Endview

Israel National Library uploads trove of Newton's theological tracts - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

2012-02-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

Israel National Library uploads trove of Newton's theological tracts - Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News

The apostle Paul wrote that a partial hardening of the Jews had occurred until the fullness of the Gentiles could be brought in to the faith, and (he writes) "so all Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:24-27). As the article above indicates, are we witnessing the LORD preparing His chosen people to receive Jesus Messiah (Yeshua HaMashiach) when He returns (Zech. 14:4, 9; Acts 1:11)?

Radio: 18 Similarities Between the False Church in Nazi Germany and The Growing False, Global Church of Today

2012-02-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

Howse gives an excellent radio talk about similarities with the Nazi's "Church," and the growing mystical, social gospel which has a form of godliness, but denies its' power.

Radio: 18 Similarities Between the False Church in Nazi Germany and The Growing False, Global Church of Today

Revelation 17:1-6: 1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality." 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, 5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.

10 Things That Every American Should Know About The Federal Reserve

2012-02-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Michael Synder at the Economic Collapse Blog tells us 10 things, that if eveyr sane Ameircan knew, they would demand the Federal Reserve close down and give authority of our economy back over to the American people.

10 Things That Every American Should Know About The Federal Reserve

Netanyahu: Iran behind attack on Israeli officials in New Delhi - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

2012-02-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

Iran is busy attacking Israel, by proxy attacks being carried out at Israeli embassises, against diplomats and citizens around the world.

Netanyahu: Iran behind attack on Israeli officials in New Delhi - Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News

Fast Facts on the Bible's Amazing Prophecies

2012-02-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Fast Facts on the Bible's Amazing Prophecies

The above link sets out some quick insight as to just how significant Prophecies are to the Christian faith.

The Watchers Pt 3 --L.A. Marzulli- Fingerprints of the Supernatural

2012-02-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

John Piper Comments About "Reverend" Lauren Winner

2012-02-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

Christine Pack, of Sola Sisters, writes another telling blog about Pastor John Piper and the increasingly alarming signs he is giving that are out of line with his reformed, orthodox past ministry.

John Piper Comments About "Reverend" Lauren Winner

Rescuers dig to reach dozens trapped by landslides after 6.9 quake shakes Philippines - 680News

2012-02-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Rescuers dig to reach dozens trapped by landslides after 6.9 quake shakes Philippines - 680News

The Phillipines has been hit by a 6.9 magnitude quake, Europe is feeling the hit of winter, and Australia has been suffering more flooding. The scriptures declare:

Romans 8:19-23 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

Israel's Silent March to War With Iran – Forward.com

2012-02-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Israel's Silent March to War With Iran – Forward.com Larry Derfner talks about the street chatter heard in Israel about war. Here's a short excerpt:

So what is there for the public to think about? Either the Americans are going to bomb Iran and we’ll catch the blowback, or we’ll do it ourselves and we’ll catch the blowback. We certainly can’t let the Iranians get the bomb — they’re Nazis, they’re Shaheeds, they all want to die, they’re having kids and going to work and investing their money with one thing in mind: annihilating the Jews, after which the Jews will annihilate them, all 75 million of them, and they’ll all go to heaven and get their 72 virgins each. We can’t let these kinds of people have nuclear weapons. Only us. Read more: http://www.forward.com/articles/150910/#ixzz1liE6kcBL

Israel, a land of Milk and Honey

2012-02-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

This video at CBN shows us how Israel is indeed a "land of milk and honey" just as the Bible says it will be in the last days when God regathers His people to the land.

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250

Blueprints and Computer Animation of the Sanhedrin Chamber of Hewn Stone

2012-02-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

THE DISARMAMENT OF AMERICA PART 2

2012-01-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

THE DISARMAMENT OF AMERICA PART 2

The above link has an article telling how "in September 1951, the World Association of Parliamentarians for World Government (WAPWG) was founded (Clark's 1958 co-author Lewis Sohn would be a legal consultant to the organization)." And it goes on to document just how this organization has worked behind the scenes right up to the present day.

God's holy Word tells us that in the last days the Revived Roman Empire will rise up and have global authority, along with a global religion and currency. Everything is almost in place.

Ezekiel 35, the Arab – Israeli War before Ezekiel 38

2012-01-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Bill Salus, Bible prophecy teacher, shares with us how this soon coming war with the Arabs and Israel is spoken of in Ezekiel 35 and seemingly appears to be the same one spoken of in Psalm 83, where, both of these battles spoken of in scripture declares Yahweh's victory over false religion and the enemies of His chosen people Israel.

Ezekiel 35, the Arab – Israeli War before Ezekiel 38

Hypocrisy Reaches New Heights in The Elephant Room

2012-01-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Christine Pack, of Sola Sisters, brings some light on the apostisization of the Evangelical church, and some events that recently occured in NC.

Hypocrisy Reaches New Heights in The Elephant Room

My Happy Confession of Having No Merit

2012-01-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

My Happy Confession of Having No Merit

Piper Tweets What? What is John Piper talking about? Allah is Satan and Allah is not known and loved through the crucified and risen Christ

2012-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

Piper Tweets What? What is John Piper talking about? Allah is Satan and Allah is not known and loved through the crucified and risen Christ

John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church clearly spells out the issue. This is something I try to show to my readers through articles or blogs I post and tie it to scripture. How may Piper make such a statement?
Islam rejects that Jesus is the Son of the living God, who is God Himself, the second person of the holy Trinity, but the Bible tells us:

1 John 5:11-13 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

This is the theme of the gospels (Injil) and the entire New Testament. A faith that rejects Jesus Christ as the Biblically revealed 'lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,' is not compatible with the Christian faith. This is a false gospel, and Islam has no guarantee of salvation. You must keep the 5 pillars of Islam, this is salvation-by-works. The Bible teaches salvation is by "grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). Anything that teaches differently, the Bible teaches is a false-gospel, leading to eternal damnation (Gal. 1:8-9).

In fact, every religion in the world teaches a form of salvation by works. It is achieved by something we can do. Christianity tells us that the heart is wicked and deceitful beyond cure, who can understand it (Jer. 17:9) and that even are good works are like filthy rags to Yahweh (Is. 64:6), so there is no hope of being saved. For since we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), every human on earth and througout history is justly condemned to eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), so we can only receive salvation as a gracious gift by faith in the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Fatah's Top Religious Authority Calls for Genocide of Jews

2012-01-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

Fatah's Top Religious Authority Calls for Genocide of Jews

In the article of the above link, the Muslims are again telling of the real goal of Islam, the destruction of the Jewish people? What kind of religion could call for the extermination of an entire race of people, and claim to be from God, or is it rather from the god of this world (Eph. 3:2; 1 Jn. 5:19) who is pictured as a dragon that is enraged at and wants to destroy the nation of Israel, because they are the LORD's chosen people to bring redemption to the earth.

Ephesians 1:13-14 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Manufacturers' next growth market: Iraq - In Other News - Crain's Chicago Business

2012-01-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

The Bible tells us that in the last days, Babylon will play a great role in the abominations (idolatries, religions, immoralities) of the last days.

Revelation 16:18-21 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.

Manufacturers' next growth market: Iraq - In Other News - Crain's Chicago Business

Looks like we can see another Biblical prophecy, inspired by the Spirit of Yahweh, being fulfilled. Should we be suprised? Jesus said of the Old Testament (a.k.a. Tanakh), "Your word, O LORD, is truth." Jn. 17:17

What You Can Expect in 2012

2011-12-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

What You Can Expect in 2012

In the above article, Gary Kah lays out the developments underway and the things that you can expect to see take place in 2012. Gary has access to a world most of us cannot get into. 2012 is going to be a significant time of change for the formation of the fourth beast in Dan. 7:7, 19 and of the harlot that rides atop that beast (Rev. 17:4-6).

Have you made provision to be counted among Yahweh's elect? (Rom. 10:9, 10, 13)

On Declaring the Return/Sounding the Alarm!

2011-12-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

Christianity in America has for so long enjoyed a dominant/favored status among the population and culture, and a favored relationship with the U.S. government. Because Christianity has been so widespread, and for years, almost considered one with American culture, the large majorities of those in American churches attended church, took part in church programs and classes, and were satisfied with their Christianity. If someone went out to the streets to witness to others in the streets, and proclaiming God’s word, or traded their well-paying job to go serve others and be involved in a non-profit ministry, you were seen as a radical flame or a good, but unusual believer on the extremities of the faith. Persecution came to be seen as something that occurred in other parts of the world, but not America. Pretty soon, we came to understand that to be born in America, was to be born Christian.

But the question is, is that Biblical? Is that the Biblical picture we see of Christianity? The apostle Peter tells us that for “everyone who wants to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). There’s no ifs ands or buts about it. Peter, inspired by the Spirit of Christ Jesus Himself, tells us that we will be persecuted if we seek to follow Christ.

This should not surprise us. Why? Because the Bible tells us that man in his natural, sinful state, is an enemy to God and his ways, that he is hostile to God (Rom 5:10, 8:7). So of course he is going to be hostile to those who have the Spirit of God in them (Rom 8:14). The Bible also tells us that Satan is the spirit that is at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2), and that he is in control of the world system in which we live (1 John 5:19). So by the very fact that we have the Spirit of the living God in us, enrages him. But he can do nothing to us except tempt us, and take what areas of our life we allow him to have through our indifference or sin. For Jesus, the Son of the living God, gave his followers authority over the evil one and every unclean (i.e. unholy, demon) spirit (Matt. 10:1).

The Bible does not give a rosy picture of life for the believer, especially for the generation living before Christ returns. Paul, writing to Timothy, says, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.” 2 Tim.3:1-5

If you have been paying attention, this describes to a ‘T’ the times that we are living in. Why would the Lord have Paul include this, unless He wanted His followers to know it? Just as the Jews were set apart from the nations of the world, so His people in the church age are set apart by the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), but the characteristics listed in Gal. 5:19-21 and in 2 Tim. 3:1-5 are the marks of those who do not know Christ as their God and Savior.

The LORD also tells His people of events that he has declared from long ago, that will mark the last times. And often the prophets of God were persecuted when they declared God’s word. They were seen as ‘troublers’ or ‘gloom and doom’ prophets, but they had to be obedient to God’s word. The prophet Amos had this to say: Amos 5:18 18 Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, For what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light;

The prophet Joel records: Joel 2:1-2 For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, 2 A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.

Jesus tells his followers of events to take place in the world before His return and the close of the age. All these events are happening around us. The Jews were brought back to Israel in fulfillment of the prophecies given in Ezekiel 36 and 37, God has moved Egyptian against Egyptian according to His word in Isaiah 19, the nations are gathering against Israel for war as described in Psalm 83, Magog, Persia and the other Muslim nations are aligning politically and arming themselves for the Battle of Magog in Ezekiel 38. Politically, the governments are moving themselves together, creating unions to bring about the final, one-world union prophesied in Daniel 7:7, 19ff.

The LORD promised the Jews through Moses, before first entering the Promised Land, that He was going to exile them among the nations for their disobedience to His covenant in the Torah (Deut. 30:1). This happened, and they were scattered to the ends of the earth for almost two thousand years. The apostle Peter tells us in 2 Ptr. 3:8 that “a thousand years a like a day to the Lord.” The LORD spoke in Hosea: Hosea 6:2 2 "He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him.

The prophet Amos said it well: Amos 3:8 8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy? When we see and discern these things, who can but preach? What is the goal of the Christian faith, if not the realization of Biblical Judaism, the reigning on earth of God’s Messiah (Zech 14:9; Dan. 7:14, 27).

In preaching and proclaiming that all these events are taking place is not a gloom and doom mindset. These are events that the LORD told us must take place before His coming. We believe that God is good, and that everything that He does is good. So many of us grew up in the era (and in fact, live in a continuation of it) where we are told, “God has a wonderful plan for your life!” Ultimately, if you’re elect, God’ does have a wonderful plan for your life, to live and reign with the Messiah, but in the meantime, that plan means persecution on this side, and possibly death. What did the apostle Paul say about this? “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:10-11).

“Rejoice in the LORD always, I will say it again, rejoice!” Phil. 3:1

“And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those that love him, who are called according to His purpose.” Rom. 8:28

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).

Perspective: Tebow exposes the left's religious bigotry (OneNewsNow.com)

2011-12-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Perspective: Tebow exposes the left's religious bigotry (OneNewsNow.com)

This article offers a great analysis of the motivation behind all the Tebow hatred that is taking place.

Visit of the Magi

2011-12-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

This is a lesson I made up for the youth. The reason the Magi, these "king-makers" came to worship and honor the King of kings, is because they were familiar with the writings of the Hebrew prophets via the exiled Jews living in Babylon. It seems like there is so often a disdain by a certain segment of those even in the Church, of "end-time prophecies"! These same prophecies brought the Magi to worship the arrival of Earth's true King. And these prophecies, words of God, only a portion were fulfilled in the first coming of Mashiach (Messiah). As we celebrate the birth of Christ (Messiah) this year, and so much fear is in the air about the future, let us remember and strive to study the word of God, as the remainder of these prophecies are being fulfilled in our very day.

Why did the Wise men travel to visit Jesus?

What scripture did they quote to tell about Jesus being born? (Mich 5:2; Ezek. 34:23)

So these guys knew the Hebrew prophets! How? Remember, the Jews were punished by God and taken captive by the Chaldeans into Babylon. These wise men or magi were from that area.

Did you know other prophesies were made about the coming Messiah? Because those were pretty specific about his birth place and life.

We looked at one this morning in the sermon. Isaiah 9:1-7; - ruler of Israel, also mighty God (El Gibbor)

Isaiah 7:14- ‘maiden’ (almah) – premarried girl, i.e., a virgin - virgin birth

Genesis 49:18 – “I wait for your ‘Yeshua’ O LORD!”

Ps. 22:14-18 – Foretells crucifixion 700 years before it was known to the Jews

Isaiah 53:3-5 – rejected by man, a man of sorrows, who bore our sin (iniquities).

So why were the wise men wise men?

If all religions lead to the same God, why did they take a three month trek through the desert fighting sandstorms, snakes, scorpions, lions and heat to find Jesus?

Couldn’t they be fine worshipping one of the gods of their homeland?

Why is Jesus the only way to be ‘saved’? Acts 4:12; John 3:16-18; John 14:6

Is The Fourth Beast Emerging?

2011-12-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

Daniel 7:7 7 "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

This beast (or kingdom) is practically in place now. Because the U.S. has been such an economic giant historically, it had to be taken out of the way, and that's what this whole sub-prime mortgage crash and corruption with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has been about, the inflation and devaluation of American currency. Because America runs on a credit system that it was bound to crash at some point. And they've been working for that day, not conspiratorially, but openly. And the latest development is the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act, by which the government can arrest and detain any American citizen they deem a 'terrorist' and hold them in detention indefinitely.

The Bible declares hard times for the end days... and we are upon them. Begin storing up food to carry you through a couple of weeks and water to drink. An informative, conservative, Biblical site that is a good resource in understanding all that has been and is going on, is www.arewelivinginthelastdays.com.

The important thing for us as believers to remember is that God is in control and accomplishing His will for humanity and all creation.

And those who have been born again (spiritually made alive to God) through faith in Christ alone, and no other god or Deity or system to which they have made vows and oaths. Only those who follow Christ alone by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:21 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Christopher Hitchens is no Longer an Atheist

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

What a stark reminder of the truth, to man it is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment. (Heb. 9:27). Christopher Hitchens is no longer an atheist.

Christopher Hitchens is no Longer an Atheist

Criticism of Islam Could Soon be a Crime in America

2011-12-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

Criticism of Islam Could Soon be a Crime in America

Americans have lost their freedoms, and more is on the way. The next world government to take control will devour with its teeth, and trample the rest with its feet (Dan. 7:7).

Test Yourself: Are You Lukewarm?

2011-12-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

A great little blog post at DesiringGod.org/blog...

Test Yourself: Are You Lukewarm?

Commentary on Aaron Russo video

2011-12-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

I have written a response to the interview with Aaron Russo, and his insight into 9/11, government corruption, RFID chipping, and the formation of the one world government, found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGAaPjqdbgQ

This is a response to the Aaron Russo video. I think he's a got a lot of good info on there, but I also see that he does not have a Biblical approach, and he's missing the overall endtime scenario. I do think there is a group of American/European elites who are controlling and moving things together under their control into a global union, or government. But I also see Islam playing a part in it to, trying to accomplish a global Caliphate and worldwide Islam under sharia law. The church of Rome, we also see pushing for an authoritative centralized world bank and one-world religion. I think the evil one has several fronts that he's working from, not just one, to bring about his end time regime.

It seems like the "radical" or orthodox Muslim sects are largely going to be wiped out through the battles with Israel (Ps. 83; Isa. 17:1; Ezek. 38). This is going to leave a predominately 'moderate' Muslim populace in the world, and I know the pope has been in communication with Muslim leaders, seeking to bring everyone together in "one faith." It may be completely true that 9/11 was set up by the controlling parties or not... I definitely think that we have to keep our eyes on the bigger scenario. I know in Dan. 11:40-45, it speaks of the one-world king having to fight wars, with the king of the south and others. I expect, with the regional countries there being primarily Islamic, even under the global rule of Antichrist, there will still be some Muslim infighting till the end.

The evil one has to be recognized on all fronts where he is working, and Islam is set up as a photo negative of Christianity for the last days, so I'm pretty sure that it will play a massive role in the coming deception of the world-teacher and his prophet.

Worldview Weekend - Rise of Antichrist and who's laying the foundation for his Arrival

2011-12-03T15:55:00.000-08:00

Brannon Howse has an excellent interview with Jimmy DeYoung about the rise of the coming Antichrist and who are laying the foundation for his coming. The person mentioned makes a lot of sense and is very well in the situatoin where he might be able to step into that role. Time will tell.

http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-tube/video.php?videoid=4469

What is the role of an elder?

2011-11-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

In the church today, there is much confusion over who has the authority within the church, or what the Biblical model of governance looks like. In this article from Desiring God, pastor John Piper lays out succinctly what the Bible teaches concerning the role of an elder/overseer/bishop/pastor.

What is the role of an elder?

A Pastor's lament on Twilight

2011-11-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

This movie seems to be taking America, and our youth by storm. And it seems strongly appealing to women, because of its strong message on Romance and the theme of validation of personhood. But are the answers it's giving really Biblical? And what of the occult nature of the film, is it okay for Christians to watch and enjoy, or to be obsessed with such a topic?

Some people will make the case that Twilight is simply fantasy. Fantasy is a powerful thing, because it engages the person's imagination and feelings, and now with movie media, it may employ fantastical effects and music, which manipulates the emotions. Many of today's movies and TV series employ the use of these computerized effects with music to manipulate the audience and bring them in line with the message of the movie. And emotions are a powerful thing.

Some may make the case that Twilight is no different than C.S. Lewis' use of fantasy. But here's where the difference lies, in Lewis' chronicles of Narnia, they employ analogies to convey Biblical, spiritual truths to children, as Aslan was an accurate analogy of Christ dying for the sins of Edmund (the world; Jn. 3:16). But Twilight is using occult ritual, belief and lore to teach about the "un-dead," those cursed to live an eternal darkness, yet it is portrayed in the movies as being a good thing to be on the side of darkness and eternally accursed (Is. 5:20)!

Wicca is known to be one of the fastest growing religions in America today. Our kids' exposure/desensitization to witchcraft/sorcery and magic that has appeared exponentially on TV shows today. It's one of Satan's tools, people are indoctrinated through movies.

"We know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." 1 Jn. 5:19

"in which you formerly walked, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." Eph. 2:2

These verses tell us that Satan controls the world (remember when he offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world), and that he is presently working in the world.

Acts 19 speaks of when Paul was in Ephesus, a great center for witchcraft, sorcery and astrology, and tells how in verse Acts 19:19, a mass number of Christians who had not yet renounced witchcraft renounced and burnt their magical papyri, totalling 50,000 days wages. Even though this people had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, and were now indwelt with the holy spirit, they had not renounced their association with or practice of witchcraft, of 'daimon guides,' who were spirits that took up residence within the people, and brought other daimons in the name of serving the practitioner. After seeing the failed attempt of an exorcism performed by non-believers in the name of Jesus, the believers saw the reality of the message of Christ, and of His complete authority over demons (by their own admission), they then renounced and burnt their books which instructed them in the ways of the demonic.1

The Apostle Peter warns believers: "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert, your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Ptr. 5:8).

Why would Peter need to warn believers about being devoured by Satan? Wasn't he defeated on the cross? Don't they have the Holy Spirit in them? How does Peter, being inspired by the Spirit (2 Ptr. 1:21) write this for believers? Clearly there is a danger for believers to be 'devoured' by Satan. Or what about the man handed over to Satan for the destruction of His flesh but the salvation of his soul?

Some say that the Twilight series is just harmless fantasy. Pornography is also fantasy. Is it okay for a Christian man to enjoy pornography? Any believer would clearly say no. There have cases where people have received demons through their involvement with viewing/delighting in pornography. How is that different from viewing/delighting in a movie about occultic creatures, such as Vampires (the eternally damned, unchristian) who twist and pervert the truth.

What does scripture state about our entertainment choices, upon which we are to think/"dwell on"?

Philippians 4:8

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Does this fit the Twilight movies? Is this something we would watch for entertainment with Jesus? I'm not trying to anger anyone, but get people to think through the issues.

I am trying to warn against something that is quickly sweeping through the church. What happens when church leadership embraces the demonic? Is God pleased with such things?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

For His people, the Church, God commands us to come out and be separate. He doesn't tell us it's okay to enjoy movies about Satanic rituals and child sacrifice. What agreement does light have with darkness? what agreement does Christ have with Belial? "Come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord.

1 John 5:20-21

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. ²¹ Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Footnote:
1 Arnold, Clinton E., 3 Crucial Questions about Spiritual Warfare. Baker Books: Grand Rapids. 1997. p. 91-92.

"[O]ne magical text explains how to perform a ritual in which "a daimon comes as an assistant who will eat and sleep with you." This being is then described as "a god; he is an aerial spirit which you have seen." Once the door is opened, others invade the life of the person: "He will quickly bring daimons [for a banquet], and for you he will adorn these servants with sashes. These things he does quickly."... If prior to, and even subsequent to, their conversion, believers in Ephesus were engaging in this sort of magic - summoning spirits and inviting them into their lives - how would the apostle Paul have responded? Surely he was not blind to this phenomenon. Was providing these people with instruction in the Scriptures enough, or was more direct intervention required on occasion? (Arnold, p. 92).

Media Attempt to Cover Up Obama Comments on Israel

2011-11-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

God, in His providence, revealed the true heart of Pres. Obama on the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.

Media Attempt to Cover Up Obama Comments on Israel

Death Throes of a Monstrous Regime

2011-11-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

While all eyes have been on Libya and Egypt, a more insiduous, strategic development has been taking place in the country of Sudan (known in Ezek. 38:5 as Cush).

Death Throes of a Monstrous Regime

Dominion "Entering into a New Season"

2011-11-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

Dominion "Entering into a New Season"

The article attached to the above link is a disturbing expose of some of the theology of the Dominionist movement, the New Apostolic Reformation, which is perverting the gospel of grace, into an Islamic-like religion, or like the Crusades led by the Roman Catholic Church which slaughtered millions of Evangelical Bible-believers.

Russian FM warns against any mil... JPost - Iranian Threat - News

2011-11-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

Russian FM warns against any mil... JPost - Iranian Threat - News

And so here we have it from the horses' mouth. Russia has warned that there will be devastating [retaliatory] consequences if Israel strikes Iran. This is setting the stage for the battle outlined in Ezekiel 38, which will precede the 70th week, or 7 year peace treaty put in place by who the scripture calls the Beast, Man of Lawlessness or the Antichrist.

Maranatha!

Sola Sisters: Interview With A Former Professional Astrologer

2011-11-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

The Sola Sisters posted a timely blog in view of Halloween, I wanted to post the link to here:

Sola Sisters: Interview With A Former Professional Astrologer: Posted by Christine Pack Former professional astrologer Marcia Montenegro wrote an excellent pamphlet several years ago for the well respe...

Recent List of Quakes

2011-11-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

If you've been watching the news, and paying attention over the past several years, this continual shaking of the earth is continuing along with the other prophetic signs of Matthew 24, and other Biblical scriptures.

6,8 Quake in Okinawa, Japan: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/6-8-quake-strikes-off-okinawa

5.5 Quake in Afghanistan: http://news.yahoo.com/moderate-earthquake-shakes-northern-afghanistan-132453333.html

5.2 Quake in Phillipines: http://news.yahoo.com/moderate-quake-sparks-panic-philippine-city-123437217.html

Oklahoma shook up with a 5.6 Quakes and 10 aftershocks: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/06/52-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-oklahoma/

Mark 13:9-10 ⁹ "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. ¹⁰ "The gospel must first be preached to all the nations...

Mark 13:12-14
¹² "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ "You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. ¹⁴ "But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains...

Mark 13:20-30 ²⁰ "Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. ²¹ "And then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold, He is there'; do not believe him; ²² for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. ²³ "But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. ²⁴ "But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, ²⁵ AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. ²⁷ "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. ²⁸ "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. ³⁰ "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Geologic Evidences for the Genesis Flood - Answers in Genesis

2011-11-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Does the stratification and fossils we see in the Grand Canyon and other places evidence evolution or a global Noahic flood. This article by Andrew Snelling, Ph.D. takes a look at this...

Geologic Evidences for the Genesis Flood - Answers in Genesis

The Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

2011-11-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

At his site, Grace To You, Pastor John McArthur addresses the New Aposotolic Reformation (NAR), Rick Perry's prayer event and the sites and sounds associated with the like...

The Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

‘Israel planning Gaza attack to avoid Schalit ... JPost - Defense

2011-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

‘Israel planning Gaza attack to avoid Schalit ... JPost - Defense

So claims the Hamas spokesman... which the Muslims are looking for any excuse to fight with Israel, especially as the end goal of their religion is annihilation to the Jewish people (ethnic cleansing) and global domination, forcing the world to submit to sharia law.

Islam is pressuring, bullying its way into American legislation, forcing its way to take over our country. In the religion of Islam, the religion is combined with government. There is no seperation of church and state. And there is no freedom of speech. In Sept., Compassdirect reports that a 17 year old boy was executed by beheading for becoming a Christian. And this is what is awaiting our nation, as it continues to favor Islam who puts to death its enemies, while it continues to remove priviledges and protection from Christianity, which teaches its adherents to love its enemies.

But the end-times quickly unfold before us, as tensions mount with Israel, and the Muslim nations surrounding her make threats and gloat, for in the eyes of man, her doom is certain. But these naitons don't take God's word into account. They have been deceived by the evil one to do his bidding, and destroy God's chosen people.

Isaiah 17:1 predicts the complete annihilation of Damascus, one of the longest continually inhabited cities on the earth. Since it has never suffered attack of this sort historically, we know this prophecy for its demise is in the future. And with the Muslim strongholds, its Muslim presidency and the threats it is now making on Israel, we see it appears to be fulfilled in the near future. Verse 14 of this chapter goes on to tell us:
14 At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning they are no more. Such will be the portion of those who plunder us And the lot of those who pillage us.

Scripture tells us that it is going to happen very quickly, and never before in history was it possible that such an attack could be made so quickly. In the ancient Roman empire, when cities were beseiged, the invading armies would build seige works and erect them against the city, and it would take months to capture a city and take its citizens captive or into exile. But now, through the technology and weapons man has developed, a large city can be largely or entirely destroyed overnight. With the surrounding circumstances, it makes the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy entirely possible at any moment.

Another reason that this is a big deal is that this will set the stage for the battle of Magog, where Russia descends, partnered with Iran and other Muslim nations named in Ezek. 38. The rapture of God's church is not dependent on any sign, but shortly after the battle of Magog, the LORD is going to return his work to the nation of Israel, where they will enter their 70th shabua prophesied in Dan. 9:27. This is also the seven-year treaty of the one known as the psudo-Christ, the world teacher pronounced, awaited and heralded by the new age movement.

As these events quickly unfold before us, we know that the time is short. Satan and his legions are working feverishly to deceive the masses, and to divide and deceive the Church. Time is short, and if you have never sought forgiveness for your sins, and trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, do so now, and begin to read God's word, and obey what God tells you through it. (Rom 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10).

The real gay agenda is on your tv and movie screens

2011-10-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

shofarsound @ http://www.gcmwatch.com/7409/the-real-gay-agenda-is-on-your-tv-and-movie-screens

– June 30, 2011Posted in: current events, Featured, Headline, homosexuality, interviews, pop culture, sexual immorality, Study and research, youth

Part 2 of an exclusive interview with Pastor Joe Schimmel of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley, CA

Shofarsound: There’s hardly a TV show now that doesnt have a “well adjusted” homosexual character. Is this intentional?

Pastor Joe: That’s a great question. Tragically, almost anything that is treated favorably by Hollywood and mass media becomes infectious and catches on, even if it is deadly. Humans are very impressionable and easily led by the liberal media. Television shows and movies have been a powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal to erode godly morals among the American populace.

Oprah Winfrey, who influences millions, promoted homosexuality when she made a cameo appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ “Coming Out” Episode. Since Oprah claims to be a Christian when in fact she is a new ager, she has duped God only knows how many biblically uninformed Christians on the issue.

Television shows that promote homosexuality are too numerous to list, but in the last couple of years shows like “Degrassi,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Pretty Little Liars,” and “Glee” are at the top of the list, when it comes to glamorizing the sin of homosexuality. Many of these TV shows receive awards from the homosexual organization GLAAD for their promotion of homosexual lifestyles. Wise parents will protect their children from being enticed by programming that is intended to program their little ones with gay propaganda.

In “The Overhauling of Straight America,” authors Kirk and Erastes Pill, advocate this strategy to propagate the gay agenda:

“Where we talk is important. The visual media, film and television, are plainly the most powerful image-makers in Western civilization. The average American household watches over seven hours of TV daily. Those hours open up a gateway into the private world of straights, through which a Trojan horse might be passed … So far, gay Hollywood has provided our best covert weapon in the battle to desensitize the mainstream” (Marshall K. Kirk and Erastes Pill, “The Overhauling of Straight America.” Guide Magazine, October and November 1987 [emphasis added].

Consider the following revealing stratagem from a popular manual, advocating homosexual propaganda, by Harvard trained gay activists Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen:

“… Famous historical figures are especially useful to us for two reasons: first, they are invariably dead as a doornail, hence in no position to deny the truth and sue for libel. Second, and more serious, the virtues and accomplishments that make these historic gay figures admirable cannot be gainsaid or dismissed by the public, since high school history textbooks have already set them in incontrovertible cement. By casting its violet spotlight on such revered heroes, in no time a skillful media campaign could have the gay community looking like the veritable fairy godmother to Western civilization” (Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen, After the Ball).

We can look at just two of the top movies that came out in the month of June 2011 to see how this propaganda works. The latest X-Men movie (X-Men: First Class) was number one at the box office and very few of the millions who viewed it, knew that they were being indoctrinated by a subversive gay propaganda film.

X-men films develop the theme of various X-men discovering their superpowers, as they struggle with their various mutations and societies reluctance to accept their “coming out,” with their superpowers. Unbelievably, some behind the X-Men movies want their audience to see X-Men as superheroes “coming out,” as analogous to gays coming out of the closet, and their superpowers, as analogous to homosexual lifestyles.

Gay X-Men screenwriter Dan Harris, who wrote the screenplay for X2 with gay screenwriter Michael Dougherty, admitted that he sees X-Men mutancy, and the X-Men’s struggle for acceptance in society, as corresponding to homosexuality:

“…. it’s become more a metaphor for sexual identity and orientation because it’s more appropriate to look at a person and have to say, ‘Are you a mutant?’…. you can’t always look at a person and know that they’re a mutant just like you can’t look at a person and know that they’re gay” (Filmfreakcentral.net critic Walter Chaw, X2).

Openly gay X-Men Director, Bryan Singer, has not only directed most of the X-Men movies but recruited openly gay activist actor Ian McKellen, to star as Magneto, by convincing him that mutants were comparable to struggling gays. McKellen stated “I think he expected that I was going to consider it a not posh-enough job,” but revealed that he was told that X-Men is really about Lesbain, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. “I thought he was right,” says McKellen. “It’s not just a fantasy story. It’s a parable.” McKellen is a co-founder of the LGBT gay activist group Stonewall.
McKellen further stated “[The producers] will tell you one of the demographics that X-Men appeals to is young gays…. There are enough people in this world who think that the answer to the ‘problem’ of being gay is to be ‘cured’ of your abnormality.” Thus in McKellen’s mind, rather than view sex between two men as immoral behavior, why not portray it as positive genetic mutation, on the level of the fantastic powers of a superhero?

Homosexual William Earnest in his article “Making Gay Sense of X-Men,” admitted “Singer and his screenwriters equipped X-Men and X2 with the rhetorical stealth needed to fly below the gaydar of many critics and audience members.” [source]

In the latest X-Men installment, when an X-Men who works for the US military is asked how he got away with being discovered through the years, he replies “Well, they didn’t ask, and I didn’t tell.” An obvious reference to the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy regarding homosexuality in the U.S. military. Thus the line is drawn from this X-men’s superpower to homosexuality, and Hollywood has gone a step further than simply legitimizing what billions of people deem to be sinful and destructive behavior, to glorifying it as something to be coveted like a
cool superpower.

When we turn to Pirates of the Caribbean, which like X-Men, has been one of the most successful series of movies ever released, we see similar brainwashing. Johnny Depp admits that he read the book “Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition,” to prepare for his staring role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Famous Film Reviewer, Robert Ebert wrote: “Depp seems to be channeling a drunken drag queen with his eyeliner and the way he minces ashore and slurs his dialogue ever so insouciantly.” When Rolling Stone asked Depp about the “certain gay undercurrent” so obvious in his Jack Sparrow’s character, Depp responded:

“Well, there was a great book I read…. ‘Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition.’ A very interesting book. I wasn’t exactly going for that with the character. And Keith [Richards] is not flamboyant in his actions. Keith is pretty stealth. But with Jack, it was more that I liked the idea of being ambiguous, of taking this character and making everything a little bit…. questionable. Because women were thought to be bad luck on ships. And these pirates would go out for years at a time. So, you know, there is the possibility that one thing might lead to another. You’re lonely. You have an extra ration of rum. ‘Cabin boy!’” (Rolling Stone, July 2006, p. 50).

Sadly, millions of parents had no idea that Depp had inculcated aspects of a homosexual pirate into his character. Children who are enticed by this character, are led to believe that since Captain Jack is portrayed as a hero, that wearing eye shadow and acting effeminate is the stuff heroes are made of today, unable to always discern the difference between fact and fiction. Gay activist Darrell Risk, in his article “Are Homosexual’s Born That Way?” acknowledges the infectious nature of homosexuality, when young people are exposed to it:

“I have found that even many of my most unbiased straight friends grow skittish with my homosexual candor—say, kissing my mate—when their children are around. Underneath it all, they too understand that sexually free ideas are infectious and that, once introduced to the suggestion of same sex love, their kids might just try it and like it” (Darrell Risk, ‘Born?’ p. 424).

In light of Darrell Risk’s admission that his own public sexual expression has the power to “infect” children who witness it, how much more are the purposely-seductive characters of Jack Sparrow, the X-Men and other Hollywood caricatures and story lines, enticing and infecting millions of our children? Harry Hay, the founder of the gay liberation movement stated, Everyone, even heterosexual people, all have the potential to have that fairy spirit.”

Perhaps no movie has been quite as successful in propagating homosexuality as natural and normative as Brokeback Mountain. To get an understanding of how this movie manipulated the public we can look at a piece of propaganda created out of thin air by the father of the sexual revolution here in America, Alfred Kinsey. Kinsey was exposed for fabricating bogus numbers, when he claimed that 10 percent of Americans are homosexual. Subsequent studies revealed that the truth ended up being between two and three percent. Kinsey was found to have inflated his statistics by interviewing large numbers of prison inmates and prostitutes.

Kinsey also made bogus claim that a disproportionate number of cowboys, who ride their horses in the open range, are in fact gay and hook up with each other to have homosexual encounters. Kinsey never showed any study that would suggest such was the case. I mention this because Kinsey was trying to get America away from the effeminate stereotype of homosexuals that repulsed so many people. Kinsey sought to cast homosexuals as real men. What Kinsey may have done though, was take a page from a Marlboro cigarettes advertising campaign that popularized Marlboro among men just a few years earlier than Kinsey’s wild assertion.

Since 1924, Marlboro was marketed to women, as they were originally designed with a red band around the filter to hide lipstick and advertised as “Mild As May.” In the 1950’s, after cigarettes were proven to cause cancer, Phillip Morris wanted to attract men to his filtered cigarettes, men who would never use filters in the past. How could he get men to smoke what was previously billed a women’s cigarette? Simple: reposition Marlboro as a man’s cigarette by placing it in the mouth of a rugged cowboy. This cowboy, depicted on thousands of billboards nation wide, came to be known as the Marlboro Man. In a matter of months Marlboro went from a market share of less than less one percent to one of the best selling brands in the United States!

Ironically, even though homosexuality is often more deadly than smoking, Hollywood, like Kinsey, sought to make homosexuality acceptable by using a page out of Phillip Morris’ playbook. The licentious movie Brokeback Mountain, recast homosexuality as a lifestyle akin to a healthy masculine cowboy. Kinsey would have been proud!

Shofarsound: Can you give a little more detail on Michael Swift’s comments in the Gay Community News that you mention in your CD expose’ Satanism and Homosexual Agenda?
Pastor Joe: Homosexual activist Michael Swift flaunted gay aspirations in the Gay Community News piece entitled “Gay Revolutionary” as he envisioned a gay utopia:
“We shall sodomize your sons, emblems of your feeble masculinity, of your shallow dreams and

vulgar lies. We shall seduce them in your schools…. in your youth groups, in your movie theater bathrooms…wherever men are men together. Your sons will become our minions and do our bidding. They will be recast in our image. They will come to crave and adore us” [Michael Swift, Gay Community News, 15 February 1987].

What I find chilling, is that while some of Swift’s statements in the piece are somewhat satirical and inflammatory, is that many of the things he articulates as gay aspirations, with regard to our children, are already happening in our “youth groups…. movie theater’s [and] bathrooms” every day.
GCMW Note: Homosexual activists claim the Swift peice was only intended to be taken as “satire”.

Shofarsound: So can we assume that Swift’s revisioning of America under a homosexual rule is coming true?

Pastor Joe: My comments on the question you asked earlier about the media and Hollywood, reveal that they are indeed seeking to “recast” our children in their “image,” as Swift states. Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen detail a three-stage plan to homosexualize America in their book, After the Ball. They describe the plan to further the gay agenda and homosexualize America as a threefold plan, “desensitize, jam, and convert.”

The first stage is to desensitize by inundating the public with a “continuous flood of gay-related advertising, presented in the least offensive fashion possible.” They go on to say, “The main thing is to talk about gayness until the issue becomes thoroughly tiresome . . . If you can get [straights] to think [homosexuality] is just another thing—meriting no more than a shrug of the shoulders—then your battle for legal and societal rights is virtually won.” The second stage, “Jamming,” is described as “psychological terrorism meant to silence expression or even support for dissenting opinion.” The third stage is “Conversion” and they define it as the “conversion of the average American’s emotions, mind, and will, through a planned psychological attack, in the form of propaganda fed to the nation via the media” (Selling Homosexuality to America,” Regent Law Review, Volume 14, Number 2, Spring, 2002, available at www.regent.edu)

"Christian" Radio Host Teaches How One Can Channel the Life Force

2011-10-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

in this link below, Howse talks about a "Christian" radio show in California is embracing and teaching eastern, mystical practices for physical and spiritual healing (2 Tim. 4:3-4). This gives us another insight/glimpse into the compromise infiltrating the Church of the Living God, because even those called by His name are Biblically illeterate (Hos. 4:6).

"Christian" Radio Host Teaches How One Can Channel the Life Force

A Call Forward for Salem

2011-10-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6a

Every Pastor and Counselor knows that every story has two sides. “The first to plead his case seems right till someone comes to examine him” (Pr. 18:17). During this trial at Salem Baptist, charges were laid against the pastor on Sunday night.

As Southern Baptists, we take pride in believing we follow the Bible, and claiming its total authority for life. But we do not practice what we preach. We know that God is completely sovereign, and that the Lord brought pastor Joe here, and has brought me here to serve alongside him as a co-pastor. With charges being laid, they need to be examined and answered with truth.

We need to be careful in laying charges against God’s anointed. Korah did so, and was enraged at Moses for “making himself more holy” than the rest of the Jews (Num. 16:1-2). Korah, in his arrogance claimed to be as holy as Moses (v. 3ff). God threatened to wipe out all the Jews and begin again with Moses (v. 21), but afte Moses and Aaron interceded for the people, God had mercy and only destroyed Korah, Dathan and Abiram (vv. 31-33)

We need to be careful we do not find ourselves fighting against the Lord Christ. So as a body of believers, we need to seek peace (reconciliation) with one another (Rom. 14:19), and make sure we are following the Lord Jesus’ will for Salem Baptist (Matt. 5:16; Rom 8:29-30; Phil. 3:7-11).

The purpose for the existence of the Church is not to do ministry the way we think it should be done, or for our desires, or according to the latest church growth paradigm, but for the glorification of Christ, and the upbuilding of the body of Christ, into conformity with Him who is its head (Rom. 8:28-30; 1 Cor 14:12).

It should serve as no surprise to us that demonic forces should try to divide the church in these last days we are living in (1 Ptr. 4:12-13, 5:8-9). He already knows the time for his emergence is near, and his time is short (Rev. 12:12).

So in these times of trial, what should our perspective be? We should be seeing and understanding this trial as an opportunity to know Christ better, and to let his light shine through us. It is during the hard times that the light of Christ shines the most brightly.

Monday morning, the LORD spoke to me as I was in his word. I was just praying and meditating on (actively thinking about) the situation. The Lord impressed upon me 1 Cor. 13:4-8, and you know, as the chapter starts out, Paul says, “If I speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing… if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

So that is the first mark of Christian character we should display is agape (God’s unconditional love). And agape never fails (v. 8).

Another passage comes to mind, Colossians 3:1-4, “So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Thank God that the mediation team is in place, and let us pray daily for them that God will give them understanding and wisdom, and that the purposes of God will prevail in this situation.

2 Corinthians 12:19 19 All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved.

Turkey Struck after Striking Apple of God's Eye

2011-10-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Bible teaches that Israel is the apple of God's eye (Zech. 2:8).

Over the past few months, Turkey has been growing increasingly hostile to its Israeli neighbors, with whom they were on good terms. This coincides with a simultaneous turning towards a more radical form of Islam, and a desire of Turkey's president Erdogan to reestablish the ancient Islamic Ottoman empire. Turkey was struck Sunday with a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

Islam sees itself as having a divine mandate from Allah (600 years after the gospels were composed and the New Testament sealed) to spread/enforce through jihad an Islamic Caliphate worldwide. But as Turkey grows in solidarity with the Muslim nations that are surrounding Israel, they overlook the promise that Yaweh God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 ³ And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

We know that all in the world who believe are blessed in Jesus Christ, through the covenant promise first made to Eve, traced down through Abraham, and on through Isaac and Jacob (Jn 3:16-17). As tensions mount int he Middle East, and Israel is continually made the scapegoat of the nations' problems, we can expect things to get worse in the Middle East, and soon culminating in a battle spelled out in Is. 17:1 and Psalm 83.

And as these conditions develop in the Middle East, the power and extent of the one-world government continues to extend. The one-world government is here now, they are merely waiting for the right opportunity to impose it over the world's citizens. Will it occur through the rapture occurring, which would lead to a global financial collapse? If it were, military law would be imposed and the new methods of identification and tracking would be enacted for the "safety" of the world's citizens.

The battle of Psalm 83 being fulfilled, would enlarge Israel's borders, and allow her the building of her temple, and the official reinstatement of the Old Covenant sacrificial religion. This will set the stage for the battle of Magog, where God Himself will fight for Israel supernaturally (Ezek. 38:19,22).

Should we be concerned for the peoples in the Middle East, certainly, and we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6), and support them as we are able, as responsible citizens. But we should not live in fear or be in dread of the things coming upon the earth. If we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and seek to live our lives to His glory, then we should live in joy and expectation (Mt. 24:33).

Harold Camping again predicts End of The World

2011-10-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Calif. group again predicts end of world Friday

This should not surprise us. But what we need to do is to look at what the Bible says about when the End of the World is going to happen. And I think with the reporting done on the H. Camping predictions, there has been some confusion to the Biblical teachings.

Camping is claiming to have found out through mathematical equations, supposedly given in the letters of scripture, the timing of the rapture. The "Catching Away" of the saints, and the literal end of the world are two separate events. In fact, the rapture, or "catching away" of the saints (1 Thess. 4:15-17) seems to almost immediately precede the revealing of the man of lawlessness, better known as the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:7).

If 2 Thess. 2:7 is indeed referring to the Holy Spirit in the presence of the Church, (1 Thess. 4:15-17) then the rapture would merely begin the 70th shabua (or "week") in Dan. 9:26-27. And scripture seems to indicate that there would be a time of peace for the first three and a half years, and then the man (the Maitreya/ Mahdi?) heading up the one world government in the "new age" would take his seat in the Jewish temple, which is waiting to be rebuilt now, and demand universal worship to himself as God, but we know he is only a god for a brief time (Rev. 13:1-10; 19:19-20).

But if the timing of the rapture were something to be known, why wouldn't God spell that out clearly, like the rest of it the last days events? All we know of the rapture is that nothing in scripture dictates precisely when it will occur. It could happen today. It could happen two years from now, so it is imminent.

After the taking of the church, the world will remain, and scripture teaches the man of lawlessness will remain seven more years before the coming of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus (Dan. 9:27, 7:18). This begins the time of the outpouring of the wrath of El Elyon (God Most High) upon the earth. People will come to Christ in this time, though it will require their life, and possibly their head (Rev. 20:4).

The real indicator of when the "end of the world" will be is the signing of the 7-year peace treaty by a world leader, who is regarded by humanity as a 'savior'. Then you know there will be seven more years before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But even that is not the end, for in Isaiah 65:20, a passage by many thought to be speaking of the state of the world under the millennial reign of Christ, it states that those who die at 100 will be considered accursed (a sinner). So some unbelievers will live to see Christ come down from heaven, establish his rule from Zion (yes, Jesus is a Zionist!) Zech. 14:9. So during the one thousand year reign of Christ, sinners will have the opportunity to know Christ as their Savior, but even then, not all will.

Revelation gives us a glimpse that at the end of the thousand year reign, Satan, our enemy, is going to be released from the abyss, and he will come out to deceive the nations once more, and lead them in a battle to make war on the Messiah (Rev. 20:7-10) and His people. But they will again, be quickly defeated, and the great judgment will take place, and then God will renew the heavens and the earth (Rev. 21:5), and His dwelling will be among men (Rev. 21:2-3), and so we will dwell with God forever more.

He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen, Come, Lord Jesus. Rev. 22:20

Good Fight Ministries - Jim Morrison / The Doors

2011-10-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

A powerful piece on Jim Morrison, and from where he got his inspiration, and shamanic dancing...

Good Fight Ministries - Jim Morrison / The Doors

The 'Third Way' Bubbles Are Bursting

2011-10-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

This article spells it out like I've always said it, capitalism hasn't failed...

The 'Third Way' Bubbles Are Bursting

In his article, Robert Trasinski concludes:

I'm beginning to suspect that the credit "bubble" is one of the hallmarks of such a system. It reflects the hybrid nature of the system. It is a system that still has property rights, private savings, financial markets, and ambitious individuals exuberantly reacting to price signals in a frenzy of activity. But behind that is the "management" of government, which serves to distort those price signals and misdirect trillions of dollars of private economic activity. The government decides that housing, for example, or "green energy" is an industry to be supported with cheap credit, loan guarantees, and subsidies, making it seem artificially profitable and leading investors to pour more money into these activities than the economy can actually support over the long run.

Or European governments decide that Greece should be allowed, through the mechanism of the Eurozone, to issue its debt at the same low interest rates as Germany. And then they decide, when the financial crisis hits in 2008, that European banks should increase their reserves by loading up on the "safe" debt of European governments. Or in China, the corrupt incentives driving government officials--who don't need to fear the scrutiny of a free press or the accountability of free elections--encourages unsustainable borrowing and out-of-control real-estate speculation. All of these bubbles are bursting or are about to be burst.

Mohler on Mormonism, Democracy and the need for Evangelical Thinking

2011-10-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

As a nice followup to my recent blog dealing with Mormonism, and the issue of whether or not it is Christian, my former seminary president Albert Mohler addressess the issue in a very clear, thoughtful manner where he lists the issues at stake and gives a short, concise history of the Latter Day Saints to show it is another religion, and gives Evangelicals insight on voting.

http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/10/10/mormonism-democracy-and-the-urgent-need-for-evangelical-thinking/

Is a Mormon Christian?... What is the Gospel?

2011-10-14T02:54:00.000-07:00

Our country is in a theological muddle. Lately, as I'm sure you've seen, we've got many public leaders, including those who call the name, "Evangelical" that Mormons are Christian, and many groups and many people claim to be Christian. How can one determine whether these people or groups are truly Christian? Don't they believe in Jesus too? One famous Mormon claims to have been "born again" when Jesus became his Lord and Savior. It sounds very Christian.

To determine whether some one or group is Christian, we must go to the original source that defines what being a Christian is. That is the holy Bible. Jesus taught his followers, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me" (Jn 14:6). The doctor Luke tells us in Acts, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

And in fact, Mormons, and other groups I'm sure, will confess this truth also. So what sets apart the orthodox, Evangelical Christian? This is where we examine the presuppositional ideas and understanding of the parties in question.

First off, what does the Bible teach? Now the answer to this question could make up a semester long seminary course. Clearly, there is not space for this, so we will narrow the question to the most important figure, and conerstone of the Christian faith: Jesus of Nazareth (Mt. 2:23). Jesus, the Bible teaches, is the only begotten Son of the Living God (Jn. 3:16, 20:31; 1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Jn. 1:3), that he is equal, co-eternal with God the Father. (Rom 1:3-4; Rev 1:7-8, 22:13), and that He was born of the Holy Spirit (Is. 7:14; Lk. 1:35). Jesus Christ, through his death and suffering of crucifixion on the cross, would be the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) of our sins, and provide justification for the many (Ps. 22:16; Is. 53:5-11; Jn. 1:29; Mt. 26:2; Jn. 13:1). The scriptures teach, as cited above, that salvation is through faith only in his name, by grace (Eph. 2:8,9; Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12). After the sending of the Holy Spirit, at the Jewish feast of Pentecost (instituted in Lev. 23), who inspired the apostles in the writing of the New Testament, the Bible teaches revelation was sealed, finito (Heb. 1:2).

The Mormon faith teaches that Jesus is the spiritual firstborn son of God, and spirit brother to every other human and angel (including Satan/Lucifer). Since Mormons do not believe in the Trinity as claimed by the Biblical faith, Mormonism teaches that God the Father came down and had sex with the virgin Mary to impregnate her with Jesus. It teaches that life on earth is a school or test, if you will, for the spirit children of God to attain to their own state of god-hood. Yes, the goal of Mormons is to be god, of their own planet with their own spirit children (born of their goddess wife/wives). "As man is, God once was. As God is, man can become." http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/mormon1.html

Mormons believe do not hold that revelation was closed with the person of Jesus Christ. They believe in a progressive revelation, as do the New Apostolic Reformation, of which Gov. Perry joined with in organizing and facilitating The Response fasting and prayer rally. And Mormons, as the NAR prophets and pastors, believe in the mandate of "taking back" America in the name of their religion. http://www.wbur.org/npr/140946482/apostolic-leader-weighs-religions-role-in-politics

The Mormons have a "white horse" prophecy of the nation being rescued by a Mormon coming to office as president and restoring the nation, with all the people apologizing and giving gratitude to the Mormons for rescuing the nation, and restoring us to our "divinely-inspired" US Consitution. The Bible teaches that the world will come under the control of a one-world leader, a one-world government (Dan. 7:23) which will be under his control for seven years (Dan. 9:27), but then the Messiah will return to set up his rightful rule, for one thousand years (Zech 14:9), before Satan is let loose again to deceive the nations (Rev. 20:7,8). Then the world will be destroyed by fire (2 Ptr. 3:7) and the great judgment, and then all things will be made new. After this, the redeemed, those who were born-again will live upon earth with God and serve the LORD and live in a paradise forevermore (Rev. 21:1, 5).

The holy Bible teaches that salvation is "by grace, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph 2:8,9). The Mormon book of 2 Nephi states "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 2 Nephi 25:23 http://www.mrm.org/2-nephi-25-23. It sounds very close to what the Bible teaches, but adds a almost subtle difference, "after all we can do." That changes the whole game and puts Mormonism into the category of salvation-by-works, like every other world religion except for Christianity, which states, "it is the gift of God, not of works, lest no man should boast."

One well known so-called evangelical (or wolf in sheep's clothing) leader recently said that Mitt Romney is an "outstanding Christian." Really? Doesn't that fly in the face of what the Bible says of the elect? How could an "outstanding" evangelical leader make such an error? The apostle Paul, former murderer and persecutor of the church, wrote: "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, were to preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, let him be anathema (eternally accursed)" Gal. 1:8.

Clearly Joseph Smith didn't have this verse in mind when the angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) appeared to him and taught him the "true" gospel.

IMF advisor says we face a Worldwide Banking Meltdown

2011-10-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Good Fight Ministries - Heath Ledger

2011-10-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

Good Fight Ministries - Heath Ledger

Ever wonder about Heath Ledger, what made him such an edgy actor? Goodfight ministries goes into alot of the oppression and darkness that plagued him in his last days and at his death shortly after playing the role of the Joker in the Dark Knight. And not only that, but he also touches on some of the other celebrities, and the spiritual "advantage" this gives them in acting.

In one paragraph, Goodfight states:
Few people realize the dark spiritual side of acting going all the way back to the Greek theater. The best actors in Greek theater were believed to be literally possessed by the entities they sought to portray on stage. Many occultists, like Aleister Crowley, taught that acting and assuming the role of a particular demon was the fastest way to come into contact with a demonic entity. Many actors and actresses have credited their success to possession by a spirit entity. Robin Williams claimed that when acting he becomes possessed, and that in the past they would have burned him as a witch. New Ager, Shirley McClain, has also admitted spirit possession when acting. Matrix star, Keanu Reeves, states that he attempts to connect with his muse and goes on what he refers to as “demon rides” when acting. Johnny Depp has claimed that he is possessed with a multitude of demons and Denzel Washington claims that he is able to put out such great performances because he gets on his knees and calls on spirits to possess his body and empower him to play a given role. Oprah Winfrey has claimed that she lights candles and then petitions spirits to possess her so that she can better perform as well. “I tried to empty myself and let the spirit of Sethe inhabit me,” admits Winfrey. Director, Jonathon Demme, who directed the movie Beloved, said of Winfrey's performance, “Oprah had explained to me when we originally met that it was her goal and intention to channel the spirit of Margaret Garner...This very infusion of humanity past accounts to a significant degree for Oprah's stunning alchemy, her astonishing abandonment of self in her Beloved performance.”

Global Hypocrisy Watch: Syria, Kurds and Palestinians

2011-10-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Global Hypocrisy Watch: Syria, Kurds and Palestinians: The assassination of a Kurdish opposition leader in Syria may lead to more violence as protests against the Assad regime escalate. But it should also serve as a reminder of the hypocrisy of much of the world’s attitudes about the Middle East. While most of the world has been obsessing about the alleged wrongs of [...]

Worldview Radio: Noise of Thunder - October 6th, 2011

2011-10-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

In the following radio program, Christian Pinto discusses the situation of AFA threatens to cut ties with those who continue to have a professional relationship with Brannon Howse. Pinto compares the situation to what 2 Timothy teaches.

Worldview Radio: Noise of Thunder - October 6th, 2011

Are a Christians enemies those of his own household?

Is Damascus Closer to Annihilation?

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Joel Rosenberg, messianic Jew and commentator and author on the Middle East, reports on his blog http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/:

Further evidence that Israel is facing a “gathering storm” in the Middle East came Tuesday as the dictator of Damascus made one of his most serious threats to date against the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Excerpt from Ynet News: ”Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday threatened to set fire to the Middle East, and especially to Israel, if NATO attacks Syria, the Iranian Fars news agency reported. In a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Assad said: ‘If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv.’….According to the Fars news agency, the Syrian president stressed that Damascus will also call on Hezbollah in Lebanon to launch a fierce rocket and missile attack on Israel, one that Israeli intelligence could never imagine.” The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz also reported the story.

The good news: the Jewish state is more secure at the moment than any other time in her 63-year modern history. The bad news: grave threats are rising from Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Turkey, Egypt and elsewhere in the region.

For students of Bible Prophecy, we have been watching Syria, as the devastation predicted in Isaiah 17:1 has yet to occur, and so many believe that scripture is to be fulfilled in the near future with events related to Israel, and the Messiah's return at the end of the 70th week (Dan. 9:27).

It appears that tensions in Syria are escalating, and this "gentle eye-doctor" running Syria is resorting to making threats, and fomenting Muslim rage against the chosen people.in the land of Israel. It appears that the pronouncements of this prophecy are coming to be more quickly as international pressure is applied to Syria, and Muslim leaders increasingly use Israel as their scapegoat.

And as Joel points out in his blog, the threats arising against Israel are increasing form all around her. To our human eyes this indeed looks like a grave situation for Israel, indeed. It appears that the Muslim goal of wiping Israel off the map is about to be accomplished. But the scriptures tell us a different story.

Ps. 83 tells of a coming war with all Israel's surrounding enemies. And the psalm ends with a cry for justice to Yahweh to destroy the enemies as the LORD has done in past battles (Ps. 83:9-12).

²For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves. ³They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones. ⁴They have said, "Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more." ⁵For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant:
Psalm 83:2-5

This fits the situation of Israel and the Middle East perfectly, as does Isaiah 19 with all that has been developing in Egypt. And as God's word has been fulfilled perfectly and will be till the end (Matt. 5:18), we should heed its foreboding warning with great sobriety. As the crisis develops in the Middle East, and with the State of Israel, it seems Syria gets further entangled in the situation. Its' leaders should give heed to the word of the Most High:

Isaiah 17:1 The oracle concerning Damascus. "Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city And will become a fallen ruin.

God's Ghostbusters

2011-10-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Gary sits down with Dr. Tom Horn as they link current social events to the Bible's clear warnings. His new book explains the strange social attachment to vampires and werewolves, along with the growing fad of ghost-hunting and spirit communication. You'll be surprised at the nexus between ghoulish fiction and demonic activity and its threat to society,

Nigel Farage: Financial “Cataclysm” To Come, Gold to Unimaginable Levels

2011-10-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Mac Slavo

September 23rd, 2011

http://www.shtfplan.com/

Comments (252)

You may remember Nigel Farage as the EU parliament member who tore into the President of the EU and most recently held a funeral for the Euro (complete with casket, pall bearers, and procession) on the streets of London.

Mr. Farage is a former commodities broker on the London Metals Exchange, so he understands the financial markets and monetary system (unlike 99% of the other politicians in the EU and DC), as well as the implications of the current debt crisis facing not just Europe, but the entire world. You’ll rarely hear a politician come out from behind the curtain as Nigel Farage does. Like most of us, he’s not very optimistic about what’s to come, and he lays out his views in an interview with King World News which is well worth listening to in full:

Paralysis, I think that’s the only way one can describe it. They put together a currency, an economic and monetary union of countries that were entirely unsuited to each other. The idea that Greece and Germany could coexist under the same monetary framework was always a joke as far as I was concerned.

So now we’re at the crisis point where the Greeks have been bailed out twice. The Portuguese and the Irish have been bailed out once and we now have the markets indicating that there are problems in Spain and possibly even in Italy, which is the Eurozone’s third largest economy.

…

The banking system is just in the most awful mess. And of course, what will happen, and this is what the markets fear, is that once we get countries like Greece defaulting we then have an admission that the debts they owe to these banks are not going to be paid back. That, in essence, is what default really means. So, I’m afraid we’ve just had the most catastrophic series of people running banks, they’ve been encouraged by big government, the whole concept of financial regulations has failed, and we are indeed heading into very dangerous waters.

I think that default of Greece and Portugal, and possibly Ireland, too, are inevitable.

…

I think the worst in the financial system is yet to come, a possible cataclysm and if that happens the gold price could go (higher) to a number that we simply cannot, at this moment, even imagine. Gold is in an uptrend and professional traders should be buying the dips.

Source: King World News

Listen to the full interview (12 Minutes):

There is simply no way that Greece, Portugal and likely a host of other countries (not just Ireland) will not eventually default. We really don’t know the extent of the debts and leverage involved because all of the monetary and financial machinations over the last ten, and especially three, years have been done in secret. There are likely hundreds of banks and many governments that have significant exposure to toxic assets – and not just in Europe. Our own Federal Reserve reportedly holds over a trillion dollars in assets that are essentially worthless.

If we were, as former Secretary Hank Paulson said, “very, very close” to meltdown in 2008, and they were threatening us with tanks on the streets of America, and absolutely nothing has been resolved, then what’s in store for us going forward?

Many of us were told in private conversations that if we voted against this bill on Monday, that the sky would fall, the market would drop two or three thousands points the first day, another couple thousand the second day, and a few members were even told that there would be martial law in America if we voted no.

House Representative Brad Sherman (D-California)

Debate on the House Floor, October 2, 2008

We can’t stress enough how serious this crisis is for the general global economy and the stability of the entire social and political systems of developed Western nations. Trillions of non-existent dollars and euros have been committed to resolving this crisis, and we are now worse off than when we started stimulating in 2008.

Do not underestimate what’s happening here.

******

Exactly, don't underestimate what is happening here. According to the unfolding plan of God's will spelled out in the pages of Holy Scripture, we can see that his is further implementation according to "their" plan to bring about the one world government, under the control of one person.

Some invovled in the process want the system to work, but to truly have control over the entire globe, one monetary, authoritarian structure must be in place. And in order for this to work, there must also be a one-world religion that over-arches and includes all other religions.

True Chrisitanity cannot be included in this, but it is the world's one truly exclusive faith. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through Me" (Jn. 14:6). There you have it. No other way, than through what Jesus did for us on the cross, when he died as the proopitiation for our sins, and took God's fierce wrath upon His own person, and actually tasted hell for us (Eph. 4:9).
That is another reason for the mounting and continual persecution of those who refuse to bow the knee to the gods of this world, much like Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran. So while the world scrambles to make sure they secure their "riches," awaiting the collapse of the economic system, and preparing for how they can survive, we are encouraged and take heed of the words of Jesus:

"Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of teseting, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."

And in Matt. 24, the famous end-times passage: "When you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door." (Mt. 24:33).
Even so, Come Lord Jesus.

Jordan Sekulow on Fox News on Christian Pastor in Iran Urging Clinton to...

2011-10-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Timing of the Return of Christ

2011-09-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

It has become apparent to me that there is some confusion as regards my teachings as to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now certainly I'm no Harold Camping, but I do believe that the signs outlined in scripture, evidenced all around us, bear witness to the fact that Jesus' return is near in God's redemptive plan. As a one who was called into ministry by the LORD, I have a burden for people to know and understand the word of the LORD.

How near is near? It is evangelical belief that the rapture is imminent (meaning nothing has to happen, it could happen now, or next month or in 7 years at the end of the tribulation. Now Jesus, at his first coming, fulfilled the four prophetic Jewish spring feasts. He fulfilled the feast of Passover, crucified as the Passover Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29, Matt 26:2, Lk. 22:7ff). He fulfilled the feast of Unlevened bread (Lk. 22:7) when He was buried and raised three days later (Lk. 24:2). He fulfilled the feast of firstfruits when He rose on the third day from the grave, as a firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20) of those resurrected to eternal life. And He fulfilled the feast of Pentecost, when He poured out the Holy Spirit on believers who confess His name (Acts 2:1ff).

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, it says the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God. Mark Bilz, a Messianic Jew and founder of El Shaddai ministries explained in an interview on prophecyinthenews.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isj-eumZnuQ about the feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets begins at the sighting of the news moon at the beginning of the month of Tishri, which is late September on the Gregorian calendar we follow (Lev. 23:24). Six pm tonight (Sept. 28, 2011) begins the month of Tishri for the Jewish calendar, where their days run from 6 pm to 6 pm. Since the beginning of the festival begins on the sighting of the new moon, as Pastor Biltz explains, the Jews have a saying, that "no one knows the day nor the hour" of its starting. And when it is sighted, people awake the next morn, their day half over, but the must keep the festival a full day, often running into the 2nd of Tishri, being one long day, so "no one knows the day or the hour" of its coming.

Do we know if the LORD is to return this week, tomorrow, which will be the first, going on the second of Tishri? I believe the LORD's return for the Church in the rapture is imminent. It could happen any time, but when my Messianic Brother teaches these facts about the fall feast of trumpets, I take heed. As believers we are not to despise prophetic utterances, but to examine everything, and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thess. 5:20-21).

I believe that the formation of the one world government prophesied in Dan. 7, which tramples and devours the whole earth (Dan. 7:7-8) is very near. The groundwork is being laid around us, and has been for decades. The groundwork for the battle of Ps. 83 and Ezek. 38 are in the works and appears likely a war will break out in the Middle East, knowing that God's word is truth, and He has declared the end from the beginning. (for a great study resource, see http://www.arewelivinginthelastdays.com/)

Ezek. 39 teaches that it will take Israel seven years to clean up from the destruction of the battle when Russia, Iran and the other countries come against it for battle (Ezek 39:9), and it will take them 7 months to bury all the bodies (Ezek. 39:12). Crises are mounting in the Middle East as we hear of wars and rumors of wars. We have seen Isaiah 19 begin to be fulfilled as the sons of Egypt have turned against one another (Is. 19:2) and it appears that a hard king is coming to rule over them in the likes of the Muslim brotherhood (Is. 19:4)

Is Christ’s return near? Emphatically, I say YES!. Is it going to be this week, tomorrow? I HOPE SO! I’m ready to leave this world of sin and strife, of physical pain, suffering and sorrows. I’m ready to go and be with the LORD forevermore!

Will it be this week? MAYBE. Jesus said Matthew 24:33-34 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

This generation He was speaking of began in 1948. That was almost a generation ago. But Jesus, the Truth, said this generation will not pass away. The time is close.

Now what happens if Thursday is not the day of the Lord’s return for His people. Then we didn’t understand fully the teaching of the LORD. The evangelical church, who hold to a view in the pre-seven year (in place of “tribulation”) rapture of the church must believe it is coming soon, for the world stage is being set, and the people are being conditioned to accept a “savior” to deliver humanity. I appears from the events scripture lays out, the coming battles of Ps. 83 & Ezek. 38, that for Yhwh to turn back his focus to the Jews for the 70th seven ("week" or "shabua"; Dan. 9:27) the church will be raptured at least by the timing of the battle of Magog (Ezek. 38).

But if this teaching doesn’t pan out, some believe Christians will live into the time of the seven year treaty heralded by the antichrist. We will applaud the two witnesses when they come to earth from heaven and testify in Jerusalem. We will either be put to death as “domestic terrorists” or will starve to death, not being able to buy or sell because we refuse to take the mark of the one-world leader.

Regardless of which theological, eschatological (end-time) position you hold, hard times are coming. The LORD's prophecies concerning the last days are being fulfilled. Those who remain upon the earth are going to see the judgments of God poured out upon earth as never before. They are going to see terrors that will literally frighten them to death, and make the drop in their tracks, according to God’s word (Lk. 21:26).

Those who are in Christ? We belong to the Lord, and are looking for the blessed hope and glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works! Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus.

Critique on Trips to Heaven and Hell - Should we Believe Them?

2011-09-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

On Brannon Howse site, he features an article written by Justin Peters, who writes a thoughtful critique about the most recent, prominent NDEs where people reported going to heaven or to hell, and the messages that they brought back. I have long been uneasy with these accounts, with the concern that it opens up divine revelation to people and not just from the Bible, God's inspired word.
In this article, Howse offers some insightful thoughts concerning these revelations.

http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=7575

Wish You Were Here

An Examination and Critique of
Claimed Visits to Heaven and Hell

Heaven. The Bible describes Heaven as a place of surpassing beauty where there is no pain, no sorrow, no sickness, no disease, no death. It is where the triune God resides in all of His glory. For those of us who are saved, the redeemed of God through Christ, it is our eternal home. Though none of us look forward to the process of dying, as Christians we enthusiastically answer the question asked by Job, "If a man dies, will he live again?"[i] with a resounding "yes." We look forward to being completely and eternally free of fallen bodies living in a fallen world. But for some people, it seems that Heaven (and occasionally Hell) can't wait.

Though Near Death Experiences (NDEs)[ii] have been reported for hundreds and even thousands of years, the last several decades have seen an explosion of people come forward claiming that they have seen the other side, both Heaven and Hell. Many of these people are not Christian at all.[iii] For the purposes of this article, however, we will focus on some of the more prominent ones claiming to be believers in Christ. I will begin this article by providing an overview of some of the more prominent recent examples and will then offer an evaluation of each. While space does not permit an exhaustive review of each account, some of the more important and theologically pertinent points will examined.

Heaven is for Real – Colton Burpo

Overview

When Colton Burpo, now aged 12, was just four years old he suffered from an undiagnosed ruptured appendix and almost died while undergoing surgery. During this NDE[iv], Colton claims that he left his body and went to Heaven. According to his father, Todd Burpo, pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, NE, over the next several months and years Colton slowly began to give details of people already deceased and events of which he could not possibly have known. Heaven is for Real , written by Mr. Burpo, is the account of his son's incredible journey.

During his NDE, Colton left his body and saw doctors working on him from above. He also saw the location of his parents and what they were doing while he underwent surgery. Colton says he then went to Heaven. Some of his notable experiences included "sitting beside the Holy Spirit" when his paternal great-grandfather, "Pop," walked up to him. Colton met his sister who died in a miscarriage of whom Colton had never been told. While in heaven, Colton heard the songs "Jesus Loves Me" and "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho,"[v] saw John the Baptist, many different animals, thousands of colors not known on earth, gates of gold and pearls, describes all of the people (himself included) as having wings and as not showing old age. The boy says that he sat in Jesus' lap and saw "markers" on His hands[vi] and feet, later to be interpreted by Todd to be the nail prints. Asked in 2010 by Gretchen Carlson of Fox News to describe Jesus, Colton reports that He has a "rough but kind face, sea-blue eyes, and a smile that lit up the Heavens"[vii] and describes God as a very big Person Who "can actually fit the entire world into His hands."[viii] Jesus also instructed the angels to sing to him for comfort and even helped him with his homework.[ix] Colton describes not only the physical aspects of people and things in Heaven but was also apparently granted a sneak peek into eschatological events such as Armageddon.[x]

Evaluation

The first thing that needs to be mentioned is that regardless of our position on Colton Burpo's claimed heavenly visitation, we unanimously rejoice that God in His sovereignty spared the life of this young boy. Colton was obviously very sick and was apparently not far from death so we all are grateful that God graciously spared his life. It is upon evaluating Colton's claims, however, in which this unanimity dissolves.

At the time of this writing in late August, 2011, Heaven is for Real has been on the New York Times Bestsellers list for paperback non-fiction for 40 weeks where it currently holds the #1 spot.[xi] From what I hear, there is even talk of a movie based on the book. More will be said on the tremendous success of books in the 'I've been to Heaven' genre later but for now we focus on the biblical evaluation. Many of the details Colton provides us of the other side are not necessarily unbiblical per se, yet certainly are extra-biblical. For example, his description of the thousands of colors not known here on earth, that all in Heaven have a light over their heads and wings, and that there were all kinds of animals everywhere cannot be said to contradict Scripture necessarily, but neither does Scripture validate such descriptions. While many would not see a problem with this, I believe that there is one, or two. Firstly, if young Colton did indeed go to Heaven and see these things, then we can take them to the proverbial bank – the myriads of colors, lights over heads, wings, animals, etc., are all there. This comes dangerously close to violating the warning provided in Revelation 22:18 to not add to "the words of the prophecy of this book." Even if one holds that "this book" refers to the book of Revelation alone, given that the rest of Scripture is just as authoritative as is Revelation, the difficulty is by no means alleviated. If Colton went to Heaven, then his extra-biblical revelations should indeed be authoritative and words have, de facto, been added to the Bible. This is not only a problem with Colton's alleged trip to Heaven but indeed with all who make such claims. Secondly, the Apostle Paul gives clear testimony that all of Scripture is inspired and is wholly sufficient to fully equip us as believers (2 Tim. 3:16). In other words, there simply is no need for such revelations; they are wholly non-profitable. The question then arises, if God wanted for us to know these details of Heaven via Colton Burpo, why did He not just include them for us in His sufficient Word?

Other details Colton relates seem, well, odd. While the Bible does not necessarily negate the possibility of people having wings in Heaven outright, it certainly gives no indication that such is the case. Two orders of angels are described in the Bible as having wings, Cherubim (Ex. 25:20; Ez. 10) and Seraphim (Isaiah 6), but people are never described as such. As cited above, Colton describes God as a very big Person, but asked by Pat Boone in a TBN appearance, Colton describes God as a "huge angel with massive wings (emphasis mine)."[xii] This is decidedly unbiblical. Not only does the Bible give no description of God as having wings, but He most certainly is not an angel; angels are creations of God. God is Spirit who must be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Odd, too, is Colton's description of Jesus helping him with his homework in Heaven. We will never know this side of the veil the full activity of Heaven but clearly it will center around the unhindered, eternal, and full worship of God (Rev. 22:3). That the Alpha and Omega would be helping Colton with something as trivial (given where Colton supposedly was) as homework is, in my opinion, a stretch too far. In doing research for this article, I have watched many, many interviews of Todd and Colton Burpo. In so doing, I could not help but be struck by how so many of Colton's answers seemed very pat and rote. For example, his description of Jesus as having a "rough but kind face, sea-blue eyes and a smile that lit up the Heavens" he has repeated on multiple interviews from TBN to FoxNews to CNN and others verbatim. His answers seem, well, canned. His description of God as being able to "fit the entire world into His hands" also seems a bit suspect. Haven't we heard this song before? Theologically, Todd Burpo made a statement which raised a red flag. On page 149 he wrote, "The Scripture says that as Jesus gave up His spirit (on the cross)…God the Father turned his back. I am convinced that he did that because if he had kept on watching, he couldn't have gone through with it." Scripture does not actually teach this at all[xiii] but even more to the point is that Todd is drawing a theological conclusion that at best is un-provable and at worst is patently unbiblical given that Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus' sacrifice was planned from eternity past (Rev. 13:8). That God might not have "gone through with it" not so subtly implies that His plan of redemption, the absolute focal point of Scripture, was quite a precarious one indeed. Theologically troubling, too, is that while in Heaven Colton says that he was upset because he "did not know what was happening" and so "He (God) used people that, people or things that I liked to calm me down. From there on I felt better."[xiv] That anyone, even if he is a small child, would feel any kind of fear, confusion, or apprehension in the presence of the omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God in Heaven is doubtful at best.

90 Minutes in Heaven – Don Piper

Overview

On January 18, 1989, Don Piper says he died and went to Heaven. The Baptist preacher was returning home to Alvin, TX from a BGCT[xv] conference held on the north shore of Lake Livingston via I-45. On his journey home, Don's Ford Escort collided with an eighteen-wheeler. He was pronounced dead by EMT's on the scene. Fellow pastor and conference attendee Dick Onerecker came upon the accident roughly one hour later and asked personnel on scene if there was anyone there for whom he could pray. He was informed that everyone was ok except for the man in the Escort who was dead. Despite this information and seemingly contrary to all logic, Onerecker reports that God spoke to him and said, "You need to pray for the man in the red car."[xvi] Onerecker reached his hand through the tangled wreckage, touched the body of Don Piper, and began to pray and sing hymns. An hour and a half after the devastating collision, to his and everyone else's shock and disbelief, the dead man began to sing along with him. It was during this 90 minutes, that Don Piper says he went to Heaven.

Piper reports that immediately upon impact he found himself in Heaven and was greeted by a large crowd of people. The first person he recognized was his grandfather Joe Kulbeth who still had his "shock of white hair" and "big banana nose."[xvii] He also met his great-grandmother, Hattie Mann, whose false teeth and slumped back on earth now sparkled and was straight, respectively, in Heaven. Piper was also greeted by friends, former teachers, relatives, all of whom, he says, "spiritually impacted me in some way and helped make me a better disciple."[xviii] Piper describes Heaven as a place of brilliant luminescence yet not such that it was painful to the eyes. There was no darkness at all, no shadows. Everything was of a beauty the magnitude of which simply cannot be described by words. There was music as well, but not, apparently, the kind described by Colton Burpo. Rather, Piper heard music unlike anything he had ever heard on earth. It was music that he not only heard, but experienced. The music permeated his very body and seemed to be thousands of songs all at once and yet they blended in a perfect, glorious symphony. The music included hymns he knew from earth as well as hundreds of songs he had never before heard. Piper is careful to point out that, though he came right up to Heaven, he never actually went inside the walls. He says that he could not see the ends of the massive walls in either direction, nor could he see their top. The gates were not made of pearls, says Piper, but rather were "pearlescent."[xix] Looking through the massive gate Piper describes Heaven as having streets constructed of literal gold and everything was bathed in brilliant, powerful colors. He said he felt "deliriously happy" and then, suddenly, he left Heaven and was joined back to his body in the wreckage of his Ford Escort.

Evaluation

The title of Piper's book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, is a bit misleading because only 7% or so of his book is actually devoted to describing his visit to Heaven. The vast majority of it concerns his excruciating recovery from the collision on I-45. Piper's recovery process was a very lengthy, and an almost incomprehensibly painful journey; a journey which, to an extent, continues to this day. One cannot help but to feel for the guy. As with little Colton Burpo, we all rejoice that God spared Don Piper's life. That having been said, there are several things with Piper's story which should give the biblically informed reader pause.

One thing that struck me was Piper's description of the music. He said that at least part of the heavenly anthem was comprised of songs that he heard while on earth. Carried out to its logical conclusion, this is a troubling statement. Given that Heaven is perfect, the worship in Heaven will also be perfect, pure, wholly pleasing and glorifying to God. It will be inspired – but by inspired I do not mean in an earthly inspirational sense - I mean inspired by God Himself. Perfection comes only from God because only He is perfect. The only worship, then, of the perfect God emanating from His perfect angels and His perfected children within His perfect kingdom must be in and of itself just that - perfect. Though the hymns with which we are all familiar are beautiful and many contain sound doctrine, they are not perfect, nor are they inspired in the fullest sense of the term. I am reminded of the words of Puritan preacher John Bunyan, "The best prayer I ever prayed had enough sin to damn the whole word."[xx] In a similar vein, no matter how beautiful we deem the hymns and songs with which we are familiar on earth, they are certainly not perfect and, therefore, are not worthy of inclusion in the heavenly choir. Also of note is that Piper says the hymns he did not hear were ones such as "The Old Rugged Cross" or "The Nail-Scarred Hand." Writes Piper, "None of the hymns that filled the air were about Jesus' sacrifice or death."[xxi] Yet consider the words of the Apostle John: "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders… saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.'"[xxii] Though we can confidently affirm that these specific songs mentioned by Piper will not be in Heaven for the reason just stated, it is interesting (and more than a little ironic) that what we do know from the Bible of the worship in Heaven is that it, at least in part, will deal with exactly what he claims it does not – the sacrifice and death of Jesus.

Throughout Piper's book and in his interviews there seems to be a lack of theological precision. In a TBN appearance on May 27, 2011, Piper says that one of the people who met him at the gates of Heaven was Mrs. Norris, a lady who took him to church as a child. Said Piper, "Why do you suppose she was there? I'll tell you why she was there, she helped me get there. She deserved to be there."[xxiii] Commendable though Mrs. Norris' actions were, she certainly does not deserve to be in Heaven. That is the entire point of the Gospel: None of us deserves to be there. Another aspect that troubles me about Piper's description of Heaven is one which troubles me about every description of Heaven I have ever read from someone outside of Scripture claiming to have been there: the descriptions of Heaven are so…earthy. Piper writes, "Heaven was many things, but without a doubt, it was the greatest family reunion of all"[xxiv] and gives physical descriptions of how friends and family members looked with their now perfect bodies (more on this later). Says Piper, "If you want to look good, Heaven is where you want to be."[xxv] He spoke of feeling great love but the love he felt seemed to come from the crowd which greeted him and followed him around, not God. Unfortunately it seems that many, if not most, of us professing Christians when discussing Heaven seem to speak in terms of it as being a big "family reunion" at which we will see our friends and loved ones who "have gone on before." While it is true that Heaven will indeed have streets of gold (Rev. 21:21) and that we will indeed be reunited with our loved ones who died in Christ before us, and sickness and disease will not be known there, such things are secondary – at best. The true joy and glory of Heaven is God Himself. He is what makes Heaven Heaven. Speaking of Whom, Piper writes in his book, "I did not see God. Although I knew God was there, I never saw any kind of image or luminous glow to indicate his divine presence."[xxvi] Piper clearly writes that he did not see God. Or did he?

This brings me to one of the more troubling aspects of Don Piper's alleged visit to Heaven. 90 Minutes in Heaven in which Piper states in no uncertain terms that he did not see God because, in his opinion, had he done so he "would never have wanted to return,"[xxvii] was published in 2004. In the years since, the overwhelming popularity of the book has propelled Piper into his current ministry of travelling around the country speaking in churches and various conferences, hosting cruises, doing numerous radio interviews and appearing on many television programs to tell his story. It seems that over the years his story has changed in at least one significant way: he now claims he did see God. On March 29 of this year my wife and I went to see Don Piper speak at First Baptist Church of Bristow, OK. Having read his book, I was quite surprised to hear him say that, in fact, he did see God 'way down the golden road up on a hill on His throne.'[xxviii] This is a huge discrepancy. Wanting to make sure I did not misunderstand, I talked to him after the service and asked him why he said in his book that he did not see God.

Piper: "Really in the distance, yes, in the distance I saw Him." Me: "But in 90 Minutes in Heaven you said, 'I did not see God.'" Piper: "I'm telling you now that I did." Me: "Ok, so why did you say in the book you didn't?" Piper,"I didn't say I didn't see Him. I, I, I, I was looking from a distance through the gate. You could see the golden street, you could see the buildings, there are mansions, and you could see a hill with a river flowing down the side of it. …It was just so personal to me and so incredibly difficult to describe (that) I just didn't include that. And that's one of the things I did not include. Let me tell you something, I didn't write the book by myself. I had a co-writer who writes. His name is Cec[xxix] Murphy. So, there are probably some things in there that he interpreted differently than I did and that may be one of them."[xxx]

That one could leave out of a book entitled "90 Minutes in Heaven" such a magnanimous privilege as seeing the Alpha and Omega on His throne is incomprehensible. It is not merely a difference in "interpretation." This is a big deal. In fact, it's difficult to imagine anything much bigger than seeing God and equally difficult to imagine leaving such an experience out. This is not just a mere oversight.

23 Minutes in Hell – Bill Weise

Overview

On November 23, 1998 at 3:00 am, Bill Weise says that he suddenly found himself hurtling through the air, falling to the ground, and then landed completely naked in a prison cell of rough-hewn stone and thick metal bars.[xxxi] Weise says that the first thing he noticed was the tremendous heat – heat so intense that he could not believe that he was alive. He saw two creatures in the cell with him. They were ten to thirteen feet tall, reptilian in appearance but with a human form, scaly, foul-smelling, foot-long claws, massively powerful with the strength of a thousand men, and were seething with evil and hatred. They spoke to one another in "terrible, blasphemous language…expressing extreme hatred for God."[xxxii] The demons were then joined by two more demons coming into the cell and the four turned their collective hatred and hostility toward Weise and began to torment him. They picked Weise up, threw him against the wall, plunged their claws into his chest, and ripped his flesh. Though his flesh was mangled, no fluids came forth. The pain, the stench, the agonizing thirst and the absolute hopelessness was beyond anything we can imagine here on earth. According to Weise the demons seemed to derive sadistic joy from the pain and horror they were inflicting upon their helpless victim. He pleaded for mercy but none was given. Says Weise "Death penetrated me, but eluded me."[xxxiii]

Weise managed to crawl outside of his cell through an open door where he "heard the screams of an untold multitude of people crying in torment." He saw "a gigantic raging inferno approximately one mile in diameter" and "many people reaching out of the pit of fire, desperately trying to claw their way out. But there was no escape."[xxxiv] The pit was rimmed with various demons and any attempt by the condemned to escape was futile; "Human strength was no match for the demons."[xxxv] Weise later found himself in a cave the walls of which were "covered with thousands of hideous creatures. These demonic creatures were all sizes and shapes. …There were also gigantic rats and huge spiders at least three feet wide and two or three feet high. I also saw snakes and worms, ranging from small to enormously large. I was petrified and could not believe my eyes."[xxxvi] Finally, after 23 minutes of unspeakable horror, Weise says he began to ascend when a burst of brilliant light invaded the tunnel and though he could not see His face, he knew Who it was. "Jesus," said Weise. Jesus replied, "I AM." The horror was over.

Evaluation

The description Weise gives of Hell is exceedingly graphic and disturbing. Many of his descriptions of this place such as the heat and thirst, the palpable darkness, the pain, the hopelessness, and lack of mercy do indeed have ample biblical support. However, though others could be mentioned, there are at least two significant biblical problems with his story which must be examined. One is that in Weise's Hell it seems that the torture and punishment is inflicted upon the lost not by God's wrath in and of itself but rather by the demons and fire. Mary Baxter's A Divine Revelation of Hell also describes hell as being run by Satan and his angels.[xxxvii] This description fails biblically on two counts. One is that contrary to popular perception, Hell is not Satan's playground. Hell is not to Satan as the briar patch is to Brer Rabbit; i.e., where he longs to go and will roam about freely. Satan and the demonic hordes do not want to go to Hell any more than do we. In Matthew 8:28-34 the demons begged Christ to send them into a herd of pigs rather than to what they knew would be their eventual eternal destiny – Hell. Even a brief delay in their sure judgment was welcome. Hell was the last place they wanted to go. In Revelation 20:7-10 the Bible is clear that Satan will be "thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone" and "will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Secondly, it has become commonplace in the evangelical world to describe Hell merely as a place of being eternally separated from God. Says Weise, "The fact that I knew God was kept from my mind."[xxxviii] On TBN he stated, "If you want nothing to do with God, there is a place prepared that has nothing to do with Him (Hell)."[xxxix] It is rare today to hear a preacher expound upon the horrors of Hell. Rather, in an effort to soften the tone so as to not offend the sensibilities of "seekers," Hell, if mentioned at all, is softened to simply being a place eternally devoid of God's presence. To his credit, Weise does not soften the description of Hell – far from it. One would be hard pressed to find a more vivid and disturbing picture of Hell than the one Weise provides. However, he still falls into the same theological error, even if he does so from a completely different direction. The worst thing about Hell is not the eternal absence of God – it is the eternal presence of God. The Apostle Paul states in Romans 5:9 that "we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him (emphasis mine)." God is omnipresent and Hell is His eternal presence in the mode of judgment. Salvation is as much being saved from God as it is being saved to God.

One of the more glaring theological problems with Weise's story is how could he as a professing believer have been taken by Christ to the very place from which Christ died to save him? Weise was very clear to state in his book that this was no dream. He writes, "I landed in what appeared to be a prison cell. …I was completely naked… . This was not a dream – I was actually in this strange place."[xl] We must categorically reject that Jesus took a believer to hell. There is neither biblical support nor logical reason for such a thing to ever happen or even be possible to happen. This is an affront not only to the Gospel message but also to the character of Christ Himself. Since the publication of the book in 2006, blogs and reviews have discussed this theological difficulty and, apparently, Weise has taken notice because his story, like Piper's, has changed over the years. May 27, 2011, on the same TBN program on which Piper appeared, Weise attempts to extricate himself from the theological dilemma: "This was not a near death experience, this was an out-of-body experience that comes under the classification of a vision in the Bible. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-2, Paul when he was caught up into heaven in a vision and he said whether in the body or out of the body he didn't know. The Lord just happened to show me that I left my body. That's the only way a Christian can see hell – in a vision."[xli] Weise seems to make a distinction without a great deal of difference. Even if he now claims it was a vision, he maintains that it was very real, very physical. He experienced real pain, real thirst, real hopelessness and, real abandonment. As Christians, we can and should expect trials, tribulations, persecutions, pain and suffering in this life. However, one thing that the Bible gives us complete assurance that we will never experience is abandonment. Jesus promised us that He will never leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5) and as one of His own there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:35) – not for eternity, not even for 23 minutes.

Summary

Thus far we have examined specific, current, and popular accounts of people claiming to have been to Heaven and to Hell. With these specific accounts still in view, we will now look at some of the broader challenges, both logical and biblical, confronting anyone claiming to have made such journeys.

There is a logical problem with these accounts that is so glaring, it is hard to understand why more people do not take note of it; namely, these various accounts often contradict one another. The three individuals examined in this article only scratch the surface of those claiming to have been to the other side. Mary Baxter (who went to both Heaven and Hell), Betty Malz, Roberts Liardon, Jesse Duplantis, Kenneth Hagin, Richard Eby, Todd Bentley, etc. also would have you believe they were given a sneak peek into the afterlife. It takes only a cursory reading of these stories to realize that they all contradict one another – and often even contradict themselves! Colton Burpo reports that everyone in heaven, even God Himself, had wings. Piper saw many people in heaven but they apparently did not have wings. Some report that heaven is completely urban whereas Duplantis[xlii] says he saw homes out in the country. Some saw God on His throne, others did not see Him at all, and some, like Don Piper, can't seem to remember whether they saw Him or not. Some heavenly tourists say that Jesus has brown hair, others say it is blond. Some report Jesus as having a purple sash about his waist, others say it is blue. Benny Hinn claims to see Jesus often and can even describe what He is wearing from day to day. Some, like Colton Burpo, say Jesus' eyes are blue, others say they are brown. The list of contradictions is almost endless. The obvious point is that these accounts cannot all be true. In all likelihood, none of them are. Incidentally, in Rev. 1:14, the apostle John describes Jesus thusly: "His chest was girded with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire." Let's go with that one.

There are a number of theological issues with all of these accounts. Though with varying degrees of specificity, all who have been to the hereafter and have returned describe people as having physical bodies. They report that the heavenly residents are perfect in every way showing no signs of sickness, disease, arthritis, handicaps, etc. Their glorified bodies are beautiful in appearance and perfect in function. There is only one problem with this: the redeemed in heaven do not yet have their glorified bodies. Now, this statement will likely surprise many readers and, unfortunately, the theological nuances here are too involved to fully address, but suffice it to say that most conservative scholars agree that those presently in Heaven are not yet in possession of their permanent, glorified bodies. In fact, Heaven itself is not yet in its perfected, eternal state as this will not transpire until the events of Revelation 21. At present, Heaven is in its "intermediate" state, if you will, and those there are also in an intermediate state. In Revelation 6:9-11 and 20:4, John saw the "souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God" and the "souls of those who had been beheaded" respectively. This indicates that they were not in possession of physical bodies but rather in a non-corporeal state. The redeemed will be given glorified bodies at the rapture or Christ's return to earth (Parousia).[xliii] In either case, the reports of people in the intermediate heaven as having their glorified bodies must be rejected.

Another theological problem with the "I've been to Heaven and/or Hell" genre is that it is an attack on the sufficiency of Scripture. Even if an account does not directly contradict the Bible per se (and most do), it certainly does add to it. In these accounts, for example, we learn that hell is 3,700 miles below the surface of the earth, that it is inhabited by ghastly creatures and giant spiders, the pit of fire is shaped like a giant human or maybe it's one mile in diameter (depending on whose account you read) and is ruled by demons – none of which can be found in the Bible. Heaven apparently has suburbs, the flowers turn themselves to watch you as you pass by, the fruit is copper colored, the individual homes are furnished with ball and claw Queen Anne furniture, people have wings or they don't (again, depending on the particular account), souls of babies fly around God on His throne - none of which is biblically supported. All of this information is unbiblical at worst and extra-biblical at best which leads us to the issue of new divine revelation knowledge. Is God giving certain individuals new revelation and speaking to them apart and in addition to the Bible? If any of these accounts are even partly true, then the inescapable conclusion is "yes." Therefore, whatever God reveals to them and says to them (most of these individuals quote God directly) should carry with it the very same authority as any verse of Scripture because God cannot speak less authoritatively on one occasion than He does on another. In other words, God cannot speak to us in the Bible and really, really mean it but when He speaks to individuals outside of the Bible whether in a dream, vision, audible voice, or trip to Heaven still mean it but somehow mean it less so than He did in the Bible. It is illogical. It is an untenable position. If God is speaking, then God is speaking. If God is indeed speaking to people outside of Scripture then whatever He says we should add to the Bible. Carried to its logical conclusion, then, we now have an open canon of Scripture and with an open canon of Scripture, well, anything goes. Consider how many false religions have begun by an individual claiming to have received new revelation from God. Almost every false religion is begun by an individual saying, 'God has spoken to me. Let me tell you what He has to say.' Two notable examples come to mind immediately: Mormonism and Islam. Both Joseph Smith and Mohammed claimed that an entity appeared to them and gave them new divine revelation knowledge. This entity claimed to speak for God. Interestingly, both of these men initially believed the entity to be malevolent, but, over time, became convinced that it was indeed from God. From these eerily similar encounters in which extra-biblical revelation was given, two huge false religions were born. The canon of Scripture is complete and it is closed – for good reason.

All who claim to have been to Heaven or Hell report that God the Father or God the Son brought them there for the purpose of going back to the earth to let people know that these places are real. For example, Weise quotes Jesus as saying, "Go and tell them about this place. It is not my desire that any should go there."[xliv] Duplantis quotes Jesus as saying, "Go tell My people I'm coming." Replied Duplantis, "They know that." Jesus answered, "No they don't know that. Go tell My people I'm coming! I brought you here to tell them I'm coming!"[xlv] Well, yes, His people do, in fact, "know that" because the Bible states that fact very clearly. We do not need anyone to go to Heaven or Hell to tell us these places are real. If such excursions are indeed necessary to give us this information (or at least impress upon us the urgency of it) then the inescapable conclusion is that the Bible is not sufficient in and of itself to do so. Most of these individuals would at least give verbal ascent to the Bible as God's inerrant Word, but it clearly is not sufficient for if it were, these trips would not be necessary. Recall Abraham's words to the rich man in the lake of fire upon the latter's request to send the deceased Lazarus back to earth to warn his five brothers to repent while they still had time: "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets (the Bible), they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:19-31)." There is an inherent power in the Word of God that no miracle, no sign, no alleged visit to Heaven or Hell can boast. If people will not believe the Bible, then neither will they be persuaded by stories such as these.

The New Testament records but three men who were allowed to see Heaven: Stephen just before he was stoned, John, and Paul.[xlvi] Interestingly all three of these men were very much alive when they were given glimpses into Heaven contrary to some, but not all, of our modern cases. Stephen's glimpse was very brief and offers little detail other than seeing Jesus at the right hand of God. John's account is by far the most detailed we have, was revealed to him personally by Christ Himself, and carries the authority of Scripture. That leaves us with the Apostle Paul. What do we know, though, of what he saw and heard in Heaven? Absolutely nothing. Paul writes, "I know a man in Christ who…was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak."[xlvii] We have no idea what he saw, no idea what he heard. Why? Because what he saw was "inexpressible" and he was "not permitted" to speak it. Ponder this for a moment. Here we have the man who wrote roughly one-third of the New Testament and not only did he not give us any details of his rapturous visit to heaven, but he did not even want to mention the experience at all. He did so only reluctantly because his apostleship was being questioned by some in Corinth; hence his reference to himself in the third person, "I know a man." Paul was so humbled by his experience he would not even refer to himself in the first person. Even with that level of humility, God still gave him a "thorn in the flesh" to humble him even further. Contrast that level of humility with the claims being made today. In contrast to Paul who gave no details and only reluctantly mentioned it at all, people today who claim to have been to Heaven write books about it and go on national and global speaking tours. Some of these books sell millions and millions of copies. Spin-off books and courses complete with instructional DVDs often follow. Movies are even being made.[xlviii] The contrast is stark, is it not?

The final theological issue is not so much what these accounts contain, but rather what they do not: the Gospel. It is striking that so many of these people who claim to have been to Heaven and not only seen Jesus but spoken to Him as well do not mention the Gospel. For example, in Heaven is for Real, the closes thing to the Gospel is that Colton quotes Jesus as saying, "I had to die on the cross so that people on earth could come to see my Dad."[xlix] Granted, this is coming from a child, but the author of the book and father of the child, Todd Burpo, is a pastor. If this experience helped make Heaven "real" for them, why is the Gospel never presented so the millions of readers can know how to get there? The same is true for Don Piper, another pastor. He spent 90 minutes in Heaven and yet, save for a few clichés like "accepting Jesus" and "turning to Christ," one will search his book in vain for the Gospel. It's just not there. There is no mention of the seriousness of sin or its eternal consequences. There is no mention of the wrath of God. There is no mention of the deity of Jesus, the meaning of His sacrificial and substitutionary death, no mention of His resurrection. There is no mention of repentance of sin and placing faith in His finished work. There is, in short, no Gospel. To be fair, Bill Weise is different. Weise does give an excellent, complete, detailed and non-compromising Gospel presentation. I watched him do so on TBN and he did so very, very well. There was no fault to be found. However, what of Burpo and especially Piper? For reasons already presented I do not believe that such visits to Heaven and Hell are even possible, but for the sake of conversation, had something like that really happened to me and I had truly seen the majesties of Heaven and the glory of God, I would think that I would be absolutely consumed with telling people about the Gospel. In my preaching I would not be waxing on about how "good you're gonna look in heaven" but rather pleading with people to repent and escape the coming judgment. I hope to think that I would have the attitude of Peter and John who when in response to warnings not to teach in the name of Jesus replied, "we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" or Paul's desire to preach nothing but "Christ crucified."[l] It is difficult to understand how the Gospel would not be central to any believer's preaching or writing, but especially so for one claiming to have actually seen what for the rest of us is accepted by faith alone.

Based on the authority of the complete and sufficient Word of God we are forced to reject all of these claims as valid. This brings us to an obvious question which I have not yet addressed: are they lying? This is where it gets tough. To address this important question, we are forced to depart from the objectivity of Scripture and delve into the subjective realm of people's thoughts and intentions. Some of these people I do believe are complete frauds. Some I have studied for years and believe they are motivated by money and fame and have been very successful in acquiring both. Others, however, I am not so sure. In watching many interviews of him, it seems obvious that Todd Burpo loves his son dearly. He certainly seems like a nice guy. The story he tells tugs at one's heart strings to be sure. Don Piper undoubtedly had a devastating wreck and suffered excruciating pain. However, his claim of seeing God on His throne when he had previously denied this, and denied it quite thoroughly, is difficult to understand. Bill Weise certainly presents the Gospel well and definitely warns people of coming judgment. So, in short, no, I think it would be neither right nor fair to make such a serious charge of lying against any of these. That having been said, neither can I say that I am completely confident of their truthfulness. I think it is entirely possible that some of these stories began with a vivid dream that, at the time, seemed quite real. Dreams often do seem very real. The dream was told to one or two people who then told it to others who then told it to still others and on and on. The reports grew and became more and more elaborate. A radio interview here, a newspaper report there, the story snowballs and before long it takes on a life of its own. To keep up with the hype and publicity the individuals kept up the story and may have even begun to believe it themselves to a degree. Publicity and the praise of men is an intoxicating elixir and it poses a threat to every preacher no matter how humble – this writer included. However, our final authority is the Word of God. No matter how real an experience may seem to us, if it does not plumb with the Word of God then it is an illegitimate experience. We have exceeded biblical parameters. We have begun to divorce ourselves and those who listen to us from sole reliance upon the Scriptures. So, the question about the sincerity or lack thereof of any of these individuals may be an interesting one to ponder, but, in the final analysis it does not matter. Millions of unsuspecting people are slowly but surely being pulled away from the Bible and are turning to other sources for their spiritual knowledge and nourishment. The dangers of this cannot be overstated. These accounts are extra-biblical and often unbiblical. They divert attention away from the true power of God, the Gospel (Rom. 1:16), and emphasize subjective experiences. They may be motivational in a superficial sense but they are not capable of convicting people of their sin and need of the Savior. In the words of hymn writer John Keith, "How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent Word. What more can He say than to you He hath said? To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?" What more can He say to us, dear friends, than what He has already said i

[i] Job 14:4. All Scripture cited in this article is taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

[ii] Abbreviation for a phenomenon known as Near Death Experiences. Many who have been near physical death report seeing visions of Heaven and sometimes Hell. Much in both scientific and theological literature has been written of this phenomenon that is claimed by both Christians and non-Christians.

[iii] Hindus, Mulsims, Buddhists, etc. all claim to have had NDEs in which they were given glimpses of the other side. Source: www.iands.org Accessed 08/26/11.

[iv] According to medical reports Colton's heart never stopped.

[v] Source: www.heavenisforreal.net Video clip embedded on site accessed 08/26/11.

[vi] Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHBmoJiIfUE Accessed 08/26/11. Of note is that Colton reports Jesus' nail prints were in His palms. However, most evidence both archeological and medical indicates that victims of crucifixion were nailed through the wrists given that the palms would not have supported the weight of the body.

[vii] Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVtNzONbaiU Accessed 08/25/11.

[viii] Ibid.

[ix] Source: www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=HBnzAXbqGcY Accessed 08/26/11.

[x] Burpo, Todd, and Lynn Vincent. Heaven is for Real. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010. Pgs. 135-139.

[xi] Source: www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-09-04/paperback-nonfiction/list.html Accessed 08/29/11.

[xii] Source: www.heavenisforreal.net embedded clip accessed 08/26/11.

[xiii] This is, essentially, the Word of Faith doctrine known as the Spiritual Death of Jesus (SDJ) doctrine. A careful reading of Psalm 22, the passage which Jesus cites while on the cross, in its entire context lends support that the Father did not abandon the Son on the cross. See verses 19 and 24.

[xiv] Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHBmoJiIfUE Accessed 08/26/11.

[xv] Piper is associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

[xvi] Piper, Don. 90 Minutes in Heaven. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 2004. 42.

[xvii] Ibid., 22.

[xviii] Ibid., 26.

[xix] Ibid., 34.

[xx] Source: http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/John-Bunyan-Quotes/page-5.shtml Accessed 08/30/11.

[xxi] Ibid, 31.

[xxii] Revelation 5:11-12. Emphasis this writer's.

[xxiii] Piper. TBNs Praise the Lord program. 05/27/11.

[xxiv] Piper, 25.

[xxv] Piper. TBN Praise the Lord program. 05/27/11.

[xxvi] Ibid., 33.

[xxvii] Ibid.

[xxviii] I have this in single quotes because I do not know these were his exact words but, if not, they are very close. Piper reiterated this claim next month story. Later, on May 27, 2011, On TBN's "Praise the Lord" program, he reiterated the same story: "I began to look up through the gate and I could see this kind of pinnacle in the middle of the city. It's kind of a hill high and lifted up. There's a river flowing down the side of this, well, it's the River of Life and it's coming down the side of this mountain, or hill if you will, and at the top of that is the brightest light I've ever seen and I know Who that is, it's the Lord high and lifted up."

[xxix] "Cec" is short for Cecil. Cecil Murphey is listed as co-author of 90 Minutes in Heaven.

[xxx] For the sake of accuracy, I recorded the audio of this conversation.

[xxxi] Weise, Bill. 23 Minutes in Hell. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2006. xiii.

[xxxii] Ibid., 3-7.

[xxxiii] Ibid., 6.

[xxxiv] Ibid., 8, 10, 29.

[xxxv] Ibid., 22.

[xxxvi] Ibid., 30.

[xxxvii] Baxter, Mary. A Divine Revelation of Hell. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1997. The perception of hell as being ruled by Satan and his fallen angels can likely be traced back to The Divine Comedy written by the Italian Dante Alighieri in the early 1300s. This epic poem depicts hell as being a place where demons and Satan rule over and torture the condemned. It is considered to be one of the greatest works of literature of all time.

[xxxviii] Ibid., 9. Emphasis in the original.

[xxxix] Weise. TBN Praise the Lord program. 05/27/11.

[xl] Weise, xiii.

[xli] Weise. TBN Praise the Lord program. 05/27/11.

[xlii] Jesse Duplantis is a prominent Word-Faith preacher whose weekly television program is broadcast globally. Duplantis claims that he was sucked out of his hotel room in Magnolia, AR in 1988 and found himself on a cable car travelling through space at a phenomenal rate of speed. When the cable car stopped, the doors opened and Jesse stepped out into Heaven. His account is entitled Close Encounters of the God Kind and is available in both DVD and book form.

[xliii] See 1 Thess.4; 1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 5:1-2. Which option is preferred depends upon one's eschatological position.

[xliv] Weise, 34.

[xlv] Duplantis, Jesse. Close Encounters of the God Kind. DVD on file.

[xlvi] Acts 7:54-60, the book of Revelation, and 2 Corinthians 12:1-7 respectively.

[xlvii] 2 Corinthians 12:2-4.

[xlviii] Source: http://www.donpiperministries.com/newsletter_and_schedule.asp Accessed 09/05/11.

[xlix] Burpo, 111.

[l] Acts 4:20 and 1 Corinthians 1:23 respectively. Emphasis mine.

Distributed by www.worldviewweekend.com

FHCO: The Realities of Hell

2011-09-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Nathan Jones, webminister and evangelist with Lamb & Lion ministries, has written an excellent, concise little summary on the destiny of those who refuse Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

FHCO: Your Future in Heaven (Part 5)

Timeline of the Unsaved

As good as the path that leads us to eternal life in Heaven, there is also the path that goes to Hell. I would be remiss if I didn't share what happens to those people who die without accepting Jesus as their Savior and who continue on that path to their judgment. What is going to happen to them? Remember John 3:36's warning, "God's wrath remains on him." Those people who continue to live on that straight road without accepting Jesus' rescue have a different destination from Heaven entirely. They are going to die in their rebellion, and they have no hope whatsoever. The following is what's going to happen to them after they die.

After an unsaved person dies, they go to a place called Hades. The Bible also calls it Sheol or Torments. You can read all about it in Luke 16. Hades is a holding place for the dead, a prison. It at one time had two compartments, a place called Paradise and a place called Torments. The Old Testament Saints used to go to the Paradise part as they couldn't go to Heaven yet because Jesus' blood hadn't yet been shed to cover their sins. By faith they were there as Hebrews explains, but Jesus' blood finally allowed their freedom and Paradise was taken up to Heaven with Jesus after His crucifixion. What we have in Hades now is just what is left — Torments — a place of torment.

At the end of Jesus' Millennial Kingdom, there will be the Great White Throne Judgment. That's a special name basically for the Resurrection of the Unjust. We can read about this final judgment in Revelation 20:11-13, "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it and earth and sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and the books were opened. And another book was opened which is the book of life, the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in them and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them and each person was judged according to what he had done."

Those from Hades are going to be judged just like the just were judged. They are going to be judged based on their works, but without the saving work of Jesus Christ — the only work that matters, they will be found wanting. God's the perfect litmus test, and so those no matter how good our works just cannot add up. Everyone who tells you that you have to work your way to Heaven is lying to you, because the Bible says otherwise. Jesus' work on the cross is the only work that matters, and our response in faith.

When they are all found guilty, their next and final destination is a place called Hell. Revelation 20:14-15 explains that awful sentence of condemnation, "Then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire." The Lake of Fire is called the Second Death. If anyone's name was not found written in the Books of Life, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Misconceptions About Hell

A lot of people have some really false ideas about what Hell is like. There are as many misconceptions about Hell as there is Heaven.

One misconception about Hell for instance is that Satan is down there stoking the fires, that he's already there waiting to punish and torment people with pitchforks. No, Satan doesn't rule Hell. There are no demons waiting to torment us in Hell.

Actually, believe or not, there is not a single person in Hell right now. Hell is the punishment created for Satan and his demons. Matthew 25:41 says Hell was created for them when they rebelled against God. When we rebelled in sin, that same punishment fell upon us. Hell was never meant for us, but when we sinned, we fell under the same judgment as Satan and his followers.

Hell Described

What is Hell actually like? We can read all about it in the Bible.

Is Hell a place where we party down? Is it a place where it is just a little too warm, but where we hang out with our old friends? No, Matthew 25:46 tells us it is a place of punishment for rebellion. Punishment is not good. Hell is not a good place.

Hell is where the wrath of God is finally fulfilled. In John 3:36, we read about the wrath of God. The wrath of God is whenever God judges the earth in its entirety. We saw it with the Flood. We will see it poured out at the Tribulation. God will judge all who have rejected Him at the Second Death. These are demonstrations of God's wrath.

Hell is called the Second Death in Revelation 21:8. It is also called Eternal Destruction in 2 Thessalonians 1:9. Look at the word "eternal." Eternal means just that —forever destroyed.

With Hell, there is just no escape. Luke 16 says there is no way out of it. It's not like there can be some fancy Star Trek episode escape where they hitch a few wires and the doors open and they always escape. No, it's not like that in Hell. There is absolutely no way to escape from Hell.

What is Hell physically like? Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:15 describe it as a Lake of Fire. Some people speculate that maybe it is located in the underworld of our planet, as we see lava flows from a volcano like a lake. I tend to think Hell is a star. If you ever get a good close picture of a star, you will see superheated energy plasma boiling and rolling like lakes. It could be in a star, but the Bible doesn't tell us. But, it is described as a place of flames. It's a place of burning.

With all that fire, one would think it would be a very bright place, but Matthew 8:12 tells us it is a place of utter darkness. There is no light. No one will get to see in Hell.

And, the stench of it! Luke 16 tells us that Hell stinks. It has a bad smell to it.

The people who are sentenced there will be conscious. They will not be knocked out. They won't be driven so mad that they won't think about the horrible reality crushing them. They will have to exist with a conscious existence as Deuteronomy 18:11 demonstrates, and what they are consciously aware of is that they chose to separate themselves from the Father, as Luke 16 relays. God says to us all with no exception, "I love you. Come to me." You can choose to respond to that, or you can reply with, "No, way!" Those who rejected God's love will spend eternity regretting that decision.

Being separated from God has other consequences, for God is life, and without Him the universe doesn't hold together. You may hear about physicists trying to find the God particle or the String Theory. Well, in part they are correct. The underlining force that holds everything together is God. Jesus says it is Him. He is the bread and the life. He's what holding us together.

Without God there is only loneliness and separation. There's just you being convicted by your memories filled with regret and despair.

Luke 16 says in Hell you thirst. In Hell there is nothing to quench one's awful, mind-burning thirst.

Another reason I believe Hell may be a star or some other place with plasma energy, is that Revelation 9:2 tells us that it's bottomless. There is no ground to put your feet on. It is a place of continual falling and falling and never landing.

Because of all the agony and destruction that you feel in Hell, it says in Matthew 8:12 that there is gnashing of teeth. There will be nothing from you but weeping and crying with no comfort and no water to supply your tears.

Hell is truly a place of torment, as Revelation 14 describes. It's an awful place of torment where you are alone with yourself forever. You wanted God to leave you along and so you didn't accept Jesus' salvation, and well, you got what you wanted.

Living With an Eternal Perspective

Our forever destination is why we need to think about something bigger than just our life here on earth. Where the road ends is why we need to have an eternal perspective, because our life on this earth is really very short, isn't it? It's just like a breath. And so, it makes sense that we need to look at the bigger picture in life. You need to know where you are going.

You can't just live for the now, because if you die this very minute without preparing for the next minute, then where will that get you? A good friend of mine from high school had this happen to him. While his mother was making him dinner she slipped on some water on the floor. While she was making something as innocent as dinner, she fell and banged her head against the cabinet. The fall snapped her neck and she died instantly. One minute she is making the meatballs, the next minute she is dead with her son standing over his dead mother. Life happens that way. We don't think it can happen to us, especially the younger we are. We think life doesn't end so suddenly, but it will. Death will catch up to us usually when we are unaware.

Death is inevitable, unless you are raptured, so live with an eternal perspective. If you live with an eternal perspective, then everything else in life will make sense. Life will have purpose.

What happens to you upon death is told to you in the Bible. It's all described in God's word, and it's not a hard concept. Don't listen to what the silly cartoons and the movies are telling you about Heaven and Hell. Read for yourself in the Bible what you final destiny will be.

Resources

If you want people to help make studying this topic easy for you to understand, I recommend Dr. David Reagan's book Eternity. Dr. Ron Rhodes's book The Wonder of Heaven is an excellent book which will give you many more details above and beyond what I can cover in my short time here. My kids and I have been going through Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn, which makes the knowledge about Heaven real easy for kids to understand. These resources are out there for you to feed you.

Your Eternal Decision

Now you know where your destiny lies. So, have you made the choice for Jesus? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and be your Savior? Have you cried, "Rescue me please, I want to live with you forever."

An amazing, wonderful, awesome future lay ahead of us! So, what on earth are you doing that's just so important that you won't grab hold of that future? What sins are you committing that are so temporarily enjoyable that you wish to stay here, when you've got so much better ahead of you? Turn to Jesus right now and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and be your Savior.

Think of the future that you have. Don't write Hell off as not a real place. The God of the Universe who is outside of time and who knows what is beyond here has told us in the Bible exactly what our afterlife will be like. In the Bible we can know our future.

You have a decision to make today. Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior, or have you not? Will you be rescued from judgment and Hell, or will you be saved for Heaven by placing your trust in Jesus Christ? You need to make that decision before you die.

Muslim Persecution of Christians: August, 2011

2011-09-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Warning, the article at the following link is not easy to read. Be prepared for some disturbing revelations if you choose to read it.

Muslim Persecution of Christians: August, 2011

Will Israel be Divided?

2011-09-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

Scripture speaks of many things having to do with Israel. In fact, it speaks of the Jews breaking Yahweh's covenant, being exiled and being brought back to their land at the beginning before they ever enter (Dt. 30:1-5). It does state that they will be brought back, that they will indeed possess the land. ⁵"The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. The prophet Ezekiel also devotes two entire chapters to the nation and people being restored (Ezek. 36,37).
Deuteronomy 30:5

But one thing the scriptures DO NOT state is that the land will be divided or taken away from them again after the LORD God has restored them to the land promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:3). All this political posturing of the PA and incitement to riot in Egypt... and their own citizens just want their leaders to take care of them. But the leaders are on a fervish course to wipe out the nation of Israel. As Ahmadenijad has said, he has spoken to "the Mahdi," who is a spiritual entity, who is not supposed to arrive until a time of global chaos and bloodshed. So it appears that there is clearly a malevolent spiritual force at work, seeking to incite violent war, chaos and bloodshed. It's the making of all your Hollywood apocalyptic movies. And I think is the inspiration for most of these movies.

I am thankful the resolution for a Palestinian state has been delayed. I think it has been done in answer to prayer. Scripture says that "the LORD is not slow as some count slowness, but is patient with you, desiring that none would perish, but everyone come to repentance" (2 Ptr. 3:9). Indeed, it would seem that Psalm 2 is addressed to the nations and political leaders of today, fighting against what Yahweh Himself is doing in bringing the Jews back. But on closer reflection, the leaders fighting against the Jews and warring on them is in fact what Yahweh Himself is doing.

To see this, look at Ezekiel 38. The LORD Himself says in verse 4, "I will bring you out..." and verse 16 we are told why: "It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog." Ezekiel 38:16

So we see that Yahweh is doing this for His glory, and the praise of His name. He has chosen the tribe of Israel to fulfill the promises to the first parents, Adam and Eve, of a seed who would crush the head of the Serpent, who tempted them to disobey their loving Creator God. He brings glory and praise to His name by bringing the enemies of His chosen people against Israel, under the influence of the evil one, and through His chosen people, defeating them, and manifesting His power and glory. (Ezek. 38:1-17)

The apostle Paul described it in this way: ²²What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? ²³And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
Romans 9:22-23

Which are you? An object of God's mercy? If you repent of your sins, and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you are. ⁹that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:9-10

The LORD God is accomplishing His will among our day, and we see it quickly coming to fruition. If you have never repented of your sins, do it today, while it is still called the day of grace. We are getting ready to move into a period of time, when the global government comes to power, and the wrath of God is going to be unleashed upon the earth. I know many people have taught that the four apocalyptic horsemen are now (and have been) upon the earth, but the first of those horsemen is the coming one-world ruler, seeming like a savior, coming in the name of peace, and he will destroy many. And in his wake, the other three will quickly follow behind.
"It is appointed for a man to die once, and after this comes the judgment." Hebrews. 9:27

Trust Him while there's still time. (Rom. 10:9-10)