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The Jeremiah Connection

Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version

The Jeremiah Connection

Leanues, Paula

Faith On The Earth

Ypsilanti, Michigan

www.faithontheearth.com

jeremiahconnection@faithontheearth.com

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 978-0-9789402-0-1

INTRODUCTION

CHRISTIAN MEANS “OF CHRIST”

Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.

- Jonathan Edwards

Truth is so obscure in these days and falsehood so established that unless we love the truth we cannot know it.

- Blaise Pascal

The responsibility of the Church in a lost America is in proportion to America's “lostness.” If the sinfulness of our overall society is great, so must the Church be greater still in its stand against sin. The needs in this spiritual war are indeed great in modern society, greater than at any point in history.

Even Jesus said the laborers are few, and Paul said there would be a falling away in the last days, that Jane and Joe Christian would seek out teachers (ministers, pastors, preachers) who would give them a conscience-clearing, although not heart-purifying message. They would seek to be entertained amongst those who justify their desire to be “of the world” and delude themselves that they are getting away with it before a holy God.

When man's need for quick fixes, “feel good” highs, catchy programs and entertainment overshadows his spirit's need for rebirth and a turning of his desires towards what is true in Christ, I believe he is on shaky ground to dare call what he is a part of “Christianity.” As the ears in the pews hear what they want to hear, and the pastor is fine with that, and the American Idol spirit of the church “band” is allowed to run free and drown out the Holy Spirit, we are all on shaky ground if we dare not speak against it.

The Church (that is, capital “C,” the remnant, true Church of God) is finding itself at war with the churches. It is not something that has never happened before, but never before on such an enormous scale.

Oh, if “churchgoers” only understood the seriousness and necessity of a life wholly consecrated to God. To inform the average person of the consequences of not purifying the self is to preach our way into ridicule. (Take heart - we're in good company with Jesus, Paul, Jeremiah and the other prophets and disciples.) But to inform the average “churchgoer” of the consequences, and to call upon them to realize the spiritual truths they are missing by catering to the modern ideas of “church” puts us on the outside of the church building. The doors will be boarded up and we'll see our faces in a red circle with a line going through them.

Can you imagine a nobody like yours truly (I went to college for one semester only, thereby relinquishing any respect from anyone who went for two or more) mentioning to a pastor with his man-dispensed degrees and years of “Christian” theory attained in the realm of head knowledge that his church may be just a tad - when weighed against the biblical model - lacking in what a lost world needs to know of its God? That maybe his programs and pomp are hindering, not aiding, the spiritual growth of his flock?

By “know,” I mean know in the heart, not the head. There is plenty of knowing in the head that, instead of building a person's character, kills it. Only a life born of the Spirit and walking in God's love and grace is a life worth living and a life which has anything to offer another soul.

America, like ancient Judah in the days of the prophet Jeremiah, is swimming in the consequential vomit of its sought after and chosen, sin-laden, depraved way of life. The Church is called to rise up and fight this spiritual war against the powers of darkness pressing America to love sin, and in spirit and truth take a stand for righteousness only found in Christ and the ways of a holy God.

But the enticements of modern worldly offerings are proven too great even for God's people. The churches now fit the mold of the world, when the world is called by God to change in heart to fit the mold of, and belong to, His Church. But there is too much fun to be had in the building. There is too much money to be made from the world. There are just too many sitcoms and ballgames to choose from on TV. And didn't you know, the archaic message of the Gospel accompanied by the power in the Holy Spirit just doesn't do the job anymore? Why, God needs to take a lesson from modern man!

Do we really have any idea what our “Emerging” and “Purpose Driven” churches are screaming towards heaven? What do we say when we invite the Holy Spirit of God to sit in on our churchy fads born of earthly muck?

Relax, Old Man, and let the powerless infants calling themselves by the name of Christ bring in the masses with amusement-oriented programs, false teachers, soft gospel and hype-stirring “prophets.” Repentance? Yeah, it's somewhere in the Bible. We've got it under control. A few words of scripture every week introduced by a rock band that learned everything it knows from MTV, and we're on our way. Jesus is cool. He's down with these things we're into. This is church, baby!

Audacity in the sight of a righteous and holy God is crowding the door of heaven, but it will not be allowed in. Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is going to get past the gate. This may be “church” as defined by modernity, but this has nothing to do with the Church, God's true and holy people we are called to be of.

The problem is not just that America in its own right is going “down the porcelain tube,” to use a phrase one of my mentors uses when discussing the present plight of our society. It is that the Church is going along in step with everyone else instead of being the light in their darkness we are called to be! How much more will those who profess the name of Christ be judged than those who simply never wanted anything to do with Him? Brother and sister, if we say “Christian,” we need to mean it. “Christian” means “of Christ.”

The most difficult part of writing this book is knowing how few are going to take interest in its message. For the very reasons stated herein, the general public is not going to lend its ear. Those belonging to churches are scarcely going to lend an ear. Whether at ease with material comforts or heavily involved with the cares of the world, they have their priorities. The hand of God extending to them is not one of them. And the call to repentance by that holy God is the farthest thing from the average person's mind in our present world.

This has been the biggest obstacle for me. The passion to convey the message would come in spurts. This is not because it is not an urgent message, but because it is such an unwelcome one. The fire in me reignites by prayer, scripture or seeing Bible prophecy unfold before us - the wars and rumors of wars, the famines, the natural disasters, the “distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (if you don't think the Bible predicts devastating tsunamis, read Luke 21:25; most of Luke 21 is quoted in the next chapter), and most of all, the death of the human heart, the natural affection of man disappearing, the hatred of one for his neighbor, his country, his president… and his God. The urgency of the message leaps out at me when I see what Jesus foretold as the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). His second coming is near, and nearer than the complacent want to believe.

America has gone sour. I do not any longer see a picture of “the American dream.” Time, no longer on our side, is actually running on fumes. We need to start looking up, from where our Redemption comes. But just watch every money-loving, self-serving, God-hating, backstabbing dweller of the age with an agenda try to grab all he can if he has to lie, cheat or murder to get it. It's the Supermarket Sweep of the Last Days. Greed rules, money talks, filthy sex is an unalienable right endowed by anyone's creator of choice, entertainment has replaced family, and love has just about died out in the heart of man.

And many of the Church self-righteously say, “Well, so be it. I'm good,” while secretly also loving every pleasure of our sin-soaked society. We have turned to our own ways and our own inventions apart from God, and woe to anyone foiling our plans. There is hope only in knowing that God sees all, has everything under control and has a plan to act in justice at precisely the right moment. He has a heaven for His saints who stay the course. And for those who never bother with Him and never repent, insisting on keeping their day to play, there is set aside a day to pay. For those who use the name “Christian” and defend not the faith, there is also a day reserved. News flash: Nothing gets by God. I think we should stop deluding ourselves.

In looking at our society, we should be outraged. When the poor are oppressed at the hand of the rich, and the widows are forgotten by the Church, and ice cream socials and pot luck suppers replace the prayer meeting and Bible study; when men embrace wicked religion and call it peaceful; when babies chosen by God to live are sucked out of wombs by women who “choose” death… there is no vision remaining for a land.

When “oil men” are retiring on $400 million at the expense of the people who can't afford the gas for their car that takes them to work, there is something wrong with a society. If the Senate can say no to raising the minimum wage several times in several years, but raise their own pay a cumulative $30K+ in the same time period, something rotten stinks in the nostrils of heaven. Our government represents the people. Are we as careless with our money as they?

I believe in free enterprise and the creation of small business and believe everyone is born with the same capabilities to succeed under a holy God who will help them if they acknowledge Him. We all have the right to make a life for ourselves.

But there is a sickness attached to the excesses of our society. The love of money is one of our deadliest sins. The honest, hardworking hands that built this country are long forgotten. Our rules of the day are cut corners, reap as much as possible while sowing little, silence the voice of conscience, and trample anyone who gets in the way. This nation truly believes that the one who dies with the most toys wins.

Our perverted view of success is seen in the Hollywood updates, under the lights of Broadway, on the concert stage spewing out sexual moves and something attempting to be music, and in the sports arenas where we are entertained by the aggressions of drugged up, arrogant young athletes. These are our idols, but God says we will have no gods before Him. If you don't think these are the avenues of your gods, then count the number of hours you spend in front of the TV in a week vs. the amount of time spent in prayer or Bible study.

We have to press on in Christ because there is an eternal Kingdom where all is just, no one is deceitful, wickedness is put away forever, and God loves us with an everlasting love. That Kingdom can be in our hearts today if we will have the King. That love starts in the here and now if we will have Him.

There is nothing worth a penny in this world that does not have ties to eternity, and there is nothing in eternity that was born of this world. So what endeavors we embark upon must be done as unto the Lord and not as unto men. If the thing we call precious, whether abstract or material, was created by man, its only future is death. If by divine inspiration God, through man or of Himself, breathes life into something - a project, a family, an organization, a relationship, a business, etc. - it can live forever.

I implore you, keep your heart with all diligence, hearken unto the voice of the Lord, and dare to open your eyes to reality from God's perspective. The time is short. Shall we say, as did the prophet Jeremiah over a Jerusalem reeking of sin, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved”? (Jeremiah 8:20)

THE REASON

From Luke 21:

5And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

6As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

7And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

8And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

9But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

10Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

12But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

13And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

14Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

15For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

16And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

17And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

18But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

19In your patience possess ye your souls.

20And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

21Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

22For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

24And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

25And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

29And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

30When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

31So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

32Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

33Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

CHAPTER 1

WILLFULLY BLINDED

We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

- Isaiah 59:10

O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

- Jeremiah 22:29

We hear from time to time the warnings written and preached, and they pass in one ear and out the other. We've turned our backs on God and we're heading to hell in… well, you know the rest. Actually, I saw a t-shirt the other day: “Where are we going, and why are we in this hand basket?”

Clever.

It's interesting that we can joke about the eternal flames of damnation that Jesus warned about. This is where our society is.

God has a sense of humor. He gave us ours. But there are some things only to be taken seriously, and every day in our world we cross lines. Every day we insult God with our sick humor and iniquitous entertainment. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,” wrote Solomon. There is a time to laugh, but there is also a time to weep.

Who doesn't love to laugh? But as I look around me in daily life, I see fewer reasons to laugh than ever before, however more people seem to be laughing than ever before. They abuse themselves with whatever gets them through the day - smoking, drinking, comedy, sex, any indulgence of the hour.

As I catch the grim news headlines of children murdering their parents and vice versa; see advertisements of the nation's obsession with drugs, alcohol and partying; hear God cursed everywhere I go; read my 101 unsolicited emails a day telling me I can get rich overnight or have XXX sex now; see another half-dressed harlot selling everything from beer to candy bars; listen to the blaring bass of a passing car, driven by one who gives no thought or consideration to those around him; or as I simply have small talk with yet another frustrated person whose only hope in life is to find a few moments of enjoyment on the weekend… I see our values.

There is no consideration for eternity. We are the have-to-have-it-now generation. We are a Godless lot of ingrates so missing the point of our existence that we are on the brink of annihilation as a society. There is no way we can go on any longer with our value system as warped as it is.

And that is our country. This says nothing of our churches that ordain homosexuals, constantly plan their social gatherings with a loudspeaker while putting off the prayer meetings, ever think up new ways of worship that blast out the eardrums (after all, the younger crowd has to have it), and concoct newfangled doctrines that don't even come close to what's in the Word.

I have to ask, why aren't we weeping? Why haven't we heeded the warnings - although I have to note their sparse application - that tell us Godless societies are judged? Why do we think it's okay to have a “Me first” attitude and expect one day we'll all still get to heaven? What ever happened to working out our salvation with fear and trembling?

What kind of blinders are these on the average American, and where were they constructed?

These blinders are as heavy as iron masks. They block out what is true in the eyes of a holy God and for the most part, we don't ask questions. It is easier to believe the hogwash that comes out of anyone behind a podium, liberal pulpit, commentator's or teacher's desk than to test the spirits from which an ideology comes. But that is like modern Americans - why think something through when the path of least resistance is available? Here's a new theory - no strings attached, no accountability - so let's jump on it.

The blinders we allow over our eyes come from the heart. Desires are drawn up in the heart of man. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” It is in the heart we decide what is true, what is false, what we believe, what we dream and what we live out. We decide there what we want to see and what we want to be blind to.

Without the spirit connected to God in Christ by His Spirit, the heart is going to rule according to our own will, and not necessarily the will of God. Most of us step into the world freely, in our own way, and with blinders that block the picture of what's right and wrong in God's eyes. We are prey to the ways of our society, the same world that God calls us to be “in,” but not “of.”

But then, we discern incorrectly, call evil good and good evil, and laugh when we should be weeping if we are not saved and if we are without His Spirit. There is no Christ in the heart, in the inner man, to discern for a man evil from good, wrong from right, and the time to weep from the time to laugh. We get it right sometimes, but often we fail.

(FYI for modernites: I use the term “man” as “mankind” in the general sense, i.e. man and woman, or humans.)

Bible history shows that it is the way of man to seek out his own way. Knitted with the heart of God and by His Spirit in the Garden, Adam and Eve still took a tumble once presented with the deception that they could decide good and evil for themselves. I've heard people say in one sense or another that they could shake a fist at that Eve for letting herself fail the “apple test” of temptation.

Well, if it hadn't been the first two to open the door to sin, it would have been the next two, or the next, or somewhere down the road. Free will is a sweet and generous gift, and yet it is the most mismanaged gift from God in all of history. Humankind has proven its ability to mismanage the exercise of free will, which has consistently resulted in the destruction of individual lives as well as entire nations.

I believe the biblical story of creation. But whether you believe in the Garden or not, take the rest of history for what it is: man's failed attempt at every turn to line up with his perfect purpose in God, and a wayward tendency to walk the path of sin, to choose death over life, to chase momentary pleasures while trampling the promise of an eternal paradise. This paradise, once offered by a test of faith and obedience is now offered through the merciful death and resurrection of Christ.

Even with a Savior to intercede for us, clean us up and take away all sin, we still choose the alternate path of death. Even when Jesus Christ is given Lordship of us, somehow we find the path of what, without Him, would undoubtedly lead to our demise.

What is wrong with us? Are the world's offerings so enticing that the offering of the Holy Spirit should be expected to shrink into oblivion? We live in a time that resounds through heaven a collective phrase from earth, “Not now, God, I'm busy.”

If you want to laugh, just try laughing at this: Man does not have the last word.

It may seem that we do for a time. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11) The delay in our “sentence” is God's grace at work, calling us to repentance while the time is still called today. The presumption that conditions of safety will continue unchanged is one we cannot afford.

God warned the people to repent as far back as the days of Noah when he spared only Noah and his family, for they were the only righteous people in the world at the time. He sent prophets at various times in history to warn ancient Israel that their days of self-rule and self-will and overall wickedness were about to get them into trouble if they did not repent. While worshiping idols, living for money and pleasures, consulting astrologers, mocking the truth of God by twisting His Word and ignoring His commandments, the Israelites again and again lived blindly according to the dictates of their society.

They listened to false priests and sacrificed their children to false gods. They believed the reports of peace by false prophets and ignored the plea to repentance by the true prophets sent by God. The Israelites wanted business as usual. Because they wanted security, they believed what they wanted to believe and kept their blinders on to anything else. They didn't need their hearts troubled by what were considered reports of gloom and doom.

True prophets of God were sought after to be silenced and killed because their message threatened the blind security of the day-to-day living.

But all this speaks of us today too. As long as the judgment of God is not administered right away, we think we are getting away with things. We decided we are safe in our way of life, whether we commit sin against God or not. We are comprised of our family and circle of friends, our business deals and theologies and various religious tasks. We have our stocks and bank accounts, our cars and comfortable homes, food on the table, weekend getaways, our children's precious entertainments, and our cats and dogs who are in some cases more important to us than humans.

We're safe. As long as Rover knows to bark at the mailman, no one's going to break into the house. And we're “good” people - don't dare insult us by saying, “Repent”! As long as we're not committing murder and we're trying to live the “best we can,” we are in the good favor of God, or a creator, or gods, or whatever the deity of choice is at today's whim. We're safe. We're good.

Most people - I include those sitting in what are considered Christian churches today - don't even take a quick glance at their own hearts, and much less the heart of our society. But the scripture is the same for our society: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

We are governed by what we hold dear. We are the representation of what is on our law books. We are the way we do business. What we believe - right or wrong in the eyes of a holy God - is what we share with our families, friends, churches and those around us. “Share” might be too kind of a word. Our society tends to shovel its beliefs down others' throats with the bulldog attitude that these beliefs are going to be heard no matter what kind of noise has to be made.

And blindly, the rest of society begins to believe lies, one by one, until they are saturated with deception and anti-God philosophies that, without repentance, bring imminent destruction to a land. We've seen the influence of bozos in Hollywood with hurricane force winds lately. All Ellen Degeneres has to do, for example, is endorse Hillary Clinton, and her blind fans have no problem following on the Hillary bandwagon. For that matter, all funny and lovable Ellen has to do is be gay, and she is an icon that endorses that lifestyle.

I do not insult the intelligence of the average American. First, there needs to be something to insult. If there were ever a time to wear an “I'm Surrounded By Idiots” button, now is it. Unfortunately, I just have to accept as the norm the lack of intelligent reasoning found in our culture that once did perplex me. But the situation is graver than the politics and accepted behaviors of the day. It's the heart of the day, perpetuating the sins of the day, and it appears as if the whole world is both blind and mad. Lunacy is rampant, but this is nothing God hasn't seen before. He will allow people what they want - for a time, that is. The consequences are not His fault.

So is there, or will there be, a real prophet of God in this land? Someone to warn us of the consequences of our insidious behaviors? I don't mean self-titled charlatans who print themselves on flyers and breeze in and out of towns with an invisible dust-vac that sucks all the money out of your pockets. Not those who will falsely prophesy of your future if you “sow a seed” into their so-called ministries. Not those who say something is going to happen (“I heard from the Lord”) and years later when it doesn't, end up eating their words and avoiding inquiries.

Is there a prophet in this land? He must pass the Deuteronomy 18:22 test: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously…” We see more of the charlatans than those who are interested in the truth of God's Word. I believe we are on the brink of the days foretold of the “famine…of hearing the words of the LORD.” (Amos 8:11) People groups all around the globe just do not want God and His truth. So if they don't want Him, does He have an obligation to keep sending His Word? At some point of conjoint indifference toward Him, the safety net must snap.

Is there anyone who truly sees (by God) the future of our country and the Church, and is unafraid to take a stand against the tide of vile ideologies and liberalism-laden institutionalized churches, and preach the TRUTH?

The few names I can think of today are so humble, they would call themselves servants before calling themselves prophets. There are some who are unafraid. They don't write the catchy million-dollar book with accompanying prayer journal and devotional. They just tell the truth. And although it's not their fault, their words and warnings do not always stick. Mankind has made up its mind in which way it wants to go, and no matter how bad the news or how loud the warnings, they cannot be heard in deaf ears.

Jesus' words were for him “that hath ears to hear.” (Matthew 4:9) These were like Noah's words - only for those willing to hear, and those willing to have their blinders lifted so that they could see. All who couldn't see that Noah's warning was from God perished in the flood. These are the words of the prophets.

A true prophet's words are inspired by the Spirit of God speaking to their hearts for the salvation of man and the betterment of his altogether plight. Some of God's faithful prophets were Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah. They were bold by God's Spirit and sounded the warning we all need to hear again.

I want to focus on Jeremiah, because the time during which he prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah mirrors the time in which we live presently. He prophesied in the years leading up to the Babylonian captivity of Judah and the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 586 BC. Today, without question, we are in what can only be called the modern days of Noah - a time of gross sin and immorality. But so were the Israelites for so many years before they were judged for their sins. Jeremiah witnessed the sins of Judah and its eventual downfall by the hand of God.

He was sent by God to warn the people of the impending judgment, before the Babylonians came and destroyed the kingdom of Judah and wreaked havoc on its capital, Jerusalem. Despite his warnings and pleas for repentance, the people laughed at him and ended up reaping the consequences: total destruction. If they had turned from their sin and repented, they could have continued living in peace.

Jonah was sent to the city of Nineveh in Assyria. He forewarned the people that God was about to judge them for their wicked ways, and the difference here is, they heard and heeded. The people of Nineveh repented and turned completely around, and they lived in peace for as long as they did not revert to their wicked ways. It was when they did begin to revert to the ways of their sinful past that they were conquered by the Babylonians. There is always a pattern to the way God treats our behaviors. I will be as plain as possible: Sin results in punishment; repentance results in blessing and peace. It must be a true, we-mean-business, heartfelt repentance though. Dead rituals and dead words do not reach heaven.

I do not see another prophet in modern times arising like we read about in the Bible, completely sold out to the purposes of God and dead to himself and his own wants and desires. It is certainly possible to hear prophetic words (again, not normally by way of the traveling carnival lot), but the kind of prophet that existed in the former days is not available. And is anyone willing to listen anyway? Or to lift their own blinders off to see? We are so entrenched in business-as-usual that we may never see or hear again until the judgment. This near silence in itself is judgment. If God knows the heart of man is so turned against Him, why should He waste a perfectly good prophet?

The good news is, even if we don't have a modern prophet, we do have the Bible. The events of the Old Testament were written for our benefit. There is a very real connection between the people of the present day United States and the ancient Israelites and its kings who constantly disobeyed God until their way of life and their very home and kingdom were destroyed. Sin cannot stand in God's presence.

Today we are also in the time of the fig tree blossoming (read Luke 21:29-33), or I suppose we could say “re”blossoming. Israel is the “fig tree” and this is the generation during which it was reborn. That was in the year 1948. Jesus remarked of the increased (in number and frequency) earthquakes and other natural disasters, pestilence, wars and rumors of wars, and said these would be the beginning and now is the time to look up for His return. The greatest indication of His soon return is the rebirth of Israel. Nearly two-thousand years passed since the second demise of Jerusalem in AD 70 and its rebirth in 1967. God's purpose is about to be fulfilled in its entirety on this earth. Are we awake?

This writing deals with the first fall of Jerusalem of 586 BC. If we are not ready, we will have an end just like them. If we treat our blessings as carelessly as the Israelites did throughout history, we will experience, as they did, similar destruction at another's hand. The repentance of our nation, and of the Church (we are not as cushy as we think we are) is IMPERATIVE!

We are foolish if we are not concerned with the similarities between the people of the United States today and the people of the southern kingdom of Judah during Jeremiah's time. Unless we have no desire to see the similarities, they are impossible to miss. Unless we have no desire to see them, we are going to have the same end that ancient Israel did, only there will be no “re”blossoming for the United States. Many will perish. Only those who call upon Jesus Christ shall be saved.

CHAPTER 2

JEREMIAH

The men American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try and tell them the truth.

- H. L. Mencken

Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

- Jeremiah 9:1

Jeremiah was wholly committed to the call. There was no embellishing, taking away from or compromising the word of the Lord. Ordained for his purpose before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5), and called at a young age (1:7), he was overtaken by a burden of the Lord to warn Jerusalem and Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, that if they did not repent of their wicked ways, judgment would come to their land.

He was hated and ridiculed as much as the few who had the boldness in our day to say that 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina were judgments of God for the sin of our society. Even if put more lightly - “God removed His hand of protection from us during these catastrophes” - they were statements reprimanded by a lynching from the media and average American. This isn't the kind of message a self-satisfied society wants to hear.

No way God could be this cruel, they said. We don't believe in such a God (but will believe in anything - anything - else that makes us feel good).

Jesus said in Mark 3:24, “And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” There could be so much strife from within, the kingdom will weaken and be overtaken by another, or the kingdom could, because of its argumentative climate, self-destruct by losing any of its economic and diplomatic pull with other nations.

After the death of Solomon, Israel was split into two, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This was a judgment on the kingdom by God for Solomon's idolatry and blatant disregard of God's covenant with David (1 Kings 9:1-9). Eventually, both northern Israel and southern Judah were conquered, the north by the Assyrians in 722 BC, and the south in 586 BC by the Babylonians, approximately at the same time they were also conquering the Assyrians.

By sending judgment of a divided kingdom, and knowing that a kingdom divided against itself will not stand (these are Jesus' words), God knew the end result. But He also knew the heart of the people. Solomon's descent into sin, idolatry and lasciviousness was just the beginning. God's people became idolatrous and flesh-controlled, worshiping other gods and entertainments.

Both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel enjoyed prosperity for a time, but neither kingdom survived. Prosperity and the freedom that comes from blessings so often cause people to fall away from God. We have a tendency to “get comfortable” when things are good. Lazy attitudes come, and sin is eventually rampant. It doesn't have to be - there's that issue of free will - but sinking into sin as a result of prosperity is a common pattern. We're preoccupied with our blessings, the blinders are put on and we stop walking straight.

Since at the time of Jeremiah's prophesying, the northern kingdom had already been conquered by the Assyrians, Judah in the south should have taken notice. But they failed to learn the significance of the fall of the north, and continued living in their ways of sin.

We follow in their mistakes not just by not learning from them, but in part by failing to see the significance of current events, such as increased global earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters, famine, wars, and the all-out worldwide hatred for modern Israel and the Jews. Jesus Himself prophesied these signs and said we were to “Watch…and pray always” in order to be “accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36)

Church - there is a preparation we must go through in order to stand before God. If Jesus really is coming back for a Church “not having spot, or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:27), then we should have done our soul searching yesterday. We can be changed in an instant at the Rapture, but I don't think our lackadaisical ways are going to earn us any brownie points in heaven. We have an obligation to obedience. We need to kick our spirits into the game and stop pretending like there's nothing catastrophic going on out there. Instead, we prepare our next social event and look the other way. There are terrible things happening all over the world. The attitude is, if it's not happening in our backyards, why should we pay attention?

We are the same crowd Jeremiah faced when he came with the Word of the Lord. After receiving a vision of the devastation that was about to come upon the land of Judah, he was beckoned by God: “Run ye to and from through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.” (Jeremiah 5:1, 2)

This is similar to Abraham's moment recorded in Genesis 18. Abraham was concerned that God would destroy the righteous along with the wicked. He asked God if He would spare Sodom and Gomorrah for fifty righteous, forty-five righteous, forty, thirty, etc. God was clear that it was not His way to destroy both the wicked with the righteous. His hope and His goal were to find anyone righteous. He spared Abraham and Lot and their families, just as years before He had spared Noah and his family of judgment.

For God, who is love, to destroy those who love and obey Him, those who are truly His, would be out of His character. He would not be God. His way is to take the righteous out of harm's way before judgment strikes. This is yet another reason to get ourselves right with God right now. He has no obligation to spare us destruction or take us to heaven if we are backsliding, not tending to the things of His Kingdom, or if we are outright sinful and wicked.

“Once saved, always saved” is a lie from the pit of hell, as its intent is to give the impression that we have no obligation to adhere to the statutes of God, while easy living is fine and acceptable. The truth no one wants to believe is, if we don't work out our salvation with fear and trembling, we may end up in danger of judgment. But a true conversion puts love in our hearts for God and His ways. If we have a genuine relationship with Him, our hearts do not compel us to live wickedly. This is why some of the “conversions” out there should be questioned. Check the fruit of an individual. Is it rotten, self-serving and a result of God not being put first?

Those in the northern kingdom of Israel were God's people, but God, fed up with their sinful ways, finally had to write them a certificate of divorce for their wickedness. Should we assume we cannot become so far off course that we too couldn't see God's certificate of divorce? “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” (Romans 11:21)

God told Jeremiah that He would spare any that were just and seeking truth. But He found mostly hypocrites who claimed to know Him, yet swore falsely. Like so many today that “belong” to a church or claim to be “born again,” and those who have found success in ministry by teaching false doctrine or falsely claiming to have prophetic knowledge, these were the people residing in Judah and Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah. They trusted in astrology - so do we. They paid filthy prostitutes for sex - so do we (and much of it today is free). They started out full steam ahead in truth and fell away into apostasy - so do we. They sacrificed their children to false gods - so do we. (Let's call abortion what it is: homage to the god of selfishness.)

We can masquerade as Christians and live like the devil, but God sees all. Believing in God, or “a god” is one thing, but belonging to the One True God is another. As Christians, we belong to Him by the grace of Jesus Christ. And worship of Him “in spirit and truth” (Jesus is the Truth) is the only thing that receives His approval. God hates and judges a lying tongue.

Jeremiah had a bold task ahead of him. Anyone who comes with God's message is going against the tide of the world, no matter where the message is given. Satan is the god of this world, and he keeps his faithful as puppets on strings. He has them in churches as surely as in politics. Jeremiah was fearful at the prospect of proclaiming a word of impending judgment. He knew it would not be a popular message, and he was very young when first called. God said, “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:8)

This is another reason we don't have a real prophetic voice today. We have a fear of rejection. We want the admiration of others and often get it at the expense of the truth. We're ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. We would rather deny the One whose name we bear to an unbelieving world than face the angry mob that doesn't want to hear about Him. If the subject of Bible prophecy comes up, we'll listen to another ramble about Nostradamus before setting them straight with the prophetic truth in the Word.

God would have us run around the world thirty times if it would wake one person up and save him from judgment. But it must be that some take that first step, experience the tide of Godless, worldly thinking around them, and quietly retreat. Jeremiah kept pressing on. In fact, he developed a deep love for Jerusalem that God put in his heart, and he wept at their impending judgment. He was an open vessel for the work, and God poured into him.

He was hated and mocked, beaten, put in prison several times, and taken to Egypt after the fall of Jerusalem with those who disobeyed God by not surrendering to the Babylonians. The apostle Paul went through the same kind of ill treatment from the world and called it “our light affliction, which is but for a moment.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) Some of our preachers today would call it quits if the air conditioning wasn't working in the sanctuary.

Jeremiah persisted faithfully out of duty to God and out of love for a people who were drowning in sin, blinded to their own recklessness, and about to experience total devastation. Nevertheless, no one listened with an interested ear.

This is the life of anyone who follows God, hears from Him, and acts on His word. The direr the circumstances at hand, the hotter the hatred of the masses against the servant of the Lord. If you're popular and people love your message, you probably aren't getting your message from Him at all.

Furthermore we lack the genuine love that Jeremiah had for the people. It is easier to hate our neighbor and gripe about him than to seek to lift him out of a sinful predicament. If we truly experienced the love of God for another, it would be instinctive, as it was for Jeremiah, to be a voice for God. But we barely give Him three minutes of our busy day. How can He touch us with His love and plant a burning desire in us when we don't spend time with Him? How can we even be assured of our own salvation if we do not let Him pour a vision of eternity into us?

If Jeremiah had been wrapped up in his material life, the BMW and SUV he had to trade in every two years, the Dow and NASDAQ, TV sitcoms and the Internet, outdoing the neighbors on his kids' birthday parties, all the while hiding his pornographic magazines from his wife, laughing at raunchy jokes at the office and planning out his next vacations and early retirement, I can almost assuredly say, short of a merciful road-to-Damascus-like zap from heaven, he would not have been a good candidate for prophet of God.

What we call the “full life” and what Jesus said was the “abundant life” are comprised of very different things. The scope of a life once meeting Christ stretches off this planet into an eternity we should hardly be able to wait for. Jeremiah was called so that the people would not only repent to avoid a severe punishment from God on earth, but so that they would deal with their eternities, something so few today even want to consider.

CHAPTER 3

THEN AND NOW -

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

America finds sin hilariously funny. We are not the first nation that has done so. Babylon saw it that way, and the handwriting came on the wall. Rome saw it that way, and faded from power. France followed suit and moral decay became a cancer. Now America laughs at sin. Laughs hilariously…We need a real recognition of sin and a genuine sorrow for it, and an honest turning away from it, if we are to survive.

- Edgar M. Arendall

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

- Ecclesiastes 1:14

When not submitted to God, our minds are kept as finite as the world's. If we don't have an eternal perspective on the everyday happenings we see around us, we get in self-preservation mode like everyone else. We have to build our barns and our bigger barns and enjoy as much of today as we can because we are only given so many years on the planet, and that's if we're healthy.

We start to believe in little “isms” and theologies that if not kept in check, can ruin our relationship with our Savior. We believe in what “makes us happy.” We believe the wealth-promising (as long as we add to his wealth first) evangelist that breezes into town because of the hype he creates. We're people who like hype. We'll take the false highs of emotionalism any day over the real high of the Holy Spirit. We adhere to bits and pieces of other religions that sound nice and subscribe to the doctrine of “tolerance” because that's where everybody gets along.

If we live with a mindset that never goes beyond the scope of the present world, we shrink within our own little world. The spirit doesn't grow, and the Holy Spirit knows He is an unwelcome guest in our midst.

In seeing the bigger picture, spending more time with God in His Word, we eventually understand that all we see is not all there is. Beyond the here and now is an eternity we will have to spend somewhere else. This understanding doesn't make the grim appearance of the hour any less grim, but there is hope beyond the chaos, wars and bickering we see in every nation. There is a heaven if we run the race and fight the good fight. And there is a hell if we don't.

We are so like the Israelites who just wanted to have their lives, comfy and untouched by thought of calamity, and with no accountability to God - especially a God who sends a prophet to warn of calamity! They wanted to believe according to their own agenda and no one could interfere. God was all right to them as presented by the priests of the day who spoke nothing of repentance. The temple - the temple of God - was right there in Jerusalem. Surely they were all safe and secure. God wasn't going to let the city be destroyed and go into captivity. Nonsense.

Presumption is as old as sin itself. In this country, we have our own form of religion that keeps us safe. It's similar to humanism, but I'd call it “good person-ism.” It's sort of an “I'm a good person, I don't hurt anyone” religion. We're civilized and prosperous because we're intelligent and don't run around killing each other. Well, at least that was the general rule until the recent fascination our culture developed with murdering family members (both born and unborn). Overall, we try to do right and we're OK as long as we give one another some slack as well.

We are convinced we are accountable only to other humans, and not to God. But even accountability to one another is finding its way out with the trash in this world lacking in ethics. The basis of any kind of success is declared as human intelligence instead of divine intervention of God. If we're not accountable to God morally, and we owe Him no thanks for our blessings, and we're self-sufficient without Him, then who needs Him for anything? Sure, we believe in God, or some type of god, but we don't know who he, or it (or she) is. The apostle Paul calls this “a form of godliness” (2 Timothy 3:5). The second part of that tells us we deny “the power thereof.” So we always believe in something. It's just not the norm that this be God Himself, who wants to involve Himself in our lives and steer us in the right direction.

There have been fights in our land to get “In God We Trust” off our currency and to squash any trace of the Ten Commandments ever having been written. God is just who you make him - or it (or her).

Woe to us. In Luke 14:11, Jesus says, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” This is not merely the conceit we develop as individuals to cover up the subconscious feelings of inadequacy. This is the in-your-face admission to God that we are all right without Him. Self-sufficiency apart from God is both presumptuous and detrimental, mentally and spiritually.

The major sin that was rampant among the Israelites was idolatry. Here is a definition given by Herbert Schlossberg in Idols For Destruction: “Idolatry, in its larger meaning, is properly understood as any substitution of the created for the creator. People may worship nature, money, mankind, power, history, or social and political systems instead of the God who created them all.”

The kingdom of Judah burnt incense and offered food and drink to appease their imaginary “queen of heaven.” They believed their sacrifices to her are what brought them comfort and prosperity. Baal was a popular false god and received worship from the wicked. The people were even sacrificing their children to a god called Molech. Of course, going to the priests was ritualistic, and a work that made the people proud. This is similar to Catholics who faithfully attend the Mass and think their duty is fulfilled, or the pew-dwelling Evangelical (or any other denomination) that gives the pastor a half hour in the morning so he won't feel guilty watching the Sunday afternoon football game he runs out the church door to catch.

Israel, both north and south (remember, the northern kingdom is already destroyed by the time Jeremiah is preaching), had gone the way of apostasy, worshiping false idols, paying tribute to God only in lip service, without heart. They “worshipped the works of their own hands.” (Jeremiah 1:16) Once faithful to God and having favor in His eyes, the kingdom of Judah walked away as an entire nation.

Even the priests (ministers) of the day created their own truth and discarded truths of God. They preached peace when Jeremiah was called to warn the people of impending war and the attack of the Babylonians from the north. They preached theories the people wanted to hear, and not the Word of God. Here is Jeremiah's cry: “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” (Jeremiah 4:14)

(O America, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?)

(O Church, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?)

The people lived for the moment, and for pleasures, with no thought for God or eternity. They falsely believed they could be called His people while disobeying His commands and committing every sinful act possible against Him. They preached contemporary ideas that entertained the people, and God was forgotten. They had lives of vanity. We read in Jeremiah 5:4, “Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.”

The average person in our society is considered “good.” They raise families and take care of the daily chores and are generally capable of loving each other (often with conditions). However, the world judges on a different scale than God does. All that will matter when we pass from earth is whether or not the lives we lived balance against God's expectations, not what Godless humans thought of us. We may be asked, “Were your sins cleansed by My Son and did you walk in My love?” (Walking in His love implies fulfilling all His commands.) God calls us foolish when we do not take heed of His ways. We don't think of what we might be missing out on in eternity - all we know is, we don't want to miss out on the fun in the now.

Paul exhorts the church in Ephesians 4:

17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

19Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

We are called throughout scripture to live righteously, not according to our own ways of thinking. This is not only for the natural consequences reaped in living a life for God, but for our eternal security. The Israelites lived as if judgment were not a possibility, and we are as guilty as they. We claim Christianity, but have no idea who God is. We respect Jesus, the man, for being a good man and prophet, but don't give Him rightful place as deity. We're comfortable with our “form of godliness.”

As the Israelites “assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses” (Jeremiah 5:7), we too are a society obsessed with sex. Any time of the day or night, men can fill their eyes with naked whores on TV, in movies, on the Internet, in magazines or the mass media of choice. This is nothing but prostitution. Women flaunt it, and men pay for it - or get it for free. “Harlots' houses” are now the very houses men and women keep together with their children. Men don't have to go out to get it anymore, because it comes to them.

Adultery is said to be as common as in 50% of all marriages that stay together. The other 50% divorce, often because of adultery. And this is of those “polled” who admitted to adultery. We are no different from the men of Judah who “were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.” (Jeremiah 5:8) Commitments are taken very seriously by God. When we seek out false religion and other gods (whether in religion or in “things” of the materialistic realm), we commit adultery against Him. The marriage covenant is symbolic of the covenant God made with His people - that's the Jew from Abraham's line all the way down to the Christian who is grafted in. We seek out His wisdom and follow in His ways, and we are His, and He is our God. That is as simple as it's going to get.

But man just isn't happy in that. Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon in his last years when he realized the futility of his life of self-indulgence. Here is verse 7:29: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” This statement gives the “feel” of remorse. But there was no remorse during the times he was partying with his hundreds of concubines and seeking out many inventions throughout his life. This is the self-destructive way of man.

(If I may add something… Liberal so-called Christian scholars have tried to ascribe a different author to the writings of Solomon, and that just goes along with the heresy and lack of respect for the Word of God I'm talking about. His writings only make sense as written by him, the one who had the experiences.)

Man's behavior doesn't go astray before his commitment to God does. If there is a spiritual connection to God, the tendency of the person is to be faithful in dealing righteously in all earthly endeavors. When man allows the disconnection from God, or never seeks the truth from God in the first place, and starts finding wisdom (though it may seem) in other gods or false religions, the immoral behaviors naturally follow. There is little or no remorse or shame along the way. Man's way is to accept the immoral conditions of the world and dive in head first.

CHAPTER 4

PROPHETS AND PROPHETESSES BEWARE

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

- 1 John 4:1

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

- Jeremiah 5:31

There's another caravan breezing through town. It's the Traveling Prophet Show coming to a church in need of some publicity near you. We get the flyers in the mail, addressed exclusively to us… “or Current Resident.” We're promised a hee-hawing good time “in the Spirit,” but upon arriving, we find a dance party in a concert setting that caters to our human need to have an emotional experience.

The organs are buzzing. The choir is jumping. “Prophetess” Whosmawhatzit comes out in her traditional Caribbean, Haitian or West African attire, something similar to what is worn during voodoo rituals, spews a “Thus saith the Lord,” tells a few people God hears their prayer and will “heal” their finances by sending money, and everyone in the audience (not Church, not congregation, but audience) goes wild.

Hallelujah! Christianity at its finest!

Or… perhaps something that brings to mind from Matthew 7:

21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Then there are the flashy men, “Prophet” Goldplatedfaucets and “Prophet” Filetminion. They are impeccably dressed, because after all, they struggled and toiled to get where they are and they once gave their last penny to a traveling preacher, and hence, God rewarded their diligence by making them millionaires. God will make you a millionaire too if you just “give out of your need.” Need a thousand dollars? Drop a hundred into the bucket. Need ten thousand? Sow that “$1,000 seed”!

They never leave the stage without saying, “God is going to do something great in this place!” They are also famous for saying things like, “There's someone out there today. You just lost your job. You don't know what to do, and the rent is due next week. God hears you and will supply. Sow your best seed now.” And the people in this described predicament go through feelings of guilt if they don't give away their last ten dollars instead of feeding their kids with it, and when they still can't pay their rent, they are sure it's because they're disobedient heathens.

God is able to respond to a desperate soul by supplying their need without sending someone in pinstripes and pearly whites to prey upon them. Maybe God does ask that the desperate person open their heart and give something away. But that is between the person and God. The idea behind giving something away is most often to supply someone less fortunate than ourselves. If I were destitute and couldn't make my rent, the last thing I would expect a loving Father in heaven to do is tell me to hand over my last three dollars to someone whose biggest problem in life is whether or not to hide his or her million-dollar mansion within his or her ministry to avoid having to pay taxes on it.

If we have the Holy Spirit, we should all have the ability to discern when we're hearing from God - when to give, when not to give, what our next course of action should be. His word to each of us is individual. These charlatans will craftily coerce you to give on the spot, not mindful of the possibility that God has another course of action for you at that time, and they do it by invading your conscience.

Listen - THESE ARE NOT PROPHETS!

I'm thinking of the poor widow from Mark 12:41-44 who gave all she had, while others were giving out of their abundance. Jesus said with her two coins, she gave more than all the rest. Do we ever find out what happened to her? My inclination is to believe, because she gave with her heart and not “to get something back,” that God saw to it that she never had any lack in her life, and she was most likely able to give to others when situations arose. However, we would be told by the preying (not praying) prophets and false evangelosts (sorry - future chapter) that God rewarded her with the finest house on the block with gold stairways and everything else money could buy.

The message of the widow and her two mites (the smallest denomination of coin of the day) is twofold. Jesus praises her for her faith and faithfulness to give. But this also describes a time period when there was societal pressure put on all, whether rich or poor, to give. The widow's giving is recorded in heaven and is something she can take with her into eternity. But this doesn't excuse the greed of the day. Just because she gave does not mean that it was right of those in authority to prey upon her to do so.

This is like the time of Martin Luther when Catholic priests were selling indulgences supposedly to spring dead relatives from what they termed purgatory. They solicited funds based on a lie. They exploited the poor who got poorer at the hand of the Catholic church, and the Catholic church grew fat and rich to excess.

Today's flamboyant circus clowns blasphemously traveling in the name of Christ are as the well off scribes (interpreters of religious law with a very high position in society) who Jesus said “devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.” (Mark 12:40) Sometimes they don't travel. They just interrupt local church services with a lot of huffing and puffing and say something that sounds holy and like words from scripture. Wherever they come from or travel to, they expect to be treated like Hollywood celebrities, and that's the treatment the deceived masses give them.

And the false prophets in Jeremiah's time were the same. They preached the optimistic message that everyone wanted to hear, but if we read the conversations with God and Jeremiah, and what God prophesied through Jeremiah, we see there weren't any optimistic messages to be had during that time. The purpose of a prophet is to deliver a message from God via the Holy Spirit, in truth and in its entirety, with nothing embellished or taken away, whether to make the future known, to admonish and exhort, to comfort and encourage, or to warn of consequences or impending judgment.

One of the things about prophecy that we don't like is that sometimes we will hear things we don't want to hear. This is also why we sometimes don't pray for direction - our minds are made up about a situation, and we fear that God will have a different idea in the matter. But it is always better to know the truth now rather than to deal with the repercussions of heading down the wrong road at a later date.

Prophecy is to be part of the Church today. The apostle Paul said to desire to prophesy above other spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1). The prophet Joel foretold that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh and “and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…” (Joel 2:28). We can hear from God in our inner man, and we can hear from God through a prophecy given by someone who heard in his (or her) inner man.

But just as the pathway is narrow that leads to life, and the path wide that leads to death, so are there more false doctrines, false teachers and false prophets than there are real ones. Fitting on that wide path is easy. It's squeezing the deception out of us so that we fit on the narrow that takes persistence. If anyone “prophesies” a “Thus saith the Lord” to us, we have every right, because of the apostasy that abounds, to find two or three witnesses. If no confirmation comes, then thus saith we to the “prophet,” “Get thee hence!”

If we are searching in our hearts for what is true, we will find it. But if we are searching for a lot of fancy words coming out of someone who likes to be the center of attention, there is more than enough of them to go around also.

We very well may be nearing a “famine” of “hearing the words of the Lord.” This means it is more imperative than ever that we rely on the Holy Spirit to be our witness. We need to be very careful when giving anyone claiming to be a prophet a minute of our time - or our last dollar. Amos prophesied the coming lack of prophecy! This was a judgment sent by God to the northern kingdom of Israel (years before Jeremiah's time). They were so rebellious and unheeding to God's true prophets, and so decidedly turned towards their own lusts, that God gave them over to those lusts. They didn't want Him - so He stopped communicating with them.

Amos 8:11 not only prophesies a lack of hearing from God during ancient Israel's rebellion, but this prophecy carries over into modern times. On a much larger scale, the last of the last days' world is going to be in total darkness for its rebellion. “And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8:12) There is a remnant still searching who are dropping out of churches, not because of their lack of interest in the Word of God, but for their church's lack of interest in the Word of God. This remnant still searches for TRUTH and is hard-pressed to find it anywhere on the earth.

So the famine - or I would rather say, “pre”-famine - is a very real possibility today. I do still know of prophecies by those in ministry that have come to pass in recent years, and they seem to have a continued accuracy for the most part. Chuck Pierce prophesied in 2004, one year before Hurricane Katrina, “The WIND and WATER will rise in the midst of New Orleans. Many from the south will come north for refuge” and prophesied the coming “future war of the church” before September 2001 to begin in September 2001, which is when the devil's Islam became the Church's #1 enemy. But these prophets have been few and far between and still not one of them is 100% accurate. I emphasize that we need to pray for discernment concerning prophecies. To believe anything amiss in these days is dangerous. Matthew 24:24 says, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible.”

One “prophet” whose ministry has been examined by the IRS and reaps a $1.3 million salary just for himself (take a moment to remember the widow from Mark 12 after reading that) prophesied in 2000 that Jesus would appear onstage with him in an upcoming crusade in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1989, he prophesied the death of Fidel Castro to take place “in the 90s” and an open door during that time for evangelism in Cuba. Also in 1989 he prophesied the destruction “by fire” of the “homosexual community” (that means all) in the United States in “'94 or '95, no later than that” (apparently the Holy Spirit couldn't get through all the cranial ego matter to give him the exact date). None of this came to pass.

He is still in “ministry” today, claiming to have the inside scoop on all the happenings in the spirit world. Any time I've caught a quick clip of his show, he has yet another guest “prophesying” to him about how great he is going to be, and how God is going to move in his ministry like “never before.” The exaltation of self is a major problem among today's rich and famous preachers. “Get ready for a move of God, but tune in here first and don't forget to send your check.” This particular man never closes a program without warning the people that now is the time to reach for the checkbook and support his ministry (or his $3.5 million dollar Los Angeles home and $80,000 Mercedes).

I would never say this particular man or those like him are not saved, nor would I say people do not get healed or saved while at their meetings. God will deal with us all as individuals. I will say, they go too far in exalting themselves and they most definitely exalt money as a god. People can be touched, healed and saved by Jesus Christ anywhere, even at these meetings, but no touch from God is a result of a stage show or coercing from the one on stage. Touches from God are a direct result of the person's faith.

Those claiming to hear from God with their traveling fortunes-and-salvation shows will say the Spirit is moving more than ever. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this just isn't true. We need to be able to discern emotional hype from spiritual truth. I believe completely that God still heals today and has His servants employed in this area. But modern healing meetings today are often 99% hype. The Holy Spirit, I believe, will show up only for those who really want Him there.

I recently went to a healing meeting where people were getting slain in the Spirit left and right, but sadly, no one I am aware of was getting healed. The musical “performers” wouldn't stop for a minute. We needed a moment to allow for a hush to overcome the place so that we could quietly call upon God, and this just did not come. Often modern music in churches creates static, or interference that blocks prayer. In this meeting, it was competing with the Holy Spirit for the attention of the people.

The people organizing this service had their heart in the right place. The desire was there to see those who came for healing to be healed. But as so often happens, men - or men and their talents - were exalted above God. The preaching even promoted the “power” of the Holy Spirit as a god unto itself. When we desire His power more than we desire His presence and His purity, we fail.

The desires of so many of God's people are born on this earth. They are prideful and they do not extend into eternity. The fact is, the Church today is as sinful and self-serving as the world. God is under no obligation to send His servants and His prophets to us at this time. Anything we do receive from heaven is nothing but grace grace grace, and that is why we need to be as alert as ever to weed out the truth from the lies. Unless we seek holiness for ourselves, instead of the exalting of ourselves, the Holy Spirit will know He is unwelcome. When Jesus sent out 70 workers to fulfill His purpose in freeing the unsaved, oppressed and possessed, and healing the sick, they came back boasting that even the devils were subject to them in His name. In Luke 10:20, Jesus responded, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

The true prophets of God were humble servants. They spoke from the heart of God and addressed the needs of the people. They didn't need light shows or loud music. They never equated financial success with holiness. Instead of living lifestyles of the rich and famous, they had their daily bread, they survived and they endured. They didn't even have to announce to the people that they were prophets. To the people who believed and sought the truth, they were already known as prophets of God. The anointing of God speaks for itself, and the Holy Spirit is His own advertisement. If we think He can't draw the attention of a crowd, why should we think we can by the pitiable means that man uses?

Jeremiah tells the people not to heed the prophets that “prophesy a lie.” (Jeremiah 27:14) In those days, they were all prophesying falsely and against the work God called Jeremiah to do. They said the Babylonians would not succeed, that the people of Judah just needed to rebel and they would not go into captivity. But God had a word for them: anyone who would flee to Egypt or rebel and stay on in Jerusalem, instead of quietly surrender, would be cut down at the scourging of the city of Jerusalem. But many, including King Zedekiah, did not heed this word, but chose to believe the false prophets whose message was “peace, peace” when there was no peace, nor would there soon be any peace. (Jeremiah 8:11)

Furthermore, King Zedekiah had broken an oath made to Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar and he entered into a military alliance with Egypt. He had made this oath before God. Breaking such a vow was a sure prescription for God's wrath. King Zedekiah, assuming he was safe and not realizing the seriousness of his transgression, stayed in Jerusalem instead of heeding God's warning through Jeremiah to surrender and go into exile. At least in exile, the people were allowed to carry on with their families and have somewhat of a life similar to what they had previously.

Because of Zedekiah's rebellion and breaking his vow before God, he saw his two sons killed right in front of him, and immediately after, his eyes were “put out.” This was a direct result of his disobedience, wanting to believe the reports of the false prophets more than hearing the truth. The saddest part of this story is that Zedekiah did have an honest respect for Jeremiah and believed him to be a true prophet of God - but when the going got tough, he went his own way. I suppose this too could be called “a form of godliness.”

We humans just believe what we want to believe. We want to be comforted and hear all the good news. Impending judgment, war, surrender? No way. When the daily routine we are accustomed to is threatened, our desire is to believe the good reports instead of the bad. When we're sinking in debt, we want to hear that God will pull us out of it - with no obligation or repentance on our part. Just call on God and He'll answer, regardless of our state of heart. When war is on the horizon, or judgment is just about to fall, we listen to the ones who are going to tell us everything is going to be just fine.

The “prophets/esses” of today tell us that God is going to do something good for us, usually by way of our finances. There is always a stir about our lives and situations turning around for good, and a stir that God is just about ready to unleash “His best” on all His people. He is going to restore everything that's broken and most importantly bring abundance to every wallet. Take heed of them. They use real scriptures and stories meant to teach us that giving out of obedience results in blessings, but use them to their own advantage. They overuse the same ones, such as the story of Elijah and the widow woman, or Malachi 3:10 where God pours out a blessing too big to contain because the people give tithes. These teachers don't balance with enough teachings on other subjects. They hit the people with the subject that is dearest to the American heart: the wallet.

God does answer. He responds to those who genuinely repent and seek the truth from Him. He will get people out of debt, He will heal sick bodies, He will turn a bad situation around. But if we think our only obligation to Him is to treat Him like a slot machine, we are mistaken. What He desires of us is true repentance. We may still have to go through some troubling times, especially if we are in a nation on the brink of the hammer of judgment, but He will keep us through those times. Just like those who followed His command to surrender and go into exile when the Babylonians came, we will be able to continue living and having a daily routine. It most likely will not be a lavish living or to excess, but we will have our daily bread and often then some. No matter what calamity may come, God has a way of keeping His own.

We will always have what we need if it is God HIMSELF we heed! We don't need the wide open mouths of “prophets/esses” screeching through a microphone about how good things are going to get. If the chance of a million dollars falling from the sky into our lap is slightly higher than that of pigs flying, then why should we believe it? Sometimes the news just isn't good. No, we don't want to hear it. But if it is truth, shouldn't we heed?

When a nation's situation is grave and calls for prophecy regarding repentance or impending judgment, or 90% of the Church is about to be sifted as wheat and fall through the cracks because of their disobedience, that should make us perk up and listen with both ears. I don't believe there was any rejoicing in heaven at the time Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Judah and devastation of Jerusalem, and I don't believe there is any rejoicing in heaven today over the rampant wickedness of our society and the complacency of those in the Church. Will God, and should He, reward a Church whose emphasis on an almighty dollar is in some cases more fervent than that of the world's? I think not.

A few days after 9/11, I remember driving on a highway, listening to the news reports. The cloudy skies above didn't help any, but I remember there was a change in the atmosphere. As sure as I'm alive, I was not imagining it. There was evil, opposition, and oddly enough, calm in the atmosphere. It was as if all the armies of Satan that had readied themselves for centuries were embarking upon their final assault on man, especially those who belong to God. I do believe 9/11 was a beginning. We haven't seen an ounce of the devastation that can happen to our towns, cities, financial system and everyday lives. The devil hates mankind. He subtly persuades man to sin and laughs when watching him die in that sin, forever lost in hell.

This is not to say that the attacks in New York and Washington DC were of more importance than any of the terror plots being carried out around the globe. Human atrocity and war is always a grievous situation. But there is a heightened significance to the devil's war when the world's superpower is hit in its financial and political hubs. The downfall of Jerusalem in 586 BC was a devastating blow once unimaginable. And in times past, even if we talked about New York being hit, how many of us really expected to see it?

We need to know the truth and understand the signs of the times, but self-proclaimed prophets can be like ravening wolves. They will give us that “feel good” message and walk away smugly satisfied with themselves. They truly believe they did something good for God and His Kingdom. Maybe they put a band-aid on the festering wound, but that wound needs a repentant heart towards Jesus to make it heal. Happy Hour came and went, but we still have the same problems today we had yesterday.

They make us believe all is well and cry “peace, peace,” but the world is falling apart. (By the way, has anyone noticed the world is falling apart?) They are financed well by the crowds they incite to believe lies, and they are, as claiming to be sent by God, in the majority. They drown out the voices calling for the Church, and individuals, to repent and get their house in order. Their message is more palatable, and their gatherings are, quite frankly, more “fun.” The Church has proven time and again it wants to party. Yes, David danced in the Spirit to the Lord. Many of these gatherings, however, are of another spirit and we need to be wary of them.

Jeremiah was the only voice against the barrage of peace-declaring false prophets. They spoke against him to their crowds to turn the people away from listening to him. They openly mocked him. It is easier to bring a viewpoint forth when everyone else agrees with it. They had numbers on their side, while Jeremiah was alone in his preaching. His message wasn't popular because it would bring people to their knees. God even spoke through him to his faithful secretary, Baruch, “And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.” (Jeremiah 45:5)

I'm sure no one wants to hear that type of message. It goes against everything we hear from pulpits today, which is that we are God's children and have every right to seek greatness and all the money that comes with it. But if we would just read the Word and be faithful to God, He would exalt us in due time. Any fame and position pushed through by man is as strong as tissue paper in the rain.

The bombastic performers and voodoo priestesses who tack the name of Jesus onto their traveling show give us a sense of euphoria, and we can be fooled into thinking it's the presence of God. Actually, they often announce, “I feel the presence of God in this place!” But those who have actually been in the presence of God should be able to tell the difference between hype and truth. There will always be those who cannot tell the difference because the music and cheerleading choir sweep them up. Prophecies calling a group to repentance? Not in this lively atmosphere.

There are three types of manifestations we can experience during a meeting of believers. First, there is the true Holy Spirit experience that should be unmistakable to one who is discerning - this is the calm, sweet presence of God, often accompanied by an excitement welling up within the person or throughout the congregation. This excitement initiates in the spirit, not in the emotional senses! The second is the demonic manifestation that wars with the Spirit of God within a person, causing odd behaviors and outbursts. Then thirdly, there is the most common manifestation, the one that mimics the excitement of a football game or musical concert. If in daily life, we are not in touch with God by way of our own spirit and His Spirit, we are prey to the hullabaloo worked up through the so-called ministers and prophets/prophetesses breaking their way into a church. We have that fleshly uproarious good time at the expense of our untapped spirit.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, “Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:16,17) God spoke through the prophet Joel, “Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD…” (Joel 1:13,14) And He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.” (Jeremiah 7:3) There was still hope for the people to remain on their land - somehow God would ward off the Babylonian army - if the people of Judah would repent.

No, the message is not always what we want to hear, and often it will not be an invitation to party. First of all, we like to know there is nothing wrong with us. The prophets of God were calling men to change in their hearts, turn around, repent. There were no drums, guitars, light shows and fabulous stories about everyone going from “the pit to the palace.” (If we have Jesus, we are already in the palace.) The situation in the land called for immediate action by the people, a housecleaning of each inner man.

Today's hawkers set up in towns and in church buildings, call themselves “prophets and prophetesses,” but have no clue what a real prophet of the Lord is. Ask one of them someday, “Prophet Glitznglam, have you ever studied the Prophets? Do you know the intention of a real prophecy? What is the intention of your prophecy? Does it flow from the Spirit and heart of God - or does it enhance your status as a celebrity?”

The entire southern kingdom of Judah was swallowed up by the Babylonians because they couldn't stand hearing the truth and refused to repent of their evil. We are following their pattern, because we want the positive news and emotional rush now, and we are blindly walking into traps of devils.

CHAPTER 5

EVANGELOSTS AND PULPITEERS

God can never bless exaggerations.

- Smith Wigglesworth

…for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

- Ezekiel 33:31

The counterpart to the false prophet is the false evangelist - hence, evangelost. The difference between the two is, while a prophet comes to town prophesying falsely, the evangelost offers salvation and exaggerates numbers of conversions in their meetings. This is to bring in more crowds the next time they come to town. Ministers all over are just itching to get them into their churches and pack in the crowds.

They offer the Gospel of Christ and have “the altar call” where anyone who wants to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior can make a public confession. There is little or no follow-up to the supposed masses making supposed transitions into the Kingdom of God, except perhaps the signing on to a mailing list from which the evangelost can have his or her staff send materials filled with God-breathed ideas on how to get extreme wealth because that is, after all, God's intention for every human being. They may or may not have healing as part of their offering, but the focus on money is often the priority, as with the false prophets. They send the flashy flyers, advertise in large-scale publications and arrive in attire the average person would have to work one month to afford.

With all that being said, I need to point out that yes, there are some legitimate evangelists left. I consider them part of the remnant. They are concerned with the salvation of souls. They are usually underpaid, diligent workers who travel to smaller churches and prisons and who just want to see the plan and purpose of God fulfilled in every person's life. They don't need sensationalist full-page ads in charismatic magazines, light shows and a stage in lieu of a regular church platform. They understand that Jesus said in John 12:32 that He would draw all men unto Himself.

There's no dance routine, rock concert atmosphere or hyped-up message catering to the emotions. They give a straightforward sermon with the plain and simple truth. They are not afraid to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Depending on their budget, they might offer one-on-one counseling and have people with them more than happy to help a new convert. But they are small-time, and more than likely the only name they make for themselves is in heaven (and they're OK with that).

But our society responds to the hoopla. We want the showy evangelost who offers the pathway to shallow conversions. If we can make God fun, then the crowds will gather. In and of Himself, He is not much of an allure for a world unsure that sin even exists, much less for anyone who might be freed from the effects of sin by accepting Jesus' work on the cross. But many who attend enjoy these churchy traveling shows. Scripture is read, and the gist of salvation is given, and through all the music, merriment and seeking out depleted souls that need a high, a human itch is somehow scratched, and some are compelled to “accept Christ” by responding to a mass “altar call.”

Questions remain. Is the person truly saved, are they truly repentant, and is the conversion real? Time will tell. A person can be saved anywhere if their heart is right. I am in favor of one-on-one consultation and prayer with someone who has been walking with the Lord and is able to give them personal instruction and disciple them. There is more opportunity for a convert to stay on the path in these cases. Mass altar calls offer nothing by way of taking the baby Christian under a more experienced wing. The convert is left to themselves to find “the right church,” and that is if they even choose to after the high of the event wears off.

Richard Owen Roberts (not to be confused with son of evangelist Oral Roberts) said in a sermon titled Preaching That Hinders Revival, “Man-centered preaching cannot result in radical conversion. Tragically, the preaching which characterizes much of today's pulpit activity wallows in the weakness of pandering to perceived needs - needs which are ordinarily dramatically different from true needs. For instance, many of those who are clamoring for acceptance really need repentance, and multitudes who come to church for comfort need to be severely discomforted and awakened out of their lethal slumbering… In a day when multitudes have overloaded on self-love, man-centered preaching only fortifies man in his lostness.”

Jesus took twelve under His wing, and commissioned them to take others, and those others would take others, and this adding to the family of God would continue until the time of the end. He didn't call us to be celebrities, nor to par-tay! and twist scripture to the point that prosperity and materialism become its main doctrines with a little lip service of “Save me, Jesus, from my sin” tacked onto the message's end. The word is REPENT. The call is to WALK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM WHENCE YOU CAME. A convert's Lord is now JESUS, and no longer the self. Sin is forgiven, and a new creation emerges.

What a conversion ultimately comes down to is an exchange between the person in prayer and his God. A commitment, a complete turning around from former ways accompanies this decision. Again, a person can be saved anywhere if he is truly sincere in his quest for a new life and being born of the Spirit. But anyone searching for answers needs to receive those answers from the Word. Reveling amidst thousands of wealth-seeking Christians does not answer the need. The Holy Spirit will answer the need, if the desire of the person is sincere, by directing the person's steps day by day.

Of course, it's not just the corrupt leaders with their flesh-tickling sound systems that are at fault for lack of true conversions. True, they do not often present the Gospel as it is. But the average person today, attracted to the atmosphere provided by traveling evangelosts, is often as shallow as what they are seeking. I've heard from my pastor that he sees seemingly heartfelt conversions, with people weeping and committing their lives to Christ, or he sees dramatic healings (God does still heal today!), and the person is never heard from again after getting their touch from God. If the Holy Spirit cares enough to find a person, save the person and/or heal him of some sickness or emotional distress, how is it that the person can just shrug it off and never earnestly return to God?

In Mark 4:15-17 we read about shallow conversions. People may lack an understanding of true conversion (this I do fault evangelosts for) or the need to be free from demonic intervention in their lives. They can commit with their mind but not heart, and they are willing victims of the first attempt of Satan to steal them back again. They will always find that living for the world is easier than living for Jesus. This is why people need the Gospel preached loudly, clearly and in love. And no matter what the soft preachers and complacent pew dwellers say, preaching in love does include the burning ever-against-sin “fire and brimstone” message. (I'll discuss this in a further chapter.)

In order to properly evangelize, one must present the whole truth, with nothing left out. Jesus died and rose again so that we too would conquer the grave. We believe on Him and we are saved - on the path to heaven. We surrender our selfish desires to the Lordship of Jesus, who knows just what to do with them: destroy! His perfect justice will govern our lives forever. Our sins are forgiven, but we have an obligation to walk further with Him, read the Bible and study it, get closer to Him in prayer, walk the walk we've been given. The evangelosts, like the prophets/esses, seeking a name for themselves rather than to lift the name of Jesus, fail miserably at bringing the truth to a dying world. I can't imagine how much blood is on the hands of these theatrical showmen and women flaunting their manmade hype in the name of Christ.

We have the duty to “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). So please be discerning about the next “servant of the Lord” that comes to a city or church near you. Today's traveling evangelosts and their crews of “faith” are similar to prophets, but focused more on drive-thru salvations than voodoo. As with large numbers of “prophets,” many of them are nothing but flesh-serving, greed-driven, spirit-killing, ear-tickling, hyped up, deceitful, wallet-stealing hucksters peddling materialistic wealth formulas in the name of God. They are as lost as the people they seek to put their hooks into. But the sad thing is, they are truly convinced that they are on the right track. That's the problem with deception - if someone believes they are doing right when they are committing blasphemy, then turning them onto the truth is not an easy task, especially if their deception has brought them fame.

I heard a clip of a sermon recently by a famous female evangelist whose ministry is out of Florida. She was hosting the usual pep rally about how our lives can be unimaginably prosperous, and she actually stopped and said, “Okay, we're going to back up and talk about God for a minute…” If you're interested, this lady also peddles a Great Investment Package which includes books titled Rich Woman and Becoming a Millionaire God's Way.

I have no doubt that God is in favor of us being able to support ourselves and live well - but this is just part of what Jesus called the abundant life in John 10:10. The abundant life in financial terms means having enough to pay our way and give a remainder to those less fortunate. It is God's way to bless, and He wouldn't frown on a person having money if he (or she) is living according to His principles. But Jesus did warn that it was “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24) The problem with focusing on money, especially in ministry, is that we can become obsessed with it. We can believe what these evangelosts hint at, which is that financial gain is a sign of holiness.

The abundant life is also much more than financial soundness. It is having spiritual truth, physical health, mental soundness, peace, love, family, friends. It is a result of answering a specific call of God - we all have an individual one that I cannot answer for you, nor can you answer for me - and following in the path He sets before us.

Since giving my life to Christ, I've had a few hurdles to overcome. It has been 20 years, and I still find the Catholic guilt from my upbringing sloughing off, along with other demons I inherited by listening to preachers promising that God wanted to make me rich, or the way to get my prayers answered was in “sowing seeds of faith,” with “faith” equaling MONEY. Sowing and reaping is a very real principle in the Bible and if misunderstood, it can have a crippling effect on a Christian walk. If we sow seeds of faith, we are in God's will. If we equate faith with money, we are in trouble.

We reap what we sow as long as we sow with the right motives. If you sow your money into a church or ministry, but your intention is to have money come back to you, that intention causes weeds to choke out your crop, and you never see the harvest. If we just listen to Paul who said to be a cheerful giver, we aren't going to go astray. We can give out of our heart, seeking to help others with our giving - again, help others, not line the pockets of the preacher - and a harvest of the joy of the Lord and security in Him results. God is always looking for ways to surprise us and send special gifts our way. Sometimes financially, yes, but sometimes just by giving us moments alone with Him so we can hear His heart.

The message of financial gain is preached by local, non-traveling ministers as well. To their local congregations, they mimic the grand verbiage of those who have nationally made a name for themselves. Their teachers are the big-time national evangelosts and not so much the Word itself. Hence, they are pulpiteers, hanging on strings, doing as their mentors do. The popular message brings in the crowds. Sometimes they too end up on TV or traveling.

The prophets of God of days long ago had to preach truth and warnings against these types of popular messages. Throughout history, we see that any real message from God is a very unpopular thing. This is one way to weigh the legitimacy of the next caravan coming in the name of Jesus and checking into a fancy hotel in your area. How does their message fare with the average person?

Again, I think of Jeremiah. He fared so well with the average person he was thrown in jail several times and had to live at the beck of every leader in town. And I think of Paul and those of the early Church who were taught by the Source Himself. They brought the message of God and were deplored, stoned, imprisoned, beaten and killed. If we are getting better treatment than this, it is because we have laws to protect our speech and right to beliefs. And if we have these laws, it is because our Founders put God on His rightful throne when developing this country.

Donald C. Stamps, who wrote the study notes to the Life In The Spirit Study Bible, comments on the leadership in Judah during the time the prophet Zephaniah preached to the southern kingdom of Judah. Zephaniah preceded Jeremiah by about three decades, but came with the same message as Jeremiah of repentance to the same kingdom that had gone the way of the wicked.

Mr. Stamps writes, “God condemned these leaders for failing to be holy and righteous. (1) The princes and judges perverted the law and unjustly used their positions to gain money and property for themselves. (2) The prophets altered God's message so as to gain popularity and approval. (3) The priests profaned the house of God by violating His precepts and living immoral lives.” (Page 1362, Life In The Spirit Study Bible.)

So some things do not change.

The question is, what is their motive? What is the motive of these evangelosts that prey on their audiences? Or the preacher whose main objective is to fill up the sanctuary with bodies rather than truly changed, saved, Spirit-led servants of the Most High? Their message is popular because it's a message of wealth. Of course they are going to attract the crowds. But what is their motive? How many out there will Jesus have to pass by with, “I never knew you: depart from me”?

Today's evangelosts and pulpiteers often leave off the scriptural conditions for our receiving a blessing. Before every blessing, there is a condition for us to meet. We can't live like the devil, hand a preacher a few dollars and wait by the phone for Publisher's Clearing House to call with our sweepstakes winnings.

We need to be alert when anyone comes in the name of Christ to tell us as long as we give x amount of dollars into their ministry, we are going to reap that windfall. Especially be concerned about those who say if we don't give to their ministry, we will be left out of heaven or judged in some way. This has been said or implied by many of them many times over the years. There are some on TV who will state an actual figure: “God told me 1,000 people are going to send me a $58 seed. Are you one of those people?” I like that - and “God told them” to boot. Well, by all means, hand me that telephone. If this is God, how can I not respond?

I have a friend who became so distraught as a result of this kind of teaching, she felt because she wasn't reaping in a big way financially that she wasn't being a proper Christian role model for her kids. If they didn't see her living in wealth sent by God, well, then how would they ever be able to trust Him? But was she checking the fruit of these preachers? Was she walking in God's love while sowing, or did she sow only because the preacher told her she'd have a harvest, and she just had to check it out? In any case, the windfall never came.

She was, as anyone, looking to have a solid living and not be concerned about not being able to pay the electric bill, but Brother Sparkleteeth on the TV talked her into a financial bind, quite frankly. Depression resulted, and she went through a phase where she felt like she let her children down, and worse, that God let them all down. Brother Sparkleteeth and those like him never get any of the blame, because they have some secret spiritual formula of holiness that puts them in the favor of God that rewards them with Rolexes.

This spiritual formula of holiness is the other great lie. I too was caught up in listening to these evangelosts and believed, as my friend, that because I wasn't reaping that great harvest that I was not acceptable to God. Because the evangelost tells us the payday happened to him because of his ever-dutiful commitment to God, we start to believe we are not holy if it doesn't happen to us. Lies from the pit of hell! It's not about the money! We are called to be holy as He is holy no matter what our checkbook says, and we have everything in us by His Spirit we need in order to be holy!

This is today's evangelism. Since the invention of the tour bus, nothing but confusion has ensued. Like so-called prophets, these two-bit hustlers either come into your TV or travel into your town bringing heel-clicking entertainment and a message of God's desire to give you happiness in the form of a fat checkbook. They have stories of how they sowed their first seed - maybe it was 20 cents - and tell us to look at them today. The crowd is all full of the Spirit - rather, they think they are - and with the music catching them up, the fast-talking head with the microphone, and promises of money filling their wallets, they can't help but give.

The evangelosts end the service with a little altar call, asking people to accept Jesus into their hearts, make note of the show of hands so that they can brag about it in their next newsletter, and call it a day.

The people walk away expecting to have every debt erased and to find out that some long lost relative they never knew died and left them a zillion dollars. When all this doesn't happen, their faith goes out the window - until the next flyer comes in the mail inviting them to another spiritual pep rally. Is this society so desperate to heap upon themselves earthly trinkets that fade away that they will jeopardize their eternal salvation?

This sounds very sad, doesn't it? These traveling shows are popular because they give the people what they want. People want to know they will be taken care of, and they know God has the means to do it. But where is the desire to know the truth of the Word of God? It is washed out behind prosperity-peddling loons catering to an already over-materialized, ever-advertising, spiritually void society.

The sins of our religious leaders have already surpassed that of the kingdom of Judah. We should have been blown away years ago, and if it weren't for the mercy of God who by nature is unable to take the righteous along with the wicked, we would not be spared at all.

CHAPTER 6

RISE OF FALSE DOCTRINES AND FUN

GIVES RISE TO THE SHEEP WITHIN THE SHEEP

It is not difficult for me to conceive that with millions of heathen perishing, our pot-luck suppers, our shabby gospel films, our bloodless church membership, and our nervous witnessing (plus our self-contentment and self-indulgence) would all come in for a scathing denunciation from the white heat heart of the righteous Son of God.

- Leonard Ravenhill, Sodom Had No Bible

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

- 1 Peter 4:17

At this point in history, we will either be a part of the remnant, or a part of the problem. The remnant consists of the sheep within the sheep, God's people who stay the course to the end and do not give heed to false doctrines and worldly enticements. They keep watch of all that's going on in the world and are very aware of the signs of the times.

Some of God's sheep fall away. They might attend church, stand for positive causes (or at least what the world considers a positive cause) and have their “form of godliness.” But the remnant, the sheep within the sheep, are not - I repeat, not - those who attend church for the fun and the music, or whose lives are so intertwined with the world system, it would take the heavenly pry bar of calamity to pull them out. If they don't repent of their lust for worldly pleasures, they will find calamity and judgment one day upon them. Hypocrites are not welcome in the Kingdom. We either live for God or we live for the other side. There is no lukewarm, no “fence sitting” on the road to heaven.

A vast majority of churchgoers think they're OK because they “go to church.” It seems everyone I've met since moving to a new area recently wants to know where I go to church, and they always tell me they go to this church, or that church. The streets here are just lined with different churches, one or another Christian denomination, each with a different name. They are everywhere.

But I question - and not just of the area I live in, but of our whole country where “churches” abound - if everyone has a church, and there are so many of them… then why is society so ungodly? Why do people drive the highways like hellions and have that “you're bothering me” attitude when standing behind a retail counter? Why are companies collapsing left and right, the threat of having a terrorist in our midst constantly looming, and people are working only to get paid, and not to do a service? Why are “churchgoing” men addicted to pornography? Why are “churchgoing” women still “looking for love” in the bed of some man? Why are “churchgoing” parents and relatives beating and molesting their children? For that matter, to mention a real scenario of 2006, why are “churchgoing” wives murdering their pastor husbands in cold blood? If Jesus came to give us the abundant life (which, to clarify, starts in the heart, not the wallet), why is everyone living the “get-away-kid-you-bother-me” life, the self-serving, immediate gratification life, the life that stamps out the very principles of God?

It's because the church doesn't mean a thing. The building itself is a building in and of itself. Maybe people walk into it a few times a week and sing a few songs, and they use that to make you think they're “good people,” but where is God in the life of the average churchgoer? We are as free as any nation has ever been in terms of worship. We open our mouths and say “Yes, Lord,” but our hearts are dead and entrenched in our angry, fearful, stressed out society clutching its possessions.

The Church is comprised of God's people, those grafted in, believers and followers of Christ. They can find a cardboard box to worship in, and they are still part of the Church. God isn't impressed by our big buildings, or their fancy signs and hyped up programs if the people hiding out in churches are more attached to the world than to Him.

I'd like to see another with the boldness of Martin Luther rise up. He challenged the fallacies of the Catholic church of the day and reformed God's intended establishment back to the ways of the early Church. Although he stopped short of the gifts of the Spirit, he did turn the world around and get the Church as a whole back on track. Not everyone was passionate about the reform, of course, and many stayed within the Catholic church. The Protestant movement was not brought about without a battle. (How sad, really. Non-Catholics are called Protestants because Luther had to “protest” those who had defected from what was the truth in God to begin with!)

Today we are not just fighting any evils that pop up in the Catholic church. We're not just fighting cults like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, and the like. We're fighting those who claim to be “of us.” We're fighting those who are “born again” and hide behind the warning “not to get too legalistic” in order to justify sin. In Jude, we are warned of those who creep in “unawares” (while the sheep are not looking), “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4) In our world, it is those who “have crept.” They've been creeping for centuries. They're here - and they're teaching false doctrines of every sort. They are turning churches into playgrounds.

When the grace of God is turned to “lasciviousness,” it means that lust has become acceptable in anyone who has formerly made a profession in Christ. It's the “once saved, always saved” doctrine that we can live in sexual lust or any kind of wicked impurity and still be eternally secure if we took 30 seconds one day in the past and gave Jesus a little prayer. We hear this a lot today from preachers who want to keep their congregations happy, or the average churchgoers who just want to hear a message with no accountability. No one wants a sermon on holiness. Everyone needs to know they're OK in their present situation. These are the blinders. If a person is living in sin, and they're not receiving the truth in the Word about that sin (by choice - we choose where we attend church and if we study at all), then it's easy to keep the eyes closed. There's nothing to open them up.

The very denial of the Lordship of Jesus can be accepted as doctrine, and this is happening now as with the apostate churches that stemmed from the early Church at the time of the writing of Jude. Today it is common for a churchgoer to decide that the Bible is partly true and partly just fable. And as for the book's divine inspiration, well maybe. If this is the case, then there is no basis for the deity of Jesus. Maybe He is deity, maybe He isn't. I say to those who challenge this truth especially, make up your mind now before it's too late.

These kinds of beliefs, along with a little false religion here and there, and a few idols like sports, money, alcohol and sex are what make the heathens and the hedonistic society. “Hell in a hand basket” is a sure permanent vacation from here, unless repentance and a sincere desire to worship in spirit and truth takes hold in the heart.

So again, we follow the pattern of various people groups at various times throughout history. Although the people of Judah did not have Jesus Christ at the time, for the Messiah had not yet come, they still insulted God with their twisting of His commandments, going light on punishment or warning if any, and in some cases believing in a different god, or gods, altogether.

We read a warning from Jeremiah 23:

1Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

2Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

3And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

4And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

If God's sheep are being led in a wrong direction by their pastor, God Himself will deal with them at the appointed time. The unfortunate thing is that so many will hook into a false doctrine and walk in that way instead of the way the Spirit wants to lead them. There is so much confusion in the churches today, led by mere men claiming to be of God, not holy men. The sheep within the sheep (the remnant) are getting fed up with the words coming from the pulpit not adding up to the words in scripture, and they are leaving the institutionalized churches.

Here are God's comforting words for those fed up with false doctrine and being led astray: “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) The remnant in the Church individually have made up their minds to do just that. The spirit within a person knows when something is wrong and will groan until meeting up with the Truth Himself. The heart seeks the One True God and once finding Him, will naturally recognize false doctrine, stay away from it, and warn others also to stay away.

Anyone praying about finding a righteous pastor who will teach them according to the Word will find the right pastor and the right church group to belong to. There will never be the “perfect church,” but in seeking with the whole heart, we can discern, and know from scripture, when we are in the right place. Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is not in a church building. Pagans, apostates, heretics, the lukewarm and lovers of the world go to “church.” It's those of the remnant that belong to Him, and God promises in the days before Judah's captivity, and says to us today, He will preserve and protect us and keep us in proper instruction if this is what we seek.

Regardless of where our opposition comes from, in or out of church buildings, or where the false doctrine is coming from, if we love the truth, we are called to stand. When we know to do right, we must do right at all cost. If we lose our friends or family members, or even the church we regularly attend turns against us, so be it. Walk in the light as He is in the light.

Jeremiah preached against the tide. The two things we need in standing against false doctrine and flat out apostasy is his perseverance and his love. We do have to remember that even though it makes our walk more difficult when people who want to go the popular way and the easy road turn us away, we need to keep them in prayer. It's easier to judge them than it is to love them. But if we truly seek the heart of God (His heart is the heart of the remnant), we will see that it breaks every time one of His own leaves Him. We will be able to judge righteous judgment in seeing through His eyes.

Just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem because in His time, the city again was in danger of being overtaken (this time by the Romans), so did Jeremiah before his prophecies against it were fulfilled. The sins that had these people bound were going to cause them to go into captivity and eventually kill some of them. These people were dying, either lukewarm, deceived, or as total apostates, worshiping false gods, trusting in false preachers.

In Jeremiah's time, God had to compete with many false gods, one of the greatest of these phonies being Baal, the god that supposedly fertilized the land and allowed for good crops. I wonder, why create all these false gods, one each for separate functions, when the one Father God has it all? He answers every need when called upon in earnest, but the people of Judah thought it was silly to have just one God. The idea was, more is better.

The allowance of these gods is a result of our having separated from God Himself and accepting false doctrines. There are various levels of apostasy. Some were, as they are today, trying to keep God Himself while holding onto other gods. If the Holy Spirit through Christ isn't flowing through us, we are falling away and eventually may fall away completely. Be alert, lest we too fall. Love all that is pure, true, lovely and of good report. Never be ripe to believe a lie. Stay in the Word, and stay in the Spirit.

Along with the “get rich now” doctrine of materialism mentioned in previous chapters, there are other types of doctrines out there, the worst of which the devil uses to try to immediately strip us of eternal security. A formerly “famous” preacher and graduate of Oral Roberts University suddenly had a “revelation” that all people go to heaven. Jesus died for all whether they turn to Him or not, and that was that. There is no repentance involved on our part. We're on our way to glory land, Christians, heathens, atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, everyone. He calls this the “gospel of inclusion.”

This fool lost his congregation when he began preaching this false doctrine and had to close up the church. Oral Roberts, who had considered him like a son at one time, wrote him a letter telling him he must drop this heresy and that he was in error.

So what happened? A church group of lesbians with a lesbian preacher invited him to preach one day. They easily accepted him and his doctrine, because his “gospel of inclusion” accepts all. No scripture needed. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,” and verse 10, “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” But according to this preacher's doctrine, everyone gets to heaven, so this does not apply. Nor does Romans 1:27, giving consequences of homosexuality or Leviticus 18:22, forbidding it.

This man now has a new spiritually blinded congregation that just wants to hear what they consider good news. There is an ear for every doctrine under heaven! I do not know how anyone on fire for God and His truth can create such blasphemous lies and turn into the son of Satan, except to say the seduction of the enemy is strong and will stop at nothing to bring people onto the road of death. I assume his commitment was not total to begin with, and he was an easy prey to the voice of Satan telling him lies. He heard what he “wanted” to hear, just like so many in churches today.

The remnant wants to hear the Word of God. If it isn't true, don't try to pass it off. The remnant is solid in spirit and rejects all heresy and falsehood. The remnant seeks what is true. The more the doctrines of hell try to pull believers down, the higher the remnant will go in the other direction.

The world has become a cesspool with its meshing together of deadly ideologies, manmade theories and doctrines of devils. It doesn't matter which church building we enter on a Sunday morning if we're only interested in “something to believe in” or a “feel good” experience. We can believe the words of the flapping jaws of a false preacher giving out a doctrine from the pit of hell, but it means nothing positive in the realm of eternity. What comes from hell returns to hell when all is said and done.

We also have to be careful of how much “fun” we let into the church building. Maybe the doctrine isn't taking people to hell, but the atmosphere of entertainment in the church overshadows the Word. This is another tool of the enemy. If he can't get people with false doctrine or entice them to fall away into apostasy, he's going to at least make sure that there is plenty of noise within a church building to compete with the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Everyone knows the stories of Jesus entering the temple and finding the “house of merchandise” (John 2:16) and “den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). The modern church rummage sale comes to mind, but I wouldn't call it an insidious thief like I would the peddlers of novelties like Blessed Balm lip balm, Sacramints candy, Wash Away Your Sins towelettes, or angel trinkets to “watch over” you. (That barely begins the list. Jesus, angels and crosses in various forms are hot commodities in our culture.) What redeems the rummage sale is its intent to raise money for the church. They and other types of events are acceptable if they do not compete with God for the people's time.

Jesus meets up with the “moneychangers” using the temple for their own greed at the beginning of His ministry, and again later in His ministry. Scoffers use these passages when challenging the kindheartedness of Jesus and remind us that He too had moments of anger. But why was He angry? Because the temple was to be a “house of prayer.” People turned it into a place of buying and selling, game and personal gain. Jesus had righteous anger. His reaction to those desecrating the temple wouldn't possibly be any less severe with those who mistreat their holy temples (the body) or the church that is to be a house of worship.

We need to be careful what we let in the church. A building by itself is not “holy,” however what goes on in there can either make it holy or make the Holy Spirit take Himself away - that is if He even enters. The Church needs to use discernment concerning its entertainment - skits, rock and roll, puppet shows, drama, Elvis impersonators - and its type of sales and events, and the addition of coffee houses or fast food places in its buildings.

There is a book out that has made waves in the modern churches. Its idea is to “purposely drive” (ahem) all churches into a fun and modern mold, and it is comprised more of the author's psychology rather than biblical truth. Of course, it has the accompanying prayer journals, and 40 days of this and that teaching or something or other (marketing, marketing, marketing) to go along with it. These are the things that the average churchgoer takes on blindly, not taking heed to what God wants for His Church.

Questions the remnant would be concerned with, that Jane and Joe Churchgoer might shrug off: Is it a house of prayer, or a house of merchandise? Is the Holy Spirit running the service, or is there a catchy program? (How sad to imagine the Holy Spirit needs gimmicks to draw people to Himself.) Does the “band” have the Spirit of God, or the spirit of Woodstock? Is what goes on here according to scripture, or is man making this building a funky advertisement to reel in new members? Are the teachings in the Word, or does the preacher have a new and improved “revelation” every week?

CHAPTER 7

WHILE TRUE CHRISTIANITY SLEEPS IN,

INTERFAITH NONSENSE CREEPS IN

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

- Amos 3:3

For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

- Jeremiah 21:10

I dare not even call it heresy. It's nonsense. Heresy is something that strays from the truth. The Interfaith movement never had anything to do with the truth. In fact, the very term “interfaith” suggests the belief that there is no absolute truth.

Dear people - if you are concerned about your salvation and need direction, here is one question you can answer: Do you believe that Allah is the same God as Jehovah? If you answered no, that doesn't prove salvation, but you're on the right track. If you answered yes, you need to repent and get right with God.

There is no other way to say it. The exclusivity of the Gospel of Christ leaves no other possibility but Jesus as the one Way to the Father God. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Furthermore, we must believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and is the Risen Lord today. “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (1 John 4:3)

Since “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), the question that needs to be posed to anyone claiming Christianity but joining forces with the Interfaith crowd is simple: What are you smoking?

The use of the word “interfaith” is fairly new in our world, but it is a tool of the devil from long ago. The people of Judah had multiple gods while claiming to belong to God Himself, and the people in our midst today proudly belong to this Interfaith group or that, announcing their separation from all that is true.

This “all roads lead to the same god” theory jeopardizes the nation. There is only One God whose judgment we are going to reap if we put other gods before Him, in place of Him, or alongside Him.

But the theory of “tolerance” has turned into an acceptance of others' false religious beliefs. I can say I “tolerate” that you worship trees, but do I have to accept that form of worship? No way. Is that form of worship right for you? That form of worship is not right for anyone. Whatever strays from the Word of God is rubbish. False religion has already made us a nation of law-breaking idiots. Why do we want to jump on everyone else's bandwagon? The one faith that proves itself is not a religion - it is a joint-heir relationship with Christ and life according to the principles of the Kingdom of God.

To say we have Christ, but embrace the religious beliefs of one who does not, is not only a lie from our own mouths, but it puts the person with false beliefs in jeopardy also. If we have the truth in Christ, shouldn't we share it instead of saying “I'm OK, you're OK?” If you're not OK, and I say you are, then I am not OK.

In keeping our heart with all diligence, we will not be caught up in the Interfaith movement, but we still need to be aware of its spiritually injurious nature. Its adherents are self-righteous, patting themselves on the back, truly believing they are onto something good, something that invites all people to be loved and accepted. A true servant of God recognizes it for what it is: a diabolical plan of the enemy to close the one road to the Father by way of Jesus Christ. The lie is that there are many roads to choose from, yet everyone reaches heaven. It is similar to the phony “gospel of inclusion,” with all ending up in the same place, reaching the same god. (Note lower-case “g.”)

We mimic the failed ways of Judah in this also by casting aside all reverence to God in order to get along with everyone. Man comes first. Whatever man believes is as good as gospel. What were the priests preaching? Whatever made the people feel comfortable and acceptable. What does the Interfaith movement preach? Its message keeps all people comfortable and acceptable. But without the stamp of Christ, we are not acceptable to God.

The Church of today, feeble in spirit, lazy in discipline, loving the ways of the world, is ripe for this kind of insanity. Even members of the true Church can't agree on the simple things. Doctrinal differences cause feuds between denominations. If a kingdom divided against itself isn't going to stand, how is the Church going to stand when the fire of temptation comes and splits up the brethren? Temptation to turn from the truth in Christ is everywhere. If turning from the truth in Christ will gain us new friends, well, there we are, no questions asked.

In the 1990s, the devil prepared this country for the new level of “tolerance” that sprang up after 9/11. Knowing there would be an uproar because all our terrorists were Muslims, he created several groups in the United States (and abroad) comprised of people of the Interfaith mindset in the mid-to-late 1990s, declaring the big “I'm OK, you're OK” to the world. What this did, in effect, is shut the mouths of people who dared to say Islam is evil (which it is) because according to Interfaith, we are supposed to respect all people of all religions, and accept their religion. No one is our enemy.

I single out Islam for example, because it is the devil's #1 counterfeit religion to Christianity, his #1 spiritual tool against everything a holy God stands for as we head to the final war of mankind, and he brought it to the spotlight so we (Christians) need to deal with it. Because we are told we cannot “stereotype” or “racially profile” any follower of Islam as a potential criminal, the blind in America have gone goofy in a completely different direction and decided to embrace them as wonderful proponents of peace that we must tolerate and invite into our fold.

This warped ideology is the devil's sense of humor. It contributed to Yasser Arafat, former Palestinian leader, earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994. He was a violent dictator, militant Muslim who vocally condemned the existence of Israel, and perpetrator of terrorism who instructed his militia to use children as human shields. Moving in this same spirit, people everywhere blindly believe good of evil and accept falsehood as truth.

And it is this same warped way of thinking that has the Interfaith movement going along embracing every possible religion as peaceful, loving, and acceptable to a holy God. The founders of such groups as the Church of Interfaith Christians or Interfaith Center of New York, to name a few, probably had a whole world envisioned where everyone says “Peace to you” and smiles all day long because there is no more war. This world exists somewhere between the cotton candy clouds and marshmallow mountains where puppy dogs and kitties are free to frolic along crystal blue streams, and the sun never goes down.

For anyone not wanting their heads in the cotton candy clouds, understand that true and lasting peace will not come on this earth until Jesus Christ returns and sets up His true Kingdom. This time is nearer than most think, but our attempts at bringing utopia to earth without Him are foolish and idealistic. It's better to cling to Him with our hearts and be on the right path now and let Him put a real love for fellow man into us than to try to create a love out of human effort and “tolerance.”

Just a few of the Interfaith groups that began in the mid-to-late 1990s are listed below, and their actual statement of beliefs, overview of belief system and/or goals are next to the group's name:

Interfaith Working Group Online, founded in 1995 - religious diversity and social issues; equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people; reproductive freedom; separation of church and state.

The Universal Life Church - “the only denomination in the world that opens its doors to all and welcomes all who ask to get ordained and grants it without question”; non-denominational church that supports a “full spectrum interfaith ministry”; offers “instant ordination” online, a “ministry in a box” package with “monastery credential package.”

Church of Interfaith Christians, founded in 2002 - “We believe in the majesty and greatness of God, a God who dwells throughout the Universe and is in all things… By any name a man calls out to the Heavens for intervention in time of need, he has called upon the One, True God. Many names, many paths, but only one God.”

Interfaith Center of New York, founded in 1997 - secular, non-profit educational organization whose goal is to “create understanding and respect among the different religious groups of New York City as well as to encourage members of all faiths to get involved in civic participation”; “We define interfaith as the positive awareness of religious diversity, and the intention or actual practice of engaging people of different faiths for the betterment of society as a whole”; has network of 1,000 religious community leaders of 20 or so traditions and denominations.

The Interfaith Alliance, founded in 1994 - “the national non-partisan advocacy voice of the interfaith movement. Our 150,000 members are from more than 70 faith traditions and people of good will united to: Promote democratic values, Defend religious liberty, Challenge hatred and religious bigotry and Reinvigorate informed civic participation.”

Interfaith Calendar, founded in 1995 - online calendar of all worldwide religious events, regardless of faith or denomination; included are Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Baha'i religion, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism, Native American beliefs; “We believe in the peace making value of religious understanding and the importance of clear and accurate information.”

Interfaith Family, founded in 1998 - “This resource is for everyone touched by Christian-Jewish intermarriage and every other kind of interfaith relationship, on every topic of interest to them, and for everyone who works with and cares about them.”

North American Interfaith Network (NAIN), founded late 1990s - “non-profit association of interfaith organizations and agencies in Canada, Mexico and the United States”; mission: “to build communication and mutual understanding among interfaith organizations and diverse religious groups throughout North America.”

Interfaith Youth Core, founded in 1998 - their website introduction: “Imagine a world where people from different religious backgrounds come together to create understanding and respect by serving their communities. This is the world we are building” (italics theirs); “The purpose of the Interfaith Youth Core is to nurture a new generation of compassionate global leaders.”

Well, there we have it. We've just stepped into a world where we can all hold hands and sing songs around Happy Hill with our “religiously diverse” friends who want nothing to do with the true God of creation nor His only prepared way to salvation in Jesus Christ. And if the god of good fortune is smiling on us, the one holding our hand to the right or the left won't be plotting to “jihad” us to death. Ah, yes, what a wonderful world. The UN secretary-general should be proud.

Welcome to the spiritual Babylon. There is an analogy we can draw from the Babylonians to the north of Judah about to attack, and the spiritual Babylon with which we contend today. Both are used as instruments of judgment by God. We might not think of the Interfaith movement as a judgment by God because it isn't a military attack, natural disaster, drought, etc. However, it is found in Romans 1:28, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.”

God turning us over to the “reprobate mind” is the worst kind of punishment on earth. We “get what we believe” which has all to do with the world and its false religions and wicked ways. But if God turns us over to the evil way of living, thinking and believing that we choose, it is because He knows we are not coming back.

Babylon, although a physical place which today is modern Iraq, is also in scripture a symbol for the entire world system, and the world religious system. The Interfaith movement goes right along with the spiritual Babylon, because it is comprised of every religion. It's the “anything goes” way of faith, and this is not acceptable with God. In our society, those who want the ways and beliefs of spiritual Babylon and show no desire to turn back to God have been turned over to what they want. This is punishment. This is eternal spiritual captivity.

The Interfaith movement is a curse on our society. If more people had stayed the true path, the “invasion” of Babylon wouldn't be so prevalent today. But again - this is what the people want. The spirit of Babylon is in every new Interfaith group that creeps into our society and every meeting and activity they sponsor.

From Jeremiah 20:4, we read, “and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.” If you want to take that and apply it to our present spiritual Babylon, you could say that the Interfaith movement is going to kill us.

And just as false prophets and priests were telling the people of Judah a lie that the army of Babylon would not be coming to invade their land, so are false preachers today telling us there is no harm in embracing our neighbors involved in wicked religions. But they are dead wrong. Our only Christian duty is to love them, hate and denounce their false religion, and offer them the truth in Christ. We have no duty whatsoever to embrace them (as in befriend them), nor their false belief system.

A prominent, respected Christian preacher who is now into his old age attended an Interfaith prayer meeting scheduled right after the 9/11 attacks and was even one of the speakers. This is inexcusable for someone who taught the Bible and preached to crowds of millions throughout his ministry. All faiths were represented at this affair that ignited the Interfaith movement as a whole and created the atmosphere in our society intended to scare witless any Christian who dare say a word against Islam.

Interfaith THIS: There IS ONLY ONE TRUTH. Get on the road now, or be left out forever.

CHAPTER 8

THE SPIRITUAL WIRING

OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

If you don't do your part, don't blame God.

- Billy Sunday

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

- Hebrews 11:3

Only so much unrighteousness and God-rejecting can go on before man naturally suffers the consequences that are spiritually wired into our universe from the beginning of time. Hence, the prophets were sent to signal the warning and call a land to repentance. People won't listen to God in their hearts, so He sends men to give them concrete, audible words.

Still, outside of the small righteous remnant, no one listens. No one listened to Jeremiah, and no one is listening in our country today.

It is true there aren't many voices willing to warn the people. Christians are generally at ease and want to stay that way. Material blessings spoil a nation. It isn't that people don't have it in them to desire God above their things and their comfortable lives (this is called seeking first the Kingdom, so that all things afterward can be added unto us!). The love of God, and the innate knowledge of what is acceptable and not acceptable to God, is wired in us from the beginning. But it is that wiring that makes us “without excuse” when going astray.

For many Christians, judgment and the whole “Armageddon thing” are for future generations. Today, they eat, drink and make merry with the rest of the ingrates of our society, pay a little service to God on a Sunday morning and discuss the Bible as philosophy, take the parts of the Word they like, rewrite what they don't (how many Bible versions are out there now?), and ascribe false authors to certain books, attempting to make the divine inspiration void. That is, if the Word is opened at all.

Our society and our society-programmed Christians are allowed to keep going on in this way. It is a choice. That is the free will God gave us out of His love for us. But truth remains that we are all guilty before a holy God when we do not heed His Word and His warnings. We hear 2 Chronicles 7:14 so often, it has come to mean nothing: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

If, then. American society rolled its eyes long ago and stopped heeding the “if.” It's catchy to quote, but it has become just another scripture to half-open ears. Or it was something for Israel way back when - not us. No one in our society wants conditions. Don't tell a man if he does this, then that will happen. Don't tell a man anything for that matter. He will become haughty and peg you as narrow-minded and controlling. (Have you ever seen the devil flare up in someone who opposes any truth in Christ offered?) A man will make his own projections, regardless of how false and foolish they are to God, or even to anyone else.

So here another scripture comes into play, Proverbs 16:25: “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (And I reiterate, when the term “man” is used, it is to say humankind, person, either gender).

We in this country are living with invisible dams at all borders, facing inward at us. The dams are about to break and unleash what is due for our turning our backs on God, for making a mockery of Him and turning His truth into lies.

Just some of the plagues and wrath that were unleashed in the Old Testament are drought, pestilence, infirmity (sickness), death, scattering of a land's inhabitants, war and total destruction of a nation. Scripture says God “will send” something in judgment. God “will send” another nation or an enemy or condition to chastise or destroy us, the unrepentant. But these are the judgments He already wired into the creation. All causes and effects were created in the beginning. They are part of the blueprint of our existence. Our disobedience to Him unleashes them. Cause: disobedience; effect: wrath. So there is always time, up to the moment the dam breaks, to come back, if we choose. Cause: repentance; effect: blessings of God, and sparing of judgment.

Jeremiah 7:3, which comes after some of the warnings of judgment, states, “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.” The future wasn't written at this point. The future events had been written into the universe based on the reaction of the inhabitants of Judah. There was still time to keep Judah and Jerusalem intact. There would be no destruction if they turned again to God and amended their ways. The same goes for us if the Church decides to walk in the Word again, and enough people in this country give up their wicked way of life. No dams breaking, wreaking havoc all around. No judgment. Land to dwell in peacefully, just as we have had.

There is still time to keep America intact. But do we choose to amend our ways? So far, not so good. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) But the American consensus is that we are not sinning at all, and the consensus in the Church appears sadly to be the same. Without admitting to sin, there will be no repentance. Without repentance, judgment will not be withheld. This is cause and effect.

Again, remember Nineveh. Here is the result of Jonah's preaching on behalf of God: “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.” (Jonah 3:5) Even the animals were fasting! The natural consequence was the grace of God: “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” (Jonah 3:10) For that matter, remember Jonah. The effect of his disobedience - he first went to Tarshish trying to escape his duty in Nineveh - was getting swallowed by a whale. It wasn't until he was fully repented that the whale spit him out.

For every decision we make, as a nation, as a church, as the Church, or as an individual, there is a reaction from God that is a natural consequence pre-wired according to that decision. There are spiritual laws written into the universe by God that allow for blessings based on obedience, and curses or judgment based on disobedience.

God is timeless and sees the beginning and the end. In fact, He is the Alpha and the Omega. Nothing gets by Him, and nothing is allowed to operate without Him. He started it all, and He will end it all. When we turn from Him completely or disobey a direct call, there is always something waiting for us that is in proportion to our disobedience. For some, it might be three days in the “belly of a whale” to wake them up. For others, depending on the degree of the backslide, it could be years of personal struggle and negative results of personal life decisions. There is always the extension of God's hand, calling us to repent, and there is always the opportunity for us to get right with Him. But the best decisions today produce the best results tomorrow.

Jonah was what we would consider a missionary. He was called to preach to a pagan city in the midst of a pagan nation. The Assyrians were not “God's people,” but still, God had a heart to save them. As soon as the people heard, somehow they knew it was the God of creation who sent His servant, and they responded positively. This is something that Israel in the north and Judah in the south would not even do, and they were God's people!

The repentance of Nineveh is so similar to what our missionaries find when coming across lost tribes and nations that had never heard of our God before. Once these formerly lost people understand, they embrace the truth wholeheartedly. This happens often with nations that were previously in spiritual darkness - once getting a taste of the light, they have to have it! How different they are from those of us who have been exposed to the light for many years. In a country where we have freedom to serve the One True God, and where Bibles can be found in just about any bookstore, we choose to live our own lives apart from Him.

Sometimes I ask, how is it that judgment hasn't totally befallen us yet? But there are answers to that. There are a number of reasons God could choose to spare a nation, and we are living on the last thread of the grace of these reasons right now. This will be discussed in a future chapter.

Unfortunately, as often happens, years later after Nineveh's dramatic repentance, they were back into sin and the nation was eventually overthrown by Babylon. This again is another example of the “cause and effect” rules God has in place. They chose to go back to their false gods, and the God of the universe dealt with them. From Romans 1:18, we read, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” When God's wrath is revealed from heaven, it is unleashing itself as a consequence to a person's, or nation's disobedience.

As previously mentioned, we shouldn't assume because we attend a church building or call ourselves Christians (anyone at the age of five can mimic a prayer) that our lives are pleasing to God. We need to get into the Word, find God's personal call for our lives and live it out. There is no other option.

The “no other option” of walking with God is precisely what makes people turn from Him. It is a lack of trust in Him and a rebellious decision to go their own way. They don't understand that whatever path God has for them is the right one for them, and they will have His special anointing for whatever that path is. It isn't that God will completely abandon a person who walks an alternate path while living according to His principles. But He cares that we find the one He designed for us, because each one of us has a special place in the wiring of the universe. My call is not your call, nor is yours mine. We are all a separate part of the Body of Christ and called to our own place. Our lives are meant to affect each other.

But we often just go our own way because this or that career appeals to us, or we just have to marry this certain person (whether or not he/she is a non-believer), or maybe we feel a little dabbling in the New Age religions is OK. We go where we want and disregard that God has the perfect way for us. There is a consequence to this way of decision-making also. The life apart from God's special purpose has a consequence. We may not see it right away, but there will always be regret later in life. The consequence of choosing to live blindly is the eventual rude awakening of the eyes.

We keep our illusion of being safe in a nation where it is lawful to brutally murder unborn babies. We're just fine with our idols in Hollywood and on the sports field whose depraved ideologies influence us more than the Creator's truth. We don't need the Holy Spirit of God because drugs and alcohol give us the highs we need. We're OK if we neglect the prayer closet, as long as we have man-made governments to trust in. Our churches are OK because the band is hot, the pastor is humorous and the skits are great fun.

If we choose, we can keep giving that Interfaith crew entrance into our churches. We can go along with our falsely believing society and say Allah, the god of terrorist Muslims is the same as the loving God of the Bible. We can keep worshiping our American idols. We can choose to compromise with the world and say its fleshly exploits are not harmful to us, that we're automatically forgiven without repentance because we blindly said a little “Jesus come into my heart” on our fifth birthday. We can keep believing the talking heads in churches that cast their liberal theologies having nothing to do with the Word of God.

But when the dams start to break, we will not be able to say that we were not warned. We may not have a Jeremiah preaching to us, but we have the Word. Leonard Ravenhill wrote a book, Sodom Had No Bible. Sodom also did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit! We do. We have everything we need in the Word of God, being able to read the stories of nations rising and falling, how God worked either for or against a people based on their obedience to Him. We know that God's spiritual wiring can either work for or against us. So what do we choose today? How much more, as a nation that has always had the Word and Holy Spirit available, will we be judged than those who never did?

CHAPTER 9

JUDGED BY A HAMMER

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

- Proverbs 1:24-27

Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

- Jeremiah 23:29

We are a sleeping nation, willingly unaware of what's really going on. So many are angry at heart, easily offended and always seeking quick fixes instead of God's will. We shun God and treat our pets better than our fellow man. We are concentrated totally on self-preservation and self-gratification. We will worship anything if it looks nice to us. And the Church is in no better spiritual condition because she is either in the same state, or letting it all go on uncontested.

We've missed the point about sin. This is why people take so much offense to hearing that they are sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus did not come to earth to tell us what vile people we are, nor is that the intention of those who come in His name. But the message of the Gospel, when heeded and taken to heart, induces change within a person. Most people don't want to change. To hear the message that says we must repent in order to be acceptable to a holy God causes the wounded soul to rise up and take offense. The attitude is, “How dare you say there's anything wrong with me!?” Preachers of the Gospel (I mean, those who actually do preach the Gospel) are viewed as judgmental know-it-alls in our society of broken people.

Instead of being a message of hope and a promise of bridging the gap between fallen man and the Creator God, the Gospel message has been made fearsome by the devil. Having already created weaknesses in a person's character, the devil then plays upon them, causing a wall to be built within the person that will not accept any suggestion of positive change. The person sees the message of repentance and regeneration as poison instead of the only cure-all there will ever be for mankind. Again, the enemy of God manages to blind the masses into believing evil of good, and good of evil.

I may quote Leonard Ravenhill a lot, but that is because he was one of the few preachers in the second half of the 20th century who wasn't afraid to give a congregation what they needed instead of what they might have wanted. One thing he often said when preaching was, “Jesus didn't come to make bad men good. He came to make dead men live.” There is hope in this, and if examined even by a person who chooses to live with blinders on, it should be found that there is no offense in the Gospel, but only good will. There is nothing but love in the message of salvation.

The issue isn't bad vs. good, but death vs. life. So to the easily offended, cowering away from the Bible because you think its message tells you that you just aren't good enough: Get over it. Answer this question: Which would you rather be, dead or alive? Surely, part of receiving Christ as Savior is having our sins taken away. But this is in order to get us prepared for eternal life. There is nothing sinful and wicked that can be part of the Kingdom of God. No earthly, fleshly lust is going to be taken into heaven. Even our bodies will be transformed into something incorruptible, prepared to take us into eternity. No sickness will ever be able to invade the glorified body that lives forever. No wicked thought will ever invade the mind. This is a result of our conscious decision today to turn around and head in the direction of life.

If we are not on our way to the eternal Kingdom, we are on our way in the completely opposite direction.

I'm not opposed to fire and brimstone preaching. In fact, I think we need more of it than we need flowery little sermons about God's love and forgiving nature that often do nothing but ease the conscience about sinning. A good sermon on hellfire and the effects of sin can bring about tremendous results if the people are willing to listen. If they aren't willing to listen, then they aren't willing to be drawn by the Holy Spirit, because it is only the love of God that would preach such a message!

Jeremiah 23:29 tells us God's Word is like a hammer, but precedes this by saying it is like a fire. Fire burns right to the core. Any word, inspired by God, spoken to unregenerate people, has the power to burn up the resistance within the people, lift their blinders and turn their hearts to God. The words of the false prophets and priests would be tried by this fire, and their message would be exposed. When the prophet of God spoke, the hearts of the people would either melt or continue resisting the fire.

Messages of “God accepts you just the way you are” that say nothing else are not from the Holy Spirit. HE SAID REPENT. And that repentance is for our own good. It connects us to God and enables us to have the mind of Christ. Repentance turns us in the direction of eternal life, whereas just a moment before we were heading in the opposite direction.

The message of impending judgment is one that no one wants to hear. They treat it with even more disgust than the message of repentance and salvation. But just as man became so sinful and far from the heart of God that Jesus had to come to earth and offer regeneration and new life, so does there come a point with mankind's sinful ways that the message of impending judgment is needed. This too is so that they will live and not die. This is a message that is intended to spare them from calamity.

As forgiving and loving as Jesus was and is, He still chose John the Baptist to prepare the way for Him with the word, “Repent”! Notice He did not forgive anyone unless they had a change of heart. Forgiveness by God follows true repentance. Although we are called to forgive others even if they show no remorse, it is an act that frees both them and us to receive the blessings and forgiveness of God. If we hold anything against another, we are not going to be forgiven by God. (Mark 11:25)

We are acceptable to Him upon our repentance and upon receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It's true, we are “just the way we are” at the moment of repentance, with all our failures and shortcomings. These are the things that Jesus wants. He wants to fix them, cure all that ails us in mind, body, soul and spirit, so that we will be fit for the Kingdom and able to disciple others. But if we do not admit we failed without Him (sinned) and give Him Lordship over us (and the only way is by repentance), how can He do these things?

That is the failure of our existence. We are DEAD (spiritually and eternally), and until we have Christ, we will stay dead (spiritually and eternally). The ties to eternal life were broken in the Garden, and ever since, we have been on the perpetual quest of retying them. From the day we are born to the day we die, we are on a quest to find our way back to the Garden. We are to be changed “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18), from progression to progression, on our way into eternity.

When God tells a nation to get out the sackcloth, it is so that nation will survive. The nation that must heed the call to repentance is the nation that is on its way to death. We're heading in the wrong direction! Let's get with the program and live! The progression of our natural lives follows where we are in the heart and the spirit. We can only, as individuals or a nation, be heading in one direction or the other. After experiencing physical death, we as individuals naturally gravitate toward the light or the darkness, depending on which direction we were heading while on earth.

If God says His word is like a hammer, then we can be sure this hammer always works for the good of eternity. The hammer works only to break apart the forces of the enemy. It depends on where we stand (aligning with the devil and his demons in sin, or resisting them) whether we see the hammer of God breaking apart the trials and tribulations in our lives, or see it coming directly at our lives because of the choices we have made. The very word “repent” from John the Baptist was a word from God, rushing in like a fire and coming down like a hammer. It was employed for the good of mankind and attached to it was, and is, eternal life.

Only God can judge when a nation has become completely reprobate. In America, I look around and say we are pretty much there. How fortunate for mankind that I am not God, for lacking in the degree of His mercy, I would have burned the planet up years ago! I don't believe any of the evangelists of the early-to-mid-1900s (the ones who wouldn't let fear get in their way of preaching the truth) could look at our current society without getting a shock to the system. What might they say? I know it would be with a lamenting heart that they look back on their years of preaching. The current condition of immorality, depravity and in some cases all-out lunacy is precisely what a real preacher of God comes against. And if he does it right, he does it out of love.

God has not given up on us. I believe we are still in line for some form of judgment - or more judgments rather - but a complete turnaround on the path to life for everyone in this country could halt potential complete devastation at a future point. Or look at it this way - how many righteous will God spare us for?

When studying the book of Jeremiah, we see that the takeover of Judah happened over several years, and there were three phases to the Babylonian army's taking the citizens of Judah into captivity. At any point during the time of the complete takeover, the nation could have put on that sackcloth, burned their idols to ashes and kicked the “queen of heaven” and Baal, et al to the curb! God would have heard. But they did not. Instead, when the war was raging as Jeremiah prophesied, one group complained while seeking refuge in Egypt that if they had just kept on worshiping their idols, they would not be in this predicament of running for their lives. They decided to keep worshiping their idols that they foolishly believed could free them.

When we get into trouble, we have our reasonings too. If only I had done this or done that. I didn't make it to my (apostate) church last week - now I'm being punished. Maybe if I say three Hail Marys my problem will go away. And God looks on it all and is hurt because we are not looking to Him. If we had been looking to Him in the first place, perhaps He would have spared us whatever struggle we are in right now. This is not to say that Christians never have struggles, but God may spare us some, or shorten their length, if we trust in and call upon Him. We often pray after the fact, when trouble has begun, that He will rescue us, when we should just be praying habitually out of reverence and relationship to Him. Prayer, contacting the Father in Jesus' name, should be a constant and natural thing, not an afterthought.

Our sins are catching up with us slowly but surely. Our judgment is coming in waves and phases like the judgment of Judah. During these waves and phases, we still have time to turn to God if we choose.

The first time the Babylonians came was 605 BC. They took their first group of slaves from Judah and brought them back to Babylon. Among those in this first group was the prophet Daniel. The second time was in 597 BC. About 10,000 more people were taken from Judah and made slaves. The prophet Ezekiel was in this group. During the time period between trip one and trip two, if any left remaining in Judah and Jerusalem wanted to repent, the offer was there. Jeremiah was faithfully preaching repentance, still hammering the Word of God to break down the stubborn will of the people. The third time, Babylon came for Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and the land was devastated. This was 586 BC.

Some, against God's command through Jeremiah, fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with them. They thought his availability might in some way protect them because he was a prophet of God. They must have had a sense, as did Zedekiah, of the One True God for even trusting - well, using - Jeremiah. But they still, in their own blind persistence, refused to worship God. They kept their false gods and once in Egypt, piled on some new Egyptian gods in hope of finding one to bring them the security and prosperity they once enjoyed.

When remembering the aftermath of 9/11, we can compare the times. But we should not remember as the media and politicians do in order to exploit the tragedy and its victims and make it a holiday every year. We should remember it for what it was: a double tragedy. The loss of life had a country in mourning while the catastrophic magnitude of the event put a cloud over the nation. These constitute the effects seen, or tragedy number one. But what about the spiritual effects? This is the second, and greater tragedy. After the calamity struck, everyone in the country suddenly got all “spiritual,” and a month later it was back to business as usual. The spirituality was lacking in depth to begin with. There is only one anchor to the spirit of man, and He is Jesus. But people have made Jesus, if not a mere kindly prophet, into just one of many gods, especially after 9/11.

“God Bless America” bumper stickers were the residual effect of the newfound collective spirituality of the nation. I think the bumper sticker printer people were rolling in revenues because of this one. It wasn't uncommon to see car after car with a “God Bless America” sticker on the back. The people were doing their duty and proving with that sticky little thing that they still believed in - well, some form of god, and it was his, or her obligation to “bless” America because after all, we had just experienced a tragedy. It was also at this point in American history that the Interfaith crew leaped off the ground and into their great Tower of Babel, inviting all the spiritually blind of the world to their various enlightened meetings. Marshmallow Mountain, here we come!

Just as the people of Judah, after experiencing tragedy - complete ruin actually - turned to more gods and false teaching, so did we after 9/11. Instead of turning to the God of creation who only seeks to bring His lost and dying people back to life, we kicked Him to the curb and said when it comes to worship, “Anything goes.” We wouldn't let tragedy teach us to repent. We did let it teach us to be “spiritual.” Well, the devil himself is “spiritual,” but that doesn't mean I want to spend any time with him.

And for those who think I'm being too harsh, remember it was also not uncommon to find attached to the same righteous Fords and holy Hondas with the “God Bless America” stickers, a different sticker saying something like, “Don't Like My Driving? Dial 1-800-EAT-S---.” Oh, yes, how spiritual we were, and still are.

Judah was given opportunity after opportunity. Jeremiah was preaching his heart out, and instead of seeing him as the gift of mercy from God that he was, for the most part they considered him a nuisance to be done away with. Mercy for us is that planes didn't hit the White House. Mercy for us is that the recent terrorist plot involving airplanes from Britain to the United States was unraveled.

Mercy for us, in its ultimate form, is that we still have freedom to worship the One True God and read His Word any time of the day or night! What do we choose to do with this freedom? Imagine if this were taken away.

God will always use His Word, which is like a hammer for good. The words of Jeremiah were given to him by God to break down the resistance of the people. The hammer was being used for good. But when people put the truth of God on trial by insisting on going in a completely false direction, God had to step in. The hammer came down as judgment.

Judgment to the masses may not be viewed as “good,” but in the eyes of the righteous God of eternity, it must break down everything that exalts itself above the truth and that seeks to make the truth into a lie. It must break down the worship of every false god and hearing of every false doctrine. When the people have made up their minds to continue pursuing death and to never choose the path of life, after countless opportunities to turn around, it is out of God's hands. The natural consequence takes over. God will allow a nation to be destroyed. In a simpler way, the same concept applies to every person who chooses his own way individually. He can only go so far away from God before discovering that his life is spiraling out of control and into darkness.

We read the story of the fall of Jerusalem in 2 Kings 24, 25 and Jeremiah 39. What thickens the plot of spiritual adultery in Judah and Jerusalem is that the kings during the time of the Babylonian siege of this southern kingdom “did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.” They were worshiping foreign gods and living for personal gain themselves. In Jeremiah 22, we read a prophecy given against Jehoiakim, the king who preceded Zedekiah:

17But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

18Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!

19He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

Jehoiakim was shamed and died violently at the hands of the enemy. Zedekiah's fate for disobeying God, mentioned in a previous chapter, was just as unappealing.

Judah had a history of good king, bad king, good king, bad king… This is not unlike the United States or some other countries for that matter. But God will deal with a nation sometimes based on the faith of their king. Hezekiah, for example, years earlier in Judah, trusted in God's provision against the Assyrian army that was headed straight for Jerusalem. Miraculously, the Assyrian army was destroyed. Hezekiah had already been living righteously, destroying all signs of idol worship in the city and temple. God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him.

We've been chastised in this country. The 1929 stock market crash was a direct result of the rising of the self-indulgent lifestyle of the 1920s. Money and frivolous living ruled the day. Militant feminism was gathering support and perverted sex shows were on the rise. Moral decline could be found at every corner. Judgment comes suddenly and a way of life can be destroyed within an hour. What we love can be taken away from us if what we love is not from God. People loved money, and it was taken away from the average person in 1929. (This is something to be aware of considering the monetary greed that presently rules our society.)

Then came World War II. The rulers in Germany at that time couldn't have been any more demonic. Citizens of the world still didn't learn the truth of God's chastisement. The United States might be at the top of that list of those “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7) We seemed to enter this competition to see if every year's wickedness could top that of the previous year. We went from the happy-go-lucky days of Leave It To Beaver straight into the rebellious hippie form of love (do it with anything that moves) of the 1960s. The 70s brought more rebellion, street crime, alcoholism, child abuse and harmful additions. We really did not learn according to God's way. The state of our morality progressively and steadily went downhill, and here we are in a society where most can't even decide what's black, white, wrong or right. We'll fence-sit in a shade of grey and adhere to the concept of moral relativism, while relying on sitcoms and the media to tell us what success, families and religion are.

Judah stomped its foot and said it would have its false idols and its queen of heaven. We stomp ours and say we'll have whatever we want and we'll do whatever we have to in order to get it. Our idols consume us, and our gods are many. The hammer came down on Judah, and the city of Jerusalem was left in ruins. They weren't even smart enough to figure out that it was the Word of God. They believed the false prophets who lied and said they'd be exiled but freed within two years. But it took 70 years, as Jeremiah prophesied, for them to begin returning to their land.

Just like Judah, when the hammer comes, we dodge it at every turn, seeking some new method of escape. With us today, it's the senses-tickling experience that dulls the pain of judgment. This is because we don't recognize judgment for what it is. We'll keep carousing at the bars, sleeping with nameless people, and worshiping the gods of entertainment because it “feels good” and gets our mind off the problems in society. We believe the false pulpiteers, evangelosts and prophets who tell us the future looks bright and God is going to send a financial windfall.

God help us. The fire of the Word hasn't been making much of an impression. Fire reaches the heart and burns up anything that shouldn't be there, but it doesn't influence stone, which is what the hearts in our society consist of today. Beware, however, for the hammer can crush stone. We've seen it coming, as did Judah, in various stages and hitting when we least expect it. If we don't look up, and soon, and turn from the idols we choose, the United States, including those in the Church who refuse to wake up and look up, will be hit with enough blows to crush us to powder.

The Word of God has been striking its warnings from the few voices willing to preach it to the few ears open and willing to hear. It speaks silently through natural disasters, wars, drought, infirmity and terrorism. It tells us to look up and amend our ways. If the hammer is always used for good, and we find ourselves on the end of it one day being broken up, it is because nothing good is found in us, and we must repent or be put away.

“Life or death?” is a simple question. That so few take it seriously shows the heart of the day.

CHAPTER 10

PROPHECY UNFOLDS

1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

- Ezekiel 37:1-3

19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

- 2 Peter 1:19-21

It is important that the prophecies and biblical warnings of conditions on the earth in our day are outlined. I want there to be no doubt in any reader's mind that these modern days were foretold by the prophets as the “time of the end,” which is the prophet Daniel's terminology. In this chapter, I will stray temporarily from the comparison between our society and ancient Judah, except to say, in essence, what we are experiencing figuratively on a much larger scale are the days of the pre-Babylonian siege upon Judah. This affects the world as a whole, and not just the United States or the Church.

The armies of Babylon came in waves to take the people of Judah into captivity, and Jeremiah foretold it all. Today we are seeing wave after wave of calamity aligning with the words of the prophets of God, which include Jesus who foretold much about our day. The complete captivity of those who continue to live in sin comes ever closer until Satan's chokehold takes its deadly effect and there is no more time to turn back to God.

Now is the time to choose which side we are on. The enemies of God will forever be in captivity, while those who stay the course in repentance will be forever free with Christ.

When we read the prophetic books of the Bible, we can take some on two levels. They record the happenings of the day during which the literal script was written, but also they are a peek into our own future. Some prophecies were written just for the immediate future of the time period at hand, and some were written centuries ago but only for us today. I believe the prophecy Jesus foretold regarding Jerusalem being compassed about with armies is a two-level prophecy. The second temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and this prophecy was fulfilled. But the days of Jerusalem's enemies circling them in war is also on the horizon. I believe we are seeing prophecies coming to pass with record speed. There is too much chaos presently going on in the world and in the heart of man that lines up with times foretold in scripture to ignore this.

Jesus, in Matthew 24, called these times “the beginning of sorrows,” or put in another way, the “birth pangs.” I believe the earth is about to give birth to the demon child of Armageddon, and in our lifetime. I do not say this as a prophecy, but in reading the signs of the times, it is impossible to miss.

I quoted in the beginning most of Luke 21. Matthew 24 is a retelling of the same information. Compare this information with what we see around us. We are to see false Christs; false appearances of Christ; wars and rumors of wars; nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom; famines; pestilences; earthquakes; false prophets deceiving many; abounding iniquity; continuing persecution of Christians (we may be scoffed at in the United States, but in other countries, Christians are tortured and killed); the love of many waxing cold, and the Gospel message reaching all the world. What other generation has had the capability of preaching to “all the world”? Airplanes, and satellite TV and radio are quite the inventions.

Statistically, earthquakes are on the increase globally, and even in the United States, but I don't think we've seen anything yet. An earthquake in a busy city can cause ruptured gas lines exploding and setting fire to the entire city and those around it. Add to that the collapse of buildings and bridges due to a 7.0 or 8.0 or greater, and not only the everyday business dealings of the affected area are incapacitated, but those of other areas of the country connected to the affected area. And this says nothing of the human toll and its accompanying emotional devastation.

Luke 21 covers a few different items, such as “fearful sights and great signs from heaven” (21:11), which could be a number of things from bombs and rockets to strange weather patterns, or meteors and comets coming close to the earth, or an all-out sign in the sky from God to His people that we just haven't seen yet. In the overall scope, we can say the sights and signs are the very happenings around us foretold by the prophets. They could be the judgments of nations. If they come “from heaven,” they are pre-wired into the universe to occur based on man's behaviors. In any case, we need to keep our eyes open in these last of the last days.

Here is Jesus' prophecy regarding Jerusalem in verse 20: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.” The “desolation” on the horizon is the coming of the antichrist who will declare himself as God in front of the whole world (TV and Internet are inventions to reach the world that man did not have in previous centuries) and will use the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, which still needs to be rebuilt, to exalt himself.

Plans are in the works to rebuild this temple. The antichrist will rule for a period of three and a half years before declaring himself God and desecrating this holy place. But a lot can happen in just a short amount of time. There were often discussions in recent history of rebuilding the temple (this will be the third), but so far it has not happened. All that's left of the temple that was destroyed in 70 AD is what is called the Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall,” where Jews still go to worship since recapturing Jerusalem in 1967.

The regrouping of the Jewish Sanhedrin, formerly a judicial body of 71 men once considered the highest court in Jerusalem, took place in October 2004. They meet monthly and are already drawing up the plans to rebuild the temple. Of course, the obstacles presently in the way are the Muslims' claim to the land and their Dome of the Rock sitting where the temple once was. I do not believe Israel would do something foolish to regain the land, but I would not be surprised by God's divine intervention to see the very geographical area upset by war or some other event to enable the rebuilding of the Jewish temple.

Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes in Ariel Ministries Newsletter, Fall 2004/Winter 2005: “The significance of Israel' s reinstituting the Sanhedrin may be another event that leaves in place the possibility of how the Lord will work out His will with His people. Almost sixty years after a 1900-year absence, the nation of Israel came into existence. Jewish people from the four corners of the world have made aliyah to live in the Land. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has reconstructed the instruments for Jewish Temple worship; Jewish men determined to be descendants of Aaron, known as the Kohanim, are being trained in ritual practices to serve as Temple priests; and now we have the establishment of an authoritative body to speak to the nation of Israel on matters of Jewish religion. This is significant in light of such passages as Zechariah 12:10 and Hosea 5:15, which speak of a time when the people of Israel will be led into the acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah. The existence of a religious authority for the entire nation will facilitate the multitudes coming to faith.”

As mentioned in a previous chapter, the reestablishment of Israel, or the “fig tree,” as a nation in 1948, and the regathering of Jews to their homeland, is a major component of Bible prophecy being fulfilled in our lifetime. Jesus said the final generation would see Israel blossom again. Almost 2,000 years of non-existence has passed, and the Jews finally have their home again. Ezekiel's prophesying to the “dry bones” in Ezekiel 37 is a foreshadowing of this rebirth of Israel in the last days. But the nation's rebirth did not mean that fighting over the land ended. Since 1948, Israel has endured numerous wars, military attacks and attempted assaults at the hand of its enemies. The devil's goal is the same in any situation. He wants what God has, and he will take from God's children to give to his own until the day he is silenced in hell forever.

Ever since the time that twin brothers Jacob and Esau wrestled in their mother's womb has Jerusalem and its surrounding land been a place of war, tumult, contest and conquest. The Jewish people are Jacob's descendents. They are entitled by the God of creation to every inch of land in the Middle East ever fought for. What we know as Arabs, including Palestinians, today are the descendents of Ishmael and Esau. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a meal and went “sour grapes” from that day on. He was jealous of Jacob and sought to kill him. And all throughout history, his descendents have sought to kill the descendents of Jacob. Hence the battles ensue between Israel and every surrounding Arab nation against them. It's the devil's jealous coveting at work. Arabs are running around like the devil's little minions. I wonder if any of them ever wakes up in the morning without their first thought being how much they hate the Jew.

Just look at the Middle East to see how dead-on Bible prophecy is. Here is a brief retelling of early Israel by Noah Hutchings in The Prophetic Observer, August 2006:

“The first enemy that Israel faced after leaving Egypt was the Amalekites, descendants of Esau. The next enemy they faced on the way to the Promised Land was the Edomites, likewise descendents of Esau. During the 400-year era of the Judges, the Edomites continually invaded Israel, razing and killing. During the Babylonian captivity period, the Babylonians moved the Edomites out of Petra into Israel. The Herods were Edomites. When the Romans killed a million Israelis and scattered the rest into the nations of the world, the Edomites still remained in the land. Even when the Jews were fighting the Romans in AD 70, Josephus records the Edomites killed 8,000 Jews in Jerusalem when they were practically defenseless… The Edomites have never lived at peace with any of their neighbors.”

With the recent, although short-lived, war between Israel and Lebanon, the setting of the worldwide stage pointing towards the final battle on earth and return of Jesus Christ came clearly into view. If we need to know who the instigators and players will be in the final battle, we need to just cross reference Bible prophecy yet unfulfilled with the rhetoric of Middle East leaders along with their allies. It is our responsibility to know that we are in the time of the end - I mean End - and live and pray accordingly.

The recent support Christians give to Israel, not just in time of war, but in dedication of funds to bring Jews back to the land from Russia and other areas they were once scattered, is growing every day. Christians United For Israel (CUFI) is an organization whose stated purpose is “to speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to Biblical issues.”

This support speaks volumes in direct relation to Bible prophecy. Israel will know their Messiah at the time of His second return, when He comes to set up His Kingdom on earth. Zechariah 12:10 says, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

Israel will at long last know Jesus, her Messiah. The Gentile, or Christian's, amicable and supportive relation with the Jews at this stage in history is critical. We plant seeds of truth in them proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah.

The day of Israel's turning to God is foretold in Ezekiel 37:13,14: “And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.” Romans 11:26 refers to “all Israel” as being saved at the time of tribulation. This means inhabitants of physical Israel, the Jews who do accept Christ, and the Gentiles, or “spiritual Israel,” who are Christians.

Another prophecy we are seeing in its “birth pangs” state is the destruction of Babylon. Its destruction is actually acceptable on three levels. Isaiah 13 foretells the “burden of Babylon,” as described in verse 1. This was fulfilled as the destruction of the same ancient Babylon that was used as chastisement in the conquering of Judah. Babylon was captured by the Medo-Persian army in 539 BC. This captivity is what enabled the Jews to begin returning to Judah in what was an overall 70-year captivity for them. Notice that this scattering of the Jews and then returning to their homeland is a reoccurrence in scripture, as well as something we see in present times since 1948. This is the final return. Jerusalem will stand for eternity now.

Mentioned already is that modern Iraq is geographically the same as ancient physical Babylon. In 2003, the United States invaded Iraq in an effort to destroy their ties to terrorism and its evil dictator, Saddam Hussein's regime. So far this has not been accomplished in its entirety. We keep hearing that a civil war between the citizens of Iraq will be the end of that civilization. It's quite possible. Sunni and Shiite Muslims are intent on blowing one another up, as were the Protestants and Catholics during the time of the Reformation. Again, a kingdom divided against itself is not going to stand! I believe we can look for the land of Iraq (once ancient Babylon) to be a deserted wasteland in the near future, one way or another.

Thirdly, in the Day of the Lord, the spiritual Babylon is destroyed. Jesus comes back and all who oppose Him and adhere to false doctrines and the “many faiths lead to the same god” teachings will be destroyed. It is a natural effect, or consequence, of their turning away from the truth. Some have said that the Catholic church is the spiritual Babylon. I believe it is part of it, but not Babylon in its entirety. The pope is respected by people of all faiths, which is a popularity that is unheard of among God's people in scripture. As with true prophets, the true proponents of the Gospel are never popular. We are even warned that we will be ridiculed and persecuted, as we are sent forth “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” (Matthew 10:16)

Accompanying the false religion of Babylon is the world system at large. When the spirit world is in total disarray, so is the natural world. If the voice of God is ignored and the truth is trampled by belief in false doctrines and false gods, the world's value system goes right along with it. In Revelation 18:4, God calls us out of Babylon, which is all the worldly institutions which stem from the heart of the wicked and unrepentant in spirit. This Babylon will be destroyed in judgment in “one hour,” according to Revelation 18:10.

All false religions will soon be dead, and all phonies using the name of Christ but denying Him will be dealt with and never able to deceive people again. All demonic avenues to prosperity and even the “prosperity doctrine” will be cut off because people sought wealth and earthly security above the One True God. Babylon is destroyed forever. This comes at the hand of Jesus Christ Himself.

Other types of conditions to look for signaling the time of the end are recorded in scripture. There is a great “falling away” from true doctrine in our present world. Compare that with what we know from 1 Timothy 4:

1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Catholic doctrine forbids men to marry and part of the religion includes a dead ritual of abstaining from meats (not to be compared with fasting). Abstaining from meats is also a ritual to vegetarians, and in some cases has been made like either a form of religion or a god to them. But the overall nature of world religions in these latter times is a departure from the faith in God and an enthusiastic acceptance of lies, peddled from various pulpits and auditoriums.

I just heard today that some in the Catholic church are now peddling “universal salvation,” which in essence is the same as the “gospel of inclusion.” Same spirit, different heading. They use 1 Corinthians 15: 25, 26 as one basis: “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Since hell is an enemy of God, it too will eventually be destroyed, and all people are eventually saved and headed into eternal life in Christ.

The term “for ever and ever” which is used often in the Bible is examined by these heretics and taken apart: “for ever” is one phase when people go to hell, but this hell is merely a purgatory of sorts; and the “and ever” is the complete eternity during which time hell is destroyed, its temporary residents sent to heaven, and all believers in Christ get to have tea in eternity with the likes of Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Judas Iscariot.

Pope John Paul II, now deceased, previously stated that God, through Christ, works out salvation through many different religions. He said, “God makes himself present in many ways, not only to individuals but also to entire peoples through their spiritual riches, of which their religions are the main and essential expression, even when they contain gaps, insufficiencies and errors.” No wonder there is a group of monks and bishops in Worcester, Massachusetts itching for Pope Benedict XVI to make the “universal salvation” heresy the official stand of the Catholic church.

Finally, we read in 2 Timothy 3 of the general human condition in these last days:

1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Ah, those silly women whose homes are broken in to. They're ready for something to believe in. Ever have a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon knock on your door? They certainly offer “something.” But this excerpt from scripture needs no further explanation in light of present society. Look out the window or your front door.

Global warming is even part of the end-time scenario. Not too long ago, many in churches and the political domain weren't very concerned about the effects humans are having on the planet. It was pretty much reserved for the “environmentalist whackos,” affectionately termed by Rush Limbaugh. But no one is ignoring science anymore. Al Gore even produced a movie about global warming called An Inconvenient Truth. Although I credit Al Gore's movie with being the first to bring the subject to light as much as I credit him with inventing the Internet, I do credit him with getting most of his facts straight on this one issue. The earth is heating up, icebergs are melting and water is rising. Human activity over time has affected the ozone and general weather patterns.

But still, scientific discoveries lag behind the Bible. Foretold in Revelation 16:8 was that “the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.” There will be a heat wave so severe during the great Tribulation that men will blaspheme the name of God and refuse to repent and give Him glory (Revelation 16:9). This is typical of those under any kind of stress or experiencing turmoil. Our reaction can be to blame God instead of turning to Him. During these days, the worse conditions get, the more hardened will be the hearts of men against God.

Considering the prophetic scenarios surrounding us on the globe all at once, too much is adding up for us not to be looking up.

CHAPTER 11

VULNERABILITY OF AMERICA

America has passed her 200th anniversary. We have been reminded that the Golden Age of great empires is 200 years. The decline of these empires goes like this:

From bondage to faith, from faith to courage

from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance

from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency

from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence

from dependence to bondage.

- Leonard Ravenhill, America Is Too Young To Die

Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

- Jeremiah 8:7

The world is in an uproar like we've never seen. The pages of the Bible are coming to life in front of us. What does this mean for America? No one has been able to give a concrete answer as to where America is in relation to Bible prophecy. There have been many theories, one of which claims that America is the Babylon of the last days. However, there is too much scriptural evidence that makes that claim void. Some believe we can gather from Ezekiel 38:13, in context, that “Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof” indicates that Great Britain and her “young lions,” America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, will stand together in protesting the end-time attack against Israel, which is what will spare these nations the wrath of God.

But let's say that's true. Even if America is allowed to continue on as a nation, it does not mean its dwellers will be spared the wrath of God for its sins individually and as a nation. We will see war. Just as David saw war for the rest of his life because of his indiscretion, and the people of Judah saw several stages of war before the final destruction of their land, it is coming here too. There is always a consequence to any action, whether in obedience or in disobedience to God. Have we been obedient? There are self-proclaimed prophets in this country making six-figure salaries who say that we are heading into the greatest time of prosperity the country has ever seen. Sure - if God blesses wicked nations, then America is on track for our greatest years of existence. It's that no-accountability universal salvation doctrine on earth.

One of these same charlatans just claimed as a “word from the Lord” that The DaVinci Code is God's doing, and His chosen instrument to bring in more souls for Christ! Not only do these mouthpieces of Satan have no idea what a true prophet of God is, but they do not have any idea how God, throughout history, has dealt with wicked nations. It's a good thing that the Holy Spirit in our ears, coupled with history, speaks even louder than the devil in their ears.

And yes, I did use the word “wicked.” I offer no one an apology, nor would I take it back if asked. We have snubbed God with every new spiritless invention of amusement, vile TV and radio program, decision for foreign gods and idols, the voting in of corrupt leaders, and embrace of yet another “alternate lifestyle,” type of abortion (all you have to do is take a pill and bleed your baby out now) or breaking ground of a casino or night spot.

Recently, with the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Biloxi and surrounding areas, there were news reports of progress, or lack of, in its aftermath. A dealer in one of the reopened casinos in the area remarked “how sad” so many of the casinos were not able to reopen yet. What's “sad” is how we view the destruction of evil as sad and cannot wait to resurrect it!

We love gambling, throwing money away, strong drink, mindless partying, strip clubs (whore houses), filthy music and God knows what else that goes on in the darkness. Abortion is the law of the land and homosexuals are given health insurance for their sodomy “partners” while the number of children living in poverty or below reaches record levels. Wall Street is our Baal, and our comfort and security rise and fall with the rising and falling of stock numbers and interest rates.

Our modern churches have made it difficult for anyone who doesn't want a watered-down or completely apostate or false gospel to find a home church to worship in. The Church has become like the world when it should have been reeling the world in and helping Jesus to clean it up. Instead of the lost taking their lead from God's true servants, His servants are fraternizing with the lost while mimicking the ways of secular entertainers, worldly marketing schemes and business dealings.

If God rewards us for this way of life, then we can be sure nothing is true in scripture. The Bible is either the whole truth or biggest lie ever told. We certainly are not living as if we believe it is the whole truth.

We may back Israel as Christians, or as a nation because our present Administration does, but there are plenty in this country that couldn't care less about the Middle East because they feel it is not directly affecting their lives.

These people couldn't be more wrong. This apathy in itself will result in judgment. We are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. When Jerusalem is at peace, so is the rest of the world. When Israel sees no more war, attacks or threatened attacks by its enemies, the rest of the world will follow. The spiritual significance to the homeland of God's chosen people is not to be ignored. When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we actually pray for the return of Jesus Christ. The only true peace that will come to that land, and consequently the rest of the world, is the peace that He brings upon His return.

So what about America? All we can do as individuals is what we know is right to do by God. If we call ourselves by the name of Christ, we say with Jesus from Luke 4:18,19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” We follow this out. We walk in His love. We stop letting the world affect our desires, and we start planting new, Spirit-driven desires into the world!

Will they listen? I have to be honest - probably not. But our commission is what it is. Go where we must as sheep in the midst of wolves and put on the whole armor of God. Let's not be faint in the end. There is more to do than ever.

Will America be spared? I must be honest again - this is doubtful. If Judah was spared, we could say maybe. But as long as they continued in sin and believed the false messages of no-accountability peace and prosperity instead of letting the holy fire of God turn them around into repentance, they did not have a chance.

But again, our commission is what it is. And we are individually responsible to keep our own house in order regardless of what goes on around us, and regardless of any Babylonian army pressing in. Remember Whose we are.

Of course, knowing what we're up against causes many to lose heart or even fall away. The drive-thru mentality of “I can have it all now” and the “If you can't beat `em, join `em” syndrome have swallowed up many new converts and even those who have walked with the Lord for years.

There are a few comforts to the remnant: knowing that our real home is not here on the devil's chaotic planet of hatred, death and destruction; knowing that the Kingdom of God rules in our lives by its principles, and our Ultimate Law above manmade laws is Christ; and knowing that all the fools who profess to be wise are that much closer to having their eyes forcibly opened to the Truth (that is Christ, the Living Word), and that once that flimsy thread holding them all together finally snaps, these people will never be able to blaspheme God or pass their petty theories off as fact again.

People have a choice. Know Jesus now, or reap the consequences later - and judging by the Matthew 24 scenario being played out around the globe continuously, “later” is closer than some might think. Revere the One True God now, or forcibly know Him later, in death - or rather, the second death, the judgment.

Our society has its pet concerns, and we just have to deal with it. Our society wants to hear what Brad Pitt had for dinner and whether or not he's going to marry Angelina. The people want to know who Jessica Simpson is sleeping with, and who next week's guests are on The Late Show. The Hollywood idols in our land are just one facet of our lifestyle that puts us in a vulnerable place before heaven's holiness. We can preach against them all we want, but the people will have their way.

We live in a time when blood-flow deprived “celebrities” (I do not celebrate these people) with flapping jaws are now on the attack, standing side by side with immoral politicians. The microphone is handed to the likes of Barbra Streisand and George Clooney who spit venom towards conservatives and moral causes. I believe they need to have a cause, lest they wake up from their gold-studded slumber and realize they are only humans and not the gods their followers make them out to be. And their followers, the blood-flow deprived star-struck masses say, “This must be good” - that is, right after they utter, “Duh.”

Writes Jeffrey T. Kuhner, editor of Insight on the News online (www.insightmag.com) from an April 2006 article, “America's Boobocracy”: “Our society has become obsessed with sex, body image, entertainment, fame and celebrity. We are a nation of tabloid readers, TV watchers, Internet porn junkies, sports fanatics, and compulsive music and movie consumers. All of these activities have one thing in common: they reflect our society's over-riding emphasis on the pursuit of pleasure and entertainment… We have become a nation of boobs-ignorant citizens, who spend much of their days doing vacuous and stupid activities, and preoccupied with the often sordid lives of vacuous and stupid celebrities….”

So these “vacuous and stupid celebrities” must unfortunately open their mouths. Liberals and their Hollywood entourage in this country have made a point of blaming our Republican president for any misfortunate calamity that befalls any American family. George W. Bush is far from perfect, but I'd dare not scapegoat him for every small aspect of my life I'm unhappy with. I believe he was the best man for the hour, and God appointed him president as undeserved mercy for this country. And the scapegoating of his Administration is nothing but the enemy of God, with fixed sourpuss, calling his troops to battle. I've even heard it's the president's fault that the entire Arab world is at odds with Israel. Well, I guess this gets Ishmael and Esau off the hook.

The devil is mad. He is the one who plays the blame game. His hatred of God's chosen people has him pulling the strings of his little Islamic terrorist puppets, and somehow it comes around to the blame being put on one man or one government half a world away. Score one, Satan. Then he sends his spiritually lobotomized Hollywood “elite” to yak through their faces against the fight on terrorism, the crusade for one last thread of morality in this country, and Christian conservatives as a whole.

What would this country look like if Al Gore or John Kerry had made it to the White House in one of the last two elections? We would be kissing terrorist posterior instead of kicking it, thereby sealing the country's destruction prematurely.

The “hanging chad” scenario of the 2000 presidential election in Florida did not result in anyone “stealing the election.” The losing side has been crying foul ever since, but the turnout of this election was the sovereign hand of God fighting an enemy that wanted to keep the epitome of immorality running the government for another four or eight years. We may not be as fortunate in the 2008 election.

We need to be very careful when choosing our next president. The name Hillary Clinton is becoming popular when the 2008 election is discussed. As history taught us, the only time a Clinton is interested in protecting this country (with a little missile that won't touch the enemy) is when they need to divert the American people's attention from the sexual scandal du jour.

I believe America is being spared at the present time for a few reasons. Some insist it is because we are still spreading the Gospel to poorer lands. Although that's part of it, I think it is dangerous to assume this is going to keep America coasting long enough to avoid God's judgment. He may be the God of the remnant within this land, but He is no longer the God of this land.

Our support for Israel is another reason our nation has been spared - at least to this point in history, and again, not that the continuance of our support is enough on its own to keep America coasting. No Democrat in office is going to stand behind Israel the way George W. Bush has. This is not an overall endorsement for the man, but concerning Israel, he knows which side we should be on. We can be sure, when we turn our backs on Israel, our judgment is written.

So we needn't pat ourselves on the back too hard. The floss that we're dangling from is about to snap. We have seen a few hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, floods and droughts in the past few decades (as I write this, 60% of the country is in drought and we are heading towards over 9,000,000 acres destroyed by wildfire this season alone), but I wouldn't call this the hammer. I believe God is tapping us to see where the heart is, and we are failing the heart test miserably. God is looking for a few righteous men. Some of the following was quoted previously, but bears repeating. We stand at this point with Judah, from Jeremiah 5:

1Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

2And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.

3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

4Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

7How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

8They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.

9Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

At this point, God in His mercy is putting up with us. God has allowed America to stay alive, even through our wicked assault on everything that He stands for. In spite of those lashing out against the war, we are in a much safer place standing against terrorism and Islamic Nazis who are trying to annihilate the Jewish state of Israel. The day we turn our backs on the re-blossomed Israel - it will be lights out, U.S. From Genesis 12:3, we read of the descendants of Abraham, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee…”

The global situation is grave. A spiritual war between good and evil has escalated and we are, at the time of this writing, heading into World War III. Instead of seeing the perspective through Bible history, we fight with each other over petty issues with the shield of our political party of choice. Today, we are that nation divided which cannot stand.

Yes, it's hard to believe, America, but the present world situation is greater than liberal vs. conservative. This is greater than the issues of inflation, gas prices and unemployment, or whether or not Joe Stock Trader made his million this quarter. This is greater than Arab vs. Israeli, or even Islamic lunatic vs. Jew.

The culmination of all human history begins here. The climax of the times of the Gentiles is UPON US.

But in America, who cares that the Day of the Lord is around the corner as long as our drugged up athletic superstars are still playing, Britney Spears is allowed to keep reproducing and Eminem is coming out with a new CD of filth? As long as Lindsey Lohan is keeping her weight down and Oprah is giving away expensive presents, and Scientologists Tom and Katie are enjoying their new out-of-wedlock bundle of joy, and the wealthy “prophets” in the land are telling us that prosperity is coming to all, well, then everything must be OK.

Jesus said at the time of His return to earth, society would be like it was in “the days of Noah.” In Genesis 6:5, the days of Noah are described: “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.” What else did He have to compare us to? Our technology has improved, but with that has come the opportunity to sin on greater levels. Noah's people didn't have MTV or the Internet tempting them back then. But their heart was the same as ours, “only evil continually.”

I believe also the people of Sodom and the people of last days' Judah would have felt quite at home in today's America once catching on to our innovations in sinful pleasure. If God destroyed them for their iniquity, what makes us think we are on a less dangerous course?

There is a blindness to sin in our society created by a thick fog of self-righteousness. Since the only way to receive Christ is to repent and turn from sin, the enemy uses that fog of self-righteousness to make sure the sinner is never aware of sin. What churches call “revival” is not revival at all. Revival is a result of repentance and purifying ourselves in the Spirit, a conscious desire to see the filth of the world washed away and the renewing fire of the Holy Spirit taking what was corrupted and making it new again.

The average churchgoer in our society doesn't know what revival is. The Church as a whole skirts around the issue of sin, and the average churchgoer, like the world, refuses more and more to call sin, sin. The Church wants its worldly entertainments more than it wants God and revival. The Church in America is in greater danger than America itself, because we are accountable to the One Truth we know, whereas the average person in this country is clueless (granted, by choice) about Him.

CHAPTER 12

LAST BATTLES AHEAD

Here is a simple truth: If our enemies lay down their arms, there will be no more war. But if Israel lays down its arms, there will be no more Israel. For the crux of the conflict is their desire to destroy us.

- Binyamin Netanyahu

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

- Zechariah 12:3

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

- Matthew 10:34

Church - we are Israel. We are grafted in upon accepting Christ the Messiah and we become part of Abraham's family. When Israel is at war, we are at war. When their terrorist enemies come after them, they are coming after us (we have all seen this with our own eyes). This battle is played out in the natural, but it is spiritual in its origin. Terrorism is a demonically inspired and induced plague. Its propagators are Islamic fascists who have hatred for the Jew and Christian inbred in them from birth. Both the Jew and Christian have the same God, the True God, and the devil cannot stand this fact.

We are in the time of the very end. The darkest day in human history is upon us and the intensity of that darkness (wickedness, evil) will step up until the day Jesus returns. The devil has manipulated the people of the world to fall right into his trap and usher in the greatest battle humankind will ever face. He has a spiritual army of Islam that, if it were not for a few relatively humane governmental and judicial bodies in place, would behead everyone on earth that refuses to bow to their false god Allah.

The men of the devil's army are out in droves. We see them on the news marching with their guns and face masks (to hide the shame or to give the appearance of bandits?), and they put their male children on the streets with guns in their hands. Even young women are called upon to martyr themselves for the cause of the enemy of God. They indoctrinate their children with hatred and the glorification of death so that the next generation will be just as filled with demonic contempt for Jews and Christians (both considered the “infidel” along with any other non-believer of Islam), Israel (primarily a Jewish state) the United States (at the time of this writing, still a free country), and overall, anything good in the eyes of a holy God.

In writing this, I do not equate the United States with Christianity. At one time in the past, we might have been able to do that, but not in our present society. Terrorists, haters of everything good and holy, consider the United States an enemy because we allow Jews, Christians and those of other religions to worship freely without punishment. In the eyes of the terrorists, the United States is seen as an alliance with Israel and proponent of Christianity and freedom for all.

The devil cannot stand freedom. His way is to enslave his prey, while Jesus came to set the captives free. The United States does retain this one Christian value.

While our God proposes and gives life to anyone who asks, the Muslim god's main goal is the death and destruction of mankind. This evil is man's idea at the call of the devil, for the Muslim god, Allah, is false. Islamic terrorists are well-organized, well-funded and instilled with wickedness by Satan himself. Their chant is “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” They claim rights to land that God promised His people from the time of Abraham. They blow themselves up in crowded buses, hotels, malls, clubs and other places, taking out anyone in the immediate vicinity. They are supplied with military power by Muslim countries like Iran, who are actually supplied by Russia and China, who are both cozying up to the keepers of the fuel.

Upon waking in hell and receiving the full revelation from God of their diabolical lives, I can only imagine these terrorists are still without remorse. Perhaps while the devil and his angels are torturing them in the flames, they are still on the lookout for their payment of 72 virgins. Good luck, boys. What a rude awakening you will all have.

Jesus, I believe, is the ultimate pacifist, but He Himself said He came not to bring peace, but a Sword. This Sword is the Word of God that defeats all the power of the enemy. To those who want peace, He offers the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). It passes understanding because the circumstances around us may just have everything to do with war, and we are going to require peace in the heart to keep us going forward.

We can be pacifists and not anti-war. Our peace comes from within, not from what is going on around us. This world will have war until the very day Jesus returns to conclusively defeat the enemy, both spiritual and of earthly substance, and sets up His eternal Kingdom. So our peace comes from knowing that day is nearer than ever before, and no matter how much war and destruction we see take place on the earth, God will keep us and enable us to get through. If we are called to war, we must war. We never start war. We are not the fools chanting “Jihad!” against those who do not believe as we do. Ultimately, victory is in the hands of God. We are never to expect we can win a war, spiritual or in the natural, in our own strength. As long as we fight the good fight, victory is assured.

The alignment of nations foretold in this last days' war, which I believe will be a series of wars leading up to the final and ultimate Armageddon, where all God's enemies are destroyed at the hand of Christ, is clear to anyone studying Bible prophecy. Ezekiel 38 is coming into view, and soon will be read like a news report from CNN.

As mentioned earlier, the new Jewish temple must be built in Jerusalem before the return of Christ. The war indicated by Ezekiel 38 and 39 may make the situation in Jerusalem possible for the rebuilding of the temple. The description of the new temple is found in Ezekiel 40, which chronologically follows the description of the war of Gog and Magog in chapters 38 and 39.

Islam has made its objective known with the January 2006 win for Hamas, a “political party” fronting a terrorist organization in the Palestinian region; the assault against Israel in July 2006 by terrorist organization Hezbollah that set up shop in southern Lebanon; and the ever-increasing threat of al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks, against all interests of Israel and Israel's allies. The objective of Islam is total annihilation of the “infidel” and world domination by Islamic rule. We the “infidel” have the option of either being killed, or instead of death, being tortured until we decide to declare Allah is God.

Let's STOP fooling ourselves about “peaceful” Muslims! There is only one Koran. Its instructions are to kill all Jews, Christians and others who don't believe in their phony pipsqueak “god” by violence and war (“jihad”). If there are Muslims in the United States who are not in favor of killing the infidel, then I liken them to lukewarm Christians who do not read the Bible. They call themselves “Muslim,” but thankfully for the rest of us, they do not study their false religion. I can “live peaceably” with people who don't understand that their orders are to kill - but watch out once they begin to know their commission!

When one calling himself a Christian kills in the name of God (such as murdering abortion doctors, etc.), they do not know the God of the Bible. When a Muslim doesn't kill in the name of Allah, they do not know their violent and created god of the Koran. So once having that understanding, we see where the last days' enemy of God and His remnant is coming from: Islamic terrorists bent on destroying any member of mankind not adhering to their deception, and aiming for a complete takeover of the world.

The devil created Islam as a counterfeit to Christianity. It's hard to believe, but as much as Islam is completely opposite from Christianity, there are many similarities. Mohammed the Muslim “prophet” is to take the spotlight away from Jesus, not only a Prophet, but our Savior. They seek to bring in converts, but where Christians do this out of love and concern for a person's eternal destiny, Muslims do it as a way to manipulate and control. The alternative to not converting to Christianity puts someone in the hands of God to judge them based on their heart. The alternative to not converting to Islam is physical death by beheading - the Muslim takes into his own hands what only deity should have control over. Both faiths also look for a messiah to bring about world peace and restore order. Our Messiah is Jesus, and we read about His triumphant return in Revelation 19. Muslims look for the twelfth Imam, the “Mahdi,” who is supposedly a descendent of Muhammad and the one who will usher in the world's final conversion to Islam. Although Sunni and Shiite views on the Mahdi differ slightly, it's all false religion and it's all counterfeit to Christianity.

These similarities give weight to the Interfaith movement's idea that we are all serving the same God, but just have different paths to Him. The ignorance of the average earth dweller would confound the elect of God if we couldn't see it through His eyes and understand the blinders that have been placed on so many. The devil has truly set the stage for his purposes by manipulating the hearts, minds and lives of billions of people.

It appears the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will be instrumental in this last days' battle against Israel. He is the blank checkbook for terrorist groups that need funding. He is the financier and puppeteer for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, but he keeps himself comfortably physically detached for the time. His now infamous comment that Israel needs to be “wiped off the map” and denial that the Holocaust took place has given him recognition, either good or bad, by Arab nations and both Eastern and Western civilization. He refuses to accept Israel's present existence, as do most Arabs. We will not find Israel on an any map produced by an Arab nation in the Middle East. Ahmadinejad has no problem rallying Arab support against Israel, and with his defiance against the U.S. in pursuing nuclear goals, he is a leader Muslims look up to.

His twisted religious imagination gives way to his belief that he and his government are called to create the atmosphere for the return of the “Mahdi,” their Shiite Islamic “messiah.” He governs as someone who has nothing to lose. He is determined to have nuclear weapons for the destruction of Israel, and he runs Iran according to his insane religious politics, not giving heed to any other nation. Why should he? If he really believes he is the one to usher in the return of the Mahdi, then he is not going to govern in a way that promotes proper international relations. His objective with all other madmen of Islam is the same: destruction or agonizing conversion of the “infidel.” And he is in a position wealthy and powerful enough, and just deceived enough, to pursue his goals.

While the debate over Iran's nuclear “energy” continued, Russia is one entity that offered help to Iran. Russia is looking out for itself, obviously. The keepers of the fuel have the upper hand with some nations, and let's hope the U.S. never has to depend on Iran in this way. Russia has stood by Iran during every UN discussion about their nuclear ambitions and has even sold a nuclear power plant to Iran and has plans to sell more. Their alliance forms perfectly in tune with Ezekiel 38:4 that refers to Magog, which is modern Russia: “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords…”

The “hook in the jaw” is Russia's reluctance to go to war. But they do go, and in fact lead the way. Their dependence upon oil will most likely be the continuing factor in their support of Iran. Support enough to go to war, aligned with several Arab nations against Israel? Apparently so, according to scripture.

The Arabs want Israeli land for their own. We read from Psalm 83:4: “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” That sounds a little like wiping Israel off the map. It appears everything is right on schedule.

The lands that will attack Israel, included with modern Russia, are “Meshech and Tubal,” believed to be modern Turkey, which is 99% Muslim, and possibly southern Russia and northern Iran, also 99% Muslim; “Persia,” which is undoubtedly Iran (it was called Persia up until 1935); Ethiopia, or ancient “Cush,” which could also include Sudan or Eritrea; and Libya, or ancient “Put.” “Gomer and Togarmah” are also mentioned as foes, and these are believed to be modern Turkey. Gomer is also speculated as an area that includes the Ukraine, Georgia or even Germany.

According to an article by Mort Zuckerman from early 2006, an American diplomat he spoke to said regarding Iran, oil and nuclear energy, “this business is a giant hook in Russia's jaw.” Unknowingly using Bible terminology, this diplomat spoke the truth.

China as well is reluctant to come against Iran's nuclear ambitions because of the trade it enjoys with Iran. In the first seven months of 2006, China and Iran trade hit a near $8 billion. Although China is not involved in the major attack against Israel outlined in Ezekiel 38 and 39, it does have a part to play in the final battle of Armageddon. They will take a stand with the Arabs. Revelation 9:16 mentions a 200,000,000 man army, while Revelation 16:12 mentions the “kings of the east.” This is commonly recognized as China's involvement.

Presently, we need to be aware of the next attack on Israel, coming at the hands of its Arab enemies. The United States needs to back Israel in any battle. If blessing comes to those who bless Israel, and a curse befalls those who do not, which side do you want to be on? There are direct, and often immediate consequences to turning our backs on Israel.

The U.S.' backing of the displacing of Jews from Gaza in August 2005 is, in this writer's biblical viewpoint, what led to the displacing of several U.S. residents in New Orleans after the hurricane. We reaped a direct consequence of what we sowed. Anyone offering concessions of any kind to the Palestinians, or any nation on the brink of war with Israel, will reap what they sow. The cry of the residents of water-destroyed New Orleans was, “We just want to go home.” So has been the cry of the Jew for centuries: “We just want to go home.”

Staying on the side of Israel may become increasingly more difficult in years to come. With the close of this present Administration in office, we may see some major changes in our government. The “powers that be” on the left are about as pro-Israel as the average Nazi. The left, along with the UN and their various anti-Israel “resolutions,” accuses Israel, if ever daring to defend itself, of being the aggressor in the Middle East. One would think with their adamant opposition to the way the United States defends its citizens against terrorism that the moment a Democratic president takes office, we are out of Iraq, Afghanistan and all interests in aid to Israel.

The only reason the Iranian madman Ahmadinejad has not attacked Israel, and instead contracted his cronies Hezbollah in Lebanon to do it, is because he would have to cross Iraq and face the U.S. presence there. Plus, while we try to establish peace in Iraq, he takes this time to develop his nukes. Once a new government takes effect in the U.S., Iran is as free as a devil without opposition. And our country is in the greatest danger it has been in since its birth. For those who say war is unnecessary, remember from Ecclesiastes 3:8, “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

If Ezekiel 38 and 39 begin to play out in the Middle East as an all-out attack of Arab nations and Russia against Israel, and the U.S. dares in the sight of God to make Israel fight without an ally, we seal our fate as a nation. The “Babylonian army” is going to be free to eat us alive. We will truly be the reprobate society, the ones who were given over to their own lusts.

Our country still stands today in part because of how we have treated the Jews. We, in spite of our depraved and reprobate ways, have been shown mercy by God. If we want a president voted in who will not defend Israel, God will not defend us. But God will give us what we want. Daniel 2:21 tells us of God, “And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings…”

We have been shown mercy, but if God removes and sets up kings over a land, the appointment of a wicked ruler will be a curse upon us. I believe the last two kings in power in the kingdom of Judah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, were curses upon them. The sins in the land were so great that God did not allow them a righteous king. Our sins are exactly the sins of Judah, and then some. Our modern technologies make it easier to find sin, make sin and enjoy sin.

One thing we can be sure of is that, with or without us, Israel will have God on her side. They will have victory over their enemies in miraculous fashion. Zechariah 12:8 states, “In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, and the angel of the LORD before them.”

David was once a teenager with a slingshot who took out a giant named Goliath who could have killed anything in his path. David had the power of God on his side.

In June 1967, Israel obliterated 90% of Egyptian warplanes on the ground, in part responding to then Egyptian leader Gamal Nasser's comment that he intended to annihilate the Jewish state. Israel went on to destroy a total of 400 aircraft of five Arab nations in this Six Day War and conquer what was Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Syria's Golan Heights, and Jordan's West Bank, which Jordan may not have lost at that point in history if they had heeded Israel's plea for them not to get involved in the conflict. But God had His plans, and on 6/7/67, Jerusalem was once again in the hands of the Jews.

Israel will take on, if provoked, the entire Arab world and win. At the end of all these battles, those of Israel will finally know Jesus, their Messiah. This is what Islam is trying to prevent. Islamic militants are not trying to kill humans that believe one way or the other. They are trying to kill the Spirit of Christ of God's people. To their eventual embarrassment and damnation, they will not give up until they are “cut in pieces” at Jesus' very hand.

There's one major difference between the wars in Jeremiah's day that destroyed Israel, Judah and Jerusalem, and the series of wars and tumult leading up to the last war ultimately between good and evil. The people of Judah were in captivity for 70 years and then allowed to return. They were able to rebuild again, but their sins eventually caught up with them again. In 70 AD they were conquered by Rome. How many of us are saved by Him or kept safe, walk in His way, but then forget Him during times of peace?

This last and final time of war, instead of seeing Israel go into captivity again, is going to restore Israel and Jerusalem as its capital forever. Once Jerusalem is reconstructed by Jesus Himself, there will be no more war. He will set up His millennial Kingdom on earth.

We can take heart that God sees all and His will shall come to pass for the world in the end. In Psalm 2, we read about the armies that come against God and His people, but also how He views these enemy armies marching about and building themselves up:

1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

Have you ever seen someone do something so utterly ridiculous and nonsensical that you can't help but laugh? This is how God sees the fanatical marching Muslims and their allies. As verse four also states, to add to their shame, He will even “have them in derision,” or turn them into laughingstocks for the world to see.

There are so many other facets to these last of the last days concerning Bible prophecy, such as the rise of the antichrist to power and his seven-year rule, the seven-year peace contract the antichrist makes with Israel, etc. My intention is not to write a book about every detail of prophecy. I suggest for anyone interested in Bible prophecy at this point who hasn't begun studying the subject, please do. It is highly important to know the Bible in relation to what is going on in the world. We really do not have a Jeremiah warning us as to what is coming on the horizon.

Now for the good part. If this country is going the path of Judah, and we will experience judgment as a nation, we may still be spared individually. We should be praying God's protection for His remnant every day. Christians endure trials in their lives, but according to 1 Thessalonians 5:9, we are not to experience the wrath of God: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ…” The wrath of God is a completely different type of calamity from the occasional trials and tribulations of life. As God spared Noah and his family, and Abraham and Lot and their families, so will He spare His own during the Day of the Lord.

When God told the people of Judah not to resist the Babylonian army, He said they were to seek normal lives and live peaceably, and after 70 years they would be able to return to their land. At that time, there would be a remnant returning to Judah that would seek God. This promise was also for the northern kingdom of Israel. Ezekiel 37:22 records the restoration of the people to their land: “And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” There is a deeper prophecy in this which extends to the time we are presently living in. There is going to be major chaos in the world, but God's people will be restored to their land, never to be scattered again.

At the end of the 70 years, God called the people home. He knew Babylon was about to be overthrown by the Medo-Persian army, and He wanted His people, who were chastised for 70 years, to be spared. From Jeremiah 51:6, we read, “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.”

It was Babylon's turn to be destroyed for its wickedness, and God's people were turned free. Those who did not stray from God, who did not escape to Egypt which God had forbade, and who turned to Him again while in exile were free!

God is calling us out of Babylon. We must not adhere to the spiritual phoniness and worldly wickedness that has pervaded our society. Revelation 18:4 is God's call to us: “…Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” The “her” in this passage means the spiritual Babylon and world system today. If we turn away from the filth that permeates the globe and live with Christ in our heart, we will be spared the wrath to come.

We must make it our aim to know the whole truth and walk with the remnant. Our message will not be popular. We may endure persecution for going against the grain of society. We may have some rough terrain ahead, if the nation is judged and the Church is chastised, as God sifts His sheep within the sheep. But sharing in eternity with Christ will be more than worth the battles we face on earth. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)

In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “What are we waiting for? The time is late.” War is coming. In the spiritual sense, war is already here. Will we look up, for our Redemption draws near to us? The choice is ours: Babylon or Paradise, hell or holiness, death or life.

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