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Time is Short: We Need to Look Inward

June 26, 2009 -- Sure, there are a great many other signs of the end of the age. But, religious APOSTASY is the most telling sign of all that we are indeed in the last days and that our Lord Jesus Christ's second advent is near.

How many sad souls, people you know, are currently following after false doctrines, certain in their own minds that they are doing "God's work?"

How many of these get easily puffed up like bandy roosters when you call their "faith" and "doctrines" into question? How many are incredibly prideful of their "knowledge" and religiosity? How many of these are quick to tell you that you are going to hell if you don't believe their gnostic position on eschatology or some other non-salvific issue? When you evidently expose the errors in their belief system, how many run back to their Amway leaders for ammo and "bunker down" in their position, remaining as the bible puts it "willingly ignorant?"

The world and those who have put their faith in its riches should not be surprised, but the APOSTATES will be surprised when they die and Almighty God says "Depart from me for I never knew you."

This sobering fact alone is a very good reason for us to take account of our own selves today.

As Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett found out yesterday, this life is short; it is temporary. No matter how much money, power or fame you have, or how much "understanding" you think you possess, only one thing matters when you depart this earth. That is, has Almighty God quickened you to the truth? Has He given you the gift of faith to believe upon Him? Are you now saved?

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that [FAITH] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Time is short. Now is the appointed time. We need look inward, even backward at our life. What is, and what has been the theme and focus of our lives? Finally, we must ask ourselves: Are we part of the elect?

Or... are we just playing religion, making sure that we feel good about ourselves in that department? Are we looking for some special knowledge instead of seeking to understand Christ Crucified? Have we found a great leader and now are just lazily following after his every word and whim? Are we truly following after proper doctrine? Has the Lord Himself given us the spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear the truth and to discern the oh-so-close to the truth popular gnostic religious trends of the day? Do we quickly understand the biggest lie of all, that false free-will gospel which elevates man into a role as an integral component of some imaginary "salvation" either through his "understanding" or his "actions?"

One thing we must examine is this: If we be elect, there will be fruit. Is there genuine fruit, or are you a lightning rod for chaos and confusion in the Body? Also, is your life selfless or do you serve your own belly? Truly, good works will follow every genuine conversion. Are you prone to good works, or are people turned off to God by your hypocrisy?

As we see in Galatians chapter 5 the Christian may fall prey to some of these things (as King David and most of us have) -- but if we be elect we will not have displayed a Christian life which includes consistent acts of adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and the like.

And, another sure sign is that those who are elect will display genuine fruit of the Spirit. These include Agape love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Also, there will be genuine humility, not the fake, smiley cocktail-party variety.

So, are you just going through the motions of a religious lifestyle? Are all your efforts driven by your mind, your emotions and your will, and thus not sustaining? Unsatisfied, are you one of those who jumps from one religious trend to another? It should be easy to look back and get the answer to that one.

Or, are you one of the few who are Spirit driven, who can only meditate and think on the Lord Jesus Christ, His Kingdom and His Glory all the day long? (rather than some gnostic religious knowledge that you and your ilk have pride in?)

O' to God, that we might be found accepted in the Beloved, a true part of His fold today. O' that we might be found full of good fruit, exhorting and encouraging others towards God Almighty and good works, by our life and the words which emanate from our regenerate hearts. O' too that we might not be found wanting in the last day, spreading all manner of religious confusion and sowing chaos into the Body of Christ; promoting false doctrines that we have eeked out of our "conforming" and prideful Amway meetings -- rather than the simplicity of THE GOSPEL.

Today, let us begin by taking a good hard look around our own shop, looking in the mirror, and tending to our own goods. And most of all, may God Almighty be merciful to us all...

For only by His power will any of us be able to endure to the end!

He Chooses the Lowly

May 28, 2009 -- Have you noticed that it has pleased the Lord to most often choose the lowly of the world as His Bride?

It is true. Like Mephibosheth, who was lame on both feet, the elect are rarely dazzling beauties or the most handsome of men as we look upon their exterior features. Also, as we search the earth, we see that the elect of God are rarely the most intellectual of men.

While not typically the world's idea of beautiful or smart (or rich), the elect do have something the world's best do not. Inner beauty. They also tend to have more common sense and wisdom. These are wonderful internalized traits that can not be faked but must come from God Himself. You can not help but be repulsed by the shallowness and temporary nature of the attributes the world finds attractive. And, you can not help but be attracted to the renewed and regenerate spirits of those that God has called and chosen for Himself.

The elect are givers. They are joy to be around. Contrarily, the best-looking and smartest people in the world tend to be vain, proud, boisterous, loud, and arrogant. They are takers. They are self-absorbed, even to the point that they do not recognize that they are temperamental and difficult to be around for any length of time. While often religious, the favored of the world are not genuinely Christian people. They are not people that you look at and say "Wow. There goes a wonderful, joyful and self-less human being, a true servant of the King."

So interestingly, it has pleased our Heavenly Father to go into the side streets, the alleys and the by-ways to find a poor, and more lowly and humble people to claim for Himself. It is amazing that He has chosen less than perfect men, men like Mephibosheth to sit and feast at His table.

And like Mephibosheth, we have nothing to offer God. Literally, we bring NOTHING to the table. Nothing. In fact, with Adam as our corporal head, we were born into this world with the curse of sin upon us. We were born completely dead in our trespasses and sins. Thankfully, that was not the end of the story...

O' gracious God, Who has pulled us out of the gutter to eat at His table!

Pre-Tribulation Rapturism and Preterism: Dangerous Similarities

May 23, 2009 -- For the simple minded, that is to say the biblically challenged, as well as for all those who are blinded by God Himself, the false doctrines of Preterism and Pre-Tribulation Rapturism offer convenient escape vehicles from harsh coming realities.

As for Preterists, they are not overly concerned about all that bad last days’ stuff that the bible talks about. This is because they teach that most; if not all that crazy end times junk has already happened. Secondly, they think that we are already living in the wonderful millennial reign of Christ. This is particularly perplexing because their "millennium" has now taken over 1900 years. Not to mention that the bible says that Christ will actively and physically rule all during that 1000 year period on a new earth, underneath a new heaven.

As for the Pre-Trib Fib crowd, (the TBN-loving dispensationalists), they errantly teach that they will be raptured off the planet PRIOR TO any discomfort arising from tribulation. They, like the Preterists, are gnostic (have what they feel is very 'special' knowledge), are full of pride, and are in most cases WILLINGLY IGNORANT of the truth.

Both of these false doctrines are carefully crafted to make their adherents feel all comfy and secure in their present lives. However, in both cases, their lovely delusional state will ultimately gain them only a temporary feeling of euphoria and personal safety.

Sadly, 99% of those who abide in these two camps won’t have a clue (won’t want to have a clue) when the final ACTUAL last days events spoken of in Matthew 24 and MANY other places do actually begin to unfold.

The very few who may have a clue as to what is really going on, will likely be quick to dismiss such a notion and go back to their feel-good Amway meetings; you know that place where other like-minded delusionals continually reassure one another that their masters are not naked.

As the great tribulation and other last days events unfold, these two similarly deluded groups will have to deny the obvious. Why? Because they have long cornered themselves with their false teaching. They will be forced to tell their questioning adherents: "Sheeple, pull the rugs back over your eyes because this ain’t the tribulation! Men are just wicked. We are not naked. Go back to sleep."

Rather than admit they were wrong they will deny that these are the events spoken of in The Revelation, Matthew 24, and confirmed in so many other places in the Word.

Rather than say they were in error, they will be forced to cover their collective butts. Most will simply pass off what is happening and attribute it to you know, the "wickedness inherent in men." They certainly will not be able to swallow their sinful pride and say, WE WERE WRONG, THIS IS THE TRIBULATION. PEOPLE BEWARE!!! (although I do hold out hope that a few current adherents might have the eyes and ears to see and hear the truth before its too late.)

A DANGEROUS CIRCUMSTANCE: DENYING THE TRIBULATION

Indeed, the Pre-Trib Fib TBN crowd will deny the tribulation because they have taught their people that none of them would be there to see it.

And, the prideful Preterist bunch will deny they are experiencing THE tribulation because they have been brian-washed into thinking that all that stuff happened back in 70 A.D. "Er, uh, so this can’t be any of that last days stuff, can it?!"

Here is the problem for all who delude themselves into believing that all things continue as they were, for all who WILL NOT accept that we are in, or quickly heading into the great tribulation...

The most damning feature of both of these false doctrines is that those who fall for them will have every reason to justify taking the mark of the beast. They will literally have no reason to NOT take the chip when it is served up and thrust upon a world still quaking from financial meltdowns and other assorted calamities.

Now, most of my readers understand that the mark [is likely a biochip implant that] allows for identification and financial transactions. Most of you know that it will be used to enslave the people to their "beast system" and that only by getting this [chip] will you be able to work and buy and sell within their wonderful new world economy and system.

But, IF this ain’t the tribulation (as so many will be told) then hey let’s all go out and get us one of 'dem dar chip thangs!

And here’s the kicker.

Eternal damnation is the end for all who take the mark. We see this plainly in in Revelation 14, verses 9-11 where we read: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

So, IF the Preterist or Pre-Tribber is deceived into thinking "hey, no big deal" and takes the mark, then they have this to look forward to: First, they will get burned up in the firestorm that Christ will bring at His ACTUAL glorious Second Coming (by the way, not a secret deal). Second, they will then go straight to hell, they will not pass go, and they will not collect $200.

The sad thing is that most who call themselves Christian currently fall into one of these two camps. Most "christians" today are either pre-tribbers or they are preterists.

Folks, the last days falling away is almost complete and the last sheep are being brought into the fold. As I wrap this installment up, may we thank Almighty God for His mercy and grace to see and hear the truth...

For if it were not for the wonderful grace of God, there we go also.

The Flesh is Weak, the Spirit Willing

May 22, 2009 -- I don't know about you, but to me the Christian life and our struggle between our renewed spirit and our corrupt flesh is often akin to a roller-coaster ride. When the Spirit is strong in us, we are at the top of the coaster. We feel joy unspeakable and all is well with our soul. When our flesh rises up, we often find ourselves stumbling, and before you know it, we are downtrodden and back down at the bottom of the coaster.

As it was happening, the descent may even have seemed quite a fun ride. Yet, when stillness and the morning sun arises, we have grieved the Holy Spirit within us with our actions. How is it that even the most seasoned of Brethren can be tossed about and knocked so easily off their lofty [spiritual] perch of yesterday?

Of course, the simple answer is that the flesh is indeed weak, even while the spirit remaineth willing. We are in constant battle. Nevertheless, the victories come more often as we grow towards spiritual maturity!

All Christians deal with the frustrations of living in these filthy human containers, these temporary holding tanks made of carnal flesh. Our human experiences and the topsy-turvy changes that we all have gone through (and are going through currently) ultimately point us to this: to be still and wait on the Lord's holy will -- even when, especially when His purposes are so very hard to see.

The bottom line is that our destiny is ruled by Almighty God. Therefore, if we be elect we can rest assured that we are in His able hands, not only today, but every day until He returns victoriously. Let us rejoice because surely...

He will finish the good work He hath begun in us.

Let us be thankful today, for His mercy endureth forever, hallelujah!

EagleEye

Prayer Warrior or Pretentious Religious Pretender

April 17, 2009 -- Sadly, I know of many "self-proclaimed" Sovereign-grace believing Christians who almost never pray (except when they can be seen doing so in public). Apparently, the reason they hold prayer in such low esteem is they inaccurately deem that since God has already predestinated all things, there simply is no need for prayer. Of course, lethargy ensues.

I have heard some of these "christians" show great pride (a sin, by the way) in their lack of prayer time. They tell me that they have learned to pray in this manner: "God, you know." And, then they say that they are done because "after all, God already knows what you are going to pray before you pray it anyways."

Folks, this is an incredibly disrespectful disregard for the powerful tool of prayer. Clearly, such a sad belief shows that a person is either deluded, stupid (unable to learn), fully ignorant of the Word of God, or a combination of the three.

The fact is, if we truly be born again, fervent prayer becomes a delightful part of our inward compulsion towards Godly obedience. The Lord Jesus (our greatest example) very, very often went off to pray by Himself. As we should know by now, the Lord's prayer is not a succinct "God, you know." Rather, the example of prayer that our Lord gave us to use as our guide is a wonderful, effectual and fervent outline, an all-encompassing plea to our Heavenly Father, that gives Him the praise He is due for Who He is! It asks for His daily guidance and physical and spiritual support in many areas for ourselves and our families by extension, all according to His will.

So, why would we want to short change our time with our Heavenly Father??? As true believers, we would not. Of course, we do understand that our Great Triune God has pre-ordained all things according to His will and own good pleasure. But nonetheless He is inextricably drawn to move upon those who pray (especially those who pray fervently in private) and He acts powerfully (and effectually) upon prayers that are humbly presented.

Since our Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate in human form did not neglect so great a privilege, how is it that we would think it ok for us to neglect so great a weapon???

Yes, ALL-MIGHTY God created you to be exactly who you are today. He knew from the foundation of the world whether you’d become a mighty prayer warrior or a pretentious religious pretender who neglects prayer, er, uh, unless it makes you look good in public. As we close I would only ask...

Which type of Christian are you?

Preterism: A Dangerous False Doctrine, Part I

March 19, 2009 -- In case you all haven't heard there is currently a big movement in "christian" circles towards a false doctrine called PRETERISM. Preterists have many obtuse and differing views, factions, divisions and contradicting offshoots. But, nearly all Preterists purport that: 1) the world is ALREADY in the Millennial Reign of Christ, and 2) MOST of "end times" prophecy, including the tribulation and various renditions of a "secret" return of Christ, already occurred back in 70 A.D. at the destruction of Jerusalem.

Preterists contend that we have been ruling and reigning with Christ, in the Millennium since 70 A.D. Are you kidding me??? And get this, THEY TEACH THAT SATAN IS BOUND!!!

Also telling is the fact that their 1000 year Millennium has already taken over 1900 years. (but they can use their slick-willy "hermeneutics" to explain that away.)

As for me and my house, we are thankful that when the bible tells US to "COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS" it is in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ actually, physically COMING TO EARTH A SECOND TIME, and ruling and reigning (here on earth) with the saints during the literal one thousand year Millennium. Folks, this is a STILL FUTURE EVENT!!!

Even with the obvious and tragic errors of preterism, many good folks have actually fallen for this pretentious, gnostic garbage.

Anyway, the final nail in their coffin is this: the Apostle John did not even receive the REVELATION until nearly 100 A.D. Let's forget their utter butchering of Matthew 24 for the moment... how could ANY of the events of REVELATION, including the great tribulation and the oh-so-visible SECOND ADVENT of Christ, have taken place some 25 to 30 years earlier???

That Revelation was received and written long after 70 A.D. is a verifiable historic fact. Yet the arrogant, hell-bent Preterists, like they do with anything else that gets in their way, will wiggle and squirm and try to deny this truth. Of course, they would have too, as this ONE FACT ALONE destroys their entire house of cards.

Of course, the preterists, like so many others pushing their own brand of "special knowledge" and "enlightened" falsehoods, will find a way to "hermeneutics-ize" any biblical or historical obstacles. Using their disingenuous bible interpretation methods they attempt to explain away all the things which don't fit in order that they can keep up appearances of superior spirituality. After all, they need to "feel" superior, and oh so very, very good about themselves. Preterists, good luck with that.

Folks, needless to say preterists are dangerous. AVOID THEM. RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION!!! They sow tremendous confusion into the Body of Christ. (and who is the author of confusion???) Some even take it to the extreme where they actually tie salvation itself into a proper knowledge of their particular brand of Preteristic thought. NOTE: Good preterists are commonly taught to deny the salvation tie-in, not unlike how good Amway converts are taught to deny they are inviting you to an Amway meeting.

If you are approached by a Preterist, I beseech you to try and avoid them. Or, listen to their "schlemiel" and say NO THANKS. If you have already got sucked in, please DO NOT go to their damning "hermeneutics" classes and spend your valuable time learning to defend the false doctrine of preterism. Your time needs to be spent on your knees in prayer, and in the Word of God, which by the way does have a specific audience... IT IS A WONDERFUL GIFT OF GODLY TRUTHS TO ALL BELIEVERS SPANNING ALL AGES!

Folks, we are on the precipice of the great tribulation and the TRIUMPHANT return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Put on the full armor of God. And just so you know...

...that armor does not include false doctrines!

The Revelation

[Author's Note: The article below is something I wrote after several years of intense personal study in the book of Revelation. The reason I'm bringing this back out is that there is currently a big movement in "christian" circles towards a false doctrine called PRETERISM. The final nail in their contention that "most all of prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D." is that John did not receive the Revelation until close to 100 A.D., so how could the great tribulation, the second coming, etc. have been fulfilled earlier.)

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS..."
- Rev 19:11-16

October 20, 2004 -- I've heard people say that they don't enjoy reading the Book of Revelation. I've heard others say that they don't understand it. But, basically the Book of Revelation is simply the Revelation [the revealing] of our Lord Jesus Christ!

It is a wonderful book. It is a book that ultimately provides the diligent student with a great deal of information concerning Christ's return to this earth, and all the events that we can expect surrounding it. No wonder the Devil wants to keep people out of this book. No wonder Satan desires to cloud and obfuscate the PLAIN TRUTH for most every man who ventures into it!

But, rest assured brothers and sisters that Revelation describes a time of great glory, because it culminates in the revealing of the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, our Lord Jesus Christ, to all mankind, once and for all!

Of course, lest we forget, Revelation also describes some trials by fire for the people of God. Even though it often uses symbolism, it provides those with the eyes to see it, great insight into some of the very literal and very sobering STILL FUTURE events that will occur before He returns. In addition, the Book of Revelation describes in vivid detail a great many of the events that we can expect to occur AFTER His glorious return!

But, without question, the MOST REASSURING part of Revelation is that it describes to us the revealing of Christ our King! As we read, we cannot help but anticipate the return of our King. We are compelled by the Holy Spirit within us, to look up for our redemption draweth nigh.

And rightfully, we comfort one another with these words!!!

But, the Book of Revelation also tells us about a great many other things. It tells us how God plans to bring this wicked age to a close. It tells us how every foul and prideful thing on this earth, which holds itself up against the knowledge of God, will soon be brought low.

So, for the sake of clarity, I'd like to do a quick recap of just a few of those FUTURE Revelatory events right here. Now, this will not be a detailed discourse [I'll save that for later], but is intended only as a brief summary of some of the more important FUTURE topics that we find in Revelation, topics that we all would do well to be aware of and to understand, and to prepare ourselves for.

• Before Christ returns, there will be a time of great tribulation. We see this period described throughout Revelation, but perhaps most clearly in Matthew 24, verses 21 and 22 where we read: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

• The Bible tells us that this time of great tribulation is a forty-two month period. We see this best in Revelation 13, verses 5-7 where we read: "And there was given unto him [the beast Antichrist] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." We also see this 42 month time period described in Revelation 11:1-2.

• The unholy trinity [Satan, his Antichrist and the false prophet] will be the real terrorists during this short period of time, and men will not be able to buy or sell, unless they take an identifying/financial "mark" [likely a biochip implant] in their right hand or forehead. We see this described best in Revelation 13, verses 16 and 17 where we read: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

• Eternal damnation is the end for all who take the mark. We see this plainly in in Revelation 14, verses 9-11 where we read: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

• Our Lord Jesus Christ returns triumphantly [Rev. 19:11-16] near the very end of this time of great tribulation. It is at this time that He receives His Bride [all the truly redeemed] unto Himself. This occurs in an event often referred to as "the rapture." Of course, Biblically this rapture-event is better known as the "calling away of the saints." And, we are able to clearly see Christ's return and the "rapture" occurring simultaneously in 1st Thessalonians 4, verses 16-18 where we read: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

• About the time of the return of Jesus Christ and the "calling away of the saints," there are 144,000 people sealed, who THEN survive God's coming WRATH upon the earth! Folks, a whole lot is going on around the time of Christ's second coming. But, perhaps one of the more misunderstood things is exactly WHO IT IS THAT comprise the mysterious 144,000 sealed in Revelation. But, unless you historicize, martinize, or symbolize it all away, the 144,000 are easy to determine and are described IN GREAT DETAIL in Chapter 7.

  In Chapter 7, we CLEARLY see that the 144,000 are LITERALLY 12,000 men and women from each of the original 12 tribes of Israel. And, while I've heard this number bastardized, sanitized and spiritualized to mean a great many things, it is a LITERAL number, and it is Jews. I've heard it said that no one knows who the true descendants of the twelve tribes are today. Well, given the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., that is more than likely true. HOWEVER, lest we forget, Almighty God certainly knows who they are.

  Interestingly, these 144,000 elect Jews are probably alive right now, even TODAY as you read this!!! As of now, they remain "unconverted" since they do not YET recognize and proclaim Jesus as their King. However, once they are sealed, their eyes will be opened and they will praise God with a new song. [Rev. 14:3]

  The fact that Christ sovereignly protects this group of 144,000 [Go back and read all of Revelation Chapter 7] in the midst of His WRATH, [that hellacious fire and destruction we see Him wreaking upon the earth, best described in Revelation 16], brings back memories of what God divinely did to preserve their ancient ancestors Shadrach, Meshach and Abegnego in the midst of another famous fire!

  I always wondered who would be on the earth during the Millennium. Well, it will be these 144,000 from the twelve original tribes! These are they who will begin repopulating the planet during Christ's 1000 year millennial reign.

• A great many of the elect will be martyred during this forty two month period of tribulation. God will provide the strength to endure for all who are called to martyrdom. This spilling of the blood of the saints is spoken of throughout Revelation, but is probably most concisely stated in Revelation 13, verses 7 and 8 where we read: "And it was given unto him [the Antichrist] to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Also, it would be good to go back to Chapter 7. Here we clearly see the great multitude of martyred/raptured saints already in heaven. Tellingly, this group of Believers IN HEAVEN, is described as being TOTALLY SEPARATE from the 144,000 elect Jews that remain on the earth. [How much clearer does it have to get?!!!]

• After the Lord Jesus completes his wrath upon the earth and all those who have not His seal, Satan gets bound for a thousand years. We read about this in Revelation 20, verses 1-3 where it says: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." Which leads to another study for another time concerning how God will set Satan free one last time before casting that old serpent into the lake of fire forever and ever. [Rev. 20:10]

• After Satan is bound for a thousand years, God replaces this now fully scorched and devastated planet with a new earth [as well as a new heaven.] We see this described beautifully in Revelation 21, verses 1-2 where we read: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

• After He makes a new heaven and a new earth, the Lord Jesus Christ will rule and reign with the saints, for a thousand years! We see this described in Revelation 21, verses 3-5: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he [The Lord Jesus] will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

So folks, all of this is really not all that difficult to understand and comprehend as long as you have the ears and eyes to receive it. If it still seems difficult to you, try getting out of your own way, and get out your King James Bible and study it for yourself! There's a whole lot to get ready for.

Most of all, it is time to gird our loins with the TRUTH of God's Word and to look skyward...

Truly, our redemption draweth nigh!

May the GENUINE grace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
richly bless and keep you,

EagleEye

End of Days: The Fulfillment of Time is Upon Us

March 1, 2009 -- This may be one of the most important articles I’ve ever penned. Why? Because I will show conclusively that we are living at the very end of the end of days. The fact is that we are on the precipice of 6000 years of human history. I wholeheartedly believe that this means that God is bringing the current age to an end and is about to rest (from Satan) for a 1000 years!

For some of you, this news is not going to be well received. For others, those who are particularly tired of this wicked planet and ready to meet their Lord in the air, this will be joyous news, and a wonderful article to read.

Indeed, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the world is crumbling before our very eyes. This news is both exciting and sobering. For some, you look with great eagerness to the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will fulfill ALL the prophecies concerning Himself, even the ones in the Old Testament which were not fulfilled at His First Advent. This is great news (for Believers!), and is interesting news that I will save for another article and another time.

But, today's article is about the end of days. And the centerpiece of the end of days is when the Lord Jesus Christ gets up out of His heavenly throne and returns to the earth a second time! When this occurs, He will come with eyes of fire and thankfully He will mete out His perfect justice on a wicked planet that finds itself in a great tribulation.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words." -I Thess. 4-16 thru 18

My favorite part of the above scripture is "and so shall we (the Elect) ever be with the Lord!" And, as it pertains to His oh-so-public Second Advent, the bible says we should "comfort one another with these words..." And, should we ever! True Believers everywhere look forward with great anticipation to the fulfillment of "time" and the physical return of the Lord Jesus, not to mention a promised one thousand year reign of Christ thereafter.

This article is not going to deal so much with the timing of the great tribulation, or the Lord's Second Coming. Nor will it attempt to delve too deeply into the details of the coming one thousand year millennial reign of Christ. Rather, this article has been written to encourage the Body of Christ, to prove the INEVITABILITY of His soon return and the fact that the fulfillment of time is upon us!

Of course, the naysayers (of which I have many) will be quick to point out that we can not know the exact day or hour of His return. I agree. However, for those with the eyes and ears to see and hear the truth of this matter, we can most assuredly KNOW THE SEASON.

And folks, we are living IN THAT SEASON. Hallelujah!

HOW OLD IS THE EARTH REALLY?

To begin, let me say that I’m constantly amazed by the number of people who are deceived by the "scientific" community’s assessment that the world is millions, even billions of years old. For example, they will look at the Grand Canyon and say "it took millions of years for the canyon to have eroded to where it is today..."

Folks, the truth is, the rapid receding of the flood waters from the flood of Noah could have eroded away the Grand Canyon in only a few hours. Rushing water is perhaps nature’s most violent destroyer. With a large enough volume of rushing water, the Grand Canyon could have been carved out in only minutes. Further, it is conceivable that the vast flood waters even shifted the continents far from their original positions. Now that's power.

We just need to understand that it has always been Satan’s game plan to confuse as many people as he can, on as many subjects as he can. But, there is no reason to be confused as to the actual age of the earth. Clearly from scripture, the earth is only about 6000 years old.

I don't know about you, but I'm putting my faith in God's word. And, a close examination of the Word of God allows us to get to the actual age of the earth by going through six fairly simple steps. I will summarize these steps below:

STEP ONE: In Genesis, Chapter 5, we see that there were ten generations from Adam to Noah. When we do the math, we see that the earth was 2006 years old when Noah died.

STEP TWO: In Genesis, Chapter 11, nine generations are covered from Shem (Noah’s Son) to the death of Terah (Abraham’s father.). It is very interesting to note that Terah died the very same year that Abraham received the promise of God in Genesis 12:1-4. As a side note, Abraham was born the same year Noah died, which was when the world was 2006 years old. According to Genesis 12:4, Abraham was 75 years old when he received the promises of God. Add 2006 to 75 and we learn that the world was 2081 years old when the promise was given to Abraham.

STEP THREE: Galatians 3:16 and 17 declares, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (17) And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." Abraham received the promise when the world was 2081 years old. By adding the 430 years spoken of in Galatians 3:16 and 17, we discover the world was 2511 years old when the law (the ten commandments) was given Moses soon after Israel’s exodus out of Egypt.

STEP FOUR: I Kings 6:1 states, "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD." This verse allows us to add another 480 years to 2511 so that we arrive at 2991 years from creation to the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.

STEP FIVE: We know from secular history books that Solomon reigned about 1,000 years before Christ. Therefore, we can add 1,000 years to the previous 2991 (the age of the earth when Solomon began to reign) to arrive at 3991 years. While certainly not exact, this does give us the approximate age of the earth when Christ was born.

STEP SIX: This is the easiest step. The year 2008 ended two months ago. If we add those 2008 years that have elapsed since the time of Christ’s birth, the earth is approximately 5999 years old. That means that AT THE END of this year (2009), the earth will be approximately 6000 years old!

Ok, so you ask, "Why is that so important?" Well, to the scoffers, it won’t be. And, I'll give you that this number could be off a year or two either way. But, this number is very, very close to the age of the earth. So, stick with me through the rest of this article and see for yourself if 5,999 years of earth history has any significance for us today. Folks, hang on. This is where it gets interesting!!!

In the 2nd Epistle of Peter, Chapter 3: we are told to "not be ignorant" of one specific thing when it comes to understanding the end of days. Now, I have started with the third verse of II Peter, Chapter 3. But, as you read this entire passage, pay particular attention to verse 8. It gives us the tidbit of information that we should "not be ignorant" of, if we are to understand the timing of the last days:

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (5) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: (7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any (of us, His Elect Bride) should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (and yes, mercifully, all the Elect ultimately will come to repentance before His return!) (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, (12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"

Clearly, when it comes to understanding the last days, it is of critical importance that we UNDERSTAND (if the Lord allows you to understand it) that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. According to this scripture, and we know that all scripture is inspired by God, God wants us to "not be ignorant of this one thing!"

And so we shall not be ignorant of that one thing! Here’s what we know. The Earth was created in six days and the Lord rested on the seventh. Could God be giving us a very real glimpse into His ultimate timeline for the history of this planet and when we could expect the end of days? Could He be telling us that after "six days" (6000 years) that His Second Coming is IMMINENT?

I think so!!!

In a nutshell, God’s plan for our current Earth provides for 6000 years (six days to the Lord) for the fulfillment of time. His plan also provides for another 1000 years (one day to the Lord) of rest, during which we know that Satan will be bound and the Lord Jesus Christ shall rule and reign victoriously with the saints!

Now, I’m sure many will scoff at this information. They will choose to "fill their own bellies" with false last days doctrines, walking after their own lusts. They may accusingly shout, "You don't know what you are talking about. Christ has already come invisibly in the first century. We're already in the millennium." Some will glare, "The end is not upon us. Where is the promise of His coming?" Still others will latch onto any lie or false doctrine which gives them hope of more time on this foul planet. Doesn't matter. The tribulation is upon us and the Lord Jesus Christ's Second Advent can not be far behind!

Folks, you have been given PROOF that we are on the verge of 6000 years of human history on this planet since Adam. Yes, the 5,999 number could be off by a year or two. Nevertheless, we are knocking at the door. So, my sincere advice would be to get ready. Get your spiritual house in order. Certainly, as II Peter, Chapter 3 advises concerning the last days, you should "NOT be not ignorant of this one thing: that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day!"

Yes, the great tribulation is upon us.

Yes, very, very soon the Lord Jesus Christ will return.

Yes, the dead in Christ shall rise first and those of us who are alive and remain will meet Him in the air. And so, we shall ever be with Him!

And yes, the Lord is then going to mete out His fiery judgments upon the Antichrist and a world that has taken his mark to conform and survive.

And finally, and this is the good news: our Lord is going to create a new heaven and a new earth which will usher in a wonderful new age... a literal 1000 years (one day to the Lord) of rest... the glorious millennial reign of Christ...

May we continue to comfort one another with these words!!!

Are You Content?

February 16, 2009 -- The fulfilling of the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life can only bring temporary satisfaction on this earth. On the other hand, genuine and lasting contentment is reserved ONLY for the saints of God. It is spirit-bourne, a wonderful gift from our Great Triune God. If you've ever been congested and had difficulty breathing, its like the difference between being able to take a full breath and not.

Now, I've heard it said by many worldly counselors that we should never be content in life. They tell us to never be content as it would cause us to become lackadaisical and quench our desire to "achieve" greater things in life. I say that such a philosophy is fully carnal. Anyone who would say such a thing has never experienced true contentment.

Fact is, the world will never be content. Why? Because such a glorious state of being is only achievable for those who were chosen from the foundation of the world. Only those who are IN CHRIST can ever experience real and lasting joy and contentment. Oh, what a grace God has bestowed upon His own!

"I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content." - Phillipians 4:11

But as for the world and all those who are of the world, both the rich and privileged and the misguided religiousites, they are never content and never will be content. Therefore, earthly philosophers formulate catchy "slogans to live by" to make them think that their uncontented disposition is normal, even a GOOD thing. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. They have formulated the "never be content because..." slogan in order to turn their own horrible human deficiency into something that they can perceive as a positive thing, on their way to more revelry and earthly gain, or powerless religious ceremonies.

It is likely that most who live by this and other false creedos actually do believe that they can eventually become contented. Er, uh, you know, IF they acquire enough success and enough "wonderful" earthly experiences and knowledge. Then, they can be "content."

Of course, lasting contentment will never come to those who are of the world. It is reserved for the Elect. The so-called privileged rich and famous that Robin Leach lavishes over, can only vainly continue in their pursuit for more wealth, lasciviousness and power. In the end, they are still empty, lifeless shells. No contentment awaits any who love the world or the temporary satisfactions of false religion. These have only the following sobering words to look forward to: "Depart from Me, for I never knew you."

So, let us praise Almighty God for His precious gifts. And, let us praise Him for contentment, because contentment regardless of earthly circumstance is one of the best gifts we could ever know.

May you and yours find God-originating contentment today.

Our Faith or His Faith???

February 7, 2009 -- This past week, a street preacher brother named Monte posed an interesting question to his mailing list, a list which I've been on for the past three years or so. He asked his readers basically this question: "Is the faith we possess OUR Faith (that WE create) or HIS Faith (that He freely gives to us)?"

The reason he posed the question is that he is on the Kenneth Copeland mailing list. The previous day's Copeland devotion was entitled "Four Words That Work." Here is that devotion, which I believe most of my readers (sovereign grace believers) will find quite telling:

"Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark 11:24)

Dear Monte,

Believing. That's the key to everything in the kingdom of God. It's the way we tap into the very power of Almighty God. Most of us know that. But do we know how to put it into action?

Actually it's so simple, it's startling. It's as simple as saying, "I believe I receive."

Something happens in your spirit when you say those words. I don't understand how, but it does. I don't understand how my digestive system knows what to do when I swallow something, but it does. All I have to do is take a bite of food and it goes to work. I don't have to make it happen. I don't have to feel it happen. It just happens. That's the way the body is made.

In much the same way, when you feed on God's precious promises and "swallow" them into your spirit by saying, "I believe I receive," faith is released. You don't have to make it happen. You don't have to feel it happen. It just happens. The reborn spirit is made that way.

When you constantly say with your mouth, "I believe I receive my healing" or "I believe I receive my financial needs met," and then quote the scriptures that back those things, faith is released to bring power to bear on those needs.

As Dr. Kenneth Hagin says, you need to "keep the switch of faith turned on." And Gloria and I have discovered that speaking out that phrase, "I believe I receive," is one way to do it. We say it when we pray. We say it when we praise God. We say it when we read the Word.

We especially say it in the face of darkness when it looks like we're not receiving. When everything looks the worst, we say it the loudest. I believe I receive!

Do you want to activate your faith today? Then make these four key words the most important words in your vocabulary. Use them every day. You'll soon discover, just as we did...they work!

Scripture Study: Mark 11:12-24

Well, given that my website is called HIS Faith, you know how I stand on the question of where faith originates! In any event, here is my email response to this dear Christian brother who has long been called into the field, to preach in the streets and on campuses in the United States and Canada. He basically lives out of a small camper with his dog. Please keep him in your prayers on a regular basis.

Dear brother... I'll give you my take on this matter via the recounting of another story that happened to me probably twenty-five years ago. A couple of friends of mine and I had worked out at the gym one morning. My buddy was driving me to my apartment afterward. On the way back to my place, we were driving about 45-50 mph on a busy throughfare when all of a sudden a guy on a bicycle gets smashed by a car. As you'd expect, the bike rider went flying and was thrown through the air like a wet sack of 'taters when the car struck him. He hit the ground with a thud and his bicycled was tossed way off to the side.

It was a strange sensation, but at the very moment of impact (and I reiterate that I had no conscious control over any of this that happened to me), what I can only describe as "faith" (actual, uncontrollable and unquestioned belief) washed over me. There was no doubt what I had to do, and KNOWING what I had to do, I immediately yelled at my friend to stop the car. I blurted out, almost simultaneous to the bike rider being struck: "You gotta stop the car... I need to go pray for this guy!"

Interestingly, no memorized mantras came to mind, and I had no worry of being sued by somebody for infringing on their so-called rights to not believe in God.

Rather, at the very moment of contact, at the instant that the guy was hit and thrown for a loop, this uncontrollable faith to see that guy healed and whole came over me.

And before I could even get out of the car, the guy miraculously jumped up.

The thing is, the Lord taught me a great lesson that day. He was teaching me that while it only takes a mustard seed of faith to move a mountain, that mustard seed must come from Him. YOU can not manufacture it, no matter how hard you try, no matter how many cool mantras you learn and subsequently chant. If you do that, then you are no different than the new agers or the for-profit "faith healer" sham artists.

Fact is, with HIS faith, you may not have to even get out of the car... God's faith, being REAL FAITH, is ever powerful!!!

No, I'll leave the chanting of "believe it, receive it" and other catchy phrases to the misguided famous "christian" folk... I'll leave the interpretation that the bible's call to prosperity primarily means monetary gain to them. WE KNOW that it is all about spiritual reward and true joy, peace and happiness. God has always met my needs, but I'll leave the fancy cars, planes, wealth and egotistical power trips to the dishonorable "profits."

Folks, I learned a most valuable lesson that day. I learned that it is only HIS faith that has the power to set the captives free. It is HIS faith alone that has the power to heal the sick, but even then only according to HIS will and timing. (Jesus did not heal most of the people that He came in contact with.)

I learned that only HIS faith is effectual faith. All other "faith" is a poor facsimile. Pretend faith is just that, loud, obnoxious and emotional maybe, but just that, pretend.

The bottom line is this: unless our faith truly originates from God Himself, then we are just fooling ourselves that we have any faith, at all. We are only misleading people AND putting on a religious show. (And that, haven't you noticed is usually for a tidy profit.)

Anyway, that's my take on Copeland and the entire rich and famous TBN, TV "faith" crowd... they are all religious imposters who have no real idea what genuine faith really is. They are deluded and have not been given the eyes and ears to see or hear the truth. They are no prophets. They are profits who serve "another jesus."

It is a sad state of affairs, but Jesus said it would be this way in the last days. He also said: Unless I (Almighty God) build the house, they labor in vain who build it.

Well, those guys can "name it and claim it" all they want.... they labor in vain.

Jehovah Witnesses Come to Visit

January 31, 2009 -- Used to, I hated to see the Jehovah Witnesses and other deluded Religiousites come to my door. Now, I look forward to such visits with great anticipation because it is a wonderful opportunity to share the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The other day, two such religiousites, JWs in fact, happened upon my residence.

They gave me their usual greeting and I calmly told them that I did not agree with their doctrine. "Really, they asked?" "Yes," I answered. "What is it that you don't agree with?" the leader prodded.

I replied, "Well, let me start with the Trinity." (JWs do not believe in the Trinity.) And with that I firmly but gently began explaining that while we as human beings have a hard time getting our little minds around spiritual concepts, that does not automatically make those spiritual concepts false.

The fact is that One True Jehovah God has chosen to manifest His Omnipotence in three persons. Still, even in 3 persons, He remains one... of one mind and one accord and singular purpose.

Obviously, this is hard for us to understand. We live in only three dimensions and naturally we have a hard time grasping anything outside of our 3-dimensional reality. Nevertheless, as we study the Word of God we find out that spiritual things transcend our 3 dimensions.

AND, whether we understand it or not, it is Biblically clear that it took all 3 persons of the Glorious Trinity for salvation to be even possible for those born under the curse of sin -- that was inherited through our corporal head Adam.

"Guys, if you don't have the Trinity, you don't have salvation. Here's why..." And, I went on to preach the Gospel thusly:

"Father God, Jehovah, declared and instituted the law. This was a way by which He would accept a sacrifice, a propitiation, for sin. Albeit in the old covenant it was a temporary covering due to the fact that the law was performed with imperfect priests and the blood of imperfect animals being shed.

Later, in what the Bible calls the fullness of time, it was the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate, Who came to earth, and acting as the perfect High Priest and blameless, perfect sacrifice, gave Himself on behalf of the Elect (all that the Father gave Him). To be succinct, He fulfilled the law, every dot and tiddle, once and for all it was intended.

Finally, it is the Holy Spirit God Who finishes the work here on earth, quickening the "spiritually dead" so they can hear and see, and with the faith now mercifully given them, believe and receive the gift that was long ago purchased for them. As for all those that the Son died for -- NOT ONE that the Father gave to His Son as a Bride WILL BE LOST!!"

Of course, the JWs had many more questions along the way, (including as you might expect John 3:16) all of which the Holy Spirit answered. But perhaps one of the more interesting was "If you are truly set free in Christ and your sins are covered by grace alone, then why not go out and just do whatever you want??"

Good question. And one that those who get the cart before the horse and think their works help get them to heaven always ask.

As a side note, I'm often accused (interestingly, the devil stands before the throne accusing the Elect daily, to naught) of being antinomian, which would mean that I am in effect "lawless" or do not believe in "the law."

This is a ridiculous accusation on the face of it because I preach the law as an integral part of our current testament of grace. The law is imperative in the salvation equation, not so that we try and keep it perfectly ourselves, which by the way is impossible, but because it was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ and is the very vehicle by which God's wrath against us has been expiated!!!

Another interesting side is that it was the legalistic Pharisees (void of Agape love and full of themselves and religious appearances) who did not practice righteous judgment and therefore accused Jesus of being antinomian.

The fact is that the Lord Jesus Christ understood that HE was the fulfillment of the Sabbath typology, We now rest in Him daily. If keeping the old Sabbath type were so important, why then did He and the disciples VERY, VERY OFTEN do things which were unlawful on the old Sabbath (Fri evening to Sat. evening).

The reason they accused our Lord Jesus, and why I stand accused is because "Religious Pharisees" love appearances of righteousness, not TRUE righteousness. Devoid of the Holy Spirit, they can not truly comprehend grace and righteousness in Him!

Rather than tablets of stone, we now have the commandments written upon our regenerate hearts. Today, our commandments are simple, Love our neighbor as ourselves (treat others as you'd like to be treated) and Love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind. In these, are all the commandments!

Now, you can try as hard as you like, but you'll never keep the whole law. Mess up one time and you are guilty of all.

Anyway, back to the answer the Holy Spirit gave me to give to the JWs on why true Christians do not wish to bastardize God's eternal grace with unsavory, carnal living:

"I will give you that there are a great many who loudly, obnoxiously purport to be Christians yet live like hell. With so many, the whole of their life has been a testimony to selfishness and the "filling of their own bellies." It is disturbing that the most verbal "christians", are the very ones who you look across the street and see living like hell -- cussing, smoking, and drinking to excess.

But, let's not be naive here: MOST of these are not Christian at all. Others of these are like the Prodigal Son. If they truly be children of the King, they will eventually quit that lifestyle and in all humility come home. Like the prodigal, they will be joyfully received by the Father."

"The bottom line is this: those who are truly born again have no inkling to serve their own bellies and to live in sin. Sure, we will all sin and have sinned. (constrained by this vile container of flesh in the here and now.) But, to willingly sin is not in the character of any true Christian. The reason is simple. IF WE TRULY believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on our behalf, if we heartily believe that we are indeed part of the Elect; then the Lord Jesus had to PHYSICALLY endure the excruciating pain and suffering for every single sin we commit in our lives, past, present and future.

That is, every sin that we would have otherwise had to go to hell and pay the painful price for ourselves. So...

WHY WOULD I WANT TO INFLICT MORE PUNISHMENT UPON HIM? I would not!!!

I don't need a religious man browbeating me into holy submission. I willingly and joyfully submit to the Lord Jesus. I wish to live a holy life because He dwells in the innermost part of my being and being IN HIM, my greatest desire is to please Him! (not my own belly)"

After preaching to them for over an hour (on the doorstep) we parted ways and I sent them off with "May the Lord be gracious to you both." And, I hope He is. I pray they would be positively and eternally affected by the truth they heard. Of course, as with all men, their fate lies totally in God's hands.

Maybe it was refreshing for them to discover that not all "Christians" are arrogant and rude. For once, someone claiming to be a "christian" knew something and did not call them names or belittle them, or scream them down. (By the way, like all cults, the JWs actually are emboldened by this behaviour in apostate christians. They take it as persecution for "the good" they are doing and take comfort in it.)

Most of all, I hope they left my door with a more complete understanding of THE GOSPEL. Maybe they said to each other. "That was refreshing. That guy didn't insult us. Instead, he took the time to explain the reason for the hope that was in him. He was firm about it, but not overbearing or rude."

Please don't misunderstand: I seek no glory for my actions whatsover. I humbly submit that any good works I do are attributed to HIM!!! And I know that my (and your) best works are still as filthy menstrual rags in the sight of God.

But, I do hope that my conveying of this experience this past week will be of encouragement to the Body of Christ. With the shape of the world we currently live in, we all could use some encouragement!

As I close, let me ask you "what have we learned?" Well, first of all, may God grant us the patience and wisdom to NOT too quickly condemn. This is a most favorite custom of so many arrogant people who call themselves "chrisitian" and love outside appearances.

Don't get me wrong. Stand for right. Disagree with false doctrine. Come against arrogant and prideful legalists and religious tyranny. But, as much as it is possible, do it in love.

Even these men, brainwashed as they were, needed to hear the truth. Perhaps more than most, they needed to hear that keeping an ecclesiastical Sabbath is no feather in their cap. They needed someone to explain God's election and sovereignty. They needed to be told that going door to door was not going to get them any brownie points in their quest for the promised land. Rather, we would all do well to seek Jesus and to understand Christ crucified and the whys and wherefores of Christ's atoning sacrifice on behalf of the Elect. How it works and why.

Truly, it is the Lord Jesus Christ Who has become the righteousness of all who the Father gave Him. May we seek His righteousness today. May we seek Him more fully every day. And more importantly, may He mercifully and graciously seek us!

Finally, my prayer is that we all would be less critical and judging of everyone and everything. Yes, stand for right. But speak that truth in love, as the Lord leads.

Ah, to be in His Sovereign grace... Glory of glories!!!

Promised "Change" Upon Us

January 20, 2009 -- With all the "change" that was recently promised and is certainly going on around us, it is important that we stay aware of what's really going on in the world. In a nutshell, here's some of the changes that the powers-that-be have in store for us: a complete worldwide financial meltdown, a collapse of moral and sociological foundations, a mandated, new-age, one-world false religion, and closer to home here in the U.S., an aggressive gun-grab and the literal destruction of all those American bulwarks (like the constitution) that we once took for granted.

So yes, with all the changes going on, it is absolutely proper that we understand the wicked forces behind these events (like nine one one) and the subsequent falling societal dominoes. We do well when we truly understand the cadre of characters behind all of this chaos.

Indeed, we would do well to be aware of THEIR collective desire to CHANGE the world in their father's image, and very soon, to bring forth a "wonderful" new-age, Luciferian "phoenix" (the beast system) from out of the chaos. (that they are causing.)

But, lest we forget, isn't it more important that we gird ourselves with spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding? Is it not more valuable that we put on the full armor of God?!

Of course.

Only by understanding the hope that is within us, and building up the God-given faith that has mercifully been put in us, will we be able to withstand that which is coming, to bear all of the fiery darts of the evil one.

Only by shoring up our spiritual foundation, will we have the greatest chance of NOT being lead astray by all manner of last days temptations, false teachers, and subtleties.

Yes, we'd do well to spend more time on our knees in prayer and in our reading chair with our KJV!

Painting and Sculpting God???

January 15, 2009 -- Our great Triune God is sorely vexed and forbids the creation of sculptures, statues, paintings and anything else that man creates to try and represent God or heaven. (The second of the ten commandments.)

As Almighty God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (everywhere at once), and omnipotent (all powerful), we can not fathom His GREATNESS!!! It is most definitely a sure slap in His face for us to try and make an image, particularly of Him, in just 2 dimensions (paintings and such) or 3 dimensions (statues, sculptures, jewelry, and the like).

Interestingly, most any "church" you go to, you will see all manner of "heavenly" representations, whether that be in the form of graven stain glass windows, paintings, or obnoxious statues out front or inside as you come in to "worship."

God also forbids us to make graven images of anything in heaven above or in that which lies beneath us in the sea. Folks, that covers a lot of stuff. Still, we need to agree with God!

Taking the "graven image" thing even a bit further, we should not even wear "religious" jewelry, such as crosses. Isn't it interesting that the world loves their crosses? Fact is, every carnal joe, dick and sherry love to wear a cross even though their words and life are an abomination to Him.

But let's reason on the cross thing even further... Even for true Christians, if the Lord Jesus Christ had been put to death in an electric chair, would we glorify Him by wearing little electric chairs around our necks?? I think not. The glory of the Lord is that He is risen and that He conquered death and hell and redeemed a Bride unto Himself. His glory is certainly not in the vile earthly instrument that was used by the reprobates to try and silence Him.

I leave you with just a couple scriptures on the matter:

"Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God" -Deu 4:23-24

"They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together." -Isa 44:9-11

May we always give our Great and All Mighty God the fear and reverance that only He deserves!!!

The Foundation of Christianity

September 22, 2008 -- Make no mistake; we are living in the last days. We know this because the bible tells us that there will be a great falling away from the [true] faith in the last days. And as we survey the religious landscape in the world today, it could best be summed up in one word: APOSTATE.

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come [the return of the Lord Jesus Christ], except there come a falling away first [a defection from truth; a falling away from THE TRUE FAITH], and that man of sin [antichrist] be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. " -2Thessalonians 2:3 - 4, KJV version.

By the way, it is the King James Version of the Holy Bible, checked against the actual Greek and Hebrew word translations, that is the preferred English translation to use, quote, and study from. Later "copyrighted" bible translations can not be trusted, at all. (I've written about this many times in the past. Email me for more info, if needed.)

Ok. But why is the religious world today apostate? Well, the primary reason for this apostasy, or falling away from the true Christian faith, can be traced back to the false gospel that 99.9% of all that calls itself "christian" today teaches. This is a "palatable" gospel that sounds good to men. It "seems" right and makes sense to men, and usually involves a various and assundry (and often regularly changing) list of works that one must do to "be saved." The problem is that any gospel that involves the works of men to initiate "salvation" or to retain one's "salvation" is a damning gospel.

It is damning because it is a gospel that has no power to save men, only to place men under bondage to a religious system (and religious leadership) that has been fully created by men. Man-made gospels deny God’s sovereignty. Most religious leadership will give some "lip service" to God's sovereignty, but their teachings, words, and actions say just the opposite! Most religious sects today fully misunderstand everything that makes the salvation of men even possible. Instead, they find it easier to control their "flock" by replacing God's mercy and grace with all manner of works and burdens, mostly of a seemingly religious nature.

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." -Proverbs 16:5

You see, salvation begins and ends with Almighty God, Who is not only All Mighty (omnipotent), but also omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere at once.)

Religion will tell you that you must "choose" God, that you walk an aisle and repeat some canned prayer. Then they tell us, God will accept you. The real truth is and the bottom line is that we can only "choose" God IF He first chose us. Salvation is wholly in His hands.

Many would say, "but I want to have a part in the salvation process." Well, if you have anything to do with it then you are doomed because there is no good in you that God would accept into heaven. We are utterly and completely doomed outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are without hope unless we are part of THE GOSPEL plan which He set in motion for His Bride even before the world was created.

Sadly, the visible "christian" church is fully apostate today because it does not acknowledge nor does it even comprehend that God alone is the AUTHOR and the FINISHER of every true Believer’s faith.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross [the atonement, fulfilling of the law for His Bride], despising the shame [The Lord Jesus Christ endured the shame, what's more the actual physical pain and suffering for all the sins of the Elect He was paying for], and is set down [right this minute and until He returns a 2nd time] at the right hand of the throne of God. -Heb 12:2

Since we have no effectual part in the process of salvation, if we have any hope of being saved, then that hope is in God, the Holy Spirit. He must plant that effective mustard seed of faith in us. This is called the quickening. Then and only then are we able to believe [I speak here of God's merciful saving belief, not cognitive belief] unto salvation. We have nothing that we "add" to the process. It is all God, a gift that we can only RECEIVE. It is all Him from start to finish. He is the Author and Finisher of that miraculous work that He began before the world was formed, and has now finished in the here and now!

It is like the story of Lazarus who lay stinking and dead in the grave for 3 days before Christ, taking his sweet time to get there so there could be no question that Lazarus was completely and utterly DEAD, got to his tomb.

Even rotting and foul, when the Lord Jesus Christ cried out for Lazarus to arise, Lazarus was quickened to life. No maggots, no stink, Lazarus arose alive! He was once stinking and dead without hope, then God acted upon him and gave him new life.

This is the perfect analogy for salvation. What effective part did Lazarus have in his coming to life? I’ll tell you: NONE WHATSOEVER. In like manner, we are spiritually dead in our sins and trespasses. If we ever hope to attain salvation, it is with the understanding that WE have no effective part in that plan. He must quicken us, and then and only then are we able to RECEIVE the gift of eternal life that He long ago authored for us, that is if we be part of what the bible calls the Elect.

"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." -Acts 13:48

In order to truly become saved then, we must first be ORDAINED to eternal life. If we have been ordained BY ALMIGHTY GOD, then we shall believe, at least at some point in this life before we die. [God will not lose even one of HIS sheep!] But, the world loves to believe a different gospel, a gospel far removed from God's sovereign grace. They prefer to "believe," rather pridefully THINK, that it is they who have an integral say-so in the salvation equation. So, they have come up with a false gospel, a gospel which is powerless and false because it is intertwined with differing levels of a man’s so-called "free will" involvement.

This free-will gospel is the critical error [or leaven starting point] that has brought the visible "christian" church today to its current foul state of apostasy. But, don't get me wrong, its doing great and growing by leaps and bounds, and bringing in tons of money, because it tickles men's ears to think they control their own destiny. But, they do not. Its all in God's worthy hands!

"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: " -2Thess 2:13

How God Saves Men

Ok, if Almighty God is the author and finisher of men’s faith, if He does it all, then exactly how did He accomplish this "so great a salvation" for all the men [and women] that He chose it for? Given that all men are born dead in trespasses and sin, and that sin cannot inherit the kingdom of God , how does salvation actually work?

Well, it began with His creation of the Levitical Law which we learn about by reading the Old Testament. [For purposes of this discussion, we will just refer to it as "the law". ] Without going into great detail, Almighty God instituted the law [the old testament] in order to provide an acceptable vehicle, a way that He would accept as an atonement or an atoning for the sins of the people.

The High Priest (a Levite man) would once a year go into the Temple and offer up a sacrifice on behalf of all those that he represented. In fact, the High Priest wore a breastplate, or golden girdle, which had THE NAMES of his people engraved in it. These were the people that he represented. A blameless sheep was a typical sacrifice. It was killed, its blood spilled for and on behalf of the people that the High Priest specifically represented.

Problem was, because this process involved an imperfect High Priest and an imperfect sacrifice, this could only be a temporary atoning for the sins of the people and God required it be redone each year.

Nevertheless, with the law, God had established a precedent, a method instituted by and pleasing unto Himself, which was a valid propitiation (or substitute) for sin, and expiation (or the nullification) of His wrath against the sins of the people represented in that sacrificial act. Of course, these were sins which would otherwise have had to have been paid for by the sinners themselves. As I stated before, the problem with the old covenant was that this covering for sin was good for only a year. Nevertheless, in this type and shadow of the real thing that was to come later, Almighty God had established a vehicle by which the sins of men could be forgiven them and this vehicle was called THE LAW.

Then, later, according to God’s perfect and holy will, a perfect High Priest and perfect sacrifice for sin was born. As the bible tells us, in the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate in human flesh, was born into this world. His birth was the literal fulfillment of thousands of scriptural prophecies that we find in the Old Testament. To be succinct as possible, the Lord Jesus Christ became the perfect High Priest to all those that the Father had given Him. And, He offered Himself up as the perfect sacrifice. The Lord Jesus Christ went into the true, spiritual Holy of Holies and offered up Himself. With the specific names of all He represented on His breastplate, He literally endured the pain and punishment for every sin for every single person that He was given by the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled, once and for all it was intended, the requirements of "the law." In short, His atoning sacrifice saved a specific people for Himself, that is to say, a Bride for all time. Hallelujah!

Because the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the law (for a specific people), it is utterly impossible for even one that the Lord Jesus died for to not become saved, or for that matter, for even one of those who find true salvation to "fall from grace." This is because the law has been fulfilled on their behalf. It does not have to occur yearly, as it has now been fulfilled once and for all it was intended!

By and large, the visible "christian" world today does not understand this foundational fact that Jesus is truly the AUTHOR and FINISHER of salvation. In fact, in most cases the visible church not only denies God's sovereignty, but actually despises the fact that it is God alone, in His infinite wisdom, Who has chosen a Bride for Himself. This oh-so-wondrous election of the saints grates against all man-made religion. They gnash their teeth at it, because they do not want to relinquish power and control over their paying customers. It pays to keep their paying customers in bondage. They want to feel as though they, in their own pompous religious wisdom, have something to add to the salvation mix. But such thinking is ridiculous on the face of it, just as ridiculous as it would be to think that Lazarus could be part of bringing himself back to life.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not need Lazarus’ permission to bring him to life. He does not need our permission or help to save us. He did it all Himself and the Holy Spirit, God, plants real and genuine faith in every member of the Elect. It is this gift of faith that ultimately allows us, in fact causes us to believe unto salvation. Any other faith is not really faith at all.

Nay, the fact is that the true biblical foundation for the salvation of men revolves around God’s election and predestination of men before the world was even created. This is a salvation that was only made possible by the one-time utter fulfillment of the law by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and that act necessarily accomplished and acceptable to God. And mercifully, the bible tells us that it "expiated" [took away] God’s wrath upon that specific people, a people the bible refers to as the "Elect" or "Bride of Christ."

Therefore, as we look around us, it is important that we understand FIRST the root cause of the apostasy around us; the horribly foul condition of Christianity today. It began in earnest around the early 1800’s and was caused by an errant understanding of how men are saved. This salvation error has now progressed to the point where basically all denominations and "christian" offshoots have bought into to the damning false premise of a man’s so-called "free will." As stated, 99.9 % of all that calls itself Christian today, have included themselves as an "integral" part in the process of their "salvation." And, in most cases, the apostate churches teach that men have a part in "keeping" or retaining this so-called salvation, that THEY somehow invoked.

Lazarus Receives New Life, But Had No 'Effectual' Part In That Process

Lazarus had no choice but to get up and walk when Jesus called him back to life. But, he didn’t have any effectual part in coming back to life! In like manner, we will have no choice but to react to God’s calling to salvation if we have been gifted what the bible calls "ears to hear and eyes to see."

The sad fact is that the vast majority of that which calls itself "Christian," preaches some form of salvation whereby a man has an integral part in that religious process. [i.e. the man’s free will is involved.] No matter where you look, from Catholicism [the mother of error] down to just about every branch of Protestantism today, religious men think they have a part in gaining and retaining their own so-called salvation.

But, the truth is that [thankfully] our so-called free will is not involved in the salvation equation. It can’t be, remember we’re dead! Rather, God’s will, by necessity, is the only will that is involved in the salvation of mere men. Like the Lord Jesus’ will in the life of Lazarus, if we hope to be saved [brought to life spiritually], that process has to be effected on our behalf by God entirely, and that new life brought to existence through a very meticulous and miraculous plan. [As I have summarized herein previously.]

For any religious entity to teach anything other than God’s absolute sovereignty over all affairs of men, especially those involving election and salvation, is to teach a very, very serious, grave and grievous prideful error. God help those "leaders" who teach error for they will have the blood of a great many upon their hands.

Ultimately, we can understand nothing spiritually until we understand God’s election of all who ever have been or will be saved. Yes, it is the false manmade gospel of "free will" that is the root cause of the current last days falling away and apostasy.

The free will false gospel is the "way that seemeth right unto a man" but the end is death. If you believe that YOU have personally added anything of importance to your salvation, then you have believed a free-will lie. Unless you repent and fall completely on God's mercy, the bible says your end is death. Of course, you will first experience natural death (here on earth), but more soberingly you will also experience the second death, that is to say spiritual death or eternal separation from God in a place called Hades. Various renditions of a carnal free will gospel is THE root cause of today's full out apostasy.

If we can not understand the true source and foundation of salvation (Almighty God 100% in all phases thereof) then necessarily all other doctrines and teachings that we might believe in will be tainted and mixed with error to some degree.

The fact is then, that no discussion on spiritual matters will have any effect, unless we understand the varying degrees of error which springs forth in the visible religious world today from this primary and most critical of the doctrines, the doctrine of salvation.

May God, and not mere men, get all the glory for what He alone has done!