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Seduction: A Primer For Persecution?

Adam Gislason — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 17:38:04 +0000

Seduction: A Primer For Persecution?
Published July 2011 by T.A. McMahon
The Berean Call

For the last three decades, Dave Hunt and I have addressed many trends and teachings that have influenced the evangelical church, particularly in the United States. Our concern has focused primarily on unbiblical beliefs and practices that were turning Christians away from the Word of God. Twenty-five years ago, we wrote The Seduction of Christianity, a rather controversial book that was motivated by feedback from those who had read Dave’s earlier books and had watched the film documentaries to which I had contributed in the early eighties. Some dealt specifically with religious cults (Cult Explosion, The God Makers, etc.). Responses from Christians who read those books and watched the films, however, alerted us to the fact that the cult beliefs that we identified were also being taught in their churches, which were being influenced by leading Charismatic and Word/Faith teachers. Those same false teachers were also spreading cultish doctrines throughout the country on Christian television networks.

One of the principal false teachings at the time was the belief that godhood could be attained by created beings. Though that is foundational to Mormonism (“As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become”) and Hinduism (self-realization is realizing that man is God), it had worked its way in various forms and methods into different “Christian” movements, teachings, and practices. Much of it was promoted by extreme Charismatics, but it was also finding its way into conservative evangelical churches through so-called Christian psychology (with its emphasis on self and self-esteem, leading to the exaltation and deification of self). Of course, the lie that man could become a god was the cornerstone of Satan’s seduction of the human race (Genesis 3:1-5).

In his war against those who have committed their lives to the true and living God, Satan, as God’s chief adversary throughout history, has majored in seduction and persecution. Although persecution would seem to be more effective in its prohibition of Christianity than seduction (and it certainly generates more fear), it is far less productive for the Adversary in achieving his objective. The saying that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” has been demonstrated throughout church history. Martyrdom and other forms of persecution have always increased and/or strengthened the body of Christ. The same, however, cannot be said for seduction.

Believers in the United States have never experienced significant religious persecution–certainly nothing like what has taken place in China, India, or throughout countries controlled by Islam. Historically, true Christians in the West as far as Europe have suffered violence from the Caesars of Rome, the Church of Rome, and Communism, among others, but a comparable level of persecution has yet to reach the shores of North America. On the other hand, spiritual seduction has proliferated here and has shipwrecked the faith of many within Christendom.

Unlike persecution, there is not even a remote value associated with seduction; it is spiritually debilitating and deadly. Stories abound of those believers who have survived and been strengthened in their faith during the persecution they suffered in communist countries only to have their walk with the Lord devastated after they escaped to the West. They could endure persecution but they could not resist seduction.

The thesis of this article, which is that seduction will ultimately bring about persecution, is intimidating for me personally. Why? Partly because Dave and I have only rarely addressed the potential for persecution in the U.S. and partly because it’s only beginning to show its nasty head here. Then why write about it now? From my observations, increasing signs point to a pending clash between the professing–and even true–Christians who will conform to the world by compromising biblical teachings and those who will remain steadfast in the faith. Nevertheless, I put little value in my observations unless I’m confident that they reflect what the Scriptures teach. Nor should anyone who reads this article.

Following are seven pertinent verses (among others that could be given) that have influenced my observations and this thesis:

In Matthew 24:4, Jesus warns that the last days prior to His return will be a time of religious deception: “Take heed that no man deceive you.” He adds (v.24) that the deception will be so great that if it were possible the very elect could be deceived. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus refers to the “strait gate” and “narrow way” that leads to life and announces that “few there be that find it.” Luke writes (18:8) the sobering words of our Lord regarding the time of His return: “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith upon the earth?” Since His Second Coming is for the purpose of judgment and to save Israel from annihilation, His words here seem better suited to His coming for His bride in the midst of a professing Christianity that has joined the apostasy. The Apostle Paul gives this insightful explanation as to how apostasy could manifest among those who call themselves Christians: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Sound doctrine will not be endured in the last days because many who have been fed the milk of scriptural truth have already been weaned away from it, i.e., seduced, by their own lusts and by false teachers. More than that, sound doctrine will become an issue that will foster division among Christians. Paul instructed the Roman believers to identify those who teach things “contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). It’s clear that believers who desire to stand firm for the teachings of God’s Word will be at odds with Christians whose beliefs and lives are not conformed to the Scriptures.

Could division over doctrine result in persecution? Both history and the Word of God indicate as much. In the Book of Acts, we are told that “there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1). It involved violent assaults, imprisonments, and deaths, and the issues were doctrinal–pitting those who fiercely defended the religious traditions of men against those who followed the teachings of Jesus the Messiah. Persecutions continued as Christians who stood firm in the doctrine of Christ refused to bow down to the deified Caesars or conform to the pagan rituals of Rome. They became vicious entertainment for those who packed the coliseums to see them burned and torn apart by animals. Later, a “Christianized” Rome persecuted those who attempted to reform Roman Catholicism. From there, doctrinal inquisitions and trials by torture proliferated against the “protestants” and other biblical non-Catholics. Today, persecution continues against believers in Islamic countries and in those places in the West where Roman Catholicism still controls the society, such as cities, villages, and even some states in Mexico and South America.

Although none of the above has manifested itself substantially in the United States, could such religious persecution take place here? Roman Catholicism has never been in a position to impose its dogmas on the American populace; Islam has only begun to control some neighborhoods here with its Sharia legalism (“Terror’s Secret Weapon: Shariah,” Townhall, 1/20/11). But what about a scenario of Bible-believing Christians being persecuted by other Christians who will “not endure sound doctrine”? Is that likely? Some who have previewed this article were doubtful that “Christians killing Christians over doctrines” would ever take place here, a law-abiding country where, for the most part, “doctrinal apathy” rules among evangelicals. I tend to agree, yet if someone told me 25 years ago that evangelicals would shift from the then highly influential moral majority/Christian Right to the socialism-oriented Christian Left–I would have laughed. No one is laughing at that reality now (Q&A 1/11). Only the Lord knows how extreme the oppression will become prior to His return for His bride, but there are many forms of persecution, short of martyrdom.

In previous TBC articles, we have addressed significant trends among evangelicals that have “weaned them off the Word,” seducing them into following the ways, means, and agendas of man contrary to the Scriptures (See TBC 3/04;2/05; 3/05; 2/07, 3/07, 9/07, et al.). In the midst of that process of compromise, increasing numbers of professing and true Christians have accepted the ideals of the world, including moral, social, and religious tolerance. “Intolerance” in thought, word, or deed of that which the world believes is good for humanity identifies a person as antisocial at least and as bigoted, prejudiced, or a practitioner of hate crimes at worst. Furthermore, what if a social gospel that is based upon “good works” became widely accepted as a better form of “salvation”–one that had the potential to rally everyone together, including governments, the world’s religions, liberal Christians and cults, humanists and even atheists? Everyone, that is, except biblical Christians. What might be the consequences for those who would object to such a world-supported “Christian” development because it did not conform to sound doctrine?

Sound doctrine, i.e., the teachings of the Bible, is what a true Christian is to abide by as one lives his life for Christ. Sound doctrine is the absolute criterion that dictates what beliefs, practices, and programs he can accept and what he must reject. Moreover, Scripture exhorts him to be discerning and steadfast in its teachings: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness….And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-14,17).

But would God allow persecution to take place within the church? That’s what Peter seems to be acknowledging: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). Judgment, in the sense of correction and strengthening that results from God’s allowing of persecution, as we’ve noted, has always been a part of Christianity. The Epistle to the Hebrews also indicates that persecution is one of the things that God has used as a spiritual pruning and purifying process for Hebrew Christians.

If you’re not sure how (or why) persecution might take place within Christianity, consider these examples: When Promise Keepers enjoyed popularity among evangelical men, it became known that one of its goals was to “break down the walls” between Catholics and evangelicals. Part of that process involved turning churches against ministries that evangelized Roman Catholics. When Rick Warren’s “40 Days of Purpose” began to influence hundreds of thousands of churches throughout the U.S., long-time members who protested on doctrinal grounds were either disfellowshiped, or threatened with disfellowship, unless they submitted to Warren‘s program in their own churches (see TBC 10/04 and 9/08). To question a pastor or the elders’ support for introducing yoga or “Christianized yoga” in a church has been grounds for disfellowship.

Although the above examples may seem marginal to some, they and other endeavors, including church-growth marketing programs, emerging church methods and mystical practices, ecumenical overtures to Muslims and Mormons, an ecumenical global P.E.A.C.E. plan that involves all the world’s religions, movements aimed at solving the world’s ecological, poverty, and social injustice problems, etc., have driven multitudes of believers to start home churches.

What if you were to preach against the various agendas mentioned above because they were a rejection of sound doctrine? Remember the Apostle Paul’s admonition? “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ…Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…” (2 Timothy 4:1-4). What would be the reaction among those within and without the church who were supportive of those agendas?

Or what if even without your preaching or protesting it simply becomes known that you are one of those biblical Christians who is intolerant toward other religions, who rejects evolution, who won’t go along with psychology, who is anti-abortion, anti-genetic manipulation, and anti-euthanasia; that you view homosexuality as a sin rather than an alternative lifestyle, and that you are against gay rights and gay marriage? Furthermore, you seem to be out of touch with the acceptable morality of the day (marriage now being statistically a minority as a practice in the U.S.) by having a “problem” with cohabitation, and it’s been said that you believe sexual abstinence should be practiced outside of marriage. You are suspicious about the alarm over “global warming.” It’s become known that you support Israel against the alleged right of the Palestinians to be restored to the land they believe is theirs. How will such a person be dealt with in Christendom–as well as by the world that champions everything that a believer opposes? The dark clouds of persecution appear to be gathering over the church in the U.S.; signs indicate that the seats of the “coliseum” are beginning to fill with a widely diverse audience (see TBC 1/11) that, at least in a figurative sense, has “a taste for the blood” of those who reject their programs and teachings on the basis of sound biblical doctrine.

The seduction of Christianity has created a condition in which biblical discernment and steadfastness in the faith are the exception rather than the rule. Standing for the truth and righteousness of the Word of God while the opposition increases within and without the church can only result in some form of persecution. Paul makes that quite clear: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Although that verse may distress some believers, it shouldn’t. Why? Because the beginning of the verse gives a believer the key to receiving the grace to glorify God and to benefit others through persecution: living godly lives in Christ Jesus! That is a believer’s only preparation and it is more than sufficient. Jesus, who is the Word made flesh, gave His disciples this astonishing word of encouragement regarding standing for His teachings: “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven…” (Luke 6:22-23). Our prayer is that the Lord Jesus will help us to live godly lives and by His grace remain steadfast in the faith as we look for His soon coming. tbc

The U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Stalling

Adam Gislason — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:46:57 +0000

The U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Stalling
Published June 6, 2011 by Todd Strandberg
Rapture Ready

There are growing indications that the U.S. economy is headed back towards negative growth. The recovery that economists claim we’ve been having over the past several months has been mild at best. The unemployment rate went from a high of over 10 percent to just under 9 percent. We still have 16 million Americans out of work, and nearly 25 percent of the workforce is underemployed.

Several key financial indicators are pointing to a slowdown. Here are a few:

In April, the economy created only 54,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate climbed to 9.1 percent. Factory orders fell 1.2% in April, most since May 2010. GDP growth has declined to 1.8 percent.

You can’t have a recovery in the general economy without the participation of the housing market. Real estate saw modest improvement, thanks to a tax credit program that has now expired. In the last few months, home prices have collapsed. The average selling price of a home is now below the levels seen during the 2008 subprime meltdown. The decline has even surpassed the decline seen during the Great Depression.

President Obama tried to put a positive spin on the latest woes, telling auto workers at an Ohio plant that it would take a while for the economy to mend.

“There are still some headwinds that are coming at us. Lately it’s been high gas prices, then you have the economic disruptions following the tragedy in Japan,” Obama said. “There are always going to be bumps on the road to recovery. We are going to pass though some rough terrain.”

The problem with the American economy is driven by longer-term issues. The national debt is now over $14.4 trillion, and is within a couple of percentage points of equaling our Gross National Product. We already have a $1.5 deficit projected for fiscal year 2011. If the economy stalls, the deficit will soar over the $2 trillion mark.

The rating agencies that track the creditworthiness of our debt are starting to see the reality behind the numbers. Last week, Moody’s warned that it might have to cut the United States’ coveted top-notch credit rating if the White House and Congress do not make progress by mid-July in talks to raise the debt limit.

Another huge danger is the solvency of banks. As the value of real estate drops, so does the value of the balance sheets of banks that hold those mortgages. The big money center banks were already insolvent when we went into this mess. Congress changed the accounting rules to allow banks to keep the original loan value on their books.

At some point, the drop in housing prices will trigger a meltdown. The Bank of America has $2.4 trillion in mortgages. If the market value drops by 5 percent, the potential loss for the Bank of America is $120 billion. The firm only has a stock value of $114 billion. If millions of people start to walk away from their mortgages, the too-big-to-fail banks will need trillions of dollars to stay afloat.

At the end of this month, the Federal Reserve will conclude its program to buy $600 billion in bonds from the U.S. Treasury. Since the Fed has been buying 70 percent of our debt at the weekly auctions, it’s not clear who will step up to take its place.

The Chinese have already said they are not interested in raising their holdings of U.S. debt. China has just sold 97 percent of its holdings in our Treasury bills–which are securities that mature in one year or less. All their holdings are now in longer-rate bonds that demand a higher interest rate.

There is no way we can survive a return to recession. The Federal Reserve has already printed $3 trillion to keep us afloat, and we simply don’t have enough credit to fund round two. We’re now at the point where the dollar and the bond market could collapse at any moment.

I am amazed at how long our financial system has held together. There are so many fuses all leading to the same pile of dynamite, you would think that one of them would have been triggered by now. I think the guiding hand of God is the only explanation for why the system has survived.

This whole scenario reminds me of a documentary I saw about the bombing of Hiroshima. Months before the deployment of the “little boy” device, the city was excluded from any bombing campaigns. The residents of Hiroshima thought it was odd that Allied bombers never targeted their city, which had major industrial and military operations. After August 6, 1945, it was instantly obvious that the city had been spared to measure the damage caused by the first military use of an atomic bomb.

The fact that we’ve managed to avoid a depression for three years now seems to indicate that God may be planning to drop a financial bomb on this sinful world. The Rapture may be what triggers the financial meltdown. We will soon find out.

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).

The Cost For Being Careless About The Gospel

Adam Gislason — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:17:52 +0000

The Cost For Being Careless About The Gospel
Published June 13, 2011 by Lighthouse Trails Research Project
Lighthouse Trails Research Project

Often times, people call our office asking what denomination we are. We realize that this is a probing question designed to find out more about us. The truth is, Lighthouse Trails Publishing has never been affiliated with any denomination. From the onset, nine years ago, we have always endeavored to be connected with the body of believers scattered throughout the world who are very concerned, as we are, with the state of the church today. Many of our readers have told us they felt very alone and even ostracized in witnessing the apostasy in the churches today prior to their finding our website and realizing there were other Christians who saw what they did.

We know firsthand how it feels to be labeled troublemakers for having legitimate concerns about what is happening in the church today. We too have felt disillusioned as we have witnessed a gradual departure in the churches from the Word of God. Pulpits throughout the land, many of which formerly proclaimed the biblical Gospel of God’s saving grace through the sacrifice on the Cross now espouse an assortment of pseudo-gospel, pop-psychology, seeker-friendly, Purpose-Driven, emerging, New Age, mystical/contemplative spirituality that may be chicken soup for the soul but what God calls an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). It is no wonder that God in referring to the lukewarm apostasy of today warns that He is ready to “spew thee” out of His mouth” (Revelation 3:16). How much better it would have been if churches and their pastors had stuck with John 3:16!

Out of this frog’s slow-cooking kettle, some emerged only to witness that a great many were staying in the pot. Many discerning believers now find they have become watchmen for the Lord, compelled by God to sound out a clear warning of the impending doom of the church. In fact, it appears that God has already turned His back on much of the institutional church today and is presently calling out believers from various denominations to stand up and be counted among those who refuse to comply with the compromised experience-driven Christianity of today. Yes, God is calling out His own.

If you love Jesus Christ and His Word and if you really want to serve Him, now is the time to be fully surrendered to the Lord without reservation. Whatever the cost. We are invited to the wedding feast, ready to meet our Savior, with wicks trimmed and lamps burning. Now is the time to make ready.

Nearly on a daily basis, we witness our very earth, as if it were in birth pangs – be it nuclear disasters, hurricanes, earthquakes, or tornados – or wars and rumors of war – while most people seem almost oblivious to what is happening (or may see something is amiss but do not turn to Scripture and Bible prophecy to understand the implications). Again, God is sounding out a warning to make ready.

Even now, while the reality of the Antichrist is looming closer and closer all the time, preachers and teachers are sitting at their desks inking out sermons that discredit Bible prophecy.

If you are a pastor, let us remind you that you have a great responsibility. When we first began Lighthouse Trails Publishing, we contacted our pastor at that time, trying to encourage him to warn his congregation of the apostasy that was beginning to creep into the church back then. His reply was that he lives in a bubble and consequently sees no need to warn his congregation about anything as long as he keeps expounding the Word to them. Our reply to him was “you may be in a bubble, but your congregation is not.” The question is this: if it is not the pastor’s job to warn his congregation of impending spiritual danger, whose job is it? In the Old Testament, the prophets referred to individuals with this kind of responsibility as watchmen or shepherds. The prophet Zechariah, for example, has much to say about the responsibilities of a shepherd in chapters 10 and 11. In referring to the spiritual condition of his day, he said:

For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled because there was no shepherd. (Zechariah 10:2)

Nothing could speak more succinctly of the condition of the church today. We never dreamed in all our years as Christians that there would ever be such blatant heresy as we see in the organized Christian church today. Years ago, we would never have imagined that anyone would be given the green light to stand in front of a congregation and deny the atonement of Jesus Christ. Yet this is exactly what is happening in the emerging/progressive/contemplative “church” as well as in some of our Bible colleges and seminaries. Many have fallen from a great height, and we should be mourning as God surely must be mourning.

If you are a pastor who feels that it is not your calling to warn your congregation, let us remind you that the closest New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament watchmen or shepherd’s is the position of – a pastor. There is a time for speaking uplifting encouraging words of peace and comfort – but when ravenous wolves are about, is it not wiser to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2)?

WHAT IS THE TEST?

Sometimes we are asked, what is the criteria for deciding whether or not a doctrine or practice is biblical or validates criticism. Over the years, many pastors, elders, and youth pastors have contacted us and told us we have no business in doing what we are doing. We have often thought after hearing this that what we would like to say in reply is, “If you pastors were doing it, people like us wouldn’t have to.” It has not been a pleasant task, but the church needs to be warned of the impending danger. If you have read our books, then you understand what we are talking about.

But getting back to the question, what is the test for deciding if a particular teaching or practice validates criticism? There is but one test that we have used consistently from the inception of Lighthouse Trails. The Book of Proverbs says: “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight (Proverbs 11:1).

And again from Proverbs: “Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good (Proverbs 20:23).

It is interesting that Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, placed such emphasis on accurate scales. It is even more amazing that God would call false scales an abomination – amazing only until we realize that God is speaking of the spiritual – not just physical, scales here.

So what we are looking for is a spiritual balancing scale – something that will reappear throughout the Bible – through the Old and New Testaments. There is such a scale, a consistent theme, which John refers to in his first epistle:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)

Some Bible commentators have believed that John was referring here to a particular sect who denied that Jesus Christ actually came in a human body. If that is all John meant, then this passage is of little relevance to us today, because you will scarcely find anyone who does not believe that Jesus as a historical figure was a man. But the name Jesus Christ in this passage is not a historical term; it is a name loaded with meaning – referring to Jesus as the Messiah, God come in the flesh, our Savior and Redeemer, who atoned for our sins. If we look at the context of 1 John 4, we can verify that this is what John is talking about because in it he says, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). In other words, John is saying here, I am referring to the Jesus I wrote about in my gospel – the Word made flesh who in the beginning was with God and was God (see John, chapter 1).

This is the balancing scale we have been looking for. Just as all human history and our blessed hope hinges on what Jesus did on the Cross, so too we can weigh a doctrine or practice by whether or not it agrees with the fact that we are justified by faith alone through the atoning, redemptive work of Christ on the Cross. The question then is, does a particular doctrine or teaching agree with the Gospel the apostles all preached?

With this discerning tool in hand, if you stop to measure all of the world’s religions and systems, you will find that all of these are opposed to the Gospel. The natural man will not acknowledge the need for a Savior, consequently all of the world’s belief systems are works based – believing that it is possible to earn our way into Heaven or to become “Christ-like” through mysticism and “spiritual disciplines.” But the Gospel says it is not possible. John knew all too well the contrariness of the natural man and the world’s belief systems. That is why in the same chapter of his epistle, he offers another test:

[H]e that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6)

In other words, John is saying that when the world rejects you for sharing the Gospel, it is because the Spirit of truth in not in them.

Whichever way you look at it, the Gospel is the fulcrum of our balance in discerning truth from error. When Lighthouse Trails Publishing began, this became, and has always been, our standard of truth and also the deciding factor as to whether something is significant enough to bring to the attention of our readers. We are careful not to get involved in issues in the church where the Gospel is not attacked or compromised; but when it is we are compelled to speak up – because as believers in Christ, we are called to defend the Gospel; and is that not the calling of pastors?

The Gospel is the most precious thing on God’s heart, and it is worthy of our defense and protection. Wouldn’t you like to be remembered as a man (or woman) after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13: 14)? If so, then defend the Gospel.

You may recall that in the Old Testament the Israelites took great pains in transporting the Ark of the Covenant. According to the instructions given by God to Moses (Exodus 25:13-15), the Ark was to be carried by staves (poles) on the shoulders of the Levites (1 Chronicles 15:15). However, in 1 Chronicles 13:7-10, contrary to Moses’ specific instructions, they put the Ark on a cart to be pulled by oxen. But the unexpected happened. When “Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled . . . the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him” (1 Chronicles 13:9-10). The Levites, who were the “pastors” of that day, were careless about following Moses’ instructions; and it ended up costing a life. The Ark of the Covenant was a type and foreshadowing of the Gospel. It was sprinkled with blood to symbolize Christ’s death on the Cross. Today, similar to back then, so many pastors and Christian leaders have become careless about the Gospel. If you are one who has grown careless with the Gospel, isn’t it time to make some changes and return to following the instructions of the Lord?

Open Letter To Evangelical & Protestant Pastors

Adam Gislason — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 23:30:43 +0000

Open Letter To Evangelical & Protestant Pastors
Published May 31, 2011 by Roger Oakland
Understanding The Times

The following letter is to all Bible-believing pastors throughout the world who have been or are being influenced by current trends that are attacking the Word of God through the postmodern humanistic mystical belief system. I have witnessed this deception firsthand on a worldwide basis but am most familiar with what has been happening in the two fellowships I have been part of for the past thirty years – one in Canada and one based in southern California.

It is with a heavy heart I write this open letter to those who consider themselves evangelical or Protestant pastors. While my desire is to do this respectfully and with the love of the Lord, I am compelled with a strong sense of responsibility to write this warning.

The fact is we are living in a time in history where there is great spiritual apostasy (a falling away), and sadly, many pastors don’t even realize it is happening. Others realize it but don’t know what to do about it, while still others see it but promote it anyway. The purpose of this letter is to shine light on the darkness that has crept into so many churches today.

For many years, I have documented my concerns about this apostasy and presented the evidence to the body of Christ. An article I wrote a few years ago called “Ichabod” described the departing of God’s Spirit from many churches. That article was later followed by the commentary “Is Your Denomination a Sinking Titanic?.” I believe we are witnessing the sinking of the Titanic at the present time. While most are still dancing around in the ballroom, a few have chosen to get off the boat. How many get off in time is the question that remains to be answered.

While I recognize that I am “marked” by some as someone who has caused division within the church, please understand I do not fear any man. I look to Jesus Christ and am committed to tell the truth whatever the cost. I know I have enemies among the “brethren” who insist that I remain silent. I have also been falsely accused and slandered by gossip as a means of discrediting me.

The Bible teaches that we should never fear man or follow man’s ways. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). We should fear God and His Word alone. Based upon what God revealed to Ezekiel (Chapter 3: 17-20), there is a biblical principal that cannot be overlooked. When God reveals deception and darkness, a watchman must speak out and tell the truth regardless of the circumstances and the consequences.

What I find very alarming is that many pastors who gave warnings in the past about End Times deception seem to have now ceased and become silent. Taking the place of the warnings are teachings or promotion on everything from church-growth, seeker-friendly, contemplative spirituality, Purpose Driven, postmodern/emerging spirituality to even a Catholic/Jesuit agenda.

These various teachings are not biblical Christianity, and for many pastors who once taught the Bible faithfully, these seductive teachings have pulled these pastors in a direction that negates so much of what they once stood for. It is not uncommon now to hear these pastors espousing those such as Mark Driscoll, Rob Bell, Richard Foster, and Rick Warren, all of whom de-emphasize Bible prophecy of the last days and emphasize the “Kingdom of God on earth” now.

Some pastors recognize that their own denominations or fellowships have turned or are turning away from the teachings of the Bible, yet so many have remained active participants of these denominations. As the years go by, these pastors do not speak up – they are silent. Is this silence an indication that they have bought into a sensual, carnal, three-legged stool plan that links hands with those such as Rick Warren and Tony Blair and is on the road to Rome for a One World Religion? I fear that for many that is the case. What may have begun as “looking the other way” has become outright rebellion in many cases. This is the way deception often happens.

We are living in the time of strong delusion that Paul wrote about (2 Thessalonians 2:11). If you are a Bible-believing pastor, shouldn’t you be helping to lead the way in warning about deception, not promoting the apostate agenda in any fashion?

Ecumenism within the church has been allowed to develop for years.

When a pastor does not warn his flock about ecumenical apostasy, it sends the message that exposing apostasy is just not that important. When a church, organization, or denomination starts down the Road to Rome, there is very little chance of turning back – the pull is just too great. Nowhere in the Bible is it acceptable to join hands with those who promote another Jesus and another gospel like that of the Roman Catholic Church.

This is why John warned: come out of her (the harlot) and be set free (Revelation 18:4).

Some Personal Ministry History:

In June 1981, Chuck Smith, the founder of the Calvary Chapel movement, invited me to fly down from my farm in Saskatchewan, Canada to speak at Costa Mesa at a four-night conference called “The Bible: Key to Understanding Science, History and the Future.” Seven years later, in the fall of 1988, Chuck Smith asked me to join the staff at Costa Mesa. My family moved to Orange County, California from Saskatchewan, Canada.

My position at Costa Mesa involved being an outreach from CCCM as an apologist in the area of creation and evolution. I also showed the association of the New Age Movement and its relationship to Bible Prophecy.

In 1991, after being on staff for three years, Understand The Times was founded as an independent ministry, separate from CCCM. However, UTT was still closely associated with CCCM and was given missionary support. The UTT association with Calvary Chapel pastors and missionaries encompassed the world for about twenty years.

During a fifteen year time period, UTT had an office on church property at CCCM from time to time. Understand The Times had a five-minute radio program that aired on KWAVE and CSN for over ten years. I also had close relationships with members of the Smith family including Chuck’s brother Paul and his son Jeff.

While many of my experiences and associations with those in Calvary Chapel had been good over the years, I observed many serious problems in the Calvary Chapel movement, especially in the last five years. Many Calvary Chapel pastors I know have admitted they also see these same warning signs, but most have not felt they could speak out.

The reason I am writing this letter as an open letter to all pastors is because I believe that many of the problems I witnessed while part of the Calvary Chapel movement are the same problems that many other Christian organizations and denominations are experiencing today. And many of these kinds of problems lead to deception and apostasy.

Common Problems in the Churches:

Today many evangelical and Protestant pastors are operating on the principal or idea that if their churches are small, there is something wrong with them. The “doctrine of big” has replaced the doctrine of being faithful to the Word of God. Along with this doctrine of big comes the subtle attitude that any “offensiveness” must be removed from the church. Thus, a watered-down gospel takes effect; and thus, people in the churches are not hearing the true Gospel. Crosses are removed, Bibles are left at home, hymns are stopped, and talk about the blood of Jesus and His atonement for our sin ceases.

As Bible-believing Christians, we should be able to discern that there is a flaw in this doctrine of big. As churches get bigger, more funds are required to accommodate bigger budgets. The bigger the budget the bigger the offering is needed to meet the budget, and big donors become more and more important. Now you have a situation where the pastor preaches carefully so as not to create controversy. Controversy can cause powerful donors to leave. Pastors who once feared God now become man-fearing where doctrine is determined by men and their motives, and not by God’s Spirit and His Word.

Over the past two decades, I believe the Lord led me to author or co-author six books warning about the ecumenical one world religion movement and how it is impacting Evangelical Protestant Christianity. These were: (1) New Wine or Old Deception (2) When New Wine Makes a Man Divine (3) New Wine and the Babylonian Vine (4) How Marian Apparitions Plan to Unite the World’s Religions (5) Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization (6) Faith Undone: The Emerging Church – a New Reformation or an End Time Deception. God has put in my heart all these years a passion to warn of impending spiritual danger.

On March 6, 2011, I attended the Peace in a Globalized Society Forum that was held at Saddleback. Rick Warren and Tony Blair both explained what they are doing to set up a one-world religious program for peace. Yet even though it has become most apparent to many discerning Christians what is taking place with Rick Warren and his “new” reformation, very few pastors are publically denouncing the Purpose Driven Peace Plan. In fact, prominent pastors like John Piper are embracing Rick Warren and his teachings.

The Jesuit Connection

As I have written in some of my books, Ignatius Loyola was the founder of the Order of the Jesuits in the Catholic Church. The Jesuit goal is to turn the inerrant Word of God into the word of man while at the same time promoting the word of the pope as the word of God. In addition, the Jesuit ambition is to bring the “lost brethren” back to the “Mother” church (read Another Jesus). This is no minor thing. I have been to the city of Rome. I have seen the multitudes worship and adore a man (the Pope) who carries a wafer and a vial of juice that is supposed to be Jesus. Martyrs in earlier centuries were murdered for rejecting the papacy and the Eucharist. And yet today, I am horrified to watch once Bible-believing pastors turn their hearts and their congregations toward Rome, often through a Jesuit influence. Instances of this are occurring more every day.

Now that Rick Warren and Tony Blair (who converted to Catholicism) have announced they will be working together to set up a One World Religion as they did on March 6, 2011 in southern California, how will Christian pastors respond to this? Or will they at all? History shows, most probably won’t.

What is known as fact is this: the emerging/postmodern, Purpose Driven ecumenical, contemplative mindset in the Evangelical or Protestant Christian church has not gone away. And it is not popular to speak against this growing apostasy. It is a lot easier to go down stream than upstream. The Bible foretells we are in the Last Days. What do you as Christian pastors want to be: dead salmon washed out to sea or true fishers of men?

Check out the Bible! There will be a One World Religion. Do you want to be part of the problem, or do you want to be standing up for truth? The latter is not easy and carries with it a high price.

A Wake Up Call to Pastors

Teaching and preaching the Word of God is a high calling. You should always be true to your calling and remain true to the Word. And yet, many know that something is seriously wrong, but they say nothing.

Saying nothing can be as detrimental as outrightly supporting the lie. It is time to wake up! We are in the last days, and many sheep are being deceived, and pastors have a huge role in that deception taking place. When the sheep have the wool pulled over their eyes, they cannot see. This is not acceptable. What about the wolves who are among the flock? Good shepherds should never allow that to happen.

While there still remain faithful Christian pastors who look to Jesus Christ as their Good Shepherd and still believe in the inerrant Word of God, the fact that so many pastors have moved away from the basics of biblical Christianity toward a man-made apostate church will result in much of the flock drifting with them.

And may I say this to any believer who now realizes his or her own pastor is compromising the Word of God and embracing apostate teachings: If you have done what you can to warn and exhort your pastor(s) to turn back to the truth, and if your warnings and exhortations are rejected, perhaps it is time to get out of that church. Paul addressed this when he said: “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject” Titus 3:10.

Deception has crept in, unnoticed to many, and even at times been purposely covered up. Jude warned this was happening in his day (Jude 4). The same is true in the perilous days in which we live (2 Timothy 3: 1-5).

As of last fall, I am no longer affiliated with the Calvary Chapel movement, although I am still friends with and associate with some of the pastors, ones who have sought to remain faithful to the Lord and His Word.

As do many leaders in the body of Christ, Calvary Chapel pastors who have veered need to get right, and they need to do it quickly. According to the Word, our redemption draweth nigh, and He could return for those who are ready at any moment.

If you are a pastor who has succumbed to the present-day spiritual apostasy, get back to the Word of God, and preach it, and teach it! If your congregation shrinks, so what! Better to have a few who are solid and can go out and be fruitful for the Lord than have a mega church full of participants of a social gospel that is being prepared for the coming One World Religion.

While the large-scale move toward apostasy has been taking place for some time, and postmodern/emerging, Purpose-Driven ideas are widely accepted, there still may be time if pastors will repent and return to the purity of the Gospel and God’s Word.

Many pastors reading this open letter who belong to an organization or denomination may feel fearful about leaving the security of such a “covering.” Perhaps you have never been out from under that umbrella. But at some point, you are going to have to ask yourself the question, Am I really “counting all things but loss” in order to gain Christ (Philippians 3:8)? Am I taking up my cross and following Him, no matter the cost (Matthew 16:24)? I have heard stories now of pastors (both in the Calvary Chapel movement and in other groups and denominations) who finally did make that decision to separate themselves from any apostate associations. If you are one of those, continue on with the ministry God has given you and follow Jesus Christ alone. You can never go wrong by being obedient to Jesus and His Word.

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon. May we be found ready and waiting.

Sincerely in Christ,

Roger Oakland

Understand The Times

P.S.

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. . . . Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. Isaiah 52:8, 11

But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Matthew 15:13-14

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The Message Bible-Earth Reverence & God of Green Hope

Silence Is Not An Option

Adam Gislason — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:08:32 +0000

Silence Is Not An Option
Published May 24, 2011 by Eric Barger
Take A Stand Ministries

On May 20th I wrote to our email subscribers concerning the followers of Harold Camping and what they might have been thinking and doing that day. As you probably know, Camping, the president of the “Family Radio” network of some 150 stations, had predicted that the Rapture of the Church (I Thess. 4:17) was absolutely going to occur on May 21st. Camping had also predicted that the entire universe would end in five months, on October 21st. Amazingly, he is still clinging to that prognostication.

Doomsday prophets always leave a trail of destruction behind them and what Camping’s followers are experiencing is no exception. Camping, 89, had convinced many folks to invest their life savings, kids’ college funds, and retirement accounts for the purpose of spreading the word that the end was not just near, but positively going to happen May 21. Amazingly, this took place even though he had previously predicted the Lord’s coming for His Church back in 1994. This time Camping purchased over 5,000 billboards announcing his predictions worldwide – all with funds from duped donors – many of whom are now reeling from the personal and financial losses they have incurred because a crazed false prophet had led them astray. Many will be completely unable to recover from the losses they’ve experienced due to the date-setting of this unbiblical buffoon. Adding to their trauma, all who followed Camping and made their belief in his lunacy known have lost credibility with their families and friends. They must feel completely betrayed and most will never trust a Christian pastor or teacher again. It is the people caught in Camping’s web for whom I am particularly concerned.

Besides all of the fear, hurt, and devastation Camping has wrought, the implications of what he has done is unquestionably also a setback for true Evangelicals, particularly those of us who actually DO hold to the clear biblical teaching of a future “catching away” of the Church. Comedians are mocking the idea with reckless abandon and the news media is making Christians who would hold to end-time teachings look silly. Regrettably, countless pastors are joining in to throw proverbial rocks at those of us who believe that Jesus is indeed going to call His Church home someday soon. I can’t help but wonder how many men and women of God may be driven to silence on eschatology for fear of what others may think.

Pastors and lay people – I encourage you to hold steady. We cannot allow the likes of David Letterman, Jon Stewart, or CNN to shut our mouths concerning prophecy and, in particular, the Rapture. God has the final say – not the atheists. Jesus IS coming for those who believe and Satan would love nothing more than to continue to reap extended benefits from his seduction of Camping and those who backed him. Don’t let the Evil One silence your voice – and the sure Word that God has given us to proclaim!

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Harold Camping Strikes (Out) Again!

Adam Gislason — Sat, 21 May 2011 14:42:37 +0000

Harold Camping Strikes (Out) Again!
Published December 10, 2011 by Sandy Simpson
Deception In The Church

Imagine my shock when I heard that Harold Camping was up to his former tricks in predicting, using some kind of fancy numerology, that Jesus Christ will return on May 21, 2011. I quickly thought about how I would cancel my plane reservations to speak at a discernment conference. I mean, if Jesus is coming back then there will no longer be a need to expose false teachers because they will have met their demise along with their leader. But then I realized, Camping is himself a false teacher and so I thought I would write this article to use on my speaking trip since I will be talking about his second failed prediction then. Camping has put up billboards all around Omaha, NE with the following information.

Eight billboards going up around Omaha (NE) say Jesus will return on May 21, 2011. The billboards depict three wise men riding on camels, led by the Star of Bethlehem, and include the words, “He is coming again” and the May 21 date. The “He” is Jesus Christ, whom Christians proclaim is the Son of God and Savior of the world. And although the signs don’t explicitly say that believers will gather in the air to meet Christ in five-plus months, the groups spreading the May 21 message – Family Radio (www.familyradio.com) and We Can Know (www.WeCanKnow.com) – say so on their websites. We Can Know, a group supporting the work of Family Radio, paid for the Omaha billboards, which include four large signs and four smaller ones . The main idea is that the Rapture and the Day of Judgment will occur on May 21. “This is not a joke. We take it very seriously,” said Tom Evans, a spokesman for Family Radio. Harold Camping, Family Radio’s founder, came up with the date based on calculations he made using information he gleaned from the Bible, Evans said. “I’ve never met anyone more diligent in studying the Bible” than Camping, Evans said. In 1992, Evans said, Camping published a book called “1994?” in which he laid out his belief that Jesus would return in September 1994. “That obviously was wrong,” Evans said. “The real lesson of ’94 was not so much that he was wrong, but ‘What is truth? Where do you find truth?’” he said. “Study the Scriptures and the Spirit of God will guide you into the truth.”After Jesus’ return in May, Evans said, the people remaining on Earth will have only until Oct. 21, “when the entire universe will be rolled up like a scroll and completely destroyed.” The Rev. Russ McDowell, associate pastor at Rejoice Lutheran Church in Omaha, said trying to determine a specific time for Jesus’ return is “a real misreading of Scripture.” “Scripture really communicates that God is in control,” McDowell said. “It becomes irrelevant to be focused on the time and the place. Be ready all the time.” The billboards are going up in cities that have no Family Radio station, Evans said. “It wasn’t like we were targeting Omaha for any particular reason,” he said. All the Omaha signs should be up by Friday, said Sheila Kuehn, an account executive for Lamar Outdoor Advertising in Omaha. They are scheduled for a four-week run. “We had legal look at it and make sure it’s OK,” Kuehn said of the signs’ message, noting that the advertisers have freedom of speech. Evans said he knows many people won’t take the billboards’ message seriously. “I would hope,” he said, “that people would look at that and say, ‘I’m going to get my Bible out. I’m going to start reading my Bible.’” Kuehn said she wouldn’t comment on the End of Days message but did offer this telling statement: “We have taken long-term contracts past May 2011.” (The Rapture is near, billboards say by Bob Glissmann)

Now before I get into the reasons why I am calling Camping a false teacher, apart from the fact that he has one failed prediction of Jesus’ return to his credit already, let me say this: it would not surprise me, if Camping actually turns out to be right with this newest prediction, that God will reschedule Christ’s return by at least one day in order to point out that Camping is a false teacher himself. But let’s look as Camping’s previous failed attempt.

(Click here to read the rest of this article)

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“But of that day or that hour not a single person knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’ (Mark 13:32)

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Living In An Age of Lies

Adam Gislason — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:19:34 +0000

Living In An Age of Lies
Published May 2011 by Mike Oppenheimer
Let Us Reason Ministries

The Bible speaks a lot on lying, for both the non believer and believer. Eph. 4:25: Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.” Prov. 12:22: “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.”

Lying always has the intent to deceive the hearer and protect the liar. Lies have permeated our culture, its celebrated on TV shows. People lie about investments to get ahead in business. It is used in nearly every vocation, even in religion. They lie in the church with false promises so that you give them your money. They brag on how many people are saved and healed, boasting on how God is using their ministry so people are more willing to give their money to them. In fact lying often has to do with only two goals, power and money.

We are in the time of lying, in both politics and religion. The lie is told so easily and boldly and the truth is told so weakly and inefficiently. We have been fed lies portion by portion, piece by piece for so long that the lie has become as the truth. And no one wants to believe lies have encompassed the way the church conducts her practices.

James Dresden “When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.” We are inundated with so many lies we do not know where the truth is found anymore.

I Jn. 2:21 tells us “no lie is of the truth.” Lies are not just the opposite of the truth, a lie has NO truth. Lies reject honesty openness, integrity, love; they are an assault on everything good and holy. The tactic used to produce the first sin from the first humans, came from the source of all lies – Satan.

Here is what Jesus described Satan as…John 8:44-45: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me”.

His nature is to lie and to bring confusion to those who want to understand a matter. He does this by influencing people to lose integrity and lie. He concentrates on the areas that have the most influence, mostly on religion so that people do not arrive at the truth that can save them.

There is the spirit of the world, that lives in the natural man preventing him from receiving any of the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:12-14). The spirit of the Antichrist, we are told is already in the world. (I Jn. 4:3) that denies Jesus is the Christ “is the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). There is a spirit of the current age that does not lead people to truth but gives them the impression they are right.

Let me make some correlations so we can understand how the ‘spirit of the world” is working in politics and the church.

The most serious of dangers always come from within. This is true of a country and is certainly true of the church. The church has been corrupted from within in America and because of this encroachment the political system has been affected. Why? Because Americas spiritual beliefs (her religion) once guided and guarded the people. The Frenchman Alexis de Toucheville visited America in the 1830’s said America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Which he determined were because of her religious views.

The peter principle is at work and has reached its zenith. Those who are incompetent are running things and ruining things. Because they lack integrity and have no moral compass except their own feelings they are unable to discern what is truth from what is false. The decisions they make is nearly always wrong in judgment.

Isa 59:14-15: “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice.”

Jer 7:28: “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.’”

Hosea 4:1-3: “Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea will be taken away.”

United States of America is under judgment, because we have based our system on godly concepts and principles and yet do not enforce them, for the most part we have abandoned them. If you look up the judgments the Lord sends to a nation, they often come by weather, finances (unemployment), food, health and increase in crime and murder. We see all of these in play. When the innocent are allowed to become victims i.e. the unborn, at some point God steps in.

What is the corruption that is taking place in politics and the business sector also is happening in religion. In fact because it has taken place in the church that God has allowed it to spread throughout. We are to be the salt to preserve but have lost our savor.

One of the greatest inroads the world has made in the church is to convince us to be non-judgmental in the face of blatant lies and hypocrisy. What is a lie, what is false, what is error is to be judged and removed not be tolerant as if we have no knowledge of the truth.

I don’t think many of us realize how far off the narrow road churches have gone with Christian media- TV, radio, magazines. From the prophetic and signs and wonders movements influence we have a parade of heresies: the newest revelation from prophets is always anticipated without ever holding them accountable of being wrong in their last prophecy. The word faith philosophies of health and wealth are never addressed when the last person pronounced healed died. The new moves of the spirit with people lying of their visiting heaven and writing books and going on tour with their invented lies. The whole Gnostic idea of being taught by a spiritual experience that challenges what is written. The newest tactic in spiritual warfare is sought when the last one promoted didn’t work any better than the one before that. The newest deliverer’s revelatory scheme to release one from curses and demons; or the newest fantasy book that claims to teach about God in metaphor, on and on ad infinitum. Like a merry go round that has spun out of control, when are we going to stop this to let people get off?

The word faith movement is like a union, its heretical teaching on positive confession for health and prosperity have become the norm for many. Word faith teaching has monopolized the TV air waves, the church is being influenced and controlled by its own corrupted media. The voices may change but the words and concepts are the same as it comes from the many different people.

We do not live in a perfect world nor is there a perfected church. But this should not be used to excuse our autonomous bible study. These false doctrines continue because people have been exposed to a group think mentality and do not want to be independent and think different than anyone else. After all we may have to stand on our own and be questioned for going against the flow (which is often the spirit of the age not the Holy Spirit). As Christians we are to be exercising the mind of Christ, not use our fallen nature, our natural mind.

When is the church leadership going to be serious enough about their faith to help the members begin a plan to not just read through but study the Bible. This is what the Bible calls discipleship after evangelism. This lazy influence has taken away the incentive for people to hunger, to study the Scripture on their own. Instead they are telling people to just have faith, a faith which is disconnected from the word in its context. It is a false faith because it concentrates on us, our will not God’s.

The “preachers of falsehood” have a monopoly of air time, but they will always have some truth included in between their sandwich of lies. Occasional inter-mitten Scripture are sprinkled as salt on an old rotten piece of meat that should have been thrown out long ago.

James 3:1: “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” Many who have no ability to teach the word (I do not mean speaking ability) are behind the pulpits influencing the church into unbiblical ways.

They end up using the Bible only to stop someone using the Scripture to expose their error; so they are actually trying to silence the truth. Much of the church is so spiritually immature she finds herself unable to distinguish between God’s Word of truth and Satan’s lies. The very thing Paul was fearful about… “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted– you may well put up with it!”(2 Cor. 11:3-4) and how we put up with it today…. flattering the audience with stories of how wealthy they got with this “secret” they found. Tithe for your blessings, give to the TV prophet for the hundredfold, depend on the words they confess. Jesus is more like Santa Claus each day of the year. You can turn to the majority of Christian channels and hear these so called prophets tell you to call in the next few minutes to give money so that your situation can turn around by their speaking the word to God.

1 Cor 13:6 Paul says that love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.” (an interesting word, iniquity – adikia – (legal) injustice (properly, the quality, by implication, the act); morally, wrongfulness (of character, life or act). One cannot be walking in the truth if they support those who lie.

The truth comes from the nature of God, it is pure, it is beneficial, it is powerful, and it is written because He loves us. We need to listen carefully to discern that what a person speaks is in fact the truth.

We all know how arrogant politicians can be and so are the TV prophiteers that are selling the church a lot of worthless promises in the name of the Lord as a means of gain. We have all heard of junk science, we have junk doctrine, noxious speech that is useless for our spiritual growth. As Jeremiah wrote, “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit” (Jer. 7:8). They have revisioned the scripture to mean what they want it to mean to benefit themselves. Jude 1:19 “These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.”

These people go by their feelings and emotions and so they lack real logic and biblical agreement, the Holy Spirit is not with them. This all implemented by men who claim to be spirit filled, anointed, who are prophets and apostles but are actually without the Spirit, who have allowed another spirit to work. How can we tell? The Bible says if they do not speak according to this word they have no light in them (Isa.8:20). In other words they keep the darkness over the people and bring no dawn; not for you, nor themselves.

Exod. 18:21: “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

Once the church compromised with these teachers it left the door open for them to be welcomed and established, instead of good men of truth that fear God, we have the opposite and have forfeited God’s blessing.

The Main media newscasters are on the side of Liberal progressive politicians just like the Christian broadcasters are on the side of word faith teachers. They bring in the money. People are hear few contrary views so it is basically a controlled media. The Christian TV has become an extension for the false teacher’s message of money – they have a centralized control, a monopoly on the air waves. They preach an unbiblical pseudo – ponzi scheme called “seed faith.” Their teachings for years have moved the church in the wrong direction that affected evangelism, discipleship and tithing and now many are reaping the whirlwind.

The connection of faith to our country is the church, America is reaping the wind because the church is complacent. God asks all to repent, but he is not expecting the citizens to repent but the church, his people.

1 Peter 4:17-18 “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

The Old Testament is an example to us today, that we do not make the same mistakes as individuals or as a nation or church.

Jeremiah 9:5 says, “Everyone will deceive his neighbor, and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves to commit iniquity.”

That’s our society our world today, and it can be the Church because we have not remained anchored to the truth but have drifted away with the ways of the culture. Paul says “Do not lie to one another,” “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor” (Colossians 3:9; Ephesians 4:25). We will either influence society, or it will influence us; we are to be different then the world.

Hosea 4:1-3: “Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.Therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea will be taken away.”

Isaiah then says 8:21-22: “They will pass through it hard pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.”

Think about all the disasters that are coming upon the world and this nation, does God not warn us what will happen when we actively and openly forsake him?

Yet he promises to those who stay steady: Isa. 26:2-3 “Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

The future in the age of lies: Many believe in all kinds of lies over the truth, these lies are rampant and influencing many. But there is a lie that coming that will change the world, 2 Thess. 2:9-10: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” People will be so used to lies that they cannot bring themselves to believe in the truth and will be prepared to accept the ultimate lie of the ages.

1 Tim 4:1-2: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

Because they have already refused the truth all that is left is to embrace a lie. He will empower their lies. God will allow the deceiving spirits to speak through them without interference (2 Timothy 4:1) and oppress them, as he has done at other times (I Samuel 16:14, 18:10). In the same manner in I King 22:21-23. God is going to allow their own lies to govern them because they reject God’s counsel (His Word) the truth. He will empower their lies. God will allow the deceiving spirits to speak through them without interference (2 Timothy 4:1) and oppress them, as he has done at other times (I Samuel 16:14, 18:10). In the same manner in I King 22:21-23:

OUR God is described as “a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He” (Deut. 32:4; Psalm 31:5). He has absolutes he does not believe in mixing truth to appease the hearers. There is a difference between telling the truth and telling some of the truth – to promote what one sees as beneficial. Lies often result in far quicker a response, they impresses people. The truth stays the same – it does not change because it is absolute, unchangeable. The Bible says no lie is of the truth (1 Jn.2). We live in an age that is indicative of lies (that is trying to bring change), that is influenced by the source of all lying – the father of lies, who wants us to believe we have no moral absolutes, and these changes are good, beneficial; when the fact is they bring confusion.

We are in the time period- Jesus called a season, a period before the end. Mt.24 mentions the increase of Diseases, earthquakes, reports of war, overthrows of government. 2 Tim.3 mentions the rise of distrust, treaty breaking, lying, deception, all sorts of sins and a form of religion without the power. These are the signs that are taking place- but the end is not yet. In the meantime we are going to see an increase in violence, and deception especially focused on Israel.

We are living in the last age of lying. Where is this all headed?

2 Thess. 2:11-12: “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

In an increasing age of lawlessness, the practice of lies, empowers each person to follow the dictates of his own deceitful heart. It makes our love and compassion grow cold.

Rom. 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” Rom. 2:8: “but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness– indignation and wrath”

The Scripture tells us “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Satan is the father of lies, he is the energizing influence behind all falsehoods and false religion and at the end he grows stronger. This means we too must grow stronger to counter his influence.

John 3:21 “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Zech. 8:2-3: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervor I am zealous for her.’ “Thus says the LORD: ‘I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the LORD of hosts, the Holy Mountain.’

The Lord uses this term zeal but a few times, to the compromised church of Laodicea…
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19).

To those who have abused the Lords house for the own gain, And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up” (John 2:16-17).

It is only when Jesus the messiah returns to earth, to Jerusalem to set up his reign and kingdom on earth that we will enjoy an age of truth and righteousness, we can’t change history but we have time to change ourselves, our course. Consider your future.

From The Truth To Strong Delusion

Adam Gislason — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:22:04 +0000

From The Truth To Strong Delusion
Published May 1, 2011 by Roger Oakland
Understanding The Times

Many have asked the question: how is it possible that End Times apostasy can sweep the world so quickly in these Last Days and so few see that it is happening? There is only one way to understand this phenomenon. The Bible foretells this would happen (Matthew 24: 3-4). Now that we are witnessing End Times spiritual deception fewer and fewer Bible professing Christians see what is taking place.

When discerning believers confront their pastors or church leaders about the apostasy happening in their churches where they have worshiped for many years, they are often told to leave and go somewhere else. This “get out or shut up” attitude is common and follows a pattern. The teaching of the Word and the love of God once in fellowships of believers has got up and gone. How sad it is to see what is happening to the church of Jesus Christ in our time.

(Click Here To Continue Reading)

Jesus Has Risen!

Adam Gislason — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 23:44:01 +0000

Jesus Has Risen!
Published April 23, 2011 by Pastor Adam Gislason
Great Adventure Ministries

A little over two thousand years ago, Jesus road into Jerusalem on a donkey.

He then suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. When He comes again according to the Scriptures, He will be riding a Great White Horse. The first time He came alone, the second time He will come with all the saints and all the angels. The first time He wore a crown of thorns, the second time He will wear a crown of crowns. The first time He was called King of the Jews, the second time He will be the King of Kings. The first time He had no money for taxes, the second time He will own everything. The first time He was mocked and jeered, the second time they will fear and tremble. The first time He came as a man, the second time He will come as God. The first time He was meek and lowly, the second time He will come in power and glory. The first time He had nails in His hands, the second time He will have a rod of iron. The first time He hung on a cross, the second time He will sit on a throne. The first time He was judged in Pilate’s Hall, the second time He will be the judge. The first time He came as the Lamb, the second time He will be the Lion. Are you ready for the coming judgment? Jesus may be coming back soon. May the Lord richly bless you and your family with peace as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Blessings,

Pastor Adam & Amelia Gislason
Great Adventure Ministries

List of Birth Pangs

Adam Gislason — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:02:28 +0000

List of Birth Pangs
Published March 25, 2011 by Dennis Lingo
Watching And Waiting

A reader sent me a partial list of the birth pangs that have been happening just since January 1, 2011.

Magnitude 7.0 SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARGENTINA January 01, 2011
Magnitude 7.1 ARAUCANIA, CHILE January 02, 2011
Magnitude 4.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA January 08, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 VANUATU January 09, 2011
Magnitude 7.0 LOYALTY ISLANDS January 13, 2011
Uprising Tunisia: January 14
Magnitude 7.2 SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN January 18, 2011
Uprising Egypt: January 28
Separation vote Sudan January 30
Magnitude 6.5 CELEBES SEA February 10, 2011
Magnitude 6.8 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE February 11, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE February 14, 2011
Uprising Iran: February 14
Uprising Libya: February 17
Uprising Jordan: February 18
Magnitude 4.1 ARKANSAS February 18, 2011
Uprising Algeria: February 19
Uprising Morocco: February 20
Magnitude 6.3 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND February 21, 2011
Uprising Saudi Arabia: February 23
Uprising Bahrain: February 25
Uprising Iraq: February 25
Uprising Lebanon: February 27
Uprising Oman: February 27
Magnitude 4.7 ARKANSAS February 28, 2011
Magnitude 6.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION March 06, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS March 07, 2011
Magnitude 6.5 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA March 09, 2011
Magnitude 7.2 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN March 09, 2011
Uprising Ivory Coast civil war March 2011
Magnitude 5.4 MYANMAR-CHINA BORDER REGION March 10, 2011
Magnitude 9.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN March 11, 2011
Uprising Yemen: March 13
Uprising Syria: March 15
Magnitude 6.3 VANUATU March 17, 2011
No fly Zone enforced March 17, 2011
Magnitude 6.6 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN March 22, 2011
Magnitude 6.8 MYANMAR March 24, 2011

That’s a whole lotta‘ shakin‘ and a whole lot of wars and kingdom unrest going on in VERY short order!….and he didn’t even include the strange birds falling from the skies, the unexplained fish washing up on beaches and the Jews training sharks to eat Egyptian tourists!!

I wonder if a baby is on the way??

I’m sure if we added the “Biblical” floods, historic storms and droughts that have been happening during the same time frame, Tom’s list would double.

Anytime you want to come now Jesus,….I believe most all of us would be VERY happy to hear the trumpet and ECSTATIC that you would be plucking us off this dying planet.

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