Revelation
15:2) during the grain harvest (spring to
summer).
The wicked (grapes) are gathered into the
winepress of God's wrath during the fruit harvest
which takes place in the fall (Armageddon), and
even Jesus' garments will be stained with their
blood at His Second Coming (Isaiah 63:1-6).
Where does that leave the Church?
Since the "end of the age" begins with our
departure, hypothetically speaking, regardless of
what year we leave, it would have to be during
the 7-week season of harvest, which begins
around Passover and ends in Pentecost.
Mark 4:26-29 (Jesus speaking) puts it this way:
"This is what the kingdom of God is like: A man
scatters seed on the ground...the seed sprouts and
grows... the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the
head, then the full kernel in the head.
As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it,
because the harvest has come."
May His Church be found ripe.
May the Lord of the harvest FINALLY come.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2011
ALL IMPORTANT QUESTION
I‟m not “prophesying” ANYTHING.
What I‟m about to do is TEACH based on my current and best
understanding of God‟s WRITTEN Word.
I‟m also NOT looking for AN EXACT DAY for the Rapture, and
never have.
I've too much RESPECT, as Aretha would say, too much R-E-
S-P-E-C-T for my Lord, to disregard His explicit caveat that
“NO ONE knows THE DAY” [Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32].
So, I PLEAD with readers NOT TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS,
but to meditate about these things humbly and prayerfully.
If you THINK you know THE EXACT DAY (DATE), PLEASE
KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.
Don‟t tell me. I DO NOT want to know.
ALL that being said, context is always of utmost importance in
understanding the Scriptures.
We cannot fully discern the “times and seasons” unless we
take the biblical text IN THE CONTEXT in which it was given.
In Matthew 24:3 the disciples asked Jesus TWO distinct
questions: “what shall be THE SIGN of your coming AND
(THE SIGN) of the END OF THE AGE”.
In yesterday‟s message we established, from the Scriptures,
that the “end of the age” is that transitional period that BEGINS
with the Rapture and ENDS with the establishment of Jesus‟
Kingdom on earth, a/k/a the Millennium.
So, we could paraphrase the question in modern English this
way: “What will be the sign of your coming and the sign of
the Rapture”?
In Matthew 24:4-8 Jesus answered the SECOND PART of the
question FIRST.
He gave the signs that would indicate the Rapture was
APPROACHING.
We are, for the first time in recorded history, seeing those
signs.
He then spoke about the tribulation and His Second Coming
[verses 9-28].
And concluded by giving us ANOTHER SET of signs that
would IMMEDIATELY PRECEDE the Rapture [Matthew 24:29-
32].
In verse 36, He plainly stated that NO ONE, including Himself
in His human condition, knew THE EXACT DAY.
He added in verse 42 that we should “watch for in the hour
WE THINK NOT the Son of man cometh”.
While He said NO ONE knows the EXACT TIME of this
momentous event, clearly He wanted us to know the
approximate time [1 Thessalonians 5:4; Hebrews 10:25].
If He didn‟t, He would have never given us the aforementioned
signs.
Lord willing, we‟ll discuss the APPROXIMATE time, designated
by Jesus Himself, in tomorrow‟s message.
TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2011
THE END OF THE AGE
Jesus made repeated references to "the end of the
age" during His earthly ministry.
In Matthew 28:20 He said He'd be with us always,
UNTIL the "end of the age".
Does that mean that when "the end of the age"
happens, Jesus will no longer be with us?
More importantly, WHAT, exactly, is "the end of the
age"?
The "end of the age" is that transitional period
where the present age ends and a New Age,
characterized by the Millennial Reign of Messiah
Jesus, is ushered in.
The "END of the age" is the specific time period in
which the present, decaying world system comes
to and END, and the earth is restored to
paradisiacal condition.
Hence Jesus commanded the disciples to "go into all
(this sinful, decaying) world" preaching His Gospel,
and He will be with us UNTIL THEN.
AFTER that, we will be with Him in the spiritual "not
of this world" realm.
That's why 1 Thessalonians 4:17 indicates, that when
the Church is caught up to meet Jesus (when it's taken
OUT OF this world) "thus shall we EVER be with the
Lord".
If He will be with us UNTIL the end of the age,
until we leave the current world, that means the
end of the age BEGINS when the Church is
raptured.
Consequently, the end of the age begins with the
catching up of the Body of Christ, and ends with the
establishment of His 1,000-year Kingdom on
earth.
The end of the age also includes the 6 plus years of
tribulation, the Second Coming of Messiah, the
judgment of satan, Antichrist and the false prophet,
the judgment of nations, the resettling of natural Israel
(all 12 tribes) into the Promised Land, the raising of
Jerusalem, the inauguration of the Millennial Temple
and, most importantly, when our precious Lord
Jesus sits on the Throne of His father David, and
sets up His never ending Kingdom.
A gazillion "amens".
So, why are we addressing this subject?
Two reasons:
Firstly, I did an online search on the term "end of the
age" and "what is the end of the age" and came up
empty.
Couldn't find ONE website, not ONE Bible or prophecy
teacher that gave a clear, accurate description of what
it means.
Secondly, as we shall see in the following messages, in
order to property understand Bible prophecy, it's
of vital importance we understand the term "end
of the age".
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2011
DRESSING FOR CHURCH
About 4-5 years ago I received a message from a
minister that Christians should dress up for church
services, and he then went into a detailed description
of HOW men and women should dress.
He went on to criticize women who wore halter tops or
short skirts to the service, and men who showed up in
jeans or shorts.
To justify his religious rule, he used the example that if
we were going on a job interview, we would try to look
our best, and since Jesus is far more important than
our potential boss, and we're going to "meet
Jesus", we should at least do the same for Him.
Like so much of the crap invented by religionists, at
first glance, his premise SOUNDS good.
Upon BIBLICAL examination, however, it's as fake as
some of his preaching.
If we lived in a perfect world, filled with perfect people,
of course, I'd like to see everyone perfectly groomed
and presentable.
Everyone who's made it into this corrupt environment,
KNOWS we're FAR FROM perfect.
We live in a sin-infested, fallen world, filled with
SINNERS.
So, it boils down to priorities:
Is our main goal bringing souls to Jesus, NO
MATTER HOW they look?
Or is it giving an APPEARANCE OF godliness?
If it is the first, we don't really care how they look.
Matter of fact, the more disheveled and/or worldly they
dress, the better we like it, because chances are that's
a person who NEEDS Christ.
If our main goal is that they LOOK THE PART, not only
are we full of it, we should either repent or forsake the
ministry immediately [Matthew 23:27; James 2:1-4].
Anyone who's focused on people's OUTER appearance
is NOT a true minister of the gospel, but a hireling.
God doesn't give a damn how they LOOK. He wants
THEIR HEARTS.
Their OUTER appearance won't get them into heaven,
THEIR INNER condition will.
Man looks at the outer appearance, but God looks AT
THE HEART [1 Samuel 16:7].
I remember many years ago, as a baby Christian, I
was invited to a congregation of a well-known
evangelical denomination.
Their message was, for the most part, biblical, but
every time an unsaved person showed up, all
they did was criticize whether he/she smoked,
whether the guy had long hair, a beard, and whether
the gal's dress was too short or low cut.
WHAT, in heaven's name, do you expect from
SINNERS?
Perfection? You can't even get that from SAINTS,
for crying out loud!
And then we wonder why it's so damned hard to win
the world to Jesus.
It's because OF RELIGION, that's why.
...Because of religion and its STUPID, man-made
"rules".
Even as a newborn babe in Christ, I had enough Holy
Spirit in me to know such attitude wasn't in
accordance with God's Heart.
Needless to say, I didn't stay very long in that
congregation.
By the way, Christians DO NOT attend services in order
to "meet Jesus". Real Christians HAVE Jesus on the
inside 24/7 [Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:35-39; 1
John 4:4].
They don't need to go ANYWHERE to "meet Him".
They HAVE "met Him", and are ONE SPIRIT with
Him [1 Corinthians 6:17].
When I presented this gentleman (I use the term
loosely) with the biblical evidence about his false
teaching, he couldn't refute it, so he resorted to
insults.
No surprise there, since religionists typically react that
way when confronted with the Truth.
Anyone who resorts to such superficiality and can't
come up with a more profound or spiritual topic, is
spiritually bankrupt anyways.
God's not impressed by how we LOOK, but by
who we ARE.
SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011
REVEALED KNOWLEDGE
Mattew 13:54-57 reports this about Jesus:
"Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the
people in their synagogue, and they were amazed.
"WHERE did this man get this wisdom and these
miraculous powers?" they asked.
"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name
Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon
and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us?
WHERE then did this man get all these things?"
And they took offense at Him".
Although that was written some 2,000 years ago, I can
truly testify that religious people are just as
befuddled by Spirit revelation today as they were
then.
Truly, there's NOTHING new under the sun.
Religionists, ministers and theologians ask those
same questions today.
The reason they ask is because THEY KNOW such
revelation DIDN'T COME FROM Bible College or
seminary.
If it did, THEY would have gotten it. If it did,
they would have heard it ELSEWHERE.
While Jesus was/is God now and forever, He was/is
also 100% human.
In His human condition, He had emptied Himself of His
glory and of A LOT of the knowledge He possesses as
Deity.
As a human, He got His knowledge the same way
you, I, and EVERY believer should get it:
From the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
Jesus, being The Word incarnate, KNEW the Scriptures
BETTER than all the Scribes and Pharisees of His day.
Today, in His multitudinous manifestation, He knows
them better than anyone, and certainly better than
MODERN Scribes and Pharisees.
If believers shoved aside EVERY preconceived
notion, ALL the man-made institutional and
denominational INVENTIONS, and kristian media
brainwashing they've been subjected to, as well as
their OWN SELFISH AGENDAS, and just opened
their Bibles, read it like it was THE FIRST TIME, get in
receiving mode, and allow THE HOLY SPIRIT to
speak thru His Word..., they'd be so surprised, so
wise, and so edified, that we would have AN ENTIRELY
DIFFERENT CHURCH.
There'd be fewer divisions, fewer denominations, far
less false doctrine, much stronger faith, sound
knowledge and UNITY OF SPIRIT.
Revelation comes to a Christian when the Spirit of
God takes the LIVING Word [Jesus] inside our
hearts and, quickens Him (it) and CONNECTS
HIM to His written Word.
That's when the Mind of Christ in us OPENS UP
and His secrets are REVEALED [1 Corinthians 2:9-
16].
Jesus said "my words they are SPIRIT and they are
LIFE" [John 6:63].
He said man should NOT live "by bread alone" but BY
EVERY WORD that proceeds out of God's mouth
[Matthew 4:4].
When satan tempted Him, Jesus DIDN'T answer "so
and so says...", "this prophecy expert says...", "my
denomination teaches...", "I read a book that says...",
"I saw a Christian movie that showed...", "I watched a
video on YouTube that taught...", "I had this emotional
experience...", "the result of my OWN study is..." or
"my favorite Bible teacher says...".
He QUOTED the WRITTEN Word of God,
VERBATIM: "it is written", "it is written", "it is
written".
By the time que uttered the THIRD "it is written", the
devil was GONE.
Paul referred to the Word of God as "the SWORD of the
Spirit" [Ephesians 6:17].
He also said He/it is sharp enough to "divide soul and
spirit joint and marrow and to DISCERN the
THOUGHTS and INTENTS of the (human) heart"
[Hebrews 4:12].
Those who approach God's Word with a PERSONAL
AGENDA aren't fooling anyone but THEMSELVES.
Jesus is not subject to St. Augustine, St. Thomas
Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, or C.I. Scofield.
He's not under Assemblies of God, United Presbyterian,
or Southern Baptist theology.
He doesn't answer to John Calvin, John Wesley or
James Arminius.
He's not bound by OUR theological persuation.
Jesus is His own favorite theologian.
It's His agenda that matters, NOT OURS.
It's His agenda, not ours, that'll come to pass.
Get with His program, submit your own will and
desires to His, and REVELATION WILL COME.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2011
HARDENED
There's one particular passage in Revelation chapter 9,
verses 20 & 21 that troubles me every time I read it:
"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these
plagues STILL DID NOT REPENT of THE WORK of
their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons,
and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood-idols
that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent
of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual
immorality or their thefts".
They DID NOT repent.
All the Christian movies about the tribulation, and how
the unsaved, especially the leaders of false
denominations, experience sudden remorse after the
Rapture and repent of their false teaching, are a bunch
of hogwash.
It may serve as self-righteous vindication but there's
no shred of scriptural Truth behind it.
Truth is, the Bible says THE VERY OPPOSITE.
There isn't ONE statement in Scripture that anyone
rushes to get saved, or comes to sudden recognition
that they could have, or should have, given their
hearts to the Lord.
Despite the world at war, the destruction of one one
third of ships, one third of crops and vegetation, one
third of sea creatures, the contamination of one third
of the waters resulting in food and water shortages,
the third part of daylight being darkened, and ONE
THIRD OF MANKIND DYING (that's 1.5 to 2 BILLION
PEOPLE) from an unprecedented onslaught of
chemical and/or biological missiles, those who are
left on earth REFUSE TO repent.
There is, in fact, no record that ANYONE gets saved
during the tribulation until the final 3½ years, when
Antichrist is reigning.
It is then, and only then, that God sends a special
messenger (angel) thru the midst of heaven preaching
the Gospel, followed by another angel announcing the
demise of Mystery Babylon (Rome), followed by a third
angel who warns of the eternal consequences of
worshiping the Antichrist or receiving his mark
[Revelation 14:6-13].
It's then, and only then, that SOME people (I suspect
mostly people who had never before heard the Gospel)
come to their senses, and turn to the Lord.
There's a special rapture for those who receive Christ,
refuse the Antichrist and his mark, and somehow
manage to survive [Revelation 14:15,16; 15:2].
Those who are MURDERED for their faith will be
resurrected at the start of the Millennium to reign with
Jesus [Revelation 20:4].
However, despite all of the above, A LOT OF PEOPLE
will still side with Antichrist. SO GREAT is their hatred
for Jesus Christ.
After the worst judgments are poured out on
Antichrist's followers, including painful sores all over
their bodies, ALL WATERS turning to blood, to the
point there's NO WATER AT ALL TO bathe , cook
or DRINK, being SCORCHED by the sun's intensified
heat, and being bombarded with 100-pound chunks of
hail, Revelation 16:9-11 makes the most astounding,
and disheartening statement:
"They were seared by the intense heat and they
cursed the name of God, who had control over these
plagues, but THEY REFUSED TO REPENT and glorify
him.
The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of
the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.
Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed
the God of heaven because of their pains and their
sores, but THEY REFUSED TO REPENT of what they
had done".
Tribulation judgments won't soften anyone's heart.
On the contrary, they will HARDEN many hearts to the
point they will be beyond reach [Genesis 6:3, 5].
The time to receive Jesus is NOW.
Salvation is GUARANTEED to those who receive Him
NOW [John 1:12].
During the tribulation, there are NO guarantees.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2011
"SATANIC"
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: satan gets
blamed for A LOT OF stuff he hasn't done.
Christians give him FAR MORE CREDIT than the creep
deserves.
This has nothing to do with defending the devil. If I
had my way, he'd been thrown into the lake of fire
AGES ago.
It has to do with speaking THE TRUTH.
It has to do with accepting RESPONSIBILITY for our
words and actions.
It's far too easy to "blame satan" for everything.
I could have blamed him in November of last year,
when the Rapture DIDN'T happen within the general
timeframe I'd calculated. But I didn't. I took
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, apologized for it, and
admitted my mistake.
satan didn't force me to say anything. I did it ON MY
OWN. WHY should he get blamed for MY error?
I see it time and again:
Someone writes an impertinent email, or writes 50
paragraphs about something than could easily be
stated in 3, like I got nothing better to do than read
their mindless drivel, they get a stern response and
immediately label us "satanic".
I use words like "hell" or "damn" WHICH ARE IN THE
BIBLE, WHICH GOD HIMSELF USES, and immediately,
I'm called "satanic", just because I don't conform
to their man-invented, religious protocol.
Someone tries to "correct" our teaching, I rip their
arguments to shreds with the Word of God, and
because they fail to IMPOSE their PET
DOCTRINE... you guessed it: I'm satanic and/or this
ministry is satanic.
There's also this disturbing trend among "prophecy
teacher" wannabes, that ANYONE who doesn't agree
with THEIR INTERPRETATION of a certain passage is
"satanic".
I even had a self-professed "student" of prophecy
CONTRADICT Jesus' words that "NO ONE knows the
day or hour" of the Rapture, and call it "satanic
deception", claiming that he knew the EXACT day
and that "it's NEVER been a secret".
He must know something that even the great John and
the great Paul didn't know [Revelation 1:3; 22:10;
Romans 13:11, 12; 1 Corinthians 7:29; Philippians
1:10; 4:5].
He must know something that EVEN THE SAVIOR
HIMSELF, in his human condition, didn't know
[Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32].
Of course, that same "student" of prophecy later
CONTRADICTED HIMSELF by claiming the Rapture
itself had been A SECRET until Paul revealed it in
1 Corinthians 15:50-55.
If the Rapture itself was "a secret" until that time
(not!), then HOW could the EXACT DAY it would
happen NEVER have been "a secret"?
I wouldn't be so free and easy with the term "satanic"
if I were SOME of you.
And I'd be PARTICULARLY CAREFUL in labeling
anything that Jesus said or did "satanic".
That's as close to "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit"
as you can get [Matthew 12:30-32].
And while I'm confident that Jesus in His great Wisdom
and Mercy has forgiven this individual, realizing the
statement is due more to IGNORANCE, ego and
stupidity than malice, I emphatically suggest
restraint.
Just because someone DESPERATELY WANTS their
interpretation to be true, that DOESN'T CHANGE THE
WORD OF GOD.
He/it is THE SAME yesterday, today and FOREVER.
That's nothing but wishful, amateurish and CHILDISH
thinking on their part.
And when someone is arrogant enough, and stupid
enough, to place HIS/HER WORD over and above
God's, that's NOT satan's fault.
It's THEIR fault.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011
FISHERS OF MEN
In Matthew 4:18-20 Jesus came across Peter and his
brother Andrew as they were washing their fishing
nets.
He gave them this command: Follow me and I will
make you fishers of men.
Matthew's gospel says they IMMEDIATELY left their
nets and followed Him.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
His disciples, likewise, should be the same yesterday,
today and forever.
Jesus taught them to fish men.
They learned from the best.
And, boy, did they fish!
In a matter of 300 years, you could hardly find anyone
who hadn't heard the Gospel, or who wasn't Christian.
Their "fishing" was so successful, so productive,
that it changed the world forever.
It's brought untold millions of "fish" from the depths of
hell, to the heights of heaven.
Jesus' true disciples are still fishing.
They haven't quit. They haven't retired. They haven't
folded up their nets. They didn't leave their trade to
enjoy "the good life".
If you throw the net, you may not always catch fish,
but YOU WILL CATCH SOME.
EVERY SINGLE follower of Jesus has the God-given
assignment to "fish".
I'm mindful that not every disciple is called to do it full
time, but at the very least, on a "part time" basis.
Jesus started it all. His apostles took the Gospel to all
the known world. But it was average, ordinary
individuals, who spread the message from house
to house, friend to friend, neighbor to neighbor,
synagogue to synagogue, at the water well, the
public bath, and the marketplace.
If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, it's
your duty, as time and opportunity permit, to share
His Good News with others.
You should, AT THE VERY LEAST, share it with those
you care for.
Ever told someone HOW MUCH Jesus loves them,
and the price He paid to SAVE THEM?
Ever invited someone to receive Him?
Caught any "fish" lately?
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011
JESUS RECEIVES YOU
"Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you REST" [Matthew 11:28]
"... WHOEVER comes to me I will NEVER reject" [John
6:37].
We hear it time and again: in theory, evangelicals say
that salvation is purely by grace thru faith (trust) in
Jesus' perfect, finished work of redemption.
In practice, however, they love to slam believers and
unbelievers alike over the head with their sins.
So, which is it? You can't have it both ways.
We want to bring souls to Jesus, but they must first
meet OUR INVENTED "conditions": quit drinking,
quit smoking, quit being homosexual, quit having illicit
sex, quit drugs, quit this, quit that, quit the other.
That is the STUPIDEST thing anyone can do.
Not only is it STUPID, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
No sinner can quit sinning ON HIS/HER OWN
STRENGTH. Hell, there are people who know Christ
and can't stop sinning!
Stop putting the cart before the horse!
Matter of fact, I heard a high profile preacher this
morning preach on Ezekiel 33:8 and warn
BELIEVERS to forsake alcohol and extramarital
sex, lest "their blood be required of him".
Of course, by that rationale, SOMEONE needs to
warn THAT PREACHER, that his relentless message
of "giving in order to get" and that if we want
something from God, we need to give money to
him (to the preacher) is ungodly, unscriptural, and AN
ABOMINATION in God's eyes [Acts 8:20; Romans
8:32], lest HIS BLOOD be required OF US.
I love Ezekiel but, great a prophet as he was and is (in
Christ, he's very much ALIVE), last time I checked, his
book was written under the OLD Testament.
When something is OLD that means it's NO LONGER
APPLICABLE.
It means it's been REPLACED BY SOMETHING
NEW.
Christians live under the NEW Testament, NOT THE
OLD.
There's NOTHING in the New Testament about a
Christian going to hell because he/she commits
adultery, drinks himself into oblivion, or commits any
other sin.
The ONLY sin that will send someone to hell is
rejection of the One who PAID FOR our sins, namely,
Jesus Christ.
I'm all in favor of fidelity and sobriety, but to make
our salvation CONTINGENT on THAT, OR ANY
OTHER WORKS, is a slap in the face of our precious
Lord who paid such an unimaginably HIGH PRICE to
redeem us.
There's NOTHING in the New Testament that says
anyone's blood will be required of us.
On the contrary, 2 Corinthians 5:19 couldn't be
clearer:
"God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself, NOT COUNTING MEN'S SINS AGAINST
THEM".
If JESUS is NOT counting our sins, praise His Holy and
Wonderful Name, WHO THE HELL are these self-
righteous hypocrites to count EVERYONE ELSE'S
SINS BUT THEIR OWN?
So, I want every unbeliever to hear this clearly:
Jesus is NOT counting ANY of your sins. NOT ONE!
You DON'T need to "clean up" in order to receive
Jesus.
COME TO HIM AS YOU ARE.
That's right, I don't care how much sin, or how much
filth. I don't care what's in your "past".
You don't need to pretend with Him.
Jesus loves you AS YOU ARE.
Jesus RECEIVES YOU AS YOU ARE.
Come to Him, AS YOU ARE. It's His job, not yours,
to CLEANSE YOU.
And there's NO SIN, I don't care how heinous, that His
precious Blood won't wash away.
Jesus RECEIVES YOU as you are, RIGHT NOW.
He receives you with OPEN HEART, and OPEN ARMS.
The only question remaining is:
DO YOU RECEIVE HIM?
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011
PURPOSE
One of the saddest things I see in ministry is people,
both saved and unsaved, who lack purpose and
direction in life.
They wander around aimlessly, frittering away their
time and talents, instead of putting them to useful and
rewarding service.
Consequently, their lives are dull, empty, and devoid
of fun and fulfillment.
No wonder so many unbelievers THINK that being
Christian is boring. That's yet ANOTHER LIE that
religion has sold us.
Truth be told, there's NOTHING more exciting than
KNOWING Jesus, having an on-going connection with
Him, talking to Him, listening to Him, experiencing
His Presence and, carrying out His will.
I wouldn't change this marvelous privilege for
anything in this world.
Every person is born FOR A PURPOSE.
Every child of God has a God-given purpose.
How, then, can we find our purpose? How can we know
God's perfect will for our lives?
We set ourselves apart and commune with the Holy
Spirit.
We ask Him. We tune in to His Spirit, and wait for
His answer.
God has uniquely equipped each of us to fulfill
His Purpose.
Matthew 6:21 says "where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also".
The opposite is also true: where your heart is, there
is your purpose (treasure) also.
What is the ONE THING that you love to do?
The ONE THING you do better than ANYONE else?
The ONE THING you would do even without getting
paid?
The ONE THING you can't help but do?
The thing that excites you and motivates you
above all else?
THAT is your purpose.
And when you ask the Holy Spirit, He will confirm it
and bear witness to it.
Once we find our purpose, it may need a little refining.
The born-again experience rarely results in
perfectly polished and faceted diamonds.
Most of us emerge from the spiritual womb as
diamonds in the rough.
Most of us will need a little faceting (cutting) and a
little polish IN ORDER TO SHINE.
The same Spirit who brought about the New Birth, will
take care of cutting and polishing, and produce His
Brilliance, if we yield to Him.
The end of the age is upon us.
Please don't spend your final days on this earth
in confusion and out of focus.
Ask Jesus to reveal His Purpose.
Allow Him to use you for His glory.
MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2010
WHAT YEAR ARE WE IN?
Some of our readers have expressed surprise that the
heading on this page changed from "2010: Year of the
Rapture" to "2011: Year of the Rapture".
Others couldn't wait „til the clock struck midnight on
January 1st, to remind us to change it.
All of which begs the question, "What year are we
REALLY in"?
As much as I believed, and wish, the Rapture had
happened at the end of 2010. It didn't.
I'm a strong believer, but I'm also a realist.
If I can deal with it, so can you.
There's no denying that our Gregorian ["Christian"]
calendar recently changed from year 2010 to 2011.
It's still, however, THE SAME YEAR 5771 in the
Hebrew calendar.
It will remain year 5771 in the Hebrew calendar until
September 28, 2011 in ours.
So, while the year may have changed in our calendar,
it remains the same on theirs.
Since 99% of our readers, including our Jewish
readers, mainly use the Gregorian calendar, had I
titled the page "5771: YEAR OF THE RAPTURE", it
wouldn't have meant much to most people.
The Gregorian year and my original November, 2010
calculation are THE ONLY things that have changed.
Everything else has stayed the same.
They have a saying in the legal profession that you
can't "unring a bell".
Once something gets out there, you can't pretend
people didn't hear it, or in this case, READ IT.
The cat's out of the bag, with regards to Daniel
9:25.
We KNOW the Second Coming will happen in the fall
of 2017.
We know the reign of Antichrist will begin 3½ years
prior [spring 2014].
We know, as per Revelation chapters 8, 9 and 11:1-7,
that a number of prophecies and judgments must be
fulfilled PRIOR to his reign [prior to spring 2014].
And the FIRST of those prophecies is the collective
Rapture of the Church.
We're merely 3 years away from spring 2014, as it is.
We know the Rapture MUST be very, very, very
close.
The world around us is in turmoil: Middle East in
upheaval, devastating earthquakes and tsunamis,
nuclear meltdowns, all of which in turn affects the
economy and ecology and, potentially, people's health.
Lest you think it's all "coincidence", the Bible has a
documented track record of over 2,000
prophecies FULFILLED in minute detail.
The Lord gave us THESE VERY SIGNS, and they are
taking place RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES.
SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2011
KORAN BURNING
Another religious imbecile has played right into the
hands of the godless media and given them the
opportunity to portray all Christians as stupid,
illiterate, simple-minded nitwits.
"Pastor" Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida got his 15
minutes of fame (and, believe you me, that's ALL he's
ever gonna get) while the Christian faith's getting
clobbered, ALL OVER THE WORLD, yet again.
He also gave the equally stupid, hate driven Muslim
radicals in Afghanistan the PERFECT EXCUSE to carry
out senseless acts of violence and murder, with
impunity, in "retaliation" for his burning their
sacred book.
Of course, the secular media is all too eager to place
the blame SQUARELY ON those "stupid Christians" who
provoked them, and not say a word against Muslim
extremists whose acts are INEXCUSABLE, I don't
care if a thousand Korans were burned.
Lord knows, these hateful religionists could burn TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF BIBLES, and the media wouldn't
utter a word about it, let alone AGAINST THEM.
Of course, the secular media never reports when a
Christian organization like Samaritan's Purse goes into
a devastated area, like Haiti, and provides shelter,
medicine, food, clothing, AND THE MESSAGE OF
SALVATION, to thousands of tragedy stricken
individuals, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.
Such acts NEVER get media exposure.
It's only publicity seeking morons, with 50-
member congregations, like Jones, and that other
idiot in Topeka, Kansas who crashes gay funerals and
rejoices over the fact someone "goes to hell", that
grab the headlines.
Christian networks and mega-churches,
naturally, wash their hands of the whole thing,
and stay MUM, since they are too cowardly to risk
"offending" anyone, least of all the secular media.
They want to stay in their good graces so they can
make the rounds promoting their worthless books and
whatever else they're HAWKING.
I'm sick and tired of these nincompoops
MISREPRESENTING our Lord and our faith.
Burning some paper and ink doesn't change anything,
or save anyone.
It doesn't change what happened on 9/11.
And it sure as hell is NOT something Jesus would
do [Matthew 5:38-48].
Only someone with an amoeba sized brain would think
that.
The ONLY thing it does is give the ENEMIES of Christ
a chance to GLOAT.
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2011
ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST
Hardly a week goes by that we don't hear from one or
more individuals trying to convince me that the
Antichrist will be Muslim.
Right now, the market is flooded with books by alleged
"prophecy experts" PUSHING an Islamic Antichrist.
Some have even SPECULATED that he may be king
Abdullah of Jordan, or Bashar Assad of Syria.
Funny thing is, these "experts" ARE THE SAME
"EXPERTS" who THIRTY YEARS AGO, SOLD YOU a pile
of books stating, WITH "ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY", the
Antichrist would be Roman or Jewish.
So much for their credibility. So much for their fickle
"expertise".
They were wrong 30 years ago. They are still
wrong today.
If things were to settle down in the Islamic world, and
the focus of attention was on Latin America, they'd
tell us he was Hispanic. If media were focused on
the Far East, they'd tell us he's Oriental.
Selling FALSE PROPHECY, under the guise of "biblical"
prophecy, is BIG BUSINESS.
These unprincipled LIARS will tell you anything you
want to hear. Whatever SELLS!
Is God fickle about His Word? No way.
Does Bible prophecy change based on world
events? Not a chance.
That Bible's been the same since it was written. It said
the same thing about the Antichrist 2,600 years ago,
2,000 years ago, 40 years ago and it STILL SAYS THE
SAME TODAY.
No world event, no hot news item, is EVER going to
change what God's Word says.
There isn't A SINGLE VERSE in the Bible that says the
Antichrist is Muslim. NOT ONE.
THAT IS PURE B.S.
It's UNSCRIPTURAL presumption. There's not one
smidgeon of biblical Truth behind it.
There's a most unfortunate video making the rounds
on YouTube, where a former Muslim turned Christian
claims that John used three Islamic symbols in
Revelation 13:18 and that such symbols "prove" the
Antichrist will be Muslim.
I don't care what the Codex Vaticanus looks like, John
wrote the Revelation in Greek.
He didn't write in Greek, and then, all of a sudden,
when he got to Revelation 13:18, switch to
Arabic, and insert three Arabic symbols. That's
ridiculous, UNSUBSTANTIATED, and beneath the
dignity of any serious scholar.
It may sell books, but it's not supported by the
Bible, or any credible analysis of the Scriptures.
Fact is, that ALL FALSE RELIGION, including Islam,
will be TOTALLY DISCREDITED.
By the time Antichrist becomes world ruler, people will
have only two choices: Christ or Antichrist
[Revelation 13:4,15; 15:2; 20:4].
Reasons off the top of my head why he CANNOT be
Muslim:
1. Daniel 11:37 says the antichrist won't regard ANY
god. That would have to include Allah. So, there's NO
WAY he can be Muslim.
2. Revelation 13:15 says the False Prophet will make
worship of Antichrist's image MANDATORY, under
penalty of death. Muslims DO NOT worship images.
3. Revelation 13:6 tells us Antichrist "opened his
mouth in blasphemies against God, TO BLASPHEME
HIS NAME"...
If he were the Islamic Mahdi, he'd be blaspheming
his own Islamic "god" Allah, wouldn't he?
Or else, he'd be blaspheming the REAL God, and
ADMITTING that Allah ISN'T the REAL God of
heaven.
It's gotta be one or the other. Either way, it doesn't
bode well for the Mahdi.
There's a better chance that one of the seven dwarfs in
Snow White will be the Antichrist.
If they want to believe Islamic eschatology, that's their
business. I assume, then, they also believe that the
Quran is the holy, infallible, inerrant Word of God.
Those who do, have no business teaching
Christians.
They belong in that "other group".
Either ALL of Islam is true, or NONE of it.
It's your choice, Christians:
Do we believe the inerrant, infallible Word of God,
or some ignoramus who poses as "expert", and is
ONLY interested in selling books"?
Romans 3:4 is as true today as it was 2,000 years
ago:
"Let God BE TRUE, and EVERY MAN a liar".
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011
To all ATHEISTS out there, this is YOUR holiday. Happy
April Fool's [Psalm 53:1].
WHERE'S AMERICA IN
PROPHECY?
The question is often asked "HOW COME the
greatest superpower in the world DOES NOT
figure more prominently in Bible prophecy"?
Although there's a global dimension to Bible prophecy,
it revolves primarily around Israel and the Middle
East.
God's been driving this Truth home in recent days in
rather dramatic fashion.
There are, however, two places where the U.S. is
vaguely referred to: the first is found in Ezekiel 38:13,
the second is Isaiah chapter 18.
Ezekiel 38:13 makes reference to "merchants of
Tarshish, and all its young lions".
What, you may wonder, does that have to do with us?
Tarshish has been identified as the ancient port of
Cadiz in Southern Spain, the same one from which
Christopher Columbus sailed to America.
The SHIPS of Tarshish are referenced numerous times
in the Scriptures (1 Kings 10:22; 22:48; 2 Chronicles
9:21; Isaiah 60:9; Jeremiah 10:9; Ezekiel 27:12;
38:13).
They were large vessels that carried all sorts of
precious cargo, especially metals such as silver and
gold, as well as iron, tin, and lead.
They sailed from Phoenicia (modern day
Lebanon), thru the Mediterranean to Southern
Spain, then all the way up to England, and back.
The MERCHANTS of Tarshish, therefore, would be the
nations that SUPPLIED the trading goods (cargo) for
these ships, namely Spain and Britain.
The "young lions" of these merchants [Spain and
England] would have to be the American
colonies.
This passage mentions the U.S.A., or at least the
Eastern part of the U.S.A., questioning the motive
behind the Gog and Magog invasion.
It's a clear indication the United States will survive
the tribulation, and thrive in the Millennium,
Jesus be praised.
The other passage, Isaiah 18:2, refers to "swift
messengers" that go over the waters to a nation "tall
and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is
divided by rivers".
Tough we are not dogmatic about this, it sure sounds
like the United States.
But whether it refers indirectly to America or not,
there's NO QUESTION that Revelation 9:14, 15 makes
reference to a lethal number of missiles that destroy
ONE-THIRD of mankind.
There's no question, according to chapters 8 and 9 of
the Book of Revelation, and Zechariah chapter 5 that,
prior to the reappearance of Antichrist, the world we
know today will no longer exist, but will be
largely devastated.
This widespread destruction will undoubtedly affect
China, Russia, and the U.S. Though these nations will
survive, they WILL NO LONGER BE the major players
on the world's stage they are today.
By the time Antichrist shows up there isn't any
major dominant power in the world, thus creating
a power vacuum that will make people clamor for a
powerful leader to restore some semblance of order
and cohesion.
The fact Bible prophecy does not make more mention
of America shouldn't surprise us since it doesn't
make much mention of China or Russia either, or
just how large and influential they would become.
From a biblical perspective, then, ALL non-Middle East
nations do not figure significantly in God's plan for
the end times.
With the U.S., China, Russia, England, and France
damaged, downgraded, and largely out of the picture,
the focus will once again be on Israel and surrounding
nations.
There's one comforting thought in all of this: America
clearly SURVIVES the tribulation, and will willingly (and
I suspect joyfully) serve the Lord Jesus Christ during
the Millennium.
It will never again regain its superpower status.
In reality, there's ONLY been ONE "superpower" all
along, and He's not a country.
He's THE King of kings.
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2011
GET IN THE GAME
"If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto
me" [John 12:32].
Christians should NEVER, EVER be embarrassed about
Jesus and His Gospel. NEVER!!!
They should NEVER be shy, feel small, or allow others
to label them "intolerant" just because we tell the
Truth, that those who DO NOT receive Jesus are
lost.
On the contrary, we should be BOLD!
We should be EXTREMELY PROUD of our Jesus, and of
His Message.
There's NOTHING LIKE IT ANYWHERE.
There's NO RELIGION that remotely compares to it:
That the true God LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY,
and SO MUCH that He DIED for you.
That, because HE IS God, He ROSE FROM the dead.
That He paid for ALL our sins.
That, upon receiving Him into our hearts, OUR sins
are forgiven and we are eternally saved.
That Salvation is available to all, and costs
NOTHING except our TRUST (faith).
It's THE BEST "deal" in the entire world.
WHO or WHAT can top that?
Judaism? Ha! They're still WAITING FOR Redemption.
We already HAVE HIM.
Islam? Not on your life!
Buddhism? Not in THIS life... or any other.
Hinduism? Demons can't save themselves, let alone
save you.
Atheism? Agnosticism? Puh-lease!
NO RELIGION can save you or guarantee salvation.
No alleged "god" LOVED you enough to GIVE HIS
LIFE for you.
No alleged "god" DIED for you.
No alleged "god" rose from the dead. In fact, ALL
alleged "gods" are DEAD.
Only THE TRUE GOD is ALIVE.
No alleged "god" paid for your sins.
No alleged "god" can guarantee Salvation to anyone.
JESUS, the One true God, CAN, DID AND DOES!
He is ALIVE forevermore!
He and HE ALONE has the keys of hell and of death
[Revelation 1:18].
We have THE SUPERIOR Message.
We have THE True Message.
Yet those with INFERIOR messages have no shame
in divulging them.
The unsaved are unafraid and relentless in
pushing their ungodly agendas: promiscuity, booze,
drugs, hedonism, materialism...
Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are not shy about
promoting their cults.
Charlie Sheen's been shamelessly BRAGGING about his
debauchery ALL OVER the media.
Why is it that Christians ARE THE ONLY ONES
who are bashful, TIMID and LOW KEY?
Stop it, Christians! Be PROUD of the Gospel.
Our Message and our God is FAR SUPERIOR to
"theirs".
Be PROUD to share Jesus with others. Be PROUD of
our Savior. Be BOLD to praise Him and lift Him up.
And, in heaven's name, PUT HIM OUT THERE!
BOLDLY and UNAPOLOGETICALLY!
The ONLY WAY our Jesus "loses" is WHEN WE
DON'T PUT HIM "IN THE GAME".
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2011
CAIN'S WIFE
Genesis chapters 3 and 4 tell the story of Adam and
Eve and their physical offspring after they sinned,
and were evicted from Eden.
Then, all of a sudden, it tells us that "Cain knew his
wife".
What wife? I thought Adam and Eve only had sons,
Cain, Abel [who was killed by Cain], and Seth. So,
where did Cain's wife come from?
Because Cain, Abel and Seth are the only children of
Adam and Eve mentioned in the Bible by name, we
tend to think they only had three children. In fact,
God's Word tells a different story.
In Genesis 5:4 we read that Adam begat "sons AND
DAUGHTERS".
Hey, the guy lived 930 years. You can do a lot of
"begetting" in that time.
So, the answer to the million-dollar question is Cain's
wife was either his sister, or his niece.
Now, don't freak out. At that time, girls were betrothed
and married very young, usually in their early teens,
so it's possible she may have been one of Seth's young
daughters.
That would make her his niece.
If we believe the extrabiblical Book of Jubilees, and
that's a BIG "IF", she was his sister, and her name
was Awan.
But isn't that incest? And doesn't the Bible forbid
it? Yes.
It became incest, and God forbad such unions, many
generations later, when God gave Moses the Law at
Mount Sinai. Before then, marriage with members of
one's own family, or close relatives, was common.
For one thing, the earth's population at that time was
very limited; therefore, one's bridal selection would
have been limited as well. So, for a while, you might
say that breeding was kept "all in the family".
Abraham himself married Sarah who was his half-sister
[Genesis 20:12].
Abraham's servant traveled all the way to Nahor, in
Mesopotamia [modern Iraq], to get his cousin Rebecca
to be Isaac's bride.
Likewise, Jacob married his cousins Leah and Rachel.
So, even though it sounds shocking and unnatural to
us today, and is no longer practiced or permitted in
most parts of the civilized world, back then it was
common practice.
By the time the Jews camped at the foot of Mount
Sinai, human genetics had deteriorated to the point,
that intermarriage with members of one's own family
would have further corrupted and endangered our
DNA. God, therefore, forbad it.
Of key importance in all of this was maintaining the
purity of the Messianic bloodline, which is why,
after Sinai, it was generally forbidden for Jews to
marry Gentiles, unless they converted.
So, next time some unbelieving "know-it-all" tries to
play "gotcha!" by asking "where did Cain get his
wife?", you can authoritatively say "Why,
EVERYONE KNOWS Cain married his sister!".
FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2011
THE MARK OF THE BEAST
There is this false teaching floating around that the
"mark of the beast" mentioned in Revelation 13:16, 17
consists of worshiping on Sunday, instead of
Saturday.
The two main culprits spreading this BLATANT
LIE are the so-called "United Church of God"
[UCG], and the Seventh Day Adventists.
The first group is neither "united", nor "of God".
The second group is mired in inconsistency and
legalism.
FACT: There's no such thing as "a wrong day" to
worship God. He should be worshiped EVERY
SINGLE DAY, INCLUDING SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY.
He's worthy of ALL PRAISE 24/7 [Psalms 9:1,2; 18:3;
22:22; 34:1; 35:28; Nehemiah 9:5].
FACT: Revelation 13:17 clearly states that the mark of
the beast will be A LITERAL mark on an
individual's right hand or forehead.
It also states, clear as daylight, that no one will be
allowed TO BUY OR SELL without it.
The mark has to do with BUYING AND SELLING
during the reign of Antichrist, NOT with what day
we worship.
There is NO MENTION WHATSOEVER of WORSHIPING
on ANY GIVEN DAY. That is TOTAL, UNBIBLICAL
hogwash.
What makes this false teaching EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS is that Revelation 14:9-11 clearly states
that those who receive the mark will be
tormented in the lake of fire forever.
Can you even imagine a loving, Holy God, telling His
BORN-AGAIN CHILDREN... "Sorry, KIDS... Jesus died
for you, you received Him as Savior, are WASHED IN
HIS BLOOD, I EVEN PUT MY OWN SELF [HOLY SPIRIT]
INSIDE YOU, but I'M GOING TO SEND YOU TO THE
LAKE OF FIRE FOR ETERNITY... BECAUSE YOU
CONGREGATED IN A MAN-MADE BUILDING TO
WORSHIP ME ON THE WRONG DAY?".
Give me a GINORMOUS, RELIGIOUS break!!!
FACT: The Old Testament Sabbath was NEVER the
designated day to worship or congregate.
There ISN'T A SINGLE VERSE in the Bible which
teaches that.
That is PURE, MAN-MADE, RELIGIOUS INVENTION.
The Old Testament Sabbath was the DAY OF REST
[Exodus 16:30; 20:10; 31:14,15; Leviticus 23:3].
Israelites were to STAY IN THEIR HOMES OR TENTS
[Exodus 16:29;Leviticus 23:3, Deuteronomy 5:14].
THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO GO ANYWHERE.
They were to STAY HOME and ABSTAIN FROM ALL
WORK.
Nowhere were they instructed to ATTEND a building.
Indeed, when that commandment was given,
THERE WERE NO SYNAGOGUES OR CHURCHES
ANYWHERE!
"Church" buildings didn't even EXIST until 400+ years
AFTER THE CHURCH WAS BORN.
Sunday worship is NOT the mark of the beast. Never
has been, never will be.
The TRUE SABBATH is ceasing from your own works,
and trusting Jesus'.
It's RESTING [HAVING ABSOLUTE FAITH] on what HE
DID FOR US.
Worshiping Saturday is IDOLATRY.
Those who do, are the ones who'll end up in the
lake of fire, along with all those who receive the
REAL mark of the beast.
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2011
THE ANOINTING
We constantly hear Christians talk about the anointing
or about "being anointed".
We even hear them quote the biblical phrase "the
anointing breaks the yoke".
Another word for "anointing" is "unction".
What, exactly, is "the anointing"?
What does being "anointed" mean?
To anoint [mashach] means "to smear", as in
pouring, applying or rubbing a substance, ALL
OVER a person's head and body.
In the case of the king or High Priest in Israel, the
prophet of God would use a special, consecrated oil
and pour it on (anoint) his head, and it would drip
down their face, beard and body [Exodus 29:7; 1
Samuel 10:1; 16:1,13; Psalm 133:2].
The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit who, from that
moment forward (I'm talking Old Testament, before
Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to the Church) would come
upon that individual who was "God's anointed".
So, someone who is anointed or "anointed of
God" is someone who has God [the Holy Spirit]
IN THEM, and "smeared" ALL OVER THEM. They are
dripping His Spirit, if you will.
That's what Jesus said of Himself "the Spirit of the Lord
is upon me because He has anointed me"... [Luke
4:18].
Ever since that glorious day of Pentecost in 33 A.D.,
when Jesus sent His Holy Spirit into believers gathered
in the Upper Room, the anointing is not reserved ONLY
for a few, but is available to EVERYONE who comes
to faith in Jesus Christ.
EVERY born again Christian is anointed and HAS
the anointing [1 John 2:27].
Furthermore, EVERY born again Christian has The
Anointed One (Christ, Messiah) IN THEM.
Matter of fact, anyone who's NOT anointed, who
doesn't have the Holy Spirit LIVING IN THEM, is NOT
a real Christian, regardless of what they say,
regardless of what they may or may not do
OUTWARDLY [Romans 8:9].
The anointing, though, is still reserved only for
kings and priests [1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6;
5:10]. Selah.
I've told you what the anointing IS; now let me tell
you what it ISN'T:
1. It's NOT being on kristian TV.
2. It's NOT producing a kristian infomercial.
3. It's NOT threatening others that UNLESS they send
you money, God won't bless them.
4. It's NOT making false promises of prosperity,
healing or blessings in exchange for donations.
5. It's NOT getting rich at the expense of other
Christians.
6. It's NOT boasting of spiritual superiority by
PRETENDING to speak in tongues IN PUBLIC, or during
a service. The gift of tongues is to be used IN
PRIVATE.
7. It's NOT staging fake "miracles".
8. It's NOT laying hands on someone and having them
FALL DOWN on cue.
9. It's NOT living in a mansion, having 20 bodyguards,
and flying in a private jet.
10. It's NOT BOASTING about how "anointed" you
are, or that you "feel the anointing".
Talk is cheap.
That may be brainwashing and manipulation. It's NOT
anointing.
TV cameras don't make anyone anointed.
Being ordained by a denomination doesn't make
anyone anointed.
Nor does standing behind a pulpit, holding a Bible in
your hand, having an embroidered dove on your lapel,
or writing a best-seller.
Being anointed is having the Holy Spirit INSIDE.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The anointing is having Christ Himself IN us.
It's the MANIFESTATION OF the Christ (Anointed
One) IN US that breaks EVERY yoke of bondage.
The Christ IN us is our ONLY hope of glory.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2011
"I DON'T AGREE"
I'm always slightly amused when some self-
righteous, know-it-all kristian writes in about
something I said in one of these messages and
announces that he or she "doesn't agree".
...Or, if they have a penchant for drama, that they
"STRONGLY disagree".
No kidding! SO WHAT?
Like THEIR OPINION is supposed to make me recant
and change my teaching?
There's ONLY ONE OPINION that matters to this
ministry and it's God's.
So, unless their name is "God" or "Jesus Christ" WHY
SHOULD I CARE whether they agree or disagree?
Jesus Christ is THE ONE who called me personally to
minister His Word.
Therefore, Jesus Christ is THE ONLY ONE who can tell
me what to teach.
Jesus Christ is THE ONLY ONE who can CORRECT my
teaching.
His OPINION is THE ONLY ONE THAT COUNTS.
No one else called me into the ministry. No one else
has given me the revelations from His Word that I
teach.
That's THE REASON you'll read things on this website
that you won't read or hear anywhere else, to Jesus,
my precious Lord, be all the glory.
And NO ONE ELSE has provided THE MEANS by
which this ministry is supported, since we have NEVER
taken a penny from ANYONE, nor sold anyone
anything.
What bothers me is that critics always say that they've
been "reading these messages for a while and enjoying
them", but ONE tiny thing that displeases them and
wham!
I often wonder how they would feel if the tables
were turned and I (with my knowledge of the
Scriptures) SCRUTINIZED EVERY LITTLE THING
THEY SAY AND DO, and called them in on every
minor issue that I disagree with.
They've been feasting at our table for days, months or
years FOR FREE.
No one's ever bothered them.
No one's ever asked them for anything.
No one EVER solicits them.
No one begs incessantly for money, or
manipulates them to give.
There isn't even a "donations" link on this website, for
crying out loud!
We DO NOT accept even VOLUNTARY donations.
Matter of fact, we've TURNED DOWN, albeit
THANKFULLY, quite a few.
Do they realize HOW UTTERLY UNGRATEFUL that
makes them?
Do they realize JUST HOW RUDE, UNFAIR and
INCONSIDERATE they are?
That's like dining free of charge, night after night, at
someone's table, then one night, AFTER STUFFING
THEMSELVES, HAVING THE RUDENESS TO
COMPLAIN to the hostess that they "didn't like
the dessert".
NOBODY forces them to eat/read what we say. They
do it OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL.
They do it BY CHOICE.
They also have the freedom to "pass" on any course
we serve that's not to their liking.
Unless someone can PROVE, UNEQUIVOCALLY, from
the Word of God that something we teach is wrong,
they're wasting their time.
I'm NOT interested in personal opinions.
Nor am I interested in "private" interpretations.
Don't give us your warped, BIASED interpretation of
what the Bible says.
Don't give us what YOU THINK it says.
Don't give us what YOU SAY the Bible says, but rather,
what it ACTUALLY SAYS.
If I can refute their argument(s) with the Word
of God, then their arguments ARE NOT based on
His Word, but on THEIR personal OPINION.
Jesus has my name, height, weight, date of birth,
address, phone number, cell phone number, fax
number, email address, and social security number.
He even has the hairs on my head numbered.
He and I commune daily.
He is WELL ABLE to correct me whenever He wants,
as often as He wants.
And He's done so MORE THAN ONCE.
Anyone who cares so much about "sound doctrine", or
CLAIMS TO, shouldn't be correcting us.
This is a SOUL WINNING ministry, first and foremost.
Our doctrine is solid. And I challenge anyone to come
up with a more biblical statement of faith than ours:
http://www.christconnection.net/id6.html
Take your religious zeal and your alleged knowledge of
the Bible and CORRECT those who TRULY AND
BRAZENLY TEACH FOUNDATIONAL ERROR, that
contradicts the very tenets of our faith, and that
are leading MILLIONS to hell.
UNLESS they've taken the time to write THEM and
correct THEM, these individuals are nothing but a
bunch of nitpicking hypocrites.
They care NOTHING for the Gospel.
ALL they're looking to do is bolster their own SUPER
SIZED EGOS.
TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2011
OPINIONS
There are as many opinions as there are people.
Actually, there are MORE, because people have been
known to change their opinions.
Does your opinion matter? Sure. In this world it
does.
It determines what products you purchase, how you
live your life, where you go, and even whom you vote
for.
Does our opinion matter to God? Hardly.
Will it DETERMINE what Truth is? NO WAY!
Does it change God's Mind about anything? NOPE.
Does your opinion change eternal Truth? IMPOSSIBLE.
God's not taking polls to see what people THINK
in order to accommodate His Word to their
opinions.
God never changes. Therefore, HIS WORD NEVER
CHANGES.
IT IS FOREVER SETTLED.
People's opinions are NOT GOING TO CHANGE GOD'S
WORD, OR GOD'S STANDARDS IN THE LEAST.
The New Testament has been EXACTLY THE SAME
FOR 2,000 YEARS.
It hasn't changed, nor WILL IT EVER. Thank God for
that!
God hasn't lowered or CHANGED HIS STANDARDS.
Thank God for that!
It took the Blood of Jesus 2,000 years ago to
cleanse our sins. It takes His Blood today.
Salvation required RECEIVING JESUS INTO OUR
HEARTS AS LORD 2,000 YEARS AGO. IT TAKES THE
SAME TODAY.
People, EVEN SO-CALLED "Christians", can THINK
whatever they want.
They can believe that OTHER ROADS lead to heaven.
They're only deceiving themselves [John 14:6].
Does their misguided OPINION make it true? NO
WAY, AHMED!
Your mind is NOT the final arbiter on such
matters. God is.
You may THINK Truth is whatever you'd like it to be,
whatever "makes sense" to your corrupt, finite mind,
but it isn't. That's NOTHING BUT WISHFUL
THINKING!
TRUTH IS ABSOLUTE.
Truth won't change for you or anybody else!
Opinions come and go, but God's Word, God's Truth
and God's Salvation, ARE THE SAME yesterday,
today and FOREVER.
MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2011
SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT
It's happened to everyone who owns a TV:
You're channel surfing one day and you come across a
religious infomercial where some slick televangelist
lays hands on some admiring fool from the audience
and the fool falls like he (or she) got hit by a
George Foreman right cross.
If the televangelist happens to be "super anointed", of
course, all he has to do is wave his hand (or throw
his jacket) at a whole group of standing idiots, and
they fall like dominoes.
Where in the Bible do we find this?
NOWHERE.
There's NO RECORD anywhere that ANYONE ever
fell down when Peter, John, Paul, or any of the
apostles, laid hands on them.
There's NO RECORD anywhere that ANYONE ever
fell down "under the power" EVEN when JESUS
HIMSELF walked by, prayed for them, or laid hands
on them.
The ONLY instance in the Bible when a believer falls
down is when Jesus has appeared to them "as He is",
in His glory [Daniel 8:16-18; 10:8-10; Revelation
1:17].
There's ONE instance, in the gospel of John, when He
speaks His Name, the Name of God "I AM", and the
Roman soldiers all fall on their behinds [John 18:6].
When Jesus walked around as a human, preached or
laid hands on someone, NO ONE EVER FELL [Mark
10:16].
And NO ONE is MORE ANOINTED than the Messiah.
For those who may not know, the Hebrew word
"Messiah" [moschiach] or the Greek word "Christ"
[Christos] both mean "THE ANOINTED ONE".
So, there are only two distinct possibilities:
1) That the whole thing IS STAGED.
2) That the televangelist in question is more
anointed than Jesus.
Anyone with half a brain knows what the correct
answer is.
There isn't A SINGLE INSTANT in the Bible where
anyone falls over a supposed "evangelist" laying hands
on them.
That's purely theatrics, a silly antic, unworthy of any
true Christian, unworthy of any true minister of
the Gospel and, frankly, RIDICULOUS.
All they're doing is making a mockery of our Lord
and of our faith.
It's bad enough that Christians are exposed to this sort
of carnal display of self-aggrandizement, but what
really breaks my heart is this:
Those we're supposed to reach with the Gospel
are watching.
THE WORLD is watching.
And THE WORLD is LAUGHING.
SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2011
SIGNS OF THE END
Even a casual observer would have to admit that world
events have kicked into higher gear lately.
So, everyone's asking whether the Rapture will happen
this week or the next.
Please PAY ATTENTION, so I don't have to write 90
different emails about it.
STOP TRYING TO GUESS THE EXACT DATE.
Setting and EXACT date is self-defeating because the
moment you do, it's almost guaranteed it won't
happen then, since our Lord's Word is VERY CLEAR
that NO ONE, (meaning NO ONE) knows THE DAY
[Matthew 24:36].
That being said, Jesus definitely does not want us to
be unawares. God does not want His CHILDREN living
in spiritual darkness so that day should overtake US as
a thief.
It will overtake the UNSAVED as a thief, but not the
born-agains [1 Thessalonians 5:4].
As I shared with you on January 2, there's VERY
LITTLE wiggle room left in the 70 weeks timeline.
Since it's now March, there's EVEN LESS wiggle room
at present.
This is an excerpt of what I shared with you back then
(just a couple of months ago): "if information given by
God Himself, in His Holy Word, is REMOTELY correct, it
can't be long. It just CAN'T.
The NUMBERS given in Scripture will only allow so
much flexibility.
Something's got to give, and I mean VERY, VERY,
VERY SOON. I'm talking ABSOLUTE MUST".
It's safe to say that, since then, SOMETHING HAS
"given", and some VERY BIG events have
happened.
We have seen the Middle East explode in one
insurrection after another, precisely as our Lord
predicted [Matthew 24:4-8]: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya,
Bahrain, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Saudi
Arabia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Algeria,
Djibouti, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait and Sudan.
Today the U.S., France, Britain, and other nations
began airstrikes against Ghaddafi's forces in Libya, in a
late, but better than nothing, effort to stop the
carnage.
We've seen the mysterious deaths of millions of birds,
fish, turtles and crabs for no apparent, or scientifically
explainable reason, as predicted in Zephaniah chapter
1, and Hosea chapter 4].
We have had TWO huge earthquakes in New
Zealand and Japan.
We've seen a devastating tsunami destroy an entire
urban area in Japan, turning it into a gigantic swirl of
muddy, rubble-filled soup.
We've seen the danger such natural disasters pose for
nuclear reactors, and the desperate attempts to get
those under control, no to mention the effects they can
have on the population, food, and animals.
The above, in turn, have affected, and are affecting
the economy worldwide.
We are definitely IN THE SEASON.
We can tell the APPROXIMATE TIME of the Rapture by
the signs Jesus gave us.
He gave TWO SETS of signs.
The first, which is what we're seeing right now, is
religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, nation
against nation, earthquakes, tsunamis [Matthew 24:4-
8; Luke 21:25].
Matthew 24:8 is a key verse: "ALL THESE are the
beginning of sorrows".
Notice Jesus didn't say ONE of these signals the
beginning of sorrows, nor TWO, nor THREE.
Indeed, there have been wars and earthquakes since
the dawn of history. We've had rampant deception
carried out in Jesus' Name for the past 60 years.
He said ALL THESE: All of the signs happening
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
He said wars, earthquakes, tsunamis and religious
deception in Jesus' Name -- ALL happening AT ONCE
- would signal the "beginning of sorrows" (labor pains).
BUT, He added, "the end is NOT YET".
The SECOND SET of signs is what will happen JUST
MOMENTS BEFORE the Rapture takes place [the sun
turns black, the moon blood-red, huge earthquake that
will rearrange geography and topography as we know
them].
These signs are mentioned in Matthew 24:39;
Revelation 6:12].
We are DEFINITELY seeing the first set of signs
being fulfilled RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES,
EXACTLY AS JESUS FORETOLD.
The second set of signs, therefore, CANNOT BE FAR
BEHIND.
We should be looking for Jesus, FIRST AND
FOREMOST.
We should be FOCUSED ON HIM and HIS IMPENDING
APPEARANCE.
All who know Him and TRUST Him WILL SEE HIM.
Every eye will see Him [Revelation 1:7].
When He's ABOUT TO APPEAR, AND RAPTURE US, the
SECOND set of signs will happen.
When we SEE THOSE [black sun, red moon, huge
quake of earth and atmosphere] we'll KNOW He's
about to appear.
This is where we are prophetically.
The Rapture won't happen [Luke 21:28] until the
SECOND SET of signs BEGIN.
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2011
TORAH CAN'T SAVE
The torah, as most of you know, is the instruction
(law) that Moses received on Mount Sinai. It
INCLUDES the 10 Commandments and is contained
in the first five books of the Bible also known as the
Pentateuch.
The aforementioned books are Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
The torah has NEVER saved A SINGLE SOUL, and
never will.
Salvation, since the beginning, has ALWAYS BEEN by
Grace thru Faith [Ephesians 2:8,9].
That's how Abraham got saved 430 years before the
torah was even given [Genesis 15:16].
That's THE ONLY WAY anyone's ever BEEN saved.
That's THE ONLY WAY anyone will EVER be saved: BY
THE GRACE OF GOD, THRU FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.
Israelites wandered in the desert 40 years AFTER
receiving the torah.
And by the time the last book of the torah
[Deuteronomy] ends, THEY'RE STILL STUCK IN THE
DESERT.
This proves that the torah WILL NEVER get anyone
INTO the Promised Land.
The ONLY WAY to get into the Promised Land is THRU
Joshua (Yeshua) [Joshua 1:1,2,6].
3,500 years of heartbreaking human history have
come and gone and, sadly, there are still millions
who trust the torah.
That's WHY they're STILL STUCK IN THE DESERT.
That's WHY they're spiritually barren.
That's WHY they're still wandering aimlessly thru the
wilderness.
That's WHY they keep going around in circles, BUT
NEVER ARRIVE AT GOD'S INTENDED DESTINATION.
The torah has produced nothing but SLAVES.
Grace is the only thing that sets us FREE
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2011
HAVE I GOT A MINISTRY FOR YOU
While searching for something on the internet, I
stumbled upon a website that had some blatantly false
teaching.
There's nothing strange about that, but what really
bothered me is they were twisting and MIS-using a
certain portion of the Scriptures to "make" their
ungodly point.
The passage is found in Mark 10:17-22:
"As Jesus was coming out to the road, a man came
running to him and knelt in front of him. He asked
Jesus, "Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit
eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No
one is good except God alone.
You know the commandments: Never murder. Never
commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false
testimony. Never cheat. Honor your father and
mother."
The man replied, "Teacher, I've obeyed ALL these
commandments since I was a boy."
Jesus looked at him and loved him.
He told him, "You're still missing one thing. Sell
everything you have. Give the money to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!"
When the man heard that, he looked unhappy and
went away sad, because he owned a lot of property".
This, according to the heretic in question,
"proves" that Salvation IS NOT by faith alone,
but requires WORKS, in the form of observance of
the 10 Commandments.
Moreover, it also "proves" that Jesus ISN'T God by
His answer to the young man ""Why do you call me
good? No one is good except God alone".
According to this hopelessly lost liar, Jesus was
denying His own Deity.
This evil person, who KNOWINGLY and WILLFULLY
manipulates the Bible to suit his own carnal whims,
WILL ANSWER to Jesus, WHO IS GOD NOW AND
FOREVER, for doing just that.
Jesus was NEITHER denying His own Deity, nor
was He saying that 10 Commandment keeping is
necessary for Salvation.
He was saying THE VERY OPPOSITE.
Like a true Jew, He answered the question with a
question: "Why do you call me good? No one is good
except God alone".
He was challenging the young man to SEE Him, not
as a mere teacher (rabbi) but AS God.
He was basically saying "you got no business asking
me that question, believing my doctrine, or
calling me „good', UNLESS you realize it's GOD
you're talking to".
What the liar behind that website will NEVER mention
is that when Thomas called Jesus "God", Jesus
readily and rightfully ACCEPTED THE TITLE.
Jesus DIDN'T correct Thomas for calling Him
"God". On the contrary, He corrected Thomas for
believing He is God ONLY "because he had seen" Him
risen, and with nail prints in His hands [John 20:28].
All the self-absorbed liars at the Jesus Seminar, like
that ugly old buzzard named Dominic Crossan, claim
that it was Paul who turned Jesus into God.
THAT IS A FLAGRANT LIE, and those who make that
claim are serving their father satan.
Peter called Jesus God [2 Peter 1:1].
John called Jesus God [John 1:1; 1 John 5:20].
Paul called Jesus God [Philippians 2:5-7; Colossians
2:9; Titus 2:13].
Matthew called Jesus God [Matthew 1:23].
Thomas called Jesus God [John 20:28].
The Old Testament, prophets David and Isaiah
called Him God [Psalms 110:1; 45:6; Isaiah 9:6].
Jesus called Himself God [John 14:9; Revelation
21:6, 7].
The Father called Him God [Hebrews 1:5-8].
As far as 10 Commandment keeping goes, the young
man DIDN'T ask Jesus "HOW can I have eternal life?"
The question was "what must I DO"... He wanted to
get eternal life HIMSELF, by his own righteousness, by
his own works.
Therefore, Jesus answered "you know the
commandments".
Again, He was challenging the young man because
Jesus knew darned well that the rich young ruler HAD
NOT kept all the commandments, nor was he ABLE
TO.
Yet the deceived young man THOUGHT that he had.
Moreover, Jesus couldn't have spoken about
Salvation by faith in Him ALONE at that moment,
BECAUSE HE HAD NOT YET GONE TO THE CROSS,
PAID FOR OUR SINS, and RISEN FROM THE DEAD.
A lot of you say you want to serve God and be used by
Him for His glory.
How about investing some of your time, energy and
biblical knowledge in writing these liars and
DEBUNKING their ungodly teachings?
Dear God, there's so much HERESY out there, you
could easily turn it into A FULL TIME MINISTRY.
Instead of scrutinizing every little thing I say with a
magnifying glass, as some of you do, and making a
mountain out of a molehill over some small, NON-
ESSENTIAL teaching, that has NOTHING to do with
Salvation, WHY DON'T YOU CHANNEL some of that
time and energy toward CORRECTING THESE
CLOWNS WHO VIOLATE THE VERY FUNDAMENTALS
OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH AND ARE LEADING
MILLIONS TO HELL?
If you're such sticklers for "sound doctrine", here's
your chance to use that zeal where it really counts.
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2011
THE EVILS OF EASTER
I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever
more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death [Revelation 1:18].
Easter is well over a month away and we're already
hearing about the "evils" of celebrating this holiday.
Religionists claim that Jesus and the apostles didn't
celebrate Easter, but Passover.
Well, of course they did, they were all Jewish.
Besides, He had not yet gone to the cross and
risen, so HOW could they celebrate Easter before
it even EXISTED? Duh.
The legalists behind this unfounded claim need to
READ THEIR BIBLES.
Actually, Jesus and His disciples celebrated BOTH,
Passover AND Easter.
They ate the Passover the night before the Crucifixion
[Mark 14:16].
However, He did NOT rise from the dead on Passover.
He rose from the dead on the Hebrew feast of
First Fruits [1 Corinthians 15:20].
And AFTER He rose, the disciples were together in the
Upper Room, and He appeared to them on Easter
Sunday [John 20:19, 20].
If you don't think THERE WAS A HUGE CELEBRATION
at the Upper Room that evening... if you don't think
the disciples were OVERJOYED at seeing and being
with the risen Savior, then you know NOTHING
about the Bible or the Christian faith.
The real problem religionists have is the name
"Easter".
Unfortunately, that's the English name that stuck to
this holiday.
The word "Easter" is derived from the Babylonian
fertility "goddess" Ishtar, whom PAGAN Babylonians,
NOT CHRISTIANS, celebrated thousands of years ago
at spring time.
Frankly, I don't care WHAT we call it, since today
nobody knows that "goddess", worships that goddess,
or even REMEMBERS her.
The REAL question is: Are we going to let
SEMANTICS ruin THE MOST IMPORTANT date on
the Christian calendar?
If you don't want to call it Easter, call it Holy Sunday,
Resurrection Sunday, Resurrection Day, First Fruits, or
WHATEVER NAME YOU LIKE.
But EVERY child of God should celebrate it, for the
simple reason that WITHOUT Jesus' Resurrection,
THERE'S NO SALVATION and, consequently, no
Christianity [1 Corinthians 15:14].
All the naysayers can sell their stupid DVD's, write
their stupid articles, and send their stupid emails. Who
cares?
That's just their misguided OPINION.
God IS PLEASED when His children celebrate His
Resurrection.
Frankly, we should celebrate it not just on what is
commonly called "Easter Sunday", BUT EVERY
SINGLE DAY OF OUR LIVES.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011
SOULS, SOULS, SOULS
Why is it that Christians always FOCUS ON MINOR
ISSUES, instead of on MAJOR?
Why do they nit pick some non-essential teaching TO
DEATH, but say nothing and do nothing about THE
ESSENTIALS of our faith?
And why do they focus ON A PERSON'S SIN, instead of
on the Savior who already PAID FOR their sin?
It happens time and again:
They move heaven and earth to get someone to admit
homosexuality is sin, or to get Catholics to forsake
statues or rosaries; or, to get someone off cigarettes,
alcohol, or drugs.
Don't get me wrong... those things are important, but
they're not THE MOST IMPORTANT.
Suppose you convinced that person that "you're right
and they're wrong"...
Suppose you even got them TO CHANGE their
behavior...
Then what?
Would a homosexual be saved JUST BECAUSE he/she
forsook a gay lifestyle?
Would a Roman Catholic be saved JUST BECAUSE they
threw away their statues of Mary, or stopped praying
the Rosary?
Would a Jehovah's Witness be saved JUST BECAUSE
he/she started attending your church?
Would someone be saved JUST BECAUSE they stopped
drinking, smoking, doing drugs, or having illicit sex?
The answer is "NO".
They'd be JUST AS LOST AS BEFORE.
They may have changed OUTWARDLY, but NO ONE
gets saved UNLESS they're changed on the INSIDE
[John 3:3-5].
So, instead of focusing on their sin(s), we need to
focus ON THE MAIN ISSUE which is their Salvation.
Fact is, YOU CAN'T FIND A SINGLE INSTANCE in the
Gospels where Jesus pointed an accusing finger AT
SINNERS. NOT ONE!!!
The only ones He ever rebuked were the "holier than
thou" religious hypocrites, who appeared "clean" ON
THE OUTSIDE, but were "full of dead men's bones" on
the inside.
We're supposed to be "fishers of men".
Have you EVER seen a fisherman who cleaned and
scaled fish BEFORE he caught them?
Of course not! We reel them in FIRST, then Jesus
and His Holy Spirit - not you, not I - GETS TO
CLEAN THEM.
The "cleaning process" is rarely "instant".
Usually it's A PROCESS.
Brothers and sisters, let's not put the cart before the
horse.
Our job is to bring the message of Salvation and
Jesus' unconditional love to them.
Our job is to tell them the Good News that Jesus
ALREADY PAID FOR all their sins...
... That ALL they need in order to be saved is to
RECEIVE HIM [John 1:12].
Our job, for lack of a better term, is to GET JESUS IN
THEM.
He'll take it from there.
What THEY REALLY NEED is NOT to stop sinning.
Even if they COULD, they'd still have original sin, and
they'd still be lost.
What THEY REALLY NEED is Jesus IN THEIR
HEARTS.
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011
PANTS ON FIRE
It's impossible for God to lie. But it's not only possible,
but FREQUENT, for kristians to do so.
Sadly, lying, especially in the area of finances, has
become not the exception but THE NORM.
Last week the world's largest kristian network had its
semi-annual beg-a-thon.
I only watched sporadically, since it was all my
stomach could take.
I must have heard AT LEAST 100 Scriptures taken
TOTALLY out of context.
Among the false promises made to DONORS, IN
EXCHANGE FOR $$$, were:
1) That God would silence their enemies.
2) That donors would experience a financial
breakthrough.
3) That God would turn the battle around in your
favor.
4) That He would turn your season of testing into a
season of promotion.
5) That "something you posess can create
something that you want".
6) Even the President of the network said that if he
were "strapped for cash" or "needed a job", he would
go to a friend or neighbor, borrow a few dollars, and
give them "to God", meaning to the MEGA-RICH
network and the insatiable manipulators behind it.
In other words, if you want ANYTHING from God,
you HAVE TO GIVE MONEY (not prayer, not love, not
kindness) to the lying hypocrites who regularly
promote GREED and present God as a DEMANDING
heavenly mafia KINGPIN, who exacts a PRICE for
every favor He grants.
Of course, they'll NEVER tell us about the many who
faithfully and obediently gave BEYOND THEIR MEANS
and, by the time the next beg-a-thon comes around,
ARE STILL POOR.
Aren't these THE SAME promises they made in
the previous beg-a-thon, 6 months ago?
And the one before that?
And the year before?
And the year before, the year before, and the
year before?
Aren't these THE SAME false promises they've been
making for the past 60 YEARS?
If they haven't materialized IN 60 YEARS... if they've
been LYING TO YOU ALL THAT TIME... WHAT, in
heaven's name, makes you think they're telling
the Truth THIS TIME?
Wise up, Christians!
The message is FAKE, the prayers are FAKE, the
testimonies are FAKE, even their hair is FAKE.
7) According to one BLASPHEMOUS fund raising idiot,
what makes the Bible different from the Koran is
NOT Jesus Christ, or the fact He PAID FOR our sins, or
His Blood, or His Resurrection, but "the giving
principle".
That may be kristian television, but there's NOTHING
Christ-ian about it.
That man was LYING, and may God have mercy on his
sorry, conniving, DECEITFUL soul.
He actually said that when you hear the voice of the
mendacious mortal who's coaxing the audience to give,
you're hearing and responding to "God's Voice".
He, SUPPOSEDLY, based his false teaching on Matthew
7:7-11.
That passage says NOTHING - NOT A WORD - about
DONATING to a ministry.
It says NOTHING - NOT A WORD - about "giving to
God".
What it DOES SAY is that, if we want, ANYTHING
from God, ALL we need to do IS ASK!!!
"If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, HOW MUCH MORE will your Father
in heaven GIVE GOOD GIFTS to those who ASK
HIM! [Matthew 7:11].
ALL we need to do in order to receive blessings from
our Father is ASK!!!
God, I assure you, has never begged for money, NOR
IS HE BEGGING NOW.
God, I assure you, IS RICH beyond anything your mind
can conceive.
God does NOT need or want your money, PERIOD.
ALL that Jesus (God) has EVER wanted IS YOUR
HEART.
If the saying "liar, liar pants on fire" were true, even
their FALSE eyelashes would be singed.
MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011
FAITHFUL OVER LITTLE
"...Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful
over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter
you into the joy of your lord" [Matthew 25:21].
When we compare the leaders in the Early Church vs.
today's Laodicean "leaders", the latter don't stack
up very well.
In fact, they're an embarrassment.
Materialistically speaking, leaders in the Early Church
had NOTHING.
No cars, no planes, no TV studios, DVD'S, CD's,
internet or infomercials; no publishing companies, no
printing press, not even so much as a business card.
All they had was A MESSAGE.
Of course, they also had A RISEN SAVIOR.
The Savior is just as risen today as He was back
then.
And His message hasn't changed.
It's the leaders who have changed.
It's the leaders who have COMPROMISED the integrity
of The Gospel.
It's the leaders who have INVENTED a false Gospel of
GREED.
It's the leaders who have turned Jesus and
Christianity into A BUSINESS.
Instead of using TV, radio, internet, and publications to
SPREAD THE TRUE GOSPEL, and strengthen the
fundamentals of the faith, they have used it for self-
indulgence: to become zillionaires, live like mega
celebrities, peddle their wares, and provide third-rate
"entertainment" in the form of religious fluff.
It's no wonder, then, than confusion and false doctrine
run rampant.
It's no wonder, then, that one can hardly tell the
difference between evangelical Christianity and CULTS.
It's no wonder, then, that it's THE WORLD that has
gotten INTO the Church, instead of the Church
going INTO the world, as our Lord commanded
[Mark 16:15].
If I were any of today's "high profile" church "leaders",
I'd start repenting even now, before they come
FACE TO FACE WITH THEIR LORD.
No one ever said it was "easy" to follow Jesus.
But if the apostles accomplished SO MUCH with SO
LITTLE, He's got EVERY RIGHT to expect A LOT MORE
from people who've been given SO MUCH.
Luke 12:48:
"... to whom much was given, of him much will
be required"
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2011
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW
SUFFERING?
"...the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us [Romans 8:18].
The simple answer is "because God gave man FREE
WILL".
When God originally created the world, there was NO
SUFFERING. There were no earthquakes, tsunamis,
hurricanes or typhoons. There were no catastrophic
events, no death, no sickness, no poverty, no wars,
and no lack. Everything was "exceedingly good".
Suffering began when man, both male and female,
CHOSE TO disobey God and took that bite of the
forbidden fruit.
God allowed it, knowing full well and IN ADVANCE,
what it WOULD COST HIM to right the wrong
[Revelation 13:8].
God created man in His own Image [Genesis 1:27].
What I'm about to say may sound like heresy, but it's
not:
We know the Image (Logos, Word) of God is God
(John 1:1).
You can't create a "god", and then make him a slave.
That's a contradiction in terms.
GODS can do whatever they want. And, sure
enough, they did.
So God took a ginormous risk when He created us IN
HIS OWN IMAGE. In order to do so, He had to make
His man a free moral agent. He had to allow him self-
determination, which involves the ability to CHOOSE.
6,000 years of human history have come and gone,
and man is STILL a free moral agent, but now has A
CORRUPT NATURAL MIND because of sin.
Sin contaminated the natural human mind, which is
responsible for ALL the suffering.
Since then, mankind and all of Creation has been "OUT
OF ORDER".
Since then, the problem has snowballed, become far
more complex, and with farther reaching
consequences.
When Adam and Eve sinned, it initially affected TWO
people.
Now we have around 7 billion people on the planet ALL
OF WHICH inherited contaminated minds and fallen
natures from them.
Not to mention that all of nature, from the animal
kingdom, to the planet itself is weighed down by sin.
Not to mention all the sinful ideas man has invented
which makes mankind even more corrupt: war,
terrorism, weapons, murder, rape, pillage, lying,
stealing, drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, porn... the
list goes on and on.
There was a time when the corruption became so great
that God, in His Divine Justice, HAD TO send judgment
in the form of the universal flood [Genesis 6:7].
As we speak, humankind is tipping the scales of Divine
Justice YET AGAIN, and God is getting ready to send
UNPRECEDENTED JUDGMENT on unbelievers.
No wonder Jesus likened this generation to the "days
of Noah".
As far as Christians are concerned, when we come to
Christ we're instantly saved, and OUR SPIRITS are
born again.
Our MINDS, however, are still UNREGENERATE. Our
minds are NOT born again.
Hence, all the evil, all the suffering in the world,
comes directly or indirectly from the natural,
unregenerate human mind, which is, and has
been for the past 6 millennia, satan's pawn.
Worst of all, sometimes our minds are generating
evil, and we don't even know it.
We're not even conscious of it, because there's a part
of the mind known as the SUBCONSCIOUS, where
loads of garbage are stored, AND are BEING
MANIFESTED all around us, without us even
realizing where it comes from.
The Bible calls it "the mystery of iniquity" [2
Thessalonians 2:7].
We still have free will, though. And God still honors the
free will He gave us, even when it ends up harming or
destroying us.
As God, He has the power to do anything He wants,
whenever He wants, but if He IMPOSED His will on us,
and FAILED TO HONOR the free will He gave us, He'd
not be playing fair. He'd be violating His OWN rules.
Sure, He can intervene at certain times and deliver
people. Such times tend to be the EXCEPTION, not the
rule.
I'd be lying if I told you that I have full understanding
of the spiritual dynamics by which He sometimes can
and does INTERVENE.
When the Rapture happens, the sin-infected part of
our minds will be consumed with the Brightness
of Jesus' Appearing AS HE REALLY IS, and replaced
with the Image of the INCORRUPTIBLE God, which will
transform us from mortal to immortal, into manifested
SONS OF GOD.
At that point, suffering, for those who know Him, and
eventually for His entire Creation, will be eradicated
forever.
This is why Paul tells us in Romans 8:19 that not only
we, but ALL CREATION is yearning for the day when
Christ is MANIFESTED IN US.
That's when EVERYTHING, from humans to the animal
kingdom, to nature, to the planet itself, will be
restored to ORIGINAL ORDER.
That's what the Millennium, Jesus' Kingdom on earth,
is ALL about.
The Good News is that 6,000 years of misery are
behind us.
The Millennium, when everything is restored, is only 7
years away.
Hang on, brothers and sisters. It may look bad now,
but the end result is worth the wait.
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011
DID GOD GET YOUR
ATTENTION YET?
In Matthew 24:3, as Jesus and His disciples are sitting
on the Mount of Olives, they ask Him "WHAT WILL
BE THE SIGN of your coming and of the end of
the age"?
Jesus replied that MANY would come IN HIS NAME
[professing to be Christian] and would DECEIVE many.
If you've watched 10 minutes of "Christian" TV, you
KNOW this prophecy has been thoroughly and
painfully fulfilled.
Jesus said there would be a number of OTHER SIGNS
which He termed "the BEGINNING of sorrows" (or
beginning of BIRTH PANGS), that would point to the
impending Rapture and subsequent tribulation. They
are found in Matthew 24:6, 7:
1. Wars and rumors of wars
2. Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.
3. Famines
4. Earthquakes in VARIOUS PLACES.
The Greek word for "earthquakes" is seismoi which
refers to all seismic activity.
Not only has there been a dramatic increase in the
number and MAGNITUDE of earthquakes since last
year, we're also witnessing unprecedented volcanic
eruptions such as what happened in Iceland that
brought air travel in half of Europe to a virtual
standstill.
Even the staunchest of skeptics who's seen the huge
plumes of smoke mixed with ash and ice being spewed
all over the North Atlantic, must recognize its
apocalyptic connotation.
Volcanoes, though clearly different from earthquakes,
are also the result of seismic activity.
Volcano eruptions happen due to intense heat, when
friction caused by the movement of the earth's tectonic
plates occurs.
Since the start of 2011 we've already seen volcanoes
explode in Hawaii, Japan, Mexico, Guatemala, Russia
and Indonesia.
Famine I don't even need to comment on. Three
quarters of the world's population goes to bed hungry
every night.
Three days ago, once again, MILLIONS of dead
sardines mysteriouly appeared in Redondo Beach,
California, just as prophesied in Hosea chapter 4 and
Zephaniah chapter 1.
I chuckled as I heard some guy from the Fish and
Game Comission try to theorize how they'd used up all
the oxygen and suffocated. All the oxygen in the
Pacific? Have you seen the SIZE of the Pacific? I
couldn't believe someone would give such a lame
"reason".
As far as wars and RUMORS OF war, hardly a day goes
by that someone doesn't ask whether Israel will attack
its neighbors or vice versa; Whether Israel or the U.S.
will attack Iran, or vice versa; Whether the U.S. should
take military action, or impose a "no fly" zone in Libya.
Nation against nation? That's PRECISELY what
we've seen in Tunisia, Egypt, are now seeing in
Libya and, to a lesser extent (so far) in Iran, Iraq,
Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
We're already seeing how the unrest in Libya has
jacked up oil prices, and hence, the cost of food and
gasoline.
Today, there was a "day of rage" in Saudi Arabia.
Suppose the protests there escalated. No telling what
it would do to oil prices, food, gas, the stock market,
and the already shaky U.S. economy.
That's one country where the U.S. would HAVE TO
become actively involved, since the Saudis supply over
10% of the oil we consume.
As if ALL that wasn't enough, in Luke 21:25 Jesus
gives another sign of the "end of the age": "the sea
and the waves reverberating", as in TSUNAMIS.
As I watched some of the catastrophic events in Japan
which, to a lesser extent, affected other nations and
reached even as far as California, I couldn't help but
think: "Awful as this is, it's A CAKE WALK
compared to what's described in the Book of
Revelation".
Let's not forget that ANOTHER massive
earthquake recently devastated Christchurch,
New Zealand. And we're only 2-1/2 months into
2011.
Even a casual observer would have to concede these
signs are now coming in fast and furious. They are
bound to INTENSIFY even more.
The closer we get to the baby's "birth" the SOONER
and STRONGER they'll become.
Turn to the Lord, with ALL YOUR HEART NOW, while
you still have time.
Does Jesus have your attention yet?
If not, WHAT WILL IT TAKE to get it?
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2011
THE MYTH OF
SPIRITUALITY
There are millions of people the world over who have
bought into the lie that, in order to go to heaven, THEY
JUST NEED to be "spiritual".
It doesn't matter what you believe or how you live, as
long as you're "spiritual".
You can follow Buddhism, Hinduism, Kabbalah,
Judaism, Islam, New Age, Moonies, Hare Krishnas,
Mormonism, Masonry, Baha'i, or anything else.
Just be "a good person", do "good deeds", and
believe in some form of "supreme power".
The best known proponent of such idiocy is Oprah but,
unfortunately, she's not the only one. Hollywood and
the mainstream media clobber us with this false
"gospel" virtually 24/7.
But sadly, it doesn't stop there, according to a recent
Pew Survey as many as 57% of supposed Evangelical
Christians believe people can get to heaven in ways
OTHER THAN thru Jesus Christ.
For all of the above, let's set the record straight:
The ONLY WAY people can get to heaven is to have
their sins ERASED.
Of all the supposed "Gods", there's ONLY ONE who
guaranteed your sins will be erased, when you
receive Him.
If you think God's going to accept your "good deeds",
or your being "a good person", or your alleged
"spirituality" IN PAYMENT FOR YOUR SINS, YOU'RE
UNDER STRONG DELUSION, AND HEADED STRAIGHT
TO HELL.
There's ONLY ONE who EVER PAID FOR your sins
[Isaiah 53:5,8; 2 Corinthians 5:19].
THE ONLY PAYMENT God will ever accept is the
One made by His Son, at the cross.
Hence, THE ONLY ONE who can get your sins
blotted out forever is Jesus Christ [Acts 3:19;
Colossians 2:14].
Spirituality isn't always good. There's good
spirituality that comes from Jesus who is THE LIGHT,
and there's DARK spirituality.
Most spiritual endeavors today, while offering a form of
piety, are FALSE and SATANIC.
Paul prophesied in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that this would
happen in the last days, saying such people were
"lovers of pleasures" more than lovers of God,
and that they have "a form of godliness, but deny
the power thereof".
Then, there's Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was one of God's Chosen People, a
Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, a devout man,
a "spiritual" man, who performed many
"righteous" acts, but he couldn't pull the wool over
Jesus' eyes.
Our Lord told him point-blank: "UNLESS a person is
BORN AGAIN he/she/they CANNOT SEE NOR
ENTER the Kingdom of God" [John 3:3].
Either Jesus knew what He was talking about, or He
didn't.
I wouldn't bet against Jesus, if I were you.
I don't care if you're the most "spiritual" person on
earth, I don't care if you perform good deeds non-stop
24/7. If you want to get to heaven, YOU MUST
receive Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord,
Savior and God.
Wise Solomon warned us in Proverbs 14:12: "There's a
way that SEEMS RIGHT unto a man, but the end
thereof is... death".
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2011
WHY DO YOU CALL ME
"LORD"?
According to a recent survey by Pew Forum on Religion and
Public Life OVER HALF (57%) of evangelicals believe
people can be saved APART FROM Jesus Christ.
Among Roman Catholics the rate was even higher, a
whopping 79%.
They believe you can be a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, New
Ager, and Lord knows what else, and still make it to
heaven. Or you can just be "a good person" [however one
defines "good"], and be saved.
I knew there was widespread lukewarmness in the
Laodicean Church, but the extent shocked even me.
How can ANYONE call themselves "Christian" and NOT
BELIEVE Christ?
How can someone SAY He's their Lord, when they
REJECT HIS TEACHING?
LET'S SEE. .. Jesus said He is THE ONLY WAY TO THE
FATHER, but HE WAS WRONG. We KNOW MORE
ABOUT IT THAN HE DOES.
JESUS, consequently, DIED IN VAIN, SINCE WE CAN GET
TO THE FATHER THRU MOHAMMED, BUDDHA, OR
KRISHNA.
WHAT A FOOL HE WAS! TO DIE ON THE CROSS FOR
US, AND SUBMIT TO ALL THE SUFFERING, PAIN AND
HUMILIATION, WHEN WE CAN GET TO THE FATHER
SOME OTHER WAY!
I'm being sarcastic, of course, but you get the point.
JESUS COMMANDED US TO PREACH THE GOSPEL SO
THE WORLD COULD BE SAVED, BUT HE WAS WRONG
[Mark 16:15,16].
WHY SHOULD WE EVEN BOTHER PREACHING THE
GOSPEL, SINCE PEOPLE CAN GET SAVED IN MANY
OTHER WAYS?
Try telling THAT to the thousands of martyrs who allowed
themselves to be tortured and killed, who spilled their blood
so they could preserve the integrity and preach the
absolute necessity of the Gospel... So YOU could hear it
and BE SAVED.
Try telling that to your brothers and sisters in other nations
who are being persecuted, tortured, jailed and killed,
even as we speak, rather than renounce the Savior.
What absolute idiots they are, when they can accept
Allah and Muhammad, renounce Jesus, and still be
saved!
Do you know WHY they RISK THEIR LIVES DAILY? WHY
THEY ENDURE UNTOLD HARDSHIP? BECAUSE THEY
KNOW THERE'S NO OTHER WAY TO BE SAVED.
They'd rather DIE in this temporary world, and be saved in
the eternal one.
In America, it's far too easy to be "Christian". Maybe God
should allow persecution, so the wheat can be separated
from the chaff.
Sort of makes me wonder, of all the people who CLAIM to be
"Christian", how many REALLY ARE.
"Oh, you're just being intolerant". WRONG. This has
NOTHING to do with tolerance. We tolerate other faiths.
Always have. It has to with UNBELIEF.
"Well, we interpret Jesus' words differently". Oh, REALLY?
Let me ask you:
"I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO ONE
COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THRU ME" [John 14:6].
Which part of that statement do you need to "interpret"?
Exactly which part don't you understand?
LAST TIME I CHECKED, "NO ONE" MEANT "NO ONE".
Nobody!
To Catholics, who claim Saint Peter as their "first Pope",
which part of your first Pope's words don't you
understand?
"There is NO OTHER NAME, given among men, by which
WE CAN BE SAVED" [Acts 4:12].
NO OTHER NAME, MEANS NO OTHER NAME.
There's ONE MEDIATOR [not two, not three, not ten]
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus [1 Timothy
2:5].
Which part of that statement needs interpretation? It's as
clear as daylight.
EITHER GOD KNOWS WHAT HE'S SAYING, OR we
KNOW MORE THAN GOD.
Anyone who thinks he or she knows more than God is a
COMPLETE MORON.
If we don't REALLY believe what Jesus said, it's false and
hypocritical to call ourselves "Christian".
NO ONE has the right to call themselves "Christian" unless
they TRULY believe EVERY word that proceeds out of the
mouth of God [Matthew 4:4].
It's ALL or NOTHING with Jesus.
Either stop calling yourself Christian, or START BEING ONE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011
DOES GOD HATE GAYS?
The newsmedia recently had a field day reporting on
the Supreme Court's decision in favor of this small
group of religious loons who made it their lofty mission
in life to torment bereaved parents and family
members during the funeral of their son, Marine Lance
Cpl. Matthew Snyder.
Lance Corporal Snyder happened to be gay, and was
killed while serving in Iraq.
These "Christians" from the so-called Westboro Baptist
Church in Topeka, Kansas carried signs with despicable
messages like "thank God for dead soldiers", "God
hates America" and "God hates gays".
They harassed and taunted the grieving parents and
relatives and even sang songs expressing glee at the
prospect of their dead son going to hell.
They've conducted themselves in similar manner at
other military funerals.
We can't really blame the Supreme Court, since the
right to free speech, even when it's revolting and
reprehensible, IS guaranted by the Constitution.
We can't blame the media for reporting this
unfortunate event. That's their job.
What I find stupid and totally unacceptable is
that Christians have been SILENT about this
travesty.
Instead of rallying around the grieving family, and
offering love, prayer, comfort and compassion, AS
REAL CHRISTIANS WOULD DO...
Instead of denouncing the abominable actions of these
religious crackpots, they have turned a blind eye and a
deaf ear:
- Haven't heard a word from ANY of the Christian
networks.
- Haven't heard a word from so-called "church
leaders".
- Haven't even heard a word from local churches,
especially those with large congregations, denouncing
this horrible display of ANTI-Christianity.
So, this shameful and DISTORTED display of
kristianism, carried out by a congregation of ONLY
about 71 people, most of them related, is how the
unbelieving world gets to view ALL Christians.
They lump us all together as a bunch of hateful, hate-
filled, judgmental, holier-than-thou extremists.
This is how our faith is regularly depicted and
MISREPRESENTED in the eyes of those we're
trying to reach.
In the eyes of those Jesus DIED FOR.
Christians have become too afraid of controversy, so
rather than SPEAK OUT, and say "hey, that's NOT what
we're about, and that's NOT what Jesus and the Bible
are about", they keep their heads buried in the sand,
see no evil, hear no evil, jump in the politically correct
bandwagon, and hope it will all just "go away".
NOT this Christian.
The religious nuts who conduct themselves in such
DISGRACEFUL, SINFUL, UNGODLY, UNLOVING,
manner ARE NOT Christians.
They and their pastor should be ASHAMED of
themselves.
All they are doing is sowing hate and ALIENATING
people FROM Jesus.
They may have the legal right to act that way, but
MORALLY THEY ARE WRONG.
They DISHONOR THE VERY CHRIST THEY PROFESS
TO SERVE.
But isn't homosexuality sin? YES.
That doesn't excuse their UN-Christian behavior.
No true child of God rejoices at the prospect of
ANYONE going to hell.
On the contrary, it's tragic.
No true child of God disrespects a fallen soldier, or
crashes a funeral so they can heap even more anguish
on the bereaved family members.
I don't care if Lance Corporal Snyder had 500 gay
lovers, their behavior is INEXCUSABLE.
He's dead, and in God's hands.
Surely we can TRUST God to deal with him justly and
righteously, without engaging in such wanton, morbid
display of carnal zealotry.
God DOESN'T hate gays. He LOVES THEM!!!
Jesus bled and died on the Cross for ALL sinners,
including homosexuals.
The ONLY SIN that'll keep a person from heaven is
rejection of Jesus Christ.
If Matthew received Jesus into his heart at any
moment prior to his death, he is as much in heaven
today, as any other FORGIVEN SINNER.
And THAT'S what REAL Christianity is ALL about.
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011
NOTICE:
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I'LL TAKE PAT AND JAN
If you've followed this ministry for any length of time,
you know that NO ONE is more critical of the
"prosperity hucksters" in Christendom than yours truly.
I've written and preached many a scathing message
exposing and denouncing their greedy schemes.
Today, however, I'm going to take "their side".
Well, sort of...
A while back a precious sister, who came out of
Mormonism to true faith in Jesus Christ, wrote saying
she was disillusioned and confused by all the
deceit and trafficking that goes on in the Church.
She felt sad, and let down, said she and her
husband couldn't even find a place to congregate
because the deception is so widespread.
She said, in essence, that she sometimes felt she had
left Mormonism "for nothing", since corruption runs
rampant in Evangelical Christianity.
I knew, of course, and perfectly understood, where
this sister was coming from. And she's right.
For one thing, I told her to "join the club". There are
LOTS of Christians I hear from on a regular basis who
have that same problem.
However, -- hope you're sitting down for this one -- I
HAD TO speak up in defense of Evangelicals, even
defend the prosperity gurus.
Here's why: while much of what they preach and teach
is UNTRUE, UNSCRIPTURAL, NAUSEATING,
REPREHENSIBLE and DOWNRIGHT DECEITFUL,
there's ONE HUGE difference between Mormons
and evangelicals.
At least Evangelicals have not forsaken THE
FUNDAMENTALS of the Christian faith.
At least they don't deny the Deity of Jesus, as do
Mormons.
At least they don't deny the Virgin Birth, and claim
Jesus is the result of God having sex with Mary.
At least prosperity gurus believe in the infallibility of
the Scriptures, and rely solely on the Bible to
formulate (or misformulate) doctrine, whereas
Mormons add THREE other books, and when there's
discrepancy between the Bible and those "other
books", the Bible invariably LOSES.
At least Evangelicals, despite their excesses, still
believe Salvation is by faith and faith alone...
Lord knows, gurus have SOLD US nearly everything
including God's favor on healing, finances,
relationships and blessings, but AT LEAST, when it
gets down to the nitty gritty THEY ADMIT
Salvation can't be bought.
Mormons, on the other hand, don't believe in faith
alone, and teach you must be "one of them", and
belong to their satanic cult in order to become the god
of your own universe.
Since Salvation is A GIFT, OF GOD'S GRACE, thru
faith in Jesus, and faith alone, the difference
between the two groups is that prosperity gurus,
despite their greed and self-serving doctrine ARE
PROBABLY SAVED.
Mormons AREN'T because they believe in A FALSE
jesus, who is NOT the Jesus of the Bible, since He's
neither God, nor is He SUFFICIENT to save us.
While I'm not crazy about either group, after all is said
and done, I'll take Pat Robertson over Joseph
Smith ANY day.
I'll take Benny Hinn AT HIS WORST (which is
pretty bad) over Brigham Young AT HIS BEST.
Heck, I'll even take Jan Crouch over those jokers, pink
wig and all.
Hey, prosperity gurus, aren't you glad I'm "on your
side"?
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011
NOTICE:
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We apologize for this inconvenience. If you have prayer requests,
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Monday 3/7/11 functionality has been restored. Thank you.
FORGET IT!
A lot of the pain and misery that we experience in this fallen
world is caused by thinking too much, DWELLING TOO
MUCH, on what has happened, what someone said, did, or
what/whom we THINK we've lost.
Or by dwelling on our past sins, failures and
shortcomings. There are even believers who are wracked
with guilt over something they did, or should have done, and
didn't.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda...
None of that is gonna help you.
Here's Good News: God has forgotten about it, and so
should you.
No one had more reason to "live in the past" than the apostle
Paul.
As Saul of Tarsus he had persecuted Christians, imprisoned
them, forced them to blaspheme, and even participated in
murdering [by some scholarly estimates] around 6,000 of them.
Paul was an intellectual. Before becoming Christian himself, he
was held in high esteem, came from a well-to-do, prestigious
family, was a Roman citizen, a Pharisee, studied theology
under Gamaliel, the most renowned teacher of his day.
And what conclusion did Paul finally arrive at? ALL of it
was a bunch of [as the King James translation very properly
says...] DUNG [Philippians 3:8].
In modern English we'd say it's "a load of crap".
As usual, Paul was right.
In Philippians chapter 3:7 the apostle makes the following
statement:
"Whatever things were GAIN to me, I count them as loss,
for Christ".
Are you dragging the past behind you like a ball and
chain?
People‟s “past” often ends up destroying their PRESENT.
Is your "past" preventing you from advancing toward your
preordained destiny in Christ?
Let it go! Forget it!
It's ALL a bunch of manure.
You can't advance, you can't do anything for God or
anyone, including yourself, when you're holding on to your
past.
Stand up, flush it, and GO FORWARD, in the Name of the
Lord.
Paul concludes that passage with this sage advice:
ONE THING I DO: Forgetting those things which are BEHIND,
and reaching forth to those things which are AHEAD, I press
toward the mark for... the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2011
IS YOUR GOD WILLING?
Is your God willing TO DIE for you?
There's no shortage of religion in this world.
Whether its Hinduism, which believes in multiple
deities, Buddhism, which believes in myriad
reincarnations, Islam which, though monotheistic,
believes in a remote god, we can never aspire to come
close to, let alone be One with.
What all FALSE RELIGIONS HAVE IN COMMON IS one
or more DRACONIAN god[s] WHO MAKE ALL SORTS OF
DIFFICULT DEMANDS, EXACT BLIND LOYALTY, BUT
DO little or NOTHING for their worshipers.
These "gods" want you to behave a certain way, but
HAVE DONE NOTHING to solve the sin problem
which has plagued humanity for millennia, and
which is the culprit for all the evil in the world.
What sets the Christian faith APART FROM false
religion - and ALL religion is to one extent or another
FALSE - is that our God was not only WILLING TO
die for us, but that He resolved the sin problem
ONCE AND FOR ALL.
God was IN Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,
NOT COUNTING men's sins against them [2
Corinthians 5:19].
By ONE Sacrifice (Himself), He has perfected
FOREVER those who are sanctified [Hebrews 10:14].
Does your god even LOVE YOU?
Greater love has no man than this that he lay down
his life for his friends [John 15:13].
If your "god" doesn't love you, WHY should you love
him?
If your "god" wasn't willing to give his life for you,
WHY should you give your life to him?
Was your god willing to DIE for you?
Was he willing TO TAKE THE PUNISHMENT for your
sins, IN YOUR STEAD?
Was he willing to be beaten, flogged, spit upon,
mocked, humiliated, crowned with thorns, crucified
and thrust with a spear?
Was he willing to take THE VERY HELL that your sin
deserved FOR YOU?
Does he love you enough to PAY for you WITH
HIS OWN BLOOD?
If the answer is "no", DUMP HIM.
That's not God. That's nothing but a counterfeit.
...Nothing but a figment of corrupt men's imaginations.
False gods are LOSERS.
They're ALL dead.
They couldn't even SAVE THEMSELVES, let alone
save ANYONE ELSE.
Give your heart and life to the Winner.
The One who died for you, poured His own Blood FOR
YOU, went to hell FOR YOU, then ROSE FROM THE
DEAD, overcoming satan, sin and death FOREVER.
Receive the REAL God into your heart.
The ONLY One worth dying for.
The ONLY One worth LIVING for.
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2011
WHO NEEDS JESUS?
I know what some of you are thinking: I've got my
joints, I got my fix, and I got sex, booze, music,
food... so who needs Jesus?
Those who are unfulfilled need Jesus.
Those who are lonely need Jesus.
Those who want a faithful friend.
Those who are afraid.
Those who are depressed.
Those who've never experienced true love.
Those who've never been loved.
Those who feel empty need Jesus.
Those who are full need Jesus.
Those headed for hell need Jesus.
Those who want heaven need Jesus.
Good people need Jesus.
Bad people need Jesus.
If you're poor you need Jesus.
If you're rich you need Jesus.
If you're famous you need Jesus.
If you're infamous you need Jesus.
The sick need Jesus, the suffering need Jesus.
Teachers need Jesus, plumbers need Jesus, so do
architects, mechanics, delivery people, letter
carriers, firefighters, policemen, doctors, nurses,
dentists, astronauts, scientists, celebrities and
athletes.
ALL ministers of the Gospel need Jesus. And, Lord
knows, politicians need Jesus.
The lost need Jesus, the saved need Jesus.
Those looking for answers need Jesus; those who
have answers need Jesus.
All sinners need Jesus.
EVERYONE needs Jesus.
You HAVEN'T REALLY LIVED until you EXPERIENCE
Him.
The ONLY ONES who DON'T need Jesus are those
who've NEVER sinned. Those who are PERFECT.
That MUST BE the reason why YOU "don't" need
Him.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011
Today's message was sent in by one of our readers, "David Prad"
[shortened version of his name], who graciously gave his permission for
us to publish it. Thank you, David. You truly are a blessing.
PEACE WITH GOD
"Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you
conceive Him to be"... This is a line from a poem
that was big in the 1970's called The Desiderata.
I mean no disrespect to the poem or its author. For the
most part, it is a beautiful poem with interesting
insights.
However, like so many spiritual ideas of man,
it sounds good on the surface but.....
It's not the truth. God is not whatever we conceive
Him to be....
He is what He is.
We don't get to arbitrarily define God, or invent a
God in our minds to suit our tastes and desires.
God has revealed to us in His Holy Word, the Bible,
who He is, What He has done, What He said,
What He expects from us.
Some, in their rebellion (which God speaks of in His
Word), have decided that that God doesn't suit
their sinful desires, and selfish wants, so they
have abandoned The True Lord for what pleases them,
because, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes;
But Jehovah weighs the hearts" (Proverbs 21:2).
We, because of the free will that the heavenly Father
has imparted to us, have chosen to conjure up in
our own minds a god we're more comfortable
with.
You can do that. But you will face the real true God
as He truly is, and NOT the god you invented.
A lie is still a lie regardless of how good it sounds or
makes one feel.
By this they have committed the oldest sin in the
book.....idolatry, just as assuredly as if they had
bowed before a statue of wood or stone.
When we invent this god, we always picture a god of
mercy, but completely devoid of justice or any
expectations or holiness or purity.
In our corrupt mind we believe justice and mercy
to be mutually exclusive.
Please....our hearts are wicked, our minds are
limited, don't worship whatever god you conceive, but
the One true God who has revealed Himself to us in
His Holy Word.
Then you will truly "be at peace with God".
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011
DREAMERS
As I've told you often, faith is wonderful, but religion
is an evil and dangerous thing.
All religion is FEAR-based. All religion, including all
forms of so-called "Christian" religion, ALIENATES US
from the very God it claims to bring us closer to.
Dreamers have their religion, too. While repeating
John Lennon's mantra of "imagine no religion", they
have as much religion as Islamic extremists and,
although theirs isn't quite as brutal or lethal,
they are JUST AS LOST.
The Dreamer's theology goes like this:
GOD = LOVE
Imagine a world where we all lived by the equation
above ... not for ourselves, but for others . . .
...A world where we are patient, compasionate,
humble towards one another. No longer in a hurry to
get somewhere, finish everything on our "to do" list,
and just paused for a moment to feel what it is to be
alive. To have the opportunity to do something for
someone else, another kindred spirit before we think of
our own needs.
Hold the door for a stranger, smile at the cashier, carry
a heavy bag for the elderly, or visit a neighbor who is
lonely.
According to Dreamers, God is NOT "just" a man
who lived and died over 2000 years ago, GOD is in
EVERYTHING. GOD is the Universe, GOD is all
around us. God lives in all of us.
They claim that seeking Salvation [Jesus] is to live in
fear. That it's fear to believe we will be lost
UNLESS we believe that only one man walked as God
on this earth, and UNLESS we invite and RECEIVE that
man into our hearts.
They claim to be FEAR-FREE as they seek no reward,
no eternity.
Their message SOUNDS GOOD and, at first glance,
LOOKS good. After all, what Christian would NOT
believe that God IS love?
What rational person would not believe this would be a
far better world, if everyone lived and ACTED in love,
instead of in fear?
Good as it may look or sound, their message IS
DECEITFUL and satanic to the core.
NO ONE'S ever accused satan of being a mediocre liar.
He's the MASTER OF deceit.
For starters, DREAMERS are full of baloney, since
they themselves DO NOT live up to, and are
UNABLE TO live up to, the very standard of "love"
they preach.
The reason they don't and can't is that, like the
rest of humanity, THEY HAVE FALLEN,
UNREGENERATE, SINFUL natures which are
INCAPABLE of producing, let alone SUSTAINING,
such Love.
In fact, they CANNOT ABIDE IN Love, or act IN love,
because they don't know Jesus, who IS the ONLY
TOTAL Personification of Love.
Their message SOUNDS GOOD, in theory, but
TOTALLY FAILS, in practice.
Their message is not only woefully misguided, but
extremely naive.
I would love to believe that God "lives in
everyone".
Did God live IN Hitler? In Charles Manson? How about
Ted Bundy? Jeffrey Dahmer? Bin Ladin?
Does God LIVE IN satan worshippers? Does He LIVE IN
pedophiles?
If that were true, then Jesus was A FOOL, who
suffered and died FOR NOTHING, since we ALL had
God already IN us.
If that were true, then evil would not even EXIST,
since Love is INCAPABLE OF evil.
If it were true, this world would be a perfect Utopia,
but it ISN'T.
Even the most fanciful dreamer would have to concede
this world is LOADED WITH evil.
If that were true, then God would NOT be love at
ALL, since Love, by His very Nature is INCAPABLE
OF SINNING.
Dreamers, in fact, are NOT in a position to judge
Perfect Love, let alone what He would or
wouldn't do, since they are NOT Perfect Love.
How can they possibly judge something they
have neither experienced, nor FULLY
understand?
Fact is, it would be grossly UNJUST for God (Love)
to ARBITRARILY forgive Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, or
Muammar Gaddafi the same way He forgave a born-
again Christian who willingly gave his/her life to Him,
and received Jesus, and His Holy Spirit into their
hearts.
Fact is, if God just "forgave" EVERYONE, even
those who REJECT HIM and DON'T WANT His
forgiveness, He would be AN autocratic TYRANT, who
dishonors the free will He gave His Creation, and
would NOT be Perfect Love AT ALL.
So, the dreamers' basic premise CONTRADICTS
ITSELF, and CONTRADICTS God's very Love
nature.
Manifesting Perfect Love requires a NEW, regenerate
Nature, not only in our spirits but IN OUR SOULS.
Perfect Love requires Perfect Justice. That's the
part of the equation that all dreamers leave out.
But all the WISHFUL THINKING in the world is
not going to do away with God's Justice.
That's WHY God Himself became human and PAID IN
FULL the price required in order to eternally
satisfy His own Divine Justice.
Yes, He's a loving God, who wants everyone saved.
But it's His Way or NO WAY.
So, I got two words for all Dreamers, and for ALL
who THINK they'll be saved APART FROM Jesus:
"DREAM ON".
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2011
WHY US?
Are we the generation that will experience the Rapture
and Second Coming of Jesus?
One unique characteristic of the Book of Revelation is
that every generation has thought it applied to
them.
Around the first millennium A.D. there was widespread
expectation that Jesus would return.
Paul and John thought He would return in the first
century.
How, then, can we be sure that WE ARE the
generation that will witness most of its
predictions? How can we be sure we are living at "the
end of the age" which our Lord so eloquently
described?
There are MANY reasons. They include:
1. There's a long, sustained tradition in both Judaism
and Christianity that Jesus would return in the 6th
Millennium after re-Creation. We're it.
This tradition is not without biblical basis, since the
Lord re-created the earth in SIX days and 2 Peter 3:8
tells us with the Lord "a day is as a thousand years,
and a thousand years is as a day".
He also RESTED on the 7th day, which would
correspond to the 7th Millennium, which will be that
1,000-year period of REST, restoration and world
peace when Jesus will establish His Millennial Kingdom
on earth, as it is in heaven.
2. It would be downright IMPOSSIBLE for some of the
prophecies in Revelation, the Gospels, Zechariah and
Daniel to be fulfilled UNLESS national Israel had been
reborn, and UNLESS Jews controlled Jerusalem.
Such things didn't exist for nearly 2,000 years, and
didn't materialize „til 1948 and 1967,
respectively.
3. Luke 21:24-36 unquestionably tells us that the
generation that sees Jerusalem no longer trampled
by gentiles "will NOT pass away" without Jesus
coming in the clouds "with power and great glory".
Jerusalem was trampled, NON-STOP, by gentiles for
2,030 years. It hasn't been trampled since June 7,
1967.
Without a question, we ARE that generation.
4. Daniel 9:25 says there must be a 7-week [49-year
period] FROM the word to return and build Old
Testament Jerusalem to Messiah Prince. That
happened, unequivocally, in 1967-1969.
5. One of the conditions for our "gathering together
unto Him", as per 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is the
unveiling [revelation] of the Antichrist. That has
happened. We can now PROVE his identity,
undisputedly, with the Bible.
6. Daniel prophesied that at the time of the end "many
would go to and fro and knowledge would be
increased". What better description of cyberspace
could there be? [Keep in mind that was written 2,500
years ago].
Computer technology makes it possible for us to
go "to and fro" throughout the world at the click
of a mouse.
7. The Book of Daniel also states that its prophecies
WOULD REMAIN SEALED [not understood] UNTIL "the
time of the end".
The fact we understand them today is PROOF
POSITIVE that the Book is no longer sealed and,
therefore, that prophesied "time of the end" is
here.
We cannot limit the Word of God. There are certain
aspects of it which apply to every generation.
However, Daniel, Revelation and other apocalyptic
writings were addressed IN PARTICULAR to ONE
generation, and that's us.
There's never been a generation that saw millions of
people suddenly and simultaneously vanish, a
resurrected Antichrist emerge from the bottomless pit,
or people receiving a mark in their hands or foreheads
in order to buy or sell, the Euphrates drying up, the
death of ONE THIRD of mankind, the sea and all the
water turn to blood, major cities in the world turning
into rubble, or the Anti-Christ massing armies at
Armageddon trying to PREVENT the return of the
Christ.
That privilege or misfortune (depending on where we
stand spiritually) has been reserved for THIS
generation.
Which will it be for you?
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011
FAITH IN YOU
We often hear church people talk about having faith in
God.
That's good and true. But, today, I want to turn the
message around, and talk about God having faith in
you.
Huh?
O.K., O.K., you all know these messages tend to be
unconventional (some would say that's putting it
"mildly")...
Fact is, God has faith in you.
He has faith in you because:
a) He created you,
b) He predestined you,
c) He formed you into His own image, and
d) He made you a unique expression (manifestation) of
Himself!
Wow! How good is that!
It's ALL pre-arranged and pre-ordained.
He has COMPLETE faith in you, because He
KNOWS you will BECOME exactly what He
predestined you to BE. Selah. [Pause and meditate
on that].
We can either YIELD TO THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS
GLORIOUS SELF IN US, OR WE CAN RESIST.
Be forewarned, though: it's futile to resist. The process
is a lot easier, and smoother, if we just give in.
It's already done, so we might as well... SURRENDER.
Might as well let Him have His Way, and enjoy
the ride.
This is one of those marvelous truths in the Bible,
which religion simply can't handle.
There are lots of great things in the Bible religion can't
handle. So, they try to "explain them away": "well,
what that really means is"...
It means what it says:
"For whom He did foreknow [knew in advance, in
"eternity past"], He also did predestinate, to be
conformed to the Image of His Son" [Romans
8:29].
God KNEW in advance EXACTLY how you'd turn out,
and He chose you anyway.
He KNEW YOU and PREDESTINED YOU to be an
expression of the Christ.
Rest in Him, TRUST HIM, enjoy Him, and LET HIM
HAVE HIS WAY: He's got a great and glorious "future"
already determined for you!
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011
WHEN WAS THE LAST
TIME?
We all run to God when we have a problem, need to
eke our way out of a difficult situation, or just want
something REALLY badly.
But do we ever run to Him when everything's
going well?
When we have everything we want or need?
For most of us the HONEST answer to that question
would be "NO".
We want God to always be there for us, and respond to
our requests in TWO SECONDS, but are we always
there for Him, when He wants something from
us?
When He wants to spend time with us?
When He wants us to help a brother or sister?
When He wants us to explore the wondrous depths
and riches of His Word?
When He wants us to hand out a tract or share
Jesus with a co-worker or neighbor?
When He wants us to give a word of comfort, or
encouragement, to someone who's down?
How about to answer His call, and fulfill His
Purpose for our lives?
God has a PERFECT Purpose [with capital "P"] for each
of us. If we ONLY spent time with Him, asked Him
what it is, then LISTENED.
When was the last time you spent time with your
Lord?
When was the last time you told Him how
TOTALLY WONDERFUL He is?
When was the last time you THANKED Him for all
His blessings, including the greatest one of all,
Himself?
When was the last time you said "yes, Lord, here
I am, USE ME"?
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2011
INTERVIEW WITH PETER
Saint Peter was one of the 12 personally called by
Jesus to be His disciples.
He was a leader in the early Church, who gave his life
for Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
Unfortunately, religion has turned Peter into a
controversial figure and used him to sow error
and division in the Body of Christ.
How would Peter himself answer some of the
doctrinal disputes that go on in Christendom?
We have taken Peter's OWN WORDS, VERBATIM,
as they appear in the New Testament Book of Acts and
1 and 2 Peter.
In this particular instance, ALL quotations are taken
from either the Douay Rheims or the New Jerusalem
Roman Catholic translations of the Bible:
Hey, Peter, thanks for being with us. Let's get right to
the point:
1. Is God angry with sinners?
"The Lord ... is... being patient with you, wanting
nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to
repentance" [2 Peter 3:9].
2. How can we be saved from sin?
... all who believe in Jesus will have their sins
forgiven through His Name [Acts 10:43].
3. Can we lose Salvation?
...our Lord Jesus Christ... in his great mercy has given
us A NEW BIRTH...INTO A HERITAGE THAT CAN
NEVER BE SPOILED, OR SOILED, AND NEVER
FADE AWAY. It is reserved in heaven for you...
WHO ARE BEING KEPT SAFE by God's power
through faith until the salvation which has been
prepared is revealed..." [1 Peter 1:1-5].
4. Can we buy Salvation, deserve Salvation, or buy
God's blessings?
..."there were... false prophets among the people,
even as THERE SHALL BE AMONG YOU LYING
TEACHERS... And many shall follow their debauched
behavior, through whom the way of truth shall be evil
spoken of. And THROUGH COVETOUSNESS
(GREED) shall they with insincere words MAKE
MERCHANDISE OF YOU. Whose judgment now of a
long time lingers not, and their perdition slumbers not"
[2 Peter 2:1, 3].
..."YOU KNOW that THE PRICE OF YOUR
RANSOM... WAS PAID, not in anything perishable
like silver or gold, but IN THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF
CHRIST, as of a blameless and spotless lamb" [1
Peter 1: 18, 19].
"Keep your money to yourself, to perish with you,
because you have thought that the gift of God
may be purchased" [Acts 8:20].
5. Do Christians go to purgatory?
..."God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... in His
great mercy has given us A NEW BIRTH ... through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... into A
HERITAGE that can never be spoilt or soiled and never
fade away. It is reserved IN HEAVEN FOR YOU
WHO ARE BEING KEPT SAFE BY God's power
through faith UNTIL THE SALVATION which has
been prepared is revealed"... [1 Peter 1:3-5].
6. But, Peter, isn't it true that Christians have residual
sins, for which they must make restitution and do
penance, in order to be forgiven?
"You must repent... and every one of you must be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit" [Acts 2:38]
7. What about baptismal regeneration? Are we born
again thru water baptism?
"For YOUR NEW BIRTH WAS NOT from any perishable
seed but FROM IMPERISHABLE SEED, the living
and enduring Word of God" [1 Peter 1:23].
"Could anyone refuse the water of baptism to these
people, now THAT THEY HAVE RECEIVED the Holy
Spirit just as we have?' [Acts 10:47].
8. Some teach about the "brotherhood of all men". Will
all humans be saved?
By the same word the present heavens and earth are
reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment
and destruction of ungodly men [2 Peter 3:7].
9. As a devout Jew, tell us, should Christians observe
the law, the Sabbath, the 10 Commandments, or
religious traditions?
"Why do you put God to the test now by imposing
on the disciples the very burden that neither our
ancestors nor we ourselves were strong enough to
support?
...we believe that we are saved in the same way
as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus"
[Acts 15:10, 11].
10. Should we pray TO Jesus' mother?
Be humbled therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in the time of visitation:
Casting ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM, for He has
care of you [1 Peter 5:6,7].
11. Who is THE Way to God?
"Christ himself died once and for all for sins, the
upright for the sake of the guilty, TO LEAD US TO
God" [1 Peter 3:18].
12. Is the Bible important? Is it relevant to us today?
The Word of the Lord remains for ever. And this
Word is the Good News that has been brought to
you [1 Peter 1:25].
13. Did you consider yourself higher or more important
than the other disciples and church leaders?
"I urge the elders among you, as a fellow-elder
myself and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and
as one who is to have a share in the glory that is to be
revealed:
Give a shepherd's care to the flock of God that is
entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a
duty but gladly, as God wants; not for sordid
money, but because you are eager to do it.
Do not lord it over the group which is in your charge,
but be an example for the flock.
When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will be
given the unfading crown of glory" [1 Peter 5:1].
14. Are you the stone on which the Church is founded?
..."you have tasted that the Lord is good. HE IS THE
LIVING STONE, rejected by human beings but
CHOSEN BY God and precious to Him" [1 Peter 2:3,5].
"Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised
from the dead, even by Him this man stands here
before you whole. THIS IS THE STONE which was
rejected by you the builders, which is become the
Head of the corner" [Acts 4:10-11].
15. Is Jesus still nailed to the cross, or is He a baby in
His mother's arms?
"...Jesus Christ... IS ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,
swallowing down death, that we might be made heirs
of life everlasting: being gone into heaven, the
angels and powers and virtues being made
subject to Him" [1 Peter 3:21,22].
16. Is the Church subject to human government?
"We ought to obey God, rather than men" [Acts
5:29].
"For the sake of the Lord, accept the authority of
every human institution: the emperor, as the
supreme authority, and the governors as
commissioned by Him to punish criminals and praise
those who do good.
Have respect for everyone and love for your
fellow-believers; fear God and honor the emperor"
[1 Peter 2:13, 14, 17].
17. How can I be saved?
"ALL who call on the name of the Lord will be
saved" [Acts 2:21].
..."you are SURE of the goal of your faith, that is, the
salvation of your souls" [1 Peter 1:9].
18. Besides Jesus, do I need ANY OTHER mediator?
Neither is there salvation in any other. For there
is no other name under heaven, given to men,
whereby we must be saved [Acts 4:12].
19. What would you advise Christians today?
"You therefore, brethren, knowing these things before,
take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the
unwise, you fall from your own
steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and unto the day of eternity.
Amen" [2 Peter 3:17, 18].
20. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
"Now you must repent and turn to God, so that
your sins may be wiped out" [Acts 3:19].
http://www.christconnection.net/id1.html
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011
TRUTH AND FICTION
For the love of money is a root of all evil: which while some have
coveted, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows [1 Timothy 6:10].
There's only ONE place where you'll find absolute
Truth and that's the holy, infallible Word of God.
EVERYTHING ELSE is, to one extent or another,
FICTION.
Which brings us to the genre of Christian fiction.
What? Isn't that a contradiction in terms? Isn't
Christianity supposed to be ALL about The Truth?
Yes and yes.
It's SUPPOSED TO BE ALL about The Truth.
Unfortunately, it ISN'T.
Paul told us that the love of money is a root of ALL
evil. And NOWHERE is that Truth more evident
that in the Christian publishing BUSINESS.
Most Christian books sold today are pure FICTION.
Most Christian prophecy books are TOTAL FICTION.
And, worst of all, Christian readers are so
disconnected from the Word of God [Jesus] that
they can't tell the difference between BIBLICAL
TRUTH and INVENTED, UNbiblical MYTH.
There are so-called "Christian prophecy series"
presented in some semblance of biblical context, which
promote falsehood and even DANGEROUS doctrine.
There are so called "Christian comics" with biblical
undertones that present wrong doctrine and biased,
revisionist view of history.
But 90% of the Christian public that buys or
reads such publications BELIEVES EVERYTHING
they read, and DOES NOT realize that if the
characters are FICTIONAL, much else in the content is
also FICTIONAL.
Just like 90% of nonbelievers who read A TOTAL
WORK OF FICTION like the so-called Da Vinci
Code, will swallow its contents hook, line and sinker,
and DO NOT realize that they're merely reading A
NOVEL, FABRICATION NOT FACT, and that such
work lacks ANY solid historical basis.
Such publications do more harm than good: NO
ONE, except the authors and publishers, benefits from
them. They undermine Truth, and wreak havoc with
the already fragile faith and doctrine of many.
They breed CONFUSION, which we know God
ISN'T the author of [1 Corinthians 14:33].
Just so we're clear, the people behind these fictitious
works have every right to publish them.
The public has every right to buy them.
But Christians also have the right, indeed, THE
OBLIGATION, to be discerning, to question their
content, and to critically examine them against
the LIGHT of the Scriptures, and reputable historical
sources.
Christians should form doctrine FROM THE BIBLE,
and NOT from some fantastic tale someone
concocted.
I don't care if they've sold 62 million copies, that
doesn't make it true anymore than Harry Potter is true
because it's sold over 400 million copies.
I know I couldn't live with myself if EVEN ONE PERSON
read that one of my fictional characters was drugged,
given the mark of the beast, then repented, and was
saved, and THEN, WHEN THE ACTUAL
TRIBULATION IS UNDERWAY, RECEIVES THE MARK
THINKING THEY CAN RECEIVE IT AND STILL BE
SAVED, WHEN THE BIBLE EXPLICITLY AND
UNQUESTIONABLY STATES THAT ALL THOSE
WHO RECEIVE IT WILL BE ETERNALLY DAMNED
[Revelation 14:9-11].
There's NOTHING in the Bible about Antichrist
drugging anyone to give them his mark. On the
contrary, he will want people to be VERY CONSCIOUS
of what they're doing; since the WHOLE PURPOSE of
receiving the mark is stroking his ego by CHOOSING
him and his father satan OVER Jesus Christ.
The love of $$$ has lined the pockets of many greedy,
unscrupulous Christian authors.
The jury's still out on whether they've changed any
hearts.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011
ESCAPISM
On a daily basis I hear the cries from believers for the
Rapture to take place.
Some tell me they have nice jobs, homes, families,
and they still can't wait to be with Jesus.
I wonder, though, if this applies to everyone.
I know there are MANY who are unemployed, going
thru some sort of rough patch at home, their job, their
finances...
Others are fearful because of everything that's going
on in the world: terrorism, sluggish economy, civil
unrest, governments being toppled, natural disasters,
not to mention all the FEAR that kristian authors have
put in their hearts with INVENTED conspiracy theories
and unscriptural speculation about Islamic takeover,
and Christians being placed in FEMA concentration
camps.
Would you still feel the same way, if you had a
million dollars in the bank?
Would you still want the Rapture to happen TODAY if
everything at work, or at home, or in the world,
were hunky dory?
Is your PRIMARY interest in the Rapture to ESCAPE
this world's challenges, or is it to see Jesus?
NOBODY wants the Rapture more than your humble
servant.
However, THE MOTIVE in Christians' hearts is VERY
important.
I urge every believer to set himself/herself aside,
commune with God, examine their own heart, and BE
HONEST.
Remember, we can't fool Him. He knows what
we're thinking and feeling ALL THE TIME.
I don't need to know your answer to these questions,
but Jesus certainly deserves an HONEST answer from
each of us.
It's quite natural and human to desire NOT to be here
when those awful tribulation judgments take place.
I'd be lying if I told you that I want to go thru them.
And Jesus graciously promised to remove us before
they happen.
But the question is: is our PRIMARY motive to
ESCAPE those judgments, or is it seeing our
precious Lord, face to face?
Is the MAIN REASON you want to leave EVADING
life under the Antichrist, or is it being with THE
Christ?
Friday, February 25, 2011
ESCAPISM
On a daily basis I hear the cries
from believers for the Rapture to
take place.
Some tell me they have nice jobs,
homes, families, and they still can‟t
wait to be with Jesus.
I wonder, though, if this applies to
everyone.
I know there are MANY who are
unemployed, going thru some sort
of rough patch at home, their job,
their finances…
Others are fearful because of
everything that‟s going on in the
world: terrorism, sluggish economy,
civil unrest, governments being
toppled, natural disasters, not to
mention all the FEAR that kristian
authors have put in their hearts
with INVENTED conspiracy
theories and unscriptural
speculation about Islamic takeover,
and Christians being placed in
FEMA concentration camps.
Would you still feel the same way,
if you had a million dollars in the
bank?
Would you still want the Rapture to
happen TODAY if everything at
work, or at home, or in the world,
were hunky dory?
Is your PRIMARY interest in the
Rapture based on desire to
ESCAPE this world‟s challenges,
or is it to see Jesus?
NOBODY wants the Rapture more
than yours truly.
However, THE MOTIVE in
Christians‟ hearts is VERY
important.
I urge every believer to set
himself/herself aside, commune
with God, examine their own heart,
and BE HONEST.
Remember, we can‟t fool Him. He
knows what we‟re thinking and
feeling ALL THE TIME.
I don‟t need to know your answer
to these questions, but Jesus
certainly deserves an HONEST
answer from each of us.
It‟s quite natural and human to
desire NOT to be here when those
awful tribulation judgments take
place.
I‟d be lying if I told you that I want
to go thru them.
And Jesus graciously promised to
remove us before they happen.
But the question is: is our
PRIMARY motive to ESCAPE
those judgments, or is it seeing our
precious Lord, face to face?
Is the MAIN REASON you want to
leave EVADING life under the
Antichrist, or is it being with THE
Christ?
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2011
THIRD TEMPLE
The Scriptures are clear that a third temple will be built
in Jerusalem [Revelation 11:2].
That temple MUST exist at least 3½ years PRIOR
TO Jesus' Second Coming, in order to fulfill the
prophecies regarding the abomination of desolation
[Matthew 24:15; Daniel 12:11].
But HOW will the third temple be built?
Despite the Temple Institute's best efforts to prepare
furnishings, utensils, and priestly garments in advance,
despite their energetic fund raising, the fact remains
that they CANNOT and WILL NOT build anything
unless and until the Israeli government gives the
go ahead.
Israel's government has shown NO INTENTION
whatsoever of doing that for several reasons, among
them, that they KNOW it will incite even more
Palestinian terrorism and retaliation from the Arab
world.
The temple's precise location is also in dispute. There
are at least three different theories on where the
former temples stood.
And let's not overlook the fact that Israel has had NO
TEMPLE, and NO TEMPLE OFFERINGS [sacrifices]
for 2,000 years.
It would take SOMETHING REALLY BIG, some
MOMENTOUS occurrence, for them to approve such
controversial undertaking.
What could possibly trigger the building of the temple?
How about the appearance of Messiah in the clouds
in power and great glory?
How about the REMOVAL of His Body [Church] from
the earth?
How about the return of their first spiritual leader,
thru whom they received the torah [Moses] and one of
their greatest, most powerful prophets [Elijah]?
Isn't that EXACTLY what the Scriptures predict? [Luke
21:27; Revelation 7:9; 11:3].
Zechariah 12:10 says that Jews will weep and MOURN
when they see the One whom they have pierced.
They will mourn, obviously, because most of them
have rejected Him.
Jesus Himself said all the tribes would mourn when He
appeared in the clouds [Matthew 24:30].
They will be shaken to their roots, when they
realize WHO their long-awaited Messiah has been
ALL ALONG.
Isaiah expressed it so beautifully in chapter 12, verse
2:
"hinneh el yeshu'ati"
"Behold God is my Salvation". Or, as we would say in
modern English:
"Look! God is... JESUS!!!"
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011
EGYPT: WHAT NEXT?
As we said 20 days ago, based on the Scriptures,
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is how history.
[If you missed the February 3 message, just click the
link below this message].
Two Fridays ago I watched in disbelief as one media
pundit after another gushed about Egyptians'
desire for freedom and their stubborn determination
to oust Mubarak.
They joined terrorists in Gaza and radicals in Iran
in praising and celebrating Egypt's "liberation".
Go figure.
They hailed it as "a great day for human freedom".
I would love to share the ingenuous media's optimism.
To be sure, Mubarak was a corrupt dictator who
deserved removal.
The question, then, is what's next for Egypt?
I had to chuckle when experts exuded admiration for
this "freedom movement" which, in their estimation,
would soon spread to other nations like Iran, Syria,
Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Bolivia.
How Israel had "nothing to fear" since they deal
directly with the Egyptian military, and since terrorists
will smuggle weapons into Gaza regardless of who's in
power.
How one gutless reporter after another showed
"ordinary" Egyptians saying they just wanted
"freedom", but neglected to follow up with
"what, EXACTLY, do you consider „freedom'?
How they described the Egyptian military, now in
power, as being "close to America", being anti-
Iran, and not wanting a theocracy, or a terrorist group
like the Islamic Brotherhood, taking over.
You mean the ARMED Egyptian military that stood
silently by while Egyptian mobs beat two journalists to
a pulp, simply because they were Western?
...The same Egyptian military that allowed a CBS
reporter to be beaten and sexually assaulted for being
American?
...The same Egyptian military that JUST OPENED the
Suez canal to the Iranian navy, something which
hadn't happened since the late 70's?
...The same Egyptian military that ALLOWED
terrorists to murder Coptic Christians two
months ago, during the Christmas holidays, AND
DID NOTHING?
Oh, yeah, they're trustworthy, all right.
As for being "close to America", DREAM ON,
naïve pundits! Take away the BILLIONS in foreign aid
they get from the U.S. and see just how "close" to
us they are.
Fact is, we have BOUGHT their VERY
CONDITIONAL "loyalty" for the past 30 years.
Fact is, according to the latest Pew Research poll
taken merely 10 months ago, 75% of Egyptians
favor Sharia law.
There's NOTHING LESS democratic than THAT.
If THAT'S what they meant by wanting "freedom",
Egypt is in DEEP doo-doo, to put it mildly.
Sharia law debases and oppresses women, views them
as inferior, as mere personal property, denies
them the right to education, to leave the house
without their husbands' permission, or to even
drive.
It calls for barbaric methods of punishment such as
stoning, hanging, amputation and decapitation, and
means automatic death for ANYONE who dares forsake
Islam and embrace another faith such as Christianity.
Fact is, these people don't know what true
"freedom" is, and wouldn't recognize it, if it BIT
THEM IN THEIR HEINIES.
Oddly enough, I don't see war between Egypt and
Israel. There's nothing in the Scriptures that says
Egypt will attack Israel in the last days.
According to Joel chapter three Lebanon, Jordan, the
Palestinians and Egypt will be antagonistic toward
Israel during the reign of Antichrist. But it doesn't say
they will attack until Antichrist leads a coalition of
nations, surrounds then takes Jerusalem, just prior to
his 42 month reign [Zechariah 12:2,3; 14:1,2].
Syria is conspicuously absent from the equation, which
implies that BEFORE Antichrist begins his 3½-year
reign of terror the destruction of Damascus,
prophesied in Isaiah chapter 17, has already
happened.
Egypt will eventually have a change of heart,
break away from the others, and cry out to the
Lord.
Then and only then will they EXPERIENCE true
freedom.
Then and only then will they KNOW who Freedom
really IS.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2011
LIBYA
Last week it was Egypt. This week it's Libya.
The airwaves have been reporting incessantly about
protests demanding the removal of the Gaddafi
regime.
Things do not look good for the long-time dictator.
Despite a defiant and brutal show of force, firing on
their own people, indiscriminately bombarding those
on the streets, or just driving around in their cars, and
threatening them with "rivers of blood", protesters
seem to be adamant.
Gaddafi is likely to stay in power as long as most of
the armed forces back him up. But there are already
numerous reports of defections.
Like Mubarak, once the military no longer supports
him, he's history.
No one who loves freedom will shed a single tear over
his removal, that's for sure.
Unlike Mubarak, he's never been a "friend" of the
United States.
Does the Bible say anything specific about Libyan
insurrection? Actually, no.
Prophecies about Libya found in Jeremiah, Nahum, and
most of Ezekiel, have already been fulfilled in the past.
What's happening right now can be placed in the
general category of "nation rising against nation",
that Jesus prophesied [Matthew 24:6-7].
We've seen Egyptians against Egyptians and Libyans
against Libyans, just as our Lord predicted.
Libyans are descendants of Ham [Genesis 10:6, 13; 1
Chronicles 1:8, 13].
They are known in the Bible by the names Libya, Phut,
Put, Lehabim, Lubim(s), Lud and Chub.
We know TWO THINGS about Libya's future from
the Scriptures:
1) It will serve Antichrist during the tribulation.
In fact, whoever rules Libya at the time, whether
it's Gaddafi or his replacement, will be one of the
"10 kings" that will support Antichrist, fight at
Armageddon, and try, in vain, TO PREVENT, the
return of Jesus [Daniel 7:23-24; 11:43; Revelation
17:12].
What's left of Libya will be ruled by our Lord "with a
rod of iron" during the Millennium [Psalm 2:9;
Revelation 2:27; 19:15].
2) At the end thereof, Libya will be one of the
nations that joins the satanic coalition of Gog and
Magog in a FINAL, and futile, attempt to attack
Jerusalem and topple the Kingdom of God [Ezekiel
38:1-7; 39:4,11,12; Revelation 20:7-10].
Unlike Egypt, who will eventually turn to the Lord and
be blessed, Libya's ultimate fate is EXTINCTION.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2011
NAME DROPPING
Ever notice how the world loves to "name drop"?
People just love to talk about their worldly
connections: "so and so used to be my classmate in
high school". "I used to live in his/or her
neighborhood". "I grew up three blocks from so-and-
so's house".
They love to talk about the famous and/or
powerful people they know, have known, or been
associated with.
These people may be famous and powerful TODAY.
Ten or 15 years from now, they'll be forgotten.
Somebody will ask "do you know Blankety Blank"? And
they'll say "WHO?".
If you think I'm exaggerating, Academy Award winner,
multi-Grammy Award winner, folk singer, songwriter
legend Bob Dylan was picked up about a year ago by a
22-year old New Jersey cop, who had NO IDEA
who Bob Dylan is. [Gee, makes me feel so old].
Do you think 15 YEARS FROM NOW, anyone will
remember, or even CARE, what Britney did? ... what
Paris wore? How many sex tapes they made, or who
they slept with?
Do you think they'll care about Oprah, Barack, Ga Ga
or Palin?
Nobody will care about Brad and Angelina, Lindsay,
Miley, Justin Bieber, or even the Jonas Brothers!
I wish Christians were as enthusiastic about
"name dropping" as their worldly counterparts.
After all, we KNOW, and have intimate one-on-one
relationship WITH THE MOST FAMOUS, MOST
POWERFUL, INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN THE
ENTIRE UNIVERSE.
And He's been famous since the dawn of history...
STILL IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE.
So, how about name dropping for God?
When was the last time you shared your faith in Jesus
Christ with someone?
When was the last time you BOASTED about being
acquainted with Him? About how close the two of
you are?
About how "cool" it is to EXPERIENCE Him, and
how truly "out of this world" wonderful He is?
Worldly fame and power are fleeting.
GOD IS PERMANENT. HE NEVER CHANGES. HE WAS
GOD A TRILLION YEARS AGO. HE'S GOD TODAY. HE'LL
BE GOD A TRILLION TRILLION YEARS FROM NOW.
Jesus is God YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER!
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2011
STAR TREK SYNDROME
In Israel, shrinks have a name for those who visit
Jerusalem, have a psychotic religious experience and
acquire a Messiah complex. They call it the
"Jerusalem Syndrome".
In America, many religious people suffer from
what I call "Star Trek Syndrome" or STS.
Symptoms of STS include pathological fear of the
future, belief in one or more "conspiracy theory",
that some secretive group is out to "get them", place
them in a concentration camp, then "rule the world".
Those afflicted with STS also ascribe fantastic
omnipotent powers rivaling God's, to those
mysterious, clandestine groups.
Those imagined powers include, but are not limited
to, the ability to carry out a "fake rapture", where
believers are literally "beamed" into
concentration camps in remote areas, to make it
appear AS IF the real Rapture had taken place.
Yeah, right. I'd love to see ANYONE, OTHER THAN
GOD, "beam" 2 BILLION Christians spread throughout
the planet.
Everyone knows, of course, that Bilderbergers and
Opus Dei have special powers to detect God's
Presence in a person's heart and thereby
determine who's a Christian and who isn't.
Most people recover from Jerusalem Syndrome in a
few weeks. Star Trek Syndrome is much harder to
overcome, because it's BIG BUSINESS.
STS is fueled by kristian media, self-declared
"prophecy experts", hundreds of publications, and
myriad kristian websites.
Not to mention that STS is eagerly embraced by
gullible kristian nitwits JUST DYING for some new
religious fantasy to tickle their unbelieving ears, and
excite their ignorant, amoeba-size brains.
Why am I being so harsh on STS sufferers and
promoters?
Because religious LIARS DESERVE a HARSH,
SWIFT and TERMINAL put down.
Because FEAR MONGERS serve satan, NOT Christ
[2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18].
Because they have MORE FEAR of satan's
ALLEGED "power" than FAITH in God's.
Because God has NO EQUAL, He is INFINITELY
GREATER than satan, and all conspiracy theorists put
together.
And because THERE ISN'T A SINGLE WORD in the
Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, about conspiracy
theories, about some secret society taking over the
world, about concentration camps, or about a fake
Rapture.
But don't you think, with all the scientific advances,
that such technology might be available?
Not unless you think Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are
real.
Not unless you believe in tribbles, phazers and
transporter rooms.
Not unless you believe Leonard Nimoy really has
pointed ears.
Such technology DOES NOT EXIST.
Scientists are WORKING ON the teleportation of
ENERGY. Even that is far from being perfected.
Science is still years and years away from
teleporting MATTER; assuming God will ever even
allow them to acquire such knowledge.
But let's PRETEND, for a moment, that it existed.
I have a great idea: why send costly drones or
vulnerable troops to hunt down Osama Bin Ladin?
Let's just "beam him" and his cronies from
whatever cave they're hiding in, to Gitmo.
Let's do the same to the Taliban. And, while we're at it,
let's also transport Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-il, his son
Jong-un, Bashar Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, all
members of Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic
Brotherhood and all terrorist organizations.
Let's just beam food and medicine to Haiti and other
countries where the population is sick, hungry, or
both.
Why sit in a stuffy plane for 12 hours? Let's just beam
ourselves and our luggage to whatever city we want to
visit.
And what the heck are we doing just sitting
around waiting for Jesus? Let's beam ourselves
up to the heavenly dimension and get out of this
sin laden realm, once and for all!
Most importantly, let's beam the Holy Spirit, a
HEAVY DOSE of Bible doctrine, and some
SERIOUS amount of gray matter, into the vacant
hearts and brains of all who suffer from SELF-
INFLICTED STS.
I enjoyed watching the original Star Trek episodes.
Actually found it quite entertaining. But I've never
confused entertainment with REALITY. I've never
confused science FICTION with Bible TRUTH.
If you believe that nonsense, I have a lovely bridge in
Brooklyn, and some beachfront real estate in Kansas
I'd love to sell you.
Beam me up, Scotty... PLEASE!!!
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2011
RELIGIOUS HOAXES
Will some of you PLEASE stop making a big deal of
every idiotic thing you watch or read about on the
internet?
And if you do, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.
DON'T write us about it.
Every time some fool decides to capriciously post some
sensationalist garbage, we immediately get about 50
emails from religious suckers who believe
EVERYTHING they read or watch on the net, just
like they believe EVERYTHING they see on
kristian TV.
I keep abreast of both LOCAL and FOREIGN media. I
know what's going on 3 or 4 days before these things
hit the internet and you write about them.
If I haven't said anything, it's because I DO NOT
regard it as newsworthy, let alone prophetically
significant.
There's NOTHING in the Bible about a May 21 Rapture.
Not a word.
Just because a lunatic fringe group, who claims we've
been in the tribulation for the past 23 years, and that
satan's been employed by God to rule the Church
decides to ramp it up, I'm not going to get all bent out
of shape about it.
You can if you want to. But we go by the Scriptures.
And there's NOTHING in the Scriptures about a 23-
year tribulation, or about satan EVER ruling Christ's
Church.
Jesus said the VERY OPPOSITE, that "the gates of
hell would NOT prevail against the Church" [Matthew
16:18].
A UFO over the Dome of the Rock? I read Israeli
media EVERY SINGLE DAY. They reported it ONCE and
rightly dismissed it as a hoax.
They also provided a link that gives step-by-step
instructions on how to superimpose a "ball of light"
into a video.
Leave it to the hyped, sensationalist American media
to make it "larger than life".
Moreover, the two American tourists who CLAIM they
took the footage are heard in the video saying "we've
seen them like that in Tennessee".
Doesn't that tell you these are people who believe in
UFO's and would want to "prove" they exist? Doesn't
that prove they have ulterior motives to shoot footage
of the Dome, then alter the video?
There's NOTHING in the Bible about UFO's
showing up over the Dome of the Rock. And, had
you bothered to read the myths on our Home page,
you'd know that where the Dome sits IS NOT the
biblical location of the former temples, so why on
earth would a UFO appear over it?
Then there's the ridiculous "fake rapture", where
the Illuminati or some other conspiracy theorist fave
[Bilderbergers, Trilateral Commission, Masons, et al]
plots to have Christians "teleported" out of the earth in
a Rapture simulation.
Give me a ginormous break!
There's NOTHING in the Bible about a "fake" Rapture.
That technology doesn't even EXIST, except in the
mind of some imbecile who invented it, and the even
bigger imbeciles who get all alarmed over it.
Scientists are working on teleportation of ENERGY,
and that hasn't even been achieved, or perfected. They
haven't gotten to MATTER yet.
Not to mention that, hypothetically speaking, even if
such technology did exist, God would know their
intention and PRE-EMPT THEM.
No wonder Jesus warned that at the end of the
age there would be rampant DECEPTION, not
from the world, but from kristians [Matthew 24:4].
We can't really blame the guys who keep coming up
with these hoaxes, though.
With ALL THE FICTION that Christians have been
BUYING for the past 40 years, they figure if those
other guys have been lying, and GETTING RICH
FROM THEIR LIES, they're gonna go ALL THE
WAY, and REALLY sell dumb Christians A
WHOPPER... at $18 bucks a piece.
Last but not least, I have to comment on the "pale
horse": Shame on American news sources for
spreading this stupid, unbiblical hoax.
If that's credible news reporting, then I'm Napoleon
Bonaparte.
Had you bothered to READ THE BIBLE, you'd know that
Revelation 6 says NOTHING about the pale horse
showing up on a video during Egyptian upheaval.
Had you studied Revelation 6:8, you'd know that when
the fourth seal was opened and this SYMBOLIC [not
literal] horse unleashed, it killed ONE FOURTH of
the earth's population.
I don't see that happening, do you?
Had you read myth #28 on our home page, you'd
know that we're living between the 5th and 6th seal,
and that the fourth seal was ALREADY OPENED
and the "pale horse" prophecy was ALREADY
FULFILLED in the 14th century when the plague
HIT Europe, Africa and the Middle East and killed
PRECISELY ONE FOURTH of the earth's population
thru the "beasts of the earth" [mice], EXACTLY as
Jesus predicted.
The purported "UFO" has already been PROVEN fake:
http://www.space.com/10789-jerusalem-ufo-
hoax.html
I suspect it won't be long 'til the same holds true for
the alleged "pale horse".
Fact is, 30 days from now NOBODY, INCLUDING
YOU, will even remember any of this bogus,
nonsensical, overexposed, melodramatic crap.
If some you want to rob Jesus of the time that
rightfully belongs to Him by seeking and running after
these fables, that's your business.
If you want to be swayed by every wind of doctrine
that surfaces on the internet, instead of being
GROUNDED, AND FIRMLY ESTABLISHED on God's
Word, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.
Leave me out of it. I refuse to participate in this
silliness. I want NO PART of it.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011
GOD'S BOASTING
Been thru a rough patch lately?
Trouble seems to be piling up on you?
If you're a child of God, you MUST BE doing
something RIGHT.
What? You heard me.
I know the typical thinking in the Church is if things
aren't going well God is "punishing" us.
Forget the "punishing" part. That's way too religious.
Of course, sin often does have disastrous
consequences.
But when you haven't done anything wrong,
when you haven't done anything to provoke or
cause trouble, and it comes, it's a sign you're doing
something VERY RIGHT [Job 2:3].
Which brings us to the Book of Job in the Old
Testament.
Job is described as "perfect, upright, a man who feared
God, as shunned evil". It's kind of hard to live up to
that description, right?
He had been blessed financially, as well as with a
large, close family, consisting of 7 sons, three
daughters, and a dumb wife.
LADIES, please, don't get mad at me. This was one
woman in particular, O.K.?
Anytime someone counsels you to just "curse God and
die"... I'm sorry, but that's just PLAIN DUMB,
regardless of who says it [Job 2:9].
Anyway, Job was doing NOTHING wrong. Everything
he did was right. So much so, that God was boasting
about him [Job 1:8].
It was satan who was having fits over it. He went
into a jealous rage and attacked Job ruthlessly.
Hit him with a barrage of misfortune: lost all his
material possessions, all 10 of his children, and
everything he owned. Went from being the greatest,
wealthiest man in the East, to being dirt poor.
You know what was the only thing he was allowed to
keep?
You guessed it, the dumb wife.
[Sorry. Just couldn't "pass" on that one].
As if all that wasn't EVIL ENOUGH, satan then put
painful, itching sores all over his body.
Long story short, eventually Job was victorious, God
delivered him, and he recovered everything, including
seven more sons and three BEAUTIFUL daughters.
Good ALWAYS triumphs over evil. That's why
Galatians 6:9 encourages us "be not weary in well
doing": for IN DUE SEASON we shall reap, if we faint
not.
If you're really committed to Jesus, and all hell's
breaking loose around you, cheer up.
The devil's ENVIOUS of you.
It may well be that God's been boasting of you.
Due season's just around the corner.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
SPIRIT OF FEAR
"...God has NOT given us the SPIRIT OF FEAR, but [the Spirit of] POWER,
LOVE and of a sound mind" [2 Timothy 1:7].
Fear is NOT a thing. Fear is A SPIRIT.
If you have followed this ministry for any length of
time, you know we're NOT the type of Christians that
see a demon or an evil spirit behind every situation.
If anything, I've often gotten on Christians' cases over
their tendency to "blame satan" for nearly
EVERYTHING, instead of taking PERSONAL
responsibility.
There is, however, a spirit of fear, and THIS SPIRIT
is the agent satan uses to unleash ALL MANNER
OF EVIL on unsuspecting mankind.
He used it in the Garden to scare Eve into FEARING
God was withholding something desirable from her,
when in reality, He'd created her in His own Image, as
He did Adam [Genesis 3:4-6].
After they both ate the forbidden fruit, and the glory
they were once crowned with left them, this EVIL
spirit immediately exposed their nakedness and
vulnerability.
That, in turn, caused them to be AFRAID of God,
the ONLY ONE who could SAVE and restore them.
Sure enough, both male and female, HID among the
trees [Genesis 3:10].
Instead of running TO God in repentance, they ran
FROM Him, as far as they could.
There are men and women running from God,
trying in vain to HIDE from Him, or just pretend
He's not there [doesn't exist] to this very day.
As brother David once pointed out, satan started out
as an ordinary garden snake in Genesis. By the time
we get to the Book of Revelation, man's fear has
turned the creep into A DRAGON [Revelation 12:9;
20:2].
ALL the evil in the world... -- ALL OF IT -- is wrought
by fear.
Wars, oppression, depression, tyranny, hunger,
poverty, greed, murder, theft, hate, adultery,
fornication, lying, TERRORISM, injustice, violence, all
forms of abuse, addiction, failure, heartbreak,
sickness, death, etc. are ALL the result of fear.
When you peel the layers off ANY of it, you'll find fear
is the underlying cause.
The oldest book in the Bible, says it so clearly "the
thing that I greatly FEARED has come upon me"
[Job 3:25].
If the spirit of fear has been operating in your life -
and he's been operating in most people's lives whether
they realize it or not - CAST HIM OUT.
How? By the Spirit of God, the Name of Jesus and
the Blood of Jesus [Matthew 12:28; Mark 16:17;
Revelation 12:11].
Born again Christians have authority to cast him, and
every evil spirit, OUT [Luke 10:19; James 4:7].
Do a thorough cleansing of your life, mind, memories,
emotional attachments [present and former], ancestral
ties, atmosphere and DNA.
DNA? Yes. The cells in our bodies have memory, and
are able to "recall" and MANIFEST experiences [both
positive and negative].
Then KEEP FEAR OUT by abiding in Perfect Love
[Jesus Himself] who is INSIDE YOU, and One
with your born-again Spirit [1 John 4:18; 1
Corinthians 6:17].
If you catch ANY fear trying to creep back in, REJECT
IT immediately and use the antidote which is the
Love [Righteousness] of God, which has been "shed
abroad in our hearts by His Holy Spirit" [Romans 5:5].
If you suffer from depression and/or panic [FEAR]
attacks, don't just sit around moping or staring at the
wall as I did many years ago, PLEASE.
Inactivity is your worst enemy. Be proactive.
Exercise, walk, get things organized, get your life in
order.
Work on that project you never had time to do/finish
before. If you can't think of anything else, take up a
hobby.
Flush your mind of negative thoughts. When satan
[fear] puts negative thoughts there, REJECT
THEM and THINK [meditate on] the Word of God.
When we cut fear off, we cut satan off.
The spirit of fear is VICIOUS.
You have to be as ruthless with him, as he has
been with you.
Don't give him "the time of day". Don't give him room.
Don't even let him ANYWHERE NEAR you.
Stop playing "defense" and start taking the
OFFENCE, in Jesus' Name.
Jesus ALREADY WON the victory over fear, and over
satan himself.
It's up to us to either accept fear or in His Name EXPEL
it... once and for all.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011
RIGHTEOUSNESS
All fear is sin, and ALL sin is fear.
Sin is CAUSED BY fear [Romans 14:23].
Sin is a MANIFESTATION OF fear.
We see it all the way back in the Garden of Eden when
Eve FEARED that God was withholding godhood from
them, so she tried to get it herself by eating the
forbidden fruit [Genesis 3:4-6].
We see it even further back, when satan FEARED that
if he asked God to elevate him to His Throne, God
would refuse, therefore he decided to rebel, instead
[Isaiah 14:13,14].
Righteousness is FEARLESSNESS.
Righteousness REPELS fear.
The Book of Revelation is full of good promises to
those who "overcome" [are victorious].
Overcome what? ...The world, the flesh the devil, sin,
death?
ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Righteousness is THE WAY to OVERCOME FEAR.
FEAR is what opens the door to ALL the rest... to ALL
that is evil.
Fear alienates us from God, and alienates God
from us.
God is Perfect Love. Perfect Love CASTS OUT fear [1
John 4:18].
That's why Revelation 21:8 also states that THE
FEARFUL will have their part in the lake of fire.
Fear doesn't overcome anything. Fear is THE
GUARANTEED WAY to bring suffering, trial, disgrace
and condemnation to our lives.
He that overcomes is he who KNOWS and
TRUSTS Jesus' Righteousness, which is now
OURS.
He that overcomes is he who TRUSTS that God is NOT
withholding ANYTHING desirable, any good and perfect
gift, not even His own Throne, from us [James
1:17; Revelation 3:21].
Jesus shared God's glory with the Father before the
world began. So did we, since we were predestined
IN Him before the foundation of the world
[Ephesians 1:4].
The Body of Christ [I'm preaching to myself as well as
to you] is in DESPERATE NEED OF spiritual
regression: back to original Righteousness, which
Jesus restored to us, back to original innocence, back
to original glory, back to original Oneness with
Him, back to Paradise.
Righteousness will overcome ALL things, EVEN
DEATH.
That's why Jesus had no fear of death.
He KNEW death, hell and the grave COULDN'T hold
Him because He trusted His own Eternal, Perfect
Righteousness [Psalm 16:2, 5-9].
Jesus KNEW God would not leave His soul in hell nor
suffer His Righteous One to see corruption [Psalm
16:10].
Sure enough, they couldn't.
That's why those who die in Christ's Righteousness,
like Christ Himself, are guaranteed Resurrection, [1
Thessalonians 4;16,17].
That's why those who are alive and clothed in His
Righteousness are guaranteed transformation and
glorification, like Christ Himself, at the catching away
of believers [1 Corinthians 15:50-55].
Hell was made ONLY for the Unrighteous.
Jesus' Righteousness is GREATER THAN all your
sin, greater than all your guilt.
His Righteousness is GREATER THAN fear,
GREATER THAN death itself.
Jesus' Righteousness IS our victory.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011
CURE FOR DEPRESSION
I often hear from Christians who are suffering from
depression, panic attacks, or both.
Although the symptoms are different, these two things
are related.
How do I know? „Cause I've been there myself.
The cure for depression and panic [fear] is
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
What? That's right: RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Not our own, of course, since we got none.
I'm talking about Jesus' Righteousness.
There is no righteousness but His.
Depression and panic attacks [fear] are the result of
GUILT.
Guilt is A FORM OF FEAR. When we feel guilty, or
perceive ourselves as "guilty", we feel worthy of
punishment, hence we consciously or
unconsciously INVITE retribution.
Moreover, we develop a "punishment" mindset, where
we're constantly EXPECTING it instead of blessings.
This "guilty" mindset can exist in people who
CONSCIOUSLY know they've done NOTHING wrong.
It's buried deep in our subconscious, WHICH IS WHY,
in many instances, it goes unnoticed.
The guilt mindset originated in the Garden of Eden. It's
what caused Adam and Eve to be kicked out of it.
If you've given your heart to Jesus and made Him your
Lord, you must realize that He took ALL your sins,
everything you ever did, every thing "worthy" of
punishment, everything you were guilty of, and
PAID FOR THEM on the Cross.
If it's ALREADY PAID FOR, then there's NO GUILT
ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE, can heap on us
[Romans 8:1].
If Jesus erased ALL YOUR SINS, then you are
guiltless, and there's NOTHING to be "punished for",
and NOTHING TO FEAR.
You should NOT have a "punishment" mindset but a
"blessing" mindset.
Jesus didn't stop at "just" paying for our guilt and our
sins. He gave us His OWN Righteousness.
He "who knew no sin was made sin for us, THAT WE
MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in
Him" [2 Corinthians 5:21].
Jesus made you, BY His unspeakably precious Blood
and magnificent Grace as RIGHTEOUS AS HIMSELF.
He gave us, HIS OWN Righteousness.
It doesn't get more righteous than that!
The cure for depression is to renew your mind with
that Truth, to change the way you think and
perceive yourself, to UPROOT all guilt, fear and
condemnation in your mind [conscious or
unconscious], to become FULLY CONVINCED of this
marvelous Truth.
Your heart must be AT ALL TIMES SETTLED ON that
Truth.
I don't care what your friends say, what your family
says, what your school teachers said or did, what your
parents told you when you were a child, I don't care
what religion or ANYONE ELSE HAS TOLD YOU.
God says He made you HIS OWN Righteousness.
He has IMPUTED [freely credited] His Righteousness to
you.
When we become ESTABLISHED on this Truth, satan
has NOTHING to work with.
Accusing you would be like accusing God.
Punishing you would be like punishing God.
Become FULLY persuaded, TOTALLY ANCHORED on
His Righteousness [1 Corinthians 1:30].
And bid fear and depression good bye FOREVER.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011
THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE
Did you know that YOU are the Love of Jesus' Life?
Yes, I'm talking to YOU.
I can almost hear you say "that's insane".
"There's NOTHING in me worth that much love".
"How can you say I'M the love of Jesus' life"?
Because YOU ARE, and I can PROVE IT.
Think of that time in your life when you were REALLY,
madly, head-over-heels in love with someone... think
about "the love of YOUR life"...
And, BE HONEST: much as you loved "her" or "him"...,
Would you have GIVEN YOUR LIFE for them?
Would you have actually DIED for that person?
Would you allow others to spit you, mock you, ridicule
you, punch you in the face, pluck your beard off, and
stick a clump of thorns into your scalp for love of that
person?
Would you submit to a savage beating, then a savage
whipping which tore off your skin, leaving your flesh
and nerves exposed?
Would you have CARRIED THE CROSS uphill on your
bruised, aching shoulders for them?
Would you have poured out every drop of blood
for that person?
Would you have allowed 7-INCH NAILS to be driven
into your hands and feet WITH A HAMMER?
Would you have allowed a Roman soldier to thrust a
spear into your heart?
Would you have hung on the cross for 6 AGONIZING
HOURS, in the blazing sun, hardly able to breathe, in
excruciating pain?
Would you have spent three days and nights IN
HELL ITSELF for the "love of your life"?
I assure you that the most intense, infatuating and
intoxicating form of natural, HUMAN love, would NOT
have PAID THAT PRICE, or even COME CLOSE.
Yet Jesus did ALL OF THAT FOR YOU.
Greater love has no man than this: that He lay
down His life"... [John 15:13].
On this day when love is celebrated all over the world,
do you know Him who is Love Personified?
Are you IN Love Himself?
YOU ARE, without a doubt, the Love of Jesus' life.
Is He THE Love of YOURS?
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2011
LAZY
I knew there's a spirit of lethargy at work in the
Church, but some Christians are just downright LAZY.
They're too lazy to study the Word of God for
themselves.
They're too lazy to spend time talking and listening to
God.
They're even too lazy to ENJOY His Presence.
Consequently, they want this ministry TO DO
THEIR WORK FOR THEM.
Someone will copy AN ENTIRE WEBSITE and send it
to us thru email, asking us to give "our opinion".
Do that and, I promise, you WON'T LIKE our answer.
Or they'll give us the link to a website asking us to
evaluate its content, like we got nothing better to do.
Or they'll send us an HOUR LONG video of some stupid
teaching they came across, and expect us to watch the
whole thing [just WATCHING would eat up a whole
hour of our time] then render some sort of critique.
Get real!
We have IMPORTANT things to do like SPENDING TIME
WITH JESUS, studying the Word, spirit intercession,
reading and answering people's questions and
problems, ministering to REAL needs, ministering to
new believers, keeping abreast of what's going on in
the world, and writing these daily messages.
Not to mention all the administrative duties, maintaing
the website, adding content, sending out free
materials, translating into various languages, etc. etc.
Not to mention that, some of us, HAVE REAL, FULL
TIME JOBS.
A) We simply DO NOT have the time.
B) I'm NOT INTERESTED.
If I wanted to read that website, or watch that video,
I'd
go there myself.
C) I'm not about to do your work for you.
D) God didn't call us to be the web's police. I'm
not going to rob Jesus of His time investigating
silly things.
E) If you're really that interested, then YOU READ
IT, sum it up in A FEW words, and ask a direct
question: "I read/heard on this website/book/video
thus and so, what do you think of THAT?" And,
F) Even if I were willing to spend my SCARCE and very
valuable time reading or watching what you sent,
WHO'S TO SAY you're not going to disregard it,
just like you disregard the Bible, and much of
what we teach?
Some of you may have NOTHING BETTER to do, than
to roam the internet for some "fabulous" new thing,
but that's not our problem.
If you want to TAKE YOUR EYES OFF JESUS, and
personally DENY HIM your time by reading and
watching every stupid religious fantasy someone puts
out, that's YOUR problem.
If you want to settle FOR A SUBSTITUTE, rather
than concentrate on the REAL, that's YOUR (even
bigger) problem.
Besides being EXTREMELY INCONSIDERATE, A HUGE
imposition, and extremely time consuming, IT JUST
DEMONSTRATES HOW SPIRITUALLY LAZY some
of you have become.
You need to awake from your slumber, shake yourself
up, and SEEK THE LORD FOR YOURSELF.
I'm not about to indulge your slothfulness.
I wouldn't do it EVEN IF I had the time.
Fact is, if you took the time to seek Jesus, commune
with Him, talk to Him, and LISTEN TO Him, you
wouldn't need to ask MY opinion. You'd HAVE
HIS.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2011
NO OTHER NAME
In Acts 4:12 we have Peter's immortal words "neither
is there Salvation in ANY OTHER. Because THERE
IS NO OTHER NAME, under heaven, given among men,
whereby we MUST BE SAVED".
Jesus is THE ONLY NAME whereby we must be saved.
There is NO OTHER NAME, besides His Holy Name, by
which ANYONE can be saved.
Consequently, ALL "OTHER NAMES" have NOTHING,
repeat, NOTHING to do with our Salvation.
THAT INCLUDES the names:
Law
10 Commandments
Sabbath
Judaism
Israel
Church attendance
Saturday worship
Works
Good deeds
The name of ALL denominations.
The name of ALL religious groups.
The name of ALL religious leaders.
But isn't Jesus a religious leader? No.
Jesus is a SPIRITUAL LEADER, and there's a WORLD of
difference between the two.
Jesus is God.
Have you called on THE ONLY NAME that can
save you?
Have you invited Him into your heart?
Have you made Him your Lord?
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011
LEAVING THE WILDERNESS
When the children of Israel left Egypt, after 400
years in slavery, they had to cross the desert in
order to reach the Promised Land.
Though their deliverance had been miraculous, though
God had supernaturally protected them, fed them,
watered them, healed them, opened up the Red sea so
they could cross on dry ground, led them with a pillar
of smoke by day, and a pillar of fire by night, with the
exception of a few, they clung to their bondage
mentality.
They THOUGHT as slaves, they TALKED as slaves,
the ACTED as slaves.
This all came to a head, when they sent spies to check
out the land of Canaan.
The spies, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb,
said flat-out that they would be unable to take
the land God had promised them, because they just
couldn't defeat the giants in that land, mano-a-mano.
God's grace had already given them the land. Even
their enemies knew it [Joshua 2:9].
Yet their slave mindset saw the giants' physical
superiority as insurmountable. It suggested they'd
have to fight against the giants THEMSELVES.
Even though God had already told them it was
theirs for the taking, they thought they had to fight
and WORK their way into Canaan.
God calls their assessment of the situation "an EVIL
report".
As a result, the people of Israel wept and screamed,
and proposed it'd be better to return to Egypt.
Maybe having no rights, being used and abused,
debased, lashed into forced labor, and wallowing in
mud pits, was preferable.
Instead of valuing their freedom, they preferred
returning to the slavery God had so marvelously
delivered them from. That's religion for you!
Today we have MILLIONS of religious kristians
who, like the Israelites of old, WANT TO return to
slavery.
They would rather live IN BONDAGE to the law, the
10 commandments, the Sabbath, tithing, water
baptism, dietary laws, a denomination, or a
combination thereof.
They hold to that same SLAVE mentality that
keeps them and their followers from ENTERING
the Promised Land.
God swore that faithless, unbelieving generation
would NOT ENTER the Land of Promise.
Sure enough, they wandered in the desert for 40 years
until the last one of them perished.
Moses himself died without entering.
It was Joshua [Yehoshua, Jesus] who led the new
generation across the Jordan, and into Canaan.
Slaves, you see, don't inherit anything.
In order to inherit, YOU MUST BE A SON. SONS
AREN'T SLAVES, SONS ARE FREE.
All those who insist on doing the work themselves,
on entering on their own merits, on observing days,
and commandments, and dietary laws, ARE SLAVES.
SLAVES WON'T ENTER THE PROMISED LAND.
Those who trust God's Promise, His Word, His
Grace, are sons of the Most High. They inherit the
Father's promises FOR FREE.
Anyone who wishes to enter heaven MUST shun that
slave mindset, reject that desert attitude, and become
A TRUSTING CHILD of God.
The Land of Milk and Honey is reserved ONLY for sons.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2011
TEMPLE DONATIONS
Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute in
Jerusalem just concluded his fund raising trip through
the U.S.
The Temple Institute's own website declares that about
60% of admissions income, and about ONE THIRD of
donations received for the building of the third
temple, COME FROM Christians.
There are kristian "ministries" that offer replicas of the
temple building in exchange for donations.
One "ministry" in particular has even designed its TV
set to look like the temple, as if such natural, physical
trappings would somehow imbue the "ministry" with
more spirituality.
The prophetic Scriptures are clear that a third
temple will be built [Revelation 11:2].
It will be built in order to fulfill the prophecies that
Antichrist will enter that temple, sit in that temple, and
proclaim himself "God" [2 Thessalonians 2:4].
He will also place an idol of himself in the third temple,
just as Antiochus Epiphanes [another Greek] did in the
second temple, thus fulfilling the abomination of
desolation that Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:15.
I realize that Jews' desire to build the temple is noble.
I realize Christians who donate to this project, are well
intentioned. And the fact you've donated doesn't mean
you've fallen out of favor with God.
However, I would think TWICE about what you're
really doing when you give money for the third temple.
The whole purpose in building the third temple is
so that it will be desecrated by the Antichrist.
Do you REALLY WANT your money to go to some
building destined to be used by Jesus' nemesis to
exalt himself, proclaim himself God, oppress Jews,
profane it, place and idol of himself, and FORCE
people into idolatry UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH?
It's one thing for unbelievers to donate, since they
DON'T KNOW these things, but for someone who's
given their heart to Christ, to donate to a project that
will glorify Anti-Christ, and serve his purpose, seems a
bit of a contradiction, to put it mildly.
Fact is, God doesn't dwell in temples made by
human hands [Acts 7:48-49; Isaiah 66:1-2; 2
Samuel 7:5; 1 Kings 8:27].
Fact is, God ALREADY HAS a temple which He built
Himself.
Therefore, He doesn't need "another" temple.
His Church IS His temple [1 Corinthians 3:16-17;
Hebrews 3:6].
If I were you, I'd put my time, energy and money into
EDIFYING the Body of Christ, which is the REAL
temple of God, not some man-made building destined
to exalt a false god.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011
ANGRY WITH GOD
I have a confession: there have been times in my
life, in fact NUMEROUS times, when I've gotten
frustrated and angry with God. I mean, desperately
angry, FUMING angry.
Matter of fact, I've TOLD Him as much.
I've often expressed that anger in EXTREMELY harsh,
devastatingly HONEST ways.
In moments of great frustration, I've also used FOUL
language that, by human standards, is considered
HIGHLY improper.
If you got any blood circulating in your veins, and
unless you've lived all your life in a gilded castle,
insulated from all the evils and trials of this messed up
world, YOU HAVE, TOO.
You might as well ADMIT IT.
Am I proud of such moments? No.
Have I asked forgiveness? You bet. EVENTUALLY.
Have I been forgiven? Each and every time.
And, I suspect, there may be a few more times before
this crazy age comes to and end where I'll be in need
of SPECIAL forgiveness.
Do you think that "holding back" and NOT
expressing your anger will win you any brownie
points?
Guess again.
Do you think NOT expressing your anger and
frustration means God won't KNOW about it?
Ha! Don't make me laugh.
He KNEW ABOUT IT before you even felt it.
He KNEW ABOUT IT before He created you.
He KNEW ABOUT IT before the foundation of the
world.
There's A LOT of pain all around us.
There's A LOT of pain in ALL our lives.
There's A LOT of stuff that we DON'T understand.
It's hard to understand WHY, when you've given
your WHOLE heart and life to Jesus, when you've made
untold SACRIFICES for His sake and the Gospel's, AND
YET He allows some terribly painful things to happen to
you, IN SPITE OF THAT.
It's hard and IT HURTS.
It's true the Bible warns that to whom much is given
MUCH shall be required [Luke 12:48], but that
doesn't numb the pain, or diminish its intensity.
I don't care what some religious stiff may say,
praising is THERAPEUTIC, and so is VENTING.
Do you know that when I've poured out my anger and
frustration [and I mean, REALLY let it rip!], God's
NEVER gotten angry at me?
He's NEVER been OFFENDED.
He's NEVER ignored me.
NEVER abandoned me.
He's NEVER made fun of, ridiculed, dismissed or
belittled my VERY REAL pain.
He's NEVER thrown some overused, one size fits all
religious cliché at me.
Thank God He's NEVER stopped communicating with
me.
Truth be told, I've gotten some of the BIGGEST
revelations RIGHT AFTER getting shouting mad
at Him.
Which demonstrates the sheer GREATNESS and
infinity of His Perfect, NEVER FAILING,
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
Do I love Him any less because I've expressed such
frustration, pain, or anger? Heck, NO.
I love Him more today than I EVER did: With ALL
my heart, soul, strength and mind, with every
particle of my being.
Does He love me any less?
No way. Praise Him FOREVER AND EVER!
We have the kind of INTIMATE spiritual relationship
where I can tell Him ANYTHING, and He can tell
me anything, good, bad, ugly, or somewhere in
between.
I don't get offended either, when He speaks to me
clearly and directly. In fact, I absolutely LOVE His
openness and HONESTY. I LOVE IT when He
CORRECTS ME, and sets me straight.
That's the kind of relationship He wants to have
with you.
Saying "nice things" that you don't really mean is
hypocritical.
Truth isn't always pretty. Carnal Christians often can't
handle truth. FLESH is easily offended.
But JESUS can handle your anger. He can handle
ANYTHING you say.
JESUS can handle ANY THING.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2011
ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART
In Matthew 12:24 Jesus said:
"O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak
good things? For out of the abundance of the
heart, the mouth speaks".
No truer principle has ever been spoken.
What we have in our hearts will, sooner or later,
come out of our mouths.
We can try to pretend, we can lie, we can be
hypocritical and say one thing, when we really feel
something else, but we can only carry on such act for
a short while.
It's just a matter of time before our mouths reveal how
we really feel, AND WHO WE REALLY ARE.
That's why we can fool some people some times,
but we cannot fool ALL the people ALL the time.
That's why we CAN'T fool God at ANY time.
He KNOWS EXACTLY what's in our hearts.
He KNOWS even BEFORE it comes out our
mouths.
Tell me the ONE THING you just can't shut up
about, and I'll tell you what's in your heart.
So, I ask you today what or WHO is in your heart?
What or who do you CONSTANTLY talk about?
The Super Bowl? Soccer? Sex? Food? Some lame
"celebrity"? Business? Money? Politics? Some minor
doctrinal issue you want to IMPOSE on others? Or
Jesus?
Is Jesus REALLY in your heart?
If He is, how come you NEVER talk about Him?
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2011
TIME GAP
I love the Word of God, I love the Word of God, I love
the Word of God.
That's not a typo. I needed to say it three times.
One of post-tribulationalists' favorite arguments, is
that dispensationalists place a "time gap", known as
"the Church age", between the 69th and 70th
sabbatical weeks of Daniel's famous prophecy [Daniel
9:25-27].
Post-tribulation proponents insist that such
"time gap" is NOT supported by the Scriptures.
I quote from one of their leading scholars Gary DeMar:
"Is there biblical support for this view? There is
no proof whatsoever" (1).
Sorry, Gary, but to quote Jesus Himself "You do err,
NOT KNOWING THE SCRIPTURES, nor the power
of God" [Matthew 22:29].
It's YOUR VIEW THAT ISN'T SUPPORTED BY THE
SCRIPTURES, IN THE LEAST.
In Daniel 12:5-7 Jesus Himself appears to the prophet
and swears by Himself that the great tribulation and
reign of Antichrist, shall last 3½ years.
In Revelation 10:1-7 that same Jesus appears to
John, holding the Book of Daniel in His hand, and
once again lifts up his hand to heaven and swears by
Himself, [verse 6] that "there shall be NO MORE
DELAY".
Literally, in Greek, chronos ouketi esomai. He SWEARS
BY HIMSELF that "time interval no longer will be".
Any way you look at it, a TIME INTERVAL or "delay"
is a TIME GAP.
To all dispensationalists out there, since I've been so
ruthless in demolishing your unscriptural myths, I
thought I'd throw you a bone...
To post-tribbers, I'd say I hate to spring this on you on
Super Bowl Sunday... but I'd be hypocritical if I said
that.
Truth is, I'm enjoying this immensely.
But relax. God is fair. Your team will probably
win...
Nobody's been more critical of dispensationalists than
I, but when they're right, they're right.
Just goes to show I'm an "equal opportunity" myth
buster.
So, "the gap theory", as it is often referred to, is
TOTALLY scriptural.
Jesus goes on to say [verse 7] "but in the days of the
voice of the 7th angel, when he shall begin to sound,
the MYSTERY of God should be FINISHED, as He
has declared to His servants the prophets".
So, Jesus appears to John, as the final 3½ years are
about to begin, and swears by Himself, that the
"TIME INTERVAL" OR "TIME GAP" SHALL BE NO
MORE.
That clearly indicates THERE HAD BEEN A TIME GAP.
In other words, the last 3½ years of Daniel's 70
weeks, known as the Great Tribulation, during which
Antichrist reigns are, FINALLY, AT LONG LAST, ABOUT
TO BEGIN.
WHY? BECAUSE THE TIME INTERVAL [GAP] BETWEEN
THE 69½ WEEKS AND THE FINAL ½ WEEK [3½ years]
THAT WILL COMPLETE THE 70TH WEEK, IS "NO
LONGER".
At the end of those final 3½ years the "mystery" of
God is FINISHED. The Church age, the Rapture, the
tribulation, the Antichrist, and Jesus' Second Coming,
are no longer a "mystery". They're all HISTORY
by then.
In all fairness, though, dispensationalists haven't
helped their cause much by BUTCHERING this
marvelous prophecy, erroneously insisting it's the
Antichrist who confirms the covenant, and that there's
a time gap between the 69th and 70th weeks.
No. It's THE Christ who ALREADY CONFIRMED [glory
to Him forever!] the Abrahamic covenant at the end of
69½ weeks, thus leaving HALF A SABBATICAL WEEK,
OR 3½ years, remaining to be fulfilled.
The TIME GAP occurs between the 69½ week and the
70th week.
So, as far as biblical scholarship is concerned, there's
plenty of blame to go around, in both camps.
Truth is, we ALL need to set aside our theological
bias, and get on the same page.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again:
God's Word says WHAT IT SAYS, NOT what WE
WANT IT TO SAY.
Prophecy won't be fulfilled the way we want, but the
Way God intended.
(1) "Last Days Madness" by Gary DeMar, Ch. 11, pp. 171,172
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2011
WHO IS MYSTERY
BABYLON?
Religious airwaves and cyberspace are crammed full of
erroneous teaching on this topic, ranging from New
York City, to the United States, to the Roman Catholic
Church being Mystery Babylon.
Which of the three views is correct? NONE.
Since it's quite clear in the Scriptures that Mystery
Babylon will be destroyed during the tribulation, some
are even urging believers TO LEAVE THE U.S. and
go live in another country, to avoid its impending
destruction.
For the record, there's no such thing as a "safe"
country during the tribulation [Revelation 13:7].
You could hide in Timbuktu, and no mortal could
guarantee your safety.
In a desperate attempt to make their favored view "fit"
the biblical description, self-professed experts mix
historic, Old Testament Babylon with Mystery
Babylon, ending up with an incongruous hodgepodge
of religious nonsense.
Old Testament Babylon is ACTUAL, HISTORIC Babylon,
which was destroyed, and will never be rebuilt,
as God prophesied thru Isaiah [Isaiah 13:19-20]. Its
ruins can be seen to this very day in modern Iraq.
Mystery Babylon, mentioned ONLY in the New
Testament's Book of Revelation, is clearly A
METAPHOR for another city which RESEMBLES
historic Babylon's characteristics, and WHICH STILL
EXISTS.
We see another example of such symbolism in
Revelation 11:8 where Jerusalem is "spiritually" called
"Sodom" and "Egypt".
Revelation 17:18 tells us UNDISPUTEDLY that
Mystery Babylon is A CITY.
If it's A CITY, then it CANNOT BE - I don't care what
anyone says - the United States of America. That's
UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE.
The same verse tells us "The woman you saw is the
great city THAT RULES [present tense] OVER the
kings of the earth."
Since that was written in the first century A.D., AND
SINCE SCRIPTURE MUST ALWAYS BE TAKEN IN
CONTEXT, we must ask ourselves "What city was
REIGNING OVER the kings of the earth AT THAT
TIME"?
The answer is Rome. When that was written, the
Roman Empire was in its apogee. Rome was THE
ONLY city REIGNING OVER the kings of the earth.
That's UNDISPUTED, HISTORIC FACT.
What, you may wonder, would cause the Apostle John
to metaphorically refer to Rome as "Mystery Babylon"?
Both were heathen cities, both grew into world
empires, both spread paganism throughout their
domain, both destroyed Jerusalem's temple, they did it
on the VERY SAME date the 9th of Av in the Hebrew
calendar, both were oppressive regimes, both took
Jews into captivity... and that's just off the top of my
head.
Revelation 18:24 also identifies this city as one in
which "the blood of prophets and of the saints"
was found. This is yet another unequivocal reference
to Rome which murdered THOUSANDS of our Christian
brothers and sisters, including the apostles Peter and
Paul.
Moreover, Revelation 17:9 tells us the city "sits on 7
hills", which is an undeniable topographical
characteristic of Rome.
The 7 hills in question are called Esquiline, Palatine,
Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Quirinal, and Viminal.
Therefore, Mystery Babylon is none other than
THE CITY OF ROME.
But if it's Rome, doesn't it refer to the Roman Catholic
Church?
Sorry to burst prejudiced religious bubbles, but the
RCC did not exist in the first century A.D., and
didn't come into existence until some 300 years
later. That's also HISTORIC FACT.
So, while the Vatican will doubtlessly be affected by
Rome's judgments, and in all likelihood destroyed, it
does not refer specifically to Catholicism.
But, since it's a city, couldn't it be New York City?
No. New York City DIDN'T EVEN EXIST when this was
written.
Therefore, it COULDN'T POSSIBLY be "reigning over"
the kings of the earth back in the first century A.D.,
nor does it rule over any kings today.
New York City doesn't "sit on 7 hills".
And, despite all its excess and debauchery, you
cannot find "the blood of prophets and of the
saints" in New York City.
It's Rome that will be destroyed during the
tribulation. It's Rome that God prompts His people to
flee during that time by saying "come out of her, my
people" [Revelation 18:4].
Mystery Babylon ALWAYS has been Rome.
Mystery solved.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011
EGYPT'S FUTURE
Yesterday we looked at what's happening in Egypt in
light of Bible prophecy and, short term, it appears
rather bleak.
Long-term, however, is a totally different story.
God has a wonderful future in store for Egypt and
its people.
Here's what other prophetic Scriptures reveal:
1. Egypt will attack Antichrist before he gains world
domination, and will lose [Daniel 11:40].
2. All of Egypt's wealth and treasures will fall into
Alexander's hands [Daniel 11:43].
3. Alexander will rule over Egypt and over EVERY
nation on earth [Daniel 11:42; Revelation 13:7].
4. During Antichrist's reign Egypt will become desolate
[Joel 3:19].
5. After the tribulation, when Jesus returns and sets up
His Millennial reign, He will restore Egypt.
6. Egyptians will serve and worship our Lord
during that time [Isaiah 45:14; Zechariah 14:16-19;
Isaiah 19:18-22].
7. The Nile will dry up [Isaiah 19:5,6].
8. The Red Sea will dry up [Isaiah 11:15; 19:5,6].
9. There will be a highway that joins Egypt, Israel and
Assyria [Northwestern Iraq, where the Kurds are,
Isaiah 19:23].
10. In God's own words:
"In that day there shall be an altar of the Lord in
the midst of the land of Egypt, and a monument of
the Lord at the borders thereof: It shall be for a sign,
and for a testimony to the Lord of hosts in the land of
Egypt.
For they shall cry to the Lord because of the
oppressor, and he shall send them a Saviour and
a defender to deliver them.
And the Lord shall be known by Egypt, and the
Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and
shall worship Him with sacrifices and offerings: and
they shall make vows to the Lord, and perform them.
And the Lord shall strike Egypt with a scourge, and
shall heal it, and they shall return to the Lord, and he
shall be pacified towards them, and heal them [Isaiah
19:19-22].
In that day [Isaiah 19:23-25] there will be a
highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will
go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The
Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.
In that day Israel will be the third, along with
Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth.
The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed
be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and
Israel my inheritance."
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011
EGYPT
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "... WHAT WILL BE THE SIGN of your
coming and OF THE END OF THE AGE?"
Jesus answered: ... You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but
see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the
end is still to come.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There
will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
All these are THE BEGINNING OF birth pains". [Matthew 24:3-8]
No one should be surprised about what's happening in
Egypt.
What's going on in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, and
Sudan -- and which is likely to spread to other nations
in the Middle East -- is PRECISELY what Jesus foretold.
In Luke 21:9 He said similarly "When you hear of wars
and DISTURBANCES, do not be frightened. These
things must happen first, but the end will not come
right away".
And, again, in Isaiah 19:2,4:
"...And I will set the Egyptians to fight against the
Egyptians: and they shall fight brother against
brother, and friend against friend, city against
city, kingdom against kingdom.
... And I will deliver Egypt into the hand of cruel
masters, and a strong king shall rule over them,
saith the Lord the God of hosts".
Jesus characterized the prelude to the tribulation as
"birth pains", which tend to get STRONGER and
more frequent, the closer it gets to the actual
birth of the baby.
The BIRTH is the moment the baby is pushed out
of the womb of this earthly realm into the realm
of immortality [Revelation 12:1-5] in what we
Christians normally refer to as "the Rapture".
I would love to share the optimism that some media
pundits, and some newspapers like the Washington
Post, are naively expressing.
They would have us believe that this is simply an
uprising at the grassroots level that will lead to
democracy.
What they fail to factor in is that, in the Middle East,
democracy USUALLY LEADS TO DICTATORSHIP,
or worse, TERRORIST DICTATORSHIP.
This was painfully evident in the 70's when the Shah of
Iran was overthrown only to be replaced by Islamic
radicals led by the infamous Ayatollah Khomeini and,
more recently, in 2006 when "democratic" elections led
to Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip.
DICTATORSHIP seems to be the only viable form of
government in the Middle East, with the notable
exception of Israel.
Contrary to Vice President Biden's assertion, Hosni
Mubarak IS a dictator; the question, however, is do we
deal with a "friendly" dictator, or an extremist?
Despite Egyptians' anti-Israel sentiment, at least
Mubarak has honored the peace agreement made with
Israel for 30 years, and managed to maintain peace.
But Mubarak is now history.
No telling what his successors will do, but suffice it to
say that the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization
dedicated to the spreading of Islam throughout
the world, is behind the uprising.
One could argue that because Egypt receives more
foreign aid from the U.S. than ANY OTHER country,
except Israel, that they will have to grudgingly abide
by the peace agreement. Don't be so sure. Look at all
the money we put into Afghanistan and Iraq and
results are anything but encouraging.
Some in Egypt are already calling for the closing of the
Suez Canal and for war against Israel. There are also
reports of large quantities of weapons, including anti
aircraft missiles being smuggled into Gaza, thru the
largely demilitarized Sinai.
Egypt could easily come under the control of Islamic
terrorists, including Al Qaeda, thus presenting a
precarious situation for Israel and the entire Middle
East.
Even former president Jimmy Carter who orchestrated
the Camp David peace accord between Israel and
Egypt, conceded that this is "the most profound
situation in the Middle East since I left office."
What's happening ISN'T GOOD.
But it's EXACTLY what our Lord said would happen at
the end of the age.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011
EYES ON JESUS
At a time when the Body of Christ should be FIXATED
on the Head [Jesus], our attention is on
EVERYTHING BUT...
What is the Church focused on?
- Invented "conspiracy theories".
- A nebulous "new world order", which is NOT FOUND
ANYWHERE in the Bible.
- An Islamic Antichrist. NOT!!!
- Islamic world domination. An even more emphatic
NOT!!!
- An UNBIBLICAL "7-year peace treaty".
- A nonexistent "Planet X" or "Nibiru"
- Islamic Eschatology
- The Islamic Mahdi
- The Mayan Calendar
- Nostradamus
- Gog and Magog, which the Bible clearly states won't
happen until AFTER the Millennium [Revelation 20:8-
10].
- Some idiotic FEAR BASED thing they watched on
YouTube
- "Taking America Back" (too late)
- The latest sensationalist news item being pushed on
TV or the internet.
We can blame SOME of this on conditioning by the
kristian media, which has fostered this religious
"entertainment" mentality.
But we can't blame OTHERS for OUR CHOICES.
Ultimately, WE must take PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY.
Nobody forces us to read a silly book about Islamic
world domination, or watch an even sillier video on
some "secret society" taking over the planet.
Nobody forces us to search the internet for
Nostradamus or the Mayan Calendar.
We do that ON OUR OWN.
You realize what you're doing, don't you?
YOU'RE TAKING YOUR EYES OFF JESUS!
Every moment, every SECOND you devote to such
things which have an APPEARANCE of "godliness", but
deny the power thereof, IS A MOMENT YOU'RE
TAKING AWAY FROM JESUS.
If you really belong to Jesus, if He really IS your
Lord, YOUR TIME belongs to Him.
Your ATTENTION belongs to Him, and Him ALONE.
If most Christians spent HALF the time they devote to
such UNFRUITFUL pursuits communing with the
Savior inside themselves...
If they spent half the time they spend searching for
some religious fantasy on the internet, searching the
New Testament...
If they spent HALF that time seeking a deeper
relationship with Christ...
If they spent that time, seeking the INNER Jesus,
whom they're already ONE SPIRIT with...
We'd have a VERY different Church.
We'd have a strong, unmovable Church SOLIDLY
built on the Rock.
Instead, we have a Church built on sand and blown
about by "every wind of doctrine" [Ephesians
4:14].
Christians SAY they "want the Rapture", yet they're
focused on everything BUT the One who WILL
Rapture them.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2011
MESSAGE ON EGYPT COMING SOON
STOCKPILING
Should Christians be stockpiling, food, water, first aid, and
other necessities, and bracing for some calamity?
Not unless a hurricane's headed your way...
Either that or if you expect to be here during the tribulation.
Look, there's nothing wrong with having some peanut butter
and jelly, and a few extra cans of tuna and beans in the pantry.
What IS WRONG is this BUNKER, hide-and-retreat
MENTALITY some kristians are trying to sell us... and I do
mean, SELL US.
I'm old enough to remember the late 70's, when Jimmy Carter
was President, how they were also selling "survival kits" back
then.
As is often the case in Christendom, ONLY THE SELLERS
BENEFITTED. The BUYERS were left high and dry.
The buyers were victims of a fear-based scam and, in the
overabundant 80's, all their "survival kits" ended up in the
dumpster.
Every time the U.S. economy hits a snag, all these self-
appointed "prophets" come out of the woodwork to scare
people into buying stuff.
Others rush to sell them the UNSCRIPTURAL lie that they'll go
thru the tribulation and, therefore, should stockpile in
preparation for it.
Either way, COLD, HARD CASH is the motivation behind
these schemes.
If they care so much about you, why don't they just TELL
YOU what to do FOR FREE?
And how come this idea is ONLY pitched to dumb, gullible
Christians?
How come they don't tell THE WORLD to stockpile and buy all
the gear, masks, tents and "survival" paraphernalia?
„Cause the world will laugh right in their faces. "Cause they
can't do business with the world, since it'll ridicule their
mindset. „Cause ONLY dumb Christians, and lunatic fringe
groups, fall for the scam.
And, HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING, even if you were to go
thru the tribulation, even if your were to stockpile stuff, WHAT
GUARANTEE do you have that the stuff will survive the
judgments that God will pour out? What guarantee do you
have that it won't get destroyed, contaminated, OR
STOLEN?
The answer is YOU HAVE NONE.
I don't read anywhere in the New Testament that we should be
stockpiling anything. If such things were necessary, DON'T
YOU THINK GOD WOULD HAVE WARNED US?
What I do read is that God DOESN'T WANT HIS CHILDREN
LIVING IN FEAR [2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18].
Jesus told the disciples to "take NO THOUGHT for your life"
about what you will eat, drink or wear, and to "take no
thought for tomorrow". He added that ONLY HEATHEN seek
such things [Matthew 6:25-34].
He promised if we sought FIRST His Kingdom [within us], that
His OWN Righteousness PLUS ALL THESE THINGS
WOULD BE ADDED UNTO US [Matthew 6:33].
He told them to occupy till He comes [Luke 19:13], not to
hide, hole up, and brace for some tragedy.
Please, brothers and sisters, PLEASE, STOP LISTENING TO
the fearmongers.
Jesus wants us to TRUST HIM [Hebrews 11:6].
If we really want to please God, fear can't be a part of our
lives.
Without TRUST, it's impossible to please God.
MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2011
OUTPOURING
For years, we've been hearing Christian ministers predicting
great revival, spurred on by a great outpouring of the Holy
Spirit.
While our loving and merciful God has moved significantly,
particularly in areas of the world where the preaching of His
Gospel is restricted, we have yet to see anything that remotely
fulfills those predictions.
But, there's Good News:
There will soon be an outpouring of the Spirit that will EXCEED
everyone's expectations.
You didn't think our Lord God would leave His children
UNFULFILLED, did you?
And that GREAT outpouring, that HUMONGOUS SPIRITUAL
TSUNAMI, will happen JUST PRIOR TO the sweeping away
of His Church into the realm of immortality.
God gave His Word thru the prophet Joel that:
"...I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions:
29 And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those
days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth,
blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, BEFORE the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that WHOEVER shall call on
the Name of the LORD SHALL BE SAVED"... [Joel 2:28-32].
We already saw a PARTIAL fulfillment of this prophecy, shortly
after Jesus' resurrection, when on the day of Pentecost, the
Holy Spirit came upon those who were gathered in the Upper
Room. The revival spilled into the streets, where Peter
preached and 3,000 souls received Jesus right then and there
[Acts 2:1-41].
We're not talking about 3,000 people coming to Christ in a
modern metropolis, but in tiny, one square mile first century
Jerusalem.
From there, history shows, it spread into ALL the then known
world.
Just like it was a SOVEREIGN, supernatural move of God
then, so will it be when the Church is swept off her feet by
the APPEARANCE OF her Bridegroom.
Great as that was, there's clearly a FUTURE fulfillment yet to
come, since on the day of Pentecost there was no fire or pillars
of smoke, nor did the sun turn dark and the moon as blood.
It will be the mother of ALL revivals.
So, if you have unsaved loved ones, whom you've tried to
reach for years, don't despair, don't lose hope. God's not thru
with the world, or with His Church just yet.
So much for the "secret" Rapture theory.
So much for the theory that "when people stop coming to
Christ" that means the Rapture's about to take place.
A LOT of people are going to make it in AT THE VERY LAST
MOMENT.
We're leaving this world WITH A BANG, baby.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2011
TELEVANGELISM 101
Ever wish YOU could be on kristian TV?
Ever wish YOU could emulate one of those slick kristian
"celebrities" that so often make the headlines, FOR THE
WRONG REASONS?
Never fear. You, too, can have a $ucce$$ful Kri$tian
Mini$try Ble$$ed by Gaawd.
The tricks you're about to learn have a 60-year PROVEN track
record of $UCCE$$:
1. Form a 501c (3) non-profit "charitable" corporation so you
can scam all the tax exempt money you want.
Don't worry. You don't have to tell „em that YOU will be the
"charity's" ONLY beneficiary.
2. Be sure to form a Board of Directors that consists of you and
two or three brainless family members who'd be hard pressed
to get a job if they weren't "working" for you.
That gives you a convenient excuse to put them on the payroll,
plus you can also claim you're "accountable" to the "Board".
3. Sell religion. Pimp Jesus and the favor of God FOR a
PRICE.
Preach heavily about "give to get", $ucce$$, pro$perity and
"VICTORIOU$" living.
You can earn extra credit by marrying someone named
"Victoria".
4. Be sure to pepper your SALES PITCH (uh,"teaching") with
keywords and phrases that dumb kristians respond to like
"anointed", "Holy Spirit", "satan", "God told me", "God said",
"this is a true story", "power", "healing", "prophetic" and
"apostolic".
Peculiar accents and mannerisms will also earn extra credit.
So will outrageous wigs and flamboyant hairstyles.
5. Don't forget to STAGE FAKE MIRACLES.
Have someone PRETEND TO "come out of a wheelchair". Or,
better yet, claim they were blind in one eye but now can
see you and moronically follow you around the stage.
All these are sure-fire ways to rouse their religious fervor and
whip „em into frenzy.
6. Speak in FAKE tongues out loud in front of the audience.
Then invent some FAKE "interpretation" that'll tickle their ears.
Follow it up by saying "ooh, I FEEL the anointing here
tonight".
You'll have them $inging your prai$e$, and writing you
check$ IN NO TIME.
7. NEVER, EVER tell the truth about the "ministry's" finances,
your lavish lifestyle, OR HOW THE MONEY REALLY GETS
SPENT.
8. Beg for money AT ALL TIMES. Even when you're set for life,
and DON'T NEED ANY.
After all, you've "worked" so hard to brainwash them into
believing that GIVING MONEY TO YOU is giving money to
Gaawd.
You don't want the stupid donors to EVER break free of the
habit of donating to you, uh, "Gaawd".
9. When donations slow down, don't forget to play the FEAR
CARD:
- If you don't give, God won't bless you.
- If you don't tithe, God will put a curse on you.
- If you don't donate to my ministry, God won't prosper you.
- Unless you send me money, you'll always be poor.
10. NEVER accept responsibility for ANYTHING that you, your
ministry, or those promoted by your ministry, do or say.
Just sweep it under the rug, and if ANYONE dares bring it
up, remind them that "God forgives" and uses "imperfect
people."
11. Have a posse of fellow "minister" shills on standby
prepared to give excuses, and "biblical" explanations, in
defense of your shady financial practices.
12. Rake in the bucks, „cause we all know that Christians
lack the spiritual gumption to take the business end of a
whip to the moneychangers, the way Jesus did.
13. ENJOY the "fruit" of your "mini$try".
Don't you know that being on TV and occasionally
mentioning the name "Je$u$" entitles you to a TWENTY
FIVE MILLION dollar beachfront mansion?
Don't you know YOU DESERVE a 10-car garage and 24
bathrooms, all equipped with $23,000 gold and marble toilets?
Lord knows you NEED all those toilets with the kind of
crap you're dishing out...
Don't you know having a TV "mini$try" entitles you to several
private jets along with bodyguards and a personal entourage?
...To Designer clothes? ...Several luxury automobiles? ...One
or more Rolexes?
Frequent exotic vacations which you can designate "layovers"?
By the way, if your loyal donors ever gripe about the
mansion, just call it a "parsonage".
14. Last but not least, when ALL ELSE fails, BLAME SATAN.
Congratulation$.
You've $ucce$$fully completed the "I'm a crooked
televangeli$t, and you're a kristian idiot" cour$e in
Televangeli$m 101.
Now, send your "love gift" of $50, and I'll send your diploma.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
I GAVE WILLINGLY
In case you missed it, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a
Republican, recently concluded his three year investigation on
several high profile televangelists.
Several televangelists were totally nonresponsive, and
Grassley's staff did not issue subpoenas to further the
investigation because "WITNESSES FEARED
RETALIATION" if they spoke out publicly.
Huh?
We're NOT talking about organized crime; we're talking
about men and women "of Gaawd". We're talking about the
RELIGIOUS MAFIA.
The Finance Committee did not have the time or resources to
enforce the subpoenas, let alone provide any sort of "witness
protection".
So, it had no choice but to state it found "no evidence of
wrongdoing".
However, the investigation did uncover some facts which may
be of interest to Christians.
One particular televangelist and his wife were "not responsive"
to the committee's request for information about their shady
financial practices.
Despite their LACK OF cooperation, the committee uncovered
their personal use of the $20 million "ministry" jet for private
trips to Hawaii, to an exotic game ranch in South Texas
and to a ski resort in Colorado. It was also used for other
personal vacations and shopping trips.
When asked about it by a news reporter, the "man of Gaawd"
stuck his finger in the reporter's face and simply replied "that is
NONE of your business".
Perhaps... but is it the Church's business?
Is it the donors' business? Is it the TV audience's
business?
The committee uncovered an extravagant lifestyle featuring
a $6 million mansion and several aircraft.
In 1995, no fewer than 15 family members were on the
ministry's payroll, earning salaries totaling $1.5 million.
That was 16 years ago. No telling how many family members
may be on the payroll TODAY, or what their combined salaries
may total.
All this, while they stand in front of your TV screen and CLAIM
their "prosperity" comes from their own "giving", NOT
FROM YOURS.
The televangelist's own salary BACK THEN was over
$600,000.
There's also evidence they operated several for-profit
businesses on church property.
This "man of Gaawd" also received an estimated $2.1 million
"birthday gift" from supporters urged to contribute to the
cause.
When did someone's birthday become "a cause"?
And ALL at the expense of religious suckers who fall for their
shameless lies that when you donate TO THEM, you're giving
to "Gaawd", that it's used to "preach the Gospel", and that
YOU will prosper.
It's quite clear that THEY'RE the ONLY ONES
"prospering".
And the only "gospel" they preach is inviting those who
ALREADY ARE saved, to "receive Christ", heaven help us.
But what bothered me most is that as the topic was being
discussed on a newspaper forum, one loyal supporter
chimed in "I gave WILLINGLY for that plane. The whiners
don't have a dime in it, so what's your problem"?
I'll tell you what my problem is. My problem is NOT that person
who gave "willingly". If people want to WILLINGLY donate a
billion dollars to this man, God bless him.
My problem is those who hear this man's FALSE PROMISE
that THE WAY to prosper, THE WAY out of their despair,
THE WAY out of unemployment, THE WAY out of not
losing their home to foreclosure, THE WAY out of poverty,
IS TO SEND WHAT LITTLE YOU GOT LEFT... your $5, $10,
$20 or $50 to this clown so HE can live better than the
Sultan of Brunei.
My problem is THE CLOWN is nowhere to be found, AND IS
TOTALLY INACCESSIBLE, should the poor donor ever
want to protest that he/she gave as he instructed, AND
GOT NOTHING.
My problem is for everyone who gave "willingly", there are
UNTOLD THOUSANDS who gave IN DESPERATION, based
on false hope, and A FALSE PROMISE, only to end up
disappointed and POORER than before.
My problem is that THERE ARE MANY, MANY "whiners"
WHO DO HAVE A LOT MORE THAN "A DIME" IN IT.
Grassley is not done.
He's forming a commission to study the tax laws in hopes of
tightening the rules and clamping down on potential abuse.
Ha! Good luck with that, Senator.
That won't help at all, nor will it change their DECEPTIVE
message.
It seems this unscrupulous breed of televangelist have become
the new "Untouchables".
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2011
THE POPE AS ANTICHRIST
If I had a dollar for every time I've been called "false prophet"
for NOT teaching the Pope is the Antichrist, we could reach a
much larger chunk of the world with the Gospel.
There are ENTIRE WEBSITES and "ministries" devoted to this
FALSE TEACHING.
And they don't look kindly on anyone who dares teach anything
else.
Even when we provide UNDISPUTED BIBLICAL EVIDENCE
to the contrary, they REFUSE to heed God's Word.
Just goes to prove that RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE outweighs
the Word of God, at least in these people's hearts and
medieval minds.
There isn't ONE OUNCE of biblical evidence to support such
claim. NONE.
The "proof" usually offered for this false teaching is the 17th
chapter of Revelation. They claim the beast is the Pope, who in
turn, "carries" the harlot who is the Catholic Church.
Such teaching is pure, prejudiced SPECULATION.
Whether you agree or disagree with the RCC, or are
somewhere in between, that's NOT AT ALL what it says.
Revelation 17 clearly states that Rome will be destroyed
by Antichrist and his "10 kings", during the tribulation
[Revelation 17:16-18].
If the Pope is the Antichrist, WHY in heaven's name would he
destroy THE VATICAN WHICH IS LOCATED IN ROME?
Why would he destroy HIS OWN RESIDENCE, AND HIS
RELIGION'S OWN HEADQUARTERS?
WHY would he SQUANDER ITS WEALTH, destroy its
opulence, including the irreplaceable, priceless paintings,
sculptures and tapestries?
That doesn't even make sense. And I've yet to find a religious
bigot who can explain it.
By the way, whichever Pope is their choice for Antichrist, he
better be ONE HECK OF A WARRIOR, otherwise Revelation
13:4 makes no sense whatsoever.
Julius II comes to mind, but no one ever regarded him as
anywhere near "invincible".
Furthermore, whichever Pope they designate, he will have to
mass the world's armies TO ATTACK JESUS at Armageddon.
Oh, yeah... I can EASILY see feeble John Paul or bland
Benedict on a horse, leading armies from all over the world
AGAINST Christ.
Just imagine how "intimidating" they would be.
I can just see the leader of the world's largest Christian
denomination facing off against Christ.
P-l-e-a-s-e!
They can't even rein in pedophilia and you think THEY
CAN HANDLE JESUS?
Do you really think THE WORLD will buy that ANY Pope is up
to the task?
Nah, it takes a real DOPE to think it's the Pope.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2011
PRAYING TO SAINTS
The issue of "sainthood", like many other biblical Truths, has
been totally distorted by organized religion.
As we demonstrated in yesterday's message the word
"saint" simply means someone who's been "set apart"
unto God. Every born-again believer in our Lord Jesus Christ
is, therefore, a saint.
I'm sure you don't expect anyone to pray TO YOU, anymore
than I expect them to pray to me.
The OFFICIAL word from Roman Catholicism is that they don't
pray TO saints, but rather ask saints to INTERCEDE on their
behalf.
There's NOTHING WRONG with asking someone to
intercede for us. In fact, I intercede daily for our country,
our troops, the Church, lost souls, and for many of you who
have requested prayer.
And while some equate such intercession with "talking to the
dead", I take issue with that view, since saints are VERY
MUCH ALIVE [Mark 12:27].
Here's where I see the problem: The OFFICIAL Catholic
doctrine may be that believers DO NOT pray TO saints, but
simply ask them to intercede.
But you and I know darn well that IN PRACTICE there
are many who do worship the saints, bring their
petitions TO THEM, instead of God, and that they AT THE
VERY LEAST become A DISTRACTION, competing with
Jesus for the hearts, minds and ATTENTION of those I
will loosely call "believers".
Since I grew up as a VERY DEVOUT Roman Catholic, I know
whereof I speak.
However, we must NOT throw the baby out with the bath
water.
There's nothing wrong with asking Mary, Saint Jude or Saint
Peter to intercede for us. WHAT IS WRONG is to PETITION
them (instead of God) to answer our prayers.
WHAT IS WRONG is to make THEM THE OBJECT of our
worship.
Worship belongs ONLY to God. Only God can answer
prayer.
There are MANY Roman Catholics [praise Jesus forever!] who,
DESPITE religious tradition, have been born again. They love
Jesus, and worship Him ALONE.
I hear from them all the time. Many follow this ministry on a
daily basis.
In my own family there are born again Catholics, who have
received Jesus into their hearts, been filled with the Spirit,
and attend Charismatic Catholic congregations, which are
pretty similar to Evangelical ones.
As someone who loves and ministers to Roman Catholics, and
has brought many to a saving knowledge of Jesus, I can tell
you that the message of Salvation IS getting thru.
People are fed up with religion. They want something
INTIMATE AND REAL, not just a bunch of outward ceremony.
Unfortunately, that's not true of everybody.
There are many traditionalists, for whom the Word of God has
become "of no effect". And that goes for Catholics and
non-Catholics alike.
We need to pray for them, and keep presenting the Truth
[Jesus] in love.
Above all, we need to INVITE THEM, not to forsake their
denomination, but TO RECEIVE Jesus into their hearts.
Once they receive Him, He takes care of the rest.
Get them born again. Get the Holy Spirit in their hearts.
He will lead them to ALL the Truth [John 14:6].
That's the Holy Spirit's primary purpose.
And The Truth is not a thing. The Truth is a Person.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2011
A SAINT HE AIN'T
It seems that Pope John Paul II has been placed by the
Vatican on the fast track to "sainthood".
It's hard to forget the images back in 2005, of crowds at his
funeral holding signs that read "santo subito", calling for his
IMMEDIATE canonization.
Since one of the requirements for "sainthood" is that the
person performs at least two miracles, we already have a
Catholic nun in France claiming she was instantly healed of
Parkinson's disease by praying to John Paul.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/01/17/general-eu-france-john-paul-
ii_8260332.html
All of which begs the question, "what makes someone a
saint"?
Is it some religious ceremony? ...Some arbitrary, man-invented
religious process? Is it doing good deeds? Or, perhaps, living a
"holy" life?
The word "saint" or "holy one" in the Bible (kadosh in Hebrew,
and hagios in Greek), simply means one who is "set apart"
unto God.
According to the New Testament, EVERY born-again believer
in our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom His Holy Spirit lives, is
a saint [Romans 8:9].
The moment ANY person receives Christ into their hearts,
they become SAINTS [Acts 9:13; Romans 8:27;16:2,15; 1
Corinthians 6:2; 2 Corinthians 9:1; 13:13; Ephesians 1:1,5;
Philippians 1:1; 4:22; Colossians 1:4; Philemon 1:5-7;
Revelation 19:8].
They are sanctified and "set apart" unto Jesus, sealed with
His Holy Spirit unto redemption [Ephesians 1:13-15].
You're Saint Judy, Saint Jim, Saint Nancy, Saint Stephanie,
Saint Phil, Saint Ellen, Saint Fred... and I'm "saint" Martel.
(Probably the one and only time I'll be called "saint" this side of
heaven)...
It's the Holy Spirit's Presence in our hearts that "sets us
apart" unto God. It's His INNER Presence that makes us
SAINTS.
Nothing else can or will.
No religious pronouncement or decree can do that.
Only the Holy Presence of the Holy One can make US "holy
ones" or "saints".
With regards to John Paul, it's no different:
If he KNEW Jesus and had the Holy Spirit living in his heart,
he's ALREADY a saint.
If he DIDN'T, no amount of ceremony or religious
gobbledygook will make him one.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2011
THEY STILL CAN'T EXPLAIN IT
Two thousand years have passed since Jesus died, poured out
His Blood for our sins and ROSE from the dead. And the world
STILL can't explain what happened on that climactic day.
Christians, of course, KNOW what happened.
But there are BILLIONS of individuals on this planet who don't
know, and worse, DON'T WANT TO KNOW.
The reason they DON'T WANT TO know is because they're
TERRIFIED of finding out that He REALLY resurrected.
Because if He resurrected, that PROVES, beyond all
doubt, THAT HE IS GOD.
And, if He is God, then they have to deal with their
unjustified rejection of Him, for WHATEVER reason.
They DON'T WANT Jesus, they REJECT Jesus, but they
can't explain His Body's disappearance.
Moreover, they are AFRAID to dig deeper and find out THE
TRUTH.
They just CAN'T HANDLE The Truth.
So, they fill their minds and hearts with biased hatred and
rejection, and cloister themselves in the false safety of their
religion, whatever that religion may be.
Fact is, for any OBJECTIVE seeker of Truth, the EVIDENCE of
His Resurrection is pretty overwhelming:
1. There were OVER 500 EYEWITNESSES to His
Resurrection [1 Corinthians 15:3-8].
These people saw the risen Jesus with their own eyes, talked
to Him, ate with Him, touched Him.
All that is required in the torah, or in a court of law, to
establish a matter, is TWO witnesses.
2. These witnesses were SO CONVINCED of His Resurrection
that they would willingly die horrible deaths, rather than
deny Him.
Most people wouldn't risk their lives for a living person. Would
YOU risk your life for a DEAD person? What good would
that do, if he's already dead?
3. There were 16 armed Roman guards guarding His tomb
[Matthew 27:65].
These guys weren't potted plants. They were professionally
trained, armed soldiers, used to war, who'd kill any
intruder at the drop of a hat.
4. The tomb had been sealed with the Seal of Caesar. Penalty
for breaking that Seal was INSTANT death [Matthew 27:66].
5. There was a huge, around 45-ton stone blocking the tomb's
entrance. Had ANYONE tried to open that tomb:
a) They'd be killed instantly, and
b) There's NO WAY they could have gone unnoticed, since
removing that huge stone would have taken LOTS OF
TIME, lots of effort, and made LOTS OF noise.
6. Then there's the lame "excuse" that His disciples "stole the
body".
You mean the same disciples that three days earlier RAN
AWAY AND HID the moment Jesus was arrested?
And, how on earth, did they remove the stone and carry away
His body IN FRONT OF THE 16 Roman guards, and got away
unscathed?
Good luck trying to explain that one.
7. The other super lame "excuse" is that the Roman Guards
removed His Body.
You mean the same Romans who SENTENCED HIM TO
DEATH?
What could possibly be their motive for negating their OWN
sentence? [Matthew 28:11].
The same Romans who KNEW it meant INSTANT death to
break Caesar's Seal?
You could argue, perhaps, that ONE of the guards somehow
saw the light and was converted while Jesus lay on the tomb,
and was crazy enough to risk it. ...But ALL 16 of them?
That'd be QUITE A MIRACLE in and of itself, wouldn't it?
8. Well, maybe the guards fell asleep.
No kidding!
For a soldier in the Roman army falling asleep while on duty
also meant INSTANT death. Are you seriously arguing that
the greatest, best trained, most disciplined, most efficient
army the world had ever known, DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH
SENSE to TAKE TURNS in watching the tomb?
...That all 16 decided to RISK THEIR LIVES by going to
sleep AT THE SAME TIME?
And, again, how on earth could ANYONE take away the stone
from the entrance and remove the Body WITHOUT WAKING
THEM up?
9. ALL the Roman authorities or Jewish authorities HAD TO
DO was show Jesus' DEAD BODY three days after He was
placed in the tomb.
HAD THEY DONE THAT there would be NO CHRISTIANITY,
PERIOD.
Had they done that, the Christian faith wouldn't even EXIST.
THEY COULDN'T.
In a tiny, tiny city, approximately one square mile in size,
where everyone knew everyone, everyone knew where the
tomb was, for His Body to mysteriously disappear IS
UTTERLY UNEXPLAINABLE.
Unless, of course, you believe in the Resurrection.
Unless you realize that the ONLY possible explanation is that
He, indeed, ROSE FROM THE DEAD, as He PREDICTED He
would [Mark 8:31].
How about YOU? Can YOU handle the Truth?
Don't you owe it to yourself to find out WHAT REALLY
HAPPENED?
MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011
GOD'S NOT ANGRY
Religion invariably portrays God as some angry tyrant who sits
on His Throne, looks down on the earth with this super-
magnifying glass, ready to whack people at the tiniest
infraction.
NOTHING could be farther from the Truth.
If God were simply waiting for us to make some mistake in
order to pour out His wrath, there would be no planet earth.
He would have destroyed it long ago. The human race
would long be EXTINCT.
If God REALLY felt that way, He wouldn't have
VOLUNTARILY taken off His glory, come down to this sin
infested world TO DIE, subject Himself to unspeakable
suffering, pour out His Blood, or risen from the dead, IN
ORDER TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT AGAIN.
The message of Jesus, in a nutshell, is found in 2 Corinthians
5:19:
"God was IN Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself,
NOT COUNTING MEN'S SINS AGAINST THEM".
Did you hear THAT?
He's NOT accusing you of anything.
He's NOT even counting your sins.
He's NOT angry at you. He LOVES you.
He's NOT looking to damn you, He's looking to SAVE YOU.
He's NOT dishing out punishment, He's offering Salvation.
He DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER your sins, since He
ALREADY PAID FOR THEM.
That's the TRUE message of Jesus. That's why His message
is Good News.
FORGET all the lies you've heard from religion.
Jesus offers you COMPLETE forgiveness and redemption.
He's not holding ANYTHING against you. He's totally, 100%
FOR YOU.
Jesus loves you and RECEIVES YOU, JUST AS YOU ARE.
He loves you, warts and all. Forget your "past", because He
has already ERASED IT.
He forgave ALL your sins, every last one of them, 2,000
years ago.
Isn't it time you forgave yourself?
If you knew HOW MUCH He loves you...
If you knew HOW PRECIOUS you are to Him...
You wouldn't wait another second...
You wouldn't even THINK about it...
You'd throw yourself RIGHT NOW into His loving, saving arms.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2011
NO ONE KNOWS
"NO ONE knows that DAY or HOUR, not even the angels in heaven, nor
the Son, but only the Father" [Matthew 24:36].
Just like I wish self-righteous, MISINFORMED kristians
would stop beating us over the head when we teach
that the Day of the Lord [Rapture/Tribulation] is near,
I wish that Christians would STOP TRYING to pin
down THE EXACT DAY when the Rapture will
happen.
Jesus said "NO ONE knows". Last time I checked, NO
ONE means "NO - ONE".
I constantly get emails from Christians who claim to
know THE EXACT DAY. They base it on some supposed
planetary alignment; on the moon's position, or
whether it's full, half full or new. Back in December,
they had it all lined up with the Winter Solstice. They
even profess to have it all figured out based ON THE
ZODIAC.
First of all it's impossible to pinpoint THE EXACT DAY,
and I'll explain why in a minute.
Secondly, Christians are NOT supposed to base
eschatology on the Zodiac, the stars, the moon,
planetary alignments, Nostradamus, the Mayan
calendar, some dream they had, or some alleged
vision (although some dreams and visions do come
from God) or ANYTHING OTHER THAN the written
Word of God.
Thirdly, when you do that, no matter how well
intentioned you may be, YOU'RE IGNORING,
therefore DISRESPECTING, Jesus' EXPRESS
STATEMENT that "NO ONE knows".
He said NO ONE, including Himself (the Son)
knows.
If the Holy Son of God DIDN'T KNOW, do you really
THINK YOU WILL FIGURE OUT THE EXACT DAY?
Dream on, Bubba!
Based on the info that Jesus VOLUNTARILY provided in
His Word, we can come up with an APPROXIMATE
TIME, NOT, -- REPEAT NOT--, an EXACT DATE.
Let me interject that some people rely on that verse in
Matthew to "prove" that Jesus isn't God.
"See? The Father knows, but Jesus doesn't. Therefore,
Jesus isn't God". Ha! YOU WISH, cultists.
Jesus THE HUMAN, who voluntarily stripped off His
Glory, and thereby SOME of His knowledge, to
temporarily live on this earth, DIDN'T KNOW.
Jesus, who is the eternal Word, who was "in the
beginning with God, and who is God" [John 1:1],
who always IS in the ETERNAL realm, KNEW THEN
AND KNOWS NOW, since He and the Father are
ONE. -- Nice try.
Even if Jesus HADN'T made that statement, it's
downright impossible to pin down the exact date for
this reason:
God moves and acts on Jerusalem time. Even if,
hypothetically speaking, we could pin down the exact
date in Jerusalem, we wouldn't know the EXACT day
for us.
Jerusalem is 7 hours AHEAD OF the Eastern U.S. It
could be, say, January 24 there, and still be January
23 here. Or it could be the same day in both places,
depending on the EXACT time when it happens.
Therefore, you can't KNOW the EXACT day.
So QUIT TRYING.
Approximate time, BASED ON THE BIBLE, fine.
EXACT DAY, NO.
The best thing those who whine that they want the
Rapture to happen can do, is STOP TRYING TO
GUESS THE EXACT DAY.
We can trust God's Word. The numbers in the Bible
are accurate.
They leave VERY little room for maneuvering, as it is.
Plus the signs Jesus gave are ALL AROUND US: Wars
and RUMORS of war [Iran, North Korea, China],
nations in political and economic distress, widespread
ethnic violence, major earthquakes and volcanoes
erupting everywhere, large numbers of birds, fish,
bees and cattle disappearing or mysteriously dying,
religious deception everywhere, even within
Christendom.
If you REALLY want to SEE Jesus, if you REALLY
want Him to appear and take us Home, QUIT TRYING
TO GUESS the EXACT DAY.
I don't WANT TO know. All I want is for Him/it TO
HAPPEN.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2011
DATE SETTING
For starters, the term “date setting” is NOT found in the Bible.
That means it was INVENTED.
What‟s really ironic is that it was INVENTED by greedy men,
BY PROPHECY TRAFFICKERS who‟ve SOLD their hapless
kristian groupies EVERY WRONG, UNBIBLICAL teaching
IMAGINABLE, FOR A PRICE…, yet want to stone anyone
who tries to come up with an APPROXIMATE time for the
Rapture, or for Jesus‟ Second Coming.
If they want to condemn "false teaching" they should start
with THEIR OWN.
Furthermore, if they want to condemn false teaching, THEY
SHOULD CONDEMN ALL OF IT (beginning with THEIRS).
Why SINGLE OUT THIS particular teaching?
But what bothers me most is that brainwashed kristians will
beat you over the head with the term "date setting" AS
THOUGH it were in the Bible.
Matthew 24:36 simply states “no one knows that DAY or
HOUR, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only
the Father”.
Jesus NEVER SAID we wouldn‟t know the APPROXIMATE
TIME.
He NEVER SAID we wouldn‟t know the year, the month, or
even the week.
EVERY single time He expressed this idea, He referred to
THE EXACT DAY, or the EXACT HOUR [Matthew 24:50;
25:13; Mark 13:32,33; Luke 12:46].
And I challenge ANY self-righteous, judgmental hypocrite
to come up WITH ONE Scripture that says otherwise:
christco@christconnection.net
Matter of fact, God said THE VERY OPPOSITE.
1 Thessalonians 5:4 says, clear as a bell, that “YOU brothers
are NOT in darkness that that day should overtake YOU as a
thief”.
If Jesus DIDN'T want us TO KNOW the APPROXIMATE time,
WHY in heaven's name would He give us all the intricate
DETAILS, even the PRECISE NUMBER OF DAYS, found in
His Holy, INERRANT Word? [Daniel 9:25; 12:7,11,12;
Revelation 13:5].
He could have kept ALL THAT to Himself.
The Bible says that, until we SEE Jesus, face to face, and
become transformed and glorified ourselves, we ALL see "thru
a glass darkly" [1 Corinthians 13:12].
The Bible is CRYSTAL CLEAR about certain things. It's not
quite so clear about other things.
There are even times when IT SEEMS clear, at least to the
human mind, and it's not. I can tell you from personal
experience that CAN happen.
Therefore, THE BEST any of us can do, at the moment, is
teach WHAT IT SAYS, to the best of our ability and
understanding, and led by His Holy Spirit.
It's one thing for someone to KNOWINGLY PERSIST in
UNSCRIPTURAL teaching after it's been debunked.
It's quite another to base one's teaching SOLELY and
ENTIRELY on the Holy Word of God, yet somehow, due to
UNINTENDED human error, that teaching turns out to be
wrong.
Fact is the Apostle Paul THOUGHT the Rapture would
happen IN HIS DAY [that's TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO!!!
[Romans 13:11, 12; 1 Corinthians 7:29; Philippians 1:10; 4:5].
So did the apostle John, when he said back in the first
century A.D. that the time for the prophecies in his Book of
Revelation was "near" [Revelation 1:3; 22:10].
Yet here we are, TWO MILLENNIA later, STILL AWAITING
their fulfillment.
If holier-than-thou stone thowers want to call THESE GREAT
MEN OF GOD "false prophets" and stone THEM to death, be
my guest.
Just remember, modern Pharisees, that God will measure
YOU with the same yardstick you use to measure others.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2011
FALSE PROPHET
I'm saddened, CAN'T SAY I'M SURPRISED, at how easily and
irresponsibly self-righteous kristians toss that epithet around.
The IGNORANCE on this topic is simply APPALLING.
Anyone who doesn't teach their brand of eschatology is immediately
tagged a "false prophet".
Anyone who lives and speaks in the freedom of the Spirit, refuses
religious bondage, or fails to abide by man-invented religious
"rules", is called "false prophet".
Anyone who DARES to believe the Word of God [what it ACTUALLY
says, not what someone CLAIMS it says] is branded with the ominous
title.
And heaven help you, if you make a human calculation,
subject to human error, WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE WRONG.
I think it's HIGH TIME we all sober up AND LEARN WHAT GOD, not
man, has to say about it.
The Scripture usually used TO MURDER Christian brothers [not
literally, but since God sees THE HEARTS, it's JUST AS THOUGH they'd
murdered them, 1 John 3:15] is found in Deuteronomy 18:20-21:
"But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I
have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the
name of other gods, must be put to death."
You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a prophecy has
not been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the
name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a
message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken
presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him".
I want to ask EVERY holier-than-thou JUDGMENTAL KRISTIAN reading
this today "ARE WE STILL UNDER LAW, OR UNDER GRACE"?
And I suggest they take A LONG, DEEP AND VERY THOUGHTFUL
breath BEFORE they answer.
Because in order to go around effectively stoning others to death as
"false prophets", one MUST STILL be living UNDER THE LAW.
And if we're still living under the law, -- unless they
want TO LIE and claim they've NEVER, EVER broken ANY of
the 613 commandments in the law --, THEY'RE NOT
SAVED [1 John 1:10; Romans 3:20,22].
Moreover, Jesus made it clear that, in order to stone
someone EVEN UNDER THE LAW, one MUST BE
SINLESS HIMSELF [John 8:7].
Secondly, that Scripture makes it clear that it applies ONLY
to someone who a) calls himself "prophet", and b)
prophesies OFFICIALLY in the Name of the Lord "thus
sayeth the Lord..."
NOTHING is said about a Bible TEACHER, since the Bible
didn't exist at the time.
NOTHING is said with regards to informed human opinion,
WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE WRONG, or flawed human
reckoning, let alone from someone WHO'S NEVER called
himself "prophet".
If we went around stoning EVERYONE who's ever
given a wrong estimate, wrong opinion, or wrong
teaching, based on what they understood the Bible to
say, THERE'D BE NO CHRISTIANS LEFT.
THE ACCUSERS THEMSELVES wouldn't be alive today
spewing religious virtue and condemnation out of both sides
of their ugly mouths.
Thirdly, when the law was given, there was NO BIBLE:
No Old Testament and NO New Testament.
When God told Moses what it says in Deuteronomy 18:20,
21, Deuteronomy 18:20, 21 had NOT been written.
Today we have the WRITTEN Word of God.
If someone TEACHES something based on the WRITTEN
Word of God, or at least on their honest, unbiased
understanding of His NOW WRITTEN WORD, and it turns
out to be wrong, ARE THEY FALSE PROPHETS for
taking God AT HIS WORD?
God forbid.
They're just flawed humans, who make mistakes like
everyone else.
And no true minister of Christ should EVER portray himself
or herself as ANYTHING BUT a flawed human, who's been
saved and called to minister by the UNDESERVED, SHEER
GRACE of our Heavenly Father.
If people are TOO STUPID, or all too eager to condemn
others, or BOTH... if they can't understand THE
DIFFERENCE between someone who stands IN FRONT OF A
TV CAMERA AND SAYS "thus says the Lord" and it NEVER
COMES TO PASS, and someone who simply TEACHES, not
some INVENTED "out of the blue" prophecy, but BASED
ON WHAT GOD'S HOLY WORD ACTUALLY SAYS, and
gets it wrong, then THEY have a HUGE problem.
These Laodiceans need to REPENT, and seek God's
forgiveness [Revelation 3:14-20].
They need to heed Jesus' words in Matthew 7:1-5:
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For IN THE SAME
WAY you judge others, YOU will be judged, and with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your
brother's eye and pay no attention to THE PLANK in
your own eye? ...You hypocrite, first take the plank out of
your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
speck from your brother's eye".
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011
SYMBOLISM
The Bible's Book of Revelation is full of symbols. So are
the books of Daniel, Zechariah, and other apocalyptic
literature.
However, they are not entirely symbolic.
Taking these books literally, in their totality, is just
as wrong as trying to spiritualize everything they
say.
"How do we know which parts are symbolic and
which parts are literal?".
A good "rule of thumb" is this:
When it speaks of something fantastic, non-existent
like, for instance, a "beast with 7 heads and 10 horns",
that's clearly symbolic.
When it speaks of something that really does exist,
like the "third part of trees" being burnt up, that's
literal.
When the meaning is literal, of course, no explanation
is needed.
When metaphors are used, God's Word usually
gives us the meaning of the symbols elsewhere.
With regards to the "7-headed, 10-horned beast"
mentioned in revelation 13:1, the meaning of the "7
heads and 10 horns" is given to us in revelation 17:9-
11.
Likewise, in Revelation 1:12 when the apostle John is
transported in Spirit to the Day of the Lord, He hears a
Voice and sees a golden menorah. He didn't
immediately understand what it represented until
Jesus tells him in Revelation 1:20 that the menorah
represents the "7 churches" which existed at the time
in Asia Minor.
Of course, it helps to know the setting and
circumstances around which the prophecy was
written: where was the prophet? What was
happening in the world at that time and, in
particular, where he lived?
Knowledge of history comes in handy at this point.
The Bible is a Book entirely inspired by the Holy
Spirit. As such, it's primarily, a spiritual book.
Any part of the Bible, prophecy included, is therefore
best understood when it is studied and meditated
in the spirit.
Head knowledge has its place in this natural, physical
world. But to try to understand God's word from an
EXCLUSIVELY intellectual point of view is folly.
So, the best advice I can give someone who truly
wants to understand the Bible, especially Bible
prophecy, is to know Jesus personally, in your spirit.
Connect with His Holy Spirit inside your
innermost being, seek His guidance, and let Him
who is the Author of the Book, guide you in its
understanding, and reveal to you the meaning thereof.
It's not what WE THINK it says that counts, it's WHAT
HE MEANT.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2011
THE CHURCH JESUS
FOUNDED
Which church was founded by Jesus? If by "church"
you mean "denomination"... the answer is NONE.
However, Jesus did establish a Church, His Universal
Church, on Himself.
Its foundation is the apostles and prophets, but Jesus
Himself is its chief cornerstone [Ephesians 2:20].
That Church is comprised of people from every nation,
kindred and language, people of all ages and gender,
people of all races, people of all denominations, and
people without denomination.
What EVERYONE in His Church has in common is they
have Jesus Himself living in their hearts. They've
been born again. They've experienced spiritual
regeneration. They've been given a new heart, and a
new nature. God, thru His Holy Spirit, lives in
them.
Other than that, they differ greatly, in every
imaginable way.
It is those great differences, among all the different
"parts", that make us one complete Body [1
Corinthians 12:12-27].
God's Church isn't a denomination, it isn't a particular
apostle or prophet, it isn't a particular day of the week,
it's not a bunch of "do's" and "don'ts". It's not a bunch
of legalistic regulations. It's not a religious ceremony,
it's not a particular style of worship, it's not being "a
good person", and Lord knows, it isn't a building!
God's Church is an EXPERIENCE.
All who've had that PERSONAL Experience with
the Living Savior are included. All those who
haven't, are excluded.
Jesus' TRUE CHURCH is comprised of those who have
Jesus LIVING in their hearts.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
If you want to join the Church which Jesus Himself
founded, you need to EXPERIENCE Jesus'
Presence IN YOUR HEART.
But He won't force His way in. You must INVITE
HIM.
You've already experienced so much... and all of it's
left you dissatisfied and empty.
Isn't it time you EXPERIENCED HIM?
TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011
END OF THE WORLD
There's been A LOT of talk about the end of the world lately.
For one thing, we're not too far from the feared date of
December 21, 2012 which, according to many, is designated
as "doomsday" in the Mayan calendar.
There's also one group in particular which has predicted
"judgment day" on May 21 of this year.
I myself have stated that if specific numbers given BY GOD
HIMSELF in the Bible are remotely accurate, SOMETHING (like
the Rapture) MUST HAPPEN very soon.
So, when will the world end?
Not for AT LEAST 1,014 years.
The term Day of the Lord, used throughout the Bible, refers
to that period of time beginning with the Rapture-
Tribulation, followed by the Millennium, and ending
with the White Throne Judgment.
The duration of that period is approximately 1,014 years.
The end of the world follows the Millennium and White
Throne judgment described in Revelation 20:7-15.
Then, and only then, will the present heavens and earth be
consumed by fire and replaced with new heavens and
new earth, as described in Revelation chapter 21:1.
This event is described in more detail in 2 Peter 3:10: "...the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burned up".
In 2 Peter 3:12 it also says that "the heavens being on fire
shall be dissolved".
As per Revelation 21:1,2 the new heavens and earth will
include "New Jerusalem", the eternal dwelling place of His
saints, which will descend from heaven as a beautiful bride
adorned for her husband.
It will be a place of perfect righteousness (2 Peter 3:13) and
inordinate beauty as described in the rest of Revelation
chapter 21.
Therefore, let's not confuse the impending Rapture, the
subsequent tribulation and Millennium with the "end of
the world".
The tribulation will be a time of unprecedented, horrific
judgments on unbelieving mankind, but that doesn't mean
the world will end right then. It'll just FEEL like it.
A lot of people are googling "end of the world" as if
they're expecting to be alive when it happens. Fat
chance.
The ONLY way you'll be ALIVE when it happens, is if you
BECOME IMMORTAL by receiving Jesus Christ into your heart
as your own Lord, Savior and God.
If you don't, you'll EXIST, all right, but you'll be spiritually
DEAD. Alienated from Him who is THE LIFE, and from
the perfect, delightful, new world He will create.
Why worry about something that's over 1,000 years in our
future, when you need to KNOW Jesus RIGHT NOW?
MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 2011
REASONS TO SMILE
1. Smiling makes us attractive.
We are drawn to people who smile. We want to know a
smiling person and find out what's so good. Frowns,
scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a
smile draws them in.
2. Smiling Changes Our Mood
Next time you are feeling down, put on a smile. Your
mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the
body into helping you change your mood.
3. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces, making us look
tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. Smiling will make
you feel more fresh and relaxed.
4. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
Smiling releases endorphins, which are natural pain
killers, and the natural drug serotonin. Best of all, it
costs nothing.
5. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in
your blood pressure.
If you have a blood pressure monitor at home, take a
reading. Then smile for a minute, and take
another reading, while still smiling. You'll notice
a difference.
6. Smiling Makes You Look Younger
It lifts the face, making you look younger... Instead of
spending thousands of dollars on a facelift, smile your
way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel
better.
7. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful
Smiling people appear more confident, are more
likely to be promoted.
Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and
people will react to you differently.
8. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something
negative without losing the smile. It's hard.
When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a
message that "life is good!" It keeps depression,
stress and worry away.
9. Smiling is Contagious
A smiling person lights up the room, changes the
moods of others, and make things happier.
A smiling person brings happiness.
Smile a lot and you will draw people to you.
If you meet someone without a smile, give them
one of yours.
10. If you're Christian, you have an infinite
number of reasons to smile.
You have Salvation. You have Eternal Life. You
belong to Jesus. He belongs to you. Besides, Jesus
is smiling at you.
That's the biggest and most important reason of all.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2011
DEAD BIRDS AND FISH
Many of you have asked about the recent swarms of
birds and fish that have been dying mysteriously.
I must confess that, initially, I didn't give it much
importance, since it was reported only as a local freak
incident in Beebe, Arkansas.
Since then, I've been forced to take a closer look at
the Scriptures, and seek the Holy Spirit's guidance,
since it has happened in various parts of the U.S.
and the world.
Bird autopsies reveal they died of multiple blunt force
trauma. However, those performing the autopsies are
unable to explain WHAT could have hit flocks of birds
in flight, in distant parts of the world, numerous
times and with such force as to cause their instant
deaths.
In Italy about 1,000 turtle doves died suddenly, all
showing strange blue stains on their beaks.
It's also happened in places like Romania and Sweden.
The strange incidents include:
• 450 red-winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds,
grackles and starlings found littering a highway in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• 3,000 blackbirds on roofs and roads in the small
town of Beebe, Arkansas
• Thousands of 'devil crabs' washed up along the Kent
coast near Thanet
• Thousands of drum fish washed along a 20-mile
stretch of the Arkansas River
• Two million small fish in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
• Thousands of dead fish found floating in warm Florida
creek
• Hundreds of snapper fish found dead in New Zealand
• Scores of American Coots found dead on Texas
highway bridge
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-
1344913/Animal-death-mystery-8k-turtle-doves-fall-dead-Italy-blue-
stain-beaks.html#ixzz1BA1nY2B1
So far, the official word has been that this is something
"normal", that happens regularly, and nothing to be
alarmed about. Scientists have dismissed it as
"hype" generated by the internet.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the internet's been
around for over two decades. I never heard about
anything like this 3 years, 5 years, 8 years, or
even 10 years ago. Did you?
This is what the Word of God says in Hosea 4:1-3:
"Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge to bring
against you who live on the earth:
"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God on the earth.
There is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
THEY BREAK ALL BOUNDS,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
BECAUSE OF THIS the earth mourns, and all who live
in it waste away; the beasts of the field and THE
BIRDS OF THE AIR and THE FISH OF THE SEA ARE
DYING".
Have you read a more ACCURATE description of
what goes on presently on this planet?
That's quite amazing, considering this prophecy was
written some 2,800 years ago. Is the Holy Spirit
awesome, or what?
But, wait, there's more:
Zephaniah 1: 2, 3 says:
"I will sweep away EVERYTHING from the face of
the earth," declares the LORD.
I will sweep away both men and animals;
I will sweep away THE BIRDS OF THE AIR AND
THE FISH OF THE SEA.
The wicked will have only heaps of rubble
when I cut off man from the face of the earth,
declares the LORD".
Verses 14-18 of the same chapter say:
"The great day of the LORD is near - NEAR and
COMING QUICKLY.
Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter...
That day will be a day of wrath,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,
a day of trumpet and battle cry...
I will bring distress on the people
and they will walk like blind men,
because they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their entrails like filth.
Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the LORD's wrath.
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole world will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live in the earth."
I've never been a preacher of doom and gloom, but
the death of birds and fish seems to be a
harbinger that the Day of the Lord (tribulation) is
about to begin AND QUICKLY.
Furthermore, every instance above where you read
that God will "sweep away" men, animals, birds and
fish, the Hebrew verb is asaph which means TO
GATHER or TO REMOVE.
That's PRECISELY what happens at the Rapture:
believers and animals are gathered and REMOVED
from this earth realm [Matthew 24:31].
Not only does all of this sound ominous, it fits
PERFECTLY with the scenario described in the Book of
Revelation.
But even if we pushed the Bible aside, JUST LOOK
AROUND YOU... earthquakes and volcanoes erupting
everywhere, animals mysteriously dying, people
getting flooded and dying in Pakistan, Australia and
Brazil, world economies including the U.S. teetering on
the edge of bankruptcy, home values have dropped, in
terms of percentages, MORE than they did during the
Great Depression, and are expected to continue
dropping for another 3½ years.
3½ years... that number somehow sounds familiar...
Where have I heard that before?
I'm no scientist, but I'll tell you one thing: what's
happening to the birds, fish, crabs, bees is NOT
normal.
Nor is ANYTHING ELSE that's going on in the world
right now.
If you've never received Jesus into your heart as Lord,
PLEASE don't put it off any longer. DO IT NOW.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011
WHY DON'T JEWS BELIEVE
IN JESUS?
If you believe a disingenuous leader in the Seventh
Day Adventist cult, it's because REAL Christians preach
GRACE.
The true Christian faith, as taught in the Gospels, the
Book of Acts, and the entire NEW Testament is
Salvation BY GRACE ALONE.
Salvation's not a thing, He is a Person.
Salvation cannot be earned, it's A GIFT of God's
grace to ALL who receive and place their trust in
the Person of Jesus Christ, and His perfect,
FINISHED work of redemption.
According to this individual, the reason most Jews
reject Jesus is because Jews follow the law [at
least they CLAIM TO] and REAL Christians teach we're
NOT under the law.
This guy is lying.
He's been BLINDED by religion.
If he stripped his mind and unregenerate heart of his
man-invented, woman established religion, humbled
himself before God, and sought Jesus with ALL his
heart, he would realize the GROSS ERROR in his
teaching.
As one who has both, won Jews to faith in Christ, and
debated some of their anti-Christ detractors AND SHUT
THEM UP, I can tell you that is NOT the main reason
they reject Jesus.
Fact is, Jesus was a law observing Jew, who
FULFILLED the law, ON OUR BEHALF, down to
every last jot and tittle [Matthew 5:17].
Our Jewish friends will offer various objections such as
the Messiah not being God, but a mortal man born of
normal, human parents [that's NOT what their own
Tanach says, see Isaiah 7:14; Psalm 110:1].
Or that his kingly ancestry from David's lineage must
come from the real father, not a stepfather like
Joseph [again, they contradict their own torah, since
Genesis 3:15 undisputedly says it will come from the
mother]. In Jesus' case, it came from BOTH.
And since God IS David's ultimate Father, and Jesus is
both Son of God and Son of David, that argument is
pretty much kaput.
But, after all is said and done, their MAIN objection
to Jesus being the Messiah is that He did NOT
restore the Kingdom to Israel.
At least, He didn't restore a Kingdom VISIBLE to
natural human eyes [Luke 17:21].
Jews expected, and to this day expect, a Messiah
who will restore David's Kingdom to Israel, bring
Israelites back from exile, and usher in an era of
peace, where Jews will no longer be oppressed or
subjugated by other nations.
ANY rabbi will confirm that THIS is the ultimate test,
and that is THE criteria by which THEY will recognize
the Messiah.
Had Jesus used His Omnipotence back in the first
century, toppled the Roman Empire, liberated Israel,
brought back the 10 northern tribes from exile, and set
up His earthly Kingdom in Jerusalem, I have no doubt
that Jews would have enthusiastically welcomed
Him as Messiah, whether He told them to keep
the law or not.
ONLY ONE PROBLEM:
Had He done that, He couldn't have redeemed
Jews and ALL of mankind from their sins [Genesis
22:8; Isaiah 53: 5, 6].
Had He done that, our Jewish friends would still be
sacrificing animals, and shedding THEIR innocent
blood for THEIR sins.
And we know animal blood could NEVER do away with
sin. Otherwise, those sacrifices wouldn't have been
OBLIGATORY and offered DAILY, day after day, and
year after year.
So, we needed, Jews needed, THE WORLD NEEDED, a
Messiah whose SINLESS Blood could remove our
sins ONCE AND FOR ALL (Praise His Holy Name
forever!) [Hebrews 9:12].
A Messiah who could BY ONE SACRIFICE, Himself,
FOREVER satisfy Divine Justice and put us in
right standing with God the Father [Hebrews
10:14].
A Messiah who could not only bear the punishment for
sin, which is death, BUT OVERCOME DEATH ITSELF,
by RISING FROM the dead [Hosea 13:14; Psalms
16:10; Isaiah 26:19].
Jesus did ALL that, and then some.
He hasn't forgotten natural Israel.
He WILL restore a visible, earthly Kingdom to Israel
[Luke 1:32,33; Zechariah 14:9].
He WILL bring the 10 tribes back from exile and
resettle them in the Promised Land [Isaiah 11:12;
Ezekiel 36:11, chapters 47, 48].
He WILL forever deliver Israel from oppression or
tyranny, His Name be praised [Joel 3:16, 17].
He WILL usher in an era of Peace [Isaiah 2:4].
Best of all, from earth's perspective, we're only 7 years
away from the fulfillment of these awesome prophecies
[Daniel 9:25].
Jews WILL, eventually, receive Jesus as their
Messiah [Zechariah 12:10].
"And of His Kingdom there shall be NO END".
FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2011
WHICH CALENDAR?
I wish I didn't have to waste your time or mine on
such silly issues, but the question keeps coming up
as to whether God, perhaps, used the gentile
[Gregorian] calendar for the 70 weeks prophecy,
or at least for the 49-year (7 week) portion
thereof.
Did God know in advance it would be primarily gentiles
who would study these things, and therefore refer to
the "7 week" portion of the 69 weeks in gentile years,
as opposed to Hebrew years?
Is that, possibly, WHY the Rapture hasn't happened,
because 49 gentile years from 1969 would place the
Second Coming in 2018, instead of 2017?
NOT A CHANCE.
God has never used the gentile calendar for anything.
Repeat: God has NEVER used the gentile calendar for
ANYTHING.
And, by the way, there have been not one, but
SEVERAL "gentile calendars".
EVERY prophecy given in the Scriptures is based
on the Hebrew calendar.
The entire 70 weeks prophecy is.
Daniel 7:25 is.
Daniel 9:25 is.
Daniel 12:9 is.
Daniel 12:11 is.
Daniel 12:12 is.
Revelation 11:3 is.
Revelation 12:6 is.
Revelation 13:5 is.
The number of days, months and years given in the
above are ALL exactly divisible into 360-day Hebrew
lunar years.
NONE OF THEM is exactly divisible into 365-day
Gregorian years.
So WHY, in God's Name, would He use the Hebrew
calendar in every single prophecy, including the 70
weeks prophecy, but use Gregorian years ONLY in
that portion?
That's totally illogical.
If God is anything, He is consistent.
The 70 weeks prophecy was given in the 6th century
B.C. The modern Gregorian calendar didn't even EXIST
until the 16th century A.D. (1582).
Moreover, the Book of Daniel was written BY a
Jew, TO Jews, and primarily FOR Jews.
The 70 weeks prophecy couldn't be clearer:
"70 weeks are determined UPON YOUR PEOPLE
(Israel), and YOUR HOLY CITY" [Jerusalem]...
[Daniel 9:24].
If the prophecy is ADDRESSED TO Jews, why in
heaven's name would God use a gentile calendar
that didn't even exist until some 2,100 years
later?
That we, as spiritual Israelites, get to understand and
share its marvelous revelations and stunning accuracy
is living testimony of how great God's mercy and
Grace are.
If you want to talk about God's foreknowledge, He
KNEW His chosen people would still be using
His/their calendar, as indeed they do today.
They may have altered their calendar and removed a
certain number of years in order to make it appear
that Jesus didn't fulfill the 69-week portion of this
prophecy, but Hebrew years are still Hebrew
years.
And 49 Hebrew years from 1969 take us
UNEQUIVOCALLY to Gregorian year 2017.
Per Isaiah 55:8-11, I strongly suggest gentile believers
stop trying to make God think like they do, and
start thinking like He does.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011
DANIEL'S 70TH WEEK
The "70 weeks" prophecy is one of the most important,
and one of the most misunderstood, prophecies in the
Bible.
For starters, the term "Daniel's 70th week" is misused
to refer to the future period of tribulation.
While there is a 70th week [thank God], HALF of it is
already in our past.
In other words, 69½ weeks of this prophecy
have already been fulfilled, leaving ONLY half a
week [3½ years] remaining.
Those 3½ years are the future reign of Antichrist,
which end with the Second Coming of Christ [Daniel
7:25; 12:9; Revelation 13:5].
Jesus [Messiah Prince] is the main subject of this
prophecy.
Daniel 9:25 is clear that the first 69 weeks would lead
to the FIRST appearance of Messiah Prince.
Daniel 9:26 is clear that it's only AFTER the 69
weeks [7 + 62] that Messiah Prince would die.
If it's AFTER the first 69 weeks, then His death HAD
TO HAPPEN sometime during the 70th week.
There's no other possible alternative.
It's therefore Jesus, not the Antichrist, who caused
"the sacrifice and oblation to cease" in "the middle of
the week".
Jesus' ministry took up the first half [3½ years]
of the 70 week. At the end thereof, He died on the
cross for your sins and mine, then rose from the dead.
The time gap, therefore, is NOT between the 69th and
70th week, as is commonly taught, but between the
first half and last half of the 70th week.
This prophecy is ALL about the Christ.
The Antichrist is not even mentioned anywhere.
The other common mistake is teaching that the 69
weeks lead ONLY TO the FIRST coming of Messiah
Prince.
No, they point to BOTH His First and Second Comings.
That's WHY Gabriel divided them into TWO
sections:
"FROM the word to return and build Jerusalem TO [the
coming of] Messiah Prince, SHALL BE 7 weeks AND [in
addition to] 62 weeks".
By saying it THAT WAY, Gabriel cleverly and covertly
gave us, in a single equation, the timing of BOTH.
Had they pointed ONLY to Jesus' First Coming, then
no division was necessary. He would have simply
said "shall be 69 weeks".
Unless, of course, we think Jesus came ONLY
ONCE, and will never return.
Fact is, the 70th week MUST [absolute MUST] END
WITH His Second Coming.
Therefore, the division in the 69 weeks could ONLY
refer to the timing of BOTH.
Jesus told Daniel such things would remain sealed
[would not be understood] UNTIL the "time of the
end".
We ARE in the "time of the end".
Therefore, these things ARE being revealed.
It's time to abandon C.I. Scofield's obsolete
eschatological mantra, which is now more than A
CENTURY OLD, and ACCEPT what God ACTUALLY
SAID.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2011
ANOTHER JESUS
What Jesus do you believe in?
I can almost hear some of you saying "you're kidding,
right? Is there ANOTHER"?
Actually, YES.
There IS "another" Jesus.
I'm not referring to the fact there are other "Jesuses"
in the Bible.
Although it's no longer a common name in Israel or the
Middle East [gee, I wonder why...], Jesus or Yehoshua
in Hebrew, and later Yeshua in Aramaic, meaning "God
is Salvation" was a fairly common name up to a couple
millennia ago.
The anglicized "Joshua" in the Bible's Book of Joshua,
the man who led the Israelites into the Promised Land
(something Moses couldn't even do) is the same
Hebrew name as our Lord's.
So is the Old Testament prophet's Hosea.
In Hispanic culture "Jesus", pronounced hay' soos, is a
very common name to this very day.
But I'm NOT referring to any of that.
There is ANOTHER Jesus which millions of
supposed "Christians" worship.
That OTHER Jesus is the product of sinful men's
imaginations.
He is NOT the REAL Jesus.
He's A FABRICATED Jesus, which religion has been
all too eager to shove down our throats.
And he is perhaps satan's most ingenious and ultimate
ploy.
What better or cleverer way to send people to hell,
than to "SELL THEM" ANOTHER Jesus?
What better way to KEEP PEOPLE FROM getting
saved than to make them THINK they're
worshiping the real Jesus, when in fact, they're
worshiping A FAKE?
A Jesus who's merely "a prophet".
A Jesus who's merely "a great teacher".
A Jesus who's just "a great moral or religious
leader".
A Jesus who's the reincarnation of the Buddha, or
Krishna.
A Jesus who's just "another way" to God.
A Jesus who isn't born of a virgin.
A Jesus who didn't die on the cross.
A Jesus who didn't PHYSICALLY rise from the dead.
A Jesus who is NOT the Son of God.
A Jesus who isn't God.
A Jesus who isn't THE ONE AND ONLY Savior.
A Jesus whose Sacrifice isn't enough to save us.
A Jesus who is a distant, unapproachable religious
icon.
A Jesus who's merely an artist's painting or statue.
A Jesus who'll never return.
A Jesus who has no power and no influence in world
affairs.
A Jesus who needs your man-invented religion's
"HELP" IN ORDER TO SAVE YOU.
A Jesus you can NEVER really KNOW.
If you're NOT serious about Salvation... If you're NOT
concerned about your eternal destiny, ANY OTHER
"Jesus" will do.
But if you REALLY WANT Salvation, THERE'S ONLY
ONE WAY, THERE'S ONLY ONE JESUS who IS.
That's the REAL Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible.
The Jesus who took your sins and mine and paid
for them on the cross. Every last one of them!
Praise His Name!
The Jesus who ROSE BODILY from the dead three
days and three nights later.
The Jesus who ascended to the Father.
The Jesus who is about to appear.
The Jesus who will return in 2017 to set up His eternal
Kingdom on earth.
The virgin born, First Son of God, who is God
Incarnate, and the ONLY ONE who can save you.
He is the Jesus I offer you today.
If you'd like to receive and KNOW the REAL Jesus, if
you want ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE of eternal
Life, invite Him into your heart RIGHT NOW.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2011
JESUS DIDN'T INVENT IT
Jesus didn't invent your religion.
Jesus didn't invent ANY religion.
No religion has ever been founded by Him, not
even the so-called "Christian" religion.
Jesus came to save us and RESTORE our
RELATIONSHIP with Himself.
Religion is satan's ingenious strategy to replace
HEART RELATIONSHIP with an OUTWARD
APPEARANCE of "serving God".
It's his clever attempt to substitute SPIRITUAL
INTIMACY with performance and ceremony.
The Christian faith is NOT religion, but dynamic, on-
going, DEEP spiritual interaction with Jesus
Christ.
If you're settling for ANYTHING LESS you're selling
Jesus (and yourself) short.
You're CHEATING Jesus and yourself of a unique, rich,
marvelous experience.
But what about these religions?
Roman Catholic - invented 4th century A.D.
Lutheran - invented in 1521 A.D. thru
excommunication of Martin Luther
Episcopalian invented 1534
Presbyterian invented 1541
Baptist invented 1609
Methodist invented 1791 by followers of John Wesley
Pentecostal invented 1901
Nazarenes invented 1908
Church of Christ - invented in 1830 by Alexander
Campell. It's a cult.
Latter Day Saints [Mormons] - invented by Joseph
Smith in 1830. It's a HELLISH cult.
Disciples of Christ - invented by the Campbells
[Alexander and Thomas] in 1849. It's a cult.
Seventh Day Adventists - invented by William Miller in
the mid-19th century, and formally established in 1863
by Ellen White. It's a borderline cult.
Christian Science - invented by Mary Bakker Eddy in
1866. It's a cult.
Jehovah's Witnesses - invented 1870 by Charles Taze
Russell. It's a cult that will lead its followers straight
to hell.
As you can see, satan was REALLY BUSY in the
19th century.
United Church of God - invented in 1940's by Herbert
W. Armstrong. It's a cult.
The Christian faith, which is receiving Jesus into our
hearts as our only Lord, Savior and God, enjoying
a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Him from that
moment forward, and TRUSTING His finished work
of redemption [death, burial, resurrection, His shed
blood] to forever save us, is what Jesus and His
disciples introduced, taught and preached in the first
century A.D.
EVERYTHING that man has invented after that,
has been corrupt, to one extent or another, since
man himself is corrupt.
ALL religion is based on fear.
Fear is NOT of God. Fear repels God, and vice versa
[2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18].
Serve Jesus, not religion.
TRUST Jesus, not religion.
NO RELIGION can save ANYONE.
No religion's ever died for you, or risen for you.
Religion is dead. Jesus is alive.
A DEAD THING CAN'T SAVE YOU.
Only a LIVING PERSON can.
MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2010
WHAT CHURCH OF CHRIST?
Most Evangelicals are aware that Jehovah's Witnesses,
so-called Christian Science, Armgstrongnism and
Mormonism are cults. But one group of heretics that
usually slips under the radar is the so-called "Church of
Christ".
We often receive mail from Evangelicals "surprised"
that we include it in our list of cults.
Not to mention (Lord, have mercy) that some have
JOINED a local Church of Christ congregation.
If you have, you should leave NOW.
Do NOT be fooled by the name. No one's ever
accused satan of being a poor self-promoter.
Just WHAT is so wrong with this denomination?
1. For starters, they DENY the Deity of Jesus.
This, in and of itself, is reason enough for true
believers to stay AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM
THIS CULT.
If Jesus isn't God, He can't save you. It's as
simple as that.
For all the Scriptures that say Jesus IS God, CLICK
HERE.
2. They also teach a FALSE "gospel" of Salvation by
grace PLUS WORKS.
In other words, Jesus' Atonement ISN'T ENOUGH
[perish the VERY thought!] to save us.
They teach the damnable heresy that you must "ADD"
your own works of "righteousness" [as if you had
any, Isaiah 64:6].
3. They teach water baptism is ESSENTIAL for
Salvation.
That you can't even RECEIVE the Spirit of Christ
in your heart by just inviting Him, you can ONLY
receive Him by being baptized in water.
THAT is a damnable heresy and an outright, unbiblical
lie [John 1:12; Romans 10:9].
But, don't you believe in water baptism?
Sure. Every person who comes to Christ thru this
ministry is strongly encouraged to be baptized in
water.
Not because water baptism will save them, but
because Jesus commanded it.
Water baptism is merely an act of obedience, AN
OUTWARD DEMONSTRATION of what has ALREADY
taken place inside of us, namely that our sins HAVE
BEEN WASHED AWAY by Jesus' precious Blood.
What I don't believe, is that you're not saved UNLESS
you're baptized in water.
What I don't believe is that you can't receive the Holy
Spirit UNLESS you've been baptized in water.
What I don't believe is that Almighty God is
somehow limited or PREVENTED from placing
HIS HOLY SPIRIT INSIDE BELIEVERS by a few
gallons of water.
Fact is, the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart THE
INSTANT you invite Jesus to enter, and receive Him as
your only Lord, Savior and God.
When believers get baptized in water, they ALREADY
HAVE the Spirit living in them.
Matter of fact, they shouldn't even get baptized unless
they already ARE saved.
You've heard me say it a million times: Salvation is
never based on what we do on the outside, but
on WHO LIVES ON THE INSIDE.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 9, 2011
ARREST THE VULTURE
Our Islamic neighbors are at it again.
Last year, their "sages" blamed the record number of
earthquakes on women's décolletage.
(If those are their sages, kinda makes you wonder
what their "dumb" people think).
It became known as the Boobquake conspiracy.
But they've outdone themselves THIS year.
They started off 2011 by blaming Israel for training
SHARKS to attack tourists at an Egyptian resort, in
order to ruin the tourism industry.
Guess they really "jumped the shark" on that one...
They've also accused the Mossad (Israel's version of
the CIA) of training squirrels in Iran to spy on their
nuclear facilities, and snakes to bite Palestinian
farmers.
How a snake can tell the difference between a Jew and
a Palestinian remains a mystery.
Maybe they just prefer to hang around their own kind.
But their latest "discovery" really takes the cake:
A VULTURE SPY!
Saudi Arabian security forces have captured a vulture,
which they are holding in custody under suspicion of
espionage.
The arrest of the vulture - whose identification code is
R65 - came as a result of the bird being found near the
home of a sheikh, with a tag bearing the inscription
"Tel Aviv University" clasped to its leg.
It was also carrying a global positioning satellite (GPS)
transmitter tagged with the university's name.
Needless to say that Al Jazeera and numerous Arabic
internet sites jumped on the story.
I wonder what they'll think of next, genetically
engineered lice?
It appears that students at Tel Aviv University were
trying to learn more about the migratory flight of these
birds and thus released 7 vultures with the
aforementioned tags and transmitters.
The GPS transmitter would inform them about the
location of the birds at given times.
Four have stopped transmitting and are presumed
dead, the other two are still flying around, their
whereabouts kept secret to protect their identity
(LOL), while R65 wandered into Saudi territory after
spending the winter in Sudan.
And there you have it.
I always knew Jews were smart, but you gotta hand it
to them for their sheer brilliance.
Who would have thought of training A VULTURE?
No telling what .007 might have done with the
collaboration of such ingenious agents.
And I'm sure R65 likes his martini "shaken, not
stirred".
As for our Saudi friends, what can I say?
It took some real "BIRDBRAINS" to come up with
that one.
"Book 'im, Ahmed".
SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2011
DID JESUS SIN?
According to a recent Barna Group poll, ONE-THIRD
of Americans who call themselves "Christian"
CONFIDENTLY BELIEVE that Jesus sinned while He
was on earth.
According to pollster George Barna:
"Americans are increasingly comfortable picking and
choosing what THEY DEEM to be... accurate
theological views, and have become comfortable
DISCARDING THE REST OF THE TEACHINGS IN
THE BIBLE".
I'm no pollster, but if the feedback we get, day to day,
week to week, is any indication, the findings of this
poll are exactly right.
I CONSTANTLY hear from "Christians" who
CONFIDENTLY ASSERT "the Bible says thus and so",
when THE BIBLE DOESN'T SAY THAT AT ALL.
Yet these biblical illiterates [sorry, but I gotta call
LIARS what they are], who pass themselves off as
"Christians", MISQUOTE the Bible WITHOUT ANY FEAR
OR RESERVATION.
Notwithstanding the warning given by Jesus about
"adding" or "subtracting" from His written Word, and
the ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES involved [Revelation
22:18,19], here is ONE ABSOLUTE BIBLICAL FACT:
Jesus NEVER SINNED...EVER! [1 Peter 2:21,22; 2
Corinthians 5:21].
Here's another: had He EVER sinned [perish the
thought] YOU'RE NOT SAVED, and I'm not saved.
Had He EVER sinned, then the whole world would
be LOST FOREVER, without ANY HOPE of
forgiveness, or Redemption... for ANYONE.
Why? Because it took NOTHING LESS than the Holy,
SINLESS, Most Precious Blood of our Lord to Redeem
us [1 Peter 1:19; Hebrews 4:15].
Had Jesus sinned, that would make Him a sinner and,
consequently, UNABLE TO save us.
How could He have saved SINNERS, if He was a
sinner Himself?
THE REASON Jesus had to become human, die on the
cross, and rise from the dead, is because He was, and
is, the ONLY SINLESS HUMAN who ever lived.
Hence, He's the ONLY Way to be saved, the ONLY
Way to the Father [John 14:6].
If we could have been redeemed by corrupt, sinful
blood, then the blood of Abel, the blood of Adam, or of
animals, could have done the job [Hebrews 7:26,27;
9:14].
Such sacrifices could NEVER take away our sins.
Only when His SINLESS SON came along, was the One
Holy God able to accept that PERFECT, UNDEFILED,
SINLESS SACRIFICE, in payment FOR our sins
ONCE-AND-FOR-ALL!
Newsflash to all HERETICS: God's Word is THE
TRUTH, whether you like it or not.
What He stated WILL HAPPEN, whether you believe
it, or not.
God doesn't need your "approval". He doesn't
need you to "agree". He's God.
To "Christians" who believe Jesus sinned: if He did,
YOU'RE NOT SAVED.
Which means you need to repent of your
BLASPHEMY, and receive God incarnate, the
SINLESS Jesus, into your heart.
Which means that, at the moment, you're NO
Christian AT ALL.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2011
JUDGMENT OF NATIONS
The judgment of nations (gentiles) is one of the most
neglected prophetic truths found in the Bible.
When Jesus returns [at His Second Coming], He will
sit on His Throne and judge ALL gentiles based
on their treatment of natural Israel.
This is clearly taught in Joel 3:1-17:
"In those days and at that time, when I restore the
fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather
ALL NATIONS and bring them down to the Valley
of Jehoshaphat [the Kidron valley, just East of
Jerusalem].
There I WILL ENTER INTO JUDGMENT AGAINST THEM
CONCERNING my inheritance, MY PEOPLE ISRAEL, for
they scattered my people among the nations and
divided up my land. They cast lots for my people and
traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine
that they might drink...
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come,
tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow,
for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is
near in the valley of decision.
The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from
Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the
Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for
the people of Israel.
Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be
holy; never again will foreigners invade her".
Jesus also spoke about this judgment:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the
angels with him, he will sit on his throne in
heavenly glory.
All the NATIONS (gentiles) will be gathered
before him, and he will separate the people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats.
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his
left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come,
you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me in I needed
clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you
looked after me, I was in prison and you came to
visit me.
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did
we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you something to drink? ..."The King will reply,
'I tell you the truth, WHATEVER YOU DID FOR ONE OF
THE LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS OF MINE, YOU
DID FOR ME.'
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from
me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was
hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger
and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you
did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did
not look after me'.
They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes
or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did
NOT do for one of the least of these, you did NOT do
FOR ME" [Matthew 25:31-45].
Even now, nations are being judged based on their
treatment of Israel.
But after the tribulation, there will be A SPECIAL
JUDGMENT for gentiles still living here on earth
based on how they treated natural Israelites
DURING THAT AWFUL time.
This judgment, obviously, has nothing to do with the
Church, since the Church will be in heaven.
Gentile nations, you've been forewarned by God
Himself.
You better warm up to the idea of being good to Israel.
You better start being good to Israel NOW.
God's keeping score, and NOTHING escapes His
watchful eyes.
Word to the wise: BE GOOD TO ISRAEL. Help them in
any way possible.
If you don't, you'll pay HORRIBLE and ETERNAL
consequences.
If you do, you'll be blessed and richly rewarded.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 2011
STAND FOR SOMETHING
For all the Christian TV programs, TV networks,
satellites, radio, publications, Bible translations,
electronic Bibles, CD's, DVD's and WEBSITES, there
are MORE biblically illiterate people today than
there were 50 or 100 years ago.
A recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found
that atheists and agnostics KNOW MORE about
religion and the Bible than most Christians.
They were followed by Jews, then by Mormons, then
by Protestants, then by Catholics.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0105/Are-you-smarter-than-an-atheist-A-religious-
quiz/When-does-the-Jewish-Sabbath-begin
The latest Barna Research polls on the Bible have
shown equally dismal results.
However, I don't even need to look at such polls
because we keep meticulous records of the tons of
emails we receive daily. Not to mention that I
personally answer around 250 of them PER DAY.
They deal with EVERY imaginable topic, ranging from
the sublime to the ridiculous, and everything in
between.
I can tell you, after answering these letters, day after
day, FOR OVER 5 YEARS, including holidays and
weekends, that the media, including the internet, is
HURTING more than helping.
There is A COLOSSAL AMOUNT of misinformation and
false doctrine on TV, radio and the web. Not to
mention on print media and recordings.
However, such misinformation COULDN'T HARM
Christians if they DIDN'T read it.
Let me say that again: such information COULD
NOT harm Christians if they DIDN'T read it.
NOBODY forces YOU to read it.
NOBODY forces YOU to roam around the internet,
like a chicken with its head cut off, and read what
every boneheaded fool decided to write.
NOBODY forces YOU to participate (let alone believe)
what you read in those "Christian" forums where
THERE ARE A MILLION contributing know-it-alls, who
wouldn't recognize Jesus if He appeared in His glory
and slapped them in the face.
Nor do they force you to BUY the latest money
making piece of crap some "prophecy expert" cooked
up.
Nor do they force you to watch "Christian" TV.
What, in heaven's name, did they invent that remote
for? If it's unscriptural (as MOST OF IT is) TURN IT
OFF!
If you find a website that teaches biblical Truth, stick
to it. WHY would you go ALL OVER THE NET, then
write me a hysterical email asking whether I'm sure
there's a Rapture, or whether I'm sure it's pre-trib,
or whether I'm sure the Antichrist is Alexander, or
whether I'm sure Salvation is by grace ALONE, or
whether I'm sure Salvation can't be lost, etc. etc.
just because you read some GARBAGE elsewhere
that said otherwise?
WHY do you come TO ME to allay your fears??? If you
have THAT MUCH CONFIDENCE in my Bible knowledge,
THEN FOR GOODNESS' SAKE STICK TO THE BIBLE
AND MY TEACHING.
We got Christians quoting and "teaching" from the
APOCRYPHAL (fictitious) Book of Enoch, when THEY
DON'T KNOW the God INSPIRED Scriptures.
We got believers studying Islamic eschatology,
WHEN THEY DON'T KNOW CHRISTIAN eschatology.
We got Christians reading the supposed "lost books" of
the Bible WHEN they know ZILCH about the REAL
Bible.
They're reading up on Nostradamus, the Mayan
calendar, and a non-existent "planet X" that some
religious fool invented, when they KNOW SQUAT
about the Book of Revelation.
We even have Christians delving into the OCCULT,
with the false pretense that they're doing it to get
"ammunition" in order to refute it (you're only fooling
yourself. You're not fooling Jesus OR ME) only to end
up with a fried brain, believing they've forever "lost
their salvation" or that THEY are the Antichrist.
If you REALLY want "ammunition" to combat the
occult, or ANY false doctrine, you'll only get it FROM
THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND THE WORD OF GOD.
WHERE do you think I get it from?
I get letters from pretend "Christians", cultists,
satanists, occultists and even alleged "demons" ALL
THE TIME, and they don't move me one millimeter,
why? Because I KNOW JESUS, I KNOW THE
WORD, I have His Spirit.
At some point, you're going to have to exercise your
God-given DISCERNMENT, study the Word, rely on
the Holy Spirit, and learn how to separate the wheat
from the chaff.
AT SOME POINT, you're going to have to MAKE UP
YOUR MIND and STAND ON YOUR OWN
CONVICTIONS, instead of being swayed by every
ignoramus on the horizon.
As Alexander Hamilton once said, "When YOU STAND
FOR NOTHING, you'll FALL FOR ANYTHING.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011
MAY 21, 2011
Everyone's talking about May 21, which certain
Christians have designated as "judgment day". It's all
over TV, radio and the internet.
I've heard this doctrine before, in fact, I received
SEVERAL emails about it LAST YEAR. Since we now
ARE in 2011, it's gained momentum THIS year.
You know, from recent teaching I've shared, that we
MUST BE VERY near the Rapture and that it's
likely to happen this year.
But on May 21, 2011? I think not.
The group in question believes:
That the tribulation started on May 21, 1988
And that 5/21/88 was [I quote]:
"The last day of the church age and was also the
first day of the 23-year period of Great
Tribulation, during which Satan has been
employed by God to officially rule all of the churches
as well as the whole world.
During the first 2,300 days of this 8,400-day period
the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from all of the
churches as well as the entire world".
If by now, you're NOT scratching your head and going
"huh"? YOU SHOULD BE.
All of the above is sheer SPECULATION. There isn't AN
OUNCE of scriptural Truth behind it.
Had the tribulation started, YOU'D KNOW IT BEYOND
ANY DOUBT [Revelation 6:16].
As it is, I'm no longer sure it lasts 7 whole years, let
alone 23!
Mercifully, there's absolutely NOTHING in the
Scriptures about a 23-year tribulation. NOT A
THING.
Since satan rebelled and was expelled from heaven,
he's NEVER BEEN EMPLOYED By God to do
ANYTHING.
Please note the COMPLETE LACK of Scripture to
support THAT tidbit.
Also note the COMPLETE LACK of Scripture to
substantiate that the Holy Spirit "left the churches"
and the world in 1988. NO SUCH THING is taught
anywhere in the Bible.
The Holy Spirit can't leave, if for no other reason, that
He's God and He's OMNIPRESENT.
Many souls have come to Jesus since 1988, so we
know they're lying, since no one can come to the
Lord unless the Holy Spirit draws him [1
Corinthians 12:3].
I visited SEVERAL of the websites where this lie is
being promoted and DIDN'T FIND ANY INFORMATION
ANYWHERE about how a person can be saved. ZILCH.
I could go on and on.
Their "bible guarantee" that the Rapture will happen on
5/21/11 consists of the day Noah went into the ark.
They CLAIM that the universal flood took place in the
year 4990 B.C.
Based on their false theory, since God commanded
Noah to warn people of the flood seven days in
advance, and since 2 Peter 3:8 says "a day with the
Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years
is as a day", the Rapture would have to happen
7,000 years from 4990 B.C., which would be on May
21st of this year.
How, you may wonder, can they PROVE the flood
happened ON THAT EXACT YEAR? The answer is they
CAN'T.
The Bible doesn't tell us.
NO ONE KNOWS what year it really happened. We
know it took place over 3,000 years B.C. Best anyone
can do, is come up with an APPROXIMATE year.
NOBODY knows for sure. So, that's a PRETTY
SHAKY basis to begin with.
And while Jesus did liken the days BEFORE the Rapture
to the "days of Noah" in the sense that sin and
rebellion would run rampant, and that most people
would be caught off guard, there's NO SCRIPTURE
ANYWHERE that indicates the Rapture will
happen ON THE SAME DAY that Noah went into
the Ark. NOT ONE.
If it did, then Jesus would have lied [perish the
thought] when He said "NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY"
[Mark 13:32; Matthew 24:36].
So, this teaching is A DIRECT CONTRADICTION of
what our Lord said.
Moreover, Jesus ALSO likened His APPEARING in the
Rapture to the "days of Lot" [Luke 17:26-28], does
that mean we look for the date Lot left Sodom in order
to determine THE DAY of the Rapture?
The Bible doesn't give THE YEAR of the flood, but it
DOES tell us THE EXACT DAY Noah went into the Ark.
According to Genesis 7:11 it was "on the seventeenth
day of the second month" [that would be the 17th of
Iyyar in the Hebrew calendar] which corresponds this
year to May 21, 2011.
So, if the Rapture were to happen on that date, on THE
EXACT SAME DAY Noah entered the ark, we WOULD
KNOW the EXACT DAY.
Either Jesus was lying or these people are.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2011
OUT OF NOTHING
The other morning I was watching TV, and made the
mistake of stopping for a moment at one of the
"Christian" channels.
The televangelist on the screen was reading a letter
from one of his supporters who had just lost her job
and was having a rough time financially.
If the emails we receive are any indication, and if labor
department statistics are even remotely accurate,
she's not alone.
A LOT of people are facing the same predicament.
The televangelist launched into his phony baloney,
SEND ME MONEY, religious rhetoric but the main
point he made was that "God will bless you and
multiply you. But in order for God to multiply, you
must put something into His hand FIRST".
By putting something into "God's hand" he clearly
meant that this poor woman should send $$$ TO HIM.
I'm not going to say the televangelist's name, BUT I
sure as hell I'm going to speak against his
PREMEDITATED DECEIT. [Don't faint, holier-than-
thou religionists, "hell" is in the Bible].
I wonder what verse of Scripture says that giving
money to callous, uncaring, money grubbing, religious
liars constitutes "giving to God".
I also wonder WHEN God EVER authorized HIM, or
any other televangelist, even the FEW honest ones, to
receive money IN GOD'S STEAD.
But, putting all that aside for one second, THIS MAN
WAS LYING.
Does God need someone to "put something in His
hand" in order to multiply it?
NO, NO, and a million times "NO"!!!
He created THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE out of nothing
[Hebrews 11:1].
Nobody "gave Him" anything in order for Him to
create it!
Nobody "planted a seed" so God could make the
stars.
Nobody PUT ANYTHING "in His hand" so He could
multiply it into cells, amino acids, atoms, particles,
animals, humans... He created EVERYTHING OUT
OF NOTHING, and He multiplied EVERYTHING
OUT OF NOTHING.
How dare this avaricious scammer limit God by saying
He CANNOT UNLESS YOU DO?
God can do ANYTHING HE WANTS!!! He's God!!!
God's blessings are free.
He never attaches any "condition".
You don't need to put anything into His hand.
What you really need to do is give Him your heart.
MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2011
Today's message is dedicated to my dear brother David, who
INSPIRED IT, and whose personal ministry to me means more
than human words can express.
BAPTISM OF FIRE
"The words... indicate the removing of what can be shaken... so that
(only) WHAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that CANNOT be shaken, let
us be thankful, and so worship God..., for OUR God IS a CONSUMING
FIRE [Hebrews 12:27-29]."
Our God is "a consuming fire"... these words are
usually misquoted by stern religionists in a
premeditated attempt to scare the living daylights out
of believers.
I have taught on the doctrine of baptisms before, but
there's one baptism that I unconsciously neglected to
include: the baptism of FIRE.
It was totally unintentional on my part. I apologize for
it, nonetheless.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus approach to be
baptized IN WATER, he said:
"I indeed baptize you with water to repentance, but He
that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I
am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the
Holy Spirit AND WITH FIRE" [Matthew 3:11].
What IS the baptism of fire?
"Baptism" means "IMMERSION".
We saw a manifestation of this baptism on the day of
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came INTO the 120
believers in the Upper Room and sat upon them as
cloven tongues of fire [Acts 2:3].
The refining fire of God's Spirit and Glory [Shekinah]
was IMMERSING and purging their carnal minds in
preparation for ministry.
The baptism [immersion] WITH FIRE was present, in
limited form, THAT DAY, at the BIRTH of the Church.
It will manifest in UNLIMITED FORM at the
Church's coronation [1 Corinthians 15:50-55].
Her coronation will signal her completion. When the
Church is CROWNED with the FIRE OF GOD'S GLORY,
she will leave this vaporous earth realm and be
translated into the eternal one.
It's this BAPTISM OF FIRE that will change us from
mortal to immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible.
The baptism [immersion] into God's CONSUMING FIRE
will consume ALL the sinful rubble in our subconscious,
thus purifying and renewing our minds.
When our minds are purified we will FIND THE WAY
BACK TO PARADISE [Jesus' Presence], which we lost at
the Garden of Eden some 6,000 years ago.
That Way is the Christ within.
HE IS THE WAY, The Truth and The Life. NO ONE
goes to the Father except thru Him [John 14:6].
Hear it again: NO ONE goes to the Father [is
Raptured] EXCEPT THRU HIM.
Yes, this verse also applies to being saved. But FULL
Salvation is attained ONLY when we find our Way back
to the Eternal Source from which we came, that
Source being God the Father.
THAT'S what the Rapture is ALL about.
The INNER Christ was, AND FOREVER IS, the ONLY
WAY back to the Father. The ONLY WAY back to
Paradise.
That's why we MUST be born again [connect with the
INNER Christ] in order to ENTER or even SEE God's
Kingdom [John 3:3-5].
The Holy Spirit's PRIMARY function is the
revelation of that INNER Christ IN US.
The Church MUST --it's an ABSOLUTE MUST-- rely
on the Holy Spirit and COMPLETELY TRUST the Holy
Spirit to MANIFEST as that consuming FIRE that
LITERALLY SHOWS US THE WAY [the inner Christ],
and LEADS US to the manifestation [APPEARING]
of the Christ within.
If we REALLY want the Rapture, THIS is what we
must FOCUS ON.
EVERY child of God MUST consciously and 100%,
with NO FEAR OR RESERVATION, EMBRACE God's
Consuming Fire.
We must NOT fear it, but WELCOME IT.
We must TRUST it to totally consume the debris from
years of sin as well as the false notion of "separation"
from God.
The Rapture is NOT "a thing". The Rapture is a
Person.
That Person is Jesus Christ and He ALREADY IS within
you.
To receive the Truth of the Rapture is to know Who
He is, rather than WHEN it is.
Seek God's FIRE with ALL your heart. Don't run from
Him. Welcome Him. YIELD TO Him. His fire is GOOD.
His baptism of fire won't hurt you. HE'LL SAVE YOU...
TO THE UTTERMOST.
EMBRACING the CONSUMING Fire of His inner
Presence is WHAT'LL transfer us from this fallen, sinful
world BACK INTO HIS PRESENCE.
It's what will enable us to forever see His Face.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2011
RAPTURE UPDATE:
SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE
I'm not making predictions, nor specifying dates.
I'm simply going to state FACTS. How you choose to
process those facts, is entirely up to you.
I'd be lying if I told you I'm not SHOCKED that we're
still here.
Never thought I'd see 2011 from the earth.
Never thought I'd see Christmas.
Never thought I'd even see Thanksgiving.
Those of us who long for His appearing tend to get
impatient. I want to ASSURE YOU, brothers and
sisters, that although He may have tarried a little
longer than we thought, He hasn't forgotten us. His
timing, like everything else of His, is always PERFECT.
Glory to Jesus forever!
How much longer we'll be here, God only knows.
BUT... if information given by God Himself, in His Holy
Word, is REMOTELY correct, it can't be long. It just
CAN'T.
The NUMBERS given in Scripture will only allow so
much flexibility.
Something's got to give, and I mean VERY, VERY,
VERY SOON. I'm talking ABSOLUTE MUST:
Daniel 9:25 clearly states there will be a "7 week" [49
Hebrew year period] FROM the word to return and
build Old Testament Jerusalem TO Messiah Prince.
That word came, unequivocally, in the spring of
1969.
The division in the 70 weeks could ONLY refer to His
Second Coming, since the 70 weeks CANNOT END
without His Return [Daniel 9:24].
49 Hebrew years from 1969 undisputedly take us to
the fall of 2017.
The reign of Antichrist unmistakably lasts 3½ years
(42 months) [Daniel 7:25; 12:9; Revelation 13:5].
If we backtrack 3½ years from fall 2017, Antichrist's
reign MUST begin in April 2014.
As per Revelation chapters 8 and 9 we have to fit 6
trumpet judgments and one woe BEFORE April,
2014 when Antichrist's reign MUST begin.
The first woe under the fifth trumpet ALONE takes 5
months [Revelation 9:5]. So, we're EASILY looking at
A MINIMUM OF 3 years BEFORE Antichrist begins to
reign.
That would be 3 years PRIOR TO April 2014.
These judgments ALL take place under the 7th seal
[Revelation 8:1]. The Church is taken to heaven
under the 6th seal [Revelation 6:12; 7:9].
Additionally, we are SPECIFICALLY told that the Two
Witnesses will testify 3½ years [1,260 days], BEFORE
they are killed by Antichrist.
It's UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE for these 3½ years to be the
same 3½ years of Antichrist's reign.
If they were, Antichrist would have to kill the Two
Witnesses at the Second Coming of Jesus, right
before our Lord's eyes. NOT HAPPENING!
We can now say WITH CERTAINTY that their 1,260-day
ministry will overlap with the Antichrist's 3½ year
reign SOMEWHAT, but not by much. If it doesn't,
the numbers DON'T FIT AT ALL.
It's TOTALLY ILLOGICAL for them to prophesy for any
significant amount of time while the Antichrist is
reigning:
1. If the Antichrist allowed them to go on for long,
after he starts ruling, it would tarnish his image of
invincibility and would make it look like he's UNABLE
TO overcome the Two Witnesses.
2. If He can't put a swift stop to them, HOW ON
EARTH will people believe he can stop THE RETURNING
JESUS? [Revelation 13:4].
3. If that happened, he would lose credibility and look
weak and ineffective.
4. The Two Witnesses would be prophesying against
him, denouncing him, and CONTRADICTING HIM, right
under his nose, thus making a mockery of him.
5. If that happened they'd be competing with him
for the souls of men.
6. If that happened, it would undermine
Antichrist's authority, and who knows how many
individuals and world leaders might defect and join
the Two Witnesses [Revelation 13:3, 7].
7. If that happened, it would cast SERIOUS DOUBT on
Antichrist's authority or ability to rule, since he and
his false prophet would be competing head to
head with two other individuals who have ALSO risen
from the dead, and who ALSO have supernatural
powers.
8. If that happened, world attention would be
DIVIDED between him and the Two Witnesses.
How, then, could he REIGN SUPREME and IMPOSE
worship of himself and his father satan worldwide?
[Revelation 13:4, 8, 15].
How, then, could he impose the mark of the beast as a
condition for buying or selling worldwide? [Revelation
13:16, 17].
It simply doesn't add up.
Last, but not least, by the time the Antichrist's
reign begins in the spring of 2014, there MUST
BE a third temple standing in Jerusalem.
If there's no temple by 2014, there's NO WAY the
abomination of desolation which Daniel predicted,
and Jesus Himself predicted, can take place
[Matthew 24:15].
We know the abomination of desolation will take up
the ENTIRE reign of Antichrist, since there will be
1,290 days [3 Hebrew years and 7 months] from the
time it's set up in the temple [Daniel 12:11].
We also know that the Two Witnesses will be
instrumental in the rebuilding of the temple
[Revelation 11:1-3].
If there's going to be a temple by 2014,
construction WILL HAVE TO begin PRETTY SOON.
It took 7 years to build Solomon's temple. Solomon
had the advantage that his father David had already
stored most of the materials and other resources
needed for its construction.
It took 7-9 years to build Zerubabbel's temple.
It took 5 years to build the recently completed Hurvah
Synagogue, inaugurated on March 15, 2010.
The temple is much larger than the Hurvah, plus
must comply with dozens of detailed biblical
requirements. So, to build the temple, even with all
the modern technology, machinery, and knowledge at
our disposal is going to EASILY take up 3 + years.
If we deduct 3+ years from spring 2014... You do the
math.
This is ALL I am able to share at the moment. Please
don't ask for dates, or for more specificity, because I
simply won't do it. I do believe (hindsight, as they
say, being 20/20) I have found the error in my
previous calculation, but I won't comment on that
UNLESS the Spirit CLEARLY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY
authorizes it.
The numbers are running out. There's VERY
LITTLE wiggle room left.
Each person may draw his/her own conclusions.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011
PAID IN FULL
WHAT IF you'd committed a terrible crime and were
sentenced to life in prison, without ANY
possibility of parole?
WHAT IF someone came and offered to SERVE
YOUR SENTENCE FOR YOU, so you could go free?
That's precisely what happened when Jesus went to
the cross for your sins and mine.
We have ALL sinned.
We ALL deserved to die.
We ALL deserved hell.
Yet Jesus PAID FOR ALL our sins, took our death,
suffered our hell, and PAID THE PRICE IN FULL, so
that you and I can be free.
Our precious Jesus paid for even the most heinous sins
imaginable.
SIN IS PAID IN FULL.
And that's the Good News I want to share with you as
the old year ends and the New Year begins.
YOUR SINS ARE PAID FOR.
ALL of them are paid for. You have been set free.
If you die and go to hell, it's because YOU WANT TO.
It's because you CHOOSE TO.
You can begin 2011 with A CLEAN SLATE.
You can be totally cleansed of sin, become A NEW
PERSON from the inside out, and live the rest of your
life AS THOUGH YOU'D NEVER SINNED.
You can live FOR ETERNITY as though you'd never
sinned.
If that's NOT THE BEST news in all the world, I don't
know what is.
If that's NOT THE BEST offer anyone's ever made,
WHAT IS?
Only Jesus can erase your sins... forever.
Only Jesus offers you eternal life and a clean slate.
He IS Eternal Life.
Receive His forgiveness TODAY.
Don't postpone the decision. Tomorrow may be too
late.
You DON'T KNOW where you'll be tomorrow.
Get your sins erased TODAY.
Open your heart and invite Jesus in... NOW.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2010
ALWAYS NICE
I recently received one email in particular from a
brother who found our website, started following
this daily message, and was enjoying it UNTIL I
posted a couple messages exposing some of the
UNGODLY practices that go on in the Name of Jesus.
Despite the fact that we DO NOT name INDIVIDUALS
the person in question, who originally found me
“humble”, now accused me of “constantly attacking
someone, calling names and bashing other
individuals and even preachers” and of having a lot
of “pent up anger”.
He went on to suggest that we lead by example, and
that he could not see where “Christ would use
such language”.
Is he right? Does being nice and humble preclude
speaking out against abuses and heresies?
Are Christians supposed to say ONLY nice things
about other professing Christians?
Are we supposed to stick our heads in the sand,
like the proverbial ostrich, and PRETEND none
of the ugly stuff is going on?
Are Christians ever allowed to express righteous
anger?
And is it true that Jesus would never use “such
language”?
We will let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
Sweet, lovely, wonderful Jesus, the Personification of
Love, is ON RECORD calling His fellow Jews [who
practiced the same religion as He] "HYPOCRITES”,
“generation of vipers”, “children of hell”, “blind
guides”, “unclean” and “full of iniquity”
[Matthew 23:14-33].
For good measure, He added that thieves and
whores would enter the Kingdom ahead of
them [Matthew 21:31].
Not only did Jesus get angry at the Scribes and
Pharisees of His day, but actually made a whip
out of cords and THREW THEM OUT OF HIS
TEMPLE [John 2:15; Matthew 21:12; Mark
11:15].
I haven‟t driven anyone out with cords yet, although I
admit being tempted to...
I WISH the Church behaved in such exemplary
fashion, and that its purported leaders were so
spiritual that I NEVER had to say anything.
I WISH there were no greed, manipulation,
hypocrisy, and scamming going on.
I WISH Jesus was THE FOCUS of attention, instead
of Mammon.
Until that happens, true ministers of Christ have the
right, indeed THE OBLIGATION to speak out
against evil. It‟s the shepherd‟s duty to PROTECT
THE FLOCK, not let it be devoured by hirelings or
wolves in sheep‟s clothing.
Every true man of God in the Bible, from Samuel to
Nathan, from Jeremiah to Ezekiel, from John to Paul
did JUST THAT.
Jesus Himself, who is our Supreme Example, did it.
This is what sweet, lovely Jesus said PUBLICALLY
and OUT LOUD to some of His Jewish brethren:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
because you devour widows' houses, and for a
pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will
receive greater condemnation" [Matthew 23:14].
If Jesus said all that BACK THEN, I wonder WHAT
He‟d say TODAY after watching 10 minutes of
“Christian” television.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2010
ECLIPSED
Around December 21, we were bombarded with emails asking
about the total lunar eclipse that took place, as there was
widespread anticipation that the Rapture would take place on
that date.
The association of lunar eclipses to the Rapture keeps coming
up ever since a certain individual started doing the rounds on
Christian TV pitching his DVD series on what he erroneously
calls "blood moons".
The lunar eclipse myth may have SOLD a lot of DVD's, but
conveniently left out the rest of the signs.
For starters, that's a misnomer. The term "blood moon"
DOES NOT mean lunar eclipse.
NOWHERE does the Bible say the Rapture is contingent on
a lunar eclipse.
Repeat: NOWHERE does the Bible say the Rapture is
contingent on a lunar eclipse.
Therefore, I don't pay much attention to eclipses.
I have to admit, however, that I was interested in THIS
particular one.
What piqued my interest was that several SECULAR news
sources reported that:
a) Because of intense volcanic activity this year, the moon
would look a much deeper, darker shade of RED. It
didn't.
b) They said there might be a meteor shower [the
Ursids] concurrent with the eclipse. And,
c) There were even a couple of sources that said there might
be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a selenelion,
which occurs when the sun and the eclipsed moon can
be seen AT THE SAME TIME.
Because SECULAR NEWS SOURCES were mentioning two or
three of the SIGNS Jesus gave that would precede the
Rapture happening simultaneously or in close proximity,
and because of the TIMING on the prophetic calendar, I did
pay attention TO THIS PARTICULAR ECLIPSE.
After watching the whole thing I can tell you it was GROSSLY
overrated.
The moon came nowhere close to looking like blood. It just
turned that usual, ugly, coppery color.
There was no visible meteor shower, nor was there any
selenelion.
Which brings us to the core of today's message:
Jesus NEVER SAID the Rapture would happen during a
total lunar eclipse. NEVER.
He gave A COMBINATION OF EVENTS, not just a single event,
THAT WILL PRECEDE THE RAPTURE.
The sequence given in Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24 is
1."the SUN shall be darkened,
2. and the moon shall not give its light
3. And the stars of heaven shall fall,
4. and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken".
It says, first and foremost, THAT THE SUN GETS DARK.
If the sun gets dark, then obviously, the moon "cannot
give its light", since the moon has no light of its own,
but merely reflects the sun's light.
The same thing is repeated in Joel 2:31 and Revelation 6:12.
In every instance where these signs are given, THE SUN IS
ALWAYS MENTIONED FIRST.
So, we're looking at A COMBINATION of events, not merely a
lunar eclipse, WHICH BEGIN WITH the sun getting dark, as a
result the moon can't shine, or may not shine for a while,
then turn blood red, there will be a meteor shower [falling
stars] and a SHAKING of heaven and earth.
I submit therefore, that if anything, we should be
watching THE SUN, NOT the moon.
In Joel and Revelation, instead of saying the moon "shall not
give its light", they say it becomes red as blood. Revelation
6:12 also gives one additional detail: the sky will split in
the middle and roll on each side like a scroll.
Solar and lunar eclipses CANNOT, according to the laws of
physics, happen simultaneously. Humanly speaking it's
IMPOSSIBLE.
Consequently, the Bible CANNOT BE referring to a
regular lunar eclipse happening just prior to the
Rapture.
Therefore, there will be WITHOUT A DOUBT supernatural
intervention, since the Rapture itself is a supernatural
event.
The events in question will either happen simultaneously, or
in very rapid sequence.
If you get nothing else, please get this:
One lunar eclipse DOES NOT the Rapture make.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2010
PREDESTINATION
The doctrine of predestination is totally biblical.
Ephesians 1:3-5 is very clear:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with
every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For He chose us in Him, before the creation of the
world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In
love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons
through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will".
However, there are those who take this doctrine to the
extreme and say there's no such thing as free will.
Therefore, we have NO CHOICE and NO SAY with
regards to our salvation. (They're the ones who usually
criticize our ministry for inviting people to receive
Christ and offering several versions of the sinner's
prayer).
They teach that, UNLESS God chose and
predestined us for Salvation we are all hopelessly
and irretrievably lost.
Hyper-Calvinism is not only a dangerous doctrine, BUT
A FALSE DOCTRINE.
Hyper-Calvinists talk about the Bible, quote the
Bible, but they DO NOT preach the Gospel.
Let me say that again: THEY DO NOT preach the
Gospel.
The very word "gospel" means "Good News".
WHERE, exactly, is the "Good News" in telling
someone that UNLESS God ALREADY chose you
before He created the World, YOU'RE GOING TO
HELL, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO
ABOUT IT?
Consequently, Hyper-Calvinists don't invite anyone to
receive Jesus, because they believe YOU HAVE NO
CHOICE AT ALL on the matter.
Fortunately, that's NOT what the Bible teaches.
Free will is evident throughout the Bible, from Genesis
to Revelation.
Free will is a gift from God that He Himself will
NEVER violate.
He honored Adam's [both male and female] free will
when they CHOSE to disobey Him, even when He
knew THE PRICE that He Himself would have to
pay in order to redeem them.
The fundamental flaw with this FALSE DOCTRINE is
that if Salvation is based SOLELY on God's choice, and
humans have NO SAY at all on their eternal destiny, it
makes it ENTIRELY God's "fault" if ANYONE is
lost [perish the VERY THOUGHT!].
Predestination DOES NOT MEAN that we don't get to
choose our eternal destiny.
All it means is that God, being OMNISCIENT [all
knowing] and since He is in the realm of eternity, and
not confined to the realm of "time" as we mortals are,
knows IN ADVANCE who will choose Him and
who will reject Him.
He KNOWS the end FROM the beginning [Isaiah
46:10].
He KNEW, even before creating the world, who
would receive Him and who wouldn't. In that
FOREKNOWLEDGE, He chose us (whom He KNEW
would place our trust in Him) and predestined us IN
HIMSELF to be His sons and heirs.
There is, therefore, no contradiction WHATSOEVER
between predestination and free will, NONE.
"For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only
begotten son, that WHOSOEVER believes on Him
SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE" [John
3:16].
Sounds like free will to me.
Otherwise, He should have said "that whosoever He
predestined to believe on Him"... but, mercifully, IT
DOESN'T SAY THAT.
John 1:12: "to ALL who RECEIVED Him, to them
gave He power to BECOME sons of God".
One must exercise his free will in order to receive Him.
It's OUR DECISION.
The Bible even ends with an invitation to "WHOEVER
WISHES, let him take the water of life freely"
[Revelation 22:17].
The invitation is open to ALL. The fact God already
KNEW who'd accept the invitation and who wouldn't,
DOES NOT in any way, shape or form PREVENT US
from exercising the free will He gave us, and
which He STEADFASTLY HONORS.
God "will have mercy on whom He will have mercy",
but Jesus also said "he who comes to me, I will IN
NO WISE cast out" [John 6:37].
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2010
PALESTINIAN STATE
In a not-so-diplomatic effort to pressure Israel, our
southern neighbors are recognizing a non-existent,
"Palestinian State" within the 1967 borders that
existed prior to the Six-Day War.
For the historically challenged, it was that war, WHICH
ISRAEL'S ENEMIES INITIATED, that led to Israel's
recapture of East [biblical] Jerusalem, which in turn led
to the reconstruction of the Jewish Quarter [Old
Testament Jerusalem].
To date, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and
Ecuador have recognized such MYTHICAL
Palestinian State, which has NEVER EXISTED IN
ALL OF HISTORY.
Paraguay has already announced its intention to join
them in 2011. And Chile, while falling just short of
recognition, has announced its support for the creation
of such State within the framework of Israeli-
Palestinian negotiations.
I have MARVELED, to put it mildly, at how the media
has downplayed, or altogether ignored, this
disturbing trend. I haven't heard A WORD about it
on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, or even
the BBC.
This, by the way, is the same media which has
regaled us with incessant coverage of such
newsworthy items as the "octomom", a football coach's
alleged "foot fetish", as well as Lindsey's, Miley's,
Snooki's, Bristol's, Sarah's and Mel's antics.
So far, the EU has abstained from recognizing an
independent Palestine but there are rumors that Britain
may do so. If it does, the EU is likely to follow.
From there, the request for unilateral declaration of
"Palestine" would go to the United Nations for a vote.
At the UN, the proposal is likely to find a major
stumbling block: THE UNITED STATES.
Despite the international push to recognize Palestine
unilaterally as a free and independent state within pre-
1967 borders, on December 15, 2010 in a vote that
went almost unnoticed by the media, the US
House of Representatives UNANIMOUSLY approved a
resolution OPPOSING the unilateral declaration of a
Palestinian state.
(Probably the ONLY thing the House of
Representatives got right this year).
Our South American neighbors are playing with fire.
What took place during the Six Day War in 1967 was
a prophetic fulfillment of Luke 21:24.
What took place shortly thereafter, in 1969, was a
prophetic fulfillment of Daniel 9:25.
These things are IRREVERSIBLE.
Those who think their diplomatic "recognition"
trumps God's are kidding themselves, and are
TOTALLY DELUDED.
Opposing God's EXPRESS WILL is folly.
If I were the leader of these countries, I'd take a
long, serious, meditative look at God's promise in
Genesis 12:2,3:
"And I will make you (Israel) a great nation, and I
will bless you, and make your name great; and you
shall be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless you, and curse
him that curses you: and in you shall all families of
the earth be blessed".
While they're at it, they should also consider
Hebrews 10:31:
"It's A FEARFUL thing to fall into the hands of the
LIVING God".
MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2010
BETHLEHEM
Most Christians know Bethlehem as the town where
Jesus was born.
But they're totally unaware of what's going on in
Bethlehem today.
Bethlehem was, until recently, a 100% Christian town.
That's right. Not all Palestinians are Muslim.
SOME Palestinians are Christian.
Since Hamas' take over of neighboring Gaza in 2006,
Christians have been systematically harassed,
threatened, their businesses and homes destroyed;
they've been tortured, murdered, and the few
remaining families DRIVEN OUT.
Yet the world, including the Christian world, is
OBLIVIOUS to their suffering.
We don't hear A WORD about Hamas' unprovoked
atrocities in the media.
We don't hear A WORD about it from that supposed
"champion of human rights", the United Nations.
We don't hear A WORD about it from the Vatican,
even when the Pope visited the Holy Land and
criticized Jews for their alleged mistreatment of
Palestinians, but said ZERO about Hamas'
mistreatment of fellow Christians, or their
destruction of Christian lives and property AT WILL,
and indiscriminately.
We don't hear A WORD from the World Council of
Churches.
And, saddest of all, we don't hear A WORD from the
Evangelical community.
Palestinian Christians have NO VOICE and no
representation in the public square.
Their plight is totally ignored by their brothers and
sisters elsewhere.
The violence was so bad in recent years that tourism,
even during the Christmas season, dwindled to a
virtual halt.
However, THIS YEAR, it was a different story. This
year, there were RECORD NUMBERS OF CHRISTIANS
who made pilgrimage to Bethlehem, and even
attended Mass at the Church of the Nativity.
What makes me angry is that wicked terrorists
have capitalized ON Christian IGNORANCE to
boost tourism and line their pockets with dollars and
pounds, because THEY KNOW the Christian world HAS
NO CLUE about what's been going on, or how their
fellow Christians have been robbed, assaulted,
murdered, evicted and mistreated.
THEY'RE COUNTING ON Christian IGNORANCE.
Breaks my heart to even say it.
They even "decorated" the streets with Christmas trees
in preparation for the Christmas tourist season, as if
putting up trees and garlands would compensate for
the unjustified violence and bloodshed. If that's not
the height of religious hypocrisy and ultimate
mockery, I don't know what is!
These evil bastards have gone so far as to claim that
Jesus, a Jew through and through, was "the first
Palestinian martyr".
That, of course, is a contradiction of terms, since
Muslims don't believe Jesus died on the cross AT ALL.
How's that for ethnic spin?
Please pray for our Christian brothers in
Bethlehem, and in the rest of the Arab world.
Persecution has dramatically increased this year in
Iraq, where they didn't even celebrate Christmas, for
fear of Muslim retaliation. Yeah, THAT Iraq. The one
our brave soldiers spilled their blood to
"liberate".
They're also being persecuted in places like Egypt,
Iran, Indonesia, Nigeria, and others too numerous to
mention.
Pray for their safety and protection. Pray that
they really know Jesus and are ready for His
appearing.
Thank you.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2010
INCARNATION
"... the Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the
therefore also that holy
Highest shall overshadow you:
thing which shall be born of you shall be called
the Son of God". [Luke 1:35]
Those words were spoken by the angel Gabriel to
Mary, the mother of Jesus.
They explained how the Son of God would
manifest in human form, in this physical world.
When Jesus first appeared on earth, He was called
"the ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of God".
But after His resurrection and ascension, Hebrews 1:6
calls Him "the FIRST begotten", indicating there's a
"second" begotten, and a "third" and so on.
Romans 8:29 calls Jesus "the first born among
many brethren"
Has God incarnated only once? Does He
have ONLY ONE Son?
Not anymore.
Hebrews 2:10 tells us God presently has "many
sons".
So, clearly God has One Son, manifested in many
sons.
The sons of God are people of every nation, kindred
and tongue in whom The Son lives, thru His Holy
Spirit.
They comprise the Body of Christ, His Church.
In Jesus dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
[Colossians 2:9].
If you have received Jesus into your heart, as your
personal God, Savior and Lord, God's spiritual DNA
has been deposited in your spirit.
Romans 8:19 clearly states that ALL OF CREATION
anxiously awaits the manifestation of the sons
[plural] of God.
The manifestation of the sons of God is tied to the
redemption of our bodies, which is what takes place at
the Rapture [ROMANS 8:21-23].
How do we become "manifested" sons of God? The
same way Jesus did, by the Spirit of our Father who
lives in us.
Therefore, when we read the verse from Luke's gospel,
quoted above, we need to apply it not only to
Jesus, but to ALL of God's spiritual offspring: We
need to apply it TO US.
It was the Holy Spirit who manifested God's Son
to the world back then, it's the same Holy Spirit
who will manifest God's son in us today.
"As many as are LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THEY
ARE THE SONS OF GOD" [ROMANS 8:14].
Has Jesus incarnated in you?
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2010
MEDITATIONS ON MARY
While many think of the mother of our Lord, as this
inscrutable religious icon, the Bible gives quite a bit of
information about this ordinary woman, who
became extraordinary.
Here's a young girl, living in obscurity, in a tiny,
inconspicuous town called Nazareth. One day, an
unexpected encounter with a messenger from
God, completely changes her life.
We can only imagine how Gabriel's announcement
threw her otherwise uneventful life into turmoil.
How would she explain her pregnancy? What would her
betrothed think? What would her nosy neighbors
whisper behind her back? What might they do to
her since, under Jewish law, the punishment for sex
outside of marriage was being stoned to death?
[Thank God we're under Grace, or there wouldn't be
any "survivors"...]
"Hey Mary, you're pregnant!".
"Oh, that... It was God Himself who impregnated
me".
"Yeah, right. And my dog's really a camel".
We think of her carrying the Almighty's Incarnation in
her womb for 9 months, visiting her cousin Elizabeth,
bursting forth in praise toward God, humbly
admitting her own need for a Savior [Luke 1:47].
Then in Bethlehem, on that beautiful, silent night
giving birth to the Son of God and laying Him in a
manger.
Witnessing the shepherds' and wise men's adoration,
her son's circumcision, the prophecies about her child
in the temple, fleeing to Egypt to escape the madness
of wicked Herod, returning to Nazareth after his death,
meanwhile keeping all these things "in her heart".
We fast-forward 30 years to Jesus' public ministry, and
she sees her son transform water into wine, sends Him
messages since it's so crowded where He's preaching,
they can't even get in, and even doubting His sanity
[Mark 3:21-31].
Three-and-a-half years later, there she is again,
standing in front of his cross, watching her firstborn
in agony, beaten to a pulp, subjected to coarse insults
and mockery, and dying the cruelest of deaths.
The last thing we know from the Bible about Mary is
that she was present, on the day of Pentecost,
among the 120 who, obediently, waited for the
promise of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus had
commanded them.
Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke in
tongues, just like the rest of them [Acts 1:13,14;
2:1-4].
By then, all doubts about her Son had vanished. She
knew He is God, she knew He had resurrected.
She knew that He IS.
She must have marveled at how precisely the words of
Gabriel, that she would be "blessed among
women", had come to pass. Not to mention her own
words that "all generations" would call her
blessed [Luke 1:48].
Extraordinary indeed.
Every child of God owes Mary an eternal debt of
gratitude. She was God's chosen instrument to bring
Salvation into the world.
We DO NOT worship Mary. Worship belongs ONLY
to God. But we DO honor her.
If God can take the life of an ordinary, little peasant
girl and use her in such mighty way... WHAT MIGHT
HE DO with YOUR life?
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2010
HOW SHALL THIS BE?
"And the angel said... fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with
God. And, look, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a
son, and shall call his Name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and
the Lord God shall give him the throne of his father David: and He
shall reign... forever; and of His Kingdom, there will be no end'.
Then said Mary to the angel, HOW SHALL THIS BE,
seeing I know not a man?" [Luke 1: 30-34]
Has God promised what your finite, human mind
can't fathom?
Has God called you to do something which, in the
natural, seems impossible?
That, try as you might, you simply can't "envision" it
happening?
For one thing, "join the club".
For another thing, this is God's standard M.O. He
does this throughout the Bible.
I'm sure childless Abraham had that feeling when
God told him, being 100 years OLD, that he'd be the
father of "a great multitude". Noah must have felt
foolish when God told him to build the ark, because
He'd send a flood. At the time, NO ONE had ever
SEEN rain.
Joseph must have felt that way about his dreams
where he saw "the sun, moon and 11 stars" bowing
down to him, when he was falsely accused and thrown
into a dungeon.
We know Moses felt totally inadequate to lead
Israel out of Egyptian bondage. The first words he
blurted out when God revealed his mission were "WHO
AM I?"
Betcha Daniel felt that way when, as a youth, he was
suddenly taken captive, separated from his country,
his family, his friends, made a slave, then a eunuch
and, later on, as if all of that wasn't enough...
thrown into a lion's den.
Job felt totally dejected when satan destroyed
everything he had, including his children, and gave
him a nasty rash.
On top of which, his own wife wanted him dead,
and his self-righteous religious buddies, blamed
him for everything.
But NONE OF THE ABOVE could stop God's purpose,
or prevent it from being fulfilled in their lives.
Despite all the roadblocks satan placed in their
path, God's Will and Divine Purpose ended up
manifesting, in each of their lives, just like He
had said.
All they had to do is make themselves available, and
allow God to do "His Thing" in their lives, in His Good
Time.
When the right "time" came, satan and everyone
else who'd written THEM off, found out, much to
their chagrin, that they were UNSTOPPABLE.
Why? Because "with God NOTHING shall be
impossible" [Luke 1:37].
What God says will happen [whether He says it in His
written Word, the Bible, or in His Personal, direct Word
to you]...
IT'S SO SURE, YOU CAN TAKE IT TO THE BANK. IT
WILL HAPPEN! No "ifs" "ands" or "buts"!
[I'M PREACHING TO MYSELF HERE, AS WELL AS TO
YOU].
So, what to do if you find yourself in such
quandary?
NOTHING. TRUST AND WAIT.
As David said in Psalms 37:4,5 [read the entire psalm,
it's truly wonderful] "Delight yourself also in the
Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
COMMIT YOUR WAY unto the Lord; TRUST also in
Him; and HE SHALL BRING IT TO PASS".
God, NOT you, SHALL BRING IT TO PASS.
When He does, your enemies will bite the dust.
When He does, you'll be as UNSTOPPABLE as they
were.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2010
O, HOLY NIGHT
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, divine!
O night, O night divine!
There are so many beautiful Christmas carols... Hark
the Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem,
What Child is this?, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,
Angels We Have Heard On High, Silent Night... but if I
had to pick my personal favorite it would be this one.
The melody is beautiful, the lyrics are beautiful.
O Holy Night... it baffles human reason that the
Creator God, the Almighty God, the Sovereign, all-
knowing God, would CHOOSE to incarnate as a tiny
Babe.
That the King of the cosmos would be born in human
form to humble parents, in a humble manger,
That the Master of the Universe would be willing
to TAKE OFF His glory, and take on the form of A
SERVANT... for our sake,
No longer would He seem remote and
unreachable to mankind.
Glory to God: No longer was He just (from our vantage
point) "in the Highest" but now He was also "ON
EARTH" [Luke 2:14].
Immanuel, God WITH US [Matthew 1:23].
It boggles the mind, but warms the heart.
It ignites and unquenchable fire in our Spirits.
It strengthens our hearts and gives us hope.
It fills us with unspeakable joy.
O Holy Night.
O Night Divine... for the Divine One DESCENDED
to us, so we could ASCEND to Him.
Monday, December 20, 2010
THE CHRISTMAS STAR
In Matthew's Gospel, we read that the Wise Men from
the East were led to the Christ child by a star.
Who were these "wise men", and what caused them to
follow such star, in the first place?
The Greek word for "wise men" used in Matthew is
magoi.
There was a group of high-ranking politicians and
sages from the Parthian Dynasty in Persia [modern day
Iran. Yes, that Iran] called Magoi. They were familiar
with the prophet Daniel's teachings, since Daniel had
been Prime Minister of the Persian Empire and was
held in high regard.
The State Religion in Persia, at the time of the
Messiah's birth, was Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster had
been a disciple of Daniel, and had even included
some of Daniel's prophecies and teachings in his
"sacred" book Zen Avesta.
The Magoi were, undoubtedly, familiar with Daniel's
prophecy, recorded in Daniel 9:24-26 that the
Messiah King would be born and appear in Israel
483 years after a certain decree, authorizing the
rebuilding of Jerusalem, was issued.
They also knew, from their own history, that such
decree had been issued by their Persian king
Artaxerxes in the 20th year of his reign, which would
be 445 B.C.
Therefore, knowing Messiah would offer Himself in
sacrifice for the sins of mankind as an adult, they
could pretty well calculate the approximate
window of time in which His birth would take
place as being sometime (in our modern
calendar) between 6 B.C. and 1 B.C.
They also knew that, even prior to Daniel, another
prophet from neighboring Mesopotamia, named
Balaam, had prophesied the coming of a special
Star that would herald the birth of the Jewish
King:
"... there shall COME A STAR out of Jacob, and a
Scepter [as in a King's Scepter] shall rise out of
Israel... Out of Jacob shall come He that shall
have dominion"... [Numbers 24:17,19].
It would be fair to say, then, that since around 6 B.C.
they would have been on the lookout for a
special star to appear, announcing the birth of
the King of Kings.
Using that formula, plus the benefit of hindsight, we,
too, can make a pretty accurate calculation:
445 B.C. + 483 years of 360 days, places the
crucifixion in the Spring [Passover] of 33 A.D., the
beginning of Jesus' public ministry in the Autumn of 29
A.D., and the year of his birth at 1 B.C [since there's
no "year zero"].
This is in perfect agreement with the Gospel of Luke
which informs us that Jesus began his public ministry
"on the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius" [Luke 3:1].
Tiberius Caesar began his reign in 14 A.D. So, the
15th year of his reign, and beginning of Jesus'
ministry, would be 29 A.D.
Isn't it amazing that over 2,000 years later, we can
rely on the Bible to pinpoint these things with such
degree of accuracy? Oh, how I love the Word!
Do we know what the star looked like? Absolutely.
This was no ordinary star. It was the Magen
David [Star of David], which consists of two
triangles, one pointing downward, symbolizing God
Incarnate coming down to earth [Immanuel, "God with
us"], the other triangle pointing upward, Messiah
elevating man back up to God.
It was a well established fact that the Messiah, King of
the Jews, would be born from the Davidic Dynasty [1
Kings 2:45; 9:5; Isaiah 9:6,7; Luke 1:32]. Daniel, no
doubt, would have passed this information down to his
disciples in both the Babylonian and Persian court,
including Zoroaster.
Clearly, the Magoi knew EXACTLY how THE STAR was
supposed to look. Matthew's account states they saw
"HIS STAR" in the East.
The REAL stars aren't those in the sky, they're not on
earth and, heaven knows, they're NOT in Hollywood...
The REAL STAR isn't even the beautiful 6-pointed star
that led the wise men to the King of Israel.
The star in the sky was only A SIGN.
The REAL STAR lay in the manger.
May that glorious Star arise and shine in your heart at
Christmas time and always .
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2010
CHRISTLESS CHRISTMAS
What would Christmas be without Christ?
NOTHING.
This Holy Day is ALL about the birth of the Savior and
Messiah.
Yet the world thinks it can celebrate Christmas
WITHOUT the VERY REASON for its celebration.
They already managed to "X" out the name of Christ,
by writing "Xmas".
Even then, God gets the last laugh, since the "X" is in
the shape of A CROSS.
Political correctness has done its best to substitute the
traditional greeting "Merry Christmas" with "Happy
Holidays"... whatever that means.
Personally, I don't shop at places that find it
"offensive" to say "Merry Christmas".
I'm offended WHEN THEY DON'T say it.
If the ACLU had its way there would be NO MENTION
of Jesus' birth anywhere, and NO PUBLIC DISPLAYS of
anything associated with Christmas or the birth
of God Incarnate.
If Hollywood had its way Jesus would be replaced
by fictional characters such as Santa Claus, Frosty,
Rudolph, Scrooge and the Grinch.
And if Washington had its way... (you're smart
enough, fill in the blank).
I got news for those who find the mention of the
Name "Jesus" or "Christ" offensive.
I got news for the spineless slaves to political
correctness that won't even say "Christmas" (what
are they so afraid of, anyway? I'm not afraid to say
Ramadan or Rosh Hashanah).
I got news for ALL those who HATE CHRIST and,
consequently, HATE Christmas:
YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOUR WISH.
One of these days you're going to get your heart's
desire: A Christmas WITHOUT Christ.
It will also be a CHILDLESS Christmas, since you
rejected even the Christ Child.
Jesus will have raptured His children, young and
old, leaving all Christ haters behind.
The day will come, sooner than they think, when they'll
WISH they COULD say "Merry Christmas", but won't
be able to.
Who knows? It may even happen THIS year.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2010
STILL KNOCKING
When Mary, carrying baby Jesus, and Joseph came to
Bethlehem, it was the busiest time of the year in
Israel.
It was in the month of Tishri, during Autumn's High
Holy Days of Rosh HaShanah [Tishri 1], Yom Kippur
[Tishri 10] and Tabernacles [Tishri 15].
All Jews were commanded by law to "go up" to
nearby Jerusalem during the Feast of
Tabernacles.
That particular year there was the added pressure of
the census, commanded by Caesar Augustus, where
everyone had to return to the place of his birth in
order to register [Luke 2:1-5].
Since Jerusalem is about 7 miles north of Bethlehem,
no doubt, many weary travelers would stop over
in Bethlehem, on the way to Jerusalem.
While they were in Bethlehem, Mary went into
labor.
They knocked at the Inn's door and there was no
room... so they were sent to a hut [sukka], used
during the Feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot] which in
Christian tradition, due to the fact there were some
animals around, became a "stable".
That was baby Jesus, 2,000 years ago....
Fast forward to our time, and you find a fully grown,
resurrected, glorified Jesus, and what's He
doing?
He's still knocking at the door of your heart
[Revelation 3:20].
He wants to COME IN.
He won't FORCE His Way in. He didn't do it as a baby;
He won't do it as a man.
Jesus MUST be invited. He must be WELCOMED.
Is there room IN YOUR HEART for the Savior?
Is there room in your "IN" [one "n"], or will you send
Him to the stable?
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2010
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Matthew's Gospel clearly states that Wise Men
[gentiles] from the East knew Messiah had been
born, and came seeking Him [Matthew 2:1].
Sadly, Jewish RELIGIOUS hierarchy did neither.
Those Persian [Iranian] sages SOUGHT THE JEWISH
MESSIAH, recognized Him, and WORSHIPED HIM.
The religious Pharisees and Sadducees REJECTED
Him.
What made the difference between these two
groups?
One group welcomed the Light and SAW Him, the
other group was by BLINDED by Him.
The same Light of the world can save us, or He can
blind us [2 Corinthians 4:4].
Pharisees, along with the rest of Jerusalem, had
heard the testimony of the Wise Men, who came
seeking the "King of the Jews" [Matthew 2:1].
You would think that when Jesus began His public
ministry some thirty years later, they would have
remembered that unusual event and wondered
"could THIS be the One the Wise Men were
looking for"? Could He be our Messiah, now that He's
grown up?
Surely, some of them remembered when He showed
up in the Temple as a 12 year old and, even then,
possessed wisdom and knowledge that totally
trumped theirs [Luke 2:42-47].
They had SEEN and HEARD the many
UNDENIABLE miracles that Jesus performed [John
9:13-25; 11:47; Mark 6:2].
They had witnessed His exemplary life, and
unparalleled teaching.
They also had the testimony of the Scriptures they
claimed to know so well: multiple prophecies [333
of them, no less] that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.
The prophecies in the Tanach [Old Testament] spoke
of His passion, sentencing, His death on the cross, and
His demeanor throughout the whole terrible ordeal
[Psalm 22:1,9-18; Isaiah 53:1-11; Zechariah 13:6;
Daniel 9:26].
They even foretold His Resurrection, the most
incontrovertible proof of all [Psalm 16:10; Isaiah
26:19; Daniel 9:25,26].
How can a body disappear in a city so small, when it
was placed in a sealed tomb, with an enormous 35-ton
rock covering the entrance, and an armed Roman
guard of 16 professionally trained soldiers
posted outside?
How could He just VANISH?
They couldn't explain it THEN, they can't explain
it NOW.
They even had the testimony of the Roman guards, for
crying out loud! [Matthew 28:11].
But rather than investigating the issue, or pausing to
consider the OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE, they
DECIDED TO LIE, and bribe the guards instead.
That's religion for you!
Had Jesus been a great warrior, who toppled the
Roman Empire thru war, perhaps they would have
approved of Him. But this humble carpenter, from
Nazareth of all places?
This peaceful man who speaks of "turning the other
cheek", and "giving Caesar what is Caesar's"?
[Matthew 5:39; 22;21]
For the record, Jesus DID conquer the Roman
Empire, only He did it thru the sheer power of His
Word, not with swords or spears.
Jesus had said that, after His Resurrection, He would
go before the disciples to Galilee [Matthew 26:32;
28:7, 10, 16].
If you were the Pharisees, wouldn't you have
sent a delegation to Galilee, to either confirm or
debunk His Resurrection? Why didn't they?
They already KNEW.
They KNEW deep down, inside themselves, He had
risen.
They knew there was NO OTHER POSSIBLE
explanation for the disappearance of His Body. But
they still REFUSED TO accept Him.
They didn't want Jesus. They DISAPPROVED of God's
Messiah.
They DIDN'T WANT TO see.
No wonder Jesus warned His disciples about "the
leaven of the Pharisees" [Matthew 16:11, 12; Luke
12:1,2].
They wallowed in darkness, and the darkness in
them simply REFUSED to see The Light, no matter
how bright He shined.
Even after the Resurrection, they had the inexplicable
conversion of Paul, the most ardent persecutor of the
Church, they had miracles performed by the apostles
in Jesus' Name, and thousands of martyrs who
would die horrible deaths rather than deny the
undeniable Lord.
They chose the darkness of this world, OVER the
Light of the world.
Religion does that TO THIS VERY DAY.
How about you? Darkness is ALWAYS A CHOICE.
Are you in darkness, or have you SEEN THE LIGHT?
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010
DID YOU SAY "VIRGIN"?
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government
shall be on His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace" [Isaiah 9:6].
The New Testament aside, if you want to know about
Jesus' First Coming, you read Isaiah. If you want to
know about His Second Coming, you read Daniel.
Isaiah 7:14 prophesied that God Himself would give
Israel "a sign" of the Messiah's birth. That sign
would be that a virgin would conceive and call her
son "Immanuel", or "God with us".
Jesus, the Incarnation of God, was/is God with
us, but born of a virgin? Is such thing possible?
That's exactly what Mary herself asked, when Gabriel
sprung the news, that she would be "favored among
women", giving birth to the Messiah who would sit on
the Throne of His father David [Luke 1:31-35].
Gabriel assured her that "with God ALL THINGS ARE
POSSIBLE" [Luke 1:37]
The Virgin birth of our Lord is one of those issues that
sets Christianity apart from world religions. And it's
one thing that Bible critics and skeptics love to pounce
on. "A virgin giving birth? Who ever heard of
such thing"?.
First of all, unless God was God, and was certain He
could deliver on His Promise, why would He even
GIVE such sign?
Secondly, critics love to point out that the word for
"virgin" in Isaiah is almah in Hebrew, which can also
mean a "young maiden".
Only two problems with their theory:
The Gospels tell us that Mary's pregnancy was evident
BEFORE she married Joseph, her betrothed.
The punishment in Jewish Law for premarital sex
was stoning to death.
Had Mary NOT been a virgin, she wouldn't have lived
long enough to give birth to Jesus.
The other MAJOR problem is that when 70 Hebrew
scholars were commissioned by King Ptolemy of Egypt
to translate the Old Testament into Greek, some 230
years BEFORE JESUS WAS BORN, [their translation
is known as the Septuagint], they rendered the
passage in Isaiah 7:14 as parthenos in Greek, which
can ONLY mean "virgin".
Likewise, the Gospel of Matthew uses the same Greek
word, which ONLY means virgin.
The same people who attack Christ's virgin birth can't
even tell us how the universe began, like Who or
what was behind the so-called "Big Bang", so what
the heck do they know?
God, on the other hand, knows how it was created,
since He created it.
The same Almighty God who created this
amazing universe, who created the human body,
male and female, as well as the reproductive
system, can surely cause that reproductive system to
become impregnated with His Holy Incorruptible
Seed.
So it was. So it is. Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior,
God and Messiah is FOREVER VIRGIN BORN.
No amount of unbelief or skepticism can change that.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2010
WRONG DATE?
December 25 is NOT the date Jesus was born.
It is, however, the date when the Wise Men
[gentiles] FOUND JESUS in a house in Bethlehem.
Jesus was born on Tishri 15, during the Feast of
Sukkot [Tabernacles]. The Wise Men found Him some
68-75 days later, on Kislev 25.
It was on that date, during the Jewish Feast of
Hanukkah, when they found the King of Israel,
the Light of the World, and worshiped Him.
By then, Jesus and His parents had moved from the
sukka ["stable"] to a nearby home [Matthew 2:11].
So, why do we celebrate His birth in December,
instead of October?
There are no "accidents" with God. You can argue
that convenience and religious tradition played a role,
but ultimately, God knew this would happen, and
HE ALLOWED IT.
Why?
Because as beautiful, wondrous, glorious and
NECESSARY as His Birth was, His Birth is NOT
enough to save you.
It's ONLY His atoning Death on the Cross, the
Blood He poured out for your sins and mine, and
His glorious Resurrection that save us.
Most people don't have any problems with Jesus the
baby.
Who doesn't like an adorable, tiny, new born
infant, wrapped in swaddling cloths, being tended by
loving parents, on a beautiful starlit night, with a
chorus of angels singing His praises?
But it's altogether different when they deal with
Jesus the Man.
It's not so heartwarming or appealing to consider that
baby, becoming a man, preaching the Kingdom of
God, then carrying THE SIN OF THE WORLD, covered
in spittle, Blood, beaten, lashed, crucified,
mocked, lanced, agonizing on a cruel cross, and
finally, DEAD.
God allowed us to celebrate not the day He was born,
but the day when He FOUND worship, when He
FOUND A HOME, both in Bethlehem and in the
Wise Men's hearts.
Jesus the baby didn't have any problems finding a
home.
But has Jesus the Man found a home IN YOU?
Salvation's NOT complete with Jesus the baby being
born in a manger. It's ONLY complete when Jesus THE
MAN, who died and resurrected, is BORN in OUR
HEARTS.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2010
THE "EVILS" OF
CHRISTMAS
I'm so tired of hearing people talk about the supposed
"evils" of Christmas:
That Jesus wasn't really born on December 25th. Duh?
That it used to be a pagan holiday.
That wreaths are evil, ornaments are evil, Christmas
trees are evil, Santa Claus is evil, and Nativity scenes
are inaccurate.
Next thing you know, EGGNOG is evil because it
contains a little alcohol.
What's next, gingerbread houses?
You know what? I DON'T CARE.
That's right.
That's some religious idiot's OPINION and, frankly, I
DON'T GIVE A DAMN.
How's THAT for a little Christmas attitude?
The thing that bothers me most is that it's not
satanists or atheists; it's supposed "Christians"
who constantly complain about someone
remembering and celebrating Jesus' birth.
It's no longer cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses
who call the Christmas Holiday idolatrous... it's
Evangelical Christians!
Dear God! I got a hyper Pentecostal cousin who's
repeatedly lectured me on how "pagan" Christmas
trees are, and how the Lord [SUPPOSEDLY] "led her"
to get rid of Christmas decorations.
Yet every time she comes over to the house at
Christmas she "ooohs" and "aaahs" at... you guessed
it, MY Christmas decorations.
There's absolutely NOTHING WRONG with celebrating
Jesus' birthday.
There's absolutely NOTHING WRONG with
celebrating Jesus, PERIOD.
So we do it on the wrong date, who cares?
There's NO SUCH THING as celebrating Him "on the
wrong date". He should be celebrated EVERY
SINGLE DAY OF THE YEAR, INCLUDING
DECEMBER 25.
I assure you we'll have A THOUSAND YEARS in the
Millennium to celebrate His birthday ON THE RIGHT
DATE, which is the Jewish Feast of Sukkot
[Tabernacles] [Zechariah 14:16; John 1:14].
How can it possibly be wrong to celebrate
Jesus???
As for the Christmas tree, if you're Druid, and want to
celebrate Saturn, that's your problem.
Is the tree pagan? Absolutely NOT.
God COMMANDED... let me say it again: GOD
COMMANDED the children of Israel TO CUT TREE
BRANCHES from palm, myrtle, willow or citron trees
[lulav & etrog] and dwell in temporary huts made out
of those tree branches ON JESUS' REAL BIRTHDAY
which is the Hebrew Feast of Sukkot, a/k/a
Tabernacles [Leviticus 23:40].
They've been doing it, IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S
COMMANDMENT, since at least 1,200 B.C., LONG
BEFORE Jesus was even born, and LONG BEFORE there
were any Druids.
So the idea that the tree's origins are pagan is BOGUS.
It's a bunch of malarkey invented by religionists who
are not satisfied unless they make everyone miserable,
including themselves.
To Christians, since at least the 6th century A.D., the
Christmas tree symbolizes the forbidden tree in
the Garden of Eden.
The ornaments symbolize the forbidden fruit [a
pomegranate] which our forefathers ate, which
brought sin into the world.
Originally, all the ornaments were round and red,
resembling pomegranates, which is one of the
biblical symbols of our redemption [1 Kings 7:18-
20,42; Song of Solomon 4:13; 6:11;7:12].
The eating of the forbidden fruit was THE REASON
that God sent His Son into this world, as a baby, to
REDEEM US.
It also represents the tree that Jesus, as a grown
man, would be hung on [crucified] to atone for
our sins [Galatians 3:13].
Last but not least, it signifies that by dying on that
tree and rising from the dead, Jesus became the
Tree of Life to all who receive Him [Genesis 3:22;
Revelation 2:7; 22:2].
So, all this business about the Christmas tree being
"pagan" is a bunch of baloney!
Don't let anyone steal your joy, ruin your Christmas,
OR PREVENT YOU FROM CELEBRATING THE BIRTH
OF OUR SAVIOR.
All they're doing is spinning legalism, promoting FEAR,
and stupid religious condemnation.
All who do ARE FRUITCAKES.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010
SEAL OF GOD
What is the seal of God? The New Testament makes
mention of His seal repeatedly.
Legalists would have us believe it's keeping the weekly
Sabbath.
Others claim it's their man invented religion.
The problem is that Sabbath keeping has never
saved anyone, neither has man invented religion.
Jehovah's Witnesses would have us believe they are
the 144,000 Israelites mentioned in Revelation chapter
7, who are sealed on their foreheads, supposedly, with
the name of "Jehovah".
There's one tiny problem with their teaching, namely,
that this passage not only makes it MANDATORY that
the 144,000 be natural, as well as spiritual,
Israelites... but there MUST BE 12,000 from each of
the 12 tribes, then mentions the tribes of Israel BY
NAME, one by one.
So, unless JW's can PROVE they come from the tribes
of Juda, Ruben, Gad, Asher, Nephtali, Manasseh,
Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph [Ephraim], or
Benjamin... they're NOT IT.
Next time some confused Jehovah's Witness comes to
you with that ridiculous story, ask them which tribe
of Israel they are from... then watch them
backpedal...
The other story JW's have fabricated [they do live in
their own little fantasy world, you know] concerns
Revelation 22:4 where it says "and they shall see
His Face, and His Name shall be in their
foreheads".
The previous verse [3], clearly says that those who will
have the Name of God on their foreheads, are His
servants, in the new earth, who will have natural
human bodies.
This is clearly referring to natural people, living in
natural bodies, in the New Earth, since chapter 22:1
opens up with the promise of a new heaven and a new
earth.
It couldn't possibly refer to born-again
Christians, since we're God's sons. His children will
have supernatural, glorified bodies, just like
Jesus [Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1-
5].
We don't need to have the Seal of God on our physical
foreheads, since we have God Himself living in
every particle of us. We have Him living in our
hearts.
So, what is the seal of God?
For God's children, the seal of God is the Holy Spirit
[Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30].
ANYONE who is NOT born again OF THE SPIRIT, IS
NOT a child of God, and is NOT SAVED [John 3:5-
7; Romans 8:9].
I hasten to add that there may be some sort of visual
mark for the 144,000 during the tribulation, but even if
there's an ACTUAL, visible mark, it will be a mere
indicator of their having God's Seal IN THEIR SPIRITS.
We have His Seal in our spirits, namely, His HOLY
SPIRIT.
Salvation is INTERNAL, not EXTERNAL.
Nothing else, no one else, guarantees our redemption.
If you haven't been born OF THE SPIRIT, if you
haven't got God's Holy Spirit living in your heart,
YOU'RE NOT SAVED, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU
HAVE ON YOUR FOREHEAD.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010
PEACE ON EARTH
We are entering the season of "peace on earth, good
will to men".
Everyone, with the possible exception of a few non-
Christian religious zealots, wants "peace on earth".
But will there ever BE....?
With the war in Afghanistan, some troops still deployed
in Iraq, menacing North Korea, and the ever present
threat of a NOW NUCLEAR Iraq...
With the ugly specter of terrorism lurking in the
shadows, just waiting for the opportune moment to
strike...
With Israel being pressured by its adversaries, and
even some allies, to make unreasonable concessions...
With the global economy in shambles, and the U.S.
economy not far behind...
With over 15 million unemployed here in the U.S., as
of November, 2010...
With BILLIONS going to bed hungry every night, in
many parts of the world...
Although it's certainly included in the equation, TRUE
PEACE is more than just the absence of war.
True peace is when we have communion and
right standing with God.
That can ONLY be attained by inviting the Prince
of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ, into our hearts.
True peace is when He who is Peace LIVES IN our
hearts.
True peace is when we CEASE FROM OUR OWN
WORKS AND TOTALLY REST [TRUST] in His finished
work.
True peace also involves our minds, hearts,
relationships and finances.
Will the earth EVER be at peace?
Will it ever REST from all the evils mentioned above?
YES!
God's children will be temporarily evacuated, the earth
will go thru a brief period of purging and cleasing, then
the Messiah Himself will return to reign and set up His
Kingdom on earth.
When that happens, in the NEAR future, there will be
PERFECT PEACE, in the fullest sense of the word.
The curse caused by man's sin will be removed, the
planet will return to paradisiacal condition, no more
toil, no more sweat, or tears, or suffering or sickness
or death.
No more war, no more oppression, no more
inequality, no more need, no more hunger. No more
predators. Even the animal kingdom will be changed,
so they won't eat or hurt one another [Isaiah 2:4].
The Messianic Era will usher in THE TOTAL PEACE we
all want and dream about.
Jesus First Coming brought peace to our hearts.
His Second Coming will bring PEACE... EVERYWHERE.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2010
I DON'T KNOW
"He which testifies these things said, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even
so, come, Lord Jesus" [Revelation 22:20].
Every day we receive tons of emails asking, in one way
or another, when the Rapture will take place.
I totally understand and SHARE your eagerness. Matter
of fact, I wish it happened yesterday.
I can't wait to see my wonderful Lord.
I can't wait to experience the Love of my life (Jesus),
without any obstacles.
And, while we're at it, I can't wait to leave this
miserable, decaying, sin-riddled world.
Brothers and sisters, I can't tell you exactly, or even
approximately, WHEN it will happen because, to be
brutally honest, I don't even know WHY it HASN'T
happened.
Since I eat, drink, breathe and live biblical prophecy,
I'm probably more puzzled than anyone as to why
we're still here.
I've had some time now to reflect on it, and I can't
give you A SINGLE SCRIPTURAL REASON why the
Rapture hasn't happened.
I can, on the other hand, give you about 30 SOLID,
BIBLICAL REASONS why IT SHOULD HAVE.
All I can tell you is that it MUST BE very, very, very
NEAR.
Everything in me, every fiber of my being, tells me it's
near.
The Scriptures, at this time, point to its
imminence.
All we can do is TRUST and WAIT.
I'm sure once it does [finally!] happen, there will be
some sort of logical explanation that will make perfect
sense.
But, for the life of me, I can't imagine, let alone tell
you, what it is.
My best GUESS is what I shared with you about a
month ago, that there may be a relatively short
overlap between the two 1,260 day periods.
To that effect, there may be a couple of hints in the
Bible, as I shared with you before, but there's a huge
difference between a hint, and SOLID SCRIPTURAL
PROOF.
This may change at any moment, since I'm waiting on
the Lord and on the Spirit like everyone else, but as
we speak, I simply DON'T KNOW.
Sorry, I just don't. And I've no problem
whatsoever telling you, humbly and honestly,
that I DON'T KNOW.
Wish I did. Wish I could be more helpful.
But here's the one thing we do know: God's
timing is ALWAYS PERFECT.
Hang in there, TRUST Him.
He's had this whole thing figured out since the
beginning.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2010
DID JESUS NAME THE
ANTICHRIST?
Yes. He named him in the Book of Daniel.
He named him in the Book of Revelation.
Did He name him in Luke 10:18?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
There's this piece of crap circulating on the internet,
particularly on You Tube, where some guy took this Scripture,
then "figured out" that, when translated from Greek into
Hebrew, it says "Barack Obama".
Every single week we hear from SEVERAL individuals pushing
this STUPID, BASELESS theory, and offering it as "proof" that
Mr. Obama is the Antichrist.
You may agree or disagree with the President and/or his
policies.
But that DOESN'T make him the Antichrist, and anyone with
HALF a brain should know that.
Luke 10:18 reads:
"And he said to them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven".
The genius in question claims that the word "lighting" in
Hebrew is barak, and that the word for "heaven" is "bama".
And that, therefore, this scripture in Hebrew would read "I
beheld satan as Barack Obama".
He even relates this to Isaiah 14:12 which reads:
How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! How are you cut down to the ground, which did
weaken the nations!
Firstly, even IF his translation were correct [it ISN'T], it
WOULDN'T SAY "I beheld satan as Barack Obama".
It would say "I beheld satan AS barak FALL FROM bamah".
So, even if the translation were correct, that hardly says He
saw satan AS Barack Obama.
Secondly, THE Greek VERB for "fall" is in aorist active
participle, which indicates the action HAD ALREADY TAKEN
PLACE, so the LITERAL translation into English would be:
'I was beholding satan, as barak from the bamah having
fallen".
Thirdly, barak is a very common Semitic name and surname.
Two well known examples are Israel's former Prime Minister
Ehud Barak, and Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak.
Fourthly, while the word barak in Hebrew does mean
"lightning", the word "bamah" DOES NOT MEAN
"heaven" or "sky".
The word "bamah" means "high place" [Ezekiel 20:29].
ANY "high place" HERE ON EARTH would be a bamah,
including the altars where sacrifices to idols were made.
The Hebrew word for "sky" or "heaven" is shamayim.
Furthermore, shamayim, NOT BAMAH, is the Hebrew word
used in Isaiah 14:12, which is the other scripture they use to
"support" their idiotic theory.
Therefore the CORRECT translation of Luke 10:18 into
Hebrew is:
"I was beholding satan, as barak from the shamayim having
fallen".
NOWHERE does it say in that passage that Jesus saw satan
as Barack Obama.
So much for that RIDICULOUS theory.
The people behind this video are TOTALLY DISHONEST.
They first DECIDED THEY WANTED the Antichrist TO BE
Barack Obama, then went on a WILD CHASE to find SOME
WAY to try to make this Scripture "fit" their "candidate of
choice".
When you do that, you can claim Bugs Bunny is the
Antichrist.
WHAT THEY CAN'T DO IS PROVE IT.
They can twist the Scriptures all they want, but if they think
they can get God to do their bidding, they're TOTALLY
DELUSIONAL, and should seek professional help.
The Antichrist is who God ALREADY SAID, NOT whom WE
WANT HIM to be.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010
THE REAL VS. THE FAKE
The New Testament names apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers [Ephesians 4:11; 1
Corinthians 12:28].
It clearly states these ministry offices are
determined by Jesus, not by mortal men.
It also names elders, plus the ADMINISTRATIVE offices
of bishops and deacons, period [1 Timothy chapter 3;
5:1, 17-20; 1 Peter 5:5; 2 John].
Any other name or title used on "Christian" TV, by
any religious organization, denomination, or local
congregation, was invented by man, not by God.
Apostle - means one who is sent on a mission, an
ambassador.
Prophet - an interpreter or foreteller of the Divine
Will.
Evangelist - a bringer of Good News. One who
preaches the Gospel, i.e., Salvation.
Pastor - a shepherd. Shepherds guide and FEED God's
flock.
Teacher - an instructor of the Word of God. Anyone
who teaches man invented religion IS NOT, and
CANNOT BE, a God called, God appointed teacher.
Bishop - an overseer.
Deacon - a servant.
Elder - an old person.
1 Timothy 5:17 shows some elders were involved in
teaching and preaching to the local congregation.
Most of the people who are truly called of God, usually
serve in several of the above offices.
Some, like the apostle Paul, function in ALL of them.
How can we tell the real from the fake?
Easy: Does Jesus occupy the Throne in that
person's heart?
Is He NUMBER ONE?
Not something we do supposedly "for Jesus' sake" but
IS JESUS HIMSELF, THE PERSON OF JESUS,
NUMBER ONE in that individual's heart and life?
NUMBER ONE means that NOTHING and NO ONE
comes before Jesus.
Can we HONESTLY say Jesus is #1 in our lives when all
we're concerned about is raising money to build YET
ANOTHER TV station?
Can we HONESTLY say Jesus is #1 when we're focused
on that book tour so we can sell the latest piece of
crap we wrote?
Can we HONESTLY say Jesus is #1 when ALL we
do is talk about money?
"Out of the ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART, the mouth
speaks" [Matthew 12:34].
Can we HONESTLY say Jesus is #1 when we go around
with a 30-member personal entourage, bodyguards,
own private jets, wear designer clothes, take luxury
vacations 10 times a year, all at the expense of our
poor, loyal, DESTITUTE "brethren".
Can we HONESTLY say Jesus is number one when we
have no compunction about squeezing money
from the needy thru false "prosperity" promises,
when we know darn well their financial situation
will remain the same?
Paul, Peter and John wouldn't have been caught
dead in the company of some of today's "leaders".
For that matter, Jesus wouldn't have hung out
with them either.
Nor does He hang out with them TODAY.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2010
HANUKKAH
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up TOGETHER WITH THEM in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and
so shall we ever be with the Lord [1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17].
I'm not PREDICTING anything.
We are in the final days of the Feast of Hanukkah in
the Hebrew calendar.
Hanukkah means "Dedication".
It was during the Feast of Hanukkah, in the 10th
chapter of John's Gospel, that Jesus talked about the
catching away of His Church [John 10:22]:
[I've edited out certain portions of the chapter for the
sake of space and continuity].
1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, He that enters not by the
door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other
way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of
the sheep.
3 To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his
voice: and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads
them out.
4 And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes
before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know
his voice...
7 Then said Jesus to them again, Truly, truly, I say to
you, I am the door of the sheep...
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall
be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture...
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and
am known of mine.
15 As the Father knows me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:
them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice;
and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay
down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man
takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it
again. This commandment have I received of my
Father...
22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication
[Hanukkah], and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's
porch...
26 But you believe not, because you are not of my
sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give to them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of
my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's
hand. 30 I and my Father are one.
The reasons we know He's referring to the Rapture
are:
1)"THE OPEN DOOR" (that no man can shut)
[Revelation 3:8; 4:1] is mentioned repeatedly.
2) The sheep "HEAR HIS VOICE" - is stated over and
over. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 "for the Lord Himself shall
descend from heaven WITH A SHOUT [voice], with
the voice of the Archangel and the Trump of God"...
3) OTHER SHEEP: [verse 16] "And other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall
be one fold, and one shepherd".
This could only be "the Church", since it didn't
exist yet when Jesus spoke that parable.
4) ONE FOLD - "There shall be ONE FOLD" can only
refer to when we are ALL gathered together unto Him
[2 Thessalonians 2:1-3].
When ALL the dead IN CHRIST rise first, then we are
caught up TOGETHER WITH THEM to meet the
Lord.
Lord knows, we're NOT "one fold" yet, even as we
speak.
5) Verse 28 "they shall NEVER perish" can only refer to
those who NEVER DIE because they're changed in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye from mortal to
immortal[1 Corinthians 15:50-55].
6) Verses 28 and 29 where He says TWICE that "no
man can PLUCK THEM out of my hand".
The Greek word for "PLUCK THEM" IS HARPAZO.
Harpazo means "to snatch, or seize suddenly".
Interestingly, HARPAZO is the exact same word
used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (the anchor verse quoted
above) "then WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL
BE CAUGHT UP [harpazo] in the clouds to meet the
Lord"...
So, He's saying that once He "harpazoes" us, no
one else can "harpazo" us.
Curiously, the first person to EVER be "raptured",
in all of history, was Enoch [Genesis 5:24].
Enoch, is Hanokh in Hebrew.
It means "DEDICATED" AND COMES from the same
Hebrew root as "Hanukkah", the feast of
DEDICATION.
As I shared in yesterday's message:
The feast of Hanukkah celebrates the CLEANSING AND
DEDICATION of the TEMPLE which had been
desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes. That's EXACTLY
what happens to the human temple at the
Rapture.
The temple is cleansed, the mind renewed and
DEDICATED ENTIRELY to God, as it was before they
[Adam] sinned.
It's that renewed mind, filled with God's Manifest
Presence [Shekinah] that will cause our
transformation from mortal to immortal.
Hanukkah ALSO commemorates the re-lighting of the
menorah, the 7-branch CANDLESTICK in the temple.
And WHAT WAS THE VERY FIRST SYMBOL THAT
JESUS SHOWED John WHEN he WROTE REVELATION?
The 7-branch menorah. And He said it symbolized
THE CHURCH:
"And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And
being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in
the middle of the seven candlesticks [menorah]
one like to the Son of man"... [Revelation 1:12,13].
"The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:
and the seven candlesticks [menorah] which you
saw are the seven churches" [Revelation 1:20].
Seven, of course, being the number of completion.
As for the oil lasting 8 days, what did Jesus say in the
parable of the 10 virgins? [Matthew 25:1-12] That
ONLY THOSE WHO HAD OIL IN THEIR LAMPS got
to go into the marriage feast.
So, the parallels between this Feast and the catching
away of the Church are truly amazing.
Do you HAVE OIL? Have you received the
ANOINTED ONE, the Giver of Oil, into your heart?
If you haven't, DON'T WAIT ANOTHER SECOND.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2010
TRANSFORMED
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So
when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall
have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your
sting? O grave, where is your victory? [1 Corinthians 15:51-56]
The Man of Sin isn't just the Antichrist.
He will, ultimately, manifest in physical form in the
person of the Antichrist.
But there's another man of sin we must all come
to grips with.
That man of sin is the corrupt image satan placed
in natural man's mind when man sinned.
It's the image of death, that replaced God's immortal
Image, which dwelt in man's mind when he was first
created [Romans 1:23].
God's glory dwelt inside man's head. His Presence
occupied the inner, mental throne, His Mercy Seat,
and from there, illuminated our entire human
temples.
That's why man had complete dominion over
God's creation.
God was, literally, in man's head, ruling the earth
thru His man, who bore His Image [Genesis 1:27].
Consequently, the first temple God had on earth
was not some man-made building made of wood
and stones, it was man himself.
God's manifest Presence and glory used the brain's
intricate circuitry to full capacity. His wisdom was
available to man. His Light emanated from there and
enveloped the entire human temple, making it
immortal.
When first Adam sinned and became mortal, they
passed corruption and mortality to all their natural
offspring, to generation after generation of fallen,
mortal, sinful humans.
God's temple was desecrated and defiled.
That's why Israel's former temples were
anthropomorphic: The Outer Court being the hips, legs
and feet, the Holy Place being the torso, and the Holy
of Holies the human head.
The Holy of Holies contained within it the Ark of the
Covenant. The top of the Ark, known as the Mercy
Seat, was the Throne of God on earth, the place
occupied by God's Manifest Presence or Shekinah.
The same was true of man before he sinned.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 the Bible tells us the man of
sin is consumed by the breath [Spirit] of Jesus'
mouth and the brightness of His Coming.
The Antichrist isn't consumed at all, but is
captured and hurled alive into the lake of fire
[Revelation 19:20].
That idolatrous image, that rebellious, contaminated
psyche, that first antichrist, which is the enemy of
(anti) God, and incapable of keeping His law
[Romans 8:7] was, therefore, hidden within man's
head, in the deepest recesses of the human mind,
particularly in what we call "the subconscious".
It is this corrupt image, this idol, this hidden
abomination, which most people aren't even aware of,
that the Bible refers to as "the mystery (secret) of
iniquity" [2 Thessalonians 2:7].
It's what causes man's natural tendency to sin.
It's the antichrist image in us that is responsible
for ALL the evil in the world.
Hence, the first abomination of desolation was
committed, not in the Jewish temple, but in the
human temple.
It's well and good to know who the future Antichrist is,
but the PRESENT ANTICHRIST must be destroyed first.
Our personal antichrist must first be consumed,
that our personal Christ may be revealed.
Therefore, just as it happened in the Jerusalem temple
about 2,175 years ago, the human temple, both
individually, and collectively [the Church] must,
be cleansed, purified, restored, renewed and
rededicated to the Lord.
The Good News is that Jesus has made provision even
for this.
When He appears at the Rapture, He will destroy
the image of corruption in us, and fully restore
His Incorruptible Image to us, the Image of the
Perfect Man, "the measure of the stature of the
FULLNESS of Christ" [Ephesians 4:13].
The Church must be aware of this. She must be
willing and fervently desiring to have the Image
of the Immortal God fully restored.
The Church will then be transformed from mortal to
immortal, and disappear from this world.
Those who remain on earth will be people who are
totally sold out to their depraved minds, and the
antichrist image embedded therein.
When THE Antichrist manifests in the human form of
the resurrected Alexander, he will merely be the
manifestation of their depraved, anti-Christ
collective consciousness.
God will allow them to have exactly what they want.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
"But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant"
[Matthew 23:11].
For all the fancy titles, for all the religious hierarchy,
for all the so-called "Church leaders" that exist today,
Christendom has been plagued, and continues to be
plagued, by one scandal after another.
Yet another scandal broke this past week, as if we
hadn't had enough.
Who gets to name true leaders in the Body of Christ?
Are Church positions and offices legitimate?
Since Jesus is the Rock on which the Church is
founded, and since Jesus is also Head of His
Church, HE GETS TO DECIDE.
No religious organization gets to decide.
No religious network gets to decide.
Organizations and networks may try to SELL US some
of their preferred candidates as "apostles", "prophets"
and "prophetesses", "bishops", "pastors", and every
other name in the book, but they don't get to make
that call.
That privilege is reserved only for God.
Unless He calls, unless He anoints, there's no
leadership no matter WHAT ridiculous title organized
religion, or presumptuous TV networks, may bestow on
them.
In the Body of Christ, true leaders are SERVANTS.
Church history is FULL of leaders who have tried to be
LORDS, not servants, over God's flock.
They've acquired inordinate power and always ended
up misusing it and abusing it.
Unfortunately, that's still going on today.
We have learned NOTHING in 1,600 years.
True leadership carries ENORMOUS responsibility.
You can't call yourself a "church leader" simply
because you have an 18,000 member congregation.
You can't call yourself a "church leader" simply
because you're on "Christian" TV bilking money out of
your gullible audience.
You can't call yourself a "church leader" and then,
when something goes wrong within the Church, when
the "leader" you've promoted FAILS, wash your
hands of the situation, shun all responsibility,
and pretend that NOTHING happened.
Yet that's EXACTLY what goes on today.
Airing some religious infomercial doesn't make anyone
a Church leader.
Owning a TV network doesn't make anyone a Church
leader.
All it does is provide a convenient means of self-
promotion.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2010
IN ALL HISTORY
In all history there have been great military leaders,
great kings and queens, great philosophers, great men
of science, historians, athletes, orators, and influential
founders of religions, but there's only been ONE
PERSON who DIED for the sins of mankind.
NO ONE ELSE has CLAIMED TO.
NO ONE ELSE has WANTED TO.
NO ONE ELSE has TRIED.
NO ONE ELSE was QUALIFIED.
NO ONE ELSE could.
It's one thing to invent a religion, formulate ideas and
principles, tell others what they should and shouldn't
do, what to eat or not to eat, where to pray, whom to
pray to, and how often to pray, but after all is said and
done, NONE OF THE ABOVE CAN REMOVE SIN.
NONE OF IT can reconcile mankind to its Creator and
God.
After all is said and done, it's nothing but empty
rhetoric.
It may SOUND good.
It may LOOK good.
But THE BEST you can hope for is a more "moral"
lifestyle.
THE BEST you can hope for is that you'll die, and
REMAIN DEAD, just like the founders of THOSE
RELIGIONS.
You can modify the way you act, talk and look, ON THE
OUTSIDE, but your heart will stay the same.
Dead people can't renew your heart.
Dead people can't renew your mind.
Dead people can't give you ETERNAL LIFE since THEY
THEMSELVES DON'T HAVE IT.
All of which sets Jesus Christ FAR ABOVE every
king, queen, emperor, military leader, philosopher,
historian, scientist, athlete, orator, and religious
leader.
NONE OF THEM died for your sins.
NONE OF THEM shed His Blood for you.
NONE OF THEM was sinless.
NONE OF THEM is God.
NONE OF THEM is alive.
ALL OF THEM ARE DEAD.
ONLY Jesus paid for our sins.
ONLY Jesus ROSE from the DEAD.
ONLY Jesus can ERASE your sin.
ONLY Jesus LIVES FOREVER.
ONLY Jesus can CHANGE your heart....
permanently and eternally.
ONLY Jesus can reconcile you to God.
SINCE HE IS ALIVE, ONLY Jesus can guarantee
you eternal life.
Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, New Ager, Hare Krishna,
agnostic, Mormon, Christian Scientist, Jehovah's
Witness, Adventist, Scientologist, WHAT are you
waiting for?
Put ALL those dead men and women behind you,
put all that DEAD RELIGION behind you, and
embrace THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE YOU.
Receive into your heart Him WHO IS ALIVE.
"I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever
more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" [Revelation 1:18].
Saturday, DECEMBER 4, 2010
SINNER'S PRAYER
Every once in a while, some self-righteous religionist
makes it his lofty mission in life to criticize the "model"
prayer we have for those who want to receive Jesus.
Not because they care for lost souls - in fact, I
guarantee they've never won a single soul to
Jesus in their entire lives - but because they're
not happy UNLESS they're criticizing someone,
particularly someone who does SERVE the Lord.
They self-righteously accuse us of using "magical"
words, arguing that if God doesn't give the faith,
thru grace to get saved, the prayer won't have
any effect.
True.
I know of no other ministry that emphasizes the grace
of God more than this one. We have A WHOLE
WEBPAGE devoted to that topic. However, that's not
the whole story. Here's where they are wrong.
Yes, Salvation is a gift, from beginning to end.
Yes, it's a gift of God's Grace. Yes, even the faith to
believe is a gift from God.
However, God can give us ALL THE FAITH IN THE
WORLD, and if an individual doesn't exercise his
or her free will and receives Jesus into his/her
heart, THEY'RE NOT SAVED.
They must RECEIVE Jesus INTO THEIR HEARTS.
They must CONFESS Him with their mouths [Romans
10:9].
It's God who came up with the "formula", not me.
So, unless a person makes a decision of his/her
own free will, and tells Jesus something SIMILAR to
the model we provide, from their hearts, THEY'RE
NOT SAVED.
Do they have to recite the words verbatim? Of course,
not!
Only a religious moron would think that.
The words serve only as a guide. Matter of fact,
we have about 5 different versions of the
"sinner's prayer" throughout the site.
There's nothing magical about the words
themselves. But the Scriptures are clear that Jesus
must be RECEIVED (invited in), and confessed.
The critics have reached me too late because I was
once a VERY religious person, who had religion and
dogma coming out my nose. I BELIEVED in Jesus, I
LOVED Jesus, I believed He is God. I believed He died
for my sins and rose from the dead. Yet I was NOT
saved, I did NOT experience the New Birth UNTIL
I SAID, FROM MY HEART, words VERY SIMILAR
TO THOSE PROVIDED ON THE WEBSITE.
If I hadn't heard different versions of that "model
prayer" from three different Baptist preachers, I
probably wouldn't be saved today.
Fortunately, it's not accusing religionists who get
to decide who is really saved and who isn't. ONLY
GOD can determine that.
Providing a "model prayer" is TOTALLY scriptural. Jesus
provided a model prayer for the disciples [Matthew
6:9].
Is there anything wrong with reciting, or following the
pattern of, that "model prayer"? No.
Is there anything "magical" about saying "Our Father,
who are in heaven, hallowed be your Name"... No.
ANY words we utter, that DO NOT come from the
heart, are "idle words", empty words that mean
nothing.
But will it work, IF you say it FROM YOUR HEART?
Yes.
The same can be said about the "sinner's
prayer".
Those who have problems with "model prayers" should
take the matter up with Jesus. I didn't invent the
concept. He did.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2010
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS
PERSON?
The church of Laodicea is alive and well today.
Its members love religious entertainment.
They're insatiable, materialistic lovers of this world.
They're lovers of POSSESSIONS. The more stuff they
have, the more stuff they want.
They've no problem violating God's Word, if it suits
their purposes.
They would just love to silence those who speak Truth.
They hide behind a façade of fake "spirituality".
They're religious, but are neither hot nor cold.
They THINK righteousness is HOW WE LOOK AND
ACT ON THE OUTSIDE, INSTEAD OF WHO WE ARE
ON THE INSIDE.
They're more concerned about WHAT PEOPLE THINK
than about what God says.
They care more about "their reputation" than about His
Kingdom.
They talk about "God", they even ocassionally
mention the Name "Jesus", but STOP SHORT OF
giving Him their hearts.
They've never learned the great biblical Truth that
"man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks
AT THE HEART" [1 Samuel 16:7].
Laodiceans worship false teachers and are swayed by
every religious gimmick that comes along.
There have been Laodiceans since the dawn of history.
Truly, there's "nothing new under the sun".
Laodiceans don't want to hear about such things as
repentance, humility, sacrifice, TOTAL commitment to
Christ, and TOTAL DEPENDENCE on Him.
They have a LONG LIST of priorities AHEAD OF
Jesus.
In fact, He ranks way down on the list, if He's in it at
all.
They exchange The Truth for man invented doctrine.
They compromise the Word of God in the name
of convenience.
They exchange their families for more money and a
bigger paycheck.
Their children are raised by blaspheming, fornicating
men and women on TV, movies, and the internet.
All because THEY WANT MORE STUFF:
Bigger house, bigger car, designer clothes, personal
fitness gurus, life coaches, and "success in life"
seminars.
At least they'll LOOK good for their journey into a
Christless eternity, as Jesus vomits them out of His
mouth.
Seen any Laodiceans lately?
Could YOU be one of them?
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2010
PERSONAL GOD
In yesterday's message I argued that, if Stephen Hawkins'
premise were true that the creation of the universe happened
spontaneously because of the law of gravity, then gravity
would HAVE TO BE God, or an expression of God.
Mr. Hawking had to capitulate on the logic of that argument.
In an interview conducted in June this year [2010] Professor
Hawking stated:
"The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by
God for reasons we can't understand, or was it determined by
a law of science? I believe the second. If you like, you can
call the laws of science 'God', but it wouldn't be a
personal God that you could meet, and ask questions."
So, when pressed, Mr. Hawking had to admit that there
might be a God, but added that he didn't believe that a
"personal" God existed.
O.K., let's try that one on for size.
According to Hawking, the mysterious force known as gravity,
WHOSE ORIGIN NO ONE can explain, caused the Big
Bang which, in turn, caused the creation of the
universe.
The universe, coincidentally, IS STILL EXPANDING, at the
speed of Light.
It's EXPANDING at the speed of God [1 John 1:5].
So, the Big Bang has plenty of "bang" left.
That's EXACTLY what we read in Genesis 1:3-8, which
was written some 3,500 years ago.
That God put Light [Himself] into this realm, and created the
EXPANSION we call "heaven" or "universe".
From the perspective of space-time, that's 3,500 years
before your present human mind even existed, Stephen.
3,500 before you wrote any book or taught anywhere.
And you have the temerity to EXCLUDE a personal God?
It only took the most brilliant human minds 6,000 years to
realize what God had stated in His Word, all along.
Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that gravity and the
Big Bang explain the EXISTENCE of the universe.
What neither one can explain is:
1. Why the earth's distance from the sun, depending on its
orbit, ranges from between 91.3 to 94.4 million miles.
If it were farther, there would be no life on this planet, as it
would be frozen solid.
If it were closer, life would be equally impossible, since we'd
all roast to a crisp.
2. Neither one can explain how the gravitational pull of the
sun and other planets makes planetary orbits so precise
as to keep planets from colliding into each another.
3. Neither one can explain where so-called "laws of science",
such as gravity, came from.
4. Neither one can explain the existence of cells, which
are the basic, functional unit of all living organisms.
5. Neither one can explain how ALL cells contain DNA [the
hereditary material of genes] and RNA [a veritable
"factory" CONTAINING ALL THE NECESSARY DATA to
build various proteins such as enzymes, which are
necessary in order to support life].
6. They can't explain how cells are, in essence, PRE-
PROGRAMMED to carry out this detailed, methodical activity.
Neither gravity, nor the "laws of science", nor the Big Bang
can explain ANY of the above.
I could go on and on about other mysteries like the
complexities of the human eye, or the various reproductive
systems and cycles in living organisms.
The ONLY possibly explanations are:
A. That ALL these things were so perfectly orchestrated BY
CHANCE.
I'm no mathematician either, but I'm certain the probability of
that happening is so HUGELY remote that it's TOTALLY
INCOMPREHENSIBLE to even the most gifted human intellect.
Chance not only CANNOT be proven, but defies logic, and
requires FAR MORE FAITH, than believing in a personal
God. Or,
B. That God IS a Person, hence He IS PERSONAL, and
that He so loved the world that His Superior
Intelligence designed and coordinated all of the above
in a way consistent with His Love for His Creation.
Any remotely reasonable individual would have to conclude
that "B" is the correct answer.
Those who say He isn't [like Mr. Hawking] are ONLY
SPECULATING.
They CANNOT PROVE IT.
When someone SPECULATES, it means THEY DON'T KNOW.
God IS a PERSONAL God.
So PERSONAL, in fact, that He interacts with His Creation.
So PERSONAL that He is ONE with His creation.
Those who insist on making Him "impersonal" ARE simply
AFRAID OF HIM.
They're afraid to FACE Him.
They're the sorriest people in the universe because they've
never EXPERIENCED its Creator.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010
GOD AND SCIENCE
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking made recent
headlines and sparked commotion in both the scientific
and faith communities.
In his latest publication, The Grand Design he states
that "God was not needed to create the
Universe".
For those who may not be familiar with him or his
work, Mr. Hawking is, by human standards, a gifted
scientist who also wrote the best seller A Brief History
of Time in 1988.
Mr. Hawking has a physical disability, is confined to a
wheelchair, and is unable to speak except thru a voice
synthesizer.
I enjoyed reading Brief History, and it's still part of my
personal library.
In Brief History, Mr. Hawking did NOT dismiss the
possibility that God had a hand in the creation of the
world.
Back then, he wrote "If we discover a complete theory,
it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for
then we should know the mind of God."
Yet in his newest book he rejects Sir Isaac
Newton's theory that the Universe did not
spontaneously begin to form but was set in
motion by God:
"Because THERE IS a law such as gravity, the
Universe can and will create itself from nothing.
Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something
rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we
exist."
Of course, Mr. Hawking can't explain WHERE gravity
came from.
For that matter, NO OTHER SCIENTIST, ATHEIST OR
SKEPTIC can explain it either.
They just know it "exists". They just know that
gravity IS.
By making that statement he is saying that the
force we call gravity, whose origin is unknown, is
IN FACT, God.
So, I would argue that his own premise PROVES that
God, or some expression of God called "gravity",
WAS NEEDED to create the universe.
Hence, God not only IS, but had a hand in creating it.
Gee, Stephen, I'm not even a scientist, just a humble
servant of Jesus Christ.
But it only took me TWO MINUTES to blow a hole in
your THEORY.
Maybe it's because I know Him who CREATED gravity.
The One who IS, from everlasting to everlasting.
Maybe it's because human reasoning, no matter
how brilliant, is FLAWED to begin with.
Maybe it's because your FINITE mind CANNOT
comprehend the INFINITE.
Maybe it's because your limited, temporary intelligence
CANNOT comprehend the ETERNAL.
I would have thought your own Brief History of Time
would have taught you that.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010
NEW JERUSALEM
The Bible refers to New Jerusalem, the heavenly city,
as "the mother of us all" [Galatians 4:26].
"Us all" refers to believers in Jesus Christ.
To enter New Jerusalem you MUST BE BORN AGAIN.
A former idol worshiper named Abraham set out in
search of that city some 4,000 years ago.
He left his hometown, his family, nearly everything,
looking for that city "whose builder and maker is God"
[Hebrews 11:10,16].
Sadly, not all of Abraham's descendants will enter that
beautiful city.
Many of them, particularly those who are born of the
flesh, BUT NOT of the spirit, those who
SPIRITUALLY descend from THE SLAVE
Hagar, who want to live in bondage to law,
commandments and units of time, will never make
it.
All citizens of New Jerusalem are FREE.
They'll live forever in the FREEDOM OF THE SPIRIT.
There's NO BONDAGE whatsoever in New Jerusalem.
That means THERE'S NO RELIGION WHATSOEVER in
New Jerusalem, since the very word "religion" MEANS
"bondage".
Our present level of existence is temporary.
God's Word makes it clear that we're just passing thru
this earthly dimension en route to our Ultimate
Destination.
Our true citizenship isn't here, but THERE.
Our heavenly city is described in detail in Revelation
chapter 21.
It says there's no sickness, no death, sorrow, tears, or
pain.
It's also described as having the glory of God, her light
clear as crystal, like the most precious of gems, having
12 gates of pearl, with foundations made of precious
stones, paved with translucent gold, and having no
need of sun or moon, because Jesus is THE LIGHT
thereof.
As breathtakingly lovely and wonderful as that sounds,
its BIGGEST ATTRACTION, THE PRINCIPAL REASON
FOR US WANTING TO GO THERE, IS IT'S JESUS'
official residence.
He is its light, His Throne shall be there, and
everyone and everything in New Jerusalem will
be FOCUSED ON HIM.
We shall enjoy His Presence. We shall see His Face.
What could be lovelier than that?
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010
RELATIONSHIP
Our relationship with God, like any other, blooms when
we devote time and attention to Him. If we neglect
Him, He'll still be there, but it won't be as rich,
deep, enjoyable, or spiritually rewarding.
If we did nothing but humble ourselves before Him,
focus on Him, remain focused on Jesus, and just
LISTENED with our spiritual ears, we would "hear"
what He's saying.
Man does not live by bread alone, but BY EVERY WORD
that proceeds out of the mouth of God [Matthew 4:4].
This should NEVER become "a ritual".
God dislikes rituals. He likes spontaneity.
Jesus is NOT separated from us. He is ONE WITH US.
Every believer should seek and experience that
ONENESS.
He's not "out there", He's "in here".
He's WITHIN YOU.
When we focus on Jesus WITHIN US our Spirit
becomes strong, OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
GROWS, and our spirit which is joined to His Spirit
produces fruit.
Focusing on the INNER Jesus should become A
HABIT, a WAY OF LIFE.
Jesus said: "I am the door: by me if any man
enters, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture" [John 10:9].
When we focus on Jesus, we are focused on THE
ENTRANCE TO PARADISE, THE PORTAL into the
Kingdom of God [John 3:3-5; Revelation 3:8].
He's THE OPEN DOOR thru which we are
raptured.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2010
SIN IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM
"Behold the Lamb of God who TAKES AWAY the sin of the world" [John
1:29].
When John the Baptist, great prophet that he was,
uttered those words, he did so in present tense*,
since Jesus had not yet gone to the cross, paid for the
sin/s of mankind and risen from the dead.
*[present active participle, literally "who is TAKING AWAY the
sin"]...
Since we are living 2,000 years AFTER Jesus DID
ALL OF THE ABOVE on our behalf, we would say
them today in PAST tense:
"Behold the Lamb of God WHO TOOK AWAY THE
SIN/s of the world".
Since Jesus TOOK AWAY [REMOVED] THE sin of the
world [meaning original sin], and He also took away
ALL THE SINS that we may commit individually, THEN
SIN'S NO LONGER YOUR PROBLEM.
It's His "problem".
It's in quotation marks because Jesus [God] has NO
PROBLEMS.
He already DEALT WITH "the problem" ONCE
AND FOR ALL [Hebrews 9:12; 10:14].
He won TOTAL VICTORY over "the problem" on your
behalf and mine.
It's out of our hands!
SIN WON'T KEEP ANYONE OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF
GOD.
Again: SIN WON'T KEEP ANYONE OUT OF THE
KINGDOM OF GOD.
The ONLY "problem" that will keep any human being
FROM Jesus, FROM Salvation, FROM heaven, is NOT
TRUSTING WHAT JESUS DID.
If you receive Him into your heart and TRUST
Him, He's got you COVERED!
You're LITERALLY COVERED in Jesus, wrapped in
Jesus.
Who dares to bring any accusation against Jesus
Himself? [Romans 8:33].
No wonder Paul says in Romans 8:1 "there's NOW NO
CONDEMNATION to those who are IN Christ Jesus"...
No wonder Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 5:19 "God
was IN Christ RECONCILING the world unto Himself,
NOT COUNTING THEIR SINS AGAINST THEM"!!!
That's why the Gospel is GOOD NEWS!
God's NOT angry with you. He's NOT looking to
condemn you; He's looking to SAVE YOU!!! [John
3:17].
He's NOT counting ANY sin against you.
Satan may count them. He's the accuser of the
brethren. But Jesus doesn't.
The world may count them.
Religion may count them.
Religious people, who pass themselves off as
"Christians" may count them.
But Jesus DOESN'T.
So, when satan, the world, religion or supposed
"Christians" point the finger and heap condemnation,
WHO CARES? Don't accept ANY of it.
Reject it. They have NO RIGHT, „cause Jesus
already PAID FOR ALL your sins. EVERY LAST
ONE OF THEM! Let it roll off you like water off a
duck's back.
KNOW that God loves you, has accepted you, and
RECONCILED you to Himself, in Jesus Christ.
DON'T ALLOW satan, the world, religion, or
"Christians" to lay ANY guilt or ANY condemnation on
you.
They have MORE TRUST in sin, or in human
shortcomings, than in Jesus's Blood. That's WHY
THEY'RE LOST.
We, on the other hand, HAVE TOTAL CONFIDENCE,
TOTAL TRUST, in WHAT JESUS ACCOMPLISHED FOR
US, IN HIS GRACE, MERCY AND MOST PRECIOUS
BLOOD WHICH WASHES AWAY ALL SIN.
That's WHY we're saved.
That's what REAL Christianity is ALL about.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2010
THE TWO WITNESSES
The Book of Revelation, chapter 11, makes mention of
two witnesses who will appear during the tribulation
period.
They will prophesy in sackcloth for 1,260 days.
Once their time is up, they will be murdered by the
resurrected antichrist.
There's much speculation among so-called "prophecy
experts" as to their identity, but little or no proof.
Many teach erroneously that one of them is Enoch.
The main reason given by the "experts" is that
Enoch never died. Therefore, he must show up
during the tribulation, and die, in order to fulfill
Hebrews 9:27 "it is appointed unto man once to
die".
I got news for those who want to kill Enoch:
There are billions of believers who will break the
appointment with death and be translated into
the spirit realm as Enoch was, ALIVE [1
Corinthians 15:51,52; Revelation 7:9]. And we're NOT
coming back to die in order to fulfill Hebrews 9:27. So
much for that ridiculous argument.
There's NO RECORD anywhere that Enoch performed
ANY miraculous deeds, as these two men will, as they
ward off opposition to the third temple's construction,
and prophesy about impending judgments.
The Two Witnesses are Moses and Elijah.
Why Moses? Because he is regarded as the founder
of Judaism.
He's the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt
and gave them the law [torah].
The antichrist is called the "lawless one" in 2
Thessalonians 2:8. By killing Moses, not only will he
demonstrate his legendary invincibility, he will be
showing his utter contempt for God's law.
One of satan's [and antichrist's] main objectives will be
to defeat and persecute Israel [Revelation 12:13-17].
Not only will he persecute them, he will murder
their religious leader [Moses], and ridicule their
religion.
Moses will be instrumental in guiding the Israelites in
building the third temple, since he was shown the
pattern of all such things by God [Exodus 25:9].
Why Elijah? For one thing, it's prophesied in the
Scriptures [Malachi 4:5].
Elijah can authoritatively point out the correct
location of the temple, since the first temple was
still standing during his ministry.
We know from Revelation 11:2 that the third temple
must be built by mid-trib. Of course, no one in their
right mind would expect the Palestinians to cross their
arms and let it happen.
When Israel starts building their temple, it will set off
pandemonium in the Middle East. God only knows what
evil acts of aggression and terrorism will ensue. One
of the reasons the Two Witnesses are given
supernatural powers is to protect Israel and the
temple during the first half of the tribulation
[Revelation 11:5, 6].
Elijah is famous for having challenged the false
prophets of Baal, exposing their idolatry, discrediting
them and their false god, and finally killing them [1
Kings 18:19-40].
We know the Antichrist will have his very own false
prophet [Revelation 13:12,13].
He will erect an idol [image] of antichrist, and
command it be worshipped under penalty of death
[Revelation 13:15].
Elijah's also one of the most powerful miracle workers
in the Bible, who could cause fire to come down
from heaven [1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10]. Two
chapters later, in Revelation 13:13, what do we find
the false prophet doing? You got it... he brings fire
down from heaven.
According to Revelation 11:8, Antichrist will overcome
Moses and Elijah around mid-trib, and crucify them at
Golgotha, right where Jesus was crucified. He will not
allow their corpses to be buried, in a futile effort to
prove that no one besides himself is resurrected. Much
to his dismay, they will rise from the dead, in sight of
everyone, and ascend to heaven.
So Moses will get to see and enter the land of
promise, after all.
He and Elijah had much in common: they were both
prophets, both spent 40 days and nights on Mount
Sinai [Exodus 24:18; 1 Kings 19:8], both stand before
the Lord [Zechariah 4:14; Exodus 33:11; 1 Kings
17:1].
They both performed great miracles, the very same
ones mentioned in Revelation 11:5,6.
Both denounced idolatry and eradicated it.
Both appeared to Jesus, at the mount of
transfiguration [Matthew 17:1-4].
There's a snapshot of the Rapture if there ever
was one! Moses represents the "dead in Christ",
Elijah represents the raptured saints who will not
die, but will be translated ALIVE, instantly changed
and caught up to meet the LORD in the air [1
Thessalonians 4:16,17].
They, along with Peter, James and John WITNESSED
the Voice from heaven that testified about Jesus
"this is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased; HEAR HIM" [Matthew 17:5].
They witnessed the Foundation of the Church [Matthew
16:13-18], the Father's testimony that Jesus is His
beloved Son, and His glorification.
They will be the Two Witnesses who testify when the
Church departs and Jesus reappears in power and
great glory.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER, 26, 2010
ALWAYS WITH YOU
When God promised He'd NEVER leave you nor forsake
you, He meant it.
When Jesus told you He is with you ALWAYS, even
to the end of the age... He meant it.
This may shock some, but God has NEVER left you.
Jesus hasn't left you for one nanosecond.
It may APPEAR to the natural mind that He has, but HE
HASN'T.
You don't have to struggle to find Jesus. You don't
need to EXERT any EFFORT to find Him. He's
ALWAYS there!
He's been INSIDE YOU all this time.
If you've received Jesus into your heart, He entered
and has NEVER left.
Don't THINK of Him being "out there" in the "far off
distance".
The Church MUST awake to the REALITY of the EVER-
PRESENT Jesus.
He is in you RIGHT NOW: In your spirit, which is
located within your stomach area. He'll be IN you 10
minutes from now, 10 years from now, 10 million
years from now.
And because He is IN us, we MUST all EXPERIENCE
His INNER Presence.
Contacting the INNER JESUS is the greatest "joy ride"
this side of heaven.
When was the last time you experienced His
Presence?
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2010
"After this I saw a great multitude, which no one could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues... before the Lamb...
And all the angels stood round about the Throne, and around the elders,
and the four beasts, and fell before the Throne on their faces, and
worshipped God saying, Amen: Blessing, THANKSGIVING, honor,
power and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen"
[Revelation 7:9-12].
THE ONE WHO RETURNED
Luke 17:11-19 tells the story of 10 lepers whom
Jesus encountered en route to Jerusalem.
Lepers were outcasts. They were considered
unclean, and highly contagious.
They were segregated, had to live in designated areas,
outside the city, in dire conditions, apart from the
general population, and were required to shout
"unclean! unclean!" if anyone came remotely near
them [Leviticus 13:45,46].
When they saw Jesus at a distance they shouted
"Jesus, Master, have mercy on us".
Jesus answered that they should "show themselves
to the priests" [Leviticus 14:1-9].
Verse 14 tells us that "AS THEY WENT, they were
cleansed".
All ten were healed instantly.
What a blessing that was! This meant they were
no longer afflicted. They were now HEALTHY.
They'd no longer be disfigured, or lose part of their
hands or face. They'd no longer be despised, suffer
hunger, or live in isolation. They could work, join
other citizens, and live regular lives. No longer
would they be stigmatized or alienated from
society.
Yet ONLY ONE of the ten came back praising and
glorifying God, for this GREAT MIRACLE, fell down at
Jesus' feet, and GAVE THANKS to Him.
The one that returned wasn't even Jewish. He was
Samaritan.
This poor guy was, no doubt, doubly despised:
one, for having leprosy, and two, for being
Samaritan [Mark 7:24-30; John 4:9].
Samaritans are looked down on in Israel, even
today.
Jesus' had this to say [verse 17]: "were there not
10 cleansed? But WHERE ARE THE NINE"?
"WHERE ARE THE NINE", indeed. What a sad
commentary on religious ingratitude!
This has been a rough year in many ways, for many
people.
However, we still have A LOT to be THANKFUL FOR.
We still live in the greatest nation on earth.
We still enjoy freedom and prosperity that few
others possess.
And ALL OF US, who know Jesus, have been
INSTANTLY CURED of spiritual leprosy, when
we received Him into our hearts.
THAT, if nothing else, is worth being VERY, VERY
[ETERNALLY] GRATEFUL FOR.
THAT, if nothing else, is worth falling on our
faces, at Jesus' feet, and saying "THANK YOU,
Lord".
On this day of Thanks Giving, and EVERY DAY of our
lives, let's NOT be like the ungrateful 9, but
LIKE THE ONE WHO RETURNED.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2010
BIBLICAL CRITERIA
The identity of the Antichrist has always been a highly
controversial subject.
I can certainly understand why Christians would want
to know. There was a time when I wanted to know.
However, it's one thing to EARNESTLY search for
Truth, without preconditions, and be prepared to
accept it, it's quite another to ALREADY HAVE a
favored candidate, to WANT that person to be the
Antichrist, then try to adapt the Bible to that
person.
The first approach is HONEST, the second DISHONEST.
God will honor the first. God will dishonor the second.
God knows our hearts. People can fool themselves,
but they can't fool Him.
God WILL NOT adapt His Word to our wishes, it's the
other way around: our wishes MUST adapt to His
Word.
We still get angry emails from those who rabidly
WANT Antichrist to be the President [no drama
Obama], or Prince Charles [oh, yeah, he looks
terrifying] or Spain's king Juan Carlos, Javier Solana,
or even Louis Farrakhan.
These people invariably accuse us of "needing to
read the Bible", yet they're the ones who NEVER
OFFER A SINGLE VERSE OF SCRIPTURE to prove
the Antichrist is their candidate of choice.
[P-l-e-a-s-e, telling me to "read the Bible" is like telling
Lady Gaga to wear weird outfits].
The Bible UNEQUIVOCALLY says the Antichrist will be
Alexander the Great, whom satan will be allowed to
raise from the dead, near mid-tribulation.
However, for those who have a "preferred candidate",
here's the BIBLICAL CRITERIA Antichrist,
whoever he may be, MUST FULFILL in its
ENTIRETY.
If the candidate fails even ONE of these
BIBLICAL requirements, he CANNOT be the
Antichrist.
God SAID this person MUST:
1. Be the serpent's seed [Genesis 3:15, 2
Thessalonians 2:3].
2. Religion of his ancestors must be polytheistic
[Daniel 11:37].
3. His kingdom will be "partly strong, and partly
broken" [Daniel 2:42].
4. His kingdom will be "mingled with the seed of men,
but shall not cleave to one another" even as iron and
clay don't mix [Daniel 2:43].
5. He must have a mouth that "speaks very great
things" [Daniel 7:20].
6. He must be a king [Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:10-
12].
7. Must be a king of fierce countenance [Daniel 8:23].
8. Must come from the Greek Empire [Daniel 8:8,9].
9. Must come from within the territory of the former
Roman Empire [Daniel 7:23-27].
10. He will magnify himself, even to the army of
heaven [Daniel 8:11,25; 11:26].
11. Must be a military genius [Revelation 13:4].
12. Must be a man [Revelation 13:18]
13. Must believe himself to be God [Daniel 11:36-38;
2 Thessalonians 2:4].
14. Must be someone who already lived, is not
presently on earth, and rises from the dead during the
tribulation [Revelation 11:7; 17:8].
15. Must be one of the "seven kings" mentioned in
Revelation 17:10, but also an "eighth king".
16. Must be "like a leopard" [Revelation 13:2].
I hate to disappoint those who desperately want him to
be President Obama, but he fails #1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,
11, 14, 15 and 16. NO WAY can he be Obama.
Prince Charles fails #1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11,13,14,15 and
16.
NO WAY can he be Charles. Besides, Cowmilla'd
never allow it.
King Juan Carlos fails #1-5, 7, 8, 11, 13-16. NO WAY
can he be Juan Carlos.
Javier Solana fails #1-8, 10, 11, 13-16. NO WAY can
he be Mr. Solana.
And Farrakhan fails ALL the requirements except #2
and #12. NO WAY can he be Louis Farrakhan.
If you have problems with these requirements, take it
up with God. They weren't my idea.
He wrote them.
Can this be the "king of FIERCE countenance"?
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23,2010
IN THE BEGINNING
The born again experience is NOT, repeat, it's NOT,
THE END of the Christian experience.
It's THE BEGINNING.
"In the beginning, God"...
When we are born again, Jesus comes to live in us
thru His Holy Spirit. From that moment we are ONE
in spirit with God [Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:17].
When we're born again, WE HAVE GOD IN us.
And that's were our Christian journey BEGINS.
It's contradictory, UNNATURAL, and rather ironic, that
Evangelicals move heaven and earth to get people
born again, to get the Holy Spirit [God] IN THEM,
ONLY TO ALLOW THEM to ignore the indwelling
God from that moment forward.
HOW can we have God INSIDE, and NOT PAY ANY
attention to Him?
It doesn't even make sense. It's abnormal. It's the
main reason why we have a largely divided, confused,
lethargic and inefficient Church today.
The reason He comes to LIVE IN US, is so that we
can LIVE IN HIM.
Again: THE REASON He comes to LIVE IN US, is so
that we can LIVE IN HIM.
If we go back to living in and from our unregenerate
natural mind, as we did BEFORE the new birth, we're
living as though NOTHING had changed.
We're living as though we WEREN'T saved.
We're living as though GOD WEREN'T IN US.
We're TOTALLY IGNORING Him.
According to Romans 8:2 the LAW OF THE SPIRIT is
LIFE IN Christ Jesus.
How do we live IN Jesus? How do we live in His Divine
Nature which we receive in the New Birth?
First step is to locate your spirit.
The spirit is presently inside the stomach area, near
the solar plexus [John 7:38,39].
You locate it thru trial and error. You can also ask the
Holy Spirit to show you WHERE inside you He resides.
Then wait a bit. He will manifest. He will show you.
Once you locate Him, then you gradually become
more and more AWARE of Him.
Then you start living from there, as God
intended.
You start checking your spirit about decisions you need
to make, you start paying attention to His witness
within you as to whether something is godly or isn't,
and you start THINKING with it, instead of your natural
mind up in the head.
Yes, I promise you can THINK from there, you
can LIVE from there.
Start PRAISING God from there, COMMUNICATING
WITH GOD from there, AND RECEIVING INFORMATION
FROM GOD in there.
The more you use your spirit, THE STRONGER he
gets.
The more you use your spirit, the easier it becomes to
"hear" God, and to discern right from wrong, good
from evil.
It's not a "push button" thing. It's a process.
It may take a little while because sadly, NOBODY in
the church teaches this. So, it's COVERED by years
and years of neglect and worldly debris.
But it's worth your attention, it's worth the time and
concentration you devote to Him.
We simply can't enjoy a deep, rich spiritual life
without communing with God in our spirit.
Separation is an illusion.
God doesn't want us to live SEPARATED FROM Him.
He wants us to live IN PERFECT UNITY WITH Him.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
HOW DO I KNOW I'M
SAVED?
If you sincerely invite Jesus Christ to enter your heart,
and receive Him as your only Lord, Savior and God,
His Word ASSURES YOU that He WILL ENTER.
The moment He does, you are SAVED.
"To ALL who received Him, to them gave He power
to become the sons of God" [John 1:12].
We don't need to beg or make incessant pleas.
Jesus is continually standing at the door and knocking.
If ANYONE opens the door of their heart, He
WILL come in [Revelation 3:20].
But you don't know HOW MUCH I've sinned.
You don't know HOW OFTEN I've sinned.
You don't know the AWFUL sins I've committed.
Are you SURE He will save me?
1,000,000 [one million] %.
"WHOEVER comes to me", Jesus said, "I will IN
NO WAY reject" [John 6:37].
Those who genuinely receive Him will remember the
moment. Not necessarily the date, but THE MOMENT
they gave Him their heart.
Those who do, EXPERIENCE a change. That change
MAY manifest outwardly in the way we act, but IT
HAPPENS INWARDLY:
Something INSIDE YOU changes.
Some people notice the change instantly. For others, it
takes some time. But the change takes place
nonetheless.
In my own experience, I distinctly remember THE
MOMENT many years ago, when I invited Him to
penetrate my heart.
I didn't notice any change immediately, but about
three months later, all of a sudden I realized that I
wasn't my "old self" inside.
"Something" inside me had changed. I couldn't quite
put my finger on what that "something" was, but I
knew I wasn't quite the same person as before.
Of course, now I know it was my heart that changed.
You may not always ACT on the outside in line with the
NEW PERSON you are ON THE INSIDE.
But if you received Christ into your heart, you will, AT
SOME POINT, become CONSCIOUS OF that inner
change.
His Spirit in us is what changes us.
His Spirit in us is what makes us saved [Romans
8:9].
It's impossible to have His Spirit in you and not
experience His Presence at one point or another.
If the Holy Spirit LIVES IN YOUR HEART, you're saved.
That's how you know.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2010
WRITTEN IN YOUR HEART
Approximately 3,300 years ago, God told man what
His standard of righteousness is.
He wrote His commandments on tables of stone, which
He gave to His servant Moses who, in turn, brought
them to the Israelites.
Only problem was, people couldn't keep God's law.
Even the most "righteous" among them would break
the law because, no matter how hard they tried to
keep it, their inherently sinful nature would
eventually manifest, and break one or more of
the commandments.
That's why the law didn't work. IT NEVER HAS
WORKED.
There hasn't been a single human being justified
by the law, EVER.
There hasn't been a single human being justified
by keeping the 10 Commandments, which are part
of the law, EVER.
Thank God, He had a "Plan B":
Since no man can keep my law, I will become a
man, and KEEP THE ENTIRE LAW, TO
PERFECTION, FOR THEM.
I'LL KEEP THE LAW. ON THEIR BEHALF, I will
FULFILL the law, down to every last jot and tittle
[Matthew 5:17].
Then I will offer MYSELF FOR THEIR SINS, PAY THE
PENALTY FOR ALL OF THEM, ONCE AND FOR ALL.
And whoever receives me, and trusts my finished
work of Salvation, whoever invites me into their
hearts, will receive MY PERFECT
RIGHTEOUSNESS FREELY.
THEIR SINS WILL BE ERASED, NEVER TO BE
REMEMBERED AGAIN.
I WILL ALSO GIVE THEM A NEW NATURE, MY OWN
DIVINE NATURE, which will AUTOMATICALLY KEEP
MY LAW, FOR this time IT WILL BE WRITTEN IN
THEIR HEARTS.
I'll even write it in my own Blood.
The Church, for the most part, got the first part of
God's plan right [free righteousness thru faith/trust in
Jesus' finished work].
It's the SECOND PART OF THE PLAN, THE
CHURCH NEVER GOT.
God gave you a new nature, HIS OWN NATURE, HE
WROTE HIS LAWS IN YOUR HEART [SPIRIT]. Problem
is Christians don't live in/from their spirits.
They don't live in that new nature. THEY
COMPLETELY IGNORE IT.
They live just as they did before they got it. They
walk in their carnal minds, just as they did before
Salvation.
GOD GAVE US HIS NATURE, SO WE WOULD USE IT.
What have you done with that which God wrote
in your heart?
ARE YOU IN TOUCH WITH YOUR SPIRIT?
HAVE YOU DISCOVERED YOUR NEW SELF?
Have you located that inner sanctum, in the
deepest recesses of your being, where God and
you are ONE?
OR IS IT COVERED BY DEBRIS FROM YEARS OF
NEGLECT?
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010
Today's message was written by a dear sister named Julie who has
demonstrated, time and again, beyond doubt, Who lives in her heart.
WAITING FOR THE
BRIDEGROOM
Waiting for Jesus to return for us, just as the bride
waited for her bridegroom in Jewish tradition, leaves
us excited and fills us with JOY! It purifies us! It is a
barometer of our spiritual life!
I am imagining the bride who has waited a whole year
for her groom, and he should be here by now!
She knows how much he LOVES her! She can't
imagine why he isn't here! Did something
happen? Why is he detained?
So she goes to her Father in her moment of perplexity.
He smiles with a grin that is bigger than life. A smile
that immediately calms her worries.
No need to even hear His next words. He says them
anyway. "My beloved, Your bridegroom is on His way!
Just continue getting ready!
Continue making yourself beautiful for your groom,
you won't be sorry for the extra few days of
preparation.
And by the way beloved, didn't you want to ask your
dear friend that lives down the street to accompany
your bridal party to the wedding?
There is still plenty to do before he gets here, so don't
delay!
As her worries melt with his Fatherly assurance, she
heads back to her tasks with a new bounce in her step.
The Father is so proud of her, and so happy that
after all this time, she has not fallen out of Love
with her Bridegroom, whom He chose Himself for
her.
He knows the groom is on His way, and He can hardly
contain Himself with the knowledge of WHICH MILE
MARKER THE GROOM IS AT - THIS VERY MOMENT.
Her excitement brings Him such joy! He is SO looking
forward to seeing the look on her face when the
groom arrives, even though she knows he is
coming!
What pleasure it brings the Father to give His
beautiful Bride to the Bridegroom!
The days ahead may get very ugly here on earth.
Things are rocketing forward at break neck speed.
This small delay just means we have A LITTLE more
time to witness.
Our Bridegroom is LOVELY to behold, and well worth
the wait.
As a dear brother named Justin said, we need to be
focused on Jesus, on THE PERSON OF Jesus, on
loving, adoring and SEEKING Jesus, rather than
the event.
As a very dear brother named David always says, we
MUST "seek His Face", PASSIONATELY and
LITERALLY.
The Event will take care of itself, when we're
TOTALLY focused on the Bridegroom. Amen.
Meanwhile, we should be grateful and excited that we
are BETROTHED to the Bridegroom; that He has gone
to "prepare a place FOR US", and that He "WILL
come again and receive us unto Himself" [John
14:3].
2 Corinthians 13:14: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you all".
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010
THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE
I found Him who my soul loves, and I held Him, and wouldn't let Him go
[Song of Solomon 3:4].
But you are holy, O you that inhabit the praises of Israel [Psalm 22:3].
The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears
say, "Come!" [Revelation 22:17].
I was going to post a different message today. But as I
was praising our Lord in spirit this morning, I was
deeply impressed to stick with the praise theme.
After all, with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up,
what better season to focus on worship and praise?
Jesus is worthy of ALL praise.
He is worthy of ALL our love, gratitude and
adoration.
All glory belongs to Him.
The Kingdom, the power and the glory are His,
FOREVER and ever.
Brothers and sisters, I know from your letters how
much you love Him, and how much you WANT HIM
to (at long last) receive us unto Himself.
He is our FIRST LOVE and the DEEPEST desire of our
hearts.
The Book of Daniel calls Him "the DESIRE of women"
[Daniel 11:37].
The Book of Haggai calls Him "the DESIRE of
nations" [Haggai 2:7].
For the next month or two, until He appears to each
of us, as well as to ALL of us, LET'S SATURATE the
heavens, the earth and the atmosphere with His
praises.
Let's thank and praise Him SPONTANEOUSLY, in Spirit.
Let's praise Him with ALL our hearts.
Let our unrestrained, Spirit filled praises
resonate in both the realm of Light and of
darkness.
Let's tell Him, Whom our soul adores, HOW MUCH WE
DESIRE HIM, and how eagerly and excitedly we
WELCOME HIM to manifest in us, and whisk us into
His Presence.
Let's ask Him, time and again, in perfect harmony with
His Spirit:
"Come, Lord Jesus. Come".
Let's boldly proclaim to every creature in heaven, on
earth or under the earth, WHO His Church adores
and longs for.
Let's show our Lord that He's not sweeping into His
Presence a bunch of lethargic, indifferent lukewarm
Laodiceans, but rather A HOST of red-hot, sizzling,
flaming Philadelphians.
TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008
THE POWER OF PRAISE
Praise is one of the greatest spiritual principles. It's
also a great blessing.
There's NO WAY you can praise Jesus and not be
blessed yourself.
If we praise Him from the depths of our being,
there's no way you can feel unhappy or miserable.
It's sheer joy to praise Him. And He is worthy of our
ETERNAL, uncontrolled praise!
Moreover, when we create an atmosphere of
praise around us, this spiritual force REPELS
satan and every evil spirit.
They HATE it when we praise Jesus. They go nuts.
Can't stand it [Psalm 8:2; 1 Samuel 16:23].
Some believe that praising God consists of attending
church on Sunday and singing hymns. Nothing wrong
with that.
But the type of worship that God appreciates is
SPIRITUAL IN NATURE.
According to John 4:23 and 24, God is spirit and
those who worship Him must do so in spirit.... and in
truth.
If you really want to worship God, you MUST do so
spirit to Spirit.
Jesus adds that God is actually seeking such
worshipers.
Now, think about that for a moment: Almighty God,
the God of heaven and earth, the King of the universe,
who can do anything, create anything, for whom all
things are possible.... who lives in splendor
beyond our imagination, actually wants something
from you.
God wants our praise. Our earnest, sincere, heartfelt,
spontaneous, spiritual praise. He wants our spirits
to worship him.
The praise God wants and seeks must come from
our reborn spirits. If it comes from the soul, from
your mind or emotions, if it's carnal worship, it doesn't
count. God isn't a soul. God is spirit.
When you praise God from your reborn spirit, spirit to
Spirit, you are in His Presence.
Psalms 16:11 says in His Presence there is fullness
of joy, pleasures at His Right Hand forever more.
It's sheer delight to worship God this way!
You will experience such joy, there's no way you can
feel unhappy, regardless of what's going on around
you.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2010
WHACK! YOU LAODICEAN...
The message to Laodicea has been used time and
again, by religious legalists as well as supposed
"Evangelical" preachers, to SCARE God's children
into thinking their Daddy is ANGRY WITH THEM,
and that He is basing their Rapture, Salvation, OR
BOTH on their PERFORMANCE.
NOT!
You can study the message to this church „til you learn
it by heart, and you won't find A SINGLE
INSTANCE where Jesus rebukes them for their
evil works.
You also won't find A SINGLE INSTANCE where He
rebukes them for NOT DOING ENOUGH "good
works".
So much for the "performance" B.S.
Jesus' complaints about the Laodiceans were:
1. That they WERE LUKEWARM.
They played the role of "Christian" perfectly, BUT THEY
WERE NOT "HOT" FOR JESUS.
They had not COMMITTED THEIR HEARTS AND LIFE
TO HIM.
"...you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either
one or the other! So, BECAUSE YOU ARE
LUKEWARM -neither hot nor cold- I am about to
VOMIT YOU out of my mouth [Revelation 3:15,16].
In the natural, why do we vomit? Because something
has entered [infiltrated] our bodies THAT DOESN'T
BELONG THERE. The body thus rejects it and
THROWS IT OUT.
Same goes for the spiritual Body of Christ.
How do we know THEY DIDN'T BELONG in His Body?
Let's look at Jesus' second complaint:
2. They HADN'T ALLOWED HIM IN.
These people were "Christian" IN NAME ONLY, but
had NEVER RECEIVED JESUS AS THEIR LORD, SAVIOR
AND GOD.
Why else would He say:
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my
voice and opens the door, I WILL COME IN and eat
with him, and he with me [Revelation 3:20].
The Laodiceans' main problem was they DIDN'T
KNOW Jesus.
They were pretend Christians who "acted" right, but
HAD NEVER ALLOWED HIM TO ENTER THEIR HEARTS.
That's why He was standing OUTSIDE knocking.
They weren't even saved!!!
That's WHY they didn't belong in His Body.
That's WHY they were neither hot nor cold.
That's WHY Jesus was about to VOMIT them OUT
OF HIS BODY, which is THE TRUE CHURCH.
There are millions of Laodicean "Christians" today who
"act proper", "talk proper", attend services every
Sunday [or Saturday], sing hymns, participate in
religious rituals, pray empty prayers, and PLAY THE
ROLE OF "CHRISTIAN" TO PERFECTION. But they're
NOT saved.
They got the "performance" part pegged.
The reason they're not saved hasn't got ANYTHING to
do with their performance or lack thereof.
The reason they're NOT SAVED is they've never
OPENED THE DOOR OF THEIR HEARTS and
INVITED JESUS IN.
THAT, coincidentally, IS THE ONLY REASON, anyone
is ever lost.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010
JESUS "HAS YOUR BACK"
One thing that has come up time and again in recent
correspondence is that many brothers and sisters
felt a sense of "relief" that the Rapture DIDN'T
happen.
Not because they don't love Jesus.
Not because they didn't want to see Him.
Not because they didn't want to leave this decaying
world.
But because they were nervous, uneasy, AFRAID that,
somehow or other, they weren't quite "ready".
Their sense of "not being ready" stems from the fact
that they feel GUILT over past sins, and even over
current ones.
Guilt, in turn, makes us feel "unworthy" and
scared of "retribution".
That's religious thinking, but NOT spiritual thinking.
I want to ASSURE YOU that Jesus "has your back".
He's "had your back" ALWAYS.
He's had it when you were ACTING nicely.
He's had it when you were ACTING UGLY.
Not only does He "have your back", He's got your
"front", your "top" and your "bottom".
He's got you COVERED. ALL of you.
There's NO SIN His Blood can't remove.
When the Rapture happens, YOU'RE GOING.
In the meantime, you can be miserable, or you can
gratefully TRUST Him.
The only hope of redemption ANY sinner has [and
we're ALL sinners] is to throw ourselves with
COMPLETE AND TOTAL ABANDON, into His loving,
forgiving arms.
Quit trying to PROCURE, or even CONTRIBUTE TO,
YOUR OWN righteousness.
We got NONE!
ALL our righteousness, Isaiah 64:6 says, is "AS
FILTHY RAGS".
You and I have NO RIGHTEOUSNESS OF OUR OWN, no
matter how hard we try.
There's NO RIGHTEOUSNESS but HIS.
Unless Jesus slaps HIS OWN righteousness on us,
BY GRACE, without any intervention on our part, other
than COMPLETE SURRENDER, WE'RE ALL TOAST.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010
HEART OF GOD
For the past few days I've been surprised and awed at
the gracious outpouring of encouragement and
love in your emails.
Sure, there have been detractors, a few whiners,
opportunists, and some just plain stupid individuals
who can't differentiate between HUMAN ERROR IN
CALCULATION, FOR WHICH I'VE TAKEN, AND
CONTINUE TO TAKE, FULL RESPONSIBILITY, and
"prophesying falsely" in the Name of the Lord.
I will be dealing with some of these issues in more
detail in coming days.
But I have to tell you, OVER 90% of the emails have
been EXTREMELY supportive asking us, repeatedly, to
continue the ministry, stating how you've missed the
daily message, what a blessing it's been to your lives,
how refreshing it is to hear the Word without any
religious bias, and how these teachings have clarified
doubts, helped strengthen your faith, become a bold
witness, and grow in the knowledge of Jesus, to
whom be ALL GLORY FOREVER. Amen.
I've also been blessed to see how many of you are
REALLY GETTING INTO His Word, being led by His
Spirit, and of the many valuable insights you've
shared.
I've NEVER BEEN PROUDER of YOU, my TRUE
brothers and sisters Christ.
At the same time, I've NEVER felt so HUMBLED and
privileged to be counted among you. It truly is AN
HONOR.
How I praise and thank Jesus for each and every
one of you!
Wish I could reach across cyberspace and give each
and every one of you a BIG hug.
I'm not talking about pretend "Christians", who in
reality are religious legalists, and whose entire
existence is based on denigrating others, falsely
accusing their brethren, AND WHO'VE NEVER, in their
entire lives, BROUGHT A SINGLE SOUL to Jesus.
All they ever do is condemn those who do, and
recruit for their false religion.
But His Church, His REAL Church, those WHO TRULY
KNOW THE LORD, and are indwelt by His Holy Spirit...
I'm happy and delighted to announce THEY'RE READY.
You've truly demonstrated the Heart of God, the
fruit of His Spirit which is Love. UNCONDITIONAL Love;
and for that I PRAISE HIS NAME and highly commend
you.
I'm thrilled beyond words to be a tiny member in that
Awesome Body of whom Jesus is now and forever THE
HEAD.
Grace and Peace to you, Body of Christ.
We are ONE in spirit with our Lord and WITH EACH
OTHER.
Can't wait to see you in the realm of IMMORTALITY.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010
3½ YEAR TRIBULATION?
This is the unfortunate and unscriptural teaching that's
now being circulated by at least two "experts" on
prophecy.
They base their theory on the fact that the times
mentioned for the Two Witnesses' testimony, and for
the reign of Antichrist, are BOTH 3½ years in
duration.
But didn't you JUST SAY, in yesterday's message,
that the two periods overlap? Yes, I said they
overlap A LITTLE, by a period of 45 days or less. I
DID NOT SAY THE TWO PERIODS ARE THE SAME.
Can the tribulation last ONLY 3½ years? Can the time
the Two Witnesses testify run parallel with the
Reign of Antichrist?
NOT A CHANCE!!!
The Book of Revelation is a VERY ORDERLY account of
what will take place during the tribulation.
That's why God ASSIGNED NUMBERS to the
churches, seals, trumpets, woes and vials.
If the NUMBERS don't mean anything, then of
course you can make Revelation say practically
anything you want.
Whenever you take something OUT OF ORDER, it's
JUST THAT.
This is particularly true when THE ORDER has been
established BY GOD HIMSELF.
The ENTIRE reign of Antichrist, which mercifully lasts
only 3½ years, takes place under the 7th seal, 6th
trumpet, and THIRD WOE in the Book of Revelation.
In order for the tribulation to last only 3½ years, we
would have to remove Revelation chapters 6 thru
9 from the Bible, as well as portions of chapters
11 and 12.
We all know what Jesus personally warned
would happen to ANYONE who added OR
SUBTRACTED from this Book [Revelation
22:18,19].
In order for the tribulation to last only 3½ years, we
would have to TOTALLY DO AWAY with the 6th
Seal, the first 5 trumpets, and the first two woes.
Ain't happening!!!
Moreover, if it lasted only 3½ years:
1. God's temple in Jerusalem would have to be built
DURING the reign of Antichrist.
2. If it is, there couldn't possibly be 1,290 days
from the time the abomination of desolation is set up
as required by Daniel 12:11.
3. The abomination of desolation would HAVE TO take
place at the Second Coming of Jesus. And would
have to stay in Jesus' Face for OVER 3½ years in
order for Daniel 12:11 to be true.
4. Jews would have NO REASON WHATSOEVER,
then, TO HIDE IN THE DESERT 1,260 DAYS, SINCE
THEIR MESSIAH BY THEN, WOULD HAVE RETURNED
AND DELIVERED THEM.
5. The 144,000 would be serving Jesus right under
Antichrist's nose.
6. The missiles that go off from either Iraq or Syria
described in Revelation 9:15-18 and kill ONE THIRD of
MANKIND would do so during the reign of
Antichrist. Who's to say that he and his false
prophet might not be among the dead?
7. The demons that come out of the abyss in
Revelation 9:1-5 would sting and torment
Antichrist and the false prophet for 5 months,
since they'll attack EVERYONE BUT the Two Witnesses
and the 144,000.
8. Since the Two Witnesses are killed AFTER they have
finished their 1,260-day or 3½ year testimony that
means Antichrist would have to kill them AT THE
SECOND COMING OF JESUS, RIGHT IN FRONT OF
JESUS' FACE. Ha! FAT CHANCE.
9. If the two periods are the same, then why put
chapters 12-19 AFTER the Two Witnesses are killed?
Shouldn't the Two Witnesses be mentioned, then, in
chapter 19, NOT in CHAPTER 11? Clearly, then,
chapters 13-19, which describe the 3½ year
reign of Antichrist take place AFTER the Two
Witnesses are killed.
NO WAY can the two periods be the same.
10. If the two periods are the same, then there would
be NO PREPARATION for the Antichrist's rule.
Chapters 8 and 9 of Revelation, and portions of
chapters 11 and 12, tell of the judgments and
devastation that will befall this world, that will topple
superpowers, thus creating a power vacuum that
will allow the risen Antichrist to rule the world.
If China, Russia and the U.S. still were what they are
today, IS THERE ANY WAY this man could rule the
world?
So, Antichrist would have to emerge from the pit and
say "hey, I'm resurrected and I've come to rule the
world" and the superpowers would just say
"O.K.", AND WILLINGLY give up their
sovereignty. NOT IN A MIL!
Not to mention that the governments of TWO of the
major powers are atheistic. They would have to
somehow INSTANTLY CONVERT to satan worship
and Antichrist worship, as per Revelation 13:4.
11. The killing of the Two Witnesses, which happens
AFTER they've prophesied 3½ years, takes place under
the 7th seal, 6th trumpet and Second Woe
[Revelation 11:14]. The kingdom of Antichrist takes
place under the third woe and ends at Jesus'
Second Coming, after the 7-vial judgments, when
the 7th trumpet is blown [Revelation 11:15]. How,
then, can the two BE THE SAME?
12. Revelation 11:8-13 tell us, clear as crystal, that
AFTER the Two Witnesses are killed, their dead bodies
will lie EXPOSED in Jerusalem for 3½ days, then they
resurrect and are taken up to heaven.
That would bring us to, AT LEAST, 1,263½ days.
If the two periods are the same then Antichrist
would be exposing and mocking their cadavers
BEFORE THE WHOLE WORLD in the Presence of
Jesus, who has by then RETURNED. Not a chance!
13. If the two periods are the same WHY would the
Two Witnesses be taken up to heaven, when Jesus is
about to set up His earthly Kingdom HERE ON
EARTH?
14. Revelation 11:3,7 tells us the Two Witnesses
prophesy for 1,260 days which is 3½ years, and that
AT THE END OF THE 1,260 DAYS THE ANTICHRIST
EMERGES FROM THE BOTTOMLESS PIT AND KILLS
THEM.
If the tribulation lasted ONLY 3½ years, the Antichrist
would have to emerge from the bottomless pit AT THE
END OF THE TRIBULATION. How, then could he
rule the world for 3½ years [Revelation 13:5], if the
tribulation by then IS OVER?
IT'S UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE.
The tribulation lasts approximately 7 years, the reign
of Antichrist lasts 3½ years, which is about half that
time.
Those are irrefutable FACTS.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010
RAPTURE ADJUSTMENT
Before I begin, I'm looking for someone to answer my
emails, WOULD YOU CARE TO APPLY?
O.K. That was a joke. And, no, I don't take lightly, not
even for a moment, that the Rapture DIDN'T HAPPEN.
I would feel TERRIBLE, were it not for the fact that I
did it with A CLEAN CONSCIENCE, with the intent of
HELPING, not harming anyone and God knows this,
since He knows my heart. I also can't contain my joy
when I think that I may have missed it, BUT NOT BY
MUCH.
Here's the ONLY possible explanation I can think of:
The Bible says there's a 1,260-day period of testimony
by the Two Witnesses. That's 3½ years. When those
3½ years pass, Antichrist KILLS THEM [Revelation
11:3, 7].
The Bible also says the Antichrist will rule 3½
years. WHAT THE BIBLE DOESN'T SAY ANYWHERE is
that those TWO 1,260 day periods are CONSECUTIVE.
That's pretty much an assumption.
As much as I'm known for thinking and teaching
"outside the box", I had NEVER considered the
possibility that ANY part of the first 1,260 days
might run into the final 1,260 days.
The main reason being that, if we add 1,260 days plus
another 1,260 days we have EXACTLY 7 Hebrew years.
So, it would seem LOGICAL that the second 1,260-day
period would FOLLOW the first.
There's also Revelation 11:6,7 which says the Two
Witnesses are killed by the risen Antichrist when their
1,260-day testimony ends. Then there's Revelation
13:5 which states Antichrist will "continue 42
months".
So, while it doesn't say IN SO MANY WORDS the two
periods are consecutive, it doesn't leave MUCH ROOM
for any other conclusion. However, it DOES leave A
LITTLE.
If we know from Daniel 9:25 the Second Coming takes
place on Rosh 2017, the trib ends 10 days later on
Yom Kippur, and we count backwards 2,520 [1,260 +
1,260] days from Yom, we end up on November 6, 7
or 8, 2010 which is when I was CERTAIN the Rapture
would occur.
THE BIBLE, however, DOESN'T TELL US ANYWHERE
THAT THE TWO 1,260-DAY PERIODS ARE
SUCCESSIVE. It doesn't say WHETHER they ARE or
AREN'T.
If they WERE successive, most of you and I
wouldn't be sitting here. We'd be gone.
The last 3½ years of the tribulation and what happens
during them CAN'T BE TOUCHED, as per Daniel
chapter 12. So, if there's ANY adjustment to be
made, it would have to be in the FIRST 3½-year
portion.
If such is the case we can only determine the
APPROXIMATE TIME of the Rapture when we know
by HOW MUCH the two 1,260-day periods
overlap.
If we can find that answer, we can PIN IT DOWN to
within days. Don't worry, I learn from my mistakes.
I'm not going to post a "window of time" EVER AGAIN.
Even if I knew THE EXACT DAY, beyond any doubt, I'd
keep it to myself.
I can't give you ANY Scripture that says these two
periods overlap. I also can't give you ANY Scripture
that says they don't. So, for the first time in my
ministry I'm SPECULATING.
I'm breaking my own rule so I can provide some
"reason" why it might not have happened. I do feel
you are entitled to some sort of explanation.
I WISH I HAD SCRIPTURE FOR THIS, I DON'T.
There are a couple of hints, one in the Book of Daniel
and the other in the Hebrew calendar, but no SOLID
Scripture that I can pin this on.
That's ALL I'm going to say about it. Please don't write
asking me to be "more specific".
IF [UNDERLINE "IF"] this new assumption is correct,
there would be A SHORT PERIOD where the two
1,260 periods would OVERLAP. That period could be 45
days, or less. I can't see it going beyond that.
IF this assumption is correct, [UNDERLINE "IF"]
the Antichrist would conquer Jerusalem, begin his
reign on April 18/19, 2014, place the abomination of
desolation in the recently rebuilt temple, Jews would
flee into the wilderness.
Then SOME DAYS LATER, the Two Witnesses' 1,260-
day testimony would be finished, the Antichrist would
"make war against" the Two Witnesses, OVERCOME
THEM, AND KILL THEM.
IF THAT is THE WAY in which it will indeed
happen [UNDERLINE "IF"], then the time of the
Rapture would still take place this year and would
have to be adjusted according to the number of
days that the two periods overlap.
IF THAT'S CORRECT [UNDERLINE "IF"] the Church
would PROBABLY still be here for Thanksgiving, but
not for Christmas.
Why do I believe the two periods overlap by 45 days or
less? Simply because ONCE THE ANTICHRIST IS IN
POWER, you know darn well he's NOT going to allow
the Two Witnesses to hang around for long.
The Two Witnesses, as stated in Revelation 11:5,6,
will have considerable supernatural powers, as
will the Antichrist himself and his false prophet
[Revelation 13:13-15].
The Antichrist will want the FOCUS of world attention
and admiration to be on him, and won't put up with
the "competition" for long.
Could it be longer than 45 days? Technically, yes.
Practically, no.
Under this new scenario the Rapture would be weeks
away, not months.
I believe with all my heart the "window of time" is NOT
off by much.
Word to the wise: Don't unpack your metaphoric
bags, just yet.
I believe Christians and unbelievers alike will be
SHOCKED, once the Rapture happens, to see how
accurate and Scriptural the REST of the information
we've provided is; as well as how AMAZINGLY
ACCURATE AND TRUE GOD'S WORD IS.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today is November 12 and, obviously, we're still
here.
First of all, I MADE A MISTAKE. God is infallible.
I'M NOT.
Needless to say it was UNINTENTIONAL. My heart was
in the right place, I meant well, and in my mind and
heart I was, and am, 100% sure [if you give me a few
minutes, you'll see WHY].
I was impressed by the Spirit to share this revelation
with the Body of Christ as well as unbelievers and I
obeyed. I have no regrets about that.
I was never told to provide a "window of time". I
did that ON MY OWN, believing with ALL my heart it
was A SURE THING, and that it would be a great help
to know in advance the APPROXIMATE TIME.
In retrospect, I wish I hadn't, since a) it was wrong,
and b) brought me nothing but aggravation and SHEER
HATRED from supposed "christians" [VERY small "c"].
I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MISTAKE.
NO EXCUSES. I WAS WRONG. I APOLOGIZE. I'M
SORRY.
The Rapture may not have taken place within the
window of time that I provided, BUT THE CORE
MESSAGE REMAINS INTACT.
THERE'S NO WAY of getting around Daniel 9:25.
NO WAY.
God DID reveal the time of His Second Coming:
"FROM the word to return and build Jerusalem TO
Messiah Prince shall be 7 weeks (49 years)"... That is
CARVED IN STONE. It's FOREVER settled in heaven
[Psalms 119:89].
Please DO NOT tell me that's "my interpretation"
because you're lying. It is NOT. I'm not "interpreting"
anything.
That's the Word of God, VERBATIM.
We KNOW, therefore, that His Second Coming WILL BE
in the fall of 2017.
We KNOW the tribulation will END on Yom Kippur, 10
days later.
The question, then, is WHY didn't the Rapture happen
2,520 days [7 Hebrew years] earlier as I projected?
I set myself aside and fasted and prayed and kept
telling God "you and I both know what your Word
says and your Word is absolute Truth".
I had gone over every detail, both ON PAPER and in
my mind not once, but HUNDREDS of times, BEFORE I
shared any of this with ANYONE, and EVERYTHING
MATCHED TO PERFECTION.
I thought I had dotted every "i" and crossed every "t".
Apparently, there was one small detail that I missed,
which I'll share in a minute.
But before I do, I want to tell friends and foes alike
WHAT must be taken into consideration to arrive
at such conclusion. You may still disagree with me, if
you do, NO PROBLEM. But it will at least give everyone
AN APPRECIATION of the process.
EVERYTHING we teach is SOLIDLY based on the
Scriptures. I would NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCE teach anything that I knew
contradicted the Bible. I have too much love and
respect for my Lord and His inerrant Word. I'd rather
DIE.
Here's EVERYTHING that must be considered:
1. Daniel 9:25 there MUST BE a 49-year period
from a word or order to return and build BIBLICAL
Jerusalem to the APPEARANCE OF Messiah Prince.
There have been ONLY TWO such "words" in history.
One took place in 445 B.C., the other, in the spring of
1969. These are HISTORIC FACTS. No way of
getting around them, either.
2. The Rapture MUST happen BEFORE the tribulation
judgments begin [Revelation 7:9].
3. The Two Witnesses must prophesy 1,260 days
[Revelation 11:6].
4. The Two Witnesses are killed by Antichrist when
they finish their testimony which lasts 1,260 days
[Revelation 11:7].
5. Antichrist must show up near mid-trib, and rule 42
months or 3½ years [Revelation 13:5; Daniel 7:25;
Daniel 12:7].
6. He must pick up where Jesus left off. Jesus'
death and resurrection took us to 69½ of the 70
weeks [Daniel 9:27]. The Antichrist will reign for the
remaining "half week" or 3½ years [Daniel 7:25; 12:7;
Revelation 12:5].
We know from the Scriptures Jesus died on Passover
and rose on First Fruits. That means Antichrist's reign
MUST begin on Aviv 18/19 in the Hebrew calendar
[April 18/19, 2014].
7. There MUST be 1,290 days from the time the
abomination of desolation is set up [Daniel 12:11].
8. There MUST be 45 days AFTER THAT which bring us
to 1,335 days and a very happy occasion [Daniel
12:12].
9. Jews will hide in the desert for 1,260 days
[Revelation 12:6,14].
10. A New Temple must be built in Jerusalem by mid-
trib [Revelation 11:1,2].
11. Gentiles will trample Jerusalem, once again, and
FOR THE FINAL TIME, 42 months [3½ years].
THESE ELEVEN THINGS ARE WRITTEN IN STONE.
There's NO WAY OF GETTING AROUND ANY OF
THEM. In addition:
12. The Rapture must happen on or around Rosh
Chodesh (Colossians 2:16,17).
13. The key dates for the Second Coming MUST
MATCH the Fall Feasts in the Hebrew calendar.
While there's NO Scripture that says, in so many
words, that they must, IT'S A GIVEN, because the
Feasts themselves are called "rehearsals" [mikra ey
kodesh] and because Jesus fulfilled to the letter ALL
the Spring Feasts in His First Coming [died on
Passover, buried on unleavened bread, rose on First
Fruits, and sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost].
Would He NOT do the same with the Fall Feasts,
when they are the HOLIEST AND MOST
IMPORTANT Feasts of the Lord? [They're not called
"HIGH HOLY days" for nothing]...
14. The timing of the Rapture MUST match the
general timeline given in Luke 21:24-36 that the
generation in which Jerusalem is NO LONGER
TRAMPLED BY Gentiles WILL NOT PASS without
Jesus appearing in the clouds "with power and
great glory".
We are, UNDISPUTELY, THAT GENERATION since Jews
recaptured biblical Jerusalem on June 7, 1967 after
1,897 years of UNINTERRUPTED Gentile trampling.
ALL these things have to fit PRECISELY into the
timeline.
They did in the timeline that I developed, checked
and rechecked countless times. They matched TO
PERFECTION. That's WHY I was SO sure.
So, this WASN'T some conclusion arrived at
irresponsibly or capriciously. It wasn't some "dream"
or "vision" that I had, as so many that set SPECIFIC
dates for the Rapture claim. It was a
prayerful, scholarly, methodical, carefully
thought out, SCRIPTURAL conclusion.
Say what you will about me or the ministry, you may
agree or disagree, but you can NEVER SAY WE
DON'T BASE OUR TEACHINGS ON HIS WORD. This
teaching was, and is, SOLIDLY BASED ON THE
Scriptures.
It COULD HAVE happened. It SHOULD HAVE
happened. It didn't.
Since God CANNOT LIE, my only option was to PRAY,
REPENT, ASK HIS FORGIVENESS AND YOURS,
SEEK HIS GUIDANCE, go over each and every one of
these things, re-examine each and every detail, and
see if there was ANY thing I might have missed.
The ONLY THING I might have missed is that the two
1,260 day periods DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO be
consecutive.
Therefore, it doesn't HAVE TO BE 1,260 days of Two
Witnesses prophesying FOLLOWED BY 1,260 days of
Antichrist rule. I realize that fits VERY NEATLY into any
prophetic scenario but nowhere does the bible say
these two periods are CONSECUTIVE. That's more or
less an assumption.
There may be SOME, not much, but SOME overlap in
the two 1,260-day periods.
That is the ONLY possible explanation I can think
of, which also fits perfectly with ALL of the above, and
which I did not previously see or consider.
This "alternative scenario" would affect the
timing of the Rapture, but not by much.
The Rapture's STILL ON. For full explanation of the
"adjustment", don't miss tomorrow's message.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2010
NEW WORD
Unless God REALLY wants to shock the heck out
of me, the Rapture won't be HAPPENING THIS
WEEK. I'M SORRY AND I APOLOGIZE FOR
MISLEADING YOU.
It COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE happened.
There's NO BIBLICAL REASON WHY IT COULDN'T
OR DIDN'T.
Every detail MATCHED TO PERFECTION before I
shared it with you, that's WHY I was so sure.
However, rather than get HUNG UP on the
"window of time" which was MY DOING, WE
STILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE LARGER ISSUE,
which is Daniel 9:25 which is GOD'S WORD.
There's NO WAY OF GETTING AROUND Daniel
9:25.
The Rapture's STILL ON. Please give me a couple
days. You shall have a PROPER answer.
Thank you.
Martel
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010
MORNING STAR
In Revelation 22:16 Jesus brings Bible prophecy,
and the Bible itself, to a close by saying:
"I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these
things in the churches. I am the Root and the
Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
The very next verse (17) says "And the Spirit and
the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say,
Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And
WHOEVER WILL, let him take the water of life
FRELY".
Jesus called Himself THE "bright Morning Star".
In astronomy, the morning star is Venus.
Venus got its name from the Romans, and was called
Aphrodite by the Greeks. Venus/Aphrodite was the
"goddess" of love. Venus has always been associated
with love in mythology.
This is rather appropriate since 1 John 4:16 tells us
that God is Love. Jesus is, therefore, the
PERSONIFICATION of LOVE [of God].
Genesis 1:14 tells us the sun, moon and planets were
placed in the heavens as "signs" to indicate
"seasons".
So, WHY am I telling you all this? Because the
Morning Star is supposed to REAPPEAR sometime
late this week or the beginning of next.
And what tremendous "coincidence" that it will
reappear just as the moon disappears and reappears
as a New Moon [Rosh Chodesh].
Hopefully the Bride is listening.
Hopefully the Bride has oil in her lamp.
Hopefully the Bride will awake from her slumber.
And, by the Grace of God, THE SPIRIT and the
Bride say in unison "COME". Come, Lord Jesus.
If you want to be blessed, watch this 1-minute video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTT7ugskgrw
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2010
MY PASTOR SAYS
Time and again I hear from people who claim to have
discussed one or more of our teachings with their pastor, and
"the pastor says" something different.
Or they happened to have some teaching at their local church
on a given subject and "the pastor said" something
different.
SO WHAT? I'm not responsible for what "your pastor"
says.
I'm ONLY responsible for WHAT GOD SAID.
Your pastor is NOT infallible. God's Word is infallible.
Your pastor, in most cases, was brainwashed in Bible
College or seminary with his denomination's
theological slant.
Your pastor, therefore, in most cases --THERE ARE
EXCEPTIONS BUT VERY FEW-- is not an independent
thinker, NOR DOES HE VIEW THE BIBLE OBJECTIVELY.
He was taught PREJUDICED theology.
Therefore, the BEST you can expect from your pastor is THAT
HE GOT THE ESSENTIALS OF THE FAITH CORRECTLY, and
that he got SOME of the non-essentials correctly.
Using medicine as a metaphor, pastors are GENERAL
PRACTITIONERS. They're NOT SPECIALISTS.
I know pastors who've been called of God to pastor. I know of
NO PASTOR who's been called of God to teach prophecy...
and I've known some.
Moreover, your pastor, in 99% of cases, has not even
STUDIED eschatology DEEPLY for himself, but is merely
repeating SOMEONE ELSE'S view of eschatology.
That, in turn, becomes a classic example of "the blind leading
the blind".
If the so-called "experts" are teaching LIES, what makes you
think your pastor, who's merely repeating what they've
taught, GOT IT RIGHT?
In fairness, pastors are usually bogged down with counseling,
visiting, preparing sermons, and other administrative duties,
to do any SERIOUS studying.
We hear DIRECTLY FROM pastors, ministers, and theologians.
Most are agreeable. Many are surprised to discover that
our teachings are biblically accurate, and that a lot of what
they were taught, particularly about prophecy, is
unscriptural.
Of course, we've also had some challenges. Those who've
challenged us on topics like the pre-trib rapture, the 7-year
peace treaty, 666, the cashless society, or law vs. grace,
we've BEEN ABLE TO SILENCE.
NONE has dared challenge us, to date, on either the identity
of the Antichrist, or the approximate time of the Rapture.
And NO PASTOR OR LAYPERSON has offered ANY Scriptural
refutation to date on either one.
Just so we're clear, I've NOTHING AGAINST godly pastors
who are saved, called of God, and do their best to teach
biblical doctrine. On the contrary: I pray for them.
But if you have ANY HOPES of getting me to change my
teaching, or even budge, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A
HECK OF A LOT BETTER THAN "my pastor says".
Your ONLY hope is to tell me "THE BIBLE SAYS".
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2010
I JUST DON'T SEE HOW
A comment that keeps coming up time and again is "I
just don't see HOW the tribulation can begin in a
just days".
I just love it, don't you, when people tell God what He
"CAN'T" do?
Hate to tell you this, but those who think that way
are in BAD company.
It's no coincidence that Jesus compared the Rapture
and subsequent tribulation to the days of Noah and of
Lot.
The people in Noah's day "just couldn't see HOW"
God would flood the earth. After all, they'd never even
SEEN rain before.
Did it happen? You bet.
Not only does the Bible talk about it, EVERY MAJOR
CIVILIZATION in the world had some account of the
biblical flood.
There's also vast geological evidence that it actually
happened.
Likewise, the wicked men in Sodom and Gomorrah
"just couldn't see HOW" their rebellious, pernicious
lifestyle would come to an ABRUPT, unexpected END,
but IT DID.
This is what Jesus said about it:
"JUST AS IT WAS in the days of Noah, so also will it
be in the days of the Son of Man.
People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given
in marriage UP TO THE DAY Noah entered the ark.
Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
It was the same in the days of Lot. People were
eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and
building.
But THE DAY Lot LEFT Sodom, fire and sulfur
rained down from heaven and destroyed them
all.
It will be JUST LIKE THIS on the day the Son of Man
is revealed" [Luke 17:26-30].
He later added:
Make sure that you don't become drunk, hung over,
and worried about life. Then that day could
suddenly catch you by surprise [Luke 21:34].
The Greek word for "suddenly" is aiphnidios which
means non-apparent or UNEXPECTED.
Did Jesus say that life in general would be so bad, that
people would KNOW all hell was about to break
loose?
Ah, ah...
He said THE VERY OPPOSITE.
He said that the tribulation, just like the flood of
Noah's day, or the destruction of Sodom, would be
UNEXPECTED.
People would be eating, drinking, marrying, buying,
selling, planting and building.
Daniel 12:10 says "none of the wicked shall
understand; but the wise shall understand".
1 Thessalonians 5:3 says "When THEY SAY „peace and
safety', then SUDDEN DESTRUCTION will come
upon them..., and THEY shall not escape".
Thank God forever that those of us, who KNOW HIM,
will.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2010
LESSON FROM THE OLIVE
In Romans 11:16-24, the apostle Paul likens the
Church (spiritual Israel) to an olive tree.
The OIL of olives, of course, is used in the Bible to
ANOINT kings as well as the High Priest (1 Samuel
10:1, 16:1, 13; Psalm 133:2).
The word Messiah or "Christ" means the ANOINTED
ONE.
Early in His ministry, Jesus read from the scroll of
Isaiah, and applied chapter 61:1,2 to Himself:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me [He has "Messiahed" me]... to preach
the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable
year of the Lord.
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the
minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that
were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he
began to say to them, This day is this scripture
fulfilled in your ears" [Luke 4:18-21].
In the parable of the 10 virgins, found in Matthew
chapter 25, we find that only the "wise" virgins
who had OIL [the Messiah, the Anointed One, the
Christ] in their lamps [spirits] could go into the
marriage feast with the Bridegroom.
So, the olive and its oil are repeatedly associated
with Christ and His Church.
The parallels between the Church and the olive are
quite remarkable:
1. The amazing olive tree can reach the age of 2,000
years. Hello? 2,000 years.
2. Olive trees can easily resist drought, diseases, and
even fire.
3. Their ROOTS REGENERATE and produce trees even
after the ground is destroyed.
4. Olives are BITTER when first picked but tasty and
HEALTHY after being treated.
5. Oil lamps produce LIGHT.
6. Olives ARE ALWAYS HARVESTED IN AUTUMN:
More specifically, from mid-October to November.
Selah.
7. When they're harvested, the boughs or the whole
tree are shaken.
8. The most important technique for harvesting olives
is doing it ALL AT ONCE, so no olives fall to the
ground without being picked.
The Church is approximately 2,000 years old.
It's survived drought disease and fire, yet its Root has
regenerated into a VERY LARGE tree.
Some of its fruit tastes BITTER, but after being
spiritually treated will become healthy and tasty.
It's the LIGHT of the world, and when it leaves, the
world will get dark indeed [Matthew 5:14].
It will be HARVESTED in autumn, more
specifically in early November.
The whole Church has been shaken and is being
shaken, even as we speak.
All its "olives" will be gathered together AT
ONCE, so that not a single one is left without
being picked.
So, what do you say olives?
The Root and the tree are One.
The Anointed One is about to gather His anointed
ones.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2010
INSANE
About half of the emails I've answered in the last couple of
weeks have to do with people thinking you're NUTS when
you tell them about the Rapture, being afraid to "make
a fool of yourself", or how to take advantage of the
Rapture for financial gain, like max out your credit cards,
since you won't have to REPAY what you charge, or BOTH.
I know that NOT EVERYONE who's reading this falls under
either of these categories, so those who DON'T, please
indulge me.
Those who DO, I've several questions for you:
For starters, ARE YOU INSANE?
It's one thing when people come to this website LOOKING
FOR prophecy related topics like the end times, Nostradamus,
the Antichrist, the Rapture or the tribulation. They're
LOOKING FOR this kind of stuff. So when they read about
the Rapture being almost here, the tribulation, or the
Antichrist, they're NOT shocked.
They may agree, disagree, or be somewhere in between, but
they're not AT ALL stunned, since THEY'RE ALREADY
LOOKING FOR IT.
But don't approach and unbeliever, or even a fellow Christian,
WHO'S NOT LOOKING FOR IT, COLD, out of the blue, with
"hey, the Rapture's going to happen before November
12, and if you don't give your heart to Jesus you'll go
thru the tribulation".
Of course, they're gonna think you're a nut job!
I mean, c'mon! I shouldn't even have to address these
issues.
Some of this is just PLAIN COMMON SENSE.
Your approach should be along the lines of "If, for some
reason, TODAY were your LAST DAY on earth, are you
100% SURE about where you would spend eternity"?
After all, they could DIE BEFORE the Rapture even happens!
Then tell them Jesus died for their sins and rose from the
dead.
They can have ALL their sins forgiven by receiving Him as
Lord, Savior and God. Invite them to do so. And lead
them in a short, simple prayer.
DON'T TALK ABOUT the Rapture or the Tribulation.
Get Jesus IN them!!!
You should be telling others about Jesus whether the
Rapture's tomorrow, or 100 years from now.
Also, you shouldn't be primarily concerned with telling other
Christians. If they're saved, they're going, whether they
expect it or not.
It's UNBELIEVERS, those who AREN'T SAVED, that you
should be trying to reach.
Dear God, don't they teach you ANYTHING in Church?
The other issue, we've been hearing A LOT from
"Christians" has to do with should they make their rent or
mortgage payment for November, should they pay their
bills, should they take out a loan, or buy a new car, or
charge all they can on their credit cards, or some other type
of scheme to "get away with" not paying for something
or other. I even had one ask about plastic surgery. And I
don't mean reconstructive!!!
Christians should be overjoyed at the prospect of SEEING
Jesus and forever being with Him, and yet ALL some can
think of is HOW TO SCAM their neighbor.
That's NOT very Christian, is it?
Jesus said to "occupy „til I come".
We're supposed to live and do what we normally do UNTIL He
takes us Home.
I wouldn't advise anyone to go Christmas shopping, „cause
WE WON'T BE HERE for Christmas, but that's entirely
up to you. And, of course, don't be an idiot and pay for
anything IN ADVANCE, BEFORE it's due; but if the rent,
mortgage, or some bill is due, pay ‘em!
And, NO, I don't advise ANYONE to take out a loan or max
out their credit cards INTENTIONALLY. If A LEGITIMATE
NEED arises, then by all means do so. But to carry on
such dishonest dealings with PREMEDITATION is called
"STEALING".
Is THAT what you want to tell your Lord when you
finally see Him? "By the way, Jesus, I knew I was being
raptured early in November, so I cheated my Landlord out of
this month's rent"?
No, you won't go to hell or lose your salvation for doing it.
Salvation is a Person. His Name is Jesus Christ, and He
CANNOT BE LOST.
But is THAT how you want to appear before the Savior?
Talk about looking like a complete FOOL! Lord knows
how many times I've sinned and fallen short, but I would
HATE to appear before Him having done something like that
PREMEDITATEDLY.
I'd be SUPER EMBARRASSED.
Shape up, Christians! Don't make me show up at your
house wearing my Helen Thomas Halloween mask... [Talk
about SCARY!]
We must continue to intercede for the lost, but the Body of
Christ NEEDS MORE PRAYER, than even I thought.
Heaven help us.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2010
LEAVING HIS MARK
If God is clear about ANYTHING in His Word, it's
concerning the "mark of the beast" and the
consequences of accepting it.
Yet self anointed "prophecy experts" have made a
royal mess out of it.
There's a very prominent Evangelical brother who,
unfortunately, has taught for years that the mark on
the forehead represents "our thoughts" and that
the mark on the hand symbolizes "our actions".
WHERE THE HECK he got that idea, beats the heck out
of me. But I can assure you he didn't get from the
Bible.
Beware of those who capriciously try to "interpret",
allegorize, spiritualize or over-intellectualize the Word
of God.
God's Word is to be taken LITERALLY, unless
unreal symbolism is involved [e.g., "a beast with 7
heads and 10 horns"]. When interpretation is
required, THE BIBLE USUALLY GIVES IT TO US,
AND TELLS US WHAT THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION
IS.
When they engage in ANY of the above, you can be
sure they don't know WHAT the heaven they're
talking about.
I love the brother in question, and appreciate his
contributions in OTHER areas, but prophecy is not his
strong suit.
In the unlikely and most unfortunate event that any of
you, or any of your loved ones [God forbid] should
ever face that predicament, I want EVERYONE TO
GET THIS:
Revelation 13:16 talks about A LITERAL, VISIBLE
MARK in a person's right hand or forehead.
Revelation 13:17 makes it crystal clear that NO ONE
will be able to buy or sell, or carry on any
transaction, WITHOUT that VISIBLE mark in the hand
or forehead.
Revelation 14:9-11 states unequivocally that those
who TAKE THE MARK will be FOREVER DAMNED;
No exceptions.
How, then, can it possibly refer to our thoughts or
actions?
If God were to damn us based on our thoughts or
actions NO ONE, and I mean, NO ONE would be
saved... EVER.
Will someone please explain to me HOW anyone can
READ YOUR THOUGHTS?
HOW, then, can the buying and selling be
CONTINGENT ON what you're thinking?
That doesn't even make sense.
And if the hand referred to our "actions", how the heck
can ANY government, regardless of how intrusive,
KEEP TRACK OF ALL OUR ACTIONS, and make our
purchases or sales contingent on them?
Get real!
The Greek word for "mark" is charagma which
UNDISPUTEDLY means a VISIBLE mark, scratch or
etching.
People will be FORCED to take A LITERAL, VISIBLE
MARK on the forehead or right hand. Those who
refuse it, will be put to death.
Contrary to what you've heard or read, the mark will
NOT BE a uniform system. Revelation 13:17 says in
some cases it will be a mark, in others the NAME of
Antichrist [Alexander], and in still others THE
NUMBER of his name which is 666.
So, there will be AT LEAST THREE different
versions of it.
Will it be a microchip implanted under the skin? In
most cases, no.
Although we cannot totally rule out that possibility, it
will depend largely on the technology that's available
in a given area. Remember, by the time this
happens, the world that you and I know today
will be a distant memory. It will be largely
devastated.
There won't be a banking system or stock
market. So, don't think for a moment it will be
"business as usual".
Last, but not least, forget about the "cashless
society" myth. There isn't A SINGLE VERSE in the
Bible that says currency will become obsolete.
That is SHEER, STUPID, religious FABRICATION.
People will have to ADAPT to the dire, unusual
conditions and may accept money, jewelry, gold,
silver, services, barter, or Lord knows what, in
exchange for goods or services.
THOSE WHO TAKE THE MARK IN ANY FORM will
be ETERNALLY DAMNED.
Even if rejecting it means BEING PUT TO DEATH, it will
be well worth it.
Physical death is only temporary. ETERNAL LIFE IS
ETERNAL.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2010
A FIRM FOUNDATION
"So shall my Word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not
return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" [Isaiah 55:11].
Ocassionally some visitor to this website will send a
frantic email, asking me to check some other website,
or something on YouTube, which contradicts the
Bible by saying that Christians will go thru the
tribulation, that the Dome of the Rock is the
abomination of desolation, that you can lose your
salvation, or that the Rapture can't happen because
____.
They usually get a stern reply, just like those who ask
"what will you do IF..."?
I know I've been a bit harsh with some of you, and I'm
sorry. BUT, when we meet in heaven VERY soon, I
promise you'll thank me.
Knowing the Truth is HUGE responsibility.
Once we know the truth, God expects us to STAND
FIRM ON IT.
What He doesn't expect or appreciate is for us to
be running all over cyberspace listening to every idiot
who capriciously concocts some prophetic fantasy, and
much less to get all concerned and worked up about it.
At some point, God expects us to STOP
LISTENING TO FABLES.
At some point, He expects us to TRUST HIM.
Once we know the Truth, we are FREE [John 8:32].
And God expects us to STAND FIRM on His FREEDOM.
We're not to be swayed by "every wind of
doctrine", not are we to fret like some unbeliever who
built his house on the sand.
Our house is built on the Rock.
It CANNOT BE SHAKEN.
The Word of our Lord stands FOREVER.
Once we know His Word, we are to stand firm,
KNOWING our Lord and God CANNOT LIE.
Soon, when we meet "on the other side", you'll realize
I answered the way I did OUT OF LOVE.
It may not have sounded like it to your natural
mind, but it was.
I was protecting my faith and yours for both our
sakes.
I won't allow ANYONE or ANYTHING to cast doubts on
the Word of God.
He is watching over His Word to perform it
[Jeremiah 1:12].
Luke 21:33: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but
HIS WORD will NEVER pass away.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010
WHAT'S WRONG WITH
THEM?
I often marvel at how many Christians focus on the
insignificant, AND COMPLETELY OVERLOOK the
ESSENTIAL.
Like Jesus told the Pharisees of old, they strain out a
tiny gnat, but swallow A BIG CAMEL.
They always focus on Jehovah's Witnesses rejection of
blood transfusions, saluting the flag, and celebrating
Christmas.
What does THAT have to do with the price of tea in
China?
You can be against blood transfusions and be saved.
You can be against Christmas celebrations and be
saved.
Heck, if that were ALL that was wrong with JW's, I
could live with it. I DON'T agree with it, but I could
live with it.
Yet I NEVER hear Christians mention the JW's
REALLY EGREGIOUS doctrine like:
1. Teaching that Jesus ISN'T God.
2. Denying Salvation by Grace thru Faith [i.e., you
HAVE TO belong to their CULT in order to be saved].
3. That they have ALTERED God's Holy Word,
editing, adding and subtracting from it, something
Revelation 22:18 specifically warns against, and spells
out the dire consequences for those who do.
4. That they publish their own degenerate "bible"
which, like their Watchtower and Awake crapola will
lead millions to hell.
THAT'S what's REALLY wrong with JW's. THAT'S
what'll send their followers to hell, not failing to salute
the flag.
Likewise, someone will mention that Mormons don't
drink coffee, and that they wear some sort of weird
underwear. Who cares? That's THE LEAST of the
problems with the LDS.
The BIG problems are:
1. They deny that Jesus is God.
2. They claim Jesus is satan's "spirit brother".
3. They deny the Virgin birth of our Lord, teaching
that He was conceived by God having sex with Mary.
4. The God of the Bible, according to Mormon doctrine,
was once A MERE MORTAL.
5. They believe in MANY Gods. So, the God of the
Bible is just "ONE AMONG MANY".
6. They DENY the ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY of the
Bible, and ADD THREE more books which often
CONTRADICT the Bible.
When there's a contradiction, the Bibles loses; The
OTHER THREE MAN INVENTED BOOKS ARE given
preference.
7. They deny Salvation by faith alone.
8. Their entire FALSE doctrine revolves around the
alleged visitation of an angel supposedly named
"Moroni" [moronic is more like it] to Joseph Smith in
the 1820's [less than two hundred years ago].
Galatians 1:8 SPECIFICALLY STATES:
But even if we [the apostles themselves] or an angel
from heaven should preach a gospel OTHER
THAN the one we preached to you, let him be
eternally condemned!
Wearing funny looking underwear with a couple of
bizarre symbols doesn't send anyone to hell.
Failing to receive Jesus into your heart AS ONLY
LORD, SAVIOR AND GOD, will.
Then there are those who'll point out that the so-called
"Church of Christ" doesn't allow musical instruments in
their services. So what?
Music has no bearing whatsoever on anyone's
Salvation.
Frankly, I wish some Evangelicals would CUT the
number of boring hymns they sing.
A piano, organ or guitar --or absence thereof-- has no
power to send anyone to hell.
The REAL problems with the so-called "Church of
Christ" are that they teach water baptism is
ESSENTIAL for Salvation.
That you can't even RECEIVE the Spirit of Christ
in your heart by just inviting Him, you can ONLY
receive Him by being baptized in water. THAT is a
damnable heresy and an outright, unbiblical lie
[John 1:12; Romans 10:9].
They also teach a FALSE "gospel" of Salvation by
grace PLUS WORKS.
In other words, Jesus' Atonement ISN'T ENOUGH
[perish the VERY thought!] to save us.
C'mon, brothers and sisters! Let's leave the silly stuff
behind and FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS:
Christ IN you... is our ONLY hope of glory.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2010
I'M THE DEVIL
"Hi, I'm satan and I'm here to deceive you".
It never ceases to baffle me how most Christians
are so ill equipped to handle, let alone CONFRONT,
let alone OVERCOME, satan.
Pastors, local congregations, and TV preachers have
done A DISMAL job of equipping the saints for such
confrontation.
Most Christians are so naïve, they wouldn't
recognize the devil unless he showed up in red tights
with a red face, two horns and a pitchfork, then
handed them his calling card and introduced himself
with the above caption.
[For those who thought it referred to me, or wish it
did, sorry to disappoint you]...
From Genesis to Revelation satan is presented as the
GREAT DECEIVER. His entire kingdom, which is
about to come to an ABRUPT END, is based on
deception.
That's how he ensnared Adam and Eve in the Garden.
That's how he ensnares EVERYONE he can today.
He's been using THE SAME TACTICS FOR 6,000
years. You'd think, by now, God's people would
have LEARNED SOMETHING.
Despite the ugly, scary depictions you see in horror
films, especially at this time of year, satan doesn't
come to us that way. He comes to us masquerading
as "an angel of light" [2 Corinthians 11:14].
Satan is a great self-promoter. His presentation is
flawless. He packages himself and the evil he's trying
to sell you in the most attractive, alluring, most
enticing way.
Jesus told us that satan's emissaries are wolves who
come to us DISGUISED AS SHEEP [Matthew 7:15].
His representatives -- and he's got MILLIONS within
Christendom -- come to us packaged neatly and
religiously correct.
Have you EVER seen a bearded, tattooed
Jehovah's Witness? Not on your life!
Ever seen a Mormon who doesn't look like the
epitome of decorum and cleanliness? Of course
not.
Yet, they are SOUL PREDATORS, WOLVES in
sheep's clothing!
They look good, sound good and even ACT "good".
They often ACT more "Christian" than REAL
CHRISTIANS! But their false doctrine will lead
you straight to hell.
BEWARE of ANYONE who seems TOO PERFECT.
Don't get mixed up with these people, don't
engage in doctrinal debate with them, UNLESS
you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY know your Bible, have a
ROCK-SOLID spiritual foundation, and are led by the
Spirit.
And, for heaven's sake, DON'T WELCOME THEM
INTO YOUR HOME.
Satanic cults don't send just anyone to your door.
Their emissaries are THOROUGHLY and
PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF [sad, but true] Christians' LACK OF KNOWLEDGE of
the Scriptures.
UNLESS you REALLY KNOW YOUR BIBLE, they'll have
you wrapped around their little finger IN NO TIME.
That's why the apostle John gave us the following
instruction:
"For many deceivers have gone out into the
world, those who don't confess that Jesus Christ
[God] came in the flesh. This is the deceiver and
the Antichrist... If anyone comes to you, and
doesn't bring this teaching, don't receive him
into your house, and don't welcome him, for he
who welcomes him participates in his evil works [2
John 1:7-11].
Here's another area where gullible Christians are
usually ensnared: Satan USES THE BIBLE!!!
What??? You heard me.
He's a master manipulator WHO TWISTS God's Holy
Word and uses it "selectively" to deceive.
He even had the chutzpah to QUOTE SCRIPTURE
TO JESUS!!! [Matthew 4:6].
So, don't think because someone shows up at your
door THUMPING A BIBLE, that they're
AUTOMATICALLY "Christian" or "of God".
Open your eyes, Christians, THE FIRST THING that
came out of Jesus' lips when asked about the "end of
the age" was:
SEE THAT YOU ARE NOT DECEIVED. For MANY
WILL COME in MY NAME [supposedly in Jesus' Name,
NOT in satan's name] AND WILL DECEIVE MANY.
He DIDN'T say that to unbelievers. He said that
TO HIS DISCIPLES!!!
He said that to REAL Christians.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2010
ADVANCE NOTICE
Luke 21:24-32 contains one of the most amazing
prophecies in the Bible, one that's being fulfilled right
before our eyes.
Jesus begins by telling us that Jerusalem will fall to the
Romans [it did in 70 A.D.] and that, henceforth, it
would be trampled by Gentile nations [non-Jews]
UNTIL "the times of the Gentile nations were
fulfilled".
So, the times of Gentile trampling would be fulfilled
once Jerusalem got back into Jewish hands. It did, on
June 7, 1967.
In the following verses, He tells us what would happen
AFTER that:
Distress of nations with PERPLEXITY.
The word for "distress" in Greek, sunoche means
"anxiety", the word for "perplexity" aporia, means
"no way out", in a quandary, having no solution.
Our Lord gave us a "heads up" on what would happen.
The scenario He painted is unfolding right before us.
Most people, sad to say even most Christians are
completely oblivious to it.
The first two events in Jesus' prophecy are now FACTS
OF HISTORY. They HAVE HAPPENED, precisely as
He predicted: Jerusalem was taken, it and the second
temple were destroyed, Jerusalem trampled by
gentiles since then, non-stop for 1934 years, then the
trampling stopped on June, 1967 when Jews retook the
city.
We have, therefore, EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE,
the rest of the prophecy will also be fulfilled
exactly as He said.
With plummeting stock and housing markets,
the foreclosure crisis, the credit crunch, with banks
and other financial institutions failing right and left,
with the government having to bail them out, with
unemployment skyrocketing, with GLOBAL
RECESSION, with nations like Greece going bankrupt,
others like Spain and Portugal teetering on the edge,
with civil unrest in various nations, is there ANXIETY
among nations today?
Is there uncertainty and confusion? Why do you
think NEITHER Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians or
Tea Party members, with all the experts advising
them, has come up with A CLEAR PLAN TO FIX THE
ECONOMY?
Why hasn't the President? Or Congress? Or the Federal
Reserve? Or anybody?
Because they DON'T KNOW which way to turn.
They don't know how to tackle the monster.
THEY SEE "NO WAY OUT" of our financial dilemma.
Is the financial system in a quandary? Are Jesus' words
being fulfilled before us? You bet!
Jesus also predicted, in verse 26, there would be
terror and people dying due to [acts of] terror.
Are you aware that the word "terrorism" didn't even
exist in most people's vocabulary, and wasn't even
heard prior to 1967 [the VERY year Jews retook
Jerusalem]?
Now we hear it 50 times a day.
The first known act of terrorism took place on June 5,
1968 -- almost a year to the date Israel recovered
Jerusalem-- when Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, a Palestinian
terrorist, took Robert F. Kennedy's life.
It was followed by the terrorist attack against Jewish
athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
They, in turn, were followed by numerous terrorists
acts by the PLO. The same PLO that now wants to be
an independent State, right next to Israel. The same
Palestinian terrorists that danced, laughed and
celebrated openly on the streets the terrorist attacks of
9/11.
Which brings us to the present where there's also
Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jhihad, Al Qaeda, Al Aksa
Martyrs Brigade, and many others. Last time I
counted, there were 117 known terrorist
organizations.
Not to mention, another phenomenon of our time,
TERRORIST NATIONS, like Iran, Syria, and the
growing menace, right here in the Western
Hemisphere, of a nuclear Venezuela under presidential
THUG and U.S.-hating madman Hugo Chavez.
Are Jesus' words being fulfilled EXACTLY AS HE
PREDICTED?
WITHOUT A DOUBT.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010
IS JESUS GOD?
There are many so-called Christians who deny the Deity of
our Lord.
"Well, as long as they believe in Jesus, what's so terrible
about that"?
If Jesus isn't God, then NO ONE IS SAVED.
If Jesus isn't God, then He COULD NOT redeem mankind, for
the simple reason that He COULD NOT JOIN the human
nature and the God nature IN HIMSELF.
Sin separated man from God. It took a total man, who is
ALSO TOTALLY GOD, to REUNITE THE TWO.
God was IN CHRIST reconciling the world UNTO
HIMSELF, not counting men's sins against them [2
Corinthians 5:19].
Jesus is 100% man and 100% God. The Scriptures teach
that, from cover to cover.
Psalms 110:1
The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my Right Hand until I
make your enemies your footstool".
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the
government shall be upon His Shoulder: and His Name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE MIGHTY GOD, The
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace".
Matthew 1:23
Behold a virgin shall conceive, and shall bring forth a son, and
they shall call His Name Emmanuel, which translated means
"GOD with us".
Revelation 5:13
Jesus [the human manifestation of the Father] receives the
same glory and WORSHIP as the Father, right along with
Him:
"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea... I heard saying:
"BLESSING, AND HONOR, AND GLORY, AND POWER BE
UNTO HIM THAT SITS ON THE THRONE AND UNTO THE
LAMB FOR EVER AND EVER".
Hebrews 1:6
And again, when He brings the first begotten into the world
He [God] says, and let ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP
HIM.
Colossians 2:9
"For in Him dwells ALL THE FULLNESS of the Godhead,
bodily".
Hebrews 1:3 [talking about Jesus]
"Who being the brightness of His Glory, and the express
Image of His Person [God's] and upholding all things by
the Word of His Power, when He HAD by Himself PURGED
OUR SINS, sat down on the Right Hand of the Majesty on
high".
2nd Peter 1:1
"From Simon Peter a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to
those who thru the righteousness of our God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith, just as precious as
ours".
John 1:1
"In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God,
and The Word WAS GOD".
John 20:28
"And Thomas answered and said unto Him, MY LORD AND
MY GOD".
Titus 2:13
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ".
1st John 5:20
"... that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him
that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is THE TRUE
GOD, AND ETERNAL LIFE".
1 Timothy 3:16
"And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness:
God was MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, justified in the Spirit,
seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory".
Hebrews 1:8
But to the Son He says, YOUR THRONE, O GOD, is forever
and ever... [Psalms 45:6].
The word used for "God" in all these verses is theos in Greek,
which unequivocally refers to THE Supreme God or Supreme
Deity.
The one common thread shared by all cults and false
religions is DENYING THAT JESUS IS GOD.
Sinful men say He's not God.
God the Father says that Jesus, the Son, is GOD.
Whom are you going to believe, God or man?
--------------
The God who created the UNIVERSE, Jesus Christ, the ONE
AND ONLY, ALMIGHTY God WANTS TO LIVE IN YOUR HEART.
Won't you receive Him NOW?
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2010
JESUS AND HORUS
One of the myths circulating in cyberspace, and a
favorite of many antichrists [small "a"], who will
stop at nothing to justify their rejection of Jesus,
is that the Gospels are merely a rehash of an Egyptian
deity named Horus.
They make false allegations that both, Jesus and
Horus, claimed virgin births, both had earthly fathers
with similar names, and that the baptism, crucifixion
and resurrection of Jesus simply mirror similar
events in the Egyptian myth.
NOT!!!
The whole thing started with Joseph Campbell's so-
called comparative mythology and his highly
speculative series on PBS, which is totally lacking in
FACTS.
Unfortunately, many ignorant and naïve people
are caught in this web of deception which, in
turn, keeps them from making an all-out
commitment to Christ.
I challenge ANYONE, including the liars spreading this
myth in various discussion forums and videos, to
SERIOULY RESEARCH Horus, and then say with a
straight face that Jesus is merely a copy of that
alleged deity:
1. Horus was NOT born of a virgin.
He was supposed to be the son of Isis who was
married to Osiris. Isis was not a virgin, she
conceived supposedly after having sex with her
dead husband's body.
2. Horus was NOT born in a manger or cave, but in A
SWAMP.
3. Horus' birth was NOT announced by a special Star in
the East.
4. There were no "wise men" in Horus' birth story.
5. Horus' earthly father was named Seb, not Joseph.
6. Horus was never baptized.
7. While they both had disciples, Jesus had 12, Horus
had 4.
8. While it's true that both performed miracles, Horus
never cast out demons, nor raised anyone from
the dead.
9. Horus never walked on water.
10. Horus never delivered a sermon on the mount.
11. Horus never claimed to fulfill God's law on
behalf of mankind.
12. Horus was never transfigured.
13. Horus was never called "Messiah" or "Christ".
His titles were "Master of Heaven" and "Chief of
the Powers", never "Anointed One".
14. Horus was never crucified.
15. Horus was never RESURRECTED.
Horus, as the story goes, was merely bitten by a
serpent; his mother Isis cried for help, and another
god named Thoth healed him.
That's VERY different from spending three days and
nights in hell itself, then RISING FROM THE DEAD.
16. Horus never died for the sins of mankind, nor
promised anyone eternal life.
17. Horus never claimed to be the ONLY Savior of
mankind or, for that matter, ANY Savior at all.
18. Nobody remembers Horus, since he doesn't
even exist, except the fools grasping at straws,
desperately looking for an "excuse" to reject Jesus.
19. Jesus, on the other hand is WORSHIPPED BY OVER
2 BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, and has been, non-
stop, for 2,000 YEARS.
20. Horus has ZERO followers. Jesus has more
followers today than ever.
21. Horus never promised to return. Jesus did.
Best of all, that same Jesus is about to reappear in
the clouds WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY.
When He does, Horus proponents better hope he's big
enough to hide behind.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2010
ISRAEL AND THE
TRIBULATION
What happens to Israel during the tribulation?
There are Christian ministers teaching the
UNSCRIPTURAL lie that natural Israelites have "a
separate covenant" with God, by virtue of which they'll
be saved someway, somehow, EVEN IF they don't
believe in Jesus. No way, Benei!
Then there are those who teach natural Israelites will
survive the tribulation by hiding in Petra [Revelation
12:6].
That SOME will hide in Petra and survive is true
enough, but that only refers to the half million or so
Jews who live in Jerusalem and environs. What
happens to the millions of Jews who live in Tel
Aviv, in Europe, in America, and elsewhere?
ANY individual, Jew or gentile, who gives his or her
heart to Messiah Jesus NOW, BEFORE the Rapture, will
be saved and translated into God's Presence.
Everyone else, all unbelievers, whether Jew or
gentile, will remain on earth and go thru the
tribulation.
When Jesus appears in the clouds to Rapture His
Church, many natural Israelites will turn to Him.
During the first 3½ years of the tribulation, before
Antichrist even shows up, ONE THIRD of mankind will
die [Revelation 9:15,18]. Evidently, that will include
some Jews who didn't go in the Rapture.
All who die WITHOUT Christ, Jew or gentile, will
go to hell.
According to Revelation 12:13-16, when
Antichrist shows up, around mid-tribulation, satan will
first try to murder all those who escape into Petra and
into the Judean wilderness.
When he fails, he then goes after "the rest of her
seed" [Revelation 12:17].
He then turns his attention to OTHER Jews
throughout the rest of the world.
In that regard, Mathew 24:24 offers another insight:
"For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and
perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if
possible, even God's chosen ones".
The risen Antichrist [Alexander] will make a VERY
CONVINCING case for himself:
• He and his false prophet will do their best to
capitalize on Jews rejection of the true Messiah, Jesus.
• He will argue that he was benign to Jews in his first
coming [he was].
• The MAIN REASON most Jews don't believe in Jesus
today is what they perceive as His "failure" to
establish a world kingdom. Alexander ALREADY DID
THAT, and will do it again, when he reappears as the
infamous Antichrist.
• He and his false prophet will both exhibit
IMPRESSIVE, undeniable, SUPERNATURAL powers.
So, clearly, many Jews will be faced with the
same choice as the rest of humanity: God or
satan, Christ or Antichrist.
Some will be deceived into believing the Antichrist is
the true Messiah, will worship him and take his mark
and be eternally damned, as will MANY gentiles.
Others will reject Antichrist, reject his mark, and
turn to the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, and
Israel's Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Those who REJECT Antichrist and his mark will be
killed; those who manage to survive will have to
endure tremendous hardship. But, they will be
SAVED.
What about the Scripture in Romans 11:25,26 that
says that "ALL Israel will be saved"?
In context, it says "...that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, UNTIL the fullness of the
Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be
saved"...
The FULLNESS of gentiles comes into God's Kingdom in
Revelation 15:2, near the end of the tribulation. ALL
ISRAEL that remains on earth after that, WILL BE
SAVED when Messiah Yeshua returns.
Therefore, does being a NATURAL Jew guarantee
anyone Salvation? Absolutely NOT.
Only being a SPIRITUAL Jew guarantees
Salvation.
How does anyone, Jew or gentile, BECOME a
SPIRITUAL Jew?
According to Romans 10:9 and John 1:12 by believing
Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead, and
by RECEIVING the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, into
your heart as Lord, Savior and God.
When we do, we become circumcised not in the
flesh, but IN THE SPIRIT [Romans 2:28, 29].
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION is the ONLY Guarantee
and Seal of eternal redemption.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010
ANGELS AND DEMONS
A Christian TV superstar, who is now deceased, loved to use
this cliché on his brainwashed, religious audience:
"There are two angels for every demon".
That statement is incorrect. The correct statement is "there
are two godly angels for every fallen angel".
While I appreciate he was trying to convey that the deck is
stacked in our favor, this would be true even if there
were no good angels.
God is God. Quadrillions of bad angels aren't match for
Him. satan and his angels COMBINED are NO MATCH
FOR HIM. Praise Him forever.
Angels and demons are different beings.
When satan's rebellion took place, one-third of the angels
sided with satan [Revelation 12:4].
When the Church goes up [is raptured] satan and his
angels are cast down to the earth [Revelation 12:7-9].
They are judged and ultimately condemned to the lake of fire
for all eternity [Matthew 25:41].
Angels are spirit beings. Angels, as their very name
indicates, are messengers. They operate mainly in the
atmosphere [Ephesians 6:12].
There's no record ANYWHERE of an angelic being, other than
satan himself, possessing anyone.
Demons, on the other hand, are known to both possess
and harass UNSAVED individuals.
Demons were rampant in Jesus' day [Matthew 8:33; Mark
1:32; Luke 8:36]. While their activity seems to have been
severely curtailed after Calvary, don't kid yourself that there's
zero demonic activity today.
Even though MOST of the so-called "UFO" activity being
reported is hoax, I have no doubt that SOME of it is the result
of demonic activity.
Demons are the disembodied spirits of humanoid
beings that lived on the earth PRIOR TO humans.
God created the earth in Genesis 1:1 "in the beginning".
In Genesis 1:2 we find that the earth was without form,
chaotic, empty, devastated, and covered in darkness.
NONE of that could have come from God.
He is not the author of chaos [1 Corinthians 14:33].
He is Light. In Him is NO DARKNESS AT ALL [1 John 1:5].
The earth was also SUBMERGED IN WATER [Genesis 1:2].
These physical earth beings, who resembled humans,
but weren't, took part in the satanic rebellion as well.
Archeologists have discovered their skeletal remains in
various places. They are known to us today as Neanderthals.
God responded by sending the FIRST flood which destroyed
them all. Their spirits were sent to hell, which is in the center
of the earth, and where most of them still are today.
Demons CANNOT POSSESS Christians, since we
BELONG TO Jesus.
However, they can harass Christians, particularly when
Christians open the door, or have opened the door to them in
the past.
No Christian should EVER, under ANY circumstance,
engage in tarot readings, witchcraft, séances, voodoo,
contacting the dead, play with ouija boards, watch horror
movies or porn, or engage in ANY sort of satanic activity,
PERIOD.
All of the above can open the door to demonic activity.
Hallucinogenic drugs can do the same.
If Jesus lives in your heart, YOU HAVE AUTHORITY OVER
EVERY fallen angel, including satan, AND OVER EVERY
DEMON [Luke 10:19; 1 John 4:4].
They KNOW who you are and must submit to the One
living IN YOU [James 4:7].
If you DON'T have Jesus in your heart, INVITE HIM.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010
IMAGINE
In the lyrics to his infamous song which, unfortunately,
influenced an entire generation, the late John
Lennon dared to sound more righteous than God
Himself:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.
Lennon's been consistently portrayed as a hero, a role
model and champion of goodness, who only wanted
world peace.
His song is played regularly on the anniversary of his
death, and frequently by the godless secular media as
some sort of blueprint for the "IDEAL" society.
Last week, on what would have been his 70th birthday,
there were all sorts of tributes to this man who,
unfortunately, can't enjoy any of it because HE IS
IN THE VERY HELL he "imagined" didn't exist.
While his song sounds SUPERFICIALLY noble, Lennon
forgot to factor in that there can be NO PEACE, and no
"brotherhood of man" without the Prince of Peace.
Like communism, it sounds good in theory, but
TOTALLY FAILS IN PRACTICE.
What John forgot to tell you is that man has an
inherently SINFUL nature, and there's ONLY ONE who
can CHANGE that nature from sinful to DIVINE and His
Name is Jesus.
What Lennon CAN'T tell you, because he's in hell even
as we speak, is that THERE IS A GOD, THERE IS A
HELL, THERE IS A HEAVEN, and that his famous lyrics
are a bunch of vain, DECEITFUL, hypocritical B.S.
He CAN'T tell his millions of adoring fans worldwide
that he sold them a load of rubbish.
He can't tell them that in hell all the fame and
fortune he once had can do NOTHING for him.
He can't tell those who self-righteously recite his lyrics
that they're going to end up EXACTLY where he is.
A DEAD Beatle can't rewrite his song and tell you
JUST HOW WRONG he was.
Not only was he a dreamer, but A COMPLETE FOOL:
He ended up in the VERY PLACE he told everyone
didn't even exist.
Hmp! Imagine.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2010
BOTTOMLESS PIT
The bottomless pit, hell, or the abyss, all refer to the
same place.
The pit is located IN THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, and
it's SUPER hot [Numbers 16:30-34].
The way in and out of the pit is thru the sea
[Revelation 13:1; Ezekiel 28:8].
In Revelation chapter 9, we read about an angel who
has the key to the bottomless pit.
When he opens it up millions of demons come out and
sting unsaved humans for 5 months. The pit then
remains open for the rest of the tribulation.
A short time thereafter, the Antichrist emerges
from the pit, risen from the dead [Revelation 13:1;
17:8].
Antichrist comes out of the bottomless pit, thru the
sea, from which he emerges unto the earth.
Hell or the bottomless pit isn't closed again until AFTER
THE SECOND COMING, when satan himself is
thrown into it, and SHUT in there for 1,000 years
at the start of the Millennium.
At the end of the Millennium, satan will be allowed to
come out of the pit and unto the earth for the final
time.
He will lead and ill-fated insurrection, in a futile
attempt to overthrow the Kingdom of Messiah Jesus.
After that total fiasco, he'll join the Antichrist
and the false prophet in the lake of fire.
Eventually hell itself [the bottomless pit, the abyss]
will also get thrown into the lake of fire [Revelation
20:14].
Soon thereafter there will be new heavens and a new
earth.
The new earth will have no sea AND NO HELL.
Hell's days are numbered, and so are satan's.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010
INTERCESSORS
Today's message is NOT for everyone.
I'm not looking for Christians to do this as a "religious duty"
or ritual [God forbid].
But I know there are MANY who have "ears to hear".
The DOOR of Salvation, which at this moment is WIDE OPEN
for "whosoever will" RECEIVE Jesus; will be SHUT in about 3-
4 weeks [Revelation 3:7, 8].
Once it's SHUT, NO ONE will get to heaven for AT LEAST 6
YEARS [Revelation 15:2], [except for the Two Witnesses and
the 144,000 thousand Israelites, who get special raptures].
We need to squeeze every soul possible into His
Kingdom, while there's still time.
My heart grieves for the multitudes that will be left.
James 5:16 says that the fervent prayer of righteous
people accomplishes much.
Jesus said where two or three are [spiritually] gathered
together IN HIS NAME, He is in our midst [Matthew 18:20].
He also said that if two or three would AGREE regarding
anything, their prayer would be answered [Matthew
18:19].
IF you feel the Holy Spirit speaking directly to your heart
right now, and CALLING YOU to do so, then please join
us.
We need INTERCESSORS from now UNTIL that moment when
our Lord ushers us into His Presence, who will intercede for
both His Body, and ESPECIALLY for those still unsaved.
Those who are Spirit filled and know how to pray in the spirit
[unknown tongues] now is the time to USE His gift, in
private, for His glory.
If you don't pray in tongues, and feel the call of the Spirit, by
all means, ALSO do so. God can and will use anyone who
is WILLING.
If the Spirit speaks to your heart about it, we ask in His Name
and for His glory, that you set aside some time each and
every day to call on His Name, and intercede, especially for
the unsaved.
The exact time you do it, and how long you devote to it, is up
to you, and what your schedule allows.
Joel 2:38 promises even in those last moments before
the Rapture, when the sun turns black or the moon appears
blood-red, that EVERYONE who calls on the Name of the
Lord Jesus WILL BE SAVED.
Let's join IN SPIRIT and BELIEVE for a great harvest, that
millions will turn to Jesus with ALL their hearts from
now until the Rapture, even at the VERY last moment,
and make heaven.
THANK YOU, brothers and sisters, and may our LOVELY Jesus
REWARD with Himself all who join us in spirit. Amen.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010
GOOD NEWS
God loves you. He's NOT mad at you. He's ON YOUR
SIDE [Romans 8:31].
Salvation is a gift. It's God's gift to us, through Jesus
Christ.
SALVATION IS FREE.
We can never "earn it" or "deserve" it.
We can only RECEIVE SALVATION.
Salvation is a person: Jesus Christ.
THERE IS NOTHING ELSE, AND NO ONE ELSE, that
saves us [Acts 4:12].
Jesus INSIDE YOUR HEART = Salvation.
WHY do we need salvation?
Because we have ALL sinned.
Sin separates us from a Holy and perfect God.
Only Jesus died and paid for ALL our sins [past,
present and future].
When we receive Jesus INTO US and trust in His
redeeming work, ALL our sins are DELETED
INSTANTLY.
Since that moment, God sees us in Christ, as though
we had never sinned [2 Corinthians 5:19].
Since that moment, Christ's own righteousness and
holiness is imparted unto us [2 Corinthians 5:21].
Is the best "deal" in all the world: our sins in
exchange for HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
You give yourself to Him, as you are, YOU GIVE Him
ALL your sins; He gives you ALL His Righteousness.
HOW do I receive Jesus?
Say something like this, from the depths of your
heart:
Lord Jesus, save me. Come into my heart now. I
receive you as my only Lord, Savior and God. I believe
you died on the cross for my sins, and rose from the
dead. I ask forgiveness for my sins. I give you all my
heart and all my life.
If you've made that decision, which is THE MOST
IMPORTANT of your life, contact us and we will send
you free information to guide you in developing your
Christian faith: christco@christconnection.net
Everyone can use Good News.
Jesus PROMISED:
"Whoever comes to me, I will in NO WAY reject"
[John 6:37].
What are you waiting for? It's time to COME HOME.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010
TRUSTING THE INVISIBLE
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
EVIDENCE [PROOF] of things NOT SEEN [Hebrews
11:1].
There's a HUGE problem in the Body of Christ: man-
invented religion has taught us to TRUST the
VISIBLE over and above the INVISIBLE.
As a matter of fact, it should be the other way around.
The Bible explicitly tells us to do the VERY OPPOSITE.
We walk by faith, NOT BY SIGHT [2 Corinthians 5:7].
Religion walks by SIGHT, not by faith.
What we see with our natural eyes is EXTERNAL.
What we see with our SPIRITUAL eyes is INTERNAL.
Hence religion places more trust in what takes place
OUTSIDE OF US, which is visible, than in what has
taken place INSIDE of us, which is INVISIBLE.
Religion has more faith in the power of men's sins
which are external and visible, to damn you, than IN
THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD,
WHICH ARE internal and INVISIBLE, TO SAVE US.
Paul said visible things are TEMPORARY, but invisible
things are ETERNAL [2 Corinthians 4:18].
So, the Righteousness of Christ which He credited to
you, AND WHICH YOU HAVE INSIDE, is not yet
visible. Do you know what that means? It's
ETERNAL.
The VISIBLE, ugly stuff [sin] that manifests on the
outside is only temporary.
The invisible born again nature you acquired when
you made Jesus your Lord is eternal.
If it's eternal, that means it can NEVER be taken away
from you.
What takes place inside of us when we receive Christ
into our hearts is INVISIBLE, but VERY real.
He comes to live IN US and never leaves us, nor
forsakes us [Hebrews 13:5].
His righteousness in us endures forever [2
Corinthians 9:9].
Jesus Himself said His Kingdom, which is WITHIN
US, does not come by OBSERVATION. It's in the
spirit dimension. You can't see it with your physical
eyes [Luke 17:20,21].
Some religious people are going to be shocked at WHO
IS RAPTURED, despite their outward behavior, AND
WHO STAYS BEHIND, despite their pretentious
piety.
Word to the wise: stop focusing on what you do
EXTERNALLY, and start focusing on WHAT HE DID
INTERNALLY.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2010
WHY DO CHRISTIANS SIN?
One of the issues I encounter most often in ministry is
Christians who struggle with sin.
This is an issue that affects new and old Christians
alike.
It happens to those who've known the Lord for 10
days, 10 years, or 50 years.
It happens to young and old, male and female.
To compound the problem, man-invented religion has
sold them the lie that if they sin repeatedly AFTER
being saved they will lose their salvation.
Some are so convinced that they've "lost it" and,
therefore, "can't regain it", that they live lives of
despair and defeat feeling they're hopelessly
doomed.
Others doubt that they were even saved, to begin
with.
How can an individual who's given his or her
heart to Jesus persistently do things that go
against His Word?
How can someone in whom Jesus lives be or act so
ugly?
How can they live and act the same, or worse
than, the unsaved?
Doesn't Salvation involve radical change?
Yes. That radical change takes place, first and
foremost, ON THE INSIDE.
When we receive Jesus INTO our hearts, there's
immediate change INSIDE.
His Spirit comes to live IN us, He is JOINED TO our
spirit, and we are one with Him SPIRITUALLY.
And that, by the way, is THE ONLY THING that saves
us.
Repeat: Having Jesus' Spirit on the inside is THE
ONLY THING that saves us [Romans 8:9; Ephesians
1:13,14; 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:21,22].
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that WORKS [good
or bad] DO NOT save us [Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans
3:20,28; Galatians 2:16].
Now then, if we have God's Spirit on the INSIDE,
how can we act so badly on the OUTSIDE?
Because 99% of born agains DO NOT live in the
spirit.
In fact, Christianism [man-invented Christian religion]
has taught them to TOTALLY IGNORE and NEGLECT
their spirits, and live FROM THEIR SINFUL MINDS.
Our minds have NOT been born again, only our spirits
have.
If you live from YOUR SINFUL MIND, you will live
A SINFUL LIFESTYLE.
That doesn't mean you're not saved.
Even so-called "Evangelicals" teach that the born-again
experience is the "be all, end all" of Christianity.
They move heaven and earth to get people
SPIRITUALLY born again.
Then they never again talk about, focus on, or teach
those converts to LIVE FROM their PERFECT, NEW,
SINLESS SPIRIT NATURE.
So, we have a Church that lives and acts FROM THEIR
CARNAL, SINFUL, FALLEN, CONTAMINATED MIND
which, according to Romans 8:7 is THE ENEMY OF
GOD.
The result?
If you THINK like the world, you'll ACT like the
world.
As a man THINKS, SO IS HE [Proverbs 23:7].
That doesn't mean you've lost your Salvation.
Salvation can't be lost, because it's NOT A THING.
Salvation is a Person.
You can no more LOSE JESUS, than Jesus can
lose you [John 6:39; 17:12].
This happened so that the words he had spoken would
be fulfilled: "I have NOT LOST ONE of those you
gave me." [John 18:9].
I know it's hard to believe from the way some of
us act ON THE OUTSIDE that He's still on the
INSIDE, but if you received Him, He IS IN THERE
nonetheless.
He's still INSIDE REGARDLESS of how you act
OUTSIDE.
[Don't any of you DARE use this message as an excuse
to start sinning]...
If you invited Jesus into your heart, you're saved, even
WHEN IT APPEARS ON THE OUTSIDE THAT YOU'RE
NOT.
This is why Salvation is BY FAITH ALONE.
What is faith? According to Hebrews 11:1:
the
"The substance of things hoped for,
evidence [PROOF] of things
NOT SEEN".
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010
ECLIPSES
There is a series of FOUR full lunar eclipses in 2014-
15, which happen on, or in very close proximity to,
the Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles in the
Hebrew calendar.
Since the moon is associated with Israel throughout
the Bible, the fact they happen on the feasts that
commemorate Israel's departure from Egypt
[Passover], and when they dwelt in temporary
booths in the desert [Tabernacles], seems to bode
gloom for natural Israel.
Passover 2014 is the day when Antichrist crucifies the
Two Witnesses, and takes Jerusalem.
Coincidentally, it was also during a lunar eclipse that
Alexander defeated the Persian army and conquered
their empire, at the battle of Gaugamela.
He conquered the world back then during an eclipse,
and he'll conquer the world again during another
eclipse, since Israel will be the last obstacle on his path
to world domination.
Shortly after the death of the Two Witnesses, the
abomination of desolation will be placed in the temple,
and Jews will be forced leave the city in haste,
just as they left Egypt, and flee into the desert
where they will dwell in a temporary place God
has prepared for them [Revelation 11:8; 12:6].
It seems that Israel is destined, once again, to
"wander in the desert", this time for 3½ years, instead
of 40.
By the way, these are lunar eclipses, NOT "blood
moons".
The term "blood moon" may sell DVD's, but it's
incorrect.
"Blood moon" refers to the Hunter's Moon, which is the
full moon nearest the autumn equinox, and NOT to
lunar eclipses.
But doesn't the Bible say the moon will turn blood-red
prior to the Rapture? Yes.
Lunar eclipses are either copper or orange in
color, NOT blood red.
There's no scripture anywhere that says we're to
look for lunar eclipses in connection to the Rapture.
Revelation 6:12 tells us the sun will get black as
sackcloth [where it's daytime], and the moon blood-
red [where it's night time].
If this referred to solar and lunar eclipses, then we'd
have a HUGE PROBLEM.
It's astronomically impossible for SOLAR AND
LUNAR eclipses to happen simultaneously.
The fact that these signs are also accompanied by
a HUGE TEMBLOR of land and ATMOSPHERE, plus
"falling stars" [Revelation 6:13], plus the sky splitting
down the middle and rolling away, plus the
rearrangement of geography and topography as we
know them [Revelation 6:14], plus the fact that the
events will be of such magnitude that EVERYONE ON
EARTH, even the most powerful and influential people,
WILL TRY TO HIDE [Revelation 6:15,16] ALL
DEMONSTRATE that THIS IS NOT TALKING
ABOUT a REGULAR, NATURAL LUNAR ECLIPSE.
There's NO LUNAR ECLIPSE IN HISTORY that has
caused any of the above, or even come close.
Not to mention that these signs will also be
accompanied by the disappearance of many millions, if
not BILLIONS, of Christians and the APPEARANCE OF
JESUS IN THE SKY [Revelation 6:16].
Clearly, then, these signs which happen in conjunction
with the Rapture are SUPERNATURAL.
They are orchestrated by God, and NOT the result of a
simple, natural event, like a lunar eclipse.
The Rapture itself is a supernatural event, so why
would it be contingent on a natural one?
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010
PLANETS AND ALIGNMENTS
There are a couple of teachings making the rounds
that have to do with the rapture and subsequent
tribulation being contingent on certain planets,
or planetary alignments.
For the record, no such thing is taught in the Bible.
And while it may sound exciting to those who view
Bible prophecy as "entertainment", there isn't a
single word from Genesis to Revelation that
teaches ANY such thing.
That certain "planetary alignments" have to happen in
order for the Rapture to occur is sheer baloney.
Those rumors have been circulating since the 70's.
They go away for a while and resurface 20 years later,
when a new generation of gullible Christians
comes of age and one or more "experts" need
something to SELL THEM.
Then there's the myth that some mysterious "Planet X"
or "Niburu" will collide with the earth and bring about
the "wormwood" contamination spoken of in Revelation
8:10.
This is worse than baloney. This one's just plain B.S.
For starters, there is NO SUCH planet. It's a hoax.
Secondly, if a planet collided with the earth, NO ONE
on earth would survive to see the tribulation, the
reign of Antichrist, nor the Second Coming.
Thirdly, the "expert" who concocted this lie is unable to
explain why the planet's purported "collision" ONLY
affects THE WATERS, and not the land, grass, trees,
homes, buildings, population or infrastructure.
So much for that piece of manure.
The Rapture and tribulation are SUPERNATURAL
EVENTS.
They are orchestrated by God, not by man's
fantasies or wishful thinking.
Bible prophecy is TRUTH, not science fiction.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010
STOP!!!
We're getting about a dozen emails EVERY SINGLE
DAY asking the same questions:
"I counted 2,520 days from Rosh Chodesh, and I
ended up on ____ date. How come?".
Or "the 2,520 days end on September 22, instead of
September 21".
Or "I counted 2,520 backwards and the Rapture should
happen in late October, instead of November".
Or, "I counted 49 years and I ended on August,
instead of September 2017. What am I doing wrong"?
Or, "there are NO LUNAR ECLIPSES happening on
those dates".
Or, "I got a software program that shows major
planetary alignments on a different dates".
Or some silly question along those lines.
STOP!!!
How the hell am I supposed to know WHAT YOU
did wrong? Am I a mind reader?
Do you honestly think I'm going to sit here and
wonder, let alone try to figure out, WHY you
missed it by a few days either way?
Get real!
I have people WITH REAL NEEDS, who are hurting and
need prayer, counsel and comfort. I got new believers
to minister to. I got people estranged from Christianity
who are reconnecting with their faith. I got SERIOUS
Bible questions to answer, I have to write this DAILY
message, I got A TON of other things to tend to, and
you think I have time to argue or worry about 5
days this way or 3 days that way?
Give me a freaking break!
WHO CARES?
God said "from the word to return and build
Jerusalem to Messiah Prince shall be 7 WEEKS AND 62
WEEKS" [Daniel 9:25].
HE SAID IT and NOBODY can UNSAY IT.
The FACT IS the "70 weeks" CANNOT, ABSOLUTELY,
UNEQUIVOCALLY CANNOT, END WITHOUT HIS
SECOND COMING.
So, who cares [hypothetically speaking] if the
Rapture happens 10 days earlier? I, for one,
would be delighted.
Who cares if the Second Coming happens 7 days later?
THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT WE'RE LEAVING IN
JUST A FEW WEEKS.
NOR DOES IT CHANGE THE FACT THE SECOND
COMING WILL TAKE PLACE SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER,
2017.
Give it up, for God's sake!
Let me tell you WHAT'S REALLY BEHIND those
questions: People are trying to COME UP WITH THE
EXACT DAY.
I got THREE WORDS for all who think they're so smart
and cleaver:
IT AIN'T HAPPENING!
Jesus said NO ONE knows THE DAY. NO ONE means
"NO ONE" [Mark 13:32].
We got people who don't know their nose from their
elbow about the Bible, let alone Bible prophecy, don't
know anything about Hebrew Feasts and their meaning
or about the Hebrew calendar, never even heard this
teaching before, don't even have enough discernment
to understand the prophetic clock doesn't run on U.S.
time, but ON JERUSALEM TIME, WHO NOW THINK
they can become INSTANT EXPERTS, and
somehow PIN DOWN THE EXACT DAY.
By the way, if they're so smart and know so much they
shouldn't be asking me anything. They should start
their own ministry.
EVERYTHING posted on this website is checked,
rechecked, re-re-checked, and re-re-re-checked. This
is NO exception.
I'm accountable to God. Do you think I would risk His
wrath by posting something capriciously and
irresponsibly, thereby leading others astray? Do you
think I'd be stupid enough to add or subtract from His
Word?
You can believe God's Word, or not believe it.
The Rapture's happening this year, WHETHER YOU
BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
That's ALL you should be focused on... AND GETTING
READY FOR.
I'm thru answering those silly emails.
If you send one, you can expect a form letter restating
all this at best, or to be ignored at worst.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010
AND THEN THERE WERE 50
When this website was established over 5 years ago,
we began by exposing "10 Myths" about Bible
prophecy. Myths are never true. Myths are LIES.
It would be BAD ENOUGH if the prophecy
establishment had SOLD YOU only 10 LIES. However,
as the Spirit has led, we started adding more lies.
There were 12, 15, 19, 24, 29, 33... when we hit 40 I
thought "this better be IT". Unfortunately, it wasn't.
Recently, we hit number 50. And now it's up to
52.
There may be a couple more coming down the pike
before our Lord translates us into His Presence.
If we had done nothing else but demonstrate JUST
HOW MUCH FALSE INFORMATION has been circulated,
taught and SOLD by self-styled "experts" our work
would not be in vain.
Of course, Jesus, to whom is ALL GLORY FOREVER,
has also used us to bring many souls to Himself, to
undisputedly establish the pre-tribulation Rapture,
disclose the BIBLICAL identity of the Antichrist and,
more recently, the approximate time of the Rapture.
His Name be praised.
So, in honor of what the Lord has done, I though
I'd share a list of the 52 myths that have falsely
been disseminated in His Name by the prophecy
establishment, in broadcasts, books, CD's and DVD's
and websites.
52 MYTHS ABOUT BIBLE PROPHECY
MYTH #1: THE ANTICHRIST IS ALIVE
MYTH #2: THE ANTICHRIST IS MUSLIM
MYTH #3: OBAMA IS THE ANTICHRIST
MYTH #4: NO ONE WILL KNOW THE IDENTITY OF THE
ANTICHRIST
MYTH #5: ANTICHRIST IS SHOT IN THE HEAD
MYTH #6: ANTICHRIST'S 7-YEAR REIGN
MYTH #7: THE 7-YEAR PEACE TREATY
MYTH #8: ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
MYTH #9: THE PRINCE THAT SHALL COME
MYTH #10: ANTICHRIST IS FROM OUTER SPACE
MYTH #11: ANTICHRIST IS ABADDON
MYTH #12: ANTICHRIST IS THE "MAHDI"
MYTH #13: THE ASSYRIAN
MYTH #14: THE WORLD WILL STAY "AS IS"
MYTH #15: ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT
MYTH #16: 666
MYTH #17: THE CASHLESS SOCIETY
MYTH #18: THE "SUNDAY LAW"
MYTH #19: THE RUSSIAN INVASION
MYTH #20: ARMAGEDDON IS THE FINAL BATTLE
MYTH #21: THE 200-MILLION MAN CHINESE ARMY
MYTH #22: THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE
MYTH #23: THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE
MYTH #24: 10 NATION CONFEDERACY
MYTH #25: THE TWO BABYLONS
MYTH #26: THE WOMAN RIDING THE BEAST
MYTH #27: ONE WORLD RELIGION
MYTH #28: THE "10 LOST TRIBES"
MYTH #29: THE TEMPLE MOUNT
MYTH #30: JEWS MUST FIND THE ARK
MYTH #31: WOMAN IN REVELATION 12
MYTH #32: THE FOUR HORSES IN REVELATION
MYTH #33: THE RAPTURE IS IMMINENT
MYTH #34: THE SECRET RAPTURE
MYTH #35: THERE'S ONLY ONE RAPTURE
MYTH #36: RAPTURE'S ONLY FOR HUMANS
MYTH #37: THE "TRUMPET" AND "BOWL" JUDGMENTS
ARE THE SAME
MYTH #38: THE TRIBULATION MARTYRS
MYTH #39: THE RAPTURE'S POST TRIB
MYTH #40: THERE'S NO "GAP" IN DANIEL'S 70 WEEKS
MYTH #41: THE "LAST TRUMPET"
MYTH #42: IMMEDIATELY AFTER
MYTH #43: THE EARLY CHURCH BELIEVED IN A POST-
TRIB RAPTURE
MYTH #44: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS REMOVED
MYTH #45: ISRAEL IS GOD'S "PROPHETIC TIME
CLOCK"
MYTH #46: JERUSALEM WILL BE DESTROYED
MYTH #47: THE FINAL GENERATION
MYTH #48: THE RAPTURE HAPPENS ON Rosh
Hashanah
MYTH #49: NOSTRADAMUS
MYTH #50: MABUS
MYTH #51: THE PYRAMIDS
MYTH #52: THE MAYAN CALENDAR
Our approach, as always, is clear and direct. It takes
no more than 30 seconds to 2 minutes, to read
each Myth.
We thank and PRAISE the lovely Lord Jesus for
His Word, His faithfulness, and His Spirit's
awesome revelations.
If you're interested in the Truth about any of these
topics, just click on this link: www.christconnection.net
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010
CHILDREN AND TEENS
What's the maximum age for children to be
automatically raptured? We don't know. The Bible
doesn't say.
I suspect the reason it doesn't, is because it VARIES
with each individual: some people mature faster than
others, and become aware of their actions, hence
responsible for making their own decisions,
sooner than others.
All babies, toddlers and young children will go,
for sure.
That's WHY ALL Christian parents and
grandparents should talk to their children about
Jesus AS SOON AS they're old enough to understand
the basics [ages 5 to 7 and up].
Just give them a SIMPLE explanation about sin
[disobedience], Jesus died for our sins and rose from
the dead, and then lead them in a simple prayer to
receive Him into their hearts.
ALL TEENAGERS need to hear the Gospel and make a
personal decision to receive Christ. Same goes for
pre-teens.
If Jewish tradition is correct, the so-called "age of
accountability" is 13 years old for boys and 12 for girls.
But that's TRADITION, NOT Scripture. So, I wouldn't
place too much stock on that.
What about the Scripture in Luke 21:23 that says
"How dreadful it will be in those days for
pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will
be great distress (tribulation) in the land and wrath
against this people"?
[If I had a buck for every time someone's asked about
that Scripture I'd be VERY rich].
Jesus was addressing primarily Jewish women who,
for the most part, will be here on earth during
the tribulation, since they don't believe Jesus is the
the Messiah, nor are they born again.
This is clearly referring to children who are
conceived or born during the tribulation, AFTER
the EXISTING children have been raptured.
During the 7-year tribulation, women on earth will still
get pregnant, and give birth, just like they do now.
What about children STILL UNBORN when the Rapture
takes place?
Some have suggested that embryos and fetuses will
also be taken to heaven [Hosea 13:13,14; Isaiah
44:2]. Others make the argument that they'll stay
inside their mothers and be born during the tribulation
[Jeremiah 20:18; John 3:5].
I can't find a verse in the Bible that CLEARLY says they
will be raptured, and while LIFE BEGINS AT
CONCEPTION, and my heart says "yes" [Isaiah 49:1;
Jeremiah 1:5], I can't say with absolute certainty.
If the mother is saved, then CERTAINLY what she
carries in her womb will go to heaven along with
her.
Bottom line: ALL children are saved by the Grace of
God.
Teens and adults are saved by Grace, too, PROVIDED
they've given their hearts to Jesus.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2010
CHILDREN WILL
DISAPPEAR
Parents, WHAT WOULD YOU DO if your children
suddenly disappeared?
I don't mean kidnapped, God forbid, I mean
suddenly taken to heaven at the Rapture.
ALL children will be taken [Joel 2:16; Matthew
19:14; Luke 18:15-17; 1 Peter 2:2].
Children of Christian parents will disappear from the
earth realm.
Children of UNBELIEVERS will disappear.
If you HAVE received Jesus as Lord, then you and
your children will be taken into the Kingdom of
God together, and will be together for eternity.
If you HAVEN'T received Jesus into your heart as your
ONLY Lord, Savior and God, YOUR CHILDREN will be
taken to heaven at the Rapture, WHETHER YOU LIKE
IT OR NOT.
You, on the other hand, will STAY down here.
No sense in sugar-coating it: that's the stark reality
ALL UNBELIEVERS are faced with.
God doesn't need, nor will He ask for, your
permission.
A Christian brother named Steve recently suggested
that, one of the things that will anger and make
unsaved humans side with Antichrist is the fact their
children WILL HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM THEM.
Instead of being happy that at least their kids made it
to heaven, and won't have to experience the horrors of
the tribulation, they will want to GET THEM BACK,
[talk about selfishness!] and will be even angrier at
Jesus for "stealing" them.
This is a slightly different angle on the "thief in the
night" analogy, but Steve makes a valid and excellent
point.
It's not my intention to scare anyone. I'd much
rather you gave your heart to Christ because of
LOVE, than because of fear.
He is lovely beyond words, and WORTHY of our
TOTAL, no holds barred, UNCONDITIONAL,
ETERNAL LOVE and ADORATION.
However, those who HAVEN'T received Jesus have
been given FAIR WARNING.
You can invite Jesus Christ into your heart NOW, get
saved, and go to heaven with Jesus AND with your
children.
Or you can reject Jesus, never see your children again,
and lose your soul.
You've NOTHING to lose by giving Him your heart
now, and EVERYTHING TO GAIN.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2010
SWIFT MESSENGERS
In yesterday's message we established that the "woe"
in Isaiah 18 is primarily directed at Syria.
The destruction of Damascus, predicted some 2,800
years ago in Isaiah chapter 17, has never taken
place; hence its fulfillment is long overdue.
Isaiah 18:2 says about Syria:
"That sends messengers by the sea, even in vessels
of bulrushes on the waters, saying, Go, you swift
messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a
people terrible from their beginning till now; a nation
meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers
have divided".
This is precisely what takes place in Revelation 9:13,
under the 6th trumpet.
Certain "messengers" are loosed, which end up
destroying ONE THIRD OF MANKIND.
In Revelation 9:13-19, we get two very important
additional details:
The messengers are located in the Euphrates
area [v. 14].
The messengers are WEAPONS [v. 16].
Everyone knows Iraq under Saddam had WMD's.
As the American attack on Iraq started, those
weapons mysteriously disappeared.
American troops searched for them far and wide and
came up empty.
You won't hear this in any of the major networks, but
there's evidence, and Israel knows this, that they
were transported to Syria.
The Euphrates ALSO RUNS THRU SYRIA.
In Isaiah 18:2 we have a clear prophecy that Syria will
launch such "messengers" near mid-tribulation.
In verses 5 and 6 we are told that they will cause
widespread destruction:
"For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and
the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both
cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take
away and cut down the branches.
They shall be left together to the fowls of the
mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the
fowls shall summer on them, and all the beasts of the
earth shall winter on them".
We know Syria will be the aggressor. We also know
that its capital will be destroyed in retaliation near
mid-tribulation.
The only question remaining is:
Who is the nation described as "scattered and
peeled", "a people terrible from their beginning till
now"; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose
land the rivers have divided" that some of these
"messengers" are sent to?
It sure sounds like the United States.
There's no doubt whatsoever that, by mid-trib, all the
major powers that exist today, must have been
decimated.
This, in turn, will create a power vacuum that the risen
Antichrist will eagerly fill.
Revelation 9:18 clearly states that when these pre-
programmed "messengers" are launched, the THIRD
PART OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION WILL BE
DESTROYED.
The U.S. population, presently around 300 million,
which by then will be drastically reduced due to the
Rapture, doesn't even come close to one-third of
the world's population.
So, clearly, those "messengers" would have to inflict
some SERIOUS DAMAGE on China and India, which
together hold ABOUT 40% [nearly HALF] of the world's
population, as well as on Russia.
There's no doubt that the U.S. will suffer serious
damage, that it will cease to be a superpower, and
that it will be ruled by Antichrist, just like the rest of
the world [Revelation 13:7].
However, the U.S. will survive. In Isaiah 18:7 we
read that this nation will bring presents to the Lord, to
Mount Zion, during the Millennium.
SWIFT MESSENGERS???
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010
THE U.S. AND CHAPTER 18
I'm not talking about bankruptcy. That's chapter 7.
Although if economic indicators are anywhere near
correct, we're not too far from that, either.
There are TWO chapters 18 in the Bible that are
regularly misapplied to the United States: the first is
ISAIAH 18, THE SECOND IS REVELATION 18.
The first one begins: "Woe to the land shadowing
with wings, which is beyond the rivers of
Ethiopia".
Most English translations say "Ethiopia", but the
original Hebrew says "Cush" and "Cush" has always
been Iraq [Genesis 10:8-11].
This is further confirmed by the fact there are no
notable rivers in Ethiopia, while Iraq boasts TWO
major rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, both of
which are mentioned numerous times throughout the
Bible.
Iraq and its rivers have always played a prominent role
in Bible prophecy. Ethiopia hasn't.
Either way, the U.S. is not located anywhere "beyond"
the rivers of either Ethiopia or Iraq. Last time I
checked there's the whole Atlantic Ocean, plus the rest
of the African continent in between the two.
Who, then, is the nation "shadowing with
wings"? It's Syria.
Syria IS just beneath the "rivers of Iraq" [Cush].
The expression "shadowing with wings" refers to
Jordan. If you look at the shape of that country on a
map it looks like a bird with two outstretched
wings.
Matter of fact, the Bible makes reference to "the
wings of Moab" [Jeremiah 48:9; Numbers 24:17].
For those who are unfamiliar, ancient Moab is part of
modern Jordan.
Since Syria borders northwest Jordan, Syria is
beneath [shadowing under] Jordan's "wings".
This makes perfect sense, since the previous chapter
[Isaiah 17] foretells the destruction of Damascus,
which is Syria's capital.
Keep in mind the original text DID NOT contain chapter
and verse divisions. Those were added MUCH LATER,
at the discretion of the translators.
Hence, in the original text, what we presently call
"chapters 17 and 18" was just one continuous,
uninterrupted text.
The second chapter 18 [in Revelation] speaks of
"mystery Babylon the great". This metaphoric title
is neither referring to ancient Babylon, which lies in
ruins and will remain that way, as Isaiah 13:19-22
predicted. Nor is it referring to the United States,
or New York City.
Revelation 17:18 UNDISPUTEDLY identifies Mystery
Babylon as Rome. It's Rome that will be destroyed in
one hour near the end of the tribulation.
The United States, as we have taught
consistently, will be severely damaged and
downgraded during the tribulation, BUT IT WILL
SURVIVE.
Will New York City be destroyed? Probably.
I know of no scripture that specifically singles out the
Big Apple, but if enemies are going to attack any place
in the U.S., as recent history painfully shows, it will be
New York.
There is, however, one portion of Isaiah 18, which may
have prophetic significance for the U.S.
We'll examine that in the next message.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2010
HOW DID ABRAHAM GET
RICH?
If we listened to the many prosperity gurus in Christendom,
we would come to believe that one major key to MATERIAL
WEALTH is tithing MONEY.
There are AT LEAST FIVE problems with that false theory:
1. The tithe WAS NEVER money.
2. Only Levite priests are authorized by God to RECEIVE
tithes.
3. The promise in Malachi 3:10 to "open the windows of
heaven and pour out a great blessing" was made to the
NATION of Israel, NOT to individuals.
4. There were INDIVIDUALS in Israel who tithed, like THEY
were supposed to [YOU AREN'T supposed to], and they were
still poor.
5. And then, there's Abraham.
Abraham is often portrayed as an "example" of how
tithing can make a person wealthy.
In fact, Abraham's great wealth had NOTHING
WHATSOEVER to do with the ONE tithe he gave during
HIS ENTIRE life, FROM GOODS THAT BELONGED TO
OTHERS, NOT TO HIMSELF.
As we proved in yesterday's message, THE TITHE HE GAVE
TO MELCHISEDEK WASN'T FROM HIS OWN POSSESSIONS AT
ALL! IT WAS FROM THE SPOILS OF WAR!
God had made Abraham rich LONG BEFORE Abraham gave
that ONE tithe to Melchizedek. How? THE SAME WAY GOD
DOES ANYTHING FOR ANYONE: by grace thru faith.
Genesis 13:2 tell us Abraham ALREADY WAS "VERY RICH
in cattle, silver and gold" LONG BEFORE he gave that
ONE tithe to Melchizedek.
He already had "sheep, and oxen, and donkeys and
menservants, and maidservants, and female donkeys and
camels" [Genesis 12:16].
He had SO MUCH WEALTH, so many flocks, herds and tents,
that "the land was not able to bear them" for their substance
was great [Genesis 13:5,6].
Coincidentally, THAT was THE REASON he and Lot had to
separate, and the reason Lot chose to live in Sodom.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD THESE TRUTHS
TAUGHT OR PREACHED?
So, Abraham rescued Lot, recovered ALL THE GOODS from
Sodom and Gomorrah plus Lot's goods. He gave 10% of it to
Melchizedek.
Have you ever wondered what he did WITH THE
REMAINING 90% OF THE loot?
BRACE YOURSELF: HE GAVE IT BACK TO THE EVIL KING OF
SODOM! [Genesis 14:21-24].
Abraham kept nothing for himself, except the food his men
had eaten. He returned all the rest, which was the lion's
share of the goods, to the king of Sodom!
Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek was an ISOLATED EVENT.
Despite being SO WEALTHY, there's NO RECORD ANYWHERE
that he ever tithed anything EVER again. Isaac never tithed.
Ishmael didn't tithe. Nor did Sara or Rebecca.
Did God regard Abraham as "a thief"? No.
Did he complain and say "hey, Abraham, I made you rich. At
least you could PAY ME A MEASLY 10%"? As a dear brother
often says "10% is AN INSULT".
Did God "curse" Abraham because he didn't continue
"tithing"? No.
Did God "curse" his descendants Isaac and Ishmael for not
tithing? No.
Yet THAT'S EXACTLY what lying preachers are telling
ABRAHAM'S SEED TODAY that God will do TO THEM, if they
DON'T tithe.
As a matter of fact, God blessed Abraham even more
than before: He changed his name from Abram to Abraham
[meaning "father of a great multitude"], MADE HIM EVEN
RICHER, MADE AN EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH HIM,
PROMISED HIM THAT IN HIS SEED "ALL NATIONS WOULD BE
BLESSED", AND EVEN GAVE HIM A SON IN HIS OLD AGE.
Moreover, God promised he would "bless those who
blessed" Abraham and his descendants, and "CURSE
THOSE WHO CURSED" THEM [Genesis 12:3].
The ONLY CURSE PROMISED HERE IS TO THOSE WHO CURSE
THE SEED OF ABRAHAM!
ACCORDING TO GALATIANS 3:29, Christians ARE
Abraham's seed.
Next time some lying preacher uses Abraham's tithe as an
excuse to get you to tithe, please tell him [or her]:
"Abraham tithed ONLY ONCE in his entire life. Therefore, I'll
give you 10% of what I make this week and I'll never
tithe again for the rest of my life.
When you tell them, be sure to have an ambulance on
standby.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2010
DID ABRAHAM TITHE?
I recently heard a popular pastor, who's raised untold
millions with this false teaching, say on national TV
that the Bible commands Christians to tithe. That
tithing preceded the Law of Moses, since Abraham
tithed to Melchizedek "10% of everything he
owned".
He went on to say that, if you don't tithe, you're
"robbing God", you are "a thief", God has your "mug
shot in heaven" and you're "under a curse".
THIS MAN WAS LYING, and the only "curse" his
congregation and viewers are under, is being
constantly coerced with those lies.
He even "warned" the hapless audience that, UNLESS
they tithe, they shouldn't expect God to grant
ANY of their petitions, since "God doesn't answer
the prayer of thieves".
I guess, then, Jesus was lying when He answered
the prayer of the thief who hung on the cross
next to Him [Luke 23: 42,43].
True ministers of the Gospel are supposed to
enhance and strengthen your faith, not negate it
by putting fear in your heart with
UNSCRIPTURAL threats.
Christians are regularly told by greedy, unscrupulous
preachers, that they are required to PAY 10% of
their income to "God".
There ISN'T a single scripture, from Genesis to
Revelation, that teaches such thing.
Of course, since they can't climb up to the pearly
gates, and pay 10% of their income there, what
"tithing to God" really means is we are to give
10% of our incomes to the very preachers
promulgating this ungodly lie.
The first mention of a tithe in the Bible occurs in
Genesis chapter 14, where Abraham tithes to
Melchisedek. Did Abraham really give Melchizedek
10% of "everything he owned"?
In that chapter we read that Sodom and Gomorrah
[the same wicked Sodom and Gomorrah that God
destroyed shortly thereafter] were attacked by the
king of Elam.
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and THEIR
ENEMIES TOOK [verses 11 and 12] "ALL THE
GOODS OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH, AND ALL
THEIR FOOD". They also took "Lot, Abraham's
nephew, who lived in Sodom, and HIS GOODS, and
departed".
Verses 14-24 "And when Abram heard that his brother
[Lot] had been taken captive, he armed his trained
servants, born in his own house, three hundred and
eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he
BROUGHT BACK ALL THE GOODS, and also... his
brother Lot, and HIS GOODS, and the women also,
and the people.
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread
and wine...
He [Abraham] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of
all.
All what? ALL THE GOODS that had been stolen
from Sodom and Gomorrah, which HE'D
RECOVERED and BROUGHT BACK!
That's EXACTLY what it says there. Abraham didn't
give Melchizedek ANYTHING [not a penny] OF
HIS OWN BELONGINGS!
ABRAHAM DID NOT, AND COULD NOT, HAVE GIVEN
HIM 10% OF "EVERYTHING HE OWNED", BECAUSE
"EVERYTHING HE OWNED" [HIS VAST WEALTH]
HAD REMAINED BACK ON THE PLAIN OF MAMRE,
IN HEBRON, WHERE HE AND HIS FAMILY LIVED
AT THE TIME [Genesis 14:13].
I CHALLENGE ANY LYING PREACHER, WHO
DECEIVES PEOPLE INTO TITHING, TO SCRIPTURALLY
PROVE OTHERWISE: christco@christconnection.net
When someone goes to war, even today, with all
the modern technology at our disposal, they don't
take "everything they own" with them.
Everything they own stays back home.
Are these liars suggesting that Abram took all that
cattle with him into war? That he took all his silver, all
his gold, all his herds and flocks and tents, and other
possessions into battle? That he took his wife and all
the maidservants [the women] and their children?
That's not what the Bible says. It would have been not
only extremely impractical, but logistically
impossible.
Women and children didn't go to battle. We're clearly
told he armed his men servants. Therefore, if he
took "all his possessions", that would mean he left the
women and children back home in Hebron with
nothing: No food, no money, no clothes, no
protection. His men would have been too busy and
preoccupied tending the sheep, and taking care
of all their belongings to be effective in battle
and rescue Lot. Do you see how utterly ABSURD
that is?
THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME, IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE,
that ABRAHAM TITHED ANYTHING! HE TITHED
ONLY ONCE, AND NOT FROM HIS OWN POSSESSIONS
OR HIS OWN CONSIDERABLE WEALTH, BUT FROM
OTHER PEOPLE'S POSSESSIONS.
There's no record ANYWHERE that tithing was
ESTABLISHED PRACTICED at all during that time.
He did it ONLY ONCE, VOLUNTARILY, without ANY
coercion.
Repent, lying preachers. Can anyone say "LIAR"?
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010
WILL GOD CASH YOUR
CHECK?
As I was channel surfing recently, I came across ONE
OF THE MAJOR "Christian" networks, just as their
pitchman, who shall remain nameless, was asking the
BRAINWASHED NITWITS in the audience "how many
of you would like to write God a million dollar
check"?
I cringed as I watched dozens of hands in the
audience go up.
Why would ANYONE write God a check?
Unless you make the check PAYABLE TO "God",
you're NOT "writing God" ANYTHING.
Even if you did what, exactly, would God do with
it?
Do you honestly expect God to CASH your check?
There's no buying or selling in heaven.
Besides, God can create, in a split second, ANYTHING
He wants, in WHATEVER QUANTITY He wants.
GOD DOESN'T NEED YOUR MONEY.
Let me say it again, and make sure EVERYONE hears it
[O.K., reads it].
GOD DOESN'T NEED YOUR MONEY.
God doesn't WANT your money, God doesn't NEED
your money, God's NOT AFTER your money.
It's the greedy preacher that's after your money!
Why don't you tell it like it is, nameless pitchman?
Giving to a preacher, ministry, or "Christian" network,
IS NOT GIVING TO GOD.
God doesn't get a dime.
THE UNCARING, GREEDY PREACHER GETS IT ALL!
The network in question is owned by a certain
religious crook and his son, who recently made
headlines by building himself, IN THE MIDST OF A
DEEP GLOBAL RECESSION, a FOUR MILLION
DOLLAR MANSION in South Carolina with YOUR, yes
YOUR... $15, $20 and $50 donations:
Wake up, Christians!
God doesn't take offerings [unless that offering is
your heart].
God doesn't cash checks. He doesn't take Visa,
Master Card or even American Express.
Heaven has no PayPal or ATM's.
Nor does God fleece His own Sheep to build Himself
mansions and a lavish lifestyle.
GOD IS A GIVER, NOT A TAKER.
It's religious con artists, WHO USE GOD'S NAME IN
VAIN... to TAKE, and TAKE, and TAKE.
Giving to "God" won't "hasten" the return of
Jesus, either. The ONLY THING it will "hasten" is
how quickly the money goes from your bank account
INTO THEIRS.
WHEN are we going to tell these jokers "ENOUGH!"?
WHEN are we going to PUT AN END to this
nonsensical farce?
MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2010
FULLNESS & TIMES
For all the self-proclaimed prophecy pundits, and all
the crappy books, CD's, DVD's, interviews and TV
shows they've produced, there's ENORMOUS
confusion about "the TIMES of the gentiles"
mentioned in Luke 21:24 and the "FULLNESS of
the gentiles" mentioned in Romans 11:25.
Some "experts" would have us believe they're the
same thing.
Do the words "times" and "fullness" mean the
same thing? Obviously NOT.
Then there's NO WAY IN HELL, or on earth, that
they can be the same thing.
Jesus said Jerusalem would be trodden down by
gentiles UNTIL the TIMES of the gentiles were
fulfilled. This clearly indicates that when their "times"
were fulfilled, Jerusalem would NO LONGER be
trampled by them, but would be recovered by Jews.
The TIMES of the gentiles clearly refers, therefore, to
all the times the gentiles would have dominion over
Jerusalem.
Since Jesus uttered those words, they had
UNINTERRUPTED dominion over the holy city, for
1,934 years.
The TIMES of the gentiles came to an END on June 7,
1967 when Jews recaptured biblical Jerusalem, in
fulfillment of Jesus' amazing prophecy.
Jerusalem has been in Jewish hands, praise Jesus
forever, ever since.
Paul said that blindness had come, in part, to Israel
UNTIL the FULLNESS of the gentiles had come
into the Kingdom of God, then ALL ISRAEL WOULD
BE SAVED.
Don't see any mention of Jerusalem there, do you?
The FULLNESS of gentiles, therefore, refers to the
FULL NUMBER of gentiles coming to Salvation,
after which ALL Israel [not just Jews but ALL 12
TRIBES] will be saved.
Two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT things, taking place at
two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TIMES.
We know the TIMES ended in 1967, what about the
FULLNESS?
In Revelation 14:6 God sends a special angel thru
heaven, at mid-tribulation, preaching the ETERNAL
GOSPEL to every nation on earth. Evidently, many
will heed the angel's message and turn to Jesus.
According to Revelation 14:6, 15:2 and 20:4, during
the reign of Antichrist there will be MANY
gentiles who will come to faith in Jesus and
reject the mark of the beast.
Many will be murdered for their faith. Those who
survive will have a special rapture just prior to the 7
vial judgments in Revelation chapter 16.
When that happens, early in the year 2017, the
FULLNESS of gentiles will have come into the
Kingdom, and shortly after ALL ISRAEL will be
saved and resettled into the land God gave them
as eternal inheritance.
The ONLY THING the two events have in common is
the word "gentiles".
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2010
WHO'LL FINISH THE JOB?
Must Christians reach the whole world with the Gospel
in order for Jesus to return?
I have heard more than one preacher use this line as a
fund raising gimmick, telling the audience that, as
they give for "the Gospel", they are "hastening THE
RETURN OF JESUS".
In fact, nothing that preposterous is found in the
Bible, and MOST of the money donated DOESN'T go to
"preaching the Gospel" but to making the lying
televangelist EVEN RICHER, and his lifestyle even more
opulent.
Jesus did command His disciples to "go into ALL
THE WORLD and preach the Gospel" [Mark 16:15].
EVERY Christian, whether minister or layperson, is
called by God to preach the Gospel, speak to others
about Jesus, and win souls to Jesus.
We should ALL be doing that, in one way or
another, UNTIL the moment He raptures us unto
Himself.
Will we get the job done before He returns? NO.
But what about Matthew 24:14 "And THIS gospel of
the kingdom will be preached in the whole world
for a witness to all nations, and then the end will
come"?
Oh, that'll happen FOR SURE. But nowhere does it
say it's CHRISTIANS who'll reach the whole
world before THE END comes.
Revelation 14:6 says very clearly that, around mid-trib
there's A SPECIAL ANGEL sent to FINISH THE JOB:
"Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had
THE ETERNAL GOSPEL to preach to those who
live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language
and people".
The reason God, for the first time in history, sends AN
ANGEL to preach the Gospel is because by then ALL
THE CHRISTIANS WILL BE GONE.
Had Christians gotten the job done and reached the
whole world before they were raptured, God would
have no need to send an angel 3½ years later to
re-preach it.
Last, but not least, there's NO SUCH THING as
"hastening" the return of Jesus [Isaiah 46:10;
Mark 13:32].
The day and hour of both, the Church's Rapture and
His Second Coming, were predetermined long
before time even EXISTED.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2010
GENTILES
In English we usually use the word "gentile" to refer to
those, who in the natural, are non-Jews.
However, the Greek word ethnos in the New
Testament is also translated as "nations" or
"heathen".
In biblical context, nations other than Israel were
considered "ethnos" or gentiles, because they were
outside the covenant made with God's chosen.
No Christian should ever think of himself or
herself as "gentile", since we're NOT outside
God's covenant, but rather very much INSIDE.
This is Paul's clear teaching in Ephesians 2:11-19:
"... you being in time past gentiles in the flesh...
were without Christ, being alien from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world.
But now IN Christ Jesus you who... were far off are
made near by the Blood of Christ... because thru
Him we both [Jews and non-Jews] have access
by one Spirit unto the Father.
Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and
foreigners [gentiles], but fellow-citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God".
So, while in the flesh many of us are non-Jews, if
you have received the Jewish Messiah, Jesus
Christ, INTO YOUR HEART AND LIFE AS LORD,
you have been circumcised in spirit, and in spirit
have joined the congregation [ekklesia] of God's
Chosen, spiritual Israel.
You ARE in covenant with God, therefore, no longer
"gentile".
God is spirit [John 4:24]. Therefore, entering into
covenant with God is done spiritually, not
carnally.
That's why it's so critical FOR JESUS TO ENTER
OUR SPIRITS, AND FOR US TO BE SPIRITUALLY
"BORN AGAIN".
As Paul also said in Romans 2:28,29:
"For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is
that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But
he is a Jew, who is one inwardly; and circumcision is
that of the heart, in the spirit...
Cutting off a piece of skin never made anyone spiritual,
nor a child of God. That was just a shadow [outward
demonstration] of the real circumcision which is of
the heart.
It's circumcision of the heart that translates us from
the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God
[Colossians 1:13], from being gentile to being a
true SPIRITUAL Jew.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2010
EVOLUTION
The theory of evolution is one of the greatest hoaxes ever
perpetrated on mankind.
Evolution is based on a wrong premise, to begin with. It
assumes that everything existed in some primordial state and
that, therefore, it took untold BILLIONS OF YEARS to bring the
earth and all living forms to their present condition.
They tack on BILLIONS of years with the same irresponsible
ease Lindsey uses cocaine, and both are equally misguided.
God, in fact, created the earth in a perfect and fully
developed state which, despite being severely marred by sin,
still retains its structural integrity.
Evolution is A THEORY.
There's NO PROOF WHATSOEVER that this THEORY is true.
Evolutionists assume that all living organisms, including
humans, came from ONE COMMON ANCESTOR.
Of course, they fail to explain where that "common ancestor"
came from.
Is evolution even scientific?
Since "science" is defined as knowledge obtained thru
OBSERVABLE EVIDENCE, THE ANSWER IS NO.
No one's EVER OBSERVED a frog turn into a penguin, a
sparrow turn into an eagle, let alone a monkey turn into a
human.
Why, then, is the theory of evolution presented as
"verifiable" science? More importantly, why is it presented
AS FACT, when there's no solid [or even shaky] evidence
behind it?
Because, the alternative is God.
If evolution ISN'T true, then we are CONFRONTED WITH THE
REALITY THAT THERE IS A GOD.
If there's a God, that means we have to ANSWER to Him.
One need only OBSERVE the astounding moral decline that
has taken place in Western society since the 1960's, when
this theory began to be taught AS FACT.
Why? Because if you believe you CAME FROM an animal,
that MAKES YOU an animal.
When you act promiscuously, when you sleep around with
several partners... hey, you're just following your "natural
instinct".
You "can't help yourself" any more than a monkey or
horse in heat can help itself.
If you steal, you're just following your instinct for self-
preservation, so you can buy food, clothes, whatever. You
know, "survival of the fittest".
If you, on the other hand, came from God, that makes you, at
least potentially, a child OF God.
Which, in turn, means you're bound to ACT LIKE God.
All evolutionists suffer from ACUTE low self-esteem.
That's why they think, act, and live as dumb, brute beasts.
They see themselves as animals, when they could be
children of the Most High God.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
WILL I RECOGNIZE MY
LOVED ONES?
A concern for many Christians is will they recognize
their loved ones in heaven?
Are spouses, parents, siblings, children, grandparents
and grandchildren given to us ONLY in this life?
Yes and YES.
Yes, you WILL recognize them.
Yes, in the NATURAL sense, they are given to us as
family and relatives in this life.
They will, however, still be our SPIRITUAL family in
the next life, God being the Father of us all.
In Matthew 22:29,30 Jesus made it clear that there's
no marriage or physical sex in heaven.
Will you recognize and interact with your
spouse? Yes.
Will you still be her husband, or his wife, in the
hereafter?
No.
Will you retain memory of moments and events shared
on this earth? Yes.
In Luke 16:19-31 we find the story of the rich man,
who died. In the afterlife, he could recognize
Abraham and Lazarus, and they could recognize
him. They also retained memories of what each had
done while still on earth.
In 2 Samuel 12:23, when David's son died, he
confidently stated "I will go to him, but he will not
return to me".
Jesus Himself said, "I tell you, I will not drink of this
fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I
drink it anew with you in my Father's
kingdom." (Matthew 26:29).
Christ was promising that He and His disciples
would drink the fruit of the vine together again--
in heaven.
No Christian should fear "losing" their saved loved
ones because of physical death or the Rapture [1
Thessalonians 4:16,17].
Be assured that we will still get to interact with them in
the next life, we will know who they are, they will
know who we are, and we will love each other with
God's Perfect Love.
For those who know Jesus the next world is
INFINITELY BETTER than this one.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
SANCTIMONIOUS
Christendom has more than its fair share of self-
absorbed, sanctimonious religionists.
What is a religionist? An inwardly decaying
professed "Christian" steeped in religion, who
believes himself to be "holier" than anyone else
and spends his or her life nit picking and
"correcting" others.
Religionists consider THEMSELVES, NOT the Word of
God, the FINAL ARBITERS of what is right or wrong.
Religionists overlook what really matters, which is
the condition of a person's heart, but rather focus
on the insignificant.
They GORGE themselves with the Word for months or
years, FOR FREE, and NEVER send a note of
appreciation or encouragement. But, HEAVEN HELP
US, if one day we mention some minor issue they
THINK they can attack, then immediately send a
condemning email at 4 in the morning.
They OVERLOOK 9 pages filled with rock-solid, NEVER
BEFORE HEARD biblical teaching, but nit pick at the
use of the word "pissed", WHICH GOD HIMSELF
USES IN THE HOLY BIBLE.
Jesus said it well: they "strain out A GNAT but
swallow A CAMEL" [Matthew 23:24].
Religionists believe that holiness is ON THE
OUTSIDE.
They THINK that because they never cut or color their
hair, don't wear makeup, don't wear jewelry, or
because they wear ugly clothes, that makes them
"holy".
They THINK that because they always speak or act in a
"measured" and "proper" manner IN FRONT OF
OTHERS, God doesn't see or hear WHAT THEY
REALLY SAY AND DO BEHIND OUR BACKS.
Religious bigots are NOT satisfied with someone
being born again and having Jesus ON THE
INSIDE. They want us to conform, not to the Image
of God, but to THE CORRUPT IMAGE IN THEIR MINDS.
They CAN'T STAND IT when someone BREAKS OUT OF
THE MOLD that their self-righteous mind considers
"acceptable."
NOTHING in this world is MORE BORING than a
sanctimonious religionist.
Give me a Christian who says "I HAVE THOUSANDS OF
DEFECTS, I am a poor sinner redeemed by the
Grace of God, not because I deserve It."
"By grace, God accepts me and loves me as I am".
A Christian, like the publican, who says "God, have
mercy on me a sinner" [Luke 18:13].
Before A MILLION sanctimonious bigots who like the
Pharisee say "Thank God I'm not like the others:
swindlers, unrighteous, adulterers, thieves. I fast twice
a week and tithe of all I possess "[Luke 18:11,12].
Jesus said the publican went home justified, but
that the smug, pharisaical self-righteous will be
judged [Luke 18:14].
Religionists need to REPENT, acknowledge that
THEY ARE AS SINFUL as the rest of us, and trust
not in their works, demeanor or OUTWARD
APPEARANCE, but ON THE GRACE OF GOD, AND
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS [Revelation 7:14].
NO ONE deserves salvation [Ephesians 2:8].
The ONLY thing that saves us is WHAT Christ HAS
ALREADY DONE, NOT what we do.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
WHAT THEY DIDN'T DO
ACTIONS won't send anyone to hell.
Huh? You heard me: ACTIONS won't send ANYONE to
hell.
For all the years I've ministered the Word, others have
preached it and taught it, for all the "Christian" media
and "Christian" resources at our disposal, there is
still a very large number of people who believe, or
FEAR, that their ACTIONS will either earn
heaven, or send them to hell.
They THINK that drinking a few beers, smoking,
watching porn, using drugs, having illicit sex, and
other such practices, will send them to hell.
There are even professing Christians who fear this.
That's how badly they've been deceived by
religion.
Lest there be any misunderstanding, ALL OF THESE
[except for drinking beer] are sin.
These practices are sinful and have VERY SERIOUS
consequences in this life.
That's why I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT Christians
live and walk in the Spirit so they can live free of all
forms of carnal bondage.
All I'm saying is that DOING these things, SINFUL
AS THEY ARE, is NOT what sends someone to
hell.
What sends people to hell ISN'T action, but
INACTION.
It's hearing the Good News that Jesus died for your
sins, poured out His Blood to cleanse you, PAID IN
FULL THE PRICE OF YOUR REDEMPTION, rose from
the dead, and NOT RECEIVING HIM INTO YOUR
HEART.
Actions CANNOT get you into heaven. Nor can
they send you to hell.
Inaction is what sends people there:
SITTING ON THE FENCE and NOT inviting Him into
your heart, IS THE ONLY SIN that sends ANYONE
TO HELL.
Jesus Himself said that ALL SINS will be forgiven to
men [and women] EXCEPT THAT ONE SIN [Matthew
12:31,32].
Many will be shocked when they find themselves in hell
and realize it wasn't anything THEY DID that got „em
there:
It was WHAT THEY DIDN'T DO.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
SECRET COVENANT
"For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought
into the open, and every secret will be brought into the
light" [Mark 4:22].
Does the Bible talk about having a "secret covenant"
with someone?
Is there a special form of "Kingdom relationship" that
allows a supposed minister to engage in sexual
relations with women WHO AREN'T his wife?
Is there such thing as a "spiritual marriage" that
allows a woman to have PHYSICAL INTERCOURSE
with a preacher?
[If it IS "spiritual", WHY in heaven's name do they
have to have SEX]?
Must some young man or woman be "released into
ministry" by an older minister?
Is there such thing as a special "covenant
ceremony" to become "spiritual sons" of a
preacher?
Does becoming a "spiritual son", protégé, or whatever
religious term they invent for it, ALLOW a supposed
"minister" to violate God's Word by engaging in
homosexual acts with one or more of his
"spiritual sons"?
The answer to all these questions is a resounding
NO.
You can study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation
and you won't find such thing as a secret
covenant with ANYONE.
Every covenant Jesus EVER made was PUBLIC.
Every covenant Jesus EVER made was CONSISTENT
WITH His Word.
If the PASTOR, BISHOP, APOSTLE, PROPHET, GROUP
LEADER, OR WHATEVER RIDICULOUS TITLE THEY TAG
ON THEMSELVES, TELLS ANYONE, TO DO ANYTHING
THAT CONTRADICTS THE WORD OF GOD, you are
to REJECT THAT WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
AND OBEY THE WORD OF GOD.
Instead, Christians regularly shun the Word and
follow the pastor.
That clearly demonstrates that they worship THE
MAN, NOT JESUS.
They've turned that religious leader INTO AN IDOL.
Wake up, Christians! It's fine and good for you to file
lawsuits, and that IS your right under the law, but
don't give me this TOTAL B.S. about "he abused
his spiritual influence" to get me to do this or
that.
YOU KNEW it was wrong. YOU KNEW it violated
God's Word, AND YOU WENT FOR IT ANYWAY.
Why? Cause you loved THAT SINFUL MAN MORE
THAN JESUS.
You loved the WORLDLY BENEFITS [expensive
gifts, trips, access to celebrities] MORE THAN JESUS.
FACE IT.
At least have the integrity to ADMIT THE TRUTH.
Does that mean the preacher bears no responsibility?
Of course not. He's responsible, all right. But that
DOESN'T EXONERATE YOU, either.
Now, if a child is forced by an adult into sexual
relations that's a different story. It's an abomination
in God's eyes and one that priest, pastor or whoever,
will have to answer for. NO PRIEST OR MINISTER
who commits this atrocity SHOULD REMAIN A
MINISTER. EVER!!!
But ADULTS, or young adults? Give me a break!
The world gets it right when it says "it takes TWO to
tango".
If the pastor tells you to jump off a cliff, are you
going to obey him?
Then WHY would you commit an act that
dishonors Christ, profanes His temple [you], and
which His Word repeatedly calls an abomination?
ALL that is done in secret will be brought into The
Light.
You may win your case in a court of human law, but
BEFORE a Holy God, YOU HAVE NO SCRIPTURAL
LEG TO STAND ON.
JESUS FIRST: ALL ELSE, and EVERYONE else, must
be A DISTANT second.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010
SAY IT ISN'T SO
Please, Lord, NOT AGAIN!!!
That's what I said Tuesday night when the news broke.
Unless you've been living like a hermit somewhere,
you've doubtlessly heard of yet another scandal
rocking the televangelistic world and one of its
superstars.
Allegations of homosexual relations with several
teenage boys who had been designated "spiritual
sons".
This on the heels of the Haggard scandal, a couple of
years ago, the financial mismanagement scandal of a
major Christian university, which brought about the
resignation of its CEO, several recent divorces among
high-profile televangelists, and even tabloid allegations
of secret overseas trysts between two very visible
televangelists, one whose divorce isn't even final yet,
and the other recently divorced.
All this AT THE EXPENSE OF YOU, the loyal,
submissive donor, thank you very much.
Add to all this the pedophilia scandal that has
plagued the Roman Catholic Church for over a
decade, which was painfully obvious, and got
extensive press coverage, during the Pope's recent
visit to the U.K.
Unfortunately, this is what the world hears about
"Christians". This is how the secular media, to their
utter delight, gets to portray our faith.
I hasten to add, however, that WE CAN'T BLAME THIS
ON THE MEDIA. They may ENJOY broadcasting or
publishing it, but they couldn't report these things
IF THEY WEREN'T, IN FACT, TAKING PLACE.
Tabloids can't publish a photograph of two prominent
televangelists walking out of a hotel holding hands, if
they hadn't, in fact, TAKEN such photograph.
The media wouldn't be circling a minister like ravenous
vultures if, in fact, not one, not two, BUT FOUR young
men hadn't made serious allegations.
I'd LOVE TO believe they aren't true and I suppose
one or two individuals may be willing to risk perjuring
themselves by making false allegations out of greed,
but FOUR I find HIGHLY unlikely.
The unsaved world, of course, ONLY gets to hear
about these lustful, greedy, out-of-control freaks.
They NEVER HEAR about the little, unknown pastor
who houses the homeless, or feeds the hungry.
They NEVER HEAR about the brave missionaries who
risk life and limb on a daily basis to bring the love and
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to thousands around
the world.
They NEVER HEAR about the wonderful Christian
volunteers and organizations who respond to
catastrophic events in various nations.
They never hear about them because these people
aren't in the limelight. They don't live their lives or
carry on their ministry in front of the cameras,
nor are they in the self-aggrandizement
BUSINESS.
REAL Christians aren't in it for fame... or for
money.
They don't get invited on Larry King, or one of the
"Christian" networks to engage in religious trafficking
and pitch the latest piece of crap they've written.
You may NEVER hear about REAL Christians
because, for the most part, they're NOT rich and
famous. They DON'T live in mansions, mingle with
celebrities, sashay around the world in private jets, or
drive around in Bentleys.
But then, again, neither did the disciples. NEITHER
DID OUR LORD.
The world NEVER gets to hear their names, but Jesus
KNOWS who they are.
Some seek their own soon-to-fade glory in this
TEMPORARY world.
Others seek the Lord's ETERNAL glory.
There are those who've already had their "rewards" in
this life.
There are those whose ETERNAL REWARD is in the
next.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010
BAPTISMS
When we say "baptism", most people think of water
baptism.
Did you know that there's more than one
"baptism" spoken of in the Bible?
The book of Hebrews, speaks of the doctrine of
"baptisms" [plural], and says it's a foundational
doctrine [Hebrews 6:1,2]. It's part of the A, B, C's of
Christianity.
The word "baptism" means "immersion".
There are three different baptisms
[IMMERSIONS] taught in the New Testament:
1. Baptism by the Holy Spirit into the Body of
Christ [1 Corinthians 12:13].
2. Baptism in water [Matthew 3:16].
3. Baptism WITH the Holy Spirit, a/k/a being
filled with the Spirit, which usually manifests by
speaking in unknown tongues [Matthew 3:11; Acts
2:4].
Is baptism necessary for salvation? Baptism #1
is. Baptisms #2 and #3 aren't.
Baptism by the Holy Spirit into the Body of
Christ, IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY and
AUTOMATIC when we receive Jesus into our hearts,
and are born again of the Spirit.
Baptism in water, despite what certain man-
invented denominations teach, ISN'T NECESSARY.
Having said that, EVERY Christian should be
baptized in water in obedience to our Lord's
command [Matthew 28:19].
Water baptism is simply a symbolic, outward
representation of what has taken place inwardly,
in our spirits, when we're born again. Namely, that
our sins have been washed away.
But what about the scripture that says "he who
believes AND IS BAPTIZED shall be saved, he who
believes not shall be damned"? [Mark 16:16].
That scripture refers to baptism #1 which, as I
just stated, takes place automatically when you
believe [trust] in Jesus' finished work of
Salvation.
If it referred to water baptism, which isn't
automatic, it's a separate act of obedience, then the
scripture would have to read "he who isn't baptized
in water, after believing, shall be damned".
Fortunately, that's NOT what it says.
Some Christians refer to speaking in tongues as "the
baptism of the Holy Spirit". That terminology is
incorrect.
The correct name is "being filled with the Spirit" or
"baptism WITH the Holy Spirit" [not "of"].
A person doesn't need to speak in tongues in
order to be saved.
Forget what some forms of hyper-charismatic, man-
created religion teach. NO SUCH THING IS TAUGHT IN
THE BIBLE.
Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit TO THOSE
WHO ALREADY ARE SAVED.
Although speaking in tongues PRIVATELY is very
beneficial and desirable, it is not necessary for
salvation, neither is water baptism. Being
immersed by God the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body, on
the other hand, is ABSOLUTELY necessary.
The reason being. IF YOU'RE NOT IN CHRIST,
YOU'RE NOT SAVED.
By One Spirit were we ALL baptized [immersed]
into one Body [1 Corinthians 12:13]. This is the
baptism that saves. No other form of baptism saves.
So, HOW is a person baptized into Christ's Body
by the Holy Spirit? I thought you'd never ask...
By earnestly inviting Jesus to enter your heart.
When you really give your heart to the Lord, His Holy
Spirit enters, transforms your inner being, and comes
to live permanently in your heart.
His Spirit then immerses [baptizes] you into the
Body of Christ.
That's the ONE AND ONLY baptism that saves.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2010
LIBERATION THEOLOGY
So-called Liberation Theology is a deviant, corrupt,
politically charged incendiary mixture of certain
aspects of Christian doctrine and Marxism.
The most notorious recent advocate of this heretical
form of Christianism is the infamous "God d@mn
America" Jeremiah Wright, who dared blame the
United States for the 9/11 terrorist attacks
proclaiming that "America's chickens had come
home to roost".
The movement began within the Roman Catholic
Church in Latin America in the late 1950's, and spread
abroad in the 1960's as a means of advocating "social
justice" and re-interpreting Christian doctrine
"thru the eyes of the poor".
It pushes "economic equality", while neglecting, or
altogether ABANDONING, THE MOST IMPORTANT
ASPECT of the Christian faith which is to be
spiritually reconciled to God [i.e., BORN AGAIN].
It basically portrays wealthy individuals and
countries as "evil" and the culprits of all the
misery in the world.
Like Marxism, it sounds good in theory, but falls
way short in practice.
Jesus said "the poor you have always with you" [Mark
14:7].
NOT ONCE did Jesus accuse the rich or blame them for
society's shortcomings.
The CULPRIT for ALL the injustice, inequality and
evil in this world IS MAN'S FALLEN, SINFUL
NATURE.
The "cure" is to get people born-again so that Jesus'
Perfect, Holy Nature can manifest thru them to the
entire world.
The other end of the heretical spectrum is the equally
aberrant "prosperity gospel" which falsely advocates
that ALL Christians should be rich.
[I've often wondered if the latter wasn't, at least in
part, a theological backlash to the former, since they
both emerged at about the same time].
The Vatican has repeatedly denounced Liberation
Theology, and NO TRUE follower of Jesus Christ
should get involved in this heresy.
While every Christian is called to do his or her
part in helping the poor, and seek social justice
and equality, we should also be mindful that UNTIL
the Prince of Peace sets up His eternal Kingdom
on earth, these evils will always exist, despite our
best efforts to eradicate them.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010
CHAG SAMEACH HAPPY SUKKOT
TABERNACLES
The Feast of Tabernacles will be observed by all
nations during the Millennium.
Zechariah 14:16-19 states that, when the Kingdom
of God is established on earth all nations will be
required to come to Jerusalem, each and every
year, to worship King Jesus and celebrate this
Feast.
The feast of Tabernacles [Sukkoth] is one of the
three festivals where Jews are required to make
pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the other two being
Passover and Pentecost.
Also called "the feast of ingathering" It was also a
period of general thanksgiving to God for that
year's harvest [Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:13].
Some scholars suggest that the first Thanksgiving
celebrated in America by the pilgrims, was a re-
enactment of this feast.
The colors used in Sukkoth decorations [shades of
brown, yellow, orange and green] are definitely
reminiscent of Thanksgiving.
Drawing a sharp contrast to Yom Kippur
[celebrated 5 days earlier], which is the most solemn
and somber day in the Hebrew calendar, Sukkoth is
the most joyous feast, commonly referred to in
Hebrew literature as "the Season of our
rejoicing".
Jewish families are required to live in huts, individually
called "sukka" [hence the plural Hebrew name
Sukkoth], for 7 days.
So, why the emphasis on Tabernacles during the
Millennium?
Why not Passover? Or Yom Kippur?
• Because, according to John 1:14 The Word [Jesus]
was made flesh and dwelt [skenoo in Greek],
literally, "TABERNACLED among us".
Jesus was born during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
The "stable" usually associated with Nativity scenes,
was a sukka [hut], used during this festival.
Christians have assumed it was a stable because it
mentions the manger, or feeding troth, but the Bible
says no such thing.
The Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verse 7 simply says
there was no kataluma [guest room] available;
therefore, Mary had to give birth in a manger
[phatne] which means a feeding troth or stall.
Because there was no vacancy, and because of Jesus'
impending birth, they had to temporarily lodge inside
one of these huts.
Jesus' BIRTH, therefore, took place on that particular
Holy Day.
After defeating Antichrist at Armageddon on Rosh
Hashanah, at His Second Coming, and sealing the fate
of the tribulation's survivors on Yom Kippur, His
Kingdom on earth will begin on Tabernacles
[Revelation 21:3].
So, His birth, the beginning of His public ministry in
Israel announcing the Kingdom of God, and the
physical manifestation of that Kingdom on earth ALL
take place on that MOST BLESSED DAY.
How fitting, then, that during His Kingdom on earth, all
nations should rejoice and come to pay homage to,
and worship, the King of Kings on His SPECIAL DAY.
Isn't God's Word marvelous? Isn't He PRECISE? Isn't
He Precious?
From North to South, from East to West, from
Tabernacles to Tabernacles, from Eternity to
Eternity, our JESUS IS GOD, and of His Kingdom
there shall be NO END.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
STUCK ON JAMES
Every time I hear from a religious legalist, hell-bent on
keeping the law, the first thing they quote is the Book
of James.
Of course, they only quote that portion of James that
SEEMS to support their FALSE DOCTRINE, and turn a
blind eye to the rest.
For that matter, they also shove aside Acts, Romans, 1
and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Colossians,
Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Titus, Philemon,
Hebrews, Jude, 1 and 2 Peter, 1,2,3, John, the Book of
Revelation, and the Gospels themselves.
They SHOVE the ENTIRE New Testament aside,
except for James 2:17: "faith, if it has not works,
is dead"...
This is the most misunderstood passage in the
entire Bible.
Legalists would have us believe that James is pushing
observance of the law and the 10 commandments.
Not on your life!
In James 2:10,11 he pointedly states that even if you
keep THE WHOLE LAW [all 613 commandments in
it], but offend in JUST ONE, you're guilty of
breaking all 613.
Clearly, then, James is in NO WAY, shape or form
saying we should even TRY to keep the law, let alone
ATTAIN RIGHTEOUSNESS thru it.
What does James recommend we do instead?
Chapter 2, verse 8 says: "if you fulfill the Royal
Law according to the Scripture „thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself', you do well".
Isn't this the VERY SAME THING that Paul
teaches in Romans 13:9?
That He who has been born again, who has God's
Divine Nature inside, which is Love, is automatically
fulfilling ALL the commandments?
But what about the rest of chapter two?
There is NO PLACE ANYWHERE in that chapter, or in
the entire epistle, where James says we are to keep
the law or the 10 commandments. NOT ONE.
He merely says IN VERSES 14-20 that those who have
ACTIVE FAITH [TRUST] in God will manifest that trust
by LOVING deeds [like feeding the hungry, which is
NOT one of the 10 commandments].
What about the statement he makes in verse 14 "What
does it PROFIT my brethren if a man SAYS he has
faith, and has no works? Can faith save him"?
First of all, James is writing his epistle to BELIEVERS,
to people who ALREADY WERE saved [James 2:1].
Consequently, he CANNOT POSSIBLY be referring
to Salvation from hell.
He EXPLAINS in verse 15 that if a brother [another
SAVED believer] is in need of food, and you DON'T
FEED HIM, you MERELY SPEAK [listen up, Word of
Faithers] and tell him "depart in peace, be warm and
FILLED" your so-called "faith" is useless BECAUSE
IT WON'T SAVE THAT BELIEVING BROTHER, NOT
FROM HELL, BUT FROM DYING OF HUNGER.
That's the ONLY possible meaning of this passage since
James was addressing Christians who ALREADY
WERE
SAVED.
He then uses Abraham [verses 20-24] as an example
of someone who had enough faith, who TRUSTED God
enough, to even offer Isaac in obedience some 430
years BEFORE the law or the 10 commandments were
given.
He also uses Rahab [verse 25] as another example of
TRUSTING God enough to hide the Israeli spies, who
were technically her enemies, until they could return
safely to their camp.
Again, it has NOTHING to do with the law or the
10 Commandments, since they were
UNKNOWN to Rahab and didn't even EXIST in
Abraham's time.
The WHOLE POINT of James chapter two is this: if we
truly have faith, if we have God's own perfect, holy
Nature in us, which is Love, it WILL MANIFEST,
sooner or later, in some form of LOVING ACT
which will help our brothers, or neighbors.
Works HAVE NEVER and WILL NEVER save anyone.
True faith will MANIFEST, at some point, in loving acts
INDEPENDENT OF the law or the 10 commandments.
Such "works" DON'T SAVE us. They merely PROVE
we already ARE saved.
Jesus said it best: "BY THEIR FRUITS ye shall know
them".
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2010
LABORERS
In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers.
He compares the Kingdom of God to the owner of a vineyard,
who goes out early in the morning to hire workers.
He agrees to pay them a certain sum for a day's work.
Then he goes out again, three hours later, and hires some
more workers. Three hours after that, he hires even
more. Finally, at the 11th hour, WHEN THERE'S HARDLY
ANY WORK LEFT, he hires more workers.
When evening came, He paid EXACTLY THE SAME WAGES
TO THOSE WHO'D WORKED SINCE 6 A.M. TO THOSE
WHO'D WORKED FOR ONLY ONE HOUR.
In fact He paid the last workers first, and the first
workers [those who'd toiled since 6 a.m.] last.
The first workers then complained that they should have
received more than the last workers, since they had
WORKED a lot longer AND HARDER.
But the owner of the vineyard told them "hey, didn't I pay
you what you agreed to work for? What business of yours
is it if I WANT TO pay these last guys the same as you
guys? It's my money. I can do with it, whatever I want.
YOU'RE JUST UPSET BECAUSE I'M GOOD".
[Obviously, I'm paraphrasing].
The first laborers are an allegory for those who try to EARN
THEIR WAY into the Kingdom thru WORKS. They THINK
they're more "deserving", and "entitled" to "more pay"
because they've borne the "burden and heat" of the day.
They THINK keeping the law and the 10 commandments, and
going to a building they INCORRECTLY call "church" on
Saturday, will get them Salvation and a better place in the
Kingdom.
But Jesus unequivocally stated THAT WASN'T THE CASE:
Those who hardly did anything, THEY JUST TRUSTED THE
OWNER'S WORD, AND HIS UNDESERVED GOODNESS
TOWARD THEM, got paid the same, AND GOT THEIR PAY
FIRST, which means they ENTERED INTO THE KINGDOM
AHEAD OF THE "WORKERS".
Then, the Lord makes the astounding statement "the last
shall be first, and the first shall be last: for many are CALLED,
but few are CHOSEN".
God didn't call his children to toil and labor for the
Kingdom; He called them, and CHOSE THEM, to REST.
The TRUE SABBATH, according to Hebrews 4:10, is CEASING
FROM OUR OWN WORKS, and TRUSTING JESUS'
FINISHED WORK OF SALVATION ON OUR BEHALF. It's
resting in Him, and what He did for us.
That's what the Old Testament Sabbath was merely a
shadow of [Colossians 2:16,17].
It's NOT what WE DO, it's WHAT HE DID.
ONLY WHAT HE DID will get us into heaven.
Here's Jesus' personal invitation to ALL "laborers":
"Come unto me, ALL YOU who LABOR and are HEAVY
LADEN, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST" [Matthew 11:28].
All "WORKERS" would do well to heed Jesus' Words.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010
HISTORY
Understanding the Bible is difficult without taking into
account its proper historic setting.
Knowledge of ancient history, therefore, comes in
handy when studying the Scriptures.
One thing we learn from both the Bible and secular
history is that history repeats itself.
Just because something has happened already, doesn't
mean it can't happen again. On the contrary, just
because some prophecy has already had a partial
fulfillment, that does not, and will not, preclude a
future and final fulfillment.
This is one aspect of Bible prophecy which preterists
[those who insist on teaching such events were
totally fulfilled in the first century A.D.] choose to
ignore, to their own detriment and self-deception.
But today I want to offer a different angle: if history
repeats itself, then history, to some extent, IS
PROPHETIC.
As Winston Churchill, who understood this tenet, once
said "those who do not learn from history are doomed
to repeat it".
This principle is taught in Ecclesiastes 1:9: "The thing
that HAS BEEN [PAST], it is that which SHALL BE
[FUTURE]; and that which is DONE [PAST] is that
which SHALL BE DONE [FUTURE]: and there is NO
NEW THING under the sun".
Let me offer some specific examples: the Temple in
Jerusalem was completely destroyed in 586 B.C. by
the Babylonians, in fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy.
Yet, it was completely destroyed again, ON THE
VERY SAME DATE IN THE HEBREW CALENDAR, THE
9TH OF AV, in 70 A.D. by the Romans, in fulfillment of
Daniel's prophecy.
Likewise, Daniel predicted the "abomination of
desolation" which took place in 168 B.C. when
Antiochus Epiphanes set up an altar to Jupiter in the
temple, and sacrificed pigs to the idol, even forcing
Levite priests to drink pigs' broth, and sprinkling it
around the altar.
Yet, clearly, as Jesus Himself indicated, there will
be a FUTURE "abomination of desolation" during
the Tribulation, in the third [future] Temple
[Matthew 24:15,16].
But the best example of history repeating itself, and
my personal favorite, is this:
Jesus already showed up once in human history.
The fact He already appeared, IN NO WAY MEANS HE
WILL NOT APPEAR TO US AGAIN.
"This same Jesus... shall so come in like manner,
as you have seen Him go" [Acts 1:11]. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.
All of history is, ultimately, HIS-STORY.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
THE 50TH JUBILEE
Most of you know that Jesus‟ Second Coming
will take place on Rosh Hashanah [on our
about September 21, 2017].
Rosh Hashanah is the Hebrew New Year
[5778].
10 days later, on Yom Kippur [Saturday,
September 30, 2017] the trumpet of Jubilee
will sound proclaiming liberty throughout the
land of Israel, and throughout the entire
world.
It will be the Messiah‟s Jubilee: The
announcement of the establishment of His
Kingdom on earth.
That final Jubilee is what the “7 weeks” [49-
year] division of Daniel‟s 70 weeks refers to.
Every 50 years, from the time Israelites
possessed the land of Israel is Jubilee.
We know Jesus died on Passover, 33 A.D.,
and rose from the dead three days and nights
later.
He died for our sins on a Jubilee year. He
HAD TO.
Jesus, being our Jubilee, died for our sins in
32 A.D. thereby confirming the significance of
Jubilee by:
…Returning mankind to its original owner,
Himself.
…By cancelling ALL DEBTS [forgiving our
sins].
…By setting us free from satan, sin and
death.
…By announcing the Gospel [Good News] that
we‟re no longer slaves to the law, but are to
live in the FREEDOM OF THE SPIRIT.
From the year in which He died 32-33 A.D. to
the Jubilee year of His Second Coming 2017-
2018 A.D., there are EXACTLY 50 Jubilees
cycles:
Fall 2017 – Fall 32 A.D. = 1985 Gregorian
years.
1985 Gregorian years X 365.2 = 724,922
days / 4 [for leap years] = 181,230.5 days
724,922 days + 181,230 days = 906,152
days
906,152 days / 360 days [in a Hebrew year]
= 2,517 Hebrew years
2,517 Hebrew years / 50 = 50 Jubilees
God is SO precise. He is such a perfectionist.
Praise you, Jesus!
Jesus died, rose and ascended on as our
Jubilee, and will return 50 Jubilees later [fall
2017], thus making His Second Coming the
Jubilee of Jubilees.
The 50th Jubilee will be heaven on earth.
G'mar Hatimah Tovah
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010
THE BOOK OF LIFE
"Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day [of my life] was
recorded in your book before one of them had taken place" [Psalm
139:16].
The Bible talks about FOUR distinct books, or
records, that are kept in heaven: the Book of the
Living, which I just quoted from, the Book of Life,
a/k/a the Lamb's Book of Life, where all those who are
saved by Jesus' atoning death and resurrection are
recorded, there's a Book of Tears mentioned in Psalm
56:8 and, finally, there's the Bible itself which is
"FOREVER settled in heaven" [Psalm 119:89].
Why would God keep a record of EVERY tear we've
shed?
Because He promises His children in Isaiah 25:8,
Revelation 7:17 and 21:4, that He shall "wipe away
ALL tears" from their eyes.
It's important to draw a distinction between the
Book of the Living [missefer chaiyim] mentioned in
Psalms 69:28, Psalms 139:16 and Exodus 32:32,33
which records everyone who's physically lived on earth
and their actions, and the Book of Life.
The Book of Life is a record of all WHO ARE SAVED.
It is mentioned no fewer than 8 times in the Bible
[Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,
15; 21:27 and 22:19].
Being removed from the Book of the Living means
physical death.
NO ONE is EVER removed from the Book of Life,
which means that "once saved always saved"
[Revelation 3:5; Romans 8:37-39; John 10:28, 29].
In Revelation 20:11-15 we read about ALL who
died WITHOUT faith in Christ being resurrected
for the great white throne (final) judgment.
Verse 15 UNEQUIVOCALLY SAYS "Those whose
names were NOT FOUND in the Book of Life were
thrown into the lake of fire".
This clearly indicates that BY THEN the names of
SOME of those who physically died without faith
in Jesus WILL BE FOUND in the Book of Life and
WON'T be tossed into the lake of fire, but WILL BE
SAVED.
Which clearly indicates that even in hell, where God's
Presence is still accessible [Psalm 139:7, 8], they
can call on the Name of Jesus and be saved.
If that weren't the case, this Scripture would have
said "EVERY ONE of them was cast into the lake of
fire". Instead, it says ONLY those NOT FOUND in the
Book of Life were cast into the lake.
Religious prejudice notwithstanding, the original
Greek clearly makes it CONDITIONAL on NOT
being found in the Book of Life, in order for
anyone to be thrown into the lake.
If God's intent were to damn EVERYONE who didn't
believe in Jesus in this life, there would be no
reason for hell to even exist. It would be either
heaven or the lake.
Instead, God provided this temporary place where
those who have rejected Him and are lost STILL have a
chance, IF THEY WANT TO, to repent, turn to Jesus
and BE SAVED.
After all, Jesus didn't come TO CONDEMN, but TO
SAVE [John 3:17].
He is patient, not willing that ANY should perish but
that ALL should come to repentance [2 Peter 3:9].
This speaks VOLUMES about just how gracious and
merciful our precious Lord is: glory to Him forever.
At the end of the millennium, those NOT found in the
Book of Life, along with hell itself, are tossed into
the lake of fire, which is eternal [Revelation 20:14,15].
Those who end up in the lake of fire are FOREVER
alienated from God's' Presence [Matthew 25:41]
and will NEVER be saved.
Whether on earth or in hell, there's ONLY ONE WAY
to be written in the Book of Life and that's to
RECEIVE THE LIFE HIMSELF into your heart.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
SECOND CHANCE
One of the questions most often asked of our ministry is "will
those who never heard the Gospel, or those who died
without Christ, get a second chance to receive Jesus"?
The answer is "YES". They WILL BE ABLE TO invite Jesus into
their hearts in the afterlife, and get saved.
Whether they actually DO IT, is another story.
I'm mindful this isn't conventional religious teaching, but then
again, this isn't a religious ministry.
This is a BIBLICAL ministry.
If a friend or loved one has passed away, WITHOUT knowing
Christ, I want to assure you that:
A. They're in hell. I'm NOT going to lie just to make you feel
good [Hebrews 9:27].
B. Even in hell itself, people CAN cry out to Jesus, invite
Him into their hearts, get saved, and END UP IN
HEAVEN [Psalms 139:7,8].
C. While it's still POSSIBLE for them to get saved, IT'S NOT
CERTAIN.
There's NO GUARANTEE of Salvation in hell.
Those who ARE in hell are there because they DIDN'T
receive Jesus as Lord IN THIS LIFE, when it's SO EASY.
...When ALL it costs is YOUR HEART.
If they hardened their hearts in this life, how can we be sure
they won't become even more hardened in that awful
place? We CAN'T.
The Bible clearly tells us that those who are in hell CAN
repent and get saved UP UNTIL the end of the Millennium.
They'll have 1,007 more years to reconsider.
Those who, even in hell itself, call on Jesus will have their
names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
By the END of the Millennium, all who HAVEN'T received
Christ, whose names AREN'T written in the Book of Life, will
be resurrected and tossed into the lake of fire FOR ALL
ETERNITY [Revelation 20:15].
NO ONE'S EVER getting saved there.
NO ONE'S EVER coming out of there.
If you have a friend or loved one who DOESN'T KNOW Jesus,
you owe it to him or her to TELL THEM NOW, INVITE THEM
NOW, to receive Him INTO THEIR HEARTS.
If they do it NOW, heaven's A SURE THING.
Even IF there were NO God, no satan and no HELL, they got
NOTHING TO LOSE by receiving Jesus NOW.
Only AN IDIOT would reject the offer.
Only a fool would postpone the decision and "take their
chances" in hell.
NOW we can be SURE of Salvation.
Later, we can only hope.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2010
10 HORNS IN EUROPE
For years, the prophecy establishment has been telling
us that the NATIONS that first comprised the
European Common Market, which is presently known
as the European Union (EU) will be the 10 horns
that will support the Antichrist
Back in the 1970's, while the number of member
nations was fewer than 10, the theory seemed
somewhat plausible, however, the present European
Union is comprised of 27 member nations, with three
more whose membership is pending approval, bringing
them to 30.
But the problems don't end there. Daniel 2:40-44
clearly says it's 10 KINGS that will arise, NOT 10
nations, and that 5 must rule over the Western
division of the former Roman Empire and 5 over the
Eastern division.
So, WHY are they still teaching it's the EU?
Because that's what C.I. Scofield taught A CENTURY
AGO, and these guys seem to be caught in a prophetic
time warp.
Daniel 12:9 clearly says such things WON'T be
understood UNTIL the time of the end.
And Daniel 12:4 says that at the time of the end
"knowledge shall increase".
Apparently, these guys have never read the 12th
chapter of Daniel.
Contrary to what you've heard, the Roman Empire
WON'T BE revived. There won't be any Caesars, no
Senate, no Pax Romana, nor will the Antichrist
government be headquartered in Rome.
EVERY Scripture where these 10 kings are mentioned
always refers to them as "horns" or "kings". NOT
ONCE are they called "nations".
Revelation 17:12 indicates that they are kings who
have NOT YET received their kingdoms, and that
they will reign "for one hour" with the Antichrist. So,
clearly, these aren't present monarchs.
The former Roman Empire was divided into 13
territorial dioceses [administrations]: 6 in the Western
Part and 7 in the Eastern Part.
The three kings who are "uprooted" are those of:
Egypt [Daniel 11:41-43], the East (Israel, Syria,
Lebanon), [Zechariah 14:1-4] and Rome [Revelation
17:15-18].
That leaves 10 kings over the territories of the
Roman dioceses formerly named: Spain, Britain, Gaul,
Italy, and Africa, in the Western Division of the
empire, and Dacia, Macedonia, Asia, Thrace, and
Pontus, in the Eastern portion.
The territory comprised by those 10 dioceses includes
the modern countries of England, Spain, France,
Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy,
Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Turkey,
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.
So, while there will be 10 kings over 10 territorial
regions or dioceses, they will comprise, in terms of
current geography, some 22 nations all surrounding
the Mediterranean.
As you can see, SOME nations included in those
territories ARE members of the EU, and some AREN'T.
Some may wonder how "Christian" England, France,
Spain and Italy will turn against Christ and support the
Antichrist.
First of all, the current population of these nations
is largely secular. Secondly, by then EVERY REAL
Christian will be in heaven, and only unbelievers
will be left on earth.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 says:
"because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved... God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness".
Here's "Exhibit A" of why it's so important to study
what the Bible ACTUALLY says, instead of gulping
down what OTHERS SAY it says.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
NIGHT IS COMING
We have heard in recent days from several individuals
asking for advice as to whether they should or
shouldn't do certain things this close to the Rapture.
It dawned on me that many who haven't written may
also be wondering.
In Luke 19:13 Jesus told his servants to "occupy 'til I
come". We are to go about our daily business UNTIL
He shows up. That means we shouldn't neglect our
jobs, families, homes, or service to Him.
What about plans or projects that may be in the
works?
According to His Word we're less than two months
from the Rapture, so I would have to question the
wisdom of STARTING a NEW enterprise at this point in
time.
While there's no harm in doing so, and there's no
Scripture that says we shouldn't, it's a matter of
common sense. It just seems like your energy and
remaining time here on earth would be MUCH BETTER
SPENT getting close to Him, serving Him, and
WITNESSING to the unsaved.
This might be a good time for each of us to take
stock of our lives, and prioritize. What's REALLY
important to us? What and whom do we care about
most?
I realize it can be frustrating to leave something
"halfway done". I myself had written a second book,
which is almost ready for publishing, and only needs
some minor editing.
I put a lot of hard work, a lot of hours of my precious
time into it, and it's a book that the Body of Christ in
general, and Christian ministers in particular, are
DESPERATELY in need of. Yet, it will never be
published.
Would I have liked to see it published? Sure.
Does it remotely compare to the ABSOLUTE JOY
of seeing my Lord? Not even close.
All of us, to one extent or another, will leave certain
things undone, or incomplete. But WHAT IS THAT in
comparison to being raptured into His glorious
Presence?
My advice to everyone is: take a few moments to
think deeply about what or whom REALLY
MATTERS, what is it that you DON'T want to
leave undone, and START DOING IT NOW, WHILE
THERE'S STILL TIME.
It may be telling someone you love them, it may be
witnessing to a friend, neighbor or co-worker, it may
be inviting a relative to receive Christ, it may be
lending a helping hand to those in need, or visiting a
loved one you haven't seen in a long time.
While NONE of that will get anyone into heaven, NOW
is the time to get it done, and tie any loose ends.
There's still a window of opportunity to accomplish
those things that are important to us, but it won't
remain open very long.
So, as Jesus told Judas at the Last Supper:
What you're going to do, do quickly.
[Didn't mean to compare any of you to Judas...].
As Jesus also said in John 9:4: "As long as it is day,
we MUST do the work of Him who sent me. Night is
coming, when NO ONE can work".
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010
PERCEPTION
How we see ourselves makes a HUGE difference in our
spiritual walk, and how we live our lives.
NOBODY wakes up one day and suddenly realizes he's
an alcoholic, or a drug junkie.
It's dissatisfaction with ourselves, running away from
our perceived "reality" that causes people to start
using illegal substances. Before they know it, they're
hooked.
We ruin our own life and bring unhappiness to those
we share it with.
It's low self-esteem that has caused division in
the Church, and spawned false doctrine.
It makes us see OTHER Christians as defective; it
makes us FEAR their worship style, or emphasis.
It makes us see our own born-again brethren as
threats.
Religion always brings bondage. It clouds our
perception and our thinking. It fosters fear. It
promotes the lie that God is some mean, angry,
intolerant tyrant, whom we must "appease" on a
regular basis, who's just waiting for us to make the
slightest mistake so He can whack us over the head,
and crush us like cockroaches.
That's why "Christianism" often rejects God's ALL
SUFFICIENT Grace and ADDS works.
They THINK that, even after receiving Jesus, a
person is never "good enough", that they're still
"inferior", and that keeping the Sabbath, performing
good deeds, keeping the ten commandments, doing
penance, giving sacrificially, and other such WORKS
will make them more worthy, more acceptable to
God.
They don't TRUST the fact that God, thru Christ,
MADE US PERFECT, MADE US HIS EQUAL, by GIVING
US His OWN Nature and His own righteousness
[Hebrews 10:14; 2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21].
The Truth is God is on our side. He's always been
on our side.
The Truth is, if you've received Jesus into your heart,
you've been accepted by God. You're His son. He's
your father. There's nothing you can do to become
"worthy" or acceptable.
He's already declared you righteous and holy.
How can any Christian see himself inferior or worthless
when it cost Jesus His very Life and Blood to redeem
us?
He could have reneged. He could have said "No way.
That's too high a price". But He didn't.
He was willing to pay that huge, incalculable price FOR
YOU.
Terrorism is the most glaring example of religious
inferiority. They hate us because they perceive
themselves "inferior" to us.
They see themselves underdeveloped, uneducated or
downright illiterate, poor, oppressed, in all kinds of
religious bondage, while we live better, freer, more
prosperous, happier lives.
They hate us for the blessings and freedoms we
enjoy.
It was the perception of "inferiority" that got us
into the mess this world is in.
Satan DECEIVED Eve into thinking she was "inferior" to
God and that God was withholding Godhood from her,
when in fact, He had MADE THEM IN HIS OWN IMAGE
[Genesis 3:4,5].
So, how do we overcome the perception of inferiority
that brought the downfall of this planet, and continues
to wreak havoc in our world?
By LIVING in perfect unity with God.
By realizing there's NO SEPARATION whatsoever
between God and us.
By realizing that Jesus has FOREVER reconciled us to
Himself [2 Corinthians 5:19].
By seeing ourselves as ONE with Him with whom all
things are possible [John 17:21-23; 1 Corinthians
6:17].
By realizing that Jesus really does love you... More
than you can ever imagine...
My brother, my sister, value yourself, respect
yourself.
If you don't, you DISHONOR the God who lives in you,
and in whose Image you were made.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2010
SELF-ESTEEM
At the root of most, if not all, of this world's problems
is lack of self-esteem.
Like all evil, it originated with the evil one, satan. It
has plagued mankind ever since Adam and Eve took
that bite off the proverbial apple.
Since that watershed moment, organized religion
has ALWAYS aided and abetted satan in
promoting LOW self-esteem.
Most forms of organized religion tout it as something
desirable, even as a virtue.
satan, despite being created a perfect being, with
great wisdom, and untold riches, felt inferior to God
[Ezekiel 28:12,13]. To be sure, he was and is.
Instead of asking and TRUSTING God to satisfy his
desires, he decided to separate from God, and
take what he wanted by force.
As a result, he lost his exalted position in heaven.
He's been miserable ever since.
Since he's having such a bad time, he's decided that
everyone else, especially those who bear the
Image of God, should be miserable, as well.
The Bible calls it the "mystery of iniquity" [2
Thessalonians 2:7].
Satan will put the lie in people's minds that they're
inferior to someone else: not as attractive, not as
rich, not as intelligent, not as educated, not as loved,
not as appreciated, not as good, not as deserving, not
as famous, not as spiritual.
He'll sell them the abominable lie that people of
certain races or ethnicity are superior [or inferior, as
the case may be].
When we lack self-esteem we SEE ourselves
separated from God. We see ourselves separated
from others. In our unregenerate minds, though
we may never admit it, we see ourselves inferior
to others.
Am I suggesting you should see yourself "superior"?
No.
You should see yourself EQUAL.
Religion has confused pride with self-esteem. They are
two different things.
Pride is always based on who you are, self-esteem is
based on who God is.
Pride is based on what you do. Self-esteem is based
on what He did.
When you get right down to it, it's lack of self-
esteem that causes a 14-year old girl to get pregnant
and have babies out of wedlock, or even worse, abort
them.
If she valued herself, if she realized how much
she's worth to our Lord, how much Jesus loves
her, and THE PRICE He was willing to pay in order
to redeem her, she'd take better care of herself. She
wouldn't just give away her body to the first guy that
comes along. She'd love Jesus, seek Him with ALL her
heart, she'd cultivate herself, and she'd get an
education.
By the same token, it's lack of self esteem that
also causes young men to get women pregnant
and have a bunch of babies that they're not even
ready, willing, or able, to support.
They feel inferior and worthless, so the only way
they can assert their "masculinity" is by having sex
with as many different women as they can, regardless
of the consequences.
Low self-esteem, lack of self-love, is what causes
them to join street gangs and engage in criminal
activities that will ruin their lives, put them in jail, and
wreck the divine destiny and purpose God has for
their lives.
If these young ladies and young men ONLY KNEW
their true worth, if they knew HOW MUCH Jesus
loves them, HOW MUCH He values them, that He
was even willing TO DIE for them, they'd shun
these activities.
They would develop the unique gifts and talents God
has blessed them with.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
LOVE AND PRIDE
Are Christians supposed to love themselves, or does
loving oneself constitute pride?
So many godly, well-meaning preachers think and
teach that it's just plain wrong to love oneself, and
cannot differentiate between self-love [another
name for self-esteem] and pride.
I'm NOT talking about the pride which results from our
achievements, or those of someone we love. That is a
healthy pride. I'm referring to the kind of pride
which is haughty and makes an individual think
he or she is "superior" to others.
For starters, anytime a preacher [I don't care how
nice, godly, well-meaning or famous... I don't care how
"anointed', or how many PhD's he's got] contradicts
Jesus.... for me, it's a NO-BRAINER... I'M SIDING
WITH JESUS.
Jesus said we are to love ourselves. Furthermore,
He said we're to love our neighbor AS WE LOVE
OURSELVES [Matthew 22:39].
If we DON'T love ourselves, heaven help our
neighbors!
If we DON'T love ourselves, we have NO LOVE to
give others.
Christians must love. We must love God, our neighbor,
ourselves.
We must love believers and unbelievers. We must love
heretics. We must love those who love us, and those
who hate us! We must love those who appreciate us
and those who criticize us. We must love those who
agree with us, and those who disagree with us.
I didn't say it was easy...
Matter of fact, such love is NOT natural, it's
SUPERNATURAL.
It's NOT an emotion; it's an ATTITUDE OF THE
HEART.
Another common religious misconception is that loving
others means we're to act like doormats and let them
trample us. Wrong!
Jesus said to turn your cheek ONCE. He didn't say to
let them slap you silly! He didn't say to let them
clobber you!
Jesus was love personified, yet He didn't take
any B.S. from the religious "leaders" of His day.
Messing with love is dangerous! Don't mess with
love! It's THE most powerful force in the
universe. Yes, He's long-suffering, kind, gentle and so
forth, but He's also a consuming fire! [Hebrews
12:29].
So, what's the difference between pride and self-
love?
Pride is haughtiness. It's thinking we're better or
superior to others. Pride is self-sufficient and rooted
in the flesh. It's totally focused on self.
Prideful people are totally deceived.
Love is the fruit of the Spirit. Love is God Himself.
Therefore, love is ALWAYS focused on God.
Love ELEVATES US, and ELEVATES OUR
NEIGHBOR.
Pride ELEVATES ONLY US, while PUTTING DOWN
our neighbor.
Love HAS NO FEAR [1 John 4:18].
Pride is FULL OF FEAR. Pride is supreme
insecurity. That's why it NEEDS to denigrate others.
Pride needs to make others "inferior", so we can
feel "superior".
Pride is what the Pharisee had when he said "God I
thank you that I'm not like this publican. I do this
, and I do that, and I do the other" [Luke 18:11,12].
Love is what the publican had when he said "God,
have mercy on me, a sinner" [Luke 18:13,14].
There's no haughtiness in love [1 Corinthians
13:4].
LOVE ALWAYS DEPENDS ON HIM WHO IS LOVE.
IF FOR NO OTHER REASON, CHRISTIANS MUST
LOVE THEMSELVES, BECAUSE THEY HAVE LOVE
HIMSELF LIVING IN THEM.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Remembering the victims of 9/11 and their
families.
The Pentagon Twin Towers
APOLOGIZE TO SODOM
How many times have you heard some bloodthirsty
religious blowhard say "if God doesn't judge America,
He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah"?
They want to heap judgment and condemnation on our
nation, in the name of "Divine justice".
Well, God IS just and holy. He doesn't need some hell,
fire and brimstone religious windbag telling Him what's
right or just... let alone what to do, and whom to
judge.
God is also exceedingly merciful. He will show mercy
to whom He will show mercy [Romans 9:15].
I don't mean to minimize America's sins, which are
great and many. There are parallels between certain
segments of our society and Sodom.
But what these snarling fools fail to realize is that
there are also many righteous people in America.
Unlike Sodom and Gomorrah, where you couldn't
find even 10 righteous individuals, there are still
millions of righteous people in the United States
[Genesis 18:22-32].
Not righteous with our own "righteousness",
which is as filthy rags in God's eyes, but righteous
because Jesus' own PERFECT righteousness has been
IMPUTED [credited] to us FREELY [Isaiah 64:6;
Romans 4:22-24].
All those who have received Jesus into their hearts,
have been given a new nature, and have been
credited God's OWN righteousness... BY GRACE,
thru faith [2 Corinthians 5:21].
Jesus compared these last days to the days of Lot
FOR A REASON. He also compared them to the days
of Noah [Luke 17:28].
If God would NOT send judgment on Sodom, UNTIL
Lot and his daughters [just three righteous people]
got out [Genesis 19:22], if He wouldn't send the flood
UNTIL Noah and his family [8 people] were safely
inside the ark, will He send THE BRUNT of His
judgment on the U.S. while there are still
MILLIONS of born-again believers?
I trust NOT.
Daniel 12:10 warned about society's polarization in the
end times.
Americans, then, have two possible futures: those
who are saved will be raptured to heaven. Those who
aren't, will experience the tribulation's horrifying
calamities.
Present economic and political woes are just the tip of
the iceberg.
9/11 was but a "wake up" call.
God WILL judge America for its many sins, BUT NOT
UNTIL HIS PEOPLE ARE SAFELY IN HEAVEN.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010
AFTER WORKS
Should Christian ministers teach their congregations
obedience and holy living?
Absolutely! Not only should they teach it, they
need to lead by example.
All children should be taught proper behavior by their
parents. And parents should set the example for them.
What no TRUE minister of Christ should EVER
teach is that Salvation is CONTINGENT ON how
they behave.
Have you EVER known, or heard of, a human parent
who told their children "you're mine", then the next
day when the kids did something wrong "you're
not my children anymore"?
What would you think of a parent who told his or her
kids "you're mine", then "you're NOT mine", then
"you're mine" , then "you're NOT mine" again... and so
on?
You'd think, rightfully so, they belong in the loony bin!
Yet that is EXACTLY what is taught BY MANY SO-
CALLED "MINISTERS" OF THE Gospel, including so-
called "Evangelical" ministers!!!
That you can "lose" your Salvation. That you can be
God's son [or daughter] one day, then NOT BE
His son [or daughter] the next.
What the hell kind of aberrant teaching is that?
Not only it that sort of teaching CONFUSING,
UNBIBLICAL, and UNTRUE... it's downright STUPID!
It's a damnable, ridiculous LIE!
We can be OBEDIENT sons, or DISOBEDIENT
sons, but we CANNOT "un-son" ourselves!
If SINFUL parents can handle their children's
disobedience, and CONTINUE BEING THEIR
PARENTS, and CONTINUE LOVING THEM,
DESPITE THE CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR... what
MAKES YOU THINK OUR HOLY, WONDERFUL,
GRACIOUS, PERFECT, LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER
CAN'T?
What makes you think He didn't PROVIDE and
ATONE for any and all disobedience, WHEN HE
PAID SUCH ASTRONOMICAL PRICE IN ORDER TO SAVE
US?
All who preach this FALSE GOSPEL of salvation thru
"performance" are guilty of GROSS MINISTERIAL
MALPRACTICE.
They are the ones who need to fall on their faces
before God and ask forgiveness for their sin.
They need to repent of grossly distorting the Truth,
and proclaiming a confusing message, instead of a
clear message of Salvation.
They need to repent of putting FEAR, WHICH IS
SIN into the hearts of their congregations, INSTEAD
OF FAITH, which is what ALL THE CHILDREN OF GOD
are supposed to live and walk by [2 Corinthians 5:7;
Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23].
ALL anyone can do about their Salvation is RECEIVE
JESUS CHRIST INTO THEIR HEARTS AS LORD.
There's nothing else you can do BEFORE you're saved.
There's nothing else you can do AFTER you're saved.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010
Ketiva ve-chatima tovah
THE FEASTS OF THE LORD
Leviticus chapters 23-25 describe the God-appointed
feasts [moedim] that the Israelites were required to
observe.
These feasts were divided into two groups: The
Spring Festivals [Passover, Unleavened Bread,
Firstfruits, Shavuot (Pentecost)], and the Fall
Festivals: Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Succoth
(Tabernacles)], and every 50th year, Jubilee. Later,
during the time of the Maccabees, the festival of
Hannukah [Dedication] was added.
In addition to these, Numbers 10:10 establishes the
observance of the New Moon, which marks the
beginning of each month [Rosh Chodesh].
The entire Hebrew calendar is dependent on the
appearance of the New Moon in the sky verified by
two reliable witnesses [Numbers 28:14; Psalms
81:3,4].
In Colossians 2:16,17 Paul EXPLICITY STATES that
Rosh Chodesh has prophetic significance for the
Church.
The Rapture of believers will take place on this
important feast.
After the Rapture, Jews will repent en masse, after
seeing the resurrected Jesus appearing in the clouds.
This, along with the appearance of the Two Witnesses,
will trigger the building of the third temple.
Though there's no harm in so doing, Christians are
not required to observe those feasts. Their
relevance to us today is mainly prophetic.
These festivals are called mikra ‘ey kodesh, or "holy
convocations". The Hebrew word for "convocation"
[mikra] also means "meeting" or "rehearsal".
They are symbolic representations of God's
unfolding plan of redemption.
God wanted His people to REHEARSE these things,
over and over, year after year, so their meaning
would be so ingrained in them that, when their
final fulfillment took place, they'd recognize it,
and be prepared for it.
Jesus perfectly fulfilled all the Spring Feasts in His First
Coming: He died on Passover [John 13:1,28,39;
19:14], was buried on Unleavened Bread, Rose on
First Fruits, [1 Corinthians 15:20] and sent His Holy
Spirit to indwell His Church on Pentecost [Acts 2:1-4].
It stands to reason, therefore, that He will also
fulfill the Fall Festivals in His Second Coming.
His Second Coming will take place on Rosh Hashanah,
the trumpet of Jubilee will sound on Yom Kippur, and
His earthly Kingdom will officially begin on
Tabernacles. The millennial Temple will be raised and
inaugurated on Hanukkah.
It is therefore incumbent upon Christians to be
familiar with these feasts, as they foretell our
gathering unto Him, and Jesus' triumphant
return.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2010
Earthquake Update: In case you haven't noticed, there has
been MORE SERIOUS seismic activity in the past 4
days: a 7.4 quake in Christchurch, New Zealand on Saturday
9/4, a 6.3 quake near Anchorage, Alaska on that same day, a
series of about 12 small quakes in Oklahoma on 9/5,
ANOTHER 5.2 quake near Wellington, the capital of New
Zealand yesterday 9/6, and a 6.3 in the Fiji islands today 9/7.
Please pray for those who've been affected, especially
that they will heed the "warning" and come to know
Christ. Thank you.
PICK A PERSON
We're only a couple of months away from that glorious
moment when the sky splits along the Milky Way, rolls
away, and Jesus appears to rapture His Church
[Revelation 6:12].
Only one thing can be better than seeing our
Lord face to face and forever being in His
Presence, and that's TAKING SOMEONE ELSE
there WITH YOU.
What BETTER gift to lay at our precious Lord's feet
than ONE MORE SOUL for whom He died and shed His
Most Precious Blood?
So, rather than the "shotgun approach" where you
shoot the Word out there and hope He will draw souls
to Himself, I want to encourage every born again
Christian to try the "rifle approach", where you
concentrate ON JUST ONE PERSON.
Pick ONE soul that you care about and want to bring to
saving knowledge of Jesus and make him/her YOUR
PROJECT for the next couple of months.
It can be ANYONE: family, friend, co-worker, or
neighbor.
Zero in on that individual and GENTLY [don't
badger them, don't get pushy, don't shove the Lord
down their throats], talk to them FROM YOUR
HEART, share with them what Jesus has done in
your own life.
Most people have this amazing ability to detect when
someone's being genuine or phony. So, be genuine. Be
yourself.
DON'T talk religion. DON'T try to get them to switch
from their denomination [assuming they have one] to
yours.
Even if they belong to A FALSE DENOMINATION OR
CULT, don't attack it.
Talk to them about THE MARVELOUS EXPERIENCE of
receiving Jesus into their heart and
EXPERIENCING HIS PRESENCE, HIS OWN
NATURE, WITHIN THEMSELVES.
The goal is NOT for them to change denominations.
The GOAL IS GETTING Jesus INTO them.
When Jesus penetrates [ENTERS] someone's
heart THAT PERSON IS SAVED, I don't care where
they worship, I don't care what denomination they
belong to, I don't even care if they don't attend
church.
Jesus inside = Salvation.
Don't forget to "close the deal", i.e., at the opportune
moment ask them TO INVITE JESUS INTO THEIR
HEARTS, or better yet, lead them in a simple prayer to
do so.
How about it, brothers and sisters?
Doesn't OUR PRECIOUS JESUS deserve ONE MORE
SOUL?
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
RAPTURE NOT IN THE
BIBLE
Don't faint. You know me better than that.
The Rapture doctrine is TOTALLY biblical. But the
word "Rapture", as such, isn't found in the Bible.
Neither are the terms "Trinity", "Christmas", or
"Second Coming" FOUND IN THE BIBLE. Even the
word "Bible" ISN'T FOUND IN THE BIBLE!
Does that mean there is no Trinity, there was no
Nativity, there won't be a Second Coming, and
there are no Bibles?
God forbid!
Yet this is the lame, shallow, hypocritical
"argument" that post-tribulation adherents [I
hesitate to call them "believers"] use, time and again,
to "prove" there is no PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE.
Ha! You wish...
The other stupid, stale, FALSE argument is that the
concept of the Rapture was "invented" in the 1800's by
a 15-year old, or 18-year old [depending on who's
arguing], Scottish girl based on a vision she had.
The "girl" in question was Margaret MacDonald,
and this "argument" IS A LIE.
MacDonald BELIEVED THE CHURCH WOULD GO
THRU THE TRIBULATION as evidenced in her own
writing that:
"the trial of the church is from Antichrist" and,
"... I saw the people of God in an awfully dangerous
situation, surrounded by nets and entanglements,
about to be tried, and many about to be deceived
and fall. Now will the wicked be revealed, with all
power and signs and lying wonders, so that if it were
possible the very elect will be deceived- This is the
fiery trial that is to try us. It will be for the
purging and purifying of the real members of the
body of Jesus; but oh, it will be a fiery trial"...
[Norton's Memoirs, p. 171-176]
Their third point of contention is that NO ONE in the
early church believed the Church would be
removed PRIOR to the tribulation.
Even if it were true, that doesn't prove ANYTHING,
since God pointedly told Daniel prophecy would
NOT be fully understood UNTIL "the time of the
end" [Daniel 12:9].
However, that is patently false. We have extra-
biblical evidence, from Ephraem the Syrian, a
manuscript dating back to the FOURTH CENTURY
A.D., which says:
"For ALL saints and Elect of God ARE GATHERED,
PRIOR TO THE TRIBULATION THAT IS TO COME,
and ARE TAKEN TO THE LORD, lest they see the
confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of
our sins".
Furthermore, the apostle Paul believed it [2
Thessalonians 2:3].
The apostle John believed it [Revelation 7:9-14].
And Jesus TAUGHT IT [Luke 21:36].
Of course, if certain "Christians" would rather
STAY AND SUFFER, I'm sure that can be arranged.
Any so-called "Christian" who'd rather spend time with
the Antichrist than with Jesus, should have both
their head AND THEIR HEART examined.
For those of us who CAN'T WAIT to FOREVER SEE
JESUS FACE TO FACE, there's glorious Rapture
ahead!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2010
HISTORY OF TITHING
Tithing is one of the most controversial topics
discussed on this website. Most Christians have been
brainwashed by the religious establishment that they
MUST tithe 10% of their INCOMES to "God" [i.e., to
the "minister" issuing the threat] OR ELSE.
Does the Bible support such menacing teaching? Does
a loving God, who knows NO FEAR, want His
children to be intimidated and COERCED into
PAYING a FALSE "tithe"?
Hardly.
The tithe was commanded, for the first time, in the
book of Leviticus. The tithe NEVER consisted of
money. IT WAS 10% OF ISRAEL'S CROPS AND
CATTLE.
The tithe was obligatory for Israelites, AND ONLY FOR
Israelites, under the law given to Moses, AS WERE
612 OTHER COMMANDMENTS.
God never required ANY other nation [Gentiles]
to bring Him tithes.
God has NEVER commanded His Church to tithe.
Tithes [crops and cattle] were brought BY NATURAL
ISRAELITES to the Levite priests that served in the
tabernacle, and subsequently, the temple in
Jerusalem. [Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:26;
Deuteronomy 12:7, 14:29, 26:12; and 2 Chronicles
31:5-].
Levites are THE ONLY ONES authorized by God to
receive tithes. CHRISTIAN MINISTERS AREN'T
[Hebrews 7:9].
NOWHERE IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE DOES IT SAY
THAT CHRISTIAN MINISTERS ARE TO RECEIVE
TITHES.
While the New Testament encourages FREEWILL
offerings, NOWHERE in the New Testament is it taught
that Christians must tithe.
Christians in the early Church NEVER TITHED.
EVER.
Jesus, who is God incarnate, never asked anyone
to tithe to Him, nor did He EVER tithe. And He is
our Supreme Example. His disciples never tithed,
either.
So how did "tithing" MONEY creep into the
Church?
Tithing was revived late in the 4th century A.D. by
greedy religious tyrants, intent on amassing great
wealth, influence, prestige and power.
They saw this part of the Old Testament law as a
convenient means of fund raising. But since there
were no more sacrifices to be offered, and no temple,
NO LEVITE PRIESTS, and since they weren't
interested in wheat and barley, or sheep and
oxen, but rather cold, hard cash, they REVISED
and ADAPTED this portion of the law to Christian
theology, and started demanding one tenth of a
person's INCOME.
This false, perverted premise was accepted by the
Western Part of the Church, never by the Eastern Part.
By the 6th century A.D., it had become mandatory in
most of Europe, either by ecclesiastical or secular law.
By the 17th century A.D. tithing from one's income
had been imposed on ALL Christians as a means of
supporting the churches, both Catholic and Protestant.
Eventually many countries in Europe repealed the
tithe laws.
In America, tithing was never obligatory.
Christians DIDN'T TITHE, but rather donated on a
VOLUNTARY basis.
It was late in the 20th century [about six
decades ago] when, emboldened by greed, and the
wealth acquired by some emerging Christian
TV "superstars", that pastors and preachers began to
push it aggressively as inflexible spiritual law,
accompanied by threats of a curse.
Since then, congregations and audiences have been
effectively BRAINWASHED, thru the power of media,
into believing the tithe is still in effect, that it's
mandatory, that it consists of money, that it belongs
"to the local church", and that preachers [as opposed
to Levites] are authorized to receive it.
ALL these are UNSCRIPTURAL LIES.
THERE'S NOTHING, NOT ONE IOTA, OF SCRIPTURE TO
SUBSTANTIATE such FALSE TEACHING.
THE TITHE LIE BOTH VIOLATES and
CONTRADICTS TRUE BIBLE DOCTRINE.
Next time some lying preacher asks you to
"tithe", tell „im "Sure, I'll send you 10 sacks of
barley".
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010
WHAT GOD'S ALWAYS
WANTED
Ask most theologians what the original sin was and
they'll say it was pride.
Is is true? No.
The original sin was UNBELIEF.
Unbelief means "NOT TRUSTING".
That's WHY without faith [without TRUST IN Jesus]
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to please God [Hebrews 11:6].
At some point in "eternity past" satan coveted the
Throne of God.
He wanted to be like God Himself.
So, he instigated rebellion where one-third of the
angels sided with him [Isaiah 14:13,14].
satan and his angels tried to take God's Throne BY
FORCE.
They tried to STEAL IT. That's why satan's referred
to in the Bible as "the thief" [John 10:10].
The ONLY REASON anyone would try to steal
something, or try to take if by force, IS BECAUSE
THEY DON'T TRUST they will get it by JUST ASKING.
Think about THAT for a moment.
They don't believe in that person's Goodness, but
rather that that Person wants to KEEP SOMETHING
GOOD from them.
The Bible refers to this as "the mystery of iniquity".
satan COULD HAVE trusted God, told Him what he
wanted and asked God to elevate him to His Throne.
He didn't.
HE CHOSE REBELLION instead.
So, God expelled satan, created man in His own
Image, allowed man to sin, then PAID THE
UNIMAGINEABLE PRICE to redeem us, bring us back
unto Himself, and make us SIT ON HIS THRONE
[Revelation 3:21], which is what satan had always
wanted.
That's why satan hates you.
That's why he's after your soul.
That's why he'll lie to you.
He'll do ANYTHING; he'll tell you A TRILLION LIES,
if that's what it'll take to keep you FROM Jesus.
That's WHY Salvation is BY FAITH (TRUST), NOT by
works [Ephesians 2:8.9].
That's why no amount of "good works", no amount of
trying to get there on your own, and no amount of
human effort, will take you to God's Throne.
All it PROVES is that you DON'T TRUST Jesus.
If you want Salvation, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK.
ASK Jesus to save you, then TRUST Him.
God never changes. All He's ever wanted is your
COMPLETE TRUST.
If you TRUST Jesus, God's Throne is A SURE
THING.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2010
SOUL SLEEP
Soul sleep is A FALSE DOCTRINE put forth by many
cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses, United Church of
God, Christadelphians and Seventh Day Adventists.
It basically teaches that there is NO HELL, and no lake
of fire, and that those who die are in a state of
unconsciousness until the final resurrection, in which
the "righteous" [i.e., those who belong to their cult]
are resurrected and the "unrighteous" [everyone
outside their cult] just stay dead forever.
Does the Bible support this absurd doctrine? NO
WAY.
For starters, it suggests that Jesus came down,
subjected Himself to all that horrible suffering,
beating, crucifixion, and three days and nights in
hell itself, to save us from a "nonexistent" hell, and
from just staying dead [hence unconscious] forever.
Sorry, cultists, but if the worst that can happen to
an unrepentant sinner is just that he dies and
stays dead and unaware of any suffering
forever, THEN JESUS PAID AN EXCESSIVE, and
unnecessary price to redeem us from JUST that.
Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in
the Bible, and repeatedly warned about going
there.
In Mark 9:47,48 He said "...It is better for you to enter
the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two
eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm
does not die, and the fire is not quenched".
In Matthew 25:41 He said "Then He will also say to
those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into
the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil
and his angels.
Question: if the lost simply "cease to exist" WHY
would the fire be ETERNAL?
Then, of course, there's Luke 16:23-27 where Jesus
said: "The rich man also died and was buried. In hell,
where he was in torment, he looked up and saw
Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he
called to him, „Father Abraham, have pity on me and
send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue, because I am TORMENTED
in this fire.'
Does that sound to you like this man was peacefully
asleep and unaware of his surroundings?
Dear God, he was SO TORMENTED and SO AWARE that
he begs Abraham to send someone to his brothers who
are still alive on earth TO WARN THEM NOT TO END UP
THERE.
For good measure, there's Revelation 14:9-11: "A third
angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If
anyone worships the beast and his image and
receives his mark on the forehead or on the
hand... He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the
smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.
There is no rest day or night for those who worship
the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives
the mark of his name."
Does that sound to you like these people have
CEASED TO EXIST?
Does it sound like they're asleep and blissfully
unconscious of any suffering? Give me a break!
The ONLY REASON the Bible refers to the dead as
"sleeping" [Luke 8:52; 1 Corinthians 15:6), is because
death resembles sleep in the sense that the body
lies down, AS IF it were asleep, then "wakes up" when
it's resurrected. It's speaking FIGURATIVELY, NOT
literally.
No pun intended, but those who promote the doctrine
of "soul sleep" are in for A VERY RUDE "awakening".
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2010
WILL RELIGIONS UNITE?
One of the myths that the prophecy establishment has consistently fomented is
that "ALL false religions will unite into one" during the tribulation.
So-called "one world religion" is only true to the extent that, for the last 3½
years of tribulation EVERYONE will be FORCED to worship satan and
the Antichrist, under penalty of death [Revelation 13:15].
That they will get Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and New Agers to unify and
form a single religion is COMPLETELY FALSE.
There's no inkling of that ANYWHERE in the Scriptures.
C'mon, you can't even get SAVED people to unify, and you're gonna get the
unsaved to do so?
It'll never happen. We can't even get Catholics and Episcopalians to
reconcile, let alone bringing someone who believes in Allah in unity with
someone who believes in Krishna, Buddha, or Maitreya.
As I've stated repeatedly, by mid-trib, there won't be a single atheist, agnostic,
Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim or New Ager.
So-called "Christian" CULTS like Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and
"Christian" Science will either worship satan [they already do], or will have
to REALLY TURN TO THE ONE TRUE GOD, JESUS CHRIST with ALL
their hearts.
EVERYONE on earth will be a satan and Antichrist worshipper [Revelation
13:4-8].
The ONLY ONES who won't worship them are those who see The Light
(better late than never) and turn to Christ during that calamitous time.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010
VOLCANOES
Did you EVER see so many volcanoes erupting... in
the same year?
Earlier this year we had the volcano with the funny
name in Iceland [Eyjafjallajoku, good luck trying to
pronounce that], which erupted repeatedly, causing
many major airports in Europe to close or cancel
flights.
While its activity has subsided, it hasn't stopped yet.
On April 26, 2010 we had two volcanoes spewing
lava on the same day, the Santiaguito in Guatemala,
and the Tungurahua in Ecuador, which has been
erupting intermittently ever since.
On 8 June 2010, Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico had
one of its larger explosions during recent years: an ash
plume was generated that rose to 8 km (27,600 feet)
altitude.
On that same date [8 June 2010] the Klyuchevsky
[who the heck comes up with these names? lol]
volcano in Russia had a strong eruption with an ash
plume to 7-8 km elevation. (Source: VAAC)
On August 6th, there was a sudden eruption of the
Karangetang volcano in the remote island of Siau,
killing at least 4 people. Several villagers living around
the volcano are still missing and many others were
injured.
And this past weekend there was the Sinabung volcano
in Indonesia, which had been dormant for 400
years, erupting on Saturday and re-erupting on
Sunday interrupting air travel in that area of the
world, as well as killing some people, and causing over
35,000 to be evacuated from the region.
There may have been others I'm not aware of.
Is all this mere "coincidence"? Hardly.
In Matthew 24:7 Jesus mentioned some of the signs
that would precede the Rapture and He mentioned
"earthquakes in various places".
This year opened up with a huge quake in Haiti,
followed a couple months later by a very large quake
in Chile.
Additionally, there have been major quakes [5.0
on Richter scale, or larger] in China [6.9],
Argentina [5.1], Papua New Guinea [5.0, 6.3, 7.0],
Santa Cruz Islands [5.0], Offshore, Chile [5.1, 6.1,
6.4, 6.2, 6.5], several in Taiwan [5.1, 6.4, 5.2, 5.3],
Afghanistan [5.9], Indonesia [7.4, 7.5, 6.2, 7.4, 6.8,
6.9, 6.0, 6.3], Tonga [6.0], Iran [5.1, 5.8, 5.2, 5.7,
5.6, 5.9], Puerto Rico [5.7], California-Mexico border
[San Diego, 5.1, 5.7,5.9], Costa Rica [6.1], Japan
[5.5, 6.2, 6.0], Vanuatu [7.5], Toronto, Canada felt in
Albany New York, parts of Michigan and Ohio [5.5],
Solomon Islands [6.9], Mexico [6.2, 6.4], Fiji [6.3],
Alaska [5.0, 5.5, 5.8, 6.7], Mariana Islands [6.2, 7,2,
6.6], Greece [5.1], Philippines [6.5, 7.3, 7.3], Pakistan
[5.2], Ecuador [7.2], and Oregon [5.3].
I'd say those are "DIVERSE" places.
That's NOT COUNTING hundreds of smaller quakes
[below 5.0 on Richter], including a 3.6 quake in
Washington, D.C.
However, Jesus' words did not refer ONLY TO
EARTHQUAKES.
The Greek word used in that passage is seismos,
meaning there would be A LOT OF SEISMIC
ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT PLACES.
Volcanoes ARE ALSO the result of seismic
activity.
It's friction caused by the movement of the earth's
tectonic plates that causes volcanoes to erupt.
Our Lord's words are being fulfilled in precise
detail. It's all happening RIGHT BEFORE OUR
EYES.
Does Jesus have your attention, yet?
If not, WHAT WILL IT TAKE to get it?
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010
THE GOD WE PRAY TO
The other question I've been getting since Beck
announced his rally last week is "But, don't you
think it's good that people gathered to pray?
I got four words for you: "too little, too late".
I pray for America DAILY, but I don't kid myself as
to where this [still great] nation is headed.
Beck's rally reminded me of the Old Testament story
about Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
Everyone gathered to call on their "god".
But only the ONE TRUE GOD, the God of the Bible,
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, answered by
fire [1 Kings 18:22-40].
For too long America has been worshipping
Baals. Even Christians have been swept into rampant
idolatry: we've worshipped the "gods" and "goddesses"
of celebrity, popularity, fame, sex, pleasures, power
and money.
Elijah went before the people and said, "How long
will you waver between two opinions? If the
LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God,
follow him." [1 Kings 18:21].
There's ONLY ONE GOD that praying to will do
any good and His Name is Jesus.
ALL ELSE is empty rhetoric and vain religion.
Jesus is apolitical: He's neither Democrat,
Republican, Libertarian, nor member of the Tea
Party.
He's the ONLY God that will preserve America
from total destruction in the next 7 years.
He's THE ONLY GOD, PERIOD.
We should pray to the God of the Bible that He will
spare the U.S. in the coming tribulation and that He
will hold His judgments a little longer. However, don't
kid yourself that He will do so indefinitely.
The wheels are already in motion. Prophetically,
we've reached a point of no return and, whether
anyone agrees or disagrees, whether anyone
likes it or not, in a couple of months all hell's
gonna break loose.
Rather than gathering with a cultist in Washington,
D.C., to pray to various "gods", THE BEST PRAYER
ANYONE CAN SAY RIGHT NOW IS "LORD JESUS,
COME INTO MY HEART.
I receive you as my ONLY Lord, Savior and God. I
believe you died for my sins and rose from the
dead. Jesus, SAVE ME".
If you said that, and meant it, e-mail me
christco@christconnection.net and I'll send you some
FREE information to guide you in your new walk with
the Lord.
Just state somewhere "received Jesus".
All info is confidential. This ministry WILL NEVER sell
your e-mail address to third parties, nor try to sell you
anything, nor solicit donations.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2010
GLENN BECK
In light of the recent "Restoring Honor" rally in D.C.,
we have received several e-mails asking me to
comment on this sad event.
For the past few years I've quietly watched Mormons
steadily beat Evangelicals at their own game, namely,
at using the power of the media to their own
advantage.
I'm NOT suggesting that ALL Evangelicals have
misused the media but, unfortunately, 90% of them
have.
While the latter have procured their own TV stations,
satellites, or cable channels, to preach mainly to the
choir, and become rich by selling them worthless junk
that no one will remember 6 months from now, the
first have been acquiring large blocks of stock in
major media corporations, including the one that
owns the cable channel most watched by
Evangelicals, the VERY ONE Glenn Beck is on.
How do you think this guy went from being an obscure
radio personality to hosting his own show on Fox
virtually overnight?
And WHY do you think Mitt Romney, whose personal
aspirations to become President aren't exactly a
secret, is FEATURED SO OFTEN, AND IN SUCH
FAVORABLE LIGHT, on Fox News?
Because they have friends in influential places
who are pulling strings.
The real tragedy is that most Evangelicals are blissfully
unaware of the well orchestrated campaign of
misinformation and religious seduction they're being
subjected to.
DO NOT, brothers and sisters, buy the lie that
Mormons are "fellow Christians". They most
emphatically ARE NOT.
The fact they mention "God" and "Jesus" doesn't make
them Christian anymore than my mentioning Allah
makes me Muslim.
Mormons DENY SEVERAL of the FUNDAMENTAL
beliefs of the Christian faith:
1. They DENY the absolute authority of the Bible.
Although they "USE" the Bible SELECTIVELY, when
Bible doctrine is in conflict with the Book of Mormon,
they favor the latter.
2. They DENY the Deity of Jesus.
Anyone who does that IS NOT SAVED. No if's and's or
but's.
3. They DENY the Virgin Birth and claim Jesus is
the offspring of God having sex with Mary.
4. They're polytheistic. They DENY that the God
of the Bible is the One True God, and believe there
are MANY OTHER GODS in the universe.
5. They DENY that Salvation is BY FAITH in Jesus
ALONE.
6. They teach the blasphemous lie that Jesus and
satan are "spirit brothers".
If you want to know just HOW SATANIC THIS
UNGODLY CULT IS, I invite you to read the testimony
of a FORMER Mormon, who is now [praise God!] a
born-again Christian, here:
www.christconnection.net/id4.html [scroll down]
To prove just how far reaching this campaign of
deception has been, Beck consulted two VERY
PROMINENT Evangelical "leaders" on holding the rally,
and THEY GAVE THEIR BLESSINGS.
That SPEAKS VOLUMES about the pitiful, spineless,
media-driven "leadership", or LACK THEREOF, in
today's Church.
Having a show on "Christian" TV or "Christian" radio
DOES NOT A LEADER MAKE.
Mormons also view themselves as guardians and
defenders of the constitution of the United States,
which they believe to be God inspired. Never mind that
they have repeatedly violated that very
constitution they claim to uphold throughout their
history by engaging in polygamy [Reynolds v. United
States, 98 U.S. 145].
Jesus warned about such DECEPTION in Matthew 24:4,
saying that MANY would come IN HIS NAME
[professing, like Beck, to be "Christian"] and DECEIVE
MANY.
He issued that warning to believers, not skeptics.
I'm not telling you which TV channels to watch, O.K.?
But don't get sold on the FALSE notion that EVERYONE
WHO APPEARS ON TV CLAIMING TO BE "Christian"
really is.
And DON'T THINK because someone shares
YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS, that THEY ALSO
SHARE YOUR FAITH.
MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2010
TRIBE OF DAN
Among the 12 tribes of Israel, the tribe of Dan has fueled
more speculation than any other.
There's a persistent rumor that the Antichrist will come from
this tribe.
Such speculation is based on the fact that Dan is the only
tribe NOT INCLUDED in Revelation 7:1-9 among the
144,000 Israelites who are sealed at the start of the
tribulation.
To understand WHY, we need to look back at their
history.
In Joshua 19:47 we read the Danites had trouble taking their
allotted territory in Canaan [Israel]. When they finally took
most of it, they NAMED IT after their father Dan.
By the Book of Judges 18:1-12, they still had not fully taken
possession of it. They NAMED the place where they set
up camp Manaheh Dan.
So, we know from the Bible that they had this custom of
NAMING the places they possessed after the name of
their forefather Dan, thus leaving a "NAME trail" along
the places they inhabited.
The tribe of Dan was one of the 10 Northern tribes which
were taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. [some refer
to them as the "10 lost tribes"], but they seem to have left the
aforementioned "NAME trail" wherever they went.
Keeping in mind that the Hebrew language contains NO
VOWELS, only consonants, any place in Europe, Asia, or
even Africa, that has "Dan", "Den", "Din", "Don" or "Dun" in
its name was, in all probability, at some point, perhaps even
at the present time, inhabited in whole or in part, by this
tribe.
For instance, SiDON, SarDINia, DUNeDIN, ScanDINavia,
DENmark, where they speak DANish, and citizens are called
DANes, the River DANube in Eastern Europe, LonDON,
DarDANelles, and MaceDONia.
In Judges 18:16-20 the tribe of Dan is THE FIRST TRIBE
that INTRODUCES and engages in full fledged IDOLATRY
inside the Promised Land.
In Genesis 49:1,18 it says regarding the tribe of Dan in the
last days "I have waited for your Salvation, Oh Lord".
So, why are they NOT included in the 144,000 sealed at the
beginning of the tribulation?
Because of their PERSISTENT IDOLATRY and UNBELIEF.
If you check the list above, all the places they've been to,
have one thing in common: IDOLATRY, or OUTRIGHT
ATHEISM.
Revelation 14:4,5 tell us that the 144,000 are comprised of
Israelite believers who are "undefiled", who "follow the
Lamb, wherever He goes", and are "without guile" and
"without fault".
Most Christians wouldn't even fit that criteria, let alone a
bunch of idolaters, unbelievers, and atheists.
The Danites were the ones who INTRODUCED IDOLATRY
in Israel. It was that idolatry which, years later, spread to the
other 9 Northern tribes, and became THE REASON they
went into captivity and remain "lost" to the world [not to God]
to this very day [1 Kings 11:31-,33; 16:31-33, chapter 18].
That's why they're not part of the 144,000. Because
when the tribulation starts, they'll still be in unbelief.
That's why they will need to "WAIT FOR" God's
Salvation [Jesus], for His Second Coming, to get right with
God, and get back into the Holy Land.
Will the Antichrist come from the tribe of Dan? No.
He is from one of the territories where the Danites once
sojourned, namely MaceDONia, but he is NOT an Israelite,
he's VERY Greek: http://www.christconnection.net/id7.html
Danites will get straightened out in a hurry, and repent of
their unbelief, when they see THE ONE TRUE GOD, Jesus
Christ, return and rule the whole world from Jerusalem.
Despite their rebellion, their future is SECURE.
In Ezekiel 48:1, during the Millennium, when Jesus rules the
earth, when ALL ISRAEL [ALL 12 TRIBES] are re-gathered
and "settled after their former estates", the VERY FIRST
TRIBE mentioned as occupying the northernmost part of
Eretz Israel, IS THE TRIBE OF DAN.
God is faithful. Unfortunately, even those whom He chooses
often aren't.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2010
WHAT SATAN LOVES MOST
While it's hard to imagine the words "satan" and "love" in the
same sentence, I'm obviously using the term figuratively.
What do you think brings most gratification to his
wicked heart? Sinners? Occultists? satanists?
NOPE.
It's RELIGIOUS CULTS AND LEGALISTS that thrill him
the most.
satan is father of lies and master of deceit. What better way
is there to damn a soul to a Christless eternity, than
getting them to THINK that they're "Christian" because they
belong to the "ONLY TRUE RELIGION"?
That THEY ARE the ONLY "REAL" Christians?
That THEY are the ONLY ONES "REALLY SAVED" BECAUSE
they keep the commandments [ALL who CLAIM to keep
them ARE LIARS]?
That THEY are the ONLY ONES who keep the Sabbath?
That THEY are the ONLY ONES who have some "lost"
EXTRABIBLICAL revelation, NOT contained in the Bible
[probably, the BIGGEST LIE of all]?
That the founder of their CULT is THE ONLY PERSON who ever
got the "full revelation" that God intended for humanity, EVEN
THOUGH THAT "REVELATION" frequently CONTRADICTS the
Bible?
Or, that the Bible ISN'T the Holy, INFALLIBLE Word of God?
Or, that you can be "Christian" without believing that
Jesus is God, who came to redeem us Himself?
What BETTER or CLEVERER way to keep souls alienated
from AN INTIMATE, PERSONAL, HEART RELATIONSHIP
with Jesus, THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE THEM, than to
offer them ALTERNATIVE "Christian" religion?
Cultists THINK they have right standing with God.
They have A FORM OF "godliness", while they REMAIN
LOST, and alienated from Jesus who is the Life.
Cultists are those who DON'T TRUST JESUS, but rather
TRUST THEIR OWN RELIGION and THEIR OWN WORKS.
They're the ones who will hear Jesus say "I NEVER KNEW
YOU" [Matthew 7:22,23].
THE ONE SURE WAY TO END UP IN HELL is BECOMING
RELIGIOUS, then trusting your own works, before or
after you become "Christian".
It's by trying to "IMPROVE" on what Jesus already
accomplished.
When you do, you FALL FROM grace, and Jesus becomes
OF NO EFFECT to you [Galatians 5:4].
We are NEVER saved by what we do ON THE OUTSIDE,
BUT BY WHO LIVES INSIDE.
People erroneously THINK that hell will be full of pimps,
prostitutes, drug pushers, thieves, homosexuals and
adulterers. They're wrong. Jesus paid FOR ALL THOSE
SINS.
It'll be full OF RELIGIOUS PEOPLE.
Hell will be full of FALSE "CHRISTIANS", who THOUGHT
what Jesus did WASN'T ENOUGH, so THEY NEEDED TO
ADD THEIR OWN "PERFORMANCE".
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010
THE END OF ATHEISM
"...has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" [1 Corinthians
1:20].
If we increased the molecular speed of any object in
front of us to the speed of light, it would vanish
right before our eyes.
It would disappear. You'd THINK it wasn't there,
your eyes would tell you it wasn't there, WHEN in
reality IT'S JUST AS MUCH THERE AS IT WAS A
MOMENT AGO, only you can't see it, nor detect it with
any of the senses.
God is spirit. Spirit beings exist in the realm of light.
They move at the speed of light. Hence, while we
remain in these earthly bodies, they're invisible to
us. But are they real? You bet!
If you were transferred from this physical, earthly
realm into the realm of light, you'd become invisible
to us here on earth, but you'd be VERY VISIBLE AND
TANGIBLE to beings in that other realm.
That's EXACTLY what'll happen at the Rapture.
We will be transformed from natural, vulnerable,
mortal beings into supernatural, invulnerable,
immortal, LIGHT BEINGS.
God IS light. In Him is NO DARKNESS AT ALL [1 John
1:5].
We already bear His Image [light] in our spirits. At the
Rapture His Image will transform our soul [mind] and
our body into His incorruptible Image [Romans 8:29;
Philippians 3:21].
We'll become manifested sons of God [Romans 8:19].
3½ years later, when the Antichrist begins to rule the
entire world, there won't be A SINGLE ATHEIST or
AGNOSTIC.
NOT ONE.
EVERYONE who remains on earth will be FORCED to
take sides: God or Satan. Christ or Antichrist
[Revelation 13:16-18].
There will be NO OTHER OPTIONS.
For that matter, there won't be any Muslims, Hindus,
Buddhists, New Agers, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses,
members of United Church of God, Christian Science,
Scientologists, Masons, or any other heretics,
regardless of what they may call themselves.
EVERYONE will have to CHOOSE one side or the other.
The financial systems of this world will have crumbled,
and a new financial system based on unswerving
allegiance to the Antichrist will be instituted. So, don't
kid yourself that any wealth, notoriety, or influence
you may presently have will help you then.
If Louis Farrakhan is still alive, he's gonna have to
choose Jesus or Antichrist. No more Allah.
If George Soros is still alive, barring some miracle of
God's infinite grace, he'll side with Antichrist.
Osama Bin Ladin will be dead, because the cave he's
hiding in will collapse with the huge quake that starts
off the tribulation.
He won't die "in the belly of the eagle", he'll die in
the belly of the earth.
All the human "reasoning" in the world won't
help you then.
All the "enlightened logic" you THINK you have,
won't do you ANY good.
All the skepticism you pride yourself in, will
mean squat.
You won't doubt or deny there's a God. You'll
KNOW.
You'll also KNOW there's a satan.
There will be ONLY TWO CHOICES [Revelation 20:4].
You can choose Jesus now, out of love, and be
transferred into His brilliant Presence in a couple
months.
Or you can make your choice 3½ years from now
based on coercion and fear.
Choosing Jesus NOW only costs your heart.
Choosing Jesus THEN will cost your life.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010
CALLING ALL ATHEISTS - Part Two
YOUR MIND IS LYING
Other than the obvious fact that one believes in God
and the other doesn't, the main difference between an
atheist [who, in reality, is an AGNOSTIC] and a smart
Christian is that the first relies ON HUMAN REASON
ALONE, while the second relies on HUMAN
REASON AND FAITH.
Christians rely on human reason, too. However, we
also recognize that there's A HIGHER INTELLIGENCE
who created and sustains the entire universe, with all
its wonders and intricacies.
The Bible reveals the Mind of the Creator. The Mind
that created everything and HOLDS IT TOGETHER, the
Mind that predetermined THE END since THE
BEGINNING.
Unless an individual claims to possess TOTAL
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EVERYTHING, it's the height of
arrogance, not to mention the height of stupidity,
to postulate that UNLESS YOUR PUNY, FINITE MIND
CAN FULLY COMPREHEND SOMETHING, it simply
cannot be.
Has your mind ever lied to you?
Did you ever THINK you left your car keys
somewhere, when in fact, you had them in your
pocket?
Did you ever THINK you had an appointment at 3,
when it really was at 4:30?
Did you ever THINK something couldn't possibly
happen, yet it did?
Did you REASON that the bumblebee can't fly because
its wings are way too small for its large body? [Yet it
does!]
And you're willing to hang YOUR ETERNAL
DESTINY on that mind which has lied to you
REPEATEDLY?
Another argument so-called atheists make, AND ONE I
ALWAYS WIN, is that they don't believe in anything
they can't see.
Let's consider that for a second:
Have your eyes ever lied to you?
Did you ever THINK YOU SAW something, and it
turned out to be something else?
Did you ever look at what you thought was a blue
shirt, but upon closer examination, it turned out to be
green?
For centuries, people thought the earth was flat,
because that's the way it looks to our eyes, until
someone proved it's actually round.
When you look at the stars, your eyes tell you
they're tiny specks of light in the sky, when I fact
many are much larger than our planet.
Matter of fact, YOUR MIND AND YOUR EYES ARE
LYING TO YOU RIGHT NOW.
You're looking at some object in front of you and your
eyes and mind are telling you it's solid. If you
could see it as it really is, you'd realize it's not solid
at all, but merely a bunch of empty space,
containing a few molecules, held together by
electromagnetic impulses.
Agnostics [and so-called atheists] make THE HUGE,
and ILLOGICAL ASSUMPTION, that the VISIBLE
universe is ALL THERE IS.
They ASSUME that if human eyes can't see it, if human
hands can't touch it, if humans can't hear it, taste it or
smell it, it DOESN'T EXIST.
Such assumption is not only foolish, IT'S
FLAWED.
Science has proven, time and again, that there could
be one or more parallel universes, undetected by our
senses, which could co-exist right along with
ours.
Physically speaking, we'd be oblivious to their
existence, and they would be oblivious to ours.
In such realm[s], all our "reasoning", no matter
how enlightened, would go out the window,
because the laws of such universe[s] would be
completely different from the laws that govern
our own, from the laws of physics we know and are
accustomed to.
We can't see human thoughts. We can't touch
them, taste them, smell them, or hear them. We can't
put them in a test tube either.
So, by that line of reasoning, we couldn't believe in
the very reason atheists claim to base their
beliefs on.
Perhaps we're not as "devoid of reason" as atheists
THINK.
Human "reason" is flawed and finite.
To theorize that SOMETHING OR SOMEONE CAN'T
EXIST, simply because our eyes can't see it, or
our minds comprehend it, is complete idiocy.
To wager one's eternal destiny ON REASON
ALONE is supreme foolishness.
Romans 1:22 comes to mind: ..."Professing to be
wise, they became fools".
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010
CALLING ALL ATHEISTS
There's really NO SUCH THING as an "atheist".
People like Christopher Hitchens may CALL THEMSELVES
"atheist", may refuse to admit the existence of God, may
harden their hearts against God all they want BUT, at the
end of the day, they have to ADMIT they DON'T KNOW
EVERYTHING.
In fact, no matter how "gifted" their intellect might be, they
possess LESS THAN 1% of TOTAL KNOWLEDGE.
Therefore, they MUST ALLOW for at least THE
POSSIBILITY that there may be a God.
They may WISH there's no God.
They may HOPE there's no God.
But, actually, they just DON'T KNOW.
Hence, they're not really atheists, they're AGNOSTICS.
I'll concede three things to agnostics [and so-called
"atheists"]:
1. That ALL religion is FEAR BASED.
2. That ALL religion, including all forms of "Christian" religion,
is man invented.
3. That historically man-invented religion has made A ROYAL
MESS of things: It has divided people, instigated hatred,
excess, abuse, oppression, greed, intolerance, wars and
murder.
We share a mutual dislike of religion. And therein ends our
agreement.
One must distinguish, however, between man-invented
religion, and God-given FAITH.
One of the FALSE CLAIMS that so-called "atheists" [who
REALLY ARE "agnostics"] make is that "faith precludes
reason".
Sorry, fellas, but on that issue history is on my side.
Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientific minds ever, was a
devout Christian and student of the Bible. That's historic
fact.
No one in his right mind would deny the Apostle Paul's great
logic and intellect. NO ONE was more committed to Jesus
than he was.
Jesus Himself possesses Wisdom beyond anything any
human has ever conceived.
Most of our founding fathers were devout Christians, and they
can hardly be called stupid.
I could go on and mention other men of science, like Fred
Hoyle, his scientific nemesis Georges Lemaitre, or Galileo
himself, who were men of faith, or great theologians like
Thomas Aquinas who could match brain power, and
prowess, with anyone.
Are there stupid Christians? Yes.
Are ALL Christians stupid? No.
For so-called atheists to lump all believers together into
one giant, "mindless" blob devoid of reason is biased,
unfair, and simply WRONG.
Don't miss Part Two of this message tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2010
DATE SETTING
One of the most ironic things that goes in eschatological
circles is that self-styled prophecy experts, who haven't
gotten ANYTHING right in the past four decades,
immediately dismiss the idea that the Bible may disclose the
APPROXIMATE time of Jesus' Second Coming and,
consequently, of the Rapture.
They dismissively refer to it as "date setting".
These are the same misguided "experts" who teach that "no
signs precede the Rapture", that it is "imminent", that the
Antichrist is alive, and that the Rapture will take even
Christians by surprise because Jesus will come "as a thief".
NONE OF THAT is scriptural.
Then there are the naysayers who erroneously say Christians
won't have a clue because "people have been trying to
predict the Second Coming for two thousand years".
I don't care if they've been trying for TWO MILLION
years.
God said in Daniel 12:4 and 9 that this knowledge WOULD
REMAIN SEALED until the VERY time of the end.
It wouldn't be known two thousand years before, it wouldn't
be known 200 years before, it wouldn't be known 50, 20, 10,
or even two years before.
It would only be revealed JUST PRIOR TO the time of the
end.
The signs mentioned in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 DO
NOT point to Jesus' Second Coming, as these
misinformed babblers teach. They point to the Rapture.
Why would we need "signs" about the Second Coming?
Wouldn't the fact the Church was removed from the earth,
and that the Antichrist has appeared be SUFFICIENT?
If the Church were raptured today, wouldn't people know
EXACTLY when the Second Coming will happen, by
simply counting forward 2,520 days, which is the
duration of the tribulation?
If the Antichrist began ruling the entire world today,
wouldn't people KNOW EXACTLY when the Second
Coming will happen by counting 1,260 days [42
months]?
If the mark of the beast has been required in order to buy or
sell for 3½ years, wouldn't that be A SURE INDICATOR of
when the Second Coming will happen?
If the bowl judgments mentioned in Revelation chapter 16
were taking place, including ALL THE WATER (reservoirs,
drinking water, sea, rivers, and lakes turning to blood)
wouldn't people know that the Second Coming was just
around the corner?
If Antichrist gathers armies from all over the world at
Armageddon trying to prevent the Second Coming and the
establishment of God's Kingdom on earth, wouldn't
everyone KNOW THE SECOND COMING WAS JUST
MINUTES OR SECONDS AWAY?
Why, in heaven's name, would we need MORE signs?
Never mind that the signs in the aforementioned chapters are
being fulfilled RIGHT NOW, right before our eyes,
there's also Daniel 12:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:4 to contend
with.
The first says "none of the wicked shall understand; but the
wise shall understand".
The second says, clear as crystal, that Christians, at least
those who are in tune with the Spirit "are NOT in darkness
that that day should overtake you as a thief".
Jesus may come "as a thief" as far as the unsaved are
concerned, but not as far as WE are concerned.
Those who know and seek the Lord will know, not the EXACT
time, but the APPROXIMATE time and will NOT be taken
by surprise.
WHY would the "prophecy experts" be right about
THIS, WHEN THEY'VE BEEN WRONG ABOUT
EVERYTHING ELSE?
TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2010
SIGNS OF "THE END"
I apologize for the gloomy tone of this message, but
someone recently asked me, since the Rapture's less
than three months away, if we shouldn't be seeing
certain signs.
I'm writing this on August 6, 2010. As of this
morning, these are some of the headlines I woke
up to:
Economy sputters as companies add only 71000
jobs in July Washington Post - Michael A. Fletcher,
William Branigin
4 people feared dead after volcano eruption in
Indonesia
By the CNN Wire Staff August 6, 2010 11:36 a.m. EDT
Wildfires Ravaging Swaths of Russia
By ANDREW E. KRAMER and KEVIN DREW
Published: August 6, 2010
Smoke From Russian Fires Forces Flight
Restrictions in Moscow Voice of America -
Moscow Inundated by Smoke as Russian
Heartland Burns Bloomberg
Fires Force Moscow to Move Nuclear Arsenal
Wildfires also delayed air travel and
could stir radioactive contamination
from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
12 Million Affected by Pakistan's Historic Floods
Voice of America
Gay Marriage Ruling Should Live Happily Ever
After: Ann Woolner
20 Million Homeowners Projected to Be
Underwater by End of 2011 By Lita Epstein
Social Security Is Now Officially in the Red
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
According to report issued yesterday,
system will pay out more than it takes
in this year & next as boomers retire.
Postal Service May Go Broke by 2011
Big Changes Coming to Fix Finances
Fannie Mae Asks for Another $1.5B
Terror Group's Rising Star Knows U.S. Well
This man, who lived in America for more years, is
believed to have attained a key position in al-Qaida.
Flash floods kill 103 people in India
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
08/06/2010 18:52
Add to all of this the ever-present nuclear threats from
North Korea and Iran.
Escalating Tensions between Israel and its neighbors.
Widespread DECEPTION going on, even among
Christians, and earthquakes taking place "in diverse
places", just as the Bible predicted.
I don't know what further "signs" anyone would
want.
EVERYTHING that Jesus predicted in Matthew
24:3-8 is HAPPENING right before our eyes.
And just as Jesus predicted, despite ALL these
signs, most Christians are TOTALLY ASLEEP[Luke
17:26-30].
There are Christians who ACTUALLY THINK the
Rapture CAN'T happen UNLESS God has THEIR
PERMISSION.
Others want to "postpone it" to some indefinite time in
the "distant future".
Jesus said that, irrespective of the signs, the world
would pretty much go on its regular routine
eating, drinking marrying, giving in marriage, UNTIL...
There are some additional signs that will happen IN
VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO the Rapture. You've heard
me talk about them many, many times:
Where it's daytime, the sun will suddenly turn black.
Where it's nighttime, the moon will appear red as
blood, and there will be a huge quake that will
rearrange geography as we know it.
These events will signal the beginning of the tribulation
and the impending Rapture.
Come on, slumbering brothers and sisters! Wake
up, fasten your seatbelts. Get ready for lift off.
MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 2010
THE ACCUSER
Every time someone tries to get close to God, every
time someone THINKS about giving his/her heart
to Jesus, an evil creep called satan will put
thoughts like these in your mind:
"BUT you had an abortion".
"BUT you cheated on your wife".
"BUT you cheated on your husband".
"BUT you stole that thing".
"BUT you've blasphemed Jesus".
"BUT you've practiced homosexuality"
"BUT you've been a bad father, mother, husband,
wife, son, daughter, friend, person".
"BUT you did _________".
BUT... BUT... BUT...
satan can come up with a long litany of "BUTS".
If you listen to satan, you'll NEVER give your
heart to Jesus.
That's EXACTLY what the slimy bastard wants.
Forget all his "buts" [one "t"] and KICK HIM IN
HIS BUTT [double "t"].
Jesus LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY.
He awaits you with OPEN ARMS, no matter who you
are, where you've been, or what you've done.
STOP listening to the loser and START listening to
the Winner.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010
WITH ALL YOUR ♥
You're not sure if you heard from God, you're unsure
about some decision you must make, you need to find
a solution to a problem, you don't know what to do or
which way to turn, you need or desire deep revelation,
what should you do?
Seek Jesus Christ with ALL your heart.
Not with HALF your heart.
Not with ¾ of your heart.
Not with 99% of your heart.
With ALL OF IT.
You wouldn't have much of a relationship with your
husband, wife, kids or friends, if you interacted with
them in a halfhearted, detached, indifferent manner.
Yet, that is EXACTLY the way most of us approach
God.
We want answers, we want guidance, we want
revelation, but we want to stay lukewarm.
It won't happen. God told us He DETESTS tepid hearts
[Revelation 3:16].
I've often wondered why God revealed Himself to the
apostle Paul in such dramatic, magnificent and
profound fashion, or why He chose him to write two-
thirds of the New Testament, or to be the greatest
evangelist of all time.
I'll tell you why, because Paul was PASSIONATE.
He was INTENSE. He meant business.
There was NOTHING tepid about him.
Therefore, God could USE HIM.
As Saul of Tarsus he may have persecuted the Church,
he may have killed Christians, he may have forced
others to blaspheme... but he had ZEAL.
He was someone God could WORK WITH.
As the Rapture draws near, it's IMPERATIVE that we
put lukewarmness behind us.
It's IMPERATIVE that we shake off the spirit of
slumber, and open our spiritual eyes.
We have these beautiful promises from God:
Hebrews 9:28: He shall appear to those who LOOK
FOR Him.
Jeremiah 29:13: You will find me when you search for
me WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
How much of YOUR HEART does Jesus have?
SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2010
STATUES AND IMAGES
The Old Testament forbad Israelites to make ANY
graven image of ANY person, animal or thing [Exodus
20:4,5].
For that reason, Israel is probably the only country in
the world which does not have conventional
monuments with statues of its political and military
heroes.
You can go to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem and you won't find
any statues of Moses, Joshua, Jacob or David.
Even though modern Israel is mostly secular [only
about 15% of the population is religious], there are
few statues of former presidents or heroes, and the
few they have are usually rather small [just heads or
busts].
Most statues in Israel are found at Christian tourist
destinations, or inside Christian churches.
Which brings us to our topic: is it wrong FOR
CHRISTIANS, to have statues?
It depends on the statue and, particularly, on the
attitude in a person's heart.
For starters, no Christian should, UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCE, have statues of Buddha,
Krishna, or any other FALSE "deity".
It shows total disrespect toward our Creator and God.
Those are pagan IDOLS: nonexistent, invented
"deities", which divert worship and attention
from the One true God, and are an abomination
in His sight.
But, what about Christian statues?
I DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT recommend that any
Christian have any kind of religious statue.
However, is it SINFUL for a Catholic or Episcopalian to
have statues of Jesus, Mary, Joseph or one of the
apostles?
NO. It's NOT sinful UNLESS the statue itself
becomes THE OBJECT OF worship.
The reason God forbad Israelites to have images is
that THEY WERE WORSHIPING THE IMAGES
THEMSELVES [Exodus 20:5; 23:24; Deuteronomy
5:9; 11:16; Joshua 23:7; 1 Kings 11:5,33; 2 Kings
17:35,36; Amos 5:26].
They were OFFERING SACRIFICES to the images,
including [horror of horrors] sacrificing their own
children [Leviticus 20:2; 2 Kings 17:17; 21:6; 23:10;
Jeremiah 32:35; Ezekiel 20:31].
As if infanticide wasn't heinous enough, the images in
question represented FALSE DEITIES, which were
being worshipped INSTEAD OF the One true God.
I seriously doubt that ANY Christian today believes that
a piece of plaster, ceramic, wood, metal, paper,
plastic, or whatever, is in fact the person it
REPRESENTS, OR THAT IT HAS ANY LIFE OR POWER
TO GRANT PETITIONS.
For most Christians the painting or statue is merely a
reminder of someone they love and honor like Jesus,
Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter or Saint Paul.
It's kind of like having a photograph of a loved one on
display.
Do I recommend it? No.
Is it sinful? No.
Again, THE ONLY WAY it would be sinful is if we
worship the statue or image itself. It's also sin to
worship ANYONE BUT Jesus.
As long as the INTENT is only to remind us of someone
we love and honor, it's O.K.
If it is so sinful to have statues, then let's do away with
ALL likenesses of Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson,
MacArthur, Lee, and Churchill.
It's a gross double standard to say it's allright to have
figures and images of politicians, athletes, movie stars,
and military heroes, then turn right around and call
statues of Christian saints "idols".
Either ALL OF IT is wrong, or NONE OF IT.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2010
LESS VINEGAR, MORE
HONEY
There are over ONE BILLION professing Roman
Catholics worldwide.
HOW MANY of the one billion are saved? I don't know,
and neither do you.
For that matter, we don't know how many
Methodists, Pentecostals or Baptists are saved
either.
Only God knows what's in each person's heart.
Catholics, just like Evangelicals, like ALL humans,
are simply sinners in need of the grace of God.
Sinners, for whom Jesus died, shed His Blood and
rose from the dead.
In order to be saved, they DON'T NEED TO STOP
BEING CATHOLICS.
They DON'T NEED TO forsake their religion.
They DON'T NEED TO get rid of statues.
They could do ALL THAT, act just like
Evangelicals on the outside, AND STILL BE LOST.
What they NEED TO DO, like ALL OTHER sinners, is
receive Jesus into their hearts as Lord, Savior
and God, and TRUST WHAT HE DID to save them.
Catholics ALREADY BELIEVE IN Jesus.
ALL some of them are missing is that INNER,
personal, spiritual connection with Him.
The same can be said of ANY other group. Do you
think everyone who calls themselves Presbyterian,
Baptist, or Pentecostal is really saved?
If you approach Catholics with a critical attitude, call
them idolaters, attack their religion, criticize their
prayers to Mary, etc. I guarantee YOU'LL NEVER
WIN A SINGLE CATHOLIC TO THE LORD.
If, on the other hand, you approach them as
brothers in the faith, from the standpoint that since
they already ARE believers in Jesus they need to
make a HEART CONNECTION with Him, and guide
them in a simple prayer to receive Him, they generally
offer no resistance.
Evangelicals need to get SMART about evangelizing.
They need to refocus, and clarify their priority.
Do we care more about others leaving their
religion than about getting Jesus in them?
Are we more interested in indulging our self-
serving religious prejudice, or in getting them
saved?
Wake up, Christians!
Our GOAL is NOT to get people to change their
religion.
Our GOAL is to get Jesus INTO THEIR HEARTS.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010
LAY OFF CATHOLICS!!!
The question comes in time and again: "why don't
you condemn Catholics"? or "why don't you
include Roman Catholicism in your list of cults"?
• Because Jesus didn't come to condemn but to
save [John 3:17].
• Because Roman Catholicism is NOT a cult.
I know that's NOT what many of you want to hear,
but it's the truth.
I've had "Christians" tell me that there's NO WAY
ANY Catholic can be saved. Really?
They must be holier than God.
They must have MORE FAITH in the power of Roman
Catholicism to damn someone than in the power of
Jesus' Blood to save them.
My Bible says that WHOSOEVER shall call on the
Name of the Lord, SHALL BE SAVED [Acts 2:21;
Romans 10:13].
Does "whosoever" include Roman Catholics? You bet!
Whosoever includes WHOSOEVER.
I got people in my own family who are BORN-AGAIN
Roman Catholics.
They're just as saved, just as washed in the
Blood of Jesus, and just as Spirit-filled, as you
and I.
It wasn't always that way, but Roman Catholicism,
NOW [thank God!] does adhere to the
FUNDAMENTALS of the Christian Faith:
1. The Bible is the infallible Word of God.
2. One Triune God manifested as Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
3. Jesus is God manifested in the flesh.
4. Jesus was born of a virgin.
5. Jesus PHYSICALLY rose from the dead.
6. Salvation is BY FAITH ONLY, not by works.
7. Jesus will return to establish His eternal Kingdom on
earth.
While their religion incorporates many EXTRABIBLICAL
traditions that I don't necessarily agree with, there's
enough Truth in it that someone who earnestly
seeks Jesus can get saved.
Being Catholic doesn't send ANYONE to hell.
Praying the Rosary doesn't send anyone to hell.
Statues, medals, and candles don't send anyone to
hell.
Asking Mary and the saints to intercede for us, doesn't
send anyone to hell.
Even praying to Mary [while I don't recommend it]
doesn't send anyone to hell.
Believing Mary was always a virgin doesn't send
anyone to hell.
Believing in the Immaculate Conception of Mary
doesn't send anyone to hell. Do I believe in it? No.
Attending Mass doesn't send anyone to hell.
Doing the sign of the cross doesn't send anyone to
hell.
Wearing a crucifix doesn't send anyone to hell.
Infant baptism doesn't send anyone to hell.
THERE'S ONLY ONE SIN, according to the Word of
God, that sends ANYONE [Catholic or non-Catholic] to
hell:
THAT SIN IS NOT RECEVING JESUS INTO YOUR
HEART AS LORD, SAVIOR AND GOD.
John 1:12: "To ALL that received Him, to
them gave He the power to become SONS OF GOD".
Period. End of story.
Some Evangelicals should be less concerned about the
damnation of Catholics, and MORE concerned about
THEIR OWN.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010
CAN YOU READ?
A couple questions often asked by newcomers to this
ministry are "how come I haven't heard this from
anyone before? and "WHERE did you get all that
revelation"?
Where EVERYONE ELSE should get theirs: from
the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
A grave problem in the Church today is that NOBODY
WANTS TO READ: And when they do, they READ
FICTION rather than Truth.
We've become accustomed to OTHERS TELLING us
WHAT THEY SAY THE BIBLE SAYS, as opposed to
what it ACTUALLY says.
Unfortunately, this has become the norm, from
seminary on down the respective religious hyerarchies.
The professor tells us WHAT HE SAYS the Bible says
and we believe him.
The theologian tells us WHAT HE SAYS [or THINKS]
the Bible says and we accept it, no questions asked.
The pastor or evangelist tells us WHAT HE SAYS the
Bible says, and we buy it [even when the Bible
DOESN'T SAY IT].
The prosperity guru writes a book where he tells us
WHAT HE SAYS THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT SOME
MAGICAL FORMULA that will make us zillionaires
overnight and we swallow it, hook, line and sinker.
Never mind that we've been BUYING their magic
formulas for 60 years and no one's prospered
except the gurus. We're too spiritually lazy to pick up
the Bible and read WHAT IT SAYS about finances.
We've become so apathetic where the Word of God is
concerned that we don't even BOTHER to check
their statements against other scriptures, and
see if they stack up.
The prophecy guru SELLS US a book full of lies where
he tells us WHAT SCOFIELD SAID THE BIBLE
SAYS about the Rapture, tribulation or Antichrist, and
we don't even bat an eye.
[I love Scofield, greatly value some of his
contributions, and I'm sure he didn't teach error
intentionally, but was he right about everything? NO].
We don't even take 30 seconds to study the passages
for ourselves and see if THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE
BIBLE says.
We value THE WORD OF MAN above THE WORD OF
GOD.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out WHY
there's so much confusion, false teaching and
division in the Body of Christ.
I stopped listening to man years ago. I stopped
reading the word of man years ago. I stopped
reading RELIGIOUS FICTION years ago. That's
HOW I got these revelations, to Jesus be ALL the glory.
I shoved all of man's OPINIONS aside, IN FAVOR OF
direct study of God's Word, ALLOWING GOD TO
SPEAK DIRECTLY TO ME THRU HIS WORD, and
listening to God's Holy Spirit within.
If you want unadulterated Truth, if you want deep
revelation, if you want to know WHAT GOD REALLY
SAID, you don't need to be "holier", or smarter than
anyone else.
It all boils down to this one, tiny thing:
CAN YOU READ?
TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2010
BIBLE CODES
Is there any truth to the alleged Bible Codes? Yes.
Should we rely on Bible Codes to know the future?
No.
There's too much detail and accuracy in the Bible
Codes that have been found regarding past
events for it to be mere "coincidence".
God's Word is inexhaustible and I'm certain that
in eternity we'll discover multiple layers of
meanings and dimensions to it.
However, while we're still in space/time, God gave us
the Bible TEXT as our instruction, not any "secret
codes" that may be found in it.
I know of one website which bases virtually all its
predictions on supposed Bible codes. They haven't got
ANYTHING right yet.
They have predicted, among other things, that Hillary
would win the presidency in '08 and that Philadelphia
would be nuked in January '09.
In the interest of full disclosure, I do cite ONE Bible
Code on the website, because it is amazingly in line
with the biblical text. However, I do not base the
teaching on that code, but on THE ACTUAL BIBLE
TEXT verbatim.
Is it sin to look for Bible Codes? No. I don't buy into
the condemning theory that doing so is a form of
"divination".
We're dealing, after all, with the HOLY Word of God.
It's mostly unproductive and can be highly misleading.
Trying to GUESS the future based on some highly
subjective "Bible code" is folly, when we have THE
LITERAL BIBLE TEXT, which 2 Peter 1:19 calls "A
MORE SURE Word of prophecy".
MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010
PROMISE OF THE FATHER
In John 16:7 Jesus actually said it was BETTER for us
that He left this world, so He could send His Holy
Spirit, and put His own Divine Nature in us.
... "I send the promise of my Father upon you: but
stay in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with
power from on high" (Luke 24:49).
And, being assembled together... commanded them
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait
for the promise of the Father... For John truly
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now (Acts 1:4,5).
This promise of the Father was fulfilled on the day of
Pentecost:
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place... [That "one
place" was the Upper Room on Mount Zion] and they
were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to
speak... as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts
2:1-4).
It was the indwelling Presence of God's Holy
Spirit which transformed a bunch of frightened
fishermen into fearless communicators of Good
News.
The very disciples who had a few days earlier fled in
fear, deserted Him, and even denied Him, were now
boldly and openly proclaiming His Deity and
resurrection, even in front of Jewish and Roman
authorities who could have them executed.
They were winning droves of new converts, performing
undeniable miracles, and articulating irrefutable
wisdom.
The same Holy Spirit can and should be doing the
same wonders in the Church today. He hasn't changed.
He never changes. It's Christians who have changed.
It's the Church at large that needs to rejoin its
spiritual source.
For too long, Christians have either altogether ignored
the Spirit of God, or confined Him to emotional
rhetoric, exuberant gibberish, and manipulative
hype.
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. So were Peter,
James, John and Paul [Luke 4:1, Acts 2:4], yet we
don't see any wild behavior in either their lives or their
ministries.
Despite their antics and excesses, there's NOBODY
among the current "Christian superstars" that is even
remotely as effective as these men were in reaching
the world with the Gospel.
Jesus sent his Spirit to lead His saints, his Church, into
all Truth, into perfection. To replicate God's image,
nature and character in us.
The Holy Spirit's tired of BEING TAKEN FOR
GRANTED. He's tired of BEING IGNORED.
Without regular communication with the Holy Spirit,
Christians are saved, yet mired in confusion, riddled
with doubts, lacking in knowledge, without purpose,
and without vision, reduced to ineffectiveness and
mediocrity.
In contact with His Spirit, Christians have access to
all the treasures of God's wisdom, and
knowledge, as well as his life-transforming,
circumstance-changing power.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010
BORN IN ZION
There are three important places on Mount Zion,
Jerusalem: the now rebuilt Jewish Quarter which has
great prophetic significance, King David's Tomb, and
the Upper Room.
For our Jewish friends, there's a fourth... the recently
completed Hurva Synagogue.
The Upper Room, which is located RIGHT ABOVE King
David's Tomb [Acts 2:29] has enormous
significance for believers because it was there
that the Church was born.
That's right: THE GENUINE, ORIGINAL UNIVERSAL
Church of Jesus Christ, comprised of TRUE born-
again believers of no particular denomination, was
NOT born in Nashville, Springfield, Silver Spring,
Denton, Brooklyn Heights, Salt Lake City, London or
Rome. It was born on Mount Zion, Jerusalem,
Israel.
It was in the Upper Room where the Holy Spirit
came for the first time to LIVE INSIDE believers
in Jesus, some 2,000 years ago [Acts 2:1-3].
Jesus said that UNLESS a person was born OF THE
SPIRIT, he/she/they CANNOT see nor ENTER the
Kingdom of God [John 3:3-5].
The 120 people who were there on that pivotal day of
Pentecost included the 12 apostles [the 11 plus
Matthias, who replaced Judas], and Mary the mother
of our Lord [Acts 1:13, 14, 23-26].
They were the first individuals to be spiritually reborn,
or "born again".
The apostles HAD TO be born again. Even Mary
HAD TO be born again.
Psalm 87:2-6 says the following about Zion:
The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all
the dwellings of Jacob [Israel]. Glorious things are
spoken you, o city of God. Selah.
... And of Zion it shall be said, THIS person or
THAT person was BORN in her: AND THE HIGHEST
HIMSELF SHALL ESTABLISH HER.
The LORD will write in the register of the
peoples: "This one was BORN in Zion." Selah.
Your birth certificate may say you were physically
born in Louisville, Des Moines, Dallas, Chicago,
London, Cape Town, Brighton or Brisbane. But if you're
born-again, if you have God's Holy Spirit living in your
heart, YOU'RE A CHILD OF ZION.
Zion is your spiritual home [Hebrews 12:22,23].
It's no wonder that satan hates Zion and has
destroyed it repeatedly, but Zion keeps coming back
because, as this beautiful Psalm says, it's God
Himself that ESTABLISHED HER.
God has already supernaturally returned geographical
Zion to Israel, and had her restored and rebuilt.
It's SPIRITUAL ZION, His Church, which now needs to
be built into the UNITY OF THE FAITH, and
KNOWLEDGE OF the Son of God unto "a perfect
man, the measure of the stature of the FULLNESS
of Christ" [Ephesians 4:13].
There's one more thing you should know about Zion,
and it's written in Psalm 102:16:
"When THE LORD shall BUILD UP Zion, HE SHALL
APPEAR IN HIS GLORY".
Jewish Quarter
SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2010
DREAMS AND VISIONS
We have received a number of e-mails where people
relate some dream or vision they have had
concerning these last days. We have heard from
Christians as far as Australia that are experiencing
these.
Invariably, they want us to either validate the dream
or vision, or to debunk it.
Since it wasn't my dream or vision, I can't say with
absolute certainty one way or the other, but I
can give some guidelines that will help determine
if it came from God:
1. When Christians have VISIONS, they are usually
from God.
The only word of caution here would be if the person
who experienced the vision is into some sort of mind
altering substance.
Drugs can make you "see" things that aren't there, and
aren't true.
2. If a DREAM is accompanied, or followed, by a
vision, it's usually from God.
3. Dreams can come from God, satan, or the
subconscious.
If the dream is very troubling and instills FEAR, it's
generally NOT from God.
[In case you're thinking of Pharaoh's dream,
remember he WASN'T a believer].
4. If the dream is VIVID, and persists, and has
something to do with your safety, it's usually
from God.
5. If other Christians are having the same [or
similar] dream you've had, it's ALMOST CERTAIN
it came from God.
6. If the dream contradicts the Scriptures, or
suggests you should do something that contradicts the
Bible, IT'S DEFINITELY NOT from God.
7. The Spirit and the Word must be the final
arbiters. Does your spirit bear witness to it?
When a dream comes from God, it will always
line up with His Word, and your born-again spirit
will bear witness to it, and confirm it in various
ways.
If the dream suggests you do something that DOESN'T
contradict the Word of God, especially if it's something
to do with your safety, you should take the
necessary steps to be ready to obey, "JUST IN
CASE", should the situation arise, or should God
prompt you to do so.
Though the Bible states life in general will be
"business as usual" until the Rapture, no telling what
may happen IN CERTAIN PLACES over the next few
months.
We've already seen great tragedies take place in Haiti,
Chile and Pakistan this year.
Dreams and visions are themselves a sign of the
last days, as prophesied in Joel 2:28-32:
"... I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons
and daughters will prophesy, your old men will
dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
... The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to
blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the LORD. And EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE
NAME OF THE LORD will be saved".
Friday, August 13, 2010
GET YOUR OWN
In Matthew 25:1-12, Jesus tells the parables of the 10
virgins.
5 were wise and took oil in their lamps.
5 were foolish and took no oil.
The virgins represent all professing Christians.
The Bridegroom is Jesus [Matthew 9:14,15].
The lamps represent our spirits [Proverbs 20:27].
The oil represents God's Holy Spirit [1 Samuel
16:13; Luke 4:18].
Paul defines a true Christian as someone who has
the Spirit [oil] of Christ [The Anointed One] in
his/her spirit [Romans 8:9,15,16].
Jesus said the wise virgins, who had oil in their
lamps [God's Holy Spirit in their spirits] were ready
for the wedding, and got in.
He also said the foolish who had no oil, weren't
ready and were not allowed in.
Do you have oil? Is your lamp lit? Have you
invited Jesus into your heart? Does His Spirit live
in yours? If you do, then you're ready.
If you don't, and you postpone your decision,
Jesus says you're foolish. You may not be able to
get oil at the last minute. Hence, you won't make it
into the kingdom of heaven.
Each of us has to get our own "oil". I can't get
the Spirit of God for someone else, nor can they
get it for me.
Each one of us has to personally receive Him.
So, now you've been told.
When that trumpet sounds, and the sky gets dark,
signaling the Bridegroom is coming, don't come
running to me for oil.
You gotta get your own.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
WHAT SAINTS?
"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and
shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand
until a time and times and the dividing of time" [Daniel 7:25,
AKJV].
"He was given power to make war against the saints and
to conquer them. And he was given authority over every
tribe, people, language and nation" [Revelation 13:7, NIV].
Will the Church go thru the tribulation? NO.
Who, then, are the "saints" mentioned in Daniel 7:25 and
Revelation 13:7, whom the Antichrist will war against,
conquer and "wear out"?
"Saints" aren't JUST Christians. There were saints in the
Old Testament, BEFORE there were ANY Christians
[before Jesus appeared, died and rose].
2 Chronicles 6:41; Job 15:14; Psalms 16:3; 30:3; 106:16;
Proverbs 2:8 are just a few examples of this.
The word "saint" [kadosh or kedosh in Hebrew and hagios in
Greek] simply means one who is CONSECRATED or SET
APART unto the Lord.
The saints that will be given into the Antichrist's hand are
Jews who will turn to Jesus when they see Him coming
in the clouds to rapture His Church [Matthew 24:30;
Revelation 12:6, 14-17].
They're also Gentiles who turn to Christ during the
final three and a half years of tribulation, many of whom
will be beheaded for their faith [Revelation 20:4].
They are NOT, repeat, NOT the Church. The Church is
mentioned ONLY in chapters 1-3 of Revelation.
In Revelation 7:9, she appears in heaven, raptured, as an
innumerable multitude BEFORE the tribulation judgments
begin.
The judgments begin in chapter 8, verse 1.
She's conspicuously ABSENT from all the tribulation chapters.
That's why you'll find "saints" both in heaven
[Revelation 8:3] and on earth during the tribulation
[Revelation 13:10; 14:12].
What you DON'T find on earth during the
tribulation ANYWHERE is the word "Church".
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010
LESSON FROM NOAH
Can you imagine the looks Noah must have
gotten from his contemporaries when he told them
that a WORLDWIDE FLOOD was coming?
Can you imagine how they laughed when he told them
that water would pour incessantly from the
heavens for 40 days and 40 nights?
People had never even seen rain before because,
up until that time, the earth had its own, built-in
sprinkler system. It was watered by a heavy mist or
dew that arose from the surface of the earth during
the night [Genesis 2:6].
This allowed the trees, bushes, grass and gardens to
be kept green and lush.
Poor Noah didn't even have a verse of scripture
he could point to, or base his preaching on,
because at that point, the Bible hadn't been
written.
At least no one could accuse him of teaching "his
interpretation"...
Yet we know beyond any doubt that the flood
happened, not only from the Bible, but from
extensive archeological and geological evidence, and
because every major civilization in the world contains
some version of the universal flood.
Is it mere "coincidence" that Jesus compared the
days prior to the Rapture to the days of Noah?
[Matthew 24:36-42; Luke 17:26,27].
There are NO COINCIDENCES with God.
The self-absorbed, delusional fools of Noah's day lived
under the false notion that God needed to consult
them, ask their permission, and seek their
approval, in order to do what He said He'd do.
They thought IF it "didn't make sense" to their
"gifted" intellect, it just couldn't happen.
Needless to say, they got a VERY RUDE
awakening.
They weren't laughing the day after, that's for
sure.
They haven't been laughing in hell, either.
Fast forward some 5,000 years to the present:
These ARE the "days prior to His coming".
Unlike the people of Noah's day, we HAVE THE
BIBLE, we HAVE THE WORDS OF JESUS; we have
His "more sure" Word of prophecy, we have ALL
THE SIGNS He Himself said would precede the
Rapture.
But most people, including many "Christians" have
deluded themselves into THINKING He won't fulfill His
Word UNLESS "it makes sense to them", UNLESS
"they approve", UNLESS "they are ready".
They have deluded themselves into THINKING they
can POSTPONE His coming.
They are in for SUPER-RUDE AWAKENING.
Ready or not, the Rapture WILL TAKE PLACE this
November.
Ready or not, THE TRIBULATION JUDGMENTS will
begin THE MOMENT His Church is out of here.
Compared to the tribulation, Noah's flood will seem like
a picnic.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2010
OSTRICH CHRISTIANITY
What's an "Ostrich Christian"? One who sticks his [or her]
head in the sand an refuses to see.
You can show them Biblical Truth in black and white, and
they won't receive it. In many cases, they get upset
because you rattled their comfort zone...
Their attitude is "I'm comfortable believing this, and I
DON'T CARE if it's true or false. Leave me alone in my
smug complacency".
Well, I'm NOT going to leave you alone.
I can't. You see, I am beholden to THE TRUTH.
One unique thing about this ministry is that nobody who
comes in contact with it can remain indifferent.
People either love it, or they hate it.
There are many who love and appreciate what we do. We're
very grateful for them.
There are also many who hate it because they resent having
the Light of Truth shined directly in their eyes.
They've been brainwashed by the religious establishment to
the point they will reject anything contrary to their teaching,
even if you offer irrefutable proof.
So, they refuse to give up lies like "the Antichrist is alive",
or that "he'll sign a 7-year treaty with Israel", or that there
will be a "cashless society", or that 666 is the "numerical
value" of the Antichrist's name, or that the Pope is the
Antichrist, or that the mark of the beast is Sunday worship,
as opposed to Saturday worship. Or that the Church goes thru
the tribulation, or that there's no time gap in Daniel's
prophecy about the 70 weeks, NONE of which are
BIBLICAL.
They refuse to accept the revelation in God's Word about the
approximate time of the Rapture, even though He
specifically stated these things would remain "sealed"
UNTIL "the time of the end" [Daniel 12:9]. In other
words, UNTIL they were ABOUT TO happen.
Worst of all, ostriches refuse to believe, even when you
flat-out debunk their arguments, that Salvation ISN'T
dependent on "good works", keeping the law, or keeping the
10 Commandments.
They refuse to believe that Salvation is simply
RECEIVING JESUS INTO YOUR HEART AND TRUSTING
WHAT HE DID FOR YOU, as opposed to what you do for
yourself.
Actually, poor ostriches [the birds] have gotten a bum rap.
They don't stick their heads in the sand at all.
Unfortunately, some Christians do. They're just AFRAID
of The Truth.
That's why they would POSTPONE the Rapture, if they
could, ANOTHER 1,000 years.
They're AFRAID to take their eyes off themselves, and
LOOK UPON Him.
Come to think of it, they're not ostriches at all. Nah, they're
just BIG CHICKENS.
MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2010
THE ROCKS WILL CRY OUT
I can perfectly understand why Jesus loved little
children.
Not only are they innocent, they're spontaneous,
and have no sense of political correctness
whatsoever. Children say what they think.
They're not afraid to speak their minds.
Christian ministers, on the other hand, are afraid
of everything:
Afraid of criticism, afraid of offending others, afraid of
losing favor, afraid of satan, afraid of "the Jezebel
spirit", afraid of the media, afraid of cults, afraid of
false doctrine, afraid to come out of the 4 walls of their
religious buildings, or out of the comfort of their air-
conditioned TV studios.
Not to mention AFRAID OF LOSING DONATIONS,
OR LOSING POTENTIAL BUYERS OF WHATEVER
THEY'RE SELLING, if they say "the wrong thing".
We have pastors of so-called mega-churches who are
too timid to appear on national TV and even
mention the Name "Jesus".
Let alone call anyone to repentance, or invite anyone
to RECEIVE HIM.
We have supposed ministers of the Gospel, who won't
even present themselves as such [unless it's in front of
a TOTALLY Christian audience]. Instead, they call
themselves "life coaches".
Perhaps before they "coach" anyone else's life,
they should get THEIR OWN LIVES, not to
mention, their PRIORITIES, IN ORDER.
We have supposed "ministers of the Gospel" who are
too intimidated to stand for anything for FEAR
they might offend someone.
Is it any wonder organized Christianity's been reduced
to nothing but a bunch of dull, ineffective, insipid social
clubs?
If salt loses its flavor it's GOOD FOR NOTHING
[Matthew 5:13].
Thank God Jesus' disciples were not afraid to speak out
and proclaim who He really is, despite the ever-
present threat of the Roman authorities.
Here we are a few months prior to the Rapture.
His modern disciples, at least here in America, aren't
being threatened by anyone, yet most are more
interested in pitching their latest book, DVD or
"Christian tour", than talking about Jesus, or that
He's the only hope and ONLY MEANS OF
SALVATION for this lost world.
They'd better START.
As Jesus Himself said in Luke 19:40, if Christians
don't speak up, THE ROCKS THEMSELVES will CRY
OUT.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2010
EVANGELICAL "KNOCKERS"
O.K., you know me, I couldn't resist a little humor.
Several people have brought up the fact that some
Evangelicals also go door to door and invite people to
receive Jesus, and/or to attend their congregations.
Is there anything wrong with engaging in dialogue or inviting
them into your home?
Assuming they're REAL Evangelicals, and you're
ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN they are, of course you may invite
them in, or talk to them, IF YOU WISH.
If in doubt, we provide a fairly long list of FALSE
DENOMINATIONS ON THIS WEBSITE:
www.christconnection.net/id6.html
However, you're under NO OBLIGATION to do so.
That's YOUR HOME, and you're free to receive or NOT receive
anyone at your sole discretion.
I know some Evangelical ministers won't like what I'm about
to say. If they don't, so be it.
Evangelicals have the nasty habit, especially after you've
visited their congregation and filled out one of their "visitor
cards", to show up at your door UNEXPECTEDLY,
without any advance notice, or even a phone call.
Why do they even ask for your phone number, when they
don't even bother to call?
They tend to show up at the most INOPPORTUNE, and I
mean THE MOST INOPPORTUNE times. Use your
imagination here...
Which is why I no longer fill out those dumb cards, and if they
insist, I either give them my P.O. Box address, or write NO
VISITS PLEASE. If they get too pushy I tell them "I'm already
a born-again Christian, and if giving you my home address is
a condition to visiting your congregation, then I'm leaving".
They usually back down after that.
There's nothing wrong with canvassing a neighborhood and
talking to someone who's out on their front yard, strolling
their kids around, walking their dog, or working in their
garage with the door open.
Those things usually signal the people involved are prepared
to have some sort of contact with outsiders.
But to IMPOSE and unexpected, unwanted visit, at the
most inconvenient times, when you're in the privacy of
your home, just because they're Christian, and then to have
to SIT THERE AND SPEND a whole hour of your valuable
time, making small talk, WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY SAVED,
seems like a complete waste of time, and frankly, is rather
INCONSIDERATE.
Most of the people they visit are already Christians and, truth
be told, they're just trying to get you to become a
member of their congregation, NOT trying to save your
soul.
It's your prerogative to either welcome them, or not welcome
them. If you talk to them at all, be nice about it, and just
say "I'm sorry, but this is REALLY A BAD TIME".
Evangelical knockers, please be more considerate and
discreet in your visits.
Use those phone numbers you asked for, for heaven's
sake, and CALL AHEAD, instead of just showing up at
someone's door.
Otherwise, you're more like Evangelical boobs.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2010
WHEN "CHRISTIANS"
KNOCK
DON'T WELCOME THEM!!!
One of the things Jesus and the apostles warned us about
was false teachers, wolves in sheep's clothing, who'd
masquerade as true ministers of His Gospel.
False "Christians" whose objective is NOT to get Jesus into
you, but to GET THEIR FALSE RELIGION into you.
Two denominations that excel in that department are the
Jehovah's witnesses and the Mormons.
You're sitting at home one afternoon or evening, and
someone unexpectedly knocks on your door claiming to bring
a "Christian" message that won't take but a few moments of
your time.
If you're Christian, the "Christian" thing to do is welcome a
"fellow Christian", right? Wrong!
I've seen too many "Christians" get confused, then
tangled into their web of deceit, then brainwashed into
A CULT.
About 3½ years ago, around Christmas, I was sitting in my
mom's living room one evening. It was nice and cool, so the
windows were open, when all of a sudden the doorbell rang.
I looked thru the peephole, didn't recognize the people
standing there, plus mom wasn't expecting anyone, so we
decided to ignore it.
However, they persisted. And even had the boldness to
come up to the window and talk to mom thru it.
When she said "no thank you, we're Christian", their reply?
"We're Christian, too".
At that point, of course, I realized what was going on and
quickly intervened.
The "Christians" in question were Mormons.
The sad reality is that Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons
know more about the Bible, or at least THEIR VERSION
of the Bible, than most Christians.
They don't send just "anybody" on these diabolical missions.
The people who knock on your door have been
professionally trained to both "SELL" their false
religion, very convincingly, and to "overcome" any
doubts or objections the average Christian may raise.
Unless you really, and I mean, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY
KNOW your Bible, they'll have you wrapped around their little
finger in no time.
So here's what the apostle John said about these polished
liars:
"If ANYONE comes to you, and doesn't bring this teaching
[meaning the true Gospel], DON'T RECEIVE HIM INTO
YOUR HOUSE, and DON'T WELCOME HIM. Anyone who
welcomes him shares in his wicked work" [2 John 1:9-11].
Here's what the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said
about it:
"But EVEN IF WE OR AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN should
preach a gospel OTHER THAN THE ONE WE PREACHED to
you, let him be ETERNALLY CONDEMNED! [Galatians 1:8].
When some supposed "Christian" comes knocking on your
door, ask them "WHAT DENOMINATION are you from"?
And if they answer "Jehovah's Witnesses" or "Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints", or "Latter Day Saints" [a/k/a]
Mormons, flat-out tell them: YOU'RE NOT WELCOME
HERE.
Friday, August 6, 2010
THERE'S NO TOMORROW
There's no such thing as "tomorrow".
By the time "tomorrow" comes, it's "today".
So, there's really no tomorrow.
As the old Frank Sinatra song says "tomorrow NEVER
COMES".
That's why God's Holy Word, who is infallible Truth, doesn't
promise anyone a "tomorrow".
The Bible ONLY SPEAKS ABOUT "TODAY".
God knows no tomorrows. For that matter, He knows no
"yesterdays".
He is the Eternal Present.
He is the Eternal NOW.
That's why you cannot come to God "tomorrow".
That's why you cannot get saved "tomorrow".
You don't even know WHERE you will be "tomorrow".
You can only receive Jesus into your heart RIGHT NOW.
You can only have ALL your sins ["past", present and
"future"] forgiven NOW [2 Corinthians 6:2].
You can only ENSURE YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY NOW.
Eternity knows no time.
What you postpone until "tomorrow" will never
happen.
You can only CHOOSE your ETERNITY right NOW.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010
HOLY WHAT?
Even after the momentous Charismatic tide of recent
decades, the Holy Spirit remains mysterious, distant
and unfamiliar to most Christians today.
Yet, He should be the most influential factor in
Christian thought and living.
Without the Holy Spirit's mentorship and constant
guidance, Christian development will be stunted at
best. God meant it to be that way. He so desired for
his children to live, walk and be in constant
communion with Him, who IS Spirit, that the very
birth of His Church, the very birth of each member
thereof, was a direct result of the Holy Spirit's
intervention.
It is this intimate interaction with the Divine that sets
Christianity apart from other faiths. Without it, we
become comparable to any world-class religion: a
bunch of regulations, a mere set of do's and don'ts.
The Holy Spirit, and only the Holy Spirit, can
transform Christianity from a stale, boring, mediocre
religion to a living, loving, exciting, dynamic
expression of God Himself.
It's the Holy Spirit in us that enables us to both
ACCESS and MANIFEST God's Kingdom on earth.
The Holy Spirit is God. He lives in your spirit from
the moment you made Jesus your Lord.
It's the Holy Spirit that made you a new person on
the inside, when you were born again. He recreated
you in His own Image.
2 Corinthians 5:17,18 speaks of this inner
transformation:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature [creation]: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new. And all [these
new] things are of God, who has reconciled us to
Himself by Jesus Christ"...
When God states that all things are become new,
obviously He is not talking about the physical,
external, visible part of your being. All things
became new INSIDE YOU.
This inner change is invisible but nonetheless VERY
real.
In fact, NOTHING is more important than
acquiring that completely new, inner nature. It's
what turns a sinner into a saint. It's what translates a
person from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom
of God. It's what makes you a child [son] of God
(Colossians 1:13,14).
As Jesus said in John 16:13-14:
"When the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you
into all Truth... And He will show you things to
come. He shall glorify me"...
The flip side of this statement is, if you ignore the Holy
Spirit's Presence in you, you won't be guided into all
Truth, you won't have a clue about things to come,
and you won't glorify Him.
Jesus actually said it was better for us that He leave
this world, because then He could send the Holy Spirit
to us. By physically leaving this world, He could then
manifest not just in one body, but in thousands
and millions of human bodies, thru his Spirit
[John 16:7].
Every child of God should become well acquainted with
the Holy Spirit we ALL carry inside, and rely on Him
constantly for guidance, revelation and instruction.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2010
ENEMIES
When was the last time you prayed for your enemies?
The 5th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus delivered
the "Sermon on the Mount" is, without question, one of the
greatest passages in the Bible, and literature in general.
Jesus didn't merely suggest we pray for our enemies, HE
COMMANDED IT [Matthew 5:43-45].
And Jesus is ALWAYS RIGHT.
He went even further by saying that if you pray ONLY for
your friends, if you LOVE ONLY those who love you,
there's no merit, or reward, in it whatsoever.
Even the UNSAVED can do that [Matthew 5:46,47].
WHY would Jesus give us such COMMAND?
Because He knows you can't do it on your own.
Because He knows we can't do it APART FROM HIM [Mark
2:7].
Because He knows that to LOVE someone who hates you,
wants to harm you, OR HAS HARMED YOU, is downright
impossible for your natural human nature.
He knows that such LOVE requires a SUPERNATURAL nature.
Such LOVE requires God's OWN NATURE in your heart
[2 Peter 1:4].
The ONLY WAY you can obey that commandment is
to LIVE, AND LOVE, IN GOD HIMSELF [1 John 4:8].
Only God's Holy Spirit, living inside your heart, can produce
such unnatural, SUPERNATURAL LOVE.
He commanded it, because He wants you to be PERFECTED
IN LOVE, as He Himself is PERFECT LOVE.
Has someone hurt you? Have they harmed you? Taken
something from you? Stolen something? Have they offended
you? Mocked you? Spoken evil of you? Accused you falsely?
Jesus doesn't merely want you to forgive them... He
wants you to take it to an even higher level. He wants
you to LOVE THEM!
He demonstrated PERFECT LOVE, not only by dying on the
cross for our sins, BUT BY PRAYING FOR HIS ENEMIES,
EVEN THOSE WHO HAD CRUCIFIED HIM.
On that old rugged cross Jesus epitomized PERFECT LOVE.
Since God is PERFECT LOVE, Jesus PROVED His Deity by
BEING PERFECT LOVE: by dying for, praying for, and
LOVING, even His enemies, critics, accusers, blasphemers,
mockers, and executioners.
He LOVED THEM even as He gasped His last breath
[John 13:1; Luke 23:34].
PERFECT LOVE is victorious in EVERY SITUATION.
God IS Perfect Love. Perfect Love is, therefore,
INVINCIBLE.
Perfect Love will ULTIMATELY TRIUMPH over EVERY
THING, OVER EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE, and OVER EVERY
LIE.
If you doubt it, just LOOK AT where JESUS was then.
Then LOOK AT where HE IS NOW.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2010
FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is probably the single hardest thing
anyone has to do in their spiritual walk.
For Christians, forgiveness is not an option.
God's Word says we are to forgive "70 times 7".
Who would want to hold on to resentment and
bitterness, anyway?
Do you know that, when we hold a grudge, we're
actually HARMING OURSELVES?
That's right. Think about it: UNFORGIVENESS IS LIKE
AN OPEN WOUND THAT IS ALLOWED TO FESTER,
UNTIL IT becomes infected, spreads, and THREATENS
YOUR VERY LIFE.
It doesn't hurt "the other" person, it HURTS YOU!
Show me an unforgiving person and I'll show you a
miserable person.
FORGIVENESS is GOOD FOR YOU. It's therapeutic.
FORGIVENESS IS also quite IMPOSSIBLE.
How can any human forgive years of abuse, pain,
hurt feelings?
How can we forgive someone who's totally
ruined our lives?
Someone who's caused us IRREPARABLE harm? A
drunk driver who took your loved one's life? An evil
terrorist who MURDERED a friend or family member,
for BLIND HATRED, just for the sake of killing?
The answer is WE CAN'T.
Forgiveness is SUPERNATURAL.
It never comes from us. It ALWAYS comes from
God.
All He needs is your WILLINGNESS to forgive. If
you're WILLING, He's ABLE.
At the cross, Jesus PAID FOR, and FORGAVE ALL OUR
SINS.
When we forgive others, we are being like God
Himself. In fact, FORGIVENESS is God Himself
MANIFESTING His Holy Heart thru us.
We've all heard the saying "to err is human, TO
FORGIVE IS DIVINE".
This is one instance when "they" GOT IT RIGHT.
MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2010
LET GO OF THE PAST
So many people live in bondage to their past.
They're shackled to bad memories, hurt feelings,
negative experiences... they live and re-live these
constantly, to the point of tormenting
themselves. They're so focused on their past, they
just can't break free and move forward:
"Such person did this horrible thing to me".
"This or that happened to me, and I did NOTHING to
deserve it".
"Why has life been so unfair to me, when some evil
people seem to live above tests and trials"?
To be sure, life isn't always fair.
However, you still have a choice as to how you're
going to face the rest of your life.
You can be a victim or a victor.
If you live shackled to your past, you'll always be
a victim.
In order to be a victor you MUST FORGIVE AND
FORGET.
Are you kidding me? How can I EVER forget
_________ [fill in the blank]?
How can I EVER forgive __________ [fill in the
blank]?
I know. It's IMPOSSIBLE.
It's impossible, in our own strength, to release these
people and these memories that have hurt us... and
keep hurting us.
However, unless you do, your life will continue to
be one of frustration and unhappiness.
So, what's the answer? God's grace.
Grace is undeserved goodness, undeserved
forgiveness.
Grace comes ONLY from the Spirit of God.
The ONLY WAY YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FORGIVE AND
FORGET, THE ONLY WAY YOU'LL EVER BE ABLE TO LET
GO OF YOUR PAST IS TO ASK GOD TO PUT HIS
GRACE IN YOUR HEART.
God who is exceedingly gracious, will supernaturally
put in your heart the same grace He used toward
us when He reconciled us to Himself and didn't
take our sins into account.
He FORGAVE AND FORGOT OUR SINS... PRAISE HIS
LOVELY NAME!.
You now need to forgive and forget the sins of
others towards you, just like God forgot and
forgave yours.
Only He can enable us, by His Grace, to put the
past, ALL OF IT, behind us.
You can't move forward if you're constantly looking in
the rearview mirror.
As long as you hold on to your bitterness,
resentment, unforgiveness, self-pity, wounded
feelings, negative memories and emotions, you will
live in permanent defeat and misery.
These are like a covered, infected wound full of pus.
They need to be flushed clean. The only one who
can FLUSH „EM IS THE SAME ONE THAT FLUSHED
YOUR SINS AWAY... JESUS CHRIST.
He will do it, if you ask Him.
Then, you'll finally be free to live a life of victory, the
life God intended you to have.
As the apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13,14:
"... this one thing I do, FORGETTING THOSE THINGS
WHICH ARE BEHIND, AND REACHING FORTH TO
THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE AHEAD, I PRESS
TOWARD THE MARK, FOR THE PRIZE OF THE HIGH
CALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS".
SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 2010
DID JESUS HAVE A WIFE?
Well, did He, or didn't He? Did He marry Mary
Magdalene, as some works of fiction allege? Did He
father any children?
Contrary to customary Christian teaching, Jesus didn't
come to this world ONLY to die for our sins, and
restore our relationship with the Father. He did that,
AND MUCH MORE.
Actually, Jesus ALSO came to get married and
have children.
What??? I knew you were a false prophet!!!
Not so fast. Hold your condemnation till you read the
rest of the message.
Jesus came to seek a suitable Bride for Himself.
He came to spawn many children. And He's done
both.
From God's Perspective, He is already married, and we
already are His children.
From our perspective, Jesus is betrothed to His
Church, the marriage will take place in the heavenly
realm, and God's children have not yet FULLY
MANIFESTED as such [Romans 8:19].
Believers in Jesus Christ collectively comprise the
Bride of Christ, His Church. All born-again
Christians, whose spiritual rebirth was sired by
the Holy Spirit, not by mortal sinful flesh, ARE
SONS OF GOD.
His children are those who have received Him into their
hearts, as ONE AND ONLY God and Lord, and hence
have acquired His spiritual DNA.
Paul calls this act of the Church becoming ONE FLESH
with Jesus, bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, a
"great mystery" [Ephesians 5:31,32].
Jesus has ONE wife [yes, God IS monogamous]
and her name is Ekklesia [Church].
Jesus has MANY, MANY children begotten of His Spirit
and they're US.
Long time ago, an ugly, wicked snake named satan
tried to come between the lovers and break up their
beautiful romance.
Jesus is SO IN LOVE with His Church that He
stopped at NOTHING, EVEN IF IT MEANT HIS
OWN DEATH ON THE CROSS, to get her back, and
reconcile her to Himself.
Step aside, Romeo and Juliet: this is THE greatest
LOVE STORY in all the ages.
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010
"FAITHFUL" THOMAS
The apostle Thomas is known the world over for his
refusal to believe Jesus had risen.
He said "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and
put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand
into his side, I will not believe it." [John 20:24, 25].
Ever since, he's been tagged with the dubious epithet
"doubting Thomas".
The risen Jesus showed up later and directly invited
Thomas to stick his finger into his wounds, and his
hand into his side [John 20:27].
Thomas instantly fell at His feet saying kurios mou kai
o theos: "my Lord and my God" [John 20:28].
I, for one, don't appreciate anyone calling Thomas by
that rididiculous title.
The reason Thomas's skepticism is mentioned, is that
there would be other people who would require further
evidence, other than just the testimony of Christians,
in order to believe Christ has risen.
For them, Jesus left enough historic as well as
VISUAL evidence.
Their initial skepticism doesn't preclude them
from eventually believing and entering the
Kingdom of God.
Jesus told Thomas "you have believed because you've
seen, blessed are those who have not seen, yet
believed" [John 20:29].
He didn't say Thomas wasn't saved.
By the way, Thomas WAS NOT the author of the
pseudepigraphal work known as "Gospel of Thomas",
which is HERETICAL.
Thomas was a contemporary of Jesus, who lived in the
first century A.D. The so-called "Gospel of Thomas"
is spurious, since it was written late in the
second century A.D., LONG AFTER Thomas had
died for preaching the REAL Gospel.
Thomas' initial misgivings were replaced by ROCK
SOLID FAITH.
Those who, like Thomas, may have had moments of
doubt, can turn into some of the most effective
communicators of the Gospel, and most daring
witnesses of Jesus' death, burial and
resurrection.
A couple of cases in point: Josh McDowell, and Lee
Strobel.
Matter of fact, there's historical evidence that
Thomas preached the Gospel as far as India,
where he was martyred for his faith in Christ.
Until you're ready to DIE for Jesus, like he did,
please don't dare call Thomas "doubting" anything.
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2010
NOSTRADAMUS
People who search for Nostradamus' prophecies sooner
or later stumble unto our site. We receive lots of e-
mails about him, especially when one of his programs
airs on the History Channel.
There's much confusion, even among Christians,
about this man's predictions.
The fact he was a professed Roman Catholic has led
many to believe he was a "Christian" prophet.
There's even a prominent Evangelical, and member of
the dispensationalist establishment, who often makes
reference to Nostradamus' predictions on his TV show,
thus lending this false prophet a measure of credibility.
Michel de Nostredame was an astrologer, apothecary
and seer, who served the 16th century French court.
He was a weirdo who, among other bizarre
practices, used to gaze into a BLACK MIRROR to
gain "prophetic" insights.
He published a collection of prophecies [Les
Propheties], written in 4-line statements, or quatrains,
which have gained world-wide notoriety.
Though he copied extensively from the symbolism in
the Book of Revelation, he was no Christian. He was
totally immersed in the occult. He was AN
OCCULTIST.
Some gullible individuals credit him with predicting
major events, like the rise to power of Napoleon and
Hitler, World War II, the Kennedy assassinations,
Osama Bin Laden's acts of terror, and 9/11.
That, however, is sheer speculation. Unlike the
Bible, which has a PROVEN track record of over 2,000
prophecies being fulfilled with astonishing precision,
his prophecies are so vague, that you can make 'most
anything you want out of them.
It's kind of like reading the daily horoscope.
Those who WANT TO believe that trash, somehow find
ways to make them "fit" their sorry lives.
But one thing that ALL of Nostradamus' quatrains have
in common is they foretell nothing but
MISFORTUNE.
They're ALL about calamities, death and destruction.
There's NOTHING, NOT ONE SMIDGEON, OF HOPE,
COMFORT, BLESSING, REDEMPTION or
GOODNESS in them. Need I say more?
For that matter, there's not one smidgeon of TRUTH
in them.
It's all a bunch of dark, gloomy, satanic mumbo-
jumbo.
To be fair, the Bible also makes astonishing and
troubling predictions, but there's always a positive,
happy, good and Godly ending.
Good ALWAYS triumphs over evil.
NO CHRISTIAN, therefore, should EVER look to
Nostradamus to accurately predict the future.
The World Cup octopus can predict your future better
than he can.
To quote the apostle Paul on the subject
"What fellowship has righteousness with
unrighteousness? And what communion has light
with darkness? ...what concord has Christ with
Belial? Or what part has he that believes with an
infidel? [2 Corinthians 6:14, 15].
There's simply NO COMPARISON between God's
CLEAR prophetic Word, which has a PROVEN TRACK
RECORD OF FULFILLMENT AND PINPOINT ACCURACY,
and the nebulous, delusional rants of a demon-
possessed copycat.
You can't believe the God-guaranteed prophecies in
the Bible, and believe this man at the same time.
The two are INCOMPATIBLE. They can't BOTH be
true.
God's Word clearly states: Let God be true, and
EVERY MAN [Nostradamus included] a liar [Romans
3:4].
We either believe the Holy Spirit inspired, SURE
prophetic Word of God, or the obscure lies of a
deceived lunatic.
THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2017
IN BLACK AND WHITE
This is the Jerusalem that existed in the 6th century B.C.
It's also called "Zion" or "Mount Zion" in the Scriptures. It's
the only Jerusalem that existed when God gave
Daniel the prophecy of the "70 weeks".
In Daniel 9:25 God said "FROM the word to RETURN and
BUILD Jerusalem TO Messiah Prince shall be 7 weeks AND
62 weeks".
IN CONTEXT, what "Jerusalem" was God referring to?
Obviously, the one pictured above.
THAT was the ONLY "Jerusalem" that existed AT THAT TIME.
THAT Jerusalem is the Jerusalem that was rebuilt in 445
B.C., when the Jews returned from exile, in PARTIAL
fulfillment of that prophecy.
That's UNDISPUTED, HISTORIC FACT.
God said that FROM the word to return and build THAT
Jerusalem TO Messiah Prince there would be TWO PERIODS,
one consisting of 7 weeks [49 Hebrew years], another of 62
weeks [434 Hebrew years].
In Daniel 9:26 God is careful to point out that Messiah's
death, which took place during His First Coming, would
happen AFTER the 62-week period.
What MUST HAPPEN, then, AFTER the 7-week period?
Obviously, His Second Coming.
Unless, of course, you think that Messiah only came
ONCE, and won't ever return.
Unless you think that the 70 weeks can be completed
WITHOUT His Second Coming.
If you believe there WON'T BE a Second Coming of Christ, I'm
sorry to say YOU'RE NOT CHRISTIAN.
If you believe He's coming again, then He MUST DO SO
after the 49-year [7-week] period.
There's NO WAY of getting around that.
He MUST DO SO at the completion of the 70 weeks [Daniel
9:24].
However, the 49-year count MUST START with the word to
return and build the above pictured Jerusalem.
Had there been ONLY ONE "word" to return and build
THAT Jerusalem, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to calculate the
approximate time of His Second Coming.
However, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO WORDS TO RESTORE
AND BUILD THAT JERUSALEM.
The first word, as noted above, took place in the spring of
445 B.C. The second word took place in the spring of 1969.
In both instances, THAT Jerusalem had been destroyed.
The first destruction was done by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
The second destruction was done by the Jordanians in 1948.
Again, these are UNDISPUTED, HISTORIC FACTS.
In both instances, Jews had been EXILED.
This is significant because the word was to RETURN and build
Jerusalem. They couldn't return UNLESS they'd
first been expelled.
In 586 B.C. Jews were exiled by the Babylonians from THAT
Jerusalem, and in 1948 Jews were evicted by Jordanians
from THAT Jerusalem.
They returned and rebuilt it, as prophesied, commencing in
early June, 1969.
If we count 49 Hebrew years [7 weeks] from that date,
it takes us PRECISELY TO Rosh Hashanah [around
September 21], 2017.
That's when the Second Coming of Messiah Prince
MUST take place.
If Messiah's Second Coming MUST take place around
September 21, 2017, and we DEDUCT 2,520 days which is
the duration of the tribulation, it takes us to Rosh Chodesh
Kislev of THIS YEAR 2010.
That's when the Rapture MUST occur.
Rosh Chodesh Kislev is a two-day event, contingent on the
appearance of the New Moon over Jerusalem, verified by two
witnesses. Hence, "no one knows the day or the hour".
That's what God said. God CANNOT LIE [Numbers 23:19;
Romans 3:4; Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2].
Be honest, now:
Is this merely "my interpretation", or is it WHAT GOD
SAID, VERBATIM?
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
I am sick and tired of hypocritical Christians asking "what
happens IF your interpretation of the Rapture is
incorrect?", or "what will you do"?
A. If this were merely "my interpretation" it wouldn't be
worth posting, let alone reading.
B. If this were merely "my interpretation", someone would
have been able to DISPROVE IT, or at the very least
cast some serious doubt on it. NO ONE has, in 7 months,
nor will they, because it happens to be the INFALLIBE
Word of God. But you're ALL welcome to TRY.
C. If you think it's merely "my interpretation", PROVE IT.
Show me HOW I misunderstood, distorted, misapplied the
Scriptures, or took them out of context.
Here's your chance, critics: Put up or SHUT UP.
D. The people who ask that question should examine THE
MOTIVE in their own hearts.
They don't fool God, or me, for one millisecond.
God knows EXACTLY what's behind that question, and
so do I.
These people are LUSTING FOR BLOOD.
They desperately WANT the Rapture NOT to happen, JUST
SO they can label me "false prophet".
REAL Christians would be THRILLED, joyously and excitedly
anticipating that glorious moment when we finally see the
Lord "as He is", and are transformed from corruptible to
incorruptible, from mortal to immortal, to forever BE with
Him.
E. This isn't "my prophecy", it's God's. It was GOD who
said, thru the archangel Gabriel, "FROM the word to return
and build Jerusalem TO Messiah Prince shall be 7 weeks AND
[in ADDITION to] 62 weeks" [Daniel 9:25].
F. Those who ask ARE A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES. Why?
I seem to remember a famous Christian author SELLING
over 30 million copies of a WORTHLESS book filled with
UNSCRIPTURAL SPECULATION, where he predicted the
Rapture would take place in 1988, 40 years after the "rebirth
of Israel".
And "WHAT HAPPENED" to him? If anything, he's SELLING
more speculation-filled books that ever, has become a
multimillionaire SELLING prophetic FICTION to dumb,
ignorant Christians, still appears regularly on
"Christian" TV and, as if SELLING unbiblical material
weren't bad enough, HE ALSO SOLICITS DONATIONS.
How come you haven't written him demanding he shut
down his ministry, quit selling lies, remove his website, or
cancel his TV shows?
At least, everything we teach and do in this ministry is FREE.
We've NEVER sold anything, never solicited a dime, or taken
a dime from ANYONE.
How come you've never written ANOTHER "prophecy
expert" on "Christian" TV asking him "what happens if
there's NO 7-YEAR PEACE TREATY", since there's nothing
in the Bible that teaches such untruth?
How come you've never challenged YET ANOTHER
"expert" on his teaching that the Ark of the Covenant
MUST BE FOUND in order for Jews to rebuild their
temple, when it's historical and biblical fact that the
Second Temple HAD NO ARK?
How come you've never asked them to shut down their
ministries and STOP SELLING millions of books, CD's, and
DVD's WHERE THEY consistenly CONTRADICT THE
SCRIPTURES insisting that "the Antichrist is alive"?
I'll tell you WHY, because you're applying A DOUBLE
STANDARD. That makes you, and by "you" I mean those
who ask that stupid question, A HYPOCRITE.
Since from a materialistic standpoint THERE'S ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING IN IT FOR ME, I could have kept this
information all to myself. Have you EVER thought of
that?
Have you ever considered how much of my precious time and
money, work, knowledge, talent, not to mention
AGGRAVATION, I could save by taking down the website, and
shutting down the ministry?
WHAT ON EARTH WOULD I LOSE, by doing so?
NOTHING. I would GAIN by it.
I'd save tons of money, I'd have time to get some rest and
enjoy life, like everyone else, and do what I really like,
instead of spending my hard earned money and precious time
ministering to people, listening to their problems, bringing
them to Salvation, sending out FREE materials, taking care of
their spiritual needs, praying for them, counseling them,
teaching them solid Bible doctrine, overseeing all of the
ministries administrative issues, and answering their dumb
questions.
You'd think at the VERY least Christians would show a little
gratitude.
So, to all who have asked, or WOULD ASK, "what will you do
IF the Rapture doesn't happen in November"? I have a
better question:
What will YOU DO, when IT DOES?
TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2010
SCOFFERS
2 Peter 3:3 warns ..."there shall come in the last
days SCOFFERS, walking after their own lusts, and
saying, Where is the Promise of His Coming"?
I hate to admit it, but the scoffers have a point.
I didn't say they're right. I said they have a point.
After all, Jesus promised that He would return
and, in earth time, that was 2,000 years ago.
It doesn't help that Christians [I use the term
VERY loosely] have, time and again, predicted the
Rapture or the Second Coming, and they didn't
happen.
If there's an area where Christians have consistently
distinguished themselves, it's in the area of
erroneously predicting Christ's return.
At the end of the first millennium A.D., expectations
reached fever pitch. No Jesus.
Same thing happened when the second millennium
was approaching... Remember all the "Y2K" hoopla?
Still no Jesus.
FALSE PROPHET William Miller DECEIVED thousands
into thinking Christ would return on October 22,
1844. His followers were so brainwashed that they
sold their property, donned white robes [as if
putting on a piece of cloth could make anyone
righteous], and stood on top of mountains, absolutely
convinced they would witness the Second Advent.
Didn't happen.
Their great expectation turned out to be The
Great Disappointment.
The Millerites, as they're known in history, were so
frustrated and confused that, sadly, some committed
suicide, or ended up in mental institutions.
Another FALSE PROPHET Charles Taze Russell, of the
so-called Jehovah's Witnesses, convinced his followers
Jesus would return in 1874. He didn't.
Then there was Edward C. Whisenat who, supposedly,
had "88 reasons" [none of them scriptural] why the
Rapture would occur in 1988. No Rapture.
Five years later, he published yet another book, saying
it would be in 1993. Again, no Rapture.
Add to all this the fact that, since 1917, when the
Scofield Reference Bible was published and gained
popularity, prophecy gurus have been falsely
telling their audiences that "the Rapture is
imminent" or that "Jesus could come at any
moment".
In the case of Miller and Russell, both of which
spawned CULTS, they took scriptures TOTALLY out
of context [so what else is new?] and added their
personal, erroneous, unbiblical SPECULATION that, in
Daniel 8:14, "days" really meant "years". Never
mind there's NOTHING IN THE BIBLE TO SUPPORT
THAT.
In the case of the current prophecy establishment,
they have superficially and irresponsibly parroted
Scofield's theory that "no signs would precede
the Rapture", never even bothering to check if
such theory stands up to biblical scrutiny.
So, we've given the scoffers plenty of reasons to scoff.
Despite all the deception and buffoonery, the fact
remains that Jesus will return.
Jesus will rapture His Church, then physically set up
His Kingdom on earth 7 years later.
When He does, scoffers will eat their words.
MONDAY, JULY 26, 2010
PERSONAL JESUS
Who is Jesus to you?
Is He a great moral teacher, philosopher or religious
leader?
Is He "that guy" the priest or pastor talks about during
church service?
Is He merely the One who died on a cross 2,000 years
ago?
Is He your grandma's or your mom's Jesus?
... you friend's Jesus? Fred's or Cathy's Jesus?
Or, is He your PERSONAL Savior, Lord and God?
Someone else's Jesus won't do you ANY good.
Let me say it again: Jesus won't do you ANY good,
as long as He remains "someone else's" Jesus.
He wants to be YOUR Jesus.
He ALREADY loves you... unconditionally.
When He BECOMES YOUR PERSONAL JESUS, He
talks DIRECTLY to you, listens to you, hangs out with
you, STAYS in you, He saves you. He washes away
ALL your sins.
He transforms you into His own Image.
He's FOREVER yours. You're FOREVER His.
Make Him YOUR PERSONAL Jesus.
Make Him YOUR VERY OWN.
Sunday, July 25,2010
LOVE IS A PERSON
As rich, precise and diverse as the English language is, being
the language of science, and having the largest vocabulary of
any language, it's rather deficient where love is
concerned.
The dictionary provides no fewer than 13 different
definitions for the word "love", and they're as different as
day and night. It can mean:
1. Strong affection for another.
2. Sexual desire.
3. Affection based on admiration, or common interests
.
4. Warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion.
5. The object of attachment, devotion, or admiration.
6. A beloved person -often used as a term of
endearment .
7. Unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good
of another: as the fatherly concern of God for
humankind.
8. Brotherly concern for others.
9. A person's adoration of God.
10. An amorous episode: .
11. The sexual embrace, a/k/a copulation.
12. In tennis, it means ZERO.
13. Last, but not least, it means THE
PERSONIFICATION OF love, as in God or Jesus.
While the English word "love" can be used to express
any of the above, the Greek language, in which the
New Testament was written, is much more precise:
• Agápe = a deeper sense of TRUE or SACRIFICIAL
love.
This is the word used throughout the New Testament's
"love chapter", 1 Corinthians 13.
• Éros is passionate love, with sensual desire and
longing. The Modern Greek word "erotas" means
"intimate love."
• Philia is dispassionate virtuous love. It's the love or
loyalty to friends, family, and community, and
requires virtue, equality and familiarity.
• Storge means "natural affection", like that felt by
parents for offspring.
In 1 John 4:16 God describes Himself as Agápe:
"God IS Agápe".
There are millions of "eros", "phileos", and even
"storges", but THERE'S ONLY ONE "agape".
Do you KNOW agape? Have you EXPERIENCED
agape?
Human love may be a thing, but REAL Love is a
Person.
SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2010
CHANGING STRATEGY
This ministry has consisted of two-way communication,
since day one.
It will remain that way, but with a few changes.
Effective immediately, WE WILL NO LONGER BE OPEN
TO, or accept, any challenge to ANY of this website's
teachings.
There will be only TWO exceptions. The TWO TOPICS
still open for debate are:
1) Salvation
2) The general timing of the Rapture and Second
Coming based on Daniel's "70 weeks".
We won't be open to debate about ANYTHING
ELSE.
We have also posted this notice elsewhere on the
website.
Of course you can still ask questions about the Bible,
and we'll still be receptive to anyone who has a
legitimate need, and desires counsel or prayer.
We still WELCOME inquiries from unbelievers or
skeptics.
We are making these changes so we can better
concentrate on winning souls to Jesus, and
getting Christians ready for that great event,
namely, our gathering together unto Him [2
Thessalonians 2:1].
Frankly, if these teachings have withstood every
challenge for over 5 years, the chances of anyone
toppling them are nil.
We provide scriptural basis, and citations, for all of
them.
We don't shove these teachings down people's throats.
People are welcome to accept or reject them, as they
deem appropriate.
What WE WON'T DO is get bogged down with silly
issues like secret societies taking over the world, who's
the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6, some
mystical box dedicated to false deities in Saudi Arabia,
or whether the Mahdi or President Obama are the
Antichrist.
I'm hereby advising everyone that I'm done
debating such issues.
If you're Christian, none of that will matter, „cause
you won't be here.
If you're NOT Christian, arguing is pointless „cause
you'll witness it firsthand.
FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2010
LISTENING TO THE SPIRIT
God is talking ALL THE TIME.
God the Word [Jesus] is constantly communicating.
His Word, the Scriptures tell us, is what holds this
UNIVERSE TOGETHER and keeps it running
[Hebrews 1:3].
Jesus, the Holy Word of God, is constantly
broadcasting.
Unfortunately, His audience IS NOT RECEIVING.
His audience IS NOT even LISTENING.
Is it any wonder the Church is fragmented, confused
and spiritually emaciated?
Every time Jesus taught some important Kingdom
principle He repeatedly said "those WHO HAVE EARS
TO HEAR, let them hear"? [Matthew 11:5; 13:9,43;
Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 14:35; Revelation 2:7,11,17, 29;
3:6,13,22].
Obviously, He wasn't referring to physical ears on
the side of your head.
Everyone in His audience had those.
He meant SPIRITUAL EARS.
He meant the ears OF YOUR SPIRIT.
Yes, your spirit has ears, and ONE EYE [single].
We will deal with spiritual VISION in a separate
message.
You have spiritual senses, just like you have
physical senses.
And while the physical senses are limited to 5, the
spirit has no limitations.
That's why it is so important that you get in touch with
your own spirit, with is joined to Jesus' Holy Spirit [1
Corinthians 6:17].
Your spirit, as I've often taught, is presently WITHIN
YOUR STOMACH AREA.
Get alone with Jesus somewhere, get in intimate
communion with Him, and ask His Holy Spirit to
manifest and show you WHERE inside of you He
resides.
Every born again Christian contains a treasure trove
of spiritual wealth, resources, authority, knowledge,
information and power.
What a tragic waste that the Church squanders it
by TOTALLY IGNORING AND SIDESTEPPING THE
SPIRIT.
What awful tragedy that Christians live OBLIVIOUS to
their born again Nature.
What horrible tragedy that God Himself LIVES
LITERALLY INSIDE OF US, and we PAY NO
ATTENTION TO HIM.
Instead, we're focused on silly stuff that, four months
from now won't matter and we won't even
remember, like Mel Gibson's domestic problems,
Lindsay Lohan's woes du jour, or whether Republicans
or Democrats will be the majority party in the House or
Senate.
The Church, Christ's Sleeping Beauty, MUST AWAKE
to the REALITY OF THE INNER CHRIST.
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010
INSIDER
Christians are supposed to live FROM inside
themselves.
We're supposed to live FROM the New HOLY
NATURE Jesus gave us when we became born-
again.
That New SPIRITUAL Nature will someday soon move
up to our heads.
That is its rightful place.
It will man our brain, and use it to its full potential,
which is far beyond anything any of us can even
imagine.
At the moment, it's located inside our stomachs.
Don't give me that blank look. It's absolutely true.
The ONLY reason this teaching sounds "odd" is
because those who should have been teaching it,
haven't done it.
This is what Christian ministers should have been
teaching all along.
It's part of the Gospel of Grace.
It's what Peter, Paul, John and the apostles taught.
Most importantly, it's WHAT JESUS TAUGHT.
Why do you think His last words to the disciples were
to STAY IN JERUSALEM, and NOT to preach a sermon,
NOT to preach the Gospel, NOT heal anyone, or pray
for anyone UNTIL they received the Holy Spirit
and were born again? [Luke 24:49].
From that all-important, watershed moment, He
expected them [and us] to LIVE FROM HIS OWN
SPIRIT WITHIN US.
He expected them [and us] to MINISTER TO
OTHERS FROM HIS OWN SPIRIT WITHIN US.
If you are born again you have Jesus Himself
LIVING INSIDE YOU.
God didn't put Him in there so we would ignore Him.
He put Himself IN US so we would pay attention
to Him.
So we would enjoy Him.
So we would CONSULT Him, so we would talk to Him,
and so we would LISTEN TO Him.
It's a sad, sad indictment on the "Christian" religion
that preachers are focused ALMOST ENTIRELY on what
takes place OUTSIDE.
When, in fact, they should have been focused ON
WHAT'S TAKEN PLACE INSIDE.
Fact is, 95% of born-agains DON'T EVEN KNOW, --
they HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE -- where their born again
spirit is located.
85-90% OF PREACHERS DON'T KNOW EITHER.
We have the blind leading the blind. Guess where both
invariably end up?
Living from the inside, from your born again spirit, is
both a joy and a privilege.
You can't be privy to what God is doing, to what He
has up His sleeve, or to the wonderful secrets of His
Kingdom unless you live from the New Nature on
the inside.
Living from the inside makes you a Kingdom
INSIDER.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010
A LITTLE DIRTY
Feeling a little dirty?
Or, maybe, A LOT dirty?
Don't even TRY to clean yourself.
It's A TOTAL WASTE of time and energy; and it won't
work.
Besides, it's silly to try to do it yourself, when THE
BEST CLEANER ON EARTH is available FOR THE
ASKING.
There's absolutely NOTHING you can do to CLEAN
YOURSELF, actually.
No amount of "good works", no amount of
commandment keeping, no amount of church going,
no amount of praying, and NO AMOUNT OF GIVING will
remove your sins.
So, what's a dirty person to do?
LET JESUS CLEAN YOU.
Let Him clean you FROM WITHIN.
He can do it better and quicker than anybody.
He'll make you SQUEAKY CLEAN.
He'll remove all the filth and all the stains.
Even Tide can't remove ALL the dirt like He can.
If He can clean a no-good, flawed, filthy, sinful mess
like me, He can certainly CLEAN YOU.
We completely depend on Jesus to clean us up.
We completely depend on Jesus to make us
righteous.
We completely depend on Jesus to BE righteous.
We NEVER depend on anything or anyone else,
including ourselves.
He'll WASH ALL your sins away and GIVE YOU HIS
OWN PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS.
ALL you have to do is ASK.
TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010
I REPENT
Today's message is a little different: I want to publically
CONFESS MY SIN and repent.
As I communed with the Lord in spirit recently, He intimated
that I need to "see" Him in ALL my brothers and sisters,
even in those whose outward demeanor may not be
exemplary.
In this I have failed. I'm sorry; I wholeheartedly
repent, and ASK THEIR FORGIVENESS, AS WELL AS
YOURS.
Here's the problem: I have, on the one hand, relentlessly
preached that when we're born again we're forever saved,
and that our works have no bearing whatsoever on our
salvation.
That God SEES US, in Christ, as righteous, perfect and
sinless as Christ Himself. ALL of this is fortunately true.
I have, on the other hand, publically denounced and harshly
criticized certain brothers and sisters for their greed and
reprehensible practices, like making a mockery and a
business out of Christianity, teaching God's favor can be
bought, selling unbiblical speculation and so forth, ALL OF
WHICH, sadly, is also true.
While I've never stated they aren't Christians, the problem is
I need to see them as God sees them.
If they're born again, DESPITE these carnal, dishonest, sinful
acts, God sees them as righteous as His Son.
If God has declared them righteous, BY GRACE, despite their
numerous flaws, and deceitful teachings, WHO AM I, then,
to say otherwise, or to air their dirty laundry?
If they're born again, Jesus lives in them, despite their
actions, as much as He lives in me. His precious Blood has
cleansed them of ALL sin, as much as it's cleansed me
of my MANY sins.
I did not realize the inconsistency between those two
messages until God, by His Spirit, pointed it out.
So, I'm issuing a public apology to EVERY Christian I've ever
criticized: Charles Nelson Darby, C.I. Scofield, James
Arminius, Hal Lindsay, Jack and Rexella Van Impe, Grant
Jeffrey, Tim La Haye, Tim Mc Hyde, Oral Roberts, Richard
Roberts, Robert Schuller, Paul and Jan Crouch, Benny Hinn,
Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, Paula White, Kenneth Copeland,
Juanita Bynum, John Hagee, Rod Parsley, Steve Munsey, Don
Stewart, Peter Popoff, Joel Osteen, Jim and Tammy Bakker,
Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart and Mike Murdock. [If I've
missed anyone, I apologize to him/her/them, as well].
This doesn't mean that I now agree or approve of their
actions and/or teachings.
It simply means that, by God's Grace, I CHOOSE to see
them IN CHRIST, as sinless and perfect as God Himself
sees them.
Are all these guys and gals REAL Christians? I hope so. I'll let
God be the judge of that. At least, to my knowledge, none of
the above has ever denied His Grace, or the fundamentals of
the Christian faith.
I also want to be clear that I totally stand by my teaching
about OTHER so-called "Christians" who DENY THE
GRACE OF GOD, and the ALL SUFFICIENT ATONEMENT of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by teaching a PERVERTED "gospel" of grace
PLUS WORKS.
I can categorically state that's NO GOSPEL AT ALL, and
those who teach such abomination are NOT real
Christians.
I also apologize to any BORN-AGAIN brother or sister whose
communication with this ministry may have deteriorated to
anything short of Perfect Love. I humbly ask their
forgiveness.
By God's Grace, henceforth, I purpose in my heart
NEVER to engage in this sin.
Since this ministry is two-way communication, if any of you
ever catch me criticizing a specific brother or sister again, let
me have it... REAL GOOD.
It's O.K. to expose and criticize the ungodly ACTIONS, but
not the INDIVIDUALS whom Jesus has redeemed and
sanctified. I see that now.
Thank you for "listening" with your spiritual ears.
In His Grace,
Martel
MONDAY, JULY 10, 2010
LOST BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Here's the Truth about the supposed "lost books" of the Bible:
They were NEVER "of the Bible", nor were they ever
"lost".
The entire New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation,
was written in the FIRST CENTURY A.D., soon after Jesus'
death and resurrection.
The apocryphal [or deuterocanonical] books like Maccabees
have HISTORIC value, but are NOT divinely inspired.
The pseudepigraphal [books with false titles] are neither
divinely inspired, nor written by the people they're
named after.
For instance, the so-called "Gospel of Thomas" couldn't have
been written by the apostle Thomas, who lived in the
first century, since this book was written late in the
second century.
Other false books include the so-called "Gospel of Judas", a
damnable heresy if there ever was one, the so-called "Gospel
of Peter", the so-called "Books of Adam and Eve" and the
"Acts of Phillip.
These books often CONTRADICT God's Holy Word, and
CONTRADICT the New Testament. To put it bluntly, they are
HERETICAL.
I advise every Christian to study the New Testament
deeply, and LEARN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHICH IS THE
INSPIRED, INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD, before they launch
into reading something by a false author, with a false title,
containing false information which will send people to hell,
and which CONTRADICTS God's holy, inspired Word.
Lest anyone misunderstand, the Old Testament is God's
Word, too. However, we're no longer living under the Old
Testament, but under the New. The New Testament has
REPLACED the Old, which became obsolete when Jesus
died for our sins and rose from the dead.
There WERE NO CHRISTIANS UNDER the Old Testament.
Therefore, those who insist in STILL living under the Old
Testament ARE NOT REAL Christians... I don't care what
they call themselves.
Real Christians are ONLY under the New Testament.
They have always been and always will be.
There's NOTHING missing from the Bible.
God's NEVER lost anyone or anything that BELONGS to
Him [John 18:9; 2 Timothy 1:12].
[Pause and meditate on that].
Who do you belong to? Do you belong to a
DENOMINATION? Do you belong to a man-invented
DOCTRINE? Or, do you belong to Jesus?
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010
I'M NO LONGER CHRISTIAN
I was reading an on-line forum recently and found this topic being discussed:
"WHY I'M NO LONGER CHRISTIAN".
The individual who started the discussion wrote a very long description of
how he'd been involved for a large portion of his life in
church activities, heard the pastor preach, read the Bible, prayed, been
baptized in water, etc. etc.
How everyone in the congregation rejoiced over his
baptism and basically told him that he had found real
faith in Jesus.
This person, however, plainly states that he NEVER FELT anything.
He was participating in all these OUTWARD things, and did so for years.
Everything seemed "perfect" ON THE OUTSIDE, but
there was NOTHING going on on the inside.
Next thing you know, there were others telling similar stories: they went
to a local church for years and years, did all the stuff
they were "supposed to do" and nothing happened to
them.
I have to tell you, my heart broke.
It broke because I knew and understood EXACTLY what these people were
talking about.
Because at one point in my life I was ONE OF those people.
I HAD RELIGION.
I had religion coming out my ears.
I did EVERYTHING religion told me I was "supposed to
do" OUTWARDLY: was baptized in water, learned cathechism, wore
medals, lit candles, prayed countless rosaries, sang in the choir, attended
religious services, did first communion, was "a good person", who did "good
deeds", even attended private religious schools.
I believed in God, with my mind. I even felt an emotional love
for Jesus.
Yet, I felt empty.
So empty that, at times, REAL DOUBTS crossed my mind as to whether I'd
been told the truth.
I knew from everything around us, THERE HAD TO BE a God, but
WHO was He? And WHERE was He?
What was missing back then in my life, is the same thing that's
been missing in these people's lives: A PERSONAL,
INTIMATE, SPIRITUAL CONNECTION with Jesus Christ.
Fact is, I wasn't A REAL CHRISTIAN, until I made that connection with
Christ.
I "looked" Christian, I ACTED LIKE a Christian, participated in Christian
activities, but I WASN'T Christian.
What they had [and what I had] IS DEAD RELIGION.
What they NEED [and what I needed] was an INNER CONNECTION
WITH THE LIVING God.
To make that connection, you MUST, from depths of your heart,
invite THE LIVING JESUS to COME INTO your spirit.
Reciting a prayer, even the prayer we offer on this website as
a guide, WON'T make that connection, UNLESS you MEAN IT.
If you don't mean it, when you say it, IT'S JUST EMPTY WORDS.
They'll leave you with an EMPTY HEART.
Religious activities don't make ANYONE Christian.
What we do ON THE OUTSIDE doesn't make us
Christians.
What makes us Christians is WHOM we HAVE INSIDE.
YOUR HEART must get involved. YOUR HEART must be JOINED TO
Jesus. There are no two ways about it.
I told the people in question that WHAT they had left is the
"Christian" religion.
They COULDN'T POSSIBLY have left Jesus because
THEY NEVER KNEW Jesus.
To say, therefore, that "they're NO LONGER Christian" is
untrue.
They WERE NEVER Christians to begin with.
SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2010
2012
Will the Rapture happen in 2012?
Will the tribulation begin in 2012?
Will the world end in 2012?
No, no and NO.
These questions keep coming up, constantly, in e-
mail after e-mail.
There's even a movie out about 2012 portraying all
sorts of "natural disasters" that will take place in that
dreaded year.
I've HAD IT with 2012.
I can understand LOST SOULS being swept into this
deception, and I'm more than happy to enlighten
them, but Christians...?
But what about the "planetary alignment" that's
supposed to happen that year?
What about "planet X"? [a/k/a "Nibiru"]?
What about the Mayan calendar?
What about Nostradamus?
Well, WHAT about „em?
Do you read ANYWHERE in the Bible that we're
supposed to be looking for [let alone FEARING] some
planetary alignment, or some mysterious "Planet
X"?
Does Revelation say we should look to the Mayan
calendar, or to an occultist named Nostradamus,
to learn about our future?
C'mon Christians! Have you become SO WORLDLY
that you can no longer differentiate between
God's Word and man-invented, CONJURED UP,
fear-generated fables?
Can you no longer tell the difference between
FACT and MYTH?
I've been hearing about so-called "planetary
alignments" since the 70's and nothing's happened.
The Mayan calendar contains NO MORE TRUTH than
that liar named satan.
Unless, of course, you THINK that a demon-
worshiping, savage, evil "civilization", which
practiced HUMAN SACRIFICE, and didn't even know
about its own extinction, IS MORE TRUTHFUL and
KNOWS MORE about our God-ordained "future"
than THE ONE HOLY, PERFECT, ALL-KNOWING,
ALL POWERFUL GOD.
As for Nostradamus, he was, is, and forever will be
A FALSE PROPHET.
He can no more predict your future than Miss Cleo.
If you want to know what lies ahead, STICK TO the
Book of Revelation.
It's ALL there in black and white, even in
chronological order.
The Book of Revelation IS
NOT science fiction.
God's TOTALLY in control of this thing.
God DOESN'T NEED planetary alignments, planet X,
Nostradamus, the Mayans, OR ANYTHING ELSE, in
order to bring His end-time scenario to pass.
Have you not heard, or read, that HE CREATED the
planets? [Genesis 1:14-18].
Or, that His Word SUSTAINS the entire universe?
[Hebrews 1:3].
Have you not read that HE SPOKE, and "IT" WAS?
[Genesis 1:3, 7, 9, 11, 15; Hebrews 11:3].
He can make "IT" all happen, AT WILL, and IN
AN INSTANT.
It's God, not Nostradamus, not the Mayans, not the
planets, that PREDETERMINED these things [Isaiah
46:10; Revelation 21:6]
Hence, it's God's Word, and GOD'S WORD ALONE,
that we should be looking to for answers.
That's certainly is where I get ALL my answers.
According to the Bible, by December 21, 2012 this
world will be TWO YEARS INTO the tribulation.
And what will happen then won't be "natural
disasters".
THAT will be THE ONE TIME when you can truly call
it "ACTS OF GOD".
FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2010
ARE WE IN THE TRIBULATION?
Many of you have written asking if the tribulation has
started. I know that certain websites claim it started
back in April or May of 2009.
No one disputes that we have witnessed some tragic
events this year:
The strong earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, which
claimed many lives and caused widespread damage.
The volcano in Iceland, which halted air traffic in most
of Europe for several weeks.
The sluggish economy, nations on the verge of
bankruptcy, and high unemployment, even in
developed nations.
Most recently, the extensive oil spill in the gulf, which
is still spreading, and adversely affecting both the
economy and ecology.
Has the tribulation started? NO.
As bad as these things seem, and ARE, they're "a walk
in the park" compared to what takes place during the
tribulation.
Don't take my word for it, read chapters 8, 9 and 16 of
the Book of Revelation.
What we're experiencing right now is the
"beginning of sorrows" described in Matthew
24:5-8.
If you've followed this ministry for any length of time
you know that the universal "signs" THAT THE
RAPTURE'S ABOUT TO OCCUR AND THE
TRIBULATION'S ABOUT TO BEGIN given in Isaiah
13:10, Joel 2:10,11,31 and Revelation 6:12, are that,
depending on whether it's day or night in that
part of the world we live in, the sun turns black, or
the moon blood-red, and there's a huge temblor of
both earth and atmosphere.
Concurrent with these events, the Church is raptured.
You also know that the Scriptures point to the Rapture
of Christian believers taking place in early November,
2010.
By mid-November, this world will be immersed in the
throes of relentless, irreversible tribulation [Revelation
6:16, 17].
When the REAL tribulation starts, there will be
NO DOUBT whatsoever.
If you're still here, you WON'T HAVE TO ASK.
You'll KNOW.
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010
NOT BY WORKS
Ephesians 2:8, 9 is one passage of Scripture that EVERY
Christian should know by heart. It says:
"Because you are saved BY GRACE thru FAITH; and that,
NOT of yourselves: It is the gift of God: NOT by works,
lest anyone should boast".
Salvation is NOT by works.
Salvation is A GIFT.
As with any other gift, there's NOTHING we can DO to
earn it or deserve it. ALL WE CAN "DO" IS RECEIVE IT.
The righteousness of God is by faith in Christ Jesus
UNTO ALL and upon ALL OF THEM THAT BELIEVE
[Romans 3:22].
It's NOT by works.
Being justified FREELY BY HIS GRACE thru the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus [Romans 3:24].
It's NOT by works.
Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified BY FAITH,
WITHOUT THE WORKS OF THE LAW [Romans 3:28].
It's NOT by works.
And if by grace, THEN IT IS NO MORE OF WORKS:
otherwise grace is no more grace [Romans 11:6].
It's NOT by works.
By the WORKS of the law shall NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED
[Galatians 3:16].
It's NOT by works.
Who has [already] saved us, and called us with a holy calling,
NOT ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, but according to His
own purpose AND GRACE, WHICH WAS GIVEN US
[ALREADY] IN CHRIST JESUS BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN
[2 Timothy 1:9].
It's NOT by works.
Knowing that a man is NOT justified by the WORKS of
the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ [Galatians 2:16].
It's NOT by works.
NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit [Titus 3:5].
It's NOT by works.
Evangelical ministers, STOP preaching a confusing, murky
"gospel" of grace plus works.
That's NO Gospel, AT ALL.
It's NOT by works.
Armstrongnists, Seventh Day Adventists, Church of Christ,
United Church of God, Jehovah's Witnesses, Sabbatarians,
legalists... which part exactly of "NOT by works" don't
you understand?
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2010
TALE OF TWO SINNERS
In Luke 19:9-14, Jesus told the parable of TWO SINNERS,
the Pharisee and the publican.
Pharisees were part of the religious hierarchy of the day. They
were educated, well dressed, had sound theology, and were
generally held in high esteem.
Publicans, on the other hand, were very common
individuals, considered traitors, and dishonest, since
they collected taxes for the Roman Empire, and often
overtaxed their own countrymen in order to maximize profits.
They were generally regarded as scum.
One thing I love about Jesus is that He often sat, ate, and
hung out with publicans, but continually butted heads with
self-righteous Pharisees.
Jesus NEVER spoke against publicans, yet He REPEATEDLY
railed against holier-than-thou Pharisees, calling them
hypocrites, to their face, as well as "vipers", and "blind
guides".
For good measure, He added that publicans and whores
would enter God's Kingdom AHEAD OF them [Matthew
21:31].
There's NOTHING new under the sun.
In the aforementioned parable, the publican humbled himself,
ACKNOWLEDGED he was A NO-GOOD, WORTHLESS SINNER,
asked for God's mercy, and went home justified.
But the self-righteous Pharisee who said:
• "Thank God I'M NOT like this sinful drug addict",
• "Thank God I'M NOT like this sinful homosexual",
• "Thank God I'M NOT like this sinful prostitute",
• "Thank God I'M NOT like this sinful thief",
• "Thank God I always use "proper" language, UNLIKE
this profane sinner",
• "Thank God I'M NOT LIKE this sinful idolater",
• "Thank God I'M NOT like this sinful adulterer",
• "Thank God I keep the 10 Commandments"
• Thank God I tithe
• Thank God I do good works.
• Thank God I observe the weekly the Sabbath.
• Thank God I observe the torah.
• "Thank God I'M NOT like this idol worshipping Catholic",
[O.K., the biblical text says "publican", but you get
my drift]...
Was NOT in right standing with God.
Fast forward 2,000 years: We still have "publicans"
and, unfortunately, plenty of Pharisees.
We are ALL sinners.
There are only TWO CATEGORIES OF SINNER:
Those who acknowledge their sin, humble
themselves, ask Jesus into their hearts, TRUST
WHAT HE DID FOR US AT CALVARY, and ARE
FORGIVEN.
And those who THINK they can attain THEIR OWN
righteousness, by "doing this" and "NOT DOING
that", who TRUST WHAT THEY DO, NOT WHAT HE
DID, who have fallen from Grace and will perish
in their sins [Galatians 5:4,5].
WHICH CATEGORY ARE YOU IN?
TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2012
SLEEPING BEAUTY
As a child, I always enjoyed watching the Disney classic
Sleeping Beauty.
For those who may have forgotten, the tale involves a wicked
fairy, who attends a princess's Christening.
Feeling overlooked, the wicked fairy places an
enchantment on the little princess that, upon reaching
her 16th birthday, she would prick her finger on a
spindle and die.
A good fairy, though unable to completely reverse the spell,
said that the princess would instead sleep for a hundred
years, until awakened by true love's first kiss.
When the princess turned 16, the inevitable happened. She
pricked her finger on a spindle and died.
A forest of briars sprang up around the castle, shielding it
from the outside world: no one could try to penetrate it
without facing certain death in the thorns.
After a hundred years had passed, A PRINCE braved the
thorny forest, and overcame every obstacle the wicked
fairy with two horns placed in his path.
Eventually the forest parted at his approach, and he entered
the castle.
Upon seeing the princess's beauty, he fell in love, kissed
her, and she woke up. As in all good fairy tales, everyone
lived happily ever after.
Am I preaching fairy tales now? God forbid.
But this particular fairy tale is a beautiful metaphor for the
fall of humankind thru sin, which in turn brought the
sting and sleep of death, the Promise of Redemption,
and what our Redeemer had to face, ALONE, to "wake
us up".
The unimaginable price He paid so we could "live
happily ever after".
The Church is Christ's Sleeping Beauty.
He paid IN FULL the price required to give her eternal life.
Not 100 years, but 2,000 years have passed.
According to the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew chapter
25, even the "wise virgins" will be asleep when the
Lord raptures her.
The Bride's future is secure.
Only one question remains:
Will she awaken with the Lord's gentle Kiss, or will she have
to be SHAKEN OUT OF HER STUPOR?
Monday, July 12, 2010
TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
Virtually ALL that passes for "ministry" today is ONE-
WAY communication.
Whether it's on TV, internet, radio, conference,
campmeeting, congregation, recording, or printed
page, you usually have ONE PERSON doing the
talking, while those in the audience have NO
VOICE.
The audience never gets to ask questions, or interact
with the author, or speaker, in any meaningful
way.
One-way communication is largely to blame FOR
ALL THE ERROR and OUTRIGHT DECEPTION being
disseminated in the Name of Christ.
Jesus warned us in advance that this would happen
[Matthew 24:5].
This is one of the reasons that, from day one,
christconnection has been open to TWO-WAY
communication.
This is ONE OF the features that set this ministry
apart from, as far as we know, all others.
Another such feature, of course, is the fact we have
never sold anything, or taken money from anyone.
TWO WAY communication can be both pleasant and
edifying, or it can be unpleasant.
Perhaps this is one reason why other ministries are
adverse to it.
It's simply a lot easier to have an employee send out a
form letter, or e-mail to a nameless, faceless
person, from the comfort and insulation of state-of-
the-art buildings equipped with security cameras and
personnel.
Not everyone appreciates two-way communication.
There are some who abuse it in various ways.
satan is very clever, and often uses individuals who
are either completely devoid of common sense,
or have nothing better to do, to TRY to eat away
our time.
Time is one of our most precious commodities.
The fact we invite feedback, and state we are "open to
correction", doesn't mean we sit in front of the
computer all day long with nothing else, or
better, to do.
If an individual is genuinely hurting, and they need
prayer, counsel, someone to listen, and they pour
out their hearts, that's one thing. We have never
frowned on that, nor will we.
Conversely, if someone is only interested in nit
picking, or debating some minor issue, like who's
the rider on the white horse, or whether the Antichrist
is or isn't Islamic, please DO NOT write 40
paragraphs, unless you want to be either ignored
or slammed.
Same goes for anyone who's so full of himself [or
herself] that they send us a 200-page UNSOLICITED
dissertation.
Any point, or objection, people want to make can be
expressed in four to six paragraphs of 6-8 lines
each.
A 30-line paragraph isn't a paragraph. It's a series of
run-on sentences and ramblings.
There are also those who read these daily messages, and
want to send us a "CORRECTION 4 TODAY". While we
welcome feedback, if you feel you have to "correct us"
three or four times a week, you're following the wrong
ministry. You're also wasting your time and ours. Surely, we
can't be THAT WRONG.
Even if we were, we don't force anyone to read
these messages. So, if you don't like our teachings,
please feel free to follow someone else's. Lord knows
there's a virtual smorgasbord of religious
misinformation out there to choose from.
By God's Grace, this ministry will always be open
to two-way communication.
We humbly ask everyone, whether they agree or
disagree with our teachings, to abide by these very
simple guidelines.
Thank you.
SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010
THE RIP AWARDS
Never heard of the RIP Awards? That's because they're new.
The secular world has the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys,
Grammys, People's Choice, GMA's, AMA's, CMA's, etc. It's
high time we had the RIPs.
In case you're wondering, RIP stands for "Religious Idiots and
Phonies".
Ironically, the acronym R.I.P. also stands for "rest in peace",
which is rather apropos since dead religion is ALL these
phonies promote.
So, without further ado, we present the first and last [thank
God for the Rapture!] RIP Awards. Categories:
Best showman:
Nominees: Peter [hidden receiver, chicken entrails] Popoff,
Don Stewart who actually sits on the wheelchairs of people
he's "healed" and has them wheel him around. And, of
course, the king of religious showmen, the irrepressible,
"super anointed", throw his jacket, blow on people, wave his
hand and they fall like dominoes, Benny Hinn.
THE WINNER: Benny the Henny
This consummate showman has survived Dateline NBC
exposés, dozens of his own false prophecies ON RECORD
and, apparently, even his recent divorce.
Biggest Rip-off:
Nominees: Don Stewart's "prayer cloth", Peter Popoff's holy
water, anything Paula White sells, anything Benny Hinn sells,
and Rod Parsley's preposterous "The TOP 37 Reasons Why
Your Giving Isn't Working".
THE WINNER: Rod Parsley.
When someone admits, IN WRITING, that the money
you've donated, which he promised would make you rich,
hasn't yielded ANY results, admits there are at least "37
TOP reasons" that it might not work, then HAS THE GALL
TO CHARGE for that information, that's your winner
right there.
Mind you, these are just "the TOP 37 reasons". Don't be
concerned about "OTHER" reasons. I'm sure he'll SELL those
to you later.
Biggest phoney:
Nominees: Steve Munsey, Mike "I want to spend my life
mending broken people" when he really wants to TAKE
ADVANTAGE of them -- Murdock, and Creflo "I'm not
looking to get money, only to get the Word out to
people" DOLLAR [his last name says it ALL].
THE WINNER: Steve Munsey.
This one was close, but I had to give it to Munsey. Anyone
who has the gall to stand in front of the TV cameras and
promise special financial blessings when you give
during a certain time in the Hebrew calendar, then turns
right around and invents a new scam called "the law of six"
based on the Gentile calendar, has got to be the winner.
Biggest Hypocrite:
Nominees: John "eat as I say, not as I do" Hagee, Juanita
"live as I say, not as I do" Bynum, and Benny "I do it with a
pure heart" Hinn.
THE WINNER: John Hagee.
When you're constantly preaching about healthy living,
having doctors on your program telling people
everything they CAN'T eat, and you weigh 400 pounds...
HE WINS HANDS DOWN.
Most outrageous look:
Nominees: Jan Crouch [no need to comment], Benny Hinn's
comb over, and Steve Munsey's ridiculous toupee.
THE WINNER: Jan Crouch by a landslide.
C'mon! When you wear ALL THAT makeup, those spiderlike
fake eyelashes, not one but TWO pink wigs stacked on top
of each other, then plump your lips with collagen „til they
look like breakfast sausage... it's a no-brainer.
She actually makes Lady Ga Ga seem demure.
Best Religious Voice:
Nominees: Whispery Rexella Van Impe, deep baritone
"Gooohwd" Robert Schuller, and growling Rod Parsley.
THE WINNER: Gotta give it to Schuller. NOBODY sounds
more religious, or pompous, than this dude.
Biggest Crook:
Nominees: Benny Hinn, Mike Murdock, Steve Munsey, Bob
Tilton, Peter Popoff, Paula White, T.D. Jakes, Don Stewart.
Posthumous honorary nominee: Oral Roberts.
WINNERS: We have a tie: Bob Tilton and Oral Roberts.
There's NO BIGGER and more audacious religious crook
than Tilton. However, his influence and visibility have
considerably waned.
Roberts is THE FATHER of the "Seed Faith", "give to
get", "tithe or else" religious swindlers.
This crook's false teaching launched a thousand other
crooks.
And, finally, not a second too soon, we have the "Modern
Judas" category:
This special award is given in recognition of the individual
who has most egregiously betrayed the Gospel, and
who has most glaringly sold out his Master for the
LOVE OF MONEY.
Nominees: Too many to mention.
And the WINNER is: [drum roll, please]
The ubiquitous Mike Murdock.
30 years ago, I would have given it to Tilton. But based on
sheer visibility, not to mention "crookability" [is that
even a word?], Murdock comes up on top.
He does his mentors Jim and Tammy Bakker [R.I.P.] proud.
A brother named Brian once remarked that Murdock was on
his TV screen begging for money when he went out. When he
returned several hours later, Mike was still at it.
I have actually heard this modern Judas say that YOU
CAN BUY God's blessings: "For every blessing there's a
seed".
Translation: "every blessing has A PRICE TAG". If you
want that blessing, you have to PAY FOR IT in cold, hard
cash.
What utter blasphemy.
This shameless huckster's actually peddled Holy Spirit "visits"
in exchange for $1,000 "seeds".
Anytime you have a guy doing SIMULTANEOUS fund
raising for various organizations, anytime you got TBN,
CBN, INSP, BET, WORD, Daystar, Benny Hinn and Paula
White tripping over each other to get this guy to pitch
his fund raising lies on their shows, you know you have
the winner.
I can almost hear some indignant RIPs saying "you shouldn't
mock these people".
Oh, hush up, THE WHOLE WORLD is mocking them. They
see right thru them. They're making a mockery of the
Gospel. They DESERVE to be mocked.
Only DUMB Christians fall for their act.
Besides, this is better than that boring soccer game you're
watching.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
WHICH GOD?
Does belief in "God" save anyone?
IF by "God", you mean the ONLY, ONE TRUE GOD, Jesus
Christ...
And IF by "belief" you mean you TRUST HIM to save you,
and His Holy Spirit has taken residence in your heart,
the answer is "YES!".
If you mean ANYTHING ELSE, the answer is "NO".
Believing that there's a "God" out there, somewhere, or that
there's some sort of Supreme Being, whatever he/it may be,
won't cut it.
Believing in your religion, no matter what it's called, won't
save anyone.
Believing that Allah is God, won't save anyone.
Believing that Krishna is God, won't save anyone.
Believing in Buddha, or his teachings, won't save you, or
get you to "nirvana". Buddhism is an outright lie, from
beginning to end.
Even believing in Yahweh won't save you!
But isn't Yahweh the God of the Bible? Yes!
But it pleased Yahweh to make Salvation available ONLY
thru His Son, Jesus Christ [Romans 10:9; 1 Timothy 2:5].
"There's NO OTHER NAME under heaven, given among men,
whereby we MUST be saved" [Acts 4:12].
Even believing in Jesus WITH YOUR HEAD, rather than WITH
YOUR HEART won't save you.
Jesus MUST ENTER YOUR HEART and REPLACE your sinful
nature with His Own Holy Nature. When this happens, you
are BORN AGAIN [2 Peter 1:4].
So, I ask you today: are YOU SAVED?
Who LIVES in your heart?
Who's YOUR God?
FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010
CONQUERING AND TO
CONQUER
Of all this ministry's teachings, one of the most often and
most fiercely debated, concerns the WHITE HORSE in
Revelation 6:2.
I have consistently taught, for over 5 years, that it
represents Jesus, who goes forth "conquering and to
conquer" for the ultimate purpose of establishing The
Kingdom of God on earth.
NOWHERE IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE is the Antichrist depicted on
a white horse. Jesus, on the other hand,
UNEQUIVOCALLY appears on a white horse in
[Revelation 19:11].
Many of the early church fathers and theologians, including
Irenaeus, correctly understood and taught He is Jesus.
This great Truth was "unsealed" back in the first century A.D.
and will manifest on earth very shortly, when the 7th seal is
opened and the 7th Trumpet, which is the Trumpet of Jubilee,
is sounded.
That's what the Book of Revelation is ALL about: the
establishment of God's Kingdom on earth AS IT IS IN
HEAVEN.
That's WHY, by the time the 7th trumpet sounds, "the
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord
and OF HIS CHRIST" [Revelation 11:15].
It's Jesus who will reign "forever and ever".
That's WHY it's Jesus who goes forth conquering and to
conquer.
You would think that Christians would REJOICE in this great
and VERY BIBLICAL Truth. I'm certain many do.
But not ALL Christians...
I sometimes wish I could share some of the idiotic,
blasphemous e-mails I receive from supposed believers
vehemently arguing this is the Antichrist.
They have little interest in the Bible, except to take it out of
context or use it "selectively" in a desperate and futile
attempt to "prove" this is the Antichrist.
Not happening!
NO ONE can prove a lie.
NO ONE can EVER disprove Truth.
The false "white horse antichrist" theory did not emerge until
the 19th century when it was invented by Charles Nelson
Darby, advanced by C.I. Scofield, then picked up and
popularized by prophecy traffickers, like Hal Lindsey.
Let's indulge their prophetic fantasy for just a moment.
If this WERE the Antichrist who goes forth "conquering and to
conquer", that would mean he'd be VICTORIOUS at
Armageddon.
That would mean he will defeat Jesus [perish the VERY
THOUGHT].
That would mean Jesus would never establish His Eternal
Kingdom on earth.
That would mean the whole Bible is a lie.
You can't say on the one hand that this is the Antichrist who
goes forth TO CONQUER, and later say he's defeated at
Armageddon and that it's Jesus who will reign on earth.
That's A DIRECT CONTRADICTION.
Make up your minds, "christians": It's one or the other.
All "christians" [small "c"] who want to fight tooth and
nail on behalf of the Antichrist, I got two words of
advice for you:
1) Start looking for a place to hide. And,
2) REPENT and GET SAVED, while you still can.
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010
SUPPOSE
Suppose for a moment that Jesus isn't real.
Suppose that He's not God.
Suppose there is no God.
Suppose the Christian faith is just a hoax.
Suppose the Bible is just a bunch of fairy tales
and fables.
Suppose there is no hell.
Then, suppose you asked that "nonexistent"
Jesus to enter your heart.
What, exactly, would you lose?
Absolutely nothing.
You'd still be the same old you.
You'd still die someday and that would be THE END.
But now suppose that Jesus IS real.
Suppose that He IS God.
Suppose the Christian faith, for which so many
have been willing to die, IS TRUE.
Suppose the Bible IS the Word of God.
Suppose there IS a hell.
Suppose you DON'T ask Jesus to enter your heart.
What would you lose?
EVERYTHING.
You'd end up in hell, in unnecessary torment and
total misery.
Jesus put it this way:
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole
world and loses his own soul? [Mark 8:36]
Are you willing to RISK IT?
WHAT IF JESUS IS REAL?
NOT receiving Jesus into your heart is THE
DUMBEST, STUPIDEST DECISION anyone can EVER
MAKE.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010
YOU CAN'T LOSE
There are people reading this today who have heard
about Jesus, like Jesus, like His teachings, but are
apprehensive about taking that decisive step of giving
their hearts to Jesus.
They fear that surrendering to Him and receiving
Him into their hearts may ruin their lives.
That somehow or other it will spoil all their fun.
That if they truly belong to Him, they'll have to live
some sort of dull, boring life in order to be genuinely
saved.
Or that they will lose their friends and become
unpopular if they truly surrender to Him.
NOTHING could be further from the Truth.
You're confusing Jesus with RELIGION.
Religion IS dull, boring, DEAD and useless.
Jesus isn't.
He's the most exciting, most interesting Person
you could ever hang around with.
I know from personal experience.
Do I sound dull or boring?
Do I sound dissatisfied?
Am I unpopular?
Heck, I even got agnostics [there's really NO SUCH
THING as an atheist], not to mention a few satanists,
who are "addicted" and can't get away from these
teachings.
There's NOTHING boring about Jesus.
There's NOTHING dull about having Him inside.
It's the most exciting, most fulfilling and thrilling
adventure you could ever undertake.
Experiencing the LIVING Jesus inside you is the
greatest trip, the highest "high" there is.
It's BETTER than sex, booze, drugs, cigarettes and
gambling COMBINED.
So, how about it?
You got NOTHING to lose:
If He's not EVERYTHING I'm telling you, AND THEN
SOME, you can always give Him up.
I DARE YOU to try.
TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2010
DEATH OF RELIGION
Religion's dead to begin with.
ALL religion, therefore, causes death.
Funny thing, how so many people want to cling to a
dead thing, as though it were alive.
Funny thing, how so many people, including so-called
"Christians", want to pin their hopes on something
defunct and corrupt.
Fear causes death and torment [1 John 4:18].
ALL religion is fear based.
ALL religion is MAN-INVENTED.
ALL religion CONTAINS ERROR.
NO RELIGION can save.
ONLY JESUS, LIVING in a person's heart, saves us.
Jesus lives forever.
Religion's already dead, but deceived men are hell-
bent on saying it's alive.
They IDOLIZE religion by placing it ABOVE Jesus.
Those who love religion are in for a RUDE SHOCK and
great disappointment.
Someday, VERY SOON, their lies will be forever
silenced.
Someday, VERY SOON, religion will be exposed for
what it really is: A FRAUD.
It will be officially, ONCE AND FOR ALL, PRONOUNCED
DEAD.
That's one funeral I look forward to attending.
Monday, July 5, 2010
FALSE DENOMINATIONS
Salvation is this ministry's TOP priority, bar none.
By God's grace, many new believers regularly come to
know Jesus Christ thru christconnection.
It's only natural that they should need some guidance
as they take those first "baby steps" in their
relationship with Jesus. However, I am often
surprised to see how SO MANY Christians, who
have known Jesus for quite some time, are so
naïve, ignorant of the Scriptures, and easily swayed
from true Christianity, or downright deceived.
So, I thought it was time for everybody to take a
"refresher course" on what Christianity is all about:
For starters, just because some religious group
CALLS ITSELF "Church of Christ", "Church of God" or
"Church of Jesus Christ", or "Latter Day Saints", of
"Jehovah's Witnesses", or "Christian Science", all of
which SOUNDS GOOD, doesn't mean they are
WHAT THEIR NAME SAYS.
Any group which ADDS ANYTHING to Jesus' perfect
work of redemption by teaching that WATER baptism,
speaking in tongues, good works, dietary laws,
Sabbath keeping, or law [torah] keeping are
NECESSARY FOR SALVATION is FALSE, HERETICAL,
AND WILL LEAD PEOPLE STRAIGHT TO HELL.
They are DENYING AND CONTRADICTING the VERY
ESSENCE OF THE GOSPEL.
In Galatians 1:8, Paul told naïve Christians of his day
that IF ANYONE, EVEN AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN,
came and preached "ANOTHER Gospel" they were to
be ACCURSED.
Paul's statement is as true today as it was 2,000 years
ago.
Another thing all Christians, new or old, need to
understand is that APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING.
Just because a certain group LOOKS GOOD
outwardly, doesn't mean they know Jesus
INWARDLY.
Anyone can put on a show, and LOOK neat, and
"holy" and "proper".
This is something all Pharisees excel at.
No one's ever accused satan of being a bad
impersonator.
A good rule of thumb is BE WARY of anyone who
LOOKS "too perfect" or pretends to ACT "too
perfect".
These are usually wolves in sheep's clothing.
Dear God, have you seen how "perfect" Mormons look
ON THE OUTSIDE? Ever seen Mitt Romney?
"Man looks at outward appearance, but God
LOOKS AT THE HEART" [1 Samuel 16:7].
The New Testament, from Acts to Revelation,
consistently teaches that SALVATION IS A GIFT.
There's NOTHING we can do to earn it [Ephesians
2:8].
Jesus' PERFECT, COMPLETE work of redemption LACKS
NOTHING. We can't add to it. He did it ALL.
The FAITH that saves us is RECEIVING HIM INTO OUR
HEARTS as Lord, Savior and God, and TRUSTING
COMPLETELY WHAT HE DID FOR US, not what we
do ourselves.
Hebrews 7:25: "wherefore He is able to SAVE THEM
TO THE UTTERMOST who come to God by Him,
seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them".
Hebrews 9:12: "by His own Blood, he entered once
into the Holy Place, having obtained ETERNAL
REDEMPTION for us".
Hebrews 10:14: By one sacrifice He has PERFECTED
FOREVER those who are sanctified.
ANYONE who TRUSTS their own works in order to
be saved has FALLEN FROM GRACE, and Christ has
become "OF NO EFFECT" TO THEM [Galatians
5:4,5].
If Christ becomes of "no effect" to someone, they're
NOT saved.
If you're ever in doubt as to whether you should join a
certain group, we provide A LIST OF FALSE
DENOMINATIONS THAT EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD
STAY AWAY FROM: www.christconnection.net/id6.html
If you're still in doubt, after checking that list, by all
means, WRITE IN and ask.
We'd rather answer 50,000 e-mails about the TRUE
GOSPEL, than have a single soul end up in hell.
SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010
WASHINGTON'S VISION
The first President and "father of our country", George Washington, once
had a vision where he was shown the future of America.
I have never before shared ANYTHING based on an extrabiblical vision.
Today, I'm making an exception.
I'm mindful that some have tried to discredit this vision, ascribing it to
some obscure journalist during the civil war. They've never convinced me
of its inauthenticy for three reasons:
1) Nobody who lived during the civil war could have possibly known
that far ahead what our near future holds.
2) Because it lines up with the Scriptures.
3) Because it bears witness to my spirit.
I've edited it for clarity and share it for what it's worth.
The reader is free to receive it or reject it at his or her discretion.
In the first part of the vision, which took place at
Valley Forge during the winter of 1777, Washington
was shown the Revolutionary War then the Civil War,
then a THIRD and FINAL conflict:
"And again I heard the mysterious voice saying, „Son
of the Republic, look and learn'. At this the dark,
shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth, and
blew three distinct blasts [compare to Revelation
8:6-9,13; 9:1-7, 13-15]; and taking water from the
ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia and
Africa.
Then ...I saw hordes of armed men, who...
marched by land and sailed by sea to America.
Our country was enveloped in this volume of cloud,
and I saw these vast armies devastate the whole
country and burn the villages, towns and cities...
... As my ears listened to the thundering of the
cannon, clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries
of millions in mortal combat, I heard again the
mysterious voice saying, `Son of the Republic, look
and learn'.
When the voice had ceased, the dark shadowy angel
placed his trumpet once more to his mouth, and blew
a long and fearful blast [compare to Revelation
10:7; 11:15].
"Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone
down from above me, and pierced and broke into
fragments the dark cloud which enveloped
America.
At the same moment the angel upon whose head still
shone the word Union, and who bore our national
flag in one hand and a sword in the other
[compare to Numbers 22:31; 1 Chronicles 21:16],
descended from the heavens attended by legions
of white spirits [compare to Revelation 19:11-16].
These immediately joined the inhabitants of America,
who I perceived were well nigh overcome, but who
immediately taking courage again, closed up their
broken ranks and renewed the battle.
"Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard
the mysterious voice saying, `Son of the Republic, look
and learn.'
...the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water
from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America.
Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together
with the armies it had brought, leaving the
inhabitants of the land victorious!
"Then once more I beheld the villages, towns and cities
springing up..., while the bright angel, planting the
azure standard he had brought in the midst of them,
cried with o loud voice"
„While the stars remain, and the heavens send
down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union
last.' [Compare to Jeremiah 31:35, 36].
And taking from his brow the crown on which
blazoned the word „UNION', he placed it upon the
Standard while the people, kneeling down, said,
„Amen'.
... I found myself once more gazing upon the
mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard
before, said, „Son of the Republic, what you have
seen is thus interpreted: three great perils will come
upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third,
but in this greatest conflict the whole world
united shall not prevail against her [Revelation
13:7; 17:12, 13].
Let every child of the Republic learn to live for
his God, his land and the Union'.
With these words the vision vanished, and I started
from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision
wherein had been shown to me the birth,
progress and destiny of the United States."
For further information about America in prophecy,
click here: AMERICA IN PROPHECY
Saturday, July 3, 2010
DID JESUS SIN?
According to a recent Barna Group poll, ONE-THIRD of
Americans who call themselves "Christian"
CONFIDENTLY BELIEVE that Jesus sinned while He
was on earth.
The results have HUGE implications. According to
pollster George Barna:
"Americans are increasingly comfortable picking
and choosing what THEY DEEM to be... accurate
theological views, and have become comfortable
DISCARDING THE REST OF THE TEACHINGS IN
THE BIBLE".
I'm no pollster, but if the feedback we get, day to day,
week to week, is any indication, the findings of this
poll are exactly right.
I CONSTANTLY hear from "Christians" who
CONFIDENTLY ASSERT "the Bible says thus and so",
when THE BIBLE DOESN'T SAY THAT AT ALL.
Yet these biblical illiterates [sorry, but I gotta call
LIARS what they are], who pass themselves off as
"Christians", MISQUOTE the Bible WITHOUT ANY FEAR
OR RESERVATION.
Notwithstanding the warning given by Jesus about
"adding" or "subtracting" from His written Word, and
the ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES involved [Revelation
22:18,19], here is ONE ABSOLUTE BIBLICAL FACT:
Jesus NEVER SINNED...EVER! [1 Peter 2:21,22; 2
Corinthians 5:21].
Here's another: had He EVER sinned [perish the
thought] then the whole world would be LOST
FOREVER, without ANY HOPE of forgiveness, or
Redemption... for ANYONE.
Why? Because it took NOTHING LESS than the Holy,
SINLESS, Most Precious Blood of our Lord to Redeem
us [1 Peter 1:19].
THE REASON Jesus had to DO THE JOB HIMSELF, is
because He was, and is, the ONLY SINLESS HUMAN
who ever lived.
If we could have been redeemed by corrupt, sinful
blood, then the blood of Abel, Adam, or animals, could
have done the job [Hebrews 7:26,27; 9:14].
Such sacrifices could NEVER take away our sins. Only
when His SINLESS SON came along, was the One
Holy God able to accept that PERFECT, UNDEFILED,
SINLESS SACRIFICE, in payment FOR our sins ONCE-
AND-FOR-ALL!
Newsflash to all HERETICS: God's Word is THE
TRUTH, whether you like it or not.
What He stated, WILL HAPPEN, whether you
believe it, or not.
God doesn't need your "approval". He's God.
To "Christians" who believe Jesus sinned: if He did,
YOU'RE NOT SAVED.
Which means you need to repent of your
BLASPHEMY, and receive Him into your heart.
Which means, at the moment, you're NO Christian AT
ALL.
Friday, July 2, 2010
PET DOCTRINES
Pet doctrines run rampant in Christendom.
Christians often place more importance, and more
trust, on a particular doctrine or denomination,
than on the Savior Himself.
More trust on what THEY DO, THAN ON WHAT HE
DID.
You can show them from the Bible, unequivocally, that
their doctrine is wrong [unscriptural], but they
won't abandon it.
They won't even consider it. They won't even humble
themselves before God and seek Him diligently about
it.
They won't even check the Scriptures to verify if,
perhaps, these things are so.
They WANT TO live in bondage. As Ishmael, born after
the flesh, the son of a slave, persecuted Isaac, so
they attack and persecute Christians who dare
trust God and live in the freedom of the Spirit
[Galatians 4:22-31; 5:1].
Paul calls them "carnal" [1 Corinthians 3:3] . They
even violate Jesus‟ New Commandment, and allow
such doctrines to divide them from other
believers.
This constitutes IDOLATRY.
Idolatry is more than bowing before man-made
statues. It's just as idolatrous to bow down before
man-made doctrine.
Anything or anyone that becomes MORE
IMPORTANT than the Savior is an idol.
Anything or anyone that takes precedence over
God's Holy Word is an idol.
Anything or anyone that occupies first place in our
minds and hearts [other than Jesus Himself] is an
idol, and needs to be demolished.
We have "Christians" today who've turned the FOURTH
COMMANDMENT [Sabbath] into an IDOL, THEREBY
BREAKING THE FIRST COMMANDMENT, which states
we are not to have false "gods" [idols] before Him.
They have more faith in the day than in the
Savior.
They remind me of the rhythm and blues song "Blue
Suede Shoes". The lyrics state "you can do anything
BUT DON'T step on my blue suede shoes".
We have supposed believers in Jesus Christ whose
attitude is "you can say anything, BUT...
"Don't tell me we're NOT TO live under the 10
commandments".
"Don't tell me we DON'T HAVE TO congregate on
Saturday... even though the Bible says otherwise".
"Don't tell me I don't need to work for my salvation".
"Don't tell me speaking in tongues is NOT necessary
for salvation".
"Don't tell me water baptism isn't necessary for
salvation"
"Don't tell me Jesus is THE ONLY Way to heaven.
Surely all "good people" [whatever that means...] go
to heaven".
Don't tell me there are three manifestations of the
same God.
Don't tell me the Rapture precedes the Tribulation.
Don't tell me the Antichrist ISN'T Muslim.
Don't tell me gathering on Sunday with other
Christians, to worship God, ISN'T "the mark of the
beast".
Don't tell me we don't have to observe Old
Testament dietary laws.
Don't tell me we MUSTN'T tithe.
Don't tell me we don't HAVE TO attend church.
Don't tell me believers ARE the Church, instead of
these magnificent buildings we've erected.
Don't tell me NOT to believe the Book of Mormon.
Don't tell me Jesus IS God.
Don't tell me I can be saved without being a
member of [blank] denomination.
Don't tell me my denomination or religious leader
ISN'T THE ONLY ONE who teaches the truth.
IDOLS! IDOLS! IDOLS!
What ALL idol worshipers have in common is
they're focused on the external instead of the
internal. They have more faith in what happens
outwardly than what takes place inwardly.
Like the Pharisees of old, whom Jesus referred to as
"white sepulchers", they "look" good on the
outside, but inside are filthy, unclean "full of dead
men's bones", and "dead works".
Have these things become more important to you
than God's Word... than Jesus Himself? Are you
worshiping doctrinal or denominational idols?
Man-made INVENTIONS or man-made distortions
of God's Holy Scriptures?
If so, you're in idolatry. You need to repent, receive
Jesus into your heart as ONLY SAVIOR , as ONLY
LORD, as ONLY God, AND TRUST HIM ALONE TO
SAVE YOU.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
THE CROSS
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness, but unto us who are saved it
is THE POWER of God" [1 Corinthians 1:18].
HOW can the cross of Christ be THE POWER of God?
How can a seemingly helpless, bleeding,
agonizing, mocked, despised, 33-year old Jew
NAILED to, and hanging from, a chunk of wood BE
POWERFUL?
For starters, there MUST BE unimpeachable Truth to
that biblical statement because that seemingly
helpless Jew today has over 2 billion adoring
followers, is THE CENTRAL FIGURE in history, and we
even measure time by Him.
Why is the cross of Christ powerful?
Because on that cross God, IN Christ, reconciled
the whole world unto Himself.
Because on that cross EVERY SIN, including Adam's
original sin, was TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY PAID
FOR.
Because on that cross every enemy of God, satan,
sin, death, and alienation was TOTALLY and
ETERNALLY DEFEATED.
Because by dying IN OUR STEAD, He made it possible
for EVERYONE who is WILLING to become a SON of
God, His legal heirs and joint-heir with Jesus the
Messiah [Romans 8:17].
Because by BUYING US BACK, for and unto Himself,
He acquired the RIGHT TO PUT HIMSELF, HIS
VERY OWN NATURE [SPIRIT] BACK INSIDE OF
US. Glory to Jesus forevermore!
Jesus is NO LONGER HANGING on that cross. He's
sitted at the Father's Right Hand and, like it or not, in
less than 8 years He will set up His Everlasting
Kingdom on earth.
It's up to each of us to either take up our self and
deny His cross... or to DENY our self and TAKE UP
HIS CROSS.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Occassionally we share something sent by one of our readers.
Today's message was sent in by a reader named Thursday,
whose timing couldn't have been more perfect, since the past
two messages have been about THE CROSS.
THE CROSS IN OUR BODIES
This is a pretty neat story and an interesting thing that
few of us know.
It was written by A DOCTOR:
A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term
very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon
by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to
share what I learned.
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably
BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into
being... Etc., Etc. Then He went on to speak of how
this universe-creating God ALSO knitted our
human bodies together with amazing detail and
wonder.
At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a
medical standpoint, you know).
And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed
during medical school as I learned more and more
about God's handiwork. I remember so many times
thinking:
...'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of
this???'
The God, who created all this, also has the power
to hold it all together when things seem to be falling
apart...how our loving Creator is also our
sustainer.
And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was
running my treadmill, either!!!
It was because he started talking about laminin.
I knew about laminin... Here is how Wikipedia
describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that
are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of
basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.'
You see.... Laminins are what hold us together...
LITERALLY.
They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what
holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell.
Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew
all this already. But what I didn't know is what they
LOOKED LIKE...
But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand
times since... Here is what the structure of laminin
looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal'
of it.... If you look up laminin in any
scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what
you will see...
Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing.
The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us..... Is in
the shape of the cross.
Immediately Colossians 1:17 comes to mind.
He is before all things, and in Him ALL things
HOLD TOGETHER.'
Thousands of years before the world knew
anything about laminin, Paul penned those
words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL
standpoint, we are held together... One cell to
another.... BY THE CROSS.
You would never in a quadrillion years convince me
that is anything other than the mark of a Creator
who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look
like!!
Added by Martel: Enemies of The Cross, READ IT AND
WEEP.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
THEOLOGIANS
Well, it's happened again... another so-called theologian challenging
the crucifixion of our Lord.
It's not surprising that godless AOL immediately seized on it, and
featured it as its leading story this past Sunday:
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/little-evidence-jesus-died-on-a-cross-says-swedish-
scholar/19530666?icid=main|htmlws-main-
n|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Flittle-evidence-jesus-died-on-a-cross-
says-swedish-scholar%2F19530666
The theologian in question, Gunnar Samuelsson, of the University of
Gothenburg, in Sweden, supposedly spent 3½ years studying and
researching his subject, and wrote a 400-page thesis about
crucifixion in antiquity.
In it, he argues that the New Testament is "far more ambiguous"
about the exact method of Messiah's execution than many
Christians are aware, and that the Greek word for "cross" stauros,
has MORE THAN one defined meaning.
According to Samuelsson, besides the traditional cross that has come
to symbolize our faith, it could also refer to being impaled, or
somehow or other put to death on a stake, pole, or tree trunk.
He calls himself "a conservative pastor, who starts off each day
reading the New Testament".
Gunnar, baby, you may read it each day, but you don't PAY MUCH
ATTENTION TO what you read, as I'll prove in just a second.
Frankly, anyone who spends that much time and verbiage on such a
nonproductive topic is simply an overeducated idiot.
And you wonder WHY the world scoffs at Christians, not to
mention at our teachings?
For starters, any Bible scholar worth his salt knows there were
VARIOUS METHODS of crucifixion:
In some instances the victim was crucified with his back to the cross,
as Jesus was. In others, the cross was in front of him, and in still
others, the cross was "X" shaped.
The victim's legs were also positioned in different ways. His feet were
sometimes nailed separately; sometimes a single nail would be used
on both feet.
While it is true that stauros can also refer to a pole or stake, the
Scriptures leave NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER as to HOW our Lord
died.
Zechariah 13:6 says in reference to the Messiah that they shall ask
Him "What are these WOUNDS in YOUR HANDS"?
Psalms 22:16, the very Psalm Jesus quoted when He hung on the
cross, speaking about the Messiah, says "they have pierced MY
HANDS and MY FEET".
In Luke 24:39, after His Resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples,
who momentarily think they're seeing a ghost, and says "Look at MY
HANDS AND MY FEET".
The Greek word cheiras UNEQUIVOCALLY means "hands".
Likewise, the word podas UNEQUIVOCALLY means "feet".
The next verse, Luke 24:40, says that as He spoke those words HE
SHOWED THEM His HANDS and FEET.
John 20:25 states that Thomas, who was not present when Jesus first
appeared after His resurrection, adamantly says he won't believe
Jesus rose UNLESS he sees "IN HIS HANDS THE PRINT OF THE
NAILS".
Had Jesus simply been "impaled on a stake", or "hung to die on a
pole", He wouldn't have had any reason whatsoever TO SHOW
THEM HIS HANDS and FEET.
And Thomas would have had NO REASON whatsoever TO LOOK
FOR NAIL PRINTS IN HIS HANDS.
So much for that ridiculous argument...
This thesis belongs in the trash.
As for Samuelsson, he should consider spending his time on more
fruitful pursuits..., you know, like PREACHING THE GOSPEL.
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Monday June 28, 2010
WHERE MINISTRIES
CONVERGE
All true ministries converge AT THE CROSS.
The death, burial and BODILY resurrection of our Lord,
the fact that it's faith and faith alone in what He did for
us that saves us are the cornerstone of the Christian
faith.
That's THE ONE AREA where all real and godly
ministries ARE, and MUST BE, totally UNIFIED.
Besides that, ministers and ministries VARY in
countless ways.
1 Corinthians chapter 12 is clear as crystal that the
Body of Christ can't be just an eye or a hand.
It's made up of different members with different
functions.
One member CANNOT say to another "I don't
need you".
That goes, by the way, for certain members we may
not like, or that we may disagree with.
Being a great Evangelist doesn't mean you'll make a
great teacher, or vice versa.
Being a great teacher doesn't mean you're anointed to
heal.
Being anointed to heal doesn't mean you're a great
theologian.
Being a great theologian doesn't mean you're a good
pastor.
And being a good pastor doesn't make you a good
missionary.
God called each person individually, and He
gifted them uniquely, to carry out His purpose
and His calling.
When He TRULY CALLS someone into the ministry,
whatever form that ministry may take, IT'S FOREVER.
It's until the day we die, or until He raptures us
[Romans 11:29].
His gifts and callings are IRREVOCABLE.
This business of ministers "retiring" is a religious
invention.
There's NO SUCH THING taught in the Bible.
Some ministers may have to CUT DOWN their activities
because of age or health issues, but you are what
you were called by God to be UNTIL one of those
two events, death or Rapture, takes place.
1 Corinthians 1:18 "for the preaching of the cross is
to them that perish foolishness; but UNTO US WHO
ARE SAVED it is THE POWER OF GOD".
Sunday, June 27,2010
PEDOPHILE PRIESTS
Today's topic is an extremely unpleasant one, but
someone needs to say this:
PRIESTS who abuse children have NO PLACE
WHATSOEVER in ministry... EVER.
NONE. ZERO. ZILCH.
Priests who abuse children MUST NEVER be "relocated"
to some obscure parish where they can ABUSE EVEN
MORE CHILDREN, just so no one will ever hear about
it.
The Church MUST NEVER sweep these
unfortunate incidents under the rug and pretend
they didn't happen, nor bribe victims just so
they'll "keep their mouths" shut.
To all my Catholic brothers and sisters who regularly
read this message, I LOVE YOU. I LOVE my Catholics. I
was raised Catholic.
And while love, my Bible says, will cover a multitude
of sins, LOVE can never, and will NEVER, cover
Truth.
Priests who abuse children don't belong behind
the pulpit either.
Pedophilia is a horrendous sin that not only defiles the
perpetrator, but FOREVER changes and harms its
victims.
Jesus said "if ANYONE offends one of these little
ones who believe in me, it would be better for him
to have a large millstone hanged around his neck,
and be TOSSED INTO THE SEA" [Matthew 18:6].
F.Y.I., the sea is the gateway in and out of HELL
[Ezekiel 28:8; Jonah 2:3; Luke 8:31-33].
The defilement of innocence is particularly
abhorrent to our Lord.
What should be done with priests who fall into this sin?
Put them AS FAR AWAY FROM children and
congregations as you possibly can.
Give them some administrative task, or better yet,
send them to a monastery or cloister where they have
time to repent, seek Jesus with all their hearts,
GET SAVED and renew their degenerate minds.
Judgment MUST ALWAYS begin in the house of God
[1 Peter 4:17].
This heinous sin has NO PLACE WHATSOEVER in ANY
PART of the Body of Christ.