It's A Soul Revolution

It is a Soul Revolution! Otherwise known as the 60/60 Experiment by John Burke. I will be joinging my church in this experiment. PKA will have a blog during the 60/60 experience and it will talk about how God is working in the lives of His people.

I don't get out much. In fact, I don't know when was the last time I joined in something like this simply because I am usually not a people person. This experienc, however, requires getting with other believers. I believe this would be good for me to put aside all of the other stuff I have going and just get with other believers and let God do the work.

Listening to the testimonies on the video below I found on YouTube, I am encouraged to go forward. I will do my level best to post on my blog and share my experiences about this Experiment. You can also go to my other site and follow the journey there as well.

I pray that God will use me in this. I hope to be a better man, a better husband, a better father, a better brother. I want my life to be radically changed in a way that it never has been before. I want to be able to let go of my selfish ways and become more giving to others. I don't really know what will come of this, but I am hopeful and trusting in God to do a work. A work in all who are getting involved.

May God bless you...and, oh, yeah! Join the Revolution!

September Bible Reading Schedule

Sep 1: Gen 1-3; Matt 1

Sep 2: Gen 4-6; Matt 2

Sep 3: Gen 7-9; Matt 3

Sep 4: Gen 10-12; Matt 4

Sep 5: Gen 13-15; Matt 5:1-26

Sep 6: Gen 16-17; Matt 5:27-48

Sep 7: Gen 18-19; Matt 6:1-18

Sep 8: Gen 20-22; Matt 6:19-34

Sep 9: Gen 23-24; Matt 7

Sep 10: Gen 25-26; Matt 8:1-17

Sep 11: Gen 27-28; Matt 8:18-34

Sep 12: Gen 29-30; Matt 9:1-17

Sep 13: Gen 31-32; Matt 9:18-38

Sep 14: Gen 33-35; Matt 10:1-20

Sep 15: Gen 36-38; Matt 10:21-42

Sep 16: Gen 39-40; Matt 11

Sep 17: Gen 41-42; Matt 12:1-23

Sep 18: Gen 43-45; Matt 12:24-50

Sep 19: Gen 46-48; Matt 13:1-30

Sep 20: Gen 49-50; Matt 13:31-58

Sep 21: Ex 1-3; Matt 14:1-21

Sep 22: Ex 4-6; Matt 14:22-36

Sep 23: Ex 7-8; Matt 15:1-20

Sep 24: Ex 9-11; Matt 15:21-39

Sep 25: Ex 12-13; Matt 16

Sep 26: Ex 14-15; Matt 17

Sep 27: Ex 16-18; Matt 18:1-20

Sep 28: Ex 19-20; Matt 18:21-35

Sep 29: Ex 21-22; Matt 19

Sep 30: Ex 23-24; Matt 20:1-16

Gatherers For Christ - Episode #5

Episode #5 - The Sifting
* Prologue - Direliction Of Duty
* Chapter 21 - The End Result
* Chapter 22 - Hidden Agenda
* Chapter 23 - Stepping Stones
* Chapter 24 - The Interview
* Chapter 25 - Close Calls
* Epilogue - Fallen

Gatherers For Christ - Episodes 1 - 4

A Triple dose of the series based on the End Times...

Episode #1 - The Vanishings
* Prologue - The Present
* Chapter 1 - The Day of Salvation
* Chapter 2 - The Believer
* Chapter 3 - The Last Day
* Chapter 4 - The Message
* Chapter 5 - The Shout
* Epilogue - The Present II

Episode #2 - The Beginnings of Sorrows
* Prologue - Aftermath
* Chapter 6 - Awakenings
* Chapter 7 - Caught Up
* Chapter 8 - The Mystery
* Chapter 9 - True Intentions
* Chapter 10 - Atonement
* Epilogue - The Gatherers

Episode #3 - The Remnant
* Prologue - The Maine Directive
* Chapter 11 - Loose Ends
* Chapter 12 - The Lord's Battle
* Chapter 13 - The Oath
* Chapter 14 - The Judgments of God
* Chapter 15 - Piscataquis River Reservoir
* Epilogue - The Calm Before

Episode #4 - The Darkest Day
* Prologue - The Storm
* Chapter 16 - The Four Horsemen
* Chapter 17 - The White Rider
* Chapter 18 - The Wine of Astonishment
* Chapter 19 - Consequences
* Chapter 20 - Nothing
* Epilogue - The Belly Of The Whale

Don't Pray For America

Don’t Pray For America
by Jack Kelley

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1Cor. 2:9)

In the time just before the Babylonian captivity, the people of Judah were certain that God would not permit the Babylonians to conquer them. “After all,” they said, “we’re God’s people. His Temple is in our midst. Surely He will spare us.” Their leaders encouraged them to think this way and false prophets assured them that everything would soon be normal again. Even when the Babylonian armies were at the very gates of Jerusalem they were expecting God to miraculously deliver them.


In fact, God had actually told them that if they turned back to Him, he would spare them.

If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. (Jere. 7:5-8)

But they took no notice of how their behavior had offended Him, thinking only that because they claimed to be His people He would save them. Their leaders had told them that God would spare them and because that’s what they wanted to hear, that’s what they believed.

Finally, on three separate occasions God told Jeremiah to stop praying for them because He wasn’t going to listen any more. (Jere. 7:16, 11:14, 14:11) They had gone too far. Only a few years after a national revival they had quickly slid back into their idolatry and for God it was the last straw.

God’s third discussion with Jeremiah on this matter is worth reviewing.

Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.” But I said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, the prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’" Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries (worthless divinations) and the delusions of their own minds. (Jere. 14:11-14)

It was too late. They had missed their last chance. Even if the people did agree to mend their ways and come back to Him now, He knew their hearts had not changed. They would just be doing whatever they could to avoid the judgment. His decision had been made.

God is merciful but He is also just. He can’t go on overlooking sin forever. There comes a time when He has to act, even though He would rather not. It brings Him no joy, and He’s always looking for a way out that won’t compromise His values.

For example, while He was on the way to judge Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham engaged Him on this very point. “Will you spare the cities if there are 50 righteous people there,” Abraham asked. “Yes,” God replied, “For 50 I will spare the cities.” Then Abraham progressively worked the number down until they finally agreed that even if only 10 righteous people were found there God would spare everyone. (Genesis 18:22-33) Well, there weren’t 10 righteous people there so the judgment was confirmed. But there was one and even though He wasn’t bound to, God insisted that the one righteous person had to be removed from the time and place of the judgment before it could begin. The one was Lot. (Genesis 19:21-22)

Whether in Sodom or in Jerusalem, no one knew in advance that God was about to run out of patience because He doesn’t want people to obey His rules just out of fear. He wants them to obey because it’s the right thing to do. With Him the motive has to be right in order to make the action right.

Israel had been God’s kingdom on Earth for over 600 years. They were so well established they didn’t think it mattered what they did. As long as they called themselves God’s people and went through the motions of worshiping Him they thought they were safe. And after all their Scriptures said that Israel was a Kingdom established by God, who intends for it to exist forever on Earth. Even so, when God’s righteousness demanded judgment, nothing could prevent it.

We need to remember that while in many ways America is like Israel, the Church is not. First, The Church is not a national kingdom with a homeland and geographical borders. Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phil 3:20) He’s not coming here to be with us where we are. He’s coming to take us to His Father’s house to be with Him where He is. (John 14:1-3) So when He does it won’t matter whether we’re from the United States, the United Kingdom or the United Arab Emirates because the Church is everywhere. God has only established one eternal nation on Earth and that’s Israel. The Church’s eternal home is in Heaven where an inheritance from God Himself awaits us. (Gal. 4:4-7)

Second, the Church never needs to fear a judgment such as the ones I described above. The Lord Jesus agreed to be judged in place of the Church in order to present us to Himself without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Ephes 5:27)

The Religious Right and other well intended American Christians frequently send out eMails urging everyone to pray for America. But where in the Bible did God to say to pray for any place on Earth other than Jerusalem? God’s will would be much better served if the Church would pray for itself, that it would finally adopt the Biblical world view it was intended to have, and become what it was intended to be, the body of Christ. It’s an indication of what a secular world view the American Church has when more of us are praying that God will restore the good old days in our country than are praying for the Lord’s speedy return to take us away from here.

Prayers for America are fine as far as they go, but they’re motivated more by a love for what our country has been than by a desire to see God’s will done on Earth. And when you get right down to it, praying that God will restore America could be seen as an admission that we’re really not ready to see God’s will done on Earth yet.

Many of us grew up in America believing that God is on our side. But when I began studying the Bible I realized that God doesn’t take sides, He is a side. Whatever blessing we’ve enjoyed as a nation has come during times when we’ve been on His side, not because He’s on ours. As far as God is concerned, America is one of the nations destined to be completely destroyed during the Great Tribulation (Jere. 30:11). In His mind, the only nation on Earth that matters always has been and always will be Israel.

Even so, there came a day when God told Jeremiah to stop praying for Israel because it was too late to change His mind. Even a revival wouldn’t have helped them. If it’s not already here, that day will soon come for America and whatever favor our nation might have enjoyed with God will be gone for good.

It’s time for American Christians to realize that America is just a place where we’re temporarily living. And while we mourn the fact that America seems to be turning its back on Israel, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that America is also turning its back on the Church.

According to no less an authority than our President, America is not a Christian nation. He’s right. The only connection between God and America today is that a bunch of us who believe in Him happen to live here. Americans don’t live by God’s laws, we don’t teach our children about Him in our schools, we don’t offer public prayers in His name, and the holy days we observe are no longer tributes to Him. We don’t thank Him for the blessings we receive and we don’t turn to Him when we’re in need.

America is a secular gentile nation that will soon be no more comfortable a home for the Church than pre-war Germany was for the Jews. It’s high time we excised our patriotism from our religion. Think of it as a reverse separation of Church and State. In the last election Americans said they don’t want the Church’s values guiding the nation’s direction. Well neither should Christians want America’s values guiding the Church. We should be so passionately yearning to leave here that our feet barely touch the ground when we walk.

One day the Lord was asking some men to follow Him. The first one said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (By that he meant, “Let me wait till my father dies.”) And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-60)

His position here is consistent with His warning against accumulating treasure on Earth.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matt. 6:24) In the original language the word translated money also includes possessions. If you’re up to your elbows in nice things, you’re naturally going to want to spend your time with them instead of preparing to leave them and move to your new home.

He also had this to say about the seed sown among thorns.

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (Matt. 13:22)

These verses all speak against becoming so immersed in the ways of the world that we lose sight of where our real home is. In each case the one who falls into this trap becomes unfruitful. That means we ignore Kingdom opportunities here and forfeit Kingdom rewards there.

Why do so many in the American Church cling to America when America has made it clear it wants nothing to do with the Church? It’s because it’s our nature to always place a higher value on what we know than on what we don’t know. We know how good our life here has been, but most of us don’t know the first thing about how life in our eternal home will be. A surprising number believe we’ll be sitting on clouds all day playing harps. Others think of Heaven as an endless worship service, and compare it to their Sunday morning experiences. It’s no wonder they’d rather stay here.

It would be easy to blame organized religion for not teaching us the truth about this. But that would be a cop-out. After all organized religion itself is an earth centered institution. The real problem is that it takes a lot of faith to choose the unknown over the known. And just like most American Christians don’t have the faith to live their beliefs, choosing to live secular lives instead, most of us don’t have the faith to believe God’s promises for eternity, so we focus on the here and now.

The solution to all this is deceptively simple. Paul wrote that faith comes through hearing the Word of the Lord (Rom. 10:17). By reading what the Bible says about what’s in store for us we can be made new in the attitude of our minds (Ephes. 4:23). We can be transformed, no longer conforming to the pattern of this world. (Romans 12:3). We can understand what it means to be in the world but not of it. We can discover that the greatest adventure ever designed for mankind lies right around the corner, and since we’ve accepted the Lord’s death as payment in full for our sins it’s all for us. And finally, we’ll understand that while America’s successes have been without parallel, in all the Age of Man the biggest winner by far is the Church. 06-06-09

The Antichrist - Where Is He?

Antichrist: Where Is He?
By Terry James

The most frequently asked question at prophecy conferences and in Bible prophecy classes–at least in my experience—is: “Is America in Bible prophecy?” The second most asked is: “Do you think Antichrist is alive on earth today?”

These questions are for the most part posed by people in the audiences or classes in general. However, more and more frequently I find these questions being asked by journalists, both print and broadcast. It is interesting to me that I rarely hear a skeptical or scoffing tone in the voices of the media representatives who interview me. There seems a sense, even among secular journalists, that perhaps there’s something to this Bible prophecy stuff after all.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not sensing a sudden turning to God, or to His Word. However, there is a halting uncertainty there. Like, “Well, maybe I had better be just a bit more serious about the subject, since there is such angst over these strange economic conditions.”

Economic Conditions

There is a sense that strange, unexplainable things are happening, and even secular newshounds seem to viscerally understand that Bible prophecy has something to do with the increasingly troubling issues and events of our time. U.S. leaders–I use that term loosely—have seemingly thrown caution to the wind. It’s like, as I heard one Bible prophecy broadcaster say the other day—those who are supposed to be trying to fix the melting financial structure of America have placed the whole shebang on 17 black, and have given the roulette wheel a hope-filled turn. Actually, it is more like they have written trillions in IOUs and put them on 17 black, and have given the wheel a turn.

If the little ball ends up on any number other than 17 black, what then? That is the crux of the crucial nature of this insanity surrounding the American economy as the end of the age approaches. Craziness rules--like when the Federal Reserve reached in its right pocket and transferred more than a trillion dollars IOU to its left pocket to keep the American financial system afloat.

“Just last Wednesday the Fed said it would flood the teetering financial system with an additional $1.2 trillion. The money will be used, the Fed said, to buy government bonds and mortgage-related securities in hopes of lowering the borrowing costs for home mortgages and other types of loans, thereby stimulating economic activity. In other words, the central bank will print more money to pay for the purchases. What the Fed does not explain publicly is how those kinds of infusions of money out of thin air, with nothing to back it, reduce the purchasing power and assets of all Americans by devaluing the dollar.

The $1.2 trillion is in addition to hundreds of billions already added to the system since the beginning of the year and dwarfs even the biggest government bailouts to date…” (“Fed's secrecy policy 3 years old,” WorldNetDaily MoneyNetDaily, 3/22/09).

Keep in mind that the Federal Reserve is a non-government agency. Congress designated this monetary governing body to control the nation's money supply. The Fed’s actions directly impact the value of the dollar. This body, manned by the non-elected financial elite, holds sway over every investment held by Americans.

Actions like those taken by the Federal Reserve in the case of creating out of nothingness the trillion-plus dollars, then putting that massive IOU into the system with a blind faith that that unbacked infusion will beat the odds of failure, will, if nothing else is done, put not only America’s economy, but the economies of the nation-states of the world into the final stages of collapse.

The following excerpt tells of just how surreptitious are the actions against the taxpayers and their offspring, who are expected to shoulder the burden of funding the globalists elite’s grandiose plans to build their new world order.

“WASHINGTON – As America's economy continues in freefall, tomorrow marks an auspicious three-year anniversary – the day the Federal Reserve announced, with little fanfare, its decision to stop reporting to the public the M3 money supply, the broadest measure of three standards of measurement…Since 2006, Americans have seen their investments plummet in value and witnessed the shrinking buying power of their earnings. Why did the Fed make that decision three years ago? What was its rationale? The justification for the secrecy by the organization that prints money was cost. By not producing those numbers for the public, the Fed would save about $1.5 million annually…” (ibid.).

The Craziness Proliferates!

It should be astonishing to think that the media, so obsessed with nefarious financial dealings by civilian monetary elite–e.g., the AIG executive bonuses, would let civilians with the power of the Fed go without being punished for perpetrating such surreptitiousness on American taxpayers. There seems to be, however, not the slightest notice.

The $1.5 million savings by the Fed in not reporting to the public the M3 money supply amounted to 0.00000699 percent of its annual net income of last year. This savings was highlighted as sufficient reason to keep vital information from the public. Just to point out the deceptive nature of this piddling savings being reported in order to justify keeping taxpayers in the dark, remember that the same media went all out in diverting the publics’ attention from the enormous bailouts by focusing on–by contrast to the prodigious bail-out dollar amount— the infinitesimal bonuses paid to AIG executives. Remember, too, that the bonuses were given to the AIG executives through contractually mandated arrangements.

The sleight of hand by the Fed in transferring the massive IOU from one pocket to the other to keep the country’s economic ship afloat was done under the knowing eyes of the Obama administration and Congress. An uninformed American public was, and is for the most part, kept in ignorance by news media not fully disclosing the scope of the thievery of the economic well-being of this and future generations.

What About Antichrist?

This essay’s title is “Antichrist: Where Is He?” So, where, if anywhere in this present hour, is this future evil Bible character in all of the foregoing? Can he be on the scene today?

Jesus forewarned that false christs will come on the scene in the latter times. The definition of antichrist is most often given as the one who will present himself in place of (imitate) Jesus Christ, and will at the same time oppose Jesus Christ. The “beast” is prophesied to be the world’s worst tyrant of human history. The prophet Daniel was given the following about this person who is called “son of perdition,” “man of sin,” and many other names.

“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." (Dan. 8:24-25)

We will examine this man who is of legendary proportions, yet who transcends by far any legend. He is not an imaginary monster such as Dracula in the Stoker novel, or Darth Vader as in Lucas' fictional wars among the stars. Antichrist, when he is revealed, will be a real monster, and a most treacherous one, because he will through supernatural deceit appear as a geopolitical and socioeconomic savior of mankind. Be sure, the beast of Revelation 13 is about to step into the spotlight of history’s final act.

The question “Where is Antichrist?” is appropriate for this “time of the signs,” as my friend Chuck Missler has phrased his description of these strange days. So many signals are on today’s prophetic horizon that one must ask, if he or she knows much about Bible prophecy, “Is Antichrist alive today?”

Those who have looked at the world’s issues and events through the prism of God’s prophetic Word throughout preceding decades of America’s history have heard questions about the leaders of the times. Are presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, or non-presidents like Henry Kissinger and others the Antichrist? Now the question is pointed at President Barack Hussein Obama: “Is he the Antichrist?”

This hour is more prolific with end-times signs than any in history. Obama’s watch as president marks one particular characteristic that adds, peripherally, to the more substantial signals pervading the news at present. I refer to conditions like Israel’s being back in its land and the center of world attention, the Roman Empire seeming to revive in the form of the European Union (EU), and the Gog-Magog coalition of Ezekiel 38-39 forming right before our eyes.

The peripheral matter of concern in this case is the deceit with which this administration is trying to steer the American ship of state. Mr. Obama’s campaign claim was that he would have “transparency” in all of his dealing with the business of the American people. Yet his administration, with the continuing ramrod tactics of his political party, has gone against the will of the American public and is in the process of running up trillions of dollars in debt, an action that even the most “progressive” economists have declared to be beyond any semblance of fiscal sanity.

One such expert comes across as almost fearful of Obama’s plan as put forward by his controversial secretary of treasury, Timothy Geithner.

“HONG KONG (Reuters) The U.S. government plan to rid banks of toxic assets will rob American taxpayers by exposing them to too much risk and is unlikely to work as long as the economy remains weak, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said on Tuesday… U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plan to wipe up to US $1 trillion in bad debt off banks' balance sheets, unveiled on Monday, offered ‘perverse incentives,’ Stiglitz said.

The U.S. government is basically using the taxpayer to guarantee against downside risk on the value of these assets, while giving the upside, or potential profits, to private investors, he said…” (“Geithner plan will rob American taxpayers,” Susan Fenton and Deborah Kan, Reuters, 3/24/09).

The economic expert expressed his concern.

"Quite frankly, this amounts to robbery of the American people. I don't think it's going to work because I think there'll be a lot of anger about putting the losses so much on the shoulder of the American taxpayer" (ibid.).

Time and time again in this fledgling administration, Obama’s regime demonstrates a level of non-transparency that borders on treachery, in my view. To strap an entire nation’s citizenry with debt they don’t want, going against their will, expressed through legitimate polling methods, is beyond taxation without representation. This administration is taking liberty from Americans in a way that does so by deception and force by fiat, not constitutional vote. Such tyranny will enslave citizens and their offspring for generations–possibly into perpetuity—and is among the most despicable forms of deception and deceit.

Does all of this criticism mean I view President Obama as a prime candidate for the one who will be Antichrist? No. In no way do I mean to express that Mr. Obama is the biblically prophesied man of sin. However, the way things are being done in Washington D.C. during these strange times should make the observer of issues and events from a biblically prophetic perspective sit up and take notice. They should know from their observations that this generation is seeing governmental razzle-dazzle not unlike the machinations that will mark the ultimate deceiver’s regime. Antichrist’s most tyrannical dictatorship will be one of ultimate enslavement to the 666 marks and numbers system of Revelation 13:16-18.

There is a peaceful revolution going on, about which most of us have at least heard–the neo-Tea Party to protest the forcing of trillions of dollars of debt on American taxpayers, their offspring, and their progeny yet unborn. People are putting tea bags in envelopes and mailing them to the appropriate address in Washington, D.C. At least, the White House kitchen help should, through all of the submitted tea bags, be able to–through having copious amounts of tea on hand, sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. by irate citizens—save a few of the dollars that are coming off the presses like toilet paper off the roll. (Be aware, you Tea Partiers, however. Word is that the envelopes containing the bags--a powdery substance--are being summarily disposed of because of possible harmful substances they might contained. Best, I’m told, just to send the tags with the attached strings.)

Something Rotten in Denmark–And Everywhere Else

The smell permeates almost every corner of America and the world. It is an odor of things to come.

Beyond the political exigencies of this troubling hour is the spiritual atmosphere that has the stench of Antichrist and his father, the devil. The scent was prevalent 2,000 years ago, and the Bible prophet John forewarned about its cankering, corrosive qualities, as well as defined it:

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time… 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 1:18, 4:1-3)

Denial of Jesus Christ and God’s prescription for living godly lives on Planet Earth saturate this generation. The antithesis of Christ’s words is not only carried out in the sinful lives of earth-dwellers; the opposition to the Lord is set in the hardened rebellion of manmade law.

The denial that Christ came to teach God’s standards for living on the planet He created is almost imperceptible. Most–even leaders of every conceivable religious sort--often agree that Jesus was a great teacher of good. But when Jesus is held up as the only Way to God the Father (John 14:6), the shrieks emanating from the spirit of Antichrist come from every dark direction of this fallen sphere.

During the present hour, there are even claims that Jesus taught that it is the mother’s right to choose whether her baby lives or dies. It is held among a growing number of clergy that Jesus himself gave blessing to those who chose homosexuality over heterosexuality. Most worrisome of all, the world is more and more embracing the lie that Jesus only represented the Christ spirit during His time on earth. He didn’t die for the sin of man. He didn’t resurrect from the dead because He didn’t really die at the crucifixion, but feigned death on the cross. He didn’t ascend to on high to sit at the right hand of God. He is, therefore, not coming back to rule and reign.

Jesus, the majority of the world–including many in our government as it is presently constituted, deny that Jesus is God–the second Person of the Godhead, the Trinity.

Just a cursory examination of the earliest phase of the new presidential administration tells the story of this time of the growing Antichrist spirit. The first months following the inauguration have brought changes by presidential edict that are diametrically opposite God’s will as given in His Word, the Bible. For example, the president ordered that money of the American taxpayers now be used to help with abortion practices in foreign nations, reversing former President George W. Bush’s presidential order that no such use of taxpayer money be made. This Obama did, despite the protestation of more than half of the American public.

The United States is being channeled and forced into a mold that looks like the biblically foretold one world order that will be ruled with a deadly iron fist by the one who is called “the beast”. With the stage of history’s last act set, for all practical purposes, it is perhaps not far-fetched to suspect that Antichrist is among us even now. He is here in spirit, for sure.

Two Kinds of People

Two Kinds of People
by Ron Graham

“There are only two kinds of people in the end. Those who say to God ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.” - C S Lewis

Being given the ability to choose between God and His adversary is the greatest of choices God could have bestowed upon mankind. And it all comes down to where we wish to spend eternity. Is there anything that is more important than our eternal destiny? I say no but many will say yes there are things more important than thinking about what comes after this life. The reason for this attitude among the perishing is one of unbelief. Many just won’t believe there’s life after planet earth, hence, two kinds of people.

C S Lewis had it right. More recently I, too, have written of the magnitude of a sincere and informed eternal decision. But more importantly Jesus speaks of this subject quite forcefully in His word “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14)

“Hodos” is the Greek word for way and can also be translated path, road, or highway. Highways are, for the most part, broad and can accommodate a huge throng of people. Jesus says many will travel that broad highway and be destroyed. Many will seek after destruction because they just find it too difficult to accept or believe that any other path exists. Many will seek after the lusts and desires of this life, never coming to the realization that these things are all temporary.

This lost generation looks at believers and says “We don’t want to be like them, we don’t want to miss out on all the thrilling and fantastic adventures that these Christians can’t even appreciate because of their religion”. “We want what’s coming to us”, many will say, “I deserve it”, (sadly, if they stay in that frame of mind they will soon realize they got exactly what they’ve asked for). God says, “Thy will be done”.

As believers in Christ we can enjoy this life God has blessed us with. We can have relationships with folks who, for the most part, think as we do and this places us in a position of fellowship that is never understood by those who are perishing. Everyone has a need for fulfillment and as such Christians turn to Christ, we say to God “Thy will be done.”

The lost, on the other hand, have a big empty void inside them. There’s a place for God in us all but those who refuse to allow God His place in them are at a loss to understand why they can not be filled. They struggle continually, in vain, to fill that emptiness by giving in to the lust of their hearts. Every decision is pretty much a moral decision these days, and yet the ones who are perishing can’t or won’t see it that way. It’s all about how much pleasure they can derive out of any and all situations. All the sinful pleasures that unbelievers strive to be engulfed in are only going to turn out to be a fleeting pleasure at best. Adhering to the carnal lusts of the heart will always result in pursing more and new pleasures but never actually achieving fulfillment.

What those who are perishing can’t seem to grasp is that all Christians sin. Oops, here come the emails. Those who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ don’t suddenly become perfect people, but the lost think that’s exactly what happens. Then when they witness a believer stumble, as we all do, all they can see is a hypocrite. We’re not perfect, not by, any stretch of the imagination, but we are forgiven.

At some point, many who are perishing because of their unbelief begin to seek after a more fulfilling “spiritual” life. Satan loves to lead these unguided seekers to something that sounds like it might have come from God but actually comes from Satan himself. Many will be lead to their own demise by listening to others with an agenda that is in direct opposition to God. Many will fall in step with leaders, supposedly Bible teachers, who through their own deceitful interest teach lies. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

The problem is, many people as they seek after some form of spirituality, remain ignorant of God’s word. Therefore it’s impossible for them to heed Jesus’ words to “beware of false prophets.” This in turn gives these cunningly false prophets a license to deceive the masses. These ravening wolves have an agenda, and it isn’t to teach from God’s word. A huge deception I see currently affecting many people’s spirituality is the onslaught of self help books. Many of these books can actually take on a Christian look and feel yet be quite contradictory to God’s word.

I’ve seen and heard of some extremely heretical practices occurring in Churches across this county. As Christians we are to be focused on Jesus Christ, we aren’t to take our eyes off Him. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “... No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) If we take our eyes off Jesus Christ we will turn away from Him and get caught up in things that will lead us astray.

Yet we see many pastors and others who once taught from the Bible turning to alternative sources for teaching and using these alternatives to lead people away from the word of God. Using these alternative sources they corrupt the lives of others, and there are some pastors who actually use these very heretical alternatives for preaching from the pulpit. Rick Warren’s now famous book, “The Purpose Driven Life” as well as Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Church” and the study materials that accompany these teachings are all distractions to move people away from the word of God.

In my home town of 4800 people and about 100 churches there’s at least one church that has gone bonkers over the “The Shack” written by William P. Young. They’ve gone as far as to erect a small structure in front of their regular assembly building depicting “The Shack”. They’re promoting a book of fiction that depicts God as a character that is completely contrary to the God of the Bible. When we begin to incorporate props such as this for teaching in our Christian Churches we begin to move away from God and closer to where Satan would have us. There are many other distractions being presented with a Christian look and feel but they are all deceptions. Tell me, if you can, what’s wrong with teaching exclusively from God’s inerrant word?

More and more we see these erroneous teachings invading our once revered sanctuaries and we know this is going to continue and become even more pervasive. Every single denomination and non-denomination is being attacked by some sort of false teaching and false doctrines and as such they will continue to move further and further away from a foundation built on Jesus Christ.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first...” (2 Thessalonians 2:3a) In Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians he makes it clear that before Christ’s return there must first come a falling away, and scholars are divided on whether Paul is referring to the falling away by believers or a world wide rebellion to God. All we need to do is look at what’s happening in many of our Christian Churches today to see what Paul meant.

Unfortunately, one of my favorite Christian organizations which began back in the late 60’s and early 70’s and which God used mightily to create a huge movement, leading many to Jesus, is Calvary Chapel. It, too, is being attacked from every angle and now heading full steam towards the emergent/contemplative purpose driven agenda and kingdom now affiliation. Believe it or not there is only one purpose behind all these distractions and disruptions, and that is to eliminate the true Church and replace it with the apostate Church of the last days.

“Nearly every evangelical denomination and organization of any size in North America is going in this same direction as [the Calvary Chapel organization] to one degree or another.” - Lighthouse Trails

Two separate paths and two different types of people. Different only by the choice they make. That choice will either lead them to an eternity with Jesus Christ in Heaven, or an eternity in a burning Lake of Fire. As different as the two people groups seem they are all equally known by God. God knows which path each person will ultimately take and He’s known it from before the creation of the world.

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) In this verse Peter is giving us a lesson in how God views eternity, and the fact that God is eternal. God is not restrained by time or space but He can see the beginning and the end of all things at the same exact moment. He already knows what decision you and I will make in regards to our eternal destiny. That’s how Jesus can say “broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.” (Matthew 7:13b) If you’re reading this commentary and you’ve not made that most important decision of your life to follow Jesus Christ, there’s still time, albeit precious little, so choose wisely.

It’s appropriate that Jesus refers to His followers as sheep. Sheep have the propensity to follow rather than lead and sadly many will follow doctrines which consist of what man has derived from his own mind, most of which are at odds with the scriptures. In these “last days” there will be great multitudes that follow erroneous teachings and they are completely unaware of the fact that they are being led down the most destructive of highways. This truth isn’t something we will need to be looking for as occurring in the distant future, oh, no my friends it’s happening right now. This world of ours is heavily into following extremely deceitful and blatant liars.

Jesus said “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14) Jesus is that straight gate and narrow way referred to in the scripture verse above. There is no other Way in which one may enter Heaven. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

First and foremost, we must believe Jesus is who He said He is or there is no hope for salvation and no foundation for our Christian faith “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) In the very next verse the Pharisees provide us with their understanding of Jesus’ words. “Then took they up stones to cast at him.” (John 8:59a) You see, in the minds of the Jews who had just heard Jesus’ proclamation, He had blasphemed God by making Himself out to be God. Jesus had just committed the offence (in the eyes of the Pharisees) that would lead to His death. If you don’t understand what Jesus meant by saying “I Am”, He was referring to the voice that spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus chapter 14. Jesus was that voice. Jesus is God and the Pharisees recognized Jesus was making that claim. They didn’t believe it of course, but they do now.

Again, two very distinct paths are available to the people of planet earth. All earth’s peoples have a choice to make. We are all God’s creation and we were all created in His image, more importantly God has no favorites when it comes to our salvation. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) God would love for all men to seek Him and come to repentance before it’s too late. Unfortunately, according to God’s own words, that’s not going to happen. Many will follow the wrong path.

None of us are pushed on to that broad highway that leads to destruction, but many people will be led there. Jesus says many will follow it because they choose to follow it. Few will make the alternative choice. How disturbing is that revelation? We can choose to believe what Jesus says or we can ignore Him and continue down the wrong path, but we can’t have it both ways. If we never consciously make the choice to follow Jesus, then we have made our choice.

Following a liar just because he or she gives persuasive and articulate speeches using words that sound like something God might say will not suffice as an excuse as to why you were lead astray as you stand before the White Throne Judgment Seat of God. If you’re following a man or woman who claims to have the answers and know the correct path to God, yet they deny the deity of Jesus Christ, you’re going to be in for a huge surprise as you stand before the King of Kings weeping as you realize that during your life on earth you had continually followed the father of all lies instead of learning the truth. God’s truth is obvious and those who don’t accept it are without excuse.

Here’s the answer to this problem of being deceived or misled. Grab your Bible and open it to the book of Genesis and begin to read and study like you’ve never done before (and many haven’t). When you get to the last page of the Book of Revelation begin again. Since our eternal destiny is a life or death situation, continue this new study practice for the rest of your life. If you are familiar with God’s word it will be very difficult, probably even impossible, to be led astray by those who want to teach doctrines of men and those who have their own agendas apart from God.

This concept of getting people to read everything that comes along, all the while neglecting the one book they should have practically memorized by now, is satanic. This evil is inspired by Satan and it’s working quite well. I’ve read that there are currently about 3,000 new books being published every day. That statistic, if true, is extraordinary to say the least, yet there has never been another book so popular in its sales that it holds the record for books sold to date, or as neglected once purchased, I’m speaking of the Holy Bible, God’s inerrant word.

You say you want to hear from God? Read your Bibles. God will speak to you from every page. You may wish to ignore the admonition I’ve written on this page, which, of course will be to your own detriment. As we get close to the time of Jesus’ Second Advent, Satan is working exponentially to lead as many as possible down that destructive highway.

Thy will or my will be done. Your choice.

God bless you all,
Ron Graham

All scripture is from the KJV