Peace on Earth?

True or False? by Berit Kjos - December 2006 Emphasis added in bold letters

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"He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." John 1:11

Would you and I have received Him? Would we have recognized Jesus as the long-awaited King?
Two thousand years ago, the masses neither believed nor accepted Him. Seeking an earthly kingdom ruled by a human king, some stretched His words to fit their vision. Others sought to kill Him. The reason? He made "good" people feel bad, for His message exposed their sin.

"...the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light...." John 3:19

Through the centuries, religious leaders have often added the name or promises of Jesus to their self-made paths to peace. The marketing message of the popular Christian painter Thomas Kinkaide -- probably written by professional advertisers rather than Mr. Kinkaide himself -- shows the growing acceptance of such spiritual synthesis today:

"My newest work, A Prayer for Peace, is a poignant reminder that peace in our world is always possible for those who believe and pray. The dramatic figure of a prophet occupies the rocky heights above the city. To my mind, he is a Christ figure, but I have treated him with a deep spirituality that could well be embraced by people of other beliefs. Illuminated by a radiant moon, this holy person prays... that the warm glow of moonlight can wrap the walled city in a spiritual blanket of serenity."[1]

Would the true Jesus point to "glow of moonlight" as a source of peace? Would His true followers respect other gods and gurus as "holy?" Would our Lord, who prayed "Thy will be done," pray such a prayer as that?
As the curtain falls on the "Christian" era in the West, the timeless divide between God's Light and the world's false glow becomes more visible. And no month better illustrates this hostility toward Jesus than December.
Those who envision global peace through social engineering can't tolerate any signs of the new-born king. Kwanzaa and winter solstice may fit, but Bethlehem's manger must be banned from all places funded by our taxes. That ban is now being stretched to include non-Christian symbols such as Christmas trees, Santa, Rudolph... even red and green colors.
An article titled, "Santa Claus Deemed Too 'Religious' for School Fundraiser," quotes an angry parent who accused the local elementary school of breaking the law by featuring Santa Claus, a "religious" figure. "I look forward to sponsoring an event that is within the law and inclusive of all," the offended parent wrote in her letter to the superintendent. "'This is not an argument about religion; it is about the law of our land."[2]
In a world that trusts feelings more than facts, this absurd argument makes sense. It illustrates the attitude of those who despise the slightest reminder of that Holy Night long ago. But we shouldn't be surprised. God warned us that the world would have little tolerance for His truth and followers:

"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.... If they persecuted Me they will persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." (John 15:19-21)

Those who "do not know" Him can't understand why He came. Many consider the gospel a myth and the cross an outrage. Having rationalized sin and justified their compromise with immorality, they dismiss His death and resurrection. Their quest for "peace" demands denial of His Truth.
Two kinds of PEACE Many Old Testament prophets foretold the birth of Jesus and His indescribable peace: "For Unto us a child is born..." wrote Isaiah centuries before Christ was born.

"His name shall be Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. " Isaiah 9:6-7

“Glory to God in the highest," sang the angels who announced His birth. "And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)
Yes, through the cross, there would be "peace on earth" -- a peace that far exceeds the shallow illusions of blinded idealists. God's joyful angels proclaimed a heavenly peace for all who welcomed the King into their lives. Reigning in their hearts, He would establish His spiritual Kingdom -- in and through His own people still living as "pilgrims and sojourners" in a corrupt world.
That may sound strange to those who share the vision of global solidarity. But remember the question Jesus asked His confused, earth-focused disciples:

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division." (Luke 12:51)

The world still despises this division. Wanting peace and unity on its own terms, it calls for pluralism, inclusiveness, an end to the stigma of sin, and tolerance for all that God calls wrong. The British article, "Whose Country Is It?" illustrates the deception:

"In recent times we have increasingly seen officialdom trying desperately not to offend minorities at Christmastime. Reacting to their need for political correctness, supposedly to encourage inclusiveness but actually creating divisions and dissent, the imposition of attitudinal fascism by officials at Christmas is even more nasty than usual. Schools and councils hold festivals to celebrate (if that is the right word) multiculturalism. Holly and Christmas trees are banned, even though they have their origins in pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. The carol service becomes a multicultural concert...."[3]

Today's high tech media and rejection of God's absolutes (the anchor of our faith) speeds this transformation. The pragmatic ("whatever works") attitude taught by the emerging, purpose-driven movements reject Biblical discernment as divisive. Pastor Rick Warren's "close friend" Sen. Barack Obama, made the following statement at the “Building a Covenant for a New America” conference last June:

“Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values.... It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason.... Now this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do. But in a pluralistic democracy, we have no choice.”[4]

True PEACE
Actually, we do have a choice: to deny Him or to follow Him. The latter may cost us our jobs, friends, freedom, and worldly acceptance. But through the centuries, His faithful friends have gladly given their all to follow Him. Loving Him more than the world, they faced imprisonment, torture, and cruel death. But the peace of His presence was worth the pain of persecution.
A Jewish girl in Nazi Germany discovered this wonderful truth when she learned to trust Jesus. Anita Dittman tells her amazing story in the book, Trapped in Hitler's Hell:

"It was 1933... I couldn't come home after school without suffering a stoning or a beating.... And this was just the beginning of what would be a twelve-year nightmare -- twelve years of waiting for a knock on the door from the Gestapo; for a loved one to be dragged away by the hair or the beard to points unknown; for a boxcar ride, to be jammed in with hundreds of frightened, weeping people on their way to a death camp; or for a merciful bullet to end it all.
"Among those unfortunate Jews I was to be one of the few with a real home. I would come to know Jesus who was to offer peace in the midst of the turmoil. After all, wasn’t He the Prince of Peace?"[5]

Indeed He is! And to Anita, one of the highlights of those horrible years was Christmas 1944. By now a skeletal teenager struggling to survive unthinkable labor on a starvation diet in a Nazi work camp, she rejoiced in an unthinkable gift: She and a few other Christians were given permission to celebrate Christmas Eve in a nearby village church. A guard would go with them, so they prayed that the truth about Christ would touch his cold heart.

"To war-weary Christian prisoners who loved Jesus, this was the best news in months, perhaps years.... Twenty of us trudged over the snow-covered hills and meadows that night to a little country church.... The snow was falling lightly....
"That night we huddled in the little church with a hundred or more of the farmers and townspeople. We sang Christmas carols and praised the Lord until well after midnight. As we read the Christmas story, we were reassured that Jesus knew our every ache because He also had been a man and had experienced human grief. In the dim candlelight we all gathered at the altar on our knees and prayed for Germany and our separated families; the guard stood careful watch in the doorway. Then we trudged home in the moonlight, for the snow had stopped falling."[6]

 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15

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Endnotes:

1. Thomas Kinkaide, "A Prayer for Peace," at www.thomaskinkade.com/magi/servlet/com.asucon.ebiz.catalog.web.tk.CatalogServlet?catalogAction=Product&productId=204561

2. "Santa Claus Deemed Too 'Religious' for School Fundraiser." See also Foundations for Faith and Freedom and Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny

3. "Whose Country Is It?"
4. Erin Roach "Obama Asks Evangelicals To Assimilate," July 5, 2006 - (BP)-- http://www.evangelicalnews.org/indiv_pr.php?pr_id=6279

5. Anita Dittman with Jan Markell, Trapped in Hitler's Hell, published by Lighthouse Trails, 2005, pages 12-13.

6. Ibid., page 134.

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False Teachers Among You

From the December 2011 Berean Call Newsletter:

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you… And many will follow their destructive ways…They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you… they speak great swelling words of emptiness…. (2 Pt 2:1-2, 13,18) To the world it might appear that all is well in the Christian realm. Much-beloved speakers hold forth from the pulpits of some of the largest churches in the world. Believers and nonbelievers alike buy their books, avail themselves of their programs, and utilize their methodologies. One might come to the conclusion that Peter must not have been referring to the church in our day regarding false teachers. Tolerance is the word of the day. We hear admonitions on a regular basis to “just get along”with those of opposing faiths. “Love” reigns supreme.

But what is this “love” of which they speak? What about those who identify a false gospel or a false teacher among some of the popular speakers these days? Does this “love” still apply to those who expose the ones who are actually deceivers among the flock? We find that those who point out error and apostasy in the church are, in fact, considered divisive and judgmental. Some are told that their criticism will bring harm to the Christian church. They are perceived as arrogant and “negative.” It is clear that the trend among evangelicals to embrace the “politically correct” thinking of the day will have egregious effects on the Body of Christ.

This “state of the church” forces me to ask a few simple questions. If Peter said that there would be false teachers in the church, where are they? How can we identify them? Who will warn others? It stands to reason that if the Word of God warns us that false teachers will be present in the church, doesn’t it follow that we are expected to expose them? How will we recognize them, and what are we to do about them?

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:30). So we see that these false teachers will bring in things that are corrupt, contrary—opposed to biblical doctrine (teaching). Their purpose is to gather disciples to their own folds, separating them from the true Body of Christ. Paul’s concern was not only that this would occur—but that the church would tolerate it: “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 11:4).

The very thing that Paul warned about has come to pass! Most Christians not only tolerate those who speak “perverse things,” but they ostracize believers who won’t accept them. Do we think that we are wiser than Paul? Are we more mature than Jude? Are we really called to leave the evils of error alone and allow the church to be polluted by the lies? Not according to the Scriptures!

Some may say, “But there are good men and women out there whose ministries have been damaged when others pointed out errors in their teachings.” Couldn’t the same have been said about Paul when he called Peter to account for his error and “withstood him to his face” (Gal 2:11–14)? Paul didn’t intend to bring condemnation upon Peter but rather to move him to repent of his actions. Paul saw the need to keep the message of the gospel pure so that both Peter and those who heard him teach would know the truth—the truth that makes men free!
 

In the early church, it was the elders of the church who were responsible to give correction and instruction through the Word of God. Today we are fortunate to have greater individual access to the Scriptures, which are every believer’s authority. We know that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tm 3:16–17).

Every epistle in the New Testament was written to correct error in the church. Did Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude not understand that to correct those who were in error was in truth a failure to love them? Did they believe that it was none of their business to bring correction to the false teaching? Do we consider them divisive for confronting error and holding fast to the truth? No! They boldly addressed the error and at times even named the offenders.

Paul instructed Titus (an elder) regarding the standards by which other elders should be appointed—and function. He said, “For a bishop must…[hold] fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not….Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth… and [are] disqualified for every good work” (Ti 1:7–16). It is those in leadership who are called to the task of identifying error. Sadly, these are primarily the very ones who are promoting the error from the pulpits and publishing houses.

Every God-called pastor is told, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). Peter said, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers…” (1 Pt 5:2a). Along with the calling of God comes gifting and passion. One of the gifts given to every godly pastor is love for the church. If we truly love people, we don’t want to see them fall into error. Error causes harm, and “love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10).

Peter declared, “There were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you…” (2 Pt 2:1-2). Paul said, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly...” (1 Thess 5:14a). We must by all means “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). However, we must always remember that, as servants to the Lord and to the Body of Christ, we are called to “comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all” (1 Thess 5:14b). And always keep in mind that: “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth” (2 Tim 2:24-25).

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal 6:1). —Paul Van Noy, Pastor of Candlelight Christian Fellowship, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Wonderful CHRISTMAS MUSIC .. Something For Everyone!

Joy To The World

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Away in a Manger

O Little Town of Bethlehem

The Little Drummer Boy

Deck The Halls

We Three Kings

Go Tell It On the Mountain

What Child Is This?

Silent Night

O Holy Night - Celine Dion

Angels We Have Heard On High - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Celine Dion - Ave Maria

Handel: The Trumpet Shall Sound!

Handel: I Know That My Redeemer Liveth (Messiah)

Händel: The Lord shall reign for ever and ever (Israel in Egypt, HWV 54)

The Lord's Prayer - Andrea Bocelli

I enjoyed doing this so much that I may do another music blog for Christmas!
It's so impossible to fnd good Christmas music, it seems. 
I listen while I do other work on the internet.

BLESSINGS TO YOU AS WE CELEBRATE

OUR SAVIOR'S BIRTH

Return of the Nephilim

This is being posted as an appetizer for what I will be writing about soon, and that will be details about the Antichrist's people in positions of power right now in our government (headquarters) and other governments around the world, in our military, in all facets of ruling control. Whether you know it or not, they are running our world right now. My article will not be speculation; it will be factual. CMR                                    

   Meanwhile....

Return of the Nephilim 

by Ron Graham

12/08/2011

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. Whether or not we want to admit it, earth’s been invaded by an element of malevolent, supernatural, other dimensional beings. The paranormal is in full swing. The fight is raging and humanity is the prize. The battle has now moved into our four dimensional space/time continuum and still people ignore it or write it off as silly science fiction nonsense. Yet science fiction often has a foundation based on fact. Earth’s inhabitants are in for a measure of the paranormal unparalleled in the last 4,000 years.

Currently Satan, his hoard of fallen angels, and the demons of old are poised on the brink of facilitating the most startling phenomenon the world will ever witness; the Bible calls it a “strong delusion”. The race is on; it’s a race against time itself. Not one of the multitudes of malevolent supernatural beings, or any human for that matter, has a clue as to when Satan’s time will run out. But there are certainly indications that humanity has entered its final phase, which portends that Satan’s last days are here. Satan can see the same things we see, except he sees them with an urgency the rest of us can’t even comprehend. Satan is responsible for the evil which will bring about much of the catastrophic occurrences on planet earth in the last days.

Satan has an agenda which includes a massive amount of deception and a bit of public exposure to pique the interest of a few, yet maintaining his agenda in the realm of science fiction for the moment. In the meantime scary things are happening – the appearance of ghosts/demons, “space” aliens, unexplained animal mutilations, etc. All of these weird occurrences are burgeoning. The world is moving into chilling, unexplored territory. Yet people seem to have no fear of the aforementioned occurrences. Why is that? Because we’ve been desensitized through some entertaining Hollywood movies, and the exploitation of the paranormal. We’ve got ghost hunters enjoying a field day while exploring all the claims of paranormal occurrences, vampires becoming so acceptable in our society that many want to become vampires themselves. When I was a young boy all my friends and I wanted to be like Superman who represented everything good – today kids and adults want to be vampires which represent everything evil. What an about face society has made.

Nothing seems to be lacking as Satan slowly and meticulously unveils his deception. The mainstream media has even gotten into the fray. They see the appearances of ghosts, goblins, ghouls, spirits, and anything that goes bump in the night as newsworthy entertainment. Imagine if by chance, someone actually runs into a few of these very real specters? Would people associate any evil with such a phenomenon? There’s more than just a chance man will see these spirits as benevolent. It is Satan’s goal that mankind embrace the whole idea of the paranormal as benevolent extraterrestrials meaning no harm but only good for earth’s populous.

Here’s the rub, the human race is being setup for the last day’s delusion. Everything is falling perfectly into place. The brunt of the delusion won’t be fully in place until the “Church” is in Heaven. There’s no doubt that what’s currently occurring all over the world points to a worldwide deception. To some of us who have been given discernment, Satan’s attempt at deluding the public is obvious. “…the son of perdition. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God...” 2 Thessalonians 2:3b-4a. This son of perdition is ready to be revealed, his only hindrance is the Holy Spirit indwelt Church.

Please try and understand that once the Church is gone and the deception is unleashed, believing anything but the lie of the enemy will be incredibly difficult – impossible for many. “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” 2 Thessalonians 2:11b. Why would God send this strong delusion? The very next verse tells us why. “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:12. In other words, those who had been presented with the truth of the Gospel of Christ and rejected that truth have nothing to look forward to but condemnation as God’s strong delusion is implemented. When we take that last verse to fruition, many of us will come to a most horrible conclusion. Many of the folks we’ve witnessed to over the years who’ve remained steadfast in their rejection of the truth will end up swallowing the strong delusion – hook, line, and sinker.

I broached the subject of supernatural evil in a commentary a few weeks ago and with the tremendous response from my readership I decided to delve a little deeper into this incredibly important subject matter of the book of Genesis chapter 6.

We’re told in chapter 6 of Genesis that a supernatural evil brought on the destruction of the antediluvian world. This subject matter deserves much more attention and explanation than I can place into one commentary, especially when one considers all the foolish and misleading interpretations of these few verses. Fallen angles, human women, and their offspring – the Nephilim is the focus in this commentary, but the paranormal stems from the demonic hoard who, after the flood of Noah, found themselves without bodies. These were the Nephilim hybrids of that era. The last days before the return of our Lord Jesus will experience a resurgence of the Nephilim, hence all the activity surrounding the paranormal. Satan is readying the inhabitants of this planet to accept another invasion by the fallen angles and the return of the Nephilim.

Many folks today try to dismiss the Nephilim completely by attributing this assault on humanity as the result of the co-mingling of the sons of Seth with the daughters of Cain. Try and support that idea using Scripture. An acrobat would be hard pressed to perform such a stretch.

There were Nephilim (giants) in the land in those days and also after that. The procreation of human beings can create little monsters, but they aren’t monstrous. The Nephilim hybrid – the offspring created from the union of fallen angels and human women – brought about the most evil the world had ever experienced. To this very day we’ve not been subjected to such evil – but it is coming.  

Let me get one thing straight. This commentary is not being written as an attempt to persuade those who hold opposing interpretations of Genesis 6 to change views. What I’m espousing here has come about through years of diligent study. I would propose that each “in Christ believer” do their own study of these critically important scriptures. Please don’t send me someone else’s contradicting study; believe me I’ve seen and read them all.

The verses in Genesis chapter 6 are perfectly clear and do not contradict Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 22. “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” Matthew 22:30. Notice Jesus is speaking of the resurrection and angels of God in Heaven. Angels appear to men numerous times in the Bible and in male form. They’re seen eating and drinking, therefore they undoubtedly have access to all human bodily functions.

God says what He means and means what He says. I decided a long time ago to challenge myself to learn what these verses meant instead of listening to others concerning these passages. If we adhere to what the Bible is actually telling us, the truth is not difficult to discern “That the sons of God (The Hebrew bene ha Elohiym – always refers to angels) saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose…There were giants (nĕphiyl in the Hebrew or Nephilim) in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:2, 4-5.

In the verses above the “sons of God” refers to fallen angels who came to earth, took wives of all they chose. Put in more simple terms, the fallen angel’s cohabitated with human women and their unions brought about these hybrids referred to as Nephilim, and they were giants. What we are told occurred during that stage of human history is an evil that quite frankly seems almost impossible to even consider let alone believe, yet it is factual. To the human mind the concept of angels and human women procreating is so repugnant – so beyond fantasy – that most simply dismiss it as impossible. The problem with dismissing this evil as fantasy, especially at this point in time, is akin to burying our heads in the sand. We, the Church, need to be keenly aware of and kept abreast of this strange evil coming about again. Make no mistake these fallen angels are currently continuing their shenanigans as they corrupt the last day’s human race. The bringing forth of the hybrids (Nephilim) into our midst has begun. 

These fallen angels, through whatever means at their disposal, brought a mass of hybrid beings onto this planet with one goal in mind: to create a soulless and pure evil human hybrid – to replace all who are made in God’s image. Their success would have eliminated any chance of a forthcoming Messiah. Our Messiah arrived precisely when He was supposed to which tells they were not successful. Satan has, once again, begun his dastardly deeds with another assault on mankind.

Non-human hybrids that had no souls were also void of ability to love, therefore through the influence of the fallen angels their imaginations were pure evil continually. The evil was not merely focused on mankind but on the animal kingdom as well. With enough of this interbreeding, love could be bred out of man completely. This is exactly what occurred. All flesh became corrupted save Noah and his family. “And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” Genesis 6:7. Scientists have extrapolated that there were as many people on earth prior to the flood of Noah as there are today. If that be the case and all but eight were saved from God’s decree to destroy man from the face of the earth, something much more evil had to have taken place besides just interbreeding of various human lineages. What occurred in the antediluvian world is to reemerge in the last days. The return of the Nephilim.

Why would God destroy every created thing? Why destroy poor dumb animals, the birds of the air, and creeping things? “And the LORD said, I will destroy man…, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air.” (v7b) Yes, the animal kingdom was also corrupted, thus God destroyed them also. These malevolent supernatural beings interfered in the animal kingdom to create part animal, part human “hybrids”; an animal soul cannot exist in a human body, and vice versa. FYI - the United States Senate has just passed a bill that would clear the way for the acceptance of sodomy and bestiality in the military and it was passed by a margin of 93 to 7. Who’s pulling the strings of government? “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not…” 2 Corinthians 4:4a. Satan is the “god of this world” most men and women in leadership roles over nations bow to his every whim.

Unlike the giant Nephilim of the past the new hybrids are being created in labs around the world to resemble humans with human like traits. They will be just as soulless and loveless as those of the antediluvian corruption. They are probably already living among us. Everyone should become familiar with transhumanism. The secular scientists involved with this type of breeding animal/human hybrids are doing the devils bidding. I believe this is a major part of the strong delusion God will send to deceive the unbelieving world.

What I’ve explained in this commentary is completely verifiable through a diligent study of the scriptures. If you think I’m nuts, that a scenario such as I’ve espoused is impossible, then all I can say is wait and see. But while you wait you might heed Jesus’ words “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37.   

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560

My past commentaries are archived at the following link

http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

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Real Christian Churches Will Soon Be Forced Underground

From the Christian Post. For Original Article CLICK HERE

Wed, Dec. 07, 2011 Posted: 12:14 PM EDT

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Christian churches in America will soon be forced to go underground if they want to stay true to their beliefs and to God, a conservative broadcast commentator warned.

Longstreet, a 30-year veteran of the broadcasting business, recently explained his opinion on the Right Side News, first clarifying that only “real” Christian churches will have to do as he predicted.

“In the past three decades, or so, many of the mainline Christian churches have slipped away from their foundation on the Holy Scriptures and adopted more and more secular tenets and leftist, politically correct, philosophy until they have become only a shadow of the true followers of Christ,” he penned on Tuesday.
“In my opinion, those denominations can no longer claim to be ‘Christian’ churches simply because – they are not.”

A few years ago, the U.S. Army veteran had left his own denomination for the same reasons, seeing that it had chosen to forsake the tenets of the Bible and the Good News of the Gospel.

Though he admitted that he was in no way a “better Christian than any other follower of Christ,” he believed that many of the mainline denominations in America today were nothing more than social clubs with franchises nationwide.

“Their pastors ‘preach’ feel good ‘sermonettes’ about the environment and things like ‘social justice.’ In my opinion, that is not the mission of a church that purports to follow Christ. In fact, Christ, Himself, spelled out the mission of the church in what we refer to as The Great Commission.

"The Great Commission stated in Matthew 28:18-20 reads: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

That commission from Christ is the sole reason why the church exists today, Longstreet stressed:

“To fulfill that mission the church must stand firmly upon the foundation of the Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Christ. That means insisting that the standard(s) set by Christ are, and remain, the guiding force behind everything the church does ... that means pastors are compelled to preach that those things the Scripture marks as sin are duly, and publicly, noted from their pulpits as SIN. If a church is reluctant to do this, or refuses to do this, then, in my opinion, that church is not a Christian church.”

The conservative commentator lamented that in America, pastors were afraid of preaching from the Scriptures, worried about the consequences – lawsuits, slander, or even embarrassment.

“It is a very real threat, especially to the evangelical church in America,” he added. “As a result, those churches which hold true to the Gospel, now feel that they must consider meeting in secret for Bible classes, for worship services, or other Bible centric gatherings.”

Even the government in America has criminalized biblical preaching and prevented thousands of churches and clergymen from practicing their faith without threat of penalty from the authorities, he charged.

“The Christian Church, I believe will be driven underground in America, as it has been in other nations around the globe. Otherwise, it will cease to exist in this land many firmly believe was founded by Christians,” Longstreet concluded.

“As much as it pains me to say this – America is no longer a Christian nation. At least, America’s government no longer governs by men and women who base their convictions on the Judeo-Christian code of laws and beliefs.”

Kevin Lewis, associate professor of Theology and Law at Biola University, shared some of Longstreet’s concerns.

“Today, the term evangelical is diluted,” Lewis told The Christian Post. “We now have ‘Liberal-Evangelicals,’ ‘Neo-Evangelicals,’ and ‘Post-Conservative Evangelicals,’ which are simply not with the classic evangelicals on doctrinal and cultural issues.”

Though there were still many women and men faithfully serving the Lord, they were in the minority.
Nonetheless, the Biola professor saw the decline of true Christianity and growing persecution of the church as an opportunity.

“Given past salvation history, I believe we will see more lost battles. But we also know that when the enemy actually touches the church, the people of God will awaken from their happy, evangelical slumber and seek new leadership. The current leadership is simply not doing the job necessary to win; and past leadership has failed.”

For Lewis, the “increased slouching toward Gomorrah in the church and culture” was a reflection of poor leadership from the evangelical Protestant church.

“I think the coming attacks will produce a search for new leadership. And it will then be the time for the unapologetic, biblically centered leaders to arise and take charge, both in the church and state.”

To remain “above” ground in America, the Protestant church needs to equip and train a new generation of Christian leaders in every sector of life, from the field of medicine to law.

“The Protestant church has lost the concept of ‘vocation’ and how it applies to each believer,” Lewis explained to CP. “I think there are many people called to be ‘Christian’ lawyers, judges, politicians, police officers, soldiers, medical doctors, etc. As such, as in the past, pastors and church leaders need to seek them out and train them if we want them to lead the government and culture. It is truly that simple.”

Though the Church had done this in the past, they are not doing it now, he noted.

“I believe it is our task to equip that new generation of Christian leadership to be the true biblically centered, scholastic activist leaders God requires. To do that, we need the majority of churches to enthusiastically return to biblical Protestant orthodoxy, which views all of life as ‘Christian,’ not simply the work inside the walls of the church.”

“While the outlook may appear bleak to some apart from divine intervention, there is certainly a way to fix the problem,” Lewis encouraged.

He believes God will spare this generation if Christians take immediate, radical and biblical steps. Those steps include repentance, leadership training and activism – essentially returning to “unapologetic biblical excellence.”

“If not, our children and children’s children will face persecution in America as Christians do in the U.K. and Canada.”

Eryn Sun
Christian Post Reporter

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Copyright © Christianpost.com. All rights reserved.

The Promise of Victory

by Dr. David R. Reagan

In his great novel about the French Revolution, called A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens began his story with some of the most memorable words in all of English literature:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…

These words have never been truer than they are today. Everywhere we look, in every direction, the world appears to be falling apart.

• We are racked by wars and rumors of wars.
• Immorality and violence are rampant.
• Our money is being devalued and debased.
• Our educational systems have been hijacked by Humanists and Atheists.
• Our political systems are gridlocked by value wars and corruption.
• All of nature seems to be reeling out of control, producing one calamity after another.
• Our churches are being destroyed by rampant apostasy.
• True Christianity is under attack from all sides, and Christians are being marginalized as intolerant bigots.

Yet, despite all this economic, social, political and religious chaos, it is the best of times because all these developments are a fulfillment of end time prophecies that point to the imminent return of Jesus!

Jesus Himself said that society would become as immoral and violent as in the days of Noah. And He said that when we see that happening, we are to ”look up and be watchful, for our Redemption will be drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

Those of us who have committed our lives to Jesus may see all that is dear to us disintegrate before our very eyes, but we are going to win in the end.

We may suffer terrible persecution, but we are going to win in the end.

We may see the collapse of the dollar and the fall of the United States as a world power, but we are going to win in the end.

How can I be so confident? Because the Bible promises us ultimate victory, and I know for certain the Bible is true.

Our Promised Victory

What is our promised victory? Let me summarize it for you.

• We are promised that at any moment now we will be taken out of this world in the Rapture of the Church.
• We are promised that God will then pour out His wrath on the wicked world leaders who currently thumb their noses at Him.
• We are promised that Jesus will then return to reign over all the world in glory and majesty from Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and all the earth will be flooded with peace, righteousness, and justice.
• We are promised that we will ultimately be given an eternal home on this planet after it has been refreshed and perfected by God.
• We are promised that we will live eternally on that new planet in glorified, immortal bodies in the presence of our Creator and Savior.

Again, how can I be certain of these victorious promises? Because the Bible tells me so. And the Bible can be trusted as the infallible Word of God.

How do I know that?

Because it is the only book in the world that contains fulfilled prophecies.

And, because all the prophecies concerning the First Coming of the Messiah were literally and precisely fulfilled, we can be confident that all the prophecies about the Messiah’s return and triumph will be literally and precisely fulfilled.

Let’s take a quick, overview look at God’s Plan for the Ages. There are four major prophesied triumphal events on the horizon that we as born again children of God can look forward to: The Rapture, The Second Coming, The Millennium, and Heaven.

The Rapture

Our first promise of victory is the Rapture of the Church.

This is an event that is often confused with the Second Coming — but they are not the same. A careful study of the Scriptures reveals that the return of Jesus is going to be in two stages — first, the Rapture, and then later, the Second Coming.

The fact that these are two separate events can be easily demonstrated.

There are only two detailed descriptions of the Lord’s return in the New Testament — 1 Thessalonians 4 and Revelation 19.

And these two passages are as different as night and day. The two passages have nothing in common except that they both focus on Jesus Christ.

Figure 1 illustrates how different they are.

How can these passages be reconciled? I believe the only way to reconcile these two accounts is to conclude that they are talking about two different events and that the Lord’s return will be in two stages — first, the Rapture, and then the Second Coming. First Thessalonians 4 describes the Rapture of the Church. Revelation 19 presents the Lord’s return to this earth.

Solving Another Problem

This reconciliation solves another problem.

The Bible says repeatedly that the Lord’s return is imminent — that is, it can happen at any moment (Matt. 24:36 & 44). But how can it be imminent if there is only one future coming?

The Point: If there is only one future coming, then the Lord’s return is not imminent because there are many prophecies that must be fulfilled before He can return to earth:

• 7 Years of Tribulation
• The Rebuilding of the Temple
• The Revelation of the Antichrist
• The Killing of the Two Witnesses
• The Desecration of the Temple
• The Institution of the Mark of the Beast
• The Salvation of the Jewish Remnant

The Point Again: The only way the Lord’s return can be imminent is for there to be a Rapture that is separate and apart from the Second Coming — and which can occur at any moment, without the fulfillment of any prophecies.

Another Problem Solved

This reconciliation also solves another problem.

The Bible says that no one can know the date of the Lord’s return. But the date of the Second Coming can be calculated precisely. The book of Revelation says it will take place exactly 2,520 days or 7 prophetic years from the day the Tribulation begins.

Therefore, the statement about not knowing the date must apply to the Lord’s appearing in the Rapture. Again, the solution is two future comings — an Appearing and a Return.

The Second Coming

This brings us to the second great prophetic event of triumph that we can look forward to — the Second Coming.

The Bible says Jesus will return to this earth at the end of the seven years of the Great Tribulation. He will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem from which He ascended into Heaven (Zechariah 14:1-9).

This will occur when the Jewish people have come to the end of themselves through the persecution of the Antichrist, motivating them to turn their hearts to God (Zechariah 12:10).

When Jesus comes, they will look upon Him whom they have pierced, they will recognize Him as their Messiah, they will repent of their rejection of Him, and they will cry out, ”Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39).

At that point Jesus will speak a supernatural word and the Antichrist and his forces will be instantly annihilated in the Valley of Armageddon (Zechariah 14:12 and 2 Thessalonians 2:8). Jesus will then resurrect the Old Testament Saints (Daniel 12:1-2) and the Tribulation Martyrs (Revelation 20:4), giving them their glorified bodies.

He will proceed to judge all those still living, both Gentiles and Jews (Matthew 25:31-46 and Ezekiel 20:33-38). The Saved will be allowed to enter the Millennium in the flesh. The Unsaved will be consigned to death and Hades.

The Millennium

This brings us to the third great triumphal event Christians should be looking forward to — the Lord’s Millennial reign.

The Bible says that those of us in glorified bodies will reign with Jesus over those in the flesh for a thousand years, during which time the earth will be flooded with peace, righteousness, and justice.

During those thousand years, God is going to fulfill four promises He has made, as outlined below.

1) To Jesus — God has promised that the day will come when Jesus will receive honor, glory, and power.

Jesus was humiliated the first time He came. He was rejected by His own people. He was mocked, scourged, and murdered.

During the Millennium He will receive the honor He is due, and He will be glorified in history.

Isaiah describes it this way (Isaiah 24:23):

Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders.

Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 1:10, makes the same point:

[Jesus is returning] to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed…

2) To the Creation — Restoration to its original perfection.

Repeatedly in the Hebrew Scriptures, the promise is made that God will one day redeem His creation. Isaiah 11 says the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the lion will eat straw with the ox (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Peter affirmed this promise in his sermon to the Sanhedrin Council when he declared (Acts 3:19-21):

19) Repent… in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

20) and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,

21) whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

God is going to redeem all of His creation, returning it to the original perfection that existed when He created it.

3) To the Nations — Peace, Righteousness and Justice.

Again, the Hebrew Scriptures speak of this promise many times. One example can be found in Micah 4:3 where the prophet emphasizes that the Messiah will bring peace:

He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war.

The prophet Isaiah emphasizes the righteousness and justice that the Messiah will bring to the world (Isaiah 11:4-5):

4) But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth…

5) Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.

4) To the Jews — Primacy among the nations.

God will regather all the believing Jews in the world who are left alive at the end of the Tribulation, and they will be established as the prime nation of the world (Deuteronomy 30:1-9). He will then fulfill all the promises He has ever made to them.

Consider, for example, the incredible promises of Isaiah 60 which God made to the Jewish people — promises that have never yet been fulfilled:

2) The glory of the Lord will appear upon you [Israel].

3) And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

5) The wealth of nations will come to you… And the sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet.

15) Whereas you have been forsaken and hated… I will make you an everlasting pride, a joy from generation to generation.

20)… the days of your mourning will be finished.

21) Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever.

The prophet Zechariah describes the Millennial glory of Israel with some remarkable imagery (Zechariah 8:22-23):

22) Many peoples and many nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.

23) Thus says the Lord of hosts, “In those days, ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

What a statement that is! It means the centuries of persecution of the Jews will finally come to an end. No longer will they be the butt of jokes or the target of harassment or the victims of murder.

5) To the Church Age Saints (you and me) — Ruling power over the nations.

This is a promise made many times in the Scriptures, both in the Old Testament and the New.

Here is one example from Daniel 7:27 in the Old Testament:

Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.

And here is confirmation in the New Testament (Revelation 2:26-27):

26) He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations;

27) and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as I also have received authority from My Father…

Heaven

The final stage of God’s Plan for the Ages will come at the end of the Millennium, when we will be presented with our Heavenly home.

The Redeemed will be removed from this planet to the New Jerusalem which Jesus has been preparing for us. And I suspect that from that vantage point, we will be able to watch the greatest fireworks display in history as God superheats this earth to burn away the pollution of Satan’s last revolt.

Out of that fiery inferno will come a new heaven and a new earth that will serve as our eternal abode.

That’s right, Heaven will be on a new earth. We will be lowered down inside the New Jerusalem to the new earth, and God Himself will come to earth to live among us.

Here’s how it is described in Revelation 21:

1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away…

2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

4) and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

5) And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

6) Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

7) “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

Notice the one to whom all these promises are made: the overcomer. In 1 John 5 we find a definition of an overcomer:

1) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…

5) And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

If you have put your trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are an overcomer, and you are an heir of all these promises.

According to Revelation 22:4, we will ”see God’s face” — which means we will have intimate fellowship with our Creator eternally.

And Revelation 22:3 says we will ”serve Him forever.” Yes, we are going to have meaningful and fulfilling things to do in service to our Creator.

Conclusion

•  The end times began on Pentecost in about 30 AD when the church was established.
•  We have now been in the Church Age for 1900 years plus.
• The Church Age will come to a halt with the appearance of Jesus in the heavens, followed by the Rapture of the Church Age Saints, both the living and the dead.
• The Church Age will be followed by the Great Tribulation which will last 7 years.
• We will be in Heaven with the Lord during the Tribulation, but we will return with Him at the end of the Tribulation to reign with Him over all the world.
• Then will come the Millennial reign of Jesus, lasting 1,000 years.
• The final stage of history will be the eternal state or Heaven when we will live eternally in glorified bodies in a New Jerusalem located on a New Earth.

The Glory of the Victory

Now I hope you can better understand the meaning of two great passages written by the Apostle Paul.

First, Romans 8:18: ”I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

He repeats this sentiment in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 where he writes: ”No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has the mind of Man conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” But in the next verse, he adds that these glorious things have been revealed to us through His Spirit — speaking, of course of His Word.

In like manner, the Apostle Peter referred to the events we have surveyed as ”God’s precious and magnificent promises” (2 Peter 1:4).

Application

When you consider the details of God’s Glorious Plan for the Ages, how can you possibly be passive or apathetic?

We are promised victory, and it will be achieved with: The Rapture, The Second Coming, The Millennium, and Life Eternal with God in Glorified Bodies on a New Earth.

Clouds of darkness may be gathering around us, but the Light is about to break through.

It is the worst of times, but it is the best of times, for the signs of the times are shouting the good news that Jesus is coming soon!

In response, you and I should be shouting, MARANATHA! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Dr. David Reagan's website is HERE.

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