======================================================================== WRITINGS OF JOSEPH CHAMBERS by Joseph Chambers ======================================================================== A collection of writings by Joseph Chambers addressing topics of Christian doctrine, holiness, and spiritual warfare, reflecting his emphasis on biblical fidelity and spiritual discernment. Chapters: 169 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 0000 - Statement of Faith | Paw Creek Ministries 2. 666: "Born Again" To Satan 3. A City Too Priceless To Value 4. A Marriage From Hell – Protestants & Catholics Together 5. AND THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY…” 1Jn 2:17. 6. Allah Is Not Jehovah God 7. America Is Not Babylon 8. Angels Overshadowing Jerusalem 9. Antichrist: A “Jesus Only” Manifestation 10. As The Days Of Noah Were, “Perfect Picture Of Today” 11. B. C. Dating: “Before Conception” 12. BEWARE, THE WAR IS ON! 13. Benny Hinn: A Catholic Mystic (Blasphemy Series) 14. Birds Falling, Fish Dying, and Earthquakes 15. Blasphemy: the Final Scourge of Satan 16. Bodily Healing in the Blood Atonement 17. Breaking the Curse of Wickedness 18. Catholic Attack of the Rapture 19. Cherubims are Riding Their Chariots 20. Chilling Sounds After the Rapture 21. Church Without The Holy Spirit 22. Countdown to Jerusalem 23. Dark Depths of an Undisciplined Life 24. Defeating Satan On His Own Turf 25. Deliverance From Strongholds 26. Do Muslims Believe Obama is "Islamic Messiah?" 27. Dominion Theology and Joel's Army 28. Engraved Upon His Palms 29. Eternal Security In Obedience 30. Except Your Righteousness Exceed 31. For Every Perversion And Wickedness: God Is Preparing Judgment 32. Free Grace,” The Devil’s Joke 33. Future Bible Prophecy: “Russia Will Be Fire-Bombed Into Oblivion!” 34. Getting Excited About the Millennium 35. God is Stirring “Israel’s Nest” 36. God’s Firestorm Will Burn the Islamic Koran 37. God’s Throne, Set Above the Earth 38. He Is Risen 39. Heavenly Jerusalem 40. Hell Hath Enlarged Herself 41. Hell Is Constantly Enlarging Itself 42. Hell is Rehearsing for Armageddon 43. Holy, Holy, Holy 44. Horrors of Hell 45. In The Twinkling Of An Eye Jesus Will Appear 46. In the Name of Jesus 47. Iraq: The Rebirth of Babylon 48. Islamic Radicals God's Solution 49. Islamic Religion: Utterly Destroyed 50. Israel's Enemies Decimated 51. JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE JEZEBEL CHURCH CAST INTO THE GREAT TRIBULATION 52. JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE SAINTS AT THE MARRIAGE SUPPER 53. Jerusalem Shall be Trodden Down, Until! 54. Jerusalem, the Promised Land 55. Jerusalem: God's Chosen City!! 56. Jesus Christ: Born Out of Eternity 57. Jesus Christ: Riding His White Stallion 58. John Saw The Weather Patterns Gone Berserk 59. John The Revelator Saw 144,000 Jews Converted To Christ After The Rapture 60. John The Revelator Saw Jesus Christ Crowned King Of Kings 61. John The Revelator Saw The Feminization Of The End Times Church 62. John The Revelator Saw The Rapture Like A Drama 63. John The Revelator Saw The Shekinah Glory Of Jesus Christ 64. John The Revelator Saw The Title Deed Of This Earth 65. LYING WONDERS : Rick Joyner Traveling In The Heavenlies 66. LYING WONDERS: “ANTICHRIST IS WAITING SATAN’S POWER”(Rev_13:4) 67. Left Behind: Can You Still Be Saved? 68. Lying Wonders 69. MULTITUDES” Turned Away At The “GOLDEN GATES” 70. My Sheep Know My Voice 71. Mystery Babylon: Anti-Israel at the Highest Level 72. Obama’s Healthcare Microchip: The “Mark?” 73. Oprah Winfrey: Billionaire Blasphemer 74. Our Biblical Godhead 75. Our Earthen Vessel & God's Holy Spirit 76. Our God is Addicted to Our Love 77. Out of the Ivory Palaces 78. Powers In a Silver Tongue 79. RICK WARREN, CHRISLAM AND THE YALE UNIVERSITY COVENANT 80. Repentant Sinners Dying Like Flies 81. Revised & Expanded – The Copper Scroll: Temple Treasures 82. SEVEN LAMPS OF FIRE BURNING: Learning The Seven Offices Of The Holy Spirit 83. SODOMY: The Nature of Antichrist 84. Saints Crowning Jesus Christ King of Kings 85. Satan Is Practicing for Armageddon 86. Satan Loves A False Alarm 87. Satan Wants Us To Laugh About Hell But He Doesn't 88. Satan is Busy Buying Souls 89. Satan: His Last Hoorah! 90. Satan’s Eviction From The Earth! 91. Saved" After the Rapture; But, Oh, the Cost! 92. Shekinah Glory And Israel's Mastery Of The Middle East 93. Signs in the Sun and Moon; 2010. 94. THE ABOMINATION AND OBAMANATION OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE 95. THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION: A “Lying Wonder” that deceives The Whole World (Rev_13:1-18; Rev_17:1-18) 96. THE BEASTLY, “ASSYRIAN ANTICHRIST” 97. THE EVIL POWERS OF FEMALE ANGELS (Fallen Angels) 98. THE MIRACLE OF MULTIPLICATION (Abrahamic Blessings, Heb_6:14) 99. THE PSALMIST DAVID: “1000 Years before the MANGER!” 100. THE RAPTURE AND THEN,”ALL HELL ON EARTH 101. Taking the Earth Back From Satan 102. Tattoos & Body Mutilation 103. The "Born Again" Jesus Deception 104. The Ark Is About To Sail! 105. The Ark of the Covenant 106. The Artistry of the Holy Ghost 107. The Battle in Religious Music 108. The Battle of Armageddon 109. The Best Wine At the End 110. The Call to “Come Up Hither!” 111. The Casting Out of Unclean Spirits 112. The City Of Celestial Bliss' 113. The Coming Nuclear Meltdown 114. The Confused World Of Paul And Jan Crouch 115. The Copper Scroll: Jerusalem Temple Treasures 116. The Faithful Father 117. The Fiery Furnace Epiphany 118. The Great Apostasy: Lost Forever 119. The Great Battle For The Rapture 120. The Great Homecoming Celebration 121. The Great White Throne 122. The Holy Bible Is Infallible 123. The Islamic Heaven: A Pornographic Brothel 124. The Marriage Supper Of "The Lamb" 125. The Marvelous New Heaven 126. The Nature Of The Antichrist (Five Dark Signs To Recognize His Nature) 127. The New Apostasy, Pre-Apostasy Signs Vs Post Apostasy Signs 128. The New Effeminate “Jesus” 129. The Rapture - The Triumph of Patience 130. The Rapture And Judgment: God’s Answer For a Dying World 131. The Rapture: Satan's Final Defeat 132. The Rapture: The Greatest Upheaval Of The Natural World 133. The Seventh Day: Our Cycle of Rest 134. The Soul That Longeth After God 135. The Spiritual War of Imagination 136. The Tragic Death of Voltaire the Atheist 137. The Triumph of Your Cross 138. The Underworld Is Trembling 139. The Unholy Trinity 140. The Vast Distance Between The Earth And Heaven Is Already Dwindling? 141. The War of Gog and Magog 142. The White Horse and Rider 143. The Whole Bible in One Book 144. The Whore & Her Children 145. The World is Escalating to Apocalyptic Times 146. The World’s Response to the Rapture 147. The “Great Whore” is Here! 148. The “Watered Garden” of Our Lord 149. Those That Hate The Rapture also Reject Many Other Beautiful Prophecies 150. Todd Bentley & His God From the Zoo 151. Todd Bentley: The Culmination of the False Charismatic Revival 152. True Biblical Holiness 153. Two Sisters and One Dead Brother 154. Unclean Children Troubled By Evil Spirits 155. WHEN THE LORD JESUS “SHOUTS” 156. WHEN THE OLD MAN IS DEAD 157. WHY THE RAPTURE BEFORE THE GREAT TRIBULATION; Nine Powerful Reasons 158. War in Heaven, Satan Cast Out 159. Warfare Praying 160. What's In Your Blood? 161. When God Sets Jerusalem Free 162. When He Found Me! 163. When Israel Sees Jesus 164. When Preaching Does No Good 165. When The Angels Shall Gather The Saints 166. When The Restrainer Is Gone 167. When We See Jesus in Midair 168. Why Jesus Heals the Sick 169. Yielding Ourselves to His Spirit ======================================================================== CHAPTER 1: 0000 - STATEMENT OF FAITH | PAW CREEK MINISTRIES ======================================================================== Statement of Faith | Paw Creek Ministries This local congregation of Bible Believers is committed to the Holy Scripture as the infallible Word of God. In doctrine and practice, we seek to represent the Life of Jesus Christ and to live by the standards of both the Old and New Testament. We recognize that the New Testament is the interpretation of the Old and does not eliminate its principles of righteousness. Rather it strengthens them and then provides the believer with the grace of Christ to live holy in an unholy world. Our holiness is never a product of mere human struggle, but always the results of complete trust toward the mercy of our Savior. Self-righteousness is just as dangerous as worldliness, and we seek to escape both by abiding in Jesus Christ every hour. Read the 14 statements of our declaration of faith and 34 items of both doctrinal and practical teachings. Membership in the Paw Creek Church requires your commitment to these Biblical principles. We Believe: In the verbal inspiration of the Bible. In one God eternally existing in three persons: namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the intercessor. That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded by God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins. That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ, through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost. Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people. In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart. In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement. In the Lord’s Supper and washing of the saints’ feet. In the pre-millennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years. We look to be caught away before the Great Tribulation. In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked. Doctrinal Commitments: The Paw Creek Church stands for the whole Bible rightly divided. We believe that the whole Word of God is infallible and unchanging. All of His Book is our Standard. Repentance. Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19. Justification. Romans 5:1; Titus 3:7. New birth. John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9. Regeneration. Titus 3:5. Sanctification subsequent to justification. Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:12. Holiness. Luke 1:75; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Hebrews 12:14. Baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to cleansing; the endowment of power for service. Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49, Luke 24:53; Acts 1:4-8. Water baptism. Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9-10; John 3:22-23; Acts 8:36, Acts 8:38. Speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance as the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. John 15:26; Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:1-7. Spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:1, 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:28, 1 Corinthians 12:31; 1 Corinthians 14:1. Signs following believers. Mark 16:17-20; Romans 15:18-19; Hebrews 2:4. Fruit of the Spirit. Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9; Php 1:11. Divine healing provided for all in the atonement. Psalms 103:3; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24. The Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Washing of the saints’ feet. John 13:4-17; 1 Timothy 5:9-10. Tithing and giving. Genesis 14:18-20; Genesis 28:20-22; Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42; 1 Corinthians 9:6-9; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Hebrews 7:1-21. Restitution where possible. Matthew 3:8; Luke 19:8-9. Pre-millennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the dead saints and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years. Zechariah 14:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 1:14-15; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 19:11-21; Revelation 20:4-6. Resurrection. John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:5-6. Eternal life for the righteous. Matthew 25:46; Luke 18:30; John 10:28; Romans 6:22; 1 John 5:11-13. Eternal punishment for the wicked. No liberation nor annihilation. Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 3:29; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:10-15; Revelation 21:8. Practical Commitments Total abstinence from all liquor or strong drinks. Proverbs 20:1; Proverbs 23:29-32; Isaiah 28:7; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 6:10; Galatians 5:21. Against the use of tobacco in any form, opium, morphine, etc. Isaiah 55:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31-32; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:3-8; James 1:21. A New Testament interpretation of the use of meats and drinks in accordance with the following scriptures: Romans 14:2-3, Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 8:8; 1 Timothy 4:1-5. Christian Day of Worship. Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16-17; Matthew 28:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2. That our members dress according to the teachings of the New Testament. 1 John 2:15-16; 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:1-6. That our members conform to the Scripture relative to outward adornment and the use of cosmetics, etc. that create an unnatural appearance. 1 Peter 3:3-5; 1 Timothy 2:9-10; Romans 12:1-2. That our members adhere to the scriptural admonition that our women have long hair and our men have short hair as stated in 1 Corinthians 11:14-15. Against members wearing jewelry for ornament or decoration, such as finger rings (this does not apply to wedding bands), bracelets, earrings, lockets, etc. 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3. Against members attending movies, dances and other ungodly amusements: further, that extreme caution be exercised in viewing and in the selectivity of television programs. 1 John 2:15-16; Romans 13:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Php 4:8; 2 Corinthians 6:14-2 Corinthians 7:1. Against members going swimming with opposite sex other than the immediate family. 1 John 2:15-16; 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:13; 2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 5:19. Against members belonging to lodges. John 18:20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17. Against members swearing. Matthew 5:34; James 5:12. Divorce and remarriage. Matthew 19:7-9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:16; 1 Corinthians 7:2, 1 Corinthians 7:10-11. Resolution Relative to Principles of Holiness of the Paw Creek Church The foundation of the church of Jesus Christ is laid upon the principles of Biblical holiness. Even before the holiness churches experienced the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, their roots were set in sanctification. It was, and is, a holiness church – holiness in fact and holiness in name. The passing of three-quarters of a century has not diminished our holiness position or convictions. The years have, instead, strengthened our knowledge that without holiness it is impossible to please God. We hereby remind ourselves that the Scriptures enjoin us at all times to examine our own hearts. The continuing and consistent life of holiness requires this. Conditions of our day desperately require it. The subtle encroachment of worldliness is a very real and unrelenting threat to the Church. We must therefore beware lest we become conformed to the world, or lest a love for the world take root in our hearts to manifest itself as lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, or pride of life. For these reasons, we present the following: Whereas, the true church of the New Testament is historically a holiness church and Whereas, we are enjoined by the Scriptures to be so and Whereas, a tide of worldliness threatens the spirituality of the church world Be it resolved that we, Paw Creek Ministries, reaffirm our standard of holiness in stated doctrine, in principles of conduct, and as a living reality in our hearts. Be it further resolved that we, as ministers, maintain this standard in our own lives, in our homes, and in our pulpits. Be it further resolved the we, as ministers and members, rededicate ourselves to this purpose, and guard our lives against conformity to the world in appearance, in selfish ambition, in carnal attitudes, and in evil associations. Be it further resolved that we, as ministers and members, seek to conform to the positive virtues of love, mercy, and forgiveness as taught by Jesus Christ. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 2: 666: "BORN AGAIN" TO SATAN ======================================================================== 666: "Born Again" To Satan To take the “Mark of the Beast:666” will be an experience of complete identification with Satan’s Antichrist. The term, “Thinking Outside the Box,” fits this experience perfectly. A “Born Again” Christian has received the Mind of Christ. Satan’s plan is an imitation or a perfect opposite of God’s wonderful salvation in Christ. Even as I write, our world is slowly moving towards a mindset in preparation for this fateful hour. We have talked much about the nature of the Antichrist but little about the nature of those that take his “Mark.” In absolute terminology, the Holy Bible declares that no soul can return to God, be forgiven, or cleansed that has crossed the barrier to this “Mark of the Beast.” It is not just an economic identification into the commerce of the One World Order; but, a complete devotion to the false christ that Satan produces. Each person that is “Born Again” to Satan will be one with him and a perfect clone of his ultimate evil. I confess to you that it is scary. An Angel of God gives a warning to everyone of us and will certainly give the same warning to the world’s population in the prophesied hour. We see this angel speaking these words with a loud voice so that all may hear. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the Beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the Mark of his Name. (Capitalization Add ed)” (Revelation 14:9-11). This kind of language sends a clear message that we are dealing with an extremely dark human development. The multitude that accepts this ultimate lie of Satan and worships his false christ in opposition to Biblical truth will pay an incredible price. This entire movement toward the Antichrist is already a mammoth organized groups of people with millions of devotees. Remember the words of Jesus Christ when he said, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). The multitude that swooned at Todd Bentley’s -- short period in the arena -- is a perfect example. While covered in tattoos that his Jesus told him to get, he spoke of the name of Jesus, but not the Biblical Jesus. There is already an incredible company of such messengers preparing for the end. With the inspiration of the Spirit and ample research, I have named a number of those both deceived and deceivers. The transformation of those that take the Antichrist’s “Mark” is awesome. They will become one with Satan and will possess his very nature. This multitude, consisting of billions, will be more like a wild animal than a human. The dark truth of this evil is that it will often be hidden underneath a veneer of lamb-like qualities. One minute they are singing the praise of this beast, but in the next minute they will thrust you with a sword because you reject him. Here is that description, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:11-12). This description of the lamb with horns is a perfect blend of the religious qualities of piety with the blasphemy of truth. To add to this deceiving blend will be paranormal powers that excite the emotions and produce unexplainable miracles. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live” (Revelation 13:13-14). Presently, we are dealing with the “Spirit of Antichrist.” After the Rapture and the seven years of the Great Tribulation begin it will be the “Person of the Antichrist” and all hi s devotees. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). The taking of the “Mark” is a spiritual transformation into this realm of Satanism. The multitudes will believe unquestionably that they are following the true Christ and worshipping the God of the Universe. A “martyr” complex will possess them and their love of their “god” will cause them to blaspheme the “Lord God” and the “Lamb of God.” The love of one’s family will be utterly lost in devotion to the false Christ. The Son of God warned us, “Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death” (Mark 13:12). “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death” (Luke 21:16). Can you imagine a world where only one religion is tolerated and that religion is controlled by this False Prophet and his followers. Even Satan will come to hate this crowd of his own worshippers. They will become more evil than he can tolerate and he will inspire the Antichrist to burn the city of Mystery Babylon with fire. “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire” (Revelation 17:16). The hatred of Satan, his Antichrist, and his False Prophets will also possess all these that take the “Mark” and they will begin to destroy each other. The judgment of this End Time deception will be swift. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the “Mark of the beast”, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20). Every soul that takes this worldwide “Mark” will be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire with the Beast. This world under Satan’s control is determined to get you used to “Thinking Outside the Box of Holy Scripture.” No soul can be deceived that is utterly faithful to the word. “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalms 119:89). Any man or woman that claims revelation apart from Holy Scripture is helping prepare the way for the “Mark of 666.” Deception is always a process and the helmet of salvation is the Word of God. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 3: A CITY TOO PRICELESS TO VALUE ======================================================================== A City Too Priceless To Value This earth is a beautiful creation. Men have built cities, parks, buildings, and campuses that are marvels of technology and splendor. The natural splendor of this earth is overwhelming. But, never has this earth seen beauty as we are destined to view. Ancient Babylon was known as one of the wonders of the world. Chariots raced on and around the tops of its walls, and the Great Euphrates River flowed beneath its towering strength. Yet, when New Jerusalem descends out of Heaven its glowing beauty will dazzle the world. Never has this world viewed anything so glorious and so massive. The streets of gold are the most common of all its riches. This city will actually be Heaven on earth. God Himself, in the excellent glory of His person, and His exalted glorified Son will dwell in the midst of this city. It will become a temple or a sanctuary of His sovereign presence, and worship will fill every beautiful inch. I cannot explain the presence of the Heavenly Father, but I can assure you that there are not human words to fully describe Him. He is awesome in holiness, and that characteristic will be the overarching expression of Him. No sin can live or even approach Him. His holiness is not acquired but issues forth from Him. He is the one and only source of all holiness, and it absolutely fills His person to overflowing. All that come near to Him will take on His holiness in them and reflect it throughout this matchless city. The Son of God in all His glorified manhood will, along with His Father, be the Light of the city and of the New Heaven and New Earth. The brilliance of that light will create a lighted world without shadows. Everywhere you look will be this brilliance of Light so remarkable that it will appear to reflect off and out of everything. It will be Light that forever and totally eliminates the presence of darkness so that the entire universe has a God-like splendor. The Son of God Himself is the source of this Light. When He said, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5), it was a divine statement. When we see Him there will be a satisfaction in us that forever fulfills the greatest hunger known to man. Every pain, sadness, or sorrow known to the human family is but a deep need to be filled with Him. In His literal presence is fullness of life, and we will never have emptiness again. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). The massive walls of this city are fifteen hundred miles high and are created with jewels of great value and beauty. The city will be foursquare, equal on each side to its height. There will be three identical gates on each side of the city of the same height as the twelve levels of city walls. They will add splendor because they will be solid pearls polished to their highest perfection. There is nowhere in God’s universe that this city will not be visible. The Bible does not tell us how it will be set in conjunction to the new earth, but it must be seen because within it is the source of all light and there is no darkness. The gates will bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve foundations will bear the names of the twelve apostles. These twenty-four representations reflect the same complete type as seen in chapter four when the Rapture occurred. They are His raptured saints from the Old and New Testament. The number twenty-four is but a type of a multitude. The “New Heaven” assures us that the heavenly bodies, the weather patterns, and the very atmosphere will be purified unto perfection. The great planets, stars, and other celestial bodies will be the source of beauty and heavenly splendor that will make the sky above to glisten in perfect clarity. It will be picture perfect, and the weather will never be anything but the source of life. When it rains, it will be like drinking water bathing His created world. Snow and ice flakes will fill His world with a carpet that delights His entire creation. The birds, earth animals, and the sea creatures will spend their lives in playful delight, and God’s family will love every moment of it. The earth will bring forth nothing but that which delights our appetites. Fruit trees will never bear imperfect fruit. The vineyards will provide its vintage flavors to man. The entire earth will be a garden and flowers will explode in their beauty. There will be nothing on the earth or produced by the earth but those things that man enjoys. The earth will be so pure that God Himself will find delight in a renewed fellowship with His family. He will walk among us as He visited Adam in the garden. Labor will be sweet and we will tend our gardens with delight. Every moment on God’s earth will be like Heaven. The twentieth first chapter of Revelation is the single place in God’s World that the Book of Life is called by its full title. John wrote as the Spirit gave witness, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, nor maketh a lie: but they which are written in the “LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE” (Revelation 21:27). Nothing on His earth, in His Heaven, or in New Jerusalem will be unclean. Nothing that defiles can enter His eternity. The total culture and population will be His redeemed saints. Holiness will be the lifestyle and love will be the emotion that fills this universe and His holy city forever. Sinners that refused to repent and surrender only to Christ will already have been cast into the Lake of Fire. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And 1John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4). Dwelling in the midst of this city and of His own family will be the Father Himself. The Son of God loves His Father with a love that can only be called divine. Yet, this divine love has a component of manhood because He was begotten of the Father in His earthly pilgrimage. This city is the Son’s gift to His Bride. After He brings His Bride into the city, He proceeds to exalt His Father to be with Him and His Bride and to be their God. One of the greatest mysteries that we shall soon discover is voiced in words that show this future honor that the Son gives His Father. “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:24-26). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 4: A MARRIAGE FROM HELL – PROTESTANTS & CATHOLICS TOGETHER ======================================================================== A Marriage From Hell – Protestants & Catholics Together The darkest hour of human history will soon unfold upon our world. This hour is called by different names in Holy Scripture. Jesus called it the “Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24:21). Isaiah called it a day “to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity” (Isaiah 26:21). Jeremiah called it “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Those whom John the Revelator saw suffering the hell of that period called it “the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). It is a time of literal hell on earth, but it is more than just suffering and judgment. It is the atonement of the creation of God and its rightful preparation to become the Garden of God where the righteous millennium (1,000 years) will be established. Before that happens, religious debauchery must reach its final stage. The joining of Catholics and Protestants is a clear indication of ultimate apostasy. Religious organizations, denominations, churches, and individuals are presently rushing to outdo each other in preparation for this unity. In fact, two words have come to describe the church world. Those two words are unity and tolerance. For some strange reason that can only be described as supernatural, almost the entire church leadership appears to be headed in this direction. Isaiah described this tie in history as follows: “And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err” (Isaiah 30:28). It is very evident that the majority of religious people have no idea where they are headed. The latest trend, the religious in-thing, the popular movement or whatever some religious tycoon is spouting off; they follow after like being led by the pied piper. Isaiah, by the Holy Spirit, called it a spirit of bondage that is clearly like having a hook in the jaw. There is no discernment, just following religious excitement to any place where the emotion is strong enough to give a high! Apostle Paul said the same thing with different words. He said, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Our church world is gullible to the point of insanity. A man can go to prison for bilking millions from his followers and come out of prison to overflowing crowds. An evangelist can lead thousands to laugh themselves silly and then laugh himself all the way to the bank. A university president can threaten to die if he does not get millions in donations and get it. It’s insanity far beyond mental institutions. It’s religious insanity, the worst kind of all! Let’s look at the Catholic Church, the present Pope and what this unity suggests. Has Pope John Paul II Been Converted? Let’s take a little space to see if he has become a Bible-believing Christian. A man’s words spoken publicly or put in print is the best method of judgment. First, let’s hear Pope John Paul II speak concerning Mary. “On the universal level, if victory comes, it will be brought by Mary, Christ will conquer through her because He wants the church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her.” (“Crossing The Threshold of Hope,” 1994; Our Lady Publication, Spring 1995.) In August 1993, in Denver, Colorado, Pope John Paul II prayed the following prayer, “Mary of the New Advent, we implore your protection on the preparations that will now begin for the next meeting [World Youth Day]. Mary, full of grace, we entrust the next World Youth Day to you. Mary, assumed into heaven, we entrust the young people of the world … the whole world to you.” (NRI Trumpet, October 1993, p. 14.) The following prayer is the conclusion of the Rosary prayed by millions., “Hail, holy Queen [of heaven], Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus; O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.” (Rosary.) Listen to this statement from the Pope’s address in Denver, Colorado, in 1993, “With my heart full of praise for the Queen of Heaven, the sign of hope and source of comfort on our pilgrimage of faith to the heavenly Jerusalem, I greet all of you who are present at this solemn liturgy … This liturgy presents you, Mary, as the woman clothed with the sun … O woman clothed with the sun … the youth of the world greet you with so much love … In Mary the final victory of life over death is already a reality … “O Mary … as Mother of the Church, you guide us still from your place in heaven and … help us to increase in holiness by conquering sin.” (“All-Night Prayer Vigil Becomes Devotion to Lady of the New Heavenly Goddess” By Kathleen R. Hayes, NRI Trumpet, October 1003, pp. 6-14.) The only words to use for this kind of theology is blasphemy. The Pope is a Mary worshipper who prays to the dead (necromancy – Deuteronomy 18:11), which is called an abomination in the sight of God. The Pittsburgh Center for Peace reported the following quote from Mary to a Gladys Quiroga. These are supposed apparitions or miraculous appearances of Mary whom they call the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, “I am the Mother of everything created by God: I am the ‘Woman Clothed With the Sun,’ the ‘New Eve,’ who will lead mankind to Light. The one who will make it possible for them to reach eternity. Make it known. Amen, Amen.” “I am the Eternal Spouse of the Holy Spirit, that I am the Mother of the Living God and I have the mission to mark all the foreheads with the Sign of the Living God, so that these foreheads with this mark may prevail over Hell. Have confidence in me, my children. I will be the one who will draw the Love of God to men, and the pardon for all those who wish to come to my Immaculate Heart.” (Pittsburgh Center For Peace, Spring 1995.) Do not believe anyone who tries to tell you that Catholics do not worship or pray to Mary. They will absolutely lie about this fact to deceive you and cover their idolatrous actions. Pope John Paul II Is Committed To The Unity Of All Religions Let’s listen to Pope John Paul II speak concerning unity and his belief that the church world is coming home to the Catholic church. When evangelicals talk of unity with the Catholic Church, they are actually headed toward unity with all religions. It is clear that the Catholics have already made that decision. The unity of Catholics and Protestants is only the first step. This marriage is the actual work of demons and devils and will damn a multitude to hell. Listen as the Pope and his leaders describe their plan. “Mary most holy, the highly favored daughter of the Father will appear before the eyes of believers [in 1999, the third and final year of preparation] as the perfect model of love toward both God and neighbor … so that they will return to the house of the Father … The mother of fairest love, will be for Christians on the way to the Great Jubilee of the third millennium star which safely guides their steps to the Lord.” (“Unity: The Key To God’s Coming Victory!” by Denis Nolan, Our Lady, Queen Of Peace, Special Edition III, Spring 1995.) W. A. Criswell, Former President, Southern Baptist Conference “I don’t know anyone more dedicated to the great fundamental doctrines of Christianity than the Catholics.” (David Beale, Southern Baptist Convention, House on the Sand?, pp. 142-43.) Paul Crouch, TBN President “In the essentials our theology is basically the same: some of these even so-called doctrinal differences … are simply matters of semantics. One of these things that has divided us [referring to transubstantiation] all of these years shouldn’t have … we were really meaning the same thing but saying it a little differently… “So I say to the critics and theological nitpickers, ‘Be gone, in Jesus’ name!’ Let’s come together [with Rome] in the spirit of love and unity … [Audience applause. ] (From a tape of “Praise the Lord” (TBN), October 17,1989.) “I’m eradicating the word Protestant even out of my vocabulary … I[‘m] not protesting anything … [it’s] time for Catholics and non-Catholics to come together as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord.” (“Praise the Lord” program, Trinity Broadcasting Network, October 17,1989, hosted by Paul and Jan Crouch – guests were two Catholic priests, Fr. John Hamsch and Jesuit Fr. Herbert De Souza, and leading Catholic laywoman, Michelle Coral.) Norman L. Geisler, President, Southern Baptist Seminary, Charlotte, NC Catholics “believe in justification by grace” and that difference between Catholics and evangelicals “are not as great as generally perceived and they are not crucial ... [nor do they] involve heresy… the whole theological core of historic Christianity is held in common.” (The Southern Cross, January 13,1994, p. 11.) Benny Hinn During a September 1991 interview with Randy Frame of Christianity Today, Benny Hinn said, “My upbringing, of course, was Catholic in that I attended Catholic school in Jaffa, Israel, and so my mentality basically is a Catholic mentality.” Chuck Colson “We have differences, but on the ancient creeds and the core beliefs of Christianity we stand together.” (From a letter signed by James W. Jewell for Colson dated May 23,1994, to T. A. McMahon, quoting a public statement by Colson made elsewhere.) I have allowed these men to speak for themselves. Everything they have said in defense of Catholic doctrines is untrue. Catholicism has not changed nor is it possible for them to change. The very fact that they claim infallibility in all their decrees and in every action of their chosen Pope makes the possibility of change impossible. You cannot be perfect and admit being wrong at the same time. The Gospel As Taught By Roman Catholicism The following statement clearly shows what the Catholic church believes concerning salvation. “Our job is to make people as richly and as fully Christian as we can make them by bringing them into the Catholic Church. So evangelization is never fully successful, it’s only partial, until the convert is made a member of Christ’s body by being led into the [Catholic] Church. “Now listen again to the words of [Pope] Paul VI. Now this is a document every one of you should have in your homes … called ‘On Evangelization in the Modern World.’ This is what the Pope says: ‘The commitment of someone newly evangelized cannot remain abstract (‘Oh, I’m a Christian,’ now that’s too abstract) … it must be given concrete and visible form through entry … into the [Catholic] Church our visible sacrament of salvation.’ “I like saying those words; I’m going to say them again: ‘Our visible sacrament of salvation’ That’s what the Church is, and if that is what the Church is, we have to be evangelizing into the Church!... “No, you don’t just invite someone to become a Christian, you invite them to become Catholics .. Why would this be so important? First of all, there are seven sacraments, and the Catholic Church has all seven … “On our altars we have the body of Christ; we drink the blood of Christ. Jesus is alive on our altars, as offering … We become one with Christ in the Eucharist … “As Catholics we have Mary, and that Mom of ours, Queen of Paradise, is praying for us till she sees us in glory. “As Catholics we have the papacy, a history of popes from Peter to John Paul II … we have the rock upon which Christ did build His Church. “As Catholics – now I love this one – we have purgatory. Thank God! I’m one of those people who would never get to the Beatific Vision without it. It’s the only way to go … “So as Catholics … our job is to use this remaining decade evangelizing everyone we can into the Catholic Church, into the body of Christ and into the third millennium of Catholic history. (“Roman Catholic Doubletalk at Indianapolis ’90,” Foundation, July-August 1990, excerpts from talk by Fr. Tom Forrest to the Roman Catholic Saturday morning training session.) That is the gospel that the evangelical leaders say they believe if they agree with this harlot woman. This is very clear. Salvation is intimately connected to Mass and other Catholic liturgical forms and included the final need of purgatory to settle the score and assure the person of heaven. This appointed teacher clearly said that he would not make it to Heaven (Beatific Vision) without purgatory. What happened to the glorious assurance of salvation by faith and cleansing in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ? The doctrine of Roman Catholicism is damning and has already sent a multitude into hell. There is no kinship with the true message of justification by faith. Come Out Of Her My People God has given you and I an ultimatum. It is simple and to the point. “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). Anyone that defends this harlot woman and her blasphemies will answer to God. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse simply because there is no honest way to remain ignorant. The evidence is overwhelming. Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ for the redemption of your soul is a clear message. Jesus Christ provides a finished work of redemption. You are freely invited to the cross. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 5: AND THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY…” 1JN 2:17. ======================================================================== “AND THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY…”1 John 2:17. Not only is the world about to pass away but every person of this world and living by this world’s pleasures and compromises is going to be judged with it. Make yourself a list of everything that is of this world and greatly loved by this world and those are the things that will not be part of God’s coming Eternal Kingdom. When you are finished then separate yourself from all those worldly things and you will be ready for God’s Holy Spirit to possess you and to go in the Rapture. This separation must be the work of Christ’s Grace and the cleansing of His Blood or it is nothing but self-righteousness. Apostle John echoed this wonderful truth in his First Epistle. He said, by the Holy Ghost, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17) The church world has become so worldly that the world is perfectly ready to be churchy. The mega-religions (churches, ministries, etc.) are a perfect picture of this sad development. Big time religion has replaced old-time religion and even the secular world knows it’s all a sham. The power of the Blood is still mighty to transform. The beauty of this transforming power is that Christ becomes the center focus of those it touches. This is not a redemption that starts without and works inward but it starts within and works outward. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new“. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Romans is the book called “The Romans’ Road,” but those that walk it must receive all of it. The Spirit said, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin“ (Romans 6:6). This life is absolutely the greatest life of our human existence. Anything less is sub-human and misses the precious glory of our Lord. The Kingdom God is presently rising in spite of what we see in the natural. In fact it has always been true that the darkest moments are just prior to the dawn. When sin gets so arrogant and haughty, that’s when God the Father says, “That’s enough.” I like what Peter said on the day of Pentecost as he preached his mighty sermon. He made it clear that the entire plan of God was on target. “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool.” (Acts 2:33-35) When I read that passage this morning as I was before the Lord, my spirit leaped with joy. This world and the worldly crowd does not appreciate the Godly saints that do not want the world and it’s compromise. They do not just reject us, they hate us. We are a sore thumb to them and they want to destroy us. Be sweet while they fester, we will be out of here just before most of them implode. Many will already be judged even before our escape. Consider everything that has so captured the imagination of our present society. Take every expression of the world and consider how little of it will fit the coming Kingdom of God in the Millennium and in New Jerusalem and the entire Redeemed World. The entertainment world of night life, drinking, dancing, and often immorality will be non-existent shortly. The jewelry and cosmetic industries will be out of business. The immoral dress styles and all their designers and manufacturers will be bankrupt. The tobacco and alcohol crowd will be assigned to the region of the damned. The producers of smut will be in the Lake of Fire along with every corrupt soul. The Saints will be beautified with the glory of righteousness. There will be no effeminate men and masculine women dressed in the cross-cultural styles of a debauched society. I guarantee that every one of you know this already when you dare to really think biblically. Listen to this breathtaking Word from Jesus Christ. “And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15) Everything this world and the worldly crowd love and chase are things the Bible says are an abomination. You can actually judge right and wrong to a great degree by what the world thinks. If they love it you should run from it. Sure we live in this world and we must use certain things for a normal existence. Jesus prayed for us like this. “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:15-17) The Methodists under John Wesley lived this separated life or they were not allowed to be Methodist. Dwight L. Moody would walk to preach on Sunday before he would pay to ride a carriage on the Lord’s Day. On and on we can trace Christianity when it was real and when society was being shaken to the teeth by Holy Ghost conviction. When separation from the world returns to the Saints, the Spirit of conviction will shake our communities. Nothing else will survive the coming upheaval. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 6: ALLAH IS NOT JEHOVAH GOD ======================================================================== Allah Is Not Jehovah God There is a dangerous and unfounded effort by many church leaders to equate Jehovah God of Holy Scripture with Allah, the god of the Islamic religion. Such extreme ecumenicalism is not just plain wrong; it is totally unfair to Bible-believing Christians around the world. It is also unfair to millions of Arab Christians who know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. This is not a matter of treating Muslim people wrong or persecuting them for their religious belief. Nothing is below the action of any genuine Christian more than to be unkind to a fellow citizen of our America or of another nation. We are all Americans and citizens of the world, and trying to blur the differences of our religious faith does nothing to stop prejudice. The fact: When you try to rob people of the distinction of what they believe, it only tends to enflame prejudice. It is clear that Muhammad had an extremely good understanding of the Jewish and Christian beliefs but he clearly distorted them throughout his writing. Even his revelations were not revelations that had any semblance of Biblical unity. They were clearly the work of spirits, mental imbalance, or disease-induced fever. The very foundations of Muhammad’s early days were filled with raids on caravans of merchants and nearby communities, terrorist activities that included brutal slaughter of the male population, plus selling the women and children as slaves. He and his early converts were in every detail of their activity, terrorists, just as brutal as those that commandeered those planes over our Northeastern states. This certainly does not suggest that every Muslim has the same mindset. I want to establish the sheer facts of the religion called Islam. My primary information is from the The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 15, Volumes 22 & 25. This set of encyclopedias was chosen to make sure my information was unbiased. I have no desire to present a false picture of this religion. The Arab people, as a distinct part of the world’s population, must not be treated unfairly. They are creatures of creation by the Heavenly Father. They are in every sense of the word endowed by the Creator with inalienable rights and to choose their religion is one of the choices they must make. We must not persecute or war against them because of their choices. Neither should we try to blend the religions together as though there is no difference. Bible believers in America will not be a part of such a mindless blurring of our faith. Foundational Facts of Islamic History The foundations of Islam are dark indeed. The term Muslim means someone that submits himself or herself to Allah. The followers of the Islamic religion are Muslims. Muhammad was the founder of Islam. Actually, the Islam religion was a breakaway from an existing religion with a pantheon of gods and the Kab’ah (shrine) at Mecca had many idols worshipped by the locals and visitors. A description of this shrine and its deities can be researched from many sources. Here is a description from my chosen source. “Thus Mecca became an attractive site for large trade fairs that coincided with pilgrimage (hajj) to a local shrine, the Kab’ah. The Ka’bah housed the deities of visitors as well as the Meccans’ supra-tribal creator and covenant-guaranteeing deity, called Allah. Most Arabs probably viewed this deity as one among many, possessing powers not specific to a particular tribe; others may have identified this figure with the God of the Jews and Christians.” (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 15, Volume 22, p. 104.) It is clear that Allah was a part of the large pantheon of gods and the idea of making Allah a monotheistic god was apparently Muhammad’s decision. There is nothing to suggest that Allah had a relationship to Jehovah God of the Bible. In fact, Allah had previously been worshipped as having three daughters that were gods themselves known as “Allah’s Trinity.” Notice this description. “Where more complex settlement patterns had developed, however, widely shared deities had already emerged, such as the ‘trinity’ of Allah’s ‘daughters’ known as al-Lat, Manat, and al-Uzzah.” (Ibid., p. 105.) When Muhammad first suggested that Allah was the one and only god, he faced incredible resistance and this was one of the first schisms that caused the Meccans to break with him. He was also a threat to their authority because of his visions and the respect of most citizens in those times for superstitious activities. Muhammad’s Revelations Muhammad is said to have had visions and revelations almost all of his adult life from about AD 610 until his death. At first he was disturbed by the experiences he had. His first wife, much older than Muhammad, is said to have encouraged him and her cousin began to help him write down the revelations. This cousin, named Waraguh, is reported to having been a Christian. The general condition of Muhammad during these visions plainly shows from a Biblical point that they were demonic instead of Christian. The first rule for a vision or revelation in the Christian community is absolute harmony with the Bible. While there are some ideas in Muhammad’s revelation that have principles of Bible truth the majority of his thoughts fail miserably. First, let’s look at his physical conditions when receiving his revelations. “In his later experiences of receiving messages there was normally no vision. (Occasionally there were physical concomitants, such as perspiring on a cold day, and these gave rise to the suggestion, now agreed to be unwarranted, that he was an epileptic.) Sometimes he heard a noise like a bell but apparently never a voice. The essence of such an experience was that he found a verbal message in his heart – that is, in his conscious mind.” (Ibid., p. 2.) As the traditions of the Islamic religion are described, there was a very clear explanation of Muhammad’s revelations. Nothing in these revelations has a Biblical precedence. While Gabriel is credited, the explanation shows nothing but a spirit of some nature. “The angel Gabriel brought the Qur’an down to the Prophet’s ‘heart.’ Gabriel is represented by the Qur’an as a spirit, but the Prophet could sometimes see and hear him. According to early traditions, the Prophet’s revelations occurred in a state of trance when his normal consciousness was in abeyance. This state was accompanied by heavy sweating. The Qur’an itself makes it clear that the revelations brought with them a sense of extraordinary weight: ‘If we were to send this Quar’an down on a mountain, you would see it split asunder out of fear of God.’” (Ibid., p. 7.) All of this is described as coming from a “Mother’s Book.” This laid the foundation for the Islamic people to believe that the revelations of Muhammad are infallible. “This phenomenon at the same time was accompanied by an unshakable conviction that the message was from God, and the Qur’an describes itself as the transcript of a heavenly ‘Mother Book’ written on a ‘Preserved Tablet.’ The conviction was of such an intensity that the Qur’an categorically denies that it is from any earthly source, for in that case it would be liable to ‘manifold doubts and oscillations.’” (Ibid., p. 7.) The presence of sweating, a state of trance where normal consciousness is absent, heaviness upon the body, all suggest a spirit indeed, but not a spirit or angel from Jehovah God. These are the kinds of activity always associated with evil and false demons operating for Satan to deceive and destroy the true faith of Holy Scripture. Jesus Christ: Not The Divine Son of God This point would create no problem for Orthodox Jews because we are all aware that they reject Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. Yet, for the Christian, it clearly reveals the impossibility of Allah being Jehovah God. Here is a plain statement, eliminating the trinity of Jehovah God and denying the Sonship of Christ. “The doctrine about God in the Qur’an is rigorously monotheistic: God is one and unique; he has no partner and no equal. Trinitarianism, the Christian belief that God is three persons in one substance, is vigorously repudiated. Muslims believe that there are no intermediaries between God and the creation that he brought into being by his sheer command: ‘Be.’” (Ibid., p. 6.) They do teach that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, but was saved from crucifixion from the Jews by God. “Not only was Jesus born from the Virgin Mary, but God also saved him from crucifixion at the hands of the Jews.” (Ibid., p. 7.) They believed that Jesus was a prophet, but that “All prophets are human and never part of divinity; they are simply recipients of revelation from God.” (Ibid., p. 7.) Muhammad Was A Terrorist No one can follow Muhammad to the letter without becoming a terrorist. From the very beginning, monies to fund his activities were gathered by raids on merchants and communities. In describing Muhammad’s followers at the very beginning of his development at Medina, we see this description. “A few emigrants carried on trade in the local market run by a Jewish clan. Others, with the approval of Muhammad, set out in normal Arab fashion on razzias (ghazawat, ‘raids’) in the hope of intercepting Meccan caravans passing near Medina on their way to Syria. Muhammad himself led three such razzias in 623. They all failed, probably because traitors betrayed the Muslim movements to the enemy. At last, in January 624, a small band of men was sent eastward with sealed orders telling them to proceed to Nakhlah, near Mecca, and attack a caravan from Yemen. This they did successfully, and in doing so they violated pagan ideas of sanctity – thereby making the Meccans aware of the seriousness of the threat from Muhammad.” (Ibid., p. 3.) Further description is as following, “In March 624 he was able to lead about 315 men on a razzia to attack a wealthy Meccan caravan returning from Syria. The caravan, led by Abu Sufyan, the head of the Umayyah clan, eluded the Muslims by devious routes and forced marches. Abu Jahl, the head of the Makhzum clan, however, leading a supporting force of perhaps 800 men, wanted to teach Muhammad a lesson and did not withdraw. On March 15,624, near a place called Badr, the two forces found themselves in a situation, perhaps contrived by Muhammad, from which neither could withdraw without disgrace. In the ensuing battle at least 45 Meccans were killed, including Abu Jahl and other leading men, and nearly 70 taken prisoner, while only 14 Muslims died. To Muhammad this appeared to be a divine vindication of his prophethood, and he and all the Muslims were greatly elated.” (Ibid., p. 3.) We can hardly comprehend a great prophet receiving direct revelation from God, who at the same time must fund his new religion by stealing and robbing innocent people. The terrorist activities did not end with just robbing and stealing but also unwarranted slaughter and the selling of slaves resulting from his raids. Once Muhammad had secured his control of Medina he proceeded to reign terror on the citizens that refused his religion. “After the siege of Medina, Muhammad attacked the Jewish clan of Qurayzah, which had probably been intriguing against him. When they surrendered, the men were all executed and the women and children sold as slaves.” (Ibid., p. 4.) Please note that he killed the men after they surrendered and then sold their wives and children as slaves. Over and over you find these kind of terrorist tactics characterizing his lifestyle and methods. The Jews could not accept Muhammad’s new religion so they were seen as enemies almost from the first day. Soon to follow were the Christians and their communities. While he had made some friends among Christians, that soon turned to hostility. “Some of the tribes near Syria were Christian and adhered to the Byzantines; chiefly as a result of this, Muhammad’s earlier friendship for the Christians, notably those of Ethiopia, changed to hostility.” (Ibid., p. 4.) Holy Warfare (Jihad) From The Beginning Deny it as we may try, “Holy War” or “Jihad” is a fundamental concept in the Islamic religion. Certainly, there are Islamic people that reject that idea. National leaders among the Islamic nations vary in how they see this issue and none of us will know the final purpose of one and all. Yet, the idea is fundamental to this faith if words mean anything as history verifies. Look at this expression again from the Encyclopedia Britannica. “However much the concept and practice of holy warfare is repugnant to many minds today, in the context of Islam it implies a sensitivity to evil and a conviction that evil has to be resisted and overcome in a total dedication.” (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 15, Volume 25, p. 701.) The facts are clear. “Although greatly maligned by medieval European scholars – whose opinions still retain some influence – Muhammad came to be viewed more objectively in the 19th century. Some of the evidence against him, such as his connivance at assassinations and his approval of the execution of the men of a Jewish clan, are historical matters that cannot be denied.” (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 15, Volume 22, p. 4.) The idea of “jihad” comes clearly to the front row in the Islamic theology because of this “community concept.” Listen to this intellectual description of the Islamic concept. “With this socioeconomic doctrine cementing the bond of faith, the idea of a closely knit community of the faithful who are declared to be ‘brothers unto each other’ emerges. Muslims are described as ‘the middle community bearing witness on mankind,’ ‘the best community produced for mankind,’ whose function it is ‘to enjoin good and forbid evil’ (Qur’an). Cooperation and ‘good advice’ within the community are emphasized, and a person who deliberately tries to harm the interests of the community is to be given exemplary punishment. Opponents from within the community are to be fought and reduced with armed force, if issues cannot be settled by persuasion and arbitration. “Because the mission of the community is to ‘enjoin good and forbid evil’ so that ‘there is no mischief and corruption’ on earth, the doctrine of jihad, in view of the constitution of the community as the power base, is the logical outcome. For the early community it was a basic religious concept. Jihad, or holy war, means an active struggle using armed force whenever necessary. The object of jihad is not the conversion of individuals to Islam but rather the gaining of political control over the collective affairs of societies to run them in accordance with the principles of Islam. Individual conversions occur as a by-product of this process when the power structure passes into the hands of the Muslim community.” (Ibid., p. 8.) This entire idea is scary indeed. Humankind: Some More Human Than Others There is no other major religion in the world that sees certain races of humans as of less value than their own kind. Yet, this is very true within the Islamic theology. One of the big points in the Encyclopedia Britannica was concerning the Islamic view of man. It stated, “According to the Qur’an, God created two apparently parallel species of creatures, man and jinn, the one from clay and the other from fire. About the jinn, however, the Qur’an says little, although it is implied that the jinn are endowed with reason and responsibility but are more prone to evil than man. It is with man that the Qur’an, which describes itself as a guide for the human race, is centrally concerned. The Judeo-Christian story of the Fall of Adam (the first man) is accepted, but the Qur’an states that God forgave Adam his act of disobedience, which is not viewed in the Qur’an (in contradistinction to its understanding in the Christian doctrine) as original sin. ” (Ibid., p. 7.) This view that there is a class of “Jinns” (other humans, not Islamic) can lay the foundation for calling Jews, monkeys and pigs as we have been hearing in Israel. How far this prejudice reaches in the Muslim communities no one really knows that I have found. You cannot look at the world’s situation without wondering how much of this attitude is affecting the way men think. Conclusion Our purpose in this article is not to create dark emotions toward Arab people. In fact, this article has nothing to do with Arab people, but only with the Islamic religion. Millions of Arabs are American citizens, as well as many spread around the world. A tremendous number are friends of Israel, flag waving Americans, Bible-believing Christians, and indeed wonderful citizens of the world communities. As already stated, there must not be ill treatments of those who believe in Allah. It is wrong to use your faith to try and impose it on someone against his or her will. The citizens of Islamic countries should be absolutely free to choose the Christian faith, while citizens of any country should be free in the religion of their choice. The Word of God offers no hope of salvation to anyone that does not make his or her own personal choice to receive Jesus Christ. Conversion by cohesion is not possible. You would not have a convert; you would have a slave. If you are a Bible-believing Christian, it is your responsibility to defend the truth of one God, our Heavenly Father, and one Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you compromise this point, there is nothing left worth believing in. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 7: AMERICA IS NOT BABYLON ======================================================================== America Is Not Babylon The purity of Holy Scripture is a miracle of miracles. Read any passage in the Bible and then do a little research. You will find clear interpretation for that Scripture. Words that the Spirit used can never be understood properly by pulling a meaning out of the air. The word “water” when used as a type is always the Word of God. When God says “Jerusalem,” He means the chosen of God. It is either His chosen city or His chosen people. Babylon is used in the Bible over 295 times. When the Bible says “Mystery Babylon,” He speaks of a religion that has become evil and corrupt because “Babylon” is the seat of Satan. When He says “Babylon” without a modifying adjective, He means Babylon the city, which was founded by Nimrod. To try to identify America as Babylon is utterly contrary to Biblical interpretation. Using that kind of method to study the Bible leads to all kinds of misunderstandings. Always let the Bible interpret itself. Mystery Babylon is clearly the End Time apostasy of false Christianity. The seventeenth chapter of Revelation is the most noted example. A harlot woman is another Biblical type of corrupt Christianity. A pure woman represents the pure faith of our Lord. The harlot woman is the opposite. When you put “Mystery Babylon” with the “harlot woman,” you have a double picture of the utter false religion of the Seven Years of Tribulation. It is religion at its lowest manifestation in human history. This is the church of the Antichrist. Revelation chapter eighteen is the city of Babylon rebuilt in the Southern part of Iraq. To try to superimpose this chapter into America is contrary to every Biblical principle. There is not one basis for such transliterating of the Holy Bible. The main reason this is often tried is because our nation has a preponderance of sins. I certainly admit that, but it is not God’s method of understanding the Word of God. What if we did that kind of twisting of all Scripture? Think of the mess it would create with our Bible. America has got a lot of sins for which we are going to pay. This nation will be subject to all the horrid calamities of the Seven Years of Tribulation. These calamities are God’s instruments for cleansing the world of abortions, fornications, sodomy, and every unclean lifestyle. Millions will die and the wicked will learn that sin is always accountable to the Heavenly Father. Before the worst comes, the Saints will be raptured. But, if the Lord tarries, you may think that the worst has already come even before the Rapture occurs. Babylon is the city of Babylon and it must be rebuilt to be the capital of the Antichrist Kingdom. It is fitting that His One World Religion that gives him their total worship is called Mystery Babylon. The unity of the two entities is part of the mystery of wickedness. For the early years of the Seven Years, the Antichrist and His false church will be bosom partners. They will use each other. So, calling one “Babylon” and the other one “Mystery Babylon” is perfect prophecy. By the end of the Seven Years, the two Babylons will clash and the Antichrist will pour his fury upon Mystery Babylon and burn her with fire. “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire” (Revelation 17:16). This truth also destroys the idea that both chapters are talking about Rome as Mystery Babylon. How could the Antichrist from literal Babylon burn Mystery Babylon if both are the same Babylon? Again, the Bible leaves little room for misunderstanding if you let Scripture interpret Scripture. This totally destroys the thought that America is Babylon. The question is an unanswerable one when we try to put America in some cubbyhole of prophecy. Much of the world is unnamed as you study the Bible. Basically, the Bible’s prophecy picture is a Middle Eastern setting. You may call us an “Isle of the Sea” and that would put us in the Gog and Magog event. I personally believe that when the army of Russians and Islamic countries march towards Israel, we will either come to Israel’s defense or suffer great destruction in cities like New York and Washington, DC. That is still uncertain and our defense of Israel should not be done just to save our own necks. History, not the Bible, proves that the Great Creator puts America in her wealthy position to spread the Gospel to the four corners of the world. He also ordained us to win the Second World War and be a partner in the development of the Nation of Israel. Defending Israel since 1948, providing Israel with a faithful partnership, and being her ally right down to the end is absolutely God’s will for our great nation. Anyone that would undercut that purpose needs to remember that God is still the sole owner and keeper of this Universe. He can pull down an arrogant president just like He allowed Him to be elected. I would suggest that any president or politician should watch his words and actions because God knows all things and Israel is His heartthrob. America is not Babylon, but America is answerable to God for our grievous sins and for our responsibility to Israel. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 8: ANGELS OVERSHADOWING JERUSALEM ======================================================================== Angels Overshadowing Jerusalem by Joseph Chambers As we approach the end of this age, the spirit world is becoming more and more apparent. World events are not accidents, but are part of the overarching actions. The Sovereign God Jehovah is the world architect and His armies are far superior than all the armies of the world together. While our God will use human hands, He is not limited to their action in world affairs. There are wonderful expressions in the Bible of our God’s appointment of His angels to watch over Jerusalem and the affairs of that city. Hundreds of times in the First and Second Testament, the Lord is named "The Lord of Hosts." Twice in the Second Testament, He is called "The Lord of Sabaoth," which has the exact same meaning, but in a stronger term. The terms mean that He is the "Lord of an Army" or "Lord of a Multitude." This speaks of His Heavenly Host or His great armies of Heavenly angels. These terms have a military connotation and make it plain that the Lord will fight for right and that He will defend His will on this earth. The prophet, Isaiah, writing by the revelation of God, stated that angels (watchmen) had been assigned over the walls of Jerusalem and that they would never depart until all their enemies and warmongers were destroyed. This promise is over 2,500 hundred years old and many great events have transpired under these angelic watchmen. Their duty has not been to stop all the transgressors, but to assure their ultimate defeat. The armies of many nations have come to their destruction in God’s time because of Jerusalem. This great revelation is clearly tied to the entire history from the time of Isaiah to the fulfillment of Israel’s glorious future. Read this passage carefully. "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness. Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken." (Isaiah 62:6-12). A multitude of devils and devil-possessed men have tried to assure this prophecy"s failure. The fulfillment is on perfect schedule. Our patience is still needed, but not for long. If angels can weep, these spirit creatures of God have no doubt shed a multitude of tears. Can you imagine these appointed angels looking down upon Jerusalem after Titus had decimated the city in A. D. 70? Think of what they must have experienced when the Romans renamed Jerusalem, Capitolina after they had rebuilt the city. These great creatures wasted no time continuing the Father"s plan and the day hasted when the name Capitolina was relegated to the ash pile. Over and over the fortunes of Jerusalem have fallen but risen again from defeat. God’s appointed watchmen have been faithful and the glory of their task is soon to triumph. The statement, "give Him no rest till He establish and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth," shows the partnership between God and His people, the saints. He referred to everyone of His chosen remnant when He said, "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence." We are the ones that He requested that we remind Him of His promise. Does God need to be reminded? Probably not, but nevertheless, His saints are His partners and He desires our constant fellowship in all His plans. As I write this article, I cannot help but stop to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. "May God soon remove every act of uncleanness from within the walls of the chosen city. O, God hasten the day of your coming to sit on the throne of David and establish the kingdom of your holiness to the ends of the earth. In Jesus" name." Daniel Saw the Final Triumph of These Angels Angels are not supernatural as God the Creator. Every act they administer is subject to the Father"s plan and are sometimes allowed to be hindered by Satan or one of his angels. Fallen angels are just as powerful as God’s angels, but can be rebuked in the name of the Lord. The holy angels are organized and have different levels of authority and power. So are Satan"s angels. Daniel had experienced twenty-one days of fasting and prayer waiting for the angels of the Lord to defeat the angels of Satan. Finally, a stronger angel, even Michael, came to assist the first angel. The account of these events helps us understand the powers in the spiritual world. "And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days." (Daniel 10:10-14). Michael, the Archangel, To Stand Up For Israel Daniel had special revelations about the very end of the "Times of the Gentiles" and the activity of Michael. Michael is called the one angel that stands for the people of Israel. It appears that Gabriel is the angel of the church, while Michael is the angel of the Jewish people. I believe those angels appointed by the Lord and revealed to Isaiah are still doing their job above the walls of Jerusalem. Now, in this great revelation of Daniel, Michael stands up and joins those angels to bring an end to all matters that relate to the people of the Lord’s chosen. It would appear that Michael has either stood forth or is preparing to do so. All I know to say to those that oppose Israel is, "Watch out for this mighty warrior." Let"s deal with portions of Daniel 12:1-13. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:1-3). This does not occur until the "end of the age." The words of this revelation make plain the time of its fulfillment. The Lord told Daniel, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (Daniel 12:4). Angels are already fighting for the Jewish nation;, Jerusalem is part of their assignment, but soon the reinforcements will arrive to join the battle. Michael"s involvement is one of the last great acts before the Lord Himself descends from the Father"s presence to defeat the Antichrist and gather all the remnant of Israel. This prophecy is absolutely to be fulfilled at the close of Jacob"s trouble and the seven years of the Great Tribulation. Jesus affirmed this great fact. He said, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matthew 24:21). The Son of God was probably quoting Daniel or at least referring to the same great truth. The truth is that Jesus is the totality of the Word, so Daniel was quoting the Son of God in advance of His coming. We call those great truths given in advance, "prophecy." The Bible is full of such beautiful revelations. This time is called the Day of the Lord and begins with the resurrection of the dead saints and the rapture of the living saints. Daniel said, "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake . . ." Isaiah also spoke of this using similar words, "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." (Isaiah 26:19-21). Isaiah separates this resurrection time, showing the Rapture and then the tribulation of the earth, while the saints are secured in a prepared chamber (the wedding chamber). And, then, He shows our coming back to be His army as we, with Him, defeat the Antichrist kingdom. This kind of uniting and harmonizing the Scripture is what the Bible calls "rightly dividing the Word of God." (2 Timothy 2:15). The Book of Revelation gives us a similar picture when we see the twenty-four elders in chapter four. This is the one time we see twenty-four elders numbered together in the whole Word of God. The picture is of both the Old Testament saints together with the New Testament saints being resurrected and raptured before the Great Tribulation. Further truths in this great chapter of Daniel twelve shows the harmony of the writing of Daniel, Jesus, and John the Revelator. All three of their prophecies show the seventh week of Daniel as being seven years divided in the midst by the Antichrist’s revelation of himself in the Jewish tribulation temple. Each of these three gave clear declaration that the seven years would finish the "Gentile Times" and usher in the kingdom of Christ with a Jewish revival and restoration. Daniel had already given witness to this truth but now gives additional information. He stated, "Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." (Daniel 12:5-7). "Times, times, and half a time" represents the last three and one-half years of the seven year period. Michael, The Angelic Prince It is of grave importance to understand that this dark period called "Jacob’s Trouble" is under the supervision of a mighty prince acting for God to guarantee the survival of Israel. Daniel made it plain in the first verse of this twelfth chapter that all the proceedings cannot begin until Michael takes charge of the spiritual side of this all-out war. No spiritual victory can be won on this earth until it is first won in heaven. This period of time is set and the days are numbered right down to the final day. Michael, God’s anointed prince, is set to guarantee perfect fulfillment. "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Psalms 119:89) and Michael is keeping the clock. Look at the precise numbering that the great prayer warrior of twenty-five hundred years ago was given to set the boundaries for the Antichrist. It is important that you note these last words given to this prophet of God. "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." (Daniel 12:8-13). Oh, for prayer warriors in our day that might wait on God for answers that lock up the spiritual world in perfect obedience. It is beautiful that our God leaves nothing to chance. Michael is called "one of the chief princes" (Daniel 10:13); he is called "your prince" (Daniel 10:21) in addressing Daniel himself, and called "the great prince" in this twelfth chapter of Daniel (Daniel 12:1). Michael is also identified as the leader of God’s army of angels that defeat Satan and his angels immediately after the Rapture. Satan is cast out of Heaven in Revelation twelve. Both Daniel twelve and Revelation twelve guarantee this time as during the last one week of seven years, right before the glorious triumph of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to reign on earth. Angels Are Deeply Involved In the Book of Revelation Once the Rapture of the Saints occurs in Revelation four, verse one, and the celebration around God’s throne begins, angels immediately begin to interact with the elders of the raptured saints. The whole proceedings from the beginning of chapter five is interlaced with the angels of God. The role of the angels is clearly different from the elders. Let’s try to distinguish the difference. In Revelation chapter five, the great book of earth’s redemption is witnessed in the Father’s possession and held forth by His right hand. This book calls for one of Heaven’s strongest angels to set forth the purpose and proceedings of this book. The actions of this mighty God-sealed Book, written within and without, cannot just occur. Powers of great strength must set forth this truth and give testimony against all hindrances. Nothing can be left to speculation. There will be great powers seeking to hinder the proceedings. The devil has been the god of this world and he will not give up easily. Listen to the Word of God. "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne." (Revelation 5:1-7). What a picture of this inauguration of the seven years of Great Tribulation. It does not begin with the opening of the seven-sealed book, but with the proclamation of the book by a mighty angel. This book is the record of "the purchased possession." The blood of Jesus has assured the proceeding of this book will be victory. The angel’s loud voice gave complete assurance that Satan and his evil host might hear. God, the Father is on His throne, the seven spirits (the Holy Ghost in His fullness of Revelation) are before the throne, angels, living creatures, and resurrected elders are also before the throne and the Crucified Lord is ready to receive and open the book. The process of redemption cannot fail. The armies of the Heavenly Host are now united with the elders of the redeemed. This is the picture all through the Book of Revelation. Angels are constantly acting in fellowship with the elders. The angels appear to have more of a proclamation role, while we are witnesses to Satan’s failures and destruction. Conclusion As the triumph of the seven years of judgment and redemption is finished, an angel descends to lay hold on the devil and to place him in the bottomless pit and lock him up for a thousand years. "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3). God’s angels, mighty in power, are going to be deeply involved in the coming end times. Jerusalem will not be forgotten as all the proceedings of the Book of Revelation transpire. Once the earth is redeemed, then Israel will be gathered for the last time. Jesus, Himself, set forth this assurance. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matthew 24:29-31). It is time to be sensitive to the Heavenly Host of angels, which will act for the Lord Himself in defense of all that must occur to finish His work and establish His kingdom on this earth. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 9: ANTICHRIST: A “JESUS ONLY” MANIFESTATION ======================================================================== Antichrist: A “Jesus Only” Manifestation by Joseph Chambers One of the great statements made by Jesus Christ plainly shows that the Antichrist will come in his own name. Yes, there will be an “unholy trinity,” but it will be manifest in the mode of the “Jesus Only” deception. The three will not be visible for the world to see a false god, a false Christ, and a false spirit; but they will be presented as three manifestations of the one person. Just exactly like the world never saw the Father or the Holy Ghost in Jesus’ ministry, they will never see the dragon or the second beast in the Antichrist manifestation. Satan will produce a perfect appearing imitation of the Lord Jesus Christ. to me, that ye Look at this great statement by the Lord Jesus Christ. “And ye will not come might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” (John 5:40-43). This passage of truth is an incredible definition of the Antichrist person. He will be manifest in the vein of the present “oneness” or “Jesus Only” doctrine.The Antichrist will be nothing but a manifestation of the devil. The second beast, also, will be nothing but an additional manifestation of Satan. The classic defense of the “Jesus Only” or oneness doctrine is their belief in three manifestations. They do not believe in three persons as is clearly revealed in Scripture. This is the ultimate “lie” that Apostle Paul said the world would believe.This is not just a lie, but “the lie.” It will be Satan’s masterpiece of deception that causes the world to worship the devil. All of my “Bible-studying-life” I have wondered how Satan could get the world to bow at his feet and worship such a dark and foreboding creature. He does it with the ultimate lie, so clever and yet so powerful. Let’s read this statement by Apostle Paul from the Textus Receptus Interlinear Bible, “And with all deceit of unrighteousness, in those being lost; because the love of the truth not they received for to be saved them. And because of this will send to them God a working of error for to believe them THE LIE, that may be judged all those not believing the truth, but having had pleasure in unrighteousness.”(Literal translation from the Greek New Testament text. Emphasis added.) The Berry Interlinear call this “the false.” It is the “ultimate false.” Satan’s last grand lie before His judgment. The “Jesus Only” deception is becoming the loudest voice in the Charismatic world. Two of the biggest names in the false Pentecostal circles are T. D. Jakes and Tommy Tenney. Some of the biggest musical voices are “Jesus Only” singers. The Heavenly Father gets slight attention in most religious minds today. Much attention is given in modern worship to the Holy Ghost in spite of Jesus’ plain statement,“…He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”(John 16:13-14). We must always remember that Jesus came in the Father’s name. He taught us to pray, “Our Father which art in Heaven.” He made the promise that whatsoever we ask the Father in His (Jesus) name, He would do it. The Book of John is saturated with the fellowship of the Father and His Son. Isaiah told us, “It pleased the Lord (our Father) to bruise Him.” (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus debated His Jewish rejecters by declaring the witness of two men to prove His Divinity and Sonship. Listen to this incredible defense of the Godhead. “And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.” (John 8:16-18). If you have the powerful Biblical conviction of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost in Biblical order in your life, you have the foundation on which to build a great Biblical understanding. “If the foundation be destroyed,” you are a prime subject for deception! Recently, a dear couple shared a discussion with me that they had with a mainline Pentecostal pastor. He was arguing for the Tommy Tenney book, The God Chasers. He stated that he had quit being narrow minded about the doctrines of others who appeared consecrated to God. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 10: AS THE DAYS OF NOAH WERE, “PERFECT PICTURE OF TODAY” ======================================================================== As The Days Of Noah Were, “Perfect Picture Of Today” The world of Noah was barely different from the world around you and me. Men and women were pursuing their diverse interests, commerce was exploding, sex was a preoccupation, and the world of spirits was intermingling with the daughters of men. Every trend of our day was evident in Noah’s day. Jesus Christ was careful to draw a comparison of these two generations over 4,000 years removed from each other. He stated, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:37-39) It’s exciting to study the ark in Genesis chapter seven and then note the numerous times that Bible writers refer to this historic occasion. Nothing establishes a truth in Scripture more clearly than when other inspired writers relate that truth to other truths. The Bible interprets itself when we will simply allow the unity of truth to emerge. When you view the entire Scripture reference to the ark that God commanded Noah to build, it becomes a powerful prophetic type of the Person of Jesus Christ and the protection and hope which we are invited to enjoy in Him. The ark is a beautiful picture of the Son of God as Redeemer and Deliverer to every generation. Its final fulfillment is the Rapture of the Bride of Jesus Christ just before the final judgment. Jesus Christ And The Ark Of Noah The entire First Testament is written with a concealed presence of the coming Messiah. Every great truth in this Hebrew book is a prophetic preparation and foundation for the entrance of the Son of God into the human stream. Jesus stated in the Gospel of John, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) The Scriptures they were to search was the First Testament. Nothing else was available at this moment of Christ’s ministry. We will never know the full power of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis to Malachi) until we have eyes for Jesus alone. Apostle Paul made reference to this in writing to the Corinthians. He spoke of the Jewish blindness, but I find the church world is not much different, except for a few clear passages. Listen to Paul speak of this blindness, “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.” (2 Corinthians 3:14-16) One primary purpose exists in the revelations of the First Testament and it was the coming of the Prince of Peace. The ark of Noah was one of the strongest revelations of the coming Prince in this great First Testament. The text itself is saturated with His living presence in this ark. “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” (Genesis 7:1, Genesis 7:16; Genesis 8:4) Three great expressions in the text reveals the presence of the Lord in a personal way. First, He spoke from within the ark, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” This ark may have looked massive sitting upon the ground beside Noah’s home, but when it was afloat upon a world covered with water, it would have been but a shadow. When we see that it was more than a physical ark; the dwelling place of the Divine Redeemer; it becomes breathtakingly miraculous. The Lord invited them into His glorious presence for safety. He didn’t say, “Go in.” He said, “Come in.” Second, it was the Lord that shut them in. They were not at the mercy of those that would seek to enter by force once the storm was raging. The God of the universe was manifest in His presence as Lord to be the Shepherd of those sheep inside His provision. The words, “and the Lord shut them in,” indicates more than slamming the door from the outside. He did not become the door of the sheep in St. John chapter ten. He was the door of the sheep in Genesis chapter seven. He has always been the door of His sheep and always will be. This ark was more than a tossing ship out on a lonely sea. It was the hiding place of those chosen to escape the rages of the storm. The language reveals the Great Shepherd of the sheep riding with them in the storm and taking all fear from their hearts. Third, the ark rested on Nissan the seventeenth, the very day that Jesus would be resurrected centuries down the road. It was also the eighth day or the day after the Sabbath. The number eight is “New Beginning” and carries the power of incredible promises from the Creator. The children of Jesus would cross the Red Sea as they left Egypt on the eighth day and on Nissan the seventeenth. The Holy Ghost would be poured upon the church on the eighth day. It is clear that nothing relating to this ark was done by chance. The God that orders His universe certainly was in control of His chosen servants and of his family and the Messiah-type was being perfectly shaped for the day of fulfillment. It’s incredible to see the living presence of this God-man as His powers are manifest in this First Testament revelation. The Ark Represents “Rescue” From Danger The Second Testament writers made it clear that the ark was a Biblical type of “rescue” from the impending danger of that hour. The historic truth of this event was unquestionable to these Holy Ghost inspired writers. Peter stated, “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3:20) The word that Peter used in his original Greek language suggested “rescue” and “escape.” Noah and his family were about to perish with the hordes of godless men and women that populated the earth. The Heavenly Father expressed grace or unmerited favor toward Noah and spoke to him to build the vessel of that grace for his deliverance. The grace and the ark were inseparable. Again, Peter spoke of this ark, saying, “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.” (2 Peter 2:5) In this instance, Peter moves beyond simply escaping from the storm and gives the prophetic picture of a prophetic meaning. He stated that God “spared not the old world, but saved Noah.” Peter then moved to the type of the Rapture where the ungodly will be left to perish and the righteous will be delivered to His presence. Peter showed that the coming hope of the church is to be delivered from God’s judgment of the wicked. Peter proceeds to state, after noting that Noah and his family were saved (delivered), that God brought “the flood upon the world of the ungodly.” It has never fit the nature of God to judge the wicked and the righteous together. To consider such an idea is to completely miss the nature of our Father and His eternal relationship with His chosen family. Apostle Paul Gives An Equally Beautiful Picture The ark of God and the flood certainly played a beautiful part with the New Testament writers. It always appears to loom large in their minds as they considered the grace of God, the coming judgment, and the promise of escape by the Rapture. As Paul wrote to the Hebrews, he stated, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) Paul mentions several points that we should consider. “Being warned of God of things not seen as yet” certainly suggests that this preacher of hope was viewing the total picture. No writer described the Rapture more pointedly than Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians. Can we easily believe that he was thinking of the coming Rapture when he spoke of things “not seen as yet”? The words “moved with fear” are no less powerful. Then he declared that this ark was the “saving of his household” and the condemnation of “the world.” (These remarks do not fit the present day interpretations of Matthew chapter 24.) Even so, I believe that the faithful saints of this generation that refuse to give up the expectation of His return to deliver from “judgment to come” are equally condemning this godless and hopeless world. No wonder many persons get angry when we will not cease to preach the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the saints. Much of this church generation that have lost this Biblical truth are not even civil toward those who still hold to this “hope.” No subject that I discuss on radio causes the reaction, condemnation, and attack as does this wonderful subject. Jesus Establishes The Credibility Of Noah As Jesus taught His great Olivet Discourse, He places the story of Noah and the ark right in the middle of these transcending truths. There can be no question that the ark was established by the Lord as a type and picture of both the mood of the generation in which He would appear and the method He would use to separate the Godly from the ungodly. The very day of Noah becomes a descriptive picture of His day when He would begin the process of the end. Jesus stated, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:37-42) The setting of this great statement has confused a host of the enemies of the Rapture as well as some who believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. He was certainly speaking to the Jewish people and warning of their Day of Trouble. Some of this Olivet Discourse deals with Israel and the Roman destruction in AD 70. Some of it deals with the Seven-year Tribulation as Israel shall certainly experience; but I’m convinced it also deals with the church and, especially, the hope of both born-again Jews and Gentiles in the beginning of the end. Just before Jesus speaks of Noah and the parallel of his day and type of the Ark, he states, “But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36) This sets those verses concerning “one taken and the other left” apart as a parenthetical statement to describe our hope to miss the sorrows He had previously described. Hallelujah! Let’s Analyze These Incredible Words Of Hope Again, remember He has described a day of coming sorrow and great tribulation. The judgments He describes are catastrophic and terrible. The earth will experience great consternation and multitudes will be swept away in the flood of deception and destruction. But, there is hope for the watchful. “But as the day of Noah was,” Jesus warned, so would the days of this coming hour be. We are to discern the time of this hour by the signs that we read in the seventh chapter of Genesis or in Noah’s generation. It is not too hard to see the perfect parallel. Every day our world becomes more like Noah’s world, if not worse. It is a time of fullness of bread, ample time for fun and frolic, an unprecedented preoccupation with sex, and an intermingling of the spirits of men with the spirits of the fallen gods (angels). There is also an incredible power and organization against truth as Noah preached and as His faithful servants are preaching today. Two In The Field, One Taken And The Other Left When you study this great text, together with the words of Paul in the book of Hebrews and Peter in I and 2Peter, the truth springs to the front. Those eight in the ark were rescued, while the world was destroyed in judgment. Peter said, “saved Noah, . . . bringing in the flood upon the world.” Paul said that Noah “condemned the world and saved his own house.” There is no way to interpret this text and leave the righteous on the earth, while removing the wicked in judgment. It does not fit one other passage in Scripture that relates to the subject of the ark. “Watch Therefore” The closing statement of this great parenthetical teaching fully supports the escape of the righteous, “Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” The wicked certainly are not watching. He is speaking to the righteous for He continues saying, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:44) We are to be watching and ready for the ark to sail again. Just before the storm shakes this earth, the Lord will appear to rescue His chosen that have found “grace in His sight.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 11: B. C. DATING: “BEFORE CONCEPTION” ======================================================================== B. C. Dating: “Before Conception” Histories’ transforming moment was when the Holy Ghost overshadowed the Virgin Mary and “Begot the Son of Man.” His presence in Heaven was immediately missed as Elizabeth cried out calling Mary “the mother of my Lord.” To add miracle to miracle, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy and she and John the Baptist were filled with the Holy Ghost. The presence of the infant Son of Man, hidden in His womb of safety, changed the course of time from B. C. to A. D.. One of the great prophecies in David’s “Gospel of Jesus Christ” was the voice of the Father proclaiming the gift of the Son. David stated, “I will declare the decree, the Lord (Our Father) has said unto me, Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.” (Psalms 2:7) The Heavenly Father allowed no separation of days from conception to birth. He said, “This day have I begotten thee.” It was an awesome moment when the eternal son laid aside all royalty of manifestation to be clothed in a secret chamber of flesh. The entrance of our divine redeemer was both the simplest of the human and the highest of the supernatural. He was made in our image while never failing to be pure in the form of God. “And the angel said unto her, fear not Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:30-32) Only the divine hand of Elohim, the living God, sovereign in all His majesty could direct this event. Mary, in her simplicity, asked the angel, “How could this be, seeing I know not a man?” She was unruffled and submissive, ready to give her womb as a dwelling place for the Son of God. “The angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) The instant result of “the power of the highest over shadowing Mary” was God in the flesh. The Son of God had come “in the fullness of time” to change time forever. Mary arose in the very days of this announcement, already knowing that in her womb she bore the promised Messiah “And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.” (Luke 1:39-41) What a confirmation to Mary of all the angel had said. Elizabeth was certainly reveling in her own miracle but immediately recognizes the presence of her Lord in the womb of Mary. By the Holy Ghost who she was filled with, Elizabeth immediately speaks out in prophecy. “And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” (Luke 1:42-44) The Gospel of John adds great beauty to the coming of our Lord to dwell among the human family. John affirms that God has come down in the form of flesh. John states by the Holy Ghost, “And the Word was made flesh, (at the moment of conception) and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) He leaves no doubt that this Word was God by declaring His eternal existence saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5) The Apostle Paul wrote the Hebrew church, warning them of the consequences of rejecting their Messiah. They trusted in their prophets but were unwilling to believe in their prophecies. Paul said, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, 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.” (Hebrews 1:1-3) From the beginning in the Garden of Eden where sin worked its dark calamity, the world had spiraled downward for four thousand years. At the time of this revelation, God had not spoken to men for four hundred years. The Roman government held a harsh hand over the world but the fullness of time had come. The Holy Ghost said, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:4-6) “Before Conception” the world was utterly bankrupt, hopeless, and growing more vile every day. Immediately the picture changed and now, for two thousand years, the world has continued to find life through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, though rejected by multitudes, has been busy preparing a bride for the bridegroom. B. C. (Before Conception) had finished and A. D. (Anno Domini) has progressed until today, the year 2011/2012. Anno Domini is the Medieval Latin for “in the year of our Lord.” The Psalmist by prophetic voice saw the continuing battle against our Lord Jesus Christ during His Lordship over the Church. He said, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalms 2:1-6) Its amazing how our world hates the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are determined to stamp out that name. It’s almost time for Him “to have them in derision and to vex them in His sore displeasure” “Before Conception” ended when He was conceived and “Anno Domini” or “The year of our Lord” begin. Both are now at the hour or time to be finished. The King will return to get His bride and again seven years later to Jerusalem. This time He will be the King over the world and not the sacrifice for their sins. He will reign as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS, and we that are His will reign with Him. HALLELUJAH!!!!!!! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 12: BEWARE, THE WAR IS ON! ======================================================================== BEWARE, THE WAR IS ON! Spiritual warfare has never been at the present level. This is not an ordinary struggle or battle but the beginning of the final conflict before the kingdom of Christ fills the earth. While the entire earth is the scene, the nation of Israel and the saints of our Lord are the targets. Since we do not know the day of the Rapture, we must not give up the cultural war in our nations. What is occurring in America is nothing less than moral suicide. America is quickly going to Hell. There are battles occurring in our nation on different levels, but the only one that can ultimately win is the spiritual. We must enlist everyone possible to start fighting by the Holy Spirit. He is the Restrainer and angels move in His wake. We are very close to witnessing a spiritual invasion that will unite the entire spirit world. Please do not think that this truth is unbiblical or impossible. Read carefully what the great apostle wrote to us Gentiles, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). You must know that this fight is spiritual, which is clear from this statement. Because of this fact, our weapons must match and exceed the enemy’s weapons. Our Creator warned us often against thinking we can win in the flesh. Paul continued to discuss our enemy by giving instruction in warfare, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). The apostle then lays out our weapons. We must be girded with the infallible Word of God. The breastplate must be a righteousness that He has provided. He even says that we wear special footwear, which is provided in the Gospel message. Then, we hold forth a shield that can be moved in all directions and it is the “shield of faith.” That is our trust in His covenant of protection. Our sword that dashes the spirit world into pieces is the “Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” But, all of this is loaded into the human vessel or magazine by “praying in the Holy Ghost.” No wonder our empty prayer life leaves us in spiritual ruins. Our church world keeps denying that God’s Holy Spirit is still supernaturally active in the saints. As a Pentecostal, I know better and would have shipwrecked long ago without the Holy Ghost. The apostle wrote, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). Then, let’s read what Jude, our Lord’s half brother, wrote, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 1:20). We have got to have this mighty power of the Spirit world. That alone will rescue our churches from their deadness. It’s exciting to pray, preach, teach, or worship in a spiritual dimension. We are spiritual creatures not just of animal likeness. Apostle Paul said, “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15). He adds to that in his marvelous letter to the Roman believers, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). I love the fact that angels move in the wake of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Ezekiel taught this truth to Israel, “Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature (angels) was in the wheels” (Ezekiel 1:20). If you study the wars that Israel has fought since 1948 AD, you see much evidence of this fact. It has also often occurred in the great revivals of the past. Where there is a mighty move of the Holy Ghost, there is also a special move of angels. Now, we see why this apostle made such an impact in the early church. God chose Him to exemplify this mighty ministry of the Holy Ghost and to teach us the same. Angels were often present in His ministry. It was said of him, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also” (Acts 17:6 b). He was constantly a target for beatings or death. If we win in our individual battles we must follow his instructions, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Satan and the spirits of Antichrist are unleashing a barrage of evil powers and confusion. The human flesh is a prime place for Satan to sow seeds of doubt and roots of bitterness. Every believer must put on “the whole armour of God.” Keep the shield of faith at hand to quench the fiery darts. Above all live a life hid in the sweet Holy Ghost of God. If we are yielded to Him, He will storm the gates of Hell in our praying ======================================================================== CHAPTER 13: BENNY HINN: A CATHOLIC MYSTIC (BLASPHEMY SERIES) ======================================================================== Benny Hinn: A Catholic Mystic (Blasphemy Series) The world of Benny Hinn is a strange and mystical world. He fits perfectly into the category of a Charismatic Catholic priest, dispensing theological bondage and unbiblical superstition. A noted ministry described a past Benny Hinn three (3) hour video which presented him “as a ‘twentieth century’ ‘Holy of Holies’, a ‘point of contact’ for the power and anointing of God, much as Roman Catholic priests were presented during medieval times.” (The Confusing World of Benny Hinn, p. 79.) They also suggested that he is becoming a kind of “Charismatic Pope.” There are a host of problems in the Benny Hinn world, but nothing is more dangerous than his Catholic style and theology. Kathryn Kuhlman was clearly the first public Charismatic to merge Catholic ideas and support with her Charismatic operation. Benny Hinn considers himself a benefactor and model of the Kuhlman mystic. Oral Roberts said on the three hour Hinn video, “I saw Kathryn Kuhlman as unparalleled”, implying that Hinn is greater than Kuhlman. Roberts then spoke of himself as having God’s power … in his right hand, but said of Hinn, his anointing “fills the building … a greater level has come.” Benny Hinn And Catholic Confusion: There is not an organization on the face of this earth that is more thoroughly demonic than Catholicism. It is riddled with heathen teachings and doctrines of devils. Yet, Hinn proudly stated, “My upbringing, of course, was Catholic in that I attended the Catholic school in Jaffa, Israel. And so my mentality basically is a Catholic mentality. When I was born again, I was Catholic in my ways. I was very Catholic in my ideas, in my behavior.” (Christianity Today, Sept. 3,1991.) Indeed, the mysticism that accompanies Hinn’s ministry, and according to his own words, has done so since the first time he spoke publicly is in the very style of a medieval mystic. Benny Hinn personally told two reporters from the Toronto Globe And Mail about his first speaking engagement. This supposedly occurred on December 7,1974, at the Trinity Pentecostal Church in Oshawa. His words were, “I held up my hands to pray and the 100 people present fell on the floor. That’s when I became aware of my tremendous power.” These kinds of phenomenon happen frequently in mystical religions, occultic ceremonies and with religious gurus, but are absolutely absent in Holy Scripture. The only time in the Bible that a person fell on the floor was when God Himself was manifested or an angel appeared to that individual. To even consider a person having power to knock people on the floor flies in the face of reason and Biblical order. Why would God give a man or woman power to slay people? If He is going to manifest such a demonstration of His presence in His prophets or prophetesses, He is going to do something of meaning, not nonsense. It would disturb my soul for God to use me to slay people by the thousands and then heal them by the handfuls. If it is really God, and He cares about mankind, why would He not heal thousands and slay the handfuls? The God of Holy Scripture does not do foolish and meaningless things. That is Satan’s style, not the Heavenly Fathers. Benny Hinn And The Catholic Mass: The Mass as celebrated in Catholic churches is a blasphemous event. Nothing moved the reformers to resist the Pope and the doctrines of Catholicism more than this false teaching. The Mass proposes the constant death of Jesus Christ over and over, plus it is a fetish practice that reduces a Believer to a God-eating cannibal. The whole idea is sub-human and represents a religious descent into gory superstition. No wonder the doctrines of Mary were necessary to aid the constant dying Redeemer as His co-redemptrix. If the body and blood of Jesus must be offered by Him as a constant death, then His resurrection is reduced to a helpless idea and the ascended Mary becomes the bridge to their unsure future. Even purgatory is needed because of the weakened Messiah who is still being baptized in His daily death. It’s a confusing and unbiblical picture. Apparently, Benny Hinn loves this confusion. Let me quote an experience that he recently told on the Paul Crouch (TBN) television show. He shared an experience which should raise a red flag in minds of all thinking Christians. In the course of describing a Catholic communion service in Armarillo in which he took part, he stated that “he suddenly felt numb, then felt someone step in front of him. The sensation became so real that he then reached out and touched a robe which had: ‘…a silky feeling, a beautiful softness to the robe. …’ The next thing I was feeling was actually the form of a body, the shape of a body. And my body…went totally numb. …And God really gave me a revelation that night, that when we partake of communion, it’s not just communion, Paul” [Speaking to Paul Crouch onTBN]. Hinn further stated, “We are partaking Christ Jesus Himself. He did not say, “Take, eat, this represents my body.” He said, “This is my body, broken for you…” When you partake communion, you’re partaking Christ, and that heals your body. When you partake Jesus how can you stay weak?…sick? …And so tonight, as we partake communion, we’re not partaking bread. We’re partaking what He said we would be partaking of: ‘This is my body’.” (The Confusing World Of Benny Hinn, pp. 132-133, quoting from the Praise The Lord Show, Trinity Broadcasting Network) Benny Hinn is clearly a Catholic mystic invading Charismatic and Evangelical churches with doctrines of demons. The work of the cross is a finished work. The true faith of Bible believers does not and cannot survive mystical religious experiences. “The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11) Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians of this danger. He called it being “Bewitched,” deceived by the spirit of witchcraft, when we try to aid our faith with the Catholic Mass and unbiblical ritualism. The Holy Ghost said, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain” (Galatians 3:1-4). A Believer of The Infallible Bible must reject Benny Hinn as a heretic. Most heretics are just heretics and can do little damage, but Hinn is a world wide phenomenon. His display of mystical powers and entertaining techniques make him a draw for anyone that has an inclination for emotional hype. Saints saturated with the Bible and possessing Spiritual descernment will keep a clear distance from such End Time deception. (Read the rest of this article on our Paw Creek Internet. Go to www. pawcreek. org . ======================================================================== CHAPTER 14: BIRDS FALLING, FISH DYING, AND EARTHQUAKES ======================================================================== Birds Falling, Fish Dying, and Earthquakes HEADLINES: Forty Thousand Velvet Crabs Washed up on the Coast of Great Britain. Penguins Dying and Littering the Beaches of New Zealand. Crows Falling Out of the Sky in Sweden. Eight Thousand Turtle Doves Falling Dead to the Ground in Italy. Two Million Dead Fish Washed up along the Shores of the Chesapeake Bay. That is just a few places from a much larger number of headlines. It appears to have started on New Year’s Eve and has been escalating daily for over two weeks. Brazil is dealing with hundreds of tons of dead fish. In state after state all across America, thousands of birds and millions of fish are mysteriously dying. There are numbers of reasons being given, but the answers sound emptier than not giving any answer. Is all of it more evidence that we are quickly approaching the Great Tribulation? I believe 2011 will be a year of signs from heaven above and earth beneath. There is a Jewish proverb that states, “Accidents are not kosher.” The earth is the Lord’s and nature is God’s system — full of warnings and signs of the time. Absolutely nothing of human life is without cause or purpose. Nature does not exist out of God’s control but is a system of balance and design. Whatever is in our Creator’s plan is played out on a daily schedule. Jesus Christ warns us of man’s failure to discern the signs of the time. He stated, “And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:3). Earthquakes have always been viewed by Godly people as a warning from the Creator. The Son of God stated, “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven” (Luke 21:11). The growing frequency of earthquakes is ominous. We are witnessing an increase of earthquakes that is above normal and that perfectly fulfills the End Time prophetic events. A scale of earthquakes over a span of the last ten years is scary. There were twenty-one earthquakes that were over a magnitude of 6. 0 in the year of 2002, but there were 168 earthquakes over a magnitude of 6. 0 last year in 2010. Before the OBD radio broadcast this past Saturday, I went online at USGS to research the frequency of earthquakes. From midnight on Friday until 11:30 AM on Saturday (11. 5 hours), there were twenty earthquakes over 2. 5 magnitudes, nine of them were over 4. 5 magnitudes. I just read a headline from Arkansas, where many of the birds and fish are dying. The state had thirty-eight earthquakes in 2009 and over 600 in 2010. Nearly 500 of them were during the months of September – December. Today, earthquakes are as clearly the voice of the Lord as the one that shook Jerusalem and Calvary when the Son of God said, “It is finished.” Peter declared the voice of God, “And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath” (Acts 2:19 a). The media is awash with terrifying reports out of the heavens. One headline stated, “Terrifying Scientific Discovery: Strange Emissions by Sun Suddenly Mutates Matter . . .” (Project World Awareness). Another headline said, “Earth’s Magnetic Pole Shift Unleashing Poisonous Space Clouds, Linked to Mysterious Bird Deaths” (naturalview. com). This report warned that a cloud of this nature covering a major city would cause a multitude to die instantly. When you know that the infallible Scripture has warned us that this kind of End Time phenomena is going to occur, why do we fail to discern that the end is near? My friends, you must get ready to meet God! The death of such an unprecedented number of birds and fish all over the world denies a simple problem. A just released news report gave details of the death of two hundred cows in a single pasture in Wisconsin. These all died over a span of a few days. It is impossible to call all of this anything but alarming. The Bible must always be the factor in understanding what we are facing in our world. By the Holy Ghost, an Old Testament prophet spoke and said, “I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven and the fishes of the sea” (Zephaniah 1:3 a). The kind of judgments that are right before us are clear prophecies, given by the Holy Ghost and they cannot be erased. Our world is in such a slumber that the only way a Holy Ghost revival can occur is for all of us to be awakened. There is a great majority that will only hate God more as His wrath is revealed. But, a remnant will wake up and repent. That’s all we can hope for in these last hours before the Rapture. During our weekly radio broadcast, I am giving an up-to-date report of what is occurring that week. Our website (www. pawcreek. org) carries this radio broadcast live every Saturday at 1:00 PM (EST). There is a link on our front page, where you can click and join the family of listeners. You can send a question by email to jrc@pawcreek. org or call 1-800-338-7884! Please copy this report and send it to those you love or to whom you minister. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 15: BLASPHEMY: THE FINAL SCOURGE OF SATAN ======================================================================== Blasphemy: the Final Scourge of Satan As we watch for the Rapture, the last onslaught of Satan is the spirit of blasphemy. The nature of the Antichrist is a diabolical hatred of all that is God or Godlike. When Satan is cast out of Heaven and confined to the earth, his immediate action is to blaspheme whatever represents God. He will blaspheme the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He will seek to imitate each person of the Godhead. He will actually fill the earth with blasphemy, and everything that is pure will be trashed to the ultimate. Jerusalem will be destroyed one last time. The people of Israel will be slaughtered and driven into exile. If you miss the Rapture, do not even think about going to church. There will be churches, but the false church will belong to Satan. Any church that loves to speak the truth will be destroyed in bitter viciousness. People trying to have a Bible-believing church will be ravished, raped, and brutally murdered. The death of those people that turn to Jesus Christ will be so inhumane that they will cry out, even in the throes of death, for God to avenge their horrors. The fifth seal of the Seven-Sealed Book, which Jesus received from the Father, is a great mystery, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:9-11). The horrors of their death will leave this company of saints almost screaming for vengeance. But, there will be more to come. I do not think it is possible to understand the methods of slaughtering that Satan and his Antichrist will employ. While reading Oliver North’s great book about World War II and the tactics of Hitler (a type of Antichrist) and his allies, I was flabbergasted by their treatment of human beings. A soldier, named Richard Marowitz, told of entering the city of Dachau, where there was a SS concentration camp. He said the stench accosted them even before they reached the town. As they entered this camp, where 30,000 POWs were held prisoner, they found the majority had already been murdered. Skeletons of barely alive human beings were wandering around on the verge of starvation. He told about finding forty boxcars loaded with people that had been allowed to die without ever opening the doors. In these forty boxcars they found one living person. (War Stories III, by Oliver North, p. 295.) This is a taste of what will happen to Bible-believing people that dare to resist the Antichrist armies that will impose Satan’s blasphemy on this earth. The picture of this blasphemy is seen in the prophecies of Revelation, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:1-2). Notice that the One World Order, which is described as “ten horns and seven heads,” has the name of blasphemy. This clearly shows that the Antichrist’s world government will be blasphemous! Hatred for all things that are Godlike will be the order of the day. Look at the Obama Regime in our capitol of Washington, DC, and you will see that the character of this crowd is blasphemous. They hate the God of our Holy Bible, along with every one of us that fully worship and obey Him. Obama is a perfect prelude to the Antichrist. He is actually insane in a spiritual sense. Here is a description of the beast of a human being called Antichrist, “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Revelation 13:6-7). He first blasphemed the true and living God, and then he blasphemed His name. This shows that he will distinguish the name of our God from the false god, who he will love and lavish with praise. Then, he will blaspheme the true God’s tabernacle in Heaven. This shows that God’s great city of Heavenly Jerusalem will be viewed from the earth. The Antichrist will lead the multitudes in screaming his blasphemies in the face of God. The world is getting ready for this right now. The last of his blasphemies will be against the saints of God in Heaven, who have already been Raptured. Will we be visible to this unholy world that is filled with the most blatant acts of anger and hatred? I do not know but suggest that we might. As we fill Heaven with praise, acting as His Elders and sharing in the redemption of this universe, the world may indeed have a view of God’s city in jubilation and high praise of our Savior and Lord and our Heavenly Father. That would cause the godless to go insane with blasphemies. This last Revelation also identifies Replacement Theology as blasphemy. Anyone that denies Israel’s beautiful part in God’s future world is truly a blasphemous person against God’s love for the family of His Son. “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee” (Revelation 3:9). The word blasphemy or blasphemous is used nine times in this masterpiece of truth. The nature and character of this Antichrist is already filling our earth and will soon explode beyond understanding. I want to warn my friends and readers that blasphemy is the growing order of our world. Anything Biblical and holy is being trashed. Holiness of lifestyle is not just being hated, it is being viciously attacked. The Rapture of His saints is being denied, attacked, and even mocked. If you dress modest and Godly, you will be looked at as someone from another planet. Even our Pentecostal churches are full of the new music and personality musicians instead of worship and spiritual singing. The godly Salty Saints must be careful to live in the Scriptures. The Bible is our only roadmap, and every truth will be perfectly fulfilled. Be tender before the Lord and invite Him to fill you daily with His Holy Spirit. Do not follow anything that this world is going crazy. If the world loves it, you know it did not come from our Father. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 16: BODILY HEALING IN THE BLOOD ATONEMENT ======================================================================== Bodily Healing in the Blood Atonement Many people are Calvinist when it comes to Divine Healing. The Calvinist believe in Limited Atonement and many Christians believe in Liminted Healing. God is no respector of persons, end of arguement!!!. You can quit asking God if He is willing to heal you and start believing that His big heart of mercy and graciousness is ready to do the work. The truth is, God has healed you from your sickness in the exact sense in which He has saved you from your sins. The Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ, crucified before the foundation of the world, has vicariously borne your sins and your sicknesses in your behalf. Sin and sickness has passed from us to Calvary, that salvation and healing might pass from Calvary to us. (quoted). “It’s finished,” because Jesus said so. Seven Redemptive Names for Jesus There are seven redemptive names (some say there are as many as ten) found in the Old Testament, each providing hope to the reader as well as prophetic insight into Christ’s death and provision. One of the first of these in the order they were revealed was Jehovah-Rapha (Exodus 15:26), spelled by some authorities Ropheka. Translated that means “The Lord That Healeth Thee” or “I am the Lord Thy Physician”. The presence of Christ in the Old Testament included along with all His other manifestation, His readiness to heal. Let me list the other six manifestations as they were revealed with their redemptive names. Jehovah-Shammah: “The Lord is There or the Lord is Present.” (Exo. 48:35). Men and women are separated from God by sin and one of the redemptive acts of Christ is to bridge that chasm and bring us back into the Father’s fellowship. We can be His intimate children having personal union with Him. Jehovah-Raah: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” (Psalms 23:1) He doesn’t just save us from sin, He shepherds us by giving us His guiding presence and by teaching us that we might walk in His steps. He is the shepherd of our soul. Jehovah-Jireh: “The Lord will provide an offering.” (Genesis 22:14) When Abraham was about to offer his son, the Lord stopped him and then provided a sacrifice. That was the setting for this redemptive title. Our sacrifice or substitute was the spotless Lamb of God. Jehovah-Nissi: “The Lord our Captain.” (Exodus 17:15). When the enemy comes in like a flood we are not left to our own devices. He is our Captain and the battle is the Lord’s. Jehovah-Tsidkenu: “The Lord our Righteousness.” (Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16). Holiness is not the product of human will or determination. Will and determination are admirable traits but must bow to confess helplessness at His cross. Then and only then can acceptable righteousness clothe us in a new garment. No one would dare suggest that the New Covenant is not better than the old. Whatever the supernatural help to man was in the Old Testament it became “Much More” (Romans 5:1-21) in the New. We must believe that healing for our bodies is no less available than redemption from sins, our deliverance in our temptations or righteousness for our unrighteousness. When you can name any of the other redemptive names and provision that have been withdrawn then you ought to question the provision of Jehovah-Ratha, The Lord our Physician. He Hath Borne Our Sickness The Mount Everest of prophetic foreknowledge is found in Isaiah 53:1-12. Let’s look at two verses that remove all doubt about divine healing. “Surely He hath borne our grief, (Gr. choli, disease or sickness) and carried our sorrows: (Gr. makob, pain) yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him: and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5). Disease of the soul is cared for with great mercy in these verses but not by excluding disease and pain of the body. Why should anyone penknife the Word of God with a view to denying the healing of suffering individuals? It seems so uncaring to watch men bear the afflictions of Satan while denying them the promises of God. The word”borne” in verse four means to bear away or carry off. Jesus took your sins and sickness upon His sinless and sickless body and by efficacious and judicial fiat He became a substitute for each of us. We are saved and healed by faith in His atonement. Our will to believe may fail but His will to heal cannot. This great truth is compounded by the gospel of Saint Matthew. He shares a beautiful occasion of Christ’s healing power and then sets forth this Messianic prophecy of Isaiah with even stronger language. “When the evening was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with his word and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16-17). This direct quote of Isaiah 53:4 by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost makes the previous interpretation beyond argument. Crippled Woman Loosed of Infirmity This remarkable story we will discuss gives an excellent view from which to identify the source of all diseases. She was bowed over, crippled and could not straighten herself. It surely was not an infirmity we would identify with an evil spirit. Jesus did! Neither was she identified as a sinner but as a daughter of Abraham. She was at a Jewish worship service when she was healed. Note the facts. “And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her he called her to him and said unto her, ‘Woman thou are loosed from thine infirmity.’ And He laid His hands on her and immediately she was made straight and glorified God…and ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:11-16). This story establishes several valid facts. He associated disease with the work of a spirit from Satan. We must come to understand that every ounce of sickness and pain is the result of evil powers in our world. There was no sickness until Satan usurped control from the first Adam and there will be no disease when the second Adam reconciles all things unto Himself. THE FIRST FRUITS OF OUR BODILY REDEMPTION IS DIVINE HEALING AND THE FINAL FRUIT OF THAT REDEMPTION WILL BE A GLORIFIED BODY. WE MUST ATTACK SICKNESS WITH BELIEVING PRAYER AND INTERCESSION JUST LIKE WE ATTACK SIN. The human body was created in the Father’s likeness to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. If that body isn’t garrisoned or preserved by the Spirit it will eventually be invaded by the forces of destruction. This woman was bound and imprisoned by her captor (I do not suggest she was possessed but oppressed. Oppression is a dominating factor in much sickness) but marvelously healed when a stronger than her captor took control. Jesus said a remarkable thing in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” One of the two master forces are in control of your life. Jesus is by far the stronger but cannot rule unless He’s invited. Satan will seek control by deception, default or by invitation. Jesus absolutely desires our physical heath and wholeness. It is His will to heal us. He never acted in behalf of anyone but as an extension of His Father’s will for the human family. Neither is He a respecter of persons in picking or choosing those to receive His atonement. She was healed because she was a daughter of Abraham and Jesus came to guarantee the Abrahamic promise. Again, all believers are heir of those blessings that Father Abraham assured to his sons and daughters. “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:19). Sin Is A Cause of Sickness In Some Cases There are many cases where disease is a direct result of willful sin against the laws of God. Jesus was prone to tell a person whom He healed “to go and sin no more lest a worse thing come upon thee.” Anytime a Christian goes back into open sin they are vulnerable to an explicit attack of the spirits of infirmity. James told the Jewish believers to whom he addressed his letter that “the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise them up; and if he (she) hath committed sins they shall be forgiven him (her).” (James 5:15). It was very apparent in the primitive church that sin and sickness was closely related and when one area was addressed both needs were met with deliverance. There are exceptions but no reason to believe that the obedient Christian was not eventually healed or the healed person was eventually saved. The Blood Atonement Every promise of the Bible, every act of redemption and every work of God in behalf of man is by the blood of the Testator. The Old Testament was established by the blood of calves and goats which were a figure of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 9:19-22). The New Testament was purified with a better sacrifice because it represented not the shadow but the Heavenly Act of Redemption itself. The two Testaments (Holy Bible) are in the cup which we drink at every communion celebration. (1 Corinthians 11:25). Jesus said that He purchased the church with His own blood. (Acts 20:28). Apostle Paul said that our cup of blessing is the communion of the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). The Blood will make every soul under its Judicial authority unblameable and unreproveable in His sight. (Colossians 1:20-23). We can enter the Holy of Holies for divine communion and fellowship by the blood of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10:19). Jehovah-Ratha: “Jesus Christ, our Physician”is present in His church to heal every willing individual. Settle it in your heart that He delights to extend His promises and is grieved when we trust the arm of the flesh instead of the provision of Calvary. Once you have anchored your faith in His Blood Atonement then you should give praise for your healing and begin to conduct your life in expectation of His faithfulness. Making provision to be sick is an act of unbelief. If there is sin it must be confessed, forsaken and released to His cleansing. The Holy Spirit is pleased to say, “Rise and be healed in the name and by the blood atonement of Jesus. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 17: BREAKING THE CURSE OF WICKEDNESS ======================================================================== Breaking the Curse of Wickedness There is a curse that is progressively embracing the whole world. This curse has a single root with six thousand years of history. Zechariah prophesied of the final day when this curse would cover the face of the Earth. The Spirit said, “This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth” (Zechariah 5:3 b). The root is always sin and the fruit is brokenness, destroyed homes, debilitated bodies, and every kind of confusion. Our entire world is on the skids to hell and is gaining speed. The curse of sin is setting records for wrecking lives. A curse is a stronghold that a spirit or spirits have erected in or against your life. Apostle Paul described this “stronghold” or curse in his letter to Corinth, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). A curse can be the result of your disobedience or the breaking of God’s commandments. Someone angry with you or holding a vendetta against you can erect a curse against you if you have let down your guard of protection. Children or young people can suffer fro m a curse in the family if immorality, addictive drugs, filthy books, or unbridled television or internet is allowed in the home. Any activity of Satan has the potential of leaving a curse on those affected. If failing to tithe our finances brings a curse, just think what kind of a curse homosexuality or other immorality will leave. Someone that has been abused sexually is very likely living with a curse. An abusive parent often causes the child victim to be bound with a stronghold. Divorce in a marriage most often leaves children bound and troubled with a curse. Anyone that has a strong relationship with someone that has a dark obsession of evil will very often be bound to that curse. When you understand that Satan’s curse is gripping this world in preparation for the “Great Tribulation,” you must wake up and prepare yourself. But there is supernatural Hope. There is an absolute and perfect victory against every curse by the powers of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, The Only Begotten Son Of God, came to destroy every work and action of Satan. Read this truth carefully as we see that God the Heavenly Father has given us perfect victory in His Son. “Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man”(Hebrews 2:8-9). It is sad that multitudes of church people are living every day with satanic curses and have no hope of victory. Probably 60% of all sickness is the work of a curse and would disappear immediately if that dear soul would pray through and rest it all in Christ. Fears, doubts, nervous disorders, anger, jealousy, and dark forebodings are mainly the troubled action of curses rooted in the heart. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Living for an extended time with a curse will cause the body to fall apart. Satan loves to attack a Bible-believing person and destroy their victory. He will set a snare or a trap to create confusion or anger and leave you with a root of bitterness. He will burden you until prayer becomes a chore and is powerless. Apostle Paul warned us, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26). There are three Divine sources in the Christian walk as well as a host of angels to encamp about us. First, let’s refresh ourselves to these Divine sources. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood: and these three agree in one” (1 John 5:7-8). The Spirit (the Holy Spirit), the Blood (of Jesus Christ), and the Water (the Word of God) are Divine powers that unite on earth to be a total victory in every saint. Psychological ideas are raw humanism and they are helpless to deliver the goods -- no more than a bandage! We are dealing with the spirit of Antichrist that the Bible calls, “a curse that would cover the face of the whole earth.” Apostle Paul warned, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). The curse in the world of politics, religion, and the elite of every major profession is beyond our reach to stop. That’s where the One World Order will rule, but the true church and the saints of God have an absolute source of victory. Today, start living in this world of triumph. Refuse to allow curses or strongholds to control your world. The Bible is Supernatural Truth that will feed your soul with perfect instruction. The Blood of Jesus has broken and defeated every design that Satan has against you. The Devil has been whipped and is helpless when you live under the sacrifice of Christ’s Blood. The Holy Ghost will back up everything in the Word and every victory of the Blood. Live in these truths, pray earnestly until you pray through into His presence, and trust our Heavenly Father every step of the way. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 18: CATHOLIC ATTACK OF THE RAPTURE ======================================================================== Catholic Attack of the Rapture The "Left Behind" series by Tim LaHaye is thoroughly trashed and hated by the Catholic apologist. Biblical teaching about the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Great Tribulation of seven years, and the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ all flies directly against the Catholic revisions of Scripture. Of course, there are some variations of teaching about the Rapture and the Millennium in our midst, and Catholic writers make much out of those differences. What they fail to do is explain the many variations of doctrine in their own camp about Scripture and major truths. The Catholic view of both the political world and the church is that of a dictatorship rather than a democracy. They brag about their One World views and international monopoly of their contingencies, but their dictatorial and dogmatic approach has always squashed any private views or open debate. Look at any culture dominated by its hierarchy and there are limited human rights, almost non-existent private enterprise that creates great wealth, and very depressed personal freedoms. Let’s especially look at their condemnation of the Rapture and then at their doctrines of End Time prophecy. "The Rapture Trap": A Catholic Attack I have two books from the Catholic bookstore that attack the Rapture with a fury. Both are written by disenchanted Evangelicals who have turned Catholic. The first book is The Rapture Trap by Paul Thigpen. Let me quote Marcus C. Grodi, another Evangelical who has turned Catholic, from his forward to Mr. Thigpen’s book. He described his background among the Evangelical world. This is the forward he wrote for The Rapture Trap. "In the mid-seventies, an engineering student I know experienced a powerful, life-changing adult re-conversion to Christ. He was ’born again,’ in the popular language of evangelical Protestantism, and he grew intent on loving and serving the Lord as completely as he could. Not long afterwards, a friend, anxious to share a book that had shaken his own life to the roots, passed along a copy of The Late Great Planet Earth, a book of apocalyptic speculations by the Protestant fundamentalist writer Hal Lindsey. "Unable to put the book down, the young man, now working as a plastics engineer, read it from cover to cover. Without adequate religious training to challenge the book’s premises, and trusting in his friend’s sincerity, he accepted the book’s teaching, hook, line, and ’rapture.’ "In time, the book’s emphasis on the notion of a ’rapture’-- and imminent ’secret’ coming of Christ--led the young man to question his vocation: ’If Jesus were to return tonight, would He be pleased with what I’m doing with my life? Would I be content to tell Him that I’m dedicating my life to making better plastic cups, butter tubs, and coffee decanters?’ Eventually this was one reason that the engineer decided to leave his secular career and enter the seminary instead. "In case you haven’t guessed, I was that young man, and for several years I was caught up in the apocalyptic views expressed in books such as Hal Lindsey’s little volume and more recent ’Left Behind’ series. During my years of study at an evangelical seminary, I was confronted with every Protestant ’end times’ notion imaginable. Often during theology classes, or especially around the dinner table, seminarians would debate over the details, the timing, and the imminence of Christ’s return. "Sometimes contradicting views would split us along denominational lines. (The majority of mainline Protestants actually do not believe in the secret rapture.) Too often these debates led to unchristian anger. I must even admit, shamefaced, that I once lost a close friendship because my friend and I could not see eye-to-eye about whether the timing of Christ’s second coming was preordained or whether it was dependent upon man’s free will in his efforts to reform the world. "I encountered again these same issues constantly during my years as a Protestant minister. In every congregation I served, some member or members would challenge the longterm planning of the church because the rapture of true believers, snatching them out of the world into heaven, was to occur any minute. ’Forget tomorrow!’ they insisted. ’We must insure that all are ready to meet their Maker tonight!’" (The Rapture Trap, by Paul Thigpen, Ph. D. Published by Ascension Press, pp. 11-12.) Please forgive the long quote but this helps you understand why the Catholics are promoting this book big time. It’s impossible to believe in the Pre-Tribulational Rapture and still be a Catholic. Their entire worldview makes the Rapture anathema to them. The introduction in this book is entitled, "The Truth Will Set You Free". A few quotes will give you their basic argument against the Rapture. Thigpen said, "Sadly enough, a mistaken and rather novel idea about Christ’s return, rooted in fundamentalist Protestant teaching, is making the rounds of our culture these days. It claims that Jesus is coming back, not once more, but twice. One of those times, this teaching asserts, He will come secretly to snatch away true believers from their troubles on earth. This even has been dubbed the ’rapture’ (or ’secret rapture’), from a Latin verb that means ’caught up’ or ’snatched.’ "If you are Catholic, when Jesus comes, many of the preachers of this idea insist, you had better be careful. If you have failed to renounce some of the essential beliefs the Church has taught you, too bad. You are not a true Christian. You will be left behind. "That claim is simply not true. It is a dangerous error. And that is why this book was written. In recent days many unsuspecting Catholics have gotten caught in the ’rapture trap.’ I want to help them get free of this unbiblical idea and the anti-Catholic theology to which it is typically shackled. I want to warn other Catholics who might be in danger of getting ensnared. And I hope to help equip Catholic pastors and teachers to dismantle the trap whenever they encounter it." (Ibid., p. 19.) Please note in the following quote that the basic argument against the Rapture is church dogma and not the Word of God. They simply do not argue from scripture but from the dictates of previous popes. He further stated, "’The Rapture Trap’ is written primarily, then, for everyday Catholics who accept the God-given teaching authority of the Church and who have a good dose of common sense. They will find here ample grounds for rejecting the rapture teaching as misguided and alien to both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. I trust they will also discover much more in these pages: an overview of Catholic teaching on the ’close of the age’ (Matthew 24:3; Matthew 28:20); some insights for responding to other questionable claims about the end times; and encouragement to grow spiritually strong in the rich soil of the Catholic faith." (Ibid., p. 20.) Note that he calls the teaching of this church, "the rich soil of the Catholic faith". Author Thigpen states, "’The Rapture Trap’ is written primarily, then, for everyday Catholics who accept the Godgiven teaching authority of the Church and who have a good dose of common sense." (Ibid.) Read this statement from his book, "All the tedious and prickly debates over the true meaning of a biblical Greek term used by St. Paul, or over the true significance of a horned beast pictured in the book of Revelation, really count for very little until this larger issue of authority is resolved, some of these minor debates may count for nothing at all." (Ibid., p. 21.) The question is the authority of the Catholic Church to teach doctrines, above and contrary to the Bible. This author closes his introduction of this attack of the truth of Scripture by saying, "To know Christ, who is Himself ’the Truth’ (John 14:6), we gladly turn to the teaching of ’the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth’ (1 Timothy 3:15). After all, it was the Holy Spirit’s preaching through the Catholic Church that first told the world about the good news of Christ’s coming. And it is the Holy Spirit’s teaching through the Catholic Church that can keep us safely in the truth about His coming again." (Ibid., p. 23.) The author’s first chapter is an out-and-out attack on the idea of being "Left Behind." He calls it, "The puzzling popularity of an odd idea." He discusses Tim LaHaye’s "Left Behind" series as following, "Breaking new ground in the religious publishing world, this author’s vision of the end of history has created a multimillion-dollar apocalyptic industry...What exactly has Jesus to do with this startling story line? Why in the world would He want to make people disappear and throw the human race into chaos? ... Once they are gone, the Devil will be free to take control of the world through his puppet, the Antichrist. Gross horrors will accompany this diabolical man’s wicked reign." (Ibid., p. 27.) How can this author that was gloriously saved, and the evidence points to a real experience, become so totally determined to destroy some of the greatest truth in Holy Scripture. It was Jesus who said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3) With that great promise from Jesus Christ in mind, let’s listen to Thigpen’s reason to attack our glorious hope. "The rapture doctrine is dangerous in yet a third way: It is often tied to a larger, complex body of religious teachings that are explicitly anti-Catholic. As we will see in chapter seven, when fundamentalist authors such as LaHaye and Jenkins write nonfiction books to explain the theology behind their novels, they make it clear that they believe the Catholic Church is a creation of the Devil and will be a tool of the Antichrist. They go so far as to associate the Vatican with the bloodthirsty ’whore of Babylon’ pictured in the book of Revelation, who drinks the blood of the Christian martyrs in the last days of the world (see Revelation 17:1-Revelation 18:24)." (Ibid., p. 35.) To add to this statement Thigpen stated, "Catholics who read the ’Left Behind’ books or see the movie are thus at risk of being deceived into thinking that the very Church Jesus Christ founded on St. Peter and through the other Apostles is actually a counterfeit church. Drawn into reading other books or attending religious meetings that use these spiritual scare tactics, they may not be prepared with an adequate defense against such high-pressure fundamentalist propaganda." (Ibid., pp. 35-36.) I believe we are getting the picture. The debate is not about the Bible or what Scripture teaches, but the endangering of the Catholic Church. There is no doubt for a Bible-believing person but that any doctrine that anyone teaches contrary to the plain truth of the infallible Word of God is wrong. The Catholic Church must attack and destroy any idea that confronts their established institution. They cannot create their One World Religion unless they can control the way the people think. Whenever Bible believers begin to make an impact, they always come out fighting. These books against the Rapture are wonderful evidence that truth is making an impact. The second book that we must discuss is entitled, Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind. It is written by David B. Currie. He is also a former Bible believer who was raised to believe in the Rapture. He and Paul Thigpen have the kind of understanding of Biblical truth to make them well prepared to pick at every point. No person is more dangerous to truth than that person that knows it but turns from it. The Bible makes it plain that when Satan is defeated in someone’s life, he returns looking for an opportunity to reestablish his control. If that life returns to its former empty state, the demon returns with additional demons and the latter state of that person is worse than their former condition. These men are perfect examples. In the preface of his book on the Rapture, which was written for the Catholic Church, Mr. Currie stated the following, "My own experience cannot help but influence this book. I was raised in a devout Protestant home, the only son of a Fundamentalist pastor. Many of the leaders of the "pre-mill, pre-trib" movement were close family friends. I attended Trinity College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. While still a believer in a pretribulation rapture, I team-taught a college class on prophecy and preached it from many pulpits. Although I had no natural inclination toward Catholicism, I finally reconciled with the Church in my forties. The rationale behind that lifechanging decision can be found in my book, Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic." (Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind, by David B. Currie, published by Sophia Institute Press, p. XV.) What is perfectly evident in this book as well as The Rapture Trap is that the difference is based almost totally on the skewed teachings of Catholicism. I do not know whether these personalities changed their views of the Rapture before they converted to the Catholic Church or after, but I strongly believe it was before. The loss of the literal Biblical interpretation of the End Times sets a person on a sea of change. The church denomination, where I spent over forty years, has, for the most part, left the literal and authoritative sense of Biblical interpretation and, in the process, has changed radically. There is a very strong development in that church hierarchy of a growing acceptance of the Roman Catholic Church. Recently, a leader of that denomination was invited as a guest to a celebration at the Vatican and this was reported, along with a picture, in their official publication. That would have caused a revolt twenty years ago. Let me simply give a few quotes in the order of development from Mr. Currie’s book. "Left Behind author Tim LaHaye wants to convince America that the rapture ’could be any time: today, tomorrow, next week’ (CT), while protecting his flanks with the ’rolling end of the world’ strategy. He will not compromise on the fact that we are in the final generation." (Ibid., p. 21.) "Anything touching on Jerusalem in Israel or Babylon in Iraq strikes a raw nerve with them." (Ibid., p. 23.) "A second problem with premillennialist has to do with their vision of the Kingdom of God. Is it spiritual or physical? The premillennialist would claim it must be a corporeal reign of Christ here on earth. Critics would counter that this completely misunderstands the message of the major prophets of the Old Testament (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel), not to mention the message of the entire New Testament." (Ibid., p. 47.) "The third view, amillennialism, is the one held by the vast majority of Christians, whether Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant. It is the only acceptable option for the Protestant who claims to stand in the tradition of Luther or Calvin and for the Catholic who seeks to remain faithful to the teaching of the Church." (Ibid., pp. 48-49.) "While the Catholic appeals to Scripture, Tradition, and the teaching authority, or Magisterium, of the Church to guide his beliefs, rapturists claim to rely exclusively on the ostensibly clear and self-interpreting text of the Bible. So it is fair to ask whether the rapturist belief system is the best way to understand the relevant Scripture passages, considered apart from other authoritative voices. Of course, as Catholics, we would say this approach removes two legs of the three-legged stool of truth. But discounting for our purposes Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium, can the rapture theory really do justice to what the Bible teaches?" (Ibid., p. 51.) "The Book of Daniel lays the foundation for the entire time framework of rapturist theology." (Ibid., p. 79.) "In fact, this gap does great violence to the text, to the fundamental message of the vision - all for the purpose of protecting rapturists from the idea that the Catholic Church might have to be examined as a possible candidate for the present-day Kingdom of Heaven." (Ibid., p. 82.) On and on this author espouses the doctrines and teachings of the church he has embraced. When you couple his support of the Mass and the literal transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the substance of His body, with the Marian message, the infallibility of the words of the pope, purgatory, etc., only demonic deception could lead souls to such depths of untruth. After both of these books attack Bible believers because there have been so many false claims, false prophecies, and false prophets; they describe the situation in their own Catholic ranks to be equally flooded with false alarms. Listen to author Thigpen speak to this issue. "To complicate the matter even further, contemporary ’messengers’ have sprung up and multiplied as fast as wild mushrooms, and some of them may be just as poisonous. Their messages sometimes agree with one another, sometimes not. Meanwhile, anyone who wants to stay up on the latest alleged locutions has to invest considerable time reading through the stacks of visionary emails that fly around the world daily via the Internet. "A number of these messengers call for concrete, immediate actions from their listeners. Some insist, for example, that Catholics must procure a supply of blessed candles (a few sources even dictate that they must be beeswax candles), because only these will be capable of providing light in homes during the ’three days of darkness.’ Others call for the creation of hidden sites of refuge, well stocked for survival, to be used soon when the great persecution of the Church arrives. Still others urge the faithful to move away from coastal areas, because the coming comet will cause tidal waves that will wipe out the populations of coastlines around the world." (The Rapture Trap, by Paul Thigpen, Ph. D. Published by Ascension Press, p. 227.) After warning of the dangers from Catholic mystics, Thigpen states, "Even so, we certainly do not want to miss out on any extra graces our Lord may want to give us through private revelations. How much poorer we would be if our Lord had never asked St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to spread devotion to His Sacred Heart! How many souls have been drawn to God because that revelation has spurred them to make use of the more ordinary means of grace! If God has truly spoken, and His words have meaning - perhaps even urgency - for us, we are wise to want to hear and obey them." (Ibid., p. 82.) Conclusion The Rapture of the Saints and the Pre-Tribulation doctrines of Scripture have never been so attacked in church history. This of itself is prophetic. By Apostle Peter, the Holy Ghost said that men would say, "Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:4, 2 Peter 3:9) This vicious attack on the Rapture by the largest religious organization in the world, the very church with much to lose if you believe the truth, is prophetic of where we are in final history. Man cannot set the hour because the Father alone knows the time. Our joy is to watch, occupy, be busy for His Kingdom on earth, and be ready. In a moment that you think not, He may well return. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 19: CHERUBIMS ARE RIDING THEIR CHARIOTS ======================================================================== Cherubims are Riding Their Chariots ANGELS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY BUSY AND ACTIVE AS THE RAPTURE AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION IS AT HAND! The great prophecies of Ezekiel are as current as reading the daily news. The Cherubims that were prominent in Ezekiel’s day are quickly becoming prominent today. Cherubims are a special order of God’s celestial creatures, a type of Brigadier Generals leading an army of angels. There are either four Cherubims or four bands of Cherubims. The Bible is not perfectly clear whether there are four bands of Cherubims, or four Cherubims leading bands of servant angels. These incredible angels are called “beasts” in the book of Revelation; but today’s English is better translated as “Living Creatures.” These are the same great celestial creatures that we witness in the Bible in Genesis chapter three. “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24) An extremely important responsibility has been assigned by our great Creator to these Cherubims. They are the keepers of holiness in the entire universe but especially assigned as keepers of holiness in the earth. No unrighteousness can ever escape their scrutiny. It was probably a Cherubim who brought the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah to the attention of the Lord in the day of Abraham. “And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21) Righteousness is the character that the Creator determined for the whole earth, and anything less disturbs every expression of life on the planet. These Cherubims are constantly supervising every activity of man, every expression of nature, and every aspect of life on this earth in total. There is a price for every sin unless there is quick, honest repentance. These great Cherubims create an exciting picture in Ezekiel’s prophecy. This is the one primary description of them in Scripture. “And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.” (Ezekiel 1:4-5)They appear like a fire “infolding itself”, or a fire contained and burning within rather than burning without. Their brightness expresses the character of their God, whose glory in righteousness they manifest and defend. Their speed is like lightning; in fact, I would suggest that all lightning is an expression of their activities, or at least a reminder of their activities. These celestial beings have been provided with chariots that Ezekiel describes as wheels in the middle of wheels that make a dazzling display of the Father’s glory. The Cherubims were prepared by the Heavenly Father to strike terror into the hearts of the wicked. Reading the first chapters of Ezekiel will convince anyone of the darkness and dread of sin. What mortal man dares to challenge the holiness of God protected by such awesome beings? Listen! “As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the Living Creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the Living Creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.” (Ezekiel 1:18-19) Every action of man in all the universe is known to these awesome Cherubims and their great bands of angels. Jesus is called the “Lord of Sabaoth” which means “the Lord of a host.” All angels of the many ranks are under His mastery and do His bidding. No wonder these great celestial creatures will be present at the Rapture and gathered around the throne in Revelation Chapter Four. When the saints are caught up to the Father’s presence in Revelation four, these “keepers of righteousness” are there to represent the Father’s glory and His holiness. Do not think for a moment that anyone will be accepted unless sin has been forsaken and forgiven by Christ’s blood. John said, “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four Beasts full of eyes before and behind.” (Revelation 4:6)An announcement was made by each of these four Cherubims at the opening of the first four seals of the great book of redemption in Revelation chapters six. The four “Living Creatures” actually announced the four horses and riders which was the fulfillment of themselves, and their defense of holiness during the Seven Years of Tribulation. His “keepers of righteousness” will be an intimate part of the future fulfillment of the book of Revelation. At the present time, there is a growing sense that the environment of the earth and the great calamities of hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, etc., are destroying, and they surely are. These Cherubims of God were clearly the great angels that were involved in Sodom and Gomorrah when judgment was manifest. The Scripture teaches, “And while he lingered, the men [Cherubims] laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” (Genesis 19:16-17) Every angelic act that involves the defense of holiness identifies those angels as Cherubims. Many of the key locations of recent storms are hotbeds of filth and wickedness. New Orleans is a case in point. The hurricane named “Katrina” arrived in that wicked city of voodoo and distorted sex only three days before the city was scheduled for a baptism of homosexuals and lesbians. These Cherubims of God know clearly where every main area of unrestrained conduct and lifestyle is welcomed. Any city that hangs out the welcome sign for such filth is also attracting the concern of God’s “Living Creatures.” Every citizen in such cities should be concerned and even consider moving. New York state is one of the latest locations where the righteousness of God has been blasphemed. The mighty hand of God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, is directly involved with these Cherubims. Ezekiel stated, “Whithersoever the Spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.” (Ezekiel 1:20) Isaiah stated, “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard [Cherubims standing in restraint] against him.” (Isaiah 59:19) The word “standard” means a barrier between you and the enemy. That is the very purpose of the Cherubims – to defend righteousness and holiness. Many have been the Cherubims that came to stand beside or behind the godly saint that was in jeopardy. These great celestial creatures, Living Creatures or Cherubims, have been clearly visible all through the Holy Scripture. Their responsibility is the “keepers of holiness and righteousness” on earth. That also means the defense of holy and righteous saints that dare to live separated from the defilement of our world, and that stand without compromise for His unfailing truth. If you live an uncompromising life, these majestic Cherubims will be intimately connected to your walk, to your ministry, and to your protection. You will have a defense that knows no limits and you will not need to defend yourself. If you are compromising Bible Holiness or fighting against a Minister or Ministry that is standing strong for Truth I warn you of what will, not maybe, but will happen. Our Heavenly Father is patient but when His patience is finished it is awesome to behold His defence of righteousness. Churches and individuals that are forsaking the Infallible Scripture are soon to face the wrath of the Father, His Son, the Holy Ghost and a multitude of angels and even His saints. “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds…” (Jude 1:14-15 a) Judgment is so near that there is a sense of awe in the air. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 20: CHILLING SOUNDS AFTER THE RAPTURE ======================================================================== Chilling Sounds After the Rapture A chilling mood has suddenly gripped the entire world. Even the multitudes, which know nothing of the Holy Bible or Jesus Christ, are tantalized with the feeling that they have missed a Divine event. Reporters are searching to understand what has happened. Phones are ringing off their hooks with hectic callers looking for disappeared friends or loved ones. College students, still gripped with their hangover from parties the night before, are jostled with the startling news. Grandfathers, grandmothers, parents, and some friends that were very different are missing and they have left no trace of their whereabouts. Within a short time, the reports are coming fast and furious. Cars are simply sitting at stoplights or beside the road -- still running -- but containing no trace of their drivers. Some have occupants that are stunned into a stupor because their drivers or passengers have disappeared into seemingly thin air. Many cars are involved in massive wrecks but drivers are not found in those vehicles that caused the wrecks. Several planes have crashed. Their pilots did not answer the airport towers as they veered off course and finally went down in fiery crashes. Hospitals are shorthanded because of missing nurses and doctors, while the emergency rooms are stampeded with the injured and the terrified. There is a sudden sense in the very atmosphere that any resistance to wickedness and evil is gone. Evil spirits, still invisible but giddy with freedom, are manifesting their dark moods on human faces. Persons that are already possessed with spirits have become brave in their hatred for everyone. Mobs of hoodlums have begun to break into homes and businesses. They are destroying everything in their paths. The police have lost all control because they are outnumbered and utterly helpless. They have realized that they are dealing with sub-humans that would rather kill than live. People that know the truth of what has happened are quickly aware that the worse is yet to come. The political leaders and law enforcement agencies begin to establish a total police state. Curfews are put in place to clear all streets as police resort to shooting without warning. Total state control is the only possible means of restoring order. Grocery stores are already empty from vandals and shoplifters grabbing everything in sight and loading their cars. Clerks that resist are simply trampled by the melee. It will take days to restore order. A newscaster finally decides to try and report the events. He begins, “This is a News Alert. Reports are coming to us by the hundreds. Thousands, maybe millions, of people are missing. It’s like they have vanished. Their clothes and shoes, actually everything on their person, were left behind. There are husbands and wives searching for their families. Young people are searching for mothers and fathers. Some teenagers and children are missing. Their parents are utterly insane with fear. Some parents with missing teens and older juniors are reporting that they were very serious and beautifully religious. In every case it was the best of the lot that are gone. One family called to say that they rushed to find their mother and father, but they were gone. Nothing was changed in the home. Their clothes were in the chairs where they were eating a meal. Their Bible was open to Matthew 24:1-51. The verse they saw underlined said, “Two shall be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left.” Here’s another report, “All of these people were deeply religious, they were not just religious they were kind, loving, Godly, and deeply faithful to their churches. They dressed in old-fashion and modest apparel. Every one of them had often told their families and friends about an event which they called the Rapture, where Jesus Christ would come in the mid-air and they would be caught up to meet him. Could this be true or is this a religious hoax? A Dr. Young just came in from the first church downtown. “Dr. Young, what has happened?” “Mr. Smith, this is all a bizarre story but there is an answer. I’ve been studying the new Eastern religions and making people disappear is an old trick the great pagan priests have done often. They call it astral traveling. “Some of these people will show back up and others will be locked in paranormal suspension. Tell everybody to just settle down. There is no fear to those that are not overly religious. Be calm, you will be okay. Just thank God you were not one of these crazies.” Listen, friends, here is another report on the world channel. This report is from the Church of Rome. The Pope has sent a message to every priest to go to the news station and warn everyone against religious hysteria. This great pope, our father of the faith, is the vicar of Jesus Christ. He has the best advice. The pope said that the teaching of Rapture was wrong and that these poor mentally deficient people were too literal in interpreting the Bible. They may be hiding. If they are missing, it will be great for our new day of evangelism. Remember, Mary, the mother of God, could magically appear and disappear. She has been appearing all over the world. If these people are gone, she is responsible. They would not listen to her messages, so she has eliminated them. Now, we can really take the world for the great lord that is about to reveal himself. But here is another minister. Rev. David Jones, you look white as a ghost. What’s wrong? “My dear friends, I knew better. All my denomination quit preaching the Rapture, so I did. In fact, I studied and came up with an attack on the Rapture. My heart knew better. This was the real thing. Jesus has come and I’ve missed the greatest event in church prophecy. I’m telling everybody that will listen, if you will repent, you will have to be a martyr. I’m lost! I’m lost! It is because I denied the truth that I heard from a young child in my family’s home.” Suddenly, the reporter stops and reads a note that is passed to him. He turns ashen as he reads, “My teenage son just called to say that his mother, my wife, is missing!” He has not come, but He is coming! Listen to the angels that appeared when He ascended in the air, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 21: CHURCH WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT ======================================================================== Church Without The Holy Spirit by Joseph Chambers The greatest need of this hour is a new Biblical baptism in the Holy Ghost. I am by no means speaking of what is happening in the hyper Charismatic churches. The Holy Ghost does not minister in Christ’s body to knock people down, but rather to pick them up. When He touches a human life, He does not make them less intelligent, but more intelligent. He does not reveal Himself to cause people to lose control or become a spastic, emotional basket case. He reveals Himself in the human life to lift up, to give spiritual wisdom and self-control, to mature the person in the graces of Jesus Christ, and to empower the human life with the very character of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why has the activity of the Holy Ghost become associated with wild emotions, drunkenness, barking like dogs, and an incredible list of other wild and subjective human emotions? The answer is simple. It is a lot easier to pursue emotions than spiritual maturity. Satan tried his best to sidestep Jesus Christ from the lofty path to redemption by suggesting a sideshow at the pinnacle of the temple. The Pentecostal revival of the last one hundred (+ or -) years has extended an incredible influence for the kingdom, but the sideshow mentality has created great hindrance, especially in the many current circles. Benny Hinn, Paul and Jan Crouch, Kenneth Hagin, and many other worldwide ministries are absolutely nothing but a sideshow, diverting attention from genuine Pentecostal provisions for the church. We should not think it strange that the master imitator would do everything in his capacity to divert the church world away from the omnipotent powers in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts is not outdated. In fact, it is the model for His New Testament church. A church that has denied this model has no right to the claims of other New Testament books. The writer of Acts, Apostle Luke, wrote this treatise as a continuation of his Gospel book, which we call "The Gospel According to Luke." Listen to his introduction to the Book of Acts. "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen." (Acts 1:1-2). It is impossible to read this introduction without seeing that the four Gospel books were just the beginning. They record, ""all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until"" He was crucified and resurrected and now the church is His extension to continue what He began. Both the Gospels and the Epistles leave no question to this fact. Jesus said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:7-14). Whatever part of church history you research, you will never find a New Testament revival without discovering the manifestations of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. Let me list a little of my own research just to show this point: I want to quote something from the writings of John Wesley. This is what he says concerning the decease of signs and gifts. "Because the love of many, almost all Christians so-called, waxed cold. That was the real cause why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in the Christian Church." In a German work, Souer’s History of the Christian Church, vol. 3, p. 406, the following is found: "Dr. Martin Luther a prophet, evangelist, speaker in tongues and interpreter, in one person, endowed with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit." Regarding Dwight L. Moody, here are a few quotations from page 402, Trails and Trumpets of Faith by Rev. D. D. Boyd, a Baptist minister. This man was a very intimate friend of the famous evangelist. "When I, a YMCA Member, got to the rooms of the Young Men’s Christian Association (Victoria Hall, London), I found the meeting "on fire." The young men were speaking with tongues, prophesying. What on earth did it mean? Only that Moody had been addressing them that afternoon! "What manner of man is this?" thought I, but still I did not give him my hand . . . Many of the clergy were so opposed to the movement that they turned their backs upon our poor innocent Young Men"s Christian Association for the part we took in the work; but, afterwards, when the floodgates of divine grace were opened, Sunderland (near London) was taken by storm." Some years ago, Dr. F. B. Meyer visited Estonia, one of the Baltic provinces of Russia, where he found some simple peasant congregations of Baptists. He wrote to the London Christians about the wonderful work of the Holy Ghost that he had witnessed among them. He stated: "It is very remarkable at a time when the Lutheran Church of this land has lost its evangelistic fervor, and is inclined to substitute forms and rites for the living power of Christ, that God raised up a devoted nobleman, Baron Uxhall, to preach the gospel in all its simplicity, and is renewing among the peasantry those marvelous manifestations which attended the first preaching of the Gospel when God bore witness to the message of salvation with signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Ghost. To come across a movement like this is intensely interesting. The gift of tongues is heard quite often in the meetings, especially in the villages, but also in the towns. Here at Reval, the pastor of the Baptist Church tells me that they often break out in his meetings. When they are interpreted they are found to mean, "Jesus is coming soon; Jesus is near. Be ready; be not idle." When they are heard, unbelievers who may be in the audience are greatly awed." Charles Finney said in his autobiography, "When I received the Holy Ghost Baptism, it was like waves of glory going through and through me. I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushes of my heart. If this continues I will surely die, but I had no fear of death." This man was a great Presbyterian preacher. (Booklet, "A Sovereign Move of God," by Joseph R. Chambers, D. D., D. S. L., p. 10.) John Wesley (Methodist), Charles Finney (Presbyterian), D. L. Moody (Baptist), and others right on back to the great revival group that defied the Catholic system even before the Reformation were all accompanied by outpourings of the Holy Spirit with signs and miracles. In every case, Satan tried to turn the event into a sideshow. Sometimes he succeeded. Believers: Temples of His Spirit Nothing that has happened in the negative can destroy the truth revealed in Holy Scripture. Those who speak as though the gifts of the Spirit have ceased have absolutely no Bible to stand on. One verse in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 gives them a little ammunition, but their argument fails miserably. Apostle Paul stated, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." (1 Corinthians 13:9-10). This is interpreted as suggesting that when the Canon of Scripture was finished "that which is perfect" had come. I do believe the Word of God, as we have it, is complete and infallible, which most of those using this argument, do not believe, but that is not the intent. The Son of God is indeed coming and He is absolutely perfect and that alone is the subject of Paul’s words. Both truth and history proves this fact. Apostle Paul gave the saints great instructions as to the manifestations of the "Gifts of the Spirit" in the church. When the Scripture is meticulously followed, there is an incredible beauty in Spiritual activity. The divine work of God’s Spirit changes the mundane of church life into dynamic authority and power. The Scriptures left no room for this to regress into a sideshow. "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order." (1 Corinthians 14:37-40). The apostle warned that the divine life of the Holy Spirit never leaves room for individuals to act out of control. In fact, the Spirit as the third member of the Godhead never operates except as a guest in our midst. We are not robots that He moves like figures on a chessboard. I hear people say that the Spirit took control and they moved by some strange forces at work in them. The human spirit may indeed take control of someone’s actions and the spirits of evil are looking for such an opportunity, but God’s Holy Spirit never, ever acts in such a fashion. "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets." (1 Corinthians 14:32). Our bodies, set apart by His redemption and sanctification are elected and chosen to be the "temples of His activity." The great and glorious Lord of His church has ordained that He would reveal Himself in us. While the very breath of life is His activity, He uses His saints to be His ambassadors. When the eunuch was passing through the desert on his way back to Ethiopia, the Lord of His Church moved Phillip from a citywide revival to baptize one repentant sinner. Then, the Spirit caught him away and set him down at Azotus. Surely, the Spirit could have saved the eunuch but that is not God’s model. He used a temple voice to speak and temple hands to baptize. The New Testament is filled with Holy Ghost baptized saints turning the world "upside down." He has committed unto us the "ministry of reconciliation." Our bodies are to be the skin-tents of the New Testament tabernacle. Rather than one tabernacle in the middle of the camp, we are many tabernacles speaking all over His world. Every one of those tabernacles is to be as glorious and even more so than the one in the Camp of Israel in the wilderness. Read carefully what His Spirit says, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Our Father is resting the entire kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ on us. We can do nothing without Him. He will not do anything in His Kingdom without us. That is His model. He has ordained His saints to be His temple. If the Old Testament ministry was glorious and it was, the New Testament ministry is far greater. Listen to how Apostle Paul described the difference. "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. If the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech." (2 Corinthians 3:6-12). Please note that this is a spiritual ministry, not of the flesh, but of the Spirit. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." (2 Corinthians 3:5). Only when men are filled with His Holy Ghost are they going to see the supernatural of God at work. Temple Hands & Voices The New Testament is breathtaking. Nobody could dare doubt that a Book of Acts experience is powerful and beautiful. Look at Acts chapter 3 when two disciples just out of the Upper Room arrived at the Jewish temple for prayer. A lame man meets them at the temple entrance. He had never been on the inside because it was forbidden. God had to send His new temple (Holy Ghost filled saints) to meet him on the outside. Here’s the story, "And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give 1Thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." (Acts 3:2-8). This is the model for the New Testament. Not some cathedral where pious saints meet in a starchy high church or a sideshow, where the highly emotional do religious calisthenics. I have watched these sideshows, where the emotional get blasted and the sick watch from the sidelines. Most of the sheep involved in either of these settings are not to blame. It is us: pastors, evangelists, radio ministers, writers, and religious leaders. Our voices, our hands, indeed our entire bodies are to be His tabernacle or temple when the Spirit of God is mightily at work. Notice the Spirit-filled hands of Peter in Acts chapter three, "And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength." (Acts 3:7). This model continues all through the Book of Acts. "And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one." (Acts 5:12-16). There was no showmanship involved. These men were common men that desired no glory, but what was operating in their lives. Not just their hands were temple hands, but their voices were temple voices. "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people." (Acts 6:7-8). The miracles were Christ-centered and Christ glorifying. The people were not chasing their religious idol, but were hungry to know the resurrected Christ. The Holy Ghost Given By Laying On Of Hands This Baptism of the Holy Ghost was for every believer, but was not automatic with repentance and salvation. The house of Cornelius received salvation and this baptism during the first sermon they ever heard. The anointed voice of Apostle Peter was sounding in this home when the entire congregation, as one person, was saved and filled. "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" (Acts 10:44-47). Their godly preparation has readied them for the fullness of Christ. Yet, earlier at the city of Samaria, the city had turned to God and repented with great joy, but no one received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Why the difference? Because the Lord meets all men and women where they are and according to his or her needs. After Samaria had received the words of Phillip and were gloriously converted, the apostles came down from Jerusalem. "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost." (Acts 8:14-19). The church world is desperate for a fresh baptism of the Spirit. Our nation and the world are in an apostate condition. It is not too late. In fact, the greatest outpouring of the Holy Ghost ever is about to happen. The latter rain of the Holy Ghost is yet future and will not occur until Israel is converted at the conclusion of the Seven Years of Tribulation. The early reign of the Holy Ghost began at Pentecost and will conclude at the Rapture. Both the Prophet Joel and Apostle Luke confirmed this timing. (Read our booklet on "The Latter Rain.") To deny the Holy Ghost Baptism available presently is to deny the Latter Rain soon to start in Jerusalem and to spread all over the Millennium Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Conclusion The church world is in a mess and the only answer is a sovereign move of the Holy Ghost. When the Biblical order of the Spirit’s work is understood, the church has nothing to fear. Fanaticism does not have to be tolerated. Indeed, it must not be. Always remember that there will always be an imitation. When Moses presented his supernatural rod, the witchdoctor had a substitute. The genuine manifestation in Moses" rod, which turned into a serpent, immediately consumed the false manifestation of the magicians. The reason churches are afraid of the false is because they have forsaken the real. Wait on God in total surrender and He will guide you into all truth. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 22: COUNTDOWN TO JERUSALEM ======================================================================== Countdown to Jerusalem Anti-Semitism rages, but God -- their Husband -- is watching. Isaiah was careful to remind Israel that their God was more than empty religion; He was their Husband and Benefactor. “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:5-8). This earth and all of its inhabitants are set to see the great hand of God to the people of Israel. Nothing drives the devil to insanity like someone defending and pleading for the Hand of God to move towards the Jewish people. Let them rage and let Satan move his people with dark anger. We must stand tall and pray for the redemption and peace of Jerusalem. This Golden City is still in unbelief and outside the grace of Her Messiah but not for long. Listen carefully to what the Holy Ghost said, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7). “Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken” (Isaiah 62:11-12). Do not fear for Israel, but fear for her enemies. It’s our duty to give our Heavenly Father “no rest” until He brings this prophetic scenario to completion. The Spirit made it plain that our duty as Gentiles -- saved because Israel gave the Messiah to our world -- is to pray. We must even plead to God in intercessory prayer until the promises are fulfilled. We often forget that we are partners with God in every purpose His Word has established. In His sovereignty, God has called His saints to stand with Him by anointed, Holy Spirit empowered prayer. When we are involved in warfare praying, we bind the enemy and loose the Hand of God. Any person that fails to see God’s plan for Israel and Jerusalem has missed a great truth. Anyone that fights against Israel and Jerusalem shall be judged with a great judgment. After the Lord Jesus returns to the Earth following the Seven Years of Tribulation, defeats the Antichrist at Megiddo, and destroys him in the gateway of the ancient city of Babylon; He will come directly to Jerusalem to be welcomed as King of Kings. He will first be established as the King of Israel and Jerusalem and, second, as the King of the World. He will be Lord of Lords over the whole earth, but He will be seated on David’s throne in the ancient city of Jerusalem. “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:4). After this triumphant moment on the Mount of Olives from which he ascended, He will cross the valley to enter onto the temple complex by way of the Eastern Gate that has been closed for centuries awaiting His return. “Then said the LORD unto 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, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same” (Ezekiel 44:2-3). Jerusalem, the city of King David, will finally become the capitol of the world. The great river that will burst forth under the Mount of Ascension will flow east and west and will water the entire city of Jerusalem and turn her countryside into a garden. The city will stretch for miles in all directions and become a wealthy paradise that will draw all mankind to her splendor. The earth will be free of every semblance of sin and the curse of Adam. One prophet said, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God” (Amos 9:13-15). The entire earth will share this explosion of plenty. How soon this is all finished depends on God’s praying saints. The prophet, Micah, laid the burden of the grand finish of this prophetic outline at the feet of “travailing believers.” Our God is a God of order. He established His Church to do more than build human organizations. Our grand business is “travailing prayer.” By inspiration of the Holy Ghost Micah wrote, “Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travailing hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel” (Micah 5:3). This great prophetic word is one of the jewels of truth concerning prayer. “She which travaileth” cannot apply to anyone but the Body of Christ. Her travailing comes after the “True Olive Vine” is cut off and before that “Vine is regrafted.” Now, it is time for mercy on the part of Christ’s church towards the “True Olive Tree.” Great sorrow has followed the Jews for millenniums because of their unbelief. We were grafted into the Jewish tree by Christ and, now, He calls on us to have mercy on those that were cut off. Listen to the esteemed apostle plead for our attention towards Israel, “For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy” (Romans 11:30-31). You say to me, “but they rejected Jesus Christ and the gospel.” I repeat to you what the apostle said by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes” (Romans 11:28). It’s time to rock Heaven by crying out to the Father day and night until all Israel is saved. “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Romans 11:26). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 23: DARK DEPTHS OF AN UNDISCIPLINED LIFE ======================================================================== Dark Depths of an Undisciplined Life The human temple is a marvelous, living machine. The human mind is a powerhouse of potential. But, it is scary to see the place where an undisciplined mind or life will finish its train wreck. The potential for greatness has a perfect balance in its capacity for disaster. All of these possibilities of living are decided in the conference center of the human will. The great capacity of the human brain is at the choice of our will. You can use your mind if you will and, once the will is set, the die is cast. A sharp shooter is the result of a disciplined will. This individual has set their mind to train and harness themselves until shooting is more instinct than aim. The entire human body becomes tuned into the process. It’s a matter of disciplining the total person for the mastery of that skill. This is equally true of the world of art, the world of communication, the skills of a great physician, or a master athlete. There is no possibility of greatness until there is the presence of discipline. The human will must be harnessed and set for the dream. God’s kingdom needs men and women that will discipline themselves to Christ with the same abandonment we see given to worldly goals. Read what Apostle Paul said by the Holy Ghost to the believers at Corinth, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 1Therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). The picture of discipline in that Christian mastery is breathtaking. The Holy Spirit is speaking the language of self-control and selflessness towards the Christian life. “Striveth for the mastery” are words of passion to a soul that can dream. The dream here is of surrender and devotion to Jesus Christ and the incorruptible crown that a saint of God can obtain. The key words are “temperate in all things” or self-control. No one can discipline your heart and mind but you. Incarcerated prisoners can be forced to be disciplined through fear and intimidation; but, after a few hours on the street, they are wild again. King Saul was heads and shoulders above his fellowmen. The Father chose him to be the first king of His people, Israel. When he was anointed, another Spirit came on him and He began to prophecy. Greatness was in his future because the Father had a plan for him. “And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day” (1 Samuel 10:9). But King Saul had a core problem. He could not discipline himself under the prophet of God. “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever” (1 Samuel 13:13). The Bible never hid the failures of many potential success stories. The elder son of Adam and Eve followed in the path of his mother and refused to offer a Biblical sacrifice and became a vagabond. Esau, the elder son of Isaac, was crass and wild. Today, his heirs are the Islamic terrorists. David, who became a “man after God’s own heart,” brought shame on his life that never ended, even in his greatness. Judas Iscariot could have had his name on one of the foundations of New Jerusalem, but “by transgressions fell” (Acts 1:25). Every failure was the result of an undisciplined life. They never lacked in opportunity but they lacked self-control. When I was saved in 1952, there was great pulpit mastery all over America. I can recall pulpiteers that fed my soul with powerful preaching that set my course to love the Word of God and to master its truths. The greatest drought in America and the church world is the absence of fearless preachers that can storm the gates of Hell. Some of these formerly great men are still alive but have become wimpy and frivolous. Instead of scaring the world, they are now scared by the world. Instead of longing for the mastery of a powerful anointing, they are pursuing the gold and silver of a “Name It, Claim It” gospel. They are train wrecks. But, all is not lost. The human soul and mind can still be so surrendered and disciplined that Christ can be revealed to this lost generation. Your temple is a marvelous, living machine. Jesus Christ is challenging the present saints to “eat His flesh and drink His blood” until Christ is formed in your life. This is a depth that only the selfless and self-controlled can experience. If you are wild and a law unto yourself, you are close to being a castaway. Your train wreck is right down the sad road of self. The Holy Ghost is calling out to the humble souls that want the dreams of our Master. Believe me, there is no joy like the joy of our whole life being attuned to the deep life of Christ. Like the sharpshooter, when our temple is all surrendered and disciplined, the whole life is disciplined in the love of His will. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 24: DEFEATING SATAN ON HIS OWN TURF ======================================================================== Defeating Satan On His Own Turf Jesus Christ left the celestial city of Heavenly Jerusalem to defeat Satan in his own domain. Holy Scripture leaves no doubt but that this world lieth in the wicked one. “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19). Satan is called “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2 b) and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4 a). His footsteps are everywhere and the majority of the world is blinded to his control. His native language is one of lying. A facade has always hid his appearance and his end is the Lake of Fire. All that obey him become like him; he turns beauty into ashes. The Son of Man chose to meet Satan on his own turf under Satan’s own advantage. Jesus Christ even laid aside His right to His divine nature, so He could meet the devil as fair and square as possible. Born an infant, His parents had to flee into Egypt or else their precious Son would have had to use His divine powers to protect them. But those powers had been subjugated for this brief period. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Php 2:6-7). The victory that Jesus Christ would earn would never be questioned in Heaven and could not be questioned in hell. It was a legal triumph based on Heaven’s jurisprudence. First, this deliverer had to meet the legal matter of a “Kinsman Redeemer.” The human family had been sold as slaves and belonged to a usurper. No one could claim them as God’s possessions unless that person was first of kin to God Himself. No angel – even the archangels, seraphim, or cherubim – were divine in nature, but they were created beings. God had a Son and His eternal Son was the next of kin. There was no second choice. The Father first said, “Yes.” Then, the Son said, “Yes.” Redemption was born in God’s great temple in the realm that mortals, unchanged and unredeemed, could never venture. An innocent appearing baby was born in a cow’s stall in Bethlehem. Angels sang and wise men visited as evil plotted. Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the Messiah in His baby wrappings. When the coast was clear, they returned to Nazereth and Mary hid these things in her heart. The Bible says, “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). That very statement was protection until the time would come for Jesus to begin His role. Baptized by John, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness while Satan sought His whereabouts. After forty days without food – fasting and having fellowship with His Father – Satan found Him and began his evil design. Weakened to the point of complete exhaustion, He was badgered by the enemy. But, with perfect victory over Satan’s incredible efforts, angels came to strengthen Him. Satan had been allowed to remove Him to a mountain -- even to the temple complex -- and to offer Jesus Christ a compromising route to be the King of Kings. It was a powerful victory for the Son of God. The victory of His entire earthly ministry flowed out of this miracle. His ministry was one crisis after another with Satan’s defeat in every experience. A night in the Garden of Gethsemane brought the Son of God face to face with the dark powers of sin. This God/man had to take every expression of the powers of sin into His own body and soul and atone them to the Father. Broken and consumed with the task, “... he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Sinless flesh suddenly became a substitute for sinful flesh and even then it must be defeated without reaching back to His divine possessions. That Heavenly nature of His Divine Sonship must wait past the cross and the tomb for the sunburst on the morning of triumph. In the courtyard of His enemies, His body became a substitute for disease and destruction. They made Him a whipping post, but they could not break Him. The Roman soldiers came close to a total destruction of the temple in which He had chosen to dwell. He never spoke an unkind word because this was another defeat for Satan. All sickness is but death fulfilling the forbidden fruits of human sin. The Son of God was unleashing the virtue of a perfect resurrection and a secondary provision of divine healing. Jesus said, “the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). If Satan could have known what Calvary was all about, he would never have challenged the Son of God to this epic battle. Paul clearly stated this truth, “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). Three hours on the cross were given for Christ to bear the darkest load in absolute blackness. As it ended, He cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). Then, He declared the victory by saying, “It is finished.” Quickly, He slipped down to Upper Hell where th e righteous dead were held in death’s prison. Before He arose, He had to level the last great stronghold of sin and Satan. He preached for three days and three nights. He was close enough to hell fire that the damned could hear the shouting in Abraham’s bosom. Then, He led a march right by a borrowed tomb where a body that could not decay was awaiting its Divine occupant. He arose the victor over every dominion of His vanquished foe. Now, He awaits the last battle of His saints. He will be back shortly to finish the task of Satan’s well-won defeat. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 25: DELIVERANCE FROM STRONGHOLDS ======================================================================== Deliverance From Strongholds Satan is on the move. The fiery darts of his evil workings are capturing an unsuspecting multitude and taking them captive. Our churches are full of good people that are bound and shackled. The unchurched world is equally blind, fettered, and unable to see or hear the saving Gospel. We hear much about praying, but I fear that most praying today is as empty as a desert. Please do not think I am being critical or down on the good saints that are striving hard to see results in spiritual matters. My effort is to answer this desperate need and see the devil defeated. Please read every word of this article. Stealth is the first design of Satan. He hides his every move. Most of the church world and almost the entire secular world deny that Satan even exists. Satan has basically made himself a non-entity and the only people that believe he is around are his worshippers. He loves his obscurity. The truth is that he is a fallen angel and as powerful as the strongest of angels. He is not supernatural, but he is paranormal and can accomplish some wild things when unhindered by the power of God. Apostle Paul wrote Timothy and warned him of Satan’s design to ensnare the saints. He stated, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:26). We live in the ultimate day of his dark deeds. There are many ways that good people are brought under his control. The Spirit said to the Hebrews or converted Jews, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright” (Hebrews 12:15-16). By the same Holy Spirit Peter said, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan and his army of fallen spirits have every person on this earth in their sight. They are out to buttonhole you and put you in their straitjacket. It is impossible to name every bondage or stronghold. Certainly, roots of bitterness – something or someone offends you and you hold onto that offence – are a type of bondage. Jealousy, anger, resentment, and unforgiveness are emotions that easily become strongholds. If you disobey a truth in the Bible and do not repent, it will become a stronghold. Many fleshly habits, such as tobacco, drugs, or alcohol quickly become a bondage or stronghold. Worldly entertainment, immorality, and immodest dress will capture your very soul. Many people are bound with the decoration of the body and the passion of looking like the models in the latest Vogue Magazine. The Spirit warns us about being captured by this world. Peter stated,“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning” (2 Peter 2:19-20). The normal state of an unbeliever or the person that has not been born again is bondage to this world. “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world” (Galatians 4:3). Every power or bondage and every spiritual stronghold is empowered by demons or fallen angels. A person bound with tobacco has a spirit of uncleanness. The worldly lifestyle is an unclean bondage. Anything that holds you captive is the work of Satan. Jesus came to give you liberty, to set you free, and to fill you “with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). He wants you to be free like a bird, to soar in Spiritual things, and to be full of His Holy Spirit. He wants to plant you in His Church and make you faithful to the House of God. Now, it’s time to learn powerful praying so we can see deliverance from strongholds. I have wasted much of my prayer life, but thank God that has changed. The Son of God was the master teacher on prayer. First, He warned us that Satan had to be bound before any victory was possible. Here are His words, “Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house” (Matthew 12:29). It does not matter what you are praying about – someone being saved, healed, or delivered from drugs or immorality – you must first defeat the spirits. Every life that is not free in Jesus Christ is bound by the enemy of Jesus Christ. There is not a “no man’s zone” in the spiritual world. You are either in or you are out. Unsaved people are blinded by Satan, who the Bible called “the god of this world.” “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). If you intend to be a soul-winner, you must first be a prayer warrior. That blindness in the sinner’s mind is their stronghold. Without the work of the Holy Ghost, it is impossible for that sinner to be converted. You may lead them to make a religious decision, but they will be just as lost as before. Praying the sinner’s prayer is powerless without conviction by the Spirit that breaks the stronghold of sin. Our churches are full of unconverted religious church members. Mighty, anointed prayer is God’s design for victory in His Church. Man did not institute prayer. The Father Himself made prayer and communion with Himself our first line of victory. Forget your preaching, singing, or church worship if you have not learned to pray. Souls are saved in prayer closets before the first song in the House of God. When Zion travails, souls are saved, men are delivered, and the Kingdom of God comes to town. Read what the Spirit says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 1:3-6). Jesus has won this victory and we live in it by prayer. Pentecost came after ten days – ordained and required by Jesus Christ – of soul-surrendered and unified praying. The early church leaders refused to become the Red Cross Brigade, but gave themselves to the Word of God and prayer. As the church shook the world, the saints of God prayed. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). By the power of the Spirit it is about to happen again! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 26: DO MUSLIMS BELIEVE OBAMA IS "ISLAMIC MESSIAH?" ======================================================================== Do Muslims Believe Obama is "Islamic Messiah?" From the Writer: "I have trembled as I have committed myself to stay before the Lord until the elections on November 4,2008. Only tenderness and deep intercession before God can protect our nation. I have cancelled plans for being out of the country during this week of November 2nd. Please join me in praying for the hand of God to intervene. Without question, America has many that live in spiritual darkness and are utterly deceiving in making good choices. Our nation also has many great saints that love the Lord. I’m claiming a miracle of direction." Bible-believing Christians are joyfully anticipating the return of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah. Islamic followers have a false "Christ" for which they wait. He is called Mahdi, which means "Divinely Guided One." The full meaning is "a messianic deliverer who will fill the earth with justice and equity, restore true religion, and usher in a short golden age lasting seven, eight, or nine years before the end of the world." (Britannica 1991 Ed. Vol. 7, Page 696.) It is scary to hear the hyper descriptions, reports of emotional titillation, and the actual term "messiah" being assigned to Barack Obama. Muammar al-Qaddafi, president of Libya -- one of the nations to join Russia and Iran in marching on Israel -- recently endorsed Obama. Here are his words, "There are elections in America now. Along came a black citizen of Kenyan origins, a Muslim, who studied in an Islamic school in Indonesia. His name is Obama," said Qaddafi. "All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded him … have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigning to enable him to win the American presidency." (Klein, WorldNetDaily. com, October 17,2008) The last figure I heard stating the unidentified contributions to Obama’s campaign was two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000). (Sunday, October 19,2008, Interview in Fox News with Senator John McCain.) Are Muslims trying to buy Obama’s election? Many believe the answer is, yes! Farrakhan -- one of Obama’s friends and a friend of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright -- said earlier this year, "When Obama talks the Messiah is absolutely speaking." He further proclaimed about Obama, "You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn’t care anything about. That’s a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking." He continues, "Barack Obama to me is a herald of the Messiah. Barack Obama is like the trumpet that alerts you something new, something better is on the way." (February 24 Speech – Posted on You Tube web site.) Louis Farrakhan is a leading Muslim in America and a noted radical that hates Israel and America. Jesse Jackson has some telling things to say about Obama. He calls Obama his neighbor and a member of the family. Jesse’s son is a close friend to Obama himself and their daughters are classmates. Jesse was speaking before the World Policy Forum in France last week and talked of the new direction of an Obama presidency. "He promised ’fundamental changes’ in US foreign policy - saying America must ’heal wounds’ it has caused to other nations, revive its alliances and apologize for the ’arrogance of the Bush administration.’ The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where ’decades of putting Israel’s interests first’ would end." ("The O Jesse Knows," New York Post, October 14,2008.) Recently, Hamas, the terrorist organization of the Palestinians endorsed Obama for the American presidency. A key spokesman for the Prime Minister of Hamas stated the following, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope that he will win the election." When John McCain heard of this endorsement he said, "I think that the people can make judgment accordingly." He added, "I think that the people should understand that I will be Hamas’ worst nightmare." (The Obama Nation, Corsi, p. 269.) This terrorist organization is also reportedly swooning over Biden for Vice-President. In a report from Jerusalem we read this senior Hamas official’s words, "In an exclusive interview tonight, a senior Hamas official heaped praise on Sen. Joe Biden, calling him a ’very nice’ person and a ’great man’ whose record ’speaks volumes’ and who can be counted on by the terror group to engage in the ’right policy’ toward the Middle East. During the interview with WND’s Aaron Klein and WABC Radio’s John Batchelor, the Hamas figure also expressed hope regarding Sen. Barack Obama’s ’vision for change,’ announcing Hamas will send Obama a letter of congratulation ’the moment he will win the election.’ Ahmed Yousef, Hamas’ chief political adviser in the Gaza Strip, called Biden a ’very prominent figure when it comes to the politics of the region.’" (Jerusalem, World Net Daily Exclusive, October 19,2008.) What a picture of questionable support from out of the Islamic world for Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden. Almost everyone believes that the unreported two hundred million dollars are very likely to have been raised in Arab and African countries. It is illegal to receive political donations from foreign countries. This level of funds is not only questionable, it is inconceivable. If a conservative received a few thousand dollars in this fashion, the liberal media would swarm upon them. At some point the truth will be known, and Obama and Biden will be disgraced. Chris Matthews of MSNBC admits that he gets chills up his legs when the subject is Obama. According to numerous reports, it has become common fare to witness people swooning as if in a fainting spell or swaying emotionally at the Obama rallies. Note the words used by Colin Powell -- a man we had always considered a well-balanced former Secretary of State under President George W. Bush -- when he endorsed Obama. Here are the words of Mr. Powell, "He has both style and substance. I think he is a transformational figure." Powell believes that Obama’s election will electrify our country. (Huffington Post, October 19,2008.) When Powell mentioned whether or not Obama was a Muslim, he said, "But the really right answer is, What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is, No, that’s not America." (Newsmax, October 19,2008) The idea that Obama is preparing to change the whole world cannot be ignored. His political world tour in the spring was strange and clearly prophetic of his dreams. He is being called, "A man to change the world." American does not need a president to change the world unless you are speaking of a New World Order and the total loss of our "American Sovereignty." Senator Barack Obama is clearly a dream out of the world of liberals and those that hate traditional American values. He is as phony as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He represents everything that a Bible-believing person rejects. This election will set the direction for our nation for the last short period until "Bible prophecies are fulfilled." If you want America to be the exact reverse of our Biblical underpinning, you will vote for Obama-Biden. If you want to hold onto the values that are left from America’s past greatness, you cannot vote for Obama-Biden. We must stop this descent into the strange world that one would hear and experience in the church of Jeremiah Wright. The influence of twenty years under his pastor did not change when Obama decided to run for our great office of president of the United States. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 27: DOMINION THEOLOGY AND JOEL'S ARMY ======================================================================== Dominion Theology and Joel’s Army Religious deception is always the most subtle and dangerous kind. When the church forsakes the old paths of righteousness and consecration, the next step is haughtiness and doctrinal confusion. It is impossible to rightly interpret Scripture; to rightly divide the great truths of the "meat of the Word" unless humility and a contrite spirit controls our life. There are no haughty and arrogant prophets in the kingdom of God. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalms 51:17). The entire Evangelical church world is being assaulted with the Kingdom Dominion Theology. It is like mortal combat between those who defend the Biblical doctrines of the End Times (The Rapture of Christ’s Bride, the Tribulation followed by the Millennium) and the "New Wave Theology." A book entitled Joel’s Army describes this "New Wave Theology" as promoted by one New Wave organization. The author stated that this ministry was “holding conferences overseas and throughout the U. S.A. Churches and denominations are being proselytized and preyed on with a ’gospel’ they claim is ordained to bring forth: the greatest revival the Church has ever known; the greatest baptism of the Spirit the Church has ever experienced; the greatest Army (Joel’s Army) distinguished by invincibility, immortality and divinity; the greatest purging (inquisition) in the history of the Church; the greatest ministry - the Prize of all Ages; and the greatest miracles, supernatural signs and wonders far exceeding that of the Apostles and Prophets of old." (JOEL’S ARMY, pages 1&2). Joel’s Army Let us look at the description of this army from the key leaders promoting the idea. A staff minister with Vineyard Ministries said the following in a message entitled, "Joel’s Army." "....this army is totally unique. This army, there’s never been one like it and there never will be one like it in ages to come. ...It’s so mighty that there’s never been anything like it before. Not even Moses, not even David, not even Paul. What’s going to happen now will transcend what Paul did, what David did. . .what Moses did, even though Moses parted the Red Sea. . .there’ll be a numerous company. . .Revelation hints at this when it talks about the 144,000 that follow the Lamb wherever He goes and no one, no one can harm that 144,000. See, that’s a multiple of 12. What’s 12? Twelve is the number of the Apostles 12 is Apostolic government. And when you take an important number in the Bible and you multiply it, it means you intensify it. So 12,000 times 12,000 = 144,000 [Author’s Note: Wrong math]. That is the ultimate in Apostolic government. Revelation talks about that. Well, here Joel is talking about it now in different words, a powerful, a MIGHTY ARMY with many Pauls, many Moses’, many Davids." (JOEL’S ARMY, VINEYARD MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL 1990.) One outspoken leader now deceased called this army Gods’ Elijahs. "This end time army will be made of the Elijahs of the Lord God." He even speaks of the temple being built and filled as a spiritual thing, totally ignoring the temple as a Jewish promise with absolutely no reference to the church of Jesus Christ. The same man said the following: "This army will inspire fear and terror in the hearts of its adversaries. In Joel 2:4-6 it says this: ’They have the appearance of horses, they gallop along like a flame of fire (???) with a noise like the chariots they leap over the mountain tops like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of them nations are in anguish, every face turns pale.’ “Bob Jones calls them, ’THE DREAD CHAMPIONS.’ Those that will be raised up to champion the cause of God who will bring dread to the hearts of men." He described their activities as follows: "They will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before. Every miracle, sign and wonder that has ever been in the Bible - they’ll move in it consistently. They’ll move in the power that Christ did. Every sign and wonder that’s ever been will be many times in the last days. They themselves will be that generation that raised up to put death itself underneath their feet and to glorify Christ in every way. . .and the Church that is raising up in the government will be the head and the covering for them. So that that glorious church might be revealed in the last days because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a church that has reached the full maturity of the god-man!" (Visions & Revelations, Fall 1988.) Mike Bickle also connected with Kansas City Prophets spoke of the anointed men who will represent this New Wave. "There’s Apostles, there’s Imminent Apostles and there’s MOST IMMINENT APOSTLES. . . . There’s various levels of Apostles and the Lord was showing that. . . . out of This Movement there would be 35 apostles. . .that will be of the highest level of apostolic ministry. . .the whole government of this movement in its highest level in all places it goes. . . .the government rests on Apostles and Prophets......Though I believe there will be hundreds of apostles in this movement and every movement will have its apostles and prophets, I believe God, He’s merging Apostles in a number of movements now and He’s going to add prophets to the prophets that are already there and He’s going to bring us to higher statures." (Visions & Revelations, Kansas City Fellowship.) Standing Truth on it’s Head It is clear that this entire idea is a complete reversal of Biblical truth. God’s Word is filled with warning of judgment to fill the earth and to purify this planet for the return of Christ’s Bride to the earth. The Church will return to reign with Him after having been raptured before the final judgment begins. This period when Joel’s Army shall be loosed upon the earth is both a judicial time of God’s judgment and the last fling of Satan’s schemes. The Bride of Jesus Christ will be around His throne in Heaven during this horrible hour. Joel’s Army are demon spirits turned loosed with their master, Satan, to express their final rage upon earth’s wicked inhabitants. It is amazing to learn that Satan’s army destroys the very people who have been following him in this End Time deception. As you read the Prophet Joel’s Biblical description of this army, it becomes clear that these are not Holy Ghost filled saints, but evil entities from hell itself. Never in the Bible are horses used to describe Christian activity, but always instruments of judgment. To confuse Biblical interpretation in this fashion is inexcusable. John Wimber calls them "the eschatological army of the Lord which will be released just before the end of the age." (JOEL’S ARMY, Wimber, England Conference 1990.) Here is Joel’s description. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2:1-11). In the book of Revelation, John gives a picture of this same evil horde. "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 of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto 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 have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 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 striketh 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. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle." "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." "And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone." (Revelation 9:2-9, Revelation 9:11, Revelation 9:15-17). To speak of this army as prophets and apostles bringing revival and taking charge of human governments for righteousness is certainly unfamiliar theology. It suggests something of complete difference for the church than portrayed in Holy Scripture. Phineas Priesthood Since Joel’s Army is supposed to be men and women taking possession of this earth for their King, a second class of warriors becomes necessary. These they call the "Phineas Priesthood." Rick Joyner made mention of those with the "spirit of Phineas" in his book, The Harvest. "The dismantling of organizations and disbanding of some works will be a positive and exhilarating experience for the Lord’s faithful servants.....a great company of prophets, teachers, pastors and apostles will be raised up with the spirit of Phineas..." (THE HARVEST, Rick Joyner). A book written by Richard Kelly Hoskins entitled, "Vigilantes Of Christendom," describes these warriors. He says of them, "As the Kamikaze is to the Japanese, As the Shiite is to Islam, As the Zionist is to the Jew, So the Phineas priest is to Christendom." It is very clear that they are preparing to slaughter those who resist their authority. Jesus warned that, "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." (John 16:2). That sounds exactly like the great inquisitors of the dark ages. Earlier we quoted from a book entitled Joel’s Army. The author, Jewel van der Merwe, describes these vigilantes as following: "The DAY OF THE LORD as seen through the eyes of the NEW WAVE ’prophets’ will be a time when JOEL’S ARMY led by the ’prophets’ will pour out God’s wrath on the church. Then for the first time in two thousand years the ’pure church’ will come forth. In other words, the ’blood of Christ’ did not avail, nor will it in the LAST DAYS because JOEL’S ARMY and the ’prophets’ will do what the blood could not, i. e., cleanse the Church. If indeed it takes JOEL’S ARMY to purify the church, then all the preaching of the Cross from the early Church to the present was in vain. And rather than the ’cross’ being God’s final answer to ’walking in newness of life’ . . ., we do well to look for another. The JOEL’S ARMY doctrine as it applies to the Church and world is not only in total conflict with the ’Gospel of Christ’, but is a radical new rendition of the doctrine of redemption and purification. By all analysis, it is ’another gospel’ and poses a real threat to unstable churches in that it is yet another great deception beguiling the Church." (JOEL’S ARMY, page 9.) Joel’s Army, a Doctrine from Manifest Sons of God This entire New Wave Theology is nothing new at all but a revival of doctrines called "Manifest Sons of God" that arose in the 1940s. Paul Cain, who is presently a big name with Vineyard Ministries, Kansas City Prophets and many New Wave leaders, was part of that teaching, along with William Branham and others. We quoted Paul Cain speaking to this subject in the chapter on “Doctrinal Roots Of The New Wave.” Here are the words of another proponent, Bill Britton, who is well-respected in this company. He stated, “Beloved, it is people in human, flesh bodies who shall conquer this world and defeat Satan . . . Jesus defeated Satan and overcame him for us and put all of hell’s forces to an open shame. And He did this in a flesh body. Since He is the Head of the Body, it is now in order for the Body to follow in the pattern which He has set for us. This Body of Christ, the Overcomer, shall come forth in mighty power to manifest the fulness of Christ in the earth. They are known as the Manifested Sons of God, and this place they occupy is the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (“Jesus the Pattern Son”, pp. 36-40.) We are witnessing an hour when worldliness and compromise is king of Christendom and such heresy is flourishing. A magazine entitled, "New Beginnings", gives a clear picture as to the end of such Biblical tampering. Paul Mueller writes, "Following His baptism by John, the heavens were opened to Yahshua (Jesus in Hebrew), and He saw the Spirit of Yahweh descending upon Him. The Father’s voice then proclaimed, ’This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ As Yahshua was baptized and acknowledged as the Father’s Son, so shall we be also. A new baptism awaits all the sons of Yahweh in this hour. It will be the baptism of the fullness of the seven Spirits of Yahweh unto our transformation, thereby identifying and acknowledging us as mature and perfected sons of Yahweh." (NEW BEGINNINGS, July 1991, page 3.) Francis Frangipane (another voice in the "New Wave Theology") says exactly the same thing in his book, The Three Battlegrounds. "The Lord is raising up His Army . . . There are a growing number of churches around the world who are being gathered together by the Lord for war." (The Three Battlegrounds, page 128.) These men are teaching that Jesus became the incarnate Son when the Spirit descended upon Him. They then continue to show that in the same way we will become incarnate or "manifest sons of God." This is the root of this doctrine and what is now called "New Wave Theology." We are then to take over the world for Jesus. He describes the city church idea being promoted by these deceivers. "The devil knows that when we become one with Christ and, through Him, one with each other, it is only a matter of time before this Jesus-built church will destroy the empire of hell!" (The Three Battlegrounds, page 43.) Paul Mueller, as we quoted one paragraph above, continued his description by stating, "During this present time of transition, we are not merely moving to another higher realm of church order and administration, as we did in 1948-1953. Rather, we are seeing the end of the church order and the beginning of an entirely new order in Yahweh. That will be the greater order of the kingdom of Yahweh on earth. The in-part order of the past age is rapidly coming to an end. The new order of fullness, perfection and of the 100-fold ministry is now before us. Without question, the religious systems are dead, for the genuine anointing of the Spirit is no longer there. All who can discern these times and the workings of Yahweh will readily know that this is true." (NEW BEGINNINGS, July 1991, page 3.) It is clear that they believe Joel’s Army will be led by “manifest sons of God” leaders that have become glorified and indestructible. Warning Every theological direction these religionists are taking is rooted in esoteric revelations rather than the "tried and true" doctrines of the Bible. They are quick to say that this is a day of new revelations. The New Agers call it a "paradigm shift." Tommy Reid, a noted New Wave leader, calls it "a new world view." The Bible calls it "apostasy." A sovereign move of God’s Holy Spirit is the only answer to these wild speculations. There are a multitude of "angels of light" sent by Satan to deceive. If you are looking for something titilating, you will probably find the same. If you are looking for "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," He lives in the Holy Scripture and is waiting for you to open the door. He reveals Himself in your will and heart (spirit), not your emotions. Once your will is His, then all your person will be filled with His Holy Spirit. "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8:11). One of the new MEGATRENDS is a great emphasis on the ability of those who have experienced this New Wave to impart it to others. They literally believe that the Holy Ghost can be dissected and passed out by simply speaking, the laying on of hands, or directing this power toward others. This kind of “impartation” or “apparition” has spread to many New Wave churches. It is important that we learn the truth about this phenomenon. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 28: ENGRAVED UPON HIS PALMS ======================================================================== Engraved Upon His Palms The value of a human soul was settled at the cross. His death was personal for every person. Predestination is one of the most supernatural words in Holy Scripture. It is actually our biography written by our Creator in advance. Of course, it spells out our salvation from sin and eternal damnation; but, it also spells out more, much more, than salvation. The marks in His hands had our name written in them; but, also had our future planned by His royal design. We were born to be kings and priests. The churches are filled with men and women who are living like paupers while royal blood is coursing through their veins. Isaiah was a prophet that penned mind stretching theologies. He could think and write outside the box of his generation. As the truth of the future Messiah’s death arrested him, he saw the far reaching facts. His death was not going to be some impersonal sacrifice, but an actual identification with every soul born to women. Our name, actually all of our names, was hacked in His wounds. By the Holy Spirit Isaiah stated, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16). The word graven means hacked or tattooed. Can I help you discover how much He loves you? You may think yourself to be nobody; but, I have good news for you. The Spirit has already spoken through David, the first king of Israel, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalms 139:14-16). Our Creator, God, possesses perfect “foreknowledge” of every detail of our person. Note again what King David said, “. . . And in thy book (scroll) all my members were written.” And that was before we were made in our mother’s womb. The human family was and is perfectly planned and intimately loved. Just like you know the names and features of all your family — color of the eyes and particulars of each personality — so our Heavenly Father knows “my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off” (Psalms 139:2). It’s wonderful to know that our Father has such perfect “foreknowledge” of us but that is not all. He also “predestinated” us and planned our perfect future right down to the minute details. He did not create such beautiful human creatures and leave us to chance. His will for us is pure, exciting, beautiful, and full of joy, but totally dependent on our surrender to him. The Apostle Paul said it perfectly. This description — given by The Holy Spirit and written by this man of God — can change your entire life in a matter of minutes. You must give up your will to His will. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:13-17). Can you do this in the flesh? No, you cannot. You must be Born Again and made a new creature. Listen to the Holy Spirit, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a work of grace that is wrought in you when you turn your entire life over to Him and rest in the cleansing and perfecting by the blood of His cross. His blood sacrifice is supernatural and life-changing. Trust totally in that price that He paid for your soul. Now, by faith, step into a new life. Give up your dreams and your stubborn will and commit to His will. His will is miles ahead of where you are right now. You may be rich or poor, educated or uneducated, beautiful or ordinary; but, He wants you just exactly like you are, completely ready to change for him. Do not allow some imagination that Satan puts in your mind to stop you. This has been proven million and millions of times. It absolutely cannot fail unless you rebel, give up or turn back. The Bible warns us of those who start in this race but turn back. “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour 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 unto them” (2 Peter 2:20-21). What is really exciting is to watch the man or a woman that goes all the way with Christ! Paul, the Apostle, was a perfect example. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Php 3:8-9). This Salty Saints is the Gospel of Jesus Christ at its grandest level. When the Son of God died on that cross, you were on His mind. Your soul and life were written in His mutilated palms. He took your place and you do not have to be lost. There is only one thing that stands between every soul and the best life in the world — that one thing is your selfish will. The will of man is the root of the Adamic nature and it must be defeated. Heaven is an eternal place where the families of those that are surrendered to Him live forever in perfect happiness. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 29: ETERNAL SECURITY IN OBEDIENCE ======================================================================== Eternal Security In Obedience by Joseph R. Chambers The believer has "eternal security" in obedience. He does not have "eternal security" in disobedience. John Calvin himself did not preach "eternal security" in sin, rebellion, or disobedience. The controversy between Calvinism and Arminianism has been elevated far beyond the teaching of either of these great men. The devil himself loves a debate as foolish as this one. To suggest that God excuses the sin in a believer so that he remains under God’s grace regardless of his sin is blasphemy to God’s Word. Also, to suggest that a believer can be in grace one day and bound for hell the next is equally foolish. The believer, when he is sealed by the Holy Ghost, will not practice sin and must literally turn from God, break the seal of the Holy Ghost, and trample over the mercies of God to go back to the beggarly elements of the world. God always gives His children space to repent and then after such a display of Holy Ghost conviction, the once obedient child is blotted out of God’s Book of Life. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." (Revelation 3:5). The Bible teaches "responsibility" in our life, not "irresponsibility". When we tell people that they are secure in salvation even when they are living in sin, we violate every truth about God’s holiness in Scripture. The bottom line of the believer’s responsibility is found in the Sermon on the Mount. "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8). The grace of God does not make you pure in disobedience, the grace makes you pure in obedience. Apostle Paul nailed that truth to the wall in his letter to the Romans. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin." (Romans 6:1-7). The church is full of "sinning saints" and the House of God has fallen into reproach. The Paw Creek family must make a difference. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 30: EXCEPT YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS EXCEED ======================================================================== Except Your Righteousness Exceed by Joseph Chambers The Son of God made one of the strongest proclamations of His life using the title of this article. It is downright awesome to realize the plain truth of the Lord’s words. Let me give you three verses that put this title in the proper context. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19). Already in Matthew’s day, shortly after the death and resurrection of the Son of God, men were trying to water down righteousness and to attack holiness as the Biblical walk of faith. A very sharp and critical name was given to the heretics of the faith. They were called antinomics, which means "no law." We have a multitude of men and women today that follow the same mindset. They teach grace without responsibility and holiness without righteousness. It is one of the church’s present day pitfalls. Unregenerate people or backsliders love these doctrines. Jesus Christ’s words forever destroy the possibility of born again saints disobeying the laws and commandments of God. Jesus Christ was the "Word" before He was born of woman, and the First Testament is the revelation of that Word. The basic Ten Commandments and the clear principles of His laws are just as real and even more complete in the Second Testament as in the First Testament. Notice that Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law (five books of the Torah) or the prophets (the major and minor prophets of the First Testament), I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill (complete)." (Matthew 5:17). The Son of man came to put the final touch on His revelation. He was the Jehovah-Jireh of the first division of His Word and came in flesh to finish and complete the whole of His Word. When you throw the First Testament out, you have a corrupted and defiled Holy of Holies with the great vail of woven tapestry removed. Holiness is non-existent in any redemptive plan that has destroyed the commandments of God. The whole of the Word (Genesis to Revelation) will never pass away. "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." (Luke 21:33). Every one of us will be judged by the words of Holy Scripture on that awesome judgment day. Jesus really laid this on the line with the second verse of our present text. Let’s look again. "For verily (to emphasize) I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle (the two smaller marks of the Greek alphabet) shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matthew 5:18). Do what you want to with the Ten Commandments and all the principles of the Laws of God, but they stand unmoved and shall judge you in the last days. No wonder Apostle Paul said, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31). Except Your Righteousness Shall Exceed On the foundation of those first two verses that we have considered, the Lord Jesus established the absolute fact of what the New Testament saints are required to live. Free grace or cheap grace is utterly excluded. Jesus Christ did not come to cast off the righteousness of His Word, but to provide the grace to change man’s heart. He did not come to cover sin, but to destroy sin. The First Testament standards are the very standards that Jesus and the early church preached and lived. They simply gave them a Second Testament of completed interpretation. Apostle Paul is accused by some of preaching a different gospel than Jesus Christ. This false idea is expressed by separating the gospel of Christ as a Jewish message and the gospel of Paul as a Gentile message. Such thinking is false and damning. The Apostle Paul preached nothing but the gospel of Jesus Christ and the righteousness of the completed Word. To the Hebrews, he stated the following words from the Holy Ghost. "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." (Hebrews 10:16-18). The laws of the Lord thus stated cannot be separated from the whole of the Word of God. Yes, He freed us from the ecclesiastical laws that the Jewish sacrifices required because He became the perfect sacrifice. He also removed the commandments of men that had become equal to God’s laws and commandments in the Pharisee systems. He actually purified the whole of the First Testament by fulfilling the laws of sacrifice and breaking the yoke of ceremonial bondage. We, as the saints of the Second Covenant, have entered into a "new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh." (Hebrews 10:20). Does that make us "loose" from the Ten Commandments and free to live as we please? No, a thousand times no! Listen as the Holy Ghost continues to speak by the pen of the great apostle, "And having an high priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." (Hebrews 10:21-23). "Having our hearts sprinkled (the application of Christ’s sanctifying blood) from an evil conscience" is not modern day Christianity, but it is still Biblical. The soul of a born again believer is a picture in purity. The commandments of God become our delight and we rejoice in the peace of a pure heart. Worldly and sinful people love religion without holiness, but it will be wholly inadequate when they face the awesome judgment bar. Listen as the Holy Ghost continues to speak. "He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:28-31). The Half-Brother of Our Lord James wrote what is said to be the first book of the New Testament. It is an incredible book and beautifully ties the great commandments of the First Testament to the New Testament church. He stated in the first chapter. "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:21-27). What a message of holiness, "Keep yourself unspotted from the world." Surely, you say, the early church didn’t preach that. It gets better. James begins to quote from God’s commandments in the Book of Leviticus. "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." (James 2:8-10, James 2:12). This is beautiful truth that forever destroys the loose living of this generation. Someone may say that this letter was only to the Jews. There are two things to remember. If it was only to the Jews, why did he write it in the Greek language and second, it was written to the born again Jews, not to the Orthodox Jews still outside of Christ. Apostle Paul had plainly said the following when speaking of the New Testament church. "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:11). It is sheer folly to claim that the New Testament has a twin message. All such thinking originates because of theological systems, not from the literal study of Scripture. Faith Without Works is Dead The Lord’s earthly brother really landed a theological bomb with this great truth. Apostle Paul called James an "apostle" and spoke of him as together with Cephas (Peter) and John that they "seemed to be pillars in the church." (Galatians 1:9; Galatians 2:9). His words therefore are weighty words and cannot be treated lightly. He declared, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" (James 2:17-22). We have an entire generation of church leaders and members that have been schooled and taught the doctrines of lawlessness. The greatest task of a soul winner today is to get the sinners lost so you can get them saved. It’s tough to find a lost person because of the doctrines of cheap grace. People that live totally outside of Holy Scripture will boldly state that they are Christians and will be highly offended if you press the claims of the Holy Word of God. Even the devil believes, but he certainly is not a saint. The Law Is Our School Master One of Apostle Paul’s great lessons is found in Romans chapter seven. Conviction of sin always precedes conversion to Christ. It is impossible to repent of sin without a sense of guilt. The majority of our world will be lost forever because the church world will not preach against sin. When a Holy Ghost filled man of God begins to boldly and humbly preach the whole counsel of God, conviction of sin rises and revival from God draws near. A thoroughly anointed man of God proclaiming the claims of righteousness preceded every great revival. Listen to the apostle. "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead." (Romans 7:7-8). Sin, when identified by the Holy Spirit, not a judgmental preacher, creates "all manner of concupiscence" (the sense of guilt, the foreboding of one’s lost condition). This is the foundation of a "rending of the Heavens" by the Holy Spirit that causes revival to occur. Revival never comes until there is conviction of sin. This conviction always first occurs in the church and then in the world. One man prayed, "Move the church so you can move the world." Paul continues, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." (Romans 7:12-14). The apostle said that the law is holy and spiritual. Why? Not because God is magnifying sin, but that He might magnify His grace to forgive and cleanse. He reveals His laws of holiness that we might see our nature of sin. Except Your Righteousness Shall Exceed That statement sounds unfair and harsh until you discover what Jesus came into our world to accomplish. If He were telling dark sinners that they must lift up themselves to live more righteousness than the Pharisees, then He would be a taskmaster, not a Savior. But, His death was already sealed in the plan of God and Jesus Christ knew well the glory of His suffering. He came to break the powers of sin and to create a brand new family called the church. Jesus Christ was manifested to destroy the "works of the devil." The Apostle John, whom Jesus loved, proclaimed, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8). John used the word "manifested" in declaring this statement because he was speaking beyond the matter of His birth. God had sent His Son into the world by a series of prophecies and miraculous events which made His life and death a divine occasion. The life and death of the Son of God was a triumph over every limitation and calamity of human life. He came out from all eternity into our little limited world to bring an end to Satan’s schemes and plans. The result was redemption on the highest level possible to the human family. We were redeemed, transformed, translated, made new creatures, filled with His Holy Spirit; and we live and walk far above the Pharisee’s religion. Conclusion Apostle Paul could not have echoed the idea of Jesus Christ better than in his second letter to the church of God at Corinth. He penned by the Holy Ghost the following, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). We are new creatures. We have been translated into a heavenly family and fellowship and we walk no more by the world’s bondage. It is His grace in us that accomplishes Holiness. We earn nothing by our good lives or works. It is grace into this family and grace for each step we take. Soon, our last step will be taken and then it will be glory forevermore. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 31: FOR EVERY PERVERSION AND WICKEDNESS: GOD IS PREPARING JUDGMENT ======================================================================== For Every Perversion And Wickedness: God Is Preparing Judgment OUR PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, IS SNUBBING HIS NOSE AT GOD AND EVERY GODLY AMERICAN. He’s driving nails in his own coffin and America will see him pay the price. He is using his bully pulpit to destroy every value in God’s Holy Bible and his judgment is close behind his actions. The things he says or does are the actions of a sociopath and demagoge. Pray America, pray and wait on God because He is in charge. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein..” (Psalms 24:1) I desire to document for you the fact that no wickedness can ever escape the perfect judgment of our Heavenly Father. History is packed with proof that all men absolutely reap what they sow. Apostle Paul said this truth perfectly. “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:20-23) There is a seed in sin that God has placed and it always grows if undisturbed by the grace of God’s forgiveness. This universe was created with a built in system of righteousness and purity. There is a multitude of proofs right in the natural world of God created honesty and justice. There is no escape from the consequence of breaking God’s laws. Look at the pure picture in Romans of what happens when men violate the governing laws of sexual conduct. “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient:” (Romans 1:26-28) When God gives up on a person it is over for them. There is no escape from the death that is embodied in sin, but the cleansing Blood of Christ. This death is twofold, physical death and the second death which is the eternal assignment to the “Lake of Fire.” First, let’s deal with the first death, that of this body. Sodom and Gomorrah is the most awesome picture of this truth. “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.” (Genesis 19:24-28) The horror of such a death is almost beyond human understanding. I ask you to start considering the consequence we read about or see every day because of sin. There is a level of suffering that the purest person living among us will experience from the sins of others. This, our Father allows so that we learn to love and honor the laws of God and understand the beauty of righteousness. Let’s allow the Psalmist, David, to use his anointed words to paint a beautiful picture. “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” (Psalms 37:1-9) What absolute happiness is described for this Godly life. It’s impossible to separate the American experience from the moral standards we once loved and cherished. Now we see the opposite, and everyday brings us a little more of the hell we are watching grow in every segment of our culture. Consider a President that must pay homage to the crowd that has funded and labored to keep him in office. He is bound to them in almost every action he takes. For a President to make a ball player his champion, simply because he ballyhooed his sodomy lifestyle, is so cheap he looks insane. The history of Planned Parenthood was based on reducing the number of new-born babies within the “Unfit in America’s overall population.” Our President is so beholding to their millions of re-election dollars and support that he praises their industry of murder. His administration is pursuing every possible way to make life for Bible believing Christians in America miserable. His appointees in the Armed Forces are bent on stopping any Chaplain or soldier from honoring their faith in the one true God that has so blessed our nation in the past. Our Father will have the last word. The Holy Book tells us of the end times when such men would be placed in high offices. “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalms 2:1-6) We have no reason to fret or doubt the outcome. We will win over the liberal media and heathens in public office. I’m watching everyday for the heavens to speak with resounding eloquence. When the sun goes out, (any day now,) men in high places will begin to tremble. When God defends Israel against the invasions of the Middle East, the Bible gives us perfect assurance. The righteous Bible believing saints will soon be shouting on the hills of Glory, “We won, we won at last!” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 32: FREE GRACE,” THE DEVIL’S JOKE ======================================================================== “Free Grace,” The Devil’s Joke Free grace does not exist, but the free gift of grace does. Ask the Father if grace was free and He will answer, “It wasn’t for me!” Ask the Son what the price of grace was and His answer will be, “It cost Me My life!” The modern church has stripped the cross of Jesus Christ of all of its pain and suffering for those who will embrace it. The people that embrace this new compromise are as spiritually dead as the theologians that preach it. A cross that costs nothing means nothing. The faith that shook the world during church history was always a faith that costs the followers everything — the deeper the embrace and the greater the sacrifice, the greater the impact. Find any adherent that is a part of this “free grace” mentality and you will find a spineless and soft religion. Nothing but a religious club of giddy worldliness can result from such cheap grace. Grace costs the Father His only Son! What a price that Heaven had to pay to purchase man back to the family of God! Sin did not just separate man from God; it defiled and robbed Him of his very God-like character. Sin is as vile as the serpent that was its first mouthpiece. The Jewel of Heaven was the Father’s Only Son. He alone speaks the perfect revelations. When God created light, the Son of God was the light bearer. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Our God paid the ultimate price for grace through the gift of His Son. The price of grace for the Son of God was beyond words. To leave His Father sitting on His majestic throne must have filled this great Heavenly temple with utter sadness. The Son could not come to earth as the Prince He was, but He humbled Himself to be stripped of His divine robe. From birth to death, someone was constantly seeking His destruction. Only His childlike innocence saved His early years from torments. His first sermon in Nazareth ended with a mob trying to cast Him off a cliff. He was not just crucified, He was emaciated. Isaiah described His torture, “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14). Every possible abuse was used to render Him despicable. But, grace was the master of His every abuse and He died triumphantly. Even the Holy Spirit paid an unreal price in bringing the action of grace to the reach of humans. Every moment of Christ’s earthly pilgrimage was overshadowed by the Spirit of grace. From His conception as the child in the womb of Mary until that same Spirit quickened His emaciated figure in the garden tomb, the Holy Spirit gave life to the sacrifice. There is no way that this third member of the Godhead did not grieve with the price the Son was required to pay. But, the Holy Spirit never withheld the strength of grace that protected the offering for sin until the sacrifice could utter, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The two words, “free” and “grace,” appear in the Bible one time in the same verse. “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many” (Romans 5:15). Apostle Paul, speaking by the Holy Ghost, explained the working of this grace and proved infinitely that it is a free gift but only to those persons ready to die to self with Him. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). This is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and the working of His free gift of grace. Grace from Christ and death to self is the heartbeat of this gospel. Cheap grace has produced an apostate church. This apostle of Christ lays down the character of grace. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:4-7). The church is dead because those that profess Christ have not been willing to put their flesh on the cross in death to the old man. We have the exact words to show what is missing. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:11-14). The Son of God summed it up as He taught His disciples, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Grace is totally unearned. There are not any good works that can buy or merit our salvation. The life of Christ is a free gift that is given to every person that surrenders wholly to Him. He will give you His all when He has your all. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 33: FUTURE BIBLE PROPHECY: “RUSSIA WILL BE FIRE-BOMBED INTO OBLIVION!” ======================================================================== Future Bible Prophecy: “Russia Will Be Fire-Bombed Into Oblivion!” “PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN IS THE PERFECT IMAGE OF GOG’s CHIEF PRINCE OF MAGOG? PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S LOT AND CHOICE IS TO STRENGTHEN AND AID THE FINAL PREPARATION FOR PUTIN’S RISE TO WORLD LEADERSHIP?” If this is true and I believe it is, then we are extremely close to the “WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG”. It would be exciting to watch this coming war from the “MARRIAGE SUPPER IN THE HEAVENLY CITY”. PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS BEEN A CAREER PART OF THE KGB, RUSSIA CRUEL AND LETHAL SPY AGENCY. Suddenly he is the man of peace and was a leading candidate for the “NOBEL PEACE PRIZE”. The multitudes of persons that his very acts have caused to die would be striking news. Some say his wealth in at the 60 to 70 billion mark, second only to Bill Gates. Everything about his acumen would suggest he is fully capable of being the Chief Prince that rules Magog and leads the vast horde toward Jerusalem. Let’s consider some very potent facts that show that this final time has been years in preparation. 1. American people have had an undying love affair with Jerusalem and the Jewish people. 2. The only American’s that dislike the Jewish people are those that reject the literal Word Of God. 3. America and Russia have always been on different wave lengths concerning Israel. 4. Spiritual wickedness in the high places is determined to destroy America’s support for Israel. 5. The liberal church world believes that the Jews are imposters in the land of Abraham. 6. Russian politicians love Israel’s technologies and farming wealth and will attempt to soon claim both. 7. Russia is committed to Islam’s regimes that hate Israel with an undying hatred. 8. A transformed believer will always love Israel. 9. Look at the Nations that hate Jerusalem or want to give it to Islam. 10. Notice how President Obama has sought the friendship of Israel’s worst enemies. 11. Churches are identifying with Islam because they have more in common with them than Bible Christianity. All of this is an awesome picture. “And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.” (Ezekiel 38:16-19) When the vast coalition led by Russia and Iran marches, the God of the Holy Bible will say, “It is enough.” There is little question but that Gog and Magog are the Soviet Union, the ancient land of the Scythians. There is a great display of Scythian art, history, and archaeological discoveries in the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg. Note this statement by Dr. Onyshkevych. “Russian explorers first brought Scythian artworks recovered from Scythian burial mounds to Peter the Great in the early eighteenth century. These works formed the basis of the collection held by the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Catherine the Great was so impressed by the material recovered from the Kurgan’s burial mounds, that she ordered a systematic study be made of the works. However, this was well before the development of modern archaeological techniques.” Another connections between the Scythians and the land of Russia says, “Recent digs in Belsk, Ukraine uncovered a vast city believed to be the Scythian capitol Gelonus described by Herodotus. … A Kurgan … south of Kiev, found in the 1990s, has revealed one of the few unlooted tombs of a Scythian Chieftain.” This gives us ample proof of the connection in history. It is very interesting that an author of Iranian and Muslim background has written a book called, “An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World.” Here is a quotation from its opening section. “There is a ban on a town (Jerusalem) which we destroyed (and whose people were then expelled) that they can never return (to reclaim that town) until Gog and Magog are released and they spread out in all directions (thus taking control of the world while establishing a Gog and Magog world-order.)” When the enemy tries to imitate truth they always prove truth. This prophecy of the War of Gog and Magog is set in absolute terms and with many connections. Ezekiel stated, near the beginning of this prophecy, “After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.” (Ezekiel 38:8) There is no other historic time that matches this statement. This time of fire is absolutely necessary to change the mindset that nothing is wrong and nothing offends God. At no place in the entire Bible does it make sin and unclean living acceptable. The Bible states, “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.” (Genesis 19:24) Again it says, “So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.” (Exodus 9:24) When the Israelites murmured against Moses, God acted to show His displeasure. “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” (Numbers 11:1) The New Testament writers had no doubt that a judgment of fire was on the way. Apostle Paul warned us, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Apostle Peter brought it closer to the End Times. “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:7) Then again he said, “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat…” (2 Peter 3:12) The wickedness of this generation is going to be consumed with fire. There is such hatred for anyone that warns others, which clearly says the hour is at hand. It would be impossible for people to have such hatred for truth if there was not a feeling in the air that something is very near and about to happen. Deep in my heart, I know, I have no doubt, that we are living on the brink. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) The wealth of nations that fight against Jerusalem and Israel is nothing but earthly treasures for God’s fire of wrath. The coalition of Nations does not leave out any Arab nation except Iraq, where the Anti-Christ will place his seat. It is clear that Iran and other Islamic nations are perfectly ready to destroy another nation of Islam if they refuse to join them. I believe there are strategy meetings of this coalition that are secretly preparing for the fateful hour. I can imagine in the resort town of Sweineh, Jordan at the Jordan Valley Marriot Resort a delegation from every Arab Nation talking while I write this, and laying out the details. Of course it’s secret but how do you hide from Israeli spies, yet more importantly, how do you hide from the Holy Spirit? The entire “Arab Spring,” as the on-going Middle East developments are called, is nothing but the final details before the action. The Muslim Brotherhood is willing to destroy half of the Middle East if they can finally destroy the Nation of Israel. God has promised, “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.” (Ezekiel 39:6-8) Micah saw this same fateful hour and left no doubt that the Lord would reign in Jerusalem at a future date after this great judgment. “But in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.” (Micah 4:1-2, Micah 4:6-7) Already we have heard Peter quote the great King David, and the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah. Let’s see what the angel said to Mary, the Mother of our Lord. The angel said, to her astonishment, “…behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33) This world is about to see the kind of action from the Creator that will leave no doubt, and all will have to decide. It will be God or the Devil, and no one will have an excuse. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 34: GETTING EXCITED ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM ======================================================================== Getting Excited About the Millennium It’s easy to see why people look at the world and tremble about the future. There is a visible deterioration occurring in the environment, including the weather patterns and all aspects of nature, as well as in every expression of human life. The Holy Spirit gave us a clear picture of what is happening. “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23). The perfection of the earth — as it was created — has slowly descended downward to the point that only a Divine intervention can save it from utter destruction. Of all people, Christians should understand the wild dreams of the environmentalists. This crowd either knows nothing of God’s great truth or has a misdirected view of Eschatology. Pre-Tribulation and Pre-Millennial Bible believers should actually be standing on their tiptoes watching every sign of God’s developing plans. Our future is star-studded. I believe the great saints of the ages are standing at Heaven’s balcony awaiting the moment to come with Jesus Christ for us. They are coming for the living saints and to get their resurrected bodies. As you may know, a number of these saints received their glorified bodies when Jesus Christ was resurrected. He, along with these saints, is called “The First Fruits of the Resurrection.” The Biblical understanding of the Millennium demands that the Rapture and The Great Tribulation occur first in preparation for the one thousand year reign. The saints of God that have passed away must come back with Christ to get the living saints. This multitude of the righteous dead is asleep in death but consciously present with the Lord. The Spirit tells us, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). The raptured multitude will ascend up into Heavenly Jerusalem, where the Temple of God is the center of this majestic city. We will join their worship and this company of saints as we honor the precious Lord. This is the first opportunity that the entire Church of Jesus Christ will have to give Him the glory due His Name. “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:9-12). When the sounds of worship in this Pearly White City begin to subside, the Father and our Lord will organize the saintly elders and the Great Tribulation will begin. The Lord Jesus Christ alone is worthy to take this Book of Redemption and to open its seals, “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals” (Revelation 6:1 a). The process will continue for seven years until the moment that the Heavens open again for the King of Kings to return to an earth that has been utterly judged and prepared for its Creator. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war” (Revelation 19:11). The truly righteous saints have long lived for the day when we will reign with Him over this earth. The idea of a theocracy is only ugly when carnal men are in charge. The earth will be ruled by the King of Kings and His glorified saints will be His kings and priests. It will be a just and righteous kingdom, “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9 b). Nothing is more striking about this moment than the capitol city, ancient but renewed and redeemed Jerusalem. This city will be the central city of the entire earth and will grow to a city that is sixty square miles in dimension. The entire topographical contour will be changed into a plain or lush valley of perfect beauty. A river will flow out of the Temple and the Mount of Ascension that waters the entire landscape. The riches of the world will flow into this beloved city. Finally, Jerusalem will become the city it was chosen to be. Every kingdom of this earth, both past and present, will become the one single kingdom of the crucified but resurrected Lord. Daniel saw this picture in the great dream of Nebuchadnezzar, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and break them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:34-35). The glorified saints will be His perfected government and His righteous rulers will fill the earth with peace. The present evil regimes of selfish men will be history. Every glorified saint will have their new body that knows none of the previous effects of sin. We are created to live in perfect union with our Creator. The spirit of man is akin to God and, with our new temple house; we will be perfect specimens of eternal life. There will be no such thing as a dark moment, an unhappy emotion, or tear-filled eyes. The human family will be powerful rulers of this universe, wealthy beyond understanding, and living in pure fellowship with each other. When the Millennium is finished, it will only get better. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 35: GOD IS STIRRING “ISRAEL’S NEST” ======================================================================== God is Stirring “Israel’s Nest” The events throughout the Middle East have a powerful Biblical meaning. God’s chosen Nation of Israel is yet, after 63 years, a nation riddled in disobedience. That disobedience must be broken and we are watching the early stages heading into the dark “Seven Years.” By the end of “The Great Tribulation” and the Antichrist’s sinister design, Israel will be ready to cry out to their Messiah in Repentance. Zechariah prophesied this mournful time as God’s betrothed nation returns to their birthright. “And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem…” (Zechariah 12:10-11 a) Thank God that this awesome time does not end in mourning but quickly turns to great rejoicing. “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of Hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.” (Zechariah 13:1-2) Apostle Paul carefully documented the word of Zachariah for the New Testament saints. We must never think for one moment that we have replaced Israel. Nothing in theology is more false than to forget the Family that gave our Lord in the flesh to us. The Holy Ghost by Paul said, ”For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is My Covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.” (Romans 11:25-28) It’s thrilling to know there are three “Feasts of Jehovah” which Israel is soon to witness and celebrate. Only the One Hundred and Forty Four thousand Jews will celebrate the “Feast of Trumpets” and even this company will miss the celebrated moment of the glorious Rapture. They will be saved and sealed in the beginning days of the “Feast of Atonement” which pre-figures the dark seven years of the Great Tribulation. The glorious moment for all Israel will be the fulfillment of the “Feast of Tabernacles.” This great celebration will last a thousand years and all the Saints returning with Christ to reign will join this triumph. The first four feasts were perfectly completed in the death of Christ, the sanctifying period following His death, the Resurrection and the Day of Pentecost. Let’s look at the great Biblical picture of these “Seven Feasts of Jehovah.” It’s impossible to watch the world scene, especially the Middle East and not shout with anticipation. The Seven Feasts of Jehovah! Everything that God did or revealed in the First Testament was given as a shadow or an example of His finished plan of redemption. Nothing in the Bible is an afterthought or a new thing, but all of His actions or words are the acting out of a pre-ordained drama. It can best be called the “Drama of Redemption.” Seven major feasts are the prophetic picture of Jesus Christ and His redemption accomplished. The actual feasts are the simple rehearsal of that accomplishment and were used to allow Israel to receive the benefit of the Father’s eternal plan. Our God does nothing for its dramatic effect, but if He did, these “Seven Feasts” would transcend the greatest masterpieces of human existence. They are breathtaking in both design and message. Each feast foreshadows a unique part of God’s redemption story. Each one is a complete message in itself, yet fits into the total picture in such a way that it would be incomplete to let it stand alone. Indeed the seven feasts together are God’s redemption drama and the world will be His kingdom when the last curtain of the Feast of Tabernacles is lifted. The Feasts of Jehovah! The seven feasts must not be called the Feasts of Israel, but the Feasts of Jehovah. Moses stated clearly what each feast was to represent. “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feast of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” (Leviticus 23:2-4). When Jesus was present in the flesh to be the Messiah, the Jewish nation had changed the Feast of Jehovah to the Feast of the Jews. Instead of Sevens Feast of Revelation, they had become the Feasts of the People and tied to the nation, instead of the promises of God. Listen to the Apostle John speak of these feasts in the Jewish terminology of his time. “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” (John 2:13). “Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.” (John 7:2). No wonder Isaiah had said the following when he noted the backslidden state of Israel. “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.” (Isaiah 1:4). The First Testament Foretold God’s Plan! The New Testament writers were ordained by the Holy Spirit to simply unveil what was contained in the First Testament. Nothing in the New Testament was new. The First Testament was their tutor to enable them to see all that Jesus Christ represented. All the things of God are higher than the wisdom of the wisest. Yet, God had chosen to teach by shadows, types, and simple events so that the New Testament writer or believer could grasp the depth of His wonderful works. Let’s look at several New Testament Scriptures that show plainly what we are saying. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20). Often the Word Of God fulfilled is misunderstood in the way Jesus used it. It means completed. Jesus did not fulfill to eliminate but to complete. The First Testament was the shadow and Jesus came to show that which was only dimly visible before. He eliminated nothing but the shadow and then established the finished product. The Apostle Paul adds a beautiful dimension to this same truth. He said, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4). Remember, the only Scripture that the apostle could refer to was the First Testament. The Second or New Testament was in the process of being written, but was not canonized or accepted yet as an official document. The Old (First) Testament was their only approved Scriptures. The total message preached by the early church was based on the lessons and inspiration of the Law, the Torah or prophets and writings of the Jewish Scripture. Consequently, everything in the New Testament is Jewish and based on the anointed truths of their Scripture. The Law Was a Tutor! (School Master or Teacher) It’s amazing to see the rebellion in today’s church against the laws of God. When you begin to see that the Law was God’s ordained schoolmaster and that it was the exclusive route by which the Father would bring us to His Son, then the Law becomes beautiful rather than restrictive. Rebellion against anything is always in the mind of the rebellious. What one man rebels against is the protection of another. Look at Apostle Paul’s description of this breathtaking truth. “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:21-26). We are not to become disobedience and start breaking God’s Laws because the tutor finished His job. We are to move up to the higher level of the Lawgiver Himself that now abides in our life to effect the Law by grace instead of works. The Law is our teacher to bring us to Christ. The feasts were his object lessons to show us the dramatic effect of His Law. Every truth in the Law was to manifest itself in the feasts so that the Jewish people would have a witness of the fulfillment when it occurred. The Jewish leaders and people allowed the feasts to become rituals instead of revelations and because of that they rejected the fulfillment or completion of the first four feasts. How did they miss seeing Jesus as their Passover Lamb? Everything that the Passover Lamb suggested or typified, He fulfilled. As we look at the life of Jesus Christ and His death and the numerous perfect expressions of the Passover Feast, we are amazed at such precision. But, remember they missed it because of ritualism and we see it because of revelation. This is a spiritual fact in all truth that never fails. The Apostle Paul adds a kind of finished expression to the thought of the First Testament shadows becoming their light to the brighter day of Christ’s coming. Paul said, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) It would appear that the Jews were certainly free to continue their feasts days as a remembrance of God’s lessons. It is also clear that there is absolutely no spiritual life in those feasts because Christ has come. To place confidence in a communication of grace by any shadow of the First Testament is to revert back to the Law and its powerlessness to save. The glory of the shadow was only in its hope of the promise. Once the promise is completed, it is futile to trust in a shadow. The church must study the values of revelations afforded the First Testament worshipper and then quickly move into the glory of revelations fulfilled. If the ritualism of the Jews so clouded their vision that Jesus Christ was totally rejected then for the church to return to those rituals suggest the same blindness all over again. All of us have probably heard the clear expression of how the two testaments relate to each other. I repeat it for all our benefits. The New Testament is in the First Testament concealed, while the First Testament is in the New Testament revealed. What a glorious hour we are privileged to enjoy. Many has been the Saints in the past that longed to live in this day and yet so many among us only complain. Lift your heads my friends and see what our God is doing. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 36: GOD’S FIRESTORM WILL BURN THE ISLAMIC KORAN ======================================================================== God’s Firestorm Will Burn the Islamic Koran The entire episode around the mosque at Ground Zero or the burning of the Koran is a precursor of prophecy. The War of Gog and Magog will be driven by the false prophecies in the Koran and its dictates for the cleansing of all Jews from Jerusalem and Israel. Ezekiel gave us a powerful timeline for this war and clearly promised that the nations in this coalition will be eliminated from the earth. A firestorm – the likes of which only Sodom and Gomorrah can compare – will erase the Islamic religion from the Middle East and portions of Europe and may affect America. Chapters thirty-six and thirty-seven of this prophetic book, which was written by Ezekiel, promised the revival of the Nation of Israel. In chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine he revealed this war by Israel’s enemies and their effort to cleanse Jerusalem of what they view as the nasty Jews. Immediately after this picture of God’s firestorm against Israel’s enemies, the Scripture promises Israel the rebuilding of their glorious temple and an age of indescribable peace. These Scriptures are so exact that to doubt the present movement towards God’s plans requires disbelief of the Holy Bible. Ezekiel received this prophecy while in exile from Jerusalem and living on the bank of the Kebar River in Babylon. Some writers speak of the Islamic religion as the religion of the Antichrist, but this is misguided. The Antichrist is clearly pictured in Revelation chapter seventeen as the intimate companion of the false whore church of Christianity. At no point in the twenty-two chapters of Revelation is there one bit of evidence of an Islamic religion even existing. The Islamic religion is the religion that drives the War of Gog and Magog but the apostate religion of the false church drives the Antichrist movement. The Antichrist’s passion is to unseat the God of the Bible not the god of Islam. The nations that Ezekiel prophesied to lead this War of Gog and Magog are in perfect alignment. The two leading nations are Russia and Iran, named by Ezekiel by their original connections – Gog and Magog and Persia. If Ezekiel was alive today he could not state the facts around the coming war better. Look at this precise statement — a little research will show its perfection. “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.” “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee” (Ezekiel 38:2, Ezekiel 38:5-6). The coalition may well embrace as many as 25-30 governments and an army of incredible numbers. They all will be driven by the Islamic fury against Israel and America. There is no date set by this prophecy, but the present storm is certainly evidence of how quickly the fury can reach the necessary pitch. What is happening may cool down or it may not, but at God’s ordained hour it will explode and the world will tremble. Such an army will gather to march that all possibilities of defense will be eliminated. Israel will clearly see her existence as beyond human hope to survive. Some believe Israel already has a plan that they understand as “Ezekiel’s Option.” Their intent is to exhaust all their military resources and to accept whatever results. When this massive army crosses the borders in Northern Israel – stretching all the way from Russia and covering the countries that border the Promise Land – it will be God’s signal to intervene. Chills of joy run up and down my very being when I consider what our Great God of the pure faith of the Bible is going to do. Burning the Koran is barely worth mentioning. This dark religion is an affront to God and everything He loves and will defend. The firestorm will break with a fury that only faith in God and the Bible can possibly understand. God said it like this, “And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 38:21-23). When God issues this call, the angels of Heaven and Earth will move into action and Israel’s defense will no longer be human. I believe that when the War of Gog and Magog is over, there will not be any capitols in Russia, Turkey, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, and on and on. The city called Mecca will be non-existent and the sands of these capitols will be melted as glass. Joel spoke of the ruins that will welcome the remnant of this army as they try to go home, “But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.” (Joel 2:20-21). I have no desire to burn the Koran although I understand that this book is on the same level as the Satanic Bible. The apostate church of America is full of people that are perfectly willing to call it a “Holy Book.” To do this reveals a state of mind towards the absolute Bible that borders on blasphemy. It’s dark out there and will get darker until our God says it’s enough. That could be and probably is right at the door. To all my Bible-believing friends, “Get ready, judgment is coming.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 37: GOD’S THRONE, SET ABOVE THE EARTH ======================================================================== God’s Throne, Set Above the Earth Shattering! Awesome! Breathtaking! God’s magnificent throne suspended over the Earth. This is our picture in Revelation chapter four and it will continue until the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation concludes. Our Great Heavenly Father is not an absent landlord, but the Present Sovereign that is about to reclaim His lost possession. Satan has been the god of this earth for six thousand years, but the time to cast out the usurper is at hand. The entire earth is trembling with earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms. Even the birds and animals are in great consternation and dying like flies. My friends, it’s almost over! I believe that this overwhelming scene is not up in God’s “Celestial City” but in the open heavens. The judgmental process is both purifying and redemptive and the Father sets His Throne above this earth to direct the proceedings. This heavenly picture will not move back to the Grand Temple until the redemption of this earth is finished; yet, the Pearly White City will be directly above the Father’s Throne and visible from this earth. The great expanse between this earth and heaven will have vanished and the whole earth will be Heaven’s backyard. Satan’s final stand on earth will be seen in contrast to the glory of our God and His Son, Jesus Christ. It will only be by Lucifer’s profound subtlety that multitudes will still follow him to hell. The last contest before the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ will be in full array. Revelation chapter four is the visible drama that John looks upon in full view. He is in the Spirit or it would not be possible for his flesh to behold. The Throne of God is the central scene and theme. The Throne is named twelve times in this one chapter and thirty-nine times in the entire Book of Revelation. The drama begins like this, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation 4:1-3). Around this throne the next important scene is the raptured saints set on thrones that are called “seats.” The word John used was “thronos,” a seat attributed to kings. The throne for the Father was singular but the word for the saints’ thrones is plural. Only the Father has a rainbow over His head and He — not His throne — “was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone.” In both the scene of the Father and the scene of the Saints, the emphasis is not on the thrones but on those seated on them. Even the saints, now called Elders, are “clothed in white raiment and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” From this point to the last chapter of Revelation, the Throne is named and visible over and over. In every case it is not the Throne He is seated upon, but the Sovereign Father seated on the Throne is identified by this Revelation. In chapter six after the sixth of the Seven Seals is opened, the wicked have seen enough to start hiding from the scene hovering over the earth. This picture that John saw as he “beheld” or actually saw it like a drama was breathtaking, “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:14-16). This wicked crowd is clearly tormented by the holiness in the face of God and the face of Jesus Christ. This future revelation will be the return of the fear of God to this earth. The church world has excused sin until “Christians” are perfectly willing to call themselves “saved sinners.” When the Father becomes visible on His throne above this earth, that kind of religion will vanish like a puff of smoke. In chapter seven the throne is still central to the scene. Tribulation saints martyred by Satan’s inquisitors will be caught up to stand before the “Throne.” These saints do not sit as elders or as the Bride of Christ but as victors out of the Great Tribulation. John saw them in this unfolding drama presentation. He said, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). John was privileged to witness the scene of Satan’s last moments in the great expanse of Heaven. With the Throne of God visible for all creation to witness, Satan has a short future. Please keep in mind that John is witnessing this with his own eyes, but, clearly under a great anointing of the Holy Ghost. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9). The victorious 144,000 chosen of Israel are seen before the Throne of the Father in chapter fourteen. In chapter sixteen an unclean spirit begins to gather the vast army to fight for the Antichrist at Armageddon. Here again, the Father’s Throne comes into view and His voice rings out in triumph. “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done” (Revelation 16:17). At this moment the Father’s voice is heard, “It is done,” and the Throne of God is apparently located back in the Temple of the “Celestial City.” The Battle of Armegeddon is the mopping up operation of the Seven Years of Great Tribulation. In chapter nineteen — with the end in view — this great company of Elders is worshipping around the Throne saying, “Amen; Alleluia” (Revelation 19:4 b). Then, we see the “Marriage Supper,” Satan cast out into the Bottomless Pit, the One Thousand Year reign of Jesus Christ, and the White Throne Judgment of the wicked dead, where all will hear the Father as He sits on His Throne saying, “Behold, I make all things new. . .” (Revelation 21:5 b). I’ve got to be there. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 38: HE IS RISEN ======================================================================== He Is Risen The passion of our Savior and Lord is at the heart of our redemption. Yet, that passion quickly becomes mute if we forget the resurrection. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples were locked behind closed doors. Their lives were in danger; their families were in danger. They, no doubt, saw themselves as the laughingstock of Israel. Jerusalem was still in an uproar and guards were standing watch over the Savior’s tomb. I understand there was a rumor in Jerusalem that friends tried to convince Joseph of Arimathaea not to give his tomb for the burial of this confessed Messiah. He is reported to have said, “Why not, He only wants to borrow it for three days.” His disciples had lost one of their number to suicide; Judas’ death was horrible. It was so violent that all his bowels gushed out. As they contemplated the loss of their Lord, one out of their number, and their future, Godly women were carrying burial ointments to the tomb to add embalming spices to a hastily buried Jesus. I can imagine that after they found Jesus’ body gone and were rushing to the location of the eleven, the disciples heard them coming down the alleyway. They must have been screaming, “He’s alive, He’s alive; His grave clothes are there but He is gone.” The disciples’ fear was immediately broken and they openly ran to the graveyard. The immobilizing powers of fear and sorrow were gone because they had heard the tomb was empty. There is not one word of fear ever named again among His disciple s. Hope arose in their hearts like sunrise at midnight. Thank God that we do not worship before a victim on a cross. There is no hope in such a sense. Apostle Paul settled this great truth in his discourse on the resurrection. He said, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:17-20). Our hope is not in contemplating His wounds but rejoicing in His completed victory. The risen Lord they saw was so glorious in resurrection victory that they never talked about His mutilated body again. When they spoke of sharing His death, they spoke not of a lacerated body, but they spoke of death to their plans and dreams and a total surrender to His will. They turned the world “upside down” because His resurrection became their resurrection. “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day (after the resurrection) ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:19-20). What glorious truth! Living a life delivered from sin by His death but raised in His resurrection is the New Testament standard. Apostle Paul did not see Him before He ascended to Heaven but He did see Him shortly thereafter. In his testimony before the Jews in Jerusalem he said, “And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus” (Acts 22:11). Later he testified to King Agrippa, “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me” (Acts 26:13). This victory of a glorified Jesus totally arrested Paul (then called Saul of Tarsus). It was so heavenly that he wrote to the Philippians of his new life and our hope and spoke of this glorious body that Jesus now possessed. Apostle Paul said, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Php 3:20-21). The early churches were powerful in ministry because they served a risen and glorified Lord. His “Glorious Body” was their assurance of their future “Glorified Body.” They never gloried in the lacerated and wounded earthly body that He offered on the cross; they gloried in the “Glorified Body” that reflects the absolute victory of the cross and the Resurrection. “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Hebrews 12:12-13). The “Gospel of Jesus Christ” is the “good news” that He is not in a tomb or on a cross, but He is alive and at the Father’s right hand and soon to appear. Serve Him with great joy and unfailing hope. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 39: HEAVENLY JERUSALEM ======================================================================== Heavenly Jerusalem The City of God in Heaven is just as real as this earth we live on. It is clear in Scripture that the Father in Heaven created the earth for man and Him to enjoy. In original creation -- before sin defiled the earth and man -- the Father would step out of His “Pearly White City” and walk in this garden with Adam. Moses, the author of Genesis, told of the wonderful fellowship that God had in His garden with Adam until sin appeared. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (Genesis 3:8 a). What a story would have continued, but on this occasion sin interrupted a perfect environment. Heaven and earth were so close that the Father and man could have personal fellowship without limitation. The corruption -- sorrow, jealousy, anger, and death -- all began in this garden that our Father had created so perfectly. The Heavenly city did not change and Satan was cast out with all his renegades. While God’s Son was on earth effecting redemption, He told of watching Satan being expelled from His Father’s presence. He said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven” (Luke 10:18 b). The earth began a slow but powerful descent into the muck and mire that we presently witness. Satan and those that follow him are responsible for every heartache and destruction that is visible everywhere. Sickness did not exist until sin. No one can doubt that our environment is practically depleted. Every physical upheaval -- earthquakes and great storms -- are but death pains of societal decay. But a perfect redemptive plan is recorded in the Holy Bible. We call this plan “Prophecy” and the sounds of hope are in the air. Heaven and earth were originally in close proximity to each other or close enough that the great fellowship between the two could unfold daily. But, a great gulf was created by God to separate a sinful world from a holy Heaven. Today, we call it the Second Heaven. Our world has its own Heaven that is full of stars and other created bodies. The Heavenly kingdom is in the Third Heaven, where the great city of God gleams in its splendor. New Jerusalem that the Son of God created for His Bride probably sits in the suburbs waiting for the wedding day. John saw it and recorded its beauty in Revelation chapters twenty-one and two. This Third Heaven is my subject today. The Bible tells us that Jesus came down from Heaven to be born into our world. He said it Himself, “And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but he that came down from Heaven, even the Son of man which is in Heaven” (John 3:13). It was His dwelling place for eternity, but He was willing to come down to us to redeem man and His earth. The headquarters of the Heavenly host of angels is in Heaven. He told His disciples that they would see angels ascending and descending unto Him from Heaven. They are still ascending and descending to minister for those that are His disciples. Heaven is the treasure trove of the saints of God. We do not lay up our treasure here on earth. Jesus told the rich young ruler to give up everything, sell it all, and follow Him. His words are beautiful, “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). Why are the multitudes willing to keep to themselves earthly treasures and store them up for their family to fight over while almost nothing is being sent on ahead as “treasure in Heaven?” If your treasures are in this world, they will soon be obliterated in the cleansing of this earth. This “Pearly White City” that is called Heavenly Jerusalem is, without question, breathtaking to behold. Apostle Paul was caught up to view the city and returned without words to describe it. He said it was unlawful for Him to repeat what He had beheld. John saw the New Jerusalem prepared for the saints, but gave no description of the Holy City itself. The Psalmist David spoke of the Son of God and His returning for the saints. He described Him with beautiful words and then told us He would come out of the ivory palaces of Heavenly Jerusalem. Here are His words, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the “Ivory Palaces,” whereby they have made thee glad” (Psalms 45:8; emphasis added). Three songs later He spoke of the city, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge” (Psalms 48:1-3). Its time to quit living for this passing world and its empty promises. Heaven is the homeland. The great promises of the Lord are intimately connected to a New Heaven and a New Earth all renewed and joined together again. Sin will never interrupt the harmony of our future. The one door into this grand day is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. Surrender to His grace and live the holy life He has prepared for you in His righteousness. Soon, all things He has prepared and promised will be ours to enjoy forever. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 40: HELL HATH ENLARGED HERSELF ======================================================================== Hell Hath Enlarged Herself Hell is in the center of our Earth, where molten rock and brimstone cast themselves about like a Tsunami out of the deep. This hellish place did not exist when God the eternal Father created a perfect world. The world was a garden paradise, where the loving Father could step out of His Ivory City to walk in fellowship with His earthly family. It appears that He created the Earth for His pleasure and retreat like a great garden in the suburbs of Heavenly Jerusalem. The space or distance between the Heavenly City and the Father’s paradise garden probably did not exist until sin was judged. Satan was still a beautiful angel and walked about in God’s city and His garden. He was a breathtaking being to behold. Music flowed from Him in its created splendor and blessed the ears of all God’s universe. Ezekiel spoke of this excellent created cherub, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created” (Ezekiel 28:13). Satan had been created as a masterpiece, revealing the uniqueness of God’s creative powers. He was a jewel in the family of angels; however, his pride somehow caused him to see his beauty as his gift to God instead of God’s gift to him. He used his charm to deceive a great company of angels and, together, they rebelled against the Sovereign God. They were cast out of Heaven and left without any permanent dwelling place. This entire company of Satan and his fallen angels has been vagabonds from that day. Using a beautiful creature as his disguise to sneak into the Garden of Eden revealed his fallen mind as he sought to get even with the Father. In the process He turned that creature into a snake. From the moment Satan was cast out of Heaven, he has had to use trickery in all of his designs. Honesty, beauty, and righteousness do not exist in his world. “. . . For he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). He cannot create, he can only destroy. Remember, he had walked in that garden in the splendor of his created beauty. He had thrilled God’s entire universe with Heavenly music that revealed the highest form of worship. He was one of God’s grandest angels, but now he returned disguised as a snake in his fallen condition. In every place where men give him room, he produces a wilderness. His powers are still paranormal as are all of God’s angels -- fallen or unfallen -- but not supernatural. God’s holy angels can do supernatural things at God’s command but not in and of themselves. This worldwide calamity of Satan had to be judged and the Father created a place called Hell in the heart or center of His earth. The earth’s magnetism demanded great heat within its center to make our world cohesive and inhabitable. It was the chosen place to which Jesus commanded the wicked be exiled and locked up forever. The souls of the wicked are consigned to this horrible place, but it was not created for them. The Bible clearly states it was created for the devil and his angels, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). The souls of men go there because they choose to follow Satan’s kingdom and to reject God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation. Such a multitude has chosen Satan and his world over God and His offer that Hell must be constantly enlarged. The Bible states, “Therefore Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it” (Isaiah 5:14). < /div> There are literally three Hells that await the wicked persons and even morally good people that reject Jesus Christ. God created us for Himself. To reject His Lordship over our lives is to be lost forever. Hell will be filled with the most despicable of wicked souls, but also the careless souls who live valuable lives but refuse the mastery of Christ. The first Hell is in this life and is represented by multitudes that hear the Gospel, experience the Spirit’s conviction, but sin away the grace His Spirit offers. Noah’s day was a picture of these blasphemous persons that rejected mercy and died in the flood. A growing spirit of blasphemy is gripping our world. Once the Holy Spirit withdraws Himself from a person, it is Hell on earth for that soul. A great majority of today’s population is on this road to despair. Probably the greatest percentage of today’s world has sinned away grace than at any time since those that rejected Noah’s message and laughed at the ark he was building. There is a growing hatred for the prophecy message because it represents the same truth and escape as Noah’s Ark. Hell in the center of our earth is the present place of every lost soul that has died since creation. Preachers in our day are preaching a vast number of souls into Heaven that are forever damned in Hell. Nothing could be sadder than the deception about Hell in our pulpits. If anger can make Hell worse, there will certainly be a multitude of ministers that will be cursed by the lost for eternity. Jesus settled the question of eternal fire in His Biblical story of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus’ exact words were, “And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke 16:23-24). Anyone that denies that Hell is a place of eternal fire and torment speaks the language of Biblical confusion and denial. The third possibility of Hell is called the “Lake of Fire.” The Bible gives the location of this damnable place. The ruins of the City of Babylon have been the very center of satanic activities since early history. John describes the scene, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation (dwelling place) of devils, and the hold (captive) of every foul spirit, and a cage (locked) of every unclean and hateful bird”(Revelation 18:2). Isaiah describes the joining of Hell in the heart of the Earth to the ruins of Babylon, where the Lake of Fire will be located. Concerning Satan being cast into the Lake of Fire, he stated, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations” (Isaiah 14:9). The multitudes that are dying without the righteousness of Christ are forever lost. Hell may be full, but it is enlarging its border for the next wave of the damned. The name of Jesus Christ alone is God’s escape from eternal judgment in unquenchable fire. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 41: HELL IS CONSTANTLY ENLARGING ITSELF ======================================================================== Hell Is Constantly Enlarging Itself THE “TORMENTS OF HELL” WILL BE THE TOPIC FOR OPEN BIBLE DIALOGUE THIS SATURDAY! It is desperate to awake the CHURCH to this INFALLIBLE truth. (LIVE on Internet all over the world. Go to Home page at 1:00-2:00 P. M. on Saturday, EST) Hell is the holding place until the WHITE THRONE judgment of the Christ rejecting world and those that live an unholy life. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 22:8) Hell is in the center of our Earth, where molten rock and brimstone cast themselves about like a Tsunami out of the deep. This hellish place did not exist when God the eternal Father created a perfect world. The world was a garden paradise, where the loving Father could step out of His Ivory City to walk in fellowship with His earthly family. It appears that He created the Earth for His pleasure and retreat like a great garden in the suburbs of Heavenly Jerusalem. The space or distance between the Heavenly City and the Father’s paradise garden probably did not exist until sin was judged. Satan was still a beautiful angel and walked about in God’s city and His garden. He was a breathtaking being to behold. Music flowed from Him in its created splendor and blessed the ears of all God’s universe. Ezekiel spoke of this excellent created cherub,“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created” (Ezekiel 28:13). Satan had been created as a masterpiece, revealing the uniqueness of God’s creative powers. He was a jewel in the family of angels; however, his pride somehow caused him to see his beauty as his gift to God instead of God’s gift to him. He used his charm to deceive a great company of angels and, together, they rebelled against the Sovereign God. They were cast out of Heaven and left without any permanent dwelling place. This entire company of Satan and his fallen angels has been vagabonds from that day. Using a beautiful creature as his disguise to sneak into the Garden of Eden revealed his fallen mind as he sought to get even with the Father. In the process Our Father turned that creature into a snake. From the moment Satan was cast out of Heaven, he has had to use trickery in all of his designs. Honesty, beauty, and righteousness do not exist in his world. “. . . For he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). He cannot create, he can only destroy. Remember, he had walked in that garden in the splendor of his created beauty. He had thrilled God’s entire universe with Heavenly music that revealed the highest form of worship. He was one of God’s grandest angels, but now he returned disguised as a snake in his fallen condition. In every place where men give him room, he produces a wilderness. His powers are still paranormal as are all of God’s angels — fallen or non fallen — but not supernatural. God’s holy angels can do supernatural things at God’s command but not in and of themselves. This worldwide calamity of Satan had to be judged and the Father created a place called Hell in the heart or center of His earth. The earth’s magnetism demanded great heat within its center to make our world cohesive and inhabitable. It was the chosen place to which Jesus commanded the wicked be exiled and locked up forever. The souls of the wicked are consigned to this horrible place, but it was not created for them. The Bible clearly states it was created for the devil and his angels, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). The souls of men go there because they choose to follow Satan’s kingdom and to reject God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation. Such a multitude has chosen Satan and his world over God and His offer that Hell must be constantly enlarged. The Bible states, “Therefore Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it” (Isaiah 5:14). There are literally three Hells that await the wicked persons and even morally good people that reject Jesus Christ. God created us for Himself. To reject His Lordship over our lives is to be lost forever. Hell will be filled with the most despicable of wicked souls, but also the careless souls who live valuable lives but refuse the mastery of Christ. The first Hell is in this life and is represented by multitudes that hear the Gospel, experience the Spirit’s conviction, but sin away the grace His Spirit offers. Noah’s day was a picture of these blasphemous persons that rejected mercy and died in the flood. A growing spirit of blasphemy is gripping our world. Once the Holy Spirit withdraws Himself from a person, it is Hell on earth for that soul. A great majority of today’s population is on this road to despair. Probably the greatest percentage of today’s world has sinned away grace than at any time since those that rejected Noah’s message and laughed at the ark he was building. There is a growing hatred for the prophecy message because it represents the same truth and escape as Noah’s Ark. Hell in the center of our earth is the present place of every lost soul that has died since creation. Preachers in our day are preaching a vast number of souls into Heaven that are forever damned in Hell. Nothing could be sadder than the deception about Hell in our pulpits. If anger can make Hell worse, there will certainly be a multitude of ministers that will be cursed by the lost for eternity. Jesus settled the question of eternal fire in His Biblical story of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus’ exact words were, “And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke 16:23-24). Anyone that denies that Hell is a place of eternal fire and torment speaks the language of Biblical confusion and denial. The third possibility of Hell is called the “Lake of Fire.” The Bible gives the location of this damnable place. The ruins of the City of Babylon have been the very center of satanic activities since early history. John describes the scene, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation (dwelling place) of devils, and the hold (captive) of every foul spirit, and a cage (locked) of every unclean and hateful bird”(Revelation 18:2). Isaiah describes the joining of Hell in the heart of the Earth to the ruins of Babylon, where the Lake of Fire will be located. Concerning Satan being cast into the Lake of Fire, he stated, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations” (Isaiah 14:9). The multitudes that are dying without the righteousness of Christ are forever lost. Hell may be full, but it is enlarging its border for the next wave of the damned. The name of Jesus Christ alone is God’s escape from eternal judgment in unquenchable fire. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 42: HELL IS REHEARSING FOR ARMAGEDDON ======================================================================== Hell is Rehearsing for Armageddon The term Armageddon appears in the Bible only one time (Revelation 16:16). It has reference to the concluding battle of the seven-year tribulation period. It is a mistake if we fail to see that this battle actually represents the entire period that prepares the world for this concluding act of God’s judgment. In other words, Armageddon is better represented as the entire “End Time Cataclysmic Period” which will end in the valley of Megiddo (Har-Megiddon, Strong’s Concordance). Please note the Holy Scripture that describes the preparation for this event. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:13-16) I believe the preparation for this final judgment is already in progress. Satan’s crowd must prepare and John the Revelator clearly described that fact. “For they are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16:14) Of course, this unholy trinity (Satan, Antichrist, and Anti-spirit) believes that they can win against the great God Jehovah. We have interpreted a statement in Revelation 12:12, “he knoweth that he hath but a short time,” to suggest he expects defeat. Instead it should be understood that he knows he has only a short time to win before God will conclude his last chance to take control of the world. The entire “One World Government” and “One World Religion” that Satan will promote and control is his grand scheme to create such a world power and spiritual (evil) force that he can finally succeed in defeating God and take his seat as the “Supreme Authority.” You may say it is crazy to believe that Satan is expecting to win. How can you read his grand design for world control, economic mastery (by his controlling all buying and selling), and the entire religious harlotry of Biblical prophecy, and not believe Satan plans to win? Satan is preparing the ultimate effort to remove God from His throne, to defeat the Lord Jesus as the Savior of men and to defile the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit of Holiness. Believe the Word of God; Satan will lose. The Satanists Are Preparing Their Followers A noted author of pyramidology occultic materials wrote the following in his book, The Armageddon Script: “Their script is now written, subject only to last minute editing and stage direction. The stage itself, albeit as yet in darkness, is almost ready. Down in the pit, the subterranean orchestra is already tuning up. The last minute, walk-on parts are even now being filled. Most of the main actors, one suspects, have already taken up their roles. Soon it will be time for them to come on stage, ready for the curtain to rise. The time for action will have come.” (Peter LeMesurier, The Armageddon Script.) Biblical terminology literally fills the writings and language of the New Agers and occultic leaders. They talk about the number 666, about saving the world (not souls), and about a harmonious, peace-loving age when everybody lives happily ever after. Read the following statements by these “spirits of devils” going forth to “the whole world to gather them” (world population) to this awesome hour of the final conflict between the true God and the idiot god, Satan. “The blueprint for a peaceful, loving and harmonious world has been drawn. Prayer, meditation, positive affirmations, spiritual families and global healing events such as Live Aid and the December 31st World Peace Event all contribute to this blueprint.” (Harmonic Convergence Brochure.) “I have come to believe firmly today that our future, peace, justice, and fulfillment, happiness and harmony on this planet will not depend on world government but on divine or cosmic government…my great personal dream is to get a tremendous alliance between all major religions and the U. N.” (Robert Muller, former director of the United Nations and now president of “Peace University.”) “Humanity is on the verge of something entirely new, a further evolutionary step unlike any other: the emergence of the first global civilization.” (Thomas Berry, Catholic theologian.) “I (see) images of a new heaven and a new earth…THIS WORLD will be saved. The planet will be healed and harmonized. We can let the kingdom come…which means that THIS WORLD can be transformed into a heaven right now…This is no fantasy. This is not scientific or religious fiction. This is the main event of our individual lives.” (John Randolph Price, Organizer of the World Instant of Cooperation.) “…Every major religion of the world has similar ideals of love, the same goal of benefiting humanity through spiritual practice…The most important thing is to look at details of theology or metaphysics…I believe that all the major religions of the world can contribute to world peace and work together for the benefit of humanity if we put aside subtle metaphysical differences, which are really the internal business of each religion…The undying faith in religion clearly demonstrates the potency of religion as such. This spiritual energy and power can be purposefully used to bring about the spiritual conditions necessary for world peace.” (Dalai Lama.) “All human institutions, professions, programs and activities must be judged primarily according to the extent they either obstruct and ignore or foster a mutually enhancing human-earth relationship. That is how good and evil will be judged in the coming years.” (Donald Keys, President of Planetary Citizens.) A noted New Ager, Jose’Arguelles, presented a 25-year plan to set up the New World Order. His plan began in 1987 at an event called “Harmonic Convergence.” They have promoted two World Prayer Days the last being on December 31st 1991. Every religious thought or faith was invited to participate. Their basic philosophy is an idea called “Global Consciousness” in which they teach we all must help make changes. God, to the New Ager like Arguelles, is not personal but the global community of consciousness. If we can change our thought patterns to peace, harmony, and goodwill to everybody (except those religious maniacs called Jesus followers) we can evolve to the next round on the evolutionary scale, so they teach. It’s called a “paradigm shift in consciousness.” It is nothing but Satanic delusion. The word “paradigm” is the biggest new word in the language of the liberals. Beware of anyone who uses it. Spiritual Warfare While Satan is preparing his agents on a worldwide scale in a visible and religious political manner, there is a subtle, but deadly warfare going on in the spirit world. It has always been a spiritual battle to obey the Holy Scripture and serve Jesus Christ as Lord. Scriptures are extremely clear that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) If this has been true in the past, how much greater is this warfare presently. Jesus clearly stated that, “As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:36) There were demons (sons of God) who appeared in visible form during Noah’s day, who even cohabited with women producing giants and clearly terrorizing the last inhabitants before the terrible judgment of the flood. I believe we are in for a flood of filth and wickedness that will be overwhelming to any man or woman that is not covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost. Fear and torment is already the scourge of this generation. Don’t think that the “Bride of Christ” will escape seeing the horrible prelude to the tribulation period. I’m expecting Jesus to return any moment, but I know that until He returns there will be an ever increasing activity of Satanism and his dark beguiling demons. Any believer who expects to escape deception and confusion must submerge himself or herself in the Holy Scripture and learn to lean on the abiding presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Christians must refuse to listen or entertain “the counsel of the ungodly.” (Psalms 1:1-6) Don’t spend a moment in any atmosphere where Jesus Christ is not Lord or the infallible Bible is not the final authority. Increasing Demonic Activity: Warning To The Church The prophecy of Revelation clearly describes this increasing tide of Satanic powers. While this prophecy places the time period in the tribulation after the Rapture has occurred, it certainly suggests that the early stages will be visible before the actual seven-year period begins. Notice chapter 16 and the verses I presented at the beginning of this article. In verse 12 the activity begins in the Euphrates River (Babylon sits on its original banks) and proceeds to show “unclean spirits, like frogs,” which proceed from the mouths of Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. They go forth to deceive and prepare the world for this forthcoming war between heaven and hell. Then, suddenly, the Holy Spirit inspires John to speak to the church. “Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garment (wedding attire) lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” (Revelation 16:15) There is only one reason He placed this great warning in the midst of such a clear description of Satan’s evil power that will reign in the dark period before the final battle of Armageddon. We in the church waiting for the “Rapture” are now witnessing the rise of these evil forces. They will continue to increase until the Rapture and then explode after the church Bride is gone. Paul was clear to state that the Bride of Christ filled with the Holy Ghost is the only restraining power on this earth. “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8) This Scripture does not suggest that Satan cannot do anything toward his goal of world control before the Bride of Christ is gone, but rather that he is limited. History will certainly confirm that he has had great power to destroy; but, also, that he has never been able to create world domination like he will do when the restraints are lifted. Here’s how Apostle Paul describes what will happen when the Bride has escaped. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause 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.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) Whatever wickedness we can now identify, it will be many times worse after the “First Resurrection out from among the dead.” “If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the dead (out from among the dead).” (Php 3:11) No wonder Paul constantly labored to be ready to escape the things coming to pass and to stand before the Lord. Revelation Chapters 8 and 9. These two chapters describe in detail the flood of demons and their activity during the end. The entire picture is preceded by an explanation of the power of prayer. “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censor; and there was given him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censor, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:3-5) It is evident that the seven trumpets that were mentioned in verse two before the scene of prayer/power were held in check until the church was safe and her prayers remembered. We are always at the heart of His action. The Seven Trumpets all suggest great consternation upon the earth. The first four deal with the earth’s resources and the Heavenlies. Then follows the unleashing of the inhabitants of the damned and the spirits bound in their prisons. Jude stated, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 1:6) These are very likely the sons of God who invaded Noah’s world (Notice Jude said, “left their habitation.”) and were shut up until the present to protect the earth from their utter destructive powers. Whoever they represent, they are to be released in the end to receive their justice in judgment. The fifth and sixth trumpets deal with this region of the darkness and opens up their prison doors to the earth. The entire physical earth comes under siege from hell’s inhabitants. Seal five describes an undisclosed number who are under the kingship of the angel of the bottomless pit. His name is Abaddon in Hebrew or Apollyon in the Greek tongue. These “damned creatures” take on the appearance of locusts who look like horses with destructive powers so great that the men they attack seek death as escape. John said, “And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt men five months.” (Revelation 9:10) The sixth seal is worse. This second company of fallen creatures is connected with Ancient Babylon and the deception of the ages. They are numbered at 200,000,000 and are charged to kill the third part (l/3) of mankind. The entire picture is of an invasion out of the subterranean shadows of the earth where the wicked dead and fallen angels have festered with hatred, vileness and anger at everything within their reach. They will scourge the earth to torment and wreak havoc on all living beings. Preparing For The Final Battle No question but that Satan is preparing for the end time drama with the expectation of winning. It’s evident that he will use all of his resources. The wicked living will serve him. The apostate church will offer their worship as he presents himself as their god. The Antichrist and false prophet will succeed in blinding and convincing the world for the new false “trinity.” Joining these will be the fallen angels, the wicked dead turned loose for a short period, and the army of demon spirits under Satan’s control. It will be a dreadful company of the vilest creatures ever assembled. No wonder the name “Armageddon” holds such ominous vibrations. Even Satan’s present followers on earth are anticipating this occasion. Jesus Christ Returns To Fight The mighty Redeemer becomes the Warrior King. He appears out of the Heavenlies like a God/Man with celestial attire. He rides an awesome stallion of spotless white and leads an army of triumphant saints. He is no longer the broken reed of Calvary, bleeding for sin’s cleansing. He is now the judge of all who spurned His reconciling sacrifice. He comes to set right the rebellions of all creatures. It’s time for righteousness to show its transcending authority. While He does tread the winepress of wrath and experience the bloodstain of battle, it’s a quick victory and all rebellion is brought to judgment. Satan’s well planned schemes and multitude of support has been of no avail. He is defeated and the King of Kings begins His triumphant takeover. “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must loosed a little season.” Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:1-3, Revelation 20:6) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 43: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY ======================================================================== Holy, Holy, Holy "Holy, Holy Holy" will be the first song we hear when we are Raptured up to Heavenly Jerusalem. The highest level of praise to which a saint might ascend is that place of worship that God Himself quickly inhabits. His Word has promised that He inhabits the praise of His saints. “O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalms 22:3). We were created to love our Heavenly Father and to voice our greatest emotion is to join His cherubims in singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Just as soon as we reach His celestial throne, the great living creatures will be sounding out Heaven’s highest praise. The character of Heaven is not love. That is Heaven’s undying emotion. It is not mercy, although mercy is the reaction of God to His fallen race. The character of God is Holiness, so the song of the angelic throng is “Holy, Holy, Holy!” It is impossible for the Rapture not to occur between the first and fourth verses of Revelation chapter four. Immediately the scene moves from the troubled churches of chapters two and three to a transcending view of Almighty God and His worshipping creation. The Son is there because He is the voice of the grand event. The Holy Spirit is there because He is the Seven Lamps of Fire. The angelic multitude is there to lead in worship by the thrice sounding of the “Holy” chorus. Occupying center stage are twenty-four lesser thrones, the grand seats of triumphant saints. Sixty-five previous books of the Holy Truth could never boast of such a movement. These saints are seated in regal splendor. This splendor was not earned by human birth or obtained by careless promotions. The position of popes, priests, bishops, or deacons was not even considered in these rewards. These are blood-washed saints that represent an unnumbered multitude that have paid the price of being overcomers. They have forsaken the world to follow the highest calling. They have counted earthly attainment as loss compared to the glory of following their Master. They have reached the star-studded triump of entering the Heavenly Jerusalem. The moments of man’s greatest hope has finally arrived. The Heavenly Father is welcoming His Son’s Bride. They are properly attired in the purity of spotless white robes. Sacred blood spilled on a cruel cross has prepared the wedding garments for this grand event. The cherubims are prepared to worship the thrice revealed and thrice Holy God. “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). Nothing in the Bible has ever been revealed to match this scene. The Throne of God is wrapped in a rainbow of brilliant colors. The Father that walked with Noah and Enoch, but made Himself invisible because of human sins, is once again visible to the redeemed multitude. Satan’s payday has arrived and the process of reclaiming a lost world has been set in motion. The redeemed of the earth are no longer struggling with the daily temptations and no longer facing the despite of evil enemies. They are elevated, glorified elders ready to join the action of divine judgment. The days of triump have arrived. Our Heavenly Father will be personally present and will be seated upon His throne in the Heavenly sphere. Saints of His kingdom have longed to look upon Him and drink in the majesty of His revealed glory. The Psalmist David prayed, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalms 17:15). It is impossible to walk with God in the graces of Calvary and not long for the day when we shall enter His presence. Christ’s redeeming and sanctifying blood will not just cleanse a soul from sin, but will also fill that soul with a righteousness that is fixed on Him and Him alone. If you walk in grace, you will long for the day when you are free from the encumbrance of this flesh. John the Revelator struggled for words to describe Him on His throne. Without a doubt the Lord Jesus inspired this description, “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 4:3-5). As the host of cherubims -- living creatures -- watches the unfolding drama of this reunion of the Father and His separated family, they can contain themselves no longer. They prepare themselves to burst forth into Heavenly praises declaring, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8). The name of their song is clearly, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” We do not yet know all the words of this refrain. As they sing praises to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, it is then stated, “And . . . those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever” (Revelation 4:9). Now, the saints either join or follow after these great angelic creatures in praise to God. With united voices, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:10-11). In chapter four the Raptured saints sing of the Father and praise Him with voices that are unlimited by flesh. But, then, in chapter five they sing of their Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The Bible says that we sing a new song to Him, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10). Music was created as the language of praise. Every time you sing you praise something or someone. The saints of God -- the Rapture-ready believers -- must prepare for this triumphant day. We must be freed from the lust of this world and sanctified to praise and worship. We are getting ready to go. The greatest worship of human experience is just ahead for the Saints of God. Revelation chapter four opens to the grand hour of “Hallelujah’s,” “Amen’s,” and the Heavenly Song, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Will you be ready to ascend and break forth in Heavenly music? There will not be a notice for last minute preparations. The call of God is clear, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44.) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 44: HORRORS OF HELL ======================================================================== Horrors of Hell In our present society almost no one trembles at the Word of God or before God Himself. We have become a proud, although broken, generation that is glorying in our self-esteem and positive thinking. Since we do not need to fear Him, we do not respect Him and are therefore slowly replacing Him with an impersonal god that is more on our human level. Religious educators and leaders have convinced the modern preachers to present a more benign God and gospel to this generation to attract a larger portion of the community to their institutions. Indeed it has, but the level of Christianity in these churches is woefully unbiblical. America needs a dose of the theology of Hell. A proper presentation of the final judgment and the eternal abode of unsaved and wicked men would help shake our churches back to their senses. Our permissive discipline in the home has destroyed the family and is now destroying the church. Three doctrinal truths must be clearly enunciated before the realities about Hell are taught and preached. Commitment to the Bible If you don’t believe the Bible is absolute, you will have trouble believing what it says about the horrors of Hell and the Lake of Fire. I would not dare write what I’m writing about this horrible place if I did not know the Holy Scripture was God-breathed and perfect. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). I also believe the reverse is true, that families and society will have a greater respect for Holy Scripture when they clearly understand eternal judgment. The Holiness of God Our God is absolutely holy. He is perfect in every aspect of His eternal being and cannot tolerate rebellion in His universe without proper consequences. To think of our Heavenly Father turning murderers and rapists loose to continue the defiling of humankind right into eternity defies the perfect nature of His very person. The flaming sword at the entrance to the Garden of Eden sets the tone for how He treats sin and rebellion. Rebellion could not eat of the Tree of Life lest it exist forever. The Redemption of Jesus Christ The cruelest thing you can suggest is that Jesus Christ died for everyone; that He took our sins on Himself as our substitute; and that He experienced the judgment of God against sin at Calvary. Yet, that same God will not send anyone to Hell because a loving God could not possibly do that. “For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The Biblical Picture of Those Assigned To Eternal Horrors: Nothing will awaken you to spiritual things like the picture of damned souls separated forever from everything beautiful. According to the Bible, the following is an incomplete list of persons and groups of individuals who will be lost and judged to spend eternity in the “Lake of Fire.” 1. The Children of this World’s Kingdom: “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11-12). 2. The Selfish and Worldly Who Live For Themselves: “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:23-26). 3. Unprofitable Servants Who Bury Their Talents: “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:28-30, Matthew 25:41, Matthew 25:46). 4. Multitudes Who Were Undisciplined As Children: “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Proverbs 23:13-14). 5. Those Who Offend And Do Iniquity: “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity” (Matthew 13:30, Matthew 13:38-41). 6. Those Who Reject the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). 7. Whosoever Was Not Found Written In The Book Of Life: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15, Revelation 20:10). 8. The Fearful, Unbelieving, Abominable, Murderers, Whoremongers, Sorcerers, Idolaters, and All Liars: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Difference Between Hell and the Lake Of Fire Remember, Hell is the abode of the wicked dead, but the Lake of Fire is the place of eternal judgment. The wicked will remain in Hell from the time of their death until the White Throne Judgment. Then Hell will deliver up its dead to be judged. Then, they will be assigned to the Lake of Fire. It’s important to understand the kind of bodies that the wicked will possess for eternity. Jesus described the resurrection of all men during His earthly ministry. St. John records His words, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). Notice the difference in the two groups; one is a resurrection of life, while the other is a resurrection of damnation. The children of God will come out of the graves with glorified bodies, endued with life in the fullest sense. It will be life without the limitation of anything human. The opposite is true for the wicked and unsaved. There is a resurrection of damnation. Even their bodies will be fashioned in the horrors of depleted humanity. Every conceivable limitation and misery of human experience will constitute the design of these eternal creatures. They will dwell forever in a body that is full of death. It will be an eternal death. The Horrors of the Lake of Fire The bodies which these damned creatures will inhabit is Hell itself, but that’s just the beginning. Let’s use only the explicit words of Holy Scripture to try and paint a picture of this horrible damnation. God never intended that one living soul would spend eternity in this place. It was prepared for the devil and his angels. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Outer Darkness “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12). This term is used three times in Holy Scripture. We are not talking about a moonless midnight or the condition of a dark and foreboding cloud. The term outer darkness would suggest a place completely outside the realm of all light: beyond the very light of creation or a place of uncreated blackness and darkness. In the Book of Genesis the Bible speaks before God created light, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). In such a place of outer darkness or uncreated darkness, there will never be even a glimmer or ray of light. No beauty of a created sunshine or sunset, a rainbow, or even a moon or stars will ever appear. There will be nothing, as we know life, to brighten or cheer the constantly deepening gloom. We are talking about darkness totally beyond the reach of light. Weeping and Wailing “And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:49-50). The physical pain that we presently experience has no kin to what a resurrection of damnation suggests. The mental stress of such an environment will be shattering. I would suggest that these words, “weeping and wailing” is more descriptive of emotion and mental pain than physical. We probably know nothing in this present world of the kind of insanity this suggests. It will be conscious insanity, while present insanity is more likely to be unconscious. A mental hell is the ultimate fact this truth seeks to convey. Gnashing Of Teeth “Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13). While weeping and wailing is suggestive of emotional pain, gnashing of teeth is probably evidence of both emotional and physical pain. This term certainly means excruciating pain that causes individuals to grind their teeth, but we are talking about more than physical discomfort. The term suggests rage or an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. It’s one thing to hurt, but it’s another matter to be hopeless of ever experiencing relief. “Gnashing of teeth” certainly implies that these individuals have reached a state when they know pain is beyond their escape. It is a conscious experience of misery -- emotionally and physically -- that will never end. Everlasting Punishment and Destruction Acceptance is a basic need of every individual. Our Creator created the God-shaped vacuum in man and acceptance by Him is the basis of happiness. When the prodigal was away from home, sitting on a pig fence, the Bible says, “He came to himself.” In this renewed, clear state of mental health he wanted to go home. That’s God-given sanity. The place of everlasting punishment is to be removed from this acceptance forever. Chastisements, as we now know it, are for a moment and we know that even as we suffer. This punishment is for eternity and we will be conscious of that. Please note that this Scripture emphasizes, “Everlasting punishment from the presence of the Lord.” The rankest sinner on earth can still drink in the blessings that fall on the just and unjust alike. While man is in his present state, even though he has rejected God, he still experiences a multitude of things that represent the Creator and His presence. Where the Worm Dieth Not “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44). The reality of eternal destruction reaches an indescribable level at this point. The very words, “where their worm dieth not,” mean exactly what he said. Jesus used a word that means a maggot or grub, which feeds on dead bodies. It is the exact word used in Acts 12:23 which states, “And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:23). We are talking about dying bodies being invaded by devouring worms that cannot die. The only words to describe that state are “a living hell.” Unquenchable Fire “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable” (Luke 3:17). Here we see fire that far surpasses what is presently known to man. Fire consumes; therefore, we know only of a fire that is limited to the limitations of our present world. Hell and the Lake of Fire are both unquenchable fires. Very clearly, it does not consume and is unlimited in its Fahrenheit. The Bible then adds the last level to this fiery judgment. Tormented With Fire and Brimstone “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20). “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). When you add the idea of being “tormented in fire and brimstone” to the prior elements of eternal damnation, the Lake of Fire becomes an unexplainable horror. Brimstone is burning sulfur. It is both a destructive chemical when burning and is insufferable in its heat and terror. The Encyclopedia Britannica says that . 06% of the earth’s surface is sulfur and that it is the 9th most abundant element in the universe. When found in its original form, it is yellow, but turns red and then black as it is heated. It boils at 444. 6 degrees Fahrenheit. Volcanoes are made up mostly of boiling hot sulfur. It sounds apocalyptic when you understand the changes of colors that sulfur passes through in becoming brimstone. The torture of this kind of burning experience defies one’s comprehension. No wonder many modern preachers and students of Scripture have rejected this truth. How can God send men and women to a living hell? The truth is “He does not.” He is absolutely bent on keeping you out of this horrible place. Don’t ever say, “God will send you to Hell.” Only your denial and rebellion before His marvelous grace can determine such a hopeless eternity. Yes, Hell is a horrible place! Everything the Bible says about Hell or the Lake of Fire is true. It will be a Christ-less and hellish place. Billions will inhabit its misery. Will you be one of them or will you fling yourself on Jesus Christ and His forgiving and cleansing Blood today? “What will wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 45: IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE JESUS WILL APPEAR ======================================================================== In The Twinkling Of An Eye Jesus Will Appear THE TWINKLE OF AN EYE IS 1/1100 (ONE-ELEVEN HUNDRETH) OF A SECOND AND THAT IS THE SUDDENESS OF THE RAPTURE. The Doctrine of Imminence is one of the New Testament’s most profound subjects. The idea plainly warns us of the necessity of living every moment with our heart set on His return. We must never just believe in the Rapture but we must live on the edge of this world with one foot a few inches above the ground. That’s spiritually speaking of the great hunger to see Jesus and to leave for our “Homeland” at any twinkle. The Son of God filled His messages with the warning and hope of His return. He trained His Disciples to be so in love with Him as the Son of God that they would never love this world. The early church showed great evidence that they expected Him in their lifetime. Apostle Paul had to teach the Christians not to despair over those that died because the Lord would come for both the dead and the living. He stated, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14) The sainted millions have watched for Him ever since He arose to ascend into the clouds! Our Savior and Redeemer wanted us to understand how absolutely glorious His return would be. He also was very plain about being ready and having on the wedding garment. Luke recorded His powerful warning, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” (Luke 21:32-35) He spoke of the ‘Fig Tree Parable’ and stated that this was a mystery to announce the generation to witness His return to snatch out the Bride. We live in a very privileged generation with powerful evidence that this is the time for His sudden appearance. When you couple the events in Israel with worldwide signs it takes utter spiritual blindness to miss the picture. No possibility of a One World Government has ever existed before. The world leaders are totally bent on uniting the world economy and government. America has been the last holdout to “One Worldism.” That is being ripped out of our control by the current powers in Washington. Jesus warns us that this coming period of darkness would be like a snare. “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” (Luke 21:35) He also spoke of the sleeping church that would have to be aroused to meet Him and the great number that would be without oil and light. “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” (Matthew 25:5-6) The church world refuses to believe that much of their membership is totally unprepared to go. It will only be after the trumpet that the multitudes will wake up to their drunkenness. The sorrow of that is too much to think about. The “cheap grace” preachers will be the most hated crowd left. Please consider the necessity of total surrender to Jesus Christ. Listen to the Holy Ghost speaking by Apostle Paul. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which 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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (2 Peter 3:10-14) “Without spot and blameless” sounds very plain to me. Why should a believer dare to believe anything else? The twinkling of an eye is a beautiful thought. It was Apostle Paul that used those words. “Behold, I shew 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.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) There will be no announcement. This event will be so sudden as to be startling. The moment it occurs will finish the selection. It’s either I’m watching and ready to go, or I or you will be left. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 46: IN THE NAME OF JESUS ======================================================================== In the Name of Jesus The name of Jesus is not a magical formula or an esoteric manipulation. We do not use His name to put pressure on His Father or to under gird our own unbelief. The sole use of the name of Jesus must reflect an equal absolute surrender to His redemption and His Lordship over our lives. To try to use His name while pursing our own will, life, and conduct is selfishness and greed. It’s like claiming the bank’s president as your father at a teller’s window when you cannot even pronounce his last name. At the same time, a devoted believer that has forsaken all to follow Jesus Christ is wealthy in his household. There isn’t any need or burden that a child of God cannot claim as their portion in the family. This is not a “name it, claim it” bazaar, but it is a life in the covenant of His blood. Our Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit have adopted us in the Father’s family, where there are perfect provisions. Our God is a covenant-keeping God and has even sworn by His own name to keep every promise. This covenant is a blood-covenant - His Divine blood without the stains of Adam’s sin. Because God’s Son was born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Ghost, no guilt was reflected in this offering of His blood. Divine blood cannot corrupt because only the sin nature or the act of sin can cause death. Both the Son of God in His earthly tabernacle and the blood sacrifice are forever preserved. The blood is on the altar in the Heavenly Temple. The golden temple of Solomon was only an earthly counterpart. The Son of God, with the scars of every wound inflicted, is seated at the Father’s right hand. It’s a perfect covenant that is based on perfect blood from a perfect Kinsman Redeemer. Apostle Paul spoke of this covenant and its active manifestations of the blood. “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven” (Hebrews 12:24-25). The Father testified that He heard Abel’s blood speaking from the ground; yet, that blood was far inferior to the blood of our covenant. What must the Father hear when He listens to His precious Son’s divine blood when it is sprinkled in the sacrifices of surrender and worship. It is a living sacrifice that will never need to be offered again. Now, we can see the unfailing foundation of our prayers when they are offered in Jesus’ name. We are not using a formula of praying but a covenant of praying. The total sacrifice of His cross and the shedding of His blood are bound up “In His Name.” He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:12-14). This is the hidden secret of unanswered prayers. There is probably more praying - if we can call it that - with fewer results than ever in church history. Look at Peter and John at the temple in Jerusalem. They were two ordinary men that were totally immersed in the power of His name. They did not manifest one doubt about the authority of this supernatural name. “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give 1Thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:6-7). When the crowd wanted to attribute the miracle to these two saints, they declared, “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16). It’s a simple matter of learning afresh who He was, what He did, and who He presently is. Then, we can live “In His Name.” The blood is alive, He is alive, and we are invited to live within the fellowship of His family. He possesses all things in Heaven and on earth, and He holds the title deed of all. The covenants of the Holy Scripture are just as immersed in His blood as if it was dripping from your fingers as you hold the Book. When you say, “In His Name,” yell it out loud if need be until your soul is saturated with faith. When you fast and pray, do it to purify and fill your soul with His righteousness. His righteousness is filled with His faith. He will fill you with both if you give up on yourself and depend only on Him. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 47: IRAQ: THE REBIRTH OF BABYLON ======================================================================== Iraq: The Rebirth of Babylon A prophet of God prophesied over twenty-five hundred years ago that Babylon would experience a rebirth and that it would be a very painful experience. The prophet made it plain that this rebirth would be dramatic and sorrowful, even like a "carcass trodden under foot." The people of this rebirth would be troubled by evildoers. These evildoers were destined to create great trauma for the population of this reborn nation. Its entire period of a short-lived renewal would be plagued with trouble. The prophet Isaiah did not miss one point. Here are his perfect predictions as given to him by the Holy Spirit, "But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD. I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 14:19-23) (This is the kind of prophecy that makes the Word of God breathtaking.) It has been as if Babylon and Iraq did not exist in the mind of the church world for nearly two thousand years. Any talk of Babylon being rebuilt has been met with mostly sarcasm or cries of ignorance. I received an e-mail just this week calling me insane for speaking of literal Babylon in Bible prophecy. This man, along with a multitude, has declared with vigor that the United States is modern Babylon. Actually, there are not many cities in the world that could not be called Babylon if you speak of the tragic presence of utter moral filth. Because, prophetically, Babylon has been in the grave; I can understand why this vigorous denunciation of the few unwavering souls that dare to believe God meant what He said to Isaiah. This is always the case with Bible prophecy. It is why Israel did not know that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah. They did not take Scripture literally. I have dared to prophesy of Babylon’s rebirth for over forty years. The response has been mixed, but, finally, it is changing toward the positive. Everything Isaiah said is happening. The danger in Iraq, at the present, is of itself prophetic. This reborn nation will never know the peace we enjoy in America. Bloodshed will dot their existence until the fateful hour of God’s judgment. My heart hurts for the innocent people of this struggling nation. They are there by birth and have never known anything but living with sorrow. Those among them that know Jesus Christ as Savior can take heart because God never judges the righteous with the wicked. As the fateful hour of judgment draws near, God will speak to His own. His words are already recorded, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4 b) Those who talk of evangelizing Iraq and making it a Christian nation are extremely foolish and have no sense of Bible prophecy. Of course, individuals can and will be converted and for that cause we should be committed. There is already an incredible movement of the One World Religion and Babylon will be a key focus. It will not be Bible-believing Christianity. Paul Crouch of TBN was there at the same time as I was during my recent trip, but he was there spreading his false religion of replacement theology. I personally heard him bragging about his commitment to ecumenicalism of the One World church. He did not use that term, but his language was plain. He made fun of the word Protestant and personally said, "I am not protesting anything." In fact he was working toward starting a TV station covering Iraq. He, or someone that represents him, will be there to announce the Antichrist to the world. This great prophecy in Isaiah is being fulfilled as I write. This nation will become the center of a one-world government. The United Nations is already discussing moving their headquarters to Babylon. Let me quote the most recent discussion concerning this fact. "Triggered by the Iraq War, informed sources say that the international Quartet of world powers (the US, UN, European Union and Russia) has drafted a proposal to transfer the seat of the United Nations to Baghdad (ancient Babel or Babylon)! The move would relieve the space constraints of the New York headquarters while also freeing it from the physical jurisdiction of the US. Though it’s only a draft of the Quartet, plans appear to be in the works to establish a third and perhaps final worldwide organization." (Israel Today, December 2003) (Pre-Trib Perspectives, March 2004) The United Nations is pagan to the heart. They hate America and Israel; and our nation will be blessed to be free of their influence. Babylon is being reborn by Divine decree so it can be judged by Divine perfection. Notice the last verse of Isaiah’s prophecy. He said, "I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 14:23) John stated near the close of Holy Scripture, "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." (Revelation 18:20-21) The presence of the Shiite Muslims in Southern Iraq is prophetic. The leaders of this sect could not hate Christianity with a greater hatred. They are the final product of the very heart and soul of Babylon, and they will be judged with the city where false religion was born. Northern Iraq is destined to become a great nation and will be called Assyria during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. Again, Isaiah prophesied of this future fact, "And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians." (Isaiah 19:22-23) The Cradle of Civilization has become an incredible center of End Times fulfillment. Watch for a future Prophecy News Alert dealing with Northern Iraq and the rise of a reborn Assyria. The Word of God has never been more alive with perfect fulfillment. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 48: ISLAMIC RADICALS GOD'S SOLUTION ======================================================================== Islamic Radicals God’s Solution The world is rightly alarmed at the threat of the Islamic radicals. The fundamentalist elements of this false religion may not be the majority, but they control a scary multitude. According to recent polls conducted by a reputable organization, approximately seven percent (7%) of Muslims worldwide are radical, support suicide bombers and are committed to an Islamic domination of the world. With 1. 3 billion Muslims worldwide that 7% represents 91 million, and at least 117,500 of these radicals live in America. Every one of the 91 million Muslims are potential candidates to be used to attack, kill, and eliminate humans that stand in their way. What an awesome fact to go to bed with every night! A massive effort is underway by leading radical Muslims to guarantee that their Islamic forces possess a nuclear arsenal. We must understand that the only thing protecting Israel and America at this very moment is our massive military power. Within our military circles there also exists a powerful and capable intelligence network. It’s important for the intelligent organization to tap telephones and gather information from every available source. You should be thankful for their ability to disrupt planned attacks. Still, if there was not – above all of the military and intelligent abilities — a Sovereign God that controls every final act of mankind, we would still be hopeless. This earth is the Lord’s and He will have the final word on how this scary world ends the present age. That does not mean that suffering and sorrows will all be eliminated. Every aborted baby, every act of adultery or fornication, and every same-sex act or marriage will be adjudicated in judgment. Sin -- unconfessed and unforsaken sins -- must be judged. Every single act of sin that is not purified and cleansed by the Blood of Christ will be purified by judgment. Great sorrows are clearly on the horizons. But Our Heavenly Father will have the last word. I believe the War of Gog and Magog will occur right before the Rapture or immediately after the Rapture. This war will affect the Islamic world and every individual that believes in this religion. They have been promised that the twelfth Jman is soon to appear. He is their messiah and promises to establish a One World Kingdom ruled by the laws of the Koran. This teaching is supposedly believed by all 1. 3 billion Muslims, not just the radical elements. The clash between this Islamic One World Order and the Western version of a One World Order must occur at some moment. When you understand these two world views that basically dominate the present earth, you can understand why “One Worlders” in the West are determined to succeed ahead of Islam’s mad plan. Thank God that the prophecies of the Bible have promised a third alternative to the first two plans. There will be a One World Order and it will be worldwide and breathtaking. Jesus Christ will lead His army of glorified saints and we will establish a peaceful world of righteousness and prosperity. I am grateful that the Bible does not leave us in a fog. We have hope that is sure and unfailing. God’s perfect revelation has left us a prophetic picture of the coming end to both the Islamic and Western plan. First, our Eternal God will deal with the Islamic plan for an “Islamic One World Order” and then He will deal with the Western plan for a “One World Order.”Both of these massive efforts to control the world and rule it for their god will end in Northern Israel. Also, the coming spiritual kingdom will be centered in the Land of Promise, Israel and Jerusalem. No wonder Christians are commanded to pray for the “Peace of Jerusalem.” Ezekiel prophesied on the bank of the river in Babylon as his heart panted for the rolling hills of Judea. By the powers of God’s Holy Spirit, he saw the future clash in his homeland of a massive army to be destroyed by Divine intervention. His words are most revealing, “After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee” (Ezekiel 38:8-9). This prophet of God gave the exact details of this great army marching on Israel. This revelation names the geographical area and the nations that will be a part of this attack. Every description is clear to show that this is an attack by the Islamic world. It is led by Iran, which was the first country named. The Spirit said, “Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee” (Ezekiel 38:5-6). The Spirit named a geographical area that fits perfectly with Russia and other Northern powers. “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” (Ezekiel 38:2-3). This army could act with only the need of a few weeks to mobilize. They are probably talking in secret even as I write. When this Islamic Army marches, it will be awesome. As these nations gather somewhere north of Israel, probably in the southern tier of the former USSR territories, the world will think that we are on the verge of annihilation. The media will go ballistic. Politicians will gather at strategic locations amid a mad rush to defuse the coming storm. Bomb shelters will be prepared over much of the world. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 49: ISLAMIC RELIGION: UTTERLY DESTROYED ======================================================================== Islamic Religion: Utterly Destroyed (Part II of Islamic Religion and God’s Solution) Every false religion is blasphemous to the Heavenly Father. The final judgment demands that every false god be destroyed, along with those that have foolishly followed that god. The testimony of the true and living God is everywhere. You see Him in the sunrise and you see Him in the setting sun. The created marvel of human life, the stretch of the human mind, and the great sense of the Divine in human death all declare how great the Sovereign God is. Yet, men pursue the gods of their own passions and ignore the witness of the true and living Creator. The Islamic religion has spewed its anger and vengeance on human life for almost 1,400 years. It appears to this multitude that their religion is in its ascendance and ready to triumph over the world. That is a false elusion created by the devil. The pride and arrogance of the leading proponents of Islam are setting the stage for their own destruction. They are calling for war against the very name of Jehovah God and are claiming the right to possess the city where Christ died and arose. This same city, Jerusalem, is also the city where He is soon to establish His earthly Kingdom. Do not think that our God on His Heavenly throne is unaware of these claims and plans. He is at this moment watching and anticipating His prophetic designs. Angels are hovering over the walls of Jerusalem and moving with the speed of light in careful protection. Nothing misses their watchful eyes as they do the Father biddings. Listen to the Spirit speak, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast labored” (Isaiah 62:6-8). We heard the claims of the Islamic Ayatollah’s and many government entities trembled with concern. It is right that we who know the Lord are mindful and are given to intercession and powerful praying. The Heavenly Father always uses His Saints in His schemes of worldwide design. The power of prayer is a spiritual authority that is part of every great Divine plan of God. The Book of Revelation shows the aroma of the saints’ prayers as they ascend to be part and lot of God’s judgment activities. “And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thundering, and lightnings, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:4-5). Recently, the chief Ayatollah of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for all Islamic Governments to mobilize for the task of seizing Jerusalem and eliminating the nation of Israel. Two different shipments of high-tech military equipment have recently been seized on the high seas, but the question is how many shipments were missed? It is believed that the recent election in Iran was stolen and the entire nation is now in a state of drastic change. A Wall Street Journal article stated, “The Nature of the (Iranian) regime seems to be changing from a revolutionary theocracy to a military theocratic state that is becoming fascist in operation.” A recent journalist said, “Islamic fascism is now our sworn foe in a looming “World War III.” Ahmadinejad has stated, “Islam will be the dominant power in the near future.” BUT, GOD! God has already declared what He will do when this massive army is looming on the Northern horizon and moving toward Israel and Jerusalem, “For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone” (Ezekiel 38:19-22). This will be the “Mother of all Battles,” and their Allah will no longer be a god. The Spirit has spoken, “Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:23). This battle will leave millions dead or vaporized on or from the battlefields. Only one soldier out of six will be left alive and most of them will be gravely wounded. The slaughter will be so complete that the very mention of the Islamic religion will draw a hiss from those that have survived. Once this horde of soldiers has been stopped and their military equipment reduced to scrap, the hand of God will move toward every nation that had joined this Islamic Coalition. The Word has spoken, “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel” (Ezekiel 39:6-7). The destruction of the nations that have sent their armies to destroy the Jews and the great city of Jerusalem will send a message to every surviving citizen of the Islamic world. The heathens -- those worshipping Allah and other false gods -- will know that there is only one true God and that they have seen His holy furor. Joel spoke of this moment in the Father’s prophetic plan, “But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savor shall come up, because he hath done great things. Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things” (Joel 2:20-21). This prophecy is extremely clear that the small armies left to return to their homeland will find nothing but sorrow, devastation, and barrenness. I believe this great event will spark a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit throughout the land where this judgment has occurred. Former Muslims will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ by the tens of thousands. Joel spoke the above words in the same context with his announcement of the latter rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival! Already there is the report of upwards of three million Muslims being converted yearly. You can believe that these changed lives occurring under the radar of the government is circulating big time among the population. It will be a spiritual tsunami when the “War of Gog and Magog” is finished. And when the “War of Gog and Magog” is finished, Allah will be history. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 50: ISRAEL'S ENEMIES DECIMATED ======================================================================== Israel’s Enemies Decimated Jehovah God is soon to be known by the world and, especially, by the enemies of Israel. The configuration of the nations in the Middle East, including Russia, will be forever changed. Russia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, plus all their allies will no longer exist as government entities. There is the possibility that as many as twenty-five or thirty nations will be utterly destroyed. The full extent of this cataclysmic war has never been fully declared or understood. The Bible makes it clear that the nations which have determined to destroy Israel will be decimated. The Holy Spirit said, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalam" (Zechariah 12:9). The War of Gog and Magog will be the first step towards making the entire earth conscious of the one and only Supreme God. This war will also open the way for the Antichrist to rebuild Babylon and to become the dominant force in the ancient Eastern leg of the Roman Empire. Iraq is known in the Bible by her past names of Sumer, Chaldea, Mesopotamia, and Babylon. This nation has always been one of the strongest enemies to Israel and the Jews. Yet, the perfect prophecies of Holy Scripture leave Iraq out of the Gog and Magog coalition. The elimination of Saddam Hussein from the Iraqi political scene was a powerful preparation for the end time events. Iraq had to be the uneasy democracy that it represents today in order for the Assyrian -- the final beast of a man -- to step onto the stage. His face will be revealed only after the Rapture of the chosen saints. As we await the Rapture, this war of Gog and Magog is gathering forces. The next American president will most likely be shackled with the duty of deciding whether to or not to respond to Jerusalem and Israel’s defense when the Gog and Magog multitude show their intentions. It will be one of the most telling moments of American history. Which man -- President McCain or President Obama -- will put our entire nation at risk by sending our warships and planes face-to-face with the largest coalition of nuclear armed troops in history? You had better answer that question before you vote. It will decide the future of America. But, God will decide the future of Israel. This nation’s existence in the homeland of God’s Promise Land is set in Biblical perfection. God will defend Israel with a show of divine deliverance that will never be forgotten. Every nation of the earth will tremble. The heavens will come alive with a display of destruction. Such a demonstration of power will be unleashed on this army and the homeland of every government involved that the whole earth will either respect or hate this Sovereign God. Those that hate this act of God the Father will be prepared to join the Antichrist for the last great Battle of Armageddon. The world will be brought to the edge of total obliteration. Many commentators will be on the airwaves and internet calling the developing schemes of this massive army "the end of human existence." Russia will threaten the nations with nuclear holocaust if anyone comes to Israel’s defense. The only words of hope will be those of Bible believers – men and women that have read God’s final words of prophetic promises. If our governmental officials do not understand what God is going to do, they will bow to the Russian warnings. Europe will be hiding in their basements and deep government enclaves. Even the atheists will probably be praying. Just before this massive offensive reaches the heart of Israel, God will direct the outcome. An overflowing rain will likely be the first sign of action. It will be such a flood falling on the entire Middle East that a tremor of fear will begin to develop. Pestilences will strike terror as unreal swarms of scorpions and other creatures attack the terrorist soldiers. Great bolts of lightning will interrupt communication systems and hot brimstone will fall upon the armies and throughout the nations that have joined this coalition. Missiles will literally be stopped in midflight and will fall on the stations of those very armies that are firing them towards Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the cities of Israel. Hail will fall with such sizes and weights that it will destroy airborne planes or tanks that are plowing through the mud. Five of every six military personnel will be slaughtered. The capitals and cities of every army involved will be under this deluge. The cell phones of these soldiers will begin to ring with the terror felt at home. Imagine this army as they learn that this destruction is not just on the battlefield but throughout their personal world. The soldiers will begin to turn on each other in their insane stupor, fear, and anger. The Bible clearly promised God’s great defense of Israel. Our God said, "And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 38:21-23). This would be catastrophic enough if it was only happening to this great army marching towards Jerusalem. The Bible promises that their homeland will also be utterly destroyed. The words of God clearly state, "And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 39:6). The prophet Joel joined in with his declaration of the results of this Heavenly display. What is left of this army will march back to the ruins and destruction of their nations. "But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things" (Joel 2:20). Do not look at this great destruction as some ugly and negative event. The Islam religion is a false and dark work of Satan to deceive and destroy. It must be judged or our God will have to repent to Noah’s world and to Sodom and Gomorrah. Out of this Divine display our Heavenly Father will begin a work of His Holy Spirit and multitudes will be converted to Jesus Christ. The emerging church and the religious deception in the church world will be seen for its error and departure from truth. Those that still refuse the infallible Word of God will be given reprobate minds to become the Antichrist army that will develop after the Rapture. It’s imperative that every reader opens his heart to Biblical, prophetic truth and warnings and that he carefully allows Jesus Christ to be the Lord of his life. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. The Lord is in charge. It’s His world and He is preparing for His eternal kingdom of righteousness. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 51: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE JEZEBEL CHURCH CAST INTO THE GREAT TRIBULATION ======================================================================== JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE JEZEBEL CHURCH CAST INTO THE GREAT TRIBULATION AMERICA IS IN DEEP TROUBLE AND THE CHURCH WORLD IS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. AMERICA RE-ELECTED A MORALLY PSYCHOPATHIC PRESIDENT BECAUSE THE CHURCH IS EFFEMINATE AND COMPROMISED. God’s Word is, “Come out of her or go into the Great Tribulation with her.” The church world is taking a giant leap into the bed of the One World Church. She has lost her joyous expectation for the Bridegroom to return for His Bride. The false prophets, false prophetesses, along with the post-millennialists and a-millennialists, have stolen the anticipation of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture from the church. It is one of the saddest chapters in the entire history of two thousand years of the church’s existence. The only comparable darkness was the fourth century takeover by the ecclesiastical system of Rome. But in every period of the church – even as far back as the first century – God has had a remnant to survive and to keep the Pilgrim Church alive with the Gospel. John saw this church in the letter Jesus Christ sent to the Church at Thyatira. This Church was warned by our Lord with unmistakable words. A JEZEBEL Church cannot see the truth and will be lied to and led to think distorted imaginations. Here are Christ’s words, ” Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” (Revelation 2:20-22) What a perfect picture of our present church world. If the reported 6. 4 million “Evangelicals” would have voted a Biblically pure vote, the election would have been reversed. The message is simple. We need a revival of repentance in our Churches. The New Testament church must have a New Testament personality. Let’s try to discover what that personality is so we can get a proper view of what has been lost in the effeminate church world. There are two particular sections of the Bible that will help give you a pure perspective of Christ’s church. The entire New Testament is the one and only standard and pattern. There is no acceptable alternative or modern style. To substitute this standard is to destroy it. Especially, the Book of Acts, along with the seven letters to the church directly from Jesus Christ Himself, contains His appointed pattern. These seven letters in the Book of Revelation chapters two and three really stand out when combined with the Book of Acts. Anything else, except God’s Word, is blasphemy against the Lord of the church and His Father that appointed Him. Let’s look at the ten Biblical personality traits of the church as they are pictured in these two sources and the New Testament. Strong, Masculine Authority and Absolute Truths First, the church is a “strong, masculine authority” in leadership and style. The character of “masculinity” is apparent, both in the whole Scripture as it relates to God Himself and the leadership of His church. There is no provision or tolerance in God’s Bible for effeminate men. A bishop, elder, or deacon must be a godly man, only married once, unless he has chosen to be single or his previous wife has died. He must be a man that cannot be manipulated by a careless or an unfaithful wife or children. When Apostle Paul stated, “One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity,” (1 Timothy 3:4-7) he was warning against men being controlled by their wife or children. He was not penalizing some Godly man that had a wife or child that refused to serve God. Some great bishops or elders in God’s church have been men whose wife departed in her godlessness, but the man devoted himself to his ordination and refused to ever marry again. Nothing is destroying the work of God like the loss of masculine authority. Good Godly women find great comfort in both the home and the church when Godly men are in authority. Men that wear their hair like women are under the influence of a spirit that is foreign to Scripture. But, much greater than the appearance of femininity is the loss of a strong voice for the infallible Word of God. Most new versions of the Bible have either removed the masculine terms for God and Christ or have headed in that direction. A Bible that has destroyed God’s masculinity is the worst of abominations. But, the strong voice of truth being heralded in God’s pulpits is the ultimate loss in the House of God. All the above effeminacy only serves to still the loud and uncompromising preaching against every sin named in the Holy Book. The church is called — set in a class of its own — and responsible to hold the entire world accountable to God. Conviction of sin starts in the pulpit. Every commandment of God is the joy and delight of a holy people preparing to meet the King. The pulpit and the declaration of truth is the central life of Christ’s church. Cross-Centered Preaching and Living The cross of Christ and His vicarious death is the one and only entrance into life for the Pilgrim Church or the world for that matter. Our total church personality is wrapped up in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and exalting Christ is our lifestyle. With absolute authority Apostle Paul proclaimed, “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31) He adds, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:2-5) Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, He is the Lord of His body of believers, and He is the only Chief Shepherd. Every pastor is an undershepherd, and every elder or deacon is a part of that shepherding process in His church. If Jesus Christ is not Lord of the church, then it is not a church but is at best a club. The message of a Pilgrim Church is death to self and life in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. >From Genesis to Revelation, every visitation of God was manifest upon a sacrifice. Abel’s offering in Genesis was a sacrifice where blood was offered and God accepted the offering. That truth literally fills the Old Testament. Do not look for the glory of the Lord until there is a sacrifice for the glory to rest upon. Our offering is finished in the cross but its manifestation is never revealed until someone offers himself in total sacrifice. The beauty of our Sacrifice is in the blood of Christ that sanctifies the flesh and prepares it for His Holy Ghost anointing. Constant Declaration of Jesus Christ His New Testament church is a soul-winning institution. Our message is “Whosoever will, let Him come.” We must be militant, marching, and missionary. The Gospel lives in the midst of hurting, wounded souls. The world has no answer for sin, but the true body of Jesus does. The Gospel message will ring continuously from a Christ-centered church. When the church loses the vision to win souls, the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn. The Father did not send His Spirit to create a picnic mentality but to give power to the Gospel. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) No Confidence In The Flesh The next logical personality trait of the church is total mistrust of the world’s system or answers to human problems. Psychology and sociology is the wisdom of the world – if you can even call it wisdom. To dilute the Gospel with human wisdom is to destroy the Gospel’s power to save. The Psalmist David warned us about the council of the ungodly. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalms 1:1-3) The church of Jesus Christ is a voice in the wilderness of the world; we never welcome the world to sit with us on an equal footing. We love the world just like Jesus loved the world and died for it. We are more than willing to carry the Gospel without fear of pain or death, but we never make the sinner comfortable in their sins. Our message is often offensive, but we refuse to extract that offence from that Gospel. We know that offence is the normal reaction of sinners until the Holy Spirit convicts them of sin. With tears we share the truth to wicked and corrupt men/women and never allow their anger to wound or destroy our love for them. Complete Dependency On The Power of the Holy Ghost Our confidence in the power of the Holy Ghost does not allow us to model His church after the powers of the world. The Spirit cannot operate in a mixed faith. We cannot trust the flesh and the Spirit in the same instance. Jesus promised, “…Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19) Apostle Paul adds to this truth his word of instruction and assurance. “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) The Gospel will not return void when it is delivered in obedience and with power. The seeds we sow in His Gospel message are indestructible. We must learn to sow in faith and rest in His authority. Satan’s primary attack is to convince the church that the world is not our enemy and that we can agree together. The world knows nothing about the Gospel and their cures are faulty and helpless. The very idea of the cross and the resurrection is a contrary and deplorable thought to the wisdom of the world. They can never agree together. God the Father has instituted the weapon of prayer as the primary relationship between Him and His church. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9) Our refueling school is the school of prayer. Every great move of God was conceived between God and man in the closet of prayer. A church that does not pray is out of business and does not know it. The devil may fight a lot of things, but there is nothing he fights like he fights prayer. When you engage in soul-wrenching prayer, you move heaven and earth closer together. When you forget to pray or ignore prayer, you allow the voice of God to fade from your life. It is pray or perish. Most prayer today is perfunctory. It is a waste of time. God has ordained that His Son’s flesh is a veil between the Godly saint and Himself. That veil is open day or night, but it cannot be entered until the soul has weathered the many hindrances of prayer. You do not just walk in because you want a new car or have a few minutes to offer. This prayer line is reserved for the saints that have set their hearts on God. Peter entered this prayer chamber as the servants of Cornelius made their way to his dwelling place. The Bible said that he fell into a trance. This trance was not what the present vernacular of this word means in today’s English. He was ecstatic or caught up in rapt attention in the very presence of God. He was having fellowship with the Father and receiving verbal direction. “And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance.” “And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts 10:10, Acts 10:13-15) Saints that learn this kind of prayer life will move Heaven and earth for the Kingdom of God. Without this personality trait, the church becomes nothing but a human organization and quickly turns to the world to survive. Expectancy For The Supernatural The church that prays will soon learn that they can expect the supernatural of God in their midst. Anything that happens in your prayer chamber will shortly occur in the House of God. You cannot separate the supernatural and prayer — they are part and lot of each other. There is no supernatural without prayer and no Holy Ghost praying without the supernatural. It is as natural for God to act supernatural, as it is natural for you and I to act natural. God cannot act contrary to His nature; and His nature is supernatural. When the supernatural of God is expected and the price for such a visitation has been paid, then the Body of Christ becomes a temple and the Lord walks in our midst. Impossible needs are suddenly met. Hard sinners become convicted and bow at the anointed altar. It does not take long for the community of needs to learn that the House of God has become a House of mercy. This very atmosphere of the supernatural is the description of the church in the Book of Acts; it should be normal and not abnormal. Bible-Saturated Music Music in God’s House was never planned to be entertainment. The creation of music was a divine act to give language to angels and man’s praise to God. Everything about music is praise and worship. Whatever you sing about or to, you are worshiping. Music was ordained to be the language from within the spirit of either the angels or man. Music is bound to the spirit of the singer. That’s why the fool’s music makes a fool out of him. We are forbidden to sing the songs of fools as believers, especially in the House of God. “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.” (Ecclesiastes 7:5) Music is one of the greatest methods of memorization that exists. Whatever you sing with any degree of repetition, you will memorize. It’s the greatest method of teaching truth to the believer. We can learn the Word of God and then live in those words every time we sing. Meditating is a Biblical principle for delighting in the Lord and singing is a wonderful tool. Music lights up our face, warms our heart, and delights our soul. Until this generation, the saints of God have always sung about Heaven. Now, the church music has become people-centered, flesh-centered, and even a tool of praise to the singers themselves. The worship of the Lord is being robbed from Him and given to the enemy. Suddenly, the House of God becomes a cathedral of praise, thanksgiving, and continuous revival. Nothing should be more common in God’s House than a celebration of the glory of our God manifest in our midst. The church is ordained to be a Heavenly Jerusalem. The Word says, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24) His church will never be a dead place. It is impossible for a Holy Ghost-filled house to be less than “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” The Lord Jesus Christ Himself promised rivers of living waters. “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39) The House of God is the pillar and ground of truth and its glory should set the world to be amazed and to envy the beauty of our fellowship. Living Expectancy of the Return of Jesus Christ The final personality trait of a Biblical church is hope or expectancy of Jesus Christ’s return. From the moment He ascended from the Mount of Olives, the saints have lived with their heartstrings tied to the joy of His returning. It was always intended by Jesus Christ for us to be so full of love for Him — not about Him, but love for Him – that we can hardly wait for His appearing. Our present world talks about the love of His name and His promise of their redemption, but somehow has separated this from the intimate love of Him as the person. His soon appearing is His actual and personal descent down from the Ivory Palaces to receive us personally unto Him. The Rapture is a personal event. The Second Coming to set up His kingdom is absolutely breathtaking and He will establish a worldwide One World Order. This occurs after the Great Tribulation of seven years. The Rapture is before those seven years and is His receiving of His chosen Bride unto Himself. We can call the Second Coming a coming to the world, including His Jewish family, which will be grand. The Rapture is the personal event of leading His chosen saints to enter the Marriage Supper and receive the rewards of the coming Millennial Kingdom. The Second Coming will be glory for the Jewish people and their nation, but the Rapture is the glory of the great saints of the church. The true church is setting on ready, looking for Him to return in the clouds. The Spirit said, “…Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28) Nothing reveals the deep problems and mistaken views in a local church body than the loss of the hope of His soon appearing. In a transformed heart, the Spirit Himself will witness the fact of Christ’s soon return. You have read ten identifying characteristics of His true Pilgrim Church. We can never understand the false effeminate Jezebel church without first understanding the Biblical church. Please study these ten personality traits of the Biblical church model. Read and study the Book of Acts again, along with the seven letters to the Church in the Book of Revelation. Identify these Biblical traits as we have recorded. There is no perfect local body. There will be saints in your church; but there will also be the unconverted, the lukewarm, and the backslider. The Bible states, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:19-21) If you detect that your church has compromised the truth and departed from the faith, you are duty bound to get out and find a Biblical church. You may need to connect to a church out of your local area until you find a Biblical place to worship. We welcome you to our church online and will pray with you for a church in your town. The Bible has warned us not to stay in a Jezebel church where all limits of truth have been compromised. The emerging church is headed into the One World Religion of Revelation chapter seventeen. If you are a part of one of those churches, you will pay the price of your compromise. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 52: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE SAINTS AT THE MARRIAGE SUPPER ======================================================================== JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE SAINTS AT THE MARRIAGE SUPPER EVERY PROPHETIC TRUTH IN REVELATION WAS A DRAMA THAT JOHN SAW. NOTHING PROVES THE LITERALNESS OF THIS BOOK MORE PERFECTLY. John did not just hears words, but heard and saw the drama of what he heard. You have to be unaware of the Bible to doubt this great Book of Revelation. John saw the Rapture in Chapter four. He saw the Tribulation and Judgments begin in Chapter six and now sees the Marriage Supper in Chapter nineteen. Nothing makes the promises of God more beautiful than Satan’s drive to defile and debauch them. Everything in God’s world, and especially His plans for the Biblical future, has been attacked by the devil. That’s what the devil is, an imitator and substitute showman that belittles the breathtaking future of the Kingdom of God. Satan’s drive to portray himself as God has never produced one thing but proof that he is a “god,” the idiot god, clearly headed for defeat. All that is ugly and dark is soon to be judged and burned with fire. The glorious church, redeemed and glorified, shall not miss the coming hour of His glory. This earth has no glory that can compare with the future glory of Christ’s true church. A worldly church does not even preach about this truth, but a persecuted church certainly will. Jesus Christ, as He was ending His earthly journey gave His disciples a parting promise that He would prepare the wedding chamber and surely return to rescue them and all the ready saints. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3). That wedding chamber and city is ready because this same John that penned these words saw the city gleaming in Heavenly “Son” light. This city is ready, the living saints are ready, the angels are ready, the dead in Christ are ready, and we are waiting for the Father to give the word. I certainly know that Jesus Christ is ready and He will soon appear to begin the end. In his final revelation, John gave us the exact picture of this moment of glory. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath 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. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:7-9). “Let us be glad and rejoice…” When you view the location of this Marriage Supper, the exalted host Jesus Christ and the glorified saints of both past and present, it quickly becomes an event like no other in human history. Joseph Seiss spoke of it with these words, “It is Christ in the character of the Lamb, the mighty Goel, formally acknowledging and taking to himself as co partners of his throne, dominion, and glory, all those chosen ones who have been faithful to their betrothal, and appear at last in the spotless and shining apparel of the righteousness of the saints, thenceforward to be with him, reign with him, and share with him in all his grand inheritance, forever.” (The Apocalypse, Joseph A. Seiss, p. 430.) “Ten thousand times ten thousands in sparkling raiment’s bright, The armies of the ransomed saints throng up the steps of light. Tis finished, all is finished, their fight with death and sin. Fling open wide the pearly gates and let the victors in.” (Unknown) The praise and glory that fills the air will be so heavenly and so blessed that angels will cease their singing to listen with rapt attention. As saint after saint hears Him, the Eternal Christ and Bridegroom, pass out the eternal rewards and appoint His redeemed to the cities of the earth, honor will fill the Bridal Chamber. At the appointed time the only Begotten Son, now robed in the glory of His Father, which He laid aside to visit Calvary and make His offering for sin, will serve the cup of communion. “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29). It is fitting that this promise will be kept at the Marriage Celebration because this is when the Father’s Kingdom will be inaugurated and set in motion. Can you imagine taking communion at the hands of the Testator as the Testament is fulfilled to the letter? This world system is in the throes of its final death. Immoral conduct has sunk to the bottom rung of human depravity. Satan is preparing for his last rampage, but the saints of God are trusting in the promises that cannot fail. Same-sex marriage is the last dregs in the cup of wrath. You cannot stoop lower than to blaspheme the sacrament of marriage and the Bridegroom of His Eternal Bride. Our God is watching and is about to act. Isaiah, the statesmen prophet, spoke of our day. “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.” “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 59:14-15, Isaiah 59:18-20). God the Father is watching. He knows all and at the precise moment, the End will begin. That wedding chamber and city is ready because this same John that penned these words saw the city gleaming in Heavenly “Son” light. This city is ready, the living saints are ready, the angels are ready, the dead in Christ are ready, and we are waiting for the Father to give the word. I certainly know that Jesus Christ is ready and He will soon appear to begin the end. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 53: JERUSALEM SHALL BE TRODDEN DOWN, UNTIL! ======================================================================== Jerusalem Shall be Trodden Down, Until! by Joseph Chambers An honest and Biblically sound evaluation of Jerusalem’s immediate future can be quite unnerving. For someone that loves Jerusalem as deeply as I do, it is not easy to accept the truth. Praying for the peace of the "chosen city" has been a commitment of my life for many years. The Bible commands every believing individual, Jew or Gentile, to be deeply committed to this responsibility. It is easy once we accept this challenge to then fail to see the prophetic facts of what must occur to accomplish the answer. When we pray for the "Peace of Jerusalem," we also are praying for the perfect fulfillment of all acts of judgment and prophecies that will ultimately assure the "peace." Actually, when you pray for peace, you are praying for the Biblical process, which is terrifying to discover. Jerusalem Is Destined For Some Very Dark Events The Son of God warned all of us of the dark facts that this city must endure and suffer before He can sit on David’s throne. Jesus Christ will return to be the King of Kings over Jerusalem, Israel, and the whole world. This city is deep in the heart of the eternal Son of God. He walked through the streets with His disciple, proclaiming, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matthew 23:37). When the Jewish people rejected the Son of God as the Messiah, they set in motion the chain of events that were and are still to be affected. Jesus, later, gave us a fairly complete picture of Jerusalem from that day, nearly two thousand years ago "until" Jerusalem shall be redeemed as a city and become a "praise in all the earth." Here are the actual words of Jesus Christ Himself. "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:20-24). This great text shows us a progressive picture from a few years after the crucifixion until the Second Coming of our Lord to establish His kingdom on earth. When Titus marched his Roman army up to Jerusalem (A. D. 70) and destroyed the city, the "times" of the Gentiles began. Note that word "times." There have been many times that Gentiles in one form or another have affected great destruction and consternation on Jerusalem and its inhabitants. When Jesus said Jerusalem, He certainly included the geographical area now called the nation of Israel, plus the land occupied by these Arabs called Palestinians. "Times of the Gentiles" includes every, invasion, occupation, or political control by anyone other than the Jewish people that affected Jerusalem. It includes the massacre by the Catholic crusaders that took Jerusalem and murdered Arabs and Jews alike. There have been awesome efforts on the part of many nations and armies to eliminate Jewish people. Many of these efforts were on the soil of the nations and armies attacking them. At other times, it was in Jerusalem. The "times" of the Gentiles, as it relates to Jerusalem and the Jewish people, includes many inhumane occasions. God, The Father Has Chosen Jerusalem Jerusalem was chosen by our God to put His name there forever. The Word of God said, " Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there" (2 Chronicles 12:13). Actually, Jerusalem is the earthly counterpart of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The city is a delight to the Lord Himself and He longs for His righteousness and peace to grace the city with perpetual glory. Angels have been assigned to Jerusalem for at least twenty-five hundred years (2,500). Isaiah told of this revelation of truth that he was given. He spoke to this subject by first addressing the Father’s love and passion for Jerusalem. He quoted the words God had given him, "For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth." (Isaiah 62:1). Then, the God of Israel said, "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." (Isaiah 62:6-7). It would be breathtaking to visit Jerusalem with unveiled eyes and see the army of angels that keep watch day and night. The unseen war above this city is far greater and more spectacular than any war fought on the ground. Even then, His army of angels cannot go beyond the prophetic facts of judgment, death, and calamities appointed by the Lord Himself. These angelic watchman guarantee the absolute promises of God and no destruction will ever eliminate the city or keep its future from the perfect glory appointed. In other words, they assure a perfect balance between the appointed judgments and the glorious future. The Perfect Will Of God Will Be Accomplished Jerusalem will be the capital of the whole earth and especially the capital of the Jewish nation. The Son of God will sit upon the Throne of David. The city will expand in every direction and become the largest city in the world. According to Ezekiel, the city will be approximately sixty (60) miles square with a twelve (12) square inner city. This means the city will stretch almost the entire distance between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. (See our booklet, entitled, "Jerusalem, The Promised Land.") Israel Became A Nation Again in 1948. The modern history of Israel as a nation began in 1948. The people of Jewish blood had been dispersed, deprived, and persecuted intermittently for the eighteen hundred and seventy-eight (1878) years since A. D. 70. Their survival as a distinct people with a Jewish bloodline seems completely impossible. While all of those years contain a Biblical significance, the end times of Jewish history began in 1948. At that point, a prophecy of their national resurrection was commenced. Their existence as a people was like a valley of bleached bones, but the Word of God had spoken. The infallible book becomes miraculous as God speaks and men act and believe. Listen! "Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves." (Ezekiel 37:4, Ezekiel 37:11, Ezekiel 37:13). A small minority of the Jewish people were finally at home and were a nation but were immediately attacked by their neighbors. Outnumbered and impoverished in military equipment, they fought back and won miraculously. The nation began to grow, the land responded, the deserts bloomed, and the seasons and rainfall increased. Israel quickly became a modern miracle. Their technology is second to none and their military prowess is the envy of the military world. They are a chosen people with a chosen identity even though they are still in unbelief. But, our God is working wonderfully to perform His will in them and bring them to repentance. The process is slow, but our God is patient. It cannot be much longer. For fifty-three years, they have had both blessings and great trials. From The Present To The Climax These fifty-three (53) years for Israel have been like God’s clock ticking on the wall. The countdown is on and every believer must watch each event with a prophetic eye. Nothing can stop the process, though painful as it may be. Our anger because of another suicide bombing or a drive-by shooting stirs our heart to bleed. Yet, the bleeding is part of the process. The events will often call for Israel’s military response; yet, the necessary response will not end the conflicts. America must carefully defend our primary ally in the Middle East, but all of us must not allow the negotiations and support to blind us to the prophetic future. While we share their pain and support their right to the Promised Land, we must remember that they are still in unbelief and the process of bringing them to repentance is yet forthcoming. They are an incredibly stubborn people and God’s chastisement is one of the tools that will break the yoke. That stubbornness was necessary to bring them through the centuries of anti-Semitism, but now the hands of their God must temper it. Let"s carefully look at a list of facts, which are easily seen in the prophetic passages yet to be completed. Jerusalem will be a "cup of trembling" and a "troublesome stone" to the world and its governments, "until". Every time I write "until," I am referring to the victory that is finished with the Battle of Armageddon. There may be, and I pray so, periods of relative peace concerning Jerusalem, but it cannot be lasting. The presence of a Jewish state in their ancient city of Jerusalem creates a problem for almost the entire world because of its prophetic significance. Look at that text. "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto 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." (Zechariah 12:2-3). When you have an ancient people with a clear Biblical promise from those ancient times perfectly fulfilled, it either must be rejected or accepted as proof of the Bible. Consequently, any person or nation that rejects the Bible is placed in a position to reject the rights of that ancient people, in this case, the Jews. This fact creates consternation and makes the city of Jerusalem, when connected to the Israel nation, a "troublesome stone" and a "cup of trembling." This fact cannot go away unless we eliminate the Jews from Jerusalem and deny the Bible. We will not do either one. In fact, we cannot change God’s perfect plan. It was the Lord Jesus Christ that said, "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24). The presence of Gentiles (Palestinians or anyone else that is non-Jewish) cannot be eliminated from Jerusalem, "until!" Regardless of how desirable it seems to Bible believers for the completed possession of all Israel by the Israeli people, the Lord said, it cannot happen. Not only does the truth of this great passage demand the presence of Gentiles, it demands their presence in military or police activities. The city of Jerusalem and its Jewish population will be trodden down "until." "Trodden down" means to be trampled under foot. A truth, as clearly stated by the Lord Jesus Christ, in this case, leaves no room for argument. This does not mean that Israel should not defend themselves, but that their best effort will not rid their country of terror and conflict. The very presence of Arab people, many of them Christians, demands that the government of Israel be careful to protect the rights of its citizens. Jerusalem and the State of Israel in perfect Biblical fulfillment cannot occur "until!" Israel must make the best of the ongoing process and simply survive "until!" Death and sorrows will increase. The city of Jerusalem is destined for more destruction and sorrows until they repent and receive their rejected Messiah. It"s impossible for Jerusalem to be the city of peace until they are shepherded by the Prince of Peace. Jesus plainly stated that "they shall fall by the edge of the sword" " until! Every Christian should help bear the burden of the Jewish people, pray for their peace, and await God’s final moment. Jerusalem cannot be a free city wholly governed by Israel, until! Israel must have a covenant with the Eternal God before this city can end the many demands for a little piece of this coveted city and land. The Catholics want to govern, the Muslims want to govern, and the religious groups that own a piece of Jerusalem"s real estate want to govern. The conflicts are unsolvable because the views cannot be reconciliated. The world will demand that Israel accept a peace process that maintains Jerusalem as a pluralistic city. The political tide will almost surely succeed in demanding America support such a process. While I believe America will maintain its sheep nation status, I also believe we will be forced to accept a Palestinian state jointly with the state of Israel in the land wrongly called Palestine. We all long for the nation of Israel to possess the total promise given to Abraham. Even if all of the land now controlled by Israel and the Palestinians together was possessed by Israel, it would not be close to what God promised to Abraham. Not until the King of Kings returns to drive the army of the Antichrist into utter defeat can the promises be finished. Jerusalem will not be the sole capital of Israel "until!" Two of every three Jews will be killed between now and the return of Jesus Christ. Nothing is sadder to contemplate than the last catastrophe that Israel encounters before the end. Nobody but Jewish haters wants the Jewish people to experience another holocaust. It cannot be avoided. Hitler will pale in comparison to the "man of sin" and his companions of evil. Zechariah made this prophetic statement, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." (Zechariah 13:7-9). I personally believe that this prophecy includes all the Jews on a worldwide basis. "In all the land" appears to mean "in all the land" internationally. The Antichrist and his anti-spirit will hunt down every person of Jewish descent and strive to eliminate them. Hatred for the Jewish people is a diabolical hatred that will pursue them to their hidden places around the globe. The Muslims call them pigs and monkeys. The Jewish people have been systemically accused of almost every atrocity. Conspiracy theories abound that propose to document the chosen people as the source of all evil. Satan will not just search and destroy Jews in the land of Israel, but worldwide. Thousands of people are converting to Judaism. Some Christians are even teaching that the Jewish people can be converted and saved in Judaism without the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of this is but cold, calculated deception at the hand of the deceiver. Very likely the proselytes to Judaism will suffer the exact same fate of the Jews between the present and the glorious moment of His return. At some point, an army from the North will descend on Israel. This event is considerably more controversial than the Battle of Armageddon. It may occur before the Rapture or after the Rapture. Ezekiel documented the facts of this horrible attack. "Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet." (Ezekiel 38:2-5). All of these ancient nations are each a present modern nation and each well equipped and capable to fulfill this prophecy. It appears to me that this battle against Israel occurs soon after the Rapture. The defeat of this army will anger the nations that hate Israel and serve as a kind of rallying cry that ends a few years later in the armies gathering for the Battle of Armageddon. The Armageddon armies will be the revenge factor from the defeat of Gog and Magog. They will be blinded by their rage and will not cease until they have marched into their own graves in Megiddo. The armies of the Antichrist are very different from the coalition named in Ezekiel. This army is led by the Antichrist himself. His furor at Israel will be the final sword in God’s hand of judgment for Israel. The Bible says, "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city." (Zechariah 14:1-2). This battle ends God’s "cup of wrath" against His own chosen and He descends to fight the enemies Himself. Follow the continuing of the Scripture above. "Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." "And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour." (Zechariah 14:3-4, Zechariah 14:12-13) This battle is the "until!" It is the battle that ends nearly 2,000 years of estrangement between the God of Abraham and the people of Abraham"s loins. They rejected Jesus Christ and were cut off and out of their own Olive Tree. Now, they will be redeemed and regrafted into their own stump. Everything that Bible believers want for the Lord’s people, the Jews, will now become reality. The Fullness Of Israel Will Come Israel’s future is breathtaking, but cannot be born illegitimately. Try as we may to place Israel in her glory before the time has come and we only frustrate ourselves. By the wisdom given by the Holy Ghost, Apostle Paul understood perfectly the process. He stated, "According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway." (Romans 11:8-10). I mentioned earlier that the Jews were a stubborn people, but this was part of their judgment. Note those words, "that they may not see and bow down their back alway." But all of this shall change at the appointed time. Paul continued, "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?" "For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" (Romans 11:11-12, Romans 11:15). The Rebirth of Israel Is Very Soon I see nothing on the prophetic horizon that can forestall the coming showdown. The president of the Islamic nation of Sudan has prophesied that we will have a world dominated by Islam by 2010. (Cal Thomas, Charlotte Observer, October 27,2001.) The "War on Terrorism" places Israel under incredible pressure to compromise more territory and given more credence to the terrorist, Yasar Arafat. If the efforts of President Bush and our American military succeed in crippling the worldwide organization of terrorists, it may mean a few more years. If they fail to destroy the stockpiles of bio-chemical and nuclear capacities, it probably means very little time left before the Tribulation period officially begins. Under all circumstances our world is a powder keg and Israel is our time clock. "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24). Greatness for Israel hangs in the balance and the Lord Jesus Christ is soon to tip the scales. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 54: JERUSALEM, THE PROMISED LAND ======================================================================== Jerusalem, the Promised Land by Joseph Chambers There is no place on earth both loved and hated as is the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding land promised to Abraham. The present "State of Israel" is a small part of the final geography that will constitute its completed territory. Jehovah God made an undisputed covenant to Abraham and gave him the basic perimeters of his final inheritance. The Jewish people, Abraham’s seed, will soon take full possession. Jesus Christ will be seated on the re-established "Throne of David" and the glory and riches of the world will flow into this "World Capital." From this golden city there will be established a righteous theocracy to ensure justice, equality, and mercy on a worldwide scale. Men have dreamed of a one-world government ruled by man. This dream has always been the antithesis of God’s future design. The rebuilt city of Babylon will be the last challenge to Jerusalem as the capital of a worldwide government. These two cities are the exact opposites. Jerusalem is the center of all spiritual revelation while Babylon is the springboard of every hateful and evil spirit. Jerusalem, The Joy Of The Whole Earth While Abraham was still a wandering Bedouin, only recently having arrived from the land of heathens, Jerusalem had a king/priest named Melchizedek. He was called King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God, King of Righteousness, and King of Peace. (Hebrews 7:1-28) God had already chosen the city and its king and priest was described in language befitting a God. In fact, Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, was made a priest after the order of Melchizedek, not after the order of Aaron. Very simply, Melchizedek predated Aaron and was of a spiritual order too expansive to describe in this article. It is clear that the Father Himself had chosen this city. "But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there." (2 Chronicles 6:6 a). The children of Israel were the chosen heir of Abraham and established Jerusalem as their capital under David, their second king. The Jebusites had made this city a military stronghold cleverly defended by a strong wall and situated on a hill surrounded by a continuous valley. (2 Samuel 5:6-9). In what appeared to be a military victory without firing an arrow, David took the city and renamed it "The City of David." They immediately brought the "Ark of the Covenant" to King David’s new capital with great celebration. God’s presence was now in the chosen city and it was cause for great joy. Note the celebration and holiness this event describes. "And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims." "And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?" "And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart." (2 Samuel 6:2, 2 Samuel 6:5-9, 2 Samuel 6:12-16). Jesus was born in a small hamlet called Bethlehem just a few miles away. Jerusalem was the central city of His life. He was condemned and scourged in the city of His earlier arrest. Final death by crucifixion and burial were immediately outside the walls. He ascended to heaven from a mount overlooking the city and He will return to that same place, called the Mount of Olives. This golden city will be the location of His residence palace and government headquarters. While Jerusalem has been God’s chosen city with His name clearly associated in its rise and fall, now the city will see the glory, which the great God intended. Human minds cannot envision the riches, grandeur, and indescribable glory that will be its fortune. Only the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven will eclipse its magnitude and splendor. In fact, I believe these two cities will be connected and serve to enhance each other. New Jerusalem will probably be suspended in the heavens above the earthly city and become the light overarching it as the fiery cloud did for camping Israel in the wilderness. Before arriving in Jerusalem, the returning Son of God will defeat the Antichrist in a glorious display of His position as "Lord of Host." Zechariah describes His arrival at Jerusalem. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." "And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." (Zechariah 14:4, Zechariah 14:8-11). The city will be greatly expanded as the topographical outlay is completely altered. Zechariah’s description points clearly to the mountains moving in a northern and southern direction while the Mount of Olives moves in both of the opposite directions of east and west. The cleavage of the Mount of Olives will unleash a living fountain of waters that will flow from the great city toward the Dead Sea on the east and the Mediterranean Sea on the west. These waters actually flow from the Mount of Olives and through the temple altar or from the temple altar through the Mount of Olives and then east and west. As they flow east to the Dead Sea, Ezekiel tells of the healing of this body of water and of all the deserts in the eastern direction. It will do the same to the deserts on all sides of Jerusalem. "Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh." (Ezekiel 47:8-9). This will create a great lush valley ("And there shall be a very great valley." [Zechariah 14:4]), which will change much of the landscape from mountainous terrain to a prosperous garden-like environment. Isaiah spoke of this grand day, "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God." (Isaiah 35:1-2). The Garden of Eden was cut off because of Adam’s sin. Now it is recreated and Jerusalem is its new center. Ezekiel describes the extent of the city’s new boundaries. "And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD. And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel." (Ezekiel 48:13-19). The city will be approximately sixty miles square with a twelve mile square inner city allowing a twenty-four mile perimeter on all four sides. This will stretch almost the entire distance from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Many parts of the country are already becoming a garden, but not to compare with its future. The Psalmist David could see the future glory of his capital city and sung of that day in Psalms 48:1-3. "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge." David even details the hatred kings would feel in envy for this city. "For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail." (Psalms 48:4-6). He also spoke of the city’s eternal presence as the enduring city forever. "As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah." (Psalms 48:8). Jerusalem, as it now exists, shall be attacked by the Antichrist, her temple desecrated by his false religion, and her palace partially destroyed; but, immediately, upon the triumph of the Messiah, she shall start her rise to greatness. The previous mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, stated that he had the greatest task in the world: to prepare Jerusalem for the Messiah. I believe this is the generation that will witness the final events that lead to the Millennium Kingdom of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and His rulership in this "Eternal City." One can almost hear the words of Isaiah as they near fulfillment. "Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." (Isaiah 52:1). Ezekiel prophesies of Jerusalem, ""and the name of the city from that day shall be, (Jehovah Shammah) The Lord is there." (Ezekiel 48:35). The Promise Land Stretching From Jerusalem The great city of Jerusalem will be the capital of all the territory promised to Abraham. Its boundaries will eliminate several existing nations and finally experience peace with the two nations left on her borders. Assyria and Egypt will be her northern and southern allies, while the heirs of promise inhabit the rest of the geographical region between the two. The God that cannot lie has given His Word. This is the promise as given to Abraham. "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." (Genesis 15:18-21). Not only did Abraham receive this great assurance of his inheritance, but also it was given with the cutting of a covenant unique to this promise. A great Biblical scholar, G. H. Pember details this covenant experience in breathtaking terms. "In response, then, to the command of God, Abraham brought the prescribed animals, and proceeded to divide the beasts, laying each half opposite to that which corresponded with it. "The birds he did not divide, being thus in accord with the later Mosaic ritual, but probably placed one on either side. And so, having completed his preparations, he waited for the arrival of the Other Party to the covenant, being watchful in the meanwhile to drive off the birds of prey that flew down upon the carcasses. "Now, when God had called him out of the tent, the stars were shining: at least, therefore, the time must have been very early morning. Hence the patriarch seems to have waited and watched during the whole of the long day, and still his faith was tried; for God did not yet appear to confirm the covenant. Just, however, as the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon him, in which he experienced terror and great darkness. Then, the gloom was pierced by the voice of God, and Abraham heard words by no means out of harmony with his direful circumstances, though ending in strains of far distant hope. "The sun had gone down, and Abraham seems to have awakened to a consciousness of his surroundings. It was dark, and he saw moving towards the carcasses an appearance in shape like to a cylindrical furnace, from which smoke was issuing, and a fiery flame streamed forth. It was the sign of God’s presence, corresponding to the pillar of cloud and fire by which He subsequently manifested Himself to Israel. In this form He passed between the pieces; but Abraham was not invited to follow Him. The reason of this departure from ordinary custom seems to lie in the fact that the covenant, which God was about to establish, involved an absolute promise, the fulfillment of which did not depend upon conditions to be required of Abraham. "After the Lord had thus passed between the pieces, He defined, in the plainest and most unmistakable terms, the extent of the territory which He had reserved for the children of Abraham. "Unto thy seed" He said, "have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." (Genesis 15:18-21). "Such then, is the memorable promise in which the boundaries of the land of Israel were defined, and its full extent made known. As we have before remarked, it was given without any conditions: consequently, no possible circumstances can prevent its ultimate fulfillment." (The Great Prophecies of the Centuries Concerning Israel and the Gentiles, G. H. Pember, M. A., original publisher, Hodder and Stoughton, London, England 1909, pp. 52-54.) The extent of the boundaries was set in unmistakable terms. Israel was to drive out all its inhabitants and inherit this entire territory when she returned from bondage in Egypt. Instead, she bargained with her neighbor, started serving their gods, intermarried with the heathens, and, finally, ended in destruction and rejection by God. Nothing that has happened in the 3,000 plus years since Abraham heard from God has annulled God’s faithfulness. Israel will be chastened and scourged until her heart is humbled and then the Messiah will come. "Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations." (Ezekiel 36:31). That day is fast approaching. Several additional Scriptures will help define the land expanse involved in these promises. "From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast." (Joshua 1:4). "Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be." (Deuteronomy 11:24) We can clearly define several areas: the wilderness (Arabia, present Saudi Arabia, and several small Arab nations), Lebanon (controlled by Syria), to the river Euphrates (the portion of Iraq west of the Euphrates river), land of the Hittites (described below) with the Mediterranean Sea for the western boundary. "All the land of the Hittites" includes a large portion of eastern and southern Turkey and all of Syria is included in this promise. Other areas are described in the text from Genesis 15:18-21. "From the river Egypt" is believed to represent the area from the north end of the Gulf of Suez going in a northwestern direction toward the Mediterranean Sea. It appears that the whole of the Sinai Desert and all of Jordan will belong to the Promise Land. The tribes of the Canaanites, all of which lived in Palestine were dispossessed, either partially or entirely by Joshua and no longer exist in any natural form. This presents a fairly clear picture of the future possession of Israel. With the Mediterranean Sea as a western border, the southern lines of the Sinai and Arabian Desert as the southern border and going north along the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates River to embrace at least the southwestern half of Turkey from the Euphrates River to the regions running north of Syria and Lebanon and then ending again at the coast of the Great Sea. For Israel to speak of this kind of territorial design would be an act of war. Yet, God’s promises that cannot fail are unquestionable in declaring Abraham’s seed as the rightful heirs. There are some areas of this territory that are to be judged and uninhabited at least until God creates a New Heaven and a New Earth and the former things are forever vanquished. I believe that the New Creation begins at the start of the Millennium and will continue until all things are made new, and God the Father, Himself, dwells with men in the New Jerusalem. It will all be final by the end of one thousand years when the Bridal City descends from God to dwell among men. As the millennium kingdom is established, righteousness, and prosperity will fill the whole earth beginning in the new, greatly enlarged "State of Israel." Jewish People to Return After the Millennium Begins Immediately after the return of Jesus Christ to end the Battle of Armageddon and to inaugurate His kingdom, there will be an influx of Jewish descendants from every corner of the globe. The return of the children of Abraham has begun, but is only a trickle compared to the future. The following prophecy given by Isaiah is clearly dated after the beginning of the "thousand years of Christ’s reign." A remnant is going home at present, but the entire seed of promise is soon to follow. "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt." (Isaiah 11:10-16). The multiplied city of Jerusalem and enlarged "State of Israel" will easily incorporate millions of Jewish citizens. The people of Israel represent a level of expertise and brainpower unknown in any culture on earth. This intellectual and creative ability will be mightily enhanced by the spiritual transformation of serving the Glorified Messiah and now their new king, Jesus Christ. The glory that King David and Solomon dreamed about will be a stark reality as wealthy Jews bring all their riches to the "Land of Promise." No longer will they be required to leave their accumulated possessions in the country from which they immigrate. It will now serve to increase the wealth of the "Zion of God." Information is now surfacing that there are millions more Jewish people in many countries of the world than previously believed. Debate has raged for decades over the ten tribes (Israel) that were deported into the Assyrian kingdom before the destruction of Jerusalem (Judah) and the deportation of its inhabitants to Babylon. I"m not an authority on this subject, but I do believe millions will respond to the call when the Millennium kingdom is established. Isaiah clearly distinguished between the two groups with his prophecy. He said, "and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:12 b). He called Israel "the outcast;" that could refer to their rejection even by the present "State of Israel." All of that will change when the Messiah is seated on the Throne of David. Israel to Possess Inhabitants of Babylon as Slaves Citizens of Israel will not only be wealthy, they will possess the heathens for an inheritance. It will be a Godly rule of justice and fairness, but they will be their servants. Isaiah spoke of this day when Babylon would be destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah. His words are as follows, "For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing." (Isaiah 14:1-7). The Psalmist David saw this same reality in his prophetic utterances. He ties this historic future to the time when the King would set upon the holy hill of Zion. "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel." (Psalms 2:6-9). Our twentieth century minds cannot grasp this kind of thinking. We forget that God is just and all of us will reap exactly what we sow. Not only do individuals reap the fruit of their labor, but families and nations also answer for the corporate action of their past. The Tribulation Period will purge the earth of its wickedness, but those who survive this holocaust will be judged by their individual and corporate treatment of the Jewish nation. Their lot in the millennium will be decided by their action during Israel"s darkest period of all history. Remember, these are natural people who manage to survive the "Seven Year of Tribulation." Three classes of people will share the millennium kingdom: the Jewish nation, the glorified saints, and the natural people. Israelis will rule the new State of Israel, the saints will rule the rest of the world and the natural people will serve both. Assyria and Egypt to be Partners with Israel The promise land will stretch from Egypt on the south to Assyria on the north and east. The heirs of Isaac and Jacob will possess everything between these two nations. The Moabites, Ammonites (parts of Modern Jordan), and Edomites will share the land given to them, but Israel will rule over them. A partnership will develop between Israel, Egypt, and Assyria that will give them control of the entire Middle East. Peace will finally come to this "Hotspot of the World." Isaiah gave specific prophecy of this day. "The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it." "And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts." "In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it. And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it." "In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance." (Isaiah 19:1, Isaiah 19:4, Isaiah 19:16-17, Isaiah 19:19-25). Prophecies of this magnitude always overwhelm me. When I was in Egypt in February 1990, my heart melted at the depression hanging like a cloud. When I arrived at my hotel the first night, after a day of sightseeing and research, the Holy Spirit miraculously led me to these verses. Suddenly, the hope of my Messiah’s (Jesus Christ’s) coming was more than escape. It was renewal, re-creation, and glory for every part of God’s earth, including Egypt. These verses show that after Egypt and Assyria are judged, God will renew both and make them the followers and worshippers of the King of Israel. They will share with Israel the blessings of the eternal kingdom. Israel will be a blessing in the midst of Egypt and Assyria. Egypt He called "His people," Assyria He called "the work of His hands," and Israel He called "Mine inheritance." Assyria and Egypt will be possessed by Israel"s King and not by Israel as a nation. It will be a unique partnership for eternity. The New Center of Creation Jerusalem, the Golden City, and the Nation of Israel will be the center of God’s new world. Its King will be the triumphant one who trod the winepress of God’s wrath at Calvary and earned the right to rule. The old center of creation was Eden and the land of Shinar (Sumer). The people forfeited their position and God called a new nation by Abraham. Jerusalem took the place of Eden or Babylon before Abraham arrived in the land. Finally, after centuries of human failure, the promise will be final. The promise land will become the "center of God’s New World." For one thousand years it will be perfectly ruled by the King of Kings. The followers of the Second Adam will enjoy what God designed for the First Adam. "And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that 1The LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate:1The LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. (Ezekiel 36:35-36). It does not end with the millennium kingdom. That’s only the prelude to an eternity in the presence of God. The "Earthly Jerusalem" and "New Jerusalem" coming down from God out of heaven will be the focus of God’s entire cosmos. The Father, Himself, will be with us for eternity. We will enjoy a "New Heaven" and a "New Earth." The glory of God and of the Lamb will enlighten and fill the sinless eternal existence of mankind. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." (Revelation 21:1, Revelation 21:3, Revelation 21:22-23). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 55: JERUSALEM: GOD'S CHOSEN CITY!! ======================================================================== Jerusalem: God’s Chosen City!! Jerusalem would be one of the most loved cities in the world if the Jewish people could be eliminated. Yet Jerusalem without the Jews would cease to be anything more than just another city. It is “Israel and Jerusalem” together that creates love or hatred. Jerusalem was never called the Zion of God until it was taken by David and made the capitol of the Jewish nation. God actually called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans/Babylonians to make Him a Nation and to establish that nation in the Promise Land and Jerusalem as its center. God chose Jerusalem before Abraham or David was born and ordained it to become His beloved city and then called His chosen to establish it for His glory in the earth. Anyone who attacks the Jewish people or the city of Jerusalem is sealing their fate to be judged by the Heavenly Father. What God has chosen or called Holy let no man despise. The earthly Jerusalem is named after the City of God in the sides of the North where the Mighty Creator sits on His Throne. His Son, glorified and exalted, sits on His Right Hand while the Holy Spirit manifests His glory in all His universe. The Lord Jesus promised that He would “prepare a place for us and come again to receive us unto Himself” (John 14:1-2). The place He has prepared is finished because John the Revelator saw it and gave us its name. It is called “New Jerusalem” and its glory will liberally outshine the sun. So, we have three cities all called Jerusalem--the City of God, the earthly city, and New City soon to descend down to the earth. The name Jerusalem is so special and fixed in the Heart of God that even His invisible Church is called by that name. Apostle Paul said of the Saints of God, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:22-24). His saints washed in the sacred Blood of His Son are His spiritual Jerusalem, rejoicing in all His favour while we wait His appearing to take us to His Heavenly Jerusalem. The city of Jersualem is still in bondage with her children the Je ws but will soon be free. “For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children” (Galatians 4:25). Yet please remember that while we await for the city and her inhabitants to believe and receive the “returning King of Kings” we are already free. “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 56: JESUS CHRIST: BORN OUT OF ETERNITY ======================================================================== Jesus Christ: Born Out of Eternity The birth of Jesus Christ is the greatest contradiction of Secular Science in human history. The Bible is full of our Heavenly Father creating Science, but never of His great actions being subject to Science. Science does not control God, He controls Science. It drives secular scientists crazy trying to defy God and make His actions subject to their ideas. Because scientists have learned a few of God’s great principles, they love to think of themselves as beyond the existence of a Creator. It would be funny if it was not so insane to watch and listen to these great minds trying to eliminate Him. But God’s great action — both in the past and present — transcends the limited world all around us. Men set their political sights to rule nations and even the whole world and yet every action can be found written in Bible prophecies. Some of these prophecies were written two and three thousand years ago and still read like the latest news. The computer world has created a world without walls and boundaries. Traveling on the great vehicle of fire and speed causes men to laurel those geniuses of discovery. The Nobel Peace prizes are given to hundreds of persons because somehow they found a spot to accomplish one of God’s foreordained plans. It’s amazing to read our Bible and see the great mind of God at work all around us. The Son of God’s entrance into our world of limited space and time is one of our Creator’s greatest marvels. He is eternal and called by the Father, “the first and the last.” The God of all languages used the Greek language to call Him “Alpha and Omega.” The translators used English to call Him “the Beginning and the Ending.” It did not start in Genesis One and One; it never started, for He is eternal. The Son of God has forever existed in the undefined world of our great Creator. By some mystery of divine splendor this Son of God stepped out of His eternity and was born in Bethlehem, Israel. For nine months He hid Himself in a virgin’s womb while Heaven bemoaned His absence. The Father ordained that He would first lie in a manger of straw and sleep to the quiet sounds of farm animals. While angels sang of His presence, politicians would scheme to remove His threat to their powers. It was so during His entire earthly life that men used every human design to eliminate Him. He would pass in their midst as they sought to lay hands on Him. Officers were sent to arrest Him only to be arrested by divine speech that parted His lips. His miracles were so contradictive of nature that his enemies were speechless. Demon-possessed men were instantly made whole while crippling diseases simply vanished. He could call into a tomb and a decaying body would step forth to be loosed of their death clothes. His visit out of eternity made all Science nothing less than the tools of our Creator. Read what David says for the Father, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psalms 2:2-6). This earthly visitor did not go away; He simply moved His throne to the “holy hill of (Heavenly) Zion.” Our world is quickly groaning its last groans. While men think themselves so smart and in charge of our future, the divine hands of sovereignty are guiding our course toward the finishing line. This great Son that the Father sent to redeem His creation is soon to return and finish all things. He did not step out of eternity to make a splash and then allow all things to continue as they had been. His presence at the Father’s right hand has guided the church to harvest the willing out of wickedness. The Holy Spirit spoke by David and then by Peter at Pentecost. “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries” (Psalms 110:1-6). What a picture of the developing world scene! This is God’s picture of this very hour. Our scientific world appears to be at their zenith. Military capacities are capable of ending human existence on this earth. Computers have created a world of control from a central place of political power. Even in our financial crisis, money is flowing like a river. Pleasure is designed for happiness but all is not well. Even in plenty, the human heart is weary. Clearly that great visit of the Eternal Christ at Bethlehem is desperate for the next visit of the Father’s Only Begotten Son. Date setting is forbidden in Scripture. The Heavenly Father sent His Son the first time and He alone will send Him again. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 57: JESUS CHRIST: RIDING HIS WHITE STALLION ======================================================================== Jesus Christ: Riding His White Stallion Only five hundred people saw Him go up into the clouds, but the world will see Him return. He left Jerusalem knowing that the Romans would level the city. He will return to make it His capitol for one thousand years. Since Christ ascended to the Father’s right hand, Satan has spent two thousand years trying to destroy His name. Jesus will return with an even greater name than when He left. They called Him the Risen Lord, but He will soon be called the King of Kings. Even before His first coming, the Psalmist – speaking by the Holy Ghost – prophesied about His position after He returned to Heaven. The Father said, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psalms 2:6). Jesus Christ occupied the highest possible seat in the majestic temple at the Father’s right hand. David declared, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalms 110:1). At every moment the Son of God has the Father’s ear while He waits for the Word to come again. This coming is not the Rapture in which He will come into the mid-air. Notice, John spoke of the Rapture in the fourth chapter of Revelation. He stated, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven” (Revelation 4:1 a). When John entered that door, He saw the raptured elders and an innumerable multitude of saints. These righteous and glorified saints are seated on thrones and are worshipping with unrestricted access to the Father, while they are singing of their redemption. It’s impossible to read chapter four and chapter five of Revelation and not see that the saints have been moved from the earth to heaven. They even speak of their future position as kings and priests back on the earth. Let’s view the difference from chapters four, where there is a “door opened in heaven,” to chapter nineteen, where heaven is opened from border to border. At the glorious moment when He comes back to earth, heaven will swing wide its portals so that the sin sick world will see what they rejected for that liar and deceiver, whose name is Satan. One glimpse at the shining city behind the descending multitude and Satan’s army will tremble in despair. We must remember that the great gulf between earth and heaven will have rolled up like a scroll at the Rapture of His saints. Now, that sin is judged and the celestial city is in full view, the previously great distance between heaven and earth will progressively disappear. The Holy Scripture calls this great moment, “His Second Coming.” He did not come to the earth when He raptured His saints. He called them up to meet Him in the air and then they returned to the Pearly White City together. This is truly His second coming to earth. The first coming was to redeem the fallen family. This coming is to complete the redemption of the earth. I believe the entire earth will return to a pre-flood condition as we read about in Genesis. My first book was entitled, Miracles, My Father’s Delight. The following paragraph is my description of the world before sin dumped its rot on the perfect earth. “The truth is, as God’s people often forget, He is not just a past-tense Originator; He is a Creator right now! He is a God of creation, and His creative powers underscore His entire universe. As the scripture says, ‘By him all things consist’ (Colossians 1:17). Such creation is an ongoing process. Every time a thorny rosebush reaches down inside its cellular system to produce the dew-splashed, fragrant petals, it is a powerful reminder of God’s creation. Every spring, when the tree buds appear, and when the dingy brownness of winter explodes into a vibrant montage of green grass, buttercups, and rainbow colored foliage — all are results of God’s creative power. He is a God of creative miracles.” (Miracles, My Father’s Delight, Joseph R. Chambers.) He is going to redeem it all back to its original glory and perfection. Nothing is more breathtaking about His Second Coming than Himself. He comes in the fullness of all His attributes and offices. There are forty-one descriptive words spoken of Him in Revelation chapter one and He comes in the fullness of them all. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:11-13). One of those forty-one titles is “Amen.” He is Amen – finality, fullness, complete perfection, and eternal. All of that is revealed in His person. To look upon Him in this exceedingly divine and transcending state will be to look at life as stupendous and to know perfect fullness and happiness. The very least of a sad emotion will be impossible in His presence. Even in this state of such divine revelation, His redemptive character will still be present. He will be wearing a vesture dipped in blood. This is the marvel of the moment. He will have finished His high priestly office of intercession before the Eternal Father. Now, the Antichrist and the False Prophet must be cast into the Lake of Fire and Satan must be bound for a thousand years. The kingdoms of the world will be subjected to His kingship and this earthly kingdom will be governed in righteousness. All of this activity is both divine and redemptive. Before the Son leaves the Pearly White City, He must again enter the temple in His Father’s presence and dip His vesture in His own blood. The Divine Blood has continued its redemptive qualities to this closing moment. He, then, adds this blood-soaked vesture to His kingly attire and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will startle this world. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 58: JOHN SAW THE WEATHER PATTERNS GONE BERSERK ======================================================================== John Saw The Weather Patterns Gone Berserk "PERFECT BIBLICAL FULFILLMENT IS OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE NATURAL WORLD. WEATHER PATTERNS ARE TESTIFYING TO THE ABSOLUTE SCRIPTURE TRUTHS OF END TIMES PROPHECIES. John the Revelator saw this in the Masterpiece we call, “The Revelation Of Jesus Christ.” This Book is the perfect chronological outline of the period we are about to enter. It’s amazing when the news reports and Scientists are more accurate than the voice of the church. Here is a scientist from Romania describing the results of earthquakes. “Expert Gheorghe Marmureanu – from Romania’s National Institute of Earth Physics – says 39 quakes had hit the globe within two days. The series started with two massive quakes in Indonesia measuring 8. 6 and 8. 2 on the Richter scale rapidly followed by three more only slightly smaller in Mexico within hours.” “There is no doubt that something is seriously wrong. There have been too many strong earthquakes,” said Marmureanu. He added: “The quakes are a surprise that cannot be easily explained by current scientific knowledge.” (Croatiantimes. com 04/15/2012) This News Publication called it, “The Earth Cracking Up.” Let’s read exactly what Apostle John saw in the drama of Revelation. “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” (Revelation 6:12-14) The frequency of earthquakes has grown so overwhelming, those that study this realm are alarmed. According to a report in Ready Ready News there have been 49 volcano eruptions so far in 2012. Here is their report entitled, “The 49th volcano erupts in 2012: Ecuador’s Sangay volcano unleashes 2 km ash cloud During an over-flight on April 13, an explosion from Sangay volcano was observed at 08:25 local time. It generated an ash and steam column of 2 km above the summit crater. (Rapture Ready News 04/15/12) The sun becoming as black as sackcloth is one of the results of volcanoes. To add to our understanding of what is occurring we must consider the unnatural things happening with our sun. Here is a report from Space. com. This event was on Monday of this week. “The sun erupted in an amazing solar flare today (April 16), unleashing an intense eruption of super-heated plasma that arced high above the star’s surface before blasting out into space. The powerful solar flare occurred at 1:45 p. m. EDT (1745 GMT) and registered as a moderate M 1. 7-class on the scale of sun storms, placing it firmly in the middle of the scale used by scientists to measure flare strength. The storm is not the strongest this year from the sun, but photos and video of the solar flare captured by NASA spacecraft revealed it to be an eye-popping display of magnetic plasma.” When will the sun actually refuse to shine? We will need to leave it to the Creator. God’s perfect Word has declared, “. . . for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26:9) The blindness of the Western World to holy things and the arrogance about any possible judgment by God is a dark crisis. It cannot last. God will either act or His reputation is on the line. Please, do not question the fact that the great Sovereign God is preparing for His visitation. The Word of God has already spoken. The Holy Ghost anointed Apostle Peter to speak of our day as he preached the “Pentecost Celebration” sermon. It is clear that Peter was addressing the entire church dispensation from that day to our day. If there is a chapter in the Bible that should be a clarion call to the church world, this is it. The church of Jesus Christ was inaugurated at Pentecost and the Holy Spirit did not fail to announce the closing hour. Peter spoke very passionately of these last days concerning the kingdom of God on earth, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:17-21) He used a Greek word for “last-eschatos” and the meaning is “most remote,” “extreme,” or the “last of the last.” It is evident that we are there. The things about to happen are going to shake this world to its very soul. Imagine about 1:30 on a sunny afternoon when the sun simply goes out, and our world turns dark as midnight. Nothing in natural science or nature will be identified as an ordinary cause. The scientists who study the atmosphere are quickly brought into the newsroom, but they can only say, “This is unexpected, we have no answers.” Not only will the darkness startle people but the deep spiritual emotions that follow such an act by God will be even more troubling. The emotions that followed 9/11 will pale to compare. Animals will seek a hiding place, chickens will go to roost, and dogs will howl with dread. This eclipse of the sun may well be followed by the moon turning blood red and trailing the sky with what appears to be a blood bath. The tint of blood will suddenly leave the entire heavenlies with an awe inspiring gloom. Wicked people will curse at the heavens and drown themselves in intoxicants. The Bible has promised that this coming judgment will be so overwhelming to the unprepared multitudes that, “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.” (Luke 21:26) Our present moon is the heavenly body that determines the tides of the oceans. When the moon starts to convulse the earthly water tables will follow suit. The Son of God told us this would occur. “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.” (Luke 21:25) The East and West coasts of America will certainly experience tsunamis that will devastate entire major cities. We are talking about a time when the supreme powers of the heavens will no longer be a subject for jest and debate. Atheists will either curse and swear or turn to prayer. There will no longer be a middle ground between believers and unbelievers. Apostle Peter spoke of things that will occur as almost impossible to understand in advance. An eclipse of the sun and the moon turning to blood is only part of what the Christian world may face as we await the Rapture. He spoke of “signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke.” We are speaking of indescribable events. Natural phenomena can cause some of this, but the world often explains them as the results of nature. I believe these will be so unexpected and unexplainable that the Sovereign God must be acknowledged. While the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation cannot begin until the Rapture, preludes to those seven years will certainly happen. A multitude of the honest hearted will finally refuse the lies of Bible critics and start giving glory to God. As soon as the moon turns to blood, millions will turn to God. When the Sun goes out or God covers it with His hand, and when the light comes back on, church altars will once again become the mourner’s bench. The Holy Ghost speaking by Peter at Pentecost did not fail to give us the effect of these Heavenly manifestations. None of these actions will be wasted. God is going to prepare this universe for both revival and His final redemption. As He concluded this explanation of judgments, the Spirit said, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21) To add to the truth of this drama seen by Apostle John we need to remember the concern of the Environmentalist. Since I started this article I have learned that this Sunday is “Earth Day”. I can understand their concerns. When you disregard the Bible and what is prophesied to happen then they are deeply afraid. They are mobilizing to save the earth. Here is their theme as printed on one of their sites. “Our planet, our home is being neglected. Climate change continues unabated. It seems there’s a new ecological disaster happening almost daily. This Earth Day it’s time to mobilize the planet from the ground up to send a message that the Earth won’t wait!” (Mobilize The Earth) It’s sad to think of so many people in utter darkness. The disasters that will occur will only darken the thinking of these dear people unless somehow we reach them for Christ. Every thing we have spoken of from the Bible will occur either before or after the Rapture. The Apostle was speaking to the multitude in Jerusalem and to the church. This could well mean that any portion of coming judgment may occur at any moment. We are foolish if we do not live ready to go in the Rapture or ready to reap a harvest as our Lord shakes this world to its senses. I pray that He will send this shakening before He raptures His Church for the sake of the lost. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 59: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW 144,000 JEWS CONVERTED TO CHRIST AFTER THE RAPTURE ======================================================================== John The Revelator Saw 144,000 Jews Converted To Christ After The Rapture SUDDENLY, THE GREAT TRIBULATION STOPPED, ALL JUDGMENTS CEASED, THE INSANE WEATHER PATTERNS BECAME PERFECTLY CALM, AND THE CHOSEN NATION OF THE LORD CAME INTO VIEW. Before the Anti-Christ could release his vicious anger against Israel, an elected number must be redeemed and sealed. This beautiful company were not converted to Jesus Christ before the Rapture but were deeply pious and anxious for the messiah to come. When Jesus raptures His bride, no place on earth will be as stirred and shaken as Jerusalem. This pause in the proceeding of judgments is remarkable. The world is under great wrath from the Father and the Lamb. They are also under an assault from Satan and his horde at the same time. It’s like everything comes to a standstill as the angels of God manifest their incredible powers. Even Satan’s activities must be stayed. All the elements of nature will suddenly be calmed and the earth’s population will be filled with a sense of a divine encounter. His angels, probably Cherubims in this case, are awesome creatures. When they manifest powers as great as suggested in this text, a foreboding of their great emotions will touch all creation. “Holding the four winds of the earth,” will create a hush or calm that strikes incredible fear. These angels were already on a mission to disrupt the processes of nature. Their activities were in motion so that the sudden calm was like the eye of a hurricane with a storm raging on both sides. It is apparent that this action to seal the servants of God from the nation of Israel suggests that the effort by the Antichrist to massacre the Jewish race is well underway and the Lord is acting to preserve the remnant. This also suggests that the abomination of desolation may has been erected in the temple and Israel has learned of their mistake when they made a covenant with the Antichrist. One third of Israel will eventually be preserved and saved. This action by the Lamb guarantees their future in His plans. The sealed saints will be His witnesses among the remnant. This great action by the Lamb to set aside a fixed number of His kin for witnesses to Himself is quite amazing. They have already been thoroughly converted after the Rapture. They are called “servants of our God” and were probably faithful orthodox Jews that were busy preparing for the Messiah before they learned of the Rapture and realized they had missed this grand event. No one can be saved apart from the Lamb’s blood and this seal confirms his or her faith in Christ. Please note that this seal is called “the seal of the Living God” to distinguish it from the seal of the Antichrist. Here is the vision that John the Revelator saw. “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Revelation 7:1-3) It is not likely that any geographical place on this earth has as many saints buried in the soil as the Holy City. The early church saw hundreds of thousands converted and filled with the Holy Ghost. The book of Acts was the greatest revival in human history. They believed that they would be raptured in their life-time but when saints began to die, Apostle Paul had to settle the question. Before Titus destroyed the city and either sold the Jews as slaves or drove them to other nations, a multitude of believers had died in the Lord. Jerusalem will be a city of open graves after the rapture. This golden city was similarly shaken when Jesus Christ was resurrected, and that was only a shadow of what is to come. I love this great passage. “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:52-53) This kind of activity after the Rapture is not what you usually hear. Maybe I am taking this too far but I think not. The one criteria for teaching all truth is the Bible and this pattern was set when Jesus Christ was Resurrected. That is the single pattern of saints being resurrected in all of scripture. It is foolish for us to ignore this as what our Lord is about to do again. Imagine the effect of Apostle Peter, Apostle James, and Apostle Paul appearing and preaching the resurrection on the streets of Jerusalem. Consider hundreds of glorified saints in shining bodies praying at the Wailing Wall or triumphantly singing in the public square of their beloved city. Never in history have so many blessed saints of our Lord been seen in triumphant glory and loudly declaring, “The Lord has come and the end of all things is at hand.” Once the Rapture is complete and the resurrected saints have disappeared, tens of thousands of Israel’s population with turn to Jesus Christ. I believe a great number of the devoted Jews that were looking for the Messiah will be quick to repent of their unbelief. Out of this great multitude, God will choose His elected 144,000,12,000 from each of the twelve tribes. The tasks of these faithful believers from among the Jews and their protection while they are His witnesses would suggest several things. They will become powerful witnesses to Jesus Christ’s messiahship to the entire Jewish world. They will certainly prepare all of Israel to be converted in one single day when the Son of Man arrives in Jerusalem after He wins the Battle of Armageddon. His one hundred and forty-four thousand will be caught up to the Lamb before the seven years of tribulation is over and will likely be guests at the wedding event and supper already underway in Heavenly Jerusalem. They also may help prepare Israel for the coming kingdom of Israel during the Millennium. This large number of protected Jews will certainly have a wonderful part in Israel’s future, both before they are caught up, and when they return with Christ to reign on earth a thousand years. The One Thousand Year Reign is only the beginning. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 60: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW JESUS CHRIST CROWNED KING OF KINGS ======================================================================== John The Revelator Saw Jesus Christ Crowned King Of Kings THE GRANDEST MOMENT IN CHURCH HISTORY WILL BE WHEN THE DIVINE SON IS CROWNED “KING OF KINGS.” If there is one mystery in the entire Bible that is greater or more breathtaking than all the rest of truth, it is the eternal person of Jesus Christ. In Genesis chapter one, He is the going forth of all creation. We see this in these supernatural words, “And God said …” (Genesis 1:3). Seeing the mystery of those three words spoken nine times in Genesis chapter one clearly proves John’s statement, “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3) Every time God speaks, it is in the person of the Eternal Word. The Father opened the door to Christ His Son when He said, “Let Us make man …” (Genesis 1:26). What a fabulous word God used when He said “US” in Holy Scripture to the overall revelation of the Bible. To seek to remove the Son from the Revelation of God is to have nothing left but another religion. God Himself could not come down and redeem us because of His unapproachable Holiness, but He could send His Son in a hidden form of flesh. Preparation for this sacrifice began in the presence of the first human sin. An animal was slain by the Father to provide a blood offering and to cast a shadow toward the cross where the Son would be offered instead. A crimson cord of hope never faded until Divine blood dropped on Calvary’s hill. In Genesis, He is the Word. In Exodus, He is Water from the Rock. In Leviticus, He is the future priest; while in Numbers, He is the sacrifice for all sin. Throughout the Bible, He never fades from the center of all Scripture. He is the mystery Word hidden in the written Word that shines time and time again throughout the First Testament. Solomon saw Him as the “Rose of Sharon and Lilly of the Valley.” (Song of Solomon 2:1) Isaiah actually saw Him as the “Son” (Isaiah 9:6) in one rare instance of the First Covenant. He was like the “Son” light of eternity waiting to shine in the brilliance of His incarnation. “And the Word was made flesh …” (John 1:14) His coming to this earth set the world on its heels. Even as a baby in Bethlehem and Nazareth, kings tried to shake loose from His presence. Many babies died in the search for Him. When He began to preach, it turned the religious crowd of Judea into a frenzy. They could not kill Him until His time had come and then the Father planned it for them. All the terror of His presence among them had no kinship to the terror of His departure. His death split the timeframe of all ages. The entire world came to divide time by His short life and timely death. If His life was impacting, His death was overwhelming. He did not just die; He walked through death as only God could do and left behind nothing but a whisper. Not only does He live, but every soul that belongs to Him in the redemption of His death now lives in His resurrection and cannot die. He is calling the chosen to live in His new life of holiness and He is preparing a Bride for His New Jerusalem. We often think of New Jerusalem being prepared for the Bride, but is it not better to think of the Bride being prepared for the city? When the Eternal Son returned to His Father’s presence, the Father exalted Him. We may ask, “What can be an exalted position above Sonship, which He has eternally occupied?” Apostle Paul declared, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:9-11) In Revelation John the Revelator saw the Lord in His post-resurrection glory. There are actually forty-one (41) descriptive words of His glory in thirteen verses of Revelation chapter one. Many beautiful descriptive words of Him are used, but one missing title that He is soon to be given is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” This title is not really a title that represents His Father and Son relationship. He is the Father’s Only Begotten Son, High Priest of all redemption, Prince of all the kings of the earth. He sits at the Father’s right hand in all of Heaven’s glory. But, this future title is a relationship title with His Bride and His kings and priests of the Millennial reign of one thousand years. This name is a title that we the chosen company of the Sanctified that sit down with Him at the Marriage Supper will give Him. At the strategic moment in the midst of the greatest celebration of church history, all of this victorious multitude will come to sharp attention. The Apostle Paul saw this day in the future when the greatest possible honor of human understanding would be attributed to Christ our Lord. The language reveals that this glory is future and relates to the government of the Millennial Kingdom. “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15-16) We are His subjects and it will be our honor to declare for all of Heaven and Earth to enjoy that He is indeed our “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” This must be one of the greatest honors of the chosen Bride of Christ. It is beautiful to know that when we are receiving our crowns, He will receive His prized crown as the King of the Millennium. He will be more than King; He will be King of Kings. He will be more than Lord; He will be Lord of Lords. All of our honor will be subject to His honor. As soon as the Marriage Supper is complete and all the honors of that celestial event has been given; it’s time to possess the prize. The anointed Potentate moves from the Banquet Hall and He will mount the Great White Stallion. Calling His army of the rewarded saints, His kings and priests, He will descend to defeat the Armageddon army and take possession of Jerusalem and the Earth. John saw this moment himself and then showed us the thrilling drama of His descent, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11, Revelation 19:15-16) The judgments of the seven years of Tribulation will have affected a purification of this world and we will begin a thousand years of holiness and peace. The King of Kings will reign from David’s Throne in Jerusalem and the chosen will be the joy of the whole earth. His kings and priests will rule in righteousness and all honors will be complete in Him. Serving in the Millennium is one of the highest honors offered His saints. It will be given to those chosen of the Father. Jesus said, “… but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” (Matthew 20:23 b) The present series of Salty Saints and Prophetic News Alerts combined are on the front of the Home Page. I expect approximately fifty when I’m finished. I have been overwhelmed to see that Revelation is one great picture of God’s revelation one after another. What absolute proof of its literalness. Please order a free copy of the first eight, and sign up on our E-mail list to automatically receive these inspiriting truths. Our book “The Masterpiece” would greatly aid you in studying. We also have a professional set of verse by verse teaching on DVDs OR CDs on the entire 22 Chapters of Revelation. (24 DVDS or CDs in two beautiful albums) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 61: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE FEMINIZATION OF THE END TIMES CHURCH ======================================================================== John The Revelator Saw The Feminization Of The End Times Church THE GENDER NEUTRAL BIBLE IS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD THE FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST HIS SON. The elevation of women to the position of defining theological matters is equally an abomination. God’s perfect Bible says clearly, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” (1 Timothy 2:12) My respect for the female gender is so strong that I say a woman must come down off her pedestal to be equal with men. But, her position is totally unique and different. Nothing akin to the present feminization of the Church has occurred in two-thousand years of Church History. Christ’s warning to His Church was strong and unquestionable in Revelation’s seven-fold message. He warned us, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” (Revelation 2:20-22) This is an End Time warning because the consequences of this folly is that those who fall sway will be cast into the Great Tribulation. Nothing happening in the present day church is more diabolical and evident of the developing Antichrist kingdom than the feminization of the church. Two thousand years of church history have never witnessed anything of this magnitude. The only possible past comparasion comes from the introduction of the Mother goddess “Madonna” to the church many centuries ago. It is now perfectly clear that this was a compromise between the church and the pagan culture directly influenced by the Babylonian cult of Nimrod (Read Genesis 10:1-32.) and his mother Semiramis. I have personal pictures of Mother-child figurines dating back to approximately 3,000 B. C. that I took in the museum in Baghdad, Iraq. These had been located in the ruins of Southern Mesopotamia (Sumer or Shinar) where Babylon and the earliest city-states were developed. Radical feminism is intimately tied to the different streams of the rising Antichrist spirit. Satan and his diabolical agents or evil spirits are affecting every expression of our present world. All that is happening is in preparation for the final onslaught of Lucifer and his hordes. Homosexual proliferation, a one world government, the rebuilding of ancient Babylon, the ecumenical movement, and radical feminism are probably five of the most graphic illustrations of Revelation 17:1-18 that are visible to the true child of God. To more clearly identify the rising Antichrist spirit, it is important to understand the distinction between Revelation chapter 17 and chapter 18. One is Mystery Babylon, while the second one is Political Babylon. The first is seen as a mystery (to be disclosed at the proper time which I believe has now arrived), while the latter is literal and has been evident ever since the Holy Spirit inspired these words. The city of Babylon has never ceased to exist. Although its name was changed on two occasions (Two Mosques and Hillah), it has never been totally unpopulated. Hillah presently has over 250,000 citizens and was built almost completely by brick from parts of the old city. Peter wrote his first letter from Babylon and sent greetings from the church located in this ancient wicked city. “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you” (1 Peter 5:13). One of the most popular Jewish documents, called the “Babylonian Talmud,” was written in Babylon in the sixth century after Christ. Most important to this article is Revelation 17:1-18 or “Mystery Babylon.” There is little debate among Bible scholars but that this represents apostate religion. Babylon, built by Nimrod, grandson of Noah, was the location where the ultimate false religion found its foundation. The tower of Babel was built to express this new and foreign approach to a Divine power. It is believed that the city’s legendary god, Marduk, was named after its founder, Nimrod. Also, there is a strong connection between Gilgamesh of the Babylonian Epic of Creation, the Epic of the Flood, and Nimrod. They were most likely the same individual. The two streams of feminine strength and character flow directly from Semiramis, the mother of Nimrod, and Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Semiramis popularized everything that is vile to womanhood – rebellion, loudness, and dominance. Her attire was of gaudy gold, silver, and jewels, along with a painted face. She could not be better represented than as the harlot woman of Revelation 17:1-18. “…Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:1-4). This woman is the final expression of sin and paganism prior to the judgment of God. Sarah, the wife of Abraham epitomized the Biblical example of a Godly lady. She was happy to fulfill her lofty role as helpmeet to the “Father of Faith.” She called him “Lord” and believed with him for the son of promise. Apostle Peter clearly identifies her as the example of New Testament woman. “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement” (1 Peter 3:3-6). Every expression of modern, secular, radical feminism is a departure from the infallible Word of God and is only a few steps ahead of religious feminism. Here are four expressions of the modern feminist: “The simple fact is that every woman must be willing to be identified as a lesbian to be fully feminist.” (National NOW Times, Jan. 1988.) “Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women’s movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage.” (Radical feminist leader, Shelia Cronan.) “Overthrowing capitalism is too small for us. We must overthrow the whole patriarch (system)!” (Gloria Steinem, radical feminist leader, Editor of MS Magazine.) “Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally sanctioned method of control over women … We must work to destroy it. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men … All of history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go back to ancient female religions like witchcraft.” (The Declaration of Feminism, Nov. 1971.) In a new book entitled, What Will Happen To God, William Oddie examines, “Feminism and the Reconstruction of Christian Belief.” The following statement fully expresses what he sees as the goal of so-called Christian feminists. “It is clear that for the Christian women’s movement it is secular feminism which provides the initial impetus and, to some extent, the ideological nurture for its own revolutionary objective: the substantial reconstruction of the Christian religion itself.” He continues, “the year after Kate Millet’s Sexual Politics (1970) ‘rocketed her,’ in Mary Daly’s words, ‘into the role of American counterpart to Simone de Beauvoir,’ Daly was writing (in an essay significantly entitled ‘After the Death of God and the Father’) that, ‘As the woman’s revolution begins to have its effect upon the fabric of society, transforming it from patriarchy into something that never existed before – into a diarchal situation that is radically new – it will, I believe, become the greatest potential challenge to Christianity to rid itself of its oppressive tendencies or go out of business. Beliefs and values that have held sway for thousands of years will be questioned as never before.’” (Elisabeth Fiorenza, “In Memory of Her,” London 1983, p. 61.) Their entrance point may be the full rights of women in business, pastoral call, and administrative functions, but their ultimate goal is to replace God the Father with God the Mother. The Presbyterian U. S. A. Church just voted to remove language barriers to allow them to address God either as a Father or a Mother. A recent Catholic priest, speaking to a Charismatic ladies group, spoke of God as possessing both a feminine and masculine nature. His twisted theology brought God down to the level of the Chinese pagan religion Tai Chi, in which the yin and yang express the two natures (male and female) of all ultimate reality. We have hardly seen the beginning of this mindless perversion. The gold, silver, and jewels worn by vain women is no longer innocent worldliness. As is all compromise with the world, the wearing of jewelry seems so insignificant at the start. However, Satan always tricks and snares Godly individuals by slow intoxication. His approach is deadly and the churches of America are prime examples. Although we have accomplished much for God in America’s 200 year history, our greatest missions and endeavors can be credited only to our past surrender to Godly living. Today, we are hardly a song compared to our past as the world has moved in and the power has moved out. And although it goes much deeper than our externals, we must recognize that our external appearance reflects our internal character. In the last two weeks I have seen examples of paganistic jewelry. One lady came for counseling wearing large yin and yang earrings. Then, a lady came to purchase materials from our bookstore wearing moon and star combination earrings. None of the three ladies professed knowledge of these pagan artifacts. The yin and yang is the symbol of tai chi Chinese paganism. The moon and star is representative of Diana. (Scriptures call her Diana of the Ephesians.) Each of these symbols carries the spirit of the demons that they represent. It is impossible to wear such icons and not be affected. Ignorance is absolutely no excuse. A Godly saint would immediately be troubled in spirit by such an attachment to demons. The ultimate purpose of Mystery Babylon is the impact the feminists are making in our churches. The feminist and diabolical spirit has invaded every major Christian movement. Their goal is to place women right beside man in administration, decisions of doctrine and practice, and pastoral responsibilities. They would prefer that the church ceases to exist than to fail their goal, and in fact the church will cease to be a part of Christ’s body if they succeed. His church will either conduct His affairs by His divine mandate or He will have no part. The Holy Scripture leaves no room for compromise on the roles of men and women in the church or the home. God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of the woman. (1 Corinthians 11:3) Charles Colson recently commented on the matter of sexism terminology in the Evangelical world. The pressure is apparently on by key feminists (some being men) to demand allegiance to their radical ideas. Colson said, “I suspect that for some the primary concern is another agenda altogether. For them, nonsexist language is an ideological test to distinguish the ‘sensitive’ sheep from the ‘reactionary’ goats. The linguistic case matters little: the real object is to determine who will salute when the radical feminist flag is raised.” He continued with the following, “First, it would threaten the division of roles essential to Christian conceptions of the family and the church. For believers there is no moral or spiritual superiority of one sex above another. But there is a biblical division of responsibilities in both the family and the church. To question these is not a revolt against unwarranted prejudice but a revolt against the order of the universe itself. Second, blurring gender distinctions would not only disrupt order in church and family, but could eventually blur our understanding of who God is.” (Christianity Today, page 80.) When a woman rebels against God and His designated role for her, she always misses His will. Not only does she miss His will, she causes indescribable damage. Eve was first deceived in the garden because she took a matter into her own hands. If she had submitted to the headship of man, she would not have been close to the forbidden fruit, much less defeated by Satan regarding its meats. Because Adam was weak and effeminate toward Eve’s sin against God and her dominance of Adam, he became the guilty transmitter of sin to all humankind. What devastation was wrought because of the first feminist action! Jezebel wrought the same havoc among the ten Northern tribes of Israel when Ahab made her his Queen. She introduced the Babylonian goddesses and the wicked Jezebel lifestyle into the chosen family and Israel has yet to recover. Israel’s true nationality and her proper promised land have never been completely reclaimed although the Messiah will restore them shortly. Revelation chapter 2 tells of her spirit at work in the church doing the same filthy damage. It is fitting that a Harlot woman will symbolize the last rampage of confused religionists. Not only will the symbol be a woman, loud and dominating women will help lead the charge. It is happening at this moment. Many of the leading pastors and ministers of our day are married to Jezebel-appearing and Jezebel-acting women. In fact, most young ministers trained in our institutions aren’t looking for a Godly wife; they are looking for a “tippy” doll. Such women have immeasurable power over their husbands. They control their husbands as the Spirit of Babylon controls them. How could such men dare preach a Biblical standard of Godliness? (If a pastor or wife reads this message that is guilty of this, please don’t get angry but fall on your knees in repentance and help turn the church back to God and the Holy Bible.) This Harlot church is gathering worldwide power. She hates true holiness and fundamental Christians and will stop at nothing to wipe out their testimony. Any denominational leader, publisher, writer, or pastor who falls prey to her influence will slide right into the mindset that exalts this feminist spirit. While there are many other characteristics of this harlot church, feminism and an effeminate nature are her true personalities. Homosexual men and lesbian women will find a growing acceptance in the multi-faceted religious institution. The music will be both loud and “silly-sweet.” Its theme will be love, but it will be a kind of love that makes the harlot woman “giddy.” A true child of God will be repulsed. She’s coming like a storm and riding the crest of worldly acceptance and support. Her riches will buy much favor and she will boast of her great accomplishments. The poor and persecuted remnant will wonder with amazement. Many who have weathered the storms of past trials will buy her lie and sell their birthright for a mess of pottage. However, the Holy Bride of Christ will settle for a tent while they await the city with foundation whose builder and maker is God. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 62: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE RAPTURE LIKE A DRAMA ======================================================================== John The Revelator Saw The Rapture Like A Drama Any view of Revelation chapter four that does not allow for the triumphant Rapture of the saints is woefully inadequate and an embarrassment to the truth. It is the grandest picture of the true church and the overcoming saints who were brought up from the Lion’s mouth unto the King’s throne. The blood-washed saints that were hated by the world had faced their persecutors for the last time. Giving up the world, they had gained the grandest seats around the throne of the Father. This chapter is the beginning of the glory that has been promised to the saints since the opening of the Holy Bible. From seats around the throne to the city of the throne, the saints will never suffer shame again. They are His saints; they will take up positions as His elders until they march forth as His army, reign as Kings, and possess the city of the Bride. Revelation chapter four moves us past the Church Age, where His saints are pilgrims and strangers on this earth. After the opening of chapter four, everything revealed in this book is future prophecy. The pilgrim saints become serving elders that sit on lesser thrones and participate with the Father and the Son in the redemption of this earth. Redemption in the Bible is always a judicial business incorporating cleansing, judgment, and the renewing and perfecting of that which sin has corrupted. The authorized elders, Cherubim, and angels will serve the Lamb of God during this process. This chapter is the opening volley, and ultimately the universe will be perfectly redeemed. >From the rebellion in heaven, where Satan and his angels were cast to the earth, until Satan presents his false Christ and false spirit, every act of evil must be presented and judged at the bar of justice. It will be seven years of perfect redemption until the earth is fit for the King of Kings to rule and reign. The great Jehovah God is seated on His throne in the celestial heavens and is fully prepared for the heavenly court. Over six thousand years have passed since a serpent possessed by Lucifer walked into the garden and deceived God’s perfect couple, Adam and Eve. >From the venom of lies in the garden, sin has touched every offspring of Adam. The upheaval of the earth by the Noahic flood left its scars on a sin-cursed earth. There is not one element of the created world unspoiled by the flood of evil, and it’s now time for redemption. The celestial city of Jerusalem, now in heaven, and its inhabitants are the only untouched geography in the cosmos, and the court will be held in its temple. David must have had a slight view of this seven-year session. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.” (Psalms 48:1-3). The court proceeding that must be held in this city demands a Pre-Tribulation Rapture to transfer the saints from their graves or from their living on earth to fulfill their appointed place in the judgments. This earth is the Lord’s and He has appointed it to His saints to posess for eternity. It has been clearly stated that we shall judge this earth, and our removal to this grand event is unquestionably guaranteed. The fight against the Rapture is a last-ditch battle from the devil to prevent us from our heavenly task. The proceeding cannot begin until we arrive at our appointed seats before the throne. Come Up Hither! After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter (Revelation 4:1). Please look carefully at this truth. The scene in heaven was visible to John. It was a drama for him. He did not hear it described, he saw it in action. The Lord said, “I will shew thee things which must be hereafter”,. speaking of the Church to which John had just delivered seven letters. There is no event on God’s calendar that demands a door opened into heaven from the earth’s advantage except the Rapture. This great vision by John incorporates all the fine details that Scripture associates with the saints being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. “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.) Before John sees the throne in heaven, he hears the voice of Jesus Christ “as it were of a trumpet” saying, “Come up hither.” The trumpet voice gave details to John to make sure the church would understand this further information as “hereafter”or following the letters to the seven churches. Nothing from this point in Revelation can be a historical event. This was clearly stated in the introduction of chapter one. “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (Revelation 1:19). All through chapter one, two, and three the whole vision and scene is the High Priestly appearance of Jesus Christ and His letters to His churches. John is clearly caught up into the heavens to view further proceedings that demand his presence. He is going to witness the glorified saints seated in positions of honor and dressed in attire that would be impossible on earth. Everything he sees and writes from this verse has no connection to the Church Age and its kingdom business, which the Scripture identifies as the spiritual kingdom “that cometh not with observation. Then Jesus told them that the Kingdom was still future. “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald (Revelation 4:2-3). What John was about to witness demanded that a spiritual dimension temporarily overshadow him. This again proves that his vision was beyond the physically observable age of the church and was a prophetic view of future events. No one can stand before God’s throne or even view God’s throne until our bodies are glorified. “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:2). This vision given to John was for our future hope and demands the Rapture to fulfill its glory. In the Spirit, John looks on the majestic throne of Almighty Jehovah, where our Heavenly Father is seated in His glory. The description given to us is limited by human language inadequate to reach to such heights of splendor. The glory was such that the writer could only compare it with the grandeur of rare jewels. There was a gleam of glory and overwhelming splendor making Him incomparable to earthly beauty. The dazzling colors of a rainbow were seen overshadowing the throne and its occupant. The throne itself was in sight like unto an emerald. No earthly wonder has ever been so described. How can we question that something is about to transpire that the ages of human pain has longed to behold? Ten thousand gods have imitated God the Father and have tried to possess His kingdom. They all have faded into defeat. The last of those gods are soon to disappear. His presence settles the God-questions of the rebellious multitudes. The proceedings that will issue from His throne will not leave any questions or doubts. His glorious presence became the backdrop of the rest of this great masterpiece of literature called REVELATION” Every scene from this point forward must be understood as the acts and transactions of Him, His Son, His Holy Spirit, and His appointed elders and angels. He is sovereign God, and all glory and honor must flow from His throne. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind (Revelation 4:4-6). All three of these verses begin with references to the throne of God and He that is seated in His majesty, Notice the progression, “And round about the throne”, “And out of the throne”, “And before the throne.” That is breathtaking language. and John both heard it and saw it. First, “round about the throne” are the saints of God that have been promoted to elders. No more pilgrims and strangers traveling through a weary land, but exalted, glorified, and seated “round about the throne.” The judgment seat of Christ has occurred, and His saints have been promoted to their lofty positions. They are seated after a lifetime of pilgrimage and sorrows. They are clothed in sparkling-white raiment, which is the righteousness of the glorified elders. They are crowned with crowns of gold, and this is just the first day of eternity for all of them. I can hardly wait because He has paid our debt of sin and redeemed his chosen so we can be there. The Rapture is at the door and Satan is fighting with a fury. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 63: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST ======================================================================== John The Revelator Saw The Shekinah Glory Of Jesus Christ ”THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST WAS SHOWN TO JOHN AS THE BOOK OF REVELATION WAS UNVEILED. This is how the Father begins the Divine disclosure of our future. The Book of Revelation is one Heavenly Drama after another, so that John could prophesy God’s majestic plan. The breathtaking manner used in this last great revelation is perfect. A person must be spiritually blind to miss these great truths. What a person sees is many times more clearly understood than what they hear. Our Heavenly Father wanted His earthly family to live in hope and excitement as His purpose for us. The Book Of Revelation is the Masterpiece of Truth about the End of the Church’s Dispensation. At the very beginning of these visions the Father reveals the glorified sacrifice and exalted position of His Son in His Church. There can be no question of Whom this drama is revealing to us. It is The “Revelation Of Jesus Christ.” This great masterpiece is from the Father, but the Father identifies His Son as His absolute sovereign authority in every majestic scene. The Father has given all authority and power to His Son and His Son holds center stage until this entire plan is executed. The Father, by John, said, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood…” (Revelation 1:5) Without the omnipotent power of this exalted Redeemer, the scenes of this Book would be impossible. Knowing that, our God has given all power in heaven and earth to Jesus Christ which guarantees a perfect fulfillment. Nothing can fail because He cannot fail. He created this universe and is the Lord of Sabaoth (The Host Of Angels). His foot is on Satan’s neck and the final moment of total redemption is written in this Book of Apocalypse. Satan does not have the power or authority to resist. John does not just hear the words about His glory but sees it in a manifestation like Moses saw in the Tabernacle or what Solomon saw in the Golden Temple. As this Shekinah is revealed, John is on his face like a dead man. The word Shekinah has been raped today by the New Age world and religious confusion. It’s nothing but an esoteric deception when the world and religious deceivers try to imitate it for their own gain. “Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary,” describes this word beautifully. “Shekinah: (Hebrew, shekhinah, dwelling of God), a word, though not occurring in the Bible, that is employed by some Jews and by Christians to describe the visible presence of Jehovah. It is alluded to in such places as Isaiah 60:2; by the phrase “his glory” and in Romans 9:4 by the phrase “the glory.” Moses calls this the “cloud”, in Exodus 14:19. It’s first appearance occurred for a twofold purpose when Israel was being led by Moses out of Egypt. It hid the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptians and lighted the way at night for Israel (Exodus 13:21; Exodus 14:19-20). To the Egyptians it was a cloud of darkness, but to Israel a cloud of light. It later covered Sinai when God spoke with Moses (Exodus 24:15-18), filled the tabernacle, (Exodus 40:34-35), guided Israel, (Exodus 40:36-38) filled Solomon’s temple, (2 Chronicles 7:1) and was frequently seen in connection with Christ’s ministry in the New Testament (Matthew 17:5; Acts 1:9).” (ZPBD, Seventh edition 1967, page 782) The real truth of God’s Shekinah is overwhelming while the fake is dangerous. This word, “Shekinah,” is a word to express “The manifest presence of the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit.” Moses’ face was so brilliant when he had seen this Shekinah of God that it had to be covered in the presence of his fellow Jews. At Pentecost the Manifest Presence was in a sound from heaven like a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire sitting on every one of them. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain before three of His disciples this Shekinah was overwhelming. “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” (Matthew 17:1-2) Now John the Beloved is about to see this manifest glory of the Lord. He said, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks…” (Revelation 1:10-12) The location of this vision in the Book of Revelation was in the midst of the Seven Churches to whom He would write the seven last letters. John sees the passion of Christ for His Church by walking up and down in the midst of them. In every great revival which has awakened many to Christ, His presence has been either visibly felt or seen. This is not just a drama of what is to be that starts with Chapter Four. This is a picture of what is given presently to the Church dispensation. What a pitiful picture of the Church we are today. But the drama continues. “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” (Revelation 1:13) This present Lord not only walks in the Church’s midst, but He is their High Priest. His appearance loudly proclaims His position to plead and represent our cause before our Father. It is not the priesthood of Moses but the priesthood of Melchisedec. John understood the marking of His Eternal Priesthood by His Priestly Attire. That Priestly Office has continued from that day until the present and will continue until He calls us to His literal Presence. The “Ancient of Days” is a Biblical title of our Lord, and John sees this transcendent rendering of His Eternal Person. “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire…” (Revelation 1:14) This is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, who is, who was and who is to come. He is beyond human comprehension and John is speechless. Oh that men might tremble at the mention of His Name. Even from His feet to His voice there is a picture of all His sovereign glory. He has walked the fiery altar of the Heavenly Temple and now to walk in His Church is to leave footprints of Holy Ghost fire. His voice has the sound of triumph and when He speaks it is like Heaven to the soul. Everything of His appearance is His picture of action intended in the House of God. Divine footprints and the voice of mastery are clearly two of man’s greatest expressions of authority. He is the Master of both. The closing scene is to see His anointed ministers in His right hand and to see His words out of His mouth as the weapon of victory in the minister’s hands. We overcome by His Words and there is no substitute. “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” (Revelation 1:16) This is a testimony of the infallible Scripture and its authority to triumph over every power of evil. As John beheld this celestial scene he falls on his face. John was truly a Holy man, sanctified and set apart and yet he was overcome with the Shekinah glory. This generation refuses this Book because their carnal lives cannot bear it. John spoke of himself. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:17-18) The Lord of this majestic revelation is still available for His saints to enter the Holy of Holies. He invites us in this last generation to return to His glory with a life of total surrender. “But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?” (2 Corinthians 3:7-8) We must exalt this Matchless Christ and live in His Shekinah Glory until He is so visible that men tremble at the mere mention of His Name. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 64: JOHN THE REVELATOR SAW THE TITLE DEED OF THIS EARTH ======================================================================== John The Revelator Saw The Title Deed Of This Earth POST-MILLENNIALISM OR DOMINIONISM ARE BLASPHEMOUS DOCTRINES THAT ROB JESUS CHRIST OF HIS COMING GLORY TO REDEEM THIS EARTH. This entire universe is steeped in rot and degradation and must be reclaimed and purified by Divine redemption. John saw the drama of the “Title Deed” of this earth in the Father’s Hand. Then he saw it passed to the Son Of God, a Lamb slain, who would start the proceedings of repossession. The fifth Chapter of Revelation is almost to sacred to touch. This earth cannot be saved by mystical preachers and their massive schemes of Dominionism or “Taking Possession Over The Earth.” This idea has become dominant over much of the church world and the Antichrist loves it. The ultimate face-off between the Lamb of God and Satan is one of the most breathtaking truths in the Book of Revelation. But, first a six thousand year old scroll or a “Title Deed Of The Earth” must be understood. “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1). Apparently, our Heavenly Father commissioned this scroll to be written just as soon as Satan stole the legal deed to the beautiful world that Adam and Eve had inherited. This scroll was never seen by mortal man until John saw it in his vision. The Father held it as a strong angel sought a Worthy Redeemer who had earned the legal right to open its content. Nowhere in God’s entire universe was there a being or creature kin to the divine person of God. The great host of angels must have searched every nook and cranny in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth. By divine revelation, John was either told or made to understand that this book contained the hope of humankind. Without this great scroll in the Father’s hand being fulfilled, this unclean universe was destined to continue downward. Someone had to open this book and take back what the devil stole. In this six thousand year old document was the title deed and the divine process to uproot the usurper. The Father’s plan and purpose was recorded; but, the first of kin to God Himself had to unseal the plan. John was weeping in soul-rending disappointment. We would think that John already knew that there was an answer; but, it had been held back from him. It was an unfolding drama. He was still in the flesh even though he was caught up in the Spirit. But, the Elders at the scene were glorified saints and now possessed the wisdom of the ages. “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Revelation 5:5). This is one of the most revealing manifestations of the victory of the cross in Holy Scripture. His death was the redemption and reclaiming of paradise lost. When the Son of God said, “It is finished,” He literally ripped a stolen and emaciated world out of Satan’s possession. That victory could not be claimed until the Gospel had its day of redeeming souls. But, that day is now at hand in this vision; and we are about to see the real drama in our day. John was beholding the scene that is soon to be acted out when the Raptured saints are gathered home. “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne” (Revelation 5:6-7). The Heavens exploded in triumphant worship. The saints will sing their first song after arriving in the Eternal City of Jerusalem. This is the Holy City of which earthly Jerusalem was but a shadow. The worship will be of Jesus Christ our Emancipator. Finally, the universe will see the full scope of who He is and the finished work of what He did. He was the first of kin, the only begotten Son, to the Father. As the Divine Savior, He is ready for the ultimate face-off with the lying masquerades of Satan. This great manuscript had been held in the archives of Heavenly Jerusalem since the loss of this earth in the Garden of Eden. Never had our Father been without a plan. Enoch may have known the secret. No doubt Noah carried it in his heart while in the ark although he had never seen the document. Abraham came from Ur to be the Father of Faith in the unpossessed Promise Land. From him all the way to Calvary, it was like a hidden dream in the hearts of faithful Jews. Now, John must become the writer to share its future fulfillment. That was the beautiful background for the victory to occur by the“Seven Sealed scroll.” This entire document is a legal manifest, it is divine business and His saints are the offended host. Satan is the accused and judgment has been passed. Let the proceedings begin, “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1-2). Jesus Christ is never called by any of His beautiful names during the seven years of cleansing this earth. He is called the Lamb or the Lamb of God. The process of Revelation chapter six to Revelation chapter nineteen, verse ten are so gruesome and profound that every action of redemption must proceed from the smitten Lamb. This incredible period is not too dissimilar from His earthly pilgrimage. He was the Son of man without ceasing to be the Son of God. During these seven years, He will be the Lamb of God without ceasing to be Alpha and Omega. His Majestic Being will be hidden in His purging manifestation. Ripping sin out of this entire cosmos is not a pretty task. As this powerful picture unfolds, the raptured saints will be fully prepared for the events to follow. Heaven is quickly filled with an explosion of worship. Now, we will see those twenty-four elders in their full multitude, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:9-11). Surely, no one can doubt that this raptured host has arrived in Heaven to share the cleansing of the earth from the dark reign of Satan and his deceived multitude. The picture of this beginning eviction of Satan and his horde of wicked spirits is very celestial. John sees this after being “caught up” himself while still in his body but allowed to see in the Heavenly realm. The Lamb is the Grand Marshall. The first four seals are unique and reflect a unity of purpose. Zechariah had seen the same four horses and riders, “And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses” (Zechariah 6:1-3). It was noted that these go forth from God and are instrumental for judgment on the earth. In every act of redemption there is its counterpart of judgment. You can have judgment without redemption, but you can never have redemption without judgment. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 65: LYING WONDERS : RICK JOYNER TRAVELING IN THE HEAVENLIES ======================================================================== LYING WONDERS : Rick Joyner Traveling In The Heavenlies RICK JOYNER IS IN A LEAGUE ALL BY HIMSELF! HIS DEMONIC WORLD HAS ENTRAPPED A MULTITUDE OF UNDISCERNING SOULS. One of his major books is entitled,“The Final Quest”. I think it should be labeled “The Final Lie”. It is absolutely the biggest collection of “ultimate lies” from demons and devils that I have ever reviewed in a book that claims christianity. This book can deceive no one unless they have first been mesmerized by these last day deceptions. The content is so ridiculous and far-fetched that believing it reveals an altered state of religious deception. Remember, that to be “mesmerized” simply means “an altered state of consciousness.” The final religion of the Antichrist is sorcery and witchcraft and the spirit of this darkness has already taken deep root in the church world. I have adapted a review of this book for this Salty Saints. The text from his book will be highlighted to help you follow it carefully. Rick Joyner is one of the most bold and haughty of the New Wave false prophets. He is so taken with himself that he believes his own lies and elevates himself with a dark sense of his own importance. Let’s look at his descent into necromancy (communication with the dead) that he freely expresses in this book. He completely ignores the Biblical warning about NECROMANCY. “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-11) To follow a Necromancer is to sell your soul to the devil. Mr. Joyner supposedly goes to heaven and meets all the greats of Biblical revelation. Listen as he, according to his book, meets the Apostle Paul. “1Then felt compelled to look at those who were sitting on the thrones we were passing. As I did, my gaze fell upon a man whom I knew was the apostle Paul. As I looked back at the Lord, He motioned for me to speak to him. I have so looked forward to this I said, feeling awkward but excited by this meeting. I know that you are aware of just how much your letters have guided the church, and they are probably still accomplishing more than all the rest of us put together. You are still one of the greatest lights on the earth.” (PAUL) “Thank you, he said graciously. But you do not understand just how much we have looked forward to meeting you. You are a soldier in the last battle; you are the ones whom everyone here is waiting to meet. We only saw these days dimly through our limited prophetic vision, but you have been chosen to live in them. You are a soldier preparing for the last battle. You are the ones for whom we are all waiting. (RICK) Still feeling awkward, I continued, But there is no way that I can convey the appreciation that we feel for you, and all who helped to set our course with their lives and their writings. I also know that we will have an eternity for exchanging our appreciation, so please, while I am here, let me ask, What would you say to my generation that will help us in this battle?” (PAUL) “I can only say to you now what I have already said to you through my writings. I would have you to understand them better by knowing that I fell short of all that I was called to do, Paul stated, looking me resolutely in the eyes.(RICK) But you are here, in one of the greatest thrones. You are still reaping more fruit for eternal life than any of us could ever hope to reap, I protested. (PAUL) By the grace of God I was able to finish my course, but I still did not walk in all that I was called to. I fell short of the highest purposes that I could have walked in. Everyone has. I know that some think that is blasphemy to think of me as anything less than the greatest example of Christian ministry, but I was being honest when I wrote near the end of my life that I was the greatest of sinners. I was not saying that I have been the greatest of sinners, but that I was the greatest of sinners then. I had been given so much to understand, and I walked in so little of it.’” (The Final Quest, Rick Joyner, Morning Star Publications 1996, pp. 131-132.) It is easy to see that the spirit of which Rick Joyner was controlled with in this conversation was a deceiving, lying spirit from Satan. Everything about this conversation is deceptive and false. Mr. Joyner sees himself in such an exalted position that the Apostle Paul is treated condescendingly. To belittle the Words of God given to the Apostle Paul serves only to elevate himself and his colleagues as being much more obedient and in touch with God than the men who wrote the Word of God. It is so blatant and false as to be laughable if he were not serious. He quoted the Apostle Paul as saying, “But you do not understand just how much we have looked forward to meeting you.” Anybody who believes in conversations from necromancy has a serious problem, but those that believe Apostle Paul said this about an apostate like Rick Joyner needs a heart transformation.. Let us weigh the testimony of Apostle Paul to one of the statements quoted above. Mr. Joyner quotes this voice he heard which he called the apostle saying, “By the grace of God I was able to finish my course, but I still did not walk in all that I was called to. I fell short of the highest purposes that I could have walked in. I know that some think this is blasphemy to think of me as anything less than the greatest example of Christian ministry, but I was being honest when I wrote near the end of my life that I was the greatest of sinners. I was not saying that I have been the greatest of sinners, but that I was the greatest of sinners then. I had been given so much to understand, and I walked in so little of it.” (Ibid, p. 132.) Joyner’s purpose is to elevate the words that he writes above the Infallible Word written by the Holy Ghost. We are clearly dealing with a man that has blasphemed the Holy Ghost. What Mr. Joyner stated and what the Apostle Paul said is totally different. Here are the Words of God spoken by the Holy Ghost. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). When Apostle Paul spoke of his having been the chiefest of sinners, he was speaking of the past, not his state of sinfulness when he penned those words. Again, Mr. Joyner seems to see himself as a revisionist of Holy Scripture, making it fit his false revelations. The Occultic Trance! Mr. Joyner confesses that this book is basically a result of trances he experienced. A Biblical trance experienced by people in the Bible is totally different from occultic trances, which are nothing but the devil’s imitations. A Biblical trance was a place of great inspiration where the person, in full control of himself, received beautiful revelations from the Lord. An occultic trance is an altered state of consciousness when foreign spirits take control. Let’s allow Mr. Joyner to speak from his book about this matter “The visions contained in this book all began with a dream. Some of it came under a very intense sense of the presence of the Lord, but the overwhelming majority was received in some level of a trance. Most of it came on the level where I was still conscious of my surroundings, and could even interact with them, such as answering the phone. When they were interrupted, or when things got so intense that I would have to get up and walk around, when I sat back down I would immediately be right back where I had left off. Once the experience became so intense that I actually got up and left the mountain cabin where I go to seek the Lord, and drove home. Over a week later I returned and almost immediately I was right back where I left off.” (Ibid, p. 11.) Mr. Joyner gives absolutely no Bible support for any of these trances. In fact, it is clear that the whole book would fit in a New Age bookstore or in a wizard’s library perfectly. Connected to these trances, Joyner gives five levels of the prophetic revelation or trances again with no genuine support from the Word of God. Here are his five levels, as stated in The Final Quest FIRST LEVEL: “There are many levels of prophetic revelation. The beginning levels include prophetic ‘impressions.’ These are genuine revelations. They can be extraordinarily specific and accurate when interpreted by those who are experienced. SECOND LEVEL: “Visions can come on the impression level, also. They are gentle and must be seen with ‘the eyes of our heart.’ These, too, can be very specific and accurate, especially when received and/or interpreted by those who are experienced.” (Ibid, p. 10.) THIRD LEVEL: “The next level of revelation is a conscious sense of the presence of the Lord, or the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which gives special illumination to our minds. This often comes when I am writing, or speaking, and it gives me much greater confidence in the importance or accuracy of what I am saying. I believe that this was probably experienced by the apostles as they wrote the New Testament epistles.” (Ibid, p. 10.) FOURTH LEVEL! “’Open visions’ occur on a higher level then impressions; they tend to give us more clarity than we may have even when we feel the conscious presence of the Lord, or the anointing. Open visions are external, and are viewed with the clarity of a movie screen. Because they cannot be controlled by us I believe that there is far less possibility of mixture in revelations that come this way. (Ibid, p. 10.) FIFTH LEVEL: “Another higher level prophetic experience is a trance, such as Peter had when he was first instructed to go the house of Cornelius and preach the gospel to the Gentiles for the first time, and such as Paul had when he prayed in the temple in Acts 22:1-30. Trances were a common experience of the biblical prophets. Trances are like dreaming when you are awake. Instead of just seeing a ‘screen’ like in an open vision, you feel like you are in the movie, that you are actually there in a strange way.” (Ibid, p. 11.) Mr Joyner gives nothing of Scripture to support these supposed experiences with the Holy Spirit, but his imagination. Rick Joyner Attacks Bible Believers! Joyner’s chief purpose in this book is to attack anyone that discerns or believes the Bible to be infallible and who is willing to defend truth to the end. Part One is entitled “The Hordes of Hell Are Marching.” His total description of this company, which he names as “the hordes of hell,” cannot be anyone other than those refusing to believe the “new revelations” he is proclaiming. If you believe that the Scripture should judge his visions and prophecies, then his description of you is quite vivid. Every one of these false prophets spend maximum time warning against disagreeing with them. We are the hordes of hell because we believe the Bible alone to understand Truth First, here are his opening remarks. “The demonic army was so large that it stretched as far as I could see. It was separated into divisions, with each carrying a different banner. The foremost divisions marched under the banners of Pride, Self-righteousness, Respectability, Selfish-Ambition, Unrighteous Judgment, and Jealousy. There were many more of these evil divisions beyond my scope of vision, but those in the vanguard of this terrible horde from hell seemed to be the most powerful. The leader of this army was the Accuser of the Brethren himself.” (Ibid, p. 16.) Do you get the picture that you and I must not reject him for our rejection of this man’s foolishness makes us accusers of the brethren? Then, he gave his opinion of this army and what their resistance was meant to accomplish. “This army was marching specifically against the church, but it was attacking everyone that it could. I knew that it was seeking to pre-empt a coming move of God which was destined to sweep masses of people into the church.” (Ibid, p. 17.) Mr. Joyner goes further to describe how the people he was fighting with were filthy and slime-ridden by some imaginary vultures that were riding his enemies. He even calls the true anointing of the Holy Ghost on these Bible-believing Christians “slime.” Notice his words. “Even worse than the vomit from the vultures was a repulsive slime that these demons were urinating and defecating upon the Christians they rode. This slime was the pride, selfish ambition, etc., that was the nature of their division. However, this slime made the Christians feel so much better, than the condemnation, Now they easily believed that the demons were messengers of God, and they actually thought this slime was the anointing of the Holy Spirit.” (Ibid, p. 21.) The one and only answer to this false book is the Word of God and the true anointing of the Holy Ghost. You will always find Satan fighting against that which he fears. Many years ago the Lord inspired my heart to understand that the only antidote to error is truth and the only power that darkness cannot tolerate is light. This is why Rick Joyner in this book attacks the final words of the Holy Bible and the true anointing of the Holy Ghost. This kind of fanciful imagination sounds so foolish and childish. But this is the language of superstition and it is loved by unconverted but religious people. Jesus said, “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4-5) The Beautiful Realm Of Darkness! The third section of this book takes the reader into the realm of the false beauty of occultism. It is entitled, “The Return of the Eagles.” The wild fantasy of this episode is probably fascinating to anyone that has become caught up into the mysterious world of “New Wave” Charismatics. Giant eagles appear and Joyner tells how exciting it was to interact with these intelligent creatures. He asked one question that shows something of their character. “’Where did you come from?’ I asked.” (Ibid, p. 59.) Here’s the answer he received. “We eat snakes, the eagle replied. The enemy is bread for us. Our substance comes from doing the Father’s will, which is to destroy the works of the devil. Every snake that we eat helps to increase our vision. Every stronghold of the enemy that we tear down strengthens us so we can soar higher and stay in the air longer. We have just come from a feast, devouring the serpents of Shame who have bound many of your brothers and sisters. They will be here soon. They are coming with the eagles we left behind to help them find the way, and to protect them from the enemy’s counterattacks.’” (Ibid, pp. 59-60.) Can you imagine a creature of God that increases its wisdom by eating snakes? This clearly reveals that the nature of these eagles was the nature of a demon. Now, the eagle reveals to Joyner that he was a man whom he had formerly known, but had been changed to their present expression. The eagle shows him a door that was a shortcut to some great level of spiritual attainment. Joyner now enters that door. Here are his words. “The glory that I behold was so stunning that I immediately fell to my knees. The gold, silver and precious stones were far more beautiful than can be described. They actually reveled the glory of the Tree of Life. The room was so large that it seemed to be without end. The floor was silver, the pillars, gold, and the ceiling was a single pure diamond that reflected every color I had ever known and many that I had not known. Angels without number were all around, dressed in different robes and uniforms that were of no earthly origin.” “As I began to walk through the room, the angels all bowed in salute. One stepped forward and welcomed my by name. He explained that I could go anywhere and see anything that I wanted in the room. Nothing was withheld from those who came through the door. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty that I could not even speak. I finally remarked that this was even more beautiful than the Garden had been. Surprised, the angel responded, ‘This is the Garden! This is one of the rooms in your Father’s house. We are your servants.’ “As I walked, a great company of angels followed me.” (Ibid, p. 67-68.) Within this room, Joyner describes what he calls beautiful stones and jewels. Here is a description of one of those stones as described by him. “Then my eyes fell on a beautiful green stone. ‘What does that one have in it?’ I asked the angel standing nearby. All of these stones are the treasures of salvation. You are now touching the heavenly realm, and that one is the restoration of life,’ he continued. As I touched the green stone I began to see the earth in rich and spectacular colors. They grew in richness the longer I had my hand on the stone, and my love for all that I saw also grew. Then I began to see a harmony between all living things on a level that I had never seen before. Then I began to see the glory of the Lord in the creation. It began to grow until again I had to step away because of the intensity.” (Ibid, p. 68-69.). Ezekiel gives a picture of Satan and his created fascination with jewels and beautiful things. “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:13-14). Certainly, Satan has not lost his paranormal powers to lure men with his beauty and with promises of religious glory. Conclusion! I would like to believe that no professing christian could be taken by such wild speculation. One of Satan’s tools to lure men has always been a fanciful attachment to the imagination. While a pure imagination is certainly wonderful, one that has left the sure guide of Biblical truth and wisdom is equally dangerous. The occultic world of Dungeons & Dragons is no different from this book, The Final Quest. It fits the mythology of ancient paganism perfectly and has all the elements of Satan’s lying wonders. Persons already intrigued by Rick Joyner are not likely to do less than heap scorn on me and on this article. It is really written to warn anyone that will listen to stay clear of anything that is not flooded with Biblical truth. The Bible has never been more important. It has all the truth that you need to steer a pure course to the joy of salvation and to the eternal city of God. LYING WONDERS : Rick Joyner Traveling In The Heavenlies RICK JOYNER IS IN A LEAGUE ALL BY HIMSELF! HIS DEMONIC WORLD HAS ENTRAPPED A MULTITUDE OF UNDISCERNING SOULS. One of his major books is entitled,“The Final Quest”. I think it should be labeled “The Final Lie”. It is absolutely the biggest collection of “ultimate lies” from demons and devils that I have ever reviewed in a book that claims christianity. This book can deceive no one unless they have first been mesmerized by these last day deceptions. The content is so ridiculous and far-fetched that believing it reveals an altered state of religious deception. Remember, that to be “mesmerized” simply means “an altered state of consciousness.” The final religion of the Antichrist is sorcery and witchcraft and the spirit of this darkness has already taken deep root in the church world. I have adapted a review of this book for this Salty Saints. The text from his book will be highlighted to help you follow it carefully. Rick Joyner is one of the most bold and haughty of the New Wave false prophets. He is so taken with himself that he believes his own lies and elevates himself with a dark sense of his own importance. Let’s look at his descent into necromancy (communication with the dead) that he freely expresses in this book. He completely ignores the Biblical warning about NECROMANCY. “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-11) To follow a Necromancer is to sell your soul to the devil. Mr. Joyner supposedly goes to heaven and meets all the greats of Biblical revelation. Listen as he, according to his book, meets the Apostle Paul. “1Then felt compelled to look at those who were sitting on the thrones we were passing. As I did, my gaze fell upon a man whom I knew was the apostle Paul. As I looked back at the Lord, He motioned for me to speak to him. I have so looked forward to this I said, feeling awkward but excited by this meeting. I know that you are aware of just how much your letters have guided the church, and they are probably still accomplishing more than all the rest of us put together. You are still one of the greatest lights on the earth.” (PAUL) “Thank you, he said graciously. But you do not understand just how much we have looked forward to meeting you. You are a soldier in the last battle; you are the ones whom everyone here is waiting to meet. We only saw these days dimly through our limited prophetic vision, but you have been chosen to live in them. You are a soldier preparing for the last battle. You are the ones for whom we are all waiting. (RICK) Still feeling awkward, I continued, But there is no way that I can convey the appreciation that we feel for you, and all who helped to set our course with their lives and their writings. I also know that we will have an eternity for exchanging our appreciation, so please, while I am here, let me ask, What would you say to my generation that will help us in this battle?” (PAUL) “I can only say to you now what I have already said to you through my writings. I would have you to understand them better by knowing that I fell short of all that I was called to do, Paul stated, looking me resolutely in the eyes.(RICK) But you are here, in one of the greatest thrones. You are still reaping more fruit for eternal life than any of us could ever hope to reap, I protested. (PAUL) By the grace of God I was able to finish my course, but I still did not walk in all that I was called to. I fell short of the highest purposes that I could have walked in. Everyone has. I know that some think that is blasphemy to think of me as anything less than the greatest example of Christian ministry, but I was being honest when I wrote near the end of my life that I was the greatest of sinners. I was not saying that I have been the greatest of sinners, but that I was the greatest of sinners then. I had been given so much to understand, and I walked in so little of it.’” (The Final Quest, Rick Joyner, Morning Star Publications 1996, pp. 131-132.) It is easy to see that the spirit of which Rick Joyner was controlled with in this conversation was a deceiving, lying spirit from Satan. Everything about this conversation is deceptive and false. Mr. Joyner sees himself in such an exalted position that the Apostle Paul is treated condescendingly. To belittle the Words of God given to the Apostle Paul serves only to elevate himself and his colleagues as being much more obedient and in touch with God than the men who wrote the Word of God. It is so blatant and false as to be laughable if he were not serious. He quoted the Apostle Paul as saying, “But you do not understand just how much we have looked forward to meeting you.” Anybody who believes in conversations from necromancy has a serious problem, but those that believe Apostle Paul said this about an apostate like Rick Joyner needs a heart transformation.. Let us weigh the testimony of Apostle Paul to one of the statements quoted above. Mr. Joyner quotes this voice he heard which he called the apostle saying, “By the grace of God I was able to finish my course, but I still did not walk in all that I was called to. I fell short of the highest purposes that I could have walked in. I know that some think this is blasphemy to think of me as anything less than the greatest example of Christian ministry, but I was being honest when I wrote near the end of my life that I was the greatest of sinners. I was not saying that I have been the greatest of sinners, but that I was the greatest of sinners then. I had been given so much to understand, and I walked in so little of it.” (Ibid, p. 132.) Joyner’s purpose is to elevate the words that he writes above the Infallible Word written by the Holy Ghost. We are clearly dealing with a man that has blasphemed the Holy Ghost. What Mr. Joyner stated and what the Apostle Paul said is totally different. Here are the Words of God spoken by the Holy Ghost. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). When Apostle Paul spoke of his having been the chiefest of sinners, he was speaking of the past, not his state of sinfulness when he penned those words. Again, Mr. Joyner seems to see himself as a revisionist of Holy Scripture, making it fit his false revelations. The Occultic Trance! Mr. Joyner confesses that this book is basically a result of trances he experienced. A Biblical trance experienced by people in the Bible is totally different from occultic trances, which are nothing but the devil’s imitations. A Biblical trance was a place of great inspiration where the person, in full control of himself, received beautiful revelations from the Lord. An occultic trance is an altered state of consciousness when foreign spirits take control. Let’s allow Mr. Joyner to speak from his book about this matter “The visions contained in this book all began with a dream. Some of it came under a very intense sense of the presence of the Lord, but the overwhelming majority was received in some level of a trance. Most of it came on the level where I was still conscious of my surroundings, and could even interact with them, such as answering the phone. When they were interrupted, or when things got so intense that I would have to get up and walk around, when I sat back down I would immediately be right back where I had left off. Once the experience became so intense that I actually got up and left the mountain cabin where I go to seek the Lord, and drove home. Over a week later I returned and almost immediately I was right back where I left off.” (Ibid, p. 11.) Mr. Joyner gives absolutely no Bible support for any of these trances. In fact, it is clear that the whole book would fit in a New Age bookstore or in a wizard’s library perfectly. Connected to these trances, Joyner gives five levels of the prophetic revelation or trances again with no genuine support from the Word of God. Here are his five levels, as stated in The Final Quest FIRST LEVEL: “There are many levels of prophetic revelation. The beginning levels include prophetic ‘impressions.’ These are genuine revelations. They can be extraordinarily specific and accurate when interpreted by those who are experienced. SECOND LEVEL: “Visions can come on the impression level, also. They are gentle and must be seen with ‘the eyes of our heart.’ These, too, can be very specific and accurate, especially when received and/or interpreted by those who are experienced.” (Ibid, p. 10.) THIRD LEVEL: “The next level of revelation is a conscious sense of the presence of the Lord, or the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which gives special illumination to our minds. This often comes when I am writing, or speaking, and it gives me much greater confidence in the importance or accuracy of what I am saying. I believe that this was probably experienced by the apostles as they wrote the New Testament epistles.” (Ibid, p. 10.) FOURTH LEVEL! “’Open visions’ occur on a higher level then impressions; they tend to give us more clarity than we may have even when we feel the conscious presence of the Lord, or the anointing. Open visions are external, and are viewed with the clarity of a movie screen. Because they cannot be controlled by us I believe that there is far less possibility of mixture in revelations that come this way. (Ibid, p. 10.) FIFTH LEVEL: “Another higher level prophetic experience is a trance, such as Peter had when he was first instructed to go the house of Cornelius and preach the gospel to the Gentiles for the first time, and such as Paul had when he prayed in the temple in Acts 22:1-30. Trances were a common experience of the biblical prophets. Trances are like dreaming when you are awake. Instead of just seeing a ‘screen’ like in an open vision, you feel like you are in the movie, that you are actually there in a strange way.” (Ibid, p. 11.) Mr Joyner gives nothing of Scripture to support these supposed experiences with the Holy Spirit, but his imagination. Rick Joyner Attacks Bible Believers! Joyner’s chief purpose in this book is to attack anyone that discerns or believes the Bible to be infallible and who is willing to defend truth to the end. Part One is entitled “The Hordes of Hell Are Marching.” His total description of this company, which he names as “the hordes of hell,” cannot be anyone other than those refusing to believe the “new revelations” he is proclaiming. If you believe that the Scripture should judge his visions and prophecies, then his description of you is quite vivid. Every one of these false prophets spend maximum time warning against disagreeing with them. We are the hordes of hell because we believe the Bible alone to understand Truth First, here are his opening remarks. “The demonic army was so large that it stretched as far as I could see. It was separated into divisions, with each carrying a different banner. The foremost divisions marched under the banners of Pride, Self-righteousness, Respectability, Selfish-Ambition, Unrighteous Judgment, and Jealousy. There were many more of these evil divisions beyond my scope of vision, but those in the vanguard of this terrible horde from hell seemed to be the most powerful. The leader of this army was the Accuser of the Brethren himself.” (Ibid, p. 16.) Do you get the picture that you and I must not reject him for our rejection of this man’s foolishness makes us accusers of the brethren? Then, he gave his opinion of this army and what their resistance was meant to accomplish. “This army was marching specifically against the church, but it was attacking everyone that it could. I knew that it was seeking to pre-empt a coming move of God which was destined to sweep masses of people into the church.” (Ibid, p. 17.) Mr. Joyner goes further to describe how the people he was fighting with were filthy and slime-ridden by some imaginary vultures that were riding his enemies. He even calls the true anointing of the Holy Ghost on these Bible-believing Christians “slime.” Notice his words. “Even worse than the vomit from the vultures was a repulsive slime that these demons were urinating and defecating upon the Christians they rode. This slime was the pride, selfish ambition, etc., that was the nature of their division. However, this slime made the Christians feel so much better, than the condemnation, Now they easily believed that the demons were messengers of God, and they actually thought this slime was the anointing of the Holy Spirit.” (Ibid, p. 21.) The one and only answer to this false book is the Word of God and the true anointing of the Holy Ghost. You will always find Satan fighting against that which he fears. Many years ago the Lord inspired my heart to understand that the only antidote to error is truth and the only power that darkness cannot tolerate is light. This is why Rick Joyner in this book attacks the final words of the Holy Bible and the true anointing of the Holy Ghost. This kind of fanciful imagination sounds so foolish and childish. But this is the language of superstition and it is loved by unconverted but religious people. Jesus said, “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4-5) The Beautiful Realm Of Darkness! The third section of this book takes the reader into the realm of the false beauty of occultism. It is entitled, “The Return of the Eagles.” The wild fantasy of this episode is probably fascinating to anyone that has become caught up into the mysterious world of “New Wave” Charismatics. Giant eagles appear and Joyner tells how exciting it was to interact with these intelligent creatures. He asked one question that shows something of their character. “’Where did you come from?’ I asked.” (Ibid, p. 59.) Here’s the answer he received. “We eat snakes, the eagle replied. The enemy is bread for us. Our substance comes from doing the Father’s will, which is to destroy the works of the devil. Every snake that we eat helps to increase our vision. Every stronghold of the enemy that we tear down strengthens us so we can soar higher and stay in the air longer. We have just come from a feast, devouring the serpents of Shame who have bound many of your brothers and sisters. They will be here soon. They are coming with the eagles we left behind to help them find the way, and to protect them from the enemy’s counterattacks.’” (Ibid, pp. 59-60.) Can you imagine a creature of God that increases its wisdom by eating snakes? This clearly reveals that the nature of these eagles was the nature of a demon. Now, the eagle reveals to Joyner that he was a man whom he had formerly known, but had been changed to their present expression. The eagle shows him a door that was a shortcut to some great level of spiritual attainment. Joyner now enters that door. Here are his words. “The glory that I behold was so stunning that I immediately fell to my knees. The gold, silver and precious stones were far more beautiful than can be described. They actually reveled the glory of the Tree of Life. The room was so large that it seemed to be without end. The floor was silver, the pillars, gold, and the ceiling was a single pure diamond that reflected every color I had ever known and many that I had not known. Angels without number were all around, dressed in different robes and uniforms that were of no earthly origin.” “As I began to walk through the room, the angels all bowed in salute. One stepped forward and welcomed my by name. He explained that I could go anywhere and see anything that I wanted in the room. Nothing was withheld from those who came through the door. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty that I could not even speak. I finally remarked that this was even more beautiful than the Garden had been. Surprised, the angel responded, ‘This is the Garden! This is one of the rooms in your Father’s house. We are your servants.’ “As I walked, a great company of angels followed me.” (Ibid, p. 67-68.) Within this room, Joyner describes what he calls beautiful stones and jewels. Here is a description of one of those stones as described by him. “Then my eyes fell on a beautiful green stone. ‘What does that one have in it?’ I asked the angel standing nearby. All of these stones are the treasures of salvation. You are now touching the heavenly realm, and that one is the restoration of life,’ he continued. As I touched the green stone I began to see the earth in rich and spectacular colors. They grew in richness the longer I had my hand on the stone, and my love for all that I saw also grew. Then I began to see a harmony between all living things on a level that I had never seen before. Then I began to see the glory of the Lord in the creation. It began to grow until again I had to step away because of the intensity.” (Ibid, p. 68-69.). Ezekiel gives a picture of Satan and his created fascination with jewels and beautiful things. “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:13-14). Certainly, Satan has not lost his paranormal powers to lure men with his beauty and with promises of religious glory. Conclusion! I would like to believe that no professing christian could be taken by such wild speculation. One of Satan’s tools to lure men has always been a fanciful attachment to the imagination. While a pure imagination is certainly wonderful, one that has left the sure guide of Biblical truth and wisdom is equally dangerous. The occultic world of Dungeons & Dragons is no different from this book, The Final Quest. It fits the mythology of ancient paganism perfectly and has all the elements of Satan’s lying wonders. Persons already intrigued by Rick Joyner are not likely to do less than heap scorn on me and on this article. It is really written to warn anyone that will listen to stay clear of anything that is not flooded with Biblical truth. The Bible has never been more important. It has all the truth that you need to steer a pure course to the joy of salvation and to the eternal city of God. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 66: LYING WONDERS: “ANTICHRIST IS WAITING SATAN’S POWER”(REV_13:4) ======================================================================== LYING WONDERS: “ANTICHRIST IS WAITING SATAN’S POWER”(Revelation 13:4) IF YOU CANNOT SEE THE EVIDENCE OF THE ANTICHRIST YOU MAY BE SPIRITUALLY BLIND! No student of the Holy Scripture who has even a limited knowledge of world events would dare question the eminence of the Antichrist appearance. The “MAN OF SIN” is at the door. Streams of diverse religions are experiencing explosive revival. A recent advertisement in U. S.A. Today announced Mary appearances (called apparitions) throughout the world. The Tara Center Newsletter, called “Network News,” reported appearances of the christ, called “Maitreya” in Kenya and other locations. A noted New Ager, Benjamin Crème, who claims to be the master for Maitreya gave the following report. “According to BC, Maitreya appears to people in many stations of life, but always in a way that coincides with their concepts of Him. One recent case, that has been reported around the world, occurred in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. There, a charismatic Christian named Sister Mary Akatsa has a faith-healing center where many miraculous cures are said to take place. Last month she announced that an important visitor would come and address the people. On June 11 He appeared suddenly in the crowd and spoke to them in their own language, Swahili, for a time. The visitor, she claimed was Jesus Christ. Photographs were taken and have been show with stories in the Kenya Times, the BBC World Service, CNN and one of the largest newspapers in Japan. Additional stories have appeared in the Manchester Guardian in the UK, National Public Radio in the US, and possibly elsewhere.” “Through his own Master, Benjamin Crème confirmed that this appearance was truly Maitreya, the Christ in one of His many guises.” He also reported “crosses of light,” which he describes as the sign of the Christ. He claims one was witnessed in Louisiana and another at El Monte, California. Mr. Crème is a devout supporter of the apparitions of Mary and promises that these manifestations will continue to appear. He says of the Madonna’s visions, “the authentic visions of the Madonna are the work of the Master who was the mother of Jesus in that earlier time.” (Benjamin Crème, “Network News”) There is probably no “Lying Wonder” more prominent and deceiving than the idea of the Virgin Mary apparitions. Catholic friends have warned me not to attack the Mother of Jesus or belittle her appearances. The very idea of this blessed woman being ridiculed seems to many people as a blasphemous thing. What is the real truth behind her elevation in the Catholic theology that would pave the way for such deception? She surely was the virgin maiden whom the Holy Ghost overshadowed and by whom the Son of God was born. She was a saintly and Godly woman, but was not, and is not, “The mother of God,’ without inherent sin, always a virgin who was translated to heaven without death.” When she is given an idolatrous position as co-redemptrix with Jesus Christ, the Word of God is horribly violated. The hierarchy of Catholicism has twisted the Word of God to create a monstrous lie which will damn a myriad of souls to eternal hell. Satan’s darkest lies are always tied to God’s best truths. The purpose is to make the true prophet of God appear unbalanced and uncaring. The Marian doctrine was no doubt the plan of Satan as much for end time deception as for the dark ages of bondage. It is becoming clear that the doctrine of Maryology and the deceptive appearances will be one of the major methods for satanic delusion, his lying wonders and his unifying the apostate religious leaders. Key personalities from the Pentecostal and Evangelical world are becoming dedicated supporters of Marian apparitions. In a recent book on “the Madonna of Medjugorje,” the following report was given of a key Pentecostal figure now deceased. He was called “Mr. Pentecost.” The author’s words as following are scary. “But a well-known American Pentecostal leader, David du Plessis, came away with a quite different impression. Having expected to find unrestrained Mary-worship, he had been amazed to discover the emphasis being placed on Jesus and the New Testament. The whole place,” he concluded, “ is charged with the love of God. You can feel it and you can see it. I told myself that if there had been anything wrong with what was happening here, there would not be the manifestations of the Holy Spirit that I could clearly observe.” “There is a rare kind of unison about the prayers and hymns,” another observer noted, “real attentiveness to the lengthy sermons, tolerance for cold stone floors for hour after hour, long lines of penitents waiting for confession at the head of each aisle and at many other points in the church. I felt personally that I was in the midst of people who were truly raising their minds and hearts to God.” (Spark From Heaven, Mary Craig, page 117) One of the principal fruits of the Medjugorje event is called the “New Ecumenism.” This “New Ecumenism” as they named it is all inclusive. We are not talking about Christians united together beyond denominational barriers or even Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. That is the old Ecumenism. The new will be inclusive of all the religious expressions including heathens, witch doctors and will eventually embrace WICCA and other Satanist groups. It is clearly the preparation for the false prophet who will be the anti-holy spirit of tribulation. Here are the words of a Catholic Archbishop. “Within the Church itself, there were those, on the left, who were allergic to the mere mention of apparitions, discussing them as hallucinations, a projection of the subjective unconscious; while the traditionalists on the right would condemn and reject the Ecumenical message of Medjugorje, the new Ecumenism which Archbishop Frane Franic of Split praised as one of Medjugorje’s principal fruits. His observation, that ‘Our Lady is bringing us closer together, uniting us with our brothers from the Orthodox Church, the Muslims and even our Marxist brothers,’ was calculated to sent a shudder down many a conservative Catholic’s spine, but warmly endorsed by a Muslim dervish from Mostar who had been into the apparitions room.” (Ibid.) These are the words of the Muslim dervish who was mentioned above. “I felt in my heart such energy that I could have cried aloud. I thought that I too would go into ecstasy. I decided to pray the whole night…The world is looking for God. If it looks for Him, it will find Him. If it finds Him, it will cling lovingly to Him, and he who is in love with God cannot ever be separated from Him.” (Ibid.) The following quotes of a priest even includes the Hindoos. “May the reconciliation in Medjugorje and in the diocese of Mostar become a channel for wider reconciliation between Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Muslims of the region, so that the reconciled people of Hercegovina may become an inspiration to other regions of the world in need of reconciliation: between Jews and Arabs, between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon, between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, between Hindoos and Muslims, between Iraq and Iran, between rich and poor, between oppressors and oppressed everywhere.” Every Bible believer should watch this idea of a “New Ecumenism.” It will continue to spread and many in our churches that only recently were bastions of Fundamentalism will be swayed into their camp. The only safeguard to the present apostasy is the mighty power of the Holy Ghost, while living under absolute authority to the Word of God. This “New Ecumenism” has already surfaced in the Pentecostal ranks under the guises of several ideas. Dominion Theology, Restoration, City Church, New Wave are a few names connected with the early stages. The key element in all of these thoughts is an emphasis on prophetic utterances apart from and even superceding the Word of God. These ideas are all based on new subjective theological thinking that leaves the door wide open to deception. The infallible Word of God is the only objective base for truth. Holy Spirit revelation, inspiration, or supernatural activity is always clearly, unquestionably and plainly anchored in Holy Scripture. Not one jot or tittle of departure can be tolerated. The Apparition Of Fatima! An elaborate figure of “Our Lady of Fatima” is called the “traveling” statue and has been on the circuit since 1947. The picture of this statue was just published in Elkins, West Virginia where it was on display and religious services were being held. This statue is reported to have miraculously shed tears 22 times. Books have been written on the supernatural events and healings connected with this particular apparition in Portugal. The following description of the original event was reported in the Elkins, West Virginia newspaper. “Messages given to the children by the apparition of Mary included, that if certain conditions were met, Russia would be converted and an era of peace will be granted to all people. The conditions included praying the Rosary daily, obeying the Ten Commandments, offering sacrifices demanded by daily duty, and wearing a scapular—two pieces of brown cloth connected by a cord and worn around the shoulders as a symbol of the profession of faith.” (The Inter-Mountain, Elkins, W. Va., Wednesday, October 9,1991, page 7.) The children were the actual witnesses. They were 9,8, and 6 years old. The visions were supposed to have happened once a month from May 13 through October 13,1917. It’s incredible that an event involving three young children has now grown to be a worldwide phenomenon with a weeping statue and a multi-million dollar enterprise. The secular media would go crazy if a fundamentalist ministry would involve so much elaborate outlay of money and beguile so many elderly or suffering people. It’s a deception on a level that transcends all the modern televangelists put together. ROMAN SHRINE AT LOURDES! An entire article could be written about Lourdes, France and the religious deception involved. The following was printed in “Midnight Call,” along with the picture of this famous shrine. “The famous Roman shrine is located in southwest France in the city of Lourdes. Here is where mainly Roman Catholics come from the world over climbing the so-called “Holy Stairs” to the shrine to gain indulgence. A posted notice roughly reads, ‘Four times a year, to the days of their choice, all the faithful who climb the stairs gain an indulgence of nine years on the following conditions:” 1. Having confessed and communicated. 2. Ascended on their knees. 3. Prayed for the Pope. It is significant that while kneeling and ascending to the shrine, they are facing the symbol of Rome and Pontius Pilate. Jesus is a powerless prisoner to the left.” (Midnight Call, October 1991, page 14.) MARIAN YEAR PROCLAIMED BY POPE. The explosion of Maryology influence and the worldwide activity of different apparitions is not an accident. It is all clearly calculated to promote the Catholic Church and to seek world dominion by this harlot of Revelation. Pope John Paul was a clever leader playing all sides against the middle. His influence mushroomed and world religious leaders were not about to resist. A “One World Religion” is very near. “1988” was proclaimed by the Pope as the “Marian Year. Connected with this prayer is a short statement by a priest called “Brother Patrick Concidine, C. SS. R. The words of that prayer were blasphemous suggestions that Mary was the savior or protector of Jesus from the fears He experienced. It’s a subtle reduction of the Son of God while Mary is elevated as His savior. The Harlot is on the ascendancy. I do not believe that ordinary Catholic people are any less sincere or more evil than Protestants. There are many wonderful people in both arms of Christendom, but most are utterly untaught by their shepherds and certainly unaware of the coming cloud. Those churches that were powerful for God a few years ago are now descending into the same confusion. It’s a world of apostasy that is coexisting with loud statements of success and victory. The evidence is in. The Antichrist is at hand! Signs and wonders can tell the loudest lies of all. The hearts of all humankind are so besieged with difficulty that everyone is looking for hope. We tend to grasp those ideas or experiences that give us emotional lifts when we need to fix our heart on Jesus Christ and His clear promises. Emotions are temporary but the promises of Scripture made real by Holy Ghost filled prayer are stable and satisfying. Those who survive this last hour before Jesus appears will be the “hardy” and the “holy.” THE ANTICHRIST IS AT HAND! (TO BE CONTINUED! Next week we will see WONDERS in leading Charismatic circles, WONDERS that cannot be called Biblical ======================================================================== CHAPTER 67: LEFT BEHIND: CAN YOU STILL BE SAVED? ======================================================================== Left Behind: Can You Still Be Saved? by Joseph Chambers One of the saddest days in human history will be the day following the Rapture of the Saints of God. Once it sinks into the minds of a multiplied number of "Left Behind" individuals that Jesus has literally come to get the readied saints and gone back to Heaven, it will be a traumatic moment of heartbreak and regrets. Some will commit suicide; some will go and kill preachers that did not preach the truth, while many will fall on their faces in sad and soul-searching repentance. The idea of an Antichrist and the number 666 is understood by millions of people. Most of these do not live a surrendered life to Jesus Christ. Many people are religious, but show no evidence of being truly "born again." Even among the religious of our day, the "fear of the God" is almost totally absent. There is a kind of religious facade that has come to characterize this present generation. Preaching the words of God, like Billy Sunday and D. L. Moody, etc., is utterly rejected by the church world. Many people literally hate old-fashioned ministers. Suddenly, without warning, the Lord will descend into the clouds and the harvest of the earth will occur in a split second. The dead will rise and the saints that are still alive will be caught up with the resurrected and ascend to meet Him in the air. It will be over in less time than the benediction on Sunday morning. As the truth sinks in, the empty open graves are reported, and the missing ones are identified; an unexplainable fear will grip the hearts of millions. It will not be ordinary fear, but a kind of paralyzing fear that leaves the mind frozen in regrets. Many people who knew all about this event, but made no preparation, will be overtaken with insanity. Preachers that bought into the liberal versions of Scripture or that did not preach the straightforward Gospel of the transformed life and holiness will be some of the saddest lost souls. Not only are they left, but also, many others are now left because of their compromise. The responsibility of misleading souls will drive some of these ministers to total despair. Liberal professors in church-related colleges and universities will be at the top of the hate list. "But No Escape" The most overwhelming of emotions that will slowly come to grip the "Left Behind" will be the hopelessness of their state. It is impossible to fully explain the kind of world that the "Left Behind" will suddenly discover. We can usually find a light at the end of our tunnels, but the world of that day will offer no such hope. No one who has any understanding of Bible prophecy will have any doubt that it is going to be "Hell on Earth." It will never get any better from the moment the Rapture occurs until the Antichrist is defeated at the end of this future period. Satan will make his best effort to turn God’s creation into a wilderness beyond recovery. Only mercy can save the world from total destruction. The "Left Behind" crowd will find themselves in a world totally different from anything they ever dreamed possible. Let’s try to imagine some of the possible effects of the Rapture of the Saints. * The Church Will Be Gone! Nothing will be so overwhelming as the fact that the church will be gone. Whatever is left of church related activities or ministries will be out of business. Just like the Jewish Temple was "out of business" when the veil was rent and Jesus died on the cross, so the New Testament church will be "out of business" when the church age ends at the Rapture. Whatever activity left in churches will be the false church that will promote the new false messiah or Antichrist. There will be no church revival or anointed evangelist. Religious television will be even more deceiving than at this present time because all restraints will be lifted and utter deception will have a free reign. * The Tribulation Church will be a "One World Church" that is already developing between the Catholics, hyper-Charismatics, liberal Protestants, and the pagans of the world. They will produce a religious excitement and fanfare so overwhelming that the whole earth will worship Satan actually believing that he is God. The Antichrist and the false anointing will be so spectacular that miracles, signs, and wonders will flood mankind. It will be paranormal activity that looks so real that only Bible lovers can discern the difference. Anyone who experiences the Blood-cleansing of Jesus Christ and becomes a testimony for Biblical truth will immediately be subject to being martyred for his/her faith. Those that refuse the One Word Church will be an enemy of the government and every principle the New World Order loves. The hatred for the multitude that will be converted after they realize they have been "Left Behind" will cause the false church and the unholy trinity to go mad with anger. Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace will be light stuff compared to the evil designs used to martyr the young saints almost as quick as they are converted. The Bible gives a breathtaking picture of those quickly killed following the very beginning of the "Great Tribulation." Listen to the results of the fifth seal of Revelation six, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Revelation 6:9-11). Remember, every true saint of God was raptured at the beginning of chapter four. Those saints are around the throne of God in Heaven; therefore, all of these new saints have been washed in the blood during the early days after the Rapture. They "were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held." There will be no wimpy believers in the hotbed of evil during this period. It is all or nothing. Their deaths will be so vicious and evil that even "saints" will call on God to satisfy the injustice manifest against them. These saints do not yet have their glorified bodies, but are awaiting their special resurrection and their crowns of martyrdom. The Lord"s word is "until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." In other words it had just begun, it was still at the early days of the seven years and many more martyrs were to follow. Anybody who misses the Rapture and decides to surrender to Christ must be prepared to die the kind of horrendous death reserved for the darkest period of wrath and tribulation ever experienced. * The Restrainer Is God. The Spirit-filled life will not exist during the seven years of Great Tribulation. The Holy Ghost, as the "Believer’s Baptism," will have ended that office and period of church history. This office of the Holy Ghost was to birth the church and prepare a Bride for the Bridegroom. While the Holy Spirit is omnipresent and in that sense is present in the world, His central focus during this seven years is to present the Bride to Christ at the Wedding Supper in Heaven. His life giving presence will still be universal and at least open the hearts of repentant sinners to be washed in the Blood. The absence of the Holy Ghost as the Restrainer will unleash evil to a level never known by mankind. From creation to this dark period, the Holy Ghost has always restrained the devil and his legion of spirits. Satan"s ability to act unchecked and to exert his dark will on the earth will make for an environment so vile that no man can save another, even those of his own household. Listen as the Holy Ghost actually warned of this day in plain words to Ezekiel the prophet. "The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 14:12-14). Hell is now almost ready to visit planet earth in its darkest acts of vileness known to humankind. * Those to be saved must be fully prepared to give their life. While much of the world will be under Satan’s delusion, any person that understands his lies will know the truth of what is happening. There will be a multitude that know they have missed the world"s greatest hope, to be part of Christ"s Bride, and they will see the devil for who he is: a liar, a deceiver, and an imposter of the true God. This multitude will also quickly understand that to own Jesus Christ as Lord is to incur the absolute vengeance of Lucifer. There will be no middle ground. The gray areas will have totally vanished. It is Jesus Christ or Antichrist. It is God the Father or god the imposter. Suddenly, the will to die for Him (Jesus Christ) will become the only hope of the honest hearts that have escaped the deceiver. The ones "Left Behind" now begin to wash themselves in the Blood of Jesus Christ. John describes the love of God that will be manifest in the very jaws of Satan’s fury. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:11). Three things are clearly described. They are washed in the Blood of the Lamb, they are bold before the fury of the devil, and they love not their life even unto death. Nothing is so bold as a faith that is manifest when men see the devil for what he really represents. Our present society has lost the Biblical vision of how sadistic and sinister Satan and all of his horde can be. When the "Left Behind" sees the true picture, somehow the best of human action will be on display. * This "Left Behind" multitude will fall in love with the Word of God. John indeed calls it a "multitude." "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." (Revelation 7:9). When John saw this crowd, he was perplexed and one of the elders asked him, "What are these . . . whence came they?" (Revelation 7:13). Apostle John was wise and said to the elder saint, "Sir, thou knowest." The elder answered his own question, "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Revelation 7:14-17). Their love for truth, developed in the heat of the Great Tribulation, will earn them a place "in His temple" and the Lamb Himself will dwell in the midst of them to provide them Heavenly fulfillment. They are not called Elders as the saints that are His Bride; they have no thrones or crowns of the bridal position. These will probably be guests of the Bride at the Marriage Supper. Surely, they will wear crowns of martyrdom. It appears that they are the third order of the "First Resurrection," which is raptured near the middle of the Seven Year Tribulation. * The Blood of the Lamb: The one factor that unites every victory over Satan and the wickedness on the earth is the "Blood of the Lamb." Jesus Christ is identified from Revelation chapter four to the very end of this prophetic period (chapter 22) as the "Lamb of God." Twenty-six times in that period He is called the "Lamb of God." Every victory He wins, every act of redemption that occurs, every triumph over Satan is by the Blood of the Lamb. These Tribulation Saints are never called elders; they are not a part of the church for there is no longer a true church. They are not identified in any action they suggest a church. No baptism in water, no opportunity to serve the Lord’s Supper, or any other great acts of His church before the Rapture. Individually, they have surrendered to the Word of God and washed themselves in the Blood of the Lamb. There will be a fresh understanding of the power of the Blood that these Tribulation Saints will discover. The Bible emphasizes this because our generation has mostly forgotten the incredible power of faith in His shed blood. It"s faith in faith today or some strange kind of impartation that the false prophets have promoted. In the heat of the Great Tribulation, faith will return to its pure form and men will seek for simplicity of truth, not some titillation of flesh. These saints are certainly a robust multitude and must be reasoned in our understanding of redemption. "Left Behind: Can You Be Saved?" Nobody in his/her right mind will dare take this booklet as an encouragement to wait for salvation after the Rapture. In fact, if you are unsaved or unprepared for His glorious appearing to Rapture the Saints and you ignore this warning, that in itself is very dangerous. There is a class of disobedient people that have rejected the truth or loved the world more than the Word of God that the Bible warned of a false delusion and damnation without hope. Apostle Paul warned us of this, "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause 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." (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Please do not take this warning lightly. Only God knows when a man/woman passes this point of "no return." There will be a multitude of religious people in the Seven Years of Great Tribulation that are worshippers of the Antichrist, deceived to believe that he is the true Christ. They will be damned forever. Conclusion There is a "lawlessness" that pervades the very atmosphere. Never has it been easier to put off serving the Lord or to reject Him outright. Jesus said, "And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Matthew 24:12). There appears to be such a resistance in the world against anything that is narrow or straight-laced. Everything is broad and most people now believe that even Christianity has no sharp standards of right and wrong. All of this is an evil delusion that Satan is masterminding. It is the last days and the way seems so broad and wide. It is hard to find people that will admit they are lost. Do not be fooled. Jesus gave a breathtaking warning as recorded in the Book of Luke. The Son of God stated, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (gluttoning on the world), and drunkenness (not just alcohol, but any state of undisciplined living), and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 68: LYING WONDERS ======================================================================== Lying Wonders by Joseph Chambers Many different manifestations previously known almost exclusively to the occult are sweeping the church world. Is it the Holy Spirit or is it "psychic activity?" You will eventually have to answer that question for yourself, hopefully after you finish this article. Sharp division between the real and the false will soon be a requirement for Christian living and church attendance, if not already. For too long the church has drifted like a ship without a rudder. In many congregations, Biblical truth has been treated lightly, while social and emotional matters have demanded attention. This closing hour does not allow for such carelessness, neither does it allow a light treatment of the "spirit of discernment." Those who do not have a firm and conscious hold on Biblical values and Biblical truth will not be able to survive. A few proof texts of Scripture are not enough for this unprecedented hour. Jesus said, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:5). Because someone says all the right things about Jesus does not prove that the truth is being spoken. Even if the teacher, pastor, evangelist, or so-called prophet can prove that some of his prophecies have come to pass, that does not prove anything about his standing before God. Psychics, like Jeanne Dixon and Edgar Cayce, have prophesied certain events that came to pass, but their lives and beliefs attest to the absence of the Lord Jesus and His Spirit in their lives. Over and over the Holy Scripture warns us of these last days. Apostle Paul, speaking specifically about the Antichrist, said the following. "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). Years ago when I read the Biblical statement made by Jesus, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matthew 24:24), it made no sense to me. Deceive the very elect if possible? I thought, how could that be? The great Christians that I served the Lord Jesus beside were as solid as a rock. The real church world did not tolerate false doctrines or questionable activity that passed the points of acceptable order. That day is gone. Calling "Psychic Activity" The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit When I first wrote that the mass psychic activities that were sweeping New Wave churches was an altered state of consciousness, I trembled that maybe that was too harsh or far-fetched. Little did I know that the so-called Kansas City Prophets and now the defenders of the "Toronto Blessing" were already saying that all of the New Wave activity was a kind of psychic phenomenon, except they said it in a positive vein. In a book entitled, Some Said It Thundered (1991) by David Pytches (foreword by Dr. John White and afterword by Jamie Buckingham), dealing with the "Kansas City Prophets" this kind of thinking was clearly believed and fully expressed. Here are several clear statements reported from those interviewed, along with some of their rationale for this idea. "Our first question was: How do prophets receive their revelations? Is it through the "psyche" (soul) or the "pneuma" (spirit)? This was important for us to clarify. For the average Christian the word "psychic" is tainted by its association with the occult, but in fact the Greek word "psyche" is a wholesome New Testament word translated "soul". Such a good biblical word clearly needs redeeming today. The psychic center in each of us seems to have a vital role to play in the area of revelation from God." "Then if occultists get limited communication from the powers of darkness on to the psyche, which some claim to be the case (though obviously such revelations, even when true, have an evil origin for evil objectives), then such a counterfeit must be matched by a genuine experience from God almighty." "They seemed to have no problem in accepting the term psychic in this pure sense to describe one part of the process of divine revelation to human beings." "The human spirit is a channel that picks up spiritual transmissions from God or from the powers of darkness, and these are reflected on to the screen of the psyche, the soul. The same TV channel can carry beastly cruelty, pornography, or breathtaking beauty. The responsibility for the subject matter lies not in the channel itself but in the source of the transmission or the choice of the person tuning into the program." (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, pp. 106-107,1991.) Never in church history or my Biblical studies have I heard such thinking defended. The Word Study Dictionary says, "The soul belongs to the lower region of man’s (immaterial) being..." (The Word Study Dictionary, page 1494.) The soul cannot be confused with our spirit, which is God breathed or the breath of God. This breath from God exists in us as our spirit. The Spirit is our spiritual connection to God. Jesus said, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in "spirit" and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." (John 4:23). There is no clear distinction in the secular or occultic world between the soul and the spirit as is clearly seen in Holy Scripture. While both belong to the immaterial, the soul represents the lower region of this immaterial aspect of man while the spirit represents the higher. The soul is the seat of the depraved nature, while the spirit, though dead in the unregenerate man, is from the Lord. It is said that God made "the soul (of Jesus) an offering for sin." (Isaiah 53:10). But at the event of Calvary when the soul was being made an offering for sin, Jesus said as His two closing statements, "It is finished." And, "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." Except for the three hours that the Father hid His face, Jesus Christ by His Spirit was in perfect fellowship with God His Father. To suggest that our relationships to the Holy Spirit are patterned after His relationship and then to call such a relationship a psychic activity is to accuse Jesus of being a psychic. It is totally contrary to the orthodox interpretation of Scripture and certainly the very history of the church. This is the false idea that arises from the concept of Jesus as a paranormal person that had to go into hell and be born again. We do not, nor cannot, commune with Jehovah God through our soul. We can communicate with fallen spirits or Satan (if we are willing to pay the price Satan requires) by the soul, but not the Heavenly Father. The Scripture clearly forbids any communication with fallen angels or evil spirits because they now serve the enemy of God, Satan. God taught the children of Israel, "And the "soul" that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people." (Leviticus 20:6). That is an irrefutable commandment coupled with a dire warning. The New Wave Emotions, Called "Altered States Of Consciousness" One book that defends the many emotions of the New Wave revival suggested that we consider autosuggestion, hysteria, and crown phenomena as affecting our minds and bodies. The author asserts that prayer, fasting, and speaking in tongues, can affect our conscious state and subsequently our spiritual awareness. He further states that such "altered states of consciousness" are a part of the "normal" Christian experience and Charismatic faith. The author distinguishes "altered states of consciousness" as separate from our normal waking and sleeping states and says that, in everyday language, we might refer to ASC"s as a trance, hypnosis, dream or ecstasy. He considers them as the "key to making sense of Christian experience, particularly what is happening in many churches today." (Ibid., pp. 259 - 260.) Saying, "One could argue that ASC’s, in the context of faith in Christ and prayerful obedience, are the basis of dynamic, personal, relevant, living faith," the author lists six characteristics of an Altered State of Consciousness (Signs Of Revival, Dr. Patrick Dixon, MA, MBBS, p. 260.): 1. "Alterations in thinking." 2. "Altered sense of time." 3. "Loss of control." 4. "Changes in emotional expression." 5. "Body image changes." 6. "Perceptual changes or hallucinations." (Ibid., p. 261-263.) Those who are grounded in God’s Holy Word will realize that these characteristics most certainly do not describe the marvelous activities of the Holy Spirit in the temple of Godly saints. The Holy Spirit does nothing in our bodies and vessels that He does not reflect or do in His own personality or character. He is in Himself whatever He is in any one of the children of God and nothing more or less. The Big Picture These psychic activities are not isolated phenomenon. The seed of occultic deception has been growing in the church world for a number of years. There is clear integration between what is happening in the New Age cults and what is happening in the church. The direction of these ideas is identical. The Kansas City Prophets One fellowship in Kansas City under Pastor Mike Bickle has exhibited clear psychic signs. The book, Some Said It Thundered, defends the whole story of this church. The author of the foreword, Dr. John White, refers to "baby prophets and their difficulties distinguishing the words of the Holy Spirit from ones generated by their own hearts and/or evil sources." He says, "At first, they make many mistakes. We know they hear from God because of the reality of the true words they speak." (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. xiv.) I have never heard of a "baby prophet" before. I have always believed God moved through people when they were spiritually prepared. One problem I perceive is that when you are listening to what you think is God by psychic intuition, you cannot be sure to whom you are listening. No wonder they become confused as to their source. The entire story appears to connect John White and the Kansas City Prophets back to the Latter Rain Movement of the forties and fifties. In fact one of the ministers of that period, Paul Cain, is intimately tied to this particular church and ministry. The Latter Rain Movement was riddled with confusion, false doctrines, and was utterly rejected by the mainline Pentecostal churches. Here is a quote from one of Cain’s sermons at the Kansas City Fellowship: "You know this message is 35 years old and I’m just preaching it again. Thank God I’ve found somebody to preach it to. I told you about the vision, what I’ve had. This recurring vision of standing at the crossroads of life and the angel of the Lord said, "You are standing at the crossroads of life. What do you see?" And I saw a brilliantly lit billboard, which reads JOEL’S ARMY NOW IN TRAINING . . . See I’ve been wanting to share this for so long and find somebody. How would you like to have something on the back burner for 35 years and nobody had any . . . boy this is, I mean this isn’t leftovers. I mean this has been hot with me all these years, but everywhere I tried to preach it, they cooked my goose. Don’t you boo me. This kind of fiery preaching is a lost art today except in a very mild degree." (Joel’s Army, cassette from Kansas City Prophets.) Paul Cain, according to details in the book and other sources, has exhibited psychic characteristics from his childhood. The author of Some Said It Thundered included this story about Mike Bickle and Paul Cain. "On one occasion after Mike Bickle had been complaining to his wife that he had "a bit of a sniffle" or a slight cold " something he rarely had " the phone rang. Bickle picked up the receiver and heard Paul on the line. He had heard about Paul’s gift so he said by way of a joke, "Hi, Paul! You’re all right today! How am I?" Immediately Paul answered him, "Why, Mike, you"ve got a bit of a sniffle and you are all wet. Your hair is standing up on the left side of your head." "Bickle called his wife Diane to look at him. "Sweetheart, Paul says I have a "sniffle," I am all wet and my hair is standing up on one side. Am I all wet?" ""Yes," she said. "You"ve just come out of the shower." ""And is my hair standing up on one side?" ""Yes," she replied, "on the left side!"" (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. 30.) Here is another story repeated in the book. "On his (Paul Cain) first visit to Anaheim (to visit John Wimber) in February 1988 Paul saw powerful lights across the room and a strong sense of the presence of God was accompanied by revelations in the word of knowledge. On that occasion an expensive video camera was short-circuited. This was battery operated and not plugged into any outlet. The next night the telephone system was blown out though no one was on the phone at the time." (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. 52.) Is there any precedence for this kind of paranormal or psychic power in the Holy Scripture being identified as the work of the Holy Spirit? Such unbiblical thinking dominates almost every detail of these prophets, and the entire New Wave religion. The writer of this book stated, "The responsibility for the subject matter lies not in the channel itself but in the source of the transmission or the choice of the person tuning into the program." That statement would imply that the whole matter is like tuning a radio, either to heavenly voices or hellish voices, and all without any similitude of spiritual maturity. In the scope of the author’s interview with these so-called Kansas City individuals the following conversation was reported: "John Paul shared how the Lord had dealt with him over a problem he had with occasionally confused visions that came to him as flashbacks resulting from watching TV too much. He said that for the prophetic ministry that God had given him, the more television he watched the fewer true visions from God that he could experience. "Bob Jones agreed that the Lord would not let him watch much TV either. "I can’t get into that fantasy realm " it cuts off my visions!" "They advised watching carefully against counterfeit visions of any kind. Someone mentioned alcohol as creating confusion, since when taken in excess people can begin to "see" things." "Another problem they shared was the danger of confusion over revelations where the person receiving them had particularly strong opinions, prejudices, or unresolved bitterness in certain areas. It was easy to distort such revelations and color their own interpretations." (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. 108.) It"s interesting to note that drinking "excessive" alcohol is considered a possible deterrent to giving good prophecies. Please note that Bob Jones, one of the Kansas City prophets at that time, called prophetic revelations getting into the fantasy realm. Kansas City And A Paradigm Shift The author of Some Said It Thundered clearly identified his experiences with the "Kansas City Prophets" as a paradigm shift, which we discussed in chapter one. Capable and skilled writers do not lightly use this New Age term. The meaning is dynamic to anyone that knows this age and the spirit of the Antichrist. Every New Ager is calling for a "paradigm shift." Writer David Pytches said, "We felt we were experiencing a paradigm shift " we were beginning to see another way of looking at the foundational things we held dear, without having in any way to discard them. Perhaps that is what the Bible meant when it spoke about scales falling from Paul’s eyes." (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. 140.) Barbara Hubbard (noted New Ager) writes in her books: "Teachings from the Inner Christ, how the human race will soon experience a day of "Planetary Pentecost." Hubbard, claiming to be in contact with "Christ," writes "the Planetary Smile is another name for the Planetary Pentecost. When enough of us share a common thought [paradigm shift] of our oneness with God, Spirit will be poured out on all flesh paying attention." (p. 79). In her book, The Revelation, Hubbard says, "Christ, in describing the planetary smile, said: "an uncontrollable joy will ripple through the thinking layer of the earth."" ...This massive sudden empathic alignment will cause a shift in the consciousness [paradigm shift] of Earth." (p. 234-235). Writing in Happy Birth Day Planet Earth, Hubbard repeats what she heard from "Christ." He said, "as the planetary smile ripples through the nervous systems of earth, ... separation is overcome, and I appear to all of you at once." (p. 10-11.) (The words "paradigm shift" added at appropriate places.) (SCP Newsletter, Volume 19:2; p. 13. Published by Spiritual Counterfeits Project, P. O. Box 4308, Berkeley, CA 94704.). New Wave leaders and their subjects are having the same paradigm shift. They are learning a complete new way of looking at things, plus, they are using new "enlightened" words to still claim and describe the old discarded truth. All of this is identical to what is happening to the leading New Agers. The Planetary Pentecost described by Hubbard is identical to the different phenomenon going on in present day New Wave churches. All of this shows the psychic nature of these strange activities. Psychic Powers And Warnings Of Destruction The printed materials of these writers are filled with constant pronouncements and warnings of judgment to all resisters. They say that anyone who resists this "new move of God" is an enemy to the Lord. Notice how one well-known speaker warns his audience and readers with fear of judgment, "One of these days, you may just be talking to someone, asking them how things went at church last Sunday, and they may say, Oh it was great! The glory of God was strong it healed ten cripples, opened the ears of thirty deaf people, cured seven cases of cancer and killed Brother Bigmouth and Sister Strife." ("Voice of Victory" October 94.) Christians have a vital choice to make, this speaker stated, "When the fire of God begins to burn and the rivers of the Spirit start to flow, he’ll have to do one of two things: he’ll either have to yield to the Spirit and let go of that sin by repenting, or he’ll have to resist the flood of God’s Spirit and be swept away." (Mainstream, Winter 1994, p. 3. Published by Banner Ministries, Box 23, Belper, Derbys DE 56 1QR, UK.) In the book entitled, Epic Battles Of The Last Days, two themes appear. One is a call to battle and another is the constant warning of judgment to scare anyone who resists. Rick Joyner states, "Criticism is one of the ultimate manifestations of pride because, whenever we criticize someone else we are by that assuming that we are superior to them. Pride brings that which any rational human being should fear the most " God’s resistance. We would be better off having all of the demons in hell resisting us than God!" (Epic Battles Of The Last Days, Rick Joyner, p. 23.) Almost any subject this author discussed, he used it to warn people about judgment or resistance against what his book represents. When he discussed witchcraft, Jezebel, or Antichrist, he applied it to resisters. Of Jezebel he said, "Jezebel, who is one of the archetypes of witchcraft in scripture, used her power to control her husband who was the authority over Israel. She was also able to bring such depression upon Elijah that he sought death over life, even after his greatest spiritual victory. There is great power in this evil; those who are ignorant of it, or who presumptuously disregard its potential to affect them, are very often brought down by it, usually without even knowing what hit them." (Ibid., p. 78.) He did not ever touch what Jezebel really represented. His book can best be described as propaganda for the new theology and self-styled theologians that are sweeping churches. I get the feeling he is the New Breed’s rear guard to scare anyone who dares to resist or tell the truth about his new wave teachings. Another author does the same kind of use of judgment in his materials. In his booklet, entitled The Jezebel Spirit, he writes, "Jezebel’s worst enemies are the prophets; her worst fear is that the people will embrace repentance. Jezebel hates repentance. Though this spirit will infiltrate the church, masking its desire for control with true Christian doctrines, it will hide from true repentance...Jezebel hates the prophets, for the prophets speak out against her. The prophets are her worst enemies. When she wars, it is to stir people against the message of the prophetic church. More than she hates the prophets, she hates the word they speak." (The Jezebel Spirit, Francis Frangipane, p. 6.) The Fourth Dimension &"Paul (David) Yonggi Cho teaches the same thing. In The Fourth Dimension he tells of his frustration that Buddhist monks and yoga healers could perform miracles. Then the Holy Spirit supposedly revealed to him that the fourth dimension, the spirit realm, is available to all whether Christian or not, for it contains both good and evil powers. "So men, by exploring their spiritual sphere of the fourth dimension of visions and dreams in their imaginations, can brood over and incubate the third dimension (the material world) influencing it and changing it." This applies to all men alike. Because God gave man dominion over the earth, says Cho, unbelievers can "develop their inner spiritual being" and change the material world. Thus Christians also have the responsibility to "realize their inner potential" and manipulate the fourth dimension for good." (Mainstream, Winter 1994, p. 11. Published by Banner Ministries, Box 23, Belper, Derbys DE 56 1QR, UK.) Anyone who teaches this idea of a fourth dimension is dealing with psychic activities and the depraved soul, not the Holy Spirit. While there are some temporary results to these kinds of activities, they are totally evil and will eventually turn on the person’s head. "Psychic Warfare", "Territorial Spirits" and "Dominion Theology" Behind much of the present deception and/or confusion is the new prophetic view of Jesus Christ and His coming. Only a few short years have passed since the dominant message in the Evangelical World was the "imminent Rapture before the Great Tribulation." Even those who held to mid- or post-tribulation views were very close in spiritual kinship to the pre-trib view and its proponents. P> AA deep bitterness now exists toward the traditional view of prophecy. This new breed of prophets and spokespersons is preparing for all out war to take the kingdom by these psychic powers. Paul Cain says that there will be an army, called Joel’s Army, and that God will equip them to perform His judgments. In the book, Some Said It Thundered, the Kansas City Fellowship is identified as the location for training this army. "By the time Paul Cain arrived in Kansas City the fellowship was well settled into their new meeting place at the Grandview Worship Center. Paul immediately recognized the location from the crossroads outside as the place, which the Lord had showed him many times (possibly twenty, over as many years) as a spiritual training center for the soldiers of Joel’s army that God was raising up for the coming revival. ""Many years ago," said Paul, "I came to the crossroads of life and I saw a vision of an illuminated billboard on which was written: "Joel’s army in training." It was on these crossroads with an arrow pointing to this spot " though there was no building on it then! I believe God has shown me that here he is going to raise up an army. This army is not a destructive army but a deliverance army..."" (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. 132.). His idea of deliverance is not the traditional loving idea. It’s "bow or burn" that these men are talking about. Roger Forster wrote in a foreword to the book, Territorial Spirits, "These structures [territorial principalities] will be refurbished with a whole new personnel. The final overthrow of Satan’s rebellious colonial government by the central government of God is preceded by the faith-sons of Abraham bringing blessing to all the families of the earth. This demands territorial claims and advance through the earth." (Emphasis added.) "Eventually, this resistance movement can provide sufficient numbers of trained personnel to take over the authority and administration of the colony from Satan and his angels, giving the least amount of disturbance to the heavenly structural powers ... until such a network of resistance against Satan is found all over the earth, the second coming of our Lord is held up and his total reign restrained." (Mainstream, Spring 1994, p. 10.) The following statements show how widely this view of this dominion theology has become. P> CCindy Jacobs: "Today’s praying church is rising up in militant force to possess the promised land of our nations." John Dawson: "There is not one reason why we, the Church, should concede one square inch of this planet to the government of territorial spirits. This is our planet." P> Francis Frangipane: "All spiritual warfare is waged over one essential question: who will control reality on earth - heaven or hell? ... We must see that our prayers, attitudes and agreement with God are an integral part of establishing the reality of the kingdom of God on earth!" (Mainstream, Spring 1994, p. 10.) Rick Joyner, probably one of the cleverest writers of this new breed, says the following, "The church is at war. This war will not end because we do not like it, or we do not want to fight. Fortresses of darkness are being raised up in all directions " in government, schools, business, entertainment, in our neighborhoods " they are even being raised up in the church! ... Even so, as improbable as it may seem at this time " we have the enemy surrounded! The church is about to win her greatest victory. This is her finest hour " the retreat is over and the advance is about to begin." "... This generation has been called to carry the banner of the Lord into the greatest epic battle of all time. The last day church has been given one of the greatest privileges that has ever been bestowed by God upon men " to be on the field of battle for the ultimate confrontation between light and darkness." (Epic Battles Of The Last Days, Rick Joyner, p. 13.) "The Lord has already defeated our enemies. He could have banished them to hell on the day of His resurrection, but He left them here for us because He wants His bride to share the honor! In these last days she will surely be, "As awesome as an army with banners" (Song of Solomon 6:10)." "The Lord has called His bride to rule and reign with Him as joint heir. He let this conflict continue for over 2,000 years so that His bride could prove herself, and grow in the faithfulness and grace that is needed for her great position." "The whole creation, including the principalities and powers, is watching to see what the church is really made of. Will we love the Lord, truth, and righteousness, more than we love this present world? Only those who love not their own lives unto death are fit for the great throne that has been prepared for the bride of Christ." "This book is but one trumpet call among many that are now calling the saints to battle." (Epic Battles Of The Last Days, Rick Joyner, p. 14.) This manner of theology is certainly contrary to Biblical truth. These writers mix a little bit of truth that applies to the future Millennium after Jesus returns to establish His kingdom with Kingdom Dominion Theology. No error is ever so powerful as that error that is filled with a mixture. Psychic powers are certainly real and have been used for centuries dating back at least to Nimrod and his great tower of Babel. This present New Wave generation seems to have mastered these techniques and are experiencing great success. One of the results is incredible emotional activity. One such activity is "holy laughter." This is a mass megatrend in the New Wave revival. Let’s look at past phenomenon and some true manifestations as we explore the "laughter" movement. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 69: MULTITUDES” TURNED AWAY AT THE “GOLDEN GATES” ======================================================================== “MULTITUDES” Turned Away At The “GOLDEN GATES” Can you grasp the devastating sorrow of being rejected by Jesus Christ in sight of the Heavenly City? In this drama that Jesus told, careless souls miss heaven at the very door. They actually see the great saints of the Bible entering the kingdom with breathtaking fanfare. Shouts and Praises fill the air with an unspeakable glory. The singing and music is like a symphony from another world. This event is in the outskirts of Heavenly Jerusalem, the Father’s Home Place. The Son of God made it plain that this company of religious people were convinced of their worth to enter into the City. It was evident that Christ had to bar the gate because they were so sure of themselves. Is it possible that this crowd would try to rush Jesus Christ to bolt their way past Him? This is the perfect picture of multitudes that argue their preparation but show no proof of being sold out to Jesus Christ. It is an accepted fact that most well-known Godly Pastors and Evangelist believe at least 90% of the church world have no evidence of a transformed life. The Judgment Seat of Christ is going to be a day of much sadness. If anyone had told this drama but Jesus Christ we would have doubted its revelation. This event will occur in sight of that magnificent city. The rejected souls are at the very door into Eternal Life. They are religious to a fault and have a powerful argument of their acquaintance with Christ. They know His powerful message and have seen His miracles. They had been so close to Him that they could not believe He did not recognize them. They were deeply religious but had certainly never been “Born Again.” Our Church World is full of this very crowd of unspiritual souls. Jesus had been asked a powerful question because His message of salvation was so stark and clear. “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?” (Luke 13:23) His answer was to tell this drama that would unfold in that awesome day of accountability .“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:24) No one can doubt that this is the large majority of our church world who will turn you off in a minute if you try to share the “Real Gospel” with them. They know too much and have been religious too long to believe that they are lost. Religion without a sin-killing experience is the great deceiver of all ages. Watch this drama as it unfolds. Remember it is the Son of God telling this prophecy. “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:” (Luke 13:25) At this point of End Times development Heaven and Hell will be in great contrast. There will be no doubting what missing the welcome into this gleaming city of perfect beauty means to each soul. It’s no longer a debate, it’s either Heaven or the Lake of Fire. To believe that men can be so deceived as to argue with the Divine King of Kings seems impossible. Jesus tells us what they will proclaim to Him. “Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.” (Luke 13:26) They had taken communion and believed that His Graces covered their souls. They had known the influence of His Word of God and they understood His Divine nature. It’s awesome to watch this unfold. These are eternal souls that were grandmothers and grandfathers, mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. They had been given great opportunity to follow Christ. They knew the truth but chose a lesser path. “But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” (Luke 13:27) The arguments are over as truth settles in and the sheer terror of the consequence becomes real. They are not in the Lake of Fire and the Second Death is yet to occur, but they go into hysteria. “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” (Luke 13:28)To be turned away from the Glory of our Lord’s Presence is enough, but to be turned over to eternal damnation is sheer terror They actually see the City in it’s grandeur. The great gardens and mansions of our world do not hold a light. This crowd sees the glory of Christ’s Kingdom and hears the rejoicing and singing inside the great walls of His Grand Estate. To know there is no hope and that eternity in the Lake Of Fire is before them causes them to be beyond despair. We live in a world that refuses to consider this possibility. The attitude with most unconverted souls and many church people is, “I’ll take my chance.” It will soon be too late to wake up. The great Truths of the Bible will occur exactly as they have been written. The Biblical standards of purity and righteousness will be His measuring tool. Excuses for not living by the Words of God are everywhere. There are enough excuses for all that are careless to adopt for their own. The Lord Jesus Christ knew there would be a multitude of ways of Satan’s devices right in the midst of His Church. He gave this great drama we have seen as His warning of failure and the consequence. In the same Book of Luke, Jesus is quoted again. The Bible is a repetitious Book because we are a hard-headed self willed people. “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36) For His Blood-washed saints, one glimpse into His Eternal City where joy is unfolding and every sacrifice (if you can call those things you put aside sacrifices) will be forever forgotten. The Father awaits the grand day of the Kingdom of our Christ becoming the Kingdom of our Father. “Joy unspeakable and full of glory” is right down the road for the Saints that have chosen Him over the world. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 70: MY SHEEP KNOW MY VOICE ======================================================================== My Sheep Know My Voice Jesus Christ spoke these awesome words, “. . . for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5). False carnal and religious voices are everywhere and multiplying. The only safe place is a relationship with Christ where we become familiar with His voice. The Bible speaks of strongholds, imaginations, high things that exalteth itself, and corrupt communications. The spiritual war is first and foremost fought in the minds of all of us. If Satan can capture our thought life, our shipwreck is right down the road. The Antichrist spirit has succeeded in flooding the imaginations of people with a multitude of dark thoughts. Much of today’s thought life starts innocently. The physical needs of life, natural desires within our bodies, and the need for pleasures that rest the body and minds have become dominate in every culture. The Bible warns us, “And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). Everything of a Bible-believing Christian’s life must be under strong discipline so that even good things of life never control us. The Bible calls this a self-controlled life. The moment you lose it, there are dark places to follow. Roots of bitterness cannot begin anywhere but in your emotions and thoughts. The sources of bitterness are an ever enduring possibility. We hear words that could wound us almost every week and, sometimes, every day. Bitter people inhabit churches, offices, and every walk of life. If you are happy, there is someone that would enjoy making you sad. Wounded people are almost continually wounding someone else. Knowing this is true puts a strong burden on those that refuse to become bitter! The Holy Ghost is our helper. Here is his warning to you, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Hebrews 12:15). What is sad is that most bitter people think only of the source of their bitterness. Bitterness is absolutely blinding. Religious strongholds are most often the strongest bondage of all. The soul in each of us is the location of the Adamic or fallen nature. The soul is also religious because the Creator made it religious. Unless we experience and maintain a devotion to the cleansing blood of Christ, we easily revert to the religious nature of man. The cleansing blood alone can keep all of our desires and thoughts pure. David prayed regularly, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalms 19:14). Apostle Paul spoke by the Holy Ghost, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Php 4:8). Your mind is on your head, so be its master and control what is allowed in the door. It’s your happiness and even your health that you are protecting when you keep all negative thoughts out and pure thoughts flowing like a river. Your face will tell the tale of which is your master. There is a God-provided dynamic ready to help assure your victory. It is called “praying in the Spirit.” The voice of Christ is available to every believer by the person of His Holy Ghost. Read carefully what the voice of Christ recorded in this letter that Paul wrote to Corinth, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). These words have the possibility of changing your entire life and, especially, your success in blessing others. First, we must not war after this flesh. Our struggle is never to be flesh with flesh or warring with each other. Regardless of what anyone says to you, speak back with kindness. Learn to pray with the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). The Holy Ghost was given to us to be the voice of Jesus Christ within us, but you must learn to pray and then listen. I don’t mean just hearing silly imaginations but growing and being led by the Holy Ghost in and through the Holy Scripture. “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Nothing will so alter your life as learning the true voice of your Lord and Master. A humble and broken spirit is the real beginning of this new and powerful walk with Christ. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). You are helpless in your flesh, but you can be powerful when the flesh is hung on the cross with Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest of the Heavenly Temple. He is there to be your voice to the Father and by the Holy Spirit to be the Father’s voice to and in you. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 71: MYSTERY BABYLON: ANTI-ISRAEL AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL ======================================================================== Mystery Babylon: Anti-Israel at the Highest Level Mystery Babylon and the One World Church have many very sharp characteristics. One of those characteristics is usually called “Replacement Theology.” There are certain religious groups that are Biblical in some areas of their beliefs but proponents of “Replacement Theology” in another area. I do not believe we can characterize all of these as Mystery Babylon, but they have a tendency in that direction. What is “Replacement Theology”? It is the belief that the true Christian church has taken Israel’s place for the whole of the church age and for the whole of the future. Israel as a distinct people or a specific nation has no future prophetically according to this theological view. Nothing could be more wrong and contrary to Scripture. Anyone that denies Israel as a chosen people and a chosen nation is aiding and abetting the Antichrist and his developing “One World Religion.” I must be fair to everyone, so I say kindly that not everyone that believes this false idea of “Replacement Theology” hates the Jewish people. But anti-Israel or anti-Semitism is usually the end result of “Replacement Theology.” When the chosen people of the Father Himself are relegated to the back burner of Biblical thinking, the process that follows is naturally contrary to truth. There are several major doctrines that cannot be reconciled to any idea that rejects the nation of Israel. The millennial reign of one thousand years has a profound Jewish connection. The Seven Years of the Great Tribulation has a clear connection to Israel as a nation, to the Jews as a people, and especially to the third temple. Every prophetic event on the calendar is left in confusion when Israel as a nation and as a chosen people is removed. Anti-Israel designs of any description are demonic. Satan has hated God’s chosen people from the moment Abraham was called. This occurred many years preceding the name of “Israel” being given to Jacob as he wrestled with God. It was all part of the seed of woman and the promise of the Messiah. Trace the Bible truth and its history of revelation from the first mention of the seed of woman to Abraham and, from there, all the way to the cross. Then, pull Abraham and Israel out and God’s great design becomes absolute folly. God is sovereign, and His great plan of redemption is absolutely perfect. No stone has ever been left unturned as God has guided those chosen to effect His final plan. To read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, to see the prominence of the people of the coming Prince and King of Kings, and then to try to remove them out of this eternal mosaic of redemption is folly. The whole picture of the harmony of the Bible is full of holes when Israel is rejected in the end time events. Nothing reveals the missing links and emptiness of present day theology more than the rejection or confusion surrounding Israel. The whole Bible is a Jewish book. To throw the Jews out is to render the Bible broken and destroyed. This effort is out of the imagination of unconverted man. It is inspired by none other than the fallen angel that God cast out of heaven, and God has prepared Hell as his final abode. As we approach the final hour, it is to be expected that Satan will take out all the stops to destroy God’s plan and the family that was part of the Father’s gift of His only begotten Son. Anti-Israel at the Highest Level Two extraordinary movements are occurring simultaneously in the church world. These two movements cannot be so intimately related by accident. The church world has become tolerant of everything and everybody, including homosexuals, Muslims, and every kind of religious faith right down to paganism. At the same time, the Jews are out of favor. That kind of thinking is bizarre and mindless. The Muslims are in, but the nation of Israel is out. The homosexuals are becoming priests and ministers, but the Jews are the troublemakers and the cause of world tension and wars. The liberals on the left in the church are ready for anything but Old Testament believing Jews and New Testament believing Christians. Satan is the only possible source for such diverse thinking right in the house of God. The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) recently made the decision to begin the process of divesting its monies from all companies that do business with the nation of Israel. After the Presbyterians made this decision, the World Council of Churches, representing three hundred and forty denominations, issued a call to member churches to do the same. We are talking about Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, United Church of Christ, Lutherans, and almost every worldwide church. Numerous visits by delegations of religious leaders to Israel or Arab countries have ended in statements of support for almost anyone and everyone, except Israel. One group of Presbyterians met with the terrorist group Hezbollah, and later issued a statement blaming Israel for the conflicts. Let me share a report by the “Institute on Religion and Democracy” that studies the human rights efforts of mainline churches. This report included the United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and the World and National Council of Churches. The report was for the years 2000-2003. They found, “…that one hundred ninety-seven human-rights criticisms by mainline churches and groups, thirty-seven percent were aimed at Israel and thirty-two percent at the United States. (That translates to seventy-three incidents attributed to Israel and sixty-three attributed to the Untied States. Ed. Note) Only nineteen percent of these criticisms were directed at nations listed as ‘unfree’ in Freedom House’s respected annual listing of free, partly free, and unfree nations. So Israel was twice as likely to be hammered by the mainliners as all the unfree authoritarian nations put together. The fixation on Israel left little time and inclination for these churches to notice the most dangerous violations of human rights around the world. Not one nation bordering Israel was criticized by a single mainline church or group, the IRD report says. No criticisms at all were leveled at China, Libya, Syria, or North Korea.” (Institute on Religion and Democracy) What a travesty of judgment by religious leaders. Bishops of the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts conducted a demonstration in front of the Israeli Consulate proclaiming a “Christian-Muslim alliance”. South African Anglican Bishop, Desmond Tutu, announced that Israel is an “apartheid state.” Liberal religious leaders are happily using this charge to promote their “hate Israel” campaign. The Catholic Church has preached “Replacement Theology” for hundreds of years and promoted their Amillennial view that Israel has no future as part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ on this earth. It has become impossible to find fellowship with local religious leaders without embracing the Muslims, the Hindus, the Mormons, and almost every conceivable expression of religion. Bible believers must prepare for religious isolation in every community of the world. It is not future; it is present. It’s a Miracle: America is Still Pro-Israel Only God could have enabled America to still be so strongly pro-Israel. The Pat Buchanans and the Robert Novaks (both anti-Israel) are out there, with many others, and the liberal left is extremely soft, when not critical, on Israel. Were there not many Jews in Hollywood and Washington, both politicians and wealthy businessmen, the liberals would quickly follow the anti-Israel rhetoric of Europe. The Clintons embraced Arafat during their eight years in the White House, but President George W. Bush is staunchly pro-Israel. His decision to support a Palestinian state in the nation of Israel is prophetically demanded, although I would imagine obnoxious to him. If there is one God-fearing characteristic of America that is honored by God, it is our defense of this tiny nation called Israel. Because of this, I am expecting a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit in revival to at least touch the godly remnant of saints in America with a harvest of souls. There is a host of Evangelicals that are strongly pro-Israel but are slowly melting into the framework of the One World Church. The Catholics are making incredible in-roads in Evangelical circles. No religious denomination in the world has been more openly anti-Israel than Catholicism. Arafat and other terrorists have been embraced by the Pope and by Catholic spokesmen. A growing attitude that you meet among Protestants and Evangelicals is the false assumption that the Catholic Church is the Mother Church, and all of the denominations are breakaways from them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Catholicism hijacked the church in the capital city of Rome in the fourth century, but God had a true church that never bowed to this pagan imitation. In spite of the apostasy in religious circles, the Eternal God will inspire enough Americans to continue to be pro-Israel until the end. Theological-Bent Toward Mystery Babylon The Charismatic movement has utterly robbed the large portion of Pentecostals of their prior fundamental foundation. The Pre-Tribulation, Pre-Millennial truths were foundational to the Pentecostal world until the Charismatic movement emerged. Many of the leaders of the early Charismatic days came out of churches that were mainline denominations with very little theological strength. They knew practically nothing about end-time theology, and what they did know was skewed. This weakness in understanding the great eschatological revelations left them vulnerable to any human revelation that developed. Consequently, the “Kingdom Dominion” theology has swept a large portion of them into this ancient Catholic thinking. Fifty years ago, when I came to faith in Christ, the great strength of these churches was a yearly prophecy conference where everybody packed the churches to learn about our Biblical future. That day is long gone among Pentecostals. “Replacement Theology” is automatically the new thinking when anyone embraces “Kingdom Dominion” theology. It cannot be both ways. There is no kingdom future for the nation of Israel if the church is going to establish the kingdom. If the Paul Crouches, Pat Robertsons, and Rick Joyners are going to lead the world into a one-world church, then Israel as a nation is out and has no national future. Either Jesus Christ returns with His saints after the seven years of Tribulation to establish the Kingdom, or this mind-distorted view of an unbiblical church does it with their schemes and mystery revelations. Benny Hinn had a revelation on television with Paul Crouch in which he saw Trinity Broadcasting Network becoming the revelation of Heaven on earth. He said, “Men won’t need to go to heaven to see it, they can look at TBN and see heaven.” (Benny Hinn on worldwide television). It’s all a progressive slide into “Mystery Babylon”. The Biblical Truth Will Prevail It’s thrilling to proclaim the absolute infallible Word of God that Biblical truth will prevail. It is not maybe, but factual, that: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18 b) It is beautiful to search the Word of God and to view God’s future plans, written in advance. There are some great Bible truths that “…we see through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12), but there are many great truths that cannot be confused. Biblical eschatology has been laid out in the Book of Revelation in perfect chronological fashion. The two books studied the least, and denied the most are Genesis and Revelation, yet those are the two books where every foundation of Scripture is beautifully provided. The chronological picture of the end time events is given to us by Jesus Christ in that great piece of Divine literature called “The Book of Revelation”. The order is simple. The church age ends at the conclusion of chapter three. The church is never called the church from chapter four until the end of the book except one time when He is reaching back before chapter four to warn the church of His coming. The saints are called elders from chapter four until chapter nineteen, verse fourteen, where they become His army and follow Him back to the earth as He and the saintly army defeat the Antichrist and proceed to establish His kingdom on earth. “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (Revelation 19:13-14) Between the time when His elders are seen in Heaven after the supernatural Rapture in chapters four and five, and the scene in chapter nineteen, a seven year tribulation or redemption for mankind and this earth will occur on this planet. From chapter six through chapter eighteen, Jesus lays out the scene of darkness and judgment on this earth. Instead of a great church movement of dominion on earth, it is an apostate church of Mystery Babylon, led by religious harlots and big-time preachers doing the business of Mystery Babylon. We have a world full of “big-time religionists” who have denied “old-time religion”, and they are preparing to do the business of the Antichrist and his false prophet. Many are denying that there will be a literal Antichrist individual. Rick Joyner says that “the man of sin is the sin of man.” They are obligated by their theological confusion to deny many great revelations of the “Book of Revelation.” The “preterists” say that the book of Revelation was all fulfilled in the first century when Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Another false idea is to relegate this book to a non-literal mosaic depicting spiritual warfare between good and evil. The latter view is popular with Charismatics in Dominion Theology. Nobody has the right to deny literal truth. Israel is clearly in the very center of these developing events. It was Biblically proclaimed that Israel would be back in her nation and that it would be in a trouble-saturated time. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto 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.” (Zechariah 12:2-3) The prophets spoke of the Seven Years of Tribulation as “Jacob’s Trouble”. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:7) But then, the prophet Isaiah saw the hand of God bringing Israel to her knees in repentance. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10) When Jesus returns with the Raptured church, then to be called “His army”, the nation of Israel will rejoice at His coming and receive Him as their King. Even the Eastern Gate entering onto the Temple Mount has been closed for centuries awaiting the Messiah to enter triumphantly. Jesus Christ will make Jerusalem His world capital, and He will rule Israel and the world from the throne of David. To remove Israel out of this developing triumph and glory is the ultimate blasphemy. All that do so shall pay a bitter price. For one thousand years, He and His national family of Israel, and His glorious Bride, the saints of the ages, will reign over a new paradise of earthly glory. The long-awaited Sabbath will have come. Mystery Babylon, and her hordes of deceived church denominations and members, will be judged with the Antichrist, the false prophet, and the “One World Church”. The Bible tells us that they will worship at our feet, and confess the error of their religious schemes. “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:9-10) Be faithful to the infallible truth of holiness and Biblical living. Come out of Babylon and all the religious facades. If it is not totally true to the Bible, you must not allow its error to fill your heart or mind. Some will say “pick the meat off the bones”, but half-truth is always more dangerous than lies. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 72: OBAMA’S HEALTHCARE MICROCHIP: THE “MARK?” ======================================================================== Obama’s Healthcare Microchip: The “Mark?” The United States of America has taken the giant step towards universal control of every American citizen and anyone receiving any form of medical treatment and/or supplies. This is not the Mark of the Antichrist, but it is the precursor to that Mark. The amazing fact of this action is that it puts the United States in the driver’s seat of the One World Order. Congressman Ron Paul’s website has these exact words, “‘In real world speak,’ according to this report, this new law, when fully implemented, provides the framework for making the United States the first Nation in the World to require each and every one of its citizens to have implanted in them a radio-frequency identification (RFID) microchip for the purpose of controlling who is, or isn’t, allowed medical care in their country.” (http://www. dailypaul. com/node/105079). By nature, I am a doubter when it comes to fear-mongering or conspiracy theories that have little or no supportive information. When this idea was first mentioned on our Open Bible Dialogue radio talk show, I doubted it openly. But, after a little help from others and a lot of digging myself, I knew something was very scary. Here is a little of the information from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ website. This information was slated as “Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff.” This kind of information cannot be accidental. “This guidance document was developed as a special control guidance to support the classification of the implantable radiofrequency transponder system for patient identification and health information into class II (special controls). The device is intended to enable access to secure patient identification and corresponding health information in humans. This guidance is issued in conjunction with a Federal Register notice announcing the classification of implantable radiofrequency transponder system for patient identification and health information. “This guidance document describes a means by which implantable radiofrequency transponder systems for patient identification and health information may comply with the requirement of class II special controls. Designation of this guidance document as a special control means that manufacturers of implantable radiofrequency transponder systems for patient identification and health information who follow the recommendations listed in this document, before introducing their device into commercial distribution in the United States, will also be able to market their device without being subject to the premarket notification requirements of section 510(k) of the Act.” (http://www. fda. gov/MedicalDevices/ucm 072141.htm). As massive as Obama’s Healthcare bill is, there is no way it can function without a complete system of control. The present cost of the health-related programs is draining our nation and it is only minute in comparison. This new law — already signed by the president — also requires every citizen and anyone else receiving health care to purchase insurance. This certainly suggests that every person living within our borders will eventually be assigned this radioactive chip. You can probably be assured that this chip will now or eventually have a GPS responder to locate you in case you get lost. Isn’t that nice of this crowd of liberals? Is this idea just a fancy way to take care of our health needs? Or is it Big Government that is determined to control our lives? The Holy Bible is absolutely plain that this is the future of our world. The Antichrist will only have seven years to form his plan, implement it, and rule the world. He needs surrogates like President Obama to prepare the way. It is only reasonable to understand that almost every aspect of world control must be in place before he appears. With over six billion souls alive and dramatically growing, the stage must be set and in order. We can see our world headed towards the One World Order from every direction. There are almost no national economies in the world. The world court is already conducting business and a great effort is underway to pressure every government to comply. A world religion is in place. The only religions not at the table are Orthodox Judaism and Fundamental Christianity. We are hated for such narrow-mindedness. Let’s remember that the Biblical Prophecy writers and ministers have been warning us about this for decades. There are some writers that have set dates, made wild predictions, and missed the mark by wide margins. But, the mainstream writers and ministers have been right on target. Years ago I said, “If Jesus tarries a few more years, we will begin to think that we are already in the Great Tribulation.” Every day I feel a little more like that, while at the same time I know that the Great Tribulation cannot begin until the Rapture occurs. The Bible predicted this future “Mark of the Beast.” “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:15-17). Again, I remind you that Obama’s microchip is not the Mark of the Beast. This future Mark must be identified with the Antichrist and is in essence a form of devil-worship. Taking that Mark will be a choice between the worship of our Lord Jesus Christ and the devil, along with his false trinity. The present push for world control is certainly satanic. The entire Obama agenda has been evil from his first day in office. Remember that while he was being sworn into office, the website at the White House was programmed with his homosexual agenda, plus many other liberal directives. It’s time to stand tall on every issue of life. Absolutely no one should take his chip. You will probably not even be able to buy your prescriptions without the druggist putting the cash register scanner on your right hand. The Rapture-ready crowd will be out of here shortly. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 73: OPRAH WINFREY: BILLIONAIRE BLASPHEMER ======================================================================== Oprah Winfrey: Billionaire Blasphemer Oprah Winfrey is a blasphemer against the God of Holy Scripture. How does a very intelligent lady come from a deeply Christian home of an apparent Godly grandmother to become a full-blown New Ager? It is reported that she began public speaking by reading or quoting the Bible and sermons to her grandmother’s church family at the age of three. She was actually named after Orpah, the sister of Ruth from the Bible; but the name was misspelled on her birth certificate. Being raped by a family member for years certainly had a chilling effect on her young life. The sad story is that her incredible mind and personality has been turned into a force for occultic powers. Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking the best and the smartest lives to use for his kingdom of defiance against the God of the Bible. The New World Order of the Antichrist is exploding and he needs teachers and devotees to spread his high-sounding deception. Oprah Winfrey has become one of his most successful tools to help lead a multitude to hell. The present day acceptance of all religions on an equal level sets the perfect stage. In this atmosphere the villains are saints of God that identify these lies. Hatred for Biblical Christianity has never been so loud. Oprah has made numerous statements that show her devotion to New Age ideas, but the real proof is in her key radio series for 2008. The entire year has been proclaimed as a study on the book, A Course In Miracles. First, let’s document the source of this study. An atheistic psychologist received this course by demonic revelation in 1965. This same study has been a mainstay with Robert Shuller’s church for years and probably played a large part in the confused mind of Rick Warren. This study came to this psychologist by “mind dictation” and the source identifies himself as Jesus Christ. She recalled, “The voice made no sound, but seemed to be giving me a kind of rapid inner diction, which I took down in a shorthand notebook.” Another psychologist with whom she is reported to have had a very troubled relationship agreed to participate in these dictations and serve as a kind of secretary and confidant. For several years William Thetford was often with her as she received the volume of materials that constitute this course. He believed she was receiving the original teachings of Jesus Christ to give to the world. The Oprah Winfrey Enterprise has now become the window to the world for these satanic teachings. It is scary when you consider her entrance into the political campaign of Senator Barack Obama and the impact the media suggests this is having on his candidacy. Satan is determined to put the prettiest face with the least substance in the American White House. With all of our sins and failures, America and Israel are still the two nations hated by the unbelieving world. To think of having a president that believes in the ideas of Oprah Winfrey and A Course in Miracles should drive us to our knees. Let’s review the heart of this dubious course in miracles. You will find that every idea is totally foreign to the Holy Scripture. It is basically the language of humanism, psychology, and the occult. It has no kin to the Lord Jesus Christ and above all it hates the sacred blood of the cross. If there is one thing Satan and all his ilk love to attack, it is the blood and the very purpose of that blood, which is to cleanse sin. A Course in Miracles states, “The atonement is the final lesson he (the human family) need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation.” (Text, p. 237.) That statement is the unfailing love of the devil. There is no such thing as sin to Lucifer. To admit sin is to admit righteousness and rebellion against righteousness. And that truth demands a Sovereign God that is an eternal being that gave His only Son to redeem man out of sin. The heart of this false system is the denial of the Holy God that rules in His universe. The false premise of the above statement moves quickly to the next main thrust that is the heart of Pantheism or New Age teaching. Here are the author’s words, “The oneness of the creator is your wholeness, your sanity, and your limitless power.” (Text, p. 125.) This incredible statement is claiming that the universe is God, that every part is part of the whole, and that we fit in the whole as a cog in the wheel. There is no separate individual, either God or ourselves. It is all an elusion, and we move up the ladder of that elusion by our positive mindset. Of course, we move in the reverse when we are negative or harbor negative thoughts of sin, sickness, or failure. It can only get worse when you start with such rebellion against the Heavenly Father. Here is a list of dark things in this book: "There is no sin." (Text, p. 9.) "A slain Christ has no meaning." (Text, p. 10.) "The journey to the cross should be the last useless journey." (Text, p. 11.) "The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol ... it is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray." (Text, p. 13.) Oprah Winfrey has probably crossed the line in the sand to which there is no return. Believe me, the great Creator and His Eternal Son is beholding it all and the cup of wrath is near the top. The crash of a life like Oprah will leave a heartrending aftershock. We may not hear it here, but the sound will touch eternity. Tell every soul that you have opportunity to tell that judgment is near at hand. Do not fail to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer and Saviour of all that call on Him in surrender. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 74: OUR BIBLICAL GODHEAD ======================================================================== Our Biblical Godhead The God of Christianity is awesome because He is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. He is Sovereign in all these attributes. There is none that can approach His Holiness except the holy. In His Omnipotence, He is unlimited in all of His powers and there is nothing beyond His fullness. In His Omniscience, He is without limits in knowledge. He knows every thought and every nuance of wisdom in the Universe. In His Omnipresence, there is no reach in His great world that extends beyond Himself. His presence is capable of touching every sphere of His entire Heavens and creation. This greatness is known in the beauty of His Godhead. He exists in three persons, each fully possessing the perfection of their individuality. Yet, each individual is a perfect part of the whole; so, that we do not have three Gods but one. This perfect unity is greater than our human reach can extend but will be understood when we awake in our future glory. It is a unity that sin robs from us but will be restored in our resurrection. The perfect oneness of the Trinity cannot be enlarged or reduced. To try and limit this truth is darkly harmful to the worshippers. One God in three persons fills the Holy Scripture. The Father is the Omnipotence of the Godhead. All unlimited power extends from the person named the Heavenly Father. He is Omnipotent to the point that He calls things that are not into existence. His words instantly become reality. He cannot speak or think without the substance of His mind becoming the full result of what He thought. The Universe is the creation of every great idea He has conceived. The Son of God is the Omniscience of the Godhead. As the Omniscient, He is the Word, both written and manifested. Every Word of the Holy Bible is as much Himself as is His own Person. He lives in the Scripture in such a manner that to read and devour the Word is to progressively know Him in your heart. You cannot possess the Word of God in your soul without possessing Him. The Word of God is only a dead letter until you let this Word possess you into the regions of your whole life. In possessing you, His authority masters you. It is life eternal and transcending. God and Christ’s Holy Spirit is the Omnipresence of the Godhead. The Father is on His throne and His Son is at His right hand, but the Holy Spirit extends all they are into every realm of the Universe. Even nature is a material expression of the reach of the Spirit of Life. There is no fact of life apart from God. The person of the Holy Spirit is seen as “Seven Lamps of Fire,” because the duty of His office is to fill all the reach of God to all the fullness of existence. The darkest sinner owes their very existence to the life of God, which is manifested in the person of the Holy Spirit. The smallest creature in the world is a product of that life that flows by the Spirit. The Father makes our “God in Three Persons” perfect in Omnipotence. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, makes our God complete in knowledge and Omniscience. The Holy Spirit makes our God Omnipresent so that there is not any place where they are not present. The perfection of the Godhead gives the devil an endless headache. Satan is so determined to be God that he is soon to produce an unholy trinity (Revelation 12:1-17, Revelation 13:1-18). It will be his last hoorah, because he is only a created being that rebelled and lied to himself. His time is almost over and his last action will soon be finished. What a Creator we are invited to worship and experience! Unless we surrender and receive the greater life of the Spiritual realm, our physical life is extremely short and quickly passing. The name of the unwilling and resisting will be soon forgotten. “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot” (Proverbs 10:7). The Creator has a plan for you, but He made His plan your choice. If you resist that plan, the end is eternal judgment and the Lake of Fire. He does not send you there, you send yourself. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). This great Heavenly Father sent His Son to redeem you from Adam’s fall into sin. You are invited to bow before Him and give up the life you think you own, but that life has only been loaned to you. Your life has wonderful potential because He put His life in you; but that life is in your spirit hid behind the cloak of self. Only when self is relinquished can His life appear. It’s serious business and His Spirit is calling you to the love of God in Christ. His Blood was offered to cleanse you from the guilt of sin and self and to restore you to the rightful King that made you for Himself. Simply, surrender to Him and He will reveal Himself. The Holy Bible is where you will find all that He is waiting to give you, which is His gift of eternal life. Remember, your surrender must be complete before He can take control. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 75: OUR EARTHEN VESSEL & GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT ======================================================================== Our Earthen Vessel & God’s Holy Spirit “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). We are just an old clay pot and; yet, we are daily involved with eternal truths and divine matters. It hardly seems fair for such lowliness to be so responsible for such blessedness. The Adam man is born in sin and shaped by darkness; yet, the call of God never leaves him alone. A person in their sins cannot find rest because of that something inside that bids their attention. A spark of God’s breath inside the human spirit is searching for its divine maker. It does not matter how many years a person has served the Lord. They must never forget the truth of our “earthen vessel.” Apostle Paul - years into his ministry - reminds the Corinthians, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). All we shall ever know or possess this side of the Resurrection must be viewed as the works of grace and held in humble submission. Haughtiness or self-importance will land you on the heap of destruction. You are a vessel in which He seeks to reveal Himself. It’s amazing how much our eternal God cares about this old pot of clay. It was His creation and it was perfect in the day of its beginning. A devious design by an enemy of God was able to deceive this matchless creation. The result was a cowardly couple hiding in the undergrowth. Four thousand years and many pains later, a Son was born to reclaim the earthen vessel where so much damage had been experienced. Jesus did not come just to redeem the soul; He also came to redeem the body. To the church in the Book of Romans, the Spirit said, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). Again, we read, “Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body” (1 Corinthians 6:13 b). Notice that the Spirit declared these matchless words, “The Lord for the body.” In this same great chapter the Spirit continues to speak, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Such truth is overwhelming to my heart. Our “earthen vessel” is the dwelling place of the very Spirit of Christ and His Father. We are the Temple of God. Great sermons and great Bible lessons have very little power until the mouth-piece is touched by this Spirit. Our Lord and Savior Himself declare the helplessness of flesh. “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). The Son of God emphatically told the early church to wait for this anointing that would give power to their message. “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). This is the great challenge to our present church world. We are the “Temple of The Holy Ghost” and our God is desirous of revealing Himself in us. We can actually live with a conscious presence of the Holy Spirit revealing Christ to ourselves and others. The very word “Temple” in the Scripture means “a place of God’s revelation.” The Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple in Jerusalem were glorious places of God’s presence. The New Testament covenant exceeds that glory as the literal exceeds the shadow. “But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of rig hteousness exceed in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:7-9). Humanistic self-esteem has robbed our generation of the great consecration of our helpless flesh to the mighty Christ. The flesh -- when Biblically understood -- is far superior to flesh that is controlled by the Adam nature. Jesus Christ came to liberate the unconverted and lift them into the family of the redeemed. We are a temple created for God even when sin is still our master. That is the cause of great stress that floods the unredeemed world. “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20). Only in my old age, have I come to know the exceeding joy of abiding in Christ day and night. My body is not mine to possess in the pleasures’ of this flesh life. Sure, there are wonderful joys of family, great meals together with friends, and the pleasure of a good book. All of this is multiplied when Jesus Christ rules our life in absolute peace and the joy of the Holy Ghost. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). A Spirit-filled temple is a joy in the church, in the home, and everywhere that temple ventures in their daily duties. Love lives on such a face, the hands are ready servants to all, the lips carry words that encourage and give hope to listeners. The community, where this temple is active, takes note of such beautiful activities and expressions. Soon, this man or woman is known as a prayer warrior that gets results. When this saint transfers to the eternal abode, they are remembered as a light that shone in the night. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 76: OUR GOD IS ADDICTED TO OUR LOVE ======================================================================== Our God is Addicted to Our Love It is amazing how much our Heavenly Father reaches for the love of His choice creation. The human family was made in His likeness and the capacity of incredible love was a primary trait. The two most powerful words to describe God and man are “holy” and “love.” His holiness is a “loving holiness” and His love is a “holy love.” We were designed to be characterized by both great abilities combined with God at the center. If we remove God, our love will become hellish. Look at the homosexual and lesbian world. Try to understand the darkness of a Muslim suicide bomber. Watch a dad or mom leave their loving companion and beautiful children for a fling in a forbidden bed. The dark things done in the name of love are legendary and ugly. Love out of control is nothing but love without purity. It’s love that marks the victim with the marks of death. Bringing a soul back from this brink is often impossible. This same capacity that is baptized with Jesus Christ will create beautiful saints that bless both God and man. The Son of God taught us about His great love for His Father. Every Christian should read the Book of John with a view of nothing but Christ’s love for the Father. He declared that while He was in the world He was still in the Father’s bosom. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). No man ever spoke greater words than these words. While He was on this earth, He lived every day in the divine sphere of eternity. No wonder He cried as the cross took its toll of death and separation, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). His death is now our grace to be free from unclean love so we can love like Jesus Christ loved. It must begin by loving the Father like He loved the Father. He never charges us with anything that He does not provide. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). His first commandment to us is to love both His Father and, then, our neighbors. When we fall head over heels in love with the “Sovereign God (the Father), His Son, and the Holy Ghost,” a transformation occurs deep inside the human spirit. At that moment we have actually returned to the very original reason for which He created us. Loving God is as intrinsic to the spirit of man as God loving man is to the heart of God. Holy love is what we were made to feel and express. It will immediately move beyond our love for God and show up in our love for our loved ones. This is the heart of a great saint and a great church. Then, a supernatural thing occurs. The unexplainable divine God falls in love with you afresh. The Bible says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 a). Enoch was such a man and God became addicted to Enoch’s love, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). The Father took him back to His house for eternity. Job spoke similar words in the midst of his great despair, “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18). Be careful to discern the depth of these words. Notice the statements that God “shouldest set thine heart upon him” and “that thou shouldest visit him every morning.” This is what the Father did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We must learn that prayer and worship are bound together. When we come to love Him with a passion of loving Him, He will acknowledge the altar where this occurs and He will begin to meet us there. Jesus said this in His great pastoral prayer and then He described it even deeper, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). There are so few saints that have become great lovers of God. We are not speaking of giddy love that is all show with little substance. This love has moved beyond fleeting emotions and empty speech. This is love on a sphere that has clouds for its lining and the mountains on which to skip. Worldly things have lost their hold on the level of love that can say with the Apostle Paul, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Php 3:10). As I write, He invites us to fall in love with Him so that we allow Him to fall in love with us. He loves everyone with a saving love; but, He can only love the sanctified and set apart with intimate love. Our God is Addicted to Our Love It is amazing how much our Heavenly Father reaches for the love of His choice creation. The human family was made in His likeness and the capacity of incredible love was a primary trait. The two most powerful words to describe God and man are “holy” and “love.” His holiness is a “loving holiness” and His love is a “holy love.” We were designed to be characterized by both great abilities combined with God at the center. If we remove God, our love will become hellish. Look at the homosexual and lesbian world. Try to understand the darkness of a Muslim suicide bomber. Watch a dad or mom leave their loving companion and beautiful children for a fling in a forbidden bed. The dark things done in the name of love are legendary and ugly. Love out of control is nothing but love without purity. It’s love that marks the victim with the marks of death. Bringing a soul back from this brink is often impossible. This same capacity that is baptized with Jesus Christ will create beautiful saints that bless both God and man. The Son of God taught us about His great love for His Father. Every Christian should read the Book of John with a view of nothing but Christ’s love for the Father. He declared that while He was in the world He was still in the Father’s bosom. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). No man ever spoke greater words than these words. While He was on this earth, He lived every day in the divine sphere of eternity. No wonder He cried as the cross took its toll of death and separation, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). His death is now our grace to be free from unclean love so we can love like Jesus Christ loved. It must begin by loving the Father like He loved the Father. He never charges us with anything that He does not provide. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). His first commandment to us is to love both His Father and, then, our neighbors. When we fall head over heels in love with the “Sovereign God (the Father), His Son, and the Holy Ghost,” a transformation occurs deep inside the human spirit. At that moment we have actually returned to the very original reason for which He created us. Loving God is as intrinsic to the spirit of man as God loving man is to the heart of God. Holy love is what we were made to feel and express. It will immediately move beyond our love for God and show up in our love for our loved ones. This is the heart of a great saint and a great church. Then, a supernatural thing occurs. The unexplainable divine God falls in love with you afresh. The Bible says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 a). Enoch was such a man and God became addicted to Enoch’s love, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). The Father took him back to His house for eternity. Job spoke similar words in the midst of his great despair, “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18). Be careful to discern the depth of these words. Notice the statements that God “shouldest set thine heart upon him” and “that thou shouldest visit him every morning.” This is what the Father did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We must learn that prayer and worship are bound together. When we come to love Him with a passion of loving Him, He will acknowledge the altar where this occurs and He will begin to meet us there. Jesus said this in His great pastoral prayer and then He described it even deeper, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). There are so few saints that have become great lovers of God. We are not speaking of giddy love that is all show with little substance. This love has moved beyond fleeting emotions and empty speech. This is love on a sphere that has clouds for its lining and the mountains on which to skip. Worldly things have lost their hold on the level of love that can say with the Apostle Paul, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Php 3:10). As I write, He invites us to fall in love with Him so that we allow Him to fall in love with us. He loves everyone with a saving love; but, He can only love the sanctified and set apart with intimate love. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 77: OUT OF THE IVORY PALACES ======================================================================== "Out of the Ivory Palaces" The Psalmist David came as close to describing the majesty of Christ as any Bible author. With the language of a poet He said, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad” (Psalms 45:8). Using the language crafted by different eras of human history, the Bible is filled with the “Altogether Lovely One.” Solomon learned from his father, David, and added the following titles: “Rose of Sharon” and “Lily of the Valley.” Isaiah was the first to speak of Him as the “Bridegroom,” while John called Him the “Bright and Morning Star.”& nbsp; All of the language used to describe Him fails miserably in describing the God-Man out of the Father’s celestial city. His city stretches North of this universe and Jesus Christ is the Crown Prince. Language is so cheap in our fading world that the excellent pictures painted by God’s saintly giants no longer move us. We read of Him with less interest than we adore a pretty picture or a gleaming sunset. His idol status does not compare to the movie set or the most stately world leaders. The Roman pope has many times more worldly acclaim than the “Man of Galilee.” We know of Him, but very few of us truly know Him. Religion has replaced spiritual reality. The Father is searching the world of the human family for someone unsatisfied with this emptiness. I, for one, have repented profoundly of the loss of my first love. Our generation is divided between those that reject experience altogether and those that embrace experience without surrender to His cross. He will not reveal Himself where He is not welcome. Neither will He anoint the flesh and carnality with His Holy Anointing. Total surrender to His holiness and absolute obedience to His will is the bottom line of His revelation of Himself in us. The example He gave us of the vine and the branches is simple but profound. Our relationship to Him can only exist as a branch totally dependent of the vine. To be unattached is to be lost. To be attached is to draw all living substance from Him alone. It is a breathtaking experience to be fully connected and to then abide without resistance to the virtue of Himself. Jesus Christ said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:1-2). The elimination of a disease in a branch must be treated through the vine. The vine promotes healing and health to every cell in the branches. It is when we are clinging and abiding in Jesus Christ, our Vine, that divine healing begins to flow among the saints. The absence of healing today is a testimony to our lack of divine life flowing from the Vine. The Spirit just witnessed this truth to my heart and it drove me to my face before the Lord. This great truth from the Lord shows that purging is a wonderful thing. We must learn to delight in His cleansing of our mortal flesh from all defilement. It simply opens up the branch for glory to flow from Him to every cell. We are clean through the Word. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:3-4). This can occur only in an abiding branch. He is altogether lovely and divine with supernatural life flowing from Him, the Vine, unto us, the branches. To deny this experience in this togetherness is to reject the abiding connection. We must know Him and His voice or we are religious without relationship. Look at that vine in your garden and then look at the beautiful branches that seem to reach in all directions. What an example of His invitation to us! Consider Him in the many portraits of Holy Scripture. If you would give any human being on this earth a fraction of His descriptive titles, they would be in the International Hall of Fame at the head of the entrance. The Son of God outshines every idea of beauty in our universe. He is the beloved Son of the Sovereign God. He is the jewel of every angelic being and He is the brightness of the universe. The Bible uses the gems of both Heaven and Earth to describe Him. The fragrance of the exotic odors of all treasures only vaguely compares to His rare beauty. He is not only the fullness of all earthly glory and honor; He is the eternal High Priest of all redemption. At the appointed time, the sun will fade, go out, and then “ . . . unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings . . . ” (Malachi 4:2). He invites us to be His branches and to share all the fatness and life of the Vine. His beauty will flow from us and His life will change those around us. Start abiding in Him today. You will never be sorry that you did. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 78: POWERS IN A SILVER TONGUE ======================================================================== Powers In a Silver Tongue There are incredible powers in the human tongue. We can walk in a gutter and spew the language of filth and sorrow; or we can walk on the Milky White Way and talk the language of angels. Of all our physical abilities and God-given creativities, the power of the tongue is the grandest. The language of the human tongue is one of our likenesses to God Himself. He can speak and things that do not exist are immediately created. There is Divine creation in the language of our God, and there is great human power in the language of His created sons and daughters. We best learn this great truth because it will usher us into His world of grace and beauty or lead us into despair and ruin. Solomon warned us about our tongue. He stated, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21). He enlarged on the positive side by promising, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). He added, “The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom” (Proverbs 10:20-21). There is power to kill or power to give life in this great gift of our Creator. James, our Lord’s half-brother, became the writer of the New Testament proverb, “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (James 3:5-6, James 3:8, James 3:10). There is no doubt that the human tongue is truly a gift of God or a trap for wreckage. With the majority of our world and even the church, it is a door to hell. It is also a door into a spiritual world right here on earth. The wicked person has been promised, “If we confess our sins (regardless of how evil or perverted), he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Apostle Paul said, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). Every sinner has but to confess their sins and confess the Lord Jesus Himself and they will be a new creation in righteousness. Both our own heart and the Lord of grace and mercy respond to the power of a true confession. Righteousness is the most joyous characteristic in a person’s life. You can seek happiness with unlimited riches, but lasting joy will never materialize. You can visit the most exquisite sites on earth; but, if your heart is wicked, it will all be in vain. But, change courses and use your thought life to consider the God of the Holy Book until your lips begin to echo what that Book has promised. You will be at the door of a life so superior to this carnal world that there is no comparison. When you start talking God-talk, you will chase gloom and doubt completely out of your mind. Many good people within the church world have never learned the power of a pure confession. They talk about their pains and heartbreaks until they are miserable to themselves and everyone else. The faith of the Bible is so supernatural that when a pure soul begins to constantly claim and confess its promises, powerful changes occur. You cannot confess God’s promises with absolute determination and faith without results. It may start slow, but, if you persist you will chase the doubts away. In the past the church world was a place of great celebration. Methodist churches were some of the most excited congregations of the Great Awakening. Reading the life of the Methodist, Peter Cartwright, is like reading the New Testament. The Presbyterian evangelist, Charles Finney, stated in his biography that when he was filled with the Spirit, “He literally bellowed out the unutterable gushes of his heart.” The sounds of praise and the exclamation of faith and exceeding joy drew the sinners to watch the saints rejoicing. Most often, the sinners were smitten with conviction and filled the altar with tears and repentance. The tongues of the redeemed were like angels singing their glad refrains. On the Day of Pentecost the sanctified tongues of the one hundred and twenty saints became the sounds of the Spirit’s arrival. The unruly instruments of human flesh were God’s initial manifestation that the human tongue can be tamed for His glory. Every language present in Jerusalem found one of the one hundred and twenty speaking God’s glory to them. Bodily healing is almost nonexistent in today’s churches because we have not learned to confess the promises. We wait to be accosted by healing powers, when healing powers are waiting to be confessed and possessed. In fact, confession of Biblical promises is the first step to possessing all of God’s Biblical promises. No confession that is not thoroughly rooted in the Holy Bible is valuable to the saints. Biblical Confession is not a greedy desire for things but a passionate hunger for God and His Word. Fill your mind with the Bible and then fill your mouth and tongue with simple rest and confession of every truth. Talk of them in your home, your vehicle, and during your every waking moment. If you awake at night, drive your insomnia away with your Biblical confession. There is power in your sanctified tongue, so walk with angels the rest of your life. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 79: RICK WARREN, CHRISLAM AND THE YALE UNIVERSITY COVENANT ======================================================================== RICK WARREN, CHRISLAM AND THE YALE UNIVERSITY COVENANT I NOW HAVE THE OFFICIAL YALE UNIVERSITY COVENANT SIGNED BY RICK WARREN. This is proof positive that he is a signed partner in promoting the Covenant between Islam and our Jehovah God as one God now named “Chrislam”. I’m simply printing for you the entire covenant and also coping his and other name from this document. Below is the exact list directly from the web page itself. Please note the underlined names mentioned here, and on the radio program: Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, Brian D. McLaren an David Yonggi Cho. Check the list for other names you might be familiar with. There are hubdreds of ministers thet may inlude your Pastor or leaders in your denominations. Check the large list of names on this offocial list from Yale. http://www. yale. edu/faith/acw/acw. htm While thousands of Arabs and former Islamic believers are coming to Christ and experiencing forgiveness and the “New Birth” by the Cross, American Apostate ministers are turning to Chrislam. Say what you please, but the Bible has made it plain, “seeing they crucify to themselves the Son Of God afresh and put Him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:6 b) This crowd, unless they repent with great sorrow will spend eternity in a “devil’s hell”. Rev. Colin Chapman, Former Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Near East School of Theology, Beirut, Lebanon, and author of Whose Promised Land? Ellen T. Charry, Assoc. Professor of Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary David Yonggi Cho, Founder and Senior Pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea Hyung Kyun Chung, Associate Professor of Ecumenical Studies, Union Theological Seminary in New York Rev. Richard Cizik, Vice President of Governmental Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals Elsie McKee, Archibald Alexander Professor of Reformation Studies and the History of Worship, Princeton Theological Seminary Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University, Chicago, IL Brian D. McLaren, Author, Speaker, Activist C. Edward McVaney, Retired Chairman, CEO and President, J. D. Edwards and Company Kathleen E. McVey, J. Ross Stevenson Professor of Early and Eastern Church History, Princeton Theological Seminary Warren C. Sawyer, President and CEO, The Caleb Foundation, Swampscott, MA Rev. Dr. Christian Scharen, Director, Faith as a Way of Life Program, Yale Center for Faith & Culture Rev. Dr. Robert Schuller, Founder, Crystal Cathedral and Hour of Power Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Studies, Harvard Divinity School Charlotte R. Ward, Associate Professor of Physics, Emerita, Auburn University and Life Deacon, Auburn First Baptist Church Charles H. Warnock III, Senior Pastor, Chatham Baptist Church, Chatham, VA Rick Warren, Founder and Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church, and The Purpose Driven Life, Lake Forest, CA Very Rev. Debra Warwick-Sabino, Rector, Grace Episcopal Church, Fairfield, CA Mark R. Wenger, Director of Pastoral Studies, Lancaster Eastern Mennonite Seminary P. O., Lancaster, PA YALE CENTER FOR FAITH AND CULTURE IN THE NAME OF THE INFINITELY GOOD GOD WHOM WE SHOULD LOVE WITH ALL OUR BEING. This Title and document is word for word from the following Website: http://www. yale. edu/faith/acw/acw. htm Preamble As members of the worldwide Christian community, we were deeply encouraged and challenged by the recent historic open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world. A Common Word Between Us and You identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam which lies at the heart of our respective faiths as well as at the heart of the most ancient Abrahamic faith, Judaism. Jesus Christ’s call to love God and neighbor was rooted in the divine revelation to the people of Israel embodied in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). We receive the open letter as a Muslim hand of conviviality and cooperation extended to Christians worldwide. In this response we extend our own Christian hand in return, so that together with all other human beings we may live in peace and justice as we seek to love God and our neighbors. Muslims and Christians have not always shaken hands in friendship; their relations have sometimes been tense, even characterized by outright hostility. Since Jesus Christ says, “First take the log out your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye” (Matthew 7:5), we want to begin by acknowledging that in the past (e. g. in the Crusades) and in the present (e. g. in excesses of the “war on terror”) many Christians have been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbors. Before we “shake your hand” in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world. Religious Peace—World Peace “Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world.” We share the sentiment of the Muslim signatories expressed in these opening lines of their open letter. Peaceful relations between Muslims and Christians stand as one of the central challenges of this century, and perhaps of the whole present epoch. Though tensions, conflicts, and even wars in which Christians and Muslims stand against each other are not primarily religious in character, they possess an undeniable religious dimension. If we can achieve religious peace between these two religious communities, peace in the world will clearly be easier to attain. It is therefore no exaggeration to say, as you have in A Common Word Between Us and You, that “the future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.” Common Ground What is so extraordinary about A Common Word Between Us and You is not that its signatories recognize the critical character of the present moment in relations between Muslims and Christians. It is rather a deep insight and courage with which they have identified the common ground between the Muslim and Christian religious communities. What is common between us lies not in something marginal nor in something merely important to each. It lies, rather, in something absolutely central to both: love of God and loveof neighbor. Surprisingly for many Christians, your letter considers the dual command of love to be the foundational principle not just of the Christian faith, but of Islam as well. That so much common ground exists – common ground in some of the fundamentals of faith – gives hope that undeniable differences and even the very real external pressures that bear down upon us can not overshadow the common ground upon which we stand together. That this common ground consists in love of God and ofneighbor gives hope that deep cooperation between us can be a hallmark of the relations between our two communities. Love of God We applaud that A Common Word Between Us and You stresses so insistently the unique devotion to one God, indeed the love of God, as the primary duty of every believer. God alone rightly commands our ultimate allegiance. When anyone or anything besides God commands our ultimate allegiance – a ruler, a nation, economic progress, or anything else – we end up serving idols and inevitably get mired in deep and deadly conflicts. We find it equally heartening that the God whom we should love above all things is described as being Love. In the Muslim tradition, God, “the Lord of the worlds,” is “The Infinitely Good and All-Merciful.” And the New Testament states clearly that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Since God’s goodness is infinite and not bound by anything, God “makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” according to the words of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospel (Matthew 5:45). For Christians, humanity’s love of God and God’s love of humanity are intimately linked. As we read in the New Testament: “We love because he [God] first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Our love of God springs from and is nourished by God’s love for us. It cannot be otherwise, since the Creator who has power over all things is infinitely good. Love of Neighbor We find deep affinities with our own Christian faith when A Common Word Between Us and You insists that love is the pinnacle of our duties toward our neighbors. “None of you has faith until you love for your neighbor what you love for yourself,” the Prophet Muhammad said. In the New Testament we similarly read, “whoever does not love [the neighbor] does not know God” (1 John 4:8) and “whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). God is love, and our highest calling as human beings is to imitate the One whom we worship. We applaud when you state that “justice and freedom of religion are a crucial part” of the love of neighbor. When justice is lacking, neither love of God nor love of the neighbor can be present. When freedom to worship God according to one’s conscience is curtailed, God is dishonored, the neighbor oppressed, and neither God nor neighbor is loved. Since Muslims seek to love their Christian neighbors, they are not against them, the document encouragingly states. Instead, Muslims are with them. As Christians we resonate deeply with this sentiment. Our faith teaches that we must be with our neighbors – indeed, that we must act in their favor – even when our neighbors turn out to be our enemies. “But I say unto you,” says Jesus Christ, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Matthew 5:44-45). Our love, Jesus Christ says, must imitate the love of the infinitely good Creator; our love must be as unconditional as is God’s—extending to brothers, sisters, neighbors, and even enemies. At the end of his life, Jesus Christ himself prayed for his enemies: “Forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The Prophet Muhammad did similarly when he was violently rejected and stoned by the people of Ta’if. He is known to have said, “The most virtuous behavior is to engage those who sever relations, to give to those who withhold from you, and to forgive those who wrong you.” (It is perhaps significant that after the Prophet Muhammad was driven out of Ta’if, it was the Christian slave ‘Addas who went out to Muhammad, brought him food, kissed him, and embraced him.) The Task Before Us “Let this common ground” – the dual common ground of love of God and of neighbor – “be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue between us,” your courageous letter urges. Indeed, in the generosity with which the letter is written you embody what you call for. We most heartily agree. Abandoning all “hatred and strife,” we must engage in interfaith dialogue as those who seek each other’s good, for the one God unceasingly seeks our good. Indeed, together with you we believe that we need to move beyond “a polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders” and work diligently together to reshape relations between our communities and our nations so that they genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another. Given the deep fissures in the relations between Christians and Muslims today, the task before us is daunting. And the stakes are great. The future of the world depends on our ability as Christians and Muslims to live together in peace. If we fail to make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony you correctly remind us that “our eternal souls” are at stake as well. We are persuaded that our next step should be for our leaders at every level to meet together and begin the earnest work of determining how God would have us fulfill the requirement that we love God and one another. It is with humility and hope that we receive your generous letter, and we commit ourselves to labor together in heart, soul, mind and strength for the objectives you so appropriately propose. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 80: REPENTANT SINNERS DYING LIKE FLIES ======================================================================== Repentant Sinners Dying Like Flies THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS A BREATHTAKING DRAMA. From Chapter One to Chapter Twenty-two, except Chapters Two and Three, are in every case a living theatrical production. John saw the Book come alive before his face. There will probably be at least fifty articles in this series about what John saw. Do not miss one of them for they make the Book of Revelation a “Living Picture” and simple for you to teach others and to awake lost souls. The word “saw” or synonyms of that word are used over sixty times in twenty chapters of the Book Of Revelation. No picture in this revelation is more graphic than the multitude of dying or dead saints, martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ. This vast number are clearly the multitudes that missed the Rapture but repented and became willing sacrifices for Christ. This scene shows up first in Chapters Six almost as soon as the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation begins. When the Lamb of God had opened the fifth seal, the text tells us what John saw. “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:” (Revelation 6:9 b) They were physically dead but yet alive. They had been martyred but were now awaiting their resurrection. Their death had been so gruesome that even in this glorious place and clearly beyond the instrument of their death they were pained to remember how they died. John saw and heard as they cried aloud. “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10) I know of no place in Scripture where death did not hide the suffering that preceded the death. But this is the Great Tribulation of which Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22) John saw them given “white robes” and told to rest and await as the carnage continued on the earth. These were the first to turn to Jesus Christ and die by the “One World Religious System” and the government powers of the “One World Order”. These already put to death or martyred for their new found faith could rejoice that death has spared them from the ongoing calamity on earth. John wrote what he saw happen to them. “And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Revelation 6:11) This drama gives us a picturesque view of the hellish treatment awaiting anyone that misses the Rapture and even thinks to be saved. The cost of discipleship today does not touch the cost of discipleship after the Rapture. The devil will have lost the prize of the “Bride of Christ” he so determined to destroy. The remnant repenting will be seen as the last vestige of our present effort to warn the world. He will shake his fist at us in heaven while he slaughters our sons and daughters left behind. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17) John does not just view their death and the sorrows of such horrible suffering. He sees the triumph also. We move to Chapter Seven and this great multitude that have died are no longer under the altar but caught up to be guest at the wedding supper. They can no longer count on being in the Bride but can be part of the great banquet celebration. They are a multitude from all over the earth. There is no longer a heathen world that has never heard the name of Jesus. Both the lie of Lucifer and the truth of Jesus Christ is known by all the earth’s population. All nations will know and will be a part of these scenes. “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10) There will certainly be an incredible number of those that know enough of the Gospel and truth to quickly repent of their unprepared spiritual condition. I believe the vast population of heathens, false religions, and post-Christian churches will now learn the truth and have the privilege for the price of martyrdom for Christ. Do not miss a later scene that John the Revelator saw that we will call “The Guest At the Wedding Supper.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 81: REVISED & EXPANDED – THE COPPER SCROLL: TEMPLE TREASURES ======================================================================== Revised & Expanded – The Copper Scroll: Temple Treasures In 1952 one of the greatest discoveries of an ancient script, written on copper, was found near Qumran. It took several years to open or unroll the scroll in order for the deciphering of the text to begin. Because it was a very fragile document — nearly two thousand years old – there was great fear that it would be destroyed before it could be translated. The disagreements of the assigned scholars and the intrigue of such a valuable possession led to years of delay. There are still differences of opinions, but a fairly solid consensus is that the treasures noted in this scroll are indeed from the Jewish temple and they do exist. The entire world is watching every event and every idea that relates to Israel. Numerous Bible prophecies concerning this chosen nation are emerging, this Copper Scroll being one of them. The leaders of Gog and Magog as named in the Bible are each in place and bellowing out their plans. Thirty years ago Persia (Iran) was our ally, but Bible prophecy scheduled that historic part of the world for a different course. For Biblical truths to be fulfilled, people of many stripes are used — often or actually in most cases — without one semblance of understanding about their role. Persia/Iran has been completely transfigured until they are ready to be the point nation leading the war to their own holocaust. Gog and Magog may well occur in 2010. Nothing relating to Israel is more exciting than their talk of the coming Messiah. Their speaking about the Jewish Messiah cannot be separated from talk about their temple in Jerusalem. Yet, that temple site is already occupied by an opposing strategic religious center. Well over one billion adherents to that religion would fight to the death to stop a Jewish temple. This issue between the Islamic religion and Israel’s preparation to build their temple is one of the world’s hottest subjects. Only the Sovereign God can possibly solve this problem and He will. The Copper Scroll treasures contain almost enough gold and wealth to rebuild the temple. A Catholic priest, Josef Milik, was assigned as the research scholar responsible for writing the official findings. He said that the gold and silver represented over 200 ton or 400,000 pounds. The entire treasure was estimated to be valued at two to three billion dollars some years ago. That has more than doubled at today’s value. Of course, these estimates are considered too small by some scholars and too large by others. There is some speculation that the final Copper Scroll’s trove of treasures will identify the location of the “Ark of the Covenant.” Hershel Shanks, the editor of the Biblical Archaeological Review, tells about a meeting of scholars and experts in which the majority agreed that the treasure is real and that it all came from the Jerusalem Temple. (The Copper Scroll, Hershel Shanks, p. 51.) It is believed that before the Romans finally took and destroyed the temple in AD 70 that this wealth of gold and treasures was hid from them. Whether or not the “Ark of the Covenant” is part of this trove of temple treasures does not mean the ark has not been preserved. The Copper Scroll treasures were almost assuredly from the Second Temple, but the Ark of the Covenant was not ever discovered after the First Temple. It seems certain that faithful priests had hidden the ark when Nebuchadnezzar was camping beyond Jerusalem’s Walls in preparation to destroy the city. This was 586 BC. From research, it is evident that Nebuchadnezzar sought diligently to save the Temple of Solomon, probably for Daniel’s and Jeremiah’s sake. Nebuchadnezzar’s general was instructed to take Jeremiah from among the captives and protect him. He was allowed to either stay in Israel and return to his own estate or go to Babylon to be cared for by his own people. The Copper Scroll reveals the hidden place of sixty-four different troves or groups of treasures. Here are two of those locations, along with the list of items included: “In the basin that is in the valley of […], in the tomb of its source, a black stone 2 cubits (away); it is the entry:300 talents of gold and 20 indemnity vessels.” (Ibid., Location 49, p. 100.) “In a cavity that is in the bright place north of Kohilt, opening to the north, and (where there are) graves at its entrance a duplicate of this document and an explication and their measurements and a detailed inventory of everything, one by one.” (Ibid., Location 64, pg 101.) In the location of the 62nd treasure, the amount of gold and silver is 600 talents (45,000 pounds). When will this great abundance of treasuries be discovered? Actually, there is no need for this discovery until the Temple Mount is purified and vacant. I am convinced that most, if not all of these temple items, along with the wealth of gold and silver, is hid beneath the exact location of the ancient Temple of Solomon. If the Ark of the Covenant was directly beneath the Second Temple’s Holy of Holies, the priest could have offered the Blood sacrifice behind the veil and above the ark in Christ’s day. This would be the reason that the veil before the Holy of Holies was rent when the Son of God died at Calvary. It seems fitting that the firestorms that will destroy the armies of Gog and Magog and obliterate the Islamic religion will also sweep the Temple Mount and purify it with fire. The promise of God’s defense of Israel includes prophecy stating, “Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 38:19 b). Ezekiel further prophesied, “And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground” (Ezekiel 38:20 b). I add this possibility, “All the treasures of God’s temple shall be revealed.” When the war of Gog and Magog is finished, it will be time for Israel to build their temple. The Book of Revelation gives reference to two different temples, the Heavenly prototype and the Third Temple in Jerusalem. This last great book of the Bible is written primarily to the church, but it would be impossible to eliminate the presence of Israel or the city of Jerusalem. The 144,000 Jews, who are converted to Christ immediately after the Rapture (Revelation 7:1-8), clearly show that God never forgets His Son’s earthly family. The nation of Israel will continue in unbelief until the Seven Years of Tribulation is finished, but many Jewish individuals will come to faith as the countdown moves toward the Millennium. Jerusalem’s rebuilt temple is the focal point in the very middle of the seven years of the Great Tribulation. In His Olivet discourse the Son of God called this temple the “Holy Place.” That settled the fact that God will honor this Third Temple, even though it is rebuilt by Jews that will still be waiting for their Messiah. The temple is part of God’s process in preparing for the total redemption of Israel. The fact that the Antichrist desecrates the temple, as Jesus plainly taught, shows that this will end the Jewish effort to complete the re-establishing of Old Testament worship. Jesus said, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand): Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:15-22). The Book of Luke gives us an additional look at Jerusalem and this brief moment of what is happening at the middle of the seven years. “Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:21-24). Since the Book of Revelation is about the entire universe and God’s complete redemption of all things, Jerusalem’s new temple only receives a simple explanation. John is given the task of measuring this grand place and showing the Antichrist’s purpose to defile this highlight of Jewish rebirth. He stated, “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Revelation 11:1-2). It’s clear that the nation of Israel will still be under the thumb of her enemies among the Gentiles and will not be free until the Great Tribulation is finished. This period is called “The Times of the Gentiles.” Dispensations in the Bible are distinct periods. They never suggest that God is uninterested in the rest of the world, but that His actions are precise. Revelation does not show us the Antichrist and his image in the temple actually desecrating this “Holy Place,” but Jesus Christ prophesied that it would happen. John the Revelator described this event without renaming this location. “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:14-15). The Third Temple must be rebuilt and it will be a grand place. If it were not, the Antichrist would not have any interest in defiling it in his blasphemy against God. As the Seven Years of Redemptive Tribulation comes to its closing moments, the great prototype temple in Heaven comes into view. I do not believe that it is possible to understand the significance of what the redeemed are going to behold. Any one of the three temples – Solomon’s, Herod’s, or this Third Temple – were or will be the grandest structures this world has ever seen. The Temple of Solomon was the greatest but the beautification by Herod of the Second Temple was almost as grand. Hershel Shanks quoted Josephus, “The gold Herod used in the construction of the sanctuary on the Temple Mount equaled 8,000 talents (600,000 pounds or 300 tons.).” (The Copper Scroll, p. 47 from Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (Loeb edition) 14. 105.) That’s 9,600,000,000 ounces at $1,000/ounce or nine billion, six hundred million in today’s gold value of $1,000/ounce. And that is just the gold and not the glory. But, the things that we know on earth that are beyond description — as these earthly temples represent — will pale when that grand worship center of Heaven comes into view. The glory of this temple that could contain the combined sovereignty of the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit must become visible to the saints as the Great Tribulation ends. “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:19). The sacred treasures of the past Jewish temples — Solomon’s and Herod’s — had to be removed from human hands and human imaginations. I believe God ordained that these treasures be hid from piercing eyes until His timing to establish His Son on the Throne of David. Jerusalem is the only city that could contain this divinely planned and blessed “Holy Place.” I’m delighted that Jesus Christ gave this last temple in Jerusalem a sacred title. For mortal flesh to call a city or a man-made temple a “Holy Place” could be questioned, but for the God-Man to call it such is breathtaking. I believe the treasures of the “Copper Scroll” and the original Ark of the Covenant are a part of God’s plan for His city of Jerusalem and His Golden Temple, where His Son will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 82: SEVEN LAMPS OF FIRE BURNING: LEARNING THE SEVEN OFFICES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ======================================================================== SEVEN LAMPS OF FIRE BURNING: Learning The Seven Offices Of The Holy Spirit THERE IS AN INVASION OF SATANIC POWERS AND YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR THEM. Our one hope in this infested environment is the Restrainer whom the Bible identifies as the Holy Spirit. The person of the Holy Spirit is the third dynamic and divine member of our Eternal Godhead. To rightly recognize His offices in the Trinity is to trust God with a fresh vibrancy. Most Christians have heard numerous sermons on the Father and the Son but few on the Holy Spirit. Yet, everything the Father and the Son present in life or redemption is manifest in the church and to the saints by the Spirit. God the Father is on His throne and God the Son is seated at His right hand. The Spirit dwells in the church and in the temple of believers and fills the Universe. THESE WORDS FROM Revelation 4:5 IS A PICTURE OF THE HOLY GHOST FROM HEAVEN’S POINT OF VIEW. Jesus Christ was most enthusiastic about returning to Heaven and promised that the Teacher and Comforter would be sent in His place. The Holy Spirit never exalts Himself but exalts the Father and the Son as Jesus promised. He must be honored by the Saints and given the mastery of our lives. Our total dependency on the Holy Ghost has one purpose and that is to allow Him to fulfill His offices assigned by the Father and the Son. We are warned not to quench Him, despise Him, grieve Him, or blaspheme Him. The ultimate sin is to blaspheme the Spirit and to do so is to be lost forever. How can the saints be careful not to quench or grieve Him unless they understand His many wonderful expressions in our midst? A visitation of the Holy Ghost in today’s church gets scant attention from most in attendance. I remember when everyone honored a very whisper of His presence. The Antichrist has succeeded in providing a false anointing so cheap and giddy that it is laughable. This has resulted in a loss of the sense of the sacred. We need a shattering visitation that breaks the strongholds of religion without the fear of God. The Holy Spirit and His every inspiration must be held in the highest regard. The shattering phrase, “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne,” is the Holy Bible’s most breathtaking description of the Holy Ghost. The complete sentence reads with a clear picture of the many offices of God’s Spirit. “And out of the throne proceeded lightning and thundering and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 4:5). The Holy Spirit is eternal, unlimited in power, and Holy in exactly the same degree as the Father and the Son. The most wonderful office of the Spirit is His omnipresence. He adds omnipresence to the Godhead just as Jesus adds grace and forgiveness. The Father is the eternal mind, the Son of God is the eternal word, and the Holy Spirit is the eternal manifestation. There is not anything that can escape God’s thoughts, not anything can escape the Son of God’s redemption, and not anything can escape the Spirit’s presence. There are six other offices manifested by the Father and the Son’s Spirit. The first is His office of omnipresence and the following six are now listed in what I perceive as their order. The Spirit of Restraint is that great limitation on evil, which keeps Satan, and all darkness on a leash. He is both the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Revelation. He is the Spirit of Conviction of all sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. He is the Spirit of Grace that converts and frees man of sin and evil control. He is the Spirit of Preservation that seals the soul that He has converted to righteousness and sustains them until the glorious hour of perfection. To search those offices of the Holy Spirit and to recognize the divine intent of each is to walk in the meadows of majesty. The early church was deeply rooted in the meat of the Word. Because of such depth, they turned their world upside down. The awakening that followed on the heels of Pentecost has never been matched. The Holy Ghost created a church world that touched millions without one modern means of communication. They were possessed of the Spirit and needed nothing else. The office of Christ’s Spirit, which came to be called the Holy Ghost, was the vicar of Jesus Christ in His every expression. When Jesus Christ is glorified as the Spirit glorified Him in the early church, nothing can stop the saints, not even the gates of hell. 1. THE SPIRIT OF OMNIPRESENCE! We must understand the incredible office of the Holy Spirit which we call the “Spirit of Omnipresence.” The trinity of God cannot be divided; neither can they be greater than one. These three distinct persons each add incredible dimension to the whole. The one office they hold in common is the perfect Holiness of their character. The Holiness of God must never be considered as acquired but intrinsic. Our God is also eternal, but that is not an office but a fact. The Godhead is also unlimited in power; that is also not an office but is their shared nature. The Holy Spirit is the all-encompassing part of the Godhead and brings all that God is into the whole of the entire universe. There is not a place where God is not present, and the Spirit makes that so. It matters not how a devoted Christian feels on a given day, God is just as near on the bad days as on the best of days. Life in the plants that line the path we walk would fade in a flash if God were not. All life from the lowest to the highest is upheld by the life principles that fill all space by God’s Divine Spirit. God’s Old Testament songwriter explained this the best of all. “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psalms 139:7-12). Our natural world must deal in shadows, but such possibilities do not exist with God. Even our thoughts are known of Him and He tries our reins in all of our ways. The loss of this understanding of His Spirit creates carelessness that robs man of the fear of God. Even Hell and the Lake of Fire are eternal because the eternal Spirit of Omnipresence is present. Unless the Spirit inhabits this dark place of judgment, it would burn itself up and cease to be. The universe must never be without the witness of the cost of sin and rebellion. The eternal Lake of Fire will give inspiration to the things of the cross and to the redemption offered to every soul. The Omnipresence of the Divine Spirit can know no boundaries in the total expanse of the Father’s Universe. While the “Seven Lamps of Fire” are seen before the throne in Revelation four and seven, He is also seen in Chapter 5 verse six. The last action representing the Spirit is in Chapter 14. After that, the Holy Spirit is seen as going forth from God’s throne and New Jerusalem manifesting the Life and Light to the New Heaven and New Earth. He will be the Omnipresence of the Eternal Father and His Eternal Son. We see His reflection in the following words, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23). “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). The Glory of the Father and the Son will forever be made manifest by the reflection of the Spirit. 2. THE SPIRIT OF RESTRAINTS! The Spirit of Restraints is an incredible office held and manifest by the Holy Spirit. This Divine person is indeed the proper person to restrain evil. Being Omnipresent, there is no possibility of the devil or one of his fallen angels acting in secret. We see this marvelous truth as the Father spoke by the Word in Genesis. “…The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:2-3). The Divine Spirit had moved upon the chaotic emptiness to manifest light. He has always been the restrainer of darkness and evil. Isaiah spoke of Him, “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). This is an awesome truth. God’s entire universe would descend into an irreversible catastrophe if not for this Divine restrainer. Satan has turned many nations and lives into a wilderness. Often, when hope was quickly vanishing, the Spirit of God has moved. Every revival I have studied occurred on the edge of total despair. Even today the world appears to be heading for collapse. It will not happen because the Spirit of Restraints will act supernaturally on schedule. I am truly expecting a sovereign revival among the remnant of faithful believers. Chaos can never pass the limits that our Creator has designed. The Holy Spirit will act and evil will be put to flight. Jesus stated, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). 3. THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH! God’s Eternal truths cannot fail because the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Truth. Every truth of the Bible is both intellectual and spiritual. So-called scholars that think themselves capable of reinventing the Bible are playing with fire. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Word of God is so powerful that no power can stop one word from being fulfilled. Apostle Peter gave the Word of God one of its most potent defenses. He stated by the Spirit Himself, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Understanding that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth adds a powerful dimension to both truth and to the Spirit Himself. Truth declares that this Bible is the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17). There is no other tool in the ministry of the Spirit but truth. He does not use other ideas, imaginations, or schemes. The Word of God is His single instrument and that is all He needs. The Spirit watches over the Word to perform it. The Son of God declares, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). It’s one thing to know that the Bible is an infallible book, but it is even greater to know that the Spirit of Christ keeps watch over every word that it cannot fail. If our faith can grasp this fact, we will become Saints in the spiritual realm. 4. THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION! The depth of Scripture is impossible for our minds to comprehend. Hidden in this Holy Word are treasures of wisdom. The Spirit that gives truth must be also the Spirit of Revelation of the truth of those hidden treasures. We shall never discover them without His inspiration. Jesus Christ alluded to this as He taught His disciples and all of us about His Kingdom. He said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matthew 13:44). Then, He spoke of the scribes that copied the Word, “Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old” (Matthew 13:52). There is no possibility of one man exploring all of the treasures in the Holy Bible, but each saint can certainly claim their share. The Holy Ghost’s transcribed revelations are like dynamite held in your hands. It is ready to explode in your life if you will delight in its abundance. The Book of St. John has been labeled as the book that reveals Christ’s divinity and it is indeed. But, it is much more. It is the most Pentecostal gospel of the four gospels. John writes much about the importance of the Spirit’s coming after Jesus is glorified. These quotes are from Christ Himself. The highlights of His words concerning the Holy Spirit are beautiful. He said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:12-15). 5. THE SPIRIT OF CONVICTION! The spirit in man is the only door by which God can enter into the human life. This spirit of man is kin to God, was imparted by God, and is ordained as a place of Divine activity by the Spirit of Conviction. The Holy Spirit will seize the first opening that the spirit of man allows. The Holy Ghost is never slack to convict of sin. This is His office work. No man can come to God; neither can God go to man except at this level. A multitude will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire because they closed their spirit’s door to the Holy Spirit. This is one of the key teachings of Christ in St. John’s gospel. Jesus made it plain that it was expedient that He return to His Father and send back the convictor of sin. It’s beautiful to see how aware of the Spirit of Conviction Jesus was. He knew this was the Spirit’s role. He is grace manifested, but the Spirit takes that grace into the human spirit and marks the desperate need on man’s conscience. The emphasis that our Lord placed on this subject gives great credit to this office that He and His Father have given to the Holy Ghost. His words to the disciples are powerful. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged” (John 16:7-11). There is no “born again” life without conviction of sin in that life. 6. THE SPIRIT OF CONVERSION! The Spirit that convicts man of His lost condition is fully ready to transform and convert the same life to Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus, “ye must be born again.” When Nicodemus did not understand, Jesus explained it to Him. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Without question, the Lord Himself identified this office of conversion as the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord adds, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:16). The greatest need in Christ’s church is a new emphasis on the miracle of “being born again.” Our church world is full of unconverted men and women that are convinced that a little religious persuasion is sufficient. The whole spirit, soul, and body becomes a new creature when the power of the Holy Ghost can be turned loose to do His work of regeneration. Anything less is not Bible Christianity. Apostle Paul described what happens in the powerful work of God’s Holy Spirit and the redemptive experience. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:1-6). The Holy Spirit does a supernatural work in the New Birth. 7. THE SPIRIT OF PRESERVATION! The final expression of the “Seven Lamps of Fire” or the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s offices is this marvelous preservation of the Saints. I’m so close to being a “once saved, always saved” believer that it scares my friends. Someone of the Calvinistic persuasion asked me recently, “Can a man lose his salvation?” My answer was, “absolutely not.” Of course, after a pause I said, “But he can leave it.” Even to “leave it” is not easy. This whole argument is the most fruitless argument of the church world. When a soul is truly “born again,” they are sealed by the Holy Ghost and identified for the world and the devil to see as God’s property. It is impossible for them to backslide unless that seal is broken. The only power that can break that seal is a willful return to sin and a willful rejection of the pleading, persevering power of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul gave us a picture of this pathway to backsliding. Here is his powerful expression, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6). The preserving ministry of the Spirit is one of the Bible’s most breathtaking pictures. Peter said “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). Later in 2Peter, this apostle said some powerful words concerning the soul that willfully turns back to sin. “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour 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 unto them. But it is happened unto 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). It takes a stubborn soul to reject this marvelous salvation once they have experienced the heart of an utterly transformed life. The Holy Spirit is our best friend and He abides in our very temple to preserve us for righteousness. We must not “quench Him,” “grieve Him,” or “resist Him.” Romans say, ”Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9 b). CONCLUSION! The Seven Lamps of the Fire before the throne of God show us clearly the great breath of the Person of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ alone is the Lord of the church and of every saint of God; but, His Spirit is present to be our Pope or Vicar for Christ. Every saint and every local church must develop a Biblical sensitivity to this Divine Person abiding in our midst. Our spirits can be so tuned to Him that we hear His whisper and yield immediately to His presence. THE SEVEN LAMPS OF FIRE ARE PRESENTLY BURNING IN HIS CHURCH BUT IN REVELATION FOUR THEY WILL BE BURNING BEFORE THE THRONE. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 83: SODOMY: THE NATURE OF ANTICHRIST ======================================================================== SODOMY: The Nature of Antichrist The unclean life of homosexuality and lesbianism has never been as vile or as threatening as it is at this present time. The Bible speaks with clear warnings about this effeminate spirit that will possess the last generation before the Rapture and the judgment of this earth. The accepted lifestyle during the seven years of the Great Tribulation will be homosexuality, lesbianism, sadomasochism, transvestitism, and many other actions that are even viler. Also, the Bible is extremely clear that the nature of the Antichrist and his false prophet (false anointing) will be a sodomy spirit. It would be wrong to prophesy this if it was not evident in the Holy Scripture. The prophet Daniel was the first to note this characteristic in the future Beast, whom we call the Antichrist. Daniel stated it like this. “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things” (Daniel 11:36-38). This is a powerful picture of the Antichrist that shows his complete disregard for the normal desire of the opposite sex. Daniel used language that speaks with a clear understanding, “nor the desire of women.” The Antichrist and his false prophet will be sodomites of the worst order. I am never satisfied in Bible study until a truth is confirmed in more than one Scripture. This morning after sitting in a County Commissioner’s meeting last evening, where numbers of effeminate individuals spoke, the Holy Spirit gave me that confirmation. John was shown by an angel these facts describing the spirit of the second beast in Revelation chapter thirteen. Here is the Lord’s picture to John, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). This second beast is of the same nature as the first beast (Antichrist) and exercises the same blasphemies and destructive powers. He was seen by John and described as having, “Two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” That is pictorial language of the highest order. It shows his very strong effeminate and soft nature that is angry, bitter, and loud. A sodomite creature could not be described more adequately. A lamb does not have horns; so, the description is meant to reveal the nature of this beast, not his appearance. Nothing describes our present world or church more perfectly than an effeminate nature that is literally possessing the multitudes. Women are unhappy when their appearance is patterned like a lady. They have given almost total vent to masculine attire. At the same time that our cultures are changing — women’s attire turning masculine — the opposite is occurring with men. Men with earrings and long feminine hair have become the norm. In fact, to think about what I am saying is so out of character with this world that I appear to be stuck in the mud of the past. I admit I am in the past of the Holy Bible. Apostle Paul said by the Holy God, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind” (1 Corinthians 6:9). Presently, my city has several pastors that are openly homosexuals or lesbians. Singing groups will usually have at least one (or more) men with long shaggy hair. Do not suggest that this is not a Biblical issue. The great masterpiece of revelation is the Book of Revelation. The Lord showed John a picture of the invasion of unclean spirits on the earth and these dark spirits had hair like women. “And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions” (Revelation 9:8). If this was not an important picture of the End Times, our God would not have said it. This is much bigger than the long hair on these masculine creatures. It is the spirit behind it. The Bible was exposing the effeminate nature of the end. Bible believers must be careful facing this challenging time. The word teaches us, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb” (Psalms 37:1-2). Again the Spirit said, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalms 37:7-9). You will never face a more vile spirit than is manifest in the nature of sodomy. It is invading our world and it is the manifestation of spirits from Satan. These broken lives have been seduced into this state of living by “unclean spirits.” There are many persons among them caught up in this confusion that are no different than fornicators or adulterers in the heterosexual sense. These souls are reachable and Christ is perfectly ready to redeem and cleanse them from their sins. It is the radical sodomy community that reveals the final picture of what this uncleanness does to human lives. As saints of God, we must be open to reach those that are reachable and kind and patient to stand like a rock against this invasion of indecency. It is the nature of Antichrist and will grow like leprosy until the seven years of the Great Tribulation is finished. Be strong and live under the anointing of the Lord’s Holy Spirit. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 84: SAINTS CROWNING JESUS CHRIST KING OF KINGS ======================================================================== Saints Crowning Jesus Christ King of Kings If there is one mystery in the entire Bible that is greater or more breathtaking than all the rest of truth, it is the eternal person of Jesus Christ. In Genesis chapter one, He is the going forth of all creation in those supernatural words, “And God said …” (Genesis 1:3). Seeing the mystery of those three words spoken nine times in Genesis chapter one clearly proves John’s statement, “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). Every time God speaks, it is in the person of the Eternal Word. The Father opened the door to Christ His Son when He said, “Let Us make man …” (Genesis 1:26). What a big word God used of &ldq uo; US” in Holy Scripture to the overall revelation of the Bible. To seek to remove the Son from the Revelation of God is to have nothing left but another religion. God Himself could not come down and redeem us because of His unapproachable Holiness, but He could send His Son in a hidden form of flesh. Preparation for this sacrifice began in the presence of the first human sin. An animal was slain by the Father to provide a blood offering and to cast a shadow toward the cross where the Son would be offered instead. A crimson cord of hope never faded until Divine blood dropped on Calvary’s hill. In Genesis, He is the Word. In Exodus, He is Water from the Rock. In Leviticus, He is the future priest; while in Numbers, He is the sacrifice for all sin. Throughout the Bible, He never fades from the center of all Scripture. He is the mystery Word hidden in the written Word that shines time and time again throughout the First Testament. Solomon saw Him as the “Rose of Sharon and Lilly of the Valley” (Song of Solomon 2:1). Isaiah actually saw Him as the “Son” (Isaiah 9:6) in one rare instance of the First Covenant. He was like the “Son” light of eternity waiting to shine in the brilliance of His incarnation. “And the Word was made flesh …” (John 1:14). His coming to this earth set the world on its heels. Even as a baby in Bethlehem and Nazareth, kings tried to shake loose from His presence. Many babies died in the search for Him. When He began to preach, it turned the religious crowd of Judea into frenzy. They could not kill Him until His time had come and then the Father planned it for them. All the terror of His presence among them had no kinship to the terror of His departure. His death split the timeframe of all ages. The entire world came to divide time by His short life and timely death. If His life was impacting, His death was overwhelming. He did not just die; He walked through death as only God could do and left behind nothing but a whisper. Not only does He live, but every soul that belongs to Him in the redemption of His death now lives in His resurrection and cannot die. He is calling the chosen to live in His new life of holiness and He is preparing a Bride for His New Jerusalem. We often think of New Jerusalem being prepared for the Bride, but is it not better to think of the Bride being prepared for the city? When the Eternal Son returned to His Father’s presence, the Father exalted Him. We may ask, “What can be an exalted position above Sonship, which He has eternally occupied?” Apostle Paul declared, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php 2:9-11). In Revelation John the Revelator saw the Lord in His post-resurrection glory. There are actually forty-one (41) descriptive words of His glory in thirteen verses of Revelation chapter one. Many beautiful descriptive words of Him are used, but one missing title that He will be given is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” This title is not a title that represents His Father and Son relationship. He is the Father’s Only Begotten Son, High Priest of all redemption, Prince of all the kings of the earth. He sits at the Father’s right hand in all Heaven’s glory. But, this future title is a relationship title with His Bride and His kings and priests of the Millennial reign of one thousand years. This title is a title that we the chosen company that sit down with Him at the Marriage Supper will give Him. At the strategic moment in the midst of the greatest celebration of church history, all of this victorious multitude will come to sharp attention. The Apostle Paul saw this day in the future when the greatest possible honor of human understanding would be attributed to Christ our Lord. The language reveals that this glory is future and relates to the government of the Millennial Kingdom. “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15-16). We are His subjects and it will be our honor to declare for all of Heaven and Earth to enjoy that He is indeed “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” This must be one of the greatest honors of the chosen Bride of Christ. It is beautiful to know that when we are receiving our crowns, He will receive His prized crown as the King of the Millennium. He will be more than King; He will be King of Kings. He will be more than Lord; He will be Lord of Lords. All of our honor will be subject to His honor. As soon as the Marriage Supper is complete and all the honor of that celestial event has been given; it’s time to possess the prize. The anointed Potentate moves from the Banquet Hall and He will mount the Great White Stallion. Calling His army of the rewarded saints, His kings and priests, He will descend to defeat the Armageddon army and take possession of Jerusalem and the Earth. John showed us the drama of His descent, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11, Revelation 19:15-16). The judgments of the seven years of Tribulation will have effected a purification of this world and we will begin a thousand years of holiness and peace. The King of Kings will reign from David’s Throne in Jerusalem and the chosen will be the joy of the whole earth. His kings and priests will rule in righteousness and all honors will be complete in Him. Serving in the Millennium is one of the highest honors offered His saints. It will be given to those chosen of the Father. Jesus said, “… but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” (Matthew 20:23 b). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 85: SATAN IS PRACTICING FOR ARMAGEDDON ======================================================================== Satan Is Practicing for Armageddon The Satanists are Preparing Their Followers A noted author of pyramidology occultic materials wrote the following in his book, The Armageddon Script. “Their script is now written, subject only to last minute editing and stage direction. The stage itself, albeit as yet in darkness, is almost ready. Down in the pit, the subterranean orchestra is already tuning up. The last minute, walk-on parts are even now being filled. Most of the main actors, one suspects, have already taken up their roles. Soon it will be time for them to come on stage, ready for the curtain to rise. The time for action will have come.” (Peter LeMesurier, The Armageddon Script). Biblical terminology literally fills the writings and language of the New Agers and occultic leaders. They talk about the number 666, about saving the world (not souls), and about a harmonious, peace-loving age when everybody lives happily ever after. Read the following statements by these “spirits of devils” going forth to “the whole world to gather them” (world population) to this awesome hour of the final conflict between the true God and the idiot god, Satan. “The blueprint for a peaceful, loving and harmonious world has been drawn. Prayer, meditation, positive affirmations, spiritual families and global healing events such as Live Aid and the World Peace Event all contribute to this blueprint.” (Harmonic Convergence Brochure). “I have come to believe firmly that our future, peace, justice, and fulfillment, happiness and harmony on this planet will not depend on world government but on divine or cosmic government “…my great personal dream is to get a tremendous alliance between all major religions and the U. N.” (Robert Muller, former director of the United Nations and now president of “Peace University”). “Humanity is on the verge of something entirely new, a further evolutionary step unlike any other: the emergence of the first global civilization.” (Thomas Berry, Catholic theologian). “I (see) images of a new heaven and a new earth…THIS WORLD will be saved. The planet will be healed and harmonized. We can let the kingdom come…which means that THIS WORLD can be transformed into a heaven right now…This is no fantasy. This is not scientific or religious fiction. This is the main event of our individual lives.” (John Randolph Price, Organizer of the World Instant of Cooperation). “…Every major religion of the world has similar ideals of love, the same goal of benefiting humanity through spiritual practice…The most important thing is to look at details of theology or metaphysics…I believe that all the major religions of the world can contribute to world peace and work together for the benefit of humanity if we put aside subtle metaphysical differences, which are really the internal business of each religion…The undying faith in religion clearly demonstrates the potency of religion as such. This spiritual energy and power can be purposefully used to bring about the spiritual conditions necessary for world peace.” (Dalai Lama). “All human institutions, professions, programs and activities must be judged primarily according to the extent they either obstruct and ignore or foster a mutually enhancing human-earth relationship. That is how good and evil will be judged in the coming years.” (Donald Keys, President of Planetary Citizens). A noted New Ager, Jose’ Arguelles, presented a 25-year plan to set up the New World Order. His plan began in 1987 at an event called “Harmonic Convergence.” They have promoted two World Prayer Days. Every religious thought or faith was invited to participate. Their basic philosophy is an idea called “Global Consciousness” in which they teach we all must help make changes. God, to the New Ager like Arguelles, is not personal but the global community of consciousness. If we can change our thought patterns to peace, harmony, and goodwill to everybody (except those religious maniacs called Jesus followers) we can evolve to the next round on the evolutionary scale, so they teach. It’s called a “paradigm shift in consciousness.” It is nothing but Satanic delusion. The word “paradigm” is the biggest new word in the language of the liberals. Beware of anyone who uses it. Please note that his plan ends in 2012. Spiritual Warfare has never been so imperative. While Satan is preparing his agents on a worldwide scale in a visible and religious political manner, there is a subtle, but deadly warfare going on in the spirit world. It has always been a spiritual battle to obey the Holy Scripture and serve Jesus Christ as Lord. Scriptures are extremely clear that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). If this has been true in the past, how much greater is this warfare presently. Jesus clearly stated that, “As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:36). There were demons (sons of God) who appeared in visible form during Noah’s day, who even cohabited with women producing giants and clearly terrorizing the last inhabitants before the terrible judgment of the flood. I believe we are in for a flood of filth and wickedness that will be overwhelming to any man or woman that is not covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost. Fear and torment is already the scourge of this generation. Don’t think that the “Bride of Christ” will escape seeing the horrible prelude to the Tribulation Period. I’m expecting Jesus to return any moment, but I know that until He returns there will be an ever increasing activity of Satanism and his dark beguiling demons. It will be so evil that multitudes will believe we are already in the Great Tribulation. Any believer who expects to escape deception and confusion must submerge himself or herself in the Holy Scripture and learn to lean on the abiding presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Christians must refuse to listen or entertain “the counsel of the ungodly” (Psalms 1:1-6). Don’t spend a moment in any atmosphere where Jesus Christ is not Lord or the infallible Bible is not the final authority. We Must Prepare for the Final Battle There is no question but that Satan is preparing for the End Time drama with the expectation of winning. It’s evident that he will use all of his resources. The wicked living will serve him. The apostate church will offer their worship as he presents himself as their god. The Antichrist and false prophet will succeed in blinding and convincing the world for the new false “trinity.” Joining these will be the fallen angels, the wicked dead turned loose for a short period, and the army of demon spirits under Satan’s control. It will be a dreadful company of the vilest creatures ever assembled. No wonder the name “Armageddon” holds such ominous vibrations. Even Satan’s present followers on earth are anticipating this occasion. Jesus Christ, the Mighty Redeemer Will Become the Warrior King He appears out of the Heavenlies as the God/Man on a breathtaking stallion with celestial attire. He rides this awesome stallion of spotless white and leads an army of triumphant saints. He is no longer the broken reed of Calvary, bleeding for sin’s cleansing. He is now the Judge of all who spurned His reconciling sacrifice. He comes to set right the rebellions of all creatures. It’s time for righteousness to show its transcending authority. While He does tread the winepress of wrath and experience the bloodstain of battle, it’s a quick victory and all rebellion is brought to judgment. Satan’s well planned schemes and his multitude of support has been of no avail. He is defeated and the King of Kings begins His triumphant takeover of His recreated earth. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 86: SATAN LOVES A FALSE ALARM ======================================================================== Satan Loves A False Alarm Harold Camping and his false prophecy has caused Lucifer to dance with glee. This kind of fancy error is clearly Satan’s design to make fun of the Rapture. The Post-Millenniumist, Amillenniumist and the Mid- Tribulation and Post- Tribulation crowd are laughing at the fun the Media has had at our expense. We Pre-Tribulation Believers are scoffed at when these false alarms about the Rapture are fed to the multitudes. The whole purpose is to make truth look foolish. But there is another side to this story. The devil does not waste his time fighting falsehood and false doctrines. This entire attack is all another proof that the Rapture is on schedule and will occur before the “Seven Years Of The Great Tribulation.” When Satan induces his false prophets to attack truth in a false show like Camping’s attention receiving Expose, he only proves the wonderful truth being laughed against. Satan never makes a false show of all the error doctrines being taught. They do him no harm and he pays them no attention. Thank you Harold Camping for your back-handed attention to the great “Catching Away.” The anger of Satan against the Rapture of the saints is because this event will be his final defeat. Calvary, the Resurrection, and all the victory of Jesus’ death and life were certainly Satan’s greatest defeat. It has been downhill for him since he was cast out of Heaven. The Rapture will seal his doom forever. From the time that he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, he has attacked the family of God. When Jesus descended into upper Sheol, Satan lost his hold on the First Testament saints. He could not damn them nor could they escape the prison house of the righteous dead. Jesus took the keys of Death and Hell and led this victorious company out of their prison into His resurrected presence. Their spirit and soul are with Him in Heaven, but the majority of them are still awaiting the Rapture and the Resurrection to receive their glorified bodies. Matthew records that a firstfruits number were resurrected and caught up when He arose from the dead. There are complexities to the Rapture and the Resurrection that must not divide us. I personally believe that not one Blood-washed and Holy Ghost Oil soaked Saint (Old or New Testament) will be left in the grave when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture occurs. The earth must be free of the Godly dead before the traumas of the seven years of judgment can begin. The judgments of Jesus Christ will shake this earth to its very core so that nothing of sin will be left to defile or destroy in all of creation. The wicked dead will be in Death and Hell until the Seven Years of Tribulation and the Millennium are finished. Then they will be resurrected unto damnation to be judged. Satan has waged war against the saints for six thousand years. His very thought of the dead in Christ being resurrected with glorified bodies forever out of his reach is terrifying to him. Add to that the Rapture and Resurrection of the living saints that he has pursued since the moment they were born again being removed totally beyond his reach. But the Rapture and Resurrection of the righteous is only the beginning of his future troubles. The saints that he has terrorized will become the Lord’s Elders during the seven years, and we will be used of the Lord to direct the judgments against him and his false trinity. We will be glorified saints; and the Bible says that we will judge the angels, and Satan is one of them. Let’s begin by contemplating the defeat for Satan that will occur in the first heaven as the saints are removed to the presence of the Lord. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2) This is the area of his stronghold, where his kingdom of fallen angels is organized and operates. From this realm, he rules as the god of this world. He is called the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air. He affects everything that constitutes the world system, nature, and especially the weather patterns. God created a perfect world. There was no destruction until the destroyer deceived Adam and Eve. Satan usurped his way into control of the world system. Nature is out of control today because it is greatly affected by the devil and his princes of destruction. The Bible warns us of the struggle that this horde of evil personalities will create for those that serve the Lord. Apostle Paul stated, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Notice those terms the Holy Ghost inspired Apostle Paul to use, “rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is an epic struggle, and natural men and women are absolutely no match for these great and strong spirits of evil. Every spiritual victory we win must be by the Blood, the Word, and the Spirit Understanding these strong, experienced, and wicked angels operating under the leadership of Satan; we can see the battle that is developing to hinder God’s Prophetic program. When the Rapture occurs, we must travel right straight up through the middle of Satan’s stronghold. Hearing many strange stories about unidentified flying objects is not so strange when you know what is about to occur. The devil will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and to defeat the saints of God. Victory is already assured because “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalms 119:89). Apostle Paul said, “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) We will not need to fight our path through Lucifer’s stronghold. The Lord comes down to meet us in the midair, and with His Heavenly Host (multitudes) He leads us back right through Satan’s horde. The event of the saints being Raptured up out of their graves, joined together with the Raptured living, following the Lord of Hosts back to the Banquet Hall in New Jerusalem is too grand to consider. There has never been an army marching from some great victory back to the fatherland to match this picture. Satan has got to know that this is soon to happen, and he certainly has a counterattack planned. His great defeat at our victory right through his stronghold will leave him vulnerable to the heavenly host of angels. He will never recover from seeing“ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands,” (Revelation 5:11) pass untouched through his hands into the presence of the Heavenly Father. A multitude of angels led by Michael will then engage Satan to finish his reign as the “prince of the power of the air.” Weakened by his losses, the angels of Jesus Christ will cast him down to the earth never to appear in Heaven again. John recorded the future scene of Satan’s great heavenly defeat. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:7-10) His territory will now be restricted to the earth and he will know that he has but a short time. This loss for Satan is incredible. He has accused us to God throughout human history. The defeat of Adam and Eve gave him legal right to act as an accuser to every saint of God. He has been the world’s persecutor for six thousand years. The reason for many great defeats in the church has been man’s failure to stand solely on truth in their battles with evil powers and dark spiritual authorities. Our only rights against evil are those legal truths of Scripture contained in our blood covenant. Now, ultimate truth prevails and Satan’s reign as persecutor is over forever. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12) Satan finally understands that he is losing and his last efforts will be efforts of desperation. By the end of the seven years, no creature on earth will doubt that he is a serpent, unquestionably corrupted, and a loser. The victorious saints will be elevated to Elders during the coming Great Tribulation. We are never called the church again after Revelation Chapter Four. We will be to the Father and the Lamb, Elders participating in all the events of righteousness and righteous judgment. Too often we think only of judgment during these dark seven years but more than judgment is redemption. The Elders will share the glory of cleansing this earth from every curse of sin until righteousness springs forth when we return with Him to reign on this earth a thousand years. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 87: SATAN WANTS US TO LAUGH ABOUT HELL BUT HE DOESN'T ======================================================================== Satan Wants Us To Laugh About Hell But He Doesn’t Denying Eternal Hell is an affront to Calvary! (PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU CAN) Hell is a hot subject. In fact, it is one of the hottest subjects in the Bible and is used fifty-three times, not to mention its synonyms. David, by the Holy Ghost, said, “The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalms 9:17). He also said that the prostitute’s guests are in the depths of Hell. (Proverbs 9:18). It was Isaiah who proclaimed, “…Hell hath enlarged herself.” (Isaiah 5:14). The infallible Word of God has clearly revealed the mind and truth of the eternal God regarding the truth of Hell. To deny a literal eternal Hell of fire and brimstone is to blaspheme the Holy Bible. It also reduces the teachings of Jesus Christ to being riddled with error. It makes Him a fear monger to dare proclaim the story of the rich man that died and cried out of Hell. Such a story is extreme and misguided unless Jesus was indeed the spotless Lamb of God declaring the absolute truth. Denying Hell is an Insult to Calvary! Our God so loved His beautiful world and His created family that had fallen into sin that He sent His only Begotten Son to be His sacrifice for their sins. Why would the Sovereign God of this universe offer His Son on a cruel cross if there was no eternal penalty for sin? Such thinking is insanity. The Son of God is eternal and has inhabited eternity forever. Yet, He stepped out of that realm to become the Son of Man. He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8). He left eternity and descended into time and space for a short season. Hell had been created for the devil and his angels, but now God’s human family was in danger. Justice demanded that sinful men be given the same punishment as sinful angels. The Holy God is perfectly just and the penalty of sin had to be paid. Man was created below the angels and the higher order. Since man was created on a human level and the angel Lucifer had wrought this terrible fall of men, God provided mankind a sacrifice. Calvary is God’s wonderful plan to save the human family from sin and Hell fire. To speak of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ on any other level is to insult, even blaspheme, the greatest love story of this universe. How could God create us in His own image if we are not eternal for good or bad But, Calvary was not just a picture of love, although love was at its very heart. The angels do not fly around His throne declaring love, love, love; they declare holy, holy, holy. Calvary was certainly the ultimate picture of love, but what it really proved was holiness. God is holy and His Son hanging on a cruel cross is God’s greatest example of His holiness. His Son had to become sin for us. He, who knew no sin and existed in the divine without even the possibility of sin, had now taken sin upon His own soul as a human substitute. That substitute is now man’s escape from a burning Hell. Every soul that clings in faith to His shed blood is washed from sin and all its power to damn. You cannot deny Hell as long as you stand in the shadow of Calvary. The person that denies Hell fire has forgotten or never knew the heavenly joy of being washed from all their sins. The hope of Calvary demands the hopelessness of Hell to justify its cost to God and His Son. Calvary was a living hell! Calvary was the closest thing to Hell any man had ever experienced without going there. The Son of God had an equivalent experience of being totally forsaken by God as a person cast into Hell experiences. That’s the meaning of His heartrending words, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). For three hours He hung writhing on His cross with a total sense of separation from His Father. It’s impossible for us to understand or know the union with the Heavenly Father that the Son of God knew. They were one from eternity, inseparable, until the Father smote Him in death and let Him hang there as a sin sacrifice for three dark hours. It was Hell for the Son of Man to be so utterly forsaken. Maybe He will explain to us in eternity the price He paid for our salvation. But, it doesn’t end there. While the Son of God was on the cross, He uttered “seven statements” that actually define the depth of His death. The first three reveal His undying love for humankind. The second two reveal the Hellish experience of His suffering and the last two reveal His glorious triumph. One of the two that reveals His horrible death experience is the quote regarding being forsaken. The other is more revealing than I ever before imagined. He uttered a breathtaking expression which appeared to arrest those individuals that were beneath His cross. These individuals were the ones that had nailed Him to the tree and were waiting to finish their dark deeds. It appeared that He suddenly proclaimed, “I thirst.” Those words have intrigued many readers and writers, but we have missed their utter significance. Jesus told of a rich man that went to Hell and begged for Father Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. There is no question, but that the cry of Hell is, “Water, water, water.” Up and down the corridors of that horrible place, men are begging and screaming for water. When the Son of Man was experiencing the throbs of His horrible excruciating death and was forsaken by His God of which He was One, He cried out, “I thirst.” Hell is indeed a real place, but it is more than just a place, it is a state of existence where all things beautiful and satisfying are lost. The Son of God so experienced the penalty of sin for us that He suffered the pains of being completely emptied of all that makes life bearable. He experienced the utter emptiness of a man lost and desperate for the most basic need of water. It was as though His cry, “I thirst,” was an echo of the rich man’s cry for “water.” He was on that cross for us that we might be “forever saved.” I believe His Words, “I thirst,” can be called, “Sounds from Hell.” The Rich Man and Sounds Out of Hell! Jesus told this vivid story that was mentioned above of the rich man that died and went to Hell. Jesus gave him no name because his name had already rotted, but the poor beggar in the story was named Lazarus. Jesus said, “… the rich man also died, and was buried; And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” (Luke 16:23-24). This story is above all an effort by the Son of God to give us a clear picture of eternal torments for the wicked. When, at the beginning of this article, I said,“Hell is a hot subject,”it was meanst to be literal. It is not imaginary or some unconcious state. Hell is full of misery and torments so breathtaking as to cause a constant chorus of miserable sounds. Nothing describes misery more than the sounds which misery creates. Visit a hospital where desperate men and women are patients. Their appearance may be extremely sad and even depressing but their cries and screams can be utterly terrifying. There is no question but that the screams of suffering individuals are more overwhelming than other aspects of their pitiful state. The screams of Hell are enough to make this eternal destination of the wicked the most horrible place in God’s universe. The rich man was in torments, and his cries and requests reveal just how real the place really was. Look at this list of words which Jesus stated that came from His lips. Jesus said, “He cried.”.” Abraham responded to him by saying, “Son, remember…” The rich man said, “I pray thee,” and then showed “compassion” towards his lost family. He was clearly a different man than the one that refused to even provide the crumbs from his table for the beggar. Hell had stripped him of his arrogance and rebellion. The sounds of his words make unprepared men with an honest conscious tremble. What our world needs is for the church and the praying saints to get a fresh vision of the horrors of Hell until we are terrified by these words from the lips of a damned man. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 88: SATAN IS BUSY BUYING SOULS ======================================================================== Satan is Busy Buying Souls Yes, Satan has a kingdom and he gives it to whosoever he will. That’s an overwhelming thought and it is changing the way many people live. Satan made that point to Jesus and the Son of God did not argue with it. He simply rejected any desire to be a part of his dark world. Look at the manner in which Satan tempted Jesus, “And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Luke 4:5-8). The Scripture further states that Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). If you will give him your soul, he does have the power to give you the kingdom of the world. Our world has a multitude of people that Satan has purchased just like he tried to buy Jesus. Many people will look at their worldly blessings and say, “Look what God has blessed me with.” They do not know that it was not the God of Heaven but the false god of this world. Any material blessing that does not come in a manner that makes you a greater saint or richer toward God did not come from the Heavenly Father. Anything you possess that robs you of your family time, your church life, or your devotion in the Word of God and prayer is not from the God of Eternity. When your job becomes a weight around your neck, you must ask the Lord of your life to free you for His kingdom from the burden of destruction. If the world offers you some great possession that separates you from the church where God has planted you, you must stop to consider the source of that offer. If the world tries to buy you away from the time necessary to be a great elder or deacon in your church, a dedicated dad or mom, or a dedicated husband or wife, the offer did not come from the third heaven but from that kingdom in the mid-air. Satan is very busy buying this world’s allegiance. We look at lives of rock stars, movie actors, and other celebrity personalities and quickly admit that they have sold out to the god of this world. Do not forget that the devil is buying the little man or woman just like he is buying the big fish. No wonder Jesus made such strenuous requirements for His disciples and saints. The world and its god, Lucifer, are constantly after your heart. Satan will pay any price to buy and destroy your soul and the only possibility for your eternal salvation is total surrender to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. You must “forsake all,” the entire world and all of its claims for your one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:23-25). Later, He added, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). The majority of the church world is religious but knows nothing of this kind of Biblical surrender. They are going to be eternally lost unless someone gets this message to their heart. The only blessings you can count as being from God are those that come to you after you have denied all to follow Jesus. When you surrender to Him, deny yourself, and deny all the claims men make on you in exchange for the one life of total lordship under Jesus Christ, He will meet all of your needs and give you more than Satan could have ever given, plus eternal life. That is His promise to every saint of God. Read carefully, “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting” (Luke 18:29-30). His offer to every living soul is to give you His Kingdom if you will refuse Satan’s kingdom. There are only two kingdoms in the world and the choice is yours. Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 89: SATAN: HIS LAST HOORAH! ======================================================================== Satan: His Last Hoorah! One of the most profound truths in Scripture is the total defeat of the devil. Actually, his defeat is historic, complete, and unquestionable. Even the devil knows he is defeated. The big problem is that most Christians do not understand this fact. Since Satan is still the “god of this world,” it appears that he operates as “business as usual.” The signs of Bible prophecies that are either fulfilled or clearly being fulfilled leaves no doubt as to Satan’s demise. The Christian life should not be lived as someone striving toward victory. We do not live for the victory, but because of the victory. Our spiritual life is the result of a victory already won. The Son of God decimated every power of Satan, his destruction is complete. We must learn to live our lives in this total victory while understanding that it is presently true only in the Spiritual realm. Satan’s defeat is not yet visible in the natural world of the fallen nature. The unclean system of the world is not yet cleansed of this dark and evil being. That’s the coming great judgment of the End Times that we see in the Book of Revelation. Let’s review this victory that will soon occur. First, Satan will be cast out of the Second Heaven. This happens near the beginning of the Seven Years of Tribulation and after the Rapture. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 20:7-9). At that point, Satan is confined to the earth and can never appear before the Father again to accuse the Saints of God. Then, at the end of the seven years he will be cast out of the earth into the “bottomless pit” to be tormented by the judgments of God. This will be his finality except for a short period at the end of the one thousand years when he tempts the natural people born during that time. John wrote by the exact words Jesus Christ gave him, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). This is his eternal abode and torments. While we await this final defeat, we must learn to live in the Spiritual domain, not the physical. We have no defense against Satan in our flesh. If we live in the flesh, we will get decimated instead of the devil. Apostle Paul explained this carefully, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:8-9). The average Christian today has never learned this incredible truth and the result is helplessness in both their walk with Christ and their prayer life. I feel angry at myself because I have failed to teach this level of spiritual victory. We should be storming the gates of hell when we are barely holding the fort. The present church world is more of a club than an army. God’s faithful prophets warned us in Scripture to make no room for the devil. “Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). When we face Satan in the Biblical provision of a Spirit-filled life, he is totally defeated. This kind of warfare is no longer just a privilege, but it is the only lasting victory for these End Times. Jesus Christ told us of this victory but our flesh is slow to learn. He stated… “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:18-19). He even said, “…. If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” (Luke 17:6). The person of the Holy Ghost did not come to tickle our fancy, but to empower His church to perfect victory. We are a spiritual army or we are defeated pilgrims spending years in the wilderness. Let’s become His army as we await His appearance in the sky. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 90: SATAN’S EVICTION FROM THE EARTH! ======================================================================== Satan’s Eviction From The Earth! The saints of God are soon going to inherit this earth and rule it with Jesus Christ as their KING OF KINGS.”…The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” (1 Corinthians 10:26) Remember, the second stanza of their song in chapter five. “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign (rule – Be in total authority.) on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10) Satan has been the god of this world for six thousand years and has consistently turned the fruitful valleys into deserts and wildernesses. Wherever Satan has authority and dark evil deeds have been allowed, the entire culture slowly turns into a cesspool. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalms 9:17) We see it occurring right now all across our nation and in most of the world. Homosexuality and lesbianism is being ballyhooed by the media and the entertainment industry even as the church world is like “… dumb dogs, they cannot bark…” (Isaiah 56:10) But, it is almost over for the devil and his crowd. Revelation chapter six is the prophetic picture of the beginning of the end for the evil reign of Satan and his horde of spirits and evil mankind. It’s incredibly sad that most of the world had rather serve the world’s god than the Creator God. The whole world system is quickly becoming evil to the core and set against everything that centers in Jesus Christ. The term “god” is becoming a world phenomenon, while the name “Jesus”is utterly rejected and squashed. Most of the church world is adopting the new theology of the One World Church, which is being called “sinner-sensitive” programs. They believe that if you commit not to unsettle the sinner, then they will be delighted to become Christians. It’s the new easy way to hell; and it’s exactly what Jesus said would reign in the last days before He returns to evict the devil from his stolen post as “god of this world.” It’s almost impossible to believe that the church world could be so theologically dumb and ignorant of truth. The Book of Revelation has been rejected as to its prophetic values and its chronological picture of the end. You cannot read this book literally and take it literally as our Lord Jesus Christ intended without being overwhelmed with its perfect beauty of what is about to occur. Every evil act and every lifestyle contrary to the Holy Bible is about to be judged by the exact standard of holy truth. Every religious person that refuses to live a godly set-apart life according to the whole Word of God will be brokenhearted at the revelation of the coming judgment of the church. The Scripture declares that “… judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17) The compromise of Bible Holiness is the greatest tragedy ever to occur in the House of God. It will damn an overwhelming multitude of church souls. Satan’s Eviction! The devil is truly on his last rampage. Once the great celebration of Revelation chapter five is finished, it will be time to begin the opening of the seven-sealed book. This book contains the title deed of this earth and the process of its redemption out of the hands of the interloper named Lucifer. Satan’s six thousand year reign of terror is about to end and he will be evicted from his falsely acquired kingdom. The process of this eviction is extremely thorough and nothing of his evil designs and deceptions will remain. As Daniel prophesied, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44) The Son of God, seen as a lamb slain, has earned the perfect judicial right to direct the process and His elders, the glorified Raptured saints and the people of Israel, will share the glory of His victory. Let’s begin our verse-by-verse review of Revelation chapter six. “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:1-2) The champion of this grand finale is the Lamb of God. His death was more than a sacrifice to cleanse our personal sins; it was the complete sacrifice to redeem this cosmos and to evict the devil out of God’s total kingdom. It was the end of the devil. Satan has been on a leash since that very moment and His saints have been gathering evidence to put him away forever. Now, the process begins. Jesus opens the first seal and we hear a “noise of thunder” as one of the cherubim/beasts says, “Come and see.” These four cherubim, called beasts in our King James Bible, have been evident in Scripture all the way back to Genesis chapter three. They are God’s keepers of holiness in the earth, so any activity of God’s righteousness relating to this earth must include their activity. These cherubim will be manifest on this earth during the entire process of evicting Lucifer and cleansing this earth. Immediately a “white horse” appears and begins his ride through the earth. Throughout Scripture, four horses”have been the conveyors of judgment in this earth. They ride together when the Creator God is sending forth His powers to recompense evil and bring it to task. This horse has a “bow and a crown” and he goes forth “conquering and to conquer.” Many see him as the Antichrist, but I see him as representing the going forth of righteousness to judge and to disquiet every work of evil. It certainly can include the releasing of Antichrist activities because the Lamb of God and His servants of cherubim and saints or elders will orchestrate every detail of this seven-year period, and Satan can do nothing except by God’s design and plan. “Conquering and to conquer” suggests that Satan’s reign of terror is in the process of the end. God is doing the conquering, not the devil. The going forth of judgment is a judgment of wickedness and evil and the conquering of the dark forces that represent Satan’s horde of evil powers and spirits. These four horses are intimately connected and nothing can be said of one without fitting the pattern of all four. They are intimately connected and related to each other as a whole. It’s all the mighty right hand of the Great Judge bringing redemption from wickedness to this universe. “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” (Revelation 6:3-4) Now, we hear the second cherubim crying out as thunder, “Come and See.” There is something stupendous about their cry, “Come and See.” It certainly suggests an effect in the earth that demands attention. This is not entertainment; this is judgment. The process shows that this period will escalate as it continues. Hour-by-hour the earth will grow darker and the judgment will increase as human pain and sorrow explodes. The whole period of seven years will be a full and total judgment of cleansing. The second horse is the color of red, the color being a symbol of death and deep convulsions of excruciating pain. This horde has power to take peace from the earth and to stir mens hearts toward a dark desire to destroy. We see this destructive culture developing presently, but only in its early stages. The mass murdering by the worldwide terrorism is just a beginning. Their god is the source of direction for their terror. We have no better proof that false gods are demons that are already showing the coming terror of the future. The theme of this second seal appears as “a great sword” in the earth. “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)The darkness, as revealed in this seal, is now reaching the pandemic stage. This third cherubim cries, “Come and See,” and what we see is sheer horror. The horse is black, showing the symbol of a hellish blackness descending on this earth. The rider of this horse has a scale or a pair of balances in his hand suggesting a famine on a total scale. Now, we see all four of the cherubim together and one cries out with a mournful cry of coming drought, crop failure, starvation, and death. The insanity that follows the disaster of starvation and famine is impossible to describe. Never has there been such a worldwide famine at the same time. To even consider the kind of beastly human behavior during a worldwide loss of the food chain is terror. “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-8) Now, the last of the four cherubim issues his cry, “Come and See,” and the fourth horse, pale in color, rides. The horse is named “Death and Hell” because the increasing destruction guarantees death on an unimaginable scale. Literally hundreds of millions of souls are dying, being killed, slain by massacring beasts, and killed by each other. We saw thousands being buried in mass graves after the tsunami in the Far East. At this stage of the seven years of hell on earth, millions will be quickly buried in massive graves that are presently unknown to the human mind. The psychological effects of this period of history will assure insanity on a worldwide scale. As you read this commentary, you must remember that all of this is a panoramic view of the real Lucifer that is about to be evicted. Every expression of evil is nothing but Lucifer personified. He is more of a beast than man has yet to see, but will in this fulfilling prophecy be impossible to miss. This horse, named “Death and Hell,” is given power over the fourth part of the earth. It appears that one fourth of the earth’s population will be killed by the effects of this horse and rider. At a population of six billion plus, that could represent over one and one-half billion deaths. They will be killed by every possible means, from a sword to starving wild beasts. By this time the earth will be in a worldwide pandemic. The impossibility of burying the dead will unleash disease and malignity impossible to contain. All of this is guaranteed to escalate until the world will be ready to help evict the devil and his army of unclean spirits. The Father will insure that the world learns the true source of all sorrow. “Read the conclusion of this Article at http://www. pawcreek. org/end-times/revelation-6-satans-eviction ======================================================================== CHAPTER 91: SAVED" AFTER THE RAPTURE; BUT, OH, THE COST! ======================================================================== "Saved" After the Rapture; But, Oh, the Cost! by Joseph Chambers This is a dangerous subject. Hard people will hate me for telling others that people can be saved after the Rapture of the espoused bride. Yet, the truth of Holy Scripture leaves no doubt. I think that we will prove this truth beyond question of reasonable minds. But, I must warn you that being saved after the Rapture comes with incredible cost. There is clear evidence that almost every soul (maybe all) that wash themselves in the blood of Jesus after He catches away the overcoming saints will die a horrible death of martyrdom. If you think that suicide murderers are vicious and that death on the top floors of the world trade center, where over 1,700 persons were reduced to bits of pieces or ashes, was horrible; the death of Tribulation saints will be many times worse. Satan and his army of spirits will invade this world. The mother of harlots and her religious helpers from the Charismatic Joel’s Army, Jesuit priests, Moslem terrorists, plus others will all be united to demand submission to the new religion and her mark. That mark is what the Bible calls the "Mark of the Beast." What is even more breathtaking is the fact that nobody that is saved after the Rapture can have the honor of being in the Bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ is the highest honor available to the saints. If everyone saved is a part of the Bride, then the whole idea of rewards falls on its face. When James and John’s mother asked Jesus for her sons to sit on His right hand and His left hand, His answer was revealing. He said, "And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom." "And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." (Matthew 20:21, Matthew 20:23). Apostle Paul dealt with this subject when speaking of carnal members in the Corinthian church that never matured into sainthood, but remained babes in Christ. He said of these spiritual babes, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (Greek Interlinear: trough)." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). It would require incredible imagination to see these carnal babes sitting upon thrones of power in the eternal brideship of the Lord Jesus. In fact, it will not happen. Saved After The Rapture All of my Christian life, I have heard ministers preach that no one could be saved after the Rapture. At the same time, I have studied the Bible and especially the Book of Revelation and seen the inconsistency of this mindset. Over and over there is this picture of people being slain for the Word of God, pursued by Satan’s cohorts or crying out for their blood to be avenged on Satan clearly occurring after the Rapture. The Bible is a perfect whole and no truth is ever truly questionable when you rightly divide the Word of God. I think this idea began from the false teaching of Jesus Only" and/or "Latter Rain" doctrines. The idea that the outpouring of the Holy Ghost over the last one hundred years was the "Latter Rain" outpouring appears to be the source. Actually, the "Latter Rain" does not begin until Israel is saved at the end of the seven years and will continue through the Millennium. (Order booklet entitled, The Latter Rain Outpouring.) We are actually at the closing of the "Former Rain," which is clearly called "Moderate Rain." The seven years of the Tribulation Period is a bridge between the Early and the Latter Rain. Apostle Peter plainly stated that the Latter Rain will be "upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17), not just the moderate work of the Holy Ghost presently affecting the world. The Glorious Pre-Tribulation Rapture Both from the dead and the living, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the grand event for the espoused bride of our Lord Jesus Christ. There will be millions of lukewarm, indifferent, and carnal people that will miss this glorious moment. The church is full of worldly, careless people professing Jesus Christ, but possessing almost nothing of spiritual life and Christ-centered surrender. They live for the flesh, they are enemies of the cross because Jesus is not allowed to be the Lord of their lives. There has been such a bombardment of cheap preaching, which promises so much for so little that a sermon like this serves to anger and disturb this careless crowd. I dare not fail in telling you the truth. Listen to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He appears to be screaming out these words of warning. "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:33-36). There is no question to a reasonable reader of what Jesus was discussing. Luke 21:1-38 deals with the Lord’s great message of the end time events and the Great Tribulation time of His earthly wrath against wickedness. We can escape that wrath and He instructs us how to escape. The only way He warns us is if we are constantly vigilant in our consecration, that we allow nothing, not even the normal cares of life, to limit our Spirit-filled living. He warns us of being "overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness." He is not talking to sinners, but He is talking to the believers. His Olivet discourse is to the people of His kingdom, both Jews and the emerging church. Those words indicate in order as He presented them, "gluttoning on the world and intoxicated with the world." It is a perfect picture of the majority of today’s church. Most churches do not have a Sunday night or Wednesday night service because it is too embarrassing to try. But, the problem is not the absence of these services, but it is the matter of the heart. The world’s interest and even legitimate interests have often robbed the hearts of the people. The real problem is that we claim to be His espoused bride, while our courtship is with money, things, gourmet meals, pleasures, hobbies, vacations, and a multitude of other desires. This is exactly what Jesus was saying in the breathtaking words I just printed for you. If we are "overcharged" with the cares of the world, we are going to miss the Rapture and be left for "that day" as Jesus called the coming seven years of wrath. Espoused To One Husband The Bride of Jesus Christ is "espoused to one husband" and one husband alone. Under no other circumstances will you be raptured with the Bride and miss the horrible years of wrath. Apostle Paul said this to the church at Corinth. "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. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). Every person that is raptured before the Great Tribulation will be a Biblical virgin and full of the oil of the Spirit. Their lamps will be burning brightly as presented in the Words of Jesus Christ. He spoke of ten virgins, of which five were wise and were raptured, while the other five were foolish (careless) and were left behind. "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 25:1-13). This is an incredible picture of the coming Rapture and shows most clearly what is required to be a part of His Bride. All ten virgins had vessels that had previously held oil. Once they all had oil to be consumed, but the fire had gone out of the five foolish virgins" vessels. They were all expecting to go, but five of them suddenly realized the misery of being left. The greatest wailing and screaming of all human history will occur immediately after the Rapture among the Bible-believing world. Please note what the Lord said, "I know you not." That does not mean that He did not know who they were and their names. He knows the name of every living person and even the stars are known and named by Him. The words "I know" were words of inspection. He looked on them and said, "You do not pass inspection." You have failed the test of Biblical surrender and you are left for the misery to follow. A Multitude of Martyred Saints Immediately after the Rapture of the espoused Bride, repentant men and women will begin to die for their newfound faith and saintliness. The fifth seal of Revelation six reveals the holocaust that envelops anyone representing fundamental Christianity. The seven-sealed book in the Father’s hand is the entire transaction of the total seven years. The fifth seal is a picture of what the Antichrist kingdom will plan and execute against the remnant of Biblical Christianity. The first thing the devil and his entire evil kingdom will do after the raptured saints have escaped his reach is to go after every expression of the true but unprepared church. Unsaved young people and lukewarm church members will immediately be attacked and made to deny Christianity or die. A multitude will realize their fate and missed privilege, but will now find an altar and wash their souls in the blood of the Lamb. Many will do it at the same moment that they are being killed for refusing to deny the faith they have learned. Look at what we see in that fifth seal, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Revelation 6:9-11). Remember, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture has occurred only a short time prior to this scene. The overcomers were raptured, but a large company of those that had allowed the oil to be depleted or had been overcharged with the cares of this life or had courted worldly goods have paid the ultimate price for their failure. They have now been killed because they would not recant. They are told to wait under the altar in Heaven until their brethren have paid the same price of martyrdom. In what appears to be near the middle of the seven years, all the martyrs up to that time will be raptured up to the throne of God, where they will receive their reward. Look at this extremely clear picture of that event. "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Revelation 7:9-17). This passage leaves no question that a multitude will be saved after the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. They are from "nations and kindreds, and people and tongues." They are not mainly Jews being saved, but Gentiles being saved. While there will be Jews saved during the seven years, the majority will be saved after Jesus returns to defeat the Antichrist in Megiddo. Apostle Paul prophesied of this in his letter to the Romans, saying, "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." (Romans 11:26). The seven years of the Great Tribulation is going to be a harvest time out of the nations of the earth. Isaiah prophesied of this incredible truth. ""for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isaiah 26:9). God’s judgment during this period will be so incredible that every inhabitant of this earth will recognize this action as the acts of the true God and creator of this earth and His Son, the Lamb of God. If any living person has the capacity to repent and turn to God, they will be received and converted and then be hated and martyred for the glory of God. Right down to the end of the seven great years of God’s wrath, souls will repent and gain the victory over the Beast. John the Revelator wrote at the very last hour as the Millennium is being announced of those who had been converted. "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4). An Entire Company of Souls Beyond Hope It’s terribly important for every person reading this article to know that there will be a multitude that cannot be saved when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture has occurred. Anyone that would dare to say, "I’m going to wait until after the Rapture to be saved" probably has gone beyond repentance. That attitude is exactly the kind of action, which suggests someone that meets Apostle Paul’s description of the hopeless. Look at his words. He first described the Antichrist and then what happens after he is revealed. "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause 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." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). The religious world is full of people who love almost any doctrine over the literal truth of God’s Word. They want their ears tickled, so they can be a "Christian" and still do as they please. We have a generation of religious people that are Biblically apostate. Their systems of doctrines are more precious than the beautiful and pure Word of God. They cannot hear because their system has built a wall around their minds. There are many religious people too busy to get on their knees in front of the Word of God. They have never taken time to fall in love with the "truth." The above Scripture says that anyone that rejects the "love of truth" will be hopelessly deluded and lost to the Antichrist world. It is not truth that saves the soul. It is the "love of truth" that saves. The false anointing that has gripped the church world is the result of experience and feeling that has pre-empted the "love of truth." Men and women would rather have an emotional picnic than a feast of truth. Such people will be in trouble on that day. The Charismatic world has spawned a generation of religious people that could care less about doctrines, just sing them a song and give them a shout. If you can slay the seekers, it does not matter whether you can preach. This is Satan’s lie to cause a multitude to be rejected of the Lord. The Antichrist will have a ready following from these sad souls. Immediately, in the opening of the seven-sealed book, there is evidence of people that are beyond repentance. They pray to the mountains instead of the Father because they know this judgment action is His wrath against wickedness. The truth says, "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." (Revelation 6:15-16). Instead of repenting, they are seeking death. Four times in Revelation the Scripture states, "and they repented not"" or an equivalent statement. First, the Scripture stated, "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:20-21). This was speaking of the general population. Second, he speaks of the Antichrist kingdom itself, "And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory." (Revelation 16:9). Then, he stated, "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." (Revelation 16:10-11). Can you imagine a day so wicked that men lose the ability to repent. Conclusion I am grateful to the Creator that Scripture reveals His mercy even in judgment. The only crowd that cannot find mercy are those that themselves choose to turn from truth to love and embrace error. These are not sheep without a shepherd or people who never heard the truth, but arrogant and haughty individuals that reject the plain truth of the Word of God. The multitudes that had little truth or maybe none will now see the Biblical God in a way that shows His awesome glory and breathtaking holiness. Millions will repent and willingly die for their newfound faith. Do not be so hard as to think that our God will ever reject one soul that turns to Him with all their heart ready to pay the full price for His love and mercy. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 92: SHEKINAH GLORY AND ISRAEL'S MASTERY OF THE MIDDLE EAST ======================================================================== Shekinah Glory And Israel’s Mastery Of The Middle East ISRAEL TO RECAPTURE THE CITY OF JERUSALEM EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE GREAT TRIBULATION ENDS! But first let’s understand the unquestionable right of Israel to their land and their Capitol of Jerusalem. It is set in the infallible Scripture that the Throne of David will be occupied by Jesus Christ during the Millennium and Israel will possess the entire land promised to Abraham. This will not occur because of Israel’s Military prowess but by the intervention of God’s Shekinah. Zechariah gave us this prophecy by an Angel from God. “And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory (SHEKINAH) in the midst of her.”(Zechariah 2:4-5) Jehovah God will guarantee Israel’s perfect mastery of the Middle East. The Children of Israel will yet suffer their darkest hour called “Jacob’s Trouble! The noose around Israel political neck will continue to tighten until she is forced to sign an agreement or covenant with an emerging “One World Order.” Many dark scenarios will be orchestrated to increase tension toward Israel and to reduce the emphasis on their enemies spread all over the Middle East As the pressure mounts, Israel will be more and more hard pressed to make every form of compromise. Her concessions and compromises will eventually be a covenant with the new One World Leaders and the emerging Antichrist. Most of Israel’s political figures are liberals that have no sense of the Jewish future or the Biblical hope. Many of them believe in the internationalization of this Capital city of Jerusalem. There is little awareness of Biblical fulfillment to these Jewish leaders. Benjamin Natanyahu may be an exception. To most of their leaders a covenant of peace will be to them a small price to pay for harmony with the world. A climate is presently developing that will make this covenant between Israel and the man who will emerge as Antichrist seem necessary. Watch for peace talks between Israel’s government and other political forces as we move toward a One World Government or New World Order. It must happen to fulfill the Word of God. The Abomination of Desolation! Israel’s darkest hour of all her sufferings is ready to unfold. The Tribulation Period of seven years will begin at the appropriate time of the covenant mentioned above. After three and one-half years of uneasy cooperation between the Jewish State and the One World Builders, the agreement between them will fall apart. That’s when the Antichrist breaks the covenant by entering the Jewish Worship Center and erecting an image to himself. Jesus spoke of this and described the horror of this dark hour, “When ye therefore shall see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woes unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath Day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:15-22). This event was foretold by Daniel with the following words, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…” (Daniel 9:27 a). Jeremiah added a significant description to this period, “And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:4-7). When the Antichrist invades Jerusalem in the middle of the seven-year tribulation period and erects his image in the temple, the Jews will flee Jerusalem for the last time. They will hasten to the wilderness of Moab, Amman, and Edom, where they will find refuge from their pursuers. The chosen people will find friends to shelter and protect them. Isaiah said, “Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela (The Greek name Petra—rock—probably replaced the Biblical name, Sela. [Britannica Encyclopedia 9:339; 2b]) to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion… Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler…” (Isaiah 16:1-4 a). (Read a recent new article on “The Abomination of Desolation” Order Booklet no. 615) This prophecy affirms that the Jewish inheritance of Israel will be protected from the “Man of Sin” by the Moabites or present day Jordanians. The Ammonites are also modern Jordanians and will share in being what Isaiah calls “coverts” or“a covering for the Jewish inhabitants.” The land of Edom is also mentioned in this wilderness experience. Edom is the land of Esau and is presently located in areas controlled by either Jordan or Saudi Arabia. Some Edomites will share in protecting Israel, while others will betray them. Saved From the Antichrist! Because these Arab nations (descendants of Lot and Esau) befriended Israel in this dark hour, God keeps His promise to “bless those that bless Jerusalem.” Nothing escapes the omniscience of the Almighty. Daniel has already prophesied the protection, “He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon” (Daniel 11:41-42). By some miraculous event this ruthless One World Leader will be diverted from crossing over Jordan and the geographical line South of Jordan into the wilderness immediately east. The Jews, who obey the Torah and prophets and flee as God has spoken, will be protected. The rest of Israel will be viciously slain. Two Thirds of All Jews Will Be Killed! The Prophet Zechariah has established what happens to both the two-thirds who are slain and the one-third who are delivered, “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:8-9). This wilderness experience will break their stubbornness and haughty spirit and open their heart to the Messiah Jesus Christ. The census on the Jewish Web says there are 13. 295,100 Jews in the world. (Jewish Information Census, Internet). That means approximately 8,864. 000 Jews will be slaughtered and 4,432,000 will be ready to help establish the Kingdom of David.. The 144,000 of the twelve tribes sealed in Revelation chapter seven will be evangelists to the Israeli nation and the world’s Jewish population. These ministries will prepare their hearts for the Messiah. Temple in Jerusalem to Be Cleansed Before the End of the Great Tribulation! One of the most thrilling things I have ever discovered is the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem. It will actually happen about eight and one-half months before the Battle of Armageddon as the Jews begin their heart-felt humility and repentance. God, the Holy Spirit, will be getting them ready to be converted and cleansed in one day. Daniel told the story of this happening, “Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Daniel 8:11-14). Again, the Antichrist will be so occupied with his own troubles and the judgment of God falling on his head that he will not have time to maintain his hold on Jerusalem. The two thousand and three hundred days include the first three and one-half years of daily sacrifices following the covenant with the “Imposter.” Part of the seven-year covenant will be to return the Temple Mount to the Jews as their Holy Place. During the next two years and nine and one-half months, the sanctuary will be trodden under foot by the “Prince of the Host” (verse 11) or this “Imposter” probably presenting himself as the High Priest. During the last eight and one-half months, the city of Jerusalem will be recaptured and the temple returned to Jewish control. When the first three and one-half years or 1,278 days are subtracted from 2,300 (Daniel 8:14), it leaves 1,022 days or two years and approximately nine and one-half months. That leaves approximately eight and one-half months to complete the last three and one-half years. The Holy Scripture never misses a detail. Every jot and tittle will be fulfilled. Just exactly like Jesus promised the days will be shortened for the elect, but not for the rest of the world. “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). While the Antichrist directs his New World Order from Jerusalem, he will actually seek out every Jewish individual for death and will destroy over 8,000,000 of them. The Father will halt him before all the people of Jewish decent have been slain. Jesus Returns to Defeat the Antichrist and His Multitude! While the temple is being cleansed and the Jewish peoples are preparing for the returning Messiah, the Antichrist will be marshaling for the death blow against Jerusalem called Armageddon. He will be angry to the point of insanity due to the loss of Jerusalem and the re instituting of Jewish worship in the Holy Place. His immense army will gather in Megiddo and prepare for the deathblow, once and for all, of the State of Israel, Jerusalem, and every Jewish individual left. That’s when the fury of God flies in His face. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army” (Revelation 19:11-19). According to Zechariah, the battle will reach the city of Jerusalem, “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah King of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light” (Zechariah 14:1-7). All Israel To Be Cleansed and Saved! When the King of Kings, riding His white stallion, has vanquished the army of this madman, He will immediately appear to the Jewish throng in Moab, Ammon, and Edom. They will actually see and hear the pleading of their Messiah as He invites them to faith in Himself. Isaiah describes this breathtaking moment, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come” (Isaiah 63:1-4). We are discussing one of the most furious, destructive battles of human history. The Lord Himself will actually participate in combat as He trods the winepress of the wrath of God. Then he proceeds to the Eastern Gate of the Holy City clothed in His blood stained apparel. Already the masons are removing the stones that have barred that entrance to the Temple Mount for centuries while awaiting this Prince of Peace. In one day all Israel will be converted to the Lord Jesus Christ and the land will be cleansed of all it’s defilement. Zechariah said, “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree” (Zechariah 3:9-10). Apostle Paul left no doubt in his inspiration by the Holy Spirit, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27). The Children of Abraham will finally prepare for their glorious kingdom. The borders of Israel will reach from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. Every square inch promised to the Father of Faith will be the inheritance of these Believing Sons and Daughters of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God promised, “Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies”. (Genesis 22:17 b). The Babylonians (Iraqis) will serve Israel, as will other nations, who have made slaves of the Jewish people. The land of promise will be a Garden of Eden and produce abundantly. Arid deserts will become as gardens and no man will lack for plenty. The Middle East is the Cradle of Civilization and will be the center of a Worldwide Theocracy ruled by the virgin born heir of David. Jesus will set up the kingdom of which He told His disciples in answer to their question, Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:6 b & Acts 1:7). The time will have come! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 93: SIGNS IN THE SUN AND MOON; 2010. ======================================================================== Signs in the Sun and Moon; 2010. The Sun will go into an eclipse and the moon will turn to blood. This world is facing earth-shattering events. The wicked have prospered and increased. They have become bold and blasphemous and the cup of sin is near to being full. Justice in the heart of our Heavenly Father allows the wicked to run their course, but then the hammer must fall. There is a strong sense in my heart that the hour of these events is at hand. I do not know that they will begin during this year of 2010, but I do know they are certain, and I believe it will be soon. The state of the Western churches is so utterly apostate that no spiritual renewal will occur until judgment begins. God’s perfect Word has declared, “. . . for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). The blindness of the Western World to holy things and the arrogance about any possible judgment by God is a dark crisis. It cannot last. God will either act or His reputation is on the line. Please, do not question the fact that the great Sovereign God is preparing for His visitation. The Word of God has already spoken. The Holy Ghost anointed Apostle Peter to speak of our day as he preached the “Pentecost Celebration” sermon. It is clear that Peter was addressing the entire church dispensation from that day to our day. If there is a chapter in the Bible that should be a clarion call to the church world, this is it. The church of Jesus Christ was inaugurated at Pentecost and the Holy Spirit did not fail to announce the closing hour. Peter spoke very passionately of these last days concerning the kingdom of God on earth, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:17-21). He used a Greek word for “last-eschatos” and the meaning is “most remote,” “extreme,” or the “last of the last.” It is evident that we are there. The things about to happen are going to shake this world to its very soul. Imagine about 1:30 on a sunny afternoon when the sun simply goes out, and our world turns dark as midnight. Nothing in natural science or nature will be identified as an ordinary cause. Those scientists that study the atmosphere are quickly brought into the newsroom, but they can only say, “This is unexpected, we have no answers.” Not only will the darkness startle people but the deep spiritual emotions that follow such an act by God will be even more troubling. The emotions that followed 9/11 will pale to compare. Animals will seek a hiding place, chickens will go to roost, and dogs will howl with dread. This eclipse of the sun may well be followed by the moon turning blood red and trailing the sky with what appears to be a moon bath. The tint of blood will suddenly leave the entire heavenlies with an awe inspiring gloom. Wicked people will curse at the heavens and drown themselves in intoxicants. The Bible has promised that this coming judgment will be so overwhelming to the unprepared multitudes that, “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” (Luke 21:26). Our present moon is the heavenly body that determines the tides of the oceans. When the moon starts to convulse the earthly water tables will follow suit. The Son of God told us this would occur, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25). The East and West coasts of America will certainly experience tsunamis that will devastate entire major cities. We are talking about a time when the supreme powers of the heavens will no longer be a subject for jest and debate. Atheists will either curse and swear or turn to prayer. There will no longer be a middle ground between believers and unbelievers. Apostle Peter spoke of things that will occur as almost impossible to understand in advance. An eclipse of the sun and the moon turning to blood is only part of what the Christian world may face as we await the Rapture. He spoke of “signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke.” We are speaking of indescribable events. Natural phenomena can cause some of this, but the world often explains them as the results of nature. I believe these will be so unexpected and unexplainable that the Sovereign God must be acknowledged. The multitudes will finally refuse the lies of Bible critics and start giving glory to God. As soon as the moon turns to blood, millions will turn to God. When the Sun goes out or God covers it with His hand, and when the light comes back on, church altars will once again become the mourner’s bench. The Holy Ghost speaking by Peter at Pentecost did not fail to give us the effect of these Heavenly manifestations. None of these actions will be wasted. God is going to prepare this universe for both revival and His final redemption. As He concluded this explanation of judgments, the Spirit said, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). All of the above could happen either before or after the Rapture. The Apostle was speaking to the multitude in Jerusalem and to the church. This could well mean that this portion of judgment may occur at any moment. We are foolish if we do not live ready to go in the Rapture or ready to reap a harvest as our Lord shakes this world to its senses. I pray that He will send this shakening before He raptures His Church for the sake of the lost. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 94: THE ABOMINATION AND OBAMANATION OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ======================================================================== THE ABOMINATION AND OBAMANATION OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE (Obama appointed over 250 Gays to federal positions and judgeships) CAN YOU NAME A MORAL ISSUE THAT HAS GREATER POWER TO DESTROY OUR NATION THAN HOMOSEXUALITY AND LESBIANISM? When you evaluate this moral degradation to the sanctity of marriage you have laid the foundation for total ruin. This moral failure attacks the Creator, blasphemes society and the beauty of a married couple and their family. When a man or woman goes to bed for sexual pleasure with their same sex, they are at the bottom rung of the human life. We must call this life perversion or answer to God for blaspheming Him. The world is determined to make moral people ashamed to call this life what it really is. There is a war coming straight out of the liberal political world to cram this moral failure into every public school, every student, into the Church and into your home. Our God has absolutely declared judgment on anyone in society that does not weep and cry over this perversion. We cannot have God’s favor when we accept such evil against His Name and Truth. “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” (Ezekiel 9:4) Where are the Ministers and Church Elders, not to ignore the members, that are crying and sighing over this horrible abomination in America? This depth of perversion destroys the fiber of any nation or people. God created us as moral people in His own image. Someone claiming they were born with a homosexual character may indeed be right, but only is it so in the Adamic nature of sin. A child born in a home with no moral values may have all kinds of imagination for sinful living. Every lifestyle contrary to the Bible comes from the sin nature. Nothing but Christ’s Blood can cleanse men from these possibilities. The Obama presidency promoted homosexuality from the first day. The White House webpage declared this intent the night of his arrival to occupy our sacred National Capitol. The staff of his administration is loaded with this perversion. President Obama’s base of supporters are the worse possible citizens of America. When you see him and Biden acting insane in debate, they are appealing to people that love low living. A special webpage entitled “Presidential Appointments Project” has promoted appointments to the Obama staff and brag that there are over 250 Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgenders that have received appointments. Click here to visit that site: “http://www. glli. org/presidential” They state that this president has appointed more known homosexuals than all previous Presidents combined. President Obama proclaimed June of this year 2012, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, an Transgender Pride Month”. They had a big celebration in the White House. Shortly after the party with Obama, pictures began to appear on the internet. The proud Homosexuals had taken photos of themselves under President Reagan’s White House picture making obsene gestures to our beloved deceased President. Decency hardy exist among people whose lives are lived in the moral gutter. Apostle Paul left no doubt that the homosexual life is vile. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” (Romans 1:22-27) This language is Holy Ghost language and anyone tolerating the opposite will answer in Judgment. History is replete with nations that mistakenly allowed moral failure to consume their citizens. No society has ever survived with a rotten moral foundation. “If the foundation be destroyed what shall the righteous do?” (Psalms 11:3) The church world has joined their unholy crowd in accepting the same-sex mindset. The only way this happened is because they were never “Born Again” to a new life in Christ. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 95: THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION: A “LYING WONDER” THAT DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD (REV_13:1-18; REV_17:1-18) ======================================================================== THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION: A “Lying Wonder” that deceives The Whole World (Revelation 13:1-18&Revelation 17:1-18) The ultimate evil, the scourge of this entire planet, a wickedness so profound that every realm it touches becomes a wretched desolation, that’s,“The Abomination of Desolation!” Somehow this event has been seen as singularly defiling the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. That is surely evil but it will also announce the Antichrist campaign to destroy everything Jewish. This event spells darkness for the total earth. Daniel called it “The Transgression of Desolation” but Jesus Christ named it, “The Abomination of Desolation.” It is the mark of wickedness for the last three and one half years that will envelope the world. A “One World Church” is developing all over the earth. It still has many names but that will soon end. The Roman Catholic system is certainly the largest but not the loudest. The Charismatic group called Kingdom Dominion or Dominionism is large, radical and growing. They hate the truth of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and call it the enemy of their effort to possess the earth. Post Millennialism is dominant in many Mainline Churches but it lacks the aggressive element in Charismatic circles. Almost all Churches in the Emergent or Sinner friendly groups, especially those into Religious Rock or Contemporary Music are mainly Post Millennial and will be part of “The One World Church” after the Rapture. A great percentage of this last company does not believe in a Rapture either but see the church as destined to rule the entire world system. We Bible believers are LOOKING for Jesus Christ because He will appear in the Midair to Rapture the saints before the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation. Then He will come to the earth after the Seven Years to defeat Satan and his Unholy Trinity. We also know that He and He alone, “THE SON OF GOD AND KING OF KINGS” will set up His Kingdom for one Thousand years. These three great Bible doctrines are the only truth that is consistent with Prophecies in both Testaments and especially the Book of Revelation. Every other doctrine begets nothing but guestions and competing ideas. The Truth is solid. This event called “The Abomination Of Desolation” in the middle of the “Seven Years of the Great Tribulation” is the scheme of this “One World Religion”. The One World Church” will submit to her ultimate religious leader which ascends up out of the “Bottomless Pit.” This False Prophet does not appear until the middle of the Seven Years. The One World Religion will be in great power and full sway and will have martyred millions of those that repented and turned to the Truth. The first purpose of this False Prophet with his “false anointing” will be the announcement of the Antichrist as the appearance of a false Jesus to the world. Here is the actual statement of the False Prophet’s arrival on the scene. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” (Revelation 13:11-14) This beast of a man has paranormal powers that will give credit to prove that he is the world’s greatest and most powerful prophet. His message will be successful in presenting this false Jesus as the hope of the world. He will declare that every living person must be a follower and servant of this new christ or they must be killed. In the process of presenting the Antichrist as Christ, an image or likeness of him will be created and placed in the Jewish Temple. The False Prophet performs an undeniable miracle. He declares this image to become a living being and the image is mysteriously animated. John saw a drama of this very scene in advance so he could describe it to us prophetically. Before the Scripture announces the mark and the world wide requirement, it first speaks of worshipping before this image and the Antichrist it represents. The idea of praying to an image is not foreign to the Catholic church and is quickly gaining favor with the church world. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:15) The unconverted multitude will have no wisdom to deny or disprove this “Lying Wonder.” The One World Order will be united, so the political and economic arms of government will join this event. A decree that no one can buy or sell will be instituted to support the religious action of the Antichrist and his “False Prophet. “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13:16-17) It’s easy to understand that this mark has two purposes. One, to control all commerce for taxing and another to ensure the worship of the Antichrist by the entire One World Order. False religions have always been willing to force everyone under their control to worship the god they chose. . It is clear from the Scripture that the “Abomination of Desolation” is the action of the “One World Religion” developing before our eyes The Harlot Woman, as this powerful religious order is called, will actually rides the Beast and have power with him. Although this Beast ascended out of the Abyss or Bottomless Pit it will not disturb a church world that is deeply controlled by Mysticism. We call this beast “The False Anointed,” or the “False Prophet.” At this time in the seven dark years religion has so lost its way that any thing religious is wonderful. This Beast is not the Antichrist but the second beast which Satan uses to cause the world to worship the Antichrist and Himself, the Dragon. This Religious multitude will look like Kings as they ride this vicious beast. The riches of this false religious system will dazzle the world. The Harlot Church will be the dominant factor of the “New World Order.” No one can control the masses like the powers of superstition. This church world is already vile in utter compromise and immorality. The present Roman Catholic Church is clearly guilty of protecting the pedophiles, homosexuals, and power thirsty crowd that dominants their ruling elite. The Lord invites John the Revelator to view this “Whore Church.” The word “whore” is the word the Holy Ghost used to describe her. The Lord said to John, “Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:1-4) It is clear that the “Abomination of Desolation” that begins with an image in the Jewish Temple then proceeds to envelope the earth with a rot of the vilest possibility. This abomination will be forced upon the world and a mark will be tattooed or inscribed on every person that worships at their new altar. The Religious Whore is Biblically called the Mother of Harlots. “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” (Revelation 17:5-6) This is wickedness so destructive and repulsive that the kings represented by the horns on the beast begin to hate her themselves. History is replete with secular kings that have hated the Roman religious system. She has forced her will often through the years but now her last campaign of world dominance has reached it’s end. “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:16-17) Political people are perfectly ready to use any system that will help them succeed, but in the end care nothing for its survival. I believe the Catholic Church actually use pedophiles and homosexual priests to enlist altar boys and anyone under their sway into the priesthood. No one can study the history of this dark religious order and not know that the Vatican is a cesspool. Popes have often been suspected of death by foul play when they failed to do the bidding of the ruling class. The Roman Catholic Church is preparing at this very hour for their coming plan of ruling in a “One World Order.” The Vatican in the last few weeks has called for a world economy, world banking system, and a world court system. To take control of the Jewish temple and then install the image of a Eucharist Jesus is Catholic to it’s heart. I believe this Jesus that they accept will be a Marian Jesus and will include multiple apparitions of Mary whom they call “The Mother of God.” The Catholic Church doctrine is profoundly “replacement theology.” They believe God is finished with the Jews and that they are the rightful owners of Jerusalem. This will be their idea of their “Grandest Hour” as they make Jerusalem the center of their “Worldwide Religious celebration.” Zechariah spoke of this “One World System” in his great prophesy Book from it’s First Testament. “Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.” (Zechariah 5:3-4) The placing of the Antichrist image in the Jewish Temple will begin the all out crusade to strip Jerusalem of the Jews and replace the city with the Antichrist marked and tattooed believers. I believe the two thirds of all the Jews that will be slaughtered will be eliminated by this false church that are already partial to anyone but the Israelies. Some of Israel’s sharpest critics are the liberals in the church world. The Roman Catholic Church has often come down on the side of Israel’s enemies. They are ready to repeat the crusades of the past when they slaughtered Jews and Arabs in the taking of Jerusalem. The “Abomination of Desolation” is certainly the plan of the “Unholy Trinity,” Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet. But Satan in his scheming will use, the “One World Religious Order” to do his dirty work. Both the Antichrist and the False Prophet receive their powers from the Dragon and they also receive their commands from him. Hatred for Christians will be merciless but the total destruction of all things Jewish will be vicious. Jesus promises, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22) DO NOT MISS OPEN BIBLE DIALOGUE THIS SATURDAY WORLDWIDE ON THE WEB. Note the link on the front page, right near the top. The time is 1:00 P. M. (EST) every Saturday . ======================================================================== CHAPTER 96: THE BEASTLY, “ASSYRIAN ANTICHRIST” ======================================================================== THE BEASTLY, “ASSYRIAN ANTICHRIST” "THE CHURCH IS MOSTLY IN THE DEVILS POCKET AND HE IS DETERMINED THAT THIS WORLD DOES NOT LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS ANTICHRIST. Satan’s purpose is to fool the church and the world about this beastly man that he is very close to revealing. The “Emergent Churches” are foolish enough to completely ignore “Bible Prophecy”. They hate Fundamental truths and are damning their mega-flocks of people. By keeping them illiterate of the Book of Revelation and the coming rapture with judgment to follow, these big time preachers are in the drivers seat. A First Testament Prophet called them, “DUMB DOGS, THAT CANNOT BARK; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.” (Isaiah 56:10) Apostle John saw this Antichrist actually rise from the Mediterranean Sea so no one could doubt his actual existence or his Middle Eastern origin. “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” (Revelation 13:1) The blasphemy coming from the Antichrist’s mouth will be unbearable. This will not be the blasphemy of the ugly, but the blasphemy of the distorted beautiful. The entire religious world is already glorying in statues, icons, and art forms of different expressions. The choreographed dance is one of the church world’s darkest deceptions. Statues that are proclaimed as anointed, especially where grace is reportedly connected, have already been accepted in Charismatic circles. Millions follow apparitions of Mary. Some writers are describing visions and dreams of incredible creatures and experiences. All kinds of extra Biblical occurrences are preparing the way for religious blasphemy. To assign anything to God that is clearly occultic is blasphemy. To claim to be God is the worst form of blasphemy. To imitate the Son of God is a dark hideous form of blasphemy. This Beastly Assyrian Antichrist will be the most vicious man that has ever been known. His lineage from the Assyrians could not be more fitting. They were evil and they enjoyed being evil. They treated their enemies or captives in the vilest fashion that our human imagination could think. The ruins of their ancient palaces are filled with grotesque carvings in stone as a testimony to the evil ingeniousness of their character. They were in life and in battle a foretaste of what the Antichrist will be as the final dictator for Satan. The prophets have made it clear that the Antichrist will be an Assyrian. He is so real that the world will worship him. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) Prophet Isaiah spoke of this future beast that attacked and destroyed the Northern kingdom of Israel. “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.” (Isaiah 10:5-6). Then, Isaiah gave another part of the prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled. “That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.” (Isaiah 14:25). This has never been fulfilled, so we know it is about the future Antichrist. He spoke of this Assyrian in clear end time chronology to leave no doubt as to His meaning. “And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.” (Isaiah 30:30-31). The final Antichrist of this thirteenth chapter must be that Assyrian. Even Micah spoke of his death in the gate of Nimrod, which is none other than Ancient Babylon being revisited at this very hour. To add to the prophetic miracles that are occurring all over the world this Assyrian beast represents an unspeakable mystery that can finally be understood. Except for a few historians and the people of Assyrian lineage, nobody in prophetic literature even considered that there were Assyrian people alive right up to this very time in history. Almost as mysterious as the Jews, but completely off the radar, the Assyrians as a distinct people have survived the centuries with clear unmistakable identity. Living mostly in their own conclaves, they have survived great odds to now surface in Northern Iraq and other nations where they have fled. For them to presently be involved in uniting their own culture and to be a voice in the new Iraq government cannot be less than perfect planning on the part of our Creator. There are very distinct, positive plans for the future of the Assyrians in the Bible. Indeed they will produce the Antichrist, but this should not and does not indict the present Assyrian people as bad themselves. The Antichrist must arise from a culture and a people that pledge allegiance to the God of the Bible which the Assyrians do and have done since the day of Jesus Christ. Daniel said, “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.” (Daniel 11:37). But, a much greater future awaits this ancient culture. During the Millennium, there will only be three nations in the Middle East. Assyria will be one of them. This would suggest that at some point the Northern part of Iraq and Iran, may be much of the Southern part of Turkey, Syria, and at least part of Jordan, will be the Assyrian nation. “In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land.” (Isaiah 19:24). Much bigger and broader than the ancient lineage is the connection of the coming Antichrist to Satan. He will be the slickest masquerader ever produced by Lucifer. The making of this evil character has been centuries in Satan’s planning. He is not a flash in the pan but a well prepared imitation. He will have a partner in the False Prophet that will probably imitate all the works of the Holy Spirit. He should be called the false anointing. Under Satan’s tutorage, these two personalities will finalize a “one world religion” that cleverly unites all religions together. The Middle East is clearly the geographical center of the rising Antichrist. The United Nations of Europe will slowly connect with the Middle East as the revived Roman Empire regains its footing in the needed order. Iraq had to become a democracy in its own unique style because the Antichrist will begin by flatteries, not by military powers, “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries:” (Daniel 11:32 a). The Antichrist, as an Assyrian by nationality, will be connected to the ancient city of Babylon and that nation. Rising out of the sea as he appears certainly ties him closely to the Mediterranean Sea and the political powers within its vicinity. He quickly unites the political powers and becomes the leader of the emerging Roman Empire, but especially its ancient Eastern wing. His rise to power and his coalition of political partners will be blasphemous in nature and will bear a decidedly anti-Israel and Antichrist tone Satan especially blasphemes everything that is heavenly about God, the Father. When the Father and the Lamb sent angels to cast him out of the midair, he lost all ability to travel in the stratosphere of God’s domain. Notice that he blasphemes God, His name, His heavenly tabernacle, and those that dwell in heaven. He certainly hates the Father because he is now forbidden to appear in His presence. He is the Sovereign God, and Satan has sought to replace God with himself. He has totally failed and nothing but hatred can now find expression in his disappointed heart. The tabernacle of God is the grandest location in the entire universal system. It is glorious, even beyond words. Paul saw it and was left speechless. Satan has visited it at every opportunity the Father allowed, but now it can only be a distant dream to Satan; and he blasphemes it with vileness. He blasphemes everyone that dwells in this matchless place. “Here is wisdom … it is the number of a man.” (Revelation 13:18) Nothing reveals the Antichrist better than this statement. Unbridled flesh, the raw appetite of the adamic nature, and the wildest possible life of sin is what the “mark” of the Antichrist will represent. The land will be full of pedophiles, animalistic sexual exploits, sado-masochism, and deeper and deeper vileness will continue until human flesh is worse than the worst beast. It will all be manifest with complete religious acceptance. To take the mark will be like becoming a human animal. The Antichrist and the false prophet will give the devil his masterpiece of deception. Satan knows he has but a short time, so it will be an all out war. When this deception is complete, it will then turn on its head and God will expose and judge. Satan always over plays his hand. He is an idiot god and will finally be cast into the bottomless pit but destined for the Lake of Fire. His two beasts will go directly to the Lake of Fire at the end of the seven years that Jesus called,”The Great Tribulation.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 97: THE EVIL POWERS OF FEMALE ANGELS (FALLEN ANGELS) ======================================================================== THE EVIL POWERS OF FEMALE ANGELS (Fallen Angels) THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF GODDESSES IN OUR WORLD AND EACH REPRESENTS A FALLEN ANGEL. Paul and Silas were placed in stocks and bonds and thrown into a filthy jail for casting out a fallen angel (a demon) that possessed a damsel in Philippi. “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” (Acts 16:16-18) Fallen angels hate everything that is Godlike, consequently they love appearing as females. There is a multitude of females, witches posing as fortune tellers. They are clearly possessed of fallen, demon spirits. FALLEN ANGELS DELIGHT IN PRESENTINGS THEMSELVES AS GODDESSES. These debauched spirits are the dedicated promoters of the jezebel spirit so dominant in our churches and in the present world. In the past history of mankind, women were the keepers of pure morals and fidelity in the homes. The liberalism of our culture has lead women into the sad state against Biblical morals and standards that once made America the greatest moral force in the world. Men in the past were the aggressors in sexual sins, now women are as bad and sometimes worse. THE BIBLE GIVES US A CLEAR PICTURE OF THREE FALLEN ANGELS APPEARING IN THE END TIME SCHEME TO REBUILD BABYLON. THEY ARE CALLED WICKEDNESS AND THEIR ACTIVITIES ARE CLEARLY AS FEMALE ANGELS. This is certainly a strong Biblical proof that fallen angels can take the form of a woman. “And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.” (Zechariah 5:7-9) God’s infallible Word always makes His truth clear for us. Goddesses are clearly fallen angels possessed with the desire to be gods. Here is a list of some of the most well known manifestations and the characteristics of their deception. Male gods are much less frequent on the world scene because of the very character of evil. Destroying the masculinity of the heavenly Father is the bent of the devil. Look at these evil goddesses and the lies that decribe their character. *Aphrodite (Greek) – The beautiful Goddess of love and fertility. No man could resist Aphrodite when she wore her magic girdle. Her name means foam born or risen from foam, as she was birthed from the churning sea. *Athena (Greek) – Goddess of war and wisdom and domestic crafts. Plato believed her name meant “mind of God,” whilst others suggest it comes from an ancient word meaning “sharp.” Both these words point to Athena’s great intellectual ability to see the true nature of a situation and to develop successful strategies. *Diana (Roman) – Goddess of the hunt and wild animals. She later took over from Luna as the Roman Goddess of the moon, responsible for fertility and childbirth. Her name means “heavenly divine,” reflecting her celestial role. *Eos (Greek) – A sunny natured Goddess whose name means dawn. *Hathor (Egyptian) – This heavenly cow’s areas of influence included music, dancing, joy, and fertility. Her name translates as “house of Horus.” Alternative names for this Goddess are Het-Hert, Hetheru, Mehturt, Mehurt, Mehet-Weret, and Mehet-uret. *Hella (Nordic) – The fearsome Goddess of the Nordic realm of the dead. Her name is derived from the word kel, meaning “to conceal.” There are numerous spellings of her name including Halje Hell, Hel, Helle, Hela and Holle. *Inanna (Sumerian) – Goddess of love, war, and fertility. Inanna was the personification of the morning and evening star. Her beautiful name means “lady of the sky.” This Goddess is closely linked to Ishtar and Nin-anna. *Iris (Greek) – Goddess of the rainbow and messenger to the Gods. Her name means rainbow in her native language. *Isis (Egyptian) – Goddess of truth and balance. She prevented the creation from reverting to chaos and judged the deeds of the dead with her feather. This Goddess name stems from the word Mayet, meaning “straight.” This reflects her unbending nature in upholding what is right and just. *Juno (Roman) – Goddess of marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth. She protected the finances of the citizens of Rome. Her name is Mystery, it speaks of a contradictory role for this Goddess, before her alignment to the matronly, Greek Goddess, Hera. This is because her name is derived from the root yeu, meaning “vital force” indicating a more youthful, maiden Goddess. Diana in the Bible was an excellent example of this nature of evil. The words of the followers of this false goddess shows their hatred for truth. “And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” (Acts 19:28) Then we see the hatred for Paul because he was a Jew. “But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” (Acts 19:34) These kinds of activities are spreading over the world and destroying the morals of a multitude. The Catholic deception concerning the Virgin Mary is further proof of the passion of fallen angels to promote female confusion. This Godly mother was a champion of the faith and pure beyond question. Any promotion of her appearing all over the world is not one thing but demons. It’s utterly deceptive to reduce her excellent life to a paranormal phenomena. Superstition is the end result. Her name has become an icon for the world of witches. The adoration of female pictures and figurines presented as angels reduces the people to religious activities empty of truth and transformation to Holiness. Every Scripture in the Bible of angels proves beyond question that angels are masculine. Cornelius saw the angel that appeared and described him. “And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:34) Peter was delivered by an angel from Herod’s jail house. “And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.” (Acts 12:7-9) The city of Sodom was filled with homosexuals when angels came to visit Lot and see the horrible decay. The Bible left no doubt about the gender of this Angel of the Lord. “But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him…” (Genesis 19:4-8) Angels are holy, powerful, and masculine. It’s the devil’s delight to try to reduce God and any one of His heavenly creatures to a form of effeminate weakness. It isn’t possible but try they will. The whole homosexual world is a picture of the opposite of God and His Holy world. Judgment is very near and the redeemed world will be absolutely holy. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 98: THE MIRACLE OF MULTIPLICATION (ABRAHAMIC BLESSINGS, HEB_6:14) ======================================================================== THE MIRACLE OF MULTIPLICATION (Abrahamic Blessings,Hebrews 6:14) THE WORD OF GOD IS EMPHATIC! God our Father delights to multiply His believing and obedient children and to increase their life to supernatural proportion. He wants to bless our children, our children’s children, and us. The Abraham blessing has never ceased to constitute the ultimate result of truly believing the gospel. We are not speaking of a “Name It, Claim It” theology, but a simple life lived in the fullest of the Holy Bible. A Cross-bearing Christians is one that lives a life under the Lord’s sufficiency and His unfailing Covenant. His servants are a blessed people with blessings far above worldly wealth ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! DO NOT MISS THE OPEN BIBLE DIALOGUE THIS SATURDAY. THE TITLE IS ‘THE LORD ROARS OUT OF HEAVENLY JERUSALEM” Joel 3:16. At 1:00 P. M. (est) and live on the Worldwide Web. See Homepage! The Abraham Blessing of Multiplication! The Apostle Paul said it in these words, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 3:14). “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” (Galatians 3:18). “Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.” (Hebrews 6:14). These Scriptures make it clear that the gospel of faith was first given to Abraham as a basis of God’s blessings and promises. This has never been changed. We have the right to claim what the Bible calls the Abrahamic blessing and to claim it by faith. This blessing is not a quick fix. We are not talking about an ecstatic moment or an occasional shower of blessings. It certainly does not suggest selfish pursuits into lavish living. We must separate this beautiful promise from a carnal, flesh-centered lifestyle. It is, rather, a life lived in the full tide flow of biblical blessings. The things of God are far superior to worldly wealth. Only a carnal mind would elevate things to the same level as God’s righteous blessings. Solomon, speaking with inspiration, made the following statement, “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.” (Proverbs 8:18-19). We are talking about blessings and multiplication that is worlds above what we are prone to equate with success. The Abrahamic blessing deals with successful family life, beautiful marriages, children who know themselves, and children’s children who become the crown of old age. We are talking about influence that pervades entire communities—towering saints who are like an army of strength against the tides of evil. This lifestyle will lead to many enjoyable experiences that involve things, places, positions, and even honor from men; but these are never the real goals or delights. The blood-washed children of Abraham are looking for a city, which has foundation, whose builder, and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). Anything we experience on the freeway to that city deserves our gratitude, but it must never cloud our ultimate vision of spiritual success. THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF MULTIPLICATION! “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalms 1:1-6). It’s fitting that the Book of Psalms begins with the word, “Blessed.” The idea undergirding this chapter is conveyed by the word, blessed. It means “fortunate, happy, complete in one’s person, someone to be envied and respected.” Hidden in this meaning are several powerful things: self-love without haughtiness, clear directions for life, and a wholesome set of priorities. It is a picture of an individual in absolute harmony with the God of this universe and sensitive to walking harmoniously to His will. What a towering picture of successful living! Blessed! There are three negative principles which are easily translated to positive ones and two positives in this first chapter of Psalms. These five principles provide the basis for a life that refuses to be diminished. A wayfaring man, though a fool, can walk this highway of holiness (Isaiah 35:8) and reach the ultimate, personal presence of Jesus Christ. He can also be happy and fulfilled along the way. Let’s look at the principles one by one. “BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT WALKETH NOT IN THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY!” Worldly wisdom has never been so available as it is today. Bookshelves are lined and magazines are available covering every subject, Counselors, workshops, and seminars provide advice and instruction. Sometimes it takes more wisdom to choose a good source of counsel than it would take to solve the problem itself. There is a family crisis today because we have established our marriages and family techniques on questionable instruction. Liberal sex therapists have led us to believe that anything goes in the marriage relationship. Balanced discipline has been replaced with “new ideas,” and we wonder why they do not work. Every area of life must come under the scrutiny of divine wisdom. Our counsel must not come from questionable sources. It doesn’t matter how philosophical it sounds, how acceptable to our modern thought—if it cannot stand the test of the Book, it is powerless and will breed death, not life. Human wisdom can sound highly intellectual and right to the fleshly mind, and yet be void of life-giving substance. “NOR STANDETH IN THE WAY OF SINNERS!” Our generation of believers has come to view any lifestyle of caring, biblical living as suspect. Words like “straight-laced,” “puritanical,” “pharisaical,” “suppressed,” “legalistic,” and others are used to describe any group or individual who stands apart from the loose and free crowd. There is certainly a danger in either direction and the consequence deserves carefulness. Yet, we need a return to the clear standards of the Word of God. The commandments of God are not less right than when inscribed by His finger. The wisdom books of Psalms and Proverbs would be rendered void if the Ten Commandments given in Exodus were discredited. This is also true of the other 64 books. Over and over, the Commandments are declared as the foundation of greatness, beauty, prosperity, and success. We must remove our foot from evil and refuse the path of sinners. To walk in disobedience and neglect is sin. No man can ignore one of God’s precepts without rendering himself a sinner. We cannot mistake the word “sinner” for some derelict or prostitute. We must refuse the way of sinners—we cannot follow their example. “NOR SITTETH IN THE SEAT OF THE SCORNFUL!” The basic idea of this great statement is to refuse the position of judgment and criticism of others. It also covers the thought of a negative attitude toward life and its experiences in general. Translated into a positive, it parallels Paul’s thought in Philippians, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Php 4:8). Such a mind has risen above the carnal habit of gossiping and faultfinding of others. Our desire is not to hide wrong, but to help eliminate it. Love is a cleansing power when occupying the throne of our heart—vacated by the deceit of scorn. We have often thought of hate as the opposite of love. Instead, it is fear, not hate, that stands as the antonym of this powerful characteristic; and scorn is the result of our fears. Fear of failure, duties, relationships, responsibilities, and even other people’s success has created a generation of scornful individuals. We make ourselves feel better by bringing others down to our own size—or less. Receiving gossip from someone else’s scorn is first cousin to repeating scorn yourself. The infallible Word teaches in the writings of David, “He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.” (Psalms 15:3). To take or receive a reproach against another is sin. There are many persons who absolutely live to hear negative talk. They are obsessed with delving into other people’s affairs. My friends, flee the negative forces of scorn, criticism, and doubtful disputation. Receive your brethren, even the weak ones, as Paul told the believers. “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.” (Romans 14:1). “BUT HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD!” Absolutely powerful is the only way to describe this great principle. When God’s laws and commandments are no longer viewed as bondage or narrowness, but freedom and expanse, life begins to blossom. Lucifer’s chief tactic has been to question God’s motives in placing restrictions on man. He has caused the unsuspecting to view all limits as inhibitions. The truth is we can enjoy an uninhibited oneness with our Creator, or we can succumb to a false freedom of lawlessness. There are many miserable Christians laboring under an erroneous understanding of this truth. When we discover God’s laws as His protection and security, we discover the source of greatness. While our life expands, it is also protected. We find, in this kind of restriction, clear boundaries that give peace of mind and assurance. God’s laws and commandments are to the believer exactly what discipline and guidelines are in a Christian home. The only alternative is confusion. One’s soul can find joy in reading and keeping His laws. Delight in them, rejoice in them, exalt them in your heart and they will exalt you to blessings and beauty. No longer will they be restrictions, but liberation. Isaiah summed it up with the following great expression, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31). The whole idea of waiting upon the Lord is not some rocking chair mentality; rather, it is the casting off of human understanding and man-made answers, and the grasping of Him in faith. “AND IN HIS LAW DOTH HE MEDITATE DAY AND NIGHT!” Our mind will be occupied in one of two ways: we will either discipline it in thinking pure thoughts, meditating on the word and law of God, or we will fall victim to the carnal imagination of our evil nature. The mind can never serve as a neutral zone. What occupies our thought-life today determines what we become tomorrow. Note these statements from the Book of Proverbs, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22). “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” (Proverbs 20:27). “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7). A person’s entire personality will be forged by what he allows to dominate his thinking. Health of body, peace of mind, character, influence, family relationships, and the entire packet of life rises or falls on the strength of our mental occupation. Our Heavenly Father will fill one’s personality with Himself only by invitation. Meditation in His words, Holy Ghost-anointed prayer, and worship are our invitations for Him to occupy our spirit. A grave danger lurks for those who would use their mind to create false illusions of success or spirituality. It always fails! A pseudo-spiritual imagination is the worst kind of deception. Satan is ever ready to invade such a fleshly effort outside the confines of the Word and voice of the Holy Spirit. We must set our life to follow after the Lord, making Him the central point of our mental delights, praising Him continually. He will occupy and renew the mind that spends its energies in praising and obeying Him. Powers in your person that you did not know you possessed will find release and expression. He will add to us the spirit of power, the spirit of love, and the spirit of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). These five principles are invincible. He did not suggest that one might succeed if they are obeyed. He promised a miracle of multiplication. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalms 1:3). IN SEASON! Increase, multiplication, prosperity, success . . . and all of them “in his season.” This is the kind of biblical prosperity that any minister can preach and any Christian can dare to believe it. It is balanced and Christ honoring. His promise of these blessings, “in his season,” is significant. The words, “in his season” indicate God’s time schedule for one’s life. Impatience or fleshly manipulation only serves to hinder and distort His plan. What He desires is bigger and better than anything a person might conjure up for himself. We must wait on His refreshing and blessings as He plans them according to one’s season. When we actively seek the will and work of God in our life, there is no need of seeking His blessings. They are part of the same. Just trusting Him for all His best and expecting it to happen brings it to pass The beautiful life of victory, success and multiplication is like a book, which is bound with the golden thread of His holy truth. If we eliminate the golden thread, the book falls apart. To suggest success without embracing God’s principles is sheer foolishness. Our Father knows that one of the worst things that can happen is for a person to possess wealth and abundance without His blessing. Wealth that is cursed is far more destructive than poverty. THE BOOK OF BALANCED FAITH: JAMES! The quality of one’s faith can save or damn him. It is biblical balance that most believers desperately need to grasp. Their faith is up and down, in and out, because this balance is lacking. The right mix of faith is Holy Ghost dynamite. The Book of James talks about faith without works and pronounces it worthless. The real strength of the writer’s argument is that faith must be exercised in the heart of the believer. The success he suggests is when faith takes root and dominates the individual’s life in an active and mature fashion. It is faith on its feet, rather than on a couch. You can find the following kinds of empty faith in the Book of James: Pew-warming faith, hypocritical faith, church-bossing faith, prejudicial faith, lazy faith, lustful faith, Sunday morning faith, double-minded faith, stingy faith, judgmental faith, faultfinding faith, false faith, big mouth faith, worldly faith, selfish faith, evil-speaking faith, poor-mouth faith, and envious faith. One can also find positive faith that breaks all barriers: Joyful faith, enduring faith, patient faith, Word-focused faith, unwavering faith, doer faith, humble faith, righteous faith, neighbor-centered faith, confessing faith, self-disciplined faith, compassionate faith, pure faith, repentant faith, peaceable faith, submitting faith, gentle faith, and good fruit faith. This book presents two kind of faith. One kind creates empty, powerless, defeated people who never rise above their own selfish lifestyle. They are like “The dog that is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22). But one should never forget the faith that possesses the kingdom—the Abraham faith. This kind caused Abram (later called Abraham) to leave the land of his father’s inheritance to search out a spiritual one, which God had promised. He was not willing to be a second-generation success story. He wanted firsthand blessings, and he received them. Today’s believer can, too! DISCOVERING THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE! The Abrahamic blessing is bound up in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the blessings’ highest fulfillment. The only way to become a modern-day heir of Abraham comes through discovering our Lord Jesus Christ in a self-forgetting surrender. When we reach to Him with emptied hands, He will fill them with Himself (and all that He represents). Jesus himself laid out this principle as a foundation stone of His kingdom. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46). When we pick up all our dreams, our ambitions and goals, and everything that constitutes worth and value, then come to His feet to deposit them in the bank of His will, we make a complete transferal of our assets to His account. We make Him our power of attorney. When we pick up our cross and follow Him, we can discover the rest told of in the Book of Hebrews, and begin the walk of miraculous multiplication. LOOKING AT THAT REST! Please read this carefully. But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 3:6-8, Hebrews 3:17-19; Hebrews 4:1-3). What powerful, life-changing truths! He becomes the Son over His own house (us and all of ours). We have rested our endeavor at rulership. The bankruptcy proceedings are over, and everything we own is in His receivership. Heaven’s court has eliminated our power of choice and transferred it to the one with power of attorney: He is now Lord. This act removes all human barricades to greatness and multiplication. What is mine and belongs to me can only become what is in my power to make it. What is His and belongs to Him will become all that He is able to accomplish and do. THE BEGINNING MAY SEEM SMALL! The miracle of multiplication has begun. The beginning may seem small. “For who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10), but we must trust Him. His thoughts are not our thoughts, so we cannot second-guess Him. We must make every day a walk of faith with simple obedience. He said, “The just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17). We must trust Him. The first thing one discovers is a genuine peace. A spiritual calm envelops the believing life and releases creative energies and excitement for living. With this new peace, we can listen for His will and walk in it. We must be diligent in the Word and obey it without hesitation. We can have communion with Him—a total lifestyle. We can worship in His house and praising Him can become our constant delight. We must not be overanxious about what He is planning for us. Let us wait on the Lord. We are spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham and heirs to His blessing. It is not a second-generation experience, because our Lord has no grandchildren. So, let us be content in whatsoever state we find ourselves, neither troubled by little, nor puffed up by abundance (See Php 4:11-12.). In Him, little becomes sufficient and much has no leftovers. God has kept my life free from immorality, giving me a beautiful ministry and innumerable friends. Sometimes His words come flowing from my heart so free and fast until my lips are inadequate to convey them. I could talk about earthly blessings, which are insignificant to real happiness, but I do not desire to waste your time. We need only remember that we are to be channels of wealth, not storehouses. That is why there is much poverty and wretchedness in our world. When wealthy people hold wealth for themselves, it becomes cantankerous and despicable. When we pour it out for others, it blesses and blesses and returns to bless. A believer cannot outgive God. Let us enjoy our new-found blessedness, and expect heaven’s best on our life and on those God has called us to bless. As He multiplies, we must keep the fountain open. We can let His blessing flow through us to others, and let their praises blend with ours to flow back to God. “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”( Psalms 118:24) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 99: THE PSALMIST DAVID: “1000 YEARS BEFORE THE MANGER!” ======================================================================== THE PSALMIST DAVID: “1000 Years before the MANGER!” “FOR DAVID SPEAKETH CONCERNING HIM, (JESUS CHRIST) I FORESAW THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE MY FACE FOR HE IS ON MY RIGHT HAND, THAT I SHOULD NOT BE MOVED.” (Acts 2:25) “FORESAW” simply means that David actually saw the “PRE-INCARNATE CHRIST” 1000 years before the “Virgin Birth.” No wonder King David’s Psalms have endured beyond time and ages. Every Psalm is a Classic because Jesus Christ was revealed by the Omniscient Holy Spirit for every Bible lover to Worship. King David received this Revelation of the “CHRIST” and the Virgin Birth. It was his first mystery to proclaim. In his second Psalm of this Divine Book, David said, “I will declare the decree, the Lord hath said unto me, thou art my Son; this day have I Begotten thee.” (Psalms 2:7) This statement is “Heaven’s Point of View” of who was this Son of God. He was the Father’s Son and this Holy Ghost anointed composer was to tell Israel and the world in unmistakable words. David was the only writer in the First Testament that spoke a language that pictured the Triune Godhead in clear terms. Verse seven is one of those great proclamations. After David said, “I foresaw the Lord,” he continued. “Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:” (Acts 2:26) His vision of Christ changed him into the great Master of music filled with adoration and praise. Listen as he penned and probably sung a Psalm that overwhelms our heart. “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalms 100:1-5) Notice what David said in Psalms forty, “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” (Psalms 40:3) Apostle Peter quoted him saying, “My tongue was glad.” (Acts 2:26) There is a clear connection between a glad heart and a glad tongue. They are certainly inseparable because there is life or death in the power of the tongue. A singing saint is a joy to everyone as well as themselves. They change the atmosphere wherever their language is powerfully manifest. The Divine character of the Christ and His sacrifice fills this Book of His Mysteries. In Psalms Chapter Twenty Two we see His cross in absolute overwhelming, but sorrowful expressions. The New Testament writers never tried to improve on the descriptions of the many events in His death, but mostly drew from the words of David. The attitudes of those that arrested Him, tried Him and finally crucified Him are described best by this Psalm. “Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” (Psalms 22:12-13, Psalms 22:16) His sacred body was mutilated and this great Book of David told it best. The Holy Spirit without question revealed these Prophesies to this composer. “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.” (Psa. 11:14-15,17) Isaiah gave these terrifying words of Divine support. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men….” (Isaiah 52:14) The Psalmist did not fail to speak of the Resurrection of Christ. He actually said it best of all the Gospel writers. King David was facing death himself and understood the “Bosom of Abraham or Upper Sheol” where the righteous dead would await this promised Christ. We read as he faced death with joy because he had seen the Messiah,“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalms 16:10-11) Even in death he knew he would be protected by Christ and His Angels until He appeared to put away death by His own sacrifice. It’s evident in this great composer’s world and words that his theme was the majesty of his Lord. He declared “Praise the Lord” sixty-four times. He said “Praise ye the Lord” thirty times. Remember his worshiping of the Lord was 1000 years before the shepherds worshiped and praised Him in His manger. No wonder one of Christ’s grandest titles is, “I Am the First and the Last…I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore.” (Revelation 1:17-18 a) In that same Book of Revelation He stated, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8) All 150 Psalms were written as Praise to this “Altogether Lovely One.” How could King David be anything but a singing Prophet and King? The Psalms were not written as poetry to fire the imagination or just as a song to cheer the heart. They are great truths from the Truth Himself. The Word of God and the Word made flesh are inseparable. That is why the 150 Psalms are eternal. They were given to the world to prepare men and women for the “Virgin Born Son.” David said, “For He is on my right hand that I should not be moved.” (Acts 2:25 b) Psalms 23:1-6 comes directly out of this unfailing revelation. Psalm Twenty Three is Divine reality given to comfort and protect the righteous. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalms 23:1-6) This Holy Ghost anointed witness had received spectacular view of the eternal city where God sat, on His Throne and where His Son was Priest of His Temple. He proclaimed, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.” (Psalms 48:1-3) He spoke of this city as city of Ivory Palaces. No wonder he wrote, “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.” (Psalms 47:1-2) His highlight moments were when he spoke of the Lord and he did so continually. Listen as he begins to tell of the glory of the Son. “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee forever.” (Psalms 45:1-2) Listen as he says again, “My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” I can almost inhale the heavenly scent of, “myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.” (Psalms 45:8) I have often heard of a visitation of our Lord so Divine that an awesome fragrance fills the atmosphere. Heaven will certainly be such a place. This presentation has no ending because the one Psalmist David “FORESAW” is all things without an end. This world has no idea of what they are missing. The wicked are determined to prove that He is not what our Bible declares. King David said, The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalms 2:2-6) He is indeed set at the Father’s right hand,“UPON THE HOLY HILLS OF ZION “which is “HEAVENLY JERUSALEM”, even as I write and you read.. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 100: THE RAPTURE AND THEN,”ALL HELL ON EARTH ======================================================================== THE RAPTURE AND THEN,”ALL HELL ON EARTH There is no truth more fixed and dependable than God’s faithfulness. His saints, redeemed by the Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, are His delight. We are not just His servants; we are His friends and the future Bride of his Son. We are plainly instructed by the Apostle Paul that we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:15-17). “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32). Understanding His faithfulness and knowing that we are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ are foundational truths for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The wrath of God has never been directed against His chosen that find grace in His presence. Not one Scripture in the Word of God places the righteous and the unholy together under a display of the Father’s wrath. From the worship of Cain and Abel in Genesis chapter 4, God always makes a distinction between obedience and disobedience. God accepted Abel’s worship and rejected Cain’s bloodless sacrifice and the manifestation of God’s Spirit in accepting Abel’s worship left no doubt. Holy Justice can never condemn the righteous for the deeds of the wicked. This is a principle that underlies every revelation of the Holy Bible. The Differences Between Tribulation and Wrath! … In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). It is probably unfortunate that we use the same word tribulation for the normal experiences of every Biblical saint with the period the Scripture calls the “Great Tribulation.” There is a total difference between the “much tribulation” that Luke wrote about in Acts and the “Great Tribulation” that Jesus spoke about as recorded in Matthew. Luke stated, “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Matthew recorded Jesus’ words as following, “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:19-22). The difference is extremely clear. The word tribulation embodies the idea of pressure and trouble. There are clearly many different levels of this pressure or trouble throughout the Scripture. Jesus Christ experienced incredible pressure and sorrows in His crisis of death. The tribulation of His sorrows in behalf of our redemption is the basis of why He said, … In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome (already defeated those tribulations) the world.” (John 16:33). The tribulation that the Son of God experienced for us, but that we still face by faith in Him is not the wrath of God but the wrath of the world. This pressure that Satan and the world under his control brings to bear has no kinship to the pressure of God’s wrath directed toward the wicked and Satan’s crowd. When you simply translate the word tribulation by its distinctive meaning of pressure and trouble, it clears up the confusion that many people have assigned to this subject. As Luke wrote in Acts, we enter into the Kingdom of God by much pressure and trouble. The world is not a friend to the saints of God. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-11). These tribulations or pressures that we bear make mature saints out of us as we trust in Him and die to our own selves. The “Great Tribulation” is a distinctive time of pressure and trouble directed towards a population that is infested with sin: that has rejected the revelations of Jesus Christ. It is also planned as tribulation or pressure against the hordes of hell or Satan and his fallen angels. While our tribulation or pressure produces redemption of the saints, this future tribulation or pressure produces the redemption of the earth and God’s cosmos. This makes it clear why the same word is used. In both cases, it is redemption that is produced by the pressure of tribulation. God Never Inflicts His Wrath on His Saints! It is Biblically unthinkable that our God would ever allow His chosen saints to be left in the middle of His judgment of the wicked. He has never done so, nor will He ever do such an unprincipled thing. It is contrary to His nature and to His faithfulness. To leave the saints of God on this earth, while He poured out His redeeming wrath on the Christ-rejecting crowd would strike at the heart of His holiness. It will not happen because it cannot happen. Anything that is contrary to His nature must never be assigned to His actions. The Days of Noah! The Book of Genesis is an infallible part of the Holy Bible. Every word of this Book is exact and perfectly true. It was Jesus Christ Himself that compared the days of Noah with the coming of the Son of Man. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:36-42). Reasonable scholars that do not have strange theology to defend believe that this is the exact language concerning the Rapture before the Tribulation. The story concerning Noah is breathtaking. The Father was repenting that He had created man. “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” (Genesis 6:6). He then determined that He would destroy man and beast from the face of this earth and then He stated again, “… for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7). Then our faithful God looked in the direction of a godly man named Noah and stated, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:8). What a picture of the nature of God’s holiness. He was ready to destroy His own creation, but then one man was not guilty of the filth of the rest and God devised a plan to save that one man and his family from the planned holocaust. This principle sets the tone for the entire Word of God and God’s acts of judgment. He must judge sin, but He will do it by the principles of His own nature. Noah had to act in obedience to receive the promise of deliverance from the impending wrath. He was instructed to build an ark to the saving of His household and was given the plans for the same. This is the same principle that has never changed. Our salvation is free, but Jesus made it plain that our deliverance from impending wrath is a matter of our faithfulness. Jesus said, “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:43-44). He forever makes a difference between the righteous and the unrighteous. When Noah had finished the ark, God Himself came to see the project. While He was on the inside, He called to Noah, “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1). When Noah and his family, plus all the creatures of the earth had finished entering the ark, the Scripture states, “… and the LORD shut him in.” (Genesis 7:16 b). It’s beautiful to see the Lord call him from the inside, but shut the door from the outside. God cannot be limited to an ark made by man, but He certainly was responsible for the security of Noah’s family by securing the door Himself. This story is a breathtaking truth. It is a perfect picture of God’s faithfulness in the judgment of the wicked. The protection of the righteous is a personal thing with our Heavenly Father. He did not assign this project to even His most trusted angel. The Days of Lot! Lot and his removal from Sodom and Gomorrah before its destruction is another prime picture of God’s nature in judgment. He will always and in every case judge sin, but He will never judge the righteous at the same moment or in the same manner. It is impossible for sin to ever go unpunished, but it is just as impossible for sin and righteousness to be treated the same. Sodom and Gomorrah’s population had filled the cup of sin to its max. But, our God determined that He by His nature would do right and the righteous had to be delivered. Listen to the words of Abraham when he was speaking to the Lord, “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). The Heavenly Father sent His angels right into the throbs of filth to assure the removal of Lot and those in his family that feared God. Our God even said that if He found as few as ten righteous persons in Sodom and Gomorrah, He would not destroy the city. “… And he (God) said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.” (Genesis 18:32 b). Settle it in your mind that this is God’s nature and not just a story of how He acted in one circumstance. He is the Lord and He doesn’t change. Lot had family that had become compromised by the evil of their surroundings. They had no fear of God and laughed Lot to scorn. “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.” (Genesis 19:14). We live in a similar generation where the families of many believers are careless and unconcerned. It is evident that Lot had allowed himself to give up the more separated life of a Bedouin for the comforts of Sodom and Gomorrah. The New Testament writer said that Lot’s righteous soul was “vexed by the unlawful deeds” of these sodomites. “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)” (2 Peter 2:6-8). I believe he lost those family members because he chose worldly comforts over living a separated life with them in a pure environment. How many believers, themselves living holy lives, have taken their families into social settings and compromising churches only to watch their children lose the fear of God. It is sad to consider this Godly man having to leave these cities knowing that part of his family was “left behind.” In fact, Lot was so hesitant to leave that the angels had to remove him. “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.” (Genesis 19:14-16). The angels had to take Lot and his wife and two of his daughters by the hands and take them out of the city. This generation seems about as reluctant to escape this filthy world as Lot and his family were. Finally, the angel said, “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.” (Genesis 19:22). Do not forget those words, “…for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.” This is the faithfulness of God. They were not saved by their goodness, but by His “grace.” It is easy to understand why Lot’s wife looked back and lost her deliverance. She was leaving daughters, son-in-laws, and probably grandchildren to be consumed in the flames of fire and brimstone. She could not refrain herself from looking back when her own flesh and blood was about to suffer hell on earth. “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26). Is it possible that this scenario will be repeated when the Son of Man comes for His saints? Will there be saintly people so besieged with passions for their unsaved loved ones that they miss the Rapture? I would not suggest so, but the thought strikes terror to my heart. Remember the Scripture, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28). Regardless of what is left behind, His saints must look for Him without hesitation. He Reserves Wrath For His Enemies! This prophetic truth spoken by a prophet named Nahum is breathtaking, “God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies” (Nahum 1:2). What a statement of absolute perfection concerning the nature of God in His judgments. The wrath of God cannot be mixed but is always divinely discerned in the object of its activities. God is a jealous God. He will not allow sin to go unpunished. Never! But, He reserves His wrath for His enemies. As our Heavenly Father, He will chasten us, lay His rod of correction upon us and deal correctingly, but lovingly with us. He may even direct His righteous anger at us because of disobedience, but His wrath is reserved for the wicked that refuse to obey His will. He created this universe for His glory and honor and He is jealous over it with an unfailing love. It will be subject unto Him shortly and all that opposes Him will be consumed by His wrath. This principle lives even more beautifully in the New Covenant. Jesus filled His message with the promises that He came not to condemn but to save. Jesus said, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (John 3:17-21). His great message of deliverance forever tempers the rigid positions of His commandments. The laws of God bring conviction of sin, but the grace of God cleanses and delivers us from the powers of sin. He is the door by which we escape the coming wrath; therefore, we are no longer under the “fear of judgment.” The coming “seven years of wrath” is not a “New Covenant” message. It is an “Old Covenant” message. Jesus reinterated this fact when He prophesied of its future fulfillment. The wrath of God and the wrath of the Lamb are seen in their coming horror in Revelation chapter six. This earth cannot be a “Garden of Eden” until righteousness is established in judgment. Sin was finished on the cross, but the finality of this finish has to be manifest by an outpouring of wrath on those that refuse the pardon from sin’s prison. Sin is finished in those that are redeemed by His blood, but the enemies of God are yet to be dealt with. Now, we see why the “wrath of God” must be poured forth, but it is unthinkable and impossible for those redeemed by His blood to be subject to this wrath. He has Himself borne our wrath on His cross at Calvary. If we were subject to that wrath, then Calvary would have been in vain. We must look at this wrath and note those that cry out because of its terror. “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17). The saints are already around the throne as this defining moment begins. Paul’s epistle confirms this truth, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” (2Th. 5:9-11). This Scripture, when viewed in light of the above facts, almost comes off the pages of Holy Writ. The Jewish believers were students of the laws and prophets of God. They trembled under the weight of the coming judgments for sin. Their history is filled with examples of God’s wrath. The story of the Assyrians and Babylonians, who acted as God’s instruments of judgment, were all too familiar. It was “Good News” to hear that Jesus Christ had taken their wrath on the cross and that they no longer had to flee. As a whole, the Nation of Israel refused this message and rejected the Son of God and they have lived under wrath since that day with more to come. As wounded as my heart feels for the Nation of Israel today, even as I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that peace cannot be complete until Messiah comes and they are redeemed. We resist the truth of God’s Word when we expect them to have complete peace until they repent for helping crucify the Son of God. Thank God we are at the door of that prophetic moment. Israel, will soon be under the ultimate wrath of the Lamb and will be redeemed when they see Him coming in glory at the conclusion of the Battle of Armageddon Our present joy is to “wait for the Son from Heaven.” The apostles’ messages were constantly filled with this assurance. They knew that God’s wrath was a future fact, but they had no dread. “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Apostle Peter spoke with enthusiasm of the same assurance. Look carefully at the hope of His words. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which 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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (2 Peter 3:10-14). Conclusion! On and on you can search the pages of the New Covenant to find much assurance that we, as His saints, are not “appointed unto wrath.” We have been delivered from that wrath because he took our wrath for us. “Isaiah the prophet said, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him” that we might be set free. This does not give us liberty to be lovers of this world and to live carelessly. Rather, it calls us unto holiness and soberness of mind. John the Revelator summed it up to the Church of Philadelphia. He stated by the Holy Ghost as given to Jesus by the Father, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10). For the saints of God, who are watching the incredible events of prophetic fulfillment, the atmosphere is filled with the Blessed Hope. “SEVEN YEARS OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION” IS THE TITLE OF “OPEN BIBLE DIALOGUE”that started last SATURDAY. The Lying Prophets hate the END TIMES Prophesy in the Bible. You can identify almost all Doctrinal error by the absence of PRE-TRIBULATION teaching. The Emergent Church hates the GREAT TRIBULATION at the same level as the Devil hates it. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 101: TAKING THE EARTH BACK FROM SATAN ======================================================================== Taking the Earth Back From Satan This is a big matter. Taking this earth and the entire realm, which he has invaded, back from Satan is at the heart of this Book of Revelation. The Word says, “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” (Revelation 5:2). There is only one person that is fully capable of opening the book that contains the full redemption of this earth. That book is in the Heavenly Father’s hand as Revelation chapter five begins. This seven-sealed book cannot be opened unless someone of blood kin to God is willing and has paid the sacrifice of that blood. When John the Revelator views this book, he begins to weep. The spirit of the prophet in him discerns the overwhelming results that will occur if this great book remains sealed. John knew that the created earth was in the throes of filth and demonic forces. He had witnessed as these dark powers took the spotless Son of God and emaciated Him before, finally, hanging Him on a cross. He was spending his days — ninety years of age or older — busting rocks for his Roman captors. He had watched as demonic men and women fed Christians to wild dogs or lions in the Roman coliseums. He had, also, spent many hours interceding and praying for the kingdom of God to come to his world. He knew that this sealed book in the Father’s possession was written within its locked pages with a divine plan for the total redemption of the earth. His dream for this new world of righteousness was in this seven-sealed document. He weeps because God’s messenger is stressing that no one on this earth has an answer or the right to unlock the manuscript. For a brief moment, John is left with a helpless feeling. We all have experienced this kind of hopeless emotion. But, God’s messenger has the answer. One of the Elders — a Glorified saint —says to John, “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to lose the seven seals thereof” (Revelation 5:5 b). Then, one of the grandest scenes of this revelation materializes before him, “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints” (Revelation 5:6-8). This great manuscript had been held in the archives of Heavenly Jerusalem since the loss of this earth in the Garden of Eden. Never had our Father been without a plan. Enoch must have known the secret. No doubt Noah carried it in his heart in the ark. Abraham came from Ur to be the Father of Faith in the unpossessed Promise Land. From him all the way to Calvary, it was like a hidden dream in the hearts of faithful Jews. Now, John must become the writer to share its future fulfillment. Someone may suggest that the present world will disappear and a totally new world will replace it. This is not God’s plan. His Son did not just redeem mankind; His Son redeemed this present earth. The entire manuscript that John viewed and Jesus, as a Lamb, received from the Father is the prescribed outline until the New Jerusalem descends and is fixed upon this purified world. Our new world will be the total and final defeat of Satan. He will be delivered to the Lake of Fire just before the new city appears above the earth. Jesus Christ is never called by any of His beautiful names during the seven years of cleansing this earth. He is called the Lamb or the Lamb of God. The process of Revelation chapter six to Revelation chapter nineteen, verse ten are so gruesome and profound that every action of redemption must proceed from the smitten Lamb. This incredible period is not too dissimilar from His earthly pilgrimage. He was the Son of man without ceasing to be the Son of God. During these seven years, He will be the Lamb of God without ceasing to be Alpha and Omega. His Majestic Being will be hidden in His purging manifestation. Ripping sin out of this entire cosmos is not a pretty task. As this powerful picture unfolds, the raptured saints will be fully prepared for the events to follow. Heaven is quickly filled with an explosion of worship. Now, we will see those twenty-four elders in their full multitude, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:9-11). Surely, no one can doubt that this raptured host has arrived in Heaven to share the cleansing of the earth from the dark reign of Satan and his deceived multitude. Even now, the book of seven seals must be unsealed. John said, “And I saw it.” He did not just hear it, he saw it when the Lamb opened each of the seals, “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1-2). Someone just wrote me a very confused e-mail calling the Book of Revelation a book of symbols. This man is living under delusion because Satan hates this final picture of his demise. This seven-sealed book is our hope of a beautiful earth perfectly redeemed and joined with a new heaven. The New Jerusalem cannot descend until there is a perfect earth to welcome perfect holiness. The earth is the Lord’s and He has promised it to His saints. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 102: TATTOOS & BODY MUTILATION ======================================================================== Tattoos & Body Mutilation by Joseph Chambers Tattooing, body marking, body piercing, and now body mutilation, where will it end? Just like any trend or downward spiral, it goes deeper and deeper, lower and lower. When any society or culture leaves the absolutes of Biblical truths, there is no bottom. The "body" is the Lord’s. The human life and body is a sacred trust. There are holy things in our world and no Christian culture can survive when we forget to hold those things in reverence. There are three persons that bear record in Heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. There are three that bear witness in earth: the Holy Spirit, the Word, and the Blood. (1 John 5:7-8) There are three sacred trusts we hold in reverence in our lives: the body, the Scripture, and the Lord’s Day. When you depart from any of these three basic sets of principles or truths, there is no more foundation on which to build. Follow any religious institution or movement that has left these three foundational truths and they have nothing to build on that holds them in balance. Remember, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalms 11:3). Please notice that the "Word of God," either in person or in revelation is at the center of all three basic principles of our spiritual world. Visiting The Subculture of Body Mutilation Let"s go on a visit to an acceptable and legitimate tattoo business in the average community of America. These businesses are often in small shopping malls, sometimes in a run down area of the city, but not always. The signs that I have viewed almost always use the idea of tattoos as the identification. As you enter the store, there will be multiple displays of designs that you may choose. The first thing you will notice is the oddity of these designs. They are normally not beautiful, peaceful, or natural looking. In fact, the designs clearly come from a totally different cultural sense. If you have viewed publications with pictures from an eastern culture as Japan, China, or Arabia, you will immediately see the similarities. The eyes in either the person or the animal are foreboding and evil. The pictures will include Satan, witchcraft ideas, New Age, and strange angelic creatures. Many are clearly Hindu. Budda is popular and beastly creatures are evident to a large degree. Snakes are very popular and are designed to wrap around the body, the arms, or legs. Celtic, Nords, and Druids have a strong presence, and even the designs depicting Jesus or some Bible idea are more Catholic and Eastern in appearance. One picture of Jesus that I viewed is too vulgar to show you. It was an African Jesus nude from the waist up, but with His genitals protruding. Blasphemy is the only word fitting to describe it. Although, the owner had been doing tattoos for forty-one years, he declared that he had never noticed this picture on his wall. When I say that the tattoo culture is out of hell, that"s a mild description. Yet, we have a multitude of modern religious souls that have chosen this lifestyle as acceptable. One large, local church in our city has hired a minister for the "young adults" that is clearly a part of this culture. The Charlotte Observer quoted him saying, "I want to reach the person in the tattoo parlor, who pierced my ears . . .That’s the kind of person I want to go after. I want to span the spectrum." The writer stated of this minister, "And he pierced his second ear after coming to ______ to show that the church is open to all." (The Charlotte Observer, Ken Garfield.) I wonder if this minister has any understanding of what it means to be "born again" or remade into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Roots of the Tattoo World When I do programs on our talk radio broadcast, my staff and I do ample research. We have 2 two-hour broadcasts on this subject available. We want to know the background and foundational idea behind every movement or cultural change affecting our world. America used to be a "culture of life," a "culture of the beautiful," but that is changing at a rapid rate. The Eastern cultures are quickly becoming deeply rooted in our world. We are moving quickly from Western and basic Christian thought to Eastern and the many heathen ways of thinking and living. The Eastern world had it origination out of Babylon, while the Western nations were born out of Jerusalem. By that statement I mean the spiritual evolution from those two world centers. This change from Western to Eastern had to happen to fulfill "End Time" prophecy. I believe Babylon will be the capitol of the seven-year Antichrist kingdom and her ideas must come to rule in that kingdom. Hinduism is one of the strongest influences toward body mutilation of any description. A Hindu website made the following boast, "While tattoos among sailors and motorcycle clubs might seem the most obvious to someone living in the West, many cultures, including that of the Hindus, have long regarded tattoos as essential aids in life and even as passports into the world beyond death. So why tattoos? What does a symbol embedded under the skin have to do with the spirit? In part, it is related to self-mortification, which has a long history in religion. Whether it’s a Buddhist lama drawing a blade across his tongue, a Lakota warrior hanging for hours by hooks puncturing his chest or a sadhu piercing his cheeks and tongues with small spears, nearly every culture has a sect that regards physical suffering, or an apparent indifference to it, as just another step in spiritual development. Tattoos are believed to have begun as cuts in the skin to form scars, a decidedly painful process. The color, from soot or plants, came later. Anthropologists believe tattoos are part of the evolution of a tradition that views the voluntary endurance of pain as a way to tap into a primal urge for meaning and belonging. And sacred symbols, from cave painting to mandalas, are as old as the struggle to understand our world." (Hinduism Today, July/August 2001.) This issue from the Hindu world provided us with a picture of three basic reasons that undergird the tattoo culture. It is clearly a spiritualistic movement that finds its entire history in the search for God outside the revelations of Biblical truth. The air is charged today with this search for self and meaning rooted outside the tried and true experience of the Blood of Jesus. What is most disturbing, as the minister in Charlotte stated, is the integrating of the sacred and the sacrilegious. The Hindu website gave three significant aspects of the tattoo experiences. One is "Devotional," the second is "Tattoos and the Afterlife," and "Tattoos for Protection." They stated the following about the first idea of tattoo’s "Devotional" aspect, "Religious tattoos can be viewed with two levels of devotion: there’s the ordeal of receiving the tattoo, the tedious and painful process of injecting pigment into the flesh, and then there’s the symbolism and color of the design itself. Among the most devoutly tattooed groups anywhere is the community of Ramnaamis. Scattered across the Indian states of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, this sect of untouchables found refuge from harm in their distinctive tattoos the name "Ram" repeated in Sanskrit on practically every inch of skin, even on the tongue and inside the lips. Ramnaamis began their extraordinary custom during the Hindu reformist movement of the 19th century when they angered the upper-caste brahmins by adopting brahminical customs. To protect themselves against the brahmins’ wrath, the Ramnaamis tattooed the name of Lord Ram on their bodies." (Ibid.) Clearly, the name of their gods was a primary focus. Since their gods were unknowable and idol, they were forced to identify with them by strange mythical methods. Instead of God in their heart, the gods were painted in their flesh. The website continued by writing, "With a rich tradition and thousands of Deities, Hinduism itself is today the source of countless tattoo designs. Tattoos depicting popular Gods such as Siva, Ganesha and Kali or sacred symbols like "Om" adorn the flesh of Hindus and non-Hindus alike. Some of the most elaborate tattoo patterns anywhere are on the women of the Ribari tribe of Kutch, the very region in Northwest India just devastated by an earthquake. It is one of the places to which the Pandavas were exiled during the Mahabharata. The members of the nomadic Ribari tribe live as their ancestors did; their tattoos being tangible symbols of the people’s strong spirit and concern with faith and survival." (Ibid.) What an empty search for God! The aspect of "Tattoos & the Afterlife" shows the marked difference between faith in a resurrected Christ and the heathen ideas of our hope for the future. This fact helps us understand why Moses was given the clear direction against marking the flesh. God said, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:28). Tattooing has always represented this heathen idea of the afterlife and the Holy Spirit warned the believer to stay clear of all such superstition. Listen to what the writer in this Hindu article documented. "The Maoris believed that a spirit would recognize their elaborate facial tattoos after their death and give them the vision to find their way to the next world. The Dayak tribes of Borneo thought their hand tattoos would illuminate the darkness of the afterlife as the soul searched for the River of the Dead. Maligang, the spirit guarding the river, would check for the tattoo, which earned the soul the right to cross the river. This is similar to the Lakota tradition, which teaches that the soul of the dead starts it journey to the other world on the starry spirit road (Milky Way). Along the path, it will pass Owl Woman, who inspects it for the tattoo. If she can’t find it, she prevents the soul’s passage. The Inuits of Alaska also tattooed themselves in preparation for death rituals. Small dots were applied to the pallbearer at various joints along the body to protect against evil spirits. Some believe that the soul resembles the body that houses it and retains this appearance even after death, including the person’s tattoos. In other cultures it is believed that death changes the person’s appearance so drastically that your tattoos were the only form of identification that will be left to you. Without tattoos you are doomed to wander forever in the afterworld." (Hinduism Today, July/August 2001.) Nothing is scarier in the world of idol worship than the constant search for passage into the afterlife. Death becomes the dark and hopeless adventure into the regions of demons and lurking spirits of destruction. The last of the three basic aspects of the tattoo world is "Protection from Evil Spirits." The gods of heathenism are a warring crowd of competing spirits. The idol worshippers were constantly caught up in these spirit wars and seeking some means of protection. This author describes the tattoos as amulets. "Many cultures regard tattoos as protective amulets, and such magical applications are closely linked to religious beliefs. Ainu women in Japan, for instance, tattoo themselves with images of their Goddess, which is able to repel evil spirits and thus protect from disease. Iraqis commonly tattoo a dot at the end of a child"s nose to guard against illness. A tattoo of Hanuman is used to relieve pain among Hindus. Aborigines in Australia believe tattoos on their arms allow them to dodge boomerangs. Soldiers in Burma tattoo their thighs to be invulnerable in war, and Cambodian men cover themselves in tattoos to make themselves impervious to harm, even from bullets. The use of tattoos in Cambodia may have come centuries ago from Indian settlers who practiced Vedic rituals. Sacred Buddhist texts are a favorite tattoo in Thailand, where they are believed to have magical power. In an initiation rite known as the "Krob Kru," the devotee lights incense and prays in preparation. The tattoo artist uses a special rod to inscribe the sacred text on the chest, back or arms. A shaman then tests the tattoo’s potency by giving each tattoo three or four strong swipes of a sword. Tattoo recipients often enter a state of ecstasy or bust into violent trances." (Ibid.) This author tells about the Hawalians, who have specific tattoo gods. They are called Aumakua and either protect or destroy, depending on the attention given to the god. One of the heartbreaking truths about heathenism is the unholy bondage the shaman priest holds over the people. They are forced to serve these false gods by threats and spells. It’s important to understand that you cannot disconnect the tattoo of a particular idol god and the demon spirit behind that idol. When you play their game, you reap their bondage. Evolution & Darwinism We cannot escape the effect that evolution has had on our present generation of young people. Man was created by the supernatural action of Jehovah God. We are in His likeness and image, and our temple or body is His dwelling place. Our body cannot be a vacuum but for a short period of time. If God does not guard the gate, then a different spirit will seek control. Demon control is not the same as demon possession. While there is certainly a tremendous amount of possession, much of our world is under Lucifer’s control. Any kind of body piercing, marking, or tattooing is connected to spirit control. The evil spirit many not control the life at the beginning of the involvement with this world, but will certainly seek to do so eventually. Visit a few tattoo shops and witness about the Lord Jesus. You will quickly find that a large number of them are into heathen religions of Native Indians, Hindus, etc. You absolutely cannot separate this sub-culture from evil spirits and heathen religions. When you adopt their culture, you accept the spirit that birthed that culture. Conclusion God created man in His own image and forbids any believer to mark, mutilate, or pierce their body. Satan hates the human body because of its likeness to the Creator. The body is sacred and to treat it like an idol god would suggest starting a process of descent into the vulgar and absurd. It does not matter at all to Satan how he brings you under bondage to his destructive powers. His goal is to make you a wreck and to bring you to the place that there is no way out. Already a great portion of this generation is hopelessly locked into a subculture of darkness and emotional insanity. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 103: THE "BORN AGAIN" JESUS DECEPTION ======================================================================== The "Born Again" Jesus Deception It sounds unbelievable. Surely nobody believes that "Jesus Christ" the Son of the living God had to be "born again." Add to that the idea that He took the nature of Satan and became just as vile in His spirit as the devil himself. Could this idea or doctrine actually be at the very foundation of a religious movement that calls itself Christian? It is true, though hard to believe, that leading ministers who are followed by millions around the world actually teach this dark idea. Here are the actual words of Kenneth Hagin: "Physical death would not remove our sins. He tasted death for every man - spiritual death. Jesus is the first person ever to be born again. Why did His spirit need to be born again? Because it was estranged from God." (The Name Of Jesus, Kenneth E. Hagin, pages 29-30.) Mr. Hagin totally denies that the physical death, the shedding of Jesus’ blood, would remove our sins. As he continues this discussion, he states that: "spiritual death also means having Satan’s nature." (ibid, p. 31) In other words, Jesus had to take on the demonic nature of the devil and go to hell. In hell, under Satan’s bondage, the Son of God was "born again." To make matters worse, Mr. Hagin plainly states that Jesus was not the only Begotten Son of God until He was "born again" in hell and then resurrected. Only at this moment was He the "Only Begotten." Here are his words: "’No, thou are my son, this day have I begotten thee’ is not talking about the day He took upon Himself a body. Then what day was it? When was it that Jesus was begotten? When He was raised up! On that Resurrection morn! Why did He need to be begotten or born? Because He became like we were, separated from God. Because He tasted death for every man, His spirit, His inner man, went to hell in our place." (ibid, p. 29) "The Cross" is Rejected by Hagin The only reasonable explanation of this whole doctrine of a born again Jesus is the rejection of the cross of Jesus Christ. The blood of our redemption as the only plan or possibility for forgiveness and new redeemed life has been totally denied by Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Paul and Jan Crouch, and the majority of the Charismatic World. To explain a "born again Jesus" in any lesser words is to play games with this foul doctrine. The plain statement by Hagin, "physical death would not remove our sins," is a statement of finality. The only way His blood could have been shed for us is by His physical death. To suggest anything needed above or beyond that act of "the shedding of blood" is heresy. Jesus Himself said, "It is finished." (John 19:30) Kenneth Hagin does not end his questionable teaching at this level. He clearly states that no one can understand the authority in the Name of Jesus until they understand the "born again" Jesus. He emphasizes this as follows: "You will not be able to understand the authority in the name of Jesus until you understand this fact. Down in the prison house of suffering, down in hell itself, Jesus satisfied the claims of justice on the behalf of each one of us, because He died as our substitute." (ibid, p. 33) This makes Jesus a totally different person than the "Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." (John 1:29). The prophetic idea of a lamb as a type of Christ’s death was the heartthrob of the First Testament sacrifices. Jesus’ death was a perfect fulfillment of that First Testament shadow. Messianic prophesies all show His "blood sacrifices" as the perfect act of redemption. There is not one type in the Old Testament prophecies, which do not suggest "blood" as God’s accepted offering for our sin. It is so firmly established that to argue further is to belittle the facts. As Hagin develops his teaching on this subject, he appears to also support the idea of the "Jesus Only" heresy. He quoted a book by E. W. Kenyon, who is well known as a meta-physical cult writer. Mr. Kenyon was quoted by Hagin as stating: "He has given to Him the name that has within it the fullness of the Godhead..."(ibid, p. 37) Leaving off the Biblical word "bodily" totally changes the Scripture as written by Apostle Paul. "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9). Jesus was not the "fullness of the Godhead" but the "fullness of the Godhead Bodily." It was in His person as the Son of man to reveal all that God is to the human race. But He continues. He stated in his chapter on "The Name and Baptism," "I believe in being baptized in the Name of Jesus. I do not believe in being baptized in the name of ’Jesus only.’ When I baptize people in water, I say this, "In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."(ibid, p. 68). This statement appears to be an effort to please the "Oneness" doctrine and the Trinity truth all at the same time. Farther on in this same book, he quotes Kenyan again. This time he said, "We are baptized into the name, and being baptized into the name, we are being baptized into Christ Himself." (ibid, p. 117). The "Oneness" theology teaches that we are not assured of salvation until we are baptized in His name and into Christ Himself. These statements in Kenneth Hagin’s book only serve to make his teaching on "The Born Again Jesus" more questionable. Kenneth Copeland: To Another Level Kenneth Hagin is the mentor of Kenneth Copeland. As always in false doctrines, the ideas continue in a downward spiral. Copeland takes this idea to a greater extreme. Here are his words Copeland said: "The Spirit of God spoke to me and He said, ’Son, realize this.’ Now, follow me in this. Don’t let your tradition trip you up. He said, ’Think this way. A twice born man whipped Satan in his own domain,’ and I threw my Bible and I said, ’What!’ He said, ’A born again defeated Satan. The first born of many brethren defeated him.’ He said, ’You are the very image and the very copy of that one.’ I said, ’Goodness, gracious sakes alive!’ And it just began, I began to see what had gone on in there. And I said, ’Well, now, you don’t mean, you couldn’t dare mean that I could have done the same thing.’ He said, ’Oh, yeah, if you’ve known and had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did, you could have done the same thing, ’cause you are a reborn man, too.’ He said, ’The same power that I used to raise Him from the dead, I used to raise you from your death in trespasses and sin.’ He said, ’I had to have that copy of that pattern to establish judgment on Satan, so that I could recreate a child, and a family, and a whole new race of mankind.’ And He said, ’You are in His likeness.’" (Audio Voice, undated). This idea of the "Born Again Jesus" serves to reveal what lies at the heart of this teaching. They are not dealing with men and women saved by the Blood but with the cultic idea of creating a superior race of godlike humans. Note Copeland’s words that came to him by revelation from the/a spirit. "I had to have that copy of that pattern to establish judgment on Satan so I could recreate a child, and a family, and a whole new race of mankind." Frederick K. C. Price: To An Even Deeper Level Let’s see what Fred Price says about this poison that Kenyon, Hagin, and Copeland have made so popular. Price stated: "Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God...Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound and they threw a net over Jesus and dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence."(Ever Increasing Faith Message, June 1980 Audio). This statement makes no bones about denying the Blood sacrifice on the cross. This individual that Price is discussing is not the Son of God but, "I believe", is a lying spirit masquerading as the "Son of God." Satan hates the Blood above every truth in Holy Scripture. Nothing is so totally defeating to the devil as the "Precious Blood of the Lamb of God." Jan Crouch makes a great boast on a book written by Paul Billheimer. She has often spoken of this book and on our video, "The Born Again Jesus," she even speaks of Jesus burning like a cracker in hell. Let’s read a quote that she approvingly (by Paul Crouch) read on a live TBN telecast. This was during a communion service. "Because He was ’made sin,’ impregnated with sin, and became the very essence of sin, on the cross He was banished from God’s presence as a loathsome thing. He and sin were made synonymous...[I]t was not sufficient for Christ to offer up only His physical life on the cross. His pure human spirit had to ’descend’ into hell...His spirit must not only descend into hell, but into the lowest hell...The Father turned Him over, not only to the agony and death of Calvary, but to the satanic torturers of His pure spirit as part of the just dessert of the sin of all the race. As long as Christ was ’the essence of sin’ He was at Satan’s mercy in that place of torment...While Christ identified with sin, Satan and the hosts of hell ruled over Him as over any lost sinner. During that seemingly endless age in the nether abyss of death, Satan did with Him as he would, and all hell was ’in carnival.’" (Destined For The Throne, Paul E. Billheimer, Sped. P. 83-84) Could a Defiled Jesus, Save? The question that begs our answer is "could a defiled Jesus that had become satanic in nature save mankind from sin? "Notice that Mr. Billheimer said that Jesus was "impregnated with sin." He called Jesus a "loathsome thing." The Bible speaks of Him as "being made perfect" in His suffering, not a loathsome thing. It’s amazing to read the new edition of the Paul Billheimer book issued after his death. His wife states the following about the use of his book to apparently support "a born again Jesus" and the changes she directed under her supervision. "Prior to his death Mr. Billheimer expressed concerns that some of his statements had been taken to unbiblical extremes by readers of Destined For The Throne. This revised edition, updated under my supervision to more precisely convey his views, underscores the distinction between God and His creation, both in the present world and during our eternal reign with Christ. It also makes clear the Cross as the focus of Christ’s completed suffering." (Destined For The Throne, Paul E. Billheimer, General Editor’s Preface.) Benny Hinn Received the Same Revelation This doctrine of the "born again Jesus" is called revelation knowledge. Almost everyone that I have researched states the same. Jan Crouch told about Paul Billheimer (our video: The Born Again Jesus) receiving this revelation. She stated how overwhelmed he was and how he had such a hard time ever writing it down. She also states that the publishers argued about publishing it. The Bible is of no private interpretation. You can always be certain when someone comes up with an idea called "revelation knowledge" that you are dealing with deception. The devil is a master at imitation and if he can get religious people to move beyond plain truth into mystical doctrines, he can create havoc. Listen as Benny Hinn is receiving revelation knowledge right on a TBN television program. "My, you know, whoosh! The Holy Ghost is just showing me some stuff. I’m getting dizzy! I’m telling you the truth - it’s, it’s just heavy right now on me...He’s [referring to Jesus] in the underworld now. God isn’t there, and the Bible says He was begotten. Do you know what the word begotten means? It means reborn. Do you want another shocker? Have you been begotten? So was He. Don’t let anyone deceive you. Jesus was reborn. You say, ’What are you talking about?’...He was reborn. He had to be reborn...If He was not reborn, I could not be reborn. Jesus was born again...If He was not reborn, I would never be reborn. How can I face Jesus and say, ’Jesus, you went through everything I’ve gone through, except the new birth?"... ( Benny Hinn, Our Position in Christ, Part One, Video tape # TV - 254). The "Jesus Only Connection" The idea of a born again Jesus is strangely connected to the "Jesus Only" doctrine. In both camps, you have a confused picture of Jesus Christ’s birth, when He became the anointed, when He was begotten and other questionable ideas. William Braham is being heralded today by the Charismatic leaders as a great prophet. He stated that his miracles were performed by his angel assigned to him. They often pictured him with a halo around his head. He was a staunch "Jesus Only" believer. He stated unequivacably that the doctrine of the "trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" was a doctrine of devils. Here is a quote that I took from a sermon aired on R. G. Stairs radio broadcast He stated: "How can He be an eternal Son when eternity never ends and Son is something that is begotten of, how can it make sense." (Radio Message, undated). How do the leaders of our day call this man a great prophet unless they share his "Jesus Only" teaching. Finis Dake, in his bible and commentary, clearly presents a Jesus that missed the Biblical model. While Dake shows no leaning toward "the born again Jesus" or "the Jesus Only," his doctrines certainly have been picked up by the Charismatic leaders like Copeland, Hinn, and others. Read carefully this commentary that Dake uses to begin the New Testament Commentary. Mind you that this is the first commentary of the entire New Testament. It must be very important." The new faces in the Charismatic world are beginning to reflect "Jesus Only" personalities. T. D. Jakes is clearly a "oneness" (we like to call them two-less) minister. He clearly states his concept on God in a rebuttal to Christianity Today. These are his words. "The rites of baptism are celebrated in our church by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ. I have always, without exception, baptized as the early church did in Acts 2:38; Acts 10:44 and Acts 9:1-4. That is my conviction, based on Scripture." (Christianity Today, Website by Bishop T. D. Jakes, entitled "My View on the Godhead"). Another "Jesus Only" is Tommy Tenney, author of The God Chasers. This book is one of the most deceiving books I have read. He stated clearly in a Charisma interview that he believed in three manifestations of God. This was in response to a question about his background in the United Pentecostal Church (UPC). His answer stating that he believed in "three manifestations" is a classical UPC answer. They deny being "Jesus Only" and call themselves "oneness." Conclusion Many of the ideas in the Charismatic world cannot be attributed to everyone else. There are many variations of almost everything believed in Charismatic circles. Probably the one idea believed in some version in almost all camps of the Charismatic main leaders is the teaching of a "born again Jesus." This is also the most damnable teaching in their midst. This makes Jesus into a militant and arrogant person instead of the "meek, compassionate, Lamb of God." Satan hates the simple "Gospel." The blood of Jesus alone can redeem and transform the soul into a new creation. Any teaching or doctrine that reduces or reflects negatively in reference to the "cross" is to be rejected. Apostle Paul, the veteran of spiritual warfare, stated, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14). "I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus Name", and Him crucified. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 104: THE ARK IS ABOUT TO SAIL! ======================================================================== The Ark Is About To Sail! by Joseph R. Chambers, D. D. The world of Noah was barely different from the world around you and me. Men and women were pursuing their diverse interests, commerce was exploding, sex was a preoccupation, and the world of spirits was intermingling with the daughters of men. Every trend of our day was evident in Noah’s day. Jesus Christ was careful to draw a comparison of these two generations over 4,000 years removed from each other. He stated, "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matthew 24:37-39). It’s exciting to study the ark in Genesis chapter seven and then note the numerous times that Bible writers refer to this historic occasion. Nothing establishes a truth in Scripture more clearly than when other inspired writers relate that truth to other truths. The Bible interprets itself when we will simply allow the unity of truth to emerge. When you view the entire Scripture reference to the ark that God commanded Noah to build, it becomes a powerful prophetic type of the Person of Jesus Christ and the protection and hope which we are invited to enjoy in Him. The ark is a beautiful picture of the Son of God as Redeemer and Deliverer to every generation. Its final fulfillment is the Rapture of the Bride of Jesus Christ just before the final judgment. Jesus Christ And The Ark Of Noah The entire First Testament is written with a concealed presence of the coming Messiah. Every great truth in this Hebrew book is a prophetic preparation and foundation for the entrance of the Son of God into the human stream. Jesus stated in the Gospel of John, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39). The Scriptures they were to search was the First Testament. Nothing else was available at this moment of Christ’s ministry. We will never know the full power of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis to Malachi) until we have eyes for Jesus alone. Apostle Paul made reference to this in writing to the Corinthians. He spoke of the Jewish blindness, but I find the church world is not much different, except for a few clear passages. Listen to Paul speak of this blindness, "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away." (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). One primary purpose exists in the revelations of the First Testament and it was the coming of the Prince of Peace. The ark of Noah was one of the strongest revelations of the coming Prince in this great First Testament. The text itself is saturated with His living presence in this ark. "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." "And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in." "And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." (Genesis 7:1, Genesis 7:16; Genesis 8:4). Three great expressions in the text reveals the presence of the Lord in a personal way. First, He spoke from within the ark, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark." This ark may have looked massive sitting upon the ground beside Noah’s home, but when it was afloat upon a world covered with water, it would have been but a shadow. When we see that it was more than a physical ark; the dwelling place of the Divine Redeemer; it becomes breathtakingly miraculous. The Lord invited them into His glorious presence for safety. He didn’t say, "Go in." He said, "Come in." Second, it was the Lord that shut them in. They were not at the mercy of those that would seek to enter by force once the storm was raging. The God of the universe was manifest in His presence as Lord to be the Shepherd of those sheep inside His provision. The words, "and the Lord shut them in," indicates more than slamming the door from the outside. He did not become the door of the sheep in St. John chapter ten. He was the door of the sheep in Genesis chapter seven. He has always been the door of His sheep and always will be. This ark was more than a tossing ship out on a lonely sea. It was the hiding place of those chosen to escape the rages of the storm. The language reveals the Great Shepherd of the sheep riding with them in the storm and taking all fear from their hearts. Third, the ark rested on Nissan the seventeenth, the very day that Jesus would be resurrected centuries down the road. It was also the eighth day or the day after the Sabbath. The number eight is "New Beginning" and carries the power of incredible promises from the Creator. The children of Jesus would cross the Red Sea as they left Egypt on the eighth day and on Nissan the seventeenth. The Holy Ghost would be poured upon the church on the eighth day. It is clear that nothing relating to this ark was done by chance. The God that orders His universe certainly was in control of His chosen servants and of his family and the Messiah-type was being perfectly shaped for the day of fulfillment. It�s incredible to see the living presence of this God-man as His powers are manifest in this First Testament revelation. The Ark Represents "Rescue" From Danger The Second Testament writers made it clear that the ark was a Biblical type of "rescue" from the impending danger of that hour. The historic truth of this event was unquestionable to these Holy Ghost inspired writers. Peter stated, "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." (1 Peter 3:20). The word that Peter used in his original Greek language suggested "rescue" and "escape." Noah and his family were about to perish with the horde of godless men and women that populated the earth. The Heavenly Father expressed grace or unmerited favor toward Noah and spoke to him to build the vessel of that grace for his deliverance. The grace and the ark were inseparable. Again, Peter spoke of this ark, saying, "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." (2 Peter 2:5). In this instance, Peter moves beyond simply escaping from the storm and gives the prophetic picture of a prophetic meaning. He stated that God "spared not the old work, but saved Noah." Peter then moved to the type of the Rapture where the ungodly will be left to perish and the righteous will be delivered to His presence. Peter showed that the coming hope of the church is to be delivered from God�s judgment of the wicked. Peter proceeds to state, after noting that Noah and his family were saved (delivered), that God brought "the flood upon the world of the ungodly." It has never fit the nature of God to judge the wicked and the righteous together. To consider such an idea is to completely miss the nature of our Father and His eternal relationship with His chosen family. Apostle Paul Gives An Equally Beautiful Picture The ark of God and the flood certainly played a beautiful part with the New Testament writers. It always appears to loom large in their minds as they considered the grace of God, the coming judgment, and the promise of escape by the Rapture. As Paul wrote to the Hebrews, he stated, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11:7). Paul mentions several points that we should consider. "Being warned of God of things not seen as yet" certainly suggests that this preacher of hope was viewing the total picture. No writer described the Rapture more pointedly than Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians. Can we easily believe that he was thinking of the coming Rapture when he spoke of things "not seen as yet"? The words "moved with fear" are no less powerful. Then he declared that this ark was the "saving of his household" and the condemnation of "the world." (These remarks do not fit the present day interpretations of Matthew 24:1-51.) Even so, I believe that the faithful saints of this generation that refuse to give up the expectation of His return to deliver from "judgment to come" are equally condemning this godless and hopeless world. No wonder many persons get angry when we will not cease to preach the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the saints. Much of this church generation that have lost this Biblical truth are not even civil toward those who still hold to this "hope." No subject that I discuss on radio causes the reaction, condemnation, and attack that does this wonderful subject. Jesus Establishes The Credibility Of Noah As Jesus taught His great Olivet Discourse, He places the story of Noah and the ark right in the middle of these transcending truths. There can be no question that the ark was established by the Lord as a type and picture of both the mood of the generation in which He would appear and the method He would use to separate the Godly from the ungodly. The very day of Noah becomes a descriptive picture of His day when He would begin the process of the end. Jesus stated, "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (Matthew 24:37-42). The setting of this great statement has confused a host of the enemies of the Rapture as well as some who believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. He was certainly speaking to the Jewish people and warning of their Day of Trouble. Some of this Olivet Discourse deals with Israel and the Roman destruction in AD 70. Some of it deals with the Seven-year Tribulation as Israel shall certainly experience; but I�m convinced it also deals with the church and, especially, the hope of both born-again Jews and Gentiles in the beginning of the end. Just before Jesus speaks of Noah and the parallel of his day and type of the Ark, he states, "But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36). This sets those verses concerning "one taken and the other left" apart as a parenthetical statement to describe our hope to miss the sorrows He had previously described. Hallelujah! Let’s Analyze These Incredible Words Of Hope Again, remember He has described a day of coming sorrow and great tribulation. The judgments He describes are catastrophic and terrible. The earth will experience great consternation and multitudes will be swept away in the flood of deception and destruction. But, there is hope for the watchful. "But as the day of Noah was," Jesus warned, so would the days of this coming hour be. We are to discern the time of this hour by the signs that we read in the seventh chapter of Genesis or in Noah’s generation. It is not too hard to see the perfect parallel. Every day our world becomes more like Noah’s world, if not worse. It is a time of fullness of bread, ample time for fun and frolic, an unprecedented preoccupation with sex, and an intermingling of the spirits of men with the spirits of the fallen gods (angels). There is also an incredible power and organization against truth as Noah preached and as His faithful servants are preaching today. Two In The Field, One Taken And The Other Left When you study this great text, together with the words of Paul in the book of Hebrews and Peter in I and 2Peter, the truth springs to the front. Those eight in the ark were rescued, while the world was destroyed in judgment. Peter said, "saved Noah, . . . bringing in the flood upon the world." Paul said that Noah "condemned the world and saved his own house." There is no way to interpret this text and leave the righteous on the earth, while removing the wicked in judgment. It does not fit one other passage in Scripture that relates to the subject of the ark. "Watch Therefore" The closing statement of this great parenthetical teaching fully supports the escape of the righteous, "Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." The wicked certainly are not watching. He is speaking to the righteous for He continues saying, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 24:44). We are to be watching and ready for the ark to sail again. Just before the storm shakes this earth, the Lord will appear to rescue His chosen that have found "grace in His sight." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 105: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT ======================================================================== The Ark of the Covenant The ark, a relic from the past, which Moses’ craftsmen – anointed by the Spirit for the task – created for the tabernacle in the wilderness, will soon be discovered. What a celebration for Israel and what a testimony to the world this discovery will be! This will testify to every nation on earth that the Jewish people are indeed a chosen company. But, more than what it says about Israel will be what it says about the true and living God of the Bible. This ark dates back to the exodus out of Egypt and the beginning of both the sacrificial system of the law and the preparation to enter the Promised Land as the nation of Israel. The ark both represented and signified the presence of Jehovah God. It was not Moses’ idea; but, it was commanded by God. "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about" "And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat" "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel" (Exodus 25:10-11, Exodus 25:18, Exodus 25:21-22). God said that this would be His meeting place with His nation, Israel. God’s literal presence would rest upon the ark. No one could touch it, but they would be responsible to carry it with the staves that they slipped through the rings at each corner. The High Priest, who offered the sacrifice at this ark that was placed behind a great veil, was sanctified carefully before he could go inside the veil. If he failed to purify himself, he was smitten with immediate death. After many years Solomon built the great temple in Jerusalem to be the dwelling place of this ark. God’s Shekinah glory did not inhabit the temple alone, but dwelt with the ark. Because the glory of God was manifest with this ark, it became the source of great fear both to God-fearing Jews and often to their enemies. It’s thrilling to read the Biblical stories of victory associated with this physical expression of God’s wonderful presence. This great representation of the Jewish faith apparently disappeared before the army of Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple in 586 B. C. This means that it is not likely that anyone has seen this awesome relic for 2,594 years. Of course, there are a host of people who do not believe it still exists. Some believe that Nebuchadnezzar’s army either destroyed it for its gold content or carried it away to Babylon never to be returned. There are several other possible answers as to why they believe it does not exist. Among those that believe it does exist, there are also different opinions as to its present hidden place. One man, who I personally met, says he discovered the ark, looked at it, and knows exactly where it is located. He says it is under Mount Calvary where Jesus Christ was crucified. He claims that he dug from 1979 until 1982 before he finally reached the ark. Since it was covered over in a stone case, he used a colonoscope to identify the contents. It is his opinion that when Jesus Christ was crucified, the blood ran down through the fissures caused by the earthquake and actually fell on the mercy seat of the ark. I remember hearing him tell this story on a television program on which he was a guest. I knew very little about this man, Ron Wyatt, but the story sure sounded exciting. I was skeptical and later decided that it was only Ron’s dream story. There is also a report that says the ark is in the possession of the Vatican in Rome. A Benedictine monk, named Nelson Canode, claims that he had the following experience while he was serving at a monastery about 30 miles from Rome, "Mr. Canode testified that he once served as a Benedictine monk at the monastery at Subiaco, Italy, located 30 miles from Rome. While there, Canode says that he was taken to a room in a cave about four stories under the monastery. Here in this room were deposited ancient artifacts that he helped to move back and forth between Subiaco and the underground vaults of the Vatican. When he asked his superiors what these items were, he was told they included the disassembled Tabernacle and the Ark." (In Search of Temple Treasures, Randall Price, p. 99). I have read about efforts being made by Jewish representatives to persuade the Vatican to return items that were taken from the Jerusalem temple in 70 A. D. Whether they have the actual ark or other sacred items, it is without a doubt that there are Jewish treasures in Rome. The Roman church would have inherited anything that had not been destroyed for its content, gold, or other valuables from the Roman authorities. The search for the ark exists all the way to Ethiopia. It is claimed by the Ethiopians that the ark is hidden in the sanctuary chapel of Saint Mary of Zion Church in Axum, Ethiopia. Here is an account from the Ethiopian royal chronicles called Kebra Nagast or "Glory of the Kings" that was printed in Price’s book, "This work says the original Ark was transferred from Jerusalem to Ethiopia by Menelik I, the alleged son of the Queen of Sheba (an Ethiopian ruler) and King Solomon. A Zadokite priest who left with Menelik I took the original Ark from the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s Temple and left a replica in its place. When Menelik I discovered that his entourage possessed the Ark, he surmised that they must have had divine approval, since God c ertainly would have prevented the removal of the Ark had He not willed it. "The account further states that the Ark was taken from Jerusalem to protect it from Manasseh, who would later defile the Temple with idolatrous images. Other traditions say that the Ark was taken first to a local temple in Elephantine, an island in Upper Egypt that had a Jewish community." (Ibid, pp. 131-132). Bypassing an almost endless list of persons and locations that lay claim to the ark’s existence, I believe there is only one possible location. I believe that the ark is somewhere under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant is the single most sacred relic of Jewish history and proof of God’s hand upon them. Personally, I believe that this part of temple worship must be preserved and found to complete the Tribulation temple. It will be powerfully used to prepare Jewish people for the transition to the faith of the true Messiah, Jesus Christ. There are a great number of Jewish rabbis, Christian leaders, and even archaeologists that believe the ark is beneath the Temple Mount. After the war of 1967, rabbis led an effort to dig beneath the Temple Mount in an effort to find the treasures of the temple. Here is a quote from Rabbi Goren, one of the leaders, "We were very close to the place on the Temple Mount where the Holy of Holies was located. We were very close, beneath the Holy of Holies. We believe that the holy Ark made by Moses, and the table from the Temple, and the candelabra made by Moses, along with other very important items, are hidden very deep underneath the Holy of Holies, We started digging and we came close to the place; we were not more than 30 or 40 yards away." (Ibid, p. 166). Their effort was stopped when the news leaked and an uproar was created by the Arabs who were connected to the Muslim sites. The Israeli police were directed by the Israeli government to intervene, the digging was stopped, and a wall was built to close off the area. All the searching for the ark was over until the appointed time. Soon, when the war of Gog and Magog is finished and the world knows that there is a true and supernatural God, the time will arrive. The third and last Jewish temple cannot be authentic without the Ark of the Covenant. Any respect for the Muslim religion will end with the war of Gog and Magog. As a result, the Temple Mount will be swept clean and the Temple will be rebuilt. Very likely, the great fire from God on the Russia and Muslim hordes will also touch the mount and obliterate every semblance of the false religion of Allah. It will only be days after the peace treaty between Israel and what is left of the Arab world, along with the Antichrist from Babylon, that the ark will be located. Then, the world will know. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 106: THE ARTISTRY OF THE HOLY GHOST ======================================================================== The Artistry of the Holy Ghost The Son of God saw the sadness and gloom that gripped His disciples when He said He was leaving them. They were overwhelmed with the sense of disappointment and helplessness. As He felt their pain, He spoke some of His most powerful words. “But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:5-8) His purpose in life was to die and His death was going to produce more than just a sacrifice for sin; it was going to guarantee that His Spirit would come to men to affect everything His death accomplished. His dying would have done no good if there was no plan to supernaturally craft all of Himself and His redemption into all of us who would believe. The Holy Spirit has been appointed by the Father to the office of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is His eternal name, but the title Holy Ghost is His office to absolutely represent another, even the Son of the Living God. The translators of Scripture in the King James Bible saw this great truth and translated “Holy Spirit” to “Holy Ghost” in each instance where His office of representing Jesus Christ was evident. The work of the Spirit is the “Artistry of His Cross” in redemption and newness of life. He takes the old, sinful, and debauched human life and crafts the new man of grace and redemption. The Comforter has come and His work is breathtakingly beautiful. One of the eternal truths of the Bible is the helplessness of human flesh. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) Sin has robbed man of His expressions of likeness to God. Man’s spirit is bound in death and physical helplessness. He may pant after God and seek Him in many ways and in much religious action, but until the Holy Ghost finds the open door to his heart it is all in vain. Jesus said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” (John 6:44 a) Humility is not a pious face but a broken heart before God. Until man is willing to accept the complete defeat of himself, even his search for God, and declare absolute surrender to God’s sovereign mercy, there is no salvation. We do not chase and find God, He reveals Himself as we follow Him. Jesus knew what was in man. He said great things to express this fact. “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25) Three chapters of Saint John were almost exclusively given to declare the gift of the Holy Ghost and His unfailing value to His saints. The Holy Spirit is a person possessing every attribute of the Godhead and He was sent to perfect in the body of the church, every value of redemption. The church world is so full of flesh and human activity, void of the spiritual manifestations of God, that it is all a laughing stock to Satan and his hordes. Our Father and our Lord is calling us out of this malaise back to His Book. Almost everything we connect to the work of the Holy Ghost has to do with emotions when His real activity is in the human spirit and human soul. The Holy Ghost indwells the saints to craft Christ into every aspect of our being. Jesus Christ said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:26-27) It is when Christ sanctifies our life, spirit, soul and body, that beauty replaces carnality and flesh and even our faces reflect the deep work occurring inside. The Divine artistry of this redemptive work is Heavenly. Apostle Paul said it perfectly, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Scripture speaks much of our relationship to this deep work of the Holy Ghost. The Bible says that we are “sealed by the Spirit.” We are warned not to “grieve the Spirit” or “resist the Spirit.” In Thessalonica, Paul wrote, “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-24) Paul said, “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” (Romans 8:9 b) He also said, “In whom all the building (our temple) fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:21-22) The redemptive process of our Lord Jesus Christ is beautiful. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father to craft into His body, the church, the very image of Jesus Christ. The saints were called “Christians” at Antioch because this spiritual activity was glaring and life-changing. The world trembles when the Eternal Son has been recreated in the saints. The Holy Spirit has come to do the “Artistry of Calvary” in the lives of the redeemed. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 107: THE BATTLE IN RELIGIOUS MUSIC ======================================================================== The Battle in Religious Music Music was created to be a language of the human spirit. It was never meant to be called the language of the soul. Man is a spiritual creature and singing is one of man’s highest ideals. Life without music and singing would be dull and empty. Not only is music a language of our human spirit, it is also a primary language of our worship. The human spirit is our direct line of communion with God. Spiritual singing unites us to Him for fellowship and life. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). Singing was ordained by God to be full of Him, His words, and answers that satisfy our daily longing after Him. Modern music is similar to Modern art and Modern living, it is full of questions with very few answers. It is like a painting full of color with no capturing scenes. Modern music is almost totally the same theology as the “positive thinking” ideas of Robert Schuller. Rick Warren calls his church, “The flock that rocks.” You are not likely to find a liberal church that is now called “The Emerging Church” that sings Gospel music. Modern/Contemporary music is the music of churches that have left the fundamentals of Holy Scripture. I have spent about two weeks trying to listen as much as possible to music from both the Gospel styles and the Modern styles. As I have listened, I have kept extensive notes. I use these two terms to cover the many variations of each category. Please understand that I know there is a little decent music in the Modern variations, and there are some very bad songs and styles in the Gospel variations. My words are not meant to sweep with a broom that is too broad, but I must speak truth. While listening to Gospel music, I have found an overwhelming abundance of themes straight out of Holy Scripture. Here are some of the actual words that fill the songs: Calvary, forgiveness, being Born Again, repentance from sin, and the consequences of living an unholy life are constantly present. The Blood of Christ is also a constant theme. The Born-Again life of happiness and holiness is heard over and over. Terms like “straight and narrow,” “whosoever will,” “Jesus Christ died for one and all,” and “He set me free” are sung in many songs. There is an extremely strong presence in Gospel singing of the prophetic messages in the Bible. “The Rapture,” “the sounding of the trumpet,” “going home with Jesus,” and “in the twinkling of an eye” are some happy themes often heard. Our future robes of “spotless white” and the great “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” are never forgotten. In fact, after one straight session of only ninety minutes, I had heard every theme I could name out of the Holy Bible. By listening to Gospel music — including Southern Gospel, Church Hymns, etc. — you will get an understanding of the Christian life, along with the great truths that we believe and love. It’s easy to understand that Gospel singing is going to be the music of any strong Bible-believing church. Listening to the Modern music has really been an education for me. I find it almost impossible to explain my experience. I have not heard one whisper of prophecy in all the Modern music to which I have listened. I heard the Blood of Christ casually named one time. I made a note for myself after a full hour of listening, “One hour and not one word of His blood or Calvary, not one word of repentance or sorrow for sins.” That hour had been nothing but “praise and thanks” that gave no valid understanding of what brought them to such a state of ecstasy. Believe me; the “state of ecstasy” had been on a pitch above normal even for a Pentecostal like me. After Sirius XM, I tried the Billy Graham station in Black Mountain, NC, and all the songs were of no understandable difference. I heard one requested song that was played for a woman in the hospital. The theme was, “I waited for you today, I needed you today,” but there was never an answer given to that lady’s needs. As I said earlier, the only answers in the Modern music I heard was to just “praise Him” regardless of the situation. It’s like praising someone that you have really never come to know in the great revelations of the Holy Bible. It was religious “positive thinking” saturating every song. It appears to me that once an individual is hooked on Modern/Contemporary music, there is no turning around. It is soulical music and it creates a strong religious satisfaction and bondage that defies escape. It’s religious noise that drives the human emotions wild. It’s a “god” without standards, convictions, or adherence to Biblical truth. Their response is “I just like it so, leave me alone.” I have come to believe more strongly than ever that Gospel music is music that is full of answers, while Modern/Contemporary music is full of vain repetitions. While most of the questions are not bad, modern theology and music has forgotten how to proclaim God’s straight Biblical answers to human life. Gospel music is Christ-centered and Bible-centered, while Modern/Contemporary music is man-centered and emotions-centered. Gospel music is the source of great joy because it blends the answers with the questions. Gospel music is also full of praise, but with great understanding of the God and Christ we are praising. I know this article is incomplete because no one person has all of God’s answers. Please be a part of discussing this article by going to our Internet and adding your own postscript. It is located at the bottom of the page containing the full article. I will be reading your opinions and watching for what I expect will be a healthy discussion. The URL for this article, “The Battle in Religious Music,” is http://www. pawcreek. org/salty-saints/the-battle-in-religious-music. Please be a part of these discussions. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 108: THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON ======================================================================== The Battle of Armageddon Jesus Christ – glorious in battle, triumphant over every enemy, riding a mighty white stallion – will split the eastern sky to come back to earth as the King of Kings. This is truly the colossal event and even more spectacular than Gog and Magog. The breath (Spirit) of His mouth is a two-edged sword. He has sat – at times stood – at His Father’s Right Hand for two thousand years. Now, he returns to reign over the world for a millennium. As He returns to this earth, He will face an army from every kingdom ruled by the Antichrist. Demons will have been dispatched to gather this army and they will be chosen to be part of the most vicious army ever assembled. Each soldier will be chosen by the highest possible standard of both military and New Age religions. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:13-14). Every chosen warrior will have taken the Mark of the Beast will be possessed by unclean spirits and will be ready to die for this masquerade of their “christ.” The Son of God will not return from His Father’s presence alone. The triumphant Church of the blood-washed and glorified saints will be riding with Him on their white horses. Every one of these Saints will be overcomers from their generation and each of them will be a match for Satan himself. They will have already proven that Satan could not stop their faith or compromise their purity. They will surely gleam brightly in their garments of righteousness, “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14). Even before this great drama is portrayed in Revelation Chapter nineteen, the Spirit declared that a host of angels would join the ranks for this grand moment, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32). To even attempt to number this multitude will be impossible. Every angel will be an experienced warrior that have fought and won numerous conflicts with their evil counterparts that rebelled with their champion, Lucifer or Satan. This great multitude will stretch from one end of the heavens to the opposite end. The day of invisible angels will be finished and this awesome company will startle the earthly inhabitants that are still alive. The saints on their spectacular white horses will number “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” but the angels will be innumerable. At the head of this great and awesome multitude and brighter than the noon day sun, will be the triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Son of God is called the Lamb or the Lamb of God from Revelation 4:1 to this victorious moment. His total purpose during that period is the redemption of this universe. At this point the earth will be redeemed, sin will be judged, injustice will be set straight, and the righteous King of Kings can now mount the Throne of David in Jerusalem. Satan has been the god of this earth for better than six thousand years, but he knows if he loses the “Battle of Armageddon”, he is finished. To picture the ground and air forces gathered in Megiddo will be to witness in one location the military hardware of every great army on earth. As the Antichrist armies gather, the forward direction will be Jerusalem. It is clear in Scripture that the Antichrist’s capitol city of Babylon will already be in ruins, the Vatican city of Rome will have been burned, and, now, Jerusalem’s must be conquered. The destruction of Babylon was an act of God but Rome’s destruction was the fury of the Antichrist. When the great minds of these world leaders are fully prepared and the march to Jerusalem is announced, the heavens will suddenly explode with action. Jesus Christ in all of His excellent glory will return to personally direct this battle. We serve a patient God; but when His wrath is kindled, there is no defense. Zechariah spoke by the Spirit, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle”… Then shall the LORD go forth…And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zechariah 14:2 a Zechariah 14:3 a & Zechariah 14:12). The slaughter of this angry mob will be unprecedented. The Son of God will actually fight with His army of the redeemed and His angels. The Antichrist will flee in fear and defeat to the ruined entrance of His once proud capitol. Micah reported his end at Babylon, “And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders” (Micah 5:6). Our victorious King will arrive in Jerusalem with grace in His heart for the convicted nation of His own kin. “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). The very word “Armageddon” has always been a word that suggests the end of human conflicts or the end of time. It has been used as freely by the unbelieving and the wild spiritualists as it has by the Bible believers. That suggests that it is God’s designed word – all fixed in the human thought processes – raising both great fear but also final victory. Only we that know the infallibility of Scripture can speak this word “Armageddon” with great joy in our hearts. It’s closer than you can possibly imagine! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 109: THE BEST WINE AT THE END ======================================================================== The Best Wine At the End A marriage celebration is a wonderful occasion. It is God ordained to both meet the deepest physical joy of man and to prophetically portray the ultimate joy of the Lord Jesus. When Adam had finished naming all the created creatures, the Father saw that his highest earthly creation was lonely and without a companion. From Adam’s rib, God made woman and joined them by heart to each other. From the first memorial event until this day, wedding feasts have brought laughter, celebration, and union. Satan was furious and devised a foolish alternative called sodomy. Sodomy actually blasphemed the beauty of God’s pure plan both for man and for His Son. It is the lowest point of human depravity. It is fitting that Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding feast. Every aspect of this event was filled with prophecy, but nothing as beautiful as the miracle of the last wine. The wedding had progressed for days until the supply of wine was gone. Mary, the mother of Jesus, told Jesus and then said to the servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5). Great containers for purification were available and Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water” (John 2:7). When this was done he commanded, “Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast” (John 2:8). The guests were astonished when they began to drink the miracle wine and explained, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now” (John 2:10). The wedding feast ended in a blaze of excitement because of this miracle and the “best wine at the end.” This great miracle is prophetic of the day in which we live. Wine is a great type of spiritual blessing and the joy of the Holy Ghost. The Pentecostal experience has touched millions since the Day of Pentecost. We have witnessed the “early rain, moderately,” but soon, even any moment, the latter rain is ordained to begin. Joel said, “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:23-25). He firmly stated that this would occur in the first month. That is exactly the day which the Feast of Trumpets is ordained to occur. The Feast of Trumpets is the Old Testament type of the Rapture of the Church. The feast begins thirty days earlier with a daily trumpet and ends on the very first day of the first full month. Prophecy in Scripture is perfect, so it shall transpire. I believe the Latter Rain is scheduled to begin a short period before the Rapture and then continue right through the Seven Years of Great Tribulation. It will then literally explode when the Jewish people are converted at the beginning of the thousand years of the Millennium. Isaiah proclaimed, “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). The greatest harvest of all time is yet to come. The Pentecostal experience we have witnessed in our lives is but a shadow of this prophesied Latter Rain. The best wine is saved until the end. The entire story of His first miracle is a story of the harvest in beautiful typology. The harvest started with His ministry, continued with the early church, and has been intermittent for two thousand years. It will explode in the End Time. We are privileged to live in this prophetic day and to be a part of the best wine of all history. The grapes are ripening for the final harvest. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 110: THE CALL TO “COME UP HITHER!” ======================================================================== The Call to “Come Up Hither!” Any view of the fourth chapter of the Book of Revelation that doesn’t allow for the triumphant Rapture of the saints is woefully inadequate. This chapter is a grand picture of the true church and the overcoming saints that have been transferred from the lion’s mouth to the King’s throne. The blood-washed saints that were hated by the world will have faced their persecutors for the last time. Giving up the world, they will have gained the grandest seats around the throne of the Father. This chapter is the beginning of the glory that has been promised to the saints since the opening of the Holy Bible. From seats around the throne to the city of the throne, the saints will never suffer shame again. They are His saints and they will take up positions as His elders until they march as His army, reign as Kings, and possess the city of the Bride, New Jerusalem. The great Jehovah God is seated on His throne in the celestial heavens and is fully prepared for the heavenly court. Over six thousand years have passed since a serpent — possessed by Lucifer — walked into the garden and deceived God’s perfect couple, Adam and Eve. From the venom of those lies in the garden, sin has touched every offspring of Adam. The upheaval of the earth by the Noahic flood left indescribable scars on a sin-cursed earth. There is not one element of the created world unspoiled by the flood of evil, and it is now time for redemption. The earth must be reclaimed. The celestial city of Heavenly Jerusalem and its inhabitants are the only untouched geography in the cosmos. This future court will be held in its temple. David must have had a slight view of the location of this seven-year judgment session, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge” (Psalms 48:1-3). The court proceedings that must go forth out of this city demand a Pre-Tribulation Rapture to transfer the saints from their graves or from their lives on earth to fulfill their appointed positions. This earth is the Lord’s and He has appointed it to His saints to posses for eternity. It has been clearly stated that we shall judge this earth, and our removal to this grand event is unquestionably guaranteed. The fight against the Rapture is a last ditch effort from the devil to prevent us from our heavenly task. The proceedings cannot begin until we arrive at our appointed seats before the throne. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1). There is no event on God’s calendar that demands a door opened into heaven from the earth’s advantage, except for the Rapture. This great vision by John incorporates all the fine details that Scripture associates with the saints being caught up to meet the Lord in the air, “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). Before John sees the throne in heaven, he hears the voice of Jesus Christ “as it were of a trumpet” saying, “Come up hither.” The trumpet voice gave details to John to make sure the church understood this further information as “hereafter” or following the letters to the seven churches. Nothing from this point on in Revelation can be a historical event. This was clearly stated in the introduction of chapter one, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (Revelation 1:19). All through chapter one, two, and three, the whole vision and scene is the High Priestly appearance of Jesus Christ and His letters to His churches. But, in chapter four Saint John is clearly caught up into the Heavens to view further proceedings that demand his presence. He is going to witness the glorified saints seated in positions of honor and dressed in attire that would be impossible on earth. Everything he sees and writes from this verse on has no connection to the Church Age and its kingdom business, which the Scripture identifies as the spiritual kingdom “that cometh not with observation.” “And, when he was demanded of the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation 4:2-3). In the Spirit, John looks on the majestic throne of Almighty Jehovah, where our Heavenly Father is seated in His glory. The description given to us is limited by human language inadequate to reach to such heights of splendor. The glory was such that the writer could only compare it with the grandeur of rare jewels. There was a gleam of glory and overwhelming splendor making Him incomparable to earthly beauty. The dazzling colors of a rainbow were seen overshadowing the throne and its occupant. The throne itself was in sight like unto an emerald. No earthly wonder has ever been so described. We will soon be there! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 111: THE CASTING OUT OF UNCLEAN SPIRITS ======================================================================== The Casting Out of Unclean Spirits The cultures of the world are being progressively mastered by unclean spirits. Almost our entire church population is completely helpless before this hostile takeover. In most cases parents with unclean children simply retreat and give themselves to silent misery. Ministers have no idea what to do but call in a religious or secular psychologist. It’s a spiritual war and the answer is right in the Word of God. The people of God, godly saints, have not been left in a hopeless condition. We have the means of perfect victory over every design of the devil against our lives. If the Church will wake up and give herself back to the supernatural provisions of our Triumphant Head, the victorious Son of God, everything will change. We must believe that Satan has been totally defeated by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The devil can do nothing except what the Lord Jesus Christ allows or what the Body of Jesus Christ allows. There are certain areas of the End Times, where Satan has been given his final liberties. Jesus Christ has him on a leash. All other areas of his activities are limited by mankind, whether they are sinners or saints. With the sinner, Satan does as he pleases unless they turn to the Lord. But, with God’s saints, he does his dark deeds because we do not know our rights or because we simply forfeit our rights. In most cases the people of God simply face the terror of the devil as their fate. It’s almost like the saints of the Lord beg the devil for mercy. Believe me, he has no mercy! We must understand the total victory that the Son of God has achieved. The early church was a perfect example of that glorious triumph. Unbelieving Bible teachers and preachers have helped the devil big time by trying to establish that all supernatural possibilities ended when the Bible was completed. Nothing in the Bible suggests such utter defeat. The opposite has never ceased to be true. Jesus Christ has totally defeated Satan. As recorded by John, He stated, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31). John, also, stated in his first epistle, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). The entire Book of Acts is a picture of one supernatural event after another. Church history is full of great revivals, miraculous healings, demons being cast out, and awesome signs and wonders. Angels have been seen and their powers witnessed by multitudes. You must settle this fact or you can forget seeing evil spirits defeated in your life. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. These were the very words of the Son of God Himself. But, He did not end with this warning. He said, “I am come that they (you) might have life (victorious, triumphant and glorious) and that they (you) might have it more abundantly (supernatural and complete)” (John 10:10). This cannot mean anything but a life lived in victory over the devil and this world of evil. Jesus promises, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). John wrote to the church and said, “I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:13 b). It’s time that the Body of Christ stands up and starts “casting out devils.” Our churches, our homes, and our world are under siege. We can believe the doubters, or we can believe the Lord Himself and His Holy Spirit that dictated His Holy Bible. Jesus stated, ”He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:16-18). If you have a corrupted Bible, those words have been removed or placed in doubt by modern translators. There is absolute proof that they are wrong; ignore them! Our communities are full of perverted souls, and our homes and friends are under siege. He told us that we were guardians of our homes and churches. Read how He stated this great truth and promise, “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils” (Luke 11:21-22). He also said, “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12 b). The strong man is Satan. He comes with his lies and intimidations, and the church world hides in their defeatist theology. I remember a little girl that came to visit her dad while living with her mother, who was in a very questionable situation. She came with her dad to church and seemed perfectly normal. After church, they went home and she became very sick and disturbed. Eventually, I was called to the hospital. When I arrived, she was normal for a few minutes and spoke kindly to me. Then, she became agitated and began to taunt me in a guttural voice. “My god is bigger than your God,” she declared. All evidence of being possessed by an unclean spirit was present. We began to pray, and a standoff of at least thirty minutes occurred. Suddenly, she was perfectly free and returned to normal; the demons had departed. The next day the doctor called me to thank me for coming and to give witness of her perfect healing. We must learn to discern “unclean spirits” in the church, our homes, or anywhere our duty takes us. Spirit-filled believers have the perfect right to cast out these unclean entities. “There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one” (Acts 5:16). We must not make a show of our victories or create a great fanfare. That has left a bad name on this Biblical truth. Casting out unclean spirits is as simple as laying hands on the sick. Jesus simply rebuked them and they departed. There are multitudes of families, homes, and troubled lives that we will never help until “we bind the strong man” and throw him out. Jesus said, “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house” (Mark 3:27). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 112: THE CITY OF CELESTIAL BLISS' ======================================================================== The City Of Celestial Bliss’ NEW JERUSALEM IS A CITY OF MAGNIFICENT SPLENDOR. Abraham was looking for this city with foundations four thousand years ago and John saw it two thousand years later. It had to be the same city because Apostle Paul said that Abraham, “Looked for a city which hath ‘foundations,’ whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10) What perfect inspiration this reveals. One cannot read the great saints throughout Holy Scripture without seeing this longing for God’s final home for His “BRIDE”. This massive paradise is more than just a city, it is a Temple, it is the Courts of the Lord, and it is the Holy of Holies. It’s all things Holy merged together to be the light of a New Heaven and a New Earth. The Psalmist David lived in elegance but panted for this place he called the “Courts of the Lord.” His cry was, “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the Courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” (Psalms 84:1-2) David spoke of this eternal home as a city in the mountains of His Holiness. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” (Psalms 48:1-2) In another of Davids inspirations he declared, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.” (Psalms 45:8) How fitting are the Revelations of Christ to John concerning this rapturous city. When the Lord would show him this vision He took John to these very mountains and opened a great drama before him. The Lord said to him, “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” (Revelation 21:9-11) It is not an empty city but filled with the saints that earned the highest reward. The city and the Bride of Christ were prepared for each other. It is indeed a city of twelve foundations . Being 1500 miles high there is 125 miles between each foundation with great jasper walls, clear as crystal. The walls are translucent so the beauty within the city is not hid from the beauty without. These twelve foundations are dedicated and named for the twelve Apostles of the Lord during His earthly sojourn. As John viewed the city he may have wondered which foundation would bear his name. The massive twelve gates, each carved from a single pearl will bear the name of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. The great number of the confused declaring that God has divorced the Jews or even obliterated them must wonder at the prominence they reflect in this city. The twelve foundations create a breathtaking grandeur. While jasper walls are the predominate structure of this city, each foundation is enhanced with jewels of the rarest worth. John’s description is beautiful. “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.” (Revelation 21:18-20) Let me try to explain each of these rare jewels which makes this city so magnificent. The first foundation is garnished with jasper upon jasper. We can certainly expect that the garnishing jasper will be of a different shade from the jasper wall, which comprises the wall’s structure. There are different colors of jasper depending on the location where it is mined. The second level will be garnished with sapphire stones. A pure sapphire is sky blue and using it to garnish the jasper will be extraordinary. The third level will be chalcedony, which can be any color of the rainbow from pale blue to yellow, brown, or gray. The beauty simply explodes as we progress. The fourth level will be garnished with emeralds. The finest emeralds are more valuable than diamonds; they are magnificent gems of the most beautiful green color. The jewel used to garnish the fifth foundation is sardonyx or onyx. This stone varies in color; it may be translucent or opaque and is often striped. The sixth stone used for garnishment is sardius, possibly the red variety that is highly polishable and extremely beautiful. The seventh level is garnished with chrysolite, which is a form of topaz of Tarshish. The garnishment of the eighth level is beryl, which is actually colorless; but reflects a great variety of colors depending on foreign substances which it contains. It is indeed a precious stone. The ninth garnishing stone on the ninth level of this city is topaz, which is called by some, the “gem of the setting sun.” It is said to be the color of gold or peach. The tenth level is chrysoprasus, which is called the apple and is a light green variety of agate, a very rare stone. The eleventh foundation of this magnificent city is jacinth. The jacinth is a red variety of zircon, which is found in square prisms of different shades. The last of the twelve levels is garnished with amethyst. This is a royal purple and a fitting crown for the city. Imagine the crown of this city of transparent purple quartz that is decorating the jasper translucent walls with the gold within reflecting throughout the foursquare city! The spiritual character of Jerusalem will not be anything less than an everlasting Shekinah. This glory will never abate but fill every moment and every space. Then John said, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Revelation 21:22-23) New Jerusalem will be the center of our New Heaven and New Earth. This city will be filled with music, worship, joy, and celebration. The fellowship of God’s greatest saints will make every moment unspeakable. The music will be perfect, so perfect that its harmony will make the deepest emotion of every soul nothing less than ecstasy. There will be no sin and there can be no sorrow. I believe the landscape of the New Earth will be rolling hills and lush valleys all filled with the greatest possible beauty. The created sun, moon, and stars are no longer of service to God’s great universe. They have served their purpose. Now, the light of God is no longer shielded or manifested as a shadow. We have seen our Father and the Lord “through a glass darkly,” but now the darkness is gone, and His light breaks forth in its splendor. A world where the “glory of God did lighten it” seems like a dream. It is soon to be a reality. He says, “The Lamb is the light thereof.” Calling Christ a Lamb at this time in our prophetic future is a reminder of Calvarys great accomplishment. There is no future without the cross. The very title, Lamb, is our reminder that there is no path to eternal bliss except passing by the bloodstained hill outside and near Jerusalems earthly walls. We must understand that this city is the eternal reward of the Bride, but there is a world outside this city where the saved that did not receive the reward of Brideship will live. The Apostle Paul tried to excite us to so follow Christ that we would inherit the highest honors. He stated, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Php 3:9-11) This city of such wealth and splendor will become the delight of those that dwell on the earth. They will find joy in the light and reflection from this city, and they will walk in that light with unspoiled happiness. The great cities of the earth live and prosper with the view of bringing all their glory into this capital of the universe. Those living in the Brides splendor will delight to welcome the earths saved to visit in their mansions. That will become a joy to their past acquaintances who come to share their honor of being a resident in this golden city. Part of the Bride of Christs honor will be to welcome and share this city with the earths inhabitants. The gates of the city never close and there is no night. It will be one eternal day. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 113: THE COMING NUCLEAR MELTDOWN ======================================================================== The Coming Nuclear Meltdown There are 262 nuclear power plants in our world and every one of them is scheduled for meltdown. The Bible declares that every work of man will be burned up. This fact alone will make the seven years of the Great Tribulation “hell on earth.” As we watch the developments of nuclear meltdowns in Japan, we are witnessing a small scene of a coming worldwide time of sorrows. We have been warned so often in the Holy Bible, how can we doubt that it must happen? Apostle Peter, the first man to preach under the anointing poured out at Pentecost, wrote apocalyptic words, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which 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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:10-11). This is a clear picture of a worldwide judgment of all man-made schemes and works. The governments of men are never just and righteous. All of our designs and creations are limited by the fallacies of flesh. Our God is going to establish a kingdom of righteousness and perfection that we can only dream about. Words of men are imperfect to describe the glory of this coming Millennium Kingdom. Daniel described in His interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44). There cannot be a kingdom of Jesus Christ and His saints of all earthly history until this earth is a totally new world. Everything tainted by sin, and human failure must be eliminated. The earth will return to a pristine perfection that Adam inherited at creation. Nature will be free of all destroying elements. Glorified saints will rule with Jesus Christ as King of Kings. Enjoying a sin-free environment with a perfect system of life and government will be ours forever, even past the 1,000 year reign of Christ’s earthly kingdom. Apostle Peter said, “. . . the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” These words leave little to imagine. It’s amazing to see that all through the Scripture the present earth is just as desperate for relief as we are in our flesh bodies. Paul said, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). The earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms are the screams of this sin cursed earth. In Revelation, John saw – through a vision – the future picture of our world. He said, “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (Revelation 16:20). You can imagine John looking at the scene before him and searching for the lofty mountains he had witnessed in Northern Israel. They were missing and he sounds a bit surprised. But, the writers of the Holy Scripture had stated many prophecies with the promise of this new day. Isaiah had prophesied, “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed . . .” (Isaiah 54:10 a). Ezekiel connected present events that are occurring around our world with the same great truth, “So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground” (Ezekiel 38:20). Job promised the same, “He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots” (Job 28:9). How many people will die during these seven years is debated, but it certainly points to an extreme multitude. Some suggest two thirds of all living persons at that time. Here is one vision of a massive number of fallen angels turned loose out of the bottomless pit to kill them, “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men” (Revelation 9:15). One third today would be over two billion deaths. When you consider a multitude of Christians that are washed in the Blood of Jesus after the Rapture and then suffering martyrdom and being resurrected to stand before God’s throne, we know that death will be massive. “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). The kingdom of our future Millennium cannot be far away. No one should dare set dates, but we can see the handwriting in the newspapers and in the scenes on our media sites. Either we are near the horror of judgment or the scenes from Japan are fabricated. The very emotions in the dialogue from the world reporters carry a feeling of a countdown. Israel is facing a decision day with Iran’s war machine. Politicians act like helpless robots. The only crowd still unmoved is mainly the religious people that have rocked themselves to sleep with the language of their false prophets. With all the sorrows that make our hearts weep, we still know that the best is yet to come. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 114: THE CONFUSED WORLD OF PAUL AND JAN CROUCH ======================================================================== The Confused World Of Paul And Jan Crouch by Joseph Chambers If there is one thing certain about Paul and Jan Crouch, it is that nothing is certain. Whether the guest of Trinity Broadcast Network is a religious leader that is fairly fundamental in doctrine or a way out person that says almost nothing that makes sense, they both are welcomed and applauded as great. For one hour of the "Praise The Lord" show you may hear someone trusted by much of the church world and then the next hour hear the babble of Kim Clement. Theology or truth is just not important. It is religious entertainment. In fact, Paul Crouch calls theology "doo-doo". On a Praise The Lord telecast he shouted, "Let Him (God) sort out all this doctrinal doo-doo, I don’t care about it." He apparently hates no one worse than those he calls "heresy hunters". On another occasion he spoke to his worldwide audience by stating, "Heretic hunters, those guys who spend their lives straightening us all out doctrinally, they are going to go straight to hell." (You could hear Jan laughing approvingly on the set.) Here are a man and woman that controls the message about the Word of God and the airing of the messages of the most noted televangelists to the greatest single audience in the world and they hate correction and biblical reproof. It is a formula for spiritual disaster and that is what is already occurring. Here are three additional statements that show Paul’s disdain for anyone that dares to question the messages of his guests on Trinity Broadcast Network. Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord Show: "I refuse to argue any longer with any of you out there. Don’t even call me if you want to argue doctrine, if you want to straighten somebody out over here, if you want to criticize Kenneth Copeland for his preaching on faith of Dad Hagin, get out of my life. I don’t ever want to talk to you or hear, I don’t want to see your ugly face." "I think they are damned and on their way to hell and I don’t think there is any redemption for them. I say, "to hell with you"." "I say, "Get out of God’s way, quit blocking God’s bridges (Apparently, he defines God’s bridges as the One World Church and ecumenism.); or God is going to shoot you if I don’t."" What Does Paul And Jan Really Believe? Either they do not know what they believe or they do not care. Their guests represent some of the wildest possible heresy that can be exposed. Two of their newest stars/idols are Phil Munsey and Kim Clement. The mainstays of the last five to twenty years are well-known televangelists that continually teach questionable doctrines that have already destroyed a multitude of believers. I want to simply give you quotes from TBN telecasts and their guests and then show those quotes in the light of clear biblical truth. The picture that will emerge will represent some of the absolute darkest heresy available in the church world. The problem is that these people, whose actual words you will read, are not called cultic. They operate in the supposedly sane world of true Christianity. You must let God’s Word help you decide. Your spiritual life is absolutely at stake. The "Force Of Faith" Vs. The "Faith Of Our Fathers" Nothing we discuss in this article is more important than this definition of faith. God is either the Sovereign and Eternal God that has revealed Himself in His book of faith (The Holy Bible) or He is a pagan god that operates much like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch, etc. Listen carefully to this explanation of faith. Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord Show: Kenneth Copeland: "The force of faith is in the spiritual realm a great deal like certain forces in the natural realm. It is a spiritual force, like gravity is a natural force, and electricity is a natural force of power." Paul Crouch: "A measurable natural force." Kenneth Copeland: "It’s a measurable force, it’s conductible, it’s perceptible to the touch . . . Faith is a spiritual force, it’s perceptible, . . . it is a tangible force, it’s an invisible force, so is gravity, but it is there." Paul Crouch: "So is electricity . . . Does God use faith?" Kenneth Copeland: "Surely." Paul Crouch: ". . . See, here is the sore spot. There are those who say . . ." Jan Crouch: "Not with him." (speaking of Copeland) Paul Crouch: "Not with you." (lots of laughter follows) Jan Crouch: "Not with God." Kenneth Copeland: ". . . the fact. No, I’m not sore at God at all and I don’t think He’s sore at me . . . I haven’t done anything to Him." Paul Crouch: ". . . The critics say God is God, He doesn’t have to have faith; He doesn’t exercise faith. He doesn’t use faith. He’s God. He’s the object of faith." Kenneth Copeland: " . . . Wait a minute, what does that mean? Object of faith. I don’t know what that means." Jan Crouch: "I don’t either." What Does The Bible Say About Faith? The definition of biblical faith has no kinship to this "Force of Faith" espoused by Copeland, and apparently Paul and Jan Crouch. In the above statement by Kenneth Copeland, God is said to use faith just like Copeland uses faith. Faith ceases to be the lofty and eternal truth forever settled in the Heavens and established by an eternal God that is Himself the object of our faith. It becomes a formula or a New Age force that is a pagan idea, clearly kin to the many teachings of the occult. The new religion of the Antichrist is said to be a religion of "forces". Daniel prophesied this clear warning, "But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things." (Daniel 11:38) To even suggest faith as a "force" is to deny God as an eternal being to whom we turn in truth and faith for all our sufficiency. It actually reduces God to the level of man. Real faith is clearly seen in Apostle Paul’s beautiful description to the Hebrews. Listen to his biblical statement of faith, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:3, Hebrews 11:6). In true faith God becomes the "Absolute, the Eternal Sovereign God" in whom we rest all our hopes. The Biggest Failure In The Bible When you join together the idea of faith as a "force" with a God that became the biggest failure in the universe, you are laying the foundation for a "pagan cult" or a "paranormal religion". Here is another example of a TBN telecast where biblical doctrines are cast to the wind. Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network"s Praise The Lord Show: Kenneth Copeland: "I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is." Paul Crouch: "Okay." Kenneth Copeland: "You know everybody you ask, you say, "Who’s the biggest failure?" They say, "Judas." Somebody else will say, "No, I believe it was Adam." Well, how about the devil?" Paul Crouch: (Sound of amazement.) Kenneth Copeland: "He’s the most consistent failure . . . but he’s not the biggest in terms of material failure and so forth. The biggest in the whole Bible is God. . . . Wait, wait. don’t you turn that set off. You listen to us. I told you. . . . Now, you sit still a minute. You know me well enough to know I wouldn’t tell something I can’t prove by the Bible. "He lost His top ranking of most anointed angel, the first man He ever created, the first woman He ever created, the whole earth and all the fullness therein, a third of the angels at least. That’s a big loss, man! I mean you figure up all of that, that’s a lot of real estate, gone down the drain. "Now, the reason you don’t think of God as a failure, He never said He’s a failure. (Paul Crouch and others laughing on the set.) And you are not a failure until you say you are one." Does The Bible Suggest That God Was A Failure? Our Sovereign God created us in His image that we might bring honor and glory to Him and have eternal fellowship together. He desires our love and He wanted that love to be our choice. He wanted our obedience, but He wanted that obedience to be our choice. To suggest that God was a failure because Adam and Even made a sinful choice is ridiculous. It completely alters the entire biblical account of man’s fall, Satan’s fall, and the results that occurred. Our world would certainly be a different place if man had not sinned, but not for one moment was God ever a failure. The only failure was found in those that sinned. He never ceased to be the God of His universe or of the spiritual world where His will is forever being done. The biblical account of the years that have transpired since the fall are filled with His story and the revelations that have never ceased to unfold. David made it clear who rules this Universe and it has never been the devil. His words speak volumes. "The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah." (Psalms 24:1-10) You have the choice of believing Copeland and the Crouches or God and His true prophets. Reducing God is a constant theme of these diluted pundits (self-proclaimed authorities), but His majesty is undefeatable. The foolishness of this crowd gets worse. The Deity Of The Son Of God In Question Always error is on a downward spiral. Truth ascends and gets richer and sweeter, but error descends and becomes more and more absurd. That is clearly the direction of Paul and Jan Crouch. We will see other evidence of that in some of the new stars of TBN, but already the deity of Jesus Christ is under attack. Read carefully the following conversation: Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord Show: Kenneth Copeland: "We are still questioning what was said about that prophecy. That prophecy never mentioned the Son of God. Never said anything about the Son of God." Paul Crouch: "What did it say?" Kenneth Copeland: "It said I did not claim to be God." Jan Crouch: (Unintelligible sounds.) Kenneth Copeland: "That’s all it said." Paul Crouch: "In other words, in so many words, you’re right, no where in the New Testament did he literally get up . . ." Kenneth Copeland: ". . . preach and claim that He was God . . ." Paul Crouch: ". . . and say, "I am God." Did He? I stand corrected." Here is the apparent prophecy that was being discussed by Copeland and Crouch. It is an example of the new revelations as being claimed throughout the "New Wave" so-called revival. Christ supposedly told Copeland the following: "don’t be disturbed when people put you down and speak harshly and roughly of you. They spoke that way of Me, should they not speak that way of you? The more you get to be like Me, the more they’re going to think that way of you. They crucified Me for claiming that I was God. But I didn’t claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and He was in Me. Hallelujah." (Kenneth Copeland, "Take Time To Pray," Believer’s Voice Of Victory 15,2 (February 1987):9.) Here is an additonal quote by Copeland, which confirms his belief that Jesus was not God as He appeared on earth. "What [why] does God have to pay the price for this thing? He has to have a man that is like that first one. It’s got to be a man. He’s got to be all man. He cannot be a God and come storming in here with attributes and dignities that are not common to man. He can’ do that. It’s not legal." (Kenneth Copeland, "Question & Answer," Believer’s Voice Of Victory 16,8 (August 1988):8, emphasis in original.) Let’s read the words of another guest that was also bold enough to deny the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord Show: Joseph Good: "Yeshua (Jesus), we do not see as being God when He walked here on earth. We see Him as a man." Guest: "A man anointed by God." Joseph Good: "A man anointed by God, sent by God to perform a function. Now, in his resurrection . . ." Guest: "He"s not God." Joseph Good: "We do not see Him as God. We see Him as a man anointed by God. And that has been restored. There is nothing in the statements of Yeshua, in the statements of the disciples that would cause one to believe that they were proclaiming that He was deity." Was Jesus Christ The Eternal Son Of God? The Copeland, Hagin, Hinn, and Crouch, etc. theology plainly teaches that Jesus was only human in His earthly visit. Paul Crouch makes a statement that Jesus was reincarnated as the Divine Son when He was "born again" in hell. Let’s listen to Kenneth Copeland say that God was not the Father of Jesus Christ, that He was an "emaciated (poured out) little wormy spirit . . . down in the bottom of that thing (the pit of hell)." Then, we hear Benny Hinn say how Jesus was born again with Paul Crouch adding, "that is when His divinity returned." Transcribed From A Message Given By Kenneth Copeland: "How did Jesus then on the cross say, "My God." Because God was not His Father any more. He took upon Himself the nature of Satan. And I’m telling you Jesus is in the middle of that pit. He’s suffering all that there is to suffer, there is no suffering left . . . apart from Him. His emaciated, little wormy spirit is down in the bottom of that thing and the devil thinks He’s got Him destroyed. But, all of a sudden God started talking." Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord Show: Benny Hinn: "Jesus Christ destroyed the power of Satan on earth, but destroyed Satan in the under world, the Holy Ghost wasn’t there. Think about that." Paul Crouch: "That’s when His divinity returned." Does The Bible Deny That Jesus Was The Eternal, Divine Son Of God? The answer is simple. To deny His divinity, to suggest that God wasn’t His Eternal Father, or to even consider that the Son of God had to be reincarnated as divine is total heresy. It flies in the face of the established truth of the eternal deity of Jesus Christ. The great Apostle John settled this in his gospel and other revelations. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:1-5). "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14). "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:1-3). "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8). The Lord Jesus was eternal God and never ceased to be divine. Yes, He took on the "form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men", but that does not even remotely suggest that He ceased to be God. God forbid that we suggest it did. Listen to this passage of truth, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Php 2:6-8). The divine nature, by its very essence, cannot be discarded and then reincarnated. This fallacy alone shows the total biblical collapse of the entire "Faith Movement." The Diety Of Man And The Teaching That We Are "Little Gods" Let’s go straight to several statements by Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn, and Kenneth Copeland on this crucial subject. After seeing the denial of Jesus Christ’s eternal divinity, it is amazing to hear their elevation of man unto a "god" status. Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord Show: Paul Crouch: "He doesn’t ever draw a distinction between himself." (Jan Crouch agrees in the background.) Kenneth Copeland: "Never, never. You never can do that in a covenant relationship." Paul Crouch: "You know what else that settles then tonight. This hue and cry and controversy that has been spawned by the devil to try and bring dissent within the body of Christ that we are gods. I am a little god." Kenneth Copeland: "Yes, yes!" Paul Crouch: "I have His name. I’m one with Him. I’m in a covenant relationship. I am a little god." Kenneth Copeland: "Critic, you are anything that He is." Paul Crouch (heard under the words of Kenneth Copeland): "Critic, be gone." Paul Crouch: "Yes!" Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise The Lord Show: Benny Hinn: "Adam was a superbeing when God created Him. I don’t know whether people even know this, but he was the first superman that ever lived. (Jan Crouch is heard laughing on the set.) First of all, the Scriptures declare clearly that he had dominion over the fowls of the air, the fish of the sea, which means he used to fly." Jan Crouch: "Wow!" Benny Hinn: "Of course, how can you have dominion over the birds and not be able to do what they do?" Jan Crouch: "Whoa, I mean, wait a minute. Benny, wait a minute." Benny Hinn: "I’ll prove it to you. The word dominion in the Hebrew clearly declares that, if you have dominion over a subject, you can do everything that subject does. In other words, that subject, if it does something that you cannot do, you don’t have dominion over it. I’ll prove it further. Adam not only flew, he flew to space. He used to be . . . He, He, He, He, He, He . . . with one thought He’d be on the moon." Transcribed From A Message Given By Kenneth Copeland: "God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself and in the Garden of Eden, He did that. He was not a little like God, He was not almost like God, he was subordinate to God, even. And Adam was as much like God as you can get . . . And I want you to know something. Adam in the Garden of Eden was God manifested in the flesh." Does The Scripture Teach The "Little God" Concept? The answer is obviously, "No!" There are many great truths of Scripture that show our humanity and the hope of a future glorification. - Presently, We Are Tempted - "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." (James 1:2-3). - Our Outward Man Perisheth - "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16). - Our Hope Is At The Completion Of Our Earthly Journey - "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:13). It is certainly clear that this entire concept is a cheap path to riches and earthly glory. To look for some spiritual benefit in this false doctrine is a waste of time. The purpose of the teaching is to create a whole class of "swinging saints living the good life", something akin to the "Beverly Hillbillies". You would think this crowd has been watching too much television. When you look at the real Jesus of Scripture, the prophets and apostles in their suffering and sacrifice and then return to see Paul and Jan and their fellow travelers in their glory, it all becomes a fantasy world of deception. God Is Both Male And Female? The pagan roots of this whole deception is manifest as they create a God that becomes more like Zeus or the pantheon of ancient gods. I have been aware for some time that this entire theological confusion was headed back to its pagan roots. These men and women are clever, but they will eventually become so deluded that the error will show through. Listen as Kenneth Copeland clearly states that God is both male and female. Next, listen to Benny Hinn state that women were first created to bear children out of their side. Then, he somehow compares this to Jesus and the spear print in His side. Transcribed From A Message Given By Kenneth Copeland: "Then, he created Eve out of Adam. Now, actually God didn’t name her Eve, Adam named her Eve later. That wasn’t her name, her name was Adam . . . Adam. When God said Adam, they both came. Their authority was one and the same together. They did everything together. They had always been together. Even when she was still part of him, he was as much female as he was male, LIKE GOD IS. And God separated the female part of him and then put them back together. And she was Adam, they were Adam. He was the man, she was the woman. She was the man with the womb." Transcribed From A Message Given By Benny Hinn: "Holy Spirit said something to me and I had to go like a mad man and looking in the Word. He says, "God’s original plan is that the woman was to bring forth children out of her side." What? You know that there is nowhere in the Bible but where God gives birth out of His side. Jesus gives birth to the church out of His side. Adam gives birth to his wife out of his side. It was sin that turned the thing around. And it was sin that transformed her flesh and her body." Such an idea is certainly blasphemous. It is exactly the same foolishness that elevates Mary, the mother of Jesus, to the state of "The Mother of God." Many writers are beginning to suggest as Copeland that God has a dual nature of male and female. The entire new headquarters of Trinity Broadcasting Network is feminine in design. There are female angels guarding the entrance to the television studio. The ceilings are filled with frollicking, mostly nude children. Two pictures of the mother/child deception and one of a feminine face, with two nude young bodies hovering above, line the short hallway leading past the female angels to the studio. The appearance is mythological and pagan. The Bible is absolutely clear that God is our Heavenly Father. His nature is divine and eternal and sexual distinctions are non-existent. He created man in His image and then created woman in the image of man. There are no female angels because the angelic host were created in the image of God before women were created. Women are a unique creation out of man to supply him a helpmeet and has absolutely nothing to do with the nature and appearance of God. This false concept of God being both male and female is clear decension into paganism. God As Mother Nature As we move to the concept of a dual nature, both male and female, manifest in the Heavenly Father, the results can only lead to more disgusting ideas. The new additional studio of Trinity Broadcasting Network in Hendersonville, TN, is the scene of the following quotes. Jan Crouch appears to be the host of these events, with preachers like Phil Munsey and Kim Clement. On one occasion Phil is preaching and appears to be speaking more from "fertility rites of ancient paganism" than the Bible itself. He states: Transcribed From Trinity Broadcasting Network, Hendersonville, Tennessee: Phil Munsey: "There is going to be a paradigm shift in philosophies of men. Mother Earth is groaning in travail, labouring pain, ready to give birth to something big and something mighty and wonderful . . . God is moving, connect with Him." As he preaches, he mentions the Buddhists and directs his remarks to them. "Buddhists, I love you much, I’m honored that you are willing to get out of yourself and take a risk and go for something that people used to laugh at. I’m honored that you have enough passion for God to try to connect with something." Phil Munsey: "In the Throne Zone, time past, present, and future cease to exist. We move into a frame without the limitation of humanity in the natural." In the course of these several nights of so-called revival, he apparently tried to show that people in the heathen world have learned how to connect with the principles of God without being Christians. I presume this is why he spoke so kindly of the Buddhist. Listen: Phil Munsey: "People learn how to work the principles of God, they learn how to operate in the charisma of God without the character of God and that makes good people mad." Phil Munsey: "Get your ears to hear what the Spirit says now, Get your ears to hear what the Spirit says now. (Supposedly, the Spirit is speaking through him.) I tell you that the kingdom of God is so due and overdue. I tell you that Mother Nature and I don’t mind using that word . . . It is now time for the New Jerusalem to come down out of heaven and kiss the earth until all that God is shall be made known and His glory fills the earth . . . I tell you what God is going to, has to do. He’s either going to shut some mouths up that are aborting the purpose of God and bring some marriages . . . If you are a virgin and you are telling people you are pregnant, you could get stoned." Phil Munsey: "God is looking for a womb to bring forth His Rhenna upon the earth. The Bible says in Isaiah, chapter 34:16; and I love the Amplified Version, that everything in nature has a mate of which they bring forth from their seed . . . Every Word of God has a mate . . ." Can Truth Of Scripture Be Blended With Pagan Doctrines? The answer is obviously a resounding, "No!" When God the Father becomes "mother god" as much as "father god", anything becomes possible in the pulpit. The term Mother Earth, as used by Munsey on these TBN Broadcasts suggests that the paradigm shift has reached an intense level of change. These doctrines will be preached very carefully for a while and then the speakers will grow blatant and arrogant. Notice that Munsey says that the Spirit was saying, "the kingdom of God is so due and overdue." Is God ever late? Does He have to apologize for the failure of His plan? Copeland has already answered that on an earlier Praise The Lord telecast. "God," says Copeland, "was the biggest failure ever in history." Paganism has arrived at the pulpits of many churches. Stand On The Word Of God My dear friends, get back to the truth of God’s Eternal Word with all of your heart. Truth will set you free. Do not allow these "New Wave" preachers to force you to deny the beautiful ministry of the Holy Ghost in your life. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father as the Spirit of Truth. His living presence in the church will cause the Word of God to come alive. My heart is set on a reformation in the Body of Christ. The church world has a multitude of sincere believers who love the eternal Son of God and many of them have been influenced by these pagan ideas. Pray earnestly for the "Word of God to prevail." Let’s be sure that each one of us gets back into total truth and believes for a revival of New Testament Christianity. Pray earnestly for the Crouches and others that truth will prevail in their lives. Millions are being led into deeper and deeper error and everyone of us has an obligation to help them learn the truth. Share this information with everybody in your sphere of influence. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 115: THE COPPER SCROLL: JERUSALEM TEMPLE TREASURES ======================================================================== The Copper Scroll: Jerusalem Temple Treasures (With the war clouds over Libya, and Russia (Gog) protesting the coalition’s effort to stop Gaddafi, the eye of the storm cannot fail to be Jerusalem. Remember, Libya is part of the Gog and Magog war machine. This is an excellent time to consider how close we are to a New Temple on the Temple Mount.) In 1952 one of the greatest discoveries of an ancient script, written on copper, was found near Qumran. It took several years to open or unroll the scroll in order for the deciphering of the text to begin. Because it was a very fragile document — nearly two thousand years old – there was great fear that it would be destroyed before it could be translated. The disagreements of the assigned scholars and the intrigue of such a valuable possession led to years of delay. There are still differences of opinions, but a fairly solid consensus is that the treasures noted in this scroll are indeed from the Jewish temple and they do exist. The entire world is watching every event and every idea that relates to Israel. Numerous Bible prophecies concerning this chosen nation are emerging, this Copper Scroll being one of them. The leaders of Gog and Magog as named in the Bible are each in place and bellowing out their plans. Thirty years ago Persia (Iran) was our ally, but Bible prophecy scheduled that historic part of the world for a different course. For Biblical truths to be fulfilled, people of many stripes are used — often or actually in most cases — without one semblance of understanding about their role. Persia/Iran has been completely transfigured until they are ready to be the point nation leading the war to their own holocaust. Gog and Magog may well occur in 2011. Nothing relating to Israel is more exciting than their talk of the coming Messiah. Their speaking about the Jewish Messiah cannot be separated from talk about their temple in Jerusalem. Yet, that temple site is already occupied by an opposing strategic religious center. Well over one billion adherents to that religion would fight to the death to stop a Jewish temple. This issue between the Islamic religion and Israel’s preparation to build their temple is one of the world’s hottest subjects. Only the Sovereign God can possibly solve this problem and He will. The Copper Scroll treasures contain almost enough gold and wealth to rebuild the temple. A Catholic priest, Josef Milik, was assigned as the research scholar responsible for writing the official findings. He said that the gold and silver represented over 200 ton or 400,000 pounds. The entire treasure was estimated to be valued at two to three billion dollars some years ago. That has more than doubled at today’s value. Of course, these estimates are considered too small by some scholars and too large by others. There is some speculation that the final Copper Scroll’s trove of treasures will identify the location of the “Ark of the Covenant.” Hershel Shanks, the editor of the Biblical Archaeological Review, tells about a meeting of scholars and experts in which the majority agreed that the treasure is real and that it all came from the Jerusalem Temple. (The Copper Scroll, Hershel Shanks, p. 51.) It is believed that before the Romans finally took and destroyed the temple in AD 70 that this wealth of gold and treasures was hid from them. Whether or not the “Ark of the Covenant” is part of this trove of temple treasures does not mean the ark has not been preserved. The Copper Scroll treasures were almost assuredly from the Second Temple, but the Ark of the Covenant was not ever discovered after the First Temple. It seems certain that faithful priests had hidden the ark when Nebuchadnezzar was camping beyond Jerusalem’s Walls in preparation to destroy the city. This was 586 BC. From research, it is evident that Nebuchadnezzar sought diligently to save the Temple of Solomon, probably for Daniel’s and Jeremiah’s sake. Nebuchadnezzar’s general was instructed to take Jeremiah from among the captives and protect him. He was allowed to either stay in Israel and return to his own estate or go to Babylon to be cared for by his own people. The Copper Scroll reveals the hidden place of sixty-four different troves or groups of treasures. Here are two of those locations, along with the list of items included: “In the basin that is in the valley of […], in the tomb of its source, a black stone 2 cubits (away); it is the entry:300 talents of gold and 20 indemnity vessels.” (Ibid., Location 49, p. 100.) “In a cavity that is in the bright place north of Kohilt, opening to the north, and (where there are) graves at its entrance a duplicate of this document and an explication and their measurements and a detailed inventory of everything, one by one.” (Ibid., Location 64, pg 101.) In the location of the 62nd treasure, the amount of gold and silver is 600 talents (45,000 pounds). When will this great abundance of treasuries be discovered? Actually, there is no need for this discovery until the Temple Mount is purified and vacant. I am convinced that most, if not all of these temple items, along with the wealth of gold and silver, is hid beneath the exact location of the ancient Temple of Solomon. If the Ark of the Covenant was directly beneath the Second Temple’s Holy of Holies, the priest could have offered the Blood sacrifice behind the veil and above the ark in Christ’s day. This would be the reason that the veil before the Holy of Holies was rent when the Son of God died at Calvary. It seems fitting that the firestorms that will destroy the armies of Gog and Magog and obliterate the Islamic religion will also sweep the Temple Mount and purify it with fire. The promise of God’s defense of Israel includes prophecy stating, “Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 38:19 b). Ezekiel further prophesied, “And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground” (Ezekiel 38:20 b). I add this possibility, “All the treasures of God’s temple shall be revealed.” When the war of Gog and Magog is finished, it will be time for Israel to build their temple. The Book of Revelation gives reference to two different temples, the Heavenly prototype and the Third Temple in Jerusalem. This last great book of the Bible is written primarily to the church, but it would be impossible to eliminate the presence of Israel or the city of Jerusalem. The 144,000 Jews, who are converted to Christ immediately after the Rapture (Revelation 7:1-8), clearly show that God never forgets His Son’s earthly family. The nation of Israel will continue in unbelief until the Seven Years of Tribulation is finished, but many Jewish individuals will come to faith as the countdown moves toward the Millennium. Jerusalem’s rebuilt temple is the focal point in the very middle of the seven years of the Great Tribulation. In His Olivet discourse the Son of God called this temple the “Holy Place.” That settled the fact that God will honor this Third Temple, even though it is rebuilt by Jews that will still be waiting for their Messiah. The temple is part of God’s process in preparing for the total redemption of Israel. The fact that the Antichrist desecrates the temple, as Jesus plainly taught, shows that this will end the Jewish effort to complete the re-establishing of Old Testament worship. Jesus said, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand): Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:15-22). The Book of Luke gives us an additional look at Jerusalem and this brief moment of what is happening at the middle of the seven years. “Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:21-24). Since the Book of Revelation is about the entire universe and God’s complete redemption of all things, Jerusalem’s new temple only receives a simple explanation. John is given the task of measuring this grand place and showing the Antichrist’s purpose to defile this highlight of Jewish rebirth. He stated, “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Revelation 11:1-2). It’s clear that the nation of Israel will still be under the thumb of her enemies among the Gentiles and will not be free until the Great Tribulation is finished. This period is called “The Times of the Gentiles.” Dispensations in the Bible are distinct periods. They never suggest that God is uninterested in the rest of the world, but that His actions are precise. Revelation does not show us the Antichrist and his image in the temple actually desecrating this “Holy Place,” but Jesus Christ prophesied that it would happen. John the Revelator described this event without renaming this location. “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:14-15). The Third Temple must be rebuilt and it will be a grand place. If it were not, the Antichrist would not have any interest in defiling it in his blasphemy against God. As the Seven Years of Redemptive Tribulation comes to its closing moments, the great prototype temple in Heaven comes into view. I do not believe that it is possible to understand the significance of what the redeemed are going to behold. Any one of the three temples – Solomon’s, Herod’s, or this Third Temple – were or will be the grandest structures this world has ever seen. The Temple of Solomon was the greatest but the beautification by Herod of the Second Temple was almost as grand. Hershel Shanks quoted Josephus, “The gold Herod used in the construction of the sanctuary on the Temple Mount equaled 8,000 talents (600,000 pounds or 300 tons.).” (The Copper Scroll, p. 47 from Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (Loeb edition) 14. 105.) That’s 9,600,000 ounces at $1,000/ounce or nine billion, six hundred million in today’s gold value of $1,000/ounce. And that is just the gold and not the glory. But, the things that we know on earth that are beyond description — as these earthly temples represent — will pale when that grand worship center of Heaven comes into view. The glory of this temple that could contain the combined sovereignty of the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit must become visible to the saints as the Great Tribulation ends. “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:19). The sacred treasures of the past Jewish temples — Solomon’s and Herod’s — had to be removed from human hands and human imaginations. I believe God ordained that these treasures be hid from piercing eyes until His timing to establish His Son on the Throne of David. Jerusalem is the only city that could contain this divinely planned and blessed “Holy Place.” I’m delighted that Jesus Christ gave this last temple in Jerusalem a sacred title. For mortal flesh to call a city or a man-made temple a “Holy Place” could be questioned, but for the God-Man to call it such is breathtaking. I believe the treasures of the “Copper Scroll” and the original Ark of the Covenant are a part of God’s plan for His city of Jerusalem and His Golden Temple, where His Son will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 116: THE FAITHFUL FATHER ======================================================================== The Faithful Father The Heavenly Father is so intrinsic to the Bible that we often forget to search out His wonderful person and character. He is holy without a single mar, but love without a moment of forgetfulness. He is Sovereign but never imposes Himself. His tender concern for every living soul is without question and He even knocks softly at each heart’s door. It is now reported that six million Islam followers are turning to Christ yearly because of a sovereign work of the Father’s love. His Spirit is drawing them under the radar of the terrorist-dominated Muslim government. A story that Jesus Christ declared in the Gospels presents the perfect picture of our Father God. It is the story of the Prodigal Son but it is also a portrait of the Heavenly Father. This Father had two sons, who clearly revealed His earthly kingdom. One was a faithful, disciplined son and the other was a selfish, young man determined to find his own niche in life only to be utterly disappointed. Let’s look at the Father’s beautiful character in this lifelike drama. It is the second son that provides us with this great insight. This undisciplined son actually began the story as he demanded his freedom. (Luke 15:12). The father never argued for the son to change his mind. This is the basic premise of Holy Scripture. Man has a choice of free will that was given by the Father Himself. It’s like He said, "I want your love, your worship, but I want it freely, not by constraint." Nothing describes the "Love of God" more than His open heart towards His creation. He actually loves us in our failures as profoundly as He loves us in our obedience. When the son began his journey away from his Father, he was given every benefit of the Father’s love. His entire departure was overshadowed with sufficiency. Whatever sin was going to cost this undisciplined son had to come from his own failures and not from the Father’s revenge. He "took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living" (Luke 15:13 b). The only thing that chased the son was the "Father’s love." He could not forget how much his Father loved him. Nothing describes our Father better than the love that never forgets. It is evident that this young man wasted all the benefits the Father had given him. He had left the Father’s house with a song, a knapsack -- gold was hidden in secret places of the knapsack, and a healthy, well-fed body. How could he forget? When the wages of sin had taken its normal course, this young man remembered. Sin always leaves a mess. "And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger?" (Luke 15:16-17). Grace always reminds us of what the Father’s family enjoys. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. We never need to earn His grace because it is freely given. This grace changes us to the point that we want to go back to the Father’s house where love abides. The grace of God is never without willing obedience. The Father was waiting on the same road which the son had traveled when he left. The Father’s character is perfect in forgiveness. It does not wait on a trial period. It forgives immediately and it welcomes us back to the place of safety and fullness of joy. In repentance, the son asked only for the right to return, but the Father wanted a son not a servant. "But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry" (Luke 15:22-24). This story must have been given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ to give us a revelation of His Father. The six traits of His Divine characteristics as it relates to this revelation are indeed divine: He has given to all a choice. He pours out blessings on the just and unjust. He is chasing us only in His love. He waits with a heavy heart while sin works its sorrow. He welcomes home with perfect forgiveness. He returns the repentant soul to full fellowship. Our Heavenly Father is faithful and full of forgiveness. His holiness is perfect and it is His joy to welcome us into the purity and righteousness that grace has freely provided. The Father’s house is truly a house of plenty. Sent weekly from the ministry of the Paw Creek Church and media outreach. This article can be freely used, reprinted, made available on Internet, or used as a sermon note. We would appreciate it if you would always put the source and our web page information if placed on Internet or printed in a publication. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 117: THE FIERY FURNACE EPIPHANY ======================================================================== The Fiery Furnace Epiphany King Nebuchadnezzar arose from his royal throne that had been moved to a beautiful concave at the highest level near the golden statue. As he started to move to be near the ashes of his slain warriors, astonishment captured the king’s appearance. For minutes he could not speak but simply gazed into the entrance of the great furnace that was still exceedingly hot on the inside. He then arose quickly and spoke loud enough for the entire elite of his world empire to hear. He turned to his chosen counselors — the very best of Babylon – including Governor Belteshazzar. With his captured astonishment he asked, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered him in unison, “True, O King.” He then said to them and all of the company of his empire, “Lo, I see four men loose – loose – walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt.” Belteshazzar’s heart leapt with overwhelming joy and excitement, but he could not disrupt the king. “And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” He repeats it again with amazement, “The form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” The king forgets royal decorum and moves hastily toward the very mouth of the furnace! It is still a burning fiery furnace but now reduced from the sevenfold level of heat the king demanded in his fury. Standing near the furnace he cried out toward the entrance, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, my great governors of the Babylonian province, ye servants of the most high God, come forth and come hither.” The eyes of every person present suddenly watch the entrance. It’s unbelievable! Every religion in the world talks of miracles and paranormal events, but few have seen them. The king’s demeanor leaves no doubt that something has occurred that cannot be explained. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego quickly walk out of the flames right before the multitude, fully dressed and untouched by the fire. The king’s princes, governors, captains, and counselors, still gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their heads singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. The king has been upstaged by this God of Belteshazzar before and now again. He, without hesitation, declares: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.” The very next act of the humbled king is to promote Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in all the province of Babylon. His decree above will, at least for a season, stop the whispering campaign against the servants of the Scrolls and the God of Zion. King Nebuchadnezzar is getting the message that every act of man relates to the god he serves. The battles of the world are the battles of the gods being fought on the human plain. Which of the gods a man serves determines his actions and character. King Nebuchadnezzar and Queen Amytis are finally alone in their palace sitting room. “Amytis,” the king says, “Your great wisdom that you spoke to me days ago was very wise and I am honored that you are my queen. I have such a tendency toward a proud and haughty heart and it will be my defeat unless I can overcome. I remember when we spoke years ago about the gods and we mentioned learning of other gods and even of a God that is above all gods. I am certain that we saw the action of that God today that is above all gods.” “Yes,” she says, “As I sat beside you in the concave prepared for your honor and near the statue I prayed to Belteshazzar’s God. I was heartsick over the three great vice-governors I thought were destroyed and I am still full of grief over the great warriors you sent to death. I prayed to that God that I do not know. I must tell you, my Nabu that that is the God I plan to serve. I will not grieve you in being outspoken about it, but I respect Belteshazzar and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They are the kindest men that serve you and they are protectors of your empire behind your back.” “Amytis, how can I repay my brother that lost his son, Sinbabel, or my captain of our guards that lost Shufnan, both whom we loved so dearly. They have visited our sons since they were kids and they often played together. As teenagers they hunted, fished, and spent time at our home in the marshes.” “Nebu, first let’s plan a great banquet here in the palace for all six families and open our hearts and let the grief pour out. Also we must set up a memorial of all six in a special place beside the processional so that we will never forget them. We must ask their families’ forgiveness for our failure.” “I agree,” he said. Belteshazzar, Shadrach, and Abednego are spending the very next day in the Zion community beside Dura. The word has gone out to the entire empire of the great miracles and the king’s decree that Zion’s God can no longer be spoken evil of by anyone. It will take days to reach Zion itself and the complete extent of the Kingdom. Besteshazzar appears to be towering above everyone. He is required to wear the royal attire of his high office and everywhere he goes the people are quick to bow. The same honor has been bestowed on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. As they enter the Zion community the response is sheer bedlam. The four governors of the Babylonian province are simple men and immediately receive their honor but then request to be treated as fellow believers in the Scrolls. Belteshazzar starts and opens his heart to everyone. “First, I want all of us to pause and honor the six slain warriors of our Babylonian best. They were brave men and their families are grief stricken.” Everyone stood silently and then Abednego prayed, “O God of our fathers we pray for peace in Babylon and in Zion. We pray for the six families of the slain men. We pray for our king and queen here in Babylon as well as our king and queen in Zion. We trust You, O God of heaven for Your wisdom in all of our lives. Give our King Jehoiakim and his princes in Zion wisdom to submit and save our city and our temple. Amen.” Belteshazzar continues, “Yesterday, our God gave our friends one of the great miracles that our Scrolls tell us about. Remember when you were so worried about the statue and I told you that right always wins if we do right. What a wonderful thing has occurred that will inspire all of our Scroll families back in Zion.” “The ‘Son of God’ that the king saw in the furnace was really the great Deliverer to come that all of the faithful lovers of the Scrolls look and wait for. Remember Isaiah, one of our seers, who wrote of His day in the future. He said that His Kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom. King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream told of a great Stone cut out without hands that would end all empires to establish an everlasting Empire ruled by that stone. The fourth man that he saw yesterday was that ‘Stone,’ the head of its corner.” “Here we are in Babylon,” says Belteshazzar (Daniel was his name to all of the captives from Zion). “And our God is revealing the future to us. I’m going to write about it so everyone can read God’s plan for the future. Where God’s revelations are being revealed there is always peace, and we must be at peace right here in Babylon.” Shadrach spoke for himself and his two companions, “Yesterday was my first moment to be in the presence of God. As we walked and talked in the furnace, the Son of God told us of His glorious day in the future. We were instructed to never doubt what He gives His seers that are true to Him. He also reminded us that when we walked out of the furnace, He would stay inside so that everyone that must enter because of their unbending faithfulness, He would already be there waiting on them. Remember the burning bush and Moses, Elijah that ascended in a whirlwind of fire. Our God is a consuming fire. Our hearts were greatly saddened when we heard King Nebuchadnezzar’s voice calling to us to come out of the furnace. We could have stayed with the Son of God in that place of His revelation forever.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 118: THE GREAT APOSTASY: LOST FOREVER ======================================================================== The Great Apostasy: Lost Forever An apostate soul is lost forever. There is an abundance of Biblical proof that shows anyone that apostatizes cannot repent – and even stronger – has been given a reprobate mind and will not repent. The Greek word apostasion means a divorcement. The apostate person has divorced the truth of God and has been divorced by the Holy Spirit. They are lost forever. There is a multitude in today’s church, which are so captured by the watered down message that they refuse to even believe “plain truths” from the Holy Scripture. Please consider what is evident in the very term apostate. We are not discussing someone going back into sin or simply ceasing to walk with the Lord. That is backsliding and we see a clear picture of that in the prodigal son in chapter fifteen of Luke. He left the Father’s House and wandered far from home, but he came to himself and returned. I have often said that there is a little of the prodigal in every one of us. We have all had to repent because we failed to be fully obedient. This state of a soul has no real kinship to apostasy. Apostate people are more religious than the true saints. They have departed from the great principles and established doctrines of the Holy Bible and are committed to guaranteeing that everybody else does the same. Apostasy is a departure from truth while being convinced that they have discovered greater truths. It is the replacement of the eternal truth with religious human imagination. The book, The God Chasers, by Tommy Tenney is an excellent case in point. He states that the Bible is where God has been and the new revelation is where God is now at work. Rick Warren is clearly at the same point. He has replaced the Born Again life by the Holy Ghost with a “purpose driven life” of psychological relativisms. In the apostate world there are many paths to God, and Jesus Christ is only one of them. The absolute teaching of Jesus Christ about an eternal Hell and eternal Lake of Fire is now to simply lie in the grave and fail to enjoy God forever. The Bible can be pen-knifed by the apostate church and almost every truth can have varied meanings. Separated living is a relic of the past and the Christian is free of all restraints in the Ten Commandments, etc. A ballgame on Sunday night is just as spiritual to this company as a great sermon from God’s eternal truth. Romance music has replaced the music that lifts the spirit of man into the Holy of Holies, where God’s Spirit sanctifies and purifies the soul. The Holy Bible warned us of this End Time phenomenon. The most powerful Scripture about apostasy is in the great book of Hebrews. This passage has been almost ignored by most Bible teachers because it upsets their weak theology. “And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall “Fall Away,” to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:3-6). Apostle Paul does not just suggest the end results; he proclaims without question that this state of apostasy cannot repent. Please note the words, “fall away,” which identifies the apostate person and states that they were once partakers of the Holy Ghost, were once enlightened, and had tasted the Word of God and the world to come. But, now, they have turned from all of that great life and cannot return to their former spiritual state. The term “fall away” is from a unique Greek word that applies to the person that is part of the “falling away” or “apostasia” we see in 2Thessalonians chapter two, verse three. The prophecy of 2Thessalonians is a clear companion to the truth in Hebrews. As the apostle writes about the coming Antichrist and the Day of Christ, he warns us of the “falling away.” “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Again, we see “falling away” from the two Greek words, apostasia and apostasion. These are very religious persons who have turned to “another gospel.” They did not love the pure word of God and were wise in the flesh to create their own theology. They watered down the truth to draw the crowds into their great fold. And, then, they must keep compromising to keep the crowds. The Holy Ghost takes the apostle right down to the fine point of what the results will be, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause 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” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12). God’s omniscient Spirit warns them that He will give them “strong delusion,” and “that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned.” It is not the truth that saves the soul. The world is full of people that know the Bible. Many souls study the Bible just to argue their deception more successfully. It is the “love of the truth” that saves the soul. Now, we are discovering the real heart of apostasy. It is to reject the truth for error and our highly intellectual church world is fulfilling this prophetic design to a tee. There is clear evidence that this condition of apostasy is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of Truth is absolutely the Holy Ghost. To reject truth, to change truth, to water down truth is to grieve, quench, and blaspheme the Spirit. The whole matter of apostasy is the forsaking of truth. The Holy Ghost inspired every Bible writer and they wrote as “they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). There is no way you can blaspheme Him more readily than when you attack His revelation. From Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, to John, the writer of the Book of Revelation, the Bible is the pure Word of God. The final proof of apostasy is found in Revelation chapter twenty-two. The Spirit said, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). When you alter the Bible, you are an apostate person and will be eternally lost. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 119: THE GREAT BATTLE FOR THE RAPTURE ======================================================================== The Great Battle For The Rapture by Joseph Chambers A great battle for the Rapture is raging. The master of this battle is Satan because he stands to suffer his greatest defeat when the Rapture occurs. Remember, how Satan defiled the first woman in the garden and has attacked the seed of woman every moment since that occasion. The Father God declared this continuing battle in His first Messianic statement. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15). Womanhood and her purity have been at the center of every great conflict since the Garden of Eden. Our Father had to miraculously deliver Sarah from the Egyptian Pharaoh because of Abraham’s unbelief. If Sarah had been defiled, the godly seed of the coming Christ would have been destroyed. Twice, our Father reached into the Gentile world to redeem a Gentile woman and to purify her that the seed of woman might continue undefiled all the way to Calvary. The last seed of woman is prophetically pictured in Revelation chapter twelve. There is a great debate over this prophecy but the whole Bible has prepared us to interpret this simple truth. The sun-clothed woman is a visible picture of the church, both First and Second Testament, and the man-child is that final seed of woman, which is caught up to God and His throne. There was a church within the Nation of Israel. Luke wrote about this church in the wilderness. "This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us." (Acts 7:38). The Second Testament church has had its visible form for nearly two thousand years. In both Testaments there has been nurtured within the visible church an invisible company of the Godly seed. This company of saints does not love this world or its fashions. Whatever the world is doing, this Godly seed is doing the opposite. The world can scorn this man-child, but this godly seed will only shine the brighter and witness the louder. This crowd of saints cannot be bought because they are already purchased. The hatred of Satan for the true seed of woman will never diminish for all eternity. Even after the Rapture, the Antichrist, empowered by Satan, will stand on the earth and blaspheme toward the heavens where the raptured saints have been removed. "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." (Revelation 13:6). No wonder there is such a battle for the Rapture. Satan Standing Before the Church The devil, Lucifer or Satan, has stood before the sun-clothed woman throughout her existence. He hates every expression of godliness and separation. Holiness is the antithesis to the false. The one religious expression that Satan cannot imitate is purity or Biblical Holiness. He will promote his own prayer plan, his own worship, and his own music; but every time the element that is rendered unnecessary will be holiness. Look at the prayers, music, or worship at a religious rock event and the entire picture will be anything but pure and sensible in both action, dress, and beauty. The whole affair has the air of uncontrolled emotion and wild conduct. Unsaved, but moral people can discern this better than our modern church world. The visible sun-clothed woman has been defiled, but she still bears an invisible company ready to be "caught up." Let’s view this in Scripture. She is called a "wonder" because of her contradictions. She is visibly defiled, but has within her great body an undefiled people that long to be delivered. I hear this cry almost every day, "My church has gone the way of Hagin, Pensacola, Toronto, the "God Chasers," etc., but I am going to be faithful to the Holy Word and my Lord." There is a great remnant that is searching for a true worship and a faithful pastor, but are often disappointed. The sun-clothed woman has broken the hearts of a multitude by her backsliding and compromise. But, soon, very soon, the faithful will be "caught up." Now, let’s look at this prophetic picture, "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne." (Revelation 12:1-5). Let"s Look at Several Aspects of This Text: Even This Woman is Pained to Be Delivered of Her "Uncomfortable" Child - The "Pensacola and Toronto" crowd have shouted from their pulpits to the resistance within, "Leave, get out, get out of our way, quit resisting this new thing" and have driven thousands out of their own churches. The Hagins, Copelands, Hinns, and the whole New Wave deception have taken over thousands of churches and forced the "Godly people" to flee in mass. The "Willow Creek Model," the "rock music bands," and an entire list of strange religious fads have stolen the church from tens of thousands of very dedicated and hungry souls. (The Prayer of Jabez is the latest.) The modern sun-clothed woman hates the Rapture-Ready crowd and is "pained" to be delivered of us. She will soon get her heart’s desire. We will be gone. Her "Child" Will Be Caught Up - There is no question, but that the "man-child" is the raptured saints. The only alternative that I have ever read or heard is that this "man-child" is an historic intrusion at this point representing Jesus Christ’s ascension. Let’s look at the words used to describe this event. The Word says, "And her child was "caught up" (harpazo) unto God and to His throne." (Revelation 12:5). The exact word in the original is "harpazo" which was used in 1Thessalonians by Apostle Paul for the church. Please hear his words by the Holy Ghost, "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 4:17). The Scripture never says that Jesus was "caught up," but that He was "carried up" or "taken up." The risen Son of God ascended of His own power. We read in Acts, "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." (Acts 1:9). The word used clearly indicates that he ascended of His own authority and power. The Earth had no hold on Him. He is clearly the risen, glorified Son of God and He ascended back to His Father. The word "caught up" (harpazo) is a powerful Greek word that indicates several wonderful ideas. It means, "to seize, catch (away up), pluck, pull" or "take by force." The idea of "removing from impending danger" is clearly evident. These words "caught up" cannot apply to Jesus Christ as the resurrected Lord in any possible way. The Holy Ghost does not make that kind of mistake in Biblical language. The picture of our present day church world gives an exact situation for the Lord’s intended message. The "man-child" is a pain to the church, not even considering the world and Satan. If the church hates the "rapture ready" remnant, how much more are they hated by the godless world and the hordes of evil spirits operating under Satan’s command. It is easy to see the indication of our removal from impending danger. We will be suddenly without warning and, while the world thinks to change us or destroy us, "caught up" to His throne and delivered from the "rapture hating" crowds. The Lord Jesus chose the perfect word. Satan Hates The Rapture Truth - This text portrays Satan as actually standing before the visible church, "to devour her child as soon as he was born." Why does Satan hate the "man-child" and the birth of this "man-child" so totally? Again, we return to the text in Genesis and the conflict between Satan and the seed of woman. This struggle is approximately six thousand years old. Satan has made life a battle for every victory of woman’s Godly seed. From Adam to Jesus Christ the Godly seed was victorious only by pain and sorrows. From Calvary to the present the "seed of Jesus Christ" has won only by prevail and death to self. Finally, the Godly seed of women is at the moment of Her greatest triumph. This seed has been faithful and victorious in spite of Satan’s continuance fury. Both the dead and the living have won the victory. The whole creation is groaning and travailing for deliverance. The Holy Ghost has said, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." (Romans 8:18-23). The devil will never concede one battle. Every victory we win will be by the triumph of our King of Kings. As this battles reaches its zenith and the devil stands posed to devour, the Holy Ghost reaches into the very jaws of the evil one and the "overcoming saints" are "caught up" to the throne. The victorious ones will have won their greatest victory. Satan is left to blaspheme and rage, but we are forever out of his reach. He can never accuse us again. This Sun-Clothed Woman Cannot Be the Nation of Israel - The prevailing view among many Bible Expositors is that the sun-clothed woman is Israel. There are several reasons this interpretation fails. Israel will not be saved until the end of the seven years of Great Tribulation. Yet, we have the remnant of this woman that misses the rapture winning every victory against Satan by the blood of Jesus Christ. Look at two verses, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:11). "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Revelation 12:17). There is no possible way these two verses represent the Nation of Israel during the seven years of the Great Tribulation. Second, the Jewish nation was never promised to rule the nations with a "rod of iron." That has been an exclusive promise to the church (overcoming saints) throughout Holy Scripture. This "man-child" is clearly given that promise. "And she brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations." (Revelation 12:5). The church is going to judge the nations and be kings and priests for one thousand years. Israel will be her own nation in the Promise Land as promised to Abraham. She will be the most glorious nation on the earth, but will not be Christ"s king and priest of the nations of the earth. Third, this great prophecy is a future prophecy and cannot be confused with the historic past. When Satan is first seen in verse three, the description of him is clothed in his future role. He has "seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads." (Revelation 12:3). This is clearly a position of world power and rule over the Antichrist kingdom that the Bible reserves for this last earthly period. The statement to John in the beginning of chapter four establishes the rules for interpretation. The Lord said to John, "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." (Revelation 4:1). From Revelation 4:1 to Revelation 22:20 future prophecy is not to be confused with the historic past. The Remnant Of The Sun-Clothed Woman Most of today’s church world has adopted a very soft opinion of the Rapture. This was not true in the past. Whether reading writings of Hudson Taylor, Joseph Seiss, G. H. Lang, or many other great saints and writers, their theology demanded holiness and clean living (separated from all compromise and worldliness) for the Rapture saints. According to the past greats, much of the church world was clearly unprepared to be a part of the "Rapture Remnant." I believe they were right. The saddest day of human history will be the day after the Rapture. Multitudes of lukewarm, indifferent, worldly, and slothful church leaders and members are going to miss the Rapture. They will be this crowd that Satan turns in his fury to persecute and slaughter. With the Rapture victory won by the ready saints and lost by Satan, his anger will be indescribable. When you view this picture of the remnant of the church world fleeing into a wilderness for three and one-half years, it fits perfectly with the Tribulation Saints seen in several passages. They will be martyred, as seen in the following verses, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Revelation 6:9-11). Do not forget that Revelation 4:1-11 and Revelation 12:1-17 are the same Rapture event pictured twice. The first picture is from a heavenly view and the second view is from the earth. Each view is followed by a different picture of the same seven years of the Great Tribulation. The great company of Tribulation saints in Revelation seven is the result of those who overcame Satan by the "Blood of the Lamb." "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:11). Satan Will Lose His Kingdom Satan has been the "god of this world" for nearly six thousand years. His love to be worshipped and obeyed has been intoxicating. He guards his domain with evil dedication and uses his host of fallen angels (demons) to demand his will. He knows that when the Rapture occurs, it is the beginning of the end. The very "man-child" that he stands over to devour will be the Lord’s kings and priests who will become the rulers of this world. We are going to take over Satan’s previous domain. No wonder there is such a hatred for the Rapture. It is a battle to the end. Conclusion Millions of believers have been "caught up" in today’s compromise, religious fads, and false teachings about Post-Millennialism and Kingdom Dominion doctrines. The faithful that have refused the watered down standards, the new fads, and doctrines will soon be gone. It is either to be "caught up" in the false or to be "caught up" to meet Him in the air. The Bible is a plain book. All anyone needs to do is to take the Bible literally. You cannot take the "Hope of the Rapture" literally if you do not take the "laws of righteousness" literally. The saints of every great revival have been holiness men and women. Whether it was Dwight L. Moody, Hudson Taylor, or any of the fundamental ministers, they preached holiness and godly separation. The compromisers call this standard "legalism." To a few it may be, but to the pure of heart, it is obedience. You must decide if you want to be one of the "man-child" remnant "caught up" to meet the Lord or one of the crowd left to flee into the wilderness. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 120: THE GREAT HOMECOMING CELEBRATION ======================================================================== The Great Homecoming Celebration The greatest picture of a star-studded celebration ever recorded is in the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation. Nothing in the Holy Scripture or secular history can even claim second place. The entire host of Heaven that the Psalmist David described on the Northern Scopes of the eternal land will be the welcoming company. The saints from all past human history will be the honored guests. The location is so grand that only one apostle’s eyes have seen its indescribable beauty. This is the Homecoming celebration of God’s human family. Sin thrust the prodigal clan out of God’s immediate presence long ago, but it’s time to go home. John beheld this drama when he was called by the Lord Jesus to “Come up hither.” Entering into the Celestial City, his eyes fastened on the throne of our Heavenly Father. The Father was so brilliant in glory that John never described the throne. Using the most eloquent words he knew, he spoke of God, “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation 4:3 b). These incredible colors and shapes speak of a majestic being, clothed in eternity and manifested in a divine purity. John was overshadowed and fully covered with the Spirit or he would not have lived through this drama played out before Him. The location of this celebration is Heavenly Jerusalem. Somewhere in the Northern greatness of this universe this eternal home exists in perfect light. The great palaces are created with ivory. Even the garments worn in this city are woven in perfumed excellence. The Psalmist said, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad” (Psalms 45:8). To even approach this city will be an experience of resplendent glory. The soul of every glorified saint will be so flooded with life and rejoicing that every memory of sadness will flee. Our welcoming Host will include every inhabitant of that eternal city. The Father will be the Grand Marshall. The Son of God will speak the welcoming words even as He did when He called John to view this future event. The Holy Spirit will spread His beautiful graces across the entire expanse. Living creatures will raise their voices in the most melodious sound of joy and gladness. The great host of the angels will reveal to us the joy of how they have worshipped for ages. God’s great saints, who have worshipped, trusted, and served their Father, while depending wholly on His sacrifice of sacred blood, will be the honored guests. The new house of redeemed flesh will be our wedding garments. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life” (2 Corinthians 5:1-4). We will be the center of this grand celebration. Redeemed saints that have forsaken this world to follow their God and His Christ have longed and yearned for their deliverance. Apostle Paul described the longing of those in whom Christ is Lord of all, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23). This body of flesh will soon be a distant memory and our dwelling will be in the company of the divine and angelic. This occasion is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the celebration that follows before the redeeming of our earthly home begins. This great company of millions of saints will arrive in this Heavenly city to share the business of cleansing the created world. The throne that these saints, now called Elders, will occupy shows clearly our part in guiding the redeeming affairs of our Lord. He will reign for seven years as the “Lamb Slain,” fully capable of casting out all offence from our future home of perfect peace. The book He receives from the Father is the full judicial terms of the “Great Tribulation.” It’s time to make God’s created world a garden of paradise for eternity. Before the process of redeeming this universe, the saints have time to say what their hearts have experienced from the moment of their redemption. This scene will be one of the grandest moments in our Father’s eternal existence. The saints, acting in unison as a grand multitude, will cause all Heaven to be silent. Viewing this Heavenly Host, they will see Abraham and Sarah, King David, Rahab, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and, by all means, John the Beloved together with all the saints. The Word says it best of all, “. . . I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11). “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:10-11). It will be spectacular to be a part of millions of redeemed saints celebrating by casting their crowns at the feet of our Creator and our Savior. Once our heads are bare of all the glory given to us and we have deposited that glory at His feet, we will sing our first song of the glorified saints. Being home again with the heavenly multitude of angels and our great God, Who made us in His image, will be grand as the saints prepare to share the eternal events to follow. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 121: THE GREAT WHITE THRONE ======================================================================== The Great White Throne As the final moment arrives to complete the judgment of sinners, we can expect that arrogance and rebellion have finally finished their course. The Bible is filled with godless men that were always ready to laugh in the face of God. The nature of sin, which started in Heaven among the angels and invaded the garden of perfect beauty to defile the human family, was never a light thing. Some men restrain themselves lest they show the full potential of their evil possibility, but the ultimate powers are never far below the surface. Sin is deeply rooted and blatantly destructive. When sin is unrestrained, it is as dark as midnight. Even when it is restrained, it is still nothing but naked death. The result of sin was clearly visible when Lucifer chose a creature to hide within and stole his way into the first garden. That creature walked into the presence of Adam; but because of the weight of sin’s consequence, he had to crawl out. This has been the perfect result of sin for six thousand years. Sin never leaves with the same beauty with which it enters. Sin is totally incapable of maintaining the joy of its own action. By sin’s own nature, it is not capable of one act without leaving a dark mark on its victim. If the human family could simply gather up the fragments left of anyone overcome by sin and look at it without the facade that Satan has produced, we would hate its every expression. We see only the obscure lines of age, disease, exhaustion, and brokenness and forget that all of this is the remnant of the fallen nature. With our naked eyes, we have never seen a man or woman that hasn’t been touched by sin; so, we do not know for what to look. Sin works deeply, often slowly, but it holds firmly. When it is finished, nothing is left. The Bible never covers over this story, but “we see through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). All of this is about to change. The greatest glimpse of sin man has ever witnessed was on the cross when God in the flesh died. He was a perfect picture of a sinless man. His very presence was awesome because He walked in perfection. When He spoke, men of authority, trained to be unbending, sent to arrest Him said, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46). When He died, the universe shook so violently that it was called an earthquake. The sun went out, the rocks were rent like a garment, and the Son of God cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The Book of Revelation is the picture of the horrors of sin meeting the master of sin. While we know that, because of our redemption, sin met its Master in the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, the world does not know that yet. The world will know, and the signs suggest, that it will be very soon. The Great Tribulation of seven years will purge this earth of every effect that sin has had on our environment. The War in Heaven, led by angels, will strip Satan of his obscure and safe staging area and cast him down to the earth. The seals, trumpets, thunders, plagues, and vials of wrath will together repay Satan and all that share his nature of every evil act. When the One World Religion and the One World Government of Revelation chapters seventeen and eighteen are finished, the only judgment left will be for God to resurrect the wicked dead and open the books of human deeds. This is what the Bible calls the White Throne Judgment. After the entire cosmos has been purified to a spotless perfection, death and hell, the sea and the grave, and the lowest regions of the earth will give up the soul of every wicked person to face God in a perfectly sinless courtroom at the White Throne Judgment. In such an atmosphere the least of sins will rip the soul of every guilty individual. Before the Great Judge has even spoken, the wails and screams of the wicked will be unbearable. When the wicked are finally judged and they have passed into this Lake of Fire, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). This earth is soon to be a garden and the happiness of His family will fill the earth. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 122: THE HOLY BIBLE IS INFALLIBLE ======================================================================== The Holy Bible Is Infallible IF YOU DOUBT THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE HOLY BIBLE THIS IS A MUST READ! The Holy Scripture is the most breathtaking book in the world. Not one nuance was missed as God revealed His revelation to His prophets. Our Heavenly Father was so satisfied with His revelation and its perfection that He promised to preserve it for every generation. “Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from this generatio for ever.” (Psalms 12:7) Not only did He promise to preserve it, but He warned men not to corrupt it and leveled a serious judgment upon any man that tampers with His truth. In God’s design, He apparently first settled His Word in Heaven and then progressively poured it into holy vessels to be written down for His church. “Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in Heaven.” (Psalms 119:89) Truth Begins and Ends with Jesus Christ! He is the eternal Word (logos). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5) The truth as written in Heaven and revealed by His prophets in the Bible is centered in and totally identified with Jesus Christ as revealed in His flesh. In fact, Apostle John said, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:4) Imagine a Bible (the Word of God) that is not only a book, but is revealed in a person, the Son of God. The Bible and Jesus Christ are united in essence. Both the “Word” written and the “Living Word” are God’s perfect revelation. Pilate, in speaking with Jesus, asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) He asked this question of Jesus because the Son of Man had said, “And for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” (John 18:37) Jesus had said earlier to His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) Jesus Christ is the truth in exactly the same fashion that the Bible is truth. They are inseparable. One is the Person and the other is the perfect revelation of that Person. The First Testament and Jesus Christ! The Book of Genesis is filled with the person of Jesus Christ. In the very first Chapter of Genesis, Jesus Christ is revealed at least seven times. John the Revelator clearly established that Jesus is the first and the last. John stated, as Jesus had revealed to him, “Saying I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” (Revelation 1:11) The words, “Alpha and Omega”, are Greek words or letters meaning the same as their Hebrew counterparts, “Aleph and Tau”. Seven times in Genesis, chapter one, as the Scripture deals with creation the “Aleph and Tau” are found in the Hebrew text without being translated. Here is a literal rendering of one verse showing where the Aleph and Tau appear. Remember Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, while the Aleph and Tau are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Notice this verse, “In the beginning created God (Aleph and Tau) the Heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1; The Interlinear Bible) John clearly stated that the Word created all things and that same Word became flesh in Jesus Christ. Here, we see that “Word” as the Creator in the perfect picture of the creation story itself. This kind of Biblical perfection is found throughout Genesis and the whole Bible. The Gospel in Genesis! In Genesis Chapter Five we have the Gospel message clearly presented. When the average person reads this chapter they are bored because it appears to be no more than the genealogies of the first ten generations of families. Let’s take a closer look by defining the name of each generation leader and then uniting those names in the text. Adam means man, the first man, and Seth, his son, means appointed. Seth’s son, Enos, means mortal; while his son, Cainan, means sorrow; and his son, Mahalaleel means the blessed of God. Jared was the son of Mahalaleel, which means shall come down; and Jared’s son, Enoch, means teaching. Enoch named his son Methusaleh because God had apparently warned that at his death the great flood would come. Methusaleh means his death shall bring. Lamech was the name of his son, whose name means despairing, clearly describing the condition of the world at that time. Lamech’s son, Noah, was named comfort and rest, because God was going to reveal Himself and comfort mankind. When you see God’s revelation in this genealogy, the message is overwhelming. “Man, appointed to mortal sorrow, the great God shall come down, teaching, His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest.” The divine revelations of the “Word” were never wasted. Each word and every verse was placed in Scripture to reveal a perfect manifestation of truth. No wonder Jesus quoted Moses by saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by ‘every’ word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3) The Bible is a perfect whole. The Torah or Pentateuch! The first five books of the Bible are called the Torah. It’s amazing to look at this significant word. To the Jews the Torah is the most sacred books of the Bible. Remember, Torah in English is spelled with five letters, but in the Hebrew language it consists of only four Hebrew characters. The four Hebrew letters spelling Torah were Resh (Reysh), Vau, Tau, and Hey. When they were written, each letter had an original meaning. The four letters mean the following: Resh – Head, Vaul – Nail, Tau – Cross, and He – Reveals. Every time a Jewish person names or writes the name of his sacred text, he is declaring that the Head of that text was nailed to a cross and revealed the mercy and truth of that sacred revelation. The Torah Contains Incredible Mysteries! A recent article appeared in the Bible Review publication entitled, “Divine Authorship?” This article was a review of the work of Jewish scholars, Doran Witztum, Eliyahu Rips and Yoav Rosenberg, of the Jerusalem College of Technology and the Hebrew University. The title of their work, which was printed in the eminent Journal Of The Royal Statistical Society, was “Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis.” These authors, who are mathematical statisticians, have discovered words encoded in the Hebrew text that cannot be accidental. Their work was from the Textus Receptus or Masoretic text. The author of this review, Jeffrey B. Satinover, explained the results as following: “This in effect is what the researchers have found embedded in the Hebrew text of the Torah – a whole series of meaningful word-pairs in close proximity, something that they demonstrate cannot have happened by chance. These words they found in close proximity are not simply the words of the text (as would be the case in the analogy above of an unknown potential language). They were rather words composed of letters selected at various equal skip distances, for example, every second or third or fourth letter. It was as though “behind” the surface meaning of the Hebrew there was a second, hidden level of embedded meaning.” (“Divine Authorship?”, Bible Review, October 1995, p. 29) Mr. Satinover then explained how they used a combination of words related in life or history to show that the Biblical text revealed a prior consciousness of every human event. I will let him describe it. “…the researchers…found the pair Zedekiah (a sixth century B. C.E. king of Judah), and Matanya, Zedekiah’s original name (see 2 Kings 24:17); and the pair Hanukkah (the Jewish festival that commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple after it was recaptured from the Assyrians in the second century B. C.E.) and Hasmoneans (the family name of the leaders of the Jewish forces that managed to wrest the Temple from the Assyrian monarch Antiochus IV Epiphanes).” Note that these names and events found encoded in the text of the Torah involved people who lived, and events that occurred, long after the Torah was composed, whether by a divine or human hand. “In their 1988 paper, the researchers selected, at random 300 such Hebrew word-pairs with obviously related meanings, and looked for the words embedded in the text by treating the entire book of Genesis as a long cryptographic string. They would start at the beginning until they came to the first letter, then look to see if a second letter could be found two letters away. If so, they then looked for the third letter two letters away; if not, they stopped and searched for the next appearance of the first letter and repeated the process.” “They continued until they found an occurrence of the entire word spelled out at every second letter. If not, they performed the same procedure looking at every third letter instead. “In this fashion they searched first every other letter, then every third, and so on (including reverse order). When they found the first instance (that is, at the minimum skip distance, and measured its proximity within the text-string to the first. They did this for all 300 word-pairs.” (Ibid, pp. 30-31) According to information in this review, the possibility of this happening by chance was less than 1 in 50 quadrillion. In fact, a public statement was offered by eminent scholars here in America as reported, “Following publication of this paper, a public statement was issued, signed by five mathematical scholars – two from Harvard, two from Hebrew University and one from Yale. ‘The present work,’ they said, ‘represents serious research carried out by serious investigators.’” (Ibid, p. 31) Great Jewish scholars have contended that the Torah contains all knowledge. One such gentleman, Rabbi Gaon of the 18th century, stated, “All that was, is, and will be unto the end of time is included in the Torah…and not merely in a general sense, but including the details of every species and of each person individually, and the most minute details of everything that happened to him from the day of his birth until his death.” (Ibid.) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said it even plainer, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19) Revival is Absolutely Dependent on a Revival of the Scripture! The Holy Bible is the most incredible book in the world. It is literally a God-breathed book and is so powerful that it must be destroyed or diminished before the devil can accomplish one dark deed in his activities. The opposite is true if we want a revival in the church. There can be no victory or revival until the Word of God is returned to its rightful glory. All of our attention in this article so far has been in the First Testament. The Second or New Testament would be impossible without the first. When you grasp the absolute perfection of the thirty-seven books in this first portion of God’s Holy Word, then the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the New Testament message has even greater authority and meaning to you. The Perfect Harmony of the Two Testaments! God chose Hebrew as the language of the First Testament and Greek as the language of the Second Testament. These two languages have tremendous similarities. There are identical numbers of characters (counting the one added to perfect each alphabet) in each language, and the two languages carry the exact same numerical values for the characters or letters. The only two languages that have this perfect identity and the exact numerical pattern are Hebrew and Greek. Remember, God distributed the languages Himself and carefully prepared these two vehicles for conveying His revelations. First, let’s show the perfect harmony in these two books by looking at God’s fingerprints from Genesis to Revelation. The number thirty-seven has been called the fingerprint of God. Throughout the entire Bible this number and the multiple representatives identify the many expressions of the person of God. The number for “Jesus” in Greek is 888 or 37 x 24. While thirty-seven signifies the Word of God or His fingerprint, twenty-four is the number of priesthood. Jesus is the unity of both God and the priesthood, and the numerical value perfectly supports the same and unites the First and Second Testaments into one Holy Bible. “In the beginning God,” the first four words of the Bible, is Brayshith Elohim in Hebrew with a multiple numerical value of 999 or 37 x 27. Bethlehem, the place of birth for the Son of God is mentioned thirty-seven times in the First Testament, but only eight times in the New Testament. Of course, God’s purpose for eight times in the Second Testament is because eight is the number of New Beginning, New Birth or the New Creation. Let me list a few expressions of the Lord Jesus and show the numerical values in multiples of thirty-seven. 2 Corinthians 4:4 – Christ, who is the image of God = 37 x 105. 2 Corinthians 4:4 – Image of God = 37 x 37. 2 Corinthians 4:4 – God = 37 x 15. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 – Lord = 37 x 37. Mark 12:29 – The Lord God is one Lord = 37 x 72. Colossians 3:24 – The Lord Jesus Christ = 37 x 120. Revelation 22:20 – Lord Jesus = 37 x 33. Php 2:9 – And gave Him a name which is above every name = 37 x 108. 2 Peter 1:17 – This is My beloved Son = 37 x 111. Luke 20:13 – My beloved Son = 37 x 42. 1 John 4:9 – God sent His only begotten Son into the world = 37 x 120. 1 John 4:9 – His only begotten Son = 37 x 54. Galatians 2:20 – The Son of God = 37 x 66. John 10:36 – I am the Son of God = 37 x 54. (A Scientific Approach to Biblical Mysteries, Dr. Robert W. Faid, pp. 28-29) Dr. Robert Faid, a nuclear scientist and a consultant to nuclear power industries said, “As you can see, this theomatic number 37 seems to appear whenever God wants to point out something very special, and this happens throughout the Bible, both in the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament. Could this be a mere coincidence? I’ll let you decide. I computed the probability of only the eighteen features of 37 we have examined. The probability of just these eighteen multiples of the number 37 appearing by chance is:1 in 30,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.” (Ibid. p. 29) He further stated: “Even with our most powerful computers of today it would be utterly impossible to formulate one language whose alphabet could be used to write a single typewritten page containing the type of mathematical design we find in two languages and alphabets running through our entire Bible. The significance of this is awesome!” (Ibid. p. 32) The New Beginning in Jesus! In the section above I noted that thirty-seven is the fingerprint of God in the entire Bible. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ the Son of man, was named thirty-seven times in the First Testament, but eight times in the Second Testament. Eight is the Biblical numeric of new beginning, a new era and a regeneration of all things. It was Noah, the eighth person, (2 Peter 2:5), who led eight individuals from the ark to begin the repopulation of the earth. Circumcision was the foreshadow of the new regeneration in Jesus Christ and was performed on the eighth day after birth. The name Jesus divisible by thirty-seven (37 x 24 = 888), represents God’s fingerprint on the entire Bible, but is also divisible by eight (8 x 111 = 888) representing the new beginning of His sacrifice at Calvary. His resurrection was on the eighth day and now His bride, the church, worships Him on the eighth day. The eighth day is a confirmation of His covenant with the New Testament church and our covenant to glory in Jesus Christ and His cross alone. Greek numbers are shown to absolutely harmonize with Hebrew numbers to prove the Bible is the infallible Word of God. Jesus is spelled IHEOYE in Greek. The following chart is represented from Messiah, a book by Grant R. Jeffreys, (page 79): Numeric Value of Names of Jesus! JESUS = IHEOYE = 888 (I = 10, H = 8, E = 200, O = 70, Y = 400, E = 200, Jesus = 888) Other Names of Jesus, Christ = 1480 (8 x 185), Emmanuel = 25600 (8 x 3200), Lord = 800 (8 x 100), Messiah = 656 (8 x 85) Saviour = 1408 (8 x 176) The Lord Jesus and His Resurrection! The Lord Jesus Christ was God’s Passover Lamb in perfect fulfillment of the Passover Feast held in Egypt on Nisan 14th. To the Egyptians it was Nisan 13th because the heathen calendar did not change until midnight, but the Jewish calendar changed at sundown (typically 6:00 pm). (This is the origination of Friday the 13th being an unholy day. To the Bible believer there is no such thing as luck or being unlucky.) The heathen’s Friday the 13th was the Jewish Friday the 14th. The next day began this Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts seven days. During these seven days of the feast of Unleavened Bread, a regular seventh day Sabbath occurred. On the day after the regular Jewish Sabbath they were to offer a “he” lamb as a Feast of the Firstfruits unto the Lord. Originally in Egypt, the dates were Passover, Nisan 14th; the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was Nisan 15th and the regular Sabbath or the Eighty day was Nisan 17th. The Jewish multitudes, led by Moses, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground on Nisan 17th. As God gave them a new beginning, He also slew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea on that same day of Nisan 17th. As we move forward to Jerusalem and the death of Jesus Christ, He was the perfect fulfillment to the very day. He was crucified on Nisan 14th and resurrected on Nisan 17th, the first day of the week or the eighth day by Jewish reckoning. Every jot and tittle of the prophets was fulfilled in His birth, life, death and resurrection. The two testaments became one book by this finished act of redemption. The Word of God is by this death signed in holy blood and covenanted to those who by faith receive His promises. Only God could have perfected the promised sacrifice of the kinsman Redeemer in this absolute fulfillment to the day. The Easter (Ishtar) Confusion! An incredible documentation of Holy Scripture is found in the Book of Acts. Often critical reviews have used this Scripture to question the infallibility of the Received Text. Rather than create a question, it supports the precision of the Holy Spirit of truth. The Scripture says,“And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” (Acts 12:4) Some people argue that this was an error in translation. This word, Easter, they say, should have been translated Passover. If you will notice verse three (3), it says that Peter’s arrest was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Passover occurs the day before the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins so that Peter’s arrest was after the Passover. Herod is said to have intended to slay him after Easter, which was a completely different celebration than Passover. It was a heathen event that would have been important to Herod and his court of Roman soldiers and leaders. This pagan festival is appropriately described by Dr. Samuel C. Gipp, Th. D. He stated, “Easter, as we know it, comes from the ancient pagan festival of Astarte. Also known as Ishtar (pronounced ‘Easter’). This festival has always been held late in the month of April. It was, in its original form, a celebration of the earth ‘regenerating’ itself after the winter season. The festival involved a celebration of reproduction. For this reason the common symbols of Easter festivities were the rabbit (the same symbol as ‘Playboy’ magazine), and egg. Both are known for their reproductive abilities. At the center of attention was Astarte, the female deity. She is known in the Bible as the “queen of Heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:17-25). She is the mother of Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14) who was also her husband! These perverted rituals would take place at sunrise on Easter morning. (Ezekiel 8:13-16) From the references in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we can see that the true Easter has never had any association with Jesus Christ.” (The Answer Book, Dr. Samuel C. Gipp, Th. D., pp. 3-4) The Word of God stands untouched and undefiled after all the foray by her enemies. Conclusion! Every individual that accepts the Holy Scripture as the infallible Word of God and actually submits his total person to its authority will be transformed by its powers. This Word is God-speech. It is God-breathed and God-preserved. The power of the Holy Spirit is shut up in its revelations and is unleashed every time you allow it to become the absolute authority in your life. When the God-called preacher man lives in this Book until his sermons reflect the oracles of God instead of the opinions of men, his preaching will be dynamic. The laymen of our churches will be transformed when our preachers get back to the Book. Laymen and laywomen, don’t wait! If the preacher fails to act, you get into this Book, accepting its absolute message and revelation. God is no respecter of persons. Any man and/or woman that dares to believe and acts on this infallible revelation will be used of God to bring revival. Your life and family will be brought back to God and your community will see a display of truth. The only hope of the church in its search for meaning is the God-given revelation of Scripture. Jesus will not be revealed on church walls in esoteric emotions and flamboyant displays. He certainly does not manifest Himself in icons and idols. Isaiah said, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8) He is the Word and His Written Word is His language. If you refuse His Words from the Holy Book, He has no other method of speech. The Holy Spirit confirms His Word, but never replaces it. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 123: THE ISLAMIC HEAVEN: A PORNOGRAPHIC BROTHEL ======================================================================== The Islamic Heaven: A Pornographic Brothel Researching the religions of the world for a view of their “eternal heavens” is a hopeless venture. If these religions are judged by the futures they offer, they are a sad spectacle. Christianity is the one and only faith that promises a simple and beautiful life in a glorious setting worthy of human existence. All the rest of the world’s religions show signs of being created by a fallen mind or minds with no concept of a meaningful eternal life. The saddest of all these religions is the Islamic faith. While many politicians and religious leaders claim that the Islam god, Allah, is the same god as the Judeo-Christian God, the facts confirm that this is a false claim. Nothing proves this more absolutely than the different theologies of heaven. First, let’s look at the Islamic theology of heaven. Their heaven is a sex brothel, where women will spend eternity as sex slaves. Any woman that would ever embrace Islam must be ignorant of this fact. What woman would want to be one of the many wives, along with seventy-two virgins, that serve one man with sex for eternity? The prophet Mohammed described his view with the following words, “The smallest reward for the people of paradise is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine, and ruby, as wide as the distance from Al-Jabiyyah [a Damascus suburb] to Sana’a .” (Surah Al-Rahman 55,72, as interpreted by Ibn Kathir, who died in 1373 CE). Here are quotes directly from the Koran: “As for the righteous, they shall surely triumph. Theirs shall be gardens and vineyards, and high-bosomed virgins for companions: a truly overflowing cup.” (Koran 78:31) “...They will sit with bashful, dark-eyed virgins, as chaste as the sheltered eggs of ostriches.” (Koran 37:40-48) “...Yes and We shall wed them to dark-eyed houris (beautiful virgins).” (Koran 44:51-55) “...They shall recline on couches ranged in rows. To dark-eyed houris (virgins) we shall wed them...” (Koran 52:17-20) “In them will be bashful virgins neither man nor Jinn will have touched before. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?" (Koran 55:56-57) “Virgins as fair as corals and rubies. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?" (Koran 55:57-58) “...We created the houris (the beautiful women) and made them virgins, loving companions for those on the right hand...” (Koran 56:7-40) "In each there shall be virgins chaste and fair... Dark eyed virgins sheltered in their tents whom neither man nor Jinn will have touched before...” (Koran 55:70-77) Not only are there virgins in multiplied numbers, but, also, dashing and handsome young boys ready to be devoured in homosexual activities. The Islam pornographic brothel includes the darkest possible sin of men raping innocent young boys. These quotes from the Koran document these horrible acts: “Round about them will serve, to them, boys (handsome) as pearls well-guarded.” (Koran 52:24) “Round about them will serve boys of perpetual freshness.” (Koran 56:17) “And round about them will serve boys of perpetual freshness: if thou seest them, thou wouldst think them scattered pearls.” (Koran 76:19) While I try to spare you the descriptive and vulgar language that extends far beyond what I am writing, I must mention the sex market promised by Prophet Mohammed. In the Hadiths, Mohammed extends the talk of virgins and boys to promise a free sex market, where there is no end of choices for additional sex beyond the wives 72 virgins, and young boys. “Ali reported that the Apostle of Allah said, ‘There is in Paradise a market wherein there will be no buying or selling, but will consist of men and women. When a man desires a beauty, he will have intercourse with them.’” (Al Hadis, Vol. 4, p. 172, No. 34) The only possible creator of this debauchery is the Prince of Darkness, the fallen malevolent, the blasphemer of the Father – Lucifer himself. This fallen prince and all his discontented angels and men are on a subway to Hell. This subway is gaining speed and is soon to arrive at the depot of darkness. When we stop to compare the Christian Heaven that fills the Bible from Genesis to Revelation with the Islamic heaven (Paradise), we are left with nothing to compare. The Islamic heaven is not a heaven after all, but a brothel where sick men indulge in lustful activities uninhibited by moral restraints. I cannot find one promise to the Islamic women except the task of watching the men live out the wildest description of sex orgies ever recorded. There is doubtless no pornographic book more vulgar and debauched than the Islamic theology of their heaven. A sex market that men can visit and choose a woman at will with which to have open sex has to be at the very bottom of the depravity of fallen mankind. The Heaven promised in the Holy Bible is rich, pure, God-centered, and reserved for the pure saints that have turned from the filthy world of lust. Our glorified bodies will exemplify the highest morality possible. This glorious life is so far removed from the base appetite of sex that the thought of such will not even come to mind. The joy of our Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, will be the highest expression of eternal life. The New Heaven and the New Earth will be centered round a New Jerusalem so spectacular that our imagination can only see the blinding light of it all. The city of twelve levels will be surrounded by jasper walls and pearly gates. Each of the twelve foundations will be enhanced by priceless jewels from pure sapphires to the royal purple amethysts. Streets will be paved with gold and the Light of the city will be the Lord Jesus Christ – the Light of the world. Angels will welcome the saints as they exit and/or enter the city. The River of Life will flow out of God’s throne and the Tree of Life will line its banks. Our Bible is filled with the way that leads to this eternal reward. Jesus Christ paid the debt of sin for all that choose to surrender to His eternal will. The Heaven of our Holy Bible is a pure place; purchased by His pure blood and offered to every soul that will turn from the lust of life to the “Way, the Truth, and the Life” -- Jesus Christ. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 124: THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF "THE LAMB" ======================================================================== "The Marriage Supper Of "The Lamb" If there is one star-studded event of all the ages that transcends all others, it must be the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” The very heart of the Father in creating Adam and Eve and commanding them to multiply was out of a family passion. He had a family of angels that filled His eternal city with praise, but He also wanted a human family that His Son may be the Bridegroom. Nothing in His eternity is a surprise to Him. We were chosen from the foundation of the world to bring great joy to His fatherly heart. It is fitting that the Bible ends in His New Jerusalem, a special city for a special people. It is the conclusion of His revelations and shows the eternal joys as the Father enjoys His family, both angelic and glorified flesh. This world is nothing but a sideshow, while the kingdom of God is in preparation to be revealed. The fallen prince, Satan, has had his time of rebellion while the world makes their choice of whom to serve. Wickedness grows for its final harvest of sorrows, while righteousness climbs the stairs of grace to its triumph. The hour of finality is so close that the sense of majesty is in the air. The Psalmist spoke of a Wedding in his majestic book. He surely walked with God and was given a peep into the “Royal Wedding.” First, he spoke of this coming King/Messiah and declared Him with a glorious sense of His lofty statue. Read this description of the Bridegroom spoken hundreds of years before the virgin conceived this king in her womb. “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee forever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre” (Psalms 45:1-6). Such words are too high for me. They leave me with a glow into the marvel of our Father’s gift. He was very God. Already a King, grace poured from His lips. He was majestic in humility, mighty in battle, and truth was the essence of His person. He was from a throne and destined to return to that throne, but with everlasting victory in His right hand. He is presently patient, but soon to ride the white horse of fiery judgment. His sceptre will leave no room for exceptions. His victory is soon to be complete because the price of this redemption is totally paid. He has uttered, “It is finished” (John 19:30). If we could ignite a passion for this great celebration and triumph, it would awake the church. Hope is a majestic word and one of the greatest words in Scripture. Christianity is the only religion that is saturated with this grand emotion. We have no excuse to be gloomy and sad. The Bible is a book of happiness. It is breathtaking to see the end on the horizon. Hope is in the air. While I read and witness the world slipping into an irrecoverable chaos, I see “Truth” like a crescendo rising all around us. The great prophecies of the Bible are so evident that being sad is impossible. Our future is beyond description. No one can understand unless they are schooled in Biblical revelations. Heaven is surely in preparation for the Bride’s arrival just in time for a Wedding Supper. The Banquet Hall is all lit up and the tables are gleaming with heaven’s tableware. The food is undoubtedly prepared because nothing grows old in that city. Angels have finished practicing their welcoming songs. We will soon be transported to the grandest event of human history. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 125: THE MARVELOUS NEW HEAVEN ======================================================================== The Marvelous New Heaven It seems extreme to speak of a Heaven that is even more marvelous than Heaven already is. But the Book of Revelation makes it plain that God is going to create a “New Heaven” and a “New Earth.” The very language He uses proves that He is planning something so magnificent that its description is beyond words. The Holy Spirit said, “And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth: for the first Heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And 1John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2). Our Great God is full of unfathomable and unfailing plans for our future. While it is perfectly grand to simply wait until we arrive to see all of the glory that the Father has designed, the Bible would suggest it’s also okay to see a little of it in advance. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). Let’s be cautious as we consider some of the exceptional changes that we can expect. Satan has been a part of our Biblical scene from the beginning. Before we were created, he was a beautiful angel and held a strong position in the Father’s Kingdom. This lovely creature that may well have provided Heaven with his exceptional music decided that he wanted the Father’s throne. He lost his place and the Father’s Son saw him falling from Heaven. He wasn’t barred from Heaven but lost his dwelling place and became a vagabond in this great universe. Since that day he has been the accuser of men that seek to please the Father. He also labors to hinder the holy angels that busy themselves with the Father’s pleasures. An angel confessed to Daniel that a prince from Satan’s realm had withstood him for twenty-one days as he came to this servant of the Lord with the Father’s answer, “And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me” (Daniel 10:11-13). Heaven has tolerated this scroundel as the great redemption plan has unfolded and stretched toward the final finishing moments. Almost simultaneously with the Rapture, Satan will be cast from the Father’s presence and forever forbidden from the celestial world. He will never even see the New Heavens, much less seek to render it unclean by his evil presence. Presently, the great hosts of angels that call Heaven their home are busy on duty as ministers to the saints in their struggles with Satan. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). The angels ascend and descend at the command of “The Lord of Sabbaoth” to care for our needs. Jesus Christ is that Lord and has all power in Heaven and in earth, so Heaven is never free of our burden and cares. Heaven is the staging ground of these ministering spirits, “And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Luke 4:11). The Father has not left His saints to fight alone. The Heavenly Temple in God’s Capitol City is the center of His glory. Here is the great altar of which the Ark of the Covenant was but a golden shadow. This is the grand center of the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Here, He intercedes for the saints continually because there is no night here. Every burden and care that has been entrusted to Him is remembered. The Son of God has the Father’s ear to defend our cause and accomplish the Father’s actions. In his dying minutes, Stephen looked within the Heavenly realm and saw the exalted Son standing at the Father’s right hand. “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into Heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). This business of redemption will be finished when the New Heaven appears. The multitude of saints that are absent from the body, but present with the Lord, are waiting to return with Christ for the living Saints. Their presence in Heaven is without their glorified bodies. It is beyond my words to describe the future addition of this grand company with their shouts and worship throughout God’s New Heaven. Apostle Paul said that Jesus Christ would bring them with Him and wake up those that are awaiting resurrection, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend 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” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-16). When this great Hallelujah Multitude reaches the shores of the present Heaven, it will certainly prove that something majestic is in the air. This event we call the Rapture will start the Redemption Apocalypse. We will arrive on time and will probably have the joy of watching from the Ivory City as Michael organizes his angelic battalions of angels. You will be out of place if you do not believe in shouting God’s praises because Heaven will be alive with glory. The devil and his evil hordes will be seen in great defeat as they depart the Heavens for their last time. Not one of his fallen angels will see the face of God again. There will still be a lot of glory in the present Heavens as the Marriage Supper occurs. The multitude of saints will see New Jerusalem waiting the moment that it will descend. I believe the rewards given at the Marriage Supper will conclude with our mansions in the New City and we will occupy the city while we rule the earth for the Millennium. To tell the whole story of the coming New Heaven and New Earth is not for man to know at this present time. What I already know is certainly enough for me to say goodbye to this world and to live under the hope of tomorrow. Remember, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 126: THE NATURE OF THE ANTICHRIST (FIVE DARK SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE HIS NATURE) ======================================================================== The Nature Of The Antichrist (Five Dark Signs To Recognize His Nature) ”THE MARK OF THE ANTICHRIST HAS MORE TO DO WITH HIS “NATURE” THAN THE TATTOO HE WILL DEMAND ON YOUR FOREHEAD OR RIGHT HAND! The Bible clearly identifies five aspects of the Antichrist that will deceive the world and cause an incredible multitude to be eternally damned. Many are concerned about his “MARK 666” but never give a thought to his nature. Notice how the Bible clearly warns us of this truth. As John watches he sees “… the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand… And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9, Revelation 14:11) In both verses, we are warned that men will follow him in worship and receive his mark. There is no question but that our world is experiencing a deluge of the nature of this future beast. This article has one goal of helping you identify his nature. When the Rapture occurs, the world left behind will have already been prepared for his “MARK”. HIS NATURE IS THE PRELUDE TO HIS MARK OR TATTOO. We call his nature that is gripping our world, “THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST”. The Scripture says, “… this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (1 John 4:3) We must recognize the spirit of this beast that is preparing our world for his mark. There are millions that have so surrendered to the nature that it will make no difference when they take the mark. The mark cannot be received until the Man of Sin, the beast himself, is revealed, but the nature and his worship can be experienced already. Let’s try to identify his nature to the best of our understanding of truth. 1. The FIRST expression of his nature is to dilute the Bible so that truth becomes relative instead of authoritative. Almost the entire church world has bought into the new Bible versions that shatter the infallible source of His glorious truth. This is clearly Satan’s design. The devil does not want to destroy the Bible, that would cause a revolution; he wants to create a spirit of denial of numerous parts of the Scripture. The Antichrist does not need for you to reject the whole Bible, just a small part of it. You will be just as eternally lost by turning away from some Scripture that you call cultural, outdated, or some other adjective as if you rejected the whole. This nature of the beast is on a binge to get you questioning God’s absolute Truth. 2. SECOND, the beast nature is to destroy the beautiful sense of our sacred temple of the human body. The body or the temple of every living person is a sacred creation intended to be the temple of His Holy Spirit. “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (1 Corinthians 3:17) The appearance, the dress, the morality, the language and the treatment of your body as a holy temple is a Biblical requirement; and you cannot serve God if you treat this truth lightly. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” (1 Corinthians 6:4-17) “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.” “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:13, 1 Corinthians 6:19) The church world has rejected the beauty of a Godly life lived so tenderly that the temple/body is filled with His glory and power and looks like a light from His transforming grace. The world cannot see inside the temple, they can only see the outside reflection. 3. THIRD, the Antichrist nature is to deny all of the laws of God, and His commandments. The new religious philosophy says, “free as a breeze to do as you please.” It is from the enemy of truth, the beast. I call this “religious philosophy” because it surely is not “religious theology.” It’s the nature of the beast. The Bible says,“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-4) Those words are utterly rejected by most of the church world because of the spirit of the Antichrist. This Antichrist spirit wants everyone free of any restrictions because restrictions are how we discern right from wrong, good from bad and darkness from light. 4. FOURTH, his nature is to promote Biblical knowledge without a Biblical experience. Our World is full of religious people that know a lot about the Bible but have no experience with the person of Jesus Christ. Religious colleges and universities are abounding. Religious books line the walls of religious bookstores and all types of communication methods are flooded with religious teachings. All of this is empty until the soul has a transforming experience of being born again – a radical change – and surrenders to a cross-bearing life with Jesus Christ. Satan and his beast love religion, but they are terrified by the Holy Spirit’s transformed relationship with the Lord of the church. Satan and his angels have never ceased to be religious. The Beast that gives life to the image has a nature of false religion. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” (Revelation 13:11) “Horns on a lamb” is the exact opposite of the Lamb of God. 5. The FIFTH nature of the new beast and his new religion is righteousness without Godliness. Righteousness is imputed; it is the work of grace; and no amount of good works can earn righteousness. The saving grace is His gift and we come to Him without trusting anything of ourselves. But, the new theology flooding the church is to deny the effect of that righteousness and to leave the religious man free of the radical change demanded by Scripture. Christ’s righteousness is not a head matter, it’s a heart matter; and it will totally alter your life. “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” (Hebrews 10:26) “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) Our churches are full of religion but very few are living examples of Jesus Christ. This is the design of the Antichrist. Can you hear it in John’s description of the Beast: “Horns like a lamb but sounding like a dragon?” The nature of the beast is to promote programs without power and emotions without the supernatural works of His Holy Spirit. The life of the church is the resurrection life of Jesus Christ and that life is supernatural. The church must be alive with His presence or it becomes a tool of the new religion that the coming beast loves. It’s amazing to watch how quickly the church begins to welcome the strange fire of psychology, psychiatry, and even false spirits of witchcraft. Every action of Satan is only slightly removed from its original beauty in the Creator. Hypnotism is a counterfeit of the gifts of discernment, the strange fires of the Charismatic world are only slightly removed from the pure gifts of the Holy Spirit. Satan is a deceiver and can imitate the real very cleverly. The Word of God must always be the basis of discernment. Conclusion! We are living on the edge of His coming and deception is everywhere. A pure Bible and a faithful church to that Word is our guide and hope. Be a radical Christian and cling to truth with all your life. The coming of our Lord can be expected at any moment. John saw this dark Antichrist spirit and a wide-awake Christian can certainly see the “Lurking” presence now spreading his venom ======================================================================== CHAPTER 127: THE NEW APOSTASY, PRE-APOSTASY SIGNS VS POST APOSTASY SIGNS ======================================================================== The New Apostasy, Pre-Apostasy Signs Vs Post Apostasy Signs THE SPEED AT WHICH THE END IS APPROACHING HAS REACHED INDESCRIBABLE PROPORTIONS. All of the Biblical signs have been fulfilled, at least to a highly discernable level. The apparent signs were complete years ago and most Bible believing Christians of 30-40 years prior were sure that Jesus would come before the 1970’s or 1980’s were over. What most of us did not perceive was a whole new level of signs that our experiences and Bible understanding had not prepared us to receive. These new signs are very different, even imperceptible to anyone already caught up in the present apostasy. This second level of signs I will call the post-apostasy ones. Let’s get a picture of what we are talking about. This great truth came like a rushing storm to my heart. The Holy Spirit filled my study and I knew He was giving me a beautiful and Biblically sound revelation. There are two levels of end time signs in the Holy Scripture. The first level we will identify as the pre-apostasy signs and the second as the post-apostasy signs. What is the difference? Pre-apostasy signs are very clear even to the lukewarm or the non-Christian. For thirty (30) to forty (40) years much of the church world and a large amount of the non-church have seen and understood these Biblical proofs of His soon returning. Books like Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth have sold millions and were filled with these simple signs of Christ’s coming. Post-apostasy signs are of a totally different style and cannot be understood by an unbelieving world. They are signs that have a deep Biblical significance and will not be readily acceptable to a church world already seduced by the lies of the Apostate Leaders. It’s easy to see the difference of the signs before apostasy is dominant and those signs after apostasy is in great sway. We are now experiencing the last level of end time evidence. This is the post-apostasy period. A penetrating scripture is recorded in 2 Peter 3:3-4. It states, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4) We hear these kinds of remarks everywhere. There is a great departing from the once loved “Hope of His Imminent Appearance.” Please note that this scripture is in reference to the last of the last times before the Son of God returns. The word last in this usage means remote times. Scoffers are not just critics but, “false prophets who jeer at such truth as the great return of Jesus for His chosen Bride.” These are religious leaders who find their pleasure in the lifestyle clearly evidenced by today’s television evangelists and empire building idols. They are not prophets of God because they would live like a prophet if they were. (Remember how Elijah refused the money of Naaman to perform religious activities.) Prophets scorn the world, not embrace it. Pre-Apostasy Signs. These are the signs that excited the church world for an entire generation. I have personally been shouting over these signs for 60 years this past March. Now, nobody wants to hear them. They are actually scorned. Let’s list a few of them: 1. The nation of Israel that was born after almost 2000 years of exile: From the far corners of the globe they have returned to their promised land. Since the flag featuring the Star of David was hoisted in 1948, they have proved invincible to a myriad of enemies. This fact alone is like a time clock of certainty. 2. Signs in the elements: The natural world is reeling under a strange but escalating sense of destiny. Earthquakes are at a level of frequency unknown to history. Famines are scourging one geographic area while waste and plenty exist in another. The weather is quirky and unpredictable. Infectious diseases are rampant while wars and rumors of wars are clearly out of control. The elements of nature witness to impending judgment. 3. Growing worldliness in the church: What we used to call worldliness has now given way to apostasy. Worldliness is love for the world that draws away the person with a waning love. In the past they were easily convicted and would usually repent and change course when periods of revival came. Now they thumb their noses at holiness preaching and move to a more comfortable church setting. We’ve got plenty of preachers ready to make them satisfied in their sins. The difference in worldliness and apostasy is two-fold. First, apostasy means to depart from the faith to another gospel. There is much evidence of such today. The gospel of soft love and self esteem, prosperity and positive confession, entertainment and feel-good theology is the antithesis of Christ’s message of crucifixion, self-denial, cross-bearing and sacrificial service. The second expression of apostasy is, “to sin without grief and to be worldly without conviction.” There are certainly many other early signs of Christ returning but these suffice for this message. There was a time you could preach these overwhelming evidences and witness a harvest of conversions. They stir little interest today. Add to them the much evidence of a pending one world government, the United Nations of Europe, computer readiness to control the masses and the growing New Age movement and “Let him who heareth understand what the spirit is saying unto the churches.” (Revelation 2:1-29 and Revelation 3:1-22) Its time to believe the Holy Book and that it is infallible. Post-Apostasy Signs. The post-apostasy signs move us into an entirely new and different mindset. These signs are mostly religious in nature and have an air of intellectualism. They are clearly designed to deceive people who are highly cultured and educated. Their religious nature makes them emotionally exciting and mentally captivating. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24) It is important that you understand the distinction between false Christ and antichrist. The two words are very different. One is antichristos and the other is pseudochristos. This post-apostasy period is witnessing the overwhelming effect of a pseudochristos presence. It is Christ with a little c, or Christ reduced to the control of man without His sovereignty and stripped of His blinding Holiness. The present church as a whole is a perfect picture of a Santa Claus mentality with lots of gifts but absolutely no responsibility for purity. It will be rejected. 1. One of the first signs of the post-apostasy period is anti-Semitism spreading in the church. There is a growing distaste for national Israel among religious leaders. The unbelieving Jew is still an enemy for the gospel’s sake, but he is beloved for the Father’s sake. (Romans 11:28) Earl Paulk, Jr., of Atlanta, GA, writes “Some of the strongest fundamental churches still preach that Christ will return to gather national Israel unto Himself, and I say that is deception and will keep the Kingdom of God from coming to pass!” (Earl Paulk, The Handwriting on the Wall) “When Israel gets pushed into the sea, or converted to Christ, Scofieldism dies a fast death. Rest assured, I have a manuscript ready to go when either of these events happens.” (Letter dated April 30,1987 to Peter Lalonde) This dear man was the International Radio Minister for the Church of God and the son of one of the great leaders in that denomination. I knew him personally. What could have turned him from this truth? One thing, SIN! 2. The second sign is the utopia/prosperity/pleasure preaching of our generation. A message of good times ahead is heard today only from the pulpit and in an election campaign. Every other messenger knows better. From the scientists to the environmentalists, we hear the warning but the feel-good theology of the church won’t allow the preachers to tell it like it is. One leading Church of God pastor wrote in a church bulletin that we are about to enter the New Age of prosperity. (Dr. Paul Leverne Walker, Atlanta, GA) Another said, “Praise God the tabernacle is being restored!” (Lifelines, Randall D. Worley, Charlotte, NC) The last statement was made in an article announcing “guru” dancing in the church. I know both of these ministers well and they are not bad men, but lead astray by the new mindset in the church world. 3. The loss of Biblical convictions and the uncommon lifestyle is one of the most disturbing signs. A recent confidential survey of ministries reported 50% admitted extramarital affairs. It was documented that 80% of all registered attendees at the 1988 Religious Broadcasters Convention in Washington, D. C., ordered X-rated movies into their rooms. It is now acceptable (to the apostate church) for a minister or laity to divorce, remarry and continue in leadership and even to be applauded as examples. If God doesn’t judge the church (He will), He would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. 4. The New Age has entered the church. Choreographed tongues and dance is only the outward evidence. When ritualistic schemes replace the freedom and beauty of Christ-centered, Holy Spirit led worship you can change from Jesus Christ to a guru and never alter your program. New Testament worship cannot be choreographed. The Holy Spirit will not yield to manipulation. He is sovereign and His gifts are divided severally as He will every time they are manifested. 5. The last post-apostasy sign that I will mention in this article is concerning the new gospel being preached in our pulpits. Self-love and self-esteem with Jesus Christ will radically change a person’s life and with that alter their image of themselves. We become children of God in a redemptive sense and heirs of every appropriate promise in the Bible. But it doesn’t begin with self-love, but with conviction and disgust for our sinful self. To preach self-love or self-esteem as a premier message is totally deceptive. It makes the individuals satisfied with themselves; it raises their human potential alright, but at the expense of truly changing the evil heart. This new individual refuses to accept Biblical instruction that convicts them of unholy lifestyles. To think negative even of one’s sins is contrary to this mindset. These individuals sweep the garbage under the rug where it will gather until an overload comes; and come it will. The masquerading spirits of this hour are so evident in promoting this new religious thinking that the obedient Bible-believing Christian or minister feels himself under siege. The remnant who refuse to bow to such thinking will not be the most loved. Expect to be persecuted in an escalating manner. When you view the pre-apostasy and post-apostasy signs from a Biblical perspective it becomes clear that we are at the crisis hour. Seeing these signs from the two different angles helps to understand the neglect of Bible Prophecy in most churches. When a Christian college or university has one department teaching psychology and another teaching theology, one or the other is out of place. The basic departure in our Biblical teaching is the result of the new marriage of these two competing ideas. An article in the American Psychologist (August 1988) entitled “Psychology’s Mentalist Paradigm and the Religious/Science Tension” documents this wedding. Its author, R. W. Sherry, tells us that this convergence between science and religion has paved the way for the new man and his new world. The above statement sums up his paradigm. “Perhaps no idea is of more critical practical concern than the potential application of this paradigm in an ideology for world government.” The new world and new ideology is unquestionably the soon-coming World Kingdom of the Antichrist. Who would have believed that Pentecostals, Evangelicals and Charismatics would succumb to this deception and be spokesmen for the man of sin? It is happening and many church members are being sucked unwittingly into its confusion. Before that Kingdom of Evil can experience its short but violent life, Jesus is coming for those who are overcomers. No wonder Revelation chapters two and three emphasize the fact that only the overcomers will escape this horrible hour! Jesus spoke these last words by the lips and hand of John in Revelation 3:10 : “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Only the patient (those who don’t bend when the heat is on) and the overcomers will escape the last fling of Satan’s vengeance and the wrath of God’s offended holiness. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 128: THE NEW EFFEMINATE “JESUS” ======================================================================== The New Effeminate “Jesus” Through many years of Bible study I could never understand what Jesus meant by His breathtaking statement, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5). Since I have watched this Scripture being fulfilled by much of the modern religious world, it now seems clear to me. Jesus was prophesying that false prophets and false religious movements would develop using His name, preach with His name, and even confess faith in His name, but would be serving a different Jesus. I believe He was suggesting that the ultimate deception would be by men and women that actually say, “Jesus is the Christ,” but do so only in name, not in reality. The New “Jesus” has the same name and is preached or promoted with the same great Bible verses, but bears no recognition to the historic message of the cross. The cross-centered life, where the flesh is crucified and the self-life is denied, has no relationship to the flamboyant Christianity of today that looks more extravagant than Hollywood. The Jesus of the Bible, the risen Lord, who is presently at the Father’s right hand, would be totally repulsed by the worldly hype, the godless singers, and all the fanfare that is the heart of today’s church world. He would march into these unholy temples and drive out the false prophets that preach for wealth and gain. He would call them “vipers” and “hypocrites.” They would hate Him today just like the Pharisees hated Him in their day. Let’s look at a few clear differences between the Son of God Himself and the new “Jesus” of today’s deception. The new “Jesus” makes people wealthy, famous, and provides them extravagant lifestyles. The crucified Jesus says, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, forsake all, and follow me.” This new “Jesus” says, “Indulge yourself.” The Lord says, “Humble yourself.” The new “Jesus” is a lawless “Jesus.” The commandments of God are out and any standard of Godliness is rejected and even repulsed. The Biblical Jesus plainly said, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:4). The new “Jesus” loves for his followers to be loose, even dress vulgar or at best casual. For the first time in church history, the dress standard for God’s house has become immodest, confusing, and cheap. The new “Jesus” has no standard of right and wrong. The historic Jesus floods human hearts with reverence and even an awesome fear at the very mention of His name. Our Savior still instills in “saved hearts” a beautiful desire to come before Him in purity, holiness, and godly attire. The new “Jesus” loves for women to be Jezebels and for men to be effeminate. Cross-dressing is the love of those where this new “Jesus” has manifested his dark confusion. It is a new “Christianity” where the masculine “Jesus” has become a soft, slick, effeminate “Jesus.” The true eternal Son of God is absolutely masculine, authoritative, and Sovereign. There is no sign nor sense of weakness, compromise, or effeminacies in Him or His person. Even the effeminate pictures painted by perverted artists are totally out of order in a believer’s home. Do not ever use statues or pictures of Him to visualize or aid you in worship. It is idolatrous and forbidden in Scripture. The new “Jesus” loves the new music. The “blood” songs are too old-fashioned. Songs about the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, or the Millennial Reign are out and the new dominion songs are in. A favorite is, “Come Ride With Me.” It is a “Manifest Son’s of God” song that has the Son of God replaced by this new “Jesus” that is riding through the land. The new songs are Beatle-type music. Beautiful women seen dancing down the aisles are now said to be “returning the arts to the church.” The music prepares the emotions of these deceived worshippers to receive the spirits of this new “Jesus.” Music is still a marvelous way to worship the Lord of the Church. Our Jesus desires our worship, but will not receive anything but spiritual worship and spiritual music. Soulical music or fleshly music that feeds the appetites of the carnal man cannot be used for our Lord in praise to Him. Our eternal Savior was the Creator of all things and powerful spiritual music was at the core of the Heavenly scene as all creation was planned. The new “Jesus” says, Take the cross off the wall” so that sinners won’t be offended. The truth is that it isn’t sinners that are offended by the cross; it is the new “Jesus” that is offended. The cross of salvation has been replaced by a false salvation born in hell. The new “Jesus” had to go to hell and be born again instead of dying on the cross. What an absolutely clear picture of what this new “Jesus” really represents. He is an imposter from hell masquerading right in the churches that claim the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The true Lord of the church was crucified on a cross of shame as our substitute. His death decided forever that Satan had lost and was destined for defeat. Satan has used every idea that hell could produce to rob that cross of its glory. Every effort has failed and this last scheme is the devil’s grand finale. It too will fail, but will serve to show the world the final bankruptcy of Satan’s kingdom. The new “Jesus” wants a worldly kingdom to take over government and to establish authority over the whole earth. He desires earthly power on a grand scale and will stop at nothing to force everyone to be under his control. This new “Jesus” has no moral principles in operating His religious systems. His followers are already talking about wars, military crusades, and kicking people’s b—, etc. as they establish his political system on this earth. The Nazarene we worship has no political design. His kingdom is spiritual and “cometh not with observation” (Luke 17:20) until the time of judgments against sin. It is the Father that will give Him His kingdom and holiness will be the principles of government. The Son of God will sit upon the “Throne of David” and the kingdoms of the world will worship the Lamb of God with everlasting joy. The New “Jesus” will eventually be manifest as an out and out homosexual. Homosexuality is not just another sin in the long list of sins. Homosexuality is rebellion against the very creation of mankind. It is sin against the “image of God.” It is a form of depravity that confronts God in His very nature as the masculine Creator. This sin will be the heart and soul of Satan’s false kingdom that this new “Jesus” is promoting. Daniel clearly shows this expression of the false “Jesus” and the Antichrist personality in Daniel 11:36-39. The precious Son of God is truly God manifest in the flesh. His nature is divine and every expression of homosexuality will be banished from the face of the New Earth. Jesus is the image of the Father and His new glorified saints will be pure, sinless, and resurrected in His likeness. The New “Jesus” is spectacular and will do many paranormal things to titillate your flesh. His greatest attraction is the lying wonders that he is already manifesting, but what is to come will be even more convincing to the sign seekers. The few things that are already occurring give us some idea of what he will produce. The characteristics of these paranormal events will best be described as “spectacular nonsense.” Here are a few of the things already occurring: Angel feathers falling (Angels do not have feathers), Gold dust falling on his worshippers, Gold filling, gold crosses appearing in teeth, Oil appearing in the palms of hands, Drunkenness, wallowing in a stupor, etc, Strange events in church, pulpits split by lightning, sound systems shorting out and lightning system short-circuiting. A perfect way to know that you are worshipping the new “Jesus” is if any of these signs occur to you. If your church is experiencing these signs, your church has changed to worshipping the new “Jesus.”The King of Kings will never titillate your flesh to try to gain your surrender. His Word says, “Come now, and let us reason together (mental activity), saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18). He saves by the preaching of His Word and your acceptance of His gospel. Satan has no beauty, his offer is deceptive and his promises are lies, and he must deceive you into his false religious system. The Lord of Lords is creator of the earth, but His invitation is based on truth and life-changing reality. You must choose Him because you understand who He is and His offer to you. The new “Jesus” is an “angel of light” from the pit of hell. He will appear on walls and in strange paranormal ways. He will likely appear as some great light or in a strange dream or revelation. Some of the ways this strange “Jesus” appears may sound similar to some Biblical event. Be careful to learn the voice of Scripture because there may well be an event that only a discerning heart can know the truth. The Son of God will always invite you to discern by truth, rightly divided before you commit your soul. Our Redeemer never mixes a little truth with a lot of error. Every expression of the Lord will be pure, totally Biblical and sensible. He never manifests Himself in “spectacular nonsense.” He said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (John 10:14). The new Jesus loves the many corrupt Bible translations. The new religious crowd hates “absolute truth” and they are arrogant in supporting corrupt versions. This new “Jesus” loves anything that connects the Scripture to the Roman Catholic Church. The constant reduction of Jesus as Divine, the changing of Him as Master to merely a teacher, plus thousands of other changes have been a great plus for the new “Jesus.” The new worshippers have followed the design of the new versions by referring to the Lord Jesus in many cheap ways. Often He is simply called “JC.” Kenneth Copeland said that when he read where Jesus said, “I am,” he just smiled and said, “I am too.” The Lord Jesus is the Word of God. The written Word, when true to the original text is just as truly the Word in written form as He is the Word in living form. The Apostle John settled who Jesus is in His Gospel. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5). The new “Jesus” is delighted to have Mary as his co-redeemer. Mary and her many false apparitions will continue to gain great popularity. One Catholic priest in Charlotte was speaking to a “Women’s Aglow” meeting. They asked the false priest why Catholics prayed to Mary. He answered, “Mary can con the Father better than Jesus.” I heard these words with my own ears or I would be unwilling to print them. The new “Jesus” is Catholic, Charismatic, Evangelical, Mormon, Islamic, Hindu, etc. all put together. The only group that this new “Jesus” cannot tolerate is Bible-believing fundamentalists. We are hated by every manifestation of this false spirit. Jesus Christ gave great honor to His earthly mother. She was a genuine saint of God, but she is no greater than any other obedient person. She awaits the resurrection and it is nothing but necromancy (communication with the dead) to suggest that she can talk to you or take you to God. The Son of God clearly rejects all such foolishness about His earthly mother. The new “Jesus” is a sinner-friendly “Jesus.” In fact, the new “Jesus” is also “sin-friendly.” Nothing is to be condemned or rejected by the followers of this “Jesus.” Tolerance is the word they have adopted. This new “Jesus” wants you to let him judge the sin and the sinner, but remember his god is the devil and sin is his character. The Son of God loves the sinner, but comes to him with conviction of sin so the sinner can be redeemed. The first step towards the saving merits of the Lord is to understand that you are a sinner. He will never approach anyone in anything less than His holiness. The true “sinner-friendly” Savior comes in such holiness that the sinner is smitten in guilt. This is the true friend of lost souls. Conclusion: There are many further differences between the new “Jesus” and the true Jesus. Millions are being deceived. The flesh has no capacity to discern between this titillating “Jesus” that comes in lies and deceiving powers. The Word of God alone is our safety. Every believer has the responsibility to warn souls of this darkness and to help the few that are willing to listen. If Jesus warned of this false or new “Jesus,” then everyone should take the facts seriously. Just because a preacher is smooth, soft, and is kind to you does not prove a thing. Is he preaching the new “Jesus” or is he preaching the old-time truth that saves? There is no excuse for the fact that you do not know better. You can get on your knees right in your own world and surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. Give Him all and be willing to obey all of His Words. “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 129: THE RAPTURE - THE TRIUMPH OF PATIENCE ======================================================================== The Rapture - The Triumph of Patience It’s amazing to listen to the cheap theology of our apostate generation. Cheap grace that covers lacy religion is the order of this last generation. Grace has become an excuse to live self-centered lives and yet claim discipleship with Christ. The Bible makes no such room for careless living. Grace does not cover for sin but breaks the power of sin. Patience is ceaseless surrender in the face of many difficulties to that power of grace at work in the believer’s heart. The rapture of each of us to His presence will be the triumph of patience. Listen to the Apostle of grace as he instructs us to patience. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:1-4). The world will never be fair to the saints. There is no unity between us and a world under the sway of sin. We are the ones that must show them t he pure life and never expect them to understand the conflict until they are converted. We win others to Christ by patience. “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” It is a race, a contest and an arena of spiritual sport. There is a world full of dark spirits, wickedness in high places, and we are the opponents to be defeated. Day by day we must see ourselves in this race and learn to deal with each conflict patiently. The other person may treat you wrongly, but our Father says, “Love your enemies.” They may even hate you, but remember they hated Him first. Our struggle is never to be in a personal battle with individuals. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:12-18) This is a struggle to the end. There is no coasting if you would win the prize. “In your patience, possess ye your soul” (Luke 21:19). The triumph of patience is the rapture of His saints. The Rapture: Triumph of Holiness Jesus plainly said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).You will never find one scripture in the Holy Bible that even suggests that those living in sin will inherit the eternal kingdom. The opposite is always declared without compromise. The glory of the rapture will be the triumph of Holiness. Pure, Godly, separated saints will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. The true church from Pentecost until this hour has been badgered over Holiness above every other thought. Theology is important but it never causes the attack that Holiness does. People will divide over denominations, ideas of church government, and other ecclesiastical matters but nothing causes more disputes than right and wrong. What is the lifestyle acceptable to be called a Bible Christian is t he ultimate place for church war. Sometimes the problem is mainly the argument over man-made standards. The church has often been deeply divided over Holiness issues that are not Holiness at all. It would be impossible to name or describe all the man-made standards imposed on believers. Good people with impure spirits have developed man-made ideas about right and wrong that reflect nothing but self-righteousness. There are a lot of Scriptures that can be twisted to support many different man-made convictions. They always do more harm than good. Bible Holiness is not only right but the only way into the Kingdom. The Gospel said, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). His church is a Holiness church. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good wor ks, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:9-12). Search the history of every great awakening—Waldensians, Anabaptists, Huguenots, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, or Pentecostals—in every case Holiness, separation from the world, was the character and culture. There is no such idea in Scripture of discipleship without Holiness. I am not talking about man-made standards but a Biblical culture. Every human individual was created in the image of God. Our entire person was created in the Father’s likeness. As He is triune, in three persons, we are triune in spirit, soul, and body. There are three that bear witness in Heaven—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—three that bear witness on earth—blood, water, and the spirit—and there is a three-fold witness in every human person. We were created “a little lower than the angels, but crowned with glory” (Psalms 8:5). Because of our creation in the image of God, the ultimate sin is to mar and defile that image which is ourselves. Every commandment and restriction in Holy Scripture is based on our likeness to God. Sin is anything that reduces my life from the image of my Father. The commandments, both in the First and New Testaments are never given to restrict our liberties or to place bondage on our lives. They are given to protect His likeness in men, to keep us in His image and in His glory. That’s the culture of Holiness that will fill heaven and the New Earth and no one will inherit the Heavenly future without the Heavenly culture and lifestyle. The Bible teaches this culture and clearly makes it the only acceptable life in His family. The Rapture will be the final triumph of Holiness over sin and worldly living. One church put the following on their outdoor sign, “The Rapture: Separation of Church & State.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 130: THE RAPTURE AND JUDGMENT: GOD’S ANSWER FOR A DYING WORLD ======================================================================== The Rapture And Judgment: God’s Answer For a Dying World Animals, Birds, and Fish are mysteriously dying by the millions all over the world. What is overwhelming is that a prophet of God prophesied this very phenomenon thousands of years ago. It is absolute proof that we are at the door of the End. The last days are here and only a foolish church can possibly deny these facts. Those that teach Post-Millennialism, Dominion Theology, or any other of the false doctrines will soon be laughed at and scorned. Multitudes are going to miss the Rapture because they believed and followed these false doctrines that scoff at the Lord’s return for His faithful saints. God’s prophet Hosea used language that perfectly describes our dying earth. It is a precise picture. “By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.” (Hosea 4:2-3) You could argue with this if the facts were not so awesome. From a list of the last 86 days, August 15,2013 to November 8,2013, there were reports of over 200 incidents of animal, bird, and fish deaths around the world. Here is a list of just a few of these massive numbers: • Thousands of fish in Mississippi • Millions of fish in China • Thousands of seal pups in California • 15 tons of fish, crabs, & birds in Russia • Tons of fish in Sweden • 300 dolphins along east coast of America • Thousands of eels in Czech Republic • 100,000+ hens in Italy • 100% of Oyster beds in St. Lucie River • Mass mortality of poultry in Italy • Pigeons en mass in Ukraine • 900 fish in Netherlands • 10 tons of fish in Brazil • Hundreds of birds in Netherlands • 5 whales along south coast of Brazil • Thousands of ducks in Oregon • 5,000 fish in New Mexico • Thousands of fish & shrimp in Costa Rica • Thousands of cattle in Mexico • Mass number of fish in Russia • 70,000 sheep & cattle in Bolivia • 1,500+ cattle in Paraguay • 41 swallows in Japan • 950,000+ birds killed in Italy • Massive starfish in Canada • 850+ trout in Switzerland • Mass die off of birds in Germany • Crows and pigeons in Nepal • Fish, crabs, turtles and dolphins in Mexico • Hundreds of chickens in Indonesia • 2,200 cattle in Utracan • 30,000 sheep in Uruguay • Tons of fish in Vietnam • Mass number of crabs in China • 33 penguins and 3 sea birds along 5 miles of beach in Brazil • 8,000 tons of salmon in Norway • 2,900 cattle in Bolivia • 100,000 cattle in South Dakota • 50,000 lbs of fish in China • 90 wild boars in France • 100 sheep in Saudi Arabia • 16,824 livestock in Italy • 170,970 birds and 4,393 livestock in California • Thousands of cattle in India • Over 700 dolphins along east coast of America • Hundreds of fish in Greece • Tens of thousands of cattle and poultry in Vietnam • Thousands of fish in Florida • 4 whales in Canada • Mass number of turtles in Costa Rica • Hundreds of shearwater birds in New Zealand • 6 Hammerhead sharks in China Remember, this is a few News reports out of over 200 in an 86 day period that ended on Friday, November 8,2013. Apostle Paul stated clearly that our earth was on a course that could not be averted but by God’s hand of redemption. “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:21-23) Sin has depleted the very earth we walk and live on. The post-millennialists are just as foolish as the ecologists that think they can save it and restore order from the present chaos. The earth is dying, plain and simple. This is sure evidence that the Rapture and the Great Tribulation are God’s perfect plan to purge the disorder and restore the earth to its pristine condition that sin has robbed. When the millennium begins after the “Seven Years of Judgment,” it will be a new world or picture of beauty and pure happiness. The one thousand years of Christ’s reign on earth will see our world explode in prosperity and His glory. There will be no great bodies of oceans but an explosion of lasting peace in a beautiful world. The world has longed for a “One World Order” and it will truly arrive under the true King of Kings. The wicked will not be resurrected until the Thousand Years of Christ’s Reign is finished. The White Throne will finish the purification of judgments. The Lake of Fire will doubtless be full as every wickedness is judged. A New Earth perfectly purified and a New Heaven without the troublesome fallen angels will become our joy. New Jerusalem will descend and the Bride occupying this golden city will be the Lord’s joy forever. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 131: THE RAPTURE: SATAN'S FINAL DEFEAT ======================================================================== The Rapture: Satan’s Final Defeat The anger of Satan against the Rapture of the saints is because this event will be his final defeat. Calvary, the Resurrection, and all the victory of Jesus’ death and life were certainly Satan’s greatest defeat. It has been downhill for him since he was cast out of Heaven. The Rapture will seal his doom forever. From the time that he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, he has attacked the family of God. When Jesus descended into upper Sheol, Satan lost his hold on the First Testament saints. He could not damn them nor could they escape the prison house of the righteous dead. Jesus took the keys of death and hell and led this victorious company out of their prison into His resurrected presence. Their spirit and soul is with Him in Heaven, but the majority of them are still awaiting the Rapture and the Resurrection to receive their glorified bodies. Matthew records that a firstfruits number were resurrected and caught up when He arose from the dead. There are complexities to the Rapture and the Resurrection that must not divide us. I personally believe that not one blood-washed soul (Old or New Testament) will be left in the grave when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture occurs. The earth must be free of the saved dead before the traumas of the seven years of judgment can begin. The judgments of Jesus Christ will shake this earth to its very core so that nothing of sin will be left to defile or destroy in all of creation. The wicked dead will be in death and hell until the Seven Years of Tribulation and the Millennium are finished. Then they will be resurrected unto damnation to be judged. Satan has waged war against the saints for six thousand years. His very thought of the dead in Christ being resurrected with glorified bodies forever out of his reach is terrifying to him. Add to that the Rapture and Resurrection of the living saints that he has pursued since the moment they were born again being removed totally beyond his reach. But the Rapture and Resurrection of the righteous is only the beginning of his future troubles. The saints that he has terrorized will become the Lord’s elders during the seven years, and we will be used of the Lord to direct the judgments against him and his false trinity. We will be glorified saints; and the Bible says that we will judge the angels, and Satan is one of them. Let’s begin by contemplating the defeat for Satan that will occur in the first heaven as the saints are removed to the presence of the Lord. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2) This is the area of his stronghold, where his kingdom of fallen angels is organized and operates. From this realm, he rules as the god of this world. He is called the god of this world and the prince of this world. He affects everything that constitutes the world system, nature, and especially the weather patterns. God created a perfect world. There was no destruction until the destroyer deceived Adam and Eve. Satan usurped his way into control of the world system. Nature is berserk today because it is greatly affected by the devil and his princes of destruction. The Bible warns us of the struggle that this horde of evil personalities will create for us we serve the Lord. Apostle Paul stated, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Notice those terms the Holy Ghost inspired Apostle Paul to use, "rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This is an epic struggle, and natural men and women are absolutely no match for these great and strong spirits of evil. Every spiritual victory we win must be by the Blood, the Word, and the Spirit Understanding these strong, experienced, and wicked angels operating under the leadership of Satan; we can see the battle that is developing to hinder God’s Prophetic program. When the Rapture occurs, we must travel right straight up through the middle of Satan’s stronghold. Hearing many strange stories about unidentified flying objects is not so strange when you know what is about to occur. The devil will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and to defeat the saints of God. Victory is already assured because "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Psalms 119:89). Apostle Paul said, "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) We will not need to fight our path through Lucifer’s stronghold. The Lord comes down to meet us in the midair, and with His Heavenly Host (multitude) He leads us back right through Satan’s horde. The event of the saints being Raptured up out of their graves, joined together with the Raptured living, following the Lord of Hosts back to the Banquet Hall in New Jerusalem is too grand to consider. There has never been an army marching from some great victory back to the fatherland to match this picture. Satan has got to know that this is soon to happen, and he certainly has a counterattack planned. His great defeat at our victory right through his stronghold will leave him vulnerable to the heavenly host of angels. He will never recover from seeing "ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands." (Revelation 5:11) pass untouched through his hands into the presence of the Heavenly Father. A multitude of angels led by Michael will then engage Satan to finish his reign as the "prince of the power of the air." Weakened by his losses, the angels of Jesus Christ will cast him down to the earth never to appear in heaven again. John recorded the future scene of Satan’s great heavenly defeat. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12:7-10) His territory will now be restricted to the earth and he will know that he has but a short time. This loss for Satan is incredible. He has accused us to God throughout human history. The defeat of Adam and Eve gave him legal right to act as an accuser to every saint of God. He has been the world’s prosecutor for six thousand years. The reason for many great defeats in the church has been man’s failure to stand solely on truth in their battles with evil powers and dark spiritual authorities. Our only rights against evil are those legal truths of Scripture contained in our blood covenant. Now, ultimate truth prevails and Satan’s reign as prosecutor is over forever. "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12) Satan finally understands that he is losing and his last efforts will be efforts of desperation. By the end of the seven years, no creature on earth will doubt that he is a serpent, unquestionably corrupted, and a loser. The victorious saints will be elevated to elders during the coming Great Tribulation. We are never called the church again after Revelation chapter four. We will be to the Father and the Lamb, elders participating in all the events of righteousness and righteous judgment. Too often we think only of judgment during these dark seven years but more than judgment is redemption. The elders will share the glory of cleansing this earth from every curse of sin until righteousness will be ready to spring forth when we come back with Him to reign on this earth. In Revelation chapter nineteen when the harlot religious systems led by Satan have been gloriously destroyed, worship by the saints will explode. The saints are heard to say, "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." (Revelation 19:1-2) The Scripture states that this was the voice of much people in heaven, not angels but "much people." A voice came from the throne of God to this multitude saying, "Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great." (Revelation 19:5 b) Then a voice proclaimed that the Marriage of the Lamb and His Bride had come and the glorious event of the Marriage Supper was in progress. Now, John is so awed by this great vision that he falls on his face to worship at the feet of the messenger that stood before him. Listen to this messenger, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10) Careful attention to the Book of Revelation will reveal the wonderful presence of His saints acting as elders in all the processes of the seven-sealed book. Redemption is the business of the Lord and His saints; and we will surely judge the Antichrist, the False Prophet, Satan, and his kingdom of fallen angels. Saints Will be as Angels What a defeat for the devil to be judged by the very saints he persecuted so relentlessly. The Scripture stated, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Corinthians 6:3) All through the great events of judgment in this Book of Revelation are angels or messengers proclaiming, participating, or directing the course of events. Often we cannot know whether they are heavenly angels or glorified saints now as "angels" with the same glorious powers that angels of God already possess. The Word of God clearly states that when we are resurrected from the dead, we will be "as the angels." "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." (Mark 12:25) As we read the Book of Revelation after chapter four we forget we are viewing the scene after the Resurrection. The saints will then be "as the angels" or in the "likeness of angels" from that moment on. The Armies from Heaven When the Marriage Supper is finished, we will return with Jesus Christ to the earth that we left at the Rapture. It certainly will be a redeemed earth, but the battle will not be finished. There is no record of where Satan is hiding during the Battle of Armageddon. His Antichrist and False Prophet are leading this great army of angry, godless followers. What a defeat for the Antichrist and False Prophet. The spirit of Antichrist is already at work as they wait somewhere in preparation for the last days of evil. At this time they will be finished and the mopping up operation is the duty of His saints. "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." (Revelation 19:14) We descend with the Son of God riding on white horses and fully prepared for battle. There is no need for us to draw our swords because of the "Faithful and True One" that leads this great procession. It will be our joy to arrest the Antichrist and the False Prophet and to cast them alive into the Lake of Fire. "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." (Revelation 19:20) How long the Lake of Fire will be visible on the earth is not recorded in Scripture, but it will be visible to all the earth’s inhabitants at this time. I think it will probably be visible during the entire thousand years of the reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. Israel, as the most glorious nation on earth, will also reign and be the capitol of the earth during this thousand years of glory. The Old Testament prophets spoke often of Israel’s triumph during this great kingdom of the Messiah. The judgment of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be evident to the entire earth’s population. The world must see the contrast between wickedness and righteousness. In the First Covenant, Isaiah described the Lake of Fire into which the saints of God cast into these two champions of darkness. He spoke these words, "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:23-24) What a defeat to Satan that he is required to watch. The devil will witness the saints, that he has hated, cast his champions alive into the Lake of Fire. The Father created this Lake of Fire for the devil and his angels, not for earth’s population. The Rapture and the Seven Years of Tribulation have been one defeat after the other for Satan. He will know it is over as he watches his last kingdom, the long anticipated "One World Order," go up in smoke. His great army, gathered by his last world conquerors will also be judged and utterly defeated. Then, its leaders will be cast alive in an open Lake of Fire for the entire world to see. Six thousand years of Satan being the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world will have ended. The Glorious Moment of Satan’s Arrest The very Raptured saints that he fought to defeat, the glorious hope of the church that he hated and labored to destroy, and the very Tribulation Period that Satan thought to stop by his influence against Bible truth will now be completed and finished by his arrest. I believe this messenger, called "an angel" in Revelation chapter twenty, is a "great saint" of God. The honor for Satan’s arrest could not possibly be given to a heavenly angel. It has already been settled that the saints will judge the angels, and Satan is nothing but a fallen one. Let’s read as a redeemed saint is sent to cast Satan into a bottomless pit. "And I saw an angel (messenger) come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3) This bottomless pit is the depth of hell in the heart of the earth. The torments in this location could not be worse, and he will fester in this dark place for one thousand years. He will then be given one reprieve before he will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity. Conclusion It is not hard to understand Satan’s hatred for the prophetic truth of Holy Scripture. The hope of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is especially an object of his attacks. It is no wonder that the Catholic Church hated the original text of Scripture. Once the Catholic Church came to power, it destroyed many of the early copies of the original text and enlisted its own supporters to produce what we now call the Alexandrian Manuscripts. These corrupt copies have a bent towards post-millennialism and are a part of the reason for the present bias against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Bible-loving and truth-obeying saints are still dedicated to the great hope of the saints. The Rapture of the believing church is certainly at hand. The road map to the end is visible. The coming of the Lord will soon occur, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Our duty is to be "Waiting on Ready." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 132: THE RAPTURE: THE GREATEST UPHEAVAL OF THE NATURAL WORLD ======================================================================== The Rapture: The Greatest Upheaval Of The Natural World No event that has ever occurred will be more spectacular than the Rapture of the saints. On every front it will defy the wildest imagination of men. Most of this world laughs at the idea of the supernatural powers of God and discounts the possibility. The Book of Genesis’ account of creation has mostly been replaced with some form of natural evolution, even by the church world. But this glorious Rapture will occur and it will be shock and awe. The earth’s population at the time of this event will never forget the display of power and the change it will create. Nature, as it is presently understood, will begin the process of being totally altered. The physical realm between heaven, the earth, and beneath the earth will be completely changed. Presently there is a gulf or separation between these separate entities, but that appears to vanish almost immediately. The many events during the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation will bring God’s world back to a form of openness similar to what we see in the Genesis picture of creation. The Spirit/spirit world, both from above and beneath, will be open on the earth. Saints in Heaven will be directly involved in events on the earth. Evil spirits will arise out of the deep and do great harm to the wicked population. The evil characters which are portrayed in a growing number of films, books, and games are Satan’s preparation to make you comfortable with his “coming world order.” Not only is the Rapture an incredible display of Holy Ghost power, it is a picture of nature as we now know it turned on its head. Of course, what really occurs is that even nature is going to be redeemed and the new natural world will be completely transformed to a pure and transcending one. The Rapture is actually the beginning of this exploding process. Isaiah saw this picture and prophesied of it occurring. Look at his words of hope, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” (Isaiah 26:19-21) When you consider that the natural results of sin is death and the complete decay of those dead bodies and then we look at the graves losing all power against the righteous dead, it presents a new day. The dust of decayed dead bodies appears to start singing while the resurrection is occurring. When you understand that our DNA, as now understood by scientists, has proven that each cell of a body has the entire code for that entire body, it is not hard to believe this Scripture. We now see the earth as capturing the body of the dead and returning it to dust, but Isaiah saw the future when the earth “shall cast out the dead.” The whole earth was created to be a supernatural world, but sin reduced nature to be a slave to death. When that slavery is broken, even the earth will echo the praises of God just as Heaven now is filled with His praises. This prophecy by Isaiah is just a little picture of how all creation is going to become a source of His divine will instead of a cursed place. It begins at the Rapture, but will be completed by the end of the Tribulation Period when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. Isaiah’s prophecy shows clearly that the entire picture of sin will be changed during this period. People are able to hide sin for a season and appear to escape its consequences. Blood is often split and some people never get caught but that day ends at the Rapture. I repeat the words, “The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain.” That’s breathtaking truth, my friends. When the “Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants (the wicked) of the earth,” there will be no more hiding. It is said that even the natural earth will “no more cover her slain.” As earth experiences redemption, it will refuse to be a hiding place for the wicked. It was said concerning the wickedness which Israel faced when conquering the promise land “that the earth vomited out the inhabitants.” This pure earth will become so delightful that “the reapers will overtake the sowers.” The curse with which our earth is presently defined, is already showing desperate signs of travail. Apostle Paul spoke of this to the Romans. “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:21-23) When you harmonize statesman Isaiah’s prophecy with Apostle Paul’s inspiration, you see an emerging picture of a new world. It is a world where sin is so unwelcome that even nature exposes its rebellion. The Scripture states clearly, “… the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9) It also states that nature refuses rain for anyone that does not properly worship the King of Kings. (Zechariah 14:17) This old earth is very soon to be a praise to its Creator. All Wicked Spirits will be exposed and judged. The world of fallen angels is soon to be utterly opened and revealed for this world to experience and witness as they are judged. The Rapture removes the saints that have been faithful overcomers and Godly in their lifestyle so the world can be exposed to God’s perfect wrath and judgment. The very central events of the seven years of wrath will be against Satan and his horde of wicked spirits. They must become visible for the world to see so their destruction can be plain and known to all. Hell in the heart of the earth is presently a prison of the wicked, including demons bound for the past millenniums When the gates between the abode of these diabolical creatures and earth are flung wide, no one will doubt the depth in which Satan’s army has fallen. These creatures chose to leave their abode of righteousness and praise to the great God and to follow Satan in his pride and rebellion. There is no bottom to sin and this crowd will represent the worst of the evil one. As they are turned loose on this planet, they will cause the earth to be become a wasteland of immorality and brutality. The Rapture of the saints actually prepares the earth by removing the “Bride in waiting” and the restraining powers of the Holy Ghost. This removal opens the door for the revelation and the manifestation of the wicked one. Apostle Paul describes this preparation for wickedness. “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:2-8) We must tell the world of these wicked days that cannot be far in the future; in fact, they could begin any day. The only lack of preparation for this horde of evil beings to invade this earth is the “removal of the saints and the resurrection of the righteous dead.” The earth cannot be stripped of the embedded powers of wickedness until the Godly saints that have died are removed out of her grip. Satan and his fallen angels are a lot more involved in natural phenomena than most people imagine. Nature was created perfect and every act of nature was designed to enhance the lives of mankind. The travail and natural catastrophes of all nature are the results of sin. Satan alone kills, steals, and destroys. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17) After the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the natural earth will see the ultimate acts of a system turned loose to manifest its final throbs of death. “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.” (Acts 19:20) This is our God intervening to cleanse and purify the physical systems that were created as part of His earth. The Antichrist will have such control prior to the Father’s intervention that He causes fire to come down upon the earth. Note the words of John the Revelator, “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And, he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:12-15) It appears that for a brief time Satan will have almost complete control of earth’s natural powers and will use them to try and make himself “god.” He certainly has been cast out of Heaven at this time, but will still have paranormal powers to use nature for his evil design. As great as deception is present, it will be much greater in this final episode. The Evil Spirits Will Be Loosed for a Season Revelation chapter nine is a final picture of these diabolical beings turned loose. Please understand that the natural world is presently preserved with a clear limitation imposed on these dark creatures. The entire picture of the “Restrainer” that holds wickedness at bay so that it cannot overrun the earth is a present reality. As dark as Satan’s powers are presently, they are restrained. But, the glorious Rapture changes all of this truth. The “Restrainer” cannot be anyone but the Holy Ghost. This has been one of his offices for all of human existence. Isaiah clearly describes this office. “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19) When the Restrainer is removed at the Rapture, then nature will experience an upheaval. The enemy has longed for a day in which he can be the god of the world with a free hand. He is already the “god of this world,” but he does not have a free hand. In his end time vision John saw this evil serpent, Satan, as he is cast down to this earth for this short period. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:10-12) I wish I could paint a picture to show these hordes of spirits arising out of hell on this earth. I’m preaching a sermon on the title, “The Rapture: Turning Hell Loose on This Earth.” Look at this picture as described in Revelation. “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto 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 of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto 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 have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 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 striketh 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 9:1-6) These creatures, which are described as “locusts,” are given in the language of types. The locust insect is a type because of the utter destruction they cause. They strip whatever they attack and leave nothing behind. The Scripture states clearly that these spirits from hell are turned loose to attack the Antichrist kingdom. An amazing thing is that Satan’s activities become his own destruction. This has always been true, but now we see it in the final form. There will be servants of God that have washed themselves in the blood of the Lamb and they will have the seal of God in their forehead. While they cannot be attacked by these locust demons, they will certainly be terrorized by a world in which such action is commonplace. The entire Tribulation Period is so horrible that Jesus Christ warned us to be careful and diligent to escape this dark day. He stated that if not for the shortening of these days no one would escape. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22) Luke recorded his words of warning that we might escape. “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36) Listen to the apostate crowd that says going in the Rapture is a piece of cake if you want to be careless but only at your peril. Conclusion This old earth is running down. Its depletion is clearly causing travail in nature, weather patterns, and certainly in the dire warning you hear by the environmentalist crowd. It is impossible not to feel the sense of looming crisis and trouble. Nature is still in God’s ultimate control but He is allowing warning to suggest the coming change. It’s the best of times for the saints and the worse of times for the careless and the godless. Lift up your heads if you are ready and quickly surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ if you are not ready. It is very clear in Scripture that He is coming for the saintly that have forsaken all to follow Him. Apostle Paul said it best. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) The Bride will be the great company of people who rejected the appeals of the world and were faithful to Him alone. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 133: THE SEVENTH DAY: OUR CYCLE OF REST ======================================================================== The Seventh Day: Our Cycle of Rest The Creator Himself ordained and established our world with a seventh day and tailored His World to fit that pattern. We are designed by this cycle and cripple our own bodies by neglecting the fact. From the moment of our conception inside our mother’s womb, we are developed by this design of seven. In Genesis, the book of God’s creative ingenuity, He rested on the Seventh Day and enjoyed the labor of the previous six days. He made us to enjoy Him and His appointed rest on our Seventh Day. To ignore this is to defy Him. Every Sabbath you steal from Him will have to be repaid. Even our longevity of life is established with a seven, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70 years)” (Psalms 90:10 a). The Book of Revelation is a masterpiece of literature. It does not have any competition as the most beautiful of all written eloquences. The structure of this book is composed of sevens. The Spirit of Revelation is described as “Seven lamps of fire burning before the throne” (Revelation 4:5 b). The entire church dispensation is prefigured in seven churches called “seven candlesticks.” The Great Tribulation period is complete in seven years. The judgments to cleanse and renew our earth are seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials. We wait for the one thousand years of His Millennium of peace as we complete six thousand years of human failure. The seventh thousand year period will be a rest for this universe. Understanding the beauty of both a Bible and a world established by sevens, do we dare disregard our seventh day of rest and worship? The Bible plainly warns us of this responsibility. The Fourth Commandment states, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). In this passage “holy” is a very unique word that means “to be observed or appointed; to hallow and consecrate.” The language used to instruct us about our Seventh Day presents this to us as a privilege and a day to come apart and enjoy ourselves with Him. The Son of God was quick to challenge any idea of keeping the Sabbath Day legalistically or as a rigid bondage. His disciples plucked corn and ate as they passed by a cornfield on this day. He rebuked those that condemned them. By no means did that suggest a disregard of the proper respect for this holy day. In His great lesson in Matthew He said, “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day” (Matthew 24:20). His life was so planned by His Father that His three days and nights in the heart of the earth would end at the close of the Jewish Sabbath. By His very resurrection He would establish a New Beginning. John the Revelator called it the “Lord’s Day.” (Revelation 1:10). Order our booklet entitled, “The Lord’s Day and the Feast of Firstfruits,” for information. Every Born Again believer desperately needs this day of worship and rest. The deep meaning of holy as reflected in the Fourth Commandment means an appointment with Him. Our Holy Day or New Testament Sabbath will never mean what He intended until we see it as our appointment with Him. Worship is the deepest passion in a person’s heart. We will either worship Him or find something or someone else to passionately love and worship. In fact, that is what worship is. It is passionate love poured out on either God or some chosen idol. In the New Testament the Lord’s Day was prophetically visible in the third feast that God gave to Israel in the Old Testament. The Feast of Passover was to be observed on Nisan 14th, which often varies as to the day of the week. The next day after the Feast of Passover began the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It lasted for seven days with the first and seventh day of the seven being special Sabbaths. Within those seven days came a regular Sabbath. On the next day after the regular Sabbath was the Feast of Firstfruits. This feast was always celebrated on the 8th day or the next day following the Sabbath (7th day). Coming in the spring of the year (March/April) as these feasts did and still do, this included a rejoicing of the firstfruits of their fields as God had blessed them. Remember, these feasts were not just for Israel, but were a rehearsal of the prophetic future in the Messiah’s life and kingdom. In this feast event God was establishing the day of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and our Lord’s Day to be set apart to Him. We are blessed to set this day (24 hours) apart and give it wholly to Him. To do otherwise is certainly unwise. The Ten Commandments are not suggestions. If we love Him passionately, we will live by them. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). When His people, who are called by His name, turn back to Him and forsake their disobedience and careless living, we will have a New Testament revival in our land. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 134: THE SOUL THAT LONGETH AFTER GOD ======================================================================== The Soul That Longeth After God Only the souls who long after God will have any assurance of Salvation. Multitudes claim religion but the Lord Jesus is only a small part of their life. They know He is real and that He died for their sins but they have never experienced Him. If Jesus Christ ever steps into your life with resurrection power you will long and even “pant” for Him. “As the hart panted after the water brooks, so panted my soul after thee, O God.” (Psalms 42:1)To pant for Him is an extreme passion that consumes your life. He created us in His Image with a God shaped vacuum within the human spirit. When He is allowed to move into that sacred domain of your life you will never be the same. Once He is Lord of all, and He will not be Lord of less, your passions are toward Him in every facet of life. You will literally fall in love with the Bible. The Book that was obscure in the past suddenly reads like a love story from the Divine. You could not understand it when you did not know Him. The moment He became real your Bible became real. You will no longer want some common language Bible, you will want a Bible that sounds like another world, because it really is from another world. Sermons that are tough and striking will be a joy and quickly become thrilling and sanctifying. These modern entertainers will be a joke to you. Modern pastors have been trained to mesmerize you. They have created a mystic around themselves and the flock, especially the ladies, swoon to hear them and watch them perform. The whole mega-church world its last hour. It is blasphemy for men who claim to be from God to allow such worship of themselves and they will be consumed in the process of their folly. We have already viewed the shipwreck of many. Nothing has done greater damage to the church than these corporation style churches that offer thousands a religious hiding place and playground. Sunday night church is almost gone because there is no passion to feed on the Word of God. A movie, television, or swapping tales with a friend is more enjoyable than fellowship from the Spirit world. A Sunday morning laugh-in has given them religion for the week. This level of Christianity is actually not even equal to the “lukewarm that He will spue out of His mouth.” At least that was called a church and this generation has rejected the very word “church.” Most churches have been remade into an entertainment center where they drink coffee and eat donuts while the laugh-in progresses. The sanctified soul is repulsed by such cheapening of the lofty matters of our Great God. Where are the Saints that can quote the Twenty-third Psalm and experience wonderful Rapture just thrilling to such language. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalms 23:1-6) Such truth as this great revelation fills the Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Our Lord was not any more real to the Old Testament Saints than He wants to be to you. Look at Isaiah’s great call for the saints to feast on the Holy Bible and the life of his Spirit. ” Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” (Isaiah 55:1-2) These Old Testament Saints lived in only the shadow of what we are privileged to enjoy. Apostle Paul made the Spiritual life that we can experience a beautiful life beyond measure. Millions of His Saints have walked with Him in His glory during church history. This generation has been the first generation since Pentecost to show the world so few real saints full of the Spirit. Listen to this mighty man of God: “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.” (2 Corinthians 3:6-10) We are invited to sit together in Heavenly Places with our Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Four times in the one book of Ephesians Paul spoke of sitting together in Heavenly Places. The Holy Ghost did not come to be an unknown presence in the midst of the church. The Tabernacle and the Temple of Soloman was filled with His Shekinah presence. Many times during church history His Saints have seen and experienced an even greater manifestation of His glory. It is going to happen again, but it cannot occur in dead churches where His glory is unwelcome. I am believing that we will see His Shekinah in our coming camp meeting. My soul longs for Him and for the fullness of His wonderful presence. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 135: THE SPIRITUAL WAR OF IMAGINATION ======================================================================== The Spiritual War of Imagination Your mind can easily become the devil’s playhouse. He and his world of dark spirits are masters at imposing their evil influence on top of you. That place at the top is your mental thought life. The human ability to think, dream, and plan is wonderful, even God-like. This is one of the powerful things about our creative abilities. Our great God made us a little like Himself and nothing about us is bigger than our mind, which includes our self-consciousness. Satan long ago developed and mastered the ability to attack the human consciousness. It is very likely the same method Satan used to deceive the angels and lead them to rebel against the Father. Millions of New Agers brag about taking possession of man’s minds to create what they call mass-consciousness. They project the idea of using their mental powers to lead our world to another level of evolution. They call it the coming “Age of Aquarius.” It is scary even though it is Biblical because they are actually promoting the Antichrist Kingdom. The Bible has much to say about our thought life. Solomon spoke with God-given wisdom when he said, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 a). Apostle Paul warns us of the desperate need for charity or love that “thinketh no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5 b). He spoke of the pure virtues that must fill our thought life, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Php 4:8). Repeat the last four words, “Think on these things.” David cried out, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalms 19:14). In the first psalm, the Spirit of God gave us the formula of success, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalms 1:2-3). I have known a host of people that meditate on God’s promises and that is good; but, first, we must meditate on His laws if we are to prosper. This dangerous hour is a repeat of the spirit of evil that plagued Noah’s generation right before judgment came. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Jesus warned us of this, “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark” (Matthew 24:38). Apostle Paul described that same period, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves” (Romans 1:21-24). Human imagination that forgets God is like a cesspool that spews vileness to destroy and pollute everything it touches. God our Creator has not left us alone for this downward spiral of evil to consume us. He warned us that this is the conscious storm facing this last generation. The atmosphere is charged with dark and vile imaginations, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Please look carefully at what is coming against us, everyone we know, and all those we meet every day. These principalities and powers are both evil and unclean spirits. Principalities are generals in Satan’s army of attacking spirits. He then named “rulers of the darkness of this world.” They cannot be less than great spirits of wickedness that inhabit the conscious world all around us and above us. He then named “spiritual wickedness in high places.” Wicked angels that fell with Satan inhabit the entire atmosphere. If the Holy Ghost opened our eyes, we could see these hellish entities constantly charging against anyone who rejects the evil world to follow Jesus Christ. They are also busy destroying unprotected souls and loved ones that have refused the saving blood of Jesus Christ. The armor described in this great passage must be worn in the power of His Holy Spirit. He completes this picture of our armour with his warning to protect our mind. “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:16-17). The “helmet of salvation” will keep protection around your thought life. The Holy Spirit has also given us power to help others survive these horrendous attacks. This is the most important part of this Salty Saints inspiration. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The words, “strong holds,” are a perfect description of how Satan wraps his dark imaginations around our minds and thinking until we cannot hear one word of warning. I have tried to warn multitudes in my years as a minister and, even, looked in their eyes as they shook their head in disbelief or rejection. A few of these dear souls finally woke-up and repented. Many are already eternally lost. Prayer in the power of the Holy Ghost is the single hope for all of us. The apostle gave us hope by saying, “casting down imaginations.” This level of effective praying has become an absolute necessity. This kind of praying is only possible when the prayer warrior has become empowered by the Spirit. James, the Lord’s half brother, called it “effectual and fervent” praying. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 516b). Your mind and thought patterns must be of paramount importance to your spiritual life. Do not allow anything negative or disruptive in your spirit to linger more than a few seconds. You can submit yourself to God, and then you can resist the devil and he has to flee. This has to be a lifestyle, not a one-time battle. Fill your mind with the Bible and the Spirit’s great revelations. Live a clean life so there are not any doors to your spirit by the world of evil. Baptize yourself daily in anointed praying. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 136: THE TRAGIC DEATH OF VOLTAIRE THE ATHEIST ======================================================================== The Tragic Death of Voltaire the Atheist Death is such a beautiful thing, and death is such a horrible thing. It’s actually both, depending wholly on the passing pilgrim. Death is just as beautiful as a saintly life or just as dark as an unbelieving life. No one can doubt that death is inescapable. The words of God have spoken, “… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Death is such a landmark of life that it must be designed as one would write their will. The noted French atheist, Voltaire, died a frightening death. Let me quote for you the exact record as published, “When Voltaire felt the stroke that he realized must terminate in death, he was overpowered with remorse. He at once sent for the priest, and wanted to be ‘reconciled with the church.’ His infidel flatterers hastened to his chamber to prevent his recantation; but it was only to witness his ignominy and their own. He cursed them to their faces; and, as his distress was increased by their presence, he repeatedly and loudly exclaimed, ‘Begone! It is you that have brought me to my present condition. Leave me, I say; begone! What a wretched glory is this which you have produced to me!’ “Hoping to allay his anguish by a written recantation, he had it prepared, signed it, and saw it witnessed. But it was all unavailing. For two months he was tortured with such an agony as led him at times to gnash his teeth in impotent rage against God and man. At other times in plaintive accents, he would plead, ‘O, Christ! O, Lord Jesus!’ Then, turning his face, he would cry out, ‘I must die-abandoned of God and of men!’ “As his end drew near, his condition became so frightful that his infidel associates were afraid to approach his beside. Still they guarded the door, that others might not know how awfully an infidel was compelled to die. Even his nurse repeatedly said, ‘For all the wealth of Europe I would never see another infidel die.’ It was a scene of horror that lies beyond all exaggeration. Such is the well-attested end of the one who had a natural sovereignty of intellect, excellent education, great wealth, and much earthly honor.” (Dying Testimonies of Saved and Unsaved by Rev. S B Shaw, pp. 49-50.) Reading of such a dying experience is overwhelming, even to us who are secure in salvation. Human emotions are a powerful source and no one can live and die without them. Our present generation has mainly escaped the horror of unpreparing for death by the use of drugs to kill all pain. Sadly, the beauty of a Godly death is also lost in our drug culture. The new “right” of the health world is the right to be free of pain. In most cases, the pain or joy is simply transferred to the immediate moments after death. We are spared both the joy and the screams. Our Bible teaches us the absolute beauty of a saint’s death, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalms 116:15). Isaiah spoke by prophecy of the triumph that Jesus Christ would accomplish over death, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8). Apostle Paul echoed this great prophecy, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Now, let’s visit a great saint of God in his death. This Godly man has often encouraged me by his bravery in martyrdom. A great persecution was raging in the city of Smyrna and the cry was heard, “Let Polycarp be sought for.” He was taken and the proconsul gave this aged man an opportunity to recant his faith and trust in Christ. “He nobly replied, ‘Eighty and six years I have served Christ, who has never done me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and Saviour?’ “When he was brought to the stake, the executioner offered, as usual, to nail him to it; but he said, ‘Let me alone as I am: He who has given me strength to come to the fire, will also give me patience to abide in it, without being fastened with nails.’ “Part of his last prayer, at his death, was as follows, ‘O God, the Father of Thy beloved son, Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of Thyself; O God of angels and powers, of ever creature, and of all the just who live in Thy presence; I thank Thee that Thou hast graciously vouchsafed, this day and this hour, to allot me a portion amongst the number of martyrs. O Lord, receive me; and make me a companion of saints in the resurrection, through the merits of our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. I praise and adore Thee, through thy beloved Son, to whom, with Thee, and Thy Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, both now and forever.’” (Ibid., p. 17.) A young man that had put off the call of the Holy Ghost and blasphemed Him, lie dying. His doctor had pleaded that he repent. Burying his face in his pillow he stated, “Oh! I have missed it at last” and then he died. A young lady wonderfully saved in a great revival became ill and had bid all her loved ones a happy goodbye. As she was dying, she joyfully told her sisters, “Don’t weep for me. Jesus is with me, I will not have to go alone.” She looked up as seeing someone special coming for her and then said, “Come on, I am ready to go.” She was gone! Death can be so beautiful. Stephen, the first of the seven elders chosen to care for the widows, was arrested. After his powerful sermon to the angry mob, he was stoned to death. As he died, the Bible records his parting testimony, “And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Act.7:56-60). To order this Salty Saints in pamphlet form for use as a witnessing tool, call 1-800-338-7884! Order 10 or more for only 25 cents each! Call 1-800-338-7884 today! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 137: THE TRIUMPH OF YOUR CROSS ======================================================================== The Triumph of Your Cross If every Saint of God could see beyond the cross, they would find nothing but joy in being totally surrendered to our Lord. A “Cross Life” passes through many tough places. It includes self-denial, separation from the world, and many battles with the enemy of our soul. The “Cross Life” is never easy and is diametrically contrary to this world system. But, remember, it is the grandest life known to the human race. First we must understand the cross of Jesus Christ. His cross far exceeds any cross we will ever be required to bear. He left His Heavenly Father’s eternal presence to condescend into His human temple. He actually laid aside all expressions of divinity -- not the nature, but the outward glory -- to walk among men. He endured every action of human hatred and abuse without complaint. When they battered His body, He only prayed for their forgiveness. He gave His body and soul for the remission of all of our sin. His cross was the ultimate cross. None can match the price He paid. The Bible explains why and how He could bear such a load. He became our guilt for every human sin. There was only one possible way a human body could carry the load He carried. He looked beyond the cross to the triumph of human redemption and to the saints that would share that new life. The Apostle Paul put this fact into perfect words to inspire the saints to bear their cross with exceeding hope of victory. The Holy Spirit inspired the words, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:2-3). The Son of God prayed in the Garden, endured the stripes of great suffering, and finally died by the cruelest possible means without one expression of resistance. It was His vision of the joy this would produce that enabled Him to endure the cross. Notice those words again, “Who for the joy that was sit before Him.” Jesus Christ took a cross of sorrow and shame and turned it into the “Hope of The World.” That cross became the center of human history. It dates every event of mankind’s six thousand years. The Lord Jesus Christ had proclaimed, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life …” (John 14:6). That statement was impossible without His cross. There is no final Way, or Truth, or Life until we properly view His death and His resurrection. Our cross can and will produce a likeness of His cross when we totally surrender to the death life it requires. To even speak of the cross without death is a total misnomer. It is Impossible! A cross can produce pain, sorrow, and shame; but, if that life stops short of death, it is only religion. The thing that is missing in today’s Church is that nobody wants to die to themselves. Separating one’s self from the world is almost completely absent in the present Church world. Something sovereign is happening that will produce an awakening. The Christ-centered life of sanctification and death is going to break forth in a Holy Ghost revival. Actually, it cannot fail. It is impossible for even one saint of God to die to their self and not create a shakening. When God’s saints look beyond the pain of self-surrender and put everything of self on the altar to Him, a spiritual earthquake is in the making. I challenge my Salty Saints’ readers to join me in death to ourselves. I do not speak of self-righteousness or just an external appearance of piety. I speak of allowing the grace of God to chasten, purify, and cleanse us until Jesus Christ is our everything. The joy of seeing the results of such surrender is the vision that will carry us through the dying process. Watch and see what our God is going to do when we can glory in our own cross and all of our independence has been crucified. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 138: THE UNDERWORLD IS TREMBLING ======================================================================== The Underworld Is Trembling The devil is in frenzy. He is working overtime using all of the fiery darts in his arsenal to destroy every soul possible before his time is finished. Suicide is one of Satan’s primary tools that he uses on someone that he has beguiled to the point of despair. As America and the world continues to slip toward One World Socialism, watch for anarchy and violence to grow equally. The Holy Bible promises, “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” (Luke 21:26). Satan and his minions are passionately preparing to turn our world into a wilderness. Revelation chapter six cannot be completed until after the Rapture, but we can already see the prelude. “And when he (the Lamb of God) had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Revelation 6:3-4). We forget that every act and every evil manifestation of Lucifer must be allowed by prophecy of Scripture or the Sovereign hand of God. Satan is always on a leash and cannot operate outside God’s allowed scheme. This is one of the believer’s primary assurances. The entire population of this world is facing dangerous times. But the majority of them have absolutely no understanding of what is happening behind the scenes. The underworld always does everything in their power to hide their actions. Satan and his demons are invisible unless -- in some rare moment -- there is a physical manifestation. I believe these visible acts will become more frequent as the end unfolds. The political situation in America and almost every nation has come under the sway of evil people that do Satan’s will. Almost everything they are promoting fits the plans of the underworld. What could be darker in all the earth than the promotion of the homosexual lifestyle in our public schools? Our tax dollars are being used to destroy the pure Biblical morals of the next generation. How could such a thing happen in America? And that’s just the tip of the Iceberg. The Obama Administration has appointed a man, called his “Safe School Czar.” His name is Kevin Jennings and his accomplishment that merits this appointment is an organization called GLSEN. That’s short for Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. His organization has promoted sick sexual education to students as young as 14 years of age and maybe even younger. I cannot describe what this organization has promoted because it is so gross. If I did, you would quit reading this PNA. Believe me the truth is enough to make you frightened. As educated as I consider myself on evil, this discovery made me stop and weep sitting right here at my desk. We have got to learn that this battle is not a “flesh and blood” war. It is a diabolical invasion and Satan is determined to win. We know he will not win, but that does not change the seriousness of our fight. The Holy Spirit said, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). We will either learn to fight in the Spirit or we will lose. It’s that simple! “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:17-18). (Please study this entire passage.) Satan knows all about Revelation chapter twelve and the war that is soon to occur in the second heavens. Satan is presently the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 2:2). This position of great advantage will end when Michael and his host of holy angels engage this liar and thief. Right now, Satan can appeal to God and can bring his lies of accusation against every saint of God. Every battle we win now, we win because we pray and struggle to defeat our old flesh and depend only on God and His resources in the Word of God. The moment Lucifer is cast out of the heavens; he can never leave the confines of the earth. After his limited earthly powers and struggles during the seven years of the Great Tribulation, he will be cast into the Bottomless Pit. After spending a thousand years in the Abyss, he will then be cast into the Lake of Fire. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:7-10). I hope you now understand why the underworld is trembling. When Jesus Christ appeared the first time, the fallen angels of Satan were terrified about their future. If they trembled then, you can understand the level of frenzy they are now experiencing. Read the description of these demons begging Jesus for mercy, “When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep (abyss)” (Luke 8:28-31). Our future is both bright and challenging. We should rejoice because of what we see on the world scene. It is clear that the dark underworld is fighting for their final control. The darkest hour is always just before the dawn of a new day. We will witness the fury of evil, and every truth in Scripture will be fulfilled. The wicked will have their last opportunities to manifest the darkness in their heart. Every person reading this article must prepare if they expect to survive. Every door in your life that you open to sin or Satan will become an invitation for demons to destroy you. Remember, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The underworld is staffed by a multitude of spirits or fallen angels. There is more than one for every soul. Your protection is the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost. We are warned to “Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 139: THE UNHOLY TRINITY ======================================================================== The Unholy Trinity We have viewed God’s final judgment of this created earth, the fallen angels, and the wicked multitudes from the heavenly advantage. Every aspect of this coming judgment is directed out of the seven-sealed book under the direction of the Lamb that was slain. Now, this period will be watched from the earthly advantage. We will actually see Satan fall to the earth and witness the rise of the Antichrist and the false prophet. The horrors of all of this will be clear and unmistakable. This earth is about to experience its final catastrophic upheaval. I’m sure God, the great Creator, will use every power of nature and will also allow Satan and his horde to express their venom. But all that occurs will be under His sovereign design, and the ultimate result will be redemption of this earth that has been wrought by the death and sacrifice of His Son. Isaiah said it perfectly. The destroyer is about to be the destroyed. The usurper that walked into the Garden but crawled out is going to be forever vanquished into the Lake of Fire. This great book of Revelation is ultimately the design of Satan’s total defeat. Isaiah’s words were, "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" (Isaiah 14:15-17) Jesus spoke of both the past and the future when He proclaimed, “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) As we enter this second revelation of the seven-year period we see the process of casting Satan out of his heavenly realm of power and organization. “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2) His kingdom’s control and operation is between earth and the third Heaven. He will be cast down to the earth for the seven year period, allowed to manifest his diabolical schemes, limited as always according to the perfect revelations of God and utterly judged in the process. We know from the closing chapters of this book of Revelation that he will be cast into the bottomless pit for one thousand years and then into the Lake of Fire for eternity. The saints of God that become the elders of the Father and the Son will present the evidence for Satan’s final judgments. The Sun Clothed Woman and the Man-Child Everything from verse one of Chapter four in the book of Revelation is “hereafter” or part of the judgment period. This part of the revelation cannot be placed back into the historical past. Also, it must be connected to the casting out of Satan and his coming demise. Joseph Seiss, the great classic writer on Revelation, said, “A more common view, in which there is a more general agreement, is, that this woman somehow represents the Church, the body of God’s professed people. It belongs to the ordinary Scripture imagery to speak of the Church under the figure of a woman, a spouse, and a mother. We read of ‘the Daughter of Zion’ as a personification of this kind under the Old Testament, and Paul speaks of the spiritual Jerusalem as ‘the mother of us all.’” (The Apocalypse, p. 279) If indeed this represents the church, as is my view, then the “man-child” is the great company of overcoming saints within the boundary of the church world but exclusive in their total surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord of all. The church is more and more a mixed multitude; but the Bride of Jesus Christ cannot be less than the set apart, sanctified, and devoted cross-bearing saints that are watching, waiting, and sacrificing while they “look for his appearing.” This crowd, the “man-child” saints, have eyes only for Him and hearts bent on hearing the first whisper of His sounding trumpet. The multitude within the church that loves the world and its glitter more than the returning King will be left in a wilderness. There they will either be given a reprobate mind and be beyond the pale of grace or they will repent and willingly become the martyrs of the Antichrist’s religious armies. The Charismatic Joel’s Army is preparing for this task of serving the Antichrist to the extent that they are deceived into thinking he is the real Christ. When they finally awake to their deception, it will be too late. Satan and those he has deceived hate the teaching of the Rapture. Note these words, “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” (Revelation 12:4-5) The War in Heaven This marvelous moment when Satan is cast down from the mid-air never to leave the confines of the earth scene again is thrilling. This is intimately connected with the Rapture. As soon as the saints go up, Satan comes down. He has accused them before God for six thousand years. Even when they pray Satan is between them and the Father to do his mischief and to resist not only the prayers but also God’s messengers who bring answers and victories. This is a triumphant moment of the end times. The earth is about to learn the full disposition of the devil and his followers. This is the beginning of all out war between righteousness and judgment and the designs of Satan. Already, the scene of this coming war is in the air. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:7-10) Many prophecy teachers will not accept this woman as representing the church world because it messes up their preconceived theology. If you do not accept that the majority of the church is unprepared for the Rapture and will be left for the Tribulation, something has to be done with this chapter that throws it back to historical events. Chapter twelve has nothing to do with natural Israel. Israel is seen in Chapter seven, verses one through eight, and again in Chapters fourteen and fifteen. This woman is the external church, lukewarm and apostate, and her child is the great company of overcoming saints that will be removed to heaven in the Rapture. The lukewarm crowd will be spewed into the Tribulation and persecuted to death by the Antichrist. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17) Satan’s Unholy Trinity With the Rapture having occurred and the great overcoming saints removed and Satan cast down to the earth having great wrath, Satan is ready to reveal his final defense against God. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12) We must be willing to admit that what is about to happen is Satan’s masterstroke. He will produce his own “Christ” in a visible form. The spirit of Antichrist can be traced all the way back to the Garden, but this is the full coming out revelation. John saw this picture. “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:1-4) This beast of a man will become the delight of the wicked world. Satan will give him such charm, deceiving powers, and organizational skills so that he will convince a multitude to worship the devil as though he were God. He and his worshippers will start an earthly war against the worldwide company that have repented of their apostasy or have accepted the truth and been truly converted to Jesus Christ. Look carefully! “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:7-8) Anyone who misses the Rapture is in for hell on earth literally. Then, Satan adds to the Antichrist person a third being. This beast of a man is often called the false prophet for so he is, but he is more than a false prophet. He is the false spirit or false anointing and is on the same level with Satan and the Antichrist. Now, the unholy trinity is complete. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” (Revelation 13:11-13) This vile creature becomes the One World Church and leads the world to worship Satan and the Antichrist. This beast is the creator of the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 12:11) Jesus Christ also said “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand.)” (Matthew 24:15) The connection is unmistakable. “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” (Revelation 13:14) The Mark of the Beast is also the work of this anti-holy spirit, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13:16-17) This trio of evil will turn this earth into a wilderness. They will deceive everyone that is not willing to die a horrible death at their hand. The Jewish Nation/People The seven years of the Great Tribulation is also called Jacob’s Trouble. There is a clear distinction between the tribulation effect among the Jewish people and its effect among the nations. We should say it is similar but different. The one hundred and forty-four thousand are sealed in Chapter seven. Without question, they turn to Jesus Christ at the time they are sealed. There can be no question that their surrender to the true Messiah makes an impact on the Jewish nation. Now, we see them in Chapter fourteen taken up to heaven and standing with the Lamb on heavenly Mount Zion. Listen as they sing. “And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:3-4) These are the firstfruits of the Jewish nation. They sang in the presence of the elders before the throne of God. After this victorious scene in heaven, the vision returns to the earth. An angel is dispatched to fly in the heavens while he proclaims the everlasting gospel. His message is filled with a cry to earth’s inhabitants to repent. “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:7) Immediately, another angel announces the impending destruction of Babylon and a third angel warns people not to take the Mark of the Beast. A dire warning is given about this mark. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11) In Chapters fifteen and sixteen we see the wrath of God without measure. I say without measure because that is very important. This is the finality of wrath, it is purifying wrath to cleanse and purify this earth and to bring the end of sin and rebellion. Although Satan will have a short fling at the end of the one thousand years of the righteous reign of Jesus Christ, it will not be allowed to infect the earth. In Chapter fifteen the seven last plagues are seen and in Chapter sixteen are seen the seven last vials. Here is the beginning of these two chapters. “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” (Revelation 15:1; Revelation 16:1) The vision of this closing period of the seven years of the Great Tribulation is overwhelming. The temple in Heaven is open for these final acts of redemption. There is something so pure about this period of wrath that every angel or messenger is clothed in pure linen and wearing golden girdles. The scene is breathtaking. “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” (Revelation 15:5-8) The earth will be totally purified of the last vestige of wickedness. It will soon become a Garden of Eden again. The coming picture of Mystery Babylon and literal Babylon is an overarching of this same period but shown separately because of its importance. This seven-year period of the Great Tribulation does not end until the white horse Rider and His army of elders is witnessed defeating the Antichrist in Chapter nineteen. Rejoice because the final time cannot be far away. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 140: THE VAST DISTANCE BETWEEN THE EARTH AND HEAVEN IS ALREADY DWINDLING? ======================================================================== The Vast Distance Between The Earth And Heaven Is Already Dwindling? This is why animals, fish and birds are dying by the tens of millions! The weather patterns are bazaar and appear out of control. The thinking of politicians is off the wall and mindless. The passion of our elected leaders to take complete control of our lives is scary. There is evidence that evil forces are growing at a very rapid rate. The Bible makes it plain that the separation between the earth and the darkness beneath is also quickly vanishing to allow the Antichrist and his false spirit and demons to appear on earth. The world will soon be the blending of hell from beneath and heaven from above. The wicked will see the Heavenly Father on His Throne. The greatest challenge of the believing world is to get back to the Bible, infallible and perfect. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35; Mark 3:31; Luke 21:33) Let’s look at just how perfect the Bible really is. The Infallible Word of God! The most breathtaking book in the world is the infallible Word of God. Not one nuance was missed as God revealed His revelation to His prophets. Our Heavenly Father was so satisfied with His revelation and its perfection that He promised to preserve it for every generation. Not only did He promise to preserve it, but He warned men not to corrupt it and leveled a serious judgment upon any man that tampers with His truth. In God’s design, He apparently first settled His Word in Heaven and then progressively poured it into holy vessels to be written down for His church. “Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in Heaven.” (Psalms 119:89) Truth Begins And Ends With Jesus Christ He is the eternal Word (logos). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5) The truth as written in Heaven and revealed by His prophets in the Bible is centered in and totally identical to Jesus Christ as revealed in His flesh. In fact, Apostle John said, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:4) Imagine a Bible (the Word of God) that is not only a book, but is also a person, the Son of God. The Bible and Jesus Christ are identical in essence. Both the “Word” written and the “Living Word” are God’s perfect revelation. Pilate, in speaking with Jesus, asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) He asked this question of Jesus because the Son of man had said, “And for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” (John 18:37) Jesus had said earlier to His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) Jesus Christ is the truth in exactly the same fashion that the Bible is truth. They are inseparable. One is the Person and the other is the perfect revelation of that Person. The First Testament And Jesus Christ The Book of Genesis is filled with the person of Jesus Christ. In the very first chapter of Genesis, Jesus Christ is revealed at least seven times. John the Revelator clearly established that Jesus is the first and the last. John stated, as Jesus had revealed to him, “Saying I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” (Revelation 1:11) The words, alpha and omega, are Greek words or letter meanings, and their Hebrew counterparts are aleph and tau. Seven times in Genesis, chapter one, as the Scripture deals with creation, the aleph and tau are found in the Hebrew text without being translated. Here is a literal rendering of one verse showing where the aleph and tau appear. Remember alpha and omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, while the aleph and tau are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Notice this verse, “In the beginning created God (aleph and tau) the Heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1; The Interlinear Bible) John clearly stated that the Word created all things and that same Word became flesh in Jesus Christ. Here, we see that “Word” as the Creator in the perfect picture of the creation story itself. This kind of Biblical perfection is found throughout Genesis and the whole Bible. The Gospel In Genesis In Genesis chapter five we have the Gospel message clearly presented. When the average person reads this chapter they are bored because it appears to be no more than the genealogies of the first ten generations of families. Let’s take a closer look by defining the name of each generation leader and then uniting those names in the text. Adam means man, the first man, and Seth, his son, means appointed. Seth’s son, Enos, means mortal; while his son, Cainan, means sorrow; and his son, Mahalaleel means the blessed of God. Jared was the son of Mahalaleel, which means shall come down; and Jared’s son, Enoch, means teaching. Enoch named his son Methusaleh because God had apparently warned that at his death the great flood would come. Methusaleh means “his death shall bring”. Lamech was the name of his son, whose name means despairing, clearly describing the condition of the world at that time. Lamech’s son, Noah, was named comfort and rest, because God was going to reveal Himself and comfort mankind. When you see God’s revelation in this genealogy, the message is overwhelming. “Man, appointed to mortal sorrow, the great God shall come down, teaching, His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest.” The divine revelations of the “Word” were never wasted. Each word and every verse was placed in Scripture to reveal a perfect manifestation of truth. No wonder Jesus quoted Moses by saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by ‘every’ word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3) The Bible is a perfect whole. The Torah Or Pentateuch The first five books of the Bible are called the Torah. It’s amazing to look at this significant word. To the Jews the Torah are the most sacred books of the Bible. Remember, Torah in English is spelled with five letters, but in the Hebrew language it consists of only four Hebrew characters. The four Hebrew letters spelling Torah were Resh (Reysh), Vau, Tau, and Hey. When they were written, each letter had an original meaning. The four letters mean the following: Resh – Head, Vaul – Nail, Tau – Cross, and He – Reveals. Every time a Jewish person names or writes the name of his sacred text, he is declaring that the Head of that text was nailed to a cross and revealed the mercy and truth of that sacred revelation. The Torah Contains Incredible Mysteries A recent article appeared in the Bible Review publication entitled, “Divine Authorship?” This article was a review of the work of Jewish scholars, Doran Witztum, Eliyahu Rips and Yoav Rosenberg, of the Jerusalem College of Technology and the Hebrew University. The title of their work, which was printed in the eminent Journal Of The Royal Statistical Society, was “Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis.” These authors, who are mathematical statisticians, have discovered words encoded in the Hebrew text that cannot be accidental. Their work was from the Textus Receptus or Masoretic text. The author of this review, Jeffrey B. Satinover, explained the results as following: “This in effect is what the researchers have found embedded in the Hebrew text of the Torah – a whole series of meaningful word-pairs in close proximity, something that they demonstrate cannot have happened by chance. These words they found in close proximity are not simply the words of the text (as would be the case in the analogy above of an unknown potential language). They were rather words composed of letters selected at various equal skip distances, for example, every second or third or fourth letter. It was as though “behind” the surface meaning of the Hebrew there was a second, hidden level of embedded meaning.” (“Divine Authorship?”, Bible Review, October 1995, p. 29) Mr. Satinover then explained how they used a combination of words related in life or history to show that the Biblical text revealed a prior consciousness of every human event. I will let him describe it. “…the researchers… found the pair Zedekiah (a sixth century B. C. E. king of Judah), and Matanya, Zedekiah’s original name (see 2 Kings 24:17); and the pair Hanukkah (the Jewish festival that commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple after it was recaptured from the Assyrians in the second century B. C. E.) and Hasmoneans (the family name of the leaders of the Jewish forces that managed to wrest the Temple from the Assyrian monarch Antiochus IV Epiphanes). Note that these names and events found encoded in the text of the Torah involved people who lived, and events that occurred, long after the Torah was composed, whether by a divine or human hand. “In their 1988 paper, the researchers selected, at random 300 such Hebrew word-pairs with obviously related meanings, and looked for the words embedded in the text by treating the entire book of Genesis as a long cryptographic string. They would start at the beginning until they came to the first letter, then look to see if a second letter could be found two letters away. If so, they then looked for the third letter two letters away; if not, they stopped and searched for the next appearance of the first letter and repeated the process. They continued until they found an occurrence of the entire word spelled out at every second letter. If not, they performed the same procedure looking at every third letter instead. “In this fashion they searched first every other letter, then every third, and so on (including reverse order). When they found the first instance (that is, at the minimum skip distance, and measured its proximity within the text-string to the first. They did this for all 300 word-pairs.” (Ibid, pp. 30-31) According to information in this review, the possibility of this happening by chance was less than 1 in 50 quadrillion. In fact, a public statement was offered by eminent scholars here in America as reported, “Following publication of this paper, a public statement was issued, signed by five mathematical scholars – two from Harvard, two from Hebrew University and one from Yale. ‘The present work,’ they said, ‘represents serious research carried out by serious investigators.’” (Ibid, p. 31) Great Jewish scholars have contended that the Torah contains all knowledge. One such gentleman, Rabbi Gaon of the 18th century, stated, “All that was, is, and will be unto the end of time is included in the Torah…and not merely in a general sense, but including the details of every species and of each person individually, and the most minute details of everything that happened to him from the day of his birth until his death.” (Ibid.) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said it even plainer, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 141: THE WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG ======================================================================== The War of Gog and Magog As the greatest supernatural intervention of human history -- a defense right out of heaven above -- Israel’s God is going to reveal Himself. When this Divine display is finished, the Muslim religion will be stripped of all its glory. It will no doubt cause great anger among the hard core Muslims that escape death but a turning to Jesus Christ of those honest individuals that see the glory of our Eternal God. The Muslim religion is a farce when it is seen for what it really represents. Already millions of former Muslims have turned to Christ and the harvest has barely begun. One Saudi sheikh says in disgust that six million Muslims are converting to Christ yearly. This coming war will serve as the eternal design of Bible prophecy. Men may well look at such a catastrophic devastation as cruel and beyond the acts of a Holy God, but this expression of wrath has been building for many centuries. It will include judgments against many vile and Godless acts of terror, great hatred manifest against the Jewish people, and hatred toward God Himself. Germany will receive her final judgment for the Holocaust and Russia will be judged for her atheistic hatred against her own people, as well as against Israelis and Christians. The Muslim religion will answer for centuries of vileness and defiance against the true and living God. The catastrophic level of God’s wrath will be in the exact proportion to the wicked history of the nations involved. This war could not occur until the nation of Israel was back in a portion of the Promise Land. There is not enough military might in the entire armies of the world to change God’s promises. Israel is already a rich nation and is becoming richer every day. Their military is without parallel. They have discovered massive reserves of oil and eventually that discovery will be greater than all the Arab nations combined. How do we know that their oil deposits will be the world’s greatest? The Promise Land and her treasures were ordained to flow as "milk and honey." There are several promises for the discovery of oil by the Jewish people. God said, "For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath…for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand…and let him dip his foot in oil" (Deuteronomy 33:13, Deuteronomy 33:19, and Deuteronomy 33:24). Someone can argue whether "the deep that coucheth beneath, treasures hid in the sand" or "dip his foot in oil" means oil deposits; but if we take these words literally, they are indeed powerful. It is important that we know the Biblical reason for the War of Gog and Magog. It is Israel’s riches and abundance that Russia covets. We know why the Muslims want to eliminate Israel, but Russia and much of her coalition forces want the treasures and wealth. If you study the unbelievable agricultural success, the technological brilliance, the military capabilities, and then add the possibility of billions of barrels of black gold, you will understand that Russia can see nothing but worldwide wealth and dominance. One of their top politicians and advocates of this war to the south has left no room for guessing. Here are the words of Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky, a strategic ally of Putin: "The operation should be carried out using the code-name "Final Thrust to the South." Our army will carry out this task. It will be a means for the nation as a whole to survive and a way to restore the Russian army." "Russia reaching the shores of the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea is a task that will be the salvation of the Russian nation. . . . Russia will grow rich." "The Arabs and Europeans . . . have a vested interest in seeing to it Russia establishes her new borders . . . . Only in this way can they escape the Israeli trap." "Can’t Russia, mustn’t Russia, make just one move, one little move southward? . . . The Germans want this . . . . The world will understand that if Russia needs it that means it’s good. The Russian army needs this. It will let our boys flex their muscles instead of sitting around the barracks, worn out by hazing, in the depths of Russia, not knowing who and where the enemy is and what moral and physical preparations they should make." "Only America would not be pleased, but she won’t interfere. The alternative to this development of this situation is too grave for her if she interferes." (Epicenter, Joel C. Rosenburg, page 140-141.) The mighty God of our Bible has allowed enough of His extension of grace. It’s time for judgment and it’s time to make all His glory visible to the human family. Listen to God’s promise of intervention. "And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face" (Ezekiel 38:16-18). I pray that America will be there to help in this hour, but we will not be needed. I actually believe, contrary to many, that we will be faithful to Israel to the end. That will be the reason God honors America as a sheep nation in Matthew chapter twenty-five. Regardless, this will end the worldwide threat from Muslim terrorists and will sweep the Temple Mount in Jerusalem of every semblance of the false sun-god, named Allah. Unnamed pestilences and blood will rain on the army of millions. The rain will be overflowing and mixed with hailstones, fire, and brimstones. It will be massive and will actually fall from Heaven in such a manner that no one will doubt that it is God Himself that fights for Israel. The Bible is careful to state that the slaughter of this mob of wicked people extends back to their staging countries and capital cities. "And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel" (Ezekiel 39:6-7). Magog represents the Russian capital of Moscow and this Scripture includes the other nations which join this coalition. The judgment will leave no doubt about God’s rejection of the Muslim Koran and religion. The world is trying to convince us that the Muslim god is identical to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This lie will die with Gog and Magog in the mountains of Israel and in the nations that join this end time war. The glory of God will be manifest and the world will know. Out of this massive judgment will be a mighty visitation of Holy Ghost awakening. Joel settled the utter destruction of the Northern horde and promised the Latter Rain of God’s Spirit. He said by the Holy Spirit, "But I will remove far off from you the northern army… Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things" (Joel 2:20-21). He added the Latter Rain promise two verses later, "He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month" (Joel 2:23 b). The first month is the Feast of Trumpets, the next unfulfilled feast of Israel. It is also a Jewish type for the coming Rapture of Christ’s Bride. We are living in the golden age of the prophetic finishing of all things. Keep your eyes on the Holy Scripture and your heart in total surrender to the Lordship of our Savior and Captain, Jesus Christ. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 142: THE WHITE HORSE AND RIDER ======================================================================== The White Horse and Rider The ultimate face-off between the Lamb of God and Satan is the most breathtaking truth in the Book of Revelation. But, first a six thousand year old scroll must be understood. “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1). Apparently, our Heavenly Father commissioned this scroll to be written just as soon as Satan stole the legal deed to the beautiful world that Adam and Eve had inherited. This scroll was never seen by mortal man until John saw it in his vision. The Father held it as a strong angel sought a Worthy Redeemer who had earned the legal right to open its content. Nowhere in God’s entire universe was there a being or creature kin to the divine person of God. The great host of angels must have searched every nook and cranny in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth. By divine revelation, John was either told or made to understand that this book contained the hope of humankind. Without this great scroll in the Father’s hand being fulfilled, this unclean universe was destined to continue downward. Someone had to open this book and take back what the devil stole. In this six thousand year old document were the title deed and the divine process to uproot the usurper. The Father’s plan and purpose was recorded; but, the first of kin to God Himself had to unseal the plan. John was weeping in soul-rending disappointment. We would think that John already knew that there was an answer; but, it had been held back from him. It was an unfolding drama. He was still in the flesh even though he was caught up in the Spirit. But, the Elders at the scene were glorified saints and now possessed the wisdom of the ages. “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Revelation 5:5). This is one of the most revealing manifestations of the victory of the cross in Holy Scripture. His death was the redemption and reclaiming of paradise lost. When the Son of God said, “It is finished,” He literally ripped a stolen and emaciated world out of Satan’s possession. That victory could not be claimed until the Gospel had its day of redeeming souls. But, that day is now at hand in this vision; and we are about to see the real drama in our day. John was beholding the scene that is soon to be acted out when the Raptured saints are gathered home. “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne” (Revelation 5:6-7). The Heavens exploded in triumphant worship. The saints will sing their first song after arriving in the Eternal City of Jerusalem. This is the Holy City of which earthly Jerusalem was but a shadow. The worship will be of Jesus Christ our Emancipator. Finally, the universe will see the full scope of who He is and the finished work of what He did. He was the first of kin, His only begotten Son, to the Father. As the Divine Savior, He is ready for the ultimate face-off with the lying masquerades of Satan. That’s the background of the beginning process to open the “Seven Sealed scroll.” This entire document is a legal manifest, it is divine business and His saints are the offended host. Satan is the accused and judgment has been passed. Let the proceedings begin, “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1-2). The picture of this beginning eviction is very celestial. John sees this after being “caught up” himself while still in his body but allowed to see in the Heavenly realm. The Lamb is the Grand Marshall. The first four seals are unique and reflect a unity of purpose. Zechariah had seen the same four horses and riders, “And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses” (Zechariah 6:1-3). It was noted that these go forth from God and are instrumental for judgment on the earth. In every act of redemption there is its counterpart of judgment. You can have judgment without redemption, but you can never have redemption without judgment. The White Horse and its rider cannot represent Jesus Christ or the Antichrist. If the rider of the first horse was a noted personality, then the other riders would by necessity represent someone equal. All of the activities of these horses and horsemen are a redemptive and judgmental process right out of the seven sealed scroll. The Son of God turns these forces loose and they are going forth throughout the earth. The Antichrist is part of the action but on the defense. He cannot come out of God’s redemption plan which is recorded in this scroll. Rather, he fights to defeat the process. Those who see the Antichrist in connection with this White Horse are not altogether wrong. This horse and rider represent the ultimate face-off between light and darkness, truth and error, Christ in His glory, and the Antichrist in his masquerade. This action will continue for the entire seven years as will the whole process of the seven seals. Every inch of territory taken from Satan’s forces will be hard won. It is clear that God’s uses truth and righteousness to win, not sheer power. The Lord Jesus does not seek to overwhelm Satan with His supernatural strength but with the power of His blood and the triumph of His resurrection. This is why the identity of Jesus Christ during the entire Seven Tribulation years is the “Lamb of God.” This rider is depicted as having a bow but no arrows. There is no relationship between this weapon and the Antichrist but a powerful picture relating to the triumphant powers of a Lamb slain. It is neither the person of Jesus Christ nor the Antichrist that is connected to this Great White Stallion. It is the going forth of righteous judgment, face-to-face with every design of the fallen prince. The entire Seven Years of the Tribulation will be one conquest after another. Every realm where Satan has reigned and defiled will be conquered and purified. When the Great Tribulation is over and the saints return with Christ, we will rule a world where paradise has been restored and the principles of His holiness will fill the earth. The Book of Revelation is perfect restoration of all things. That Great White Stallion is pawing the ground to ride. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 143: THE WHOLE BIBLE IN ONE BOOK ======================================================================== The Whole Bible in One Book “A LIVING DRAMA OF EVERY GREAT TRUTH OF THE WHOLE BIBLE:” that’s the “BOOK OF REVELATION.” This Masterpiece of God’s revelation is fundamental Christianity in perfection. Every major doctrine of the Bible is on display in the Book of Revelation. The rest of the Bible teaches the doctrines, but the Book of Revelation displays those doctrines in drama or as a continuous vision. The word “SAW” is expressed 42 times concerning John”s experiences is beholding this great Living Drama. Others words like “SEEN” or “”BEHELD” are also stated numbers of times. Why has the church world missed this great truth? I’m afraid we have allowed the enemies of truth to build false ideas about the Book of Revelation, which has driven the book to our shelves instead of our hearts. It is not mystical or hard, but rather open to the hearts of the seekers and the studious. It is revealed on the knees, not in the “IVORY TOWERS OF INTELLECTUALISM.” The entire Bible goes into action when you begin to study the Book of Revelation. Of all sixty-six books of the Bible, no other book even begins to reveal Christ as matchless as this book does. John the Revelator certainly displays the divine nature of Jesus Christ in the Book of Saint John; but in the Book of Revelation, he reveals or displays the glorified person of our Christ and Savior. John was the only Gospel writer that recorded Christ’s prayer for His saints as recorded in Chapter Seventeen. John recorded this prayer of Jesus Christ when He uttered these breathtaking words, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). In the Book of Revelation, John is allowed by Jesus Christ to prove that prayer was answered and to display the triumph of the style in which it was answered. Anyone that doubts the eternal nature and person hood of God’s only begotten Son doesn’t need to read anything but this Masterpiece. From Chapter One to Chapter Twenty-two, He is seen “crucified, glorified, possessing His Father’s kingdom, judging the world, redeeming the entire universe, and preparing an eternal New Heaven and Earth. No doctrine that misrepresents the Son of God would have seen the light of day if the misguided souls had believed the Book of Revelation. In this book, He possessed and displayed every name given to Him in all the previous sixty-five books of the Bible. The trinity of God is on exquisite display in this book. The Father is on His throne and has the redemptive book in his hand. No one except the crucified, but now glorified Son even dares to approach to open the seven-sealed book. The Holy Spirit is present in all the responsibilities of His office to act upon the human hearts on earth while presenting the Bride to the Father to reign with Christ in Heaven. It is the omnipresent Spirit that bridges the total universe for the events that both separate the affairs in Heaven and on earth and tie it all together at the same time. Only the thrice manifested and revealed Godhead could unite the universe for its completed redemption and renewal. Dispensational truth is never plainer than in the Book of Revelation. Even the city of New Jerusalem is revealed with “twelve gates named after Israel and twelve foundations named after the apostles of the church. The twenty-four elders cannot represent anything less than the Church and Israel — His two chosen but distinctive companies of saints. No one will enjoy the Father’s eternity but those that are either redeemed out of these two major dispensations or the dispensations prior to and ending with Abraham’s period. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is alluded to often in the Holy Bible but never put in a chronological setting until we come to the Book of Revelation. The Son of God left no doubt when this Rapture would occur when He revealed this book to John. No judgment of the completed and final hour could begin until the Lord called John ““up hither” and showed him the saints – now elders – seated around the Father’s Throne. These saints are never called the church again after Revelation Chapter Four and verse one. No truth is more certain in this Masterpiece than the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. You can argue against the seven years of the Great Tribulation until you begin to read the Book of Revelation. The Battle of Armageddon cannot be documented with any finality until you read this book. The Amillennial (no Rapture) or Post-Millennial (Christ comes after the Rapture) lose their entire argument when we believe this great book of the Bible. We see references to the city that the Son of God created but no final proof or description until we read the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is our Lord’s final covenant of the future for His saints. No Bible truth is more wonderfully on display in Revelation than the “whosoever will” of Saint John 3:16. The rainbow around the throne of the Father sends a signal of mercy that never fades until the last soul is redeemed. One of the closing statements of Chapter Twenty-two of this Masterpiece states, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). There is a multitude in the Book of Revelation that cannot repent but it is because of their choices. There is a constant invitation to others to repent in this book. There are angels flying in the Heavens preaching repentance and two prophets – protected until the world hears their message — preaching repentance. This book is a book of redemption. Last, but not least, the Book of Revelation declares the perfection of the Holy Bible and its infallibility. The foremost commandment in all Scripture says not to touch the Bible or change it’s great revelation. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). The Book of Revelation is the display of truth for every church and every soul. It will bring blessings into your present life and will guarantee eternal life. Read it, obey it, believe it, and rejoice. He sent It To You. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 144: THE WHORE & HER CHILDREN ======================================================================== The Whore & Her Children In 1978 Pope John Paul I proclaimed, “The smoke of Satan has entered the Sanctuary.” He was dead shortly after that statement. His death was considered mysterious and is believed by many as being an inside job. A well-known writer and renowned Jesuit priest, Malachi Martin, wrote in his Vatican novel, Windswept House, “Suddenly it became unarguable that now during this papacy, the Roman Catholic organization carried a permanent presence of clerics who worshipped Satan and liked it; of bishops and priests who sodomized boys and each other; of nuns who performed the ‘Black Rites’ of Wicca, and who lived in lesbian relationships . . . every day, including Sundays and Holy Days, acts of heresy and blasphemy and outrage and indifference were committed and permitted at holy Altars by men who had been called to be priests. Sacrilegious actions and rites were not only performed on Christ’s Altars, but had the connivance or at least the tacit permission of certain Cardinals, archbishops, and bishops . . .” (Windswept House, Malachi Martin 1996, p. 492.) The Roman Catholic system is a pagan religious system. The newspapers of our American press continue to provide us with the news that the Catholic priests are absolutely not going to end the filth of homosexuality and pedophilia within their system. Recently, the Charlotte Observer stated in their secondary headlines, “Offenders would be kept from kids, but not those ousted from priesthood.” There was an immediate cry from those men who were abused as young boys in Catholic ministries. How does any religious institution put a man back in ministry at any ordained level that has stooped to the acts of homosexuality or the molestation of young people or children? That defies reason or Biblical responsibility. But this article is not mainly about the Roman Catholic system, but about the once great Bible-believing churches and ministries that have decided to give support and acceptance to this dark religious world. The Catholics boast of over one billion adherents and of their worldwide political influence and incalculable riches. This system is extremely rich and millions of its members are perfectly willing to fund with liberal donations any Protestant ministry that will bridge the differences between the two. Many formerly separated ministers and their leaders have decided that the money is worth the compromise. The Catholic Church Is Aggressive While churches that were formerly Bible-believing are speaking kindly of the Catholic Church, the Catholics are aggressively reaching for the world. No one can doubt that they want and intend to be the spokesman for Christianity. I just received a copy of a multi-million mailing by Karl Keating, president of Catholic Answers. This mailing was a fundraiser and was premised on the “2002 World Youth Day.” It blasted a tract showing a man in hell that had been deceived by the Catholic religion, the Virgin Mary and other unbiblical teachings. A copy of that tract was reproduced and the receiver was asked to immediately destroy it with a warning of how dangerous it was if it fell into the hands of the wrong persons. Of course, if we write a similar letter from our position, we are blasted for being judgmental and uncaring. Every time I do a broadcast showing the false, unbiblical teachings of this system, I get ugly, vicious calls, letters and e-mails. They can be aggressive, but most Bible believers are being intimidated not to be aggressive. Our position and approach should never be to attack persons or to demean anyone, but rather to speak the truth in tender love. Our message must be clear and absolute truth about the only plan of salvation. In this large Catholic mailer, there was a very slick looking booklet, entitled Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. It looked like a good Bible booklet and was very colorful. Here are the inviting words from the back cover, “The Catholic Church: Your Guide to the Truth” “Jesus established the Catholic Church especially for you. He set it up as your spiritual home, he provided it with everything you need, and he wants you in it. The Catholic Church guides you as the pillar of fire guided the Israelites when they escaped from bondage. They had a guide they could trust, and now so do you. Your guide is trustworthy because it teaches as Jesus taught. This is why the Bible calls the Catholic Church the ‘pillar and foundation of truth.’ Jesus has a special plan for you, one He wants you to perform through His Church. This booklet explains Jesus’ plan and how you can know the Catholic Church is where you belong.” (Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth 1997. Published by Catholic Answers, San Diego, CA.) This booklet left no room for the Bible believing churches to claim anything. The Bible quotes were from a strange translation. It speaks a lot of our language, but full of their twist. For instance, look at this invitation to be saved. Here is their question just like we would ask it and then their answer. QUESTION: “What you must do to be saved?” ANSWER: “Best of all, the promise of eternal life is a gift, freely offered to us by God [Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1994, p. 1727.)]. Our initial forgiveness and justification are not things we ‘earn’ (Ibid., 2010). Jesus is the mediator who bridged the gap of sin that separates us from God (1 Timothy 2:5); he bridged it by dying for us. He has chosen to make us partners in the plan of salvation (1 Corinthians 3:9). “The Catholic Church teaches what the apostles taught and what the Bible teaches: We are saved by grace alone, but not by faith alone (which is what ‘Bible Christians’ teach; see James 2:24). “When we come to God and are justified (that is, enter a right relationship with God), nothing preceding justification, whether faith or good works, earns grace. But then God plants His love in our hearts, and we should live out our faith by doing acts of love (Galatians 6:2).” (Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth 1997. Published by Catholic Answers, San Diego, CA, pp. 22-23.) The Christian Church world is being deceived and outflanked. Our national and best-known leaders have foolishly denied the truth and taken allegiance to this harlot system. I must share the truth with you at any cost. Let’s look at some of the better know men and ministries. They are becoming the children of the Mother of Harlots. Charismatics & Catholicism The Charismatic religion has been Catholic in nature since its beginning. As a Classical Pentecostal I have watched the whole life of the Charismatic renewal. It was first named Neo-Pentecostal and was totally rejected by the Classical Pentecostal even as they rejected us because of our fundamentalism. I visited many of their events throughout the years and never found one thing I could Biblically connect. When I call this movement “Charismatic Catholicism,” I do not suggest a structural connection. There may have been, but I do not have any proof of such connections. The connection was in the spiritual realm. The Charismatic movement never had any solid Biblical roots. It was a smorgasbord of many different doctrines loosely connected to esoteric experiences. Speaking in tongues and other so-called gifts was the glue that held it together. As you research this movement from its beginning, the experiences of tongues and the gifts were always subject to the individual. The entire manifestation of gifts was at the control of these promoters and the crowds. I can honestly say that during all my experiences among Charismatic people, I have never seen one person that appeared to have a genuine Book of Acts experience. Being a Classical Pentecostal, we recognize the Book of Acts and the Pentecostal experience, but firmly believe that the Holy Spirit alone is sovereign. Any manifestation of the Holy Ghost cannot be subject to the whims of the individual. We have witnessed numerous cases where individuals seeking to be filled with the Spirit were told to say whatever came to their mind, funny sounds, incoherent symbols, etc. and that it would evolve into a language the Bible calls “speaking in tongues.” Classical Pentecostals have always called such action heresy and dangerous. The Charismatics actually teach that all the gifts can be manifest at will. When you want to pray in tongues, you just start making sounds. This is called a “prayer language” to be used when it suits you. I have been in several meetings where the crowd was told to pray in tongues and the entire place would erupt into a guru-sounding roar. How does such a diverse gathering bring glory to the Lord? When you put together the Catholic doctrine of the mass with the doctrine of the Jesus Only (They deny the Trinity.) and then add the Born-Again Jesus that accomplished nothing of salvation on the cross (Jesus was born again in hell.) of the Copelands, you have a pot of poison. In our last edition of this publication, we printed an article entitled, “Marriage From Hell.” This article listed numerous quotes from leading Charismatics and Evangelicals endorsing the Catholic system as Orthodox Christianity. Men like W. A. Criswell, Paul Crouch, Chuck Colson, etc. were mentioned. I sit at my desk as I write this article trying to speak to all of this as kind as I know how. If such distortion does not make one angry, then something is wrong. I am determined to speak evil of no man, but I must warn everyone possible of the “Mother of Harlots and Her Children.” Conclusion This mother of religious whoredom is spreading her powers and embracing every aspect of religions regardless of its origin. The Writer warned in Holy Scripture, “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” (Revelation 17:5). The only religions the Whore of Rome hates are Orthodox Jews and fundamental Christians. Everyone else is playing her game, but these two groups. The Bible plainly warns us that she will be covered with the blood of those she has slain. We still have protection from her murderous hands in America, but history is replete with her past deeds. She is still murdering or attacking saints in countries when government provides her protection and cover. The priests have destroyed a multitude of her altar boys to satisfy their insane lust. When the Bible prophesied the term “harlot,” it certainly knew what was going to occur. She is called a “whore” and that is her character. “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” (Revelation 17:1) Be strong in your defense of truth and do not fear those who can destroy your body. Reserve your fear for the one that destroys the soul. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 145: THE WORLD IS ESCALATING TO APOCALYPTIC TIMES ======================================================================== The World is Escalating to Apocalyptic Times The Book of Revelation is the present textbook for understanding our future. The stage is set for Revelation chapter four to open. The throne of God in Heaven is circled over by a rainbow that declares mercy is still the Father’s heart. There will be seen four cherubim preparing to defend God’s holiness in this “out of control” world. The Seven Spirits are actually the Holy Spirit acting in the seven expressions of His omnipresent powers. Twenty-four elders complete the scene as the opening of eternal redemption and perfect judgment begins. God’s phenomenal Book of Revelation was written precisely for our generation. When you understand that the total universe must be purified and set free from over six thousand years of pollution and every expression of sin must be adjudicated and eliminated, the task is breathtaking. The process is universal. Every angel in Heaven will be involved. All of Heaven and its holy persons, all of the earth and its occupants, and all of Satan’s masquerading spirits and lies will meet in prophetic order. Nothing, and no one, in God’s great universe will be excused. This is the fateful hour to settle the score of what happened in Heaven and in the Garden of Eden. All the indescribable signs and wonders that began in 1948, when Israel was born a new nation, have only escalated for sixty plus years. In this period of one generation, every Biblical sign of the End Times has become visible. It is not possible to look at the Holy Bible and its picture of the total scene and not know that God’s Word is perfect. If the signs of the times mean anything, the final hour of Gentile history is closing. At the exact same time, as we watch the Gentile world withering, we watch Israel blooming. Israel still has a lot to suffer, but the evidence of faith is budding. Israel’s fateful hour, called “Jacob’s trouble,” will conclude two thousand years of sorrows. The prophets of both testaments speak of the future moment when His chosen people will come to faith in Jesus Christ. Zachariah stated by the Spirit, “I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree” (Zechariah 3:9-10). The Apostle Paul wrote, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:26-27). The chosen people of Israel have long been considered a kind of time clock of prophecy. Watching this nation setting on military alert and actually speaking of the War of Gog and Magog as eminent cannot be explained except by the Bible. Ezekiel wrote the script for this war twenty-five centuries ago. It was positioned right before the great Millennial Temple and the return of the Messiah. The Bible is thrilling to search when one sees the nation of Jesus Christ’s very family pictured in future propriety and greatness. Their most glorious kingdom is on the horizon. But, we are beginning to see that Israel is only a small part of the picture and all that it represents. The entire world is suddenly becoming just as prophetic as Israel. No longer do we talk about the One World Order; we watch it developing. There is not one problem our world is facing that is a single nation’s problem. North Korea has the world wondering, “What is next” with this rogue government? The Bear of China is quickly becoming a monetary giant. The slow demise of America is troubling to every nation, large or small. Russia is quickly revealing new fangs of military recovery. Earthquakes have been a “weather barometer” throughout human history. Nothing strikes fear in mankind more than when the ground begins to shake and divide. The Bible makes this phenomenon a centerpiece of prophetic events. Jesus emphasized this as one of the key End Time signs. “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from Heaven” (Luke 21:11). While we must allow for new technology in determining the frequency of earthquakes, it is clear that they have escalated beyond measure. The world is averaging approximately forty earthquakes over 2. 5 magnitude and many smaller ones every day. The words “divers places” should be noted. Checking the reports, it is clear that earthquakes are no longer occurring just at known fault lines, but worldwide in “divers places.” The national news media seems reluctant to even speak of these kinds of developments, lest they make the Bible prophecies of even greater interest. Let’s take one twenty-four hour period and document the earthquakes that occurred. Over the twenty-four hour period of January 23,2011, there were forty-one (41) earthquakes that registered over 2. 5 magnitude; eighteen (18) registered more than 3. 5; eleven (11) registered over 4. 5; and eight (8) registered over 5. 0. Here are the parts of the earth where earthquakes occurred in that one day: Alaska, Puerto Rico, the South Sandwich Islands, Japan, California, the Virgin Islands, Figi, Dominican Republic, Chili, Idaho, Mexico, Indonesia, Arizona, and Nevada. The earth is trembling, spurring, and shaking like a troubled universe. Mysterious deaths of animals have often occurred around the world, but I cannot find a report of a worldwide series of events on every continent in the proportions that we have seen in the last few weeks. These events seem to be spreading like wildfire around the world. It appears to have started in Beebe, Arkansas, where it was reported that four thousand (4,000) red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky. Seeing pictures of them scattered in mass up and down the highways looks apocalyptic regardless of one’s Biblical opinion. There were also reports from Rockwell, Texas; Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana; numerous other states; and in different countries of the world. Quickly, the death of massive numbers (even tons) of fish surfaced. The Chesapeake Bay area reported two million dead spot croakers had washed ashore. Then there was the announcement of hundreds of tons of sardines, catfish, and other species of fish in New Zealand and Brazil. Within a few days there was the news of 8,000 doves falling dead from the skies of Italy; crows in Sweden; water birds in Houston and Minnesota; and flocks of birds near Nashville, Tennessee. If that isn’t enough, forty to forty-five thousand velvet crabs were found dead on the beaches of Kent, England, and many penguins were reported dead in New Zealand. Just days ago, it was 10,000 cows and buffaloes in Vietnam. A few days earlier, it was 200 cows in one pasture in Arkansas. The reports of similar events continue to come in from all over the globe. The Bible clearly promises this kind of strange death to the population of fowls and fish. Zephaniah wrote as he spoke the words of God, “I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the Heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD” (Zephaniah 1:3). Hosea promised, “Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of Heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away” (Hosea 4:3). Add to this the strange events touching the Heavenly bodies and affecting the atmosphere of our world. Here is a report from Project World Awareness that makes us think of the Bible warning of Luke 21:11 b “and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from Heaven.” “The angry sun – For months mounting fear has driven researchers to wring their hands over the approaching solar storms. Some have predicted devastating solar tsunamis that could wipe away our advanced technology, others voiced dire warnings that violent explosions on the surface of the sun could reach out to Earth, breach our magnetic field, and expose billions to high intensity X-rays and other deadly forms of cancer-causing radiation. Now evidence has surfaced that something potentially more dangerous is happening deep within the hidden core of our life-giving star: never-before-seen particles—or some mysterious force—is being shot out from the sun and it’s hitting Earth.” (www. projectworldawareness. com) A publication from Natural News speaks of the possibility of poisonous gases in our third Heaven above. “The really concerning part about all this is the sudden realization that if these poisoning clouds of Hydrogen Cyanide could reach into our lower atmosphere, they could also theoretically reach ground level. That’s where humans live, of course, and if such a poisonous cloud reached down into a major city such as New York, it would cause the mass instantaneous death of potentially millions of people. Nobody is prepared to survive a sudden cloud of Hydrogen Cyanide — not even the preppers. I own stored food and some emergency gear, but even I probably wouldn’t survive a sudden Hydrogen Cyanide gas attack from outer space. Notably, Hydrogen Cyanide has been used as both a rodent killer and as a chemical precursor in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.” (www. naturalnews. com) There is enough scientific talk about what is happening in our atmosphere or the third Heavens to fulfill the words of Christ, “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” (Luke 21:26). I have not even mentioned the news of a developing One World Order with a universal mark to control all commerce. What is darker than a One World Economy in a One World Religion? It is quickly becoming completely unacceptable to be exclusive in your religious views. To say that Christ alone is the Savior of the world is narrow-minded and considered hate language. Two things are going to be the watch word of the religious One World System. The first is that there are many religions and many ways to Heaven and only mentally deficient people believe otherwise. Second, is a gender free concept of mankind. Same-sex marriage must be considered equal with heterosexual marriage. Any concept of adultery or fornication is considered nothing but restriction of past religious bondage. The Passport Department of our U. S. Government has just changed the wording on the question of your sex status. It is no longer husband or wife, but parent one and parent two. The fulfillment of the Book of Revelation, and the great day of reconciling this world back to God is at hand. The fact that our world is forsaking all truth and righteousness is additional proof of how close that grand hour is upon us. Every saint needs a backbone set in the Holy Scripture. It does not matter how big the name or how great the reputation. If a person forsakes the Word of God, they are in trouble. Our duty is to live in the Scripture. If you are not full of the Holy Spirit, you need to find an altar and pray until the witness of God floods your heart. Only the Word and the Spirit can keep your soul in this Antichrist world. Be a prayer warrior and walk in truth. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 146: THE WORLD’S RESPONSE TO THE RAPTURE ======================================================================== The World’s Response to the Rapture There is a growing hatred for anything that centers on Jesus Christ. Its like the world wants to promote a “god” idea that can fit all belief systems, but trashes the God of Christianity and the idea of the Son of God as a Savior of all men. There is an even greater hatred for the idea of a Rapture, where a large number of people are going to be caught up and supernaturally removed. More and more of the leading ministers in Biblical circles are denying the Rapture and turning to theological ideas that suggest a Christian dominion of the earth rather than escape from the earth. Much of the Evangelical world and all of the Catholic leadership are dead set against a sudden exodus of the chosen saints of God. When you understand the multitude of different ideas relating to End Times events, it is challenging to describe the many different reactions that may well follow the great escape of the saints. The Rapture may well serve to unite the religious world and force them to forge a united reaction. There are not many religious leaders left that do not have a growing distaste for Bible-believing fundamentalism. Every major religious trend has served to build a consensus against what is being called “narrow-minded fundamentalism.” Building a broad-based movement to bring the Catholic, the Evangelical, and the Pentecostals together demands that no theology is important enough to divide the church world. We now have a religious atmosphere that drives the fundamental truths to the back room. That is the crowd that is going to be the Raptured saints. It would be a great relief to many religious personalities if we would just disappear. We will! Holiness of lifestyle is hated. Ministers that still preach and teach separation from the trashy and carnal world are considered cultic and bothersome. The music of the average church in the acceptable church growth world is unclean and repulsive. The atmosphere in the Jewish synagogues when Jesus came the first time is a fair example of today’s church atmosphere. Genuine truth has fallen in the streets. Most ministers that still continue to preach the Rapture also trash solid Biblical holiness living. “The Passion of the Christ” did not change anything, but it did reveal some things that had already changed. Suddenly, the last holdouts of the church world could join the Catholic Church world and start uniting with them without question. The main two church denominational holdouts to wild ecumenicalism were the Baptist and the Pentecostals. They are now beginning to lead the way into the greatest unity of the “Christian” church world in all of two thousand years. How are all of them going to explain that the Rapture has taken place and they are still here? Immediately After the Rapture The Rapture is going to make an incredible stir throughout the world. This is one of the greatest moments in human history and the result will be an incredible crisis. The media will explore every detail. Interviews will be granted to all sides and many different explanations will be given. The paranormal world will have a field day with many bizarre stories. Somehow the majority of the world will be convinced to carry on and to join the new day of liberty and license. The Catholic Church Will Move to the Forefront The best way to deal with a crisis is to celebrate it and the celebration will begin. The One World Church will quickly develop a speakers’ bureau to appear on all news channels. Let’s consider what may be their explanation. I believe they will proclaim that a supernatural miracle has occurred. Religious fanatics and rebellious fundamentalists have been removed by an act of God so that the world can finally experience peace. They will say that these people were no different than the terrorists within the Muslim world. They were like the Taliban of Afghanistan and we have been spared their hindrance to our planned wonderful world by this miracle of their removal. Forerunners of the Antichrist will see this as their golden opportunity and they will join in with the religious One World Church. They will herald the coming revelation of their “Christ” and great paranormal events will become commonplace. As the idea that this “Christ” is waiting to be manifest begins to grip the world, great excitement to His coming will develop. Great speakers with demonic appeal will conduct rallies all over the world. They will build excitement to the point of hysteria. Incredible miracles of healing (i. e., blinded eyes opened) and mass healing events will occur. This new church world of the inclusive church will explode. It will be religious mania. This new religion will be as emotionally real as the true Pentecost of the past. The only thing missing will be the restrictions of commandments and standards. It will be the greatest day of mass religious events in history. The music is already written, the singers have already trained, and these campaigns will feature the best. The present contemporary, rap, rock, funk, and other ungodly music are all the music of the Antichrist and are ready to inoculate the world. The multitudes will line up to be baptized and marked as the worshippers of this new “Christ.” They will actually believe that he is the true appearing of the real Christ. While the One World Church is Worshipping As hid from public view as possible, a genuine surrender to Jesus Christ will grip the world. Millions of people that knew very little about the faith of Jesus Christ will believe that the Rapture, which has just occurred, was the real thing. This great company will find private places to pray and devour the Holy Bible. They will help each other find food and survive as long as possible. Little children will be led to a living faith as moms and dads, sometimes only mothers and sometimes only dads, help their families prepare for the worst. Every person, who makes a complete surrender to Jesus Christ, will be signing his or her own death warrant by the worst possible form of death. The great multitude that wash their garments in the Blood of the Son of man/Son of God will be hated by the liberal media, the Antichrist and his army of savages, and the New World Religion followers. The persecution of Christians will be worldwide and brutal. Human rights will not exist. There will be no “911” phone number for those that are being brutally hunted and slaughtered. The death of these repentant and blood-washed souls is going to be so massive and vicious that the Great Creator and His divine Son set one of the seven seals to draw attention to this fact. These people will be champions. They will bear their testimony bravely before the world, while being hated and threatened by the entire One World system. These new saints do not have any weapons and no one is available to plead their call before the powers that be, but they are brave unto death. Listen to the Lord Jesus Christ in His Revelation to John describe them. “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Revelation 6:9-11) The Gospel will certainly be heard worldwide during the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation. The souls we just witnessed were condemned and killed for the Word of God and their testimonies. There will be two incredible prophets that proclaim God’s Word to the world and cannot be killed until their witness is complete. They will perform many genuine miracles and even shut the heavens so that it does not rain. Their testimony will be so effective that the Beast, the Leader of the One World Religion will make war with them. After three and one-half years of ministry, they will be killed and their death will cause a worldwide celebration by the wicked multitudes. Look at a few descriptions of their ministry and effectiveness. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses … And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth … These have power to shut heaven … And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city … where also our Lord was crucified … And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them … and great fear fell upon them which saw them … the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” (Revelation 11:3-13) Even angels will fly through the Heavens proclaiming the everlasting gospel. No one that takes the Mark of the Beast or worships Satan, the Antichrist, or the Beast will have an excuse. The absolute proof that the God of Heaven is the source of these days of great judgment will be undeniable. The glory of God vs. the hideous nature of Satan and his entire deceived host will be evident for men to see. The Wicked Will Be Wicked Still The spirit of prophecy used Prophet Daniel to give us incredible information about the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation. The last chapter of his book speaks of the rapture and resurrection of the righteous, as well as the resurrection of the wicked. He described the first three and one-half years, placed the abomination of desolation in the middle, and then described the last three and one-half years. It’s a remarkable description. Along with placing the abomination in the middle, he also described a revival of righteousness. With that he also spoke of the company of the wicked that, in spite of judgment and the undercurrent of genuine revival, they would continue to be wicked and even grow into a level of wickedness never experienced. Look at Daniel’s anointed description of this coming hour after the Rapture. “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (the last three and one-half years of the seven).” (Daniel 12:9-11) The wickedness of the wicked will reach a level of vileness that we do not yet understand. A human being can become a devil in nature just like Satan and his angels became devils. This is already happening, but will reach a new level during the Great Tribulation. At the very beginning of the seven years, the sixth seal reveals something of men’s response to the judgments of God that are evident. Look at these words, “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:14-17) There is no evidence of repentance, just a stark reflection of their understanding that this is a judgment from the God of Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. By the time of the sixth trumpet, the hearts of men will have grown arrogant and obstinate. “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21) In the face of judgments that they dare not deny, the wickedness of those men left after the Rapture only grows more and more wicked. By the time the two prophets that had performed many miracles and proven themselves to be prophets from God have been killed, the multitudes of the wicked have the audacity to rejoice and send gifts celebrating the Beast’s victory over those men of God. Now, as the Seven Years draw to a close, the time comes that Jesus Christ will appear in the Heavens on a great white stallion, along with a multitude of His saints with Him. The sight will be too awesome to describe. The wicked, who have arrogantly rejected every expression of truth or mercy, join themselves to the Antichrist as his army and gather to Armageddon to fight against the descending Christ and His army of the glorified saints. The devil, the Antichrist, the Beast, fallen angels, and the host of wicked men and women become as one to fight the Lamb of God and His host. But, the end of this rebellion has come. “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.” (Revelation 19:17-18) The Deluded That Knew But Rejected the Truth I cannot end this article without remembering the multitude that were “Left Behind” but could not repent. They were turned to a reprobate mind to believe a lie and be damned. That lie of a false religion, a false Christ, and miracles to deceive will conclude by actually fighting against the returning Son of God. Imagine the men and women that once heard and knew the truth, but loved the world more. There will be multitudes of them that were raised in Bible-believing churches, heard the preaching about the Rapture, and were loved by the saints of God, but are now the companion of Satan to fight the Battle of Armageddon. The worse degree of the Lake of fire is reserved for those that knew but rejected the great Savior that came down to die. Left Behind, Seven Years of Hell This world will soon be Satan’s last stand. He is a master at deceit. With thousands of years of experience in fighting against God, he will certainly use his acquired skills to lead this world to war. With the restraining presence of the Holy Ghost removed, there will be nothing to hinder but the limits of prophesied truth. He and his host will fight to the finish. There will be schemes of deception unknown. Only those that wash themselves in the Blood of the Lamb and choose death over the mark will survive. It’s foolish to wait and follow the love of self and sin. Turn wholly to Jesus Christ today. Tomorrow may be the sad day of the “Left Behind.” ======================================================================== CHAPTER 147: THE “GREAT WHORE” IS HERE! ======================================================================== The “Great Whore” is Here! In one generation, the modern church has become the harlot woman of Revelation chapter seventeen. There are uncompromising saints everywhere and the distinction is that they know something is terribly wrong. A multitude of these Bible-believers have tried to stay in those churches and help turn them back, but that is hopeless. That is not what the Lord Jesus wants us to do. He said, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins” (Revelation 18:4 b). You are going to do that or you are going to be judged with “her.” This “Great Whore” is soon to be judged. In fact, you can see judgment already at work. Effeminacy has gripped the ministers and a great part of the male leadership of the church world. The women have utterly forsaken feminine characteristics and godly living. It’s amazing to watch the men becoming effeminate and the women becoming masculine. The only word for such a dominating turn is the judgment of God. The Holy Spirit is giving them up to their distorted, carnal ambitions and passions. The worse is yet to come. Let’s look at the judgment that is soon to fall on this “whorish” church world. At the command of Jesus Christ, which He received from the Father, an angel spoke to John, “Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” (Revelation 17:1 b). God’s Bible is infallible and every ministry, denomination, or local congregation that has forsaken any part of truth is ripe for the judgment. The Son of God left no room for carelessness. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). We are without excuse! Drunkenness has become the dominating mood. Not drunkenness from strong drink but drunkenness from the love of this world, its pleasures, and its perceived success. You must understand that conviction of righteousness and holiness has been withdrawn. This is the first sign of judgment. The Holy Spirit has been distorted, grieved, maligned, and imitated until at the Lord’s command He has withdrawn from almost the entire church world. If you try to tell those involved this has happened – almost the entire church world — they will hate and destroy you if they can. Nothing is more evident in this “Great Whore” than total drunkenness and obliviousness to the developing judgment and God’s call back to the Holy Word of God. Not only is she drunk, but she is blind. The great hope of the Church has always been the return of Christ to Rapture us and to remove us from the judgment to come. This is a New Testament theme. Those church groups that claim to still believe in the Rapture have become incapable of preaching the truth. Constantly, the good saints that are trying to remain with this blind church world are begging the ministers to preach the Rapture, but they only get crumbs. The ministers will say little nothings that sound good to these thirsty souls, but they are only crumbs to keep the saints fooled. The worship has turned from spiritual to soulical. The music excites the base desires for fleshly satisfaction instead of a sacred longing after Christ and His sweet Spirit. Watching contemporary musicians do their thing is like watching unsanctified flesh bouncing and gravitating. This new music will stir religious people to go ballistic emotionally but leave the godly feeling empty and depressed. Contemporary music is an imitation of spiritual music and worship. Watch the people — singers or worshippers — and their lives will be a perfect picture of the downward spiral from Biblical godliness to utter compromise. This Spirit said, “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:3-4). The “Great Whore” church is “full of names of blasphemy.” Here are the seven blasphemous characteristics in her name: Full of Names of Blasphemy: 1. Denies the absolute authority of Holy Scripture. 2. Blasphemes the single source for the cleansing of human sins. 3. Rejects the fear of God, which is God’s lasting means of wisdom. 4. Denies the absolute demand of holiness in the human temple (our body). 5. Blasphemes the created sacredness of male and female. 6. Forsakes the great depth and beauty of the human spirit. 7. Transfers the center of human life from the spirit to the soul or the fallen nature. Do not be fooled! At the beginning of the embrace of soulical music, the theology seems intact. It will only take a few months and then the drastic changes will begin. The change is called a paradigm shift and there is seldom any possibility of a return to the Biblical mindset. The “Great Whore” is going to be judged at the conclusion of the seven years of this Great Tribulation. Most of the church world, where this woman reigns, has either forsaken the Book of Revelation or in the process of forsaking it. Preaching or teaching on these strong prophecy trends is utterly absent or given only lip service. Any emphasis on separation from sin and worldliness has been deserted. The distinction of male and female is lost. The attire is effeminate for men and Jezebel-like for women, and they consider me insane for saying such things. She will be burned with fire, “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled” (Revelation 17:16-17). Even John the Revelator was impressed with her magnificence and had to be rebuked. You may have the same emotions, but now the cover is blown. “Come Out of Her!” Quit hanging around a church world that God, by Jesus Christ, called “the Great Whore.” Unless you give up your bondage to this Antichrist system, you will be judged with her. “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). Do not repeat the worn out excuse, “I’m waiting for God to tell me to get out of my compromised church.” He already has. You must obey Him or you will suffer the judgment that is soon to fall. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 148: THE “WATERED GARDEN” OF OUR LORD ======================================================================== The “Watered Garden” of Our Lord The Church of Jesus Christ has been identified in Scripture, “A garden enclosed is …my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (Song of Solomon 4:12). Only the Holy Spirit could speak with such authority and grandeur. The world disclaims the church because it only sees the exterior of religious organizations. The Triune God looks inside and sees the Saints shut up in His cocoon of grace as beautiful as a cultivated garden. Christ’s true church has never been a mixed multitude but a Hidden Remnant. The Bridegroom Himself declares our unseen beauty, “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). Our incredible beauty will not be seen until we arise to ascend the steepes of the sky. The Rapture will expose His grand and spotless jewels that are decked with grace, borne out of His mutilated flesh. Her beauty is not — now or then — of the tinsel from a dime store or the creation of lustful flesh. The Psalmist got a glimmer of this company and was smitten with her aroma of beauty, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. Kings’ daughters were among thy honorable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir” (Psalms 45:8-9). These ointments are the other worldly ones and the “gold of Ophir” is priceless in its purity. The aroma and matchless beauty of the raptured spouse will precede her into the nuptial chamber of Heavenly Jerusalem, where the Bridegroom awaits her arrival. He could be standing in the foyer, even as we anticipate our leaving. His Garden is enclosed. Let the church world brag about her right to live in their sins, but this Garden is not just one of the fields where many things grow. Malachi described this Garden as the Saints written in a Book of Remembrance. They had a beautiful reputation, “Then they that feared the LORD Spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi 3:16). The promise to them is one of the First Testament’s greatest mention of the Rapture, “And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (Malachi 3:17). If you dare to doubt that this Garden of our Lord is only filled with plants of rare redeemed beauty, let the Holy Spirit speak to you, “Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon” (Song of Solomon 4:13-15). The Grace of Christ is not cheap. Its action is to beautify the ugly, to cleanse the defiled, and to redeem the lost and broken. His plants will not need the cheap work of religious psychologists. “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation” (Psalms 149:4). The Son of God spoke of this River of Living Waters, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). This reference from the Lord leaves no doubt that Solomon spoke of the Bridegroom and His Bride. Remember, Christ said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16). A large multitude claims faith in Christ but know nothing of the transformed life. If anyone is not transformed, they are certainly not in His Watered Garden. Life within this Garden is ultimate life right here on God’s earth, but the best is yet to come. This Garden is the Bridegroom’s espoused Bride. We are His charming lovers that await the finishing touches on our wedding garments. These garments are woven by the needlework of a divine seamstress. Saved by Grace — intricately seamed by the daily cleansing of Holy Scripture — the Holy Spirit draws us to Christ and loads us with His benefits. The eyes of those that grow in this Watered Garden are trained on the sky. It’s impossible to live for the here and now when the garden we are planted in is but a foretaste of our future home. The world has lost its charm to the Saints living so close to eternity. The water in Christ’s Garden is divine life by the Holy Spirit. Every time we pray through it’s like drinking from the River of Life flowing out of God’s throne, “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Isaiah 58:11). The Garden of our Lord is a Garden enclosed, watered, and visited by the Garden Keeper. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 149: THOSE THAT HATE THE RAPTURE ALSO REJECT MANY OTHER BEAUTIFUL PROPHECIES ======================================================================== Those That Hate The Rapture also Reject Many Other Beautiful Prophecies The two great doctrines that hold together the prophecies of the Holy Bible are the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the Great Tribulation of Seven Years. Deny or disregard these two truths and prophecy falls apart. The Book of Revelation must be reduced to a bunch of non-sensical symbols or else removed from the Bible. Israel becomes an unimportant problem and the antiChrist a shadow of the night. We end up with the idea that anything prophesied in Scripture is a lot of foolish talk that nobody pays much attention to. It all becomes a lot of nonsense to argue about. At the same time, keep the great hope of the Rapture in its proper place, followed by the Great Judgment of this universe, and the beautiful puzzle becomes a mosaic of Biblical perfection. Every book in the Bible fits the picture and helps paint the future with excitement. You cannot blame the devil for trying to destroy these truths because he is the ultimate loser. We owe to our generation the message of hope and the absolute assurance that this confusion against the truth is wrong. The future is as bright as the sunburst on Resurrection morning. Let’s look at six great truths which suffer death when the Rapture and the Great Tribulation are denied. (Part Two of this article will list six more). When you see what the loss of the two main doctrines of prophecy does to the rest of the Bible, you will receive a wake-up call. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the Seven Years of Judgment are the bedrock of our future. 1. The first heart break that is suffered is the future of Israel. The Bible is filled with prophecies that place Israel in their homeland when “Jacob’s Trouble” begins its course. This is where the stubborn will of the Jews is broken. Israel is converted at the end of the “Great Tribulation” which Jesus witnessed of in St. Matthew chapter twenty-four. Their future is ultimately tied to the fullness of judgment that the seven dark years represent. The antiChrist in the Jewish temple at the halfway mark of God’s judgment is an absolute part of the Holy Scripture. Anti-Semitism falls on its face when we preach the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the Great Tribulation. Watch for a full article covering just this one very important point concerning Israel’s future. 2. The Book of Revelation is God’s perfect outline for end-times prophecy. The Holy Spirit spoke in eloquent terms when He stated: “Write the things… which shall be hereafter.” (Revelation 1:19 a & c) The saints of God are not called saints after Revelation four but elders around the Father’s throne. It is impossible to open the seals of chapter six of Revelation without the removal of the Bride of Christ to a heavenly triumph. The Seven Years of Tribulation is the primary message of the Book of Revelation. Every false doctrine in the prophetic sphere is duty bound to pounce on the literalness of this closing Biblical revelation. 3. Satan’s antiChrist spirit was already creating havoc in the early church and his shadow is seen throughout church history. Apostle Paul was careful to show the powers of the Holy Spirit holding his attack in check until the end. These words leave no doubt that this spirit of antiChrist is the devil and his false Christ that must appear in person: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9) If there is one truth the devil hates, it is the exposing of this dark person that he wants to hide until he appears. 4. Nothing in our future is more exciting than the glorious saints returning with Christ at the Battle of Armageddon. This great company of His saints is clearly from the Old and New Testament. The Spirit said, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war… And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (Revelation 19:11; Revelation 19:14) These saints are returning from heaven to reign on earth a thousand years. When did they ascend in glorified bodies ready to come back again as His army? If someone denies the Rapture before the Great Tribulation judgment, this entire scene is impossible. The Battle of Armageddon becomes a single event where Christ returns with His Bride and His angels. 5. There are several incredible things that happen during the Seven Years of the Great Tribulation. All of them are denied if you deny the Seven Year period itself. One of the most fascinating events is the two witnesses preaching for three and one half years. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.” (Revelation 11:3-5) The antiChrist is clearly reigning over the world as the testimony of Christ is proclaimed. These two prophets are invincible until they finish their ministry. After the Beast finally succeeds in killing them, his problems are multiplied by their visible resurrection and rapture up to heaven. What a miraculous victory the false teachers of Post-millennialism and Dominion Theology are refuting. 6. The seven-sealed book in the Father’s hand in Revelation five is one of the greatest scenes of the whole Bible. This seven-sealed scroll is recorded in this ancient passage by the Holy Ghost and preserved in the very archives of heaven. The earth was sold by Adam and Eve and could not be redeemed until the next of kin to God Himself had earned the right to do so. The scene in this explosive chapter of Revelation becomes completely destroyed without the saints in attendance and the process of judgment ready to begin. It is in God’s prophetic plan to redeem this earth and His saints must be with Him because He said we are His witnesses to the developing end times. This is only the beginning of the great truths our modern church world would deny. I will continue to name these truths in Part Two of this article. The prophecy writers and God-called ministers must take a stand against the many doctrines and enemies of the truth who are attacking the Rapture and the antiChrist’s appearance after the Rapture. These people are causing a multitude to be lost for eternity. Pray for me as I write these truths under the anointing of the Holy Ghost. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 150: TODD BENTLEY & HIS GOD FROM THE ZOO ======================================================================== Todd Bentley & His God From the Zoo The Antichrist spirit has moved to the frontline in preparation for his appearance following the Rapture. The general population’s concept of God had to be altered in order for Satan to become the god of this earth. God’s Word affirms that the entire world will actually worship the devil as God. That cannot happen without a concept of God with which the masses can identify. A Biblical view of God does not allow one degree of change. It would be impossible to move from a fundamental Biblical concept to an acceptance of a Satan-god concept without the present slow, but powerful debriefing of all things Biblical. Every part of our emerging church world is guilty to some degree for this subtle change. The Bible never debates the sovereign facts of our great God; they simply fill the Scriptures. From the spoken words of creation to the transcending picture of our God in the Book of Revelation, He is awesome, He is holy, and He is the finality of perfect love. He said, “I change not” (Malachi 3:6). There is no measure of change in Him. His purity cannot be defiled and His majesty cannot be compared for He alone is the plumb line of all things. But every concept of God is undergoing a transformation. Todd Bentley is only one part of what is happening, but he presents a perfect example of what I am contending. He presents a picture of the Sovereign God that cleverly reduces Him to a zoo-like character. If Todd Bentley’s god is Jehovah God, then the Bible is a fool’s imagination. I declare to you that Todd Bentley’s god is the devil himself and that he is making preparation to be worshipped by the world. Such a statement is too vast to be taken lightly and too serious to be ignored. If Todd Bentley’s god is the devil, then two things are absolutely overwhelming. One is that multitudes of the church world are perfectly ready to make the move from a pre-Rapture state to a post-Rapture fact. Millions of the world’s churchgoers, especially Charismatics, but including both Catholics and Evangelicals, have fallen in lockstep with this tattooed phenomena. He has exceeded every expression of the modern day revivals of my lifetime. In a matter of weeks he has had the greatest success of the modern day religious hype to capture both television and Internet. The man is nothing less than a phenomenon. The biggest names in the Charistmatic world, beginning with Peter Wagner, Rick Joyner, and John Arnott, just met to anoint Todd Bentley as prophet par excellent. Second, everything about Todd Bentley is pre-Antichrist revelation. He fits the perfect image that Scripture demands of this second beast in Revelation chapter thirteen. He claims Jesus is Christ, but totally re-invents Him. The person of Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John has no likeness to Todd Bentley’s “Jesus.” When Jesus healed, he said, “Tell no man.” Todd Bentley spends the majority of his time performing signs and wonders that exalt him beyond recognition. No one standing in the presence of the Son of God ever reacted like an insane person without Jesus calling such action the “work of demons.” Todd’s Jesus is a masquerading spirit from the abyss. Let’s look at this zoological god of Todd Bentley. His god has commissioned angels to work hand-in-hand with the prophet. They move in and out with Mr. Bentley to impart this strange anointing and to multiply incredible signs and wonders. The last count of the unconfirmed resurrections is near twenty or more. A leading angel is named Emma, who has a great history in Charismatic circles. She dates back at least to William Branham, a Jesus-only minister, who was killed about forty years ago. Emma floats into the meetings and distributes gold dust on the attendees. One minister’s wife got Emma’s impartation and began to bark like a dog. According to the prophet, Emma appears as an angel of light. Todd’s god loves to see his worshippers having epileptic-like seizures, screaming incoherent babble, and acting like a spirit has cast them into the fire. They even call the action that grips the people the fire and it is, but it is not the fire of the Holy Spirit baptism. The violence of this god causes his prophet to kick the sick or slam the suffering with a dark force to drive out the disease. This fits perfectly with the demonic healing found in the world of witchdoctors. Here is a description of the normal activity seen in a Bentley worship service. This comes from an eyewitness account. “These are the effects that I have witnessed on people who have attended this movement and either have had hands laid on them or claim to have been imparted with ’the spirit’: -They come back with this kind of childlike drunken stupor. -Descriptions of a burning sensation either in their veins, heads or stomachs. -Descriptions of being washed back and forth like the waves in the ocean;-Dancing about like drunk...-Inappropriate yelling and screaming like they’re at a football game;-Young men whistling over and over and holding their heads and claiming that they ’feel the Holy Spirit about to split them in two’; -One young man’s back two teeth turned completely to some metallic finish.-People with their eyes rolled in the back of their heads and weaving around like they’re lost.-Women just gyrating and pulsating like they’re being ravaged from behind from some unseen force. -Drunken uncontrollable laughter in the middle of a solemn prayer time…-People being ’slain in the spirit’... just falling down and being unable to move (like something’s holding them down).” (www. apostasyalert. org/REFLECTIONS/bentley. htm) The flesh of both Todd Bentley, his helpers, and the crowds that relish his meeting is dominant. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible forbids an anointing upon flesh. The Holy Spirit only anoints the life that is fully identified with Jesus Christ. The oil of the First Testament anointing presents the perfect type of an acceptable prophet or priest. The Word stated, “Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.” “And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy” (Exodus 30:32, Exodus 30:29). Our Heavenly Father protects the purity of His anointing. The nephews of Moses were eliminated for offering strange fire in the name of the Lord. Very soon, the same defense of that holy anointing of the Lord will be reinstated. It will occur similar to the judgment of those nephews of Abraham, Nadab and Abihu. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD” (Leviticus 10:1-2). It is an abomination to offer strange fire as is clearly occurring in connection with a host of Charismatics. It is now elevated in the Bentley meetings to a level that reveals the true false nature of this crowd. The concept of God that the world is now witnessing should warn every one of us of the closeness of His great Rapture. The saints cannot be here when the actual Antichrist and his final religious mastermind appear. They are held in check while their spirit is quickly developing and spreading. The actual Antichrist and the False Prophet are being prevented from their public role until the escape of the Bride of Jesus Christ. Todd Bentley and his god from the devil’s zoo is a perfect warning to every Bible believer. Every saint of God should refresh his vision of our Heavenly Father. Consider His awesome person reflected in a glory that fills Holy Scripture. Consider His holiness so pure that He offered His spotless Son to redeem us. Refuse to be satisfied with an image of God that only reflects flesh and empty faith in some religious titillation. Our great God wants you to know Him in the power of His only Begotten Son and the new life of purity and beauty. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 151: TODD BENTLEY: THE CULMINATION OF THE FALSE CHARISMATIC REVIVAL ======================================================================== Todd Bentley: The Culmination of the False Charismatic Revival The Charismatic world has been full of the false from its inception. Being a Classical Pentecostal for fifty-six years has given me the privilege and heartache of watching their development. While no great movement of God goes without attacks from within and without, the Pentecostal revival that started in 1906 has touched tens of millions around the world. The Charismatic deception was planned by the enemy, Lucifer, to infiltrate and destroy the Pentecostal churches. It has almost totally accomplished that for which it was intended. It is an unquestionable fact that good, undiscerning, born-again believers have been unwittingly involved. Three things that were a part of its inception were based on utterly false premises. Doctrines, the established heart of fundamental truth, was ignored and even belittled. It didn’t matter if you were Catholic in doctrine, even Jesus Only, Mormon, or held any other theological position. Every doctrinal idea was accepted as being equal. Bible doctrine was out, but the gifts of a spirit were central. Kathryn Kuhlman was a star to them and embodied the heart of the movement. When the whole Word of God is not supreme, the Holy Spirit is not welcome. Speaking in an ecstatic tongue or utterance was central stage. This presumed gift was at the heart of the movement and quickly became the door that everyone had to enter. The very idea of ecstatic speech was reduced to a gibberish trick. People were helped along the way by being told to just start forming sounds and they would turn into the gift. “Repeat after me” was a totally acceptable teaching tool. The utterance quickly developed into chants that the crowds did in concert. I literally walked out of such events with an eerie feeling of evil in the air. Please understand that I believe in the real nine gifts of the Holy Ghost, but I do not tolerate the false. The third false foundation of this movement was an utter rejection of a separated life. Many of the main movers and shakers hated the holiness heart of the Pentecostal churches. The great truth of sanctification and godly separation from the worldly life has been the rock solid roots of the Pentecostal world. The Holy Ghost will not dwell or manifest His glory in an unclean temple. All of this purity and devotion to Biblical standards was purposely rejected, downplayed, or downright attacked as the situation allowed. Today, the most absurd and godless lifestyle is championed and acceptable throughout the Charismatic world. Look at Todd Bentley, the present star (Spring 2008), with his tattoos and the rings in his face, along with an entire abuse of decency to see how far the purity of life has denigrated. Those three main characteristics have been allowed and promoted until we now have this ultimate trickster, who claims himself a prophet of God. Todd Bentley is so absurd that the only way he could be accepted is by the thirty (30) plus years of conditioning. He is grotesque and diabolical. His departure from even basic truth and cultural norms leaves the wise despairing at such insanity. Todd Bentley Can you imagine a prophet of the true Jehovah God who is almost totally covered in tattoos which his “god” told him to get? He has rings in his ears and on his chin. As he prays for people, his main words are, “Bam, Bam, Bam.” The results are ecstatic, bodily motions that range from sexual gyrating to insane stupors. This spirit does not make you wise; it makes you unwise. There is only one thing that ties this false prophet to the kingdom of God. He represents every false doctrine, emotion, and action that I have documented in the false invasion of the Charismatic world. Some of his actions go back before the Charismatic period when it was all called Pentecostal. (Please do not confuse this with Classical Pentecostals.) Mr. Bentley is a kind of culmination of every false doctrine or idea that has plagued the Pentecostal people and their churches. When Pentecostal churches -- Church of God, Pentecostal Holiness, and the Assemblies of God, etc. -- were solidly rooted in Holy Scripture, and men like Todd Bentley and the persons he is emanating came along, they were almost totally rejected and exposed. They were usually reduced to a small crowd or totally removed from the organization. That day has changed as the Charismatic world has influenced the formerly great Pentecostal organizations. We will try to look at key persons and the doctrines they reflected that are now manifest in Todd Bentley. I will not go all the way back to Azusa Street in 1906 because I am not a historian and would need hours of research to do justice to this argument. Let’s start with William Branham, one of the biggest names connected with deception and error. His meetings were attended with great signs and wonders, which he attributed to his angel who gave him his power. He was a Jesus Only proponent that called the trinitarian truth a doctrine of the devil. Todd Bentley is apparently claiming that the same angel, who accompanied William Branham, helps him and performs miracles with him. The name Todd has given this female angel is Emma. First, there are no female angels in Holy Scripture. Angels were created before men and women, and the female gender has no place in the angelic world. The fact that women are helpmates for man is plainly stated in the Holy Bible. The name Emma is associated with many dark occultic movements and presents its own false realm. A little research will take you into a world of much confusion connected to her name. She certainly has no kinship to the work of Christ and His kingdom. Emma, if she even exists, is a fallen angel or a nephilim spirit. Evangelist A. A. Allen, who died in the 1950s, also has a place in Todd’s theology. I watched a short segment of Mr. Bentley, where a woman was standing before him showing him the oil in the palms of her hands. He clearly accepted this manifestation as coming from the presence of the anointing in the meeting. Rev. Allen was fairly big during the forties and fifties, but slowly fell into disrepute. He was the first false prophet that I remember hearing about when I was converted to Christ as a young teenager. While the acceptance of Rev. Allen was very marginal, I do remember some sincere saints in my home church that became quite upset when I plainly stood out against the false signs he represented. I was too young to even open my mouth, but I confess that I had not learned the same. To see Todd Bentley embracing this heresy of sixty to seventy years ago is prophetic of the coming judgment of such departure from Scripture. Satan never gets a free hand from the Creator of this universe and His infallible Word. Truth will triumph. Paul & Jan Crouch are the two most effective of all false prophets and false prophetesses of this generation. They are not far ahead of Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, and Benny Hinn; but win the prize by the extent of their influence. Gold dust that is claimed by Paul & Jan Crouch is also claimed by Todd Bentley. I personally watched and listened to a video in which Paul explained to Benny Hinn the source of the gold falling on his garments and that of Benny Hinn. Paul claimed that the doorway into the Golden City of New Jerusalem or some part of Heaven had been left ajar. The dust had fallen out of the door and floated down on these two men. Until my Father removes the second heavens between heaven and earth, that’s a long way for gold dust to fall (a few million light years). Benny Hinn is going to need to upgrade his techniques because Todd Bentley is stealing them. The demonstrations of Mr. Bentley are very similar to Benny Hinn. They both are ready to send fire on people, which they claim is an anointing of God. Above all of the false prophets, there is none that has gone so far from truth as Rick Joyner. He claims that he goes to Heaven and talks with Apostle Paul. He is best described as a strange astronomical traveler. When Rick met the Apostle Paul on his (apparent) first trip, he started telling the apostle what a delight it was to meet and see him. The great apostle supposedly rebuked Rick Joyner to tell him it was his pleasure, not Rick Joyner’s. Todd Bentley cannot allow any one of the past greats in the false realm to be more famous than him. Read carefully as he really tells a fantasy tale about one of his trips into the same astronomical realm, “…. I actually saw the Apostle Paul come walking toward me onto the bridge. … He was short, not more than 5’1” or 5’2”. He was bald except for a little crown of hair that came around his head. Looking very Jewish with a short, trimmed, white beard, my first thought was of a monk in a monastery! He actually had jolly cheeks and I thought: Paul you’ve got a little weight on you! I mean he wasn’t fat but he looked a little pudgy! He sat next to me and he took his hand and placed it across my chest not saying anything. But I felt like I was receiving an apostolic blessing from a father. While he touched my chest, Abraham and David appeared out of the cloud of witnesses. Although they were very close (and yet somehow at a distance), they weren’t the main focus. They were simply there as witnesses to an encounter. Next, Paul spoke to me without words spirit to spirit. I never heard one word but I had instant knowledge of what he was saying. He said that David and Abraham are true fathers — ‘These are the apostolic fathers’— and I thought to myself: Why Abraham and David? He answered me by saying that there would be no gospel without Abraham.” “As I just stated, Paul told me that essentially there would be no gospel and there would be no Israel without Abraham. He said too, that there would be no gospel without David because there would be no divine Son of David in order for the kingdom and His throne to be built upon the throne of David.” “Next, I was at Paul’s house and he said to eat the Book of Titus! What’s more, several days later I was taken back into heaven to Paul’s house! But this time I didn’t go inside. I stayed outside where I saw a ladder in his back yard like the one described in Genesis 28:1-22, Jacob’s ladder. [I’ve come to understand that there are ladders like that in heaven in order to ascend and descend into different realms because heaven has places, geographical places. For example, the first heaven is where we live on the earth; the second heaven is the invisible realm of Ephesians 6:12; and the third heaven where I was with Paul, it’s the Paradise of God. ] So I jumped onto the ladder and began to climb up into another realm. I saw around me that it was all clouds so I began to pull those clouds back. As I did, a hole opened up in the heavens. Immediately then, out of heaven, flowed the color green, not just a light; it was like a green liquid and it was pouring onto my eyes! When I asked God about this, He said, ‘You are coming into the throne room; you are beneath the sea of glass; there is a rainbow around the throne. It’s not just above the throne; it’s a circle around the throne, a rainbow, emerald, green in color.’” (Excerpted from www. patholliday. com website.) If this does not show the insanity of this man, I am helpless to teach you the truth. We could continue to show a connection to the Kansas City Prophets, Bob Jones, Mike Bickle, Paul Cain, or Ruth Heflin. Todd Bentley is a culmination of an endless list of false teachers and prophets/prophetesses. Kathryn Kuhlman started an ecumenical movement, but at least stayed in the broad context of the Judeo-Christian faith. The final end of all of this abuse of truth and the Pentecostal people is to add the occult realm to the mix. Todd Bentley is mixing the entire realm of the underworld with his version of revival. It’s Time For The Father to Act I personally believe that the end of what we call the Charismatic movement is at hand. There certainly will follow echoes of all that is happening, but the Father has never allowed the devil to have the last word. The devil and his servants will be put in their proper place. At every point of history from Genesis to Revelation, our Heavenly Father has appeared to put it all in perspective. In the Book of Revelation the great God saw this day coming and announced His plan, “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:9-10). Please notice that this appears to happen right before the Rapture. The religious facade will be accountable to truth. The Remnant Saints, who refuse to bow or bend, will be acknowledged by this unholy mixture. No one that I have ever met can hate you quite like this Charismatic crowd. Their love is giddy sweet when they woo you and as bitter as hell when you reject them. A large number of good saints have testified of the hate and rejection they received when they refused to submit to this error. This is why the Bible-believing saints will be the great company that error will be required to face and to whom they will be required to confess their departure from truth. The Latter Rain Will Fall The Book of Joel and the Book of Acts give us the absolute promise that the false revival and noise of the current closing moments of the Charismatic deception is not the end. Here are Peter’s anointed words of what is yet to occur, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke” (Acts 2:17-19). My friends, rebuild your altar. Get ready for the Holy Spirit to give the final answer to the foolishness of men. His visitation will be sweet but powerful. It will be mighty but orderly. It will be full of emotion but divine. Best of all, He will come for His saints in the midst of His visitation. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 152: TRUE BIBLICAL HOLINESS ======================================================================== True Biblical Holiness by Joseph Chambers When a person understands the truth about Biblical Holiness, it becomes the most desirable possibility in all of human experiences. There is nothing so beautiful, so satisfying and so natural in all of human life. The very reason for your creation, the purpose for which God made you and the most complete life, is found in Biblical holiness. It is not just a standard someone is trying to live. It certainly is not legalism or narrow-mindedness. Holiness is the work of the Holy Ghost by the Word and by the Blood. It actually lifts man into the image of God. In holiness, we become God-like and God-filled. No, No, I’m not talking about righteousness. Righteousness is what happens in our body, soul, and spirit when we begin to experience holiness. Righteousness is the work of Holiness. Righteousness is the joy of obedience to God’s ways that results from the inner work of holiness. Holiness cannot start or continue or be completed by righteousness in the many expressions of our living. Holiness is never subject to righteousness. Instead, righteousness is subject to Holiness. The only righteousness that man can produce without Holiness is what the Bible calls self-righteousness and it is deplorable to God Himself. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6). Jesus Rejected The Pharisees Biblical Holiness is why Jesus died on Calvary. He did not die to produce another sect of Pharisees. He had just rejected the sect He already had to deal with. In fact, it was the Pharisees that helped bring Him to trial and death. These men did not break or disobey even one of His laws of righteousness. The great Apostle Paul, said of his condition before He met the Lord, "As touching the law, I was blameless." (Php 3:6). But, this apostle-to-be was not holy, he was righteous, self-righteous, empty, and even repulsive. Much of our religious world has at least some semblance of righteousness, but Holiness? I fear not. Holiness is a relationship in Jesus Christ in which the individual is being transformed into an ever-expanding likeness of Christ Himself. This relationship has no point of action except in the sanctifying blood of the exalted Son of God. A holiness person is not seeking after holiness, but after Jesus Christ, because there is no other source of Holiness. Holiness is the nature of Jesus Christ manifest by the work of the Holy Ghost applying the Word of God made alive by His blood. People that seek Holiness as its own object will often add one legalistic addition after another. Every great Holiness movement has always destroyed its own self by transferring the hunger for "HIM" to a hunger for perceived Holiness. This is why the Apostle Paul that had experienced the righteousness of the law before the Damascus turnpike was careful to never fall into the trap again. He bellowed out, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14). His "righteousness of the law" before he met the King had no comparison to the "holiness" of his Christ-centered life. In his righteousness of the law, he had to crucify himself. In the holiness of knowing Jesus Christ, he was dead to the world. Herein lies the difference between the multitude of strict religious people and the genuine remnant of godly people. God’s people do not want the world because its nature is so unclean. It’s like walking through a dump after one has showered and dressed in sparkling clean clothes. The scene alone is almost unbearable. Another of the great warnings of the Scripture is the need to never allow His holiness in us to lose His love for the unclean. Of course, as long as we truly have His holiness, we will love His world. When you walk in the power of His Holy Ghost’s cleansing, you will weep over the world, instead of turning your nose up at its repulsiveness. This was the miserable failure of Judaism in the Lord’s day. Jesus was condemned for "eating with publicans and sinners" (Mark 2:16). Are You Ready To Be A Holiness Christian? Some have witnessed the hard holiness people that seek holiness of itself and find its value in endless lists of "no-no’s." Others are lovers of themselves and want no experience with God that requires the death of self. The multitudes have no idea of what we are talking about and will never take the time alone with God to experience Him in the truly "Born Again" life. Most people who claim to be born again have nothing but a head-religion. Somebody told them to just say that they believe in a few Bible points and then take for granted that they are now Christians. Most of our so-called altar calls are like fast food shops. There are multitudes of church members have never been transformed by the power of God. Joy Unspeakable Awaits The Hungry Soul Please do not take my word for the information about whether or not you are truly "born again." How can you have the joy of the Christian life as promised in Holy Scripture? Nothing in the world will give you the joy that a transformed life will give you. ". . . Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." (1 Peter 1:8 b). It is peace that passes all understanding. (Php 4:7). He wants to completely change, cleanse, renew, and leave you a brand new person. He wants to make you a new creature. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17). Holiness can be understood by remembering how you feel after coming home absolutely filthy from a long workday, ballgame, or overnight camping in the woods and then you get a soaking bath. Once you are completely clean, even soaked, and have put on good smelling, freshly washed clothes, you feel like a new person. That’s what the Word, the Blood, and the Holy Spirit does to your whole person inside and out. You are completely transformed into a pure, blood-washed individual. True Biblical Holiness True Biblical holiness is not hardness, legalism, or mean-spirited people making everyone miserable with their own list of concocted standards. The Bible is a Holy Book from Genesis to Revelation and every standard set in Scripture is the joy of transformed saints. Godly women or men will separate themselves from activities that are declared off limits by the Holy Bible. No godly woman wants to look like a man or dress like a man. The same is true of godly men. The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and He dwells in every saint to possess them, body, soul, and spirit. There is no such thing as being a partaker of God’s grace, while the body is left to wallow in sin. You cannot possess the true faith in your spirit and leave the body in the clutches of unclean living. A born again person is repulsed by the suggestion that they can continue the old lifestyle of breaking the commandments of God while still professing righteousness. Listen Carefully! At the same time, genuine born again Christians are repulsed by the hardness of many ministers and laity in conservative church circles. These modern day Pharisees disobey the truth of God by adding to the Word and creating their own "doctrines of men." It is just as wrong to add to the Scripture as to take from the Word. John the Revelator stated, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19). It is serious to add one line, one idea, or one restriction to God"s Word and teach it as an obligation in the Christian life. There are many good people who have become slaves to the hardness of modern Pharisees. The true standards of godliness suffer when the self-proclaimed police of hardness are allowed to operate among the saints. These men and women are out to make disciples for themselves and to gather around their feet clones of their own self-righteousness. Apostle Paul warned us of this kind of deception. "Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." (Acts 20:30-32). The Word of God is Pure The standards of holiness are set forth in Scripture in a plain and clear fashion. Isaiah describes the "Highway of Holiness." "And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." (Isaiah 35:8). The prophets of hardness will pick words out of the plain statements of truth and exaggerate them to support their doctrines of men exactly like the Pharisees did in Jesus" time. These hard teachings are always based on some highly suspect method of interpretation. Isaiah’s statement precludes this kind of religious fantasy. He said that God’s "highway of holiness" was so plain and so pure that a wayfaring man though a fool (simple-minded) should not err therein. If you have to produce a scholarly sounding defense for your doctrine of hardness to prove your point, you have already disproved yourself. The way of purity and holiness is simple and available for the uneducated mind. Just obey the plain Word of God, adding no intricate meaning or disobeying no simple truth. Holiness is the standard of God’s laws and commandments produced in the heart by the sanctifying Blood of Jesus Christ. Conclusion Bible holiness is beautiful. There is a remnant of godly people that the Father Himself has reserved to Himself for this end-time generation. These saints are both pure in lifestyle and attitudes. They do not seek attention nor are they ashamed of their testimony. The Bible is there "paper pope" and they live by every Word of God. Jesus said, "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 153: TWO SISTERS AND ONE DEAD BROTHER ======================================================================== Two Sisters and One Dead Brother The Holy Bible is full of awesome episodes of human lives. This story is one of the most spectacular of all. The main story unfolded in a small town called, “The Town of Mary,” or “Bethany.” Bethany means “to go” or “to send.” The town appeared to be a kind of headquarters for Jesus when He was in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Mary, her sister, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, had become like family to the Lord. The Son of God allowed Himself to become very close to selected persons, and this was seen in His relationship with this family. Lazarus died suddenly while the Lord and His disciples were a considerable distance away. The sisters were comfortable sending Christ a report of Lazarus’ sickness and they apparently expected Him to hurry back to Bethany to heal Lazarus. Jesus tarried at His location to minister and to perform an even greater miracle than healing a sick body. There were no surprises in Christ’s life. Every expression or event was foreordained in the perfect pattern of a Divine visitation. The same is true in the life of every saint of God if we are led by the Spirit. Tough places are just as important as smooth days. When Jesus decided it was time to go to Bethany, He told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11 b). Christ’s disciples did not understand, so He said, “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14 b). The Lord knew that this was an opportunity and a plan of the Father to reveal His Messiahship. He then stated, “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him” (John 11:15). Thomas adds a tender response to the Lord’s words, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16 b). They all loved this family. When Jesus arrived four days after the burial, Mary was disappointed and a bit miffed at the Lord. Martha, the steadier of the two sisters, ran to meet Jesus before He even reached their home, but Mary stayed home to pout. The Lord tenderly sent Martha for Mary. Martha secretly told Mary that the Lord was calling for her. Her words were a great expression of the Lord’s mercy, “The Master is come, and calleth for thee” (John 11:18 b). This is where the story turned supernatural. Mary hurried out of her home to go where Jesus was waiting. The Divine plan was that this company of Jews - no doubt very important leaders from Jerusalem - would see the miracle that had been planned by the Father. “The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there” (John 11:31). When Mary was before the Lord, she immediately “fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:32 b). The Lord’s great love and capacity for compassion lives in this awesome event. The Bible says, “He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled” (John 11:33 b). Then, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). This was the one single time in the Holy Bible when tears were seen in Jesus’ eyes. It was actually more than tears; He wept or sobbed before the company of Lazarus’ family and Jewish friends. What a picture this paints of God in the very confines of human flesh! In the same story we have our Savior and Lord weeping in human compassion and then acting in supernatural glory. He never chided Mary for human weakness but simply asked where they had laid or buried him. As these unbelieving Jews saw the incredible love and tenderness of Jesus Christ, they wondered why He had not prevented this death of Lazarus. Some said, “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died” (John 11:37) When the Son of God reached the tomb, He said, “Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days” (John 11:39). Notice that it was Martha, not Mary, that expressed this doubt. Apparently, Mary was now as strong in her faith as she had been in her grief. The Lord was very careful to guide both the sisters toward the “Miracle in the Making.” He lifted His head up to His Father and prayed a simple but extremely humble prayer. After His submission to His Father, He called the dead back to life. Earlier He had said to Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this” (John 11:25-26). Jesus was careful to call the name of Lazarus as He cried out into a tomb full of many dead persons. Every word spoken by the Son of God commanded immediate action. If He had not specifically named Lazarus, the entire graveyard would have been emptied. “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him” (John 11:44-45). The picture ended with “Two Sisters and One Resurrected Brother.” It sure would be grand to follow this great miracle and see how life unfolded in “The Town of Mary.” No doubt great crowds came to see the living testimony of this special family. They came to hear the proof of the priceless visit of “God in the flesh” to an ordinary household just like mine and yours. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 154: UNCLEAN CHILDREN TROUBLED BY EVIL SPIRITS ======================================================================== Unclean Children Troubled By Evil Spirits The children and youth of America are living in a crisis-type existence. The basic character traits of a healthy, Christian culture have been lost. Modesty is almost entirely absent. Respect for authority is missing in most homes and lives. It was not that many years ago when pre-marital sex was utterly taboo because of a simple respect for our sacred bodies. A young lady that did not blush at a suggestive word or action was considered loose. Young men were gentlemen and they treated girls like jewels to be protected. Someone else’s property was never trashed, trampled upon, or bothered. The mischievous things children and youth did was little more than boys pulling girl’s pigtails and girls giggling non-stop. Everything of moral value has deteriorated almost to the point of being non-existent. Our church world has got to wake up to the powers behind this almost total destruction of the young. It is not just worldliness or spiritual indifference. Our young people and, even the majority of children, have not just forgotten God. The battle is a battle of unclean spirits with a complete intention to make America (and the world) another Sodom and Gomorrah of filth. The speed at which this nation is going to hell is breathtaking. There is an invasion of demon spirits throughout the land. As bad as the invasion sounds, that’s not the biggest problem. Demons can only accomplish what they are invited or allowed to do. There has never been a time since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden that demons were not active and ready to destroy. The difference in today’s world is that our defense against these spirits of hell has almost totally disappeared. There is nowhere that this fact is truer than with our children and youth. Demons can only possess that which is unclean. They cannot control or possess a pure child or a holy adult. Evil spirits will never overpower children in a godly home that refuses to compromise their lifestyle, refuses to hang around unclean persons, and refuses to put filth before their eyes. Children with a dad or mom that stands in the doorway of their lives by the power of the Holy Ghost will be protected. That parent has got to set the standard and not allow any compromise of truth. The Bible plainly says that every child living in a home where neither parent is saved – under the protection of the blood – is automatically rendered unclean. Apostle Paul said it clearly, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14). Only a godly parent – or parents – can guarantee their children being kept clean and protected. The blood of Jesus Christ in a believer, who is living in the power of that blood, has a clear promise in this Bible covenant to have pure children. It must be claimed by faith and lived in faithfulness. A home that allows moral uncleanness of any description opens the door for their children to be defiled and attacked by unclean spirits. Filth on television, radio, CDs, videos, or the Internet can and will defile any child or youth that is involved in this lifestyle. Children are born with the protection of a holy angel, but that angel will not abide when filth is welcomed into their life. Occult themes in books (Harry Potter and others), on cartoons, or from any other source will open the mind to the invasion of evil spirits. Undisciplined children will develop a strong self-will. Nothing subjects a child or young person to unclean spirits quicker than a stubborn will. Parents are commanded to teach their family a disciplined lifestyle. Discipline is self-control and orderly living. Evil spirits are fallen angels that lost control by Satan’s deception. Undisciplined lives fit the same pattern as unclean spirits and offer an easy entrance to the fallen spirit world. “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). Rock music and other aberrant forms of entertainment are running rampant in Satanism. The words that elicit the loudest applause in the music and entertainment world are words that are anti-God, immoral, and blasphemous. Most singing groups make sport out of bashing moral values and decency. The children and youth under its influence are left without a standard to champion. Evil spirits love to fill that vacuum left by such nonsense. Mankind was not created to love living a dirty lifestyle. Immorality saps the life out of any person living this cheap way. Homosexuality and lesbianism is Satan’s ultimate slap in God’s face. The only possible way you can enjoy living an unclean lifestyle is to allow unclean spirits to make that kind of life appear acceptable or normal. Every immoral act or thought – especially every unclean pleasure – is the work of spirits that have been welcomed or tolerated. Fifty years ago, when an old-time man of God prayed for a person with an unclean habit, they always viewed that person as needing to be delivered. They knew that uncleanness, tobacco, whiskey, cursing, or any other bondage was the bondage of an unclean spirit. Our children have to be delivered. The only way revival and great conversions are going to occur in the hearts and lives of our youth is through a return to a proper understanding of the problem. A high percentage of the entire American family has allowed unclean living to attract unclean spirits. Those spirits will not leave just because someone walks a church aisle or repeats a prayer. Holy Ghost-filled men and women have got to become powerful altar workers. Satan, as well as every fallen angel, has been defeated at Calvary. At the same time, our world is flooded with wickedness. Apostle John left no doubt about the condition in our world. “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19). The authority of the pure Word of God and the power of the blood is the only victory for our children and ourselves. (To be continued next week with this topic, “Wonderful Victory In Your Home & Family.”) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 155: WHEN THE LORD JESUS “SHOUTS” ======================================================================== WHEN THE LORD JESUS “SHOUTS” How thrilling to read about the Son Of God shouting as He approaches the Midair where we will meet Him. As I write I believe Heaven is preparing for our arrival. Welcomimg indications will be everywhere. I suggest a great Angelic choir is preparing to sing the welcoming reframe. The Last Trumpet is the one hundreth blast that concludes The Feast Of Trumpets. Its a Ram’s Right Horn that calls to memory the Hand Of God that stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac. Its was moving time for this father, his son and their servants to return to the father’s house. The “Feast Of Trumpets” was a great celebration to the Jewish families and was the foreshadow of the next earth shaking event, “The Saints Going Home”. The Rapture and the trumpet are beautifully related in the prophetic truths of the Holy Scripture. From the moment that Abraham saw the ram caught in a thicket by his horns on the mountain, the right horn of that ram has signaled this hope of the future Rapture. Every type that the Holy Spirit uses in the teaching of God’s truth in the Bible always relates back to the moment of first mention. If a type or symbol is removed out of context, the message becomes marred. There are silver trumpets that relate to worship and the temple, but the Shofar trumpet always seems to relate to the calling of the people for movement. The ultimate trip for His saints is into His presence for the celebration of the Wedding Supper. Look at Apostle Paul’s statement to the Corinthians about this mystery that we call the “Rapture” or the “Catching Away.” “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew 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.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). Paul called it a “mystery” or something which cannot be understood except by Divine inspiration. Uninterested souls will never understand the Rapture. Neither will undiscerning or antagonistic persons. It is God’s divine secret for His chosen saints, clearly revealed to anyone who will “desire the sincere milk of the Word.” The Apostle Paul formed these verses in 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 by the Holy Spirit to capture the essence of this event. Since flesh and blood cannot enter into His presence, something called a mystery must occur. It will be signaled by the “Last Trump,” which was a designated trumpet blast on a specific day. It does not suggest the last of all trumpets to sound, but a named event on a celebrated occasion. We will see that picture shortly in this article as we discuss the “Feast of Trumpets.” When this trumpet blast is sounded, the dead saints will be resurrected and the living saints will be changed from mortal to immortal. The corruptible will put on incorruption. Our frail bodies will suddenly be like His own glorified body for He was our “Firstfruit” of the Resurrection. When this change occurs, we will then be “caught up” or “raptured” to His presence just like He promised to His disciples as He prepared them for His death. Jesus had said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3). No wonder the Bible calls this a mystery; it defies all human limitation. This event will remove us out of harm’s way so that the Lord Himself can finish His judgment of a rebellious and rejecting world and prepare for His reign of one thousand years on this earth. Let’s look at the specific “Feast of Jehovah” that is a prophetic picture of this triumphant Day of the Lord. The Feast of Trumpets! The Lord instituted seven major feasts and gave them to Israel to rehearse yearly. Scripture calls these feasts the Feasts of Jehovah. They are not the feasts of the Jews, although the Jews were the chosen people to share in their celebration; they are the Lord’s Feasts. He celebrated His redemption drama every time these feasts were celebrated. The fifth feast, which is yet future in prophetic fulfillment, was this exciting feast, the Feast of Trumpets. I believe it is a foreshadow of the Rapture of His saints of the ages and those living saints when He shall appear. Study carefully with me as we relate this Feast of Jehovah and the impending Rapture of His saints. The main element of celebration in this feast is the blowing of trumpets. There is said to be one hundred trumpet blasts in the course of this celebration. The first blast is with the left horn of the ram; the last blast is with the right horn of the ram. It is a long “tekiah gedolah” blast that ends abruptly. It is specifically called “the last trump” in the Jewish writings. When Apostle Paul used the term “the last trump,” it was a Jewish statement clearly used by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of revelation was uniting the Feast of Jehovah with the declaration of its future fulfillment. Jehovah God was Celebrating the Future Rapture! The Feast of Trumpets was Jehovah God Himself celebrating the glorious rapture of His saints. The entire Old Testament is filled with mysteries hidden from the undiscerning and blinded unbelievers. These mysteries are revealed in several Old Testament passages, but literally explodes in Paul’s writings and in the book of Revelation. Isaiah clearly describes this rapture event in his great addition to the first writing of the prophets. He stated, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” (Isaiah 26:19-21). The word “come” points directly to Revelation 4:1; where it says, “Come up hither.” Then he describes this chamber, called “thy chambers” or a secret place, where the saints met the Bridegroom and are hidden while the “indignation” is overpast or passed over. As these resurrected saints are hidden in a “prepared place,” the Lord comes out of His place (Heaven) to punish the wicked on the earth. Malachi, also, gives us a small peep into this spectacular day. He stated, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” (Malachi 3:16-18). It is clear that this is a unique group of saints, not the run of the mill crowd. Three distinct features characterize them: they feared the Lord, they thought on His Name, and they spake often one to another. These are the jewels in the kingdom of God and are spared the wrath and indignation that immediately follows them being exalted into His presence. He said “They shall be mine,” and then added, “I will spare them as a man spareth His own son that serveth Him.” The context continues by showing immediately after the wrath, which they are spared from, that they will return to judge the earth. The new translations leave out the words, “Then shall ye return . . .”, which does great damage to this mystery of revelation. Malachi is clearly revealing the pre-Tribulation Rapture to be followed by wrath and then the return of Christ with His saints to judge and establish His kingdom on earth. The Ram’s Horn! There are no accidents in Holy Scripture. Every act, every event, and every circumstance was placed in this Holy Book to communicate His message to the saints. When God informed Abraham to go and sacrifice Isaac his son, the entire event became a drama of future glory. He was told to travel to a mountain, which the Lord would show him. For three days they traveled, during which Isaac was as good as dead in Abraham’s heart. Then the two, Abraham and his to be sacrificed son, climbed the hill together just as Jesus Christ with His Father would climb a future hill. Isaac asked his father, “Where is the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb…” Just before Abraham could sacrifice his son, the angel of the Lord spoke. Immediately, “…Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns…” (Genesis 22:13). Abraham named the place Jehovah-jireh, which means, “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” The sacrifice prefigures the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The horn of the ram goes even further and sets a type for the final triumph of that sacrifice. Listen to what the angel said, “Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” (Genesis 22:17). This seed is Christ and the possessing of His enemies will begin in full when the “Last Trump” (the ram’s right horn) sounds on that triumphant day. The Feast of Trumpets is on the first day of the civic calendar. Everything has meaning in this celebration and the first day of the New Year certainly suggests the first day when God begins the process of His new government. The Rapture of the saints out of harm’s way must occur so that the wrath and its resulting cleansing can begin, This is the beginning of the “Day of the Lord.” It is in preparation for His new government with His saints reigning with Him on this earth. The Day the Lord Shouts! To even imagine a day so triumphant and glorious, so fulfilling of heaven’s design that the Lord Himself shouts, must suggest something glorious indeed. The Holy Ghost filled Apostle Paul makes it absolutely clear that when the Rapture of the saints comes to fulfillment, the Lord Himself lets out a divine shout. Let’s read this passage in context, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). I love these words, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.” He could call to us from the balcony, but He comes to meet us in the air. It is my belief that He comes into the midair because Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Satan has resisted every triumph of every single saint and he will certainly put up a master show to hinder this escape out of his net. Could this be some of the reason for such a show of unidentified flying objects our world is presently witnessing? I personally believe they are fallen angels manifesting their diabolical powers. Remember Jude telling us of Michael and Satan disputing over the body of Moses? (Jude 1:8). God sent a chariot of fire in a whirlwind to get Elijah and came Himself to walk Enoch across the divide. There is no question in my mind but that the Lord comes as the “Lord of Hosts” with His mighty angels to lead a procession right through the devil’s domain and makes a show of him (Satan) before the powers of the universe. He does not just come down into the midair. He comes down “from Heaven with a shout…” The Lord has been celebrating this event for at least 3,800 years since Abraham offered that ram on the “Holy Mountain.” Remember that the Feast of Trumpets was called a Feast of Jehovah. The Bride has been wooed from the nations of the world and, by great sacrifice, has overcome ten thousand obstacles. Many of her choice saints were burned at stake, sawn asunder, and torn to shreds by lions. The world has hated this crowd of “blood-washed saints” and now her Bridegroom has finished the bridal chamber. He is traveling through the clouds to rescue her from her sworn enemies. As Heaven recedes and earth comes into view, the Son of God shouts for His chosen. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 156: WHEN THE OLD MAN IS DEAD ======================================================================== WHEN THE OLD MAN IS DEAD Apostle Paul emphatically stated, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Sometimes we all marvel at the power of this apostle’s life, but the power was in his “death, to himself.” Over and over this theme fills the revelations that flooded his life. In his second epistle to Corinth he stated, “But we have this treasure (all the priceless blessings and benefits of the Holy Spirit) in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Much of this generation can only conceive a saint of God walking on Hallelujah Boulevard with a golden cloud under their feet. Well, they surely need to read how this apostle described his life of constant death, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:8-11). When our old man is dead, something so wonderful happens that carnal people cannot conceive or understand it. God’s sovereign Spirit cannot rest upon or dwell in a human vessel until death to the sin nature has occurred. This is why the early church was so dynamic that they turned the cities in which they ministered into revival centers. Read Acts chapter 8, where a table-attending appointee shared the gospel message, “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:5-8). The expectation after the Crucifixion and Resurrection was that the believers gave up their selfish life to live only for Christ. It is clear that all of them did not follow this expectation and we see that many were labeled as carnal instead of spiritual. It is clear that all of them that became spiritual also became powerful. Phillip and Stephen in Acts chapters six and seven were prime examples. It’s shattering to realize how carnal and helpless the church is today. It will never change in anyone’s life until they are fully prepared to die to the “old man.” I challenge each reader of this Salty Saints to consider this wonderful possibility. The Romans Road of the Book of Romans is our starting point. By the Holy Spirit Paul stated, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:11-14). This is a powerful truth that our modern churches ignore. You cannot research the history of the great saints of God without constantly encountering this revelation. It does not matter whether it is Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, or Baptist, etc. Every time you find someone that dares to seek the crucified life the same results follow. Those in the Catholic Church had to leave their connections to Catholicism. Often, those in reformed or orthodox circles were persecuted and driven out. But, every time these dear saints begin to bless multitudes and turn cities and communities into harvest fields. Revival is going to occur either before the Rapture or after the Rapture. The Holy Spirit is searching our Church World to find laborers and the crucified life is His single source. He cannot anoint the carnal life with His unction, but He cannot fail to anoint the crucified. Listen to Apostle Paul explain this great truth, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:6-8). This level of revelation is enough to thrill a committed believer and to fill with fear the carnal believer. In 1Corinthians we read, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). There is very little difference, if any, between the natural man and the carnal man. At least the carnal man has made a decision to be a Christian, while the natural man probably hasn’t. But, neither is destined to remain in this unspiritual condition. The sacrifice of Christ’s sacred body was a spiritual moment when cleansing and redemptive powers were released to change our lives. The Blood of Christ cleanses us from the guilt of sin, but is also fully prepared to break the powers of the nature of sin. In His pastoral prayer Jesus proclaimed, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:15-17). Sanctify means to set apart for a righteous cause and to enable the same in their hearts and lives. Apostle Paul said a similar thing in his epistle to Thessalonica, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). You furnish the life fully ready to be put to death and He is fully ready to do the rest. Paul said, “That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die” (1 Corinthians 15:36). Jesus completely settles this entire discussion. “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” and He also says, “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27, Luke 14:33). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 157: WHY THE RAPTURE BEFORE THE GREAT TRIBULATION; NINE POWERFUL REASONS ======================================================================== WHY THE RAPTURE BEFORE THE GREAT TRIBULATION; Nine Powerful Reasons THIS COULD CONVINCE THE GREATEST DOUBTERS! THE CLIMATE OF OUR WORLD, SPIRITUALLY, POLITICALLY, ECONOMICALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY ARE ALL SET IN DIRECT ORDER FOR THE GREAT TRIBULATION TO BEGIN! But that Seven year period cannot start until the Son Of God removes HIS Bride. Here are nine powerful and clear Biblical principles for a “CATCHING AWAY” to occur and then, and only then, to open the door for Satan to be cast down to the earth. Satan will be free when Christ’s Bride is removed to reveal his Antichrist. The words “CATCHING AWAY” are perfect words to translate the English word Rapture from the Greek word “HARPOSA”. The word “HARPOSA” has all of the meanings which embodies the “RAPTURE OF THE SAINTS” out of the impending darkness. It is an endearment term with all the love of Christ for His Bride. 1. It Fits Biblical Precedence Of God’s Judgment For The Wicked! David was bold in his proclamation, “I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalms 37:25) To suggest that God the Father will deny 6000 years of history and judge the church in the same horrible hour as the wicked doesn’t fit His character. The nature of the tribulation period, the final judgment of man’s wickedness, makes that suggestion even less likely. When the antediluvian world reached its zenith of debauchery and the Father was ready to pour out His wrath, Noah found grace, unmerited favor, in His eyes. Noah’s family was saved while the rest of mankind was completely obliterated. The law of first mention makes this event a powerful factor. Sodom and Gomorrah had descended into the mire of sexual perversion. There is a good possibility that a disease like AIDS was proliferating and God acted to stop the plague. The very geography of the landscape had to be cleansed by fire and destruction. 2. The Church Is To Be Judged Before The Wicked World Is Judged! Rather than positioning the church in the tribulation judgment, the Biblical warning is that judgment begins at the house of God. Privilege is always a factor in determining God’s judgment. He said . . . For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48 b) Apostle Peter, clearly distinguishing himself as a New Testament leader, warned, “For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God: (Remember, it was the Jewish nation that was first to be judged in the First Testament) and if it first begin at us (the Second Testament believers) what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17) Our judgment is of a different nature from the First Testament but clearly precedes that of both the Judgement of the Jewish and the Gentile world. 3. The Bride Of Christ Is To Be Presented Unto Himself In An Exclusive Ceremony Separate From All Other End - Time Events! Redemption is much, much more than fire insurance. The root and foundation of God’s love for the world and sending His only begotten Son is a desire to have a family. The family unit is the closest thing on earth to the heart of God, His very nature. The invitation to salvation is an invitation to a marriage feast and establishes a family relationship. Worship in its truest sense is a celebration of that family relationship with our spiritual priest; we celebrate His love until we can celebrate His presence. This marriage salvation is a betrothing experience that lives everyday in expectation of the wedding celebration. We are like a young virgin looking at His picture, as we anxiously anticipate His coming for the wedding. Jesus gave a parable that shows this awaiting virgin (Matthew 25:11-13). (MY DESCRIPTION! Ten virgins took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Five had come under the intoxicating influence of worldliness and had let their lamps go out. Five had brightly glowing lights in their lamps. Those five went to the marriage and the door was shut. Remember, God also shut the door of the ark in Noah’s day. 4. His Absolute Promise To Keep His Faithful Bride From The Hour Of Tribulation! The Holy Scripture deals effectively with His assurance that this awful hour is not designed for His chosen. The prophet Isaiah described the final episodes with minute detail: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” (Isaiah 26:19-21) In the first verse of this quote he identified the Resurrection. Next, he calls for the chosen bride to enter with Him into her chambers (an appropriate nuptial place as she prepares for her presentation to the Groom) to be securely hidden away for a short moment until the wrath or rage of God is finished. The third verse of this text pictures the going forth of God’s righteous judgment to finish sin, disclose hidden life styles, and to give an equal response from God’s holiness to man’s evil actions. 5. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Is The Only Reasonable Explanation Of A Time When Some Are Taken And Some are Left! No sensible explanation can be given of Matthew 24:1-51 that excludes the warning of a sudden rapture that catches men unprepared. Jesus warned of the suddenness of that day, that only the Father knows the time and that the day was as Noah’s day, where men were eating, drinking, and giving in marriage. Then He said, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Matthew 24:40-41) He concluded the warning by saying: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:42) To try to rearrange the Lord’s teachings and explain away this great truth borders on arrogance. When we suggest that the one being taken away is the wicked and the believer is left, then where is the wicked taken, and for what is the believer left? Any such explanation will be hard put to fit into the pattern of events. The word for “COMING” as used in this context is the Greek “PAROUSIA” not “APOLALUPSIS”. When “PAROUSIA” is used it means a coming to a specific place at a specific time for a specific meeting. It is personal. When “apokalupsis” is used as in verses 30 and 31 of this same chapter, it means the unveiling of His awesome holiness and glory. It is general rather than personal and relates to His return to fight the battle of Armageddon and to establish His kingdom. 6. Then He Warns Of A Specific Day Coming Unawares Of Which Only Those Watching Shall Escape! These verses are so crucial for establishing this great “Hope of the Church” that we must analyze them closely. “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth? Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36) Christians are so casual today about what constitutes readiness for the Rapture that they make me tremble. Ask a given Sunday-morning crowd: “How many are ready to go?” And you will find it hard to see the un-lifted hands. Many have not been to church in weeks, maybe never tithe, do not read the Bible more than sporadically; and yet, they feel secure and ready. The only explanation is that we are living in the great apostasy. Please note Jesus’ warning: ” . . . take heed to yourselves.” He warned of an overcharged heart, surfeiting (reveling and rioting), drunkenness (giving opportunity to drunkenness), and the cares of this life. He said the day would come as a snare (trap) and catch men unaware. Satan is right now springing his carefully devised trap to keep the bride from her readiness for her Groom. Satan is furious with the thought of you and me in the nuptial chamber with our redeeming Prince. 7. The Law Of The Farmer Demands That The Harvest Be Gathered Before The Winter Begins! No vineyard dresser or tiller of the ground would think of laboring through the spring and summer only to leave the ripened harvest in the field as the winter arrives. A wise proverb of Solomon says, “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” (Proverbs 10:5) It contradicts everything my Father has provided and promised to suggest that He won’t gather His harvest of the world until the winter of divine retribution is in full swing. Isaiah is prolific in describing this harvest out of an impending winter of evil. He prophesied, “The righteous perisheth (escapes), and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away (removed), none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.” (Isaiah 57:1) The words taken away literally mean to “collect as in harvest”. The next verse is a perfect picture of this harvest, safely cradled in her haven of rest, as evil spreads itself in defiance of the gathering storm. “He (bride) shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.” (Isaiah 57:2) That storm of evil is clearly described in the next three verses. “But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom do ye make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?” (Isaiah 57:3-5) 8. The Holy Scripture Affirms Emphatically That The Antichrist Cannot Be Revealed Until A Restraining Force Is Removed! The church at Thessalonica received this word from Apostle Paul: “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8) The word “withholdeth” in verse six and “letteth” in verse seven are identical and means to restrain or hold back. A picture emerges of this great and overwhelming force of evil that is ever ready to spread across God’s creation but is restrained because of an even greater power. It is like a reservoir of water held in check by a dam. If the dam is suddenly removed, the waters will flood the valley with great destruction. Don’t ever forget that there is an invisible church within the bosom of the visible church that will not bow to the Antichrist. This sanctified company has no other love but the one King. Any one else cannot purchase her, because she has no price. She has found the pearl of great price and forfeited all other wealth. As long as His chosen are here, the Antichrist cannot be revealed. Even the New Agers are saying that their “Age of Aquarius” cannot be realized as long as the defective seed (Christians) are filling the world with negative thought patterns (the gospel of Jesus Christ). They have suggested in their literature that we must be removed to a non-physical plane (their words) before the New Age can arrive. That is one message they got right. 9. Finally: The Lord’s Absolute Promise To Catch Away His Chosen To Meet Him In The Air! Apostle Paul said, “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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) What a climactic finish to an exciting search of Holy Scripture. The Lord isn’t sending Gabriel or Michael. He is coming Himself. You hear people say the word “rapture” is not in our Bible. To begin with, the Bible wasn’t written in English, so the only word from the English language in the Greek Bible is the word Hallelujah. As with many other words, the exact equivalent of Rapture is in the above two verses. The two words “caught up” are derived from a Greek word harpazo, which means “snatched up”. My Webster dictionary gives the meaning for rapture as “transported or to snatch away”. The original Greek goes much further than the simple but powerful meaning “to snatch up”. It means “to steal openly with no thought of hiding”. includes a removal by force in expectation of a hindering power. perfect words to describe the rapture of the church. Satan is marshalling his forces in heaven (he is the prince of the power of the air) and on earth in his effort to stop the greatest exodus in human history. The exodus from Egypt was a Biblical foreshadow, but it pales in comparison, even as the animal sacrifice fails to rightly compare to Calvary. Jesus actually descends into the atmospheric heaven below the reigning powers of Lucifer. He then leads His resurrected and glorified army back through the evil dominion to the throne of God Himself. The triumph of that event leaves Satan weakened and Michael, with his armies, casting him out and down to earth. He will never leave the earth again until he is judged and cast into the bottomless pit. (Revelation 12:1-17) Conclusion!Those who know and serve Jesus Christ as SAVIOR and LORD will be out of here before all TERROR is UNLEASED on this earth. I contend that the Rapture must transpire before the tribulation can begin. The gathering storm has shaken the faith of many. The fire of expectancy, of watching and waiting, of looking for His appearing, has gone out of many lives. Some are looking to build a kingdom here, while others are looking for great tribulations and planning how not to take the mark. I believe that the bride should look for His appearing, occupy His spiritual and invisible kingdom, and expect to be gone when the great “deceiver” is having one final fling. “Look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Jesus: Luke 21:28 b) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 158: WAR IN HEAVEN, SATAN CAST OUT ======================================================================== War in Heaven, Satan Cast Out Can you imagine the fury of Satan as he knows that he is about to be cast out of the mid-Heaven? He was created as one of the most beautiful of all the angels. From truth in the Word of God, it is believed that he was the Music Director of the heavenly host. The Son of God clearly stated that He beheld him when he was thrust out of the immediate presence of the Father. Since that awesome occasion, he has been the “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). He directs all evil powers from that location. The Rapture of the Church will occur immediately before Satan is cast down to the earth. Actually, the two supernatural moments are almost simultaneous. This explains the ferocious attack that Satan is waging against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. It’s time we labeled the many enemies of the Rapture with clear Biblical facts. Every attack on the Rapture is an attack that is planned by the devil himself. The Word of God could not have said it any more plainly, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). Satan has to be on this earth and limited to this earth for the coming Great Tribulation. He cannot be cast to this earth until the “Restrainer” is removed and the Bride of Christ is caught up to heaven. To even consider anything different is completely unbiblical. How could the Holy Spirit fulfill His great office as the Vicar of Christ on earth at the same time that Satan is reigning as the god of this earth? Presently, Satan is the god of the unholy world system; but, during these seven years, he will be the god of this earth. Immediately after the Lord Jesus Christ and His host of Angels orchestrate the Rapture and the Saints are safe in the Celestial City, all Hell will break loose in the world between heaven and earth. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven” (Revelation 12:7-8). This will truly be a “mother of all battles.” It is evident that every fallen angel in Satan’s kingdom (except those consigned to the Abyss) is involved. Every one of these angels will be cast down to the earth with Satan. I personally believe that Satan and his evil angels have limited control of weather patterns. The Scripture is clear that Satan and his host have made the world like a wilderness, which would clearly include the atmospheric heavens that connect directly to earth. “That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” (Isaiah 14:17). This was spoken about Satan in his present position. Once this battle is finished, Holy Angels will begin to preach from the former center of Satan’s domain. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). All weather patterns from this war forward through the Great Tribulation will be at the Father’s direction and will mostly be judgmental in action. There is great finality in the description of Satan’s doom, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:9-10). Even in the midst of the Great Tribulation, it will be good news that Satan has lost his throne. As I deal with troubled lives, I often find that the great battle is the “imaginations and accusations” that badger people to the point of insanity. This power to accuse is probably Satan’s greatest scheme, but this ability will be finished. At this moment Satan will be limited to the earth. He will still have paranormal powers but will be clearly confined to his earthly schemes. This will be the darkest period of human existence. Anyone that is considering that the Bride of Christ will still be on earth should see this picture. It will be Satan’s earth for this very short time. “Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them (the Raptured saints). Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12). Everything in this Prophetic News Alert is actually good news. It’s an incredible process as we watch God’s judicial rendering of His final judgments of Satan and every fallen angel. Nothing in this action is vicious or in way less than God’s perfect Holiness cleansing our world for His eternal family. As we await the Trumpet announcing His coming in the heavens, put on the whole armor of God. Especially, “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The very atmosphere is charged with “imaginations and accusations” against everything pure and holy and against every child of God. Listen to nothing that is not in perfect harmony with the Holy Bible. “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalms 37:4) ======================================================================== CHAPTER 159: WARFARE PRAYING ======================================================================== Warfare Praying Praying is a waste of time until the Prayer Warrior is willing to engage Satan in combat. The Son of God made one of his greatest proclamations about prayer in Matthew’s Gospel. His words took my breath when I read them again a few days ago. My soul has been longing for a prayer life like John Knox, Duncan Campbell, or John Wesley. The king of England declared that he feared the prayers of John Knox more than all the armies of his enemies. Today, it is clear that our politicians fear nobody, not even God. That is about to change. Here is what Jesus Christ said about prayer, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house” (Matthew 12:28-29). Praying for a change in our churches, homes, or communities is hopeless until we move beyond just making petitions to God about the needs. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds…” (2 Corinthians 4:4 a). Satan must be defeated by saints that engage him in combat. Satan has to be cast out of a situation before prayer can change that situation. The Father is ready for you and me to learn that we can bind Satan and every evil spirit under his command. Never has our world been more overwhelmed with the spirit of the Antichrist. Our children are deeply troubled by dark forces of the night. Music of this generation is straight out of the pit. Rock, rap, and most contemporary music are soulical at best and often diabolical. This music creates bondage and spiritual blindness. Even small children are terribly troubled by spirits of fear and selfishness. Only in defeating these spirits can these lives be liberated. Satan is nothing but a fallen angel. Jesus Christ has provided His church with authority to bind Satan and his powers so that Satan can do nothing but yield. The Son of God said “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). This statement was made to Peter. Some might say that it does not apply to the church. Our Lord of His church was careful to eliminate that possible argument. Later, He speaks to the church about brother sinning against brother and the authority of the church to deal with such situations. He then tells the church, clearly identified as the church, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven”(Matthew 18:18-19). The church is His authority on earth, which includes the very realm of Lucifer. The very word church means “called out and set in authority.” The Apostle Paul gave us the picture of warfare in the spiritual realm and warned us that it was like “hand-to-hand” combat. He said by the Spirit, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:11-12). Using the term “wrestle” reminds us of a personal engagement. It’s a spiritual war that we are called to be part of in this Christian life. Many years ago, the church used terms with a military ring, but our modern church is passive and resents such terminology. Their helplessness is the result of this lost of a warfare mentality. This kind of warfare is not for the adult babies in our churches. The church is full of worldly, emotionally titillated people trying to use spiritualistic powers to bind spirits. They are making things worse, not better. The seven sons of Sceva were of the same nature as these spiritual weaklings. Seven of his sons tried to use the name of Jesus whom Paul preached and prayed over a possessed man. The result was a perfect picture of our church world today. “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded” (Acts 19:15-16). Does Satan know our names like he knew Apostle Paul’s name? Do not think to move quickly into this warfare with hell. Prepare your life by separation from the world and a great period of consecration to a life hid in Christ. Seek His righteousness and holiness until there is a broken and humble spirit before the Lord. Obey every Biblical restriction of Godliness and learn how to utterly depend on Christ and His Holy Spirit. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 1:20). “…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32 b). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 160: WHAT'S IN YOUR BLOOD? ======================================================================== What’s In Your Blood? Either righteousness or sin is in your blood and one or the other is controlling your life. In fact, your blood is the source of all of your life. Your blood is your life and your body is the temple where that life is manifest. The moment your blood is drained from your body, the body becomes nothing but a lifeless skin tent. It is over and in the grave you go. We must relearn in our church world the value of our blood and how all life is manifest by the blood. Note what Moses wrote by the Holy Spirit, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off." (Leviticus 17:11, Leviticus 17:14). "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Genesis 9:4). All of human life is in the blood and this fact settles the truth that all of redemption is also by the blood. The only cleansing for human blood is divine blood. As quoted above, the Father said by His Spirit, "I have given it (blood) to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls." The only effect that human programs of improvement have on people is cosmetic and short-lived. Whether it is humanistic psychology or the church’s hybrid version, these programs are totally helpless to change the human heart. Only divine blood will change the spiritual component of human blood. Until the blood of Jesus Christ redeems a person, they will be shackled by the bent of sin and the downward pull. Yes, many people have reformed and redirected patterns of life. A large number of self-help programs and preachers have aided many in learning how to cope and manage their life a little better. Because of the sin still present in their blood, most of these people continue to revert back and forth. They are helpless to effect lasting change. The medical profession knows well the value of blood in the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and physical problem. Your doctor may listen to all of your pain descriptions and emotional feelings, but if he or she is a top-notch professional, they will draw a sample of blood. Once the analysis is received from your blood, the doctor can then really learn of your true condition. They will document this information in your files so that you cannot later sue them for a misdiagnosis and mistreatment. Your blood is a picture of your condition in scientifically proven facts. No doctor would dare trust your word over your blood sample. The emotions of human life are constantly manifest in the blood. If you become angry, your face will flush and turn red in varying degrees, depending largely on the level of your emotional reactions. If, on the opposite side, you are suddenly frightened, your face turns pale and weakness is evident in your entire body. Physical sicknesses are more often the result of emotional condition than physical ones. I remember when our church family was being sued by our prior denomination. In an effort to take possession of our large campus and properties, I was the villain that had to be destroyed. The court required depositions where I was questioned vigorously almost to despair. Every time these depositions were conducted, I would be sick to the point of becoming bedfast for at least one or two days. Emotions are reactions, good or bad, that are clearly evident in man’s very life stream. Sin is in the Blood This obvious fact seems to have escaped most Bible students today. Sin is not just a free act or expression that has no bearing on the individual’s life. Your life stream is your blood and every emotion is clearly a reflection of that life stream. This is why sin is so destructive and impacting. Apostle Paul probably nailed sin and its effect as strong as any Bible writer in the entire Holy Book. Listen carefully! "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me." "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:14-15, Romans 7:17-21, Romans 7:23-24). This stream of sin that the apostle identified was locked in his very nature. He was wretched and miserable. His blood was contaminated and there was no answer until he identified the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:2). It is exciting to look at chapter seven where man is a captive and wretched and then move to chapter eight where he is "quickened by the same Spirit that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead." It is very clear that this corruption was in man’s nature and flooded his entire life stream. The blood was contaminated. Sin was in the man’s blood and there was no physical or human escape. But, the sin offering of the Son of God was uncontaminated blood that can be applied to man’s contaminated blood. When this occurs, there is a cleansing; sanctification, and a justification, and the creature becomes a "new creation." The nature is still there, but its power has been broken and the creature is "quickened" by His Spirit that dwelleth in the believing soul. Look at the Holy Spirit’s words, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8:2, Romans 8:4, Romans 8:6, Romans 8:9, Romans 8:11). The Spirit of the living God is ready at your surrender and invitation to break every ounce of the destruction that operates in your life. The nature of sin is a tool in Satan’s hand to "kill, steal, and destroy." (John 10:10). Our doubts, frustrations, anger, rebellion, stubbornness, etc. all are emotions in our blood or life stream caused by this nature of self and sin. When we live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, sing in the Spirit, and simply live in the power of the life of Jesus Christ; then His blood constantly sanctifies our blood and we are preserved in righteousness. It must become a lifestyle, not just a visit to church or a few minutes of listless prayer every day. Living in the Spirit is victorious living all day long. The Roots of Sin Now, that we understand how sin contaminates the blood we must know how that uncleanness passes from parent to child and even from person to person. Sin does not just contaminate the blood of the disobedient person; it contaminates their children, grandchildren, and anyone that allows the spirit of that person to be an influence on them. If the entire life principle of each of us is in our blood, and it certainly is clear by Scriptures, then, this spirit of that unclean person will affect others. Our world is evidence of how all of us are being affected by the people with whom we have close relationships. Every pastor knows the peril of allowing new people with strange doctrines into the heart of his congregation. Within a short period, some of the most faithful friends are contaminated and lost. Parents are weeping today because teenagers are meeting total strangers on a web site and within days or a few weeks disappear in the yonder and often are lost forever. Wives or husbands go to work on new jobs and meet fellow workers and then suddenly the cords of long happy marriages are broken and another home is in despair. Understanding sin in the blood and the life principles that are projected to others helps us understand what has happened. There is no power in the human life more overwhelming than the life principles in each of us for good or for bad. It also can help us be wise in protecting our church family, our family members, and our marriages. We need strong pastors who are wise, kind, and spiritual. We need dads and moms who understand the influences of sin and the power of contaminated blood. Shepherds in God’s House There is no one in God’s kingdom that has more potential for good than pastors and teachers. Much of the church world is made up of "sheep without a shepherd." They are prime targets for the many cults and television religion stars that prey on the emotionally empty and gullible multitudes. The most destructive idea that has invaded the church world is the non-discerning approach to everyone and everything. All ideas are equal in the minds of many. But, allowing that idea to prevail is quickly becoming dangerous and many are learning of the pain that follows. Fathers & Mothers in the Home The Biblical home is a "safe place" where children can grow into discerning adults. If the home is to be a "safe place," everything the family does, from entertainment to friends, must be guided by sound wisdom. Music is not just words of a song, but it is also the spirits of the singers. I will never forget one young lady (teenager) in our congregation that developed anorexia and was deteriorating quickly. Called by the parents, I went to the home and spent time counseling and learning. Her favorite worldly singer also was anorexic. When I shared how the spirit of the singer was affecting the spirit of the teenager and the family and young lady accepted my pastoral guidance, she was totally delivered. Sin in the blood of the singer was contaminating and projecting that spirit in this dear girl. Our teenage world is almost lost to these unclean influences. It can be found in any kind of music, entertainment, books, or simply by close friendship with any unclean person. Separation From the Unclean No wonder the Bible draws a sharp line of separation for the Bible believer’s life and relationships. "What fellowship hath light with darkness" is a valid question for every Christian to answer. The Bible says, "be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Let’s look at this powerful passage, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). The apostle was not trying to get us to ignore the unsaved or to shun and reject the multitudes that need Jesus Christ. But, he was showing us that our lives must draw a sharp parallel that does not allow the influences of corrupted lives to pass into our spirit and person. There must always be a wall between the sanctified blood (life stream) of the righteous and the contaminated blood of the unholy. While our compassion and love must pass across that wall, the darkness must not be allowed to pass back. It is not always an easy walk, but it is a safe one. Jesus said it best in His prayer for His disciples. "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." (John 17:15-18). The church world has become so contaminated that there is no difference between those claiming the light and those loving the darkness. Because of this, we have nothing to offer the world but the self-help programs of humanism and psychology. That is why our church leaders have resorted to psychologists, ten step programs of recovery, and myriads of social gimmicks to build their churches. They are not building the church of Jesus Christ, but the synagogues of Satan. (Revelation 3:9). Nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ can be used to build His church. It is blasphemy to call a church His church unless it has been purchased by His blood. The Blood of Jesus Cleanses From All Sin Sin is in the blood, not just in the head or in the emotions. When a person lives in sin, they have contaminated blood. As Apostle Paul said of his sins, sins make you wretched and captive. There is no escape except by the blood of Jesus Christ. Dealing with sin by trying to turn over a new leaf is utterly foolish. The only power in God’s universe that can wash a sinner clean is the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. Even the love of God requires the blood offering of His Son. No writer in the Holy Writ captured the depth of redemption as well as Isaiah. The Father planned and executed the sacrifice of the Son of God. The Jews, the Romans, and every living soul shared in His death, but our part was secondary to the Father’s plan. God the Father crucified His Son. He, Jesus Christ, was stricken, smitten, and afflicted of His Father. Look at the exact words, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:4, Isaiah 53:10-11). This is why the blood of Jesus Christ is supernatural. Every soul that is saved and delivered by this blood is "saved to the uttermost." (Hebrews 7:25) It was a miraculous decision by a sovereign act of the Heavenly Father to put His Son to death. He did this so that every living soul might receive an invitation to become sons of God. If the Jews had killed Jesus, it would make Him a martyr, not a Savior. If the Romans had killed Him, it would have been an act of terror. If we had killed Him, it would have been blasphemy. But, the Father crucified His Son making His death the greatest act of redemption in human history. Transformed, Made Whole, No Condemnation What’s in your blood? Sin is in the blood of every soul before Jesus’ blood cleanses them. Our world is consumed with problems because of the evil that is present in the blood of mankind. The church world, as a whole, has turned to every conceivable possibility to help fallen man to solve their emotional problems, except proclaiming the mighty power of the blood of the cross. All of our efforts to rescue mankind without dealing with his contaminated blood are utterly hopeless. Sin is in the blood, not just in man’s head or his emotion and the only power to cleanse the blood of man is the blood of Jesus Christ. This article began by recording the unfailing words of the Creator God, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11). Conclusion It is time for the church of Jesus Christ to fire the psychologist, the sociologist, and the secular humanist and go back to Calvary. Apostle Paul said it clearly, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14). Any church that tries to heal, renew, reclaim, or deliver man from his problems except by the blood is fooling itself. The endless lists of so-called psychological problems that have been identified in our psychologically attuned world are not one thing but the many faces of sin and evil in the human heart. The spiritual heart of man is not his physical pump, but his life stream, which is in his blood. The physical pump may drive the blood, but life is not in the pump but in the blood. When that person represented in the life of the blood is transformed by the power of God and Christ’s blood, he is a new creature. He is "born again" from above. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17). Any means "any person, man, woman, boy, or girl." ======================================================================== CHAPTER 161: WHEN GOD SETS JERUSALEM FREE ======================================================================== When God Sets Jerusalem Free Jerusalem is in bondage with her children. She is in bondage to sin, uncleanness, and to the rejection of her Messiah. Jerusalem has been in bondage since the Roman, General Titus, wrecked and burned her with fire in 70 A. D. We might say that her bondage goes back to the moment the Son of God died on His cross or when the Jewish mob cried, “Give us Barabbas, but crucify Jesus.” It was a faithful Jewish apostle that stated, “For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children” (Galatians 4:25). There is no biblically named city as important as Jerusalem. A truly born again Christian cannot study the Bible, including the life and death of Jesus Christ, and, especially, Bible prophecy and not become fixated on Jerusalem. The name Jerusalem and other derivatives of that name total well over one thousand occurrences in Holy Scripture. It is the Father’s counterpart of His own Heavenly Jerusalem. God Himself chose this city and named it after His Heavenly capitol. For any person or persons on earth to call this city their capitol except the Jewish families is certainly close to blasphemy. To a devoted Jew, Jerusalem is “their oasis in the desert.” No Jewish person can dare forget Jerusalem. No city or country in this entire world will be free until Jerusalem is free. That statement can set you back, but take a moment to consider. The Son of God had walked through the cobblestone streets of this city that He dearly loved before He sat on the Mount of Olives and spoke revelational truth to His disciples. One of the far-reaching remarks was about the future of this city that would soon reject Him as the Messiah. He stated, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). Jesus Christ proclaimed clearly that one of the conditions that would rule these Gentile nations was trouble and troubles and more troubles. “Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven” (Luke 21:10-11). The Prince of Peace will settle the troubles of Jerusalem and His kingdom will crush the Gentile empires to establish His One World Order. Jesus clearly confirmed the revelations of Daniel, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:34-35). The Peace of Jerusalem will mean the peace of the kingdoms of the earth because the entire world will be annexed to the “Promised Land.” It would not be fair to you if I did not also include Daniel’s interpretation of the previous verses, “And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” (Daniel 2:44-45). Peace in Jerusalem will be peace in every city and every nation of the world. Angels are busy night and day keeping watch from the top of the walls of Jerusalem and guaranteeing that every prophetic plan will be fulfilled. “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7). It is sad to see the multitudes that have written off the nation of Israel and the prophetic future of Jerusalem. Such ideas are clearly the imagination of unclean spirits or demons. These people and their ideas can no more be fulfilled than God can be ejected from His own beautiful Jerusalem. His Pearly White City is so spiritually and prophetically connected to earthly Jerusalem that for one to fail both must fail. If the earthly family of Jesus Christ does not inherit their Jerusalem, then the virgin born Jewish Son will not inherit His New Jerusalem. David spoke of this heavenly city and tied it to the earthly prototype, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King” (Psalms 48:1-2). The same Son of God that promised Jerusalem and the Promise Land to His kin, the Jews, is the Son of God that was manifest out of the Ivory Palaces of Heavenly Jerusalem. For any religion, nation, or army to think of possessing this city and driving the Jewish people into the sea is insane. Yes, the City of Jerusalem is in bondage at the present. However, the recordkeeping and promise keeping Father that sits in His Heavenly Temple with His Son will soon say, “It is enough.” The Father will look to His Son on His Right Hand and declare that the hour has come. He will speak to His exalted Son concerning Himself and Jerusalem, the chosen city, “Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married” (Isaiah 62:3-4). What a prophetic certainty to know this is in our future. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 162: WHEN HE FOUND ME! ======================================================================== When He Found Me! Remembering what I was when Jesus Christ came to me is overwhelming! I was a radically immature teenager. My language was gross and cheap. My habits were unclean and selfish. I was too immature to be bold with young ladies, but my thoughts were still dirty. Stealing what I wanted had become my lifestyle. Yet, nothing I had meant anything, so caring for a possession was beyond my comprehension. Reading or writing was non-existent. Listening to country songs on the old Victrola record player is the one pleasure I remember. I was on a road to nowhere. The farm life was hard but the work never bothered me. It was the most secure thing in life. School was an absolute bore because I never learned how to read. I’m still not sure how I made it to the ninth grade, which was when my dad let me quit because the farm needed my labor. Dad’s drinking was the only sad thing I remember. It was like everything went into a spin when I saw him staggering in the door or trying to drive the car. My mother was a good woman and a great cook. I never remember being hugged even though it was reported that I was the spoiled one of the eight children. I certainly would never speak unkind of my parents or my family. But something wonderful happened at the age of sixteen. A cousin that loved to drink and sell whiskey moved his family to our farm as a sharecropper. His wife had been wonderfully saved and loved to go to a church thirty miles away. Roby would drive us to church and then go sell his whiskey while we attended the service. I remember the old gunny sack that held his half gallons of peach brandy that my dad had made being under my feet as we rode to church. An evangelist preached the Gospel with power and I walked the aisle to surrender to Christ. The transformation was overwhelming and I have never wanted to turn back. On our way home that night, probably to deliver a half gallon of whiskey, I remember rolling down the window and yelling to someone that met the car, “I went to church tonight a goat but I am going home a sheep.” That was my total theology. The pastor, Lanky Lambert, would come to the farm and stand on our tobacco wagon to preach the Holy Bible. I could not read but someone gave me a King James Bible and I fell in love with that book. I can remember holding it in my hand and thinking, “How will I ever learn this great story?” This is back when the unlearned were given the King James Version and the educated read the other versions. Out behind the old farm house was a single bush that became my hidden place to pray. I remember how every time the Lord seemed distant to me, I would hurry to pray until His presence would return. I have never gotten beyond that simple truth. Falling in love with the Bible was the most important thing that happened to me. I knew I was opening the mouth of Jesus Christ every time I opened the Bible and closing His mouth when I closed the Bible. Preaching was the grandest part of church. I remember the old saints that would sing in the Holy Ghost as worship would fill the house. It was so orderly and yet so informal. Pentecost in those days was not controlled by men but was a sovereign sweetness in the bliss of power. It was like a little heaven on earth and never unruly or wild. I will never forget the first time I saw wild emotions that made it all look so cheap. The contrast in those days could not be missed because pure Pentecost was so real that flesh was quickly hushed. Almost all of televised Pentecost today is nothing less than barbarian. I learned that a Sovereign move of the Holy Spirit is first pure, then it adheres to the Word of God spoken by Apostle Paul in 1Corinthians Chapters 12 and 14, and it beautifully exalts Jesus Christ and Him alone. The carnal flesh has no place to be exalted when His Holy Spirit manifests true worship and ministry. My life was led by the Spirit from the very beginning; otherwise, I would have fallen on my face. I could not have been more unwise in the early days. Alcohol had destroyed my dad’s body and he committed suicide when I was seventeen. I had already left home but returned to help my mother finish a large crop of tobacco and sell the farm when the year was over. When she was secure in a little house, I returned to Burlington where the Lord had brought Juanita into my life. We were married the following summer. How little then did I realize the purpose of God in mine and my Queen’s lives. She is the sweetest soul I have ever known. I knew immediately after I was saved that I was called to preach. Although I could not read, I was slowly learning; but, I was horribly tongue-tied. However, I was completely confident that the Lord would be sufficient. I recall people begging me not to claim my calling because I could not pronounce words clearly and correctly. They even pressured me not to marry Juanita because she was a fragile diabetic since the age of eighteen. She is now seventy-five and a picture of health. We are not satisfied with what we have accomplished to date. There is much we want to finish in our ministry. Our greatest burden is to see the fulfillment of Apostle Peter’s prophecy in Acts 2:17-21. The latter rain outpouring is on the horizon and when that is in full swing, I am ready to ascend the steps and fill heaven with my shouts. I saw Pentecost when it was real and I am going to see ======================================================================== CHAPTER 163: WHEN ISRAEL SEES JESUS ======================================================================== When Israel Sees Jesus The saints of God, who have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, should be the most excited people in the world. For almost 2000 years, the church has served the King of the Jews and has been grafted contrary to nature into the True Vine. We are spiritually His chosen people, fulfilling His will by proclaiming the good news of salvation. Our future is star studded. We are going to be His eternal Bride and dwell in the foursquare city of New Jerusalem. Even though we are called a wild olive tree by Apostle Paul, we are not called less than precious by the Lord Jesus Himself. His Gospel message of redemption has been preserved alive by His church and tens of millions have been redeemed from sin. The Scripture states, “For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches” (Romans 11:15-16). For two millenniums, the only message of reconciliation has been declared by His called and chosen saints. Now, in the end of this age, we are about to behold the return of the Jews to the Messiah they rejected and shared in crucifying. These are the very people that God used to preserve the seed of woman until a virgin named Mary could hear God’s voice, be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, and bear the Son of Man to be “Emmanuel, God with us.” Such a moment could not have occurred without the chosen people of Israel. Jesus announced to a sinful Samaritan woman, “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). The Jews were not better than the Gentiles because any Gentile could be redeemed by simply accepting the true God as taught by His people. In fact, two Gentile women were converted, became part of the lineage of the Messiah, and helped preserve the seed of woman. God is no respecter of persons. The Jews were not chosen because they were superior. The only superiority anyone possesses is the result of their being chosen, not the basis of His choices. God alone chose men and women who were pure of heart and willing to follow Him. The result was His chosen people. That was true in the First Testament and it is certainly true in the New Testament. The hour has come for the Jews to be reconciled. Ezekiel spoke of this day for Israel and said, “After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations...” (Ezekiel 38:8). Zechariah spoke of the same day, “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:2). It is impossible to separate what has already happened to Israel from the rest of the story. How quickly the final moments of their spiritual redemption might occur cannot be set, but occur it will. When the Rapture of the saints has transpired, the time of Jacob’s trouble must begin. It will be brutal beyond measure, but the darkness of the hour will only serve to create the spirit of grace in the hearts of those that escape. God Himself will act in that hour. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). As the suffering Jews mourn for their Messiah, He will return to the place of His ascension. It appears that they will see Him on the Mount of Olives or as He enters the Golden Gate of the Temple Mount. What a statement! “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). My imagination fails me to fully describe the glory of this moment. After thousands of years of praying for the Messiah -- only to reject Him when He appeared -- they will look upon Him, see the wounds inflicted at the cross, and will say to Him, “the Lord is my God” (Zechariah 13:9). The church that has sacrificed much -- sent some of its best to die as missionaries on foreign soils, served the King unto death, which was often premature, and fought to win the prize -- should be shouting with joy that His own brethren are soon to be saved. Their literal city, Jerusalem, will escape its present bondage to become the capitol of the whole earth and the palace of the King of Kings. Hope is in the air! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 164: WHEN PREACHING DOES NO GOOD ======================================================================== When Preaching Does No Good The greatest hindrance to the Word of God is unbelief. Most people do not call their unbelief by its proper name. The Biblical idea of unbelief is someone that does not act upon the plain sense of Holy Scripture. Unbelief does not mean that you reject the Word; it means that you do not obey the Word and live by its principles. Such a person is one who hears the Word, knows it is God’s Word, but keeps living like they have never heard what was preached. It is the sad state of most of the church world. This is exactly what happened to the Children of Israel as they marched out of Egypt towards the Promise Land. Read as Apostle Paul describes this hardness of heart that kept these Egyptian escapees in a wilderness forty years, even until they all died. “While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:15-19). This great company, representing God’s chosen people, could not enjoy the great promises by God because they would not live out the faith that He had given them. Their clothes and shoes did not show wear, they ate Heavenly manna, they drank supernaturally supplied water, and even saw the glory of God in the mountain. Yet, they acted like Egyptians serving Horus or another strange god. God’s laws were plain and full of divine life, but they loved their own will better. Because of this, they totally missed the Promise Land flowing with milk and honey. Today, it’s happening all over the church world. The church is full of Egyptian “Christians.” You can change that in your life. Here is God’s invitation, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 4:1-3). This “rest” is a breathtaking word. It means that you have heard what God said, you fully accept the finished work in His every Word, and are surrendered to do the whole truth. Every word of the Bible is “For ever, ... settled in heaven” (Psalms 119:89). The Word of God is a finished system of truth. It is as though what God has said is already done, so you can start living in the finality of faith. Your whole life has settled into surrender and trust because “God said it and that settles it.” The Holy Scripture is the finished work of Christ in final written form. It is His living words just like He is the Incarnate Word. The Bible and Jesus Christ are one and the same. One is written for us to follow and the other is seated at the Father’s right hand to see that it can never fail. If you trust and obey the Word of God, your life will be a picture of the Book of Acts. Please notice that there is no closure of the “Acts of the Apostles;” because it is only finished when He says, “Come up hither.” Scholars -- so-called -- have tampered with the Bible until the argument is over which one to read. The one I read happens to be the exact rendering of the authorized manuscripts, so I treat it like an Infallible Bible. For fifty-seven years it has worked perfectly for me. I’m not going to spend my time arguing, but I can promise that my heart and mind is full of this great truth and it keeps me on a straight path. Here are words in the same chapter that tell us of the supernatural power in God’s perfect truth. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:12-13). With such a Heavenly Bible, I treat it like a paper pope. I can quote it to my heart and peace floods my soul like a river. I use it as a sword when Satan’s imps show up, and they run for cover. When there are needs in my life, I find what has been settled in Heaven by His words and wait for the promise. It is not a life for immature doubters, but a life for the young and old that can obey simple instruction, “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isaiah 35:8). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 165: WHEN THE ANGELS SHALL GATHER THE SAINTS ======================================================================== When The Angels Shall Gather The Saints THE LORD IS COMING WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF HIS ANGELS TO RAPTURE THE SAINTS. ONE OF SATANS MOST IMPORTANT PLANS IS TO STOP THIS MARVELOUS “CATCHING AWAY” OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST. It’s thrilling to consider the innumerable host of these Holy Angels visiting every cemetery in the world to secure every awakened believer in joining the flight to the Heavenly City. They will snatch up every living saint also. When this occurs the unholy angels will still occupy the heavens. It will be an unreal war in the occupied realm of the heavens as this multitude of the Godly are escorted to the Father’s presence. Defeating these unclean spirits will not be our fight but the fight for God’s Angels. Christ’s great body of saints are an awesome company. We live in a period of history when the church has become a disrespected idea. The only crowd of church people that gets attention are the compromised. Heaven’s view of us is totally contrary to the world’s view. Apostle Paul made this clear. “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24) We are God’s elect and soon to reign as kings and governors. There is no greater company of people in God’s world than the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the greatest passages of Scripture on this exciting subject is found in the Book of Jude. The Spirit said, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14-15) The word “saints” in verse 14 was the word “Holy Ones” in the original Textus Receptus Greek. It means all of the Father’s “Holy Ones”, angels as well as saints. The saints will come to get their new bodies while the angels will come to escort and defend the total company of the dead and the living. Apostle Paul spoke of “His mighty Angels” that will come with Christ on that glorious day. “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10) I believe the Lord used the term “mighty angels” because of their great task and power which will be manifest. Jesus Christ spoke of His coming and stated that it would be in the glory of the Father and of the angels and of His own glory. “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) It’s very clear that the display of His Angels shall be magnificent. We shout about His first appearance when He was born but that was only a small display compared to the triumphant return to gather the Bride. It’s impossible if you take the Bible literally, not to see the Lord coming twice, once to rapture the saints, and then to reign for a thousand years. In both instances He comes with a multitude of His Angels. The Rapture we have seen clearly in the scriptures already quoted, but the picture of His Second Coming to reign on earth is also powerful. After the tribulation, Mark describes His return to reign, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” (Mark 13:24-27) What marvelous glory! We all will be a part of this glory if we are raptured up before the hell on earth called the Great Tribulation. The Angels of the Lord have many great tasks. They are ministers to the saints now but their future with Angels is beyond description. After we are escorted to the bridal chamber at the Rapture, the same Angels will proceed to clean up the heavens of Satan’s dominion. The Angels are wonderfully involved in the Seven Years of purifying this earth. The Angels will gather the Jews back to Israel after the time of Jacob’s Trouble. Jacob’s Trouble is the same period as the Great Tribulation to the world. The Host of Angels are clearly ready for their many tasks but none so important as gathering God’s chosen, both His Bride and His chosen nation. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 166: WHEN THE RESTRAINER IS GONE ======================================================================== When The Restrainer Is Gone There is only one power that is protecting our world from a cataclysmic upheaval. The world is on the verge of a baptism of wickedness and filth. Marriage between men and women will shortly become obsolete. Fundamental Christianity will be forbidden. Anyone claiming Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will be put to death. The Sovereign power that holds all of this horror at bay is the person of the Holy Ghost. One of the offices of the Holy Ghost is “the restrainer of the Antichrist’s mastery.” When the Spirit is removed, all hell will be unfettered and loosed. God the Father is the “mind” of this universe. God the Son is the “Word” and “Words of God” -- both in person and in the spoken Word. God the Holy Ghost is the “supernatural action and right hand of power” of this awesome Trinity. From the beginning of Creation to this moment, the Holy Spirit has restrained Lucifer in his design to become “god.” A spirit of Antichrist or anti-God has battled against the Eternal Father from the moment of Satan’s fall. The office of the Holy Ghost has served to restrain the devil and he is on a leash. The Holy Ghost holds him at arm’s length. Let’s establish this Supernatural Person in His restraining position. When the Father thought to create man and his domain called earth, all the Trinity went into action. The Father’s “mind” formed the plan, the Son spoke, “Let there be light,” and the “Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2). Darkness was put to flight and a formless expanse exploded into a “world enclosed with its own heaven.” While the Son of God spoke great creative words, the Holy Spirit gave creative powers to those words, and a beautiful world came into being. Darkness could not master these creative thoughts because the “Word” gave them wind and the “Spirit” gave them protection and action. Time after time and experience after experience, the Holy Spirit held all resistance in defeat. Satan could never destroy anything or anyone that rested in the Spirit’s victory. Isaiah voiced the perfect picture of the actions of the Holy Spirit. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19 b). When the Holy Ghost moves, the results are settled. He is infinite and omnipotent. The Second Testament is absolutely potent with Holy Ghost powers. Jesus Christ put His Divine nature on hold and was anointed by the Holy Ghost for every act of His redeeming triumph. The only begotten Son could have acted in His Divine nature at any moment, but had no need because the Spirit was upon Him in His fullness. The Bible spoke of this anointing of Jesus Christ by the Spirit as being “without measure” (John 3:34). The church was required to wait for the Spirit’s Baptism before one sermon was preached. “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:29). Now that we understand this Divine plan of the Spirit’s empowerment and restraining activities, we can rightly understand His removal back to the throne of God. When the Restrainer is gone, Satan will have his first “free reign” on man and on this earth. For a limited time, Satan will turn this earth into a wilderness. It will be hell on earth. Everything of order and every principle of the Creator will be reversed. Satan will present himself in a “fog of divinity” and mankind will herald him to a god-like stature. It will be a wild ride to hell. The second letter to the Thessalonians makes this prophecy come alive. First, the Apostle Paul speaks of our gathering together unto Him and then of the developing picture of the world after the Rapture of His saints. The Apostle by the Spirit warned us, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). This plainly speaks of a person, the Restrainer, and declares the Antichrist helpless until that Restrainer is removed. The Bible interprets the Bible and no one can change an established truth. The Restrainer has never been anyone but the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit does not cease to be the Spirit of life in this world, but He does cease temporarily to be the Restrainer of all satanic darkness. The Pentecostal era ends but His life-giving presence continues. The Sevenfold person of the third member of the Trinity is seen around the Throne with the twenty elders or the Bride of Christ (Revelation 4:5). Satan is clearly given a short period (almost seven years) to have his last try at godhood. He will produce a false “Christ” and a false spirit, and his unholy trinity will spring into action. The false church from Rome, America, and the religious centers of every apostate organization will unite with a false prophet to give wind to the new godhood. A revival of false signs, wonders, and incredible miracles will occur. It will be a religious revival that cannot be discerned except by a Bible believing fundamentalist. There will be an identification plan to give continuity to this “One World Church.” A new baptism will be required and a “Mark” of pride in this conversion will be applied to everyone. Tattoos for religious identification are already exploding and it will be the joy of the crowd. This financially rich religious explosion will offer discounts and instant acceptance to everyone bearing the sign of membership. Those that reject this sign of membership and those that reject this move of “god” will not be able to buy or sell and will be put to death. It will be a free ride until the Antichrist and his government decides they do not need this religious option any longer. Rome will then be burned as the first sign that the false revival is over. “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the be ast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire” (Revelation 17:16). There is no excuse for anyone to be here after the “Restrainer is removed.” The Blood-washed, overcoming saints, will be gone at any moment. There is still hope for you to surrender unconditionally to Jesus Christ. HE waits for the “precious fruit of the earth…” Turn wholly to Him today. Sent weekly from the ministry of the Paw Creek Church and media outreach. This article can be freely used, reprinted, made available on Internet, or used as a sermon note. We would appreciate it if you would always put the source and our web page information if placed on Internet or printed in a publication. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 167: WHEN WE SEE JESUS IN MIDAIR ======================================================================== When We See Jesus in Midair There has never been a more spectacular sight than when we see Jesus Calling for His Bride! I’ve been reading about the ancient city of Alexandria before the time of Christ. Their great drama of pageantry marching down the Ceremony Boulevard called “Canopic Way” appeared and sounded from another world. Yet nothing of human history will match seeing the great Bridegroom with His innumerable Living Creatures, Cherubims and Seraphims plus the host of heaven descend from Heavenly Jerusalem. The sky will dazzle with beauty beyond the pale of this world system. Every expression of Heaven’s beauty will be manifest in this long prophesied moment. David spoke by the Holy Spirit of the Rapture and Christ’s appearance with the following words, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the Ivory places, whereby they have made thee glad.” (Psalms 45:8) That great city that Apostle Paul declared an unnamed man (Actually himself) had seen will be gleaming in the backdrop. He spoke of it as in the third heavens and our Bible indicates that the second heavens will vanish so this city of Ivory will be gleaming in the sky. This Apostle had never lacked for words but was rendered incapable of describing the glory he witnessed. He would not allow himself to identify that he was the man to behold such splendor.“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body: I cannot tell; whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body: I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.” (2 Corinthians 12:2-5) We must believe that all the matchless glory of Heaven will accompany this eternal Son of God as the Father sends Him to possess His Raptured Bride. There has never been an entourage as will accompany this Triumphant King. He keeps His promise to His disciples. “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3) We will not view Him as the Son of man, but as both Son of Man and Son of God. He will be clothed in the glory He had with the Father before this world began. “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:5) When He descends to meet His Bride we will see the same glory that John saw in the first chapter of Revelation. Listen as John describes the details of his vision and drama that was revealed to him. “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” (Revelations 1:12-13) The Son of God was given a name which is above every name by His Father and the first title was that of the Eternal High Priest that dwells in the Holy of Holies. The beauty of this office is far superior to an earthly priest and His attire was witness to the same. “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.” (Revelations 1:14-15) He is the ancient of days and His entire person is clothed with a manifestation of the Divine that we as earthly souls cannot grasp. When we see Him this state of His being will startle us to speechlessness. His knowledge of us will make every weakness magnified a thousand times. The only grace that can stand before Him will be Divine Grace. His voice will sound like a thousand orchestras. Beauty and clarity will be of a Divine quality. When careless people talk of going in this Rapture they know nothing of the true reality of His Holiness. There is a multitude of people that talk of this event like it is just another party or earthly celebration. This hour will be the culmination of six thousand years of prophecy and it will be a moment of sheer splendor for the righteousness, but unsurpassed terror for the impure and sinful. The foolish virgins will be left with nothing but a sad knocking on a closed door. The very atmosphere of this Glorious day will be full of awesome righteousness. The wicked will search for a hiding place. We will see Him as He is and His glory will leave no doubt of His external plans for His own. Jesus Christ Himself prophesied, “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:27) The midair above us will be the Hallelujah Boulevard where the Bridegroom will appear with His Heavenly entourage. The unholy will flee in terror while the righteous arise to join the grandeur. One writer spoke of the righteous dead being as “dust that sings”. Paul said of the living saints, “The mortal shall put on immortality.” Ready or not, here He comes! ======================================================================== CHAPTER 168: WHY JESUS HEALS THE SICK ======================================================================== Why Jesus Heals the Sick How important is your physical body? Apostle Paul stated, “…your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19 b). That’s powerful, but in speaking to the Ephesians he made another statement that is even more incredible, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” (Ephesians 5:30). Every born again believer is the temple of the Holy Ghost; but, we are also “flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone.” You cannot interpret the words to the Ephesian Christians in any other fashion. Being members of His flesh and bones mean that we are His extension and representative in our world or should I say, “His world.” In writing to the Corinthians Paul enlarged on His dependency of us as His ambassadors in the world. In five verses he described us by several fantastic names or statements. We are “new creatures” and have the “ministry of reconciliation.” He hath committed to us “the word of reconciliation,” we are ambassadors for Christ, and we pray in Christ’s stead for others to be reconciled to God. We have been made “the righteousness of God in Him.” Read it for yourself, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). We are not junk. When our Creator designed us, He breathed into our nostrils the breath (spirit) of life so that we became a living soul, He then stated, “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31 a). The phrase, “living soul,” is an incredible description of the human personality. It carries the meaning of health, prosperity, vitality, and life as given by God. It is clearly the opposite of death, disease, and destruction. The only hindrance to this great life is the principle of sin and Jesus came to destroy the works of that principle and its originator, Satan. (1 John 3:8) The Psalmist stated, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalms 139:14). We are a tremendous creation. God created us as His family. Our bodies are uniquely designed and have the capacity to possess the very Spirit of God. We are indeed “…of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). He, also, stated, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). You are important to the Lord! And the Word (Jesus) Was Made Flesh Nothing Jesus said or did can emphasize the importance of human flesh and bones more than the fact that He partook of the same. God, the Son, actually left the glory of the Father to descend into the human family and become a servant for redemption. My soul always flashes with excitement when I read, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Divine Son, Who became human flesh, literally fills the Book of Hebrews. Paul stated, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). You cannot show your love for anything more than to descend into that state. He came for one reason and He stated it as the following, “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you’” (Luke 22:19). Jesus chose a human body by which to minister and redeem mankind. Our sanctification is accomplished by His body. The Holy Scripture teaches that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Paul quoted Jesus as saying, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God,” and added, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:9-10). He had to come in a body. Now, He needs your body to continue His works. He Bought Your Body Redemption is not head knowledge, but a heart transplant. We actually become new creatures and give up all rights to ourselves. We become His flesh, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). This may sound restricting to selfish and self-centered people; but, to the child of God it’s our liberty. Because we are “flesh of His flesh,” our body becomes of intrinsic value. This is the basis for true Biblical teaching in divine healing. If we are “flesh of His flesh,” we then partake of all His life and sit together with Him in Heavenly places. The Holy Spirit that anointed Jesus has now been given to anoint us. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, but He was never overcome with disease. His very presence was so full of life that sickness, torment, vexation, and demons fled as He approached or spoke. Now, we are told by Apostle Paul, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Our security is in our submission. If we are in control we must use human methods to protect or heal ourselves. If He is in control, He protects and heals. There is no divine healing for ourselves — as we minister Jesus to others — until we are “flesh of His flesh.” He saved you for Himself. He delivers you from sin so that He has another body for His Holy Ghost to dwell. He now fills you with His Holy Ghost that your body may be His place of revelation. He wants to reveal Himself to your family, neighbors, working friends, and everyone you meet. You are His ambassador. The Holy Book says, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13). He wants His body healed, healthy, and victorious. It is easy to understand that we are “flesh of His flesh.” When He sent out the seventy, they returned rejoicing that the devils were subject unto them. Jesus then said, “…I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:18-20). Notice these words, “Nothing shall by any means hurt you.” But, sir, you say, I know of this person and that person who died with cancer, or was killed in a car wreck, or fell dead of a heart attack. Don’t judge God’s promises by the experiences you witnessed or the doubts that fill our churches. There have been so many extremes in the religious world that we have forgotten the promises of Jesus Christ. Let’s find the center of God’s Word and live right there. The Holy Ghost said, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). That settles it. “By whose stripes ye were (past tense) healed.” It is finished, done, accomplished, and doesn’t need anything but your embrace of faith. As a child of God ye are “flesh of His flesh” and He wants you witnessing to your world of His sufficiency in all things. By the Spirit the Psalmist said, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases” (Psalms 103:1-3). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 169: YIELDING OURSELVES TO HIS SPIRIT ======================================================================== Yielding Ourselves to His Spirit The distinction of Bible Days from our Modern Church World can be found in the truth of the “yielded life.” God, our Father, or His Son, Jesus Christ, never forces themselves on anyone. The early church apostles learned to be utterly yielded and to live in this state of mind from Christ’s life and teachings. All that was required for exceptional miracles was an inward prompting by His Spirit. There were many wonderful occurrences where supernatural things happened. In chapter three of the Book of Acts a man, who was lame from birth, was perfectly restored. He had spent his life being carried to some places where religious people could share a few pence. Then, Peter and John — recently filled with the Pentecostal Baptism – came by his way. Peter was prompted by the Holy Spirit to tell the man, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give 1Thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6 b). Peter was not acting on his own accord, but neither was he a robot. Peter had to yield himself to obey the Spirit’s prompting. Here were men so full of the Holy Ghost that they became partners with God in a supernatural miracle. That’s the Biblical meaning of being yielded to the Spirit and His purpose in our lives. It is not flesh taking control of God, but God taking control of a life that is wholly yielded to Him. When the Bible speaks about our partnership with God, it must be connected to a life that is no longer ruled by the flesh. Pride cannot be a partner with God. Selfish pursuits to claim the great promises of God will fail every time. His miracles and promises cannot be stopped when He is allowed total Lordship that is for His glory alone. We live in a day of almost total sociological dominance. Nearly every expression of human thoughts or human dreams is connected to what we want, need, or desire to get. The Church World has been so humanized that we cannot think outside the box of self. Utter abandonment to God has become so elusive that we despair in dreaming of such surrender. Even when we do dream of such devotion to Him, we are so surrounded by the comforts of modern life that our flesh feels helpless to give up all of self. How can we become such a zero that He alone is one hundred percent? We may be down to ten percent, but that means He is still only ninety percent. He will not accept such rebellion. I’m convinced that our Father is looking for this kind of surrender and abandonment of self, so that He can possess a modern Moses, a modern Abraham, a modern Paul, or a modern John Wesley. There are many godly disciples that he is using; however, His call is for an army of dead (crucified) saints. Apostle Paul was such a man and he admitted his abandonment before God in his declaration, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31 b). No other dedication was sufficient for God to make him His partner in the supernatural. The Holy Spirit is a person, fully God and absolutely holy. He cannot abide, much less control, a compromised vessel. This generation knows very little of such a Holy God, who is the complete Lord of their life. This is the driving force of a “Spirit-filled church.” Apostle Paul prophesied by the Spirit, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). He further stated, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:17). The exceeding glory that filled the tabernacle in the wilderness when Moses dedicated it to God is the same glory that the Holy Spirit provides to the church. When Solomon and the priest gave the golden temple — built at a value far exceeding billions in today’s worth — in dedication, the Shekhinah of God appeared beyond description. The priests could not continue their sacrifices because of the glory of God in that place. Without question, that same Holy Ghost is exactly what God desires with which to flood the totally surrendered life. The apostle to the Gentiles said, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:6-9). We have no right to suggest that this anointing of God is no longer available. It is not God’s Holy Ghost that is not available; it is the utterly yielded vessels that are missing. A yielded vessel is not the work of flesh. We do not earn this glory by good works. It is the grace of righteousness that Christ willingly imputes and imparts to the soul that surrenders all to Him. We earn nothing, but He imparts His gifts when we give up all of self for the “Pearl of Great Price” (Matthew 13:46). ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/chambers-joseph-writings-of-joseph-chambers/ ========================================================================